Sweep Yuan

Chapter 46 Re-entering Huai'an

"I reckon there's a new assignment coming up."

Two days have passed since the fall of Suzhou. The large-scale massacres and looting in the city have basically stopped, but social order has not yet been fully restored. Red Turban Army soldiers are everywhere carrying out patrol and search missions.

The "Red Heart Camp" and the Xuzhou Red Turban Army were still in the same boat at this stage. Shi Shan couldn't think of any reason why Peng Erlang and Zhao Junyong would be at a disadvantage to him at this time. After making some preparations, he led Gong Wu and Chen Daye into the city.

The relatively dull Chen Daye served as his follower, leading two fine horses with many gifts on their backs. The more quick-witted Gong Wu, after entering the city, inquired about the camp of Fu Youde's former employer, Li Xixi.

In the Suzhou government office, the setting sun cast a blood-red glow on the roof ornaments. A dozen or so Red Turban Army officers filed out, stepping over the still-blood-stained steps. Shi Shan had little private contact with these men and, not wanting to cause trouble, consciously stepped aside.

Unexpectedly, the generals who passed by glanced at him intentionally or unintentionally. Some even deliberately craned their necks to look at him sideways, and one of them snorted coldly, as if he had some dissatisfaction with Shishan.

Shi Shan guessed that these people's unusual behavior was probably related to his new mission, but he had no interest in playing mind games with these guys. He kept his eyes down and mind to himself the whole time, and only went in after they had all left the government office.

Inside the official hall, Peng Erlang and Zhao Junyong sat side by side, with Xue Xian, Zhao Junyong's most valiant general, standing to the left.

Upon seeing Shi Shan enter, Xue Xian, the bearded man who had previously mocked Shi Shan for being the first to enter Suzhou City, actually nodded and smiled. Although Shi Shan was puzzled, he reacted quickly, nodding in response, and then bowed to Peng and Zhao to apologize.

"I am late, please punish me, General Peng and General Zhao!"

Peng Erlang was in a very good mood today. He waved his hand and said:
"Haha, not too late, not too late, you've come at the perfect time. Old Zhao, you should explain the specific tasks to Brother Shi."

Judging from the fact that Peng and Zhao had already privately divided up their respective interests and were cooperating very closely, Zhao Junyong immediately chimed in:

"Suzhou has already been taken by us. Lao Peng and I have discussed it and plan to strike while the iron is hot and send troops to take Lingbi County. Brother Shi, do you have any ideas?"

Lingbi County is located southeast of Suzhou City. The two cities are about 140 li apart, which is not close. However, the two places are connected by an official road and the Bian River, making the transportation of goods very convenient.

Furthermore, according to Liang Zhongyi's testimony, there were no government troops stationed in Lingbi City. The daily task of preventing theft and patrolling the city relied entirely on a limited number of local archers. In addition, the city walls were thin and dilapidated, so it was not difficult to take it down.

When Zhao Jun asked Shi Shan "what he thought" at this moment, it was clearly not a question of whether he was willing to send troops.

After a moment's thought, Shishan said:
"Lingbi is located at the southernmost end of Xuzhou Road, forming a strategic triangle with Suzhou City. It is bordered by Anfeng Road to the south and Huaian Road to the east, making its geographical location extremely important. However, this city is far from Suzhou and close to Hong County, and it has no natural defenses. It is easy to capture but difficult to defend."

This humble general dares to speculate that the two generals intend to capture Lingbi and then take advantage of the situation to attack Huai'an Road.

He understood things immediately and could analyze them logically and comprehensively. Peng Erlang felt even more certain that he had chosen the right person and praised him:
"Brother Shi, you've figured out the geography around Suzhou so quickly, that's incredible! Let's not beat around the bush, do you dare to lead your troops to conquer Lingbi and Hongxian?"

In any other dynasty, it would be difficult for an ordinary person to capture two counties in a few days with a hastily assembled rabble. But in the Yuan Dynasty, it was not a big problem.

This was because the "destroy the city order" was executed so well that the Jiangnan and even the Jianghuai region basically had cities but no defenses. It was not difficult to break through such cities, but the difficulty was how to deal with the subsequent counterattack of the government troops.

Shi Shan wasn't afraid of a counterattack from the government troops. After all, rebellion is a business that can cost you your head, so how could there be no risk at all?
The problem is that even though Lingbi and Hongxian are small cities, they are still counties with populations exceeding ten thousand. While occupying them might not be enough to build a great enterprise, expanding one's strength there could make one a significant force within the Xuzhou Red Turban Army system. Shi Shan knew that he was not favored by Zhao Junyong. Even with his previous merits, these two old foxes would never truly trust him, much less kindly give him two cities. This eastward advance was most likely to be someone else's henchman.

Even so, this aligns with his plan to accumulate strength and distance himself from Xuzhou, so he naturally wouldn't refuse.

"This humble general has no reason not to dare, but I do not know which general I should follow?"

Zhao Junyong had been observing Shi Shan's behavior closely. Seeing that he knew when to advance and retreat, he stroked his beard, nodded, and replied:

"Suzhou has just fallen, and the army urgently needs reorganization. Old Peng and I will remain stationary for the time being; you will be under Xue Xian's command. Hmm, we have jointly recommended Xue Xian to act as the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Expedition, and you will be promoted to commander of a thousand men. If we can capture Hong County, you will be rich and powerful!"

The so-called "recommendation" was just a formality. There was no real benefit to being promoted from deputy commander to commander. He still had to rely on himself to recruit soldiers and raise military funds, unless Shishan was willing to hand over military power and completely obey the orders of Peng Erlang and Zhao Junyong.

Peng and Zhao's intentions were clear: they would give Shishan a nominal title of commander of a thousand households, then have the "Red Heart Battalion" tackle tough challenges, while Xue Xian would be in charge of distributing the spoils after the city was captured.

This is the treatment you get for a no-name brand; Shishan had to keep all his thoughts to himself.

However, now that we've seized the opportunity to expand our strength away from the main force, we should still fight for the benefits we deserve.

"Generals, please rest assured, I will obey Commander Xue's orders! To ensure the success of this battle, I have three more requests!"

Zhao Junyong, who had been all smiles just moments before, suddenly fell silent. Xue Xian, standing beside him, also looked rather grim. Peng Erlang, who also disliked Shi Shan's habit of taking advantage of others, was happy to smooth things over since the eastward expansion strategy had nothing to do with him.

"What request? Speak!"

"First, yesterday I met a soldier under Li Xixi, a centurion. It just so happens that his family lives in Liweizi and he is familiar with the local customs of Huixi Township. So I took the liberty of keeping him to recruit local young men for my troops."

Peng Erlang indeed did not care about Shishan's unauthorized recruitment of soldiers, but only about the other party poaching people from his own ranks.

However, although he somewhat appreciated Li Xixi's daring and fighting spirit, that was all. After all, this man was not a close friend from Xiao County, and there was still a layer between them. He would not care about the whereabouts of a lowly soldier under Li Xixi.

"He's just a nobody, Brother Shi, so let him stay. This matter shouldn't be mentioned."

Compared to unauthorized recruitment, the nature of embezzling friendly soldiers can be either minor or serious. Since General Peng, as the superior, has already determined the nature of the matter, it will be much easier for Shishan to ask Li Xixi to release the people.

……

Note: The archer is not an archer, but a "patrol archer". Recruiters are required to bring their own weapons. Their main task is to "prevent and capture thieves", which includes patrolling the night, arresting thieves, escorting official goods, and transporting criminals.

(End of this chapter)