Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 510 Surrender Upon Hearing the Wind
Although Zhu Liangzu wouldn't admit to being a lecher, his actions spoke louder than words. In the end, he actually picked eight women to take back, including the concubines of Emperor Yuan Shundi and palace maids from Goryeo. Lu Jin waved his hand and gave them all to him.

They had no choice but to give them to him; the little iron pot had left behind far too many women. The harem alone had four or five hundred concubines, and nearly two thousand unranked palace maids. Saying the harem had three thousand beauties might be an exaggeration, but it was close enough—enough to open several textile factories.
Bringing so many women back would be a problem, and there's no way to accommodate them all. Lu Jin definitely couldn't sleep with them all, especially since they were all women that Xiao Tieguo had already had his way with. Besides, Lu Jin's palace in Nanjing was basically just a temporary palace set up by the previous dynasty, and it simply couldn't hold so many palace servants. Even if they were brought back to clean the palace gardens, they wouldn't be used up. It would be better to use them to reward meritorious officials.

So Lu Jin simply distributed the more than two thousand concubines and palace maids directly. Every general who participated in the Northern Expedition received one. Lu Jin sent five hundred people to Liaodong and Shanxi respectively, letting the generals choose for themselves. After they had chosen, the rest were given to the lower-ranking officers.

Even among the civil officials, from Li Shanchang, the Left Chancellor, to Liu Zixian, the Prefect of Fengtian, and even Xia Yu and Bao Yu, who were by Lu Jin's side, each received a few. In the end, there were still more than a thousand left. Lu Jin planned to pack them all up and take them back to the south to distribute them again.

Unlike the large number of concubines and palace maids, the number of eunuchs in the Yuan court was much smaller, only five or six hundred, and more than 80% of them were Goryeo eunuchs. The most famous of them should be Park Bu-hwa.

This guy was also a Goryeo person, and he was from the same Goryeo region as Empress Ki. He was assigned to serve Empress Ki personally, manage her private treasury, and rose to the rank of Grand Master of the Palace and Chief of the State Council. He also conspired with Empress Ki and Hama to force the emperor to abdicate and was an important henchman of the two.

However, that was the end of it. During the Yuan Dynasty, apart from the Goryeo eunuch Park Bulhwa, there were almost no rumors of eunuchs interfering in politics. This was because the Yuan Dynasty had the Kheshig (imperial guard) system, and most of the eunuchs who served as close attendants to the emperor were members of the Kheshig. Ordinary eunuchs had very little contact with the emperor.

On the contrary, a large number of powerful ministers emerged from the Kheshig army, such as Yan Temur, Bayan, Toqto'a, and Hama.

This shows that the involvement of eunuchs in politics has little to do with whether they are eunuchs or not. As long as they have access to the emperor and are close to the center of power, regardless of gender or whether they are guards, they may interfere in politics by taking advantage of the emperor's favor. It has nothing to do with who the person is.

Therefore, to avoid interference in politics by the inner court, the emperor himself had to manage it. However, most instances of inner court interference were actually initiated by later emperors to counterbalance the outer court. So there was no way to prevent it; it all depended on the emperor's self-discipline. As long as the ministers of the outer court were vying for power with the emperor, inner court interference was almost inevitable.

But let's leave that aside for now. Lu Jin didn't intend to keep all the eunuchs captured by the Yuan court. Park Bu-hwa was killed on the day Empress Ki was executed. Lu Jin planned to send all the remaining Korean eunuchs to work in the mines. In the end, there were a few dozen Han and Mongol eunuchs, but Lu Jin took them back with him.

This continued until October 20th. Zhu Liangzu's Second Front Army had begun to assemble and withdraw. When the vanguard had already arrived in Tianjin, the various armies on the northern front were almost in place. Guan Duo and Pan Cheng's 144th Division successfully arrived at the Shuangcheng General Administration Office in the northeast of Goryeo.

Upon learning that Dadu had been captured, Emperor Shun of Yuan had been taken prisoner, and that the entire Liaodong region and Shangdu Kaiping in southern Mongolia had been taken over by the Ming army, Li Zichun, the Darughachi of Shuangcheng General Administration appointed by the Yuan court, wisely chose to submit to the Ming Dynasty. Thus, Shuangcheng General Administration was incorporated into the Ming Dynasty's territory. It was now virtually impossible for Goryeo to expand northward as it had in the original history.

As for Yi Seong-gye, well, he's only nineteen years old now. His father is Yi Ja-chun, the Darughachi of the Shuangcheng General Administration. Historically, this father and son joined Wang Jeon of Goryeo at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, helping Goryeo expand northward. Later, they even usurped the throne and seized power on the peninsula, which led to the establishment of Joseon Dynasty.

Historically, it was Yi Seong-gye who led his troops to kill Guan Duo's central Red Turban Army. Now, as the saying goes, enemies are destined to meet, and Guan Duo and Yi Seong-gye have run into each other again. However, this time, Yi Seong-gye has become Guan Duo's subordinate—a truly ironic twist of fate.
Meanwhile, Wang Xianzong's 142nd Division also entered the Liaodong Peninsula. After completing the task of transporting troops and supplies, Bai Guangtai's navy also began to divide its forces and enter Lushun. After receiving Lu Jin's order, it sent a detachment of twenty ships carrying food and supplies southward to bypass the Korean Peninsula and enter Shuangcheng General Administration on the east coast of Korea. With food and supplies, Guan Duo's garrison there could stand firm.

On the other side, Yu Tonghai also withdrew from Shangdu to Quanning to garrison, while Liao Yong'an and Xu Da led their troops north from Taiyuan and occupied the cities in the Hetao and Shangdu areas.

Chang Yuchun is leading the Ninth Army Group in a southward retreat, but the troops are marching very slowly on the return journey and have only just reached Taiyuan.

When Zhang Desheng arrived in Dadu with the 115th Division and Li Wang's First Imperial Guard Division to take command, Lu Jin stopped waiting for Chang Yuchun and let him slowly march south from Shanxi. Lu Jin himself led the prisoners captured in this battle and returned to Beijing with Zhu Liangzu's Second Front Army.

As the army retreated south, news of the victory in the Northern Expedition was being spread to the south in the form of proclamations. The four armies had captured Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hebei, and Liaodong in one battle, and even reached the southern part of the Gobi Desert, taking back Shangdu and Yingchang, and capturing the Yuan emperor.

The Ming Dynasty had only been established for two months, yet it had already achieved such a great victory, which boosted the morale of the entire nation's military and civilians.

On his way back to the capital, Lu Jin saw many people standing by the roadside watching the victorious army return. Some people were even pointing at the captured Yuan officials, looking as if they had finally gotten their revenge.

When the news reached Jiangnan, it utterly shattered the hopes of the gentry and landlords with ulterior motives. After Lu Jin occupied Jiangnan, he immediately implemented a tiered tax policy and set an annual interest rate cap of 20% on private loans. Although he did not directly seize the land of the gentry, this move broke their bones, forcing them to continuously sell land and divide their property in order to escape heavy taxes.

Previously, servants were considered private property of the household, but the government forcibly converted them into labor contracts, and the government had to pay the servants wages every month. Even with Lu Jin's approach, the landlord's family had no surplus grain.

As things grew worse day by day, the gentry and landlords of Jiangnan began to stir. However, with the main force of the 300,000-strong Holy Martial Army stationed in Jiangnan, they dared not do anything. Later, although the main force of the field army left, the Inner Guard Army remained. The Inner Guard Army system was even more ruthless, penetrating deep into villages and towns. The Inner Guard Army soldiers from various villages were all spies of the imperial court. If any of the local tyrants made any move, they would be immediately suppressed by the government and the Inner Guard Army.

After making an example of them several times, the local tyrants and gentry dared not move at all and could only submit to Lu Jin's rule. In addition, the Holy Martial Army's successive victories on the front line further frightened them into not daring to make any rash moves.

Although they dared not openly rebel, they deeply missed the former Yuan Dynasty. The Mongols had been so good to them; as long as they paid enough taxes to the government, the Yuan government didn't care what they did. Living like local tyrants in the countryside was truly a good life. Many people hoped that the Yuan Dynasty could fight back and drive Lu Jin away so that they could reclaim their land.

But now, the Yuan court has returned, but only as a prisoner of Lu Jin. Even the Yuan emperor has become a prisoner, and Yingchang in southern Mongolia has been taken back by the court. They are now in utter despair.

Some gentry who recognized reality began to actively cooperate with the government's land distribution policy. Those who had previously been willing to pay an extra tax to hold onto their land were now finally willing to share it, hoping that this move would earn their children more political points and prepare them for future civil service examinations.

The gentry in the south were like this, and the warlords and local forces in those places that had not yet submitted also submitted their petitions to submit after hearing the news of the Ming army's great victory in the northern expedition.

Just as Lu Jindu crossed the Yellow River and arrived in Xuzhou, Feng Guoyong, who was stationed in Jiankang to oversee the central government, sent two pieces of good news to Lu Jindu: envoys from Chuzhou Road, located in the mountainous area of ​​southern Zhejiang, including Lishui, Suichang, Jinyun, Longquan, Qingyuan, and Qingtian, came to present memorials of allegiance.

Chuzhou Road is located in the mountainous area of ​​southern Zhejiang. Lu Jin had been trying to win over the plains, leaving the poor and remote Chuzhou untouched. Now that it has finally submitted to the government, it can only be considered a natural outcome.

Liu Bowen's hometown was Qingtian in Chuzhou Road, but since Lu Jin conquered eastern Zhejiang and blockaded southern Zhejiang, he had been living in seclusion at a friend's house in the countryside of Jiaxing for several years and hadn't returned to his hometown. In the past two years, he had simply found a private school in Jiaxing and worked as a teacher there. Therefore, the envoy who came to Jiankang to present a memorial of submission as the representative of Chuzhou Road was not Liu Ji, but Ye Chen, a famous scholar from Lishui and known as one of the Four Gentlemen of Eastern Zhejiang, who was also a judge of the Chuzhou Road General Administration Office of the Yuan court.

Now that the Yuan Dynasty is over, and Ye Chen is a native of Chuzhou Road, he naturally doesn't want his hometown to suffer from war again. Moreover, the newly established Ming Dynasty by Lu Jin is so powerful, and now that the Northern Expedition is over, Lu Jin's hundreds of thousands of troops are free to fight. The outcome of this game at the end of the Yuan Dynasty is already decided. Even if he wanted to fight, he couldn't win, so he might as well surrender.

Another person who voluntarily submitted his petition was Xiong Tianrui from southern Jiangxi. He was originally a musician from Jingzhou. Later, he followed Xu Shouhui in raising an army against the Yuan Dynasty. After the main force of Xu Song was scattered by the Yuan army last year, Xiong Tianrui also led a group of defeated soldiers to southern Jiangxi and fought guerrilla warfare in the mountains.

Then in September, Lu Jin launched the Henan-Hunan-Jiangxi Campaign, pacifying northern Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan, Jingzhou and Xiangyang, as well as Nanyang. However, due to limited troop strength and the fact that southern Jiangxi was mostly mountainous and of low value, he let southern Jiangxi go without attacking it. Xiong Tianrui thus survived in southern Jiangxi and, in the year or so, even grew stronger, now commanding 30,000 troops.

Although Lu Jin launched the Northern Expedition this year, he left the 10th Army Group, commanded by Liao Yongjian and Deng Shunxing, stationed in Chenzhou, Hunan, at the border of Hunan and Jiangxi, confronting Xiong Tianrui in Ganzhou. With these 50,000 troops keeping an eye on things, Xiong Tianrui did not dare to make any rash moves for a year.

Now that the Northern Expedition was victorious and news had arrived that Lu Jin was leading the main force of the Holy Martial Army south, Xiong Tianrui dared not delay any longer. The north had been pacified, and the main force of the Holy Martial Army was free to deal with other matters. It was easy to guess who would be the next to be dealt with, so he quickly submitted and surrendered.

Fortunately, Lu Jin had made arrangements in the south, leaving an army group to keep an eye on him; otherwise, this guy might have really caused some trouble.

In the original history, Xiong Tianrui was not very honest. He was originally Xu Shouhui's subordinate. After Chen Youliang killed Xu Shouhui and usurped the throne, Xiong Tianrui followed Chen Youliang. However, when Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang fought a decisive battle at Poyang Lake, Xiong Tianrui did not send any troops out and just sat on the sidelines watching the show.

After Chen Youliang's death, Chang Yuchun led his army to Ganzhou, and Xiong Tianrui was forced to surrender to Zhu Yuanzhang, but he was still not obedient at that time.

After Chen Youliang's Chen Han dynasty was destroyed, Xiong Tianrui, as a subordinate of Chen Han, was incorporated into Zhu Yuanzhang's army. Later, when fighting Zhang Shicheng, Xiong Tianrui betrayed Zhu Yuanzhang again and led his troops to join Zhang Shicheng. Unfortunately, he did not expect that his intentions had already been discovered by Zhu Yuanzhang. Instead, Zhu Yuanzhang used his betrayal to send Zhang Shicheng a false message, causing Zhang Shicheng to suffer a major defeat in Huzhou. After Zhang Shicheng's defeat, Xiong Tianrui was captured and executed again.

This man's experience shows that he is a fickle and treacherous person, and it would not be an exaggeration to call him a traitor to four masters. If it weren't for the fact that the situation was hopeless and he had no other choice, he would never have surrendered so easily.

On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month in 4051 AD, Lu Jin crossed the Yangtze River from Yangzhou and landed in Zhenjiang. He then traveled by land to Jiankang. Upon learning of Lu Jin's triumphant return, Feng Guoyong, who was left to guard the central government in Jiankang, immediately led all the officials to come out ten miles east of the city gate to welcome him.

Upon seeing Lu Jin's entourage, Feng Guoyong immediately led the officials forward to pay their respects, saying, "Congratulations to Your Majesty on your successful recapture of Yan and Yun and your triumphant return! Long live the Emperor!"

"Everyone is safe."

Upon seeing this, Lu Jin quickly dismounted and came forward, taking Feng Guoyong's hand and asking, "Sir, you've had a long journey. Is everything alright at home?"

"Compared to Your Majesty, I dare not claim to have worked hard," Feng Guoyong quickly said modestly, then added, "Everything is fine at home, Your Majesty, please rest assured. The ladies and princes are also doing well, and His Highness the Crown Prince often asks when Your Majesty will return."

"No major events have occurred in the court. However, the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty in the south, having heard of the military might of our Great Ming's northern expedition, have all submitted petitions to surrender."

After speaking, he pointed to a middle-aged man among the officials behind him and introduced him to Lu Jin, "Your Majesty, this is Ye Chen, the judge of the Chuzhou Circuit General Administration. He is acquainted with Song Lian and they are known as famous scholars in Zhejiang. This time, he has come to the capital as an envoy of Chuzhou to present a memorial of submission."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Ye Chen, a Confucian scholar from Chuzhou, pays his respects to Your Majesty the Emperor."

Lu Jin immediately stepped forward to help him up and said, "I have long heard of your great name from Mr. Jinglian. There is no need for such formality. This time, you have come to your senses and submitted your petition to surrender, thus preventing the people of Chuzhou from suffering the calamity of war. This is truly a benevolent act."

"The previous imperial examinations did not involve Chuzhou, which meant that the talents of Chuzhou could not be used by the imperial court. I wonder if Mr. Ye would be willing to take up an official post and set an example for the scholars of Chuzhou?"

Ye Chen hadn't expected Lu Jin to directly invite him to become an official, and even said that he should set an example for the scholars of Chuzhou. How could he refuse? So he could only bow and say hello.

"Your Majesty flatters me. In terms of scholarship, how could I dare to compare with Song Jinglian? However, Your Majesty wants me to set an example for the students of Chuzhou, and I cannot refuse. Otherwise, when I return and learn that the scholars of Chuzhou cannot participate in the imperial examinations, I am afraid they will all point their fingers at me and curse me."

"It's my wish, but I don't dare to ask for my ear."

"Hahaha, then sir, come back to the capital with me first. I have long heard of your great name, and this time I will have to learn a thing or two from you."

"I don't dare."

After exchanging pleasantries with the welcoming crowd, the carriage headed towards Jiankang City again. As they approached the city gate, they could see steam rising from the Longwan Shipyard in the distance. The shipyard's timber drying room was in operation. Lu Jin immediately asked Feng Guoyong, "It's already December. Is there any news from Nanyang about Wang Dayuan and the Yuanwang?"

Feng Guoyong immediately replied, "There's no news yet."

(End of this volume)

Next volume: Diligent and Vigilant
(End of this chapter)