Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 444: The first battle is the decisive battle! (asking for monthly votes)

Everyone listened to Lu Jin's explanation and then looked at the sand table, and found that it was just as Lu Jin said, with Xinyang, Nanyang and Xiangyang as the three cities, three urban circles were formed respectively. The surrounding cities were all very concentrated, but the distance between the three urban circles was far apart.

At this time, Lu Jin stood up, pointed at the sand table with his baton and said.

"There are 120 troops in the Central Plains Campaign. Each person eats two kilograms of rice per meal, three meals a day, which means six kilograms of food a day. For 8000 people, that's million kilograms of food a day, or dan. We have the food, but the key is how to transport it.

"Luzhou Iron Works has newly built a four-wheeled carriage equipped with cast iron ball bearings and shock-absorbing leaf springs. Compared with the previous carriages, only two horses are needed to pull a one-ton carriage, which is two thousand kilograms. In this way, only 600 carriages are needed to meet the daily consumption of 200,000 people in the Central Plains."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yu immediately took out a small carriage model and handed it to the generals to look at, while Lu Jin continued.

"In addition, there is a cavalry regiment with 4500 war horses, as well as horses for the sentinels and messengers, horses for the artillery, horses for transporting food, and horses for the baggage camps of various units. In total, there are about 100 horses. If we calculate it as horses, each horse needs to eat ten pounds of grass and beans every day, which means another pounds of baggage, which requires carts to transport.

"Finally, there are ammunition for firearms such as grenades, artillery shells, and bullets. Even if we produce 50 kilograms of ammunition every day, we will need 750 vehicles, a total of vehicles, to meet the army's daily consumption.

"I will give you 1500 vehicles, so that you will not only have enough food for the day, but also be able to store food at the food stations on the front line!"

Hua Gao, Fu Youde, Bian Yuanheng and other generals of the four front armies were immediately surprised and asked, "Your Highness, 1500 four-wheeled carriages, two horses per carriage, that's horses pulling the carriages. Do we have so many horses?"

Lu Jin said immediately, "Yes, I just bought 8,000 horses in the first half of the year. I was planning to form another cavalry regiment, so that there would be more than 3,000 horses left, which is just enough for you to transport supplies. But we can't be so nervous. Cavalry is not easy to train anyway, so we might as well not do it this year.

"Of these eight thousand horses, I will give you six thousand. Four horses per cart. Set up post stations along the way and take turns in pairs. This will prevent the horses from being tired to death and delaying the supply of food to the front. I will use the remaining two thousand to train the cavalry and buy more horses next year."

The generals of the Fourth Front Army heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Yu Tingyu immediately said, "In this case, we will have more than enough transportation capacity. As long as we don't lack baggage, this battle will be easy to fight."

"That's right." Lu Jin nodded, and then said, "But these carriages cannot be used carelessly. Your opponents are not ordinary people. Such a large amount of supplies will easily become fat meat in the eyes of the enemy. Two hundred thousand people are all dependent on this food route. Once the food route is cut off by the enemy, it will become the "army without baggage will perish" in Sun Tzu's Art of War.

"Bao Yu, come and introduce them to their opponents."

"Yes." Bao Yu immediately stepped forward with the information.

"There are two enemy troops in the Central Plains. One is the Darughachi of Runing Prefecture. His name is Chagan Temur. He is of Naiman origin. He followed the Yuan invaders to Yingzhou and was born in Shenqiu, Yingzhou. His Chinese surname is Li, so he can also be called Li Chahan. His courtesy name is Tingrui. He is about 25 years old this year. The other is Li Siqi, the prefect of Runing, who is from Luoshan, Xinyang.

"After Liu Futong started the rebellion in the 11th year of Zhizheng, the following year, Li Chahan and Li Siqi gathered local militiamen and joined the Yuan court militia to suppress the Central Plains righteous army. Together, the two of them defeated the Red Turbans in Luoshan County and brought Xinyang back into the hands of the Yuan court. They were promoted to Runing Darughachi and Runing prefect for their merits. The first battle that the generals will fight will be against the lair of these two people.

"In addition, this Richard Han has an adopted son named Wang Baobao, who is about 20 years old. He is a brave general under his command and is very brave and good at fighting. His father is the Grand Commandant of the Yuan Court and a Hanlin scholar, and his mother is Richard Han's eldest sister. His father died early, so he was adopted as an adopted son by his uncle Richard Han.

"These three have been in the army for more than a year. They have 70,000 to 80,000 soldiers under their command. They have been suppressing Liu Futong and preventing him from expanding northward. They are quite capable. Generals, do not underestimate these three."

Fu Youde and Li Xixi looked at each other immediately. Liu Futong, that was the first rebel of the Red Turbans. And this Richard was able to suppress Liu Futong for more than a year and even take back Xinyang from him. He was really amazing. They didn't expect that the first battle would be against such an opponent.

However, the two were also quite surprised that Lu Jin had obtained such detailed intelligence about the enemy before the war. No wonder Lu Jin could always win the battles. This leader was even more powerful than Liu Futong. Liu Futong had been raising his army for more than two years, but he had only controlled two or three routes so far, while Lu Jin had already taken over Lianghuai and Liangzhe. This was the difference!
Upon hearing this, Yu Tingyu frowned and asked, "Where are these three people now, and where are their 70,000 to 80,000 soldiers and horses?"

Bao Yu flipped through the information in his hand and immediately said, "Currently, Li Siqi, the governor of Runing, is in Xinyang, with about 20,000 soldiers under his command.

"Li Chahan and Wang Baobao, along with another 50,000 soldiers, are currently whereabouts unknown. We have not found this group of soldiers in Nanyang Prefecture, Runing Prefecture, or Xiangyang Road, but they should still be in Henan. Therefore, the Intelligence Bureau has determined that they may be in Bianliang Road. However, we have not yet set up an intelligence station in Bianliang Road, and we do not have any spies there. Bianliang Road is not the target of this battle, so we do not know their specific whereabouts."

Bian Yuanheng said immediately, "It is enough to know their general location. Send out scouts to scout everywhere. Xinyang only has 20,000 troops. If we rush forward with 100,000 troops, we can capture it even if it is difficult.

“As for Richard Han and Wang Baobao, it would be fine if they stayed on the Bianliang Road and didn’t come. We can still deal with them if they come. Just now, His Highness said that we have so much food and fodder that it is easy for the enemy to be concerned about us. I don’t think this is entirely a bad thing.

"We can also transport food with great fanfare, using the military food as bait to lure Richard Han and Wang Baobao over, and set up ambushes all around. If they dare to come, we can destroy them in one battle!"

Lu Jin nodded and immediately praised, "Yes, sometimes your own weaknesses can be used as weapons against the enemy if used well. In short, you must be vigilant and never underestimate these people. As long as you treat them seriously and carefully, with your talents and the strength of the 200,000-man Fourth Front Army, I don't believe you will be unable to defeat them."

The generals of the Fourth Front Army all nodded. Hua Gao then asked, "What about the second enemy group? Besides Li Chahan and Wang Baobao, who else is there?"

Bao Yu flipped through the information in his hand and introduced again, "There is another one in Jingxiang."

At this point, he kept everyone in suspense, "There is good news and bad news about Jingxiang. Which one do you want to hear first?"

Lu Jin immediately slapped his thigh and rolled his eyes at him, "Stop talking nonsense and just say it directly."

"Yes!" Bao Yu said.

"The good news is that Your Highness has been worried that the attack on Jingxiang and Jiangxi would cause friction with Xu Shouhui's troops. We cannot bear the stigma of being the first to attack the friendly forces of the rebels, which is not good for our reputation. But now there is no need to worry, Xu Shouhui's Song Dynasty has been destroyed."

"What the hell? Xu Song was destroyed?" "Is Xu Shouhui dead? What about his generals and soldiers?"

"Is the news accurate? Is it true or false?"

Everyone was shocked when they heard this. Last year, Xu Shouhui's Song Dynasty had a territory of thousands of miles, from Hangzhou in the east to Kuizhou (Chongqing) in the west, from Xiangyang in the north to Yuezhou Road (Yueyang, Hunan) in the south, occupying half of the southern part of the country. However, in just one year, the country was destroyed.
Bao Yu nodded and said, "Based on the intelligence gathered from various sources, the intelligence bureau concluded that the news is indeed true.

"Since Tuotuo was demoted to Huaibei at the end of last year, the new prime minister of the Yuan court, Hama, took office. In order to consolidate his power and show his achievements in front of the Yuan emperor, he ordered to intensify the encirclement and suppression of Xu Song.

"At the beginning of the 12th year of Zhizheng, the territory of Xu Song was the largest, but it suffered a series of setbacks afterwards. In the first half of the year, it lost most of the territory in Huguang and Jiangxi. In July, Peng Yingyu led his army to the east to attack Hangzhou, but ended up losing more than he gained. Not only did he fail to occupy Hangzhou, but he was also chased back by the Yuan army in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Not only did he lose his life, but the Raozhou Road and Xinzhou Road were also taken back by the Yuan army. By the end of last year, Xu Song only had Anlu Prefecture and Jingmen Prefecture left.

"In the first half of this year, after the Yuan court's new prime minister Hama ordered the encirclement and suppression of Xu Song, the Jiangxi Yuan army and the Henan Yuan army joined forces to encircle and suppress, attacking from the north and south, and finally recaptured the last piece of territory controlled by Xu Song. Anlu Prefecture and Jingmen Prefecture have now been recovered by the Yuan court.

"As for Xu Shouhui and his generals, they have not been completely eliminated. According to the information collected by the Intelligence Bureau, they should have broken up into small groups and escaped in all directions. As a country, they no longer exist. Only a few leaders are still hiding and struggling to survive.

"Based on the information collected, the Intelligence Bureau determined that Xu Shouhui and their Grand Tutor Zou Pusheng should have hidden in the Dabie Mountains. Chen Youliang, Ming Yuzhen, Zhang Dingbian and other Xu Song generals should have hidden in the water in the Jianghan area, possibly in Taibai Lake near Hanchuan or Jinshui Lake (Axe Lake) near Xianning. They hid very carefully, and their specific location is difficult to find."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment when they heard this. Xu Shouhui and his men started the uprising in Huangzhou Road (Huanggang) in October of the 11th year of the Zhizheng reign. The next month, they immediately established a country and proclaimed themselves emperor after conquering a county. After that, their influence grew rapidly. In just a few months, they occupied half of China, including Huguang and Jiangxi. As a result, they rose quickly and fell quickly. In less than two years, they were defeated and destroyed. How could people not sigh?
The two brothers Liao Yongjian and Liao Yongan looked at each other and were filled with emotion.

In the original history, the Chaohu navy was not doing well. They once thought about going south to join Xu Shouhui. The eldest of the Liao brothers, Liao Yongjian, really went there, but Liao Yongan stayed in Chaohu. With the matchmaking of the Xu Song envoys, Zuo Junbi stopped pressing them and allowed them to stay in Chaohu. After that, they waited for Chongba Ge to cross the river.

Now, the once invincible Xu Song was beaten into the lake and couldn't get out. This was very similar to their situation before Lu Jin came to Chaohu Lake. Thinking of this, they looked at Lu Jin again and admired him even more.

Look, everyone's story started in the 11th year of Zhizheng. Liu Futong was suppressed in the Central Plains and could not move, Xu Song was defeated and the country was destroyed, Xuzhou Zhima Li was defeated by Tuotuo himself, and the remnants surrendered to Lu Jin. Only Lu Jin led them to conquer such a large territory, and they had hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, with well-trained soldiers and sufficient food. They were also discussing how to attack Jiangxi, Huguang and Central Plains Jingxiang. In comparison, Lu Jin seemed even more powerful.

At this moment, a word suddenly popped up in their minds: destiny!
Lu Jin was also quite emotional, but this situation was consistent with the history he knew. In the first half of 1353, Xu Song was defeated by the Yuan army and lost all its territory. They hid in the Dabie Mountains and Honghu Lake to fight guerrilla warfare, which can be regarded as a traditional revolutionary base area.

It was not until Chengge killed Tuotuo in Gaoyou and Tuotuo's million-dollar army collapsed that the Red Turban Army at the end of the Yuan Dynasty ushered in a second spring. Zhu Yuanzhang also rose to power at this time, and Xu Shouhui and others also came out again and quickly grew stronger again.

But this time, I don't know if they can grow stronger again.
Liao Yongan immediately asked, "When did this happen?"

"It was in April and May of the first half of this year, and the General Staff Intelligence Bureau only got the specific information in June." Bao Yu replied immediately.

Hua Gao also said at this time, "Xu Song was destroyed, so we don't have to rub against them. This is the good news. The bad news means that we have to face all the main forces of the Yuan army in Jingxiang, Huguang and Jiangxi alone, right?"

"Yes, that's right." Bao Yu nodded immediately.

Yu Tingyu and Hua Gao looked at each other and saw some speechlessness in each other's eyes.

Damn it, Yang Jing led the Eastern Expedition, Zhu Liangzu fought in northern Jiangsu, and Chang Yuchun fought in southern Anhui. The three of them were all defeated. When it came to their Fourth Front Army, they encountered two powerful enemies at once. One was Li Chahan and Wang Baobao, who had beaten Liu Futong for more than a year; the other directly defeated Xu Shouhui and destroyed his country.

The Fourth Front Army is composed of new soldiers. How come the first battle turned into a decisive battle? ? ?

"Why should I be afraid of him? Xu Song was defeated and destroyed because they were incompetent. We have sufficient food and fodder, elite soldiers, and cannons from the Imperial Guards to help us. I don't believe we can't defeat the Yuan army!"

At this time, Fu Youde suddenly stood up and knelt on one knee, asking Lu Jin for a fight, "Your Highness, if we fight Jingxiang, I am willing to be the vanguard of the entire army!"

Fu Youde is worried that he can't find an opportunity to show himself!

Seeing this, Lu Jin said, "Whether you should be the vanguard or not, you four armies can discuss it among yourselves. I have only one request, you and Bian Yuanheng, one to the south and one to the north, one to deal with Li Chahan and Wang Baobao, the other to deal with the enemies in Jingxiang. You both have missions, and there is no need to fight. As for who goes south and who goes north, you can discuss it among yourselves."

"This, okay."

Fu Youde sat back down, and suddenly felt a little regretful. He seemed to have asked for a fight beyond his level. Should he ask Yu Tingyu first?
However, he glanced at Yu Tingyu again, and did not find any sign of blame from the commander of the Fourth Front Army. He thought to himself that he might be overthinking it. He heard that Yu Tingyu was also a veteran of Chaohu and a confidant of His Highness. When he went out to fight, he was asked to guard the Luzhou base camp. How could he compete for power with Lu Jin?

Hua Gao also said at this time, "Minister Bao, don't keep us in suspense. Just tell us directly, who are the Jingxiang Yuan army that destroyed Xu Song?"

Bao Yu then said, "It was the Left Prime Minister of Sichuan Province, Dashibadulu, and his son Boluo Timur. The father and son had a detachment of the Yuan court's Tanma Chi Army under their command. Most of them were Mongols and Semites, with only a small number of Han people. They were not badly equipped, numbering about 40,000 to 50,000. In addition, there were 30,000 to 40,000 Han troops, so a total of 80,000 to 90,000 people."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment when they heard this. It seemed that this battle would not be easy to fight.

Lu Jin also thought that now the two biggest warlords at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Dashibadu and Li Chahan, had both appeared on the scene, and the first battle would truly be the decisive one.

However, Lu Jin did not think that he would lose. After all, Li Chahan and Dashibadulu were still far from their original historical state at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. He had more than 400,000 soldiers from three fronts, as well as generals like Chang Yuchun, Xu Da, Bian Yuanheng, and Fu Youde. What could he not fight? !
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ps: Keep asking for monthly tickets. If there are still monthly tickets, I will continue to update twice a day tomorrow (doge)

(End of this chapter)