Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 274: Shi Naian, Director of the Military Education Department
In Chao County, in the backyard of the Qin family compound, Zhang Yunxiu lay weakly on the bed. Looking at the baby boy lying beside her, although her heart was filled with joy, she couldn't help but frowning. Others in the room dared not breathe, because the child had two lower teeth when he was born, and was also born with thick hair.

The ancient people were superstitious and ignorant. They said that these were ghost teeth and that if they were not shed cleanly during reincarnation, the child would eat people. Some even said that such children would bring bad luck to their parents. When Lu Jin heard this, he scolded them on the spot.

"Bullshit, this is called viviparous teeth, birth teeth, and the birth of long teeth means that the child is like the father. I also had teeth when I was born. My mother also said that when I was born, my hair was so thick that it looked like I was wearing a hat. After I was born, my parents were fine, had smooth work, were healthy, and raised me to adulthood. How can they say that the father and mother are unlucky? This can only mean that the child's mother ate well when she was pregnant."

Chi Renping, a famous doctor from Luzhou who had been taking care of Lu Jin's family, was also in the room at this time, checking the child's "factory settings".

He first took out a toy made of colorful chicken feathers and shook it in front of the child, who immediately looked over with his black eyes. Then he took out a small gourd filled with mung beans, which made a rustling sound when shaken. He put it on both sides of the child's ears and shook it, and the child cleverly turned his head to look for it. Finally, he washed his hands and reached into the child's mouth to touch the two lower teeth. The teeth were strong and there was nothing unusual.

When Chi Renping heard Lu Jin say this, he also echoed him.

"I don't talk about strange things, and the theory of reincarnation is completely false. What do you women know? This child has sharp ears and eyes. I was the one who diagnosed his mother's pregnancy. I have been following him all the way. This child was born at full term. His mother had no symptoms during pregnancy. The child was born naturally. Both mother and child are very healthy.

"A baby born at full term is naturally stronger and grows faster than one born at premature age. Just as the Marshal said, it's because their mother ate well during pregnancy, and it's also because of the Marshal's genes.

"Although being born with teeth is rare, it is not uncommon. I have seen several such children, all of whom are precocious prodigies. Their parents are also alive, so how can they be said to have brought bad luck to their parents?"

Zhang Yunxiu was relieved when she heard this. She was worried about the child and was also afraid that Lu Jin would not like the child. When she heard Chi Renping speak for them, she quickly thanked him, "Thank you, sir."

Upon hearing this, several maids from Old Zhang's family immediately kept silent and dared not spread the story about the ghost tooth anymore.

Lu Jin also stepped forward and asked, "Mr. Chi, how is my wife now?"

"Madam, you had a normal birth, there is nothing serious. It's just that you have lost energy and blood after giving birth. You don't need to take medicine. Just eat some meat soup to replenish it. Rest for two days first. If you have strength, you can get out of bed and walk indoors three days after giving birth. Be careful not to overwork. Rest in time after moving around. Also change your bedding frequently to avoid bedsores."

"Thank you sir, I will have it done."

"Then I will take my leave first."

"I'm here to see you off, sir."

When Lu Jin came back after sending Chi Renping out, Mu Ying's mother Zhou also came in with a pot of chicken soup. Lu Jin personally served a bowl and sat by the bed to feed Zhang Yunxiu, which made Mu Ying's mother very envious.

Zhang Yunxiu felt a little embarrassed to be watched feeding, so she said quickly, "Husband, I'll do it myself."

"Just eat honestly and eat a few more pieces of chicken."

Zhang Yunxiu looked at the sleeping child next to her and asked, "Have you named the child, husband?"

Lu Jin nodded, "I've already thought of it, let's call it Gongshu Tan."

"Tan?"

"It's the metal tantalum in the periodic table of chemical elements. Tantalum metal is resistant to high temperatures and corrosion, and does not dissolve in aqua regia. Using this character as a name implies stable growth, and it also means that he will be able to learn Gongshu's family teachings in the future and not be corrupted by corrupt scholars."

Zhang Yunxiu had been helping Lu Jin organize manuscripts for a long time, and she also knew about the periodic table. She rolled her eyes when she heard this, "Why did you come up with such a weird name? Are our future children going to be named gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, and lead?"

puff-

Zhou on the side couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Lu Jin pretended not to hear and explained with a smile, "Of course I can't use such a common character. I was thinking that in the future people might have to avoid mentioning the names of respected people. In order not to cause trouble to the people, I used the created characters in the periodic table as names."

"So that's how it is. My husband is truly kind and righteous." Zhang Yunxiu suddenly realized.

At this moment, someone else was looking in at the door. Zhang Yunxiu saw this and said again, "I can eat by myself. Husband, you should go outside to take a look. Someone just came to see you. Husband, you should put the world first and not indulge in love affairs."

"Okay, okay, I get it. Then you should have a good rest after eating and take good care of our son."

"Ah."

Lu Jin looked at the mother and son again before going out and taking people to the Chao County government office. Bian Yuanheng, Lu Zhen, and Shi Naian had been waiting for a long time. Fortunately, Li Shanchang and Zhu Shou were there to accompany them.

Lu Zhen brought the most people with him. He had a lot of people who made a living by selling salt with him. Now they could no longer make money from smuggling salt. When they heard that Lu Jin wanted officers, they simply pulled them all over. A large group of people stood again in the backyard of the county government office where Lu Jin had held a meeting last time.

Everyone waited for a long time before Lu Jin led his people to the backyard. As soon as he entered the door, he clasped his fists and said, "I'm sorry, my wife gave birth to a son today. I'm so happy to have a baby boy. As a first-time father, I can't help but be a little happy. I neglected you all. Please don't blame me. I will set up a banquet today to entertain you all."

Seeing this, everyone quickly stood up and congratulated Lu Jin.

Lu Zhen is 28 years old this year. He has been selling salt for a long time. He is experienced and has a high emotional intelligence. Upon hearing this, he said, "We came a little abruptly. We didn't know that there was a happy event in the Marshal's family today. We didn't bring any gifts and came empty-handed. How can we ask for wine from the Marshal?"

Seeing this, Lu Jin immediately stepped forward and took Lu Zhen's hand, "You are Lu Zhen, right?"

"Exactly."

"Hahahaha, you really are a good man. I've heard of your name a long time ago. Although you didn't come to me earlier, we have done a lot of private salt business. In a sense, we are already our own people. What's the point of being polite or not? You brought so many good men to me. Isn't this the biggest gift? You can stay and have a drink with me later." Lu Jin said politely.

"Then I'd rather obey your command. Thank you, Marshal." When Lu Zhen heard Lu Jin say that he was one of their own, he immediately said happily.

Lu Jin then let him go, and scanned the crowd, looking at the old and young couple beside Li Shanchang, and finally fixed his eyes on the sturdy young man, "Is it Bian Yuanheng, the warrior who is famous for killing tigers with his bare hands?"

"It's me." Bian Yuanheng immediately clasped his fists and said.

Lu Jin took a few steps forward, grabbed his hand, and asked with a smile, "Have you really kicked a tiger to death with your bare hands?"

"It is true, but it took a lot of effort. It is just a rumor among the villagers that he was kicked to death."

Bian Yuanheng explained immediately, and then he was stunned. He felt a huge force coming from his hand, and then he looked at Lu Jin, only to see Lu Jin smiling at him. He immediately understood that Lu Jin wanted to wrestle with him and test his strength, so he began to grit his teeth and exert strength secretly, but no matter how hard he tried, his face turned red, and Lu Jin's hand did not move at all, but his face also showed an expression of trying hard.

The two wrestled for a while, and the people around them gradually realized that Bian Yuanheng was no match for him, so he begged for mercy, "The commander-in-chief has amazing physical strength, I am not as good as him."

Hearing this, Lu Jin relaxed his strength, pulled him and laughed, "Hahahaha, you are not bad, a brave man. There are two other brave men in our army, Zhu Liangzu, the general manager of the 36th Army, and Chang Yuchun, the regiment commander of the 37th Army. I will introduce them to you when we get back."

"Thank you, Marshal."

After meeting Bian Yuanheng, Lu Jin scanned the crowd and saw another small group of three people standing together. He asked them, "Which one of you is Yan Duxian?"

"Replying to the Marshal, it is me, and here are brothers Shen Feng and Shao Hong."

"Okay, okay, they are all good men."

Lu Jin stepped forward and shook hands with them one by one to show his closeness. He then said, "Although Brother Huafu cannot come for the time being, I am relieved that you are here. Although I have never met Brother Huafu, he is loyal and righteous. I have heard of his heroic act of raising an army to rescue Wang Kerou. Now that he has a high position and generous salary, he can take the initiative to abdicate and let others take over. This really makes me look at you with new eyes. You can be recommended by him to be the commander of the Qianhu Battalion. I think you are also loyal and righteous men. Come, take a seat."

"Thank you, Marshal."

After everyone was seated, Lu Jin looked at everyone and said, "Since you have been brought here, I believe the reason is clear to you. Brother Li Huafu has helped our army and made great contributions. Meritorious deeds must be rewarded, and mistakes must be punished. We are fair in doing things. Only then can our Shengwu Army have what it has today." I promised to give him an official position after the matter is accomplished. If he pursues a career in civil affairs, he can start as a fourth-rank prefect. If he pursues a career in military affairs, he can start as a general of ten thousand men. Brother Li chose to pursue a career in military affairs, but I never expected that he would take the initiative to give up his position to Brother Bian.

"Brother Li is still an official in the Yuan court, and his position is important. Our army has not yet reached Taizhou, so it is not appropriate for him to come here now. However, we cannot delay recruiting soldiers for long. Confucius said, 'To fight without training is to kill.' How can newly recruited soldiers go to the battlefield without training? That is the same as sending them to their deaths. But now is not the time for you to recruit soldiers in Taizhou, so I will not recruit soldiers first, but train the generals first, so I summoned you here."

Everyone nodded to show that they understood.

Lu Jin then continued, "Then let's follow what we agreed on before and assign you numbers first. Do you all know the military system and rules of our army?"

"know."

"know."

Everyone nodded sparsely. Lu Zhen had known about this for a long time as he had dealt with the Shengwu Army before. Bian Yuanheng had heard about it from Min Zishun and Li Huafu.

Lu Jin said, "In our Shengwu Army, numbers are used as numbers. The regiment-level organization of the infantry starts from the first regiment and is now ranked 101th. The division-level organization starts from 107 and is now ranked th. Now that you have come, you should also be ranked in order.

"I now announce the establishment of the 108th Division, appointing Bian Yuanheng as the commander, third rank, with the rank of major general, and Li Huafu as the deputy commander, fourth rank, with the rank of colonel. The division has a total of 13500 personnel, including the 19th, 20th, and 21st regiments, each with 4500 people, four combat battalions and one auxiliary battalion, each with 900 people.

"Li Huafu concurrently serves as the commander of the 19th Regiment, Bian Yuanheng concurrently serves as the commander of the 20th Regiment, and Lu Zhen serves as the commander of the 21st Regiment. They are all fourth-rank officers with the rank of major. The rest of the generals serve as lieutenants under their respective regiments."

"Yes." Everyone immediately stood up and accepted the order.

Lu Jin waved his hand to let everyone sit down, and continued, "Considering that the 108th Division is newly established and has no soldiers, you will not have any combat missions for the time being. All officers of the 108th Division will be incorporated into the 37th Army as temporary deputies. Bian Yuanheng and Lu Zhen will stay with me first, and you will go down to serve as trainee deputy commanders when the battle comes.

"During this period, I will give each of you a quick-learning military strategy. You must study the military strategy while participating in our military training. Get familiar with our military training process, military management methods, and combat methods as soon as possible. When the time is right, I will send you to recruit soldiers for training and participate in combat operations. Now that I am letting you study in advance, don't tell me later that you don't know how to lead troops, train soldiers, or fight."

"Yes." Everyone responded in unison again.

Bian Yuanheng also agreed, and then asked in a low voice, "General, do you only value my courage and strength, and not test my military tactics?"

"Of course I have to take the test, but not here and not now. Today is the auspicious day when I am giving birth to a son. Let's stay for a while and have a drink first." Lu Jin said immediately.

On the pretext of celebrating the birth of his son, Lu Jin held a welcoming banquet for the new generals, which was considered a welcome party. He also invited Zhu Shou, Zhang Wen, Zhang Desheng and others to join him.

After the meal, they were each given a quick-learning military strategy book, and then all the generals at the rank of Qianhu and below were sent to other troops to serve as trainee officers. The battalion and company commanders under Lu Zhen were assigned to Zhang Desheng's 17th Regiment, several officers under Li Huafu were assigned to Chang Yuchun's 13th Regiment, and Bian Yuanheng's subordinates were assigned to Yang Jing's th Regiment. After the assignment was completed, people were sent to see them off immediately.

After sending away these grassroots officers, Lu Jin brought Lu Zhen, Bian Yuanheng and others to the back hall of the county government office to drink tea. Only then did Lu Jin test them.

"Since you are familiar with the Art of War, why don't you tell me how the Luzhou position I occupy is?"

Bian Yuanheng understood immediately that this was Lu Jin's real test, but before he could say anything, Shi Naian next to him spoke first.

"Luzhou is located at a strategic point, controlling the Central Plains in the north and the south of the Yangtze River in the south. It has always been a battleground for military strategists, so it is naturally a first-class location.

"During the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Wei occupied Hefei and coveted Dongwu. Sun Quan of Dongwu almost wanted to seize Hefei, but in the end they all suffered heavy losses. Jiangnan lost Hefei, and lost both the passage to the north and the barrier of Jiangdong. It was just waiting to die. Once the Central Plains recovered its strength and took Hefei, it would be the time for Jiangnan to fall. Later, it was passed to the Western Jin Dynasty, and Dongwu was indeed destroyed.

"At the beginning of the Sui Dynasty, Han Qinhu, a great general of the Sui Dynasty, also used Luzhou as his base, crossed the Yangtze River to the east, destroyed the Southern Chen Dynasty, and ended the three hundred years of chaos in China and unified it again.

"During the Sui Dynasty, a canal was dug to transport rice from the south of the Yangtze River to Shangluo by water. Luzhou was the only way for grain transport during the Sui and Tang dynasties. Merchants flourished here, and wealth and goods gathered. Soon it became an important town in Jianghuai.

"After the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Former Song Dynasty established its capital in Bianliang. The money and grain from the south of the Yangtze River still had to go through Luzhou to enter the capital. This place was still prosperous until the Jingkang National Disaster. The Former Song Dynasty lost half of its territory and retreated to the south of the Yangtze River, but Luzhou was still important.

"The former Song Dynasty's defense line in the south of the Yangtze River was based on Xiangyang, Luzhou, and Yangzhou. These three cities supported the frontline town to resist the Mongols. If the Central Plains took Luzhou, the south of the Yangtze River would fall. If the south of the Yangtze River took Luzhou, it could keep one side."

Lu Jin drank a sip of tea and nodded, "Sir, you are right. Luzhou is so good. If I want to pacify the world, should I use Luzhou as my base?"

"No!" Shi Naian said quickly.

"Why not? Didn't you just say Luzhou is great?"

Shi Naian immediately explained, "Luzhou is indeed very good. It is good because it can be a great help whether it is in the hands of the Central Plains or the Jiangnan. But if there is only Luzhou without the Central Plains or the Jiangnan, then Luzhou will become a hot burden.

"Marshal, now Liu Futong occupies the Central Plains in the northwest, Zhima Li occupies Xuzhou in the north, and Jiangnan is still in the hands of the Yuan court. Whether Liu Futong wants to go south to attack Jiangnan, or the Jiangnan Yuan army wants to go north to attack Liu Futong, Luzhou, which is located between them, will bear the brunt. This place can be called a place of three battles, if not a place of four battles.

"In addition, Luzhou has no terrain advantages and is not strong enough to defend. Second, there have been disasters in recent years, and the population and money and grain are scarce. Third, the Mongols established their capital in Yanjing and opened up new water transport, which abolished the water transport in Luzhou. Now the money and grain from Jiangnan go to Beijing via the eastern route, and the benefits of Luzhou's money and grain have been replaced by Yangzhou. It is not rich enough, and it has been the site of three wars, so it cannot be used as a base."

clap clap-

Lu Jin immediately applauded and praised, "Mr. Zhaorui (Shi Naian's pen name) is indeed a great talent. My headquarters is divided into two academies, the civil and military, and the Military Academy's Military Education Department is still short of a director. I wonder if you are willing to take on the job?"

"This..." Shi Nai'an was stunned by what Lu Jin said. Weren't they talking about the foundation? Why did they suddenly turn to recruiting people? He almost sprained his old waist. And what was the position of this Military Education Department?
So Shi Naian could only ask, "I wonder if the commander-in-chief could tell me what the military education department is responsible for?"

"Have you ever heard of the instructors in our army, sir?"

"I have heard that he is in charge of the military laws and military supplies of various departments, and also has the intention of boosting morale and educating soldiers? Moreover, he is of the same rank as the commander-in-chief, so he seems to have the ability to supervise the army?"

"That's right." Lu Jin nodded. "The Military Education Department is responsible for the education of the army. The training officers of each department have the power to mobilize troops, military law, military supplies, supervision, etc., but the Military Education Department of the Martial Academy only has the task of preaching and teaching. I wonder if you are willing to take on the role?"

Shi Naian frowned, somewhat puzzled, "There is one thing I don't understand. I don't know why the commander-in-chief hired me as a training officer. I have never done this before. What if I am not competent for the job? Wouldn't that ruin the commander-in-chief's plan?"

Lu Jin immediately laughed and said, "In fact, I heard that you are good at writing books, especially vernacular novels, operas, and dramas. These are very useful for propaganda and guidance in the army. It's just that I haven't found a suitable candidate, so the position has been vacant."

Shi Naian was even more confused, "Can this ability of writing novels and scripts be used to preach in the army?"

Lu Jin spread his hands, "How do you think we should educate the army? Teach the soldiers to read the Four Books and Five Classics and turn them all into great scholars? Let them take the imperial examination and become Jinshi?
"Among the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in my army, most of them don't even know how to read. They can recognize some words now, but I asked the instructors to teach them after they joined the army. They train hard every day and are so tired that they can't even stand straight. If you ask them to read the Four Books and Five Classics after training, I'm afraid few people will be willing to do it.

“And I don’t need hundreds of thousands of soldiers who are full of nonsense. I just need to let them know why we are fighting and how to fight, and keep morale high. For example, why should they follow me to fight against the Yuan Dynasty? It’s because the Yuan Dynasty is full of corruption, the court is corrupt, and the officials are incompetent. The Tartars don’t treat the Han people as human beings and suppress us Han people everywhere. There are also many tyrannies such as usury and slave trade, which have forced us to have no way to survive. That’s why we have to rise up against the Yuan Dynasty and overthrow the tyranny of the Yuan court.

"How should we explain these things to the soldiers? If we tell them like reading a book, I'm afraid few soldiers will be willing to listen. I think the Injustice of Dou E written by Guan Hanqing is a good one. It satirizes the stupidity and evil policies of Yuan court officials in the form of a variety show.

"Since Mr. Zhaorui is good at this, why don't you write a few storytellings, dramas, or plays similar to Dou E's Injustice on the theme of the tyranny of the Yuan court, teach the drama troupe to learn, and then perform them in rotation in various military units, so that the soldiers can learn while having fun. This will not only relax them after training, but also teach them why they are fighting. The soldiers themselves will also like to watch it. Isn't it the best of both worlds?"

Shi Nai'an was dumbfounded after hearing this, he never thought that operas and dramas could be used in this way, and that this thing could actually be related to education. But if you think about it carefully, many illiterate people cannot understand written articles, but everyone loves to watch operas and dramas. Even if they cannot write, they can hum a few lines of the opera and empathize with the characters in the play. If some such scripts are specially compiled, it can indeed achieve the effect that Lu Jin said.

So he immediately admired, "The Marshal's way of managing the army is really unique, but it seems that this method may be really useful, and it is also very interesting. The phrase "education through entertainment" is also very good. I am willing to give it a try."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, sir." Lu Jin said with a smile, and then said, "I asked Yuan Heng about the location of Luzhou just now, which was a test question I gave him, but you got there first. I already know that you are a genius, so don't get there again this time."

"Hahaha, of course, of course." Shi Nai'an immediately stroked his beard and looked at his cousin Bian Yuanheng standing beside him with a smile.

(End of this chapter)