Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 460 A Masterful Attempt at Shifting the Blame

Chen Youliang and his party were soon led into the city. As soon as they entered the city, they saw soldiers wearing heavy black cloth armor and carrying spears guarding the city gates. There were also soldiers wearing yellow armor and carrying muskets patrolling the streets.

The three had already seen this kind of army when they were in Wuchang, and knew that it was Lu Jin's Imperial Guard Division. They immediately thought to themselves, Lu Jin has sent hundreds of thousands of troops to fight outside, yet he still has the most capable Imperial Guard Division left here to guard the city. He really has a strong military force. I wonder how many Imperial Guard Divisions he left in Jiankang.

Upon entering the city, a junior official from the commander's office immediately greeted them. He first arranged for everyone's families to rest temporarily in an inn, saying that they would be given formal accommodations after they had paid their respects to Lu Jin. Chen Youliang and the others did not object and followed the official directly to pay their respects to Lu Jin.

As they passed the former commander's residence, which was also the central government headquarters, the clerk did not stop but led them onward. Chen Youliang immediately asked in confusion, "Young man, isn't His Highness the Prince of Chu in the residence? Where are we going?"

The clerk immediately replied, "His Highness spends half the day teaching students every day. It should be almost time for the get out of class to end. His Highness has instructed the three generals to wait at the Privy Council. His Highness will be here shortly."

"Oh, I see. Then please continue to lead the way."

The three were then led directly to the War Situation Room of the Privy Council. In the spacious War Situation Room, there was a huge sand table, which was a sand table map of the whole of China. The mountains and rivers and the terrain were clearly visible. There were also city models in various places, with wooden signs marked with place names. Next to them were various flags representing different forces, so it was easy to see who occupied which place.

The three exchanged a glance, all somewhat surprised. Why would this minor official bring them here to wait for Lu Jin? To their surprise, the official simply asked them to sit down, had tea brought over, told them to wait a moment, and then left, leaving the three of them alone in the war room.

Zhang Dingbian frowned immediately. "Brother, could this be a trap? He lured us here and is just leaving us to wait and see what's going on?"

Chen Youliang smiled and said, "Since you're here, make the best of it. What are you afraid of? Just sit down and relax."

Zhang Bixian also said, "That's right. If that King of Chu intends to take us, the former subordinates of Xu and Song, under his command, then he must spend a fortune to buy us horses. We are those horses. Even if it's just to set an example for other Xu and Song generals, he will definitely not harm us. You can rest assured."

"That's good." Zhang Dingbian breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. The weapons of the three of them had been confiscated when they came in. Without weapons in hand, he always felt a little uneasy, mainly because this was not his territory. Now, after hearing Zhang Bixian's words, he relaxed and picked up his teacup to take a sip. "I've traveled such a long way, and I'm really thirsty. This tea is quite good, much better than that tea dust. It suits my taste."

But at this moment, Zhang Bixian said again, "Although the King of Chu will not harm us, I think he must have his reasons for placing us here to wait. I think he wants to tell us something."

Zhang Bixian scanned the room and saw nothing unusual around him, except for the sand table in the middle of the room, which was the most eye-catching. So he said, "I think the purpose is in this sand table. He must want to tell us something."

"Tell us what?" Upon hearing this, Chen Youliang immediately stood up and went to the sand table, with the other two quickly following suit.

The three men were generals who had been leading troops and had been fighting in Jiangxi and Huguang for the past two years. They were quite familiar with the geography. Now, as they carefully examined the sand table, they suddenly realized that most of the plains in northern Jiangxi had been occupied by Lu Jin. Only the mountainous areas in the south and the western areas near Huguang remained unconquered, but these had already been included as targets for attack.

The Central Plains have also captured Xinyang, and a commander's flag bearing the insignia of the Fourth Front Army, along with several other military and divisional flags, are rushing towards Nanyang.

In addition, the Shandong direction was no exception, with several densely packed flags advancing in three routes towards Shandong and Hebei under the leadership of two commanders' flags. As for the Huguang direction, they had just come from there and knew that Liao Yong'an was leading a large army to attack Hanyang.

Seeing the entire world on this sand table, the three of them belatedly gasped in astonishment, realizing the immense scale of Lu Jin's work.

Zhang Dingbian exclaimed in surprise, "He has almost occupied all the good land with a large population and abundant grain. After this battle, as long as we can recuperate for a year, we can launch another major battle next year and take over the Central Plains, march on Tongguan, and launch a northern expedition against Dadu."

Chen Youliang frowned and said, "I didn't expect that Liu Futong in the Central Plains would only have such a small territory left. He only has the northern part of Runing Prefecture, the western part of Anfeng Road and Guide Prefecture, and a little bit of the southern part of Bianliang Road. In total, he only has a dozen or so cities. Meanwhile, the Chu army has occupied half of the country and has a strong army. How can Liu Futong fight?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dingbian immediately said, "Didn't you say before that Liu Futong's troops, like us, are both tying up the main force of the Yuan army in the north and south? We were beaten so badly that we lost a city. It's only natural that they are not doing much better in the north. Isn't that normal?"

“Look at this side of Bianliang Road, there are still many Yuan army flags flying around. The one on it named Li Chahan must have a lot of troops. It must be his tens of thousands of soldiers who have been keeping Liu Futong from advancing north.”

Chen Youliang also mocked himself, saying, "We've been fighting to the death in the north and south, but the Chu army has become a force to be reckoned with in the middle. Now they have occupied half the country and their troops are strong. I think that in this situation, no one can beat them. Even the Yuan court in Dadu seems to be powerless to resist their offensive. The Northern Expedition to Dadu should not be too far off."

"Shh! Brother, watch your words!" Zhang Bixian immediately reminded him. "We can't talk about fighting to the death or letting them gain power anymore. Don't forget where we are now. From now on, we are also members of the Chu army."

Chen Youliang then nodded and said nothing more.

Zhang Bixian continued, "This must be what the King of Chu wanted to tell us. He has now gained the upper hand, and it's only a matter of time before he takes over the world. He wants us to see the situation clearly, submit to him, and stop thinking about our former masters and being fickle. Do you think that's what he meant?"

Zhang Dingbian nodded immediately. "That's probably what he means. And he's telling us that he's sure to rule the world, so the promises he made to us weren't empty words to deceive us."

Chen Youliang nodded, "That should be the meaning. This is also a show of force against us."

Just then, a shout came from outside the courtyard gate: "His Highness the Prince of Chu has arrived!"

Upon hearing the sound, the three immediately looked outside and saw Lu Jin, dressed in a yellow brocade embroidered python robe, walking in surrounded by several guards and officials. Zhang Bixian, quick-witted and nimble-fingered, secretly waved to the two men to stop talking and hurriedly led them to the door to greet them.

"Your subjects Zhang Bixian, Chen Youliang, and Zhang Dingbian pay their respects to Your Highness the King of Chu!" The three knelt on one knee and bowed with their hands clasped in greeting.

Seeing this, Lu Jin quickly took two steps forward and helped the three men up. "Please rise quickly. I have long heard of the names of the three generals. Now that I see you, you are indeed majestic and imposing. You have come from afar and must be tired. Please make yourselves at home. No need for formalities. Please come inside. Someone, bring tea and seats."

"Thank you, Your Highness." After Lu Jin led the three of them back inside and they took their seats according to their status, Lu Jin looked them up and down.

Zhang Bixian was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a well-proportioned figure and a rather quiet appearance, like a scholar. But who would have thought that this man had the nickname "Zhang the Rascal"? He was also a fierce and reckless general when it came to fighting.

Needless to say, Zhang Dingbian was tall and burly, probably around 1.83 meters tall, though slightly shorter than Lu Jin. He had bright, piercing eyes, and his large hands rested on his knees like two small fans, indicating immense strength. This man was a fierce warrior who dared to charge straight at Zhu Yuanzhang single-handedly, so his martial arts skills must have been extraordinary.

As for Chen Youliang, he was far from the sleazy figure depicted in movies and TV dramas. He had his hair tied up on top, a short beard less than an inch long on his chin, and a dark yellow complexion, the kind of skin that gets tanned by the sun. His face was fairly regular, not ugly at all. He wasn't as tall as Zhang Dingbian, but he was still over 1.75 meters tall. He was just an ordinary person with no particularly outstanding features.

I heard that Chen Youliang worked as a prison warden in Xiantao, which means he was in charge of the prison. If he really looked ugly, he wouldn't have been recruited by the Yuan court to work as an official.
After looking them over, Lu Jin immediately said, "I've long heard of the three of you. It's rumored that General Chen once served as a jailer in Xiantao County. Moreover, your uprising actually started earlier than Xu Shouhui's, probably in the tenth year of the Zhizheng era. Am I right?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Youliang was surprised and said, "Your Highness actually knows that I used to be a prison guard?"

“Of course.” Lu Jin nodded. “I not only know that you were once a prison official in the Yuan Dynasty, but I also know the reason for your uprising.”

"The Yellow River in the Central Plains breached its banks, causing floods that inundated thousands of miles and resulted in heavy casualties among the people. The Yuan court ignored the situation until the floodwaters reached their salt fields, affecting tax revenue. Only then did the Yuan court think of flood control, which then led to the Red Turban Rebellion."

"But the climate has been abnormal these years, and it's not just the Central Plains that have suffered from floods. I've heard that the Wuchang and Hanyang areas in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River have also been flooded. But there's no grain transport or salt tax there. Compared to the Central Plains, the Yuan court is even less concerned about it. I imagine the people there have suffered quite a bit. You three, seeing that the people are destitute and that the Yuan court is doing nothing, decided to form a sworn brotherhood and start an uprising on the banks of the Yangtze River. Am I right?"

Chen Youliang immediately said with admiration, "Your Highness is indeed incredibly resourceful. Even from afar in Jiankang, you know the background and origins of my two brothers perfectly well. That is indeed true."

Lu Jin nodded and asked, "How severe are the floods near Wuchang and Hanyang? If I want to control the floods there after I take Hanyang, do the three of you have any suggestions?"

The three of them exchanged glances and shook their heads. Only then did Zhang Bixian cup his hands and say something.

"Your Highness has the people at heart. Even before the fall of Hanyang, you were already thinking about how to control the floods. It is a blessing for our hometown elders to be under Your Highness's rule in the future. However, the three of us have limited abilities. We may be able to offer some advice on warfare, but we really don't know anything about flood control."

Lu Jin immediately smiled and waved his hand, saying, "That's alright. I was a bit too hasty. I really shouldn't have asked you about this. Alas, we still lack talent. In the future, when we find a great talent in water management, we'll send them to the Jianghan region to take a look. Now that we've taken back the world from the tyrannical Yuan, we naturally have no reason to abandon the people. We still have to take care of things that the Yuan court doesn't care about, after all, they are our Han compatriots."

The three nodded upon hearing this, thinking to themselves that Lu Jin was indeed extraordinary. Whether he was pretending or genuine, at least he had actually inquired about it. In his manifesto, Lu Jin criticized Xu Shouhui for only knowing how to fight but not how to govern, yet when he met the three of them, he actually asked about the floods in the Yangtze and Han Rivers. It seemed that he was indeed different.

Zhang Bixian then took the initiative to ask, "Your Highness, before we three sought refuge here, we heard that Xu Shouhui had died. Is this true or false?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin's expression remained unchanged. Instead, he immediately explained, "I've also heard this news, but I can't determine Xu Shouhui's fate for the time being. However, I can tell you that what you've heard is likely a rumor."

"Rumors?" The three were immediately shocked. Chen Youliang frowned and asked, "Who is spreading these rumors, and what is their purpose?"

Lu Jin immediately said, "According to Liao Yong'an of the First Front Army, the rumor of Xu Shouhui's death was probably spread by Yu Que. You should know this person, right?"

All three nodded. "We've heard of it."

Lu Jin continued, "Yu Que is known for his many tricks. Last year, he led his troops to attack my Susong, but failed. Afterward, he went back to attack your Song army. Just before I sent troops this year, the Yuan army in Jiangxi and Huguang had already achieved a great victory over you, and the Song army was left with only remnants scattered and hiding in various places."

"Yu Que probably feared that you would reunite and form a large army that would be difficult to wipe out, so he came up with this plan to sow discord, preventing the remnants of the Song army from supporting each other or even meeting. In this way, the Yuan army could easily defeat you one by one."

"If I hadn't acted quickly this time, the remnants of your forces in Xianning probably wouldn't have lasted much longer. It's truly remarkable that you were able to come to Jiankang alive."

"As for Xu Shouhui, I heard he has hidden in the mountains, and the Yuan army is intensifying its encirclement and pursuit of him, so it is really hard to say whether he is alive or dead."

The three men were immediately skeptical. This scheme of sowing discord sounded like something the Yuan army could come up with. But this plan came at the crucial moment when Lu Jin was conquering Jiangxi and Huguang. Not only could the Yuan army benefit from it, but it was also a major boon for Lu Jin. Could it really be a coincidence?
Zhang Bixian then pressed on, "Yu Que's schemes are truly ruthless; he almost put us to death. May I ask Your Highness, where is he now?"

Lu Jin immediately said, "Yu Que was the Jiangxi Provincial Councilor. He was previously guarding Jiangzhou, so he committed suicide on the day Jiangzhou fell. His coffin was transported here."

This meant there was no way to verify the story, and the three of them looked at each other in bewilderment.

Seeing their expressions, Lu Jin immediately asked, "What is it? General Zhang, is there something you want to say about Xu Shouhui's whereabouts?"

Zhang Bixian was smart enough to understand Lu Jin's implication. He immediately stood up, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and said, "Your Highness is overthinking it. Now that we have submitted, we will naturally follow Your Highness's lead. I was just asking to confirm the rumors, nothing more."

Just kidding. Now that they've already surrendered, even if Xu Shouhui were still alive, they can't go back. If Xu Song could have been on par with Lu Jin before, after seeing that sand table today, after this battle, who can be Lu Jin's match? To surrender to Xu Shouhui now would be foolish.

Seeing this, Lu Jin laughed. These people were quite sensible.

(End of this chapter)