Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 259 Preparations before Crossing the River (VIII)

In the original history, there were three main reasons why the Yuan court did not gather a large number of troops to attack Jiangnan again after Toghto's death.

First, Zhang Shicheng was recruited. Although this erratic fellow only listened to orders and not to instructions, on the surface, the Yuan court still had rule in Jiangnan, even with the warlord Zhang Shicheng.

Secondly, there was the issue of food. After the military farming, Dadu could barely be self-sufficient. In addition, although Zhang Shicheng did not obey the orders of the Yuan court, he still honestly paid tribute to Xiaotieguo with food every year. Zhang Shicheng provided the food and Fang Guozhen provided the ships. The two brothers cooperated a lot to deliver food to Dadu.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang asked Fang Guozhen to buy horses from Dadu on his behalf.
Third, after Toghto's death, the Yuan court no longer had the ability to organize a large-scale central army to attack Jiangnan again, and could only rely on warlords such as Zhang Shicheng and Fang Guozhen to deal with the Red Turban Army.

People like Zhang Shicheng and Fang Guozhen were nothing to be feared by either Zhu Yuanzhang in history or Lu Jin who was about to occupy Jiangnan. They were just minor inconveniences at best and not a serious threat.

Lu Jin suddenly realized that the core contradiction between the Yuan court and Jiangnan was food, not rebellion.

This does not mean that as long as the Yuan Dynasty had food, it could sit idly by and do nothing about the rebels in the south of the Yangtze River. Rather, things have their priorities, and there are major contradictions and minor contradictions. Food is the primary concern, and rebels are secondary.

This analysis may sound outrageous, but for a king like Emperor Shundi of Yuan Dynasty, Xiao Tieguo, who lost his country, the people's rebellion seems to be less important than his food and money.
Therefore, Lu Jin suddenly came up with an idea. What he needed most now was time. As long as he was given enough time to gain a foothold in Jiangnan and organize and train more troops, he would not be afraid even if he faced Tuotuo in the future. However, he needed time to develop.

So, is there any way to buy some time?
Lu Jin was thinking hard, he stood up and paced back and forth in the room. Feng Guoyong and the other two didn't dare to say anything when they saw him. They were silent for a long time, and Feng Guoyong finally couldn't help but speak.

"General, there is something I want to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

"Hmm?" Lu Jin suddenly came back to his senses and asked curiously, "You say."

Feng Guoyong then said, "I think the Marshal is a little too conventional."

Lu Jin frowned, "What does this mean?"

Li Shanchang and Bao Yu also looked at Feng Guoyong when they heard this. This was criticizing the lord in person, how dare you?
Feng Guoyong seemed to have made up his mind and continued, "The Marshal often says that Confucian scholars are pedantic, but the reason why Confucianism has lasted for thousands of years is that it is the most flexible. Although Confucianism advocates propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame, there are also some scums with flexible thinking. Although we can despise these scums, sometimes, only flexibility can survive.

"My lord is a remarkable man, a man of natural talent. I have been with him for half a year. Although I don't know why, I have a vague feeling that he seems to be following the rules, as if he knows there is a way ahead. He has been following everything in an orderly manner, with everything going smoothly.

"But now, we have reached the limit of development in Jiangyou, and this road has come to a fork. Where should we go next? Perhaps if we take a wrong step, we will die without a burial place. I know that the road that my lord is on may have high mountains and ravines, and be full of thorns, making it difficult to move forward. In this case, we might as well take another road.

"As the Art of War says, use the right tactics to unite and the unusual to win. My lord, you have been too upright and honest in the past, but in a military conflict, you should use all means possible."

"Stop, stop, stop. You just want to say that I'm old-fashioned, right?" Upon hearing this, Lu Jin interrupted with a smile.

Feng Guoyong also laughed when he saw this. "That's not what I said, but you know what I meant. Since you are smiling, I think you have figured it out."

Lu Jin returned to his seat and nodded gently, "Even if you say it directly, I won't blame you. I'm not such a stingy person."

Feng Guoyong was immediately moved and said, "My lord is an excellent ruler. It is my great fortune to be able to follow you."

"Okay, okay, it will be too corny if you say any more." Lu Jin waved his hand to stop him.

Bao Yu and Li Shanchang watched cautiously from the side, not daring to make a sound. They had no idea what the two were talking about, but Feng Guoyong did tell Lu Jin what was on his mind.

Feng Guoyong was indeed perceptive and noticed Lu Jin's abnormality. Or perhaps it could be said another way: Lu Jin was a time traveler after all. The education he received since childhood, as well as his world view and behavioral logic, were completely different from those of the ancients. It would be strange if people who came into contact with him every day did not feel it. However, Feng Guoyong should be the most perceptive one and the one who had the courage to speak out.

Since Lu Jin traveled through time, all his actions have been following the trajectory of the original history, seeking benefits and avoiding harm, taking advantage whenever possible and hiding wherever there is danger. However, it is precisely these actions of his that have caused the current situation of time and space to change too drastically compared to the original history. It is no longer realistic, or too difficult, for him to continue following the trajectory of the original history.

At this time, he had to rely on himself. The convenience that the original historical foresight could provide to Lu Jin was becoming less and less.

Therefore, I should do as Feng Guoyong said, use the right way to achieve success and the unexpected way to break the constraints of the original historical trajectory. Since the historical trajectory is already chaotic, it is better to make it even more chaotic!
Lu Jin suddenly said, "You are right. I am too old-fashioned and too idealistic. But not everything can go as planned in this world. Since the situation is already chaotic, why not let it get even more chaotic? We can deal with the chaos with chaos, win in chaos, and fish in troubled waters."

The three of them frowned and thought deeply after hearing what he said. They were confused. Even Feng Guoyong, although he vaguely sensed that Lu Jin had some plan, could not understand what he was saying now.

So Li Shanchang and Bao Yu couldn't help but look at Feng Guoyong, thinking that he knew something, but Feng Guoyong just shook his head.

Bao Yu simply asked directly, "What does the Marshal mean?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin took the baton from him and pointed at the sand table.

"Since I started my army, I have built dozens of cities and have a hundred thousand soldiers. This is actually because I have taken advantage of the geographical location.

"You see, we are backed by the Dabie Mountains, with Liu Futong as a barrier in the northwest, Zhima Li as a fence in the north, and Xu Shouhui in the south to help attract the attention of the Yuan court. Although we face Jiangzuo in the east, we have the natural barrier of the Yangtze River and a powerful navy. The Yuan army in the south of the Yangtze River dare not act rashly.

"So what is this piece of land? The scope of this piece of land is our current comfort zone. As long as we stay in this comfort zone, we will win no matter how we fight. But now we have to take the initiative to jump out of this comfort zone. No one will protect us from the wind and rain anymore, just like a fish that jumps onto the shore and loses the protection of the water.

"But we have to fight outside. The land we are on now is like a pond. We are the biggest fish in this pond and the only fish. Although this pond is calm, the room for development is limited, and there are no other small fish for us to eat. If we don't jump into the sea, we will be trapped in this pond sooner or later.

"But jumping into the sea and leaving this comfort zone is not easy after all. Moreover, the sea is windy and rough, and there are bigger fish. We may not be opponents. Therefore, we need time to develop. We must seize every moment and eat to become stronger. Only when we grow bigger can we call the wind and rain and turn from a dragon into a dragon! Only then can we face the threat of the evil dragon Yuan Ting.

"Two dragons are fighting, dragons are fighting in the wild, their blood is black and yellow, either you die or I die, only by killing Yuan Ting, the evil dragon, can we slay dragons and prove our truth!" The three of them nodded when they heard it. Lu Jin compared the current territory to a pond and the outside world to the sea, and they are the fish who want to jump over the dragon gate, and they have to compete with Yuan Ting, the evil dragon, for the dominance of this sea. This metaphor is quite vivid, and it made the three of them excited.

But then there was a turn around for Lu Jin.

"But we are still fish after all. Even though Yuan Ting, the evil dragon, is covered in rotten flesh and has missing scales and claws, the last blow he made before dying is something we cannot withstand now.

"Perhaps we can fight to the death, break his spine, and pull out his dragon tendons, but we are almost dead. Now only one tenth of the 100,000 troops will survive. I am afraid that the manpower and food of dozens of counties will also be exhausted by us. We are the carp that want to leap over the dragon gate. We cannot do things that make wedding clothes for others."

The three of them nodded again after hearing this.

Lu Jin then pointed at Xuzhou and said.

“Just now the Grand Duke said that the Yuan court might attack Xuzhou in September. This old dragon wants to absorb the vitality of Jiangnan to save its life. We will send troops to Jiangnan in September. Once Xuzhou dies, we will most likely be retaliated by the Yuan court. This period of time happens to be our weakest and most dangerous period.

"The main mobile force is transferred to the left side of the river. The force on the right side of the river is empty, and the force crossing the river is rapidly expanding. Although the force will increase dramatically in a short period of time, it is just puffiness. We still need time to train and transform all the food we eat into our own strength, so what we need is time.

“As long as you can give me some time and double the size of the Shengwu Army, then even if I face Yuan Ting’s dying blow, I will be able to pull out his dragon tendons while keeping half my life!

"The question now is how to delay this time."

The three of them frowned and thought about it, but Lu Jin immediately said, "I have two ideas. Please help me with them."

"What method?" Li Shanchang asked.

Lu Jin immediately said, "Send this old dragon a dose of medicine, so that he can think he can be saved and stay in Dadu to recuperate and delay his journey south."

The three of them looked at each other when they heard this, and Lu Jin then said.

"For example, find someone to make a report to Tuotuo, telling him that the Jianghuai area is full of rebels, and even if Zhima Li is eliminated, someone else will soon start a rebellion again, just like adding fuel to the fire, the fire will not be extinguished until the fuel is exhausted.

“The canal transport system is thousands of miles long. Even if Xuzhou is relieved, perhaps other places will be blocked right after the battle. It’s like a thousand-mile defense system. Setting up defenses everywhere is like having no defense at all.

"Since it is difficult to open up the canal transportation in a short period of time, we might as well think of other ways first, such as cultivating land around Dadu to solve Dadu's urgent needs first, and then go south to settle accounts with Zhima Li. If Tuotuo really uses this medicine, it should be able to delay for a while, even for two months."

Since Lu Jin crossed the Yangtze River earlier than the historical period, why couldn't Tuotuo start farming earlier than the historical period?
Li Shanchang frowned and asked, "Will this work?"

Feng Guoyong also said, "If Tuotuo really believes in this method, he will need to spend some effort to arrange for military farming, but we are rebels, how can we submit a report to him and let him listen?"

Bao Yu's eyes lit up, "I can do this!"

After hearing this, several people looked at Bao Yu, who immediately said, "There is a precedent for this. Many officials in the Yuan court were corrupt. Fang Guozhen did this kind of thing. He bribed officials to speak well of him and forced the Yuan court to recruit him.

"For what the Lord said, we can also follow Fang Guozhen's example and bribe an official to report to Tuotuo. As for whether Tuotuo will listen, I don't know."

Feng Guoyong said immediately after hearing this, "If there really is such a way, then we can give it a try. We don't know what fate will bring, but we have to do our best. No matter if it works or not, we should do everything we can think of and do first."

Lu Jin nodded, "Okay, do you have a suitable candidate?"

Bao Yu also nodded and said, "Yes, I am very confident that I can deliver it."

"Then give me a detailed report later."

"Yes."

Seeing that the first plan was finalized, Li Shanchang asked again, "What is the second method that the Marshal mentioned?"

Hearing this, Lu Jin curled his lips and said, "Of course it's Xuzhou. What I originally thought was that I would rather die than let my fellow Taoist die. Let Xuzhou protect us from disasters in the north. After he is defeated by Tuotuo, I can also collect his body and inherit his property. There are many brave and loyal people among the remnants of Xuzhou. If we accept them all, we can increase our military strength by tens of thousands.

"But now it seems that we can't let them die so early. Not only can we not let them die early, we have to try our best to help them live a little longer, even if it's just half a year longer, and they can hold out for us for another half a year. Then I can gain a firm foothold in Jiangzuo, and their death at that time will not affect the overall situation."

The three of them were speechless after hearing this. So that's what you thought before.
Having said that, Lu Jin was immediately annoyed and said, "It's not that I look down on them, but this group of people is really disappointing. They occupy Xuzhou, a place with good feng shui and rich in coal and iron. In the past year, they don't even know how to mine and smelt iron, forge weapons, build cities, and prepare for war. I don't even know what they have been doing all year. They only know how to capture cities and enjoy themselves behind closed doors, but they don't know how to resume production. It would be strange if they could stop Tuotuo from leading the army himself."

The three of them felt helpless after hearing this. There are so many stupid people in this world. If everyone was so smart, how could anyone stand out and rebuild the country?

Do you think everyone is like Lu Jin, a king of rolls?
Feng Guoyong then asked, "What does the Marshal plan to do?"

"Send an envoy to Xuzhou to warn them. We have reliable news that Tuotuo will march south this autumn at the latest. His first target is Xuzhou. If you don't want to die, you should act quickly. Build cities, relocate people, clear the fields, and forge weapons. As fellow rebels, we can support them with some armor and weapons. How about 10,000 armored soldiers?"

(End of this chapter)