Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 261 Xu Shouhui's Distress
After Bao Yu took his assignment and left, Lu Jin also began to prepare for the move. He first sent Zhang Wen and Qin Zhao to the Qin family in Chao County to pack up and vacate the courtyard. He also began to pack up his family's things in Luzhou, especially his car.

He also sent people to Chaohu Lake to moor the remaining ship to the dock and posted soldiers to guard it. When the city was under curfew at night, Zhu Shou sent people to pull his off-road vehicle with eight horses to Chaohu Lake. They arrived at the Chaohu dock at night and loaded the off-road vehicle onto the ship.

After loading the cars, the ship would hide deep in Chaohu Lake, waiting until they had crossed the river and gained a foothold before transporting the cars over.

Just when Lu Jin was holding a meeting to move, Chen Puwen, the envoy of Xu Song who had come to Luzhou on a diplomatic mission last time, finally made his way through the mountains and returned to Huangpi, Xu Song's current temporary residence.

Xu Shouhui is now very anxious about the war situation in Jiangxi and Huguang. Since March this year, Xu Song first lost the capital Wuchang, then Hanyang, and later even lost Huanggang, the hometown of Xu Song's elders. Then they lost Jiangzhou, Yuezhou, Jingzhou, Yuanzhou, and Xiazhou. It can be said that they have lost thousands of miles of territory. If they continue to lose, he, the emperor of Song, will have to retreat to the Dabie Mountains to fight guerrilla warfare.
Now the remaining territory of Xu Song has basically been divided into three parts by the Yuan army, one part in Jiangxi, one part in Anlu, and one part in Huizhou. If they can't launch a decent counterattack and connect the territories together, they may be divided and surrounded and annihilated one by one.

Therefore, when Xu Shouhui heard the news that Chen Puwen had returned from his diplomatic mission, he was very excited. If he could get the strong support of Lu Jin's 100,000-strong army at this time, then Xu Song would have a chance of turning the tables.

"Your Majesty, seeing is believing. If I hadn't been there in person, I wouldn't have known that Luzhou was so prosperous."

"Oh? Well, what did you see in Luzhou? The last time Yang Puxiong went there, he never said how prosperous Luzhou was." Xu Shouhui asked curiously.

Chen Puwen said quickly, "Your Majesty, you may not know that when I went to Luzhou this time, I just arrived at Huoshan County in Liu'an, and I saw that all the soldiers there were wearing new armor. They were all made by Luzhou. They were made of cotton cloth on the outside and iron armor plates on the inside. There were about 5,000 such soldiers in Liu'an and Huoshan.

"That's not all. On the way from Lu'an to Luzhou, Lu Jin also had his cavalry escort us. Those cavalry also wore such cloth armor, but the color of the cloth was different. In Lu'an, I saw armored soldiers, most of them wore red cloth armor, and few wore indigo armor. The cavalry that came to pick me up wore white armor. When we arrived at Luzhou City, I saw that most of the soldiers wore yellow armor, and there were also red, black, blue, and green armor to distinguish different types of soldiers and affiliations.

"I roughly calculated that in Lu'an and Luzhou alone, the number of armored infantry and cavalry I saw was nearly 40,000. Moreover, Lu'an and Luzhou were in their rear. With so many armored soldiers in the rear, you can imagine how many armored soldiers there were in the front line. The number of armored soldiers in Luzhou is simply terrifying."

Xu Shouhui and Peng Yingyu frowned and took it seriously when they heard this. A hundred thousand troops is one thing, and a hundred thousand soldiers are another. Xu Song is just lacking weapons and armor. No, it should be said that the entire Red Turban Army is lacking weapons and armor, otherwise they would not have been beaten so badly at the beginning.

Peng Yingyu immediately asked, "Where did he get so many armors? Did he smuggle iron from Jiangnan or Xuzhou?"

Chen Puwen said quickly, "No, I have asked the officials in Luzhou about the situation, and they did not hide it from me. They said that there is an iron mine in Lujiang County, and they started mining and smelting iron as early as when they conquered Lujiang. Now not only can they produce armor by themselves, but the output is not low. I also asked about their output, but this time they didn't tell me, just saying that it was enough.

"Not only that, I heard that Lu Jin was a descendant of Gongshu during the Spring and Autumn Period. He had a family secret method and was good at geomancy. He actually dug a salt well in Dingyuan that was similar to the one in Bashu. I heard that the output was not low. Now Luzhou salt is self-sufficient, so it can avoid being strangled by the Yuan court. It can also lower the price of private salt in Jianghuai. Now they have also controlled Anqing and cut off the Yangtze River shipping. It turns out that all the private salt in Jiangxi is resold by Luzhou.

"Lu Jin, with only a few hundred miles of land, has accumulated the wealth of salt and iron, and has also started the private salt business in Jiangxi. This is why I say it is rich.

"Not only that, other righteous armies all regard iron armor as a treasure, but this time when I went there, Lu Jin actually presented a thousand sets of iron armor to Your Majesty. Unfortunately, I only brought 500 soldiers this time, and we were walking on a mountain road. Even if there were a thousand sets of armor, it would be difficult to bring them back. So I could only take the initiative to let the soldiers return with armor on, and only bring back 500 sets. The remaining 500 sets can be taken next time.

"Someone, bring up the armor."

Looking at the armors piled up in front of them, Xu Song and Peng Yingyu looked at each other and couldn't help but be amazed. First, they were shocked at Lu Jin's generosity, and second, they were surprised at Lu Jin's management ability. With just two or three roads, he could actually produce salt and iron by himself and gather nearly 100,000 soldiers. How could this not be surprising? In terms of military strength alone, he was even stronger than the entire Xu Song.

"Did he agree to surrender this time?" Peng Yingyu asked.

"This." Chen Puwen immediately hesitated.

"Just say it, why are you hesitating?"

"Not yet, but he has the intention to surrender, but I'm still a little worried. Also, although he didn't say it explicitly, he may still think the conditions are not high enough." Chen Puwen said quickly.

"What are you worried about?" Xu Shouhui became even more anxious when he heard that Lu Jin had tens of thousands of soldiers and was rich in salt and iron. Now that Xu Song was facing internal and external troubles, it was a time when strong support was needed. However, the issue of pacifying Lu Jin could not be negotiated, which made him a little anxious.

Chen Puwen did not say anything, but secretly glanced at Peng Yingyu next to him. Xu Shouhui reacted immediately and cursed in his heart. If it weren't for Peng Yingyu's mischief, this matter would have been settled long ago. So he temporarily dropped the topic and asked again.

"Besides finding out that Lu Jin has tens of thousands of soldiers and produces its own salt and iron, what else did you find out?"

Chen Puwen then said, "Lu Jin claimed to be the descendant of Gongshu, and was very good at mechanical machinery. He also ordered craftsmen to create a new loom, called the flying shuttle loom, which can weave cloth without using both hands to throw the shuttle, and can also weave cloth five or six feet wide. The daily cloth production is more than ten times that of the past."

"How is this possible? I was also a cloth merchant. Don't I know how to weave cloth?" Xu Shouhui said with some disbelief.

"It's true. I saw it with my own eyes. Lu Jin also opened a textile factory in Luzhou. He locked up the wives and daughters of captured enemy generals and made them weave cloth day and night. He called it forced labor. The textile factory used a flying shuttle loom. He also said that he heard that Your Majesty was a cloth merchant and he was the descendant of a craftsman. This new loom should be presented to Your Majesty. So he asked the craftsmen to dismantle a similar one and let me bring it back. He said that as long as Your Majesty promoted this thing, it would surely greatly increase the cloth production of Song State and make the people richer."

Chen Puwen talked incessantly, but Peng Yingyu's brows furrowed deeper and deeper as he listened, and finally he couldn't help but interrupt.

"Why are you talking about the work of these weaving women now? You went there to discuss military and national affairs. Why don't you talk about Lu Jin's surrender? Since he is not willing to surrender for the time being, how about sending troops? Is he willing to join our army in attacking Jiangzhou?"

Chen Puwen shook his head again. "He didn't agree. He said that Anqing was occupied not long ago and the city there was in ruins. Now the city is being rebuilt. Most of the Anqing garrison soldiers are newly recruited and lack training. Before the city is built and the soldiers are well trained, he will not send troops from Anqing. Otherwise, the rear will be empty and may be broken by the Yuan army. Once the Jiangzuo Yuan army captures Anqing, his army will be cut in two by the Yuan army.

"So he said that if we attack Jiangzhou, he can't send troops to help for the time being, but he is willing to offer a thousand sets of armor, which are the ones I brought back this time. In addition, if he must send troops, I'm afraid he will have to wait until at least October."

Xu Shouhui was helpless when he heard this, "Then the purpose of this mission, surrender and sending troops, didn't we accomplish anything?" Chen Puwen bowed and said, "It's my incompetence, but from my observation, Lu Jin is still willing to surrender, but he is so powerful, he has cities, soldiers, and navy, and he can produce salt and iron by himself. He thinks he is strong and wants to take advantage of the opportunity to ask for more benefits.

"Besides, it has never been easy to negotiate such surrender. We have only been on a diplomatic mission twice. I think if we go one or two more times, we will definitely be able to persuade them to surrender."

"Humph." Peng Yingyu snorted and flicked his sleeves, saying coldly, "I don't think that man has ever thought of surrendering. He is just playing tricks on us. It seems that we can't count on him to surrender. We still have to rely on ourselves. We should first recapture Jiangzhou, and then we can directly attack Susong from Jiangzhou. When we are at the gates of the city, he will be obedient."

After saying that, he turned around and left without giving Xu Shouhui any face. Xu Shouhui was so angry that he gritted his teeth, but he held back and did not lose his temper. After Peng Yingyu left, he hurriedly asked about the handwritten letter and how Lu Jin replied.

It was only after seeing Peng Yingyu leave that Chen Puwen dared to say that Lu Jin hoped he could mediate.

After he told Lu Jin's self-narration and Zhao Pusheng's past, Xu Shouhui frowned.

"So, Lu Jin is really a suspect in Zhao Pusheng's death, but since he dared to tell the whole story, and Zhao Pusheng did die at the hands of the Yuan court's Huaixi envoy, with so many people in his army watching, it shouldn't be false. We can only say that he had the intention but didn't do it, and the Yuan court did it for him. Now Kang Maocai has been killed, so there is no evidence?"

Chen Puwen immediately leaned in and whispered, "If your majesty wants to convince Lu Jin to surrender, then you must believe what he said. His explanation now is the most reasonable and appropriate one. Even if it is false, your majesty must believe it. If your majesty disagrees with this statement, then after he surrenders, what if someone brings up the past? He will naturally be afraid and of course will not surrender."

"Well, Pu Wen has a point. The crux of the matter does not lie with me, but with the military advisor. It is the military advisor who is obsessed with his two apprentices and refuses to let it go." Xu Shouhui said in embarrassment.

"That's why I didn't say anything when the military advisor was here just now. If you want to talk to the military advisor and Lu Jin, Your Majesty has to go and talk to the military advisor in person." Chen Puwen suggested immediately.

Xu Shouhui was silent for a while. "If I convince the military advisor to stop caring about this matter, will he surrender?"

"I'm afraid not yet." Chen Puwen said again.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for my careless words. To be frank, Lu Jin is not much weaker than the Song State at present. Without the Song State, he has no loss at all. But what good is it for him to submit to us? Your Majesty not only has nothing to reward him, but he needs us to help him.

"Your Majesty can only give him an official position and an empty title at most, but even an empty title like a title cannot be given to him for the time being. How can he readily agree to this?"

"so what should I do now?"

"If you want Lu Jin to surrender, I'm afraid the Duke is not enough." Chen Puwen only said half of the words, but Xu Shouhui could understand his meaning.

If the title of duke is not enough, then the throne must be obtained. This is not without precedent in the pre-Song Dynasty. There were kings of different surnames in the Song Dynasty, but most of them were conferred the title posthumously. There seemed to be only a few who obtained the throne while still alive, and they could be counted on one hand, such as Fu Yanqing, Prince of Wei, Tong Guan, Prince of Guangyang, Wang Jing, Prince of Taiyuan, Yang Cunzhong, Prince of Tongan, and Zhang Jun, Prince of Qinghe. All of them were conferred the title of king based on their actual military merits.

The political slogan of Xu Song was to restore the Song Dynasty. Based on the precedent set by the previous Song Dynasty, it was not impossible to confer the title of king on Lu Jin according to the old system of conferring titles of kingship based on military merit.

"You mean, to make him a king? It's not that I don't want to give it to him, but even if I agree to it now, the other ministers of the Yuan Dynasty haven't been given titles yet. If I give him a title first, how can the others accept it?" Xu Shouhui said in a dilemma.

Seeing this, Chen Puwen reminded him again, "Your Majesty, Lu Jin also said this time that if the seal cannot be sealed now, Your Majesty can only give a letter as a promise. I am afraid it is still inappropriate. I have a plan, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

"Speak, there are only two of us here, there is nothing you can't say, even if you say something wrong, I will forgive you."

"Yes, I personally saw Lu Jin this time. He is tall and strong, eight feet tall, with a handsome face. He is a very good-looking man. But he is only twenty-three years old this year, and he has only one wife, and they have been married for less than a year.

"If your majesty's family has a princess of the right age, and she marries Lu Jin, even if the title cannot be fulfilled now, the marriage relationship will definitely be more solid than a piece of paper."

"Yes, we can get married!"

Xu Shouhui's eyes lit up when he heard this. He was 32 years old this year, and he certainly couldn't afford to marry his daughter who was that old to Lu Jin. But he could definitely find a suitable sister from the side branch family. Then he could pick a suitable candidate and make her a princess to marry. It would be the same thing, but he thought about it and became conflicted.

"But he already has a wife. If I marry the princess, won't I only be a concubine?"

Chen Puwen immediately enlightened her, "In ordinary families, that's called a concubine, but if there is a prince, then it's a concubine, and his wife has only been married for less than a year and has no children yet. If the concubine has children first, it's not a bad idea for her to be promoted to the principal wife in the future.

"If that doesn't work, you can still follow the old rules of the Han and Tang dynasties and let the princess marry a concubine. The sons of the concubine are also considered legitimate sons. Even if it is to inherit the title in the future, Your Majesty can choose the princess's son to inherit the title."

Xu Shouhui was troubled when he heard this. "Let me think about it again. Even if I promise him the title of a prince, marry him, and help him make peace with the military advisor, what if he still doesn't agree?"

"Then Your Majesty, there is no need to give in to him all the time and let him think that Your Majesty is weak and can be bullied, and that our Song State will perish without him. Just do as the military advisor said just now, wait until we recapture Jiangzhou and take over the entire Jiangxi Province, then march directly to Susong, using both soft and hard tactics. I don't believe he will not surrender." Chen Puwen said immediately.

(End of this chapter)