Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 184: Marching into Anqing (Part )

Anqing Road is at least a road-level area. Although it is not very large, with only six cities, it still has a lot of necessary staff.

Huaining County, the capital of Anqing Road, has the Anqing Road general manager, Darughaci, recorder Darughaci, recorder, recorder, county magistrates and Darughaci.

Besides, the Yuan court was not stupid and knew the importance of Anqing. There were also many military organizations here, including an Anqing Road Wanhu Mansion. Don’t worry about how many capable soldiers there were. This Wanhu Mansion had 13 thousand households and dozens of hundred households.

You have to know that Zuo Junbi of Luzhou was only a thousand-man commander at the beginning. Of course, his 5,000 troops were recruited later by himself. If he was only a thousand-man commander, he should not have so many soldiers.
In order to deal with the two groups of Shengwu Army and Xu Song, and the Red Turban Army that might attack at any time on both sides, Anqing Road had already strengthened its troops on the front line, but the situation on the front line did not improve much.

The magistrate of Tongcheng County was named Ning Chun, a native of Hebei, and the Darughachi was named Belieqiebuhua. These two were in charge of the government.

There is also the "Righteous Army Marshal" Zhen Yanlong, who is a local tyrant in Tongcheng. His situation is similar to that of Zhu Liangzu and Miao Daheng. They both recruited local people as soldiers to help the Yuan court suppress the Red Turban Army.

He also had two sons to help lead the troops, namely Zhen Yuanji and Zhen Yuanqi. The three of them recruited a total of 3,000 soldiers. This was the local militia of Tongcheng. However, these 3,000 militiamen did not have many sets of armor, only about a hundred sets of armor, and most of them were ordinary militiamen with only a sword or a gun.

If we only count the local militia, the military force is actually not that large, but two thousand households were transferred from the Wanhu Mansion of Anqing Road, Shao Yongjian and Ge Yanling, each of whom led a thousand soldiers, all of whom were regular soldiers with armor. There was also a hundred households of the crossbow army, Mao Wei, who had more than a hundred archers and crossbowmen under his command, totaling more than 5,100 people. This was the entire military force of Tongcheng.

Speaking of which, a small county town was crammed with more than 5,000 soldiers, which was actually not a small number, but the civil and military officials in the city still seemed very panicked.

"What should we do? Liao Yongan is sweeping through towns and villages, marching without any disguise. It's clear that he is coming for a large-scale attack. How can we resist him?"

The county magistrate Ning Chun was already in a panic, and Darughachi Belieqiebuhua was even more ridiculous. He had already moved all his property and family to Zongyang Town, and even arranged a ship at the port, ready to run away at any time. He was not as backbone as his Han subordinates.

If you ask him why he was so scared, it was because he heard that the Shengwu Army in the north was extremely cruel to the Mongols. The Han county magistrate who surrendered might still be able to save his life, but those Mongolian Darughachi would basically not survive and would inevitably end up with their property confiscated and their tragic death.

Especially since Lu Jin was promoting the abolition of usury and slave trade everywhere, and wanted to punish the main culprits, who were the main culprits? Who else could be the people who openly lent money at high interest rates and traded in human beings, except the Mongols and the Semites? It would be strange if he was not afraid.

Zhen Yanlong had already moved his entire family to the city. Except for the ancestral land and ancestral tombs outside the city that could not be moved, everything else that could be moved had already been moved to the city, so he was not very panicked now and said immediately.

"Ning County Magistrate, our Tongcheng does not have a moat, the city walls are not very tall, and there are only 5,000 soldiers in the city. If we defend it to the death, we will definitely not be able to hold it, and it is only a matter of time before the city is broken.

"As for the Luzhou bandits, they have never been defeated since the bandit leader Lu Jin started the rebellion, so they must have been arrogant for a long time. This time, the bandit general Liao Yongan only brought 10,000 soldiers and horses, but he dared to march so ostentatiously. It is obvious that he did not take us seriously and thought that our army would not dare to leave the city to fight.

"At this time, our army should take the initiative to attack, or send elite troops out of the city to attack the enemy camp at night, or line up outside the city to fight them, first win a small victory to weaken the enemy's spirit, then return to defend the city, and then immediately send people to Huaining for help. When the main army arrives, we will cooperate inside and outside to repel the enemy."

When Ning Chun heard this, he shook his head like a rattle. "No, no, no. There are only 5,000 soldiers in my city, and the elite soldiers of Wanhu Mansion are only 2,000. I have to rely on these 2,000 elite soldiers to defend the city. How dare I go out of the city to fight? If the elite soldiers are defeated, can we defend Tongcheng with only 3,000 volunteers of General Zhen? Even if we can, how long can we defend it?
“Besides, Liao Yongan is coming with tens of thousands of troops. Even if you bring a thousand elite soldiers to attack at night, I’m afraid you won’t be able to cause much damage to them. It will only anger the enemy further.

"It's good to dampen the enemy's morale, but if we lose our troops and generals, our city will have no morale. In my opinion, we should defend the city with all our strength and send people to Anqing for help."

Zhen Yanlong cursed inwardly for being a weakling when he heard this, and could only look at Shao Yongjian and Ge Yanling, the two captains from Anqing, "The two captains have elite armored soldiers in their command. What do you two generals think?"

Shao Yongjian frowned, and then said, "I think it's better to play it safe. We should defend with all our strength and send people for help."

Zhen Yanlong rolled his eyes when he heard this, thinking that this Qianhu from Wanhu Mansion was just so-so. But the other party seemed to have seen through his thoughts, so Shao Yongjian explained again.

"It's not that I'm afraid of a night attack on the enemy, but what County Honorable Ning said just now makes sense. Although the enemy general Liao Yongan only sent out 10,000 troops this time, as far as I know, the southern army he led alone has the so-called four regiments of infantry, totaling nearly 20,000 people. The 10,000 troops led by Liao Yongan should only be two of them.

“Even if we partially defeat the first two regiments, he can still dispatch another 10,000 troops later, not to mention the bandit’s Luzhou headquarters and their Eastern Route Army, which have an endless supply of troops.

"But the strength of our city defenders is very limited. Even if we can exchange one for one with the bandits outside the city, even if we exchange them all, the bandits will continue to come to kill us. Instead of wasting manpower, it is better to keep these troops to defend the city.

"General Zhen just said that we will cooperate with the reinforcements when they arrive. But if all the defenders in the city are dead, how can we cooperate with the reinforcements?"

Zhen Yanlong was speechless when he heard this. After all, he was just a militia marshal, not a formal official. The other two held official positions, and their subordinates were all regular troops of the court. If it weren't for the fact that he had a large number of troops under his command, he would not have had a say here.

However, at this time, another captain, Ge Yanling, said, "I think we should ask for help. We can't stop them by ourselves, but we can't just boost others' morale and destroy our own prestige.

“It is indeed risky to attack the enemy at night, but I think it is still possible to line up outside the city to meet the enemy.

"What General Zhen said just now is very true. The Luzhou bandits have never been defeated before, so they must be arrogant, but their morale must be high. If we just let the enemy army approach the city, it will not only be suspected of indulging the enemy, but also be detrimental to our morale.

"Our army should go out of the city and line up with its back to the city to fight. We should not take the initiative to attack, but defend outside the city for half a day. Even if we only engage the enemy once and then return to the city, it will let the enemy know that our army is not afraid to fight."

"This is not impossible, but the enemy has tens of thousands of soldiers, and only two thousand elite soldiers may not be enough. If we must go out of the city to meet the enemy, the entire army must go out together!" Shao Yongjian thought about it and agreed immediately, but he also put forward his own conditions.

It is now obvious that the enemy has more troops than his own. There are examples of defeating a larger force with a smaller one, but he does not want to take any risks. He just needs to defend the city honestly and wait for reinforcements from the rear. When he gathers tens of thousands of troops and his strength is equal to that of the enemy, it will not be too late to fight. As long as the strength of the enemy and ours is similar, he still dares to fight the enemy.

What's more, Shao Yongjian knew very well that the Shengwu Army at this time was no longer the Chaohu water bandits who had just started an uprising. This group of people had fought for half a year and had practical experience. They had weapons and armor, a strict organizational structure, strategies and tactics, and they were elite troops who had fought a fair battle with Kang Maocai. Anyone who dared to underestimate them and treated them as farmers and fishermen who had just put down their hoes would surely not end well!

At least Shao Yongjian did not dare to underestimate the Shengwu Army.

When Ge Yanling saw that Shao Yongjian agreed to his proposal, he immediately nodded in agreement.

"Yes, our army can march out of the city and form a battle array, but we cannot leave no one behind in the city. I think it would be better if County Honorable Ning brought a thousand volunteers to defend the city, and Captain Shao, General Zhen and I, together with a total of four thousand soldiers, marched out of the city to meet the enemy. Captain Shao and I will be in the front formation, with two thousand armored soldiers as cover, while General Zhen's volunteers will be in the rear formation, and Captain Mao's crossbowmen will be in the center.

"When we meet the enemy, our army just needs to hold the formation and kill as many enemies as possible with crossbowmen. As long as we fight and inflict casualties on the enemy, our army will retreat into the city. This will dampen the enemy's morale, prevent our army from suffering heavy casualties, and boost our army's morale. What do you three think?" "That's great, let's do as the general says!" Ning Chun agreed immediately.

"Yes, sure." Shao Yongjian also agreed.

"My volunteers have little armor, thank you two generals for your care." Zhen Yanlong also expressed his gratitude.

"As you can. But the request for help cannot be delayed. We should quickly send a fast horse to Huaining to deliver the message." Ge Yanling reminded immediately.

"Don't bother you with this. I will go to Huaining myself to ask for help!" Darughachi Belieqibuhua, who had been silent all this time, suddenly stood up and said.

As soon as this person stood up, everyone present frowned. Ning Chun said bluntly, "The enemy is about to arrive at the city. If the general leaves at this time, it may not be good for the morale of the army and the people, right?"

Beilieqiebuhua sneered, "Tsk, didn't you guys just discuss the strategy? Just follow this strategy to fight the enemy, but you can't just send anyone to ask for help. If you don't send someone who is important enough, how can Wanhu Mansion easily send troops? Why, do you think a soldier can easily call for reinforcements? If Anqing procrastinates for a few days, I'm afraid we will all die here."

"That's good. I'll leave it to the general manager." Ning Chun had no choice but to agree after hearing what he said. After all, what he said made sense. After all, the world belonged to the Mongols. If he, a Mongol Darughachi, went to ask for help in person, it would indeed carry more weight!

Beilieqiebuhua immediately instructed, "You guys guard the city first, I will be back soon, and I will definitely come back with the army to help you defeat the enemy."

"Yes!"

Everyone immediately agreed.

After the plan was agreed upon, Belekibhu immediately rode out of the city on horseback, but he was followed by a carriage filled with his family. He walked leisurely and did not look like he was in a hurry to seek help.

The generals and county magistrates who watched this scene all frowned deeply. One person in the field spoke frankly, "Dad, I heard that Belieqiebuhua had already sent his family property and wife and children to the riverside. This time he is traveling south slowly with his carriage. Could he have escaped directly? Can we really wait for reinforcements?"

"Shut up and don't disturb the morale of the army!"

Shao Yongjian slapped one of his captains on the head, and this man was none other than his own son Shao Wenzhi.

The father and son leading troops in the city included not only the local tyrant Zhen, but also Shao Yongjian and his son, who led troops together. They could be described as a father and son fighting together.

Shao Wenzhi curled his lips and said nothing more, but in his heart he despised this Darughaci extremely. However, he had never thought of surrendering to the rebels. After all, his family was a hereditary thousand households and had received the emperor's favor for generations. There was no reason for him to surrender without fighting a battle.

Although his father Shao Yongjian scolded his son, he also felt that this Beilieqiebuhua was a little unreliable, and immediately said, "Let's wait for a day. It's hard to say what's going on in Anqing, but if General Han knows, he will definitely send troops to support us. Before we fight the enemy, send another group of people to Anqing for help."

"Well, Captain Shao is a prudent person, so let's just follow his advice." Ning Chun agreed immediately.

After they got off the city wall, Ge Yanling kept frowning and whispered to Shao Yongjian, "Brother Shao, do you think we have a chance of winning this battle?"

Shao Yongjian raised his eyebrows when he heard this, "Why do you ask this question, Brother Ge?"

Ge Yanling glanced around and immediately leaned in and whispered, "Look at this Beilieqiebuhua, he fled before he even saw the shadow of the enemy. I heard that the Mongolian Tartars in Huaining had already moved their families to the island in the middle of the river. It's obvious that they are ready to run away at any time. How can the soldiers have the confidence to defend the city if they disregard the morale of the army like this?"

Shao Yongjian frowned even deeper when he heard this. This matter was indeed outrageous.

The capital of Anqing Road was in Huaining County, where Han Jian, the governor of Anqing Road, was located. He was a Han Chinese and quite responsible. He was considered a good official who was loyal to the Yuan Dynasty. But on the other hand, the Mongols were more cowardly than each other.

The Anqing Road Darughaci Archangpu, the Recorder's Darughaci Molunchi, the Recorder Huang Luntai, and the Recorder Xieli Jiexi, these Mongolian officials had moved their families to the island in the middle of the river early, ready to flee at any time. Although these people were not the main generals, they were the frontier officials of Anqing Road, and even they were like this.

Although these people are not military generals, it is easy to imagine that if their immediate superiors are ready to run away, how can the morale of the subordinates be high?

However, Han Jian, the governor of Anqing Road, really lived up to his name and was worthy of being called a "traitor". He was truly loyal to the Yuan Dynasty court. When the Mongols were preparing to flee, this guy was still actively preparing to defend against the enemy.

Shao Yongjian had no choice. He was just a small centurion, and there were more than a dozen centurions like him in the Wanhu Mansion of Anqing Road. How could he take care of the affairs above?

At the moment, he could only comfort her, "Brother Ge, be careful with your words. This matter must not be spread outside, so as not to shake the morale of the army. Besides, we have also met General Han. With him in Huaining, he will definitely not abandon us. You just rest assured."

"Well, please help me out."

"Easy to say."

After a group of people got down from the city wall, Shao Yongjian checked his troops, thought about it, and called his son Shao Wenzhi to his side.

"Dad? You called me?"

"Well, I have a bad feeling about this battle. If...if I die in this battle, you don't have to avenge me. It would be great if you can escape to Anqing, but if you really can't escape, you should surrender, so that you can leave a legacy for my family."

Shao Wenzhi was stunned, "Dad, how can you say that?!"

(End of this chapter)