Late Tang Dynasty: Descendants of the Imperial Clan

Li Cenji did not answer, but just looked at him quietly.

The shouts of battle in the camp gradually subsided, the remnants of the rebel army had been largely wiped out, and the Tang soldiers were searching for prisoners and extinguishing the remaining fires.

The morning light filtered through the gaps in the smoke, casting flickering light on the empty ground strewn with corpses.

Huang Chao was silent for a moment, then suddenly said:

"Li Cenji, you want my head to claim credit, is that not it?"

Li Cenji said frankly:

"I am ordered by the Emperor to punish the traitors. If the ringleader is not eliminated, the world will be in turmoil. I am not seeking credit, but to rid the world of this great scourge."

Upon hearing this, Huang Chao gave a bitter smile:

"That sounds nice. If you take my head, the Emperor will surely bestow upon you high office and generous rewards, and reward you with gold and silver. At that time, will you still remember what you said to me today? Will you still remember the ills of the Tang Dynasty and the suffering of the people?"

Li Cenji said seriously:

"I remember. Not only do I remember, but I will also tell these words I spoke to you today to the Emperor and to all the officials in the court. Although Huang Chao rebelled, he spoke the voice of the people. If the court does not change its ways, there will be one Huang Chao today, and ten or a hundred tomorrow!"

Huang Chao was stunned.

He stared at Li Cenji for a long time, then suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter.

This time, the laughter was different from before. The laughter before was filled with sorrow and resentment; this time, however, it was joyful and relieved.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three more times, then his laughter subsided, and his gaze turned serious.

"In my life, I have killed countless people and committed countless sins; my death is not a pity. But my head cannot be given to just anyone."

His gaze swept over the Tang army officers and generals around him, who were eyeing him menacingly; his eyes were full of contempt.

"What difference is there between these people and me? They enter Chang'an and loot indiscriminately; they are all birds of a feather. They kill me not for the sake of the people, but for their own wealth and future. My head is not worthy of them."

He looked at Li Cenji again and said, word by word:

"My head is only for you."

Li Cenji remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded and said:

"I promise you. After you commit suicide, I will personally cut off your head, and I will not let anyone else touch it."

Huang Chao nodded and held his sword horizontally in front of his neck.

His hands trembled slightly, and the blade gleamed coldly in the morning light.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again, gazing at the sunrise tinged red by gunpowder smoke on the horizon, and murmured:

"Heaven...is not protecting me..."

"It's not that Heaven won't protect us, it's that people can't do it."

Li Cenji's voice sounded behind him, calm and firm.

Huang Chao was startled and said nothing more. He just gritted his teeth and suddenly exerted force on his hand.

The blade sliced ​​across the throat, and blood gushed out, blooming into a dark red flower in the morning light.

The burly body swayed twice, then slowly fell forward, crashing off the platform and landing heavily in the dust.

Below the platform, the warhorse neighed and circled its master's corpse, its mane fluttering in the morning breeze.

The camp fell silent for a moment.

Everyone stared at the corpse lying on the ground, at the rapidly spreading bloodstain, their hearts filled with indescribable emotions.

This is Huang Chao.

This is Huang Chao, who started his rebellion in Caozhou, roamed the world, captured the two capitals, and usurped the title of emperor.

He died just like that.

Li Cenji stepped forward, squatted down, and drew his sword from his waist.

His hand was steady, and the blade was sharp; with one stroke, he severed Huang Chao's head.

Blood splattered all over his face, but he didn't even notice. He simply held the severed head in his hand and stood up.

The face on the severed head was somewhat distorted, with eyes half-open and half-closed, and mouth slightly open, as if it were still saying something.

The Tang army officers and soldiers around them only then seemed to wake up from their daze.

"Huang Chao is dead!"

Someone shouted first, and then cheers erupted like a tidal wave throughout the camp.

"Huang Chao is dead! The bandit leader has been executed!"

"Long live the Great Tang Dynasty! Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live Li Yu, the acting governor!"

The cheers rose higher and higher, reaching outside the camp, across the open fields, and into the ears of the rebels who were still putting up a stubborn resistance.

Upon learning of Huang Chao's death, the rebel soldiers were utterly devastated, losing all will to fight and surrendering en masse.

But amidst the cheers, someone suddenly started to move.

A military officer from Jingyuan Town rushed forward and ripped a boot off Huang Chao's corpse.

Immediately afterwards, several officers rushed forward, some tearing at his robes, some cutting his hands and feet, and some grabbing the large yellow banner lying on the ground.

"This is mine! Don't try to take it!"

"Bullshit! I saw it first!"

"Stop arguing! This robe is mine, and the arm is yours!"

In a short while, Huang Chao's headless corpse was completely devoured.

His hands and feet were cut off, his robes were torn to shreds, and even his belt was stolen, leaving only a mangled torso lying alone in a pool of blood.

Li Cenji stood there holding the severed head, watching this scene with a slight frown, but said nothing.

He had expected this to happen.

These regional military commanders only had the concept of merit in their eyes and hearts.

Taking back Huang Chao's hands, feet, robes, and belt—wouldn't that be a great achievement?

Even though it cannot compare to the loss of a head, it is still a genuine achievement in battle.

He disdained to argue with these people, yet he had no right to stop them.

Cheng Zongchu stood aside, watching the group of officers scrambling for the corpses, and then looked at the bloody head in Li Cenji's hand, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he said nothing. He just sighed deeply and turned to clean up the mess.

"Leave it for later."

Xu Tai squeezed through the crowd; he had also tried to grab it, but Zhou Ping grabbed him.

Standing beside Li Cenji, he looked at the group of officers still scrambling for the item and said in a low voice,

"These people... are really..."

"Let them be."

Li Cenji interrupted him, handed Huang Chao's head to Song Wentong beside him, and gave the order.

"It has been pickled with lime, packed into a wooden box, and carefully preserved. This is to be presented to the Emperor."

Song Wentong accepted the severed head with both hands, solemnly acknowledged it, and turned to carry it out.

Li Cenji then raised his head, looked at the gradually dissipating smoke in the sky, and exhaled a long breath.

The battle is finally over.

From Longweipi to Wugong, from Wugong to Chang'an, from Chang'an to the western suburbs, from the western suburbs to Beiying...

They fought and clashed all the way, leaving behind mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Shang Rang is dead, Lin Yan is dead, Wang Fan is dead, Meng Kai is dead, Gai Hong is dead, and now even Huang Chao is dead.

The framework of the pseudo-Qi has now completely fallen apart.

But Li Cenji felt no joy whatsoever.

He thought of the white banners in Mei County, the plundering soldiers on the streets of Chang'an, and the Shuofang soldiers shivering in the cold wind in the camp.

When will this world finally get better?

he does not know.

All he knew was that although Huang Chao was dead, his words were like a thorn stuck in his heart.

"The emperor is incompetent, the officials are corrupt, the powerful and wealthy run rampant, and the people are suffering terribly."

These sixteen characters are the true root of this rebellion that has lasted for several years.

Huang Chao is dead, but these sixteen characters remain.

If these sixteen characters are not eradicated from their roots, even if Huang Chao dies today, there will be Zhang Chao, Li Chao, and Wang Chao tomorrow.

He gripped the horizontal sword in his hand tightly; the bloodstains on the hilt were still wet, slippery and cold.

The morning breeze swept through the camp, making the tattered flags flutter in the wind.

In the distance, the outline of Chang'an gradually became clear in the morning light, with its majestic city walls, towering gate towers, and overlapping palaces faintly visible.

Li Cenji gazed at the ancient capital, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Behind them, Huang Chao's mutilated body was hastily wrapped in a tattered mat by several soldiers and dragged outside the camp to be buried.

No one dared to collect his body, no one dared to perform a ritual for him, and there wasn't even a proper tombstone.

A once-powerful figure met such an end; whether it was karmic retribution or simply the dictates of the times remains to be seen.

Xu Tai followed behind Li Cenji, glanced back at the receding corpses, and then looked at Li Cenji's straight back. Suddenly, he felt that this young commander seemed to have grown even taller.

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

The rebel army suffered a major defeat.

After Huang Chao's death, the remaining troops fled in all directions like headless flies. Some of the quick-footed ones took advantage of the chaos to slip out of the camp and disappear into the open fields to the east.

Some of the cowardly ones threw down their weapons and knelt on the ground, saying, "We surrender."

There were also old soldiers who had followed Huang Chao to the death, who gathered together to fight back, but they were surrounded by the Tang army and were killed by arrows and stones in less than half an hour.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, the camp had become completely quiet.

Cheng Zongchu stood on the watchtower, shading his eyes with his hand as he looked around. He saw that the entire camp was filled with Tang army flags.

The rebels' "Qi" flags were scattered about, some were trampled into the mud, some were burned as kindling, and others were torn into strips by soldiers and tied to spear shafts as souvenirs.

The camp was filled with prisoners kneeling on the ground, a dark mass of people, numbering at least tens of thousands.

The prisoners were all dejected, their faces ashen, some with wounds and blood dripping down their armor plates, yet they dared not utter a sound.

"good!"

Cheng Zongchu slapped the stockade wall and burst into laughter.

"That was a satisfying battle! Huang Chao is dead, and most of the officials and generals of the puppet Qi regime have been captured. The remaining small fry can't cause any more trouble!"

Qiu Gongyu stood beside him, stroking his beard and nodding, a rare smile appearing on his face.

The North Camp was captured by Cheng and Li working together, but the South Camp was held up by Qiu Gongyu alone.

He had sustained multiple wounds while trying to hold off the rebel army in the southern camp. The wind blew, causing them to ache slightly, but he seemed oblivious. He simply gazed at the prisoners in the camp and murmured:

"Commander Cheng, what should we do with these prisoners? There are at least seven or eight thousand of them. If they are not properly managed, they could cause further trouble..."

"kill!"

Without a second thought, Cheng Zongchu waved his hand.

"Keeping them is a waste of food; it's better to cut them up cleanly and efficiently!"

Qiu Gongyu frowned but did not reply.

Li Cenji was walking over from the camp, having treated his injuries. He looked somewhat tired, but his steps remained steady.

He happened to hear this, climbed the observation platform, clasped his hands in a salute to the two men, and then said:

"Commander Cheng, prisoners must not be killed."

Cheng Zongchu raised an eyebrow:

"Why can't we kill them?"

Li Cenji said:

"Killing surrendered soldiers is an ominous sign. In the past, Bai Qi buried alive 400,000 Zhao soldiers before dying at Duyou; Xiang Yu buried alive 200,000 Qin soldiers before committing suicide at Gaixia. How many famous generals of the past who killed surrendered soldiers met a good end? Commander Cheng must be careful."

The idea that killing surrendered men was bad luck was just empty talk; Li Cenji's real intention was not to let go of such a good laborer.

Cheng Zongchu was silent for a moment, then sighed and said:

"Alright, alright, you have a point. So, in your opinion, what should be done with these prisoners?"

Li Cenji said:

"It would be better to take him to the rear and let Duke Zheng have a headache over him."

Cheng Zongchu and Qiu Gongyu exchanged a glance, then both laughed and nodded.

The three men then went down to their respective towns to count, identify, and escort the prisoners.

This busy work lasted for more than an hour, until the sun was at its zenith, before they finally managed to sort things out.

The generals and officers gathered in the central command tent to tally the results of the battle.

The scale of the victory in this battle exceeded everyone's expectations:

They killed dozens of rebel generals, including Meng Kai and Gai Hong, captured over a hundred civil and military officials, including Zhao Zhang, the puppet Qi official, and Fei Chuangu, the Privy Councilor, and seized nearly ten thousand soldiers. They also seized countless supplies, provisions, armor, weapons, money, and cloth.

The large banner bearing the character "Huang" that belonged to Huang Chao was picked up from the mud by the soldiers and spread out in front of the tent, fluttering in the afternoon sun.

Looking at the large banner, Cheng Zongchu was overjoyed and couldn't stop smiling, repeatedly saying:

"Good! Good! With this in hand, won't those remnants of the defeated army in Chang'an surrender without a second thought?"

The three men discussed the matter and decided that each town would send 1,000 soldiers, totaling 3,000 troops, which would be led by Cheng, Qiu, and Li to Chang'an to persuade the enemy to surrender.

Firstly, there were not many rebel troops in the city to begin with, and Huang Chao only sent a small number of troops to guard Chang'an.

Secondly, because the troops from various towns rushed into the city in the previous incident, there were too many people, and it was impossible to control them, which caused chaos.

The remaining troops were all led by their respective generals and officers and stationed outside the city, with each town building its own camp.

only……

Qiu Gongyu stroked his beard, still somewhat worried:

"The reason why the soldiers from various towns looted when we entered the city last time was ultimately because they were envious. They fought all the way from Fengxiang to Chang'an, enduring wind and rain, sleeping in the open, and licking blood from their swords. They finally entered the city empty-handed. How could they be satisfied? If we don't give them some treats, I'm afraid that no matter how strictly we restrain them, we won't be able to suppress their evil fire."

Qiu Gongyu's words hit the nail on the head.

These days, there are quite a few military commanders who are killed because of money.

Cheng Zongchu nodded repeatedly:

"Commander Qiu is right. Our brothers have risked their lives for us, all for a few coins. If we let them stand outside the city watching helplessly as they can't move or carry away the treasures inside, how can they be content?"

Upon hearing this, Li Cenji took out a document from his robes, unfolded it, and laid it on the table. It was covered with densely packed numbers:

"This is a list of the spoils seized from Huang Chao's camp. I have already had it roughly counted. Gold, silver, silk, grain, jewelry, utensils... the list is endless."

Cheng Zongchu and Qiu Gongyu naturally also had a copy of the document and knew what was recorded on it.

It's only a rough count now. The military officers of the three towns are counting together, and there's still no result. If we were to do a detailed count, it would take forever.

Li Cenji pushed the list to the two of them and said:

"Huang Chao marched north from Lingnan, plundering prefectures and counties along the way, and occupied Chang'an for several months. All the wealth he plundered is here. This money, ill-gotten gains, was taken from the people and should be used for the army."