Zhu Yuanzhang only asked Zhang Ximeng for the military supplies of 5,000 men. This did not mean that Zhu Yuanzhang underestimated the hundreds of thousands of Yuan troops and looked down upon Zhang Shicheng, the king of the Great Zhou Dynasty who was holding on to his death.
But after going through continuous battles and carrying the big burden of Yangzhou, he could only gather so much.
Tang He, who had not recovered from his leg injury, was transferred to assist Zhang Ximeng and take control of Yangzhou. Feng Guoyong was also busy, and the rest Guo Ying, Fei Ju, Lu Zhongheng and others were also busy.
The only ones Lao Zhu could take away were Xu Da, Hua Yun and Hu Dahai.
It is too difficult to manage a city of 800,000 people. All fools know the value of Yangzhou, but if you want Yangzhou to show its value, you need to rebuild order. At least manage the city and run it well.
Generate value.
And all this takes time.
Those soldiers who surrendered also needed time to transform, but what they lacked most at this time was time.
Zhu Yuanzhang knew this all too well, so he chose five thousand people. If the time is right and God helps, it goes without saying that if there are still variables, at least Yangzhou will be swallowed up.
All in all, Zhu Yuanzhang made the most secure layout, which also echoed the habit of accumulating grain widely and slowly becoming king.
Anyway, it all depends on what Tuotuo will do next. At least before Yuan Ting's decree is sent, Tuotuo is still the commander-in-chief of hundreds of thousands of troops, and his every move can still affect the overall situation.
So what is Tuotuo doing?
Sorry, Tuotuo didn't do anything. He was just reading some official documents, locked himself in the tent, and studied them over and over again.
Tuotuo asked himself, this expedition was generally smooth. Except for Zhang Shicheng's tenacity when he was dying, which surprised Tuotuo, everything else was within his plan. It can be said that it was smooth sailing.
But when did the change begin?
Looks like an attack on Liuhe!
Yes, it was this inconspicuous small town. He sent his younger brother to lead two people with ten thousand households, thinking that they would be wiped out as soon as they passed by.
As a result, the little Liuhe was even more tenacious than Gaoyou and couldn't take it down at all.
Later, Chuzhou soldiers reinforced the army, and he also sent Xuexue to lead the troops... After that, his younger brother Timur was defeated first, and Xuexue was also defeated miserably.
After that, Huai'an was lost and Yangzhou was besieged.
The entire battle situation took a turn for the worse and was completely out of control.
From this point of view, the biggest blow to him was the Chuzhou Red Scarf!
It seems that this is a military force originating from Haozhou.
It is very inconspicuous. When everyone is king in various places, this red scarf is known as the envoy to suppress and comfort, and later it is known as the envoy to command everything. Anyway, compared to others, the status is much lower!
It seems that this red scarf is still in chaos, with constant internal strife... By the way, this is what Cheribuhua said! He said that the Haozhou Red Scarf is vulnerable, and as long as he is given enough weapons and food, it will be easy to wipe out the red thieves...
...Cheribuhua!
Tuotuo seems to have finally discovered his blind spot!
Wrong, wrong from the beginning!
This red scarf is not vulnerable, but has great ambitions, develops steadily, and is not in a hurry to take the lead.
After having this idea, Tuotuo immediately ordered that all the news about the Chuzhou Red Scarf be sent over... When Tuotuo got all the information, he was deeply shocked!
"Toru Nohana! You will go to the eighteenth level of hell even if you die!"
Tuotuo has never hated a person so much. If Cheribuhua, who has turned into a ghost at this moment, appears in front of Tuotuo, he will probably be swallowed by Tuotuo!
He's such a jerk!
It completely misled Tuotuo's judgment.
In Tuotuo's hands, he happened to be holding the land distribution order written by Zhang Ximeng and polished by Li Shanchang and others.
In addition, after entering Chuzhou, there were decrees on household registration, commercial development, and commercial tax collection, as well as notices on the trial of powerful people... These things were placed in front of Tuotuo, the prime minister of the Yuan Dynasty who had been in the party for a long time.
It was immediately obvious that this group of red thieves were building a court, and they had high aspirations.
They are completely different from other red thieves. They have a program and a method. Step by step, they have grown in strength. Today, they have developed into an unstoppable situation.
A conservative estimate is that there are at least 50,000 soldiers and horses, and their morale is high and their fighting spirit is high!
This red scarf was used internally to attack powerful people and divide the land equally. Externally, they also advocated restoring their homeland and expelling the barbarians.
This is no longer an ordinary red thief!
They really want to replace the Yuan Dynasty, and they are very hopeful!
If Xu Shouhui's Tianwan Emperor is just taking advantage of his name to challenge the authority of the Yuan Dynasty, the red scarf in front of him is already making solid preparations.
Why!
Tuotuo hit his forehead with his hand three times in a row, it was extremely heavy... He felt so hateful. If he had known this earlier, he would not have attacked Gaoyou at all.
Instead, they will send a large army from Xuzhou south, via Suzhou, into Haozhou, then south to Chuzhou, and fight all the way to the Yangtze River!
First wipe out the Chuzhou red thieves and kill Zhu Yuanzhang.
To destroy the most threatening group of red thieves and then recruit Zhang Shicheng to surrender, the ambition of a salt merchant was nothing compared to Zhu Yuanzhang's grand ambitions.
Wrong, all wrong.
From the very beginning, the right thing to do was to attack Zhu Yuanzhang.
Although the main force of the troops and horses is still there, food and grass are no longer sufficient.
Moreover, he missed a few months, allowing Zhu Yuanzhang to successfully complete the autumn harvest, accumulate enough food, and the people's support was unshakable!
If the initial army of 400,000 had high morale and sufficient supplies of food and grass, there would still be hope of destroying Zhu Yuanzhang, but now it is no longer possible.
Then there is the situation between the DPRK and the Central Government. Tuotuo is very clear that his enemies have been surging for a long time and are eager to force him to death. As for His Majesty, it is even more difficult to rely on him.
You never know when you will lose ground.
The Great Yuan Dynasty will also reach the point of reaching its end. Who else but me can turn the tide and help the building before it collapses?
No, never again!
Only I can take off!
After thinking over and over again, the Prime Minister of the Yuan Dynasty finally issued three orders.
First, send people to contact Zhang Shicheng in Gaoyou City and agree to his surrender. If there are any conditions, try your best to agree.
Second, dispatch 70,000 soldiers to recapture Huai'an, and establish headquarters in Huai'an as the hub of the entire army, taking overall control of the two Huai areas.
Third, order Jiangnan soldiers and horses to go all out to attack Zhenzhou and Zhouzhou without making any mistakes!
Three orders, each one hit the mark, finally showing the style of Great Yuan Optimus Prime.
To Zhang Shicheng, he promised Zhao'an to resolve the Gaoyou issue as soon as possible and mobilize his troops back to Huai'an. Firstly, he would expel Peng Zaozhu and Miao Daheng, and secondly, he would find a way out for the whole army. With Huai'an in hand, even if something happens, this
Hundreds of thousands of people, the last elite of the Yuan Dynasty, could return to Dadu and continue to defend the court.
As for giving the order to the Jiangnan Yuan Army, it was the final blow.
As long as the soldiers and horses from Jiangnan came over and attracted Zhu Yuanzhang to go south, he would immediately gather the most elite soldiers and horses, go straight to Chuzhou, and kill Zhu Yuanzhang first.
If he could accomplish these things, even if he was dismissed from office or even died for his country, he would still be worthy of the ancestors of the Yuan Dynasty.
Tuotuo may not be a famous general who is as skilled as a soldier, but as a politician, he is undoubtedly qualified. It is also very appropriate to assess the situation and take countermeasures.
At Tuotuo's urging, the Jiangnan Yuan Army, Tu Jian, Tingzhu Ma, and Chen Yexian mobilized troops and horses and began to take action.
If they continue to delay, they are also afraid of being punished by the court.
Seventy thousand troops marched north, frightening Peng Zaozhu and Miao Daheng into running away.
Of the 300,000 shi of grain, only 200,000 shi were transported away, and the remaining grain was distributed to the people of Huai'an. Anyway, if Yuan Ting wanted it, he could just grab it from the hands of the common people!
Tuotuo issued another order, requiring strict restraint on his subordinates.
All in all, both of these went very well.
Next, Zhang Shicheng is left. As long as this is done, Tuotuo can attack Zhu Yuanzhang and have a real king versus king.
It goes without saying how miserable Zhang Shicheng was in the siege. All the rats in the city had been eaten, and there were not many war horses left. As for sporadic cannibalism, it had long been common.
It’s not that Zhang Shicheng doesn’t want to surrender, it’s that he refuses to give in!
Now Yuan Ting finally nodded, and Zhang Shicheng escaped from death, so he naturally agreed.
Everything is developing according to Tuotuo's idea, but there is a little accident here.
To be continued...