Chapter 673: Sudden Changes in Yiling (Part 2)

Li Yunshu never imagined that Li Fangzheng would come. He seemed to realize something as well and immediately ordered his personal guards to take him to his inner tent.
“Why have you come in such chaotic times?”
As soon as they met, Li Yunshu rebuked him harshly. He was both heartbroken and furious at his nephew’s reckless behavior, which was actually that of his own son.
Li Fangzheng knelt down. “Father, please listen to me.”
Although he had been adopted, Li Fangzheng still called Li Yunshu “father.” “Father, I wasn’t reckless. I’ve come here for an important matter.”
“Wait a moment!”
Li Yunshu went to the door of the outer tent, glanced outside, and then ordered his guards, “I have family matters. No one is to be seen!” He pulled down the curtain and returned to the inner tent, then spoke in a low voice, “What’s the matter?”
“Father, I am now a military officer in the Northern Tang army.”
“You… joined the army? When? How come I didn’t know?”
“I joined the army last year and was stationed in Hanzhong. Now I’ve already become an officer.”
Li Yunshu knew how difficult it was to advance in the Anxi army—only through military achievements. Military ranks were generally low. People like Zhao Chongjin had already become great generals in the Southern Tang, but back in the Northern Tang, they were still just lieutenant generals. His son had only been in the army for over a year and already wanted to become an officer? Dream on! Unless…
Thinking of this, he became less anxious, sat down, and stared at his son. “Tell me the truth. What’s really going on? Why have you come here?”
Before coming here, Li Fangzheng had received training from the Intelligence Department. He knew that speaking too hastily would offend his father, so he needed to take things step by step.
“Father, I indeed joined the army. I was originally stationed at Tongguan. Not long ago, our troops were moved to Hanzhong, and I followed. Now, there are two hundred thousand troops gathered in Hanzhong, and Li Guangbi has been appointed as the commander-in-chief for the southern campaign.”
“Two hundred thousand troops!”
Li Yunshu was shocked. He knew that the usual garrison in Hanzhong was fifty thousand. A sudden increase to two hundred thousand troops meant, without a doubt, that Li Qingan intended to attack the Southern Tang for real.
Recently, many rumors had circulated, mostly suggesting that the Northern Tang would attack Xiangyang. But now it seemed they were planning a full-scale attack. The situation was dire! He began to worry.
“Third son, then why have you come to me?”
“Father still doesn’t know! General Zhao Chongjin has already led tens of thousands of troops to the Huangbai River Valley. He’s very close to you now.”
“What!”
Li Yunshu jumped up in shock, his eyes wide. “What did you say? Zhao Chongjin has already arrived?”
“That’s right! I came here with the troops.”

Li Yunsu was somewhat panicked. He took out a map and pointed at the Huangbai River Valley, asking, “Tell me quickly—where is Zhao Chongjin’s army?”
Li Fangzheng shook his head. “Even if I were a scout for the Northern Tang army, do you think I would tell you?”
“You…”
Li Yunsu sat down helplessly. He stared blankly at his youngest son. After a long while, he asked in a low voice, “Tell me the truth. Have you come to persuade me to surrender?”
“I just want to ask Father one question: Is Father now part of the Tang army or the rebel forces?”
Li Yunsu shuddered. He understood what his son meant. Chang’an was under the Tang army, and so was Chengdu. There was no such thing as surrendering—only choosing which dynasty to support. Emotionally, Li Yunsu was from Chang’an, so he naturally supported it. Yet Li Heng had also treated him well.
Li Yunsu had always believed that his removal from power was not due to Li Heng but was the result of Yu Chaosen’s actions. This was both his subconscious belief and a form of self-deception. How could Li Heng not know that a high-ranking general like him had been demoted? That arrogant Yu Baobao had even shouted at him, “Do you know why you’re so unlucky? It’s because you were promoted by Gao Xianzhi!”
Perhaps that was the real reason. Li Yunsu knew it well, but he refused to face it or admit it.
Li Yunsu now understood his son’s purpose—he wanted him to surrender. He also knew that although the Southern Tang had a large army, it was actually weak and vulnerable. With eunuchs like Yu Chaosen in control of the military, and the only capable general, Gao Xianzhi, forced to leave due to the emperor’s suspicion, how could they possibly compete with the Northern Tang’s army of skilled generals?
Now that the Northern Tang was preparing to launch a full-scale attack, the Southern Tang was doomed. What was there left for him to hold onto?
Surrendering wasn’t impossible, but to whom? Zhao Chongjin had a good relationship with him, but asking him to surrender to Zhao Chongjin seemed a bit…
Unless he was truly at his wits’ end.
Li Yunsu’s feelings were understandable. It was like changing jobs in later generations—although the new company seemed good, having his former colleague as his direct superior was awkward.
At that moment, Li Fangzheng took out a letter and solemnly handed it to his father. Li Yunsu took the letter and glanced at it. Instantly, he stood up. On the envelope was written: “To General Li Yunsu of Yiling, from General Li Qing’an, Supreme Commander and Governor of Anxi.”
His hands began to tremble. It was a personal letter from Li Qing’an! Trembling, he opened the envelope and took out the letter, reading it carefully, over and over, afraid of missing a single word.

The rewards and treatment given to him by Li Qing’an relieved him greatly. At the end of the letter, Li Qing’an promised to move his family in Shuzhou away, so what more could he worry about? He flipped the letter and asked his son proudly, “Has Zhao Chongjin seen this letter?” “The letter was sent directly to me by the King of Zhao. General Zhao knows I have it, but he hasn’t shown it to me.” “Hmm! It’s better he hasn’t.” Li Yunshu’s heart settled, and her mood immediately lightened. She smiled and asked, “Did Zhao Chongjin tell me how to help him?” Seeing that his father had finally agreed, Li Fangzheng was overjoyed and quickly replied, “Yes! General Zhao dictated it to me, and I remembered it clearly. He said we must bring Yu Baobao out of the city at all costs.” “Bring him out of the city?” Li Yunshu frowned slightly. How could that be done? They needed to find Yu Baobao’s weakness. …… Yiling was a county and also the administrative center of Xiazhou, but its town was not large, with only tens of thousands of people living there. Including the population from surrounding villages, the total population of Yiling County was less than a hundred thousand. Yet, there were quite a few troops stationed there—twentieth thousand in total. Yu Chaoen appointed his adopted son, Yu Baobao, as the commander of Yiling’s army. Of these twenty thousand troops, five thousand were stationed in Laolao Town, while the remaining fifteen thousand were based in Yiling County itself. The county had always been peaceful, but it suddenly became chaotic these days as tens of thousands of refugees flocked there, bringing the elderly and children with them, turning Yiling County into a mess. Most of these refugees were military families, and Yu Baobao didn’t dare to drive them away too harshly. His adoptive father had also sent orders to provide them with food and urge them to return to Shu as soon as possible. It sounded simple, but it wasn’t easy to carry out. Once these refugees arrived in Yiling, they felt as if they were already in Shu, and their determination to flee vanished. They relaxed, and many fell ill. Nearly half of them were afraid of the difficult journey back to Shu and refused to head west, wanting to stay in Yiling. They couldn’t be sent away nor allowed to stay, putting Yu Baobao in a difficult situation. What angered him even more was that these immigrants spread rumors everywhere about how powerful the Northern Tang army was, claiming that it consisted mainly of troops from Anxi and that the Southern Tang army would be completely destroyed. They advised his soldiers to flee quickly, causing panic and a severe drop in morale among the troops. In the afternoon, news came that made Yu Baobao unable to tolerate it any longer: a battalion of five hundred soldiers guarding the northern city gate had collectively deserted under the leadership of their officer. Only then did he realize that allowing these refugees into the city had been a huge mistake.

With a loud “bang,” the teacup on the table jumped as he slammed it down. Filled with rage, he ordered, “Send word to all troops: if anyone dares to stir up dissent among the soldiers again, they shall be executed without mercy!”
Yu Baobao could no longer sit still. He immediately mounted his horse, armed with a sword, and went around the city to patrol. If he encountered anyone trying to undermine morale, he would kill them himself.
Yiling was already small, and the sudden arrival of nearly 20,000 refugees made the town dirty, smelly, and chaotic. Almost all the empty houses were occupied, and many people had nowhere to live, so they built shacks in the streets, blocking them and turning the once-spacious main roads into narrow, crowded passages filled with sewage and stench.
Although Yu Baobao wasn’t an eunuch, he had been raised in comfort since childhood. The filthy environment was unbearable for him. Covering his nose and mouth, he made his way through the shacks until he reached an open area where the air was fresher. Then, with resentment, he said to his deputy, Jiao Degui, “I really can’t stand it. How could the old man let these troublemakers escape back? What am I supposed to do?”
Jiao Degui was assigned by Yu Chaoen to assist Yu Baobao. Though not very capable, he had military experience and could lead troops to some extent. But he hadn’t expected Yu Baobao, despite being young, to have such a strong desire for power and to seize all military authority, leaving him as a mere figurehead.
Jiao Degui smiled bitterly. “Young master, this is already quite good. Over 30,000 people came, but only over 10,000 remain. I think Xialao Town will face greater difficulties. With so many refugees demanding food, how can Li Yunshu handle it?”
“If he can’t handle it, he can get lost!”
At the mention of Li Yunshu, Yu Baobao showed disdain. “To be honest, I’m not even confident leaving food in his care!”
“After all, he’s the general of Yiling appointed by the emperor. It’s not good to exclude him. It’s best to ask the old man to request the emperor to transfer him.”
“You make a good point!” Yu Baobao pouted. “I’ll write to the old man tomorrow and ask him to speak to the emperor, so I don’t have to worry about that man all the time.”
Just then, a soldier rushed over frantically, “General Yu! General Yu!”
“Are you trying to reincarnate yourself by running so fast?”
Yu Baobao cursed at him. “What’s the matter?”
The soldier gasped as he rushed up. “There’s thick smoke rising from the direction of Xialao Town. We don’t know what’s causing it!”
“Ah!”
Yu Baobao was shocked. He spurred his horse toward the west city tower, with Jiao Degui following behind.

The two dismounted at the west city wall and rushed up to the top at full speed. The wall was already crowded with soldiers, all gazing westward. Yu Bao rushed to the battlements and pulled back the curtain to look west. Sure enough, thick smoke could be seen rising from the direction of Xialao Town. They were fifty li away, yet the smoke was visible from such a distance, giving an idea of the severity of the fire.

“What on earth happened?”
Yu Bao cursed in frustration. “Hasn’t that idiot Li Yunshu sent any news yet?”
Silence reigned on the west city wall. Most of the soldiers were Li Yunshu’s former subordinates, and Yu Bao’s public insult to General Li filled them with resentment.
Jiao Degui noticed their displeasure and quickly tried to defuse the situation. “Xialao Town is a vital supply hub. If anything goes wrong, General Li might not be able to handle it. Young Marshal Yu is just worried for him!”
Just then, a soldier pointed at the sky and shouted, “Look! Message doves are coming!”
Indeed, two message doves were flying in from the west—Li Yunshu was sending news. Yu Bao urged, “Hurry! Give me the messages!”
The doves entered the city, and moments later, a soldier rushed over and handed the messages to Yu Bao. He eagerly opened them and immediately started cursing again. “That bastard! Can’t he even handle such a small issue?”
“Young Marshal, what happened?” Jiao Degui asked.
“Refugees raided the grain stores, which triggered a mutiny among some soldiers. The soldiers also joined in the looting. Li Yunshu can no longer control the situation and is asking for my help!”
“Young Marshal, Xialao Town is a crucial supply hub. We can’t afford any mistakes!”
“I know. I can’t do anything about that fool either. How about you take five thousand men to offer assistance?”
“Young Marshal, we don’t know how many refugees there are or how many soldiers have mutinied. If there are too many, five thousand men might not be enough to suppress them!”
“Damn it! I can’t go myself!”
At that moment, Jiao Degui had an idea. He suddenly pulled Yu Bao aside and whispered with a smile, “Young Marshal, haven’t we been worried about not having a chance? Isn’t this a perfect opportunity to get rid of Li Yunshu?”
Yu Bao understood. With a punch, he thought, Right! How could he have missed that?
“Good! I’ll go suppress them in person and take care of him at the same time!” Yu Bao’s face twisted into a fierce expression.
Half an hour later, Yu Bao led ten thousand troops out of Yiling City and headed toward Xialao Town. It was already dusk, and based on the distance and speed, they would arrive in Xialao Town at dawn the next day.

The mouth of the Huangbai River is located right in the middle of Yiling County and Xialao Town. The Huangbai Water rushes out of the gorge, merges with another tributary, then winds its way for over ten miles through relatively flat hills before finally flowing into the Yangtze River. Therefore, to travel from Yiling to Xialao Town, one must cross the Huangbai Water. There is no need for a ferry; a wooden bridge allows direct passage. The bridge is situated in gentle hills, where the forests are dense and the population sparse. A narrow official road runs through the thick forests. Due to the lack of people, wild animals often appear, so merchants traveling back and forth must go in groups. At the first watch, Yu Baobao led 10,000 soldiers to the wooden bridge and began crossing it, with troops passing over quickly in groups. Yu Baobao was in the middle of the group. He looked around anxiously. The weather was good, with stars filling the sky but no moon, giving a clear night view. Yet, towering trees surrounded them, dense and stretching as far as the eye could see. The night was eerily quiet—no insects chirping, no wild animals howling. What lay hidden in the dark forest made him tremble with fear. “Order the soldiers to speed up!” Yu Baobao spurred his horse onto the wooden bridge and rushed toward the other side. The bridge was packed tightly with soldiers. Yu Baobao had already crossed, while more than 4,000 soldiers were still crowded on the narrow official road, with the forests just dozens of steps away on either side. Just then, a clanging sound was heard, and suddenly, thousands of arrows were fired from the forests on the east bank, targeting the unprepared Southern Tang army. Screams of pain filled the road as chaos ensued. In an instant, thousands were knocked down. At the same time, the Southern Tang army on the west bank was also ambushed, with arrows raining down and large numbers of soldiers falling. All the soldiers were stunned, too shocked to even think of fleeing. It had been years since they had experienced war, and they had never imagined that the Northern Tang army would attack here. When the war suddenly broke out, they were at a loss. By the time they reacted, they were terrified, pushing and shoving on the narrow road in complete chaos. Yu Baobao also realized they were in an ambush. Panicked, he shouted, “Retreat! Retreat now!” But he forgot that there was a bridge behind them, packed with soldiers trapped with no way to retreat. “Attack!” The Northern Tang army hidden in the forest charged out—6,000 elite soldiers led by General Lin Haixiong. They had been lying in wait for two whole hours, full of fighting spirit. Lin Haixiong roared, “Brothers, it’s time to fight and earn glory!”

At this moment, they were full of momentum, like tigers emerging from the forest, slaughtering the Southern Tang troops until blood flowed like rivers and corpses piled up the paths. The Southern Tang soldiers were already terrified, too scared to resist. They abandoned their armor and helmets and scattered in all directions to flee. Those who were slower knelt on the ground, begging for mercy, bowing their heads repeatedly.

Under the protection of over a dozen personal guards, Yu Bao rode his horse at full speed, fleeing westward. But after just a few dozen steps, he was blocked by Lin Haixiong.

During the battle to capture Nanzheng City, Lin Haixiong had led 300 soldiers armed with halberds to attack the city walls, earning him great merit and promotion to colonel. Standing over ten feet tall, he resembled a black tower in the darkness, standing firm before Yu Bao’s speeding horse. With one hand on his waist and the other holding a halberd, he looked like an angel descending from heaven, startling Yu Bao so much that he pulled back on his horse and darted aside.

Lin Haixiong laughed loudly and roared, “You little thief! Hand over your life!”

That roar was like thunder from the sky, scaring Yu Bao to the point of near-collapse. He trembled and almost fell off his horse. Lin Haixiong stepped forward, raised his sword, and with a single swing, a scream was heard as Yu Bao and his horse were split in two.

With their commander dead, the Southern Tang army collapsed entirely. Lin Haixiong roared again, “Southern Tang soldiers, those who surrender will be spared!”

“Those who surrender will be spared!”

The Northern Tang soldiers shouted in unison. With no longer any doubt about the outcome of the battle, the Southern Tang soldiers knelt down and surrendered. Many who had fled into the forest to hide also came out out of fear and surrendered.

In just half an hour, the battle was over. Over 10,000 Southern Tang soldiers were killed or wounded, with the rest surrendering. Fewer than a hundred managed to escape, while the Northern Tang suffered only about 200 casualties.

Lin Haixiong ordered his generals to clean up the battlefield. He led 2,000 men toward Yiling City, aiming to achieve another victory before the battle there ended.

……

At the same time Yu Bao was ambushed, an army arrived at Yiling City, surprising its defenders. It was Li Yunshu. He seemed injured and in a disheveled state, with fewer than a thousand soldiers under his command.

Jiao Degui was shocked upon hearing the news. He quickly rushed to the city walls. In the light of the fires, he recognized it as Li Yunshu.

“General Li, what’s going on?”

Li Yunshu said angrily, “Yu Junshi ordered the refugees to flee westward. Not only did they loot food, but they also incited the soldiers to rebel. Most of the soldiers rebelled, and I couldn’t suppress them, so I had to escape. General Jiao, I sent a message for reinforcements this afternoon—why didn’t you send any?”

Jiao Degui was stunned. He exclaimed, “Young Marshal Yu has already led troops to reinforce you. Didn’t you meet them?”

“No!” Li Yunshu was also surprised. “When did the young marshal set out?”

“Around dusk, I set off after receiving your distress message. It’s likely we got separated on the way.” There were several routes from Huangbaiqiao to Yiling City, so it was quite possible they had taken different paths. Jiao Degui had no doubts at all. Seeing that most of Li Yunshu’s men were injured and their numbers were less than a thousand, he said, “General Li, enter the city first! Take care of your men’s wounds.” “Thank you, General Jiao. I’ll bandage their wounds briefly and then rush back to Xiulaozhen. I’m worried about the food supply.” Jiao Degui snorted, thinking, “You’d better worry about your own safety first!” He ordered his subordinates, “Open the city gates!” The city gates slowly opened, and the drawbridge was lowered. Li Yunshu led his troops in. Jiao Degui went to meet him. Seeing Li Yunshu covered in blood with several arrows stuck in his back, he was shocked. “General Li, you’re badly injured!” Li Yunshu sneered and waved his hand. “Seize him!” The soldiers behind him rushed forward and pinned Jiao Degui to the ground. Terrified, Jiao Degui stretched his neck and shouted, “Li Yunshu, what do you mean by this?” Dozens of his bodyguards tried to rush in to rescue him, but they were surrounded by Li Yunshu’s soldiers. The other soldiers were also terrified, not knowing what was happening, and no one dared to step forward. Li Yunshu shouted loudly, “Soldiers, Yu Chaoyen colluded with the crown prince to launch a palace coup. The crown prince has been defeated and executed. By the secret order of our mad emperor, Yu Baobao must be captured. This has nothing to do with you. Jiao Degui participated in the rebellion, and his entire family must be exterminated!” Jiao Degui cursed, “You’re lying!” Li Yunshu gave a signal, and one of the soldiers swung his sword, beheading Jiao Degui. Poor Jiao Degui didn’t even realize what had happened before he died in confusion. Seeing their commander dead, his bodyguards knelt down and surrendered. Li Yunshu raised Jiao Degui’s head and shouted again, “All troops, follow my orders! Return to the camp immediately. Those who refuse will be treated as rebels!” These troops were originally Li Yunshu’s old subordinates, who trusted him deeply. Seeing their general return, they were overjoyed. With the threat of extermination for rebellion, not a single soldier dared to stay; they all rushed back to the camp. In moments, there wasn’t a single soldier inside or outside the city gates. Seeing the result, Li Yunshu smiled triumphantly and ordered his son behind him, “That’s enough!” Li Fangzheng nocked an arrow and shot it. With a “whoosh,” a gunpowder arrow flew into the night sky, exploding with a “pop” and scattering flames that shone brightly in the darkness. Li Yunshu looked up in amazement. It was the first time he had seen a gunpowder arrow. He had long heard that the Anxi army’s thunder arrows were powerful—could a single arrow really be that effective?

Soon, Zhao Chongjin, who was lying in ambush several miles away, led an army of 12,000 to Yiling City. The army marched into the city in formation. Zhao Chongjin dismounted and, with a bow, said to Li Yunshu, who was coming to meet him, with a smile, “Congratulations, General, on achieving such remarkable feats!”
The two had a close personal relationship. Li Yunshu also bowed in return and smiled, “Without Brother Zhao’s army, how could I have any merit?”
They exchanged glances and burst into laughter together. Zhao Chongjin still had another concern and asked, “I wonder how the defending troops in Zigui are doing.”
Li Yunshu smiled slightly. “Brother Zhao, rest assured. Zigui City has only a thousand defenders. The commander, Luo Qun, is one of my most trusted generals who has followed me for many years. Tomorrow morning, I will personally lead an army to take Zigui for you. How does that sound?”
Zhao Chongjin clasped his fists in approval and said, “In pacifying Southern Tang, the greatest credit goes to you, General!”