gnovel Chapter 44 The leopard dies, leaving behind its skin; the man leaves behind his name.
Chapter 44 The leopard dies, leaving behind its skin; the man leaves behind his name.
After defeating Wang Yanzhang, Li Siyuan sent a messenger to report the victory. Li Cunxu was overjoyed and held a banquet, declaring, "We should decide to implement the strategy of crossing the river."
He ordered the families of the soldiers to return to Ye City, demonstrating his determination to fight to the bitter end.
The first day of the tenth month of the first year of the Tongguang reign, Xinwei day.
There is food during the day.
Li Cunxu saw off his wife Liu and son Li Jiji at the departure pavilion.
Before departing, he sobbed and wept, saying, "The success or failure of this matter hinges on this one decision. If it fails, gather my entire family at the Wei palace and burn them!"
The following day, the Emperor's six armies, including the Longwu, Yulin, Shenwu, Tielindu, Congmazhi, Kuangbadu, Feitengdu, and Zhangqian Yinqiang Xiaojiejun, all elite units, set out one after another, totaling 50,000 troops, and crossed the Yellow River at Yangliu.
At the third watch of the night, we crossed the Wen River.
The day after tomorrow, they arrived in Yunzhou.
October 4th, Jiaxu day.
Speed is of the essence in war. The army surrounded Zhongdu from all sides and engaged in a decisive battle with Wang Yanzhang.
The Liang Kingdom occupies the Central Plains and has a large army, but its forces are divided and weakened when it sends troops out in multiple directions.
Dong Zhang led 30,000 troops to Taiyuan, Huo Yanwei led 20,000 troops to Kouzhen, and Duan Ning led 60,000 troops to attack Weizhou. Wang Yanzhang's army was unable to withstand the attack alone.
Zhongdu had no city defenses, and when the army gathered, the Liang forces collapsed on their own.
The once invincible Wang Tieqiang was wounded and could not withstand the full force of the Tang army's elite troops. Xia Luqi, Yuan Xingqin, Li Congke and other young and fierce generals led the Liang army to a great defeat.
Despite his injuries, Wang Yanzhang mounted his horse and led over a hundred of his personal guards in a desperate battle, but his men gradually scattered.
One of his subordinates, a colonel named Jing Yanguang, was in his early thirties. Confident in his martial prowess, he stepped forward to fight Gao Xingzhou.
Unexpectedly, after only three exchanges, he was struck by several spears, sustaining serious injuries, and fled in disarray.
Just as Gao Xingzhou was about to catch up and kill the man, Shi Jingtang led a troop of soldiers out from the side, managing to separate them. Jing Yanguang narrowly escaped and fled to Bianliang. (Note 1)
Wang Yanzhang wasn't so lucky. Amidst the chaos of battle, Xia Luqi recognized an old acquaintance: "This is Wang Tieqiang."
He was highly skilled and daring, and on horseback he caught up with her, raising his spear to thrust at her.
Wang Yanzhang turned around and tried his best to parry with his gun, but due to his still-healing wound, he was unable to completely defend himself.
The two-foot spearhead sliced across the waist and abdomen with tremendous force, piercing through the armor plates and striking the beast's belly-swallowing jaws, leaving a deep gash from which blood gushed forth.
Xia Luqi's spear technique was domineering, and with the remaining force, he overturned the warhorse, causing Wang Yanzhang to fall to the ground.
He was about to get up and fight again when a cold, sharp blade was already pressed against his neck.
With a blade at his side, Wang Yanzhang suddenly smiled.
An earthenware pot is bound to break at the wellhead, and a great general is bound to die on the battlefield. So this is my fate.
Wang Yanzhang lay prone on the battlefield, his expression calm: "Aren't you an old friend of mine?"
……
In the Battle of Zhongdu, more than 200 Liang generals and officials, including Wang Yanzhang, Zhang Hanjie, Zhao Tingyin, Liu Sibin, Li Zhijie, Kang Wentong, and Wang Shanxing, were captured, 20,000 were beheaded, and 1,000 horses were seized.
Li Cunxu entered the city, pacified the people, inventoried the treasury, and settled the camp.
Assessing the merits of subordinates after a battle and meeting with defeated generals are the rights of the victors and the responsibilities of the commander-in-chief.
Li Cunxu displayed the imperial regalia, and his generals presented captured prisoners to demonstrate their merits.
Seeing that Zhang Hanjie was not wearing armor, his clothes were clean, and his hair was in a neat bun, it was clear that he had not been captured after a fight.
Li Cunxu frowned and said disdainfully, "Zhang Guiba was a man of great reputation, but who knew that he was a dog son despite his father's talent."
Zhang Hanjie looked fearful. Li Cunxu's elder brother, Li Luoluo, was captured by his father, Zhang Guiba, and handed over to Luo Shaowei, the military governor of Weibo, for execution. The Zhang family had a blood feud with Li Keyong and Li Cunxu for killing their son and brother.
Li Cunxu had no intention of talking to him any longer. He waved his hand and ordered him to be imprisoned, to be dealt with together with the other brothers once they were captured.
Liu Zhijun's cousin, Liu Sibin, had rather bad luck. He once served under Li Cunxu and was treated very well, receiving fine clothes and a jade belt. He was called "Second Brother Liu" in the army. However, a year later, he rebelled and returned to the Liang Kingdom.
Li Cunxu smiled and teased, "You may return the jade belt."
Liu Sibin, terrified, begged for death. Li Cunxu, no longer mocking him, ordered him to be taken out and beheaded.
Li Cunxu had little interest in the subordinate general Zhao Tingyin, who was ugly and short, and was about to order him to be executed along with Liu Sibin.
Xia Luqi stepped forward and said, "This is short, but its material is usable."
Xia Luqi killed a hundred men to protect his lord. He changed his name to Li Shaoqi and won Li Cunxu's favor. He made great contributions in this battle by capturing the enemy's commander. What was the point of releasing a mere nameless subordinate? So he followed him.
Unexpectedly, eight years later, it was Zhao Tingyin who helped Meng Zhixiang, forcing Xia Luqi to be trapped and commit suicide. It can only be said that fate is cruel.
After dealing with each case one by one, it was finally Wang Yanzhang's turn.
Li Cunxu calmly asked, "You have always treated me like a child. Have you dressed yet today?"
Wang Yanzhang often said to people, "Li Yazi is just a cockfighting brat, nothing to be afraid of!"
Now, Li Cunxu, brimming with self-satisfaction, retorted sarcastically, "I've long heard of your skill in warfare; why don't you defend Yanzhou? This city has no fortifications; how will you secure it?"
Wang Yanzhang endured the pain of his wounds, thinking that if he could command elite troops and not be hindered by villains, he would not have ended up as a prisoner.
He had no intention of engaging in a verbal dispute, and calmly replied, "The matter is beyond my ability to resolve."
Li Cunxu knew Wang Yanzhang's skills well. When he saw that Wang Yanzhang's hair and beard were all white, he was tightly bound with thick hemp rope, and blood was seeping from his abdominal wound, yet his body was still standing upright, he couldn't help but feel sorry for him and admire him.
He then personally bestowed medicine to seal the wound and ordered that the patient be treated with courtesy and given proper care.
After the prisoners were dealt with, the generals congratulated each other, vying to show off their achievements and displaying their martial prowess, but Li Siyuan remained silent.
When asked, Li Siyuan slowly replied, "You gentlemen strike the enemy with your mouths, I strike the enemy with my hands."
In this battle, Li Siyuan deserves the most credit. If it weren't for his surprise attack on Yunzhou and defeat of Wang Yanzhang, there would have been no subsequent crossing of the river and the victory at Zhongdu.
Since he said this, everyone felt ashamed and stopped.
Li Cunxu raised his cup in a toast: "Yesterday, when I was in the capital, many of you advised me to abandon Yunzhou and use the river as the boundary. It was thanks to the Deputy Commander-in-Chief's defense at the front and Chongtao's strategic planning at the rear that I was able to succeed. If I had listened to the likes of Li Shaohong, the whole affair would have been lost."
The emperor and his ministers then discussed their next course of action.
Originally intending to advance deep into enemy territory and directly attack Bianliang, Li Cunxu became hesitant and cautious after defeating Wang Yanzhang far more easily than expected.
Many generals suggested a strategy of expanding territory and gradually advancing: "Qing, Qi, Xu, and Yan are all empty cities. Once the royal army arrives, they will surrender without a fight."
"No, we should hurry to Bianzhou."
Only Li Siyuan strongly advised against it, insisting on implementing the original strategy: "If Duan Ning leads a large army to station on the river, and comes to our aid, blocking the river mouth, our army will have to cross from Huazhou. With 100,000 troops, how can we possibly manage to prepare boats and oars?"
With Wang Yanzhang captured, there are no more obstacles ahead. The main force of Liang's army is scattered elsewhere, and this is the only window of opportunity.
If this opportunity is missed, Liang's army will return to Bianliang to reinforce it, and the battle will return to a stalemate.
Li Siyuan volunteered to go first: "Biancheng is only a stone's throw away. If we travel day and night, we will arrive in two nights. Before Duan Ning even set up the river fortifications, Yimen is already ours. I request to lead a thousand cavalry ahead, while Your Majesty leads the army at a leisurely pace. We will surely succeed."
The riverbanks were places where the land below the river was never cultivated, but where water and grass grew abundantly. The elite cavalry of Liang roamed here.
Yimen was the east gate of Daliang in the State of Wei. Hou Ying, the hermit visited by Lord Xinling, was the supervisor of Yimen. In later generations, it referred to Bianliang.
The plan to launch a blitzkrieg against Bianliang was finally carried out.
……
Li Cunxu wanted to persuade Wang Yanzhang to surrender, and said to Li Siyuan, "You should go and persuade him in person, so that he may be spared."
Li Siyuan was ordered to visit him. Wang Yanzhang was seriously injured and lay sprawled on the bed, unable to get up. Yet, he still mustered his last breath and glared at him, saying, "Aren't you Miao Jilie?"
Li Siyuan was born into a mixed Hu ethnic group in the north. Miaojilie was his childhood name. Wang Yanzhang was arrogant and proud, so he used this derogatory term for him.
Even though he knew that Li Siyuan was determined to die and had no expectations, he still conveyed the intention to persuade him to surrender.
As expected, Wang Yanzhang, disregarding the rupture of his wound, sat up abruptly and uttered a few words.
"I am but a humble man, promoted to a high position in this dynasty, and have contended with the emperor for fifteen years. Today, I am defeated and exhausted; what else is there but death?"
"Even if the emperor shows leniency, how can I face anyone! Moreover, I have received the favor of Liang, and I can only repay it by dying. How can a subject or general serve Liang in the morning and Jin in the evening! To die is a blessing indeed!"
Speed is of the essence in war; we cannot linger for the sake of one person.
On the night the city fell, Li Siyuan led the vanguard. The following day, Li Cunxu set off in his entourage.
Li Cunxu ordered Wang Yanzhang to be carried in a sedan chair to Rencheng to recuperate, hoping that in time he might change his mind.
Before departing, he sent an envoy to inquire, "Will my journey be successful?"
Wang Yanzhang, who had already escaped with his life, still refused to flatter Li Cunxu and replied curtly, "Duan Ning has 60,000 elite troops. Although his commander is incompetent, he is unlikely to defect immediately. It will be difficult to defeat him."
He was determined to die, rejecting his last chance to live, and pleaded to stay longer because of his injuries and pain.
Knowing he would never be of any use, Li Cunxu ordered the execution of Wang Yanzhang, and immediately commanded Gao Xingzhou to carry out the execution.
……
Since striking Wang Yanzhang with his tiger-claw golden hammer, Gao Xingzhou had vented much of his resentment towards his father's killer. On the battlefield, life and death are determined by fate; if one were to hold grudges against each and every enemy, the hatred would be endless.
Wang Yanzhang changed into a clean robe and saw Gao Xingzhou standing on the execution platform, holding a horizontal sword. He smiled with delight.
Gao Xingzhou asked in a deep voice, "Any last words?"
"I do have a favor to ask."
Wang Yanzhang thought for a moment and then made his request: "These two solid iron spears without tassels have accompanied me for many years, and it would be a pity to discard them. You may take one of them and place it before your father's spirit; he was indeed a worthy and respectable opponent."
Gao Xingzhou nodded after being reminded by him, thinking that his father would be pleased if he knew this in the afterlife.
"What about the other pole?"
"If there is an opportunity to launch a southern expedition in the future, please trouble yourself to reach the other side of the great river."
Wang Yanzhang laughed heartily: "I have spent my whole life making a living on both sides of the Yellow River. I have heard that the Yangtze River is magnificent and vast, and its power is even greater than that of the Yellow River. I will let this spear go and see it for me."
After saying this, he strode to the center of the execution platform, stretched out his neck to make it easier for Gao Xingzhou to cut him down, and left his last words.
"A leopard dies leaving its skin, a man dies leaving his name. I, Wang, have roamed the world freely; my life is complete!"
In the military, there is no need to be particular about the timing of executions. Gao Xingzhou raised his sword and brought it down, thus ending the life of a brave general.
The thousand-year-old leopard died, leaving only its skin; the broken tomb is shrouded in swirling winds and clouds around the iron spear. (Note 2)