Chapter Forty-Four: Actions That Must Not Defy Fate

Zhu Yuanzhang had not expected Marshal Chen Yexian, leader of the volunteer army, to have such a keen eye—not only did he immediately notice Liu Yi’s absence, but he also pointed out the internal discord within the Chuzhou forces. Still, Zhu was always adept at handling such situations. “Marshal Liu is guarding the north bank of the river. Is there a problem with that? As for how to deal with you, any one of us three marshals can decide with a single word.”

Although Chen Yexian had become a captive, his confidence only seemed to grow. “The volunteer soldiers of Anfeng Route who followed me south across the river number forty thousand. I think four marshals are just right—each gets ten thousand. Now that Marshal Liu is missing, I’m afraid there won’t be enough to go around.”

Though Chen Yexian’s words were tinged with sarcasm, and his claim of “forty thousand volunteers” was surely a boast, Guo Tianshu became anxious at once. “Marshal Yexian, since you know what we want, then hand over your forces without delay! With your forty thousand men, the Jiqing Route will fall in no time, and we promise you won’t be shortchanged!”

This battle outside the city had cost Zhu Yuanzhang, Guo Tianshu, and Zhang Tianyou their utmost efforts, with sacrifices even greater than those made in their river-crossing campaign, yet the outcome was rather embarrassing. Aside from capturing Chen Yexian and over a thousand volunteer soldiers, the Chuzhou army had gained almost nothing. Nearly half of the captured volunteers were wounded, and, worse still, after Chen Yexian’s force was routed, his men regrouped under the banner of his son, Chen Zhaoxian.

Though Chen Zhaoxian’s prestige paled in comparison to his father’s, and he was willing to ransom his father, the terms offered by both sides were utterly incompatible. The Chuzhou army hoped that Chen Zhaoxian would lead his troops to join them, seizing the chance to absorb all twenty or thirty thousand men. Chen Yexian’s terms, however, were simply to exchange gold, silver, and prisoners for his own release.

Since the negotiations had reached an impasse, Zhu Yuanzhang and Guo Tianshu could only pin their hopes on Chen Yexian. After all, the volunteer army was raised by Chen Yexian himself, and with a single command, even a few thousand men would be a great boon—otherwise, this battle would be a disastrous loss.

Yet Chen Yexian, while perhaps lacking in other skills, was endlessly inventive when it came to tactics and schemes, and he still had not relented. “Marshal Zhu, now that I’ve fallen into your hands, I’m naturally willing to preserve my life and lead my troops in revolt. But you must give me a concrete promise and a basic guarantee—at the very least, my troops must remain intact. But you surely won’t agree to that, so we must reach an understanding before I give any orders.”

In these tumultuous times, clashes between armies were as common as family squabbles, and Chen Yexian’s concerns were numerous. “If I pledge allegiance, my troops must be preserved—they cannot simply be sidelined by you. There are four marshals in Chuzhou now; if I join, I should at least be one of them. How will the ranks be arranged? I must be ahead of Marshal Liu, but will Marshals Zhu and Zhang be willing to yield their places?”

Chen Yexian raised a host of very detailed conditions—some pure exaggeration, others quite reasonable. Guo Tianshu and Zhu Yuanzhang felt that, in his position, they would make the same demands, if only to avoid being left with nothing the moment they defected. Some conditions were negotiable, others not, and Zhu Yuanzhang, impatient, said, “Marshal Yexian, if you wish to preserve yourself, you’d best think about how to help us take Jiqing Route.”

Chen Yexian laughed immediately. “That’s easy enough. I’ll write to Zhaoxian right now and ask him to yield Fangshan. Then it’s up to the three marshals to seize the opportunity and take Jiqing Route.”

Yielding Fangshan was a significant concession. Chen Yexian’s deployments had always relied on Fangshan, and as the strategic key between Jiqing Route and Taiping Route, it could be attacked or defended as needed. If the Chuzhou army wanted to take Jiqing Route, they first had to capture Fangshan.

Now that Chen Yexian was willing to persuade Chen Zhaoxian to withdraw from Fangshan, his two thousand men would naturally adopt a neutral, wait-and-see stance, fundamentally altering the situation in Jiangdong.

Though the Chuzhou army’s strength in the south remained at forty thousand, the Yuan army’s available forces had been reduced by at least twenty thousand. Zhu Yuanzhang saw this as a rare opportunity. “Since Marshal Yexian is so sincere, let us go and invite Marshal Liu to cross the river.”

Although both he and Guo Tianshu wished to leave Liu Yi behind and act independently, taking Jiqing Route required the power of the Chaohu navy—yet the only true master of the Chaohu navy was Liu Yi. Neither Golden Flower Lady, nor Zhao Pusheng, nor Li Pusheng, nor any of the myriad commanders, could decide its fate.

After all the maneuverings, they still had to invite Liu Yi to cross the river!

Many believed Liu Yi’s crossing was a grave mistake, that the hard-won prestige he had built was now utterly lost. Even after the outcome of the Battle of Taiping, they clung to this view, attributing his success to mere luck.

But within the Chaohu navy, opinions were very different. Although many had doubts about Liu Yi’s decision to cross the river, once the results emerged, all agreed that he was wise and capable.

Despite Zhu Yuanzhang and Guo Tianshu’s defeat of the Yuan army outside the city and their capture of Chen Yexian himself, the Red Turban army suffered heavy casualties in the field. Zhu Yuanzhang’s unit alone took in more than a thousand wounded, and several hundred were killed in action. The situations of Guo Tianshu and Zhang Tianyou were no better; the total strength of their forces had reportedly declined rather than increased. Only the Chaohu navy prospered quietly, suffering not a single loss.

Worse still, though they had captured Chen Yexian, he only persuaded Chen Zhaoxian to relinquish Fangshan and watch the others fight, while the plan to absorb Chen Yexian’s troops had come to nothing.

Guo Tianshu and his allies, in their efforts to win over Chen Yexian and his subordinates, had gathered the prisoners and defectors captured earlier and reorganized them into three units of a thousand men each, nominally under Chen Yexian’s command.

Although these three units were only nominally subject to Chen Yexian, in reality they were divided up and closely monitored. Meanwhile, the Chaohu navy looked on with schadenfreude. “Our general is truly the wisest. Recruiting troops in the north has yielded great results—far better than suffering mutual losses with Chen Yexian!”

Zhao Pusheng, a fervent follower of the White Lotus Sect, went so far as to deify Liu Yi. “I’ve said all along that the general, armed with celestial treasures, has the wisdom and foresight to be fully prepared. We may make mistakes in small matters, but in great affairs we must follow the general’s orders and never act against heaven’s will!”

Li Pusheng, however, was somewhat troubled. “Marshals Guo, Zhang, and Zhu are all urging the general to cross the river as soon as possible. How should we reply?”