Chapter 121: Utter Disorder

Marshal Jinhua?

All eyes in the hall turned toward Lady Jinhua, for no one had expected Hua Yun to overlook everyone else and single her out.

Everyone had assumed Hua Yun would surely choose the most renowned generals of the Chaohu Navy. Even if he did not select Zhao Pusheng, he would have chosen Yu Tonghai or Liao Yong’an. Yet, no one fathomed he would pick Lady Jinhua.

But upon reflection, Hua Yun’s choice seemed far from desperate. Although Lady Jinhua held only the nominal title of marshal, it was widely acknowledged that she was the second most powerful figure in the Chaohu Navy, ranking above Zhao Pusheng and Li Pusheng, not to mention ordinary commanders like Yu Tonghai, Liao Yong’an, and Ma Shixiong.

Lady Jinhua herself was surprised Hua Yun chose her, who appeared merely ornamental, over others. Yet, she recalled how she had once commanded a hundred thousand Red Turbans in Xiangyang and was no mere decoration. With a bold spirit, she declared, “Since Chief Hua has placed his trust in me, Lady Jinhua, today I shall rise again from the ashes and will not disappoint you all.”

Seeing Lady Jinhua’s spirited resolve, Liu Yi momentarily lost himself in thought, knowing he could not dissuade her. “Sister Jinhua, whenever you need me to personally lead the army across the great river, just say the word!”

Zhu Yuanzhang had exerted tremendous effort to recruit Liu Yi, but Lady Jinhua needed only a single phrase to command him to lead his troops in person. And she understood the weight behind Liu Yi’s promise. “Marshal, I heed your command.”

With Lady Jinhua’s naval forces advancing eastward in force, the battle for Changzhou Road escalated fiercely.

Though both Zhang Shicheng and Zhu Yuanzhang knew the Battle of Changzhou would be extraordinarily bloody and brutal—even perhaps more savage than the battles between the Chuzhou Red Turbans and the provincial authorities over Jiqing Road—no one had anticipated just how vicious the fighting would be. Both sides, each numbering over a hundred thousand troops, clashed repeatedly on the Changzhou battlefield. A moment’s lapse could devastate a battalion commander or even half a regiment.

While the Battle of Jiqing had been a truly fierce struggle, the Red Turbans of Chuzhou only lost units of a hundred men. But now, after just a round or two, entire battalions or even regiments were rendered combat-ineffective and forced to retreat for regrouping.

Though the numerical strength between battalions and regiments varied greatly—with some regiments having only a few hundred men—the staggering casualties left Zhu Yuanzhang with a heart-wrenching sense of loss.

Originally, he had hoped that if Zhang Shicheng could not be defeated in three to five rounds, then surely after ten or so rounds Zhang’s forces would collapse. It was important to remember Zhang Shicheng was fighting on two fronts: one against Zhu Yuanzhang for control of Changzhou Road, and the other against the Yuan troops of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang provincial administration. Yet after nearly a month of fierce combat, Zhang Shide and Li Bosheng still launched frequent, fierce assaults.

Had Liu Yi only dispatched Li Pusheng to fight on the river, Zhu Yuanzhang would have laid all blame on the Chaohu Navy for sitting idly by and letting the Red Turbans suffer such heavy losses. But now, with the Zhenjiang Military Secretariat dispatching Lady Jinhua to command both naval and land forces—suffering nearly a thousand casualties—Zhu Yuanzhang found no grounds for reproach and could only rally his generals: “If we compare family strength and resources, Gaoyou cannot match us. Zhang Shicheng’s elite troops number fewer than ten thousand. If this fight continues, he will surely lose.”

This was the best reassurance Zhu Yuanzhang could offer, though all the commanders in the Left Camp agreed wholeheartedly. Marshal Shao Siyuan said bluntly, “Though our losses are heavy, as long as Zhenjiang stands united with us, we will surely take Changzhou. After all, Zhang Shicheng’s troops are limited.”

“Yes, once we eliminate those salt smugglers under Zhang Shicheng, no matter how skilled he is, he won’t be able to turn the tide.”

“I agree. Zhang Shicheng’s resources are thin. If we push a little harder, Changzhou will fall.”

All present were desperate men from the Jianghuai region, well acquainted with one another. After a dozen fierce clashes, they knew each other intimately. Though Zhang Shicheng’s forces fought far better than Zhu Yuanzhang and the Chuzhou Red Turbans had expected, the Gaoyou army consistently struggled with their limited resources.

After crossing the river, the Gaoyou forces recruited widely: various righteous militias and local troops from Jiangnan joined, while from Jiangbei, large contingents of spear infantry, Green Troops, and even official Yuan forces swelled Zhang Shicheng’s ranks. Yet his core forces numbered only twenty- or thirty-thousand men. If these were all expended, the Chuzhou Red Turbans would naturally hold a decisive advantage.

Confidence in capturing Changzhou Road ran high.

Yet suddenly, Li Shanchang spoke up: “If we wear down Gaoyou, our strength is abundant and we will surely outlast them. But what worries me is the possibility of their surrender and reintegration.”

Surrender? The others found this unlikely. After all, the world had descended into chaos to its current state largely because Zhang Shicheng of Gaoyou was the prime culprit. Had he not crushed Chancellor Tuo Tuo’s four-hundred-thousand-strong army outside Gaoyou, all present might well have been absorbed into the Yuan dynasty’s ranks.

Moreover, after Gaoyou, the Yuan court had even given Zhang Shicheng another chance to surrender, but he instead took advantage of the Chuzhou Red Turbans’ and provincial authorities’ focus on the Battle of Jiqing to launch a massive river crossing and sweep through Jiangnan. With the establishment of the Great Zhou state, many believed Zhang Shicheng’s chance for surrender was slim.

Yet strategists must always consider the worst-case scenario. Zhu Yuanzhang immediately asked, “Shanchang, are you saying if we press Zhang Shicheng too hard, he might accept surrender again?”

Li Shanchang replied with deep meaning, “Exactly. We must strike with full force. Even if Zhang Shicheng prepares to surrender, we cannot give him a chance to turn the tables.”

For Zhang Shide, Li Bosheng, and Zhang Shixin, this was an unwelcome prospect. “They say the people of Haozhou are unreasonable and stubborn peasants. It seems that is true,” Zhang Shixin remarked.

His words reflected the chaotic tactics of the Chuzhou Red Turbans, who often deliberately engaged in attritional warfare against Zhang Shicheng. The core of Zhang’s forces numbered only twenty- or thirty-thousand, with roughly ten thousand battle-hardened veterans. The rest were newly recruited militias, local troops, spear infantry, Green Troops, and Yuan government soldiers. The most vexing aspect was this unorthodox, disorderly style of combat.