Wang Sanshan was quite proud of himself for defeating the enemy with a smaller force, but what made him unhappy was that the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp refused to obey his orders.
To be more precise, it was because he did not carry out his order to cross the Luguang River and attack the rebels while they were victorious. However, the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp had made strict arrangements to prevent the rebels from making a comeback, leaving no room for them to take advantage.
When the imperial court appointed Zhu Xieyuan as the governor of the five provinces and Wang Sanshan received the strategy for suppressing the rebellion, he realized that the Beijing troops were acting in accordance with the emperor's will and were not cowardly.
Be steady and enterprising, and don't rush too far. Both Zhu Xieyuan's writings and the imperial edict repeatedly emphasized this point.
Even though Wang Sanshan had some opinions, he did not dare to act on his own. Suppressing his dissatisfaction, Wang Sanshan still carried out the court's arrangements to the letter.
After more than two months of recovery, the people were basically stable, the government troops stabilized the defense line, and the blockade of Shuixi became increasingly tight.
At this time, Wang Sanshan and Li Yu, the former governor of Guiyang, had just finished inspecting the newly built gunpowder weapons factory outside the city and were riding back into the city.
Li Yu was a talented official who stood out in the defense of Guiyang. With less than 3,000 soldiers, he recruited volunteers and resisted the siege of An Bangyan's rebels for several months, which shows his bravery and strategy.
Li Yi, who should have been relieved and relaxed after going through so much hardship and was about to step down, seemed unhappy and depressed.
Wang Sanshan knew something, it was nothing but the criticism from the court officials.
Before An Bangyan rebelled, Li Yi saw that this guy had ulterior motives, and he was even more worried about Guiyang's city defense and food reserves.
In order to prevent problems before they occur, he repeatedly submitted memorials to the court, requesting an increase in troops and military pay.
However, the imperial court was busy conquering Liao and had no time to spare, so it ignored Li Yi's request. At this time, Li Yi was attacked by court officials again, so he submitted six petitions, begging for retirement.
The court decided to appoint Wang Sanshan as the governor of Guizhou and ordered Li Yi to continue serving until the new governor arrived. Then, An Bangyan rebelled and Guiyang was besieged, and Li Yi took on the responsibility of defending Guiyang.
The siege lasted for several months, with dangers surfacing one after another. Li Yu united the gentry, recruited volunteers, and worked tirelessly with officials such as the Governor and Censor Shi Yongan to ultimately protect Guiyang.
At the most critical moment, Li Yi was even prepared to sacrifice his life for the country, that is, "burning books and clothes, warning his family members in advance, and committing suicide in an emergency, and giving them all swords and rings."
Logically speaking, such contributions and merits would surely be rewarded by the court. After Wang Sanshan took over, he and Li Yi both submitted memorials to the court, requesting that meritorious personnel be rewarded.
But before the court could respond, word trickled in. Censor Jiang Yunyi criticized Li Yi, alleging that when An Wei inherited the Shuixi Tusi post, Li Yi had extorted a gold basin from him, leading to An's rebellion.
There were rumors, but there was no official report or inquiry from the court. Li Yi couldn't even write a letter to defend himself. How could he not be depressed?
"Master Li," Wang Sanshan said, sympathetically, "don't worry about it until it's proven true."
Li Yi gave a wry smile and said, "Thank you, Lord Wang, for your comfort. However, before the siege of Guiyang, I was already criticized by court officials, and I submitted a petition to resign. I didn't expect that now..."
Wang Sanshan felt helpless as he watched Li Yi repeatedly shake his head. It was not uncommon for people to fight hard in the front and then be attacked and impeached in the back.
The key is that, thousands of miles away, what can you really know about the situation? Hearsay is still good, but fabricating is also not uncommon.
"Your Majesty is a wise ruler." Wang Sanshan bowed and said, "You are able to distinguish right from wrong. I commend Lord Li for his dedication to defending the isolated city."
Li Yi blinked his eyes and also bowed, saying, "Long live the wise emperor."
Seeing that Li Yi's knot was still unresolved, Wang Sanshan had no choice but to change the subject and ask about the customs and habits around Guiyang in order to learn more about the situation.
When they were almost at the city gate, two riders came out at full speed. Seeing Wang Sanshan and the others, they hurried forward to report that the imperial envoy had arrived and asked the two adults to go and receive the order quickly.
Wang Sanshan and Li Yi did not dare to delay and hurriedly urged their horses to rush to the governor's office.
The officials in the yamen had already set up the incense table in the main hall. Following the imperial envoy, there was also a civil servant who was accompanying the imperial envoy to drink tea and talk in the side hall.
Wang Sanshan and Li Yi hurried forward to pay their respects. The imperial envoy was quite polite and asked them to sit for a while until the inspector Shi Yongan arrived before announcing the decree.
Compared to Wang Sanshan, Li Yi was feeling rather anxious. He didn't know whether the imperial edict would be a reward or punishment, and whether the rumors he had heard were true or false.
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