Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 247 Bargaining
When Wu Guoxing came out just now, he was wearing such a red cloth armor, but he was a colonel-level officer, so the style was slightly different from that of ordinary soldiers.

The Iron Arm is made of silver-white fine-leaf armor. It is wider at the shoulders and upper arms, with a larger protective area that can protect the armpits. The hem of the armor is decorated with colorful cloth, the helmet tassel on the head is higher, and the heart guard on the chest is also larger.

At first, Chen Puwen thought that this was armor captured by the Shengwu Army from the Yuan Dynasty. After all, the Yuan Army was indeed equipped with some cloth armor, but it was very rare, and the style was different from the one worn by Wu Guoxing.

But now two hundred soldiers are all wearing the same armor, and the fabric looks very new. Even a fool can guess that this is probably armor made by the Shengwu Army themselves.

Chen Puwen did not hold back when he saw this. As an envoy, it was his duty to collect intelligence. Besides, the two sides were not in a hostile relationship now, at least they had not yet torn their relations, so he asked immediately.

"Excuse me, General Wu, the style of your armor doesn't look like what the Yuan army has, but did you make it yourself?"

"It was indeed made by our army. Otherwise, how could we rely on captured weapons alone? Besides, the battlefield is chaotic. If we wear the same armor as the enemy, how can we distinguish between us and the enemy?"

Wu Guoxing did not hide it from him and nodded in acknowledgement. After all, this thing cannot be hidden. You will have to wear it out to fight. Since you are going to wear it out anyway, how can you hide it?

"Then I wonder how much armor your army is producing now?" Seeing that Wu Guoxing was relatively easy to talk to, Chen Puwen was moved and could not help but ask again.

Wu Guoxing stroked his beard and smiled, "Haha, not too much, not too little, at least it's enough."

Well, it was the same as not saying anything. It seemed that there was nothing more to be asked. But soon after, Chen Puwen realized what "enough" meant.

When the group entered the city gate, the sky suddenly darkened. It turned out that there was an inner city inside the city gate. The towering walls around it blocked the sunlight, making people feel like they were in a dark well.

Looking at the high walls around him, Chen Puwen's expression suddenly frightened. He didn't expect the defense here to be so tight. If he was unprepared and rashly broke in, he would die without knowing how he died.

Chen Puwen looked at the iron gate of the inner city and couldn't help but say, "Your army is not short of iron weapons."

"Of course there is a shortage of it, otherwise how can we make our own iron armor? Luzhou Road has always produced iron, and so does Dingyuan in the north. During the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, Emperor Cao Cao of Wei set up an iron smelter in Dingyuan and made weapons. He also left a place name called Luqiao Town there." Wu Guoxing spoke very naturally, with no intention of hiding anything. After all, these things could not be hidden, so it was better to say them out loud to scare people.

After the group entered the city and confiscated the weapons of the Song army, Wu Guoxing arranged for the soldiers to rest in the barracks, and then sent a speedboat to Lu'an to report the news. He no longer had to worry about what happened next.

Chen Puwen stayed in Huoshan for two days, finding various excuses to explore everywhere. He soon discovered that everyone in the thousand-household battalion stationed in Huoshan had that kind of cloth-covered iron armor. It seemed that the Shengwu Army was able to mass-produce armor on a large scale. Even a third-line troop guarding the rear had such equipment. He didn't even dare to imagine what the elite troops on the front line would use.

In addition to military equipment, Chen Puwen also saw many things related to people's livelihood. For example, the people in Huoshan County were very busy, and the rice and wheat in the fields were growing well. It seemed that this year's spring plowing was not wasted.

However, there were not many people in the fields, but there were a large number of people in the mountains who were cutting wood, tying them into rafts, and floating them down the Wei River, apparently to be transported to Luzhou.

This small mountain town has a well-developed manufacturing industry. There are not only logging industries, but also industries such as medicinal materials, animal hides, papermaking, and ceramics. There is even a waterwheel workshop that specializes in boring cannons, but he was not allowed to go in and take a look.

While waiting for a reply from Luzhou that day, Chen Puwen wandered around the town and soon saw a papermaking workshop. However, the papermaking process there puzzled him.

So he asked Wu Guoxing, who was accompanying him and actually monitoring him, "General, may I ask what kind of paper is made here? Why is this paper yellow?"

"Yellow paper? That should be the fire paper used to make paper money." Wu Guoxing guessed, pretending not to know.

Chen Puwen shook his head seriously and denied it immediately, "No, the paper used to make paper money is burned, usually straw, but this paper is made of mulberry bark, which is obviously parchment paper."

"Oh, it's just parchment. Why is the envoy so interested in papermaking? Does your family also make paper?" Wu Guoxing pretended to be indifferent.

Chen Puwen shook his head again, "Although my family doesn't make paper, I am from Jiangxi, and Jiangxi is rich in paper, especially parchment paper, which is the most expensive.

“Since they used the finest materials, how could they be used to make burning paper? But if they were used to write, then the process is not right. The bark should be boiled in ash water for two days, then rinsed and aired for more than half a year to allow it to bleach naturally. Only in this way can the paper be of the best quality, as white as snow, and can it be sold at a high price.

"But this workshop directly skipped the drying and bleaching process. The paper they produced is all yellow. Although it can still be used, it has greatly reduced its value. It seems that they did it just to save half a year. It's really strange."

"Well, why does the envoy care about this? If you ask me, I don't know. I am a military man, not a civil official here. I am only responsible for guarding the city. I don't care about these civil affairs." Wu Guoxing immediately interrupted.

Chen Puwen nodded to show his understanding, but Wu Guoxing did not tell the truth. He actually knew about this paper mill, because it was not a private but a government-run paper mill, and one of the factories that he paid special attention to.

As for why we skipped the six-month natural bleaching and directly made yellow paper, it is actually very simple, because this is indeed not a paper for writing, but for wrapping bullets and gunpowder. So what difference does it make whether it is white or not? At this time, we should pursue time and output.

Finally, after waiting in Huoshan for three days, news came from Luzhou. Like last time, Chen Puwen was only allowed to take ten soldiers with him to Luzhou. Chen Puwen also knew the rules, so he warned the other soldiers to be on high alert, and then he went to Lu'an with a few of his followers.

Before coming on the mission, Yang Puxiong also said that the person stationed in Lu'an was a middle-aged general named Yu, who was one of the veterans of the Chaohu navy. There were two major factions in Chaohu, the Liao family and the Yu family. This middle-aged general of the Yu family in Lu'an was the father of the three brothers of the Yu family. If Lu Jin couldn't be convinced, he could try to contact Yu Tingyu.

As a result, when Chen Puwen arrived here, he found that the commander of Lu'an had also changed. He was turned into a young general about 20 years old. His surname was Zhao, and it was said that he was also from Chaohu. But before he could talk in detail, the team sent by Lu Jin to pick him up arrived.

There were two strange four-wheeled carriages, each pulled by four horses, and guarded by two hundred elite white-armored cavalrymen. They were quite extraordinary. Leading them was a young general in yellow armor. He looked too young, as if he was still a child. He was none other than Lu Jin's only adopted son, Lu Pojun.

"Please get on the carriage, envoy." Lu Pojun didn't even get off the horse. He was respectful in words, but he didn't take the other party seriously at all.

Chen Puwen stroked his beard, looked at the white-armored cavalrymen on his left and right, and immediately said with a smile, "General Lu's knights are indeed mighty. I can also ride horses, and I hope to ride on the same horse with you. I wonder if this young general can give me a favor."

Lu Pojun had a blank expression on his face. He rode his horse around in a circle and said without giving any face, "I'm really sorry. We don't have any spare horses for you to drive. It's better for you to take a carriage. If you make a mistake while riding a horse, it will cause misunderstandings between your country and our army. I'm sure you don't want to see that. You should focus on the important matter."

Chen Puwen wanted to ride on horseback together, hoping to get some words out of him. But now the other party forced him to ride in the car, obviously not wanting to talk to him any more. There was nothing he could do, so he could only say awkwardly, "That's fine. Then I'll have to trouble the young general to lead the way."

"Please ask the envoy to get in the car." Lu Pojun said again, and Chen Puwen got into the strange car with his head down. The rest of his followers also followed and got into two carriages, and the team started moving again.

"Sir, this carriage is very strange. Ordinary carriages have two wheels and doors that open at the front and back, but this carriage has four wheels and doors that open on the left and right. It runs very fast and is not bumpy. It is really amazing." A close attendant whispered.

"Not only that, this is a carriage drawn by four horses. It is said that the emperor draws six, the princes draw four, the officials draw three, the scholars draw two, and the common people draw one. The man surnamed Lu came to pick up the Lord with a carriage drawn by four horses. It seems that he has given us enough face. He must be afraid of our Song State." Another knowledgeable attendant also said.

Chen Puwen snorted coldly, "Give us face? Ha, I'm afraid you are overthinking it. Just look out the window yourself."

After saying that, he leaned back with his eyes closed and began to rest, muttering to himself, the soft chairs in this car are quite comfortable to sit on, and Lu Jin knows how to enjoy it, but if you really want to say that this car has any luxurious decorations, then there is none. The materials are simple and low-key, and the main feature is practicality.

Upon hearing this, several of the attendants lifted the curtain and looked outside the carriage. They saw quite a few carriages passing by on the road. All of them were four-wheeled carriages, some pulled by four horses, and some by two horses. The carriages were either loaded with wood that had just been cut down from Lu'an, or some porcelain, ironware, grain, and the like.

Several of the attendants were dumbfounded. It turned out that this kind of four-wheeled carriage was so popular here that even ordinary soldiers and ordinary people could use it. It seemed that it had nothing to do with rank.

The group rested at the post station for one night on the way and arrived in Luzhou the next day. However, Lu Jin did not meet him immediately. Instead, he said that the journey was tiring and asked the messenger to rest first.

Chen Puwen asked the clerk if he could stroll around the city. The clerk did not stop him, so he was happy to take a stroll around. He soon discovered that Luzhou was extraordinary.

Luzhou is an important town in the Jianghuai region. During the Sui, Tang and Song dynasties, when their capitals were Xi'an, Luoyang and Bianjing, Hefei was an important transportation hub for transporting materials from the south to the capital. However, after the Yuan Dynasty established its capital in Beiping and dug the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, Yangzhou replaced Hefei's status as a transportation hub and quickly prospered.

When Lu Jin first conquered this place, the city wall of Luzhou was no more than five or six meters high, with only rammed earth without bricks. Now, after nearly a year of construction, the city wall has doubled in height, and with the battlements it is now 12 meters high. There are also inner and outer urns, with arrow towers, artillery batteries and other facilities on the urns, and the outside is covered with blue bricks, making it as solid as a rock.

Moreover, the population of Luzhou City is not small now. When Lu Jin first occupied Luzhou, the population in the city was about 60,000. Later, after Lu Jin occupied here, many officials and generals' families came, and many craftsmen were recruited. The families of those craftsmen were also here. Together with tens of thousands of garrison troops and their families, the population in the city is now about 110,000 or 120,000, which is definitely not a small city.

What's even more outrageous is that there are a huge number of troops stationed here. Chen Puwen took a rough look around and found that there were about 7,000 to 8,000 cavalrymen wearing white and yellow armor. They were Ye Sheng's cavalry regiment and two cavalry battalions of the Imperial Guard.

There were also soldiers wearing red armor standing guard on the city wall. According to the organization of the Shengwu Army, the soldiers wearing red armor should be the size of a regiment, which was actually the Second Regiment of Yu Tingyu who had been transferred back not long ago.

In addition, there are a large number of soldiers wearing yellow armor, about 10,000 to 20,000. It is said that they are Lu Jin's royal guards. There are also 1,000 to 2,000 soldiers wearing black armor. Chen Puwen couldn't figure out what organization they were, but he saw that those black-armored soldiers were very tough, all of them were strong and brave warriors. The weapons they held were not customized, including maces, short halberds, iron spears, and horse-cutting swords. They did not look like cheap stuff. Chen Puwen immediately judged that this should be the most elite force under Lu Jin.

These things alone were enough to surprise Chen Puwen.

Luzhou, a city protected by a heavy outer defense line, actually has a garrison of 30,000 to 40,000 troops. How many troops are stationed on the outer front line?
After Lu Jin captured Anqing, he probably expanded his army a lot!

In addition, the armor worn by these 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers are all standard cloth armor. The armor is excellent and made of solid materials. But there is still the same problem. This is Luzhou, which is under heavy protection and belongs to the rear of the rear. If the troops stationed on the third line have such excellent armor, then what equipment do the soldiers on the front line wear?
What does this mean? It means that Lu Jin's armor is more than enough. The output is a bit outrageous. After all, how long has Lu Jin occupied Luzhou? It has been less than a year, and it has been able to mobilize so many resources for production. The productivity is simply terrifying.

At this moment, another convoy drove in from outside the city, still the kind of four-wheeled carriages. Chen Puwen also saw that this carriage seemed to have more than just two wheels. It seemed that its load-bearing capacity was much greater than that of a two-wheeled carriage. It was really a great tool for transportation.

However, the people responsible for escorting the carriages were soldiers of the Shengwu Army in armor, which made Chen Puwen feel a little strange. He asked a clerk beside him, "What are these carriages carrying? Why do they need soldiers to escort them?"

"Oh, this is salt." The clerk glanced at the blue-green armor of the soldiers and knew at a glance that they were the local internal security forces, and said immediately.

"Salt? So much, is it private salt bought from Yangzhou Road?" Chen Puwen asked curiously.

"The private salt from those salt smugglers in Yangzhou Road? We can't afford it. That place is the territory of the Yuan court. They can't defend against us. Even if we can buy some private salt, the price will be extremely high. If we let them slaughter us, our Shengwu Army will starve to death sooner or later." The clerk said indignantly.

"Where does this salt come from?"

"This is well salt from Dingyuan."

"Dingyuan also produces well salt?" Chen Puwen was even more surprised.

Upon hearing this, the clerk was immediately pleased and said, "Of course not. My commander-in-chief is a descendant of the Gongshu clan. He has a secret book passed down from generation to generation. He knows everything about astronomy and geography, and he also has the secret art of geomancy, which can see through the underworld. The commander-in-chief observed the sky at night and found that there is a large salt mine under Dingyuan. The people of Shenzhou cannot consume all the salt for eternity, so he ordered people to dig a well to get the brine, and they found a salt well.

"Once this salt well is opened, making a fortune every day is secondary. It will finally give the army a break and they won't have to eat the high-priced private salt from the Yuan court anymore. If you raise the price, we can just stop eating it and produce it ourselves.

"Now that we have occupied Anqing Road and cut off the east-west section of the Yangtze River, the entire salt road in Jiangxi is in our hands. If the salt smugglers on Yangzhou Road want to sell salt to Jiangxi, they have to bow their heads and live under our thumb. Otherwise, we will directly sell the well salt from Dingyuan to them, and they won't make a penny."

hiss--

Chen Puwen couldn't help but gasp. Lu Jin was simply a freak. It happened to occupy a freakish piece of land. With the Dabie Mountains at its back, it had no strong enemies behind it. There were countless timbers, medicinal herbs and other items in the mountains. To the north, Liu Futong and Zhima Li served as barriers, so the Yuan court's army could not hit it. To the east was the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. Lu Jin had a strong navy, so the Yuan court did not dare to invade easily.

But he happened to own a piece of precious land. It was said that salt and iron were monopolies, and now all the profits from salt and iron were taken by Lu Jin. Not only could he produce his own weapons and armor, but he could also be self-sufficient in salt and even export it to Jiangxi.

What is more crucial is what the clerk revealed intentionally or unintentionally. Now that Lu Jin has occupied Anqing and cut off the transportation on the Yangtze River, if Lu Jin is unhappy, he can directly cut off the salt supply in Jiangxi and Huguang, which happens to be the territory of their Xu Song.

Damn it, he hasn't even met me yet, and he's already caught me by surprise. How can we talk about this? Even if Lu Jin is willing to surrender, I'm afraid he'll have to ask for a lot.

Chen Puwen suddenly couldn't hold it in any longer. He didn't know if Lu Jin had sent someone to perform this trick for him. He hurriedly asked the clerk, "When will your commander-in-chief be willing to see me?"

"The Marshal is very busy with official duties. Let's take a rest tomorrow. The envoys have been traveling a long way and it would be fine if they could take a day off first."

(End of this chapter)