Late Tang Dynasty: Descendants of the Imperial Clan

The yellow horse seemed to smell the blood of the battlefield, pawing the ground with its hooves, snorting, and its mane flying wildly in the wind.

"Xu Tai! Take your soldiers and follow me!"

Xu Tai readily agreed and led over a hundred soldiers to follow closely behind Li Cenji.

The group of people rode their horses along the camp's passageway eastward at breakneck speed, the sound of their hooves as rapid as drumbeats, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

When they arrived at the east side, a gap three to five meters wide had already been smashed open in the stockade wall.

Seven or eight rebel swordsmen and shieldmen swarmed in through the gap, slashing left and right with their swords. Several Jingyuan soldiers guarding the gap were caught off guard and fell to the ground.

Li Cenji shouted loudly, and his yellow horse crashed into the enemy ranks like a streak of yellow light.

The spear swept across, sending the first two rebel soldiers flying. They crashed into the stockade wall, spitting blood from their mouths.

Xu Tai led his soldiers closely behind, wielding swords and spears, and cut down all seven or eight rebel soldiers who broke through the gap.

Li Cenji dismounted, handed his spear to a soldier, grabbed a shield, strode to the breach, and shouted sternly:

"Bring some wood! Block it up!"

The soldiers hurriedly moved in logs and barricades to re-seal the breach.

Li Cenji stood behind the breach, holding a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. Whenever any rebel tried to squeeze through the breach, he would cut them down with a single blow.

He stood guard at the breach for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. His blade was chipped, his shield was riddled with holes, and his armor was splattered with blood, indistinguishable between the enemy's and his own.

The rebel offensive was finally suppressed.

The breach was plugged, the stockade wall was reinforced, and the morale of the defending troops was boosted.

Before Li Cenji could catch his breath, an urgent bugle call sounded from the south.

"Leave the rearguard! A breach has been made in the south wall of the stockade. Commander Qiu, please leave the rearguard and go provide support immediately!"

A messenger galloped in on horseback, his face covered in dust, his voice distorted.

Without saying a word, Li Cenji mounted his horse and led Xu Tai and his soldiers southward.

The situation to the south is more critical than that to the east.

Qiu Gongyu's Qinzhou troops were already insufficient in number, with only a little over a thousand men guarding the southern wall.

The rebels deployed no fewer than three thousand men here, launching repeated attacks, and the stockade wall has already been breached in two places.

The rebels poured in through the breach, and the Qinzhou troops retreated steadily, on the verge of collapse.

Qiu Gongyu personally led a squad of soldiers to block the second gap. His sword was already chipped, and he had a cut on his left arm. Blood was flowing down his elbow, but he was completely unaware of it. He just gritted his teeth and slashed out with his sword.

"Commander Qiu! Li Liuhou has arrived!"

When Qiu Gongyu turned around, he saw Li Cenji charging forward, followed by over a hundred soldiers who charged into the enemy ranks like tigers descending a mountain.

As the spears flew, three or four rebel soldiers were sent flying.

Xu Tai led his soldiers closely behind, their swords flashing, and forced the rebel army that surged into the breach to retreat step by step.

After a fierce battle, Li Cenji saw that the rebels at the breach had been cleared out, so he dismounted and strode over to Qiu Gongyu.

He glanced at the wound on Qiu Gongyu's left arm, frowned, and said:

"Commander Qiu, you are injured. Please step back and bandage your wounds. I will take care of things here."

Qiu Gongyu shook his head and said:

"It's nothing serious, just a minor injury."

"Commander Qiu!"

Li Cenji's voice rose a few decibels.

"You are the backbone of the Qinzhou army. If you fall, who will take charge of the south? Leave this to me. You go and rest first, and come back when you're bandaged up."

Qiu Gongyu glanced at him, finally nodded, handed the sword to the guard beside him, and retreated to the rear.

Li Cenji turned around and glanced at the Qinzhou soldiers who were carrying wood and stones to reinforce the breach in the wall.

Although the soldiers' morale had not yet collapsed, they were exhausted, and many of them had expressions of fear on their faces.

He climbed the stockade wall, stood at the highest point, and shouted loudly:

"Brothers of Qin Prefecture! I am Li Cenji of Fengxiang! Today, I will stand with you to defend this wall. No matter how many rebels there are, they will not be able to take a single step past me!"

The Qin soldiers looked up and saw the young military commander, covered in blood, standing on the stockade wall. His sword was held horizontally, reflecting the sunlight, and the bloodstains on his armor gleamed dark red in the sunlight.

"Brothers, hold your ground! The main camp is behind us. If we lose this wall, none of us will survive!"

His words were like a fire thrown into a pile of dry wood.

Someone shouted, "Li Liuhou is right!" and led the way, rushing towards the breach.

More people followed, some carrying wood, others piling up earth, and in less than half an hour, the two gaps were plugged again.

Another wave of rebel attacks was repelled, and more than a hundred more corpses were found beneath the stockade walls.

However, the rebels had no intention of giving the Tang army a chance to regroup.

Just as the offensive from the east and south had subsided, an urgent call for help sounded from the north.

Li Cenji had no choice but to go and provide support again.

On that day, the rebels attacked from dawn to dusk, launching no fewer than ten waves of offensives.

They attacked from the east, south, and north, with 30,000 to 40,000 men taking turns to give the Tang army no chance to catch their breath.

The stockade wall was breached in seven or eight places, which were then plugged up by the Tang army.

The stockade was smashed and riddled with holes, so the soldiers used rough wood, chevaux-de-frise, and even sacks filled with soil to fill the gaps.

Every time a breach was torn open, Li Cenji would appear there.

Every time the front line was on the verge of collapse, he would lead his elite troops to the scene.

Five different swords were used, and each one had a dull blade.

The shield was shattered on at least ten sides, each one completely mangled.

Cheng Zongchu stood on the observation platform, watching the figure rushing back and forth between the east, south, and north. He remained silent for a long time before suddenly turning to Qiu Gongyu beside him and saying:

"Commander Qiu, do you think this kid is human or made of iron?"

Qiu Gongyu also gazed at that figure and exclaimed in astonishment:

"How would I know? Even Li Siye, the 'General of the Mo Dao' back then, was probably not as good as him."

Cheng Zongchu shook his head and sighed:

"I've fought half my life and seen many capable warriors, but I've never seen one this capable. Could it be that the Tang Dynasty has truly produced a Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu?"

Qiu Gongyu did not speak, but instead turned his gaze back to the stockade wall strewn with corpses.

Dusk finally fell.

After the rebels' final offensive was repelled, the sound of retreat rang out outside the camp.

The sound was urgent and rapid, piercing through the twilight and spreading throughout the entire battlefield.

The rebel soldiers surged out of the camp like a receding tide, leaving behind only corpses, broken weapons, shattered shields, and a thick stench of blood in the air.

Li Cenji stood at the highest point of the northern stockade wall, leaning on his sword, gazing in the direction the rebel army had retreated.

His legs felt weak, his arms ached so much he couldn't lift them, and every part of his body ached.

But he dared not sit down, for he feared that if he did, he would never be able to stand up again.

Zhou Ping limped over, carrying a water bag, and handed it to Li Cenji, saying in a hoarse voice:

"Stay behind and have a drink of water."

Li Cenji took the water pouch and tilted his head back to drink several large mouthfuls.

Water trickled down his chin, washing away the blood and grime on his face, revealing his handsome features.

He handed the water pouch back to Zhou Ping, wiped his mouth, and asked, "How's Xu Tai? Have the casualties been tallied for each unit?"

Zhou Ping shook his head and said:

"Xu Tai is alright, just exhausted. The casualties of each unit have not yet been tallied. However, I have taken a quick look and all the towns have suffered losses. The Boye army is the most severely wounded. Song's cavalry commander was also hit by an arrow in the shoulder, but fortunately it's not serious. The Qinzhou army has also suffered many losses, while the Jingyuan army is alright."

Li Cenji nodded, his gaze fixed on the dark, desolate wilderness outside the camp.

The lights in the rebel camp flickered like ominous will-o'-the-wisps in the night.

"They will come again tomorrow."

Li Cenji said in a low voice.

Zhou Ping was silent for a moment, then said:

"Come on then. The brothers have received their reward today and won a battle; their morale is high. Come again, and we'll drive them back just like before."

Li Cenji did not respond, but simply gazed into the distance, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

The night wind swept down from the direction of Chang'an, making the tattered flags on the stockade walls flutter loudly.

Although the banner bearing the character "Li" was pierced by several arrows, it still fluttered high in the night wind, remaining upright.

-----------------

Zhouzhi, the imperial camp.

Zheng Tian was bent over his desk, reviewing documents by candlelight.

There was a thick stack of documents on the table, including reports of grain and fodder consumption from various towns, information on the movements of the rebels gathered by scouts, imperial edicts from Chengdu, and letters from various military governors with different wording.

Sun Chu sat at the lower end, holding a booklet, and read aloud the amount of grain and fodder that had been checked that day.

"...The grain reserves in Wugong can supply five thousand people for one month, and the grain reserves in Zhouzhi can supply ten thousand people for three months. If the troops in each town continue to advance eastward to pursue Huang Chao, the grain route must be transferred from Fengxiang through Wugong, and three transfer points need to be set up along the way..."

Zheng Tian listened, nodding occasionally and occasionally writing a few words on the documents.

The candlelight flickered, casting his thin face in alternating light and shadow.

His complexion was even worse than before, with high cheekbones and sunken eyes; the lingering effects of the rheumatism he had suffered from had not been completely eradicated.

But ever since he received the joint letter from Cheng, Qiu, Wang, and Li during the day, and learned that they had recovered Chang'an, his spirits have been getting better and better.

A rapid sound of horses' hooves approached from afar and then abruptly stopped outside the gate of the camp.

Immediately following were the shouts of the gatekeepers, and then the sound of hurried footsteps rushing toward the central command tent.

Hearing hurried footsteps, Sun Chu stopped talking and looked up at the tent flap.

The tent flap was suddenly flung open from the outside, and a gust of cold wind carried in a scout covered in soot.

The scout's armor was disheveled, one side of the flag on his back was broken, his face was covered in a mixture of blood and dirt, and his lips were chapped, indicating that he had been traveling a long distance without rest.

He knelt on one knee, presenting a dusty, urgent letter with both hands, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible:

"General! Urgent report from Chang'an!"

Zheng Tian's heart tightened, and he quickly took the letter, opened it, and read it.

The tent was so quiet that only the crackling of the candle wick could be heard.

Sun Chu put down the booklet in his hand, his gaze falling on the scout's dusty face, and a sense of unease rose in his heart.

Zheng Tian read the letter from beginning to end, and his expression changed.

He read it again.

Then he put down the letter, covered his chest with his right hand, leaned back abruptly against the chair, and let out a low groan.

"General!"

Sun Chu suddenly stood up and rushed forward.

The soldiers and officers standing in the tent panicked. Some went to help Zheng Tian, ​​while others rushed out of the tent to call for a doctor.

Sun Chu grabbed Zheng Tian's shoulder and saw that the old prime minister's face was ashen, cold sweat poured down his forehead, his lips trembled, and his eyes were filled with an expression that was hard to tell whether it was regret or anger.

"I regret not heeding Jingzhi's advice—"

Zheng Tian uttered those words. His voice wasn't loud, but each word seemed to be squeezed out of his chest, carrying a heart-wrenching pain.

After saying that, he closed his eyes and fell straight to the side.

Sun Chu reacted quickly and grabbed him in his arms, but felt that the thin body in his arms was light and airy, as if it was just a skeleton.

"Marshal! Marshal!"

Sun Chu called out to Zheng Tian several times, but Zheng Tian did not respond. His face grew increasingly ashen, and even his lips lost their color.

The tent was in complete chaos.

The guards hurriedly carried Zheng Tian to the bed, and someone brought him hot soup.

The military doctor stumbled into the tent with his medicine box on his back, rushed to the bedside, reached out to check Zheng Tian's breathing, and took his pulse. His expression changed as well.

"how?"

Sun Chu asked urgently.

The military doctor didn't answer, but opened his medicine box, took out a small porcelain bottle, poured out a few pills, dissolved them in warm water, pried open Zheng Tian's jaw, and poured them in.

Then he took out another silver needle and pricked Zheng Tian's philtrum and Neiguan points.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zheng Tian let out a hoarse sound and slowly woke up.

He opened his eyes, and his gaze remained unfocused for a while before gradually becoming clear.

Sun Chu's anxious old face came into view. His lips moved, his voice weak but stubborn:

"Letter... Bring the letter."

Sun Chu quickly took the urgent letter from the table and handed it to him.

Zheng Tian took the letter and read it again, this time very slowly, word by word, as if he wanted to engrave each word into his heart.

After reading it, he placed the letter beside his pillow, closed his eyes, and remained silent for a long time.

No one in the tent dared to speak.

The military doctor knelt to one side, not daring to breathe.

The guards stood at their sides in the corner of the tent, even their breathing was soft.

Sun Chu sat by the couch, looking at Zheng Tian's ashen face, feeling both bitter and pained.

He had followed Zheng Tian for many years and had never seen the old prime minister so out of control.

"Keizo".

Zheng Tian suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse.

"Your humble servant is here."

Sun Chu quickly agreed.

"In his letter, Jingzhi said... After Cheng Zongchu, Tang Hongfu, and Qiu Gongyu entered Chang'an, they allowed their troops to plunder, and overnight their military discipline collapsed. Huang Chao abandoned the city and fled east, but then turned back midway, catching them off guard. Most of the troops from the three towns were routed and surrounded in the western suburbs of Chang'an."

He paused, then lowered his voice even further:

"He also said... he wanted to find a pretext to capture Tang Hongfu as a warning to others, and asked me to think of a way to deal with the situation. Cheng Zongchu and Qiu Gongyu joined forces with him and were able to hold on, but the rebel army surrounded the camp on all sides and their food supplies were running out. He begged me to send troops to help them as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Sun Chu's expression changed. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a word.

"I regret not listening to Jingzhi's advice."

Zheng Tian said this again, his voice full of bitterness.

"He said back in Mei County that Tang Hongfu's troops were looting and pillaging, and if not restrained, the consequences would be dire. He said he would personally go to Tang Hongfu's camp, capture him, and make an example of him. But I forbade it. I said we had to prioritize the overall situation. I said a warning would be enough. I thought I was mature and prudent, that I was considering the big picture, but what was the result?"