Those children were the students Lu Xuan had recruited for Miyamoto Musashi. However, Miyamoto Musashi wasn't the only teacher. He only taught them swordsmanship. There were also other instructors who taught them to read and write. Lu Xuan would even personally teach them basic military strategy and fundamental political ideology...
These children will also be constantly eliminated and new members will constantly join. Eventually, a core group will form around Lu Xuan. They are literate, exceptionally skilled, and knowledgeable in military strategy. It is no exaggeration to say that this group of children possesses a kind of disruptive power in the future.
Back in his study, Ding Baiying was already waiting. She expertly helped Lu Xuan remove his practice clothes and handed him a warm towel. She'd become quite adept at these things. For this, the eight dancers had often privately criticized her.
"How did things go?" Lu Xuan asked, wiping the sweat from his face.
"It's going relatively smoothly. The basic framework has been established. However, to achieve the same level as the Embroidered Uniform Guard, we still need a lot of money and personnel support."
"Money is not a problem, but you'll have to figure out the manpower yourself. Recruit those you value. Liaoyang is currently in dire need of manpower. In the future, more and more people from martial arts sects will come to join us. Select a group first to ensure our military deterrence. However, these martial arts people are too talkative; you can't rely on them for intelligence gathering. You can promote more of the old guards in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The key is in passing on their skills. Experience, craftsmanship, and everything else must be passed down to them."
"Understood."
After speaking, Lu Xuan sat down and began reviewing the various supplies inventory compiled by Lu Wenzhao. Because new supplies were constantly arriving, these files were continuously updated. Lu Xuan needed to stay informed about the detailed logistical data.
Currently, Shen Lian is in charge of troop training, while Lu Wenzhao acts more like a steward. Although he holds the title of commander, his responsibilities encompass a large number of trivial matters.
However, he didn't find it troublesome at all; on the contrary, he enjoyed it. To him, this was a sign of Lu Xuan's trust in him. Having more responsibilities meant expanding his authority. For Lu Wenzhao, who had considerable ambitions, this was exactly the life he wanted.
After watching for a while, Lu Xuan heard footsteps behind him. He then realized that Ding Baiying hadn't left, but had silently walked up behind him and started massaging his shoulders.
Feeling the slight trembling in her hands, Lu Xuan smiled slightly. He didn't break the unspoken understanding, but continued processing the documents. Ding Baiying's hands gradually steadied. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Lu Xuan had directly refused, or even kicked her out, she really wouldn't know how to react.
Unfortunately, this slightly romantic scene was quickly interrupted. Just as Lu Xuan was enjoying himself, Shen Lian suddenly rushed in.
"grown ups......"
Now she finally understood why this guy couldn't make it in his past life... Ding Baiying loosened her grip slightly in a fluster. She took a few steps back and stood behind Lu Xuan.
"What's up?"
Shen Lian seemed to realize that his intrusion was somewhat ill-timed. He spoke somewhat awkwardly.
"Uh... there's an urgent military situation."
"Speak. I heard it's military intelligence." Lu Xuan's expression immediately turned serious.
"The Shenyang uprising has seen tens of thousands of refugees storm the armory and granary. At least five thousand of them are now armed and heading towards Liaoyangwei."
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Chapter 139 Shanxi Merchants
The Shenyang uprising was both unexpected and logical. When Lu Xuan left Shenyang, he emptied half of the city's grain reserves.
Given the incompetence of those officials, they will likely have to make up for these losses by taking them from the common people. Therefore, a popular uprising is only a matter of time. Li Chengliang is already old, and the entire Liaodong region has been thrown into chaos by Lu Xuan's sudden rise to power. The Li family has lost its previous control.
The key issue is that Nurhaci, the dog kept by the Li family, turned around and beat his master to a pulp. The Li family has now lost its leverage to intimidate Liaodong, even though their resources remain. They can no longer openly deter the starving refugees. Or rather, even if they could suppress them, they might not actually intervene. Just look at those rioters now rushing towards Liaoyang, and you'll understand.
"Armed rioters... Heh heh. Is that all they've got? I thought they'd be tougher." Lu Xuan dared to say something like that. But Shen Lian didn't dare to respond.
"This is a good opportunity. Let's send our troops out and give it a try. Take turns, even though they're just a bunch of rioters, at least we'll see some blood."
Rebels are both pitiful and hateful. They're pitiful because no one wants to be a rebel. They are all victims of this feudal era, a tragic group that emerged only when oppressed to the point of desperation. Lu Xuan felt deep pity for them.
But they are equally despicable. Just look at what those mobs did in one round: murder, arson, robbery, rape. They committed every imaginable atrocity...
"Don't use firearms in the first round. Let the new recruits go straight in. They need to get used to facing killing and bloodshed head-on. Give them as much practice as possible."
Using rioters for military training would only result in bloodshed. It would also place immense ethical and moral pressure on Lu Xuan. However, these things had no effect on him whatsoever. In his previous life, he lived to be 101 years old, leading his initial 3,000 elite cavalry to expand to 300,000.
He swept across all of Europe. He committed countless massacres and national annihilations. The principle that "a merciful general cannot command an army" was ingrained in his very being. The idea of using a mob as training grounds wouldn't even stir a ripple in his heart.
Shen Lian understood Lu Xuan's meaning and hurriedly left.
Ding Baiying, who was behind her, also wanted to leave, but Lu Xuan called out to her softly.
"Give me another massage." Ding Baiying's face flushed slightly, but she obediently returned to continue massaging his shoulders.
It wasn't until lunchtime that Lu Xuan finished processing the massive amount of files. Meanwhile, Ding Baiying's newly established intelligence system delivered its first intelligence report. It was relayed by Zhao Jingzhong.
Judging by the timeline, Zhao Jingzhong has been gone for a month. It's normal for intelligence to start flowing back. Ding Baiying's intelligence network, while not perfect, is still capable of transmitting existing information.
Lu Xuan did not try to hide anything from Ding Baiying and opened the file directly.
"For the first half month, they didn't encounter any Tartars. But in the second half month, they clashed with Tartar spies three times. They successfully intercepted and killed them all three times, preventing the news from getting out. However, the Tartars must have noticed it by now."
"The number of Tartar spies is also increasing. Are they planning another attack?"
"It's obvious. For the throne, Huang Taiji threw away all the supplies in Fushun. Although he ultimately failed to seize it, this was devastating news for the Tartars who didn't know how to farm. Their grain reserves probably wouldn't last until the winter. If Daishan's first winter on the throne is one of starvation for his people, it will inevitably lead to instability."
Whether for his own prestige or for the sake of actual grain supplies, he had to take the initiative to wage war. And he had to carve out a significant portion of the Ming Dynasty's territory to replenish the domestic resources.
"My lord... are you confident?"
"Hold on..." Lu Xuan hesitated for a moment. "We don't yet know how Daishan will attack. If he concentrates his forces to attack one direction like Nurhaci did, he'll probably choose Fushun. After all, Fushun has been burned down and is undefended. That direction is easier."
"Is Your Excellency worried that Li Rubai can't hold the line?" Influenced by Lu Xuan, Ding Baiying didn't have a good impression of Li Rubai and his former Liaodong officials when she was with him. She mostly addressed them by their first names. Moreover, Fushun was Li Rubai's defense zone. It had already been breached once before, making people even less confident now.
"It's not that I'm worried, it's that he definitely can't hold the city. He can get lost in the mountains with over ten thousand men. If he could handle Daishan, I wouldn't be so anxious. But that's not what I'm really worried about. The new army in Liaoyang Guard is almost ready. Once they kill a bunch of rioters and see some blood, they'll be barely usable. It'll be a bit difficult to fight the Tartars head-on, but they're more than capable of defending the city. What I'm really worried about are the surrounding areas: Mongolia, Korea, and Japan."
Because of Lu Xuan's interference, the Liaodong battlefield is now completely different from what it was in history. Lu Xuan cannot judge the true situation based on historical experience. However, he can make some judgments based on his experience from his previous life.
Last year, the Koreans had already begun to distance themselves from the Ming Dynasty. Now that the new Mongol ruler has taken power, they will likely try to win over Korea even more. The remnants of the Yuan Dynasty have essentially become the Mongol henchmen. They contributed significantly to the Battle of Sarhu. The Doyan Three Guards also have an ambiguous stance.
What Lu Xuan truly worried about was that if the Tartars declared war, it would trigger a chain reaction, causing a siege by neighboring ethnic groups such as Korea, Japan, and even the Doyan Three Guards. In his previous life, the world's attack on the Tang Dynasty was thwarted by his pre-planned plan of cannibalism and the large-scale use of gunpowder weapons.
However, in that era, the cohesion and execution capabilities of the Central Plains dynasties were at their peak. But the current Central Plains dynasties... Lu Xuan could only pray they wouldn't cause trouble. Therefore, if a world-wide campaign against the Ming were to truly commence, the Central Plains would likely suffer immense devastation.