Chapter 501: Why Does a General Bother Planting a Banner to Sell His Head?

He left as soon as he said, and the day after receiving the order, An Shouchong ordered Zhou Zhi to lead three thousand elite troops, all infantry except the scouting detachment, to take boats along the canal and gradually seize the lost counties and prefectures on both sides of the canal.

Before departing, he repeatedly admonished Zhou Zhi, giving him exhaustive instructions on the use of troops.

According to An Shouchong's conjecture, Fang Chongyong's forces must be primarily cavalry, perhaps entirely cavalry; otherwise the enemy would not dare cross the Yellow River into Hebei to stir up trouble.

If the two armies meet, Fang Chongyong will certainly seize the chance to fight, since if he cannot win he can retreat, and the initiative would otherwise lie with the opponent.

Therefore An Shouchong instructed Zhou Zhi that if they encounter the enemy, they should quickly change formation, reduce the line width to one‑third of normal, and meet the enemy with sword‑and‑shield troops.

Cavalry meeting sword‑and‑shield troops will inevitably charge.

Fang Chongyong will, unable to see the depth of the formation, assume his forces are few and will inevitably underestimate the enemy.

Normally Tang infantry formations are nine men deep, not the five‑man depth of the Han era.

Of course, those nine men are organized in three‑file squads; when engaging the enemy, if the frontmost squad cannot hold, it falls back, the second squad steps forward, and the first squad retreats behind the third squad to reform.

An Shouchong did not take the usual route; he patiently ordered Zhou Zhi to make the already thick line even thicker!

The advantage is that while using shields for defense, the center troops can turn the flank soldiers, preventing cavalry from flanking to the rear.

Moreover, the wall of the formation will be so thick that cavalry charging in cannot get out.

Regardless of the direction, the sword‑and‑shield troops act according to the central army's banners and drum signals.

An Shouchong repeatedly emphasized that Zhou Zhi must first order his militia squads to hang hook‑and‑plates on iron shields, and arrange the shield wall tightly, with multiple layers of cover, advancing slowly.

It will surely break those cavalry in one bite.

The so‑called hook‑and‑plate has a very peculiar shape, consisting of a handle, a plate, and two iron hooks above and below, almost entirely iron. When hung on a shield, it can snag a horse as its charge slows, then be cut down with a strange sword or a ring‑headed sword!

In short, it is a square turtle formation: entering an iron wall, retreating like a mountain, with reverse hooks inside; anyone who enters the formation is doomed.

Combined with pentagonal tower shields bearing hook‑and‑plates, it focuses on defensive counter‑attacks against cavalry, killing one rider for each rider.

Such a formation is highly deceptive, because the enemy commander cannot see how many ranks lie behind the line; scouts usually estimate enemy numbers only from line width, roughly counting how many files there are.

An Shouchong's intent is simple: to make Fang Chongyong underestimate, then rashly send cavalry to chase glory, and finally the shield wall will prick the enemy like a hedgehog.

Zhou Zhi was somewhat confused; their forces are strong, why fight so miserably? Couldn't they just send more troops? Why only three thousand?

An Shouchong gave no further explanation, merely instructing him not to underestimate and to follow the plan.

His demand of Zhou Zhi was low: as long as they are not pierced, it's a win; there is no need to think about crushing the enemy in a single strike.

Just strive not to give the opponent any advantage.

After the orders, An Shouchong personally led five thousand cavalry to assault Bozhou Liaocheng. Two thousand infantry then marched at normal speed toward the Bozhou Yellow River crossing to await orders.

Cavalry were in front, infantry behind, not moving together. The cavalry carried a few days of dry provisions and rushed in, while the infantry were not plain foot soldiers; each man led two mules, with supplies on the mules.

They also carried large amounts of incendiary material, such as fierce fire oil.

An Shouchong seemed to plan to fight using fire attacks, though it was unclear where they would be applied.

…

Fang Chongyong, leading the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, rode cargo ships on the Yongji Canal eastward to Wucheng, adjacent to Qinghe County, ordered repairs, and sent men to Liaocheng to scout the enemy situation and decide the next move.

But just after night fell, scouts reported: a few thousand Hebei rebels had taken cargo ships to Beizhou Qinghe County, and under the pretense of gathering grain, they ravaged the villages—killing, setting fires, and massacring!

Those who escaped locally followed the canal eastward and encountered Yinqiang Xiaojie Army scouts, who then appealed to Fang Chongyong for aid.

The scout did not dare delay, hurriedly bringing the people to the canal crossing outside Wucheng and led them before Fang Chongyong.

Since Qinghe County had long opened its granaries, the official storehouses were so empty that mice could roam the aisles. Thus the Hebei rebels, having no supplies, had to "borrow grain" house to house in the villages.

Locally, whether wealthy households or ordinary peasants, they were stingy, like shooing away beggars, only giving a meager amount of grain.

Seeing such disregard for rules, the militia squads sent to collect grain were instantly enraged. After a bout of fists and kicks, they "borrowed" a substantial amount of food from the locals.

They also, under the pretext of "looting official granaries," killed a dozen people as a warning, to intimidate the locals into proper behavior.

But this "intimidation" was nothing; each killing was like stabbing a wasp's nest.

The militia squads roaming for grain each consisted of only a few dozen men, armed with a single sword and a bow, and even went without armor to save strength.

They say traveling many night roads eventually meets ghosts. When the roll call was taken at night, commander Zhou Zhi found that a grain‑collecting team was missing from the main camp.

Moreover, the dozens of mules that hauled the grain carts were also gone; something must have happened!

Facing these "troublesome people," Zhou Zhi was blunt, leading five hundred elite men to the grain‑collecting site; before entering the village, they saw a large pool of fresh blood beside a forest and freshly disturbed earth.

He ordered a pit to be dug on the spot, and then saw that those dozens of militia squads were all dead, stripped of clothing, lying in the pit in a chaotic tangle under torchlight, their wounds gruesome and terrifying.

Obviously, the party met disaster while gathering grain, ambushed by locals and slaughtered.

Zhou Zhi wasted no words, ordering the surrounding four or five villages to be completely massacred, sparing no chickens or dogs. After the slaughter, he set fires and took all valuables.

For these militia squads, seeking evidence or perpetrators was too troublesome; after all, those people were troublemakers—killing one was killing, killing a hundred was the same, it didn't matter.

If they killed the wrong person, it's as if they chose the wrong address.

Which disaster, natural or man‑made, hasn't claimed lives?

The troops under Zhou Zhi were mostly frontier soldiers from Youzhou, native to Youzhou.

And the place they now occupy falls within the former Hebei Jizhou region; these Youzhou militia squads have no kinship ties with the locals of Beizhou.

Upon hearing this, the generals under Fang Chongyong fell silent. When officials force the people to rebel, such incidents are hardly novel.

As for why this happened, it's hard to put into words; it's somewhat unexpected yet understandable.

"Please, Jiedushi Fang, act on behalf of the villagers! Those bandits are still in Qinghe County; Jiedushi, lead troops and slaughter them!"

The middle‑aged strong man knelt on the ground, weeping and sobbing; anyone who heard it felt sorrow, anyone who saw it shed tears.

"Take him down and let him rest well."

Fang Chongyong gently waved his hand, ordered, and softly comforted the man a few times. After the man was taken out of the command tent, he fell into silent contemplation.

"Jiedushi, the pursuers have arrived, and they are also on cargo ships, moving quickly."

"We have nowhere to evade. If we launch a night raid on the bandits' main camp tonight, we can break them in one go."

He Changqi clasped his fists and bowed in salute.

He made a reasonable point: since the pursuers have already reached Qinghe County, catching up with them is only a day's march—depart in the morning, and they can reach the Wucheng crossing by night.

"Jiedushi, now is not the time to deploy troops, and the bandit army's vigor is at its peak; better to avoid the sharp edge for now. We don't have much time to tangle with these people, and it's clear the enemy is only a vanguard; the main force is still behind."

"The junior commander believes the bandit army will certainly have defenses tonight; they should roughly know our movements."

Che Guangqian also bowed and said to Fang Chongyong.

Obviously, Che Guangqian does not think striking now with a blunt club would give an advantage.

He is not babbling; in fact, that's the case—Fang Chongyong has little capital in hand, so it's better to play it safe.

Now their advantage is low logistical pressure; a small amount of provisions can last long, and they can linger in Hebei for a long time. But the disadvantage is obvious: few troops cannot gamble lives with the enemy, and they cannot afford heavy losses.

"Someone remembers that the remaining transport ships at Qinghe County have already been burned down by us in a single blaze.

Now these bandits from Wei Prefecture must have come by other transport ships, right?"

Fang Chongyong asked pensively.

"Replying to the Jiedushi, indeed so. The transport ships at Qinghe County's ferry the other day were destroyed under my supervision."

Duan Xiushi nodded, bowed, and said.

He is in charge of military engineering, managing logistics, vessels, and horses.

The transport ships in Bei Prefecture were personally ordered by him to be set ablaze, which he witnessed himself.

Because the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army does not need that many transport ships, it is better to burn them all than leave them to the Hebei rebels.

"Tonight the bandits are certainly camping on the shore; since we are pursuing along the canal, they need not waste grain on horses, and they will surely rely mainly on infantry.

The two armies may not fear us in direct combat, but the pursuit will certainly not catch up to us."

Send the order to prepare incendiary oil. He Laohu leads five hundred cavalry, circles from the south, and with incendiary oil tonight will set the bandits' transport ships ablaze; do not disturb the enemy by premature engagement.

"Since they want to chase, let their two legs chase behind us."

Fang Chongyong's eyes flashed coldly; he decided to give the enemy a taste first, not in a hurry to annihilate them outright.

"Understood!"

He Changqi bowed and took the command away.

……

Night deepened; Zhou Zhi deployed a thousand sword-and-shield troops to ambush behind the main camp, a thousand men to ambush inside the camp, and another thousand under his own command to ambush near the wooden bridge on the opposite bank.

The troops inside the main camp are to hold the enemy cavalry's raid route, the rear detachment to reinforce and encircle, and the opposite‑bank detachment to cut off the enemy's retreat!

An Shouzong's words were heard by Zhou Zhi, but only half of them.

The other side told him to "proceed slowly," meaning load provisions onto transport ships, deploy troops on the ground to sweep forward bit by bit, and not get too close to the enemy, because concrete intelligence and the enemy's strategic intent are still lacking.

An Shouzong's deployment was solid; Zhou Zhi's forces swept along the canal, staying within its bounds, while sending scouts to gather information.

In short, never rush.

He personally led cavalry to cut off the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army's rear, seized Liaocheng, then let two thousand infantry leisurely march to the Yellow River crossing, where they erected palisades and set up camp.

After all that, An Shouzong can lead five thousand cavalry north swiftly to rendezvous with Zhou Zhi, then pursue together.

His idea was good, but Zhou Zhi wanted to claim merit.

Including rapid pursuit by transport ships, gathering grain in Bei Prefecture villages, and setting up empty camps for ambushes, all were Zhou Zhi's unilateral proposals.

Zhou Zhi thought An Shouzong's courage was far too small, like a mouse.

This is Hebei, not Henan!

The mere few thousand troops of Fang Chongyong have already become street rats!

As a result, Zhou Zhi's waiting lasted from the hour of the Rat to the hour of the Ox.

The main camp was completely still; not even a phantom of a raid was seen.

"General Zhou, should we cross the river to take a look?"

The deputy general whispered.

The insects by the river kept chirping, as if mocking the ambushers for their lonely stakeout.

Zhou Zhi's face darkened, and he said gravely, "Wait a bit longer; we've already waited an entire night, can we afford another moment?"

He felt his subordinates' distrust, yet could do nothing.

At that moment, he vaguely saw a flicker of fire at the ferry on the opposite bank, not far west of their main camp.

"What is that?"

Zhou Zhi tapped his horsewhip toward the ferry direction and asked the deputy general.

"Can't see clearly; should the junior commander send someone to check?"

The deputy whispered, already having guessed the situation, but Zhou Zhi seemed on the brink of fury, so he dared not speak it aloud.

"Then why not go quickly?"

Zhou Zhi widened his eyes, scolding with displeasure.

The deputy gave a few orders to his personal troops, and in less than the time it takes a incense stick to burn, a messenger from the opposite‑bank camp ran panting across the wooden bridge, reporting to Zhou Zhi: "General Zhou, our transport ships have been set ablaze; how should we act—extinguish the fire or continue the ambush?"

"Ambush, damn! Quickly put out the fire!"

Zhou Zhi slapped the messenger across the face, fuming like a thunderstorm!

When employing ambushes, the troops are already in an "automatic program." Without the commander's next order, they will not act rashly.

Who dares claim that burning the transport ships is not the enemy's feint?

It is merely that Zhou Zhi's tactics were too rigid, failing to anticipate unexpected events. The men tasked with the camp ambush bore no fault.

At this point Zhou Zhi could no longer afford to lose his temper; he vaulted onto his horse, rode across the wooden bridge, and reached the transport ships.

He saw the side‑by‑side transport ships already engulfed in towering flames, the fire astonishingly fierce and spreading rapidly.

Clearly, the fire was not a simple direct burn but employed a large amount of accelerant.

The air was thick with a charred odor—the smell of incendiary oil.

At the ferrybank lay more than a dozen corpses, all guards Zhou Zhi had assigned to the transport ships. Each bore dozens of arrows, nearly turned into a porcupine.

As for the enemy, there wasn't a trace, not even a corpse left behind.

Zhou Zhi took a deep breath, heartily regretting not having followed An Shouzhong's orders and advice.

That slap was really harsh—the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army sent people to burn all our transport ships here, yet they didn't even see the enemy's shadow.

It's unclear how many came, when they set the fire, how they lit it, or where they retreated from.

One could say that up to now, everyone is in a state of utter bewilderment.

Zhou Zhi didn't even know how to explain this to An Shouzhong; afterwards, if asked, he'd be completely clueless.

He guessed the enemy was likely a small cavalry detachment, bypassing their main camp, circling to the transport ships, swiftly killing all the guards, and then burning the ships in one fell swoop!

The whole operation was clear‑purpose, clean and decisive, with no hesitation—light the fire and run!

As Zhou Zhi was pondering how to report this to An Shouzhong, a personal guard stepped forward, holding an arrow, and handed it to Zhou Zhi, saying: "General Zhou, this arrow seems to have been deliberately left by the enemy, with a piece of paper tied to it."

"Understood."

Zhou Zhi's anger flared, and he replied offhand. He opened it to see the paper read: "An incapable general ruins the three armies; general, why bother planting a flag to sell your head?"

Without changing his expression, he tore the paper into pieces, his face turning deathly pale, looking especially ferocious in the torchlight.

Zhou Zhi recalled how, as a child, when he made a mistake, his burly father beat him, and that feeling of helplessness was just like today.

He was beaten to the point he couldn't even lift a hand to fight back!

"Fuck!"

He spat fiercely onto the ground, consumed by impotent rage!