Sweep Yuan

Chapter 89 In chaotic times, where is true loyalty?

Chang Tietou felt stifled in the "Red Heart Camp," but when it came to the degree of stifling, Wen Sijiu was second to none.

Since Zhao Junyong sent him to Shishan's side, he has suffered a lot of disdain.

Even so, Wen Sijiu still tried his best to maintain the connection between the "Red Heart Camp" and the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou, and never did anything that would harm the "Red Heart Camp".

Over time, people were still wary of it, but eventually they gradually accepted it.

Wen Sijiu's statement essentially severed ties with Xuzhou, reminding the generals not to be used by Xue Xian and ruin their unity, and clearly stating that he was not greedy for power and position, which immediately silenced the generals.

That's all for now.

After Bi Wensijiu expressed his opinion, Shishan acted as a mediator and set the tone.

"Our unit has a special situation; our military system differs from that of Xuzhou. Everything is based on our internal organization. Old Wen."

"My subordinate is here."

"Find an opportunity and write a letter to Marshal Li and General Zhao to report this matter."

"I——"

What timing to choose, what to report, and what good will it do? The "Red Heart Battalion" is still ultimately up to you!

Wen Sijiu felt exhausted and really didn't want to get involved in these things anymore, but faced with Shishan's burning gaze, he could only bite the bullet and agree.

"I will obey the orders of the garrison commander."

After resolving the dispute over the thousand households and appeasing the generals, Shishan began to arrange matters related to the army's departure.

It was nothing more than mobilization at all levels, supply of provisions, deployment of troops and armor, route reconnaissance, marching order, and security, supply, and camping along the way. Each battalion had its own tasks, and the generals would quickly carry them out after receiving their assignments.

Fortunately, Xue Xian had already taken over the military and political affairs of Hong County, so Shi Shan no longer needed to worry about the rear guard matters.

After everyone had taken their leave, Shishan kept Li Wu behind and wrote a letter to Fu Youde, who was far away at Qingyang Station.

He informed the reinforcements of their arrival in Hong County and Xuzhou, the details of the battle plan and troop deployment, and authorized Fu Youde to replenish the missing troops on his own, and to consider whether to join Xue Xian's expedition.

Upon learning the gist of the letter, Li Wu refused to send anyone to deliver it.

"Third Brother, Brother Fu is capable of fighting tough battles. You can let him recruit soldiers on his own, but why leave him with Xue Xian? Wouldn't it be better to have him come directly to Wuhe and join us?"

Shi Shan knew perfectly well that this was the right thing to do, but Fu Youde was at Qingyang Station. If he could really recall Fu Youde with a single order, why would he authorize the latter to recruit soldiers on his own?
"Fifth Brother, why don't you think Fu Youde came back with you?"

Li Wu scratched his head, somewhat puzzled, and asked:
"Didn't Third Brother order him to hold Qingyang Station and prevent the government troops from taking it?"

"Times have changed. Now that we have broken through the vanguard of the government army, Sizhou is in dire need of its own defense. With our troops about to be dispatched, even if Qingyang Station were to be defended, there would be no need for Fu Youde to personally guard it."

Li Wu's eyes widened for a long while before he slammed his hand on the table and cursed:
"I thought he was honest, but it turns out he never intended to come back!"

"That's not right!"

Shishan shook his head and patiently explained:
"When Brother Fu arranged for you to return to the city to report the victory, Xue Xian was still on his way. If you were Fu Youde, unaware that we had reinforcements, and hoping to take advantage of the great victory at Wudu to win another battle, how would you want me to send troops?"

"Of course we'll attack Si together—no, Sizhou still has over three thousand troops, we're still too few. Does he perhaps want us to attack Wuhe?"

After Li Wu finished speaking, he thought of something else.

"Fu Youde isn't coming back, could it be that he wants to see if Third Brother can conquer Wuhe? Humph! Without him, we wouldn't even be able to attack the city!"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Shi Shan found it somewhat amusing; what did this all mean? "Without the three thousand reinforcements brought by Xue Xian, even if we manage to break through Wuhe, we'll still have to guard against a counterattack from the Sizhou government troops. Fu Youde holding Qingyang Station will at least protect our retreat."

If we hold Wuhe, the government troops in Sizhou will suffer heavy losses. Fu Youde could then sail downstream from Qingyang Station and seize Sizhou.

"How can this be!"

Li Wu couldn't believe it. Even if Sizhou was weakened again, Fu Youde only had a few hundred new soldiers under his command. How could they possibly attack the city?
"Why not? Why did he only let you bring back 60% of the spoils?"

Hongxian County is not short of manpower, but it lacks qualified officers, veterans, and soldiers. In order to prevent the rapid expansion of the army from damaging its organization and discipline, Shishan has always carefully controlled the speed of expansion.

Fu Youde achieved great success in this battle, at least solving the problems of veterans and armor. Expanding the Eight Battalions to a thousand men was more than enough. With several times the number of local militia recruited along the way, there was still a chance to capture the city of Sizhou while it was undefended.

After Shi Shan reminded him, Li Wu also realized this, and his face instantly turned even uglier than if he were crying.

"Third Brother, how could I have believed Fu Youde's nonsense? I shouldn't have come back. I should have stayed at Qingyang Station and kept an eye on this bastard!"

"Back then, there were only the two of us, and even Wen Sijiu with just a sign couldn't keep an eye on me. If you stay, how can you keep an eye on Fu Youde?"

Shi Shan patted Li Wu on the shoulder and comforted him:

"Capable people are often temperamental. You can't prevent them from being controlled; if you try to control them for too long, they'll become disloyal and eventually leave you. Isn't that right?"

That's the logic.

Li Wu wasn't deaf to advice, but the thought of all the supplies and spoils still at Qingyang Station, and the fact that Fu Youde had fooled him into thinking he was Wen Sijiu, tormented him like a hundred claws scratching at his heart.

"I'm just upset. If I were back in my hometown of Yidu, I would have more connections with my fellow villagers and none of this would have happened."

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

Shishan was somewhat displeased and put on a stern face, saying:

“Yang Chaolu isn’t from the same hometown? When he’s messing with us, he’s more ruthless than anyone else! These people from Xuzhou are also from the same hometown, and they’re just as scheming against each other.”

Neither left nor right, Li Wu became increasingly frustrated.

"So what should we do?"

Shi Shan looked at Li Wu and said seriously:
"Let me ask you, putting aside our hometown ties, assuming we didn't have a childhood friendship and only met after arriving in Xuzhou, why did you choose to follow me?"

"Me?"

After a moment's thought, Li Wu gave his answer.

"I'm not very smart, but my third brother is. I feel like I can only survive if I stay with my third brother."

"Ok!"

Shi Shan nodded, affirming Li Wu's answer.

“Fu Youde is also smart. Doesn’t he think he can make a living on his own and think that I’ve chosen the wrong path? When there’s a disagreement, such a capable person will stick to the path he’s chosen, unless he suffers a terrible setback.”

"So, Third Brother isn't going to take care of him?"

"Manage it! Of course we should manage it, otherwise why would I write to him?"

Shi Shan thought to himself that there was no such thing as loyalty in chaotic times; it was just a fig leaf to cover up considerations of self-interest. But he couldn't say that to the simple-minded Li Wu.

"Fifth brother, there are plenty of smart people in this chaotic world. Everyone is choosing their own path. They ultimately chose us not because we have more troops, but because the path we chose is more correct and can go further than theirs."

(End of this chapter)