Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 236: The Survivors of Jiuli
In the Deng family mansion in Longxuli Township, Hong County, Gong Xiuwen was tied to a chair with his hands and feet tied to his chest. Deng Shunxing was sitting opposite him watching him, while his eldest son Deng Youlong was searching through Gong Xiuwen's luggage.

Song Guoxing, who reported Gong Xiuwen's suspicious behavior, was pretending not to know him at this time. He stood next to Deng Shunxing and prepared to give Deng Shunxing "advice."

Deng Youlong searched for a long time but found nothing suspicious, so he could only say.

"Dad, there is nothing here, just some spare clothes, a pair of spare shoes, some writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, a few books, some banknotes, loose change, copper coins, and even some dry food and half a roast goose."

Upon hearing this, Gong Xiuwen immediately shouted, "I told you guys that you arrested the wrong person. I'm just a scholar. How could I be a spy sent by the government?!"

Deng Shunxing was a little suspicious now, wondering if Gong Xiuwen was a spy or not. Was it possible that Song Guoxing had arrested the wrong person? So he looked at Song Guoxing with an inquiring look.

Song Guoxing immediately stepped forward and said, "You are talking nonsense. It is not so easy for a spy to admit that he is a spy."

Gong Xiuwen was speechless and immediately retorted, "But didn't you find anything in my luggage?"

"That doesn't prove anything. A spy doesn't need to carry anything with him. Just eyes, ears and a mouth are enough. Have you ever seen a spy carrying something that would expose his identity when gathering information?" Song Guoxing asked back.

"But I'm really not a government spy. If I were a government spy and I ran into your den of thieves, wouldn't I be seeking death?" Gong Xiuwen was completely speechless.

Song Guoxing continued, "When you first came, you came alone on a donkey, saying you wanted to stay overnight in the village and feed your donkey the best fodder. This was normal, but then you started asking questions. I don't know what you asked, but you didn't want to stay overnight. After eating a meal, you didn't even want the change. You just wanted to leave with your donkey, saying, 'You came here to stay overnight, why don't you stay anymore?'"

"Huh? Be honest and tell me quickly, what are you here for?" Deng Shunxing felt something was wrong when he heard this. Since he was staying here, why didn't he stay here? He didn't even ask for change and wanted to leave right away. This was definitely not right.

Gong Xiuwen immediately had a sad face, "I was just passing by your place on my way to visit relatives and friends in the south. I am a foreigner, how can I know what is going on with you? I was still eating, but I accidentally saw a group of soldiers passing by outside the yard, and I also saw the farmer who entertained me sharpening his knife in the yard.

"I asked him what he was doing, but he wouldn't tell me. I thought I had stumbled into a den of thieves. I was so scared, so of course I wanted to run away."

When Deng Shunxing heard this, it seemed that there was nothing wrong with it, so he looked at Song Guoxing again.

Song Guoxing was furious and said, "You are talking nonsense. You are just an ordinary scholar, visiting relatives and friends. Let me ask you, what are these books?"

"The Analects of Confucius and the Spring and Autumn Annals, what's the problem with that?" Gong Xiuwen answered immediately.

Song Guoxing pulled out a book without a cover from among the books and held it in front of him. "What about this one?"

"This..." Gong Xiuwen hesitated when he saw it.

"Can't you tell? Do you think I'm blind or that I can't read? This is clearly a fragment of the Seven Military Classics, a military strategy published in the early Song Dynasty. You're just an ordinary scholar, why are you reading this strategy for nothing?" Song Guoxing asked immediately.

"Is there anything wrong with what book I read?" Gong Xiuwen felt even more helpless and at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

When Deng Shunxing heard that the incomplete book was the Art of War of the Pre-Song Dynasty, he quickly took it and took a look at it. He then looked at Song Guoxing inquiringly, asking, "How did you know this?"
Song Guoxing immediately leaned over to his ear and whispered, "Commander, my brothers and I were once military households. I have seen such a book in a hundred households. There must be something wrong with this person. In the current chaotic situation, a scholar is alone, carrying a book of military tactics around. This person is definitely not an ordinary scholar."

Deng Shunxing nodded when he heard this, and immediately looked at Gong Xiuwen and warned him, "I advise you to tell the truth. Don't refuse a toast and drink a forfeit. I'll give you one last chance. If you don't tell the truth, I'll kill you and feed you to pigs, leaving you with no place to rest."

Gong Xiuwen burst into tears and said, "But I'm really not a spy for the government."

"So what do you do?"

"Go south to visit relatives and friends."

"Where are you going south to? What relatives are you looking for? Which friends are you visiting?"

"." Gong Xiuwen hesitated again, looking conflicted.

This scene immediately annoyed Deng Shunxing, and he pulled out the knife with a clang. Seeing this, Gong Xiuwen broke out in sweat and screamed.

"I say! I say! I'm really not a spy for the government. I'm also a righteous soldier. I'm also a righteous soldier, fighting against the Yuan Dynasty. We are friendly forces. Don't kill me, or you will get into big trouble."

Deng Shunxing was stunned when he heard this. He didn't expect that the scholar would say that he was a righteous soldier. He frowned and said, "Righteous soldier? Which righteous soldier are you from? Don't try to lie to me, or I will make you lose your head today!"

After saying this, he put the knife on Gong Xiuwen's neck.

Gong Xiuwen hurriedly said, "General, don't be impulsive. I am really a righteous army. Have you heard of the Shengwu Army in Luzhou?"

"Well, I've heard of Marshal Lu from Luzhou. He was the former commander of the Chaohu navy. He captured Luzhou City and killed the Yuan court's Huaixi envoy. Now he has more than 100,000 soldiers and dozens of cities. Everyone knows him." Deng Shunxing said immediately.

Song Guoxing said, "Commander, don't listen to his nonsense. The Shengwu Army is clearly in the south, but this guy is from the north. Besides, the Shengwu Army is far away in the south, so why would they send a scholar to our place?"

"Well, that makes sense. If we don't talk about it today, you kid won't get away with it easily. Tell me, since you are from the Luzhou Shengwu Army, then what are you doing here?"

Gong Xiuwen said quickly, "I am really from the Shengwu Army, but not yet. Didn't I just say that I was going to the south to visit relatives and friends? I used to study in Luzhou and had a classmate who was a descendant of a famous family, Bao Longtu of the former Song Dynasty. Has Bao Zheng heard of him? He is from Luzhou. My classmate is a descendant of the Bao family. Now he has joined Marshal Lu and is an official in the Marshal's Mansion.

"He recommended me to General Lu because of our friendship as classmates and my basic knowledge of military tactics. He invited me to serve as an official in Luzhou and be his staff.

"I am from Suzhou. I received the letter and was about to go south to Luzhou for refuge, but then I was kidnapped by you. I tell you, if you kill me and Commander Lu finds out, be careful that he will send a large army to destroy you."

Seeing this, Song Guoxing snorted coldly, "Hmph, you are just pretending to be powerful. Even if I really kill you, how would Commander Lu know where you died? What's more, you are not a member of the Shengwu Army yet, you were just recommended by someone. Besides, who knows whether what you said is true or not? Do you have any evidence?"

Deng Shunxing also reacted after hearing this and asked quickly, "Yes, where is the certificate?"

Gong Xiuwen said quickly, "I have an invitation letter from my classmate Bao. He is now in charge of the Military Command Department of the Military Academy in the Marshal's Office in Luzhou. The letter is in the sole of my boots. I sewed it in. If you don't believe me, open it and read it."

Seeing that he did not seem to be lying, Deng Shunxing nodded to his son Deng Youlong. The boy immediately picked up the boots and pressed the soles. It seemed like there was something inside. He then took out a knife and carefully cut it open from the side. Sure enough, there was a letter inside.

Deng Shunxing took it and read it. "This is a letter from my brother Xiuwen. I am glad to see you. The world is in chaos now. The Yuan court is unjust and rebels are rising everywhere. Luzhou Lushuai has the ambition to help the world and drive out the Tartars and recover the land of the Han people. Lushuai is a benevolent and righteous king. He loves the people, is frugal and restrains himself. He has trained his troops well and won many battles. Now he has conquered thousands of miles of land and dozens of cities.
'I am a humble man, but I am honored to be the chief officer of the Marshal's Office. I still remember that my brother Xiuwen was fond of military strategy and was quite knowledgeable in the art of war. The Marshal is eager to recruit talented people. If Xiuwen has the ambition to help the world, why don't you come to the Marshal's Office to talk? I will definitely recommend my brother to you. A wise ruler and a good assistant will complement each other. He has also made great contributions to the emperor, bringing glory to the family and making his name famous in history. Isn't that wonderful? Bao Yu, my former classmate in Luzhou, has prepared a bed for me and is waiting for your good news. '

Wow, it really is an invitation letter. This is trouble.

Deng Shunxing glanced at Song Guoxing and his son, gave them a wink, and the three of them went outside together. Deng Shunxing then spoke.

"It's bad news. This guy is really a guest of honor in Luzhou. What should we do?" Song Guoxing said immediately. "Even if he is true, what's good or bad? We didn't harm him. Besides, the letter said to invite him over and recommend him. It's hard to say whether he will accept him or not. Besides, we are also short of a military advisor. It's better to keep him. He knows military tactics. Let him give us advice."

The Deng father and son looked at each other.

"Will this work?" Deng Shunxing asked immediately. He had just gained several powerful generals, and now a military advisor was delivered to his door. To be honest, Old Deng was really tempted if he could keep this person.

"Why not? A real man can bend and stretch. I'm the one who captured the man. The worst that can happen is that I can go in and apologize to him, then I can win him over and treat him to a drink, and then the matter will be settled." Song Guoxing said immediately.

"Then, give it a try?"

"Give it a try, it's just a drink. If you really can't keep him, it's not too late to let him go." Song Guoxing suggested again.

"Done."

So that night Deng Shunxing held another banquet to apologize to Gong Xiuwen and invited him to stay and help. He did not ask him to stay here forever, but just asked him to stay for a while to give them advice and help.

Gong Xiuwen took advantage of the situation and pretended to agree.

At the banquet that night, Gong Xiuwen said while burping.

"Hic~ I'm telling you, it's very difficult for you to develop in this place. To the northeast is Xuzhou's Zhima Li, to the northwest is Liu Futong and Du Zundao, and to the south is Luzhou's Marshal Lu. You are located in the middle of the three, with a small space. You will be swallowed up sooner or later. I think you should forget about developing. It's better for you to join Marshal Lu as soon as possible. This is called leaning on a big tree for shade."

"Yes, yes, sir, you are right. But if we just go there like this, I'm afraid they will look down on us. Besides, although we can't catch up with those three big guys, we can still manage some things in Hong County with our few thousand soldiers. Sir, please help us think of some ideas on how to develop." Deng Shunxing said as he drank.

"Hic~ It's not impossible. Commander Deng, please tell me about your military system, the food and grass supply, and the surrounding Yuan army forces. I will help you plan it first, hiccup."

Thus, Gong Xiuwen infiltrated the inner circle of Deng's militia and became an open card of the Shengwu Army, while Guo Ying, Tang Shengzong and others were working in secret. The two sides, one openly and one secretly, cooperated with each other and began to plan how to develop the army. After all, Lu Jin promised them that he would let them hold different positions according to how many troops they could attract in the future. Even if not for the Shengwu Army, they had to work hard for themselves.

Only the poor Deng father and son are still kept in the dark. Not only that, they even think they have taken advantage.
On the other side, in Anqing, Wang Dayuan, who was invited from Nanchang, Jiangxi, also arrived at Lei Chi under the escort of Li Chen. They first went to Jiangzhou (Jiujiang), then changed to a horse carriage from Jiujiang, went to Lei Chi by land, and got on the boat again in Lei Chi. Now they were safe and worry-free, because there was only a navy of the Shengwu Army in Lei Chi, and no other enemies. Arriving in Lei Chi was equivalent to entering their own territory.

After resting for a night in Susong, Wang Dayuan set out for Luzhou again the next day. Along the way, he saw many young people carrying book boxes or luggage, all dressed like scholars. He stopped two of them and asked them.

"My dear friend, you are carrying your books on your backs in this chaotic time, as if you are going to the capital to take an imperial examination. May I ask where you are going?"

When the two men heard this, they looked back and saw a middle-aged man who was holding a strange folding fan with "The Road Is Hard" by the great poet Li Bai written on it. They felt that he must be a fellow traveler and immediately bowed to greet him.

"I don't deserve it. It is true that there is chaos and war nowadays, but this is the land ruled by Marshal Lu of the Shengwu Army. Marshal Lu has brought peace to the people and governed the country. Now the people live and work in peace and there is no war. Marshal Lu is eager to recruit talents and wants to examine them. What you said is not wrong, sir. We are going to Luzhou to take the exam in response to Marshal Lu's call." One of the scholars said.

Wang Dayuan immediately became interested when he heard this, "Oh, there are exams soon?"

The scholar was also surprised when he heard this, "How come, sir, you know about the last exam?"

Wang Dayuan smiled and said, "I am from Nanchang, Jiangxi. I have heard from my friends about the interesting things about Lu Shuai's exam before, so I came here specially to take a look."

"So you've heard of him, sir. I didn't expect that Coach Lu's name has spread to Jiangxi."

Wang Dayuan stroked his beard and said, "It's not that widely spread, but I am well-informed. I wonder if I can go with you two young friends? I am also going to Luzhou."

"Yes, sir, please."

So on the rest of the journey, Wang Dayuan started chatting with these scholars, talking about the questions of Lu Jin's last exam and the current imperial examination system of the Yuan Dynasty. Only a hundred people were admitted each time, and only half of them were Han people, and the rest were Mongolians and Semites. However, the Han people accounted for as many people as the Mongols and Semites in this world. This was unfair. Not only that, the imperial examination of the Yuan court was divided into A and B papers. Not only did the Han people have fewer places, but the questions were also more difficult. Even if you passed all these exams, you, a Han person, could only be a deputy. There would always be a Semite and Mongolian pressure above your head. Who could bear this?

When the scholars talked about these things, most of them were indignant, but when they talked about Lu Jin's imperial examination policy, they all praised it. The only bad thing was that there were too few territories and limited official positions.

The scholars also inquired about Wang Dayuan's news, but Wang Dayuan only said that he was visiting a friend. Moreover, Li Chen, who followed Wang Dayuan, was dressed in plain clothes, but had a knife hanging from his waist. When he was stopped and checked on the road, he was immediately released as long as he showed his badge. It was obvious that he was a member of the Shengwu Army. So the scholars speculated about Wang Dayuan, thinking that he was some kind of master, so they accompanied him carefully all the way, hoping to improve their reputation and see if they could stand out in the exam.

The group arrived in Luzhou, and the scholars were gathered in Chongwenguan to wait for the examination. Wang Dayuan was immediately summoned by Lu Jin.

Finally seeing the general who had come from afar to invite him, Wang Dayuan had only one reaction: this Lu Jin was really young, tall and strong, handsome, well-mannered, and amiable.

Lu Jin led Wang Dayuan into the second hall of the Marshal's Mansion. They all sat down and were served tea. Wang Dayuan then got to the point and asked directly.

"The Marshal has come a long way to recruit me, which makes me very confused. I have only been to sea twice and have no other strengths. I wonder how I can help the Marshal and ask him to grant me the title of Marquis?
"But let me make it clear first, if I want to do what Xu Fu did and look for the elixir of life, I don't have the ability to do that."

"Hahaha, sir, you're joking. The moon waxes and wanes, people are born, grow old, get sick and die. We all grow up eating grains and cereals. How can there be someone who is immortal?" Lu Jin said after taking a sip of tea.

"Everyone has to die, some are lighter than a feather, some are heavier than Mount Tai, so how to live has its own way. I wonder if you are willing to be the one who is heavier than Mount Tai?"

Hearing Lu Jin say this, Wang Dayuan was relieved and said, "Please give me your instructions, Marshal."

Lu Jin then said, "Sir, you are good at sea diving. I invited you to come here because I want you to go to sea again for me and the Chinese people."

"Where are you going?" Wang Dayuan asked again.

Lu Jin was silent for a while before he said, "Thousands of years ago, Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang fought a war with Chi You's Jiuli tribe. After that war, Chi You died, and the Jiuli tribe was lost in the vast history. There is almost no record of the whereabouts of the tribe in later generations.

"I wonder if you have ever thought about this: if the Jiuli tribes were not wiped out, where did their descendants go?"

Wang Dayuan did not comment, and then asked, "Is this related to where the Marshal is going down?"

"Yes, I want you to go to the place where the Jiuli descendants are located for me."

"Where?"

"Li Zhou!"

(End of this chapter)