Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 250 It Was Not a Waste Trip

"What's the matter, messenger?" the clerk came to the window and asked.

"I asked what was on the carriage?"

The clerk leaned out of the window and took a look, and immediately said, "That's the cloth for making armor." Then he looked at Chen Puwen with a puzzled look. Could it be that this guy didn't even recognize the cloth?
Chen Puwen then said, "I know it's cloth, but why is this roll of cloth so thick? Shouldn't it be measured by the piece?"

"Oh, so this is what the messenger meant." The clerk explained.

"Because my general is a descendant of Gongshu clan, Gongshu clan has its own set of measurements. The general called the foot used by the people now the city foot, and stipulated that three city feet is one meter, 500 meters is one li, and 1,000 meters is one kilometer. From then on, this cloth has been measured in meters."

Chen Puwen frowned and said, "It's still a chi. Even if three chi becomes one meter, what does this have to do with the size of the cloth getting bigger?"

The clerk hesitated for a moment, but still explained, "That's because my commander-in-chief thinks the current weaving speed is too slow. A woman can only weave a length of ten feet a day. But if the cloth is woven wider, not limited to two feet wide, even if it is still only ten feet long, wouldn't the output be increased? So he changed the loom to six feet wide."

Chen Puwen immediately laughed and said, "You think I have never seen cloth being woven. The cloth is two feet wide because you have to use both hands to pass the shuttle. Therefore, the width of the cloth is only three feet at most. If it is made six feet wide, how can people pass the shuttle?"

The clerk curled his lips when he heard this, "Since the envoys know all about it, doesn't my commander-in-chief know about it? Don't forget that my commander-in-chief is a descendant of Gongshu clan, whose ancestor Gongshu Ban is even revered as the ancestor of all craftsmen. Gongshu clan is such a god, it's not a piece of cake for him to make some secrets.

"Since the shuttle is limited by hand, why not just not use it? The commander-in-chief taught the craftsmen to make a flying shuttle loom, which does not require manual shuttle. The craftsmen can weave as wide as they want. In addition, the steps of throwing the shuttle left and right are omitted, and the weaving speed is also faster. With an ordinary loom, a woman can only weave ten feet a day, but with a flying shuttle loom, she can weave more than three feet, and the cloth output is ten times that of before.

"Don't mention the six-foot wide cloth. This is because the commander-in-chief has set the rules. Otherwise, we can build you a loom that is ten feet wide. If the cloth production hadn't increased so much, where would our army get so much cloth to make armor?"

Chen Puwen was stunned after hearing this. Is this Gongshu's idea to solve the problem? Since throwing the shuttle with both hands limits the width, it would be fine not to throw the shuttle with both hands. The problem is that people really have the ability to make it.

Chen Puwen immediately asked, "Can I see this loom?"

"I have no right to agree to this. I need to consult the Marshal."

"Thank you very much." Chen Puwen immediately bowed.

So the next day, the meeting place became the government-run textile factory in Luzhou City.

Historically, Zhu Yuanzhang sent all the captured women from his enemies' families to the Jiaofangsi. Lu Jin was certainly not so perverted as to run an official brothel, so he sent the captured women to the textile factory.

There was no such thing as being forced into slavery, because most of the husbands of these women died in battle and were unwilling to surrender. The wives of the generals who were willing to surrender would not come here, so there were basically widows here. Lu Jin also encouraged them to remarry. If they wanted to remarry, marry a craftsman or a soldier, he would not stop them. However, even if they remarried, they had to work in a textile factory for a few years first, which was considered labor reform.

Chen Puwen followed Lu Jin to a weaving workshop, which was filled with the clattering sounds of shuttles and weft beating. Hundreds of looms were lined up in rows, creating a spectacular scene.

Chen Puwen came to a loom, stopped to watch for a while, and found that this flying shuttle loom did not require manual throwing of the shuttle. There was a horizontal hemp rope in front of the weaver. As long as he pulled the hemp rope left and right with one hand, he could control the wooden hammers on both sides to hit the shuttle back and forth, allowing the shuttle to slide left and right along the wooden track on the weft knife. It turned out that this was the flying shuttle.

How come no one figured out such a simple principle thousands of years ago?
Seeing that he was quite curious about the loom, Lu Jin immediately said, "I heard that your Majesty was born into a cloth-selling family, and the Grand Master was born into a blacksmith family."

Chen Puwen frowned immediately when he heard this, thinking that Lu Jin was looking down on them. He was about to say something when he heard Lu Jin continue.

"What a coincidence! I am also a craftsman. Your emperor once sold cloth, so I think he knows a lot about various cloths. Since the envoy likes this flying shuttle loom, how about I give one to your country? You just need to take it back and ask the craftsmen to copy it. This is a powerful tool that benefits the country and the people, and can greatly increase the output of cloth. Since I have made this loom, I naturally want to spread it widely and benefit the people of the world."

Chen Puwen's eyes suddenly lit up. Although we didn't reach an agreement on surrender, we could still get a high-yield weaving tool back, which was at least a good thing. He clasped his fists and said, "In that case, I would like to thank the Marshal on behalf of His Majesty."

"It doesn't matter. It is my wish to provide the people with clothes to wear and prevent them from freezing to death on the roadside."

As Lu Jin spoke, he instructed the person in charge of the textile factory to find a loom, or a repaired one, and disassemble it into parts for Chen Puwen to take away.

Chen Puwen looked around the textile factory for a while and found a new type of scissors, which was the kind of tailor's scissors in later generations with the handle tilted to one side so that the scissors could be placed flat on the table.

This X-shaped pivot scissors was invented in the Song Dynasty, an era of technological explosion. Scissors before the Song Dynasty were all U-shaped scissors. Scissors with pivots did not appear in the Song Dynasty. There were also shavings scrapers for carpenters to level wooden boards. This thing was not available until the Song Dynasty. Before the Song Dynasty, the same work could only be done with a tool similar to an iron nail. If you wanted to make a wooden board flat, you could only use the "iron nails". The production efficiency can be imagined.

However, although the Song Dynasty invented the pivot scissors, there were not many styles of scissors. This was the first time he had seen the tailor's scissors made by Lu Jin, so he shamelessly asked Lu Jin for a pair.

After leaving the textile factory and returning to the Marshal's Mansion, Chen Puwen talked to Lu Jin about the second purpose of this mission.

"Since the Marshal insists that I go back and explain the matter of General Zhao to the military advisor and His Majesty before he agrees to surrender, that's fine. But since I'm here now, we can't just leave everything unsettled. Why don't we talk about surrendering first and talk about fighting the Yuan court together?"

"Oh? How do we deal with it together? Isn't what I am doing now dealing with the Yuan court?" Lu Jin asked curiously.

"Of course we are against the Yuan Dynasty, but if the righteous armies in the world fight on their own, it will be easier for the Yuan court to divide and rule us. It is better for us to join hands, so that we can create more trouble for the Yuan court. If we cooperate with each other, the Yuan court will be distracted and it will be difficult for the Yuan court to compete with our righteous army."

Lu Jin pretended to be interested and asked curiously, "For example? Tell me more specifically."

"For example, if the Marshal joins forces with our country, the Marshal is in Anqing, and we are in Huangzhou Road, we can send troops together, attack from the east and west, conquer Qizhou Road together, and attack Jiangzhou Prefecture together."

After Chen Puwen finished speaking, he stared at Lu Jin's reaction.

Lu Jin, however, had a blank expression on his face. He kept tapping the table with his fingers, as if he didn't comment. It took him a long while to reply.

"When will the troops be dispatched?"

"Of course the sooner the better, preferably this month. I will go back and report this to His Majesty, and then we will make an appointment to send troops together." Chen Puwen said immediately.

Lu Jin shook his head, "That's impossible, at least not within half a year."

Chen Puwen frowned and asked in confusion, "Why?"

Lu Jin stretched out a finger, "First, I just captured Anqing not long ago. The soldiers stationed in Anqing are all newly recruited soldiers. They have not been trained yet, and their weapons and armor are not complete. Such soldiers can defend the city, but it is impossible to send them out to fight in the field and attack the city." "Second, Anqing has an important geographical location. It is located on the Yangtze River and controls the east and west. It controls Jiangzhou in the west and Shimen in the east. It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. Now that I have occupied this place, the Yuan court will not sit idly by. If I defend the city cautiously, it will be fine. Once troops are sent out from Anqing, the rear will be empty, and the Yuan army will definitely take advantage of the opportunity to invade. By then, my unit will be divided into two sections, and the east and the west cannot take care of each other. With the loss of reinforcements, we will undoubtedly be defeated.

"Third, all the counties in Anqing Road are now strengthening their cities and building fortresses. Sir, you may not know that the reason why I was able to easily capture Anqing is because Anqing's city was not solid. There were only three walls on the four sides, and one of them didn't even have a wall. This gave me an opportunity. Now that Anqing is in my hands, I will naturally repair the city wall.

“If the city is not repaired, it will be difficult for me to hold on if the Yuan court attacks.

"That's why I said it would take at least half a year. I'll have to train the newly recruited soldiers into elite soldiers and repair the dilapidated city walls. Only then can I feel at ease to send troops to fight in the field."

Chen Puwen frowned as he listened. The reason given by Lu Jin was indeed reasonable, but if nothing could be agreed upon, whether it was surrender or alliance, then wouldn't his trip be in vain?
So Chen Puwen asked again, "Even if the Anqing garrison is all newly recruited soldiers, isn't there still 30,000 troops stationed in Luzhou, the Marshal? Luzhou is located in the rear, and there are large troops outside as a barrier. The Yuan army can't get here at all. Isn't it a waste of manpower for the Marshal to use a large number of troops to guard Luzhou? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to withdraw these troops to expand the territory outside?"

Lu Jin shook his head again and said, "Sir, you misunderstood. These soldiers are not used to defend Luzhou, but are the general reserve of the entire army."

"What team? What does this mean?" Chen Puwen frowned in confusion.

"They are the reserve forces of the entire army. Once one party is in trouble, these troops will be ready to be dispatched to support the other party at any time." Lu Jin explained.

"Sir, you may not know that just last month, the Yuan court sent thousands of elite cavalry to attack Haozhou. Our northern army stationed in Haozhou managed to annihilate them, but after interrogating the prisoners, we learned that this was only the vanguard of the Yuan army, and the main force of the Yuan court was still behind.

"The leader is called Dong Tuanxiao, a student of the Imperial Academy. He was formerly the deputy marshal of Zhejiang East, the one who fought with Fang Guozhen for several years. Although he is not good at naval battles, he should not be underestimated at land battles. He has now been transferred to be the general manager of Jining Road, and is recruiting soldiers for war. He will go south today.

"I have received reliable information. This month, or at the latest in June, Dong Tuanxiao will definitely come. I must leave enough troops to support the battle on the northern front, so the 30,000 people in Luzhou must not be sent out."

Chen Puwen's brows furrowed even more as he heard this. "Is the news true, Marshal?"

"There is no joking in the army. How can you joke about matters of life and death?" Lu Jin asked back.

Chen Puwen asked again, "But to the north of Haozhou, isn't there a hundred thousand troops under Li Zhima of Xuzhou as a barrier?"

Lu Jin curled his lips when he heard this. "That Zhima Li occupied Xuzhou, but he neither strengthened the city defenses, nor trained the troops for war, nor prepared the weapons, and he didn't know how to govern the people, encourage farming, and store food and grass. He just ate and waited for death. I put my life on them and wait for them to stop the Yuan army for me? I might as well hang my head on the beam with a hemp rope and wait for death.

"It's not that I look down on them. When the army sent by the Yuan court arrives, the first one to die will be Xuzhou Sesame Li. If I want to defend Haozhou and Dingyuan, I can only rely on myself. Where would I get the troops to attack Jiangzhou?"

Chen Puwen frowned even more. The reasons given by Lu Jin were indeed reasonable, but he was still unwilling to accept it. "Is there really no other way?"

Lu Jin said solemnly, "Sir, if you understand military strategy, you should understand that as long as I stay in Anqing, I can help you contain a part of the Yuan army in Jiangxi. Anqing is located at the rear of Jiangzhou. As long as I am in Anqing for one day, they will not dare to mobilize all their troops to deal with you. What is the difference between this and joining forces?"

"But."

Chen Puwen wanted to say something else but was interrupted by Lu Jin again.

“I really can’t send out troops, at least not within half a year. Besides, with your country’s strength, it’s a piece of cake to take Jiangzhou. You have captured Jiangzhou before, but you just didn’t hold it. You will definitely be able to take it back this time.

"But to show my sincerity, although I cannot send troops for the time being, I can still give your country some support. How about a thousand sets of armor?"

Chen Puwen's eyes suddenly lit up. "One thousand sets of armor? Is that the kind that the soldiers outside are wearing?"

Lu Jin shook his head, "Of course not. I don't have enough of that kind of cloth armor myself. I replaced the iron armor I captured from the Yuan army with my homemade armor. You can pick out the best ones and give a thousand sets to your country. It can also be regarded as a gift from me. What do you think, sir?"

"Captured armor? That's not bad either, it's iron armor after all. I'd like to thank you, Marshal, on behalf of our Emperor." Chen Puwen said happily.

In ancient times, private collection of armor was strictly prohibited. As the saying goes, one piece of armor is worth three crossbows, and three pieces of armor can send you to the underworld. An elite soldier wearing heavy armor on the battlefield can defeat a dozen unarmored squishy soldiers alone. Lu Jin had a thousand sets of armor. Although it was nothing compared to Lu Jin's own army, it was not a small amount for Xu Song. Chen Puwen was naturally happy.

Even if all else fails, he can still get the job done with these armors.

But when he saw those iron armors, Chen Puwen became worried. He had crossed mountains and ridges in the Dabie Mountains all the way here, and he only brought 500 soldiers with him. These soldiers had to carry their own supplies, and pack horses could not go in the ravines and valleys. The iron armors given by Lu Jin weighed at least 40 to 50 kilograms per set, which was not easy to carry. If each person carried two sets, they would not be able to carry anything else, not even food. Then they would starve to death on the way back.

Apart from the mountain roads, other roads were difficult to travel on. There was no waterway connecting the two sides, and the Yangtze River was cut off in the middle by the Yuan army. Chen Puwen was worried.

Seeing his embarrassment, Lu Jin immediately suggested, "Sir, if you can't take it with you, I also have some salt-trading ships heading to Jiangxi. I can hide the armor in the salt ships and send them over. I wonder if your country still has territory along the Jiangxi River?"

Chen Puwen thought about it after hearing this, and although he was very reluctant, he still shook his head.

Xu Song does have some territory in the Jiangxi riverside area, but that is not Xu Shouhui's confidant. If this batch of armor is sent over, Xu Shouhui will not be able to take it back. In this way, it will strengthen Xu Song's other forces. Xu Shouhui will definitely be very angry. It is better to carry 500 sets back by himself. Although it is half less, at least it remains in Xu Shouhui's hands.

So Chen Puwen said, "No need. Now that the Yuan army has occupied Hukou, all ships entering and leaving Jiangxi must be inspected. If these armors are discovered by the Yuan army, it will cause trouble for the commander. I wonder if I can carry 500 sets back first, and I can come back to get the remaining 500 sets next time?"

After Chen Puwen finished saying this, he felt a little embarrassed. As a great country, he actually asked a separatist force like Lu Jin for armor, and he was unable to take it away. If he was more generous, he would simply say he didn't want it. But he wanted to keep it for next time. It was really shameful and humiliating. But think about it, how powerful a thousand heavily armored elite soldiers would be on the battlefield. Compared with these armors, what was face? So Chen Puwen made up his mind and insisted on what he had just said.

Lu Jin smiled, but didn't say anything sarcastic. He just nodded and said, "Okay, then I'll keep it for you and wait for you to come and get it next time. But if your country reoccupies Jiangzhou, it will be convenient for us to transport materials in the future, and you won't have to travel so much."

Chen Puwen immediately clasped his fists and said, "Then I will borrow the Marshal's good words and strive to recapture Jiangzhou as soon as possible. I will also go back as soon as possible to clarify the misunderstanding between the Marshal and the military advisor."

"Sir, are you leaving?"

"That's right. Since the Marshal still has doubts in his heart, there is no point for me to stay. It is better to go back as soon as possible and make things clear with His Majesty and the military advisor as soon as possible, so that the Marshal can come to serve in the country as soon as possible. When the time comes, the Marshal will be granted a title, but don't forget to treat me to a drink."

"Hahahaha, sir, you have worked hard to speak for me. I will never forget it. Please do me the honor of visiting you when the time comes." Lu Jin laughed immediately.

(End of this chapter)