Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 292: Battle of Xiaomao Mountain (I)

Feng Guoyong had spent half a year building a bastion in Anqing. Now everything looked like a bastion to him. When he saw the string of hills at Xiaomao Mountain, he couldn't help but think about the possibility of launching an artillery battle there.

After listening to Feng Guoyong's analysis, everyone felt that Hengshan was a good choice. Only the chain of mountains including Hengshan, Wuxiangshan and Xiaomaoshan, as well as the large open plain between the two mountains, could meet their previous expectations of the battlefield.

Then everyone looked at Lu Jin, wanting to hear what Lu Jin thought.

Seeing this, Lu Jin shook his head and said, "Don't think everything looks like a bastion. Bastion is used for defense, not for attack. In this battle, we are outnumbered and have no time to waste time with the enemy. We should focus on offense. We can't use those hills."

Yang Jing then asked, "Do you think we should move our troops to Hengshan?"

Lu Jin looked at the sand table and thought for a while before saying, "Your analysis just now is too idealistic. We are now in Dangtu and have the advantage of the navy, so they dare not come over. But it does not mean that if we go to Hengshan, they will definitely dare to come over and fight us."

Zhang Desheng frowned and said, "What should we do? We can't just drag it out with the Yuan army. We don't know when the capital in the north will send troops south."

Bao Yu also nodded and reminded, "Yes, we can't continue to drag it out like this, we have to find a way to force the enemy to come."

Lu Jin pondered for a moment before pointing at the sand table and speaking.

"If you go from Dangtu to Hengshan, you have to transport food along the way by land. This road is the northern route. Dangtu is 60 miles away from Hengshan, Hengshan is 15 miles away from Xiaomaoshan, Xiaomaoshan is 15 miles away from Wuxiangshan, and Xiaomaoshan is 20 miles away from Lishui County.

“If we take the southern route, marching along the Guxi River and the north bank of Shijiu Lake, we can replenish food and grass along the way by water, and then camp directly at Xiaomao Mountain. Xiaomao Mountain is less than ten miles north of the shore of Shijiu Lake. This supply route is more convenient.

"But if we go directly to Xiaomaoshan, the Yuan army will probably not move. We will have to lay siege to the city, while the enemy can rely on the defense of Lishui County. We will have to fight with fewer troops against more, or it will be a tough battle, which is disadvantageous to us.

"It is most damaging to the morale of the army if they stay in a strong city for a long time. It is best for us not to attack the city, but to fight for victory in a field battle.

"Let's go to Hengshan first, advance step by step, and stop for three days to see if the enemy will come. If not, we will continue to advance to Xiaomaoshan. If the enemy still doesn't come at Xiaomaoshan, we will have no choice but to march to the gates of Lishui.

“But even if the enemy is at the gates of the city, we should not attack it, but find a way to annihilate the field troops outside the city. We should annihilate as many as we can. When the enemy troops outside the city are wiped out, we will withdraw and save Lishui for later.

"The overall battle plan can be summed up in eight words: avoid the enemy's strong city and seek to annihilate the main force. We have expanded five regiments after crossing the river and fighting a battle. If we can annihilate another 20,000 or 30,000 enemy troops, we can expand five more regiments. As long as we continue to annihilate the main force of the enemy, the comparison between our forces and the Yuan army will slowly change and become more favorable to us. By then, even if the city is attacked, we will not be afraid."

Everyone nodded as they listened.

"Avoid their strong cities and seek to annihilate their main force. This is a good idea. We have few soldiers now, so let's not aim to capture cities. If we take a city, we will have to station troops to defend it. This will only split our already small number of troops. The more cities we take, the more dispersed our forces will be. The Marshal's method is the best, so let's do it." Feng Guoyong also agreed.

"Well, then I will give the order and send a message to Bai Guangtai of the First Marine Regiment to prepare the boats and assemble them near Dangtu first, ready to transport food to the army via Shijiu Lake at any time.

"Mr. Baishi will be in charge of the logistics and fodder for this battle. Mr. Baishi will stay in Dangtu and be responsible for the allocation of fodder by land and water."

Li Shanchang immediately agreed and said, "I will do my best to ensure the supply of food and grass for the army, please rest assured, my lord."

"Yes." Lu Jin nodded and said, "I will be the commander-in-chief of the entire army in this battle, and Yang Jing will be the deputy commander-in-chief. There are two imperial guards brigades, Yang Jing's 103rd Division, and Ye Sheng's cavalry regiment in the order of dispatch. We will start preparing food and grass today, and prepare three days of dry food. The army will move out at dawn tomorrow.

"Feng Guoyong will also stay in Dangtu to take charge of the military affairs of Dangtu and Caishi. Xu Yong will lead the three newly formed regiments of the 101st Division to garrison Dangtu. You only need the city and the port. I will leave you some extra grenades. The tower ships of the st Regiment of the Navy will also stay here.

"Our main force has gone to Hengshan. If Chen Zhaoxian dares to send troops to attack Dangtu, you can have Liu Chuanyi's warships fire in Guxi River to support us. Make sure we don't lose our retreat route."

"I will obey your order, my lord. Please rest assured." Feng Guoyong agreed immediately.

Xu Yong hesitated for a while. He had just been promoted to the rank of commander-in-chief and had his own regiment. Of course, he wanted to continue fighting with Lu Jin and make meritorious contributions. But when he thought that his three regiments were all new recruits, he could only reluctantly agree, "Don't worry, Marshal. I will definitely defend Dangtu and keep a good retreat for the army. But I believe that you will not lose!"

Hearing this, Lu Jin also smiled and said, "I also believe that I will not lose, but I still need to make the necessary preparations. Don't worry, your support for me is the greatest support for me."

"Yes."

"Everyone, go and prepare. Soldiers in the battle group should rest early. Soldiers in each camp should start preparing dry food now. Food and grass should also be loaded onto the trucks in advance. Don't hold me back when we march tomorrow morning!"

"Yes!" The lieutenant generals responded in unison and left.

The next morning, the entire army broke camp and set out. Lu Jin was fully armed and followed Ye Sheng's cavalry in front to scout and clear the way for the entire army. Yang Jing took Lu Jin's central army flag and commanded the entire army to march at a slow pace of only thirty miles a day, and it was expected to arrive at Hengshan in two days.

On the day the army set out, they were discovered by the Yuan army's spies. There was nothing that could be done about it. After all, the Yuan army had the home advantage in the south of the Yangtze River. Every old farmer, woodcutter, and fisherman here could be a spy for the Yuan army. The Shengwu Army could not kill them all, but could only drive away some of the Yuan army's cavalry that were visible.

Besides, Lu Jin had no intention of hiding the truth from the Yuan army. His purpose was to force them to a decisive battle, so he marched with great fanfare all the way and had no intention of hiding his march. As a result, Chen Zhaoxian and Yuelu Temur in Lishui received the news of the Shengwu Army's eastward advance on the same day.

In Lishui City, Chen Zhaoxian slammed the table and said angrily, "This Lu thief is so aggressive. Our 100,000-man army hasn't gone to settle accounts with him yet, but he came here on his own. He really doesn't know how to live or die!"

Yuelu Timur was a little confused. Why did Lu Jin dare to fight him? Was it because he didn't know that the Yuan army had 100,000 troops? Or did Lu Jin think that his 30,000 men could defeat the 100,000-man army? Where did his confidence come from?

Yue Lu couldn't figure it out, so he asked the scout, "Did he come with his entire division? How many people came? How many were left in Dangtu? Or did he get reinforcements from the other side?"

The scout replied immediately, "I don't know. Dangtu is well guarded. Since the bandits from Lu occupied Dangtu, they have implemented strict control. The city has a baojia system, and neighbors are required to guarantee entry and exit. There is also a limit on the number of people that can leave the city each day. In addition, only two gates are open. The west gate and the north gate have never been opened, so it is difficult to investigate the situation in the city.

"The enemy's marching column is very long, stretching for several miles. The scouts on the left and right are at least ten miles away, and the scouts in the front are twenty to thirty miles ahead. It is difficult to approach, and it is impossible to know the exact number of enemy soldiers."

Upon hearing this, Yue Lu said with a cold face, "Don't tell me about the enemy. I don't care what method you use, you must immediately find out for me the number of troops left behind in Dangtu and the main force of the enemy army. Since it is difficult to observe when they are marching, we can wait until they set up camp to see." "Yes!" The scouts had no choice but to agree and find ways to investigate the enemy situation.

Thirty miles is not a long distance. The army set out at five in the morning and arrived at the camping site before four in the afternoon. It was near a village with its back to the woods and facing the river. The army set up camp next to the woods. On the first day, they did not set up a large camp, but instead set up a simple camping site.

The Yuan army finally thought of a way to spy on military intelligence. They pretended to be local gentry and came to entertain the troops with pigs, cattle, mutton and wine. Lu Jin ordered the purchase of live pigs and sheep to provide the soldiers with some meat. Living animals cannot be poisoned, and if they were killed in advance, they would definitely not be accepted. Neither cattle nor wine were accepted, as cattle are labor force and wine would interfere with work.

In Dangtu, although the Yuan army's spies could not enter the city, they still got news from the people leaving the city. They heard that there were still tens of thousands of troops stationed in the city, but they were all former Yuan troops who had surrendered to Lu Jin. It was said that these people could all be given land.

The news spread so fast that even the Yuan army spies wanted to surrender to the Shengwu Army. At least Lu Jin would give them some land.
On the next day, when the main force of the Shengwu Army broke camp again and marched towards Hengshan, Yue Lu and Chen Zhaoxian finally received the report from the scouts.

"What did you say? The entire Lu bandit division was dispatched, leaving only the navy and three newly formed regiments in Dangtu?" Chen Zhaoxian asked.

"That's right." The scout nodded affirmatively.

Yuelu also asked, "Are you sure?"

The scout said in embarrassment, "We can't enter the city. We heard from the people nearby that the Lu bandits wanted to give land to the new soldiers. This news spread widely. Many soldiers who surrendered to the bandits contacted their families in the countryside, saying that they would take them to Luzhou to share land. That's why the people knew that the people in the city were all new soldiers."

"So, the troops that the Lu bandits are currently advancing eastward are the more than 30,000 troops that were previously stationed outside the city."

"That's right. Today we sent people to follow the local gentry and gave pigs and sheep to the bandit army. From a distance, the camp had about 30,000 people. Their regimental flags were all six feet square red flags with white edges and black numbers on them. They were erected very high and there was no way to mistake them. The bandit's banner was also there."

"Got it. Go down and continue to monitor the main force of the bandits."

"Yes."

After sending the scouts away, Chen Zhaoxian asked Yue Lu, "Lord Pingzhang, it seems that this Lu thief wants to take the initiative to attack us. How should we deal with it?"

Yue Lu squinted his eyes and shook his head, then suddenly coughed violently and said, "Cough, cough, cough, cough, they are not going to attack us. If they want to march to the city of Lishui, it would be more advantageous to start from Dangtu and march along the Guxi River and the north bank of Shijiu Lake. Not only can they transport food and fodder by water, but they can also use the fire guns of the tower ships for support. But they chose to take the land route along the Hengshan line, which is like forcing us to fight in the field."

"He only has 30,000 soldiers. How can he fight against our 100,000-strong army in the field? Why? Just because his 30,000 are all armored soldiers?" Chen Zhaoxian said in disbelief.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem, why not?" Yuru Timur glanced at him and asked, "What's the difference between 30,000 soldiers attacking the city and 30,000 soldiers fighting in the field? Since he dares to approach us, it means that this thief is very bold and doesn't take the 100,000 troops seriously at all."

Chen Zhaoxian was still a little dissatisfied, but thinking of his father's last words, which did not allow him to take the lead, he suppressed his temper and asked, "What about us now?"

Yue Lu asked in return, "When will your remaining 10,000-plus soldiers arrive?"

"Their vanguard has arrived, and the main force is right behind them. They will definitely arrive before dark today at the latest." Chen Zhaoxian replied.

"Then let's send out troops as well. Tomorrow the whole army will move out of camp and go to Wuxiang Mountain first, and then to Xiaomao Mountain. Since this bandit from Lu wants a decisive battle, we can't be afraid of him. If we can defeat this bandit in one battle, we can then sweep across Luzhou." Yue Lu made the decision immediately.

Chen Zhaoxian frowned and said, "Dangtu only has 10,000 new soldiers. Shouldn't we split our forces to attack Dangtu?"

Yue Lu's face turned red with embarrassment. "Dangtu has 10,000 defenders, and there are fire-gun tower ships on the side. There are also Caishiji garrisoned troops in the north to provide cover. If we want to attack Dangtu, we must have 30,000 to 50,000 soldiers. However, our army is only 100,000. If we transfer half of them to attack Dangtu, the other half will have a hard time dealing with the 30,000 armored soldiers of the Lu bandits. We can only concentrate all our efforts to deal with one of them.

"This Lu thief, cough cough cough, this Lu thief is wrong. He is too young and arrogant. He dares to put himself in danger. The Red Turbans of Luzhou all depend on him. Once this Lu thief dies, the Red Turbans of Luzhou will surely collapse. Therefore, wherever this Lu thief is, we will attack him. If he is in Dangtu, I will definitely attack Dangtu with my entire division. But he insists on going deep into the enemy's territory alone to seek death. In that case, we don't have to be polite.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem. Pass on my military order. We will break camp and set out tomorrow to Wuxiang Mountain. We will end our mission in one battle and take the head of the Lu bandit."

"Yes."

On September 18, the ninth day after the Shengwu Army crossed the river, at the beginning of the afternoon, the main force of the Shengwu Army had arrived at the eastern foot of Hengshan and set up a large camp at the junction of Anhui and Jiangsu provinces in later generations. Moreover, this time the camp was sturdy, with its back against Hengshan and facing the east. A large amount of wood was cut down to build the wall of the stockade, and trenches were dug outside the wall. Deer fences and chevaux-de-frise were set up. Along the wall of the stockade, watchtowers and artillery batteries were set up, and food was stored here.

While setting up camp, they sent out cavalry to scout everywhere. The farthest scout was forty miles away, reaching directly under the city of Lishui. They had already started a scout battle with the Yuan army's cavalry, competing for information rights on the battlefield.

Lu Jin also personally led a battalion of cavalry from the Imperial Guard to the direction of Xiaomao Mountain to scout the designated battlefield, which might be the site of the decisive battle.

When the cavalry returned to the camp that night, Ye Sheng immediately reported, "General, another group of Yuan army infantry arrived from the north today. From a distance, they were all militiamen with green scarves on their heads and no armor. There are probably more than 10,000 of them. There should be 100,000 enemy troops inside and outside Lishui County."

"Yes." Lu Jin nodded. "That's similar to what the Military Command Intelligence Bureau predicted. Let's set up camp and wait for two days to see if the enemy will come. I'll be the enemy's enemy. I only brought 30,000 soldiers with me. I hope the Yuan army commander dares to come and capture me."

"." Ye Sheng was speechless for a while. It turned out that Lu Jin wanted to use himself to lure the Yuan army to a decisive battle.

"By the way, I always feel that the current commander of the Yuan army in Lishui is not like Chen Zhaoxian, but I have captured the enemy's prisoners. Do you know who the current commander of the Yuan army is?"

"I don't know. We encountered the Yuan army's cavalry scouts today and killed all those we met." Ye Sheng said helplessly.

Lu Jin shook his head and said, "Catch a few alive tomorrow and interrogate them thoroughly. I want to know who the commander of the Yuan army is."

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)