Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 14: Loyal and Martial King Jian
Outside the east gate of Songzhou City, Song Wei’s military camp.

While Huang Chao's army was holding a military meeting, Wang Jian couldn't help but sigh and feel his heart bleeding when he saw the few stragglers who had escaped.

Wang Jian was about thirty years old, with a bronzed, square face, a prominent nose, and a high bridge of the nose, giving his features a rough, windswept quality. His eyebrows were as thick as blades, and his forehead was naturally furrowed, giving him a serious, unsmiling air. His neatly trimmed mustache only added to his menacing aura, a quality that was intimidating without even being angry.

But when he put his arm around his subordinates' shoulders and laughed, he had an indescribable rustic affinity that made people want to get close to him.

"Captain Wang, Brother Wang Jian, and Deputy Captain Murong died tragically..." The cavalryman who had escaped cried out in tears, "That crazy woman drained all his blood because of his disrespectful words, and finally put him to death..."

"It was my fault for being careless. If I had led the team myself this time, we'd have to see if that crazy woman could withstand my Blood Coagulation Claw!" Wang Jian snorted coldly.

Wang Jian, as a battalion commander, commanded a larger force than usual, numbering 150 men. Trusted by the Zhongwu Jiedushi, Cui Anqian, he commanded elite and brave men from the Zhongwu Army. Zhu Wen, on the other hand, commanded a larger force than Wang Jian, but was not necessarily superior in terms of combat effectiveness.

Wang Jian's meticulously trained 30 elite cavalrymen had already overwhelmed Huang Chao's grain escort with a single charge. Unexpectedly, the seemingly powerless female commander suddenly went berserk, hacking and killing indiscriminately, catching Murong's deputy commander and his men off guard. Several skilled warriors were killed in the initial attack, and most were eventually slaughtered, with only a few escaping. Wang Jian's entire army had been decimated, and how could he not feel the pain? Upon returning, he wondered how to explain this to the Jiedushi Cui Anqian, who had promoted him.

Wang Jian, feeling melancholy, led his dark Hequ horse over. The horse was pitch black, with high shoulders and a strong frame, and looked quite majestic, but it was clearly in poor health and looked sickly.

"Brothers, we haven't had anything good to eat lately, so let's kill this old horse to give them a treat and pay tribute to the spirits of our fallen comrades!"

As he spoke, Wang Jian drew his sword and was about to chop at the horse's head.

A soldier immediately stopped him and said, "Brother, no! This horse has been with you in battle for many years. Even if we want to eat some meat, there's no need to kill it!"

Wang Jian sighed and said, "This horse is getting old. It has been looking unwell for the past two years and has stumbled several times. I've consulted a veterinarian many times but they couldn't find out what's wrong. I think it may not have much time left, so I'd better give it a quick death.

Before he finished speaking, Wang Jian had already dropped his knife. The horse let out a mournful neigh as its throat was instantly cut open. Until its death, the horse looked at Wang Jian in disbelief, not knowing why the master with whom it had been living day and night wanted to kill it.

"It's okay. I'm highly regarded by Governor Cui and I'm not short of money. Buying a nice horse is just a small matter. How can it compare to the joy of eating meat and drinking wine with you and me?"

As he spoke, Wang Jian fetched some clean water and personally began to wash and skin the warhorse: "You've all experienced my skills, so just wait for your stomachs to growl!"

He dismembered the horse meat and was about to remove the internal organs and intestines when he saw a white line shoot out like lightning, which scared everyone. When they looked closely, they saw a long pure white worm, nearly half a meter long and as thick as a thumb. Its body was wet and sticky, and it was struggling and twisting on the grass stained red by the horse's blood.

Everyone looked at it with disgust, but Wang Jian reacted very quickly. He drew his sword and chopped the long insect into several pieces. "It turned out to be you, this weird insect, who killed our beloved horse!"

It turns out that BMW was infected with such a large parasite. No wonder he was always sick and he really didn't live long.

One of the knights suddenly had an idea and shouted, "Brother Wang, this isn't a worm, it's a white snake! Back then, Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, slew a snake and ultimately achieved great success. If you slew the white snake, you'll undoubtedly be granted a title and a government office. Today, those of us who have witnessed a miracle can celebrate and look forward to your meteoric rise to prominence."

Wang Jian was stunned for a moment, then said with concentration, "Be careful what you say! How dare I, a mere soldier, compare myself to Emperor Gaozu of Han? But there's no doubt that slaying the snake is a good omen. When our family becomes prosperous, we will surely offer incense and burn offerings to commemorate the spirits of Captain Murong and his fallen brothers!"

When everyone heard this, they flattered him endlessly. Wang Jian also chatted with the soldiers about their daily lives, asked them what they wanted most, and promised to solve their problems in the future, which made everyone happy.

Soon, the horse meat was ready, hung on a rack and roasted over charcoal. Droplets of golden oil, like beeswax, fell into the flames, creating a crackling sound. Wang Jian smeared the meat with his own special seasoning, and the aroma instantly filled the camp. Everyone shared the horse meat, drinking fine wine. The roasted horse meat had completely lost its stench, its texture surpassing that of beef and its flavor surpassing that of lamb. The heat was mastered to perfection, a true testament to the master's culinary skills. They couldn't help but praise it profusely, forgetting the grief of losing over twenty men.

……

Huang Chao couldn't help but feel proud of himself after the exploratory battle in which he won a small victory over the armies of Song Wei and Qi Kerang. He put on light armor and ordered the recovered Zhu Wen to follow him. Together they walked out of the camp, striding with their heads held high and their hands behind their backs, inspecting the vast land of Songzhou.

In the fields, the green and yellow wheat waves are rolling in the wind, like green sea waves, and are about to mature.

The wheat here has been ordered by the warring parties from civilian households as military rations. Naturally, they only paid a very low price and might not be able to make a profit, but it is better than robbing. Compared with the An Lushan Rebellion back then, both the official army and the rebel army, although there was no shortage of looting in normal times, they were considered to be well-behaved.

Huang Chao carefully observed the undulating terrain. Understanding the terrain was crucial for a general. Only with a thorough understanding of the battlefield's topography and layout could one formulate the correct strategies and tactics. This required ample intelligence and, more importantly, the general's experience and wisdom, something no ordinary strategist could possess.

"Qikerang has been fighting for several days, but it's obvious that he hasn't used his full strength." Huang Chao said to himself.

His torch-like eyes stared at a barren red soil. The ground looked no different from any other place, but Huang Chao stared at it intently, obviously having discovered something.

"There must be a tunnel here!" Huang Chao shouted. "Since Qi Kerang is showing weakness to our army, he's probably going to use his old skills. Fortunately, I've learned some feng shui and can identify the differences in the ground where a tunnel has been dug."

"Liangyu, quickly follow me back to the camp. I'm going to have the soldiers dig trenches around the camp to prevent the Taining army from attacking us from the extension of the tunnel. I'm going to ambush spearmen and swordsmen and kill them at any time!"

"Yes, sir." Zhu Wen responded simply.

He looked up at the high sky, the endless blue that seemed to have no end in sight.

The sky at noon is crystal clear, like a mixture of tears and knives.

Even the battlefield on the eve of the climax is as calm as the sky, but the most intense music is bred against the seemingly calm background.

The flame of ambition flickered gently in Zhu Wen's heart, but it was not enough to make his blood boil completely.

The Great Xia Dragon Bird Sword on his back made another low chime.

But this time it seemed unusually soft, like the sound of an animal snoring.

The image of the massive white tiger suddenly reappeared before Zhu Wen's eyes. But at this moment, the beast that represented his murderous intent appeared to be sleeping.

In the midday sun, it curled up and lay there, looking extremely lazy, with its long tiger whiskers rising and falling with the sound of its breathing, and it looked actually quite cute.

……

Two towering earthen hills rose in front of the Taining Army's camp. Countless figures swarmed like bees and ants, adding shovelfuls of earth and rocks to the sides and tops of the hills.

The construction was carried out by the famous earthwork unit under the command of Commander Xue Qi Kerang - the Wude Battalion.

The Five Virtues Camp, divided into five divisions: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, was comprised of skilled artisans from across the ten regions of the Tang Dynasty. The Metal Division specialized in the forging of weapons and armor, the Wood Division specialized in camp construction, the Water Division mastered the art of water attacks, the Fire Division excelled in firearms and arson attacks, and the Earth Division specialized in earthwork and underground tunneling. While the artisans of these five divisions could not fight in battle, they could employ objects of the Five Elements as weapons, effectively defeating a vast army.

The one who is now directing the construction of the earthen hill is none other than the craftsman from the earthen department of Wude Camp.

Because the earthen hill lay directly in front of the Taining army's camp, the Cao army was powerless to stop it. Once the hill was fully formed, the large crossbows and catapults set up on it began to rain down massive crossbow bolts and pebbles like a cascade from above upon the Cao army's positions. Some crossbow bolts traveled over seven hundred steps, lodging deep within the rammed earth walls of King Yan's city.

Such a distance was not enough to bombard Huang Chao's camp within Yanwang City from above. However, the deterrent effect was astonishing. If the Cao army left the camp again to engage Xue Shuai's army, they would be subjected to crossfire from the earthen hills above.

"Two days ago, the enemy broke out of the tunnel, but our army dug a deep trench, blocked their way, and easily repelled them." During the military meeting, Meng Kai said, "I didn't expect these two earthen hills to rise from the ground in just a few nights."

"The earthen hills and underground tunnels advance in tandem, shielding each other and drawing our attention like a two-headed snake, forcing us to focus on neither. The earth and rocks cleared from the underground tunnels can be used to construct the earthen hills." Huang Chao commented, "Qi Kerang is renowned for his earthworks and warfare techniques. These require a thorough understanding of the topography of mountains and rivers, and precise calculations to the millimeter."

"If we leave the camp and engage in battle again, it will be very disadvantageous for us!" Meng Kai said, "I still want to go out and kill to my heart's content, teach that old scoundrel Song Jue a lesson, and get back at my junior brother..."

Huang Chao interrupted him: "Since it is Snow Marshal Qi Kerang, how could he allow us to win again so easily?"

Everyone turned their attention to Huang Chao's face. This Shandong Salt Marshal, full of wisdom and strategy, had never let anyone down. Therefore, even though Snow Marshal Qi Kerang was so powerful, everyone still placed their hopes on Huang Chao!
But Huang Chao simply said, "Even a lion uses all its strength to fight a rabbit, let alone us. Qi Kerang still has some strength left, which is what's unusual."

On the other side, many generals, including Huang Chao's nephew Lin Yan, took a deep breath.

Even this, and he hasn't even used his full strength yet? How terrifying must Snow Marshal Qi Kerang be?

Huang Chao continued, "Qi Kerang has set up earthen hills to suppress us and dug tunnels to harass us. We have defensive strategies, so these are just tactics to build momentum, not decisive victory. Furthermore, the enemy is not like us desperate refugees. They all have families in Taining Town. The soldiers have been away for too long, and homesickness will inevitably affect their morale. Therefore, Qi Kerang must have other methods to deal with us."

After hearing this, Lin Yan and others breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Huang Chao must have a plan to deal with it.

"Hongyan, tell me what you have learned!" Huang Chao ordered.

Duan Hongyan stepped forward and said, "East of Mengzhu Lake, in the dense forest, there are traces of enemy activity. I was worried they might notice me, so I didn't go further into the forest to investigate."

"East of Mengzhu Lake?" A general asked, "That forest is still along the Beibian River. Could it be..."

Huang Chao stroked his short beard and laughed: "Just as I expected!"

It's summer, the season of flooding. The land of Songzhou is high in the north and low in the south. The biggest disadvantage of King Yan's city is that it is located in a low-lying area and is easily flooded."

Meng Kai exclaimed, "So, those tunnels leading to our military camp can actually serve as a guide for the flow of water."

"The enemy secretly carried out construction in the woods, not only because the dense forest could conceal their work in digging up the Beibian River embankment, but also because the dense forest was not conducive to our army's chariots charging..."

"Hahaha..." Huang Chao laughed, "Juehai, you can think of this level. You have made great progress recently. You are not only good at fighting and killing, but you are also teachable!"

Zhu Wen, who had been looking down in thought, realized that it was time for him to speak.

He touched his chin and said, "Master, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should say it."

"But there's no harm in talking."

"I am a native of Songzhou. In my opinion, although the Beibian River has abundant water, even if the dam is completely dug, it would still be quite difficult to submerge Yanwang City into a lake."

After Zhu Wen finished speaking, Huang Chao nodded without hesitation: "That's right."

"Not enough to overwhelm our military camp?" Lin Yan said, "Since Qi Kerang made a miscalculation, then shouldn't we just ignore it?"

Huang Chao shook his head and said, "The Bian River flooded. Although it didn't submerge our camp, the water was over a foot deep. All the men and horses were drowned. The ground was muddy, and our baggage and food were damaged and rotted. This forced us to move our camp to higher ground."

"However, when the camp is moved, people's hearts will inevitably be in turmoil."

"Qi Kerang wants to force our army to abandon the advantageous terrain of Yanwang City by flooding, and then take advantage of the chaos to launch an attack. The powerful crossbows and stone cannons on the earthen hill can suppress our army with firepower when we move our camp to an open ground." Duan Hongyan said.

"That's right," Huang Chao shouted, "All the generals, follow me out of the camp and head north to the Bian River to attack the Taining army and prevent them from breaching the dike!"

(End of this chapter)