Sweep Yuan

Chapter 269 Divine Soldiers Descend from the Sky, Jiangyin Falls

In order to persuade the Yangzhou garrison to surrender, Zhao Lian did not actually tell Qin Congde the truth—Zhenjiang Road had not yet been captured by the Red Flag Battalion, and at least its seat, Dantu County, was still under the control of the Yuan army.

However, it is a fact that the Red Flag Battalion's Yangtze River naval forces had already surrounded Dantu City in coordination with the Mighty Guard Army. The Yuan army in the Jiangzhe Province was in dire need of its own defense, let alone able to travel north along the Grand Canal to support Yangzhou.

From this perspective, Zhao Lian did not deceive Qin Congde, but rather made a tactical statement based on an inevitable outcome.

At this time, Dantu City was like a small boat tossed about in a storm. The defending army, numbering less than five thousand, was already exhausted in the face of Wang Bi's increasingly fierce offensive, and its fall was only a matter of time.

In order to completely eliminate the local powerful clan, the Shi family of Zhenjiang, before the fall of Dantu City, and to use this as a stepping stone to obtain the position of "Prefect of Zhenjiang", Wang Zongdao, the military advisor of the Military Command, went to great lengths.

He first reviewed all the files related to Shi's illegal activities, and then interviewed some local people. After fully understanding the facts, he implemented a series of measures.

Wang Zongdao vigorously promoted the favorable policies of the Red Flag Camp to encourage land reclamation to the impoverished and ragged Shi family's lower-class militia.

"Marshal Shi is compassionate towards the people and has already designated a large area of ​​unclaimed wasteland north of the river. As long as you are willing to go there, each man will be given thirty mu of land. From now on, you will be cultivating your own land and harvesting your own grain. You will no longer have to be subservient to others or be exploited! You will also be exempt from taxes for three years for land reclamation."

For key figures like Shi Shun'an, who were being held in solitary confinement, the focus was on the massacre of 3,000 surrendered rebel soldiers the previous year, which served as a direct attack on their morale.

"Someone must be held accountable for the massacre of the surrendered soldiers of the rebel army. Hand over the mastermind behind this, and the rest may be spared. If they remain obstinate, they will be regarded as the entire clan resisting, and the consequences... I'm sure you all understand."

Because the questioning was conducted separately, no one knew who would succumb to the pressure and implicate others. Once the seeds of suspicion were sown, cracks appeared instantly within the once-unified clan.

As for the weaker branches of the Shi family, Wang Zongdao adopted a strategy of divide and conquer. He promised them that as long as they behaved themselves and cooperated with the investigation, the Red Flag Battalion would "uphold justice" and they would receive a larger share in the future distribution of clan property.

The struggle between the main branch and its sub-branches has always been brutal, and the larger the clan, the more intense the conflict. Wang Zongdao's actions merely drove a deeper wedge into the already weakened Shi clan.

Shi Shun'an was, after all, a wise man who had weathered many storms. Seeing Wang Zongdao pressing closer and closer, he realized that the other party had murderous intent. If he resisted, not only would he lose the clan's century-old foundation, but he would also lose the lives of his entire family.

Faced with harsh reality, he had no choice but to bow his head.

Shi Shun'an then sought an audience with Wang Zongdao, offering to lead the main branch of the Shi clan to reclaim wasteland north of the Yangtze River in exchange for the Red Flag Camp ceasing its pursuit of the Shi clan's massacre of the rebel army and ensuring the survival of its members.

Shi surrendered before the battle and did not have a direct conflict with the Red Flag Battalion, so there was no real blood feud between the two sides.

Wang Zongdao had already achieved his goal of establishing his authority through a warning. However, considering the need to stabilize the hearts of the local gentry in order to better govern Zhenjiang in the future, it was not advisable to go too far in this matter.

In the document he submitted to Ishiyama, he elaborated on his suggestions in detail:

Following the old practice of reorganizing surrendered soldiers, the Shi clan's issues and their private army were dealt with as a package. The head of the clan and the lower-ranking local militia who volunteered to go to Jiangbei, along with their families, were sent to Jiangbei and resettled in various places.

As for the branch that remained in Zhenjiang, they were allowed to fight over the real estate, shops and other assets left by the main branch (the core industries such as farmland and mines were taken over by the Red Flag Camp under the pretext of exchanging them for the Shi family's needs to settle in Jiangbei), in order to completely divide and disintegrate the Shi family and make it impossible for them to become a whole again.

At the end of the report, Wang Zongdao also attached a list of "Shi Family Talents", which detailed six people, including Shi Qian, the headmaster of Yingxue Academy in Zhenjiang. The report not only recorded their knowledge and expertise, but also investigated their character, personality, and reputation in their hometown.

This move was both to appease the Shi family of Zhenjiang who were "unjustly punished" and to recruit local elites to consolidate the Red Flag Battalion's foundation in Zhenjiang.

Being part of the rising political force of the Red Flag Camp and having been influenced by Shi Shan for a long time, Wang Zongdao made rapid progress.

His combination of tactics in dealing with the Shi family in Zhenjiang, employing both soft and hard approaches to divide and weaken them, demonstrated both skill and leeway, showcasing the potential of a mature political official.

Shi Shan was quite satisfied with Wang Zongdao's performance. After seeing Hu Weiyong off, he dipped his brush in ink and wrote a note approving all of Hu's suggestions. He also circled Shi Qian's name and wrote "Approved, appointed as instructor of Jintan County" (Jintan was a county under the jurisdiction of Zhenjiang Road).

Immediately, the Records Office promptly forwarded the document to the Household Department and the Military Command for execution.

As the Red Flag Battalion has grown to its current size, it has a large volume of military and political documents to process every day. As the leader of this force, Shi Shan often needs to be on the front lines, so he must have an efficient and reliable document processing team by his side.

Initially, he only assigned two clerks to accompany the army to handle daily paperwork.

When Sun Yan from Jurong County came to serve, Shi Shan observed that he was pragmatic and had excellent writing skills. He wanted to cultivate him, so he formally established a secretariat and appointed Sun Yan as the secretariat officer, in charge of all documents and confidential matters. This greatly improved the operational efficiency of the Marshal's Office.

Besides Wang Zongdao's report, the Military Command also had another urgent document awaiting Shishan's approval—a plan to establish the Bashan Right Guard.

After Shi Shan led the main force of the Red Flag Battalion across the river, except for the Jiangbei General Administration of Li Wu's troops, which adopted a defensive posture to ensure the safety of the army's rear, all other units were actively expanding their territory.

Among them, Hu Dahai's Bashan Left Guard, after stabilizing Liyang, quickly advanced eastward to Changzhou Road, with its troops aimed directly at Yixing Prefecture, in order to cover Chang Yuchun's main force of Qingri Left Guard in their campaign to capture the capital of Changzhou Road (which included the two counties of Jinling and Wujin).

On the western front, after completing the reorganization and training of his troops, General Mao Gui demonstrated outstanding command ability, successively capturing Wuhu and Fanchang counties, and taking control of the entire Taiping Road in one fell swoop.

However, his forces were limited, and while he was consolidating the Taiping Road defense line, he was no longer able to advance south to attack Ningguo Road.

With opportunities to fight difficult to find, Mao Gui wrote to Shishan, requesting reinforcements to the western front.

Previously, due to the case of Zhu Chongba's "private recruitment of soldiers", the Embroidered Uniform Guard conducted a thorough investigation throughout the army and found that similar problems existed to varying degrees in all departments, especially in the Fujun Guard.

Shi Shan then transferred the main force of the Fujun Guard to Jiangning for reorganization nearby.

Including the Moon-Holding Guard, the Right Guard of the Sun-Supporting Army (Bian Yuanheng's East China Sea Navy is still in the planning stage and cannot be counted as combat power for the time being), and various directly subordinate scattered camps, the number of soldiers gathered in Jiangning City at this moment is close to 40,000.

In the short term, Shishan is not actually without troops to deploy.

However, the Red Flag Battalion's current strategic focus is on the area east of Yingtianfu, so it is not advisable to change this strategy arbitrarily or rashly deploy too many troops on the western front.

At the same time, we must be wary of the Yuan army's potential eastward retaliation against the Red Flag Battalion after the Jinghu campaign ends.

Shishan must always keep enough reserves on hand to deal with unforeseen circumstances.

Of course, this does not mean that all these people should stay in Jiangning City and not go anywhere, but rather that they should be able to provide strong support in all directions before they can no longer withstand the Yuan army's counterattack.

Shishan's solution was to grant Mao Gui the authority to form the Right Guard of Bashan.

Firstly, it could strengthen the military forces on the western front, and secondly, it would be a good opportunity to absorb the increasing number of reorganized prisoners of war.

Mao Gui was discovered and given important responsibilities by Shi Shan during the Battle of Xuzhou. He was then taken under his wing and carefully trained. During this time, he repeatedly made meritorious contributions and proved to be loyal, brave and reliable.

However, based solely on Mao Gui's existing military achievements, directly promoting him to the position of Commander-in-Chief would actually be somewhat insufficient.

Ishiyama's move was largely driven by political considerations.

In the future, if the entire Xuzhou Red Turban Army system is to be thoroughly digested and reorganized, it is clearly not enough to just give Li Xixi the title of Right Guard of the Sun. At least another guard-level organization needs to be established for the Xuzhou Red Turban Army.

As the former leader of the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou, it is not advisable to let Sesame Li directly command troops again; Shishan cannot trust Peng Erlang's abilities and loyalty; Xue Xianyong is brave, but his character flaws are too obvious, making him unsuitable as a commander.

After careful consideration, Mao Gui, who is calm, adept at learning and summarizing, and a man of both literary and martial talents, is the most suitable candidate with great potential.

In addition to military adjustments, Shishan also made political arrangements for the western front.

He ordered that Taiping Road be renamed Taiping Prefecture, and appointed Li Xi, a respected and virtuous scholar from Dangtu, as its prefect. At the same time, he promoted Wang Guangyang, the former magistrate of Dangtu County with outstanding political achievements, to the position of assistant prefect of Taiping Prefecture. Prefect Li was already 82 years old and not suitable to handle specific affairs, so the daily administration of Taiping Prefecture was actually handled by Wang Guangyang.

Li Xi enjoyed a high reputation among the scholars of Jiangnan, and using him to enhance their prestige would effectively appease the local people. Promoting Wang Guangyang would be a clear affirmation of his ability and loyalty.

This is the norm during the conquest phase, where opportunities and risks coexist.

As long as you follow the right wise ruler and possess both loyalty and ability, your path to promotion will be smooth.

Of course, the risks that come with it are also extraordinary.

Taiping Prefecture is located at the western gateway of Yingtian Prefecture and faces Luzhou Road across the river in Jiangbei, making its strategic position extremely important.

Once the main force of the Yuan army in Jiangnan has dealt with the Xu Song regime, it will move eastward down the Yangtze River, and Taiping Prefecture will be the first target of its attack.

At that time, Mao Gui and Wang Guangyang, one a scholar and the other a warrior, would have to rely on their limited forces to independently resist the powerful enemy and at least hold out until the Shishan faction's reinforcements arrived.

In comparison, although the pressure of advancing on the eastern front was greater, the troop strength was much more abundant.

The seat of government of Zhenjiang Road was Dantu County, Nanshuiguan.

The massive gate had been violently smashed open, a horrifying hole torn in the twisted and deformed door panel. Inside, on the murky water, shattered planks and corpses that hadn't been cleared away floated, and the air was thick with the mixed smell of gunpowder and blood.

The shouts of battle in the distance had gradually subsided, with only sporadic fighting still taking place in the corners.

After the war, Sang Shijie, the garrison commander of the Fourth Division of the Yangtze River Navy (to distinguish it from the East China Sea Navy which was under construction, the original Chaohu Navy was officially renamed this name), stepped ashore through the still-wet bloodstains and found Wang Bi, the commander of the Weiwu Guard, who was directing the cleanup of the battlefield.

"General Wang, this battle was damn hard!"

Sang Shijie wiped the mud splattered on his face, his voice tinged with exhaustion but also with the excitement of victory.

The battle had just ended, and he rushed to find Wang Bi, not for idle chatter, but to get straight to the point and put forward his thoughts.

"Now that both the north and south water passes have been captured, the garrison of Dantu is trapped like a turtle in a jar. Our naval brothers are doing their best on the water, but they probably won't be of much help in attacking the fortified city on land."

I'm thinking of leaving ten sentry boats here to monitor the river, just in case. As for the remaining warships, I need to take them to Jiangyin as soon as possible to rendezvous with General Xu. What do you think?"

The initial plan of the Military Command for the eastward advance was to have the Weiwu Guard take the lead, capture Dantu County to open up the Grand Canal route, and then join forces with the Qingri Guard to advance by land and water along the Grand Canal and the Yangtze River to attack Changzhou Road and Jiangyin Prefecture.

However, plans can't keep up with changes. When Chang Yuchun's Qingri Left Guard finished its rest and arrived at Danyang County, Wang Bi failed to break through the city as scheduled due to a combination of factors, including the continuous plum rains and the strong defenses and stubborn resistance of the Dantu city.

As an important town for river defense, Dantu had a city circumference of twelve li and a wall height of 26 feet. In addition, there were two water gates set up on the north and south sections of the Grand Canal outside the city, which, together with the main city of Dantu, formed a complete defense system.

This complex terrain greatly limited the deployment of the Weiwu Guard forces. Even with the addition of Chang Yuchun's troops, the attack intensity could not be significantly increased on such a narrow combat surface.

The situation on the battlefield was constantly changing, and no one knew when the main force of the Yuan army in Jinghu would defeat the Xu Song regime and then be able to attack the Red Flag Camp.

Unwilling to waste time siegeling Dantu, Chang Yuchun, after learning of Wang Bi's progress in the siege, promptly requested instructions from Shishan and decisively decided to divide his forces for the next attack:
He dispatched his fierce general Liu Ju with a detachment of 3,000 men to Dantu County to transfer to warships of the Yangtze River Navy and sail downstream, heading straight for Jiangyin Prefecture; while he himself led the main force of the Qingri Left Guard eastward to Changzhou Road.

This troop splitting plan actually changed the original plan of advancing in tandem with the three guards (including the Yangtze River Navy) to a two-guard attack from the east, consisting of the Qingri Guard and the Yangtze River Navy.

However, this was not a military adventure made on a whim by Chang Yuchun, but rather based on an accurate assessment of the weakness of the Yuan army along the route.

After receiving Chang Yuchun's report, Shi Shan, considering that the forces in the Jiangning direction were sufficient to deal with any possible unforeseen events in this battle, approved this more flexible new plan.

The eastward advance campaign was originally intended to be spearheaded and led by the Weiwu Guard, but now, due to the slow progress, it has objectively dragged down the overall situation. Despite objective reasons such as weather and city defense, Wang Bi still felt embarrassed.

Therefore, when Sang Shijie proposed dividing the troops after capturing the water gate, although he was unwilling, he could not force him to stay and could only readily agree:

"Brother Sang is right! The conquest of the water gate was all thanks to the great assistance of our naval brothers! Now that the water gate has fallen, Dantu, an isolated city, is doomed. Rest assured, within two days at most, our Mighty Guard will surely break through this city!"

Please convey to General Xu, Brother Sang, that there is no need to worry about matters in the rear; Wang Bi will absolutely not hold the army back!

In order to strengthen the offensive, after the Qingri Left Guard entered the territory of Changzhou Road, Wang Bi had transferred 2,000 of the 4,000 troops stationed in Danyang County to the city of Dantu. At this time, the total force besieging Dantu was nearly 10,000.

Even if the city cannot be captured immediately, the defending troops will have no ability to break out of the city and threaten the rear of the Yangtze River Navy.

Sang Shijie sensed the eagerness to prove himself in Wang Bi's words. As a newly appointed garrison commander, he naturally dared not accept such assurances from this veteran commander, and could only vaguely reply:

"General Wang, rest assured, I will convey your words exactly as they were."

The section of the Yangtze River from Zhenjiang to Jiangyin is nearing its estuary, where the hydrological conditions have become exceptionally complex.

The silt carried upstream accumulates here, and the tidal effect is significant. In addition, the narrowing effect caused by the mountains on both sides results in numerous reefs and shoals, and the wind direction is changeable. If you are not an experienced sailor familiar with this channel, you are very likely to run aground or cause other accidents.

Therefore, after annihilating the Yuan Dynasty's naval forces on the Yangtze River, there were no longer any significant water threats in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Xu Da, the commander of the Yangtze River Navy, did not dare to venture deep into the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Only after consulting with experienced boatmen and drawing up relatively accurate hydrological maps did he dare to lead his troops eastward.

Sang Shijie had a copy of the hydrographic map, but since this was their first time navigating this section of the waterway, he dared not be careless in the slightest. The fleet, led by three pilot ships, carefully maintained its formation and did not travel at a fast speed.

When the fleet finally reached the waterway near Matuosha, the booming cannon fire coming from the direction of Jiangyin City ahead could be clearly heard.

Xu Da led the main force of the Yangtze River Navy, which had previously provided cover for Liu Ju's troops to successfully land outside Jiangyin City.

Given that Liu Ju's forces numbered only three thousand, Xu Da was worried that his troops would lack sufficient offensive power and that the battle might be fraught with setbacks. Therefore, he decisively transferred more than sixteen hundred elite soldiers from the navy to land and assist Liu Ju in the battle.

The Red Flag Battalion crossed the Changzhou Road, which was still in the hands of the Yuan army, and suddenly appeared under the walls of Jiangyin City like a divine army descending from the sky. The defending army was caught off guard, and the city gate was almost breached in the first wave of attack.

Subsequently, Liu Ju seized the excellent opportunity presented by the defenders' panic and inadequate defenses, and launched a fierce offensive without hesitation.

The battle was intense from the very beginning, with shouts of battle filling the air.

When Xu Da ordered the cannons on the warships to be removed and pushed ashore by the naval gunners, they launched wave after wave of concentrated bombardment on the city walls and gates at close range, and the morale of the defenders was devastated.

Bricks and stones flew from the city walls, and smoke filled the air. The defenders' will to resist crumbled rapidly, just like the broken battlements.

As Sang Shijie boarded Xu Da's flagship, preparing to give a detailed report on the battle at Dantu Water Pass, a thunderous cheer suddenly erupted from the direction of Jiangyin City.

The lookout on the flagship's mast, his gaze piercing through the lingering smoke, quickly confirmed the victory. With all his might, he shouted to the officers on deck, his voice filled with joy:

"General! Commander Liu has already captured Jiangyin City!"

……

P.S.: I finally got a few days off during the National Day holiday, and I really wanted to write more chapters to thank all the readers who have been following and voting for me, but as you can see, I've only managed to write this much so late. Sigh!

(End of this chapter)