Chapter 540: Twilight of the Gods (II)

Huangfu Weiming had seen grand battles before, but a fight lost through such careless confusion was truly something he had never witnessed.

Although the end of Tang and the Five Dynasties were only a little over a hundred years after the High Tang, the methods of warfare had already undergone earth‑shaking changes. Generals of that era fought with greater cunning and variability, were better at exploiting momentum, and excelled at using small elite forces to break the enemy.

Thus, battles that should have been victories—those that held favorable time, terrain, and morale—often ended in inexplicable disaster, sometimes even with the commanding general slain.

In contrast, the Tang army of the High Tang, hampered by rigid organization, performed well against frontier minorities but faltered inexplicably in civil wars because it could not adapt to new battlefields and tactics.

Huangfu Weiming was not incapable of strategy; he simply lacked the century‑plus of progress.

"Grand Marshal, this is impossible—run!"

His nearby commander Bai Xiuzhi urged impatiently, "Although the beacon smoke is still far from us, the footsteps, panicked screams, and shouts of attack coming from the east are drawing ever nearer."

Huangfu Weiming had ordered his nearby supervisory squad to hold the line, massing a large contingent of sword-and-shield troops in the middle of the road to block the surging routed troops, as well as a mysterious enemy force striking from behind whose unit numbers were still unknown.

The situation was dire, yet it was clear that Huangfu Weiming still wanted to gamble.

However, his surrounding commanders already felt the task was impossible.

The routed troops, pursued relentlessly by the enemy, had their will to survive turned upside down; no one standing before them could stop their continued flight.

When it came to survival, they recognized no kin!

Only death could make them stop!

That is why many commanders favor the "reverse‑rolled pearl curtain" tactic: on open ground it seems harmless, but on a narrow road it can instantly take an opponent's life!

"I, the commander, do not believe in evil!"

Huangfu Weiming drew his sword and shouted, "Hold the line! As long as we hold, we can win! Those who retreat are cut down, those who charge are cut down!"

He shouted passionately, then turned and whispered to Bai Xiuzhi, "Send An Shouchong with troops to reinforce quickly!"

Bai Xiuzhi couldn't help glancing at Huangfu Weiming and realized that the Grand Marshal before her was trembling with fear, his composed demeanor entirely feigned.

Bai Xiuzhi silently sighed in her heart: "Sorry, Grand Marshal."

She quickly left the formation, mounted a horse and rode away. However, Bai Xiuzhi did not go to find An Shouchong; instead she fled westward along the official road, disappearing soon after.

Huangfu Weiming was finished!

An Shouchong was also doomed!

All Hebei troops, from commanders to soldiers, were doomed this time!

We must die; everyone will die; this battle is lost for sure!

Run quickly; now we can still cling to life!

Bai Xiuzhi screamed wildly in her mind, cracking the horse's flank with her whip, hoping it would run faster.

Save?

Go save them!

Bai Xiuzhi refused to mock Huangfu Weiming for overthinking, because he was the commander and could not flee; once he ran, the army would collapse like a mountain.

But Bai Xiuzhi knew this wave of reverse‑rolled pearl curtain was impenetrable. The only counter was to retreat swiftly to open ground, where the routed troops would naturally disperse.

Then, using cavalry to clash with the enemy pursuers could turn defeat into victory.

The terrain they now occupied lacked such conditions for a counterattack, meaning everything was part of the enemy commander's scheme.

Facing such a formidable opponent, do you still expect to win?

Bai Xiuzhi's mind was clear; they wanted to live and not be buried with Huangfu Weiming, so at the crucial moment they betrayed him, indirectly saving An Shouchong's life.

If An Shouchong came to reinforce, he would undoubtedly die, slaughtered by the chaotic troops.

Conversely, by not reinforcing, he could climb mountains, take mountain paths, and detour back to Tongguan.

Bai Xiuzhi's flight actually had no impact on the battle; Huangfu Weiming believed he could hold the torrent, yet failed to realize that battlefield conditions rarely shift according to a commander's will.

The routed troops, fleeing back like madmen, were truly a relentless wave—those ahead died, those behind climbed over corpses. In front of the sword-and-shield line, layers of bodies piled upward.

The routed soldiers trampled the corpses, surged toward the blocking formation, and seized the weapons of the troops within.

Soon, chaos spread through Huangfu Weiming's formation like a plague.

Soldiers in the front row were knocked down and trampled, then the second, third, fourth rows followed... At that point friend and foe were indistinguishable; even Li Huaiguang's crane‑control troops had not reached this spot!

The Hebei rebel army trampled each other, relentlessly fleeing westward, caring for nothing else.

"Cut the retreaters! Cut the retreaters!"

Huangfu Weiming drew his sword from the rear, shouting and roaring.

He turned and saw that the supervisory squad beside him had dropped their weapons and fled entirely!

The heavens are blind, thus I become a scoundrel! These two capital highways have become my burial ground!

A final thought flashed through Huangfu Weiming's mind, then the formation before him collapsed completely. The routed troops surged, catching him off guard and shoving him to the ground, followed by countless feet trampling him.

One after another.

No one expected that Huangfu Weiming, who had stormed across Hebei and fought his way into Guanzhong, would meet his end amid the chaotic troops.

He wasn't even killed by the enemy!

A generation's warlord, and that's how he perished—so humble, so casual, hardly worth mentioning.

…

An Shouchong fled; seeing many routed troops pouring in from the east, he instantly understood what had happened. He hesitated not a moment, gave no orders, and slipped away down the mountain path south of Huayin City.

The terrain here is complex; if An Shouchong were content to live as a wild man in the mountains, even ten years of hiding might not guarantee discovery.

He fled, and with Huangfu Weiming dead, the Hebei rebel army naturally collapsed. Li Huaiguang rode westward for over ten li beyond Huayin City, pursued until no one remained ahead, then halted his chase.

Now the night was deep; Fang Youde, accompanied by Li Jiaqing and others, leisurely arrived on this "Road of Death." On both sides of the road lay the corpses of Hebei rebel soldiers, some crushed beyond recognition.

"Grand Marshal, if Huangfu Weiming died amid the chaotic troops, finding him would not be easy either."

Li Jiaqing gestured at the haphazardly strewn corpses on the ground and said.

If he wasn't captured, Huangfu Weiming must have perished in the chaotic troops; almost no one escaped this battle. Apart from the great mountain south of Huayin City, there was no place nearby to hide.

In the Battle of Huliu Po between Later Tang and Later Liang, Li Cunxu had already won, but the Later Liang general Wang Yanzhang, while retreating, encountered a miscellaneous Jin supply convoy.

These logistics soldiers, upon seeing Liang's banners, naturally panicked and scattered. They broke into the Youzhou troops, causing the formation to become chaotic. In the end, the Jin army trampled each other; the Jin general Zhou Dewei could not control the disorder and died in the melee together with his son.

Huangfu Weiming was also a famed general, not a mediocre talent, but his situation was the same as Zhou Dewei's. In such circumstances, the commander's strategies, scheming, or even personal martial skill had no place to be employed.

Fang Youde this time dealt a harsh blow to the Hebei rebels, with no intention of leaving any survivors.

"Send people to look for Huangfu Weiming's corpse; I will ask Li Huaiguang whether he has captured him."

Fang Youde nodded expressionlessly, as if he was not at all surprised by the outcome of the battle.

Li Jiaqing clasped his fists in salute, then led his personal troops to scour the roadside for corpses, especially those dressed in officer uniforms.

An hour later, Fang Youde arrived at the foot of Huayin City with his personal troops, and Li Huaiguang returned at that moment.

He panted and reported: "Commander, we have not captured Huangfu Weiming, but some say that at the time the commander was in the command post resisting the rebel retreat and did not flee. Instead, An Shouzhong fled along the mountain path south of Huayin, and his whereabouts are now unknown."

"Good work, take a rest; you earned the primary merit in this battle."

Fang Youde patted Li Huaiguang's shoulder and said.

Li Huaiguang leaned in and whispered: "Father, the people inside Chang'an last time were obstinate and dull, yet they dared to strip you of your post. This time we have decisively defeated the bandit army; we must act in the Son of Heaven's name, grant you the position of prime minister, and deal with certain individuals."

He was referring to the incident when Fang Youde's temper led him to leave Longzhou last time.

Although this was a trap Fang Youde set intentionally, some of the despicable people in Chang'an were indeed truly petty schemers vying for power.

Li Huaiguang had long been displeased with that group.

"You see, the future is long; no need to bother with these rat‑like scoundrels."

Fang Youde smiled and waved his hand.

If it were earlier, he would certainly have scolded Li Huaiguang, but now he has let it go.

Had they not defeated Huangfu Weiming this time, the noble families in Chang'an would surely have bound that commander and presented him before Grand Marshal Huangfu.

Those people would certainly be capable of doing such a thing.

So, from this perspective, Li Huaiguang's grumbling is merely a natural human reaction.

"Father, the lesson is well taught."

Li Huaiguang muttered, but in his heart he was already plotting to vent his frustration in Chang'an someday!

"Go to Huayin City and have Li Guangbi and the others move all the stones at the city gate; this battle is already over."

Fang Youde, somewhat fatigued, ordered.

This battle placed enormous pressure on him, because even the 'reverse rolling of the pearl curtain' can become immovable, or even be rolled back by the opponent.

If Huangfu Weiming had been prepared from the start, the Kong He army would have been forced to retreat step by step. Then, on such a narrow road, the routed troops would be the soldiers of the Kong He army.

Who rolls whom is still uncertain!

Don't be fooled into thinking that the overwhelming victory required no effort; that's merely inferring the cause from the result.

Before the fight began, no one could determine the outcome or be certain of victory. That is why Fang Youde insisted that Li Guangbi hold Huayin City for ten days.

Only when Huangfu Weiming became lax, the Hebei rebels grew weary, and the siege inflamed their hearts, would they lack the strength to resist and be easily 'rolled'.

At that moment, several personal soldiers carried a wooden board bearing a blood‑smeared corpse and presented it before Fang Youde.

Leading them was Gao Xianzhi.

He, his face excited, clasped his fists in salute to Fang Youde and said, "Commander, we have found Huangfu Weiming; after the bandit commanders identified him, this is his corpse."

Fang Youde had seen Huangfu Weiming before; he stepped closer to examine the corpse on the ground. Although the limbs and torso had been trampled beyond recognition, the face was still intact.

It was indeed Huangfu Weiming, without doubt.

This great commander who controlled Hebei, boasting half a million elite troops, was trampled to death by our own routed soldiers, and died so rashly!

Generals inevitably fall in battle; leading troops on the battlefield is a high‑risk profession, and death is the ultimate end. One never knows which day they will die; who can claim they cannot defeat the invincible?

A sudden sense of emptiness surged in Fang Youde's heart.

He had felt this before, back when he ordered He Changqi to lead troops and successfully ambush An Lushan.

It was accompanied by the loneliness and ease that follow the achievement of a goal.

But based on his previous experience, Fang Youde understood that killing Huangfu Weiming would not cause the Hebei rebels to fall apart, nor would it mean that the Hebei populace would now be united with the Guanzhong court.

As for a world of universal harmony or a revival of a golden age,

He could only encourage himself with the saying, "The task is heavy and the road long."

"Give him a grand burial, then."

Fang Youde waved his hand lightly, his spirits waning, and said.

Gao Xianzhi was startled, not understanding why Fang Youde did not appear as pleased as expected.

Nevertheless, he could not say much, so after clasping his fists in salute and taking his leave, he silently speculated about what had happened.

Soon after, Li Guangbi, Hao Tingyu, and others also left Huayin City in a suspension basket, coming to report back to Fang Youde.

Their mission to hold Huayin was finally accomplished, another great merit.

"After this engagement, the Hebei bandit army's vitality is severely damaged; you two can now relax a bit.

When we return to Chang'an, I will record your achievements and promote you.

After recruiting and training troops, marching out of Guanzhong and pacifying the world is the natural course.

All of you, encourage yourselves."

Fang Youde looked around at the generals beside him and said.

"Understood!"

Li Guangbi and the others shouted in unison, unable to hide the joy that lifted their brows.

This round of risking everything truly was not in vain!

After they left, Fang Youde ordered defenses to be deployed around Huayin, working until the third watch, then casually set up a tent and slept inside it.

He slept until the sun was three rods high; each division's commander performed his duties—those who captured prisoners captured prisoners, those who cleaned the battlefield cleaned the battlefield—and no one disturbed Fang Youde's rest.

However, when Fang Youde finally rose from his sleep and stepped out of the command tent, he saw outside the tent a person who should not have been there.

"What brings you here? Aren't you supposed to be guarding Xingqing Palace?"

Fang Youde looked at Zhang Guangsheng's tangled expression and asked, puzzled.

"Marshal Fang, there are some words this subordinate wishes to report to you alone…"

Zhang Guangsheng's eyes flickered, and he stammered, like a newly married daughter‑in‑law just entering her husband's home.

"Speak then, it doesn't matter."

Fang Youde waved his hand at the personal guards beside him, and they all stepped back ten paces.

"The emperor is in Xingqing Palace, and he killed the former emperor."

Zhang Guangsheng tried to speak in a calm tone.

"What? Say that again?"

Fang Youde was startled, thinking he had misheard.

"This subordinate reports to the Marshal that the emperor killed the former emperor—personally, by strangling—many people saw it."

Zhang Guangsheng's words buzzed in Fang Youde's ears. His mind had already slipped into a daze, and he couldn't regain his senses for a long time.

"Marshal, Chang'an is now in chaos; please hurry back to take charge of the overall situation!"

Zhang Guangsheng pleaded, his face extremely anxious.

"There's no real overall situation left."

Fang Youde plopped onto the ground, feeling as if his whole body were filled with lead, unable to move any further.

"Don't go back to Chang'an; go anywhere else, returning to Chang'an is just courting death."

Fang Youde sighed, looked at Zhang Guangsheng and said, waving his hand to signal him to leave quickly.

Zhang Guangsheng still wanted to speak, but after glancing at Fang Youde's expression, seemed to understand something.

He clasped his fists in salute to Fang Youde and said, "Marshal Fang, our parting is forever; please take care of yourself."

Since Fang Youde no longer intends to return to Chang'an to take charge, what could one gain by going back to Chang'an except being purged?

Zhang Guangsheng decided to head to Bianzhou now to seek refuge with Fang Chongyong; he still doesn't want to die.

After Zhang Guangsheng left, Fang Youde stayed seated on the ground, refusing to rise.

Observant eyes noticed his hair had turned silver‑white, and his posture seemed considerably stooped.

The desolation on his face could not be hidden; even the stray dogs by the road seemed able to smell the aura of decay emanating from him.

"Flowers may bloom again, but people never regain their youth."

"This life has been lived in vain."

Fang Youde let out a long sigh, unable to curse at all.

A gentle wind rustled through the forest behind him, leaves whispering, as if a song drifted in:

"Crossing the hills, though my hair has turned white."

"Rambling endlessly, sorrow that gives me no time."

"Before I could finally witness immortality, I have already lost myself."

"Crossing the hills, only to find no one waiting."

"Rambling endlessly, I can no longer summon tenderness."

"Why can't I recall who gave me the last embrace."

"At what time."

"…"