Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 277: Flags cover the sun, sails cover the river

Woo————

The low-pitched horn resounded throughout the world, and the soldiers of the Shengwu Army lined up in the harbor also perked up. The Yuan army on the other side of the river also immediately felt like they were facing a formidable enemy, and they gathered by the river, always on guard.

On the river bank, there is a tall altar made of earth. From the altar to the various military units, there are soldiers with loud voices standing along the road to help Lu Jin pass on messages and ensure that every word he says can be heard by the army.

Lu Jin was wearing fish-scale armor, civil and military sleeves, and a sword hanging from his waist. He led the civil and military officials to the altar. He presided over the sacrifice himself and Li Shanchang was the host.

Seeing Lu Jin and the officials in place, Li Shanchang immediately shouted, "Burn the wood for welcoming the god's banners and play the music for the gods!"

Hundreds of musicians immediately played Taoist music to invite the gods, and the ceremonial officer also lit a bonfire made of flags and firewood. The flames rose, and soon the burning firewood was crackling.

"The gods have arrived, please burn incense, my lord." Li Shanchang lit three incense sticks and handed them to Lu Jin.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin took the incense, stepped forward, and performed the ritual of kneeling three times and kowtow nine times in front of the 'Spiritual Tablet of the Great God Guangyuan of Jiangdu' placed in the huge shrine in front of him, and then inserted the incense into the incense burner.

"Pour the blessing wine."

Lu Jin took the wine glass again and poured the wine into the ritual vessel that had been prepared long ago.

"First offering."

The ceremonial officer presented three sacrificial animals: pig, cattle and sheep, and Lu Jin once again performed the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows.

"A eulogy."

Lu Jin took the yellow paper petition that had been written in advance and read it carefully. The messenger soldiers below the stage also conveyed his words to the ears of all the soldiers without missing a word.

"Your Highness, Gongshu Jin, I bow to the heavens, the earth, the sun, the moon, the mountains and the rivers, and the great god Guangyuan. Since Pangu created the world and Yanhuang established the world, the Chinese people have lived and multiplied here, through the Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, Tang and Song dynasties, for more than 5,000 years. China is the motherland of the descendants of Yanhuang.

"However, the Emperor of Song was incompetent and incapable of defending himself from external humiliation and comforting his people. This resulted in the destruction of the country, the ruin of the family, and the loss of China. All the fertile land fell into the hands of the Mongols, making China a land of blood and stench, and hundreds of millions of our compatriots became cattle, horses, dogs and sheep. It has been nearly a hundred years since then.

"The Mongols are barbarians from outside the Great Wall. They do not know Chinese characters, do not learn Chinese language, and do not understand Chinese customs. They rule China with barbarian customs, return farming to pasture, reverse the heavenly system, and keep all kinds of people as cattle and horses. They enslave our compatriots and destroy our Taoist traditions.

"The barbarians are greedy and mean. For their own selfish interests, they abuse the people's strength. They dig the canal to Hangzhou, make the south of the Yangtze River poorer, and boast about their wealth in the north of the Great Wall. They also damage China's water veins, causing rivers to overflow and people to suffer. Millions of people may become fish and turtles. There are thousands of miles of starvation. Floods, droughts, locust plagues follow one after another. Bones are exposed in the wild, and no roosters crow for thousands of miles.

"There are also incompetent rulers and treacherous ministers who fight for power and bring disaster to the country and the people, employ corrupt officials, lend money and collect debts, sell people's children, causing chaos in the world and the rise of red scarves everywhere."

Lu Jin's words were transmitted to the army word for word, and immediately made thousands of soldiers feel the same. Some of them were military households, some were boat households, some were gold diggers, some were craftsmen, some were musicians, and some were station households. Once their household registration was determined, they were not allowed to switch to other industries. Isn't this like being kept as cattle and horses?
Seizing the people's fertile land, returning farmland to pasture, and capturing landowners as slaves, these things touched the hearts of some Luzhou-born soldiers. Lu Jin only said these things, but they were tragic stories they had personally experienced, and every single one of them contained the blood and tears of their families.

It destroyed China's water veins, causing rivers to flood and devastate lives. Millions of people became fish and turtles, and there were starving people for thousands of miles. Floods, droughts, locust plagues followed one after another, bones were exposed in the wild, and no roosters crowed for thousands of miles. This really touched the hearts of the soldiers from Haozhou. Zhu Yuanzhang was a typical example. What Lu Jin said were all his personal experiences.

As a teenager, he was forced to herd cattle for the landlord for a living. He witnessed his parents, brothers and sisters starving to death, dying of illness, drowning, or hanging. The cannibalistic Tartar court forced him, a farmer's son, to become a refugee beggar. He traveled thousands of miles to beg for a living. In the end, he was the only one left in his family of dozens of honest farmers.

Lu Jin's complaints to the gods in heaven made him grit his teeth, clench his fists, and his eyes turned red.

As for sending corrupt officials, lending money to collect debts, and selling people's children, this is even more indiscriminate. The Yuan Dynasty emperor sent corrupt officials and merchants to lend money at high interest rates, with an annual interest rate of 100%, forcing the people to sell their children. This kind of evil behavior is unprecedented in history and has never been seen before or since. In which dynasty have you seen the government lend money at high interest rates to exploit the people? How many soldiers in the Shengwu Army volunteered to join the army because Lu Jin promised to help them rescue their families who were sold as slaves?
"I am Gongshu Jin, a humble man from Huainan. Every man has his share of responsibility for the fate of his country. Although I am not a great sage, I do not want to see my compatriots suffer. So I obey the will of heaven and raise an army in Chaohu Lake to drive out the Tartars and restore China. I establish laws and disciplines, help the people, select talented people and use their talents to govern the country.

"After years of hard work, we have taken control of the territories of Hao, Chu, Fei, and Wan, which are no more than a thousand miles in area and have a population of less than one million. Our soldiers are better trained and our people are more at ease. We still work hard day and night and dare not slack off for even a moment.

“I feel extremely sad that our fellow countrymen in Jiangzuo are still in the hands of the barbarians, bewitched by the Tartars, and fighting against us.

"Today, I am willing to lead the army across the river, liberate the people, and rebuild the country. If the heaven loves me and Lord Guangyuan favors me, I will use the seven stars to guide me and help me cross the river. If I succeed, I will rebuild the water veins of China, set up a temple to offer sacrifices, and enjoy blood food forever!"

After Lu Jin finished reading the memorial, he placed it on the plate handed to him by Li Shanchang. This thing would have to be burned later.

There are five mountains and four rivers in China, among which the four rivers are the Yellow River, Yangtze River, Huai River and Ji River. The god of the rivers and rivers is called Guangyuan. He was worshipped as Guangyuan Lord in the Tang Dynasty and was named Guangyuan King in the Song Dynasty.

However, the Song Dynasty was a dynasty that ceded land and sold out its country but still offered sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai. It lowered the status of Mount Tai by its own strength. It was disgusting that no king in later generations went to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods. Naturally, Lu Jin could not use the title of King Guangyuan conferred by the Song Dynasty, so he worshipped Guangyuan Jun according to the Tang system.

Moreover, they were going to cross the Yangtze River, so worshiping the river god was reasonable. It would not only boost morale, but also make the soldiers feel more at ease when crossing the river, and it would also enhance Lu Jin's own status and authority.

Because the heavens, the earth, the mountains and the rivers are not allowed to be worshipped casually by anyone. If you dare to worship them, it is almost the same as claiming to be a king or an emperor.
After the recitation, Li Shanchang called out again, "Second offering."

Once again, the ritual officer offered sacrifices for the second time. This time, they were three small animals: chicken, duck and fish. Then the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows was performed again, but this time the ritual officer knelt together with Lu Jin.

While the sacrificial ceremony was still going on on the altar, a soldier beside Zhu Yuanzhang heard the words and asked in confusion, "Where did the seven stars come from in broad daylight? How can we lead the way without the seven stars? Could it be that our commander-in-chief knows some magic? Can he make the seven stars appear in broad daylight?"

Zhu Chongba had just finished listening to Lu Jin's petition and was preparing to kill him. When he heard what his team members said, he immediately scolded them in a low voice, "Shut up, Lao Si, and stop talking nonsense. Be careful that the gods hear you. Do you want to live?"

The soldier called Lao Si was so frightened that he quickly shut up and lowered his head. However, Zhu Yuanzhang looked up at the sky and murmured in his heart, is it possible that I can really see the seven stars in the daytime?
"Three offerings."

On the altar, the ritual officer offered sacrifices again. This time, it was five fruits. However, fruits were hard to find at that time, so he offered longevity peaches made of steamed buns, a total of five things, to represent the five elements.

Then Lu Jin once again led everyone in performing the ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows, but this time even the regimental-level generals were dragged into it.

After the sacrifice, Lu Jin stood up and was led by Li Shanchang to the blessing seat. Then he knelt down again and drank the cup of blessing wine that was poured at the beginning. Then he ate the sacrificial meat, which was the offering just now. After the gods had eaten it, the main priest would eat a few slices, but it was just for the sake of appearance.

After drinking the blessed wine and eating the sacrificial meat, Lu Jin returned to his original position again. This time, he led all the civil and military officials to kneel three times and kowtow nine times to send the god back to heaven.
The sacrificial ceremony was over, and there was one final finishing step. Li Shanchang led everyone to the Wangliao Station, and then personally sealed the petition into a petition barrel, and then lit the four corners from the top of the petition barrel. Everyone watched the flames devour the petition barrel, gradually burning it to ashes from top to bottom.

The petition is written on paper, which is equivalent to letter paper. The petition barrel is also made of paper, which is equivalent to an envelope. Putting the letter into the envelope and burning it is equivalent to sending a letter to the gods.

At this moment, the barrel made a booming sound, and everyone was delighted. The sound of the barrel indicated that the gods had received it. In fact, it was just because the burning speed of the paper inside and outside the barrel was different, and the high temperature air expanded to produce the booming sound. However, the ancient people thought that this was the response of the gods.
Tom——

The watch barrel made a second sound, and everyone was even happier, because it meant that the gods had agreed to your request. But just as the watch barrel was about to burn out, it had already burned to the bottom, and at this moment, the watch barrel made another loud bang, and everyone was stunned and looked at each other.

Normally, the watch barrel will be burned out after two beeps. Why did it beep three times? No one has ever seen this.
Lu Jin naturally didn't believe in this superstitious thing, but he was willing to use it to fool people, so he made a prompt decision and shouted immediately.

"One sound reaches the ears of heaven, two sounds mean heaven's approval, three sounds mean heaven's urging, this is a call of great fortune!

"The violent Yuan's evil deeds are hated by both humans and gods. Heaven despises him and urges us to cross the river. We will win this battle. Come on, light the Seven Star Lantern!"

Meng Zhifang, Lu Jin's direct disciple, had already made preparations on the side. Upon hearing this, he led the soldiers to carry out seven large Kongming lanterns. Each one was ten feet wide and high. The lantern body was made of bamboo covered with paper, and there was an iron plate underneath to store fuel. There were seven colors: red, yellow, green, white, blue, indigo and black, which were exactly the colors of the armor of the Shengwu Army.

Seven Kongming lanterns were lit and, under the gaze of tens of thousands of soldiers, they slowly rose into the sky, taking advantage of the late autumn northwest wind and flew straight towards Caishiji and Dangtu City on the opposite bank.

Tens of thousands of soldiers were immediately excited when they saw this scene. The Seven Stars are leading the way! They are really blessed by the gods!!!
This is not nonsense. In autumn, there are more northwest winds. If they put lights on the west coast, they will definitely drift to the southeast.
But the soldiers didn't care about this. Inspired by the atmosphere, they didn't have time to think too much. They saw the seven-star lantern floating to the other side with their own eyes, and they believed that they were really being protected and guided by the gods.

Lu Jin immediately drew his sword on the altar and shouted, "May the river god protect us and defeat the violent Yuan. The seven stars are leading the way. The west wind is strong. Let's get on board and cross the river!"

"Cross the river!"

"Cross the river!"

“Cross the river.”

Orders were passed down one after another, eventually merging into a unified shout of tens of thousands of people. The army on the shore immediately began to move, and began to board their own ships in an orderly manner under the leadership of officers according to previous drills.

The Yuan army on the other side also began to tremble in fear at the earth-shaking shouts. Their morale had already weakened before the battle began. When they heard the high morale of the opposite side, they knew that today would be a tough battle.

Hua Gao and Liao Yongjian had already led their warships to cruise upstream and downstream respectively, blocking the river surface, attacking enemy ships, and opening up a safe area of ​​water for the army to cross the river.

At this moment, the seven colorful Kongming lanterns also flew over the sky on the opposite bank, immediately causing a burst of shouting among the Yuan army soldiers who had never seen Kongming lanterns.

"What is that? Why is it flying in the sky?"

"do not know."

"The ones on the other side are the Red Turban Bandits. I heard that the Red Turban Bandits can use witchcraft. This must be their witchcraft!"

"Then what's the use?"

"do not know"

"Who cares if he's any good? I'm going to shoot him down!"

Immediately, a Yuan army soldier drew his bow and aimed his arrow at the Kongming lantern. With a whoosh, an arrow flew into the sky, but it did not even hit the edge of the lantern. The large Kongming lantern, which was ten feet high and wide, had a huge buoyancy and had already floated higher than the arrow could shoot.

But the arrow turned in the sky, lost its power, and the arrow head pointed downward, faster and faster, and it plunged down and hit an unlucky Yuan army soldier.

"Ouch, the enemy is coming ashore, ah——" The unlucky guy who was shot screamed and was immediately hacked to death by the officer in charge.

"Bullshit! Stop shooting arrows randomly! Prepare the fire quickly! The enemy ships are coming soon! Prepare the rockets!" Cao Xu, the commander of Niuzhuji and the captain of Taiping Road, raised his sword and shouted.

On the Hezhou Port side, the Shengwu Army was also boarding the ships quickly. After the ships were filled with a troop, the naval officers and soldiers immediately raised the sails, rowed the oars, and used bamboo poles to propel the ships away from the shore to make room for other ships.

On the southern army side, Liao Yongjian had already left with the warships and divided into two groups. One group sailed upstream to block the river surface, and the other group sailed to the mouth of the Guxi River in Dangtu City to open up a waterway for the tower ships and military ships.

Yang Jing's Fourth Regiment and Zhu Shou's First Brigade of the Imperial Guard's Formation Formation have also boarded the ships and set off. The four musket battalions followed behind on board, but they will not launch an attack immediately. Instead, they will wait for Lu Jin's side to successfully land and send them a signal before they can attack the city. However, before officially landing, they can still bombard the city walls.

On Lu Jin's side, he was personally commanding on the altar, with the general flag standing beside him. Lu Jin held a telescope in front of him and picked Chang Yuchun's 13th Regiment as the vanguard. Chang Yuchun immediately led his troops on board and headed towards Niuzhuji on the opposite bank.

For a moment, the Yangtze River was covered with flags and thousands of sails. Countless ships filled their sails and took advantage of the strong west wind to rush towards the east coast.

Seeing this, Cao Xu, the garrison commander of Niuzhuji, immediately brandished his sword and shouted, "Quickly fire rockets and artillery! Quickly throw stones into the river and smash their broken boats!"

Chang Yuchun's ship took the lead and ran at the front of the entire fleet, but it would not get too close, always staying at the edge of the enemy's arrow range on the opposite bank and repeatedly provoking.

The protection of their assault ships was also relatively good. The bow, stern and both sides were all equipped with shields and roofs made of two layers of thick bamboo strips. Two layers of reed mats coated with wet mud were sandwiched between the two layers of bamboo strips. Rockets would definitely not be able to penetrate or ignite them. Even the sails had been soaked with water in advance. As long as they were not hit by the Yuan army's catapults, there would be no problem. If they were really hit by something like a catapult, they could only blame their bad luck.

Just as they approached the east bank, the Yuan army general Cao Xu on the opposite bank immediately commanded thousands of archers to shoot rockets at Chang Yuchun and his men. However, few of them hit the target, and even if they did, they could not set fire to the Shengwu Army's ships.

Cao Xu was very anxious when he saw this, and he immediately shouted, "Don't shoot randomly, wait until the pirate ship gets closer!"

So the Yuan army archers could only wait there holding their rockets, not knowing that this would play right into the trap of the Shengwu Army.

The purpose of Chang Yuchun and his 13th Regiment approaching first was to lure all the enemy archers to the shore.

At the same time, the three ships commanded by Yu Tongyuan had arrived at the artillery position two miles away from the shore.

He held up a measuring board and aimed at the shore, fitting the enemy's figures into the dense position on the measuring board, determined the approximate distance, and then gave the order.

"First company, load one grenade, standard charge, fire at three degrees. Second company, load one grenade, standard charge, fire at five degrees. All ships fire one salvo. Fire!"

Boom boom boom boom————

(End of this chapter)