Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 379: When a general is away from home, he is not bound by the king’s orders!

In history, Tuotuo was dismissed from his post as prime minister in 1354.

The Red Turban Army began its rebellion in 1351. In August of that year, Zhima Li and others occupied Xuzhou and cut off the canal transportation. In addition, Fang Guozhen cut off the sea transportation, resulting in Dadu completely losing its grain supply.

However, at that time, Tuotuo's main focus was on dealing with Liu Futong, and he had no time to pay attention to the canal transportation.

In 1352, Tuotuo personally led his army to suppress Xuzhou and massacred all the inhabitants of Xuzhou. After reopening the canal transportation, he took the fake head of Li Zhima back to Dadu to claim credit, and then left his troops to continue hunting down the remaining Red Turbans in Jianghuai.

At the beginning of 1353, Zhang Shicheng rebelled, but was soon recruited by the Yuan court. Therefore, the grain supply was not threatened and Toghto did not come in person.

In 1354, Zhang Shicheng, who had been recruited, rebelled again and proclaimed himself King of Zhou. He occupied Gaoyou and cut off the Grand Canal again. Tuotuo could not tolerate this, so he summoned a coalition force of hundreds of thousands from Mongolia, Han, Fan, Gao and the rest of the country and went to Gaoyou to suppress the rebellion. It was during this battle that Tuotuo was dismissed from his post as prime minister.

However, even in 1354 in the original history, the situation in the Yuan court was far from being as corrupt as it is now.

At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang had about 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers under his command, including 20,000 elite troops, but his territory only had one city, Chuzhou, and he had not yet started crossing the river.

Although Zhang Shicheng occupied Gaoyou, he did not have time to occupy all the salt fields in Huaiyang, nor did he go south from Tongzhou to invade Suzhou.

Although the entire Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province was once attacked by Xu Song in Hangzhou, it was quickly driven back to Jiangxi and Hubei. The Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province was still almost completely under the control of the Yuan court.

But in this time and space, it is only the end of 1352, and all the salt fields in Jiangbei from Huai'an to Yangzhou, including the entire plain and prime areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, have been controlled by Lu Jinquan. It would be strange if this little iron pot did not go crazy.

Who should bear this responsibility? Of course it is Tuotuo, and it can only be Tuotuo, because he is the prime minister, and the Red Turban Rebellion was caused when he was in power.
Because the food supplies in Pei County were burned and Xuzhou could not be taken, Tuotuo had to retreat to Huaibei as the army was about to run out of food. However, he did not just go back to Dadu. The current situation was much worse than the original history. If the fall of Huaiyang was barely acceptable, then Lu Jin's occupation of Jiangsu and Zhejiang was like cutting off the source of the fire.

Without the food supply from Jiangnan, even if the Yuan court wanted to gather an army again to suppress the rebellion, it would be difficult to gather enough military rations. And if it could not raise more troops, it would not be able to take back the fallen Jiangnan. This was a vicious circle that directly trapped Tuotuo.

If he couldn't find a way to solve this problem, even if he returned to Dadu now, he could only survive by farming in Dadu. He would have to live one day at a time and lie down to get by. He wouldn't be able to mobilize enough troops to counterattack. Sooner or later, the Red Turbans would become powerful and drive them back to the grassland. What would be the point of returning to Dadu now?

Now Tuotuo also understands that compared with Xuzhou's Zhima Li, Lu Jin is the real threat. Zhima Li can only occupy Xuzhou and get beaten, but Lu Jin already has the strategic offensive capability to capture half a province at a time. It is obvious who poses a greater threat.

So after withdrawing from Xuzhou to Huaibei, he brought his main force to the opposite side of Huai'an, and confronted Zhu Liangzu at the bridgehead camp of the Huaibei pontoon bridge, preparing to test the strength of the Shengwu Army and see what was so special about this group of Red Turbans and why they were so good at fighting.

At the same time, they sent people out to sea from Haining Prefecture (Lianyungang) to Jiangsu and Zhejiang by sea to scout the situation and see if they could still contact officials in Jiangsu and Zhejiang to ask about the current situation in Jiangnan and whether there was any possibility of recovery.

Even if he could only take back some land and continue to supply himself with food, as long as he had enough food to recruit soldiers, he would immediately go back to Dadu to recruit people. He would call all the Mongolians from the grassland, the Han people from the north, the Tibetan vassal soldiers, and the Goryeo warriors. He just didn't believe that so many soldiers could not defeat a few Red Turbans.

Unfortunately, God did not give him this opportunity. The envoy sent to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to investigate the situation had not returned yet, but the envoy sent by the emperor arrived first.

On the 28th day of the 12th lunar month at the end of the 12th year of Zhizheng, heavy snow fell on both sides of the Huai River. The Yuan army soldiers huddled in the barracks and shivered with cold. Due to food shortages, they could only eat two meals a day, and they had suffered a defeat. Their morale was low and they gathered together to warm themselves by the fire. If it weren't for Tuotuo who prohibited them from leaving the barracks, this bunch of guys would have scattered everywhere to rob the people in Huaibei.

At this moment, the emperor's envoy entered the camp from the gate. The Han soldiers from Hebei were still wondering whether the emperor would send someone to reward them, but the Qiexue soldiers around Tuotuo understood what was going on in an instant and burst into tears.

The messenger came to Tuotuo's central army tent, and immediately took out a brocade box and opened the lid. Inside was a wax ball as big as a duck egg with a secret decree. The messenger looked at Tuotuo with a sneer on his face and said proudly, "Prime Minister, His Majesty has an edict, please accept it quickly."

Tuotuo looked at the envoy's smug look and immediately understood what was going on. He had taken every possible precaution and even sent people back to Dadu to stop him, but he still failed to stop him. Now that the emperor's edict had arrived, he could only smile bitterly.

When the civil and military officials in the tent saw this, they knew that there was a traitor in the court who framed them, and they immediately glared at the messenger. If looks could kill, the messenger would probably have been cut into pieces!
Shi Pu, the head of the Ministry of War, immediately knelt down in front of Tuotuo and begged, "Prime Minister, please do not accept the edict. This must be a traitor in the court framing you and trying to kill you. The army is in a difficult situation now. If we lose the Prime Minister, who can save the situation? The Yuan Dynasty may be over, Prime Minister!"

Nasuradin, who was participating in the military council, was also indignant and said, "Yes, Prime Minister, we cannot accept the imperial edict! The Han people have a saying that goes, 'When a general is away from home, he may not obey the orders of the emperor.' Now the Prime Minister is leading the troops away from home. Although the imperial edict of His Majesty has arrived, as long as the Prime Minister does not open it first, we can pretend that he does not know about it. When the Prime Minister leads us to victory, we can return with the unopened imperial edict. This way, there is still room for recovery!"

"Alas," seeing this, Tuotuo sighed immediately, as if he had lost all his energy. He then shook his head and said, "If I don't obey your majesty's order, it would be against the emperor's order. Where is the righteousness between the monarch and his subjects? Is this what a subject should do?"

Upon hearing this, Nasuraddin glared at the messenger with red eyes, and then said, "This is clearly a traitor in the court framing the prime minister. That villain has been coveting the position of prime minister for a long time. If the prime minister insists on obeying the imperial edict, then the matter will be over!

"We have been following the Prime Minister for many years. Now that he has dealt with the Prime Minister, he is even more afraid that we will go back for revenge. He must kill us. Since we will die at the hands of that villain sooner or later, it is better to die in front of the Prime Minister today!"

After saying this, Nasurading drew out the sword from his waist with a clang, and in front of the envoy and Tuotuo, he cut his own throat with the sword. Blood spurted out and he fell to the ground and died on the spot.

Such a sudden change immediately frightened the envoy. Well, you said you were not a powerful official. If you had no intention of treason, why did all the generals around you become death warriors?
So he immediately plucked up the courage to continue to interrogate Tuotuo, "Does the Prime Minister want to disobey the order?"

Seeing his subordinates die tragically in front of him, Tuotuo felt even more sad. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he took the wax ball with secret decree, opened it in front of everyone and took a look. Sure enough, inside was the imperial decree to dismiss him from his post and exile him.

The civil and military officials around him burst into tears. Tuotuo took off his hat and respectfully placed it aside. Then he kowtowed in the direction of the northern capital and said, "I am a stupid and ignorant minister. Your Majesty has favored me and entrusted me with the affairs of the country. I have worked hard every day and have been treading on thin ice, fearing that I would fail your Majesty's trust. Now your Majesty has relieved me of this heavy burden. It is truly a great favor."

After saying this, he stood up and helped up the civil and military officials who were sitting on the ground and crying. Then he gave his armor to Yuekuochal and apologized to him, "It was my carelessness that Yesu fell into the hands of the enemy. I was unable to help you get revenge. I am really sorry. I have nothing to repay you. Now I only have this armor to protect me, but it will be useless in the future. I give it to you."

"Prime Minister!" Upon hearing this, Yue Kuochar's eyes turned red and she grabbed Tuotuo's hand, not wanting him to leave.

Tuotuo patted him on the shoulder and said, "You are the Grand Marshal of the Yuan Dynasty. After I leave, you must control your soldiers well. Don't rashly attack Jiangbei again without a complete plan. The Luzhou bandits are definitely not comparable to the Xuzhou Li bandits. Be careful."

"Yes, I will definitely remember it!" Yue Kuochar immediately agreed while crying.

After saying that, Tuotuo turned around and looked at Fushou, "Fushou, you are the most stable among all the generals. You are also the Yuan Dynasty's Kezhaluhuchi, in charge of military law. After I leave, you must strictly discipline the generals and make sure they do not disobey the will of His Majesty."

"Well, I know. Don't worry, Prime Minister. When we return to the court, we will find a way to persuade His Majesty to summon you back." Fushou said immediately, but the messenger laughed at him, as if he thought Fushou was overestimating his own abilities.

Fushou frowned. Tuotuo didn't even look at the messenger. He took Fushou's hand and patted it. "My mount is a good horse tributed by Khwarezm. I give it to you."

Fu Shou immediately added, "I will definitely feed her well for the Prime Minister and wait for him to come back."

Tuotuo said nothing more, turned around and looked at the messenger and asked, "Your Majesty has banished me to Yunnan, but now the road to the south is occupied by bandits, how can I go south?"

The messenger immediately said, "Don't worry about that. We have already prepared it for you. First take a boat from Haining to Guangzhou, and then transfer to Yunnan in Guangzhou."

Tuotuo nodded, "Let's go then."

After saying that, he never looked back and followed the envoy out of the tent. The snow outside blew into the tent and blew on everyone's face, and everyone felt a bone-chilling chill. Hama seemed to be worried about something unexpected, and did not dare to delay for a moment. After Tuotuo received the order, he took him to Haining Prefecture that day, wanting to send him away quickly. The Yuan army camp in Huaibei entered a state of being leaderless for a short time.

However, they did not have to wait long. On the second day, the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, an envoy from the imperial court came to the army again and brought them a second order.

"The Qiexue Army will be led by Xuexue, the head of the Privy Council, and taken back to Dadu immediately. For the rest of the troops, if they receive the imperial edict and do not immediately disband their troops, their entire clan will be executed!"

Upon receiving this news, the Yuan army camp was in an uproar.

What the hell? It's New Year's Day, the imperial court didn't give them any rewards, but they also wanted them to disband their troops immediately? If they didn't disband, they would be executed along with their entire clan? How could this be justified? !
However, facing the imperial edict written in black and white, the generals were unable to refute it. Fushou and Yuekuochar were so angry that they cursed and said that Hama must be worried that they, Tuotuo's trusted generals, would bring the troops back and threaten his position, so he asked them to disband the troops first and then take the Qiexue army back.
But the imperial edict is here, and they have no choice but to obey.

The news quickly spread in the Yuan army camp. The soldiers who knew they were going to be disbanded immediately began to loot the few remaining food and property in the army. Some military leaders took the opportunity to form gangs and prepare for rebellion. With the way the Yuan Dynasty was doing things, whoever fought for the court again would be raised by a stepmother!

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, some Yuan soldiers escaped from the barracks and ran around looting the countryside. The Qiexue army also began to pack up and prepare to retreat.

Moreover, before they retreated, the Yuan army started fighting themselves because those recruited Han soldiers were looting baggage and food. If all the food and grass were looted by them, what would the Qiexue army eat on their way back?
The Yuan army camp was directly blown up, and hundreds of thousands of people began to fight each other!

Zhu Liangzu, who was confronting Tuotuo on the Huaihe River line, had been paying close attention to the movements of the Yuan army camp opposite. He soon discovered the abnormality of the Yuan army. At first, he suspected that Tuotuo was cheating and wanted to lure him over, but soon the Yuan army blew up the camp and started a fire, which was even more wrong.

Zhu Liangzu immediately ordered the cavalry to go out and capture some tongues and bring them back for interrogation. They soon learned the details.

"What did you say? Prime Minister Tuotuo was dismissed and demoted, and was taken away by the imperial envoy yesterday? The new Prime Minister Hama ordered the troops to be disbanded? Generals who do not disband their soldiers will have their entire clans executed?"

A captain of the Yuan army who had just been captured nodded immediately, "General, that's right."

"What about the Qiexue Army on the opposite side?" Zhu Liangzu asked in shock.

"I heard that the Tartar official who was in charge of the Privy Council was asked to take them back to Dadu. Of course, we Han soldiers were unwilling to do so. He said that we should disband, so we should disband? It was New Year's Day, but he didn't give us any rewards or severance pay. He wanted us to leave with just one sentence. There was no such easy thing in the world. So some brothers in the army tried to grab food and supplies, but the Qiexue army refused to do so, so they started fighting."

As soon as these words came out, Zhu Liangzu and Gao Yao looked at each other in shock. Was Yuan Ting crazy, or was Xiao Tieguo possessed by Zhao Gou? Could he really do such a thing as firing twelve gold medals in a row?
If the instructor Gao Yao was just shocked, then Zhu Liangzu had mixed feelings. He remembered what Lu Jin said when he captured him alive at Sanshili Pavilion in the east of Liu'an. At that time, Lu Jin had not even taken Luzhou, and he had predicted that judging from the long-term relationship between powerful ministers and weak emperors in the Yuan court, the prime minister and the emperor would certainly be at odds. If Tuotuo personally led the troops to suppress the rebel army, he would definitely be suspected by the emperor, and then the Yue Fei incident might be repeated.

At that time, he didn't take it seriously, thinking that Lu Jin was talking nonsense. If his father hadn't persuaded him to join Lu Jin, he might not have come. But now.
When Lu Jin's prediction came true and appeared right before his eyes, one can imagine the mental shock it brought to Zhu Liangzu!

Could it be that Lu Jin is really the man of destiny, with the ability to predict the future? ? ?

Gao Yao saw that he looked stunned and immediately pushed him, "Old Zhu, should we do something?"

Zhu Liangzu reacted immediately after hearing this.

"Yes! Fighter planes! We need to send troops immediately, come!"

"Butler?"

"Send a message to Liao Yongzhong in Qinghe, and tell him to immediately lead his troops on a grain ship, go north along the canal, seize Peixian, Fengxian, and Dangshan counties, persuade the Yuan army to surrender, and hold on to wait for orders.

"Send a message to Zhao Zhongzhong in Andong (Lianshui), and have him lead his troops to the north immediately, along the Wugangkou (Guannan), Guanduchang (Guanyun), and Banpuchang line east of Shuoxiang Lake, and seize Haining Prefecture (Lianyungang). After taking Haining, seize Ganyu depending on the situation!"

"Tell all the troops in the central army to pack up and prepare for the expedition immediately. I want to capture Taoyuan, Suqian, Xiapi, Shuyang and Yizhou!

"Immediately send an order to all units to act immediately upon receiving it. There must be no mistakes. Also inform them of the situation on the Yuan army side."

"Yes!"

"Wait, don't go yet!" Gao Yao immediately stopped the messenger and turned to look at Zhu Liangzu, "Why are you in such a hurry? When I asked you whether you want to do something, I meant whether you want to ask the commander-in-chief first. The commander-in-chief had issued a strict order not to attack Huaibei now. If you send troops without asking, be careful not to make mistakes."

Zhu Liangzu slammed the table and said immediately, "When a general is away from home, he may not obey the orders of the emperor! You heard what happened to the Yuan army on the other side, Lao Gao. Now is the time to take advantage of his illness to kill him. Why should we ask for instructions and wait for the Marshal's agreement before sending troops? Why is there such a rush?"
"Opportunities are rare and will never come back. I am the military commander. Once the war starts, everything will be done according to my will.

"Besides, don't we have you, the instructor, in charge? I didn't say I wouldn't report to the commander-in-chief.

"Well, let's send out the troops first, and write a report to the Marshal's Mansion now. There are more than 100,000 troops on the other side who need us to take over. They don't have much food, so you have to ask the Marshal to transport more food to us. It would be best if you could send a trusted general to Huai'an to take charge.

"Old Gao, you are personally stationed in Huai'an, responsible for allocating food and fodder to the three armies. With you here pinching our food and fodder, are you still afraid that I, Zhu Liangzu, will rebel?

"Don't worry, Lao Gao. You don't understand the art of war and the Marshal's habit of deploying troops. The Marshal is the best at seizing opportunities. If the Marshal knew what happened to the Yuan army, he would definitely send troops as soon as possible. The Marshal would definitely agree. Just let us go!"

Gao Yao frowned and thought for a moment. Just when Zhu Liangzu was about to hit someone, he finally nodded and said, "Okay, I'll write the report for the Marshal, but you have to sign it."

"Okay, okay, I'll sign it." Zhu Liangzu agreed reluctantly. Then he turned around and saw the messenger still standing there, and immediately cursed him.

"What are you still doing standing there? Why don't you go and pass on the message?"

"Yes!"

"Wait!"

The messenger turned around and was about to leave, but was stopped by Gao Yao again.

"What's wrong again?" Zhu Liangzu said impatiently.

Gao Yao quickly wrote a few orders, stamped them with his training officer's seal, and then said, "Take my orders, otherwise Liao Yongzhong and Zhao Zhongzhong may not dare to mobilize troops."

"." Zhu Liangzu was speechless.
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PS: I didn’t make it up that the Yuan army disbanded on their own. The original text of “Gengshen Waishi” reads: “(The treacherous minister Hama) secretly sent someone to the army to report to the leader: The imperial edict is coming, and those who don’t disband immediately will be executed!”

The "secretly sending people" here should mean sending people privately, so the order that the Yuan army must disband the troops on the spot was probably done by Hama's "forged edict", and may not be an order from Emperor Shun of Yuan himself.
(End of this chapter)