Chapter 509: Specializing in Attacking the Yinqiang Xiaojie

An Shouchong spent the whole night without sleep; when the sun rose, the blood‑red hue in his eyes was almost the same as the color of the sunrise, making the sight somewhat bloody and terrifying.

His mind was tangled, because after sitting alone in the magistrate's study for an hour or two, An Shouchong discovered a chance to turn defeat into victory!

No matter what kind of canal boat it is, even those designed specifically for transporting livestock, loading the horses onto the boat still takes time.

If the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army plans to load horses onto boats within Beizhou, there will inevitably be a window of weak defense. During that period, they will load the newly captured horses, as well as the war horses they already possess, onto the canal boats.

Although some modified facilities can ease the horses' boarding, the time consumption is unavoidable.

That time window is the key to turning defeat into victory; the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army will inevitably have a weak defense.

However, there is another scenario: the cavalry moves on its own routes, the canal boats on theirs, and both only carry out loading operations after reaching a relatively safe area. Of course, that safety is relative, not absolute.

If An Shouchong currently has enough troops and horses, regardless of how the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army maneuvers, a single raid would suffice.

But now the stables outside the city are destroyed, there is a shortage of sufficient cavalry, and after the recent crushing defeat of the main army, morale has hit rock bottom, leaving no capital for a gamble.

How hateful!

An Shouchong clenched both fists tightly, grinding his teeth in anger.

One step slow makes every step slow; now he deeply feels that humiliating helplessness.

At this moment An Shouchong keeps replaying yesterday's battle in his mind. He notices that Fang Chongyong's deployment was layered, not a single‑minded charge;

And the opponent's combat objectives were not merely "success" or "failure," but staged and progressively escalating.

Burning the stables was only a basic objective; if our side can respond properly without rashly sending troops out, the final result would be merely the loss of a few horses, and that would be the end of it.

It can be estimated that at that time the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, unable to gain further advantage, would have withdrawn on its own.

Unfortunately, Zhou Zhi fell into a trap and was ambushed by the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army.

Thus the opponent achieved its secondary goal, and we lost part of our troops and horses, with morale further shattered.

But is this the worst?

An Shouchong believes this is actually not the worst outcome.

The worst case would be that the garrison of Qinghe County also joined the rescue and was wiped out in one fell swoop. Whether to mention it or not, such a situation is very possible; it was only that he was overcome by blood‑heat and fainted, unable to command.

Thinking of this, An Shouchong let out a long sigh, feeling a slight comfort in his heart.

He then issued another order: after one hour the city gates will be opened; for now, send a few scouts down in a basket to recon.

His personal troops took the order and left.

An hour later, the south gate of Qinghe County threw open. An Shouchong's expression was tangled, as if full of worries, his brows furrowed into a "river" shape.

The scouts just returned, bringing him one good news and one bad news.

The bad news was that Zhou Zhi's corpse was found; he fell in last night's battle, and almost all the soldiers of the large camp outside the city were killed, less than one in ten survived.

The good news was that the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army still hadn't fled!

Instead, ten li east of Qinghe County they were loading horses onto boats! A fleet of dozens of canal boats looked rather spectacular.

Shall we gamble on it?

An Shouchong felt a battle between heaven and man within him; his face remained calm, yet the inner anxiety and hesitation nearly reached an uncontrollable level.

Zhou Zhi died in battle, the large camp was shattered, the stables burned, most of the war horses fled; last night's fight was an utter disgrace.

If we can't regain the situation, not only will morale collapse, but An Shouchong himself won't even know how to command future battles!

However, this gamble isn't easy; many watched the battle from the city walls last night and saw how Zhou Zhi and others died, leaving shadows in their hearts and morale already shattered.

An army that doesn't properly rest can't fight.

Of course, if we can turn defeat into victory now, we could rescue the broken morale.

Fight, or not fight?

An Shouchong kept calculating the odds of victory.

Just as his mind wavered, a corner of his eye caught a army coming from the west, moving along the canal.

Running parallel was a massive fleet of canal boats!

An Shouchong fixed his gaze and saw they were bearing the flag of the Hebei rebels, and his heart leapt with joy!

Reinforcements have arrived! The reinforcements finally arrived!

An Shouchong was so moved he nearly wept!

But unexpectedly, that contingent stopped outside Qinghe County, and a commander in his thirties stepped forward, exuding an air of superiority.

He asked in a deep voice, "General An, long time no see—may I ask how the battle in Beizhou is going?"

The man's name was Zhang Zhongzhi, originally the adopted son of the Fanyang commander Zhang Suogao, who later voluntarily pledged allegiance to Huangfu Weiming and became a trusted aide of the Grand Marshal.

An Shouchong is the adopted son of An Lushan, considered a "remnant of the former dynasty," and is not usually favored by Huangfu Weiming.

If not for his outstanding ability, he could never have commanded a force on his own.

Because of Huangfu Weiming's stance, Zhang Zhongzhi and An Shouchong have always been at odds.

Previously Zhang Zhongzhi was assigned to Liyang to command a force, cooperating with Li Guiren as the vanguard moving south into Henan; he was clearly more favored than An Shouchong, who led a detached unit.

Huangfu Weiming sending Zhang Zhongzhi here was, in fact, an expression of displeasure over An Shouchong's unfavorable performance.

"Quick, quick, quick— the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army is loading horses ten li to the east; General Zhang, lead a raid and you'll be able to crush them!"

"Opportunities like this won't come again!"

An Shouchong, like a drowning man clutching a lifeline, suddenly seized Zhang Zhongzhi's arm, his eyes bulging, looking like a gambler with bloodshot eyes, desperate for one last turn.

Zhang Zhongzhi calmly moved his arm away from An Shouchong's grasp. He wasn't that familiar with the other party, nor would he act on a single side's words.

Zhang Zhongzhi shook his head and, in a bureaucratic tone, said, "General An, the enemy situation is unclear; we must not act rashly, and there's another matter…"

Zhang Zhongzhi gestured to Zhang Xiu nearby, who sauntered forward and said to An Shouchong, "General An, Grand Marshal Huangfu has established the Anti‑Bandit Commander Office; General Zhang will serve as commander and also as chief of campaign, overseeing all troops participating in the encirclement of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army. Troops from Zhendings, Fanyang and other places are involved, including your forces."

Zhang Xiu's tone was cold; evidently, when he last returned to report, Huangfu Weiming had also expressed a clear stance.

An Shouchong felt a sudden thud in his heart, silently thinking 'this is ominous'; he understood that the battle situation had changed, that a quantitative shift had produced a qualitative change.

Fang Chongyong repeatedly carried out surprise actions in Hebei, repeatedly crushing the Hebei rebels, and has now become Grand Marshal Huangfu's greatest internal threat!

In short, Fang Chongyong completely provoked Huangfu Weiming!

"Greetings, Commander Zhang."

An Shouchong, unwillingly, clasped his fists and bowed to Zhang Zhongzhi.

He knew trouble was about to arrive.

Sure enough, Zhang Zhongzhi let out a cold snort, pointed at the corpses scattered on the ground around them, and said, "General An, there must have been a great battle last night—did you win or lose? How many enemies were annihilated? What was burned over there? It looks like a stable, right? Could it be that General An burned his own stable to lure the enemy?"

Zhang Zhongzhi mocked sarcastically.

He, too, was a battle‑hardened commander, and at a glance could deduce what had happened last night.

"Last night the bandit army launched a surprise attack on Beizhou, setting the stable ablaze. My subordinate General Zhou Zhi led troops to meet the enemy, but met a tragic fate; I am deeply grieved,"

An Shouchong said the pleasant words, without mentioning that he had fainted last night and failed to rescue the troops outside the city.

His mental calculations rang loudly; after all, there was no proof of death.

Unfortunately, Zhang Zhongzhi was hostile from the start. No matter what answer An Shouchong gave, Zhang Zhongzhi would eventually find fault.

"This commander has never before met someone who lets the dead die and yet mourns so much; General An, it would be a pity if you didn't become a performer.

Come, men, capture this bandit!"

Zhang Zhongzhi pointed at An Shouchong and shouted.

A few burly personal guards behind him, taking advantage of An Shouchong's stunned state, lunged at him all at once and instantly subdued him.

An Shouchong's own guards didn't react; by the time they saw their commander captured, it was already too late.

"Commander Zhang, what does this mean?"

An Shouchong, with a defiant expression, retorted, his heart already lodged in his throat.

"Just that small bandit force, yet General An keeps losing repeatedly, letting them grow unchecked! Ravaging Hebei!

You've ruined Grand Marshal Huangfu's great affair!

General An, seasoned in battle, now can't even pursue the enemy's trail; this commander thinks you are deliberately losing the fight.

Grand Marshal Huangfu ordered this commander to come to Beizhou specifically to investigate you!

Sure enough, last night was another crushing defeat! An Shouchong, do you have anything to say?

"Judge Zhang, the task of escorting this bandit back to Ye City is now yours."

Zhang Zhongzhi said to Zhang Xiu beside him, refusing to listen to An Shouchong's defense at all.

"Commander Zhang, rest assured."

Zhang Xiu gave Zhang Zhongzhi a deep bow.

Zhang Zhongzhi nodded approvingly, then sneered at An Shouchong: "If you have anything to say, General An, go tell Grand Marshal Huangfu yourself; I have nothing to say to you, and I don't want to hear your clamor!"

An Shouchong had nothing to say; when you want to add crimes, there are no words to deny—what else could he say?

Originally he was the adopted son of An Lushan; when An Lushan died, he became nothing. Rumors also claim that An Lushan's death is heavily linked to Huangfu Weiming, a detail too dreadful to contemplate.

An Shouchong sheathed his side‑blade and handed it to Zhang Xiu, his whole body slumping down.

Seeing that An Shouchong was still somewhat sensible, Zhang Zhongzhi didn't want to act like a petty man; he simply waved at Zhang Xiu, signaling him to take the man away.

After watching Zhang Xiu and the others depart, Zhang Zhongzhi turned to An Shouchong's personal guards and said, "If anyone wishes to go with him, then go together; this commander will not block!"

No one answered; they acted as if they hadn't heard Zhang Zhongzhi at all.

It was obvious; everyone knew An Shouchong was highly likely to be finished, so what sense was there in following him and flattering him?

If loyalty cannot bring any benefit, then such loyalty is meaningless.

After dealing with An Shouchong, Zhang Zhongzhi didn't idle; he immediately sent people to gather information.

The scouts' reports matched An Shouchong's account: a fleet, possibly belonging to the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, was preparing to set sail northward along the Yunhe River. Sending cavalry to chase now might still catch up, but the initiative was already lost.

Thus Zhang Zhongzhi ordered the main army to fortify the area around Qinghe County, contain the remnants under An Shouchong's command, dispatch roaming cavalry to scout, and have the transport ships from Liyang unload supplies for stockpiling.

A few contingents were still not in position on the encirclement route, but Zhang Zhongzhi was not eager to engage the enemy. He would not repeat the mistake An Shouchong made.

……

After waiting for ages, no pursuers appeared; only some fly‑like roaming cavalry skimmed close for reconnaissance, which was vexing to watch.

Fang Chongyong reluctantly let Che Guangqian lead elite scouts to strike, shooting down some Hebei rebels' scouts; the rest dared not approach the fleet further and fled back to Qinghe County.

"Jiedushi, An Shouchong hasn't taken the bait, hasn't come for so long."

He Changqi muttered softly beside Fang Chongyong.

"Yeah, I've exposed such a huge flaw, and they still don't take the bait—it's not simple."

Fang Chongyong rested his chin, looking thoughtful.

He took advantage of the available ships and river, having mass‑deployed winch crossbows on the transport ships, originally intending to emulate Liu Yu's historic "Moon‑Reversing Formation".

Fang Chongyong deliberately ordered the loading to be slower, hoping An Shouchong would notice and tempt the opponent into a desperate gamble.

But the bastard didn't send troops to chase!

In a sense, it was like winking at a blind man.

"Fine, let's withdraw first."

That's how scheming works: when your plans are excellent, the opponent doesn't take the bait. When you stop scheming, the opponent ends up scheming against you!

War is a mutual calculus, a life‑or‑death performance art.

Fang Chongyong helplessly waved his hand.

"Jiedushi, could it be that your reputation scares An Shouchong away?"

Duan Xiushi echoed, and the commanders around Fang Chongyong exchanged glances, seemingly agreeing with the view but daring not to voice it in front of Fang Chongyong.

Fang Chongyong wielded troops, fierce as a tiger, cunning as a fox.

Devious schemes linked one after another, leaving defenses overwhelmed.

An Shouchong had suffered so many losses that even a fool would become a refined spirit; if they were in his shoes, they couldn't rashly pursue now.

"With so few of us, aren't we just easy pickings for those Hebei rebel armies to fight over?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a puzzled expression.

No one knew how to respond to that, so the others could only stay silent.

Before long, Che Guangqian returned with a captive who had suffered an arrow wound.

Fang Chongyong gave a brief interrogation and discovered that the man was surprisingly not one of An Shouzhong's retainers, but rather a soldier from Zhang Zhongzhi's reinforcement force.

Zhang Zhongzhi had brought twenty thousand men to reinforce Beizhou this time—or rather, he had taken over An Shouzhong's position and assumed overall command of the suppression campaign.

"They've established a Pacification Headquarters, commanding several routes of troops."

Upon learning that Zhang Zhongzhi was actually the Grand Supreme Commander of the Marching Army, Fang Chongyong wore a peculiar expression and remained speechless for a long while.

Seeing this, He Changqi asked in a low voice, "Jiedushi, is there something amiss with this Zhang Zhongzhi?"

"Nothing particularly amiss. If I had to say, he's just a very naive person."

Fang Chongyong muttered to himself.

In his previous life, he had read those amusing anecdotes, and among them were ones about Zhang Zhongzhi.

In his later years, this man had been thoroughly bamboozled by alchemists and sorcerers, made a fool of like an idiot, and was ultimately poisoned mute by them, dying three days later.

Of course, by then he was no longer called Zhang Zhongzhi—he had changed his name to Li Baichen!

This fellow had a hole in his head and was constantly being deceived.

Those who deceived him included but were not limited to Brother Ji, An Lushan, Tian Chengsi, Emperor Daizong of Tang, and others. He was prone to gullibility, yet liked to fly into rage out of shame and anger after regretting being deceived. He harbored many petty schemes, was capricious in temperament, loved to scheme, and was highly suspicious.

He was a controversial figure—very skilled at warfare, yet with no shortage of points worth mocking.

Particularly worth mentioning, Li Baichen seemed to have had the word "sucker" plastered on his forehead by Tian Chengsi; he was swindled nearly every time they met, and who knows how many major losses he suffered at Tian Chengsi's hands.

"Jiedushi? Could it be that you know this Zhang Zhongzhi?" He Changqi asked in puzzlement.

The assessment of "naive" left everyone present bewildered.

"I wouldn't say I know him, but I have thought of a way to give him a little lesson."

Fang Chongyong's eyes shifted as a plan took shape in his mind.