Chapter 120: Selecting the General

“Send a few beauties to Magistrate Liu’s camp?”

Everyone thought they must have misheard.

This was a matter that had been brought up countless times before, to the point it had become a persistent worry for all. Zhu Yuanzhang had indeed promised to send several beauties from the Left Camp to Liu Yi, but after falling out with him, he completely abandoned that promise. In fact, whenever anyone mentioned it to him, he would become irritable. Yet every time Liu Yi cooperated with the Jiqing forces, he would bring it up, clinging stubbornly to the promised beauties from the Left Camp.

Everyone knew that even without the position of magistrate, Liu Yi was an influential figure. Obtaining a few beauties—or even dozens—would be effortless for him. The reason he persisted wasn’t about the beauties themselves, but because this seemingly trivial matter was actually a barometer of the state of relations between the two sides.

Since Zhu Yuanzhang was willing to lower his pride to improve ties with Liu Yi, it naturally meant he was preparing for an all-out war against Zhang Shicheng. This both surprised and delighted everyone. They felt this was the right direction for the Chuzhou Red Army. Li Shanchang even blurted out, “Our lord is wise. We must not quarrel with the Shui Camp over petty grievances!”

“Exactly! After dealing with Zhang Shicheng, we can settle accounts properly with the Shui Camp!”

“Right, the meat may rot in the pot, but if Changzhou falls to Zhang Shicheng, we’ll be left with nothing!”

Though most officials and soldiers present in the Left Camp were rough and straightforward, they understood well that if Zhang Shicheng took control of Changzhou Road, the Chuzhou Red Scarves would lose their foothold in Yingtian Prefecture and might even be driven back north of the Yangtze. Zhang Shicheng, also a figure from the Jianghuai region, was a mortal enemy, while Liu Yi was the ally most worth winning over.

Zhu Yuanzhang caught the underlying meaning in their words: “Rest assured, brothers. Since Zhang Shicheng dares to seize Changzhou Road, our conflict with him will be relentless. As for Magistrate Liu, he’s an old friend. Let’s carefully select the most beautiful ladies to send over!”

Everyone knew Liu Yi cared little about the beauties themselves; what mattered was whether Zhu Yuanzhang and the Left Camp would honor their original promise. Since Zhu was willing to humble himself, sending over beauties who were at least decent-looking wouldn’t cause much trouble. However, the battle for Changzhou was a matter of life and death for the Chuzhou Red Scarves, so they were determined to put in extra effort.

“Old Zhu, leave this matter to us. We’ll make sure the Shui Camp can find no fault with the selection!”

“Yes, I’ll go inquire what kind of beauties Magistrate Liu prefers!”

“Old Zhu, such a minor issue is best handled by us; no need for you to trouble yourself. The urgent task now is to reclaim Changzhou. Since raising arms in Haozhou, we’ve yet to suffer such a severe loss!”

Zhu Yuanzhang realized that even in his desire to take concubines and secondary wives, he had never encountered such enthusiasm. Liu Yi’s popularity within his camp was far greater than he had imagined. He could only curse silently, “That traitorous Liu, with his wild ambitions—I mustn’t fall into his trap!”

Yet, since he had to deal with Zhang Shicheng, Zhu had no choice but to temporarily mend fences with Liu Yi: “After we deal with Zhang Shicheng, then it’s your turn, Liu Yi!”

Not only Zhu Yuanzhang thought this way, but his civil and military officials held similar views. Sending a few exquisite beauties to Zhenjiang was merely a delaying tactic. Once Zhang Shicheng was dealt with, they could turn their attention to subduing Zhenjiang.

Though the Chaohu Navy was invincible on the great river, their territory amounted to just over a county. Once Zhang Shicheng was crushed, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Provincial government could deal with the Chaohu Navy as they pleased. No matter how formidable on water, the Chaohu Navy still needed a foothold.

Yet neither Zhu Yuanzhang, Li Shanchang, nor the officials present anticipated just how formidable their opponent truly was.

Liu Yi was well aware of how difficult Zhang Shicheng was to contend with. Although the official Ming histories described Zhang as a mere “self-contained bandit,” Zhu Yuanzhang’s faction had long found few effective strategies against him. The two sides maintained a stalemate: Zhu controlled western Zhejiang, Zhang held eastern Zhejiang, forming a deadlock where whoever attacked first suffered losses. Though Zhang’s offensives often failed, Zhu’s advances gained little ground either. It was only after Zhu eliminated Chen Youliang’s upstream faction that his forces gained the upper hand through superior numbers.

Thus, when Zhu Yuanzhang offered to send a few beauties, Liu Yi was politely hesitant: “Zhu Tongqian is quite amusing. He promised this long ago but only now, preparing for a decisive battle with Zhang Shicheng, does he think of me. Chief Hua, since we are old friends, you can’t side with Zhu Yuanzhang in shortchanging one of us!”

The reinforcements summoned this time were none other than Liu Yi’s longtime ally from the Chaohu Navy. The entire Left Camp now believed that dealing with the Left Camp required bringing out Hua Yun. Before setting out, Hua Yun already suspected he might be making a fruitless trip.

“Magistrate Liu, your words are reasonable—I wouldn’t betray an old friend. But now the Left Camp must retake Changzhou, and the Shui Camp cannot remain idle. You must allow me to answer to my superiors!”

Liu Yi’s campaign to retake Changzhou was cautious. Once Tang He secured a foothold, he planned to withdraw, leaving Li Pusheng to lead the navy in supporting the Left Camp. Though Li Pusheng was also a famed general of the Shui Camp, without Liu Yi himself commanding, the Left Camp grew anxious and immediately summoned Hua Yun.

Liu Yi was willing to vouch for Hua Yun because of his loyalty: “Chief Hua, just for your words, I won’t let your journey be in vain. But Zhu Yuanzhang and Li Shanchang must give you some assurances.”

This touched upon the most sensitive personnel matters within the Left Camp. Hua Yun, renowned for his bravery on the battlefield, dared not broach the subject: “Magistrate, having earned such great merits, I’m sure the superiors will acknowledge me. But please tell me, what are the specific arrangements?”

Liu Yi promptly inquired, “Chief Hua, you appoint the generals: which marshal or commandant would you have lead the expedition to Changzhou and cut off the great river?”

With a cadre of fierce generals in the Chaohu Navy, Hua Yun answered without hesitation: “Naturally, we must call upon Marshal Jin Hua to intercept the great river!”