Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 896 Young Eagle Spreads Wings
Three days later, north of Chang'an, on the banks of the Wei River, banners fluttered and armor stood in neat rows.

The army was arrayed, with the Northern Army forming the central pillar and the Hexi Iron Cavalry as the flanking spearheads. Infantry and cavalry intertwined, the grim atmosphere dispelling some of the warmth of spring. Sunlight shone on the gleaming armor, reflecting off the shimmering waves of the Wei River.

Li Zhi, clad in specially made silver scale armor and riding a magnificent white horse, stood before the entire army. His gaze slowly swept over the silent formation below, his young face bearing a solemn composure beyond his years. This was his first time assuming command, leading tens of thousands of troops to quell a rebellion; his chest throbbed with pride, but also with immense pressure.

Xia Lin was still dressed in his usual clothes. In order not to overshadow his son, he deliberately rode a gentle chestnut mare and followed Li Zhi leisurely to the side and behind, trying to stand out from the generals in full armor around him.

He even held a blade of grass he had picked from who-knows-where in his hand, looking relaxed, as if this were not a swearing-in ceremony for battle, but a casual outing. However, no one dared to underestimate this military advisor. Whether they were veteran generals of the Tang army or officers of the Wei army's training regiment, their eyes met his with undisguised awe.

Even though the head coach is inexperienced, the fact that this man is standing here represents unparalleled confidence.

The auspicious hour has arrived, and the cannons roar, their sound echoing across the fields.

Li Zhi spurred his horse forward and stood in the most conspicuous position at the front of the formation. He carried no written documents; his clear voice, amplified by his inner strength, resonated clearly in the ears of every soldier:

"Soldiers!"

"Liu Ren of Luzhou, who has received the emperor's favor for generations, has not thought of repaying it. Instead, he has colluded with villains, instigated a mutiny, attacked and killed court officials, occupied the prefecture, and poisoned the people! His actions are rebellious and his heart deserves to be punished! This battle is not for the Li Tang family or clan, but for the millions of people in Hedong who have been ravaged by him, for the glorious justice of Heaven, and for the clear and bright world!"

His voice rose higher, filled with righteous indignation: "I, by His Majesty's decree, wield the imperial axe, command a mighty army, and punish the disloyal! I hope you all will unite as one, with the swords in your hands, to cleanse the filth and restore peace to Hedong! Let the blood of the rebels forge the spirit of the Li Tang army! On the day of our triumphant return, I will be generous with rewards and celebrate with you all!"

"Cleanse the filth! Forge the soul of our army!"

"Long live Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Tens of thousands of people roared in unison, their voices like a tidal wave sweeping across the plains and startling distant forest birds into flight.

With a clang, Li Zhi drew his sword, its blade pointing directly towards Luzhou in the northeast, and shouted sharply, "Let's go to war!"

Bugles sounded and war drums beat. The army moved like a slowly rising torrent, with the vanguard cavalry leading the charge, their hooves thundering like muffled thunder. The infantry phalanx followed closely behind, their steps resounding, causing the earth to tremble slightly.

Li Zhi turned his horse back into the central army formation, subconsciously glancing at his father behind him.

Xia Lin was chewing something when she met her son's gaze and mumbled, "Not bad for setting up a good position. Think about it on the way; there's going to be a fight."

In the following days, the army left the prosperous capital region and gradually entered Hedong.

Li Zhi kept in mind the principle of "swift as the wind, slow as the forest," and did not rush. He set a fixed number of marches each day and sent out a large number of scouts to investigate the enemy situation, terrain, and road conditions ahead.

Inside the central command tent, Li Zhi frowned slightly as he looked at the detailed map of Hedong spread out before him. Zhang Jianzhi and Xiao Wu stood on either side, their expressions equally somber.

"Your Highness, scouts report that Liu Ren's main rebel force, numbering about 15,000, is holding Luzhou City, reinforcing its defenses, and has set up several camps in strategic locations outside the city to support each other. In addition, several other rebel groups are scattered in the surrounding prefectures and counties, ranging from several hundred to over a thousand, looting grain and harassing our supply lines, which is quite troublesome."

Zhang Jianzhi pointed to the markings on the map and explained them one by one.

Xiao Wu added, "Luzhou City is high and deeply fortified, with ample grain reserves, making it difficult to attack by force. Moreover, the rebel army has taken many demobilized veterans with them, including some who are familiar with city defense tactics."

Li Zhi pointed heavily at the location of Luzhou City: "A direct attack is a poor strategy, only increasing casualties. The reason Liu Ren was able to quickly gain power is that he colluded with local powerful families and incited the local militia who were dissatisfied with the reorganized army. Although his forces are numerous, they are certainly not a monolithic entity. We should first cut off his wings and intimidate him, and then target his core."

His gaze sharpened: "Issue the order! Order 5,000 iron cavalry from the left wing of Hexi, under the command of Li Sheng, the Commander of the Vanguard. They need not get entangled with the small rebel groups along the way. They should quickly maneuver to the north of Luzhou, guard the key roads, cut off their potential communication with Taiyuan, and create a feint to tie down some of the rebel forces."

"Order the right wing to detach 6,000 infantrymen from the Northern Army, with officers from the training regiment as the backbone, and each led by several brave captains, to clear out the enemy harassing the southwest and southeast of Luzhou, to secure the rear, and to open and ensure the smooth flow of supplies. The remaining troops shall follow the central army."

"The main force of the central army, numbering nearly 20,000, is advancing with me towards Luzhou, but we are not in a hurry to engage in battle. We will first establish a stable camp, remove its outer defenses, and proceed step by step!"

The order was clearly given, and Zhang Jianzhi quickly took notes, while Xiao Wu nodded slightly. The Crown Prince's strategy was steady and methodical, first pacifying the surrounding areas and then trapping the core; it was indeed the right approach.

However, after he finished speaking, everyone looked at Xia Lin, who was sitting next to him reading a book. Xia Lin waved his hand and said, "Don't look at me, you guys fight yourselves."

The army moved as ordered, with the Hexi cavalry galloping out like the wind and the elite infantry sweeping across the land. Li Zhi led the central army, marching in a grand procession to a place thirty miles west of Luzhou City, where they chose a strategic location to set up camp, with deep trenches and high walls, adopting a posture of long-term confrontation.

The rebels were clearly prepared and did not launch a rash attack.

In the first two days, the two sides only had a few brief encounters with scouts and light cavalry in a small area, resulting in casualties on both sides, but neither side's fundamental position was shaken.

On the third day, Li Zhi ordered a valiant general to lead 3,000 infantrymen to launch a probing attack on a rebel outpost ten miles west of the city. The outpost was built against a small hill, in a rather advantageous location.

The government troops lined up and fired their crossbows, while the rebels held their positions firmly in the stockade, raining down logs and stones, and arrows raining down. The two sides fought fiercely for half a day. The government troops approached the stockade several times but were repelled each time, suffering over a hundred casualties. Unable to capture the stockade, they had no choice but to retreat in frustration.

The initial setback inevitably led to some frustration within the army.

As night fell, in the central command tent, Li Zhi listened to the reports from his generals, calmly inquiring about the details of the battle, the rebels' defensive measures, and the problems exposed on his side.

Xia Lin remained seated on his small stool, leaning against the tent pillar, seemingly dozing.

After the generals finished their reports, the tent fell silent. Li Zhi waved for everyone to leave and rest, leaving only Zhang Jianzhi and Xiao Wu. He walked to the sand table, gazed at the model of the outpost camp that had not been captured, and said softly, "I was too hasty. The rebels are holding their ground, waiting in ambush; how could they be taken so easily?"

Xiao Wu said gently, "Your Highness need not blame yourself. The initial setback has also helped us figure out some of the rebels' tactics. Judging from today's battle, the rebels' defense of the camp is quite organized, and they are not just a rabble. There must be knowledgeable soldiers in their army."

Zhang Jianzhi also said, "Exactly. Only by blunting their arrogance can we demonstrate our patience. Next, we should focus on trapping and harassing them."

At this moment, Xia Lin raised his eyes as if he had just woken up and said, "A head-on confrontation is no fun. The city is against the mountain, and there are a lot of trees on the mountain, right? Which way does the wind blow at night? How many roads are there? How many soldiers and civilians are there around? How much food does each person eat every day? Are there any other transportation routes? When you can't sleep, you can send someone up to take a look. It's not like you have to pay an entrance fee."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi's eyes lit up. He looked at the sand table again, his gaze falling on the mountains and forests behind the camp and its location relative to the main city, lost in thought.

After the first battle, Li Zhi was not discouraged; instead, he became even more composed. He adopted Xia Lin's seemingly casual reminder and, incorporating the suggestions of Xiao Wu and Zhang Jianzhi, adjusted his strategy.

Instead of rushing to attack the rebels' fortified outposts, the government troops adopted a more long-term strategy of siege and harassment.

Li Zhi ordered the conscription of civilian laborers and the allocation of soldiers to begin constructing simple fortifications and outposts between the rebel army's outer camps and the main city of Luzhou. Although this could not completely isolate the rebel forces, it greatly restricted the activities of small rebel units and their supply lines. At the same time, he dispatched more scouts and elite squads to harass the rebels day and night, attacking their supply convoys and ambushing their patrolling soldiers, keeping the rebels on edge and constantly on the defensive.

Following Zhang Jianzhi's advice, Li Zhi personally revised several proclamations, declaring that the court would only punish the ringleader Liu Ren and his core followers. Those who had been coerced or misled would be pardoned as long as they abandoned their allegiance to the truth, and would even be rewarded for meritorious service. These proclamations were copied countless times and shot into the rebel camps and even into the city of Luzhou by skilled archers.

The strategy of winning hearts and minds initially had little effect, but as the siege dragged on, subtle changes began to emerge within the rebel army. In particular, the soldiers who had been coerced and some of the local strongmen's private troops who were not part of Liu Ren's united front began to waver. Occasionally, small groups of rebel soldiers would sneak out of the camp at night to surrender to the government troops.

Beneath the walls of Luzhou, a silent battle seemed to be unfolding. One side fortified itself with deep trenches and high walls, steadily advancing, constantly compressing space and applying psychological pressure; the other side held its ground, but cracks were quietly forming within its ranks under the pressure.

On this day, Li Zhi was in his tent discussing with Zhang Jianzhi and Xiao Wu whether to eliminate the outpost camp that had previously caused him setback, and how to achieve their goal with minimal losses. A scout brought urgent military intelligence: a rebel army of about a thousand men was attempting to bypass the city through a hidden path south of the city, seemingly to launch a surprise attack on a government army supply depot.

"Perfect timing!" A glint flashed in Li Zhi's eyes: "I was just worried they'd be hiding in the shadows! Order General Zhao, who's in charge of the mopping-up operation on the right wing, to send a battalion of troops to ambush them at a strategic location. We must annihilate this enemy force and capture their leader!"

The order was quickly relayed. Two hours later, news of victory arrived: the rebels had indeed fallen into an ambush and were utterly defeated by the well-prepared government troops. More than 300 were beheaded, and over 500 were captured. Their leader, a captain, was captured alive, and only about 100 men managed to escape back to the city in disarray.

Although the battle was small in scale, it was the first time since the start of the war that a significant portion of the rebel forces had been annihilated, greatly boosting the morale of the government troops. More importantly, a mid-level rebel general was captured.

Li Zhi immediately ordered that the captured captain be kept under strict guard and that the accompanying scribe interrogate him in detail in order to find out more specific details about the rebels' deployment, food reserves, and the conflicts between the various factions in the city.

The interrogation results were quite encouraging. The captain was not one of Liu Ren's direct subordinates, but rather one of the local warlord leaders who had been coerced. He confessed that although there was plenty of grain in the city, its distribution was unfair, with Liu Ren's direct subordinates taking the majority, causing considerable resentment among them, the outsiders. Moreover, Liu Ren did not fully trust his generals, especially those who were originally the commanders of the local militia.

“The opportunity has come.” Li Zhi looked at the compiled confessions and said to Zhang Jianzhi and Xiao Wu, “The rebels are currently restless, driven by self-interest, and each has their own ulterior motives. We can start from here and intensify our efforts to win them over.”

He pondered for a moment, then said to Xiao Wu, "Senior sister, I would like to trouble you to personally write letters in my name to several known rebel leaders who are not Liu Ren's direct subordinates, explaining the advantages and disadvantages and promising them great benefits, to see if you can pry them into submission."

"Yes, Your Highness." Xiao Wu accepted the order. She was meticulous and had excellent writing skills, so it was most appropriate to entrust this matter to her.

At the same time, Li Zhi once again ordered that the more than 500 prisoners captured this time be kept separately from the previous prisoners, given basic food and drink, and that officers from the training corps who were good at public speaking persuade them every day, publicize the court's policies, and divide and weaken their fighting spirit.

As the siege entered its tenth day, the atmosphere within Luzhou City became noticeably more oppressive. Although the government troops had not launched a major attack, the ever-expanding encirclement, the relentless harassment day and night, and the surrender proclamations that drifted into the city like snowflakes were tightening the noose around the city like invisible ropes.

Liu Ren seemed to have sensed the instability in the army, and for several days he imposed martial law in the city, publicly executing several low-ranking officers suspected of dissent, attempting to stabilize the situation through harsh punishments. However, this high-pressure approach only exacerbated the panic and discontent within the ranks.

Inside the central command tent, Li Zhi listened to reports from all sides and said to Zhang Jianzhi, "It seems that Liu Ren is already feeling apprehensive."

Zhang Jianzhi nodded: "Your Highness is absolutely right. Now, we should maintain pressure while waiting for things to change. Perhaps we can find another opportunity to eliminate one or two outer camps to further intimidate those inside the city."

Li Zhi's gaze returned to the outpost camp on the sand table that had initially frustrated him. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, as if he were weighing something. This time, his eyes held less impatience and more of a determined, steady resolve.

Xia Lin remained leaning against the corner, seemingly indifferent to the discussion inside the tent, only occasionally glancing at everyone's faces.

Just as Li Zhi was about to give the order, Xia Lin finally stood up: "Do you have an answer to the question I asked you last time? Will you follow the path of a benevolent ruler or a tyrant?"

Li Zhi was clearly taken aback by his father's question. He hesitated for a long time before scratching his head and saying, "Father didn't give me an answer last time either. I've thought about it for a long time, but I really can't figure it out."

"Let's take this siege as an example. If you want to take the path of a tyrant, you should take advantage of the dark night to set fire to the mountains and forests around the city, and then use cannons to bombard the other gate, with the main principle of 'better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free'."

"But... there are still hundreds of thousands of people in the city, and my son cannot do it."

Xia Lin laughed: "So you chose the benevolent ruler route, right?"

After he finished speaking, he stood up and said, "All troops, listen to my order: retreat ten miles. Make way for the soldiers and civilians in the city to survive."

After saying that, he went to a corner of the barracks and put on his armor: "Prepare the horse, I'm going out for a bit."

“Father…those are rebels.”

"Don't worry," Xia Lin waved his hand and said, "Your father is much more afraid of dying than you are."

(End of this chapter)