Sweep Yuan

Chapter 50 Where Can One Find Peace?

Han Si wanted to withdraw first, and then deal with Chulan Station after capturing Suining County.

The problem is that retreating after a defeat would be too demoralizing. If those two Tartars don't know what's good for them and cause trouble from behind while we're attacking Suining, then we'll be in big trouble.

After much hesitation, Han Si was still unwilling to retreat. He ordered the army to cut down trees and set up camp on the spot, and sent out several small teams to collect able-bodied men and money and grain from the surrounding villages.

However, although Wang Baiyin forcibly gathered the station households before, and Shishan released some people to return to the village to harvest crops, he quickly brought them back under centralized management. The grain collection team worked hard for half a day but reaped very little.

Han Sizheng was caught in a dilemma, and Zhao Jun promptly delivered the order to the Chulan Station staff to head south.

Although Zhao Junyong's seating order was below Peng Erlang's, his seniority was superior to the latter's. He was recognized by all the generals as the "strategist," and this order could barely extricate Han Si from his predicament.

After weighing the options, General Han made a perfunctory remark that he "could not bear to ruin the excellent situation of the anti-Yuan movement," and then abandoned the siege of Chulanzhanchi, leading his army to continue south.

This person finally made a decisive move and left without hesitation.

The purpose of attacking Chulan Station was merely to acquire manpower and resources. Abandoning this place and taking along the way would have resulted in roughly the same outcome, even if it involved recruiting able-bodied men from several other villages.

With the money, food, and children obtained from looting the villages, the soldiers' morale, which had been low after suffering a setback at Zhanchixia, could be quickly restored, and it wouldn't be too late to attack Suining County again.

But a gentleman doesn't leave a grudge unavenged, and he couldn't just swallow the humiliation he suffered at Chulan Station.

On the day the siege was lifted, Han Si sent messengers to Marshal Li of Xuzhou and Generals Peng and Zhao of Suzhou respectively, accusing the surrendered army of Chulan of harboring treacherous intentions and attacking the southern expeditionary force without cause.

In his letter, General Han clearly pointed out that a separate force of surrendered soldiers in Shishan was disobedient and its commander had even openly shot and killed a messenger from a friendly force, revealing their rebellious intentions. Sooner or later, they would become a major threat to the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou and must be eliminated as soon as possible.

With a formidable enemy at hand, and at a time when manpower is in high demand, even if Sesame Li, Peng Erlang, Zhao Junyong, and others distrust Shishan, they most likely wouldn't remove this still somewhat useful pawn now.

However, Han Si had already led his men to attack Chulan Station, and had broken ties with Shishan, so there was no hope of maintaining a false harmony any longer.

The wicked accuse first because it serves their interests, allowing them to publicly state their position and seize the moral high ground.

The purpose was to have the opportunity to openly and legitimately eliminate Shishan and his scoundrels in the future.

On the other side, although Li Wu forced back the invading Red Turban Army, he did not truly inflict any damage on them. Upon receiving Zhao Junyong's order bearing the special mark of Shishan, he feared that delay might lead to unforeseen changes, so he quickly packed his belongings and prepared to set off.

However, he remained cautious and sent his cavalry far away, making sure that the Han army had gone far before Li Wu led his men away from Zhanchi.

One thing needs to be clarified: he was not able to take everyone with him.

On the day Ishiyama captured Chulan, only a portion of the station households were stained with the blood of the upper echelons of the station for revenge. The Fangcun station households who surrendered voluntarily did not undergo internal purges, and there were still some "clean families".

In any era, the majority of people simply want to live a peaceful life. This was the case with the station households who remained in Fangcun. They were numbly driven by the post station officials and obediently incorporated into the Red Turban Army, but they were not mindless blockheads.

These people didn't understand why anyone would rebel, nor did they see any significant improvement in their lives after joining the rebels. They also didn't believe that the Red Turban Army, which was killing and burning everywhere, could bring any light or bliss to the world. After witnessing Han Silian's shameless act of forcibly annexing friendly troops, they lost their already limited trust in Shishan, whom they had only known for a few days. They were unwilling to follow Li Wu to the front lines of the battle between officials and rebels, to gamble on an unknown fate.

After Han Si withdrew his troops yesterday, some bold villagers approached Li Wu, pleading with him to spare their lives and allow them to return to their abandoned village to continue farming, herding sheep, and living as law-abiding citizens.

This time, Li Wu didn't get angry or curse. His thinking was very realistic. Although Zhan Chi had many large carts, they couldn't carry all the people and supplies. Taking everything would definitely affect the speed of their journey.

More importantly, it's not about having the same mindset but not the same path.

If we disregard public opinion and force those who are unwilling to leave to travel hundreds of miles, I'm afraid that a significant portion of them will run away along the way.

Even if we were to harden our hearts and kill a few of the ringleaders, the marching speed would inevitably be much slower with these burdens. If Han Si, that scoundrel, were to still harbor treacherous intentions and launch a surprise attack halfway through the journey, then there would be real chaos.

Li Wu was very decisive. After thinking things through, he disregarded Wen Sijiu's objections and agreed to the station owners' requests.

In the end, the number of station residents willing to follow Li Wu south totaled less than a thousand, including men, women, the elderly, and the infirm.

Having fewer people also has its advantages: there are more large vehicles available, making travel faster and allowing for the transport of more supplies.

To extinguish any remaining hope, Li Wu set fire to Chulan before leaving.

The watchtower collapsed in the flames, ashes and smoke billowed into the sky, and the air was thick with scorching heat. On the other side of the flames, a scene of apocalypse unfolded like a mirage:
Hundreds of residents, with their children in tow and carrying tattered belongings, walked towards the abandoned Fusang Village Station.

There was no crying, no shouting, and no looking back. The departing station dwellers were like walking corpses, simply following their bodily instincts, slowly moving towards a hopeless distance.

It seems that this way one can find a pure land free from war and famine, and escape this chaotic world where human life is as worthless as grass.

At one end of the raging flames and thick smoke, Wen Sijiu couldn't help but spit on the ground, stomping his foot and cursing:

"Where in the world can these dogs live a peaceful life? Once they reach Fangcun and cross the Yellow River, they think they can just become good Tartar citizens and continue living? Damn it, a bunch of stupid idiots who can never learn to endure hardship!"

Listening to Wen Sijiu's insults, Tian Changcai thought of Deng Li's advice last night to pack up the supplies and take people back to the village. Although he did not express his opinion to his face, he was actually somewhat wavering and subconsciously picked up the conversation.

"But even if they went to Hong County, what could they—"

Halfway through his sentence, Tian Changcai saw Li Wu turn around and, suspecting that Li Wu had discovered their plot from the previous night, quickly swallowed the rest of his disheartening words.

Surprisingly, Li Wu did not lose his temper; his reaction was even somewhat unexpected.

Watching these pitiful people who saw no way out, Li Wu also thought of his relatives far away on Yidu Road. His heart was filled with the same confusion about the future. He took one last look at the departing station attendants, sighed, and said:

"What's the use of thinking so much? I can't explain any profound truths, I just know that the world is in chaos, and there's no peace anywhere. My brain isn't as sharp as yours, I only know that following Third Brother is the only way to survive longer. We still have a long way to go, let's go!"

(End of this chapter)