Chapter 105: A Vow of Eternal Hostility Against Zhang Shicheng

In the past, when he served as the Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Great Yuan Dynasty, every time he pacified the bandits, the barbarian Haiya always hoped that once subdued, they would become more docile, ideally dissolving their old forces obediently. Then the Censorate could find any excuse to eliminate these once-powerful rebels altogether.

Now, with Haiya himself “joining the bandits,” though still in self-deception, he had to consider his long-term prospects. He hoped Liu Yi and the Chaohu Navy would make a serious effort.

Though he believed he was not truly “joining the bandits” but rather “trapped within the rebel camp, loyally serving the state,” if Liu Yi and the Chaohu Navy simply lay low without stirring trouble, regardless of whether the pacification ultimately succeeded, Haiya’s life would be utterly ruined.

Only if Liu Yi and the Chaohu Navy turned the heavens upside down could Haiya thrive like a fish in water. Kang Maocai, who had also “rallied and returned,” understood Haiya’s intentions best: “Marshal Liu has always greatly respected Deputy Censor-in-Chief. He would like to ask where you think would be best to conduct the pacification—Songjiang Prefecture, Hangzhou Circuit, or elsewhere?”

Though Haiya was born into privilege and destined for wealth and honor, he was exceptionally clever. Upon hearing Kang Maocai’s words, he immediately understood: “Marshal Liu plans to pacify in Songjiang Prefecture? Excellent, excellent. Zhang Shicheng may advance on Songjiang at any moment, and the righteous army urgently needs reinforcements. Bring out the map; I will study it carefully before meeting with Marshal Liu!”

Though just yesterday he was still Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Great Yuan, and even now enjoyed the same status within the Chaohu Navy camp, Haiya knew full well that the title “Great Yuan Deputy Censor-in-Chief” was a thing of the past. Despite wearing Yuan official robes, bearing Yuan seals, and flying the Yuan banner, once “trapped in the rebel camp,” one must abide by the rules of the “bandit camp.”

Thus, he found a grand excuse for himself: “General Kang, this time you and I are trapped in the bandit camp not because the provisional government has failed the country, but because the provincial administration handled matters so poorly. Our provisional government fought fiercely against the Red Bandits in Jiangdong, yet the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provincial forces suddenly withdrew without any notice. We were stabbed in the back by the provincial administration. Now, pacifying the Chaohu bandits is to preserve our usefulness and seek justice for the provisional government.”

While Haiya’s account closely aligned with the facts, Kang Maocai knew well that the provincial withdrawal and the Deputy Censor-in-Chief’s water camp joining Chaohu occurred almost simultaneously. When the water camp decided to merge with Chaohu, they were unaware that the provincial forces had already completely retreated.

Kang not only felt fortunate that he and the Deputy Censor-in-Chief had made the right choice but also sought strong evidence to support Haiya’s decision: “Indeed, Deputy Censor-in-Chief, you have entered the bandit camp for the sake of the people. Now is not the time to quibble with the provinces. Songjiang, Hangzhou, and other places are on the brink of collapse, vulnerable to attack by Zhang Shicheng. Only you, Deputy Censor-in-Chief, have the ability to turn the tide!”

Hearing Zhang Shicheng’s name, Haiya ground his teeth in hatred: “General Kang speaks truly. Such famed cities as Songjiang and Hangzhou must never fall into the hands of the Huai bandit Zhang Shicheng. If not for the Huai bandits’ heavy defeat of our forty thousand elite troops at Gaoyou, the southeastern situation would never have deteriorated to this extent! Tell Marshal Liu that I swear to never coexist peacefully with Zhang Shicheng! General Kang, fetch the map quickly. Before meeting Marshal Liu, I must find Zhang Shicheng’s lifeline!”

Though the repeatedly rebellious Zhang Shicheng had a notorious reputation, under the pressure of the Chaohu Navy’s offensive, Haiya’s first consideration was to drift downstream toward Zhang Shicheng. If not for Kang Maocai’s persuasion to avoid colluding with him for now, Haiya would have done so. But now that he was “trapped in the bandit camp,” Haiya naturally declared himself “sworn enemies” with Zhang Shicheng.

This was precisely the outcome Kang Maocai had hoped for. He immediately nodded: “Rest assured, Deputy Censor-in-Chief. Before you arrived, Marshal Liu already instructed that wherever we pacify Chaohu is entirely up to you!”

While Kang was still helping Haiya locate the map, the latest battle report arrived: “The left camp has broken through Jiqing City!”

For the Great Yuan, the fall of Jiqing City was a thunderclap from a clear sky.

Since the Red Turban uprising began, many famous cities had fallen one after another; even great cities like Wuchang and Hangzhou had been lost. But these cities were quickly retaken by government forces, though sometimes changing hands repeatedly. Nevertheless, none of these losses compared to the consequences of Jiqing’s fall.

The loss of Jiqing City did not merely mean one major city or the deaths of numerous officials, including Fushou, the Grand Censor of the Jiangnan circuit, along with tens of thousands of troops. Rather, it signified the complete collapse of the entire Jiangdong battlefront.

The defensive line needing reconstruction was not only the Jiangdong battlefield but the entire Jiangsu and Zhejiang provincial defenses. Moreover, in the eyes of the court, what required rebuilding was not just the provincial defenses but also the Jiangnan Censorate.

Although Jiqing City was captured by the Red Bandits, the southeast could not be governed solely by the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provincial administration; a strong institution was needed to supervise and defend the provinces. Therefore, the court decided both to establish a provisional Military Secretariat in Hangzhou, with the provincial chancellor concurrently serving as the chief commander of the southeast, and to reconstruct the provincial Censorate, preventing the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces from dominating entirely.

Though this rebuilding of provincial defenses and the Censorate would inevitably lead to conflicts—with newly appointed Grand Censor and Deputy Censor-in-Chief issuing correct orders and many troops withdrawn from Jiangdong receiving two completely different commands, leaving local officials in similar predicaments—the court, which valued a system of checks and balances, precisely desired such a scenario.

Thus, orders to establish the provisional Military Secretariat and to rebuild the Jiangnan Censorate were issued almost simultaneously. For the various rebel forces preparing to seize the entire Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, this was the most auspicious period. Whether Zhang Shicheng, Zhu Yuanzhang, or the Jiangxi Red Turbans, their advances could be described as unstoppable.

The Chaohu Navy was no exception. The capture of Zhenjiang passed almost without incident. Liu Yi even specifically instructed on the ship: “For now, don’t rush to raise the Dragon and Phoenix banners. Out of sight, out of mind. Wait until the Deputy Censor-in-Chief has passed the city before flying them!”

Though Haiya knew such matters were meaningless, he felt a peculiar comfort: “Marshal Liu, you are too polite. You may raise whatever banner you wish. I, the Deputy Censor-in-Chief, know you are a pillar of the state and have no desire to fly the Dragon and Phoenix banners myself. It is purely due to circumstances!”