History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 53: The Victory at Longwei Slope

Huang Chao usurped the title of emperor and conferred titles on his ministers. Zhu Wen was among those who received titles, and was given the title of "Youyi Envoy".

Youyi is a patrol officer who is in charge of patrolling the camp and guarding against enemies. He is the leader of the security patrol team. He is responsible for the peripheral security work around the capital Chang'an. In short, he is in charge of the peripheral work.

Zhu Wen's defense area was Dongwei Bridge, which was located on the Wei River northeast of Chang'an City. It controlled the Wei River and the Ba River. It was an important transportation route and a distribution center for grain and supplies. All grain and supplies east of Chang'an had to be transported here first, so its strategic position was quite important.

Fifty miles northeast of the bridge is Liyang County, where a group of government troops were stationed, led by Zhuge Shuang, the governor of Xiasui.

When Huang Chao approached Chang'an, Zhuge Shuang was ordered to reinforce Tongguan. When he led his troops there, Tongguan had already fallen, so he stationed in Liyang and waited for the next combat instructions.

Liyang is located north of the Wei River, close to the city of Chang'an.

Zhuge Shuang stationed troops here for his own reasons. He wanted to wait for an opportunity to join the "Chang'an Defense War" because if he retreated only because of the fall of Tongguan, he could have retreated to Tongzhou instead of retreating to the vicinity of Chang'an in one breath. But he never expected that Chang'an would surrender without resistance.

As a result, Zhuge Shuang was in an awkward situation. He had originally planned to let Chang'an act as a meat shield in the front, while he hid in the north of the Wei River, dealing damage and picking up kills with ease. But now he had become the front line against Huang Chao.

Zhu Wen and Zhuge Shuang faced each other across the river, each guarding the north and south ends of Dongwei Bridge, and could hear each other's voices.

Huang Chao sent the highest instructions to Zhu Wen: unite all forces that can be united and try to win over those comrades who can be won over.

Zhuge Shuang is one of those “comrades who can be won over.”

In his early years, he was a temporary worker in the county urban management brigade (county Wu Bo), doing the dirtiest, most tiring and hardest work, earning the least salary, and often being insulted by his superiors. After being physically punished by the county magistrate, he gave up his service with hatred and made a living by singing in the countryside, transforming himself from a temporary worker to a folk artist.

When Pang Xun rebelled, Zhuge Shuang gladly abandoned his martial arts and joined the rebels, and took his martial arts with him to join the army. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel due to his merits.

When Pang Xun was about to be defeated, Zhuge Shuang recognized the current situation and surrendered to the government army in time. He was later promoted to Defense Envoy and Jiedushi.

He originally had the background of being a "Xu thief" and had a history of turning against his own side in the face of battle. Now he was in an awkward situation where he didn't know what to do. He was a natural traitor.

Thieves nod to each other when they meet. We are all monks in the same temple, so there is no need to say Amitabha.

Gentlemen should be called like-minded, while villains can be called like-minded.

Zhu Wen tied a letter of persuasion to an arrow and shot it to Zhuge Shuang's camp opposite. As expected, Zhuge Shuang surrendered happily.

This was not Zhuge Shuang’s first rebellion, nor would it be the last.

Huang Chao appointed Zhuge Shuang as the governor of Heyang and took the city on his own.

At that time, the Heyang area was still in the hands of the Tang government army. The governor was Luo Yuangao, one of Tian Lingzi's confidants, and he once participated in the "Battle of Sanchuan" sports meeting.

This man relied on his power, was cruel and greedy, and lost the support of the people. The officers and soldiers under him were unwilling to work for him and surrendered one after another. Luo Yuangao had no choice but to abandon the city and flee to Shu. The Heyang area was peacefully taken over by Cao's army.

Huang Chao's move of appointing his own people as officials in enemy-occupied areas and attacking the areas on his own was really impressive, and it was not the last time he would use it.

Zhu Wen made an indelible contribution to the surrender of Zhuge Shuang and the peaceful takeover of Heyang without resorting to force, thus clearing the eastern threat for the Huang Qi regime. He was promoted to the position of Chief Inspector of the Southeast Front Army (Du Yu Hou of the Southeast Front Camp) and was given a new mission: to attack Dengzhou.

Zhu Wen lived up to everyone's expectations and took Dengzhou in one fell swoop, captured Zhao Jie, the governor of Dengzhou, and strangled the throat of entering and leaving Jing and Xiang, thus clearing the threat from the southeast for the Huang Qi regime.

At this point, the situation east of Chang'an was stable, so Huang Chao began to make plans to move westward and pursue Emperor Xizong of Tang.

【Battle of Longwei Slope】

To the west is Fengxiang. At first, the messengers sent by Huang Chao reported that Fengxiang had surrendered, but soon under the leadership of Zheng Ting, the chaos was rectified and Fengxiang returned to Tang.

The best strategy is to defeat the enemy without fighting. Huang Chao continued to send Wang Hui as a lobbyist to explain the pros and cons to Zheng Ting, hoping that Zheng Ting would understand the current situation and give way.

At this time, Tang Hongfu, the governor of Shuofang, and Cheng Zongchu, the governor of Jingyuan, had already led their troops to meet in Fengxiang.

Zheng Ting beheaded Huang Qi's envoy Wang Hui, used his head as a sacrifice, and vowed to kill the bandit!

Huang Chao then sent Shang Rang to lead an army of 50,000 to attack Fengxiang in the west.

Previously, Zheng Ting had been verbally appointed by Emperor Xizong of Tang to cover the rear and stop Huang Chao from chasing westward. Now, Emperor Xizong of Tang formally appointed Zheng Ting as the commander-in-chief of the various war zones and dispatched corps in the Chang'an area (the commander-in-chief of the military camps around the capital) in the form of an imperial edict, and issued an imperial edict to grant him the power to appoint meritorious soldiers at his own discretion, giving him the important task of retaking Chang'an. Zheng Ting then appointed Cheng Zongchu as his deputy commander-in-chief and Tang Hongfu as the chief of staff for operations.

Faced with the surging Huang Qi army, Zheng Ting responded calmly: he sent Tang Hongfu to set up an ambush in a dangerous place, and he personally led thousands of people to sparsely set up a large number of flags.

Shang Rang did not take Zheng Ting seriously at all and thought that he was just a corrupt scholar.

Zheng Ting's previous job was to draft imperial edicts for the emperor. It was precisely because of the exaggerated praise for Prime Minister Liu Zhan in the imperial edict to dismiss him that he was rejected by the "Baoyan Party" and gloriously became one of the victims of the "medical dispute case". It's okay for a penman to write all day, but it may not be effective when he changes to a gun.

When he looked at Zheng Ting's troops again, they were scattered, not in formation, and with few men. Shang Rang despised Zheng Ting even more, laughing at him for being a pedantic scholar who knew nothing about military affairs.

Since Cao's army crossed the Huai River and headed north, they had been able to conquer the country almost entirely by issuing orders. The Tang army was defeated, which further encouraged Shang Rang's arrogance.

Shang Rang believed that the trip to Fengxiang should be regarded as an armed parade of the Cao army, which was a victorious start and an immediate success.

When he led 50,000 men to Longwei Slope, he was suddenly ambushed and his army was instantly routed. More than 20,000 men were killed, and the bodies stretched for dozens of miles. Shang Rang fled back to Chang'an in a panic.

This battle is known in history as the "Battle of Longweipo" or the "Great Victory of Longweipo". It is of great significance and will be recorded in history forever.

Because this was the first direct battle between the Huang Qi regime and the Tang Dynasty since its establishment, its political significance far outweighed its military significance.

Countless eyes in the world are watching in secret, ready to change sides at any time based on the results of the battle.

For example, Zhuge Shuang, who had just surrendered, saw that the Huang Qi regime had lost power, and immediately petitioned Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty, asking him to abandon the dark and join the light, and once again rebelled. Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty appointed Zhuge Shuang as the governor of Heyang;

The governors of Tongzhou, Huazhou, and Shangzhou of the Huang Qi regime all abandoned their cities and fled, breaking away from the Huang Qi regime;
Wang Chongrong, the governor of Hezhong, also killed the envoys of the Huangqi regime, returned to the embrace of the Tang Dynasty, and joined forces with Wang Chucun, the governor of Yiwu, and advanced to the north of the Wei River.
Zhou Ji, the military governor of Zhongwu, was also successfully instigated by Yang Fuguang to rebel. He killed the envoys of the Huang Qi regime and returned to the embrace of the Tang Dynasty...

When Huang Chao stationed in Chang'an, these vassal states near Chang'an chose to rebel against the Tang Dynasty and join Qi. After the "Battle of Longweipo", they all restored order.

In addition, Youzhou Governor Tuoba Sigong and Fuyan Jiedushi Li Xiaochang joined forces and vowed to fight against the bandits;

Qi Kejian, the governor of Fengtian, sent an envoy to meet Zheng Ting and request to be assigned combat missions.
Zhu Mei, a general of Binzhou, killed the pseudo-Binning Jiedushi of the Huang Qi regime, supported another general Li Chonggu as the Binning Jiedushi, and led his army to approach Chang'an to attack Huang Chao;
The chieftains of the Shatuo and Tuyuhun tribes also joined forces and marched south to reinforce Chang'an...

Okay, unfold the map and put Chang'an City in the center: to the west are Tang Hongfu of Shuofang, Cheng Zongchu of Jingyuan, Zheng Ting of Fengxiang, and Zhu Mei of Bining; to the north are Tuoba Sigong of Xiasui, Li Xiaochang of Fuyan, and Li Keyong from Tatar; to the east are Chongrong, the King of Hezhong, and Chucun, the King of Yiwu; to the south are Zhou Ji, the Zhongwu, Yang Fuguang, and Li Qi's expeditionary army from Xichuan...

After the "Battle of Longweipo", the Huang Qi regime was surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Zheng Ting ordered all war zones across the country to raise troops to defend the emperor and jointly fight against the bandit Huang Chao. Since Emperor Xizong of Tang fled westward, the imperial edict could not be delivered, and everyone thought that the Tang Dynasty had collapsed. Suddenly, they received Zheng Ting's official document, which encouraged them and gave them hope of victory, so they rushed to send troops to respond.

At this point, Huang Chao was forced by the situation and no longer pursued Tang Xizong westward (the thieves were afraid and dared not peek west of the capital again).

Some scholars accuse Huang Chao of being short-sighted. After occupying Chang'an, he indulged in pleasure and lost his ambition. He did not pursue Emperor Xizong of Tang relentlessly, leaving the Tang Dynasty with a chance to catch its breath, which ultimately led to the failure of the uprising. This is a rather irresponsible statement.

Although Huang Chao was not a man of great talent, he was not so short-sighted. The Battle of Longweipo made Huang Chao exhausted and passive, unable to take care of himself and unable to pursue westward.

Zheng Ting, relying on the momentum of the "Longweipo Victory", gathered his forces to liberate Chang'an.

(End of this chapter)