Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 295: Battle of Xiaomao Mountain (IV)
Chen Zhaoxian and Yue Lu were worried all night, but the Shengwu Army did not launch a night attack as they wished, so the two of them worried in vain all night. Those Yuan troops who were preparing to ambush also did not sleep much all night.

At dawn the next day, the Yuan soldiers who were on guard became listless.

On September 11th of the th year of Zhizheng, the th day after the Shengwu Army crossed the river, Yue Lu got up from the bed tiredly, sat in the big tent, ate breakfast, and asked his personal soldiers to beat drums, waiting for the generals of each camp to come for report.

After a while, Chen Zhaoxian came to the big tent with a group of generals. Yue Lu then asked Chen Zhaoxian, "What are the movements of the Lu bandits?"

Chen Zhaoxian immediately stepped out and said, "The enemy troops have not left the camp yet, but a scout just came to report that there was smoke rising from the enemy's Hengshan camp, so they must be having breakfast."

Yue Lu nodded, "Since the enemy army is determined to die, there is no need to delay any longer. Send a message to all troops. After breakfast, the whole army will immediately move out of camp. All troops will march to Xiaomao Mountain according to the previous marching sequence. We will set up camp at Xiaomao Mountain before dark today. All generals, please prepare yourselves."

"Yes!" The generals of the Yuan army took the order and left.

After a while, when the Yuan army took action, less than an hour later, Lu Jin also received the scout report.

Yang Jing hurriedly brought his scouts to find Lu Jin and asked him, "General, the Yuan army has already moved out and is heading towards Xiaomao Mountain. When they reach Xiaomao Mountain, they will be less than fifteen miles away from us. Should we move forward as well?"

At this time, Lu Jin was holding a folding fan in front of his forehead to block the sun, looking up at the sky. When he heard Yang Jing's words, he immediately said.

"We can't let the Yuan army set up camp. Once 100,000 people set up camp, it will definitely be very stable. If we attack the Yuan army's camp, what's the difference between that and attacking a city? We want to fight a field battle, not a siege!
"Order the entire army to pack up and move camp. We will first wait for the Yuan army at Xiaomao Mountain, and then send the cavalry to harass the Yuan army's vanguard. If the Yuan army dares to set up camp, we will send the cavalry to harass them and force them to line up and fight me in the field!"

"Yes!" Yang Jing immediately clasped his fists and accepted the order. He turned around and was about to leave, but Lu Jin suddenly stopped him.

"Wait!"

"What else does the Marshal have planned?"

Lu Jin pointed to the sun in the east and said, "If you don't go out when there's morning glow, you can travel thousands of miles when there's evening glow. Yesterday evening the sky was full of red clouds, so today must be a sunny day. The sun is blazing in the sky, and the heat is unbearable. Let the whole army drink enough water before leaving. Fill up all the water bottles, and let the soldiers in each camp cook a few buckets of mung bean soup to take with them on the road, so as to relieve the heat for the soldiers.

“Notify the cavalry regiment and ask them to look for a safe water source twelve miles southeast of the camp.

"Notify all units of the army that during the noon march, the inner troops can go without armor and the outer troops can go without helmets to avoid heat stroke."

Yang Jing was stunned when he heard this, and immediately nodded with his fists clasped, "Yes!"

The order was issued, and one hour later, at the exact time of Chenshi, the Shengwu Army was ready. They brought bamboo tubes, wooden barrels, water bags and other items filled with water, and began to break camp and march. Auxiliary soldiers also brought back some wild patchouli from the mountains to relieve the heat.

The army formed a long marching column with cavalry scouts in front, behind, left and right. The soldiers on the outside of the column wore armor but no helmets. The pleasant autumn breeze blew, so it was not too hot for a while. The soldiers on the inside rolled up their armor, put it in a sack, and carried it on their backs.

The Imperial Guards led the way, the artillery battalion and the convoy were in the middle, and Yang Jing's three infantry regiments were at the end. Each person carried a day's worth of dry food and water, and they marched in neat rows towards Xiaomaoshan.

Lu Jin rode his horse beside the team and felt much better when he saw the soldiers talking and laughing. It seemed that these soldiers were not afraid. But that was normal. After all, the Shengwu Army had never been defeated so far. It would be strange if they were afraid of the Yuan army.

When Lu Jin passed by Zhu Shou who was at the front, he said, "Let's start by singing the Shengwu Army Song to boost morale!"

"Yes."

"Order all the troops to sing the Shengwu Army Song."

"Clouds come from the dragon, winds come from the tiger, get ready, set off."

"Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger, fame, wealth and honor are all dust and dirt~, looking at the Chinese people, they are all suffering, the government is corrupt and the people are angry;
"Look at the world, it's full of barbarians. If Heaven's law is broken, a man should make up for it. A man of integrity should leave his parents, save the people and rule for them.

"Wearing our weapons and spears, we will fight bravely to drive out the Tartars and recover our land. Wearing our weapons and spears, we will fight bravely to promote our culture and our clothing.

"Wearing our weapons and sharpening our swords, we will fight with all our might until the Yellow Dragon is defeated. We will fight with all our might and sharpening our swords, and rebuild the mountains and rivers to be Xianning and Yong'an, Xianning and Yong'an~~"

Tens of thousands of people sang in unison, and the sound shook the whole area. It soon alerted the people in the villages on both sides of the official road. Some people could not help but stop at the village entrance to watch, while others bravely came to the roadside to join the army. There were also smart gentry who brought food and drink with the people to welcome the king's army.
The vanguard scout at the front saw more and more people watching, so he immediately ran to Lu Jin to report.

"General, there are civilians blocking the road, wanting to join the army, and there are gentry offering food and drink to reward the troops, what should we do?"

Lu Jin immediately said, "Don't allow the common people to go up to the official road, don't drive those standing on the roadside away, don't take anything from the common people, and let those who want to join the army go home and wait.

"Order the entire army, cheer up, be alert, and continue marching!"

"Yes!"

The troops continued to move forward. There were vanguards standing on the roadside, holding their spears as guardrails to prevent the common people from blocking the official road. There were gentry who wanted to reward the troops with food and drink, but they were also stopped on the roadside. They watched the army in front of them, with its neat formations, flags covering the sky, spears and guns like a forest, and high morale, passing by them at a leisurely pace.

At that moment, a scholar exclaimed, "What a strong army! It seems that the situation in Jiangnan is about to change! Son, when you come back, you can join the army and earn a future for our family."

The son of the gentleman immediately whispered, "Father, there are still 200,000 government troops in Lishui. We don't know if these rebels can defeat them. Isn't this sending me to die?"

"You know nothing. Sigh, our family is doomed to have a loser like you."

A little kid saw the carriage and asked in surprise, "Dad, look at that carriage. Why does it have four wheels and four horses pulling it?"

The father held his son in his arms and looked at the army on the official road and shook his head, "How would I know, Dad? Maybe the four wheels pull more."

"Dad, look, look, what kind of car is that?"

The child pointed to a row of artillery carriages. Each group of artillery carriages was divided into two sections. There were four horses in the front, towing a two-wheeled ammunition cart at the back. Behind the ammunition cart was another two-wheeled artillery carriage. The artillery was wrapped in red oilcloth, like a rice dumpling. From the outside, one could only see that it was roughly a cylinder, but one could not guess what was inside.

"It's the first time for Dad to see it, too."

"Dad, didn't you say you were knowledgeable? How come you don't know anything?"

"You little brat, you want to be beaten, don't you? You're even making fun of your father."

"Dad, look! There's a cart pulled by eight horses!"

Upon hearing this, the people on the roadside all looked up and saw two more heavy howitzer companies passing by. There were eight horses in front of each artillery carriage, and there were also ammunition carts and artillery carts behind. However, the wheels of the artillery carts were almost as high as the shoulders of adult men. The wheels were wide and thick, and the sides were covered with black rivets. When they rolled over the compacted official road, they would leave shallow ruts, which meant that the objects carried on the carts were extremely heavy.

Each heavy howitzer weighs more than 2,000 kilograms. Although it is covered with a gun casing and ordinary people cannot see what is inside, from the specifications of being pulled by eight horses and the weight, one can guess that the vehicle must be loaded with something extraordinary.

"Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger, fame, wealth and honor are all dust and dirt~, looking at the Chinese people, they are all suffering, the government is corrupt and the people are angry;
"Look at the world, it's full of barbarians, thousands of miles of fertile land are all barren~, a man of integrity should leave his parents, save the people and rule for them;

"Writing history ~ Keep integrity, don't forget Yashan ~ China went to the disaster, writing history ~ Keep integrity, serve the people ~ put me first;

"Write the history and keep the righteousness. The secret knowledge of the ancient sages will be passed down by me. Write the history and keep the righteousness. I swear to eternal peace. I swear to eternal peace."

There was another village ahead. An old teacher from the village's private school was leading a few young scholars to stop by the roadside.

The old scholar, leaning on a cane, listened to the awe-inspiring song. He could not help but burst into tears. He knelt on the ground with a plop, and cried out to the sky.

"Good, good, good. Decades have passed, and a century has passed. Before I die, I can still see such a mighty army. I will use my pen to preserve the righteousness. Don't forget the sacrifice of the Chinese nation at Yashan. This is the poem of the loyal and brave Lord Xin!"

Several students also said, "Establish a mind for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, inherit the lost knowledge of the ancient sages, and open the balance for all eternity. These are the four sentences of Hengqu. This is the mighty army of my Han people!!" "Prime Minister Wen! Did you see that? My mighty Han army is back! Drive out the Tartars and rebuild China!!!"

The old scholar knelt on the ground and howled to the sky, tears streaming down his face. He cried with joy and used all his strength to shout "Rebuild China". Then he suddenly lost his voice and fell on his back.
The students beside him were shocked when they saw this and hurried to help the teacher, "Teacher!"

"Master!"

"Sir, wake up!"

"The master has passed away, woo woo woo."

"Gentlemen, please do not be sad. The master cried for joy, and he died with a smile. The master called out to Prime Minister Wen before his death, and he must have gone to tell the good news to the loyal and loyal Lord Xin. We should be happy for him."

"Yes, before his death, the master shouted to drive out the Tartars and rebuild China. Gentlemen, we should do something too!"

"Send the gentleman home first, then we will join the army!"

"Go together."

"Let's go together!"

The army marched in an orderly manner. In one morning, the Shengwu Army and the Yuan Army each marched five or six kilometers, and finally confronted each other six miles apart at the foot of Xiaomao Mountain.

On the open plain, six miles is the limit of human vision. Although you can't see the enemy's figures, you can see the smoke and dust raised by the opposing army, like a thin mist.

The Shengwu Army occupied a village at the foot of Xiaomao Mountain and began to line up on the east side of the village with their backs to the village. There was a well in the village for replenishing fresh water, and this was a place that Ye Sheng's cavalry regiment had scouted in advance.

As for the villagers? There have been cavalry battles near Xiaomao Mountain in the past two days. There have been fights every day. The experienced old people have already taken the villagers to escape.

There is a Zen temple on the Xiaomao Mountain in the north, called Mingjue Temple. The people living at the foot of the mountain are all carrying their elderly and children, and those who are leading cattle and sheep are going to the mountains to avoid disaster. Those who have some money will also choose to take shelter in Mingjue Temple for a while.

On the other hand, on the east side of Xiaomao Mountain, the Yuan army's cavalry was completely at a disadvantage in the scout battle because of the strength of the Shengwu Army's cavalry. In just this morning, the Yuan army's cavalry lost about 500 cavalrymen, and Ye Sheng's cavalry regiment also suffered dozens of casualties.

However, these sacrifices were worth it. Under pressure from the Shengwu Army's cavalry, the Yuan army could only maintain their formation and dared not disperse to set up camp. Once they dared to disperse their formation, Ye Sheng would definitely organize cavalry to launch a raid, causing the Yuan army to now only be able to form a group and confront Lu Jin from a distance.

And on the hillside of Xiaomao Mountain, a group of people were climbing the mountain to escape the disaster.

Qiu Chuyi is 23 years old this year. He has four younger siblings and his parents are still alive. However, his family lives in extreme poverty. Other villagers who fled at least carried food, pigs, sheep, chickens and ducks, but his family only had a cow, which belonged to a landlord, and they still owed the landlord rent.

Qiu Chu's family did not have a single piece of land and had been renting land from a landlord. The third brother carried his youngest sister on his back. The six-year-old girl was as thin as a day lily, with a sallow complexion and hair as dry and yellow as grass. She lay on her brother's back with a dull look in her eyes and looked listless.

This trip into the mountains to avoid disaster undoubtedly made the already poor family even worse off. They didn't know whether their two mud houses could be kept after the battle down the mountain. Even though they were left with nothing but four walls, the two houses were still a home. The mother lamented again and again, not knowing what hope there was for their future life.

The whole family climbed the mountain in silence, without saying a word. Only the eldest son, Qiu Chuyi, was thinking about the rumors that had been circulating in the village in recent days.

If you join the Shengwu Army, you can get 50 acres of land. No matter whether you are dead or alive, even if you die in battle, the land can be distributed to your family. He didn't know whether it was true or not, he just heard it from his neighbors, but he was very tempted.

He was already 23 years old, but his family situation did not allow him to get married. He had been proposed to several women before, but even though the other party's family was very poor, the proposal was immediately dropped when they heard that his family still owed rent to the landlord.

Whenever a marriage proposal fell through, Qiu Chuyi would see his parents heaving a sigh of relief behind his back. He knew in his heart that he was the eldest of five children and the biggest laborer in the family, and his parents didn't really want him to get married. If he got married, the family would lose a source of income, and it would be unknown when the rent owed would be paid off.

At the beginning of this year, my parents had considered selling my younger sister, but she seemed to understand the situation and ran to our neighbor Uncle Liu's house crying and refusing to come back. Besides, my younger sister was still too young, a six-year-old girl. Even if she was sold, she would not be worth much money. If someone bought her, she would not be able to do anything and would have to be raised. So the matter of selling my younger sister was delayed.

At this moment, Liu Liu, the second son of Uncle Liu, a neighbor from the same village, suddenly ran over happily carrying a hoe and greeted him.

"Brother Qiu, let's go down the mountain and join the army. I have found out that my sister-in-law's family is from Dangtu. She has a brother who was recruited into the government army and followed Wanhu of Taiping Road to defend Dangtu City. Later, he was captured by the rebel army. They said that if we join the army, we can get 50 acres of land. Let's go too. We can get 50 acres for each person. There is no such good thing in the world."

Qiu Chuyi's eyes lit up, and he immediately pulled him aside and asked, "Is this true?"

Qiu Chuyi's parents and brothers also pricked up their ears.

Liu Liu immediately patted his chest and assured, "It must be true. My sister-in-law has already received the letter. Her brother sent someone to deliver it. That was what her brother said. How could it be false?"

"Will you really divide up 50 mu of land? Where will you divide up the land? Will it be cultivated land or wasteland? What percentage of tax will be collected? Does your sister-in-law know this?"

Liu Liu scratched his hair after hearing this, and after thinking for a while, he said, "I heard that we need to cross the river to Luzhou to divide the land. There are few people in Luzhou, but there is plenty of land. We may not be able to get cultivated land, but there is plenty of wasteland.

"They also said that if there are many people in the family, they can open up the wasteland by themselves. It seems that there will be tax exemptions in the first few years. If the family is short of labor, they can ask the government to help open up the wasteland, but the tax exemption will be less. My sister-in-law didn't tell me what percentage they collect, so I don't know."

"How far is Luzhou from here?" Qiu Chuyi's mother couldn't help but ask.

Liu Liu said immediately, "I heard it's not far, just across the river. Didn't the rebels come from the west side of the river?"

After hearing this, Qiu Chuyi gritted his teeth and made a decision immediately, "Dad, Mom, I want to go down the mountain to join the army."

"Brother, I'm going too. I don't want to farm anymore!" The second son of the Qiu family said immediately.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Chuyi's father immediately scolded them, "You are not allowed to go, and you want to join the army? You are going to die! Can you shoot arrows? Can you wield a knife? Can they take you if you go? Is it so easy to take those fifty acres of land?"

Qiu Chuyi immediately retorted, "I can't shoot arrows, but I can kill a few people with a hoe. Didn't the government troops also capture tenants to serve as soldiers? Didn't Liu Liu's sister-in-law's brother also learn martial arts, but he was also captured to serve as a soldier? We are all good at farming, and we all have two shoulders and one head. Why are the government troops better than me?
"Besides, as long as I join the army, even if I die, my family can get 50 acres of land as compensation. Life is like this anyway, so what if I can exchange my life for 50 acres of land?!
"Dad, Mom, you guys go hide in the mountains first. When I divide the land, I'll let you farm our own land. You don't have to worry about my marriage, and you don't have to sell your little sister. We can pay off the rent we owe.

"You guys are going to sell me, but I'm not worth much. Why don't you just sell my life?"

After saying that, Qiu Chu immediately threw down his hoe, turned around and ran down the mountain.

Seeing this, the second brother also put down his pole and ran after him, "Brother, I want to go too!"

Qiu Chuyi immediately turned around and said, "Go back, and when I divide the land, you will have to help open up the wasteland."

The 19-year-old second brother shook his head firmly and said, "Brother, I won't go. I don't want to farm anymore. Farming is boring."

Qiu Chuyi thought for a moment and said, "You go back and protect your parents and your brother and sister-in-law first, while I go explore the way. If the land is really divided, I will call you then."

The second brother hesitated for a moment, but when he saw the eldest brother's firm eyes, he nodded and said, "Brother, don't lie to me."

"Go back and wait."

"Oh."

After saying this, Qiu Chuyi turned around and went down the mountain again.

Liu Liu, who was standing by, looked at Qiu Chuyi's family, then at Qiu Chuyi's back, and immediately chased after him down the mountain, "Brother Qiu, wait for me, I'll go with you."

(End of this chapter)