Chapter 522: The Wind‑Blowing Fire Ox Formation

Qizhou, the city‑top of Fufeng County.

Li Jiaqing, obeying Fang Youde's order, led five thousand troops, all formed from militia, tasked with defending Fufeng County.

This is the first defensive line that Li Guangbi's Western Army intends to breach.

At this moment, Li Jiaqing was sharpening his sword on the city‑top. After his son Li Huaiguang inspected the walls, he, with a worried expression, pulled Li Jiaqing aside.

Although Li Jiaqing's son is only just over twenty, he has always been brave and clever, and is dearly favored by Li Jiaqing. Even Fang Youde holds Li Huaiguang in high regard, often teaching him military strategy, and has already accepted him as an adopted son.

"Father, why do you still have leisure to sharpen your sword!"

At the base of the wall beneath the city wall, Li Huaiguang said anxiously, his heart seemed about to leap out.

Li Jiaqing was startled and retorted with a puzzled expression, "When you go into battle to kill the enemy, you don't sharpen your sword—what are you thinking?"

Li Huaiguang, after all, was young; he glanced around and found no one watching. He then lowered his voice and suggested, "Father, this place is too dangerous; the garrison is too few to stand a fight. If the enemy arrives, my father and I will surely die here!"

There were only five thousand troops to begin with, all temporary militia recruits. These men were personally recruited by Li Jiaqing himself—does he not know what kind of birds those people are?

Li Huaiguang began to doubt his life.

"Fang Dashi said, this battle only allows defeat, not victory."

Li Jiaqing stroked the beard on his chin and said with a smile.

Some words shouldn't have been spoken, but now the decisive battle is near, and when his own son asks, there's no harm in saying them.

Li Huaiguang nodded slightly; he seemed to understand something.

He then asked, "Did Fang Dashi give any instructions on how to break the enemy?"

Unexpectedly, Li Jiaqing shook his head and said:

"General Fang fears that if your father is captured he will leak secrets, so he never gave instructions on how to defeat the enemy. In places such as Qishan, Yong County, Guo County, Chen Cang, the commander ordered us to resist step by step, retreating each segment. Finally we should flee to Anyiguan to regroup."

If the enemy continues the pursuit, we will keep fleeing westward; even reaching Suiye would be fine.

Li Jiaqing seemed in good spirits, even making jokes. Suiye is two thousand li from Guanzhong; managing to run there would be impressive.

Li Huaiguang shook his head and said, "Father, you're just talking nonsense. The enemy will definitely head straight for Qianyuan County; they won't have time for us. The Son of Heaven is in Qianyuan County—capturing him would be a great achievement, and who cares where my father and I end up?"

He instantly saw the crux of the situation: Fang Youde intends to pull the border troops of Hexi Longyou into the fight, abandoning all outer defenses.

One must admit, this move is very bold.

As for whether it will work, it's hard to say; after all, the battle hasn't even begun.

"There is something my father hasn't finished; I must attend to it immediately. This was ordered by General Fang and must not be done carelessly."

Li Jiaqing suddenly spoke seriously, and Li Huaiguang quickly nodded in agreement, offering no further objections.

Li Jiaqing muttered beside Li Huaiguang's ear for a while, then, with a solemn expression, asked, "The number isn't large; can it be handled properly?"

"It's not a big problem, but why do it this way…?"

Li Huaiguang asked with a puzzled face, this time truly not understanding.

But Li Jiaqing merely spread his hands, offering no explanation, because he himself didn't understand. In any case, whatever Fang Youde arranged must have reason, so just follow it.

Li Guangbi did not keep Li Jiaqing and his son waiting long.

Two days later, Li Guangbi led his troops to Wugong County east of Fufeng County and sent envoys to deliver a surrender appeal to Li Jiaqing, urging them to "abandon darkness and embrace light," promising that the sage Li Longji would "hold no grudges about the past."

Li Jiaqing's reply was blunt: if you want to fight, then fight; surrender is impossible—any coward is a dog.

This answer was exactly what Li Guangbi expected; Li Jiaqing is a henchman and staunch confidant recruited by Fang Youde, and if he surrendered, Fang Youde would be close to surrender as well.

One day later, Li Guangbi's Western Army formed a battle line at Huokou, five li east of Fufeng County.

The Guanzhong Plain and the North China Plain, though both called "plain," have quite different terrains.

The North China Plain is a broad, level expanse, whereas the Guanzhong Plain is "flat with folds," often featuring strange landforms within its smaller plains.

For example, east of Fufeng County, the south is a small ridge blocking the road; the north is a river bend also blocking passage. Only the middle stretch is level ground, where the official road runs.

Similarly, west of Fufeng County the terrain is alike, with a small ridge to the south, creating a "Three Mountains Flanking Two Waters" layout that gathers qi.

Thus this place has long produced outstanding talents; it can be called a land of heroes.

Li Jiaqing did not let Li Guangbi besiege the city; instead he led his troops out to confront him.

He not only marched his troops out, but also brought nearly a thousand cattle recently gathered from across Qizhou!

He bound weapons to the horns and soaked the tails with reeds and oil; they looked both imposing and highly retro!

But this scene left Western Army commander Li Guangbi utterly baffled, having no idea what Li Jiaqing intended.

"Li Jiedushi, this scene looks off balance now."

Zhang Boyi, beside Li Guangbi, leaned in and whispered.

Li Guangbi said nothing; in fact, he too wore a bewildered expression.

The plain east of Fufeng County is a natural decisive battlefield; schemes and tricks are of little use. Cavalry maneuvers are also ineffective, constrained by the local terrain.

This round is infantry head‑on; whoever is braver and harsher will win!

"Could it be that you want to use the Fire Ox Formation? What purpose does the Fire Ox Formation serve here?"

Li Guangbi muttered to himself, his puzzled expression deepening.

"The Fire Ox Formation" originated in the Warring States period, invented by the Qi general Tian Dan.

What a stirring epic it was!

Back then, King Yan Zhao dispatched the Yan general Le Yi to attack Qi. The latter devastated Qi, nearly causing its collapse. Only the two cities of Ju (Ju County, Rizhao, Shandong) and Jimo (Jimo, Pingdu, Shandong) resisted for a long time, being besieged by Yan forces for over three years.

Tian Dan was the commander who led the defense of Jimo.

Later, King Yan Zhao died, and King Yan Hui ascended, causing great upheaval in Yan's internal politics.

When the opportunity arose, Tian Dan feigned surrender to the Yan army, plotting a counterattack.

He commanded the Qi army at night to use over a thousand cattle, binding weapons to their horns and reeds soaked in oil to their tails, igniting them, and charging the Yan army, breaking through their formation.

Subsequently, five thousand warriors surged forward, crushing the Yan army and killing the Yan general Qi Jie.

Then Tian Dan pressed the advantage, capturing over seventy cities in succession, restoring the entire Qi realm. Le Yi's campaign against Qi ended with a tiger's head and a snake's tail, and from then on Yan's national power never recovered.

How should I put it — the Fire Ox Formation sounds quite intimidating, and if used for the first time, it would naturally be awe-inspiring and unstoppable.

What Li Guangbi could not understand was: what fool would still want to use a Warring States-era tactic in the Tang dynasty!

It had been nearly a thousand years! Even a fool would know how to break the Fire Ox Formation by now. Using a thousand-year-old tactic against people a thousand years later, treating the enemy as fools — was there any point to this charade?

"Is Fang Quanzhong truly this foolish?"

After a long silence, Li Guangbi posed this question to Zhang Boyi.

Zhang Boyi did not know how to answer either, so he could only speak honestly:

"Jiedushi, breaking the Fire Ox Formation is very easy.

These oxen have not been trained. Beating gongs and drums frantically will disrupt their formation. We send two hundred soldiers forward the distance of one arrowshot, beating gongs while hurling torches into the herd. Once the oxen are startled, they will surely scatter in panic, even turning around and charging back at the enemy.

At that point, our army presses forward across the entire line and strikes straight at the enemy's central command."

Zhang Boyi spoke with easy confidence, directly giving the standard answer.

That was right — the art of war had already developed into a system long before the Tang dynasty. In particular, after Li Jing's compilations and the Tang imperial government's collection of military texts, it was essentially complete.

It formed the second peak in the history of Chinese military strategy; the first was during the Han dynasty.

What standard procedure to follow in any given situation, how to defend, how to attack — all had clear answers, laid out in plain detail.

Being able to remember these and respond accordingly already made one a qualified commander.

So the exchange just now could not be said to show Zhang Boyi wielding armies like a god. He had simply recited the standard answer from memory — at most, a good memory.

"You take men and handle driving off the herd. Once done, withdraw from the flanks. You need not concern yourself with what comes after."

Li Guangbi instructed Zhang Boyi.

"Orders received!"

Zhang Boyi took his orders and departed.

That was his one good quality — he was an honest man who did not vie for credit. Whatever Li Guangbi told him to do, he did.

Li Guangbi also had some men under his command whose abilities surpassed Zhang Boyi's, but those men sometimes liked to "improvise on the spot." There were many important military duties Li Guangbi did not dare entrust to them.

Almost the very moment Li Guangbi gave the order, the herd on the opposite side began to move.

Li Jiaqing had someone light the oxen's tails, and the herd, burning in agony and unable to bear the pain, began charging madly toward the Western Army's battle line.

They looked ferocious, unstoppable in their fury.

Zhang Boyi, positioned at the very front of the line, showed contempt on his face. He picked up the short stick in his hand and began beating the gong with all his might!

Clang clang clang!

Clang clang clang!

Clang clang clang!

In an instant, gongs and drums deafened the heavens!

The entire battlefield was saturated with piercing noise.

This move produced immediate results.

Stimulated by the sound of the copper gongs, the herd began to scatter and flee, even crashing into one another, their formation thrown into instant chaos.

Seeing the effect take hold, Zhang Boyi immediately discarded the short stick and raised the black banner from the hands of the standard-bearer beside him!

The front-rank soldiers, already standing by, instantly hurled the torches in their hands, landing them squarely within the herd. The oxen that were struck had the fire oil on their bodies ignited in an instant, thoroughly becoming "fire oxen."

It charged madly in all directions, then finally turned around and collided with the fire oxen behind it.

Before the herd had even reached the Western Army's battle line, it had already been torn to shreds.

"Throw!"

Zhang Boyi shouted again, and another rank of soldiers stepped forward with torches, decisively hurling them into the herd.

While the torches were being thrown, the deafening sound of gongs and drums never ceased. The Western Army's cavalry, positioned far in the rear, could not hear it clearly at all and were completely unaffected.

It was the soldiers on both sides of the front line who suffered, their ears ringing incessantly.

Seeing that the "Fire Ox Formation" had already been broken, and that quite a few "fire oxen" were even charging back toward Li Jiaqing's main formation, Li Guangbi finally revealed a smile.

He saw that Zhang Boyi had already led his men to withdraw from both flanks, so he ordered the horns sounded — the entire army, apart from the cavalry, would attack!

Woo! Woo! Woo!

A desolate horn call rose from the position of the central command. Li Guangbi sat astride his horse, watching the battle from the edge of the line. At this moment, the twenty thousand soldiers of the Western Army's vanguard were already charging toward the enemy, like a mountain flood bursting forth.

That momentum could not be stopped by a handful of men!

And on Li Jiaqing's side... this commanding general had already fled with his personal guard unit ahead of time!

At this moment the battle line was in total chaos, and the commanding general was long gone!

"Fighting a battle like this — was he really pinning all his hopes on the Fire Ox Formation alone?"

Li Guangbi wore a strange expression. He kept feeling that something was not quite right, but could not quite put it into words.

If he had to say, it was simply that the victory came too easily.

His instinct was not wrong.

Li Jiaqing's forces, once their battle line made contact with the Western Army, could not withstand even a single move — they collapsed at the first touch!

Those militia soldiers scurried about like headless flies. Many threw down their weapons and armor, turned tail, and ran, cursing that their parents had only given them two legs.

The Western Army's soldiers, on the other hand, were all clad in fifteen kilograms of heavy armor and could not outrun those worthless wretches. They could only watch helplessly as that lot scattered in all directions.

"Pass the order: do not pursue a desperate foe. Let these men carry the news of their defeat back. The enemy's rear will surely collapse in morale.

We advance steadily, no rush."

Li Guangbi ordered his favored general Hao Tingyu beside him.

"Orders received!"

Hao Tingyu took his orders and departed.

One shichen later, Li Guangbi had already entered Fufeng County town. The Anxi and Beiting cavalry led by Gao Xianzhi had also arrived in the city.

Upon meeting, Gao Xianzhi smiled and said, "Jiedushi Li, your use of troops is godlike; you shattered the enemy's fire ox formation with a casual hand—awesome, awesome."

He was just making polite small talk; the fire ox formation—those who understand, understand—it's only good for scaring people, but if you actually tried to use it on the battlefield, it would be a big joke.

The enemy commander simply doesn't know how to use troops; this is not due to my merit.

Li Guangbi gave a casual reply; he had no feud with Gao Xianzhi, but they weren't close either.

Now the political situation is complex and treacherous; no one knows whether tomorrow or an accident will come first. Speaking deeply to shallow acquaintances is a major taboo, and Li Guangbi didn't have much idle talk; he needed to speak with Gao Xianzhi.

Sensing the other's aloofness, Gao Xianzhi stopped trying to be friendly and directly stated his purpose: "Today, Jiedushi Li, you've been quite imposing, but there are still four or five small towns ahead. Why not, for tomorrow's battle, let my troops take the lead? How about we two take turns attacking the cities?"

Today Gao Xianzhi sent Li Shiye and others to watch the enemy's performance from the front lines, having a great time, but they didn't even catch a single hair. This can't go on—no battle achievements means no rewards, and without rewards, how can he pacify the damned foot soldiers risking their lives?

So he entered Fufeng County today also to discuss with Li Guangbi how to proceed with the fighting.

It must be said, the suggestion of the two armies taking turns attacking cities is quite reasonable.

Li Guangbi nodded and said, "I've heard the false emperor is in Qianyuan County. Then, before we attack Qianyuan County, following this rule, you and I will take turns attacking cities. When we launch the general assault on Qianyuan County, we'll come back to discuss how to face the enemy—how does that sound?"

Excellent, Gao Xianzhi also thinks so.

Gao Xianzhi nodded slightly, obviously approving the plan. After exchanging a couple of polite remarks, he rose and left, seeming to be in a very good mood.

His mood couldn't be bad; just seeing the enemy's disgraceful behavior today, Gao Xianzhi knew capturing Li Chang would be a piece of cake. He came here simply to touch base with Li Guangbi. As for who will attack Qianyuan County later, there will probably be another dispute.

After Gao Xianzhi left, Li Guangbi's face showed worry. He was far less optimistic than Gao Xianzhi.

Li Guangbi had long harbored a doubt in his heart that remained unresolved:

What exactly did Fang Youde mean by setting up a fire ox formation outside Fufeng County?

The more Li Guangbi thought about it, the creepier he felt.