Sweep Yuan

Chapter 184 The Northern Barrier Takes a Sudden Turn for the Better
Xuzhou Road, Yongcheng County.

boom! boom! boom!
The dull thud of the battering rams, like the heartbeat of an ancient behemoth, repeatedly shook the war-torn north gate of Yongcheng. With each impact, dust and dirt fell from the city wall.

Each impact seemed to carry the stench of the defenders' dried blood and sweat, hitting Li Xixi's bloodshot eyes. He gripped the sun-baked battlements, his knuckles turning white from the force, his gaze fixed on the undulating, yellowish-brown tide outside the city.

The Yuan army is attacking again.

This time, it's a full-scale attack.

Without probing or feigning, countless figures carrying makeshift ladders and pushing battering rams covered in iron sheets silently and resolutely surged toward the city wall under the cover of sporadic arrows.

The shouts of killing were not intense; instead, they carried a numb, suppressed feeling of being driven away.

Li Xixi knew that, more than half a month after the fall of Xiayi County, this city occupied by the Red Turban Army was also about to fall.

He also knew that the main force attacking the city was not the Yuan court's elite scouts and soldiers, but rather laborers who had been forcibly conscripted to manage the river.

When the river fortifications were completed, they were given a sharpened wooden stick or a rusty iron knife and became the so-called "righteous army"—without military pay, their only hope was the "three days of unsheathed swords" celebration after the city fell.

"Commander! The pressure on the south and west gates has also increased sharply! The Tartars are going all out!"

Baihu Dadao Ao, panting heavily, ran up the city wall, half of his face blackened by smoke, his voice hoarse.

Li Xixi didn't turn around, but squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth:

"top!"

Li Xixi's gaze passed over the swarming enemy besieging the city and landed on the distant Yuan army's command flag. Under that flag, he could vaguely see the figures of officers clad in iron armor, which filled him with an indescribable sense of grief, indignation, and helplessness.

If Peng Erlang and Zhao Junyong were willing to leave behind five thousand...

Do not!
Even with three thousand soldiers, this battle would never have been fought so humiliatingly!

This thought, like a venomous snake, kept gnawing at his heart.

Li Xixi was not a coward. Since he raised an army in Xuzhou, he had fought dozens of battles, big and small, and he always led from the front.
With Yongcheng's relatively strong defenses, he was confident that he could hold out for another month or two as long as he had sufficient troops.

Even better, if we seize the opportunity, we could take a big bite out of the Yuan army, which is mainly composed of laborers, and defeat them!
But Peng and Zhao still withdrew.

The retreat was swift and clean, leaving only a thousand or so so-called "rear guards" for him and his comrades who were holding out in Xiayi.

When Xiayi fell, all the defending soldiers, from the commander down to the rank of commander, were killed in battle, their bodies never to be found. When the news reached Yongcheng, the city walls were eerily silent.

Now, the noose of fate has finally been placed around the necks of Li Xixi and the brothers behind him.

Can he understand the predicament of Peng Erlang and Zhao Junyong?

Perhaps I understand.

Last October, the allied forces of Peng and Zhao seized the opportunity to capture Xiayi, and their advance once reached Suiyang, the seat of Guide Prefecture.

However, the Yuan army reacted very quickly, and around the two strongholds of Xiayi and Yongcheng, they rapidly constructed five fortified cities: Chengfu, Bozhou, Suiyang, Yucheng, and Dangshan, forming an impenetrable defensive chain.

For more than half a year, Peng Dehuai and Zhao Ziyang's tens of thousands of troops have been stuck at the foot of the fortified city, unable to advance an inch.

The repeated attacks and setbacks were like a dull knife cutting flesh, wearing down the ambitions of the two commanders and exhausting the last bit of vitality within a hundred miles of Xiayi and Yongcheng.

The area inside and outside Yongcheng has become a ghost town.

Standing atop the city wall, the once prosperous Yongcheng is now a shocking sight.

Outside the city walls, newly added graves are densely packed, with old and new corpses dragged by wild dogs, and the white bones exposed to the scorching sun.

Within the city, nine out of ten houses were empty; most of the remaining buildings were nothing but ruins, with charred beams leaning precariously towards the gray sky. The air was thick with the cloying stench of rotting corpses, the acrid smell of ashes, and a profound, bone-chilling stillness.

Those who were lucky enough to survive either fled into the deep mountains and marshes with their families, or were repeatedly levied grain by the Red Turban Army or the Yuan Army until they were drained of their last grain of rice and starved to death by the roadside.

More often, they became expendable resources in the war—or were forcibly conscripted as "two-legged oxen" to transport provisions during the tug-of-war between the two armies, dying from exhaustion, starvation, or being killed on muddy roads.
Or become the "one-stick man" who is driven to the front during a siege and only has to use a stick to deplete the defenders' arrows and logs.
Even worse, when supplies ran out, they became "military reserves" that both sides tacitly agreed upon...

"For a thousand miles, not a rooster crows, and white bones are exposed in the wilderness." This was originally a tragic scene of many years of warring warlords at the end of the Han Dynasty, but it has already begun to play out in the land of Xuzhou in less than a year of war.

At its peak, the Peng-Zhao allied forces controlled five cities: Suzhou, Yongcheng, Xiayi, Lingbi, and Hongxian, with an army of over 40,000. Yongcheng and Xiayi, as frontline fortresses, were garrisoned with nearly 20,000 elite troops.

However, the endless war of attrition was like a giant millstone, grinding away at manpower, supplies, and morale bit by bit. Veterans died on the battlefield, and new recruits deserted incessantly. Even with forced conscription to replenish the ranks, it was difficult to maintain the skeleton of the once massive army.

Even more deadly is the food supply!

The cities of Xiayi and Yongcheng were like dried-up bones, long since devoured to the point of being "completely starving." Peng and Zhao had tens of thousands of mouths to feed, yet no rice to cook.

Continue the arduous task of transporting precious grain from Suzhou to the front lines?
Not to mention the losses suffered by the men and horses along the way, the relentless harassment and ambushes by small groups of Yuan cavalry alone were enough to push this exhausted army toward collapse even faster.

Contraction! Only contraction!
Retreating to Suzhou, where there is still a little food left, and tightening their belts, might allow them to survive for a while longer.

As for what happened after Suzhou ran out of food... Peng Erlang and Zhao Junyong probably didn't dare to think about it too deeply, or perhaps they already had other ideas.

The garrison troops of Yongcheng and Xiayi became the pawns destined to be sacrificed in this strategic retreat.

"Boom!!!"

A deafening roar, far more violent and devastating than any previous impact, accompanied by the sickening sound of wood tearing apart, suddenly blasted open from the direction of the north gate! The heavy city gate, under the relentless assault of the Yuan army's battering rams, finally burst open with a deafening crash!

"The city has fallen!"

"Charge in! Loot the money! Loot the food! Loot the women!"

The Yuan army outside the city erupted in a frenzied roar, interspersed with primal, bestial greed. The numb, yellowish-brown tide instantly transformed into a raging torrent, surging forth from the gaping city gate and pouring madly into the city.

Li Xixi's body swayed violently, her last shred of hope shattered. A fierce, resolute light flashed in her eyes as she roared:

"Retreat! Proceed according to plan! Set fire!"

"Set it on fire!" The hoarse roar of Da Dao Ao echoed through the city. Li Xixi knew that Yongcheng could not be defended and had long been prepared to breach the city. Once the order was given, it was quickly carried out.

Pile-ups of firewood and oil-soaked tinder were already piled up near key buildings in the county government offices, warehouses, and important streets and alleys, as well as at the corners of main streets, and were lit simultaneously by several torches!
“Whoosh—boom!”

Like a long-suppressed beast, the flames suddenly erupted from all directions, greedily licking the dry wood and cloth, spreading along a predetermined route. Thick smoke billowed into the sky, instantly pushing the chaos after the city's fall to its climax.

The flames were not only a means to create chaos and hinder the pursuers, but also Li Xixi's final signal to gather his troops!

Those Red Turban Army remnants who had fallen into fighting each other the moment the city gates fell and retreated hastily from the city walls looked up and saw the fire dragons rising from different parts of the city. A glimmer of hope rekindled in their eyes—it was a signal that their commander was still fighting and still guiding them!
Li Xixi, leading Da Dao Ao and dozens of his fiercest personal guards, slashed down from the chaotic city wall like a red-hot dagger.

They charged south of the city along a pre-planned route—a relatively secluded alleyway not blocked by the fire. They encountered scattered Yuan soldiers along the way, but paid them no heed, charging past them with a flash of their blades, leaving behind only corpses and deeper chaos.

"Commander Li is here!"

"Move towards the fire! Break out with the commander!"

As they ran, Da Dao Ao and the others roared at the top of their lungs.

Their voices, so faint amidst the shouts of battle, cries, and the crackling of flames, reached so clearly into the ears of the Red Turban Army soldiers fighting desperately amidst the ruins and in the alleyways.

The flames provided guidance, and the commander's shouts rang out like a lighthouse in the darkness.

The remnants of the Red Turban Army scattered throughout the city, as if they had found their backbone, broke free from their hiding places and the desperate pursuit, and rushed toward the rapidly moving column.

Some jumped from rooftops, some rushed out of burning houses, and some, covered in blood, helped each other up...

Seeing the overwhelming strength of this rebel army, which remained highly motivated even after breaching the city, the Yuan troops along the way all gave way.

They are no longer simple civilians, but "righteous soldiers" who have no pay. Their only motivation for fighting is to plunder money and women. Now that the city has fallen, the money and women are in the city. Only someone with a screw loose would try to stop these desperate rebels from escaping.

When Li Xixi led his troops to the relatively open southern city area, the group behind him had grown from the initial dozens to more than three hundred! Although they were all ragged and many were wounded, their eyes burned with a strong will to survive and trust in their commander.

The south gate had already been opened wide—this was not an oversight, but rather the Yuan army's tactic of "surrounding three sides while leaving one open."

They deliberately left a gap that seemed to offer a way out, undermining the defenders' will to fight to the death and making it easier to pursue and annihilate the fleeing soldiers in open battle.

Sure enough, there was only a small squad of about twenty or thirty Yuan cavalrymen outside the city, lazily scattered in the distance, more like a symbolic surveillance than an attempt to intercept the fleeing soldiers.

"Charge out!" Li Xixi didn't hesitate at all, pointing her long sword forward.

More than three hundred remnants of the Red Turban Army erupted in their final, desperate cry:

"Kill!!!"

The roars coalesced into a fierce and devastating force, like the final howl of a wounded wolf pack. They formed a loosely packed but unyielding formation, swords and spears raised, charging straight toward the open path of life.

The Yuan cavalry were taken aback by the sudden momentum of the charge. The squad leader spat and cursed, "Bad luck!" He then turned his horse around and led his men to make way.

They watched helplessly as this remnant army surged past them like a flood bursting its banks, disappearing into the dust and smoke of the wilderness heading south.

Leaving Yongcheng does not mean safety.

Behind them lay enemy troops who could pursue at any moment, and before them stretched the vast, unshielded Huaihe Plain. The summer sun beat down relentlessly on the earth, sending up sweltering waves of heat that distorted and swayed distant scenery.

Li Xixi knew the Yuan army's tricks well. They deliberately let his defeated troops out of the city, not out of kindness, but because they had taken advantage of the fact that the plains were conducive to cavalry pursuit and annihilation.

The reason for not pursuing them now is to let the fleeing soldiers exhaust themselves in their desperate escape and become scattered before releasing the cavalry to slaughter them, just like herding a tired flock of sheep.

"Keep formation! Don't scatter!" Li Xixi shouted sternly as she ran.

He ordered Da Dao Ao to lead several of his strongest soldiers as scouts, to explore and guard the area about two miles ahead of the main force. He also ordered several clever soldiers to cover the rear, keeping a close watch on any movements behind them.

He himself directed the troops from the center, constantly urging them to maintain a basic marching formation and not to run too fast, keeping their weapons at all times.

Heavy breathing, hurried footsteps, and suppressed groans of wounded soldiers were the only melody of this desperate army.

Sweat soaked through their tattered armor, mingling with blood and dust, clinging stickily to their bodies. Every breath was a searing, burning pain. Everyone knew that stopping meant death.

After running for about ten miles, a winding river embankment appeared ahead. It wasn't very high, but the vegetation below it was relatively lush, forming a natural barrier.

"stop!"

Li Xixi suddenly raised his hand, his voice hoarse yet carrying an undeniable force. He pointed to the riverbank on the east side and said:
“It’s 120 li from Yongcheng to Suzhou. The Tartars have plenty of troops and cavalry, so they definitely won’t let us escape so easily. If there’s no ambush along the way, they’ll let us run until we’re exhausted, and then send cavalry to chase us down. Let’s rest here for a while, figure out the situation, and then continue.”

Everyone, get to the inside of the dike! Drink water, eat dry rations, lie down and rest, and be quick!

As if granted a pardon, everyone rushed down the riverbank and collapsed on the relatively shady slope.

The dry rations that Li Xixi mentioned were a small amount of fried rice and bean cakes that he had saved by tightening his belt before the city fell, despite the objections of others. He divided them into small cloth bags so that each soldier could carry them with him.

At this moment, this coarse food became the only energy to sustain life.

The group wolfed down their food, swallowing it down with difficulty through the murky river water. Then, they lay down without a care, greedily breathing in the air filled with the scent of mud and grass, seizing every second to recover their strength.

The wounded soldiers received simple first aid from their comrades, and some couldn't help but groan in pain.

Li Xixi dared not rest. He lay prone on the top of the dike, only half his head showing, wearing a straw hat made of weeds, watching the direction of Yongcheng warily. Sweat slid down his angular face, dripping onto the dry soil and disappearing instantly.

His heart was pounding; he both hoped his judgment was wrong and secretly hoped for something.

……

P.S.: I've already finished writing and updating over 10,000 words today. Li Xixi (Fu Youde's former boss) appeared before this chapter was even released. The plot ends abruptly here, but I'm already dizzy and have shoulder pain from writing. I estimate I won't finish writing everything until tomorrow. That's all for today.

Since August, I've been updating daily with 8 words, and the readers' praise for "high quality and quantity" has been very helpful. I'll take a short break and then get back to writing!

(End of this chapter)