Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 371: The End of Zhejiang East
Peng Da died anyway. He was already injured and was surrounded by hundreds of Zhao Qi's cavalry alone. He had no chance of escape. Or, he had already made up his mind to die when he decided to lure Zhao Qi away and save his son. It was no surprise that he was surrounded and killed in the end.

However, the scene of Peng Da being killed happened to be seen by the scouts sent by Xuzhou to look for Peng Da. They did not dare to step forward to rescue him. As soon as they appeared on the periphery, they were discovered by Zhao Qi, who then chased and killed these scouts, but still let them escape back.

Zhao Qi pursued them relentlessly. He originally wanted to continue hunting down Peng Zaozhu, but after chasing for a long time, the Xuzhou scouts who escaped quickly called for more reinforcements, and just like before, they pretended to be an enemy, making Zhao Qi think that they had a lot of people. Seeing this situation, Zhao Qi had to return empty-handed.

When Cheng Liangbi, Xue Xian, Peng Zaozhu and their group were taken back to Xuzhou, they told Mao Gui and Fu Youde the details of the incident. The two of them looked at each other in shock.

Before leaving, Zhima Li reminded Mao Gui to beware of Zhao Junyong, who was not trustworthy. Lu Jin also sent an envoy to deliver a message to them, asking them to be careful of Zhao Junyong. They were indeed alert at the time, but did not take it seriously. After all, the Yuan army had just withdrawn to Huaibei. Even if Zhao Junyong wanted to seize power, he would not be so anxious, right?

Who would have thought that this guy was so anxious? The Yuan army hadn't gone far yet, and he had just learned of Zhima Li's death, but he couldn't wait to seize power.

However, history has proven that if Zhao Junyong had a sense of the overall situation and a sense of justice, he would not have killed Mao Gui at the critical moment of the Longfeng Northern Expedition. There is no need to have any illusions about him.
"Ah ...
When the ten-year-old child was tired of crying, he grabbed Mao Gui and Fu Youde and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Brother Mao, Brother Fu, my father treated you well in the past. Now that Zhao Junyong and Zhao Qi, those two sons of a bitch, have killed my father, you must send troops to help me avenge him!"

Upon hearing this, Mao Gui, Xue Xian, and Fu Youde sat in the mourning hall in silence. After a while, Mao Gui spoke.

"It is now the end of the twelfth lunar month, and we don't have much food left in Xuzhou. We can barely hold out until the beginning of next spring, but we will face famine in the months between spring plowing and summer harvest. If we don't have food to hold out for these months, I'm afraid the people won't be willing to sow the grain in the fields, and people will starve to death.

"Besides, we just lost tens of thousands of soldiers in resisting the Yuan army this time. Now we really have no strength to conquer Zhao Junyong, that villain."

After saying that, Peng Zaozhu fell silent. Mao Gui and Fu Youde were also a little confused.

They originally wanted to find Peng Da back so that they could make a decision, determine a future development plan, and see what to do next. But who could have thought that Peng Da is now dead, and Zhao Junyong is eyeing them from behind, wanting to swallow them up. What should they do now?
Seeing that everyone was silent, Mao Guiqiang said, "Li Shuai and Peng Shuai are gone, and now there is no backbone. What should we do in the future? We don't even know where to get food next spring. Everyone, please share your ideas. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Youde said, "I don't know how to grow crops next year, but I know that with our current military strength, it will be difficult to capture Suzhou and kill Zhao Junyong. The best way should be to contact the Shengwu Army in the south. Together, we can attack Suzhou from three sides from Haozhou, Gaoyou, and Xuzhou. We will surely capture Suzhou in one fell swoop and prevent him from escaping."

When Peng Zaozhu heard that he could take revenge, he immediately raised his head.

Mao Gui glanced at him and couldn't help but pour cold water on him, "You know who Lu Shuai of Luzhou is. Although he seems to be kind and friendly to us on the surface, he is also a person who will not do anything without profit.

"Every bit of help he gave us had to be exchanged for something from us, just like when he sold us armor before. Even when he reminded us to build the city defenses and taught us how to make the fennel cannon, he did it for free, but it was to allow us to hold back Tuotuo's Yuan army so that he could capture cities in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

"Now you ask him to help send troops and provide food and fodder, but he doesn't owe us anything. Why should he help us? What can you give him?"

Fu Youde hesitated for a while before saying, "What else can we do now if we don't ask him for help? Liu Futong hasn't made any noise for a year, and his Luzhou soldiers are the best developed. They are willing to help us, so I think we should just surrender to him. The condition for surrendering to him is that he helps us destroy Zhao Junyong."

Mao Gui spread his hands when he heard this. "It's useless to tell me this. The soldiers don't belong to me alone. Now that General Li and General Peng are gone, everyone has lost their backbone. Even if we want to surrender to Luzhou, we need everyone's consent."

Xue Xian, who had been silent the whole time, immediately asked, "What's the situation in Luzhou? Did they send an envoy to you again? How do you know that General Lu is willing to help us?"

Mao Gui immediately recounted the story of Xia Yu's visit to Xuzhou to offer condolences for Zhima Li. He also took out the handwritten letter written by Lu Jin to him and asked several people to pass it around. Lu Jin had specially sent someone to tell them that if they had any difficulties, they could go to Jiankang to find him.

After reading the letter, Xue Xian was not interested in what the letter said about going to Lu Jin if there were any difficulties. Instead, he was interested in what Lu Jin said in the letter: the Eastern Expedition Army of the Shengwu Army had already reached Hangzhou and was about to attack Shaoxing Road. The Eight Route Army in Eastern Zhejiang was almost completely under their control, and they had also defeated Fang Guozhen's navy. This was how they could cut off Tuotuo's food supply and force him to retreat.

After reading the letter, he was surprised and said, "They have now conquered Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and defeated Fang Guozhen's navy. Zhu Liangzu has also occupied 36 salt fields in Huaiyang. Doesn't that mean that the grain of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the salt of Huaiyang, and the richest place in the world are all in his hands?"

Mao Gui and Fu Youde looked at each other after hearing this, but still nodded.

Xue Xian asked quickly, "If we surrender, what kind of official position can he give us?"

"That's hard to say for now." Mao Gui glanced at him and asked, "But since you said that, does that mean you're ready to invest as long as Coach Lu offers you the right conditions?"

Xue Xian was quite open-minded. He spread his hands and said very frankly, "If the conditions are right, why not join them? They have more soldiers and food, salt fields, hundreds of thousands of troops, and a navy. They have conquered so much territory in a year. As long as the conditions are right, we won't suffer any loss if we join them. After all, they are all volunteers, not the Tartars.

"Besides, who else can give us so much food? Didn't you just say that we are short of food? Now that they have occupied Jiangsu and Zhejiang, who can have more food than them? Just from what is written in this letter, more than 100,000 dan of food were intercepted from Fang Guozhen. If they gave it to us, would you still be afraid of famine next year?"

Mao Gui nodded to show that he understood, and then he started counting on his own: himself, Fu Youde, Xue Xian, Peng Zaozhu, Cheng Liangbi, and Li Xixi. Li Xixi was not there at the moment, so he asked Cheng Liangbi and Peng Zaozhu.

"Now there are only a few of us left. Fu Youde and Xue Xian both want to join Luzhou's Lu Shuai. What about you? Can you also tell us what you are planning?"

Cheng Liangbi hesitated for a while before saying, "Anyway, Zhao Junyong will definitely not be able to stay here. I originally planned to come to Peng Shuai, but now he is gone to protect us. Well, I will listen to you brothers. If you are willing to go to Luzhou, I will go with you."

"Where is Zaozhu?" Mao Gui looked at Peng Zaozhu, who was only about ten years old.

Peng Zaozhu gritted his teeth and said, "As long as he can send troops to help me avenge my father's murder, I am willing to surrender."

Mao Gui nodded when he heard that, and Fu Youde looked around and said, "The only one who hasn't come back is Li Xixi. What about you, Mao Gui? You've asked everyone, what are your plans?" Mao Gui sighed, took out the musket that Lu Jin had sent from his waist, and played with it over and over in his hand while speaking.

"Marshal Lu thinks highly of us and even sent an envoy to send us a letter, reminding us to be careful of Zhao Junyong. If Marshal Li and Marshal Peng were still alive, there would be nothing to say. I, Mao Gui, would never defect to another place. But now that the two marshals are gone, our army is running out of food. If you all are willing to join Marshal Lu, then I have no choice but to follow him."

Xue Xian looked around at everyone and said, "Since you all have this attitude, why are you still asking Li Xixi? Anyway, we all agree. If Li Xixi disagrees, just let him go."

Peng Zaozhu also said quickly, "Yes, if you brothers are willing to surrender to Luzhou, then we should send someone to negotiate as soon as possible, so that they can send troops to kill Zhao Junyong and avenge my father's death. Otherwise, if we wait too long, my father may not be able to survive."

Fu Youde looked at Xue Xian, Cheng Liangbi and Mao Gui. After all, Mao Gui had a higher prestige in Xuzhou, so he kept silent and waited for Mao Gui to make a final decision.

Mao Gui said immediately, "Let's wait for Li Xixi, Fu Youde, Xue Xian, you all want to ask Marshal Lu for conditions, but don't forget that Luzhou is now strong and powerful, and does not lack our tens of thousands of remnants. They started from Chaohu and expanded their army many times. We are not the veterans who joined the army in Luzhou. If we have fewer people, then even if you ask for conditions, your words will not carry much weight.

"It is better to wait until everyone is here and surrender together, so that we can gain a foothold among the various forces in Luzhou and reap the benefits.

"Besides, we've already sent someone to look for Li Xixi. He'll be back in a few days at most, so this little bit of time won't matter."

"Then wait for them for a few more days."

Everyone nodded when they heard this. After all, although Mao Gui now has the highest prestige in Xuzhou, that is only for ordinary soldiers. Facing these generals of the same level in the past, he still cannot act arbitrarily.

The reason why everyone now tacitly agrees that he speaks on behalf of everyone is because Mao Gui knows how to respect the opinions of all parties. He only plays the role of a coordinator, but is not the new boss of Xuzhou. Not only Mao Gui is self-aware of this, but others are also very clear about it.

On the other side, Zhao Qi also brought back Peng Da's body. Upon hearing that Peng had escaped early and was picked up by the soldiers from Xuzhou, Zhao Junyong became so angry that he started cursing and beat Zhao Qi, saying that he was more of a hindrance than a help.

Zhao Qi was beaten, and then he asked cautiously, "Foster father, what should we do now? Mao Gui and others in Xuzhou will know that we killed Peng Da, and I'm afraid they will not let it go. If they attack us."

Zhao Junyong immediately said disdainfully, "Attack us? You're overthinking it. They don't have much food left now. If they still want to attack Suzhou, what can they use?"

"What about us?"

Zhao Junyong immediately said, "First send people to scout around Xuzhou to see if the Yuan army has left. If they have, we will attack other cities in the north first."

"Godfather, don't we go directly to Xuzhou?" Zhao Qi asked in confusion.

"You idiot, don't you know what kind of state the Xuzhou city has been built in? Even Tuotuo's army of hundreds of thousands couldn't take it, so how can you take it?" Zhao Junyong cursed while poking Zhao Qi on the head with his finger.

"Yes, yes, it's all because of my stupidity. My foster father is right in teaching me."

Zhao Junyong then said, "Let's attack other cities first. After we have collected soldiers from other cities, Xuzhou's food will be almost gone in a few months. When we attack Xuzhou again, I'm afraid they will be too hungry to have much strength by then."

Zhao Qi flattered him immediately after hearing this, "Foster father, you have a good plan, and you are wise. No, from now on, I should call you Father King."

"Hahahaha, you're really good at handling things, it's worth it that I adopted you as my son." Zhao Junyong felt elated when he heard the title of father.

At the same time, Lu Jin was also receiving Deng Shunxing, Hu Dahai and others. They first settled their families in Haozhou, and then were sent across the river to Jiankang.

Deng Shunxing's more than 42 men were divided into three regiments. Deng Shunxing, 18 years old this year, was appointed as the commander-in-chief by Lu Jin. The eldest brother, Deng Youlong, 15 years old, was the commander. The second brother, Deng Youde, also known as Deng Yu, was only years old. On the grounds that he was young and good at studying, he was left in Jiankang by Lu Jin as a guard officer, studying and training at the same time.

Hu Dahai and his two sons. Hu Dahai himself is 38 years old this year and was appointed as the commander by Lu Jin. The eldest son, Hu Sanshe, is 18 years old and was asked to follow Hu Dahai as deputy commander. The youngest son, Hu Guanzhu, is only 15 years old and was detained by Lu Jin for the same reason as Deng Yu.

Gong Xiuwen, who was sent as an undercover agent, was directly appointed as the divisional training officer of their division, which was also the condition that Lu Jin had promised him before.

Guo Ying, Tang Shengzong, Song Guoxing and others were directly retained. Lu Jin's reason was that these people were relatively young and suitable for training the new imperial guards, and young people learn things quickly.

Although Lu Jin seized one-third of Deng Shunxing's troops and also detained his and Hu Dahai's son, at least the eldest son was still with them, so the two had no objection.

What's more, Lu Jin treated them well. Not only did they receive official positions when they arrived, but their families were also allocated land and resettled. In the past few days, Luzhou also sent 11 sets of standard iron armor, which were the output of the iron factory from November to December, one and a half months. Lu Jin directly distributed them to the two regiments of Deng Shunxing and Hu Dahai. All the members were able to wear new armor as soon as they arrived, which made the two of them immediately feel Lu Jin's attention.

Besides, although Lu Jin deducted one third of his troops, he promised him that when they arrived at Chang Yuchun's place, Chang Yuchun would supplement them with a new regiment. Anyway, the total strength was still a division, so their troops were not reduced.

So the two of them happily went to Ningguo Road, and followed Lu Jin's orders to report to Chang Yuchun, preparing to join the southern front sequence and be under the unified command of Chang Yuchun in the future.

This went on until the 40th day of the twelfth lunar month, just a few days before the Chinese New Year, when victory news finally came from eastern Zhejiang. Zhang Desheng had led the main force of the th Army to capture Ninghai, and Xiangshan County, isolated on the peninsula, surrendered. The entire battle in eastern Zhejiang was over, and it was finally won before the Chinese New Year!
(End of this chapter)