Chapter 80: The Envoy from Gaoyou

The slogan “Red Turbans do not fight Red Turbans” did not emerge solely because the Chaohu Navy had demonstrated remarkable stability; rather, it was triggered by earth-shattering news from north of the Yangtze—Bozhou had fallen.

The capital of the Han-Song Longfeng regime, Haozhou, had been captured by the Yuan generals Chahan and Li Siqi, forcing Han Lin’er and Liu Futong to retreat to Anfeng Circuit.

No one had expected that the newly established Great Song, having just declared its founding this year, would lose its capital so soon—not only the city itself, but also several of the regime’s core armies.

The impact of this news was immense, no less harrowing than the deaths of Guo Tianxu and Zhang Tianyou. After the initial pain subsided, everyone began to reflect on why the capital had fallen so quickly.

In truth, there was no need for reflection; anyone with insight knew the cause. Liu Futong and Sheng Wenyu had joined forces to kill the Right Chancellor, Du Zundao, and subsequently launched a sweeping purge. Not only did Du Zundao’s friends and former subordinates live in constant fear, but even the other Red Turban factions felt their morale shatter. The result was that Chahan and Li Siqi took Bozhou with almost no resistance.

Since Liu Futong and Sheng Wenyu’s killing of Du Zundao had led to such dire consequences, the Red Turbans at Chuzhou, fighting with their backs to the river, were determined not to let tragedy repeat itself. Spontaneously, the slogan “Red Turbans do not fight Red Turbans” became a shared creed.

Regardless of whether one hailed from Guo Zixing’s old forces, Zhu Yuanzhang’s Left Camp, the Chaohu Navy, the Green Army, or the Long Spear Army, everyone now believed that unity among the Red Turbans was essential. The split between the Left and Naval Camps, they realized, would lead them all to utter ruin.

Liu Yi had not anticipated that this consensus would form within the Chuzhou Red Turbans. Outsiders attributed it to his influence, but in truth, he had barely intervened before the consensus naturally emerged.

Yet this was a boon for the Navy. Smiling, Liu Yi turned to Lady Golden Flower and said, “Sister Golden Flower, since everyone now says Red Turbans do not fight Red Turbans, perhaps you should lay down your sword and think about how we might capture Jiqing Circuit instead.”

Lady Golden Flower ignored him, merely patting the sword at her side. Ma Shixiong, emboldened by his status as Liu Yi’s father-in-law, stepped forward. “Now that everyone agrees that Red Turbans should not fight each other, and it’s true—we are family, why sow discord? Once we have Jiqing City, no other problem will matter.”

Ma Shixiong was originally from the Green Army. In the past, anyone who tried to tie him to the Red Turbans would provoke his wrath, but now he fully identified as one of them.

This was an unintended result of Liu Yi’s strategy of “steady progress—never seeking total victory, only avoiding defeat.” Not only had the Chuzhou Red Turbans reached a consensus of unity, but within the Chaohu Navy, a similar collective identity had formed: “I am one of the Navy. In all things, I put the Navy first.” A genuine esprit de corps had developed.

This was no small feat—the Navy was a group of extraordinary complexity, with at least a dozen factions: former Long Spear and Green Army men, irregulars, local militia leaders, White Lotus followers, incense society believers, veterans of Guo Zixing and Liu Futong, and even remnants loyal to Du Zundao.

Through the fires of war, these small cliques had finally merged into a true collective. Even in daily matters such as eating or sleeping, they now considered the interests of the Navy as a whole. Many local leaders and militia chiefs, like Ma Shixiong, had come to see themselves as old Red Turban veterans.

Yet Lady Golden Flower’s expression only grew sterner at Ma Shixiong’s words. “Red Turbans must not turn on their own, of course. But I don’t believe capturing Jiqing will solve all our problems. We must be prepared for what comes next!”

Everyone recognized the sense in her words, but only Du Yishan stepped forward to support her. “I think Marshal Golden Flower is absolutely right. Better to be prepared than caught off guard!”

He was the nephew of Du Zundao. After his uncle’s death, he became a target of Liu Futong and Sheng Wenyu’s purges, forced to change his name and identity for a long while. Only after the fall of Haozhou did he resume his true name.

With Du Zundao’s fate as a grim lesson, Du Yishan was determined to avoid a repeat tragedy. “Everyone outside urges us to cooperate sincerely with the Left Camp to take Jiqing, but I don’t believe it will be so straightforward!”

Liu Yi, however, spoke up. “Why worry about so much? Jiqing is no easy city to take, and besides, our priority right now isn’t attacking—it’s defending. We haven’t even begun to learn the art of siege warfare!”

Though Liu Yi said this, Lady Golden Flower remained confident in their ability to take Jiqing. “If we were to attack with a host like a swarm of ants, we would surely fail to take Jinling. But I am certain the Marshal has a way to win without fighting.”

The war had now entered its second—if not third—phase. When the Red Turbans first rose, the Yuan court had demolished all the walls across the realm. Thus, the early war had been marked by rapid campaigns, swift offensives and mobile battles. Within months, Xiang Puluo swept through the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, capturing more than forty cities. In those days, wherever one had the advantage in numbers, no city could withstand a siege.

Now, however, every power in the land had adopted the tactics of high ramparts and deep moats, fortifying their cities again and again in an endless cycle. Even Prime Minister Toqtamish, with four hundred thousand troops, could not take the tiny city of Gaoyou.

The Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces had poured every ounce of their strength into the eastern theater of war, yet still could not take the little city of Taiping. That was because the city had not only been twice reinforced by the Yuan, but after the Chuzhou Red Turbans captured it, they fortified it once more—making it a veritable fortress, easy to defend and nearly impossible to storm.

To defeat the Red Turbans was one thing; to take such a stronghold as Taiping, however, was near impossible. Often, a garrison of a hundred could hold off an attacker ten times their number. Over these months, the Navy had mastered the art of defense, but to assault a great city like Jiqing—one of the most renowned in the land—was an entirely different challenge.

Now all eyes turned to Liu Yi. He merely smiled and said, “Since Zhang Shicheng, Fang Guozhen, and Zhu Zong have yet to make a move, there’s no need for us to rush.”

But even as he finished speaking, Lady Golden Flower, for once, offered a rare, gentle smile. “On my way here, I happened to meet a messenger from Gaoyou.”