Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 198: All reinforcements destroyed
Seeing that Yesen Timur was about to escape, Wu Guobao chased him relentlessly. As the two sides chased and fled, they soon arrived at the river.

The river water in early spring was freezing cold, and the current was fast in this section of the river. Some Yuan soldiers who had long since fled to the riverside and tried to swim across soon had cramps in their hands and feet from the cold, and were floating up and down in the river. They shouted for help but no one paid any attention to them, and they soon disappeared in the river and were washed downstream.

When Yesen saw the situation, he did not dare to go into the water rashly. He could only fight with his back to the river and continue to resist stubbornly.

However, the Shengwu Army had already gained a military advantage. As Wu Guobao personally led his troops to strangle Yesen to surrender, even Yesen's personal soldiers laid down their weapons one by one. In the end, someone even took Yesen out from behind, wanting to make a great contribution while surrendering.

Yesen was furious upon seeing this, and quickly turned around and killed the two rebellious soldiers. However, he was surrounded by enemies and was no match for them. He was soon knocked to the ground by the soldiers around him and became Wu Guobao's prisoner.

On the other side, Han Qinglu also brought Tang Jiao, holding the Yuan army's banner and the head of the main general, and repeatedly persuaded them to surrender. Soon, several thousand Yuan troops on the right wing laid down their weapons.

As for the front and left armies of the Yuan army, with Lu Jin personally leading the artillery team to close in and bombard them, and Zhang Desheng's brave attack, the 7,000 troops of the front and left armies quickly turned into a situation of defeat. Seeing this, Lu Jin immediately ordered the cavalry to the periphery to chase and kill the defeated soldiers, driving them to the river or west.

Further west, Ye Sheng, who had completely annihilated the Yuan cavalry, also rushed back with more than 80 cavalrymen of the Shengwu Army to intercept the fleeing soldiers of the Yuan army.

With pursuers behind them and blockades in front of them, and the freezing cold river water beside them, and with the help of Han Qinglu who came over to persuade them to surrender with a large banner and the head of his commander, the defeated soldiers of the left and front armies were soon blocked by the river, and they laid down their weapons and became prisoners.

The North Shore’s victory was already decided, and now it was time to clean up the mess.

However, Lu Jin was not idle at this time. He immediately asked Yang Huan to push the six 8-jin cannons to the riverside, aiming at the rear of the Yuan army on the south bank across the Sha River, ready to bombard at any time. At the same time, he asked the cavalry around him to pass a message to Qin Jinglin on the earth hill, asking him to stop the shelling and blockade of the wooden bridge.

On the south bank of the Shahe River, the six hundred cavalrymen who had been lurking on the opposite bank were ready when they heard the artillery fire from the main battlefield. Seeing that they were winning, they immediately appeared with their cavalry. The six hundred cavalrymen circled around the rear of the Yuan army that was still on the south bank, blocking them firmly on the shore. They could not escape even if they wanted to. Even if they ran in a group, they were blocked in front and pursued from behind. How could two legs outrun four legs? In the end, they would probably lose their lives here.

There are still three thousand-man Yuan army on the south bank, namely Hong Bao, Lu Zhong and Jin Siyuan. The three had wanted to cross the river to provide support when the war started. The bombing on the Naihe Bridge had never stopped. They tried to cross the wooden bridge once, but more than a dozen people were killed. They did not dare to continue to force their way across the wooden bridge, and could only wait on the south bank to see how the subsequent battle would develop.

When the Yuan army's main formation was broken through and split into two groups and surrounded and attacked, they knew that the battle was lost. The three of them immediately discussed whether to retreat. However, at this moment, the figures of the Shengwu Army cavalry suddenly appeared behind them. From a distance, there were hundreds of them, and they were not sure how many there were.

Jin Siyuan immediately said in confusion, "What should we do? It seems that the enemy has already prepared cavalry behind us. We are 3,000 infantrymen. How can we outrun them?"

Lu Zhong also said, "Even if we retreat in solidarity, those cavalry can't do anything to us, but the enemy troops on the north bank will definitely cross the river and chase us. By then, we will be blocked in front and pursued from behind. Our main force has just been destroyed and their morale is low. How can we not be defeated?"

"That's right. So what should we do now?" Jin Siyuan and Lu Zhong looked at each other and found that Hong Bao next to them didn't say a word, so they both looked at him. Lu Zhong asked directly, "What do you think, Captain Hong? What do you think we should do now?"

Hong Bao glanced at the two of them and finally spoke, "Do you two want to withdraw your troops?"

Jin Siyuan frowned and lamented, "I do want to, but the enemy has been prepared for a long time, I'm afraid they won't let you and me go easily."

Hong Bao asked in return, "Why should we withdraw our troops?"

"This..." Lu Zhong and Jin Siyuan looked at each other. They both guessed what Hong Bao was going to say, but they didn't dare to say it out loud.

Hong Bao said bluntly, "You two should know the situation in the rear now. The troops in Taihu and Wangjiang counties have been withdrawn, and now they are just two empty cities. More than half of the troops in Qianshan and Huaining have also been withdrawn, and now they have all been killed in one battle. Even if the three of us can escape with these soldiers, the enemy will chase us along the way, so I'm afraid we'll be lucky if we can bring back half of them.

"But even if we can escape, what can we do? The enemy is coming with a great victory. Under the siege of 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers, which city in Anqing Road can resist? It's still a dead end. It's death sooner or later. Why not just surrender to the opposing General Lu here?"

Lu Zhong and Jin Siyuan looked at each other again. Of course they understood this truth, but they were just too embarrassed to say it out loud. However, Hong Bao had not stopped talking.

"That Luzhou commander Lu has won many battles, first taking Luzhou Road, then Anfeng and Yangzhou. Now the army of Anqing Road has also been annihilated by him in one battle. The entire Anqing Road can be taken away easily. He has won many battles in a row. This is not a human effort, but a blessing from heaven.

"Now that the righteous armies are rising up all over the country, the Yuan Dynasty is in wrath and resentment, how can a small soldier like you and I turn the tide? I think it is better to obey the will of heaven and surrender.

"I heard that Marshal Nalu has many surrendered generals under his command, and he doesn't discriminate against us. We can also make meritorious deeds on the battlefield if we follow him. What can we get by working for the Tartars?"

After hearing this, Lu Zhong and Jin Siyuan couldn't remain silent any longer. The muskets on the opposite side had been pushed to the riverside and were aimed at them. If they didn't surrender, they would be bombarded directly at them.

Jin Siyuan immediately said, "Forget it, anyway, my wife and children are not in the Yuan thieves' city, so surrendering is not a big deal. Have you two thought it through?"

Seeing this, Lu Zhong gritted his teeth and said, "Vote, it's good to save your life."

"Okay, brothers, look, the other side has stopped bombing the bridge. We should send someone to contact the other side. What do you think?" Hong Bao said immediately.

"That's right. I think it's better for me to go."

Jin Siyuan immediately volunteered to go to the other side to make contact, which made Hong Bao angry. "Just now when we talked about surrender, you didn't express your opinion. Now that everyone has discussed it, you want to take the initiative to go over and take credit." However, he could only say it with a smile.

"Okay, then Brother Lao Jin will go there."

"Thank you." Lu Zhong also clasped his fists.

"Don't worry, brothers. I'll be back soon."

Jin Siyuan crossed the river alone on a wooden bridge with several large holes blown out of it. Before he could say anything, he was surrounded by several soldiers of the Shengwu Army with spears. When they learned that he was surrendering on behalf of the 3,000 Yuan troops on the other side of the river, they took him to the direction of the commander-in-chief.

On the north bank of the Shahe River, the main force of the Yuan army had already laid down their weapons. In this battle, the Yuan army was attacked halfway across the river. Among the 12,000 troops who crossed the river, the total number of casualties was about 2,000, including infantry, cavalry, and those who jumped into the water and were washed away. The remaining 10,000 were captured by the Shengwu Army.

At the Qiaotou battlefield, the Eighth and Twelfth Regiments were each collecting prisoners, and keeping separate the regular officers and soldiers in armor and the unarmored conscripted militia. At the same time, they had to select officers of all levels in the Yuan army and keep them separately to prevent them from causing trouble with the prisoners. As a result, it was not long before a large group of Yuan army officers at all levels who were tied up were brought to Lu Jin's side.

Tang Jiao also came to report his achievement to Lu Jin with the head of Molanchi picked up on his spear, with the Yuan army's central army flag beside him, "General, this is the head of the Yuan army's main general Molanchi, specially presented to you." "Yes, well done, you killed the general and seized the flag, and were the first to break through the enemy's formation. This is a great achievement. Did you kill Molanchi?" Lu Jin looked at the young company commander with appreciation.

Tang Jiao certainly wanted to claim the military achievement, but when he thought about the traces of the bomb that would surely be found on Molunchi's body, and the fact that many people saw it at the time, he did not dare to claim it. He could only scratch his head and said embarrassedly.

"No, no, no, that's not it. This man was killed by a shell fired by the artillery. I just cut off his head and snatched the banner."

Lu Jin nodded and praised, "That's not bad either. I just saw that it was you who cut off the head of this beast and persuaded the enemy to surrender on the eastern battlefield, which made the enemy quickly give up resistance. It can be regarded as a great contribution to the battle situation."

Lu Jin glanced at the handwriting on his badge again, "Are you the company commander under Han Qinglu of the 12th Regiment?"

"That's right." When Tang Jiao heard that Lu Jin remembered his position, he immediately clasped his fists excitedly, and was looking forward to it, wondering what reward Lu Jin would give him.

Lu Jin asked again, "What are the casualties among your officers?"

Tang Jiao was stunned when he heard this, and immediately said, "Fortunately, one platoon leader was slightly injured, two squad leaders were killed, and one squad leader was seriously injured."

Lu Jin nodded again and said with satisfaction, "Then be prepared. After the war, we will expand the army and promote you to a thousand-household battalion commander, and your officers and soldiers will be promoted one level each."

Tang Jiao was so excited that he immediately knelt down and said, "Thank you for your trust, Marshal. I am a humble man with little ability, not even a fraction of what you generals can do. I hope to devote myself to the battlefield and serve you at your utmost."

Lu Jin patted his shoulder and helped him up. "If you have little skills, go and learn. Each battalion officer has military books to read. No one knows everything right away. Work hard, don't let me down, and strive to make new contributions in the future."

"Yes!"

"Go."

Tang Jiao had just left when Wu Guobao also came over with a Yuan army general who was tied up. When he arrived in front of Lu Jin, Wu Guobao kicked him in the leg, shouted and knelt down, then clasped his fists and said to Lu Jin.

"General, this man is Yesen Timur, the deputy general of the Yuan army."

Yesen was forced to kneel on the ground by two soldiers holding his shoulders, but he still refused to obey. He looked up with a pair of eyes, staring at Lu Jin viciously, and cursed, "Traitor, everyone has the right to kill you, bah!"

"be honest."

Wu Guobao turned around and kicked Yesen in the abdomen, causing him to curl up like a shrimp in pain. Wu Guobao looked at Lu Jin and asked, "Marshal, how do we deal with this man?"

Lu Jin did not answer directly, but looked at Yesen and said sarcastically, "I heard that the brother of Yuan Dynasty Prime Minister Tuotuo has the same name as you. This guy, under the protection of Tuotuo's Guangsha, led an army of 300,000 to attack Liu Futong, but has been avoiding the battle for months. The Yuan Dynasty is so nepotistic, I think it's just like this. Even if you are more talented than Yesen, what can you do? Aren't you kneeling to me now?"

After saying this, he didn't care about Yesen's reaction and directly instructed Wu Guobao, "Keep an eye on this man, don't let him die yet. When we attack the city, we will take him to the city for display to see how much fighting spirit the defenders still have."

"Yes." Wu Guobao agreed, then pulled Yesen Timur away.

Lu Jin then turned around and looked at the other group of people being escorted aside. There were dozens of Yuan army commanders and officers of all levels. Guo Zixing and Miao Daheng came over upon seeing this and stood by Lu Jin. Ye Sheng also brought someone here. Lu Jin couldn't help but laugh when he saw them.

"Hey, isn't this the cavalry general who fought with me just now? What's your name?"

The person being questioned was Lu Xianzong. Just now, Ye Sheng led people to hunt him down. Lu Xianzong was unable to fight back, and his men died one after another in the battle. Finally, he had no choice but to surrender and became Ye Sheng's prisoner.

He originally thought that Lu Jin was just a small general in charge of cavalry, holding an official position similar to that of a centurion. If he surrendered, perhaps the commander of the Shengwu Army would spare his life and retain him with a minor official position.

But what he didn't expect was that the halberd-wielding cavalryman who had just fought with him was the marshal of the Shengwu Army himself. This situation immediately shocked Lu Xianzong and caught him off guard. During the fight just now, he almost stabbed Lu Jin to death with a sneak attack. How could the other party let him go easily?
However, Lu Xianzong was tough. After all, he had already fallen into the hands of the other party. If he begged for mercy, the other party would look down on him and he might not be able to survive. So he looked up at Lu Jin calmly, but felt that the man in front of him was very strange.

There was no mockery or disgust in Lu Jin's eyes, nor was there any expression of anger or hatred. Instead, he looked very interested and seemed to be very curious about himself. This reaction surprised Lu Xianzong.

"What's wrong? Were you beaten stupid? Why aren't you talking?" Lu Jin asked again.

"There is nothing much to say to a defeated general. I am Lu Xianzong. You can kill me or chop me up as you please." Lu Xianzong then raised his head and said.

"You want to die? Then why didn't you come here tied up?" Lu Jin asked curiously, and cast an inquiring look at Ye Sheng next to him.

Ye Sheng immediately replied, "Marshal, this man surrendered without a fight."

"Oh, you want to surrender? Then why do you say it's up to you? Don't you try to beg for mercy?" Lu Jin looked at Lu Xianzong curiously.

Lu Xianzong then looked at Lu Jin and asked, "Whether I can survive or not is up to you. Will you let me go if I beg for mercy?"

Lu Jin smiled and said, "That's hard to say. How do you know I won't let you go?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xianzong looked up and looked at Lu Jin for a moment, then glanced at Ye Sheng beside him, then he gritted his teeth and said.

"A defeated general dares not live in vain, but I have a wife and children at home, so I dare not ask for death lightly. Today, I was defeated by you, and my life and death are all in your hands. If you spare my life, I will repay you for your kindness in saving my life today."

(End of this chapter)