Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 360 You are a beautiful woman, why are you a thief?
Zhan Ding unfolded the letter and read it quickly. It read, "My dear brother Guozhen,
'The Yuan Dynasty is about to end and the world is in turmoil. Brother, you are the first to lead an army of righteousness and dominate the sea. Although I am in Jianghuai, I have long heard of your great name. I have never had the opportunity to meet you in person, but I have longed for your heroic figure from afar.

'I have heard that you make a living by sailing on the sea and selling salt. You were originally a good citizen, but were forced to rise up in rebellion due to collusion between officials and bandits and frame-ups. It is truly a case of officials forcing the people to rebel, which makes people feel pity. You have repeatedly defeated the violent armies, upheld justice, and greatly boosted the morale of the rebel army. All knowledgeable people in the world admire you, and I also admire you very much.

'I live on the shore of Chaohu Lake. There is an official soldier led by Zuo Junbi who kills innocent people for credit and harms innocent civilians. The common people are in danger from day to night. In order to protect myself, I followed your example and killed officials and started an uprising. I won several battles and finally occupied the land of Chao and Fei. Later, I established the Shengwu Army under the city of Luzhou and vowed to expel the Tartars and support the Han Dynasty. You and I are of the same kind.

'The tyranny of the Yuan Dynasty has caused suffering to the people, which has led to the rise of righteous armies all over the world. Many heroes have become heroes at that time. Since I formed my army, I have been friendly with my neighbors. The Xu family of Wuchang and I have exchanged envoys, the Liu and Du of Yingzhou have treated me with respect, and the Li family of Xuzhou and I have what we have. This is because the righteous armies all over the world are one family, with the same aspirations and the same blood. My Gongshu family also has a family motto: I will not offend others unless they offend me. If someone offends me, I will return them tenfold!
'This Eastern Expedition is only to comfort the people, punish the criminals, expel the Tartars, and recover our Han country. Considering that you are the first to rebel, I originally did not want to be your enemy. But you have forgotten your original intention and are willing to be the Tartars' lackeys. So I wrote this book to warn the military commanders on the front line not to disturb you, but also to be on guard against your navy.

'If you come to your senses and return to the Han Dynasty, then you and I will each stay in our own place and live in good neighborliness. If you go against the will of nature and become an accomplice to the evil, although my navy is not very strong, we dare to fight. We are not good at expanding our territory, but we are good at defending our borders. If you invade my naval borders, you can test us to see who is stronger.

'I wrote this letter before the battle. I knew that your navy was strong and I did not dare to predict the outcome. However, if you win this battle, I will retreat to Jiangyin, build a navy, and reorganize the army to fight again. Even if you can disturb my territory, it will only be a minor matter and will not hurt my flesh and blood.

"In September of this year, I crossed the Yangtze River with 30,000 elite troops. In the first battle, I conquered Taiping. In the second battle, I killed Yuelu. In the third battle, I conquered Zhenjiang. In the fourth battle, I defeated Jiqing. I won four battles and annihilated 180,000 enemies. I only lost a thousand of my own troops. Now I have 300,000 soldiers. Do you have an army of 2 million? How do you compare to Yuelu?

"At this time, I have no seagoing vessels, so you can enjoy yourself for a while with the strength of the fleet. However, you must know that 1,900 years ago, my ancestor Gongshu Ban helped the State of Chu train its fleet, pacified the Baiyue, reached the East China Sea, and expanded the territory by thousands of miles. When it comes to naval warfare, if the Gongshu clan is called the ancestor, no one in the world dares to be the ancestor! Now I live in Chu and you live in Baiyue. It is nothing but a repetition of the past."

'We have now set up a shipyard in Jiqing to train soldiers and have hired Mr. Wang Huanzhang, a famous navigator, as an instructor to use the public transportation machinery technology to build warships. When the navy ships are completed in the future, we will go to Zhoushan to seek advice!
'There is a children's rhyme in Taizhou, Yang Yuqing is a sea spirit. I advise you not to regard yourself as a sea spirit, as it deceives me. Gongshu only fights on rivers and lakes, and does not know the art of navigation.

'I have also returned from overseas. I have traveled around the world with my father since I was young. Although I am still young, I have already sailed millions of miles. Crossing the ocean and searching for stars is as easy as taking something out of a bag. I am familiar with the charts of the four poles. I have often been to the West, Persia, India, and Siam. I am familiar with the places and routes. Where can you go now?

'Your knowledge is probably not even a fraction of mine. Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I can still capture you and bring you back to China!
"You are a beautiful woman, why do you become a thief? Han and thieves cannot coexist. I hope you will take care of yourself and don't continue to make mistakes.

'Gongshu Jin, written in Jiankang on the ninth day of the winter month of the year Renchen.'

The letter was written very straightforwardly. Zhan Ding only read it once, but Fang Guozhen, an illiterate man, almost understood it. He immediately frowned.

"Is he threatening me?"

Zhan Ding immediately said, "It is indeed threatening, but the attitude is not that tough."

"How to say?"

Zhan Ding further explained, "At the beginning of the letter, he called you the leader of the uprising and expressed his sympathy for you being forced to rebel by the collusion between officials and bandits. He also expressed admiration for you after hearing that you had repeatedly defeated the Yuan army.

"He also said that you and he were both in the same righteous army, and that we should have been united in fighting against the Yuan Dynasty. He also said that he was on good terms with other righteous armies, and that he would not offend others unless they offended him. Unfortunately, you, the anti-Yuan leader, took the initiative to accept the amnesty from the Yuan court, and he felt very sorry about this."

Fang Guozhen frowned upon hearing this and interrupted, "No, wait a minute, he expressed regret for my being recruited. What does regret mean?"

"." Zhan Ding also knew Fang Guozhen's cultural level, so he pointed at the letter and explained patiently, "It means that I feel it's a pity. The sentence 'How can you forget your original intention and be willing to be a lackey of the Tartars' means that you have forgotten how you were forced to rebel, so how can you accept the amnesty from the Yuan court?

"And the last sentence, 'You are a beautiful woman, but you become a thief', means that you are a kind and righteous person, but why did you become a thief in the end? It also means it's a pity."

Fang Guozhen interrupted again, "No, I was recruited by the imperial court and became a member of the government army. How come he called me a thief? He is a traitor, but he calls me a thief. Isn't this the thief crying 'stop thief'?"

Zhan Ding rolled his eyes. "Han and thieves cannot coexist. This man is determined to drive out the Tartars, support the Han Dynasty, and rebuild China. He represents the Han Dynasty, and his slogan is to restore the Han Dynasty. So, for the Han Dynasty, are the Mongolian Tartars in the north thieves? Your Excellency surrendered to the Tartars and became a Tatar Wan Hu. Aren't you the same as the Tartars? In his eyes, they are all thieves."

"Oh, I understand. What does he mean by this letter? He threatened me and said he would build ships and train navy to arrest me. Is he just bluffing or is he really planning to arrest me? Do you think he will send troops to Zhoushan to attack me in the near future?"

Zhan Ding thought for a moment before saying, "It's hard to say."

Fang Guozhen was immediately unhappy and said, "Why is it hard to say? Didn't we hire you to give us advice? What does he mean by that?"

Zhan Ding sighed, and then said, "In fact, it doesn't matter what is said in this letter. You just need to know that this man is ambitious and has his eyes on the whole world. He didn't finish his sentence when he said that the Han and the thieves cannot coexist. It should be that the Han and the thieves cannot coexist, and the king cannot live in separatism. This man has never thought of seceding and ruling one side. He is preparing to unify the world.

"Since you have such aspirations, even if you don't come to attack me now, you will definitely come to fight me in the future. It's just a matter of time.

“Also, what he said in the letter, about being friendly to neighbors, is just because the Yuan Dynasty has not been destroyed yet, and he needs other rebel forces to fight against the Yuan Dynasty with him. When the Yuan Dynasty ends, the first person to compete for the world and attack other rebel forces will definitely be this person.

"There are also those polite words in the letter, saying that he had no intention of becoming an enemy of you in this expedition because you are against the head of state. As long as you don't take the initiative to attack him, he will restrain his army and not cause trouble for you, and be a good neighbor to you. It sounds nice, but it's just a delaying tactic.

"In the final analysis, it is because his navy at the moment is not strong enough. Without sea vessels, it is difficult for him to go out to sea to attack you. Otherwise, with your status as the Master of the Yuanting Seaway, he would not need to find a special reason to attack you.

"Didn't he also say in his letter that he has set up a shipyard in Jiqing and hired famous sailors as instructors? In addition, he has the mechanical skills and naval warfare techniques of the Gongshu clan. When his navy is well trained, even if you don't provoke him, he will come to attack you."

Fang Guozhen nodded when he heard that, and then he realized, "You mean that no matter what, he will definitely come to attack me. Then I asked you about the time. When will he send out his troops? Why don't you say it's hard to say?"

"The reason why it's hard to say is in the letter. His navy is not strong at the moment, and he really hasn't thought about going to war with you now. It takes time to build ships and train the navy, which may take one or two years at the shortest, or three to five years at the longest. Otherwise, a good cook cannot cook without rice, and you can't fight a naval battle without ships.

"But you didn't listen to my advice and went to fight him. It would have been fine if he had won, but he lost. I gave him hundreds of ships for nothing. Now he has ships. At most, he can modify some water warfare equipment and train soldiers. Then he can come to Zhoushan to attack you at any time. Originally, it would take at least one or two years. Now, if it's fast, it may take less than half a year."

"." Fang Guozhen was speechless after hearing this. It felt like not only did he lose two brothers in this battle, but he also lost the time he could have spent to live in peace. Fang Guozhen was stunned, not knowing what he was thinking for a moment.

But Zhan Ding seemed to be able to read minds and spoke slowly.

"Given the current situation, we cannot win by fighting. He wrote this very clearly in this letter. He wrote this before the Eastern Expedition. He was not sure whether Your Excellency would send out the navy. Even if Your Excellency sent out the navy, he did not dare to predict the outcome.

"This man is quite pragmatic. He considered defeat before victory. He even planned for the navy's defeat before the battle started. If you win, he will retreat to Jiangyin and leave the rest of the river and sea coasts to you, allowing you to harass at will.

"Anyway, his Luzhou soldiers are invincible in land battles. An army of 30,000 can defeat Yuelu's 180,000 troops. Even if there is some truth in what he said, let's give it a 50% discount. That's still 30,000 against 90,000, and one against three can still win.

"He is confident that he can defeat your landing infantry and make it difficult for you to gain a foothold on the shore. As long as he cannot gain a foothold on the shore and attack his hinterland, then harassing the coasts of rivers and seas will be like the scabies he mentioned, which will only hurt the skin and fur but not the flesh. He can continue to train troops and build ships in Jiqing with peace of mind, and when the navy is trained, he will come to seek revenge on you, so it will be in vain for you to attack."

Lu Jin's meaning is very simple. I admit that your navy is very powerful. Now I cannot beat you in naval battles, but I am invincible in land battles. It's one for one in naval battles. As long as you can't kill me in one breath, I will endure the damage and confront you for a long time. Based on the size of the territories and the gap in resources on both sides, when I train a navy for naval battles, you'll have to wash your neck and wait for death!
This is a crushing victory of 'national strength'. The thick health bar means one can be so shameless. You have to hold it in even if you don't accept it!

Fang Guozhen was immediately upset when he heard this, "Then I can't just avoid him if I can't afford to offend him?"

Zhan Ding added, "You can't escape. Even if you want to avoid him, I'm afraid it won't be possible after this battle. I don't know who the famous sailor Wang Huanzhang mentioned in his letter is, but since he specifically mentioned him, I think his background is not simple. Moreover, he also said that he is good at sailing and has been to the West, Persia, India and other places. Even if you want to avoid him, where can you hide?
"Let's not talk about others first. I'd like to make my position clear. I was originally kidnapped to the island by you. You've treated me well. I've served you faithfully and wholeheartedly. But I'm Chinese after all. If you want to flee to India, Persia or other places, please don't take me with you. I still want to stay in China to serve my parents and spend their remaining years in peace.

"I also give you a piece of advice. If you had the same ambition to pacify the world, you would have attracted countless people with lofty ideals. But if you want to go abroad, you will certainly be shunned. Not to mention counselors like me, I am afraid that even your navy will have few soldiers willing to go with you."

Fang Guozhen glared at him when he heard this, but didn't say anything, because he knew that what Zhan Ding said was true. As the saying goes, if you don't return to your hometown when you are rich and powerful, it is like walking in fine clothes at night. If you go overseas to make money, you have to return home, not to mention going into exile overseas and suffering. If you really want to go into exile overseas, it is impossible for many people to follow you.

So he thought hard for a long time before asking, "Sir, what do you think I should do now?"

Zhan Ding immediately said, "My Lord, you know it yourself. Before we sent out the troops, I said that it is impossible to live in peace with this man as your neighbor. Even if you don't provoke him, he will definitely come to fight you.

"Originally, I said that it would be better to send troops directly to Qingyuan, and then offer the two routes of Taiwen and the navy together, and you will definitely get a title, but your Excellency was unwilling to do so and insisted on sending troops to test the strength of the Luzhou navy. Now you have lost more than you gain. They were not strong to begin with, but your Excellency took the initiative to send more than a hundred ships, so now they are evenly matched."

"." Fang Guozhen was speechless after being scolded and couldn't say a word. He really asked for trouble and sacrificed his two brothers for nothing. Even if he surrendered now and made a fuss to Lu Jin, he would not be in the right. After all, it was Fang Guozhen who attacked the Luzhou navy first. Who can you blame if you are looking for death?

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Zhan Ding continued, "Now that we have tried, even if we are unwilling, so what? We can't win anyway, and now he has the sea ship. If you continue to hesitate and wait for three to five months, when he has trained the sea ship, and then the Luzhou soldiers come to Zhoushan's doorstep, you will have completely lost everything and won't get anything in return.

“Although you have suffered a small defeat, you still have hundreds of naval ships, seven counties in Taiwen and even the lifeline of the main force of the Yuan army in Jiangbei. If you sincerely submit now, you will definitely be able to get a good position. You may even be able to make great contributions with the lifeline of the Yuan army.

"It is better to exchange this for a life of longevity as a duke, living with the country and enjoying wealth forever, than to be buried in the belly of a fish without even a trace of incense left behind."

This reason finally moved Fang Guozhen, and his blank eyes regained their spirit, "A duke for generations? Can Gongshu Jin really be so generous? Is he willing to give it?"

Zhan Ding said, "Although you have fought a battle with them, didn't they suffer any loss? As for this little grudge, a real man can bend and stretch. As long as you are willing to take the initiative to admit your mistakes and offer land and ships, you can at least get a marquisate. Otherwise, the Gongshu clan is too petty.

"As for the Duke, it is difficult to be conferred the title of Duke without meritorious service to the country in all dynasties, and as for the title of King, forget it. Even if you surrender, you can't compare with those ministers of Luzhou. Whether you can be conferred the title of Duke depends on whether you can make new merits after surrendering. However, you are in charge of the navy, which will definitely be used in future battles, so the opportunity to make merit is still great."

"Let me think about it, let me think about it." Fang Guozhen's thoughts were in a mess for a while and he was a little hesitant.

Zhan Ding added, "Whether you surrender or not, or want to continue to survive, at least you have one thing to do now."

"What's the matter?" Fang Guozhen asked immediately.

Zhan Ding came closer and said seriously, "Stop helping Dingding transport food to Haining. This is aiding the enemy. If you continue to help Tuotuo transport food, then you will be an enemy, not a friend, to Luzhou. Even if you say you are willing to submit, they will not believe it.

"If you still want to be a noble for generations, you must not continue to waver on this matter. To put it nicely, you are a fence-sitter, and to put it bluntly, you are a rat in two minds. No one likes such a person."

Fang Guozhen suddenly realized what was going on and quickly shouted, "Mingshan! Mingqian!"

"Uncle, your nephew is here." The two nephews immediately stood up.

Fang Guozhen immediately ordered, "Mingshan, you must take a speedboat to Haining to retrieve the grain fleet. You must retrieve the grain ship before it arrives at the port. Go now, don't delay."

"Yes!" Fang Mingshan immediately clasped his fists and left.

"Mingqian, go to Qingyuan and watch over the fleet. If Dingding is still loading grain onto the ship, you will take it all. But after loading the grain, transport it directly back to Zhoushan and wait for my order."

"Yes!" Fang Mingqian also hurriedly took the order and left.

Zhan Ding watched the two young men leave and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally managed to persuade Fang Guozhen, the stubborn guy. It would be a waste of time to continue staying with Fang Guozhen, a man without ambition, in his prime years. It would be better to end it early so that he could seek a career with the heroic lord of Jiankang.

(End of this chapter)