Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 509 Why did you hit me again?
Ding!
A soldier who was patrolling at night on the top of Liaocheng City suddenly heard an inexplicable crisp sound from under the city wall.

But he didn't care, because he was just a soldier who was working in the army to make a living. He didn't even have a salary, and was only provided with three meals a day.

Patrolling the city walls at night is already a way of doing justice to the officials.

Wu Lingxun's elite troops, those from Youzhou, were not responsible for night patrols. Wu Lingxun asked them to rest well and prepare for the next winter campaign to Henan.

Then all these miscellaneous tasks were handed over to the local united soldiers in the prefectures and counties. In Wu Lingxun's opinion, there would be no fighting in the near future, so there was no need to exhaust his field army.

This is similar to keeping a dog in the yard. The dog may not be able to bite the thief to death, but it will bark when it sees the thief entering the yard, and the thief does not come every few days, so there is no need to be so nervous.

Ding!Ding!
There were two more crisp sounds, and the united soldier finally couldn't bear it anymore and stretched his head to look down.

At this moment, a short spear pierced his throat from below at a tricky angle!
puff!
As the sound of swords entering flesh rang out, the man in the shadow grabbed him and leaped up to the city wall! The solider fell to the ground with his hands on his neck, blood flowing everywhere!
The one who took the lead was He Changqi, but strangely enough, he was now covered in the smell of urine, with blood on his chest, and looked a little disheveled.

"Come up!"

He Changqi stretched out his hand and pulled up the silver spear filial piety soldiers behind him! They were all the spearhead troops in the army, charging in the front during battles and responsible for the first wave of landing during sieges, and they had rich practical experience.

To deal with an ordinary city like Liaocheng whose walls were only two meters high, He Changqi's method was very simple. They even tried it outside Kaifeng.

The specifications of the city walls in the Tang Dynasty were customized, and they emphasized "adapting measures to local conditions." That is, without exceeding the basic specifications, they made do with what was available and used local materials.

For example, in the big city near Chang'an, the thickness of the wall bricks (not the thickness of the city wall) can reach three feet; and the walls of ordinary prefectures and counties, the better ones are also made of bricks, but there are no corresponding workshops to burn bricks that large, and they do not need to be piled that high.

Therefore, the thickness of wall tiles generally ranges from five inches to two feet, providing a wide range of choices.

Poor places that cannot afford brick walls will simply use rammed earth to build a city wall. For that kind of earthen city, you can just find a spike that can bear the weight and climb it.

The method used by He Changqi is very simple.

Where the wall tiles are joined together, sticky rice lime mortar is often used as an adhesive, which cannot withstand the wind and sun, and corrodes much faster than the wall tiles themselves.

A chisel can easily create a gap, and the wall will collapse over time. Therefore, repairing the city wall was usually a compulsory course for the governors in the Tang Dynasty.

However, the Tang court had not allocated funds to repair the city walls for a long time, and Liaocheng was no exception. There were many areas of erosion on the city walls.

He Changqi stepped on the gap and went straight up, chiseling his way along the way. After the first person went up, the people behind him stepped on the position of the gap and climbed up directly by imitating him.

The bricks of Liaocheng city wall are less than one foot thick, with gaps everywhere. Some of them don't even need to be chiseled out, and ready-made ones can be used. There are places to step on everywhere.

So there was the scene of He Changqi climbing the city wall with his bare hands.

This method is worthless, it is so crude that it cannot be any more crude! If it is carried out during the day, or if it is discovered by the enemy in advance, it will be tantamount to committing suicide.

However, at night, the attack was unexpected and the result was different.

"enemy……"

A defender on the top of Liaocheng City saw He Changqi. Before he could even shout out "enemy attack" he was stabbed from behind. The tip of the knife had pierced his heart, with a small half of it sticking out of his chest.

The tip of the knife flashed coldly under the light of the torch!

More and more soldiers of the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army climbed up to the top of the city wall like ghosts.

Due to the lack of prior preparation, only a small number of the Tuanjie soldiers in charge of patrolling in Liaocheng were actually patrolling on the top of the city wall, a small number were patrolling the streets, and many were hiding at the base of the city wall and slacking off.

They heard the sound of fighting on the city wall and were stunned for a while. By the time they realized something was wrong, He Changqi had already led the death squad down the city wall and rushed towards the city gate.

The soldiers guarding the city gates were not local soldiers, but border troops from Youzhou. At the first sight, He Changqi realized that these people were not the weaklings who could not survive a single move by him just now. In an instant, both sides suffered casualties.

The Silver Spear Xiaojie Army's rampage momentum was curbed. Although they were still charging towards the city gate, their advance speed had been greatly curbed.

Seeing the intense battle situation, He Changqi suddenly had an idea and shouted loudly: "The city has been breached! Run! The city has been breached! Run!"

Hearing his shout, the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army soldiers on the city wall who had not yet come down also shouted along.

"Run away now that the city is broken!"

"Run away now that the city is broken!"

"Run away now that the city is broken!"

For a while, the sounds of the city being broken and people running away were everywhere. The local united soldiers of Liaocheng were like frightened birds, and the last string of their defense was finally broken.

In a panic, these people actually opened the north city gate themselves, and then jumped directly into the Tuhai River from outside the north gate!
Many people swam from the south bank of Tuhai River to the north bank!

Then he disappeared into the night, leaving no trace.

The Tuha River was a seasonal river in the Tang Dynasty. It began to dry up in the autumn and began to rise in the plum rain season.

The people of Liaocheng usually just used it as a sewage drain. Because of the existence of this river, the northern wall was almost undefended at night, and the city gates were guarded by local militiamen.

This scene stunned the Hebei border troops who were fighting to the death at other city gates!
They were originally soldiers under the Youzhou Jiedushi who accepted surrenders. They were all heroes who had survived hundreds of battles. There was no way they could do such a thing as voluntarily abandoning the city gates and escaping.

The situation where the enemy did not open the city gate but our people opened the city gate was really unheard of!

Although these Hebei border troops were defeated by the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army, they were still able to ensure that the city gates were not lost. They did not expect to be stabbed in the back by "their own people"!
It’s like when you’re fighting with someone and then someone stabs you in the kidney, and all your energy is instantly gone!
In an instant, the army was defeated!
"General, North Gate, North Gate! The North Gate is empty!"

Someone on the city wall shouted to the people below.

In fact, there was no need for him to shout. Fang Chongyong outside the city had been closely following the battle situation, waiting for He Changqi and others to open the city gate.

The moment the North Gate was opened by the local united soldiers, he noticed this situation and quickly ordered Wang Nandi to lead 500 people to rush to the North Gate!

This wave of attacks directly broke through Liaocheng’s defenses!

After an incense stick of time, the city gates on all four sides were opened. The few soldiers of the Hebei Na surrendered rushed to the government office, ready to fight to the bitter end. However, the local Tuanjie soldiers had long disappeared, and not a single one was left.

These united soldiers are not afraid of military law at all.

When they take off their military uniforms, they become local farmers, surrounded by friends and relatives and old acquaintances. They can hide in any family for a while, and when the storm passes, they can become heroes again. Who will remember that they were deserters?

Wu Lingxun, who was used to living a carefree life in the border town, did not expect that the united soldiers were truly "united". One person's shouting caused hundreds of soldiers to retreat.

Wu Lingxun must not have studied hard on weekdays. Sun Tzu in the Warring States period had already made it clear in "The Art of War - Nine Territories": "The princes fought for their own lands, and the lands became scattered."

Li Quan, a hermit in the Tang Dynasty, had a profound insight into this. He said in "Taibai Yinjing·The Land Without Dangers and Obstacles": Soldiers rely on the land, and miss their wives and children. They will scatter in an emergency. This is a scattered land.

The surrendered troops were fighting far away from their homeland, and if they tried to escape they would most likely be killed by local farmers, so they would rather die than retreat.

But the local united soldiers have no such concerns. Once they encounter a disaster, running away is the first option.

The sounds of fighting in Liaocheng gradually died down. After a while, Che Guangqian, covered in blood, walked out of the South Gate. He Chongyong clasped his fists and said, "General, the city wall has been cleared, and the remaining soldiers have fled to the government office. He Laohu has led his men to surround the city wall."

"Let's go and meet Wu Lingxun."

Fang Chongyong jumped off his horse with a strange look on his face.

The crucial blow to break the city seems a bit inexplicable.

He walked forward and asked in a low voice, "Who opened the north gate of Liaocheng?"

"Well, it was opened by the solidarity soldiers in the city themselves in order to escape back to their hometown."

Che Guangqian answered truthfully.

Fang Zhongyong's eyes twitched involuntarily. He had planned carefully and considered almost every detail, but he had never thought that the local united soldiers would be so "tough". "Forget it, let's talk about it after we enter the city."

……

The moon crescents over Jiuzhou, making some families happy and others sad.

If Fang Chongyong was very proud of himself for conquering Liaocheng, Wu Lingxun, who was hit by a club, was completely bewildered and had not yet recovered.

If his personal soldiers had not reported that the government office was surrounded, he would not have known what had happened!
"Tell me, why didn't you guard the city gate? How did the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army enter the city?"

In the lobby of the Bozhou government office in Liaocheng, Wu Lingxun, dressed in military uniform, was holding a sword and pointing at one of the ten generals kneeling on the ground.

He was one of the ten generals in charge of night patrol tonight, but he failed to defend the city.

If it wasn't a suitable time to kill someone now, Wu Lingxun would have chopped this man to death long ago!
The atmosphere in the lobby was extremely solemn. Everyone present had their own thoughts, but they were unable to express them to outsiders.

"General Wu, the government office has been surrounded. We only have a hundred soldiers. I'm afraid we can't hold it!"

Suddenly, a personal soldier hurried in from outside and saluted Wu Lingxun with his fists clasped.

Under the light of the torches, everyone present had different expressions. Some were nervous, some were terrified, while some looked calm and indifferent.

"Put down your weapons and open the door."

Wu Lingxun sat on the main seat like a deflated ball. Because of the previous disastrous defeat, he was kicked to the surrender army and was not the main general.

In fact, I don't have much enthusiasm to fight.

Otherwise, he would not have been assigned to Liaocheng to defend the flank. This is neither the main attack direction nor the main defense direction.

He didn't even recognize all of his generals.

"General Wu, is it inappropriate to open the city gate like this?"

A lieutenant came forward and asked, but Wu Lingxun couldn't remember the other person's name for a moment, he only knew that his surname was Huang.

"General Huang, don't let them die in vain. This is not the first time I have dealt with the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army. They will not kill prisoners."

Wu Lingxun sighed, not wanting to explain any more, waved his hand casually, and slumped in his chair.

Tired, destroy it!

"Order!"

The general surnamed Huang had no choice but to walk to the gate of the government office with a few personal soldiers, order the soldiers guarding the gate to open the door, and then threw their weapons to the ground.

With a sound of teeth grinding, the gate of the government office slowly opened. He Changqi looked at the unarmed officers and soldiers of the Hebei rebel army standing on both sides, snorted coldly, and walked straight into the lobby of the government office with his men.

He looked at Wu Lingxun and felt that he looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere.

"Uh, you are..."

He frowned, but couldn't remember what Wu Lingxun's name was.

The two of them just stared at each other.

"Okay, that's enough."

At this moment, Fang Chongyong also walked in and pulled He Changqi aside to prevent him from calling the wrong name and making a fool of himself.

"General Wu, how are you? I've missed you a lot since our last gathering in Yecheng."

Fang Chongyong looked at Wu Lingxun and said with a smile.

Hearing this, the ten generals in the hall looked at Wu Lingxun with horror, as if they understood why Liaocheng fell overnight for unknown reasons.

Wu Lingxun was so anxious that he was furious. He pointed at Fang Zhongyong and argued loudly, "Marshal Fang Jie, don't talk nonsense. I was just captured by you in the raid last time. I am not familiar with you at all, let alone your friend! I am not worth your concern!"

His words were incoherent, and he sounded like someone who had his secrets exposed and was extremely angry.

"Alright, alright, as friends, I won't make things difficult for you. General Wu, pack up your belongings, leave your weapons and armor behind, and take them away from Liaocheng. You can go anywhere!"

Fang Chongyong waved his hand gently and said.

Everyone present, friend or foe, stared with eyes wide open in disbelief. They wanted to speak but didn't know how to start!
"Marshal Jie, just let them go like this."

Che Guangqian pulled Fang Zhongyong aside and asked in a low voice.

"General Wu is our old friend, please don't embarrass him."

Fang Chongyong emphasized the word "friend".

Che Guangqian immediately understood!
“Everyone, take off your armor and you can leave Liaocheng!
You, everyone!"

Che Guangqian looked around at everyone and spoke loudly.

"Wait, there are some things I haven't made clear yet!"

Wu Lingxun was so anxious that he was sweating profusely and shouted, but before he could continue speaking, Che Guangqian shouted loudly: "If anyone refuses to leave the government office after I count to ten, he will be killed without mercy!"

"Ten, nine, eight, seven..."

Before Che Guangqian could count to five, all the Hebei rebels in the government office had left!

Including Wu Lingxun, they all run faster than rabbits!
Sure enough, human beings’ desire to survive is endless.

"General Jie, my brothers have gone through fire and water, just release Wu Lingxun, why did you also release those Hebei bandits?"

He Changqi asked with dissatisfaction on his face.

"He Lao Hu, the commander is using a counter-espionage tactic.

When those people go back, they will say that Wu Lingxun is our man. Then Huangfu Weiming and Wu Lingxun will be suspicious of each other and will sooner or later force this person to rebel.

Furthermore, those Hebei bandits know that we don’t kill prisoners, and will release them if they are in a good mood. Next time they fight, they won’t fight to the death.”

Che Guangqian acted as a mouthpiece and explained to all the generals present on behalf of Fang Chongyong.

Liaocheng was the bridgehead chosen by Zhong Yong in this major campaign in Hebei. Taking over Liaocheng meant having a foothold in Hebei.

However, how to fight the next battle is the key.

"Send someone to have Li Sheng command the united soldiers of Caozhou and bring the first batch of food and fodder to store in Lu County to prepare to meet us. Have Li Sheng protect the floating bridge and block the Yellow River to prevent navigation."

Fang Chongyong gave Duan Xueshi an order.

After the latter took the order and left, Fang Zhongyong said to Che Guangqian and He Changqi: "This commander has an important task for you two. One of you is holding a knife ready to kill, and the other is holding an account book and talking nonsense. One of you is playing the good cop, and the other is playing the bad cop. Do you understand?"

"Please give me your orders, Commander-in-Chief!"

The two of them clasped their fists and saluted.

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, thinking to himself: Huangfu Weiming, ah Huangfu Weiming, although I won't gain any weight by doing this, it would be good if I could make you vomit a few liters of blood.

(End of this chapter)