Sweep Yuan

Chapter 110 When Fortune Turns, Heroes Are No Longer Free

"Sixth Brother Shao, I heard that Commander Shi captured three cities in just one day. Such a heroic figure must be able to draw a three-stone bow and pull a galloping horse with one hand. He must be even taller and more imposing than our Marshal!"

"Brother Shao, when you attacked Hong County, did you really take it in just one go?"

"Oh dear, isn't the garrison commander more powerful than the deputy marshal and the commander of ten thousand? How should we greet Garrison Commander Shi when we meet him?"

"You blockhead, still thinking about how to bow! If Commander Shi knew we were both deputy marshals and commanders of ten thousand, would he even see us?"

On the way to Haozhou, Zhang Tianyou, Sun Dewang and others kept making noise. Shao Rongchu was patient in answering them at first, but later he simply put on a stern face and couldn't be bothered to give them a perfunctory reply.

Since leaving Hongxian and arriving in Dingyuan, Shao Rong had lost contact with Shishan. He thought he had done a good job and might be able to help the "Red Heart Camp" in the future, but Shishan's actions were much bigger.

Having captured Wuhe and retreated from Shenbao, and now conquered Haozhou, they have even renamed their camp the Red Flag Camp, officially breaking away from Xuzhou and establishing themselves independently. From now on, they are free from constraints and can roam freely in the vast world.

On the other hand, Shao Rong had finally managed to help Guo Zixing launch an uprising and capture Dingyuan, but because Shishan had taken Haozhou first, Guo Zixing and his men lost their direction and ended up spending their days fighting amongst themselves in Dingyuan.

……

Upon hearing the news that Shi Shan was leading troops to besiege Haozhou, Guo Zixing was overcome with righteous indignation and wanted to immediately lead the Dingyuan rebel army north, taking along able-bodied men and women, and risking heavy casualties to drive away Shi Shan and seize Haozhou.

Of course, this thought only flashed through my mind.

Haozhou is of paramount importance to Dingyuan and absolutely cannot be lost. We were worried that Dingyuan's small force wouldn't be able to take Haozhou, but since someone has already stepped up, we should participate in the battle for Haozhou and get a share of the spoils after we capture the city.

Anyway, the five rebel armies in Dingyuan City had nothing to do, and Sun Deyan and others were banding together to fight him. Life was already bad enough. As long as they could capture Haozhou, even if Duoshishan's troops were to join them, the situation shouldn't get any worse.

It would be even better if we could provoke Shishan and Sun Deyan and others into fighting each other.

Unfortunately, the idea was good, but the first step in taking action was blocked.

Sun Deyan, Yu Er, and other leaders were ignorant and did not even know what the suddenly appearing stone mountain was, nor did they know the size and combat strength of the Red Flag Battalion. However, they knew that even with the combined strength of the five righteous armies of Dingyuan, they dared not directly attack Haozhou.

Shi Shan's solo siege of Haozhou demonstrates that his forces were far stronger than the Dingyuan rebels.

They didn't understand Shishan's character and nature, so they could only project their own assumptions onto him. They were leading a large army to attack the city when a completely unrelated rebel army suddenly came over, claiming to "help in the battle." Can you believe that?
Alternatively, kill their leader and annex their troops;
Alternatively, appoint the leader to a minor official position and let these people serve as cannon fodder to attack the city, which would deplete the strength of the defending army.

Therefore, no matter how much Guo Zixing pleaded, Sun Deyan and others dared not send troops immediately.

Fortunately, these people were not completely blinded by power. They finally realized that there was no turning back after rebellion, and agreed to open the granaries and distribute grain on the basis of equal status among the five leaders, Guo, Sun, Yu, Lu, and Pan, and to recruit young men to expand their ranks.

Sun Deyan's reasoning was that Haozhou had high walls and deep moats, and a large garrison. Shi Shan, an outsider, was unfamiliar with the geography of Haozhou, and the heroes in the city would not easily become his inside agents. The Red Flag Battalion could only launch a strong attack, and even with its strong and well-equipped troops, it would take at least a month to break through the city.

While the Red Flag Battalion and the Haozhou government troops were locked in fierce fighting, they quickly recruited soldiers and waited until both sides were exhausted before the Dingyuan rebels entered the fray. With their victory in capturing the city and their larger army, they secured their place among the top forces.

It must be said that Sun Deyan's proposal was very tempting.

However, comparing the strength of the twenty-four men brought by Shao Rong, Guo Zixing believed that if Shi Shan could send Shao Rong to assist him, his troops would only be stronger. He vaguely felt that staying in Dingyuan to observe the situation was not a wise move.

His worries didn't last long.

The next day, Li Wu led his cavalry to the walls of Dingyuan City and addressed the trembling defenders, saying that the Red Flag Battalion had completely surrounded Haozhou and sincerely invited heroes from all over the country to join him in this great undertaking.

To be honest, although the cavalry battalion had changed its equipment and replenished its warhorses after the reorganization in Wuhe, and its military strength had recovered to some extent, it was still lacking in training. Whether it was changing formations during charges or controlling the distance between itself and the enemy, it was still somewhat unfamiliar.

But in the eyes of the newly risen Dingyuan rebels, the army below the city was clearly a fierce and ruthless force. The cavalry had fought bloody battles and exuded high morale and a strong aura of menace, which even made Shao Rong secretly tremble.

Sun Deyan, Lu Da, and others secretly assessed the strength of the cavalry battalion. They couldn't help but shudder at the thought of the terrifying scene when their unit was ambushed by the Red Flag Cavalry Battalion during the march.

Guo Zixing was already wary of Shao Rong, who had been sent to his side, and became increasingly suspicious of Shishan's strength and motives. He dared not let Li Wu and his party enter the city and could only watch helplessly as the cavalry camp left in a show of force, needlessly demoralizing his own side.

After this incident, not only Sun Deyan and others, but even Guo Zixing lost his desire to immediately march into Haozhou.

Two days later, the Red Flag Battalion troops arrived at Dingyuan City again, this time with only a small squad, announcing that Haozhou had fallen. Governor Shi sincerely invited the heroes of Dingyuan to Haozhou to discuss joining forces to fight against the Tartars.

While Sun Deyan and others were still debating whether the Red Flag Battalion had really captured Haozhou so quickly, or whether it was a scheme to lure them to Haozhou to serve as cannon fodder in the attack, Guo Zixing had already accepted his fate of losing Haozhou.

Dingyuan City is small and lacks food, making it unsuitable for establishing a career. Moreover, it is plagued by a group of "helpers" who only hinder its progress. No matter how heroic you are, you can only be a dragon trapped in shallow waters, with no possibility of displaying your talents.

Just as Shi Shan said when he persuaded Deng Shunxing to join the group, there are many opportunities to get rich in chaotic times, but they are fleeting. Guo Zixing felt that he had missed the most important opportunity in his life.

Guo Zixing's ancestral home was Caozhou. His father traveled to Dingyuan in his youth and, being skilled in physiognomy, was always right in predicting people's fortunes and misfortunes. He gradually gained fame and married a blind woman from a wealthy local family, receiving a substantial dowry. Using this as capital, he gradually built a large business empire. Guo's father had three sons, and Guo Zixing was the second oldest. When he was born, his father divined his future, saying it was "auspicious."

Growing up in such a family environment, Guo Zixing believed in fortune-telling from a young age and was convinced that he could achieve great things. However, it was precisely because he believed in fortune-telling that he was prone to becoming despondent and resigned to his fate when he encountered setbacks.

After Haozhou was acquired by Shishan, Guo Zixing cast a divination for himself. No one knows what the divination result was, but from then on, Guo Zixing often lamented his bad luck and drowned his sorrows in alcohol all day long.

Shao Rong repeatedly requested an audience, but Guo Zixing ignored him, even refusing to listen to his adopted daughter's advice.

A few days later, all signs indicated that Haozhou had indeed changed hands, and rumors also spread from Luzhou Road in the south that "Peng Zu's family" had raised a large army and was about to conquer Luzhou and govern Hefei.

The rebel armies on both the north and south sides were becoming increasingly powerful, but the people in Dingyuan were trapped here waiting to die. The atmosphere in the city gradually became delicate, and some minor leaders lost faith in the cause of rebellion and secretly absconded with their money.

Before the government troops could even advance, a sense of defeat permeated Dingyuan City. If no action was taken, the group would disband. Sun Deyan and others could no longer sit still and invited Guo Zixing to come and persuade him to set off north as soon as possible to negotiate with Shishan on the matter of joining forces to resist the Yuan.

How could Guo Zixing dare to go to Haozhou at this time?

If the team is left in Dingyuan and only a small number of people are taken into Haozhou, they will be detained by Shishan and no one will stand up for them.
But if they were to take their own troops, this number of people would be far from enough, and they would have to hand over Dingyuan to Sun Deyan and his men. If they were unhappy in Shishan, they would have no way to return.

After much deliberation, Guo Zixing still felt that having more people meant having more power, so he suggested abandoning Dingyuan and having everyone go to Haozhou to seek refuge with Shishan.

Sun Deyan and others knew that Dingyuan would be difficult to defend, but they were more worried that they would not be able to withstand the constraints of Shishan.

Shao Rong had said that the Red Flag Battalion had very strict discipline, prohibiting them from drinking alcohol on ordinary days and from looting after the city was breached. They wouldn't dare risk their lives to see if Shishan would dare to cut them down.

With the situation at a stalemate, a compromise was reached: each side sent a representative. Guo Zixing sent his brother-in-law Zhang Tianyou, Sun Deyan sent his younger brother Sun Dewang, and the other three leaders sent similar representatives.

Accompanied by Shao Rong, who came from the Red Flag Battalion, they first went to Haozhou to investigate the situation at Shishankou before making further plans.

Shao Rong also harbored resentment.

He had already secured his position as commander in the "Red Heart Camp," but in order to alleviate the pressure on the "Red Heart Camp" and to help Shishan get rid of the constraints imposed by Xiaoxian Lao, he came to Dingyuan to assist Guo Zixing in his uprising.

As a result, no sooner had Shao Rong helped Guo Zixing capture Dingyuan than Shi Shan seized Haozhou.

If you want Haozhou, just take it directly. Why send me all the way to Dingyuan first, making me, Old Shao, feel like I'm caught in the middle?
With such mixed feelings, Shao Rong finally arrived in Haozhou.

Even before they reached the city, the Red Flag Battalion scouts spotted Zhang Tianyou and his party. After ascertaining their purpose, two of them rode back to the city to report, while the other three guided the Dingyuan delegation to prevent them from wandering off.

During the journey, the scouts informed everyone that Shi Shan had been appointed marshal, which saved them the trouble of figuring out how to pay their respects.

The area outside Haozhou City had become a large construction site, with bustling construction activity everywhere. Some conscripted laborers curiously observed Zhang Tianyou and his group, but did not incur the wrath of the overseers.

Upon entering the city, one immediately sees human heads hanging at the city gate, along with a public notice that reads, "Those who harm and cruelly harm the people shall be punished."

There were no groups of rebel soldiers drinking and causing trouble in the city. Instead, faint shouts of training could be heard from the military camp in the northwest, which made Zhang Tianyou, Sun Dewang and others, who were used to letting their troops celebrate after occupying a city, feel quite uncomfortable.

Because a large number of laborers were involved in the construction of the city defenses, such as digging soil, firing bricks, dredging and opening up the river, there were not many people on the streets at night. Although they would give way to the patrolling Red Flag Battalion soldiers, no one panicked and ran away.

The shops were operating normally, with virtually no signs of the war. Grain that "should have" been requisitioned by the rebels was being sold in limited quantities at the grain shops. Even more outrageous, the Red Flag Battalion soldiers had to pay for their purchases!
Guo Zixing and his men captured Dingyuan two days earlier than the Red Flag Battalion broke through Haozhou, but it is still in chaos and disorder. In contrast, Haozhou can be described as a place where the military and civilians are working together.

Shi Shan was inspecting the progress of the project on the south city wall. Standing on high, he had long since spotted Zhang Tianyou and his group. He saw them looking around curiously, but instead of coming down from the city to greet the Dingyuan envoys, he ordered Pu Daoren to lead them to the guesthouse to rest.

Guo Zixing and his group are petty and narrow-minded. They are clearly the weaker party and have something to ask of us, but they dare not come to Haozhou to hold the alliance meeting in person. Since you are not in a hurry, then let's wait and see.

Shao Rong, as Guo Zixing's right-hand man, should have been in Dingyuan City assisting the latter in training troops at this time, but he was sent to Haozhou, which surprised Shi Shan.

Clearly, Guo Zixing did not trust Shao Rong and used the pretext of an envoy mission to send him away.

However, this is an excellent opportunity for Shishan.

Back then, Shishan was trapped in Hongxian County and had no choice but to submit to the collective will of the Xuzhou Red Turban Army. He had to prioritize continuing to attack Huaian Road and needed to find an outside help. Guo Zixing was almost the only option at the time.

Sending Shao Rong to assist Guo Zixing in his uprising was originally a casual move. Although the situation changed too quickly, and Shishan soon captured Haozhou and no longer needed Guo Zixing as an outsider, Shao Rong's casual move was not in vain.

Dingyuan is the southern gateway to Haozhou, and we must try our best to stabilize it, preferably by keeping it under our own control. Shao Rong has established himself in Dingyuan and will play an important role in this. We should meet with him first.

(End of this chapter)