Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 125: Arrow Towers Higher Than the City Wall
The coking kiln is right next to Chaohu Lake. This place was chosen because refining coke requires a lot of water and being close to Chaohu Lake also makes transportation convenient.

A brick-built charcoal kiln has now been built. When Lu Jin and his men arrived at the site, they saw Jing Chunlai directing the craftsmen in laying bricks.

When this person saw Lu Jin coming, he hurried over to greet him.

"Marshal, there is indeed stinky coal in Chao County, and coke has been refined!"

Lu Jin looked at him with a smile, "Well done, where's the coke you made? Bring it over and have a look."

Jing Chunlai immediately brought a basket of coke as if he was presenting a treasure. Lu Jin took out a piece and pretended to look at it. He had only heard of coke but had never seen the real thing, so he called out to those around him.

"Fu Shicai, can you come and take a look at this charcoal?"

Fu Shicai, who came to see the materials, immediately went forward to check it. He first weighed it in his hand, then smelled it, and finally looked at the kiln that had been built and was smoking, and immediately confirmed it.

"Marshal, this charcoal is good, and this master's craftsmanship is also good."

Lu Jin was immediately satisfied and asked, "If we use this kind of charcoal to smelt iron, how much of it would be needed every day?"

Fu Shicai thought about it and then gave a number.

"You don't know, Marshal, that there is no exact number for the amount of charcoal needed for iron smelting. It depends mainly on the quality of the ore. If it is a good ore, one thousand kilograms of ore can be matched with more than four hundred kilograms of coke, and two hundred kilograms of lime. If the ore is of poor quality, it may take five or six hundred kilograms of coke.

"If it's the kind of furnace used by the government, each furnace would need at least 500 to 600 kilograms of charcoal per day."

Lu Jin did some calculations and said immediately, "As Zhang Hong said the day before yesterday, a furnace can only burn for seven days before it needs to be repaired. So at least four furnaces must be built to keep it running. That means at least two thousand kilograms of charcoal are needed every day. Is that right?"

Fu Shicai nodded immediately, "That's right, it may not be used up, because there must be one or two furnaces under repair."

Lu Jin looked at Jing Chunlai again and said, "How is it? Did you hear that? Can you guarantee to supply 2,000 kilograms of charcoal every day?"

Jing Chunlai assured him immediately, "General, this is not difficult. Look at that charcoal kiln. A full kiln can hold more than 3,000 kilograms of charcoal. It only takes seven or eight days to burn a furnace. If we build ten of them and rotate them, we can supply the market with one kiln every day."

"Okay, that's a good arrangement. You will be the head of the mining department. First, arrange the coal mining and coking here. After a while, the iron mining will also be handed over to you." Lu Jin appointed him immediately.

Jing Chunlai was so excited that he immediately knelt down and said, "Thank you, Marshal. I will make sure that the mining is properly arranged!"

"Get up. Don't kneel down all the time. It's so cold in winter. Don't freeze yourself."

Lu Jin looked at Hu Shilu, the chief clerk of Chao County, who was following him. "You must cooperate with the mining. All miners must have food and cotton clothes. If I hear any miners complain, I will definitely hold you accountable."

"I will certainly cooperate and will not deduct anything."

"Work hard. Today, mining and iron smelting are all for the purpose of making weapons and armor for the army. This is the top priority right now. Only when the soldiers have excellent weapons and armor can we capture more prefectures and counties, and you can get promoted as soon as possible. Treat this as your own business." Lu Jin made another promise and warned.

"I will follow the Marshal's instructions."

"Okay, then you guys go and make the arrangements. I won't stay in Chao County. I'll go to Wuwei now."

Lu Jin really left as soon as he said he would. After seeing that the work in Chao County was on the right track, he immediately led his men to Wuwei County.

Now Wuwei's army has gathered. Although most of them are new recruits, the number is there after all. The four infantry regiments add up to nearly 20,000 troops, and the formation is still very intimidating.

When Lu Jin's fleet arrived at Wuwei Wharf, Liao Yongan immediately led a group of generals to greet them.

"The general will finally meet the commander-in-chief!"

Liao Yongan has now been promoted to become the first division commander of the Shengwu Army, but his attitude has become more respectful. They followed Lu Jin and grew from a few thousand people at the Chaohu Lake to tens of thousands of people today. Whose credit is it? Liao Yongan knows it better than anyone else.

Among the eight old battalions near Chaohu Lake, almost all the battalion commanders became regiment commanders, and the slowest to be promoted was deputy commander.

However, even Liao Yongzhong and Zhang Desheng, as long as they are not stupid, can figure out that there is actually not much difference between this deputy commander and the chief commander. It is only because Lu Jin does not trust the two chief commanders that he arranges them to go there.

"Brother Yongan, you have been guarding outside. Thank you for your hard work."

Lu Jin personally stepped forward to help Liao Yongan up, still calling him Brother Yongan. Liao Yongan was loyal and reliable, and his attitude was very positive, so Lu Jin would naturally give him enough respect and trust.

Upon hearing this, Liao Yongan said, "The Marshal has to worry about the overall situation, while I only need to look at the bright side. Compared with the Marshal, how can I say that my work is hard.

"I am afraid that I am incompetent and have failed the Marshal's trust. Now I am personally leading 20,000 troops to fight Lujiang and I need the Marshal to come to the front line in person. I feel really guilty."

When Lu Jin heard this, he immediately encouraged him, "Brother Yongan, don't say that. More people is not necessarily a good thing. Although we have 20,000 people now, most of them are new soldiers, and we have to capture the new city, which is difficult for you.

"I'm just worried that there are too many new recruits and the siege mission is too heavy. I'm afraid you'll be in trouble, so I came to check on you.

"Thanks to the help of all the great sages, I have now gathered all the iron smelting craftsmen. But even a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice. All I need is the iron ore in Lujiang. Brother Yongan should know the importance of iron smelting."

Liao Yongan certainly knew how important it was that he could smelt iron. Now that the Shengwu Army had expanded so much at once and the armor rate had plummeted, he was extremely anxious and immediately told Lu Jin.

"Don't worry, Marshal. I will definitely take over Lujiang within half a month!"

Lu Jin was stunned when he heard this, "You already have a plan?"

"Well, this is not the place to talk. Please come into the city first," Liao Yongan said immediately.

"it is good."

So a group of people surrounded Lu Jin and entered the city again. Liao Yongan and his men occupied Han Qinglu's former yard as the division headquarters. When they led Lu Jin into the lobby, they saw a sand table in the middle of the lobby. In it was a model of Lujiang County made of mud. The surrounding rivers, mountains, and villages were all pointed out one by one. It seemed that Liao Yongan had indeed done serious research.

There is even a map of Lujiang City next to it, which shows how thoughtful it is.

All the generals gathered in the hall, including the four regiment commanders and more than a dozen thousand-household battalion officers. It was considered a battalion-regiment level meeting.

Liao Yongan took a bamboo stick, pointed at the sand table and began to explain the situation to Lu Jin.

“After we defeated Kang Maocai, the Marshal asked me to be in charge of Lujiang and Shucheng on the southern front, and I started planning from then on.

“Besides, in order to put on a show for Kang Maocai and lure him to send out troops, we had already surrounded Lujiang once, so we had some understanding of the situation in Lujiang.

“So I prepared to attack aggressively.”

"Forced attack?" Lu Jin immediately became interested when he heard that.

Ever since he joined the army at Chaohu Lake, he has never fought a battle to attack a city, not counting the time in Luzhou. At that time, Zuo Junbi's main force in Luzhou had already been wiped out outside the city, and the people inside the city were all newbies with no morale, so it could not be considered an attack at all.

I don't know how Liao Yongan made such a decision. "Yes, we have surrounded Lujiang once before. Although it was just a feint, in order to confuse Kang Maocai, we also fought several battles with the Lujiang defenders. Jin Chaoxing also killed a centurion from Lujiang.

"Now that Kang Maocai has been defeated by us, and we have expanded our army so much, the defenders of Lujiang are scared to death. It is impossible to lure the enemy out of the city or send insiders into the city.

"Lujiang is now extremely well-defended. The defenders dare not come out at all. In addition, the city has started to implement the baojia system for mutual protection. There are time limits and number of people entering and leaving the city every day. Ten households must provide joint protection. The tactics used to deceive the city are no longer applicable. We can only storm it by force."

Lu Jin looked at the sand table, thought about it, and it seemed to be true, so he asked again.

"Then are you sure?"

Liao Yongan nodded, "We have to give it a try. Doesn't the Marshal's military book say that there is no war in the world that is 100% sure? If there is 60% to 70% chance, then we can make a decision. And I am not shooting without a purpose. Although I haven't fought during this period, I have been sending people to scout. Even now, I have spies outside Lujiang City.

"General, please look, this Lujiang City is not that big, and the city wall is about the same height as the original Luzhou, less than two meters, and it is also an earthen wall.

"There are only 5,000 defenders in the city at most, and only 2,000 to 3,000 elite soldiers. The rest are civilians recruited from the city. Now that we are outside, the defenders of Lujiang dare not recruit soldiers from outside into the city, fearing that our spies will sneak in, so their military strength is extremely limited.

"I plan to let Hua Gao of the Second Marine Regiment to guard Wuwei and personally lead four regiments to besiege Lujiang. Although they are all new recruits, as long as they build up momentum outside the city, then when the time comes, we can surround three sides and leave one side open, and let my Third Regiment attack one side. It shouldn't be difficult to take it down."

Lu Jin nodded, it seemed that it was not that difficult. Although those three regiments were all new recruits, they were enough to be used to bluff people.

Lu Jin looked up at the three commanders Zhao Yong, Guo Zixing and Miao Daheng and asked them.

"What do you think? We have new soldiers. Can we coordinate well in the feint attack and siege? Don't let the defenders rush out and scare them into disarray."

When the three heard this, they immediately expressed their opinions, and Zhao Yong was the first to speak.

"Marshal, I have a battalion of veterans. Let Deputy Commander Lu take charge. I can lead the troops first. There is no need to launch a feint attack. We will attack from three sides and we will surely be able to take it down in one go."

Miao Daheng also said, "General, my soldiers are all from Dingyuan. They have been trained before. It is not a problem to raid the formation and feint. If the enemy dares to come out of the city, I can make them leave and not come back."

Han Qinglu, a subordinate of Mr. Miao, also said, "General, I have not made any contribution since I joined your army. I am willing to lead the team to attack the city first!"

Han Qinglu was a former general under Kang Maocai and an ineffective defender. He had not made any achievements since his surrender. Unexpectedly, he showed his courage this time.

Before Guo Zixing of the Eighth Regiment had time to speak, his deputy commander Zhang Desheng spoke first.

"Don't worry, Marshal. I still have an old battalion in the Eighth Regiment. I have fought Kang Maocai outside Chao County. With Guo in command, I will lead the old battalion in front. If the enemy dares to leave the city, I will definitely defeat them.

"If we are surrounded on three sides, I can lead the old camp to attack first. We brothers from Chaohu are never vague in fighting!"

At this time, the benefits of Lu Jin's previous arrangement for expanding the army were reflected. Each regiment of new recruits had at least one battalion of veteran soldiers as its backbone. Whether attacking or defending, there was a force to rely on. The remaining new recruits would be trained after fighting a few battles.

"Okay, you are all loyal and brave. Since you are all confident, Brother Yongan, please tell us the specific arrangements."

"Yes." Liao Yongan said again, holding the bamboo stick and pointing at the sand table.

"I plan to use three regiments to attack from three sides. Zhao Yong will attack the west gate, Commander Guo will attack the east gate, I will personally attack the north gate, Commander Miao will lead 12 regiments to ambush outside the south gate, ready to kill the enemy troops escaping from the city."

Liao Yongan had just begun to speak when Lu Jin interrupted him, "Wait a minute, why not keep the west gate but the south gate?"

Liao Yongan explained immediately.

"Today, around Lujiang, there is Shucheng to the west and Tongcheng on Anqing Road to the south. They only have two ways to go. Even if they escape to Shucheng, they will be surrounded by us on all sides. If we only leave the west gate, I am worried that they will not dare to escape. If I were the defender, I would definitely run to Tongcheng, otherwise I can only fight like a trapped beast."

Lu Jin nodded. That was the truth. He then asked, "Why let Mr. Miao go to kill the fleeing enemy?"

"The 12th Regiment commanded by Miao is better trained. I feel relieved when he is there."

Hearing this, Lu Jin looked at Mr. Miao and nodded in agreement, "Go on."

"It's like this. When I besieged Lujiang before, although it was a feint, I still had people cut down a lot of wood. The Marshal asked me to prepare to attack Lujiang before, and I also had people build a lot of siege equipment these days. I have prepared four ladders, a dozen catapults, and two battering rams.

"When you attack a city, you can first lead the army to besiege it, then use the catapults to cover the construction of the arrow tower, and then use the arrow tower to cover the siege. When you besiege the city from three sides, the defenders will be distracted and will surely be able to capture one place. As long as you get on the city wall, the rest will be easy."

Hearing this, Lu Jin stood up, walked around the sand table, and finally decided, "Let's do it this way. When will we set off?"

Liao Yongan was stunned. "Does the Marshal have any other arrangements?"

Lu Jin shook his head. "You have been here the longest, and you know the situation of the Lujiang garrison best. Since you are sure, then you can make the decision yourself."

Liao Yongan took a deep breath after hearing this and then nodded. Anyway, this day would come sooner or later and he had to learn how to fight quickly. He couldn't always count on Lu Jin to give him advice, otherwise how could he, as the commander-in-chief, convince the people?

"I will prepare my army for two days and set out the day after tomorrow."

"can."

Two days later, on November 20th of the eleventh year of Zhizheng, a month and a half later, Liao Yongan once again led an army of more than 10,000 to the city. The defenders of Lujiang were suddenly under great pressure and hurriedly closed the city gates and retracted the drawbridge.

They knew clearly that the last siege was just to confuse Kang Maocai. This time Liao Yongan was at the gates of the city again, determined to take it, and would not leave until the city was conquered.

Boom——

A stone bullet flew over the city wall and smashed a big hole in the roof of a civilian house in the city, scaring the defenders in the city.

County Magistrate Wang Xiaocheng was so anxious that he was spinning around in circles. "What should I do? What should I do?"

Seeing this, the defending general Cai Qingyuan sneered, "What should we do? Of course we should hold on. Does County Magistrate Wang have other ideas? Don't forget that you are from Shandong. If you dare to betray your master and join the enemy, be careful that the court will execute all your clans!"

Wang Xiaocheng was stunned when he heard this, his body suddenly stiffened, and then he began to tremble.

Cai Qingyuan added, "Why are you panicking, County Magistrate Wang? I have sent people to Tongcheng to ask for help. The reinforcements will arrive in three days at most.

"As long as you and I can hold on to Lujiang for one more day, the Luzhou Road will not be completely occupied by the rebels. This is a great achievement. After this battle, County Magistrate Wang will definitely be promoted, and he will no longer have to worry about Lujiang's mess after he is transferred."

"What about you?" Wang Xiaocheng looked at him again after hearing that.

Cai Qingyuan immediately said, "Of course I want to stay here and earn military merit!"

Boom——

At this moment, another stone bullet flew over and landed on the street in the city. The boulder bounced a few times on the stone road and finally knocked down a house on the street, scaring the people in the city to cry for their parents.

(End of this chapter)