Sweep Yuan

Chapter 236 There are ways to win people's hearts

The city wall of Dangtu was only 27 feet high, which was even lower than the top deck of a large naval warship.

If the Yangtze River swells and floods the Caishi River when the enemy attacks, large ships can be sailed south of Dangtu City. Using the height of the ships, they can leap directly onto the city walls like boarding a ship, making it easy to break through the city.

Although, according to Li Xi's description, such a sudden surge in river water was extremely rare, Dangtu was an important gateway to Jiangning. As such a crucial city, Shishan could not tolerate such an obvious defensive vulnerability, even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance.

His gaze followed the Caishi River downstream, as he considered the layout of defensive fortifications.

Strengthening the city walls and upgrading the defense system are long-term solutions, but such a massive project cannot be completed overnight. It is already late March in the lunar calendar, and the flood season in Jiangnan is fast approaching. Continuous rainfall upstream could cause the river to swell at any moment.

Seeing Shi Shan deep in thought, Deng Youde, who was standing beside him, asked softly:

"Is the Marshal worried about the river overflowing its banks?"

Shi Shan nodded slightly and said:

"I don't want to wake up tomorrow morning to find Yuan Gou's warships already on the Caishi River."

His tone was solemn, and he then made a decisive statement:
"Order Commander Xu Da of the Navy to set up sunken ships and drive in hidden stakes at the confluence of the Caishi River and the Yangtze River tomorrow."

Deng Youde accepted the order, descended the city wall, and led his men away at breakneck speed.

Looking at the shimmering golden river in the distance, Shi Shan felt somewhat relieved—at least he didn't need to worry about it tonight.

The second batch of troops crossing the river has begun landing. In addition to the remaining soldiers of the Pengyue, Qingri, and Zhongyi Guards, more than a thousand cavalrymen from the Second Division of the Xiaoqi Guard led by Feng Guosheng have also arrived.

More than 20,000 troops gathered in Dangtu City. Even if the troops from Jiqing Road were all gathered here, Shishan was confident that he could defeat them.

The Jiangnan region has an even greater network of waterways than Huainan, with numerous rivers, forks, and lakes scattered throughout, which is inherently unfavorable for large-scale cavalry operations.

However, Shi Shan is well-versed in military strategy and possesses an elite cavalry force, which gives him many more tactical options. This is especially crucial in the upcoming battle to capture Jiangning and is something he cannot afford to overlook.

Almost simultaneously, on the Yangtze River near Xiaohuangzhou, six light fast boats with their sails fully unfurled were speeding back downstream. Sang Shijie, commander of the Second Naval Battalion, stood at the bow, his face somewhat displeased.

The commander of the Yuan navy was captured in the battle of Caoguzhou, but the main force was still intact. In the afternoon, four sentry boats were dispatched to monitor the Red Flag Battalion's movements.

Xu Da was worried that his army would be harassed during the landing, so he sent Zhang Desheng's First Division to drive away the enemy ships and scout out the movements of the Yuan navy.

As a result, the two sides engaged in a chase on the Yangtze River. The Yuan army's scout boats were already fast, and Sang Shijie, who was in pursuit, was worried that the enemy would use the tributary channels to hide large ships to ambush his team, so he dared not go too deep and could only watch helplessly as the enemy slipped away.

Sang Shijie, commander of the Second Naval Battalion, then transferred to a patrol boat and boarded the flagship of Pacification Commissioner Zhang Desheng. He then complained to Zhang Desheng:

"You damned Tartars, you never fight back, you just keep chasing me from afar. Don't let me catch you!"

Standing at the bow of the ship, Zhang Desheng glanced at the setting sun, which was gradually sinking in the west, turning the river surface into a golden-red hue. Another day was drawing to a close, and he calmly said:
"It's getting late, let's go."

Sang Shijie, still unwilling to give up, leaned closer to Zhang Desheng and said:

"Commander, why don't you talk to the Commander-in-Chief and say that we won't go back tonight, but will anchor in the Zhuma River. Tomorrow we'll definitely catch the Tartars off guard and destroy these Tartar ships!"

The Zhuma River, located within Wujiang County, is quite wide, enough to conceal large warships. Sang Shijie's suggestion was quite tempting, but Zhang Desheng only considered it briefly before shaking his head and rejecting it, saying:

"Catching a few sentry boats won't change the course of the battle; it's meaningless! Our navy's primary task right now is to escort the main force across the river. We can simply drive away the Yuan dogs' sentry boats when they come. If you want to make a name for yourself, there are plenty of battles to fight later."

Sang Shijie reluctantly accepted the order and left. Looking at the wide river in the distance, he couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

The navy rarely had the opportunity to operate independently. To gain military merit, one not only had to be brave and daring, but also had to seize opportunities.

However, what Commander Zhang said made a lot of sense. The navy's current priority was to ensure the army's crossing of the river. After the first batch of troops landed successfully, the remaining troops could be prepositioned at Hezhou, opposite Caishiji, which would save a lot of time for crossing the river.

The naval officers and soldiers have been operating ships continuously for the past few days, which is extremely mentally and physically exhausting. It is good to have a battle to fight, but it would certainly be better to wait until they are fully rested and ready to fight.

That night, Xu Da ordered the fleet to anchor in the water fortress on the Desheng River in Hezhou.

The moonlight, like water, spilled across the river. The warships lay quietly in the harbor, with only the occasional sound of patrolling soldiers' footsteps and waves lapping against the hulls. The soldiers were finally able to rest and recuperate, preparing for the next battle.

Meanwhile, in Dangtu City, just across the river, the stone mountains continued to rise.

Inside the General's Office, candlelight blazed brightly as Marshal Shi listened to reports from all sides on their work following the capture of the city that day.

The final decision on matters such as identifying former officials, pacifying the people, selecting prisoners, and adjusting city defenses all required his approval. Fortunately, the Red Flag Battalion had captured more than ten cities and already had mature experience and procedures for taking over cities. As long as the procedures were followed, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Although Shishan was wary of the gentry in Jiangnan, the gentry in Jiangnan were never a monolithic entity. Different regional factions, and even different clans and individuals in the same region, had different interests and demands.

But in a chaotic world, their most basic demand is a stable social order—which is precisely the strength of the Red Flag Battalion.

When the gentry of Dangtu witnessed firsthand the strict discipline of Shishan's army and the fact that the Red Flag Battalion soldiers committed no offenses after entering the city, they began to re-evaluate the army, recalling the various unbelievable rumors surrounding the Red Flag Battalion. Furthermore, the proclamation issued to reassure the people less than two hours after the city's fall further shattered many people's perceptions.

The proclamation not only declared the purpose of expelling the barbarians and punishing the guilty, and clarified the objective of crossing the river to capture Dangtu, but also listed in detail the various policies of the Red Flag Battalion, such as wartime control, tax exemption, addressing public grievances, and conscripting able-bodied men for paid labor.

The layman looks at the excitement and the insider looks at the doorway.

Those who have actually managed administrative affairs can see that the Red Flag Battalion is not just putting on a show, but is genuinely committed to and capable of effectively governing the city.

Taking the recruitment of able-bodied men for paid labor as an example, the Red Flag Battalion not only specified the daily remuneration for each person for tasks such as brick-making, city building, and dredging, but also stipulated the organizational form of the labor—it did not require the gentry of Dangtu to come forward, as the Red Flag Battalion had its own professional backbone (mainly wounded and retired veterans).

Do not underestimate the organizational power of this kind of collective labor.

People at the bottom of society cannot eat without working, so it is difficult for them to refuse the paid labor offered by the Red Flag Battalion. By organizing them and settling accounts daily, the Red Flag Battalion can quickly establish an image of "trustworthiness" in the hearts of the people.

This was far more efficient than simply opening granaries and distributing grain to bandits after capturing a city, and it was also easier to establish a stable popular support.

What the gentry of Dangtu didn't know was that Shishan had also brought three storytellers with him.

The people built the city and cleared the silt for the Red Flag Camp. They not only received daily cash and grain, but also listened to storytelling for free. Moreover, these were all new stories that the people of Jiangnan had never heard before (edutainment to promote the Red Flag Camp). Where else could they find such a good thing?

It is foreseeable that within a day at most, once the news spreads, the common people of Dangtu City will enthusiastically participate in the Red Flag Camp's major project.

Once the gentry relinquish their "power" to organize the labor of the people and become isolated from the lower classes for a long period of time, they will naturally lose their appeal and organizational power over the lower classes.

When that time comes, if Marshal Shi uses the pretext of clearing up wrongful convictions or settling old officials to also purge the gentry in the city, even if they want to rebel, it will be difficult for them to seduce enough ignorant and lowly people.

There is never a shortage of clever people in this world. Wang Guangyang only needed to hear a few words from Shi Shan to realize that the gentry of Jiangnan could not do without relying on Shi Shan, but Marshal Shi could do without relying on the gentry of Jiangnan. He then decisively acted as Shi Shan's "knife".

Most of the gentry in the city did not have the opportunity to directly face Shishan, but after hearing the Red Flag Battalion's proclamation to reassure the people, some of them quickly came to their senses.

— Shi Shan's rise from obscurity in the Jianghuai region and the establishment of such a vast empire in less than two years is not entirely due to luck; this young man truly possesses the ambition and ability to conquer the world.

With the Red Flag Battalion having just crossed the river, Marshal Shi needed people from Jiangnan to serve him. If not now, when?

Therefore, when Wang Guangyang sought out the gentry and elders in the city to discuss (trial) the matter of Jin Yi, the general manager of the Taiping Road of the puppet Yuan dynasty, what was originally expected to be a difficult task turned out to be met with a number of gentry who readily agreed.

These people also subtly expressed to Wang Guangyang (Shishan in the background) that they were willing to contribute more to Marshal Shi's anti-Yuan cause, either by donating money and grain, or by acting as a "middleman" for the Red Flag Battalion to connect with the laborers.

Since Shishan could tolerate the gentry from Jiangbei who were speculating on him, he naturally wouldn't refuse the "clever people" from Jiangnan. No matter who it was, as long as they were willing to accept the cooperation model centered on the Red Flag Battalion, he wouldn't hesitate to give them the opportunity to "share wealth and prosperity."

Therefore, the first night the Red Flag Battalion crossed the river was unusually harmonious in Dangtu City. Although the people still had doubts about this newly arrived army, they breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the army was disciplined.

The next morning, Shi Shan ordered Chang Yuchun and Feng Guosheng to lead their troops out of the city first and attack towards Jiangning Town (not Jiangning City) to secure forward positions for the main army's attack on Jiangning City.

Shishan himself remained in Dangtu City to await the arrival of reinforcements, and used this time to publicly discuss (try) Jin Yi and Naha Chu.

The public trial was presided over by Wang Guangyang. Shi Shan also gave face to the sensible gentry of Dangtu and did not escalate the matter further. There was plenty of time in the future. If anyone was not sensible, there were still wrongful cases in the city that needed to be cleared up.

In recent years, the Yuan Dynasty has been engulfed in war, and in order to prepare for war and quell the rebellions, it has relentlessly exploited the people under its rule.

Jin Yi and Nahachu had extorted a lot from the gentry in the city to build the city and support the army. They couldn't help but feel resentful, but they had always been afraid of the imperial court's power and the Red Flag Battalion's instability, so they dared not vent their anger.

Now that we know these two are doomed, and can use this opportunity to climb onto Marshal Shi's big ship, how can we let go of such a chance to beat a drowning dog?

There's no need to fabricate facts against one's conscience; simply stating the evil deeds committed by Jin Yi and Naha Chu would be enough to get them killed several times over.

As expected, the gentry and elders of Dangtu were "outraged" and quickly agreed on how to deal with the two men: Jin Yi would be hanged and Nahachu would be beheaded and his head displayed to the public!

The fact that a subordinate could be publicly judged and executed for disobeying a superior, and that high-ranking officials could be put to the test, was ultimately a challenge to the nerves of ordinary people.

Therefore, Shishan adopted a public deliberation approach, not allowing the two "criminals" to confront each other, but they could not be "absent" during the execution. Seeing Jin Yi still cursing as the noose was placed around his neck, while Nahachu calmly accepted his fate, some gentry who participated in the public deliberation (trial) were even trembling with fear.

Fortunately, Marshal Shi did not let these people live in fear for nothing. After the execution, Shi Shan immediately announced that there were still vacancies in the various departments of the Marshal's Mansion and the Moon-Holding Guard. Each family could recommend one son, and he would determine his specific destination based on his abilities.

These words naturally drew praise and admiration from the gentry present.

Even Li Xi, who was present at the public hearing, readily recommended a rather outstanding grandson to Shishan.

Amidst a harmonious atmosphere, the Red Flag Battalion's Bashanwei and a portion of the Weiwuwei successfully crossed the river and successively entered Dangtu City. The remaining Weiwuwei and Fujunwei are expected to arrive no later than this afternoon.

At that time, Shishan can then lead his troops eastward to launch a siege against Jiangning City.

(End of this chapter)