Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 256 Preparations before Crossing the River (V)

Wang Dayuan was sent by Lu Jin to build ship models, and the transformation of the navy warships was proceeding in an orderly manner.

In addition to the six tower ships, other naval vessels also took turns entering Chaohu Lake for modification.

Lu Jin returned to Luzhou City, listened to progress reports from all sides, and coordinated the work progress of various departments to avoid delaying the battle.

Throughout May, the ironworks' musket production capacity increased again, and now it can produce 1800 flintlock rifles per month, enough to equip two musket battalions. With the commissioning of several boring machine workshops, the artillery production capacity also increased greatly. The only complete artillery regiment in Yang Huan's hands finally got all the equipment. Zhu Shou's First Brigade is now fully staffed and equipped, and has begun the training rhythm of joint training for the entire brigade.

Zhang Wen’s Second Brigade, formerly the Sixth Regiment, is also undergoing intensive training and equipment changes.

In addition, the production of armor and other cold weapons was also not left behind. Since the Feixi Iron Works built a new rolling mill, the output of rolled steel plates increased greatly, and the output of armor has increased to more than 7000 sets per month, enough to equip eight battalions with some surplus. In this way, by the end of May of that year, Yang Jing's 37th Army in the east had completed the replacement of standard armor.

The whole army was wearing the same red cloth armor, which immediately raised the morale to a higher level. In addition, the internal document issued by Lu Jin previously stated that a temporary Huainan Province had been newly established, and the local administration was directly under the leadership of the three offices of the province. The Marshal's Office no longer directly managed local government affairs.

There has also been an unusual deployment of the navy recently. Two naval regiments have taken turns sailing into Chaohu Lake. After being modified and trained, batches of naval soldiers, wearing brand new armor, holding hook-and-sickle spears or newly made waist-sword muskets, with black cannons on board, have sailed back into the Yangtze River.

From this series of mobilizations and arrangements, even a fool could see that Lu Jin was preparing for a war.

So the generals of the Eastern Army submitted letter after letter of request for battle to the Marshal's Mansion. They had been training troops along the river defense line for more than half a year. Now they had strong soldiers and horses, excellent armor, and three meals a day. They were full of energy and had been wanting to fight for a long time. They just wanted Lu Jin to take them out to expand the territory.

However, Lu Jin's reply was, "Stay still and wait for my order to attend a meeting in Chao County next month."

The generals in the east understood immediately that it seemed that the time would come within these few months, so the clamoring generals fell silent again.

But repression is the prelude to an explosion. The more the bowstring is pulled, the more earth-shattering the power that erupts when it is released!

Lu Jin was waiting. He knew very well that he did not have any outstanding military talent. He had only read some war history and watched some military movies in later generations. He knew some common military equipment in the world. He was at most a 70% military fan. Therefore, he was determined not to fight an unprepared battle. So what he was waiting for now was Bao Yu's information.

Finally, at the end of May, Bao Yu handed in the information that Lu Jin wanted most on time.

"My lord, this is the city defense, road traffic, river terrain, military equipment, and generals and officials of the cities along the Taiping Road, Jiqing Road, Chizhou Road, and Zhenjiang Road along the Jiangdong coast."

Lu Jin took it and looked over it roughly. The records on it were the same as the intelligence he had collected before, very detailed. Even the three main targets of this battle, the port street berth plan of Caishiji on Taiping Road, the street plan of Dangtu City, and the plan of Jiankang City in Jinling, all had detailed drawings drawn out. There were also three thin booklets attached, which gave detailed text descriptions of the key places. It was extremely detailed. If the generals on the other side knew about it, they would be shocked. How could they fight if Lu Jin activated the whole map cheat?

Lu Jin glanced through it briefly and said happily, "Thank you for your hard work, Grand Duke (Bao Yu's courtesy name). If we can capture Jiangdong this time, you will be credited as the first meritorious service!"

Bao Yu quickly said modestly, "We are all working for the Lord, and the ones who contributed are the spies who risked their lives to scout in the enemy territory. I am just commanding from the rear, and the ones who captured the city were the soldiers on the front line. I dare not claim credit for it."

Lu Jin waved his hand and said, "It's also a credit to be in charge. If someone else were in charge, they might not be able to get these. But you still have to work harder, Grand Duke. Mark these intelligence on the sand table today. I have sent someone to pick up Dean Feng. When he comes back, we will have a meeting together. Then you can report the detailed intelligence and we can discuss it."

"Okay, I'll do it right away."

The next day, Feng Guoyong returned by boat, exhausted. Lu Jin went to the city gate to greet him in person, which moved Feng Guoyong deeply.

"Commander."

"Guoyong, thank you for your hard work. How is the situation in Anqing?" Lu Jin asked as he pulled him into the city.

Feng Guoyong said immediately, "The defense of Anqing City has been strengthened. Not only have the missing walls been repaired, but they have also been raised to 40 feet and widened to 20 feet. Arrow towers and artillery platforms have been built on the top of the city walls, and inner and outer urns have been built. The moat has also been doubled in width, and hidden stakes have been inserted at the junction with the Wanshui River. We are not afraid of enemy ships entering the moat. Except for the fact that the walls have not been covered with bricks, it can now be said to be as solid as a rock.

"The defense of Susong is in charge of Mr. Miao. He has been strengthening the city wall since he arrived. Now the wall of Susong is three meters high, with horse-faced artillery platforms and urn cities built on it. The moat has also been dredged, and the city walls are high and deep. However, I don't care about the things over there. I have been repairing the bastion in Lei Chi and the bastion in the valley on the west side of Taihu County.

"In April, the Huangmei Yuan army, which was facing Susong, sent 5,000 troops to attack. Miao Daheng asked his son Miao Youzhen to send a navy to bypass Huangmei through Leichi. The navy landed and attacked Huangmei County. The remaining garrison closed the city gate in time and prevented Miao Youzhen from succeeding.

"But this move successfully scared off the Huangmei Yuan army that was approaching Susong. Once Huangmei County was captured, they would be attacked from three sides, their food and grass would be cut off, and they would be doomed. So they hurriedly retreated back to rescue. Miao Daheng personally led the main force out of the city, followed the enemy army and chased them, killing the Huangmei Yuan army and beheading more than 300 people, capturing more than 2,000 people, and only less than 2,000 enemy soldiers escaped back to Huangmei County.

"After that, the Huangmei Yuan army learned that we still had a Leichi navy on our side, so they never attacked Susong again. They recruited new soldiers and built a new Huanglian Village by the Leichi, stationing troops there to prevent the navy from coming ashore to launch another surprise attack. They also began to reinforce the city defenses of Huangmei County. It seems that they are ready to hold on."

With a snap, Lu Jin couldn't help but high-five and praised, "Good fight, how did you deal with the more than 2,000 prisoners in the end?"

Feng Guoyong looked around and saw that there were no outsiders around, so he moved closer to Lu Jin and whispered.

"Miao said he would give them one dan of rice each and then let them go, but 800 captives refused to leave and insisted on staying. So Miao assigned these 800 people to his son Miao Youzhen's navy, as his navy was indeed short of people. The remaining 1,500 captives each carried one dan of rice back, using the rice captured in this battle, which were all the food and supplies left behind by the Huangmei Yuan army."

Hearing this, Lu Jin burst into laughter. "Hahahaha, I didn't expect that Lord Miao would play such a trick. This is a strategy to win over the hearts and minds of the people. If these more than a thousand people are released, the general defending Huangmei will be in trouble. It's not right to collect these soldiers, and it's not right not to collect them. It's not right not to punish them, and it's not right to punish them. No matter what he does, he will be scolded by the soldiers. From now on, the soldiers will be disunited, and when Lord Miao goes to attack the city, he might be able to recapture Huangmei without losing a single soldier."

Feng Guoyong looked at Lu Jin in surprise and said hurriedly, "That's right, the commander-in-chief is right. Some of the 1,500 people did not return to the city at all, but carried the food home directly, and some carried the food back to the city. I heard that only about 1,200 people were gathered in the end. The Huangmei garrison commander also killed dozens of grassroots lieutenants and soldiers to establish his authority, and then took away the food of those soldiers again, saying that it was originally Huangmei's military rations.

"The enemy's general gave them food and asked them to go home, but their own general took away their food. What would those soldiers think? Therefore, the soldiers who returned home all held a grudge and felt resentful.

"I heard that the Huangmei garrison commander also retaliated against those who brought grain home and killed dozens of households. Therefore, the people in Huangmei countryside are also boiling with resentment. Now the Huangmei County military is divided. If someone takes the lead, I am afraid that before Mr. Miao can attack, someone will seize the city and surrender it."

Lu Jin smiled and said, "It doesn't matter if they offer the city or not. Anyway, our strategy on the southern front is not to take the initiative to attack. As long as we can defend Anqing, we will take it if someone offers the city. If not, it doesn't matter. What about other directions?"

Feng Guoyong continued, "In the canyon in the direction of Taihu Lake, several scouts from the Yuan army came in early May and learned that we had built a fortress in the canyon. After that, they never came again.

"Now I have repaired Leichi Fort and Taihu Fort, and all that is left is to set up the artillery and muskets. If the lord does not call me back, I will go on to repair the three forts along the river."

At this point, Feng Guoyong looked around again, then leaned in and whispered, "Is there any change? Should we prepare to cross the river?"

Lu Jin nodded gently, "We are still just making preparations. The situation in the world has indeed changed a bit, but it is all in our favor. It is mainly about Xu Song. Last month, Xu Song sent an envoy to recruit me. Did you know that?"

Feng Guoyong nodded, "I've heard a little bit about it, but I don't know the inside story. How did the lord deal with them?"

Lu Jin said immediately, "Anyway, we didn't agree to it. It's the same strategy as before. Let's delay it for now. If you want to know the details, I'll let Mr. Baishi tell you later. It's a good opportunity for us to have a meeting to discuss the crossing of the river."

"it is good."

When we returned to the Marshal's Mansion, Bao Yu had already marked the sand table and was holding a thick pile of information, ready to make a report.

Seeing Feng Guoyong coming back, everyone exchanged greetings for a while, and Lu Jin asked Li Shanchang to tell him about everything that had happened recently, so that he could understand the recent developments and background, as well as Lu Jin's previous deduction of the world situation and the best time to cross the river based on his analysis.

"So, we are about to cross the river?!" Feng Guoyong asked excitedly after hearing this.

"It's already the end of May. If the Marshal's prediction is correct, there are still three or four months at most. The Marshal had previously decided to send troops after the autumn harvest," Li Shanchang explained.

Bao Yu also added, "Gentlemen, there is something I want to report. The lord said before that whether Xu Song will send troops to Hangzhou, we only need to focus on one place, that is Huizhou. I will report the latest intelligence just handed over.

"Just this month, a general named Zhou Lu from Xu Song, along with his deputy general Pan Dayuan, led their army eastward from Jiangxi and captured Qimen, Shidai, Taiping, Xiuning, Yixian and other cities in Huizhou. Now they are attacking Shexian, the capital of Huizhou. Judging from the geographical location alone, the way for Xu Song to attack Hangzhou has been cleared. Whether they will attack Hangzhou next depends on what they think."

After saying that, he pointed on the sand table with his baton. Several cities in Huizhou now had blue flags with the words "Xu Song" written on them.

As soon as Bao Yu said this, the other two immediately looked at Lu Jin. Their commander was simply amazing. He predicted that Xu Song would attack Hangzhou, and now he has really reached Huizhou.

Lu Jin nodded and commented, "Counting the days, the time is almost up. It is inevitable that they will attack Huizhou."

Historically, Xu Song sent troops from Huizhou to attack Hangzhou in July. Now it is the end of May and it will soon be June. That is to say, there is only about a month left before Xu Song attacked Hangzhou in the original history. If they have not occupied Huizhou now, how can they attack without even a starting point?

Feng Guoyong heard this and said, "In this way, there will be no obstacles for Xu Song to attack Hangzhou. Marshal, do you think they will attack Hangzhou in July and then be driven back in August or September?"

Lu Jin nodded again, "According to the reaction speed between Xu Song and the Yuan army in the past six months, it is probably like this. The Hangzhou area in eastern Zhejiang is a prosperous place in the south of the Yangtze River, and it is also the southern starting point of the canal transportation. How much grain must be transported from here to Dadu every year. The Yuan court will definitely not sit idly by and will react faster than before. So I judge that he will be driven away in a month at most.

"These evil people don't use civil officials to govern the local area, but only use military generals and old officials from the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. They can't stand at all, and they can't collect all the local population and food for their own use. How quickly they attack, how quickly they will be driven away."

Feng Guoyong counted on his fingers and asked, "Then can we send troops as early as August?"

Lu Jin shook his head and said, "We have waited for more than half a year. There is no need to rush. Wait a month until the autumn grain is harvested. We are harvesting autumn grain, and the other side is also harvesting autumn grain. When everyone has harvested their grain, we will cross the river to rob!
"By then, the Yuan army in Jiangnan will have almost chased us to Jiangxi, Huguang and Sichuan. If we send troops across the river at this time, they will not be able to return to rescue us in time. By the time they rush back in a hurry, we will have already established a firm foothold in Jiangdong. Then it will be their turn to suffer. Without food and manpower, they will be wasting their time traveling back and forth between Jiangxi and Zhejiang. Let's see how long they can fight."

Feng Guoyong nodded and said, "Yes, then we will listen to the Lord, so as not to cross the river too early and affect the autumn harvest of the people on the other side."

At this point, several people laughed. They, a group of rebels, actually cared about the people in the Yuan court's territory.

Bao Yu also asked, "My Lord, where should I start reporting from?"

"Since we are talking about Xu and Song, let's talk about the situation in Jiangxi first."

Bao Yu nodded, flipped through the information, pointed his baton at the Sichuan direction on the sand table and said, "Yes, in fact, the situation in Jiangxi has not changed much in the past month, but the Yuan army is still on the offensive overall. Just this month, Sichuan Provincial Governor Yaozhu, Jingzhou Prefect Nie Bing, and Huguang Provincial Councillor Tie Jie, these three people joined forces to recapture Zhongxing Road.

"The others are gone, Xu Song is still being beaten."

(End of this chapter)