xymnovel Chapter 42 The Battle of the Difang Contract with Iron Spears
Chapter 42 The Battle of the Difang Contract with Iron Spears
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 July.
Li Cunxu advanced south along the river, while Wang Yanzhang abandoned Zoukou and returned to Yangliu to continue the attack. If this city were captured, it would also be a significant blow to the Tang army.
Yuan Xingqin, who changed his name to Li Shaorong, charged straight into the Liang army's camp, captured their scouts, and used fire rafts to burn the connected giant ships that were blocking the river, causing great panic among the Liang army.
Seeing Yuan Xingqin, in the prime of his life, swaggering around, Wang Yanzhang smiled slightly: If it were back then, he would have already taken him down. Unfortunately, now the safety of an entire army is at stake, and he cannot act rashly unless absolutely necessary.
We can only let this young upstart run rampant for now.
Wang Yanzhang broke camp and retreated to Yangcun Village, thus lifting the siege of Yang and Liu. The city had been without food for three days, and the city was on the verge of falling.
Li Cunxu said to Li Jingzhou, "Without your nine victories, you gentlemen would have been captured by the Liang people."
The Tang army pursued and re-entered Desheng.
Following this battle, the Liang army launched a rapid attack on the cities, but its soldiers suffered casualties from arrows, stones, and drowning, with over ten thousand dying. Thousands of supplies, armor, weapons, cooking pots, and tents were abandoned. (Note 1)
The battles of Desheng, Yangliu, and even Majiakou saw both sides fighting fiercely across the Yellow River, with the Tang army ultimately holding onto several key strongholds, marking a turning point in the entire campaign.
August.
Because of Wang Yanzhang's poor military performance, the Liang ruler replaced him with Duan Ning as the commander-in-chief of the northern expeditionary force.
Wang Yanzhang was upright and incorruptible. He deeply resented the Zhao and Zhang clans for disrupting the government and causing the country to decline. Before setting out with his troops, he told his confidants, "After I defeat the enemy, I will execute all the treacherous officials to appease the world."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan and Zhang Hanjie privately discussed, "We would rather die at the hands of the Shatuo than be killed by Yanzhang."
Duan Ningsu and Wang Yanzhang were at odds, so Duan bribed them to gain military power. They conspired together to frame each other.
When the southern city of Desheng was captured, Wang Yanzhang and Duan Ning each reported their victory. Zhao and Zhang hid Wang Yanzhang's report and only submitted Duan Ning's report.
When the envoy arrived at the army, he bestowed the reward upon Duan Ning alone, but not upon Wang Yanzhang, causing the soldiers to turn pale.
After the defeat of Yang and Liu, Duan Ning wrote a memorial stating: "Yan Zhang underestimated the enemy due to being drunk, which led to the defeat."
Wang Yanzhang rushed to the capital to meet the emperor. Before the emperor, he drew on the ground with his tablet and recounted the course of the battle, including the victories and defeats.
No matter how he tried to explain, Zhao Yan and others ignored him and only ordered the officials to impeach him for his improper conduct in court, his lack of manners and respect, and to order him to return home and reflect on his actions.
Wang Yanzhang returned home indignantly.
Duan Ning, in command of the army, breached the river embankment south of Huazhou, diverting the river eastward to Cao, Pu, and Yun prefectures to block the Tang army.
The floodwaters reached Wenyang, and Liangshan was gradually surrounded by water, becoming a mountain in the lake.
Jing Xiang and another former advisor of Zhu Wen, Li Zhen, the Commissioner of Chongzheng Academy, were angered by the veteran generals' discontent and repeatedly requested the dismissal of Duan Ning.
Zhu Youzhen said, "Ning has not done anything wrong."
Li Zhen said urgently, "If they make a mistake, the nation will be in danger!"
Zhang Zongshi, the deputy commander-in-chief of the army, whose original name was Zhang Juyan, was given the name Quanyi by Emperor Xizong of Tang. Together with Zhu Quanzhong, they meant "loyal and righteous." He was seventy-two years old and his reputation was the highest among the generals in the court. He requested to lead the expedition to replace Duan Ning in defending against the enemy.
Zhu Youzhen ignored all of them.
Previously, Kang Yanxiao, the Right Vanguard Commander of the Liang Army who had secretly delivered the wax letter, saw that the fate of the nation was sealed and directly led a hundred cavalrymen to defect.
Li Cunxu humbly introduced Kang Yanxiao to the emperor, bestowed upon him imperial robes and a jade belt, dismissed his attendants, and inquired about matters. Kang Yanxiao revealed the true and false secrets of the Liang army.
"Duan Ningsu had no military strategy, yet he was put to great use in one day; Huo Yanwei and Wang Yanzhang were both renowned veterans, yet he was ranked below them."
"Wang Yanzhang was of a fierce and violent nature and could not tolerate being controlled. Whenever the Liang emperor dispatched troops, he would order his close ministers to supervise them, and the supervisors would decide whether the advance or retreat was appropriate. Yanzhang would be depressed, and this would show on his face."
"The Liang ruler intends to raise troops from several directions and launch a major invasion within October."
"Dong Zhang led troops from Shaanxi, Guo, Ze, and Lu to Shihui Pass to raid Taiyuan."
"Huo Yanwei commanded the troops of Guanzhong, Ruzhou, and Luoyang, and personally led the troops to suppress the bandits in Xiangyang and Weizhou."
"Duan Ning and Du Yanqiu will lead a large army to serve Your Majesty."
"Wang Yanzhang and Zhang Hanjie led the Imperial Guards to attack Yunzhou."
"The Liang army is not small when gathered together, but it is exhausted when divided. To break this plan, we only need to divide our forces and send 5,000 iron cavalry on a forced march from Yunzhou straight to Bian."
"Within ten days, the affairs of the world will be settled."
……
September.
Li Cunxu had been emperor for half a year, and the struggle for supremacy between Jin and Liang had become increasingly fierce. The flames of war spread across the vast lands of Hedong, Hebei, and Henan, with the battle lines intertwined and both sides fighting with all their might.
Despite the surprise attack and capture of Yunzhou, which established a foothold south of the Yellow River, the situation was still not favorable for Li Cunxu.
For many years, the Jin and Liang dynasties fought each other. Many generals, including Zhou Dewei, the military governor of Youzhou, Li Cunjin, the military governor of Zhenwu Army, Li Sizhao, the military governor of Zhaoyi Army, and Shi Jiantang, the vanguard general, died in battle. Yan Bao, the military governor of Tianping Army, and Li Congzhang, the military governor of Datong Army, also died. The generals of the past were gone, and the loss of manpower was enormous.
The Khitan raiders plundered Youzhou, reaching Yi and Ding before returning. Rebel generals such as Wang Yu and Lu Wenjin acted as accomplices, invading Ying and Zhuo in the south, while the northern border was engulfed in constant warfare, with registered households fleeing. The military levies could not be sustained for even half a year.
Li Jitao, the military governor of Anyi, rebelled and offered the two prefectures of Ze and Lu to surrender to the Liang dynasty. Pei Yue, a former general, held Ze Prefecture and refused to surrender. Dong Zhang, a valiant general of the Liang army, led his troops to attack it and captured it after several months. Pei Yue was killed in battle, and Ze Prefecture fell.
Weizhou and Liyang were also occupied by Liang. Everything west of Chanzhou and south of Xiangzhou belonged to Liang, resulting in the loss of one-third of the military supplies.
Duan Ning led 50,000 of Liang's victorious troops to garrison Wangcun. They crossed the river at Gaolingjin, plundered various counties in Chanzhou, and reached Dunqiu, thus tying down the main force of the Tang army.
Wang Yanzhang led 500 Imperial Guards and 10,000 other soldiers, with Zhang Hanjie as the supervising officer, and stationed them in the border region of Yan and Yun to confront Li Siyuan.
According to the intelligence brought by Kang Yanxiao, the Liang Kingdom will make a major move the following month, and Li Cunxu is facing a critical moment that will determine his life or death.
Xuanhui Envoy Li Shaohong proposed that it would be better to exchange Yunzhou for Weizhou and Liyang, and to temporarily cease hostilities by pointing to the river as the boundary, and to make further plans after the country's strength has recovered.
Li Cunxu was displeased, thinking that raising a tiger would only bring future trouble, which was not a wise strategy. Given time, the enemy would be strong while we would be weak, and we would have nowhere to be buried.
Privy Councilor Guo Chongtao advised Li Cunxu to go all out and launch a swift and decisive attack.
"If Your Majesty personally leads elite troops to join forces with Yunzhou and march straight into Bianzhou, the false ruler will surely be at a loss and surrender without resistance. The various garrisons will collapse at the mere sight of them, and the empire can be pacified within half a month."
"As the proverb says, 'Building a house in the middle of the road will not be completed in three years.' Now, the autumn harvest is poor, and the army's food supplies are running out. No matter how many opinions the ministers have, if Your Majesty does not make a decision, how can this great undertaking be accomplished!"
Guo Chongtao ultimately attributed it to the theory of destiny: "When an emperor is destined for greatness, it is surely by divine mandate; Your Majesty should not doubt it."
This advice perfectly suited Li Cunxu's character and mindset: "A true man is either a king when he gains power or a captive when he loses it. My decision is made."
The grand plan has been decided; all that's needed is the right opportunity. Yunzhou is destined to become the key point that determines the fate of the Jin and Liang states.
……
"My adoptive father secretly submitted a memorial to the throne, requesting that Zhu Shouyin be punished for losing Desheng, which almost led to the defeat of the army. In the end, this fellow didn't even get a hair out of his head."
Li Congke complained, "His Majesty is unfair in his dealings."
Seeing Gao Xingzhou's absent-mindedness, he raised his voice: "Hey, what are you thinking about? Ever since the scouts reported yesterday that the Liang army is about to cross the Wen River, you've become like this. What's wrong with you?"
Gao Xingzhou seemed not to have heard.
"Hey, didn't the scouts say that Liang's infantry are still crossing the river? Their so-called cavalry are nothing but a bunch of greenhorns who can't even ride a horse properly. Forget about our Hengchongdu, even if we send Shi San'er's Santao Army up there, it would be enough to deal with them."
He kept talking to himself, while Gao Xingzhou just kept his head down and remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.
"Something's not right, this is too strange."
Li Congke noticed something was off: "You're not like this when you're on the battlefield."
Gao Xingzhou raised his head, his gaze firm, as if he had made up his mind: "Ah San, I have a request."
"What's wrong? You should have said so earlier."
Li Congke breathed a sigh of relief when he heard him speak: "I always said that if a man is almost forty and still doesn't get married, he'll get sick sooner or later."
Gao Xingzhou ignored his joke and said seriously, "I want to duel with the opponent!"
"Our army has victory assured, why bother with a duel? Wang Yanzhang may be old..."
Li Congke finally realized something, and stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.
Gao Xingzhou bowed deeply on horseback, clasping his hands in a fist salute: "Please grant my request!"
Li Congke was conflicted. He knew that Gao Xingzhou had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, but now that the moment had arrived, he didn't know whether he should stop him.
Just then, a rider galloped up from the enemy ranks, shouting, "Our commander wishes to fight you one-on-one! Is there anyone who dares to step forward and fight?"
"Perfect timing!"
Both sides shared the same thought, and Gao Xingzhou shouted loudly, "Gao Siji's son, Gao Xingzhou, is here!"
Wang Yanzhang led his troops to attack Yunzhou. Li Siyuan sent Li Congke and Gao Xingzhou with cavalry to scout ahead. The two armies met at Difang Town and agreed to settle the matter with a duel. (Note 2)
-----------------
Place Name Comparison
Difang Town: now located south of Xizhou Town, Dongping County, Liaocheng City, Shandong Province