Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 417 Immortal Herb's Bloodshed (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"boom!!"

"The city wall has been breached! The first to scale it will be promoted three ranks!"

Under a gloomy sky, accompanied by the sound of thunder from a clear sky, thousands of elite infantrymen clad in lamellar armor, carrying the banners of the Longyou Army, marched into the county town that had been blasted open.

Before long, all the banners on the city wall were replaced with banners reading "Longyou Protectorate". And similar scenes did not only occur in this one place.

Lizhou, Zizhou, Suizhou, Guozhou, Langzhou, Hezhou, and other prefectures and counties far from the Yangtze River were continuously captured. Even counties such as Ba County in Yuzhou and Luchuan in Luzhou, located in the northern part of the Yangtze River, were also taken over.

Apart from Tongzhou in the eastern part of Shannan West Circuit and the strategically important Bazhou and Bizhou, only Fuzhou and Luzhou south of the Yangtze River were still under Gao Pian's control.

Li Fubing was defeated and retreated south of the Yangtze River, where Gao Pian, in his capacity as commander of various military campaigns, stripped him of his military power.

Fortunately, Li Fu did not want to continue facing the rebels, so he decisively handed over his military power and headed east along the river, preparing to go north to Chang'an to plead guilty.

As for Gao Pian, although he resigned from his post, he was confident that the court would not replace him.

He recruited 6,000 soldiers in Shuzhou and ordered Zhang Lin to take control of Luzhou and Yuzhou, and other counties south of the Yangtze River in Dongchuan, to recruit 7,000 soldiers, thus supplementing the 20,000 Dongchuan troops.

Wang Zhongren, the governor of Shannan West Circuit in the east, recruited another 20,000 soldiers and stationed 40,000 new recruits in the remaining six prefectures of Shannan West Circuit.

Jiannan Circuit and Shannan West Circuit comprise two prefectures and forty-three states. Currently, Gao Pian controls only twelve states, Liu Jilong controls two prefectures and twenty-nine states, and You Shilong of Dali controls Xizhou and half of Rongzhou and half of Lizhou.

That's why, when Liu Jilong was winning one battle after another in Sanchuan, You Shilong of Dali was the first to get restless.

On the fourteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, You Shilong personally led 70,000 troops to launch a surprise attack on the Xichuan army north of the Dadu River.

Lu Ruyue and Yang Fuguang used winches, crossbows, and catapults to attack the Nanman army that was forcibly crossing the river. They also led a large army to form a battle line on the north bank of the Dadu River. The Nanman army launched several attacks but failed to break through and had to retreat.

At the same time, after Liu Jilong occupied the two prefectures and twenty-nine counties of Jiannan Road and Shannan West Road, his troops were too scattered and insufficient. He immediately ordered Geng Ming and Zhang Wu to lead more than 3,400 veterans from Jiannan and Shannan West Road to recruit soldiers.

Veteran soldiers were appointed as leaders, and new recruits as soldiers, thus recruiting more than 34,000 men.

For a time, the entire Sanchuan region was immersed in an atmosphere of military training, but occasionally powerful families would cause trouble, only to be quickly suppressed by Zhang Wu and Geng Ming leading their troops.

The wealth of these rebellious powerful families was transported to Longyou by cartload. Although the methods were bloody and ruthless, Liu Jilong did not exterminate all of these rebellious powerful families. Instead, he chose to implicate them and exile them to Hexi.

Besides, Liu Jilong did not do anything to those powerful and influential families who did not cause trouble, which is different from Wang and Huang.

Under these circumstances, the situation in Sanchuan gradually stabilized, while Wang Xianzhi of Shannan East Road seemed to have reached a dead end.

"Hu, hu, hu..."

At dusk, amidst heavy breathing, Wang Xianzhi, Shang Junzhang, and others, carrying the banner of "Tianping," fled south from Yingzhou to Ezhou.

At this moment, they had less than a thousand soldiers left, and the territory of Ezhou was flat and indefensible.

"Damn it, now the only option is to go to Hanyang to seize boats and cross the Yangtze River to the south."

Wang Xianzhi was cursing and swearing, while Shang Junzhang, Shang Rang, Bi Shiduo, and others behind him each had their own thoughts.

Many people believe that heading south is also a way out, since there are quite a few refugees in the south. As long as they can cross the river and head south, they can still recreate the glory of their past when they coerced the people and attacked and plundered prefectures and counties.

However, some people felt that going south was just another cycle, so they decided to back down.

"General, why don't we go down the river and join Huang Chao?"

"Yes, General Jie, now Pang Xun in the north has been defeated, and only Huang Chao in the east is still powerful."

"If we could join Huang Chao's forces, it would certainly be better than going south..."

Shang Rang and Bi Shiduo spoke up, but Wang Xianzhi glared and said, "Nonsense! How could my father, who was a military officer, join forces with that bandit Huang Chao?"

Even when he was at his wit's end, Wang Xianzhi still took pride in his former status as a military general.

In his heart, he was now filled with regret for not accepting the offer of amnesty.

But he didn't seem to realize that before Wang Shouwen's rebellion, his status was actually lower than that of Huang Chao, the bandit he looked down upon.

"Let's go, keep heading towards Hanyang!"

Wang Xianzhi coldly snorted and drove the crowd south. Their troops made almost no attempt to conceal their actions, and the soldiers along the way relieved themselves on both sides of the road, leaving a trail of excrement and urine.

Such a trail made them perfect targets for the Xuanwu Army and Shatuo Army, who were closely pursuing them from the rear.

The Xuanwu Army and the Shatuo cavalry continued their pursuit, and Wang Xianzhi and his men arrived outside Hanyang City on the afternoon of the 18th day of the twelfth lunar month.

They repeated the same tactic, once again abducting nearly ten thousand people from villages along the way.

When tens of thousands of refugees and a thousand armored soldiers led by Wang Xianzhi surrounded Hanyang, the government troops inside the city remained fearless in the face of danger.

This was because the official in charge of the city at that time was Xiao Ye, the Prefect of Jiangling, the Military Governor of Jingnan, and the Chancellor.

How many troops does the rebel army have?

"The number of people on the battlefield was at most 10,000, most of whom were refugees."

Inside the Hanyang County government office, Xiao Ye sat in a high position, with two military commanders dressed in magnificent armor in front of him.

"Prime Minister, we have three thousand soldiers. Why don't we just go out of the city and fight the enemy?"

The Left Military Commander bowed and inquired, but Xiao Ye shook his head and said, "No need."

"The troops led by Liu Shixiang are no more than thirty miles away from here, and they will arrive by tomorrow morning at the latest."

"If our army takes the initiative to attack, the enemy will surely flee in fear upon seeing our numbers."

"Only if our army adopts a defensive posture will the enemy army continue to besiege Hanyang."

As soon as Xiao Ye finished speaking, a general hurriedly entered the county government office.

"Your Excellency, the rebel army has attacked the city."

"Let them attack; our army only needs to hold its ground and not engage!"

Xiao Ye calmly gave the order, and then the three generals in the county government bowed and left the county government office.

"kill!!"

Outside Hanyang County, countless bandits began to attack the city using makeshift ladders, while Xiao Ye divided the city's troops into three groups, taking turns to fight.

As a result, in the eyes of Wang Xianzhi and other mutinous soldiers, the garrison on the walls of Hanyang County appeared to be only a little over a thousand men, and they thus developed the illusion that they could capture Hanyang County.

Throughout the afternoon, under Xiao Ye's deliberate actions, Wang Xianzhi's troops repeatedly climbed onto the horse path, only to be driven off it each time.

Seeing that Hanyang was almost captured by him several times, Wang Xianzhi was both anxious and angry. Even though it was already dark, he still commanded his troops to launch a strong attack on Hanyang.

It wasn't until 9 PM that Wang Xianzhi withdrew his troops and returned to camp, preparing to take Hanyang in one fell swoop the next day.

Just as he was sharpening his sword and preparing to march towards Hanyang, Liu Zhan's Xuanwu army had already arrived thirty miles behind him.

"Screw rustle..."

The clanging of armor plates continued. Li Guochang and Li Keyong entered the tent and saw Liu Zhan examining a map in the main seat. Li Guochang bowed and said:

"My lord, our cavalry has already scouted out the enemy's outpost troops. They are only seven or eight li from Hanyang. If we launch a surprise attack at night, we should be able to achieve a great victory!"

"Dexing's here." Liu Zhan smiled at Li Guochang, then hesitated after hearing his words, saying, "This..."

“The Xuanwu Army is mostly composed of infantry. They have already traveled forty li during the day, and now they are going to launch a surprise attack on the enemy army thirty li away. I'm afraid they will not be able to do it.”

Li Guochang had anticipated Liu Zhan's response, so he bowed and said, "Your Excellency, rest assured, my elite cavalry is more than capable of defeating the rebel army."

Liu Zhan nodded upon hearing this, but then frowned and said, "That's true, but your troops have suffered many casualties on your southward campaign. I wonder how many soldiers you still have?"

"We still have over three thousand five hundred elite cavalrymen. Please rest assured, my son and I will bring you Wang Xianzhi's head tomorrow!"

Liu Zhan was about to say something when he saw thirteen-year-old Li Keyong step forward and say, "If the Prime Minister does not believe me, I am willing to sign a military pledge!"

Seeing that even a thirteen-year-old boy possessed such courage and audacity, Liu Zhan stroked his beard and said, "Good. If this matter succeeds, the Shatuo army will deserve the greatest credit."

"Thank you, Envoy!" The father and son bowed and then turned to leave the tent.

Shortly after they left, Li Guochang mustered the troops available for battle, then summoned the four generals and said:
"The rebel army has only a thousand armored soldiers, and the rest are refugees they have taken hostage. As long as our army launches a surprise attack on the outer perimeter of the camp and fires rockets into the camp, the refugees will inevitably fall into disarray, and the rebel soldiers will naturally seek to break out."

"Ignore the refugees, slaughter all the armored bandits you see!"

"Yes!!" The four generals bowed solemnly, and Li Guochang immediately shook the reins and led his army toward Hanyang.

For cavalry, as long as there is enough horse feed, it is not unusual to march a hundred miles in a day.

With Liu Zhan as their backer and plenty of horse feed, Li Guochang and his son had covered more than twenty miles in just two hours.

Seeing that his forces were about to break into the enemy's territory, Li Guochang once again explained the pre-battle plan. After confirming that everything was in order, he immediately launched a surprise attack.

"Buzzing, rumbling..."

After the dull thud of hooves, about half an incense stick's time later, the piercing sound of wooden whistles came from the surrounding woods.

"Beep--"

The sound of wooden whistles echoed back and forth towards the camp, while the Shatuo cavalry continued their relentless assault.

The sound of horses' hooves grew louder and more frequent, and Wang Xianzhi, who had been attacked several times before, was suddenly awakened inside his tent.

"Damn it, not again!!"

Once he regained his senses, Wang Xianzhi launched into a tirade of curses, claiming that only Liu Zhan in the north could launch a nighttime cavalry raid.

Wang Xianzhi hurriedly ordered the soldiers to put on their armor, but the military camp was already in chaos.

There was no need for Li Guochang and his son to launch a rocket attack; the refugees who heard the wooden whistles and the sound of horses' hooves had already started to riot.

"Let's break out to the east!"

Wang Xianzhi rushed out of the tent, only to find hundreds of veteran soldiers in front of him frantically putting on their armor, and the monk Shang Junzhang instructed them to do the same.

"on fire!!"

"Firefighting!"

"Damn it!"

Suddenly, the sound of hooves gradually stopped, and countless rockets were fired into the camp. Wang Xianzhi watched this familiar scene with wide eyes.

"go!"

He didn't have time to linger and hurriedly led his more than a thousand elite troops, all clad in armor, in a breakout to the northeast, seemingly preparing to escape to Huang Chao's territory.

They had barely left the camp when they ran into the Shatuo elite cavalry that had surrounded it.

"You bunch of scoundrels, form a battle formation! I refuse to believe we can't break through!"

Wang Xianzhi drew his sword and shouted angrily, his face appearing particularly ferocious in the firelight behind him.

They formed ranks and launched a breakout attempt, but the Shatuo elite cavalry did not attack; instead, they kept them at a distance.

"Military envoy, the enemy troops have broken through the east gate!"

"Good! Leave five hundred men to persuade these people to surrender, the rest of you follow me to the east gate!"

Upon learning of Wang Xianzhi's breakout, Li Guochang, who was organizing the encirclement at Ximen, immediately led his troops to surround Wang Xianzhi.

To the east of Hanyang County lies the Yangtze River, to the north Hanyang Lake and the Han River, and to the south lakes and marshes.

Therefore, although Wang Xianzhi and his group broke through to the east, they actually headed northeast.

Two incense sticks later, after they broke through the encirclement, the sound of a large number of horses' hooves came from behind them.

Many people turned around and saw thousands of elite cavalrymen carrying torches galloping towards them. Even Wang Xianzhi couldn't help but feel a chill.

"Damn it, hurry and find a small boat to cross the Han River!"

They had now bypassed Hanyang Lake and arrived at the south bank of the Han River.

The Han River is nearly a hundred feet wide and connects to the Yangtze River, making it impossible to cross easily.

Wang Xianzhi could only command his troops to fight a desperate battle with their backs to the river, while constantly sending people to search for boats to cross the river.

However, Xiao Ye had long anticipated Wang Xianzhi's thoughts, so he had already driven away countless ships, and those that could not be driven away were ordered to be scuttled, giving Wang Xianzhi no chance whatsoever.

Seeing the Shatuo cavalry closing in, and with none of his men able to find a boat to cross the Han River, Wang Xianzhi couldn't help but despair.

After some thought, Wang Xianzhi immediately sent someone to the front of the formation to challenge them:

"Heroes on the other side, please do not make a move. May I ask if the imperial court's previous offer of surrender still stands?"

What did that person say?

Li Guochang, commander of the central army, frowned as he looked at the bandit soldiers approaching with torches. Li Keyong, upon hearing this, went to investigate, then turned his horse back and said:
“That scoundrel Wang Xianzhi is even thinking of having us use the court’s terms to persuade him to surrender.”

"Hmph!" Li Guochang sneered, "Kill him, and the credit will still go to that father and son. Do it!"

"Yes!" Li Keyong agreed without hesitation, and then began to order the three armies to prepare.

In the short time that had just passed, the Shatuo cavalry had already surveyed the surrounding terrain.

Although it was a plain carved out by the Han River, it wasn't muddy enough to allow cavalry to charge.

With three thousand men charging against one thousand, unless the opposing force is elite cavalry from Longyou, there is no reason for them to lose.

"Uuuuuu——"

As the bugle sounded, the bandit army's expression changed drastically.

"The vanguard leads the charge, while the central figures take the lead in rallying the troops!!"

Wang Xianzhi quickly gave the order, and the veterans beside him followed suit and formed a battle formation.

However, their numbers were still too small, and they lacked bows and crossbows. Therefore, when the Shatuo cavalry launched a charge and concentrated their arrows on one spot to break through the enemy lines, the enemy soldiers there inevitably wavered.

Li Keyong seized the opportunity, raising his arms and shouting, "Follow my banner closely, charge!!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding Shatuo cavalry charged forward, immediately following Li Keyong toward the wavering breach.

"Bang!!"

"Hissing..."

"Uh-huh!!"

The Shatuo cavalry charged fiercely into the gap, and the bandit soldiers guarding the area were knocked senseless. They then felt countless hooves trampling on their bodies and were crushed to death on the spot.

"Hold on! Everyone hold on!!"

Seeing this, Wang Xianzhi could only shout to hold on, while constantly looking towards the north bank of the Han River.

Upon seeing this, Shang Rang immediately led his men to pull a wrecked boat from the water, snatched an axe from a soldier, and chopped it down fiercely.

Seeing this, the others immediately understood Shang Rang's idea and followed suit, dismantling the wooden boat.

Seeing that the situation was beyond saving, Bi Shiduo immediately led a dozen or so of his confidants to take off their armor and swim towards the north bank of the Han River, carrying sections of plank.

Others either followed suit or couldn't swim and could only watch helplessly.

"General, quickly remove your armor!"

Shang Junzhang and Shang Rang rushed back to help Wang Xianzhi remove his armor, but they were too slow.

The Shatuo cavalry broke through the vanguard and, led by Li Keyong, were now charging toward Wang Xianzhi's banner.

Despite the dim firelight, Li Keyong still drew his bow and arrow, accurately severing the large banner behind Wang Xianzhi from dozens of paces away, and even shouted loudly:
"Wang Xianzhi is dead. Those who surrender will not be killed!!"

"Wang Xianzhi is dead. Those who abandon their troops and surrender will not be killed!!"

The surrounding Shatuo cavalry followed suit, and their words caused the already somewhat panicked central and rear armies to panic even more.

They all abandoned their weapons, either surrendering or following the example of Bi Shiduo and others, removing their armor and crossing the river on logs.

Seeing his own banner fall, Wang Xianzhi's mind went blank. Fortunately, Shang Junzhang and Shang Rang pulled him toward the riverbank, while Liu Yanzhang and Cao Shixiong led their confidants to cover his retreat.

Despite this, facing the pitch-black night and the Han River, countless soldiers were swept away by the Han River and rushed into the Yangtze River before they could even cross it.

Wang Xianzhi and others removed their armor one after another and began to cross the river while carrying logs.

Li Guochang and Li Keyong pacified the surrendered rebel soldiers on the shore, while simultaneously inquiring about Wang Xianzhi's whereabouts.

Upon learning that Wang Xianzhi was attempting to smuggle herself across the Han River while carrying a log, Li Guochang hurriedly sent men to Hanyang to find boats to cross the river.

Under the cover of darkness, the Han River surged and ebbed, carrying countless soldiers into the Yangtze River.

Originally, Shang Junzhang, Shang Rang, Liu Yanzhang, Cao Shixiong, and others were carrying wooden planks and following behind Wang Xianzhi, but as time went by, Liu Yanzhang and Cao Shixiong disappeared into the night without anyone noticing.

"General, hold on!"

"We're almost on the other side!"

As they were about to cross the Han River, Shang Junzhang and Shang Rang kept encouraging Wang Xianzhi, but Wang Xianzhi felt her arms getting heavier and heavier, and her whole body seemed to lose all feeling.

The Han River in December froze him senseless, and many soldiers even froze to death in the water, their bodies washed ashore into the Yangtze River. Wang Xianzhi and his men struggled for a quarter of an hour, but still could not see the other side of the Han River.

Under the cover of night, with no landmarks to refer to, the three of them seemed to have lost their way.

"General! Over here!!"

Suddenly, a fire broke out in the darkness. It turned out that Bi Shiduo and others, who had already crossed the river, had set a fire on the opposite bank.

"Quick, go that way!"

Shang Junzhang, his face pale from the cold, quickly pushed Wang Xianzhi toward the firelight.

Before they lost consciousness, they were pulled ashore by Bi Shiduo and dozens of others, and pushed to the firelight where they began to rub their bodies.

After about 15 minutes, Wang Xianzhi gradually regained consciousness.

"Where are we...?"

He asked weakly, and Shang Junchang and Shang Rang, seeing this, quickly replied, "General, we have already crossed the Han River!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xianzhi regained her senses and immediately helped the two of them to their feet, looking around.

Only about seventy or eighty people managed to swim to this spot, and Liu Yanzhang and Cao Shixiong had both disappeared.

"Where are Liu Erlang and Cao Sanlang?"

Wang Xianzhi questioned the crowd, and they all lowered their heads, which made Wang Xianzhi feel frustrated and despondent.

Before they could get too emotional, Bi Shiduo spoke first: "General, we cannot stay here. Let's flee to Huangzhou first!"

"Yes, General..."

Only then did everyone realize that they were only separated from the government troops by the Han River. If the government troops sent boats to pursue them, they would certainly not be able to escape.

"Let's go!" Wang Xianzhi gritted his teeth and nodded, then led his men in a staggering escape towards Huangzhou.

Less than half an hour after they left, more than ten ships carrying the Shatuo people arrived at the north bank of the Han River. After searching along the bank for half an hour, they quickly found traces of Wang Xianzhi and his men.

Li Guochang continued to lead his elite cavalry in pursuit, and by then the sky was gradually brightening.

"Drive! Drive! Drive..."

More than 3,000 cavalrymen searched along the official road toward Huangpo County, while Xiao Ye also ordered the Jingnan army to search along the side roads.

The banks of the Han River in that era were covered with shrubs and trees. Although Wang Xianzhi and his companions walked along a narrow path, stopping and starting frequently, they soon heard the sound of horses' hooves all around them.

Despair was evident on everyone's faces, and Wang Xianzhi, seeing this, turned pale and said, "I'm afraid I won't live past today."

"General!" Shang Junzhang couldn't help but say, "I will lead some men to lure them away. You, General, stay here and wait for an opportunity to break through!"

"No need..." Before Wang Xianzhi could finish speaking, Shang Junzhang led more than thirty people to break through the encirclement on the official road.

Upon seeing this, Shang Rang immediately followed suit, bowing and saying, "General, I will lead my men to break through to the east to draw the attention of the government troops. Please take care!"

Seeing that Shang Jun and his elder brother were about to lead the breakout, Bi Shiduo's eyes flickered, and then he said, "I will lead men to protect the commander."

"Alright!" Shang Rang agreed without hesitation, and then led more than thirty men to break through to the east, trying to attract the attention of the government troops.

After they left, only Bi Shiduo and a dozen or so of his trusted brothers remained by Wang Xianzhi's side.

Seeing that Shang had let them go far away, Bi Shiduo immediately said, "General, close your eyes and rest well so you will have the strength to break through the encirclement later."

"Hmm..." Wang Xianzhi lost her spirit and leaned against the tree trunk to rest.

Watching him fall asleep, Bi Shiduo looked at his dozen or so brothers and waited quietly for a while.

Before long, the sounds of fighting came from the official road to the north, and also from the east.

Wang Xianzhi opened his eyes and looked worriedly at the places where the sounds of fighting were coming from, but he did not see Bi Shiduo walking to his side, his hand on the dagger at his waist.

"General..."

"Ok?"

Bi Shiduo suddenly spoke, and Wang Xianzhi looked at him in confusion, only to see Bi Shiduo raise his knife and bring it down. Wang Xianzhi subconsciously covered her neck.

"you……"

"General, what are you doing?!"

As blood gushed from the wound, Wang Xianzhi was unable to utter a complete sentence, but his eyes were filled with anger and confusion.

Seeing this, the soldiers who were close to Bi Shiduo were at a loss and did not know what to do.

Upon seeing this, Bi Shiduo immediately shouted at the surrounding soldiers, "We can't break through now. The only way to save our lives is to exchange our heads for his. Do you all want to die?!"

"I, we..."

The dozen or so soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment. At this moment, Wang Xianzhi, who was lying on the ground, stopped convulsing. Her eyes were lifeless, and she could no longer let go of the hand that was holding her neck.

Upon seeing this, Bi Shiduo immediately squatted down and raised his knife to slash at his neck.

Seeing this, the surrounding soldiers couldn't bear it and turned their heads away.

After a long while, Bi Shiduo slowly got up, half of his body stained with blood, holding Wang Xianzhi's head in his hand, and beckoned the surrounding soldiers to walk outside.

They headed north along the official road, and after passing through bushes and woods, they encountered the Shatuo cavalry and a field of corpses.

Shang Junzhang, who had been speaking just moments before, was now beheaded, while the two generals in the Shatuo cavalry, dressed in magnificent armor, were undoubtedly high-ranking officers in the unit.

Upon seeing this, Bi Shiduo immediately raised Wang Xianzhi's head and said:

"Sir, Wang Xianzhi's head is here. I saw that he was resisting, so I killed him. Please, Sir, give me a way out!"

Bi Shiduo's words immediately made the Shatuo cavalrymen who had raised their bows and arrows relax, and the two noble generals gradually approached Bi Shiduo.

At this moment, Bi Shiduo and his companion were only wearing clothes, and apart from their daggers and swords, they had no other weapons. The two of them were not afraid.

What proof do you have?

Li Guochang rode up and questioned Bi Shiduo, who then took out the gold seal he had taken from Wang Xianzhi's corpse.

"Is this the thief's gold seal proof of his identity?"

This gold seal is only about an inch in size and weighs no more than two or three ounces. It is very small and unassuming, but it is also easy to carry.

The Shatuo cavalrymen stepped forward, took the golden seal and the head, and then turned to Li Guochang to present them.

Li Guochang took the gold seal and examined it. Sure enough, he saw the six characters "Seal of the General of Tianping" at the bottom of the seal.

“Father, if this kind of person can kill his own leader, he must be no good. Let’s kill him.”

Li Keyong spoke to Li Guochang in Shatuo language with a cold face. Li Guochang was about to nod when he heard this, but then he seemed to think of something and shook his head, saying, "Let's leave it to Minister Liu to deal with."

After speaking, Li Guochang looked at the other Shatuo cavalrymen and ordered, "Take them with you."

After saying that, he looked at Bi Shiduo and the others and said, "Whether you live or die depends on whether Envoy Liu will let you live."

"Thank you, General Xie!!" Bi Shiduo was overjoyed upon hearing this. He knew very well that as long as the general didn't kill him, he would most likely survive.

Because of his achievement in killing Wang Xianzhi, even if he couldn't get a high-ranking official position, he wouldn't be executed.

As he was overjoyed, the sounds of fighting suddenly intensified from the east.

"What's going on?" Li Keyong reacted the fastest, and his cavalrymen immediately galloped eastward upon seeing the situation.

Before long, the light cavalry returned and bowed to Li Guochang and his son, saying, "The bandits Huang have sent troops from Huangpo and are currently fighting our people. Their numbers are no less than ten thousand."

"Retreat first!" Li Guochang did not rely on his military strength to forcefully engage Huang Chao's rebel army, but instead chose to retreat.

Seeing this, the left and right Shatuo cavalrymen began to blow their wooden whistles, and at the same time handed over the few surviving warhorses on the battlefield to Bi Shiduo and others to ride, leading them to retreat to the south.

After the Shatuo cavalry withdrew, Shang Rang, standing on the eastern official road, knelt among the chaotic soldiers wearing red turbans and kowtowed to Huang Chao, who was dressed in bright armor:

"Please, Your Majesty, send troops to rescue my general!"

Faced with Shang Rang's kowtow, Huang Chao, dressed in bright armor, raised a slight smile: "King Huang, that's a good title."

"Brother, we now occupy four states and will soon march south to Jiangnan. You should be crowned king!"

Huang Kui was urging Huang Chao on, but Huang Chao still remembered Chen Ying's advice about the secrets of Longyou: "Build high walls, store up grain, and delay declaring yourself king."

Although he was very tempted, he suppressed the idea of ​​becoming king and said, "Even Commander Liu has not become king, so how could I be qualified to do so?"

He still used the banner of Longyou, and many of his men had joined him because of it, so he still had to put on a show.

“Go, follow this man to search for Wang Xianzhi’s whereabouts. If he can join me, I will have gained a great general.”

"Yes..." Huang Kui had no choice but to lead his men to follow Shang Rang into the jungle.

Not long after, a mournful wail came from the direction they had gone. Huang Chao led his men to follow, and soon found a headless corpse in the jungle.

"Is this Wang Xianzhi?"

Huang Chao frowned as he looked at the corpse, while Shang Rang held the corpse and wept uncontrollably.

Huang Chao had thought he could subdue Wang Xianzhi's troops, but now he had only managed to subdue a dozen or so people, which made him feel extremely unlucky.

However, Shang Rang had remained calm in the face of danger and even dared to ask him for help in the midst of the battle; he was indeed a remarkable person. Thinking of this, he stepped forward and bowed to Shang Rang, saying:
"Judging from the traces around us, it seems that Commander Wang was killed by villains. If you don't mind, Young Master Shang, why don't we retreat back to Huangpo together first, wait for news, and then seek an opportunity to take revenge?"

Upon hearing this, Shang Rang hastily wiped away his tears and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Thank you for taking me in, Your Majesty. Please allow me to bury my family here."

"How can this be?" Huang Chao didn't bother arguing with the dead, but generously said:
"Sanlang, transport Wang Jieshuai's body back to Huangpo County and have someone choose an auspicious burial site for him."

"Yes!" Although Huang Kui was curious about why his elder brother wanted to give Wang Xianzhi a grand funeral, he nodded and carried it out since it was his elder brother's request.

Soon, Wang Xianzhi's body was transported to Huangpo County, and Shang Rang and more than ten others naturally followed Huang Chao to Huangpo.

As they returned to Huangpo, Li Guochang also led his men back to Hanyang County by boat, bringing with him the good news that Wang Xianzhi had been beheaded.

Upon learning this, Liu Zhan immediately led his army south and arrived in Hanyang County in the afternoon, where he saw the preserved head of Wang Xianzhi and the golden seal representing his identity.

"Good good..."

Liu Zhan kept praising them, then looked at Li Guochang and his son Li Keyong: "Dexing, rest assured, I will definitely report your merits to the court."

After saying this, Liu Zhan looked at Xiao Ye and said, "Brother Qi, rest assured, I will not keep this credit to myself. It is the credit of Xuanwu, Shatuo, and Jingnan!"

"Very well, thank you for sharing the credit." Xiao Ye bowed in return, and Liu Zhan bowed in return as well.

"Minister..." Upon seeing this, Li Guochang immediately told Liu Zhan about Bi Shiduo's affair. Liu Zhan frowned upon hearing this, naturally looking down on Bi Shiduo, a traitor.

However, the bandits are not yet quelled. If we could take Bi Shiduo as an example and turn the people around Huang Chao against him, that would be a wonderful thing.

"This person should be temporarily detained until the imperial decree is issued, at which point he can be dealt with."

After Liu Zhan finished speaking, he said to Xiao Ye, "I will go and write a memorial now. Although Huang Zetian failed to rescue Wang Zetian today, it is enough to show that Huang Zetian has a lot of ambitions. Otherwise, he would not have sent troops to ask Wang Zetian for help."

"We need to send more people to gather intelligence on the Yellow bandits' military situation, Brother Qi."

"Of course, of course." Xiao Ye bowed in return, still hoping to return to Chang'an based on this achievement.

Although Liu Jilong on the western front caused a great deal of trouble, as long as the banditry in the Central Plains is quelled, the imperial court can still recover lost territory by making a full-scale westward advance.

As he was thinking this, Liu Zhan wrote a memorial in the main hall of the government office and soon sent it to Chang'an by fast horse.

When the news arrived in Chang'an, there were still three days until New Year's Eve, but Li Cui still happily convened a grand court assembly in the Xuanzheng Hall.

Thousands of officials in the capital gathered outside the Xuanzheng Hall and entered the court in order.

After everyone had taken their places, Li Cui walked up to the golden platform in Xuanzheng Hall, raised his hand as the crowd chanted salutations, and then saw the officials kneeling on the platform.

"In today's political affairs, Liu Zhan, the military governor of the four towns of Xuanwu and the co-prime minister, reported that his Shatuo army, led by Li Guochang and Li Keyong, with the help of the Jingnan army, had defeated Wang Xianzhi in Hanyang, killing more than 10,000 bandits."

“Li Guochang and his son pursued and killed Wang Xianzhi to Huangpo. Bi Shiduo, a general under Wang Xianzhi, killed Wang Xianzhi and presented his head to Li Guochang and his son.”

"When Huang led his army out of the city, they were defeated by Li Guochang and his son and retreated back to Huangpo."

Li Cui excitedly recounted the great victory of beheading Wang Xianzhi, which invigorated the assembled officials.

"Your Majesty, now that our army has quelled the rebellions of Pang Xun and Wang Xianzhi, it is time to quell Huang Chao as well!"

"Your Majesty, Huang Chao has occupied four prefectures, including Qizhou and Huangzhou, for nearly half a year. If we do not send troops to quell him soon, he will surely succeed."

“Your Majesty, the Yellow bandits should be quelled, but the troops led by Governor Kang have not yet entered Huainan Road, and the troops led by Governor Liu are exhausted and should rest. It is not too late to quell them after the two armies have joined forces.”

"His Majesty……"

For a time, the Xuanzheng Hall was filled with suggestions.

Seeing this scene, Li Cui was also very happy. After all, as long as he could deal with Huang Chao, he could concentrate all his efforts on dealing with Liu Jilong.

For the past two weeks, Sanchuan had been losing land continuously until five days ago when the reports of defeats finally stopped.

Now that Liu Jilong occupies 29 prefectures and 30 counties in the Three Rivers region, if the bandits in the Central Plains cannot be quelled as soon as possible and forces cannot be gathered to deal with Liu Jilong, then Guanzhong will sooner or later fall into a crisis. Li Cui has no choice but to be on guard and fearful.

Now things are much better. Of the three major bandits in the Central Plains, only Huang Chao remains. Once Kang Chengxun's army marches south, it will be about time to quell Huang Chao's rebellion.

“What you all say makes sense. I have decided to appoint Liu Zhan as the Commissioner of the Henan, Huainan, Shannan East Circuit, and Jiangnan West Circuit, as well as the Salt and Iron Transport Commissioner.”

"I hope that Chancellor Liu will not fail my expectations and will quell the rebellion as soon as possible."

"Furthermore, Xiao Ye, the military governor of Shannan East Circuit, has rendered meritorious service, which I will not forget. It will not be too late to reward him after the Huang bandits are pacified."

"As for Li Guochang and his son Li Keyong, they are loyal to the country. I intend to appoint Li Guochang as the military governor of Zhenwu Army. After the war in the Central Plains ends, he will go north to take up the post."

As soon as Li Cui finished speaking, the assembled officials bowed and shouted that he was wise and benevolent.

Seeing this, Li Cui seized the opportunity and said, "Gao Pian requests that Zhang Lin, the Left Military Commissioner, be appointed as the Military Governor of Dongchuan, Liang Zuan as the Inspector of Qianzhong Circuit, and Wang Chongren as the Military Governor of Shannan East Circuit. He also requests that the court allocate two million coins and silk to enter Shu through the Kuimen Pass in order to train 100,000 troops. What do you all think?"

Upon hearing this, the officials in the hall fell silent, seemingly pondering whether this move would cause Gao Pian to have too profound an influence on the various factions.

However, considering the situation Gao Pian was facing, which was being attacked from both sides, Prime Minister Xu Shang stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that Gao Qianli's petition is understandable and should be granted."

"Your Majesty," Lu Yan also stepped forward, not to be outdone, and said, "In the present court and among the people, only Gao Qianli can match the rebels in terms of firepower."

"If Gao Qianli can train 100,000 troops in the southwestern regions and kill them in equal numbers with the rebels, then the court will surely be able to easily reclaim the lost territories of Shuofang, Qinzhou, and Xingyuan Prefecture."

Faced with Xu Shang and Lu Yan's nonchalant words, Yu Cong, who was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Finance, said with a headache: "That's true, but where will the court get two million coins and silk?"

"The imperial court lost three rivers, two prefectures, and twenty-nine counties, resulting in a loss of two million in taxes. Although the banditry in Henan Province has been quelled, the counties and prefectures have been severely damaged and are simply unable to pay taxes."

"The accumulated tax arrears of the various towns are no less than three million. The imperial court can only rely on the taxes from Jiangnan now. However, the Huang bandits have placed ships on the Yangtze River in the Chizhou section, making it impossible for the taxes from Jiangnan West Circuit to be transported north across the Yangtze River."

"If we cannot quell the Yellow bandits before autumn next year, the military pay owed by the court next year will probably be no less than twelve million. How can we send two million coins and silk to Sichuan?"

Yu Cong raised the issue, but Xu Shang replied, "The taxes from Jiangnan West Circuit cannot be transported north along the Yangtze River. It would be better to transport them directly to Sanchuan and hand them over to Gao Pian."

"If all else fails, we can go north along the Han River and then transport the goods to Chang'an by land."

"Although there are many bandits and remnants along the way, as long as the court orders the suppression of bandits within the territory of Shannan East Circuit, the Xuanwu Army and the Shatuo Army are sufficient to protect the smooth flow of the Han River."

Yu Cong nodded upon hearing this: "That's the only way."

Seeing that the two had come up with a plan, Li Cui immediately nodded and said, "In that case, this matter will be handled by the two of you. As for the matter of the Guanzhong troops and the Kyrgyz cavalry jointly attacking Longyou next year, we will need to pay more attention to it, Prime Minister Lu."

Li Cui reminded Lu Yan, who quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I have already discussed the matter of sending troops with Prime Minister Zheng and the Kyrgyz Ambassador, but it is not convenient to disclose it at the moment."

"It's alright!" Li Cui didn't care when the troops would be dispatched; he only needed to know that the Kyrgyz wouldn't take the goods and then do nothing.

"Your Majesty," Xu Shang said, seeing that Li Cui intended to end the court session. "Cai Jing, the military governor of Lingxi (Nanning), reported that the border defenses are secure, but the garrison troops in Annam are wasting food and clothing and facing difficulties in supplying them. He requested that the troops be withdrawn and that they return to their respective posts."

"Dismiss the Annam garrison?" Li Cui frowned upon hearing this, and after thinking for a moment, asked, "How many Annam garrison soldiers are there, and how much money and food have they consumed?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shang explained, "In the past, when Annam invaded Lingxi, Wang Xianzhi rebelled. The court had no choice but to dismiss the old garrison troops from various regions and had to recruit 30,000 soldiers from Jingnan, Jiangxi and other places to go south to guard the border."

"Currently, there are 20,000 troops stationed in Lingxi and 30,000 troops in Annam, of which 10,000 are stationed in Lingxi and 20,000 in Annam."

"Supplies from Lingxi and Annam all need to be transshipped from Guangzhou in Lingdong, costing nearly 800,000 taels of silver and grain each year."

"I believe that since the Southern Barbarians have launched a surprise attack on our army in Lizhou, they must be unable to launch a surprise attack on Annam and Lingxi."

"Moreover, the Huang bandits are eyeing Jiangnan covetously. It would be helpful to withdraw some of the garrison troops back to Jiangxi to defend against them."

Seeing that Xu Shangdu said so, Li Cui immediately said, "It would be inappropriate to dismiss them all. How about this, we will have Lingxi and Annam plan the deployment of Jiangxi troops in their respective towns, and then withdraw the Jiangxi troops back to Jiangxi to guard against the invasion of the Yellow rebels."

"Your Majesty is wise." Xu Shang offered appropriate praise, and Li Cui, seeing this, also stood up and asked, "Do any of you gentlemen have other important matters to discuss?"

The ministers looked at each other, not that there were no issues, but these issues all concerned money and grain. Even if the emperor heard about them, he wouldn't do anything about them, so it was better not to say anything.

"In that case, let's adjourn the court."

As soon as Li Cui finished speaking, he turned and walked down the golden platform, with Tian Yun following closely behind.

Upon seeing this, the courtiers immediately bowed and chanted:
"Living for tens of millions of years..."

(End of this chapter)