Sweep Yuan

Chapter 242 Misty Jiangnan Shatters the Enemy's Courage

Jiangning, West City Wall.

A fine drizzle, like silk threads, quietly soaked the battlements and the soldiers' armor. On the towering gate tower of the stone city, torches flickered in the rain, illuminating the solemn and uneasy faces.

Upon hearing the news, the civil and military officials of Jiangning gathered on the city wall, whispering among themselves. The oppressive atmosphere, like the deep night, enveloped everyone's hearts.

With the help of two subordinates, Darughachi Danidas of the Jiqing Road Military and Civilian General Administration climbed the last step with slightly unsteady steps.

His advanced age, coupled with the shock of being awakened in the night, had caused fine beads of sweat to seep from his forehead, mingling with the cool rain. As soon as he reached the city wall, the flames shooting into the sky from the direction of the river to the west suddenly caught his eye, causing his pupils to contract sharply.

"Master."

The garrison commander hurriedly stepped forward to brief Danidas on the military situation, his voice filled with barely suppressed anxiety.

"Judging from the location, that should be where our army's naval camp is located."

In truth, he didn't need to say much. Danidas was very familiar with the terrain around Jiangning City and naturally knew that the area was the Jiajiang naval base. If the situation hadn't been so serious, why would he have been urgently awakened in the middle of the night and rushed over in the rain?

The Red Flag bandits had only just arrived at the city gates today. Before nightfall, some of our naval warships had just set out to defend the city when, at midnight, a raging fire broke out in the direction of the water fortress.

These clues rapidly connected in his mind, and an extremely ominous premonition, like a cold, venomous snake, seized his heart.

Seeing that Danidas's face was terribly gloomy, the garrison commander, fearing the wrath of the Darughachi, hurriedly tried to calm himself and reassured him:
"This humble general has some knowledge of naval warfare. Perhaps it is because our navy is currently engaged in fierce fighting with the enemy navy. In naval battles, we often use fire to burn the sails and cables of enemy ships, and sometimes we even send fire boats to ram enemy warships."

But his words lacked conviction, and his voice grew softer as he spoke.

Even if it were truly the navy bravely resisting the enemy, the battle should have taken place in an open area in the middle of the river, far from their own camp, rather than being trapped and burned by the enemy in their own water fortress. The scene before them looked exactly like the water fortress had already been attacked and fallen.

Danidas was, after all, a high-ranking official of the third rank appointed by the imperial court. Having been in officialdom for a long time, he was very composed. Even though he knew that the water fortress was probably in grave danger and that Jiangning City had lost a force that could hold back the rebel army, he did not hold a grudge against the loyal general in front of him.

His gaze slowly swept over the anxious-looking subordinates and generals around him, his tone surprisingly calm and composed:
"The rebel army has launched a large-scale invasion. I thank you all for your hard work these past few days. Although Bu Yanpingzhang has personally led the main force deep into Jiangbei to suppress the rebellion, our various prefectures and counties in Jiangzhe Province still have a considerable number of soldiers who are ready to fight. However, it will take some time to mobilize the army."

Danidas paused slightly, his piercing gaze sweeping over everyone, his voice rising a little, clearly penetrating the fine rain:

"Jiangning City is an important town in Jiangnan, and the imperial court will definitely not give it up! The city has ample food supplies, strong defenses, and a strategic location. Even if the rebel army has tens of thousands of troops, it will be difficult to launch a full-scale attack under such advantageous terrain."

The minor setbacks suffered by the troops outside the city have not damaged the city's defenses! As long as we are united and work together, we can hold our ground and await reinforcements! Once the provincial army arrives, we can launch a coordinated attack from within and without, and wipe out these barbarians in one fell swoop!

The key to defending a city lies in the morale and the hearts of the people. Jiangning is a fortified city with high walls and deep moats, making it exceptionally dangerous. As long as there is no shortage of food and fodder and the morale of the army does not collapse, even if the enemy has ten times the number of troops, they will not be able to easily conquer the city from the front.

As the highest-ranking official in the city, Danidas's will was the will of the entire city's soldiers and civilians. In this time of crisis, he could not waver or show weakness in the slightest.

Lord Darughachi remained calm in the face of danger and spoke so frankly with everyone, deeply moving the civil and military officials on the city wall. Their fear lessened, and they rallied their spirits, bowing respectfully to express their commitment.
"I will obey Your Majesty's orders!"

"We dare not fail to fight to the death with all our might!"

"We are willing to live and die with Jiangning!"

Seeing that the morale of the troops was still acceptable, Danidas felt somewhat relieved and nodded, saying:
"We must strengthen patrols tonight to prevent the enemy from launching a surprise attack amidst the chaos. It's getting late, and defending the city is not something that can be accomplished in a day. Everyone should take care of their health. Go back and rest early to get enough rest, because if the weather clears up tomorrow, there may be another fierce battle."

It's easy to comfort others, but difficult to calm one's own heart.

After descending the stone city gate and riding back to the governor's mansion, Danidas was wide awake. He dismissed his attendants and sat alone in his study, his brow furrowed as he faced the flickering candlelight.

If the navy is indeed annihilated in this battle, and the provincial army has been taken by Buyan Temur to Jiangbei to quell Xu Shouhui's rebellion, it will be unable to return to provide reinforcements in the short term. Expecting the province to mobilize enough troops to counterattack the rebels within one or two months is nothing short of wishful thinking.

In this situation, Danidas must do everything in his power to make the best use of every bit of strength in Jiangning City.

Outside Jiangning City, there is actually another large army at our disposal—the militia stationed at Fangshan, numbering over 20,000. If these troops could be transferred into the city, the dire situation of insufficient garrison strength would be immediately alleviated.

At that time, even if the Red Flag bandits launch a fierce attack day and night, Danidas will dare to wear them down.

But as soon as this thought arose, countless worries followed. Most of the militia were local villagers who were naturally brave enough to guard their own fields, houses, and ancestral halls, but could they really stand by and watch the Red Flag bandits destroy crops and ravage the countryside outside the city?

Moreover, more than 20,000 people is too large a number, and their military discipline is poor. If all of them are allowed into the city, they may overpower the city and become extremely difficult to manage.

The most critical issue is still the food problem.

As April approached, the food supply was tight, and the grain reserves in Jiangning City were not as plentiful as he had just claimed.

The existing 8,000 garrison, if they eat frugally, might be able to hold out for two or three months. If they were to ruthlessly plunder the food supplies of the city's residents, they could hold out for a little longer. But if they were to put all 20,000 mouths to feed into the city... the city would likely collapse on its own before reinforcements even arrived, due to running out of food.

Danidas was caught in a deep dilemma, weighing the pros and cons repeatedly in his mind, but still unable to make a decision.

The pattering rain outside the window only added to his melancholy. He paced back and forth in his study until the faint sound of the night watchman's drum reached him, at which point an overwhelming weariness washed over him, and he had no choice but to lie down on the couch fully clothed and drift off to sleep.

Time is the most ruthless thing; it never slows down because of anyone's anxiety or hesitation.

In the latter half of the night, the drizzle continued unabated, and even seemed to intensify. When the long and agonizing night finally passed, at dawn, the soldiers who came to relieve the city in the drizzle looked into the distance and saw that the fires and smoke pillars in the direction of the river had long been extinguished by the rain and the morning mist.

However, the terrifying rumors of the attack on the water fortress and the annihilation of the entire navy spread rapidly, like the cold morning wind, throughout every corner of the city walls, bringing silent panic.

Since the Red Flag bandits crossed the Yangtze River and invaded the south, bad news kept coming one after another, and the morale of the defending troops was like a leaky airbag, slowly collapsing. But no matter how low the morale was, no one dared to give up defending the city.

Who can guarantee that those supposedly ruthless Jiangbei bandits won't commit heinous acts of massacre and looting after breaching the city? Moreover, Jiangning City still possesses towering city walls and a wide moat, giving it a significant advantage in its defensive position. From the direction of Yuhuatai outside the city, the clanging sounds of siege equipment being forged in the enemy camp drifted faintly through the rain, muffled and rhythmic, like a death knell tolling on the hearts of the defenders.

Fortunately, there was no sign of the enemy mobilizing in large numbers. Perhaps it was because the siege equipment was not yet ready, or perhaps the drizzling weather was not conducive to a large-scale siege. In any case, it seemed that we could get through another day.

Just as the soldiers guarding the south city wall breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that today might be another day without any major incident, an unusual commotion and shouts suddenly came from the west city wall!
"Look! That...that's the enemy fleet?!"

Because the continuous curtain of fine rain obstructed visibility, the defenders on the city wall only noticed the massive fleet when it came very close.

On the Qinhuai River to the northwest, a nimble little boat pierced through the rain like a ghost, leading the way.

Then, five small warships lined up in a horizontal formation, breaking through the grayish-blue water and slowly coming into view of the terrified defenders. This was just the beginning! Soon after, more warships emerged from the misty rain.

A mixed formation of six... eleven... fourteen... a total of fifty small and medium-sized warships was approaching Jiangning City along the Qinhuai River at an almost arrogantly slow pace.

And that's not all!

About fifty paces behind the first massive fleet, another formation of fifty warships slowly emerged from the rain! As the second fleet gradually became clearer, the terrifying outline of a third fleet began to appear further behind!
The three fleets, like three giant water centipedes, lined up in a row along the Qinhuai River, slowly advancing towards Jiangning City.

The soldiers guarding the city wall were dumbfounded, their bodies turning ice-cold.

At this moment, even the most obtuse soldier finally understood—the Jiajiang navy was finished, utterly finished!
Otherwise, the Red Flag rebels' navy would never have dared to so brazenly and arrogantly sail into the Qinhuai River leading to the city walls to flaunt their power.

"Quick! Get the rocket ready!"

In the stunned silence, a commander of a thousand men guarding the city was the first to recover from his shock and shouted orders at the top of his lungs to burn the sails of the enemy ships as they approached.

But one of the centurions beside him looked troubled, timidly pointed to the sky, and whispered a reminder:
"Chief...Chief...It's still raining up there, and the brothers have put away their crossbows to protect them from the moisture. These...these fire arrows might be hard to ignite, and even if they were fired, they'd probably hit the wet hull and..."

Upon hearing this, Qianhu looked up at the sky, where dense raindrops pelted his face, leaving it feeling icy cold.

He looked again at the river. The bandits' boats had already lowered their masts to pass under the low stone bridge, leaving them bare and without sails! The hulls were also completely soaked by the rain, turning a dark color.

"Why--!"

The commander immediately deflated, his frustration and helplessness turning into a slap on the damp, cold wall, letting out a long, powerless sigh.

"Even God... is going to help these traitors?!"

Meanwhile, the surface of the Qinhuai River.

On the lead ship of the Red Flag Battalion fleet, naval commander Hua Gao was intently watching the water.

Suddenly, the probe at the bow of the boat, which was deep in the water, jolted violently and was knocked to one side by something.

Hua Gao immediately stepped forward, grabbed the rake handle, and probed back and forth a few times to feel the underwater obstacle. He then spat on the deck, cursing, and said:
"Bah! Those damned Tartars, they really did plant spies underwater! Luckily, the Commander-in-Chief is cautious and didn't send a large ship directly over!"

After confirming that there were indeed hidden obstacles underwater preventing large ships from passing, Hua Gao commanded the scouting rake to a position at the medium draft of a warship, and continued to carefully guide the entire fleet forward.

In fact, the five small boats following him were also tasked with exploring the waterways and avoiding obstacles.

—In these narrow waterways so close to the city walls, if warships run aground or collide with hidden stakes and come to a standstill, they will become easy targets for the defenders on the walls, which would have disastrous consequences. It is better to be slower than to be careless in the slightest in order to save time.

Fortunately, the Yuan army itself frequently used this waterway to transport supplies and troops, so they were not so depraved as to drive the hidden stakes so far that even medium-sized warships could not pass through.

During the voyage, some persistent defenders on the city walls fired a few arrows, but in the damp, rainy weather, the bowstrings were weak and the arrows were limp, making them ineffective at killing the soldiers on board, let alone destroying the warships.

The massive fleet eventually sailed down the Qinhuai River from north to south, before slowly turning east. The water was widest at the bend, and the south bank was far enough away from the city walls that it could effectively avoid the threat of most of the defenders' ranged weapons, at least in rainy weather.

One of the medium-sized warships slowly broke away from the formation and cautiously approached the south bank.

On the shore, two thousand elite soldiers of the Red Flag Battalion stood in formation, braving the cold drizzle. They were fully armored, their swords and spears standing ready. Although they were silent, a chilling aura permeated the damp air.

The warship had barely come to a stop when the gangplank was set up, and a burly general was the first to leap off—it was Zhang Desheng, the garrison commander of the First Naval Garrison. The moment his feet touched the ground, he began to loudly complain to Bian Yuanheng, who was approaching, his tone laced with undisguised smugness:
"Damn it, Feng Guosheng won all the good battles! We've been busy all night, just picking up the wrecked ships they left behind—these cannons are treasures, we can't bear to take them apart, you must cherish them!"

Bian Yuanheng was already being touted as a legendary figure by Liao Yongzhong for single-handedly seizing an enemy ship on the Hezhou waters. Later, due to his outstanding performance in river crossing training, he gained considerable connections within the navy.

He and Zhang Desheng were already familiar with each other, so he could easily tell that the other man was ostensibly complaining but actually boasting about his achievements. He immediately played along, saying:

"Brother Zhang, rest assured! The Marshal is personally overseeing things, how could we dare to use these cannons recklessly? By the way, how was the battle last night? Tell the brothers quickly, so everyone can share in the joy!"

Seeing this, Zhang Desheng became even more smug, wiping the water droplets from his beard. In any case, the detailed battle report had already been sent to Marshal Shi by fast horse and would soon be reported to all the senior generals in the army, so saying it now wouldn't be considered a leak.

"hey-hey."

He grinned, held up his thick fingers, and said:

"853 were killed in battle! But most of them were killed by Feng Guosheng during a night raid. If the Yuan dogs hadn't surrendered quickly and it hadn't started raining later, I doubt he could have finished them off. We captured 1,652 people. Our navy was busy running around, but we only got less than 20% of the credit."

In last night's battle, the navy's main target was the Yuan army's large and medium-sized warships. Feng Guosheng's troops were cavalry, so they had no use for the ships and could only vent their anger on the panicked and fleeing Yuan soldiers. But to be fair, if his troops had not succeeded in their attack, the navy would have had a hard time capturing so many warships.

"We captured eighty-seven warships of various sizes, but the credit... sigh, it has to go to Feng Guosheng for the lion's share! That guy really got lucky, he stole the credit again!"

(End of this chapter)