“Your Excellency, this is not a good matter. The craftsmen who can manufacture breech-loading cannons are important figures in my country. They will not abandon their families and come here to work. They are different from adventurers like me. Most of those craftsmen yearn for a stable life.”
Lu Xuan summoned him this time to say he no longer wanted the cannons. He wanted artisans who could build them. Silva, of course, wouldn't easily agree to such a request. He knew that although the dozen or so cannons he sold to Lu Xuan had changed hands several times, he had still made a fortune. If he lost that deal, he would suffer a huge loss.
“I know this is a difficult matter. But Silva, we're friends, aren't we? Friends should help each other. So, let me tell you first, what do you need my help with? Tell me, and I'll do it for you first. Then you can help me.”
Lu Xuan's slow, deliberate voice made Silva feel as if he were about to snap his neck. He knew this general was capable of it. The other man's strength was simply demonic.
“I…I want a castle, a title, a beautiful wife, and preferably a lover. But Your Excellency, you cannot provide these for me…” Silva choked. Before him lay a chest—a chest full of gold…
"Ten chests of gold, is that enough to buy you a title? Or let me put it another way. Each chest of gold can buy you a craftsman. Remember, I want the best."
"But...they might not be willing to come..."
“That’s your problem. I’m sure the gold will give you a good idea.” Lu Xuan casually grabbed four small gold bars and stuffed them into Silva’s hand.
"This is a deposit... Close your eyes and imagine what it would be like to have forty times more gold."
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Chapter 144 Pre-Battle Meeting (Please Subscribe)
Around Liaoyang, vast fields stretch as far as the eye can see, with corn ready for harvest. This was a crop that Lu Xuan promoted despite opposition this year.
Corn had already reached the Central Plains during the Ming Dynasty. Unfortunately, it wasn't widely adopted until the Qing Dynasty. Furthermore, due to the Little Ice Age, temperatures dropped, and crop growth was generally unsatisfactory. Although corn is more resilient and adaptable, it wasn't as successful as one might have imagined.
"Looks like we still need to buy more food!" Lu Xuan couldn't help but sigh. Just then, a knight rode up at high speed from not far away, and Lu Xuan guessed from a distance that something serious must have happened.
"Report... Yesterday at noon, Daishan of the Jurchen people proclaimed himself emperor in Jianzhou, establishing the Qing Dynasty. He also declared war on the Ming Dynasty..."
"Finally here..." Lu Xuan didn't show any particular expression, he just responded softly.
.................
"Hurry, hurry... All supplies must be transported to the border fortress within three days. Give it your all..."
"Liaoyang Guard is now conscripting able-bodied men. They will receive one meat meal and three meals a day. They will be fed as long as they work."
"The four guards of Dingliao Central Left Front and Rear have all assembled. Fuzhou Guard, Jinzhou Guard, and Dingliao Right Guard remain in their posts..."
The entire Liaoyang Garrison instantly entered a state of war. All soldiers, young and strong, were mobilized and began pre-battle preparations.
News of Daishan's ascension to the throne naturally reached the capital. However, the capital's reaction was completely unexpected by Lu Xuan. They actually sent an envoy to congratulate Daishan...
This unexpected move immediately shattered any lingering illusions Lu Xuan had held. He ignored Jingcheng's reaction and began focusing on his own preparations for battle.
Li Rubai was well aware that war was imminent. He began using his position as the Liaodong Military Commissioner to summon soldiers from the surrounding garrisons. At the same time, a large-scale cavalry gathering occurred in the north of Mongolia. According to some scattered clues received by Lu Xuan, at least eight thousand Mongols were converging on Jianzhou.
Although the Mongols were no longer in Genghis Khan's era, tens of thousands of cavalrymen were still a force to be reckoned with. And as expected, although Korea hadn't made a public statement, Lu Xuan knew that at least five thousand Korean soldiers had joined the Tartars.
Those Shanxi merchants did provide some valuable intelligence. After some deduction, Lu Xuan and his think tank arrived at a rough conclusion: if the Tartars were to mobilize the entire population, they could probably muster 50,000 combat-ready troops. With reinforcements from Mongolia and Korea, they could gather a force of about 60,000 to 70,000 men.
For the Ming Dynasty, this military strength was already terrifying. Because so far, Li Rubai had only assembled a total of 100,000 men around him. This was less than the number he had during the Battle of Sarhu. The main reason was that many elite troops had died in the last battle, and they hadn't been replenished yet. Many generals also had no intention of restoring them.
With 100,000 against 70,000, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Ming Dynasty would be utterly crushed. However, Lu Xuan's arrival with 12,000 elite troops finally gave Li Rubai a sigh of relief.
Although everyone in Liaodong hated General Lu, because his actions towards his soldiers rendered all the other generals idiots, there was no doubt that the Jurchen soldiers he brought did provide a sense of security when facing the Jurchens.
A group of military officers seeking security from other people's soldiers—how dare they even think of that...?
Li Rubai's feelings were extremely complicated when facing Lu Xuan. After all, since Lu Xuan became the General of Liaoyang, the entire eastern hemisphere of Liaodong had completely lost contact with him. In just one year, Lu Xuan had turned the area around Liaoyang into his own territory. Some people were even secretly spreading rumors that Liaoyang Guard was already a state within a state. Even Li Rubai himself had submitted a memorial on this matter. But for some reason, His Majesty had always refused to budge.
Lu Xuan roughly understood the emperor's meaning. He wanted Lu Xuan to be a troublemaker, to disrupt the stagnant situation, so that the emperor could have a chance to regain some military power. Therefore, he adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards Lu Xuan.
"General Lu, how have you been?"
"Li Jinglue is as dashing as ever." Lu Xuan didn't mind giving a smile as a greeting, even though he knew Li Rubai wished he could hang himself on the spot.
"Gentlemen, Daishan is ambitious and has brazenly declared himself emperor. Although the court has sent people to appease him, I estimate that a war is inevitable. Therefore, I have gathered you all here to discuss a strategy for dealing with the enemy."
"What else can we do? Kill them one by one until they dare not come again." The speaker was Du Wenhuan, Du Song's nephew. A brute like his father.
"General Du, you are mistaken. The Jurchens are fierce and warlike; a direct confrontation is not a good strategy. We need to consider this carefully." This was Ma Shilong, the General of Shanhaiguan.
"How do we plan this out in the long run? Should we launch another encirclement?" The dead Yang Gao was dragged out again and his corpse was whipped.
"Then tell me how to fight?"
"In my opinion, we should concentrate our forces, press on with one decisive move, and strike straight at the enemy's lair."
Well, last time they split their forces and got utterly routed. This time they're concentrating their forces, aiming to strike at the heart of the enemy. It sounds like there's some truth to it, but Lu Xuan still feels there's something odd about their discussion.
Seeing that they were starting to discuss how to deal with Dai Shan, Lu Xuan suddenly spoke up.
"Gentlemen, do you know... how many Tartars there are in total?" This was Lu Xuan's question. Shouldn't the pre-battle council first present various data on both sides? Then, they should use a sand table, or at the very least, a map, and make pre-battle predictions based on terrain, the comparison of enemy and friendly forces, and even weather factors? Why are you starting with such macro-level tactical definitions, already claiming to have attacked the enemy's stronghold in just three sentences?!
A hush fell over the hall. All the generals fell silent, turning to look at Lu Xuan. They stared at this 'general' who held sway over half of Liaodong, whose power and military strength rivaled that of half the Liaodong military commissioner.
"I wonder which military strategist General Lu studied under..." a sarcastic voice rang out. It was clearly a dig at Lu Xuan for coming from the mountains and being ignorant of military strategy.
However, before Lu Xuan could speak, he heard Li Rubai shout.
"Shut up." Li Rubai glared menacingly at his younger brother, Li Ruzhen. He didn't want to see his clansmen clash with Lu Xuan here. Putting everything else aside, every time Lu Xuan was around, he had a feeling that Lu Xuan might suddenly explode and snap his neck at any moment. He disliked Lu Xuan intensely, but he wouldn't admit that, to some extent, he was actually afraid of him.
He reprimanded his younger brother. Li Rubai then turned his gaze to Lu Xuan.
"General Lu, please speak."