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Chapter 319 Battle of Xuzhou

Hu Weiyong crossed the Huai River and arrived in Yingzhou in just half a day. However, the scenery along the north bank of the Huai River was so indescribable. At this time, Hu Weiyong realized that Han Shantong and Liu Futong were not experts in internal affairs, and perhaps they simply did not care about these tedious internal affairs.

At this moment, Hu Weiyong felt that meeting the Red Flag Army was the greatest honor of his life. He could feel that only in the Red Flag Army could he realize his life pursuits. After all, what man doesn't want to sleep on the lap of a beautiful woman and hold power in his hands when he wakes up?

In Yingzhou, Hu Weiyong met with the Red Turban Army's Prime Minister Liu Futong. At this time, Han Shantong, who had proclaimed himself the Ming King, was in charge of Bozhou. "Special Envoy Hu, welcome! Welcome!"

"Prime Minister Liu, I've heard so much about you! I've heard so much about you!"

After some awkward greetings, Liu Futong led Hu Weiyong to the official residence and began negotiations. "Special Envoy Hu, I wonder if your Red Flag Army sent you here to discuss joining our Red Turban Army?"

"No! No! It's not!

Although our Red Flag Army and your Red Turban Army belong to different factions, we are all Han Chinese and have the same goal of expelling the Tartars.

Therefore, we should seek common ground while reserving differences, and continue to resist the Mongols." Hu Weiyong quickly smiled and shook his head.

“Haha, a snake cannot move without a head, and a bird cannot fly without wings.

We should still establish orthodoxy, after all, this is the real big deal." At this time, a middle-aged man next to Liu Futong suddenly said disapprovingly.

Hu Weiyong looked at the middle-aged man who was speaking in surprise, then asked Liu Futong in confusion, "Prime Minister Liu, who is this?"

"Haha, this is Mr. Gu, the military advisor of our Red Turban Army."

"Oh? So you're the Red Turban Army's brain trust!
It seems that we can’t discuss things today?”

"Haha, Hu Te made you too anxious!

You've been so tired from the journey, you should rest for a few days first."

Liu Futong and others were not in a hurry because they also received intelligence that Tuotuo's army was heading straight for the Red Flag Army on Jiqing Road. So Liu Futong and others believed that now was the time for the Red Flag Army to ask for something from them, the Red Turban Army, and they were going to take advantage of this negotiation to ask for some benefits from the Red Flag Army.

When Hu Weiyong saw the expressions on the Red Turban Army's faces, he knew that this trip was meaningless, and then he went straight back to the residence arranged for him by the Red Turban Army.

Looking at Hu Weiyong who left angrily, Liu Futong suddenly showed a tangled face, "Mr. Gu, is it not good for us to do this?"

"Prime Minister, the Red Flag Army occupies the prosperous Jiqing Road. The wealth and food they possess are far beyond the reach of our Red Turban Army.

We must bite off a piece of meat this time, otherwise we will miss it forever." In response to Liu Futong's concerns, military advisor Mr. Gu shook his head indifferently.

“Yeah! All right!
It would be better to settle the matter as soon as possible, and then unite to resist the Mongols."

"Prime Minister, I understand!"

When Hu Weiyong returned to his residence, he felt more and more angry. He had heard too much flattery and compliments on his way north, but he did not expect to run into a wall in this small Yingzhou.

Hu Weiyong immediately wrote a report to Jiqing Road and handed it to the "personal attendant" beside him. This personal attendant was arranged for him by Chen Boda, the director of the Jinyiwei, and he told Hu Weiyong that he could leave any matter to the "personal attendant".

The "personal attendant" got the report written by Hu Weiyong and immediately handed it to the person in charge of the Jinyiwei Yingzhou stronghold. In fact, Suning had already predicted various reactions of the Henan Red Turban Army and prepared new orders for Hu Weiyong in advance.

Just when Hu Weiyong was about to go to bed, his "personal attendant" appeared before him again and claimed to have brought orders from his boss.

"What? How could it be so fast?"

Hu Weiyong looked at his "close follower" in disbelief. You know, Yingzhou is nearly six or seven hundred miles away from Jiqing, and it is absolutely impossible for them to communicate in just half an hour.

"Haha, Lord Hu, we Jinyiwei naturally have our own methods."

Hu Weiyong took the order doubtfully, then opened it and read it. He saw that the content was asking him to continue staying in Yingzhou and not to have any contact with the Red Turban Army. This made Hu Weiyong even more confused.

"Are you sure this is the boss's order?" At this time, Hu Weiyong realized that his boss Suning had already predicted this step.

"Yes! We Jinyiwei only serve our boss."

The next morning, when Liu Futong and Mr. Gu arrived at the post station, they were told that Hu Weiyong was ill and negotiations could not be carried out, so they had to postpone them for a while.

"Mr. Gu, what's this Hu Weiyong up to?"

"Humph! I think Hu Weiyong is just being mysterious.

"Prime Minister, the latest news indicates that Tuotuo's million-strong army is about to march on Xuzhou. How long can Zhima Li and Zhao Jun resist with those bandits?"

"Well! Mr. Gu, what should we do next?"

"Step up your defenses to prevent the Mongol invasion, and we, the Red Turban Army, will just sit back and watch."

"What if the Red Flag Army in Jiqing can't hold on?"

"Haha, I can't stand it for sure.

Then they will have to accept reality and submit to us, the Red Turban Army."

Although Liu Futong thought this was inappropriate, he still felt helpless at this moment. After all, the Mongol army was too powerful, and their Red Turban Army could only temporarily avoid the attack.

Everyone in Yingzhou is scheming their own way. Chang Yuchun and military supervisor Xie Jinzhong in Haozhou City have received the latest military order from Suning, asking them to take the Second Division and 20,000 auxiliary troops to march towards Luzhou, Anqing, Chizhou and other places, and try to enter Jiangxi.

Chang Yuchun was undoubtedly the happiest one. He asked Xie Jinzhong to arrange the remaining troops, and more than 30,000 Red Flag Army soldiers set out and marched quickly towards Shou County and Luzhou.

The Red Flag Army's grand move could not be hidden from Guo Zixing and other people in Haozhou City who were interested. "Father, where are the Red Flag Army going?"

"do not know!

It must be the Mongol army that has arrived, so we should go and fight them!"

"Very good!

Doesn't that mean our Guo family's opportunity has arrived?" Guo Tianxu clapped his hands and jumped up happily.

"Humph! Our troops have all been drafted by the Red Flag Army. How can we still have the strength to fight?"

"Father, isn't there another Sun Deya outside Haozhou City?
We can contact him to launch a pincer attack from both inside and outside. The Red Flag Army, with only two or three remaining members, will be easily defeated."

"This..." Guo Zixing was also a little moved, but then he thought of Ma Xiuying, "No! What about your sister Ma Xiuying?"

"Who cares! She's not my biological sister anyway!"

Guo Zixing said that he couldn't bear to affect his adopted daughter Ma Xiuying, but in fact, he was really moved at this time, and then he sat there without saying anything. His son Guo Tianxu knew his father best, so he immediately ran out in surprise to contact Sun Deya who was hiding outside the city.

Tuotuo's army of one million had already arrived at Xuzhou. At this time, Suning had led 60,000 Red Flag Army to Suining County and Si County, waiting for the Mongolian Army to be weakened by Xuzhou's Zhima Li, and then his own Red Flag Army would take action.

Suning has never thought of joining forces with Zhima Li and others in Xuzhou, because this is tantamount to seeking the skin of a tiger. Zhima Li, Zhao Junyong and others are vicious bandits and it is impossible for them to talk about morality.

Looking at the majestic Xuzhou City in front of him, Tuotuo suddenly felt inspired to write poetry. When he was about to recite a couplet, he saw a soldier coming hurriedly to report.

"Report!"

"What's the matter?" Tuotuo seemed a little unhappy.

"Prime Minister, our spies have reported that a large number of Red Flag troops have appeared in Suining and Sixian counties south of Xuzhou."

"Red Flag Army? Haha, you came just in time!

It's just right that once we capture Xuzhou, we can then destroy the Red Flag Army." Tuotuo didn't take the sudden appearance of the Red Flag Army seriously, because he still believed that the Mongols were the best in the world.

In Suining County, south of Xuzhou, the Red Flag Army was conducting pre-war mobilization. "Mao Gui, Xu Da, I order you each to lead 40,000 Red Flag soldiers and ambush in the east and west directions of Xuzhou. I will lead 10,000 guard divisions to lure Tuotuo's army head-on. Once the battle starts here, you two will quickly capture Xuzhou and cut off the retreat of the Mongol army.

I intend to annihilate Toghto's so-called million-strong army south of Xuzhou."

"Ah? Boss, it's too dangerous for you to fight against the Mongol army with only 10,000 guard divisions." Xu Da looked at Suning with a worried look on his face.

"Haha, nothing!

I am confident of victory, because the artillery regiment is in our guard division."

"Huh? Boss, the artillery regiment is indeed the ace unit of our Red Flag Army.

But for ten thousand people to face a million-strong Mongol army directly is still too much.” Xu Da expressed his concerns, but soon he could not say anything.

"Haha, too what? Too overestimating your own abilities?"

"Xu Da, Mao Gui, you don't have to worry about me.

Because I have new artillery and weapons, I am absolutely capable of stopping the attack of the Mongol army.

Whether you can capture Xuzhou City as quickly as possible is the key to our victory."

Xu Da and Mao Gui looked at each other, then firmly assured Su Ning, "Boss, we promise to take Xuzhou City within a day."

"Yes! I will let the Jinyiwei in Xuzhou City cooperate with your actions. I believe your siege will be easy."

"Yes! Boss!"

Looking at the two generals leading the troops, Suning suddenly felt his blood boiling. In fact, at the beginning, Suning also had the idea of relying solely on cold weapons to resist Tuotuo's army.

Secretly, Suning had even prepared a battle plan for this, intending to gather Chang Yuchun, Zhu Yuanzhang, Mao Gui, Xu Da, and all other existing powerful generals to defeat the Mongol army with the Mongol's most proud tactics.

However, this would inevitably make the conquest of the south difficult, because with the butterfly effect brought about by his own time travel, the peasant uprising at the end of the Yuan Dynasty had been advanced by three years, and it was very likely that powerful men such as Chen Youliang and Wang Baobao had already grown up.

Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Suning arranged for Zhu Yuanzhang and Chang Yuchun to quickly capture the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions and the areas south of the Huai River, and to join forces with the two armies as soon as possible to attack Jiangxi, Hubei and other places, leaving no space and time for Xu Shouhui, Chen Youliang and others to grow.

In this case, Suning had to use the thermal weapons in the space. Only in this way could he destroy the Mongol army as quickly and fiercely as possible, and also achieve the goal of annihilating the Mongol army as completely as possible.

Suning took out five thousand AK47s and two hundred thousand rounds of bullets from the space, and mixed one hundred M224 portable mortars into the artillery units of the late Yuan Dynasty, preparing to give the Mongolian army of the late Yuan Dynasty a "foreign meal" and let them feel the frustration of the Eight Banners descendants in the late Qing Dynasty.

Faced with Tuotuo's million-strong army, Zhima Li, Zhao Junyong and others from Xuzhou also turned pale. In fact, they also wanted to abandon the city and flee directly, but they suddenly found that they had nowhere to retreat.

Both Liu Futong in Henan and the Red Flag Army behind them were keeping an eye on the battlefield in Xuzhou. If they did not fight the Mongol army, they might not have the face to continue. In fact, what was more important was that Zhima Li and others regarded Xuzhou City as their foundation, and of course they would try their best to protect it.

On the first day, the Mongol army's attack was extremely fierce. Catapults were used at the first moment and were arranged in a row in a very shocking manner, staring at Xuzhou City like hungry beasts.

"emission!"

Following the order from the Mongol general, hundreds of catapults were launched at the same time. Soon, all kinds of huge stones filled the entire sky, and then fell on the walls of Xuzhou like a storm.

The violent attack made the walls of Xuzhou tremble. The Red Turban Army, which was hit by huge rocks, did not even have the chance to wail. The Red Turban Army led by Zhima Li and others could not raise their heads for a while. They could only hide in the corner and shiver, hoping that the Mongolian catapults would suddenly break down.

Fortunately, the catapults stopped attacking for a short time, and then a variety of siege equipment of the Mongol Yuan army appeared in front of the Red Turban Army, such as ladders, Lu Gong carts, battering rams, etc. It can be seen that the Mongol Yuan army is determined to win this time.

"Brother, the Mongol Tartars' attack is too fierce.

The brothers have made great sacrifices!" Zhao Jun looked at Zhima Li helplessly.

"No matter how great the sacrifice, we must defend Xuzhou City, because Xuzhou is the foundation of our Red Turban Army."

"Brother, I know everything you said.

But we can’t help but think of a solution, right? "

"Junyong, do you have any ideas?" Zhima Li looked at Zhao Junyong with expectation.

"Brother, I wonder if we should go to the Red Flag Army in Suining County to ask for help?"

"no!
Who knows what the Red Flag Army is thinking!
I suspect they're just waiting for us and Tuotuo to suffer mutual losses, so that the Red Flag Army can reap the benefits!"

"This"

“Stop talking!
The Tartars are attacking the city! Let’s fight to the death!”

"Yes! Big brother!" Zhao Jun's voice was filled with endless bitterness, because he knew that it would be difficult for the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou City to stop the Mongol army outside.

At the beginning, Zhao Junyong wanted to go to Henan and Suining County for help, but Zhima Li's factionalism was too serious. He was worried that he would be swallowed up by Liu Futong in Henan and the Red Flag Army in Suining County, so he finally decided to fight alone.

The ladders used by the Mongol army soon appeared on the top of Xuzhou City. The Red Turban Army fought hard to resist, and soon the top of the city was stained red with blood.

The Red Turban Army desperately poured flaming oil on the Mongol siege equipment. Only a simple rocket was needed to set the ladders and other siege equipment on fire, and then the flames would burn the Mongol soldiers at the same time.

The smell of burnt flesh in the raging fire filled the entire battlefield. Some Mongol soldiers who could not bear the pain chose to jump from a high place, trying to relieve their pain by ending their lives.

The intense siege did not cause any ripples in Tuotuo's heart. "Chacihe, Zhima Li's Red Turban Army is more resilient than I thought."

"Prime Minister, they are a bunch of vicious bandits, and their initial resistance will surely be fierce.

But I don't think they can hold out for long, after all, we have a million strong army."

"No! No! No! You don't understand me.

I'm worried that if the Red Turban Army were all this vicious and cruel, it wouldn't be good news for our Yuan Dynasty!"

"Huh? Probably not!

As long as we can quickly eliminate these emerging ones, the other Han people will immediately become obedient again."

"Yeah! I hope so!"

The battle on the first day lasted until night. When it was dark and the city could no longer be attacked, the Mongol army slowly retreated. However, the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou City had suffered heavy casualties.

The surviving Red Turban Army had no sense of relief at all. They watched their comrades, who were just full of life, become cold corpses. They watched numbly, because tomorrow they would become one of them.

The reserve troops of the Red Turban Army quickly ran up to the city wall and dragged down the dead and wounded brothers. Those who were already dead were immediately taken away for burial, while those who were not dead could only stay together and wail, and no one cared for them or treated them.

The Red Turban Army leaders including Zhima Li and Zhao Junyong were sitting in a large and luxurious room, drinking and eating meat, as if venting their fear in this way.

"Come! Come! Come! Brothers! Drink!"

"Haha! Big brother, we finally won a big victory today!"

"Yes! Big win!
We have gained experience defending the city today, and tomorrow we will lead the people of Xuzhou to defend the city together."

"Ah? The people might not agree, right?"

"Haha, tomorrow we'll tell everyone that Tuotuo has decided to massacre the city. Let's see if these cowardly people are scared!"

"Ah? Brother, that's a good idea!"

"Haha, let's do it!" Sesame Li immediately became excited after being complimented by his brothers.

(End of this chapter)