Chapter 124: Overthinking

Sun Yuerong still felt that the matter was rather precarious. "I think Zhang Shicheng will surely come at us with all he’s got. If he crosses the river this time and fails to take Songjiang Prefecture, it’ll all have been for nothing!"

Liu Yi, however, laughed with particular delight. "If Zhang Shicheng dares to come at us with full force, then the entire realm would belong to the Zhang family!"

Liu Yi’s assessment was not far from the truth. Although Zhang Shide, Li Bosheng, and Zhang Shixin all insisted that the fundamental conflict between the two houses was irreconcilable, Liu Yi was still loudly proclaiming within the Prince of Zhou’s mansion: “Tell Shide and Bosheng, no matter what terms Liu Yuyuan demands, I can agree. Even if he insists on becoming Grand Chancellor, I’d consent. Whatever women, gold, or land he wants, it’s no problem. As long as he’s willing to negotiate, everything is negotiable!”

Zhang Shixin, who had hurried back from Changzhou to request reinforcements, did not expect his elder brother to be so foolish. “Brother, it’s not that we refuse to negotiate with Zhenjiang; it’s that Zhenjiang is clearly unwilling to talk to us. If they won’t come to the table, what can we do?”

As Liu Yi had said, though Zhang Shicheng had accomplished many great feats, in critical moments he clung to unrealistic fantasies. He knew well that Liu Yi’s desire to split from the Chuzhou Red Turbans would only lead to mutual destruction, yet he still sought to resolve the issue by means beyond the battlefield. “If there’s no way out, then find a way. I’ve said it—if he comes over, I’m willing to relinquish the position of Grand Chancellor. I’ve heard Liu Yuyuan is known for his debauchery and womanizing. He nearly clashed with Zhu Yuanzhang over a few women. If we can exploit this weakness, there must be a way!”

According to Yuan dynasty customs, the posts of Grand Chancellor and Secretary of the Central Secretariat were held concurrently by the crown prince. Zhang Shicheng’s willingness to surrender these positions revealed the turmoil in his heart. Zhang Shixin harbored resentment as well. “Brother, it would be better to hand the Grand Chancellor position to one of us than to an outsider. With the Chaohu navy, if Shide, Bosheng, and I join forces, I guarantee the Liu faction won’t be able to stir up any trouble!”

Zhang Shicheng naturally trusted his brothers, but his success was due to his unique insight. “Shixin, we are blood brothers. Even if I handed over the Grand Chancellor post or the entire realm, what difference would it make? But don’t underestimate the Chaohu navy. I still believe Zhenjiang retains at least half their strength. If they unleashed their full force, it would be disastrous.”

At present, though the Chaohu navy controlled only a territory just over one county, nearly all the riverside forts along the Yangtze were under their control. No opponent on the Yangtze could match them. Indeed, the Chaohu navy was akin to the combined main forces of Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhang Shicheng, and Chen Youliang’s navies from an alternate timeline.

What terrified Zhang Shicheng most was that Liu Yi had never fully committed his strength—at most only half. Yet even at half strength, generals like Zhang Shide, Zhang Shixin, and Li Bosheng were stretched thin. “We must be cautious. Without Zhenjiang’s presence on the river, I could have taken Songjiang, Jiaxing, and Hangzhou by now. East and West Zhejiang would be mine. A mere Zhu Yuanzhang would be no match!”

Unlike the Zhang faction of another timeline, the rise of the Chaohu navy had thoroughly disrupted Zhang Shicheng’s expansion plans. Though they had secured Pingjiang Road, Jiangyin Prefecture, and Changzhou Road, their war against Zhu Yuanzhang had stalled all outward expansion.

What Zhang Shicheng needed most was time. Give him a few thousand troops and two to three months, and he could not only consolidate all his gains but take over much of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Yet now he could only watch as Songjiang Prefecture to the east and Hangzhou and Jiaxing to the south, once defenseless, entered full mobilization and military buildup, while he could not spare enough troops to launch a new offensive.

Although he could muster a few thousand soldiers plus over ten thousand newly recruited troops for an attack, the ongoing war in Changzhou made him hesitant to deploy them for expansion. Zhang Shixin, confident, said, “Brother, I understand your difficulties, but once we deal with the Chuzhou rebels, all of Jiangnan will be ours. You might as well hand me those troops. With these twenty thousand, victory is assured!”

Zhang Shicheng shook his head. “These troops can’t be given to you now. Besides, didn’t you say Chen Erbao now holds a secret weapon that, if successful, can reverse our fortunes? Once the new recruits from north of the Yangtze arrive, I’ll hand everything over to you.”

Zhang Shixin knew his brother was fickle and indecisive. “Brother, just give me these twenty thousand troops. Without them, we can only win a great victory at Changzhou. But with them, we can drive the Chuzhou rebels back north. Brother, the south is full of routed soldiers fleeing from Jiqing and Taiping roads—they pose no real threat.”

Zhang Shicheng was also aware that, whether east, south, or north, no formidable Yuan forces remained. Holding these few thousand veteran soldiers and over ten thousand new recruits seemed unnecessary. Yet, for some reason, he remained worried about the Chaohu navy, which had never unleashed its full strength. “I believe the Chaohu navy is the real hidden danger. I won’t give you all twenty thousand troops; if you insist, at most five thousand.”

Zhang Shide smiled broadly. “Five thousand is fine. With five thousand more, our chances of victory increase by fifty percent!”

Yet for some unknown reason, Zhang Shicheng became hesitant again. He felt something might go terribly wrong but couldn’t pinpoint where. “No matter how strong the Chaohu navy is, the worst they can do is attack Jiangyin, right? They wouldn’t suddenly appear and strike Songjiang Prefecture, would they?”

He told himself he was overthinking.

Though the Chaohu navy was the strongest on the Great River, they would never dare to traverse hundreds of miles to seize Songjiang Prefecture from the sky—that would be suicide.

Moreover, he still held over ten thousand troops, enough to handle any crisis.

He was definitely overthinking.