Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 197 Fortified Formation
As the enemy army charged towards them in a massive wave, Li Jiyong, positioned at the front of the battle formation, was overjoyed and praised the two elite cavalrymen beside him:

"Alright, you two deserve credit for this battle!"

It turned out that when Li Jiyong saw the enemy army starting to gather its troops, he thought of a plan: why not send someone to test the waters and see if they would rush over so hastily?

So he specifically selected two of the foulest-speaking scoundrels from the army and entrusted them with important tasks.

Sure enough, when the two cavalrymen were ordered to provoke the enemy army, they fully demonstrated what it meant to play to their true colors.

Riding their warhorses, the two ran to a nearby place and started swearing. One of them, in a particularly brilliant move, stood in front of the soldiers, looking at them while simultaneously catching their genitals, appearing extremely eager.

Not to mention the rebels on the other side, even Li Jiyong behind them was too ashamed to look.

It was a bit dirty, but the effect was surprisingly good.

Anger is the easiest thing to provoke. Sometimes, just a simple "What are you looking at?" can start a fierce fight, let alone on a highly tense battlefield like this.

Although these bandits were called an army, they were actually not under any one command. Not to mention the generals at the top, even the lower-ranking generals couldn't control their subordinates.

These entire villages fled and eventually joined the bandit army, forming a basically independent force. Although the bandit army had military law, it was actually very unrestrained, sometimes extremely strict, and sometimes as if there was no military law at all.

Therefore, these small groups became even more independent.

When the first group charged forward with shouts, without any military orders or even the commander's permission, the front ranks of the peasant soldiers charged in droves.

……

The army that Li Jiyong was charging towards numbered about a thousand. They were dressed in brightly colored clothes, some even shirtless, and they swarmed over like locusts.

These makeshift troops were not in formation, and there were few flags. They looked more like refugees than an army, but without exception, they were carrying standard weapons.

The better ones carried a shield and a broadsword, while the worse ones had a long spear. Countless weapons gleamed, giving off a chilling aura.

It seems that both the Taiping Army and the Yicheng Army served as transport captains for the rebel army.

Having completed his mission, Li Jiyong rode his warhorse to the central army, and with the help of ten elite cavalrymen, took over command of the troops.

When the army had only run two hundred paces, Li Jiyong waved a small crimson flag, and the flag bearer behind him raised the flag and began to wave it.

The captains of the six squads of Jin Daodu had been keeping a close eye on the central command position. Upon seeing the red flag raised there, they began to shout:
"Two hundred paces, shoot!"

So the six teams, with a total of 180 archers, raised their longbows into the air and began to launch them at an angle.

Arrows rained down like locusts, instantly striking the oncoming army of grass soldiers.

Screams and wails filled the air, and every now and then, a soldier who had just been running and shouting would suddenly be pinned to the ground by an arrow that fell from the sky.

Some of the soldiers tried to block with their shields, but because they didn't know how to use them properly, they often ended up with their legs being pierced by arrows while they were in front. They would then clutch their feet, howl in pain on the ground, and finally be killed by another arrow.

What's even more tragic is that these people are just peripheral members of the peasant army, only slightly better than cannon fodder.

The only difference between them and cannon fodder is that they wield proper weapons, while the cannon fodder hold sharpened bamboo poles.

So, after only one hundred and twenty arrows were fired, and only a few dozen people fell to the ground screaming and wailing, the grass army suddenly stopped and ran away without looking back.

Meanwhile, on Jin Daodu's side, Li Jiyong was just about to watch the archers fire the second volley of arrows when he saw the enemy's grass army flee without hesitation.

Li Jiyong was clearly stunned, but fortunately he reacted quickly and immediately ordered the twenty-two elite cavalrymen of Jindaodu to ambush from behind and expand the victory.

So, amidst the sound of drums and horns, twenty-two elite cavalrymen from the Golden Blade Capital charged out of the formation, brandishing their swords and giving chase.

Leaving your back to these cavalrymen is to leave your life to them.

The distance of two hundred paces was covered in an instant by these cavalrymen. Looking at the swarms of "sheep," they did not hesitate to slash down with their swords.

Heads flew everywhere; at this moment, killing a straw soldier was no more difficult for these cavalry than cutting a straw man.

They practically slaughtered their way through, horses trampling men, men crushing men, knives slashing at backs and heads. Corpses were everywhere, the thick, pungent blood filling the air, screams and wails mingling with the ceaseless hoofbeats of horses.

Suddenly, just as they were about to expand the Golden Knife Cavalry, they saw dozens of Grass Army Cavalry rushing up from the opposite side.

These men were clearly better equipped than the wretched soldiers who had died tragically. Not only were their weapons sharper, but every two or three of them had a suit of armor, and with their numerous flags, they already resembled government troops to some extent.

Therefore, the Golden Blade Cavalry did not linger in battle and immediately rode back to their own lines.

The charging cavalry pursued them, but within two hundred paces of the Golden Knife Army's formation, they were met with a barrage of arrows.

These elite cavalrymen lacked archery skills at this distance; they often needed to run within fifty paces, or even thirty paces, of the infantry to be able to shoot.

Therefore, after suffering a loss, these unruly cavalrymen withdrew without hesitation.

However, they did not flee in defeat. After withdrawing from the range of the arrows, they gathered in the northeast corner of the battlefield, where they continued to wait for an opportunity to strike.

Such qualities impressed Li Jilong within the military ranks, but at this moment, his doubts grew even stronger:
"These bandits, only their cavalry have any fighting ability, but that's about it. Compared to the Righteous Army, they are far inferior, even to ordinary regional military governors' soldiers. So how did they manage to defeat the Taiping Army and the Yicheng Army?"

……

At the eastern battlefield of Yuanju City, there was also a huge camp where countless soldiers, women, and children were working hard to build siege ladders.

On a tall wooden building, Huang Cun, a commander of the Caozhou rebels, was gazing at the distant Yuanju East City.

On this section of the city wall, people were densely packed, busy everywhere. Although they were also on the wall, most of them were craning their necks to look north, where a deafening shout was erupting.

At this moment, a member of the Huang family beside him was also looking around, but after observing the military preparations on the city wall for a while, he shook his head:

"Uncle, this city is probably going to be tough to take! Cao Shixiong is telling us to attack the city, isn't that just asking us to do this? And what about him? He's just using those ragtag soldiers to play around with? Isn't that a bit too clever of him?"

Huang Cun glanced at his disciple and cursed:

"What nonsense are you spouting? You dare to criticize Commander Cao? Get down here and join the suicide squad. You'll be the first to scale the walls during the siege!"

Upon hearing this, the tribesman's face turned pale. He looked around, trying to find someone to speak up for him, but everyone hung their heads and no one dared to step forward.

It wasn't that the Huang family members weren't united; it was simply that their eldest uncle was always the one who had the final say.

In fact, if it weren't for the county magistrate insisting on taking our Huang family as easy prey, their uncle would never have rebelled.

The Huang family members also had their pride. Seeing this situation, they gritted their teeth, clasped their fists, and then went down the wooden building.

At this moment, Huang Cun saw someone pointing at him from the opposite city wall. He glanced at him and saw a warrior wearing bright armor, with several others wearing leather armor beside him. They looked like ordinary county soldiers.

At this moment, an elder of the Huang clan, Huang Qiu, who was over forty years old but still robust, looked down at the clansmen running around below and shook his head:

“Brother, Cao Shixiong is indeed not a very upright man. He always talks a good game, but his actions are always unpleasant. He agreed to fight the Yicheng army together and split the spoils equally, but in the end he said that the spoils looted by the Yicheng army were all from Puzhou, and that the people of Puzhou should get more.”

As he spoke, Huang Qiu intentionally reminded his overly square-minded nephew:

"We should not have the heart to harm others, but we must not be without the heart to guard against others!"

Huang Cun showed no airs towards his uncle and replied very respectfully, "I understand, nephew. I am not the kind of person who would disregard the lives of my clansmen. In fact, I made preparations when I abandoned Yuanju City. The eastern section of Yuanju City is the shortest of the four city walls. I already know its height and have had ladders built. The ladders are just high enough to block the battlements, making it impossible to push them away."

"The enemy's attention is now focused on the north of the city. If our army can reach the city walls and set up ladders, we can catch the city walls off guard. So it's not that dangerous for Xiao Ba to attack the city."

"Moreover, my nephew is certain that there are still spies within the city. When the Baoyi Army arrests our spies, they always use investigations, so those who are not residents of the city often have nowhere to hide. But what if our spies are actually from Yuanju City? How will they deal with that?"

"Now, apart from the South Gate, we have surrounded the three gates of Yuanju. At this time, the elite troops inside the city have already gone out to fight at the North Gate. Once they engage Cao Shixiong's side, they will not be able to retreat. Then we will launch a fierce attack at the East Gate, and then Chu Yanwei's side will intercept the enemy's troops at the three stockades outside the southwest city at the West Gate."

"With such a three-sided approach, the injustice will surely be rectified."

Hearing that his nephew had a good idea, Huang Qiu sighed and said nothing.

He never doubted his nephew's military talent, but his eldest son had been in the imperial army for so long that his mind had become dull.

Since you had a way to breach the city, why didn't you tell us? Instead, you sent Xiao Ba down to attack with resentment. You could have handled things perfectly, but in the end, you got away with it.

He's way behind the second-in-command; it seems he can only be a general.

Our Huang family can only rely on the second son.

After Huang Cun finished explaining, he listened intently to the sounds of fighting coming from the north of the city. Suddenly, a group of knights came galloping in from the north, their heads adorned with yellow headbands. As soon as they arrived, they shouted at Huang Cun on the wooden tower:
"Commander, the fighting has broken out in the north of the city. Commander Cao has dispatched ten armies to take turns besieging the Baoyi Army that has come out to fight."

Huang Cun punched the fence, then excitedly said to his uncle Huang Qiu beside him:

"Uncle, Cao Shixiong can still distinguish between what's important and what's not."

Then Huang Cun raised the small flag and waved it downwards.

Shortly after, drums and horns sounded downstairs, and then the wooden fence of the camp was knocked down, revealing a well-organized army in the open space.

Then, as the flags on the wooden building continued to wave, this neatly arrayed army headed straight for the eastern city of Yuanju.

Unlike Cao Shixiong next door, who used miscellaneous troops, Huang Cunyi immediately deployed his own veteran soldiers, three thousand of whom he had trained.

They pushed the hastily made cloud carts, crashing into each other, their fighting spirit high, and charged towards the city.

At this moment, Duan Zhongjian, the garrison commander on the east city wall, was greatly alarmed upon seeing this and hurriedly shouted:

"All teams, prepare to counterattack! Kill! The lord is fighting in the north city; we must hold him off! We cannot distract him!"

The garrison in the eastern section consisted mainly of Duan Zhongjian's hundred elite soldiers, followed by eight hundred soldiers from Shou County and some auxiliary troops. Upon hearing Duan Zhongjian's shout, they hurriedly roared in response.

……

On the north gate tower, Zhao Liu was watching the battle outside the city intently.

"Clay chickens and clay dogs!" That's a description of those bandit thieves.

The bandits had already lost ground three times in the short time since the two sides engaged in battle. If it weren't for the cavalry holding the line, the battle would have been over by now.

He glanced around again and saw that another cavalry unit, about a hundred strong, was advancing from the opposite side. Judging from this, the enemy cavalry must have numbered about three or four hundred by now.

Zhao Liu was a little worried. Although the two battalions outside the city, Bashan and Jindao, were still in good fighting formation, it was still dangerous to face so many cavalry.

Thinking of this, Zhao Liu clenched his fist and found that his palms were already sweaty.

At that moment, two people came running from the east gate tower.

Zhao Liu frowned. What did Duan Zhongjian want?
As soon as the two men arrived, they told Zhao Liu some bad news:

"There is a 3,000-strong army hidden in the bandit camp in the east city. The troops are well-organized and look like elite bandits. They are currently launching an attack on the east gate. Duan Tuan wants to request a reserve force."

Zhao Liu was taken aback.

At that moment, two more people came running from the west gate, and Zhao Liu's heart tightened even more.

Sure enough, bad news came from the other side as well:
"The rebel army outside the west city has set out and deployed in the field, blocking the entrance to the Three Villages Camp."

At this moment, Zhao Liu could no longer hold back. He threw a rope towards the back door and slid down it.

As soon as he landed, Zhao Liu shouted to Zhao Huai'an inside the city gate:
"Zhao Da, something's not right. The bandit army outside the city is deliberately trying to provoke us into battle. There are three thousand bandits attacking the city at the east gate, and another bandit army is blocking Zhang Ao's camp at the west gate. Should we send Han Qiong and the others back?"

Sitting on his iron horse, Zhao Huai'an listened patiently to Zhao Liu's report, then shook his head as he gazed at the two commanders, Ba Shan and Jin Dao, locked in a fierce battle outside the city.
"It's too late, Zhao Liu. No matter what happens to the city, remember, hold those six piles of wolf droppings at all costs. Once I raise the 'Protect Justice' flag, burn them! Do you understand?"

Zhao Liu nodded emphatically, and then Zhao Huai'an raised his lance and roared at the armored cavalry:

"Stay calm, we will win!"

……

"Hahaha, fight like this! Don't hold back, kill them all!"

At this moment, on the battlefield, Han Qiong swung the iron mace in her hand, drawing circles, and excitedly watched as the Bashan gang recklessly took lives in front of her.

After the enemy's regular troops were wiped out, they finally sent out some capable soldiers. Some were in iron armor and some in leather armor, and they looked decent enough, but when they charged, they still rushed in a chaotic mob, with no formation whatsoever.

One or two brave armored soldiers charged fiercely, but suddenly the armored soldier in front of him retreated, and the man fell into the formation. In the end, he was stabbed to death by the armored soldiers holding daggers on his left and right through the gaps in his armor.

Without the protection of a formation, an armored warrior would die as easily as a chicken when facing a well-organized army.

As for the remaining leather-armored soldiers, they were also chopped down by the shield-wielding, sword-wielding, and axe-wielding men who rushed out from within the ranks. With the death of the grass army warriors, the remaining troops collapsed immediately.

Looking at the cowardly army that resembled sheep, Bashandu erupted in unrestrained laughter before his troops, and everyone shouted in unison:

"Mountain-pulling, invincible!"

Han Qiong, standing in the ranks of soldiers, cracked his knuckles and laughed heartily.
"I can lift mountains! I'm invincible!"

He wasn't pleased with Bashandu's fighting strength; killing those bandits was as easy as killing chickens, wasn't that what he expected?
He was pleased that even though the enemy suffered repeated defeats, the soldiers of Bashandu remained restrained and showed no sign of pursuing them, maintaining the order of their formation.

Seeing that the armored soldiers in the front row began to take advantage of the retreat of the grass army to change shifts with the armored soldiers in the back and rest at the rear, Han Qiong nodded with satisfaction.

Unstoppable, as thick as a mountain, this is our "Mountain-Breaking Capital"!
Suddenly, he saw a cloud of dust billowing up from the northwest, the ground shaking, his face changed, and he roared:

"Enemy cavalry! Nock your spears!"

This time, instead of flags, groups of people shouted:

"Prepare the spears!" "Prepare the spears!"...

Then, one by one, the spears were placed on the ground, their copper tips deeply embedded in the soil.

At this moment, Bashan seemed like a porcupine bristling with its quills, shouting at the approaching cavalry:

"come!"

(End of this chapter)