Sweep Yuan

Chapter 143 Aid to Dingyuan by Using the Enemy for Military Training
The Red Flag Battalion was already outnumbered and attacked on two fronts. Dividing its forces to defend was not an option; it needed to focus on a key counterattack direction.

After in-depth discussions with his generals, Shishan decided to first defeat the enemy besieging Dingyuan, and then turn back to repel the Huaidong salt workers who were invading Hongxian.

Of course, it wasn't because Feng Guosheng's surprise attack on the saltworkers resulted in victory, forcing the Yuan army in Huaidong to retreat to the north bank of the Bian River—a battle involving tens of thousands of men, with only a few hundred casualties, wouldn't be a major blow to either side; the real battle was yet to come.

Moreover, when the Red Flag Battalion broke camp and marched south, the latest battle report from Hong County had not yet been received.

There are three main reasons for choosing to attack the enemy at Dingyuan first:

Firstly, Dingyuan is closer to Haozhou, and the Yuan army has a large number of troops. While besieging Dingyuan, they can send some troops to harass Haozhou. Without defeating the Yuan army besieging Dingyuan first, the Red Flag Battalion cannot confidently send troops to Hongxian.

Secondly, Shao Rong had just led his troops to cause a great disturbance in Chuzhou, and the government troops, driven by anger, were very likely to prioritize destroying the settlements and fortresses within Dingyuan and the villages and communities in Haozhou.

The Red Flag Battalion has sufficient reinforcements and can withstand some battle losses. However, if the agricultural base within its territory is severely damaged, it will lose its foundation, lacking both able-bodied men and food supplies. Even if it repels the two Yuan armies, it will be difficult to expand on a large scale.

After that, they either had to take a desperate gamble and choose a direction to break through, or, as in history, they would stay in Haozhou City and wait for a turning point.

Thirdly, the Red Flag Battalion had occupied Wuhe County for a longer period, built a more complete defense system, and had the advantage of terrain. Han Cheng's troops had already arrived to provide support. Even if the allied forces could not defeat the Yuan army, they could more than protect themselves.

The only concern is that if Hongxian is destroyed, without the buffer in the north, the Yuan army can launch an attack from the east and north at any time, and the Wuhe region will never have peace again.

Fortunately, during the southward march of the army, news came back that Feng Guosheng had annihilated 800 elite Yuan troops in his first battle, forcing the main force of Huaidong to retreat. This reassured Shi Shan, who immediately sent a message to Wuhe, instructing Sun Xun to first defend the city and not to underestimate the enemy or advance rashly. He was to wait until the main force had dealt with the enemy in Dingyuan before returning to Wuhe.

Before the main army even reached Dingyuan County, Li Wu led his elite cavalry to meet them.

"Hahaha! Third Brother, the Tartar general is cowardly and has already retreated."

Shao Rong had previously reported that the number of Yuan troops was over ten thousand. It was no easy task for so many people to retreat right under the noses of the Xiaoji Camp.

Li Wu's words seemed nonsensical, which displeased Shi Shan, who then inquired:

"How many troops did the Tartars have? Why did they retreat? How far did they retreat?"

The Dingyuan Army had been sending out scouts frequently over the past two days, and had roughly ascertained the strength of the Yuan army. Only then could Li Wu feel at ease leaving the city to welcome the main force of the Red Flag Battalion.

"Not counting the militia, the Tartars number around seven thousand, of which about a thousand are cavalry. The commander is called Shen Chelibuhua. This guy was scared and retreated a full thirty miles after being charged by Guo Xing and me. I think this guy is not even as good as Dong Tuanxiao. It's a waste that he has so many cavalry in his hands!"

The Huai River system is complex and not suitable for large-scale cavalry deployments. A thousand or so cavalrymen stationed here already constitute a force to be reckoned with. Shishan, puzzled as to why the Tartars, with so many cavalrymen, did not use them, pressed for an answer:

Why are the Tartar cavalry holding back? Are they just letting you charge into battle?

Li Wu got excited when he mentioned this, and said with great enthusiasm:

"Hey, these Tartars were incredibly bold at first, thinking we wouldn't dare to come out of the city to fight back. The cavalry circled around the city once, then scattered to try and plunder. We took advantage of their unpreparedness, rushed out of the city, and killed dozens of them. They cowered in fear."

The army of seven thousand suffered dozens of casualties, which were at most minor injuries, yet the Yuan commander immediately ordered a retreat, which shows he was a coward.

Shi Shan chuckled to himself, realizing that he had always relied on building strongholds and fighting a war of attrition against the Yuan army, but he never expected to meet his match today.

He was not afraid of the Yuan army's fierce advance. As long as the enemy moved, he could always find a weak point. What annoyed him the most was this kind of cautious enemy with many troops who would often retreat to defend, making it impossible for him to find a way to attack.

After all, the Yuan court could still mobilize most of its national strength and afford to wait; the Red Flag Camp only had four cities, and with the weather getting warmer and spring planting about to begin, it could not continue to confront the Yuan army indefinitely.

"Let's go into the city first, then we'll talk."

Dingyuan.

"How many men can your unit spare for combat at most?"

Knowing that Shao Rong had expanded his forces after sweeping through Chuzhou, Shi Shan didn't stand on ceremony and brought up the issue as soon as they met.

The Dingyuan Army had not yet been incorporated into the Red Flag Battalion, and faced pressure from both Yangzhou Road and Luzhou Road. Unwilling to be trapped in an isolated city and passively take a beating, it was inevitable that they would expand their army. Shao Rong had nothing to be ashamed of and quickly reported a figure.

"Eighteen thousand! If I could train them for a while longer, I could field three thousand men."

After the Battle of Luqian River, the total strength of Dingyuan Army was only two thousand. During the rampage in Chuzhou, more than 1,100 local militia were recruited, bringing the total to only three thousand. It seems that Shao Rong is very determined. As long as Marshal Shi gives the order, Dingyuan Army is prepared to risk everything.

Shishan mobilized a total of seven first-class battalions: the Xiaoji Battalion, Zhenshuo Battalion, Bashan Battalion, Jiawu Battalion, Jiaqi Battalion, Jiaba Battalion, and Jiaowei Battalion, as well as three second-class battalions: Yiyi Battalion, Yisan Battalion, and Yiwu Battalion, with a total strength of over 4,800 men, plus 1,000 reinforcements. Including the Dingyuan Army, the total number of troops even exceeded that of the Yuan army, but the composition was complex, making coordination and command difficult.

"Since the Tartar general is cowardly and avoids battle, there is no need for us to stay in the city and passively defend. Tomorrow, my troops will go out of the city and see what kind of Tartars they are."

The next day, after breakfast, the east and south gates of Dingyuan were opened simultaneously. Li Wu and Guo Xing's cavalry rushed straight out of the city and annihilated the Yuan cavalry from Yangzhou Road who were patrolling there. Following closely behind, Shi Shan personally led his infantry out of the city to form ranks.

"Report! The enemy infantry and cavalry have left the city and seem to be heading towards our camp!"

Cheli Buhua drank a few too many cups of wine last night and still has a headache. Hearing the news, he was startled and all sleepiness vanished.

"Retreat! I cannot die! Cover my retreat!"

"grown ups!"

Seeing Chelibuhua's panic, Yuan general Aruhuige feared that his superior would immediately abandon the army and flee, and advised him:
"Even if you want to withdraw your troops, you should at least find out exactly how many enemy soldiers there are, right?"

Cheli Buhua, having not completely lost his composure, regained his composure and said:

"Yes, how many bandits are there?"

The scouts, having finally shaken off their pursuers, immediately returned to report the military situation. Little did they know how many Red Flag Battalion soldiers had left the city. They only glanced back a few times during the retreat and saw a continuous stream of Red Flag Battalion troops leaving the city, estimating that there were several thousand of them.

Seeing Chelibuhua's disheveled appearance, the scout knew he had said too much and might have scared away the magistrate. He cautiously said:
"Three or four thousand people."

Hearing that the rebel army was only half the size of his own, Cheli Buhua finally calmed down a bit. The government troops were already numerous and had fortified camps to defend, so there was indeed no need to fear this small rebel force. However, given the unusual circumstances, he was still somewhat uneasy and immediately said to Aruhuige:
"Take the cavalry and see what the enemy is up to by sending so few men out of the city."

Aruhui cursed himself for speaking out of turn, but dared not disobey Chelibuhua's orders. After receiving the order, he immediately mustered his cavalry, took the scouts who had brought the news earlier, and headed straight for Dingyuan City.

Perhaps the scouts' secret prayers worked, for the rebel army that left the city was indeed only about four thousand strong. Instead of heading towards the government army's camp, they set up six infantry formations and two cavalry formations three miles south of the city, and changed their formations in an orderly manner in response to the central army's flags and war drums.

After watching for a while, Aruhuige realized a shocking fact: the enemy was actually performing a battle formation under the watchful eyes of his thousands of cavalry!

Should we go forward and test the enemy's true fighting strength?

After hesitating for a long time, Aruhui still dared not go back to report—this matter was too unbelievable, and even Chelibuhua might not believe it if he told him.
Yesterday, Aruhuige underestimated the enemy and advanced recklessly, allowing the enemy to launch a surprise attack. Today, however, he dared not go forward himself, and instead summoned a bolder subordinate general, saying:
"Take three hundred men and take advantage of the chaos caused by the enemy's change of formation to rush over and scare them. See how strong the enemy is. Don't get too close and be careful not to get entangled by the enemy cavalry. I will cover you!"

"Yoho—yo!"

As the Eighth Battalion was turning around, three hundred Yuan cavalrymen roared straight toward them. Although they were still some distance away, some of the new recruits panicked, quickened their pace, and their formation instantly became chaotic. They were soon scolded by their respective officers.

"What's the panic!"

Chang Yuchun was furious upon seeing this. He roared and instinctively reached for his bow to rush forward and shoot the few ignorant Tartars. However, he remembered the marshal's order and quickly calmed his murderous intent, changing the order to a simple command that the flag bearer could give.

"Keep changing the formation!"

With bandit cavalry on both flanks, the Yuan cavalry dared not approach. They turned their horses around and headed straight for their own troops from far beyond the range of the infantry archers.

The rebel army was in high spirits, and the officers reacted quickly. The panic of a few new recruits did not affect their formation. Even if the Yuan army sent all its cavalry, they could not break through such a formation. There was no need to test them any further.

Aruhuige did not blame his subordinate for returning so quickly. He was also secretly alarmed—the bandit army had not deployed any cavalry on the flanks from beginning to end. They must have had great faith in the morale and training of their infantry!

The person was still hesitating whether to stay a little longer and see if there was a chance to find a flaw.

The Red Flag Battalion had already adjusted its formation. As the central army's war drums sounded, the army slowly began to move, actually marching towards the Yuan cavalry.

"A bunch of lunatics!"

Aruhuige still wanted to hold on, but the enemy cavalry on both flanks had already circled around to the left and right, clearly intending to encircle his troops. If he didn't leave now, he might not be able to escape today.

"withdraw!"

(End of this chapter)