Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 157 Crab Claw Strategy
Everyone praises the beauty of Jiangnan; travelers should only grow old there. Spring waters are bluer than the sky; painted boats drift in the rain. The woman by the wine shop is like the moon, her fair wrists like frost and snow. Do not return home before you are old; to do so will break your heart.

The contemporary poet Wei Zhuang's poem "Bodhisattva's Charm" perfectly captures the beauty of Jiangnan.

It is now late autumn, but the scenery of Jiangnan is still quite enchanting. Huzhou City, located on the side of Bian Mountain and Taihu Lake, was occupied by the rebel army, but the city was still filled with singing and dancing.

When the city fell, wealthy families who couldn't escape had no choice but to offer their courtesans to the army, hoping to use this as leverage to reduce their own losses.

The soft, melodious Wu dialect and the enchanting songs captivated the soldiers. Gazing at the elegant figures on the stage, they all thought that if they weren't being chased by the government troops, they would be better off settling down in this Jiangnan region.

"Uncle, what should we do with these Wu women?" Lin Yan asked Huang Chao for instructions, but his eyes kept glancing at the Wu women, his mind wandering to the heavens.

"Since the soldiers like them, let them all be accepted." Huang Chao couldn't help but chuckle at Lin Yan's loss of composure. "Select a few beautiful women to reward the meritorious soldiers as concubines, and send the rest to the military brothel camp. As for the women in the camp, give the older ones some gold and silk, and dismiss a group of them on the spot, so as not to add to the burden of our army."

"You think you can get rid of us with just a few dozen Wu women? Do you think we're beggars?" Huang Chao's eyebrows twitched slightly, his eyes turned cold, and he gave the order: "Within two days, have the wealthy households raise the money and silk, or we'll cut off the hostages' ears. The third day is for the heads. Once they're delivered, we'll leave. We're not people who are good at killing."

Huang Chao knew that the amount he set was quite reasonable. If he couldn't hand it over on time, he could only blame those heads of households for not valuing the lives of their own children and grandchildren.

This bandit-like extortionate style may seem cruel, but it is an effective way to minimize killing and looting when requisitioning supplies.

When dust trucks poured lime powder onto the city walls to cover the soldiers of the rebel army as they climbed ladders to attack, the defenders of Huzhou collapsed at the first contact, needlessly releasing the vital area between the southern shore of Taihu Lake and Xisai Mountain.

The soldiers were overjoyed, but Huang Chao, with his deep and discerning mind, could not help but see through the trickery.

"If we can't take Huzhou, we'll just bypass the city, and the garrison won't be able to do anything about it. Now that we're in Huzhou, we absolutely can't let this tempting bait slip by."

After a moment's thought, Zhu Wen came to the same answer as Huang Chao.

When Commander Yan lured and killed Wang Xianzhi's bandit army, he also used Jiangling City as bait.

However, Huzhou was located on the only route for Huang Chao's army to march east, and the rebel army had captured the city. If the soldiers did not rest and resupply there for a few days, they would not be able to accept the situation.

Seeing the furrowed brows of his generals, Huang Chao laughed loudly, "The great way is simple. How can you possibly annihilate our army by merely laying a net?"

Huang Chao's army was far more disciplined than Wang Xianzhi's. Yesterday, he issued a military order that upon entering the city, they should only take gold, silver, and valuables, and that the entire army should travel light. He also ordered the collection of mules and horses from the city to make full preparations for the transfer.

If anyone disagrees with Huang Chao's decisions, or wants to violate the laws of the rebel army by committing rape and plunder, that's easy to handle; the only solution is to wash away the relatively clean banner with their own blood.

He had done his best to provide for his men's needs in terms of food, clothing, and rewards. If anyone was truly hungry and wanted to cause trouble, he couldn't be blamed for being ruthless.

Another strategist among the younger generation of the Cao Army, Shang Rang, also solemnly said: "Back then, Emperor Taizong used his elite cavalry to pursue and kill Song Jingang, whose strength was still intact. He fought ten battles in one day and managed to defeat the well-organized Song army. Now, Commander Gao's newly victorious army is full of vigor. Regardless of whether the plan came from Commander Gao or not, we should treat it with caution."

"Moreover, this strategy bought Pei Qu, the military governor of Zhenhai, and Cui Qiu, the military governor of Zhejiang East, three more days to prepare."

If the conflict drags on any longer, the rebel army risks being surrounded by government troops on multiple fronts within Huzhou City. The gentry within the city are aware of this, which is why they are doing everything they can to buy time.

Huang Chao could only show them whether the heads of the families were more hard-hearted than the bandits who used their swords to kill their sons.

Zhu Wen laughed and said, "Old Gao's tricks are indeed becoming quite troublesome. It's not a bad thing to be lenient in assessing the enemy and strict in defending against them."

“The enemy’s open scheme has been laid bare; now it’s time to move on to the second step.” Huang Chao traced his finger back and forth across the map hanging in the tent.

The rebel army faced two paths: eastward to Jiaxing, or southward through Dusong Pass to Hangzhou.

To reach Lingnan, one can only head south. But for the rebel army, detours and back-and-forths are quite normal, and the enemy will certainly prepare in advance. "Reporting to Master, the scouts have brought intelligence." Duan Hongyan cleared her throat and reported: "In the direction of Hangzhou, it is Cui Qiu, the Zhejiang East Observation Commissioner, and in the direction of Jiaxing, it is Pei Qu, the Zhenhai Military Governor."

Zhu Wen revealed the second step of his opponent's open scheme: "If we go east, Cui Qiu will march north to attack us from both sides. If we go south, Pei Qu will lead his troops west. When our army is attacked from both sides, Lei Shuai's pursuing troops will catch up from behind, intending to deliver a fatal blow to us."

Lin Yan, Wang Chongba, and other generals standing nearby immediately changed color.

In this way, haven't the rebel army already fallen into the enemy's trap?
Duan Hongyan grinned and said, "Master, the enemy's plan is quite like a crab's pincers."

The "crab claw strategy" that Gao Pian's beloved nephew Gao Yan was extremely proud of was calmly named by Duan Hongyan.

Huang Chao looked at Duan Hongyan with approval. He then turned to a lean, scholarly-looking man in blue robes beside him: "Brother Pi, I remember Cui Qiu is an old friend of yours..."

Pi Rixiu and Huang Chao became acquainted after failing the imperial examinations in the same year and were poetry friends for many years. On the eve of the Battle of Muling Pass, Pi Rixiu was serving as a staff officer in the army of Lei Shuai Gao Pian when he received a secret letter from Huang Chao. He escaped alone and, using his identity as a descendant of the Persian royal family, gathered a group of Persian cavalrymen who made great contributions to Huang Chao's victory over Yan Shuai.

Huang Chao had always treated those who failed the imperial examinations with great favor, and even formed a special "Unsuccessful Candidates Camp." After Pi Rixiu came to join him, Huang Chao handed over the "Unsuccessful Candidates Camp" to Pi Rixiu for command.

“If Commander Huang manages to defeat Cui Qiu and barely escape with his life, I can certainly persuade him to lay down his arms and surrender with a few words,” Pi Rixiu said with a smile. “Otherwise, how could the scions of the prestigious Cui family of Qinghe possibly take a poor, unsuccessful scholar like myself seriously?”

Even if Pi Rixiu was not a poor scholar who failed the imperial examination, there is certainly no such thing as a dignified military governor surrendering to the rebel army without even fighting a single battle.

"No problem, no problem." Huang Chao appeared calm and collected, as if he had the task of crushing the two military governors in the bag.

Pi Rixiu said, "Cui Qiu is a pampered son of a wealthy family and knows nothing about military affairs. I will wait patiently for Brother Huang's good news."

Lin Yan's face lit up with joy: "So, we'll attack Cui Qiu first?"

“Pei Qu is brave while Cui Qiu is cowardly…” Huang Chao stroked his short beard.

After Wang Xianzhi died in battle, Huang Chao's hair turned white overnight, and the short beard on his chin also turned gray.

Cao Shixiong died at the hands of Pei Qu, a man with a proven track record and known as a capable general.

"So, of course we should deal with Pei Qu first!" With everyone's eyes on him, Huang Chao suddenly raised his chin and said decisively.

For a moment, most of the generals present looked puzzled.

"Salt-Handsome, why is that?"

"Cui Qiu is easy to defeat, but Pei Qu is difficult to deal with. What if we fail to defeat Pei Qu and Cui Qiu comes after us?"

Huang Chao watched the crowd discussing, but did not reply. After the cacophony of voices subsided, he said calmly, "You all only know one side of the story, not the other."

"Cui Qiu is cowardly. Upon hearing of our army's arrival, he will surely hold his ground and defend his position, making him difficult to break through. Pei Qu, on the other hand, is arrogant after his repeated victories and eager to make further contributions. He will instead engage in a direct confrontation with our army. If we defeat Pei Qu, Cui Qiu will be terrified and will surrender without a fight!"

Everyone looked on with sudden realization: "Salt Master's insight is brilliant!"

"The decision has been made. How much we achieve in this battle depends on how fast your swords are." Huang Chao's gaze swept over his generals, his eyes shining like stars.

(End of this chapter)