Di Ming

Chapter 447 "Does Zhu Yin think I'm Song Jiang? If he makes me a king, I'll pledge allegiance to the court!"

Seeing She Chongming's disheveled appearance and the mere hundred or so cavalrymen behind him, An Bangyan's heart skipped a beat. He asked solemnly, "Brother-in-law, did you suffer a crushing defeat in Chengdu?"

Overwhelmed with grief, She Chongming was on the verge of tears. His defeat was far more than a crushing one; it was a complete annihilation of his army.

When he marched north, he had 45,000 elite troops, almost all of the Yongning She clan's wealth. But only 300 cavalrymen escaped Chengdu with him, and now he has only a little over 100 cavalrymen by his side.

But She Chongming was, after all, the "Tiger of the Southwest," and was always cunning. How could he not worry that once An Bangyan learned the truth, he might offer himself to Zhu Yin as a surrender gift?
What kind of brother-in-law is he? Without power, would this brother-in-law take him seriously? His brother-in-law was very respectful to him before because of the She family's power, not because he was loyal or righteous.

“Brother-in-law,” She Chongming sighed, “I thought you knew, but it turns out you didn’t.”

“Zhu Yin is despicable and shameless. He actually used firearms to ambush me. I was careless and suffered a defeat. More than 10,000 people died, and the remaining troops were scattered and could not be regrouped in time. I have sent people to gather the defeated troops and have them reunite in Pengshan. I estimate there are still more than 30,000 people.”

Upon hearing She Chongming admit to a major defeat and that most of his troops had been scattered, An Bangyan thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

She Chongming continued, "Although I lost more than 10,000 men, Zhu Yin was not doing well either! He also lost 10,000 to 20,000 men, leaving him with only 30,000, and his gunpowder was almost all exhausted. The Ming army only achieved a pyrrhic victory."

"Hmph, if their firearms hadn't been so powerful, exceeding my expectations, Zhu Yin wouldn't have been able to win even a Pyrrhic victory. He wouldn't have been able to ambush me at all, and I would definitely have defeated him."

"I see!" Upon hearing this, An Bangyan felt a sense of gravity, but also somewhat underestimated She Chongming. "It seems the Ming army is no pushover after all."

She Chongming's words contained one truth and nine lies, yet An Bangyan did not doubt them at all.

It wasn't that he trusted his brother-in-law that much, but rather that, like She Chongming, he looked down on the fighting strength of the Southern Ming army. He simply couldn't imagine that the Ming army could annihilate She Chongming's army so quickly.

He didn't believe Zhu Yin had the ability, so he subconsciously believed that She Chongming was defeated by the Ming army's sneak attack due to carelessness, and that although the Ming army won a Pyrrhic victory, they had exhausted their gunpowder.

In other words, if An Bangyan had any respect for the Ming army, he wouldn't have responded to She Chongming's rebellion. The fact that he dared to rebel shows that he inherently despised Zhu Yin.

She Chongming was far more cunning than An Bangyan. Of course, he did not think that he could deceive An Bangyan or prevent An Bangyan from surrendering to the Ming Dynasty by lying alone.

Because An Bangyan must have already sent scouts north to spy on the news that his army had been completely wiped out while the Ming army suffered very few losses, and the news would soon be reported to An Bangyan.

Therefore, he devised a trick in advance, sending more than a hundred cavalrymen to ambush and kill An Kunihiko's scouts on the only road south.

That's why he originally had three hundred cavalry guards, but now he only has a little over one hundred by his side.

An Bangyan's scouts were ambushed and killed by his cavalry on their return journey, and the truth could not be relayed back. This is why An Bangyan and Song Wanhua led more than 50,000 allied troops northward, which led to the start of the war between the two sides.

To solidify An Bangyan's resolve to oppose the Ming Dynasty, She Chongming gritted his teeth and said:

"Zhu Yin is a despicable villain! I actually fell for his trick! This man is two-faced, goes back on his word, and is more cunning than a fox!"

"Before the decisive battle, he wrote me a letter, urging me to be loyal to the court, saying that he would not hold my past actions against me, would even grant me a title, and would swear brotherhood with me. He promised a whole host of benefits, speaking in glowing terms. After reading his letter, I felt a little ashamed and realized that I had indeed let the court down."

"So I wrote back a letter, agreeing to submit to the court. As long as the court grants me the title of Marquis and allows me to govern the southern part of Sichuan for generations, I am willing to serve as the king's vanguard."

An Bangyan frowned and asked, "Did you agree to his request? Or is it just a fake surrender?"

She Chongming nodded, his expression forlorn. "I agree. But I haven't betrayed you. One of my conditions is that the court will not pursue the An and Song families, and we will all be ennobled. I will guard southern Sichuan, and the An and Song families will guard Guizhou together. As long as the court agrees, we are willing to be loyal subjects of the court."

"Originally, I thought Zhu Yin would try to bargain, but I didn't expect him to agree so readily. He said that our three families would be granted the title of Marquis and be allowed to govern our former territories for generations, and that all Han officials would be withdrawn. We would all cease hostilities together to avoid further bloodshed and killing."

“I know the Ming army has already reached Chengdu, and it will be very difficult to capture Chengdu now. It would be better to do what the Mu family of Yunnan did and treat this uprising as a way to negotiate with the court. So, after receiving Zhu Yin’s letter of promise, I prepared to withdraw my troops. While withdrawing, I sent a messenger south to inform you. Brother-in-law, didn’t you receive my letter?”

"Who would have thought that just as I lowered my guard, Zhu Yin suddenly ordered an attack on our army. It turns out that the previous letters of persuasion to surrender were all a treacherous scheme. This despicable villain took advantage of my kindness; even if he wins, it will be an unfair victory!!"

"What letter?!" An Bangyan's brow twitched. "I didn't receive it!"

"Not a single one received?" She Chongming looked surprised.

An Kunihiko was even more surprised, "You wrote me more than one letter?"

She Chongming was a little angry. "Of course it wasn't just one! The first one was to inform you. The second one was sent after Zhu Yin attacked you, reminding you not to fall for Zhu Yin's tricks. Two letters! I thought you knew everything. I thought it was strange that you asked me just now."

An Bangyan's face darkened. "I haven't received a single one. Did you receive the letter I sent you?"

She Chongming shook his head. "No. I've been wondering why I haven't received your letter for so long. So, it's not that you didn't write, it's that the letter simply wasn't delivered!"

He had, of course, received An Kunihiko's letter long ago. But now he said he hadn't received it, lying without batting an eye and without any psychological pressure.

“The Embroidered Uniform Guard!” An Bangyan sneered. “It must be the Embroidered Uniform Guard! Zhu Yin is indeed as cunning as a fox. He must have ambushed the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s henchmen on the route the messenger must take to ambush and kill our messengers and scouts!”

"No wonder we haven't received any letters from the other side, and the scouts that Song Wanhua and I sent to Chengdu haven't returned yet. It turns out they were all ambushed and killed on the way."

"Zhu Yin is indeed a despicable and shameless man, always sneaking around. It's absurd that the Han people would worship him."

An Bangyan never expected that the person who ambushed and killed his scout was not Zhu Yin, but his brother-in-law. The purpose was to prevent him from surrendering and to make him fight the Ming army to the death.

She Chongming said with a look of relief, "Fortunately, we met in time, and it's not too late. I'll tell you the details in person. Brother-in-law, this time when you go north, you and Song Wanhua must not fall for Zhu Yin's tricks again, and do not repeat my mistakes."

"Whether Zhu Yin sends a letter or tries to persuade us to surrender, no matter how nice his words are or what conditions he offers, it's all a trap. He has no sincerity whatsoever. He's using all sorts of tricks and schemes to wipe us out at the lowest possible cost! Zhu Yin has never intended to appease us; he wants to exterminate us all! The Han people can never be trusted!"

"Song Jiang accepts the imperial pardon!" An Bangyan sneered. "Do you think we Cuan people haven't read 'Water Margin'? Even if we haven't read the book, we've seen the play! Hmph, what good will come of Song Jiang accepting the pardon? The imperial court can't be trusted, and Zhu Yin is Gao Qiu, even less trustworthy! We will never become like Song Jiang!"

"Well said!" She Chongming cracked his whip. "This is the true hero of the Cuan family! My sister did not marry the wrong person; she married a hero!"

"Right now, my army has been defeated, and my soldiers have not yet been regrouped. The great cause of our Cuan family's rebellion against the Ming Dynasty rests on your shoulders, brother-in-law. As long as you can defeat Zhu Yin, I, Yongning, will listen to you!"

An Bangyan patted his chest and bowed, saying, "You will always be my elder brother, so please don't say that. We are brothers, so let's fight side by side. Shuixi and Yongning are family, so why should we distinguish between each other?"

She Chongming gave a thumbs up, "Good brother-in-law! Good brother-in-law! My sister is a lucky man!"

An Bangyan asked, "How many troops does Zhu Yin still have?"

She Chongming solemnly calculated with his fingers and said with certainty:
"Zhu Yin's victory was ultimately a Pyrrhic one, and he didn't have many troops to begin with. After I depleted his forces, I estimate he only has about 30,000 men left capable of fighting. Moreover, he only managed to defeat me through trickery, raids, and firearms, so his actual fighting strength is not as good as ours. The Ming army's firearms are running out of gunpowder, and they won't be able to replenish it for at least ten days to half a month."

"So, the Ming army is currently at its weakest?" An Bangyan asked. "According to my brother-in-law, our army should accelerate its northward march and fight to the death?"

She Chongming nodded and said, "The Ming army has suffered many casualties and will need at least ten days to half a month to rest and recuperate before they can recover most of their fighting strength. Right now... their firearms are lacking gunpowder, and the soldiers are quite exhausted, so they are indeed at their weakest."

“The advantage is on our side!” An Bangyan felt even more reassured upon hearing this. “Zhu Yin only has 30,000 troops left to fight, and he is still short of gunpowder, the most important weapon. But the combined forces of the An and Song families have 53,000 armored soldiers!”

She Chongming solemnly said, "Brother-in-law, although the advantage is on our side, you can't be careless. After all, Zhu Yin will stop at nothing. He may not fight you openly. He will definitely try to persuade you to surrender, sow discord between you and Song Wanhua, bribe your generals, and disintegrate the allied forces. We must be on guard."

An Bangyan laughed and said, "Brother-in-law, don't worry. You've already been fooled once, how could I not be more careful? Do you think I'm so easily fooled?"

She Chongming said in a deep voice, "As long as we don't fall into his trap, no matter what tricks he uses, we should fight him directly from the start, and then he will be helpless."

“Brother-in-law, I’ve fought against Zhu Yin and I know the Ming army’s tactics very well. I’m telling you…”

At that moment, She Chongming meticulously and completely revealed the Ming army's tactics and troop composition. This time, apart from deliberately downplaying the Ming army's combat strength, what he said was fairly truthful and indeed valuable military intelligence.

An Bangyan was no useless man; on the contrary, he was ruthless. Although he was not yet thirty years old, he had already taken control of the An family.

After listening carefully to She Chongming's intelligence report, he pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, the best way to deal with the Ming army is to send the entire army at once. Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit, and they should get close and fight without regard to the cost. As long as they engage in close-quarters combat, they will surely be defeated."

She Chongming nodded, "Brother-in-law is right. It's a pity I was tricked before and didn't take this approach. The Ming army's firearms are powerful. We must not fight piecemeal battles, but instead send all our forces at once, not giving them a chance to fire their weapons at their leisure. Once they get close, the Ming army will be no match for the Cuan family's warriors."

“Brother-in-law, I’ve told you everything, and you know how to deal with it. Let’s part ways for now. You lead the army north, and I need to rush back to Yongning to recruit more soldiers.”

An Bangyan asked, "How many soldiers can you raise after you go back?"

She Chongming lied and said, "If all the able-bodied men are conscripted, we can still raise 20,000 men. With these 20,000 men, and by gathering the scattered defeated troops, we can easily raise another 40,000 men."

In fact, the Battle of Chengdu claimed 45,000 lives, leaving Yongning with very few able-bodied men; the rest were mostly the elderly, women, and children. Only two or three thousand soldiers remained to guard the main stronghold, the official residence. Adding the last remaining able-bodied men from the territory, they could only muster a mere five thousand soldiers. Where would they find twenty thousand?
As for rallying the defeated troops, that's utter nonsense. His army was either dead or surrendered in Chengdu; it was a complete annihilation, not a scattered defeat. So how could there be any defeated troops to rally?

However, An Bangyan had no doubts. After all, She Chongming was the Tiger of the Southwest, always very powerful. He never expected that She Chongming would lose all his resources in one battle, suffering such a complete defeat.

In his view, even a centipede with a hundred legs doesn't die easily, and it was the most normal outcome that She Chongming still had power. He never imagined that She Chongming was already at his wit's end.

"Good!" An Bangyan cracked his whip. "Brother-in-law, quickly return to Yongning to raise more troops, then lead them north to join forces. I'll go ahead first, taking advantage of Zhu Yin's weakness to attack the Ming army! However..."

At this point, An Bangyan revealed a sly smile, "Once my little brother has conquered Chengdu..."

She Chongming waved his hand, "You're being too polite! Once you conquer Chengdu, Chengdu will naturally be yours! No, once you conquer Chengdu, the whole of Sichuan will be yours!"

An Bangyan laughed and said, "Wouldn't that be unfair to my brother-in-law? After all, you were the one who started the attack on Chengdu first. You don't blame me for competing with you for it?"

She Chongming said with great ambition, "Brother-in-law, we should look to the world! The Han people's land is not limited to Sichuan. There is also Huguang nearby. A great man's ambition is to travel a thousand miles. Why only focus on Sichuan? I will not fight you for Sichuan. I want Huguang!"

Seeing his brother-in-law's generosity, An Bangyan became even more convinced that he still possessed considerable strength.

"Great!" An Bangyan said, "We're truly family, no need for formalities! Then I won't stand on ceremony once I've conquered Chengdu."

After bidding farewell to She Chongming, he hurriedly led his army north. He wanted to seize the opportunity before the Ming army could replenish its gunpowder and engage Zhu Yin in a decisive battle!

She Chongming, on the other hand, rode his horse along the hillside to allow the allied forces to pass.

After the 35,000-strong Xi'an clan army from Shuixi passed through, another 18,000-strong Song clan army from Shuidong followed. The two armies were several miles apart, one in front of the other.

She Chongming, who was at Lema Hill, also saw Song Wanhua.

Shuidong's strength was inferior to Shuixi's, and it only sent half the troops as Shuixi. Therefore, Song Wanhua was only the deputy commander of the allied forces, with An Bangyan as the main commander.

Song Wanhua, with his square face, turned to look at She Chongming on the hillside by the roadside, his gaze filled with surprise and a hint of indifference.

He didn't know why She Chongming had suddenly appeared there, but a bad feeling rose in his heart. So, he whipped his horse and rode forward to see An Bangyan, to ask him what She Chongming had said.

She Chongming watched Song Wanhua's retreating figure with an extremely bitter expression.

Originally, his strength was not only greater than that of Shuixi, but also greater than that of Shuidong. Among the three anti-Ming armies, he was undoubtedly the leader.

However, his strength is now far inferior to that of the Song family of Shuidong.

With only a few thousand soldiers left in Yongning, the She clan was no match for the Ming army's encirclement and suppression. If the An and Song clans could defeat the Ming army, the She clan would still have a chance to recover. But if they were also defeated by Zhu Yin, the She clan would be finished.

Zhu Yin will absolutely not let the She family off the hook; he will surely exterminate them.

What should I do if the allied forces are defeated?
She Chongming suddenly remembered that the Burmese army was attacking Yunnan, and it was said that they were advancing with unstoppable momentum, causing the Mu family and the Mu family to suffer repeated defeats. It seemed that the Burmese army would most likely annex Yunnan. If they surrendered to Burma, the She family would be saved.

This is definitely a way out!
Thinking of this, She Chongming felt much better.

"Someone!" She Chongming ordered a trusted aide, "Take my token and go back to Yongning first. Tell them to prepare to head south to Yunnan immediately. Prepare the able-bodied men, gold, silver, horses, and other supplies in advance, and await my orders."

Several trusted confidants received the tokens and immediately rode off south.

"Your Majesty," the cavalry commander said, "why don't you return to Yongning together? We can't stay here any longer."

She Chongming gazed northward toward Chengdu, his eyes filled with melancholy. "I am unwilling to accept this. I want to wait in Meizhou, to wait for the allied forces and the Ming army to fight a decisive battle. I want to see Zhu Yin's army defeated with my own eyes!"

"Let's not go back yet, let's wait for the battle report in Meizhou."

The cavalry commander said worriedly, "Can Lord An and Lord Song really defeat Zhu Yin? That's Zhu Yin, after all."

“Don’t underestimate them.” She Chongming sneered. “The Shuixi soldiers are not pushovers; they are tough nuts to crack. Our previous defeat was actually due to our lack of understanding of the Ming army and our ignorance of the enemy’s situation. But An Bangyan now knows the Ming army’s tactics of feints and real attacks and will not repeat our mistakes.”

"Moreover, the allied forces are numerous, numbering 53,000. Even if they are defeated, the Ming army will suffer heavy losses."

She Chongming immediately decided to rest in this place called Wawu Mountain and stay in a deserted temple at the foot of the mountain not far from the official road.

She Chongming had just settled into the deserted temple when the more than one hundred cavalry guards he had previously sent out returned.

"Your Majesty, the scouts sent out by Lord An and Lord Song were all intercepted and killed by us when they returned. There should be no more scouts."

She Chongming sat down imposingly in front of the altar of the Buddha statue and asked, "Is the matter clean?"

One of them said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, we've cleaned up the mess perfectly. Lord An and Lord Song have no way of knowing that it was us."

She Chongming instructed, "You will take turns going north to scout. As soon as the two armies make contact, report back immediately. I want to observe this battle!"

……

The next day, Zhu Yin's southward army finally encountered the northward-bound rebels south of Jianzhou, west of the Tuo River, east of Danjing Mountain, and north of Sancha Lake!
As soon as the two sides met and the scouts made contact, they immediately sounded the bugle simultaneously, and the vanguard troops set up their respective defenses.

On the nearby Danjing Mountain, scouts from both sides simultaneously ascended to survey the enemy's military strength from their elevated position.

The Ming army numbered over 40,000, the rebel army over 50,000, and there were tens of thousands of laborers and mules. The area within several miles was filled with soldiers and horses, covering the mountains and plains.

The riverboats on the Tuo River and the fishing boats on Sancha Lake, seeing such a large scene, quickly moved away from the battlefield.

On atop a Ming army siege tower, Zhu Yin held up a telescope made in Daishan and could clearly see the rebel army two or three miles away.

He was, of course, already well aware of the intelligence regarding the rebels. The two rebel armies combined numbered 53,000, including 5,000 cavalry and 200 war elephants. Their most formidable force consisted of 3,000 heavily armored infantry. Shuixi had always been relatively wealthy, and possessed a considerable number of armored soldiers. These 3,000 heavily armored infantrymen were composed of the most valiant and powerful "dead soldiers," who had sworn blood oaths with the God of War.

The rest of the rebels were also rattan armor soldiers, who were skilled in mountain and jungle warfare, using poisoned arrows, hook-and-sickle spears, and long spears.

Therefore, after learning of the rebels' movements, Zhu Yin deliberately controlled the marching speed based on intelligence, creating an opportunity to encounter the rebels south of Jianzhou.

This was practically making the rebels cooperate with him unconsciously, choosing battlefields that were advantageous to the Ming army.

He's a micro-management master.

Because the area south of Jianzhou is surrounded by no mountains or forests, only Danjing Mountain with sparse trees and a gentle slope, and large plains along the river and lake, it is very disadvantageous to the rebels who are good at mountain and jungle warfare.

Moreover, this place is surrounded by water on three sides, making it difficult for the rebels to escape after the rebels are defeated, which makes it easier to annihilate them completely.

Seeing that the sun was about to set, Zhu Yin did not intend to attack immediately, but instead ordered the camp to be set up.

Then, he wrote letters to An Bangyan and Song Wanhua urging them to surrender.

This was Zhu Yin's rule. In any civil war, he would always try to persuade the enemy to surrender first. He would rather win without fighting than engage in a bloody battle. After all, even if the victory was resounding, his own soldiers would suffer casualties.

He sincerely hoped that the rebels would surrender to the court, pledge allegiance to the Ming Dynasty, and then obey orders to resist the Toungoo army that had invaded Yunnan.

He was still magnanimous. As long as the rebels obediently surrendered and obeyed orders, and the rebel leader submitted a memorial to plead guilty and sent his son as a hostage, he would not hesitate to bestow titles and rewards upon them, and would never hold grudges.

He had little hope for An Bangyan, as An Bangyan was stubborn and unlikely to surrender. However, Zhu Yin's letter was still very sincere.

First comes the dignified way of the king. If the way of the king fails, then the thunderous wrath of the royal army is unleashed!
As long as you, An Bangyan, are loyal to the court, you will be granted the title of Marquis, which will be hereditary and you will be granted the title of Baron to one of your sons.

You, An Bangyan, can also take up a position in the imperial court. Your son can enter the Imperial Academy.

Zhu Yin's letter to Song Wanhua was even more sincere.

Because the Song family of Shuixi has always been loyal to the Ming Dynasty throughout history. The Song family made outstanding contributions to the establishment of Guizhou Province. For more than two hundred years, the Song family of Shuidong has been upholding the imperial court and mediating conflicts between the court and Shuixi and Bozhou.

Unlike the An and She clans, the Song clan were Han Chinese chieftains.

However, the Song dynasty, which had been loyal to the court for over two hundred years, actually responded to the She-An Rebellion in history, ultimately leading to its demise.

In his letter, Zhu Yin recounted the merits of the Song family ancestors to the court, indicating that the court had always remembered the Song family's loyalty. He hoped that Song Wanhua would pull back from the brink and not let the loyalty of the Song family's ancestors for the country be destroyed in an instant.

Only when Song Wanhua helped the royal army quell the rebellion was he enfeoffed as a marquis, and one of his sons was granted the title of baron.

He also stated that he was willing to become sworn brothers with Song Wanhua.

The letter also informed Song Wanhua that She Chongming's army had been completely annihilated, and She Chongming had barely escaped with his life. It advised him to be careful and not miss his last chance to defect.

Meanwhile, An Bangyan and Song Wanhua were also observing the Ming army. Lacking the rare "magical tool" of a telescope, they couldn't discern the true strength of the Ming forces. However, they could determine that the Ming army numbered far more than 30,000!
However, the Ming army's strength was certainly less than that of the allied forces.

An Bangyan was immediately relieved.

He planned to set up camp today and fight the Ming army tomorrow to test their strength and see if they were truly lacking in gunpowder.

He now had doubts about what She Chongming had said.

If the Ming army truly lacked gunpowder, why did they proactively march south to engage in battle? Shouldn't they have been holding Chengdu?

Just as the sun was setting, a letter from Zhu Yin arrived from his subordinates.

An Kunihiko opened it and burst into laughter:
"As expected! Zhu Yin only knows this trick! It's always about offering amnesty and pacification!"

"The same tricks you used on my brother-in-law, are you going to use them on me again?"

"A marquisate? My esteemed Shuixi, with its thousand-year history, what do I care about a marquisate? I don't even care about a duke! A kingship for someone of a different surname is something I might consider, but can Zhu Yin afford it?"

"Hahaha, Zhu Yin thinks I'm Song Jiang! He made me a king, so I'll be loyal to the court."

His cousin, General An Yishan, laughed and said, "Zhu Yin is only trying to persuade us to surrender because he is not confident. If he were confident, would he be writing such a cautious letter? Han nobles have always been arrogant and look down on us Cuan people. How could he be so polite? Politeness means something is amiss."

An Bangyan nodded. "Brother is right, that makes sense. Zhu Yin's scheme is a trap, we must not fall for it."

"Send the order! Tonight, slaughter two hundred fat pigs to feast the soldiers, and tomorrow we will utterly defeat the Ming army!"

(End of this chapter)