Sweep Yuan

Chapter 306 How to Break the Stalemate When the King Doesn't Meet?
The battlefield situation changes rapidly. When Li Bosheng finally mustered five hundred "elite soldiers" who were still capable of fighting, and slowly pushed open the city gate, which had been bombarded by boulders and was covered with knife and arrow marks, the scene before him made his heart skip a beat.

Feng Guosheng's Han cavalry had already swept northward like a whirlwind, leaving behind only a scene of devastation.

Hundreds of Goryeo soldiers lay scattered across the official road leading to Baoying County and the fields on either side. Their variegated battle jackets were stained dark brown with blood, and broken rattan shields, broken spears, and tattered flags were mixed in with the mud.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and gunpowder, attracting a large flock of crows that circled low overhead, cawing loudly.

Of course, the number of prisoners who surrendered far exceeded the number who died in battle.

A dark mass, probably a thousand or two, was being guarded by a hundred or so Han cavalrymen, who sat dejectedly in a freshly harvested rice field. Although the cavalrymen were few in number, they were spirited, skilled in horsemanship, and vigilantly surveyed their surroundings.

Feng Guosheng was an extremely experienced strategist. He not only left behind troops to guard the prisoners, but also deployed a team of elite scouts in each of the four key locations outside Gaoyou City, in the east, west, south, and north. This was to monitor the Yuan army's possible counterattacks and to keep a close eye on the Zhou army's every move inside Gaoyou City.

The small flags bearing the Chinese character "汉" (Han) fluttered in the early winter wind, proclaiming that they were the new masters of this battlefield.

Not long after Li Bosheng and his party left the city, the sound of hooves suddenly arose, and a group of Han scouts rushed over like ghosts and blocked their way.

The leader of the first team was a man in his early twenties with a sharp and wiry face. He wore a dusty leather armor, a ring-pommel sword at his waist, and a drawn crossbow hanging beside his saddle. His eyes were sharp as an eagle's as he swept over Li Bosheng and the tattered, pale-faced team behind him.

Li Bosheng dared not delay, so he spurred his horse forward a few steps, cupped his hands in greeting from his horse, and called out:
"I am Li Bosheng, Minister of Works of the Great Zhou! May I ask if the people opposite us are our Han army brothers? Which general has descended from the heavens to save us this time?"

The Han army had defeated the arrogant Yuan army and lifted the siege of Gaoyou. The entire army was in high spirits and faced the Zhou army, which had been trapped for more than a month and was in a sorry state. Naturally, they had a savior-like psychological advantage.

Therefore, this lowly squad leader, despite being far inferior to the dignified Situ, showed no fear whatsoever.

His gaze swept over the troops behind Li Bosheng, and then glanced at the continuous camps left by the Yuan army not far away. He had already made up his mind—he must not let the Zhou army take the opportunity to occupy these ready-made fortifications.

The captain on horseback bowed slightly in return, his voice neither humble nor arrogant:

"So it is Minister Li. Please let me know that the King of Han is personally leading a large army north and will soon arrive here. I have been ordered to patrol and guard the area. Minister Li is leading so many troops out of the city, which may cause a disturbance to the royal procession. If there is no urgent matter, I would like to ask Minister Li to return to the city as soon as possible!"

These words, though seemingly polite, were in fact extremely forceful, even carrying a somewhat rude implication of being driven away.

The officers and soldiers behind Li Bosheng had angry expressions on their faces and their hands on the hilts of their swords. They were also filled with resentment. As a core figure under Zhang Shicheng, how could he have been treated so disrespectfully by a low-ranking officer?

But he was a composed man after all, and he suppressed his anger instantly.

The situation is beyond human control! Shi Jingxing personally led the main force northward, and before he had even made a formal appearance, he had already startled Grand Tutor Tuotuo into abandoning his armor and fleeing north in panic. The strength and power of his army were unparalleled at the time.

If I were to argue and show off with a small squad leader under Shishan's command here, wouldn't I be giving them a handle to use against me? If the King of Han were to use this as an excuse to launch an attack on Gaoyou, I, Li Bosheng, would become the eternal sinner in the destruction of Zhang and Zhou!
Moreover, the two tasks assigned by Prince Cheng before leaving the city—to ascertain the true whereabouts of the Yuan army and to confirm the identity of the Han army's commander—have now been largely completed. The most urgent task is to return to the city immediately, report the news of "the Prince of Han's personal arrival" to Prince Cheng, and quickly discuss countermeasures.

Li Bosheng took a deep breath of the cold air, forced a smile, and said to the team leader:
"Young General, you have worked hard. Gaoyou has been besieged for over a month, with all communication cut off. We were unaware of the true situation outside the city. Our purpose in leading troops out of the city was simply to scout the Yuan army's movements, and we had no other intentions. Now that the Prince of Han has personally led a large army to drive out the Yuan dogs, I should immediately return to the city to report to my Prince Cheng. Farewell!"

Having said that, he said no more, turned his horse around, waved to signal the rear guard to become the front guard, and returned to Gaoyou City.

The squad leader stopped trying to stop them, simply watching them leave indifferently. Then he whistled and led his scouts back into the wilderness, like drops of water merging into the earth.

On the way back, Li Bosheng felt heavy-hearted.

He deliberately took a longer route to carefully observe the abandoned main camp of the Yuan army. He saw that the camp's fortifications and moats were intact, the palisades and antlers were still standing, and even the central command tent had not been dismantled. However, the interior was in a mess, indicating that the army had left in a very hurry.

This sight terrified him even more—the might of the Han army was so great that it had forced the Mongol Grand Tutor Toqto'a, who controlled the army and held immense power, to such a state! It seemed that just as the wolves had left Gaoyou City, a tiger had appeared.

As soon as Li Bosheng's troops returned to the city of Gaoyou, they saw Prince Cheng, Zhang Shicheng, standing on the city wall surrounded by his personal guards, gazing south towards Yangzhou with a melancholy expression.

It turned out that during the time Li Bosheng was out of the city, the debate within the city about how to deal with the arrival of the Han army had become extremely heated. Zhang Shicheng was so annoyed by the clamor of his ministers that he simply climbed the city wall to get some fresh air under the pretext of "personally inspecting the enemy's situation."

Unexpectedly, not long after he climbed the city wall, he saw a huge cloud of dust, like a yellow curtain, slowly moving northward on the southern horizon, accompanied by the sound of horses' hooves, which sounded like muffled thunder.

"Kings!"

Li Bosheng quickly climbed the city wall and followed Zhang Shicheng's gaze, his heart tightening even more.

The smoke and dust stretched for miles, far exceeding the scale of Feng Guosheng's cavalry. Without a doubt, it was the main force of Han King Shishan who had personally led the arrival! Thinking of the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of the Han army scouts, he felt even more depressed.

He knew that time was of the essence and that he had to urge Prince Cheng to devise a countermeasure as soon as possible.

"I have already ascertained the truth."

Li Bosheng leaned closer to Zhang Shicheng and whispered:

"The Yuan army has indeed retreated across the board. As for the Han army... the commander is none other than King Shi Jingxing of Han himself!"

Given the scale of the military operation, it was only natural that Shi Shan would personally lead the troops, and Zhang Shicheng was not surprised.

He didn't turn around, his eyes still fixed on the approaching Han army formation to the south, his voice tinged with desolation and weariness:
"Bosheng... Among all my old brothers, you are the most reliable and thoughtful in your work. In the current situation, we can neither advance nor retreat. In your opinion, how should I deal with this?"

On the way back to the city, Li Bosheng had already weighed all the possibilities over and over again countless times.

As the saying goes, there can be no two suns in the sky, and no two rulers in a country.

For Zhang Shicheng, the most thorough and perhaps most self-preserving strategy at present would be to voluntarily relinquish his title of king, recognize Han King Shishan as the legitimate ruler, and integrate the entire Zhang-Zhou regime's forces and territory into the thriving Han state.

In this way, they could not only receive the formal protection of the King of Han and escape the predicament of being caught between the two major powers of Han and Yuan, but also retain a certain degree of autonomy.

If Shishan truly unifies the world in the future, these early members will also attain the rank of duke or marquis, and their wealth and honor will be guaranteed.

However, the word "submission" is of great importance, involving the life and fortune of Prince Cheng and the future of everyone.

This strategy could only have been decided by Zhang Shicheng himself, or mentioned tactfully by his most trusted confidant, a figure of exceptional status like his brother Zhang Shide. Unfortunately, Zhang Shide had already died in battle at Shanyang City.

Although Li Bosheng was one of the eighteen brothers who followed Zhang Shicheng in the uprising at Baijuchang, there was still a distance between them. If he rashly advised his lord to give up the throne, he would at least be suspected, and at worst, he might be killed.

Secondly, a relatively moderate strategy was adopted, "giving up" some core interests, such as "gifting" places like Taizhou to the Han Kingdom in exchange for "borrowing" troops or gaining support from the King of Han.

After driving out the Yuan army and recovering more lost territory, we can then plan to move the capital elsewhere and restore our strength.

It is obvious to anyone with discerning eyes that Shishan's current strategic focus is on the prosperous Jiangnan region. He has relatively limited interest in Huaidong, a territory ravaged by war, and may not mind the existence of a controllable anti-Yuan rebel army north of Yangzhou, serving as a northern bulwark for the Han state.

For example, during this campaign by Toqto'a, if Zhang Zhou's troops had not held out in Gaoyou for more than a month, greatly depleting the morale and strength of the Yuan army, the Han army would have had to face Toqto'a's army head-on, and the core areas under his rule would inevitably have suffered ravages.

In a sense, Zhang Zhou also shielded the Han state from its initial onslaught.

However, the Zhang Zhou regime made Gaoyou its capital, and its original city of Taizhou was deeply embedded in the heart of Yangzhou Prefecture, which was controlled by the Han army. This was like driving a wedge into the map of the Han state, resulting in an extremely incomplete defense system in Yangzhou. The two sides had previously clashed frequently because of this and almost went to war.

Previously, Zhang Zhou could use the excuse that his own forces were not weak and that the main force of the Han army was busy conquering Jiangnan and had no time to look north to feign compliance with the Han state and even bargain.

Now, Shi Shan personally led his fierce army and defeated the Yuan army in one fell swoop, relieving Gaoyou from the danger of national destruction. Whether from the perspective of morality and gratitude or from the naked comparison of strength, Zhang Zhou has no reason or ability to "defend" Taizhou (which is still in the hands of the Yuan army).

Giving Taizhou to the Han Kingdom as a convenient way to do them a great favor seems to be the only wise choice.

However, Li Bosheng also could not bring up this suggestion.

This was because within Zhang Zhou's high-ranking officials, there were two major factions: the "Xinghua faction" and the "Taizhou faction." Generals such as Privy Councilor Lü Zhen and Pan Yuanshao, who held significant military power, were all from Taizhou, and the families and relatives of their subordinates were also mostly from Taizhou, which was their base of operations.

Li Bosheng was from Xinghua. If he were to suggest that Prince Cheng abandon Taizhou at this moment, it would be tantamount to openly undermining the generals from Taizhou, which could potentially cause a split within Zhang and Zhou. It would be tantamount to destroying one's own Great Wall.

After much deliberation, Li Bosheng could only pass the buck back to Zhang Shicheng, cautiously saying:

"The King of Han set aside the war in Jiangnan and personally led a large army north to fight against Tuotuo's hundreds of thousands of troops, relieving the urgent crisis in Gaoyou. He has truly done a great service to the Great Zhou. I believe that now that the King of Han is about to arrive at the gates of Gaoyou, it is only right and proper for Your Majesty to... fulfill the duties of a host."

His words were extremely cautious, only mentioning "fulfilling the duties of a host," without specifying whether it meant Prince Cheng condescending to visit Shi Shan in the Han army camp, or inviting Prince Han to meet him in Gaoyou City. However, circumstances dictated that Zhang Zhou was weaker this year and had been rescued by the Han army; how could they possibly allow their benefactor and powerful neighbor, Shi Shan, to enter the city to see Zhang Shicheng?
Although he didn't say it explicitly, his intention was crystal clear.

Zhang Shicheng's gaze passed over the battlements and turned south.

The vanguard of the Han army was already clearly visible, their black armor reflecting the bleak winter sunlight, like a moving metal forest.

Banners blotted out the sky, swords and spears were like a forest, and the march was silent. Only the sound of millions of people's uniform footsteps merged into a dull thunder, striking the earth and the heartstrings of every soldier guarding the city.

Although they were still several miles apart, the overwhelming killing intent emanating from tens of thousands of battle-hardened elites was already palpable, suffocating everyone present.

Zhang Shicheng had been traveling the world for many years, smuggling salt, raiding docks, and living a life of danger. What storms and dangerous situations hadn't he experienced?

However, facing this formidable and imposing Han army outside the city, a long-lost chill still involuntarily rose from the bottom of his heart. This was incomparable to the Yuan army local troops or local strongmen's armed forces he had encountered in the past.

"I'm afraid... it's a trap."

Zhang Shicheng muttered to himself, his voice barely audible, yet filled with deep worry.

"If I were to penetrate deep into the Han camp today, who could be my Zhang Liang? Who could be my Fan Kuai?"

The story of the Feast at Hongmen during the Chu-Han Contention was widely circulated among the common people, and Li Bosheng was naturally familiar with it.

However, he had a different perspective, believing that the key to Liu Bang's safe escape from the Feast at Hongmen was not entirely due to Zhang Liang's wisdom and Fan Kuai's loyalty and bravery, but rather that Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King, did not intend to kill Liu Bang at that time, thus giving him a way out.

The current situation is actually the same.

"Your Majesty,"

Li Bosheng lowered his voice and said earnestly:
"Shi Jingxing is a ruthless and ambitious man of our time. He acts solely based on self-interest and disregards trivial matters. If he truly intends to take Gaoyou, given the city's current state of exhaustion and depletion of supplies, what means do we have to stop the Han army's advance?"

Zhang Shicheng remained silent. Below the city wall, broken arrows and rotten wood floated in the moat, the water a dark red. On the city wall, newly added arrow craters and stone marks were shocking. The soldiers guarding the city were all emaciated and pale, many shivering in the cold wind, needing to lean against the battlements to stand.

This isolated city has truly reached its limit and can no longer withstand any more war. If I were to bring about its annihilation because of my momentary cowardice, how could I face the brothers who fought and bled alongside me?
A surge of emotion, a mixture of sorrow, resentment, and resolve, welled up within him. Zhang Shicheng slammed his fist against the wall, sending dust swirling down.

"Enough! I have roamed Huaidong for many years and was the first to establish a kingdom before Shi Jingxing. How can I lose my heroic spirit in front of him and be looked down upon by the world?!"
"Guards! Quickly prepare! Bring the finest gold, silver, jewels, brocades, and silks from the treasury, and then select... select twenty beautiful palace ladies. I will personally go out of the city to welcome the King of Han!"

About half an hour later, Fu Youde, the vanguard general of the Han army, led his troops to the city of Gaoyou.

This well-equipped and swiftly deployed troops to take over the main camps left behind by the Yuan army without hesitation. They immediately dispatched engineers to repair and reinforce the camps and set up sentry posts, all with skillful and efficient action.

Immediately afterwards, the Han army's guards arrived in droves, marching in a grand procession and orderly taking up their posts in the designated areas. In an instant, banners fluttered once more outside Gaoyou City, shouts of men and neighing of horses filled the air, and the sounds of drums and gongs rose and fell, with the camps stretching as far as the eye could see.

This situation is strikingly similar to the Yuan army's heavy siege of Gaoyou a month or so ago!

The soldiers guarding the city walls witnessed all of this, their faces turning pale and their hearts pounding, as the memories of fear were rekindled.

Inside Zhang Shicheng's palace in the city, the atmosphere was extremely tense. When they learned that Prince Cheng was going to personally enter the Han army camp, which was like a den of tigers and wolves, to pay homage to the Han king, a group of generals led by Shi Wenbing immediately knelt down and earnestly remonstrated.

"Your Majesty! You mustn't!"

Shi Wenbing's hair and beard stood on end as he kowtowed repeatedly.

"The Han army is powerful, and Shi Jingxing is a ruthless and cunning man! If he harbors ill intentions, Your Majesty will be like a lamb entering a tiger's den, trapped among thousands of troops. Even if we wish to help, how can we save you? This is to recklessly venture into dangerous territory, which is not the way of a wise ruler!"

Political advisor Jiang Hui was relatively calmer, but also deeply worried:
"Your Majesty, even if you must go, you should bring more elite guards and order all the troops outside the city to be on high alert in case of any unforeseen circumstances."

Zhang Shicheng was somewhat easily swayed and lacked the unwavering resolve of a true leader once he made a decision. After being persuaded by his subordinates, especially after the words "Hongmen Banquet" deeply stung his nerves, his newly made determination began to waver again, and his face was full of hesitation and struggle.

Just as the stalemate was at its peak, Situ Li Bosheng, who had once again gone out of the city to seek an audience with the King of Han, hurriedly returned. His expression was not good, and he brought back a brief oral message from King Shishan of Han: "My purpose in going out is specifically to see the King of Cheng."

These words are polite, but in reality they are firm and leave no room for negotiation.

It was like a final ultimatum, completely blocking all of Zhang Shicheng's escape routes. If he refused to go any further, what he would face next would probably not be a verbal order, but the cold swords and spears of the Han army and a thunderous siege offensive.

Zhang Shicheng's expression changed several times, and finally he let out a long sigh:
"Prepare the horses! Gather the ceremonial guard! Bosheng, Wenbing, you two will accompany me out of the city!" He had no other choice.

The Han army camp was set up in the location of the former Yuan army's central command tent, but the white banner representing the Mongol nobility was replaced with a striking red flag with the character "Han" and the royal flag of Shishan.

The camp was arranged in a very orderly manner, with multiple layers inside and out, complete with trenches, fences, watchtowers, and sentry posts. There were visible and hidden sentries interspersed, and patrol teams came and went in an endless stream, with strict security and an atmosphere of grim solemnity.

Zhang Shicheng had been involved in the Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) since childhood, and later led troops into battle. He was secretly amazed by what he saw: the Shishan army was well-disciplined and its camps were orderly, far superior to his Zhou army, and even better than the main force of the Yuan army.

The king's tent of Shishan stood in the very center of the camp. Outside the tent stood two rows of fierce personal guards in full armor. Each of them was tall and strong, with sharp eyes. Their hands were on the hilts of their swords, and they were as still as statues. Only when their eyes swept across did they reveal the unique killing intent of battle-hardened elites.

When Zhang Shicheng and his two companions approached, the guards strictly followed procedures to verify their identities, respectfully but firmly asking them to remove their swords. Everything was orderly, exuding an unquestionable air of authority and discipline.

The tent was quite spacious, with thick felt carpets on the floor and a huge charcoal brazier burning in the middle to ward off the winter chill.

Han King Shishan sat upright in the main seat. Upon seeing Zhang Shicheng enter, he did not rise to greet him, but merely bowed slightly, pointed to the seat to his left, and said indifferently:

"Prince Cheng has arrived, please have a seat!"

This Han king, who rose from humble beginnings and now dominates half of the southeast, looks to be in his early twenties. He has a rugged face with strong features and his skin is bronze from years of warfare.

He wasn't wearing a magnificent royal robe, but rather a crimson outfit with simple soft armor over it. However, the imposing aura he had developed from being in a position of power and wielding the power of life and death subtly emanated from him, and his deep eyes seemed to pierce through people's hearts when they swept over.

Zhang Shicheng forced himself to remain calm, gestured for Shi Wenbing to bring out the prepared gift list, and put on a smile, speaking with the utmost politeness:

"The King of Han raised the banner of 'Expelling the Barbarians and Restoring Han,' and repeatedly thwarted the Yuan army's advance! He first relieved the siege of Marshal Li of Xuzhou, and then launched a joint attack on the Yuan army of Xu and Song in Qizhou. Now, he has spared no effort and personally led a large army to save our Zhou Kingdom from a critical moment of survival. This kindness and virtue are as high as heaven and as deep as earth!"
"The King of Han is truly the foremost hero of the world, a paragon of righteousness! He is undoubtedly worthy of being called the leader of all!"

His words were very eloquent, full of flattery, praising Shishan's achievements to the skies.

Zhang Shicheng was well aware of his situation and knew how to preserve himself to the greatest extent possible—that was to completely submit to Shishan.

But he was unwilling to give up the throne, nor was he willing to cede even the territory he had already lost. So he could only hope to use these valuable gifts and empty titles to get through the ordeal, hoping that Shishan would let him off the hook for the time being because of the generous gifts and empty titles.

Who is Shi Shan? How could he be fooled by Zhang Shicheng's sweet words and meager wealth?

He calmly accepted the gift list presented by the eunuch, casually placed it on the table beside him, and didn't even glance at it. His gaze remained fixed on Zhang Shicheng, and he went straight to the point:

"Your Highness's kindness is too much for me to refuse. I have invited you to my camp today because I have important matters to discuss with you in person!"

Zhang Shicheng felt his heart clench suddenly. Shi Shan wasn't buying his act and was about to reap the tangible rewards for this battle.

He instinctively wanted to find an excuse, but when his gaze fell upon the fierce Han army guards outside the tent and he felt the invisible pressure contained in Shi Shan's calm gaze, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

At this moment, he was in the Han army camp, like a fish on a chopping board, with no right to bargain.
"King of Han...please speak."

Shi Shan leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp and intense, looking directly into Zhang Shicheng's eyes, his tone steady and powerful:
"To be honest, Your Highness, the reason why Tuotuo retreated in such a hurry was not only because his southward detachment had been completely annihilated by our army, but also because our army had cut off his rear! We must not miss this opportunity. I intend to take advantage of the victory to pursue and expand our gains, and strive to completely annihilate Tuotuo's forces in one fell swoop, so as to eliminate any future troubles!"

He paused briefly, giving Zhang Shicheng time to process this astonishing news, before revealing his true intentions and outlining his demands:
"I wonder how many soldiers are still capable of fighting in Gaoyou City? Could they join forces with my royal army to attack Toqto'a?"

……

PS: I was planning to finish writing a long chapter about the Jiangbei storyline today, but my shoulder pain flared up and I'm in a bad state, so I really can't write anymore.

(End of this chapter)