Late Tang Dynasty: Descendants of the Imperial Clan

The rebels did not launch an attack immediately. Li Cenji stood on the watchtower and looked out. He saw that the rebel army that had been chasing Tang Hongfu numbered about five or six thousand. They stopped three miles outside the camp and began to form ranks on the spot.

The first few cavalrymen reined in their horses, brandishing their swords, and pointed at the camp from a distance, seemingly scouting its strength.

Moments later, the rebel rear guard arrived one after another, but instead of beating drums to advance, they split into several groups and occupied the gentle slopes and official roads on the east and south sides of the camp, setting up camp on the spot and assuming a siege posture.

"They don't intend to launch a direct assault."

Cheng Zongchu squinted and stared for a long time before saying in a deep voice,

"They're waiting for the main force of troops to catch up and surround us."

Li Cenji leaned against the pillar of the stockade, his gaze sweeping over the slowly closing encirclement outside the camp.

"They dare to besiege the camp with just this few people? Do they really think we're lambs to the slaughter?"

He sneered, turned around, and clasped his hands in greeting to the three military commanders:

"My three generals, I have a plan."

All three looked at him.

Li Cenji raised his hand and pointed to the rebel army that was lining up outside the camp, saying:

"The enemy army has come from afar, their formation is not yet stable, and their rear guard has not yet arrived. At this moment, they believe that our army has just suffered a defeat and is still in shock, so they will certainly not dare to fight. If I lead a force to take advantage of this moment to break out of the camp and catch them off guard, and if we can defeat the enemy in one fell swoop, it will not only boost our morale but also deter the enemy army, giving us time to make our own plans."

Qiu Gongyu frowned slightly, and Tang Hongfu also looked hesitant.

Cheng Zongchu, however, was a reckless man. Without thinking, he slapped his thigh and said:

"I think it's a good idea! Rather than being trapped in an isolated camp and waiting to die, we should attack them first. If we win, the other forces in Chang'an might be able to catch their breath; if we lose, we can simply retreat back to our camp and continue defending."

Qiu Gongyu pondered for a moment and said:

"That being said, my Qinzhou troops have just suffered a defeat and their morale is low. They are probably not up to the task of fighting in the field right now. Commander Tang's Shuofang troops have also just experienced a pursuit and are not fully organized. If we really want to fight, we will have to rely on Jingzhi's Fengxiang troops and Commander Cheng's Jingyuan troops."

Li Cenji glanced at him, but didn't refute him. He nodded and said:

"That is exactly what I intend. This attack will be mainly carried out by my Fengxiang Army and the Boye Army under Song Bingmashi. I also request that Commander Cheng send a contingent of Jingyuan elite troops to accompany me out of the camp. Commander Cheng will remain in the camp to coordinate operations, while Commander Qiu and Commander Tang will be stationed in their respective camps to reassure the soldiers and stabilize the situation."

Cheng Zongchu waved his hand:

"You should take all the Jingyuan soldiers with you. Guo Si may have a foul mouth, but he's quite capable in battle. Let him lead the men with you."

Once the military order was given, the various battalions sprang into action.

Li Cenji returned to his main camp, where Chen An and Song Wentong had already assembled their troops.

Two thousand infantry and cavalry of the Fengxiang Army lined up inside the camp gate, their spears like a forest and their shields impenetrable. The morning light shone on their armor plates, making them gleam with a cold light.

The 1,000 infantrymen of Boye Army, under Song Wentong's command, formed a square formation. Although their armor was not as bright as that of the Fengxiang Army, each of them had a calm and composed demeanor, clearly veterans who had been through many battles.

On the other side, the Jingyuan soldiers who had left the camp were also in position. Although Guo, the military commander, had just had a falling out with Li Cenji, he dared not be negligent now that his own life was at stake. He personally carried his sword and shouted back and forth in front of the ranks, reorganizing the soldiers who had scattered and then gathered together.

Li Cenji mounted his horse, took the lance from his personal guard, and rode to the front of the army.

The morning light shone over the stockade and fell on him, making his gleaming armor shine brightly.

His gaze swept across the faces before him: there were weathered veterans, nervous new recruits, Jingyuan soldiers who had just suffered a defeat, and Boye soldiers who had never seen his abilities.

Li Cenji rode his horse slowly around the front of the formation, then suddenly reined in his horse and shouted:

"Brothers, do you still remember the battle at Longwei Slope?"

The soldiers shouted in unison, their voices carrying steadily into everyone's ears. Many soldiers from Fengxiang and Jingyuan raised their heads upon hearing this.

Li Cenji slammed his lance heavily onto the ground, the butt of the lance embedding itself in the mud, the sound suddenly rising several decibels:

"Before Longwei Slope, I led a hundred cavalrymen and dared to charge into Shang Rang's massive army of ten thousand. Three times we charged in and out, and with one spear, I pierced through the false Qi Grand Commandant! Today, we have both army and generals, with six thousand infantry and cavalry arrayed here. What are a few thousand pursuers to fear? I wish to charge into the enemy's formation once more. Are there any brave warriors who dare to follow me?!"

There was a moment of silence in the formation, and then a deafening roar erupted from the Jingyuan army formation.

Those veterans who had followed Cheng Zongchu out of the mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood at Longweipo looked at the young man on horseback holding a lance without a trace of doubt in their eyes.

They had witnessed firsthand how this spear stirred up the seas amidst a vast army, and they had seen Shang Rang's great banner collapse with a deafening roar.

As long as this spear is still at the forefront, no matter how many rebels there are, it will only take a few more blows.

Although Guo Bingmashi had argued with Li Cenji in the tent, he admired Li Cenji's abilities and was the first to draw his sword and shout:

"Follow Li Liuhou and kill his mother!"

Then thousands of people began to raise their arms and shout "Li Liuhou". At first, the shouts were just a few scattered shouts, but in the blink of an eye, they became a chorus. The sound of the scabbards hitting the ground merged into a deep drumbeat, which made the ground under their feet tremble slightly.

The infantrymen of the Fengxiang Army's main force were more composed, each with their chests out and bellies tucked in, their faces bearing a hint of pride and modesty.

These were mostly defeated soldiers who had been gathered from Guanzhong. They had followed Li Cenji all the way from Fengxiang to this day, from Longweipi to Wugong, and from Wugong to Chang'an. They were used to the abilities of this young governor and were no longer surprised.

The Boye army's formation, however, was unusually quiet.

The soldiers under Song Wentong looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion.

They wandered from Zhenzhou all the way to western Beijing. Over the years, they had heard of many fierce generals and seen many exaggerated boasts.

But the scene before them was far beyond their comprehension:

A young man who looked to be no more than twenty years old stood at the front of the battle. Before he could even say a few words, the veteran soldiers of Jingyuan, who had been fighting on the front lines for more than a decade, roared as if they had been injected with chicken blood, as if they had seen their own mothers.

They don't understand.

They were greatly shocked.

Song Wentong stood at the front of the Boye army line, glanced back at his brothers' expressions, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

He whispered:

"I told you all long ago, the reputation that Li Liuhou earned in the Battle of Longweipo wasn't just based on empty words. You still didn't believe me."

He turned around, adjusted the sword at his waist, and looked at the figure standing on horseback in front of the battle. He thought to himself that he had indeed made the right decision to retrieve that letter.

Before the three armies, Li Cenji reined in his horse, brandishing his spear, and also raised his arm and shouted:

"This glory will not be enjoyed alone—gentlemen, today is the day to make our mark!"

A thunderous roar of support erupted, the crowd's emotions surging, causing even Cheng Zongchu on the high platform to turn his head in alarm.

The camp gates were wide open, and the war drums thundered.

Li Cenji pointed his spear forward, and the three armies marched out of the camp in turn.

The Fengxiang Army infantry were in the center, the Boye Army on the left, and the Jingyuan Army on the right. The six thousand men formed a wide front and slowly spread out on the open field outside the camp.

The nearly two thousand cavalrymen were divided into two wings. The left wing, the Fengxiang cavalry, was led by Zhou Ping, while the right wing, the Jingyuan cavalry, was commanded by a cavalry general from Jingyuan. Their hooves kicked up dust, like two iron wings protecting the flanks of the infantry.

Li Cenji stood on his horse under the central command flag, this was the first time he had commanded more than 6,000 soldiers on his own.

Before him now, amidst a forest of swords and spears, every soldier awaited his command.

His palms were slightly sweaty as he gripped the reins, but his face remained expressionless as he turned his gaze to the rebel army's still-unfinished camp across the way.

The rebels clearly did not expect that this remnant of the army, who had just escaped, would dare to leave the camp on their own initiative.

Their stockade was not yet firmly erected, the trenches were only half a person deep, and the deer antlers were piled up haphazardly in front of the battle lines.

As the Tang army advanced in formation, a series of urgent bugle calls rang out from the rebel ranks. The infantrymen hurriedly dropped their shovels and picks and frantically grabbed their weapons.

Li Cenji did not give them time to regroup.

The central army flag tilted forward, drums thundered, and the three armies marched out together.

The infantry of the Fengxiang Army were the first to charge into the rebel ranks. Swordsmen and shieldmen held the front, while spearmen thrust their spears out from the gaps in the shields.

These infantrymen who followed Li Cenji from Longweibei were no longer the routed soldiers who would turn to jelly at the sound of drums.

They advanced steadily under a hail of arrows from the rebels, their shield wall impenetrable, each step perfectly timed.

The Boye Army on the left wing lived up to their reputation as veterans of Yan and Zhao. Song Wentong, holding a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, personally led the charge at the forefront, with his soldiers following closely behind. Like a blunt knife, they slowly wound their way into the rebel army's flank.

The Jingyuan soldiers on the right wing were even more bloodthirsty:

The humiliation of this morning's defeat and the frustration of being chased out of Chang'an all turned into fierce determination. They gritted their teeth and remained silent, only swinging their swords wildly.

Li Cenji immediately stood at the rear of the formation, his gaze sweeping across the entire battlefield.

He forced himself to stay under the banner instead of galloping off on horseback as he usually did.

The two cavalrymen he held in his hands, one on his left and one on his right, remained motionless.

The rebel cavalry on the flanks twice attempted to outflank and encircle the enemy, but were forced back by his advance cavalry deployment, and were unable to get close to the infantry's flanks and rear.

The soldiers of the three armies fought bravely, and the vanguard was especially courageous in taking the lead.

In less than half an hour, the rebel army's still-unfinished camp was completely breached.

Several gaps were torn in the infantry line, and cavalry poured in through the openings. Amidst the flashing of swords, the rebel soldiers scattered and fled.

The remaining rebels let out a shout, abandoned the half-dug trench and the corpses scattered on the ground, and retreated in disarray towards Chang'an.

Just as Li Cenji was about to issue an order to pursue the enemy, a rapid gong sounded from the camp behind him.

That was the signal Cheng Zongchu personally gave to order a retreat; the clanging of gongs was urgent and rapid, piercing through the entire battlefield.

Li Cenji, being in a position where he could not see the overall situation of the battlefield, could only discern the situation by the banner and the flags of various armies. However, the rule of sounding the retreat signal was an ironclad rule in the army, so he did not hesitate and immediately ordered the messengers to raise the flags to signal a retreat.

Upon receiving the order, all forces retreated, with the infantry withdrawing first and the cavalry bringing up the rear.

Li Cenji mounted his horse, drew his lance, and led two thousand cavalrymen into the battlefield from both flanks, blocking the path between the infantry and the fleeing soldiers.

He stood on his horse at the front of the formation, gazing at the official road in the distance toward Chang'an. His pupils suddenly contracted as another cloud of dust rolled in from the east, beneath which one could vaguely see endless banners and flashing swords.

Presumably, the rear guard of the rebels has arrived; their numbers are so numerous that they seem endless.

Li Cenji's face was solemn. He reined in his horse and held his spear horizontally until the last group of infantrymen retreated into the camp gate. Only then did he turn his horse around and lead his cavalry into the camp in single file.

The camp gate slammed shut behind him, and the archers on the stockade had already nocked their arrows and were ready for battle.

The rebel army's rear guard arrived one after another, their smoke and dust obscuring the sun, their banners like clouds.

Li Cenji watched from afar from the observation platform in the camp. He saw the rebel cavalry galloping back and forth three miles outside the camp, with scouts deployed all around the Tang army camp, but they never beat the drums to advance.

The infantrymen began digging trenches and erecting palisades beyond the range of their crossbows. Tents were set up, and wisps of smoke rose from them, still giving the impression of a long-term siege.

However, no one was in a hurry.

The rebels may appear to be formidable at present, but in reality, their situation is more dire than that of the Tang army.

They had just returned from the outskirts of Chang'an, and had not yet gained a foothold in the city; most of their provisions and supplies were still lagging behind.

If the rebels wanted to besiege the enemy stronghold and attack reinforcements, they might not be able to do so with their current troop strength.

As Sun Tzu said: "The art of war dictates that if you have ten times the enemy's strength, surround them; if you have five times their strength, attack them; if you have twice their strength, divide them..."

The Tang army, with its troops scattered throughout the capital region, numbered at least 30,000 to 40,000. The rebels were already struggling to besiege nearly 10,000 of them. If they were to send troops to fight off reinforcements, they would likely end up losing on both fronts.

The ones who should really be worried are not the Tang army trapped in their isolated camp, but the rebels who are on the opposite side of time.

By the afternoon, the rebel camp was basically set up.

Li Cenji silently counted the troops on the observation platform; there were at least thirty to forty thousand soldiers entering the camp.

Further away, the dust on the official road towards Chang'an gradually thinned, with only a few scattered supply convoys still slowly heading east.

It seems the scattered Tang soldiers in the city have been cleared away; Huang Chao appears to have learned his lesson this time.

He did not station all his troops inside the city, but left only a small number of soldiers to guard it, while the main force was moved outside the city.

Chang'an was too big, with the palace, the imperial city, and the outer city layered on top of each other. Without hundreds of thousands of soldiers, it would be impossible to defend every part of the city wall.

Rather than dividing our forces to guard the city and creating gaps in defenses, it is better to deploy our main force outside the city and fight a decisive battle in the field.

At the beginning of the Shen hour (3-5 PM), the thunderous sound of drums rang out in the rebel camp.

The rebel troops who had besieged the camp finally made their move.

The first wave of attack came quickly and fiercely, with thousands of infantrymen carrying ladders and pushing battering rams, surging towards the west and south walls of the camp like a tide.

Cheng, Qiu, and Tang provided support from the center. All three generals were seasoned veterans, and their command was flawless.

Archers on the stockade took turns firing arrows, while catapults built behind the stockade walls—originally intended for attacking Chang'an—launched millstone-sized stones in arcs, smashing into the rebel army's charging ranks, sending blood and flesh flying everywhere.

The rebels charged to the stockade several times, but were driven back by spearmen who poked them through the gaps in the stockade. The ladders were overturned by hook-and-sickle spears as soon as they were put up.

Li Cenji followed closely behind the three military commanders, never leaving their side.

He didn't interrupt or ask any questions; he just stood aside and watched quietly.

These are things you can't read in books; they are intuitions accumulated over decades of battlefield experience.

He memorized them all.

The rebels launched a fierce attack for more than an hour, but apart from leaving hundreds of corpses outside the stockade, they gained no advantage.

As dusk deepened, the sound of retreat rang out from the rear of the rebel army, and the attacking soldiers retreated like a receding tide.

A brief silence returned outside the camp, with only the groans of the wounded and the lingering stench of blood reminding everyone of the fierce battle that had just taken place.