Chapter Thirty-Three: Divinity

Since the barbarian Haiya had already revealed his fear, Zhao Pusheng naturally wanted to press the advantage and pursue the victory at full force. Li Pusheng, unwilling to fall behind, shouted, "Brothers, give it all you’ve got! Capture the barbarian Haiya, and riches beyond measure will be ours!"

Witnessing the men of the Lake Chao naval force vying to be first in valor, suppressing the Yuan fleet from beginning to end, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a fire ignite in his heart. Now, all his hopes rested on whatever last move the barbarian Haiya had up his sleeve.

Yet, despite Haiya’s desperate efforts, he could not reverse the situation. He tried several times to send out strike teams by boat, but each time Zhao Pusheng counterattacked fiercely before the boats could even set out. Often, any attempt to reposition was immediately met with disaster elsewhere. Zhu Yuanzhang’s frustration blazed up: "Brothers, follow me! Today, the greatest merit will belong to our Left Army!"

It had been one thing for Liu Yi and Lady Jinhua to snatch away Guo Yunyu, but if the Lake Chao navy also took the greatest honors today, Zhu Yuanzhang would lose his decisive influence at the Chuzhou Marshal’s Office forever.

Once Zhu Yuanzhang made up his mind, he became a general second to none. Though arrows rained down and spears bristled like a forest, he led a band of adopted sons and vanguard troops to storm into the Yuan naval camp with unmatched valor. The Yuan defenders fought with all their might to stop him, but Zhu’s elite force broke through two camps in quick succession. Cries of astonishment rang out: "What on earth did Zhu Yuanzhang eat today?"

"Marshal Zhu is incredible!"

"In Chuzhou’s army, when things are critical, it’s Zhu Yuanzhang we must rely on!"

"So long as Zhu Yuanzhang is here, the sky over Chuzhou will never fall!"

Zhu Yuanzhang’s performance could only be described as dazzling. Even Liu Yi was amazed by how extraordinary Zhu was on the battlefield. "Marshal Zhu alone is worth ten thousand households!"

Lady Jinhua’s voice carried a hint of respect, but also a touch of mockery: "Indeed, Deputy Marshal Zhu is worth ten thousand households, but in the end, he still hasn't taken the Lake Chao navy!"

Her comment was sharp and to the point. Forced to personally contest the greatest merit with Liu Yi, Zhu Yuanzhang was fated to be the biggest loser today, no matter who ultimately took the honors. The only difference was that the focus had now shifted to Liu Yi.

The naval blockade commanded by the barbarian Haiya was on the verge of collapse. One stronghold after another fell. If the Red Turban Army pushed just a little harder, they would break out of Lake Chao and into the Yangtze. The will to resist within Haiya’s fleet was rapidly eroding; clearly, they were already considering how to rebuild after the defeat.

Haiya’s fleet was the Yuan’s only elite naval force in the southeast theater. If it were lost here, the river and coastal regions would be left completely defenseless. Haiya’s primary concern now was to withdraw as many ships as possible to the natural stronghold at Caishi and rebuild the line of defense.

Within both the Lake Chao navy and the various Red Turban factions, all eyes were now on Liu Yi and the three myriarchies under his command. They hoped Liu Yi would appear on the battlefield like a figure descended from heaven, delivering a fatal blow to the Yuan navy’s defenses and matching Zhu Yuanzhang’s feats.

But Liu Yi understood that Zhu Yuanzhang, forced to fight in person, was already the greatest loser. If Liu himself joined the fray today, he too would be a loser in this great game of chance. Now, with the aura of the divine upon him, he could not afford to personally enter the melee.

So he declared with great confidence, "Next, our army will press on to take Taiping Road in one swift move. But while Taiping may be easily seized, Nanjing will not fall so quickly. Since the Mongols have set up the Jiangnan Grand Censorate here, they must have concentrated their elite southern forces at Jiqing. We are certain to face a series of hard-fought battles."

This statement was in stark contrast—and even contradictory—to what Liu Yi had said before taking the Lake Chao navy. But as the victor, no one cared about such inconsistencies in his past words. Liao Yongzhong even chimed in to support him: "With the Grand General’s wisdom guiding us, the campaign at Jiqing will surely end in triumph, no matter the dangers."

Liu Yi hadn’t expected Liao Yongzhong to be so tactful.

Historically, Liao Yongzhong was indeed too tactful for his own good—first helping Zhu Yuanzhang eliminate Shao Rong, the army’s chief, then aiding in the removal of the Dragon-Phoenix Emperor Han Lin’er, which ultimately led to his downfall. No one, once firmly in power, liked a subordinate as shrewd as Liao Yongzhong.

But at this moment, Liu Yi needed exactly such a man. "Myriarch Liao speaks truly. Right now, Chuzhou has fifty thousand elite troops. Once we cross the river and take Taiping, our numbers will grow by several more divisions. Even if we lose a couple of battles and a few thousand men, it won’t matter. So long as Taiping is ours, Nanjing will fall to us sooner or later—and so will all of Jiangdong!"

By Jiangdong, Liu Yi was referring to the Jiangdong Circuit.

Under the Yuan dynasty, Jiangdong Circuit was nominally just one circuit, and did not appear on the official roster of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang province. Instead, it was administered under the Jiangnan Grand Censorate, which had its own Jiangdong-Kaifeng Road Pacification Commission. In reality, Jiangdong encompassed Ningguo, Jiankang (later renamed Jiqing), Huizhou, Guangde, Chizhou, Taiping, Xinzhou, Ruizhou, and Yanshan Prefecture—essentially a province with Nanjing as its capital.

Zhu Yuanzhang’s base of power consisted of most of the Jiangdong Circuit, plus half of the western Zhejiang Circuit and a third of the eastern Zhejiang Circuit. Liu Yi’s aim was to quickly seize all of Jiangdong by following in Zhu Yuanzhang’s successful footsteps.

After all, in history, Zhu Yuanzhang controlled only half the Lake Chao navy. Zhao Pusheng had not only taken most of the navy away, but often stabbed Zhu in the back. In contrast, Liu Yi now commanded the entire Lake Chao fleet—his position was far superior to Zhu’s at this stage. "Once we have Taiping, all we need to do is proceed steadily. Zhang Shicheng, Fang Guozhen, Zhu Zong, Wu Hong—our old and new friends—will come to our aid in time. But Nanjing will be ours, and so will all of Jiangdong!"

There was such confidence in his words that it seemed his predictions were destined to come true. Even someone as shrewd as Liao Yongzhong felt his blood stir, while Lady Jinhua’s eyes shone with barely contained joy. The officers of the Lake Chao navy now regarded Liu Yi with even greater esteem.

Though Zhu Yuanzhang commanded a strong army and possessed heroic courage, compared to Grand General Liu Yi, he was but a single myriarch. Liao Yongzhong’s voice trembled with excitement: "We pledge to follow the General to take Taiping, Jiqing, and all of Jiangdong!"

"We are ready to give our lives for the General!"

"My lord, from now on, we’ll follow your orders to the letter!"

"My lord, not only Jiangdong, but all of Jiangsu and Zhejiang will be ours!"

Liu Yi merely smiled, and with an air of mystery, asked, "Once we have taken Taiping, what is it that you least desire?"