Sweep Yuan

Chapter 116 After the War, Heroes Were at the Hands of the Army

The formation of the local militia in the central army had already been disrupted by Hu Dahai, and with Miao Daheng's surrender, the rout of his troops became unstoppable.

Is this a defeat?

Dong Tuanxiao also had three hundred elite infantrymen under his command, led by his younger brother Dong Angxiao, so he was not without the ability to fight.

However, the thieves are fierce, and once you get entangled with them, the consequences are unimaginable.

"These useless people can't hold on any longer, Second Brother, let's go."

No, they haven't been defeated yet! While Dong Tuanxiao was still hesitating, Yu Sizhong had already broken into the enemy ranks and would soon be able to kill enemy generals and seize their flags.

"As long as the green hills remain, there's no worry about running out of firewood. Second Brother!"

Dong Tuanxiao clenched his right fist so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh, and blood stained his whip. He wanted to wait for Yu Sizhong to report the victory, but the enemy vanguard was getting closer and closer. If he didn't leave soon, he would be trapped. He could only close his eyes in despair.

Disregarding everything else, Dong Angxiao rushed forward, forcibly pulled his elder brother off his horse, and ordered his personal guards to lift him onto a raft pieced together from dismantled supply wagons. He then glanced at the bandit army less than thirty paces away, turned around, and resolutely led the great banner northward.

"The rest of you, come with me!"

On the raft, Dong Tuanxiao opened his eyes and gazed in the direction of Yu Sizhong's troops.

"Turn around, form ranks!"

The Red Flag Battalion's central force, the Imperial Guard Battalion, had not participated in the major battle and their formation remained intact. Upon discovering that the government cavalry had bypassed their lines, Gong Wu immediately ordered his troops to turn around, their spears pointing directly at the rapidly approaching government cavalry.

Gong Wu rose from a personal guard to his current position, not known for his bravery or wisdom, but he mastered the true art of "building strongholds and fighting protracted battles" from Shishan.

In terms of disciplined formation, Gong Wu claimed to be second to none, and no one in the Red Flag Battalion, including Fu Youde and Hu Dahai, dared to claim first place.

Faced with the rapidly charging imperial cavalry, the swordsmen and shieldmen of the Imperial Guard used their bodies to shield the enemy. Even if they were broken and bruised in the fierce impact, the men behind them would quickly fill in.

Once the momentum of the government cavalry's charge was contained, it lost its deterrent effect.

On the other side, the Imperial Guards thrust their spears diagonally, spraying blood everywhere, while their crossbows fired in quick succession, swiftly reaping the lives of the government troops nearby.

In just over ten breaths, the government cavalry suffered nearly a hundred casualties, yet failed to break through the defenses of the Imperial Guard formation.

Even so, Shi Shan continued to issue orders while standing atop the iron-walled chariot, showing no sign of panic.

A light cavalry charge into a fortified position was simply a pipe dream. Moreover, Hu Deji and Cao Zhen's two groups of men formed the last line of defense beside the chariots, ensuring that even if a small number of cavalry managed to break through, they could be cut down.

Yu Sizhong hesitated for a moment, and Shao Rong and Wu Liujin, on the left flank of the Imperial Guard Battalion, quickly led their troops to approach. If they didn't leave soon, they would be surrounded.

"withdraw!"

Although Yu Sizhong was exceptionally brave, he was not a reckless man. Knowing that he had miscalculated in this battle, he stopped hesitating and quickly led his men to retreat.

"Where are you going, Tartar general?"

Li Wu had only charged two lines when he saw the government cavalry rushing into his formation and heading straight for the Imperial Guard camp. How could he tolerate this? He quickly led his troops back and blocked the government cavalry's retreat.

Yu Sizhong had already seen the government army's central force collapse and his own army's black banner moving rapidly northward along the banks of the Luqian River. He had no time for conversation. He raised his hand and fired an arrow, which struck Li Wu's warhorse squarely in the neck.

Yu——

The warhorse struggled in pain, nearly throwing Li Wu off. Before he could regain his balance and change to a secondary mount, Yu Sizhong took advantage of the brief chaos in the elite cavalry and charged straight at his vulnerable waist and abdomen.

"Protect the commander!"

There was no time for the entire camp to turn around. Wang Bi hurriedly ordered his troops to fire arrows for cover, while he turned his horse to the left to meet the enemy cavalry that was accelerating. Just as the two horses were about to collide, Wang Bi suddenly hid in the stirrups and rolled over the ground with the momentum of his charge, sweeping out his two swords along the ground with the force of his charge.

Yu Sizhong only wanted to get away from the battlefield as soon as possible. He was disturbed by Wang Bi's warhorse. Just as he regained his balance, his own warhorse suddenly broke its front leg and fell to the ground with a mournful neigh. Yu Sizhong was thrown off by the warhorse.

With his years of honed riding skills, Yu Sizhong leaped into the air. Just as he was about to land, Wang Bi's twin swords arrived. With a flash of light, Yu Sizhong's gaze suddenly rose, and he saw that the entire battlefield was in chaos before fading into darkness.

The government cavalry had already suffered heavy casualties and their morale was severely damaged. With Yu Sizhong dead, these men instantly lost the courage to continue fighting. Apart from four of Yu Sizhong's personal guards who were killed while chasing Wang Bi, the rest fled.

Charging into battle in heavy armor was extremely taxing. Hu Dahai was no iron man after all. After forcing back the government infantry, he resisted the temptation to kill generals and seize flags, stopped, and accepted Miao Daheng's surrender.

With the banner flying north, the central army surrendering, and the cavalry scattered, the already weak local militias had no will to fight.
As the battlefield situation gradually became clearer, Shishan promptly adjusted and issued a retreat order.

"Disarm without killing!"

"Disarm and you will not be killed!"

The local militia breathed a sigh of relief, some immediately surrendering on the spot, others turning around and fleeing. The rest of the time was spent playing a game of capturing prisoners and chasing each other on the battlefield.

Li Wu had already changed his mount and no longer personally pursued the fleeing cavalry. He met Wang Bi, cursed as he took the severed head, spat, and was about to chop it up with his knife to vent his anger when he heard Shi Shan shout sharply:
"The valiant cavalry, listen to my command: head north along the Luqian River and pursue the government troops' banner."

The walls of Dingyuan.

Guo Zixing's face was ashen. In the distance, dust still rose from the galloping horses and men at Shilitang, but the fierce battle had already ended.

Even from a distance, standing on the city wall, one cannot clearly see the specific situation of the battlefield, but the positions of the Red Flag Battalion and the government troops are still easy to determine.

There is no doubt that the Red Flag Battalion won this battle.

Winning so gloriously, and so easily, made Guo Zixing's petty schemes instantly a joke.

No! It has now become a handle and a charge against us.

"Brother-in-law, let's leave the city."

Guo Zixing didn't dare turn his head, afraid that Zhang Tianyou would see the fear in his eyes.

"Well, it's time we paid our respects to Marshal Shi."

The local militia that finally surrendered were under Feng Guosheng's command, not because he was a die-hard loyalist to the Yuan Dynasty and resisted to the bitter end.

Instead, during the previous battle, Feng Guosheng, confident in his superb horsemanship and archery skills, had engaged Fu Youde in a prolonged struggle. Fearing that Fu Youde would hold a grudge, he took advantage of the chaos after the battle ended to kill Feng Guosheng.

Unexpectedly, the moment Feng Guosheng dropped his weapon and surrendered, Fu Youde, in full view of everyone, grabbed him. "You scoundrel, what kind of hero are you to bully someone who's laid down their weapon! Let me go if you dare—"

Clang——

Fu Youde remained expressionless throughout, pulled out a knife and held it to Feng Guosheng's neck. The latter immediately fell silent and was dragged by Fu Youde to the front of the rocky hill.

Some of the troops were still chasing the fleeing soldiers and cleaning up the battlefield. Shi Shan made do with what he had, took a stool and sat down. Generals Hu Deji and Cao Zhen guarded him on both sides. Although there was no marshal's regalia, his imposing presence was already evident.

"Marshal, this man's horsemanship and archery skills are no less than mine, and the training of his local militia far surpasses that of other units. He must not be allowed to fall into the hands of the government troops. If he cannot be used by the Marshal, I suggest we execute him now!"

"Hey, hey, don't cut me, I'm willing to surrender to the marshal."

"Hahaha!"

Feng Guosheng, who had been cursing and being arrogant, now appeared cowardly and ridiculous, which immediately made everyone burst into laughter.

Unexpectedly, Feng Guosheng stubbornly retorted:

"What are you laughing at? After Guo Zixing rebelled, he wreaked havoc in the village. My family had some wealth, so we had no choice but to build a stronghold to protect ourselves. The government troops forced us to fight against the rebel army. It was my failure to recognize the Marshal's integrity and my futile efforts to stop him."

But now that I have abandoned darkness and embraced the light, if I were still treated as a lackey of the Tartars and beheaded, dying would only ruin my reputation—wouldn't that be a terrible injustice!

His words were so reasonable and well-founded that they immediately impressed everyone.

Shishan nodded and asked with a smile:
"Have you read the book?"

“I studied with my brother for several years, but I didn’t like the classics; I only loved military strategy.”

Among Shi Shan's generals, Fu Youde, Hu Dahai, Sun Xun, Tang He, and others were all well-educated, but none of them dared to say that they "only loved military strategy."

"Hahaha, good!"

Shi Shan waved his hand, and Fu Youde released his grip and sheathed his sword.

Feng Guosheng quickly bowed and paid his respects at the foot of the stone mountain, saying:

"What does the Marshal want me to do?"

The use of surrendered generals should not be taken too lightly, Shi Shan said:
"Today you will enter the teaching and guard camp. After I test your abilities, I will assign you a specific position."

Feng Guosheng immediately straightened his back and said:
"As ordered."

While Feng Guosheng was being questioned, Hu Dahai arrived with Miao Daheng.

It turns out that Miao Daheng was the first village militia leader to surrender, but because his troops were the most numerous and the least disciplined, they scattered everywhere when the battle ended. It took a lot of time to regroup them, and he ended up being behind Feng Guosheng, who surrendered last.

"The wicked general, Miu Daheng, pays his respects to the Marshal!"

Miao Daheng knelt on the ground, his face almost touching the ground, and as he spoke, his fat buttocks trembled.

"Get up."

"Hey, Marshal Xie!"

Miao Daheng hurriedly got up, and in just a short while, he was covered in sweat.

"Master Miao, is farming better, or is fighting a war better?"

Shi Shan suddenly posed this question, and Miao Daheng didn't know how to answer it, yet dared not not to, so he could only follow his heart.

"Poor harvests from farming, war is dangerous, and it takes lives; both are difficult."

Shishan was actually testing Miao Daheng's ambitions; it seems this man is just an ordinary person who cannot control his own ambitions.

"War is like farming. With the same soil, the same seeds, and the same water and fertilizer management, some people can grow crops well, while others can barely make ends meet. Your troops are almost equal in number to ours, so why were you defeated so decisively?"

"I... I'm not good at training troops."

"Haha, Master Miao does have self-awareness. Here, I'll recommend someone who knows how to train soldiers."

With his life now in the hands of others, how could Miao Daheng dare to answer such a question? He could only pretend to be bewildered as he looked at Shishan.

"Shao Rong".

"The general is here!"

"Master Miao's troops are too old and weak, and most of them need to be laid off and rigorously retrained, leaving only six hundred elite soldiers. Do you dare to take on this task?"

Shao Rong was overjoyed, knowing that Shi Shan was going to completely change the landscape of Dingyuan and openly support him, so he quickly expressed his support.

"Why don't you dare!"

"it is good."

Shishan cannot remain in Dingyuan indefinitely, and it is even less advisable to spread his forces in all directions like Xuzhou. Limited troops must be used wisely, and choosing Shao Rong as his proxy in Dingyuan is the best arrangement at present.

In order to stabilize Shao Rong's position, others should be given a warning when necessary.
"Master Miao is frowning. Is there something wrong with my arrangement?"

Pfft!
Terrified, Miao Daheng knelt down again, kowtowing repeatedly.

"I, I didn't."

"Get up, don't kneel so easily. If that's the case, you'll cooperate with Brother Shao to get the reorganization done, right?"

Mr. Miao was so frightened that he dared not utter a word of dissent.

"I can."

(End of this chapter)