Sweep Yuan

Chapter 189 The Great Battle is About to Begin, the Enemy Goes Mad

East of Chuzhou, at Walianglei.

In the scorching heat of July, the intense sunlight mercilessly baked the earth, the air seemed to solidify, filled with an overwhelming, cloying stench of blood, sweat, and the succulent, rotting corpses.

On the rough brick walls of the fortress, newly added marks of knife and axe strokes intertwined with dried and blackened bloodstains, silently telling the story of the fierce battle that had just ended.

Guo Zixing leaned against the scorching hot battlements, panting heavily, each breath like the strain of a broken bellows. He was covered in blood, indistinguishable between his own and the enemy's, his heavy ring-pommel sword supporting his nearly exhausted body.

Sweat mixed with blood slid down his forehead, stinging the wound near his eye.

He was so exhausted he wanted to collapse immediately, but his nerves were like a taut bowstring, not daring to relax for a moment. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on the Huainan Yuan army slowly retreating below the fortress like the receding tide.

Beneath the fortress, the bodies of their fallen soldiers mingled with the corpses of the enemy, emitting a nauseating stench under the scorching sun. Guo Zixing knew that this had to be dealt with immediately, otherwise, if an epidemic broke out, this small fortress would become a death trap.

"God bless!"

Guo Zixing's voice was hoarse and cracked, like sandpaper being rubbed.

"Quickly! Take three squads out of the fort. Drag in any of the Yuan dogs' siege equipment that you can; destroy what you can't. The weather is too harsh; the corpses can't be left here long. Take our soldiers' remains back to the fort and bury them. As for the Yuan dogs' bodies..."

His voice turned cold as he pointed to the shimmering river not far away.
"Throw them all into the Chu River! Anyway, the Tartar camp is right downstream; let them try to retrieve them themselves!"

"Yes! I understand!" Zhang Tianyou replied readily.

He was one of the few "own men" under Guo Zixing, also covered in blood, but his spirits were clearly much higher than the exhausted Guo Zixing's. He quickly scanned the equally weary yet resolute faces on the city wall and roared:
"Team Three! Team Six! Team Seven! Anyone still breathing, come with me! Quick!"

Several months ago, Yuan general Chelibuhua fled without a fight. After the Red Flag Battalion easily captured Chuzhou, Marshal Shi ordered Guo Xing and Guo Zixing to lead their troops eastward, intending to launch a surprise attack on Liuhe County and further threaten Zhenzhou and Yangzhou.

However, the enemy defenders at Liuhe reacted quickly, regrouping their troops in time and dismantling the messy buildings outside the city, preventing the Red Flag Battalion from taking advantage of the chaos to attack the city. During their retreat, the two Guos also captured Waliang Fort, which was in a state of panic and consisted of only wooden fortifications.

Walanglei is situated north of the winding Chushui River and south of the undulating, densely forested Laoshan mountain range, making it a strategically important location.

To be precise, Walianlei belongs to Liuhe County. This place is about 100 li east of Chuzhou and only 30 li from Liuhe County.

The Red Flag Battalion, occupying Waliang Fortress, was like a gleaming dagger, poised to strike at the throat of Liuhe County, forcing the Huainan Province (the abbreviation for the Huainan and Jiangbei Provinces) to station heavy troops in Liuhe for an extended period, on guard day and night.

Initially, the Yuan army in Huainan was intimidated by the Red Flag Battalion's invincible reputation and only dared to send small groups of cavalry to harass them, but did not dare to launch a major attack. Guo Zixing seized this rare opportunity to catch his breath and commanded his soldiers and the accompanying civilians to cut down trees and quarry stones, working day and night.

He reinforced the walls by relying on the terrain of Laoshan Mountain, and diverted the Chu River to dig a moat about two zhang wide around the fortress, transforming what was originally just a simple wooden stockade as a temporary military post into a fortress with a strong brick, stone and earth structure.

Such a large commotion could not be ignored by the Liuhe garrison, and they repeatedly sent troops to harass and try to interrupt Guo Zixing's fortification project.

When the enemy was outnumbered, Guo Zixing personally donned armor and led his elite troops out of the fortified position to charge. When the enemy was stronger, he relied on the unfinished fortifications to maneuver against them. After several bloody battles, he withstood the pressure from the Yuan army and built this formidable fortress at the foot of Laoshan Mountain and on the banks of the Chu River!

The entire process took nearly two months, and his dedication and unwavering will were so remarkable that those familiar with his past would hardly recognize him.

But wasn't this change also forced upon us?

When he first raised his army, his core fighting force consisted of his own farmhands and servants. However, after being incorporated into Marshal Shi's army, they were scattered and reorganized. After repeated battles and replenishments, he no longer had many of his original troops.

Moreover, the provisions, supplies, and equipment were all calculated and allocated by the Marshal's Office, leaving the Marshal with no say in the matter.

More importantly, his only son, Guo Tianxu, was in the hostage camp.

Guo Zixing's life was completely in Marshal Shi's hands, so how could he dare to harbor even the slightest disloyalty?

Moreover, Walian Fortress was located on the front line, directly facing the heavy Yuan army in Huainan, making it extremely dangerous. Not wanting to lose his head or implicate his son, he had no choice but to put aside all his worries and focus all his attention on defense, daring not to be the slightest bit negligent or careless.

After the fortress was built, the Yuan army attempted several attacks, but all were thwarted by the strong fortifications and the tenacious resistance of the defenders. After paying a considerable price, the Yuan army in Huainan learned its lesson and remained quiet for several days, simply maintaining a stalemate.

However, the winds have suddenly shifted in the past few days. The Huainan army has suddenly become like it has been injected with chicken blood, frequently mobilizing its forces. In less than ten days, it has launched three fierce attacks on Walanglei, each one larger and more ferocious than the last.

From the initial probing by a hundred or so men to today's fierce attack by more than two thousand, although Guo Zixing and his troops repelled them all by relying on strong fortifications and advantageous terrain, the defending army also suffered considerable casualties and was exhausted.

Today's battle was even more brutal. If it weren't for the soldiers' bravery and the fortress's strategic importance, it would have almost fallen to the Yuan army.

"If you defend for a long time, you will lose..."

Guo Zixing watched Zhang Tianyou and the others busily cleaning up the battlefield below, and silently prayed to himself.

But he did not despair, because Marshal Shi had not forgotten them, these lone soldiers nailed to the front lines.

Just the day before yesterday, orders came from the rear: In view of Guo's troops' merit in holding the Waliang fortification and reinforcing the fortifications, and their success in repelling the enemy's attacks several times, elite troops were specially dispatched to relieve the troops, and the reinforcements would arrive no later than tomorrow.

This news was like a timely rain after a long drought, instantly boosting the morale of the exhausted defenders.

Since being incorporated into the Red Flag Battalion, Guo Zixing's attitude towards Shishan has quietly changed. His initial resentment and fear have gradually melted away under the impact of the Red Flag Battalion's repeated victories, replaced by a deepening sense of awe and submission.

We have no choice but to submit; our lives are in their hands. When you're under someone's roof, you have no choice but to bow your head.

Marshal Shi's control over the army far surpassed his own. Despite being on such a dangerous front line, he never considered abandoning the camp and fleeing—besides the fact that his family was being held hostage in Hefei and he dared not escape, the Red Flag Battalion's military system, which was completely different from other rebel armies, also made him unwilling to flee.

When soldiers were bravely wounded, they could immediately receive treatment from the army medics. Those who recovered and returned to their units received pensions and awards, and after being discharged, they were placed in veterans' societies. This greatly reduced the soldiers' fear of injury, and their reluctance to fight naturally diminished.

What's even more ingenious is the supplementary troop system. After the battalions were broken up and reorganized, the personal dependence between generals and soldiers was greatly weakened.

If the troops suffer losses, the rear can quickly replenish them with new recruits who have undergone basic training. Under the guidance of veterans, these recruits integrate very quickly and can soon form combat effectiveness. This means that generals no longer need to constantly calculate "preserving strength" when facing battle, as they did in the past.

In the Red Flag Battalion, as long as you dare to fight and don't wipe out your men, you can quickly get a replacement, and you might even be promoted for your merits.

This system forced even former "faction" leaders like Guo Zixing to focus their efforts on winning battles.

Just as Guo Zixing was deep in thought, Zhang Tianyou's excited shout came from below the wall:

"Hey! Brother-in-law! Look what we caught!"

Guo Zixing leaned out from behind the scorching wall and saw Zhang Tianyou pointing his knife at a Yuan prisoner with a smug look.

The man's face was covered in blood, his helmet was nowhere to be seen, his hair was disheveled, and his leather armor was tattered. He was desperately kowtowing to Zhang Tianyou and the Red Flag Battalion soldiers around him, pleading repeatedly.

Guo Zixing had some recollection of this man; he was a centurion. During the assault on the fortress, this man was the first to scale the wall, and Guo Zixing personally led his men to pounce on him and brought the centurion down.

This fellow was lucky; when he fell, he was cushioned by the Yuan soldiers on the siege ladder and was only knocked unconscious. By the time he woke up, the Huainan army had already retreated, and he was caught red-handed by Zhang Tianyou, who was cleaning up the battlefield.

"Bring him up!"

Guo Zixing's spirits lifted. The Huainan army's frenzied attacks during this period were strange, and he had been struggling to find out the reason, making it difficult to explain to his superiors. This centurion might be able to provide some useful information.

The prisoner was quickly dragged up the wall by two soldiers. He had already been terrified by the Red Flag Battalion soldiers, and when he saw Guo Zixing, who was covered in blood and had a cold, sharp gaze, he was even more frightened. Before Guo Zixing could speak or threaten him, he kowtowed repeatedly, tears streaming down his face, and confessed:
"General, spare me! General, spare me! I was forced into this situation!"

Guo Zixing looked down at them, his voice icy: "Your troops are no match for the fortified walls! Why do you keep coming to your deaths like mad dogs? Don't you want to live?"

The prisoner trembled all over and cried out in reply:

"I dare not lie to the general! Yes, it was forced upon us by the higher-ups! A new Grand Councilor has been appointed in Huainan. He said that the court is very dissatisfied with the war situation here, and the new Grand Councilor wants us to recapture Walianlei within a limited time. But, but all the brothers know how formidable the Red Flag Battalion is, who would want to come and die?"
Knowing his men were too afraid to go, Commander Huang had us draw lots. I was unlucky and got picked. I have elderly parents and young children to support; I dare not truly oppose the Red Flag Battalion! I was forced into this by my superiors; please, General, have mercy!

The Yuan army had a strict hierarchy, and a mere centurion's knowledge was limited; it was already quite remarkable that he could say all this.

However, Guo Zixing remained cautious and questioned him sternly about several details, such as who the new Pingzhang was, the specific troop deployment, and the follow-up plans. The man was either vague or knew nothing about the matter, and his fearful expression did not seem to be genuine.

Guo Zixing understood the situation and waved for his men to take him away and keep him under strict guard.

Before long, Zhang Tianyou and the others had basically finished cleaning up the battlefield.

Damaged siege equipment was burned in a concentrated manner, billowing thick smoke. The bodies of the fallen soldiers were carefully collected. The corpses of the Yuan soldiers were roughly thrown into the Chu River, drifting downstream towards the Yuan army camp.

The soldiers stripped the still-intact leather armor and helmets from the fallen Yuan soldiers, and gathered up the scattered swords, spears, and bows and arrows. Some loose copper coins, silver coins, and other personal belongings were also looted.

It was almost impossible to completely prevent the hoarding of spoils of war. The soldiers of the Red Flag Battalion also coveted the riches, but most of them dutifully handed over all the looted property to be registered and recorded by designated personnel. Only a very few, bold and hoping for the best, would secretly slip a small amount of money into their pockets.

The reason is simple: the "dogs" (military judges) dispatched by the Embroidered Uniform Guard to various camps have a better sense of smell than hunting dogs.

Each battalion is equipped with three military judges who supervise each other and rotate regularly, making it impossible to bribe them. They earn their promotions through strict military discipline and the detection of illegal activities!
Anyone found to be hoarding spoils of war will be punished severely, ranging from whipping and withholding pay to beheading! Their squad leader and battalion commander will also be implicated!
On the other hand, the Red Flag Battalion has initially established a sound system for the allocation of military pay, weapons, and uniforms, ensuring that soldiers receive their full pay and rations on time every month.

With the visible strict military law and stable military pay, the vast majority of people dare not gamble their lives and promising futures for a little bit of petty gain.

That night, the Yuan army camp was brightly lit, and the faint cries of wounded soldiers and the shouts of officers could be heard, but no attempt was made to launch a night attack on Walianlei. Just as the prisoners had said, the morale of the Huainan army was low; after today's crushing defeat, they were only thinking about licking their wounds and had neither the strength nor the will to fight again.

The defenders of Walian Village seized the time to repair the damaged city defenses, treat the wounded, and take turns resting, finally able to relax their tense nerves for a moment.

The next day, at the first light of dawn, a group of about ten Yuan scouts cautiously approached the outer perimeter of the Waliang Fortress. They could see from afar that the traces of yesterday's fierce battle had been cleared away, and there were signs of new repairs on the damaged crenellations. The garrison was patrolling back and forth on the city wall, with strict vigilance.

After observing for a moment, the scout leader decisively withdrew without even attempting to harass them.

At 3:45 AM, the sun had already begun to show its power, and the troop rotation troops, carrying the "King" character battalion flag, arrived at Walianlei by boat.

Guo Zixing received the news and personally greeted him at the West Gate. He recognized the commander who had come to replace him as Wang Bi, who had made great contributions in the battles of Luqian River and Chishui.

It seems that the unusually fierce attacks by the Huainan army in recent days have attracted the attention of Marshal Shi and Commander Fu, who is stationed in Chuzhou. Otherwise, they would not have sent a fierce general like Wang Bi to personally lead elite troops to guard this place!
"Commander Wang!" Guo Zixing clasped his hands in a salute, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible respect and a sense of relief after exhaustion.

"Commander Guo! You've worked hard!" Wang Bi returned the greeting, his voice booming, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, quickly scanning the fortifications and the state of the garrison, gaining a direct understanding of the fierce battle situation here.

Without much small talk, he immediately began the handover of defense responsibilities with Guo Zixing.

Food supplies, weapons, wounded rosters, prisoner information... each item was inventoried and handed over efficiently and meticulously.

After the handover was completed, Guo Zixing looked at the fresh troops brought by Wang Bi with fighting spirit in his eyes. The frustration that had been building up in his heart due to the days of hard fighting and his doubts about the movements of the Yuan army surged up again.

After hesitating for a moment, Guo Zixing decided to express his thoughts:

"Commander Wang, according to the confession of the captured Tartar centurion, the Huainan army recently appointed a new commander and launched a fierce attack on Walianlei under pressure from the Yuan court. However, the enemy's morale is extremely low, and they even have to draw lots to decide which troops to send out."

Yesterday's attacking enemy force numbered approximately 2,500. Our troops fought a desperate resistance, inflicting about 500 casualties on them; the remainder retreated to their camp. This morning, only a small scout team was sent to observe, and finding no opportunity, they withdrew.

Wang Bi listened attentively, astutely grasped the key point, and asked:

Is there a sand table inside the fortress?

Sand table creation was a mandatory course for officers of the Red Flag Battalion and above. Marshal Shi also strictly ordered that all garrison troops must, as soon as possible, combine maps and on-site surveys to create accurate sand tables of their garrisoned areas to facilitate command and tactical simulations.

"Yes!" Guo Zixing quickly replied.

Although he was not an expert in this field, he had two team leaders who were skilled at creating sand table models.

The sand table was constructed with wooden planks as its base and piled up with clay, dyed sawdust, and other materials. Although it was far less refined than later models, the orientation of mountains and rivers, the course of rivers, roads and bridges, the roof tiles and walls themselves, the location of the Yuan army camps, and even the outline of Liuhe County in the distance were all clearly discernible.

More importantly, the Red Flag Battalion already has a set of standardized identification rules: red flags represent their own side, blue flags or specific markings represent the enemy, and large and small flags represent the number of troops, making it easy to understand at a glance.

Wang Bi was clearly very familiar with this, and without needing Guo Zixing to explain further, he quickly scanned the features on the sand table. He had already looked at the map before he arrived and had a general idea in mind. After a moment's thought, he said:
"The Tartar camp is about five li from here?"

"Exactly!"

Guo Zixing nodded, inwardly praising Wang Bi's keen insight. He pointed to that area on the sand table and added:
"The Yuan army's camp was initially simple, but as they saw that our walls were becoming increasingly solid, they learned from them and continued to reinforce them. Now it has become a sturdy camp with earth and stone structures. Backed by the Chu River, with trenches and palisades on three sides, it is easy to defend and difficult to attack."

My brother had previously considered taking advantage of the situation to remove this thorn in our side, but their camp was fortified and heavily guarded, and we had never succeeded.

His words were both an introduction to the enemy's situation and a subtle reminder to Wang Bi: Don't underestimate the enemy; this is a tough nut to crack!
"Ah."

Wang Bi nodded solemnly. The sand table was ultimately just an aid; the real decision-making still required on-site investigation. He looked up at Guo Zixing and asked a crucial question.

"Has the Yuan army noticed our two units' troop rotation?"

Guo Zixing reviewed the defensive switch process and affirmed:

"There shouldn't be any. Walianglei is built along the contours of Laoshan Mountain, and this place is right on the inner side of the mountain bend. Commander Wang entered quietly through the west gate, making little noise. The scouts of the Huainan army are mainly distributed on the north and east sides, and even if some are hiding in the southern mountains and forests, it would be difficult to detect the specific movements at the west gate."

Furthermore, fleets had previously come to transport reinforcements and supplies, making it difficult for the Huainan army to detect any difference this time.

Wang Bi already knew what was going on. He solemnly clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Guo Zixing and said earnestly:

"Brother Guo, you have done a great service by holding Waliang! I am new here and should not trouble you further. However, the opportunity to fight is fleeting. Could you please ask Brother Guo and your troops to stay for one more day?"

He pointed to the Huainan military camp on the sand table, his voice carrying a sharp edge.

"Wang will immediately lead his men to infiltrate the vicinity of the enemy camp and carefully survey the terrain and enemy situation! If there is an opportunity..."

Wang Bi paused, then looked intently at Guo Zixing.

"Bi wants to take advantage of the enemy's recent defeat and their lack of awareness of our strength to launch a swift and decisive attack! At that time, we will need Brother Guo's strong support, and our two divisions will work together to defeat this villain! If we are fortunate enough to succeed, all the credit for the battle will be split equally between our two divisions! Brother Guo, what do you think?"

The Red Flag Battalion was at its zenith, and Guo Zixing, being immersed in its glory, inevitably developed a desire to achieve great things. His initiative in revealing enemy intelligence and the morale of the Yuan army to Wang Bi subconsciously revealed a motive of "benefiting" from the situation.
At this moment, seeing that Wang Bi was not only brave but also meticulous, calm, and collected, scouting the enemy's situation before devising a battle strategy, he felt reassured. Fighting alongside such a formidable general greatly increased their chances of victory. Moreover, Wang Bi's initiative to share the spoils of war showed his humility and sincerity.

Guo Zixing smiled with a touch of magnanimity and returned the greeting with clasped hands:

“Brother Wang, you flatter me! Defending our territory and resisting the enemy is my duty. If I can help you defeat the enemy and relieve the long-standing threat to Walianlei, I would be more than happy to do so. In that case, I will shamelessly accept your help. My soldiers will be at your command!”

"Hahaha! Good!"

(End of this chapter)