Fu Shanhe

Chapter 511 Sending Away the Plague God

The Tatar royal court.

"Great Chanyu, the best time for the Liaodong army to launch a major southward offensive and destroy the Liaodong defense line has come."

The warriors of the tribe are all ready, awaiting your command!

Arutan Wanhu eagerly volunteered for battle.

Having fought the Great Yu Dynasty for so many years, the Liaodong defense line was undoubtedly a major factor in the fact that they had never been able to defeat the enemy.

The recent southward route was blocked by Liaodong Town, so that every southward invasion had to take a detour.

Often, even though they plundered a large amount of spoils, they had to abandon some of them because of the long distance.

"Arutan, you're too hasty."

The Great Chanyu has his own plans regarding when to march south.

Under the guise of "purging the court of corrupt officials," Liaodong garrison marched south and seized the capital of the Great Yu Dynasty. The people of the Yu Dynasty in the south are organizing a loyal army to quell the rebellion.

"Why should we intervene so early when we have the opportunity to watch the Yu people kill each other?"

Nichileg Wanhu immediately objected.

In his view, the Liaodong defense line could be breached at any time, and there was no need to intervene when the Yu Dynasty was fighting amongst themselves.

At this point in time, even if we go south to plunder, we shouldn't expect to gain much profit.

Intervening hastily in the internal strife of the Yu Dynasty would only deplete the national strength of the Tatar Kingdom, offering no other benefits.

“Nichileg is right. We have a chance to sit back and watch the tigers fight. There’s no need for us to go and stir up trouble.”

Without external threats, the people of the Yu Dynasty could freely and boldly kill each other.

Once we send troops out, neither the Liaodong garrison nor the loyalist army in the south will dare to fight with full force.

Instead of attacking the Liaodong defense line, it would be better to first deal with the government troops of the Dayu Dynasty deployed along the Xuanfu and Datong lines.

The last time the Guifang allied forces ambushed the enemy on the grassland, they seemed to have dealt a heavy blow to the enemy, but in reality, both sides suffered heavy losses.

If we don't take advantage of their depleted resources and eliminate them now, the consequences will be dire once they recover!

Erd suggested that.

They had put in a lot of effort to ambush the Da Yu border troops last time, but unfortunately their teammates weren't up to par.

Several times, despite having surrounded the enemy, they were still managed to break through their encirclement.

It would have been fine if they had just managed to break through, but they were even counterattacked on some local battlefields.

The once mighty Mongol Yuan Empire is now history; the Guifang tribe is now just a group of old-fashioned, conservatives.

Even though they had entered the age of firearms, they still clung to their traditional archery skills.

Even though some firearms were occasionally captured, they were still used tactically as bows and arrows.

Despite having a numerical advantage, instead of slowly prolonging the war of attrition, they foolishly charged forward to engage in a decisive battle with Yu's army.

The enemy soldiers were clad in armor, while they were dressed in white.

Often, even if a major battle is won, one's own losses will exceed those of the enemy.

As allies, the Tatar Kingdom naturally wouldn't remind them.

Instead of offering any warnings, they kept praising the bravery of the Guifang people and encouraging them to engage in a direct confrontation with the Yu army.

Many times, even though the Ghost Fang leadership clearly didn't want to engage in a direct confrontation, they were pressured by their allies and had no choice but to fight the Yu army in a decisive battle.

Through skillful diplomacy, they not only dealt a heavy blow to the Yu army, but also depleted the resources of the Gui Fang forces.

He was overjoyed after winning twice in a row, but he still complained about how his allies had lost.

"Erdene is right, we really cannot allow the Yu Dynasty's border troops to recover."

Now that bastard Li Mu has raised an army in the south to serve the emperor, his former subordinates, upon receiving the news, are very likely to head south to join him.

We must launch a major battle before they leave and capture all these border troops!

Hugjil immediately made the decision.

A series of major battles proved that the corruption of the Great Yu Dynasty was only in its bureaucratic system; its border troops still had fighting power.

In the past, there was no action because the Great Yu order had not yet collapsed, and the border troops had to abide by the rules.

Now that the Liaodong Garrison occupies the capital, the imperial laws that restrain the border troops have lost their effectiveness.

The fact that the border troops, who used to barely survive on meager rations, have recently seen their lives suddenly improve is the best proof of this.

When the troops ran out of food, they pretended to be rebels and went to the gates of gentry and wealthy families to beg for food.

No matter how severe the drought in the north, it is only ordinary people who go bankrupt, while the wealthy and powerful continue to live extravagantly.

The biggest victim right now is the Shanxi merchants group.

These guys who profited from the national crisis were all rolling in money, so it was no surprise that they were targeted by the border troops.

No matter how many guards there are, they are no match for a regular army.

Either you obediently pay the protection money, or they'll take it themselves.

Not only did the border troops collect protection money from them, but their partner, the Liaodong Army, also extorted them.

In order to survive, the Shanxi merchants immediately sought help from their masters.

Unfortunately, due to the disruption of trade routes, the amount of supplies that Shanxi merchants could provide to the Tatar Kingdom decreased significantly, and their status also declined sharply.

The letters seeking help reached the Tatar high command and were treated like toilet paper.

When the Tatar leadership made their decisions, they considered all factors, but no one mentioned the tragic fate of the Shanxi merchants.

The merits made in the past are completely insignificant in the face of personal gain.

……

At dawn, as soon as the sun began to shine on the earth, a large number of officials gathered at the dock.

The six ministers personally led the delegation, and not a single official, high or low, in Nanjing dared to be absent.

Knowing full well that the Marquis of Hanshui's fleet couldn't possibly arrive so quickly, the fact that everyone was called over so early in the morning still caused quite a bit of resentment among the crowd.

However, the leading ministers also had their own unspoken difficulties. They were all quite old, and who wanted to put themselves through such trouble?

However, some things are not about the event itself, but about the stance it represents.

From the very beginning, they were determined to elevate Li Mu to a high position and mold him into a great loyal minister of the Great Yu Dynasty.

By using the moral halo as a constraint, he can ensure that he does not become the next Shi Jingfeng.

This kind of open and aboveboard strategy cannot be just talked about; it must be put into practice.

The popular demand is the first step, and a necessary one.

He was trusted unconditionally by all officials, and even the ministers of the Six Ministries were willing to submit to him.

In this context, if Li Mu had later rebelled against the Great Yu Dynasty, he would have become a second Wang Mang.

Not to mention the opinions of the people in the world, even his own underlings can't help but have their own thoughts.

After all, if a regime lacks loyalty and righteousness from the very beginning, how can it expect its people to be loyal?

Wang Mang is the best example; before usurping the Han throne, he was practically a saint with impeccable morality.

However, after taking that step to usurp the throne, the situation that was originally expected by the masses quickly underwent a qualitative change.

Without a series of subsequent reforms, the regime may be able to maintain its rule, but a regime that has acquired power illegitimately will certainly not last long.

Given their inability to stop Li Mu from usurping power, this was all the former officials of the Great Yu Dynasty could do.

"Gentlemen, why don't we go to the teahouse to rest for a while? Once the Marquis's fleet arrives, we will immediately send someone to inform you to come over."

The transport commissioner made the suggestion with a nervous expression.

As an official in charge of shipping at the main port, I had never seen such a grand scene before!

If one didn't know that the person who came was the Marquis of Hanshui, one would think that the emperor was on a southern tour.

"No need, we'll wait here!"

Wan Huaijin refused outright.

If you're going to act, you have to go all the way. If you're going to be perfunctory at this point, you're leaving potential problems for the future.

Only genuine courtesy can demonstrate their sincerity. The longer the wait, the more it proves how much they value it.

In politics, attitude is often more important than the outcome.

If the play is performed well, even if the Marquis of Hanshui sees through their scheme, he cannot hold it against them.

Even if drastic changes occur in the future and Li Mu gains the throne, they will still be portrayed as loyal ministers.

It seems that loyal ministers of the previous dynasty are of no value and may even bring about their own deaths, but this time the situation is different.

As a subject of the same dynasty, Li Mu also considered himself a loyal subject of the Great Yu.

Not wanting to ruin his reputation, even if he were to fight for the world in the future, he would first have to prove that the Great Yu Dynasty was indeed doomed before he could ascend to the throne in accordance with the will of Heaven.

Since they were all loyal subjects of the Great Yu Dynasty, they naturally did not belong to the group to be purged.

Not only will they not be cleaned, but they will also be treated with respect.

Throughout Chinese history, every new dynasty has rewarded its loyal ministers; this has always been a standard practice.

It can be said that from the very beginning, they eliminated any political risks in this plan.

Time passed slowly, and by noon, a fleet finally appeared on the river.

The officials who had been waiting anxiously all showed expressions of relief.

Fortunately, it wasn't summer, otherwise most of these pampered officials would probably have collapsed.

"I apologize for keeping you all waiting. I am truly unworthy of such praise!"

After stepping off the plank, Li Mu cupped his hands in greeting to the officials.

This level of reception clearly exceeded the treatment expected of a marquis.

Considering the importance of heading north to defend the emperor, it's understandable that everyone would pay more attention to it.

"Lord Marquis, you spared no effort to raise an army from Annam and march north to defend the emperor and save the country. What is there that you cannot bear!"

Wan Huaijin returned the greeting and said.

"Saving the country and the nation"—this political theme must be put into practice today.

Otherwise, all their performances would have been for nothing!

"Ha ha……"

"We, the subjects of the Great Yu, have a duty to uphold the nation and its people when the country is in trouble!"

Li Mu responded with a smile.

His subtle schemes couldn't escape his notice.

However, at this juncture, when everyone needs to work together to win the Northern Expedition, he has no intention of holding a grudge.

The title of "supporting the nation" also brought him great benefits.

Although Annam Protectorate is developing well, it has acquired too much new land, and many places are still under development.

We need to bring in immigrants from within the country to accelerate local development.

If chaos were to erupt prematurely, then the limited financial resources would have to be poured into the civil war.

Not only will the progress of new territorial development be affected, but the war will also lead to a sharp decline in commercial and trade tax revenue.

Without sufficient funds and supplies, taking over the mess in the north prematurely, it's uncertain how long it will take to recover.

Moreover, there is a formidable enemy on the grasslands, eyeing them covetously, and to the south, they are vying for power with the Western nations.

Beset by internal and external troubles, there was simply no time to carry out deep-seated political reforms.

He might spend his whole life dealing with border troubles.

Rather than prematurely plunging the world into chaos, it's better to preserve the Great Yu Dynasty's reputation and buy a few years for development.

The Annam Protectorate is at a critical juncture, and the newly reclaimed land is constantly strengthening its power.

Compared to other domestic forces, the longer the time drags on, the more obvious his advantages will become.

In chaotic times, having soldiers is not enough; you also need food.

If we can provide tens of millions of bushels of rice each year as military rations, and also provide enough grain to relieve disaster victims, then all our enemies will be nothing but a bunch of scoundrels.

There are ready-made examples in history. Li Yuan took only half a year from raising an army to establishing the Tang Dynasty.

The progress has been so smooth thanks to the solid foundation built up in the early stages.

However, due to internal strife, it still took seven years to pacify the country after its founding.

Before the Tang Dynasty, the Han Dynasty was also established very quickly, but it took too long to deal with external threats.

With the experience and lessons learned from his predecessors, Li Mu felt that he could make progress even faster.

"If everyone in the world were as righteous as you, Lord Marquis, how could the world not be at peace!"

Wan Huaijin said with genuine emotion.

The plan progressed much more smoothly than he had anticipated.

Deep down, he couldn't help but wonder if he had thought too badly of people.

Judging from the appearance of the Marquis of Hanshui, he doesn't seem to have any ambition at all.

The subsequent preparations for entrusting state affairs were never even put into action before the goal was achieved ahead of schedule.

In any case, now that the plan is complete, there's no need to create any unnecessary complications.

It's better to get Li Mu to agree immediately than to use moral blackmail and force him to agree.

"The affairs of the state are difficult, so I will not waste my time."

The generals of all the armies that came to the aid of the emperor are probably all here. Today, we will finalize the plan for joint operations.

"Give the army two days to reorganize, and we will launch a northern expedition three days later!"

Li Mu calmly changed the subject.

We can do without the empty rhetoric, but we must seize military power beforehand.

He knew exactly what kind of people the loyalist army was.

If we don't take the opportunity of reorganizing the army to enforce strict military discipline, we will only be a hindrance on the battlefield.

If the generals in the army are pragmatic, then everything is negotiable.

He wouldn't hesitate to make an example of anyone who dared to disobey.

"My lord, isn't this a bit too fast?"

"I'm so frustrated," said Bao Qilin, the Yunnan General.

He hasn't had enough of the romance and beauty of Jiangnan yet!
The Marquis of Hanshui was in such a hurry to send troops to defend the emperor that he didn't even know if he would ever be able to set foot on the Qinhuai River again in his lifetime.

Not only Bao Qilin couldn't stand it, but a group of local generals also began to complain.

"Bastard!"

"How dare you question the Marquis's military orders!"

Before Li Mu could speak, Zhuang Yuanjia, the governor of Southern Zhili, was the first to launch into a tirade.

These days, he's had enough of this group of guest troops causing trouble and can't wait to get rid of these bastards.

Li Mu's plan to lead these people on a northern expedition was exactly what he wanted.

"Lord Zhuang is right. Military orders are absolute and cannot be questioned by you!"

Minister of Justice An Jingzhi followed suit and started the group.

The governor's office was under great pressure, and so was the Ministry of Justice.

He was under immense pressure because a bunch of cases of violations of military discipline were piling up in the Ministry of Justice and couldn't be handled.

In the blink of an eye, a group of civil officials launched into a tirade, as if they couldn't wait to get rid of these plague gods.

Li Mu was dumbfounded when he saw this.

Just how many outrageous things have these loyalist troops done that have driven the civil officials to the point that they can no longer maintain any checks and balances and are only focused on getting rid of the people?

(End of this chapter)