Taiping Dao at the end of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 64: The Sixteen-Character Tactic: How to Fight the Government Army!
The offering table in Tianqi Temple was neat and orderly, and the ashes in the pottery incense burner were still warm. The sculpture of the Eastern Peak Emperor and the Yellow Heaven God tablet stood side by side, and six sticks of new incense had just been lit. Wisps of smoke rose slowly, carrying the scent of wood and the aroma of burnt talismans, lingering in the hall as if some unseen divine will was lurking there.

These numerous chieftains, surrounded by the fragrant aroma, showed no signs of relaxation. They were either deep in thought and silent, or their faces showed unease. Even veteran chieftains like Bu Si and Zhang Rao had shifting expressions and furrowed brows.

"My lord, are we really going to take action against the powerful clans of the various prefectures and kingdoms? These clans are all in cahoots. It's one thing to deal with one or two clans secretly, but if we deal with too many, I'm afraid we'll be attacked by all the powerful clans of Qingyan!"

"Especially in the eastern part of my Shanyang Commandery, there is a group of powerful clans that are all connected with the powerful clans of Lu and Pei, their influence deeply intertwined, like tangled soybeans. These powerful clans have always placed their people in the commandery's and state's armies, embezzling treasuries and stockpiling large amounts of grain and military supplies. If all these powerful clans were to make their move, I'm afraid my Shanyang Commandery's force of a thousand Yellow Turban soldiers would be no match for them."

"Moreover, some prominent families are quite friendly towards our Taiping Dao. Although not much, they have donated some grain before. Those upright gentry families also have a good reputation in the prefectures and kingdoms, and many tenant farmers and estate workers consider the masters of these upright gentry families to be kind and benevolent."

Zhang Chengfu sat at the second-highest seat, his gaze fixed on Zhai Cheng, the chieftain of Shanyang Commandery. This chieftain was a veteran of the commandery, possessing a pragmatic and accurate understanding of military strength and the hearts and minds of the people. Zhang Chengfu smiled and nodded to Zhai Cheng, then spoke solemnly.

"After the uprising, it is imperative for us to take action against the powerful and influential families! This is an irreconcilable conflict, and we cannot harbor any illusions of compromise. We can only resort to more ingenious struggles and battles!"

"We stand with the displaced people suffering from the disaster. To win their hearts and minds and save their lives, we must destroy the estates of these powerful families and seize their grain! This is the food that sustains the people and the foundation upon which these powerful families stand. Either the people starve to death, or the powerful families are destroyed. It's a matter of life and death!"

"Moreover, even if we don't attack the powerful clans, they will still attack us if we gather a crowd to revolt! They will fear the gathered refugees, the power of an ant biting an elephant, the blood on their hands, and even more so, the reversal of the original hierarchical order! No matter how they pretend, how hesitant, or how many individuals sympathize with us, these powerful clans will ultimately support the government army's brutal suppression in various ways!"

“If we don’t take the grain stored by these powerful families, it will become the military rations for the government troops to attack us, and the capital for them to recruit able-bodied men and train their own troops. Then, they will use these troops and the merits of attacking us to climb over our heads and rise to power! They can’t move from where they are sitting, and they will never be able to sit on the side of the common people and refugees!”

"Those with whom we might be able to form an alliance are the commoner scholars who are poor and have little land, and the numerous low-ranking officials in the prefectures and counties! But we also need to be wary of these people and make them pledge their allegiance to us, so that we can be sure that they will not betray us easily!"

Zhang Chengfu, in a passionate voice, clearly revealed to the leaders the irreconcilable conflict between the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the powerful government and aristocratic families. These leaders were not all from humble rural backgrounds; many even harbored illusions about cooperating with powerful clans. They hadn't realized that once the uprising began, it would be a fight to the death, a deadly struggle with no way out, a land of isolated heroes and bloodshed!

Often, they subconsciously feared powerful clans and were easily misled by their words and schemes. The final outcome was that, along with hundreds of thousands, even millions, of suppressed peasant rebels, their heads were piled up into mounds of corpses, and their followers were wiped out. The surviving able-bodied men from the fields and among the common people were absorbed by these powerful clans, becoming fuel for the next wave of warlordism and civil war!
Having heard this clear political understanding of friend and foe, the two great physicians, Zhang Jiao and Zhang Bao, exchanged a glance and nodded almost imperceptibly. In their eyes, although the path Zhang Chengfu described was exceptionally difficult and cruel, his understanding of the various factions on that path was remarkably accurate and realistic. Compared to this young man, the other leaders and disciples, even those much older, lacked such clarity and resolve.

"Chengfu! Tell all the chieftains again the details you told us before about how to conduct guerrilla warfare against the government troops! These details will be of more practical help to the chieftains in various prefectures and kingdoms during the uprising in the year of Jiazi!"

"Yes, teacher!"

Zhang Cheng bowed and agreed, once again shifting the focus of his discourse from politics to military matters. He always harbored a deep-seated urgency to unify the thoughts of the various tribal leaders. Unfortunately, this was not something that could be achieved overnight. The current circumstances and his prestige were insufficient to support such unification; even the Great Teacher of Wisdom could not accomplish it.

"The government troops are usually composed of combined forces from prefectures and kingdoms, with heavy infantry and cavalry as their main force. They are well-armed and well-organized. We, on the other hand, are mainly composed of farmers and believers, with simple weapons and are not good at battle. Therefore, the first thing we must do is to retreat when the enemy advances. We must never confront the main force of the government troops who are advancing to punish us head-on."

"The 'retreat' here means that we should try our best to preserve our strength and avoid direct combat on the plains, retreating towards the waterways of the Great Lake and the hills of Mount Tai! We should use small boats in the lakes and forest trails in the mountains to shake off the pursuit, allowing the government troops to penetrate into unfamiliar territory and create an advantage for us. This is also why we must take all of the Great Lake and Mount Tai and eliminate the local powerful families and clans that share the advantage of the terrain! This will provide the Yellow Turbans with room to maneuver and a way out!"

“When the government troops can’t find our main force and can’t win a decisive battle with us, they will turn from a quick frontal assault into a longer pursuit. At this time, we must harass them day and night to prevent them from having time to rest! Even a commotion, a sneak attack, or a night raid by a dozen or so men will make it difficult for the government troops to regroup and greatly reduce their combat effectiveness. This is what is meant by ‘harassing the enemy when they are stationed.’”

"The premise of this 'harassment' is that we have the advantage of terrain and supply! Only by being familiar with the terrain can we disperse and launch night raids on supplies, cut off supply lines, and burn down camps. The reeds of Daye Marsh are dense and the waterways are crisscrossed, making it suitable for hiding during the day and sneaking in by boat at night. The mountain roads of Mount Tai are rugged, and the roads that large government troops can travel are limited, but small groups of mountain people will have many more mountain paths, which can be used to harass the government troops' supply lines from the rear! As long as the government troops do not have the support of local powerful clans, it will be difficult for them to establish a foothold in Daye Marsh and Mount Tai and conduct a long-term search and extermination! In the end, they will have no choice but to retreat and return Daye Marsh and Mount Tai to us."

Zhang Chengfu, with a piercing gaze, spoke of the "Sixteen-Character Formula" of guerrilla warfare based on his personal observations and experiences, outlining the first eight characters for practical application in this era. He then wrote these eight characters in the center of the muddy ground where the crowd had gathered, and continued writing the remaining eight characters as he spoke.

"When the government troops have made a long march, are running out of supplies, and are exhausted, then we should concentrate the elite troops under the command of each chieftain to strike the government troops' weak points! In this kind of battle where elite troops are deployed, we must not directly engage the government troops, who are new and well-disciplined. Instead, we need to use the terrain to delay them until they are exhausted before we strike! This is the principle of 'attacking when the enemy is tired.' The characteristic of the government troops being tired is that their well-disciplined army gradually loses patience, no longer wears armor for long periods, and their formations become loose, with too much distance between them, making it impossible to provide timely support."

"The key to 'fighting' here is choosing the right time. Like our two recent actions, we've been prepared to catch the unprepared and the unsuspecting! I know an old soldier who fought against the Qiang, and he once told me that the Qiang always launched attacks on the government troops half a month or a month after they entered the mountains to campaign. They rarely launched surprise attacks right from the start. During those half a month or a month, the Qiang would constantly observe the government troops, like a pack of wolves and a flock of birds. In the end, when the Qiang finally moved out, their harassment of the front lines was often a feint; they would prioritize ambushing the rear troops, especially the grain convoys. And these veteran soldiers who had been fighting the Qiang for a long time would always stay in the vanguard or the central army, letting the newly recruited soldiers from the court wear down the Qiang in the rear, thus surviving longer." "When the government troops are unable to find us for a decisive battle, and finally run out of supplies and begin to retreat, that will be our opportunity to strike! The government troops are numerous and well-equipped. If we don't take advantage of their retreat to strike them hard, they will regroup and launch a counterattack after a few months when they have resupplyed and regrouped. This 'pursuit when the enemy retreats' strategy is the easiest way to achieve results, but it is also often the most dangerous! Because the government troops are very likely to lure us in and then ambush us!"

"Therefore, at this stage, the 'pursuit' should still be carried out in small teams, following and harassing them, cutting off their retreat, and demoralizing them. It would be best to use familiar terrain to lure the government troops into swamps and deep mountains, and then ambush and annihilate them! The leaders of the government troops are our enemies, but the soldiers at the bottom are from the same poor backgrounds as us. Especially those soldiers from the border troops in the Guandong region, who are usually cheated out of their rations and discriminated against and even whipped by Guanzhong officers, are the most likely collaborators we can win over! As long as we can spread the Taiping Dao to the government troops, contact a few inside agents, or even those officers and veterans in the small teams who avoid battle, then we can truly grasp the intelligence on the government troops' movements and carry out a safe pursuit!"

After recounting these insightful and valuable guerrilla principles for later generations, Zhang Chengfu observed the expressions of all the commanders, their deep thoughts and surprise, and added some new strategies that were more relevant to this era and to the army of this time.

"Heaven bears witness! In this land north and south of the Yellow River, and in the seven prefectures of Guandong, which prefecture does not have followers of the Way of Great Peace, and which prefecture has not seen our Taoist priests perform acts of relief, bestowing talismans, and healing the sick? For the soldiers of Guandong, the Way of Great Peace enjoys credibility and popular support at the grassroots level. This is the strength of the Way of Great Peace. We must fully utilize this popular support to win over and recruit our inside agents! Even after capturing a small squad of government troops, we should use this as a basis to persuade them to surrender! Recruiting government troops prisoners with military skills and expertise in battle is of paramount importance for us to gradually grow stronger and ultimately be able to fight the government troops in battle!"

"Besides winning over believers among the government troops, we can also rely on our sect's rituals to perform curses and intimidation using 'ghostly witchcraft'! We can hang ghost puppets and talismans, draw ghost pictures and incantations on the government troops' inevitable route, and even inscribe 'prophecies' to curse the government troops' generals!"

When it came to these "ghostly and supernatural witchcraft" that could genuinely influence people's hearts and bring fear, Zhang Chengfu was very serious. He understood that the people of this era truly believed in them, and that they could indeed change the morale of an army, even to the point of collapse.

Just like the Battle of Kunyang between Emperor Guangwu and Wang Mang's main forces, no matter how resolute Emperor Guangwu's pre-battle plans were, or how arduous the battle was, the final record is indeed that "a meteor fell into the camp at night, and during the day, a cloud like a collapsing mountain fell upon the camp, dispersing before reaching the ground, causing the officers and soldiers to all collapse in fear." This meteor that fell into the camp was the key celestial phenomenon that determined the collapse of the morale of Wang Mang's main force!

"I once read in history books that when Sun Bin of Qi led his army against Pang Juan of Wei, he first avoided battle and retreated, luring the powerful Wei army deep into his territory. He exhausted the Wei army all the way to Maling Mountain in Tan County, Donghai Commandery. Then, Sun Bin ambushed them at the strategically important Maling Pass, hiding archers under a large tree. He peeled off the bark and wrote 'Pang Juan will die under this tree!' When the Wei army arrived at night, Pang Juan lit a torch to check the inscription on the tree, and the Qi army unleashed a volley of arrows, causing the Wei army to collapse. Knowing that his strategy had failed and his army was defeated, Pang Juan committed suicide. This is also an application of prophecies, supernatural beings, and the art of cursing!"

Zhang Chengfu solemnly recounted a classic battle from his memory, one that also took place in the Qi-Lu region. Upon hearing about Maling Mountain in Tan County, Donghai Commandery, Guan Hai scratched his head and looked at Zhang Rao with a puzzled expression.

"Hey, did the states of Wei and Qi fight a battle at Maling Mountain, east of Mount Tai? Did the Wei state even retreat to Donghai Commandery?"

"Hmm, judging from Young Master Zhang's confident expression, he must have done it!"

The older Zhang Rao's eyebrows twitched, unsure. Classical texts were rare in this era; even though he came from a wealthy family, he hadn't read many ancient books. The two physicians at the head of the table, however, had extensive knowledge of classical texts and had frequented the homes of wealthy families with large collections of books. Zhang Bao frowned, glanced at Zhang Jiao, and asked in a low voice.

"Brother, where does the 'art of cursing evil spirits' that Sun Bin carved on tree bark come from? Is there such a passage in the 'Strategies of the Warring States'?"

"Yes, it's not in the *Strategies of the Warring States*. This is from the *Records of the Grand Historian*, 'Biography of Sun Tzu and Wu Qi: "The road to Maling was narrow, and there were many obstacles on the sides, making it suitable for an ambush. So they cut down a large tree, whitened it, and wrote on it: 'Pang Juan will die under this tree.'"

"Ah? Brother, you taught this child the Records of the Grand Historian?"

"Never. I have never taught any disciple this passage."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Bao's expression shifted, and he glanced at the composed Zhang Jiao. The two lowered their eyes and remained silent, until they heard Zhang Chengfu's final, resounding conclusion.

"Heaven bears witness! This set of sixteen-character guerrilla tactics must have one fundamental premise! That is, we must have food, support, and the morale of the people, so that we can hold out in Dayeze and Taishan and play hide-and-seek with the government troops!"

"Food, popular support, and terrain are the fundamental basis of this guerrilla warfare! In order to obtain food, popular support, and terrain, all the powerful families and clans inside and outside Mount Tai must be destroyed!"

(End of this chapter)