Chapter 83: Choices

Leaving aside the chain reaction triggered by Zhu Yuanzhang, the one suffering most at this moment was none other than Admiral Kang Maocai of the navy.

Kang Maocai had never imagined he would face such a difficult choice. Both the Chaohu Fleet and Zhu Yuanzhang had singled him out, and the terms offered from each side were impossible to negotiate.

He said to the envoys sent by Lady Golden Flower and Zhao Pusheng, “Brother Huo, please spare me, Zhu Yuanzhang the Grand Marshal has made it very clear. If I pledge my loyalty and die for the Yuan dynasty, he has no objections. But if I submit to your Chaohu Fleet, it’s a dead end. No matter where I hide, he’ll find a way to have me killed—and he’s not just bluffing, he truly has the means!”

Indeed, Zhu Yuanzhang, the Grand Marshal of Chuzhou, had a hundred ways to see Kang Maocai dead if he wished. Kang Maocai was nearly in tears as he spoke, but Huo Qiu was unyielding: “Old Kang, you fear Zhu Yuanzhang and the Left Camp, but not our Chaohu Fleet? The Left Camp doesn’t even have a single ship, while our fleet could wipe your forces out in battle!”

Though these were naked threats, Kang Maocai couldn’t deny their truth. If the Chaohu Fleet set their mind to it, even if they couldn’t annihilate his entire force, they could certainly inflict devastating losses. Now, Kang Maocai was trapped between two powerful factions, caught in the middle and unable to escape.

He could only plead humbly with Huo Qiu: “Old Huo, we’re countrymen and old friends. Help me think of a way. You know that emotionally, I’m more inclined toward your Chaohu side!”

Kang Maocai hailed from Qizhou in Huguang, making him a fellow townsman of Xu Shouhui. Though in the past few years he’d been a bitter enemy of Xu Song’s Red Turban Army—even recapturing Jiujiang from them—the relationship wasn’t simply one of life and death. He had some ties, however faint, to the Chaohu Fleet, which had roots in the Red Turban Army.

But Huo Qiu was unyieldingly firm: “What can I do? Marshal Liu has made his intentions clear. As long as you don’t submit to Zhu Yuanzhang or Zhang Shicheng, you can go wherever you wish. The world is vast; there’s always somewhere for Marshal Kang to settle.”

Zhu Yuanzhang’s only condition was “not to submit to Chaohu,” but the Chaohu Fleet’s conditions were stricter: besides “not to submit to Zhu Yuanzhang,” they also demanded “not to submit to Zhang Shicheng.” This made Kang Maocai suffer all the more. “Old Huo, be reasonable. It’s not hard for me to find a place to settle, but with these thousands of brothers, if we can’t submit to Zhu Yuanzhang or Zhang Shicheng, and can’t join you in Chaohu, there’s nowhere for us to go!”

Kang Maocai exaggerated a bit—for, if truly pressed, he could even go to sea, though that was a last resort. Should he take to the sea, his men would likely rebel first. Huo Qiu, however, had thought it through: “Marshal Kang, as long as you are emotionally close to us, that’s all that matters. I believe Marshal Liu will surely find a solution!”

Huo Qiu had witnessed Liu Yi’s meteoric rise. When he first followed Liu Yi and Lady Golden Flower, there were barely a dozen of them, yet now the Chaohu Fleet had become one of the major military powers in the land. Thus, Huo Qiu was confident Liu Yi would have a plan. “But Old Kang, in crucial moments you mustn’t lose your head. You know what times we’re in—Gaoyou and Poyang have both mobilized, Taizhou is preparing to raise its banner anew. If you choose wrong now, it’s not only your own death, but your family may suffer as well!”

Huo Qiu’s words were not just threats—they reflected a real and pressing situation. Kang Maocai could only agree for the time being: “Old Huo, rest assured. I truly wish to join your Chaohu side. Please ask your Marshal Liu to help me find a way!”

Before the impending catastrophe, he had to try everything possible to protect himself.

Meanwhile, Grand Censor Fushou, as the chief officer on the Jiangdong front and at Jiqing Circuit, sensed the gravity of the crisis more than anyone. “They say Fang Guozhen is just a sea bandit, betraying and submitting as easily as eating or sleeping. If not for the need for maritime transport, the court wouldn’t have dreamed of pacifying him. Since he hasn’t raised his banner in public, nothing major will come of it.”

The envoy sent by the provincial administration was polite but resolved nothing. “Not only did Fang Guozhen stir up trouble in Taizhou, but the Poyang rebels are preparing to cross the Yu Ling Pass and strike directly at Hangzhou Circuit. You know well the precedent of Hangzhou’s fall in the twelfth year of Zhizheng. So the province is temporarily transferring a few thousand-households for defense—just to safeguard the overall situation.”

Fushou knew that “temporarily transferring a few thousand-households” was nonsense. The troops being withdrawn were not just a few thousand-households but several ten-thousand-households. Moreover, the province spoke only of simultaneous mobilization from Poyang and Taizhou, without mentioning that Zhang Shicheng had concentrated tens of thousands of troops in Gaoyou and Taizhou, preparing for a massive river crossing that would threaten Jiqing Circuit from the east.

Under such circumstances, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Provincial Administration withdrawing several ten-thousand-households from Jiqing Circuit was practically a death sentence for the circuit. “I understand the province has its difficulties, but the war in Jiangdong is already as perilous as eggs stacked high. If disaster strikes the circuit, will the province be able to stand alone?”

With the Red Turban Army from Poyang, Zhang Shicheng’s forces from Gaoyou, and Fang Guozhen’s men from Taizhou all launching attacks at once, the chain of offensives left the provincial administration and circuit unable to cope. The province’s efforts to reorganize its defense line had forced the circuit to seek every means of self-preservation, but the envoy still refused Fushou’s suggestions. “Sir, you are correct in all you say, but the problem is—if Hangzhou Circuit falls, what will the province do?”

But what could the province do if Hangzhou fell? The loss of Hangzhou in the twelfth year of Zhizheng was a scandal of the highest order, yet in the aftermath, only a few scapegoats were killed to appease the matter. The chief ministers, assistant ministers, right and left aides continued to rise in rank and fortune. But as Grand Censor, Fushou could not speak the truth, and could only counsel earnestly: “Hangzhou now is not as it was then—its walls are iron, its gates are gold, and it can be defended without fail. If the Poyang rebels dare attack, I will personally lead troops to reinforce Hangzhou!”

Yet Fushou knew his assurances were worthless. He lowered his voice and added, “Now, that gentleman has already led his troops south in force. Once he reaches Yangzhou, the situation in the southeast will be instantly reversed. How can the province abandon all previous efforts at such a time? If you do not trust me, surely you can trust that gentleman?”