Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 254 Entering the City
Zhu Wen's feint attack strategy succeeded due to a combination of factors.

As autumn faded into winter, the southeast winds subsided, and northwest winds began to blow from the Yue River towards the sea. The rebel navy, positioned to the west, gained the advantage of favorable winds and currents, while the eastern army fell to the downwind side.

In autumn and winter, the sea waves are calmer than in the height of summer, which is relatively advantageous to the rebel navy, which has less combat experience.

The grass-fed warships were equipped with long drawbridges, which actually created a top-heavy structure. If they encountered a real storm, they would capsize on their own without any enemy attack.

If this naval battle were to take place in the summer, not only would the rebel army be unable to win, but even putting on a show to lure Li Yi into a trap would be a pipe dream.

In the current situation, the main force has truly been defeated and is being pursued by Li Yi in his boat, so the losses are not small either.

Those newly joined pirates, the retainers of powerful chieftains along the coast of Gaoliang, were chased and killed by the government troops' warships and small boats. When their ships were destroyed and they were killed, they probably cursed Zhu Wen and insulted his ancestors for eighteen generations.

Even the old comrades in the peasant army, upon discovering that Zhu Wen himself had already slipped away, relinquished command of the fleet, and secretly fled to seize Guangzhou, those left behind, regardless of life or death, could not help but harbor resentment.

It's not the same to willingly stay and sacrifice yourself to lure the enemy, or to be tricked into becoming bait.

"It's easier said than done: 'Better to die for a fellow Daoist than for a poor one.'"

A compassionate leader cannot command an army. Zhu Wen could only convince himself that this was a necessary price to pay in order to preserve the army as a whole and to win the battle of Guangzhou.

Moreover, even in a collapse and retreat, there is still a considerable chance of survival; it is not a certain death.

The departure of his second brother made Zhu Wen truly realize the cruelty of the battlefield.

A strong wind reveals the strength of the grass. In life-or-death situations, a small number of people will inevitably be inspired with heroism and step forward to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

Cao Shixiong, who stayed behind in Qizhou to cover the rear, was like this, as was Zhu Wen's second brother, Zhu Cun, during the Battle of Hanjiang.

As the saying goes, "Jing Ke attempted to assassinate the King of Qin, but the general offered his head." Jing Ke's swordsmanship was crude, needlessly costing General Fan Yuqi his life, but General Fan's courage and bravery will shine through the ages.

Often, sacrificing one's life can truly change the situation. Therefore, heroes who voluntarily sacrifice themselves can always return to the afterlife with beautiful wishes and a smile.

Humans cherish life and fear death. It is impossible to get many people to be willing to be sacrificed.

At this point, they can only deceive and scheme against even their own people, using them as pawns to be sacrificed.

That is, changing "actively offering one's head" to "passively offering one's head".

Zhu Wen felt both ashamed and resolute in employing such a strategy.

He wasn't cold-blooded enough to discard living beings as easily as flicking a blade of grass from his fingertip.

Therefore, Zhu Wen had to succeed and could not afford to fail.

His blade was sharper and more decisive than Jing Ke's dagger.

Only through victory and all sacrifices can we achieve an explanation.

Zhu Zhen, Huo Cun, and others who stormed the city walls had completely taken control of the area, and more and more rebel soldiers were being thrown onto the walls.

Zhu Wen's gaze was distant, his eyes taking in the bustling cityscape.

His gaze gradually focused on the direction of Li Tiao's military governor's residence, his eyes sharp as lightning.

Even after being besieged for months, the magnificent prosperity of Guangzhou still impressed Zhu Wen. The Jiedushi's residence, in particular, was the most opulent mansion in the city.

Zhu Wen had never been to Chang'an or Luoyang; Guangzhou was the most magnificent city he had ever seen in his life.

"Li Tiao, you old scoundrel, I'm here!"

Zhu Wen roared loudly in the face of the strong wind and leaped down from the city wall, which was several meters high.

Since the battle was being fought simultaneously on land and water, the strategy naturally had to be implemented in both directions. Zhu Wen knew that his master, Huang Chao, had almost completely emptied the city's remaining fighting force in order to cooperate with him.

……

On the plains west of Guangzhou, what was revealed was that the rebel army, which had initially swept through the enemy lines, gradually lost its momentum after a fierce attack.

Although they were determined to fight to the death, many of them were still recovering from serious illnesses and their bodies were not fully healed. If they fought for a long time, they would inevitably become exhausted.

Moreover, many elite soldiers were also sent to the navy.

Xin Dang, the military governor of Lingnan West Circuit, and Duan Baolong, a general of Nanzhao, were both skilled generals well-versed in military strategy. After Li Tangbin's surprise attack that killed the silver-armored cavalry general and dampened the morale of the allied forces, the two simply ordered their troops to form a shield formation and scatter caltrops and deer antlers to lure the rebel army into attacking.

The allied forces outnumbered the rebels and adopted such a conservative tactic, leaving the rebels with nowhere to attack.

One must press on with one's might, for the second will be weaker, and the third will be exhausted. Soldiers who have suffered from the plague are even less able to endure prolonged battles.

But from the Allied perspective, the bandits have had their supplies cut off, and it's you who should be worried.

This defensive formation also had another advantage for the allied forces—there was a deep-seated blood feud between the Lingnan West Circuit government troops and the Nanzhao Kingdom.

In the Battle of Guilin, the soldiers of Lingnan West Circuit suffered heavy casualties. Xin Dang mainly relied on the troops of Jiaozhi who had not been involved in the bloody battle of Guilin.

The elite troops known as the "Jiaozhou Upper Armor" were created by Cai Xi, the former Protector-General of Annam—who was also the junior brother and close friend of the military genius Shi Xiong—who died at the hands of Duan Baolong's father, Duan Qiuqian.

In the seventh year of the Xiantong era, Lei Shuai Gao Pian recovered Jiaozhi and captured Duan Qiuqian.

At this point, an advisor suggested that since Tang and Nanzhao had been fighting for years, they would eventually have to negotiate peace. Duan Qiuqian was indeed the enemy's top general, but his daughter had married the current emperor and had a son and a daughter, both of whom were favored by the emperor, making him essentially the emperor's father-in-law. It would be better to send this man to the capital and let the emperor deal with him personally.

Lei Shuai, who was usually inscrutable, suddenly changed his expression and gritted his teeth, saying, "If Duan Qiuqian is granted a pardon by the Emperor, who will pay for the blood debt of my uncle Cai Xi?"

He ordered Duan Qiuqian to be nailed to a wooden pillar, and then ordered his soldiers to cut him into pieces, cut out his heart, and throw it into the Baiteng River to pay tribute to the heroic spirits of Cai Xi and the soldiers and civilians who died in the Nanzhao invasion.

There are layers of grudges between them. If the Jiaozhou army and the Nanzhao army were to truly get mixed up together and provoke old grudges, they might end up fighting each other.

Huang Chao did indeed attempt to do so.

The rebel army extended its battle lines, applying pressure from both sides in an attempt to squeeze the Nanzhao army and the Jiaozhou army together.

To deal with the war elephants of Nanzhao, Huang Chao even used the last remaining live pigs in reserve. He coated the pigs' hindquarters with lacquer, set them on fire, and the pigs, screaming in pain, charged into the enemy ranks, disturbing the war elephants. Some of the war elephants went berserk and turned around to trample their own ranks.

However, the Nanzhao people had extensive experience in dealing with mad war elephants. Once a war elephant went berserk, the driver would use a thick, long iron rod to pierce its skull and kill it without hesitation.

Li Tiao also sent troops out of the city to attack the rear of the rebel army, leaving them attacked from both sides and unable to keep up. Their once-mighty offensive gradually weakened.

Huang Chao was forced to abandon his offensive and gradually shrink his battle lines, and the enemy forces from both the front and the rear finally began to press forward.

The numerous ponds and ditches outside Guangzhou limited Meng Kai's cavalry's charging power. However, with the force of his great axe, blood and flesh flew everywhere, making it difficult for the Guangzhou soldiers who had charged out of the city gates.

Li Tiao did not have many elite troops at his disposal. For this campaign outside the city, he recruited many Hu (non-Han) warriors from the barbarian quarters. These included Arab cavalrymen wielding crescent-shaped swords and Viking shield warriors wearing horned helmets.

As the fierce battle raged, these people continuously sent messages into the city requesting reinforcements.

They stated that they were closely connected with Li Tiao and were not cowards. However, the two armies were locked in fierce fighting, and the enemy was about to flee north. As long as Li Tiao committed his personal guards to the battle, the bandits would completely collapse and be wiped out like autumn leaves swept away by the wind.

Li Tiao climbed the tower and looked into the distance, realizing that what the messenger had said was true.

These mercenaries are formidable fighters, and they certainly seem poised to crush the bandits' ranks. However, their capacity to withstand casualties is limited, and without reinforcements, the situation could become unpredictable.

After much hesitation, Li Tiao finally decided to send out his personal guards.

(End of this chapter)