Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 362: The Secret Plan (Part )
"What did the Marshal say in the brocade bag?"

In the central military tent in Hangzhou, there were only three people, Yang Jing, Zhu Shou and Zhang Wen. Seeing that Yang Jing had been staring at the secret letter in the brocade bag without saying anything, Zhu Shou immediately asked.

After reading it, Yang Jing simply handed the secret letter over and said, "You can read it for yourselves.

“Before the expedition, the Marshal has been worried about the strategic issues of the world situation. Once we take over the entire Taihu Plain in northern Zhejiang, most of the Yuan court will lose its grain supply and will likely collapse quickly.

"At that time, our main forces were still in the south, and it was very likely that Liu Futong and Du Zundao from the Central Plains would seize Dadu first. If they supported Han Liner to become emperor in Dadu, it would turn into a situation of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, which would be disadvantageous to us and not good for the people of the world.

“As for those Tartar nobles in Dadu, if they run out of food and fodder, they might even run back to Shangdu grassland. Even if we can conquer Dadu in the north, the Yuan emperor, whose power is intact and whose institutions are still in place, occupying the grassland will be a big problem for us in the future, and there will be endless harassment and war.

"The Marshal has always had a strategic idea, which is how to keep the Yuan Emperor inside the Great Wall and get rid of him. To achieve this strategic idea, the premise is that the Yuan Emperor must stay inside the Great Wall and cannot escape. Once we seize the entire northern Zhejiang and cut off the grain supply to Dadu, how to stabilize the Yuan court center will become a problem. Now this matter falls on Fang Guozhen."

"On Fang Guozhen? Does he have this ability? Can he tie up the Iron Pot Emperor and prevent him from running away?" Zhang Wen was immediately puzzled when he heard this.

Yang Jing immediately said, "You can read the letter yourself, but if you carry out the plan mentioned in the letter, this matter must be kept secret. You two are the commanders of the Marshal's imperial guards, and your rank is high enough to know the content of this plan, but you must not tell anyone else. Once the content is leaked, the plan will be ruined. You know the confidentiality discipline, so I won't emphasize it."

"Well, we understand. Let's take a look at the letter first."

Zhang Wen and Zhu Shou nodded quickly and then began to read the contents of the letter.

Lu Jin proposed a plan in the secret letter. After taking over the entire northern Zhejiang, how to stabilize the Yuan court center in Dadu and prevent them from running to the grassland? In fact, this matter is very simple, that is food!
The Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces transported 600 million shi of grain to Dadu every year. These were all commercial grains, which meant that after satisfying the local population's food needs, there was still some grain left that could be exported.

After the Shengwu Army conquered northern Zhejiang, if they could take out 8% or 5% every year and provide 30 to 50 shi of grain to Dadu in exchange for their staying in Dadu, then Lu Jin would be willing to supply grain to Dadu, provided that the grain could not be given for free and of course could not be delivered by Lu Jin.

At least Lu Jin can't deliver it openly, otherwise it would be ridiculous for the rebels to provide food to the government.
So he needed a white glove, a middleman, and this middleman had to be Fang Guozhen, because he was the only one who had a fleet and the ability to deliver grain to Dadu, and Fang Guozhen's territory was adjacent to his own, making the operation convenient.

In the original history, this was done by Zhang Shicheng and Fang Guozhen together. Zhang Shicheng was responsible for plundering grain from Jiangnan, and Fang Guozhen was responsible for transporting grain by sea. Now that Zhang Shicheng has become Lu Jin's subordinate, it is not impossible for Lu Jin to supply grain to Dadu instead.

Five hundred thousand shi of grain per year was actually not a small amount for Dadu. The Yuan court in history was even worse. After Zhang Shicheng occupied Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the amount of grain provided to Dadu was only a few hundred thousand shi per year, or at most 200,000 or 300,000 shi. Even with this, the Yuan court continued to survive in Dadu for more than ten years.

So theoretically speaking, as long as we can supply food to Dadu, we can stabilize them.

But this plan requires Fang Guozhen's cooperation, so is it feasible? Judging from the original history, it is feasible.

According to the original history, Fang Guozhen thought Zhu Yuanzhang was very powerful, so he surrendered to Zhu and agreed to pay tribute every year. Zhu also gave Fang Guozhen money and asked him to do purchasing on his behalf and help buy horses from Dadu to form a cavalry for him. Fang Guozhen did as he was told.

This historical event inspired Lu Jin. Lu Jin was also short of war horses. The Shengwu Army only had three cavalry regiments with a total of just over 10,000 soldiers. Could they provide food themselves and let Fang Guozhen take the food to Dadu to exchange for war horses? This would not only stabilize the Yuan court and prevent them from running to the grassland, but also allow them to obtain war horses and form a larger cavalry. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?

In fact, this kind of thing happened not only in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, but also once in modern times. When the People's Republic of China was just founded, it was blockaded by the United States and the West. During the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, some scarce materials, medicines, gauze, etc. were smuggled in through the Hong Kong channel.

So can we learn from this and not take back the Zhoushan Islands and the Taiwen Road first, and turn Zhoushan into the Hong Kong of Lu Jin?
From this point of view, it doesn't matter if Fang Guozhen does not surrender sincerely. It doesn't matter if the Zhoushan Islands, like Hong Kong, are not taken back for the time being. As long as Fang Guozhen is willing to cooperate with him and is willing to help him smuggle food and war horses, Lu Jin can tolerate him temporarily.

Anyway, the land cannot be lost. As long as he has the soldiers in his hands, Lu Jin can take it back whenever he wants!

Therefore, in order to complete this plan, at least Fang Guozhen must be defeated first and forced to surrender, but the Zhoushan Islands, Wenzhou and Taizhou must be left to him and not taken down for the time being, and then cooperation can be discussed with him.

Of course, this is only the worst case scenario. If Fang Guozhen is truly loyal, there will be more things he can do. Sending food to Dadu and letting Xiao Tieguo stay inside the pass temporarily is just to stabilize him. Once the Shengwu Army marches north, he will probably run to the grassland again. How to keep him completely inside the pass can also be accomplished by Fang Guozhen at that time.

Historically, the Longfeng Northern Expedition organized by Liu Futong was of a large scale and achieved brilliant results. Among the three armies that marched north, except that the Western Route did not achieve any success, Mao Gui of the Eastern Route Army reached Lianyungang and carried out an amphibious landing of a large troop across the sea. Suddenly, they emerged from behind Shandong and occupied the entire Shandong province in just one month.

He also built blockhouses from Shandong all the way to Hebei, and Mao Gui's blockhouse offensive was almost reaching the capital city.

Guan Duo of the Central Army broke into Shanxi from Henan, and from Shanxi into Inner Mongolia, crossed thousands of miles of grassland, burned Shangdu in one fire, then leaped eastward for thousands of miles to capture Liaodong, crossed the Yalu River, and conquered the capital of Goryeo. He then turned back to attack Dadu from the Liaoxi Corridor, and together with Mao Gui of Shandong, they attacked Beijing from the south and the north across the Bohai Bay.

If Zhao Jun hadn't used this trash to run to Shandong to cause trouble and kill Mao Gui by surprise, the Longfeng Northern Expedition might have really succeeded!

However, in this time and space, the rapid rise of the Shengwu Army squeezed out a lot of resources for Liu Futong's development. It is hard to say whether the Longfeng Northern Expedition will appear as it did in the original history.
Can Lu Jin learn the tactics of Longfeng's Northern Expedition and copy the operations of Mao Gui and Guan Duo? If Fang Guozhen sincerely surrenders, the Shengwu Army will be able to quickly obtain the transportation capacity of thousands of sea vessels. Now he has occupied Huai'an on the northern line and is only one step away from Haining Prefecture (Lianyungang).

Can Fang Guozhen's fleet be used to transport an army to land at Jiaozhou Bay in Qingdao and take over the entire Shandong Province? In this way, his territory in the north of the Yangtze River can be connected with Shandong to form a whole.

Then, using Shandong as a base, they would establish farmlands and train troops, send an army across the Bohai Sea, and land in Lushun on the Liaodong Peninsula. After taking over the entire Liaodong, they would continue to use Liaodong as a base, send an army across the Liaoze Lake, and capture the Shangdu City on the Inner Mongolia grassland.

Once these three steps are completed, we can form a strategic encirclement of Hebei's capital from the three directions of Shandong, Liaodong, and Inner Mongolia, and completely block Xiao Tieguo inside the pass, making it difficult for him to escape.
Although the idea is a bit bold, since Guan Duo and Mao Gui in the original history were able to do it, why can't the Shengwu Army do it?
However, in order to complete this strategic concept, a large shipping fleet is needed, and this fleet is only owned by Fang Guozhen. Although Lu Jin can build ships himself, it takes time. Who knows how the situation will change over time.

Of course, this is just Lu Jin's preliminary strategic concept. If he wants to truly implement it, in addition to Fang Guozhen's fleet, there are still many problems that need to be solved.

The food of the Liaodong Corps is easy to deal with, as it can be transported by sea. In the original history, when Guan Duo's Central Army was in Liaodong, they did not have the food supply from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. They had to attack the capital of Goryeo just because they could not find food. Their purpose was just to find a place with food and houses to spend the winter. This is not a problem for the Shengwu Army. The conditions in Lu Jin are much better than those in Guan Duo's time.

But on the military level, the Liaodong Corps needs to withstand the three-sided siege from Dadu in Hebei, Goryeo on the peninsula, and even the Jurchens in the northeast. Can the Shengwu Army gain a foothold in Liaodong?
The logistics and food supplies for Liaodong can still be solved by sea transportation, but what about the logistics of the Shangdu Grassland Corps?
Shangdu was far away from the core territory of the Shengwu Army, and there was a swamp between it and Liaodong. That swamp was very unfriendly to logistics transportation. Emperor Yang of Sui and Li Shimin both had a deep understanding of this. When the Sui Dynasty launched three expeditions to Goguryeo, the corpses of the Sui army were scattered all over the ground in the Liaoze.

Unless the Shangdu Corps is allowed to cultivate land on the grassland itself, but if they want to cultivate land on the grassland, they may have to wait for Wang Dayuan to bring back potatoes and sweet potatoes from America.

It’s not that you can’t farm without these two things, but potatoes and sweet potatoes are used as a backup. Even if wheat can’t be grown, at least there are potatoes to fill their stomachs, and the army will not collapse due to lack of food.

There is also the problem of how the Liaodong Corps and the Shangdu Corps survive the winter. Fortunately, Lu Jin's territory is rich in cotton, so they can find a way to make military coats and cotton shoes.

In short, the whole plan involves many aspects, and it is not easy to complete. It is just a preliminary idea now, but no matter what, conquering Fang Guozhen is the first step of this plan.

In addition, if Fang Guozhen is willing to submit sincerely, there will be many benefits.

For example, Bao Yu had mentioned to Lu Jin before that it would be difficult to set up intelligence stations in Shandong and Dadu because the north and the south had been separated for too long, and it would be difficult to find a suitable candidate to go to the north to preside over the construction of the intelligence station in a short period of time.

But if Fang Guozhen could surrender, this would not be a problem. When Fang Guozhen took the initiative to seek amnesty from the Yuan court, he went to Dadu by sea and sent people to bribe the officials in Dadu to speak well of him.

If Lu Jin mastered this channel, he could place an intelligence station in the palace of Dadu, and even set up intelligence stations in Liaodong and Goryeo. This is the use of Fang Guozhen. He is more than just a few ships. As long as you know how to use them, the value of this guy is too high.
However, in order to complete this series of ideas, the prerequisite is to be able to subdue this guy.

So in order to completely subdue this guy and make Fang Guozhen obediently cooperate, Lu Jin put forward several negotiation conditions in the secret letter. If Fang Guozhen agreed, that would be great. If he didn't agree, then he would beat him up a few times to promote negotiations until he agreed.
After Zhu Shou and Zhang Wen finished reading, Zhang Wen immediately said with emotion, "This is indeed an idea that only the Marshal could come up with. His foresight is unmatched. We haven't even finished fighting in East Zhejiang yet, but the Marshal has already figured out how to use Fang Guozhen's layout in Liaodong and Dadu, and how to surround Dadu.

"But, can Fang Guozhen really be so obedient?"

Yang Jing immediately said, "It is not up to him whether he obeys or not. Didn't the Marshal say in the secret letter that if Fang Guozhen really wants to surrender, he must send all three sons to Jiankang as hostages? If he agrees to this, I don't believe he will dare to disobey.

"Besides, one of the negotiation conditions is to place our people in his navy fleet. Once our instructors join his navy, it's hard to say whether those navy soldiers will still listen to Fang Guozhen. What are we afraid of? Anyway, the initiative is on our side now."

Zhu Shou nodded and said, "Then let's talk to him first and see how he reacts. No matter if he is sincere in his allegiance or not, we should keep him stable for the time being. As long as he doesn't come to Qiantang River to cause trouble, we can steadily capture Shaoxing and Qingyuan Road, and then march to Taizhou and Zhoushan to see if he agrees."

"Yes." Yang Jing also nodded, took back the secret letter and repacked it, then shouted to the outside of the account, "Someone come!"

A personal soldier immediately came in from outside the tent, "General."

Yang Jing immediately asked, "Where is Fang Guozhen's envoy?"

"I'm already waiting outside the tent."

"Bring him in."

"Yes!"

After a while, Qiu Nan was brought into the tent. Seeing only three young generals inside, he was a little surprised. How could a general who commanded an army of 300,000 and conquered half of eastern Zhejiang be so young? !
The three men were all about twenty years old, all dressed in bright silver fish-scale armor, looking very heroic. Yang Jing sat alone at the head, while Zhu Shou and Zhang Wen sat on his left and right, looking like a three-person trial.
Upon seeing this, Qiu Nan hurriedly bowed and said, "I am Qiu Nan, an envoy under the command of Fang Guozhen, the commander of the Seaway Canal Transport Department. I pay my respects to Governor Yang."

Yang Jing left him alone for a while and did not let him get up. Instead, he asked, "I am the governor of the East China Front of the Shengwu Army. There is no Wanhu position in my army. Whose position is this Wanhu of the Seaway Canal Transport? Why do you come to pay homage to me?"

Qiu Nan knew what Yang Jing meant. He was clearly emphasizing that Fang Guozhen was a minister of the Yuan court, and Yang Jing and his people were traitors. If you come to pay homage to a traitor, you should at least explain why, right? In fact, he wanted Fang Guozhen to bow his head first!

Qiu Nan was originally sent to surrender and seek peace, so how could he be tough? He quickly apologized, "General, please allow me to report that my family was blind and believed Ding Ding's lies before, which offended the majesty of the heavenly soldiers. Now I have repented. Marshal Gongshu's heavenly soldiers are invincible and victorious in every battle. It is the will of heaven and cannot be defeated by human power.

"My family has specially sent me here to present myself to the Marshal and to pay him tribute. I also offer him fifty catties of gold and three hundred catties of platinum. I beg you to forgive my mistakes. I hope the Governor can convey this message on my behalf."

Yang Jing nodded calmly and asked, "Where is the surrender?"

"Here." Qiu Nan quickly took out the surrender letter, but when no one came to hand it over and Yang Jing didn't ask him to stand up, he stood there in embarrassment for a moment.

"Get up and present the surrender form."

"Thank you, Lord Governor."

Qiu Nan quickly stood up and handed over the letter of surrender. Yang Jing took it, opened it and read it. It was most likely written by Zhan Ding. It was very literary and the content mainly focused on selling misery and begging for mercy.

At the beginning, he said that Fang Guozhen was too far away from Lu Jin and he didn't know Lu Jin well enough. He mistakenly believed rumors and thought that Lu Jin's Shengwu Army was the same as Xu Shouhui and Liu Futong, that is, a demon cult like Bai Lian and Maitreya. Moreover, he was located on a remote island and didn't see Lu Jin's manifesto. In addition, he held an official position in the Yuan court and was coerced and deceived by Ding Ding, so he led the navy to cause trouble for Lu Jin.

In short, it's all a misunderstanding.

After the disastrous defeat in the naval battle, he realized the majesty of the heavenly soldiers. He also said that Lu Jin was magnanimous. He took the initiative to attack him. Lu Jin clearly won the battle and even asked his men to release his captured nephew and return his brother's body. Only then did he realize Lu Jin's benevolence.

He also said that he had received Lu Jin's letter, and only then did he know what kind of person Lu Jin was. He also felt that Lu Jin was right. He, like Lu Jin, had been oppressed by the Yuan court and forced to revolt. It was just that he had limited abilities and no great ambitions. He did not dare to dream of helping the world, but only wanted to live in peace. That was why he accepted the Yuan court's amnesty. He was no match for Lu Jin. How could a grain of rice dare to compete with the bright moon?
Finally, he said that he asked someone to find Lu Jin's manifesto. After reading the manifesto and Lu Jin's letter, he realized that Lu Jin was a truly benevolent and righteous monarch with the world in mind. The Shengwu Army under his command was invincible and never harmed a single person. The people in eastern Zhejiang were happy to hear about the royal army, which was truly protected by heaven.

Fang Guozhen was just a small figure and did not dare to continue to confront Lu Jin. He was also afraid that Lu Jin would misunderstand him, so he specially sent an envoy to deliver gifts and a letter of surrender, expressing his willingness to submit to Lu Jin and become his subject in the future.

Zhan Ding also quoted the traditional Confucian diplomatic concept, which is to treat big things as small and small things as big. When a big country faces an offense from a small country, even if it is a big thing, it must be magnanimous, and turn big things into small things and small things into nothing. Don't argue with a small country.

When a small country faces a big country, even if the big country only raises a very small matter, the small country should treat it seriously as a big matter, so that neighbors can live in harmony.

Now Lu Jin is the big shot, and Fang Guozhen is just a small shot. I hope that Lord Lu Jin will be magnanimous and not argue with him. He has already known his mistakes and is willing to beg for mercy. He also dares not to run away. So there is no need for Lu Jin to search the mountains and seas to catch him.
Yang Jing finished reading it without saying a word. He handed the surrender letter to Zhu Shou and Zhang Wen to read before asking Qiu Nan.

"Where are the gold and silver that Fang Guozhen presented?"

Qiu Nan quickly replied, "Reporting to the Governor, I landed from Haiyan. The gold and silver I brought ashore were received by your army's Haiyan garrison commander. They asked me to come to Hangzhou to see the Governor as soon as possible. The gold and silver are probably still behind."

Yang Jing nodded and asked, "Fang Guozhen just wants to pay tribute and pledge his loyalty, what else? Is there nothing else?"

Qiu Nan then said with a sad face, "My family is willing to send one of our sons to Jiankang to serve Marshal Gongshu."

Yang Jing continued to ask expressionlessly, "What else?"

Qiu Nan was stunned when he heard this, somewhat confused. After thinking for a while, he said, "Anything else? Yes, yes, my family is willing to pay the Marshal ten kilograms of gold and two hundred kilograms of silver every year."

Yang Jing continued to ask, "That's it? That's all?"

Qiu Nan was about to cry, "I really don't know what else the governor wants. When I go back, I will report to the governor and try my best to raise money for him." Yang Jing quickly corrected him, "It's not what I want, nor what my master wants, but what does Fang Guozhen want to give? Is he paying homage to me?
"From the meaning of his surrender, it seems that he still wants to be my lord's neighbor instead of being his subject, right?
"In that case, I don't think we need to send his son to Jiankang. My lord won't be short of a slave, and the annual tribute can be saved. He only has two routes of Tai and Wen, but he can squeeze out so much gold and silver. I have just conquered half of eastern Zhejiang, and I still have surplus troops. Now I still have 200,000 troops. It would be better for me to collect Tai and Wen for my lord. Instead of letting Fang Guozhen pay tribute every year, it would be better for my lord to collect taxes himself.

"Fang Guozhen should forget about being my lord's neighbor. He is not worthy of being my lord's neighbor!

"Go away now. When you go back, tell him to clean his neck. When I arrive at the gates of Taizhou, tell him to come and tell me whether he wants to be my master's neighbor or his subject!"

Qiu Nan was so frightened that he knelt on the ground with a plop, and cried, "Please calm down, Governor. My family is begging for surrender sincerely, and we have no intention of saying one thing and thinking another. If the Governor and the Marshal have any other requests, please let me know clearly, and I will convey them to Wan Hu when I return."

Yang Jing then stood up and walked to Qiu Nan, stretched out his hand to help him up, patted his shoulder, and then spoke earnestly in front of Qiu Nan's anxious gaze.

"If you want to surrender, you should act like you are begging for surrender. It is not enough to just offer tribute and pledge allegiance. Don't take me for a fool, and don't even think about fooling my master and asking him not to evade the most important issue of offering land and his navy. Why didn't you mention it at all?

"Since he has already pledged his loyalty, why does he still keep his own soldiers? Is he planning to rebel?!"

Qiu Nan wanted to kneel down again, but Yang Jing grabbed his shoulders and lifted him up. "Hey, Envoy Qiu, please don't kneel all the time. The Tartar kneeling etiquette is not accepted here."

Qiu Nan was relieved at this, and then cried again, "Reporting to the Governor, my family really did not mean to avoid the important issues. If the Governor and the Marshal have any other requests, I will definitely go back and convey them."

Yang Jing nodded, "Since your attitude is relatively sincere, this is settled. Go back and ask Fang Guozhen if he is really loyal. If he is just pretending, my 200,000 troops will arrive soon. If he is really loyal, he should be more proactive and not wait until he is beaten. If he does this, he will get nothing. Remember everything?"

Qiu Nan nodded repeatedly after hearing this, "I'll remember this. I'll take my leave now, then?"

"Hey, the envoy has finally come here, why not leave in a hurry?"

Seeing Qiu Nan looking at him with a puzzled expression, Yang Jing's attitude became more friendly. He stepped forward, put his arm around Qiu Nan's shoulders, and spoke with his arm around his shoulders, and his tone became even softer.

"We just dealt with official business. Now that we have finished discussing official business, let's talk about personal matters."

Qiu Nan's eyes rolled. He had seen this before! He was probably going to ask for a bribe from him, right? After all, the officials of the Yuan court had always been like this, and it seemed that the generals of the Shengwu Army were no exception. Fortunately, he had been prepared. If he could get this great general to come forward and say a few good words for Fang Guozhen, then Lu Jin should be able to let them go, right?

But why are Zhu Shou and Zhang Wen still here? Are the three of them in the same group? Doesn't that mean I have to bribe three people? I'm afraid this won't satisfy the appetite of the three of them.
While Qiu Nan was daydreaming, Yang Jing suddenly said, "Brother Qiu is so talented, I wonder what position you hold with Fang Guozhen?"

Hmm? Something seems wrong. Is this asking for a bribe?
Qiu Nan was full of questions, but he still didn't dare to neglect it, and said quickly, "I am not talented, but I am a clerk in Wanhu Mansion."

"Tsk, just a clerk, you are too young. How can you be just a clerk when you are so talented? If you follow Fang Guozhen, what good will it be for you? He has no ambition. If you follow him, you will only be a clerk in a mansion.

"If you follow my commander, you will have more opportunities. My master does not care about background, but talent. As long as you can complete the tasks assigned by the commander, he will never be stingy with official positions and rewards. If you were my colleague, with your talent, you would have at least become a prefect by now."

Qiu Nan choked when he heard this. Oh my goodness, it turned out that he was not asking for a bribe from him, but was trying to bribe him with an official position in order to incite him to betray Fang Guozhen?

Qiu Nan opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Yang Jing who raised his hand.

"Hey, Brother Qiu, there's no need to say more. Think about it carefully first. If you want to take a further step, it won't be too late to talk about it in a few days.

"There are no outsiders here now. Putting aside our respective masters, I would like to ask Brother Qiu in private, as an individual, how sincere is Fang Guozhen in his surrender?"

Qiu Nan rolled his eyes in his heart, damn it, isn’t this just business?
"I wonder what the general means by asking this?"

Yang Jing immediately said seriously, "To be honest with you, Your Excellency, I will tell you the truth. Before this Eastern Expedition, the Marshal did give me some instructions on how to deal with Fang Guozhen."

"Oh? General, could you tell me what instructions the Marshal has given?" Qiu Nan immediately became interested. If he could find out Lu Jin's true attitude, it would not be a wasted trip.

Yang Jing then said, "What instructions do you have? The key is to see how sincere Fang Guozhen is.

“Let me tell you this. I joined the army when the commander-in-chief had just conquered Luzhou City. After that, I made many military achievements and gained the commander-in-chief’s trust. Although I was still young and not a member of the Chaohu Yuan clan, it only took me a little over a year to become the governor of a region commanding 300,000 troops.

"Zhu Liangzu, who has the same official rank as me and just captured Huai'an in Jiangbei last month, will soon be promoted to the position of governor of the front. Do you know where Zhu Liangzu came from?"

"I don't know this, please tell me clearly, General." Qiu Nan said hurriedly.

Yang Jing continued, "Zhu Liangzu was originally the Marshal of the Lu'an Volunteer Army of the Yuan court. He surrendered to the lord after being defeated by the Marshal. He was a surrendered general of the Yuan court."

Qiu Nan was a little surprised, and his eyes widened when he heard that. A surrendered general actually became the governor of a front?

Seeing his surprised expression, Yang Jing said, "Are you surprised? Actually, I'm telling you this mainly to tell you that my master is a generous person. No matter what he was like in the past, as long as he is willing to submit sincerely, has military merits, and can do things, my master doesn't care about his background. He treats everyone equally and gives them important positions. As for what position he can get, it depends on whether he strives for it. Do you understand what I mean?"

Qiu Nan nodded, "I understand."

Yang Jing continued, "In a few days, go back and tell Fang Guozhen not to be afraid of this or that. Tell him not to worry because he was once an enemy of our army and that the lord will deliberately deal with him. Tell him not to worry. Zhu Liangzu was once an enemy of the lord, but after he surrendered, the lord did not target him and has been using him. Of course, the premise is that he is 'sincerely surrendering'. If he is indecisive and wavering, that's another matter. Remember?"

"I've got it." Qiu Nan nodded again, and then asked, "What did the general mean when he asked me to talk to him again in a few days?"

"Oh, I have something to show you. Brother Qiu needs to stay in the camp for three or four days. I also hope that you can go back and tell Fang Guozhen not to misjudge the situation. If he continues to waver like this, the consequences will be something he cannot bear."

Qiu Nan nodded and said, "I understand. Does the Marshal have any other requests? I will convey them to you when I return."

Yang Jing said again, "As for the requirements, they are not many, just a few.

"First, my master is training artillery in Jiankang and teaching the Gongshu Secret Canon, which is a divine book that is not passed on to outsiders. I heard that Fang Guozhen has three sons. If he truly wishes to join us, he should take the initiative to send these three sons to Jiankang to study. In the future, they will at least be the master's personal disciples and have a bright future."

Qiu Nan opened his mouth in surprise and asked, "All three young masters are going? But you are still young. How can you go thousands of miles away from home without your parents to take care of you?"

"Then why not send Mr. Fang's mother along as well?"

"." Qiu Nan was speechless. What you said makes a lot of sense.

"Secondly, tell Fang Guozhen not to evade the important issues. He will end up in a bad situation if he is indecisive. If he truly wants to surrender, he should hand over the navy fleet and the Taiwen route together!

"As for Fang Guozhen's job arrangement, if we can't reach an agreement on these two points, then there's no need to discuss the arrangement. This is the bottom line!"

Qiu Nan's forehead was sweating. He wiped his forehead with his sleeve and nodded in agreement, "I will definitely convey it."

Yang Jing reminded him again, "Also, don't make this public. Don't let everyone know. The Marshal has made some special arrangements for him. When you go back, go and ask Fang Guozhen about his attitude. If he agrees, come to Hangzhou to find me and I will make other arrangements."

"Yes, I'll keep it in mind." Qiu Nan agreed quickly.

Yang Jing nodded, "That's all. Oh, and Brother Qiu, don't forget to think about your future."

Qiu Nan smiled awkwardly. Even though he was very moved, it seemed a bit unkind to turn against him at this time, and would make people look down on him. So he just smiled and didn't say anything else.

After dealing with Fang Guozhen's matter, before Qiu Nan left, Yang Jing immediately shouted in front of him.

"Somebody come!"

A personal soldier immediately came in from outside the tent, "What do you want, General?"

"Go and tell Zhang Long and the two general managers of the 41st Army to come over. I have arrangements."

"Yes!"

When Qiu Nan saw that Yang Jing was going to deal with military affairs, he immediately looked over with a questioning look, meaning that he should avoid it. However, Yang Jing ignored him, as he was doing it for him to see.

After Zhang Long, Xu Yong, and Guo Zixing arrived, Yang Jing immediately arranged, "Zhang Long, lead a cavalry regiment to the bank of the Qiantang River and find a suitable place to build a bridge to cross the river. Report back to me within two days. Go now."

"Yes!" Zhang Long immediately took the order and left.

"Xu Yong, Guo Zixing."

"The general is here!"

"You two take the 41st Army and go along the canal to collect boats and crossing equipment. Before the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, I will build several floating bridges on the Qiantang River. We will take as many boats as we can. Don't mind the trouble. Do you understand?"

"understand!"

"Go now, don't miss the deadline, otherwise you will be subject to military law!"

"Yes!"

Qiu Nan was immediately shocked. Perhaps Yang Jing wanted him to see how the Shengwu Army crossed the river? Was this to demonstrate to Fang Guozhen how powerful the Shengwu Army was and not misjudge the situation?
Actually it's more than that.

On the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, a fast horse came from the west to report victory.

"Reporting to the Governor, General Hua of the 42nd Army led the main force of the 118th Division to capture Yuhang on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month and is now continuing to advance towards Lin'an!"

"Probe again and report again!"

"Yes!"

"Reporting to the Governor, Deputy Commander Xu of the 42nd Army led the main force of the 119th Division to capture Fuyang on the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month and is now continuing to advance towards Xincheng!"

"Probe again and report again."

"Yes!"

Qiu Nan, who had been serving as an 'observer' in the Hangzhou camp, only then realized that Yang Jing had more than just the troops in Hangzhou. He actually had two separate divisions attacking the line from Yuhang to Yuling Pass and the west bank of the Qiantang River. How many troops did the East China Front have?

Four days later, on the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, Qiu Nan, who was marveling at the large number of troops in the East China Front Army, was called by Yang Jing again and followed him out of the camp for ten miles to the north to welcome a general.

Just when Qiu Nan was wondering if there was any other general that Yang Jing needed to pick up in person, he saw another large army coming from the direction of Chongde. Before they arrived, he could faintly hear majestic singing.

"Wolf smoke rises ~ looking north to the mountains and rivers, the dragon flag is unfurled ~ the horse neighs, the sword is as frosty ~, the heart is as vast as the Yellow River, in the past twenty years, who can resist ~
"I am so angry that I want to be crazy~ Wherever the long sword points, how many loyal souls of brothers and sisters~ Buried in a foreign land, why hesitate to die a hundred times for the country, I can't help but sigh~ Even more speechless~ Blood and tears fill my eyes~
"The horses are going south and the people are looking north. The people are looking north and the grass is green and the dust is flying. I am willing to defend the land and expand the borders. The great China wants all quarters to come and congratulate us!"

On the northern horizon, next to the two leading generals, there were three red military flags of the 40th Army and the 114th and 115th Divisions. The troops behind them were endless. The queue composed of red cloth armor looked like a winding fire dragon. It was the first time that Qiu Nan intuitively felt what it meant to have flags covering the sun!

Nine regiments and more than 40,000 troops led by Yu Tonghai and Zhang Desheng have also arrived. Another fresh force has arrived at the Hangzhou battlefield. Does Fang Guozhen dare to continue to be indecisive?

(End of this chapter)