Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 199 Hu Baoyi

Seeing that the situation was settled, Cao Shixiong finally deployed his most elite troops.

Six hundred armored soldiers, each selected by Cao Shixiong from dozens of disaster victims, were able to eat meat while other disaster victims could only starve to the point of eating dirt.

Now, it's time to risk everything!
Upon receiving the order, these armored soldiers, each carrying an iron mace and long-handled double axes, stepped forward.

Ahead of them, Cao Shixiong had given the order to launch a general offensive, and countless rebel armies from various factions surged forward like locusts.

They want to eat rice!
In an instant, these bandits surrounded Bashan and Jindao like a yellow tide. Unable to break through the armored soldiers' formation, they held shields and began to press down on the Tang army's elite armored soldiers from all sides.

The wisdom of the masses is boundless; what should have been a battle of strength and courage has now turned into a contest of brute force.

Even though the two armies of the young master, numbering only a few hundred, were desperately attacking the outer band of soldiers, their battle formation was being squeezed step by step.

At this moment, all the young masters and infantrymen panicked. They realized that without reinforcements, they would be crushed to death by these people.

So some people started shouting "My Lord!" while others shouted "Protect Righteousness!" Amid the chaos of the battlefield, these voices echoed all the way to the doorway behind them.

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an took a deep breath, put down his face mask, tucked his lance under his arm, lightly kicked the horse's belly, and then slowly rode out of the doorway.

The sunlight was blinding, and Zhao Huai'an squinted to adjust to the environment.

The horrific scene and the stench of blood instantly drew him into the battlefield.

Behind him, forty armored cavalrymen, including Liu Zhijun, Ding Hui, Yao Xingzhong, Fei Cun, Yang Mao, Sun Tai, Li Hu, He Wenqin, Zou Yongfu, Wang Yanzhang, Liu Wei, Tao Ya, Zhao Jinzhong, and Zhu Jing, filed out in single file.

Zhao Huai'an knew that now was not the best time to launch an attack, as the enemy's elite troops had not yet been transferred from their main camp, but there was no time to wait any longer.

The infantrymen from the two capitals who went out to fight were still too few in number. At this moment, the grass army took advantage of its numbers. If they did not attack, their core weaponry would be destroyed here.

However, Zhao Huai'an remained highly motivated. How long could the so-called "best moment to strike" possibly last? The best moment to strike is always right now! This was Zhao Huai'an's belief!

So, holding his lance, he shouted to Ding Hui behind him:
"Old Ding, raise my 'Protect Justice' flag! Follow me closely!"

Ding quickly took a flag from behind the horse and tied it to a long cross-shaped frame to ensure that the flag would always be flying.

Then he shouted:
“Raise the flag!”

He then raised the banner of righteousness, and the remaining armored cavalrymen tied the banners around their necks as cloaks.

Zhao Huai'an looked up at the "Protect Justice" flag fluttering overhead, laughed loudly, lowered his lance, and roared:

"Save our brothers! Kill!"

Then, the forty armored cavalrymen simultaneously lowered their lances and roared:

"Where righteousness lies, I will follow, even unto death!"

Then, they fiercely crushed the grass army that had squeezed and crushed the two capitals of Bashan and Jindao.

……

At this moment, Zhao Liu, who had been lying on the city wall intently observing the battle, jumped up and roared when he saw the "Protect Justice" flag being raised below:
"Raise the signal fire!"

No one knew the pressure Zhao Liu was under at that moment.

Not long before, Dongcheng once again requested reinforcements. This time it was a true life-or-death moment. Most of the Caozhou army had already stormed the city walls. If reinforcements were not sent, Dongcheng would surely fall.

There was no other way, so Fatty Bean personally led most of the troops from the North City to provide support.

Not long after Fatty Bean left, black smoke rose again from the city's neighborhoods, clearly indicating that remnants of the rebel army were attempting to attack important strongholds within the city.

It was amidst this torment, both internally and externally, that Zhao Liu and his men held their ground at the north city wall, guarding those six piles of wolf dung.

Now, Zhao Da has finally made his move, raising the banner of righteousness. At this moment, their mission is finally complete.

Over there, Zhao Wenzhong's adopted sons roared and set fire to the six piles of dung beside them, sending six plumes of smoke soaring into the sky.

After doing all this, Zhao Liu, clad in double-layered armor, drew his sword and roared at the remaining defenders on the city wall:
"The magistrate has launched his attack, and our army is sure to win! But before victory, we must hold the city! Now, heed my command and follow me to save Dongcheng!"

Zhao Wenzhong's adopted sons all drew their swords and, together with more than a hundred Baoyidu officials and soldiers, shouted:
"Our army will surely win! We swear to defend the city!"

After saying that, Zhao Liu led them straight to the East City via the horse path.

Meanwhile, over there, the fighting had already turned into a bloodbath with mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

……

Zhao Huai'an and his forty armored cavalrymen switched from slow to fast pace within a distance of three hundred paces, and then began to sprint.

Before the crowd, Zhao Huai'an laid his left hand flat, and then the forty riders split into three teams.

Ten of them followed behind Zhao Huai'an, forming a sharp arrowhead that pierced between Bashan and Jindao.

Fifteen more men, along with Liu Zhijun, formed another arrowhead formation and thrust it straight into the left flank of Bashandu. Fifteen more riders, along with Yao Xingzhong, formed a third arrowhead formation and thrust it straight into the right flank of Jindaodu.

Because of the continuous advances of Bashan and Jindao, and their firm defense of their positions, Zhao Huai'an and his armored cavalry had gained a wide path for their charge.

At this moment, the three arrows separated on the vast battlefield, moving at almost the same speed, advancing side by side, and then piercing straight into the three grassy lines.

Amidst the earth-shaking tremors, the soldiers who were struggling to squeeze into the middle of the army formation only had time to glance to the side before three armored cavalrymen shot over.

“Bang…!”

Zhao Huai'an charged ahead, his warhorse wielding immense force, crashing down on the unfortunate people in front of him like a cannonball.

With a loud bang, before the soldier could even utter a sound from his throat, the spear pierced his neck, and his head flew off instantly.

Then came another muffled thud. Zhao Huai'an's warhorse, with unparalleled force, crashed directly into the remaining corpses. In that instant, the chest was completely smashed open, and various internal organs flew out from the huge wound, scattering into the air and hitting everyone.

"Boom!"

Ding Hui, carrying the banner of righteousness, and his nine remaining armored cavalry brothers trampled over the corpses as they charged forward.

They didn't even need to stab the horse spears in their hands; they simply used their warhorses and weight to trample the unarmed soldiers in front of them to death.

The iron-clad hooves slammed down on his chest, shattering the ground like a watermelon.

They rushed past, leaving behind trails of flesh and blood turned up by the iron plow, and they continued to move forward.

Unstoppable, truly unstoppable!

Without any military formation or even weapons, the peasant army could only be slaughtered at this moment.

After Zhao Huai'an pried a bloody gash from the doctor's body, he looked to his left and right. Seeing that Liu Zhijun and Yao Xingzhong had also led their cavalry out to attack, he nodded, pointed his spear forward, and charged again.

Over there stood Cao Shixiong's elite infantry, who had just arrived on foot, ready to join the battle.

On both sides, Liu Zhijun and Yao Xingzhong, seeing their lord continue his charge, did not hesitate to lead their troops to attack the armored soldiers from both sides.

Not long after the armored cavalry charged, the two commanders, Bashan and Jindao, also broke free from the crowd. At this point, they had no formation left. They stepped over layers of corpses and flesh, carrying iron maces and iron axes, and charged forward from the east and west sides!
At this moment, Han Qiong, whose face had just recovered from its purplish-red hue, showed no fear of having just brushed with death. Holding her iron mace, she roared forward:

"kill!"

Then, the more than 500 Baoyi Army infantrymen released their last bit of energy and charged towards the elite Puzhou army approaching from the front.

……

The moment the smoke signal rose, the three battalions in the southwest corner of the city, totaling 1,100 elite soldiers, gathered at the camp on the left front.

They cut down all the general's tents, cleared out the entire camp, and left behind flat land.

One thousand one hundred elite armored soldiers, gazing at the six plumes of smoke rising ahead, all drew their weapons.

At this moment, before them stood Huo Yanchao, Zhang Ao, and Gao Qinde, respectively, before Wudang, Chixin, and Buba Sandu. Huo Yanchao raised his riding whip, pointed at the smoke signals rising to the north, and roared at everyone:

"The lord has ordered that upon seeing these six plumes of smoke, we must immediately launch an attack on the northern battlefield. But now, an enemy force dares to block our way outside our camp. Brothers, what should we do?"

One thousand one hundred armored soldiers shouted loudly:

"Kill, kill, kill!"

Huo Yanchao roared "Good!" and then gave the order:

"In this battle, we will all be at the forefront, the regiments will follow, and the squads will be at the rear. Anyone below us three who dares to look back will be killed by the rear guard!"

"In this battle, I am invincible!"

After saying this, Huo Yanchao personally overturned the camp in front of him, then mounted a strong horse, raised his lance, and roared:

"Attack!"

At this moment, the entire camp's fence was overturned, and the 1,100 officers and soldiers of the Three Capitals, who had already formed ranks inside the camp, mounted their strong mules and charged fiercely at the enemy troops in front.

Among them were some mounted warriors, all of whom were military officers, and these men were also at the forefront.

Because ahead of them, Huo Yanchao is setting an example through his actions.

After breaking out of the camp, he always charged ahead, his target being the enemy general's flag.

At this time, these soldiers were very lax. Their task was to block the passage for the three battalions to leave the camp. So the whole army was divided into three groups and pressed outside the camp of the three battalions.

Moreover, knowing that the government troops couldn't break through, these unofficial soldiers were tired of standing, and most of them were now sitting on the ground.

At that moment, when the wooden palisade of the western battalion suddenly collapsed, a thousand-strong mule army suddenly appeared before everyone.

At that moment, everyone was stunned.

Then they saw Huo Yanchao, at the very front of the mule army, riding a warhorse and wielding a lance, cutting through the middle of the ranks.

Behind him, a thousand mule riders followed closely, kicking up clouds of dust.

At this moment, the "grass" in "grass army" was clearly manifested. After realizing what was happening, the grass army sitting on the ground did not immediately form a defensive formation, but instead quickly moved to the sides, leaving the path for the righteous army to charge.

A thousand mule riders, a thousand soldiers scattered. Huo Yanwei galloped ahead, like lightning, and arrived at the general's banner. There, a general was frantically trying to put his horse in the stirrups, but he couldn't get them on after several attempts.

Only when Huo Yanwei arrived did he manage to mount his warhorse with the help of his attendants. But before he could even spur his horse, a sharp blade pierced through the back of his neck, and his head flew off.

Huo Yanwei swung his spear, cutting down the "King" banner, then galloped away, crushing the severed head under his foot.

Behind him, over a thousand mule soldiers pierced the formation like arrows. Those clever mule soldiers who dodged to the sides were spared, but those who reacted slowly were trampled into mincemeat by the thousands of hooves.

Who says that a mule rider isn't a cavalryman?
At this moment, after sixty years, the sound of the iron hooves of the Huaihe River Mule Army once again echoed across the Central Plains!
Do you still remember the fear of being dominated by the Huaixi people?
……

Five miles northwest of the battlefield, after discovering that the Grass Army was no longer scattering its cavalry to the rear, Wang Jin led the Three Capital Cavalry to quietly advance to this location.

Because this is the only place in the vicinity where there is still dense forest, even though most of the leaves on these trees have been picked clean by the refugees.

The knights dismounted to rest, some covering their eyes with cloths to shield them from the sunlight.

Suddenly, Guo Congyun peered through the countless branches and saw six plumes of smoke rising from the southeast. He shouted:
"Liu Zhijun has succeeded. Your Excellency's burning of this signal fire will surely urge our army to attack!"

At this moment, Wang Jin also stood up from under the tree, and looked out from under the shade of the tree. Sure enough, he saw six straight plumes of smoke rising into the sky.

Then he shouted:
"Where is the rest of the army?"

The more than three hundred elite cavalrymen who had already gotten up stood by their horses, awaiting orders.

Wang Jin mounted his horse, gripped his spear with one arm, pointed it in the direction of the beacon fire, and shouted:

"All troops, follow me and attack!"

Guo Congyun, already on horseback, took the lead and galloped ahead, followed by the Three Capital Knights, who kicked up huge clouds of dust and charged straight towards the rear of the rebel army!
……

Beneath that banner proclaiming "Mending Heaven and Ensuring Peace," Cao Shixiong's hands and feet were ice-cold. Gazing blankly at the collapsing armor of the Puzhou army, he asked a bewildered question:
"Can anyone tell me what those cavalrymen covered in iron armor are? What kind of monsters are they?"

Cao Shixiong is indeed cunning. He's like a mud dog struggling in a quagmire. Everyone underestimates him, but if you're not careful, this mud dog might actually rush up and bite you.

But no matter how cunning the earth dog is, it still can't leave the earth. At this moment, Cao Shixiong has never seen armored cavalry before, nor does he know that there would be a heroic era dominated by armored cavalry in history.

If he had known that in the Battle of Mangshan in history, the famous Western Wei general Hebasheng, with only thirteen armored cavalry, was able to chase Gao Wang out of the army of 100,000, leaving him with no way to escape, he might not have been so astonished.

Watching his most prized armor finally crumble under the relentless onslaught of the Baoyi Army's infantry and cavalry, Cao Shixiong roared and cried out:

"Mi Shisan, give me back my armor, give me back my eight hundred brothers!"

But before he could get any angrier, his brother-in-law, Lü Erlang, suddenly pointed tremblingly to the southwest, grabbed Cao Shixiong's sleeve from below, and said in a shaky voice:

"General, have you deployed... cavalry in the southwest?"

Cao Shixiong was about to call him an idiot, but when he saw the dust rising from the southwest, he gasped.

If the Tang army consisted only of the men on the front lines, those cavalrymen, though strange, were not a threat to him. After all, he still had troops under his command, and each of the smaller commanders still had brave soldiers.

If he had enough time, he could even recruit directly from behind the camp, or even recruit refugees from the wilderness, and then overwhelm these militia members with sheer numbers.

But what did he see now? The cloud of smoke was at least the size of a thousand cavalrymen.

Could it be that Zhao Huai'an had been holding back until the very end, only sending out his cavalry at this moment?
What kind of forbearance is this?
At this moment, shouts were already coming from the southwest. At first, they were chaotic, but eventually they merged into a single sound that shook the heavens and the earth.

At this moment, Cao Shixiong had clearly heard them shouting:

"Call for justice!"

He stared blankly for a moment, then murmured "Hu Baoyi" repeatedly, before sighing and giving the order to those behind him:

"Retreat! We cannot defeat the Baoyi Army by force. Let's retreat back to Puzhou first, then gather our troops and fight again!"

But no sooner had he finished speaking than his brother-in-law, Lü Erlang, pointed behind them again and stammered:
“That’s our…our cavalry! It must be, it must be.”

But when the cavalry charged out of the dust and saw the fluttering flags, and heard them shouting "Call for Justice!" under the banner of "Mending Heaven and Ensuring Peace," everyone felt utterly hopeless.

Without hesitation, Cao Shixiong mounted his horse, not even carrying the banner, and shouted directly to his brother-in-law and a group of relatives and followers:
"What are you waiting for? Run!"

After saying that, he ran off in the northeast direction without looking back.

But he didn't see that as soon as he ran, Lu Erlang and the others who were about to follow suddenly saw the armored cavalry rushing towards them, their faces turned pale, and they knelt on the ground, attempting to surrender.

But as soon as these men knelt, the armored cavalry trampled over them. The leading general, Liu Zhijun, seeing that there was no one left under the banner, cut it down with a mixture of joy and regret.
"Alas, what a pity for that great thief; the magistrate managed to steal it."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Wang Jin and the others rushing up to him. Liu Zhijun chuckled, mounted his warhorse, stepped onto the banner, and interrupted:

"Old Wang, this banner is ours."

Wang Jin didn't even bother with him. After looking around and not seeing Zhao Huai'an, his expression changed drastically.

"You scoundrel, where is the lord?"

After being scolded by Wang Jin, Liu Zhijun shrank back, then pointed northeast, and then he and Wang Jin and the other cavalrymen saw this scene.

A tall, armored cavalryman, draped in a banner that read "Protect Righteousness," slashed Cao Shixiong's neck with his lance. Cao's head, as large as a bucket, tumbled in the air before landing in the cavalryman's hand.

Then, this cavalry general, carrying Cao Shixiong's head, charged towards the crowd from behind, under the blood-red "Protect Righteousness" banner held by Ding Hui.

At this moment, Your Excellency is truly shining!

(End of this chapter)