The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 343 The Battle of Qujiang Pool (Part 1)
Zhu Youlun, Jia Sheng, Gao Jichang, and Huang Wenjing launched a desperate attack on Huashan Road.

Zhu Dalang had limited time, and the four traitors were under immense pressure, all personally engaging in close combat on the front lines. From the seventh to the eleventh of the first lunar month, the various armies took turns fighting. After five days of continuous battles, they finally defeated Prince Mei, and more than three thousand Zhao soldiers fled back to Qingni Ridge to join the defending forces.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Youlun rushed back to Qingni Ridge to oversee the battle, attempting to clear the main road and control the entrance and exit of Wuguan Road.

The remaining ten thousand or so Bian troops, led by Jia, Gao, and Huang, filed into the pass through Huashan Road. Accompanying them were ten to twenty thousand able-bodied men and women who had joined the military training. The morale of the Bian troops soared, and the previously fearful and hesitant people gained renewed confidence.

On the thirteenth day of the first month, four thousand Jingzhou soldiers sent by Zhao Kuangning arrived to aid the emperor. They were intercepted by Guo Meng and Geng Tong, who were guarding Wuguan Pass.

On the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, Gao Jichang's entire force assembled in Lantian, easily captured the city, swept away the surrounding area, and triumphantly reported their victory to Zhu Dalang. The emperor's arrogance and the weakness of Guanzhong emboldened him to march straight for the capital. That afternoon, Gao Jichang led over five thousand warriors out of Lantian and raised his banners over Chang'an. Zhu Dalang's mission of a "flanking attack" was entrusted to Jia Sheng and Huang Wenjing at Tongguan.

On the same day, Zhang Kai's Jingzhou troops were the first to seize Chang'an, accompanied by Prince Mei. He had already lost control of the Zhao army; the remaining troops refused to follow, and only a few hundred of his own officers and soldiers arrived.

The two sides, together with the two thousand Yingwu Army troops left behind by Wang Congxun to guard the capital, the Sili Xiaowei Han Yi, Sun Weisheng and other ministers who remained in the capital, as well as the semi-armed personnel of the Street Envoy, the Imperial City Envoy, the Jinwu Guard, and the Evil Army, set up positions at Qixia Gate and Qujiang Pool.

******
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the morning mist was cold.

Gao Jichang sat on a mule, looking at Qujiang Pool across the river.

Willows sway gently along the riverbank. In the rippling blue waves, the lotus leaves have faded, no longer able to hold up their canopies against the rain. Beneath the pavilions and terraces by the water, a dense, indistinct array of soldiers stands; the groves, corner towers, arched bridges, and other royal garden structures are also adorned with rows of armored figures.

It seems that fighting in formation is not an option; it will be close combat, hand-to-hand fighting, and bayonet fighting again.

On the distant city walls of Chang'an, crowds gathered, seemingly engaged in conversation, awaiting the outcome of the battle between the two armies.

The soldiers on both sides faced each other from a distance, advancing and guarding the pond in small teams, both showing great patience and a steady approach to offense and defense.

"Regardless, Chang'an is now firmly in our hands. If the Emperor doesn't fall, we're finished." Gao Jichang finally turned around from his mule, looking at his men: "When we enter Chang'an, we'll first slaughter the entire Li clan and all the gentry and ministers!"

Although people like Pei Wei were not opposed to serving Quan Zhong, most of them supported the royal family.

He also hated the gentry the most.

Why is it that some people are born into a life of luxury, like that Korean princess, who drinks only the morning dew and whose hat is worth millions of coins! Her burial goods are scattered for miles around, free for the people to pick up. And he, merely alive, can only be sold into slavery?

"In that case, Chief, I have something to say."

Seeing that Gao Jichang had decided to seize the city, the generals had no choice. However, they had few troops, only about five thousand men, and had suffered too many losses. Only one or two thousand men were left to enter the city, and they were afraid that they would be surrounded and annihilated by the people.

“Chang’an is so big,” Lin Zhong said. “With such a small force, the royal army can only guard one corner. We should think of ways to find a loophole.”

Gao Jichang stroked his chin: "They have fewer people, so they can only hold their ground. We also have fewer people, so we can only attack one corner. What opportunities are there to exploit? Do you think those bastards on the other side of the pond are all idiots?"

Chang'an was large, but it couldn't be fully occupied. However, this also meant that it was almost impossible to be besieged, and the enemy could only choose a few places to attack.

From another perspective, it's less a city and more a terrain, a vast and complex battlefield. Back then, the Chao army and the allied forces of the feudal lords fought day and night in various local battles, a tug-of-war.

Lin Zhong remained silent.

Gao Jichang glanced at the distance again.

Outside Qujiang Pool, a large contingent of Bian troops had already completed their preparations.

The mule was well-fed.

The soldier, clad in double armor, held a spear in his right hand and a sword on his left, standing against the wind.

After a full night's rest, they came out this morning still looking disheveled, but their spirits were high, and they all said they wanted to kill that litter of bastards of the saint.

"This Chang'an, the warlords seized it, and we will seize it even more!"

"After capturing the capital, we arrayed our troops at Penglai Palace and trampled the Li family's ancestral temple. Where is the ancestral temple?"

"And there's Li Shimin's Zhaoling Mausoleum, I heard it's filled with a lot of treasures."

"Haha, damn it!"

Yes, the imperial tombs of the Tang emperors in later generations were indeed visited by the Bian army—"Tao was in charge of the town for seven years, and almost all the imperial tombs of the Tang emperors within his territory were excavated."

When Li Siyuan came to power, he investigated the crime of tomb raiding and executed him.

Ironically, this Wen Tao was not a true Bian (Kaifeng) native, but rather a Chang'an native.

Gao Jichang was delighted to hear this.

He was also greatly fascinated by treasure.

Gao Jichang chuckled and said to his generals, "Gentlemen, do you see that? If you want fame and fortune, you have to show your skills! No matter how high or low your position, this job is not easy. Today, we must achieve something!"

The generals discussed it amongst themselves.

Lin Zhong's expression, however, showed some displeasure.

Looking towards Qujiang Pool, a strange unease welled up in his heart. The rebel army was approaching Chang'an. In the past, the ministers would have fled long ago, and the army would have been in chaos. But now, that Han Yi actually dared to raise the banner of "Commander of the Capital Region," as if afraid others wouldn't know he was there. The army was also very stable, and discipline remained unchanged.

This is unreasonable!

What exactly makes them afraid to cause trouble, acting as if they have nothing to fear?
loyalty?.
We're all just warriors; talking about loyalty is just bullshit!
"Captain, I have a feeling something's not right." Lin Zhong hesitated for a moment, then crossed his hands and said, "In my opinion, we should try a probing attack. If that doesn't work, we should turn around and join forces with Da Lang to launch a pincer attack and take down Wang Congxun!"

Gao Jichang waved his hand and said, "If you're afraid of trouble, go back! We'll fight here. What future can you have by guarding your life? What kind of world is this? If you don't take advantage of the chaos to climb up the social ladder, what are you going to do? Do you think a mere merchant will make you grovel when the world is at peace?"

"The ministers and soldiers are behaving too strangely, they're showing a bit too much loyalty." Lin Zhong frowned and said, "I think there are reinforcements on the way."

"Where aren't there a few loyal men?!" Gao Jichang shouted. "Isn't that remnant of the An Lushan Rebellion, that bastard prince from Hebei, Wang Zimei, fighting us to the death at Wuguan?"

"So be it, so be it." Lin Zhong nodded.

If anything goes wrong, Mr. Lin should leave first as a sign of respect.

"The rest of the troops haven't been properly organized yet!" Gao Jichang, who had been smiling, suddenly turned pale, pointed his whip at the army, and shouted.

"We'll be back in the capital soon!"

The chaotic militia and conscripts were still forming ranks and identifying their flags!

This force of 10,000 to 20,000 men was not badly equipped, and the Bianzhou arsenal was also well-equipped. Their discipline and morale were also acceptable; at least they obeyed orders.

But the athletes from Bianzhou became increasingly annoyed as they watched.

It took the disheveled soldiers quite a bit of effort just to form a simple attack formation.

Many yamen soldiers were sent down to lead troops. At this time, they ran around in the crowd, shouting themselves hoarse, slapping people, hitting them with helmets, pointing spears, and pulling their ears to make them move faster, emphasizing what each thing represented and what each command.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!" The army was finally fully assembled. Twenty-three thousand men, looking down from the city walls of Chang'an, saw only an endless, dark mass. They pounded their shields together in unison to bolster their morale: "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Enter Chang'an! Enter Chang'an!"

"What is Ji Chang doing? He can order the advance now. Does he want us to make the decision for him?"

"Generals, do not be afraid. Once we capture Chang'an, we will appoint you as military governors of Chang'an, and we will be satisfied with just being promoted to generals."

"I'd rather ignore Dalang's orders! I've followed the Zhu family for ten years and suffered ten years of bad luck! Damn it!"

"Bring Zhang Hui back!"

The impatient warriors began to clamor, performing their classic routine of popping champagne halfway through the night. Gao Jichang rode his mule a few steps, pointing gleefully at Chang'an: "Who said a sage is invincible? This kind of behavior is courting disaster! He's only concerned with his own head, not his rear, just another Zhu Wen! Yet the court is spreading rumors that he's a sage ruler… He's a slut who lost his father, his mother a whore, who knows who fucked him!"

At that time, it's not impossible that I could seize a region and establish my own independent regime in Qin.

Gao Jichang donned a suit of fish-scale armor, laughed heartily, and slammed his fist heavily against his breastplate. He then raised the mule and shouted, "Sound the horn, advance!"

"Boom boom boom boom!" War drums thundered outside Qujiang Pool as the Bian army slowly advanced.

On a pavilion across the Qujiang Pool, Han Yi, Sun Weisheng, Zhang Kai, and Wang Zimei were all gazing intently into the distance.

The more they are killed, the stronger the bandits will become!

The first to arrive were not the sage, nor the returning reinforcements, but the Bian bandits, the Bian bandits!
All that filled Wang Zimei's heart was despair! She had been struggling to hold on until now, always believing that perseverance was the most virtuous quality, but now it seemed that no matter how hard she tried, she was powerless!

In this battle, the Jingzhou soldiers are the main force. In hand-to-hand combat, can they defeat the Bian people?

He had no hope.

Wang Zimei leaned against the railing, swaying unsteadily, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

The sage was wrong this time…

A hand patted her shoulder from behind, jolting Wang Zimei awake. Turning around, she saw it was Xiao Gan. Wang Zimei rolled her eyes, sighed, and smiled, "If I can't accomplish my goal, then you can leave!"

Xiao Gan gestured around with his hands: "...Before the fight even starts, Zimei is already saying such discouraging things? Think about how far the Sage has come. Every time he was in danger, every time he barely escaped death. In this world, it's not that we persist because there is hope, but that we hope because we persist. The Sage could persist until the Tang Dynasty was revitalized and he saw hope. So I think we might not be able to do the same?"

"I also saw the Bian Army. Don't be fooled by their numbers; they're just a handful of warriors."

"Don't panic."

Wang Zimei was startled and looked up. Xiao Gan's expression remained unchanged, expressionless. Wang Zimei closed her eyes and looked past him. Han Yi looked resigned, Sun Weisheng seemed unaffected, and the soldiers were either full of doubts or murmuring in low voices, but they all stuck to their duties and did not lose heart.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Arrows fired in unison, and someone shouted, "The Bian army is attacking!"

"Alright, stop being so pretentious, let's fight!" Xiao Gan tossed his cloak aside and turned to leave.

Wang Zimei took two deep breaths, jumped around a few times, and then yelled, "Fight!" As soon as she said that, her energy seemed to return. She strode forward and instantly reached Xiao Gan's side. Their steel blades clashed, and their eyes met: "Fight!"

The land of Yan and Zhao is full of generous young men.

For 150 years, the Tang Dynasty has nurtured its vassals and soldiers, and today, the spirit of loyalty and righteousness is being upheld!

This is the place where soldiers were defeated and killed, but they would never retreat.

Wang Zimei leaped onto the artificial hill, brandishing his sword at the soldiers and officials who were nervously preparing for battle, and shouted: "It is probably our misfortune to be born in this world. But with swords in our hands, are we to be slaughtered in the fields? To be slaughtered like pigs and dogs is not what the people of the Holy Tang should do. Rise up, my sons and daughters! Be like the sages! The saints above will protect us!"

"Roar! Roar! Roar!" The crowd raised their arms in response, their voices shaking the palace: "Fight! Fight!"

(Don't think it's sentimental; historically, almost every general in the major towns of Hebei was an orator and a potential politician. Wang Chao's ability to kill Wang Xu and seize power during the Bamboo Grove Incident was due to his oratory skills. Don't assume that those who were removed from or ascended to power were afraid to take risks; anyone who survived the chaos of the late Tang Dynasty took life and death lightly. The battles of Chang'an, Xuanzhou, Yangzhou, Xuzhou, Suanzao Gate, Luzhou, Yuncheng, Yanzhou, Shaliu, Changshan, and Waqiao Pass… the audacity, wisdom, madness, and abstract thinking of these people in that era are unimaginable to us today without studying history. —Controlled Variable Method)
The vanguard of the Bian army has entered Qujiang Pool and is pressing closer and closer along the willow groves on the lake shore.

The Jingzhou soldiers patrolled through the forest, hiding behind trees, in side rooms, courtyards, and pavilions, and fired arrows at them to stop them.

In the pavilions and terraces along the riverbank, doors were being opened one after another with a clatter, and the two thousand elite soldiers selected, led by Wang Zimei, Zhang Kai, and others, poured out in droves!

Gao Jichang led the mule, his face as cold as ice.

My bad luck should be coming to an end by now, right?
He merely wanted to make a name for himself in this chaotic world, yet it's proving so difficult!

He suppressed the urge to remove his armor, bare his chest, and brandish his weapon.

On the fish-scale armor, there were still black marks left by Xiao Xiu's slashes!
These past few days, he has often woken up from nightmares about his one-on-one hand-to-hand combat with Xiao Xiu. It's not that he's afraid of death, but rather that he fears dying suddenly and quietly before achieving high office and rising to prominence, like Yang Shihou, Zhou Dewei, and Jing Xiang!

"They're here!" A loud shout suddenly erupted from the depths of the dense forest.

Gao Jichang looked around and saw a large contingent of soldiers marching swiftly through the red-brick and green-tiled palaces, brandishing their swords: "Advance! The enemy is at Qujiang Pool!"

"kill!!"

Gao Jichang pursed his lips, revealing a mouthful of fangs.

Stripped of his armor and naked, he leaped out of the crowd and charged towards the direction from which the royal army was approaching: "Kill Prince Mei!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The Bian army raised their steel swords and roared as they charged into the woods.

"Tap tap tap..." The footsteps of both sides were like thunder, heading towards the willow grove on the north bank.

"puff!"

"Jingle, clang, clang."

"The old man's been killed, and now the young one's here! Where's Zhu Dalang? Where's Zhu Dalang? Bring Zhu Youyu here!"

"Aaaaaaah—my eyes!!"

Leaves fluttered down, and blood and flesh flowed freely.

A Bian soldier swung his axe down violently, but Wang Zimei grabbed the handle, desperately lifting it up and sweeping his leg to knock the soldier to the ground. Turning around, he snatched another Bian soldier, locked his throat, and held him against his own body.

“Wang Zimei! You’ve come to hell on your own!” A junior officer from the Bian Army recognized him and waved and shouted.

Several spears pierced through the stomach of the Bian soldier he was holding, and pressed against his own stomach. At the same time, he used all his strength to crush the Bian soldier's Adam's apple with a crack.

"Boom boom boom boom..." The war drums thundered on the platform, and the ministers watching the battle stomped their feet and clapped their hands, shouting "Cheers! Cheers! Cheers!"

I go out but never return, the plains stretch endlessly and the road is far away.

He carries a long sword and a Qin bow; though his head and body are separated, his heart remains unyielding.

He is both brave and martial, and ultimately strong and unyielding!
…………

In Hu County, west of Beijing, the bones of the Qi army, slaughtered by the sage at Meibei Marsh, still churn in the lake.

A large army gathered on the banks of Meibei Marsh.

The Tibetan, Tangut, Tuyuhun, Turkic, and various mixed-race tribes sat cross-legged on both sides.

Prime Minister Zheng Yanchang, General Zhao Cun, Qi Yanshu, and Sima Kanwu have completed their battle mobilization.

King Wu hurried as fast as he could, only arriving in Hu County yesterday. This morning, just as he awoke, he received a report from the imperial envoy—the rebel army had breached the Huashan Road and stormed into Guanzhong. One force was attacking the rear of Tongguan, while the other was seizing Chang'an.

Upon hearing this, the King of Wu was struck dumb. After calming down, he calculated that he had 15,000 infantry and cavalry, plus nearly 30,000 tribal troops... As long as the Wuguan Pass was still standing, what was there to be afraid of with these Bian troops who had rushed in!

After discussing it with Zheng Yanchang and the officers, they decided to temporarily refrain from dividing their troops and instead focus on fighting Gao Jichang first.

At this point, the order had already been issued to the rank of colonel.

"I will go first, you may take your time." King Wu mounted his horse, flicked his yellow robe, and declared, "Let's go!"

The entire army left Meibei Marsh in turn, with 10,000 Han, Uyghur, and Turkic cavalry as the vanguard, and marched towards Chang'an.

(End of this chapter)