Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 286: Conferred the title of Danyang Earl

Hearing Tao An's doubts, Lu Jin nodded again.

"I just want his son to lead the army to avenge his father, so I framed him like this. Otherwise, why do you think I did this? I am not a naturally vicious person. If I just wanted to kill him, I would just chop him to death. Why make so much trouble?"

"This"

Tao An was immediately confused by what Lu Jin said. Did Lu Jin deliberately let Chen Zhaoxian come to take revenge?
Seeing his puzzled look, Lu Jin smiled and said, "Sir, you don't know the military situation in all directions, so how can you know my intention? This is just a way to provoke him. It's torturing Chen Yexian and provoking Chen Zhaoxian. If I don't do this extraordinary thing, I'm afraid that kid won't dare to come."

"I see. Since you are so confident, I am being rude."

Yang Jing, Zhu Shou, Ye Sheng, Bian Yuanheng and others around him relaxed their brows when they heard this. So that's how it is. I said that our lord was not a cruel and bloodthirsty person. Why would he suddenly act like this? It turns out that he wanted to force Chen Zhaoxian to take the initiative to attack Dangtu.

Several people recalled the combat meeting and strategic deployment that Lu Jin had held for them before. Taking Dangtu and Caishiji was only the first step, and attacking Jiankang was the real goal.

However, the Yuan army in Jiqing Road had too many troops and was relatively scattered. Although their main force that crossed the river was capable of fighting and was not inferior to the Yuan army in terms of combat effectiveness, their total strength was too small.

If these Yuan troops did not come and stayed in the city to defend it, it would be quite troublesome. At that time, they would have to attack the city one by one, which would not only waste time, but also result in more casualties of soldiers and consumption of more ammunition.

The consumption of ammunition and food is secondary. The key is time. It is already September. Although Tuotuo has fallen into his delaying tactic and settled in Dadu to grow grain, he can only delay for two months at most. By the time he has harvested the grain and led his troops south, he will definitely reach Xuzhou by November at the latest, and then there will not be much time left for Lu Jin.

What he lacks most now is time. He must try his best to take over Taiping Road and Jiqing Road in the shortest time possible. Only when he has gained a firm foothold in Jiangnan will he have the manpower and energy to deal with Tuotuo and those people in Xuzhou in the north.

So now they can only use this reverse provocation method to force Chen Zhaoxian to lead the main force of Jiqing Road to challenge them for a decisive battle.

Try to win more battles in the field and destroy as many of the Yuan army's manpower as possible to avoid wasting time when attacking the city later. This was the established strategy that Lu Jin had told them before crossing the river.

After listening to Lu Jin's explanation, several people immediately understood that this was indeed the best solution at the moment, so they continued to remain silent.

Tao An was about to leave when his plan failed, but Lu Jin stopped him.

"Mr. Tao, wait a minute. I heard that my soldiers demolished your courtyard wall. This matter is related to you, so it's a good opportunity to deal with it together."

Upon hearing this, Tao An hurriedly said, "This, there are some misunderstandings. The soldiers under the Marshal's command have strict military discipline. Those soldiers did not hurt my family, they just destroyed the wall. Marshal, please do not punish them."

Hearing that Tao An actually spoke well of them, Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhou Tong and others who were waiting on the side breathed a sigh of relief.

Hearing this, Lu Jin also smiled and said, "Of course, the soldiers of our Shengwu Army have strict military discipline. If they dare to do evil, they will be dealt with according to military law. However, this matter still needs to be concluded, so that it can serve as a model for future soldiers. Please be a witness, sir."

"That's good." Tao An agreed immediately.

"Zhu Chongba."

"I am here to see you, Marshal!"

Zhu Chongba, Zhou Tong and others who had been waiting on the side hurried forward to pay their respects.

Seeing that his face was covered with bandages and he spoke in a muffled voice, Lu Jin immediately asked.

"Did you hurt your face? Was it serious?"

Zhu Chongba said quickly, "The injury is not serious. When he was captured alive, Nahachu cut his face and nose with a dagger. It didn't hurt his vital parts. The doctor has already sewed it up."

Lu Jin nodded, "Since your face is injured, then don't talk too much and don't hurt the wound. Just listen to me."

"Yes." Zhu Chongba quickly clasped his fists and said.

Lu Jin then looked at everyone and commented, "As a squad leader, Zhu Chongba borrowed military books from the battalion officer early on and studied hard, so he learned the art of war quite well.

"It is said in my military manual that whenever a street fight occurs, the enemy will use barricades to block the way and deploy archers on high ground, such as on rooftops and buildings on both sides. Therefore, when fighting against the enemy in a street fight, one should try to occupy high ground as much as possible and not be constrained by the streets and alleys defined by the buildings in the city, which would limit one's own route of advance.

"If you only know how to attack rigidly along the streets, you will inevitably encounter endless barricades and layers of resistance, which will not only greatly increase casualties, but also slow down the speed of advancement. Therefore, in street fighting, you must learn to go through walls and go around the back, attack the enemy's barricades from both wings and back, and do not take the usual route.

“Of course, this wall-passing technique doesn’t mean you need to learn magic. Instead, you need to tear down the wall and carve out a path, or climb over the wall. You need to make full use of the buildings in the city for our army’s attack.

"In this battle, Zhu Chongba's squad of twelve people from the Xianzhen Camp, after completing the task of breaking into the city and opening the gate, took the initiative to ambush Nahachu near the East City Gate. They temporarily occupied the courtyards of the common people, built barricades on the street, deployed archers on the roofs of the houses beside the road, and demolished the courtyard walls of the common people as a passage. With a careful plan, they captured Nahachu in one fell swoop. From this point of view, he learned the art of war very well. It is rare for a squad leader to be able to formulate such a strategy and deployment.

"But you also need to know that our Shengwu Army is a righteous army that punishes criminals and drives out the Tartars, not a Yuan bandit army that robs the people. Although we can pass through the courtyards and houses of the people during the battle, we are not allowed to take the opportunity to rob innocent people. And if we demolish the houses of the people, we must help the people repair the damaged houses after the war."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Chongba immediately clasped his fists and said, "General, I am willing to use the reward money I received for my meritorious service to hire someone to repair Mr. Tao's courtyard wall."

Tao An immediately said, "No need to do that, no need to do that. It's just a wall. My family is not poor. I can repair it myself. You don't need to spend money on it."

Lu Jin interrupted them with a wave of his hand, "Hey, listen to me first. If soldiers tear down the walls of civilians in order to fight, and then ask them to pay for it when they come back, who will follow the military strategy in future battles?

"But if we demolish the houses of the people and let them bear the loss themselves, then that is not what the righteous army did. How can I claim to be comforting the people and punishing the criminals? Isn't that just slapping myself in the face?

"So this money should come from the public, Cheng Jun."

"I'm here." Cheng Jun, the instructor of the Xianzhen Camp, immediately stepped forward and said.

Lu Jin then arranged, "Go check which other people in the city have suffered financial losses, and report them to me with compensation from the public treasury. If you do a good job, I will remember your merit."

"Yes, thank you, Marshal. I'll do it right away!" Cheng Jun said happily.

"Go."

Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhou Tong and others were also delighted when they heard this. This way, they would not have to use their reward money to help repair the houses, and they could save some money. What's more, what Lu Jin said made sense. For the collective victory of the army, how could the losses be borne by the soldiers alone? They immediately felt that Lu Jin's handling of the matter was very fair.

Tao An also secretly thought that Lu Jin's move was powerful. This was not as simple as just paying compensation for the losses. It was clearly an attempt to win the hearts of the people in the city. Moreover, his approach was impeccable. It was neither deliberate nor biased. It did not cost much money and he could still gain a good reputation.

Even Bian Yuanheng felt that Lord Lu Jin was more and more powerful. He was simply the kind of wise leader that could only appear in vernacular dramas and novels.

Moreover, they had just crossed the river and captured the city, and this was their only stable foothold for the time being. They urgently needed to win the hearts of the people in the city, and it was the right time to do so.

At this time, Lu Jin looked at everyone and Zhu Chongba and said.

"Before the battle, I made a promise that whoever could capture Nahachu alive would be promoted three ranks, be made an earl, be granted three hectares of land, be rewarded with three hundred taels of silver, ten cows, and two horses."

Zhu Yuanzhang and others became excited upon hearing this. They had just run to the East City Gate as a group just for this.

"Once a word is spoken, it cannot be taken back. However, there are still many battles to fight, so I will not hold any enthronement ceremony for you. Dangtu was called Danyang County in ancient times. Since you have made contributions here, you should be conferred a title here, Zhu Yuanzhang." "I'm here!" Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly knelt in front of Lu Jin and clasped his fists excitedly.

"From now on, you will be my subject and general." Lu Jin personally stepped forward and helped him up and said.

Zhu Chongba couldn't hide his excitement and said quickly, "Yes, I will be here!"

Lu Jin then said, "You were the first to break into the city with the Xianzhen Camp and you also led the whole squad to capture the enemy's main general. You have made great contributions. I hereby confer you the title of Danyang Earl, promote you three levels, and transfer you to the position of Qianhu Battalion Officer of the Xianzhen Camp of the First Brigade of the Imperial Guards, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel."

Zhu Chongba was so excited that he knelt down again and said, "Thank you for the promotion and reward, Marshal. I will work harder in the future and live up to your expectations."

"Get up. I said I would reward the Earl with three hectares of land, but I remember your hometown is Fengyang in Haozhou, so do you want this land to be granted in Haozhou or Luzhou?" Lu Jin asked again.

"This..." Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy and was stunned when he heard it. However, he only hesitated for two seconds and made a decision immediately.

"General, if I can be enfeoffed in Haozhou, I would like to be enfeoffed in Haozhou. My parents' graves are still there. When the land is divided in Haozhou, I would like to move my parents' graves there as well."

Lu Jin nodded, "Okay, I'll ask the Marshal's Office to write a note and ask the Magistrate of Haozhou to handle this matter."

"Thank you, Marshal. But you asked me to be the battalion commander of the Xianzhen Camp, then Commander Xu." Zhu Yuanzhang didn't finish his words, but his meaning was very clear. His old leader Xu Yong was still there, so how could he be promoted?

Hearing this, Lu Jin immediately laughed and said, "Xu Yong led the Xianzhen Camp to breach the city first and led the main force into the city, making the first contribution to the complete annihilation of the enemy in Dangtu. Even you have been promoted, why do you think he can only be a battalion officer?"

"I was worrying too much." Zhu Yuanzhang then stood aside.

Lu Jin looked at the team members who captured Nahachu alive with Zhu Yuanzhang. Just now, Cheng Jun, the instructor of the Xianzhen Camp, told him in detail the process of capturing Nahachu. Zhou Tong, who was in the same class as Zhu Yuanzhang, was obviously a talent and played a huge role at the last critical moment. After thinking about it, he said again.

"Where is Zhou Tong?"

Zhou Tong and his companions were making faces at Zhu Chongba. When they heard Lu Jin calling their names, they were stunned for a moment. Then they looked around in confusion. Seeing that Lu Jin was indeed looking at them, they stepped out of the line and bowed, saying, "I'm here."

"Zhou Tong was the first to enter the city with the Xianzhen Camp and fought meritorious service. He was resourceful and courageous in critical moments, preventing the enemy from escaping and capturing more than a thousand prisoners. He was promoted to the deputy battalion commander of the Xianzhen Camp of the First Brigade of the Imperial Guards and was given the rank of major."

Zhou Tong was stunned. He never dreamed that he would be able to get a promotion. After a few seconds of being stunned, he quickly knelt on both knees and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Marshal, for the promotion."

"Do a good job." Lu Jin personally helped him up and gave him more instructions.

"Your camp instructor Cheng Jun just praised you for your achievements to me, saying that you are brave in battle, daring to fight, and have some strategies and wits, and that you are a good material, but he also said that you are not very literate.

"Before I was just a deputy squad leader, it wasn't a big deal if I couldn't read, but now that I'm an officer, I still have to learn to write more when I have nothing to do. Otherwise, if you can't even write the maps, documents, orders, and reports given to you by your superiors, how can you continue to be promoted?"

Zhou Tong, the son of a butcher, a man who killed people without blinking an eye with a long-handled saber, was called out by Lu Jin in public for being illiterate. He blushed with embarrassment and quickly whispered, "I will study hard."

"Well, let's go down."

"Yes."

After dealing with the matter of Zhu Yuanzhang's title of Earl, Lu Jin brought Xu Yong, Yang Jing, Zhu Shou, Ye Sheng and others into the government office. Tao An, a representative of local scholars, was also invited in, but he could only wait in the front yard for the time being.

Lu Jin called several generals to the back and then made arrangements.

"Yang Jing."

"The minister is here."

"Everyone sit down."

After everyone was seated, Lu Jin continued, "Your 37th Army is now on shore. It is not appropriate to put two naval divisions in your 37th Army. They occupy the 37th Army's organization but cannot go ashore to fight. So I am going to make some adjustments for you."

"I have the same idea. Since the Marshal has already made arrangements, I will listen to him." Yang Jing immediately expressed his opinion.

Lu Jin nodded, "When I landed at Niuzhuji just now, I promoted Chang Yuchun of the 13th Regiment to the commander of the 109th Division. He was originally under the 37th Army, and now he will be transferred out. I have ordered him to garrison Caishiji and form a new unit. But now, your 37th Army only has the 17th, th, and th regiments. I plan to gradually expand them to full strength.

"It just so happens that Xu Yong has made great achievements in being the first to reach the enemy's territory. Let's let him be the commander of the newly formed 24th Regiment. We can select key officers from the Imperial Guards' Xianzhen Camp and use the prisoners captured in Dangtu as soldiers to form a newly formed 24th Regiment, which will be affiliated with the 37th Army. What do you two think?"

Xu Yong was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately stood up and clasped his fists, saying, "Thank you, Marshal, for the promotion!"

Yang Jing nodded, thought for a moment and said, "That's fine with me, but if we draw too many officers from the Xianzhen Camp, it will affect its combat effectiveness. I think this Xianzhen Camp is still very capable, and we will need it for the next siege. If its combat effectiveness is reduced too much, it won't be good. Should we also draw some veteran soldiers from the Fourth and Ninth Regiments to supplement them? The gaps in the Fourth and Ninth Regiments can be filled from their respective auxiliary battalions."

"Okay, let's do it." Lu Jin made the decision on the spot.

Xu Yong also clasped his fist towards Yang Jing in gratitude, "Thank you for your support, General Manager."

"We are all brothers." Yang Jing waved his hand.

Xu Yong really accepted the favor. What the new army lacked most were officers, especially grassroots officers. It would be best if they could be directly arranged to the level of squad leader or deputy squad leader. In this way, a veteran soldier could lead five recruits and quickly bring out combat effectiveness. If there were too few veterans, the speed of training the army would be very slow. However, there were not many people in the Xianzhen Camp, and it was impossible to transfer all of them away, otherwise the Xianzhen Camp would fall apart. With the veteran soldiers supported by Yang Jing, Xu Yong naturally had to appreciate the favor.

Yang Jing then asked, "Marshal, how are we going to fight next?"

Lu Jin immediately said, "Ye Sheng, send out all your scouts. I want to know the movements of the Yuan army around Dangtu, especially the Yuan army in Jiqing Road. Now that we have landed and entered the war zone, the intelligence station is of little use. We need to collect battlefield intelligence ourselves."

"Yes, I'll arrange it right away!" Ye Sheng immediately took the order and was about to leave.

Lu Jin hurriedly said, "Send someone to keep an eye on Chen Yesian and make sure to send him back."

"Yes."

"Zhu Shou, you lead the Imperial Guards to camp outside the east gate and be ready to attack at any time. Also, find logistics to replenish ammunition as soon as possible."

"Yes."

"Yang Jing and Tong Hai, mobilize the training officers of each unit to quickly convert the prisoners. Select the veteran soldiers who have made contributions to help Xu Yong form a new 24th Regiment. When we go out to fight, I hope to let the 24th Regiment stay in Dangtu. You must be quick!"

"Yes!" Several people stood up and accepted the order.

"Also, report the victory to your parents first, otherwise they will be worried and their people will be unstable."

(End of this chapter)