Sweep Yuan

Chapter 32 Winning People's Hearts Is Difficult

At dusk, Chang and Sun's troops returned and both reported that they had not found any signs of the Yuan army.

Even so, Shishan did not dare to let his guard down.

He divided his troops into two parts, stationed inside and outside Fangcun Station respectively, and arranged for overt and covert sentries and scouts to patrol. He also personally inspected the camp and sentries late at night.

Fortunately, the Yuan army did not dare to hold Zhanchi, nor did they dare to cross the river to counterattack, so the night passed without incident.

After daybreak, Shishan voluntarily abandoned Fangcun Station.

Before leaving, he also set fire to the station, turning the once bustling station into a white wasteland.

After disembarking at Chulan and Fangcun stations, Shishan's task automatically changed to guarding the area.

To reassure Zhao Junyong and the others, Shishan returned to Chulan Station and summoned Wen Sijiu.

"Old Wen, we've completed this mission. I imagine Marshal Li and General Zhao are getting impatient waiting in the city. I'd like to ask you to return to Xuzhou City—"

"Shishan! Deputy Commander Shi!"

Before Shi Shan could finish speaking, Wen Si Jiu, his face flushed with anxiety, interrupted him, saying:
"General Zhao instructed me to assist in military affairs. I haven't done much along the way, but I haven't held you back either, have I? We just won a battle and the troops are starting to improve. You can't send me away!"

puff--

Seeing how anxious this guy was, Shi Shan couldn't help but laugh out loud, then put on a stern face and pretended to be displeased, saying:

"What nonsense are you spouting! You've been doing a great job, why would I fire you? Here's the thing, although this trip was tough, we've won quite a few easy spoils. We've gotten our share of the benefits, so we can't forget who gave us this opportunity, can we?"

"That makes sense, but—"

Wen Sijiu wanted to refuse, but Shishan raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Alright! I've selected twenty horses and some spoils of war to send back to the city and present to Marshal Li and General Zhao. The others aren't familiar with Marshal Li and General Zhao, so if you don't go back yourself, I'm afraid you won't be able to handle this matter properly."

After spending a few days together, Wen Sijiu was impressed by Shishan's abilities and magnanimity, and sincerely wanted to retain this intelligent, courageous, and capable general for the Xuzhou Red Turban Army.

He worried that if he left, Shishan would run away with his men.

But now that things have come to this point, he no longer has the power to forcibly stop Shishan, who has already begun to gain strength.

"Brother Shi, you can't lie to me like that. Didn't Chang Tietou want to go into the city to join the marshal? Why didn't you arrange for him to deliver it? I figured that even though this guy isn't exactly clean, he wouldn't lose his mind and steal the gifts we were sending to the marshal, would he?"

"Don't even think about hitting on Lao Chang. He's already decided to stay and develop with us."

"this?"

Wen Sijiu also disliked Chang Tietou, who was scheming and dishonest, but in just a few days, Shishan was able to poach the heroes who had originally sided with Marshal Li and bring them under his control, which still made him somewhat jealous.

Before Wen Sijiu could refuse again, Shishan patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly:
"Besides, do you think I sent you back just to deliver spoils of war? Old Wen, you need to broaden your horizons when you're doing things. Do you expect to be my subordinate for the rest of your life?"

Wen Sijiu became increasingly confused, and involuntarily leaned forward.

"what do you mean?"

Wen Sijiu finally got the hang of it, and Shishan continued to coax him gently. "Think about it," Shishan said, "the Marshal only took three days to take Xuzhou after the uprising in Xiao County. But so much time has passed since then, why hasn't he sent any of the generals out to fight, instead choosing me, an outsider, to lead the charge?"

Wen Sijiu carefully pondered Shishan's words and gradually began to understand their meaning.

"You mean the city is in turmoil, the various troops haven't fully integrated, and the marshal is worried about instability in the rear, so we can't launch an attack for the time being?"

Shishan Chaowen gave him a thumbs up and then proceeded to flatter him, praising him:
"See? I told you we needed to send you back to get this done."

"But what does it matter whether the city is stable or not if we take these spoils back to Xuzhou?"

Before he could finish speaking, Wen Sijiu suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He stared blankly at Shishan, who gave him a look that said, "You can definitely figure it out," before lowering his head to continue flipping through the roster in his hand.

Including the station guards reorganized at Fangcun Station, Shishan now has a total of 1,184 "soldiers" of various backgrounds under his command, plus nearly 1,400 family members of station residents and various craftsmen recently recruited.

Continuing to consume large amounts of money and food to support this group of soldiers of varying quality is extremely uneconomical. Shishan cannot possibly lead such a rabble to conquer the world. Reorganizing the troops is now the top priority.

The excessive independence of the landlords in each village and community is also a major hidden danger. It would be best to address this issue during this reorganization as well. If it is delayed any longer, the landlords may become too powerful to control.

Wen Sijiu had no time to ponder what Shishan was thinking; instead, he was excited about the answer he had come up with and asked:

"You want me to go back to the city and tell everyone that the government troops are terrified and don't dare to fight us at all?"

It's already quite good that you've thought of this step, but it's still only at the second level.

"Not bad!"

Shi Shan nodded again, praising Wen Sijiu, and added:

"You have to tell the truth to Marshal Li and General Zhao. But to the others, focus on how easily we won, how the Tartars burned down the ferry and fled in panic before they even saw us."

Also, don't say that the horses you bring back are spoils of war; just say they were given to the troops by wealthy families from the surrounding villages. These righteous men not only donated money and supplies, but also actively guided the way and assisted in the battle.”

"Wonderful!"

Wen Sijiu's eyes lit up immediately, and he slapped his thigh, praising the brilliant idea.

The most complex thing in the world is the human heart, yet the human heart also has obvious weaknesses.

The wealthy families in Xuzhou were unwilling to serve the Red Turban Army because they knew that following Sesame Li in rebellion would not bring them any good, and that the imperial army would eventually return and punish those who followed the rebels.

But the Yuan Dynasty is utterly corrupt and will be abandoned by the people sooner or later. If you don’t support the Red Turban Army, plenty of others will!

As a result, the imperial court delayed sending a large army to suppress the bandits, which allowed the Red Turban Army to gain an advantage outside the city. A small team of about twenty people could easily capture the two stations of Chulan and Fangcun after only a few days of going out and receiving strong support from wealthy families.

In comparison, some people will inevitably doubt the value of their persistence.

As long as some wealthy families in the city abandon their illusions and actively join the Red Turban Army, the once unified group of wealthy families in Xuzhou will be fractured, and with a little manipulation, the situation can be turned around.

Wen Sijiu thought about it more and more and felt that Shishan had vision and ability, but he was also more and more worried that the Xuzhou Red Turban Army would not be able to retain such a capable young man. He was afraid that when he returned to Chulan, he would not see Shishan and his troops again.

"Brother Shi, you really can't—"

(End of this chapter)