GBP Chapter 446 Liu Wenxiu, son of Xianzhong
Chapter 446 Liu Wenxiu, son of Xianzhong
Under the protection of the Soviet Union, Zhu Dadian embarked on a frantic escape, marching for several days straight along the Yangtze River until he reached the vicinity of Nanjing. He was preparing to gather boats to cross the Yangtze River to Nanjing to seek reinforcements when news of the bandits' rapid advance arrived that Chuzhou had been captured.
Chuzhou was also within the jurisdiction of the Fengyang governor, and it was less than 100 li away from Nanjing. If it weren't for the Yangtze River separating them, they could have reached Nanjing in a day or two.
Zhu Dadian and his men were even closer to Chuzhou, less than sixty li away. If the bandits discovered their whereabouts and attracted a large army to attack them, their chances of survival would be slim.
Upon hearing the news of the fall of Chuzhou, Zhu Dadian nearly fainted on the spot. He hadn't even officially taken office as the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner and Governor of Fengyang, and had already lost most of his territory. Now, even Chuzhou, his last fig leaf, was gone. His career seemed to be over. He figured the emperor wouldn't tolerate a governor who had already lost so many prefectures before even officially assuming office.
He said to Su Hongtu in despair, "With the fall of Hezhou and Chuzhou, I'm afraid my time as governor and provincial governor is over. If the loss of cities and territories allows the bandits to advance eastward and then covet Nanjing, not only will my official position be in jeopardy, but my life will also be in danger. My fate might be the same as that of the former governor of Fengyang, Yang Yipeng, who was beheaded at Caishikou. While the bandits haven't arrived yet, you should take your troops across the river to Nanjing. There are hundreds of thousands of troops there, which should be no problem dealing with tens of thousands of bandits. You don't need to worry about me, a dying man."
Su Hongtu's eyes widened, and he said loudly, "Governor, what are you saying? If I were such a heartless and ungrateful person, I would have abandoned you and run away the day the city fell. Since there are hundreds of thousands of troops in Nanjing, we will cross the river to Nanjing to ask for reinforcements and borrow troops to recover the lost territory. As long as the city is recovered, the emperor will not blame you."
Zhu Dadian was deeply moved by his loyalty, but upon hearing that he was going to Nanjing to fetch reinforcements, he couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Hongtu, you are still too young. It's possible to hide in Nanjing to protect yourself, but it's impossible to bring reinforcements from the city. Although the garrison troops and battalions in Nanjing are numerous, they cannot leave the city to fight. Their only task is to protect Nanjing. If anything happens to Nanjing, no one can bear the responsibility."
Su Hongtu was puzzled: "Does this mean that the officials in Nanjing are just letting the bandits kill and burn right under their noses?"
Zhu Dadian looked south and sighed: "Actually, even if the old soldiers of Nanjing went out of the city, they might not be able to defeat the bandits. Cao Wenzhao is quite experienced in fighting bandits, but he is still in Henan. He can't quench our thirst from afar. The only hope now is that General Liu will arrive soon."
Despite their lamentations, they still had to flee. Su Hongtu directed his battalion to collect boats along the riverbank in preparation for crossing the Yangtze River.
As if things weren't going to go wrong, something even worse happened.
As they prepared to cross the river, the bandits' hundred-odd cavalry encountered the standard cavalry on the outer perimeter, resulting in a conflict. The standard cavalry, with their numerical advantage, drove the bandits away, and the cavalry captain proudly reported his achievement to Zhu Dadian. Su Hongtu, standing nearby, stamped his foot and said, "Why didn't we annihilate them all? Letting them escape now will definitely attract more bandits, and this is terrible."
The cavalry captain was furious. He pointed at Su Hongtu and shouted, "Captain Su, you have been acting arrogantly all the way from Shandong to Anhui, relying on the governor's trust. I have tolerated you for a long time. Now that I have driven away the enemy, you still have to talk nonsense. This is too much!"
Cavalry and infantry were not subordinate to each other, but Zhu Dadian trusted Su Hongtu a lot. In a way, this infantry captain was superior to the cavalry captain. The cavalry captain had been harboring resentment for a long time, and at this moment he could not help but explode.
Su Hongtu was just stating the facts and didn't mean to belittle the other party. Hearing this, he was angry and was about to roll up his sleeves and step forward to confront them when Zhu Dadian stopped him.
Zhu Dadian stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "We're all family, let's not hurt our harmony." If it were any other time, his subordinates would have spoken like this, implying favoritism, and he would have already ordered them punished. But now that he's fallen on hard times and needs their protection on his escape route, he has no choice but to swallow his anger.
After all, Zhu Dadian was still the governor-general and governor, and a third-rank official with the title of Vice Minister of War. His influence was still considerable, so even though the cavalry captain was dissatisfied, he didn't dare to act rashly. He took the opportunity to back down, saying, "For the sake of the governor, I won't hold it against you today," and then turned and walked away.
As it turned out, Su Hongtu's judgment was correct. Half an hour later, a cloud of dust rose from the north, and the thunder of hooves filled the air as a cavalry troop rapidly approached. The leader shouted from afar, "Liu Wenxiu, the adopted son of the Eighth Prince, is here! You corrupt official ahead, dismount and face your death!"
Seeing that Su Hongtu's prediction had come true and that reinforcements from the bandits had indeed arrived, the cavalry captain, feeling embarrassed, clasped his hands and asked Zhu Dadian for permission to fight: "I have long heard that Zhang Xianzhong has four adopted sons under his command, each of whom is brave and skilled in battle. Today, I will go and meet Liu Wenxiu. I request that the governor order the infantry to provide support from the rear."
Zhu Dadian remained calm and nodded, saying, "Go. If you kill a bandit in battle, I will recommend you for credit."
The cavalry commander, his face beaming with joy, accepted the order and departed.
Liu Wenxiu brought only about 800 cavalrymen, perhaps fearing the escape of this big fish after learning of Zhu Dadian's whereabouts, and thus rushed over. The standard cavalry originally numbered 1,500, but some had fallen behind during the escape, leaving only about 1,000. The two sides were evenly matched, with the standard cavalry having a slight advantage. This was the source of the cavalry captain's confidence in challenging the enemy; a victory, including the killing of Zhang Xianzhong's adopted son, would be a tremendous achievement.
He shouted, "Brothers, killing this bastard will be a great achievement, and everyone will get a share!"
The standard cavalry spurred their horses forward, howling as they charged. Liu Wenxiu, on the other side, didn't waste any words, leading eight hundred cavalrymen to pounce like tigers descending a mountain, and the two sides clashed fiercely.
Su Hongtu was about to summon the remaining seven hundred or so battalion soldiers to help when Zhu Dadian stopped him.
"Take this opportunity and cross the river quickly; we must not miss it."
Su Hongtu was stunned upon hearing this. Although he had some issues with the cavalry captain, he believed that one thing was one thing, and when encountering bandits, they should unite against them. He did not expect the governor to suggest running away first.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go." Zhu Dadian urged him when he saw him standing there.
He had long heard that Zhang Xianzhong's four adopted sons were exceptionally brave. If it came to individual prowess in slaying generals and capturing flags, Liu Wenxiu was the best. The cavalry of the Standard Battalion was nothing more than a ragtag force cobbled together by the generals of Shandong. Their exhaustion from fleeing all the way had left them no match for a vigorous and energetic opponent. If he hesitated, and Liu Wenxiu used his cavalry's mobility to entangle Su Tong's infantry after his victory, and then another bandit army arrived, he would perish on the banks of the Yangtze River today.
If you don't go now, when will you wait?