Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 227 Seizing the Bridge
Inside the original Xuanwu Army First Camp, four fierce generals of the outlaw army, Huang Yan, Yang Neng, Zhao Jue, and Huang Wenjing, who were ordered to go out of the city to fight, stood on a sturdy watchtower, looking at the army lined up along the moat with grim expressions.

As a member of the Huang clan, Huang Yan naturally became the backbone of this bandit army that had ventured out of the city. At this moment, he looked anxiously at the army blocking their side and rear, and saw in the distance that its banner bore the words "Red Heart".

A group of local bandits had just been defeated by them and were running towards the suspension bridge, but they were driven away by the elite bandit force guarding the stone bridge.

As a seasoned thief who personally sold smuggled salt alongside Huang Chao, Huang Yan keenly sensed that something was amiss.

According to the previous military strategy, after the bandits of Dayeze burned the Tang army's fleet anchored on the Baigou River outside the city, they immediately launched an attack on the Xuanwu army north of the city, and then returned to the city amidst the surprise of the Tang army on both sides.

After all, the destruction of the fleet, including the loss of a large number of naval and supply ships, would slow down the reaction speed of the Western Baoyi Army.

But they never expected the Xuanwu army to be so vulnerable. They had only intended to break through one battalion and then return, but the Xuanwu army's fortifications collapsed with a single push, and the troops fought more and more smoothly, quickly breaking into more fortifications.

Then Huang Qin, who was on the city wall, saw that his brothers who had come out of the city were fighting so well and with such great momentum that he sent more troops. Huang Wenjing's troops were sent out at that time.

This wouldn't have been a problem in itself, but now that a force of the Baoyi Army has reached their flank and rear, things have become much more complicated.

Don't these militia members need to rescue the navy on the Baigou River? They rushed over without a second thought.

Moreover, this army that appeared was clearly elite; just by looking at that vast expanse of white, glittering flesh, one could tell how many armored soldiers were in this force.

While Huang Yan remained silent, Yang Neng spoke first. Because of his spite towards Huang Qin, Yang Neng led his team to charge the fastest, and therefore suffered the most severe losses.

Because his troops had now penetrated deep into the forward camp, Yang Neng pointed to the array of Chixin soldiers and said:

"Fight! We must eliminate this force, otherwise it's like a knife stuck in our throat. If we retreat later, they can ruin everything by blocking our way."

But no one spoke.

They certainly understand the stakes, but the question is, who will fight?
Cao Shixiong had already dealt with armored soldiers in formation before, hadn't he? And then what? Several thousand men took turns attacking, but they couldn't defeat six hundred of them.

The enemy currently has a standard 500-man formation, but it's another matter whether they can gather several thousand troops from various factions.

How can we fight like this? Of course, no one said a word.

Before the group could feel awkward, two mounted knights emerged from the Red Heart Army formation along the moat. Both were clad in iron armor and wielding lances, and charged straight towards them.

Along the way, several small groups of bandits tried to block their way, but right before the eyes of these bandit generals, just two knights and two lances cut them all down.

One of the most ruthless fighters even gave chase, stabbing a soldier in the back with his spear. As the soldier convulsed, he calmly pulled out his spear, then glanced at Huang Yan and the others on the watchtower.

Then the two knights rushed to another spot, either stabbing or driving away enemies, clearing out the small area of ​​battlefield in front of the general's formation.

Huang Yan and the others looked even more serious now.

None of those present had fought against the Baoyi Army, so their knowledge of them was mostly based on hearsay. But just by looking at the composure of these warriors as they strolled leisurely across the battlefield, they knew that this army must be strong.

After all, if they were in the enemy's position and facing superior enemy forces, they would not dare to be so composed.

The enemy's army is well-organized, heavily armored, and highly motivated. Why are they still charging forward? Let whoever wants to fight, fight.

At this moment, Zhao Jue in the crowd suddenly spoke with absolute certainty:
“Yang Zhao must be a traitor. This is a trap set by the enemy. We must withdraw our troops now and return to the city.”

Although Zhao Jue's intelligence was often praised by these people, none of them believed it now. The reason was simple: how could someone who set a trap be killed like this?

The Xuanwu Army was not feigning defeat. They were losing their armor and weapons and suffering heavy casualties along the way. Who would pay such a price to fake it?

Not to mention that everyone knew about his grudge against Yang Zhao, so Huang Wenjing chuckled and patted Zhao Jue on the shoulder, saying with a smile:

"Old Zhao, don't think too much about it. We're doing pretty well right now."

Then he said to the other two:

"However, what Lao Zhao said makes sense. We should withdraw our troops now, gather our spoils and captures, and then head back to the city. Let's call it a day!"

But his words made Yang Neng frown, and he snorted:

“My men are all entangled with the Xuanwu Army. How can I retreat? If I retreat, not only will the previous gains be lost, but my troops will also suffer huge losses.”

In his mind, Yang Neng had already labeled Huang Wenjing a "good-for-nothing." Did he even know how to fight? Retreating from the front lines? Was he trying to get himself killed?

So he instead advised the others:
"We're doing well now, so we should press on and take down the Xuanwu Army in one fell swoop, kill a few of their generals, and then the enemy will be terrified."

"And look at the supplies piled up in this camp. Once they're in our hands, how many more men can we recruit? If a hundred die today, we can recruit a thousand tomorrow. What's there to be afraid of? As the saying goes, the bold get rich, the timid starve. Are you in or not?"

Yang Neng's words made the others ponder, but Zhao Jue noticed them and became very anxious:
"What talk of courage and cowardice? If we don't retreat now, we'll all die out there. The enemy arrived so quickly, yet they haven't attacked. They must be waiting for reinforcements to arrive so they can cut off our route back to the city."

"And then there's Yang Zhao. He had shady dealings with the Tang army before, but he only came to join us after we defeated the Taiping army. Why would such a fickle and treacherous person come into the city on his own initiative and even offer us a fire attack strategy? Don't tell me he's suddenly become a loyal subject of our army?"

"I am now very confident that this is a setup. The other side probably didn't expect the Xuanwu Army to be so bad, which is why their plans were disrupted."

These words left the group exchanging bewildered glances. Ultimately, Yang, wanting to befriend Zhao Jue, chose to trust him and asked:
"Old Zhao, what should we do?"

Zhao Jue thought calmly and said:

“We four families still have personal guards, all of whom are our old brothers. We have also just been replenished with a batch of armor from the Xuanwu Army that we captured. This is our strongest and best-equipped force. Let each family contribute two hundred men, making a total of eight hundred, and let's take down Chixindu first!”

Seeing that the others remained silent, Zhao Jue roared:

"What time is it? This time, I, Zhao Jue, will take the lead, is that alright?"

Now, Huang Yan and the others looked at each other, and finally nodded in agreement.

Just as they were gathering their troops, they were shocked to see that Chixindu, who had been standing still in formation, suddenly rushed towards the North Gate Stone Bridge like a madman.

At this moment, they dared not mention holding back their strength anymore. They shouted in alarm to those below. A moment later, led by Hao Gui, a brave general in Zhao Jue's army, eight hundred elite brothers rushed straight to Chixindu from the flank and rear.

At this moment, Chi Xindu spun off another force to intercept the approaching Cao army during his charge, while the rest of the troops continued their attack on the North Gate Stone Bridge without stopping.

……

Half an hour earlier, when Zhang Ao, who was inside the formation, heard the messenger's order from the magistrate, his face turned red.

Suddenly, he yelled at the people around him:

"I need twenty men who aren't afraid to die. Who's up?"

Zhang Ao's younger brother, Zhang Xiang, stepped forward and roared:

"Your humble servant is here!"

At this moment, seven or eight more people stepped forward from the crowd. These were all trusted confidants who had received great favors from Zhang Ao. If they didn't step forward now, who would?

Zhang Ao glanced at his younger brother, nodded, and was about to order the rest himself when Yao Xingzhong stepped forward, accompanied by five of his old brothers from Xuzhou.

Finally, a few more warriors stepped forward from Zhang Ao's guards, willing to fight.

Zhang Ao gave the following orders to these people:

"In a moment, you will swim across the moat, pass directly under the bridge, and destroy the noose, understand?"

Zhang Xiang and Yao Xingzhong understood that this was a mission where they were certain to die!

Without hesitation, the two men, along with their men, shouted loudly:
"understand!"

Finally, Zhang Ao personally escorted the twenty men to the riverbank, watched them go into the water naked, carrying swords on their backs, before returning.

Upon returning, Zhang Ao loudly issued an order:

"All troops, charge! Follow me and capture the stone bridge! Kill!"

After saying this, Zhang Ao personally led the way, leaping onto his horse and charging northeast, where the stone bridge was where more than three hundred elite soldiers were stationed.

Halfway there, Zhang Ao saw the grass-clad infantry rushing out from his left, and shouted with his spear in hand:

Where is Liu Kangyi?

A burly man roared:
"Your subordinate is here!" "Take your unit, and I'll give you two more units. Hold off the enemy with your lives!"

Liu Kangyi roared and then led more than a hundred mule-mounted infantrymen out of the ranks, blocking the front of the grass army infantrymen who rushed out from the camp.

Before long, Hao Gui, the fierce general of the bandit army, charged forward without hesitation.

In this small area, the two armored teams engaged in a bloody battle.

Meanwhile, the remaining three hundred-odd Chixindu soldiers, led by General Zhang Ao, dismounted their mules and formed a battle formation, then rammed into the grass army on the stone bridge.

……

Zhang Ao roared and strode forward, using his shield to deflect the thrown short axe before striking the opposite armored soldier on the shoulder with his iron mace.

Armor plates flew off, flesh and blood were mangled, the man howled in pain, and tried to swing the horizontal sword in his hand, but in doing so he exposed his entire chest. In the end, Zhang Ao kicked him away.

Just as he was about to speak, an arrow struck his helmet and bounced off. Zhang Ao let out a howl:
"Keep killing! Smaller ranks behind, small formations! Propose long spears!"

Following Zhang Ao's command, about twenty infantrymen behind him roared and placed their spears directly on the shoulders of their comrades in front of them, then thrust them forward wildly without even looking.

More and more soldiers were wailing, and the ground below was piled with corpses. Both sides were heavily armored, and they were pushing and shoving each other on the side of the bridge, creating chaos.

Even though both sides were armored, the difference in combat strength between them was still significant.

The soldiers of Chixindu are professional warriors. Wearing armor is only part of their combat strength. The reason why the grass army on the other side can wear armor is because they can put it on, not because their combat strength has reached that level.

Most of the armored soldiers in the Grass Army were selected from the strong men among the refugees, who had survived the brutal massacre of fleeing famine.

Nine out of ten people who can remain strong and muscular in that kind of environment are bad people.

So after being incorporated into the bandit army, these people, relying on their physical strength and fighting spirit, and not valuing their lives, quickly became the core of the bandit army.

But how could these people have survived such a battle?
When rows of spears thrust wildly at them, and when dense arrows rained down like a storm, they realized that the previous fighting was just child's play.

So, after just a few volleys of spears, half of the men in front fell, and the remaining warriors who were resisting vanished like frost and snow.

After defeating the leading squad, Zhang Ao shouted in alarm and continued forward, mace in hand.

Suddenly, a volley of arrows came crashing down on him.

Caught off guard, Zhang Ao was struck by three or four arrows, one of which lodged in his thigh. As he was moving quickly, the armor on his leg slipped to the side.

He didn't take it seriously and was about to continue charging, but as soon as he took a step, his legs suddenly went weak.

Then he saw blood gushing from his thigh.

The two guards nearby saw this and tried to pull Zhang Ao back, but he immediately drew a knife from his waist, held it to his own neck, and roared:

"If anyone dares to carry me up there, I'll die right here! Charge! Keep charging! Don't give the bastards a chance to breathe!"

Zhang Ao rose through the ranks from the bottom of Shouzhou, fighting his way up step by step. He was a seasoned fighter, having participated in the early suppression of the rebellion in western Zhejiang, and possessed rich battlefield experience.

He knew exactly what his subordinates were thinking.

The stricter the military discipline, the less likely anyone in the ranks would dare to desert in the face of battle. But who isn't afraid of death? So whenever a comrade falls, these people swarm up, carry him back, and then stop coming up once they reach the rear.

So why is it that when only 20-30% of soldiers are wounded, the army loses its fighting capacity? It's because the others carry the wounded and escape.

This is especially true when the commander is injured. The guards are responsible for protecting the safety of the general, so once the commander is injured and falls to the ground, these people will drag the commander away from the battlefield.

But once the commanders have all fled, who among the remaining officers and soldiers will continue to fight to the death?

So Zhang Ao placed the knife directly against his neck, then sat on a corpse, stretched out his legs, and roared:
"I'll sit right here for this battle. Either my brothers take the North Gate, or we die here!"

The loyalists hesitated, but Zhang Ao's roar of "Kill!" ignited their fury. The people of Shouzhou, already known for their bloodthirstiness, were now driven to desperation and began to curse:

"Whoever in the back has a shield, go up there and kill all those bastards!"

Those at the back couldn't squeeze up, so they passed the shield up one by one and handed it to the brothers at the front.

Then the heroes of Shouzhou shouted to Zhang Ao:
"Damn it, today I'll fight for you and the magistrate! I'll risk my life against them!"

Then they carried their shields, stepped over the corpses in front of them, and ran toward the stone bridge.

Meanwhile, at the north gate, the rebel army became increasingly panicked, continuing to fire arrows while frantically trying to pull up the pontoon bridge.

However, a huge conflict broke out among the rebels on the city walls.

Commander Huang Qin disagreed, and he yelled at several elderly people in his family:

“We can’t pull the drawbridge. There are over three thousand of our old comrades outside the city, plus the miscellaneous soldiers, that’s almost ten thousand. If we pull the drawbridge, all of them will surely die. Without them, we won’t even be able to fill the city walls, and in the end, we won’t be able to hold the city.”

As he spoke, he stepped forward, shoved aside the straw-clad soldiers turning the wheels on the city wall, and roared:

"Don't pull! Anyone who pulls will be chopped up!"

Seeing how unruly Xiao Ba was, an elder was so angry that he shouted and stepped forward, his neck shrugged:

"Fine, fine, I'll get you. You, Huang Balang, will chop me to death today!"

As he spoke, he rushed over to continue turning the suspension bridge wheel.

Then Huang Qin knelt down in front of his uncle, hugged his legs, and cried loudly:

"Uncle, my brothers are all outside. How can I abandon them? How many people are there in the raid? I'll go down and charge myself, and kill them all!"

After saying this, Huang Qin jumped up, preparing to lead his men out of the city to kill those loyal warriors.

Then he was captured by this clan uncle, who glanced at him and cursed:
"I'm not dead yet, is it your turn, kid, to risk your life?"

Having said that, he picked up his helmet from the ground and shouted towards the city wall:
"Two hundred wretched souls, come and fight your way out with me!"

He then ran down from the city wall, followed by hundreds of soldiers, fully armed and wielding weapons.

……

Meanwhile, twenty naked warriors from the Red Heart City, under the cover of the sounds of battle raging on the bridge, quietly climbed up the slope below the suspension bridge.

Zhang Xiang, who was wrapped in a black headscarf, was about to rush forward when Yao Xingzhong grabbed him and gestured for him not to move.

Sure enough, a series of hurried footsteps came from above them, making the pontoon bridge creak.

Once the higher-ups had completely stopped making any noise, Yao Xingzhong jumped out and then disappeared.

Zhang Xiang, who was standing nearby, was very anxious. He led his men to climb up as well. Then he saw Yao Xingzhong kill a soldier in armor at some point, and then take off his armor and put it on.

Seeing Zhang Xiang bring his men up, Yao Xingzhong shouted:

"I'll lead the charge, you guys go and attack the city walls. Remember, you have to cut the wheels first."

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted:
“We don’t need to rush straight up the city wall. We just need to put a piece of wood at the end of the drawbridge to block it from rising. I just checked, the drawbridge is very thick. As long as we hammer it deep enough, we can hold it in place!”

Yao Xingzhong went to look and saw a pale-faced man saying these words, so he shouted:
"What's your name?"

The man shouted:
"I am Chen Cheng, a soldier from Shouzhou."

Yao Xingzhong was overjoyed:
"Alright, you take two men to handle this, the rest of you follow me and charge the city wall. We'll attack from both sides! Remember, even if we all die, we must not allow this drawbridge to rise again!"

The crowd shouted:

"Here!"

Subsequently, Yao Xingzhong donned armor, took up a sword, and was the first to charge into Caozhou City.

(End of this chapter)