Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 221 Han Ping Surrenders to the Enemy
Li Tiao launched a surprise attack in the rain, burning a batch of siege equipment belonging to the rebel army, which greatly shocked the morale of the righteous army.

Veteran general Chai Cun also advised Huang Chao that sending the main force westward to fight Gao Yan and Yang Fuguang should be approached with extreme caution. He warned that if the siege camp were left undefended and Li Tiao were to seize the opportunity to break through, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Li Tiao is nothing but a dog guarding the camp, all bluster and no substance!" Huang Chao laughed heartily at his generals: "I will stay here to guard the camp and confront Li Tiao. I guarantee he will not gain the slightest advantage."

"Once the main force defeats the enemy and returns east, that will be the day we take Li Tiao's head!"

Huang Chao's confidence greatly encouraged his generals, and they realized that the destruction of some siege equipment was not a major loss, which boosted their morale.

Despite being a longtime friend of Huang Chao, Pi Rixiu showed suspicion and privately requested to see Huang Chao after the meeting.

“Brother Jutian is eager to resolve the issue of external aid in Guangzhou, and I know the reason why. The righteous army has tens of thousands of troops, and its food and supplies all depend on the cities in Lingnan East Circuit. However, Lingnan’s profits depend on maritime trade. If our army cannot break through the city for a long time, the people of various prefectures will inevitably become suspicious.”

As the righteous army advanced, more than half of the prefectures and counties in Lingnan East Circuit were under the control of the rebel army, most of which had voluntarily submitted.

Huang Chao took advantage of the conflict between the Han people and the Hu merchants in Lingnan, and denounced Li Tiao for condoning the crimes of the Hu merchants in oppressing the Han people. This greatly won the hearts and minds of the Han people and reduced resistance.

However, the premise for the cooperation of the people of various states is that Huang Chao can indeed break through Guangzhou City, crack down on those unruly foreign merchants, and allow the Han people to enjoy the benefits of the maritime trade.

If the rebel army performs poorly, the people may very well side with the imperial court again, and even relentlessly pursue and attack the bandit army that is at a disadvantage.

"But Guangzhou is a low-lying and damp place, and our army has been besieging the city for a long time, with many soldiers falling ill. Why not break camp and march the whole army west to sweep away the western route of Lingnan in one fell swoop?"

The climate in Lingnan West Road is also hot, but due to its mountainous terrain, the air is drier than in the humid Guangdong Delta.

“Brother Pi only knows one side of the story, not the other.” Huang Chao stroked his beard and said, “My words are dismissive of Li Tiao, but that doesn’t mean I don’t take him seriously at all. If the city is not captured and the whole army retreats, morale will easily be low. If Li Tiao launches a two-pronged attack by land and water and pursues us with all his might, our army will be in danger of being routed.”

"Moreover, if the whole army marches west, won't the people of Lingnan East Road become even more suspicious, thinking that we might abandon the attack on Guangzhou and head north instead? I will stay behind to continue the siege so that the people of the various prefectures can be reassured."

Pi Rixiu suddenly realized: "So that's how it is! I was worrying too much for my brother. But there are quite a few enemy troops in the western part of Lingnan. Can a young man handle it?"

Huang Chao's decision this time was to order his three disciples, Zhu Wen, Meng Kai, and Duan Hongyan, to lead 15,000 of their most elite troops to fight a decisive battle against the government forces in the western part of Lingnan.

"Yang Fuguang is considered a capable fighter among eunuchs, but he wouldn't be considered a famous general," Huang Chao said calmly. "As for Gao Yan, isn't he also a young man?"

Huang Chao suddenly recalled that during the Three Kingdoms period, when Cao Cao was confronting Liu Bei in Hanzhong, he once cursed, "You shoe-selling brat, you always send your adopted son to fight the enemy! If I were to summon Huang-Bearded Boy, your adopted son would be minced meat!"

Lei Shuai Gao Pian also often had his nephew Gao Yan defend against the enemy.

Huang Chao had no doubt that Gao Yan would be reduced to mincemeat if he faced Zhu Wen.

Zhu Wen was brave and capable of leading troops, and his schemes could bring chaos to the country.

Unfortunately, this exceptionally talented young man was not Huang Chao's son, and he was only his disciple for a few short years.

However, employing those one doubts is the true nature of those who achieve great things. If one only knows how to appoint relatives and friends, how can one's career grow?

……

Although Huang Chao's three disciples all led the army in this campaign, the overall command of the army was still led by Zhu Wen, who was skilled in battle and resourceful.

After Zhu Wen returned from Chaozhou, Huang Chao expressed deep regret over Zhu Cunzhi's situation and offered words of comfort.

This time, ordering Zhu Wen to lead the army to war was both to exploit Zhu Wen's desire for revenge to defeat the enemy and to appease Zhu Wen, expressing trust in him.

Zhu Wen led his army swiftly and repelled the harassing forces sent by Gao Yan. Taking advantage of the momentum, he sailed west along the Yue River, forcing several prefectures to surrender. In Hezhou, he abandoned his boat and traveled by land.

Yang Fuguang and Gao Yan have gathered the troops of Lingnan West Circuit, as well as the reinforcements from the north, in Guilin, a major town on the upper reaches of the Gui River.

Zhu Wen could certainly choose to attack the enemy's weak points and seize more prefectures and counties.

But after so many years of fighting and capturing so many prefectures and counties, the imperial court no longer cared about the gains or losses of a single city or town; what mattered was solving the problem completely.

According to Zhu Wen's judgment, if he went against the current and attacked Liuzhou or Yongzhou, Gao Yan and Yang Fuguang would not care at all, and would not even bother to send a single soldier to their aid.

Their plan was to create a battlefield favorable to themselves in the Guilin area, forcing the rebel army to break through numerous obstacles and fight a decisive battle with the main government forces. This was a classic example of a reactive, cautious, and practical strategy.

Now that the rebel army is preparing to end its mobile warfare and establish its base in Lingnan, it must seek an opportunity to engage in a decisive battle with the main government forces.

Zhu Wen's burning desire for revenge also made him eager to seek a life-or-death duel with Gao Yan.

The hatred for killing his brother is irreconcilable; he and Gao Yan must fight to the death, and it must be done as soon as possible.

Huang Chao believed that Zhu Wen would not be blinded by hatred, and even thought that this vengeful spirit could be used, which is why he ordered Zhu Wen to lead his army into battle.

In war, victory is paramount, not protracted conflict; both sides now hope for a swift and decisive victory!

Since he was about to enter dangerous territory again, Zhu Wen had to keep his mind as calm as possible, calculate every possibility in advance, and strictly supervise the discipline and morale of the troops.

Because Meng Kai and Duan Hongyan both showed great cooperation with Zhu Wen in leading this campaign, and the generals were also impressed by Zhu Wen's wisdom and courage, it was clear that the people's hearts were at ease.

However, some problems arose during the march.

After Zhu Wen launched a successful surprise attack and captured several fortified villages set up by Gao Yan along the mountain roads outside Guilin.

But they received news that shocked the entire army.

Han Ping led a thousand men to defect, and before leaving, he set fire to some fodder.

Han Ping had been whipped by Zhu Wen before, and he must have harbored resentment, which is why he led his troops to defect.

The cause of the incident was quite simple: some of Han Ping's soldiers, after drinking, suddenly became extremely ferocious and went to plunder a village, killing hundreds of villagers.

The military isn't made of saints, so it's not surprising that they would do something like this.

Before a major battle, it's not good to massacre one's own people. The usual way to handle it is to execute a few ringleaders and give the people an explanation.

However, Zhu Wen believed that Han Ping had been nearly killed in a surprise attack by Li Yi. Now, his subordinates were disregarding military orders and committing atrocities, which showed that Han Ping was incompetent in managing his subordinates.

Han Ping expressed his dissatisfaction, arguing that since they were both generals, why was he reprimanding him like that?
Zhu Wen laughed in anger. He was not a good-tempered person to begin with, and immediately ordered Han Ping to be dragged away and publicly flogged twenty times with military rods, just in time to establish his authority.

Han Ping was beaten until his skin was torn and bleeding, crying and screaming for his parents. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He felt that it was clearly because he belonged to the Zhenyi Alliance faction that Zhu Wen was deliberately targeting him.

Extreme anger can cloud judgment, and Han Ping, disregarding the awkward situation it would make for Shang Rang, directly led his troops to surrender to the government army. Li Tangbin initially had objections, but Han Ping also took him away as a hostage.

Although Han Ping's troops were not strictly disciplined, they were well-equipped and fought bravely, and had made some contributions.

The defection of such a unit before the battle, coupled with the shift in morale, inevitably shook the morale of the army.

Huo Cun, however, had great faith in Zhu Wen's wisdom and whispered in his ear, "Boss, is this not a ruse?"

Zhu Wen did not answer immediately.

Strategy is extremely important in war, but it is impossible for every unexpected event to be planned.

Han Ping's defection to the enemy was an unexpected event that was outside of Zhu Wen's plans.

But Huo Cun's words reminded Zhu Wen.

Zhu Wen never considered using a self-inflicted injury ruse on Gao Yan, because Gao Yan was extremely shrewd, and it would be almost impossible for someone to deceive him into feigning surrender.

Conversely, Gao Yan is also very suspicious. Han Ping has now truly surrendered, and Gao Yan can't see the problem, but he also can't fully trust Han Ping.

Military tactics are ever-changing, just as water has no fixed shape. If we can take advantage of such unexpected events and act accordingly, we might just turn misfortune into fortune.

Zhu Wen pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light, and he had already made up his mind.

(End of this chapter)