Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 166

The soldiers guarding the rammed chariot were divided into groups: some carried large shields for protection, while others were archers lying in wait beneath them. At the first sign of someone peeking out from the crenellations, dozens of arrows would be unleashed in a volley. Since Weibo produced many fine bows, it naturally had also selected many skilled archers. Li Ji had invested considerable effort in training and instructing them, and each of them could hit a moving target nine out of ten times from fifty paces away. Thus, the few soldiers who had peeked out first from the city wall were doomed.

Even Yang Guangchao was nearly hit in the face by a stray arrow, and he stumbled back several steps in panic. Seeing this, his soldiers were disheartened, and no one dared to step forward again. They all kept a distance of three feet from the city wall and threw fire bottles down from afar—which was sure to miss the target.

The drums beat incessantly below the city walls, and the shouts of battle shook the heavens. Before noon, with a few loud crashes, several breaches were smashed open in the wooden city gate. Fortunately, the city had been sealed off with earth and stones beforehand, so the Weibo soldiers could not break in immediately. Archers fired rapidly into the gate, killing several civilians who were being forced to work. The rest of the crowd scattered in all directions.

Yang Guangchao promptly led his elite troops down from the city wall and engaged in a fierce battle with the Weibo army at the city gate, resulting in dozens of casualties on both sides. Immediately afterward, a gong sounded, and the attacking army withdrew on its own initiative.

Tian Qianzhen, not understanding the meaning, ran over to ask Li Ji, "With the city about to fall, why did Commander Li sound the retreat?"

Li Ji smiled and said, "Now that we have defeated the enemy, Xindu will be easy to take; however, the Tianxiong army has nearly 100,000 men, which will not be easy to destroy. I am afraid that once we take Xindu, Tian Chengsi will not dare to send troops, or the reinforcements will stop north of the Zhang River. It would be better to wait for General Lei to defeat their reinforcements first, and then we can take Xindu."

Tian Qianzhen patiently advised, "Military situations change rapidly. When you gain the upper hand, you should seize the advantage first, lest the opportunity for victory slip away. Commander Li, be careful. If you fail to capture the city in one fell swoop, the city may be determined to hold out for reinforcements. And what if General Lei cannot ambush and defeat the enemy?"

Li Ji lowered his head and thought for a moment: "The deputy commander is right. I was a bit too arrogant... We just received news that Wu Shun's army is coming. It would be better to wait until they arrive and then urge them to attack the city, so that we can suffer fewer casualties among our Wei Bo soldiers. Tomorrow, no matter what, we must capture Xindu!"

Tian Qianzhen asked in surprise, "Commander Li wants Wu Shun's army to attack the city? If they enter the city first, are you going to just hand over the credit?"

Li Ji smiled and said, "Why would I want the credit? What I want is for this battle to go smoothly and completely change the situation in Hebei!"

Wu Shun's army arrived before noon, but only two thousand soldiers were sent out initially, led by a general named Wei Bian. Li Ji asked Wei Bian, "Where is the Qin general?" Wei Bian replied, "The Qin general has his main force behind and will arrive in two or three days."

Li Ji thought to himself, "Two or three days? You've only just left Beizhou's territory, yet you're already dragging your feet!"

To be honest, it wasn't that Qin Rui was slow, it was that Li Ji was too fast... But Li Ji thought to himself, I told you in advance, and even lent you money, so you could prepare in advance, but in the end it was still about the speed of a daily troop deployment, which is really hateful!

He then ordered Wei Bian: "Our Weibo army suffered considerable losses in today's siege. Tomorrow, let Wu Shun's army take over."

Wei Bian was taken aback and hurriedly declined, saying, "Our army has just arrived and has not yet rested. We only have two thousand men. How can we possibly attack a fortified city? Please grant me a few more days, Commander Li, until Commander Qin's main army arrives..."

Li Ji glared at him: "Isn't one night of rest and reorganization enough for you? Besides, although Wu Shun's army only has two thousand men, with the support of ten thousand men from Weibo, what are you afraid of?!" Wei Bian had no choice but to retreat in a huff.

But Wei Bian was indeed lucky. Li Ji had just ordered him to lead troops to attack the city the next day, but at dusk that very day, Xindu actually opened its city gates on its own initiative, and Governor Hu E bound Yang Guangchao and surrendered...

Although today's battle was not fierce, with only a few dozen casualties on both sides, it had already terrified Yang Guangchao. Yang Guangchao was a valiant general under Tian Chengsi, a veteran of many battles, and he immediately saw that the Weibo army had not exerted its full strength. There are two tactics for siege warfare: one is to take advantage of the initial high morale and the army's sharpness to launch a full-scale attack and strive for a swift victory; the other is to attack at a slower pace on the first day in order to find weaknesses in the enemy's defenses before unleashing a full-scale attack. If they launch a major attack tomorrow, Xindu City will certainly not be able to hold out.

That afternoon, an order was issued to organize all the people in the city, distributing weapons to able-bodied men and women, while the elderly, weak, women, and children would carry loads and push carts to defend the city the next day. Upon receiving the order, chaos erupted in the city. Many people were unwilling to fight the government troops—after only a few years of peace, why must there be war again? Moreover, since the Weibo army was sent by imperial decree, if they disobeyed, wouldn't they become traitors to the Tang Dynasty? They elected their elders to persuade Hu E to surrender.

The reason is: General Yang is a general of the Tianxiong Army and has the responsibility to defend the city, but Your Majesty is an official of the court. How can you resist the royal army?

Although Hu E's appointment as governor of Ji Province was made by Tian Chengsi, it was ultimately registered with the Ministry of Personnel and recognized by the court. If he followed Tian Chengsi, he would surely become a prisoner after the defeat—and might not even keep his head—but if he opened the city gates to welcome the imperial army, he would at most be dismissed, but he could still retain his qualifications as governor and return to the Ministry of Personnel to be nominated again... So after repeated internal struggles, Hu E finally set a trap to capture Yang Guangchao and then opened the city gates to surrender.

Li Ji then led his troops into Xindu City, sealed the treasury, and pacified the people. Under his personal supervision, the Weibo army indeed did not commit any offenses—the two thousand soldiers of Wu Shun's army should stay outside the city and not come in to cause trouble. He then summoned Hu E, allowing him to temporarily protect the governor's seal, and ordered Yang Guangchao to be put into a prison cart and escorted to Chang'an.

Chapter Seventeen, Uncle and Nephew Meet

The imperial court suddenly issued an edict to launch a punitive expedition, which caught Tian Chengsi completely off guard.

To be honest, he had no intention of rebelling against the Tang Dynasty. Even if he built a shrine to worship An and Shi, he did not intend to continue the legacy of the two traitors and start another great upheaval.

In Tian Chengsi's mind, the current situation is like the Warring States period, with the Tang emperor ruling from above and various regional warlords carving up their own territories below. He believes that if he prepares his troops and horses, he can hope to dominate a region. To put it simply, Wei and Xiang are both good places. He has been stationed in the two prefectures for many years and it would be best if he could capture them.

The reason for erecting the shrine for An and his son Shi was twofold: first, to test the court's attitude; and second, to incite the shared hatred of the Yan and Zhao garrisons—we share the same origins and should unite against a common enemy. If the Tang court, upon receiving the report, immediately issued a strongly worded edict of condemnation and threatened military action, Tian Chengsi would likely have hastily demolished the shrine and submitted a memorial of apology.

Unfortunately, the Tang court was weak, merely replacing the military supervisor and ordering the newly appointed Tianxiong Army supervisor, Sun Zhigu, to convey the court's intentions to Tian Chengsi. Upon entering Jizhou, Sun Zhigu, seeing Tian Chengsi's arrogance and the Tianxiong Army's strength, naturally lost his backbone and spoke weakly: "Well, according to the Emperor and the court, it would be best for the commander to abolish that licentious shrine in the suburbs..."

Tian Chengsi immediately glared: "How can a shrine dedicated to men be considered a licentious shrine?!"

Sun Zhigu quickly explained, "No, no, no, the word '淫' here refers to impropriety and violation of the state's sacrificial system, not to licentiousness..."

Although Tian Chengsi was uneducated, he had still risen to the position of military governor of a region. It was impossible for him to lack even this basic common sense. He was simply feigning ignorance to deceive Sun Zhigu. Seeing Sun Zhigu's attitude, which even bordered on obsequiousness, Tian Chengsi felt reassured: The court is still afraid of me; even the emperor can't do anything about me.

This arrogant attitude grew stronger day by day.

—So, bad habits are all created by indulgence. Zhou Zhiguang was like that, and so was Tian Chengsi. But once Li Ji stabbed Zhou Zhiguang to death, showing that they wouldn't tolerate this kind of behavior, Liang Chongyi immediately became obedient...

Meanwhile, Tian Chengsi allied with Li Huaixian of Youzhou in the north and Li Baochen of Chengde in the west, setting his sights on the southern front. He planned to attack Wushun Army first, and then Zhaoyi Army. As for Li Ji of Weibo, he did not intend to provoke him for the time being, fearing that Li Ji could easily summon reinforcements from Henan Province.

However, this was ultimately just a long-term strategic plan and had not yet been put on the agenda. Therefore, Tian Chengsi was completely unprepared for the Tang court's edict to launch a punitive expedition. Upon receiving the edict from Sun Zhigu, ordering him to surrender and return to Chang'an to personally apologize, Tian Chengsi panicked and hurriedly summoned his staff and generals to discuss the matter.

Judge Wang You, a confidant of Tian Chengsi, attempted to analyze the situation for him, saying:

"The imperial court is constantly on guard against the barbarians in the autumn, and its funds and provisions are also insufficient. How can it send a large army to attack my Tianxiong Army? In my humble opinion, we should simply order the surrounding towns to launch a joint attack. Youzhou and Chengde have always been on good terms with us. Commander Tian can write to the two Commanders Li. Youzhou can pretend to be on guard against the Eastern Barbarians, and Chengde can lie and say that its provisions are insufficient. Both can remain inactive."

"The rest are Zhaoyi, Wushun, and Weibo. Commander Xue of Zhaoyi is nothing more than a guard dog; he will never send a large army. At most, he will send ten or twenty thousand men to make a show of it. Wushun's army is small and weak. Commander Tian can send a letter to intimidate them, saying that after the army that is about to launch an expedition has retreated, he will attack Wushun first. Then Qin Rui will be afraid and dare not come. So the only one I need to deal with is Li Ji of Weibo."

"Wei Bo has no more than 30,000 to 40,000 troops, and it is impossible for them to send out their entire force. At most, they will send 20,000. Therefore, although Li Ji is brave, he is outnumbered and outmatched, and he will surely be defeated by Commander Tian. There is nothing to worry about."

Upon hearing this, Tian Chengsi finally felt somewhat relieved.

However, the veteran general Xing Caojun said, "What Judge Wang said is indeed reasonable, but in the art of war, one should not rely on the enemy not coming, but on our inability to be attacked. If we cannot make the worst-case scenario plan, we will be at a loss if the situation does not go as expected. Although Xue Song is cowardly, he is still a major town in Hebei and can easily send out 30,000 to 40,000 troops. He may not be just going through the motions. Although Wu Shun's army is weak, Qin Rui is always cunning. If he sees the strength of the government army, he may not be intimidated by Commander Tian's power."

"Therefore, I believe it is my duty to send letters to the garrisons of Yan and Zhao, conveying the sentiment that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold, in order to prevent them from coming. However, if they do come, we must have a strategy to hold our ground and a fighting spirit, and we must not be complacent in the slightest—only then can we be absolutely sure of success."

Tian Chengsi nodded repeatedly: "What you say makes sense. So, if we only consider military matters, how should we defend against it?"

Xing Caojun said, “The town is mostly flat and lacks strategic passes, relying solely on the surrounding cities. In my humble opinion, if Zhaoyi, Wushun, and Weibo join forces, they will surely head towards Xindu; if the Youzhou army comes, they will first take Boye—these two cities should be reinforced with capable generals and strong defenses. Only Chengde is closest to us, and its army comes from Shenzhou, which can directly attack Wuqiang. Therefore, Commander Tian should not act rashly.”

He then smiled and said, "If all five garrisons send troops, preventing us from coordinating our north and south, our situation will be extremely precarious. I truly do not know how to defend against them. However, based on reason and what Judge Wang just said, the situation is not that dire. Our army should hold the cities firmly and send elite troops to patrol among them. We only need to find an opening to break through one of their routes, and the remaining garrisons will surely be terrified. If Commander Tian writes another letter to persuade them, they will surely be willing to withdraw their troops."

His expression then turned serious: "Only Li Ji of Weibo cannot be spoken of. If we can defeat the Weibo army first, that would be the best strategy."

Tian Chengsi laughed and said, "You are indeed resourceful and wise; your plan is exactly what I wanted." He then ordered Xing Caojun to reinforce Boye and Meng Xiyou to reinforce Xindu. Immediately afterward, his military advisor Xu Shize reminded him, "General Tian should also be wary of the Supervisory Office."

Tian Chengsi then asked, "How many soldiers does the supervising officer have under his command?"

"No more than a thousand."

Tian Chengsi smiled and said, "I will personally lead my soldiers there. I hope that eunuch will be wise enough to surrender."

Xu Shize asked, "This humble official has a question. I humbly request that Commander Tian pardon me before I dare to speak."

"Please feel free to speak frankly."

"General Tian, ​​do you intend to rebel against the Tang Dynasty?"

Tian Chengsi shook his head repeatedly: "Do not doubt me, my lord. How could I have any intention of rebelling against the Tang? It is a pity that the Emperor listened to the words of treacherous officials, and the court did not remember my merit in turning the country back to the Tang. Instead, they insisted on sending an army without a just cause to attack. How could I willingly surrender? I had no choice but to send troops to resist. Even if we are able to successfully repel the enemy this time, I am still just the ruler of four prefectures in Hebei. I am no longer the An Sheng of the past... An Lushan occupies three provinces. How dare he cede territory and become arrogant?"

Xu Shize said, "Since Commander Tian has no intention of rebelling against Tang, please treat the supervising envoy well and do not imprison or even kill him, so as to leave room for negotiation with the court after the war."

Tian Chengsi laughed and said, "Why do I need you to teach me this? I know the situation. Even if that eunuch has the guts of a bear and the courage of a leopard and dares to lead troops to resist, I will only kill his soldiers and capture his officials, and then guard the military headquarters to prevent him from going out. I will not take his life."

Thus began the allocation of supplies and the preparation of troops, and the war machine began to operate rapidly. However, the term "rapid" was only in reference to the general speed of troop deployment at that time; no one could have predicted that Li Ji would immediately mobilize troops and launch an expedition the very next day after receiving the imperial edict…

Ultimately, the campaign against Tianxiong Army was initiated by Li Ji, and with Li Bi's letter informing him, preparations for the war could begin one or two months in advance. This unique advantage was something that others could not replicate.

Three days later, Meng Xiyou, the general of Tianxiong Army, led 5,000 soldiers to aid Xindu. The soldiers traveled along the north bank of the Zhang River, while supplies were loaded onto boats and floated on the river. As they traveled to Hengshui County, they had just entered the city when they heard the devastating news that Xindu had fallen. Meng Xiyou was greatly shocked.

Just as they were hesitating, how could the enemy advance so quickly? Could it be that the people of Xindu, upon hearing of the imperial army's campaign, dared not resist and had betrayed their benefactor? Just as they were inquiring in detail about the situation south of the Zhang River from the officials in Hengshui, another report suddenly came—the grain ships had been hijacked!

It turned out that Li Ji had only stayed in Xindu for one night before leading his troops to the south bank of the Zhang River to meet up with Lei Wanchun. He knew that the news could not be kept so tightly sealed, and estimated that he would not have the opportunity to ambush Tianxiong Army reinforcements. He thought it would be better to cross the river to the north, first go down to Hengshui, and then look for an opportunity to take Wuqiang directly.

While they were gathering boats to build a pontoon bridge, news came that dozens of boats downstream, carrying Zhang Tianxiong's army flags, were rowing towards them. Li Ji hurriedly ordered his troops to retreat three miles, leaving only Lei Wanchun with a battalion of soldiers. They boarded the civilian boats they had just gathered and, with the wind and current, went straight to meet them.

In truth, Lei Wanchun was not skilled in naval warfare. The problem was that the Zhang River was shallow and narrow, unlike the major rivers. The grain ships opposite him only had a few hundred escorting soldiers, none of whom were naval forces. So they charged head-on, and the soldiers jumped overboard to fight. In a short time, the victory was secured. Half of Tianxiong Army's grain and supplies sank into the turbid current, and the other half was towed to the south bank by the ships.

However, Lei Wanchun was not among those who personally engaged in combat on the boat with swords and spears—he was seasick and was currently vomiting on the deck. Lei Wanchun was originally from the south, with ancestral roots in Poyang, but his great-grandfather had moved north to Fanyang. He himself had followed Zhang Xun and others in fighting in Henan for many years, so he had nowhere to learn naval warfare, and he rarely even took the ferry.

He initially didn't think much of it, thinking that a boat ride might be a bit bumpy, but could it really be more turbulent than riding a horse? So he boarded the boat without fear. Unfortunately, some physiological responses are beyond the control of willpower alone…

Meanwhile, Li Ji quickly led his army across the Zhang River and attacked the walls of Hengshui. Meng Xiyou held Hengshui and sent an urgent report to Wuqiang. Tian Chengsi was shocked when he received the report: "Can the Weibo army fly? How did they manage to take Xindu so quickly?!"

Fortunately, more accurate information from various sources also came in at this time. He knew that the court's punitive expedition did not involve conscripting troops from Youzhou and Chengde, but only from the four garrisons of Zhaoyi, Wushun, Weibo, and Hedong. The Hedong army was too far away to arrive quickly, so he would only be facing the combined forces of the three garrisons.

Tian Chengsi urgently ordered his chief secretary to write a letter to Li Huaixian of Youzhou and Li Baochen of Chengde, hoping that the two of them could help him out of consideration for their past friendship with An Lushan. He pleaded that if the two of them had the resources, they could send troops to rescue his Tianxiong Army; if they were unwilling, he begged the court to plead his case.

It's just a shrine that was built, what's the big deal? I'll just tear it down, okay? If the court can withdraw its order to launch a campaign, I'm willing to send a troop westward to assist in the autumn defense. Moreover, the court doesn't need to provide any money or provisions; I'll bring them myself.

At the same time, he hurriedly recalled Xing Caojun, who was heading north, and gathered troops, intending to personally go west to defend against the enemy.

The movements in Xindu and Hengshui remain somewhat unclear, but it is certain that only the Weibo army has arrived; the armies of Wushun and Zhaoyi should not have arrived yet. The Weibo army has a maximum strength of 20,000, so Tian Chengsi has gathered 40,000 troops and is advancing in succession—"I will use twice the strength to cooperate with the Hengshui garrison; I don't believe I can't defeat you, Li Ji!"

Xing Caojun also said, "If we can truly defeat Weibo first, then Zhaoyi and Wushun will certainly not dare to come—this battle will be considered a victory!"

Meanwhile, Li Ji attacked Hengshui for three days, but due to Meng Xiyou's effective defense, he was unable to break through. Soon after, he received news that Tianxiong Army reinforcements were arriving from the northeast, so he retreated west to the north bank of the Zhang River, where he set up camp to protect the pontoon bridge and the transport route. At the same time, Wu Shun's army finally arrived, and together they numbered more than 20,000.

Upon meeting, Qin Rui, before Li Ji could complain about his late arrival, asked, "Where is the Zhaoyi army?" He then explained, "Tian Chengsi should have already received the news. If he leads a large army, perhaps forty or fifty thousand strong, it will be difficult for our two garrisons to defeat them. The Zhaoyi army is numerous, so if they can arrive in time, we can be certain of victory."

Li Ji sighed softly: "The Zhaoyi Army is still far away..."

We have already received news that Xue Song plans to send 30,000 troops to invade Jizhou from the direction of Julu. I estimate that they may not have been able to assemble in Julu County yet.

Fortunately, Li Jifu received the imperial edict and immediately sent a messenger to Xue Song, asking him to send troops as soon as possible. He said, "My plan is as follows. I have already informed Wu Shun's army and will be heading north immediately. I hope Commander Xue will not be late."

A day later, the vanguard of the Tianxiong Army arrived in Hengshui and set up camp west of the city. Two days later, all the camps arrived, and Tian Chengsi also came in person. Li Ji then ordered someone to inform Tian Chengsi and ask him to speak in front of the enemy lines.

Tian Chengsi accepted the invitation, but Li Ji did not come. Instead, an elderly general with gray hair and beard arrived and asked, "Nephew, do you still recognize me?"

Tian Chengsi squinted at him from several meters away for a long time before hesitantly asking, "You do look somewhat familiar. May I ask who you are...?"

"Don't you remember that back in Fanyang, it was you who taught me horsemanship?"

Tian Chengsi was greatly surprised: "So it's Uncle Qianzhen! If I remember correctly, Uncle is not yet fifty years old, how come you look so old? And so fat..."

Although Tian Qianzhen was Tian Chengsi's cousin by seniority, he was actually younger than Tian Chengsi. The last time the two met, An Lushan had not yet been murdered by his rebellious son. At that time, Tian Qianzhen was not yet forty years old and was in his prime. Tian Chengsi, who was already fifty-one years old, was somewhat jealous when he saw him—his uncle's position was already above mine, and it seemed that I would never catch up in my lifetime... Speaking of which, I was the one who taught him horseback riding.

Who would have thought that after ten years of separation, their reunion would feel like a lifetime ago? Tian Chengsi's appearance hadn't changed much from back then, but Tian Qianzhen looked much older than him—now that we're talking about uncle and nephew, no one will question it.

Tian Qianzhen couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Being captured and living in seclusion in Chang'an for nearly ten years, how could I not grow old? Having been out of the game of archery and horsemanship for so long, and only eating rich and fatty foods, how could I not get fat?" He then cupped his hands and said: "My current wealth and status depend entirely on you, my dear nephew. I hope you will consider our kinship and take care of your uncle."

Chapter 18, The Battle of Hengshui

The fastest to arrive at Hengshui was the elite cavalry of the Tianxiong Army, numbering no less than two thousand. When the Weibo cavalry saw them, they stepped forward to block their way. Both sides opened their bows and fired at each other, suffering casualties on both sides. Then, the gates of Hengshui City were opened to let them in, and the Weibo soldiers dared not obstruct them any longer and had no choice but to let them into the city.

Next came a force of nearly ten thousand infantry and cavalry, which surged across the mountains and plains.

After receiving the report, Qin Rui went to Li Ji and advised him, "The main force of the Tianxiong Army is arriving one after another, while the Zhaoyi and Hedong armies have not yet arrived. Our army is likely to be at a disadvantage. It would be better to temporarily retreat to the south bank of the Zhang River and confront each other across the river."

Li Ji shook his head: "We cannot retreat. Our army has advanced rapidly, captured Xindu and is pressing Hengshui. Our morale is high. If we retreat, it may shake the morale of the army. We should set up a battle line here on the pontoon bridge, with deep trenches and high walls. Even if we cannot win, we will not be defeated immediately."

Qin Rui was about to persuade him again, but Li Ji asked him with a smile, "Has Commander Qin ever been to Wuqiang?"

Qin Rui shook his head: "I've never been there."

Li Ji said, “I have never set foot there, but I have heard from my spies that Wusui County and Wuqiang Marquisate were established there in the early Han Dynasty, and it has been a thousand years since then. The city was not very wide or high, so after Tian Chengsi moved in, he built seven auxiliary cities around it, in the shape of the Big Dipper, which surround the county town. It is a group of fortresses that are easy to defend and difficult to attack.”

“If I retreat to Zhangnan now, the Tianxiong Army can come and go freely and retreat to Wuqiang at any time, making it difficult to attack. It would be better to contain them in Zhangbei and wait for the Zhaoyi and Hedong armies to arrive so that we can join forces to crush them, kill their main force, and then plan to advance into Wuqiang. It will not be difficult.”

Qin Rui lowered his head and thought for a while: "What Commander Li said makes sense, but... our two armies together number no more than 20,000. Can we really hold off the Tianxiong Army here without being defeated? The Zhaoyi Army has not yet entered Jizhou territory, and the Hedong Army is nowhere to be seen. Perhaps we will not receive a single reinforcement within ten days..."

Li Ji glanced at him and smiled slightly: "Back then on Mount Tan, you dared to go alone and fight against dozens of rebel armies. Now that you have a large family and business, have you become so cautious and prudent?"

Qin Rui said angrily, "Don't provoke me. Everyone else fears Tian Chengsi, but I am not afraid. I will personally take that bandit's head in front of the two armies!" With that, he flicked his sleeve and left the tent.

In his heart, he thought: I need to position my troops near the pontoon bridge. If things turn bad, I'll escape first... and cross the Zhang River. You, Li Ji, are being reckless, but I'm not going to follow you!

Soon, the various units of the Tianxiong Army arrived one after another, forming a battle array below the city walls, facing the government troops from afar. Finally, Tian Chengsi's banner also appeared in the camp.

Tian Qianzhen said to Li Ji, "I earnestly request that the General invite Chengsi to the front lines for a chat. I will go forward on his behalf and speak with him."

Li Ji glanced at him: "If we're going to fight, then let's fight. What else is there to say?"

Tian Qianzhen said, “Our army is currently outnumbered, but the garrisons of Zhaoyi and Hedong will arrive soon, and the Tianxiong Army will find it difficult to resist. I am willing to go to the front lines of both armies and explain to Chengsi the overall situation of the world and the balance of power, urging him to obey the imperial edict and surrender. If he is willing to surrender, the Emperor is lenient and may not execute him, thus ensuring the Tian family's survival. Moreover, our brave soldiers of Weibo will not have to fight to the death on the battlefield. Weapons have always been instruments of violence, and the Emperor uses them only as a last resort. If we can subdue the enemy's army and win without actually winning, wouldn't that be wonderful?”

After a moment's thought, Li Ji nodded in agreement: "Alright, it would be good for the deputy commander to go and persuade Tian Chengsi." He thought to himself that under normal circumstances, the battle would start early in the morning, end at midday, and cease at sunset. If you invite Tian Chengsi to speak on the battlefield, it will take at least half a day for the battle to break out—I was just planning to stall for time to wait for reinforcements to arrive.

As for whether Tian Qianzhen could persuade Tian Chengsi to surrender, he really didn't have much hope.

So Tian Qianzhen came to the front of the battle, recognized Tian Chengsi, and then cupped his hands and said, "My wealth and honor are all thanks to you, my nephew. I hope you will take care of your kinship and help me out."

Tian Chengsi, not understanding his meaning, said, "It is all my fault that you have been living in seclusion in Chang'an without sending anyone to inquire about your well-being or to bring you to Jizhou to support you. Why don't you take this opportunity to leave Weibo and come with me to Wuqiang? My younger brother Tinglin, as well as Wei'er, Chao'er, and Yue'er, all miss you very much."

Tian Qianzhen shook his head: "If you had come to welcome me in the past, I would have been willing to go to Jizhou with you; if I went with you today, wouldn't I also become a traitor to the court? It would be better for you to surrender your troops and return to the court with Li Weibo to apologize. As for Tinglin, Wei'er, and Yue'er, I will take good care of them and not let them be implicated by you."

As he spoke, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a half-smile appeared on his face: "To be honest, Prime Minister Li has already promised to let me replace you as the military governor of Tianxiong Army."

If Tian Chengsi hadn't listened to this advice, he would have been fine, but upon hearing it, his eyebrows shot up and his hair stood on end in anger. He immediately slammed his hand on the saddle and shouted, "Ah Hao, you've gone too far! I respect you as an elder and tried to persuade you with kind words, but you dare to plot to seize my Tianxiong Army!"

Tian Qianzhen's face darkened: "How dare you call me by my childhood name? You have no respect for elders or superiors. I know you are naturally unruly. When your father was alive, he wanted to leave his son, Tinglin, saying that with you around, the Tian family would surely be established in the future!"

The two men broke off their argument, hurling insults at each other before turning their horses back to camp.

In truth, Tian Qianzhen's volunteering this time wasn't to persuade Tian Chengsi to surrender, because he knew his nephew's character well; he was not the type to be easily subdued. On the contrary, he worried that if the Tianxiong Army ultimately won, all would be well, and he could simply return to Chang'an to remain sidelined; but if the government army won, and Tian Chengsi refused to surrender, it might lead to the destruction of his entire family. Therefore, he specifically came to inform Tian Chengsi that he had a chance to succeed him as the leader of the Tianxiong Army.

So when he is desperate in the future, Tian Chengsi may think of this and either surrender or commit suicide, entrusting his brothers, sons and nephews to him. If there is hope, there is no need to exterminate the whole clan. He may not drag the entire Tian family down to hell with him.

He then returned to the camp and said to Li Ji, "Tian Chengsi is extremely stubborn and cannot be swayed by words." This was not unexpected for Li Ji, who waved his hand and laughed, "It's alright. He's determined to walk into his own death; why should the deputy commander force him?"

In truth, Li Ji also suspected that Tian Qianzhen's conversation with Tian Chengsi was, after all, a matter of family ties, or perhaps a secret affair. But he didn't care. He just needed to keep an eye on Tian Qianzhen as before. After all, that fellow came to Weibo alone, without any allies to rely on. Could he possibly cause any trouble? The key was that if he won, Tian Qianzhen wouldn't be able to pull any tricks; if he lost, even Qin Rui and Xue Song might have ulterior motives, so one more opportunist wouldn't make a difference.

He then ordered a challenge to be sent to the Tianxiong Army, agreeing to fight in three days. Tian Chengsi replied: "Why three days? Is Commander Li afraid of me? Let's fight tomorrow!"

Li Ji smiled and said, "Tomorrow it is." Anyway, there's no way to avoid it, and I've already gained an extra day.

So the next morning, before dawn, the soldiers all got up, lit fires and cooked, and by midday they were leaving the camp one after another, arranging themselves into battle formations according to the pre-arranged plan—the same was true for the Tianxiong Army.