Fu Shanhe

Chapter 528 Blocking War

Nanjing City.

The court is in an uproar over the struggle for the new emperor.

After a series of alliances and counter-alliances, the three most popular candidates are currently the King of Xiang, the King of Huainan, and the King of Shu.

With Li Mu, who held the most influence, remaining silent, and none of the parties having the power to overpower the other, the situation quickly reached a stalemate.

The merit of supporting the emperor is related to the subsequent development of the situation between North Korea and China, and involves the core interests of all parties. No one dares to back down easily.

For a new ruler, those who supported his ascension to the throne may be forgotten, but those who opposed it will be remembered very clearly.

You can't just switch sides temporarily; if you're not firm in your political stance, it's the same as not taking sides at all.

Once labeled as not being part of the inner circle, one's future in the imperial court will certainly not be easy.

Shifu.

"Your Excellency, this dragging on isn't a solution."

It would be better to strike first and welcome the Prince of Huainan to the capital, then forcibly install him on the throne.

The fait accompli has been established, and even if they don't want to agree, they have no choice but to accept it.

Zhai Congshuang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, couldn't help but make the suggestion.

Compared to other popular candidates for princes, the Prince of Huainan's advantages, besides being of close blood ties, were his proximity to Nanjing.

When all parties are deadlocked, the princes who enter the capital first will undoubtedly be able to seize the initiative.

"inappropriate!"

“If the Marquis of Hanshui were not watching over us, we could naturally have staged a military coup and enthroned the King of Huainan.”

But that's not possible now.

Although the Ministry of War does have some military power, the number of troops we can mobilize is very limited, and the real power in the military is almost entirely concentrated in the hands of the Marquis of Hanshui.

Without his support, any act that disrupts the rules of the political game could lead to utter destruction.

Vice Minister of War Gu Tianyou hurriedly objected.

Only those within the Ministry of War truly understood the extent of Li Mu's influence within the army.

Without winning over this powerful minister and chief minister, any attempt to forcibly install a new emperor would be tantamount to suicide.

Li Mu's neutrality at this sensitive moment was certainly to avoid suspicion, but more so because his foundation was too solid.

No matter which prince ascends to the throne, the first thing they must do is seek the support of the prime minister.

Without his approval, even if one gains the support of all officials, one cannot gain the approval of the military.

In times of chaos, an emperor who lacks the military's approval is destined to lose his throne.

In this context, all they could do was to elect an emperor acceptable to all parties, in accordance with the rules of the political game.

"Lord Gu, the Marquis of Hanshui has no intention of getting involved in court affairs."

As for your concerns, they are nothing more than a matter of interests; at worst, a political exchange can be made.

If an agreement can't be reached, it simply means the promised benefits aren't large enough.

Zhai Congshuang said confidently.

In this world, life is nothing more than fame and fortune.

In his view, Li Mu's reluctance to state his position was simply a ploy to wait for a better price.

The prince who bids the highest may not necessarily become the ruler, but the prince who bids the least will certainly have no chance.

By forcibly installing the Prince of Huainan on the throne and suppressing the various factions in the court, the difficulty of bribing Li Mu would undoubtedly be greatly reduced.

Unlike now, where all parties can make bids and compete with each other, the bottom line will only be broken again and again.

If this drags on, some vassal kings might even dare to make promises of being granted titles to those of different surnames just in order to rise to power.

The Marquis of Hanshui was already powerful; if he were to be made a king, who knows what might happen?

For the sake of the nation and its people, we must act swiftly and decisively to avoid the worst-case scenario.

"Lord Zhai, you're thinking too simply."

If it were truly for personal gain, the Marquis of Hanshui could simply choose a member of the imperial clan and support him to the throne.

But if he did that, his entanglement with the imperial court would be too deep.

Even if people don't say it, they will have doubts in their hearts, which is not conducive to the stability of the country.

They themselves are actively avoiding any appearance of impropriety; how could their political stance be swayed by a few promises of benefits from a vassal king?

Compared to these underhanded schemes and plots, gaining the support of all officials openly and honestly is the best choice!

After Liu Chunwen, the Chancellor of the Nanjing Imperial Academy, joined the battle, a host of officials present followed suit and expressed their own opinions.

In the blink of an eye, the officials present were divided into three factions.

"enough!"

"After arguing for so long, we can't even reach a consensus internally. How can we expect to gain the support of civil and military officials?"

If we can't even handle things in the court, it's unrealistic to expect the Marquis of Hanshui to side with us because of his interests.

If he were truly insatiable, the Marquis of Hanshui would have become the King of Hanshui long ago.

Given the current situation, if the Marquis of Hanshui were so inclined, he could easily seize power and replace the court.

It's likely that those soldiers in the army secretly encouraged him to usurp the throne and establish his own rule.

They could resist the temptation of the throne; how could they be blinded by a little bit of benefit?

Let's pretend that what happened today never happened.

After you leave this door, keep everything you just said to yourself.

The merit of following the dragon is certainly very important.

But the stability of the nation is more important than our personal achievements!

Shi Qingchen immediately reprimanded him.

Greed is not terrible; what is terrible is being blinded by desire.

The reason why the Marquis of Hanshui did not usurp the throne was partly due to his loyalty to the court, but more importantly, it was because he was too closely bound to the Great Yu Dynasty.

It is not difficult to usurp the throne, or even to seize the country.

Compared to the Northern Barbarians, the Liaodong Army, and the peasant army, Li Mu, who came from within the ruling group, was definitely one of their own to the civil and military officials.

At least the civil and military officials from the noble lineage would not oppose his ascension to the throne.

But in doing so, the "loyalty and righteousness" that supported him disappeared.

Essentially, Li Mu's current reputation is half earned on the battlefield and half stems from his status as a "loyal subject" of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Thanks to the joint efforts of all parties, he has long been regarded as a representative of loyal and righteous officials.

The more support this label receives when it's applied, the more backlash it will suffer when it's removed.

In chaotic times, people are often powerless to control their own destiny.

Besides actively rebelling, there is another way to usurp the throne: by donning the imperial robes.

If Li Mu's personal stance wavers even slightly, or if he privately expresses dissatisfaction with the court, his subordinates will make decisions for him.

Having clearly understood the essence of the problem, Shi Qingchen did not want to drag Li Mu into the vortex of political storm.

It wasn't just him; everyone in the cabinet was tacitly helping Li Mu isolate himself from political risks.

After all, if Li Mu were to rebel one day, they would be in an awkward position.

Apart from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, during that particularly chaotic era, no newly established dynasty would fully accept the former officials of the previous dynasty.

Lower and middle-ranking officials have the opportunity to be recruited, but these high-ranking officials are definitely "remnants of the previous dynasty".

Not exterminating their entire clan is a sign of the new ruler's mercy.

On the one hand, the cost of bribing them is too high, and on the other hand, it involves political responsibility.

When an empire falls, someone has to take responsibility.

Incompetent rulers and treacherous officials are both indispensable elements.

……

"Rumble..."

The roar of artillery fire heralded the start of the defensive battle.

Having learned from the previous experience, this time the Liaodong army not only built a temporary defensive line, but also added many "shields".

"The tables and doors are covered with cotton quilts. It seems that the enemy has grown a lot and has even learned to make shields to block bullets."

However, this makeshift defensive line is far too hasty; it looks like it was built from a mixture of straw and mud.

Putting down his binoculars, Kong Yutang couldn't help but complain.

War is the best way to teach people to grow. After the last defeat, the enemy's tactical defense capabilities have improved significantly.

The equipment was a bit rough, but practicality was important on the battlefield.

Whether the workmanship is exquisite or not is not important; the key is to use it well.

"No doubt about it, the truth is what you saw, Lao Kong. Less than a month has passed since the last Battle of Xuzhou."

The enemy commander was no incompetent man to have devised a countermeasure in such a short time.

Wang Laosan, who was standing to the side, chimed in with his comments.

Having fought in the north and south for so many years, they had seen many enemy troops.

The Liaodong army in front of us is considered to have a fast reaction time.

When the enemy was suppressing the indigenous peoples in Southeast Asia, many indigenous regimes were chased all over the world and their military innovations were not as numerous as those of the enemy forces in front of them.

"The enemy has indeed improved a lot, but these fancy equipment are all show and no substance."

Theoretically, it can indeed stop bullets, but the problem is that they can't control when the bullets are fired.

"Pass down the order to have the artillery adjust their targets and first identify the enemy's defensive fortifications."

Kong Yutang immediately issued the battle order.

Being able to stop a bullet doesn't mean you can stop a cannonball.

No matter how much the enemy generals have improved their personal abilities, it is clearly wishful thinking to try to stop the loyalist army with a hastily made, makeshift defensive line.

"boom……"

With a series of explosions, a section of the makeshift defensive wall was destroyed by artillery fire.

Along with them, the unfortunate soldiers attached to them were also blown into the air.

……

"Fight back!"

"Artillery, give us a counterattack immediately!"

Shi Jingming, who was watching the battle, gave the order almost like a roar.

The tactics I painstakingly devised to fight the enemy turned out to be so utterly ineffective.

After a brief moment of distraction, Shi Jingming quickly regained his composure and secretly revealed a bitter smile.

His plan was correct; the only misjudgment was the timing.

It was correct to hastily construct a makeshift city wall to block the attack of the loyalist army, but the construction of the city wall would take time.

To build a defensive line in just a few days is something few countries could do even centuries later.

In order to complete the task, the officers and soldiers below had no choice but to rush the work to meet the deadline.

No matter how hard an individual works, they must follow the laws of nature.

The stronger the defense, the more time it takes to build.

With only a few days to complete this almost impossible task, the project was destined to be a shoddy construction.

It wasn't a complete failure; at least the straw and mud defense line could stop bullets.

To some extent, this weakened the enemy's firepower.

Unfortunately, the enemy had far too many artillery pieces.

In particular, the enemy's artillery was much smaller than he had expected.

Those familiar with military affairs know that the smaller the size of an artillery piece, the easier it is to move and transport, and the higher its strategic value will be.

"Rumble..."

The sound of exploding shells continued to ring in my ears.

The defensive line, on which high hopes were placed, was torn apart by the enemy at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In the ensuing chaos, many soldiers abandoned their positions and scattered across the battlefield.

"Pass down the order for the soldiers to lie down immediately!"

"Whose troops are running amok? Lead them back to their place!"

"And those shields that are lying around, pick them up right now."

These things can save your life when the enemy charges!
......"

Shi Jingming quickly issued a series of orders.

Now that the war has progressed to this point, the Liaodong Army is in a disadvantageous position.

Even though we know these makeshift defenses can't hold off the enemy, they can't collapse so quickly.

The safety of the first line of defense is directly related to the morale of the troops.

The longer we hold out now, the easier the tasks will be later.

The time has come to test tactics and willpower; whoever makes fewer mistakes will win the strategic victory.

Unfortunately, just because the commander can understand it doesn't mean the soldiers below can.

Especially for new recruits who had just joined the army, many of them suffered a mental breakdown after seeing their comrades blown to pieces.

All they could think about was escaping; they had no intention of holding out to the death.

By the time Shi Jingming's order was relayed, the first batch of deserters had already broken away from the defensive line.

The supervisory team at the rear quickly stepped forward and swiftly suppressed the first wave of deserters.

However, the impact on morale continued to ferment among the soldiers.

"All troops, advance!"

Upon seeing that the enemy's temporary fortifications had been destroyed, Kong Yutang, who was in charge of the front-line command, decisively issued the battle order.

As the order was given, the bugle call to charge quickly resounded throughout the entire battlefield.

The well-prepared officers and soldiers of the loyalist army quickly launched an attack.

Originally intended for warhorses, the pits and barricades became the final obstacles to the advance of the loyalist army.

The cunning Liaodong army veterans simply lay on the ground and started firing sniper shots, achieving quite a few victories in a short time.

Unfortunately, people are smarter than horses, and these traps that were laid bare were quickly cleared away.

"Let the enemy troops come in for close-quarters combat!"

Shi Jingming's order was undoubtedly superfluous.

Before the orders could be relayed, the two armies were already locked in battle.

Contrary to expectations, even in close combat, the Liaodong army was still at a disadvantage.

Compared to the previous offensive operations, close combat tests a unit's willpower even more.

The difference between a rabble and an elite force is vividly demonstrated here.

Accustomed to teamwork, the loyalist officers and soldiers spontaneously formed groups of five to cooperate in the battle.

The Liaodong soldiers, who had finally mustered their courage, were instantly stunned by the enemy's combination of attacks.

In almost a single encounter, the three thousand-household units deployed at the front were breached by the enemy.

Seeing that the situation was not good, countless Liaodong soldiers dropped their weapons and ran away.

"Supervisory team, get to work right now!"

Anyone who deserts in the face of battle will be executed without mercy!

Seeing that the situation was not good, Shi Jingming angrily gave the order.

Unfortunately, all of this was destined to be in vain.

When desertion occurs on a large scale, morale has already collapsed, and it cannot be reversed by a single supervisory team.

"The enemy is about to attack. It's very dangerous here. Sir, we should retreat immediately!"
The battles to come will require your command!

The captain of the personal guards' urging brought Shi Jingming back from his anger.

"withdraw!"

No matter what, he is now redeeming himself by performing meritorious service, and he must complete the tasks assigned to him by his superiors.

The first line of defense collapsed in less than two hours.

The enemy's fighting strength was even greater than he had anticipated.

If the situation does not change, this battle will not last more than three days, let alone half a month.

Realizing the seriousness of the problem, Shi Jingming became anxious.

……

Chinese army camp.

Upon receiving the good news from the front lines, Li Mu smiled slightly.

The Liaodong army's combat effectiveness declined more severely than he had anticipated.

The aftereffects of the rapid military expansion are now becoming apparent.

This once again proves that quality is more important than quantity in warfare.

(End of this chapter)