Sweep Yuan

Chapter 101 Asking for War Strategies, Shi Fu Opens His Heart

Two days later, the heavy snow stopped, and Xue Xian's troops trudged through the remaining snow back to Hong County.

When the army set out, there were more than 3,300 soldiers. Along the way, 700 men from Fu Youde's troops joined them, and they also recruited young men along the way. At its peak, the army numbered more than 10,000, but less than 1,500 returned to Hongxian City.

Among them, Fu Youde's troops numbered over 500, and Deng Shunxing's troops numbered over 300—these two groups totaled 900, all of whom were men from Shishan.

Xue Xian's original force consisted of 3,000 soldiers. Not counting the rearguard that was still on its way, less than 600 remained. Xue Xian himself was also wounded by a poisoned arrow from the Tatar general Shulun Timur. He started having a fever last night and held on until this afternoon, when he finally fell into a coma.

Bu Ciyuan stepped out of the side room, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said to Shishan, who was guarding outside:
"The arrowheads were boiled in molten gold. Fortunately, the wounds were cleaned in time after the battle, and Wanhu is strong, so the poisoning is not too deep. I have already bled Wanhu and applied medicine. I will also decoct another dose of medicine for him to drink. If he can wake up today, he should be fine."

"If Wanhu doesn't wake up today, Grandpa will take you—"

This man was a commander under Xue Xian. He had only spoken halfway when his comrade bumped into him. The latter gestured towards Shi Shan with his lip, and the man realized something was wrong. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and he quickly shut his mouth.

Birds of a feather flock together. Xue Xian's men were mostly arrogant and unruly. In the past, they considered themselves his loyal followers and often gave the "Red Heart Battalion" soldiers a hard time.

But things are different now. More than 80% of the soldiers in the city are from Shishan. They have made enemies with them because of the detention of the station households and their families. Xue Wanhu is also seriously injured and unconscious. If he accidentally says something that causes a disaster, he won't even know how he died.

Shishan wouldn't get angry over this person's words. Whether or not to take the opportunity to kill and annex Xue Xian's subordinates wouldn't depend on whether these people were respectful, but rather on whether it was necessary.

Killing one person will win the hearts of the entire army, so he must be killed;

Conversely, even if one's pride is shattered, one should not kill in anger.

To be honest, although Shishan was still weak, he looked down on Xue Xian's remnant army.

In terms of combat strength, the "Red Heart Battalion" is by no means inferior to other rebel armies; in terms of military discipline, Xue Xian's troops are not even as good as Chang Tietou's Second Battalion. Forcibly annexing their troops at this time is simply asking for trouble.

The problem now is that the reputation of the Xuzhou Red Turban Army cannot be ruined for the time being. Sesame Li and Zhao Jun still need Xue Xian, a fierce general, and Shishan also needs him to stabilize the rear.

"Dr. Bu, please do your best to treat him."

After giving instructions to Bu Ciyuan, Shi Shan turned to look at Xue Xian's generals.

"Ten thousand personal guards are enough to guard this place. Most of the houses in the city have been burned down, and it's freezing cold. You all need to quickly take your troops and prepare for camp. If anyone tries to seize civilian homes while Ten Thousand Commander is still unconscious, I will have to administer military law on his behalf!"

Several of Xue's generals had clearly seen the fierce glint in Shi Shan's eyes, and almost thought they were going to die. Having barely escaped, they immediately shrank back, clasped their hands, and said:

"I dare not!"

After dismissing Xue's generals, Shi Shan left Fu Youde and Deng Shunxing behind to inquire about the details of the battle at Longwang Temple.

Deng Shunxing recalled that when the camp was set up on the night of the attack, Chang Tietou had drunk a lot of alcohol and once mocked his camp for its cowardice in setting up the camp—"Why don't you just dig a cellar and hide?"

As a result, the cowardly Deng Shunxing managed to preserve most of the weak local militia battalion, while the better-equipped and longer-established Second Battalion was almost completely wiped out, and Chang Tuzi also disappeared during the night raid.

Chang Tietou was, after all, a veteran of the "Red Heart Battalion," who had made contributions and shed blood for the establishment and growth of the team. Given the current structure of the "Red Heart Battalion," Shishan was not afraid that he could cause trouble.

However, this person is too selfish and not trustworthy to use; we need to be extra cautious.

Previously, the division of forces, with Fu Youde, Deng Shunxing, and Chang Tietou cooperating with Xue Xian, was both a requirement of the mission and a test for the three of them in Shishan.

As a result, Fu Youde and Deng Shunxing passed the test, but Chang Tietou disappeared without a trace, which made Shishan quite sad.

After learning about the course of the battle, Ishiyama mentioned the post-battle deployment adjustments.

The city of Hongxian was in ruins. The grain stored in the city's official granaries and by the people had been looted and burned by the Tartars, leaving the city unable to support its large army.

However, this city is geographically very important compared to the current "Red Heart Camp," and it must not be abandoned.

Although Jinbo was forced to retreat, he still has strength and can make a comeback at any time. Niji Prefecture must also retain a resistance force.

Shishan's idea was to keep Deng Shunxing and provide him with some military equipment and provisions.

Unlike the previous militia that could only play a supporting role, this time the entire Hong County was handed over to Deng Shunxing.

Deng Shunxing was also very selfish, and he was single-mindedly determined to become the local tyrant of Hong County. He had wanted to do so for a long time but could not, but unexpectedly, a surprise attack by the government troops made him achieve his wish.

Even though Hong County was in ruins, it was still Hong County. It still had tens of thousands of able-bodied men. After this great chaos, it would be easier to control. Deng Shunxing got his wish and repeatedly assured Shishan that he would obey the orders of the garrison commander.

Deng Shunxing's troops were all from Hong County. As a local strongman, he knew better than outsiders how to establish himself in the area. Once he could revitalize the remaining manpower of Hong County, he had the potential to become a small "warlord" in the region.

However, after Shenbao's massacre and destruction, the people of Hongxian County have lost their loyalty to the imperial court. No matter who tries to surrender Hongxian County to seek amnesty, the local people will not agree.

If Deng Shunxing were to grow powerful in the future, he would inevitably break free from Shishan's control, but he would not be able to surrender to the government troops.

That's enough.

As a buffer zone between the "Red Heart Camp," the government troops, and the Xuzhou Red Turban Army, it is currently the most appropriate place to entrust Hong County to Deng Shunxing for handling.

As for whether Deng Dalang can rise to prominence and become a true warlord in this chaotic world, that depends on his own abilities and fate.

After Deng Shunxing left, Fu Youde, who had been holding back for a long time, took the initiative to speak:

"Before Zhenfu divided his troops to attack Wuhe, did he foresee the outcome of this battle?" Shishan really wished he could be a genius, so that he could join forces with Xue Xian to set up a scheme to protect them. Once the hidden danger in the north was resolved, Hongxian could be preserved. In this way, they could attack or defend at will, unlike the current passive situation.
He did not give a direct answer, but instead encouraged Fu Youde to think about it himself.

"Does Youde think I won or lost this battle?"

After capturing Qingyang Station, Fu Youde stayed there instead of returning to Hong County. Apart from a little secret he didn't want to share with outsiders, he mainly wanted to ask Shishan to lead a large army down the Bian River to capture Sizhou.

At that time, Fu Youde had just led 500 infantry and cavalry to a great victory over the vanguard of the government army in Sizhou. He was full of confidence and believed that he could also conquer Sizhou if he commanded 3,000 troops.

Instead of Shishan, Xue Xian arrived. Xue's troops were stronger and better equipped than the "Red Heart Battalion," and theoretically, they could easily take down Sizhou.

However, the army's journey was in vain; they didn't even reach the walls of Sizhou before being forced to retreat hastily due to their retreat being cut off.

On the contrary, it was Shishan's detachment that quickly broke through Wuhe, leaving the "Red Heart Camp" with a way out.

Without the crucial role played by the troops dispatched by Shishan, Xue Xian, no matter how valiant, would have died at the Dragon King Temple; if the "Red Heart Battalion" had not advanced so swiftly that it forced Shenbao to retreat, even if Xue Xian led his remaining troops back to the walls of Hong County, he would have been doomed to defeat.

In terms of valor in capturing enemy generals and seizing flags, Fu Youde was second to none, even to Xue Xian. In terms of grasping the battlefield situation and attacking the enemy's weaknesses, he believed he was second to none. However, when it came to anticipating the enemy's moves and acting steadily, Fu Youde thought Shi Shan far surpassed his peers.

Fu Youde was arrogant and originally looked down on this, but after experiencing the battles of the past half month, he realized that the most difficult thing about rebellion was to have a firm grasp of the situation and make steady progress.

Because rebellion is a high-stakes gamble that puts your life on the line, you can risk winning a hundred times, but if you lose just once, you could lose everything and your life.

"The garrison commander took control of the five rivers, recruited heroes, drove away the gods to protect the people, and saved countless households. Of course, he won."

Shi Shan shook his head and said earnestly:

"In terms of the results alone, we did win; but in exchanging Hongxian for Wuhe, which has no rear base, we lost strategically. Youde, if you can understand this point, you can be entrusted with a regional responsibility."

"This humble general has learned much."

Fu Youde adopted a humble attitude, but his mind was preoccupied with the second half of Shi Shan's words. He didn't believe that Shi Shan had no backup plan. If he really lost the strategy, how could he be so confident?

"Is the commander abandoning Sizhou and attacking Wuhe in an attempt to take Haozhou?"

Wuhe indeed has no rear base, but as long as either Haozhou or Sizhou is captured, the situation will be revitalized. If Sizhou is captured, Huaian Road can be taken; if Haozhou is captured, Anfeng Road can be taken.

Knowing that he didn't need to lie in front of his clever subordinates, Shi Shan nodded and said:

"Huai'an Road is an important salt and grain transport hub, and its importance to the court is even greater than that of Xuzhou. If we break through Sizhou and take Huai'an Road, even if the court abandons its efforts to contain the rebel armies on all other routes, it will still concentrate its forces to wipe out our forces first."

Anfeng Road, on the other hand, does not have the above advantages, so it will not become the court's priority target. Moreover, the area is crisscrossed by waterways, and there are mountains and rivers on the west and north sides, which makes it easy to defend and gives it a chance to catch its breath and train its troops.

With elite troops at our disposal, we can be much more at ease sending troops wherever the situation changes, rather than being forced to constantly move between the imperial court and Xuzhou as we are now.

Fu Youde sensed that Shi Shan intended to break away from the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou. The "Red Heart Camp" had a strong tendency to disintegrate since its inception, and it was only a matter of time before it broke away from Xuzhou, so he was not too surprised.

What pleased him even more was that Shi Shan truly possessed profound insight, and his analysis of whether to continue advancing along the Huai'an Road or the Anfeng Road went straight to the heart of the matter. It was as if the clouds had parted and the sun was shining through; the road ahead was no longer uncertain. In his excitement, he boldly asked:

"Brother Shao led his troops away from the army some time ago. Could it be that he went to Anfeng Road?"

As a high-ranking officer in the "Red Heart Battalion," Shao Rong's departure with his troops was a major event that could not be kept secret. Shi Shan did not hide it from his generals either. It was quite normal for Fu Youde to deduce Shao Rong's whereabouts based on Shi Shan's strategic plans.

When Shishan sent Shao Rong to Dingyuan, he was indeed determined to encourage Guo Zixing to launch an uprising ahead of schedule, thereby attracting the attention of the Yuan court and relieving some of the pressure on his own troops' advance in Huai'an Road.

But the situation changed too quickly. He had just captured Wuhe when Xue Xian lost Hongxian. Without a stable rear, Wuhe was isolated and could be besieged by government troops at any time. He could no longer continue to attack Sizhou and wait for the variable of Guo Zixing's uprising.

More importantly, after experiencing this period of change, Shishan's mindset has changed again.

Even if Guo Zixing is a hero, willing to start the uprising ahead of time, and willing to join forces with Shishan to fight the enemy, could the cooperation between the two sides be closer than that between Xue and Shi?

Although Xue Xian was cruel, he was still quite straightforward, and his cooperation with Shi Shan was not bad.

However, the families of those detained were left behind, and Hongxian County was lost later.

Joining forces with a powerful figure like Guo Zixing inevitably leads to ideological clashes, and the two sides' cooperation will not be better than that of the Xue-Shi alliance.

In this chaotic world, relying on yourself is worse than relying on anyone else. Only by controlling the overall situation can you control the world. How can the great cause of rebellion be entrusted to others?
However, if Guo Zixing could actually launch an uprising ahead of time and alleviate the pressure of the government troops' encirclement and suppression, it would ultimately not be a bad thing.

This matter is not yet open to the public, and Shishan, not wanting Fu Youde to lose face, said:

"It's just a casual move, and whether it will have any effect is still uncertain. Before this expedition, I sent Master Pu and others to Haozhou to scout out the situation. By the time we return to Wuhe, the intelligence should have been sent back by then."

Our troops are sufficient and await our return to Wuhe. We will then immediately reorganize and prepare for battle, march westward, and retake Haozhou. Youde's efforts are crucial in this endeavor.

If Xue Xian hadn't interfered, how could the situation in Huai'an Road have deteriorated to this extent?

Fu Youde was also worried that Shishan would mess things up by relying on external forces, since the "Red Heart Camp" was already as strong and well-organized as any of the Red Turbans in Xuzhou.

If you want Haozhou, take it yourself; why should outsiders interfere?
"How dare this humble general disobey orders!"

(End of this chapter)