Chapter Thirty-Four: Endure for Now

What do you least desire?

Whether it was Lady Golden Flower, Liao Yong’an, or Yu Tonghai, all of them were now utterly dumbfounded.

In these troubled times, though every faction claimed to fight under the banner of great righteousness, when it truly came to battle, such lofty ideals were but empty words. Commanders would use every possible method to rouse morale—promises of gold, silver, jewels, beauties, and grand estates were commonplace. Sometimes, they would even swear to allow their soldiers three or five days of unrestricted pillage upon victory.

For instance, when Zhu Yuanzhang rallied his troops before battle, he vowed that whatever could be seized in Jiangnan would belong to the one who seized it. Thus, everyone expected Liu Yi to make a similar pledge. But to everyone’s astonishment, Liu Yi instead asked, “What do you least wish for?”

What do you least wish for? This was a question none had ever contemplated. Yet, upon reflection, they discovered that it held a subtle profundity. What humans fear most is not what they gain, but what they lose.

Liao Yong’an, ever perceptive, spoke up: “General, will you tell us what you least wish for?”

Liu Yi understood that now was the time to display a hint of the divine: “If you can guess what I wish for the least, I shall reward you handsomely. But I’d rather you could not guess. Let us not dwell on such melancholy questions—our task now is to head for Taiping!”

In the Ming dynasty, the Road of Taiping would correspond in another world to the city of Ma'anshan—a city of little renown there, but here, the Road of Taiping was the linchpin of all military operations in Jiangdong. Whether it was to strike north against the Red Turbans, reinforce Anqing, advance into Jiangxi, or guard Jinling, the Road of Taiping was a strategic imperative. Of the nine routes through Jiangdong, only Taiping had not yet suffered the ravages of war, and it was stockpiled with vast stores of grain and materiel.

Thus, within the military deployments of Jiangdong and the greater Jiangsu-Zhejiang province, the Road of Taiping held singular importance. Not only were several provincial reinforcements stationed there, but also the elite spearmen and Green Army units retreating from the north. This made it the perfect stage for Zhu Yuanzhang to prove his brilliance and valor.

If the Battle of Chaohu Lake was a showcase for Liu Yi and his navy, the assault on Taiping was another opportunity for Zhu Yuanzhang. He led his adopted sons and vanguard troops personally, braving a hail of arrows and spears to storm the riverbank, leading his men through the city’s defenses while maintaining iron discipline and high morale. None could deny Zhu Yuanzhang’s merit as the leading hero of this campaign.

Yet, though Zhu Yuanzhang had earned the greatest credit, the Red Turban Army of Chuzhou cared only for Liu Yi and his uncanny ways. “Marshal Liu’s words are too cryptic. I want everything—what can I possibly not wish for? Isn’t this just a childish riddle?”

“Don’t say that. Marshal Liu wouldn’t speak so unless he was certain. Besides, he’s received celestial treasures from Peng Yingyu himself!”

“That’s right—if others said this, I’d doubt them. But when Marshal Liu speaks, I believe him. He truly has remarkable abilities.”

“Last time, Marshal Liu said we would surely cross the river, and we did. Now he says we’ll take Jiqing, but it’ll be a bitter struggle. Let’s see if things unfold as he predicts.”

“Since Marshal Liu says Jiqing is easy to attack but hard to hold, and we’ll lose many men, perhaps we should retreat north. There’s enough grain and supplies in Taiping alone to last us months.”

“No, no! If Taiping has so many treasures, Jiqing is said to have ten or even twenty times more. We can’t just retreat and starve—let’s press on, seize Jiqing quickly! Marshal Liu said it: Jiqing will be ours, and so will all of Jiangdong!”

Such rumors quickly reached Zhu Yuanzhang’s ears, and his triumphant mood instantly turned cold. “Those at Chaohu always resort to these underhanded schemes. I bet Liu Yi and Lady Golden Flower are both spies sent by Xu Shouhui to undermine us in Chuzhou!”

The more Zhu Yuanzhang spoke, the more incensed he became. “Chuzhou was united and harmonious until that Liu arrived. Not only did he steal our navy, but now he sows suspicion among us. If this keeps up, we won’t need the Yuan army to counterattack—we’ll tear ourselves apart first!”

Li Shanchang knew well that Liu Yi’s mysterious posturing had rendered Zhu Yuanzhang’s efforts futile. Though Zhu Yuanzhang had the strongest and best fighting force, now everyone talked of Liu Yi and his navy. Zhu’s glory was completely eclipsed.

“Marshal, you are right. Now that our army has crossed the river, we will have to deal with Chaohu eventually—but we must not be reckless. We must invite Marshal Liu to join us.”

Zhu Yuanzhang instantly caught Li Shanchang’s meaning. “You’re saying I should go and pay my respects at Chaohu?”

Li Shanchang was unequivocal. “Zhao Pusheng and Li Pusheng are among the greatest generals in the realm. If we can’t win over them, Marshal Liu, and Lady Golden Flower, in the best case, it will only end with mutual destruction.”

Zhu Yuanzhang knew he was walking into the lion’s den, but as a peerless hero, he possessed a heart of steel. “We must indeed ease relations with Chaohu, for as long as they control the navy, Marshal Liu need only give the word and both north and south of the river will be cut off and isolated!”

This was Zhu Yuanzhang’s greatest motivation to seize the navy for himself. Li Shanchang added another remark, “In truth, Marshal Liu’s question—what do you least desire—is well put. We should go and have a proper discussion.”

Zhu Yuanzhang mused, “What do I least desire? Naturally, it’s bad news.”

But as fate would have it, just as he wished to avoid bad news, it came knocking. Before he could consider what gift to present Liu Yi, his adopted son and nephew Zhu Wenzhong brought him a grave message: “Marshal Liu has already sent men north to recruit soldiers. He wants any willing to cross the river—Red Turbans, Green Army, spearmen, it matters not!”

The Red Army referred to the Red Turbans, while the Green Army and spearmen were loyalist forces of the Yuan. Though they were rivals, the lines were often blurred—if the rewards were great enough, any would switch sides in an instant.

This was one of the main reasons Zhu Yuanzhang had thrown himself into the river crossing; once across, he could freely recruit the Green Army and spearmen from the north.

Now, hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was furious once more. “If he wants to steal my women, so be it. But now, every time I try to raise an army, he competes with me for recruits as well! This indignity—I’ll just have to bear it for now!”