Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 453

Li Jixian breathed a sigh of relief. At least he hadn't lost out in this battle; he had plundered over 100,000 civilians in one fell swoop.

If these three cities remain untouched, he can make another move and take away another hundred thousand people before the reinforcements from Changsha are assembled and head south.

That was a ruthless move.

The only thing he had any conscience about was not throwing the old man away.

Guangdong is currently facing a severe shortage of manpower. We have good seeds, good fertilizer, and land, but we need people to cultivate them. We also have advanced technology and sufficient raw materials, but we also need enough workers.

"They must be getting anxious in Changsha," Li Jixian mused. "From now on, we can only fight and retreat."

While his 50,000 men were mostly elite veterans, there were still too many new recruits and inexperienced officers who only knew a little theory. They wouldn't show weakness in siege warfare because they had a clear and fixed objective, but in open field battles, the generals were easily confused and the soldiers were easily disordered, exposing their weaknesses as soon as they engaged in combat. He decided to fight and retreat, training as he went, waiting for the enemy to tire before looking for a good opportunity.

Li Jixian has a very good attitude.

There are ways to play bad hands, and what's more, he didn't have a completely bad hand; it was a mix of top-notch and bad hands.

The Guangxi Army Corps is top-notch, with the most advanced weaponry and equipment. The recruits are indeed a bad bunch, but they are probably better than those from other places because the recruits here support the rule of the Gongjinhui. Their morale is not a problem; the only problem is that they are not familiar with warfare.

They will get stronger as the fight goes on, while the people from Hunan will get weaker.

Ronan arrived unexpectedly and went straight to the point, "How long will this fight last?"

"At least three months, no more than six months," Li Jixian replied.

"Can you hurry up?" Ronan asked.

"We have limited capital; if we rush, we'll lose money," Li Jixian replied.

"Forget it then, we can't afford to lose that much," Ronan sighed.

Guangdong's scale is still too small. For this battle, he has already resorted to financial means and leveraged his position. If he loses, some people will probably demand forced liquidation. Small losses are acceptable, but large losses are not.

However, this was not an option, because we could not wait until the imperial court and Jiangnan had decided the victor before taking action.

"Is there anything else you need to explain?" Li Jixian asked.

“That’s all. You can handle the fighting. I’m only responsible for appeasing and recruiting the people in the areas we’ve taken over, and dealing with those guys in the Progressive Society who are trying to interfere with the front lines.” With that, Ronan turned around.

"You must have had a tough time," Li Jixian said, offering a perfunctory word of comfort. That was the only kind of comfort he would offer.

Ronan turned around and smiled, "Ha, when it comes to internal strife, I'm an expert, they're no match."

Chapter 1051 Others are also smart people; they're all looking for speed, but they're afraid some won't be able to hold back.

In the afternoon, in the capital city, in the imperial palace, in the emperor's study.

Since Grand Secretary Zhang Yuanyi went out to command the Western Route Army and defend against the Northwest Army, which was advancing eastward, the morning court session was attended by other cabinet ministers and ministers. The afternoon cabinet meeting was a small meeting between the Second Grand Secretary Yang Xiuzhi and Emperor Zhao Quanlin.

Yang Xiuzhi was very humble, and it wasn't feigned, because he had absolutely no intention of usurping the throne.

Unlike Ronan's original timeline, where powerful ministers essentially faced only two paths—usurpation or assassination—in this world, Seris's position as a powerful minister was not a big deal. As long as he didn't break the rules, didn't hold onto the position for too long, and didn't try to pass it on to his close associates, he could retire peacefully without any problems.

Because he was a powerful minister, he was at least a high-ranking extraordinary being.

The emperor wanted revenge, but the others disagreed.

Yang Xiuzhi stood quietly, waiting for the emperor to finish reading the urgent report that had just arrived.

After reading it, Emperor Zhao Quanlin sighed, "Can Hunan hold on?"

When Guangdong first entered Hunan, the situation was already somewhat unexpected. Southern Hunan surrendered almost without a fight, and the Guangdong army took over southern Hunan with almost no losses, and very quickly.

It was thought that things would reach a stalemate, since attacking a city is not so simple and Hunan is not without its own people. Unexpectedly, the Guangdong army played a trick of kidnapping people, which has put Hunan in a very passive position. According to intelligence, Hunan is getting anxious.

Although Zhao Quanlin had never studied military strategy or fought in a war, he knew that in war, one must not be hasty.

Yang Xiuzhi, with a composed demeanor, said, "Your Majesty, Hunan is not a major problem for the time being. Besides, Hunan is not a place we need to worry about too much."

"Hmm?" the emperor asked, puzzled.

"The country can now be divided into four regions. First, the regions controlled by the imperial court. Second, the regions that have already rebelled, such as Jiangnan and the Northwest, which no longer pay the imperial court even a single tael of silver. Third, the regions that have not rebelled but cannot be controlled, yet are still willing to pay taxes, such as Hunan, Hubei, Fujian, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and the Northeast. Finally, there are the special regions, the areas under the jurisdiction of the Gongjinhui, which have rebelled but still pay money."

"What we need to do now is to act quickly, take over Hubei, and gain an advantage in the upstream. As for Huaibei, we can just maintain the stalemate."

Yang Xiuzhi said.

His strategic vision is still clear.

"We can't just watch the rebels in Guangdong take over Hunan," Zhao Quanlin said with some helplessness.

"We can watch, but others won't. Anyone in Jiangnan who isn't a fool will not allow Guangdong to occupy Hunan. They will definitely send troops, and they will not only incite people to attack from Fujian, but they will also enter Hunan from Jiangxi to interfere with Guangdong's strategy."

Yang Xiuzhi gave a very certain judgment.

"Then why don't we loosen our grip on the Huaibei front and let Jiangnan commit more resources to fighting the Guangdong army?" the emperor asked tentatively.

“Your Majesty,” Yang Xiuzhi suppressed a laugh, “even if we withdraw, Jiangnan will still maintain its military strength. Such petty tricks are meaningless. Taking Hubei is the only legitimate and aboveboard strategy. Jiangnan is caught between two evils, so it can only choose to stop Guangdong like Hunan, but it is impossible for it to stop us from taking Hubei.”

"There is only one real variable."

"Who?" Zhao Quanlin asked.

Yang Xiuzhi calmly replied, "Sichuan is the only thing that can prevent us from bringing Hubei back into the orthodox system. It's not impossible that Guangdong has been colluding with Sichuan recently."

"What, what should we do?" Zhao Quanlin was slightly flustered.

"I know what Guangdong gave to Sichuan, but it's not enough to make those people in Sichuan work for us. At most, they'll come out and interfere with us. As long as we give them some benefits in return, they won't cause any trouble." Yang Xiuzhi looked completely confident.

"What can we offer Sichuan?" Zhao Quanlin asked. He couldn't think of anything good to offer Sichuan. Promotion? Nobody wanted that.

"Reduce taxes," Yang Xiuzhi said.

"What?" Zhao Quanlin exclaimed in surprise.

The imperial court's tax revenue has plummeted, and in order to cope with this situation, it has instead increased its military spending. The finances were already in trouble, and now it wants to reduce taxes for Sichuan.

“Taking Hubei will naturally make up for it. Anyway, Hubei pays much less tax than before. This time, we can recoup our losses with interest,” Yang Xiuzhi said.

His strategy was to reduce the burden on Sichuan, keep those people from making any rash moves, then take over Hubei, gain a strategic advantage, and then launch a major counterattack.

Zhao Quanlin leaned back and sighed, "Alas, we can only let the common people suffer."

Yang Xiu remained unmoved. In fact, he never intended to mention the real problems that needed to be worried about and that he couldn't deal with.

That's the western front.

The Huaibei front must not be touched. If the western front cannot hold, the imperial court will have to withdraw troops to defend it, and the strategy of taking Hubei will be in jeopardy.

Yang Xiu himself was not a military talent. He asked the Ministry of War and other generals, but no one could give a definite answer. It wasn't that they didn't dare, but that they really couldn't.

The imperial court has fewer troops, but it is on the defensive and doesn't even expect to actually hold anything. It only hopes to delay the Northwest Army and buy enough time.

The Northwest had a large army, and their deployment routes were not limited to leaving the pass; they could also make a detour southward from the grasslands. However, they had gathered a group of mixed nomadic tribes, making them naturally unpopular.

So, it's really hard to say what the situation might be.

On the other side, Jiangnan also made a decision.

The Fujian side should do its best to incite them, not expecting much effect, but just to harass Guangdong, prevent them from launching a full-scale attack, and incidentally block the opposing navy from threatening their rear as it approaches along the coastline.

We mainly have to rely on ourselves to enter eastern Hunan from Jiangxi and prevent Guangdong from seizing Hunan.

They knew the imperial court would definitely take action, but they had no choice but to make this decision.

It all comes down to who's faster. If they can quickly defeat the Guangdong army, they can turn around and suppress the imperial court.

Similarly, if the imperial court quickly takes Hubei, then the imperial court will gain the upper hand.

The same applies to the Northwest Army; if they move quickly enough, the imperial court will have no choice but to retreat, allowing them to further expand their territory.

At this moment, in the Hunan military camp.

"It's just that we can't move fast enough," Li Jixian lamented.

Lu Jianling walked over. "The soldiers from Jiangxi are coming, probably next month. Do you have any countermeasures?"

"Whether we come or not, we're still defending; there's not much difference." Li Jixian smiled helplessly. "Having multiple orders might actually create more opportunities. I'm afraid our own people will make the decisions on their own."

Lu Jianling twirled the golden mace in his hand. "Isn't this the reason I exist? Ronan will take care of the upper echelons, and I'll handle the internal affairs of the army. You can focus on commanding."

“That’s right.” Li Jixian’s face once again showed that somewhat arrogant confidence. “Don’t worry, this war is the only gift that God has given me. Only at this time can a superhuman like me, who is neither high nor low, have the opportunity to leave my name in history. I will be very, very careful.”

"I'm leaving now; there are still a few stubborn people I need to deal with," Lu Jianling said, taking his leave.

Chapter 1052 Land-based Mini-Aircraft Carrier, an Ununited Enemy Force, a Race Against Time

The area in southern Hunan that borders Guangdong is also a mountain range, namely the Nanling Mountains, which serve as a natural barrier and boundary, with only a small opening for easy entry.

Of course, the Gongjinhui's defenses could not retreat to this point. If they did, the 80,000 troops would be unable to deploy, and logistical support would be even more troublesome. Sending supplies to the people in the mountains would be considered insane in this era.

The Gongjinhui's defense line was located relatively far to the north.

However, the Communist Party's army's defenses were still at a relatively high level.

And something that had never appeared on either the Eastern or Western battlefields appeared.

A small earthen tower, several meters high, with a platform on top, allows superhuman soldiers equipped with individual flying vehicles and magic rocket launchers to take off and land.

The Earth Tower is a creation of the Elemental Mage. Mage creations have a limited lifespan and will crumble and disappear after a period of time. However, this has no impact. You can just rebuild it when needed. In fact, it's better this way because the Earth Tower can also be moved.

The earthen tower was surrounded by cannons. Thanks to Foshan's technological capabilities and the coal and iron purchased from overseas, Guangdong manufactured a large number of cannons.

In terms of cannon-making capabilities, Guangdong was second only to the imperial court.

The flying units carried by the earth towers can strike the superhumans in the enemy formation, while the surrounding artillery suppresses the enemy's formation and protects the earth towers from surprise attacks.

Combined with other mid-level superhumans, this is a small land-based aircraft carrier that can move slowly.

The other soldiers continued fighting as usual at the front.

Unlike their previous invasion of Fujian, the Gongjinhui army no longer had pistol grenadiers; it consisted purely of musketeers, artillerymen, and air force.

It's all about firepower.

The local Hunan troops and the troops from Jiangxi could not break through.

Even the generals, who came from scholarly families in Jiangnan and were all genuine Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), started swearing in the rear command posts of the two allied forces.

"Bullshit! These southern barbarian bastards who collude with foreign devils are utterly shameless and bring shame to their ancestors."

"Damn it, this isn't working."

One is from Jiangxi, and the other is from Zhejiang.

After they finished cursing, the two men turned their gazes to the other two silent Hunan locals.

The coalition forces had four commanders.

The reinforcements from Jiangnan included two groups: Zhejiang soldiers and Jiangxi soldiers. On the Hunan side, there were also two groups: the regular army from Changsha and the local army from central Hunan. Each group had its own commander.

The two Hunanese understood each other's meaning: they were to be sent forward as cannon fodder to create an opportunity for the Jiangnan army.

"Should we retreat?" the leader of the Hunan local army asked.

Two hundred thousand people were taken away from them, and spring planting was delayed. The losses were already huge. If a large number of people died, they would lose all their capital.

The man in charge of leading the Changsha troops said, "We can't retreat. If we retreat, they'll advance; if we advance, they'll retreat again, unless we inflict serious damage on them." He then looked at the two men from Jiangnan, "Can't you break into southern Jiangxi and then directly enter Guangdong?"

The Jiangxi people sneered, "They have 20,000 men in the mountainous areas of southern Jiangxi. In that kind of place, 20,000 men are enough to stop us."

"It's all your own fault. If you had just tried to win over the people of southern Jiangxi, things wouldn't have turned out like this," a Zhejiang native remarked sarcastically.

They even had to detach some troops to keep an eye on the people from Guangdong in southern Jiangxi, in case those 20,000 men suddenly appeared and gave them a taste of their own medicine. That's how they lost the war in Fujian last year.

The Jiangxi people scoffed, "Why don't you let the people of southern Jiangsu win over the people of northern Jiangsu? Get the Xuzhou area to surrender directly, then we can march straight into Shandong."

"Anyway, I can't let my men die. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't do it," said the leader of the Hunan local army. The local militia were excellent at defending the city and had a strong will. Once outside the city, unless there was a huge profit to be made, they would never fight to the death.

Would they profit from fighting the Cantonese? No. Even if they defeated the army, the enemy could easily retreat to Guangdong and block the border. How could they possibly plunder Guangdong? The people of Jiangnan, on the other hand, would gain a great deal.

"You..." The two people from Jiangnan were annoyed by each other's words, but there was nothing they could do.

If they kill the enemy, the militia organized in central Hunan will disband, and without these militia, their numerical advantage will be lost.

"Let's retreat," said the Hunan military commander. "But we can't retreat too much, or we'll keep them pinned down and unable to advance north. Let's just maintain this stalemate for a while."

Fortunately, Hunan is a major grain-producing province, which was able to sustain the food and drink needs of so many soldiers.

The two men from Jiangnan looked grim. If they couldn't win quickly and remained in Hunan, then Jiangnan would likely have to watch as the imperial court took over Hubei.

If I had known this would happen, I would have ignored Hunan and gone to Hubei instead.

Meanwhile, in the military command post of the Gongjinhui.

"It looks like we're going to be at a stalemate," Ronan sighed.

“No, the opportunity has come,” Li Jixian said.