Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 164

After several days of trekking, the 7,000 new troops finally arrived in Dingyuan. Zhu Liangzu could no longer wait, and when he heard that Lu Jin had arrived with the new troops, he immediately led dozens of cavalry to greet them.

"Marshal, you are finally back. Is this the newly formed 14th Regiment? Will it be under my command from now on?"

Lu Jin nodded, "Yes, the 102th Regiment is also in the nd Division, but these are all new recruits. More than new recruits, plus the Internal Guard, can only guard Dingyuan. When you reach the front line in Haozhou, there are only two infantry regiments and one cavalry regiment available.

"I have already explained the strategic intention of this battle to several of their commanders. We don't seek merit in this battle, but we do seek to avoid mistakes. After annihilating the enemy's vanguard and follow-up troops, you just need to defend the place honestly, but don't kill Dong Tuanxiao."

Zhu Liangzu nodded repeatedly when he heard this. Everything would be fine as long as he was allowed to go to the front line. Staying in Dingyuan every day was simply boring.

"Don't worry, Marshal. As long as I can get the main force of my Fifth Regiment out of Dingyuan, with 15,000 infantry and cavalry deployed in Haozhou, I will definitely be able to stop the enemy north of the Huai River!"

Lu Jin nodded. He still trusted Zhu Liangzu's talents, and there was no big problem with his deployment. Fifteen thousand troops were not enough for attack, but they were enough for defense.

Lu Jin immediately called Zhu Liangzu aside and talked to him about how to get along with the Xuzhou Group in the future. After making sure that Zhu Liangzu understood, he asked this question.

"Have the batch of spears sent from Luzhou, as well as Gao Xun, the director of the Salt Administration Bureau, arrived?"

Zhu Liangzu nodded and said, "Gao Tiju came with the batch of long spears, and brought some craftsmen with him. The salt cookers captured in the previous battle of Lai'an were also sent here. Gao Tiju took those people away. They are collecting materials these days. I think we should be able to start work once the Marshal arrives."

Lu Jin said with satisfaction after hearing this.

"Then let's do it without further ado. Leave 6,000 of the spears to Feng Sheng, and take the rest to Haozhou on the way in case of emergency.

“If the battle breaks out in Haozhou and you don’t have enough armor and weapons, let Yu Tongyuan’s Seventh Regiment give the armor to you and Zheng Yong first to ensure the combat effectiveness of your two regiments, and let Tongyuan defend the city.

"If there is enough time, I will try my best to send you some more weapons and armor. Do you think you need anything else?"

Zhu Liangzu thought about it and realized that the only things needed to defend a city besides weapons and armor were food and firewood. Firewood could be chopped by themselves, but there was no way to get food, so he said.

"General, how long will it take to defend Haozhou? I don't know if there is enough food. If there is not enough food, please try your best to raise it."

Lu Jin nodded. "When you go to Haozhou, you will be in charge of the military affairs of Haozhou. You should calculate the food reserves yourself. If there is a shortage of food, you must tell me at least one month in advance so that I can raise some for you."

"Yes."

"Now that everything is clear, let's go."

After sending away Zhu Liangzu, the warmonger, Lu Jin called Feng Sheng again and asked him to quickly count the batch of spears and weapons, and let Zhu Liangzu take the rest away. Feng Sheng agreed and began to command his new recruits to take over the weapons and city defenses.

Upon seeing this, the three battalion commanders that Lu Jin had just recruited all came running over to hear the news.

"Marshal, Commander Feng said that the batch of weapons does not include those for our three battalions. When can we get the weapons?" Guo Xing, the oldest, led Xu Da and Zheng Yulin to ask Lu Jin for weapons.

Lu Jin then said, "You three battalions belong to the Imperial Guards. You will not receive weapons here. You will be divided when you arrive in Luzhou. And you three will be temporarily assigned to one regiment. When you arrive in Luzhou, let Zhu Shou take you for basic training. I will stay in Dingyuan for a while. When I return, I will reorganize you. Just train honestly after you go there."

"Ah? Will it need to be reorganized in the future?" Zheng Yulin expressed his confusion.

Lu Jin glanced at him and asked, "How many children in their teens are there in your camp? Do you really want to take them to fight in the battlefield? Otherwise, you can just accompany them until they are 18 years old."

Zheng Yulin shut up immediately after hearing that. If he grew up with those kids, he would not be able to go to the battlefield for several years. How could he make achievements if he could not go to the battlefield?
Xu Da asked curiously, "General, isn't our organization different from that of the Shengwu Army? If we add three more battalions to one regiment, wouldn't that mean there would be eight battalions in one regiment?"

Lu Jin nodded this time and said slightly, "I will use the Imperial Guards to train a new army. The tactics and formations used are different from the previous ones. You have read some military books, so you should study hard after you go there. If the new Imperial Guards are formed, the other troops of the Shengwu Army will also have to be reorganized and refitted. You, the first batch of generals to learn the new tactics, will be used in the future. You should study hard after you go there."

"Yes!" The three were immediately excited when they heard this. Although they were not veteran generals of the Shengwu Army, they had the opportunity to practice new tactics. Just as Lu Jin said, there would be no shortage of opportunities to make meritorious deeds in the future. The three of them quickly bowed and agreed.

Lu Jin gave the three people more instructions.

"I will stay in Dingyuan for a few days to deal with salt affairs. I will let Shen Ren continue to lead you back. The three of you must obey Captain Shen's command on the way."

"Yes."

Lu Jin nodded, and immediately called Shen Ren over, told him about going back, and then said that he would hand over these troops to Zhu Shou, and let Zhu Shou take them for basic training first, and make other arrangements after he returned.

Shen Ren quickly agreed and asked, "Who will guard the Marshal's safety?"

Lu Jin pointed at Zhang Long who had just been recruited from Haozhou and said, "Take two companies of cavalry back with you, and leave two companies of cavalry for me. I will temporarily give them to Zhang Long to lead. He will escort me back."

"Yes."

Shen Ren agreed and began to mobilize his troops, preparing to take Xu Da and his men to continue marching towards Luzhou.

After Lu Jin finished arranging the military deployment, he immediately summoned Gao Xun over.

Gao Xun was previously the head of the Finance Department of the Academy of Literature. He was recommended by his direct superior Bao Heng, and thus got his current job in charge of salt.

He was a scholar who passed the "small imperial examination". He had four brothers in total. The Gao family was originally from Shanxi and later moved to Wuwei County a generation ago. The eldest brother stayed at home to take care of the family, while the other three brothers all took the examination to become officials in Lu Jin. Gao Xun was one of them. He also had an elder brother who worked as a chief clerk in Lu'an.

It was only after Gao Xun was assigned his new position that he learned that there was a salt mine in Dingyuan. After he asked someone to learn more about the situation, he was even more surprised.

He thought Dingyuan was the same salt lake as his hometown in Shanxi, but after careful inquiry he found out that it was the same well salt as in Sichuan.

What's even more outrageous is that the people of Dingyuan have never heard of the existence of salt mines underground or of the possibility of digging salt wells. So how did this general know about it? He even swore that the salt mine layer was a hundred feet deep underground, and his task was to take a group of craftsmen to dig a hundred-foot deep well, which was not an easy task.

Gao Xun had never done similar engineering organization work, but at least he knew how to coordinate manpower and materials. So after he arrived, he began to coordinate materials, organize manpower, and survey the terrain around the salt mine that Lu Jin had previously marked out.

When Lu Jin called him over, he already had a plan.

"Commander."

"Well, I heard that you have been preparing materials and personnel since you came. How are the preparations going?" Lu Jin asked straight to the point. Gao Xun immediately replied, "I have never seen how well salt is collected. I heard from the Marshal before that the salt mines underground are like rocks. We need to dig deep wells first, then fill the wells with water, use the water to dissolve the salt mines, turn them into brine, and then bring them up. The Marshal also specially asked someone to find a craftsman who can do well pressure, and I also found one, but where does the water come from? Should we dig a canal from the side?"

Lu Jin shook his head when he heard this. If digging a canal was just for the purpose of diverting water and providing a water source, then it was really unnecessary, because there was already groundwater underground, perhaps above the salt layer. If a deep well was dug without any protection, the groundwater would flow directly into the salt layer, and there would be no need to divert water specifically.

However, lifting water requires power. If a waterwheel is built by the river, the power source is too far away from the mining area, and digging canals is of no use. It is better to use human and animal power temporarily, and then replace it with a steam-powered waterwheel in the future.

"It's not necessary. If it's just for diverting water, then there's already water underground. Why dig a canal?"

Seeing Gao Xun's puzzled look, Lu Jin immediately found a pen and paper and drew a picture to explain it to him.

"In ancient times, there was the art of geomancy. I, Gongshu Jia, also studied geology. The land beneath our feet is actually divided into many layers. There is soil, groundwater, and rock. When you break through the water layer and continue to dig down, the groundwater will naturally flow under the salt layer."

Looking at the schematic diagram drawn by Lu Jin on paper and explaining to him the method of digging a well, Gao Xun finally had a basic understanding of the underground situation.

He scratched his head, still puzzled, "I almost understand what the Marshal means, but digging the soil is easy, but if we dig into the rock layer, even if we can use a drill to break the rock, how can we bring the broken rocks up from such a deep well?"

"Just pour mud and use the mud to wash up the gravel."

"Is it possible?" Gao Xun expressed his amazement.

Lu Jin smiled and said, "Why not? Don't worry, this is your good fortune. Learn the drilling method well. If you learn it well and can write a 'drilling method' by yourself, I guarantee you will be useful in the future.

"There are countless treasures underground. If we learn how to mine them, our country will become rich and powerful."

Gao Xun immediately said that he understood, asked Lu Jin for the schematic diagram, and then took Lu Jin to Luqiao Town where the salt mine was located.

After Lu Jin arrived, he had people build a fence to enclose the approximate scope of the salt mine, and personally planned the land use. He told Gao Xun where to dig wells, where to build a salt-boiling factory, and where to build a warehouse. He then personally selected the location and used the Luoyang shovel he brought with him to dig the first shovel.

Dang Dang Dang——

Looking at the mud strips poured out from the Luoyang shovel, Lu Jin picked it up again and explained to Gao Xun.

"From today on, you will start watching here. Each well must be numbered, Well No. 1, Well No. 2. After marking them like this, record the depth of the well every day. Remember to use the meter I mentioned. Then, every time you drill mud strips from different strata, you must keep a sample and mark the depth from which it was drilled. All future geological explorations must be done in this way."

Gao Xun nodded repeatedly, but still frowned and hesitated. Seeing that there were no people around, he whispered, "Marshal, are you sure there is a salt well underground? If you work so hard and find nothing in the end, it will damage your prestige."

"Hahahaha, I naturally don't have the leisure to joke with you. Don't worry, if I say there is, then there must be. I didn't guess blindly, nor did I tell it by Feng Shui. I measured it with a torsion balance. There must be a large salt mine here.

"But according to the experience of Sichuan salt wells, you have to dig to a depth of at least 300 meters to see the salt layer. I estimate that this salt layer must be 300 meters thick. The reserves here are extremely rich. Just go ahead and dig a well. Your work will definitely not be in vain."

Seeing that Lu Jin was so confident, Gao Xun stopped trying to persuade him and began to arrange people to take turns digging the well.

Lu Jin first directed the construction of Well No. 1 to demonstrate to them. He first asked the craftsmen to dig a square pit that was four meters long, wide and three meters deep, with a support and ladder at the bottom of the pit and a pulley rope above the pit.

Then lay bricks at the bottom and sides of the pit to make an operating platform, continue to dig a well with a diameter of 1.2 meters in the pit, and then lay bricks inside to make the well wall. After digging to ten meters, continue to shrink the hole, making it thinner and thinner as you dig down, and finally ensure that the hole is no less than 20 centimeters.

Lu Jin stayed in Dingyuan for a few more days, watching them dig to a depth of fifty meters. After the diameter of the hole was fixed and did not move, he prepared to leave.

In this era, digging a deep well using the drilling method is very difficult and cannot be completed in a few days. So when we saw that the project was on track, we prepared to withdraw.

On the day of leaving, Lu Jin looked at Gao Xun who had been squatting at the wellhead taking notes for a while. He thought that Gao Xun was doing his job conscientiously, so he patted him on the shoulder and said.

"Just stay here and watch. Don't be discouraged. We are digging relatively fast. It sometimes takes several years to dig a salt well in Bashu. Don't worry, it won't take us that long. We have already dug 50 meters. If we dig another 300 to 500 meters, we will be able to see the salt layer. Work hard. I am waiting for you to report your success."

"Yes, Marshal, don't worry, I will dig a salt well as soon as possible." Gao Xun assured quickly.

He came from the Ministry of Finance and was a traditional Confucian scholar. He naturally knew the huge profits from salt and iron. If the Shengwu Army had salt wells, it would be a large and stable source of income. Such a great achievement would be no less than winning a battle, and it would also be a huge benefit for their entire Luzhou Group.

Lu Jin nodded, and gave him a few more words of encouragement, telling him that if he needed support from craftsmen and tools, he should send someone to Luzhou to ask for them. Then he took Zhang Long and set off with more than 400 cavalry guards. It took them three days to return to Luzhou.

As soon as I came back, I received good news. The ironworks had already built the rolling mill and cast a cannon sample. Now they were waiting for Lu Jin to come and test the cannon.

Xu Jichuan, the director of the Wenyuan Construction Department, also reported to Lu Jin that five blast furnaces in the ironworks now have entered a stable production period, which means that the ironworks can now produce 12,000 to 13,000 kilograms of iron, about six tons, every day.

Six tons of iron is not a small number. Considering that a six-pound cannon weighs less than 15 kilograms, the iron output in one day can cast six-pound cannons. If it is an eight-pound cannon, ten can be cast in one day. Even if it is a twelve-pound cannon weighing kilograms, four or five can be cast in one day.

With such iron production, Lu Jin's artillery battalion with more than 60 guns became more confident.

Coupled with the advent of the rolling mill, even the production of armor and muskets will no longer be a problem in the future. As the output of the ironworks continues to increase, the production of weapons and armor will only increase in the future.

Lu Jin immediately asked Xu Jichuan, "Where is the sample gun?"

"It's in the military camp. It's under the supervision of the training camp. They are also waiting for the commander to test the artillery."

Lu Jin nodded, and immediately stood up and instructed the guards around him, "Go and call Yang Huan, Zhu Shou, and the thousand-household battalion officers of the regiment, as well as the three new ones, to the training camp. I want to take them to test the artillery."

"Yes."

Several guards agreed and immediately ran out to pass the message. Such a big commotion naturally could not be hidden from Li Shanchang and Feng Guoyong, and soon the two of them came to the door.

Feng Guoyong said immediately, "I heard a few days ago that the iron factory sent a cannon. The style is very strange, and I have never seen it before. I wanted to take a look at it, but the training camp officer Yang Huanyang kept it hidden from me. Now I heard that the Marshal wants to take the generals to test the cannon. Can you take me with you?"

Li Shanchang stroked his beard and said nothing, but his expression clearly showed that he also wanted to join in the fun.

Lu Jin laughed out loud, "Hahahaha, it's just a prototype cannon, it hasn't been finalized yet. But since you two want to see it, let's go together. Especially Mr. Li, you have to be prepared. The cannon makes a lot of noise, like thunder. Don't be startled, it's best to write a notice in advance and post it in the city to avoid startling the people."

Li Shanchang nodded and said, "I will ask someone to write a notice right away. The commander-in-chief is very thoughtful."

(End of this chapter)