Chapter 488: Bound to Become Something Great

At the west gate of Shanyang's city wall, Han general Chen Sirang was sleeping with his sword in his arms, his beard and hair unkempt, his expression weary, his armor stained with blood. After several days of assault and defense, the west gate had borne the greatest defensive pressure, and as the commanding general, he had remained on the wall directing operations, even joining the fighting personally.

Chen Sirang had served three dynasties—the Later Tang, the Later Jin, and the Northern Han—with over twenty years of military career behind him. He had held more than a dozen prefectural posts across Hebei and the Central Plains. In his youth, he had even served in the palace guard of Li Cunxu, Emperor Zhuangzong of the Later Tang. In every post he held, he left good deeds and no misrule, and his reputation had always been solid.

After the Northern Han was established, he successively served as prefect of Zi and Mi prefectures. When Liu Chengyou was planning his Huainan strategy, Guo Wei recommended Chen Sirang to Liu Chengyou, appointing him Militia Commissioner of Yi Prefecture—just like Zhao Kuangyin in Su Prefecture, he was put to use in this southern campaign. Moreover, in the successive battles, he had earned no small amount of military merit.

The moment the sound of battle cries rose outside the city, Chen Sirang startled awake from his sleep. Rubbing his head to shake off some drowsiness, his first reaction was to think that reinforcements had arrived.

As a veteran general, Chen Sirang was rich in experience and also knew the true strength of the Chu and Si Han armies. He understood that even if Guo Rong sent reinforcements, they would not be many.

"I wonder who leads them, to have such boldness, daring to night-raid the Tang camp! And coming from the south—where did they cross the canal?" Even as his mind churned with thoughts, Chen Sirang's movements were unhurried. He sternly ordered the defenders to remain on alert, then strode quickly toward Shanyang's south gate.

Reaching the city wall, he gazed out at the commotion beyond. Within the Tang camp, chaos reigned—battle cries shook the ears, fires raged everywhere, and the camp's disorder had reached a boiling point. Under the night sky, he could clearly make out an army, like a sharp blade, piercing through the Tang camp. The southern stockade had completely collapsed, and they were now attacking eastward.

"Excellent!" Joy immediately spread across his weary face. Chen Sirang gave the order at once: "Form up the troops! Charge out with me to aid the reinforcements!"

"Governor, should we not observe the situation a while longer? If this is a trick, Shanyang might be lost!" a junior officer cautioned.

Chen Sirang immediately shook his head, pointing at the Tang camp outside the city: "After these days of fighting, the Tang army out there couldn't stage a show like this. Our reinforcements are few, the enemy numerous. If we let the Tang army recover their wits, something unexpected might happen. Battle conditions change in an instant—opportunities are fleeting and cannot be delayed! Hear my order: draw two hundred men from each of the four gates, assemble at the east gate, and follow me out to battle!"

After the previous rounds of assault and defense, setting aside the laborers, the city had fewer than two thousand men capable of fighting, and Shanyang's defense truly was on the brink of collapse. Concentrating eight hundred men to sally forth, Chen Sirang was staking everything on one throw.

Just as Chen Sirang had said, when Zhao Kuangyin's army struck the southern stockade, the Tang troops in the eastern and northern stockades did react—though rather slowly. When Zhao Kuangyin led his men to turn against the eastern stockade, they met tremendous resistance. Even if the Tang army's fighting ability was a notch below the Han army's, with troops gathered behind stockades holding their ground, it was not something Zhao Kuangyin's force could break through and defeat in a short time.

In this kind of raid, the worst thing was for the momentum to slow and sink into a grinding siege. Two thoughts raced through his mind—pay any cost in casualties and force the stockade, or abandon the attack and circle back to the southern camp. Just as he gritted his teeth and prepared to lead his men in a hard push, Chen Sirang led his troops out from the east gate, launching a violent assault on the Tang camp.

The defenders' decisive sally to aid the fight delighted Zhao Kuangyin, who praised Governor Chen as having the makings of a famed general. He immediately issued stern orders—death to any who feared battle—and together with Dang Jin, braved arrows and stones, fighting bloodily to breach the stockade. Under the pincer attack from both sides, the Tang army's eastern stockade followed the southern one into ruin.

The two armies of Zhao and Chen joined forces. Deciding on the spot, Chen Sirang and Dang Jin led troops to drive the Tang army's routed soldiers forward, attacking the northern stockade. Zhao Kuangyin, meanwhile, took his own force and turned south, renewing the assault on the southern camp.

When the night raid was launched, the Tang army's commanding general and relief Army Supervisor, Yao Feng, was at the water camp. He could only manage to send out a single order—for the officers of all camps to suppress the chaos and rally troops to meet the enemy. But then came a stream of bad news: the southern stockade was breached, the city's defenders had sallied out, the eastern stockade had fallen, the northern stockade was under attack. In an instant, Yao Feng was at a loss.

He was deeply puzzled—the Han reinforcements were still on the western bank, so how could the attack come from the south? But in the midst of crisis, there was little time for him to ponder. When it came to testing a commander's ability to adapt, Yao Feng was clearly unqualified.

Some Tang officers suggested that the night-raiding Han army was not numerous, and with the defenders sallying out, the city was surely empty. Shanyang was already a city on the verge of collapse—they should seize the chance to take the city. With the Han army deprived of their stronghold, they could then reorganize and engage them in an orderly fashion.

After hesitating and wavering, Yao Feng chose to refuse, feeling that attacking the city was too risky. If the Han army broke all three camps, the losses would be enormous. So Yao Feng led a thousand men from the water camp toward the southern stockade, gathering routed troops and trying to restore order.

It had some effect, of course. But when facing Zhao Kuangyin's counter-charge, he lost again in a single battle and fled back to the water camp in disgrace. Yao Feng's retreat also signaled that his efforts to salvage the situation had utterly failed. The Tang army's infantry camps fell into complete collapse—defeat like a mountain toppling.

Seeing that defeat was certain, the Tang army's commanding general had no choice. After gathering several thousand routed troops, he actually raised sail and withdrew southward...

The latter half of the night was spent mostly in the Han army's slaughter and capture of the Tang army's routed soldiers. Only at dawn did calm return to the area outside Shanyang. Corpses littered the fields, devastation met the eye everywhere, and notched blades and swords told of war's cruelty.

After the battle, Zhao Kuangyin and Chen Sirang met, and naturally shared a cheerful exchange—mutual flattery, each praising the other's wisdom and valor. The atmosphere was excellent.

At the west gate of Shanyang's city wall, looking at the battered battlements covered in sword cuts and scorch marks, with many defenders sleeping pillowed on their blades, their armor tattered and bodies bearing multiple wounds, Zhao Kuangyin looked at the aged-faced Chen Sirang and bowed with clasped hands: "Governor held the city with an isolated force, resisting an enemy ten times your number with tenacity and fearlessness. I am truly in awe!"

"The troops in the city have suffered over half casualties, and the able-bodied commoners lost are beyond counting—it has not been easy!" Chen Sirang sighed, returning the salute to Zhao Kuangyin: "Regardless, this time, General Zhao has saved the lives of this old man and his men. This kindness, I will remember!"

"Governor, you flatter me!" Zhao Kuangyin displayed his social graces, appearing very humble: "I came on orders to break the enemy and provide relief—that was simply my duty. How could I presume to accept the Governor's thanks? Moreover, had the Governor not sallied out so decisively last night, how could we have broken the Tang stockades and driven off the enemy so quickly!"

Hearing this, Chen Sirang could not help but nod, looking at Zhao Kuangyin with even greater admiration: "General Zhao is truly a young talent valued by the Son of Heaven—courage and strategy beyond the ordinary. Since the southern campaign began, you have repeatedly earned merit, your name resounding across Huainan. And to be so modest and open-minded—your future is boundless!"

"I dare not accept such praise..." Zhao Kuangyin replied with a smile: "It is men like the Governor—loyal, brave, steady, and capable—who are the pillars of the state, the mainstay of the realm!"

"Haha!" Chen Sirang could not help but laugh, pointing at Zhao Kuangyin: "To speak frankly—when the court first made you Militia Commissioner of Su Prefecture, this old man thought you too young and unknown. But looking at you now, Zhao Yuanlang, you are far more than a single prefecture's worth of talent!"

In the afternoon, after a morning of rest, the exhaustion of the night had somewhat eased. After inspecting and handling some military and administrative matters, Chen Sirang began to patrol the city. Though the Tang army had withdrawn and there was virtually no threat of the city falling, he dared not slacken in the proper caution.

South of Shanyang city, the army that had come with Zhao Kuangyin's relief force was camped there. After a full day and night of fighting, the losses were not small—over half casualties. Even if the Tang army was generally weak, they were not entirely helpless prey for the Han army, especially in siege fighting. They had not chosen to enter the city. Though the Tang camp was already in ruins, with a bit of tidying it served well enough for Zhao Kuangyin's troops, and the captured supplies were sufficient to replenish them.

When Chen Sirang came to visit, he saw that within the camp, aside from the wounded, those on watch, and the soldiers guarding prisoners, the remaining nearly two thousand troops were drawn up in formation, with Zhao Kuangyin standing tall, sword at his side. Before the formation, several dozen soldiers knelt bound and stripped of armor, each with an armored executioner standing behind them holding a blade. The scene was extraordinarily solemn.

"I have already made my words clear before. You may accept your punishment in peace. I will record you as killed in action and secure pensions for your families. Go in peace!" Staring at those men, he waved his hand dismissively, ignoring their pleas for mercy, and ordered them all executed.

Several dozen heads fell to the ground, adding a further layer of blood and solemnity to a Han army that had just won a great victory. Zhao Kuangyin stepped forward two paces and announced in a loud voice: "I will reiterate once more—military law knows no mercy. Let this be a warning to you all. Do not violate my orders!"

"Yes!" The entire army responded in unison.

After the troops dispersed in an orderly fashion to rest, and learning that Chen Sirang had come to visit, Zhao Kuangyin's expression changed, a spring breeze of a smile spreading across his face as he went to greet him: "The Governor's arrival caught me unprepared to receive you—please forgive me!"

Chen Sirang naturally would not presume upon his seniority. Returning a salute, he had taken in the entire scene just now and could not help asking curiously: "You just won a victory, yet you execute soldiers. What military law did those several dozen men violate?"

Glancing at the corpses being cleared away, Zhao Kuangyin's smile faded slightly as he said: "Last night, in the urgent assault on the eastern stockade, I issued an order—from myself on down, any who shrank from battle would die. The entire army pressed forward eagerly, fighting at the risk of death. Only these several dozen men halted in the face of battle and lagged behind. These are cowards who disrupt the army, who disobeyed my orders—they must be executed to uphold military discipline!"

"How did you determine it was these several dozen?" Chen Sirang asked.

Zhao Kuangyin said: "I ordered my personal guards to carve sword marks on their helmets and back armor. Today, when I re-inspected, most of the soldiers bore wounds on their chests. Only these men were completely unharmed, yet their armor bore sword marks—that is how I knew!"

Nodding, Chen Sirang could not help but sigh: "Governor Zhao, you govern the army with method and discipline! I observe that this Su Prefecture militia is already as elite as the imperial army of the Eastern Capital!"

In truth, Chen Sirang's estimation of Zhao Kuangyin had risen another notch in his heart. This man possessed both wisdom and courage, abundant boldness, and strategic acumen. He commanded troops with discipline, and his temperament was so mature—he was bound to become something great one day. For this reason, toward this general nearly two dozen years his junior, Chen Sirang's tone could not help but carry a measure of respect.