Huang Qiong's categorical words finally made Cao Rui, who had been worried these days, breathe a sigh of relief. Not only was this heartwarming words for the young emperor, he couldn't help but be moved to the point where his eyes turned red. He knew that with the emperor's words, he would not have to worry about the group of trolls looking for trouble and impeachment after returning to Beijing. Don't worry about being deliberately suppressed.
Looking at Cao Rui's red eyes, Huang Qiong also knew that he had suffered a lot of grievances these days. He patted him gently on the shoulder and said: "After you go back, you should know what to do. Before returning to Beijing, deal with all those things. Otherwise, there will be so many women mixed in during your march. You are walking in front, followed by a group of brothel madams, what is going on?"
"Before the retracement, everything that needs to be dealt with must be dealt with. Don't leave too many tails for yourself. The change of some things requires the joint efforts of you and me. As for before that, you still need to be strong. Still Yes, except for leaving some military strength in Wuzhou and Nanning to prepare for Annan, the rest of the armies can be withdrawn. They will then move to the Qing Dynasty to suppress small groups of stray rebels."
"In addition to the troops and horses assigned to Zhao Wushan, I am leaving you with 10,000 troops and horses. They will be used to reorganize the guards on Guangnan West Road and eliminate the remaining scattered rebels. The remaining troops and horses will gradually retreat to Jiangbei. Of the 10,000 officers and troops allocated to Zhao Wushan, you must select the most elite ones. I also know that not many of your subordinates can still fight, but we must mobilize the most elite troops."
After hearing Huang Qiong's instructions, Cao Rui did not dare to say anything more and agreed respectfully. Seeing Cao Rui nodding and agreeing, Huang Qiong didn't say much. He just patted him on the shoulder and said: "The army cannot be without commanders for a day. You rush back today to start arranging the withdrawal. But you can take these cavalry with you." , just stay here, I will keep them to be useful. Remember, keep military discipline in order."
In response to Huang Qiong's instructions, Cao Rui nodded directly without any hesitation. After almost all the things that should be discussed have been discussed. Huang Qiong talked with Cao Rui about some things during the counter-insurgency operation. Cao Rui also took the initiative to report why he had been besieging Nanning City for half a year without fighting. At the same time, he also reported in detail how the pseudo-emperor's coffin was discovered.
And after the death of the false emperor, his close subordinates supported him as his successor, and the whereabouts of his close confidants who stayed in Nanning Mansion. During the conversation, Cao Rui did not always avoid the light and take the serious. The responsibilities that should be borne were also taken on the initiative. At the same time, he also admitted the reasons for the changes in the armies when entering Guangnan West Road. He admitted that the burning and killing of those tribes who were determined to be the false emperor was indeed a bit harsh.
Because some people were jealous, even some tribes who had their hearts set on the imperial court were greatly implicated. Cao Rui was also calm. In fact, in the later stages of the Jiangnan West Road battle, military discipline was somewhat out of control. I don't know how much thought I spent before I could barely stabilize myself. When we arrived at Guangnan West Road, we were harassed and invaded due to the climate and endless grain roads, which caused the supply of grain and grass to be exhausted.
The military discipline of the armies can no longer be restrained. When a large group of people acts together, it is slightly better. After all, the officers and soldiers going south were all from the four major battalions, so battlefield discipline was still guaranteed. But when it comes to acting alone, military discipline can no longer be restrained. Especially those former rebel prisoners who were incorporated into the army were burned, killed, and looted the most severely. Many officers and soldiers were led astray by them.
Of course, those officers and soldiers were not good at first. Compared with those prisoners who committed the most evil, they are just a joke. Despite some hesitation, Cao Rui suggested that these prisoners should not stay in the four camps any longer. To be honest, the speed at which these prisoners transformed from soldiers to gangsters shocked even Cao Rui. However, these rebels originally had poor military discipline.
The main force was originally the guards on Guangnan West Road, and their military discipline itself was extremely corrupt. A rat's excrement ruins a pot of soup. As the main force and backbone, no matter how good the soldiers are, they will be ruined in the shortest time. When Cao Rui was in the four major camps, he heard that the military discipline of the guards was corrupted. But the Guards were also a military force under the imperial court's control. This was the first time he had seen military discipline deteriorated to such an extent.
Apart from being incompetent in fighting, these guards were proficient in burning, killing, and looting. Especially after entering Guangnan West Road, they are quite clear here. That tribe was wealthy and there were rich and wealthy landowners there, and they all knew it. Otherwise, even if the officers and soldiers under his command want to grab some places. With their eyes darkened, they didn't know where to make this fortune.
Nowadays, the officers and soldiers going south have deteriorated so quickly, and military discipline has reached the current level. These surrendered troops can be said to be the greatest contributors. As for the original frontier troops on Guangnan West Road, their military discipline was not that good because they did not participate in the rotation. Even among these frontier troops, some of them had the strongest combat capabilities, because they followed the previous kings of Guilin to conquer Annan, or quelled the rebellions of some tribes, and they had deeper skills in this regard.
Fortunately, most of these frontier troops were left behind by him because they were more trusted by the pseudo-emperor. Not many of them showed up on the battlefield, so they didn't go too far. According to Cao Rui's wishes, these people must not stay any longer. Now that the rebellion has been largely put down, the next step is to wipe out the remaining rebel forces that have been dispersed. Nowadays, there are not many of these people scattered on Guangnan West Road in various state capitals.
These people are generally no longer needed. According to Cao Rui's intention, these people were used as the chickens to kill the chickens and scare the monkeys. As for the four camps, they were the foundation of the imperial court. Even if there is a purge, it can only be done slowly. At least it's not appropriate to be too aggressive now.
Regarding Cao Rui's suggestion, Huang Qiong pondered for a moment and then nodded slightly: "Just do whatever you think needs to be done. Killing is not a solution to the problem, but sometimes killing a group of people can save more lives. If you can't restrain me, then I'll go there myself. I want to see for myself if our Daqi soldiers are a group of tigers, leopards and wolves who recognize nothing but money."
After Huang Qiong finished speaking, how dare Cao Rui let this master go to Nanning in person? He hurriedly promised that he would improve military discipline within a month. What happened before will never happen again. Huang Qiong said nothing about Cao Rui's guarantee. She just looked at him with a faint smile on her face, until she saw Cao Rui, who was so heartbroken, that she let him go, who was somewhat flustered.
After having dinner with Huang Qiong, Cao Rui found that he was drenched in cold sweat when he walked out of the former Guilin County Prince's Palace, which was now converted into a palace. I have never thought that even though I have been an official for many years, I have experienced dozens of large and small battles, and I have seen people countless times in life and death, I would be so confused by the faint smile on the face of this young emperor. tremble with fear.
He knew that although the master was not in front, Cao Rui could not hide anything from him, as well as all his thoughts. Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he turned around and left the palace and returned to the military camp. After Cao Rui left, Huang Qiong looked at this guy's back with a sneer on his lips. It seems that some people need a push to do things.
I know everything clearly, but I just don’t do it. If Cao Rui doesn't change this time, then he will really consider whether this person can be used again. Thinking of this, Huang Qiong turned around and saw another book on the desk. Although he didn't pick it up to read, the content of the book was clear to him. This trick was played by Yang Jiyuan, who was currently fighting the rebellion on Fujian Road.
This piece of information is Yang Jiyuan's apology piece. Yang Jiyuan has now regained Fujian Road and most of the state capitals. However, they did not expect that when attacking the last two state capitals on the Fujian Road, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, they would accidentally lose Jingzhou. In Quanzhou Hubao Pass, he was ambushed by the rebels and returned in defeat. More than half of the 20,000 troops and horses under his command were killed and captured. Even Yang Jiyuan was hit by an arrow in the leg.
Yang Jiyuan, who suffered heavy losses, could only temporarily return to Tingzhou Mansion to rest. The Yanping Prefecture and Fuzhou Prefecture that had been recovered were also recaptured by the rebels. More than ten of the cannons carried by Yang Jiyuan were also captured by the rebels. Yang Jiyuan, who had always had a smooth journey since the unified army entered Fujian Road to suppress the rebellion, did not expect to encounter such a defeat, so he was naturally extremely unwilling.
Yang Jiyuan, in particular, is an extremely arrogant person. In both the northern and southern battlefields, victory has been achieved. Yu Mingyuan in the north has repelled Beiliao's attack, and Cao Rui in the south has completely recovered the east and west routes of Guangnan. The last remnants of the rebels were also besieged in Nanning Fucheng, the only city they controlled. He was the only one left, and not only had the war not been resolved yet, but they had also suffered a major defeat.
The Battle of Hubao Pass was the biggest defeat in the three years of counter-insurgency operations after the officers and soldiers turned to counterattack. More than half of the 20,000 troops and horses participating in the battle were lost, and a large amount of baggage was also lost. Even the cannons they carried were all captured by the rebels because of their bulkiness. Yanping Prefecture and Fuzhou Prefecture, which had been recaptured, were taken back by the rebels. What is even more serious is that the capital of Fujian Road was gained and lost again.
And what he was facing was, in his eyes, nothing more than a ragtag group of rebels adapted from the former Fujian Road Guards. This is undoubtedly equivalent to a slap in the face of Yang Jiyuan. He has always been arrogant and arrogant, but he is not willing to swallow this breath. On the one hand, Huang Qiong was given an excuse to plead guilty, and on the other hand, he continued to mobilize his troops and horses, preparing to fight again.
This defeat can be said to be an unprecedented defeat since the suppression of the rebellion. Even when he received this tip, Huang Qiong was talking to Cao Rui. After receiving the folding book, he only glanced at it briefly, but the things on it were still imprinted in his mind. Thinking of the contents on the fold, Huang Qiong couldn't help but frown. With the North and South fronts gradually calmed down, this guy was a little anxious.
This defeat was not so much caused by his carelessness as it was caused by underestimating the enemy and rushing forward. Seeing that the war in other directions had gradually calmed down, this guy became a little worried. Especially the rebels on Fujian Road were originally the guards on Fujian Road. In his eyes, those guards were just a bunch of rubbish. He was too anxious and suffered such a defeat.
However, now that the overall situation of the country has been decided, this seemingly heavy-loss battle is actually nothing more than a superficial defeat. It's just a small mistake that won't cause any trouble. Even if Fuzhou and Yanping were lost again, it was just a small mistake. This defeat was not so much the success of the rebels as it was the result of Yang Jiyuan's own mistakes.
He stood up and walked back and forth in the study for a long time with his hands behind his back. In Huang Qiong's mind, he couldn't help but think of the conversation he had with Yu Mingyuan before leaving Beijing. Yu Mingyuan once told himself at that time that as the war on the southern front had entered the final stage and could end at any time, what he was most worried about was the war on Fujian Road. To be precise, he was worried about Yang Jiyuan's character.
