Late Tang Dynasty: Descendants of the Imperial Clan

Before dawn, Meng Kai was woken up by Gai Hong.

"Old Meng, it's almost dawn."

Gai Hong said in a low voice.

Meng Kai sat up, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and looked eastward.

The sky was beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn, the morning star was high in the sky, and the night was fading away.

He stood up, stretched his stiff limbs, and said in a deep voice:

"Send the order: the entire army, get up and prepare to depart. There's no need to pack up the tents; we'll travel light and quickly."

Gai Hong was taken aback and said:

"You don't even need the camp anymore?"

"No, I don't want it."

Meng Kai made a firm decision regarding the tunnel.

"We're going to set up an ambush, not to set up camp. What's the point of bringing all that baggage? Just watch us capture and kill those two fickle villains, Wang Chongrong and Zhuge Shuang, in one battle today, and return victorious."

Gai Hong nodded, said no more, and turned to relay the order.

Before long, the 10,000-strong army had been assembled.

Meng Kai then ordered someone to notify the scouts who had been dispatched the previous night, instructing them to mobilize and do their utmost to drive away the Tang scouts and cut off Wang Chongrong's sights and hearing.

Upon receiving the order, the scouts mounted their horses and galloped eastward like arrows released from a bow.

As dawn broke, the sky gradually brightened.

Meng Kai mounted his horse, drew his sword from his waist, pointed eastward, and shouted sternly:

"Set off!"

Ten thousand elite soldiers, like a long gray dragon, surged eastward along the official road.

They traveled lightly and quickly, their footsteps hurried, the sound of their armor plates clattering crisply and rapidly in the morning breeze.

The distance from Chang'an to Baqiao was only a dozen li, and the army arrived in less than an hour.

Ba Bridge spans the Ba River, with a wide surface that can accommodate four vehicles side by side.

The Ba River under the bridge shimmered in the morning light; the current was neither rapid nor shallow.

Meng Kai looked eastward from the bridge.

Mount Li appears and disappears in the morning mist, like a reclining dragon stretching across the sky and earth. At the foot of the mountain, the official road winds like a snake, disappearing into the distant forests.

"Cross the bridge."

At Meng Kai's command, the army filed across the bridge and headed towards Mount Li.

Before dawn, all 10,000 elite troops had entered Mount Li.

Meng Kai divided his troops into several groups and hid them in the mountains and forests on both sides of the official road. He also ordered his men to cut down trees and move rocks to build obstacles in dangerous places, waiting for the arrival of Wang Chongrong and Zhuge Shuang's army.

Everything was arranged, and it was already broad daylight.

Meng Kai leaned against an old pine tree, closing his eyes to rest.

His fingers unconsciously drew circles on the ground as he pondered when Wang Chongrong and Zhuge Shuang's army would arrive.

The scout said they had passed Xinfeng yesterday, and if they hurried today, they should arrive before noon.

Come on.

Meng Kai opened his eyes, looked eastward, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Let me see just how capable you opportunists really are."

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

Meanwhile, Wang Chongrong and Zhuge Shuang broke camp before dawn that day and hurried westward along the official road on the south bank of the Wei River.

Wang Chongrong rode a sturdy green horse, wearing bright armor and a sword at his waist, looking smug and self-satisfied.

He looked back at the vast army behind him, and a surge of pride welled up in his heart.

With him as the leader of the troops in both towns, tens of thousands of soldiers, banners obscuring the sun, and armor gleaming, this was the source of Wang Chongrong's confidence.

As they marched, the scouts of the vanguard galloped back, dismounted, and reported:

"General, Huang Chao's scouts have been spotted ahead. They are numerous and engaged in fierce combat with our scouts!"

Wang Chongrong frowned, reined in his horse, and asked:

"How many people? Where are they?"

The scout said:

"They are countless, and they are everywhere along the route from Xinfeng to Chang'an. Our scouts tried to advance further, but they were held back and could not be driven away."

After listening, Wang Chongrong pondered for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Why is the general laughing?"

A subordinate general beside him asked, puzzled.

Wang Chongrong pointed ahead with his riding crop and laughed:

"Think about it, why did Huang Chao's scouts suddenly charge forward like madmen? What were they trying to do?"

The adjutant thought for a moment and said:

"Could it be that he's afraid our army will discover his true strength?"

"Exactly!"

Wang Chongrong slapped his thigh and said...

"Scouts are the eyes and ears of the army. Huang Chao is desperately trying to stop our scouts from advancing because he's afraid I'll find out his true strength. Why is he afraid? It must be because he's planning to escape! He can't stay in Chang'an any longer and wants to retreat before we arrive!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, his eyes gleaming:

"Think about it, everyone. Huang Chao has suffered repeated defeats. How many troops does he have left? At most, he has thirty to fifty thousand, and they are all easily frightened. Now, our thirty thousand troops are pretending to be a hundred thousand, coming in a grand procession. How dare he stay in Chang'an any longer? He is sending scouts to mislead us, so that he can buy himself time to escape!"

The officers and soldiers around him nodded in agreement, all agreeing that Wang Chongrong's words made sense.

Wang Chongrong waved his hand and said:

"What are we waiting for? Send the order: the entire army must advance at full speed! We must reach Chang'an before noon today, and not let Huang Chao escape!"

One of the military commanders, however, had a more cautious mind and whispered, "General Wang, shouldn't we play it safe? What if Huang Chao isn't trying to escape, but rather intends to ambush us ahead..."

"An ambush?"

Wang Chongrong waved his hand dismissively.

"What can he possibly use to set up an ambush? With his meager forces, he couldn't even surround Cheng Zongchu, let alone spare troops to ambush us. You're overthinking it. Huang Chao is already at his last gasp; he won't last much longer. If we don't seize the opportunity, and Zheng Tian's army presses in from the west, the credit won't be ours."

When the military commander heard the words "first merit," a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

He thought about it and felt that what Wang Chongrong said made sense, so he didn't say anything more and just nodded.

Upon receiving the order, the entire army accelerated its advance.

The elite cavalry from the river led the way, their iron hooves flying, kicking up billowing yellow dust on the official road.

The infantrymen, carrying spears and halberds, strode forward and followed closely behind.

Zhuge Shuang's troops in Heyang Town were pressing the rear guard, and they didn't know why the troops in Hezhong were suddenly moving forward with such vigor, so they had to order the Heyang troops to speed up as well.

The supply wagons were left behind, their creaking sounds drifting in the morning breeze.

Wang Chongrong galloped at the head of the procession, the wind whistling in his ears, but his heart was burning with excitement.

He seemed to see the outline of Chang'an, the back of Huang Chao fleeing in panic, and the emperor's tearful face when he returned to the capital.

"Faster! Faster!"

He kept turning back to urge the group behind him on.

"Don't let Huang Chao escape!"

The scouts fought increasingly fiercely with the rebel scouts in the surrounding area.

Swords flashed and arrows flew, and people were constantly falling off their horses.

Wang Chongrong's scouts charged forward desperately, but Huang Chao's scouts, like madmen, relentlessly pursued them.

Several scouts managed to break through the encirclement and ventured several miles into the distance, only to find the official road deserted and no sign of the rebels.

They quickly turned around and reported back.

After hearing the scout's report, Wang Chongrong became even more certain of his judgment:

"Look, there are no rebels ahead! Huang Chao is indeed trying to escape! His scouts are nothing but sacrificial pawns to cover our retreat, a feint to delay our advance!"

He spurred the horse's belly, and the green horse neighed loudly, galloping forward on all fours.

The officers and soldiers behind them followed one after another, and the army, like a long, winding dragon, sped along the official road.

Smoke and dust obscured the sun, and the sound of horses' hooves shook the heavens and the earth, startling the birds in the roadside trees into taking flight.

Mount Li is now in sight.

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

Meanwhile, in the western suburbs of Chang'an, the fighting on this day was even more brutal than the previous two days.

As dawn broke, the rebels' drums thundered.

Huang Chao seemed to have gone mad today, launching wave after wave of fierce attacks, giving the Tang army no chance to catch their breath.

The stockade wall was breached in seven or eight places, and the defenders used their bodies to block the breaches.

The stockade was burned down to a depth of more than ten feet, and the soldiers carried thick timbers to repair it.

The archers' arms were so swollen they couldn't lift them, the swordsmen's blades were bent beyond recognition, and even the cooks grabbed fire pokers and stood on the stockade wall.

Li Cenji remains the troubleshooter.

From east to south, and from south to north, his figure appeared at every gap in the line that was about to collapse.

Cheng Zongchu, overseeing the battle from the watchtower, watched the figure pacing back and forth on the stockade wall. After a long silence, he turned to Qiu Gongyu beside him and said:

"Commander Qiu, have you noticed? The rebels attacked even more fiercely today than the previous two days, but their tactics have become chaotic."

Qiu Gongyu stroked his beard, squinted at the faintly visible yellow banner among the rebels in the distance, and slowly nodded:

"Commander Cheng has a good eye. The rebels are fighting desperately today, but their fighting is completely disorganized. They appear fierce, but their forces are scattered, attacking everywhere yet not at all. This doesn't seem like a premeditated assault; it's more like—"

"It's like someone is whipping them from behind, pushing them forward."

Cheng Zongchu picked up the conversation, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Why do you think Huang Chao suddenly became so enraged?"

After pondering for a moment, Qiu Gongyu suddenly said:

"Reinforcements are arriving."

Cheng Zongchu also agreed:

"Absolutely! If reinforcements weren't approaching, why would Huang Chao launch such a reckless attack? He's trying to wipe us out before the reinforcements arrive!"

The two exchanged a glance, and a surge of excitement welled up within them at the same time.

Cheng Zongchu turned and instructed his guards to relay his message, then shouted sternly:

"Brothers! Reinforcements are almost here! Huang Chao is desperate and wants to take us down before they arrive! Hold them off! Holding them off will be a great achievement, failing to do so means certain death!"

The soldiers shouted in unison. At first, only those nearby could hear it, but soon it was relayed throughout the entire Tang camp.

Upon hearing the news, the soldiers of Jingyuan, Qinzhou, Fengxiang, and Boye, as well as the soldiers of each town, were all greatly encouraged.

"Reinforcements are arriving!"

"Huang Chao is getting desperate!"

"Hold on, brothers!"

Shouts rose and fell, echoing across the camp.

The morale of the Tang army surged like a flame doused with oil.

The soldiers from each town shouted in unison, brandishing their swords and spears, and drove the rebels who had surged into the breach back out.

On this day, the rebels attacked from dawn to dusk, launching no fewer than fifteen waves of attacks, but they were unable to break through the camp.

Corpses piled up like mountains beneath the stockade walls, blood flowed like streams, and the rebel banners were scattered all over the ground, trampled into the mud, and mixed with the blood.

As dusk deepened, the sound of retreating soldiers finally rang out from the rebel ranks.

The voice was urgent and rapid, and it was hard to tell whether it was resentment or anger.

The rebel soldiers surged out of the camp like a receding tide, leaving behind corpses, broken weapons, and shattered shields.

The air was thick with the stench of blood, mixed with the sweet, pungent smell of late spring grass and trees, making one want to vomit.

The Tang soldiers, leaning on their swords and spears, were panting heavily. Many of them collapsed to the ground, unable to stand up again.

Medical workers carried their medicine kits and moved around the village walls, bandaging the wounded soldiers' wounds, stepping over the corpses lying haphazardly with every step.

Li Cenji leaned against a stockade pillar, his eyes closed, his whole body aching as if he had been taken apart and reassembled.

Suddenly, a chorus of shouts came from outside the camp.

"Listen up, Tang soldiers in the camp—"

Li Cenji suddenly opened his eyes, flipped over and leaped onto the stockade wall, shading his eyes with his hand as he looked out.

Two hundred paces outside the camp stood more than a hundred rebel soldiers, all of them burly men with loud voices, hands on hips and chests out, shouting in unison into the camp.

Behind them stood rows of rebel soldiers, their armor gleaming, their swords and spears like a forest.

Further away, the large yellow banner fluttered in the evening breeze, remaining perfectly still.

"Listen up, Tang soldiers in the camp! Your so-called reinforcements—Wang Chongrong and Zhuge Shuang—have been defeated at the foot of Mount Li! Stop your futile resistance and surrender immediately!"

After shouting this, the leader of the rebels waved his hand behind him.

Then several soldiers came forward carrying several large banners and lined them up in a row.

The wind blew the flag, and the words on it were clearly legible, such as:

The flags and banners of various military commanders and vanguard commanders, including those of the "Hezhong Jiedushi", "Wang", "Heyang Jiedushi", "Zhuge", and many others, numbered in the dozens. Some of the flags were charred black by fire, and some flagpoles were broken in two, but their original shapes could still be seen.

Li Cenji's heart sank suddenly.

He stared intently at the rebel soldiers shouting outside the camp, his fingers unconsciously pressing against the wooden edge of the stockade, his knuckles turning white.

Cheers erupted from the rebel ranks.

"Great Qi! Great Qi! Great Qi!"

Thousands of people shouted in unison, their voices like a tidal wave, crashing against the walls of the Tang army camp.

In contrast, the Tang army camp was deathly silent.

On the stockade wall, the soldiers who were about to take their shift looked at the flags outside the camp, their expressions changing from shock to despair, and from despair to hopelessness.

Some people dropped their knives with a clatter, some collapsed onto their backsides, and some covered their faces and wept silently.

"Wang Chongrong has lost..."

"Zhuge Shuang has also been defeated..."

"The reinforcements are gone..."

A low, mournful sigh spread through the camp, as unstoppable as a plague.

The morale that had been ignited by the thought of "reinforcements arriving" was extinguished as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over their heads.

Cheng and Qiu stood on the watchtower, looking at the flags outside the camp, their faces ashen.

The two looked at each other, their lips trembling for a long time, but they couldn't utter a single word.

Li Cenji jumped down from the stockade wall and strode towards the watchtower.

His expression was also solemn, but he did not show the panic that others did.

He climbed onto the observation platform, stood beside Cheng Zongchu and Qiu Gongyu, and whispered:

"Commander Cheng, Commander Qiu, do you believe it?"

Cheng Zongchu turned to look at him and said in a hoarse voice:

"The flag is there, I have no choice but to believe it."

Li Cenji was silent for a moment, then said:

"Let's set aside the question of whether it's true or false for now. The most important thing right now is to stabilize morale."

The rebel leader outside the camp shouted again:

"Listen up, Tang soldiers in the camp! His Majesty is benevolent and merciful. Tonight, I will allow you to consider your options. Tomorrow morning, if you are willing to open the gates and surrender, you will all be spared! Those who remain obstinate will have their camp raze to the ground tomorrow, leaving no one alive!"

After shouting this, the leader of the rebels led his men away.

The cheers from the rebel ranks gradually subsided, and silence returned to the area outside the camp.

Only the evening wind howled across the wilderness, causing the tattered flags in the camp to flutter in the wind.

Cheng Zongchu came down from the observation platform and entered the central command tent with Qiu Gongyu and Li Cenji.

The curtains fell, partially isolating the heavy atmosphere outside, but they couldn't shield the gloom in everyone's hearts.