Sweep Yuan

Chapter 58 The Yuan Army's Ingenious Strategy for Defending the City

Huai'an Road benefits from the grain transport and salt production, and has a relatively dense population. There are very few large areas of forest within its borders, making it virtually impossible to cut down trees on the spot to establish camps or attack cities.

Therefore, while forcibly conscripting able-bodied men and craftsmen along the way, Shishan also "borrowed" boats, carts, horses, mules, ironware, timber, ropes, wooden ladders, door panels, jar lids and other items from wealthy families in the villages.

With these supplies, setting up camp became much simpler.

Shishan ordered that the supply wagons be linked end to end to form a simple camp open on the east and west sides, which could be used by craftsmen to work and could also be used to defend against enemy attacks.

The cavalry advanced to scout out any Yuan troops that might unexpectedly appear to the east and south.

The 2nd Infantry Battalion was positioned near the west gate of Hong County to prevent the defending troops from leaving the city and destroying the fortifications under construction.

The Fifth and Sixth Battalions dispersed into squads to cover the able-bodied men accompanying them as they searched for and felled scattered trees in the surrounding area, or demolished scattered houses around the city, and dragged all the timber and bricks back to the camp to make siege weapons.

Doing so infringes on the interests of these homeowners and will increase the difficulty of governing Hongxian County after its occupation.

However, after capturing Hong County, the situation changed from offense to defense. These houses near the city walls became a huge hidden danger, providing the government troops with a convenient way to launch a counterattack.

Instead of forcibly demolishing the structures after capturing Hong County and stabilizing the situation, it would be better to take advantage of the siege and level the city directly.

The First Battalion, the Fourth Battalion, and the Provisional Battalion supervised the establishment of the young and able-bodied battalion and were ready to support the Second Battalion's operations at any time.

After the troops were deployed, Shishan intended to launch probing attacks on each side of the city wall.

Just then, Chen Daye shouted from behind:
"It seems like they're going to let people down from the city walls."

The two men were thrown down from the city wall by being shoved down in baskets, and they ran toward the "Red Heart Battalion" army formation waving a small, blank gray flag.

"Chieftain—Commander, we're all ready to set up battle formation, why are they sending people out of the city now?"

Chang Tietou had encountered similar situations when robbing wealthy households' estates before, so he wasn't surprised.

"Judging from this, it doesn't seem like they're surrendering; they probably just want us to take a detour."

"Hey, this Tartar official is just like a peasant."

Shishan roughly guessed the purpose of the two men and gave instructions to Chen Daye.

"Big Eyes, go and bring them here."

On that day, as soon as Shi Shan and Sun Xun entered Chengezhuang, they were given a show of force and their weapons were confiscated by the gatekeeper, a man named Chen Daye.

This person usually performs quite well, so when the organization was expanded, Shishan transferred him to his side to teach him.

"This humble official, Feng Yu, the clerk of Hong County, greets the general."

Although the clerk was not officially recognized as a "ranked official," he was the head of all the clerks in the government office. He was responsible for reporting and canceling records and for proposing judgments. Most of the practical affairs in the county were handled by the clerk, so he held a low position but wielded great power.

The Darughachi of Hong County sent his clerk out of the city to negotiate with the Red Turban Army, showing considerable sincerity. However, Shishan had already decided to attack the city to train his troops and did not want to waste any time.

"Stop talking nonsense and just state your purpose."

"Uh—General, you have come from afar and have had a long journey. Lord Linchihudu, the Darughachi of Hong County, has specially sent me to comfort the troops."

When the rebel army reached the walls of Hong County, the Darughachi of Hong County, instead of fighting bravely against the enemy, sent people out of the city to "reward the troops"—how absurd!

But what can you do when the world is in chaos?
Lin Chihu should be a knowledgeable military strategist. He could tell from the siege preparations made by the "Red Heart Battalion" that the strength of this bandit army was extraordinary, and that Hong County would be difficult to defend.

He neither wanted to die for his duty in the city nor abandon the city and lose his official position, so he could only resort to the ingenious tactic of "comforting the troops".

Shishan was determined to take Hongxian County and it was impossible for Linchihu to withdraw his troops, but he did not immediately express his opinion in front of the envoy.

"To reward the troops? What's Hongxian County worth?"

"Rewarding the troops" means using money and supplies to buy the enemy's retreat. However, the enemy leader's bluntness made Feng Dianshi feel a little uncomfortable, so much so that he was stunned for a moment before answering.

"Two chests of gold ingots, four beautiful women from Wu, sixty bolts of Suzhou brocade, a thousand bushels of new rice, and a fat pig—"

"Hahaha!" Feng Yu was interrupted by Shi Shan's laughter before he could finish speaking.

Shi Shan raised his right hand, thumb pointing backward, towards the chariot camp behind him.

Do you think Grandpa is a beggar who needs your meager money and food?

The "Red Heart Battalion" was not only well-organized in marching, setting up camp, and preparing for battle, but also had more supplies and baggage than ordinary bandit troops. They even had uniforms that, although varied in color, were basically uniform in style, making them look nothing like bandits who had just started their uprising.

It was based on this that Lin Chihudu predicted that Hongxian could not be defended and wanted to beg for mercy in a roundabout way by "comforting the troops".

Feng Yu knew that this small amount of "troop-rewarding" supplies would not impress the bandit leader, but he was under orders from his superior and dared not go back to report.

"Although Hong County is small, it has several thousand households and over ten thousand people. There are reinforcements from all directions. Although your troops are strong, they cannot withstand the attrition of a bloody battle. Why not call a truce?"

"Okay!"

Shi Shan had no interest in arguing with Feng Yu and interrupted him again.

“Go back and tell Lin Chihudu that this world belongs to us Han people, and that Grandpa is here to reclaim the governance of Hong County on behalf of the Han people. If he has the guts, he should lead his troops out of the city and put on a show of force, and fight Grandpa like a real man.”

If you don't have the guts, then immediately tuck your tail between your legs and get lost!

But let's get this straight: if you can't win, don't fucking mess around. How much blood have my men shed beneath the city walls? Once we break through, you'll have to pay with even more blood!

Shi Shan had great ambitions and wanted to establish a foothold in Hong County and expand his power; he would never actually massacre the city.

But all's fair in war. Lin Chihu had already sent people to comfort the troops and beg for mercy. Wouldn't it be a waste not to take the opportunity to frighten the already weak-willed defenders?
After driving away Feng Yu, Shi Shan ordered Fu Youde, Zeng Xing, and other teams to lead their troops in a probing attack on the west, north, and south walls of Hong County.

A probing attack is a small force used to probe the enemy's strength and weaknesses.

Knowing that the enemy would not actually attack the city for the time being, the defenders huddled inside the hastily constructed brick and wood parapet. Only when the enemy got too close to the city wall did they retaliate with sparse arrows under the coercion of their officers.

Since both sides were newly formed militias and lacked powerful bows and crossbows, the actual intensity of the confrontation was not great. After fighting for half a day, the total number of casualties on both sides was less than a palm's breadth.

But after two rounds of probing, Shishan obtained more data needed for the siege.

After lunch, Shishan changed his men again and continued to observe the enemy's troop deployment at close range.

The defending troops, having gained no advantage in the morning's confrontation, were even less willing to risk a counterattack and could only watch helplessly as the enemy conducted "training" activities back and forth outside the city.

As they went back and forth, the soldiers of the "Red Heart Battalion" who launched their first assault on the city gradually became familiar with the mission procedures, and their tension and fear subsided considerably. Meanwhile, the defending troops became even more anxious in this atmosphere of wanting to fight but not really fighting.

Before nightfall, Shi Shan left some scouts outside the camp to keep watch, while all other troops withdrew into the camp to rest and regroup. He also summoned the camp and platoon officers to discuss the siege tactics for the next day.

……

In the Hong County government office, the county magistrate, Darughachi Linchihu, was slumped in his recliner, his mind filled with thoughts of the impending siege.

Although he was fond of drinking and women, and his obese body had long been hollowed out, making him unable to ride a spirited horse or draw a strong bow, his ancestors had followed the Holy Martial Emperor in his campaigns, and had made military achievements for generations, so he still had some fighting spirit.

After the bandit army besieged the city, Lin Chihudu led a group of civil and military officials from the county government to risk climbing the city wall to personally inspect the city's defenses. After the attempt to "repel the bandits" failed, he promised to distribute "bandit-repelling money" on the spot to boost morale.

The reason they fought so hard was, of course, because the city's military preparedness was too weak.

Hong County is close to Lingbi but far from the prefectural capital Linhuai and the circuit capital Shanyang. It has no strategic locations to defend, so the imperial court has never deployed troops there. The daily security of the city is maintained only by the archers of the Anti-Bandit Division.

Although Lin Chihudu supported the county magistrate in recruiting a group of archers to prepare for the worst after learning of the fall of Xuzhou, the number was only three hundred. Adding the original fifty archers from the bandit-catching department, the total number was less than four hundred.

It's not that I don't want to recruit more, but firstly, I don't have enough spare money to maintain a large army in the long term, and secondly, recruiting too many would be detrimental to my career, and I might be accused of "plotting something sinister."

Even with the addition of young men temporarily conscripted from the city, it was still insufficient to defend Hong County. The hope of repelling the bandits ultimately rested on the reinforcements from the Lu and Zhou provinces.

In fact, the messenger requesting help was dispatched immediately after discovering the large force of the Red Turban rebels. However, the journey was too long, and even if the official was his own father and immediately sent troops after receiving the request for help, it would still take three to five days for him to arrive.

But with Hongxian's weak city defenses, how could it possibly hold out until a large number of reinforcements arrived?
(End of this chapter)