Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 172

Qin Rui, Guo Mo, and others were all captured by Nie Feng and imprisoned in the government office, but their treatment was vastly different.

Guo Mo and his subordinates were merely placed under house arrest in a separate courtyard, with six people housed in two side rooms. Originally, it was planned that three people would live in one room, but since Guo Mo could be considered Qin Rui's chief advisor, and Qin Rui usually addressed him as "Sir" without using his name, and everyone respected him, the other officials took the initiative to give way, and the five of them squeezed into one large room, leaving the smaller side room for Guo Mo to live alone.

Qin Rui, on the other hand, was chained and imprisoned in the dungeon of the government office.

Hu E, who was also under house arrest in the government office, heard about the matter and asked Nie Feng to come over to advise him in person: "General Qin is, after all, a military governor of a town and a fourth-rank official. Although he has imprisoned your army due to the military turmoil, he should not be detained without an imperial edict, let alone imprisoned in chains."

As a fellow military officer who was not a prefect appointed directly by the Ministry of Personnel, Hu E could understand Nie Feng and the others' feelings. If it were me, I would not have been able to tolerate it either. Even if I didn't dare to kill Qin myself, I should have imprisoned him and handed him over to the military commander of the town for punishment in the future. But after all, there is a difference between superiors and inferiors, and a difference between the noble and the lowly. Can't you treat him a little better? Is it necessary to put him directly into the dungeon?

I know the dungeon of the Jizhou Governor's Office all too well; the living conditions and circumstances are absolutely terrible... After all, this place is for imprisoning notorious criminals, but for holding political prisoners.

Nie Feng smiled in response to Hu E's advice and replied, "My commander Li often enjoys himself with his soldiers and tells them stories from the past. He once mentioned a saying: 'One must be quick to bind a tiger.' Commander Qin is a fierce tiger in Hebei. Shi Chaoyi was quite afraid of him in the past and was forced to appoint him to two prefectures. If he is not shackled and left on flat ground, he might escape."

In fact, not only Qin Rui, but also Guo Mo and others were unwilling to become prisoners of Weibo and would definitely try to escape whenever they had the chance. However, Nie Feng did not value them and therefore did not guard them very strictly.

Of course, the necessary food and utensils must still be provided. After Guo Mo finished his dinner, he noticed that it was already dark. He stayed in a side room without lighting a lamp, and in the darkness, he leaned on the table, repeatedly pondering a solution.

I wonder how the battle is going on in Zhangbei... Will it be Li Ji or Tian Chengsi who deals with us in the future? To be honest, Li Ji is still manageable, but if the Weibo army can hold out against us, this battle can't continue. We can only find an opening to retreat, and we will definitely suffer heavy losses during the retreat. At that time, Wu Shun's army and Weibo will have to stick together to have any hope of resisting Tianxiong's full-scale counterattack...

Commander Qin and Li Ji had always maintained a relatively amicable relationship. Moreover, this retreat was due to military turmoil, not a deliberate withdrawal that exposed the flank of the Weibo army and handed over the pontoon bridge to the enemy. Since Commander Qin had already suffered the humiliation of being imprisoned, he could apologize to Li Ji properly afterward and offer some concessions, and he would most likely be released.

However, it's hard to predict whether Qin Shuai will push one of us out as a scapegoat... I hope it won't be me.

If the Tianxiong Army presses its advantage and recaptures Xindu, Commander Qin's life will be in danger, and we will all have to die for him—Tian Chengsi can use this opportunity to disrupt the Wushun Army and seize Bei and De prefectures!

After much thought, I felt that the possibility of Tianxiong Army attacking Xindu was greater. After all, the pontoon bridge had been burned, and even if the Weibo and Zhaoyi armies could evacuate safely, they would have to detour to another section of the Zhang River to cross it. They might not be able to return to Xindu in time, and even if they did, it would probably take more than a day or two to get there.

No, we can't just sit here and wait to die; we have to find a chance to escape!

Just as he was racking his brains for a solution, he suddenly heard a knocking sound on the window frame, followed by a very low and faint call: "Mr. Guo, Mr. Guo."

Guo Mo was startled and hurriedly crawled to the window, asking in a low voice, "Is that Jingjing?"

"Fortunately, Mr. Guo is unharmed. I will now rescue him."

Guo Mo hurriedly said, "Wait!" After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Can Commander Qin be saved?"

Jingjing hesitated for a moment before replying, "Difficult, very difficult. Commander Qin is imprisoned in a dungeon by the Wei Bo bandits, and the guards are very tight. I'm afraid it won't be easy to rescue him."

Guo Mo instructed, "Do not move for now. I expect the Tianxiong Army will attack Xindu by the day after tomorrow at the latest. The city is short of soldiers. Nie Feng may either open the city gates and escape, or he may have the people help defend it. In that case, the government offices will be less vigilant. When that time comes, find an opportunity to rescue Commander Qin first, and then come to rescue me. In the next day or two, find a secluded place to hide in the city so that we can remain hidden after we escape."

If it's the Weibo army that comes, then just wait for the punishment—because theoretically, it shouldn't be too severe—but if it's the Tianxiong army, then we must rescue us quickly, lest we fall into Tian Chengsi's hands!

Jingjing answered and then fell silent.

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Almost at the same time that Jingjing'er and Guo Mo were secretly contacting each other, a fierce battle was taking place in the main camp of the Tianxiong Army on the north bank of the Zhang River, a hundred miles away.

However, the Tianxiong Army quickly recovered from the chaos and gathered in front of the main tent, numbering in the thousands. Tian Chengsi felt somewhat relieved.

Wang You, standing to the side, was still somewhat trembling. Tian Chengsi comforted him, saying, "Don't worry. When an eagle pounces on a rabbit, the rabbit still scratches its claws; when a tiger devours a sheep, the sheep still struggles. How much more so the tens of thousands of troops in Weibo? They are just taking advantage of my unpreparedness, hoping to get away with it."

He pointed and said, "From their camp to our camp, it's about three li, and from the gate to the main tent, it's about two hundred paces. Even the most powerful soldiers would be exhausted by then. Moreover, once they see the fire in the camp, our troops from the north and south will surely come to the rescue. Even if Xing Caojun is lying in ambush to the west, they will also rush to attack the camp. Then the attacking troops will be separated from their stronghold and will surely be captured by us. The remaining soldiers are few in number and weak in strength, and will surely be defeated by us!"

Xu Shize, standing nearby, cautioned, "I fear that Weibo might launch a surprise attack under cover of night, using a feint to the east while striking in the west, when in reality they intend to flee west..."

Upon hearing this, Tian Chengsi was startled and hurriedly said, "What you say makes sense. In that case, it would be better not to seize their fortress for now than to let Xing Caojun reveal his whereabouts!" He then looked around and asked, "Who is willing to break out for me and inform General Xing?"

As they were speaking, the Wei Bo army had already reached the main tent. The general at the forefront wielded a huge iron spear as if it were a feather, charging left and right with unparalleled bravery. Even Tian Chengsi, a veteran of many battles, couldn't help but feel dizzy and disoriented. He hurriedly asked his men, "Who is this general?"

"It should be Lei Wanchun, who once assisted Zhang Xun in defending Suiyang."

Tian Chengsi couldn't help but sigh, "Finally, I've seen General Lei..." During the fierce fighting of the past ten days, to show his soldiers calm, he had remained seated behind the lines, never venturing into battle unless faced with imminent danger. Therefore, he had often heard his subordinates speak of Lei Wanchun's bravery and how he had killed several of his generals, but he had never witnessed it firsthand. He had originally planned to personally lead the charge today, ostensibly to "see Li Ji's sorry state," but actually to deliver the final blow; however, he had barely mounted his horse when news arrived of Li Baozhong's death, and the Weibo army immediately sounded the retreat—so he still hadn't seen Lei Wanchun.

Unexpectedly, tonight, under the light of the campfire in front of the main tent, I was able to see General Lei clearly from only fifty paces away.

Although only fifty paces away, the Tianxiong Army had already gradually assembled, forming a tight square formation and providing extremely tight protection. In front of Tian Chengsi was a row of swordsmen and shield bearers, using shields to protect their commander, with archers on either side, and further ahead were densely packed spearmen. Lei Wanchun led his troops in several attempts to break through the Tianxiong Army's formation and reach Tian Chengsi; he ordered his men to draw their bows and fire rapidly, but all the arrows were blocked by the shields.

Tian Chengsi couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "Only General Lei would be willing to risk his life and launch a night attack on my camp—this will surely cover Li Ji's retreat to the west! I wonder who among my subordinates would be willing to fight to the death like this if I were to encounter danger in the future..."

Xu Shi quickly reminded him, "These words are ominous; Commander Tian, ​​please be careful what you say."

Tian Chengsi smiled and said, "It's alright." Then he pointed at Lei Wanchun and said, "Since General Lei seeks benevolence, he should get it! All of you, aim and fire! Kill this general, and the camp will be safe!"

At his command, archers on both sides drew their bows and unleashed a barrage of arrows aimed directly at Lei Wanchun. Lei Wanchun hastily raised his spear to shield himself, and the Wei Bo soldiers around him rushed forward to protect their commander; however, being on horseback, he was an easy target, and in a moment of carelessness, he was struck by three arrows. Fortunately, they all lodged in his armor, seemingly not deep enough to cause serious injury.

However, more than a dozen soldiers from both sides fell in quick succession due to this volley of arrows. In the darkness, many soldiers had blurred vision, and with the two armies locked in fierce combat, it was frankly difficult not to injure their own comrades. If the enemy had not stormed into their camp, or even advanced directly to their main tent, in this critical moment, even if Tian Chengsi had given the order, many archers might not have dared to release their bowstrings in this environment and at this distance.

Shouts of battle rose from the surrounding camps. As the Tianxiong army amassed, many, unable to protect the main tent, charged out from the flanks, circling and harassing the Weibo army from the center. Lei Wanchun and his men were now surrounded. Tian Chengsi felt a surge of confidence and immediately shouted, "General Lei is indeed a hero of our time! Why not dismount and surrender to me? I will surely bestow upon you a high position and trust you without question!"

Before Lei Wanchun could answer, a loud shout rang out: "You traitor Tian, ​​your life is hanging by a thread! Do you still dare to try and persuade my General Lei to surrender?!" The voice was like thunder, completely drowning out the sounds of battle raging among the thousands gathered together. Immediately, a foot soldier wielding two heavy maces cut a bloody path through the crowd and charged to Lei Wanchun's horse.

Tian Chengsi was taken aback – although he had never met Li Ji, he had heard of his two famous iron maces, which were said to have been bestowed the name "Mace Hero" by the emperor!

Tian Chengsi thought to himself, "I thought Li Ji ordered Lei Wanchun to raid my camp to distract me and lull me into a false sense of security, while he himself led his troops to flee westward. Why did he come here? So, his attack tonight wasn't a feint, but... he's really going to fight me to the death!"

Now that Li Ji has arrived, how many troops can he leave in his main camp? His main force must have been brought here entirely. So, how many Weibo soldiers have entered our camp today?!

Although he hadn't expected Li Ji to go all out and send his entire army at it, Tian Chengsi was still quite frightened and was speechless for a moment.

Xu Shize was quick to react. Seeing that Li Ji had not charged out alone, but was leading a number of strong soldiers behind him, and that the shouts of battle from the gate seemed to be even more chaotic than before, he hurriedly tugged at Tian Chengsi's collar from behind: "A cornered rat will bite a fox, and a dangerous wall will not be inhabited. Commander Tian, ​​you should take cover for the time being."

The enemy is heading straight for the main camp; it's far too dangerous here. We should break out from the rear and hide in another camp for a while, waiting for reinforcements from the north and south.

Tian Chengsi was still hesitant when he saw more Weibo soldiers surging towards him, many of whose formations were still intact, clearly indicating they hadn't fought a major battle. Two teams of crossbowmen stood at attention sixty paces from the main tent. At their commander's order, they all nocked their crossbows and unleashed a volley of arrows that whistled through the air. Amidst screams of agony, almost all of Tianxiong Army's archers on the left and right flanks were wiped out!

The Wei Bo army was skilled with bows and crossbows. After more than half a month of fierce fighting, the Tianxiong army was well aware of this and knew that the enemy's bows and crossbows were powerful, especially the most common seven-stone knee-drawn crossbow, which could penetrate heavy armor at fifty or sixty paces!

If these two crossbowmen were to charge a little closer, and Lei Wanchun and the others were to give way slightly, so as not to hesitate to shoot at the rat, then a barrage of arrows would be fired. Could the wooden side shields in front of Tian Chengsi really withstand it?

Instinctively, Tian Chengsi shrank back, then staggered and almost fell. Wang You and Xu Shi seized the opportunity to grab him, repeatedly advising, "The situation is urgent! Commander Tian, ​​it would be best to retreat for now!" "If we retreat temporarily, there will still be a day to recover. If Commander Tian is injured, the morale of the army will be thrown into chaos, and things will be beyond repair!"

Tian Chengsi drew his sword from his waist and shouted, "I will not leave. I would rather die here than turn my back on the enemy..." But his voice grew softer and softer. The two officials understood and hurriedly called the soldiers over to protect the commander... "Let's escape from behind the tent."

Tian Chengsi reluctantly allowed himself to be taken hostage by his subordinates. With their commander gone, the Tianxiong Army immediately fell into chaos, abandoning their weapons and fleeing. Lei Wanchun, spear in hand, spurred his horse, stepping over the corpses, and entered the tent, but could not find Tian Chengsi anywhere. Outside, Li Ji had already ordered his men to cut the ropes of the Tianxiong Army's banner and lower it.

The battle was thus decided—for the time being—Tianxiong's troops fled in disarray, scattering across the fields. Tian Chengsi and his main officers, escorted by several hundred guards, hurriedly rode eastward. He had originally planned to circle around and escape to the camps to the north or south, but Lei Wanchun's cavalry pursued him relentlessly from behind, denying him the opportunity.

They had no choice but to flee towards Hengshui County. However, the county town was usually closed at night, and seeing the flames of their own camp and hearing the shouts of battle, they dared not open the gates easily. Tian Chengsi shouted loudly from below the city. The garrison commander had just responded when he heard the sound of horses' hooves behind him. Helpless, he had no choice but to whip his horse and gallop sideways, bypassing the city.

Lei Wanchun led a battalion of cavalry under Yang Shigu's command, pursuing Tian Chengsi from midnight until sunrise, finally losing sight of him. He was filled with frustration and anger. However, there was nothing he could do. Not only were they deep in enemy territory, but they were also exhausted. Even if Tian Chengsi were to emerge from the ground again, he probably wouldn't have the strength to pursue them. Disappointed, he had no choice but to turn west and return to the Tianxiong Army camp.

As soon as he entered the camp, his horse stumbled, nearly throwing Lei Wanchun off. He quickly dismounted, but his legs felt weak and sore, as if he were walking on thick cotton. He couldn't help but sigh, "I'm getting old. If we had fought for two more hours back in Suiyang, I wouldn't be so tired."

He ordered a soldier to lead him to see Li Ji, and apologized with his hands clasped: "It is my fault that I could not give birth to Tian Chengsi."

Before Li Ji could answer, Tian Qianzhen said anxiously from the side, "Tian Chengsi is insignificant. Fortunately, General Lei has returned—the great battle is not over yet, and there is still a fierce fight to be fought!"

Chapter Thirty: The Overall Situation is Set

In the dead of night, the camps on the north and south sides of the Tianxiong Army learned that the main camp was under attack and sent troops to its rescue. However, they found their own banners slowly falling to the ground... This caused chaos in the army and the soldiers scattered. However, a few hours later, Xing Caojun, who had been lying in ambush in the distance, also led his troops back and attacked directly into the empty camp of the Weibo Army.

To facilitate support from friendly forces, Xing Caojun's ambush site wasn't far, only ten miles west of the Weibo camp. His force of three thousand men, half cavalry, were all elite troops. In the darkness, even a small light was highly conspicuous, but the two points—the Tianxiong camp and the Weibo camp—formed a straight line, thus the lights from the Weibo camp obscuring the fighting in the Tianxiong camp. Xing Caojun had only hurriedly led his troops back after receiving a report from the northern camp, thinking he probably wouldn't be able to reach his own camp in time. He decided it would be better to try attacking the enemy's fortifications, employing a strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao."

Unfortunately, the besieged Wei forces were empty, with only a few dozen wounded soldiers unable to move, and no other officers or soldiers; while the Zhao forces they were trying to rescue had already had their banners taken away...

Fortunately, the supplies, equipment, and several days' worth of rations from the Weibo side had all fallen into the hands of Xing Caojun. He was highly respected in the Tianxiong Army, so he hurriedly summoned the remnants of the northern and southern armies to meet. By dawn, he had finally gathered more than 10,000 soldiers.

Before dawn, Tian Qianzhen had suggested to Li Ji that since they had unexpectedly won a great victory, they should quickly send troops back to defend the fortifications to prevent them from being captured by the enemy. Li Ji, however, shook his head: "The soldiers have fought fiercely all night and are exhausted. How can they fight again? What is there to regret if our fortifications are left empty by the enemy?"

He then laughed and said, "Does the Tianxiong Army's camp not have more supplies than mine?" Although it has not yet been counted and a lot of things have been burned, it is still a large camp with tens of thousands of soldiers. Surely a lot of things can be found.

"Fortunately, I broke my banner, preventing it from being seized by the thieves. Otherwise, if the thieves had offered to exchange it, I don't know if I would have been willing to give it up."

As he spoke, he stroked the banner of Tian Chengsi that his subordinates had just found in the main tent, and lowered his voice slightly: "I wonder what the difference is between the banners of military governors? Could I use them in the future..."

He knew that Tian Chengsi had fled during the night, and that the Wei Bo army had captured the main camp. The enemy's morale would be severely damaged, and they wouldn't be able to regroup easily. Therefore, as long as they didn't take the initiative to meet the enemy before dawn, they probably wouldn't dare to attack. However, after dawn, there might be a fierce battle waiting for them—after all, the Tianxiong army outnumbered their own several times over. He wondered if there were any generals with enough prestige and ability to gather the scattered troops and reorganize them.

He then ordered some soldiers to plunder the Tianxiong army camp and kill any stragglers of the defeated Tianxiong soldiers nearby, leaving behind 30% of the elite troops. They were then instructed to sit down and pretend to sleep in order to recover their strength.

Sure enough, at dawn, a scout reported: the enemy has occupied our fortress, numbering no less than ten thousand, and... they seem to be organizing their troops to leave the camp...

Li Ji frowned: "Who is this person? How dare they!" He ordered us to leave the camp and set up our formation. Moreover, he wanted to go to the front line himself to see which general of the Tianxiong Army was responsible. His command and prestige were almost no less than those of Tian Chengsi himself.

Surely that guy didn't get caught by Lei Wanchun, but somehow ended up running off to my west side instead?

As for Xing Caojun, he knew that the main camp was in disarray due to the battle, and morale was low. Fortunately, there was no news yet of Tian Chengsi's capture or death, so he could use some lies to temporarily stabilize morale—"Commander Tian was caught off guard and was taken advantage of by the enemy, but we have now captured his camp, so this battle is not a defeat. Commander Tian has already entered Hengshui and is waiting for us to come to his rescue. We can regroup and attack him from two sides, hoping to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop and avenge last night's humiliation!"

He thought to himself that after last night's fierce battle, the Weibo forces could not have suffered no losses. In particular, their entire division had launched a desperate attack on our camp, a desperate act that often leads to a rapid decline in morale. If he could take advantage of their fatigue and launch a swift attack, they would still be able to put up a fight. Even if they lost, they could retreat to their fortified positions. If he did not attack, our morale would plummet even further, and within two or three days, even he would not be able to control the situation…

So he led his troops out of the camp and formed ranks, while the Wei Bo army on the opposite side also formed ranks, facing each other from a distance. Xing Caojun was eager to know news of Tian Chengsi, so he spurred his horse out of the formation and shouted, "I am Xing Caojun, the commander of the Tianxiong Army. I humbly request Commander Li to come to the front of the formation to speak with me."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji couldn't help but smile and said, "Good, I've been wanting to see just who this so-called General Xing of the Tianxiong Army is, a man of both literary and military talent, wisdom and courage."

He rode forward and paid his respects from afar. Xing Caojun then said, "The situation is settled, and Commander Li has no chance of winning. Why not withdraw our troops and return to our post now? When will we ever get another chance?"

Li Ji frowned, thinking to himself, "What do you mean? Your commander has vanished without a trace, so how can you say I have no chance of winning?"

Seeing the puzzled look on Li Ji's face, Xing Caojun seized the opportunity to ask, "May I ask, has my Zhentian commander been captured by your army?"

Li Ji nodded: "Tian Chengsi is now my prisoner."

Xing Caojun laughed and said, "General Li, don't try to fool me. If we have already captured General Tian, ​​we will surely bind him in front of the battle. Even if we lose General Tian's life, we will still hang his head high. Then we will have no choice but to surrender."

He then said seriously, “Last night, Commander Li was fortunate enough to win, capturing my camp and driving away Commander Tian. However, I also gained the fortification of Weibo and still control the pontoon bridge. Now your army has the strong city of Hengshui behind you and my army defending the fortifications in front of you. Your rear is cut off. How many days can your food and fodder last? As a general of the Tianxiong Army, I naturally know how much food is stored in the camp.”

No one could store large quantities of military rations directly in the camp, as they could be burned to ashes by spies or by enemy rockets. Generally, the main camp only had enough rations for a few days, or at most ten days, with the majority stored in safer bases—for example, the rations for Weibo were in Xindu; while the rations for the Tianxiong Army were distributed in Hengshui and Xiabo County in the northeast.

Xing Caojun said, "To be honest, I have already dispatched troops to recapture Xindu City. The official and private grain reserves within the city should be no less than 500,000 hu..." In fact, he underestimated the amount. The grain from Huainan alone, bestowed by the imperial court, amounted to 600,000 shi—"enough for a year's use. If I hold this position here, Commander Li will not be able to return to Zhangnan, and Commander Tian will send reinforcements from Xiabo or Wuqiang. At that time, we will attack from both sides, and Weibo will be completely wiped out!"

"As the saying goes, one should not be overjoyed, nor should one be carried away by success. Since Commander Li has achieved such a victory, he can now give an account to the court. If you are willing to withdraw your troops here, I will hold my position and not come out, allowing Commander Li to circle around the fortress to the west and find a place to cross the river to return to his post. If you still linger and do not leave, even if I am powerless to defeat your army, with tens of thousands of troops from Chengde currently stationed in Anping, Commander Li, do you think that once you have seen the situation here, you will help whomever side?"

Actually, neither Li Ji nor Xing Caojun could clearly judge Chengde Town's allegiance, but he had to use this to intimidate Li Ji—if Li Baochen knew that your retreat was cut off and that your more than 10,000 elite troops from Weibo were now isolated, he would most likely rush to take advantage of this great opportunity. In that case, with your exhausted and starving soldiers, how could you possibly stand against Chengde's fresh troops?

He then clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "This humble general is not here to oppose Commander Li, but only to ask Commander Li to speak to me on the battlefield and explain the advantages and disadvantages. I humbly request Commander Li to reconsider."

Li Ji stared at the ordinary-looking middle-aged man for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter, pointing his whip at him: "You are mistaken. Do you think I am only here to attack Jizhou because I am ordered by the court? Do you think that as long as I win a battle and have something to report to the court, I can return home in peace? You do not know me."

Xing Caojun said in surprise, "I still need to ask you..."

Li Ji raised his voice and said loudly, "The An Lushan Rebellion nearly destroyed the nation, leaving it weak and vulnerable to foreign invasion. My wish is to lead a small army to first quell the internal strife, and then suppress the external aggression. As long as Wu Zetian's army does not submit to the rule of the emperor and continues to act as a separatist regime, preventing the soldiers of Hebei from advancing westward, the grain from Hebei from being transported westward, and the nation from uniting its millions to march westward, I will not cease hostilities! If Tian Chengsi comes, I will kill Tian Chengsi; if Li Baochen comes, I will kill Li Baochen! Even if the entire Youzhou army marches south, I will not be afraid!"

He then put down his whip, raised his lance high, and shouted, "Wei Bo army, advance!"

In fact, the two armies were still quite far apart, and the soldiers on both sides might not have been able to hear what he was saying. However, when the commander of Weibo saw him raise his lance, the drums immediately sounded, and the soldiers formed a tight square formation, shouting in unison, "Weibo is a strong army, the hero of the world," and slowly advanced.

Xing Caojun had no choice but to turn his horse and return to camp. His subordinates asked him, "Should we defend the fortifications?" He shook his head and said, "We might as well fight a battle first. If we can blunt their momentum, we can still defend the fortifications. Otherwise, I'm afraid we don't have much of a chance of winning." He also ordered the drums to be beaten and the troops to advance.

However, it was obvious that the Tianxiong Army's formation was far less orderly than that of the Weibo Army, and their marching speed was also slower. Moreover, the further they went, the more scattered their ranks became. Upon seeing this, Li Ji immediately lowered his lance, spurred his mount, and galloped ahead of the formation, shouting, "First kill Tian Chengsi, then kill Xing Caojun, conquer Wuqiang, and in Hebei, only our Weibo Army will reign supreme!"

He charged ahead, spearheading the charge into the enemy ranks. His generals, seeing this, spurred their horses on or galloped to catch up. Li Ji, having reached the enemy lines, thrust his spear, only to find it had struck empty air…

The Tianxiong soldiers on the opposite side had already panicked. Upon seeing the spears coming, they immediately threw down their weapons, turned around, and fled with their heads in their hands. In an instant, like dominoes, one person fled, and the rest scattered, and the Tianxiong army formation of tens of thousands completely collapsed.

Seeing this, Xing Caojun threw his sword to the ground, sighed deeply, and said sadly, "Disarm yourselves, we are willing to surrender, but we hope that Commander Li will show mercy and not kill any more of our brave soldiers from Jizhou..."

The battle was over, and the soldiers brought Xing Caojun to see Li Ji. Li Ji dismounted, raised his hands to help Xing Caojun, who was kneeling on the ground, up, and said to him with a smile: "I thought that after last night's battle, the situation was settled, but I did not expect that General Xing was still able to gather tens of thousands of people to resist me. Although you were defeated, you are still honorable. I admire you."

Xing Caojun lowered his head and said, "I am a country bumpkin and do not know the might of General Li. I still hope for luck... The strength of Weibo is indeed unmatched in the world, and General Li's military tactics are far beyond my reach. I am willing to surrender now, and I hope that General Li will show mercy and not massacre the soldiers and people of Jizhou."

Li Ji laughed and said, "Why do I need your words? I am here on the orders of Heaven to punish the guilty. The imperial decree only holds Tian Chengsi accountable. The soldiers of Tianxiong are our Tang army, and the people of Jizhou are our Tang people. How can we justify killing them? As long as they lay down their weapons and do not resist the royal army, I will not commit any offenses against them."

Xing Caojun said, "This sinful general is willing to persuade the soldiers and men on behalf of Commander Li to stop resisting."

Li Ji tugged at his arm: "General, please wait a moment. I have a few questions to ask you."

"Li Shuai, please speak. I will tell you everything I know."

Li Ji's expression turned serious, and he first asked, "The Tianxiong Army has divided its forces to take Xindu. I wonder how many troops they have, who their commanders are, and how long they have been gone?"

Xing Caojun replied, "Military commander Fu Lin led four thousand troops and set off yesterday afternoon. Judging by the time it takes, if they travel day and night, they should arrive at the city of Xindu soon."

After hearing this, Li Ji calmed down a bit.

Within Xindu City, there are two battalions of loyal soldiers led by Nie Feng, along with over a thousand auxiliary troops. Logically speaking, it shouldn't be so easy for the four thousand Tianxiong Army to conquer it. Of course, upon hearing the alarm from the front lines, it's uncertain whether Nie Feng will be afraid and even retreat voluntarily; moreover, there are still Hu E and several hundred former garrison soldiers within the city, and it's hard to say whether they will take the opportunity to cause trouble.

Yesterday during the day, the armies of Wu Shun and Zhao Yi were defeated, and Weibo retreated to defend its fortifications. Tian Xiong's army, including Tian Chengsi, all believed that victory was in their grasp. Logically speaking, Fu Lin did not need to travel overnight to take Xindu.

Would he really worry that Wu Shun's defeated army would empty the grain reserves in Xindu City beforehand? Six or seven hundred thousand bushels of grain—even if they were set on fire, it would take them ages to burn…

Xing Caojun said, "This humble general is willing to follow your army to rescue Xindu and persuade Fu Lin to retreat."

Li Ji neither confirmed nor denied this, but then raised a second question: "How many soldiers and how much grain are stored in Hengshui City?"

"The main army is stationed outside the city. Hengshui County only has the old garrison soldiers, less than a thousand, with more than 30,000 bushels of grain stored."

Li Ji agreed, “General, please write two letters for me. First, urge Fu Lin to cease hostilities. If he surrenders, all the better. If not, he can retreat eastward on his own. Second, urge Hengshui County to open its gates. Otherwise, I will send troops to attack it this afternoon. On the day the city falls, everything will be destroyed, leaving no one alive!”

Of course, given Li Ji's character, he would never actually massacre the city, nor would he even dare to slaughter an opponent who had already lost the ability to resist. But the necessary political intimidation still had to be carried out.

Xuan ordered Yang Shigu to lead two battalions of cavalry, carrying Xing Caojun's letter, to quickly find a shallow place to cross the Zhang River and rescue Xindu; he himself continued to clean up the battlefield and let the soldiers rest in preparation for Hengshui City to hold out against surrender.

Of course, the chances of this are extremely slim. First, as Li Ji said, both families belong to the Tang Dynasty and are not enemies with deep-seated grudges. Even if they are loyal to Tian Chengsi, there is no need for them to drag the entire city's soldiers and civilians to die for their lord. Second, with tens of thousands of troops outside the city defeated in an instant, would the less than a thousand garrison soldiers inside the city really still have the will to fight?

Before noon, Hengshui County opened its city gates, and the county magistrate, accompanied by the city's elders, surrendered with the official seal. Li Ji entered the county office and sat down, summoning all the generals and officials to discuss the next strategic plan. He also specially ordered someone to "invite" Xing Caojun, saying that he wanted to hear Xing Jun's views first.