Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 219 Strong walls and clear fields
On March 25, the 12th year of Zhizheng, the Yuan court finally began its suppression campaign in the Jianghuai region, which had been prepared for half a year.

However, the Yuan court's attitude towards the Red Turban Army at this time was still lagging behind the actual development of the Red Turban Army.

To put it bluntly, the Yuan court was slow to respond and out of touch with the actual situation.

At this time, in the eyes of the Yuan court central government, the targets they needed to deal with were still Liu Futong and Du Zundao's troops, who had the highest priority. After all, it was this group of people who took the lead in raising the Red Turban Army that swept across the Central Plains. The first bird to stick its head out would be shot at, so they naturally had to be dealt with first.

The next is the Xuzhou Zhima Li tribe, which cut off the canal shipping. Only these two tribes are the real threat.

As for the others, Xu Shouhui from Huguang and Lu Jin from Luzhou, perhaps in the eyes of local forces, Lu Jin and Xu Shouhui were both tigers and wolves, overlords of one side, but in the eyes of the Yuan court, they were just minor troubles. Therefore, this time the troops were mainly sent out to deal with Liu Futong, and even Zhima Li was included in the group, and Lu Jin's Haozhou was even more of a incidental matter.

The main general leading the troops this time was Dong Tuanxiao, who had fought terribly in naval battles and had been reduced to a lone commander many times by Fang Guozhen. After learning from his mistakes, he decided not to fight a naval battle again, so he was transferred to Shandong by the Yuan court.

As the governor of Jining Road, he led tens of thousands of troops southward from the territory of Huaidong Dao Xuanwei Office, which is the coastal area of ​​Jiangsu in later generations, and then marched westward, preparing to fight all the way to Anfeng Road through the gap between the forces of Lu Jin and Xuzhou Zhima Li, in order to steal Liu Futong's ass.

Prepare to cooperate with the court's northern central army, advance from the north and south, and attack Liu Futong's troops from both sides.

The gap he chose was naturally the northernmost end of Lujin's territory, the southernmost end of Xuzhou's territory, and the area of ​​Haozhou, Wuhe, Sizhou, and Xuyi.

In this area, in addition to the two regiments led by Zhu Liangzu, there is also a strange Sun Deya in the northeast, there are troops from Xuzhou in the Hong County area to the north, and there are many important figures that Lu Jin is thinking about in Xuyi in the east.

There are Zhu Yuanzhang's brother-in-law and nephew, especially Li Wenzhong.

There was Deng Yu, who led 16 soldiers to build a stronghold for self-defense at the age of 13. Of course, Deng Yu was probably only years old at that time, and his later troops were still in the hands of his father and brother.
There is also Hu Dahai, who is not very educated but has a keen eye for talent, respects scholars, does not kill innocent people, does not rob the people, and is a talented leader who can stand on his own.

I wonder how many of these people will suffer this time.

Outside the city of Haozhou, in the villages and towns north of the Huai River, Chelibuhua's cavalry was passing through here, but the situation here really made him feel a little unexpected. After passing through several villages in succession, let alone seeing people, there was not even the sound of chickens, dogs or livestock. Everywhere was in ruins. The windows of some village houses were already covered with thick dust and cobwebs. It seemed that the people here had already moved out.

Just then, one of his scouts suddenly ran back and said.

"General, we checked several nearby villages and towns. There is no one anywhere, no livestock or food. The streets are covered with weeds, and there are no signs of a major battle in the village. It seems that the people here have left for several months."

Upon hearing this, Chelibuhua frowned secretly, cursed softly, and asked, "Where is Haozhou City?"

"General, there is no one on the north bank of the Huai River in Haozhou. The ferry crossing is completely destroyed and there is no ferry boat. However, we can see the Red Turban bandits roaming on the south bank, and there are also people farming on the south bank. I think the Red Turban bandits in Haozhou have moved all the people on the north bank of the Huai River to the south bank."

"The bandits are well prepared. They are clearing the fields and fortifying our city, not giving us a chance to collect food locally. How many days can our army sustain its food and grass?"

Chelibuhua suddenly felt that he was in trouble. He had come here from Huaidong Road before, and local governments had provided him with food and fodder along the way. Now that he had really arrived in the enemy-occupied area, he did not expect to encounter this situation as soon as he arrived.

Moreover, the enemy had already started to fortify their defenses and clear the countryside, which undoubtedly showed that they had already made preparations. Such a battle would naturally be the most difficult to fight. I'm afraid that this group of bandits in Haozhou would be really difficult to deal with.

"General, the army has only seven days' worth of food and fodder left. If we don't continue to advance, we have to find a place to eat."

Chelibuhua frowned and thought for a moment, he came here to fight, but he didn't really want to fight the Red Turban Army to the death. He didn't have the courage to suppress bandits, but he had the courage to rob the people under the name of suppressing bandits. Not only that, but he had a lot of courage.

But in the current situation, Lu Jin had cleared the countryside in advance, which completely disrupted his plan. If he went straight to attack the city, the enemy would have been well prepared and would certainly stay in the city. Who would be ready to come out and fight him in the field? Besides, even if he fought in the field, he might not be able to win with only 3,000 cavalry.

Robbing the people and killing innocent people to claim credit? But there was no one here, no food, no livestock, and no one. Even if he wanted to chop off some people's heads to get the job done, he couldn't do it.

Should we withdraw our troops now and go to the rear to get food? This won't work either.

Chelibuhua is Dong Tuanxiao's vanguard, and Dong Tuanxiao is Tuotuo's vanguard. They cannot retreat at this time. If they retreat, they will definitely be reported for being afraid of the enemy and not moving forward.

But what if they just leave Haozhou alone and skip over it and continue to march to Huaiyuan and Anfeng? That won't work either.

If they advance in this way, Haozhou will be on the Yuan army's logistical supply route. If they leave Haozhou alone, who knows when the Shengwu Army of Haozhou will suddenly jump out and rob their supply route.

So Chelibuhua was trapped here, unable to advance or retreat, and without food and supplies. It was impossible for him to confront Haozhou City for a long time. The only way now was to quickly capture Haozhou or simply withdraw his troops.

It was impossible to withdraw troops, as the Red Turban Army in Luzhou was clearly forcing him to fight a quick victory.

After analyzing the current situation, Chelibuhua's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. He waved his hand at his subordinates and shouted, "Go to the banks of the Huai River and look for an opportunity to cross the river and march to Haozhou."

"General, are we going to attack Haozhou directly?" Aduqin, a cavalry captain under Chelibuhua, asked tentatively.

Chelibuhua frowned, "Do you know how many enemy troops are there in Haozhou City?"

Aduqin shook his head, "I don't know."

"That's it. You don't know, and neither do I. We don't even know how many enemy soldiers there are. How can we attack the city? Besides, we are short of food and grass right now. The most urgent thing is to cross the Huai River, go to the south bank to collect food, and then capture some southern barbarians to find out the enemy's strength in the city. Then we can decide whether to attack the city. Anyway, we can't stay here."

Aduqin immediately saluted and said, "General, you are wise. I will send people to find boats and ferries. If that doesn't work, we can cross the river from other places. It is impossible for the Haozhou bandits to control all the ferries on the Huai River."

"Well, that's right. Go ahead." Chelibuhua nodded in approval and immediately sent out his cavalry to search for a place to cross the river.

As a result, the historical trajectory of Haozhou was completely changed. In March 1352, the five generals of Haozhou, including Guo Zixing and Sun Deya, occupied Haozhou. Moreover, they started the uprising late, and it was only a month after they conquered Haozhou. They had no time to make more preparations, and Chelibuhua's army was at the gates of the city. Guo Zixing and others could only stay in the city and fight a defensive battle with their backs to the city. Chelibuhua was a coward and did not dare to confront Guo Zixing head-on. He only knew how to rob the people and kill innocent people to gain credit.

They killed and looted outside the city for a month, and finally forced Zhu Yuanzhang, who was a monk in Huangjue Temple at the time, to enter the city and join the army. He was almost killed by the Red Turban Army in the city, who mistook him for a spy of the Yuan army.

But the situation is different now, because Lu Jin started his rebellion earlier than the five generals of Haozhou in history, and gained power early, and even captured Haozhou several months in advance. This gave him the opportunity to prepare for war in advance. He had long ago moved all the people on the north bank of the Huai River in Haozhou to Dingyuan, Fengyang and other places in the rear, leaving only a piece of white land for the Yuan army to defend.

There was not a single grain of food, a single livestock, or a single person, and there was a large army stationed in Haozhou City, eyeing the grain route of the Yuan troops advancing westward. Chelibuhua was forced into a situation where he could neither fight nor flee. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and look for an opportunity to fight a decisive battle with Haozhou, which fell exactly into Lu Jin's calculations.

The most difficult thing about cavalry is actually their mobility. Once Chelibuhua is determined to escape, Lu Jin really can't do anything to him. But if he is willing to stay, then he has plenty of ways to deal with him. Lu Jin has been coveting his thousands of war horses for a long time.
On the other side, Zheng Yong reported the enemy situation to Zhu Liangzu. The two discussed a plan and decided to entrust the task of dealing with Chelibuhua to the Second Cavalry Regiment.

Zhu Liangzu's five regiments were all infantry and were also responsible for defending the city. Moreover, one of the main combat battalions of his regiment was transferred away, and a new captain named Lu Xianzong was newly recruited. He also needed to be trained for a period of time before he could go out to fight. Therefore, Zheng Yong had to command the army alone to deal with Chelibuhua this time.

The four cavalry battalions of Zheng Yong's Second Cavalry Regiment are currently all scattered in the area north of the Huai River in Haozhou. Those villages that were abandoned after the scorched earth policy have become their supply points for guerrilla warfare and secret camps with food and fodder hidden in them. There are also wells and salt in the villages. Only they themselves know where they are hidden, so this area has become their best guerrilla battlefield.

When Chelibuhua just entered this area, their every move was seen by Zheng Yong. At this time, Chelibuhua felt that the situation was difficult to deal with and he could not report to his superiors, but he did not know that danger was lurking beside him at all times.

After Zheng Yong came out of Haozhou City, he took a boat to cross the Huai River from the lower reaches of Zhongli. He then had people pull out the wooden plug on the bottom of the boat, allowing the boat to take in water directly and sink into the reeds on the shore. Only then did he change to a horse and find his main force.

Several generals of the Second Cavalry Regiment had gathered in a village called Damiao Township. When Zhang Huzi, Qi Xiang and Zhou Dexing saw Zheng Yong coming, they immediately surrounded him.

"command."

Zheng Yong looked at the three of them and nodded, "Well, I have already reported the enemy situation to General Manager Zhu. The enemy is not numerous this time, only 3,000 cavalry, and the enemy is in the open while we are in the dark. We also have more troops than the enemy. We can win this battle by ourselves, and all the credit will naturally be ours.

"I won't waste any more time talking nonsense. According to the original plan, we deployed the troops in battalions to lure the enemy, divide them, and encircle and annihilate them. Where are the enemy troops now?"

Zhou Dexing said immediately, "My Fourth Battalion's troops are following us now. The enemy searched Linhuai Town before and then headed for the Huai River. We just discussed it and found that the enemy might be looking for a place to cross the river."

Zheng Yong closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then said, "We are building a strong defense and clearing the fields to prevent the enemy from finding food there, and to free up space for us to fight. Now that we are ready, there is no reason to let the enemy cross the river and harm the people under our rule. Generals, listen to my orders."

Zhang Huzi and the other two immediately stood up straight and perked up, and Zheng Yong then gave the order.

"Today's afternoon operation will be led by Zhou Dexing, who will lead a hundred cavalrymen to lure out the enemy. We will try to draw out several hundred enemy troops. After the enemy is lured out, we will lead them to Xiquan Township. Huzi, you will lead a battalion to prepare there. Then the two battalions will work together to defeat this group of enemy troops.

"If the enemy's troops exceed a thousand, Qi Xiang can lead the extra troops to lure them out and induce the enemy to split up. You can lead them in circles and try to avoid casualties. Just make sure they don't go to Xiquan Township.

“If the entire enemy army turns around and pursues us, I will personally lead a battalion to block them and lure them to another place. You must seize the time and annihilate the lured enemy troops as soon as possible.

"Pay attention. In this battle, we must try to capture as many horses as possible. We must also take the opportunity to train our troops. Our entire army only has two cavalry units. They have the best food, clothing, and other necessities. Even the armor we lack is first allocated to us by the infantry. The Marshal is counting on our cavalry to win more battles.

"Be smart, everyone. Since I, Zheng Yong, followed the Marshal, I have made many military achievements and have never lost a battle. Don't embarrass me!"

"Yes!" The three of them immediately clasped their fists and accepted the order, then mounted their horses and headed for their own troops.

Chelibuhua's cavalry arrived at the north bank of the Huai River at noon that day, and sent out scouts to search everywhere, but they did not find a ferry in the Haozhou area. The wooden trestles at the original ferry crossings had long been dismantled during the campaign to clear the countryside.

On the other side of the Huai River, there were also scouts with red scarves on their arms from Haozhou who were confronting them across the river. Although there were not many of them, with only one or two within a few miles, this also told them that their movements were always under surveillance by the bandits on the other side. This group of people had already made preparations.

At this moment, a scout from behind suddenly ran over in panic.

"Report, General, there are enemy cavalry activities behind our army, about a hundred of them, they just attacked our army's baggage, burned seven carts, and shot and injured more than a dozen cavalry."

"There are enemy troops behind us?!" Chelibuhua's eyes widened immediately. He was immediately puzzled, "Is it the Red Turban bandits from Luzhou or Xuzhou? Why would they suddenly attack our rear troops at this time?"

The scout quickly replied, "General, the bandits who attacked us are dressed like Luzhou bandits, with red scarves wrapped around their arms but no red cloth on their heads."

Aduqin, who was standing by, guessed immediately after hearing this, "That must be the Red Turban bandits from Haozhou. They want to send a detachment to disrupt us from behind and prevent us from attacking the city. But these 100 or so riders are really abominable. If we don't eliminate them, I'm afraid these bandits will always covet our food and fodder. We don't have much food to begin with. If they succeed, I'm afraid we'll have no choice but to retreat."

Chelibuhua nodded when he heard this. Just as he was about to say something, another cavalry commander, Zhula, asked the scout, "Are the enemy soldiers wearing armor? Are they using bows and arrows or swords and guns?"

The scout replied hurriedly, "We have swords, spears, bows and arrows. There are about twenty people wearing armor, mostly leather armor, and only the leader has iron armor."

Several people were greatly relieved after hearing this. Zhu La immediately asked, "General, I am willing to lead my troops to pursue them and will definitely wipe out this group of bandits."

Chelibuhua thought about it and immediately agreed, "Okay, then you should fight quickly and decisively. We don't have much food and grass, so we can't drag it out here."

"Yes."

Just as Zhula was about to leave, Aduqin next to him reminded him, "The enemy may have more than a hundred cavalrymen. There must be other cavalrymen. Be careful and don't fall into an ambush."

"Hahahaha, Aduqin, you are too timid. Don't worry, those southern barbarian riders are no match for our Mongolian warriors. Wait until I cut off their heads, and then don't try to steal the credit from me."

After Zhu La finished speaking, he turned his horse and led nearly a thousand cavalrymen to search the rear, leaving Aduqin alone, frowning and shaking his head at his back.

(End of this chapter)