Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 416: The New Army's First Battle
At the front line of the Southern Anhui Campaign, from the reorganization of the troops at the beginning of the year until the beginning of May, Chang Yuchun was not idle during these months of training. He always said that he could "command 100,000 soldiers". Now that Lu Jinzhen has given him 100,000 soldiers, of course he has to show some battle results, otherwise the veterans in the army will not know how to deploy him.

During these few months, Chang Yuchun supervised the various departments to train soldiers, and also inspected the various troops, inspected the generals under his command, exchanged their past battle records, and discussed how those battles should be fought. This was also a way to improve command relationships and enhance understanding between generals at all levels.

While doing all this, Chang Yuchun also formulated a battle plan for the Southern Anhui Campaign. After submitting it to the Marshal's Office for approval, it was officially issued for execution.

However, considering that there were too many new recruits in the Fifth Front Army, the Ninth Army was not so bad. Both the 43rd Army led by Chang Yuchun himself and the 44th Army led by Wang Zhiyuan were expanded from Chang Yuchun’s old 13th Regiment. Several commanders were the battalion officers of the original 13th Regiment, and the current regimental commanders were all promoted from former company commanders. Even after the expansion, every squad of the Ninth Army had veterans who had participated in actual combat.

Even if they were soldiers from the original 13th Regiment, as long as they were not dead or retired due to disability, they are now at least squad leaders.

Among them, Wang Zhiyuan, the commander-in-chief of the 44th Army, was particularly representative. When Lu Jin first arrived in Chaohu to join the army, this man was just a squad leader. After conquering Luzhou, he was assigned to the Imperial Guard Regiment as a company commander because of his merits. When Chang Yuchun's 13th Regiment was formed before crossing the river, he was transferred to be a thousand-household battalion officer. After the Battle of Crossing the River, he was promoted to regiment commander. When fighting Wuhu, he was promoted to commander-in-chief when the army was expanded. This time, the army was expanded again when the front was established, and he was finally promoted to army commander-in-chief.

He is a model of counterattack, a true illegitimate child. He started out as a small soldier near Chaohu Lake and climbed his way up to become the army chief by beheading people. Of course, luck also played a role in this, as he caught up with several major army expansions and now has become an absolute loyal follower of Lu Jin. If it weren't for Lu Jin, there would be no Wang Zhiyuan today, with his men growing from ten soldiers to 27,000!

However, compared with episode nine, episode ten is different. Liao Yongjian is the general in episode ten. The 45th Army of the Tenth Army Group was formed by drawing backbones from Liao Yongjian’s navy to serve as officers and incorporating captured soldiers after crossing the river. They were originally new recruits, and only a few middle and senior officers were old Chaohu veterans.

The situation of Deng Shunxing's 46th Army was similar. He and Hu Dahai both came to Lu Jin at the end of last year when Tuotuo attacked Xuzhou. They were worried about being implicated, so they ran to Lu Jin. Although they had undergone several months of training, this group of people had never fought a siege battle. The abilities of their generals were certainly beyond doubt, but they still had too little practical experience.

Therefore, in order to better complete the task, Chang Yuchun reported that he hoped to cross-integrate the 44th and 45th Army groups, with Wang Zhiyuan's th Army and Liao Yongjian's th Army as one group. In this way, Wang Zhiyuan, who had rich practical experience, could be the main force, while Liao Yongjian would follow behind and learn how to train soldiers at the same time.

Chang Yuchun's 43rd Army and Deng Shunxing's 46th Army were in a group. Chang Yuchun was the main attacking force, while Deng Shunxing and Hu Dahai followed behind to learn.

Of course, this grouping also requires giving new recruits the opportunity to fight. Otherwise, if they are never allowed to go to the battlefield, they will always be new recruits. Therefore, Chang Yuchun proposed that before the official attack on Jiangxi in September, the entire front army should see some blood, and at the same time, the combat style of the Shengwu Army should be honed.

After reading the report, Lu Jin agreed directly, but demanded that the established organization could not be changed. After the Southern Anhui Campaign, the two armies had to return to their respective positions. He had originally placed Deng Shunxing and Hu Dahai with Liao Yongjian because he was worried that the Tenth Army would lack capable generals, but it was okay if they were separated by Chang Yuchun. Now that he did this, Chang Yuchun's Ninth Army was too strong, and the command ability of the Tenth Army was somewhat insufficient.

In addition, Lu Jin also sent the third and fourth newly formed imperial guard divisions to reinforce the Fifth Front Army. Among them, Deng Yu's imperial guard third division was assigned to Liao Yongjian's army, and Chen Hui's imperial guard fourth division was assigned to Chang Yuchun's army.

According to Chang Yuchun's battle plan, the entire front army was divided into two routes. Liao Yongjian led the 44th and 45th armies, with 12 regiments of troops, to attack southward along the Yangtze River, attacking the six cities of Guichi, Qingyang, Dongliu, Jiande (Dongzhi), Pengze, and Hukou. In cooperation with the two naval regiments of the First Front Army, the front line was pushed to the mouth of Poyang Lake, closing Poyang Lake and tearing open the southeastern outer defense of Jiangzhou (Jiujiang), preparing for the attack on Jiangxi.

Chang Yuchun led the 43rd and 46th armies and set out from Jingxian to the south, attacking sixteen cities including Ningguo, Taiping, Shidai, Jingde, Qimen, Yixian, Xiuning, Shexian, Jixi, Wuyuan, Su'an, Chun'an, Fenshui, Jiande, Shouchang and Tonglu. There were a total of three routes and twenty-two cities, and they tried to end the battle before July.

Then, July and August were used to attack the Jinqu Basin, and before September, all the main forces rushed to the eastern border of Raozhou Road and Xinzhou Road to assemble in preparation for participating in the Jiangxi Campaign.

In 4050 AD, 1353 AD, on the first day of May in the th year of Zhizheng, the Battle of Southern Anhui officially started. The main forces of the two armies of Liao Yongjian advanced by land and sea and attacked Guichi along the Yangtze River.

On Chang Yuchun's side, he personally led the main force of the 43rd Army, went upstream along the Yijiang River, and attacked the three cities of Shidai, Taiping and Jingde upstream.

These three cities form a horizontal line from east to west on the map. If one chooses to advance steadily, one should fight from one end to the other and push forward all the way. However, Chang Yuchun is now bolder. Relying on his large number of troops, he wants to use himself as bait and set up a siege to attack the reinforcements. So he chooses to attack Taiping, the middle of the three cities, first, putting himself in a pincer attack from the Yuan army.

If Shidai and Jingde on the east and west sides dared to send reinforcements to attack Chang Yuchun, he would first surround and attack the reinforcements outside Taiping City and wipe out the enemy's reinforcements. Although this was risky, if successful, the results would be very great. The Yuan army in Taiping City would likely see the reinforcements being destroyed and lose their morale, and choose to open the gates and surrender the city. After the main forces of Shidai and Jingde were completely wiped out, they would be unable to continue to hold on and might surrender directly.

Chang Yuchun's idea was to hope for a field battle to annihilate the Yuan army in the three cities and decide the outcome in one battle.

But if Shidai and Jingde both acted like cowards and watched Taiping being attacked next to them without doing anything, then he would wait until he conquered Taiping, and then split his troops into two groups to attack Shidai and Jingde on the left and right.

After taking the three cities along this line, we will continue to advance steadily, layer by layer, bypass Huangshan, and march towards Yixian and Qimen.

So he deployed the six regiments of the 43rd Army in echelons, first sending two regiments to advance towards Taiping with great fanfare to serve as bait, and then he followed closely with four regiments, positioning himself twenty miles behind the vanguard, ready to wait for reinforcements to arrive and seize the opportunity to engage in a field battle with the enemy's main force.

Unfortunately, these were just like flirting with a blind man, and the Yuan army had almost no reaction.

The two commanders under Chang Yuchun couldn't help but complain. The commander of the 109th Division pacified the little soldier who surrendered in Chuzhou City and immediately helped Chang Yuchun analyze the situation.

"Commander, according to the intelligence sent by the Military Command Department of the Marshal's Office, most of the main forces of the Yuan army in the south are in Jiangxi and Huguang. The Wanhu and officials of Ningguo Road were all killed when we attacked Xuancheng and Jingxian. The Yuan court officials in eastern Zhejiang have all retreated to Wuzhou Road. Now the few cities left in Ningguo Road are completely leaderless and fighting on their own. Who can coordinate the unified command of the cities?

"If no senior officials come forward to coordinate, who would be willing to send their main forces to rescue their neighbors? If you surround the point and attack the reinforcements, I think the reinforcements will probably not come."

Zhou Xing, commander of the 135th Division, also agreed, "Yes, according to intelligence, they don't have many troops. Although there are several thousand troops in each of the three cities, most of them were recruited in the past two or three months. They don't even have as many soldiers and armor as we do. In March and April, it's spring plowing time, and they don't even have time to train. They are just a group of tenants who have just thrown down their hoes." If they send troops to support Taiping, how many should they send? Three thousand soldiers are here to deliver vegetables to us. If five or six thousand come out in full force, can they still defend their own cities? So in my opinion, they won't send reinforcements at all.

"Instead of waiting for the enemy's reinforcements, we might as well take the initiative and attack. All six regiments will attack Taiping at once. After taking Taiping, we will immediately divide our forces to capture Shidai and Jingde on the left and right. Especially Shidai. I only have one regiment and can take Shidai without losing a single soldier!"

Pingding couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard this, "The wind is so strong, don't let your tongue get stuck."

Zhou Xing slapped his thigh and explained, "Why, you don't believe it? Shidai belongs to Chizhou Road. When Xu Song attacked Jiangsu and Zhejiang last year, Shidai was taken down once, and then it was recaptured by Yulu Timur. It was originally a ruined city.

"Moreover, the bandits passed by like combs, and the soldiers passed by like rakes. Xu Song's rebel army might be a little better, as they only robbed the treasury of the Yuan government. But when Yue Lu led his troops to recapture Shidai, the Yuan army did not bring any military rations or rewards. Where do you think Yue Lu got his food and grass? Haven't the so-called official troops of the Yuan court often robbed people?

"Shidai has suffered two consecutive wars in just a few months, and they have long been frightened. This time, as long as we put our troops at the gates of the city and declare that we will not rob the people or kill people indiscriminately, Shidai will definitely open the gates and surrender the city immediately. They will no longer want to fight."

Pingding nodded after hearing this and said, "What you said does make some sense, but in any case we still have to make plans for attacking the city."

After analyzing the enemy situation, the two looked at Chang Yuchun, waiting for him to make a decision.

Chang Yuchun said after listening, "Since you two are so confident, let's change the siege to interception. We have six regiments. Leave four regiments and the main force of the Fourth Imperial Guard Division to attack the city. One regiment will go east to guard Jingde. The other regiment will be led by Zhou Xing to persuade Shidai to surrender. Let's fight quickly and decisively. After defeating Taiping, we will attack Jingde."

After Chang Yuchun finished speaking, he patted Zhou Xing on the shoulder and said, "This is what you just said. If you can't take Shidai, you will stay behind to guard the city." After saying this, he turned around and left.

"Ah? I..." Zhou Xing was stunned in shock.

Pingding showed a gloating expression when he heard this, and patted his shoulder, "You were boasting just now, and now you are dumbfounded, right? There are many battles to fight this year. If you stay behind to watch the house, you will not get any military merit. The Marshal has recorded who has captured a few cities. When the merit is rewarded in the future, you may not get a title."

Zhou Xing immediately grabbed Ping Ding with a tearful face and said, "Don't say such sarcastic words here. Help me think of a solution. When you first joined the army, I took good care of you!"

Pingding hesitated for a moment, thought for a moment, and then said, "According to your idea, we should send someone to persuade Shidai to surrender first. If Shidai refuses to surrender, we can contact the local intelligence station and find someone to act as a lobbyist. The command is just to warn you, but we can't really ignore you. Then I will help you to plead for mercy, and this matter will be over."

"Good brother, don't forget to say something good for me. I'll treat you to a drink after this battle."

"Okay, go and discuss this with your division's training officer."

The tactics of the attack were determined, changing from besieging a point and attacking its reinforcements to capturing a point and blocking it. Chang Yuchun led the main force of the 43rd Army into action immediately. Jing County was only 40 miles away from Taiping, and they marched at a speed of miles a day. The group arrived at the city on the third day of May and launched an attack on Taiping that day.

Meanwhile, Deng Shunxing and his men were not idle in the 46th Army on the eastern front. Chang Yuchun gave them a very strange task, asking them to lead an entire army, six regiments of troops, two heavy armored soldiers from the trap camp, and 16 cannons from an artillery battalion, totaling nearly people, to attack Ningguo County.
You say that Chang Yuchun did not use them, as he let them lead a large army right after he took office. But if you say he used them, the fact that 30,000 people were only given the task of attacking a county town is not even enough to fill their teeth.

It is obvious that this arrangement is to test the abilities of Deng Shunxing and Hu Dahai first. If they play well, they will have more tasks in the future. If they play poorly, they will probably only be able to follow behind to fill in the line. Chang Yuchun may even ask Lu Jin to replace them.

They started from Xuancheng and marched along the winding Shuiyang River upstream to Ningguo. The marching distance was at least a hundred miles. Even with a forced march, it was impossible to arrive in two days. So they simply advanced slowly at a speed of more than thirty miles a day. Although this would not achieve any remarkable feats, it was a safe bet and they would not make mistakes the first time they went into battle.

On the second day of the Chinese New Year, after marching seventy miles, they set up camp at night and arranged patrols of sentries and scouts to ensure that the camp was safe. Only then did the generals of the 46th Army gather together.

The nights in early May were still a little chilly. Deng Yu's elder brother Deng Youlong was wearing a set of commander-level cloth armor that had just been issued to him. He felt that this thing was equivalent to a cotton coat. It could resist both wind and cold. However, it was too heavy. At more than 40 kilograms, it was much heavier than a cotton coat.

As soon as Deng Youlong arrived at the big tent, he patted his armor and said happily, "Dad, we should have surrendered here earlier. Marshal Lu has complete weapons and armor, and we can produce them ourselves. We don't have to worry about logistics and food, as they are supplied by the Marshal's Mansion. We don't have to worry about taking down cities, as those big turbans will take care of civil affairs. We just need to lead the troops to fight. Life here is much more comfortable than before.

"When we built our camp in the countryside before, although we had an army of more than 10,000, we were worried about food and fodder every day, and we lacked weapons and armor. When the Yuan army and Xuzhou just started fighting, we were afraid that we would be affected by them. At that time, we had no weapons and armor, and we could not withstand a few thousand soldiers. It's not like now, when tens of thousands of sets of armor were directly issued by the Marshal's Mansion, and there are also the artillery of the Imperial Guard Division, and the intelligence and maps sent by the Military Command Department. Is there any city in this world that we can't take down?

"No wonder I thought the Shengwu Army was so powerful before. They won battle after battle and never lost. They have so many tricks up their sleeves."

Deng Shunxing couldn't help but roll his eyes at his son when he heard this, thinking to himself, when will this silly boy come to his senses? I mean, is there a possibility that our family was deceived by someone else's intelligence station?
"What about them? Now it's us. All the advantages you just mentioned are ours now. We have sufficient food and grass, so many armors, the artillery of the Guards Division, and the maps of the intelligence station. If we can't take down a small county town, I'm afraid there will be no place for us in the Fifth Front Army in the future.

"The Shengwu Army is a large and powerful army with many leaders. We are the commander-in-chief as soon as we arrive. I wonder how many people are eyeing our position." Deng Shunxing saw his son's excited face and hurriedly instructed him.

(End of this chapter)