Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 466 Daring to Change the World

It's not surprising that Yuan generals would defect on the battlefield. In the original history, when the Ming army was on a northern expedition, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun reached Taiyuan, Shanxi. Wang Baobao's generals also surrendered to Chang Yuchun. Then, at a critical moment, a rebellion broke out, which led to the annihilation of Wang Baobao's 100,000-strong army in Taiyuan. Wang Baobao was forced to flee alone.

Moreover, in that case, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun did not lead a large number of troops, and Wang Baobao's situation was far less dangerous than that of Dashibadulu this time.

Looking at the present situation, the reinforcements from the periphery, Aslan, have been annihilated in advance, and all external support has been cut off. Dashibadulu himself is being attacked from both sides by the Holy Martial Army, which has four times the strength of his own forces. In addition, they are in such a dilapidated terrain that they have no way to escape. Under such a critical situation where they are at a great disadvantage, it would be truly strange if not a single Yuan soldier surrendered.

After the Battle of Yingshan, Suizhou, which is next to Yingshan, immediately opened its gates and surrendered the city. Suizhou was just a small city at the foot of Dabie Mountain. Now that Dashibadulu's main force had been completely wiped out, there was no other Yuan army force that could fight within hundreds of miles. Moreover, Liao Yong'an's 100,000-strong army was also watching closely. So Suizhou wisely surrendered.

After Suizhou surrendered, Liao Yong'an immediately divided his forces into two routes. He ordered Miao Daheng to lead the Fourth Army Group to continue westward to attack Changshou (Zhongxiang), and then directly take Jingmen. After taking Jingmen, they would move north to cooperate with Hua Gao's Eighth Army Group to besiege Xiangyang. They were determined to capture or kill Bolotemur as well, and absolutely not let either of the father and son escape.

Meanwhile, Liao Yong'an also had Miao Daheng bring along Tujian Temur, who had surrendered voluntarily, and Dashibadulu. Tujian was to actively persuade other Yuan soldiers to surrender, while Dashibadulu was to be brought along to threaten Boluo Temur, telling him, "Your father is in our hands," making him hesitant to act rashly. Even if Boluo did not surrender voluntarily, his father could be tortured and killed, driving Boluo to the point of losing his temper and rationality. Once Boluo was provoked, he would be more likely to reveal his weaknesses.

If Hua Gao had captured Xiangyang before Miao Daheng, or if the two armies had joined forces to capture Xiangyang, then Miao Daheng could have continued his southward offensive, capturing Yuan'an west of Jingmen and Yiling, the capital of Xiazhou Road, which later became Yichang.

Yichang is the eastern exit of the Three Gorges, equivalent to the eastern gateway of Sichuan. Once this place is controlled, the Yuan army in Sichuan can be blocked. In this way, whether it is the defense of Hubei after the war or the future attack on Sichuan, the Shengwu Army can deal with it with ease.

After arranging all this, Liao Yong'an personally led Yin Congdao's 120th Division, Zhang Liang's 121st Division, the surrendered general Zhu Zhen, and 30,000 surrendered Yuan soldiers to Mianyang to meet up with the remnants of Su Jing's 101st Division.

Since the main force of Dashibadulu was destroyed, the subsequent battles went very smoothly. Miao Daheng led the Fourth Army with more than 50,000 men to attack Changshou and Jingmen. Since both cities were guarded by Dashibadulu's generals, when they learned that the main force had been destroyed, Dashibadulu had been taken prisoner, and Tujian and Zhuzhen had surrendered to the Shengwu Army, Changshou and Jingmen were surrendered without firing a single arrow, thanks to Tujian's persuasion.

Miao Daheng captured the important town of Jingmen without injury, and then marched north. On the seventh day of the tenth month, he captured Nanzhang, southwest of Xiangyang, and together with Hua Gao of the Central Plains, surrounded Xiangyang from the north and south. The Fourth Army Group and the Eighth Army Group met on the Han River in the western suburbs of Xiangyang.

Immediately, Miao Daheng tied up Dashibadulu and brought him to the city walls. When Boluo on the city wall of Xiangyang saw his father captured, he was furious. At this moment, Tujian took the opportunity to persuade the Yuan general Dailu beside Boluo to surrender. Dailu saw that the city was surrounded on all sides and his own commander had been captured by the enemy. To make matters worse, Tujian came to persuade him to surrender, saying that the Shengwu Army treated surrendered generals and soldiers well. He hesitated.

If even the wicked donkey was like this, then there's no need to say more about the other ordinary Yuan soldiers. No blow could be as devastating to their morale as having their commander tied up and displayed outside the city. Besides, with two army groups besieging the city, what else could they possibly use to continue holding out?
Xiangyang was indeed difficult to attack in the past, but that was because it had the Jianghan Plain as its rear, which continuously supplied Xiangyang with troops and supplies, allowing it to hold out for a long time. Now, they are being attacked from both sides, so how can they hold on?
The morale of the soldiers and generals was wavering, and Bo Luo, as the commander-in-chief, could see it all. He wanted to kill the wicked donkey to establish his authority, but that was useless. He only had a little over ten thousand soldiers with their morale completely shattered, which was no match for the Holy Martial Army's siege. Even if he could wear down some of the Holy Martial Army's soldiers, it would only hasten his own father's death.

Disheartened, Boluo pondered for a day and a night in the city, and finally chose to surrender in exchange for his and his father's lives.

So on the eighth day of the tenth month, with the surrender of Bolot Timur, a great warlord in history, Xiangyang was officially incorporated into the territory of Lu Jin.

After the Battle of Jingxiang, the remaining 10,000-plus troops of Boluo were reorganized into a three-regiment division according to the organization of the Holy Martial Army. This division was continued to be commanded by Dailu and did not have an official number for the time being. It was organized as an independent division and temporarily placed under the command of Hua Gao's Eighth Army Group. It would be responsible for the campaigns in the Central Plains and the North in the future.

Dashibadulu and his son Boluo were relieved of their military command and taken to Jiankang to be dealt with by Lu Jin.

Tujian Temur surrendered voluntarily and turned against his own side during the decisive battle. He also helped the Holy Martial Army to surrender several cities, making great contributions. He was temporarily given an independent division, but his soldiers were reduced to the size of a division and temporarily placed under the command of Liao Yong'an's First Army.

Meanwhile, in Jiankang, ever since Chang Yuchun sent that letter requesting to continue fighting and take Changsha in one fell swoop, Lu Jin had been waiting for news from Liao Yong'an to see when they would finish fighting in Hubei.

On the fifth day of the tenth lunar month, at noon, while Lu Jin was teaching her students, Feng Guoyong, Zhan Ding, and Xia Yu came looking for her. The three knocked on the door and appeared at the classroom door at the same time. Lu Jin looked at their expressions and immediately felt uneasy. She asked, "Has something happened at the front?"

Upon hearing this, the students who had been actively raising their hands to ask questions immediately fell silent. Song Lian, Zhu Sheng, and others who were listening to the lecture in the back row also stood up, all staring at Lu Jin with serious expressions.

Not wanting to cause any misunderstandings, Feng Guoyong quickly replied, "Your Highness, it is a report of victory from Huguang. Aslan's main force of 40,000 Huguang Yuan troops was defeated and annihilated by a detachment of the First Front Army. Our army took advantage of the situation and captured Jiangling."

"When Dashibadulu, who was confronting Commander Liao's First Front Army at Yingshan, learned that Aslan had been defeated, external aid had been cut off, and that our army was attacking from both sides in Huguang and Central China, his subordinates became fearful and took the initiative to surrender to our army. However, when the two armies were about to fight, they turned against us. Dashibadulu's main force of 50,000 Sichuan Yuan troops was also defeated by the First Front Army and was completely wiped out. 20,000 were killed in battle and 30,000 were captured. The enemy general Dashibadulu was captured alive."

Upon hearing this, Song Lian, Zhu Sheng, and the others breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they won, any other bad news would be acceptable. The students began to whisper among themselves, but were glared at by Tao Guangyi, who was sitting in front, and fell silent again.

Lu Jin frowned and said, "Silan and Dashibadulu have both been defeated, so there is no large Yuan army in the south that can fight against us. Isn't that a good thing? Did the three of you come here together to report the victory?"

"This is the detailed battle report, Your Highness, please take a look." Feng Guoyong immediately handed over the battle report.

Lu Jin curiously took the battle report. After seeing the casualties, he was stunned for a long time. Familiar faces flashed through his mind. He stood there for a long time before taking a deep breath and saying.

"The 101st Division has made the greatest contribution. If they hadn't fought so desperately, the battle in Jingxiang wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

“That’s right,” Feng Guoyong immediately nodded in agreement.

Lu Jin thought for a moment before saying, "I still remember when Brother Yong'an personally went to find Jin Chaoxing and persuaded him to join the army, risking his life to act as an inside agent in Chaoxian County to help me take Chaoxian County. It's been more than two years in the blink of an eye."

"Let the Ministry of Rites draft a posthumous title for him, posthumously granting him the title of Duke of Chao. Once the coffin is transported back, he shall be buried at Zhongshan with the rites due to a feudal lord. I remember he also has a son, who seems to be quite old. When he comes of age, he can inherit the title with a lower rank."

"Yes!" Feng Guoyong immediately took out his notebook and wrote it down.

Looking at the list of the dead, Lu Jin asked the crowd, "Dingyuan has an ancient name?" Among the crowd, Feng Guoyong was from Dingyuan, and upon hearing this, he immediately said, "Your Highness, Dingyuan was once the Quyang Marquisate during the Qin Dynasty, and it was only changed to Dingyuan during the Northern and Southern Dynasties."

Lu Jin nodded before saying, "Zhang Tianyou, commander of the 101st Division, is posthumously granted the title of Marquis of Quyang and buried in Zhongshan; Song Guoxing, supervisor of the 5th Imperial Guard Division, is posthumously granted the title of Marquis of Dingyuan and buried in Zhongshan; Zhang Zhen, commander of the 5th Imperial Guard Division, is posthumously granted the title of Marquis of Mianyang and buried in Zhongshan. The Ministry of Rites is to determine the posthumous titles for the four and preside over their funerals."

"Yes!" Feng Guoyong wrote it down again upon hearing this.

Seeing that Feng Guoyong had written everything down, Lu Jincai asked again, "How is things in Jingzhou and Xiangyang now?"

Zhan Ding quickly replied, "After the Battle of Yingshan, Commander Liao divided his troops into two routes, ordering General Miao's Fourth Army to continue attacking Jingmen and Xiangyang. Changshou and Jingmen surrendered without resistance. The Fourth Army is advancing towards Xiangyang. To the north of Xiangyang is General Hua's Eighth Army. With both armies besieging Xiangyang together, and with the prisoner of war Dashibadulu in our hands, taking Xiangyang should not be difficult."

"In addition, Commander Liao said that after the Fourth Division finishes fighting in Jingzhou and Xiangyang, they should take the opportunity to seize Yiling (Yichang) to block the eastern gateway to Sichuan and Chongqing, and prepare for the future advance into Sichuan and Chongqing."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin thought about the map and asked again, "Where did Liao Yong'an go by himself?"

Upon hearing Lu Jin's question, Zhan Ding knew what he was thinking and immediately replied, "Commander Liao led the 120th and 121st Divisions, along with 30,000 surrendered soldiers from Dashibadulu, to Mianyang to join forces with the remnants of the 101st Division. Not counting the wounded and surrendered soldiers, he should still have 40,000 combat-ready soldiers at his disposal, and with the surrendered soldiers, he should have 80,000."

"Is Your Highness planning to have them carry out Commander Chang's plan?"

"Did you bring a map?" Lu Jin asked immediately.

"I brought it." Zhan Ding immediately took out a map and spread it on the podium.

Lu Jin frowned as he looked at Jianli, Linxiang, Baling (Yueyang), Xiangyin, Yiyang and other places north of Changsha before saying, "Those 40,000 surrendered soldiers are unreliable and cannot be reused for the time being, and his own troops are also a bit too few."

"Here's what we'll do: after the Battle of Jingxiang is over, have Miao Daheng's Fourth Army Group send one division to garrison Yiling (Yichang), and the remaining three divisions will go to Mianyang to join Liao Yong'an. When do you expect to be able to get them in place?"

Zhan Ding quickly used his hand as a ruler to measure on the map, and after calculating for a moment, he said, "October 20th, we will definitely be able to arrive in half a month."

Lu Jin immediately said, "Then let's launch the operation on the 25th of this month and send this order to both the 1st and 5th Army Groups at the same time."

"Yes!" Zhan Ding immediately drafted the military order in the classroom. After writing it, he handed it to Lu Jin for signature and seal. The order was issued immediately. Neither of them mentioned the specific content. However, Feng Guoyong and Xia Yu of the Privy Council knew that Lu Jin was making arrangements to attack Changsha. It seemed that this year's battle had gone relatively smoothly. Lu Jin was really preparing to expand the scale and bring half of Hunan into his territory in one battle.

After Zhan Ding finished his report, Lu Jin looked at Xia Yu, who was standing at the back, and asked again, "What about you? What's your situation?"

Xia Yu immediately replied, "Your Highness previously instructed me to keep an eye on the situation in the Central Plains. Now, the Fourth Army has reached the Xiangcheng and Jiaxian areas, while Li Chahan and Wang Baobao have not yet made any moves."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin asked in surprise, "They haven't moved?"

Xia Yu nodded. "It must be the effect of His Highness's previous deployment in Shandong. General Liao's Sixth Army Group moved toward Weihui Road in a big way and sent out a large number of scouts to make a show of force. Li Chahan probably suspected that our army was going to take the opportunity to cross the Yellow River from the north bank and attack Bianliang. In addition, Liu Futong's troops were also watching us closely, so he did not make any rash moves."

Lu Jin frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "Li Chahan is not the kind of rigid person. Even if he doesn't take any action now, once the Sixth Army Group captures Weihui Road and the army is pressing in, he will definitely find a way out for himself. Either he will move west to occupy Tongguan and escape into the Guanzhong Plain, or he will cross the Yellow River and head north into the Three Jin regions. He will definitely take some action."

"Send orders to Yu Tingyu and Zhu Liangzu, telling them to be wary of Li Chahan's movements. If he wants to fight, then fight him in Bianliang. If he wants to escape, then annihilate him in the pursuit. The most likely time for him to make a move is this winter. Tell them to be on high alert."

"Yes!" Xia Yu immediately made a note and asked Lu Jin to sign it.

After all the reports were finished, the three of them left together.

Seeing that Lu Jin's complexion was not good, Tao Guangyi immediately stood up and asked, "Your Highness, would you like to go back to your residence to rest for half a day? This disciple can continue to teach them mathematics."

Lu Jin tidied up his textbooks before saying, "What rest? The soldiers on the front lines don't get any rest, so why should we? It is precisely because the soldiers on the front lines are fighting with their lives to recover our motherland's land that you people here should study even harder and become talents as soon as possible."

"Our motherland has been liberated, but it is still riddled with holes everywhere. It needs talented people to rebuild it, and you are the ones who are to rebuild our motherland. How can you slack off at this time?"

"Continue the class!"

"Yes!"

Tao Guangyi agreed and sat down. Just as he sat down, he caught a glimpse of the battle report that Lu Jin had casually placed on the podium. Lu Jin had just written two lines of annotations on it: "Only with great sacrifice can we achieve lofty goals and dare to change the world!"

(End of this chapter)