Sweep Yuan

Chapter 139 The storm is coming

The seat of government of Yangzhou Road was Jiangdu County, and the office of the Pacification Commissioner of Huaidong Circuit was located there.

"So, the rebel army invaded the border only to plunder the countryside, and never attacked the cities, or even besieged them?"

As Cheli Buhua, the Assistant Magistrate of the Pacification Commission, spoke, his round, plump face kept twitching, and he was clearly quite angry.

The subordinates who were confronted with his questions had no way to express their grievances—the Vice Magistrate had been troubled these past two days and had refused to see the messengers from Chuzhou who were in distress. They were just messengers and had no idea what the situation was in Chuzhou.

But this difficult superior was an imperial censor, an imperial envoy tasked with suppressing bandits in Haozhou. He had no shortage of audacity and methods to torment his colleagues, and he couldn't afford to offend him. So he could only bite the bullet and answer:

"That's what the messenger from Chuzhou said, sir!"

Cheli Buhua was quite stout, and he felt tired after sitting for a while. He twisted his waist, and the two maids kneeling beside him quickly stepped forward, brought two soft cushions, and helped him to change to a more comfortable side-lying position.

"Then tell me, should I advance or not?"

His subordinates felt their scalps tingle. As a mere seventh-rank official in the Pacification Commission, how could he dare to offer any advice?
The Yuan Dynasty is now engulfed in flames of war, with the government army suffering more defeats than victories. Countless officials have died at the hands of the rebels, and officials at all levels are reluctant to discuss military affairs. Even those like Chelibuhua, who are assigned to suppress the rebels and cannot escape their missions, will try every means to drag others down with them.

At this moment, whether he answers to advance or not, he will not escape accountability if his advice leads to a major incident in the future.

"In my humble opinion, the number of the rebel army is unknown, and their actions of invading the border without attacking the city are highly suspicious. I wonder if it is possible that Chuzhou failed to ascertain the situation before hastily reporting to the authorities, thus misleading Your Excellency in making a decision?"

Cheli Buhua's eyes lit up, thinking to himself that this subordinate was quite quick-witted. He straightened up slightly and said:
“That makes sense. Go there now and reprimand that messenger to return to Chuzhou immediately to investigate the enemy situation again! If he still reports false information about the enemy without a clear understanding of the situation, he shall be executed without mercy!”

Even though it was still cold in the first month of the lunar year, I was already sweating profusely. After finally managing to fool Chelibuhua, I quickly took my leave.

"Your Majesty, take your orders."

At the end of last year, news of Shen Bao and Dong Tuanxiao's successive victories over the rebel army and the recovery of lost territory reached Dadu. Jia Lu had also just completed the river management project, and the court was finally able to free up its resources to concentrate on suppressing the rebels.

Under the deliberate guidance of the emperor and his high-ranking officials, the entire court and the public were discussing military affairs, creating the impression that the rebel armies in various regions would be wiped out in no time.

At that time, Chelibuhua had completed his military service and was seeking a transfer to another post. He also wanted to take advantage of the weakened state of the rebels to accumulate military merits for future promotion. Therefore, he actively sought the mission of leading troops to suppress the rebels.

Unexpectedly, before the imperial court could even bestow its rewards upon Shenbao and Dong Tuanxiao, the rebel army in Xuzhou turned against them, recaptured Hong County, and killed Shulun Temur in battle.

Subsequently, the rebel army marched south to Wuhe, inflicted a major defeat on the government troops in Sizhou, and was about to go straight down the Huai River to capture important towns in Huaidong such as Xuyi and Qinghe, completely disrupting the salt-producing area of ​​Huai'an Road. The imperial court urgently mobilized troops and salt workers from various parts of Huaidong, ordering them to defend the river to the death.

However, the rebel army used a feint attack, making a show of force on Huai'an Road before quickly turning to Anfeng Road and capturing Haozhou City.

Of the three major rebels in Henan Jiangbei Province, Liu Futong caused the most trouble; Xu Shouhui was second, but his ambition far surpassed Liu Futong's, and he openly established a state and declared himself ruler; only Xuzhou's Sesame Li remained silent, and the court did not pay much attention to him.

Taking advantage of the court's negligence, this thief suddenly blocked the Huai River water transport.

It should be noted that a considerable portion of the provisions needed to suppress Liu Futong's troops was transported into the heart of Henan via the Huai River waterway. With the fall of Wuhe and Haozhou, although the imperial army would not run out of food overnight, it would be difficult to launch a large-scale campaign.

Yesen Temur, who was in charge of the army to quell Liu's rebellion and was the younger brother of the current prime minister Toqto'a, would not sit idly by and watch this situation continue. In a very short time, he studied and approved the matter of adding a deputy prefect of the Huaidong Circuit and appointed the censor Chelibuhua to take on the position.

Although Chelibuhua was somewhat flustered, Dong Tuanxiao had just defeated the rebel army of Anfeng Road. With such a brave Han Chinese fighting to the death in front, it shouldn't be difficult for him, as a Mongol lord, to steal the credit from behind. He immediately accepted the order and quickly headed south.

As a result, the Battle of Luqian River not only crushed Dong Tuanxiao's morale but also shattered Chelibuhua's dream of gaining merit and promotion.

Chelibuhua had just entered Yangzhou Road territory and had not yet entered Jiangdu City when he was shocked and disoriented by the bad news of Dong Tuanxiao's defeat.

He knew nothing about military affairs, but he knew a very cruel fact: Shen Bao and Dong Tuanxiao, the most capable fighters of the Yuan Dynasty, had both been defeated by the Red Turban Army of Xuzhou, and by the same bandit named Shishan. This bandit was currently occupying Haozhou and waiting for him to attack!
After arriving in Jiangdu, Chelibuhua learned more details about the Battle of Luqian River and found the Xuzhou bandit named Shishan increasingly troublesome. He spent his days sitting in the Pacification Commissioner's Office, coordinating supplies and recruiting soldiers, but dared not advance further west.

Dong Tuanxiao had just suffered a military defeat and was now under the jurisdiction of the Pingzhang Zhengshi Jiaohua of the Jiangzhe Province, so he could not be relied upon.

Cheli Buhua then exaggerated the strength and threat of the bandits in Haozhou, requesting the court to establish the Huaidong Road Marshal's Office to concentrate the troops of Huai'an Road and advance westward simultaneously from the north and south with the troops of Yangzhou Road, to attack the powerful bandits from both sides.

Tuotuo, who was in charge of the government, once again demonstrated his high level of administrative efficiency. He quickly approved Chelibuhua's request, established the Huaidong Road Marshal's Office, and promoted Lu Luzeng, a secretary in the Ministry of Rites, to be the Marshal of Huaidong Road, leading 5,000 salt workers recruited from the Huai River region to suppress the bandits in Xuzhou.

Lu Luzeng passed the imperial examination in the second year of the Tianli era (1329). He had extensive experience in both central and local government positions and was highly capable. With his assistance, Chelibuhua dared to organize his troops and was ready to launch an attack as soon as Lu Luzeng took office.

Cheli Buhua's wishful thinking was quite elaborate.

Although they were to launch their attacks at the same time, Lu Lu had previously traveled the Huai River and was able to advance directly to Wuhe and Haozhou, while he could only travel via the Yangtze River and had to disembark at Guabu Station in Liuhe County, which would definitely be a little later. His teammates would have to take the lead and be responsible for the main attack, while he would be responsible for reaping the rewards.

However, before Lu Luzeng could take office, the Dingyuan rebels launched a preemptive attack, invading Chuzhou and disrupting Chelibuhua's entire plan.

Messengers from Chuzhou came in waves, first saying the rebel army numbered less than two thousand, then two days later changing their story to say the rebel vanguard had arrived, followed by several thousand more.

The rebel army was large in number, but it did not besiege the city after invading the border. The government troops who risked going out of the city to investigate were almost completely wiped out by the rebel cavalry. They had no idea of ​​the true situation of the rebel army and could only rely on their imagination to urgently report to Yangzhou.

The more urgent the messenger's report, the less Chelibuhua dared to advance.

What a joke!
If they start wasting time with the enemy army so early, won't his unit become a major source of trouble and allow that old bastard Lu Luzeng to reap the benefits?
The key issue is that if the government troops were in high spirits and capable of fighting and winning, they could easily outmaneuver the enemy and wear them down. But now, they are so cowardly that they are like mice before a cat when they see the enemy. Who would dare to confront the enemy head-on? Therefore, when faced with the urgent messenger from Chuzhou, Cheli Buhua used all sorts of evasive tactics and finally simply had his subordinates deal with the messenger from Chuzhou.

Having spent many years in officialdom, he deeply understands one principle: troubles can never be completely resolved, and delaying and waiting for things to change is often the best way to deal with many problems!

This time, Cheribuhua's gamble paid off.

Thus, a full ten days passed before another messenger arrived from Chuzhou, not with an urgent message, but with news of victory—the soldiers and civilians of Chuzhou, united as one, had repelled the rebel army and beheaded over a hundred!
Although Chelibuhua did not believe the battle report from Chuzhou, he still immediately dispatched troops and headed straight for Chuzhou.

His eagerness was not due to a desire for credit, but because the situation in the world had changed drastically and could no longer be stabilized!
On the third day of the first lunar month, Meng Haima, a bandit from Zhushan County, captured Xiangyang Road, and Chai Su, the chief administrator of Xiangyang Road, was killed in action.

On the same day, Xu Song's Red Turban Army captured Jingmen Prefecture.

On the fourth day of the first lunar month, the Red Turban Army of Xuzhou captured Huaiyuan, and the county magistrate, Wang Yuanyou, was killed in action.

On the thirteenth day of the first month, the Red Turban Army under Xu Song, led by Ding Pulang and Xu Mingyuan, captured Hanyang.

On the same day, a rebellion broke out in Xingyuan Road of Shaanxi Province and other places, and the rebels subsequently captured Jinzhou.

On the fourteenth day of the first month, Xu and Song's Red Turban Army captured Xingguo Prefecture.

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Zhao Pusheng and Li Pusheng's Red Turban Army troops under Xu Song captured Chaoxian County.

On the seventeenth day of the first month, Zou Pusheng's Red Turban Army under Xu Song captured Wuchang Road. King Weishun Kuanchebuhua and the Pingzhang Zhengshi of Huguang Province, Heshang, abandoned the city and fled.

On the nineteenth day of the first month, Xu Song's Red Turban Army under Lu Faxing captured Anlu Prefecture. The prefect, Choulu, was defeated and killed.

On the 29th day of the first lunar month, Xu Song's Red Turban Army captured Mianyang Prefecture.

On the thirtieth day of the first month, Xu Song's Red Turban Army captured Zhongxing Road. Yue Gulun, the Assistant Prefect of Shannan Pacification Commission, led his troops into battle, but they were routed. The Pacification Commissioner of Jinzhou, Bu Hua, and the Inspector of Shannan, Bu Liyue, both fled.

At the same time, local officials in Longxing Road, Yuanzhou Road, Ruizhou Road, Ji'an Road, and Jiangzhou Road of Jiangxi Province, as well as Raozhou Road and Xinzhou Road of Jiangzhe Province, reported that White Lotus heretics were openly gathering crowds within their territories, suspecting that they were about to launch an uprising, and requested the court to send a large army to quell the rebellion as soon as possible.

In a short time, rebels rose up in both the south and north of the Yangtze River, and the Yuan Dynasty's financial centers and grain transport routes were at risk of being cut off and occupied by the rebel army.

Money and provisions are the foundation of a regime. Once the court loses its ability to allocate funds, even a million-strong army will quickly collapse.

The emperor and prime minister, far away in Dadu, also felt that the situation was becoming increasingly difficult and finally could not hold on any longer. In addition to adding one deputy commander and one chief commander to the Huaidong Pacification Commission, and establishing the Huaidong Marshal's Office to order it to suppress the rebels in Xuzhou, they also took multiple measures and frequently issued imperial edicts.

First, we encouraged agriculture and sericulture to resume production.

Given the heavy supply burden in Henan, Shaanxi, and the surrounding areas, and the concern that mobilizing troops to suppress bandits might prevent farmers from settling in their fields and that local officials might fail to properly supervise the planting, officials knowledgeable in agriculture were appointed to inspect different regions and supervise local officials to personally visit villages and towns to instruct farmers to sow seeds on time and ensure that everyone and every bit of land is used to its fullest potential.

In areas where there have been bandits, floods, or shortages of supplies, and where poor people cannot provide their own cattle or seeds, the local authorities shall provide them. The general shall also be ordered to prohibit the stationing of military horses, forbidding them from trampling the land and causing agricultural neglect.

Second, a general amnesty was granted to quell the unrest among the people.

By restoring the Yellow River to its original course and granting a general amnesty, he attempted to divide the wavering elements of the rebel army and slightly alleviate the surging anti-Yuan sentiment among the people.

Third, prepare for war by gathering horses and raising a large army again.

An imperial edict was issued to arrest and exterminate Han Chinese horses in Henan, Shaanxi, Liaoyang, Shangdu, Dadu, and Fuli.

Fourth, we must mobilize troops and generals to jointly suppress the bandits.

He appointed Yue Lu Timur, the Pingzhang Zhengshi of Sichuan Province, as the commander-in-chief, and together with Changji, the right vice-chancellor of Sichuan Province, to suppress the bandits in Xingyuan, Jinzhou and other places.

The emperor ordered Sangge, the deputy prefect of the government, to lead the army of Yiduhu Weiwuer and Duoerzhiban, the pacification commissioner of Jinghu North Circuit, to jointly defend Xiangyang.

Bao Tong, the military commander of Xuan Jining, led the Right Capital Guard Army and followed Yue Kuocha'er, the Privy Councilor, to attack Xuzhou.

Fifth, use thieves to control thieves and eliminate hidden dangers.

He ordered Fang Guozhen, the commander of the Taizhou militia, to go north to attack the bandits in Xuzhou, and also ordered the Jiangzhe region to recruit naval forces to guard the Yangtze River in the north to prevent Fang Guozhen from taking the opportunity to cause trouble.

With a series of imperial edicts issued, the war machine of the Great Yuan Empire finally began to operate at full capacity, and the entire court and the public saw the emperor's great determination to quell the rebellion.

If Chelibuhua didn't send troops soon, he would be reprimanded by the imperial court. Of course, there was another important reason that prompted him to send troops:
Marshal Lu Lu of Huaidong Road had already taken office and had sent troops ahead of the Yangzhou government troops.

……

P.S.: This chapter is interspersed with a lot of major events. If it were changed into a dialogue format, it would be more vivid and easier to immerse the reader. However, the dialogue would take up too much space. After much hesitation, I decided to condense it into a diary of major events, which would save words and better convey the oppressive feeling of impending storm.

(End of this chapter)