Sweep Yuan

Chapter 111 Discussion of the Allied Forces: No Idlers Allowed

Haozhou, the headquarters of the Red Turban Army's commander-in-chief.

Shi Shan personally inspected some sections of the city's defense works, and upon returning to the commander's mansion, he immediately summoned Shao Rong.

"Not long after our parting at Hong County, Xue Xian led his army to Hong County and repeatedly urged me to send troops to attack Sizhou and Wuhe at the same time... Suddenly, the Tartar official Shenbao crossed the Yellow River from Pizhou, captured Suining and took Han Si prisoner, and then led his army to besiege Hong County..."

"...Our army is trapped in the isolated city of Wuhe, and the government troops in Sizhou have recently received reinforcements. The situation is critical, so I had no choice but to change my plans and send troops to Haozhou. Unexpectedly, we ran right into Guo Zixing's army marching on Dingyuan. It was my fault for putting Brother Shao in such an awkward position!"

When the Yuan dynasty lost its mandate, the whole world scrambled for it.

Haozhou was not Guo Zixing's for the taking, nor was he destined to be stuck with Haozhou.

Shi Shan took Haozhou and that was it; there was no need to explain it to anyone. However, he had previously sent Shao Rong to Dingyuan to assist Guo Zixing in his uprising and to lay the groundwork for his own escape from Xuzhou.

Subsequently, due to changes in the situation, he came to take the mountain from Haozhou before Guo Zixing had captured it. However, he never thought of abandoning Shao Rong, nor did he intend to trap Guo Zixing in Dingyuan. He did not want to create a rift with Shao Rong over this matter.

Sincerity is always a must-win.

Upon their reunion, a familiar "Brother Shao" dispelled the lingering resentment in Shao Rong's heart. After Shi Shan explained the dangers of the past period and the necessity and urgency of capturing Dingyuan, Shao Rong felt somewhat ashamed.

Shao Rong was well aware that his previous resentment was not directed at Shishan.
She was clearly resentful that Guo Zixing had lost his heroic spirit, that without Haozhou he couldn't take Chuzhou and Luzhou? She was even more resentful that she had clearly followed Shishan, yet she was blind to recognize a true hero and still wanted to follow Guo Zixing to seek greater wealth and honor.

Until Shao Rong and his group set off, Dingyuan City still resembled a large military camp, with people wearing red headscarves everywhere. The shops had already been looted in the previous chaos, and even if they risked reopening, they would have to endure the risk of extortion and vandalism by the rebel army.

Whenever Shao Rong saw these chaotic scenes, he felt that the rapid and stable Hongxian County was like an illusion, and he doubted that Dingyuan was what a chaotic world should look like. It wasn't until he saw order again in Haozhou that Shao Rong realized that his memory was not wrong.

Not afraid of not knowing the goods, but afraid of comparing goods.

In comparison, Shao Rongcai realized that Shishan, whether in military or political affairs, had transcended the times and was far beyond the reach of Guo, Sun, and others. His worldly ambitions vanished, and he was finally able to adjust his mindset and face the gap between himself, Guo Zixing, and Shishan.

"Marshal! It's my fault for not doing my job well, I didn't—"

Shi Shan took Shao Rong's hand and patted the back of his hand gently, signaling him not to say such discouraging things.

“We are brothers, why be so formal? I am here today to see you alone, not only to clear up the misunderstanding, but also to assess the strength of the Dingyuan rebels so as to determine how to join forces with them to fight against the government troops.”

Having witnessed Shishan's efficiency and pragmatism, Shao Rong had long lost faith in Dingyuan's leaders, who were only good at fighting amongst themselves. So, he didn't hide anything and revealed all their secrets.

"When I set out, the city's various troops numbered less than two thousand. Recruiting has been ongoing for the past few days, but the exact number is uncertain. Among them, no more than six hundred are capable of fighting, divided into five divisions, the largest of which..."

Having just occupied a small town and gathered less than two thousand ragtag troops, they dared to appoint five "marshals" and even form factions to fight each other openly and secretly. This is no way to court death!
Shi Shan was greatly disappointed with these unreliable allies, and looking at Shao Rong with some guilt, he said:

“I’m afraid those people in Dingyuan are no good. Brother Shao’s talent shouldn’t be wasted on these mediocre people. Our army is currently conducting a major training competition and preparing to expand again. Now that you’re back, I’ll appoint you as the Commandant of the Army and give you command of the First-Class Battalion.”

After Shi Shan finished speaking, he briefly introduced the honors and merits of the Red Flag Battalion and the division of the combat battalions into Class A and Class B.

Shao Rong had only been the commander of the Eighth Infantry Battalion in Hong County when he went to Dingyuan before the unit was fully formed. Now, as long as he returned to the unit, he could become a high-ranking battalion commander. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't tempted.

"I——"

In his excitement, he almost agreed immediately, but then changed his mind.

“Dingyuan is the southern gateway to Haozhou, and we cannot just abandon it like this. I will be more useful staying in Dingyuan than returning to Haozhou now. Please, Marshal, reserve a title for me, and I will return with my troops in a dignified manner after I have killed enough government troops.”

Wherever there are people, there is a world of its own, and Shi Shan's forces are no exception.

Shao Rong did indeed make great contributions when attacking Hong County, but after leaving the team, he missed a series of major battles and failed to make a name for himself in Dingyuan. So, when he returned to the Red Flag Battalion looking disheveled, he was given the title of Commander of the First-Class Battalion, which inevitably caused some people to be dissatisfied.

Staying in Dingyuan would not only allow him to block the enemy from the south, giving Shishan more time to reorganize the military and political affairs of Haozhou, but also give him the opportunity to build up a force that would later be more distinguished when he returned to the Red Flag Camp.

Shao Rong had already made up his mind that once he returned to Dingyuan, he would give Guo Zixing a thorough explanation of the situation. They could no longer stay in the city and wait for the government troops to come and suppress them. They had to take the initiative to fight out, train their troops, and expand their influence at the same time.

If Guo Zixing agrees, he will continue to help Brother Guo for a while; if he does not agree, Shao Rong will go it alone.

Shao Rong is an ally who "invested with his own capital," not Guo's servant. He was previously alone and had to consider the overall situation, so he couldn't do things on his own. Now that he has Shishan's support, why would he be willing to be held back by Dingyuan and his bunch of mediocre people?
"also!"

The Shishan plan to grant Shao Rong the title of "Fujun Duwei" actually had this in mind. Shao Rong was willing to stay in Dingyuan and continue to play a role, so of course he should be supported.

"what would you like?"

Shao Rong wanted to build up his army, and the more soldiers, armor, supplies, and even veteran soldiers he could muster, the better. However, he was no longer Shi Shan's direct subordinate, and if he took these back to Dingyuan, Guo Zixing and the others would inevitably share some of the spoils.

"I don't want anything else, just the Marshal's promise to protect Dingyuan is enough."

This was originally the main task of Zhang Tianyou and his entourage when they went to Haozhou.

Dingyuan City was small and the rebel army was weak. Without strong reinforcements, it would be impossible to hold the city. Fortunately, Shishan also needed Dingyuan as a shield. The two sides had a common interest in joining forces to resist the Yuan Dynasty, so it was actually easy to negotiate.

Guo Zixing and his group were only concerned with their own infighting, and they didn't dare to come to such an important meeting in person.

Shi Shan met with Shao Rong alone, deliberately ignoring Zhang Tianyou, Sun Dewang, and the others. These people were undoubtedly anxious and trying to pressure Shao Rong, wanting a definite answer—that was understandable. But Shi Shan wouldn't tolerate it. "I've twice invited the heroes of Dingyuan to join forces against the Yuan, but Guo Zixing and the others have shown no sincerity. Let them wait. Your third brother's injuries have mostly healed; you brothers can get together later."

Furthermore, I have already sent someone to inform Xuzhou about the establishment of the Red Turban Army's Haozhou Marshal's Office. At the latest, Marshal Li should be taking the relationship between the two sides seriously after the New Year.

At that time, I will send someone to pick up my family. Will your family and relatives be brought to Haozhou, or sent directly to Dingyuan?

"Haozhou, please."

Without the slightest hesitation, Shao Rong replied:
"Dingyuan is in chaos and not a safe place. I can only feel at ease if it is placed in Haozhou."

Although Shishan had already decided to leave Zhang Tianyou and the others waiting, he did not keep them locked up in the guesthouse indefinitely. The day after meeting Shao Rong, he made arrangements for Pu Daoren.

For the next three days, the Dingyuan delegation had to make visits.

On the first day, they went deep into the city defense construction site to understand how the Red Flag Battalion mobilized civilian labor.

Wealthy families only marry into other wealthy families. Guo Zixing was a powerful figure in Dingyuan, and his wife's family was also well-off. Zhang Tianyou had never lacked food or clothing since childhood. He was fair-skinned and tall, and had even attended school for a few years when he was young. When he entered the city, he saw the proclamation to reassure the people.

Although he didn't believe that Shishan would really conscript laborers with money and grain, he roughly knew how Shishan managed to drive the laborers, so he wasn't too shocked. He just speculated on how Shishan wanted to transform Haozhou City into a fortified city based on the current amount of work.

Shao Rong had initially focused entirely on the formation of the Seventh Infantry Battalion, paying no attention to anything else. Now, with comparisons to be made and the idea of ​​leading troops independently, he understood the importance of civilian strength even more, and followed Fang Zhongwen to inquire about more details.

Sun Dewang was illiterate. When he entered the city, he only looked at the heads hanging on the city gate. He learned that all the laborers were working voluntarily to repair the city and that they could receive money and food every day. He thought he had misheard.

He certainly knew the importance of city defense, but in this chaotic world, everything was lacking except for people willing to risk their lives for food. If all that was needed was a meal of coarse grains every day, plenty of people would be willing to build the city. Why waste extra money and grains?
The representatives of Marshals Yu, Lu, and Pan were even more indignant. They couldn't understand why they would waste money and food when there was free manpower available. They also questioned why Haozhou, with its high walls and deep moats, was so dangerous that the government troops wouldn't dare to attack it.

The next day, they observed the Red Flag Battalion's training and had dinner with the soldiers of the First Battalion.

To be honest, although the Red Flag Battalion provided ample food, the daily consumption of thousands of soldiers was enormous. There was no alcohol, and although there was meat, it wasn't enough to fill one's stomach. The food was cooked in large pots, so the taste was just average, far inferior to the refined meals Zhang Tianyou ate in Dingyuan.

He was shocked by the strength of the Red Flag Battalion and did not understand why Shishan still needed to train troops. He thought to himself that if he could have such a powerful army, he could gather tens of thousands of people in a month by conquering cities and territories and constantly recruiting young men.

Shao Rong remained focused, carefully observing Shi Shantong's methods of training troops. He was also able to maintain a proper attitude towards Fu Youde, who was initially ranked after him, and humbly seek his advice.

Sun Dewang and the representatives sent by Marshals Yu, Lu and Pan were used to a hard life and were not as particular and picky as Zhang Tianyou. They ate communal meals and their mouths were covered in oil.

They envied the Red Flag Battalion soldiers for their bright armor and complete weapons, but they also felt sorry for Shishan for not only feeding the lower-ranking soldiers well, but also providing them with meat every half month. They secretly thought that if they had so much money and food, they would never waste it like this.

In chaotic times, only money, food, and troops can give people peace of mind. If Sun Dewang had these provisions, he could recruit more soldiers and plunder along the way, which would be much better than being stuck in the city training troops in a boring way.

On the third day, they went deep into the markets and neighborhoods to learn how the rebel army governed the city.

Shao Rong had regained his former shrewdness in selling sheep and horses. He made a small booklet and sharpened two charcoal pencils, reading and taking notes as he went, afraid of missing any details.

Zhang Tianyou finally understood why Shishan dared to mobilize the people's labor with money and grain. Because the local heroes who collected "land money" had been eliminated, the cities were more prosperous than before the war, and after stabilization, they could provide a large amount of tax money every day.

Even more outrageous, outside Linhuai Gate, one could see cargo ships docking on the Huai River, unloading large sacks of grain and loading packages of valuables onto the ships—the Red Flag Battalion was able to fight a war while simultaneously engaging in smuggling with the government!
Sun Dewang and his men, however, were oblivious to all this. All they could see were wealth, wealth, and more wealth! They only regretted that they were not the rulers of Haozhou and could not possess all this wealth for themselves.

Of course, they were only thinking about it. They had already witnessed the mighty Red Flag Battalion yesterday and knew that the combined forces of the Dingyuan rebels were no match for even one of their battalions. So they dared not act recklessly.

After three consecutive days of observation, Shishan, based on reports from Pu Daoren and others, met with Shao Rong and Zhang Tianyou. He then arranged for Guo Xing to lead a team to escort the two back to Dingyuan, while the remaining members of the Dingyuan delegation were detained in the guesthouse.

Haozhou is now stable, but Dingyuan is still in chaos, and government troops could come to suppress them at any time. Sun Dewang and others could be slightly distracted when they were observing from the outside, but once they were imprisoned, they became extremely anxious.

During this time, Marshal Shi showed no intention of meeting with the envoy from Haozhou, Military Advisor Park disappeared, and Zhang Tianyou and Shao Rong were taken away and never returned.

When I arrived, I thought I was very important, but now I realize I'm nothing, and I can't even control my own life and death.

After enduring four long days of torment, just when Sun Dewang and the others thought they had truly been forgotten by Marshal Shi, they finally encountered a familiar face—Li Wu, the commander of the Red Flag Battalion's elite cavalry, with a dark face and a thick beard.

After dismounting, Li Wu went straight to the guesthouse. Without introducing himself, he shouted in a loud voice:

"Which of you is the best rider? Get ready and come with me to Dingyuan."

"Me!"

Sun Dewang sensed something was wrong, and after answering quickly, he hurriedly asked:
"May I ask, General, has something happened to Dingyuan?"

"Once you're ready, come find me at the South Gate. I'm in a hurry, I only have half an hour for you."

After Li Wu finished speaking, he turned around and strode out of the building.

"Nothing much, we were just surrounded by government troops."

"what!"

(End of this chapter)