Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 894: Chapter 648: Da Rong’s Southwestern Turmoil (2)

"The young master is quite right, we do need a complete central institution, but I do not advise using the titles of the Cabinet Six Ministries and Governor’s Mansion, as that would draw too much attention if it gets out."

"Why not establish a small court according to the regulations of the Three Divisions Office?"

Mr. Li suggested.

The Cabinet Six Ministries, Six Departments of the Five Temples, Governor’s Mansion, and other similar institutions are structures exclusive to the Dynasty. Using these government office names now would bring no benefit, but rather arouse the court’s vigilance.

The current situation in Bashu is that the four rebel factions are encroaching upon it. The court’s attitude towards these factions is uniform, but once they use the names of the Cabinet Six Ministries, the court would consider them a primary enemy.

Therefore, these titles must not be misused, and even Yang Mingzhao cannot declare himself king at the moment.

Though Yang Mingzhao holds the title of Taiping Prince, this name resembles more a bandit’s title than that of an actual king.

"Hmm, then let’s form the central institution according to the Three Divisions Organization!"

"The Governor’s Office will handle civil affairs, and I will personally assume the role of governor, with Mr. Li, Mr. Qi, and Ma Yan as assistants, setting up departments underneath to implement specific policies!"

"The Governor’s Office is responsible for military management, and I will personally take on the role of Capital Commander, establishing five camps within the Taiping Army to guard various quarters."

"The Inspector General’s Office will have Lu Bo as the Inspector General, overseeing judicial and supervisory matters."

Evidently, this Three Divisions Office was different from the actual one; it wasn’t even the same thing.

This was actually more akin to the governor-general system of frontier towns, merely separating the Inspector General role to act as both the Imperial Examination Hall and Ministry of Justice.

However, these details are unimportant; what’s crucial is that Yang Mingzhao now has his own central institution, rather than the past slapdash assembly.

Everyone unanimously nodded in agreement with Yang Mingzhao’s idea, showing no objections.

Subsequently, Yang Mingzhao began forming his central institution, encountering no major difficulties in the process.

The current Taiping Army is just a blank slate, where Yang Mingzhao can easily draw and write.

Even if problems arise, they can be corrected without much issue.

Just as the saying goes, a small boat turns easily, Yang Mingzhao and the Taiping Army are now in the preliminary stage of attempting to establish a court system, laying the foundation for the future.

...

In the land of Yun Gui.

Chen Hengchang of Jiujiang Prefecture is also swiftly expanding, but his direction is not towards the west of Bashu, nor the west and south of Yun Gui, but towards the east of Yun Gui and the more eastern lands of Jiangnan.

With the support of the Divine Sun Sect, Chen Hengchang’s expansion is rapid.

They have been active for barely a year and a half, yet they have already occupied five prefectures in eastern Yun Gui and are now eyeing Jiangnan.

Their expansion speed is far quicker than Yang Mingzhao’s, not only quick but also with a clear target.

The rich lands of Jiangnan are the largest goal before them.

In contrast to Yang Mingzhao’s struggles in the hills, Chen Hengchang’s ambition and confidence are undoubtedly greater.

Once Chen Hengchang seizes Jiangnan, it would nearly equate to snatching away the most crucial tax source of Da Rong Court, dealing it a fatal blow.

Therefore, Da Rong Court has already begun to take Chen Hengchang’s rebels seriously, starting to mobilize and deploy forces to eliminate him.

As early as three months ago, the court ordered troops from Yun Gui and Jiangnan to encircle Chen Hengchang and also directed the Southern Border Town to advance from the south.

However, the results were less than ideal. The situations in Yun Gui and Jiangnan are similar to Bashu, devoid of soldiers ready for battle.

The situation in Jiangnan is even more troublesome than in Bashu.

The wealth of Jiangnan is not that of the common folk but of the local landlords and gentry.

In other words, the current rulers of Jiangnan are not the officials of various government levels but those landlords and gentries.

The court would need the support of these landlords and gentries to conscript soldiers from Jiangnan, but why would they assist the court?

They are unafraid of chaos, believing they possess the military strength to protect themselves amidst turmoil.

They are indifferent to the fates of Bashu and Yun Gui, with many attempting to profit from the chaos there.

So, after Chen Hengchang’s uprising in Yun Gui, numerous businessmen in Jiangnan began supplying him with various resources; offer them money, and they’d sell anything to him.

Salt, iron, grain, cloth, silk, arms, and even people—so long as Chen Hengchang offers enough gold and silver, they might even sell Jiangnan’s populace to him.

Would you rely on such unscrupulous merchants and gentries to serve the court?

While Jiangnan is busy profiteering from war, the southern and western regions of Yun Gui are paralyzed with fear, with no one daring to take the initiative to lead an offensive on the rebels.

Thus, Chen Hengchang’s army surged forward, capturing territories as easily as eating and drinking.

As for Southern Border Town, Duke Xing, Qu Changkong, wanted to lead an army into Yun Gui to cleanse the rebels, but the Jinlong Dynasty in the south was also restless, always eager to bite Southern Border Town.

Additionally, there was quite a distance between Southern Border Town and the territory held by Chen Hengchang. Qu Changkong wanting to attack Chen Hengchang meant crossing half of Southern Border Town and Yun Gui Province.

The distance seemed negligible, but let’s not forget that Southern Border Town and Yun Gui Province are mountainous, offering only mountains upon mountains at a glance.

The difficulty of marching would deter most people.

Qu Changkong did dispatch a Camp, but this 6,000-strong force took a month just to leave Southern Border Town and could proceed no further.

It wasn’t a lack of will to advance, but a shortage of provisions that hindered them.

Procuring provisions from Southern Border Town was pointless; such an impoverished region with treacherous roads made transportation nearly impossible.

Qu Changkong’s idea was for the Southern Border Town troops to be resupplied locally once they entered Yun Gui.

And the result?

Yun Gui’s government offices, apart from lamenting poverty, did nothing.

After pinching pennies for half a month, they could only gather half a month’s provisions for 6,000 soldiers.

How could they advance?

The conscription of supplies was slower than the consumption rate of the troops.

Thus, the Southern Border Town soldiers stopped at the border with Yun Gui, unable to advance further.

This left Qu Changkong exasperated.

"These useless fools, had I known, we shouldn’t have dispatched troops in the first place!"

In the Duke Mansion, Qu Changkong spoke with a face full of helplessness.

Qu Shaogong stood before him, also sighing helplessly, "Grandfather, the court might not hold out for much longer!"

Qu Changkong’s expression was complex, as the collapse of Da Rong was almost laid bare before the world.

Rebels were rising everywhere, and the more the court suppressed, the more rebels emerged.

In Longyuan’s three provinces, Bashu, Yun Gui, and other regions, it was almost entirely under rebels’ control, and in Fuhai and Shanhe provinces, many bandits were already springing up.

As for Liaodong, though relatively peaceful, it was isolated in the northeast, unable to support other regions.

Moreover, the nine border towns did not provide much aid, with Chongshan Town too far away and its elite forces not allowed into the heart of Da Rong due to security reasons.

In the north, Beiyuan Town, Longbei Town, and Suzhou Town were all tied up with suppressing bandits in Longyuan’s three provinces, while the western town of Anxi, Wusi Town, and Suzhou Town were inherently weak, occupied with defending against external threats and dealing with internal chaos.

Meanwhile, in the south, the situation in Yunling Town under the leadership of Marquis Wuding Guo Ying was even worse.

Guo Ying, the Marquis of Wuding, had controlled Yunling Town for thirty years, essentially turning it into the private domain of the Guo family, openly defying the court’s authority.

If Chongshan Town is owned by the Yang family, then Yunling Town belongs to the Guo family.

The governor and garrison eunuch of Yunling Town were driven back to the Capital City by the Guo family, clearly showing the family’s true intentions.