Sweep Yuan

Chapter 8: Everyone, young and old, is cunning.

The vision of the Northern Expedition is indeed wonderful. If it can truly threaten Dadu as Shishan said, even if this army is eventually wiped out, it will greatly alleviate the Red Turban Army's current strategic disadvantage.

The question is, did the Xuzhou Red Turban Army have the capability to turn their vision into reality?
Sesame Li was initially very excited, but soon calmed down, coughed lightly, and said:
"Brother Shi, you may not know this, but we are all natives of Xuzhou, and our knowledge is extremely limited. We don't even know which way the gates of Dadu (Beijing) face. The Northern Expedition is good, but who can be the general?"

Upon hearing this, all the leaders nodded in agreement.

Ishiyama had anticipated this outcome. He wasn't really reckless; he deliberately acted clumsy in front of everyone not only to test their abilities but also because he was afraid that Sesame Lee would actually take a liking to him and force him to stay by his side as an advisor.

Seeing that none of the leaders had any intention of launching a northern expedition, Shi Shan gritted his teeth, as if he had made a great decision, and said solemnly:

"If the Marshal intends to launch a northern expedition to save the millions of people in our country, I, Shishan, though unworthy, am willing to serve as the vanguard of the army!"

"you?"

Sesame Li didn't realize that Shishan seemed to truly intend to launch a northern expedition, and for a moment he hesitated.

If you’re going to act, do it full-on!

Ishiyama added in a more earnest tone:

“I’m from Yidu, so I know the way to Dadu a little bit.”

In fact, Yidu was quite far from Dadu and they were not in the same location, but in the administrative division of the Yuan Dynasty, Yidu and Dadu were indeed under the jurisdiction of the Central Secretariat.

Shi Shan's words had a double meaning: they expressed his determination to lead the army on the northern expedition, while also indicating that he was not "on the same side" as the others. "If you don't trust me, you'd better release them now."

"this?"

Sesame Li had no time to ponder Shi Shan's implied meaning; he had his own concerns.

While a successful Northern Expedition could break the current predicament in one fell swoop, given the strength of the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou, without sending several thousand men to bolster their prestige, they would likely disband before even leaving Xuzhou.

The problem is, how many soldiers are there in the city?
There aren't even enough for our own old brothers, so how could we possibly hand it over to an outsider to die like a child's game?

"Haha, Brother Shi, you have great courage, I admire you! But the Northern Expedition is a big deal, I need to discuss it with the brothers first."

Sesame Lee's relationship with the other leaders was that of "partners," not "superiors and subordinates." Rebellion was a common cause for all the leaders, and such a grand strategy as the Northern Expedition was indeed not something he could decide on his own.

Marshal Li suggested that he "discuss with the brothers first." Shi Shan, being an outsider, naturally couldn't stay in the marshal's mansion to listen to military secrets. After he took his leave, Sesame Li asked the other leaders.

"Brothers, is Shishan's statement reliable?"

"Unreliable!"

Peng Erlang still had a smile on his face. As he spoke, he looked at Zhao Junyong and scolded him:
"What a sly little devil! He never tells the truth. Damn it, he's even more cunning than Old Zhao!"

Zhao Junyong, not to be outdone, retorted:
"Grandpa told you this guy was cunning, but you didn't believe me. Now you're blaming me!"

"Hahaha--"

After Shishan returned to the camp, Sesame Li sent someone to deliver a table of wine and dishes, two sets of brocade robes, and two hundred strings of cash as a reward for his advice and suggestions.

The visitor also announced that the remaining Tartar forces had been largely eliminated and informed the two that they were free to move about in the city. After finishing their meal, Li Wu eagerly pulled Shi Shan out the door.

The purpose was certainly not to seek revenge against the female Tartar.

He had only been in Xuzhou for a few days and was stuck in the army. Several acquaintances had died in the battle to capture the city. He didn't really have anywhere he wanted to go. He was just tired of being locked up for so long and wanted to get some fresh air.

Xuzhou was an important transportation hub for the Yuan Dynasty, with huge amounts of goods passing through the Yellow River and the Grand Canal year-round. On ordinary days, merchants and travelers came and went in an endless stream.

On the night the city fell, Sesame Li sent men to seize the north gate and the docks and warehouses outside the city, and seized all the merchants, carriages and ships that had not managed to escape. Part of the spoils were used for military purposes, and the rest was divided among the leaders.

The Red Turban Army also used the captured ships to form a small navy, openly intercepting and seizing passing ships under the pretext of "cutting off the Tartars' grain transport".

The news spread quickly, and apart from a very few who were hoping for the best, most merchants and travelers no longer dared to travel through Xuzhou.

The Jianghuai region is crisscrossed by waterways. It is unclear whether the Yuan court used alternative shipping routes or whether the canal transport was interrupted, but the once bustling Xuzhou trade route has indeed fallen silent for the time being.

Many local merchants were also affected by the unrest and the disturbances caused by the soldiers. Although the city has gradually returned to normal order in the past few days, due to various concerns, few shops are open during the day, and the streets appear increasingly desolate.

After wandering around for a short while, Li Wu lost interest and began to wonder when Marshal Li would finally be able to make his and his third brother's contributions public.

Ishiyama actually had a general idea about this.

Despite the commotion and the seemingly imminent deployment of troops in the city, the Red Turban Army could break through in any direction, but they would never heed his advice to launch a northern expedition.

However, Shishan never considered launching a northern expedition at this time, and he knew that Sesame Li and others would not believe his nonsense, and he was also clear that the Red Turban Army could not be trapped in Xuzhou.

The Red Turban Army of Xuzhou will eventually break out, and that will be his opportunity.

Shi Shan found a well-located street tea shop, ordered two cups of tea, and gleaned a lot of useful information from the tea master. Following the tea master's directions, he found the White Lotus Sect's gathering place to watch their preaching activities.

They claimed it was for spreading religion, but in reality, it was for recruiting soldiers.

The leader of the White Lotus sect didn't even bother to proclaim the "birth of the Ming King," and directly shouted the slogan "Believe in the White Lotus, wear the red turban, kill the Tartars, and eat government grain," which displeased the other genuine White Lotus sect members present.

Although Shishan did not witness the White Lotus Sect's missionary ceremony, he could see that although Sesame Li used the White Lotus Sect's influence to launch his uprising, he was very wary of this religion with its many followers.

Afterwards, he sought out the few White Lotus followers with unfriendly expressions to inquire about the doctrine. These people tried their best to answer Shishan's questions, but Shishan remained unwilling to join the sect, so they lost interest in continuing the conversation.

Li Wu, who was originally restless and impatient, gradually calmed down when he saw that his third brother had the leisure to pay attention to the White Lotus Sect.

Two days later, Sesame Li sent someone to inform Shi Shan and Li Wu to go to the southern camp of the city to report to General Zhao.

When Shi Shan and Li Wu arrived at the southern camp, Zhao Junyong was inspecting the training of the Rui Battalion soldiers on the platform.

For Shi Shan, who had witnessed the magnificent military bearing of our army in later generations, the military actions performed on stage were actually quite an eyesore.

But when faced with Zhao Junyong's enthusiastic invitation to observe, he blatantly lied, praising General Zhao for his skillful training and the soldiers' valiant efforts, saying that they would surely conquer Dadu and sweep away the northern desert in the future.

Zhao Junyong knew that the cunning fellow rarely spoke the truth, so he quickly got to the point and relayed the task assigned by Marshal Li:
Shishan was appointed as deputy commander of a thousand households, leading five hundred elite soldiers out of the city to capture the two fortified posts of Fangcun and Chulan.

(End of this chapter)