History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 17: The Destruction of Xu Ze
Du Shenquan, the governor of Zhenhai, came to the rescue by promptly allocating 5,000 hu of rice, 500 hu of salt, and 2,000 reinforcements to Sizhou, and followed Xin Dan to help Sizhou.

When they returned, the enemy army was ready to intercept them. There were heavy troops guarding both sides of the river, roadblocks made up of several large iron chains on the water, and warships ready to be deployed at any time.

The Zhenhai reinforcements did not dare to advance.

Xin Dan's persuasion was in vain, so he could only lead the way and said, "I will drive the boat in the front to lead the way. If I succeed, you can follow me. If I die, it will not be too late for you to leave. Is that okay?"

No.

The Zhenhai Army admired Xin Dan as a man and a hero. But not everyone can be a hero.

Helplessly, Xin Dang posted a high reward to recruit the death squad. A high reward would surely attract brave men, and finally dozens of brave men responded.

Xin Dang registered their names with official documents and promoted them on the spot. Once you rush into Sizhou City, you will be official civil servants of the state; if you unfortunately die, the government will also recognize your official positions and issue pensions according to your ranks.

So three grain ships and one salt ship raised their sails, went upstream, and rushed straight towards the enemy's blockade line.

The enemy troops on both sides fired thousands of arrows at the same time, and the arrows were like a torrential rain, pouring down on the four baggage ships. When they got close to the iron chain, Xin Dang braved the arrows and stones, holding a long-handled axe, and cut the iron chain. The breakout was successful.

The defenders on Sizhou City saw it all and cheered, their voices shaking the heavens and the earth.

Du Yan led the soldiers defending the city, and with tears in his eyes, he welcomed Xin Dan into the city.

A few days later, another fleet was seen from the top of the city wall in the distance, flying the flag of the Zhenhai Army. It was intercepted by the enemy's warships more than ten miles away from the city and could not get close.

Who dares to respond?
Xin Dan.

If it were not for the official historical records, no one would believe it. Xin Dan, a god-like man, a model of personal heroism. He successfully broke through again and joined forces with the Zhenhai reinforcements.

These were nine grain-carrying ships of the Zhenhai Army, led by the eunuch Zhang Cuncheng.

"The soldiers were afraid to move forward along the way and were almost on the verge of mutiny. I threatened to commit suicide several times before I could barely get here..." said the eunuch Zhang Cuncheng with a sob.

Xin Dan looked relaxed, laughed loudly, pointed at the pirate ship not far away, and said: "All reactionaries are paper tigers. Don't be fooled by their large number of ships. In fact, most of them are empty. The number of pirates is not large. They are just bluffing. Otherwise, how could I break through so easily as if I were walking on flat ground?"

The soldiers believed what he said and set sail.

Under the leadership of Xin Dan, they beat drums and shouted, and advanced noisily. They actually broke through the enemy's blockade and successfully entered Sizhou City.

Breaking through by water was a piece of cake for Xin Tang. Cheating had also become a daily routine for Xin Tang.

Xin Dan recruited 400 brave warriors and fought with the enemy army for more than 100 miles on the water before he escaped and rushed to Yangzhou to continue providing blood transfusions for Sizhou.

During his stay in Yangzhou, Xin Dan displayed his fine quality of passing by home three times without entering. He passed by home more than a dozen times but did not visit his wife and children. Instead, he devoted himself to raising food and money. In total, he raised 20,000 dan of salt and rice, and 13,000 strings of cash.

Wu Jiong became Wu Jiong.

"Is this a public toilet? You can come and go as you like?" This time, Xin Dan was greeted by 150 large warships and more than 10,000 bandits who blocked the Huai River and were determined to kill Xin Dan to relieve their hatred.

The rebel army took advantage of the geographical location, launched fireboats, and sailed downstream, hoping to use fire attack to make Xin Dan boil fish.

Xin Dan personally held a long-pole harpoon, stood at the bow, and regardless of the smoke and fire, pushed the oncoming fireboat to the side of the fleet. Boiled fish, refused to sign.

Taking advantage of the huge size of the ships and the large number of personnel, the bandits built temporary "balconies" on both sides of the ships. The war sheds stretched out from the hull and became a suspended fortress, which could not only prevent small boats from boarding and seizing the ship, but also allow them to shoot from inside the shelters. If they were close, they could also use their spears and axes to beat the small boats from a high position.

Xin Dang was both wise and brave. He sent out a death squad to row a small boat, quickly shuttled under the war tent, and used a long spear to pick up the burning torch. You offer me boiled fish, and I will give you roast duck in the oven.

The area under the war tent was a blind spot for the bandits, and the bandits, unwilling to be roasted, immediately fled in all directions. The war tent also set fire to the warships, and the river became chaotic.

At Xin Dan's command, the fleet took advantage of the chaos to break through and successfully entered Sizhou City.

Things are changing

When the news that Wang Hongli had killed Dai Keshi and won a great victory over the southern army reached Xuzhou, Pang Xun was overjoyed and thought he was invincible. So he reprinted the news of the great victory in the Huaihe Campaign and posted it in the occupied areas, making a gesture of swallowing up the entire Huainan area in one fell swoop.

The rebels seized Chuzhou, killed the governor Gao Xiwang, and massacred the whole city. When they attacked Hezhou, the governor Cui Yong surrendered and said that the rebels could rob them of money, food, and women as long as they didn't take their territory. When they captured Haozhou, the governor Lu Wanghui died for his country, and several of his servants and concubines were steamed and eaten by the rebels...

The people south of the Huai River and north of the Yangtze River were in panic and fled to the south of the Yangtze River to avoid the bandits.

The Huainan Jiedushi Linghu Tao sent people to lobby Pang Xun, promising that he would be willing to ask the court for the military power for him, turning hostility into friendship, and allowing Pang Xun to be a local Jiedushi with peace of mind. From then on, he would be rich and glorious, and would be as famous as Wang Zhixing and be celebrated by future generations. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
The sugar-coated bullet crushed Pang Xun's fighting spirit. He readily accepted the proposal and cancelled the plan to invade Huainan.

The Huainan region was given a precious breathing space to repair fortifications and prepare for war, thus providing a guarantee for future strategic counterattacks.

History should be as objective and fair as possible. Although the history books say that Linghu Tao was timid and idle, and missed the opportunity to suppress Pang Xun's rebellion in the early stage, and should bear some responsibility for the "Pang Xun Rebellion", Linghu Tao made an indelible contribution to the preservation of Huainan.

At its peak, Pang Xun's gang was unable to extend its claws into Huainan, and one of the main forces that eventually wiped out Pang Xun also attacked from Huainan. This should all be counted as Linghu Tao's achievement.

Pang Xun was full of pride and spent his days feasting and playing, waiting for the imperial court's order. His trusted subordinates, especially the first 500 Guilin garrison soldiers, were even more arrogant and greedy, bullying men and women in the occupied area, committing all kinds of evil and lawless acts.

The people in Xuzhou finally recognized the true face of Pang Xun's group and began to hate them.

Military advisor Zhou Zhong could not help but advise Pang Xun, saying that an arrogant army will eventually fail, and what's more, we do not have the capital to be arrogant and extravagant at the moment.

This was Zhou Zhong's only correct suggestion. It was also the only suggestion that Pang Xun did not listen to.

History is funny. This pair of modern-day clowns has managed to avoid all the right answers.

While the Xuzhou bandits were enjoying peace and prosperity, the war to suppress the rebellion was quietly changing: Songzhou Kang Chengxun's troops had assembled more than 70,000 people, and had also assembled elite cavalry such as Shatuo and Tuhun, and were heading straight for Xuzhou.

Thanks to the book friend “150609180340598” for the recommendation!


(End of this chapter)