Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 41: The Magical Way of Building a Stronghold for Self-Protection (Please Read)
"Don't worry, I won't beat you to death." Lu Jin said while holding Zhang Wen's neck.

Zhang Wen also laughed and said, "Brother Lu led us to three victories and finally got the position. How can we let him take it away from us?
"Brother Lu, rest assured. I will definitely not let him come back alive. It's just a beating. I, Zhang Wen, will take it."

Lu Jin nodded and gave further instructions.

"You can't act too fake, you still have to pretend to be more realistic. Zhao Pusheng must not be allowed to come alive.

"As for Hua Gao, let's just wait and see. If he dies, then he dies. If he doesn't, you don't have to target him. Just fetch him when the time comes. I'll throw him into the navy, and he won't be able to cause any trouble."

"Yes, I remember it all." Zhang Wen nodded to show that he understood.

Lu Jin patted his shoulder and gestured to Zhu Shou.

"After we finish the work here, you will pack up today and move to Luzhou City. You can live in Zuo Junbi's house first. We will not stay in Luzhou forever. We will definitely move away in the future.

"Hurry up and don't delay your work. Tell Zhu Shou that the city is still recruiting soldiers. I have to go over and take a look. I'll go back first."

"Okay, we'll move there today. Brother Lu, you go back first." Zhang Wen agreed immediately.

Lu Jin nodded and returned to Luzhou City.

In the government office, as soon as Lu Jin came back, he saw Bao Heng nodding secretly at him. Lu Jin immediately understood that he had already passed on the matter.

He had already made arrangements for Bao Heng and Zhang Wen. All he had to do next was wait for the news of Zhao Pusheng's death. He immediately stopped caring about the matter and started working.

Today's work is still very busy. Lu Jin has to meet many people, negotiate with the grain merchants in the city, and summon the craftsmen responsible for building the city. He also needs to personally inspect the newly recruited soldiers and generals, and all officers must be appointed by him personally in order to maintain his prestige.

Lu Jin gave instructions that when recruiting soldiers, anyone with a special skill should be brought to him for inspection. The criteria were that they must be literate, able to write and do math, able to shoot arrows, and able to ride a horse.

If any one of these three conditions is met, one would be considered a talent at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and could be a low-level military officer. If two are met, one could at least be a battalion commander; if all three are met, it would be enough to be a regimental commander.

When Zhu Yuanzhang first joined Guo Zixing, he was made a sergeant because he was "familiar with literature and writing".

Lu Jin originally thought that he would not find any more talented generals, but he did not expect that there were actually two fish that had escaped the net in Luzhou City.

Yang Jing, Marquis of Yingyang, and Pu Ying, Marquis of Jinshan, soon came to him on their own initiative and were recommended to Lu Jin.

Lu Jin really didn’t know these two people, nor did he know that they were marquises of the Ming Dynasty in history. During the Hongwu period, the founding dynasty of the Ming Dynasty, seventy or eighty marquises were conferred. Who could remember them all?

These two people were not well-known to begin with, and could not be compared with Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Deng Yu, Hu Dahai and the like, so naturally people would not remember them specifically.

But the two still stood out with their real abilities! It can only be said that gold shines everywhere.

Especially Yang Jing, who was born as a Confucian scholar, but was well-versed in the art of war. Not only could he ride a horse, he even brought his own horse.

In terms of martial arts, he was proficient in archery and the use of swords and spears. Not only could he fight, but he could also write articles. His overall quality far surpassed all the other generals from Chaohu, and he immediately attracted the attention of Lu Jin.

"With your talent, it would be a waste for you to be a battalion commander. At least you should be in charge of several thousand people and lead an army. Otherwise, it would be a waste of talent.

"But I don't have that many soldiers at the moment. You wait a few days and see how many people you can recruit. If you can gather a group, I will let you be the new commander."

Yang Jing immediately clasped his fists and said humbly, "Thank you for your appreciation, Marshal. You are overpraising me. Jing has not yet made any achievements, but I have suddenly been promoted to a high position. I am afraid that others will not accept it. Let me be a thousand households first."

However, Lu Jin shook his head and said, "No need. I have a lot of talented people who can command thousands of troops, but there are not many who can lead an army alone. I said that you can be the regiment commander, and no one dares to object. Just wait." "Thank you for your respect, Marshal!" Yang Jing immediately accepted the order happily.

Who wouldn't like to be able to become a senior military officer right after joining the army?

After a while, Pu Ying was also brought over. He was an excellent rider and extremely skilled in archery, but his cultural level was a little behind Yang Jing.

He could read but could not write much and had not learned any military tactics systematically. He was good enough at charging into battle but not good enough to be a commander-in-chief, so he was arranged by Lu Jin to be the battalion commander under Yang Jing.

In the blink of an eye, half of the regiment's leadership team emerged.

After lunch, when Lu Jin went downstairs to continue working, he received another shocking news.

"What? Didn't I ask you to recruit soldiers? And you just took over a county?"

Looking at Ye Sheng who came to report the work progress, Lu Jin couldn't help but be surprised.

"My lord, please bear with me. This is not my achievement. It is all due to your wisdom and bravery. This county was not conquered by me. I got it for free."

Okay, I picked up a county for free, but it’s still a county!

The county that Ye Sheng mentioned is actually Liang County, northeast of Luzhou, about sixty or seventy miles away from Luzhou City.

Although the administrative division there is a county, its population size is definitely not comparable to that of Luzhou. It is at most a town now, and it doesn’t even have a city wall. This is the key!

Lu Jin asked Ye Sheng and Zheng Yong to recruit soldiers and form a cavalry battalion. As soon as they arrived in Liang County, the Mongolian officials in Liang County learned that Luzhou City was captured by the Red Turbans and ran away.

There isn't even a city wall, and it's so close to Luzhou City. Are you just waiting to die if you don't run?

But Ye Sheng's men were all cavalry. This group of people intercepted the Darughachi (general manager) of Liang County and killed him directly, and then took over the county town of Liang County which had no city walls. It was really a free gift.

Ye Sheng immediately clasped his fists and added, "My lord, I met another brother in Liang County. He built a stronghold in the village to protect himself. When he saw that I had conquered Liang County, he immediately wanted to surrender. He had a thousand militiamen under his command, but I was only responsible for the cavalry, so I brought him here."

Another person came to surrender with his own troops and built a stronghold to protect himself. Lu Jin was almost numb and asked directly, "Where are the people? Bring them here directly."

Then a strong young man who was only 21 years old and the same age as Yu Tonghai walked in. When he saw Lu Jin, he immediately bowed to him.

"Marshal, my name is Wu Fu, courtesy name Boqi, and I am willing to bring a thousand militiamen to surrender.

"Just now on the road, I learned that the Marshal beheaded Zuo Junbi, captured Zhu Liangzu, conquered Luzhou City, and chopped off the head of the Tartar prince. It was really a great deed, which made us Han people feel relieved. I hope the Marshal will accept me. I am not afraid of death and am willing to be the vanguard for the Marshal!"

"Hahahaha." Lu Jin hurriedly walked down to help him personally, and couldn't help but laugh.

"You came just in time. I am forming a new regiment, and you can be a battalion commander. If one more person comes, we can have four battalions of soldiers in this regiment."

The leadership team of the newly formed regiment has already been assembled for 3/4.

However, what Lu Jin didn't know was that Wu Fu, who was building a stronghold in the village to protect himself, was not an ordinary person. In history, he was the Marquis of Anlu in the Ming Dynasty. After his death, he was posthumously named the Duke of Qian. Judging from his title, he must have made outstanding contributions.

At the same time, Lu Jin couldn't help but sigh again.

Building a stronghold for self-protection is really a magical thing. Almost every county and every village has it. The most exaggerated one is Deng Yu. This kid later went to Zhu Yuanzhang with 16 elite young men when he was years old. I don’t know why their stronghold was so big.
(End of this chapter)