Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 382 Three Iron Smelting Bases
My goodness! When Lu Jin heard Fu Youde asking for the establishment of two armies, which was already the strength of an army group, the Shengwu Army only had two army groups in total. This request immediately made Lu Jin serious.

"Do you know how many military commanders there are in our army? If you want to be promoted to a military commander, you must not only have military merits, but also have the ability to take charge of a battle. Once the army is formed, you must take on a battle mission on your own.

"Take Zhu Liangzu, who fought in the Jiangbei War this time, for example. He fought all the way from Lai'an to Huai'an, conquered nearly twenty cities, and now has even reached Shandong. In such a large battle, he was just a military commander when he led his troops.

"Your military strength is there, I can give you a military commander, but can you capture twenty cities for me?

"It is important for people to know their own abilities. If you don't have the talent, you'd better not take on this job. Otherwise, you will be unworthy of the position and bring yourself into trouble. If you insist on taking on a military mission and you are asked to fight someone, and you fail to defeat them, you may end up defeated and killed."

Fu Youde also frowned when he heard this. He originally thought that Lu Jin would use some reasons of intimacy to refuse, but he didn't expect Lu Jin to ask them to attack twenty cities as soon as he opened his mouth.
Of course, what Lu Jin said was a bit exaggerated. The troops deployed in the Jiangbei Campaign were not only Zhu Liangzu's army, but also a division of Bian Yuanheng helped. Li Huafu's defection and Lu Zhen's on-the-spot uprising directly helped Lu Jin capture the two important cities of Taizhou and Taixing. Later, the remaining cities on Yangzhou Road were swept away with the help of Yu Tonghai's 40th Army. Therefore, the Jiangbei Campaign was not entirely the credit of Zhu Liangzu's army.

However, Fu Youde was quite shocked to hear this. Not to mention an army, even if they were given 40,000 people, could they capture more than a dozen cities?
But Fu Youde came here to negotiate after all, so he naturally couldn't give up the benefits he should fight for easily. After all, this was related to the status of their Xuzhou Group in the Shengwu Army. So he gritted his teeth and said again.

"The Marshal's soldiers are powerful, but the dozens of cities in Xuzhou were not acquired for nothing. They all rely on one head and two shoulders. If Zhu Liangzu can do it, we can certainly do it too.

"But the Marshal just said that you should not take on a job if you don't have the skills. If the Marshal wants us to attack a dozen cities with one army, then we must have the same armaments as Zhu Liangzu. Everyone in the army must wear armor, have both infantry and cavalry, and have sufficient food and grass supplies. In short, we must have everything that Zhu Liangzu has. If we are not as good as him in fighting, then we voluntarily demote ourselves and leave it to the Marshal to decide!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin immediately laughed. It was true that it was better to provoke an enemy than to use him. A little provocation could still be useful.

So he said seriously, "In terms of your military strength, I can give you the position of general manager, but there is only one pair of general and deputy general managers. For now, don't even think about organizing two armies.

“Moreover, you have just arrived and have not made any achievements, so the position of military commander cannot be officially appointed. You can only serve as an acting military officer. If you want to become a regular officer, you must show your abilities. Not only me, but also the veterans in my army must be convinced.

"If you want to have two armies, it's not impossible in the future, but you have to wait until you have made military achievements.

"As for military equipment and food, since you have joined my army, I will naturally treat you equally. However, there are a lot of troops waiting for replacement equipment in the army now. If you want armor, you will have to wait for a while."

Two will be appointed as acting chief and deputy generals, and the other two will be judged based on their performance. Their pay, equipment and treatment will be the same as other troops. However, they must also be able to capture more than a dozen cities for Lu Jin at a time.

This condition was not bad, and basically met Fu Youde's expectations. At least it was better than giving only three commanders, so he thought about it and agreed. He immediately stood up and bowed, "Thank you for your kindness, Marshal. From now on, we will serve you until we die."

Lu Jin hurriedly stepped forward and helped him up. "Since you have joined my army, I will treat you equally and reward and punish you clearly. But you insisted on taking the position of military commander. Don't forget the promise you made to me today. If you cannot do what you said today in the future, don't blame me for taking back my order."

Fu Youde immediately puffed out his chest and said, "A real man should keep his word. If we have the same food, salary, and weapons, we are still not as good as that General Zhu. Then, you don't need to ask us to do anything. We will ask to be demoted!"

"Okay, then tell me the details of Xuzhou. How many armors, infantry and cavalry do you have for your 40,000 soldiers? How many bows and arrows do you have? What fighting methods did you usually use? Let's discuss how to reorganize them."

"Yes"

Fu Youde immediately introduced the situation in Xuzhou. Most of Xuzhou's current troops were infantry, with less than a thousand cavalry. The cavalry used by Zhao Jun was about the same, with at most more than a thousand cavalry. The main reason was that they had sold horses to Lu Jin in exchange for armor before, and many horses had already been sold to Lu Jin.

There were about 4,000 sets of armor and iron armor left. Zhao Junyong had about 3,000 of them, and the rest were almost all seized by Tuotuo. However, after many twists and turns, the main force of the Yuan army was disbanded, and those armors returned to Lu Jin's hands.

The infantry of Xuzhou is actually average. The most commendable ones should be the archers. Zhima Li had spent a lot of effort to train a group of archers, and now there are more than 2,000 left. The number of arrows stored in Xuzhou is also astonishingly large. After fighting several battles with Tuotuo, there are still more than one million arrows left. For the remaining 2,000 archers, almost each person can get 500 arrows.

These armored soldiers, cavalrymen and archers are the real elite of Xuzhou, and their total number is less than 10,000.

Taking into account that technical arms such as cavalry and archers are not talents that can be trained in a short period of time, Lu Jin decided to reorganize them and use them in a centralized manner.

Currently, the Shengwu Army has only three cavalry regiments. Zhang Long's Cavalry Regiment 1 is in eastern Zhejiang, Zheng Yong's Cavalry Regiment 2 is in Huaibei, and there is also a Cavalry Regiment 3 led by his adopted son Lu Pojun, which is also a new army formed not long ago after crossing the river and is currently undergoing training in Jiankang.

As for the three strategic directions of the new year, western Zhejiang, southern Anhui and Jiangxi in the south are either mountainous or swampy, so cavalry is of little use and the navy needs to be strengthened; but the Central Plains direction of Nanyang, Henan, definitely needs cavalry, at least one cavalry regiment.

In the north, towards Shandong and Hebei, the land is vast and sparsely populated, and there are large plains, so the more cavalry the better.

Therefore, Lu Jin decided to transfer Zhang Long's cavalry regiment to Luzhou this year to participate in the Battle of Nanyang, and then transfer Lu Pojun's cavalry regiment to the north and hand it over to Zheng Yong for command.

In addition, these archers and cavalrymen from Xuzhou were gathered together. It happened that when Zheng Yong fought Yesu's Qiexue cavalry in Huaibei this time, he seized more than 3,000 war horses. Together with the several hundred horses from Xuzhou and the 1,000 horses used by Zhao Jun, they were just enough to form the Fourth Cavalry Regiment, which was also under the command of Zheng Yong.

Zhang Huzi, the battalion officer under Zheng Yong, performed well in this battle and shot Yesu with his own hands. He is also an old man who joined the army when Lu Jin fought Zuo Junbi. It is time to promote him and let him lead the 4th Cavalry Regiment.

In this way, there were three cavalry regiments in the north, all of which were handed over to Zheng Yong and upgraded to cavalry divisions to deal with the war against Shandong and Hebei next year.

When Fu Youde heard that Lu Jin was going to give all the archers and cavalry of Xuzhou to Zhu Liangzu, he was dumbfounded. They had so little assets in Xuzhou, and if Lu Jin took them all away, how could they fight in the future?

Lu Jin explained, "This is not to give it to Zhu Liangzu, but to concentrate the cavalry for use. You only have a few hundred cavalry. What use can you have if you organize it separately? Can you fight against the Qiexue cavalry of the Yuan army? It is better to concentrate them all. In this way, there will be more than 13,000 cavalry, and the cavalry can undertake certain strategic tasks alone.

"And this is not called allocating it to Zhu Liangzu, but it is used to support the entire northern battlefield. The northern battlefield is not just Zhu Liangzu's army."

Fu Youde immediately said, "Of course I understand this, but we only have those elite troops. If we lose our archers, how can we fight in the future?"

Lu Jin continued to explain, "It takes too long to train ordinary soldiers into cavalry, but archers already know how to shoot arrows, so they just need to learn how to ride horses and cavalry tactics. This will shorten the training time and allow the new army to form combat effectiveness as soon as possible.

"As for how you fight, my army has few archers except for the cavalry. We rely on muskets and artillery. Bows and arrows can only shoot a hundred steps, but artillery can shoot two or three miles. Otherwise, how do you think I have conquered so many cities in the past six months? When we need to fight, I will equip you with artillery teams. You don't have to worry about this."

Fu Youde nodded, "Okay, then when will we reorganize, when can the Marshal transport food to Xuzhou, and where should we be transferred to in the future? More than 40,000 people can't stay in Xuzhou, right?"

Lu Jin thought for a while and said, "You can start the reorganization after you go back this time, and I will give you food after the reorganization is completed." "In addition, I plan to separate you and Mao Gui. Didn't you ask for the position of acting chief steward? You have a total of three divisions, one for Mao Gui, one for Xue Xian, and one for you. Let Mao Gui be the acting chief steward and Xue Xian be the deputy chief steward. From now on, Mao Gui's army will be assigned to Zhu Liangzu's side and will be responsible for the war in the north.

"After we defeat Zhao Junyong, we can reorganize another division from Zhao Junyong's prisoners of war and give it to you to lead."

Fu Youde was stunned when he heard this, and then he said in surprise, "The Marshal asked me to lead two divisions, isn't that the same as the military chief?"

"These two divisions are under your command, but you don't have the position of general manager for the time being, nor do you have a military-level organization. I plan to transfer your two divisions to Luzhou. When your reorganization and training are almost complete, there will be a war soon. Whether you can earn the position of military general manager by then depends on your performance." Lu Jin patted his arm and said.

Fu Youde frowned, even more surprised, and asked curiously, "Why does the Marshal think so highly of me?"

Lu Jin immediately laughed and said, "You, Fu Youde, dared to lead 3,000 people to rob Tuotuo's food and forced Tuotuo to retreat. It was with this courage and insight that you were able to do so."

Fu Youde then realized that Lu Jin knew so much about him, even knowing exactly what he had done recently. He then clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Marshal, for your respect and recognition. Youde will never forget it!"

Lu Jin just nodded, "After you go back, reorganize the troops as soon as possible. Leave one army in Xuzhou, let Mao Gui stay in Xuzhou for the time being, and you take your division to Qinghe along the Huai River, and then go southeast to the Hongze Lake, first station in Tianchang County, reorganize the army and prepare for war, and prepare to participate in the battle to encircle and suppress Zhao Junyong."

"Yes!" Fu Youde agreed immediately.

Peng Zaozhu, who had been silent on the side, heard that Zhao Junyong was going to be killed, and immediately asked, "General, when will we send troops to fight Zhao Junyong?"

Lu Jin took a look at the little guy and said, "I've been organizing the new army recently. You should have seen it when you came from Huaibei, so I don't have time to pay attention to Zhao Junyong for the time being. I will definitely destroy him within three months, before the end of March this year!"

Peng Zaozhu had to reluctantly agree when he heard that he had to wait for three months. When Fu Youde heard Lu Jin mention the matter of Huaibei, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "When I came here, I met Mr. Feng from the Marshal's Mansion and asked him what happened in Huaibei. He asked me to ask the Marshal, what happened in Huaibei? Can you tell me?"

"It's nothing serious. It's just that Toghto failed to capture your Xuzhou this time, and lost Huaiyang and Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The Yuan court's salt tax and grain were gone, and the Yuan emperor was furious. In addition, there were treacherous ministers in the Yuan court, so the Yuan emperor dismissed Toghto and demoted him to Yunnan, and ordered the Yuan army on the Huaibei front to disband on the spot.

"So when you came here, Zhu Liangzu should have just been leading his army northward to seize cities and gather the defeated soldiers of the Yuan court. The hundreds of thousands of troops brought by Tuotuo suddenly became ours. We have been busy reorganizing the new army recently."

Lu Jin recounted what happened in Huaibei in a nonchalant manner, as if it was no big deal, but Fu Youde and Peng Zaozhu were dumbfounded.

Tuotuo went south and fought a great battle, in which Zhima Li and Peng Da lost their lives. Lu Jin fought in Huaiyang, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and gained advantages along the way. In the end, Tuotuo was defeated without a fight, and Lu Jin took over all of Tuotuo's troops of more than 100,000, and gained an even bigger advantage. This was too outrageous. Is there really such a thing as fate in this world?
The two men were like stupid geese struck by lightning. They were taken to visit the Jiankang Imperial Guards Musket Regiment to see the power of muskets and grenades, as well as the teaching and training of the artillery class. This was also a way to broaden their horizons and boost their confidence and morale.

Lu Jin also called Guo Ying and Song Guoxing over, and together with Xia Yu and the other two, they listened to Lu Jin's assignments for them.

"The reorganization of the Xuzhou army this time will be presided over by you, Yunzhong. It just so happens that you were the one who led the team to pay tribute to Sesame Li last time. We will be familiar with it the second time, so there is no need to trouble others."

Xia Yu nodded immediately and said, "Please rest assured, my lord. I will definitely do a good job on this matter."

Lu Jin nodded and continued, "After you go there, you will announce my reorganization order and make sure to convey my arrangements clearly, especially the training officer system of our army. You must explain to them the difference between this system and the military supervisor system, and don't let them have any resistance. If there is anything they still don't understand, you should also explain it to them, and make sure that the generals in Xuzhou understand it clearly."

Lu Jin pointed at Guo Ying and Song Guoxing next to him and said, "They are very familiar with our military system. You should bring them with you and let them help the generals in Xuzhou to reorganize the army. Pay attention to the physical strength and specialties of the soldiers and allocate the positions of the soldiers reasonably. Do you remember this?"

Guo Ying and Song Guoxing nodded immediately and said, "Understood."

"Well, you two will each lead a company over there. One is to protect Mr. Yunzhong, and the other is to help reorganize the troops. After the reorganization is completed, you will follow Mr. Yunzhong and bring back the roster.

"As for the tens of thousands of civilians in Xuzhou, after the reorganization is completed and our military rations arrive, we will distribute them according to the roster. All the original grain reserves in Xuzhou will be distributed to those civilians as severance pay, so that they can go home and farm. We can't delay this year's spring plowing.

"Let them go back to farming and explain to them clearly that even if their families don't have enough food to last until the summer harvest, they should stay at home and not flee. When the time comes, our government will send them food relief.

"Mr. Yunzhong will also be in charge of this matter. You must convey the benevolent policies of the Marshal's Mansion. You know what should be done, right?"

Xia Yu immediately said, "I understand!"

Isn't it just propaganda? This benevolent policy was decided by Lu Jin, the commander of the Shengwu Army, to make the people grateful and win their hearts. How could he not understand that?

"There's one more thing." Lu Jin continued.

"I heard that Fengxian, Peixian, and Xuzhou all have coal mines, and Xuzhou also has iron mines. Previously, Zhima Li opened an iron smelting factory in Xuzhou to forge weapons and arrows.

"This time when you go there, investigate the iron smelting situation in Xuzhou and try to find those craftsmen so that they can resume production. Also, if there are any craftsmen among the civilians in Xuzhou, keep them and don't let them go.

"Our army is expanding too fast, and we have too many recruits. We need a lot of weapons and armor. We only rely on the two ironworks in Luzhou and Dangtu, and the production efficiency is too slow. If the situation in Xuzhou is suitable, we will open a third iron smelting base in Xuzhou to speed up the forging of weapons and armor. Please pay attention to this matter. I will hand it over to the Construction Department when I come back."

"Yes, I will definitely keep this in mind!" Xia Yu solemnly agreed again.

"Reorganize the army, compile a roster, dismiss the laborers and let them go back to farming, and investigate the iron smelting situation in Xuzhou. Just these three things, come back after you have done them, and hurry up, it would be best if you could complete them within a month.

"Okay, you don't have to stay here. Go back and pack your bags and get ready. We'll leave tomorrow after Fu Youde finishes his tour."

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)