Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 167

The Tianxiong Army numbered nearly 50,000, while the combined forces of Weibo and Wushun numbered just over 20,000. On the plains, with no natural defenses, the Tianxiong Army could easily spread out its front and flank the government forces, attempting to encircle them. The government forces, however, lacked a good countermeasure—if they didn't deploy in kind, they were easily surrounded; if they did, their formation would be thin and unable to withstand a prolonged battle. Therefore, Li Ji positioned himself against the Zhang River, at least ensuring the safety of his right flank.

Qin Rui volunteered to lead Wu Shun's army to defend the right flank.

Tian Qianzhen felt this was inappropriate and advised Li Ji: "The pontoon bridge over the Zhang River is our army's guarantee for retreat. How can we rely on manpower for it? Moreover, I think that Wu Shun's army is only half elite, and the rest are weak. I'm afraid they cannot withstand the enemy. If they collapse first in battle, our army will be in danger."

Li Ji was also complaining in his heart, "Qin Rui, do you have any sense of strategy? You said you only had four or five thousand elite troops, and I even lent you silk so you could quickly train the soldiers to make up the number seven thousand. But look at the number you brought out this time, it looks like there are less than four thousand who can fight... Did you keep all the good soldiers to guard the home?"

Every time we met, he would pat his chest and claim to be a loyal subject of the Tang Dynasty, saying that he had a deep-seated hatred for Tian Chengsi and that they were irreconcilable enemies. I thought you were willing to risk everything and fight the enemy with your life savings, but in the end, you just brought these soldiers to appease me?

—He was unaware that Qin Rui had ordered Guo Mo to lead two thousand elite troops, along with three or four thousand weaker soldiers, to the eastern front, into Cangzhou, to seize territory from Nan Jiyun…

However, Li Ji could only helplessly wave his hand at Tian Qianzhen's advice: "If we don't place Wu Shun's army on the right flank, can we place it on the left flank or in the center? The enemy will definitely try to encircle us, and the pressure on the left flank will be immense. With Wu Shun's army's fighting strength, I'm afraid it will be difficult to hold out for long. Once it collapses, the overall situation will be lost. If it's in the center, I'm afraid it will drag down the entire army. Only the right flank is slightly safer, or at least we won't be defeated so quickly."

"Furthermore, if their request is not granted, the two towns will inevitably fight over it. With a formidable enemy at hand, the situation will become even more perilous..."

Ultimately, Qin Rui and I are merely allies. Wei Bo and Wu Shun are part of a coalition of regional warlords; I can't command them. Do you think they'd submit to orders if I didn't let them guard the right flank?

Tian Qianzhen couldn't help but sigh, "I fear that if the government troops are defeated, it will surely be because of me, Qin!"

After the two armies finished lining up their formations, they beat their drums and slowly advanced. Li Ji placed a folding chair, sat upright in the center of the army with his sword at the ready, and Yuan Jing'an led his soldiers to guard him on the left and right.

In the past, when leading troops into battle, Li Ji preferred to climb to a high vantage point to observe the overall situation, believing it would allow him to have a comprehensive view. However, the problem was that his eyesight wasn't very good. Although climbing broadened his field of vision, once the battlefield stretched out over several miles or even tens of miles, he still couldn't see everything clearly. In fact, when responding to emergencies, he would have to shout down or wave flags to direct the troops, which would also waste time. It was much more effective for him to sit in the ranks, which would allow him to calm his soldiers, reassure them, and send his better-sighted junior officers to climb to a high vantage point to coordinate with scouts in relaying messages.

Before long, flags waved ahead, and a soldier reported, "The enemy and we are fifty paces apart." Li Ji nodded and immediately ordered, "Drums beating!"

The drums suddenly sounded urgent, and the vanguard of the government troops immediately quickened their pace, jogging while trying their best to maintain their formation; the vanguard of the Tianxiong Army also started to charge forward almost simultaneously. So, a moment later, the two ranks of soldiers clashed, and with a shout from the officers, they all thrust their spears forward.

When one is in formation, there is very little room for maneuver, and the area vulnerable to attack is also narrow. Basically, one only needs to keep an eye on the spear coming from directly in front. If one can strike first at the right distance, there is a great chance of killing the enemy without being harmed by them. Even if the opponent turns their spear shaft to block, they will lose the initiative, thus falling behind step by step, becoming passive step by step, and ultimately still inevitably dying on the battlefield.

Furthermore, if a row of spears strikes out in unison with synchronized movements, it is not only intimidating but also allows them to support their comrades. If one person gains the upper hand, the others can seize the initiative together. However, if the spears are not struck out in unison, or if they are too fast or too slow, they can be easily defeated one by one by the enemy.

Therefore, the training level of an army can be directly converted into combat power, and this is the difference between a strong army and a weak brigade.

The moment they made contact, the sounds of spears piercing flesh and screams of agony filled the air. Dozens of men on each side fell from the wounds, or, though they did not fall, they inevitably staggered, dragging their comrades down with them. The scouts promptly reported the battle situation to Li Ji: "The current situation is fifty-fifty. The swordsmen and shieldmen have already cut through the gaps and attacked, while the archers and crossbowmen are also providing support from the flanks."

Li Ji nodded slightly: "The Tianxiong Army is not weak either."

He was confident in the Weibo army he had personally trained, so even if the Tianxiong army could only fight the Weibo army to a draw for a short time, it wouldn't be too bad. Li Ji had already sent Yin Shen and others to infiltrate Jizhou to investigate the situation of the Tianxiong army. They learned that although the pay and food were not as good as those of the Weizhou garrison, Tian Chengsi had put a lot of effort into training them.

While insufficient supplies may affect the morale of an army, the strength or weakness of an army in the face of battle may not be immediately apparent. For example, if Tian Chengsi distributed rewards and incentives before the battle, or promised that the soldiers would not have to hand over the spoils of victory and could keep them for themselves, these measures could inspire sufficient fighting spirit in his troops in a short period of time.

Even if the soldiers could barely make ends meet, it would be difficult for Tian Chengsi with his limited financial resources. According to reports from spies, of the 80,000 Tianxiong Army, only half were truly capable of fighting. The rest, like the Weizhou auxiliary army, were merely for show – used for farming, patrolling, and maintaining order, barely enough to get by.

Tian Chengsi certainly couldn't leave only the old and weak to defend the strong, so the 40,000 to 50,000 troops he brought from Hengshui were not all his main force; at most, only about 30,000 were capable fighters. Li Ji, on the other hand, brought only the Weizhou garrison troops, the elite, while the auxiliary troops were still transporting supplies on the south bank of the Zhang River. Therefore, he felt that the enemy he faced was less than twice his size, and even if he couldn't win, he had the strength to hold his ground. That's why he insisted on staying on the north bank of the Zhang River and refused to retreat.

Of course, it also depends on Wu Shunjun's side not letting things go wrong.

Furthermore, Tian Chengsi was located north of Li Ji, with the two commanders about five li apart in a straight line. He also moved a folding chair to sit on the ground, but at the same time, a felt carpet was laid out on the ground, and a table was set up in front of him with several plates of melons and fruits on it. Behind him, a maid was fanning him. Civil officials Wang You and Xu Shize, military generals Xing Caojun and Meng Xiyou, and others were on his left and right.

Upon receiving the report on the battlefield situation, Tian Chengsi casually picked up a candied date, put it in his mouth, and said with a smirk, "The Wei Bo army lives up to its reputation, and Li Ji is quite capable in battle."

Before he sets out to fight, he may be very nervous and flustered. Once, he even summoned his staff to discuss an urgent matter, only to find that he had forgotten to wear his belt when he entered the main hall. But as long as he is on the battlefield, he is always calm and composed. No matter how critical the situation is, his subordinates will feel that the commander-in-chief is confident and composed as long as they see his smiling face.

Meng Xiyou continued, "Li Ji is only capable of three tricks. In the end, he has few soldiers and weak formations, so he cannot last long."

Tian Chengsi smiled and said, "It is a popular saying in the countryside that Cheng Zhijie, a general in the early days of the dynasty, only had three tricks up his sleeve and lacked the ability to follow up. However, he still helped Emperor Taizong defeat Song Jingang, capture Dou Jiande, and pacify Wang Shichong. Even his three tricks should not be underestimated."

"But in the end, wasn't he demoted to the position of governor of Qizhou because of his poor performance in the campaign against the Western Turks?"

Tian Chengsi laughed heartily, accidentally spitting out the jujube he was holding in his mouth. He didn't mind the mess, picked it up, wiped it on his clothes, and put it back in his mouth. He then said, "I'd also like to see if Li Ji can still sit peacefully in Weibo after his defeat and escape, or if he will be demoted to the position of governor of another prefecture."

Chapter 19, The Discussion on Reducing the Power of Feudal Powers

Inside the Penglai Hall of the Daming Palace, Li Yu was summoning Cui Youfu, the Imperial Censor.

Emperor Li Yu was quite comfortable during this period, not because he appointed Li Mi as prime minister and thus was able to rule by doing nothing, but on the contrary, because he could finally truly intervene in the affairs of the provinces and exercise the power that should have belonged to him.

Basically, Li Yu was quite determined to revitalize the country—whether he had the ability and courage to do so was another matter—unlike his grandfather Li Longji, who in his later years favored Consort Yang, neglected state affairs, and allowed Chancellors Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong to act arbitrarily. However, Li Yu was also unlike his father, who disliked meeting with court officials and preferred to remotely control the court through the eunuch Li Fuguo. He was still in his prime, approaching forty, and hoped to use his own power to command and coordinate the officials, thereby restoring the empire that had been devastated since the Tianbao and Zhide eras.

However, this was impossible before. Just maintaining the balance between internal and external affairs exhausted him. To make matters worse, his ministers all had the ambitions of Yi Yin and Huo Guang. All the memorials submitted to the palace had been screened by the provinces. Except for important impeachments, which he dared not obstruct, any memorials that did not meet the expectations of important ministers were directly rejected by the Council of State Affairs or the Inner Palace Secretariat, and would never reach the emperor's desk.

This was certainly partly due to Li Yu's reliance on, or even indulgence of, Li Fuguo, Cheng Yuanzhen, Yu Chaoen, Yuan Zai, and others. But those guys were also unscrupulous. Once they had power in their hands, they issued orders as if the emperor were merely the keeper of the imperial seal.

However, after Li Bi became prime minister, the situation changed drastically. Although the three ministries of the Ministry of Personnel, the Secretariat, and the Chancellery had more power than the Inner Palace Secretariat, they only rejected memorials that were empty in content. As long as there was some substance to them, regardless of whether it suited the wishes of the prime ministers, they would approve it. Even if the matter still had to be discussed and implemented by the Council of State Affairs, the emperor's wisdom could not be kept secret and he had to be informed.

As a result, Li Yu had to read more than double the number of memorials every day, often sitting for long periods with his books in hand, truly finding it both tiring and enjoyable. Although most memorials did not require the emperor's immediate reply—otherwise, what would be the point of having prime ministers? To sit around doing nothing—Li Yu was able to grasp the trends in the court more clearly, understand the sentiments of the officials, and consult with the prime ministers at any time on matters of concern to him, receiving their guidance.

He couldn't help but sigh, "If things could be done like this between Baoying and Guangde, why would I need to issue imperial edicts so often? Those things don't have enough legal force without going through the Secretariat and the Chancellery. Whether I write them down or order eunuchs to distribute them, I'm always very nervous, afraid that some prime minister might bring them directly and throw them in my face... Theoretically, no one should dare to do that, but even if they did, Li Yu would have no way to deal with them."

For example, Cui Youfu's memorial this time clearly contradicted Li Mi's usual plans. If Yuan Zai had been in charge of the Council of State Affairs, such a document would not have entered the palace at all. Moreover, Yuan Zai might have even investigated and sent Cui Youfu to a post outside the capital.

Cui Youfu, courtesy name Yisun, was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the fourth year of the Tianbao era. He had served as a staff member for Li Yu for a period—during Li Yu's reign as Prince of Chu or Prince Cheng—and was highly trusted. However, Li Yu was subsequently made Crown Prince and confined to the Eastern Palace, and Cui Youfu was also transferred, rarely seeing him more than once a year, leading to a growing estrangement in their relationship. When Li Yu ascended the throne, Cui Youfu served as a court attendant, a relatively close position to the emperor. However, perhaps precisely because of his past service as Li Yu's advisor, Li Fuguo eagerly transferred him to the position of Vice Minister of Personnel. After Li Fuguo was dismissed, Li Yu repeatedly hinted to Yuan Zai (Li Yu's father) to give Cui Youfu an important position, but Yuan Zai ignored all his suggestions.

When Li Bi became prime minister, Li Yu again proposed the appointment, and Li Bi immediately said, "Cui Yisun is upright and incorruptible, and his strategies are insightful and effective; he is suitable to head the Censorate." Three days later, an imperial edict was issued, promoting him to Vice Censor-in-Chief. Some suggested that Cui Youfu visit Li Bi to express his gratitude, but Cui Youfu said, "I received this position through the grace of the court, not through the grace of Prime Minister Li—even if I go to pay my respects now, Prime Minister Li will certainly not see me." He resolutely refused to go.

This time, Cui Youfu also submitted a memorial on the affairs of the regional military governors, which was completely different from Li Mi's views. However, Li Mi did not refute his memorial, but simply noted: "His attempt to take advantage of the situation is not a prudent approach, and I think it is unacceptable. However, it may serve as a reference for Your Majesty." He then sent it directly to Li Yu's desk.

Li Yu then summoned Cui Youfu and asked him, "Your report differs from what the prime minister and others have said. Could you explain it to me in detail?"

Cui Youfu clasped his hands in greeting and replied, “Since Your Majesty has inquired, how could I not give a truthful answer? However, there are rumors circulating in the court that although the Tianxiong Army has been attacked, it is not appropriate to hastily disband its garrison. It could be transferred to someone else. I do not know if this is the Prime Minister's intention, and I dare not make any unfounded accusations. What I have said today is only about the matter itself, and not about the person involved.”

Li Yu smiled and said, "I know. You may speak frankly." He then glanced at Prince Zheng, Li Miao, who was sitting beside him, and pointed out, "This is how one is a loyal and honest person. You should listen to what your uncle says."

Li Miao's mother was Cui, Li Yu's first wife. She was born to Lady Han, the elder sister of Yang Guifei, and Cui Xun. Because of this relationship, after Emperor Suzong ascended the throne, Li Yu became increasingly distant from Consort Cui...

Although Li Heng disliked Lady Yang, he had no intention of forcing his son to divorce her. The problem was the precedent: Li Heng's first wife, Lady Wei, had been implicated by her father, Wei Jian—Li Linfu falsely accused Wei Jian of treason to frame Li Heng. This cold-blooded man, Li Heng, had actively pleaded with Li Longji to allow him to divorce Lady Wei. Li Yu, being soft-hearted and reluctant to divorce, and fearing his father's resentment, could only temporarily distance himself from Consort Cui.

As a result, Consort Cui lived a solitary and depressed life in Lingwu, and eventually passed away from illness shortly after returning to Chang'an.

If Consort Cui hadn't died, things would have been fine. But since she died young, Li Heng and his son Li Yu felt quite sorry for Li Miao and his brother Li Si. Li Heng simply adopted Li Si as his son and enfeoffed Li Miao as the Prince of Yichang. After Li Yu ascended the throne, he changed Li Miao's title to Prince of Zheng—and was promoted to a prince on the same day as Li Shi.

To return to the point, Li Miao's maternal grandfather, Cui Xun, was a direct descendant of the second branch of the Boling Cui clan. During the Mawei Post Station Incident, his entire clan was wiped out by the rebel army. Cui Youfu also came from the second branch of the Boling Cui clan and was Cui Xun's nephew in terms of seniority. This is why Li Yu trusted him so much when he was still a prince, and even directly ordered Li Miao to address Cui Youfu as "uncle" at this time.

Cui Youfu hurriedly replied, "Your subject dares not." He glanced at Li Miao out of the corner of his eye, a sense of foreboding creeping over him. But he quickly composed himself and got to the point:

"Before the Kaiyuan era, the positions of observer and military governor were not permanent; they were appointed only when necessary and dismissed once the matter was resolved. During the Kaiyuan era, the power of the barbarians was rampant, and the Khitan and Xi tribes frequently caused chaos. Emperor Xuanzong then established eight military governors along the border to coordinate the financial resources of several prefectures and recruit strong men to strengthen the border defenses. Later, during the An Lushan Rebellion, more observers and military governors were appointed within the central region, continuing this established system."

"Although external threats are still rampant, internal rebellions have been quelled. Therefore, the various military governors and regional military commanders should be abolished. In particular, the various military governors and regional military commanders, who are in charge of military and political affairs, often seek to lavish their troops and strengthen themselves, thus exhausting manpower and neglecting tributes—even the military governors in Hebei are not as generous as Guanzhong in terms of rice! Thus, they are nominally military governors but in reality, they are regional vassals, which is tantamount to separatism. This makes it impossible for the court's decrees to be implemented smoothly. If this continues, it will be difficult for the country to operate."

"Today, the thirty-six regional inspectors, military governors, and defense commissioners occupy nearly six or seven tenths of the entire territory. One-third of them neglect their duties of paying tribute, and another third fail to pay tribute for several years. This is tantamount to cutting off half of the country and entrusting it to private individuals. After the great chaos, the population is devastated, and life is difficult. Everyone needs the court's relief, but the court only receives half of the country's tax revenue. How can it support them? Moreover, the regional inspectors and military governors each command large armies, and the resulting problems are self-evident..."

Li Yu nodded and said, “I am well aware of the drawbacks of the regional military governors, and the prime ministers cannot ignore them either. But how should we deal with it? If we abolish them all at once, it will surely lead to chaos in the country; if we gradually phase them out, you think it will only cause future trouble. So, in your opinion, what is the best plan?”

Cui Youfu said: "The prevailing opinion is that the border towns should be guarded against foreign invaders and should not be abolished. However, it is feared that they will become too powerful and cause a repeat of the An Lushan Rebellion. Therefore, the towns within the territory should be used to counter them. In this case, none of them can be abolished. This is like adding fuel to the fire. The more fuel there is, the more intense the fire will be! There are also memorials that suggest dividing the towns and reducing their size, like Emperor Wu of Han's edict of grace. However, the vassal states are not vassal states and are not allowed to be passed down from generation to generation. So what is the benefit of dividing them?"

"Now that the court has abolished the towns of Hezhong and Tianping, and has also dismissed the Tonghua military governor and replaced him with Tongguan for defense, why can't the same be done in Hebei? Tian Chengsi is not familiar with the doctrines, is suspicious and fond of bravery, disregards the emperor's grace, and plots to consolidate his own power. The court has issued an order to punish him. If we can wipe him out in one fell swoop, we can abolish the Tianxiong Army. How can we transfer it to someone else?"

Li Yu asked, "The Prime Minister and others intend to use Wei to control Zhao, and Zhao to control Yan. If the Tianxiong Army is destroyed, and then falls into Yan's hands, wouldn't that be a loss outweighing the gain?"

Cui Youfu said, "If Zhao controls Yan, and Wei controls Zhao, then how can Wei be controlled?" He then bowed deeply and said, "I do not doubt Li Weibo, but he cannot be allowed to govern Hebei for long. Moreover, if someone else is replaced, it is not certain that security can be secured. If Song controls Wei, then Zhou controls Song, and Qin controls Zhou, layer upon layer, the whole country will no longer belong to the court. Why not quickly use Guanzhong to control the whole country?"

“If we take Youzhou as an example, it will give rise to another An Lushan. If we cannot sweep across Hebei and cross the river to the south, then the Eastern Capital will be safe and the state will be secure. I believe that we should simply use Hedong to control the Taihang Mountains, Xiang and Wei to guard the Yellow River, and use the three cities of Heyang as the central hub. Then Youzhou will not be a threat. Why do we need so many regional warlords in Hebei and Henan?”

"The same applies elsewhere, especially Huainan, Zhongwu Army, and Shannan East Circuit, which are crucial points for the grain transport. How can they not be controlled by the court? It would be sufficient to set up one or two troops at the passes to guard against bandits. The Jin merchants are right under the court's nose, and Shannan West Circuit is a crucial point for entering Sichuan. They should not be entrusted with the duties of observation and control."

"We should take advantage of this opportunity to quell the Tianxiong Army, intimidate the other garrisons, and demonstrate the court's determination to revitalize itself. We should then persuade the various governors and military commanders to request reductions in their territories or to transfer financial power to the central government. In this way, the Central Plains will be pacified in three to five years, and we can then focus our efforts on the Western Barbarians. If the Tianxiong Army is left unchecked, and the various garrisons continue to harbor illusions, the court will find it increasingly difficult to control them. These are my sincere words, and Your Majesty should heed them."

Li Yu stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Do you think we will surely win this campaign against the Tianxiong Army?"

Cui Youfu shook his head: "I cannot guarantee victory. But if there is no chance of victory, how can the court mobilize an army? How can the prime ministers and others submit memorials requesting an imperial edict?"

Li Yu said he would think about it some more. After all, the war had only just begun—theoretically speaking, the various armies should not have even entered Ji Province yet—so there was no need to draw conclusions so quickly. It would be better to listen to opinions from all sides, plan carefully, and then make a decision. He then praised Cui Youfu before letting him leave.

After Cui Youfu left, Li Yu turned to Li Miao, who had been listening attentively with his hands clasped in front of him without saying a word, and asked him, "What do you think of your uncle's report?"

Li Miao hurriedly bowed and cautiously replied, "That makes sense. However, I have heard that 'governing a large country is like cooking a small fish,' so one should be extremely cautious. What you have suggested, Uncle, seems to be too... too simplistic..."

Li Yu smiled, but did not express his opinion directly at first. He simply said, "Cui Youfu truly has the talent of a prime minister."

After a pause, he said to Li Miao, "It is easy for a country to fall into chaos, but difficult to put it back on track. I consider myself to be of average talent, far inferior to Emperor Xuanzong and Emperor Suzong. How dare I aspire to this? I would rather leave the task of pacifying the country and unifying all power to you."

Li Miao was greatly alarmed upon hearing this and hurriedly rose from his seat and bowed, saying, "With the Crown Prince present, how can I, your son, shoulder such a heavy responsibility?"

Li Yu reached out and patted his shoulder: "The Crown Prince has his own affairs. You can't just focus on your studies. Now that you've come of age, you must share my burdens."

A few days later, an imperial edict was issued, appointing Prince Zheng, Li Miao, as the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces of the Realm, in charge of all the military garrisons.

Upon hearing the news, a low-ranking official of the ninth rank, who was waiting for a selection in the capital, clapped his hands and laughed, "It's the time! It's fate! My chance has come again!" He immediately went to the Weibo Imperial Secretariat to submit his credentials, claiming to be an "old friend" of Commander Li...

----------

Li Yu thought that the expeditionary forces had not yet entered Ji Province, but in fact the Wei Bo and Wu Shun armies had already captured Xindu and advanced to the north bank of the Zhang River. Tian Chengsi then personally led a large army to defend against them, and the two sides fought a fierce battle under the walls of Hengshui.

On the first day of the battle, the two sides maintained a stalemate, advancing and retreating on the main battlefield, showing they were evenly matched. Tian Chengsi then ordered his general Fu Lin to lead cavalry out to outflank the government army's left flank, but they were forced back by Lei Wanchun's Weibo cavalry.

Upon receiving the report, Tian Chengsi was neither flustered nor regretful. He simply clapped his hands in admiration and exclaimed, "Truly worthy of being called General Lei, who can remain unmoved even when struck by six arrows! Back in Suiyang, Yin Ziqi tried every means to break through the city but failed. I often lamented that I could not compete with such a valiant general. I never thought that I would have the opportunity today."

He then asked those around him, "Since Lei Wanchun is here, where is Nan Jiyun?"

Wang You replied, "Nan Jiyun is guarding Bozhou for Li Ji, and perhaps he hasn't arrived yet due to the long distance." Xing Caojun shook his head and said, "I fear he will lead the troops of Bozhou eastward to plot against our Cangzhou and Di..."

Xu Shi expressed his doubts: "The army can be divided, and the strength should be gathered together. The troops of Wei and Bo provinces are at most 40,000, which is half of ours. How dare they divide their troops again?"

Xing Caojun bowed to Tian Chengsi and reminded him, "Our main force is in Jizhou. Cangzhou and Dizhou are just a few garrison troops. Moreover, the land is barren and the cities are small, so they are not difficult to take. However, the money and food in all the towns are not plentiful. Although the court said that it would transport the grain from Huainan to the north, it is unknown when it will arrive. Li Ji may order Nan Jiyun to advance on Cangzhou and Dizhou and seize our supplies to provide for ourselves. We must be on guard."

The four prefectures under the jurisdiction of Tianxiong Army resembled a semicircle. The western wing consisted of Ji and Ying, with vast and prosperous land, while the eastern wing consisted of Cang and Di, with mostly mudflats and swamps and less arable land. In fact, Cangzhou was originally a large prefecture, but after Tian Chengsi took over the garrison, he nominally left the prosperous land west of Yongji Canal untouched, but actually handed it over to Yingzhou for administration. As for the coastal areas, he only sent troops to control the salt fields to extract profits from salt production, and ignored everything else—because he couldn't manage it all.

As a result, the treasuries of Cangzhou and Dizhou were not much money or grain, but they were full of salt. If these were to be looted by the government troops, it would be a great loss.

He then asked Xing Caojun, "Who can go to rescue Cang and Di?"

Xing Caojun suggested, "Kang Yin is very brave; he might be able to rival Nan Jiyun."

Chapter Twenty, Commander Qin is Mighty

The Tianxiong Army repeatedly sent superior forces to attack the left flank of the government army, but all attempts failed. This was not only due to Lei Wanchun's bravery and the well-trained Weibo cavalry, but also because Li Ji would intensify his frontal attacks whenever the left flank was threatened, forcing Tian Chengsi to refrain from focusing all his efforts on the northern front.

The battle raged until the afternoon, when the soldiers were exhausted and returned to their camps to cook and rest. At the hour of Shen (3-5 PM), the battle resumed. Tian Chengsi changed his strategy, sending Xing Caojun with a surprise attack on the right flank of the government forces—specifically, the camp of Wu Shun's army—while the two armies were engaged in a direct confrontation.

Qin Rui led 7,000 Wu Shun soldiers and spent most of the morning watching the excitement. Apart from fighting a couple of battles with the more than 1,000 soldiers of the Central Liaison Department in coordination with friendly forces, the right flank remained as safe as Mount Tai.

However, compared to Li Ji, Qin Rui was far from idle. He personally rode his horse to observe the battle from the front, sometimes charging forward and sometimes running back, never stopping. During the midday break, he discussed with his generals and officers: "The Weibo army is indeed fierce and brave. They have fought against the Tianxiong army for half a day without showing any signs of defeat—and in my opinion, they seem to still have strength to spare."

General Wei Bian chimed in, “I think both armies have spare capacity. Otherwise, regardless of our army, the Tian family’s troops are three times the size of Weibo’s. If we were to send them all, I don’t believe Commander Li could defeat them. We can only retreat to our camp and defend it with fortifications.” This was because Li Ji had once ordered him to lead troops in a fierce attack on Xindu City. Although he ultimately didn’t actually fight due to the drastic change in the situation, he still harbored some resentment.

To be honest, the soldiers of Wu Shun's army were one thing, but as for the officers and generals, there were very few who did not resent Weibo. This was because Li Ji had wantonly confiscated the land of wealthy households in his jurisdiction and even expelled them from the country. Many scholars went to Beizhou and joined Qin Rui's staff. In their mouths, there was certainly no good thing about Weibo. Perhaps only a few former officials like Guo Mo were unaffected.

Therefore, Wei Bian subconsciously hoped that if the entire Tianxiong Army were to be deployed and decisively defeat the Weibo Army, they could seize the pontoon bridge and escape to the south of the Zhang River... At least that would be much more secure than being forced to go into battle as a burden. Of course, he dared not utter such despicable thoughts aloud, nor even allow them to surface in his mind.

He merely expressed his doubts. Given the enemy's superior numbers, the Weibo army must have reserved fresh troops for unforeseen circumstances and dared not commit their full strength. Why then was the Tianxiong army unwilling to send their entire force? Could there be some kind of scheme involved?

Guo Mo analyzed: "Since our reinforcements are still on their way, even if Tian Chengsi breaks through Weibo here, if the losses are too great, he will be unable to fight against Hedong and Zhaoyi, and will only be able to retreat to Wuqiang. Therefore, in the first battle, he dared not exert his full strength, but only wanted to find the weak points of our formation so that he could strike with thunder."

Qin Rui nodded: "What you say makes a lot of sense, sir."

Actually, Guo Mo was only half right. Tian Chengsi was indeed wary of the Hedong and Zhaoyi armies, but if he couldn't quickly defeat Weibo and Wushun, the situation he would face would only become more perilous once the government forces assembled. Therefore, Tian Chengsi's original intention was to achieve an initial victory as soon as possible, even at the cost of manpower losses. Unfortunately—his strength was insufficient.

Li Ji held back, only exerting half his strength; Tian Chengsi, though not giving it his all, must have used seven or eight tenths. The problem was that the more than 10,000 garrison troops of Weibo were almost all elite and strong, while the nearly 50,000 troops of Tianxiong Army were mixed with quite a few second-level battalion commanders—the same level as the Weizhou auxiliary army.

If they were to crush the enemy on the battlefield and pursue the fleeing enemy, these second-tier battalion commanders might be able to demonstrate first-class strength; however, when elite troops were engaged in fierce battles, sending them up would only cause chaos, needlessly exposing weaknesses for others to exploit. Therefore, the Tianxiong Army actually only had a little over 20,000 men taking turns to fight, yet they were unable to successfully defeat the enemy in front of them.

In addition, the fighting on the left wing, led by Lei Wanchun, was also quite fierce. However, due to the distance, Wu Shun's army did not have a direct sense of the situation and thought it was just a minor skirmish. This shows that Tian Chengsi did not exert his full strength.

However, Qin Rui became wary and asked his men, "Could it be that Tian has left a trick up his sleeve, intending to break through from the right flank?" Guo Mo nodded and said, "It is very likely—if they can defeat our army and burn the pontoon bridge, their retreat will be cut off, and Weibo will be defeated without being defeated. Commander, you must be cautious."

Qin Rui laughed loudly, "I've been idle all morning and my hands are itching for a fight. It's good that the Tianxiong Army dares to come; they can test my spear!"

Although Wu Shun's army was not large in number and not particularly elite, the area they had to defend was narrow, and they could still form a fairly solid formation in front, so Qin Rui was not afraid. He was only worried that the soldiers might be somewhat tired and lose their vigilance after standing for a whole morning, so he ordered them to reorganize in the afternoon, placing the most elite and morale-boosting battalion at the front—the generals appointed were Wei Bian and Lu Ziqi.

As expected, around noon, Xing Caojun led five battalions to attack the right flank of the government army. They immediately clashed with Wu Shun's army, swords and spears clashing, blood and flesh flying everywhere. Compared to the main battlefield, this battle was, in some ways, more intense, because Qin Rui and Tian Chengsi had both served under Shi Chaoyi and knew his strengths and weaknesses, understanding his opponent's preferred tactics.

Tian Chengsi was very skilled at commanding cavalry, and the Tianxiong Army's territory also produced fine horses—although in far fewer numbers than those of Chengde, Youzhou, and Hedong—Xing Caojun had a cavalry battalion that galloped across the battlefield like the wind. In contrast, Qin Rui excelled at commanding infantry—actually because he couldn't afford many warhorses—his infantry formations were extremely solid and tight, and he possessed hundreds of long-handled swords, specializing in the art of frontal defense against cavalry.

The Tianxiong Army was like an indestructible blade, while the Wushun Army was like an impenetrable shield. In the end, the outcome of their clash would depend on the soldiers' tenacity and the generals' on-the-spot command.

Xing Caojun, as expected of Tian Chengsi's top strategist, after two failed attempts to break through Wu Shun's army formation, retreated slightly and requested the addition of one battalion each of infantry and cavalry. He then led the infantry to engage the enemy head-on, while he personally led the cavalry, undeterred by the rugged riverbank, and plunged straight in along the water's edge.

Facing Wei Bian's defenses, he had indeed neglected the defense of the riverbank—believing it to be narrow and rugged, making it difficult for the enemy to advance—but little did he expect that for Xing Caojun, his oversight could completely compensate for the difficult road. Thus, one flank of Wu Shun's army was breached, soldiers retreated in droves, some even deserting. Wei Bian was forced to draw troops from the front to reinforce, but this left his frontal forces insufficient…

As if a sharp blade had struck the edge of a strong shield, the shield, though not pierced, was struck with such force that it naturally tilted to one side.

The critical situation of Wu Shunjun was quickly reported to Li Ji, who hurriedly ordered two battalions of fresh troops to join the front lines and put pressure on the enemy in the central battlefield. At the same time, he sent an envoy to inquire of Qin Rui: "Do you need to send reinforcements?"

Qin Rui flew into a rage: "Save him, my ass!" He reached out, and a soldier handed him a spear, which he grabbed firmly. He roared, "I, the commander, will personally go into battle to kill a few of these Tianxiong bandits and turn the tide!"

The commander personally led a hundred elite cavalrymen to the front lines, greatly boosting the morale of Wu Shun's army, which finally managed to stabilize their position. Immediately afterwards, Qin Rui took the lead, charging out and heading straight for the enemy's banners. With each thrust of his spear, Tianxiong cavalrymen fell from their horses, and he found himself without a single enemy to fight him.

Xing Caojun was long past the age of recklessly leading from the front and risking his life for wealth and honor. He was originally in the middle of the cavalry formation, calmly directing the attack, still more than an arrow's length from the front line. Unexpectedly, Qin Rui's horse was fast and fierce, and he was in front of him in the blink of an eye. Then a huge spearhead—almost as sharp as a lance—spurred straight at him. Xing Caojun hurriedly deflected it with his own lance, and with a "crack," they bounced off.

Qin Rui thought to himself, "This thief is quite strong. It seems I've spotted a big fish." Xing Caojun, however, was alarmed. He thought, "You, a dignified military governor, why are you personally leading the front lines? Even if you are, there's no reason for you to charge into the enemy lines with only a small number of cavalry! Are you out of your mind? My life is precious; I can't let myself die at the hands of such a brute!"

The key was that he knew Qin Rui was young, only in his early thirties, while he himself was nearly fifty. Even if he could barely manage to deflect Qin Rui's spear in a brief struggle, his strength would surely wane over time. So he pulled on the reins, slightly shifting aside, allowing his guards to surge forward and block Qin Rui.

However, with their morale waning, Xing Caojun had no choice but to order a retreat.