Sweep Yuan

Chapter 261 A Clan in Chaotic Times: A Fence-Sitter

"Red! The Red Flag bandits are here!"

A commotion broke out on the west city wall of Danyang County, Zhenjiang Road.

Although the defending troops knew that the powerful bandit Shi Shan had already led his main force across the Yangtze River and was heading south, he would not be satisfied with merely occupying Jiqing Road. After capturing Jiangning City, he would surely continue his eastward advance and invade the prosperous and fertile lands of northern Zhejiang.

Danyang County, located directly east of Jurong County, is the first to be affected by the impact.

But when the Red Flag Battalion appeared on the plains in the western suburbs of Danyang County, the soldiers on the city wall couldn't help but panic and scream.

"Quickly! Go and fetch the clan leader!"

A man who looked like a gang leader, his face ashen, shoved the young men beside him, his voice shrill with fear.

In this county town under the rule of the mighty Yuan Dynasty, the commander in charge of defending the city was neither the Darughachi and the county magistrate appointed by the court, nor the "righteous soldiers" of ten thousand and thousand households with official backing and formal titles, but rather the "clan chief" with a strong local clan flavor.

This situation seems rather strange at first glance, but it is actually a microcosm of the current helpless state of the Yuan Dynasty's rule in northern Zhejiang, which is extremely weak.

The world situation is like a game of chess; every move a player makes will inevitably cause changes in the entire game.

Since breaking away from the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou and developing independently, Shi Shan led the Red Flag Battalion southward in a triumphant advance.

The Red Flag Battalion first captured Haozhou, then Chuzhou, and then took Luzhou Road entirely. They also captured Hezhou and Wuweizhou, which had important ferry crossings on the north bank of the Yangtze River. Shishan's intention to cross the Yangtze River and move south was now obvious.

Although the Yuan court was tied up with a large number of troops by the uprisings of Liu Futong, Xu Shouhui, and Zhima Li, and was unable to launch a large-scale campaign to suppress the rapidly rising Red Flag Camp, it never relaxed its defenses against Shishan.

In Jiangbei, the Yuan court established the Huainan Province to oversee all matters related to the suppression of the Red Flag Battalion.

In Jiangnan, the Yuan court focused on strengthening its rule over the Jiangzhe Province, which was separated from Luzhou Road and Yangzhou Road (Chuzhou was a prefecture under Yangzhou Road) by a river, and established "Double Pingzhang".

When the Grand Councilor Buyan Temur led the main force of the Yuan army from Jiangzhe westward to Jinghu to participate in the encirclement and suppression of Xu Shouhui's Red Turban Army, the important military and political affairs in the rear were presided over by another Grand Councilor, Qing Tong (Qing Tong was a Mongol, of the Kangli clan, and not surnamed Qing).

Just a year ago, Xu Song's army wreaked havoc in Jiangnan, advancing from Wuchang Prefecture all the way to the Jiangzhe Province. The allied forces under Peng Yingyu and Xiang Pulue even marched through Huizhou Road into Hangzhou Road, capturing the capital of Jiangzhe Province, Hangzhou City, leaving a deep psychological scar on the province's officials.

Therefore, upon learning of the urgent military situation that Shi Shan was leading the main force of the Red Flag Battalion across the river to launch a fierce attack on Caishiji, Qing Tong immediately realized that another opponent even more terrifying than Xu Shouhui had arrived.

He hurriedly mobilized troops from the southern routes of the Jiangzhe Province to gather in Hangzhou to protect the provincial capital.

At the same time, Qing Tong also dispatched Dong Tuanxiao, a Vice Chancellor, to Huizhou Road at full speed to integrate the local landlord militia, suppress the recurring unrest within the region, and prevent the Red Flag Army from advancing south.

They also hoped that after stabilizing the situation in Huizhou Road, Dong Tuanxiao could take advantage of the Red Flag Battalion's large-scale eastward advance to seize the opportunity to attack their rear, thereby relieving the pressure on the Yuan army in Hangzhou Road.

However, the Yuan army forces in Huizhou Road were also extremely weak, otherwise the uprising that had just been quelled would not have resurfaced.

Although Dong Tuanxiao had repeatedly distinguished himself in suppressing rebellions, he did not possess the magical ability to conjure soldiers from beans. Upon arriving in Huizhou, his primary task was to train a combat-ready army, a task that could not be accomplished in a short time. Therefore, it was certainly not possible to rely on him to lead an army that could threaten Shishan's rear.

On the other hand, the advance in Shishan was astonishingly fast. While the messenger sent by Qing Tong to mobilize troops in southern Zhejiang was still on his way, an urgent military report came from Jiangning that the Red Flag Battalion had captured Caishiji and Dangtu County in succession and had launched a major offensive into Jiqing Road.

Fearing a repeat of the fall of Hangzhou last year, Qing Tong hastily ordered Pingjiang Road (later Suzhou) to send 3,000 troops westward to Jiqing Road, intending to strengthen the defense of Jurong County and block the Red Flag Camp's eastward advance.

If possible, it is even hoped that they can seize the opportunity to annihilate a part of the Red Flag Battalion and blunt their momentum.

Unexpectedly, the battle situation developed so quickly that it far exceeded Qing Tong's worst expectations.

Before the Yuan army from Pingjiang Road could reach Jurong County, the city was captured by the Red Flag Battalion's Mighty Guard. Wang Bi, the commander of the Mighty Guard, kept his mission in mind and personally led a portion of his troops to take over the city. He also dispatched troops from four garrisons, led by Qiu Cheng, to meet the Yuan army head-on.

As expected, the Yuan army in Pingjiang suffered a crushing defeat, with only less than four hundred survivors escaping back to Danyang County. This was only because Wang Bi intended to firmly control Jurong County beforehand, fearing that the Yuan army would use a trap to lure the enemy, and strictly ordered Qiu Cheng and others not to cross the border to pursue them.

This failed counterattack allowed Qing Tong to truly witness the formidable fighting power of the Red Flag Battalion.

After the war, fearing that his already limited forces would be defeated one by one by Shishan, he dared not set up layers of defenses anymore and instead contracted his defensive line, stationing heavy troops only at a few key nodes.

Danyang County is adjacent to Jurong. It is a small town with low walls and no strategic terrain to defend. It was destined to be unable to withstand the advance of the Red Flag Battalion. Therefore, it was naturally abandoned by Qing Tong in a strategic manner.

However, since this city was a key point on the Grand Canal, he did not hand over Danyang County to Shishan. Instead, he adopted a different strategy: he authorized Shi Shun'an, the registrar of Danyang County and the head of the Shi clan in Zhenjiang, to "act as the city's defender" and to organize local militia to defend the city against the enemy.

Shi Shun'an was known locally for his "knowledge of classics and history and his strategic acumen." The reason he dared to take on this seemingly doomed task was not only because of his ambition and courage, but more importantly because of his strong clan background.

The Shi family of Zhenjiang was a powerful clan on par with the Chen family of Jiangning in the past, possessing vast landholdings and numerous members throughout Danyang County and even the entire Zhenjiang region. When it came to matters concerning the fundamental interests of the clan, the Shi family members often displayed strong cohesion and were not afraid of ordinary bandits and rioters.

In fact, this was not the first time Shi Shun'an had led his clan members to defend Danyang County.

Last August, after the combined forces of Peng Yingyu and Xiang Pulue suffered a setback on Hangzhou Road, the main force retreated to Huizhou Road, while a portion of their troops were scattered and moved north to Huzhou Road, and then fought on Pingjiang Road, Zhenjiang Road and other places.

At that time, Danyang County was short of troops and unable to resist the rebel army. The county magistrate personally visited Shi Shun'an and earnestly requested him to lead the local militia into the city to assist in the defense.

Shi Shun'an had long responded to the Yuan court's call to organize local militias, and had more than 3,000 clan members and dependent retainers under his command, known as the "Shi Clan's Army." He would naturally not let go of this opportunity, which would allow him to both "serve the court" and greatly enhance his clan's prestige and actual control over the local area.

Shi Shun'an adopted a strategy of "defending the fortified city and harassing the supply lines," successfully repelling the continuous attacks of the remnants of Xu Song's uprising army and preserving Danyang County. Subsequently, he joined forces with Fu Bao, Zhang De, and other local landlord militias in Zhenjiang Road to jointly annihilate this desperate uprising army.

After the war, Shi Shun'an wrote down his military strategies in a book called "Military Strategies," which circulated among the gentry and made him famous.

During the battle, nearly a thousand local poor people from Danyang joined the rebel army and led their troops to attack Shi's fortress, which angered Shi Shun'an. He ordered the execution of the last nearly three thousand rebel soldiers who surrendered, and piled their corpses into a "jingguan" (a mound of corpses) to deter the "lowly people" who dared to resist.

If this had been done by the rebel army, it would have been an unspeakable atrocity.

But Shi Shun'an did it, and in doing so, he gained immense prestige for his "decisiveness and fortitude" among the landlords, gentry, and Yuan officials who were eager to quell the rebellion.

The Jiangzhe Province vigorously promoted Shi Shun'an's "achievements" and officially appointed him as the Registrar of Danyang County (Danyang was a "central" county, without a county magistrate, so the Registrar was an assistant official with considerable power).

The reason why Qing Tong entrusted Danyang County to Shi Shun'an was that he believed that Shi Shun'an had a blood feud with the rebel army and had cut off his own retreat. He would never easily surrender to Shishan, who was also a "bandit"—even though the Red Flag Battalion and the Xu Song Red Turban Army were not the same force.

However, Shi Shun'an was not very afraid of Shishan.

He had actually studied Shishan carefully and believed that although the Red Flag Battalion was strong, its speed in capturing cities was not much faster than that of the Xu-Song Red Turban Army, which had risen strongly the previous year.

Last year, the Shi family's troops were able to defeat Xu Song's army. Even if they cannot defeat Shishan this year, they can at least inflict heavy damage on his troops by relying on the city. At that time, they will have the capital to negotiate with him and may be able to protect most of the clan's interests.

Unfortunately, he miscalculated one thing—the Red Flag Battalion was far superior to the remnants of the Peng-Xiang allied forces that had already reached the end of their rope last year.

The first to arrive at the walls of Danyang were the light cavalry scouts of the Weiwu Guard, numbering only a hundred or so. Their mission was to clear the perimeter of the battlefield, drive away the scouts sent by the garrison, and block battlefield information.

The main force was still far away, and the column stretched out in great longitude. Only the dust and flags it raised indicated that its scale was extremely large.

What terrified the defenders on the city walls even more than the size of the Red Flag Battalion was the oppressive sense of discipline, efficiency, and silence that the Red Flag Battalion displayed during its march, deployment, and formation.

There was no noise, no chaos, only a cold, relentless advance, like a sophisticated war machine operating in an orderly fashion.

While the Shi family's soldiers did possess strong clan cohesion, they were not fearless professional elite soldiers.

Faced with an army that was clearly different from their previous opponents, even the most steadfast clan commander couldn't help but feel his heart pounding, and cold sweat seeped from his palms as he gripped his weapon.

Surrounded by his eldest son, Shi Liangzu, and several core members of the clan, Shi Shun'an hurriedly ascended the west city wall. He was about fifty years old, with a lean face and sharp eyes. He wore a brocade robe but no armor, yet he possessed an air of authority that befitted someone who had long held a position of power.

Shi Liangzu followed closely beside him, his face grave, and whispered a reminder:

"My lord, these Red Flag bandits are well-disciplined and know how to advance and retreat. They may not be easy to deal with."

Shi Shun'an looked intently out of the city and saw that the vanguard of the Weiwu Guard, numbering about two thousand men, had advanced to within two miles of the city wall and quickly formed four square formations in two columns. The laborers in the formations were methodically unloading pre-prepared timber from the carts, while the accompanying craftsmen, under the command of their officers, were rapidly assembling various siege weapons—ladders, shield wagons, and so on.

Behind these formations, large contingents of troops continued to emerge from the dust, their banners waving and their weapons like a forest. Judging by their size, their total strength was probably no less than ten thousand!
After a long march, the Mighty Guard army needed to be adjusted, so it was impossible for them to remain completely still; their formation was not actually very precise. However, the calm demeanor and chilling killing intent unique to battle-hardened elites pressed down on them like a tangible force, making the defenders on the city walls feel uneasy.

Shi Shun'an was a man of military expertise, and with just one glance, he could see that the enemy army before him was vastly different from the Xu-Song army of the previous year.

This was no rabble that could be resisted by mere courage and clan cohesion, but a well-organized, well-trained, and well-equipped regular army! The three thousand soldiers under the command of the Shi family of Zhenjiang would probably not even be enough to fill a tooth gap in front of the Red Flag Battalion.

Shi Shun'an's expression shifted rapidly, countless thoughts flashing through his mind in an instant:
The Yuan court has already abandoned this place, and defending the city to the death is tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock; the clan's foundation is here, and fighting head-on will only exhaust the clan's young and strong, which will lead to utter destruction; perhaps... perhaps finding another way out is the best strategy?
He was always decisive and made up his mind quickly.

“Liangzu”.

Shi Shun'an's voice was deep and steady, revealing little emotional fluctuation.

"Go out of the city on my behalf and meet with the commander of the Red Flag Battalion. Tell him... that the Shi family of Zhenjiang is willing to surrender Danyang County."

Although Shi Liangzu was also afraid of the Red Flag Army below the city and wanted to persuade his father to carefully consider the strategy against the enemy, he did not expect his father to make such a decisive decision to surrender, and he couldn't help but say anxiously:

"My lord! Should we observe the situation further? Or... wait until the enemy's attack is thwarted before discussing terms?"

Shi Shun'an glanced at his son, not wanting to scold him in front of everyone for being ignorant of military affairs and actually wanting to fight the Red Flag Battalion, and shook his head, saying:

"The imperial court has already made it clear that it has abandoned Danyang. If we fight to the death and refuse to surrender, how many days can we hold out with these low walls and thin walls? What good will it do for the overall situation except to let the Shi family's sons shed rivers of blood?"

As the clan leader, Shi Shun'an was only concerned with the survival of his clan and his own interests, and he had little psychological burden regarding betraying the Yuan court.

In chaotic times, survival is the most important thing!

Only those clans that can pass on their bloodline and wealth have a future; everything else can be abandoned.

Shi Liangzu, after all, had been groomed from childhood to be the successor of the clan head. After a moment's thought, he understood his father's considerations, but he still had some concerns and lowered his voice to say:
"But... what if the rebel army takes the city and forces us to act as the vanguard to fight a bloody battle with the government troops? What should we do then?"

This is precisely the problem that Shi Shun'an is most worried about.

Clan militias differ from the well-trained, officially organized armies of the imperial court. They can fight well-advantaged battles and tough battles to defend their homes, but they absolutely cannot afford to fight a war of attrition.

Because once the clan's able-bodied men are all wiped out in the great war, they will lose the foundation for continuing to lord it over the local area.

This is one of the reasons why Shi Shun'an decisively decided to surrender when he saw that the Red Flag Battalion was no match for them.

After surrendering, he naturally wouldn't actually lead his men to fight for the Red Flag Battalion—that would be tantamount to suicide.

If it really comes to that, we can always play it by ear. If the government forces are too powerful, we can simply switch sides and assist them in annihilating the Red Flag Battalion.

As long as the clan and land remain, and the Shi family can still control the area, they will remain powerful figures in Zhenjiang. No matter who rules the country in the future, they will have to rely on local strongmen like them to stabilize Zhenjiang.

However, the city walls were crowded and noisy, with not only the core members of the Shi family but also many outsiders working for the estate. Shi Shun'an naturally wouldn't share such scheming thoughts with his son. He simply pointed to the vast fertile fields belonging to the Shi family outside the city and said meaningfully:

“Liangzu, you must remember, the roots of the Shi family are here! As long as the roots remain, there is still room for maneuver. If the roots are gone and the clan is scattered, what waves can we three thousand people stir up in this chaotic world? We are nothing but rootless duckweed, at the mercy of others.”

Looking into his father's firm and profound eyes, Shi Liangzu finally understood his father's deep meaning. He nodded heavily and solemnly said:
"I understand! I'll go and do it right away!"

……

The Red Flag Battalion is a formidable and majestic force.

Commander Wang Bi had already led the main force of the central army to the city and was observing the city's defenses from a small, hastily erected earthen mound. He was also issuing a series of orders to mobilize troops from various garrisons and prepare for the attack.

He was tall and strong, wearing a fine suit of iron armor, and his face beneath the helmet was calm and resolute, showing the demeanor of a great general.

Just as the various tribes were making preparations for the siege, three men carrying white flags were lowered down from the low city wall of Danyang by ropes, and then they walked cautiously toward the Red Flag Camp's formation.

Jin Chaoxing, the garrison commander of the Fourth Garrison, rode over and, looking at the three men, said to Wang Bi with a hint of doubt:
"General, judging from this situation, are the defending troops planning to surrender?"

Since the Crossing the Yangtze River Campaign, Wang Bi has repeatedly made military achievements. Although his position is still Commander-in-Chief, his honorary title has been promoted from "Captain" to "General". His subordinate generals, such as Jin Chaoxing, have also changed their way of addressing Wang Bi.

Wang Bi's gaze swept over Danyang County. The city wall was built on rammed earth, with a circumference of less than two li and a height of only about 15 feet. In Wang Bi's eyes, who was used to seeing big cities like Haozhou, Hefei, and Jiangning, it was simply an earthen fortress that was easy to break.

In fact, because Danyang County was too small and had no natural defenses, it had almost no strategic value. Not only was the Jiangzhe Province unwilling to waste its troops there, but after the Yuan court issued the "City Repair Order" last year, the magistrate of Danyang County was also unwilling to waste money and grain to reinforce the city walls.

Therefore, after conquering Jurong County and stabilizing the situation, Wang Bi did not rush to attack Danyang—such a small earthen fortress could be breached at any time!

There was no need to send out the entire Weiwu Guard, now nearly ten thousand strong, just to attack Danyang County. Its first task, as the vanguard of the main army, was to besiege Dantu County, the seat of Zhenjiang, with the support of the navy.

Wang Bi originally thought that the Yuan army would abandon Danyang on its own initiative, and planned to send a small number of troops to occupy the empty city, while the main force would directly attack Dantu County.

Unexpectedly, during the pre-battle reconnaissance, it was discovered that the Shi family of Zhenjiang had led their troops into Danyang City, adopting a posture of defending the city.

However, in Wang Bi's view, this unexpected event was nothing more than a matter of taking a little more effort.

The army had already prepared siege timbers on its way to the city, and upon arriving at the city walls, it quickly assembled siege equipment in order to capture the city as soon as possible.

Therefore, Wang Bi was not particularly interested in the possibility of the defending troops surrendering at this moment. He said to Jin Chaoxing in a calm tone:

"Whether we surrender or not, this city will fall today! It's just a matter of different methods. Pass down the order: preparations for the siege will continue as planned, without any slackening!"

Shortly after Shi Liangzu and the other two left the city, they were taken into custody by Red Flag Battalion scouts patrolling the perimeter. After being questioned about their purpose and thoroughly searched, the three were brought to the front of the central army formation.

Upon learning that the other party was the eldest son of Shi Shun'an, the patriarch of the Shi clan in Zhenjiang, who had come to discuss surrender on behalf of the Shi clan, Wang Bi sat upright on his horse, looking down at the slightly nervous Shi Liangzu, and said directly:
"Surrender is acceptable, but private armies are not allowed to exist under the jurisdiction of my Red Flag Battalion!"

Shi Liangzu secretly thought that the Red Flag Bandits didn't trust the Shi family, but this was for the best. At least he didn't have to worry about the bandits using his own men as cannon fodder. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief and bowed, promising:
"Reporting to the General, we are all honest villagers who have gathered in the city only to avoid the chaos and protect ourselves, not to oppose the royal army. If the General grants permission, we are willing to open the city gates immediately and welcome the royal army into the city. The gentry in the city have also prepared some gold, silver and grain as a reward for the army."

After hearing this, Wang Bi's lips curled into a barely perceptible sneer.

Before setting off, the marshal had specially summoned senior generals such as Wang Bi, Chang Yuchun, and Hu Dahai to conduct an in-depth analysis of the situation in northern Zhejiang.

Shi Shan pointed out that the fact that Xu Song's troops were able to advance all the way into Hangzhou last year fully demonstrates that the Yuan army in the Jiangzhe Province was poorly equipped and that the local Yuan soldiers were weak. The Red Flag Battalion's fighting strength was superior to that of Xu Song's troops (at least superior to that of "Peng Zu's family"), and from a military point of view, it would not have been difficult to conquer the entire northern Zhejiang region.

However, Shi Shan emphasized: "Taking northern Zhejiang is easy, but consolidating the foundation is difficult!" He demanded that all generals implement the policy of "consolidating the territory after conquering it" and that no obvious hidden dangers be left behind.

For powerful local gentry like Shi Shun'an, who commanded private armies and were deeply entrenched in the region, they were the very foundation of the government's rule in the area. For the Red Flag Battalion to truly and stably control northern Zhejiang, it was impossible to physically eliminate them all.

At least until the Red Flag Camp has the capacity to replace this part of the grassroots governance system, it cannot make any major moves, unless it disregards the huge governance vacuum and social unrest that such a move would inevitably cause.

However, Shishan could not follow the example of Peng Yingyu and Xiang Pulue and let these landlords with money, food, manpower, and the ability to create unrest go unchecked. Instead, he clearly issued an order to forcibly disarm all landlords in order to strike at their actual control over the local area.

At this moment, Wang Bi saw that Shi Liangzu was still trying to use some money and grain to get by, attempting to preserve the armed forces and independence of the Shi family's troops. He felt even more that the marshal's instructions were extremely prescient.

He stared sharply at Shi Liangzu, his tone resolute as he stated the Red Flag Battalion's bottom line:

"Avoiding the chaos to protect yourself? Holding a city and defending it is also self-preservation? Do you think I, this general, am a three-year-old child who can't see your intention to use your troops for personal gain?"

Wang Bi paused for a moment, not giving Shi Liangzu a chance to explain, and continued:
"Let me make this clearer: Surrender is possible! But it must be unconditional surrender!"
All able-bodied men within the city must immediately lay down their weapons and leave the city to be screened and reorganized by our army. All weapons, armor, and city defenses will be handed over to our army for control. If you agree, this will be carried out immediately; if you disagree…

Wang Bi abruptly raised his hand, pointing behind him to the mighty guards who were making tense preparations for the siege, and to the dozen or so siege machines that were already taking shape, and said sternly:
"Then don't blame me for being ruthless with my sword! Let's see how long your small earthen fortress can hold out against the elite Red Flag Battalion!"

(End of this chapter)