White Horse, Silver Spear, Grand Commandant Gao

In the first year of the Tongguang era of the Tang Dynasty, and the third year of the Longde era of the Liang Dynasty, in May.

When Emperor Zhu Youzhen of Liang heard the news of the fall of Yunzhou, he was both terrified and furious. He ordered the execution of Liu Suiyan and Yan Yong, who had fled back to the capital, in the city. He also dismissed Dai Siyuan, the commander-in-chief, and demoted him to the military governor of Xuanhua.

Jing Xiang, the prime minister entrusted with the regency and former chief strategist of Zhu Wen, was cautious and prudent after Zhu Yougui usurped the throne. He often claimed to be ill and did not attend to government affairs, allowing petty people in the court to take charge.

Knowing that the Liang dynasty was in peril, he secretly hid a rope in his boot and entered the palace to pay his respects to Zhu Youzhen, saying, "When the late emperor seized the throne, he did not consider me unworthy, and all my plans were put to use. Now the enemy's strength is growing, yet Your Majesty ignores my words. I am useless; I would rather die!"

After saying this, he tried to kill himself with a rope, but Zhu Youzhen hurriedly stopped him and asked what he wanted to say.

Jing Xiang offered a plan: "The situation is dire; without appointing Wang Yanzhang as the general, it cannot be saved."

Zhu Youzhen agreed and appointed Wang Yanzhang as the Northern Expeditionary Commander and Duan Ning as his deputy, to lead the army to fight against the Tang forces.

As the army was about to set out, Wang Yanzhang was summoned to court and asked about the timeframe for defeating the enemy. He replied, "Three days."

Both sides burst into laughter.

Wang Yanzhang offered no explanation, immediately raised an army, and within two days arrived at Huazhou, where he held a grand banquet for his generals.

That night, before the drinking had ended, Wang Yanzhang pretended to get up to change his clothes, and led several thousand elite soldiers along the south bank of the Yellow River straight to Desheng.

The Tang army used iron chains to isolate the river at Desheng Ferry, built two cities to the north and south, connected by pontoon bridges, and made them mutually supportive, which was called the "Flanking Fortress".

Unexpectedly, while Wang Yanzhang was sitting high and drinking heartily, he secretly prepared a boat at Yangcun military camp, carrying smelters, wind bags, charcoal, and 600 armored soldiers, all carrying giant axes, and sailed downstream.

A light rain was falling. The blacksmiths on the boat fanned the flames to start a fire, and the flames melted the iron chains. The armored soldiers swung their giant axes and chopped at the pontoon bridge.

With the pontoon bridge broken, Wang Yanzhang seized the opportunity to advance his troops and launch a rapid attack on the southern city of Desheng!

The Tang army used small boats to carry armored soldiers across the river, but it was too late to save them, and the southern city fell.

In one battle, thousands of Tang soldiers were beheaded, exactly three days after receiving the order.

Li Cunxu appointed his trusted servant Zhu Shouyin to guard the fortified village. Upon hearing that Wang Yanzhang had been appointed as the commander-in-chief, he exclaimed in surprise, "Yanzhang is brave and fierce. I have always avoided his attacks. He is no match for Shouyin. However, Yanzhang has few troops, which is advantageous for a quick battle. He will surely launch a rapid attack on my southern city."

They hastily dispatched cavalry to the rescue, but after traveling only twenty li, they received a report from the flank camp: "Yanzhang's troops have arrived."

By then, the southern city of Desheng had already fallen.

Wang Yanzhang then attacked and captured the strongholds of Panzhang, Majiakou, and Jingdian, greatly boosting the morale of the Liang army!

The Tang army had no choice but to avoid their sharp edge, abandoning the defense of Desheng North City, dismantling houses into rafts, and using them to carry weapons and equipment down the river to the east, where they joined forces to protect Yangliu City.

All the fodder, grain, firewood, and charcoal stored in the northern part of Desheng were moved to Chanzhou, and almost half of them were lost during the transshipment along the way.

Wang Yanzhang also dismantled houses in the southern city and made them into boats and rafts to float down the river.

The two armies each marched along one bank, and whenever they encountered a bend in the river, they would fight in the middle of the stream. Arrows rained down, and boats and rafts were capsized. There were hundreds of battles a day, with each side winning and losing.

By the time of Yang and Liu, nearly half of the Tang soldiers had also perished.

Wang Yanzhang and Duan Ning arrived at Yangliu, where they deployed nine large warships to block the Tang army's reinforcements across the river, and launched a fierce attack with 100,000 troops.

They advanced in all directions, day and night without ceasing, and several cities and fortresses were on the verge of falling.

Fortunately, thanks to Li Jingzhou, the Left Guard General and Garrison Commander, who shared weal and woe with his soldiers, guarding the city day and night, personally facing arrows and stones, and doing his utmost to defend it, the city was able to be saved.

Unable to defeat Yang and Liu, Wang Yanzhang retreated and encamped south of the city, where he was besieged by a series of camps. Li Jingzhou sent an urgent message, requesting Li Cunxu to march a hundred li a day to provide reinforcements.

Unexpectedly, Li Cunxu had complete faith in him, traveling sixty li a day and hunting along the way, saying to his attendants, "With Li Jingzhou inside, what is there to worry about!"

Li Jingzhou, a native of Neiqiu in Xingzhou, was a descendant of Li Baozhen, the military governor of Luzhou during the Tang Dynasty. He had a square face, a prominent nose, and clear, bright eyes. He was seven feet tall. At the age of sixteen, he became a bandit-hunting officer in Neiqiu and was known for his chivalrous spirit.

At that time, bandits roamed the Hebei region, and war raged between the north and south. Travelers without help dared not leave their prefectures or towns. There was a scholar named Lu Yue, whose family lived in Taiyuan. He took his wife, children, and belongings and stayed at an inn. He had no way to move forward or backward and could only weep with his loved ones.

Li Jingzhou took pity on him and offered to escort him home. While traveling through the western mountains, a bandit ambushed them at night in the woods and shot Lu Yue, hitting his horse.

Li Jingzhou shouted, "Who are you?"

Upon hearing the sound, the thieves said to each other, "Lord Li has arrived."

They dispersed immediately. Lu Yue was able to keep all his belongings.

Subsequently, Liang general Ge Congzhou captured Xing and Ming, and Li Keyong led his troops south, building fortifications at Qingshankou. Li Jingzhou surrendered to him and was appointed commander of the Wansheng Huangtou Army. He has fought in battles for twenty-five years and is particularly skilled in defense.

June.

When Tang reinforcements arrived at Yangliu City, the Liang troops had already fortified the city with heavy trenches and walls, cutting off all roads and making it impenetrable.

Li Cunxu selected brave warriors to fight with short weapons. The Liang army stretched out and dug small trenches outside the city gate, hiding armored soldiers in the trenches. When the Tang army arrived, they fired arrows and crossbows at once. Many of the warriors were wounded by arrows and could not advance an inch.

……

Yunzhou.

With the fall of Desheng and the siege of Yang and Liu, communication with Hebei was cut off, leaving Li Siyuan's 5,000 troops isolated and increasingly disaffected, their future hanging by a thread.

"That incompetent Zhu Shouyin couldn't even defend such a favorable position as Desheng, which made me turn my Tiger's Heart into a trap."

When Li Congke inspected the territory, he was furious when he thought of the last battle report that had been sent to him.

Gao Xingzhou, knowing his crude and uncultured nature, comforted him, saying, "It was just Zhu Shouyin's bad luck to run into Wang Yanzhang. Besides, you don't need to boast about yourself like a tortoise or turtle."

"Pooh."

Li Congke spat: "What does Zhu Shouyin know about military strategy? A strategic location like Desheng would not have turned out like this if a better general had been in charge. An incompetent general has caused the death of his entire army. He himself fled faster than a rabbit. What about our five thousand lives?"

Gao Xingzhou never mentioned to anyone that he had refused Zhu Shouyin's advice to change masters. He disliked self-promotion and knew that saying it would damage the image of his lord and might not please him.

He was more optimistic than Li Congke: "There are so many crossings along the Yellow River. Even if Yang and Liu are surrounded, they can still retreat back to Hebei by moving to another location. We just need to keep the morale of our troops stable and wait patiently for reinforcements."

"We don't even know if there will be reinforcements."

Li Congke, cursing and swearing, arrived at a place with Gao Xingzhou.

There is a large lake a hundred miles outside Yunzhou City, with thousands of waterways and branches, and a circumference of eight hundred miles. It was formerly known as Juye Marsh.

A mountain stands to the southwest of the lake, with the Wen River flowing from the northeast and meeting the Ji River at the north side of the mountain, embracing most of the mountain range.

This mountain is less than a hundred feet high, but its advantage lies in its location surrounded by water. If a navy were kept there, it would be enough to resist any attack.

Li Congke looked out into the distance and, finding humor in his misery, said, "At worst, we can gather a band of men and become bandits on this mountain. We can feast on fish and meat and live a carefree life, much better than being trapped in a lonely city and waiting to die."

Gao Xingzhou inquired with the local guide and learned that the mountain was called Liangshan and the lake was called Liangshanbo.

As the two were admiring the scenery of the lake and mountains, a rider galloped up, shouting, "Kang Yanxiao, the commander of the right vanguard of the false Liang dynasty, has abandoned the darkness and surrendered to the light. He has delivered a secret letter and would like to request an audience with the general!"

……

As the saying goes, Heaven never forbids man from leaving. Kang Yanxiao, one of Duan Ning's subordinates, secretly made an agreement. Li Siyuan received the secret report and was about to offer his advice on military strategy when he hurriedly dispatched his bodyguard Fan Yanguang with a sealed letter to cross the river and meet with Li Cunxu.

At that time, Weizhou fell, and bandits looted from Chan and Xiangzhou daily. The people were displaced, the land was eroded, and the military supplies were insufficient. The people were in a state of panic, believing that their ambition to dominate the country would never be realized.

In addition, Wang Yanzhang was extremely arrogant, and the enemy's power was growing. Li Siyuan was in Yun, and communication with him was cut off. Li Cunxu, who had just ascended the throne, looked around the city and had no ideas.

Fan Yanguang met with Li Cunxu and conveyed Li Siyuan's suggestion: "Yangliu Ferry is already firmly controlled and cannot be attacked. It is not a good strategy to wear down the Liang army here. It would be better to build a fortification downstream to open up the road to Wenyang."

Li Cunxu sought advice from Guo Chongtao, the Minister of War and Privy Councilor.

"Duan Ning has blocked the route to Jin; if the royal army does not march south, how can Yunzhou be defended!"

Guo Chongtao suggested building a fortification at the Bozhou ferry crossing, which would both support Dongping and divide the Liang army's forces.

The only concern is that if Wang Yanzhang finds out, he will surely send his army to attack, and the city will not be able to be captured. We must keep this man occupied.

The situation was urgent, and Guo Chongtao reported: "I request that a palisade be erected on the east bank of Bozhou to secure the passage. However, I am worried that the people of Bianzhou will discover this and come directly to attack us. I request Your Majesty to recruit brave men to challenge them every day. If the enemy army does not arrive within three or four days, the palisade will be completed."

This plan coincided with what the envoy sent by Li Siyuan had said. Li Cunxu then made his decision.

This ferry crossing, which determined the lives of 5,000 men and soldiers in Yunzhou, was called Majiakou.

Guo Chongtao led 10,000 men on a nighttime expedition, traveling at double speed to Bozhou.

Marching in the dark, seeing the light at the tips of spears and halberds, Guo Chongtao encouraged his men, saying, "I have heard that fire from weapons is a sign of defeating the enemy."

The Tang army crossed the river at Majiakou and built fortifications on the east bank, working day and night without rest.

Guo Chongtao, tireless and energetic, would sit on a folding chair when he was extremely sleepy, and take a short nap among the reeds. When he woke up, he found his trousers damp, cold, and slippery. Looking around, he saw snakes.

After three days of construction, Wang Yanzhang saw through the Tang army's intentions and led tens of thousands of men to rush to the new fortification.

The cavalry circled the city, while the infantry filled the moats and scaled the walls. More than ten large ships were also sent from upstream to the middle of the river, cutting off the Tang army's reinforcements.

Guo Chongtao comforted his soldiers, personally taking the lead, resisting battles on all sides, and responding to any emergency.

However, even after the rammed earth construction was completed, the walls were still low, the sand and soil were rough and unusable, and the watchtowers and defensive equipment were incomplete. Despite the Tang army's desperate resistance, they were still unable to withstand Wang Yanzhang's fierce attack.

With the city walls about to fall, Guo Chongtao secretly sent a messenger to report the emergency.

Seeing the unfavorable situation in the battle, Li Siyuan sent Fan Yanguang, who had just returned, to see Li Cunxu again and request reinforcements.

Passing through enemy territory was extremely risky, and Fan Yanguang was unlucky this time. He was captured by Liang soldiers as he traveled across the river at night and was sent to Bianliang for imprisonment, thus missing out on the subsequent battles.

Upon receiving the report, Li Cunxu hastily led a large army to the rescue, lining up his troops on the west bank of Bozhou.

The city's defenders, seeing the emperor's canopy across the river, were greatly encouraged and shouted at the Liang army.

Li Cunxu gave the order for the troops to board their warships and cross the river. Upon seeing this, the Liang people quickly cut their ropes and gathered their ships. Seeing that the morale of the army was wavering, Wang Yanzhang lifted the siege and retreated to Zoujiakou.

From then on, reports from Yunzhou began to be received.

The battle has entered the next phase.