Sweep Yuan

Chapter 262 A Man's Den and a Tiger's Lair, He Can Go Anywhere

The reason why clan issues persisted throughout the feudal era and were not perfectly resolved in later generations is that they were not only a natural extension of blood ties, but also the actual framework upon which most dynasties relied for grassroots governance.

The clan is united by blood ties and kinship, and forms a strong alliance with the outside world through village rules and common interests. Although it has its backward aspects, it also has its progressive significance.

When dealing with powerful and difficult-to-control clans, simply using external forces to suppress them will not only be ineffective, but will also make the clan more united and cause them to unite against external forces.

As long as the mode of production and cultural traditions of clans remain unchanged, and as long as the ruling power of feudal dynasties cannot penetrate every corner of the countryside, this higher form of family, the clan, cannot be completely eliminated.

Shishan was keenly aware of this and never dared to hope that he could completely resolve the clan issue in his lifetime.

His demands on Wang Bi and other frontline generals were pragmatic and clear: focus on cracking down on powerful clans that had real control over local areas and could threaten the Red Flag Battalion's rule, weaken their armed forces and influence, and ensure that government and military orders could be carried out smoothly.

As for deeper social reforms, that is a long process that requires more effort and skill after the war.

For a pure military general like Wang Bi, the most direct and satisfying way to carry out the marshal's instructions was to annihilate the clan's armed forces in one fell swoop through real battle, and then settle accounts with their reactionary upper echelons after the war.

He really wanted to fight this battle, to implement the marshal's will with victory, and at the same time to prove the might of the Mighty Guard with his military achievements.

If facing other cities with even a slight defensive system, even if the garrison consisted of local militia lacking armor and weapons, Wang Bi would not dare to be so arrogant. He would certainly make meticulous plans and thorough preparations to minimize casualties among his soldiers.

But the city walls of Danyang County before us are only 15 feet high, lacking even the most basic brick cladding, and are entirely bare rammed earth structures. Defensive features such as watchtowers, moats, parapets, and ramparts are utterly nonexistent.

With such rudimentary city defenses, even Qing Tong, the Grand Councilor of the Jiangzhe Province, deemed the place utterly worthless and decisively abandoned it. Only the Shi family of Zhenjiang, whose interests were entirely tied to the local area, had no choice but to reluctantly take on this mess.

Wang Bi had followed Marshal Shi since Haozhou, fighting all the way to Jiangnan. He had conquered countless fortified cities and strategic passes. How could he be stopped by such a small and dilapidated earthen fortress?
Therefore, as soon as he released Shi Liangzu and the other two back into the city, without even waiting for a clear answer, he immediately issued the order to attack the city.

The soldiers of the Mighty Guard also looked down on the dilapidated city defenses and the poor equipment of the garrison in Danyang County. Upon receiving the order, they immediately took action.

The atmosphere on the battlefield instantly tensed. Under the cover of heavy shields, the archers advanced rapidly. Once within effective range, they immediately drew their bows and unleashed a dense rain of arrows at the city walls, attempting to suppress any defenders who might peek out.

Armed with axes and sickles, the breaching team braved the falling arrows and stones as they rushed to the foot of the city wall, diligently clearing away the meager barricades and chevaux-de-frise.

Meanwhile, the siege warriors carrying makeshift ladders held their breath and lined up in front of the battle lines, waiting for the officer's order to charge into the city and be the first to scale the walls.

From atop the city wall, Shi Shun'an had a clear view of the Red Flag Battalion's movements below.

The highly efficient teamwork, the strict discipline, and the overwhelming aura of killing intent completely shattered the last shred of hope in his heart.

He was an extremely intelligent man, and now he understood even more clearly that Wang Bi had absolutely no interest in playing bargaining games with him—a strong man has no reason to waste words on an opponent he can easily crush!
An individual's life or death, a family's survival or annihilation, can be decided in a single thought.

Shi Shun'an quickly accepted the reality that the battle was doomed to be lost, his face turned ashen, and he let out a long sigh.

Unconditional surrender is humiliating, but at least it can save one's life and perhaps preserve some vitality for the clan.

If they put up a stubborn resistance, they might inflict some negligible casualties on the fierce army below the city, but the final outcome would inevitably be the fall of the city and the death of all its inhabitants. How would Wang Bi, in his rage, treat the entire Shi family then? He dared not imagine.

"Open the gates...surrender."

Shi Shun'an's voice was hoarse, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. This order had drained all his energy and spirit.

From Wang Bi's perspective, Shi Shun'an's final decision to "voluntarily" open the city gates and surrender undoubtedly saved him a lot of trouble and avoided unnecessary casualties among his soldiers.

Since the other side has already yielded, it is natural not to raise the sword again. Otherwise, it will not only provoke the Shi clan to fight to the death, but also make the clans and powerful families in various parts of northern Zhejiang who are still watching feel the same way and thus resolutely resist. This is obviously not conducive to the Red Flag Camp's subsequent rule strategy.

However, war is never the only way to solve problems. The real test lies in how to integrate and govern after military conquest.

The mighty army of the Weiwu Guard marched into Danyang County. Wang Bi immediately took control of Shi Shun'an and his son, as well as other core members of the commanding troops. At the same time, he ordered the disarmed members of the Shi family to be dispersed and separated for strict screening.

The Shi family of Zhenjiang had been tyrannical and powerful in the area for many years, but this had also led to deep-seated resentment among the lower classes.

Last year, Shi Shun'an brazenly ordered the massacre of three thousand surrendered rebels, both to vent his anger and to use terror to intimidate the lower-level clansmen and external rebels, in order to maintain the dominant position of the Shi clan and its main branch.

However, when the more powerful Red Flag Battalion intervened with overwhelming force, the seemingly solid fortress of the Shi family collapsed instantly. All the contradictions that had been suppressed in the past would surface, and naturally some people would stand up to denounce and expose the Shi family's atrocities.

As the commander of the Weiwu Guard, Wang Bi's main responsibility was to conquer cities and expand the territory for the marshal. It was impossible for him to spend his precious time and energy on such "detailed work" as governing Danyang County.

The day after taking control of Danyang County, he personally led his main force northward, his troops heading straight for Dantu County, a key town on the river defenses and the seat of Zhenjiang Road.

In Danyang County, Wang Bi left 3,000 soldiers to guard the area.

The myriad tasks, including further screening and handling of the Shi family's descendants, pacifying the local people, restoring market order, and initially establishing the Red Flag Battalion's governance system, were all handled by Wang Zongdao, the military advisor accompanying the army.

Wang Zongdao initially gained Marshal Shi's trust by secretly contacting local gentry to surrender the city as a pledge of allegiance in Liuan Prefecture. He also performed admirably when persuading the generals in Hefei to surrender the city. During his time working in the Military Command, his abilities were also recognized by Shi Shan.

This assignment to take charge independently is another important test for Wang Zongdao in Shishan.

If he can quickly stabilize the situation in Danyang County and properly handle the troublesome local powerful family of the Shi family in Zhenjiang, then after the establishment of "Zhenjiang Prefecture", the position of prefect is very likely to be his.
Conversely, if handled improperly, he might only be able to become the magistrate of Danyang County.

The difference between them was enormous, leaving Wang Zongdao no choice but to do everything in his power to complete the task.

While Wang Zongdao, who was just beginning to make a name for himself through his "diplomatic" skills, was restoring order in Danyang County and looking forward to his official career, a covert "diplomatic" battle was quietly unfolding hundreds of miles away in Huangyan Prefecture. This battle was about to profoundly affect the interests of northern Zhejiang and even the entire Jiangdong region.

Taizhou Road, Huangyan City.

Despite repeatedly surrendering and rebelling, Fang Guozhen not only refused to comply with the Yuan court's previous offer of amnesty but also went to Shexian (the seat of Huizhou Circuit) to serve as the "Chief Administrator of Huizhou Circuit".
Instead, taking advantage of the opportunity presented by Shi Shan leading the Red Flag Battalion across the river and launching a fierce attack on Jiqing Road, which left Qing Tong, the Pingzhang Zhengshi of Jiangzhe Province, to urgently mobilize troops from various places to protect Hangzhou, resulting in a vulnerable area, they once again raised troops and captured Huangyan City in one fell swoop.

This time, Fang Guozhen seems to have made the right bet again.

The Yuan court's reaction was unexpectedly "mild." Instead of immediately launching a military campaign, it sent envoys to Huangyan, tacitly approving Fang Guozhen's occupation of Huangyan, and even offered a very tempting new official position—"Captain of the Maritime Transport Bureau"!
Fang Guozhen had previously rebelled several times, and although the Yuan court, under pressure, offered him amnesty three times, granting him the positions of county magistrate of Dinghai County, commander of ten thousand households, and chief administrator of Huizhou Circuit respectively—positions of low rank—and their sole aim was to lure him away before ruthlessly annihilating his forces, Fang Guozhen had not fallen for their tricks. This time, the Yuan court's unusual initiative to offer him official positions had greatly tempted him.

The official position of "Ten Thousand Households of Grain Transport by Sea" was practically tailor-made for Fang Guozhen.

The Maritime Grain Transport Office was established in the nineteenth year of the Zhiyuan era (1282 AD). It was under the jurisdiction of the Maritime Transport Department of the Left Grain Office of the Central Secretariat of the Yuan Dynasty. Its office was located in Pingjiang Road, and it was responsible for the maritime grain transport from Taicang in Pingjiang Road to Haijin Town (later Tianjin) in Dadu Road.

The Yuan court originally had three maritime transport offices, each managing a section. Later, due to the "rebellion" of Zhu Qing and Zhang Xuan, the maritime transport offices were punished and killed, and were merged into one maritime transport office, with positions such as commander and deputy commander.

The official rank of the Director of the Water Transport Office was the third rank, which was much higher than that of Fang Guozhen, who had been recruited by the Yuan court before, and was the fifth rank, making him a proper high-ranking official of the Yuan court.

More importantly, this position did not require venturing deep into the interior, eliminating concerns about the Yuan court using him as a pawn to "discard him after he has served his purpose," perfectly aligning with Fang Guozhen's core need for personal safety.

Moreover, once Fang Guozhen had this official title, he could legitimately build and purchase warships, rapidly expanding his naval forces; he could also use the pretext of "being ordered to pacify the seas and ensure the safety of the sea transport" to integrate various coastal merchants and pirate forces.

With his methods and abilities, as long as he takes office as the Chief of the Maritime Transport Office, it won't be long before he can truly become the "Pirate King" who dominates the East China Sea.

With such generous terms, Fang Guozhen could not help but be tempted.

But nothing comes for free; the Yuan court, having invested so heavily, would inevitably demand a corresponding return.

As Shishan had predicted, the Yuan envoy made two requests:

First, Fang Guozhen needed to immediately organize a fleet to transport grain from the Jiangzhe Province northward to relieve the famine in Dadu.

Secondly, the Fang family must assist the Yuan army in Jiangsu and Zhejiang in suppressing the bandit Shi Shan's forces, who have already crossed the river and captured Jiqing Road.

The reasoning is simple: if Shishan is allowed to occupy northern Zhejiang, the Maritime Transport Commissioner's Office located on Pingjiang Road will be lost, the plan to transport grain from the south to the north will be completely interrupted, and Fang Guozhen's position as "Maritime Transport Commissioner" will no longer be necessary.

An unexpected windfall fell into his lap, but because the windfall was so great, it made the naturally suspicious Fang Guozhen hesitate and unable to make a decision. He could only summon his trusted confidants to discuss the matter.

At the meeting, all the civil and military officials agreed that the official position of "Commander of the Maritime Transport Bureau" was very important and should be accepted. However, they had a fierce disagreement on the specific strategies for fulfilling the Yuan court's requirements.

The strategist Zhang Zishan and Fang Mingshan, the eldest son of Fang Guozhen (son of Fang Guoxin, Fang Guozhen's elder brother), and others spoke passionately, advocating that Fang Guozhen should immediately lead his troops westward to join forces with the Yuan army by land and water, and take advantage of Shishan's unstable foothold in Jiangnan to wipe out his forces in one fell swoop.

Then, taking advantage of the situation, they seized strategic locations such as Pingjiang and Jiangning, achieving a crucial shift from "sea to land," establishing the prosperous Jiangdong region as the Fang family's base, and then plotting to conquer the Central Plains and dominate the world.

However, the opinions of strategist Qiu Nan and Fang Guozhen's second elder brother Fang Guozhang were more cautious.

They advised Fang Guozhen to avoid direct conflict with the rising power of Shishan, because the Yuan army in Jiangsu and Zhejiang was really useless and might not be able to withstand the Red Flag Battalion's offensive on the main battlefield. Once Fang's troops joined the battle, they would easily turn from "defense" to "attack" and get bogged down in a chaotic melee.

These people believed that at least they should wait until the Grand Councilor Buyan Temur led the main force of the Yuan army from Jiangzhe back from Jinghu and broke out in a major battle with the Red Flag Battalion before deciding on Fang's stance and timing of participation based on the situation of the major battle.

Qiu Nan accurately grasped Fang Guozhen's deepest concern—the Yangtze River waterway was not a battlefield familiar to Fang's navy, and the risk of clashing with Shishan, which had a powerful navy, there was extremely high.

As for the task of supervising the transport of grain and fodder northwards, which was requested by the Yuan court, everyone selectively ignored it.

If a deal could be quickly reached with the Yuan court at this point, and cargo ships could be immediately assembled to transport grain, there was indeed a small chance of completing part of the maritime transport mission. However, there was a high probability of encountering a typhoon upon returning to Jiangnan, and the entire fleet risked being destroyed if anything went wrong.

To prolong the life of the dying Yuan Dynasty, would he risk his own fleet, the very thing that sustained him and allowed him to dominate the coastal waters? When did Fang Guozhen, who had repeatedly surrendered and rebelled, become so "loyal and patriotic"?

Clearly, Zhang Zishan and others' suggestions were more ambitious and enterprising, in line with the expansion logic of warlords in chaotic times; while Qiu Nan and others' plan was more in line with Fang Guozhen's cautious and suspicious personality, who prioritized preserving his own strength.

Fang Guozhen had already made up his mind, but he was still struggling with how to respond to the Yuan envoy in a way that would allow him to fully accept all the benefits without being completely bound to the Yuan court. He wanted to hear more opinions from others.

His eldest son, Fang Li, who was only fifteen years old, suddenly barged in without being announced, his face showing a strange excitement, and said:

"Father! Two men have arrived outside the city, claiming to be envoys sent by Shi Shan of the Red Flag Battalion, and they request to see you!"

The situation was already complex and delicate enough, but Fang Guozhen didn't mind making it even more complicated. The muddier the water, the easier it was to fish. A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he immediately waved his hand, saying without hesitation:

"Bring them in!"

Starting from the first uprising in the eighth year of the Zhizheng era, Fang Guozhen had been rebelling for a full six years. However, his subordinates were mostly outlaws, pirates, and sailors. Although they were brave and good at fighting, they neglected the construction of a formal military and political system and their management was quite crude.

As a result, after Xia Yu and Gu Cheng, the envoys sent by Shishan, entered Huangyan City, they inadvertently learned that the Yuan court's envoys were also in the city.

Xia Yu was a scholar who had never entered officialdom and had not experienced many storms. Upon hearing such shocking news, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. The thought of facing both a notorious pirate leader and a cunning Yuan Dynasty official at the same time made him even more flustered.

Upon receiving the summons, Xia Yu was so nervous that he almost tripped over his own foot when he went to the government office to meet Fang Guozhen. Fortunately, Gu Cheng, who was traveling with him, caught him firmly.

Gu Cheng was a native of Jiangdu, the capital of Yangzhou. He was only twenty-three years old, highly skilled in martial arts, and quite knowledgeable. After Zhang Shicheng raised an army and declared himself king, he sensed that Zhang Shicheng would not amount to much and that Jiangdu would become a battlefield. So he resolutely crossed the Yangtze River to the south and joined the hero Shishan, whom he had long admired.

The Red Flag Battalion recruited soldiers differently from other righteous armies, so Gu Cheng naturally couldn't directly meet Shi Shan.

However, thanks to his special hometown background and outstanding personal abilities, he quickly caught Marshal Shi's eye and was personally received by Shi Shan, who then sent him to escort Xia Yu through enemy-occupied territory to Fang Guozhen.

Along the way, it was Gu Cheng's composure and alertness that allowed Xia Yu to repeatedly avoid risks and successfully enter Huangyan City.

Seeing Xia Yu so distraught, Gu Cheng worried that his state of mind might affect his mission, so he whispered a reminder when no one was looking:
"Xia Caoyuan! Calm your mind! Behind us are Marshal Shi and the Red Flag Battalion!"

……

P.S.: I've been too busy with work. Today was supposed to be a long, enjoyable chapter, but I didn't have enough time to finish writing it. Sigh!

A side note: All the characters appearing in this chapter, including Shi Shun'an, are based on historical figures.

(End of this chapter)