Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 164 Hair Like Leeks

Huang Chao held his sword in the sunlight, as if absorbing all the brilliance of the rising sun into the blade.

His steps were steady, but to the Zhenhai soldiers, whose bowstrings were already stretched to the limit, each step seemed to have the power to shake mountains and rivers.

The vanguard soldiers of the Grass Army raised high the banners they had captured from the Zhejiang East Army, waving and shouting.

"General Meng and Lady Duan, with only two thousand archers, defeated the entire Zhejiang East Army of twenty thousand!"

"We have captured Cui Qiu, the military commander of Zhejiang East, alive and hanging him on the banner of the Salt Commander!"

These words caused the morale of the Zhenhai Army to plummet like rotten cotton in the wind.

They couldn't determine how much of what they said was true, but they had already seen a considerable number of Zhejiang East Army flags.

Their allied forces, on which they had placed high hopes, have suffered heavy losses!
Despite his panicked expression, Pei Qu, the military governor of Zhenhai, still tried every means to boost morale.

"If the enemy has really captured Cui Qiu, why don't they bring him to the front lines to demoralize our troops?" Pei Qu's words of reassurance to the officers and soldiers were very reasonable.

But Pei Jiedu's heart was pounding, so his words were not very convincing.

Huang Chao led his troops at the forefront, launching another decisive attack on the Zhenhai Army camp.

"Hair like chives, cut it and it grows back. Head like a rooster, cut it and it crows again. Officials need not be feared, but the common people should never be looked down upon!"

Huang Chao suddenly let out a long cry, his knuckles striking the hilt of his sword with a clear, resonant sound, and began to sing.

The government troops had their own "Qin King's Battle Song," while the oppressed, harmed, and plundered common people also had their own war songs.

"The common people's hair is as thin as chives."

This song originated in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. For seven hundred years, people who could no longer survive have sung this ballad and risen up in rebellion. Even if they crashed into the imperial building and were smashed to pieces, they wanted to let the powerful know the anger of "When will this day end? We will all perish!"

As Huang Chao sang his stirring introductory song, the soldiers of the rebel army joined in the chorus. The powerful and tragic music blended together, creating a majestic and awe-inspiring sound.

After singing "Hair Like Leeks", the song "Leaving the East Gate" followed.

"He went out the east gate, not caring about returning."

Upon entering, I felt a deep sadness and sorrow.

There is no rice stored in the jar.

There were no clothes hanging on the rack.

I drew my sword and headed east.
The mother of the child in the house clings to her clothes and weeps.
His family only wished for wealth and status.
My humble concubine will share a meal with you.

The upper part uses the Canglangtiangu,

This yellow-mouthed child should be used.

Things are different now!

"Duh!

Alright! I'll go later!

"Gray hairs are hard to keep in this world for long."

In this song, the man's wife pleads with him, "Heaven above, and our young children below, all I ask is to live a simple life with you."

The man said that it was too late to join the rebels now. He said that his hair had already turned white and that if he got any older, his whole family would starve to death at home.
Huang Chao would post notices in the military camp, instructing the unsuccessful candidates in the unranked soldiers to teach the soldiers some characters and sing these folk songs. Now, thousands of people sang in unison, and everyone sang in perfect harmony, without anyone singing off-key.

Compared to "Hair Like Leeks," "Leaving the East Gate," which directly promotes rebellion, better reflects the sentiments of the righteous soldiers.

There are always some literati who speak up for the court, saying that if you haven't reached the point of being unable to survive, if you can still endure for another year or two, you should continue to endure and must not cause trouble or cause problems for the court.

Do these pedantic scholars, who never lift a finger, know that when they are truly unable to survive, all they have left is the strength to confine their families to their poor dwellings, hang themselves together, or eat the corpses of their family members? How could they possibly rise up in rebellion?

In the eyes of many pedantic scholars, Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao were incredibly wealthy and far from being ordinary people struggling to survive. They believed their rebellion was purely driven by their own ambitions, and their intentions were despicable. But in reality, without someone of considerable wealth to lead the way, the starving and freezing people, lacking both weapons and food, would have had no chance to rebel. They would have simply starved to death in their homes.

"I drew my sword and went to the east gate... My journey is too late, and with my white hair, I cannot stay here for long..."

Zhu Wen, wielding the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword, cleaved a fortified village in his path with a single stroke, singing the ballad "Leaving the East Gate." Unlike the mournful tune of his comrades in the peasant army, Zhu Wen felt a surge of heroic spirit.

One must become famous early, and the same applies to rebellion. Take myself, for example; I'm only in my early twenties, yet as the chief strategist of a band of outlaws, I'm already renowned throughout the land!

He charged into the Zhenhai Army camp with his sword, only to be met by two enemy generals.

A quick glance revealed that they looked familiar; it turned out to be Xu Qing and Chang Hong, who had defected during the Battle of Xuanzhou.

They must have been dispatched by Gao Pian immediately after the Battle of Xuanzhou, leading a small number of light cavalry to serve under Pei Qu of Zhenhai Army. Therefore, they arrived much faster than the pursuing Lei Shuai Army led by Gao Yan.

The two generals had just surrendered to the government army, and seeing Pei Qu's army suffer a crushing defeat, they were filled with despair.

Zhu Wen looked at Xu Qing and Chang Hong without a trace of anger in his eyes, and said coldly, "It's like sifting wheat; the best are left behind, while the chaff goes with the flow. It's not such a bad thing that people like you are going to be swept away by the wind."

Although the Cao army suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Xuanzhou, and its strength will inevitably decline in the short term, it also eliminated many unstable factors such as poor teamwork and lack of loyalty through Commander Lei's efforts.

The *Wei Liao Zi* states: "I have heard that those skilled in warfare in ancient times could kill half of their soldiers, the next best could kill thirteen, and the worst could kill eleven. Those who could kill half would have their prestige extend throughout the land; those who could kill thirteen would have their power surpass that of the feudal lords; and those who could kill eleven would have their orders carried out by their soldiers."

The "killing" here does not mean the wanton slaughter of one's own soldiers, but rather the selection of the best through various means, including actual combat, to obtain an invincible and powerful force.

This passage from the original military strategy has another interpretation: it suggests that an army that can withstand half its soldiers' deaths without collapsing becomes an invincible force, "its might extending throughout the land." Although the interpretations differ, the underlying principle remains the same.

Xu Qing and Chang Hong were ridiculed by Zhu Wen as being worthless, which made them furious. They drew their spears and charged into battle from the left and right respectively.

At this moment, Zhu Wen's fighting spirit soared. In his eyes, these two guys were nothing more than two little insects.

He spun swiftly, dodging the two spears that were thrusting at him, and moved parallel to the spears along the camp road, his longsword flashing with brilliant blood light as he swept it horizontally.

Chang Hong couldn't dodge in time, and his huge head flew high from his chest cavity, his face still bearing an expression of disbelief.

Zhu Wen smiled dismissively.

Mediocre people can't change their mediocre nature no matter where they go.

He didn't even bother to pick up Chang Hong's head to record the merit.

Xu Qing was shocked to see his old partner killed. He tried to retreat, but Zhu Wen and Jia Yong caught up with him and exchanged several blows with him. However, Xu Qing was no match for Zhu Wen and was about to die under Zhu Wen's blade.

But a slash of light from the side deflected Zhu Wen's Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword in an instant.

Xu Qing, having narrowly escaped death, gasped for breath and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

Zhu Wen steadied himself and pointed his longsword at the young man opposite him: "It seems the rumors were true. Of the Five Blazing Swords under Flame Commander Zhen Ranyu, only Zhao Chou (Zhao Qianye) can be considered a gentleman. Even with such a weapon, you still have to step in to save my life."

Zhao Qianye's voice was icy: "Zhu Wen, I still want to seek revenge for the blood debt owed to Marshal Yan."

Zhu Wen squinted one eye and picked at his ear with his left hand, saying, "You like Marshal Yan, right? That woman may be a bit older, but she is indeed stunningly beautiful. No wonder you are willing to go through fire and water for her."

Zhao Qianye's expression suddenly changed.

Yan Shuai rescued him from Liaodong and brought him back to the Central Plains, teaching him martial arts and the way of being a general. For Zhao Qianye, Yan Shuai was both a teacher and a mother, which was more than just ordinary romantic love.

Zhu Wen deliberately used such vulgar language to provoke Zhao Qianye's anger.

Zhao Qianye gritted his teeth and swept his long sword towards Zhu Wen.

Zhu Wen parried with his sword, and the two swords clashed, sparks flying.

“It looks like we won’t last long.” Zhu Wen’s gaze drifted toward the main gate of the camp: “My master has driven straight in, and Commander Pei may already be a prisoner.”

(End of this chapter)