Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 165 Pei Qu is captured
Zhao Qianye slightly turned his gaze to the side and saw that the central banner of the Zhenhai Army camp had been cut down and lay on the ground.

Even if Zhao Qianye could defeat Zhu Wen here, it wouldn't change the course of the battle.

As the leader of the Five Swords of Burning Heaven, Zhao Qianye is the oldest, already thirty-three years old. However, due to his handsome appearance and good maintenance, he looks no more than twenty years old.

Zhao Qianye's raw strength is comparable to that of Kou Qianzhi, the former deputy military governor of Taining, making him a formidable fighter at the "half-step sect leader" level. However, Kou Qianzhi was a cavalry general and relatively weak in foot combat, while Zhao Qianye, on the contrary, was even superior to Kou Qianzhi in foot combat skills.

In the Battle of Songzhou, Zhu Wen was able to kill Kou Qianzhi, which was a result of several factors that allowed him to defeat a stronger opponent.

After more than a year of honing his skills in battle, Zhu Wen's martial arts hadn't improved much. Under normal circumstances, in a fair and prolonged fight, Zhu Wen wouldn't be a match for Zhao Qianye.

However, being a strategist rather than a fierce warrior, Zhu Wen had no interest in competing with Zhao Qianye in terms of personal martial prowess.

Zhu Zhen, Huo Cun, and Dong Hou caught up from behind. Because the camp was cramped and not conducive to cavalry combat, the three generals, though cavalry commanders, fought on foot.

Dong Hou was the leader of the thirty-odd Ming Cult knights that Ming Shiyin left to Ge Congzhou.

Although Ge Jian entrusted his son to Zhu Wen, Zhu Wen, as the commander of a thousand men in a single capital and the chief strategist of the army, was constantly busy with military affairs. Ge Congzhou was mostly cared for and educated by Dong Hou. Their shared background in the Ming Cult also gave them more in common.

Zhu Wen originally intended to provoke Zhao Qianye with words to see if his swordsmanship would have any flaws. However, after getting angry, he did not expect that Zhao Qianye's swordsmanship would become even more fierce and meticulous, leaving no room for error, which made Zhu Wen feel a little breathless for a while.

When enemies meet, their eyes are filled with hatred, so Zhao Qianye's reaction is perfectly normal.

Zhu Wen then recalled that he had killed Kou Qianzhi, which led to Xue Shuai Qi Kerang's daughter seemingly seeking revenge. He wondered where she was hiding and what plan she was brewing.

Thinking of this, Zhu Wen felt extremely troubled.

It is only natural for relatives and friends to seek revenge, but if revenge continues in layers, it often leads to a vicious cycle of vengeance.

He didn't want to gang up on Zhao Qianye, so he gave a signal, and Zhu Zhen, Huo Cun, and Dong Hou each grabbed a sword or spear and surrounded Zhao Qianye.

Zhu Zhen and Huo Cun were young, while Dong Hou was a veteran general nearing forty, and had been mentored by Ming Shiyin for many years, making him quite skilled. With him present, Zhu Zhen and Huo Cun should not be in danger.

Zhu Wen then led his personal guards and galloped toward the center of the Zhenhai Army camp.

Upon approaching, they discovered that Pei Qu and his men had been fighting and retreating, having been driven out of Huang Chao's camp.

Cheng Qianxi, a descendant of the Duke, and his cavalry charged forward, fiercely resisting the attack. Cheng Qianxi had already opened the camp's stables and brought over all the horses. Pei Qu quickly mounted his horse, preparing to escape.

When Huang Chao also mounted his horse and brandished his sword to fight, he was surrounded and attacked by more than ten Zhenhai naval officers, including Cheng Qianxi.

Huang Chao glared and roared. His precious sword reflected the sunlight, as if the sun were melting gold, dazzling the eyes of a general. Suddenly, his warhorse reared up, dodging a steel spear thrusting at him. Taking advantage of this momentum, Huang Chao spurred his horse and, with an incredible movement, swung his sword, cutting down the enemy general who had been blinded by the glare.

However, Huang Chao's main force had broken through the Zhenhai Army camp, and apart from Huang Chao himself, very few men had brought horses. This quickly turned into a situation where a group of knights were besieging Huang Chao.

Although his master was over fifty years old, his martial arts skills were even better than when he was young, so Zhu Wen was naturally not worried about Huang Chao's fate.

But if things continue like this, they will be unable to capture Pei Qu and avenge Cao Shixiong.

After suffering a crushing defeat, Cui Qiu, seeing that the enemy was few in number, gradually regrouped his remaining troops and once again engaged them, keeping Meng Kai and Duan Hongyan's forces occupied. This was not because Cui Qiu cared much about his allies, but because once the Zhenhai Army was completely defeated, the Cao Army would turn around and deal with the Zhejiang East Army, which would most likely collapse completely after a brief engagement.

Cui Qiu, a scholar who couldn't even ride a horse, was easily captured by the pursuing cavalry.

Pei Qu muttered bitterly to his generals and advisors who were also riding horses beside him, "I never expected to suffer such a crushing defeat today! I must eat Huang Jutian's flesh and sleep on his skin to appease my hatred."

The generals looked dejected and said, "But our army has already been defeated to this extent, what other options do we have?"

Pei Qu's eyes gleamed: "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Since I am still alive, I have a plan."

The generals exclaimed with delight, "What brilliant plan does the military governor have?"

Pei Qu said, "The Zhejiang East Army has the foundation left by General Wang Shi in the past. If it is weak, it is ultimately because Cui Qiu is cowardly and incompetent." "The bandits have focused their energy on attacking our army, and breaking through our camp has also exhausted them greatly. Although the Zhejiang East Army has suffered a defeat, its organization is still intact. If we ride over there and assist Military Governor Cui Qiu in commanding, we can at least ensure that the Zhejiang East Army retreats intact."

Everyone looked on with a sudden realization.

"In this way, our merits and demerits can offset each other, at least we won't be punished by the higher-ups? Lord Pei's plan is truly brilliant!"

Pei Qu stroked his beard, a smug look on his face. What he didn't explicitly say was that this would allow him to establish influence within the Zhejiang East Army and place some of his confidants there during this campaign. It seemed not impossible that he could eventually sideline Cui Qiu and control two towns single-handedly.

At that time, what will the suffering we endure today matter? As a good general, he says he loves his soldiers like his own children, but in reality, the deaths of thousands or tens of thousands of these lowly commoners are nothing to Pei Jiedu. He will never feel guilty about the defeat.

Just as Pei Qu was feeling increasingly smug, a troop of light cavalry blocked his path.

Zhu Wen smiled at Shang Rang and praised him, "Shang Rang, you have devised a good plan."

Shang Rang said, "I was thinking that, according to your and Huang Shuai's plan, we could certainly annihilate most of the Zhenhai Army and terrify the court. But Pei Qu would most likely abandon his army and flee in the end. As the saying goes, 'It is better to capture one general alive than to capture a thousand enemy soldiers.' Pei Qu has the blood debt of Cao Shixiong's brothers on his hands. How can we let him escape alive? I simply opened up my encirclement and let several thousand enemy soldiers escape alive. Then I can ride over and intercept that old thief Pei Qu."

Pei Qu felt as if he had fallen from the heavens into an abyss. His face turned pale and then red. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something. In the end, he roared and charged at Shang Rang with his sword.

Shang Rang brandished his spear and fought Pei Qu. Pei Qu was now like a caged beast, only wanting to kill Shang Rang with a single blow to throw the bandits into chaos, so he could seize the opportunity to charge out on horseback. Shang Rang's martial arts were inferior to his deceased elder brother Shang Junchang, and his personality lacked the sharpness of his predecessor. Faced with the enemy, his moves became chaotic, and he was at a disadvantage.

But Zhu Wen had already swept the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword across the battlefield, scattering several of Pei Qu's trusted knights who were besieging him like a whirlwind. Suddenly, he spurred his horse and accelerated, unexpectedly attacking Pei Qu from behind. He then forcefully slammed the back of the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword into Pei Qu's back.

Previously, Pei Qu had ambushed the veteran general Chai Cun with a meteor hammer. Today, he was also ambushed by Zhu Wen, spitting blood and falling headfirst off his horse. Zhu Wen grabbed his legs, lifted him off the horse, tied him up like a dumpling, and threw him to the ground.

"The old traitor Pei Qu has been captured. What are you waiting for if you don't surrender!" Zhu Wen shouted, his voice like thunder.

Several of Pei Qu's personal guards instinctively dismounted and surrendered, while most of the government troops shouted "Run!" and scattered to break through the encirclement. Dozens of riders were captured by the bandits, but most of them eventually escaped.

These knights' families were generally enjoying a life of luxury in Hangzhou. They figured the peasant army was incapable of taking the fortified city, so they didn't want to take the risk.

Before long, Huang Chao also rode over leisurely on his horse.

"I slew ten enemy generals, yet that descendant of Cheng Yaojin still escaped. They say their family has the blood of a lucky general; perhaps there's some truth to it," Huang Chao joked, then turned his gaze to Pei Qu, who was bound to the ground: "Governor Pei, it's been many years. How have you been these past years?"

Pei Qu was completely bewildered. When did he become acquainted with the bandit Huang Jutian?

Huang Chao smiled slightly: "Commander Pei, you really have a bad memory. Back when I was just a young student, wasn't one of the examiners Commander Pei? At that time, I asked you to review my paper and presented it to you, and you accepted it with a smile."

A thought flashed through Pei Qu's mind like lightning.

Suddenly, I remembered that when I was in my thirties, I had been the chief examiner for the imperial examinations. I had once read a paper with such beautiful prose and poetry that I could not find a single flaw in it.

The man who brought the scrolls was a handsome young man, generous with his money, and the gifts he brought were also quite lavish. Even his own groom kept praising him, saying that he had never seen such a generous young man in his life.

But what could he do when he was just a poor scholar? Although Pei Qu held the authentic Wu Daozi calligraphy that the other party had given him, he was so fond of it that he patted his chest and promised that with his talent, he would surely pass the imperial examination.

However, too many people later sought favors from Pei Qu, so he had no choice but to break his promise.

Pei Qu's face immediately turned ashen.

“Even though Pei Gong has risen to the rank of military governor, he must know that what he has is not much,” Huang Chao sighed. “If I, the commander, were to be concerned with wealth, I would be petty and narrow-minded.”

"Huang Shuai is a man of great talent and refined taste..." Pei Qu lay face down, covered in yellow dust, looking utterly disheveled, no longer possessing the noble bearing of a high-ranking official from a prominent family in Hedong.

"How to deal with Pei Gong can only be decided after Cui Qiu arrives." Huang Chao calmly turned his gaze to Zhu Wen: "Brother Pi should have already gone to persuade Cui Qiu to surrender, but Liang Yu, why don't you capture Cui Qiu as well? Capturing two military governors in one day would be quite a remarkable story."

(End of this chapter)