Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 443: Thousands of Troops Avoid White Robes (asking for monthly tickets)
When the group arrived at the Hezhou government office, they held a meeting in the courtyard as they did in the past. The room was too small to accommodate so many people, and they also had to set up a sand table, so there was no room even to stand.

After arriving at the government office, Lu Jin took the generals away to reminisce the past, leaving only a few staff officers such as Zhan Ding and Xia Yu to command Lu Jin's personal soldiers to piece together the sand table puzzle brought from Jiankang. Bao Yu was commanding the soldiers to hang up the maps, and soon a sand table of half of China was pieced out on the ground in the middle of the yard.

Deng Shunxing, Fu Youde, Li Xixi, Li Huafu and others who were attending this kind of meeting for the first time were greatly shocked when they saw this thing. They felt that no matter when they were in militia training, in Xuzhou, or serving as officers and soldiers of the Yuan army, they all seemed too unprofessional compared with Lu Jin.

Look at this, it's both a map and a sand table, and it's made very delicately. Several people went forward to touch it and found that it was very hard. The base was a wooden plate with a three-dimensional topographic map made of white plaster on it. After it dried and hardened, it was painted with colors. At first glance, it really looks like looking down on the earth, with mountains as mountains and waters as water.

There are also many small cities made of clay, with small paper flags with place names written on them. It is easy to tell where something is, and it is very convenient to use this thing to give orders.

They looked at the others, only to find that the old warriors of the Holy Martial Army had no reaction at all. They were all talking in groups of three or four, as if they had seen each other before.

They had indeed seen it before. Lu Jin had used a sand table when he talked about battle plans before, but it was not as sophisticated as this time. However, it can be seen from the sand table that Lu Jin is rich now and is willing to spend time on this thing.

"Your Highness, the sand table is ready."

Xia Yu told Lu Jin when he was done. Lu Jin nodded, then clapped his hands and said, "Okay, stop chatting, take your seats, and start the meeting."

Everyone quickly took their seats, and Lu Jin said on the steps in front of the hall, "Before talking about the battle, let's talk about other things first.

"When I was holding a system building meeting in Jiankang a while ago, someone asked me whether we should give titles to the generals on the front lines, since the generals have been promoted to the title of king, the civil and military courts have been changed to the Administrative Council and the Privy Council, and the original departments have been changed to the ministers of the various ministries."

Everyone's eyes lit up immediately when they heard this, and even their backs straightened a little. However, Lu Jin suddenly made a change of topic and said.

"But after thinking about it carefully, I still don't agree." Everyone looked at each other in surprise when they heard this.

Lu Jin immediately explained, "Why? I like to speak my mind. First, the world is not yet pacified, so it is too early to confer titles. There are still many battles to fight in the future. If I am conferred a title now, I will easily become proud and complacent and not take the enemy seriously.

"You should know that the arrogant will be defeated. Zuo Junbi died because he did not take us seriously. If you look down on the enemy, you will easily make stupid mistakes. Not only will you lose the battle, but your soldiers will also lose their lives.

“Secondly, if you want to confer titles, you must do it based on merit. Otherwise, if you confer titles arbitrarily, everyone will definitely feel dissatisfied. Besides, conferring titles now is not fair to most of you present.

"Since the establishment of our Shengwu Army, only the Second, Third, and Fifth Field Armies have fought in major battles. Yang Jing and Chang Yuchun fought across the river with me. Yang Jing also personally presided over the Eastern Expedition. Chang Yuchun also fought in the Southern Anhui Campaign, and Zhu Liangzu also fought in the Northern Yangtze River Campaign. At least 70% of our territory today was conquered by them.

"If we were to reward them according to their merits now, they would be dukes or marquises, but you would only have an earl at most, or even no earl at all. Would you be happy?
"You may not accept it, saying that we all started the rebellion together, so why do they have such high titles? Then they will ask you directly, how many cities have you conquered? How about we count them? Then you will have nothing to say."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment when they heard this. They were indeed not convinced in their hearts, but what Lu Jin said made sense. The title must be conferred based on military merit. Without military merit, even if you are conferred a high position, would others be convinced?

Lu Jin then said, "Of course I know that it is important for the First and Fourth Front Armies to defend their home. When Yang Jing led his army to the east, Anqing was also under fierce attack from the Yuan army in Jiangxi. We were at risk of being overthrown by the Yuan army at any time. Haozhou was also on high alert, worried about when Tuotuo's main force would move south and whether they would break through Xuzhou and attack our Luzhou.

"The Luzhou base camp is also continuously supplying weapons and armor to the front line. In order to give priority to supporting the front line, the Luzhou guarding troops even took off their own armor and gave it to the brothers on the front line first. Otherwise, how can we gather the tens of thousands of pieces of armor when we cross the river?

"Without you guys working so hard to defend the home, would Yang Jing and Zhu Liangzu be able to be so reckless and go out to expand the territory without any worries?

"No! I know your contributions."

These words made people feel comfortable and made them feel much better.

Lu Jin continued, "Some people may say that it's not that we can't fight, but that His Highness doesn't give us the opportunity to make merit!

"That's true, but fighting a war is like cooking. You can't put the vegetables first and then the oil. There has to be a first and a second. If we don't get the food and population from eastern Zhejiang first, can we develop today's army of hundreds of thousands and millions of shi of military rations every year? No!
"But, they have already made contributions. Now it is your turn to make contributions. I can give you the title of Duke, Marquis, Earl, or even Prince of a County. It all depends on your performance on the battlefield this time!
"Tell me, do you have the confidence to conquer Jiangxi, Nanyang, and Jingxiang?"

"Yes!" Everyone shouted in unison, their eyes shining. Now the reward has been announced, with so many titles, it depends on how they fight for them on the battlefield.

"It's good to have confidence." Lu Jin glanced at everyone with satisfaction, and then said again.

"Let me tell you another interesting story. I'm about to come out for a meeting with you. A few days ago, I called Zhang Wen back from Hangzhou and asked him to look after the house in Jiankang. As soon as he came back and saw me, he said that Your Highness's clothes are really beautiful." Lu Jin pointed to the dragon robe on his body, which immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Then Lu Jin said, "I said, does it look good? Then I'll have someone make one for you. He was so scared that he didn't even dare to do it."

Everyone looked at each other in confusion when they heard this. They didn't know what Lu Jin meant. Not to mention that Zhang Wen didn't dare, even if Lu Jin asked them, they definitely wouldn't dare.

Lu Jin said, "I don't have to be afraid of this. I can wear this dress now because my brothers respect me, are willing to obey my orders, and believe that I can lead you to better things. That's why we have the situation today.

"In August of the 11th year of Zhizheng, when I first arrived at Chaohu, you were beaten by Zuo Junbi and hid in Chaohu Lake, not daring to come ashore. Later, you were willing to serve me as your master. Now it is only July of the 13th year of Zhizheng. In just two years, we have a huge territory, hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and sufficient food! How about it, I have lived up to your trust, right?"

"no!"

This is the sincere words of many Chaohu veterans. They sincerely recognize Lu Jin. What Lu Jin said is right. What was their situation two years ago? What was their situation two years later? Without Lu Jin's leadership, would they be where they are today?

The newcomers Deng Shunxing, Li Xixi, Fu Youde and others also looked at each other in dismay. They regretted it so much. If they had known this, why would they still do the militia? Why did they go to Xuzhou? It would be better for them to join Lu Jin earlier. Maybe they would have become the general manager of the army, or the general or deputy general.

"Now our lives are better, and we can wear these nice clothes, but if the wealth cannot be shared, what is the use of this wealth? We rebelled against the Yuan Dynasty, wasn't it because the Tartars didn't want us to live? Don't we want to live a good life?
"What do you mean you can't wear clothes with dragon patterns? That's the rule of the Tartars, not my rule. Come on, bring it up!"

Immediately, a personal soldier brought a few brocade robes with dragon patterns and displayed them in front of everyone. Lu Jin personally stepped forward to explain.

"The Tartar's dragon pattern has three claws. If you ask me, that's not a dragon pattern. Even a chicken has more claws than his dragon."

"Hahahahahahaha." Everyone burst into laughter when they heard this.

Lu Jin said, "From now on, clothes embroidered with dragons in the new dynasty will only be considered dragon robes if they have five claws, and only the emperor can wear them; clothes embroidered with dragons with four claws will be considered python robes, and can be given to princes or rewarded to meritorious officials. The one I am wearing now is considered a python robe.
"Further down there is the flying fish with these two claws, which looks like both a dragon and a fish, with wings on its body and a fish tail. It is a kind of magical fish in the ancient Shan Hai Jing, and its rank is lower than the prince's python robe. It can also be rewarded to meritorious officials. "And there is the fourth-class fighting bull suit. The fighting bull was originally a magical beast of the dragon family in the sky, with a python head, bull horns and bull tail. It is also a kind of dragon pattern. In the future, it can also be rewarded to meritorious officials.

"Further down, there are Kirin suits and Lion suits, but I didn't bring them today."

Lu Jin glanced at everyone present and said, "From now on, what I say will determine what we can and cannot wear!
“Although I cannot be conferred a title now, I can still wear nice clothes. I cannot say that my brothers made me the King of Chu and you can only watch.

"Liao Yongan, Miao Tycoon!"

"I'm here!" The two men immediately stepped out and clasped their fists to receive orders.

"You two have defended Anqing and repelled the Yuan army in Jiangxi, and have provided support for the Third Front Army's operations in eastern Zhejiang. I hereby grant you the Feiyu Suit as an encouragement. Come forward."

The two men stepped forward immediately, and Lu Jin personally took clothes from the guards and put them on the outside of their armor. He also tied them into a shape of civil and military sleeves, revealing the armor on one shoulder.

The two looked at each other and found that their flying fish suits were a little different. The one embroidered on Liao Yongan's was a larger flying fish that looked like a dragon over the shoulders, which made it more majestic and domineering. Miao Daheng's suit only had a pattern on the body and did not go over the shoulders. The two thought to themselves that this should be a reflection of the level of their positions.

After they were dressed, they knelt down on one knee and said, "Thank you for the reward, Your Highness!"

"Well, get up, keep up the good work, don't be complacent, and fight well in this Jiangxi campaign."

"Yes!"

"Yu Tingyu, Hua Gao, Yu Tongyuan."

"Chen is here!"

"You three have made great contributions in defending Huainan and ensuring that the entire army's retreat route is intact. I have specially granted you the Flying Fish Suit as an encouragement. Come forward."

After the three of them put on the Feiyu suits, they bowed down and thanked the emperor, "Thank you very much for your reward, Your Highness!"

"Chang Yuchun, Liao Yongjian, Wang Zhiyuan, Deng Shunxing."

"Chen is here!"

"You four have made outstanding contributions in the Southern Anhui Campaign. Generals Chang and Liao followed me across the river and were awarded the Flying Fish Uniform. Generals Wang and Deng were awarded the Bull Fighting Uniform!"

"Thank you for the reward, Your Highness!"

Lu Jin called out these generals and rewarded them one by one as if he was awarding them medals, including Xu Da who participated in the Eastern Expedition and Zhao Yong who supported the defense of Anqing. They were each given a bullfighting suit.

In the end, only Bian Yuanheng, Fu Youde and others were left. Both of them were newcomers and had not made many military achievements, so it was not easy to reward them with dragon-patterned clothes. However, Lu Jin did not let them watch with envy, but prepared several plain brocade robes without embroidery.

"Bian Yuanheng, Fu Youde."

The two looked at each other after hearing this. They didn't expect that they would be involved in this reward, but they didn't dare to neglect it. They quickly stood up and listened to the order, "I'm here."

"Come forward."

When the two men came forward, Lu Jin took out two plain white brocade robes and said, "You two are new to the army and have not made any great achievements, so I won't give you the Feiyu Suit and the Dou Niu Suit. But since they already have them, it's not good for you to just watch.

"I heard that the great Tang Dynasty general Xue Rengui was given a white robe by Emperor Taizong when he was young. When the Tang Dynasty conquered Goguryeo, Xue Rengui fought against a thousand enemies alone and charged into the enemy camp as if he were in an empty space. He was so famous that thousands of soldiers and horses avoided him because of his white robe.

"Today, I will follow the example of Emperor Taizong of Tang and bestow white robes upon you two. I hope that you can also, like Xue Rengui, spread the prestige of my Shengwu Army and make the enemy army fear you when they see the white robes on you!"

The two were deeply moved upon hearing this and bowed quickly, "Thank you for your reward, Your Highness. We will definitely live up to your highness's expectations!"

"Very good, get up, the Central Plains Campaign must be fought well."

"Yes!"

Then Lu Jin also gave Li Huafu and Li Xixi two blue brocade robes, but like Fu Youde and the others, there were no embroidered patterns on them.

After the rewards were distributed, the group of generals in the yard were all very happy. Although they were not granted titles this time, the clothes given by Lu Jin were still a recognition of them.

pop-

Lu Jin clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention, and then spoke.

"Okay, the rewards have been distributed. Now let's talk about the war. I won't go into the specific tactics. Everyone present is at least a commander. If you don't know how to attack a city or how to form a battle array to defeat the enemy, you wouldn't be sitting here today. So I will only tell you about the strategy and the key points of this battle. Listen carefully.

"Let's talk about the Central Plains first. The Fourth Front Army has a full complement of 10 men, plus five garrison divisions with 8 men, two imperial guard divisions with 6 men, and a cavalry regiment with 7500 men, totaling 2 men and horses. If we only attack 4500 cities, your forces are definitely more than enough and you can never use them all up.

"But what is the problem with the Central Plains battlefield? The three city circles are too far apart, which is why you have been assigned five garrison divisions.

"I'm not worried about your tactics in the Central Plains. I only want to say one thing: logistics, logistics, and logistics. You must ensure that the food supply and transportation communications in the rear are unobstructed, and maintain the connection between the three city circles. Only in this way can your 200,000 troops become a whole and not be defeated one by one by the enemy!"
-
ps: This chapter counts as yesterday's, and there are still some today. Why does it feel like the monthly ticket price can't increase anymore (doge)?

(End of this chapter)