The sixth year of the Daliang period is winter.
The report from Qinghe County was once again sent to the capital.
"According to reports from my militia leader Lu Youtang, I have observed bandits appearing from time to time in the mountains of Xichuan and Xiangyun. I, along with Wang Liang, the county lieutenant of Qiongdu, have dispatched troops to search and suppress them. According to reports, Qinghe County militia leaders Ding Lin, Zhang Jin, Cheng Guorong, Li Zhang, and deputy militia leader Ma Wen have also joined me in the search and suppression efforts, and we have achieved varying successes.
The vanguard, led by militia leader Ding Lin, won four battles in a row in Suijiu, beheaded and captured the pseudo lieutenant general, garrison commanders and other personnel, killed more than 1,500 bandits, and captured 123 bandits.
I, your Excellency, led my army in a bloody battle against the bandits for seven days. Thanks to the emperor's great grace and the soldiers' unwavering devotion, we defeated the bandits, beheading Cao Rui, Ma Jiao, and eight other bandit leaders in battle. Over 21,000 bandits were captured and killed, and the remaining bandits fled to their lair, Qitian Village. Later, the bandit leader, known as the False Zhentian King, led the resistance against the imperial army.
The militia leader Lu You was grateful for the empire's kindness and the majesty's divine power. He led the troops into the enemy camp, defeated the enemy army, and beheaded the enemy chief, who was called the False King Zhentian.
The rebels fled at the sight of the enemy, and we immediately captured Chuzhou Prefecture, seizing provisions, fodder, and weapons. Wang Liang, the lieutenant of Qiongdu County, and others accompanied me in leading the Qinghe army and troops to recapture the entire territory of Xiangyun. We advanced as far as Mengyang, where the remaining rebels were no match for the royal army and fled into Cambodia. I sent a letter to the Cambodians requesting that we enter their territory to pursue them, but they refused.
During this expedition, officers and soldiers from all directions fought bravely, suppressing the bandits and restoring the country, achieving victory after victory. All Green Flag personnel who participated in the campaign and made contributions should submit a memorial accordingly. I, along with Wang Liangci, the county lieutenant of Qiongdu, have submitted this secret memorial, humbly requesting the emperor's wise supervision and implementation."
Well, to put it simply, Lin Hai praised the achievements of everyone in Qinghe County, especially when he wrote about Lu You chopping off King Zhentian's head with one knife, Shi Zhener who was standing next to him almost laughed to death.
But no matter what Lin Hai wrote, one thing was certain: Qinghe, as a county, completely controlled southern Xichuan and the entire Xiangyun Province. They even fought a battle with the Cambodian army that came to stop their advance in Mengyang. The result was obvious that the Cambodians did not win. According to feedback from the Mengyang station, the incident was not publicized in Cambodia at all...
However, the letter that Lin Hai wrote to Gao Bin, the governor of Xichuan, was much simpler and easier to understand.
Lin Hai's request was very simple, that was to ask the imperial center to fulfill its promise. Since Lin Hai had "annihilated" Qitian Village and even solemnly sent the head of "King Zhentian" to Jinguan City, then according to the previous statement, Lin Hai should be granted a title and Qinghe County should be allowed to "help" Xiangyun Province, which had been torn by war for a long time, to restore people's livelihood.
Of course, Lin Hai is not a person who is greedy for territory. In order to prove his innocence, he recommended Lu You, who killed King Zhentian in battle, to be the new leader of the Xiangyun garrison. Lu You's official position can be negotiated, and Lu You's subordinates can also be transformed into imperial official troops on the spot.
As for the chief executives of other places, Lin Hai also recommended many people, such as Ding Lin, Zhang Jin, Cheng Guorong, etc., who can all be promoted to county lieutenants, and then act as county magistrates as county lieutenants, and be placed in various counties in Xiangyun Province to help Xiangyun Province to stabilize public security and restore the economy as soon as possible.
Wang Liang, who had made great contributions, reportedly asked not to take up the post in Xiangyun in order to avoid suspicion. He only hoped to be promoted to lieutenant general and be responsible for the defense of southern Xichuan.
As for the crucial position of Xiangyun Governor, Lin Hai expressed his complete indifference and expressed his full support for whoever the Central Government appointed.
Amid Gao Bin's sighs, the letter was revised and sent to the central government together with Lin Hai's report as the unified opinion of the Xichuan Prefecture.
In any case, someone in the center must have had trouble sleeping.
However, Lin Hai still overestimated the ethics of those bureaucrats.
If you want to become an official, there are two important secrets.
When you need to make a difficult decision, push it up; when you need to take responsibility, push it down.
The joint memorial of the three departments was sent to the imperial study, which detailed Lin Hai's contributions and the causes and consequences of the Qinghe bandit suppression, and then ended with the words "This matter is of great importance and awaits the emperor's judgment."
As the emperor of the empire, Xia Junao, who is in his prime, has been in a bad mood recently, especially after the war with the Chen Dynasty. The Chen Dynasty did not go as planned. "It's just an old house. Just kick its door lightly and the whole Chen Dynasty will collapse."
In fact, over a year after the war began, the imperial army had made no progress on any battlefield, and was even nearly pushed back by the Chen Dynasty in some areas. It was only in recent months that the Khmer army penetrated into the southwestern hinterland of the Chen Dynasty, diverting the Chen Dynasty's attention and giving the empire a respite.
This is wrong.
Everyone in the world knows that the army of the Daliang Empire is the strongest in the world. The empire has dominated the world for hundreds of years, relying on this powerful army.
Although the grass on the grave of the former Minister of War, who had vowed before the war that it would only take three months to reach the Chen Dynasty's capital, Jiankang, was already ten feet high, killing a few ministers could not reverse the decline of the imperial army.
As Duke Longqiu of Yan said in his memorial, the soldiers now generally do not believe that the empire can win this war. The army is unstable and morale is low. If there is no effective way to boost morale, and the rear is constantly levying heavy taxes and extortions in order to fight a full-scale war, the empire's defeat is imminent.
Therefore, no matter what others think, Xia Junao attaches great importance to Lin Hai's victory in Xiangyun, even though the essence of this victory is a victory in the war against bandits.
But who can guarantee that these bandits did not have the support of the Tran Dynasty and the Khmer? So, if the Empire defeated these bandits, did it mean that the Empire had actually defeated the combined forces of the Tran Dynasty and the Khmer?
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