Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 452: Vicious Estrangement
In mid-August of the 13th year of Zhizheng, before Lu Jin's military offensive began, the public opinion offensive had already begun.

On Wuchang Road, near the Jinshui Lake in Xianning County, two large three-masted river ships loaded with cargo were parked on the shore of a wild pier. Many local small fishing boats were shuttling back and forth around them. There were also porters, peddlers, and merchants driving horse-drawn carriages on the pier on the shore, all of whom were looking for the goods from the two large ships.

There was no other cargo on the ship except "nitrate", which is another name for "salt". These were two salt ships smuggling salt!
At the same time, the remnants of Chen Youliang, who had fled into Jinshui Lake after their defeat at the end of May, have been living a miserable life.

When Chen Youliang broke out from Mianyang, he had more than 10,000 people around him. However, when they fled all the way to Jiayu County, there were only more than 7,000 people left by his side. When the remaining people heard that they would enter Jinshui Lake to fight guerrillas and become bandits, more than 2,000 landlubbers dispersed again. Only about 5,000 people actually followed him into Jinshui Lake.

However, in the following months, facing the encirclement and suppression by the Yuan army, the situation of the remnants of Chen Youliang's army became even more difficult. Without food or water, thousands of people could only hide in the reeds in the lake and barely survive by fishing and catching shrimps.

The Chaohu Lake where Lu Jin surrendered was large enough. There was also a Laoshan Island in the lake, where the rebels could rest and store food. But the Jinshui Lake where Chen Youliang was hiding now was not only small in area, but also had no island in the middle of the lake. The remnants who escaped with him could only stay on the boat all day, eating, drinking, defecating and urinating on the boat, and their lives were the same as those of the boat dwellers, very miserable.

Some people could not stand this kind of life and felt that there was no hope for the uprising, so many deserters appeared among the remnants. Some people even became traitors and ran to the Yuan court to report, causing the Yuan army to continue to encircle and suppress Chen Youliang, hoping to gain wealth and glory by betraying the rebels.

Chen Youliang had no choice but to spread the news, threatening to move again and head towards Hanyang Prefecture again. He relied on false news to lure away the Yuan army while playing hide-and-seek with them around Jinshui Lake. By July, he finally stabilized his situation, with less than two thousand men left around him.

In order to stabilize the morale of the remaining thousand-plus soldiers, Chen Youliang could only distribute the gold, silver and treasures previously seized from the Yuan court officials and Seljuq merchants to the soldiers. Only in this way could he barely stabilize the morale of the army.

After experiencing several twists and turns, those who are still willing to stay with him are obviously the backbone members of the rebel army and the determined ones. Even if it is for the money given by Chen Youliang, they are determined to choose money over their lives. They would rather follow Chen Youliang to fish and catch shrimps now, and always wait for an opportunity, ready to fight out of the lake again at any time!

However, gold, silver and money cannot be eaten after all. Food is still needed. So after stability was restored in July, Chen Youliang asked his men to take money and disperse to the counties and towns around Jinshui Lake to buy food. They did not buy too much at one time, and bought from different places. This way they would not be easily discovered, and they could also inquire about the news from the outside world.

Although it was a bit troublesome and the amount of food they bought was not much, at least they were able to have porridge to eat. However, although the food problem was barely solved, other problems followed. They could not buy salt, or the salt they bought was not enough for so many people.
People will die if they don't eat salt, and their bodies will become swollen and weak. If they were surrounded and suppressed by the Yuan army at this time, they would probably be wiped out. This is a more serious problem than food.

Chen Youliang had no choice but to send people to inquire outside, while cursing Lu Jin in his heart. Ever since Lu Jin captured Anqing and cut off the commercial transportation of the Yangtze River, Jiangxi and Huguang could no longer get the official salt from Jianghuai and Liangzhe. Only the high-priced private salt sold by Lu Jin was left, and the key was that it was very difficult to buy.

After much inquiries, they finally got the way from a salt peddler, who said that a salt ship would arrive at a wild dock in the southeast of Jinshui Lake on the seventh day of every month to wholesale salt. They only sold salt wholesale and not retail, and only accepted gold, silver and copper coins. Of course, salt and iron coupons would also work, but these were relatively rare in Huguang, but were more common in Jiangxi.

Fortunately, Chen Youliang still had a lot of gold and silver seized, so he sent Zhang Bixin, who looked more gentle, with a few soldiers to buy from the peddler. That day was August 17th, and when Zhang Bixin and his party arrived at the dock in a fishing boat, they saw a scene of many people snatching goods.

Zhang Bixian, dressed as a scholar, stood on the bow and saw the two large ships loaded with salt. He wondered, "How did they get in from Jinkou Station with so much salt? Won't they be investigated by the Yuan army?"

Jinkou Station is a waterway post station and also the mouth of Jinshui Lake. There is only one way to enter Jinshui Lake from the Yangtze River. In order to prevent Chen Youliang from escaping, the Yuan army set up a checkpoint there. It is outrageous that these two salt ships were able to come in.

The peddler Zhang Xiaowu who brought them here said immediately, "How else can they get in? They paid the government money to get in. Although they know that the salt was sold by the King of Chu in Jiangnan, they can't stop all of it. If the people in Huguang and Jiangxi have no salt to eat, more people will revolt. So the government can only turn a blind eye."

Zhang Bixian praised immediately upon hearing this, "Brother Xiaowu is really smart, it really makes sense."

"Hehe, of course. The brave ones will die of overeating while the timid ones will die of starvation. If we don't even understand this principle, would we dare to do this business of selling salt to the rebels?"

"That's right." Zhang Bi nodded first, then suddenly realized what was happening and asked, "No, who is the King of Chu in Jiangnan that you just mentioned?"

Xiao Wu immediately explained, "It was the General Gongshu who attacked Jiangsu and Zhejiang last year. I heard that it was last month that General Gongshu proclaimed himself the King of Chu in Jiqing."

Zhang Bixian was stunned when he heard this. He had also heard that Xu Shouhui had sent envoys to recruit Lu Jin, but the negotiations had failed several times. Now that Lu Jin proclaimed himself the King of Chu, there was no hope at all.

He immediately thought to himself, this man is indeed extremely ambitious. Now that he has proclaimed himself king, Xu Shouhui will have no way to win him over. Moreover, Lu Jin's self-proclaimed title of king also has a purpose. The King of Chu, the land of Jingchu, doesn't that include Huguang where they are? It is obvious that he is trying to snatch territory from Xu Shouhui.

However, thinking of the current situation of Xu Song, Zhang Bixian smiled self-deprecatingly. They were just hiding in the lake and fighting guerrilla warfare, and they even had difficulty eating salt. Their territory had been taken back by the Yuan army, and the Jingchu land was not theirs now. Shouldn't Lu Jin be allowed to snatch it from the Yuan court?

Seeing that the peddler was quite clever, Zhang Bixian asked again, "It seems that you are well-informed. Do you know where the Song army is active in Huguang and Jiangxi now?"

"Song Army? Sir, you are talking about the Xu Song Red Turban Army that captured Wuchang before. I heard that some of them died, some of them scattered, and they were all defeated by the government troops, right?"

"I know that the Red Turbans here have been wiped out. What I want to ask is whether you know any news about the Emperor of the Song Dynasty in Anlu." Zhang Bixian reminded.

"Hey, I actually know that. I heard that person is dead."

"Dead?" Zhang Bixian was shocked. "Is this true? Where did you hear this? When did it happen? Do you know how he died?"

"I don't know about that. I just heard it from others."

Zhang Xiaowu pointed at the salt shopkeepers on the two large ships and said, "No, it was that Boss Gong who told us that Emperor Xu Song was dead and his head was sent to Dadu. I heard that he died tragically. We don't know the details. If you want to know, you can ask him."

Zhang Bixian immediately had his soldiers row forward with a serious look on his face. After they had finished buying salt and there were fewer people around, he approached the salt dealer, Mr. Gong, and whispered, "Mr. Gong, you have traveled extensively and are well-informed. I want to ask you something. I heard that the Xu Song Emperor in Anlu has died. Is that true?"

Boss Gong glanced at him and immediately laughed, "I am a businessman, I only sell salt, I dare not get involved in the affairs of rebels and government officials, I don't know what you are talking about."

As soon as these words were spoken, the two sturdy men beside Zhang Bixin immediately took out two swords wrapped in rags. Although the swords were not unsheathed and the rags were not untied, anyone with insight could tell what they were at a glance.

Seeing this, the people on Boss Gong's boat also picked up their weapons. Some of them pulled out shiny swords from the cabin and simply stopped pretending. Others picked up javelins and javelins. What was even more outrageous was that five or six people took out the standard matchlock rifles of the Yuan army and pointed them at Zhang Bixin and the others. For a moment, the situation was tense and a fight could break out at any time.

When the vendors who were purchasing goods nearby saw this, some were so scared that they ran away, while others just stood there in a daze, not daring to move.

Boss Gong immediately sneered, "Haha, you want to rob my goods? I can come here from Jinkou Station, not just by being a vegetarian."

Zhang Bixian narrowed his eyes. He had seen many big scenes, but this time he had few people with him, and there were more than 20 private salt dealers in front of him. A good man would not suffer a loss in front of him. When he saw that the other party actually had a musket in his hand, he felt that the source of information of this boss Gong was not ordinary, so he simply took out a small gold cake from his pocket and threw it to him. "Twenty taels of gold is not a respect, but I hope that boss Gong can be flexible."

Boss Gong took the gold cake and weighed it in his hand, then smiled and said, "Why had you been so polite earlier? We go out to seek wealth, and harmony brings wealth. It's better to have more friends than more enemies. Why are you so nervous? Put the thing down.

"Sir, can we talk for a moment?"

Zhang Bixian nodded, "Okay."

Boss Gong added, "Let me make it clear first, I heard this from hearsay. I have never been to Anlu, so I can't guarantee that the news is true."

Zhang Bixian was even more interested when he saw how honest this person was, so he nodded again and said, "Boss Gong, just tell me what you know, and I will be able to tell the truth from the false."

"Okay, then come over here."

So the two of them came to a tree next to the dock, and Zhang Bixian immediately asked, "Where did Boss Gong hear the news from?"

"I was able to transport the salt all the way here by bribing the government. The news that the Emperor Xu Song was dead was told to me by a junior officer while he was drinking when I was bribing the government troops."

Zhang Bixian frowned. Coming from a Yuan army officer, it was very likely true. He asked again, "Even if Anlu Prefecture has been lost, I heard that Emperor Xu Song fled to the Dabie Mountains. How did the government troops find him?"

Boss Gong immediately continued, "I heard that the general of the Xu Song rebel gang has captured someone, I think who it was, I can't remember the name, anyway, I heard that he was an important person, a small Tartar, and the general wanted to sell the hostage to the government in exchange for the government recruiting him and making him the Pingzhang of Huguang Province.

"Then the two sides must have reached an agreement, and the general went to trick Emperor Xu Song out of the mountains, and was killed by the ambushed government troops. I heard that there were also some Lotus Army soldiers, but they were all killed in the battle, and no one escaped. And Xu Song's so-called Grand Tutor seemed to have been captured alive and taken to Dadu.

"That great general, oh yes, he should be the official in the government now. I heard that he is still looking for a general named Chen from Xu Song. I don't know if he has found him yet. That's all I know."

Zhang Bixin was horrified when he heard this, and his hands hidden in his sleeves clenched into fists. If Boss Gong had just said that the Yuan army went into the mountains and found Xu Shouhui, he would not have believed it. But this man said that it was Xu Song's general who rebelled and surrendered to the government, and took the initiative to lure Xu Shouhui out and sold him to the Yuan army. This was very likely.

why?
Because General Ni Wenjun of Xu Song did capture the son of Yuan Ting Weishun King 'Kuan Che Pu Hua', and kept him in his hand without killing him.

You captured the son of the Yuan imperial family, but kept him alive. What were you planning to do? You were just waiting for a good price to sell him, so that you could leave yourself a way out.

When Lu Jin attacked Luzhou, he captured a Tartar prince and dragged him to the street and killed him publicly that day. This was to make his political attitude clear. I will fight the Yuan court to the end and will never leave any way out for myself. If you are a hero who truly wants to fight against the Yuan Dynasty, come and join me!

If you don't make your political stance clear and just capture the son of a Tartar prince and keep him in your hands, who the hell would dare to come and join you? What if one day you surrender to the Yuan army and betray your brothers?
Ni Wenjun did just that, so he has always been criticized by generals from other factions of Xu Song. It is not surprising at all that he would do such a thing as surrendering to the Yuan army.

Moreover, in the original history, Ni Wenjun really did so. He used King Weishun's son as a condition to negotiate with the Yuan court, wanting a position as a provincial governor and being recruited by the Yuan court, but the Yuan court did not agree.

After the talks between the two sides broke down, Ni Wenjun went after Xu Shouhui, wanting to kill Xu Shouhui and become the emperor of the Song Dynasty himself. However, he was defeated by Xu Shouhui. Ni Wenjun fled alone and defected to Chen Youliang.

Chen Youliang was not stupid. Why would he keep such a traitor who had lost his power, was not popular with people at home and abroad, and had no soldiers under his command? He killed Ni Wenjun on the spot and sent his head to Xu Shouhui to show his loyalty.

Xu Shouhui praised Chen Youliang for his loyalty and immediately promoted him to a higher position. From then on, Chen Youliang officially became the number one in the Xu Song forces, even stronger than Ming Yuzhen. This laid the foundation for him to later place Xu Shouhui under house arrest and take over the throne.

So when Boss Gong said that Ni Wenjun had some little Tartar in his hands, who negotiated with the Yuan court for amnesty, and who lured Xu Shouhui out of the mountains and sold him to the Yuan army, Zhang Bixin believed it immediately!

There is also Xu Shouhui's Lotus Platform Army, a name that few people know. Ordinary people just call them the Incense Army, the Red Turban Army, or the Song Army. Basically no one knows what the Lotus Platform Army is. But that is the imperial guard of Xu Shouhui's Lotus Platform Province (Zhongshu Province), or the "Protecting Religion Army", which was founded by Peng Yingyu. It is full of die-hard Maitreya believers, and is specifically responsible for protecting the emperor and the central government of Xu Song.

Now Boss Gong said that Xu Shouhui's Liantai Army was completely wiped out, so this is almost certainly true, otherwise how would he know the name of Xu Shouhui's imperial guards?

When Zhang Bixin thought of Ni Wenjun, who had been "recruited by the Yuan court" and was now leading the Yuan army to find the whereabouts of Chen Youliang, he gritted his teeth and shuddered. This news was too important. They had to be vigilant, otherwise they might soon be visited by Ni Wenjun and the Yuan army.

Thinking of this, Zhang Bixian took out a small gold cake from his arms and stuffed it into Boss Gong's hand, "Thank you Boss Gong for telling me."

Then, without saying a word, he turned around and jumped onto the fishing boat, and asked his men to row him back. He wanted to tell Chen Youliang the news as soon as possible.

Boss Gong weighed the gold cake in his hand and curled up a wicked smile. Although he didn't know who the person who asked him for information was, seeing that he attached so much importance to Xu Song's information and was so generous, he knew that this person must be Xu Song's man, and most likely a member of Chen Youliang's remnants.

Why did he know so much? Because the rumors they spread were designed by Lu Jin and Bao Yu, who sent people to different areas to precisely spread the news, specifically looking for places where Chen Youliang might be hiding.

At the same time, rumors spread elsewhere were different.

In Jingzhou, Anlu, and the area near Dabie Mountains, where Xu Shouhui might be hiding, the intelligence agency reported that Ni Wenjun had rebelled and was recruited by the Yuan army. He had already captured Chen Youliang with the Yuan army and was preparing to go into the mountains to search for Xu Shouhui.

Near Zhongxing Road, where Ming Yuzhen might be hiding, the Intelligence Bureau spread another story, saying that Ni Wenjun had been recruited and led the Yuan army to kill Xu Shouhui and Chen Youliang successively, and was searching for Ming Yuzhen.

In the vicinity of Yuanzhou Road in Jiangxi and Xiangtan in Huguang, where Ou Puxiang might be hiding, the Intelligence Bureau was spreading rumors that Ni Wenjun had been recruited, lured Xu Shouhui to death, and then recruited Chen Youliang to surrender. Chen Youliang was preparing to go to Yuanzhou Road with Ni Wenjun to help the Yuan army search for Ou Puxiang.
This series of different versions of rumors were precisely released in different areas. They not only spread the news that Xu Shouhui was dead, causing the Xu and Song factions to lose their backbone, but also alienated the Xu and Song factions, making them afraid to support each other, let alone meet each other, for fear of being found by the other side. They could only hide and fight on their own, thus making it more difficult for them to make a comeback.

This tactic of taking advantage of troubled waters and sowing discord is indeed vicious enough, but in order to seize the world, Lu Jin would do anything he could. As the saying goes, war is all about deception, so isn't it normal to use some tactics of sowing discord in war?
But it is estimated that Xu Song will not have the opportunity to make a comeback, because September is coming soon——
PS: There is only one chapter today, which is the eighth one. I wrote several versions but was not satisfied with them. I revised them again and again, and only wrote one chapter. Sorry it is a bit late.

(End of this chapter)