Sweep Yuan

Chapter 292 Multiple Invasions: Deception and Reality

Anqing Road, Tongcheng New Town.

The setting sun, like blood, cast a crimson glow upon this war-torn fortress.

On and around the city walls, the air was thick with the stench of blood, molten gold, sweat, and the acrid smell of burning kerosene. Broken arrows, shattered logs, and congealed dark red bloodstains were scattered along the damaged crenellations, silently testifying to the brutality of the days-long battle.

"kill--!"

A fierce Yuan soldier, under the cover of his comrades, roared as he scaled the city wall, his short sword flashing coldly as he slashed down! At the critical moment, an iron spear, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, precisely pierced his throat, pinning him firmly to the crenellation.

The one who made the move was Tang He, the commander of the defending city and the garrison commander of Fenwu Guard. He caught a glimpse of a militiaman who had fallen to the ground in fear, grabbed him roughly by the back of his collar with his left hand, and dragged him away from the danger zone, all the while cursing:
"Damn it! What are you daydreaming about? Pick up your gun! If you don't want your whole family to be slaughtered by the Tartars, then get up and fight!"

The militiaman, jolted back to reality by the curse and the yank, stumbled and scrambled to grab the fallen spear, hastily wiping the warm blood splattered on his face. His voice trembled and choked with sobs:
"Thank you... Thank you, Commander Tang, for saving my life! I... I really thought I was going to meet the King of Hell just now..."

Tang He had no time to pay attention to the militiaman's lingering fear; the battlefield situation was changing rapidly.

He drew his spear with a backhand motion, his eyes flashing like lightning, instantly locking onto another Yuan soldier who had just appeared. The man was raising his round shield to block arrows, but Tang He flicked the tip of his spear, bypassing the shield's protection, and pierced the unprotected calf like a venomous snake!

The Yuan soldier let out a miserable cry and staggered, only to be killed by a quick-thinking guard next to him with a single blow.

Having temporarily averted the crisis at this section of the city wall, Tang He wiped the blood-stained sweat from his brow and, in a hoarse voice, roared to the soldiers beside him:
"Hold on here! Follow me to the west, things are getting tense over there!"

Having said that, he picked up his spear, which was already somewhat dull, and led a small squad of reserve soldiers, staggering towards another gap where the sounds of battle were deafening.

This so-called "new city" of Tongcheng bears too much suffering and hatred.

Last winter, Yu Que, the Mongol Yuan general in charge of Anqing Road, led a large army to launch a fierce attack on the old city of Tongcheng in order to wipe out the armed forces of Zhao Pusheng, who were active in the area. The bloody battle caused serious damage to the city walls.

However, just as the Yuan army had succeeded and before they had all entered the city, the Han army's Fenwu Guard arrived. Seeing that the situation was not good, Yu Que, before hastily retreating, brazenly abducted the remaining civilians in the city and set the city on fire, attempting to completely turn this bridgehead that could be used by the Han army into ruins.

In the dead of winter, heavy snow fell from the sky. The scorching hot walls of the city encountered the icy snowmelt, causing a larger area to collapse. Tongcheng, which was once densely populated, was almost wiped off the map.

After the war, Tang He was ordered to rebuild the stronghold in a relatively sheltered mountain valley in the northwest of this place. It was called a "new city", but in reality it was just a slightly larger fortified village with a greater emphasis on defense.

Last year's war devastated Tongcheng, leaving only one in ten people alive and the land barren, making it impossible to support a large army. The fortress is garrisoned by only one thousand men daily, and supplies still rely on Luzhou Road for provisions.

Therefore, Tang He was unable to repair the relatively "large" old city. He could only lead his men to painfully demolish the dilapidated old city walls and transport all the usable bricks, stones and timber to reinforce this new fortress that held the hope of the front line.

After Shi Shan declared himself king and established his kingdom, Wu Liujin, the commander of Fenwu Guard, considering the immense pressure Tongcheng faced directly from the Yuan army in Anqing, specially dispatched an additional battalion of soldiers and a batch of valuable provisions and weapons to the area.

Logically speaking, with the reinforced city defenses, ample reserves, and over 1,500 Han soldiers, there shouldn't have been any problems holding out until the main reinforcements stationed in Lujiang arrived.

But this time they were facing Yu Que, who had been recuperating for more than half a year and was burning with vengeful anger.

Taking advantage of the Yuan court's multi-pronged attack on Han, this man mobilized almost his entire force, determined to first remove Tongcheng, this thorn deeply embedded in Anqing Road, to avenge his previous humiliation.

The battle became intense from the very beginning.

The Han army was well-trained and its counterattacks were decisive. Relying on the city's defenses, it inflicted heavy casualties on the Yuan army. The Yuan army, under Yu Que's strict order of "those who retreat will be executed," was equally fearless and launched a relentless offensive.

Both sides were in a frenzy of fighting, and the number of casualties began to rise rapidly on the first day.

This fierce battle lasted for five whole days. The number of defenders on the city walls was visibly decreasing, and everyone's eyes were bloodshot, their physical and mental strength greatly depleted.

What weighed heavily on Tang He's mind was that the reinforcements from the direction of Lujiang had yet to appear!

Tang He began to panic, no longer daring to waste precious troops in a war of attrition with the Yuan army. He left behind his core combat backbone as a mobile reserve force and mobilized all the able-bodied civilians in the city who could take up arms to help defend the city walls.

These militia members, whose parents, wives, children, relatives, and neighbors mostly died at the hands of Yu Que in last year's catastrophe, harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Yuan army, and their morale was actually quite good.

However, lacking combat experience, their reactions were ultimately a beat slower when faced with real, bloody battle. These spirited men did not know how to effectively dodge arrows, often becoming easy targets for the Yuan archers;
When fierce-looking enemies suddenly leap onto the city wall, they are so terrified that they freeze or panic, disrupting the veterans' defensive rhythm and causing the city's defenses to face perilous situations on several occasions.

Today, the Yuan army's offensive was exceptionally fierce, with dozens of soldiers successfully scaling the city walls and establishing small footholds.

In the critical moment, Tang He personally led the reserve force, charging forward like a wounded tiger. He led from the front, hacking and slashing with his spear and sword, his body covered in blood, and at a heavy cost, he drove the Yuan army that had broken through the city walls once again.

At the height of the battle, he could even feel the cold blade grazing his neck; death was so close.

Outside the city walls, Yu Que was also nervously observing the battle. He witnessed the fiercest attack of the day being repelled once again, with his own soldiers falling like harvested wheat at the foot of the city walls, their thick blood almost turning the ground at the base of the walls into a dark red swamp.

Even with his ruthlessness and determination, he had to consider the impact of continued high casualties on morale. Finally, the sound of the retreat signal, tinged with reluctance, echoed dully from the rear of the Yuan army.

Upon hearing this sound, almost all the soldiers still standing on the city wall collapsed as if their bones had been removed.

Tang He slowly sat down, leaning against the cold, blood-stained brick wall, panting heavily. He felt all his strength had been drained, and his arm holding the gun trembled slightly uncontrollably.

He only wanted to seize this brief respite to recover a little strength in order to prepare for the Yuan army's possible renewed fierce attack at any time.

But not long after, the sentry on lookout duty shouted in a hoarse but incredulous voice:
"They've retreated! Commander, Yuan Gou... Yuan Gou really retreated! He's gone back to camp!"

Tang He suddenly jolted awake, forced himself to stand up, and cautiously peered out from the edge of the battlements.

Sure enough, the Yuan army that had been swarming around the city like ants was now maintaining its basic formation and slowly retreating towards the distant, sprawling military camp, like the receding tide.

Confirming that today's ordeal was finally over, Tang He's tense nerves relaxed slightly. He spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva and muttered a curse under his breath:

"Damn it... that was close! Grandpa almost died here today!"

One of his commanders, his face stained with blood and exhausted, approached, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of resentment and a sense of adventure:

“Commander, we’ve been on the defensive for so long, and the casualties among our brothers are too great! The Yuan dogs have been attacking fiercely for five days straight, so they must be exhausted and their vigilance might be relaxed.”

"Or...how about I take a squad of daredevils out tonight, sneak out, raid their camp, burn their supplies, and turn their world upside down!"

Tang He was well aware of the principle that "prolonged defense inevitably leads to defeat," and he also longed to take the initiative and break through this suffocating siege.

But his gaze swept over the still well-organized Yuan army camp outside the city, and he finally shook his head heavily.

"No."

Tang He's voice was hoarse with exhaustion as he said:
“Yu Que is as cunning as a fox in his military tactics. Last year, that dog of a Tartar lifted the siege of Huaining by raiding the camp. Later, he retreated with so many captured Tongcheng people. Commander Geng led his elite troops in pursuit, but they couldn't gain any advantage and almost fell into his ambush. Now that the dog of a Tartar has besieged the city with a large army, the nighttime defenses will only be more stringent. We only have so much resources left. Losing even one would hurt me. How can we defend this city? We can't take any more risks.”

Seeing the undisguised exhaustion and dejection on the faces of his generals, Tang He knew he had to say something to boost morale. He took a deep breath, forced himself to stand up straight, raised his voice, and shouted to the soldiers around him, some sitting and some lying down:

"Everyone, perk up! Commander Wu is in Lujiang, how far is he from here? Marshal Yi is in Hefei, he certainly won't just stand by and watch us get surrounded!"

"As long as we hold this new city of Tongcheng, it will be a nail driven into the heart of that damned Tartar Yu Que! Once the army from Luzhou arrives, we'll attack from both inside and outside, and those damned Tartars will never return!"

His words carried an undeniable firmness, temporarily dispelling some of the gloom that shrouded the soldiers' hearts.

However, deep down, Tang knew that all his hopes were indeed pinned on reinforcements who might arrive at any time.

With only a thousand or so remaining soldiers and a large number of militiamen who were not fit for a hard fight, it was nothing short of a pipe dream to try to repel Yu Que's meticulously prepared army of nearly ten thousand.

However, Tang He was unaware that Wu Liujin, the commander of the Fenwu Guard on whom he had placed high hopes, was not at the Lujiang camp at that moment.

Because Enningpu, the Left Chancellor of the Mongol-Yuan Huguang Province, led an army of over ten thousand men by both land and water, and had already aggressively invaded the territory of Wuwei Prefecture in Luzhou Circuit.

When Shi Shan led the main force of the Han army across the Yangtze River to the south, he left behind two fully-equipped guards, Fenwu Guard and Zhongwu Guard, as well as most of the Xiaoqi Guard on the north bank of the river, which seemed to be a considerable force.

However, the area that needs to be defended is too vast, involving fifteen cities in four routes: Huainan, Anqing, Luzhou, and Wuwei.

Moreover, the Fenwu Guard and Zhongwu Guard lacked experience in large-scale field battles after their formation, and the officers at all levels were slightly inferior in their ability to command troops and fight. Their actual full strength was also less than that of the main guards that went on the southern expedition.

When he received the urgent message from Tongcheng, Wu Liujin keenly realized that after the Yuan court quelled the Xu Song rebellion, it would either remain inactive and accumulate strength, or once it made a move, it would definitely not be just a small skirmish by Yu Que's detachment.

Sure enough, no sooner had the flames of war broken out in Tongcheng than alarms followed in Wuwei Prefecture.

Wu Liujin was faced with an extremely difficult strategic choice.

Although Tongcheng New City is small, it is located in a strategically important position. The city's defenses have been reinforced, and the commander, Tang He, is quite experienced. As long as their will remains strong, they should be able to hold out for ten days or half a month without any problems.

Even if Yu Que is unable to break through the city for the time being, the damage he causes to that land, which is already impoverished, is quite limited.

Wuwei Prefecture, on the other hand, is completely different. It is not only the eastern gateway of Luzhou Road, but behind it lies the grain-producing area that is the lifeline of the Han Kingdom north of the Yangtze River.

If the Yuan army of over ten thousand men were allowed to advance unimpeded, regardless of whether they could ultimately capture the city, the destruction caused by their burning, killing, and looting would be devastating, a heavy loss that Wu Liujin and even the entire Han Kingdom could not bear!
The lesser of two evils.

Wu Liujin currently has only about 5,000 troops at his disposal. Facing two powerful enemies on two fronts, he simply lacks the capacity to launch a simultaneous attack and fight on two fronts. After much deliberation, he can only make a cruel decision:

Temporarily sacrifice Tang He's troops who are currently engaged in a bloody battle in Tongcheng, concentrate all mobile forces, and rush eastward to confront the more threatening Enningpu troops first!
The Yuan army in Huguang had just quelled the Xu Song regime and was at the height of its military power. Wu Liujin dared not be complacent and sent a fast horse to General Li Wu, who was in charge of the defense of Jiangbei, to report the emergency and request support.

Just as the battle in Jiangbei reached a stalemate and became critical, Jiangning, the capital of the Han Kingdom, was also shrouded in a tense atmosphere of impending war.

A side hall of the royal palace, the military council chamber.

A huge map of Jiangnan hangs on the wall, densely marked with the troop deployments and movements of both sides.

Shi Shan, dressed in casual clothes, sat in the main seat with a calm expression.

A group of high-ranking generals, including Privy Councilor Pu San, Commander of the Pengyue Guard Gong Wu, Commander of the Fujun Left Guard Shao Rong, Commander of the Zhongwu Guard Zuo Junbi, and Commander of the Weiwu Guard Wang Bi, surrounded him, all with solemn expressions.

Park San first reported on the latest military situation. Now holding the high position of Privy Councilor, he had lost the detachment of his former self, and said with a rather worried expression:
"Your Majesty, according to reports from scouts from all sides, the Mongol Yuan forces are continuing to reinforce Chizhou Road, and supplies and provisions are being transported continuously. It is estimated that their forces gathered in Chizhou, spying on our Taiping Prefecture, are probably approaching 100,000!"

He paused, looked at the rocky mountain, and offered his suggestion:
"Although General Chang Yuchun is stationed in Taiping Prefecture, Mao Gui's troops have penetrated deep into Ningguo Road, exposing their flanks. Should we transfer the main force of the Shanzuo Guard back to defend Dangtu to ensure absolute safety?"

After Mao Gui's troops captured Xuancheng, the seat of Ningguo Road, and Nanling County last month, their offensive was temporarily halted due to the mountainous terrain of the southern counties and the reinforcements led by Dong Tuanxiao, the Assistant Minister of the Mongol Yuan Jiangzhe Province. During this period, they are consolidating their existing lines and confronting the enemy.

Park San worried that if the Yuan army launched a major offensive into Taiping Road and captured the defenseless counties of Fanchang and Wuhu, they could cut off Mao Gui's retreat route, leaving him isolated and vulnerable to being wiped out by the Yuan army.

Shi Shan did not immediately express his opinion. His gaze swept over the assembled generals, and he said in a deep voice:

"What do you all think of the Privy Councilor's concerns?"

In theory, the rank of the Privy Councilor was above that of the generals. However, at the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the generals who commanded the armies had more say in military operations. The Privy Council was more like an advisory body to King Shishan of Han than a military decision-making body.

Therefore, the generals can speak freely at such meetings, and even if they disagree with Park San's opinions, they will not feel any psychological burden.

Zuo Junbi, the commander of the Zhongwu Guard, had missed the campaign to pacify northern Zhejiang because he had been ordered to stay in Jiangning. Therefore, he was somewhat less deserving of the founding rewards. Eager to prove himself, he spoke first:
"In my humble opinion, the Privy Councilor is being overly cautious! With Chang Boren stationed in Dangtu, the defenses of Taiping Prefecture are as solid as a rock! How could General Mao's force of over nine thousand men be so easily encircled and annihilated?"

If the Yuan army dares to launch a large-scale invasion, it will play right into their hands! Our army can rely on the advantageous terrain of our fortified city, wait in comfort for the enemy to tire themselves out, quickly mobilize troops from the surrounding areas, and engage them in a decisive battle within the territory of Taiping Prefecture, thus achieving victory in one fell swoop!

"Ah."

Shi Shan remained noncommittal, his gaze continuing to turn to the crowd.

Shao Rong stared at the map, his brows furrowed, and pondered:
"Your Majesty, General Zuo's words are quite incisive. However, I feel that there is something strange about this matter. Taiping Prefecture has been under our control for half a year. With the long-term management, the people's hearts have gradually won over us. Moreover, it is adjacent to our capital, Yingtian Prefecture, and is the most solid link in our army's defense system."

The Yuan commander, Buyan Temur, was no mediocre man; how could he not know this? Yet he deliberately amassed a large army in Chizhou, making it seem as if he intended to confront me head-on at my strongest point. Could there be a trap here?

A hint of approval flashed in Shi Shan's eyes.

He had previously ordered Mao Gui to attack Ningguo Road, not only because he trusted Mao Gui's abilities, but also to test the strength of the Yuan army, expand the depth of their defenses, and disrupt the Yuan army's established plans, forcing them to reveal their hand in advance.

Seeing that his generals not only recognized the importance of holding key positions but also discerned the underlying intentions behind the enemy's actions, he felt quite gratified. He followed up on Shao Rong's words, asking with a smile:
"Where is the deception?"

Shao Rong's gaze moved southeast from Chizhou Road on the map, settling on Huizhou Road, which borders western Zhejiang and is surrounded by mountains. His tone became increasingly certain as he said:
"Your Majesty, Hangzhou Prefecture is the capital of Jiangzhe Province. Our army has only just captured this place, and the people's hearts are far from completely won over. Its military and political importance, as well as its financial and grain resources, are far superior to those of Taiping Prefecture. Moreover, there are still heavy Yuan troops in the southern routes of Hangzhou."

Could it be that Buyan Temur is using the Chizhou Road army as bait and a smokescreen to lure my main force to concentrate in the direction of Taiping Prefecture, while secretly sending elite troops through Huizhou Road to attack Hangzhou, where my forces are relatively weak?
If Hangzhou falls, our army's foundation in northern Zhejiang will be shaken, and there may be rebellions in Huzhou, Jiaxing, Shaoxing, Songjiang, and other places!

……

P.S.: I'm too busy today, so I can only write half of it for now.

In addition, I was dizzy and confused yesterday and got carried away writing, so I wrote "become emperor" instead of "become king" in Shishan. I have corrected it today (become king first, and then become emperor after the trend of unifying the world is evident).

There's no draft; everything is coded and sent out fresh every day, leaving no time for proofreading, which is why this error occurred. Please forgive me!
(End of this chapter)