Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 200 Siege of Guangzhou

One cannot claim that one was allowed to abuse privileges and fall into such a predicament only when a knife is held to one's throat.

When the troop shouting "Kill the Hu!" transformed from a trickle into a murderous torrent in the streets; when Zhu Cun successfully led his men to open the gates, letting in the Hu soldiers lying in ambush outside the city, all that remained for the Hu nobles in the entire city was their desperate pleas for mercy.

They wept bitterly, speaking in fluent or broken Tang language, saying that they originally did not want to oppress the Han people, but that it was Li Tiao, the military governor of Lingnan East Circuit, and Mo Rui Cong, the magistrate of Boluo County, who had spoiled them.

The Han people, who had long harbored resentment, wouldn't listen to such nonsense and simply swung their knives to cut him in two.

Even if those jeweled Arab noblewomen knelt down and begged to become slaves, they could not escape being stabbed in the head.

Vengeful killings are often far more thorough than massacres for wealth or children. When the masses are incited, driven by rage, they will annihilate all members of their enemies, including cats and dogs.

Not to mention the elderly, the weak, women and children.

There are only about two hundred Hu people in Boluo County.

The massacre quickly spread to Han Chinese who usually served as lackeys for Hu merchants.

Many thugs and hooligans also infiltrated the group, attempting to take advantage of the chaos.

After taking control of the city, Zhu Wen quickly ordered a halt to the killings and to find as many scoundrels as possible who had infiltrated and murdered innocent Han people.

This distinction is not easy, as scoundrels are often adept at sophistry.

Historically, many rebel armies would tacitly allow scoundrels to take advantage of the chaos and then recruit them into their ranks.

However, Huang Chao believed that these street ruffians were not reliable sources of soldiers. They did not engage in production, had little ability, and were bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong; they were mostly born bad. On the battlefield, such people would not be able to fight tough battles.

The Art of War states: "If one is kind but cannot command, loving but cannot order, and disorderly but cannot govern, he is like a spoiled child and should not be used."

Many of the arrogant and fierce generals in the warlord regions often recruited their troops from these street ruffians. Spoiled by their superiors, they became bloated and swelled up with greed. They were adept at plundering, burning, killing, and looting the people, but when they encountered a tough opponent, they would immediately turn tail and flee like the wind.

Therefore, after Huang Chao conquered a city and restored order, he would kill a group of ruffians who took advantage of the chaos.

Distinguishing between good and evil was a major headache for Zhu Wen. Fortunately, Duan Hongyan had already led troops to block the north gate, and the city affairs below could be left to her to manage.

By the time she governed Quzhou, Duan Hongyan had already earned the reputation of a "female upright official".

When Boluo County Magistrate Mo Ruicong discovered that the city's troops could not hold out, he immediately led his troops to retreat, thinking that he could atone for his crime by saving a portion of the army and returning to surrender to Li Tiao, the military governor.

When Duan Hongyan cornered him, Mo Ruicong immediately changed his expression and shouted that all the wrongdoings he had committed were on the orders of Military Governor Li Tiao.

"Heroine, bodhisattva! I, Mo, was truly forced into this situation. If it weren't for Li Tiao's despicable and shameless behavior of currying favor with the Jie barbarians, wouldn't I, Mo Ruicong, also want to be a good official who loves the people like his own children? When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head!"

"As soon as the heroine gives the order, I, Mo, will immediately lead the righteous army to Guangzhou and cut off the head of that old traitor Li Tiao!"

His arrogant attitude followed by obsequious behavior drew ridicule from the rebel soldiers.

Li Tiao's promotion of Mo Rui Cong from a poor scholar to the position of county magistrate could not guarantee his loyalty.

Or perhaps, Mo Ruicong believed that his initial refusal to accept the surrender of the bandits and his resistance until the city fell had already done enough for Li Tiao.

Regardless of the resentment the people of Boluo harbored towards Mo Rui Cong, Duan Hongyan had no respect for such a despicable person who hurled insults at his former master.

She drew her bow and shot an arrow, which brought Mo Rui Cong down from his horse. His men cried out in alarm and scattered in panic.

The soldiers escorted over thirty members of Mo Rui Cong's family to the county seat and, together with Mo Rui Cong, publicly executed them in the crossroads of the county. This fulfilled the oath Mo Rui Cong and Master Mo had sworn brotherhood with: "We do not wish to be born on the same day, month, and year, but we wish to die on the same day, month, and year."

When Huang Chao led his army to the scene, he was quite satisfied with the performance of Zhu Wen and Duan Hongyan. He praised the two of them, reorganized his troops, and marched westward to attack Guangzhou.

This time was not like later times. Guangzhou was already quite prosperous due to maritime trade, but the surrounding population was relatively sparse. The majority of the population of Lingnan East Circuit lived in the scattered plains between the mountains west of the Yangtze River Delta.

The area where the Yue River flows into the sea is low-lying, humid, and hot, with numerous ponds and marshes teeming with mosquitoes and flies. During the Tang Dynasty, the degree of land reclamation was relatively limited.

Although Huang Chao gained popular support upon entering Guangdong, he still struggled to recruit enough men outside Guangzhou to besiege the city. He could only have his rebel soldiers work during the cooler evenings, digging trenches, setting up fortifications, and constructing siege works.

When the Hu people in the city's foreign quarters heard that the Hu people in Boluo County had been executed, they felt a sense of shared grief and organized themselves to assist Li Tiao, the military governor of Lingnan East Circuit, in resisting the rebel army.

In addition, Guangzhou was a heavily fortified city with deep moats. If a strategy of swarming the city were adopted, the losses would be heavy and the effort would be minimal. Li Tiao sent troops out of the city to attack several times, but his troops were not as elite as the battle-hardened soldiers and were all repelled.

Despite Li Tiao's attacks, Huang Chao's army finally managed to form a siege and was planning to send troops to cut down trees and manufacture siege equipment.

A fleet of warships with sails obscuring the sun sailed downstream in a mighty procession.

Numerous torches were thrown from the ships, landing on Huang Chao's army's camps along the river. The wooden camps were quickly ignited, the fire spread, and the soldiers fled in panic.

Huang Chao, of course, ordered water tanks to be prepared in case of fire attack. But the ships also fired crossbow bolts as thick as a child's arm and rocks the size of a fist, which rained down on the fortifications like thunder and lightning, causing the tents to collapse one after another. The soldiers in the camp dodged and cried out in pain, which delayed the firefighting work.

Furthermore, enemy elites landed in small boats and launched a surprise attack on the chaotic army. These elites were mostly tall and strong Hu people, wielding large axes and carrying wooden shields, and they fought extremely fiercely.

Exhausted from building the camp, the rebel army was no match for the enemy and had to abandon the camp and flee.

Li Yi, the eldest son of Li Tiao who commanded the fleet, laughed loudly at the bow of the ship as it sailed with the waves, transferring a large amount of grain transported from upstream into the city.

Li Tiao was by no means incompetent; both he and his son were renowned for their skill in naval warfare.

Twenty years ago, the seven kingdoms of Arabia, Silla, Balhae, Japan, Choryan, Zhenla, and Buddha formed a coalition with the Tang Dynasty due to trade disputes. The coalition consisted of more than 2,000 warships and more than 60,000 soldiers. They invaded the Tang Dynasty's coastal areas in several routes, plundering people, burning cities, and causing harm to Qingzhou, Qizhou, Liangzhe, Fujian, and Lingnan.

The so-called seven-nation alliance was actually a typical pirate tactic.

Li Tiao was appointed to a critical mission at that time, leading the Tang navy from north to south, winning five battles in a row, killing more than 20,000 enemies and capturing countless ships of all sizes.

The seven kingdoms were alarmed and sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty to sue for peace. The Japanese envoy emphasized that Japan had always admired the Tang Dynasty, and that this military action had nothing to do with its own government. He claimed it was all ronin (masterless samurai) flying their own flag and following the troops of the other six kingdoms in burning, killing, and looting. He stated that Japan would swiftly dispatch a fleet to annihilate these lawless pirates.

The outcome of this battle even surpassed the Battle of Baekgang, in which General Liu Rengui defeated the Japanese at the beginning of the dynasty. Li Tiao also earned a resounding nickname - "Sea God", and has been stationed in Lingnan East Road ever since.

Even now, the people of Lingnan still lament how such a once-powerful and valiant member of the royal family, who once defended against foreign enemies and displayed his might across the seas, has become someone who now fawns over the barbarians.

But this is not surprising; it's all about self-interest. Li Tiao inflicted a heavy blow on the Hu people, gaining the position of military governor of Lingnan East Circuit and the prestige to negotiate with them.

Taking advantage of maritime trade, Li Tiao made countless profits. In addition to paying tribute to the court and bribing eunuchs, he also amassed a huge fortune, built up his influence and strength in Lingnan.

If others hadn't been unable to send so much tribute, how could Chang'an have allowed a somewhat unruly descendant of Li Jiancheng to sit in the position of military governor of Lingnan East Circuit for a full twenty years?

The rebel army advanced rapidly, but Li Tiao remained calm, relying on his powerful fleet and knowing that the rebel army could not cut off Guangzhou's supply lines!
The only morale-boosting result from this defeat was the presence of three blonde beauties.

They wore horned helmets, carried triangular shields with skull patterns in their left hands, and long-handled axes in their right hands. They were extremely brave in battle, no less so than the men.

However, due to his reckless advance, he was exhausted and captured alive by the rebel army.

"Liangyu, these three women are yours to enjoy," Huang Chao said to Zhu Wen with a smile amidst the envious gazes of his soldiers.

Zhu Wen felt a chill run down his spine.

The master knew perfectly well that he wasn't particularly interested in women. Besides, he and Tian Jun were still deeply in love.

It seems that Huang Chao had some reservations about taking it upon himself in Fujian to spread the idea that he was the reincarnation of the mythical beast Di Ting. Although it was an expedient measure taken in an emergency, Huang Chao was not entirely without reason.

Power is exclusive, and even heroes like Huang Chao were not immune to it.

Zhu Wen finally had the opportunity to consider the social customs and human relationships that he did not like.

He bowed and thanked Huang Chao for the reward, then asked, "May I give these women to someone else?"

Huang Chao laughed loudly: "It's yours to give to anyone you want. You can give it to whomever you want."

These words indicate that Zhu Wen is stating that he will no longer act on his own initiative.

If he had given these women away to others without even asking, Huang Chao's resentment towards him would have only grown stronger. But after asking, Huang Chao immediately understood that this disciple was quick to grasp things and wouldn't become arrogant or complacent because of Huang Chao's favor.

The slight misunderstanding between master and disciple vanished silently amidst the seemingly sensual reward of beautiful women.

Zhu Wen also had a way to explain himself to Tian Jun.

(End of this chapter)