Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 89

Therefore, he dared not rush to attack the palace. Shi Siming retreated to the south of Baima Temple and ordered Zhou Zhi to lead troops to defend Tianjin Bridge to monitor Zhang Xun. The problem was that Zhang Xun was never a general who was willing to sit idly by and defend to the death. Back when Suiyang City was besieged multiple times, he dared to look for opportunities and frequently sent troops out of the city to launch counterattacks. Zhou Zhi was just watching from afar.

So Zhang Xun sent Nan Jiyun, Lei Wanchun, and others with several hundred cavalrymen to sneak out of the palace every day to harass the surrounding area. This time, Lei Wanchun had heard that Li Riyue, Yu Wenjing, and others were pressing westward towards Xin'an, so he went a little further to investigate the situation in Xin'an County, and ended up getting a free ride.

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Chapter Twenty-Four: The Front Lines of Heyang

The rebel general Yu Wenjing fled wounded, and Li Riyue fell from his horse and died in battle, causing chaos in the army. Lei Wanchun and Jing Jiang, who had rushed to the scene, joined forces and completely routed the rebel army, beheading dozens of them.

Afterwards, Lei Wanchun asked Li Ji, "Since Erlang's personal matters are settled, why is he still lingering near Xin'an instead of returning to Chang'an?" Li Ji replied, "Because I am worried about Brother Nan and Brother Lei... When I arrived in Shanzhou, I met my old friend General Jing, who was transporting grain to Heyang, so he asked to travel with me..."

Lei Wanchun patted Li Ji on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs up: "Truly a good friend! With such a friend, my life is not in vain!" He then greeted Jing Jiang and asked with bright eyes, "May I ask how much grain you brought with you?"

Old Jing replied, "Shanzhou also has no surplus grain, so it only has a thousand bushels."

Lei Wanchun gave an "Oh," and the sharp light in his eyes faded, seemingly showing some disappointment.

He had originally hoped that Shanzhou could supply more military rations to the front lines, so that Zhang Xun's troops could also get a share—even if he intercepted them halfway, who would dare to stop him? But when he asked, he found out that there was only a thousand bushels, not even enough for his own army to eat for five days. If it fell into Li Guangbi's hands, it would only last for a shorter time... So he was too embarrassed to ask for more.

Xuan said, “Although we have defeated the bandits under Xin’an City, the eastern route is probably blocked. It would be better if I helped and escorted them across the Hengshui River first, so that we could proceed directly to Heyang with peace of mind. However, the road is difficult to travel and it will be hard to find a ferry.”

Old Jing thanked him. Then Lei Wanchun wanted to give Li Riyue's head to Li Ji, saying, "If Erlang hadn't first driven this thief away, causing him to flee in panic, how could I have succeeded so easily? This credit should naturally belong to Erlang."

Li Ji declined, saying, "I have not received any military orders yet; I have only come to help privately. What use is there for merit? Besides, if Brother Lei hadn't intervened, this thief would have already escaped, and how could we have taken his head?"

The key issue was that Li Ji didn't know whose head it was or how significant it was, so he politely declined. In the end, Lei Wanchun collected Li Riyue's armor, weapons, and head, but ordered his men to give all the other heads taken in this battle to the Shence Army. Old Jing was truly overjoyed, surrounding Lei Wanchun and calling him "General Lei" repeatedly, his fawning attitude unprecedented.

Li Ji couldn't help but think to himself: Did I make a mistake in choosing this friend? He turned around and searched for the iron mace he had thrown out, but it was not in its original place. He was filled with doubt and frustration.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a rustling sound in the bushes by the roadside. Cui Qi then leaped over in a few steps, holding his mace in his hand, and presented it with both hands: "You were looking for this, weren't you?" Li Ji was overjoyed, took the mace, and couldn't help but say: "Thank goodness you're unharmed. I was worried that from now on I would be all alone, lonely and heartbroken."

He seemed to be talking about the mace, but his eyes kept glancing at Cui Qi.

Cui Qi spat, "You're talking nonsense again!" Then he stretched out his hand and said, "My horse is lost, you must compensate me."

Li Ji readily agreed. Just then, Lei Wanchun and Jing Jiang arrived following the sound. Lei Wanchun said, "Brother Cui is here too! Truly a good friend of a good friend, and a good friend indeed!" He ordered someone to bring over Li Riyue's mount: "This horse is for you."

Upon closer inspection, Li Ji recognized it as a magnificent steed from the north, with glossy coat, a head over ten feet tall, and powerful hooves... In particular, it was fully equipped with a saddle and bridle, inlaid with gold and silver, making it quite valuable.

He immediately put on a stern face and said to Cui Qi, "You cannot ride this horse."

Cui Qibo angrily retorted, "How dare you underestimate me?!"

Li Ji shook his head and explained, "This horse is too conspicuous. On the battlefield, it will attract everyone's attention. Riding it will only bring you trouble."

Cui Qi's expression softened slightly, but he reached out and gently stroked the warhorse's coat, showing considerable reluctance. He said, "How can a good horse not save your life but instead bring disaster? At worst, I'll exchange saddle and bridle with you, and let you go ahead of me, so everyone can see you..."

Fearing that Shi Siming would send troops to suppress Yu Wenjing after he fled back to the main camp, the group dared not enter Xin'an City to avoid wasting time. They hurriedly ordered the infantry and grain carts with missing gates to catch up, and then left the main road and took the small road to the north, heading east.

After listening to Lei Wanchun's account of the battle situation at the front, Li Ji learned that the Luoyang palace was relatively safe for the time being. Therefore, he was not in a hurry to go and help, but planned to first escort supplies to Heyang before making further plans. Furthermore, Lei Wanchun relayed Zhang Xun's words, analyzing the battle situation as follows:

"Judging from Shi's intentions, he will definitely attack Heyang first. If he wins, he will then plan to attack the Luoyang Palace. Li Sikong's troops consist of only the Shuofang Army and other forces, totaling more than 20,000 men. Moreover, their food supplies are insufficient, and their situation is very precarious... Doctor Zhang believes that if Li Sikong can hold Heyang for half a month, the food supplies from Lu, Huai, and Hedong may be able to be supplied. Furthermore, the rebels' morale has been lost, and the situation in Luoyang can be considered temporarily stable."

"However, to break this deadlock and secure victory, two options are available: first, the imperial court can send a large army to reinforce the region; second, the troops from Hedong can march east out of the Taihang Mountains to harass the rebel Shi's rear, and even pressure Fanyang. But with the nation's current financial resources, it's unlikely to be able to sustain this..."

Li Ji couldn't help but ask, "Does the bandit Shi have ample provisions?"

Lei Wanchun curled his lip: "They naturally plunder along the way, unlike us, who are government troops. Even if we steal grain from the people, we wouldn't dare to drain the pond to catch all the fish... But I heard that the bandit Shi has divided his troops to plunder the Jianghuai region, and now that Doctor Zhang is no longer guarding Suiyang, I'm afraid the Huai River is hard to defend... If we cut off the Huai River, it would be like cutting off an arm of the imperial court, while the bandits' military supplies would be secured..."

"Then who will guard the Huai River now?"

“Li Huan, the military governor of Jianghuai, and Deng Jingshan, the military governor of Huainan East Circuit,” Lei Wanchun said with a sneer, “are just mediocre people.”

In conclusion, the situation is very bad.

Li Ji thought to himself that at the end of last year, seeing Shi Siming surrender and An Qingxu besieged in a lonely city, many optimistic people thought that this great rebellion could be brought under control quickly. Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, everything would be turned upside down... Speaking of which, it was all because of that bastard emperor Li Heng's reckless command that caused millions of soldiers and civilians to pay the price of blood and even lives for his recklessness! He really wanted to stab that bastard to death!

There were no major dangers on the road. They occasionally encountered some rebel soldiers, but Lei Wanchun, Li Ji, and Jing Jiang charged side by side on horseback and they were overwhelmed... Oh, and perhaps we should also count Cui Qi, who stayed close behind Li Ji and refused to stray far.

However, crossing the Yellow River to the north caused considerable delays, during which a cartload of provisions overturned, resulting in the loss of about ten bushels. It wasn't until four days later that they finally arrived at the Heyang front.

The saying goes, "South of a mountain and north of a river is called Yang," so Heyang is naturally located on the north bank of the Yellow River. Originally named Mengjin, this place has been an important ferry crossing on the Yellow River since ancient times. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, due to the gradual accumulation of silt, the water flow in this section has become slower and slower, while the area of ​​the sandbars in the water has become larger and larger. Therefore, in the tenth year of the Tai Shi era of the Western Jin Dynasty, Du Yu built a pontoon bridge here to connect the north and south banks of the Yellow River. It has been maintained and repaired in subsequent dynasties and is called Heyang Bridge.

In order to ensure the smooth flow of supplies to Huaizhou and Luzhou in the north—as grain from Guanzhong in the west was no longer a viable option—Li Guangbi was forced to retreat to Heyang Bridge, set up fortifications along the south bank of the river, and established his command tent in Heyang City.

Heyang City, also known as Mengzhou, is located northeast of Heyang Bridge on the north bank of the Yellow River.

When Li Ji and his men arrived, they could see from afar that the rebel army had already approached Heyang Bridge and set up numerous camps, with banners fluttering in the wind, seemingly numbering no less than 100,000. Of course, since Zhang Xun was still guarding the Luoyang Palace, Shi Siming certainly wouldn't dare to put all his main forces here, so those many banners were probably just a feint.

After entering Heyang City, Jing Jiang handed over the grain and fodder, then went with Lei Wanchun to pay their respects to Li Guangbi. Li Ji, having no official rank in the army, could only wait outside. He took the opportunity to inquire among the nearby Shuofang soldiers whether the government troops and the rebel army had engaged in battle in the past few days, and what the outcome was.

The other party replied, "Yes, General Bai just beheaded the bandit general Liu Longxian the other day..."

Liu Longxian was also a valiant general in the rebel army. Shi Siming had just set up camp south of Heyang Bridge when he sent Liu Longxian to lead troops to challenge the enemy's fortifications. Confident in his strength and fearing the enemy would hold their ground, Liu Longxian brazenly removed his right foot from the stirrup, placed it on the horse's neck, and launched into a tirade of insults against Li Guangbi, beginning with the ancestors of the Khitan people…

Li Guangbi happened to be in the camp, so he looked around at the generals and asked, "Who can take this barbarian's head for me?" Pugu Huai'en immediately stepped forward to volunteer, but Li Guangbi shook his head and said, "You are a general, it is not appropriate for you to fight him personally." His men suggested, "The deputy general Bai Xiaode is suitable."

So Li Guangbi summoned Bai Xiaode, a Hu general from Anxi, and asked him how many men he needed. Bai Xiaode replied, "This humble general can achieve victory by riding alone!" Li Guangbi was quite impressed with his ambition, but still asked, "How many men do you need?" After all, war is not child's play, and you shouldn't be too overconfident.

Finally, Bai Xiaode requested, "I am willing to select fifty riders to follow me out of the fortress as reinforcements, and I also request the main army to help boost morale." Li Guangbi patted him on the back and agreed.

So Bai Xiaode, wielding two spears, spurred his horse forward. Liu Longxian, seeing only one person approaching, was quite dismissive. Just as he lowered his right leg, about to make a move, Bai Xiaode waved his hand, as if to say: I'm not here to fight, I'm here to talk.

Ten paces apart, the two began to speak. Liu Longxian, still swearing, continued to curse Li Guangbi's ancestors. Bai Xiaode paused for a moment, then suddenly opened his eyes wide and demanded, "Do you know me?" Liu Longxian asked, "Who are you?" Bai Xiaode introduced himself, and Liu Longxian scoffed, "What kind of pig or dog are you?"

Bai Xiaode immediately roared, spurred his horse, and charged straight at Liu Longxian with his spear. Drums and shouts erupted from the camp, and fifty Tang cavalrymen followed in pursuit. Liu Longxian fled in terror, but was overtaken by Bai Xiaode as soon as he reached the embankment. Bai Xiaode struck him in the back with his spear, killing him instantly. He then cut off Liu Longxian's head and returned triumphantly.

As a result, the rebels suffered a major setback and did not dare to launch a fierce attack on the Tang army for two consecutive days.

Those Shuofang soldiers seemed to all have a talent for storytelling. Working together, they gestured wildly, recounting Bai Xiaode's slaying of Liu Longxian with incredible realism, as if they had been right behind Bai Xiaode at the time. Li Ji, listening, couldn't help but secretly admire Bai Xiaode's bravery, thinking to himself, "Our Tang Dynasty has brave generals and famous commanders, but alas, the emperor is unreliable..."

Afterwards, the soldiers said, "Now that Liu Longxian has been beheaded, Shi will probably send up 'the one who can defeat ten thousand men'."

Li Ji was very interested: "Oh, who is the 'enemy of ten thousand' in the rebel army?"

"There is not one, but three: Gao Tinghui, Li Riyue, and Yu Wenjing—I wonder if General Bai can defeat them."

Li Ji smiled and said, "Let's wait for Gao Tinghui." He thought to himself that the other two were out of the question. One had already been beheaded, and his head was probably on Li Guangbi's desk right now. The other had been hit by my mace and wouldn't be able to go into battle for at least ten days or half a month.

Suddenly someone called out, "The deputy commander requests that Military Advisor Li answer his questions."

Li Ji hurriedly straightened his clothes, glanced at Cui Qi who was standing silently to the side, and instructed him, "The army has strict rules, so don't wander around." He then stepped into the main hall of the commander's mansion.

As expected, Li Guangbi sat at the head of the table, surrounded by his generals. On the table in front of him lay Li Riyue's large, open head... Li Ji bowed, and Li Guangbi nodded, saying, "I have seen you before in Ding'an, at the military headquarters." A man nearby, disregarding etiquette, shouted, "You scoundrel, you broke your promise! You said you'd come to help me, so why did you go to Longyou?!"

Li Ji looked closely and indeed it was Pugu Huai'en. He immediately clasped his hands in apology: "I dare not disobey the imperial order. I beg the general for forgiveness."

Pugu Huai'en said, "General Lei and the others have already told you about your situation. Luoyang is currently at peace, and the enemy army is under the walls of Heyang. Since you have come, you should not leave. Join my command and lead a battalion of cavalry."

Before Li Ji could answer, Li Guangbi said, “That’s not appropriate. Li Ji was originally a military advisor in the Yingwu Army. He came to Luoyang only for personal matters. Now that his personal matters are settled, he should return to Chang’an to cancel his leave. How can General Pugu keep him here without permission?”

Li Ji hurriedly said, "This humble official joined the Yingwu Army to protect the Emperor. By fighting the rebels here and halting their advance, Guanzhong will naturally be safe. I have requested a two-month leave, and there is still plenty of time. I humbly request that you, Minister of Works, keep me here and let me serve under your command."

Pugu Huaien also said, "Who in the army doesn't know Li Erlang, who defeated the barbarians in Longyou? With Li Ji here, our army's morale will surely be greatly boosted. How can we let such a treasure go so easily? Since he is willing, it does not violate the laws of the court, so the deputy commander should agree."

Li Guangbi thought for a moment and said, “Very well. Since the enemy has come from afar, it is advantageous for a quick battle. They will soon launch a fierce attack on Heyang. If we can blunt their momentum and hold out for about a month, the enemy’s morale will be dampened, and the area west of the capital will be temporarily safe. I will keep Li Ji here for a month. After a month, General Pugu must not be kept any longer, otherwise it will ruin his future. Wouldn’t that be the general’s fault?”

Pugu Huai'en was overjoyed and hurriedly cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you, Vice Commander!"

Old Jing, sitting at the lower end, seized the opportunity to plead, "Please stay as well. Well... now that the rebels are pressing in and the road back is blocked, why not wait a month until the deputy commander has also stopped the rebels and Li Erlang should be going back? Then I can escort him back to Shaanxi."

Li Guangbi gave his approval.

Pugu Huaien, holding Li Ji's hand in one hand and Lao Jing's hand in the other, stepped out of the hall, then let go of Li Ji's hand and bowed to him: "I heard that my daughter's return to Tang was also due to the help of Changwei. I thank you in advance."

Li Ji hurriedly waved his hand: "That was all thanks to Princess Ningguo, what merit do I have?"

Pugu Huaien laughed and said, "I have long wanted to fight alongside Changwei, but you went to Longyou... I never thought that I would be able to fulfill my long-cherished wish today." He turned to Lao Jing and said, "Your soldiers and laborers will also be under my command for the time being."

Li Ji then realized: What about Cui Qi? A small team of a few hundred men was easy to manage, but now with tens of thousands of troops here, a woman like her sneaking in will most likely cause trouble…

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Chapter Twenty-Five: Good Horses Are Easily Obtained

Li Ji ultimately decided to tell Pugu Huai'en the truth, and used Consort Shen as a shield—"Her Highness Consort Shen insisted that she look after me, so I had no choice but to bring her here..."

Of course, Cui Qi's true identity was not revealed; he was only said to be a confidant of Consort Shen.

Pugu Huai'en stroked his beard: "Let's go and take a look first."

Upon meeting Cui Qi, Li Ji instructed Cui Qi to pay his respects. Pugu Huai'en sized him up, then glanced sideways at Li Ji, a hint of amusement in his eyes. Li Ji thought to himself, "What do you mean? How come everyone's getting the wrong idea?"

Pugu Huai'en wasn't thinking anything of it. He was figuring out that a young woman like him was following him around everywhere, and Consort Shen even sent her to "look after" him—that clearly implied a marriage decree... Oh, but their statuses don't match; she was probably sending her to be his concubine. This young man is quite the ladies' man!

Although this girl is frail and her appearance is rather ordinary, she is ultimately a gift from Consort Shen. When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, Consort Shen will at least be granted the title of Consort De or Consort Xian; and when the next generation, the Prince of Fengjie, ascends the throne, she will even have a chance to become Empress Dowager! In this way, this little girl's five points in figure and five points in appearance, with the help of Consort Shen, can all be added to a perfect ten!

Don't you understand the meaning of "take care of"? How can you bring someone into the military camp?

He then said, "I will find a house in the city to settle down for the time being."

Cui Qi hurriedly pleaded, "His Highness has ordered me to always look after Military Advisor Li. I am also skilled in riding a horse and wielding a sword. If Military Advisor Li goes into battle, I will accompany him to assist him—I humbly request the General's permission."

Pugu Huai'en frowned, then noticed the horse beside Cui Qi. He immediately pointed at it and said, "This is a fine steed in the army. How did it fall into your hands? And can you even ride it?"

Li Ji hurriedly said, "It was originally Li Riyue's mount. General Lei killed Li Riyue in battle and brought it to her as a gift—oh, General Lei doesn't know she is a woman yet, so please keep it a secret."

Cui Qi didn't speak, but simply leaped onto the horse's back, then pulled on the reins and circled several times in front of Pugu Huai'en. The circles were less than ten feet in diameter, causing the horse to snort and snort angrily, and even kick its legs repeatedly. However, Cui Qi remained firmly seated in the saddle, his body not swaying at all.

Pugu Huaien couldn't help but exclaim, "She's just like the Ping... Hong Fu Nu from the early years of the dynasty!"

He originally intended to say "Princess Pingyang," but comparing a princess to a maid was ultimately inappropriate. As for Hong Fu Nu, although folk tales say she was Li Weigong's principal wife, that's certainly unreliable. If she did exist, she was most likely a concubine, though it's not unreasonable to use her as a comparison.

Pugu Huai'en said, "Then let this woman temporarily serve as your personal attendant. Be careful and don't easily reveal your identity." He then put his arm around Li Ji's shoulder, pulled him aside, and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, I will allocate a house for this woman to serve you 'personally'."

Li Ji hurriedly said, "I didn't mean that..."

Pugu Huai'en laughed and said, "A true man should know how to ride a horse, and he should also know how to ride a woman. If he can't sleep with a woman at night, how will he have the strength to go into battle and kill the enemy the next day?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "What kind of twisted logic is this?" He immediately retorted, "I suppose the general is always attended to by women..."

Pugu Huaien chuckled dryly three times, released Li Ji, and strode away on his own.

Li Ji was still pursing his lips when he heard Cui Qi behind him ask, "What did General Pugu say to you?"

Li Ji turned his head and smiled dismissively, "It was just some idle talk. They wanted me to protect you at all costs..."

Cui Qi interrupted him, saying, "I heard everything."

Li Ji thought to himself, "That makes sense. Those skilled in launching hidden weapons are also likely adept at defending against them, and must possess the ability to hear and discern sounds. Your hearing must be quite good... But you're used to being a spy, aren't you? How come you dare to eavesdrop on everything?" He quickly clarified, "General Pugu, you misunderstand. I had absolutely no such intention..."

Cui Qi remained expressionless, only nodding slightly: "No need to explain, I understand..." Li Ji had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the little girl continue: "Anyway, I'm ugly, so no one will like me."

Li Ji almost choked on his words; he opened his mouth, but didn't know how to reply...

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Pugu Huaien did find a small courtyard for Li Ji to settle in, and ordered two soldiers to guard the gate and be ready to serve him. However, he instructed, "Li Ji's daily life is taken care of by that man surnamed Cui whom he brought. You are not allowed to summon him or enter without permission." He then ordered someone to bring bedding. There was only one mattress and one quilt, although both were quite large.

Li Ji had no choice but to give all his bedding to Cui Qi, saying, "I'll go sleep in the corridor."

After all, Cui Qi was someone else's maid, and he couldn't just make a move on her; besides, Li Ji didn't have the same peculiar tastes as Pugu Huai'en. He was going to war tomorrow, and he wouldn't dare waste his energy on a woman tonight...

It is said that this General Pugu has a large number of children, so he must have many wives and concubines as well. Perhaps it is because of this hobby that he can have sown so many seed and reaped such a bountiful harvest. Thinking about it again, it seems that Guo Ziyi has even more children and grandchildren. Could this be a tradition of the Shuofang Army?! Thinking of this, Li Ji couldn't help but feel a chill.

But Cui Qi refused his offer, saying, "You may be going to battle tomorrow, so it's better to stay warm and sleep indoors to avoid catching a cold. I'll sleep on the porch—I've often slept outdoors before, and I'm used to it."

Li Ji pointed to the bedding that had been laid out, his eyes widening: "You insisted on coming along, so how can you disobey my orders? Today you must sleep in the room. I will either go to the corridor or stay here with you—the choice is yours!" As he spoke, he spread his arms and made a pouncing motion.

Cui Qi panicked and had no choice but to back down: "If you go to the corridor, you'll be exposed to the wind and dew—you can take this quilt; I'll just wrap myself in the mattress and sleep in the room..."

Nothing was said that night. The next day, he got up and said goodbye to Lei Wanchun—Old Lei had also rested enough and had to hurry back to the Luoyang Palace.

Pugu Huai'en assigned all of Lao Jing's Shence troops to Li Ji's command, temporarily appointing him as commander. Li Ji asked, "You originally said you would give me a battalion of cavalry, but now there are only a hundred warhorses... Is it because there are few horses in the city?" He was skilled at and enjoyed leading cavalry charges, and if infantry and cavalry were mixed, a small force of a few hundred men would be inconvenient to coordinate and command.

Pugu Huaien laughed and said, "The horses are here, they will be here shortly, so please be patient."

He then led Li Ji out of the city to tour the camp, meeting with the generals and saying to everyone he met, "This is Li Erlang, the commander of the Longyou army. He has come to help us. Even if the enemy army has a million men, in my opinion, they are nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs!" Everyone cheered. The army respected brave warriors, especially when facing a great enemy. Who wouldn't want more comrades who could fight?

At noon, Pugu Huaien led Li Ji back to the city and climbed the city wall. He then pointed outside the city and said with a smile, "Let's see the deputy commander's brilliant plan to take the enemy's fine horses for our use!"

It turned out that Shi Siming's army had over a thousand fine horses from the north. To intimidate the city, he released these horses daily to wash and drink on the south bank, and would occasionally lead them away, circle around, and then drive them back, repeating this cycle to demonstrate their numbers. Some members of the Tang army were indeed intimidated and advised Li Guangbi: "Judging from the enemy's elite cavalry, there are no fewer than five thousand. Therefore, we must rely on our strongholds for defense and absolutely cannot go out into the open to fight!"

Li Guangbi asked, "How many troops are there in my city?"

The answer was: "Less than three thousand, and most of them are mares and foals; males only make up seven or eight out of ten. Among them, those who appear to be thieves number less than a thousand..."

Li Guangbi smiled and said, "In that case, let's take the thief's horse and use it for our own purposes."

So he searched for mares in the army and obtained four or five hundred, tying all their foals to the city. Early this morning, Shi Siming released the more than one thousand fine horses again, circling them twice. There was no movement in the city, and the guards completely relaxed their vigilance, taking off their armor and drawing water from the river to bathe.

Seeing this, Li Guangbi released all the mares outside the fortress, where they galloped and neighed across the Yellow River. The fine horses on the other side, mostly stallions, were agitated by the sight and rushed forward, leaping into the river to cross and find the mares... In any case, this section of the Yellow River had a very gentle current, so even those tall horses had no difficulty crossing.

Li Guangbi hurriedly ordered his men to lead the mare back, but the mare, concerned for her foal, did not want to stay outside the city for long, even though she saw a large group of strong, shiny-coated "good men" rushing towards her like butterflies flitting among flowers with drooling mouths... The rebel stallions chased after them from behind, and in the blink of an eye, they all returned to the city.