Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 251: Four and a Half Months Left
The next morning, Chen Puwen came to say goodbye to Lu Jin with ten followers. The things that Lu Jin gave him had already been loaded onto the carriage, including two rolls of wide cloth, a pair of tailor's scissors, a shuttle loom disassembled into parts, five hundred pieces of armor, and one hundred stones of grain. A company of cavalry was responsible for escorting them.

At the entrance of the Marshal's residence, Chen Puwen bowed and said, "I already know what the Marshal wants. This time I go back, I will definitely help the Marshal and the military advisor resolve the misunderstanding. Please wait for good news."

"Of course. The journey is difficult and treacherous as we have to cross mountains and rivers. Please take care of yourself, sir. I will not leave the city to see you off." Lu Jin also clasped his fists.

"No need to see me off. I will come again in the future. Thank you for your hospitality these days, Marshal. I'm leaving now."

"Pojun, escort the good gentleman on the road."

"Yes."

Looking at the backs of Chen Puwen and his group as they left, Zhang Wen appeared from behind at some point and spat at them with disdain.

"Bah, you're claiming to be an emperor and founding a country, just like a beggar. It's ok that you don't give me any reward for coming here, but you even give me food and armor. The commander-in-chief is generous, giving me food and armor."

Lu Jin said calmly, "This is just a delaying tactic. Now that we can produce our own armor, it doesn't matter if I give him a thousand sets of old armor. Armor is a valuable weapon and should not be given away easily. But I gave him a thousand sets of armor. In this way, they will relax their vigilance and think that we have no intention of being independent. They will also think that I am bargaining. This will buy us enough time."

Zhang Wen was still indignant and said, "I am just angry. My brigade's training schedule was tight to begin with. When this bastard came, all the army's gun and artillery training was stopped. It wasted several days in vain. Marshal, can we resume training today?"

"Well, let's wait until he goes away and then resume training in the afternoon." Lu Jin nodded and said.

"Yes."

After Zhang Wen left, Bao Yu appeared again. Lu Jin glanced at him and asked, "Did Chen leave any spies here these days?"

Bao Yu quickly replied, "He did look around and inquire a lot, but he was honest and didn't leave any traces. By the way, the Marshal asked me to hint to him that Liu Futong might have sent an envoy, and I did it."

Lu Jin nodded, "That's good. How is the situation in Jiangxi recently?"

Bao Yu added, "All the stations have kept a low profile and are no longer active. Jiangxi's salt-trading fleet is still operating. Although the Yuan army has now occupied Hukou County and controlled the passage into Jiangxi, salt is a necessity of life, and the Yuan court doesn't care so much about it. It's just that our fleet has to pay more bribes to pass through, but it's still profitable.

"And by maintaining this transportation line, we can also take the opportunity to contact various stations and transport a small amount of personnel and materials. Mr. Wang's family came here on our salt transport ship."

After listening to the report, Lu Jin instructed again, "Let's do this for Jiangxi first. Next, you need to focus your intelligence on Jiangdong, especially Taiping Road, Jiqing Road, Chizhou Road, Zhenjiang Road, Ningguo Road, and Changzhou Road.

"Within two months, I want to get the most detailed intelligence. Who are the chiefs of each city, who are the generals, how many troops are there, whether they are government troops or militia, how long they have been trained, whether they have armor and weapons, the city defense situation, road traffic, and grain storage in various warehouses. I need to know all of this, especially Taiping Road and Jiqing Road on the other side of the river. The information must be sent to me within a month."

"Yes." Bao Yu didn't waste any words and immediately took the order and left.

After these people left, only Lu Jin and Li Shanchang were left on the scene. The two returned to the mansion, and Li Shanchang then spoke to Lu Jin.

"Marshal, we gave them so much face this time, sending them armor and looms, and the fake emperor Xu Shouhui also offered such generous conditions. Marshal, you refused on the grounds that you were wronged and had a grudge. Then next time they come, this excuse will not work. Apart from asking for the title of king, I am afraid we have no other reason to delay."

Lu Jin picked up the tea bowl and took a sip. He didn't look anxious, but said calmly, "There won't be a next time."

"Hmm?" Li Shanchang was a little confused.

Lu Jin dipped his hands in tea and drew a map on the table, saying, "What I mean is that Xu Song won't be able to come to us again in the short term.

"This year, the first round of the battle between Xu Song and Yuan army in Jiangxi and Huguang area has been completed. In January and February, Song advanced and Yuan retreated. Xu Song attacked fiercely from all sides and expanded the territory by thousands of miles. At that time, there was no regular official army of Yuan court to defend the city. There were only local militia and a small number of official troops. Facing the sudden attack of Xu Song, they were directly stunned. Many officials of the city abandoned the city and fled. There was no organized strong resistance at all. This allowed Xu Song to easily conquer many territories.

"During the three months of March, leap March, and April, the Yuan Dynasty advanced and the Song Dynasty retreated. After the first round of surprise attacks on the Yuan court, it immediately dispatched generals and regular troops who could fight from all sides. At this time, the Xu Song Yi army had never encountered such a strong main force of the government army, and was defeated at the first blow of the Yuan army, so it was pushed back by the Yuan army.

"In five months, the two sides have fought each other, with Xu Song winning first and then losing, and Yuan Ting losing first and then winning. Both sides have gained some understanding of each other's tactics and true strength. In the next two months, the intensity of the battle will intensify, and the real war will begin from May to July.

"According to my deduction and judgment, they will fight more intensely and evenly, but Xu Song will regain some territory overall. Then the Yuan army will block Xu Song's attack somewhere, and the two sides will soon be deadlocked and form a certain balance. No one can do anything to the other. At this time, they want to break the deadlock and look for some tricks."

Li Shanchang suddenly remembered Lu Jin's judgment on the world situation and the timing of crossing the river last year. At that time, Lu Jin said that when Xu Song attacked Jiangnan and led away the Yuan army in Jiangnan, and when Jiangnan was depleted of troops, it would be the best time for them to cross the river.

Now it seems that if the trend predicted by Lu Jin really goes as it should, it might actually come true.

Li Shanchang suddenly reacted, "The Marshal is saying that in July, when the two sides are in a stalemate, Xu Song's trick is to launch a surprise attack on Jiangnan?"

"Yes." Lu Jin nodded.

"But, this is not necessarily the case." Li Shanchang frowned and said, "This time Chen Puwen proposed that we and Xu Song attack Jiangzhou from both sides. They have other options. The 100,000 troops in the hands of the Marshal can also become their trick.

"What if in July, when the war is at a stalemate, they send another envoy, agree to all of your conditions, and then ask you to send troops to attack the Yuan army from behind? How can you refuse?"

"Of course I'm hiding from them." Lu Jin said confidently.

"Do you think the Yuan army will only attack Xuzhou and Song and leave us alone? According to my prediction, the Yuan army in Shandong will soon move south to attack Xuzhou and Haozhou. The Yuan army in Jiangnan and Jiangxi will also attack Anqing Road. We will also have to fight a defensive battle soon.

"If Xu Song sends another envoy in July and asks us to send troops, I will hide from him. At that time, you can go to Hezhou directly to take charge. I will lead the imperial guards to support the front line in Haozhou, and let Brother Yu Tingyu deal with the envoy. As long as it takes ten days or half a month, Xu Song will definitely not wait that long and they will definitely move."

"That's a solution." Li Shanchang nodded and asked, "But we can't keep dragging it out like this. What if they don't attack Jiangnan?"

Lu Jin shook his head with certainty, "No, they will definitely attack Jiangnan!"

Li Shanchang frowned again when he heard this, "It's going to happen three months later, and the battlefield will change rapidly. How can you be so sure, Marshal? If you guessed wrong, it will be difficult for us to move forward." Lu Jin suddenly stood up, walked around twice with his hands behind his back, and then insisted on his guess.

Just now, for a moment, he was somewhat skeptical that his time travel had caused a big change in history. What if Xu Song did not continue to attack Jiangnan as in the original history? But soon, Lu Jin reaffirmed his judgment and confidence.

"No, they will definitely attack Jiangnan."

"What's the reason? Why do they have to attack Jiangnan? Can't they attack other places to break the deadlock?" Li Shanchang asked.

Lu Jin immediately explained, "First, the strategic direction is not a tactical battle. The battlefield changes rapidly. Small details, the lives of hundreds or thousands of people, the gains and losses of a city or a place, these are indeed difficult to speculate and predict, but the big strategic direction can be predicted and deduced.

"Second, my teacher who taught me the art of war once told me that 'war is an extension of politics'."

Li Shanchang didn't quite understand what was said, so he frowned and asked, "What does this mean?"

"This means that all acts and purposes of war are ultimately aimed at achieving political goals."

Seeing that Li Shanchang still looked as if he didn't understand, Lu Jin could only continue to explain.

"Let me ask you, why was Xu Song able to rise so quickly?"

Li Shanchang thought for a moment before replying, "Because they used evil religion to fool the common people and promote anti-Yuan and restoration of Song?"

"Yes. First, the White Lotus Sect and Maitreya Sect were widely propagated and had many followers. Second, the former Song Dynasty was destroyed less than a hundred years ago, and many people still missed the former Song Dynasty. Therefore, they established a country and proclaimed themselves emperors to restore the Song Dynasty. That's why they had such a strong appeal. Then let me ask you again, what was the name of the Xu Song Dynasty?"

Isn't this just nonsense? You said it yourself, Li Shanchang thought to himself, but he still cooperated and said, "It's Song."

"What about their slogan for starting the rebellion?"

"Anti-Yuan and restore Song."

"Then why did they appoint me as the governor of Bianliang during their last diplomatic mission?" Lu Jin continued to ask.

"Because Bianliang was the capital of the former Song Dynasty, their country's name was also Song, they wanted to restore the old capital of the previous dynasty!! I understand, I understand everything, the commander-in-chief is really a god!!!"

After Lu Jin's patient guidance, Li Shanchang suddenly reacted and his eyes lit up.

Lu Jin raised his hand, indicating that he didn't need to flatter, and then continued.

"That's right. The reason why Xu Song was able to rise so quickly was because they took advantage of the people's nostalgia for the former Song Dynasty, raised the political slogan of anti-Yuan and restoration of Song, and quickly proclaimed themselves emperors and founded a country named Song. This gave it a huge appeal, and heroes from the south responded in droves.

“But since they are raising the banner of restoring the Song Dynasty, they have to do things to restore the Song Dynasty. Otherwise, if their words and deeds are inconsistent, the people below will become disunited. This is a political label, and once you show it, it is difficult to change it.

“That’s why they appointed me as the governor of Bianliang. Even if they cannot take over Bianliang now, they can first give me an empty title and tell the world that they will soon return the power to the old capital, so as to gain greater appeal and attract more people to join their cause of restoring the Song Dynasty.

“But I rejected the position of Bianliang Governor. Besides, it is really difficult to take back Bianliang now. So, we might as well settle for the next best thing. Since we cannot take back Bianliang, the capital of Northern Song Dynasty, we might as well take back Hangzhou, the capital of Southern Song Dynasty first!
"If neither of the two capitals is recovered, what's the point of talking about restoring the Song Dynasty? Will anyone still recognize the Song Dynasty?

"So now, to apply the previous sentence, 'All war actions and purposes are ultimately aimed at achieving political aspirations.' Their current political aspiration is to recapture the old capital, so how can they achieve it? Of course, they will send troops to attack. Since they cannot recapture Bianliang now, they will attack Hangzhou. Therefore, they will definitely attack Jiangnan, unless they change the name of the country.

“But there could be accidents.”

"What accident?"

Li Shanchang now also agreed with Lu Jin's judgment. He listened to Lu Jin's analysis which was logically clear and well-reasoned. He was just getting interested when something unexpected happened, which immediately made him curious.

"For example, in terms of physical conditions, the opportunity to attack Jiangnan is not mature, so they may give up attacking Jiangnan." As Lu Jin spoke, he quickly took a map from the shelf next to him, then swiped at it for a while, and suddenly pointed to a place and said.

"Here, Huizhou Road. For the next two months, we just need to keep a close eye on this place. As long as Xu Song can successfully occupy a part of the land of Huizhou Road, they will attack Jiangnan." Lu Jin affirmed while tapping the map.

"Why?" Li Shanchang wanted to hear Lu Jin's judgment again.

"Because Anqing is in our hands, it is unlikely that they will go down the river and attack Taiping and Jiankang. Instead, Jiangxi and Huizhou Road are at the junction. As long as they can reach Huizhou Road, they don't need to cross the river and can directly attack Jiangnan."

Lu Jin finally gave a predicted time, "In July, if Xu Song can occupy part of Huizhou's territory, they can go east, sneak through Yuling Pass, and attack Hangzhou directly!
"Hangzhou is the starting point of the canal, an important town in the south of the Yangtze River, and the former capital of Lin'an of the Song Dynasty. The Yuan court will never watch Hangzhou fall. It will immediately mobilize the Yuan army in the Jianghuai area to counterattack the south of the Yangtze River. By August and September, the Yuan army in the south of the Yangtze River will chase the Xu Song all the way and force them back to Jiangxi. It is even possible that the Xu Song will be defeated in one fell swoop and run away to hide in the mountains. What can they use to appease me by then?"

Li Shanchang looked at the attack route drawn by Lu Jin and asked, "When do you think it would be best for us to cross the river?"

Lu Jin thought for a moment and said, "August is the earliest. The Yuan army in Jiangnan should be counterattacking at this time, but it's hard to say how far they have caught up. The best time is September. The autumn grain has been stored in the warehouse, the food and grass are sufficient, the soldiers have been trained for half a year and are already elite, and the rainy season has officially ended. The following autumn and winter are relatively dry, and the gunpowder will not be affected by moisture. Our firearms troops can exert greater power! This is the best time to cross the river."

Li Shanchang nodded when he heard this, "So, we only have four more months at most, less than five months."

"Correct."

"Then it seems we have to hurry up and make preparations!" Li Shanchang also became excited. After waiting for so long, they were finally going to cross the river and establish their own foundation!

(End of this chapter)