Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 459 Life Hangs in the Balance (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)

"put!"

"Boom bang bang-"

In mid-September, while the people of Guanzhong were celebrating the harvest, Liu Jilong was busy making arrangements for Tibet.

With Huang Chao's relentless attack on Gaoyou, Kang Chengxun, whose pressure had eased considerably, began to actively divide his forces to attack Anfeng. Wang Duo did not disappoint Kang Chengxun and quickly captured Anfeng, which was defended by only 5,000 men.

After Anfeng was captured, Kang Chengxun left 30,000 troops to continue besieging Ge Congzhou in Shouchun City, while sending troops to try to penetrate into Luzhou and collect compound fertilizer.

Urgent reports from the rear arrived one after another, forcing Huang Chao, who was originally determined to capture Zhu Wen, to retreat to the west bank of the Grand Canal after a two-week offensive.

Fortunately, Zhu Wen had already suffered heavy losses and could not threaten Jiangdu in the short term. So after leaving Huang Ye and Zhang Guihou to guard Jiangdu, he immediately led 20,000 troops back to reinforce Luzhou.

"Damn it, if Huang Erlang doesn't leave soon, I'll really be in dire straits!"

The city of Gaoyou was devastated after the war. Even Zhu Wen, the commander-in-chief, was covered in bandages, let alone the others.

He sat in the yamen and looked at Xie Tong with resentment: "The court promised to send troops to reinforce us, but I have been holding out in Gaoyou for more than half a month and I haven't even seen a trace of reinforcements."

"Damn it, this dog-like court is so slow in doing things, no wonder Huang Erlang was able to enter Luoyang."

Xie Tong did not refute Zhu Wen's words, because he knew Zhu Wen needed to vent, so he went along with Zhu Wen's words:
"At present, our army has suffered heavy casualties. Of the 12,000 soldiers, only 4,000 new recruits stationed in Hailing and Baoying have survived, and the old soldiers are less than 3,200."

"If the Yellow bandits continue their siege, Gaoyou City will fall in at most half a month."

"Fortunately, fate is on your side, my lord. Although our army has suffered heavy losses, our more than half a month of holding out has not been entirely fruitless."

"Your Excellency single-handedly held back tens of thousands of Huang Chao's troops. This achievement is certainly worthy of a decent official position."

After Xie Tong finished speaking, he immediately continued, "In addition, during the period when our army defended the city, we captured more than 4,400 sets of enemy armor. If we include the armor left by our fallen soldiers, after some repairs, we will have nearly 8,000 sets of armor available for use."

"Your Excellency can use the excuse of too many casualties among your troops to expand your army and raise 20,000 soldiers."

"Twenty thousand?" Zhu Wen's face showed a thoughtful expression, and then he said, "I only have more than seven thousand soldiers under my command, of which no more than eight-tenths are armored."

"According to your suggestion, I can recruit another 12,000 soldiers to make up the total of 20,000. However, there are only 8,000 sets of armor, which would only be 70% of the 20,000 soldiers. It would be better to organize 13,000 soldiers and fully armor them."

Seeing Zhu Wen say this, Xie Tong chuckled softly, "What you say is true, but our army has put in so much effort, how could the court stand idly by?"

"I will personally go to the court tomorrow to request a petition, and I am sure I can secure a favorable outcome for you, sir."

"Alright!" Upon hearing that Xie Tong was willing to make the trip to Luoyang himself, Zhu Wen readily agreed, and a sense of anticipation rose in his heart.

But this expectation didn't last long before Zhu Wen thought of Huang Chao's current predicament and couldn't help but ask:

"While I was in Gaoyou, I slaughtered at least 10,000 of Huang Erlang's soldiers. I wouldn't say that his strength was greatly diminished, but at least he suffered considerable losses."

"With Huang Erlang suffering so many casualties, and the imperial court continuing its southward advance, will he be unable to withstand the imperial court and perish in Huainan?"

Zhu Wen asked this question not because he was concerned about Huang Chao's life or death, but because he was worried that if Huang Chao died, the court would no longer rely on him.

The reason he was able to obtain so much money and grain was that he controlled the Yangzhou section of the Grand Canal, allowing him to reap the benefits of extracting money and grain from the resources of Jiangnan.

If Huang Chao were defeated and killed, the court would certainly not allow him to stay in Yangzhou any longer, and he would definitely be transferred elsewhere.

Without Yangzhou, he would no longer enjoy such a life of abundance.

In response to Zhu Wen's concerns, Xie Tong laughed heartily: "Rest assured, my lord, although the Yellow Bandit has been injured, his strength remains."

"If it were only Kang Chengxun's troops, it would probably not be so easy to wipe out the Huang bandits."

"What I am most worried about now is Gao Pian, who is holding back his troops."

“Gao Pian?” Zhu Wen pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, “Although I have never fought against him, judging from the defeats of Huang Kui and Shang Rang in Lingnan and Hunan, Gao Pian’s troops must be elite.”

"If Gao Pian is so elite, how can Liu Jilong, who has repeatedly defeated Gao Pian, be unstoppable?"

Zhu Wen's words won Xie Tong's praise: "What you say is right, my lord. In the current situation, Liu Jilong is indeed powerful."

"Moreover, the most important thing is that Liu Jilong was able to control his temper and actually used the drought to reconcile with the court and clear his name of suspicion as a criminal."

"However, to contend for supremacy in the world, one must not only look at one aspect, but also understand the whole picture."

"If you, my lord, only had ten thousand soldiers and a single prefecture, I would naturally advise you to submit to the likes of Liu Jilong and Gao Pian."

"But now that you have made great contributions, if I go to Luoyang and handle things properly, I may be able to get some benefits for you."

"If you, my lord, possess several prefectures and tens of thousands of troops, you can at least establish a regional power."

"Now Gao Pian is old and frail, and Liu Jilong, though in his prime, is not as young as you, sir."

"If you, my lord, can be patient, you might just achieve great things..."

Xie Tong originally didn't think Zhu Wen could achieve great things, but Zhu Wen's performance in the past few months has been truly remarkable.

In particular, the fact that Zhu Wen managed to withstand repeated attacks from tens of thousands of Huang Chao's troops by relying on the small city of Gaoyou gave Xie Tong even more confidence in him.

Suddenly, he felt that this so-called great undertaking was not so untouchable after all.

"With your words, sir, I feel even more confident!"

Zhu Wen was overjoyed to hear Xie Tong compare him to Gao Pian and Liu Jilong.

Seeing that he was relieved, Xie Tong immediately bowed and said, "My lord, I am going to Luoyang tomorrow and I need to bring enough gold and silver to help you."

"If you need anything, please take it!" Zhu Wen waved his hand and readily agreed.

He knew very well that the imperial court would not allow him to occupy Yangzhou for long. Exchanging Yangzhou for a better location would not be a bad idea.

"In that case, I shall take my leave..."

Seeing Zhu Wen's straightforwardness, Xie Tong couldn't help but feel that he hadn't followed the wrong person. After bowing, he left the yamen.

The following day, Xie Tong led 500 soldiers and 1,000 laborers northward on a boat outside Gaoyou City.

The main reason he dared to make such a big show of it was because Huang Chao had been delayed in Gaoyou for too long. Kang Chengxun, Zeng Yuanyu, and Wang Duo were advancing together. Now, apart from the Jiangdu and Yangtze River sections of the canal which were still in Huang Chao's hands, the rest of the canal was in the hands of the imperial court.

This is why Xie Tong's journey north was unimpeded, while Kang Chengxun, Wang Duo, and Zeng Yuanyu continued their fierce southward advance.

Shenzhou and Guangzhou were recovered, leaving Huang Chao with only Luzhou, Shuzhou, Chuzhou, Hezhou, half of Yangzhou, and Shouchun City, which was isolated within the Tang army's encirclement.

On September 18, Huang Chao led his army back to Hefei in Luzhou, defeating Wang Duo's vanguard. More than 3,000 government troops were killed in battle, and Wang Duo withdrew to Anfeng.

Seeing that Huang Chao was difficult to deal with, Wang Duo, who had retreated to Anfeng, discussed with Kang Chengxun the possibility of transferring Li Keyong south to Anfeng.

With the arrival of Li Keyong and his 3,000 elite cavalry from the north, Wang Duo regained his confidence and launched a second attack on Hefei.

With Li Keyong leading the way, Wang Duo's 8,000 infantrymen and 20,000 laborers encountered no problems and advanced directly to the walls of Hefei.

Meng Kai, who stayed in Hefei, had already taken advantage of Ge Congzhou's delay in holding off Kang Chengxun to harvest all the autumn grain in Luzhou.

Not only that, he also stocked up on enough firewood and haystacks in Hefei.

After Huang Chao ordered the expansion of Hefei City, the city wall was eight li in circumference and two zhang high. The foundation of the wall was made of stone blocks, each block being more than six chi high.

On the six-foot-high foundation, although it was still a rammed earth wall, the wall was four zhang thick and three zhang high, enough to allow five horse-drawn carriages to travel at the same time, let alone allow soldiers and horses to gallop.

“Hefei is not easy to take. The Yellow bandits have harvested the autumn grain, and most of the people in the city are soldiers’ families. The soldiers will surely be determined to defend it to the death.”

"A rash attack on Hefei will inevitably result in heavy losses; only by encircling it can we reduce casualties."

Outside Hefei, Wang Duo discussed with Li Keyong how to attack the city from horseback, but he also knew that Li Keyong's troops were all cavalry, and it was impossible to get them to take the initiative in attacking the city.

He discussed with Li Keyong mainly to help Li Keyong guard against a surprise attack by the Yellow bandits, since the patrol cavalry had a wider range of sentries than the foot patrol cavalry, and their ability to transmit messages was also faster.

"Rest assured, my lord, with my elite cavalry here, the enemy will not dare to engage in open battle!" Li Keyong said confidently.

His three thousand elite cavalrymen from Daibei were, if not absolutely invincible, in the Huainan region, but at least they wouldn't make any basic mistakes.

The task was simply to keep watch for Wang Duo's main force and wait for Kang Chengxun to march south; this was not a difficult problem.

"Good!" Seeing his confidence, Wang Duo stroked his beard and looked around, his gaze falling on a small mountain a few miles away. Then he asked the soldiers behind him, "What's the name of that mountain? Is there any water there?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, this mountain is Mount Da Shu. There is a water source on the mountain, and the foot of the mountain is no longer short of water."

Wang Duo was very satisfied with the answer from the left and right military commanders, so he pointed to Mount Da Shu and said, "In that case, let's set up camp here."

"Yes!" The soldiers on both sides bowed and then began to arrange for laborers to set up camp for the three armies.

Meanwhile, their actions were observed by Meng Kai, who was stationed in Hefei. Seeing them calmly setting up camp, Meng Kai immediately sneered:
"You son of a bitch, do you really think His Majesty is afraid of your three thousand barbarian bastards?"

Meng Kai looked to his side and gestured to one of the generals, saying, "Send someone to send a message through the tunnel."

"Your subordinate obeys!" The general replied, and then sent someone to the underground tunnel in Hefei city. After traveling two miles east of the city through the tunnel, they led their horses to gallop eastward in a desolate village.

The horse galloped for no more than two hours, and soon mountain peaks appeared in the southeast direction.

Fucha Mountain is one of the spurs of the Dabie Mountains. It runs from northeast to southwest, is more than 50 miles long, and is only 50 miles away from Hefei.

As he swiftly entered the Fucha Mountain area, he quickly traveled south and encountered many Tang cavalry and soldiers.

Under the inspection of the cavalry and soldiers, he was led to the hills to the south, where he saw the Qi army camp stretching for miles.

Before long, he was led to the command tent, where Huang Chao, Zhao Zhang, Li Hanzhi and others were sitting.

How many troops did the Tang army send?

Huang Chao got straight to the point. The messenger on horseback presented Meng Kai's handwritten letter, which was then forwarded to Huang Chao by Li Hanzhi.

Upon learning that Wang Duo had led more than 30,000 men south and that Li Keyong was clearing the way, he immediately guessed that Wang Duo's army was small.

"Of the more than 30,000 people, I'm afraid more than 20,000 of them were laborers?"

Huang Chao spoke with certainty, after all, when Kang Chengxun attacked Shouzhou, he ordered Meng Kai to seize the grain and drive the people of Shouzhou and Luzhou to the south to Chaoxian and Lujiang.

Now, in the hundred-mile stretch north of Hefei, there are hardly any able-bodied men left for the Tang army to capture and serve as laborers.

Therefore, the Tang army could only forcibly conscript laborers from Yingzhou and Guangzhou. As the army marched further south, the number of laborers needed increased. Thus, of the so-called 30,000 Tang soldiers, probably less than 10,000 were actually combat-ready.

Regarding this point, both Zhao Zhang and Li Hanzhi had considered it after Huang Chao's reminder, so Zhao Zhang spoke first:

"Your Majesty, we have 10,000 troops in Hefei and another 15,000 here. Why not take this opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the Tang army and defeat them decisively?"

"No!" Huang Chao rejected the suggestion without hesitation, and explained:
"Although the Tang army is not large in number, their elite cavalry is not easy to deal with, as you should all know."

"Our army has sufficient food and supplies at the moment, so there is no need to rush to attack the Tang army."

"Let them continue to besiege Hefei. When they relax their guard, lure the elite cavalry of the Tang army to another location, and then launch a surprise attack on this Tang army."

Although his forces outnumbered the enemy by two to one, Huang Chao had experienced the thrill of a cavalry charge before.

Zeng Yuanyu once led only a few hundred elite cavalrymen and calmly covered the retreat of Kang Chengxun's tens of thousands of troops. Now, Wang Duo has several thousand elite cavalrymen, and this is the same force that defeated Wang Xianzhi. They are not easy to deal with.

"But how do we attract this elite cavalry?"

When Li Hanzhi posed the question, Huang Chao looked directly at him and said, "Li Lang, if I give you five thousand soldiers, do you dare to take a detour and attack Kang Chengxun?"

Upon hearing this, Li Hanzhi was stunned. After all, Kang Chengxun had at least 30,000 troops, while Ge Congzhou in Shouchun City had at most 7,000 or 8,000 men.

Given this situation, he naturally felt somewhat hesitant to lead 5,000 troops to attack Kang Chengxun.

Huang Chao was not surprised by this, and continued, "I will transfer another 5,000 troops from Chuzhou and Hezhou. As long as you lead these 10,000 men and attack Kang Chengxun under my banner, you will cause chaos in Kang Chengxun's camp, and Wang Duo's elite cavalry will be drawn to them."

"As long as Wang Duo's elite cavalry is drawn away, you must immediately detour and retreat to Chuzhou. No matter how many casualties you suffer, it will be a great achievement for you!"

Li Hanzhi, who was initially somewhat hesitant, immediately regained his courage when he heard that Huang Chao only asked for this much.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this humble general will not fail in his mission!"

He bowed and saluted. Upon seeing this, Huang Chao issued a fish-shaped tally and looked at Zhao Zhang: "Transfer five thousand troops from Chuzhou and Hezhou to Dingyuan, and they will be under the command of Li Lang!"

"Your subject obeys the decree..."

Zhao Zhang agreed without hesitation, and Huang Chao, seeing this, also composed himself and waved for the two to leave.

Shortly after the two men withdrew, Li Hanzhi mustered 5,000 infantrymen and prepared to detour to Dingyuan. After taking command of the 5,000 troops in Dingyuan, he would launch a surprise attack on Kang Chengxun's forces along the Yellow River.

Meanwhile, Wang Duo's troops, who were camped in Da Shu Mountain, gradually became somewhat lax after initially being extremely vigilant.

Huang Chao's banners were flying inside Hefei, but they dared not venture out of the city to fight in the open.

Their performance prompted Wang Duo, who was observing from the top of Mount Dashu, to chuckle softly, "The Yellow bandits are so cowardly. It seems that their previous achievements were merely due to taking advantage of the Central Plains' weakness."

Standing behind him, Li Keyong listened to what he said and vaguely felt that something was wrong, but he didn't know where to begin.

When Wang Duo turned around, he saw that Li Langjun looked thoughtful and couldn't help but reassure him, "Young Master Li, there's no need to worry so much. I have already received news that Gao Qianli has led his army out of Qizhou to attack Shuzhou."

"With Gao Qianli's elite troops, they can reach Hefei within a month at the latest."

"When our two armies join forces, we can easily take Hefei City."

Wang Duo laughed heartily. At this moment, an official of about forty years old walked over and bowed respectfully to Wang Duo, saying:
"My lord, news has come from Taiyuan that your wife, having heard of your unsuccessful attack on Hefei, has come south to find you."

Wang Duo's smile vanished abruptly, and he said awkwardly, "The previous defeat was because Li Lang was not here. Now that Li Lang is right beside me, even if Huang Chao were to attack with his entire army, what would I have to fear?"

"Send a fast horse to Taiyuan and tell the lady that there is no need to go south."

Upon hearing this, the official shook his head helplessly and said with a wry smile, "The lady has already arrived in Zhengzhou, which is only about 700 li from here. She will arrive in at most half a month."

Hearing that his wife had traveled south so quickly, Wang Duo knew he couldn't persuade her to return. He could only joke to himself, "The rebels are in the south, and my wife is coming from the north. She'll arrive in no time. I don't know what to do..."

Seeing Wang Duo's self-deprecating humor, Li Keyong, true to his carefree nature, jokingly suggested, "Why not surrender to Huang Chao?"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Wang Duo and the officials burst into laughter upon hearing this, and Li Keyong also laughed heartily, clearly finding the joke quite amusing.

The laughter of the two did not last long, for suddenly a fast horse came galloping from the north, rushing towards the camp on the top of Mount Da Shu.

Before long, the fast horse arrived in front of the tent. The rider dismounted and bowed, saying, "My lord, the bandits Huang have troops attacking Hefei from Chuzhou. I request that you dispatch the cavalry from Daibei to repel this bandit reinforcement!"

"The bandits even have reinforcements?" Wang Duo was surprised, but he didn't dwell on it and instead looked at Li Keyong:
"Li Lang, you are hereby ordered to lead your elite cavalry to the official road to Chuzhou. If there are too many bandits, you may retreat temporarily. If there are few and weak bandits, you must still be careful."

"This subordinate obeys!" Li Keyong accepted the order without hesitation, but being cautious, he couldn't help but ask:

"My lord, if I lead my troops towards Chuzhou, and the Huang bandits come out of the city to attack, what should I do?"

"Haha..." Wang Duo stroked his beard and chuckled, full of confidence: "If the Huang bandits launch a full-scale attack, I will naturally defend the mountain to the death, and I do not expect the Huang bandits to be able to break through my camp."

"So good..."

Li Keyong took a breath. Although he did not follow the Confucian relationship between ruler and subject, father and son, he had his own principles.

He knows who treats him well.

Wang Duo had previously supported him and his son in Hedong, which enabled them to gradually become powerful. This kindness should naturally be repaid.

If it weren't for this favor, Li Keyong wouldn't have insisted on following Wang Duo and paving the way for him.

Seeing that Wang Duo had his own ideas, Li Keyong didn't say anything more. He simply took the fish tally from Wang Duo and went to his headquarters to begin mobilizing troops to Chuzhou.

However, not long after Li Keyong led his cavalry out of the camp, Meng Kai in Hefei City sent the news to Fucuo Mountain.

Upon receiving the news, Huang Chao began to muster his troops and, taking advantage of the early hour, immediately headed towards Hefei City.

As the sky gradually began to set in the west, and the sun finally disappeared completely, Meng Kai, who had been waiting anxiously in Hefei for a long time, finally met the officers and soldiers sent by Huang Chao.

"how?!"

Upon seeing the unfamiliar colonel enter the yamen, Meng Kai couldn't sit still any longer and stood up to question him about military orders.

Upon seeing this, the colonel presented the military dispatch and simultaneously issued a verbal order: "His Majesty's decree is that the military commander shall begin preparations at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM). If any fires are seen in the direction of Mount Da Shu, immediately lead the troops out of the city to join His Majesty in attacking the Tang army at Mount Da Shu!"

"Alright!" Meng Kai readily agreed, then instructed his men, "Take this brother to the Yin Hotel to rest, and make sure he has plenty of women, food, and drink!"

"Yes……"

Those around him readily agreed, and then arranged for the officer to be assigned to the post.

Meanwhile, Huang Chao led his army westward, detouring thirty miles around Chaohu Lake before resting more than twenty miles south of Dashu Mountain.

He ordered the army not to light fires to cook, but only to eat flatbread and cold water.

With Li Keyong gone, Wang Duo now only had 7,000 infantry and 20,000 laborers, which was far from enough to keep watch for over 20 li, so he did not discover them.

Huang Chao ordered his army to rest until 1 a.m., when he woke them up and they quickly headed north.

The army marched more than ten miles north without being detected by the Tang soldiers stationed there, until they saw flames in the distance.
As darkness fell, even though the Tenpyo Loyal Army usually had no shortage of rice and meat, many still fell behind.

After an hour of forced march, only about 8,000 men followed Huang Chao to the south of Mount Dashu. At this time, the Tang soldiers hidden on both sides of the official road also discovered them.

"Beep--"

Suddenly, the sound of whistling arrows echoed through the dark night sky, carrying for about a mile. "Damn you, Wang Duo! Order the army to kill anyone they see!"

Upon hearing the whistle of the arrows, Huang Chao knew that his forces had been exposed and immediately ordered his army to begin attacking Mount Dashu.

At this time, they were still several miles away from Mount Dashu, and the Tang army camp on Mount Dashu began to ring its bells.

"Enemy attack!!"

"Get up and put on your armor! Enemy attack!!"

The bell rang, and the soldiers on night watch herded all the soldiers who were trying to rush out of their tents back into their tents, making them put on their armor and prepare for battle, thus preventing a mutiny.

"My lord, the Yellow bandits have launched a surprise attack from the south!"

Two staff members lifted Wang Duo's tent flap, only to find him putting on his boots.

How many soldiers does the Yellow Bandit have?

As he put on his boots, he asked the two men questions, but they couldn't explain it clearly.

"It's too dark for our soldiers to see clearly."

"Asshole..."

Wang Duo hurriedly put on his boots, then led his men out of the tent.

Inside the tent, the thousand-plus soldiers on night watch were maintaining order to prevent the laborers and soldiers from rioting.

Seeing that there was no unrest on his side, Wang Duo's tense mood eased, and he hurriedly gave the order:
"Close the camp gates! Soldiers in full armor, assemble at the camp gates!"

"Yes……"

The two agreed and hurriedly dispatched flag bearers to deliver the message, but the soldiers were too slow in putting on their armor, and Huang Chao had already led his army to appear outside the camp.

"Prepare the torches and fire the arrows!"

Huang Chao led his army to surround the Da Shu Mountain, which protrudes from the plain, and ordered his troops to light torches in preparation for a fire attack on the Da Shu Mountain with rockets.

Dashu Mountain is located ten miles west of Hefei and is a small mountain that rises from the plain.

The reason Huang Chao did not set up camps and garrisons here to form a pincer movement was so that Wang Duo could set up camp here and then take advantage of the autumn weather to launch a fire attack on Da Shu Mountain.

As night fell, torches were lit one by one, completely surrounding the Tang army camp on Mount Dashu.

More than two thousand infantrymen took out their bows and arrows, lit the fire arrows, and suddenly shot them out.

In an instant, countless rockets rained down like fire, piercing through countless tents. The burning resin on the cotton ignited the tents, and the entire camp was engulfed in flames.

"Quickly! Have the laborers put out the fire immediately, and have the soldiers fire arrows!"

Upon seeing the fire at the foot of the mountain, Wang Duo immediately urged his troops to fight back.

The more than 7,000 Tang soldiers, already in armor, immediately retaliated with arrows. Meanwhile, Zhi Mo, the general of Hedong who had just seen how many Qi soldiers were outside the camp, also hurriedly rode his horse up the mountain.

When he saw Wang Duo overlooking the battlefield, he quickly bowed and urged him:

"My lord, the enemy forces outside the camp number only seven or eight thousand, which is about the same as our army. We should break through the encirclement and head north now."

"If we wait for the rebel army inside Hefei to react, our army will surely be surrounded!"

Zhi Mo had thought his suggestion would be adopted, but Wang Duo shook his head and rejected it, saying, "No!"

"Our army relies on the Dashu Mountain and has a water source, so even if a fire breaks out, it is just a matter of putting it out."

"The soldiers from the northern camp have not returned; they must have broken out to the north to send a message."

"As long as Lord Li and Lord Kang learn that our army is surrounded, they will surely come south to rescue us. Our army only needs to hold our ground!"

Wang Duo's idea was good, but the problem was that he had to hold the camp.

As a military commander in Hedong, Zhi Mo naturally knew the internal situation of the Hedong army.

It can be said that the troops in Hedong had not fought a war for more than ten years and were simply not up to the task. Otherwise, they would not have been intimidated by the few thousand men led by Zhang Huaiding and Li Keyong, which led to the complete killing of the Taiyuan generals.

They might be able to fight when things are going well, but in the current situation, they simply can't win.

"kill!!"
Suddenly, a fiery dragon appeared in the direction of Hefei under the cover of night. It was formed by countless Qi soldiers carrying torches to attack.

Upon seeing the Qi army join the occupation of Hefei, Zhi Mo's expression changed drastically, and he closed his eyes in despair.

"Collide!!"

As Zhi Mo had predicted, when Meng Kai, carrying siege equipment, joined the occupation, the Qi army inside Hefei quickly laid out trench bridges, pushed battering rams, and crossed the trenches painstakingly dug by the Tang army.

The heavy battering ram slammed into the camp fence, and one corner of the fence immediately loosened.

"boom--"

After only a few impacts, the palisade, which was about a foot deep in the ground, was knocked down, and large numbers of Qi soldiers began to step on the palisade and rush into the camp.

"Beep beep!!"

The wooden whistle blew, and the officers and soldiers of Hedong in the camp tried their best to command their troops to guard the gap in the camp fence, but the Qi army kept pouring in like a tide.

Compared to the Hedong Army, which had not experienced war for more than a decade, Huang Chao's Tianping Loyal and Filial Army and Loyal and Righteous Army performed admirably.

They leaped down high, then formed small groups to defend themselves and help their comrades outside the camp enter.

The two sides clashed with their spears. The soldiers of the Hedong Army had very poor stamina. After only a few exchanges of bayonet thrusts, they were soon panting and had to be replaced.

Qi Jun seized the opportunity of their relocation and launched repeated attacks, causing the Hedong army to continuously retreat.

Standing atop Mount Dashu, Wang Duo and his companions had a clear view of the surroundings.

At this time, the Tang army camp was in a state of chaos, with countless palisades being knocked down and countless Qi soldiers pouring in.

The Hedong army was unable to hold their camp and could only retreat again and again, leading the laborers from the camp at the foot of the mountain toward Dashu Mountain.

Wang Duo's face turned pale; he hadn't expected the Hedong army to be so useless.

The original plan to hold out for several days has now become a complete joke.

"My lord! While our army still has strength, let's break through to the north!!"

Zhi Mo urged Wang Duo on, and Wang Duo trembled upon hearing this: "If I order a breakout, how many of these thousands of soldiers will survive..."

"We can't worry about that now, my lord!"

Zhi Mo was furious and almost went mad; he didn't want to lose his life here.

"I..."

Wang Duo wanted to ask more questions, but Zhi Mo, seeing this, simply grabbed his wrist and dragged him toward the nearby stables.

"Order the entire army to break out to the north!!"

Zhi Mo forcibly pushed Wang Duo onto the horse, and then led his left and right troops to break through to the north.

At the same time, the Hedong army, having received orders, launched a fierce attack to the north, but they were unable to break through the Qi army's encirclement.

"Your Majesty is brilliant! You've caught a turtle in a jar!"

Meng Kai rode up to Huang Chao's side and offered flattery at the opportune moment, which Huang Chao accepted, saying:
"Seven thousand soldiers have been lost. I want to see if the Tang Emperor will feel any pain!"

"kill--"

While Huang Chao calmly watched as the Hedong army was annihilated by his own forces, Zhi Mo was also covering Wang Duo's breakout.

The Qi army was so numerous that it seemed boundless. No matter how they tried to break through, they would be driven back by the Qi army's spears.

Half an hour passed quickly, and the number of Hedong troops dwindled. The Qi army also suffered many casualties, but overall, the Hedong army suffered more casualties.

Zhi Mo was already filled with despair, and Wang Duo had already placed his hand on the sword at his waist, ready to commit suicide for his country at any moment.

As dawn broke, the Hedong army was completely pushed to the top of Mount Dashu by the Qi army.

More than 20,000 laborers were slaughtered or captured, while only more than 4,000 Hedong soldiers remained on the mountaintop, surrounded by the Qi army below.

As the Qi army continued to surge up Mount Dashu, soldiers from the Hedong army, which had suffered more than half casualties, began to surrender.

"I surrender!"

"No surrender! Those who surrender will die!!"

The soldiers from Hedong began to surrender. Upon seeing this, the deputy commander, who was supervising the battle, immediately took up his longsword to kill the surrendered soldiers. However, these surrendered soldiers were weak in the face of the Qi army, but became brave in the face of the deputy commander.

Seven or eight people surrounded and attacked the deputy team leader, quickly killing him on the spot with a hammer.

Seeing this, the surrounding troops laid down their weapons and began to surrender. When news of his soldiers' surrender reached them, Zhi Mo looked at Wang Duo in despair.

When Wang Duo saw him looking at him, his nose tingled with emotion, and he couldn't help but think of his wife who was traveling south.

"I regret not listening to you..."

Knowing he couldn't escape, Wang Duo immediately drew his sword and looked at Zhi Mo, saying:
"Our Wang family has been officials for generations; how can we allow ourselves to be humiliated by the enemy army?"

"Give my head to the general to protect the army!"

Before Zhi Mo could react, Wang Duo pointed his longsword at himself and plunged it into his chest.

Zhi Mo stared wide-eyed, unable to believe that a scholar like Wang Duo could have the courage to commit suicide.

The longsword pierced his heart, and Wang Duo convulsed in pain. His legs gave way and he sat down on the ground, reaching out to grab Zhi Mo, but he fell limply in mid-air.

Zhi Mo looked at Wang Duo's lifeless body, opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

After a long pause, he looked to his left and right and ordered: "Order the three armies... to surrender!"

After Zhi Mo gave the order, the more than four thousand Hedong soldiers who had long been wavering immediately laid down their weapons and surrendered to Huang Chao.

Huang Chao sent Meng Kai to subdue them, and finally rode his horse to Mount Da Shu, where he saw Wang Duo committing suicide.

Facing Zhi Mo, who was standing with his head bowed beside him, Huang Chao nodded and said, "I know this Wang Duo. He is a good official, but he is a bit pedantic."

"He committed suicide for your sake, so you should find timber in this Great Shu Mountain yourselves and give him a proper burial!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty..." Zhi Mo bowed in shame, and then saw Huang Chao shake his head and leave the tent.

Meanwhile, the Tang soldiers who had been lying in wait on the outskirts saw the Qi army capture Dashu Mountain and immediately began to retreat northward.

Three days later, when Li Keyong led his army to defeat the more than 10,000 Qi troops led by Li Hanzhi, and after pursuing them for more than ten days, he withdrew back to Shouchun. Only then did he learn of Wang Duo's defeat.

"The yellow thief, the dog and the rat..."

Inside the military camp outside Shouchun City, after hearing Kang Chengxun personally confirm that Wang Duo had been defeated and his fate was unknown, Li Keyong immediately remembered Wang Duo's support for him and his son.

Thinking of this, he bowed without hesitation and looked up at Kang Chengxun with resentment.

"Lord Kang, I am willing to be the vanguard and march straight to Hefei!"

Seeing Li Keyong's angry expression, Kang Chengxun quickly got up, went to Li Keyong, helped him up, and said:

“I understand your eagerness, but the Huang bandits have defeated our army twice, leaving us with only 30,000 troops. Furthermore, we have not yet captured Shouchun. We must not continue to advance rashly.”

"I will report the situation here to the Emperor and await the Emperor's decree."

"Rest assured, Li Lang, no matter what happens to Magistrate Wang, I will not allow the bandits to humiliate him!"

Kang Chengxun said a lot, but he didn't say anything that Li Keyong wanted to hear.

Ignoring Kang Chengxun's expression, he angrily got up and walked outside.

Seeing this, Kang Junli and Gai Yu, who were standing behind him, thought to themselves that things were going badly and quickly stepped forward to bow to Kang Chengxun in an attempt to make amends for Li Keyong.

"Please don't be offended, my lord. The young master is just eager for revenge."

"Rest assured, my lord, as long as you issue the military order, my lord will certainly clear the way for the vanguard!"

The two reacted quickly, which calmed Kang Chengxun, whose face had been grim. After all, he knew he needed to rely on Li Keyong, so he didn't break off relations and instead forced a smile.

"Please rest assured, both of you. I understand Mr. Li's feelings. Please comfort him."

"We two accept the order..."

Seeing that Kang Chengxun was not angry, the two breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged a few polite words with him, and then hurriedly left.

As they departed, the fast horses dispatched by Kang Chengxun galloped towards Luoyang.

Within three days, a fast horse arrived at the Southern Office with a memorial and military documents. Upon receiving the news, Liu Zhan and his two companions at the Southern Office did not dare to delay and hurriedly went to the Zhenguan Hall.

Li Cui remained seated on the couch, separated from the three by a screen.

"What happened...?"

Seeing the uncertain expressions on the three people's faces, Li Cui guessed that something bad had happened.

Upon seeing this, Liu Zhan wanted to submit a memorial, but Lu Yan submitted one first: "Your Majesty, the war in Huainan is going badly. Please take care of your health."

Lu Yan knew that Li Cui was in poor health and had been ill for more than half a year, so he was worried that Li Cui might faint due to emotional excitement and reminded him in advance.

His reminder immediately alerted Li Cui, who quickly rose from the couch, adjusted his position, and sat upright before asking, "I am still in good health. What has happened in Huainan?"

Li Cui made a guarantee, but Lu Yan was still somewhat hesitant.

Seeing this, Liu Zhan couldn't help but feel anxious, so he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Wang Duo was defeated at Hefei, and his fate is unknown. Our army has lost seven thousand soldiers, some killed and others captured..."

In an instant, Li Cui, standing behind the screen, froze and subconsciously asked, "What?"

“Your Majesty…” Liu Zhan repeated himself, while Lu Yan and Xiao Gou looked nervously at the blurry figure behind the screen.

“Several thousand had already perished in battle, and now another seven thousand have died…”

Li Cui tried his best to suppress his temper, took a deep breath and said, "How many troops does the imperial court still have in Huainan?"

"Your Majesty," Lu Yan quickly reassured Li Cui, seeing his agitation.
“Kang Shijun’s troops still number over 30,000, and there are also over 3,000 elite cavalrymen from Daibei who are unharmed.”

"Zeng Yuanyu has more than 10,000 soldiers, and Zhu Quanzhong of Chuzhou still has several thousand soldiers."

"In addition, Gao Qianli of Qizhou has already dispatched troops to attack Shuzhou, and there are still more than 20,000 soldiers."

"The troops from various towns in Heyang have gathered in Songzhou. Although there are not as many troops as the court had hoped, there are still 20,000 of them."

"Currently, the imperial court has nearly 60,000 troops in Huainan. If we include the troops in Songzhou, that makes a total of 80,000 troops..."

Lu Yan's words made it sound like the situation was very favorable, and Li Cui, who was originally furious, calmed down and said with a suppressed temper, "In that case, I hope to hear good news about the defeat of the Yellow rebels by the end of the year."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the Yellow Treason will not survive this year..."

Lu Yan quickly responded, while Xiao Gou and Liu Zhan frowned, feeling that Huang Chao would not be so easily defeated.

"If there is nothing else, then you may leave."

Li Cui spoke to see the guests off, and Tian Yun, seeing this, stepped out from behind the screen, bowed to the three men, and said, "The three gentlemen are busy with official duties, so please go back and deal with them as soon as possible."

"Your subject takes his leave..."

The three of them took their leave in unison, constantly glancing at Li Cui as if worried that something might happen to him.

Fortunately, nothing happened to Li Cui until the three of them withdrew, which relieved them.

However, not long after the three of them left, Li Cui's breathing became heavy.

"Tian Yun! My head..."

"His Majesty?!"

Tian Yun rushed to Li Cui in three quick steps, and Li Cui reached out and grabbed his hand, while grabbing his head with his other hand.

Sweat poured out of his pores, and within just a few breaths, Li Cui was drenched in sweat.

Tian Yun's eyes widened, and he hurriedly urged outside, "Summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician quickly!!"

Li Cui tried to get up, but stumbled and fell, and was caught in Tian Yun's arms.

Tian Yun was so frightened that she didn't know what to do. The palace maids and eunuchs in the hall were also at a loss, not knowing what to do.

After Li Cui fell, he clutched his forehead tightly with both hands, his features contorted in pain.

"My head, my head hurts so much..."

(End of this chapter)