The intelligence that Gu Ji and An Qier returned from the imperial capital was not too unsatisfactory. Much of the information could only remain at a relatively superficial level. To what extent did Situ Lang and Situ Yushuang cooperate? Changes in the situation, what new plans Ji Lin, the new minister of military affairs of the empire, and the true condition of His Majesty the Emperor's body were all matters that Wu Feng was extremely concerned about, all seemed to be blocked at once. Jiangnan's intelligence system also seems a bit weak. Wu Feng cannot grasp the in-depth information about the changes of the Japanese in the Atlantic and the secret strategic alliance between Situ Yuan and the Kingdom of Milan accurately and accurately. From the transfer of assets to the development of the northwest, Jiangnan The information obtained from the merchants is extremely limited.
Fortunately, Gu Dengyun's intelligence network developed through Kansai to the Wuhu region was quite successful. Especially after the Machihans and the Taiping Sect invaded the Wuhu region, this advantage became more obvious, and many of the performance of the empire had been lost. The confident gentry began to cooperate with Gu Dengyun under the banner of Northwest. In their view, perhaps only Li Wufeng, an imperial hero, could turn the tide. Northwest's successive successes in the Kansai and Heshuo areas also added a lot of help to Gu Dengyun's persuasion work. Taking the northwest line will not only help the smooth transfer of capital and assets to the northwest, but one day the imperial forces can regain the entire Five Lakes, and their performance can also win some support.
The southward invasion of the Machikhans and the Taiping Religion has aggravated the complexity of the situation in the Wuhu area. Now Jiujiang has been firmly controlled by the Taiping Army. The Taiping Religion already has a stable base and bridgehead in the Wuhu area, and has a strong influence on the west. Huanggang also posed a considerable threat. Situ Jun could not retreat. The Machihan people in the south fought steadily and advanced in small steps. The entire Wenning and Baling prefectures had fallen into the hands of the Machihan people. Although the two prefectures The situation is not yet calm, with small-scale attacks and constant harassment by the Imperial Navy. However, according to Wu Feng’s inference, this kind of action without the strong support of the Imperial Army is unlikely to achieve much effect, and it will not last long, especially The Machihan people's combination of soft and hard methods to promote soft and soft suppression in Wenning and Baling Prefecture has initially shown its effectiveness. Those families that had been secretly connected with the Machihan people have quietly surfaced. Shuishui, began to take over the management of rural towns, and Lei Juetian also lost no time in using the Tang officials who defected to him to enter the management of the two governments. A new ruling class dominated by Tang people began to gradually use the name of the so-called autonomous government. After obtaining the ownership and distribution rights of the land left by the fleeing landlords, the middle- and lower-class farmers seemed to gradually accept this regime that seemed not much different from the original imperial regime, although the internal control rights had quietly undergone essential changes. .
Just as Wu Feng was thinking about what countermeasures he should take to deal with the current unpredictable situation, in the palace of the imperial capital, there were also people racking their brains to plan for the changes in the situation in the Central Plains.
"So, Doctor Huang, my father's condition is still very unstable?" Situ Lang's spirit seemed to be much better than a few months ago, but his good mental condition could not hide the worry in his eyes.
"Well, back to Your Majesty, His Majesty's current condition is very unstable. I have prescribed two doses of a prescription for calming the mind and calming the mind. I hope it can help your Majesty's condition. Under the current circumstances, Your Majesty is not suitable to be here. If you worry about any government affairs, I'm afraid you won't be able to manage state affairs, otherwise it will further worsen the condition." The imperial doctor answered the other party respectfully.
"I understand, please don't worry too much about the imperial doctor." Situ Lang nodded, motioned to the people next to him to send the imperial doctor out, and then he lay down in the easy chair tiredly, closed his eyes and rested his mind. During this period, in order to persuade the old-fashioned conservatives in the DPRK to agree to increase the army establishment, he worked hard. Not only did he personally do the work, but he also sent his sister out to do key publicity. It can be said that he worked hard, but Lao Qi did not expect that However, he came to pick up a peach that fell on the ground, and with a piece of paper, he added a legion of strength to Jiangnan out of thin air. It was so hateful that the guys in the court didn't know how many benefits they had received from Lao Qi, and they all came to persuade them to agree. The Japanese are rampant and the remnants of the peace are unstable. They are obviously taking this opportunity to strengthen their own strength, and they actually threaten to withhold the taxes due from Jiangnan County. This is simply intolerable.
However, the current situation does not allow for any more troubles. When Situ Lang took on the important task of supervising the country, he deeply felt that this burden was extremely heavy. It turned out that when his father was in charge of the government, he commanded the country and the country, how carefree and comfortable he was. Only then did I realize that there was actually too much unspeakable and bitterness behind the free flow. At this time, Situ Lang realized how lacking in talents around him he was. Few of those guys who usually claimed to be talented in literature and style were able to get on the stage. They all avoided talking about military affairs and political affairs. It seemed that empty talk was harming the country. This sentence was not unfair at all when it fell on these people. Situ Lang's mood seemed particularly low at this time.
"Your Highness, Mr. Chen is here." The guard's voice came in.
"Come in quickly." Situ Lang cheered up. In front of his servants, Situ Lang paid great attention to his image. If he looked like he lacked confidence, how could he make his subordinates follow him
"Your Highness, have you summoned me?" The middle-aged man who came in was only in his early thirties, but he had a pair of mustaches and a pair of shining eyes that were somewhat imposing.
"Well, Boshan, come and sit down." He warmly greeted the other person to take a seat, while Situ Lang was thinking about how to say these words.
"Thank you, Your Highness." The middle-aged man was also guessing why the master had summoned him so urgently. It seemed that nothing major had happened in the past two days, and the expression on the master's face was also uncertain. He really couldn't guess what was going on. what's the matter.
"Just now, I called Dr. Huang to come over and ask about my father's condition. He was very pessimistic. My father is still in a state of waking up and falling asleep. I have seen my father several times in my area, but he didn't have much energy to talk to me. , the minister could not be received at all, but now the DPRK is leaderless, many things cannot be implemented at all, and the Machihans show signs of continuing to advance northward. The third brother has sent two urgent reports back to the military headquarters, requesting that the newly recruited soldiers be The third and fourth legions in the order of battle will allocate one to the Five Lakes, otherwise the situation will be out of control." Situ Lang took a long breath and paused before saying: "Bo Shan, what do you think about the development of the Five Lakes? What do you think?"
The middle-aged man nodded while thinking, and when he saw his master looking at him expectantly, he muttered: "From the perspective of my subordinates, the matter does not seem to be that serious. Although the southern part of the Wuhu area is occupied by the Machihan people, they The occupation was very reluctant. It was one of the most stable areas of the empire. Although they have implemented the occupation with military superiority, the foundation is not solid. Moreover, our navy has not suffered any losses at all and can completely rely on the mobility of the navy. Conduct raids and harassment to prevent the Maci Khans from going north. The Sixth Army is still stationed on the southern defense line of Wuhu, and the Fifth Army is still stationed on the northern defense line. And didn’t His Highness the Third Prince accept the surrender of more than 30,000 surrendered Taiping troops? These Weren't you also incorporated into the temporarily formed southern combat group by His Highness the Third Highness? The Taiping Army has made no major moves after occupying Jiujiang, and it is probably consolidating its occupation. But why does the Third Highness have such an urgent request at this time? "
"Well, I also have some doubts, but the Five Lakes are the foundation of the empire. Even with the current situation, the empire will have a big food shortage this year. Once it completely falls, the empire will really be in an uncontrollable situation, so I Although I am doubtful, I still feel uneasy. If you think so, what do you think of Lao San?" Situ Lang hesitated.
"Haha, Your Highness, the third and fourth legions have just been organized into battle order, and their combat effectiveness has only just begun to take shape. Of course these people are jealous. No matter how much His Highness controls it, once they arrive at Wuhu, they will probably be under the control of His Highness the Third Highness. , I am afraid that he will inevitably fall into the arms of the Third Highness." The middle-aged man stroked his beard and saw a look of disbelief on his master's face, and further explained: "Your Highness, think about it, these two masters The regiment had just been reorganized, and the people's hearts were already divided. Even if His Highness made arrangements, it would only be arranged at the division level. But if it reaches Wuhu, all the supplies of food and supplies will be in the hands of the Third Highness. If the Third Highness is If you find it difficult to instigate rebellion against these regiment-level officers, you can find a way from the regiment-level officers. After all, these talents deal directly with soldiers and grassroots officers. As long as you use some means, will those guys from the lowest level defect and join the army? , I’m afraid His Highness should have an idea in mind.”
Situ Lang had to admit that there was some truth to what the local government said. These two newly formed legionnaires were not entirely from the imperial capital, but from all over the empire. His control over these two legions could only remain within the legion and division. Level, if you really want to stay in Wuhu, it's hard to say what kind of changes there will be. This means that the number of soldiers must not be increased, and he also needs to strengthen his control over these two divisions.
"Well, what Bo Shan said is reasonable, but this old man is spreading news and creating panic in the court. The ministers in the court are also asking me to respond. They just want me to send more troops. Right now, this is the only thing. I'm not too confident about the combat effectiveness of the two newly-built legions. If nothing is done, I'm afraid the ministers will make a lot of noise again." Situ Lang also has his troubles. He has always been proud of his strong connections in the court and good popularity. This is also why he One of the main reasons why Situ Mingyue was selected as the supervisor was that if he became the supervisor, he would ignore the reaction of the officials. He did not want to leave such an impression on the officials. There would be many things in the future that would require their support.