Late Tang Dynasty: Descendants of the Imperial Clan

The three sat down, looked at each other, and remained silent for a moment.

The candlelight inside the tent flickered, casting the three people's shadows on the tent wall, swaying gently.

Cheng Zongchu was the first to break the silence.

He removed his helmet and placed it on the table, put his hands on his hips, and said in a deep voice:

"Let me say this first: regardless of whether Wang Chongrong and Zhuge Shuang have truly or falsely lost, I will never surrender. I fought my way from Jingyuan to Chang'an, losing so many brothers, not to kowtow and beg for mercy from Huang Chao at the last minute. At worst, I will continue to hold out. Lord Zheng will not stand idly by, and the two garrisons of Li Xiaochang and Tuoba Sigong are probably on their way to our aid."

Qiu Gongyu nodded and said:

"I feel the same way. Surrender is out of the question. But in the current situation, morale is low, and it is really difficult to hold out. My suggestion is to break out and take advantage of the darkness tonight to fight our way out from the west and retreat towards Zhouzhi. If we can meet the reinforcements coming from the west, we will still have a chance to survive."

Cheng Zongchu shook his head and said:

"Breaking out is no easy task. The camp is surrounded on all sides by rebel forces, numbering at least thirty or forty thousand. Our few thousand remaining soldiers are mostly infantry, with far fewer cavalry. We've been fighting for three days straight, and both men and horses are exhausted. If we are overtaken by the rebel cavalry during our breakout attempt, the infantry will be like meat on a chopping block in this open field, completely at their mercy. I believe it's better to hold out to the death. Although the camp is dilapidated, we still have stockades and moats to rely on. As long as we hold out, we can wait for Lord Zheng's reinforcements to arrive—"

"Waiting for reinforcements?"

Qiu Gongyu interrupted him, and said with a wry smile,

"Commander Cheng, regardless of morale, how many days can our supplies last? How many days can our arrows last? How many days can our medicine last? How many days can our timber and stone last? How many more days can our brothers hold on?"

Qiu Gongyu remained silent.

Cheng Zongchu is right.

Everything in the camp was prepared according to the scale of three thousand Fengxiang soldiers.

The food supplies are manageable; they can last for another seven or eight days.

However, arrows, swords, spears, medicine, stone, and wood were almost completely exhausted.

The soldiers had been fighting for three days and were exhausted. Now that they knew the reinforcements had been defeated, their morale would be affected.

If we continue to hold out, we will collapse without the rebels even needing to attack.

Silence fell again in the tent.

Li Cenji remained seated at the lower end of the table, without saying a word.

He lowered his head, staring at the flickering candlelight on the table, his brows furrowed, as if he were pondering something.

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Cheng Zongchu couldn't help but say:

"Jingzhi, say something. Are you going to hold out to the death or break through?"

Li Cenji raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the two faces, and slowly spoke:

"Commander Cheng, Commander Qiu, I neither want to hold out to the death, nor do I want to break out."

Cheng Zongchu was taken aback:

"So what do you want?"

Li Cenji stood up, walked to the map, and a fierce look appeared on his face:

"I intend to raid the camp. At the first light of dawn, taking advantage of the rebels' unpreparedness, I will lead my cavalry straight into Huang Chao's central camp, beheading generals and seizing flags."

Upon hearing this, both Cheng Zongchu and Qiu Gongyu's expressions changed.

"A raid on the camp?"

Cheng Zongchu's eyes widened.

"Are you crazy? Thirty or forty thousand rebels are surrounding us. How do you expect to raid their camp?"

Li Cenji turned around, his gaze calm and serene:

"Commander Cheng, Commander Qiu, please let me finish."

He raised his hand to suppress Cheng Zongchu's voice and continued:

"My plan is this: Tonight, we will create a great commotion from all sides of the camp, feigning a breakout attempt, repeating this every one or two hours to prevent the rebels from resting. They will surely think we are trying to break out under cover of night and will mobilize troops to intercept us from all sides, exhausting themselves in the process. Meanwhile, our soldiers will plug their ears and get some sleep. When dawn breaks, when people are most tired, I will lead the cavalry out of the camp and charge straight at the rebels' central command tent. If Huang Chao is there, we will take his head; if he is not there, we will destroy his central command and burn his supplies and provisions. Without their commander, the rebels will surely be thrown into chaos. At that time, Commander Cheng and Commander Qiu will lead the infantry out of the camp to attack from both inside and outside, and we can achieve a complete victory."

The tent remained quiet for a long time.

Qiu Gongyu frowned and hesitated, saying, "This plan is too risky. If you lead the cavalry out to attack, and the rebels react quickly enough to surround you..."

"Commander Qiu".

Li Cenji interrupted him.

"At Longwei Slope, a hundred of my cavalry dared to charge into Shang Rang's massive army of ten thousand. Tonight, I will gather the cavalry from all the garrisons, numbering two thousand, more than ten times the number at Longwei Slope. Although Huang Chao's army is large, it may not be as strong as Shang Rang's old camp. I can go there, and I can return."

Qiu Gongyu looked at him, then exchanged a glance with Cheng Zongchu. Seeing the eagerness in Cheng Zongchu's eyes, he remained silent for a while before finally nodding.

"Fine. This old man will take this gamble with you."

He was actually worried that after Li Cenji led the cavalry out of the encirclement, he would simply escape.

After all, the infantry and wounded soldiers in the camp were a real burden to the cavalry who could break out at any time.

Seeing Qiu Gongyu express his opinion, Cheng Zongchu laughed heartily, walked over and patted Li Cenji heavily on the shoulder:

"Good lad! Go all out! Even if you can't kill Huang Chao, as long as you can retreat safely, morale and the army's spirit will remain!"

The three of them had decided on their plan and then went off separately to make arrangements.

Li Cenji returned to his base and summoned Chen An, Zhou Ping, Song Wentong, Xu Tai, and others to his tent, where he explained the plan to raid the camp in detail.

No one showed any fear. After the instructions were given, they dispersed to prepare.

As night fell, soldiers on the stockade wall reported that they had seen a troop of soldiers coming from the east without any flags, and they joined the various rebel camps.

After some discussion, Cheng, Qiu, and Li decided that they should defeat the rebel forces of Wang Chongrong and Zhuge Shuang. Now that these troops have returned, the nighttime raid on the camp has become even more unpredictable.

But now that the die is cast, there's no turning back.

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

As night deepened, the soldiers in their tents throughout the camp were making the most of their time to sleep.

Some people stuffed their ears with strips of cloth, some put their helmets on their heads to cover their eyes, and some huddled in a corner with their swords, breathing heavily.

At the quarter-hour of midnight, drums suddenly sounded loudly in the camp.

Hundreds of war drums sounded simultaneously, their booming sounds like muffled thunder exploding in the night sky, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

On all four sides of the stockade walls, hundreds of the loudest soldiers shouted in unison, their voices merging into a torrent that surged out of the camp.

"Kill them—!"

"Break through—!"

"Brothers, charge!"

The rebel camp was indeed thrown into chaos.

A scout rode swiftly to report to the central army that the Tang army planned to break out under cover of night.

Huang Chao was startled awake from his sleep. He abruptly got up, donned his armor, and left his tent, sternly ordering all the camps to be on high alert.

The rebel soldiers were roused from their sleep, hurriedly donned their armor, grabbed their weapons, and surged toward the four walls of the stockade.

But when they arrived at the foot of the stockade wall, the drumming and shouting in the camp suddenly stopped.

Silence returned, with only the night wind howling across the wilderness.

The rebel soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment, and after waiting for a long time, not a single Tang soldier came out.

Some people returned to camp cursing, while others simply leaned against the wall and took a nap.

More than an hour later, at the third quarter of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), the drums sounded again.

This time it was louder than before, and the shouts were even more intense, as if a thousand troops were about to break out of the camp.

The rebels were startled again, and they scrambled to their feet and ran in all directions.

But when they arrived at their destination, the drumming stopped, and the camp was eerily quiet, without a soul in sight.

This was repeated three or four times, until the rebel soldiers were exhausted, their eyes were bloodshot, and they were yawning constantly.

Some people couldn't hold on any longer and simply lay down on the ground and fell fast asleep, refusing to get up no matter how the officers kicked or beat them.

This went on for a while, and by the fourth time, the rebels had become somewhat numb to it.

The soldiers on duty were fine, but those who were taking turns to rest were woken up again and again, their eyes were bloodshot, they were yawning constantly, and their morale was extremely low.

Huang Chao was also thoroughly harassed.

He was over sixty years old and already had trouble sleeping. He was woken up three or four times that night, his head was buzzing and his temples were throbbing.

Now, leaning against the couch with my eyes closed, I can't fall asleep no matter what.

As dawn approached, he decided not to sleep and summoned his generals to discuss the matter.

The tent was brightly lit by candlelight, and the generals all looked exhausted with dark circles under their eyes; some were even dozing off while standing.

"Tell me about it."

Huang Chao rubbed his temples, his voice hoarse.

"The Tang army caused trouble four or five times that night. What exactly are they trying to do?"

There was a moment of silence in the tent.

Zhao Zhang spoke first, saying:

"Your Majesty, I believe this must be a tactic by the Tang army to wear down our troops, to disrupt our morale and prevent us from resting, so that we can take the opportunity to break out."

Huang Chao nodded and said:

"I think so too. But the problem is, every time we raise an alarm, they might actually break through. We can't afford to be careless."

Privy Councilor Fei Chuan Gudao:

"Your Majesty, I have a plan. Why not divide each camp into two shifts and have them take turns on duty? While one shift is on duty, the other can sleep soundly and ignore the Tang army's drums and shouts. This way, at least one shift can get some rest."

Huang Chao shook his head and said:

"That's not a good idea. If the Tang army really breaks through, a small group of us might not be able to stop them. By the time we wake up and regroup, the Tang army will already be right in front of us."

The generals in the tent discussed the matter animatedly, but none of them could come up with a foolproof plan.

Huang Chao could only tell his generals to go back and rest. It was already late morning, the sky was about to brighten, and people were most tired.

……

At the end of Yin hour and the beginning of Mao hour, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

The eastern horizon was beginning to lighten, tearing a thin slit in the night.

This is the time when people are most tired.

Li Cenji reined in his horse inside the camp gate, with nearly two thousand cavalrymen already lined up behind him.

The warhorse had a gag in its mouth and its hooves wrapped in cloth, so it made no sound.

The cavalrymen were all clad in bright armor, and the swords and spears in their hands gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the pre-dawn glow.

The elite cavalry of Fengxiang, Jingyuan, Boye, and Qinzhou, from each garrison, were all here.

In the past few days, although Li Cenji was putting out fires all over the stockade walls, he never stopped observing the rebel army outside the camp.

He noticed that the rebel camp to the east was more organized than those to the south and north, with tents arranged in neat rows, lights burning all night, and many more patrolling scouts than those in other directions.

Although Huang Chao was a rough man, he still understood the principle of "the emperor residing in the center".

Since he was going to camp outside the city, he naturally had to choose the safest direction.

With Chang'an to the east and the southern and northern camps supporting it on the left and right flanks, the central army must be located there.

Therefore, the direction of tonight's surprise attack was decided to be the east.

From the distant rebel camp, the faint crows of roosters could be heard, but were dispersed by the morning breeze.

Li Cenji took a deep breath, held the lance level in his hand, and whispered:

"Open the camp gates."

The gate to the village opened silently.

The yellow horse seemed to sense the murderous intent in its master's heart, its four hooves lightly pawing the ground, its mane fluttering slightly in the morning breeze.

Li Cenji gently spurred the horse's flanks, and the yellow horse strode forward, slowly heading out of the camp.

Behind him, nearly two thousand cavalrymen filed out, like a long black dragon, moving silently in the pre-dawn light.

Once outside the camp gate, the view suddenly opened up.

A few hundred paces to the east, the rebel camp was faintly visible in the morning mist.

Most of the lights in the camp had gone out, with only a few torches still flickering on either side of the gate.

The sentry on the stockade wall dozed off, his head bobbing up and down, completely unaware that death was just around the corner.

Li Cenji did not rush to charge.

He reined in his horse, his gaze sweeping over the rebel camp as he silently estimated the distance.

Three hundred steps, two hundred steps, one hundred and fifty steps...

almost.

He glanced back at the cavalry behind him.

Nearly two thousand pairs of eyes were fixed on him, their eyes filled with long-suppressed fighting spirit.

Li Cenji raised his lance high and then pointed it sharply forward.

kill--!"

This shout, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploded in the silence before dawn.

Behind him, nearly two thousand cavalrymen shouted in unison, their battle cries shaking the heavens and earth, tearing a gap in the morning mist.

The sound of hooves suddenly changed from a muffled thud to a thunderous roar. Nearly two thousand warhorses galloped at the same time, creating a sound like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting apart, with even the ground beneath their feet trembling violently.

In the distant Tang army camp, Cheng and Qiu had already climbed the watchtower. Upon hearing this shout, they abruptly waved their command flag:

"Beat the drums!"

A hundred or so war drums sounded simultaneously, their booming sounds like muffled thunder, cheering on the charging cavalry.

None of the Tang infantrymen continued to sleep; they were all woken up, lined up in formation, and ready to charge out and beat the fleeing enemy at any moment.

On the stockade walls, thousands of infantrymen shouted in unison, their voices surging wave after wave toward the rebel camp.

The sentries on the rebel watchtower were awakened by the sudden shouts of battle.

Some people were dismissive, thinking it was just another bluff by the Tang army. They rubbed their eyes and looked outside, only to be terrified by what they saw.

In the morning mist, a dark mass of cavalry surged in like a tide. The first rider, clad in gleaming armor and wielding a long spear, rode like a dragon and was as fierce as a tiger, charging straight toward the camp gate with the force of a thunderbolt.

"Tang army! The Tang army is attacking!"

The sentry was terrified and screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice distorted, as he began to bang on his gong.

But it was too late.

Li Cenji had already rushed to the front of the stockade gate. With a flick of his long spear, he sent the barricade flying and crashing straight into the gate.

The gate was made of rough wood, with two horizontal bolts at the back. Even a regular battering ram would have to ram it several times to break it open.

The yellow horse seemed to have wings under his hooves, leaping lightly across the trench in front of the camp. Li Cenji used the horse's strength to smash his lance fiercely towards the gate of the camp.

The spearhead struck the door panel with a loud bang, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

The gate trembled violently, and the horizontal bolt behind it creaked with a teeth-grinding sound, but it did not break.

Li Cenji did not linger in battle, and turned his horse to gallop along the side of the stockade wall, shouting:

"Light torches and set fires on all sides!"

Behind him, Xu Tai, Zhou Ping, and Song Wentong responded, and the three of them each led a cavalry unit, rushing off in different directions.

Some went to cut down the gate, some went to climb over the wall, some went to block the exit behind the camp, and some took flint to start a fire.

Nearly two thousand cavalrymen, like beans scattered in the wind, instantly covered the entire outer perimeter of the eastern camp.

Xu Tai, that brute, rushed to the gate of the stronghold, dismounted, and swung his broadsword, hacking fiercely at the door bolt through the crack.

Several soldiers behind him followed suit, wielding swords and axes, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

With a loud "crack," the horizontal bolt finally gave way and broke in two.

The gate of the village was suddenly flung open.

"kill!"

Xu Tai mounted his horse and charged in first.