Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 299: Expanding the Army by Ten Regiments

"Come on!"

On the battlefield, Guo Xing was leading his musket battalion in frantically pursuing the fleeing soldiers on the right wing of the Yuan army. They had to run fast but not too scattered.

At this moment, the cavalry that Yuelu had just sent to harass the flank of the Shengwu Army also arrived. They had just received the order, but before they could launch an attack, the front army formation was directly destroyed by the second round of artillery fire, and they had no time to harass at all.

Now that the entire army has been defeated, they can only slightly block the pursuit of the Shengwu Army, hoping to cover the escape of the infantry and regroup later. Unfortunately, the Shengwu Army does not give them this opportunity at all. Now is a perfect opportunity to strike back at the fallen dog.

"Enemy cavalry is charging ahead, line up to meet them!"

The musketeers under Guo Xing's command immediately formed into two horizontal rows, a thin line. They held short spears less than six feet long in their hands. The cavalrymen did not take the musketeers seriously at all and rushed towards them with their sabers and lances raised high.

"Raise your gun! Ready! Aim!"

"Fire!"

Bang bang bang bang bang bang————

A company of two hundred flintlock rifles suddenly fired thousands of large and small shotgun shells, sweeping away the more than 40 Yuan cavalrymen rushing towards them. Even the seven or eight war horses in the front were shot into sieves by this round of volleys.

"First Company reloads, Second Company continues to charge, kill!"

Bang bang bang bang bang bang————

Boom——

On the battlefield, rounds of musket fire broke out from the left and right wings of the Yuan army from time to time. The musketeers and spearmen took turns to cover the attack and threw a few grenades from time to time. The Yuan army was chased and defeated, and had completely lost the possibility of forming a formation to resist again. This is what the so-called collapse of the army looks like.

In the direction of the Yuan army's center, several soldiers from the Xianzhen Camp, wearing heavy black armor, were swinging their axes vigorously to chop down the flagpole of the Yuan army's center banner. Killing a general and seizing the flag were both great achievements, so chopping down the flagpole should also be considered a great achievement.

However, when Zhu Yuanzhang passed by with his rifle in hand, he immediately yelled at them, "The enemy has been routed, why are you still chopping down the flagpole? Go after them!"

The heavy infantrymen from the Xianzhen Camp then followed the main force and charged towards the rear of the Yuan army, leaving behind only a half-cut flagpole standing there at an angle, as if it would fall down at any time.

The rear of the Yuan army had been broken through by the Imperial Guard Cavalry Battalion led by Bian Yuanheng. However, they did not stop after breaking through the enemy's formation. Bian Yuanheng left more than 600 cavalry to chase and intercept the fleeing soldiers in the rear, while he himself took 200 cavalry to pursue the fleeing Chen Zhaoxian.

"Chen Zhaoxian, you little traitor, you are helping the tyrant to commit atrocities, where are you running to!"

Two sounds of bowstrings vibrating were heard, and two of Chen Zhaoxian's personal soldiers were shot in the back, fell off their horses and fell to the ground, and were ruthlessly killed by the cavalry of the Shengwu Army who were chasing them from behind.

Most of the members of the Imperial Cavalry Battalion led by Bian Yuanheng were Mongolian soldiers captured by Zheng Yong of Haozhou after defeating Chelibuhua. These Mongolian soldiers were relatively skilled in riding and archery. They chased after the enemy's fleeing soldiers and shot arrows continuously, especially the personal soldiers around Chen Zhaoxian, more than a dozen of whom were shot dead in succession.

Soon these personal soldiers realized that the main force had been wiped out, and continuing to follow Chen Zhaoxian would be tantamount to seeking death. Didn't they see that the Red Turbans were chasing him? So the remaining personal soldiers left Chen Zhaoxian one after another. Some even thought about escaping on horseback, while others simply surrendered to the Shengwu Army pursuers behind them.

As Chen Zhaoxian was galloping on his horse, he looked back and was suddenly frightened and wanted to cry. What a bunch of heartless things. The Chen family had raised them for so long, but they actually abandoned their master and defected to the enemy.

"Traitor, don't run away! Take my arrow!"

Boom—whoosh—

Bian Yuanheng drew his bow like a full moon, and a chisel-head armor-piercing arrow whizzed by and hit Chen Zhaoxian right in the heart. The man screamed in pain, arched his back, pulled the reins, turned around and swung his spear straight back, actually wanting to drag Bian Yuanheng down with him before he died.

But he was no match for Bian Yuanheng. Seeing that this guy didn't run away, Bian Yuanheng was not surprised but happy. He inserted the bow into the bow bag with his left hand, shook his right arm, and the lance on his shoulder fell into his hand.

He shouted "Come on!" and then galloped away on his horse. When he caught up with Chen Zhaoxian, he swung the lance in his hand, and with a clang, Chen Zhaoxian's spear was knocked off the horse's back. Then he thrust the lance straight into Chen Zhaoxian's throat, and knocked the beast off the horse's back on the spot.

Further out on the south side of the battlefield, Ye Sheng also led two battalions of cavalry to chase and intercept the fleeing Yuan army soldiers, shouting that they would not be killed if they surrendered. However, how could those fleeing infantrymen possibly outrun four-legged war horses? Finally, under the persuasion, they gave up resistance and were taken back.

The battle started at around 1:00 p.m. and took less than an hour from the time the two armies formed their battle lines to the time the Yuan army collapsed. However, it took more than two hours to capture prisoners. It was not until around 4:00 p.m. that the battlefield finally quieted down.

bang——

A corpse was thrown in front of Lu Jin. Bian Yuanheng dismounted and clasped his fists, saying, "General, I have fulfilled my mission. Here is Chen Zhaoxian's body!"

Lu Jin kicked Chen Zhaoxian's head, turned his head to look at his face, and then said, "He looks very similar to his father, Chen Yesian. Have you asked someone to identify him?"

Bian Yuanheng nodded, "I have recognized him. It is definitely Chen Zhaoxian."

"Cut off his head and put it aside for now." Lu Jin pointed at Yule Timur whose head had turned into a severed head next to him and said.

"Yes."

On the other side, Yang Jing also rode his horse to the artillery camp. When Yang Huan saw him, he immediately greeted him, "Brother!"

"Good boy, your artillery battalion has gained honor in this battle. I just went to the front and saw that many enemy troops were defeated. At least tens of thousands of people were knocked down by cannons in front of the battle line. Each cannon here killed at least a hundred people. Each cannon is like a fierce general who can kill a hundred people. You did a good job." Yang Jing turned over and dismounted, stroking a cannon in front of him and said with emotion.

"Hehe, it's all thanks to the Marshal's good teaching. I've only learned the basics. There's still a lot to learn in the future. The Marshal said that if you want to fire the cannon farther, you have to learn spherical geometry in the future. I've only learned trigonometric functions now, and I haven't mastered sine and cosine yet." Yang Huan said modestly.

"Well, you still know how to be humble. It seems that you are not proud yet. Keep it up. Follow the commander and learn well. Train well. Got it?"

"Yes, don't worry, brother. I know everything." Yang Huan agreed immediately.

"Alas, I'm just afraid that you don't know." Yang Jing immediately pulled Yang Huan aside and whispered.

"The artillery battalion showed such power in this battle. You are the Marshal's direct disciple, the instructor of the artillery class, and my brother. After the war, you will definitely be the focus of everyone's attention and become the focus of the entire army. How many people are staring at you, do you understand?"

When Yang Huan heard what his elder brother said, he realized the seriousness of the problem and asked quickly, "Then what should I do?"

Yang Jing immediately instructed, "You must be low-key and modest at this time, always remember who gave you the opportunity to make meritorious deeds, and who taught you the skills, you must be loyal to the commander-in-chief, and don't be provoked by others.

"You must be careful and cautious. Don't act alone in the future. You are in charge of the artillery battalion. You will definitely be a thorn in the enemy's side. You must be careful not to be ambushed."

"Yeah." Hearing his elder brother say that there might be enemies plotting against him, Yang Huan immediately nodded seriously.

"Also, you are my brother, and the best artillery officer under the Marshal. You have a promising future, and many people will come to you to propose marriage."

Yang Huan was surprised, "But I'm only 15."

"So what? There are many people who want to marry you. Remember my words. If someone in our army asks you to marry, you should be humble and say that you are still young and if they want to marry into our family, they can come to me. If someone from a noble family in the south of the Yangtze River asks you to marry, you should just refuse.

"Remember, although the Marshal didn't say it, I know that the Marshal hates this the most. You followed the Marshal to learn the Gongshu Secret Canon, so you naturally know the Marshal's attitude towards Confucian scholars. We are military generals, and our merits are given by the Marshal. If you want wealth and honor, you have to go to the battlefield and exchange your life for it. Don't flirt with those civil officials.

"If you want to marry, you don't have to find a well-educated and well-mannered lady. Marry a virtuous woman, someone who is honest and knows how to live. Don't bring disaster to our family!"

Yang Huan nodded repeatedly after hearing this, "Yes, I know everything. Besides, I'm only 15, and I don't want to get married now. If someone proposes marriage to me, I'll just push it to my eldest brother."

Yang Jing thought about it and said, "That's fine. If there are any marriage proposals, push them all to me. Also, strictly abide by military regulations, don't make mistakes, and don't let anyone catch you."

"Well, I know everything. Big brother, you should go to the central army quickly. The marshal must be waiting for you." Yang Huan looked at the central army and urged.

Upon hearing this, Yang Jing also looked over and saw that Zhu Shou and Zhang Wen had already passed by. Then he jumped on his horse, glanced at his brother again, and then rode towards the central army.

After a while, Ye Sheng and Yang Jing also arrived. Several important generals were all present. Everyone was in high spirits, but they saw that Lu Jin looked depressed. Zhang Wen immediately asked, "Our army won a great victory in this battle and wiped out nearly 100,000 Yuan troops. Why are you not happy, Marshal?"

Lu Jin suddenly said depressedly, "For this battle, I prepared for half a year, made all kinds of preparations, and accumulated 100% of my strength, but I only used 30% and the enemy collapsed. The remaining 70% of my strength is useless. Tell me, isn't it frustrating?

"I have been training for half a year on musket volleys, but I haven't had the chance to use them yet. In the end, I can only use musketeers as ordinary infantry. Isn't this a waste of resources?"

"." Several people were speechless after hearing this. It seems that you are depressed about this. How can you complain if the Yuan army meets you?
Before Lu Jin finished speaking, he could not help but complain, "The last time I felt this way was during the decisive battle with Kang Maocai. I prepared chariots and bows and arrows to cover the infantry's approach, but a round of concentrated shooting broke the enemy's formation. I thought there would be spearmen fighting back, but the Yuan army just collapsed.

"Spear duel? You don't even give me that chance."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jing immediately said, "The Marshal overestimates these local Yuan troops. These soldiers are temporary recruits from the local people, and they are not elite. The so-called 'righteous army generals' of the Yuan court are mostly sons of ordinary gentry. How many of them know how to train soldiers and how to fight? "On the other hand, our army has a unified training outline for each department, and there are military books issued by the Marshal to teach the generals. In addition, after half a year of hard training and the careful teachings of the instructors, the entire army has a firm will and unified thinking. How could the ordinary local Yuan army possibly fight with us to the point of stabbing each other with spears?
“Moreover, this time the Marshal has concentrated the firepower of hundreds of cannons from two artillery battalions to launch a sudden attack. Looking at the whole world, this is the first time in history. Not to mention the local Yuan army, even our own generals have probably never seen this kind of fighting style. Even I can’t figure out how to respond. How can the enemy army withstand the continuous bombardment and hold out until the Marshal’s musketeers go into battle?
"To be honest, I don't know if the Qiexue Army at the core of the Yuan court has that kind of combat power."

Lu Jin shook his head and pointed at Yulu Timur, who was left with only a head, and said, "This is the Qiexue Army you mentioned. The Qiexue Army of the Tartar Emperor is no longer as powerful as it was at the beginning of the founding of the Yuan Dynasty. It has been completely politicized and has been sent to various places to serve as imperial envoys. As for the combat effectiveness, haha."

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang captured another Yuan general and brought him to the others, "General, we have captured a high-ranking Tartar official."

The prisoner was still alive for the time being. He was tied up and brought in front of Lu Jin. He raised his face and glared at Lu Jin with his eyes wide open, but his mouth was blocked so he couldn't curse even if he wanted to.

Lu Jin used his sword to push his braids and asked, "Who is this?"

Zhu Chongba said immediately, "This man's name is Baoqi. Someone has already identified him. He was the former governor of Hangzhou Road. After Yuelu came, he was promoted to the position of Vice Minister of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province. He had followed Yuelu to attack Xu Song and reached Huizhou. This time he was brought back by him. He will lead the front army in this battle."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin was immediately surprised and said, "The former commander? This man is lucky that he was not killed by the cannon. Kill him and cut off his head."

"Yes!"

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately dragged the man away, and soon came back with a bloody head.

Lu Jin glanced at the heads of Yuelu Temur, Chen Zhaoxian and Bao Qi lined up in front of him and gave the order immediately.

"Zhang Desheng, Ye Sheng!"

"I am here!" the two men answered in unison.

“You two will take the 17th Regiment, a cavalry regiment, the Second Brigade of the Imperial Guards, the artillery battalion, a chariot battalion, three days’ worth of baggage and fodder, these three heads, and the Yuan army’s banner, and go to persuade Lishui City to surrender.

"According to the intelligence from the Military Command Department, there is no moat in Lishui County. You should go and persuade the enemy to surrender first. If the enemy surrenders, you will take over the city. If the enemy does not surrender, you will use artillery to open the city gates and break in. After you control the city, send someone to report to me, and then wait for my order.

"In this battle, Zhang Desheng will be the commander-in-chief, and Ye Sheng will be the deputy commander-in-chief. Speed ​​is of the essence, so gather the troops and set out now."

"Yes!" The two immediately took the order and left.

Yang Jing quickly reminded, "General, a captive just confessed that they still have a lot of food and grass stored in the camp at Wuxiang Mountain. There are 2,000 soldiers and more than 10,000 civilians guarding there."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin said, "Bian Yuanheng, you take the Imperial Guard Cavalry Battalion and follow us. When you pass by the Wuxiang Mountain Camp, you first persuade the garrison there to surrender, and then you stay to guard the camp. Tell the more than 10,000 civilians that those who want to leave will be allowed to leave tomorrow, and those who want to join the army will be given land. You stay there to watch first, and the main force will move there tomorrow."

"Yes!" Bian Yuanheng immediately clasped his fists and accepted the order, then ordered his troops to follow Ye Sheng and the others.

Yu Tonghai then asked, "Marshal, what should we do now? There are tens of thousands of prisoners here."

Lu Jin immediately arranged, "Count the losses and results of the battle, take prisoners and spoils, and then send people to borrow some hoes from the people nearby, watch the prisoners dig pits, and let them bury the bodies, bury them deeper to avoid plague and harm the people here.

“As for the wounded soldiers of the Yuan army, let the military doctors take a look. Those who can be saved should be saved, and those who cannot be saved should be killed. Don’t let them suffer. Give each disabled person a stone of grain and let them go home.

"Zhu Shou and Zhang Wen, you two will lead the Imperial Guards to set up a temporary camp with your backs to Xiaomao Mountain. The army will stay here for the night.

"In addition, we need to send people to Dangtu, Caishi, and Huainan Province to report the victory, so that the rear will not be worried. We also need to ask Dangtu to send a basic supply of artillery shells, and have the 110th Division send Hua Yunlong's 26th Regiment to escort them."

"Yes!" Several people immediately accepted the order.

Zhang Wen then asked, "What should we do with these tens of thousands of prisoners? We will definitely have to continue fighting, and we can't always carry these prisoners with us."

"The prisoners will definitely be used to continue expanding the army. The reason why I asked Hua Yunlong to lead the 26th Regiment to escort ammunition supplies here is so that when they return, they can escort a batch of prisoners back and send them directly to Luzhou." Lu Jin explained.

"So that's how it is. That's fine then." Zhang Wen immediately took his leave.

Lu Jin added, “Yang Jing stays and helps me with the military expansion.”

"Yes."

When several people left to do their own things, leaving only Yang Jing and Lu Jin, Lu Jin took out a roster from his arms. This roster only recorded the officers above the company level in the whole army. Now that the Shengwu Army has grown in size, relying only on the brain, and thinking about so many things every day, Lu Jin almost can't recognize the generals at the level of a thousand households.
"Bring me the map."

Yang Jing immediately found a map and unfolded it.

Lu Jin continued, "This time we need to provide four regiments of new soldiers to Yu Tingyu in Luzhou, and expand Luzhou to the size of an army. The troops in our hometown are too weak, and we can't keep dragging it on like this. Do you think we should organize a troop for him and send it back, or let them send their own generals to receive the troops?"

Yang Jing frowned and thought for a while, then said, "We will definitely have to expand our army in Jiangnan. The generals above the rank of thousand households that we have trained ourselves will definitely not be enough. Besides, the thousand households in the Second Regiment are all veterans. It's time to promote them. I remember that Zhang Huan from the Second Regiment joined the army at the same time as me, but he was just a surrendered general under Zuo Junbi."

Yang Jing stopped there, as it was not easy for him to say anything about the appointment of senior military officers, and he could not keep promoting his own men to the rank of captain and let other brother troops just watch, otherwise it would easily offend people.

He understood the principle that a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Moreover, Yang Jing was still very young, so he didn't have to worry about not having the opportunity to be promoted.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin immediately turned to the page of the Second Regiment. Now Yu Tingyu led the Second Regiment to guard Luzhou, and Zhao Yong led the 2th Regiment to guard Lu'an. Both of them were from the Chaohu Navy and were the backbone of the veteran faction, but now they were only regiment commanders, and it was indeed time for them to be promoted.

So he immediately said, "Help me draft a military order."

"Yes." Yang Jing immediately took out paper and pen and got ready.

"A new 38th Army was established, with the 105th and 111th Divisions under its command. The 105th Division was commanded by Yu Tingyu, who also served as the general manager of the 38th Army. A new 111th Division was established, with the 11th Regiment Commander Zhao Yong as the general manager, who also served as the deputy general manager of the 38th Army.

"How many regiments have been established?"

Yang Jing quickly replied, "The 26th Regiment is under the command of the 37th Division of the 110th Army, and is the same regiment that Hua Yunlong is in."

Lu Jin thought for a moment and said, "The 38th Division of the 105th Army has two regiments under its command. The newly formed 27th Regiment is commanded by Zhang Huan, the former battalion commander of the 28nd Regiment, and the newly formed th Regiment is commanded by Chen Hong, the former battalion commander of the nd Regiment;
"The 38th Army has a new 111th Division, which has 11th Regiment under its command. The 29th Regiment was newly formed, with Wu Guoxing, the former captain of the 11th Regiment, promoted to be the commander. The 30th Regiment was newly formed, with Shao Yongjian, the former captain of the 11th Regiment, promoted to be the commander.

"And have them hand in the armor of the 2nd and 11th Regiments, and have the four new commanders bring people to Hezhou to pick up the new soldiers. Have you written everything down?"

"I've got it down." Yang Jing wrote quickly, writing down a string of numbers and names.

Seeing that he had finished writing, Lu Jin said, "Make another one and inform Yang Heng of the Logistics Department that I want as many armor and rifles as possible. Ask them to send all the output of the ironworks to us."

"Finished." Yang Jing said again.

Lu Jin flipped through the roster, stood up and paced back and forth, and heard him speak again after he finished writing.

"We will set up another army, the 39th Army, which will have the 112th and 113th Divisions under it.

"The newly formed 112th Division has the newly formed 31st Regiment under its command, with Hua Gao as its commander. The newly formed 32nd Regiment has Tang Xiong, the former captain of the 33th Regiment, as its commander. The newly formed 14rd Regiment has Hua Yun, the former captain of the 112th Regiment, as its commander. Hua Gao is the commander of the 39th Division and concurrently the acting commander-in-chief of the th Army.

"The newly formed 113th Division has the 34th Regiment under its command, with Yu Tongyuan as its commander. The newly formed 35th Regiment has Xi Guobao as its commander, who was previously the 113th Regiment's captain. The newly formed 39th Regiment has Tang He as its commander, who was previously the th Regiment's captain. Yu Tongyuan has been promoted to the commander of the th Division and concurrently serves as the acting deputy commander-in-chief of the th Army.

"A new 36th Regiment will be formed, with the commander being Hu Hai, the former captain of the 36th Regiment, who was promoted to the new position. The 35th Regiment will still be part of the 106th Division of the th Army."

Swish, swish, swish - Lu Jin and Yang Jing were both recording quickly. Lu Jin was recording his own roster of generals, while Yang Jing was helping him draft military orders.

The two of them finished writing quickly, and Yang Jing said immediately, "In this way, we have expanded to 10 regiments. Together with the five regiments expanded in Caishiji and Dangtu before, we crossed the river on the ninth day of the first lunar month. Today is the twentieth day. It has been eleven days since we crossed the river. We have expanded to 15 regiments. This speed is a bit too fast!"

Lu Jin said helplessly, "Time waits for no one, the Yuan court will not continue to leave us alone, so we must race against time to strengthen ourselves.

"Send these three orders to the Military and Political Department first, and have them issue a formal letter of appointment. Then send them back to Jiangyou along with the orders, and have those who receive the orders immediately set out to Hezhou to recruit soldiers and take these prisoners away.

"Ten regiments means 45,000 people. If we expand a little bit here in Jiangnan, these 70,000 to 80,000 prisoners will be almost used up. The sooner we send them away, the sooner we can relax."

Yang Jing felt overwhelmed at the thought of so many captives, and immediately reminded, "General, just now there were many local people who wanted to join the army and share the land. I think it's not just the captives. Even if we recruit soldiers directly in Jiangnan, we can expand the army by tens of thousands of people."

Lu Jin was not afraid and said immediately, "That's not a problem. There are so many wastelands around Luzhou. I think we can accommodate 300,000 or 500,000 immigrants. If they dare to come, I will take them in. I'm not afraid to give them land!"

(End of this chapter)