Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 254 Preparations before Crossing the River (Part )

After announcing this year's strategic deployment and the appointment of officials for the newly established Huainan Province, the banquet was almost coming to an end. Lu Jin kept Yu Tingyu, Yan Shiguo, Qin Li, Zhang Wen, Zhu Shou, Li Shanchang and others, and then let the others leave.

The group arrived at the second hall, and the guards brought them hot tea. Only then did Lu Jin start to talk to them about his private matters.

"That false emperor Xu Shouhui wanted me to submit to him and sent envoys here twice. You all know about this, right?"

Everyone nodded. Yan Shiguo was the prefect of Luzhou, so of course he knew that the envoy was coming. Qin Li was guarding Lu'an, and the envoys came from him twice, so he knew it better. Not to mention the others, as those present were all close people who knew the situation.

So Lu Jin repeated what he had said to Li Shanchang before, his strategic analysis of the world situation this year, and everyone's eyes lit up after hearing it.

Lu Jin then said, "Xu Shouhui usurped the throne and established a fake country. He replaced the Secretariat with a cult and created something like the Lotus Platform Province. He is shameless and wants me to submit to him. I received their envoys before just to play along and buy time.

"In the first half of this year, Xu Song will definitely launch another offensive, and then reach a stalemate with the Yuan army in Jiangxi and Huguang. By then, they will definitely try to find a way to break the deadlock, or send another envoy to persuade me to send troops to assist. Naturally, I will not agree, and I will have to hide from them.

“As long as we can delay it for a month, we can force Xu Song to send troops to Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

"This group of demons founded a country with demon religion. Few scholars are willing to join them. Moreover, their system is not stable. They mostly use old officials from the Mongol Yuan Dynasty or use military generals to govern the local areas. As a result, the local foundation is very poor and they cannot stand firm. The more territory they conquer, the faster they will retreat in the future. When they lead the Yuan army south of the Yangtze River away in August or September, it will be time for us to send troops across the river."

Everyone nodded their heads as they listened, and then began to get excited. Everyone knew that Jiangnan was rich, with food and people. If they could take over Jiankang, a strategically located area, and make it their base, then their great cause would be accomplished.

However, Lu Jin changed the subject and said, "However, in order to make this happen, we still need you to work together. I predict that in the next two months, the Yuan army will definitely counterattack Anqing or Haozhou. At that time, I will lead troops to support them. It's called support, but in fact it's to avoid the Xu Song envoy. At that time, I will need you to hold that guy back."

Everyone nodded again. It was actually not difficult to delay the envoy from Xu Song.

Lu Jin added, "There is one more thing. Madam got pregnant at the end of October last year, and her due date is July this year. It is possible that her due date will coincide with the arrival of the Xu Song envoy. Besides, after I lead the troops to the battle, the Marshal's Mansion will definitely move with me, so I want to let Madam move out first while there are still two months left."

Everyone nodded again. Lu Jin's wife was going to give birth to a child, which was a great joyous event.

The commander-in-chief is good in every way. He is benevolent, righteous, resourceful, capable, and good at fighting. Among all the heroes, he looks the most like a monarch. However, he has one flaw: he is too lustful. He has a hundred thousand soldiers and controls a region, but he still has only one wife. As a result, he has no offspring. Until now, the position of crown prince has been vacant, which inevitably makes everyone worried.

Hearing Lu Jin talking about his wife's safety, Yu Tingyu hurriedly asked with concern, "Where does the Marshal plan to move his wife to?"

Lu Jin looked at Qin Li and Zhang Wen at this time, "Zhang Wen's wife Qin Shumin is also pregnant. Rather than Yunxiu being sister-in-law, it would be better for them to go to Qin Mansion in Chao County to wait for the birth of their baby."

Qin Li was overjoyed when he heard this, and thought to himself that he had made the right decision in arranging the marriage with Zhang Wen. Look at what is happening now, you can see who the Marshal is close to.

Qin Li said quickly, "The commander-in-chief trusts me, and I will definitely live up to your trust and take good care of the lady."

Lu Jin nodded and said, "The reason for placing Madam in Chao County is, firstly, to avoid being disturbed by the Xu Song envoy, and secondly, Madam and Shu Min are close, and it would be good for them to have someone to talk to when they are together. Thirdly, if we move to Hezhou, Hezhou City is small and a large port on the river, so it is easy to be attacked by the Yuan army. It is better to place her in Chao County, which is located in the heart of the city.

"Third, Chao County is close to Chao Lake, which is connected to Feishui and Luzhou, Rushu River, and the Yangtze River. Chao Lake is surrounded by cities, and Wuwei, Lujiang, and Shucheng counties are on the south bank. If there is a crisis, we only need to prepare a boat by Chao Lake to transfer our wife and children to another place.

"For the fourth one, it would be best if everything goes well. When the delivery is over and I have established a firm foothold in Jiangdong, Madam can also take a boat directly to Jiangdong."

After hearing this, everyone understood that the reason Lu Jin placed his wife in Chao County was not only because of his relationship with Qin, but also because of other considerations.

Qin Li then asked, "General, do you need me to find a midwife, a wet nurse, and a doctor?"

"No need. I have already found a midwife, a wet nurse and a doctor, and they will be sent over when the time comes. Sir, you just need to vacate a quiet courtyard. Also, don't tell anyone about it. Also, keep the people at home well-controlled and don't tell them to talk nonsense outside." Lu Jin waved his hand and said quickly.

"Yes, I will keep it in mind!"

When Qin Li heard Lu Jin's instructions, he was immediately startled and immediately took it seriously. He had been so happy just now that he almost got carried away. Now was not the time to spread the word about his family's relationship with the Marshal. He still had to handle this matter carefully. If Zhang Yunxiu could be safe and sound and give birth smoothly, then everyone would be happy, and his family would also be able to share in the joy. In the future, he could even say that the prince was born in his family!
But if they messed up, the news leaked out, attracted the attention of those with ulterior motives, and something unexpected happened, then not only would their family not benefit from it, but they would also have to suffer the consequences.
"It's enough for those of you present here to know this matter among yourselves, and don't spread it around." Lu Jin glanced at everyone and gave an instruction.

"Yes." Everyone agreed quickly.

Yu Tingyu also nodded and said, "This arrangement is very appropriate. Chao County is backed by Chao Lake, so it is convenient to go anywhere. We hid in Chao Lake and survived the most difficult times. But since Madam wants to move there, should we also strengthen Chao County's defense? Should we send more soldiers there?"

Lu Jin shook his head. "No, I will go with you and then make arrangements."

"The Marshal is going there too?" Li Shanchang asked in confusion.

Lu Jin nodded, "First, go and settle the madam, and second, call a meeting of the generals of the Eastern Route Army to arrange the tactics after crossing the river."

"That's fine." Li Shanchang nodded in response after hearing this.

Lu Jin then said, "There is nothing else to do. Everyone go back and rest. Don't talk nonsense when you go back. Just do your job. In addition, the logistical preparations cannot be relaxed. We must hurry up to prepare the materials, especially the guns and ammunition for the ironworks, as well as armor and weapons. Before crossing the river, at least all the Eastern Route Army and the Imperial Guards must be equipped. I don't want the soldiers who follow me across the river to be unable to wear armor."

"Yes." Everyone agreed in unison, and then they stood up and left. Back at the back house, Lu Jin also told Zhang Yunxiu about his plans. Zhang Yunxiu was understanding and knew the current situation. After all, her husband wanted to fight for the world, and there would definitely be other women in the future. As a woman, she couldn't help much, so she just hoped not to hinder Lu Jin. It would be even better if she could give Lu Jin a son this time.

At night, Lu Jin hugged Zhang Yunxiu and said, "Don't worry. Doctor Chi said that you are in good health. Besides, we will go there by boat in a few days, and it won't be so bumpy. You and Qin Shumin can live together, and you two can keep each other company."

"Well, I will follow my husband's arrangements. But what about his manuscripts, the car in the yard, and the treasures?"

Lu Jin patted her shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I will find a big boat, load the car onto it, and hide it first."

"it is good."

So the next day, after receiving Lu Jin's order, the seven ships anchored at Hezhou Port went upstream against the Rushu River. Towed by many trackers along the coast, the seven large ships finally sailed into Chaohu Lake with difficulty and finally arrived near Feixi, near the iron factory.

That day, Lu Jin brought Wang Dayuan and his son, Yu Tongyuan, Liu Chuanyi and others to the lakeside to arrange the renovation of these large ships.

Looking at the seven huge ships lined up in front of him, Wang Zhiyuan, who was only 15 years old, couldn't help but exclaimed.

"Wow, what a huge warship, Dad. Look at the pole on the ship. It's at least 40 to 50 feet high. There's a stone roller on the top of the pole. It must weigh several hundred pounds. If it falls down, it will smash the boat to pieces. With so many huge ships, the Marshal will be able to sail across the river without any rivals."

"Hahahaha, you kid really knows how to flatter." Lu Jin couldn't help laughing when he heard that.

"Seriously, isn't this building ship powerful?" the silly boy Wang Zhiyuan asked with some doubt.

Wang Dayuan, the father, couldn't bear to watch it anymore and couldn't help but slap his son on the head.

"You little brat, what do you know? Can you fight a war or operate a ship? You're just talking nonsense here. Shut up." After scolding his son, he turned to Lu Jin and said.

"My lord, don't listen to this brat's nonsense. Although I don't know how to fight, I have more than ten years of experience in sailing. In my opinion, although this tower ship is tall and powerful, it lacks flexibility and is not convenient to move in the river. It is easy to be besieged by the enemy's small boats and become a target.

"And the pole. It's easy to throw it down, but it's hard to pull it back. The center of gravity will shift, causing the boat to capsize or become immobile. The pole will also help the enemy boarding. It looks powerful, but it's actually a bit cumbersome. It would be better to prepare more crossbows or cannons. Moreover, such a large ship is difficult to maneuver in small rivers and branches, and it's hard to use it for charging into battle."

Lu Jin nodded in approval, "Not bad, it seems you have studied a lot of physics in the past two months, and you know the center of gravity."

"."Wang Dayuan was speechless after hearing this, thinking that he had said so much in vain. He wondered if Lu Jin had listened to him and why he was paying so much attention to such a strange thing.

But then Lu Jin said, "Of course I know that these ships can't charge into battle, but they are still large ships. If I build them myself, it will take at least one or two years, and it will also consume a lot of wood.

"But since we have them ready, we might as well modify them and make use of their residual heat. It's better than chopping them up and using them as firewood. So I plan to transform them into gunboats. They don't need to be very flexible, as long as they can float to where I want them and serve as mobile artillery platforms. If we don't load them with cannons, it would be a waste of these three decks."

Wang Dayuan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that he had worried for nothing. Lu Jin knew much more than he did. But then again, Lu Jin was an expert in shipbuilding, so how could he not understand the pros and cons of this tower ship?

At this time, Lu Jin looked at Yu Tongyuan and Liu Chuanyi who followed him, and smiled at these two young men of the same age, both eighteen years old.

"Of these seven ships, I will keep one to transport personnel and supplies. The remaining six will be divided equally between the two of you, three each. As for how to use them, I will tell you later.

"Now, the two of you play rock-paper-scissors to decide the winner. The winner will be rewarded with a great achievement and allowed to attack Dangtu City on the other side of the river. This will prevent you from criticizing me behind my back and saying that I am biased. Come on."

The two looked at each other. Liu Chuanyi did feel that Lu Jin might be a little biased. After all, he was an orphan, and he was able to learn artillery from Lu Jin thanks to Liao Yongjian's recommendation and support. How could he compare to Yu Tongyuan, whose father and brother were both direct generals.

But since Lu Jin said so, then let’s just leave it to fate!

"rock-paper-scissors!"

The two men attacked at the same time. Unexpectedly, the winner was decided in one round. Yu Tongyuan played rock and Liu Chuanyi played paper. Liu Chuanyi laughed immediately and said, "Hahahaha, I won. Brother Yu, thank you for letting me win."

Yu Tongyuan curled his lips and said, "Tsk, what's so great about that? The commander-in-chief divided our six ships into two teams, so he must have other tasks. Besides, even if Dangtu is gone, I can still attack other cities, right, commander-in-chief?"

Lu Jin nodded, "Indeed, you two will divide the work, starting from today, you will prepare separately, Chuanyi will go to attack Dangtu City, Tongyuan will prepare to attack Caishiji, and seize the landing site for tens of thousands of troops."

Yu Tongyuan was delighted when he heard this and laughed out loud, "Yes!"

The two young men obeyed the order in unison.

Wang Dayuan and his son looked on with complicated expressions. Lu Jin had handed over such important tasks as conquering the city and opening up the beach to two teenagers who were less than 18 years old. Was there no other fierce generals in the Shengwu Army? Or was the Yuan army on the other side just like a chicken and a dog in Lu Jin's eyes, and could be easily defeated by two kids?

The most outrageous thing is the way Lu Jin assigns tasks. It's actually two people playing rock-paper-scissors. This is too much of a joke.
Next, Lu Jin took a few people to board the ship for inspection. Finally, he chose the most dilapidated one among the seven ships and kept it as a means of transporting his off-road vehicle. By the way, they could also stop in Chaohu Lake and wait for Zhang Yunxiu to give birth. If something unexpected happened, they would hide on this big ship first. If everything was safe and sound, after the baby was born, Lu Jin would stand on the other side and let Zhang Yunxiu and the child cross the river on this ship and take his off-road vehicle over.

(End of this chapter)