It's worth mentioning that among Liu Ting's remaining troops was a group of Korean arquebusiers. This group had rebelled at a crucial moment, but their master fled, and they were subsequently suppressed by Liu Ting. All the officers leading the group were beheaded, leaving only a group of soldiers who aimlessly followed the Ming army on its eastward and westward campaigns.
Lu Xuan had no good feelings towards the Koreans. Whether now or in the future, these bastards were no good. Now that they were in Lu Xuan's hands, he would naturally teach them a lesson.
After thinking for a while, he summoned an advisor. Simply put, this advisor was responsible for writing various documents for him. He asked the advisor to prepare a memorial to the throne.
The gist is that North Korea harbors wolfish ambitions. They even rebelled during the previous war. They need to be thoroughly reprimanded. Incidentally, at the end of the memorial, they should plead poverty. In short, they are short of money, manpower, food, silver—everything. "Your Majesty, if you don't provide some assistance soon, I'll starve to death."
After pleading poverty, he sent a memorial to the capital. Lu Xuan got up to watch Shen Lian select people.
The situation was not good. The vast majority of soldiers were listless and lacked any spirit. They didn't look like soldiers at all. As soldiers of the garrison, they couldn't escape military service. They weren't even getting enough to eat, and no one wanted to be a soldier from the bottom of their hearts. Shen Lian was helplessly picking out the soldiers who looked relatively strong one by one.
Lu Xuan thought for a moment and then spoke to one of his personal guards.
"Go to Lu Wenzhao's place. Get a batch of livestock over first."
Soon after, to the astonishment of the listless soldiers, dozens of large iron pots were placed on the drill ground. Then a group of cooks rushed over and began to work. Their task was simple: they were cooking meat.
Large chunks of boiled meat, mutton, and horse meat, mixed with dried vegetables, mushrooms, and other things, were thrown into a big pot and stewed together.
Shen Lian immediately understood what Lu Xuan meant.
"Want to eat meat? Follow General Lu and you'll have meat to eat every day."
A commotion began to rise in the crowd.
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Chapter 121 Daring to Call It the Sun and Moon...
To be honest, most of the soldiers failed to satisfy Lu Xuan. Whether compared to later standards or to the powerful Tang Dynasty army of Lu Xuan's previous life, these Ming soldiers were utterly incompetent.
But there's nothing we can do; having even a few of them is good enough. At least they can still be considered soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. In a few more years, these soldiers will probably be thinking not about serving the Ming Dynasty, but about how to destroy it.
Ultimately, Shen Lian selected only about six thousand men according to Lu Xuan's standards. These men were completely shuffled and reorganized, becoming Lu Xuan's core force. Mainly, Lu Xuan removed most of the original officers from the army and temporarily promoted some lower-ranking officers, thus gaining control of the force in the shortest possible time.
After a series of wrangling, brawls, and even killings, Lu Wenzhao successfully obtained most of the supplies. Lu Xuan didn't delay and immediately took the supplies to his base in Liaoyang.
There were still many soldiers stationed in the various garrisons around Liaoyang. However, most of these soldiers were products of the local bureaucratic group, making them difficult for Lu Xuan to control directly. If he couldn't control them, Lu Xuan would rather not have these soldiers at all.
At this time, a 'benefit' of the Battle of Sarhu emerged: the number of military officers in Liaodong was far too high. Lu Xuan also personally dismissed some officers, which severely impacted the bureaucratic system surrounding Liaoyang Guard.
Lu Xuan never intended to rely on these bureaucrats. If possible, he didn't want any of them at all. Therefore, upon arriving in Liaoyang, Lu Xuan immediately issued his orders.
"Starting today, all salt and iron businesses in the garrisons surrounding Liaoyang will be taken over by my department. Shen Lian, you will immediately lead a team of a thousand men to shut down all salt merchants in Liaoyang. I don't care about their backgrounds, just investigate first."
A key aspect of the garrison system was that the garrisons themselves were responsible for supplying a portion of their food and military expenses. These garrisons were typically surrounded by large tracts of farmland that they could cultivate themselves. However, by the late Ming Dynasty, these farmlands had largely been seized by the bureaucratic class. Soldiers were left without money or food. Some deserted, others rebelled, and the Ming Dynasty gradually collapsed.
"Lu Wenzhao, you will lead a team to investigate the military farms. This will not be easy. The military farms are the lifeblood of some people. Once you take action, they will protest, or even resist. I will give you a thousand musketeers. If there is any resistance, kill them without mercy."
Lu Wenzhao hesitated for a moment.
"My lord, aren't we being a little too hasty? We can calm down first and then proceed gradually."
"There's no time for a gradual approach; the sooner the better. We don't have time. How long do you think the Jurchen internal strife will last? Will the Joseon dynasty continue to be the Ming's lackeys? The Mongols' ambitions are not dead and cannot be ignored either. This Liaodong region is surrounded by enemies on all sides. How can we have time for a gradual approach? Once the Jurchens unify internally, they will once again march south. What will we use to stop them?"
"But the matter of military farming is a matter of life and death for officials at all levels in Liaoyang. If it is investigated, it may incite a popular uprising."
"Hehe, you said it yourself. It's the lifeblood of officials at all levels. So, it's not a popular uprising, it's an official uprising. What I fear least is an official uprising."
After thinking for a moment, Lu Xuan spoke again.
"Only clear the land. But don't touch the property of those officials yet. If anyone dares to violently resist, you must act decisively. The first ones to show their faces must be killed cleanly. That way, those cowards will immediately back down. At most, they'll just send memorials to the capital. If you see them, intercept them. If you can't stop them, it doesn't matter. Let them sue."
"Your Excellency has just ascended to the throne, and your position is unstable. At this time..."
"I have six thousand elite soldiers under my command who are eager to follow me and eat meat. I have tens of thousands of firearms and countless provisions and livestock. How can you say that my foundation is unstable? After the land reclamation is completed, I will distribute land to them. With a stew of meat every day, plus a few acres of land for each person, I think my foundation will be more or less stable."
Lu Wenzhao didn't understand at first, then he did, and then he remained silent. He left Lu Xuan's room, straightened up, and realized that his back was soaked with cold sweat.
At first, he didn't understand what Lu Xuan meant. Because the "foundation" he spoke of referred to the foundation of the court, specifically Lu Xuan's position within the Ming Dynasty's officialdom. However, Lu Xuan's answer seemed irrelevant, which disappointed him, making him think Lu Xuan hadn't grasped his meaning. It wasn't until Lu Xuan mentioned wanting to distribute the land that Lu Wenzhao finally understood.
This general wasn't unaware of his meaning. Rather, he simply didn't intend to use the kind of foundation he was referring to. He wanted to build his own foundation. And there was only one reason why the general was doing this...
Lu Wenzhao silently glanced back at Lu Xuan's study. A strange sense of dread welled up inside him, along with a hidden excitement.
In the movie, Lu Wenzhao, a member of the Imperial Guard, joins Prince Xin's faction, hoping to become a loyal subject and gain great wealth and power. This shows he harbors great ambitions. Unfortunately, he lacks foresight, failing to understand that those who do the dirty work never rise to prominence.
Now, he vaguely guessed Lu Xuan's thoughts. His own ambition was instantly stirred. This mysterious 'hunter,' rising from humble beginnings to the top, showed no signs of discomfort. On the contrary, he had already begun plotting for even greater positions. Regardless of who this person was, Lu Wenzhao saw a possibility that had once only existed in his dreams.
He straightened his clothes, head held high, and strode out. He casually ordered a commander to lead his troops behind him. This military settlement was likely going to be investigated.
After Lu Wenzhao left, Lu Xuan stood alone in the study. This study belonged to the previous Liaoyang General. Its decorations were somewhat affected by pretentious tastes; a few paintings and calligraphy scrolls hung on the walls, and a few swords were displayed. The overall arrangement was rather incongruous.
However, Lu Xuan didn't care about these things. As he'd said before, time was of the essence. He needed to focus more on managing his territory: saving money, accumulating grain, stockpiling weapons, building troops, and constructing fortifications.
He needed to transform the entire area surrounding Liaoyang into a self-sufficient base under his complete control as quickly as possible. Only then could he free up his energy for subsequent operations: advancing technology, upgrading weaponry, conducting political and ideological education, and so on.
If his prediction was correct, Zhu Yijun was now close to death. If the Battle of Sarhu had been won, he might have had a chance of survival. But Lu Xuan delivered a so-called 'great victory,' making Zhu Yijun's chances of survival even slimmer.
Zhu Yijun's death also presents an opportunity for Lu Xuan. Taking advantage of the turmoil in the court, he can gain some time to develop his power. Ideally, Zhu Changluo would also die within a month, just like in the original story. That way, he could have some time to recuperate.
After planning for a while, Lu Xuan opened his eyes and saw a set of paper and pen on the table. He stood up, ground the ink himself, and then began to write on the paper.
Late Ming Dynasty - In Memory of the Ming
The sun and moon are dark, the stars are dim.
The barbarians beyond the Great Wall started a war.