kvmb Chapter 138 Current Situation
Chapter 138 Current Situation
The transformation from a garrison guarding the border to an uprising army to overthrow the imperial court did not cause the slightest panic in the barracks. The soldiers trained as usual. Mu Xingchen and Xu Wu were promoted to the rank of Qianhu and were responsible for training the soldiers every day.
Taking control of the border military camp is only the first step in rebellion. A lean camel is bigger than a horse. If one wants to completely defeat the Yu Dynasty and establish a new one, one needs to make long-term plans.
Mu Heng and other generals gathered in the meeting room, busy discussing the next countermeasures.
Their enemies were not only the imperial court, but also the North Vietnamese army that had never withdrawn.
It will take time for the imperial court to gather a large army to suppress the rebellion. Besides, they also have bargaining chips in their hands. With He Chengfeng and the Seventh Prince in their hands, the emperor will never send troops to suppress the rebellion easily. The most likely thing he will do is to send officials to negotiate peace first.
Therefore, solving the threat from North Vietnam first is the top priority!
Mu Heng thought for a moment and explained the predicament the rebels were currently facing: "It is not appropriate to fight North Vietnam head-on at this time. We need to preserve our strength to compete with the imperial court. The other issue is food and grass. After settling the victims, there is not much food and grass left in the army. As for silver... there are probably more than 100,000 taels left."
"this..."
All the generals looked embarrassed. One hundred thousand taels of silver sounded like a lot, but if it was all converted into food, even the cheapest coarse grains, it would not be enough for the soldiers to eat for a month.
"Damn it, a living person can be suffocated to death by urine!" Xu Feng scratched his head, "If not, we can just steal the food and grass from North Vietnam. Without the food and grass, they will naturally not invade the border town again!"
Ye Ze shook his head: "Not appropriate. If so, wouldn't we be at odds with North Vietnam again? How could North Vietnam let it go?"
Xu Feng's momentum suddenly weakened, "Then what do you say we should do? We can't let our soldiers starve, right?"
"Why not promise benefits and reconcile with North Vietnam and have them lend us grain temporarily? There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. As long as the conditions we offer are favorable, North Vietnam should agree to cooperate with us. Moreover, North Vietnam is targeting the imperial court, not us. Of course, lending grain only solves our urgent needs. If we want to completely solve the food problem, we still need to be self-sufficient." Ye Ze expressed his thoughts.
Mu Heng looked towards Ye Ze and asked, "How can we make the soldiers self-sufficient? General Ye, do you have any ideas?"
The other generals also looked at Ye Ze, wanting to hear him continue.
Ye Ze: "To reconcile with North Vietnam, we just need to propose the conditions they want. As for food, we have many soldiers in our army, and there are even more wastelands around us. If we plant all of them with food, our soldiers will have nothing to eat. We can also reclaim mountain land to grow vegetables and fruit trees, and enclose land to raise pigs and chickens. Then we will have vegetables, meat, and eggs, right?"
Mu Heng smiled and nodded. He was right. This kid was not only brave, but also strategic! Some of his ideas coincided with his, and he was even more daring than him.
"You are still too young. General Ye's words are light, but everyone knows that the north is barren and nothing will grow. Don't just collect the grain, you also have to sacrifice the seeds!" Another old general, Qi Xiong, sneered.
He didn't mean to laugh at Ye Ze, he was just too familiar with the land here. Qi Xiong had guarded the border for more than ten years, from an unknown soldier to a general with military power. He had real skills. How could he laugh at a youngster who was just starting out?
However, Ye Ze didn’t like what General Qi said!
"Oh? So General Qi has grown crops in this border town?"
Qi Xiong (′?д?｀): "I've already said it's a waste of seeds, how could I possibly plant them?"
"Look, General Qi, how do you know that it won't grow? He hasn't even tried it. Now is a good time to sow. We might as well give it a try. I will plant the seeds myself, so it won't affect anything even if they fail to grow. But all the manure in the army must be kept for me." Those are treasures for fertilizing the fields!
"If you want to try it, just try it. What's the use of feces? I'll give it to you if you like it." Qi Xiong was speechless. He was really a newborn calf that was not afraid of a tiger!
Ye Ze⊙w⊙: "......"
What does it mean he likes feces?
Mu Heng liked Ye Ze's unyielding spirit and agreed with a smile, "Then let General Ye give it a try. All soldiers in the barracks must cooperate with General Ye! As for the matter of borrowing grain from North Vietnam, this general will talk to them personally!"
While the rebel army was carrying out their plans step by step, the soldiers who were sent back to the capital finally passed the news to the emperor. More than half a month had passed since the mutiny in the border town. When the emperor heard about this, he was furious and immediately summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures.
The atmosphere in the court was solemn. The originally chaotic court was now silent. Most of the officials in the court were civil servants, and the military generals were either too low in rank to attend the court or were sent to garrison in various places. Therefore, when the news of Mu Heng's rebellion was reported, all the officials were panicked for a while.
Seeing the officials in such a panic, the emperor could not help but rebuke them in a deep voice: "Are you all dumb? Aren't you all eloquent on weekdays? Why are you all dumb now? Do you want me to hand over Dayu to you? Humph! Don't forget that a new emperor appoints new ministers. If Dayu is not safe, what are you?"
Duke He stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, calm down. We have absolutely no such intention. My son and the Seventh Prince are still in the hands of the thief Mu Heng. We must not act rashly. We need to think about this matter carefully."
When the emperor heard Duke He mention the Seventh Prince, he felt so regretful. How could he not have seen Mu Heng's evil ambitions earlier? He was just too good at pretending!
"Bring all the members of the Mu family to the court! I want to exchange Mu Heng's wife and children for General He and the Seventh Prince!" the emperor said angrily.
"Your Majesty, this cannot be done. If we send Mu Heng's family over there, we will no longer have the bargaining chips to control Mu Heng. I hope Your Majesty will think twice." Imperial Tutor He stepped out and advised with a bow.
Duke He pointed at Grand Tutor He angrily, "Grand Tutor, what do you mean by this? Do you not want my son and the Seventh Prince to return to the capital? Would you be happy if they died at the border?!"
"Why do you say that, Duke He? I have no such intention. I am only considering the court. If the Mu family is no longer there to check Mu Heng, what worries does he have? If he raises an army immediately, how can we deal with it now? On the contrary, as long as the Mu family is still in the hands of the emperor, Mu Heng will not dare to act rashly! General He and the Seventh Prince will only suffer a little, but their lives will not be in danger."
Tutor He's words were sincere and well-reasoned, and the emperor's anger finally subsided a little. He was just too anxious because he was concerned about his son.
"There is nothing wrong with what Grand Tutor He said. If that's the case, then let's put the Mu family in jail first."
The emperor ordered the chief eunuch Liu Gonggong beside him to handle the matter personally. Eunuch Liu accepted the order and bowed before leaving the hall.
Master He flattered him: "Your Majesty is wise."
Duke He was so angry that his beard stood up. Grand Tutor He did it on purpose. Ha! You are really exposed!
The emperor frowned and asked, "Since we have hostages in our hands, who do you think is the best person to send to persuade them to surrender?"
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