Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 261 Meng Kai Pursues the Enemy
Among the generals, one who looked rather dim-witted heard Li Tiao's words and said with a fawning smile, "So that's how it is! If General Zhu is indeed the reincarnation of the Crown Prince, then it's only natural that Commander Li was defeated by his own ancestor."

Some people, however, sensed something was wrong and started to laugh it off.

A more astute observer might think: Li Jiedu's plan is to put General Liangyu in a very difficult position. But if General Liangyu hears this, his ambition will inevitably swell. If the Salt Commander also thinks this way, then the trouble will be immense.

The scene remained amicable, but it couldn't stop the undercurrents from spreading.

At this moment, the most rational decision for Zhu Wen was to remain silent.

He knew that Huang Chao would outwardly ignore Li Tiao's overt scheme to sow discord. As for the subsequent consequences of this maneuvering, Zhu Wen could only proceed cautiously and cautiously, taking things one step at a time.

The port of Guangzhou had fully returned to order, and before long, the Guangzhou navy, which had been pursuing the rebel navy deep into the open sea, also returned to the port in a grand procession.

The lookouts on the city wall saw this scene of hundreds of boats racing and hurriedly informed Huang Chao, who had already moved into the governor's mansion.

The rebels initially thought Li Yi had returned with his fleet to launch a desperate counterattack, and quickly prepared for battle. However, they received news that the Guangzhou naval commanders had lost the will to continue fighting the rebels, had bound Li Yi, and surrendered to the rebels.

Huang Chao tentatively sent out a small boat to meet them, and successfully captured Li Yi, who was already bound like a dumpling, his mouth stuffed with hemp rope, and trembling with fear.

Several generals of the Guangzhou Navy also went ashore to express their sincerity in paying tribute to Huang Chao.

When the Li family father and son were reunited, imprisoned together, Li Tiao sighed with grief, tears streaming down his face.

They weren't too surprised, as if they had expected this outcome.

Throughout the entire process, Huang Chao refused to meet Li Tiao and his son.

Three days later, an order was issued to execute Li Tiao, the former military governor of Lingnan East Circuit, Li Yi, the military commander of Guangzhou, thirty-seven Guangzhou officials and officers who were unpopular and resented by the people, more than two thousand Hu soldiers captured in the battle of Guangzhou, more than three thousand Hu merchants and their families, and more than two thousand slaves including Kunlun slaves and monk slaves, all on the port of Guangzhou.

The original plan was to kill them all, but it turned out to be too much effort, so only a small portion were executed, and the rest were buried alive.

Guangzhou originally had more than 20,000 non-Han people, but on the day the city fell, more than half of them were killed by the Han people in the city. Apart from a little over a thousand beautiful women who were taken as spoils of war by the rebel soldiers and the Han people of Guangzhou, the non-Han people who had accumulated in Guangzhou over the past three hundred years of the Tang Dynasty were wiped out in one fell swoop.

At the time of the execution, the crowds were packed, and the cheers were thunderous, as they applauded the righteous army for cleaning up these pests of Lingnan.

The Arab warriors, Viking warriors, and Turkic knights among the Hu people were used to living a life of bloodshed. Although they were desperate, they did not seem to be very afraid of death. It was as if death was either going to sleep or returning to where they came from, so they died very silently.

Most of the Hu people, who were used to a life of luxury and had never experienced life-or-death situations, were more attached to this colorful world. Although they dared not resist, they cried and begged incessantly, hoping to gain the forgiveness of the murderers, as if doing so would give them the hope of being pitied and released.

Until the merciless longsword swept past, their decapitated corpses were removed and buried under the cold, heavy, damp earth.

As for Li Tiao, the military governor, he remained quite composed when he was beheaded, and smiled and said, "I have fought all my life and am tired and weary. I can finally rest properly."

Li Yi also wanted to say something as carefree as his father, but his face was pale and uncertain, and he couldn't say anything. He was beheaded without leaving any last words.

For some reason, Lan Suting insisted on watching the execution. After observing for a day, she returned with slightly red eyes and a look of unbearable sorrow. She said to Zhu Wen, "These barbarians certainly knew how to kill themselves, but the one who orchestrated it all could send thousands upon thousands of people convulsing and dying with a wave of his hand. Even the old, weak, women, and children were not spared. It's truly heartbreaking." She continued, "There was an old woman holding a three- or four-year-old girl, lying in the pit. The executioners threw soil to cover her. The little girl, unaware of her impending death, said to the old woman, 'Sand is in my eyes!' The old woman comforted her, saying, 'It's not a big deal, it will clear up soon.' How could such words not break one's heart?"

Zhu Wen tenderly removed the turban from Lan Suting's head and stroked her hair, saying, "If we fall into the hands of the Guangzhou army, our fate will be the same as theirs."

Lan Suting recalled the horrific scene of Commander Yan massacring Wang Xianzhi's captured soldiers in Qizhou, slaughtering the old, weak, women and children along with them, leaving tens of thousands dead and staining the river red. She could only sigh softly, her slender body trembling like a white flower petal in the wind.

Zhu Wen reached out and embraced her, offering Lan Suting comfort with his broad chest, but in his heart he thought: Master's refusal to see Li Tiao and his son is to show that he doesn't care at all about the rumors of Li Jiancheng's reincarnation, hoping to put my mind at ease.

But once a crack appears, is it so easy to find peace of mind?
……

After executing Li Tiao and his son, Huang Chao immediately appointed himself as the military governor of Lingnan and the protector-general of Annam, in addition to his title of Grand General of the Soaring Sky, determined to bring the entire Lingnan region, including Jiaozhou, under his control.

During the Battle of Guangzhou, due to Zhu Wen's strategy of luring the enemy, the newly established rebel navy suffered heavy casualties as Li Yi pursued and attacked it. However, due to the surrender of the Guangzhou navy, the rebel army quickly gained a stronger naval force.

The armies of Nanzhao and Lingnan West Circuit originally retreated by water, but were pursued by the Guangzhou Navy dispatched by Huang Chao, and had to abandon their boats and retreat by land.

After months of siege, the soldiers were exhausted from prolonged fighting, and many had not fully recovered from the plague. Apart from the newly attached Guangzhou navy, the number of troops available for pursuit was actually quite small.

Only two thousand elite soldiers led by Meng Kai.

Meng Kai followed closely behind the enemy, but discovered an excellent opportunity.

The most formidable force under Xin Dang was the 3,000 elite soldiers from Jiaozhou trained by Cai Xi.

Although Cai Xi died in battle, most of the soldiers from Jiaozhou, whether captured by Nanzhao or temporarily surrendered, survived. When Gao Pian recaptured Jiaozhi and the Tang Dynasty made peace with Nanzhao, the soldiers from Jiaozhou returned to the Tang army.

These soldiers harbored considerable resentment towards the imperial court.

They felt that the imperial court's failure to provide timely assistance led to Cai Xi's death in battle, and they were forced to submit to the powerful enemy for several years. After returning, they were sometimes ridiculed by other armies for being "captured" by the enemy.

Although the Shangjia troops of Jiaozhou had been annexed by Nanzhao for several years, they hated Nanzhao far more than the average Tang army. They were actually quite dissatisfied with the Tang Dynasty's borrowing of troops from Nanzhao to suppress the bandit army, and their resentment only grew stronger after the defeat.

After several skirmishes, the Jiaozhou troops suddenly attacked Luo Juzi's troops under Duan Baolong's command.

The two sides attacked each other.

After nearly a hundred men died on each side, both sides realized that they were on the retreat, their soldiers were not wearing armor, and their supplies were insufficient, so there was not much to fight.

Enraged, the two armies broke apart and scattered, returning home in many groups.

They abandoned Xin Dang, the military governor of Lingnan West Circuit, and left with two or three thousand soldiers from Yongguan and Rongguan, standing there bewildered in the wind.

(End of this chapter)