Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 474 Pacifying the Three Lakes Region
After Xu Shouhui arrived in Jiankang, Lu Jingan's first action was to issue a formal announcement stating that Xu Shouhui had relinquished his imperial title and been granted the title of Marquis of Guiyi. He then dispatched Chen Puwen, who had just returned, to the Huguang front to continue pacifying other former Xu and Song officials.

The Xu-Song forces consist of five major warlords. Peng Yingyu has already died in battle, Chen Youliang has also submitted, and Xu Shouhui and Zou Pusheng have been acting together, so the two can only be counted as one. They have now arrived in Jiankang.

So only Xu Song's general Ni Wenjun and Ming Yuzhen are still missing. This time, Lu Jin sent Chen Puwen out again to deal with the remaining two.

It was already late October, and with Miao Daheng's Fourth Army heading south, the second phase of the campaign ordered by Lu Jin had begun.

On October 25, the First and Fifth Army Groups on the southern front divided into four routes to jointly encircle Dongting Lake.

Chang Yuchun's Fifth Army on the southern front marched in two routes, north and south, with 100,000 troops advancing westward from Pingxiang and heading straight for Xiangtan (Zhuzhou did not exist at the end of the Yuan Dynasty).

After capturing Xiangtan, they established a solid base in Hunan. Then, they split their forces into two routes. Liao Yongjian and Wang Zhiyuan's 10th Army Group marched south to attack Hengshan, Hengyang, and Chaling, clearing obstacles in the south and blocking the Yuan army from the south to prevent them from advancing north and affecting the plan to besiege Changsha.

Chang Yuchun personally led the Ninth Army Group northward from Xiangtan, heading straight for Changsha.

The First Army in Hubei also split into two routes. Liao Yong'an and Xu Da personally led the Third Army as the Eastern Route Army, which marched south from Mianyang along the eastern shore of Dongting Lake, passing through Jianli, Linxiang, Baling (Yueyang), and Xiangyin, and finally arrived in Changsha.

Miao Daheng and Hua Yunlong's Fourth Army was the Western Route Army. Starting from Songzi, it marched south along the west bank of Dongting Lake, passing through Liyang (Lixian), Changde, Longyang (Hanshou), Yiyang, Ningxiang, and finally Changsha.

Furthermore, when we reach Changde, we can send a separate force to attack Taoyuan. In this way, the entire northern Hunan region and the area around Dongting Lake will be largely cleared out.

Because of the previous battle at Dongjing River in Mianyang, Aslan's main force of 40,000 Yuan troops in Huguang had been completely wiped out. Now, the Yuan army had no main force left in Huguang that could fight in the field. Therefore, this second phase of the campaign was more like a military parade. Wherever the Holy Martial Army went, the cities in Huguang surrendered without resistance. There was even a comical scene on the western route.

West of Dongting Lake, the Yuan army only had one military force left in Shangjun Prefecture, which was headed by a hereditary commander named Zhai Wenbin. He was responsible for guarding the Changde and Liyang line and had over 10,000 troops under his command. However, these 10,000 troops had to be stationed in two cities, so they were not a large force.

As for open field battles, that's out of the question. The previous battle with Aslan had almost wiped out the armor of the Yuan Dynasty's army in Huguang. Many of Zhai Wenbin's more than 10,000 soldiers were newly recruited, with an appallingly low armor coverage rate. Some didn't even have armor, and their training was insufficient. Sending such soldiers into open field battles would just be sending them to their deaths.
Zhai Wenbin wasn't stupid. After learning that Aslan's main force in Huguang and Dashibadulu's main force in Sichuan had all been defeated, he had already given up. He couldn't even defeat Aslan and Dashibadulu's hundreds of thousands of troops, so how could he possibly stop the main force of the Holy Martial Army?
So Zhai Wenbin is just going through the motions, waiting for the Shengwu Army to come to the city gates before surrendering the entire city. But just during this time, an unexpected incident occurred.

It turned out to be Ming Yuzhen, a subordinate of Xu Song. He had been driven away by the Yuan army and fled to the mountains west of Shimen and Cili. This area was under the jurisdiction of the Tusi (chieftains) appointed by the Yuan court, and the Yuan government's influence was not deep, which is why Ming Yuzhen was able to survive here.

In early September, Ming Yuzhen also received rumors that Xu Shouhui had been defeated and killed, and that Ni Wenjun and Chen Youliang had betrayed and surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty. However, he did not act rashly, but instead stayed in the territory of the Tusi to contemplate life. Now that Xu Shouhui was dead, how should he develop in the future?
But not long after, he heard news that the Holy Martial Army had attacked Huguang. Then came news of one major battle after another. After hearing that Aslan's main force of the Huguang Yuan army had been annihilated and that the main force of the Holy Martial Army had marched north to attack Jingxiang, Ming Yuzhen immediately judged that Lu Jin probably couldn't expect to take Yueyang in one go this time. He immediately felt that this was a good opportunity.

Once he can establish a foothold around Dongting Lake, he will have a solid foundation. Then he can observe the situation in the world. If Lu Jin wins, it will not be too late for him to join Lu Jin. Moreover, with territory, he can gain more benefits. If Lu Jin loses, he can use Yueyang and Changsha as his base, absorb the old troops of Xu Song, and declare himself king or emperor. It is not impossible for him to make a comeback.

The idea was good, and his judgment wasn't wrong either. Lu Jin's original plan was not to take Yueyang and Changsha directly, but because the first phase went too smoothly and Chang Yuchun volunteered to fight, Lu Jin added a second phase of the campaign, intending to swallow Changsha up as well.

However, Ming Yuzhen was unaware of this situation. He led his remaining troops out of the mountains again in early October, and within a month, he had grown stronger again, capturing the three cities of Andingzhou, Cili, and Shimen. His army had expanded to more than 10,000 men. Then he continued to attack Liyang to the east, and then ran headlong into Zhai Wenbin.

Zhai Wenbin, the Yuan Dynasty's garrison commander of Liyang, had long been prepared to surrender and was ready to open the city gates as soon as the Shengwu Army arrived. But now it was not the Shengwu Army that had arrived, but Ming Yuzhen. What the hell was going on?

Surrendering to the Holy Martial Army would be considered meritorious service, but if he surrendered to Ming Yuzhen now, what would he do if the Holy Martial Army attacked again? What if Ming Yuzhen wouldn't let him surrender?

After much deliberation, news arrived just then that the main force of the Holy Martial Army was marching south. Zhai Wenbin thought to himself, "You've finally arrived!" He gritted his teeth and decided to defend the city to the death, hold off Ming Yuzhen, and surrender when the Holy Martial Army arrived.

So Ming Yuzhen and Zhai Wenbin started fighting in Liyang City. Ming Yuzhen attacked the city for seven days without success. The Yuan army defending the city fought extremely hard. Even though they had very little armor and both sides suffered heavy casualties, Zhai Wenbin in the city just refused to surrender, which frustrated Ming Yuzhen to no end.

The previous battles against Cili and Shimen were not so difficult because there were hardly any troops stationed there, and they were easily captured. But now, Liyang is blocking our way.

Seeing that Liyang could not be captured and the morale of the defending troops in the city was high, Ming Yuzhen began to hesitate about whether to withdraw his troops. After all, being trapped under a fortified city for a long time would damage morale, and he had just returned to power and did not have much food to consume.

However, just as he was hesitating, a scout behind him suddenly reported to Ming Yuzhen that tens of thousands of Shengwu troops were rushing from Songzi to Liyang. Ming Yuzhen immediately beat his chest and stamped his feet in frustration, thinking that God was not giving him a chance. Who would have thought that Lu Jin's troops would arrive so quickly?
Now he only has three cities under his control, and less than 10,000 soldiers remain under the walls of Liyang. He is no match for the tens of thousands of main force of the Holy Martial Army, and for now he probably has no choice but to submit to Lu Jin.

After making her decision, Ming Yuzhen turned around and berated Zhai Wenbin in Liyang City, thinking to herself, "When the main force of the Holy Martial Army arrives, you'll be in for a world of hurt! You think you can defend the city? Let's see how long you can hold out!"

Then Ming Yuzhen immediately went north for ten miles to personally welcome Miao Daheng's troops, expressing her willingness to submit to Lu Jin. Miao Daheng was very happy and immediately agreed to go with him to attack Liyang.

But to everyone's surprise, as soon as Miao Daheng's troops arrived, the city gates of Liyang were opened wide, and Zhai Wenbin actually took the initiative to run out and surrender to Miao Daheng. This action immediately enraged Ming Yuzhen, who cursed loudly and started tearing at Zhai Wenbin in front of Miao Daheng, grabbing his collar and questioning him.

"You son of a bitch, if you were already planning to surrender, why did you hold out so stubbornly for the past few days, causing me to lose so many soldiers' lives?"

Zhai Wenbin was also very tough. While prying Ming Yuzhen's hand off his collar, he retorted, "If I'm going to surrender, I'll surrender to the Holy Martial Army. What are you, Ming Yuzhen? I originally planned to surrender to the King of Chu. Since you also want to surrender to the King of Chu, why don't I just surrender to the King of Chu directly? Why should I surrender to you first and make you a middleman? Do you think surrendering requires a broker?"

"Who knows what you're up to? If I surrender to you first, and then you ask me to fight against the King of Chu's army, wouldn't my surrender have been for nothing?"

"If you truly wanted to pledge allegiance to the King of Chu, you could have gone to General Miao first. This war wouldn't have even started in the first place, and it's all your fault. If you wanted to join him, you should have said so earlier! Let go of me!"

"You son of a bitch, spouting nonsense! You're just a lackey of the Tartars, how dare you slander me?"

Ming Yuzhen was furious when her secret was exposed, and she immediately slapped Zhai Wenbin across the face.

"Who are you cursing, you bastard? Did I just guess right? I bet you're up to no good." Zhai Wenbin got angry too and punched Ming Yuzhen in the face.

Seeing the two men fighting in front of tens of thousands of soldiers, Miao Daheng and Hua Yunlong couldn't stand it anymore and quickly pulled them apart, one by one.

Seeing that Zhai Wenbin's cheek was swollen high from the slap on the left, and blood was still flowing from the corner of his mouth, and that Ming Yuzhen's black eye was bruised and her nose was bleeding, Miao Daheng finally reprimanded him.

"Have you had enough? You are all generals who lead troops. Instead of fighting on the front lines, you are acting like shrewish women. Aren't you ashamed?"
"I don't care what grudges you have in the past. Now that you've joined my Holy Martial Army, you must obey my orders from now on. If you dare to fight within the army again, you will be dealt with according to military law. Those who engage in private fights will be beheaded!"

"Yes." The two immediately knelt on one knee and bowed in agreement.

Then Miao Daheng gave further instructions, "You two will each reorganize your troops, and each is only allowed to leave one regiment. Ming Yuzhen will lead one regiment to cover the rear, and Zhai Wenbin will lead one regiment to clear the way ahead and pacify the other cities in Changde Road. You don't want to be near each other, do you? One in front and one behind, neither of you should see the other." Upon hearing this, the two quickly bowed again and said, "Thank you for your arrangements, General."

They then exchanged a glance, snorted at each other, and went their separate ways.

This scene left Hua Yunlong and Miao Daheng both amused and exasperated, thinking to themselves how they had run into such a pair of clowns who were even fighting over surrendering.
After the two surrendered, the subsequent advance went more smoothly. After Ming Yuzhen surrendered, he directly handed over the three counties of Anding Prefecture, Cili and Shimen. After Zhai Wenbin surrendered, he first handed over Liyang, and then recruited the four cities of Changde, Taoyuan, Longyang (Hanshou) and Yuanjiang along the way. The Western Route Army was escorted to the city of Yiyang without fighting a single battle. At this time, there were only two cities left to go before Changsha.

The situation on Liao Yong'an's side of the Eastern Route Army was also quite absurd.

Yueyang was a strategic stronghold in Huguang. Although Aslan's main force had been wiped out, the Yuan army still had someone stationed in this important city, namely Yaozhu, the Pingzhang of Sichuan Province.

When Xu Song first started his rebellion, Yao Zhu was transferred from Sichuan to Huguang to participate in the war, mainly to suppress Xu Song's rebel army. After Xu Song was defeated and killed, the Shengwu Army entered Huguang. At that time, Yao Zhu did not go with Asilan in the battle of Dongjing River in Mianyang, so he was still alive and stationed in Baling (Yueyang). However, an unexpected situation occurred there.

In late August and early September, a rumor began to circulate in Jiangxi and Huguang. It was spread by Lu Jin that Xu Shouhui had been defeated and killed, and that Ni Wenjun had betrayed the Song Dynasty and surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty. There were also rumors that Chen Youliang had been defeated and captured and forced to surrender to the Yuan army, and that he was leading the Yuan army to search for Ni Wenjun. There were many rumors, and they were very confusing. Ni Wenjun did not know which one to believe for a while, but Lu Jin's rumor undoubtedly gave him some inspiration.

The rumor said that Ni Wenjun captured the son of Prince Weishun, Kuanchepuhua, but did not kill him, keeping him alive to negotiate with the Yuan army. Later, he did indeed surrender to the Yuan. The story was told in great detail. However, Ni Wenjun thought, "Yes, since Xu Shouhui has been defeated and killed, and the 'Great Song' has also been defeated and destroyed, why don't I really surrender to the Yuan court?" He happened to have Prince Weishun's son in his possession, which he could use as a bargaining chip.

All I can say is that this guy captured the son of a Yuan dynasty royal family member and spared his life, which shows he had ulterior motives to begin with.

He then contacted the Yuan government and got in touch with Yao Zhu. Ni Wenjun offered to help the Yuan government hunt down other remnants of the Xu and Song armies as a bargaining chip, using the fact that he was the son of the Prince of Weishun and that he had surrendered. He also asked the Yuan government for the position of Prime Minister of Huguang Province and a hereditary title of Duke.

This is quite different from the conditions he offered in history. In the original history, Ni Wenjun asked the Yuan court for the position of Provincial Governor, also using the son of Prince Weishun as a bargaining chip, but the Yuan court did not grant it.

At that time, Ni Wenjun still had a lot of soldiers under his command, but now he doesn't even have many soldiers left. So he didn't dare to ask for the position of Provincial Governor, and only asked for the position of Provincial Chancellor. But he also asked for the hereditary title of Duke, saying that this was what he deserved for betraying his comrades and promising to help the Yuan court hunt down the other remnants of the Xu and Song armies.

Unlike the original historical situation, at that time Lu Jin's army had just reached Jiangxi and had not yet marched into Huguang. King Weishun, Kuanche Puhua, was still alive. Upon learning that he could exchange his son for him, he advocated agreeing to the amnesty of Ni Wenjun.

On the other hand, with Lu Jin's army on the side, the Yuan court was really at a disadvantage. He was also worried that while the main force of the Yuan army was fighting against Lu Jin, the remnants of Xu Song's troops would jump out from behind again, and then Huguang would really be lost. In addition, with Prince Weishun pressuring him to exchange his son for his son, Yaozhu verbally agreed.

The chancellor of Huguang Province can be granted now, but the hereditary title of Duke must be reported to the central government first. Currently, Lu Jin has cut off the communication channels between Dadu and the south, so the Yuan central government has issued orders to the south that the only way to the west is through Sichuan, Hanzhong, Shaanxi, and Shanxi to Dadu, while the only way to the east is by sea.

Reporting to the central government for the title of Duke would take a considerable amount of time, and besides, Ni Wenjun hadn't captured any other former subordinates of Xu and Song yet. He hadn't even made any contributions, so how could he want to become a Duke? That was impossible. He could only verbally promise to help him ask the court for it, and whether the court would actually grant it was still uncertain. If you wanted to persuade the court to give you the title, you should quickly capture Xu Shouhui, Ming Yuzhen, Chen Youliang, and others to deliver the report.

Ni Wenjun knew that he had no troops and no bargaining power, so he decided to accept the offer and become the Prime Minister of Huguang Province for the Yuan Dynasty. He would ask for the title of Duke later. If the Yuan Dynasty refused, he would surrender and rebel again. He could also use the trip to replenish his troops and supplies. At worst, he could tell his subordinates that it was a ruse to surrender.

So Ni Wenjun really surrendered and became the Left Vice Minister of Huguang Province of the Yuan Dynasty. He also gathered up the defeated soldiers of Xu and Song along the way and went with them to Baling (Yueyang) to meet with Yaozhu. By the time he arrived in Baling, the troops had recovered to a size of tens of thousands.

Yaozhu first stationed him in Baling and asked him how he planned to search for the remaining Xu and Song troops. Ni Wenjun was not stupid and kept asking Yaozhu for food and pay, saying that his soldiers had been hungry for too long and how could they go out to work if they were not well fed and watered. Besides, he also needed time to find out the whereabouts of Xu Shouhui and others. So the two of them dragged it out like this.

However, the situation changed again in the next two months. Lu Jin's Shengwu Army swept through the country, first swallowing up Jiangxi, then attacking Huguang, and finally even defeating Aslan and Dashibadulu. This made Ni Wenjun think differently. He could surrender to the Yuan court after Xu Song was defeated. Now that the Yuan court was about to be defeated, why couldn't he switch to Lu Jin?

As the battle progressed and the Holy Martial Army gradually approached, Yaozhu's suspicions grew stronger. He wondered if Ni Wenjun was feigning surrender and had come to be Lu Jin's inside man. No way, with the big battle looming, Yaozhu wouldn't leave such a time bomb by his side.

So he first urged Ni Wenjun to lead troops to search for other former Xu and Song troops, but Ni Wenjun refused. Then he pressed him to lead troops to counterattack Mianyang and fight against the Shengwu Army, but Ni Wenjun still refused. The two remained deadlocked.

By late October, seeing that the Holy Martial Army had finished its campaign in Jingzhou and Xiangyang and that its main force was beginning to gather and head south towards Yueyang, Ni Wenjun could no longer hold out. No, he could no longer sit still. With a major battle approaching, he could not leave Ni Wenjun in the city, otherwise, he knew without a doubt that there would be no good outcome. So Ni Wenjun set up a trap, inviting Ni Wenjun to a banquet with axemen, intending to kill him.

Ni Wenjun wasn't stupid; he genuinely harbored rebellious intentions and naturally wouldn't fall for their tricks easily. Therefore, he directly refused their invitation to the banquet.

This completely broke off relations between the two sides. Yao Zhu directly sent troops to fight Ni Wenjun in Yueyang City. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, and the people in the city also suffered. However, because Yao Zhu had prepared for the breakup before setting up the trap, he sent his confidants to seal the city gates in advance. Ni Wenjun tried to escape from the city but failed. Instead, Yao Zhu set up an ambush in the city.

Ni Wenjun was ultimately no match for them. His remaining troops were too weak to fight effectively and were caught, captured, and killed. However, the Yuan soldiers who were caught did not fare much better and were severely wounded.

Seeing Liao Yong'an leading tens of thousands of main forces to rush over from Jianli and Linxiang, and Zhai Wenbin in the west also surrendering to the Shengwu Army, the enemy was everywhere on the east, west and north sides, and the city of Yueyang was already filled with bloodshed, making it impossible to hold out.

With a determined heart, Liao Yong'an abandoned Yueyang and immediately led several thousand remaining soldiers south to Changsha. As a result, Jianli, Linxiang, and Yueyang were all directly taken over by Liao Yong'an.

Seeing that Yueyang City had been ravaged and Ni Wenjun had been captured and beheaded, Liao Yong'an remained unmoved. He didn't even enter the city, but continued to lead his troops in pursuit all the way south.

Biting originally planned to run to Changsha to regroup, but he did not expect that Lu Jin would attack Changsha from both the north and the south. Not only did he send troops south from places like Mianyang, but he also sent a large army westward from Pingxiang, Jiangxi, to attack Changsha from the rear.

So when he had just reached Xiangyin, a scout came to report that a Shengwu Army from the south had captured Changsha and was heading towards Xiangyin. It was the main force of the Ninth Army Group, personally led by Chang Yuchun.

Miao Daheng in the west had already captured Yiyang and sent a detachment to attack Ningxiang. Meanwhile, Liao Yong'an, with tens of thousands of troops, was chasing after him from behind, heading straight for Xiangyin.

Biting his heart was filled with despair. He was now surrounded on three sides and had nowhere to go. Even if he could run down the Xiang River to Dongting Lake, the area around Dongting Lake had become the territory of the Shengwu Army, which also had a formidable navy. Where could he possibly go? So he decided to stay in Xiangyin for a decisive battle.

On the eighth day of the eleventh month, Chang Yuchun, Miao Daheng, and Liao Yong'an, along with three army groups and tens of thousands of surrendered Yuan soldiers, totaling nearly 200,000 men, joined forces at the foot of Xiangyin City. They surrounded the city, which was defended by several thousand remaining Yuan soldiers, with banners obscuring the sun outside the city. The nearly 200,000-strong army stretched as far as the eye could see outside the city, a dense mass of people that made the Yuan soldiers on the city walls shudder and tremble with fear, swallowing hard.

The Yuan army's rank-and-file soldiers and centurions immediately opened the city gates and rushed to surrender to the Shengwu Army, as they had no desire to stay in the city and die with the enemy.

Biting his tongue, he stood on the city wall with a miserable, bitter smile. He looked at a Yuan army commander who was about to tie him up and take him to the Holy Martial Army to claim credit. He couldn't help but glare at the man, forcing him back, before drawing his sword and slitting his own throat to commit suicide.

With a clang, as the steel sword fell to the top of the city wall, the Pingzhang of Sichuan Province of the Yuan Dynasty also died a heroic death on the city wall of Xiangyin.

On the eighth day of the eleventh month of the thirteenth year of the Zhizheng era, with the recapture of Xiangyin City in northern Hunan, all the cities within hundreds of miles of Dongting Lake had been incorporated into the territory of the Shengwu Army. Lu Jin finally realized his initial strategic vision of taking over the three lakes and sweeping across the world!
(End of this chapter)