Sweep Yuan

Chapter 10 Clash at the City Gate

The next day at Chenshi (7-9 AM), at the south gate of Xuzhou.

Shi Shan finally counted his men—including the ten Rui Battalion soldiers brought by Wen Sijiu, there were a total of twenty-five (not counting Shi Shan and Li Wu). He could see them at a glance and there was no need to count them again.

Li Wu held a knife in his right hand, a bundle slung diagonally over a short spear on his left shoulder, a wooden shield on his back, and a cloth bag containing copper coins and dry rations on the ground. He stood behind Shi Shan with a serious expression, silently calculating the time it would take for the morning bell to ring.

"Third Brother, it's almost time for Chen Shi (around 7:45 AM)."

Shishan glanced at his disorganized subordinates and nodded, saying:
"Alright, let's distribute the money and food!"

After gaining a preliminary understanding of the habits of the army in this era, Shishan yesterday exchanged some of the money that Sesame Li had given him for copper coins and wheat cakes.

Everyone who showed up today received fifty coins and two pancakes.

To be honest, even in a chaotic world where survival is uncertain, these people have not had enough to eat for many days. But it is impossible to motivate them to fight to the death with such meager funds and provisions.

However, since the debt of gratitude had not yet been settled, Shishan could only lure these people out of the city by offering them "mobilization pay".

The Rui Battalion soldiers who came with Wen Sijiu were alright, but the Jianzu Battalion soldiers were like reincarnated starving ghosts. As soon as they got the cakes, they ate them all in the blink of an eye, and then they couldn't take their eyes off the remaining cakes in the cloth bag.

There were still over a hundred pancakes in the bag, but Shishan wasn't one to be fooled. He'd already received his "departure pay," so he wouldn't issue more rations before even setting off. Facing the expectant eyes of the soldiers in the elite battalion, Shishan smiled and asked:
"Want some more pancakes?"

"miss you!"

"Then let's go!"

Although Wen Sijiu had long guessed that this would be the outcome, he still couldn't help but remind Shishan when he saw that he was serious.

"Deputy Commander! This number of men is not enough for a battle. Perhaps we should wait a little longer?"

Shi Shan's face instantly hardened as he stared at Wen Sijiu and said:

"Commander Wen, tell me, if I keep dawdling and fail to break through Chulan and Fangcun stations, will General Zhao ask me to wait a little longer?"

Wen Sijiu had already given up hope for this operation, but Shishan was, after all, his official superior. He couldn't openly break ties with him in front of everyone, so he was still trying to keep him in check before making any further plans.

"Will do."

Mimicking Wen Sijiu's tone, Shishan drawled out, "..."

"Yes, it will, right?"

Wen Sijiu's face immediately turned bright red, and his chest heaved violently, clearly on the verge of exploding.

Shi Shan had no interest in wasting time arguing, so he turned around, leaving Wen Sijiu behind, and looked at his soldiers with their various expressions.

"Do you think that if the government troops attack the city now, they might not attack because we haven't all arrived yet?"

Regardless of what these people are really thinking, they're already here, so they'll naturally know how to answer (or fool) their superiors.

"will not."

"Very good! You trust me, and I will never betray your trust. A military order is a military order. If I say we'll leave at 7:45 AM, then we'll leave at 7:45 AM. We've been paid and given our food. You must obey my orders and set off!"

Whether these soldiers truly "trust" Shi Shan, or are there to get some money and provisions, or are ordered to monitor Shi Shan and Li Wu, only they themselves know.

Apart from the ten soldiers brought by Wen Sijiu who were equipped with swords and spears, only one of the rest of the many men carried a waist knife; the rest were armed with bamboo sticks, wooden clubs, and the like—it was a sorry sight. With this rabble lacking in equipment, morale, and numbers, let alone marching dozens of miles to launch a strong attack on the Tartars, they could easily be wiped out as bandits by any village with even a little strength along the way.

As the military supervisor, Wen Sijiu was duty-bound to prevent Shishan from acting so recklessly. He immediately put on a cold face and shouted:

"Deputy Commander Shi, war is no child's play—"

Shi Shan suddenly turned his head and stared intently into Wen Sijiu's eyes. The latter was intimidated by his gaze, opened his mouth, but ultimately reason prevailed over impulse, and he did not say anything harsh to provoke the former.

Unexpectedly, seeing that Si Jiu had shrunk back, Shi Shan stepped forward and pressed him:
"Are you the deputy commander of a thousand men, or is Grandpa the one?!"

Clang——

Wen Sijiu was furious, and the veins on his forehead throbbed. He immediately drew his knife and pretended to chop down the rocky mountain.

Unexpectedly, Shi Shan and Li Wu moved even faster, almost simultaneously gripping their swords and flanking Wen Sijiu from both sides.

The sudden change left the soldiers still standing in their ranks dumbfounded. Even those closest to the rocky hill were several steps away and had no time to react.

Wen Sijiu was sweating profusely, and he had no doubt that if he dared to make a move, Shi and Li would not hold back either.

His mission was to monitor Shishan. He couldn't kill Shishan before the latter showed any signs of rebellion. What was even more dangerous was that if he made a move now, he didn't know if Shishan would die, but he would definitely die before Shishan.

Wen Sijiu cursed himself for being careless; his attempt to establish authority had backfired, leaving him humiliated instead. He angrily sheathed his sword and answered with difficulty:
"Who are you!"

"If you're scared, just wait here until everyone has gathered, then come out of the city to chase after us."

After saying this, Shi Shan left Wen Sijiu behind and left the city without looking back.

Yesterday, Tian Qi searched several neighborhoods and finally managed to gather a few hundred "elite soldiers." Shi Shan only said a few nonsensical words and did not register names or addresses before disbanding the troops.

These people thought that the foolish Deputy Commander Shi was just talking nonsense; if he didn't arrive on time, he wouldn't come even if they waited for several more hours.

Wen Sijiu didn't know what Shi Shan was up to, but he knew the task Zhao Junyong had given him. After hesitating for a moment, he coldly shouted at Zhou Shier, the leader of the signboard he had brought, "What are you standing there for? Follow him closely," and then they left the city together.

In that short time, Wen Sijiu also realized what was happening.

When it comes to the deepest scheming among the high-ranking officers of the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou, Zhao Junyong is second to none. Shishan, whom General Zhao specifically emphasized "keeping a close eye on," is certainly not a fool who would willingly throw his life away.

Sure enough, once the group left the city, Wen Sijiu immediately recognized the extraordinary nature of Shishan.

Don't be fooled by his tendency to use "military orders" to intimidate people and his apparent lack of social skills.

Once outside the city, Shi Shan not only didn't point out that the soldiers were afraid of the enemy and their legs were weak, allowing them to rest a little when they were "tired," but also chatted with them casually without any airs.

Before they had gone five miles, the group was drawn in by Deputy Commander Shi's remarkable knowledge, witty conversation, and approachable, straightforward manner, and their initial tension and fear dissipated considerably.

Shishan not only quickly memorized everyone's names, but also divided his men into three squads and nine groups based on each person's characteristics.

Don't underestimate this point. The army is more effective in combat than the militia. The difference is not in weapons and equipment, but in organization. An organized group can easily crush an unorganized group with the same equipment.

Wen Sijiu had to admit that Shishan was indeed exceptional, no wonder he was so highly regarded by the marshals and generals.

(End of this chapter)