Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 133: Leaping into Two Cities
"Are you really going to attack Chuzhou?"

Although he said that he wanted to be the vanguard, Hua Yunlong and Lan Chun were still a little surprised when they heard Yu Tonghai admit it himself.

On the city wall that day, the Marshal and his generals discussed military affairs. They were discussing how to attack Quanjiao. Yang Jing complained that there were too few soldiers, and Chang Yuchun said he had a way. So Lu Jin only left four commanders to talk to Chang Yuchun in private. No one knew what they talked about, but suddenly the plan changed from attacking Quanjiao to changing defense in Dingyuan.

Hua Yunlong was thinking all the way that their target should have temporarily changed from Quanjiao to Chuzhou. Yu Tonghai was also leading them to march towards Dingyuan, probably to join forces with the northern division to attack Chuzhou, so he was not particularly afraid.

But when they arrived at the outskirts of Chuzhou, they were still the only group there, and they couldn't help but feel worried.

"Commander, shouldn't we go to Dingyuan first to join up with the Northern Army? They should also send troops if we attack Chuzhou, right?" Hua Yunlong asked again.

Yu Tonghai glanced at him and immediately asked, "Why, didn't you just say you wanted to be the vanguard? Without the support of the Northern Army, you don't dare to fight?"

Hua Yunlong stiffened his neck and said, "Who is afraid? I have no problem being the vanguard. I am just worried that our follow-up troops will not be able to keep up. If that happens, the brothers who climbed first will not have died in vain."

Seeing his expression, Yu Tonghai no longer hid the truth from the two of them and spoke.

"Don't worry, you don't need to be the vanguard. We don't need to storm the city this time. It's the end of the month now. It's pitch dark at night. We can just sneak into the city at night and let Chang Yuchun be the vanguard. He was the one who suggested this idea to the Marshal, and the Marshal agreed."

Hua Yunlong opened his mouth, not expecting this to happen, but Lan Chun was not surprised. He and Chang Yuchun were in the same group, and they had done many things like climbing over walls and robbing people at night before.

"Steal the city? Hehe, this is a good idea, Commander, I can also be a vanguard to steal the city. I can do it." Hua Yunlong said again.

Yu Tonghai waved his hand, "Okay, this time everything has been arranged in advance. There will be opportunities for you to make contributions in the future. Immediately notify all battalions now and prepare for action at night. Set up guards and sentries outside the village first. I will find you some food. Eat well and have a good sleep to recuperate."

Upon hearing this, Hua Yunlong looked around. This village had been looted by Sun Deya. All the landlords and wealthy families had been killed by Sun Deya, and all the villagers had been taken away. The entire village was empty. They were carrying out a secret mission, so they must reduce contact with outsiders. He couldn't help but wonder.

"There's no one living here for miles. Where can we find food?"

"Then don't worry about it. I have my own way."

Yu Tonghai kept the secret and left with his guards. Not long after, they saw a group of soldiers driving pigs and sheep and carrying food to the village to entertain the troops. The leader of the group was Yu Tongyuan, the commander of the Seventh Regiment who came from Dingyuan.

"Brother, you are finally here. Did anything happen on the way?"

"What can happen, kid? How come the Marshal let you be the commander of the Seventh Regiment? It's higher in rank than my Ninth Regiment."

The two brothers hadn't seen each other for a long time, so they hugged each other immediately. Yu Tonghai couldn't help but hit his brother twice.

Upon hearing this, Yu Tongyuan immediately laughed and said, "Hehe, it's because you were still in the navy at that time and didn't catch up with the military expansion."

The two laughed and scolded each other, and Yu Tonghai immediately said seriously, "How is it? Where is your Seventh Regiment? Today is the first day of the new year, and we will take action tonight. You have to support me."

"Don't worry, big brother. My Seventh Regiment is nearby. After you set off, I will set up the camp in this village. If anything goes wrong, just run here. I will definitely be able to stop the pursuers for you." Yu Tongyuan immediately assured.

Yu Tonghai nodded and asked, "I heard that Sun Deya had caused chaos in Chuzhou before. Where is he now?"

"He led his men to flee northward. Zheng Yong sent cavalry to investigate but they have not returned yet. It is hard to say whether he went to the east or the west. However, it is more likely that he went to the east. We have a large number of troops in Dingyuan, so he must know that we are going to attack Haozhou, so it is unlikely that he will go to Haozhou.

"On the contrary, there are no rebels in Yangzhou Road for the time being, and that place is relatively wealthy. If he wants to accomplish his goal without conflicting with us and Xuzhou Zhima Li, he must go to a place where there are no rebels."

Yu Tonghai nodded, "Yes, that makes sense, but if he really runs to Yangzhou Road, he can just serve as our vanguard. Even if the Yuan thieves attack us, they will be the first to bear it. I don't think this man can accomplish anything great.

"By the way, how many pigs and sheep did you bring this time? Fifteen pigs and twenty sheep, enough for your group to have a meal."

"Good boy, you have prepared a lot. Come on, take them back quickly and have the camps slaughter pigs and sheep. Eat and rest early, as we will have action in the evening."

"Yes."

After Yu Tonghai had made all the arrangements, the two brothers reminisced about the past for a while, and then Yu Tongyuan went back to lead his own troops.

Chang Yuchun also sent someone to disguise as a woodcutter to scout the terrain. When he came back it was time for dinner, he immediately drew a map on the ground, and several battalion officers talked while eating.

"Our current village is at the bend north of the Qingliu River, about ten miles away from Chuzhou City. We will cross the river at night. I will lead the vanguard camp in front, and you will follow three miles behind.

“Once we get to the city, we’ll wait for a while. After you catch up, we’ll start stealing the city.

"I sent someone to pretend to be a woodcutter to check. The defense of Chuzhou City is now quite tight. The city gates are closed early every day, and the drawbridge is also retracted every day. However, the wall of Chuzhou City is not high, and the ladder we brought is long enough, so it should not be difficult to climb up."

Yu Tonghai nodded immediately and said, "As long as you are sure, then let's do it. We have been away for several days, so the sooner we can get it, the sooner we can feel at ease."

At this moment, a few snowflakes suddenly floated in from the window. Yu Tonghai and others immediately stood up, went to the yard and looked up at the sky. A heavy snowfall came unexpectedly, which made everyone quite excited.

"God help me!"

On the other side, while Chang Yuchun and his men were eating rice with meat soup, the defenders in Chuzhou City were still starving and freezing.

At that time, people still had two meals a day. Even for the soldiers defending the city, the Yuan court officials were reluctant to give them extra meals. Not deducting their two meals a day was considered a sign of conscience on the part of the officials.

After lunch at around four in the afternoon, the soldiers were already hungry by dark. Now heavy snow began to fall, and the north wind blew, causing the soldiers on the city walls to shiver. Many of these men did not have thick cotton coats.

"Ah, what a hard life this is. The officials are enjoying wine and meat and hugging women in the city, while we are enjoying the wind and snow on the top of the city. You guys just watch here, I'm going to take a shit under the city."

"Bullshit, come back here. I'm afraid you'll take two hours to shit. My brothers are all freezing here, but you're the only one hiding here to keep warm, right?"

However, the man ignored him and went straight to the city. No one knew where he went and deserted.

As the snow fell heavier and the sky grew darker, more and more people deserted. Many people went straight back to the barracks. The officials were reluctant to even provide them with three meals a day. The county magistrate did store a lot of firewood, but he said that the firewood was for defending the city and no one was allowed to burn it.

It's snowing, but they don't even provide firewood. Do they want the soldiers to freeze to death? It's strange that the soldiers are willing to fight for their lives.

At the south gate of Chuzhou, several people were crowded in a small shack on the city wall. Seven or eight soldiers were spreading straw on the ground, wrapped in quilts, and above their heads was a tent made of reed mats, which could slightly block the wind and snow. At this moment, two people suddenly came up with loads on their shoulders and shouted at them.

"Brothers, come and lend a hand, the firewood is here."

"Sergeant, you must be capable, but where can you get firewood?" Pingding laughed, "I saved some reward money these days and exchanged it with the centurion. The damn county magistrate is hoarding firewood and selling it at a high price. Don't even think about buying firewood from them."

While complaining about the county magistrate, several people built a fire pit with bricks, threw firewood into it, and worked with flint and steel for a long time before finally getting the fire started.

Pingding, who was called the sergeant, also huddled together with the others, wrapped in a quilt and warming himself by the fire. Everyone sat around the campfire in a daze, and soon, a rumbling sound of intestines was heard.

Someone immediately complained, "It would be great if we could cook a pot of broth."

"Brother Li, stop talking. We are all hungry. Your words will only make us more hungry."

"What's there to hide?" The man called Brother Li raised his eyebrows and couldn't help but complain.

"Damn it, life is getting harder and harder. I think I might as well go to Hongjin. At least the food there is better."

When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked. Someone looked outside the shack and saw that the snow was still so heavy. Fortunately, there was no one there.

"Brother Li, keep your voice down!"

"What's the matter? I can't say it. Anyway, I'm a bachelor with a miserable life. Instead of freezing and starving here, I might as well surrender and live happily every day."

It seemed that this person had been holding it in for too long and finally couldn't help but explode.

Pingding stood by and did not stop him, because he also had such a plan, but he just hadn't made up his mind yet.

The soldiers next to them were still discussing in a low voice.

"Surrender to the Red Turbans? Surrender to whom? Sun Deya has done a lot of bad things. My uncle's village was robbed by this thief. Now there is no trace of him, alive or dead, and no one knows where he was taken."

Brother Li immediately sneered, "What kind of hero is Sun Deya? If he wants to surrender, he should surrender to Xuzhou and Luzhou. At least they have more soldiers, and they can hold out even if the imperial army attacks."

"I heard that the Red Turbans in Yingzhou are even more powerful, but they are too far away from us. We don't even have money to travel, and I'm afraid we will starve to death on the way."

"Shizhang? Brother Wuyi, where do you think we should vote?"

"Don't call me Wuyi, my name is Pingding now!" Pingding corrected immediately.

"Haha--" Brother Li sneered again and couldn't help but complain.

"We Han people don't even have a proper name for following the Tartars, and we call ourselves Pingding. Who do you want to pacify? To pacify the Red Turbans? That was also the work of the Tartars.

"You have no money and no power, so you don't expect to become a marshal by making achievements, do you? Kang Mao was able to become a marshal because he had his own soldiers!"

"Old Li, don't say that. The sergeant is not a person who is wholeheartedly working for the Tartars. Otherwise, based on what you said, you would have been taken away in exchange for a reward." The slightly older man named Wei said immediately.

Pingding also looked at Li Xin, who claimed that he wanted to surrender to the Red Turban, and said this.

"Who doesn't want to vote for the Red Scarf? What's the point of just saying it? If you really want to vote, don't make it public."

He glanced at the crowd and said, "My family owed rent to the landlord a few years ago, and the government came to collect taxes, forcing my family to borrow money at high interest. After borrowing the money, within two years, my parents both hanged themselves, and my sister was sold to Jiangnan. I am all alone now. If it weren't for the need to make a living and if I couldn't leave the city, I would have joined the Red Scarf long ago.

"I have already thought about it. The Luzhou soldiers are coming to attack Quanjiao and Chuzhou. When they really come, I will surrender. I will definitely surrender to Luzhou and pursue a good future.

"I heard that Marshal Lu of Luzhou is quite kind and righteous. He abolished the usury loan from the imperial court in their territory. Just for this, I am willing to fight for him with my life."

Several people looked at each other, as if bad memories were brought back to them. Li Xin, who had been complaining before, frowned and said in suspicion when he heard the words.

"Can the Luzhou soldiers come with such heavy snow? I recently heard that they are building a city at Wujiang River, so they don't look like they are heading north. Besides, even if they come, they will first attack Quanjiao, and then Chuzhou.

"If you want to wait for the Luzhou soldiers, I'm afraid you'll have to wait at least half a year."

"Half a year is not too late. I can wait for a year. I will join the army when they come."

Pingding grabbed a fire stick and poked the campfire, then got up and left the shack, staring at the night sky outside the city in a daze.

He had long had enough of this life of a slave. He had inquired about the news of the Xuzhou and Luzhou rebels. The people in Xuzhou claimed to be the king after taking the city, and they didn't look like a rebel army at all. On the contrary, the Luzhou people's establishment of laws and regulations and helping the people were more to his liking, especially Luzhou's series of policies against usury and human trafficking, which made him yearn for it.

Ever since he heard from the captain above that the Luzhou soldiers might attack, he had been looking forward to the Luzhou soldiers arriving earlier every day.

It was outrageous enough that a group of soldiers guarding the city were discussing on the top of the city wall whether to surrender to the rebels and no one cared.

But that's normal. In this snowy weather, can we expect those generals to go to the top of the city wall and enjoy the breeze with the soldiers?
The top of the city wall was covered with a thin layer of snow. Pingding did not call his soldiers, but just patrolled along the city wall alone, leaving a trail of footprints behind him.

Time passed quickly. There was no movement in the first half of the night, but there were fewer and fewer soldiers on the city wall. Some of them huddled in the shacks behind the parapet, shivering under quilts and straw, while others simply went down the city and returned to the camp.

In the second half of the night, Pingding took another patrol. Seeing that it was pitch black all around, he was about to go back to sleep. At this moment, along with the wind and snow from the north, a sudden crunching sound of stepping on the snow came. The sound was so vague that he could not hear it clearly.

So he quickly squatted behind the parapet, leaving only his head exposed, and tried to look outside the north city. He saw in the dark night, teams of black shadows stepping on the white snow, quietly moving towards the city wall.

Such a horrifying scene made him feel both excited and frightened. He pinched himself quickly to make sure he was not mistaken. Without saying a word, he ran towards the south end of the city without notifying anyone else.

When he got back to his shack, he started kicking and screaming at his men.

"Hurry up and get up. Don't sleep any more. Get up quickly and follow me to the city."

"What? What's the matter? It's so cold in the middle of the night."

"Don't fucking sleep, the Red Scarf is coming!"

"What?!"

"Hush, come with me to the city, let's hide first."

(End of this chapter)