Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 467 Xu Shouhui Surrenders

Lu Jin received the report of the defeat at Dashibadulu on the fifth day of the tenth month. Three days later, on the eighth day of the tenth month, the Battle of Xiangyang ended.

After the Battle of Jingxiang, Miao Daheng and Hua Gao went their separate ways. Miao Daheng led the Fourth Army Group south to attack Yiling (Yichang), while Hua Gao led the Eighth Army Group north to the Central Plains to support Yu Tingyu and Bian Yuanheng.

However, just as Hua Gao was heading north to Xinye, a group of more than a thousand remnants of Xu Song's forces emerged from the Dabie Mountains and fled to the Tongbai Camp, a newly established camp of the Agricultural Reclamation Division, on the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains.

Tongbai used to be just a desolate wilderness with no cities within a radius of 400 li. In order to consolidate the logistics supply lines of the Fourth Front Army, Lu Jin ordered the establishment of a new county here and sent agricultural reclamation divisions to settle and cultivate the land. The foundation of the county town was built first, and then immigrants were gradually added later.

Tongbai County today doesn't even have a city wall; there are only temporary camps built by the soldiers of the agricultural reclamation division using wood. Each division has three regiments: one is responsible for building the city and houses, one is responsible for guarding and patrolling along the grain route, and the other is responsible for reclaiming farmland. Each of the three regiments has its own duties.

Each of the five agricultural reclamation division commanders was allocated fifty mu of land and served for five years. During these five years, they were not only exempt from taxes, but the government also provided them with military rations, meaning they were fed but not paid. The grain they grew became their income. After five years, they were discharged from the military and became civilians, and began to pay taxes according to the land area.

Each company of more than 200 people was set up in a village, and each battalion of 900 people was set up in a town. The three regiments and fifteen towns together formed the newly established Tongbai County.

The soldiers in charge of clearing land first cut down the larger shrubs, then burned them along with the weeds on the ground. The remaining ashes were turned into the soil and used as fertilizer. There were very few oxen, so they could only use manpower to pull the plow or simply use hoes to clear land.

After each village was cleared of land, the fields were divided according to the number of people.

It's already October, and the weather is about to get cold. It's too late to plant crops now, so the division headquarters requires that alfalfa be planted first this winter. Alfalfa is cold-resistant and is also a legume, so it can be used to fertilize the fields. In late autumn, other grasses will freeze to death, but alfalfa can still sprout and grow next spring. At that time, it can not only be eaten by people, but also used to feed livestock.

After the alfalfa is harvested in spring, other crops can be planted around the Qingming Festival, such as spring wheat, soybeans, and millet. After planting these crops for two or three years, the land will become fertile.

That day, the remnants of Xu Song's forces had just emerged from the Dabie Mountains when they encountered a battalion of soldiers who were logging and collecting building materials in the mountains. The two groups met in the mountains, but fortunately, their commander immediately stated their purpose, saying that they had come to surrender, thus a conflict was averted.

However, it was quite a coincidence that the leaders of this group were none other than Yang Puxiong and Chen Puwen, who had twice been sent as envoys to Luzhou to help Xu Song pacify Lu Jin.

The two men first inquired about who the commander-in-chief was in the Central Plains. Upon learning that the commander of the Fourth Front Army was named Yu Tingyu, they were overjoyed and immediately revealed their identities, asking the officer of the reclamation division to take them to see Yu Tingyu.

The agricultural reclamation division dared not neglect them and immediately dispatched a fast horse to send the two men to Nanyang. On the way, the two encountered Hua Gao's Eighth Army Group. Seeing their former enemy, the Yuan army under Dashibadulu, also following the Shengwu Army's ranks with their heads down, the two men sighed and then continued on to Nanyang.

Three days later, the two arrived in Nanyang. Yu Tingyu's expression upon seeing them was truly remarkable. He immediately teased, "Oh, aren't these the envoys from Xu and Song? You two aren't here to bestow titles upon our prince again, are you?"

Yang Puxiong was immediately embarrassed. Back when Xu Song first started his rebellion, he was so glorious, swallowing up thousands of miles of land in just a few months. But who could have imagined that in less than two years, the situation would be completely reversed? Xu Song lost all his territory, while Lu Jin held nearly a million troops and swallowed up several provinces in one fell swoop. Half of the southern country was now under Lu Jin's control. How could they still have the face to bestow titles upon Lu Jin?

Yang Puxiong straightened his clothes and then said in a serious tone, "General Yu, please don't joke. Times have changed. We have come to join your army. We hope that your army will take us in because we are all righteous people."

Yu Tingyu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I heard you ran away from the Dabie Mountains, and you have over a thousand soldiers who look like beggars with you. Xu Shouhui should be with you too, right? Where is he?"

"This..." The two exchanged a glance, hesitated for a moment, and then Chen Puwen spoke.

"His Majesty Xu Shouhui originally intended to leave the mountain with us, but just as we were about to leave the mountain pass, he and Grand Tutor Zou Pusheng suddenly disappeared without a trace."

"To be honest, General, we have seen the proclamation issued by the King of Chu. Therefore, I suspect that Xu and Zou may be worried that the King of Chu will harm them, so they secretly went into hiding, probably to live out their remaining years in anonymity."

"Seeing that Xu and Zou intended to avoid the world, we led the remaining soldiers out of the mountains. Unexpectedly, we encountered your army's Tongbai camp and then came here to the general."

Upon hearing this, Yu Tingyu frowned, pondered for a long time, and then said, "No one, not even a ghost, would believe what you're saying."

The two exchanged a glance, but neither objected.

Yu Tingyu stood up and said with his hands behind his back, "Never mind, I can't make a decision on such a big matter. How about this, I'll send you to Jiankang. As for whether or not to accept you, and how to deal with Xu Shouhui, you can go and talk to His Highness about it yourselves, how about that?"

The two men exchanged another glance before bowing and saying, "Thank you very much, General."

So the two set off again that day, and were transported to Jiankang along the supply route of the Fourth Front Army.

At the same time, Lu Jin also received the battle report from Jingzhou and Xiangyang on the tenth day of the month. He learned that Xiangyang had been captured and that Dashibadulu and Bolotemur were to be sent to Jiankang. Lu Jin immediately summoned several staff officers from the Privy Council for a small meeting.

Then a decision was made. Given that the early stages of the campaign had gone relatively smoothly and that each unit still had considerable reserves, Lu Jin decided to expand the scale of the campaign and launch the second phase of the operation plan, which would involve three directions and require each army to add some targets.

Needless to say, Liao Yong'an and Chang Yuchun on the southern front were tasked with seizing the opportunity to attack northern Hunan, capture the important town of Changsha, and sweep through the plains surrounding Dongting Lake.

On the Central Plains side, since Hua Gao and others captured Xiangyang with little effort, the troops still retained a considerable fighting strength. Now that they were going north to support Yu Tingyu and Bian Yuanheng, Lu Jin added another task for them.

Hua Gao and Fu Youde were to lead the Eighth Army Group north to Xiangcheng and Wuyang to confront Li Chahan and Wang Baobao on the Bianliang Road. Bian Yuanheng, Li Huafu, Zhao Yong, and a Imperial Guard Division, a total of four divisions, were to attack the Henanfu Road.

That is, from Dengfeng to Luoyang, Xin'an, Mianchi, Sanmenxia, ​​Lingbao, all the way to Fenglingdu and Tongguan, this narrow strip of land on the south bank of the Yellow River, to seize control of Tongguan, block the passage for the Yuan army in Shaanxi to the east, and prepare in advance for the subsequent Northern Expedition.

This area isn't large, and there aren't many cities, but its strategic location is extremely important. Since we still have the strength and have already reached the outskirts of Luoyang, why not just take Tongguan as well? That would save Li Chahan from having to flee to Shaanxi later.

Finally, there was the Shandong and Hebei route. Zhu Liangzu, Liao Yongzhong, and Yang Jing led three army groups to launch a northern expedition to Shandong. The Yuan army in Dadu was no match for them, and the campaign in the north went very smoothly. As a result, Lu Jin also added more responsibilities to the northern army.

Zhu Liangzu was ordered to deploy defenses along the abandoned Yellow River, Yang Jing led the First Army Group to sweep through the Jiaodong Peninsula, and Zheng Yong led the Independent Cavalry Division to deploy defenses in a mobile manner. This freed up Liao Yongzhong and Mao Gui's Sixth Army Group.

Lu Jin then ordered Liao Yongzhong and Mao Gui to continue their westward advance from Xinxiang on the Weihui Road, to capture a few more cities, and to take Huojia, Xiuwu, Wuzhi, Wenxian, and Mengxian on the Huaiqing Road, which are the cities along the north bank of the Yellow River on the Bianliang Road. Once these places are captured, Li Chahan and Wang Baobao in Bianliang will be completely surrounded, preventing them from going to Shaanxi or crossing the river to Shanxi.

In addition, Yu Tonghai's Second Army Group was urgently transferred from eastern Zhejiang to Xuzhou to fill the gap in the Bozhou-Luyi area on the south bank of the Yellow River (Huai River). This strategic reserve force, which had been left unused in eastern Zhejiang, was finally ready to make its appearance.

This deployment mobilized four army groups, totaling over 200,000 troops, to complete the strategic encirclement of Bianliang Road. Even if Li Chahan and Wang Baobao had wings, they wouldn't be able to escape from this ambush. Lu Jin was determined to kill this 'extraordinary man' inside the pass!
A few days later, the coffins of Jin Chaoxing, Song Guoxing, and the others were transported back to Jiankang by boat. Lu Jin went over to take a look and offered his condolences to Guo Zixing and his wife, who came to receive the coffins, as well as Song Guoxing's father and brother Song Sheng. Zhang Wen also personally received Zhang Zhen's coffin, and Jin Chaoxing's wife and children also came to personally carry the coffins.

Lu Jin instructed the Ministry of Rites to oversee the funeral and build a tomb for them. Then he rushed back to handle personnel matters. Dashibadulu and his son Boluo, as well as Xu Shouhui's subordinates Yang Puxiong and Chen Puwen, arrived together.

After meeting Lu Jin, Boluo and his son were quite respectful. Boluo himself surrendered only to save his father's life. Therefore, although it was not Lu Jin who made the promise, he agreed not to kill them and even gave Dashibadu Lu an official position as the Commander-in-Chief of Henan Province, a high-ranking official of the third rank. However, he was not allowed to go to Henan to take up his post, which was equivalent to placing the father and son under house arrest in Jiankang with high-ranking positions and generous salaries.

This was done for two reasons: first, to appease the surrendered soldiers and generals; and second, to set an example for other Yuan generals, demonstrating that as long as they surrendered obediently, their lives and wealth could still be preserved.

After dealing with the father and son, it was Yang Puxiong and Chen Puwen's turn.

Lu Jin specially wore a bright yellow python robe to receive the two men, and said as soon as they met, "It's been a long time since we last met, gentlemen."

Upon hearing this, the two immediately replied, "Two years have passed since we parted, and everything has changed. Your Highness, the Prince of Chu, is still as dashing as ever. It is our current disheveled appearance that Your Highness finds laughable."

“Yes, this is truly a world of difference,” Lu Jin exclaimed. “Two years ago, when Mr. Chen was on a mission to Luzhou, he said that as long as I was willing to submit to the Song Dynasty, your emperor would reward me with a garment like this. But I never got it, and I had no choice but to sew one myself.”

Lu Jin pointed to the python robe he was wearing before saying, "It seems that relying on oneself is indeed better than relying on others."

The two men knew, of course, that Lu Jin was referring to his previous hint that he could be made a king. Lu Jin was clearly mocking and showing off, but they couldn't really refute him. After all, they had no choice but to bow their heads when they were under someone else's roof.

Chen Puwen continued to flatter him, saying, "Your Highness raised an army in response to the will of the people and followed the will of Heaven to fight against the Yuan. Your achievements today are due to the favor of Heaven. Your Highness's ennoblement as a prince today and your ascension to the throne in the future are all due to the will of Heaven. Why would you need anyone else to help you?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin looked at him with amusement and asked, "Oh? I am favored by the heavens?" Chen Puwen's expression remained unchanged, as if it were the truth, and he immediately said, "Of course, Your Highness raised an army in Chaohu. In the north, there were Sesame Li and Liu Futong as shields, and in the south, Xu Song provided cover for Your Highness. When you crossed the Yangtze River to the east, the Yuan army in Jiangzhe was led away by Peng Yingyu. When you went to the north of the Yangtze River, the Yuan court dismissed the prime minister and changed generals on the spot."

"In just one year after crossing the river, you have organized a million-strong army, sent troops to Jiangxi and Huguang, and then the Song Dynasty was destroyed. Compared with Xu and Song, all of this is incredibly smooth. If Your Highness had not been blessed by the Mandate of Heaven, how could things have gone so smoothly?"

"Hehe, maybe so."

Lu Jin smiled noncommittally upon hearing this, thinking to himself that the reason he was able to succeed so smoothly was because he knew the course of history and seized every strategic window of opportunity, which is why he had come all the way to where he was now. Well, if time travel can be considered destiny, then he was indeed blessed by destiny.

"Gentlemen, you have come a long way and must be tired. Someone, please bring you seats and tea."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

After the two men were seated, Lu Jin got straight to the point and asked, "Let's skip the small talk and get to the point. What is Xu Shouhui sending you here for this time?"

Upon hearing this, the two men repeated their previous explanation, stating that Xu Shouhui and Zou Pusheng had left them without saying goodbye before leaving the mountain, and that they had not brought any soldiers with them, presumably intending to live in seclusion in the mountains or to wander the world.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin immediately said, "Do you two think I would believe your explanation? Besides, as the emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, Xu Shouhui's fate—whether he is dead or alive—needs to be explained. He can't just disappear without a trace, right?"

Chen Puwen and his group certainly knew Xu Shouhui's whereabouts. Their purpose in coming out this time was to test Lu Jin's attitude. If Lu Jin was willing to give them a way out, they would come out again. If Lu Jin really didn't give them any way out, they might really have to go into hiding and wander the world.

So Chen Puwen immediately probed, "Then what does Your Highness mean? What kind of explanation do you want?"

Lu Jin retorted, "Have you seen my manifesto?"

The two nodded immediately. "We saw it."

Lu Jin then said, "Xu Shouhui usurped the throne and replaced the Central Secretariat with the Lotus Throne, attempting to establish a country with Buddhism and destroying the Chinese tradition. He has made a grave mistake. But even if he is wrong, he was still a righteous army and made great contributions to the anti-Yuan movement. No matter how bad the Lotus Throne was, it was still our Han Chinese court. Based on this merit alone, he does not deserve to die."

"Didn't Mr. Chen just say that without Xu and Song's cover in the south, I wouldn't have been able to cross the river so easily?"

Both of them nodded upon hearing this. It seemed that Lu Jin did not intend to kill Xu Shouhui, which made them secretly relieved.

Lu Jin continued, "Therefore, as long as he is willing to relinquish his imperial title and submit to my court, I can bestow upon him the title of Marquis of Guiyi, allowing him to enjoy wealth and honor in Jiankang forever. What do you two gentlemen think?"

Upon hearing this, the two immediately cupped their hands and said, "Your Highness is benevolent and righteous, broad-minded, and forgiving of past grievances. If Xu Shouhui could learn of this, he would be eternally grateful."

Upon seeing this, Lu Jin smiled at the two men and then said meaningfully, "So you two gentlemen must have a way to find him and ask Xu Shouhui to come out of seclusion, right?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Puwen simply stopped pretending and said, "Your Highness is exceptionally astute, and I cannot deceive you. To tell you the truth, we were in the mountains when we heard the news that our subordinate had defected to the enemy and that Ni Wenjun was leading the Yuan army to search the mountains. We were filled with anxiety and could only hide in the deep mountains, spreading our spies to gather information from outside the mountains."

"Afterwards, we saw His Highness's proclamation of military expedition, which swept across Jiangxi and Huguang, and made unstoppable progress in the Central Plains. Jingzhou and Xiangyang were also taken in one fell swoop. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, we advised Xu Shouhui to submit to His Highness. However, after seeing the four major mistakes listed in His Highness's proclamation, he and Zou Pusheng were worried that His Highness would not forgive them. That's why they sent the two of us out of the mountains first to test His Highness's mind. If His Highness was willing to forgive their crimes, he would then be willing to come out of the mountains and submit. Otherwise, he might really have to live in anonymity for the rest of his life."

"I never expected Your Highness to be so benevolent, not only willing to forgive his crimes but also to grant him the title of Marquis. If Xu Shouhui knew this, he would surely be willing to submit. If Your Highness is determined, I am willing to act as an envoy to persuade Xu Shouhui to come out of seclusion."

"There is one more thing, and I hope Your Highness can give me a definite answer."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin thought to himself, "I knew you two were out scouting, and sure enough, I was right." Then he spoke.

"Tell me what you want to know."

"Besides Xu Shouhui, what about Grand Tutor Zou Pusheng? How does Your Highness plan to settle him?" Chen Puwen asked immediately.

Lu Jin replied without hesitation, “You know Chen Youliang, right? He thought you were all dead, so when our army reached Hanyang, he voluntarily surrendered to me, and I promised to give him a marquisate. He is currently in Jiankang.”

"The same goes for Zou Pusheng. If he is willing to submit, I can also grant him a marquisate. What do you two gentlemen think?"

Chen Puwen immediately said, "That would be perfect. I wonder if Your Highness could write a letter as proof? Those two are currently like frightened birds. Without proof, I'm afraid they won't believe me."

Lu Jin immediately said, "What's so difficult about that? I'll just issue an imperial decree and send someone to go into the mountains with you. Surely he'll believe that?"

"That is quite appropriate."

Lu Jin nodded and immediately called out to the door, "Someone come here."

Li Dingbang immediately entered, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

"Arrange for a platoon of personal guards to go on a long trip to deliver my imperial decree. Also, find Luo Guanzhong from the Hanlin Academy."

"Yes."

A moment later, Luo Guanzhong arrived looking bewildered. Lu Jin explained the situation and immediately asked Luo Guanzhong to draft an imperial edict on the spot, affixing Lu Jin's golden seal of the King of Chu before speaking.

"You will be my envoy for investiture. Go with Mr. Chen and make a trip to bring Xu Shouhui and Zou Pusheng back."

Luo Guanzhong was extremely excited. Conferring a marquisate upon an emperor was a very rare event in history, and he never expected to have the honor of witnessing it in person. He immediately cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will certainly not fail in my mission."

"Okay, go and make preparations. We'll leave today."

"Yes."

Upon seeing this, Chen Puwen and Yang Puxiong immediately prepared to get up and take their leave, but Lu Jin said, "Mr. Chen can go by himself, but does Mr. Yang also want to come along?"

Yang Puxiong was taken aback upon hearing this, and immediately asked, "Does Your Highness have something to discuss with me?"

“Aren’t you two here to pledge allegiance? I happen to have something to do but can’t find a suitable person to do it. Since Mr. Yang has come along, I’d like to trouble you to do it for me.”

Yang Puxiong was secretly pleased. It seemed that Lu Jin didn't treat him like an outsider. He had been given a task so soon after arriving. If he did well, he would at least be credited for his hard work. So he immediately said, "Your Highness, please give your orders. I will do my best."

Well, as soon as he heard there was a job, he immediately changed how he addressed himself.

Lu Jin then looked at him and asked, "Do you know that after the Jingkang Incident, the Kong family of Qubu migrated south and split into the Southern and Northern branches?"

"I know." Upon hearing this, Yang Puxiong immediately guessed what was going on. Lu Jin wanted him to act as an envoy and bring the Duke Yansheng to us.
However, what Lu Jin said next almost hurt him.

"Good to know. Quzhou is now under my control. The Southern Branch of the Kong family in Quzhou is the legitimate lineage of the Kong family. The bloodline of the Northern Branch is questionable. It is said to be a fake descendant of the Tartars. In addition, the Northern Kong family surrendered to the foreign tribes for hundreds of years and even worshipped the Tartar chieftain as the Grand Master of Confucianism. They have forgotten their ancestors and are shameless. Go to Qubu for me and wipe out that so-called Northern Branch of the Kong family. Destroy their ancestral temple, leave no one alive, and execute the entire family!"
“From now on, if anyone in Qubu claims to be a descendant of Confucius, I will hold you accountable. If I catch that Duke Yansheng, I will have him executed by slow slicing as well!”

Yang Puxiong froze on the spot, completely dumbfounded.

(End of this chapter)