Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 328: Immediate Action
"What? Why did you recruit so many soldiers?!"

Outside the east gate of Taixing, Bian Yuanheng, who had just landed in Jiangbei, and Yu Tonghai and Zhang Desheng from the 40th Army looked at the large group of generals behind Lu Zhen and asked in surprise.

Among these generals, in addition to those who had previously participated in the Crossing the Yangtze River Campaign as an intern, there were actually seven more!

Lu Zhen immediately explained, "These are all my brothers who used to make a living by selling salt with me. Now the world is in chaos, merchants are not able to communicate, and my brothers have lost their livelihoods. A few days ago, I gathered my old men in the countryside of Taixing to join the army, and they found out about it. They also heard that I joined the Shengwu Army and was given an official position by the commander-in-chief, so they all brought their brothers to join me. I couldn't stop them, and it would be bad to drive them back."

Behind Lu Zhen, the young generals in cloth clothes were also looking at Bian Yuanheng and his men eagerly.

Upon hearing this, Bian Yuanheng had no choice but to ask helplessly, "So how many soldiers do you have now?"

"Except for my 21st Regiment headquarters, there are another 11200 people, a total of people." Lu Zhen replied immediately.

Bian Yuanheng was speechless for a while. This guy is almost a division, so he asked again, "Then do you know what the situation is with Deputy Commander Li in Taizhou? How many soldiers does he have?"

Lu Zhen continued, "Deputy Commander Li sent someone to say at noon that he had also recruited more than 10,000 people. It was Li Qi, the prefect of Gaoyou, who asked him to recruit 10,000 people. Adding his original troops and some people who defected after the uprising, the total number may be more than 12,000.

"By the way, Deputy Commander Li also sent someone to ask what to do next."

"." Bian Yuanheng was so annoyed. My goodness, I haven't even come yet, and you guys have already expanded a division. If you come two days later, I will have to be the general manager of the army.
Bian Yuanheng shook his head, looked at the people behind Lu Zhen, and asked Lu Zhen, "Have you explained to them the rules of our Shengwu Army? We are not bandits, but a royal army with organization, discipline and rules. Once they join the army, they can't do whatever they want. Are they willing to join?"

A man in his twenties behind Lu Zhen came out and bowed, "General, rest assured. We don't care about the rules. We just can't make ends meet. We came here to join the Shengwu Army after learning that Brother Lu had joined. We also heard from him about the great things that Commander Lu and the generals had done. As long as the general accepts us, we are willing to obey your orders."

When Bian Yuanheng saw this situation, he found it difficult to refuse, so he thought about it before saying this.

"Then reorganize. In addition to your 21st Regiment Headquarters, reorganize a supplementary regiment, a total of people. The rest will be organized into a battalion and stay to defend Taixing City.

"Send a message to Deputy Commander Li in Taizhou. They also want the 19th Regiment to bring a supplementary regiment of people. After they are reorganized, they don't need to come here. They can go directly to Rugao City to join the forces. The remaining people will stay to guard Taizhou City. They must be reorganized today and must set off at the latest at dawn tomorrow. Once you are reorganized, we will set off as well."

"Yes, thank you, Commander." Lu Zhen immediately agreed with a smile. This finally provided a way out for his brothers.

Yu Tonghai and Zhang Desheng, who had been silent, looked at each other and were speechless. Yu Tonghai immediately said, "How could you mobilize so many soldiers? Why didn't you tell us earlier? Wouldn't our 40th Army have come here in vain?"

A young general named Zhao Zixiong who had just defected to Lu Zhen saw that Yu Tonghai and Zhang Desheng looked very young, but were not polite at all when speaking to Bian Yuanheng. He immediately asked Lu Zhen in a low voice with some dissatisfaction.

"Brother Lu, who are these two people? Didn't they say that Bian Shahu is our commander-in-chief? Why are these two people talking to him like this?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhen immediately warned in a low voice, "Don't talk too much, this person's official position is two levels higher than our commander-in-chief."

When Bian Yuanheng heard Yu Tonghai's complaint, he quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry, General Yu. I didn't expect there would be so many soldiers before I came. If there were only three regiments, they would definitely not be enough to defend the city.

"But now, the 108th Division already has five regiments of troops. The remaining troops defending the city should be able to form a supplementary regiment. There are also people left in Taizhou and Taixing. I will take five regiments plus an artillery regiment to attack Rugao. It should be no problem. After taking it, I will recruit soldiers from the locals to defend the city. Then I will attack Haimen. There should be no shortage of troops.

"But Taizhou and Taixing are 120 to 160 miles away from Rugao, which will take at least three days to walk. Rugao to Tongzhou is also 17 miles away, and Tongzhou to Haimen is miles away. It will take ten days just to walk all the way. Time is tight. Today is already the th, and I'm afraid it will take until the end of this month to finish the fight.

"Since the 40th Army has already crossed the river and headed north, if General Yu has time, why not stop at Taixing first, and then send someone back to ask the Marshal if the 40th Army can take the water route to attack Haimen or Tongzhou. This way, it may be faster."

After saying this, Bian Yuanheng explained, "It's not that I'm afraid of fighting, but time is really tight."

Upon hearing this, Yu Tonghai and Zhang Desheng looked at each other again. They had also looked at the map of Jiangbei before coming here, and knew that this was indeed the situation in this area. There were only a few cities, and they were very far apart. They had to fight, but it would be very time-consuming to walk all the way. It would be more convenient if they could attack by water along the river.

Yu Tonghai thought about it and said, "That's fine. Since the soldiers are here, I will stay here and send someone back to ask. But you have to leave me a mountain artillery battalion. If we want to attack Tongzhou, it will definitely be useful."

Bian Yuanheng immediately clasped his fists and said, "Okay, thank you General Yu for your help!"

"We are all our comrades. There is no need to say such polite words. Go and reorganize your troops."

"Okay, then I won't bother you for now. I'll have to trouble General Yu to send someone to Rugao to let me know when he has the correct information."

"Easy to say."

So the two of them immediately went their separate ways. Yu Tonghai sent someone back by boat to ask Lu Jin for orders, while Bian Yuanheng took Lu Zhen to reorganize the troops.

Not long after walking away, Zhao Zixiong beside Lu Zhen asked again, "Brother Lu, how high is the rank of a general? How much higher than a military commander?"

"How much bigger? There are four generals under one general, and twelve commanders like me. Even though our 108th Division can now form five regiments, the total strength is not even half of theirs. Moreover, they are all elite veterans, tens of thousands of them are all equipped with armor.

"All of you, be careful. Since you have joined the Shengwu Army, you must keep your mouth shut. Although those two men are young, they are all Yuancong ministers who followed the Marshal in the rebellion. They have fought from Luzhou all the way here and have made countless military achievements. Most of the other Yuancong veterans are also very young. So when you meet the young generals in the army, don't be presumptuous." Lu Zhen once again warned the younger brothers who had come to surrender on their own initiative.

Several people quickly agreed, and at the same time couldn't help but marvel at the sight.

When they arrived at the main army outside the city gate, Bian Yuanheng frowned at the sight of a group of newly recruited soldiers standing and sitting in a mess. He immediately said, "Hurry up and reorganize. The commander-in-chief wants speed, so don't waste time."

Lu Zhen sent a fast horse to deliver the message, and Li Huafu received the news at noon that day. He began to reorganize the troops, arrange for the defense of the city, conduct simple training, and start planning for the next day's march.

At the same time in Yangzhou, the main force of Zhu Liangzu's 36th Army was slaughtering pigs and sheep, dogs and roasting geese in the camp outside the city, taking the soldiers to feast and resting the troops.

In the afternoon of the same day, several speedboats from Jiangbei also arrived at Jiankang's wharf and brought Lu Jin a lot of urgent military intelligence from Jiangbei.

Lu Jin was working in the back hall of the government office. He didn't even raise his head, leaning over the table and writing something quickly. At this moment, Li Dingbang, a personal soldier guarding the door, knocked on the door and said.

"report!"

"Come in." "Marshal, many gentlemen have come to the front yard to report to you on their work."

Lu Jin then raised his head and asked, "Who are they?"

"Li Zhangshu from the Secretariat, Mr. Feng, Zhang Dushi from the Imperial Guard Division, Mr. Wang, and Bao Zhangshi from the Military Command Department are also here."

Lu Jin thought for a moment before saying, "Do you have any military intelligence to report? Then let Mr. Feng come in first?"

Li Dingbang grinned and said, "There is military intelligence. I heard that there is a victory report from Jiangbei. General Zhu has already captured Yangzhou. The gentlemen heard the victory report and rushed here to tell the Marshal the good news."

"I see. Then let Mr. Feng come in first."

"Yes."

After a while, Feng Guoyong brought several coded military reports to Lu Jin, "Marshal, Zhu Liangzu of the 36th Army has already captured Yangzhou on the afternoon of the 16th and is now resting in Yangzhou. They also expanded and reorganized the army with the prisoners captured in Yangzhou. Now, in addition to the six regiments of his 36th Army headquarters, he has also newly formed two independent regiments and eight supplementary regiments, two of which are defending the city in Tianchang and Zhenzhou. The total strength of the 36th Army has reached 16 regiments.

"In addition, they also sent us the next battle plan. This is the detailed battle report. Please check it, Marshal."

Lu Jin took it and looked through it. He saw that Zhu Liangzu and his men planned to race against time to reach Huai'an and Qinghe, relying on the natural barrier of the Yellow River and Hongze Lake to fight a field battle with the enemy and strive to hold the newly occupied territory. In addition, they sent someone to send back a thousand soldiers who had fought with Lu Ding, saying that they would impose hard labor on them. They also asked someone to receive the bodies of Yu Shiliang and Sun Deya.

At the same time, Zhu Liangzu and Gao Yao also requested the transportation of food supplies.

After reading it, Lu Jin said, "Let the Ministry of Finance send a person in charge to transport grain to Jiangbei via the grain transport route. Let temporary officials from various places along the way be responsible for relaying and transporting the grain to ensure the supply of military grain and ammunition to the front line. Send them two more bases."

As Lu Jin was talking, Feng Guoyong was quickly taking notes with a pen, and then Lu Jin added something.

"Also, reply to Zhu Liangzu and agree with his battle plan. Then fight as he says. Also, don't be afraid of expanding the army too much. As long as it does not affect the main battle, you can expand the army as much as possible. Expand it to the scale of a front army and 30 regiments. There will be so many battles to come, and they will always be useful.

"Also, after Bian Yuanheng's 108th Division finishes fighting in the Jiangbei battle, it will be transferred elsewhere. Don't expect the 108th Division to stay with him. When expanding the army, it should still be based on the 36th Army."

Feng Guoyong quickly wrote it down again and placed it in front of Lu Jin, waiting for his signature and seal.

Lu Jin took a look and found nothing wrong, so he asked again, "Is there anything else regarding military intelligence?"

Feng Guoyong said immediately, "Yes, it's about Taixing. Li Huafu and Lu Zhen have recruited a lot of people. Now the 108th Division's troops are barely enough to fight to Haimen, so the 40th Army seems to be useless.

"Bian Yuanheng discussed with Yu Tonghai whether to transport the 40th Army by water to attack Tongzhou and Haimen. This way the war can end faster. They are currently parked in Taixing, and the main force of Bai Guangtai's naval regiment is also there."

Lu Jin was a little surprised after hearing this, but he was soon relieved. Come to think of it, Zhang Shicheng had recruited a lot of soldiers in Taizhou in history, so the human resources should be relatively sufficient, and it should be normal to recruit more.

Then he came to the map and said while looking at Tongzhou.

"Tongzhou means the thoroughfare between the north and the south, so there should be a port there. Are there any seagoing ships in Tongzhou? Where did the Yuan Dynasty's grain from the south go to the north by sea? I always hear people talking about a Liujia Port. Where is this Liujia Port?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Guoyong also came to the map, pointed at it and explained to Lu Jin.

"Marshal, this Liujiagang is not in Tongzhou, but in Kunshanzhou (later Liuhe Town, Taicang City) on the south bank of the Yangtze River, probably a little upstream of Chongming Island. Originally, there were many sea vessels here, but after Fang Guozhen started an uprising in the East China Sea two years ago, all the sea vessels and warehouses in Liujiagang were burned down by Fang Guozhen. Therefore, the Yuan court's maritime transport seems to have stopped for a year or two.

"As for Tongzhou, there may be some sea vessels, but not many."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin secretly cursed Fang Guozhen for being a prodigal son who only knew how to cause trouble, then he thought for a moment before speaking.

"Then let the 40th Army go down the river to attack Tongzhou and Haimen. If there are sea vessels, we must try our best to seize them. After taking Tongzhou and Haimen, let them recruit soldiers and train to defend the city. The main force of the 40th Army will gather in Tongzhou for training. Before the Eastern Expedition, they will stay in Jiangbei and don't need to come back. After the Eastern Expedition begins, let them cross the river directly from Jiangbei.

“Also, let Bai Guangtai’s navy regiment be stationed in Tongzhou (Nantong). After the battle in Jiangbei is over, we can try to send navy ships to scout Liujiagang in Kunshan, create the illusion of landing at Liujiagang, and attract the attention of some Yuan troops in eastern Zhejiang.

"Then send people to conduct covert reconnaissance in the Changshu riverside area to find a suitable landing site. Be careful not to arouse the enemy's vigilance and make a feint to the east and attack in the west, so that it will be easier to cross the river when the time comes."

Feng Guoyong also looked at the map and simulated Lu Jin's tactics, then nodded immediately, "I'll write it down."

Lu Jin added, "Since Bian Yuanheng's 108th Division has already expanded by two regiments, let him return to Gaoyou for training after the battle of Rugao, and then let him expand his army near Rugao. However, his 108th Division is only allowed to expand by three supplementary regiments, and the extra troops will be left to Zhu Liangzu's 36th Army. In the future, these troops will remain in Jiangbei, but the 108th Division will be transferred to other directions."

Feng Guoyong frowned upon hearing this, and immediately asked in confusion, "The 108th Division still has three newly formed regiments, a total of six regiments of troops, so they just stay in Gaoyou and don't need to go north?"

Lu Jin tapped the map and explained, "The main force of Zhu Liangzu's 36th Army is going to Huai'an. The terrain there is narrow, and it will be difficult to deploy so many people. On the contrary, if the main force all goes to Huai'an, the rear will seem a bit empty.

“Once Tuotuo’s main force breaks through the Xuzhou defense line and the Qinghe line is blocked, they might make a detour and attack from Xuyi south of Hongze Lake. By then, the rear will be empty and the Yuan army might take advantage of it and cut off the 36th Army’s food supply.

"Gaoyou is located in the middle of Huaidong. To the west, we can fight against the Yuan army that bypasses Xuyi. To the north, we can support the main force of the 36th Army in Huai'an. To the south, we can also take care of Yangzhou. Even if the situation in Jiangnan is more urgent, the 108th Division can be easily transferred back if it stops in Gaoyou."

"So that's how it is. I understand." Feng Guoyong suddenly realized.

"Is there anything else on the military front?" Lu Jin asked again.

"There is still Sun Deya's body and the one thousand hard laborers that have not been arranged yet."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin immediately said, "Dingbang, go call Mr. Wang and Zhang Wen."

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)