Chapter Seventy-Five: Starting from the Left Battalion

At the thought of Zhang Shicheng having defeated four hundred thousand Yuan troops beneath the walls of Gaoyou, none of the generals present could offer a better idea. “Though Zhang Shicheng commands little more than ten thousand elite soldiers, each one of them is as desperate and fierce as a bandit from Huashan. They are not to be trifled with.”

“That’s right. Last year, the Yuan court mustered the nation’s forces, gathering their most seasoned warriors before Gaoyou’s gates, yet in the end, Zhang Shicheng proved unassailable!”

“We must proceed with utmost caution against Zhang Shicheng. Let Tuotuo’s failure be a lesson to us—we cannot afford a second disaster like the Battle of Gaoyou!”

Among the warlords at the end of the Yuan dynasty, Zhang Shicheng, known as the “Defensive Barbarian,” was considered one of the least ambitious, skilled more in defense than offense. Even when he gathered his full might to strike eastward, he failed to overcome even the detached forces of Zhu Yuanzhang’s faction. Yet when it came to holding a city, his troops ranked among the finest in the land.

The reason for this peculiar balance in Zhang Shicheng’s forces lay in his origins as a private salt smuggler. The backbone of his army always remained the group of villagers and companions he had led and recruited during his days in the salt trade.

Though Zhang Shicheng’s group was tightly united, repeatedly defeating Zhu Yuanzhang’s main armies in defensive battles after crushing the Yuan at Gaoyou, the core of his elite troops never exceeded twenty thousand. The remainder were coerced or self-recruited militia and villagers, whose fighting spirit was limited and whom Zhang Shicheng did not fully trust.

Yet compared to the Lake Chao navy, Zhang Shicheng’s forces could truly be called strong in men and horses. The Lake Chao navy had just over twenty thousand troops, but their core was far less cohesive, and their unity paled in comparison. It would be nearly impossible to defeat Zhang Shicheng relying on their own strength alone.

At this, Liu Yi suddenly devised a way to deal with Zhang Shicheng. “Everyone’s concerns are valid. That’s why Zhang Shicheng should be handled by the Left Camp first. If the Left Camp cannot, then we can act without haste.”

This was essentially sending Zhu Yuanzhang to test the waters first. The others, all wary of Zhang Shicheng’s reputation, agreed that it was best to let Zhu Yuanzhang have the first try. “Let’s follow the Marshal’s advice. There’s no need for us to rush in.”

“Yes, exactly. Advance steadily—victory is not everything, what matters is that we don’t lose!”

“We must be prudent with Zhang Shicheng. It was the Yuan’s impatience at Gaoyou that led to disaster. When the siege failed, they dismissed Tuotuo as chancellor, and the situation spiraled out of control!”

Though the Lake Chao navy now bore the Dragon and Phoenix banners and technically maintained an alliance with Zhang Shicheng, his victory at Gaoyou had been so dazzling that even as allies, everyone remained wary. Only Lady Jinhua, undaunted, spoke as always of direct action. “We have twenty thousand men, and Zhang Shicheng has only two or three times that. Why send the Left Camp ahead? Sometimes you must strike decisively without hesitation!”

Within the Lake Chao navy, consensus had already formed: no major undertaking could proceed until they reached Jiqing Road. Only after taking Jiqing could they discuss surrender or kingship, establish new marshals, take concubines, or consider conflict with the Left Camp and Zhu Yuanzhang—these matters would be addressed only after the city fell.

But by Liu Yi’s thinking, after conquering Jiqing, Zhu Yuanzhang and the Left Camp should still be used to probe Zhang Shicheng’s strength, meaning that any large internal conflict must be postponed—though such delays were bound to breed many uncertainties.

Zhao Pusheng’s view was much like Lady Jinhua’s. “If we’ll have to face Zhang Shicheng sooner or later, how can we rely on the Left Camp alone? To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. The Left Camp won’t take orders from us—who’s to say they won’t push us to the front lines?”

Liu Yi only felt more confident at this. “Marshal Zhao, was it not your plan to move upriver after breaking through Lake Chao, and join with Zhu Zong, Wu Hong, and Yu Guang at Poyang?”

Zhu Zong, Wu Hong, and Yu Guang were all major generals of the Red Turbans under Peng Yingyu and Xu Shouhui at Poyang Lake, and old comrades of Zhao Pusheng and Li Pusheng. According to their original plan, after breaking through Lake Chao, they would move upriver to join the Poyang Red Turbans and lay siege to Anqing together. Once Anqing fell, the whole situation in the central Yangtze would come alive.

Zhao Pusheng laughed. “Ten Anqings together can’t match one Jiqing, to say nothing of Suzhou, Hangzhou, Changzhou, or Songjiang—such splendid places!”

The further down the Yangtze one traveled, the more prosperous the land became—a truth unchanged through the ages. Compared to those famed cities, Anqing held little allure. Liu Yi laughed as well. “Suzhou, Hangzhou, Changzhou, Songjiang—I desire them all, and Zhu Yuanzhang certainly does too. No doubt Zhang Shicheng thinks much the same!”

At this, all present understood. Lady Jinhua, however, felt the need to remind Liu Yi. “Since the Marshal has such confidence, let me just say: never let down your guard. When the time comes, do not hesitate.”

Liu Yi knew Lady Jinhua was right, but the problem was that within the Red Turbans at Chuzhou, the Left Camp held every advantage. In such a situation, any internal conflict would have to be handled delicately, never rashly. “Then may I trouble Marshal Jinhua to go to the Left Camp and urge them a bit? The beauty Zhu Yuanzhang promised me from the Left Camp has yet to arrive. If he keeps stalling, I may have to remind Nantai of the Western beauty he promised me!”

For some reason, talk of women always seemed to warm relations between the Left Camp and the Lake Chao navy. Zhu Yuanzhang had been troubled lately, but when he heard that Liu Yi was pressing for his promised beauty, he broke into a smile. “It seems the navy refuses the Court’s offer of amnesty. Now only one question remains: should we accept it or not?”

Though the skies above Taiping were thick with war clouds and the fighting raged daily, messengers moved freely between both sides, unimpeded. Sometimes they even brought the most urgently needed supplies from the city—salt, medicine, paper, and even pig iron—presenting a unique spectacle on the battlefield.

Within Jiqing, the Censorate of Jiangnan had dispatched several envoys to offer amnesty to both Zhu Yuanzhang and Liu Yi, but nine-tenths of their efforts were directed at Zhu Yuanzhang. His heavy heart stemmed from the sincerity of the Court’s terms—and from two living examples: “If we speak of heinous crimes, Zhu Yuanzhang is far less guilty than Zhang Shicheng or Fang Guozhen. They have both been granted amnesty; Zhu Yuanzhang should not miss his chance.”

Since the Lake Chao navy refused to accept, the issue seemed much simpler to Zhu Yuanzhang.