Sweep Yuan

Chapter 5 Emergency treatment
"Brother Shi, please come inside!"

Sesame Li was about forty years old, with a plump figure, fair skin, and a friendly smile. If it weren't for his bright red embroidered robe, he would clearly be a kind and wealthy man.

Shi Shan, however, dared not put on airs and quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"How dare a mere surrendered soldier like Shi Shan trouble the Marshal to personally welcome me!"

"Hey! Don't say that. Brother Shi has made great contributions to the Red Turban Army. Isn't it only right that we come out to welcome you?"

Sesame Li took Shi Shan's hand and led him into the government hall, introducing him to the assembled leaders with a smile.

"Brothers, this is Brother Shi Shan, whom we told you about before. If it weren't for Brother Shi's chivalrous help the night before last, how could we have captured Xuzhou City so easily!"

Zhao Jun, who had infiltrated the city as an inside man, was most aware of the dangers involved. He immediately picked up the conversation and sighed:
"That's right! You have no idea how dangerous it was the night before last. If it weren't for Brother Shi's timely intervention to save us, Old Zhao would probably have lost an arm and half his head to get away."

"Hahaha--"

On the night the city fell, Sesame Li intended to reward Shi Shan with a leader position and appease the other surrendered soldiers. However, Zhao Junyong argued that the Red Turban Army had used a stratagem to break through the city, and that the soldiers and civilians inside were difficult to subdue. He advised against blindly giving surrendered soldiers important positions, thus dissuading Sesame Li from his idea.

Although Shishan was unaware of this matter, he sensed the hidden meaning in Zhao Junyong's words, which clearly indicated his dissatisfaction with his scheme to kill Yang Chaolu and put him in danger.

This matter shouldn't be brought up publicly. If Zhao Junyong holds a grudge, Shishan is currently powerless and without troops, so he has no choice but to accept it.

"General Zhao and General Peng have already met Brother Shi before. This General Han is from our Xiao County..."

There were seven Red Turban Army leaders in the hall. Shi Shan had met three of them. Of the remaining four, two were local strongmen from Xiao County, and the other two joined the heroes of Xuzhou after the city fell.

One of them was originally a minor official in the government office, familiar with the government's money and grain registers, while the other was a butcher, both of whom were ranked low in the family.

After the greetings were exchanged, everyone took their seats.

Although Shi Shan's seat was right next to Butcher Hu's, his chair was a mahogany stool, which contrasted sharply with the crescent-shaped armchairs made of yellow pear wood used by the other leaders.

clap clap clap!
Sesame Li clapped three times, and two maids dressed in red silk gauze entered the hall. They served Shi Shan fruits and wine, and after Marshal Li waved his hand, they bowed their heads and left the hall tremblingly.

Having observed all the proper etiquette, Sesame Li got straight to the point:
"Xuzhou is a strategically important location, surrounded by enemies on all sides. Although the Yellow River blocks our way to the east and north, the west and south are flat plains. If the imperial court sends a large army to attack, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold it. Brother Shi, you are very talented. Do you have any suggestions for our next steps?"

In the original historical timeline, the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou ultimately failed.

There are many reasons, whether it is the existence of the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou that seriously threatened the safety of the canal transport, or the wrong development strategy, both of which were extremely fatal.

In contrast, Xuzhou's poor geographical location is not the key issue.

After all, there were many other outlaws who rebelled during the same period, whose geographical locations were worse than Xuzhou's, yet they persisted for much longer.

However, Ishiyama is unaware of these things. With his limited military knowledge and strategic vision, he doesn't actually know how to break this doomed situation.

Shishan only knew that the Yingzhou Red Turban Army, which started the uprising first, lasted longer than most of the rebel armies that rose and fell quickly. Later, they launched a three-pronged northern expedition, burned down Shangdu, and invaded Goryeo, becoming incredibly powerful for a time.

In his view, if the Xuzhou Red Turban Army could lose territory but preserve its people, and then expand westward with all its might, coordinating with the Yingzhou Red Turban Army to attack the government forces from both sides, or even simply join forces to fight against the powerful enemy, it might be a brilliant move to survive in the face of death.

However, the fact that Sesame Li proclaimed himself marshal immediately after capturing Xuzhou was a very clear political signal—although the Ying and Xu rebel armies rose up at different times and both called themselves the Red Turban Army, they were equals in status and had no master-servant relationship. Expecting Sesame Li to abandon Xuzhou and risk losing everything to benefit Liu Futong was probably unrealistic.

Moreover, if Sesame Li really wanted to ask for advice, he wouldn't have waited until now to summon Shishan. This move seems more like a way to win people's hearts, a prelude to the main event. What he answers is not important; his attitude is what matters.

Shishan pretended to think for a while, then answered:

"In terms of equipment, training and manpower, we cannot compare with the government army. No matter which direction we fight, it will be about the same. However, the marshal captured Xiao County and Xuzhou in just a few days after he raised his army. The main reason is that the government army is lax in its military preparations."

In my humble opinion, we should take advantage of the government army's main force besieging the Red Turbans in Yingzhou, while our troops launch attacks in all directions to seize territory. This will expand our territory and give us more room to maneuver. Once we've captured several prefectures and have hundreds of thousands of troops at our disposal, why should we worry about Xuzhou anymore?

The enemy is strong and we are weak; anyone with eyes to see knows that the lack of a strategic focus is a major problem.

However, one cannot expect too much from a fledgling group that has just started an uprising. In just a few days, they have captured two cities and grown to more than 10,000 troops, which already surpasses most rebels.

Although Shishan's insights were nothing new, they coincided with the results of the leaders' previous discussions. Under the psychological suggestion that "great minds think alike," it was still somewhat reassuring.

Sesame Li nodded, no longer dwelling on the matter, and immediately raised another question.

"Brother Shi, have you ever heard of Qin Yicheng, the Duke of Changshan Village?"

Shi Shan had no idea about Changshan Village or Duanshan Village, let alone Qin Yicheng, whom he had never even heard of.

The butcher, Hu, standing beside him, had a rough appearance but was actually quite shrewd. Seeing Shi Shan's blank expression, he took the initiative to introduce him:
"Qin Gong was a famous scholar in Xuzhou, a student of the Imperial Academy, and rose to the position of judge in the Huguang Province. However, he was ostracized because he could not stand the corruption of his colleagues. After resigning and returning to his hometown, he did a lot of good deeds and was highly respected by the villagers."

Qin Yicheng was talented, renowned, and a recluse who had resigned from his official post—he was practically a "worldly master" tailor-made for Sesame Li.

Clearly, Sesame Li had the idea of ​​recruiting Qin Yicheng, and had even taken action, but without success.

That's ridiculous!

Shishan Secret Path: If even you local tyrants can't accomplish this, what good can I, an outsider, do? Or are you trying to incite me to take the lead and do what you're unwilling to do?
"The Marshal wishes to invite Lord Qin to serve in the military?"

"We've already invited him, but Lord Qin won't come and won't accept the gifts. Brother Shi, you're quick-witted, do you have any way to persuade Lord Qin to come out of seclusion?"

Qin Yicheng was a former official of the Yuan Dynasty. When faced with the rebels who invited him to join them in the rebellion, he neither fled nor rebuked them to their faces, nor did he try to prove his loyalty by committing suicide. His attitude was actually quite ambiguous.

Such people may not be too opposed to the Red Turban Army, or they may not mind using the Red Turban Army to achieve certain personal goals.

Shi Shan had at least read Water Margin and knew a bit about the methods the Liangshan heroes used to recruit people. He was confident that he could take down this old fox who was trying to bet on both sides.

However, these tactics were too insidious and did not suit his nature. He did not believe that Zhao Junyong could not come up with such a tactic. If Zhao Junyong did not want to ruin his reputation for a trivial matter, Shi Shan would certainly not reveal it.

"Lord Qin is highly respected and has received a government salary; he probably won't easily pledge allegiance to us. There should be no shortage of talented people in the city. Why doesn't the Marshal recruit a few from among them first, and then have them invite Lord Qin to come out of seclusion?"

　A fledgling author is being adorable online, begging for votes, reads, promotions, and support for their new book in its early stages!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)