Sweep Yuan

Chapter 211 Former subordinates come to surrender and negotiate war

As fate would have it, on the very evening that the clerk of the Ministry of Rites was rushing to Haozhou with official documents from the Marshal's Mansion to coordinate the reception of the Yuan envoy, a sweat-soaked post horse galloped into Hefei and arrived at the heavily guarded gates of the Marshal's Mansion.

The messenger tumbled off his saddle, staggered a few steps, then held aloft a military intelligence document sealed with wax, shouting:
"Report! Urgent report from Commander Sun of Haozhou!"

The guards' faces hardened, and without daring to delay, they led the messenger swiftly through layers of sentries, heading straight for the signing room where Shi Shan handled official business.

"Marshal! Urgent report from Commander Sun of Haozhou!"

Peng Zaozhu announced loudly from outside the door, and then led the messenger inside.

Shi Shan took the document, removed the sealing wax, and quickly glanced at Sun Xun's somewhat hasty but weighty report.

"Deng Shunxing, the militia commander of Hong County, succumbed to his wounds on September 24th. His son, Deng Youlong, has led over 5,000 men into our Wuhe territory, wishing to surrender to the Marshal and avenge his father, vowing to kill the Tartars. We request the Marshal's decision!"

At that time, Shishan had just captured Wuhe and was not yet firmly established when he received the devastating news that Hongxian had been captured by the Yuan army while the city was vulnerable. Although he managed to retake it with his troops, Hongxian had already suffered terribly at the hands of the Yuan army. The city walls were broken, the people were robbed, and there was no natural defense.

To make matters worse, Xue Xian's allied forces, who had been cooperating in the defense, also suffered heavy losses and were unable to continue defending, so they had no choice but to retreat to Lingbi in despair.

At that time, Shi Shan only had three or four thousand soldiers who were still in shock. He had just parted ways with the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou, and his forces were weak. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, he was unable to spare any troops to defend the already devastated Hong County. He could only entrust the county to the ambitious local tyrant Deng Shunxing and appoint him as the militia commander of Hong County.

On the surface, Deng Shunxing was under the control of Shishan, but in reality, he was the local tyrant of Hong County.

Shishan was well aware of this, but at that time, he was surrounded by powerful enemies, and his primary task was survival and development. As long as Deng Shunxing did not surrender to the Yuan army, that was enough.

After that, Shishan led his troops westward, capturing Haozhou, Dingyuan, and Huaiyuan, then eastward to Chuzhou, southward to Luzhou Road, and northward to defeat the Yuan army at the gates of Xuzhou. The Red Flag Camp grew rapidly like a snowball, opening up a vast new world.

Deng Shunxing, confined to a corner of Hong County, was so fixated on maintaining his independence that he failed to seize the opportunity for expansion. Ultimately, in the repeated protracted battles with the Yuan army, the remaining strength of Hong County's people was exhausted, and this former powerful figure of Hong County succumbed to his injuries, dying before fulfilling his ambitions.

Thinking of this, Shishan couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted.

Deng Shunxing's eldest son, Deng Youlong, was only eighteen years old. Faced with the desperate situation of Hongxian County's manpower being exhausted and the Yuan army's offensive continuing, he finally saw the situation clearly and chose to lead his remaining troops to join the Red Flag Camp.

If Deng Shunxing had been able to let go of his obsession with separatism and sincerely lead his troops to surrender, given his established base and manpower in Hong County, coupled with his subsequent military achievements, it wouldn't have been impossible for him to become a commander-in-chief of a guard.

To be fair, during the difficult years when the Red Flag Battalion was at its weakest and surrounded by enemies, Hong County, where Deng Shunxing was entrenched, did indeed serve as an extremely important strategic buffer zone.

The Yuan court organized forces several times to try to counterattack the Red Flag Battalion, but Deng Shunxing's troops put up a tenacious resistance along the Hongxian line, effectively delaying the Yuan army's offensive. This allowed Shishan to hold the key Huai River pass and resist the pressure from the Yuan army in Huaian Road by stationing only a small number of elite troops in Wuhetun.

This inadvertently bought the Red Flag Battalion valuable breathing space and time to develop, and its contribution cannot be denied.

During the previous battle against Lu Luzeng's forces, Deng Shunxing's directly subordinate militia numbered only 1,300, and the remaining troops from various villages that were affiliated with Deng Shunxing were even more scattered. All the soldiers capable of fighting were estimated to be only around 3,000.

Having suffered heavy losses in this series of attacks, especially with the death of Deng Shunxing himself, his troops must have suffered devastating losses.

Sun Xun's urgent report said that Deng Youlong had led "5,000 followers" to surrender, most of whom were probably refugees who could not survive—Hong County was now completely finished.

In his urgent report, Sun Xun vaguely mentioned the true local militia, stating that "judging from their formation, there are fewer than a thousand capable fighters." After all, local militias are equipped with a motley crew, have few standard weapons, and lack uniforms, so it's understandable that an accurate count would be difficult.

As for Hong County, its people's strength was exhausted, and the city was completely destroyed when Lu Luzeng invaded. Even with the current size of the Red Flag Battalion, it was unable to maintain a military presence there for a long time and could only abandon it temporarily.

Shi Shan immediately spread out paper, dipped his brush in ink, and quickly wrote a command:
"Instruct Sun Xun: First, properly resettle the civilians accompanying Deng Youlong's troops, open the granaries to provide relief, and prevent them from suffering from hunger and cold; second, carefully count the number of the remaining local militia and the usable equipment, and register them; third, dispatch capable soldiers to escort Deng Youlong and his brothers to Hefei as soon as possible to pay homage and await rewards and resettlement."

Hong County is devastated and its people are exhausted; it is currently unable to defend it and must be abandoned. The only recourse is to strengthen the beacon towers and scouts north of the Five Rivers to prevent the Yuan army from taking advantage of the situation and invading.

After writing that, Shishan wrote two more short messages to Zhima Li and Peng Erlang, informing them that Deng Shunxing of Hongxian had died in battle, that his son had led his troops to join the Red Flag Camp, and that Hongxian had been abandoned. He reminded them to pay attention to the defenses in the direction of Hongxian, so as to prevent the Yuan army from taking advantage of the already undefended Hongxian to launch a surprise attack.

Three days later, several riders on horseback, their footsteps treading on the morning dew, entered Hefei City and headed straight for the Marshal's Mansion. Among them were Deng Shunxing's eldest son, Deng Youlong, and his second son, Deng Youde.

Both brothers were dressed in leather armor covered in dust, their faces bearing the weariness of a long journey and a sorrow they were forcibly suppressing.

Deng Youlong was already quite robust, with a melancholy and hardness between his brows that were beyond his years, and his eyes were bloodshot but sharp as an eagle's, with a taut jaw.

Although his younger brother Deng Youde was only fifteen years old, he was already close in stature to his older brother, only his frame was a little thin. He pursed his lips tightly, tried to straighten his back, and had tears glistening in his eyes, but stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Led by their personal guards, the two brothers entered the Marshal's mansion. Upon seeing Shi Shan striding towards them, the two brothers did not hesitate for a moment, simultaneously prostrating themselves in a deep bow, their foreheads striking the cold blue brick floor with a dull thud.

"We, Deng Youlong and Deng Youde, pay our respects to the Marshal!"

"Please get up quickly!"

Shishan strode up to the two boys, extending his strong hands to personally help them up, the two young brothers who had just experienced the pain of losing their father. His gaze lingered for a moment on their young faces, which were etched with hardship and hatred, and his voice was low and filled with reminiscence.

"In the past, Hongxian was in dire straits, but thanks to your father's profound understanding of righteousness and strong support, Shishan was able to quickly stabilize the situation, and then capture Wuhe and gain a foothold. Subsequently, the Red Flag Battalion was able to divide its forces in all directions to fight in the east and west, which led to the current situation."

He paused, his tone becoming even more sincere, and said:
"Among these achievements, your father also deserves credit for single-handedly holding Hong County, protecting us, and containing the Yuan army! Brother Shunxing... now that you have passed away, this hatred and resentment will be shared by the entire Red Flag Battalion. From now on, Shishan will be the shield for you two brothers!"

Shi Shan was actually only two years older than Deng Youlong and five years older than Deng Youde, but at this moment, the invisible distance brought about by his identity, status, and power, as well as the Deng brothers' sudden loss of their support and their surrender to a powerful ruler, made them absolutely not dare to have the slightest thought of treating each other as equals.

Deng Youlong was helped up by Shi Shan. Suppressing a sob, he took a deep breath, his chest heaving, and the sorrow in his eyes was instantly replaced by resolve. His voice, though not loud, was firm and unwavering as he spoke:
"The Marshal's kindness will be remembered by my brothers Youlong! Before our father passed away, he held our hands tightly and said, 'The greatest fortune in Shunxing's life is to have met Marshal Shi and be entrusted with the responsibility of guarding the land.'"

My greatest regret is that I was too short-sighted, clinging to a small piece of land, and failed to follow the Marshal south to establish a great cause together!

My late father only wished that my brother and I set aside all distractions and wholeheartedly serve under the Marshal! To quell the Tartars, restore our lost lands, and avenge our father—we would die without regret!

The last eight words were almost spat out from between his teeth, carrying with them a deep-seated hatred and an indomitable fighting spirit.

The man has passed away, but his son has come to seek refuge. Shishan will certainly not mistreat the descendant of his old friend.

His gaze shifted to Deng Youde. The young man was already of considerable height, though his brows still held a touch of childishness. Besides grief and indignation, his eyes also betrayed a hint of nervousness in the face of an unfamiliar environment and a powerful marshal. Shi Shan spoke gently:
"Youde is still young, at the age when he needs to grow and learn skills. Let him stay by my side as my bodyguard. This will ensure his safety and allow him to learn military strategy, tactics, and tactics while serving in the army. Given time, he will surely become a great man!"

He then looked at Deng Youlong and said:

"As for your troops, I will provide you with two command units. All equipment, supplies, and weaponry will be fully provided according to the standards of the Red Flag Battalion. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Deng Youlong was deeply shocked. The remaining militia in Hong County, including all able-bodied men who could take up arms, numbered just over two thousand. Among them, fewer than eight hundred were truly experienced warriors who dared to fight and were willing to take up arms.

Marshal Shi not only took them in, but also gave them two official command positions and promised to provide them with the finest equipment they had always dreamed of.

It's a pity my late father can no longer see this trust and care.

Not to mention that leaving his younger brother by the Marshal's side was both a tremendous act of trust and the best form of protection and cultivation. Marshal Shi's favor far exceeded his expectations.

Without the slightest hesitation, Deng Youlong grabbed his younger brother Deng Youde's arm and bowed deeply towards the stone mountain once more. This time, his voice was loud and clear, filled with loyalty and determination:

"Marshal's kindness is like giving us a second life! Your humble servants, Deng Youlong and Deng Youde, are willing to give our lives for you, even at the cost of our lives! We would gladly face any danger, even fire and water!"

Ishiyama helped the two up again, his tone becoming serious:
“Good! I am very pleased that you have this intention, brother. However, the organization, discipline, and tactics of the Red Flag Battalion are very different from ordinary militias, and are far superior to the local militias of Hong County in the past. Since your unit has decided to accept the reorganization and integrate into the Red Flag Battalion, you must adapt to the new rules as soon as possible and obey orders.”

He only touched on the point briefly, but his meaning was clear—reorganization meant breaking down the existing structure, disbanding the local militia of Hong County, injecting new blood, and establishing a completely new command system. This was precisely the step that Deng Shunxing had always been unwilling to take, and one of the important reasons for his eventual defeat and death.

Having made up his mind, Deng Youlong naturally understood the key points. He replied decisively:
"Marshal, rest assured! This humble general understands. I will fully cooperate with the reorganization without hesitation. From now on, there will be no more Deng Family Army of Hong County, only Deng Youlong's Red Flag Battalion!"

"it is good!"

Shi Shan's eyes showed approval, and he said:

"You've had a long journey, go and rest first. The Military Command will contact you regarding the reorganization."

The Deng brothers rode at breakneck speed to Hefei, while the Yuan court's delegation, "escorted" by officials of the Ministry of Rites and a unit of elite soldiers from the Zhongwu Guard, traveled along a designated route, avoiding the important military facilities and garrison areas of the Red Flag Camp, thus moving much slower.

Three days after Deng Youlong left Hefei, Zhao Lian, the Vice Minister of the Huainan Province of the Yuan Dynasty, arrived in Hefei with a ceremonial delegation.

Guo Zongli, the official in charge of receiving them, immediately followed Shishan's instructions and made tentative contact with Zhao Lian and his party.

However, this Councilor Zhao was very arrogant. Faced with Guo Zongli's subtle questioning, he remained stern and tight-lipped, insisting on only one point: he must see Shishan in person before he could reveal the true purpose of his trip and the imperial court's favor.

Shishan was fully aware of this; the Yuan court's offer of amnesty was a pretense, and its true intention was to delay the war and sow discord.

Now, in order to cooperate with Zhao Lian's "pacification plan", the Yuan army in Huainan has taken the initiative to stop harassing the four borders of the Red Flag Camp's controlled area. This is exactly the breathing space that Shishan has been looking forward to.

Is it urgent?
It should be the "Iron Pot Emperor" and Tuotuo, who are far away in Dadu, and Zhao, the councilor in front of them, who are eager to complete their mission, who are even more anxious.

Since they were unwilling to talk, Shishan was happy to leave them hanging.

Sure enough, two days later, when Shi Shan finally had some free time and was enjoying a family dinner with his elder sister, second brother, and sixth brother in the courtyard of Shi Erhe's new home, Guo Zongli, the magistrate of the Ministry of Rites, hurriedly came looking for him.

"marshal."

Guo Zongli reported in a low voice:
"There is definite news from the Yuan Dynasty envoys."

Shishan disliked the blurring of public and private matters, so he immediately put down his chopsticks and gave his family an apologetic smile.
"You guys go ahead and use it, I'll be right back."

He then got up and went into the study.

Guo Zongli followed in, his face showing a mixture of solemnity after discovering the truth and apprehension about the marshal's reaction. He whispered:
"Marshal, through indirect inquiries and information circulated within the delegation, I have confirmed that Zhao Lian has indeed come here on the orders of the Yuan court to offer amnesty."

He paused, carefully observing Shi Shan's expression, before struggling to utter the official title.

"The official position offered by the Yuan court was... the position of judge of Luzhou Circuit to the marshal."

"Judge?"

Shi Shan raised an eyebrow, and a sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

Four years ago, the Yuan court offered Fang Guozhen, who had been a powerful figure at sea, a position of magistrate of Dinghai County, a ninth-rank official.

In comparison, the Yuan court's decision to appoint him, a "giant bandit" who had occupied several prefectures and had just defeated the main force of the Yuan army, as a fifth-rank official in Luzhou Circuit was perhaps an exceptional and boundless act of imperial grace.

But in Shishan's eyes, this was nothing short of a huge joke.

The entire territory of Luzhou Road was already under the control of the Red Flag Battalion. Why would he, the de facto "King of Luzhou," need the Yuan court to appoint a "judge" who couldn't do anything? Not to mention, there were also Xuzhou, Suzhou, Haozhou, Chuzhou and other places.

"What about the conditions?"

Shi Shan's voice was calm and even, but Guo Zongli could sense the cold mockery hidden beneath that calm.

Guo Zongli's Adam's apple bobbed, and he continued his report with difficulty:
Although Zhao Lian did not explicitly state his final bottom line, his probing intent was quite clear. The Yuan court demanded that the Red Flag Battalion withdraw from Xuzhou, Suzhou, Haozhou, Chuzhou and other places, and that the troops be stationed only around Hefei.

Furthermore, the marshal must accept the imperial court's orders to send troops... to suppress other rebel armies.

"Hahaha!"

Shi Shan finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter. The laughter echoed in the study, filled with undisguised mockery and absurdity. Were those high-ranking parasites in the Yuan court still living in the old dream of three or four years ago, believing that the Yuan court's majesty could still awe all?

While negotiations for appeasement can certainly involve demanding exorbitant prices, to start with terms that are almost insulting and completely disregard reality is to treat Shishan like a soft persimmon that can be easily manipulated.

Do you really think that Shi Shan would be like those ignorant bandits who have never seen the world, easily overwhelmed by a fifth-rank official's hat?

The laughter subsided, but Shi Shan's eyes turned as cold as a deep pool. He waved his hand, his tone indifferent yet carrying an undeniable authority:
"Understood. Let them continue to wait in the building! Treat them well, but ignore their noise."

"Yes, I understand."

Guo Zongli felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly bowed and withdrew. He knew that the marshal's words, "wait," would probably keep that Councilor Zhao waiting in the guesthouse for quite some time.

Once Guo Zongli's figure disappeared outside the door, the last trace of a smile on Shi Shan's face vanished completely.

He walked to the window, gazing at the desolate autumn scenery in the courtyard, his eyes sharp as knives. He had already seen the Yuan court's "sincerity," and now it was time for the Red Flag Battalion's response to be "seen" by them as well.

"Peng Zaozhu!" Shi Shan called out in a deep voice.

Peng Zaozhu immediately bowed and entered, carefully awaiting orders.

"The Military Command shall immediately issue an order, commanding Fu Youde, the Commander of the Zhenshuo Guard, to launch an attack on Liuhe in the east, according to the predetermined battle plan!"

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)