Sweep Yuan

Chapter 141 Suppressing the Rebellion: Enemies Coming from Two Fronts

When the smoke of war rose again in Hong County, Shi Shan was dealing with a rebellion case in Haozhou City.

The case is simple: a wealthy man surnamed Qin in Haozhou secretly colluded with merchants from other places to pass on information about the deployment of the Red Flag Battalion. He explicitly stated that when the government troops launched their attack, he could contact some righteous people in the city to act as inside agents.

There are many merchants who engage in smuggling with the Red Flag Camp, both openly and secretly, but the vast majority of them can only trade at the Huaihe River wharf outside the city. Those who can trade in the city have all undergone layers of screening and investigation.

This merchant had witnessed Marshal Shi's remarkable military and political skills. He knew that the surrounding areas of Haozhou, including Wuhe, Dingyuan, and Huaiyuan, were all controlled by the Red Flag Battalion. He did not believe that the government troops would be able to reach the walls of Haozhou in a short time, nor did he think that the tightly controlled Haozhou would provide room for inside agents to operate.

The person in charge of making the connections faces immense risks with little reward. If the government troops suffer a defeat, he might even cut off his own head in frustration.

Moreover, the matter was quite strange. The merchant was worried that Marshal Shi had done it on purpose to test his reliability. After hesitating for a long time, the merchant finally reported the matter to the Embroidered Uniform Guard soldiers patrolling the streets.

Upon investigation, it was found that the wealthy merchants who intended to rebel were kept by the former prefect of Haozhou.

When the prefecture fell, he committed suicide to end it all, thus escaping a calamity. However, his property was not preserved; it was either confiscated by the Red Flag Battalion or taken over by other families.

From being a high-ranking guest of the prefect to a destitute and impoverished household, the Qin family merchant naturally had reason to harbor resentment and had secretly spread rumors about the Red Flag Battalion in the past.

With the great battle approaching, the Red Flag Battalion tightened its control over the city. This man sensed an opportunity and contacted two other wealthy families whose interests had also been harmed by the Red Flag Battalion's occupation of Haozhou. Through these two families, he contacted five other families, two of which had members serving in the army.

The visiting merchant was shrewd; he sensed something was amiss and didn't dare to follow these people's reckless behavior. In the end, he chose to report the incident first, thus saving his life.

Indeed, the fact that the merchants kept by the Tartar officials and the reactionary elements who secretly spread rumors have survived to this day is naturally due to Shishan's deliberate actions.

The Red Flag Battalion easily captured Haozhou. The advantage was that neither the attacking nor the defending side suffered many casualties, but the disadvantage was also that few people died.

In particular, wealthy merchants who possess a large amount of social wealth are naturally afraid of turmoil and are more likely to side with the imperial court, which represents order.

Some of them did indeed make up their minds to seek wealth and power by joining Shishan.

More often than not, they were forced by circumstances to contribute food and supplies to the army, but don't expect them to be very loyal.

When the Red Flag Battalion was in power, they could still be obedient and humble. But once the situation turned against the Red Flag Battalion, these people would never hesitate to stab Shi Shan in the back, in order to prove to the government troops who were recovering Haozhou that they were "in the enemy camp but loyal to the court."

Without breaking down the old, there can be no establishing the new.

Without ruthlessly killing a group of these die-hards who hate the change of dynasty, it would be insufficient to deter the conservative forces; without confiscating their substantial family property, the expansion of the Red Flag Battalion would be subject to others; and without redistributing the social wealth of Haozhou, it would be impossible to truly gain the support of the common people.

Before the city fell, Shishan had a plan to eliminate a group of wealthy families in Haozhou. However, at that time, these people were all cooperative on the surface, and the Red Flag Battalion was known for its strict military discipline. Without a legitimate reason, it was impossible for them to allow their soldiers to kill people at will.

Killing a few petty thieves won't have a deterrent effect; it's better to play the long game and catch bigger fish.

It was for this purpose that the Qin family was able to survive until now, using their family's blood to bring out a bunch of potential rebels. It can be said that they did not eat the food they had eaten for so long in vain, and eliminated some of the hidden dangers for Shishan.

The case was clear and straightforward, the investigation was quickly completed, and a public verdict was delivered.

The evidence against the principal offender, Qin, for treason is irrefutable; his entire family must be executed!
All other accomplices were executed, their property was confiscated, and their families were sentenced to hard labor camps!
The execution ground was located in the western suburbs.

Yesterday's bustling arena is now only graced by the cold glint of the executioner's cleaver.

The Red Flag Battalion set up "observation platforms" at the north and south corners of the execution ground so that representatives of merchants in the city could watch the executions nearby. People from the city, young and old, came spontaneously, just like the scene of watching the game on that day.

The Qin family head and other key criminals had been stripped of their silk robes and dragged onto the execution platform, their bodies mangled and bloodied.

Suddenly, a wail erupted from the crowd as an elderly woman with white hair threw a clod of dirt onto the stage.

"Serves him right! If it weren't for this murderer, my son would never have gone bankrupt and drowned himself!"

In the instant blood splattered, a man suddenly collapsed in the crowd, a foul stench emanating from his groin. He was a wealthy man who was dissatisfied with the Red Flag Battalion's rule but had not been implicated in the case.

Huang Yanwen and other major defectors clenched their fists tightly, their faces even more respectful, but their throats kept bobbing.

Some people thought of the story of "Zheng Bo Ke Duan Yu Yan", realizing that Marshal Shi's tolerance was just bait on a hook; many more wealthy people discovered that the bright red uniforms of the Red Flag Battalion were not a festive color, but were soaked in the blood of terror.

The people, caught up in the fervor of revenge, resented that these once-powerful and domineering families had died too late and too few times. Every time the executioner's blade fell, they genuinely clapped and cheered!

Because there were too many high-ranking criminals to be executed, the execution process lasted for almost half an hour, and blood flowed down from the execution platform, soaking the yellow soil on the ground.

Zeng Xing, ordered to preside over the execution, seemed to see again the downfall of Wang Baiyin and other high-ranking members of the Red Army six months prior. He calmly swept past the cheering crowd, pointed to the still-warm bloodstains, and coldly said:

"Put them in cages!" The thirty-seven hideous heads were all put into wooden cages and hung at the six gates of Haozhou to deter the stubborn elements hiding in the city.

At the same time, a new code of conduct for the Red Flag Battalion also took root in people's hearts along with these severed heads:

Those who secretly collude with the Tartars shall have their entire families exterminated!
The first to report this was a traitor who committed eleven acts of treason!

Those who make false accusations shall be punished!

He punished the reactionary elements in the city with an iron fist, and the soldiers and civilians of Haozhou were pacified.

Two days later, an urgent report arrived in Haozhou that Deng Shunxing had adopted a scorched-earth policy and retreated to the south bank of the Bian River to resist the enemy, and the great battle was quietly approaching.

Some time ago, the generals had already discussed the possible movements of the Yuan army and the actions that the Red Flag Battalion needed to take during their lectures.

Therefore, upon receiving the urgent report, Shishan did not hold another large meeting to discuss the matter. Instead, he summoned five civil and military officials with titles who were still in the city: Pu Daoren, Li Wu, Fu Youde, Hu Dahai, and Gong Wu (whose title was Panshi Duwei) to inform them of the military situation in Hong County.

Li Wu had blind confidence in his third brother and was not afraid of the Yuan army's invasion. He was only worried that the Tartars would retreat if they saw the situation was unfavorable, so he spoke first:

"Hong County has been destroyed by Deng Shunxing. The Tartars have nowhere to settle. Will they retreat to Sizhou?"

Hu Dahai had already moved his entire clan out of Hong County, but it was, after all, the land where he was born and raised. The thought that after this battle, not only would the county town be destroyed, but most of the villages would likely be reduced to ashes filled him with a heavy heart. He said with a face full of resentment:
"The Tartars are ruthless. They came here to annihilate the Red Turban Army. Either we are defeated or they perish. There is no way they will withdraw their troops!"

Fu Youde had no relatives in Hong County. Without this constraint, he could think more calmly about tactical issues. He immediately thought of one possibility and said:
Is it possible that the Tartars will abandon Wuhe and attack Lingbi directly?

The distance from Hongxian to Lingbi is closer than that from Wuhe, so this possibility cannot be ruled out, Pu Daoren said with some concern:
"Should Xue Xian be able to hold out?"

Suzhou, Lingbi, and Hongxian are a unified territory. If the Yuan army captures Lingbi, they can bypass the Five Rivers, cross the Hui River to the south, and directly attack Haozhou.

Although Lingbi and Haozhou are not connected by official roads, which is not conducive to the transport of supplies for the army, Shenbao's southward march from Suining to capture Hongxian was the same operation. Hongxian has been destroyed, and it is not impossible for the Yuan army to turn around and attack the closer Lingbi.

"It's not a big problem."

Although the exact number of Yuan troops is still unknown, Shishan is not worried that Lingbi will be lost in the short term, saying:
“A month ago, I sent a letter to Xue Xian, informing him that the situation had changed and that the Tartars might launch a major invasion soon, and that he should be prepared.”

After Shishan captured Haozhou and established his Marshal's Office, formally becoming independent, he maintained limited contact with Xuzhou through Xue Xian, the intermediary.

Sesame Li's attitude was originally very bad, but in the end he could only helplessly accept the established reality. Recently, he felt the unprecedented pressure of the Yuan army pressing on the border. He sent people to bring some of the Red Flag Battalion soldiers' families and exchanged opinions with Shishan on the coordinated operation when the Yuan army invaded.

When Shishan sent a warning message to Deng Shunxing, he also sent a copy to Xue Xian at the same time.

However, Shishan wasn't particularly concerned about how the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou would respond, and continued:
"Furthermore, Deng Shunxing's strength has not been damaged. He has only retreated to the south bank of the Bian River. Even if the Yuan army captures Lingbi, the supply lines for more than 300 miles in front and behind will be unsecured. With an unstable rear, they will not dare to attack Suzhou or Haozhou. They will have to turn back to wipe out the troops in Hong County."

Park Do-in realized that his worries were a bit excessive, and laughed awkwardly:
"Wuhe only has two battalions, which is barely enough to defend the city. We're afraid that they won't be enough to reinforce Deng Shunxing. Should we send more troops?"

In the discussions of the past few days, everyone had reached a consensus: the Yuan court's large-scale invasion this time would certainly not be limited to just one army. Although the Yuan army's ultimate goal was to capture Xuzhou, it could not be ruled out that the Yuan army would adopt the tactic of first cutting off the wings before breaking through Xuzhou.

With the Yuan army having just made its first move, Park Dao-in naturally wouldn't consider committing his entire army to the attack, completely ignoring the option of engaging the Huai-Dong forces in a decisive battle right now.

"It's natural."

Although Hong County was handed over to Deng Shunxing for independent development, it was all for the purpose of achieving the political goal of expelling the barbarians and restoring the Han dynasty.

Deng Shunxing has already demonstrated his firm resolve to never bow to the Tartars and has entrusted the Red Flag Battalion with his escape route. Shishan must show sincerity and not let the people of Hongxian shed blood and tears.

"Today, we will send a thousand infantry and cavalry to reinforce Wuhe and cooperate with Deng Shunxing to hold back the Yuan army in Huaidong. After we have further investigated the enemy situation and determined the Yuan army's strategic intentions, we will then decide on the key direction of our troops in this battle."

"I will now devise a plan for sending troops."

Shishan's statement of "one thousand infantry and cavalry" was only a rough estimate, because the Red Flag Battalion was never able to exactly muster a thousand soldiers.

After the meeting, the Military Command finally came up with a troop deployment plan consisting of six battalions (commanded by Han Cheng), two cavalry battalions (commanded by Feng Guosheng), and five hundred supplementary soldiers, with a total force of more than 1,260 men. After arriving at Wuhe, they would be under the unified command of Sun Xun.

At the same time, a curfew was imposed in Haozhou City, and the entry and exit of people were strictly controlled during the day. Patrols of important streets and alleys were strengthened. Each battle camp began to gather personnel, replenish soldiers and armor, and organize battalion-level joint training for the supplementary troops. The war machine of the Red Flag Battalion was also in full swing.

A day later, Deng Shunxing sent someone to deliver the latest situation of the Hongxian battlefield: the total number of Huaidong troops was about 8,000, of which 3,000 were stationed east of the ruins of Hongxian, and most of them had crossed the Bian River and were sweeping through the fortified villages south of Hongxian.

Later that same day, Shao Rong from Dingyuan urgently reported that over 10,000 Yuan troops had invaded from the direction of Chuzhou and were about to besiege Dingyuan City, requesting reinforcements.

(End of this chapter)