Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 161 Crimson Robes and Red Banners
In a major battle, it is common for the fighting to last for several hours.

But human strength is limited, and warriors could never fight and kill indefinitely.

On the one hand, both sides in a battle will use formations to advance and retreat, allowing soldiers to take turns fighting and giving some people a chance to rest.

On the other hand, after a fierce battle between the two armies, when they return to a stalemate, the generals will seize the opportunity to allow the soldiers to eat, drink, and even use the restroom. How to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of this situation tests the commander's ability to control the situation.

Although Pei Qu's army switched from offense to defense, they still failed to establish a solid defensive position. Constructing a defensive position also required the soldiers to exert their physical strength.

Huang Chao acted decisively, mounted a tall chariot, personally beat the drum, and his army, consisting of chariots, cavalry, and infantry, launched a tidal wave attack on the enemy lines.

The Zhenhai Navy also formed a neat array to respond.

Overall, the first line consisted of crossbowmen, the second of archers, the third of infantry, the fourth of reserve infantry and cavalry, and the fifth of reserve infantry.

Behind the great formation, the drumbeats thundered, shaking the mountains and rivers.

Pei Ju's trained soldiers had a highly disciplined and methodical fighting rhythm. When the enemy advanced within 150 paces, the crossbowmen began firing; when the enemy advanced within 60 paces, the archers began firing; when the enemy advanced within 20 paces, the archers retreated, the crossbowmen donned their shoulder guards, and charged with their long-handled swords, while the main infantry of the third line also began a counter-charge. At this time, the two columns of infantry and cavalry in the fourth and fifth lines remained stationary.

However, despite Pei Qu's well-organized and heavily fortified formation, which included wooden stakes planted in the ground to block the enemy, his army was still forced to tremble and teeter on the brink of collapse when faced with the all-out charge of the bandits trained by Huang Chao.

The heavily fortified infantry of the main force was clearly unable to effectively counter the grass army's offensive and had to retreat immediately. The Zhenhai infantry reserve quickly moved in to meet them, exchanging positions with the main force infantry, while the cavalry charged forward on both flanks.

Pei Qu's troop deployment was inherited from Li Jing, the Duke of Wei, at the beginning of the dynasty. To be fair, after the An Lushan Rebellion, the military preparedness of various regions of the Tang Dynasty was generally not as good as before. At this time, generals who could still deploy the Duke of Wei's military formation could be considered good generals who were skilled in commanding troops.

The Duke Wei system places great emphasis on using infantry and archers to wear down the enemy's advance, followed by the use of elite cavalry to overwhelm and defeat them.

However, Zhenhai Army was located in Jiangdong, and its cavalry was not strong. Moreover, Huang Chao's army had skilled methods to deal with cavalry.

The rolling chariots, though converted from salt carts, were covered with iron sheets, making them look like steel fortresses.

The shield bearers raised their large shields, which were half a person's height, and, together with the spearmen, provided cover for each other as they steadily advanced.

Meng Kai and Zhu Wen, both fierce generals of the peasant army, led their cavalry in left and right charges to suppress the enemy cavalry that were pouring out.

Huang Chao personally beat the drum to encourage his troops, and the soldiers of the rebel army fought valiantly, their morale soaring. After several hours of fighting, Pei Qu's army was forced to retreat while fighting, and their formation finally showed signs of collapse.

Even the elite Xuanrun crossbowmen could not withstand the advance of the Grass Army. Although they could fight with their long-handled swords in close combat, they were ultimately at a disadvantage against the charging Grass Army spearmen, their short reach making them vulnerable.

"That's strange. That old scoundrel Pei Qu almost routed our army at first. But after our surprise attack failed, we launched a direct frontal assault and gained the upper hand. What's the reason for that?"

Huo Cun, who was galloping behind Zhu Wen's horse, asked in confusion.

Because Zhu Zhen had been wounded by an arrow, Huo Cun finally had the opportunity to command the cavalry again.

"The Zhenhai Army launched a full-scale attack from the very beginning, while our army had not yet fully transitioned from marching formation to combat formation. Only the vanguard was truly engaged in combat. Although Lin Yanlang's surprise attack failed, our army also deployed its forces during this period, allowing us to widen the frontal line to attack the enemy as we are now."

Before Zhu Wen could speak, Ge Congzhou, riding a small horse, had already given his answer, and then looked at Zhu Wen: "General, is what Congzhou said correct?"

Zhu Wen revealed an admiring look. To have such insight at the age of thirteen, he truly deserves to be the son of Ge Jian, the Wing King of the Ming Cult.

Military talent cannot be passed down through generations. However, Ge Jian only had one son, and as a veteran general, he taught Ge Congzhou military strategies and tactics even while making a living by farming over the past ten years.

Such verbal and practical instruction was undoubtedly very helpful to Ge Congzhou. His military talents quickly became apparent after being honed through real combat experience.

However, Ge Congzhou was still young and his body was not fully developed, so Zhu Wen still had to keep him by his side to take care of him on the battlefield. Otherwise, if something happened to him, how could he live up to Ge Jian's dying wish to entrust him with his son?

Huo Cun, whose knowledge was inferior to that of a thirteen-year-old child, couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed.

The fierce battle had lasted from noon to dusk, but since neither army suffered a large-scale collapse, casualties were very limited.

The alternating battles and rest periods during the standoffs allowed both sides to conserve their strength, making it seem as if they could continue their offensive into the night.

However, many people have poor night vision, making nighttime command much more difficult. Therefore, nighttime battles are generally avoided as much as possible.

Therefore, Cao Jun was determined to launch one last full-scale attack before sunset, striving to completely defeat Zhenhai Army in this wave!
Zhu Wen, who was fighting fiercely on the front lines, vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

"More of our soldiers were killed by arrows than by crossbow bolts."

Tian Jun casually swung his spear, knocking a charging cavalryman off his horse: "What's so strange about that? The enemy has far more archers than crossbowmen. No matter how elite Xuanrun's crossbowmen are, they can only kill a limited number of people."

What Tian Jun said makes sense.

But Zhu Wen always felt something was strange.

This dangerous aura felt somewhat familiar to him.

The vanguard of the Grass Army, consisting of chariots and infantry, has once again joined forces to fight the enemy.

Infantrymen could dismantle obstacles such as antlers set up by the naval forces by hand or with weapons, which would facilitate the advance of chariots.

Chariots move slower than cavalry, which makes it easier for infantry to keep up with their pace.

Faced with Huang Chao's chariot warfare tactics, Pei Qu still had not found a truly effective way to counter them, and could only risk casualties and struggle to hold on against the fierce attacks of the Huang army.

A group of archers were unable to retreat in time and were approached by the advancing Grass Army soldiers.

They raised their spears to meet the challenge. This was to be expected; archers usually carry swords and spears as melee weapons, but unless they are elite, their melee skills are often questionable.

With only one paycheck, there's no reason for soldiers to master both melee and ranged combat.

The soldiers had suffered many injuries at the hands of these archers, so their eyes were bloodshot, and they were determined to chop these government archers into mincemeat.

The advancing vanguard of the Grass Army quickly engaged in close combat with enemy archers wielding long spears.

To their surprise, the counterattack was exceptionally fierce, leaving them instantly trapped in a quagmire.

These archers were extremely skilled with their spears.

Mixed in among them were some short-range gunners who, with agile movements, leaped out of the formation, dodging the wheels of the chariots and stabbing the horses pulling them forward.

The two armies were locked in a fierce battle, their swords and spears clashing back and forth, leaving bloodstains that flowed slowly across the ground.

The government troops, who had been in a rout, seized the opportunity to turn around and attack.

The soldiers in this area couldn't help but sigh that this idea was difficult to handle.

Suddenly, a slender figure, holding a plaque in his left hand and a long-bladed cleaver in his right, charged into the enemy ranks with lightning speed.

The gun barrels met his blade and snapped like straw.

The newcomer roared and used his shield to meet a large sword slashing from the side. After deflecting the sword, he used the sharp edge of his shield to slice into his opponent's neck, causing the opponent to spit blood and die on the spot.

Suddenly met with fierce resistance, unable to break through the stalemate, the morale of the rebel army was already low. At this moment, this man bravely charged out, leaping back and forth as if entering an empty field, invincible in his path.

"Who is this?"

"I feel like I've seen him somewhere before..."

The hastily fleeing soldiers discussed amongst themselves.

The newcomer sneered and ripped off his outer robe, revealing a battle robe underneath, crimson as fire.

"Having received the decree from the emperor, we marched together to punish the rebellious minister. We sang songs of victory and celebrated the peace of the people."

"The imperial winds sweep across the four seas, and the virtuous waters have remained clear for a thousand years; no more military uniforms are needed, for today we announce our victory!"

While brandishing his sword and shield, slaughtering his way through the enemy ranks, the man suddenly began to sing a song, the famous military song of the Tang Dynasty, "The Song of the King of Qin Breaking the Enemy's Formation".

The officers and soldiers also joined in the singing. Deep voices rose from the crowd, and gradually more voices joined in, forming a generous and heroic song.

In an instant, thousands of government soldiers tore off their outer robes, revealing their fiery battle robes. Crimson banners rose high from the ranks, reflecting the setting sun, their crimson color like blood.

The crimson robes and red banners belong to the Flame Commander's army.

"That's Zhao Chou, Zhao Qianye, the leader of the Five Blazing Swords under Commander Yan." Finally, a soldier of the Grass Army recognized the man who was as fierce as fire and invincible.

The reason why these archers were even more formidable in close combat than in archery has also been explained. Besides the Flame General's army, which other unit would strictly adhere to the "bow and spear in one" principle?
The government troops roared in unison, displaying an unstoppable momentum that made a thousand armies retreat.

The grass army's front line quickly collapsed under their fierce counterattack and retreated in disarray.

Flame General Zhen Ranyu, although this woman is dead, her heroic spirit is still fighting against the bandit army and is still the righteous army's formidable enemy in this era!
Zhu Wen watched his own infantrymen retreating in defeat from afar and instantly realized the trickery involved.

"After Yan Shuai died in battle, most of the Heyang Army under her direct command was scattered and distributed to various vassal states. Pei Qu certainly did not have more than three or four thousand men under her command."

"So the vast majority of them were actually Zhenhai soldiers who used red robes and banners to impersonate the elite troops trained by Zhen Ranyu, in order to intimidate our army."

However, this plan was launched too hastily, and by the time Zhu Wen realized it, it was too late.

With the central front defeated, Zhu Wen and Meng Kai could only lead cavalry to cover their retreat and do their best to minimize their own casualties.

After a round of chaotic fighting, the grass army retreated and regrouped. The sun had completely set below the ground, and the sky was completely covered by night, with stars twinkling in the night sky.

Clearly, with morale low, it is not advisable to continue the attack at night.

The Zhenhai Army finally had time to set up camp on the spot, making it even more difficult to attack their fortified camp tomorrow.

"Commander Yan is truly terrifying." Even the valiant Tian Jun couldn't help but sigh, "If the righteous army hadn't relied on their unwavering will to avenge their leader Wang and made the most of favorable timing, location, and popular support, they probably would have been crushed long ago."

Zhu Wen completely agreed with Tian Jun's point of view. At that time, the grass army was quite lucky to kill Yan Shuai. After the victory, they were unable to annihilate the elite troops trained by Yan Shuai.

The Cao army no longer possessed the fearless and high morale it had shown during the Battle of Muling Pass. Having previously suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of General Lei and Gao Pian, with veteran generals like Qin Yan and Bi Shiduo surrendering, they had lost considerable strength. Therefore, they faced a formidable challenge against the remnants of General Yan's thousand-strong army led by Zhao Qianye.

The troops of Cui Qiu, the military commissioner of eastern Zhejiang, along with Lei Shuai's pursuing army, will arrive soon.

Can the band of outlaws crush Pei Qu's army before this happens?

Or is there any other way to break this deadlock?

(End of this chapter)