Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 204 The troops are approaching the city
"Pfft~"

When he learned that several Tartar officials had all fled, Han Jian almost vomited blood. However, at this difficult time, as the only remaining backbone and the highest-ranking official in Anqing Road, Han Jian still demonstrated the ability that a capable official should have.

He quickly suppressed the anger in his heart, and warned the clerks in Lu's mansion not to make the matter public. He then went to the merchants in the city and forced them to donate money to support the military and reward the soldiers, otherwise no one would have an easy time if the rebels came.

But those wealthy businessmen didn't care about that. Seeing the panicked look on the steward's face, they knew at a glance that the Red Turbans were coming. But there was no news at all from the army that they had sent out before. Anyone with a little bit of common sense would know what was going on. So many cities had been lost, and how could they expect to defend Huaining, which was just a city without a city wall?
The wealthy businessmen had already given up hope and had no intention of helping Han Jian defend the city. Han Jian could not send his soldiers to rob the city, and the battle to defend the city was imminent. If he allowed the defending soldiers to rob the people in his own city, then what was the point of defending the city? Do you believe that the robbed people would set fire to the city?
Han Jian was forced to go to Yang Heng and asked, "Yang Zhaomo, what else can you do now?"

Yang Heng also said helplessly, "There is no other way. We can only defend the city with our lives. I hope that Darughachi can really come back with reinforcements."

Upon hearing this, the few Han officials who stayed behind fell silent. They had already given up hope. These Tartar officials had left so easily. They had moved their families and valuables to Jiangxin Island before the war. Now that they had run away, how could they still be expected to come back?
On the other side, Lu Jin waited for another day on the north bank of Shahe River and finally waited for Liao Yongan to arrive.

"General, Zhang Wen sent two battalions to take over Tongcheng. I handed over the city defense and prisoners to them, and I brought the Third Regiment here first. However, my Third Regiment lost hundreds of people in the past few days, and Yin Congdao was also seriously injured. I asked him to stay in Tongcheng to recover and did not let him come."

Lu Jin's heart was moved when he heard this, and he thought of the centurion of the Yuan army that he had forced to surrender. "Yin Congdao? Is he seriously injured? Is his life in danger?"

Liao Yongan nodded. "Yes, he had two knife wounds and one gunshot wound, but they didn't penetrate deep into the flesh. He also fell from the top of the city wall. He won't die, but I'm afraid he will have to lie down for a month or two."

"As long as his life is safe, that's good." Lu Jin nodded, then looked at the people behind Liao Yongan and asked, "Are those the defenders of Tongcheng?"

"That's right. These two are the captain of Anqing Wanhu Mansion, Shao Yongjian, and his eldest son Shao Wenzhi. This is Ge Yanling, and there is the local volunteer marshal of Tongcheng, Zhen Yanlong, and his sons Zhen Yuanji and Zhen Yuanqi. Their soldiers are all left in Tongcheng and are temporarily under the care of the Sixth Regiment." Liao Yongan immediately introduced them to the few people.

Shao Yongjian and his men hurried forward and bowed, "We are defeated generals, and we pay our respects to the commander-in-chief."

Lu Jin immediately stepped forward with a smile and helped several people up. "Didn't you surrender the city? How can you be called a defeated general? Get up."

When these words were spoken, the six people were stunned. They didn't quite understand what Lu Jin meant. Was he going to regret killing someone?
Just when several people looked at Lu Jin with puzzled eyes, Lu Jin suddenly smiled and said.

"Why, aren't you still negotiating with Brother Yongan for treatment? Isn't this a voluntary surrender? The city hasn't been conquered by him, so how can you say he is a defeated general?"

Shao Yongjian was very smart. It seemed that Lu Jin was flattering them, but they couldn't really take advantage of the situation, so they immediately spoke modestly.

"You are too kind to us, Marshal. Since ancient times, no city can be conquered in a few days. General Liao has caused us great damage in just three days of siege, but he only lost three to five hundred people. Even if you didn't send us heads as a deterrent, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to hold out for a few more days. How can we be a match for General Liao?"

Sure enough, Shao Yongjian's tactics of self-deprecating and praising Lu Jin and Liao Yongan immediately made the two of them feel much better. Ge Yanling and others suddenly thought they understood what Lu Jin meant.

Lu Jin just laughed, "Okay, we are all heroes in the army, stop wasting time here, get up, since you are willing to join me, as long as you work loyally in the future, I will not treat you unfairly."

"Yes, thank you, Marshal!" The six people then stood up and stepped aside.

Lu Jin turned around and spoke to Liao Yongan again, "Have you made up for the losses of your Third Regiment's Combat Barracks?"

Liao Yongan shook his head. "We haven't replenished them yet. The wounded soldiers stayed in Tongcheng to recuperate. More than 200 of them were killed in action. We are currently short of 400 to 500 people."

Lu Jin immediately arranged, "If we encounter such losses again in the future, we will first draw troops from the auxiliary barracks to supplement the combat barracks, and then draw people from prisoners or conscripted civilians to supplement the auxiliary barracks, so as to maintain the combat effectiveness of the combat barracks. Do you understand?"

"I see. I'll make the arrangements now. Marshal, do you want me to pick people from these prisoners?" Liao Yongan's eyes lit up when he heard this. He didn't expect that the auxiliary barracks set up by Lu Jin in the past could be used in this way.

But upon thinking about it, it made sense that the auxiliary troops had received basically the same training as the combat troops, and were familiar with their own army's system and combat methods. They were indeed very suitable for making up for the losses, so he agreed immediately.

However, Lu Jin shook his head and said, "No, no, no, I will take you to recruit some better soldiers."

"Recruiting soldiers? Now?" Liao Yongan frowned and asked in confusion. Why recruit soldiers when there were tens of thousands of prisoners in front of him?

Lu Jin deliberately kept it a secret, "You'll know when we get there, let's move camp and cross the river!

"Ye Sheng, send someone to the back to urge Mr. Feng to come over with ammunition supplies as soon as possible. I need them urgently."

"Yes!"

After that, as Lu Jin's military order was issued, the army that had been stationed on the north bank for several days finally moved and began to cross the river in a mighty manner.

Liao Yongan soon noticed that among the tens of thousands of prisoners, there were about 500 people who were tied up and they were obviously treated differently.

Without waiting for him to ask more questions, the army marched towards Huaining for another day and finally arrived at the village that had been ravaged by the Yuan army.

The missionaries of the Third Regiment immediately went to the village to gather the people, beating gongs. The bodies of the women who had been killed had been quietly dragged back by the people for burial. Almost every household in the village hung white flags.

When the common people saw the soldiers, they were both terrified and angry. However, the soldiers before them were different. Everyone had a red scarf wrapped around their arms and their faces showed a fierce and righteous look. They marched in neat formation and automatically stood in two rows at the entrance of the village to maintain order. Just looking at their military discipline, they were definitely not comparable to the previous Yuan army.

Sure enough, the leader, a man who looked like an officer, spoke loudly.

"Fellow villagers of Qinghe Township, we are the Red Turban Army from Luzhou. A few days ago, a group of Yuan troops from Huaining burned, killed and looted in your village. They have been defeated by us, and we have also captured the murderer. Fellow villagers, those who want revenge, come quickly!"

hum-

The people present were immediately excited when they heard this and came forward to ask questions.

"General, are you soldiers of Marshal Lu in Luzhou?"

"Exactly."

"Were all the government troops that passed by us a few days ago killed by you?"

"No, we killed more than 2,000 of them and captured tens of thousands of prisoners. The government troops that bullied you were also among them, and we captured them all." Seeing that more and more people were gathering around, the missionary officer named Yan Dingzhong immediately jumped onto the millstone at the entrance of the village and shouted loudly at the people.

"Our commander-in-chief said that the Yuan army defied Heaven's will and committed murder in vain. Ever since China sank and was occupied by the Tartars, the Tartars have treated us Han people like cattle and horses, and have the power of life and death over us. They do not regard us as human beings at all. Our Shengwu Army is to enforce Heaven's will, follow Heaven's will, drive out the Tartars, and restore our homeland to the Han people!

"As long as our Shengwu Army comes, no Tartars or Semites will dare to bully us anymore.

"Fellow villagers, the commander is here to take care of you. We have already captured the bandits who killed your relatives. Let's get revenge if we have grievances. Come on, bring the bandits up here!"

Immediately after that, soldiers led over 500 violent captives to the scene. All of them were tied up. Zhang Bin was the leader. When they heard the missionary say that the common people would deal with them, they were so frightened that their legs went weak. If the Shengwu Army soldiers hadn't pulled them back by force, they would have collapsed to the ground on the spot.

When the people saw that these evil soldiers who had committed violence in the village a few days ago were now all tied to the ground, they were immediately outraged and went home to get hoes and farm tools and other things, calling on the families whose relatives had died in the village to come out and seek revenge.

Soon, a large number of farmers emerged from Qinghe Township, holding hoes high and rushing towards the captives.

"You damned bastard, you deserve this day. Grandpa will avenge your grandmother today and beat you to death!"

Bang——Bang——

With each swing of the hoe, the captives were chopped into pieces without any human form.

There were occasional cries of children in the crowd, "Dad, this guy was the one who robbed my mom that day, give her back to me, give her back to me!"

Looking at the chaotic scene of killing among the people, the captives' pleas for mercy, and the people's cries, Liao Yongan felt the same way. Before Lu Jin jumped into Chaohu Lake, they were also bullied by Zuo Junbi in this way.

The captured generals, on the other hand, just watched in silence. Fortunately, they did not follow Zhang Bin to do this that day, otherwise they would probably be the ones kneeling there and being dismembered by the people today, right?

About half an hour later, seeing that the people had vented their anger, the 500 or so captives were all beaten to death by the angry people. The leader Zhang Bin was even cut into pieces by the people. Only then did Lu Jin call Liao Yongan to step forward together.

When an elder saw a group of soldiers escorting Lu Jin over, he knew that this must be an important official, so he immediately asked, "Excuse me, are you the Marshal Lu from Luzhou?"

"Old man, I am Lu Jin. We came too late, otherwise the villagers would not have suffered such a cruel fate."

The old man knelt on the ground and said, "The Marshal has made the decision for us. How can we be late to avenge this blood feud? Today, I have avenged the great hatred of Qinghe Township, but I don't know how to repay the Marshal. The livestock in the village were also robbed by them a few days ago. I really can't afford wine and meat to entertain the army. What should I do as an old man?"

Lu Jin hurriedly stepped forward to help the old man up, "Old man, you can't do this. We are a righteous army that fights for the Han people. How can we ask for wine and meat from the villagers? Old man, don't blame yourself.

"The most urgent task is to cheer up the villagers. In two months, it will be spring ploughing, so we should prepare in advance. If the villagers have difficulties, we can also leave some military rations for relief to help the villagers tide over the difficulties."

"This, this, the Marshal is so kind and righteous. I have lived for so many years, but this is the first time I have seen such a kind and righteous army. From now on, we will have the Marshal to make decisions for us. We are finally blessed.

"I hope you can capture Anqing as soon as possible. Otherwise, if you leave, we don't know how the Tartars will harm us."

Lu Jin took the opportunity to say, "That's right, but there is a saying that goes, God helps those who help themselves. The Tartars come to bully you, and I can drive them away and let you take charge. But if my army leaves, what will happen if the Tartars and the Semites come back?
"My fellow villagers, if we want to preserve our Han dignity and not be slaves to the Tartars, and if we want to live a good life, it all depends on you.

"Some time ago, the Tartars led a large army to bully you, and you were unable to defeat them. Today, I am bringing a large army back to avenge you. It is obvious that there is strength in numbers. Only when we Han people unite can we drive out the Tartars and restore the Han people's country. Are there any warriors willing to join my army and follow me to Huaining to drive out these Tartars completely?"

When everyone heard this, a young man holding a hoe stood up on the spot.

"General, I'll go with you. I heard that you abolished the usury set by the Tartars and prohibited the buying and selling of slaves. My sister was also abducted to the city to be a slave. If I go with you to Huaining, can you get my sister back?"

Lu Jin looked at the man and said affirmatively, "If the city is breached, it will be like today. Revenge will be taken, and grievances will be avenged. If someone's relatives are abducted, they should be taken back."

"Then I want to go to war with you, Marshal. Take me with you."

"Take me one too!"

"Fuck the usury. The interest doubles every year. Who can afford it? If you can't pay it back, at best you will have to sell your children, at worst your family will be destroyed. Anyway, we can't live like this anymore. We might as well follow the army and kill them happily. If the Semites don't let us live, we'll make them suffer!"

"Destroy Huaining City and make the barbarians pay with blood!"

"Destroy Huaining City and make the barbarians pay with blood!"

Seeing that the atmosphere was almost right, the missionary officer named Yan Dingzhong immediately shouted in the crowd, which immediately resonated with the people. The slogans were so loud that they shook the sky, and the people raised their hoes and echoed him.

Lu Jin looked at Liao Yongan and smiled and asked, "What do you think of these soldiers? Are they better than the prisoners?"

Liao Yongan also laughed and said, "Seeing the enemy army as if they have a personal grudge, they will bravely lead the way and risk their lives. This is a strong army. Thank you, Marshal."

Lu Jin nodded and reminded, "All the soldiers are good, but they won't have a chance to fight this time. First, add them to your auxiliary battalion. After training, they will become a group of strong and capable soldiers."

"Yes."

After staying in Qinghe Township for half a day, Lu Jin recruited more than 500 people to make up for the troop gap of the Third Regiment. He also left some military rations to provide relief to the people who had been robbed, and then led the army to continue marching towards Huaining.

With two thousand scouts leading the way, the few remaining cavalry of the Huaining defenders were simply unable to stop the army's advance. On the fifth day of March, the army finally arrived at the city of Huaining.

The 12th Regiment of Miao Daheng, the 11th Regiment of Zhao Yong, the 3rd Regiment of Liao Yongan, plus the two battalions of cavalry and artillery led by Lu Jin, totaled more than 15,000 troops, plus more than 10,000 prisoners. The army formation stretched for miles and surrounded the east, west and north walls of Huaining County. On the contrary, there was no soldier at the south gate of the city wall. Such an abnormal move immediately left the defenders in the city puzzled.

However, the sight of a massive force of nearly 30,000 people was enough to scare the defenders in the city.

(End of this chapter)