Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 399 Heroes Rise Up (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"Pattering..."

As August arrives, rainfall in the north gradually increases, and the previously intense war in the northwest has to temporarily come to a halt in the face of the autumn rains.

"The commander is indeed a brilliant strategist. With this autumn rain, the government troops will have to cease fighting for at least a month."

"Once the autumn rains stop, the troops we have mobilized will arrive at the front lines."

"By the time the government troops react, Wushan and Fuqiang counties will be caught in a pincer attack by our army."

Inside the Longxi County government office, Gao Jinda stood at the entrance of the main hall, looking at the drizzling rain in the courtyard, a smile appearing on his face.

Liu Jilong sat in the main seat, leisurely brewing tea for himself, while his gaze swept back and forth across the sand table.

"After a month, those 6,000 wounded soldiers should have recovered considerably."

"By then, not counting new recruits, there will be at least 18,000 veterans available."

Gao Jinda's assessment was rather optimistic, but Liu Jilong did not refute it, since the autumn rains could last anywhere from a month to a month.

If arranged properly, there are indeed quite a few troops available.

"The new recruits from Lanzhou and Linzhou will depart for Shuofang Town in half a month to relieve them, handing over the troops of Shuofang Town to Husiguang, and stationing them in Chengji, Longcheng, and Sanyangchuan."

"At that time, the number of troops in Sanyangchuan will be no less than 10,000. Husiguang knows how to arrange them to defend the two cities and four passes, and how to deploy troops in Sanyangchuan."

As soon as Liu Jilong finished speaking, Gao Jinda nodded in agreement and added, "News has come back from Henan Province. It is said that He Quanhao, the newly appointed military governor of Weibo, led 8,000 troops south and defeated Huang Chao's main force at Bianzhou. It is estimated that he has now relieved the siege of Songzhou."

Gao Jinda's words reminded Liu Jilong of this matter. However, in history, He Quanhao went south because of Pang Xun's rebellion, but now it was because of Huang Chao's uprising.

However, the performance of the Weibo army during the Pang Xun Rebellion was truly dismal. Not only were they defeated by Pang Xun's rebel army, but they also failed to gain much support from the imperial court.

As a result, not long after He Quanhao returned to Weibo Town, he was beheaded by his own soldiers.

In retrospect, He Quanhao's move was a disastrous one.

However, history is history, and now history has changed. The Central Plains war has lost the presence of cavalry such as the Shatuo and Dangxiang, and the towns of Xuanwu and Zhongwu have become very empty.

In this situation, it was uncertain who would emerge victorious in the attempt to suppress the more than 100,000 rebel troops led by Pang Xun, Wang Xianzhi, and Huang Chao, with only He Quanhao, Kang Chengxun, and Liu Zhan, and less than 60,000 government troops.

If the Tang court wanted to maintain the situation in the Central Plains, it had to provide appropriate support to He Quanhao.

What was originally a disaster turned into a blessing, but the fighting quality of the Wei Bo army was only so-so. Whether they could win consecutive victories depended on how the three forces of Huang Chao, Wang Xianzhi, and Pang Xun would cause trouble.

"With the Central Plains in such a state of chaos, it's likely that more troops will be drawn from Hedong and Hebei to move south."

"In the short term, the imperial court will not be able to draw troops from the Huai River region, Hedong region, and Hebei region to deal with us."

"Judging from the court's order to train new troops in the towns northwest of Beijing, the court probably wants to rely on the strength of the Three Rivers region and Guanzhong and Guannei to subdue us."

Liu Jilong spoke slowly and deliberately, and Gao Jinda couldn't help but laugh heartily after hearing this: "With just this, I'm afraid you can't deal with us."

"Although the treasury is not abundant, it can still sustain military supplies for a year or two, but it is uncertain whether the imperial court can hold out for a year or two."

As the war progressed, Gao Jinda was no longer as cautious as he had been before the battle.

His confidence stemmed from his own commander, Liu Jilong, who had defeated 15,000 troops in Shuofang and seized the three prefectures of Shuofang with only 5,000 casualties.

The subsequent casualties were no more than two thousand. They easily captured four of the six passes of Xiaoguan, Chengji, Longcheng, and Longshan. They also defeated Wang Shi's elite vanguard cavalry in Pingchuan, killing and capturing tens of thousands of government troops.

In two months, they killed and captured more than 25,000 government troops, while suffering no more than 7,000 casualties, three times the number.

If the fighting continues like this, the imperial court will need to deploy at least 300,000 troops to take over Longyou, which now has an army of 100,000.

Given the current situation, Gao Jinda naturally had the confidence to back up his position.

However, Liu Jilong was quite cautious about this and did not think too highly of himself. Instead, he attached great importance to the court in terms of both strategy and tactics.

Has there been any news from the Pingxia tribe?

Liu Jilong inquired about the Pingxia tribe, and Gao Jinda nodded after hearing this, saying, "We just received news this morning that they can't produce 20,000 horses and want to exchange 10,000 horses and 30,000 sheep for Li Sigong and the more than 2,000 Dangxiang prisoners we have."

"General, the Pingxia tribe has been defeated by our army. If we don't release Li Sigong and his two thousand-plus men back soon, they might be annexed by other Dangxiang tribes."

"It would be better to take what we can get and release Li Sigong and the two thousand-plus Dangxiang prisoners in exchange for these horses and herds."

Gao Jinda's suggestion made some sense. Li Sigong's historical record was decent, but not enough to warrant Liu Jilong's trouble in trying to win him over.

As long as Liu Jilong can take over the Sanchuan, Guanzhong, and Guannei regions, Li Sigong will naturally submit to him.

"Hand over the person, deliver the goods."

"Yes!"

Liu Jilong finally agreed to the deal, and Gao Jinda continued after bowing: "News has come from Liangzhou that Governor Zhang is gathering 6,000 troops from the two towns in Gansu, preparing to lead them into Longxi with Jiujuyan. He asks us to prepare banners for him to change."

"Prepare according to their requirements!" Upon hearing that Zhang Huaishen had mobilized 6,000 troops to support him, Liu Jilong's face also showed a smile.

Six thousand soldiers may not seem like much, but for the Hexi Guiyi Army, which had a population of over two hundred thousand but an army of only twenty thousand, it was already a considerable force.

However, Liu Jilong would not let Zhang Huaishen suffer a loss, and the surrendered soldiers of the government army would be sent to Hexi in batches afterward.

With that in mind, Liu Jilong turned his attention to the sand table, pointing directly to Wushan and Fuqiang counties.

As he prepared to seize Qinzhou, the roads in Xichuan were muddy due to the rainy season.

As a result, Taoguan Pass became even more dilapidated, and the Xichuan military camp outside the pass became more restless.

"This autumn rain came at the worst possible time. Taoguan Pass was not far from falling, but it just happened to come at this time, giving these rebels time and opportunity to build up their city!"

Inside the camp of the Western Sichuan army, Lin Ruzhen stood in front of the gatekeeper, speaking with slight impatience.

Inside the tent, Zhang Lin and Wang Zhongren stood in front of the sand table, constantly discussing the matter of Gutao Pass.

Gao Pian sat silently in the main seat, holding a bamboo tube in his hand, examining it closely.

Seeing Gao Pian like this, Wang Zhongren couldn't help but say, "General, these fireworks can only produce light. The so-called explosion must be a lie told by that sorcerer."

“That’s right!” Zhang Lin chimed in, but Gao Pian shook his head.

The fireworks he held in his hand were from this era, and the people who made them were the craftsmen he had sent from Huainan Road.

More than a dozen craftsmen made a lot of fireworks, and Gao Pian also tried to ignite them, but in the end he could only get the light when the fireworks bloomed, which was far less powerful than the fireworks used by the Longyou army.

The craftsmen had also witnessed the Longyou army defending the city, and they judged from the smell that the Longyou army was using fireworks, but they didn't know why they could unleash such great power.

"If we can capture the actual items, perhaps we can get them out."

Gao Pian murmured to himself, then put down the bamboo tube full of gunpowder, got up and walked towards the yamen, looking at the gloomy weather outside the tent and the rain that would fall for hours on end.

"The solar terms have arrived early this year, so the autumn rains will last for at least another month and a half."

"After the autumn rains stop, the mountains in the north will be snowed in for at most a month."

"At that time, the connection between Qin and Long prefectures will be severed, and Liu Jilong will likely take advantage of this time to seize Qin prefecture."

"If he takes Qin Prefecture, he will definitely take advantage of the opportune moment to move south and become our enemy in Dongchuan or Xichuan."

Gao Pian's prediction was correct, but Wang Chongren countered with a question: "Didn't the imperial court send envoys to negotiate peace with the Southern Barbarians?"

"If the court can make peace with the Southern Barbarians, then some of the troops in Xichuan in the south can be transferred north. Moreover, you have sent Liang Zuan back to Chengdu to train 10,000 new soldiers. At that time, our Xichuan troops of more than 50,000 should not suffer too many losses even if we are no match for them."

Wang Zhongren's prediction was quite good, but Gao Pian shook his head slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said:

"The imperial court is willing to negotiate peace, but the chieftain of the southern barbarians may not agree."

"Chief Long wants to seize the two places of Qianzhong Road and Annam. He hasn't even gotten his hands on these two places yet, so how can he talk about peace?"

"It's already a bit strange that Chieftain isn't sending troops to harass our rear while we're attacking Gutao Pass. I suspect he's probably planning to harass Qianzhong Road or Annam again."

As soon as Gao Pian finished speaking, Zhang Lin couldn't help but say, "General, if you ask me, we should first subdue the Southern Barbarians and then concentrate our efforts on dealing with this Liu Jilong bastard."

Zhang Lin was well aware that his own military commander had never committed any desperate defense against the southern barbarians; his aim was to nurture them and make the court realize their importance.

However, now that Liu Jilong is in the north and the Southern Barbarians are in the south, they have become the ones being attacked from both sides.

In this situation, if they deal with Liu Jilong first, they may not be able to spare the resources to deal with Nanzhao. However, if they spare the resources to deal with Nanzhao first, they can at least rely on Guankou to hold the front line. After dealing with the Nanman, they can concentrate their forces to go north to deal with Liu Jilong.

His idea was also the idea of ​​Wang Zhongren and others, after all, the southern barbarians were easier to deal with than those in Longyou.

"I had this plan, but I never expected that the north would suffer such a crushing defeat."

"Currently, among the Northern Army, only Wang Shi's troops can stand against Liu Jilong. If Wang Shi can hold out until winter, I will consider heading south to attack the Southern Barbarians and recover the lost territories of Li and Xi."

"The commander is brilliant!" The three couldn't help but praise Gao Pian, while Gao Pian glanced at the fireworks on the table out of the corner of his eye.

"If we could obtain the artifacts of those alchemists in Longyou, let alone recovering the two prefectures of Li and Xi, even taking Yangjumei City would not be a problem."

Gao Pian desperately wanted to obtain the power of gunpowder because a voice in his heart kept telling him that this thing would become a weapon comparable to armor in the future.

After this thing was invented, rammed earth city walls were no longer an insurmountable problem. Only cities encased in brick could remain as stable as Mount Tai under its attack.

While Gao Pian was thinking this way, Molu Danzeng, who was stationed in the three prefectures of Xichuan with Shang Duoluo and others, was also considering this matter.

Starting half a month ago, Gutao Pass was already under pressure, so Shang Duoluo transferred Molu Danzeng and his 5,000 infantry and 5,000 elite cavalry to Gutao Pass.

After suffering casualties for half a month, Gutao Pass currently has 3,400 Han soldiers, 4,400 barbarian soldiers, and 5,000 barbarian cavalry.

The barbarian soldiers and generals stationed there naturally saw the iron cannons and firearms capable of taking on ten thousand men in Longyou.

At first, they thought it was divine intervention, but later they realized it was one of the methods used in Longyou.

However, the war was urgent at the time, and they didn't have the mind to think about it further.

Now that the autumn rains have arrived, everyone is staying in the city walls and houses, and naturally, they start to have all sorts of wild thoughts.

As Lu Danzeng sat in his room, he couldn't help but recall the power of the cannon and the weapon that could kill ten thousand men.

Not only him, but the two beggars he brought also thought the same thing, and even took the initiative to start a discussion.

"If we can get arquebuses and weapons capable of taking ten thousand men, then taking Lhasa will not be difficult."

“That’s right. I’ve heard that the slaves in Suci and Ü-Tsang are a bit restless. If we can seize the opportunity to incite the slaves to storm Lhasa, and then lead troops to Lhasa to relieve the siege, then we can also emulate the Han people’s strategy of holding the emperor hostage to command the princes, and control the Zanpu to rally the various Rudongben and Qiliben towns.”

Both beggars were quite young, only twenty-four or twenty-five years old.

They were not only in a superior-subordinate relationship with Lu Danzeng, but also classmates, having studied together in Songzhou.

This is why they speak Mandarin very well and have a great understanding of Central Plains culture.

Lu Danzeng, relying on his years of friendship with his classmates, managed to control most of the noble children and the children of generals, becoming the person supported by everyone.

That's why he was able to easily persuade his father to mobilize 15,000 people to support Longyou.

Faced with the persuasion of his two classmates, Lu Danzeng nodded in agreement:
“You are all right, but based on my observation, these firearms were all transported from Linzhou.”

"I estimate that the craftsmen who made this thing are all in Linzhou, which is the place where all kinds of firearms are produced."

"You should have heard the news about the war in the north."

"The Elephant King has won one victory after another, and the Tang Dynasty's government troops have suffered no less than 30,000 casualties."

"Even the government troops suffered such casualties, which shows that the Elephant King's military strategy was divine. The Tang Dynasty was simply unable to defeat the Elephant King."

"This firearm is indeed powerful, but if the Elephant King does not permit it, we will not be able to obtain it at all."

Lu Danzeng's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads.

The two men had considered surrendering to the Tang army, but given the Tang army's current performance, surrendering would be tantamount to suicide.

Three prefectures in Shuofang were lost in two months, and now even Qin Prefecture is in imminent danger.

The speed at which these cities are being lost is even faster than the speed at which they were lost during the An Lushan Rebellion and the Tibetan invasion of the east.

The group couldn't help but suspect that if the fighting continued at this pace, the Tang Dynasty would probably have to be renamed Liu Dynasty in three to five years.

"After this battle, I will try to see if I can gain the trust of the general based on this merit."

"If we can obtain a batch of firearms, we can move into Lhasa!"

A glint flashed in Meru Danzeng's eyes. His greatest dream now was to replace the Zanpu royal family with the identity of the Meru clan.

Faced with his persuasion, Dokon's two beggars gradually withdrew their ambitions, while in the yamen, which was only a hundred paces away from their residence, Chandor was writing military documents.

After finishing writing a military document, he blew the ink dry, applied sealing wax, stamped it with his mark, and handed it to the fast horseman wearing a straw raincoat in front of him.

"Send it to Weizhou and have Commander Gao hand it over to General Jie."

"The last general takes command!"

The captain of the fast horse bowed in agreement and then withdrew from the gate.

Shang Duoluo watched him leave until his figure disappeared from sight before turning his gaze back to continue handling military affairs.

At the same time, the various governor-general's offices were also sending out military dispatches, reporting military intelligence from various places to Weizhou, where Gao Jinda would compile the reports and hand them over to Liu Jilong.

Due to the arrival of autumn rains, grain transportation has become difficult. Although the granaries of each governor's office still have enough grain to last for several months, they still hope that the governor's office will transport grain south after the autumn rains end, just in case.

Liu Jilong did not take this lightly and quickly arranged for the transfer of grain after the autumn rains.

Compared to Longyou, the Tang army's grain transport was a much more serious problem, all because Huang Chao and Wang Xianzhi were causing trouble in the north and south of the Grand Canal.

Although He Quanhao defeated Huang Chao, Huang Chao retreated to Songzhou and immediately began to plunder Huainan along both banks of the Grand Canal.

Both Bozhou and Suzhou suffered from war. Huang Chao tried to lure He Quanhao south, thus giving Lin Yan and others in Caozhou enough time to train their troops.

His plan proved effective, because He Quanhao completely ignored Lin Yan of Caozhou and went straight for Huang Chao.

As Wei Bo's army marched south, they continuously seized supplies abandoned by Huang Chao's forces, making a considerable fortune.

He Quanhao distributed all the captured supplies to reward the three armies, thinking that the soldiers would appreciate his kindness, but in fact, the resentment towards him in the army did not decrease.

He Quanhao did reward the three armies, but he also restricted them from plundering cities and prefectures along the way, causing the soldiers to lose income time and time again.

If the imperial court hadn't rewarded them with 100,000 coins and silk, the army would probably have already started to riot.

However, He Quanhao was completely unaware of this and remained immersed in his successive victories in pursuing Huang Chao.

"Crackling..."

A fire broke out in a village west of Montreal, where men were hacked to death, women were abducted and raped, and houses were burned down.

Outside the village, soldiers bearing the banner of "Weibo" were loading their spoils onto carts, each with a smile on their face.

"You don't know, that woman's skin wasn't like that of an ordinary farmer; it was incredibly smooth!"

"Damn it, you didn't let me wait for such a good thing?!"

"I was about to call out, but the woman slit her own throat. I felt extremely sorry for her."

"But her body isn't completely cold yet, why don't you go and give it a try?"

"roll roll roll……"

The soldiers were discussing everything they had just enjoyed when hundreds of elite cavalrymen galloped up the official road.

As the elite cavalry slowly approached, the guards immediately fell silent, for they had seen He Quanhao's grim face.

"Who started this fire?!"

He Quanhao rode up to the soldiers and questioned the captain in charge.

Upon hearing this, the colonel bowed and said, "General, it was the bandits who set the fire and killed people."

"After we saw them, we immediately rushed over, killed the bandits, and then seized the goods."

The officers stepped back, and the other soldiers followed suit, which allowed He Quanhao to see the mound of human heads piled up behind them.

They thought that was the end of it, but unexpectedly He Quanhao's whip suddenly lashed out and struck the schoolmaster directly in the face.

"You scoundrel, do you think my eyes can't distinguish between good and bad, truth and falsehood?"

"These people are pale and thin, clearly villagers from this area. How dare you violate military law?"

"Men, kill this wretched bastard! The rest of you, each get thirty lashes!"

"Yes!!"

The elite cavalry behind He Quanhao immediately dismounted. The officer tried to resist, but his iron helmet was removed and he was slashed in the neck.

Blood spurted out, staining half of the executioner's face red.

The remaining two hundred soldiers were terrified at the sight and dared not cause any trouble. They could only grit their teeth and endure the thirty lashes.

Fortunately, the soldiers who attacked did not kill him. Although it was burning painful, it was not to the point that he was unable to move.

"If this happens again, they will all be executed!"

As soon as He Quanhao finished speaking, he snorted coldly and turned his horse south.

The elite cavalry followed in his footsteps, while the remaining soldiers stood up, grimacing and clutching their backs.

"Damn it, what good is He Quanhao anyway!" "Have you forgotten that his father and grandfather were also helped to rise to power by us?!"

"Those wretched dogs and rats..."

The soldiers who had been whipped cursed and swore, their eyes filled with resentment.

In their view, going south was also a dangerous job, so what was wrong with taking the opportunity to burn, kill, and plunder?

Not to mention them, aren't the officers and soldiers of other vassal states doing the same thing?
Why should He Quanhao not rob it, and why should he not let them rob it either?

In a short time, more and more soldiers in the Weibo army harbored resentment towards He Quanhao, but they only stopped because he won battle after battle and was able to continuously give them benefits.

He Quanhao himself was completely unaware of this, and simply led his elite cavalry into the smoke-filled Mengcheng County.

The fire in the county had just been extinguished, and although the people were spared, the county government warehouse had been looted by Huang Chao and his men.

Looking at the county government office in ruins, He Quanhao decisively ordered the generals behind him: "Recruit five thousand laborers to join the army, and collect another three thousand shi of grain. We will break camp and head south at dawn tomorrow."

"Your subordinate obeys!" The general bowed and agreed, and soon ordered his troops to forcibly conscript laborers and provisions from the city.

This scene was witnessed by the soldiers who had been whipped, which fueled their resentment.

Why is it that He Quanhao can forcibly requisition property, but they can't just rob people?

Seeing this, the soldiers' resentment grew even stronger.

Meanwhile, more than 20 miles away from Mengcheng County, in the direction of Qixian County, Huang Chao's army of more than 70,000 refugees was marching towards Qixian County, which was more than 10 miles away.

"General, this fellow from Weibo is really meddling in other people's business. What does our trouble in Henan have to do with them?"

Ahead of the refugee caravan, a force of over seven thousand armored soldiers and three hundred cavalrymen was leading the way.

In the center of this army, Huang Chao and his men rode on horseback, surrounded by more than three hundred armored cavalry.

Although they were related to the word "soldier," the way they marched was completely like a group of ragtag soldiers who had never undergone any training and knew nothing about military discipline.

Even so, they were still able to outrun the Weibo army that was besieging them by more than 20 miles.

"I don't think Weibo is as invincible as the rumors say. From what I've observed over the past few days, their daily march is only six or seven li longer than ours."

"At this rate, it will take them at least three to five days to catch up with us."

"General, Lin Yan's training of troops is almost complete. I think we should head north back to Caozhou, defeat the government troops of Weibo there, and then take the opportunity to plunder Weizhou and Bozhou?"

Huang Cun's words were startling, but Huang Kui and Huang Ye expressed their support, while only Huang Chao shook his head in opposition:

"The reason we were able to fight and win repeatedly in Henan Province was because there were enough starving people in Henan Province."

"If we lead the government troops to fight in Caozhou and then head north into Weizhou, we won't have enough refugees to absorb."

"In Caozhou, Lin Yan is still training his troops, and their armor is not yet fully made. We need to draw government troops away from him."

"However, once Liu Zhan finishes training his troops, he will probably launch an attack on Caozhou first, at which point we can head north."

Although Huang Chao didn't have a clear plan for how to fight right now, he knew he couldn't just plunder wherever he went.

Back when he was in Chang'an, Chen Ying once told him while drunk that when their group was sweeping literacy in Longyou, Liu Jilong had taught them, claiming: "Robbing while moving is a bandit-style tactic, which only destroys and does not create production."

Such tactics might lead to victory in the early stages by catching the imperial court off guard, but as the court reacts, the ultimate result of this bandit-like approach is certain death.

To illustrate this point, Liu Jilong cited examples such as the Green Forest Army, the Red Eyebrow Army, and the uprisings led by Sun En and Lu Xun, all of which resulted in destruction and non-production, and were eventually wiped out by government troops or regular forces.

Huang Chao was undoubtedly convinced by Liu Jilong's remarks.

For this reason, he regarded Caozhou as the place where he would start his career from the beginning, and at the same time, he led a large army to attract the attention of the main government forces.

When the time was ripe, he returned to Caozhou, led his troops to capture the former towns of Taining, Wuning, and Huainan, and cut off the grain transport to threaten the imperial court.

If the imperial court were willing to appoint him as the military governor of Wuning Army, Huainan Army, or Tianping Army, he might consider accepting the offer of amnesty.

If the court officials continue to be arrogant as always, he will raise an army to attack Luoyang, the eastern capital, and take the opportunity to attack Chang'an.

He simply couldn't believe that those arrogant scions of noble families could remain as calm as Mount Tai when a knife was held to their necks.

Thinking of this, Huang Chao continued, "Xuzhou was ravaged by Pang Xun and Wang Xianzhi, so naturally there was nothing to rob."

"However, the Grand Canal transports countless amounts of money and grain to Chang'an every day. We can plunder goods along both banks of the canal, so we won't be afraid of running out of things to steal."

"By the way, the Tang cavalry must be released far enough today, and we absolutely cannot encounter the same situation as last time."

What Huang Chao was referring to was nothing more than the battle in which they were ambushed by He Quanhao.

Huang Kui and Huang Ye nodded in agreement, while Huang Cun immediately sent men to send the cavalry far away.

Two hours later, as night fell, Huang Chao and his men plundered a fortified village and distributed all the thousands of bushels of grain inside to the refugees who had followed them.

At midnight, while Huang Chao was fast asleep, embracing two women, Huang Kui hurriedly came to the outside of the tent and bowed:
"General, the cavalry from the south have encountered the cavalry from Weibo!"

Upon hearing the sound, Huang Chao, who was in a dream, immediately woke up, pulled away from the boudoir, quickly put on his undergarments, and drew back the curtains.

"What did you say?"

"The southern cavalry encountered the Weibo cavalry, which were only twenty li away from here."

Huang Chao questioned Huang Kui, who repeated what he had just said, but his gaze fell on the two snow-white figures inside the tent, and he couldn't help but swallow.

"This He Quanhao is truly like a mad dog!"

Upon learning that He Quanhao was still pursuing him, Huang Chao frowned slightly and then asked, "What time is it now?"

"1:45 AM (丑时三刻)"

Huang Kui's reply further enraged Huang Chao, who thought to himself that He Quanhao was truly a persistent ghost, still sending out cavalry to pursue him at this hour. He figured that He Quanhao must have sent out the cavalry after taking Mengcheng County.

Thinking about this, Huang Chao couldn't help but feel that it was time to teach He Quanhao a lesson.

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and Huang Kui couldn't help but incite, "General, the soldiers of Weibo are not as elite as the rumors say. Besides, they have been pursuing us for days and must be exhausted."

"Lin Yan's troops are indeed not well trained, but we still have more than 7,000 armored soldiers here. If we combine them, we are not afraid that we will be able to deal with the government troops of Weibo."

"Why don't we lure them to Caozhou and find an opportunity to severely damage and annihilate them?"

He brought up the suggestion again to lure He Quanhao to Caozhou and annihilate him, but this time Huang Chao did not immediately refuse. Instead, he pondered for a moment and glanced at the rebel army and refugee camps behind Huang Kui.

After a moment, he slowly spoke, "This Tangqi is twenty li away from us, so He Quanhao should be stationed in Mengcheng County."

"By the time He Quanhao finds out we're stationed here and starts chasing us, it will be at least two hours later."

"We still need to cross the river, so we need to allow an hour. Therefore, we will break camp in an hour and head north to Fuli County to cross the river and then head north to Caozhou."

“It will take at least ten days to reach Caozhou with this group of refugees, a journey of three hundred miles.”

Upon hearing this, Huang Kui decisively suggested, "General, why don't we abandon the refugees and lead our troops north? We can reach Caozhou in as little as six days."

"No!" Huang Chao rejected the suggestion, not because he loved the people so much, but because he had a use for these refugees.

Therefore, before Huang Kui could speak, he took the initiative to say, "After crossing the river, deliberately slow down the refugees' crossing. It would be best to let He Quanhao lead his troops to catch up and kill some of them, and then let everyone cross the river."

"After they cross the river, you lead your elite cavalry to gather the refugees. It would be best to lose a few rounds in a row so they get carried away."

Upon hearing this, Huang Kui's eyes lit up: "General, do you intend to lure the enemy deep into your territory?"

"Hmm!" Huang Chao nodded, then said, "People say that the three towns of Hebei are incredibly brave. I want to see what these Weibo soldiers are all about!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Huang Kui said excitedly as he withdrew, while Huang Chao had no desire to continue sleeping.

He woke the two women and played with them for an hour.

An hour later, as Huang Kui sent men to awaken the entire camp, the soldiers began to put on their armor and lead the refugees toward Fuli County.

Huang Chao, dressed in armor, traveled north in the same carriage as the two women.

Half an hour later, the army began to cross the river, and the canal, which was only about twenty feet wide, did not delay them for much of the time.

Huang Chao left three hundred cavalrymen with Huang Kui, and then led seven thousand armored soldiers across the river first.

After they crossed the river, the sky was already beginning to brighten, and it was 4:30 AM.

Huang Chao and his men headed north without stopping, while Huang Kui led his cavalry across the river first, and then ordered the boatmen to slow down.

Time passed, and the originally gloomy weather gradually began to drizzle.

The rain wasn't heavy, but countless ragged refugees, desperate for food, had no choice but to cover their heads with their clothes to avoid getting wet and sick.

Hunger may not kill you, but getting sick and falling behind will.

Following Huang Chao and his men meant they could at least get food, while staying put meant certain death.

Two hours passed quickly, during which the drizzle stopped and started again, soaking everyone's clothes.

When the cold wind blows, the feeling is as unbearable as if a knife is scraping your skin.

Many refugees could not bear it and collapsed one after another before boarding the boat. They were then ignored and died by the roadside.

There are quite a few people like this, especially the elderly and the weak, who generally cannot hold on for long.

Noon finally arrived, but thick, dark clouds blocked out the sunlight, offering no warmth whatsoever.

Most of the refugees had already crossed the river. Seeing that the government troops had not yet caught up, Huang Kui immediately gave a few instructions to the officers beside him.

The colonel nodded in agreement and then led three hundred elite cavalrymen away from the ferry.

An hour later, they returned with dozens of horse-drawn carriages, which were loaded with grain.

Huang Kui did not immediately distribute the grain, but instead instructed the refugees who were rowing the boats:
"You should send a batch of grain over first, so they can cook. Don't worry, I will be waiting for them here."

"Yes, Young Master Huang, you are so kind! Thank you so much!"

The twenty-odd refugees rowing the boat kept bowing, and then Huang Kui called on the refugees on the east bank to carry grain onto the boat, while he distributed the remaining grain and cooked a meal.

Dozens of cartloads of grain were not much, only a little over three hundred shi (a unit of dry measure), which on average meant that each refugee could only eat half a jin (a unit of weight) of grain.

Even so, the refugees who saw the food regained their spirits.

More than 100 shi of grain were transported to the west bank, while the remainder remained on the east bank.

People on both the east and west banks began to cook, and even the displaced people who rowed boats got a rest.

Half an hour later, bowls of thick, coarse porridge were distributed, and the once hungry and cold refugees were instantly given a new lease on life.

They regained their spirits and were even willing to chat more with those around them.

Huang Kui looked at the coarse porridge with slices of meat in his hand and slowly began to drink it.

A quarter of an hour later, everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, and it was already late afternoon.

Huang Kui once again called on the laborers to row the boat across the river, but at this moment the refugees on the west bank suddenly became restless.

"The government troops are here!!"

"Run! Swim across the river!"

"Run!"

After a bowl of plain porridge, the refugees seemed to regain their strength.

Upon learning of the arrival of the government troops, they jumped into the canal, attempting to swim to the east bank.

In an instant, the west bank of the canal was packed with refugees, who flocked to the east bank where Huang Kui and his men were located.

"go!"

Upon seeing this, Huang Kui mounted his horse and, shaking the reins, led his elite cavalry ahead.

The refugees who had already crossed the canal saw him leave and followed in his footsteps, while those who had swum to the east bank also disregarded the cold and hurriedly followed.

Fortunately, it was no longer as cold as it had been in the morning, and with food in their stomachs, the refugees were able to catch up with Huang Kui's group.

However, compared to them, the more than 20,000 refugees on the west bank experienced overcrowding and trampling, and finally faced slaughter by government troops.

"Those who surrender will not be killed!"

"Everyone, get down on the ground!!"

He Quanhao led several hundred elite cavalrymen from Weibo, who constantly charged among the refugees, killing them every moment.

Finally, the group of refugees all knelt down as He Quanhao demanded, and He Quanhao, feeling smug, escorted them to Qixian County, the closest county to them.

"How could mere bandits stir up such a commotion in the Central Plains? Are all the officers and soldiers of these towns just good-for-nothings?"

He Quanhao watched the displaced people's procession disappear into the distance on the east bank and couldn't help but rein in his horse and snort coldly.

Upon seeing this, one of the generals accompanying him immediately suggested, "General, should we cross the river from here?"

"No need!" He Quanhao raised his hand to stop him, pointing his riding whip northward:

“Eighty li north of here is Linhuan County, and forty li northeast of Linhuan is Yongcheng County.”

"Yongcheng is still in the hands of the imperial court. We can go directly to Yongcheng to cross the river and pursue these bandits."

"Judging from their escape route, it seems they are heading towards Caozhou. They probably intend to join forces with the bandits there. That's fine; we can deal with them all at once!"

"The commander is wise and sagacious." Everyone openly praised He Quanhao, and upon seeing this, He Quanhao instructed them:
"Order the central and rear armies to turn their forces toward Yongcheng."

"Your subordinate obeys!" The general bowed and agreed, and then sent messengers to convey the news to the central and rear armies.

Two hours later, as darkness fell, He Quanhao led his troops to Lutang Township, south of Linhuan County.

Although He Quanhao forbade his soldiers from looting, he himself ordered the forced requisition of grain from the villagers.

Many of the soldiers took the opportunity to rebel, but he killed the leader of the rebellion and whipped the rest.

Although the soldiers were finally given a hot meal, they were not grateful to him; instead, they resented him even more.

Meanwhile, He Quanhao wrote a memorial and sent it to Chang'an, while he led his troops to rest for a night before continuing north.

As he headed north, Huang Chao also passed through Longji Mountain the following day on his northward journey.

He dismounted and gazed at Dragon Ridge Mountain. Huang Ye, seeing this, spurred his horse to follow and dismounted to ask, "General, what are you looking at?"

"I'm looking at Dragon Ridge Mountain," Huang Chao said without hesitation, pointing to it.

"Several years ago, Pang Xun and Wang Xianzhi caused trouble here. Now the two are besieged in Guangzhou and Taishan. I wonder if they can escape."

"We must learn from the lessons of these two men and never become arrogant or complacent."

"The commander is right!" Huang Ye nodded in agreement, and then saw more than a dozen soldiers escorting two young men toward them.

"What are you doing?" Huang Ye stepped forward and questioned the soldiers. The squad leader bowed and replied:

"Commander, we spotted these two lads while on patrol outside. We suspect they're government spies!"

"Nonsense! These two are here to join the army!"

The younger boy spoke up in rebuttal and struggled, which caught Huang Ye's attention.

He looked the young man up and down. Although he was disheveled, he was nearly six feet tall with broad shoulders and piercing eyes. Even two strong soldiers could hardly restrain him.

Compared to him, the other boy, who was a little older than him, seemed particularly ordinary.

"Your appearance doesn't seem like that of an unknown person. What is your background?"

Huang Ye became interested and couldn't help but ask, while the young man, seeing this, raised his chin with considerable pride:
“My family has been teachers for generations. If we hadn’t suffered misfortune and had no choice but to seek refuge with other people, you might not have seen me.”

"Now that I am in trouble, I have lost interest in studying. When I heard that the righteous army was marching through my territory, I brought my brother here to seek refuge."

"If you do not recognize a hero, my brother and I will leave now, but you will regret it later!"

"What a boastful little brat!" Huang Ye couldn't help but laugh, just as footsteps sounded behind him.

Huang Chao walked towards them, and stopped to glance at the clamoring young man as he passed by: "If you can kill some government soldiers on the battlefield and obtain armor, then you will be allowed to recruit soldiers."

"If you command ten 'jia' (a unit of land measurement), you will be the leader; fifty 'jia' will be the captain; and one hundred 'jia' will be the colonel... How about that?"

Huang Chao scrutinized the young man before him, wondering what he would say.

But facing his scrutiny, the young man said, "If I kill a thousand government soldiers and obtain a thousand suits of armor, what then?!"

"Hehe..." Huang Chao couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle, but the young man questioned, "What should we do?!"

"Then you will be the governor!" Huang Chao promised, and the young man nodded in response: "Just wait, it won't be long before I become the governor!"

"Alright, what's your name? I'm waiting to see it appear in the register."

Huang Chao looked at the young man, asked him his name, and ordered the soldiers who were binding him to release him.

Seeing this, the soldier released his grip, and the young man stretched his body before casually bowing and saying:
"Zhu Wen of Suzhou!"

(End of this chapter)