Chapter 617: Wolf Pack Tactics

A few months ago, when Li Qing’an pressured Li Heng to release Gao Xianzhi, he had already launched an attack on Li Lin, capturing Yangzhou. To this day, Yangzhou remains under the control of Li Qing’an’s Northern Tang forces, while Li Lin’s 100,000 troops have retreated south of the Yangtze River. Now, almost the entire Jianghuai region is under Northern Tang control. If the shortage of food supplies in Chang’an is attributed to Li Lin’s occupation of the south, this explanation is rather far-fetched. After all, the wealthy Jianghuai region, including Yangzhou, the Tang Dynasty’s top commercial city, is already under Northern Tang control. Thus, the so-called campaign to the south to stabilize prices is merely an excuse; Li Qing’an’s true aim is to seize the prosperous lands of the south during the winter lull following the battles in Hebei.

Li Qing’an is well aware that the root cause of the supply shortages lies in the poor functioning of the grain transport system—a problem that emerged in the later years of the Tianbao era. At that time, plans were made to reroute grain from Chang’an to the Han River and then enter Guanzhong by land. However, the separation between Northern and Southern Tang made this plan unfeasible. Even if it had been implemented, the original grain transport routes would still have continued to function. Therefore, Li Qing’an proposed appointing Cui Ning as the Transport Commissioner for Jianghuai to improve the grain transport routes—this was the key to increasing supplies and stabilizing prices in Chang’an.

At this time, Yangzhou remained peaceful, with no chaos arising from the Northern Tang forces’ occupation or Li Lin’s retreat. This was thanks to the local officials—Han Jinping, the chief secretary; Li Xian, the military officer; and Pei Jin, the magistrate of Jiangdu County. It was their relentless efforts that prevented unrest in this major commercial city. Of course, this was also due to the Tang army’s rapid advances, covering 300 miles a day, leaving Li Lin’s troops no time to loot before they fled in panic.

Currently, there are 5,000 cavalry troops of the Northern Tang forces stationed in Jiangdu City, Yangzhou. Given the many rivers in Yangzhou and the fact that their troops were mostly from the Western Regions and not suited for river battles, the Northern Tang forces recruited another 1,000 skilled swimmers from the local area to be stationed along the grain transport rivers.

The Northern Tang forces in Yangzhou are led by the brave general Li Baozhen—formerly An Baozhen. Due to An Lushan’s rebellion, the An family felt ashamed to share the same surname and unanimously requested a name change, which was approved by the government. Empress Dowager Shen Zhenzhu officially granted the An family the surname Li. An Baoyu changed his name to Li Baoyu, and An Baozhen followed suit and changed his name to Li Baozhen.

Li Baozhen had just taken charge of Yangzhou’s defense. As he secretly complained about not being able to participate in the battle in Hebei, an urgent message arrived via pigeon. Outside Jiangdu City, a group of cavalry rushed out and sped toward the city at lightning speed.
“Move aside!”
The leading cavalryman shouted loudly. The people along the road fled in panic to the sides. The cavalry passed by in a whirlwind, raising clouds of dust. Onlookers whispered in surprise—North Tang soldiers were known for their strict discipline, never disturbing the civilians or charging recklessly. What could have caused such brutality?
The general leading the cavalry was Li Baozhen. He bit his lip, his sharp gaze fixed ahead, with an unmistakable excitement in his eyes. He had just received two messages, actually orders, directly from Li Qing’an. The first order was to clear the north bank of the Yangtze River and take full control of Jiangyang Port—a red-order, signifying the highest priority. The second order filled him with joy: he was to prepare to welcome a large army moving south. In other words, the army would attack the south of the Yangtze River, and it would be led personally by Li Qing’an. Overjoyed, Li Baozhen forgot about the ban against speeding.
Once inside Jiangdu City, the cavalry slowed down significantly due to the heavy traffic. There were too many pedestrians to squeeze through, so Li Baozhen had no choice but to proceed slowly. A caravan of camels from the Western Regions passed by him, and not far ahead was the Yangzhou government office.
When Li Baozhen and his group arrived at the office, they happened to see Sima Li Xin and Chief Secretary Han Jinping coming out.
“Sima Li!”
Li Baozhen called out, dismounted, and rushed over. “Sima Li, please wait! I have urgent matters to discuss with you.”
“Oh, it’s General Li. Such haste—could it be good news?”
Li Xin was around forty years old, of medium build, with dark and rough skin. He had an unremarkable appearance, even somewhat rustic. It was said that he once went incognito to Yangzhou’s market, where many people asked him about vegetable prices. Claiming to be the local official, he was met with laughter. Li Xin was in charge of Yangzhou’s law and order, known for his bravery. He commanded 800 trained soldiers responsible for defending the city gates.
Standing beside him was Chief Secretary Han Jinping, Li Qing’an’s comrade-in-arms from their time in the garrison. That official who had been exiled to Anxi had risen through the ranks over the years, from county magistrate to chief secretary—and now he was the chief secretary of Yangzhou, enjoying a high reputation.

It was these two who defied Li Lin’s order to burn down the markets in Yangzhou before retreating southward, thus preserving Yangzhou’s prosperity. Seeing Li Baozhen’s expression—both anxious and pleased—they couldn’t help but laugh: “General Li has good news; you should share it with us. Don’t keep it to yourself!”
“There is an urgent matter to discuss with you both. Is Governor Ji here?”
“The governor is in the yamen. Please, General Li!”
“Thank you!”
The three of them walked together toward the yamen…
In the back hall of the yamen, Ji Guangchen, Han Jinping, and Li Xian read Li Qingan’s urgent order. The three exchanged glances. With the war in Hebei still ongoing, were they about to attack the south?
Ji Guangchen had been transferred from Huaizhou to Yangzhou as governor half a month earlier. Although he had once been highly regarded by Li Hen, he had already seen through the situation—Li Hen was doomed and would achieve nothing; he would soon be conquered by Northern Tang. Instead, Ji Guangchen became Li Qingan’s most loyal supporter. He wrote to Li Qingan, suggesting that they should seize control of the south as soon as possible to ensure the supply routes to Chang’an, thereby gaining the financial strength needed to confront An Lushan head-on.
Li Qingan greatly appreciated his advice and appointed him governor of Yangzhou, ordering him to prepare provisions for the army’s southern advance.
Ji Guangchen, however, didn’t expect Li Qingan to launch an attack so quickly. After pondering for a moment, he asked, “General Li, Prince Zhao’s orders aren’t very clear. Could you explain? Is Prince Zhao planning to attack Li Lin?”
“Yes!”
Li Baozhen replied clearly to the three of them, “What I showed you was a compiled version of the military order. It might be a bit ambiguous, but the original order is very clear—it orders me to prepare to welcome the army’s southern advance, while he himself will lead the troops.”
“Prince Zhao is coming in person?”
Han Jinping asked eagerly. It had been nearly ten years since they last met in the sixth year of Tianbao. Aside from knowing that Li Qingan was on his way to becoming the ruler of the land, he had no idea how much his appearance and demeanor had changed.
“I really miss meeting him!” Han Jinping sighed softly.
Li Baozhen, unaware of Han Jinping’s relationship with Li Qingan, was surprised and asked, “Has Envoy Han met my general?”
Li Xian interjected with a smile, “Envoy Han and Prince Zhao have a long-standing friendship.”
“It’s not exactly a long-standing friendship.”

Han Jinping stroked his long beard gently and smiled, saying, “That year, I was 31. I was sentenced under the criminal law and sent to serve in the Anxi Sulou Fengshu Fort. In the third year, he also joined the fort as a squad leader, while I was just a low-ranking soldier under him. I stayed with him for over a year. After the Battle of Xiao Boli, I was pardoned for my military achievements and returned to the Central Plains. It’s been almost ten years since we last parted.”

Li Baozhen stood up in respect. So this senior official was also an experienced veteran from Anxi. He bowed and said, “So General Han also came from Sulou Fengshu Fort and participated in the Battle of Xiao Boli. My apologies for my ignorance!”

“Hehe! It’s no big deal,” Han Jinping said with a smile, waving his hand. Then he asked, “I wonder what King Zhao wants us to prepare?”

This question reminded Li Baozhen, who had almost forgotten the main task. He quickly replied, “The general ordered us to take control of Jiangyang Port, eliminate all remaining forces of Li Lin in the north of the river, and at the same time recruit sailors and gather ships.”

Ji Guangchen nodded and said, “There are tens of thousands of dockworkers in Jiangdu, many of whom are skilled swimmers. We can recruit them as sailors. For ships, we can borrow grain transport boats—five or six thousand should be enough. Our local government can handle these matters. But it will be up to General Li to clear out the remaining forces of Li Lin and take control of Jiangyang Port.”

“No problem. That’s exactly what I meant. There’s no time to lose. We’ll start dividing the tasks this afternoon. Also, I urgently need thirty large ships. Please have Governor Ji prepare them immediately and wait at Jiangyang Port.”

“Understood! I’ll prepare them for the general right away.”

…

In the afternoon, right after lunch, Li Baozhen and Sima Li Xin led four thousand troops southward at full speed. After traveling about ten miles, they split into two groups. Li Xin led eight hundred trained soldiers under the banner of the Northern Tang army toward Jiangyang County, while Li Baozhen led three thousand cavalry toward Hailing County.

Jiangyang County was also part of Yangzhou, located thirty miles south of Jiangdu on the north bank of the Yangtze River. The county town was another twenty miles away from the river port. Due to the insufficient strength of the Northern Tang army, there were only about a hundred troops stationed in Jiangyang County. However, Jiangyang Port was occupied by Li Lin’s four hundred naval troops, along with a dozen warships, and a fortress built along the canal.

Li Lin held onto Jiangyang Port and refused to withdraw, hoping that Li Qingan’s army would, as before, temporarily occupy Yangzhou for a few months. This way, when Li Qingan’s main forces withdrew, his army could use Jiangyang Port as a springboard to launch a rapid counterattack.

But life was tough for the Southern Tang naval forces at Jiangyang Port. Since Li Qingan’s army ignored them for the time being, they endured day by day, getting by one day at a time.

That afternoon, the defenders of Jiangyang Port suddenly received news that the cavalry of the Northern Tang army was advancing toward the port, numbering over a thousand men. Terrified, they had no intention of resisting and fled across the river by boat to Runzhou on the opposite shore. Li Xin captured Jiangyang Port without a fight with his eight hundred trained soldiers. However, Li Baozhen occupied Jiangyang Port only to secure a passage for ships. A fleet of thirty large ships quickly passed through Jiangyang Port and entered the Yangtze River, heading eastward. What Li Baozhen truly wanted to take control of was Hailing County, specifically Jiangxin Island within it: Hudouzhou. Hailing County is what is now Taizhou, Jiangsu. During the Tang Dynasty, it was under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou, covering a vast area that extended eastward to the sea and southward along the Yangtze River. Most of this area consisted of salt fields and marshes, with few towns or villages. There was also an official road used for transporting salt straight to the riverbank. By the riverbank of Hailing County lay a famous salt dock, from where tens of thousands of dan of salt were loaded onto ships each year and transported along the Yangtze River to various inland areas, while also being shipped by sea to the north. The mouth of the Yangtze River during the Tang Dynasty was very different from today’s. A huge funnel-shaped area formed starting from Jiangyin, with areas like present-day Qidong and Haimen still being part of the sea, without any land yet formed. Today’s Nantong was then just an island in the middle of the river, about the size of today’s Chongming Island, called Hudou Island, under the jurisdiction of Hailing County. East of Hudou Island lay the vast ocean. Both the salt dock and Hudou Island were currently under Li Lin’s control, with most of his troops stationed at the salt dock, numbering five thousand. Li Lin’s army held onto the salt dock mainly to control salt supplies, which were one of his main sources of military funding. Since he found it difficult to control commercial taxes, salt revenues provided a quick and convenient source of income, bringing him nearly one million guan per year. Thus, the salt dock held a strategically vital position for Li Lin. Although his main forces had withdrawn to the south of the Yangtze River, he still kept five thousand troops at the salt dock under the command of General Yuan Jingyao. Yuan Jingyao was 35 years old and originally a military officer under the Yangzhou Military Governor’s office. Coming from a family of warriors, he wielded a 15-foot-long iron spear with exceptional skill, being invincible in the southern regions. Apart from Li Lin’s 18-year-old son, Li Yi, he had never encountered a rival.

For this very reason, Yuan Jingyao had always been extremely arrogant. He looked down on Li Lin for fleeing across the Yangtze River upon hearing of the arrival of the Anxi army. Yuan Jingyao often said to his soldiers, “Although the Anxi army is brave, that’s only in the Western Regions. Perhaps they can be somewhat effective in the Central Plains or Hebei, but in the Jiangnan region, they may not be a match for us. Even Cao Cao’s 800,000 troops were defeated and forced to flee in disarray by the Jiangnan naval forces. You must not let others’ morale rise at the expense of our own prestige.”

Though proud, Yuan Jingyao was also very cautious tactically. Of his army, aside from a thousand men stationed on land, the remaining four thousand were stationed in water fortresses, using ships as tents and positioning themselves in the river. This way, if the Northern Tang forces attacked, he could either advance or retreat, and even withdraw into the river at any time.

That afternoon, Yuan Jingyao received reports from scouts that a thousand cavalrymen were approaching from the northwest toward the dock. He immediately realized this must be an army sent by Li Baozhen to encircle him.

“Are they really only a thousand cavalrymen?” Yuan Jingyao asked the scout.

“Reporting to the general, that’s correct—only a thousand cavalrymen,” the scout replied.

Yuan Jingyao became somewhat tempted. If the enemy had brought three or four thousand cavalrymen, he might not have dared to fight, but with just a thousand, he was indeed tempted.

One of his officers advised, “General, the Anxi cavalry are extremely strong. It’s said that one of their cavalrymen can match five infantrymen. Although their army is small, it consists of elite troops. Our strength lies in naval battles. To abandon our strengths and rely on our weaknesses is the path to defeat! General, it’s best to defend the water fortresses.”

Yuan Jingyao paced back and forth in the ship’s cabin with his hands behind his back, considering what would happen if he annihilated those thousand cavalrymen. The soldiers of the Wu King had long feared Li Qing’an. Last year, just a thousand Anxi cavalry had attacked Gaoyou, and the Wu King fled at the first sign of trouble, causing his 50,000 troops to collapse in chaos—a humiliation that deeply angered Yuan Jingyao.

Undoubtedly, if he could defeat these thousand cavalrymen, it would greatly boost the morale of the Wu King’s army, and he himself would become a highly respected figure alongside generals like Li Chengshi.

Yuan Jingyao seemed to see his glorious future ahead. When his subordinates advised caution, he grew impatient and snapped, “War is about courage! To be timid without fighting—how can that be considered being a soldier? You’re afraid of the Anxi troops. Do you think my soldiers are just as cowardly?”

Another officer also advised, “General Yuan, I still think it’s better to be cautious. Cavalry is extremely fast. Those thousand cavalrymen are likely just the vanguard; the main force might be behind them. Please reconsider, General!”

“The enemy has only a thousand cavalry. I’ll fight them with powerful crossbows. If we can’t win, we can always retreat to the water fortress!”
Yuan Jingyao, eager to prove himself, ignored his subordinates’ warnings and ordered, “Send orders for the first to eighth battalions to go ashore and organize their troops. The ninth and tenth battalions shall stay at the water fortress to provide support at any time.”
At Yuan Jingyao’s command, four thousand soldiers went ashore, leaving only a thousand to guard the water fortress, ready to help them board the ships at any moment.
When Li Baozhen was still a hundred li away from the salt dock, he divided his three thousand cavalry into two groups. He ordered his general Zheng Xu to lead two thousand cavalry to the east to wait for the right moment to launch an attack, while he himself led a thousand cavalry straight for the salt dock.
They didn’t move quickly. Along the way, they set fire to the salt warehouses. Out of the eighty warehouses built by Li Lin, more than twenty were burned down. With the west wind blowing, thick smoke billowed everywhere. To the west of the salt dock, the sky was covered in smoke, and the air was filled with a pungent smell. The large amount of toxic gas released by the burning sea salt enveloped the entire salt dock, acting like a chemical weapon and making Yuan Jingyao’s troops struggle to breathe.
With no other choice, Yuan Jingyao moved his troops slightly northward and formed a large crossbow formation. Holding a large iron spear, he led the charge, his eyes filled with excitement as he prepared to face the Anxi cavalry.
The Anxi cavalry were gradually approaching Yuan Jingyao’s army, but Li Baozhen wasn’t in a hurry to attack. He ordered his cavalry to stop at a distance of five hundred steps, maintaining a ready stance while confronting the enemy.
This was a tactics often used by cavalry—using time to gain an advantage. Knowing the enemy’s crossbows were powerful, they didn’t rush to attack but waited for the enemy’s morale to drop. Once the enemy started to retreat under pressure, they would launch a fierce attack, just like a wolf pack that waits days or nights for its prey to give up before chasing it down. Sometimes, they even used invisible pressure to make the prey collapse on its own.
This was essentially a battle of wills, determined by who could hold out the longest.
Yuan Jingyao clearly lacked experience in dealing with cavalry. He set up the crossbow formation too early, assuming that once the Anxi cavalry reached the front lines, they would charge immediately. But he didn’t expect the Anxi army to refuse to attack and instead engage in a prolonged standoff. He had fallen into their tactical trap.
It was already December, and darkness fell early. In an hour, night would completely descend. The cold wind blew fiercely, and the biting cold made the four thousand crossbowmen’s fingers stiff and numb, causing them to shiver violently. Many soldiers could no longer stand.

But they dared not retreat. Behind them, another two thousand cavalry had silently encircled them, cutting off their escape route. Three thousand cavalry against four thousand infantry—the outcome of the battle was obvious. At that moment, thirty large ships led by Li Xin also arrived outside the salt dock, blocking the water fortress’s exit. Yuan Jingyao stared into the darkness at the Anxi cavalry, who still exuded a fierce fighting spirit, while his own army’s morale began to crumble slowly. Many soldiers could no longer lift their heavy crossbows and knelt on the ground. Despair spread rapidly among the troops and also seeped into Yuan Jingyao’s heart, filling it with despair as well… Yuan Jingyao faced the cruelest choice of his life: to surrender and survive, or to die to repay the King of Wu’s kindness. He was overwhelmed with pain and unable to decide.