Late Tang Dynasty: Descendants of the Imperial Clan

"That's a matter for you Jingyuan."

Li Cenji turned around and looked at Cheng Zongchu.

"Commander Cheng, Huang Chao abandoned the city and fled east last night, without losing any troops. If he learns that the government troops in Chang'an are scattered throughout the cities and towns looting, leaving the city defenses weak, do you think he might launch a surprise attack?"

Cheng Zongchu's face darkened.

Li Cenji continued:

"At that time, the troops from each town will be scattered throughout the city, fighting on their own. Generals will not be able to find their soldiers, and soldiers will not be able to find their generals. How can they resist? Commander Cheng, I am not trying to block the brothers' path to wealth. I am thinking of you. If Huang Chao really comes back, the tens of thousands of brothers in Chang'an will not be concerned about whether they can make money or not, but whether they can survive."

Cheng Zongchu remained silent for a long time. Only the heavy breathing of Guo Bingmashi and the faint commotion from afar could be heard from inside the tent.

Finally, he sighed deeply, slammed his hand on the table, and said in a deep voice:

"Issue the order: all battalions must immediately gather their troops and return to their camps. Last night's events will be forgiven. From this moment forward, anyone who trespasses into civilian homes, robs civilians, or abuses women will be executed!"

Before Guo Bingma Shi could say anything more, Cheng Zongchu glared at him and said coldly:

"What, you're not obeying my orders anymore? Or was the loot from last night not enough to fill your stomach?"

Guo Bingma immediately clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, not daring to say another word. He picked up the sword from the ground and hurriedly left.

Li Cenji watched him leave the tent before turning to Cheng Zongchu, clasping his hands in a fist salute and saying:

"Commander Cheng, I still need to make a trip to the camps of Commander Tang and Commander Qiu. If you could accompany me, that would be wonderful."

Cheng Zongchu nodded, grabbed the helmet from the table, put it on his head, and said:

"Let's go. I'll swallow my pride and accompany you as your persuader."

The two left the camp, mounted their horses, and led dozens of soldiers toward the Qinzhou army's garrison.

This used to be the garrison of a Jinwu Guard unit in the city. Qiu Gongyu was in the camp counting the weapons captured last night when he saw Cheng Zongchu and Li Cenji arrive together, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

Li Cenji didn't mince words and analyzed the pros and cons of Huang Chao's possible return.

After pondering for a moment, Qiu Gongyu glanced at Cheng Zongchu's determined expression and nodded, agreeing to discipline his troops and be ready to serve at any time.

As the three were discussing, a scout suddenly galloped in from the east. The rider was covered in dust and had a flag on his back; he was a sentry from Qinzhou Town.

The scout dismounted, knelt on one knee, and his voice changed:

"Revenge, Commander! Huang Chao has returned from the east! The vanguard of the rebel army has reached Chunming Gate, and the city gate defenders cannot withstand the attack and have collapsed!"

Qiu Gongyu's expression changed drastically, and he abruptly stood up:

How many people came?

"The smoke and dust obscure the sun; there must be tens of thousands of them! I see the enemy cavalry pouring into Chunming Gate, charging towards all parts of the city!"

Li Cenji and Cheng Zongchu exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking simultaneously.

The thing Li Cenji feared most has finally happened.

The troops from various towns were scattered throughout the city, and the city gates were not properly defended. The rebels were able to enter without lifting a finger.

Li Cenji made a quick decision and said to Qiu Gongyu:

"General Qiu, there are only two defensible locations in the city right now: the Imperial Palace and my camp outside Kaiyuan Gate to the west. The walls of the Imperial Palace are mostly symbolic; we don't have enough troops to fill them. Fengxiang's camp was set up outside the city yesterday. My three thousand troops didn't enter the city to garrison last night; the camp's palisades and fortifications are intact, and the moats and barricades are still there. It's the only place we can hold our ground right now. General Qiu, immediately gather your troops, leave the city from the west, assemble at Fengxiang's camp, and then we'll make further plans!"

Qiu Gongyu hesitated for only a moment before nodding emphatically:

"Alright! I'll gather the troops right away and charge out of the city!"

Having said that, he grabbed his helmet and strode out of the camp, already issuing orders in a stern voice.

Li Cenji turned to Cheng Zongchu and said:

"Commander Cheng, you had already given the order to gather troops before we came. Now the Jingyuan troops should have gathered quite a few. I will escort you back to camp first. We must get out of the city from the west before the rebels can surround us."

Cheng Zongchu's face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth as he said:

"Walk!"

Li Cenji and Cheng Zongchu rode side by side, with Xu Tai and dozens of his personal guards following closely behind.

The group left the Qin Prefecture military camp and galloped south along the main street between the market towns. The horses' hooves pounded on the bluestone pavement, making rapid and muffled sounds that echoed between the walls of the market towns on both sides.

Chang'an City was now in complete chaos.

The deafening sounds of battle were getting closer and closer from the direction of Chunming Gate in the east. The shouts of the rebels charging and the sporadic resistance of the Tang army could be faintly heard.

The firelight flickered in and out of the morning mist, turning half the sky gray-red.

After turning two more corners, the scenery ahead suddenly changed.

Dust billowed at the end of the long street, and shouts of battle shook the heavens and the earth. A troop of cavalry was surging towards them along the street.

The cavalrymen were poorly armored, some without even helmets, yet they all had ferocious faces and their swords were stained with fresh blood—they were the vanguard of the puppet Qi army.

The Tang soldiers who had just been plundering the people from house to house were suddenly knocked to the ground by the rebel cavalry before they could even draw their swords. Their screams were cut short as the horses' hooves trampled over their bodies.

Li Cenji glanced at them briefly before looking away. These people had only themselves to blame, but he didn't have time to collect their corpses.

He turned around and said in a deep voice:

"Protect Cheng Shuai, stay close to me!"

Before he finished speaking, he squeezed his knees against the horse's flanks, and the yellow horse neighed and charged forward.

The pseudo-Qi cavalry were fighting fiercely when suddenly a group of men rushed out from the dust ahead. The general in the lead was wearing bright armor, and his ten-foot-long lance gleamed with a faint blue light in the morning sun.

They were taken aback at first, then someone with sharp eyes recognized Cheng Zongchu's dazzling armor and shouted sharply:

"A big fish! It's a Tang general!"

That shout was like throwing a piece of fat meat into a pack of wolves.

Dozens of pseudo-Qi cavalrymen turned their horses around and surged towards Li Cenji.

However, they were light cavalry, and their horses had weakened by the time they arrived here. Furthermore, the narrow streets prevented them from maneuvering, and they were crammed together and blocked on the long street, looking like targets delivered to their doorstep.

Li Cenji would never give them a chance to regroup.

The yellow horse charged into the enemy ranks like a streak of yellow light. Its lance flew left and right, and where the lance passed, two puppet Qi cavalrymen were thrown into the air, screaming as they flew backward and knocked down their comrades behind them.

Xu Tai followed closely behind, slashing down a cavalryman who was trying to sneak up from the side with his sword.

The soldiers guarded Cheng Zongchu, forming a wedge behind Li Cenji, and like a sharp blade, they plunged into the enemy ranks, tearing a bloody path through the chaos.

These pseudo-Qi cavalrymen rushed into the city, their horses exhausted from galloping all the way. Now they were unable to launch a charge and had lost their speed, so how could they stop Li Cenji's charged attack?

Wherever the spear swept, men and horses fell, and cries of agony filled the air.

Several cavalrymen at the forefront were trampled through the chest by the yellow horse, their breastplates collapsed, and they coughed up blood.

Those behind, seeing the situation was not good, quickly turned their horses and fled to the alleyways on both sides, wishing they could stick their bodies to the walls.

Li Cenji didn't linger in the fight and charged across the street first.

Tang soldiers who had just been looting civilians kept running out of the alleys and shops along the street.

Some were still clutching the cloth and coins they had just robbed, while others hadn't even put on their armor properly. Upon seeing the cavalry, they shouted loudly, wanting to catch up.

Li Cenji could not stop, nor dared he stop. Although the Qi cavalry behind him had been scattered, the main force could catch up at any moment. He could only spur his horse forward at full speed, ignoring the shouts and pursuit of the scattered soldiers behind him, gradually falling further and further behind.

Cheng Zongchu was protected by his guards, and he drew his sword. Although he did not personally engage the enemy, he remained calm and kept directing the guards on both flanks to cover his positions.

He had fought in battles for half his life, and this was not the first time he had experienced such a sudden attack. He knew that the more panicked he became, the more likely he was to die.

As he spurred his horse to follow closely behind Li Cenji, he shouted loudly:

"Don't linger! Just charge! Once we're out of the city, we'll survive!"

Xu Tai, standing to Cheng Zongchu's left, slashed left and right with his sword, knocking down a rebel swordsman who tried to pounce from the side, splattering blood on half of his face.

He didn't care at all, and just yelled at the top of his lungs:

"Commander! Another group is surging out from the left!"

"Never mind! Keep going!"

Without turning his head, Li Cenji swept away two more rebel soldiers blocking his way with his lance.

This cavalry force was like a red-hot iron spike piercing into grease, causing the rebel army to collapse wherever it went.

The rebel infantry, who had finally caught up with the cavalry, thought they had run into a lone Tang general and were eager to make a great contribution. Little did they expect to run into such a killing god.

The lance danced in the morning light with impenetrable force, leaving those who touched it with broken bones and severed heads, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of corpses lay scattered across the street.

The remaining rebels were terrified by this unstoppable killing intent. They let out a shout and retreated into the alleys on both sides, not daring to take another step forward.

The group traversed streets and alleys, finally making their way back to the Jingyuan soldiers' camp.

The camp had not yet been besieged. When the officers and soldiers left behind saw their commander returning in such a disheveled state, they all rushed up to inquire about his whereabouts.

Cheng Zongchu jumped off his horse, spat on the ground, grabbed the military commander, and shouted sternly:

"Huang Chao is back! Issue the order: the entire army must assemble immediately, abandon all baggage, and travel light! Anyone who dares to dawdle will be court-martialed!"

The military commander was startled by his expression and turned to relay the order.

Before long, bugles sounded in unison throughout the camp, and shouts of men and neighing of horses filled the air.

The chests and cloths looted last night were scattered all over the ground. The soldiers hurriedly put on their armor, grabbed their swords, and lined up in a flurry.

Cheng Zongchu mounted a prepared warhorse, drew his long sword from his waist, and said sternly:

"Follow me to the south gate! Once we're out of the city, we'll circle around to the west to the Fengxiang military camp! Listen up, all of you: falling behind means death, and nobody looks back!"

Jingyuan soldiers shouted and followed Cheng Zongchu toward the south gate.

Li Cenji led his elite troops to clear the way, while Cheng Zongchu led the central army to cover the rear. Thousands of men surged out of the camp like a torrent, heading towards the nearest south gate.

The small groups of puppet Qi cavalry encountered along the way, seeing the bright armor and menacing aura of this army, dared not confront them directly and all gave way.

The group rushed through the south gate, circled the city to the west, and headed straight for Li Cenji's camp outside the Jin Guang Gate.

Chen An and Song Wentong, who were left behind in the camp, had already received reports from scouts. In addition, Qiu Gongyu had brought Qinzhou soldiers into the camp and told them about the situation in the city. So they had already set up a support formation outside the stockade.

Upon seeing Cheng Zongchu's banner in the distance, they opened the camp gates and welcomed the remnants of the army inside.

Cheng Zongchu dismounted, plopped down on the ground, took off his helmet and threw it aside, panting heavily.

He turned back to look at the column of smoke rising above Chang'an, gritted his teeth and cursed, then looked up at Li Cenji and said:

"Jingzhi, I owe you another life."

Li Cenji also dismounted and reached out to help him up from the ground, saying:

"General Cheng, what are you saying? The most important thing now is to quickly gather the troops from all the towns."

He looked up toward Chang'an, where the smoke and fire flickered. This number one city under heaven was now shrouded in shouts and cries of battle.

Li Cenji helped Cheng Zongchu as the two walked toward the central command tent.

Qiu Gongyu was already waiting in the tent. His Qinzhou troops had been badly scattered, with most of them still looting in the city's markets. There were only about two thousand men in the camp at the time, and now they were all gathered together, looking disheveled and many of them hadn't even put on their armor properly.

Cheng Zongchu's Jingyuan troops fared slightly better. He had gathered his troops earlier and brought out three or four thousand men. Although he also lost nearly half of his men, he still managed to retain some strength.

The three parties combined, along with Li Cenji and Song Wentong's three thousand Phoenix Vanguard troops, totaled no more than ten thousand soldiers.

The atmosphere inside the tent was somber.

The three looked at each other, and neither spoke for a moment.

There are three options right now.

Cheng Zongchu broke the silence first, counting on his fingers,

"First, before the rebels can completely surround us, we should immediately break camp and retreat westward. Second, we should hold this camp and wait for the other forces to arrive and join us. Third..."

He paused, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

"While Huang Chao has not yet established a firm foothold, let's attack back into the city, coordinate from within and without, and catch him off guard."

Qiu Gongyu shook his head, his expression solemn:

"Charge back? Commander Cheng, most of the ten thousand or so men we have are fleeing soldiers who have just escaped. Their morale is low and they are in a panic. Let alone street fighting, even a direct field battle might not be advantageous. If we flee, we have more infantry than cavalry, and we have lost all our horses in the city. If the rebel cavalry relentlessly pursues us, we might lose most of our men before we even reach Zhouzhi."

Li Cenji did not respond.

All three knew that each of the three paths had its own dangers, but none of them could come up with a foolproof plan.

Just as the stalemate was at hand, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the tent.

Chen An lifted the curtain and entered, clasping his hands in greeting:

"Leave the rear, General Tang Jie has arrived."

All three were taken aback. Cheng Zongchu abruptly stood up:

"Tang Hongfu? How many men did he bring?"

"There were about a thousand, most of them wounded."

Chen paused for a moment, then added,

"The rebel army was also following behind him. Their numbers were unknown, but they numbered at least five or six thousand. They were less than three miles outside the camp."

Silence fell again in the tent. The three filed out and climbed the watchtower.

As dawn broke, dust billowed across the fields outside the camp, and the banners of the rebel vanguard were clearly visible. A dark mass of men was closing in on the camp from the east and south, with shouts and the faint sound of hooves carried on the wind.

Further away, several plumes of dust rose from the official road in the direction of Chang'an, indicating that the rebel cavalry were speeding towards them.

Tang Hongfu was helped up to the observation tower by several soldiers.

His hair and beard were disheveled, his bright armor was splattered with blood, his left arm was wrapped with a blood-soaked strip of cloth, and his face was ashen. There was no trace of the rosy complexion he had at the banquet in Mei County a few days ago.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards the three of them, his voice hoarse:

"When I left the city, I ran into this rebel army and was chased westward. I saw troops stationed at this camp in the distance, so I shamelessly came to seek refuge here. I never expected to find you all here."

He spoke politely, saying he had come to seek refuge.

Cheng Zongchu and Qiu Gongyu exchanged a glance but neither spoke.

Li Cenji leaned against the pillar of the stockade, his gaze sweeping over the long lines of troops converging outside the camp, and the scales in his heart finally stopped swaying.

"That's great now."

He dusted off his hands, his tone tinged with self-deprecation.

"There's no need to fight anymore. The enemy has already blocked all our paths. Now there's only one option left: hold out to the death."