diskusbooks Chapter 49 Zhang Xun
Chapter 49 Zhang Xun
Lin Ke: "The next morning, everyone was in a panic. The emperor was missing, and the rebel leader An Lushan entered Chang'an almost without bloodshed. The princes and princesses who hadn't escaped were all brutally murdered by An Lushan."
"Not to mention the ordinary people who haven't even escaped the city yet!"
"At the same time, news of the emperor's escape reached the front lines in Henan. The rebel general Linghu Chao mocked the soldiers defending the city: 'Your emperor has run away, what are you still defending? Why don't you just surrender?!'"
At this moment, Zhang Xun, who was desperately defending the city wall of Yongqiu: ...
"Not long ago, Zhang Xun was just a minor magistrate of Zhenyuan County. Before An Lushan's rebel army even arrived, his superior sent him an urgent letter: 'The rebels are too powerful to fight. You can go west to meet them and preserve your wealth and status.'"
"This means Zhang Xun should prepare good food and drink and open the city gates to welcome the rebel army."
"Zhang Xun never imagined that his superior would be such a sycophant, and at the same time he received news that his colleague, Linghu Chao, the magistrate of Yongqiu County, had led the city to surrender to the enemy."
"Upon hearing the story of these two spineless officials, Zhang Xun and the people under his rule wept. The city that Linghu Chao surrendered to the rebels was crucial, a vital passage to the Jianghuai region, which had always been the Tang Dynasty's financial backbone. Once it fell, not only would supplies and provisions be cut off, but countless people would also perish."
"This is why Zhang Xun was so heartbroken. He was unwilling to lose to the rebels and would rather die than surrender. Furthermore, there were still 100,000 troops stationed in Henan. If he could make a few more days of preparation, he could buy time for the reinforcements later."
"He was determined to take Yongqiu City. When the people in the city learned that Zhang Xun was going to take Yongzhou City, they responded one after another and volunteered to join Zhang Xun's army. He selected a thousand strong men from them to send troops to Yongqiu."
"On the other side, Linghu Chao, who had surrendered, was drinking and making merry in the enemy camp. He was even appointed as a general by the rebels. It wasn't until the news of the fall of Yongqiu City came that he believed that the little county magistrate dared to seize Yongqiu and confront the rebels head-on."
Even with the facts laid bare, Linghu Chao still found it hard to understand. Could he possibly save the crumbling Tang Dynasty? He volunteered to the rebel leader, requesting that troops be sent to retake Yongqiu.
"At this time, Linghu Chao, who received funding from the rebels, had 40,000 troops, while Zhang Xun had only 3,000 at most. Yet, it was these 3,000 men who held off An Lushan's 130,000-strong army on the eastern front for a whole year."
"Faced with the mighty rebel army, Zhang Xun rallied the troops, saying that the rebels were elite and underestimated us. We should take the initiative and attack, dividing our forces into four groups. After you go out, be sure to raise the Tang flag high and shout for me at the top of your lungs."
Linghu Chao was dumbfounded when he saw the soldiers raising Tang flags. How dare Zhang Xun, with only three thousand men, do this? It must be that the Tang reinforcements have arrived. Zhang Xun was not flustered, but the rebels were thrown into disarray and fled in all directions as Zhang Xun pursued them.
"Not long after, Linghu Chao realized he had been tricked. Reinforcements wouldn't arrive so quickly, so he turned back to prepare weapons and began bombarding Yongqiu City. The defenders didn't resist for long before falling off the city walls. The city walls were damaged, so Zhang Xun ordered his men to repair the destroyed walls with wooden palisades while facing the artillery fire."
"Linghu Chao smiled with satisfaction when he saw the defending army in such a sorry state. He ordered the entire army to continue climbing the city wall. When the rebels reached the top of the wall, Zhang Xun thought to himself, 'I was afraid you wouldn't come.' He was prepared. He filled the prepared straw and wood with oil, lit it, and threw it down."
"The burning haystacks fell on the heads of the rebels, grease splattered, and the rebels became burning figures, screaming in pain, and once again fled in all directions. Such battles were just one of the many recorded in history of this war. The two armies fought for more than sixty days, during which more than three hundred battles, large and small, took place, averaging five battles a day."
"The city walls were piled high with the corpses of rebel soldiers, yet Zhang Xun still dared not relax his vigilance."
"Seeing that he could not capture Yongqiu after a prolonged siege, Linghu Chao announced a withdrawal two months later, marking a victory in this defensive battle where 3,000 men faced 40,000."
"But after a brief moment of joy, Zhang Xun couldn't help but wonder why the Tang reinforcements hadn't arrived yet."
"This brings us to that incompetent fool. Li Longji fled to Shu, causing turmoil in the court and among the people. He couldn't even take care of himself, let alone a lowly Zhang Xun."
"This led to the earlier scene where Linghu Chao mocked Zhang Xun, who was stubbornly holding out in Yongqiu."
"However, when Zhang Xun's six generals heard that Li Longji had fled, they began to have second thoughts and advised Zhang Xun that their troops were weak and lacked weapons, and they could not resist for long; it would be better to surrender."
"Zhang Xun did not refuse outright, but said he would consider it. So the next day, Zhang Xun summoned six generals, placed a portrait of Li Longji before them, and led the soldiers to pay homage, inspiring them with loyalty and righteousness. Afterward, he beheaded the six generals who were preparing to surrender, and from then on, no one dared to persuade him to surrender."
"Seeing that Zhang Xun refused to surrender, Linghu Chao had no choice but to continue the attack. Learning from his previous experience, he planned to besiege the city."
"The situation within Yongqiu City was also dire; not only were weapons and equipment nearly exhausted, but even food supplies were running low."
"So what should Zhang Xun do next?"
One night, Linghu Chao saw a figure climbing down a rope from the city wall. Overjoyed, he thought, "I knew you wouldn't last!" He immediately ordered his men to shoot arrows at the shadow.
"But the shadow wasn't a real person, it was a straw man, and Zhang Xun obtained the arrows without lifting a finger."
"Linghu Chao was furious when he saw this. You little brat, are you trying to pull this on me?"
"A trick doesn't have to be old, as long as it works!" So the next night, Zhang Xun used the same trick again, but unexpectedly, this time he released a real person.
"Linghu Chao was caught off guard, and these people launched a night raid on his camp, stealing back countless supplies and provisions."
"Linghu Chao was repeatedly outmaneuvered and became completely withdrawn, announcing his withdrawal from the army."
"Now, Linghu Chao, who surrendered the city, has truly become a laughing stock. His legacy will be limited to surrendering to the rebels and being constantly tricked by Zhang Xun."
A peasant boy from the Ming Dynasty: I'm dying of laughter!
A spoiled young master from the Song Dynasty: I can't live without laughing!
……
"Although Zhang Xun held Yongqiu to the death, the surrounding cities had all been captured by the enemy, and continuing to defend it would only leave it as an isolated city. Therefore, he had no choice but to lead his men to retreat to Suiyang."
"The prefect of Suiyang is Xu Yuan. Xu Yuan had long heard of Zhang Xun's deeds and greatly admired him, so he entrusted six thousand troops in Suiyang to Zhang Xun."
"A more brutal and tragic battle to defend Suiyang than the Battle of Yongqiu has officially begun."