Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 27

Li Ji held a sword horizontally in his right hand and a long spear in his left. He leaped back onto his horse and shouted, "They must not be spared! They must all be killed!"

This was a greeting to Jia Huai. Upon hearing this, Jia Huai agreed, quickly drew his sword from his waist, and delivered a final blow to the traitor lying on his back, barely breathing, sending him to his death. Only then did he mount his horse and give chase.

He understood perfectly well that the rebel camp was north of the Bian River, and there might be other scout squads south of Bian. If they let the enemy soldiers escape and call for reinforcements, he and Li Ji would likely be caught up soon. His earlier victory against overwhelming odds, killing three men, was due to two factors: firstly, Li Ji was indeed a formidable fighter, and he himself was no pushover; secondly, it was a purely opportunistic attack, tantamount to a sneak attack. If the enemy hadn't been five riders, but ten or a hundred, even if Li Ji were a reincarnation of Qin Shubao or Yuchi Jingde, he probably wouldn't have escaped their clutches!

Of course, the more likely scenario is that he fought his way out with great difficulty, while I would be abandoned as a pawn...

So even if the guy who got knocked down by the stick is barely alive, I have to finish him off before chasing Li Ji—after all, sticks are hard to kill, and who knows if that guy will get back up?

Meanwhile, Li Ji was giving chase to the two rebel soldiers. Although they started slightly apart, he could see that they were getting further and further away... There was nothing he could do; after a long day of running, his horse was exhausted. If they were to escape, it would surely cause endless trouble! He looked up and saw that the sun was still setting. Although it was dusk, the sky was not yet very dark. He then put down his long spear, sheathed his sword, and took out his bow.

This was a powerful bow that Li Ji obtained from Pugu Huai'en, with a strength of nearly six jun (a unit of weight). Thirty jin (another unit of weight) equals one jun, which is about 180 jin. Most standard infantry bows in the army were only four jun (a unit of weight), or 120 jin, while cavalry bows were even weaker, often less than three jun. Li Ji was strong, and when he practiced shooting with the four-jun infantry bow, he broke three of them. Chen Fu, who taught him archery, asked an acquaintance to get him a five-jun bow, but Li Ji still shook his head: "Too light, too light."

Chen Fu said to Li Ji, "There are many strongmen in the Shence Army who can draw a five-jun bow, but among several thousand men, probably not one can draw a six-jun bow... However, it is said that Li Guangbi can draw a six-jun foot bow, and even when he is used to using a horse bow, his strength is only four jun. So if you want a stronger bow, it will be very difficult to find one."

That same night, after chasing the traitorous general and capturing Tian Qianzhen alive, Pugu Huai'en was astonished by the young man's martial prowess and became even bolder. He rode alongside him and chatted, casually taking out his bow and asking Li Ji if he could draw it. Li Ji took the bow, drew it halfway on horseback, then dismounted and drew it fully three more times.

Pugu Huai'en was both surprised and delighted, and said, "This is the bow I used when I was young. Later, I gave it to my son. My son died in battle, and I kept it as a memento. But lately, I have grown old and can no longer draw it fully. Since you, Li Ji, have such strength, this bow should belong to you!"

Li Ji repeatedly declined, but Pugu Huai'en forcefully stuffed the bow into his arms, saying, "Consider this a reward for capturing the enemy general alive—if it weren't for you, Li Ji, tonight we would have returned empty-handed."

Li Ji thought to himself, "It's not just that we're leaving empty-handed, it's also uncertain whether we'll even survive..."

He had only recently acquired the bow, and frankly, his skills were not yet refined, especially on horseback. At high speeds, it was impossible to draw the bow fully. But seeing the two riders ahead getting further and further away, he had no choice but to pick up the bow, nock a heavy arrow, and think that the distance was still manageable. If he missed the first shot, he would shoot twice. With his strength, he could fire a whole quiver of arrows in the blink of an eye; surely he wouldn't miss every time?

He silently prayed, then stepped into the stirrups, enduring the jolting of the horse, trying his best to keep his arms still, drew the bow halfway, then glanced at the rider behind him, slightly twisted the string, and suddenly released his thumb, index finger, and middle finger.

The arrow followed the sound, aiming straight for the enemy's back. But before it could hit, Li Ji suddenly heard the sound of galloping hooves, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw six or seven riders leap out from behind the woods beside the road almost simultaneously…

Chapter Five, Wei People in the South

As Li Ji pursued the fleeing enemy, six or seven riders unexpectedly sprang out from behind the woods beside the road. The one in the lead, judging from his attire, was likely a general.

He wore a black silk-trimmed mountain-patterned armor, with the sleeves extending past his elbows and animal heads strapped to his shoulders; he wore a black helmet with silver trim and a red tassel on top, with phoenix wings spread out; he held a sixteen-foot-long horse spear as thick as a bowl, its tip polished to a gleaming shine.

This general was also quite imposing, his face was as black as charcoal under his helmet, his eyes were wide open like bells, and his thick beard was unkempt, growing wildly like tangled weeds. Li Ji's first reaction was: Is this the reincarnation of Master Zhang?

The general spurred his horse forward, and seeing the situation, without a word, he immediately charged straight at Li Ji, spear in hand. Li Ji had just sheathed his bow and hadn't even drawn his sword when the sharp spear tip was already upon him—in truth, he could have thrown down his bow and drawn his sword faster, but alas… he couldn't bear to!

Li Ji was taken aback. Instinctively, he slightly shifted his body to the side, narrowly avoiding the spear tip, and at the same time, he habitually reached out his left hand to grasp the spear shaft. Unexpectedly, the spear shaft changed its move quickly, and Li Ji not only failed to grab it, but was also struck hard on the back of his hand, causing excruciating pain.

After exchanging a move, the two horses shifted their stirrups. The man slightly retracted his lance, then with a whoosh, swung it in a half-circle, unleashing his full power, and slashed horizontally with the speed of lightning and thunder. Li Ji was utterly astonished—Holy crap, a lance can be used like that?!

He learned infantry spearmanship from Lao Jing, who said that his horsemanship was not yet proficient, and if he were to learn to use a lance, it would be like a child handling a knife; not only would he not learn, but he would also easily injure himself. Lao Jing suggested that he teach him to use a lance only after he had made some progress in spearmanship and horsemanship. Furthermore, Li Ji had rarely witnessed proper lance combat. Military drills often involved simply charging with lances, which was incredibly powerful but lacked agility. The only expert he knew of who wielded a horse lance was Pugu Huai'en, but that night, when Pugu Huai'en charged into battle, Li Ji's entire focus was on the enemy general Tian Qianzhen, and he hadn't had time to observe him closely.

Therefore, his understanding of wielding a spear on horseback was very superficial, and his perception was also flawed. He always thought that such a long and heavy thing couldn't be swung properly, and could only be used for straight thrusts within a 90-degree angle. In later films and television dramas, characters are often depicted as being able to perform fancy spear techniques on horseback, because spears are light and flexible. The spearhead of a horse spear, however, is about a foot long, almost equivalent to a heavy sword tied to a long pole. How much strength would it take to swing it in a wide arc? Moreover, the speed of swinging it would be slow, and the openings would be large.

I reckon I'm only strong enough to do that. If I learn to play the spear in the future, I might try to swing it around a few times, purely for show and to get applause...

But to his surprise, the dark-faced cavalryman he saw today wielded the lance as easily as plucking a flower branch, and his speed was not slow at all! Li Ji was shocked. Seeing the lance blade approaching again, he didn't draw his sword—there was no time anyway—he clapped his hands outwards, then put his ten fingers together. Luckily, this time he finally managed to grab the lance shaft.

However, the spear blade still grazed his ribs, causing a burning pain...

The moment Li Ji's fingers touched the spear shaft, the general used the same trick again, flicking his wrist. Li Ji felt a violent jolt in his fingers and almost lost his grip. But ultimately, relying on his agile movements and extraordinary strength, he followed his fingers' lead and firmly grasped the spear shaft with both hands. The general opposite him couldn't help but be somewhat surprised, letting out a soft "Eh," before pulling his arms back and exerting force to snatch the spear back.

Li Ji, of course, couldn't let him easily take back the weapon, so he also mustered all his strength and pulled the spear shaft towards himself. The two of them each held one end, exerting all their strength, as if in a tug-of-war, but the spear seemed to be fixed in the air by magic, only rotating left and right, but refusing to shift to either side.

The reason for the spinning was that the horses were circling—with the middle of the spear shaft as the center, the two riders' eight hooves made a continuous "clattering" sound as they circled three times. Yet, the two riders were evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand. Li Ji thought to himself, "Since I transmigrated, I've never seen anyone whose strength can rival mine..." The general opposite him was also astonished, never expecting such a powerful person to exist in the world!

But continuing this stalemate wouldn't end well. Li Ji thought to himself, this guy came with five or six riders, while I only have Jia Huai behind me... and I can't hear him or see him. Could Jia Huai have run away? Then I only have one option left: to run away...

With a quick thought, he suddenly let go of his hands.

His original intention was to use the momentum to shove the other man off his horse so that he could take the opportunity to escape. But who would have thought that although the general was caught off guard, he suddenly pulled back his lance, leaned back, but only staggered for a moment. Then, with a twist of his wrist, he forcefully pushed the lance ferrule to the ground and sat firmly back on the saddle!

Li Ji thought to himself, "Wow, he's amazing! In terms of pure strength, I might not lose to him, but when it comes to horsemanship and horseback combat skills, even three of me wouldn't stand a chance! I can't even hope to escape unscathed, let alone win!"

His eyes darted around as he scanned the surroundings, searching for a way out, only to be surprised to find that the two fleeing rebel soldiers were dead on the ground.

It couldn't have been me who shot it. If I could kill two people with one arrow, would I need to learn archery from Chen Fu?

Seeing the enemy general circle his horse back and level his long spear again, seemingly intending to stab him, Li Ji hurriedly raised both hands and shouted, "Wait! Are you Tang soldiers? You're on our side!"

The other man paused for a moment, the tip of his spear pointing directly at his face, holding back his attack, but asked, "Aren't you a traitor?"

Li Ji smiled bitterly and said, "If I were a traitor, why would I be chasing after rebel scouts?" He then bowed from his horse and said, "I am a captain of the Imperial Guard, and I have come from Xijing on the orders of Marshal Li."

The other party looked somewhat bewildered: "Marshal Li? Is that His Highness Prince Guangping? From Xijing? Could it be Xijing..."

Li Ji nodded and said, "It was recovered at the beginning of the month."

The general was both surprised and delighted, and hurriedly asked, "If that's the case, when will our army retake Tokyo and come to relieve Suiyang?!"

Li Ji knew he had no other way out, so he probed the situation, hoping for a stroke of luck—if these people were also rebels, there was no reason they would let down the two he was chasing. Seeing that the other side, upon hearing that Xijing had been captured, asked when they would come to rescue Suiyang, their eyes filled with longing, it seemed genuine. Li Ji calmed down a little, breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately asked, "May I ask your name, General, and where your troops are from?"

“Wei people from the south, eight.”

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Nan Jiyun, one of the eight great generals of the South, was from Dunqiu County, Wei Commandery. He was skilled in riding and archery and could wield a spear. Due to poverty, he joined the army. After the rebellion broke out, he served under Zhang Xun, the magistrate of Zhenyuan.

Nan Jiyun had broken out of Suiyang City to seek reinforcements and temporarily encamped south of Bian River, planning to storm into the city early the next morning to assist in the defense. To prevent the news from leaking and the rebels from taking precautions or launching an attack that very night, he personally led several teams out to search for and kill the rebel scouts on the south bank of the Bian River, where he unexpectedly encountered Li Ji.

Although Li Ji was dressed as a commoner, the powerful bow in his hand and the fine horse he rode clearly indicated he wasn't an ordinary person. Therefore, Nan Jiyun had initially planned to kill him all, regardless of his appearance, for the safest course of action. As for Li Ji's pursuit and shooting of the rebel cavalry, due to the sudden encounter, Nan Jiyun hadn't considered it at first glance. It wasn't until Li Ji began to test him that he realized—that's right, this strong and powerful man before him seemed to genuinely not be with the rebels…

Li Ji then took out the official document he had secretly hidden in his bosom and showed it to Nan Jiyun. The latter was literate, and indeed saw that it stated that Li Ji, the Deputy Commandant of Guo, and Chen Fu, the Commandant of Yihui, were on official business to travel east by secret orders from the General's Office. All local officials and military officers were required to provide assistance and even obey his commands. The document was stamped with the seal of the "Marshal of the Armed Forces of the Realm." Nan Jiyun had no further doubts and quickly dismounted to greet Li Ji.

Only then did Jia Huai spur his horse to catch up.

In fact, he had arrived long ago. He saw Li Ji fighting with someone from afar, and they seemed to be evenly matched. He couldn't help but feel intimidated, so he hid by the roadside, not daring to rush in, wanting to observe the situation first. Only when Li Ji and Nan Jiyun shook hands and made peace did he dare to show his face.

Nan Jiyun invited Li Ji and others to rest at his camp, and Li Ji agreed. The two rode side by side, and Nan Jiyun inquired about the situation on the western front. When he heard that 60,000 enemy soldiers had been killed in the Battle of Xiangji, and that Tian Qianzhen had been captured alive in a night chase, he couldn't help but put his hand to his forehead and exclaimed with relief, "This is Heaven's blessing upon our Tang Dynasty!"

He then asked Li Ji, "I never imagined that there was such a brave warrior as Li Zhiguo in the army. I am not boasting, but since joining the army, I have followed Lord Zhang in hundreds of battles, big and small. With just a spear and a bow, I am unmatched on the battlefield. Only today, when I saw Li Zhiguo, did I finally meet my match."

Li Ji quickly waved his hand: "I am just stronger, but I can't use a spear, and my horsemanship and archery skills are only average. How can I be compared with General Nan? If we were truly enemies, I would probably be lying dead in the wilderness by now."

Nan Jiyun quickly apologized, saying that he had been rash and should have asked first before taking action... He then asked, "At the beginning of the year, we received news from Fengxiang that the Sage Yun ordered the Shence Army to enter the city for defense. Is Li Zhiguo perhaps a valiant soldier in the Shence Army?"

Li Ji smiled and said, "I wasn't born into the Shence Army... To be honest, I was promoted because I was a bodyguard for the marshal, and I have little experience in battle..." It seemed that the only battle he had actually fought was the night chase after a traitor, and both sides only had a couple hundred cavalry, so it was just a small-scale battle.

Nan Jiyun said, "What a pity. With Li Zhiguo's abilities, he would surely have been able to slay generals and capture flags on the battlefield, establishing great achievements..."

He was speaking from the heart, not flattery. Although Li Ji had come on the orders of the marshal, he was ultimately just a minor deputy lieutenant, while Nan Jiyun had already risen to the rank of lower-ranking military commander and the fifth-grade general of Ningyuan, several ranks lower.

The key issue is that Nan Jiyun has always been arrogant and conceited. Of all the people he's known, only Lei Wanchun, who also served under Zhang Xun, could hold his own against him for a few rounds. On the battlefield, he was virtually invincible. Who would have thought he'd run into Li Ji today? Li Ji said he "can't use a spear, and his horsemanship and archery are only mediocre." Nan Jiyun took this as a humble remark, assuming the other man was afraid to admit he could use a spear because he'd seen his skill... Even if your horsemanship, archery, and spearmanship are inferior to mine, your strength alone surpasses Lei Wanchun's! I never expected there to be such a brave warrior among the young!

It's a pity that such a brave warrior was only used to protect the marshal, and was not allowed to go to the battlefield to charge into battle...

As they spoke, they arrived at the camp. Nan Jiyun then summoned a military general named Lian Tan to meet Li Ji.

Li Ji was initially reassured when Nan Jiyun said he had returned with reinforcements. However, upon closer inspection, the camp appeared sparse. Based on his keen eye, honed from secretly observing military training in Fengtian City, he estimated there were at most three thousand men. The besieging rebel army was said to number over one hundred thousand; even if that was an exaggeration, there were at least forty or fifty thousand. How could three thousand men possibly lift the siege?

He casually asked, "Is General Nan leading the vanguard? The main army is following behind; how many days will it take to arrive?"

Upon hearing the question, Nan Jiyun's face immediately darkened, and he sighed softly, "Where did this large army come from? I only have these two thousand soldiers, and I intend to fight to the death with Suiyang City..."

Li Ji frowned: "Where is General Helan now? Why don't we ask him for a large army to come to our aid?"

Nan Jiyun sighed, "The military commander is stationed in Linhuai, and I just came from Linhuai... yet he refuses to come to my aid!"

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Listing Instructions

The editor said to me, "It's ready to go—anything exciting happening lately?" I said yes, we're going to save Suiyang.

Actually, in the earliest outline, there was a scene of beating up the Crown Prince of Yehu and searching for the Shen family's pearl, but there was no scene of saving Suiyang, because... I really didn't dare to go through with it.

According to historical records, Nan Jiyun broke through the siege to seek help in Linhuai in August of that year; he returned empty-handed and, with the help of Lian Tan, re-entered Suiyang in the intercalary August. Then, in early September, the Uyghur army arrived in Fengxiang, and Emperor Suzong finally decided to advance the entire army eastward. After the victory at Xiangji, Chang'an was recaptured on the day of Guimao (according to my conversion, it was the 28th of that month).

On the 16th of October (Gengshen day), An Qingxu abandoned Luoyang and fled to Hebei; on the 18th (Renxu day), Li Chu (also known as Li Yu) led his troops into Dongjing (Kaifeng). However, prior to this, on the 9th (Guichou day), Yin Ziqi had already captured Suiyang, resulting in the deaths of Zhang Xun, Nan Jiyun, Lei Wanchun, and thirty-six others. Xu Yuan was also killed while An Qingxu was fleeing after being taken to Luoyang…

Therefore, Li Ji had to both beat up the Crown Prince of Yehu and search for Shen's pearl, so he really didn't have time to make a trip to Suiyang City, let alone go south to Pengcheng and Linhuai to ask for reinforcements.

Originally, this book wasn't intended to change the course of history so quickly; the early stages were merely planting the seeds of change, to gradually blossom and bear fruit later. However, after writing more than half of the first volume, I became increasingly frustrated. If I were to put myself in that era, even though I knew history had its own laws of development and I couldn't force it, there were some things I simply couldn't avoid getting involved in, and some people I simply couldn't leave unattended! For example, if I were to travel to the early Southern Song Dynasty, even with only a one in a million chance, who would willingly avoid the Fengbo Pavilion?

In the first month of the fifteenth year of the Tianbao era (756 AD), Yan Gaoqing was defeated and killed. At that time, Li Ji of the Tang Dynasty was still living in seclusion in Yingyang with Li Mi. The later Li Ji had not yet traveled through time and could not exert any influence, which is still debatable. But what about Suiyang, almost two years later? Couldn't they have tried to intervene and change the course of history?

In my mind, among all the famous generals who defended cities throughout history, none surpassed Zhang Xun and Chen Gui. However, Chen Gui was mainly known for his writings; in the Battle of Shunchang, which influenced the overall situation of the country, he was merely Liu Qi's assistant. Zhang Xun, on the other hand, was capable of defending an isolated city for a year despite lacking troops and food, fiercely resisting an enemy a hundred times his size. In terms of integrity, he fought with such fierce determination that he "grinded his teeth until they were shattered" and ultimately died cursing the rebels. But most importantly, he secured the Huai River with Suiyang, completely disrupting the rebels' offensive.

In the early stages of the An Lushan Rebellion, local military governors, through their selfless and courageous battles, held back the rebel army, allowing the Tang Dynasty time to regroup and launch a counterattack. This period saw the emergence of four loyal and valiant figures on three main battlefields. The first was the Yan brothers, Yan Gaoqing and Yan Zhenqing, in Hebei. However, with the fall of Chang'an and the deterioration of the situation in Hebei, the former died and the latter fled, no longer posing a significant threat to the rebels. The reason the rebels hesitated to launch a large-scale westward offensive to pursue Emperor Xuanzong and his son Emperor Suzong after capturing Chang'an was due to the unwavering defense of Nanyang and Suiyang.

After raising his army, An Lushan advanced rapidly, capturing both capitals (Chang'an and Fanyang) within three years. This stretched his power from Fanyang to Chang'an into a long, winding line, making him vulnerable to being cut off midway or, as Li Mi had planned, simultaneously attacking both Chang'an and Fanyang, thus exhausting him. Therefore, it was essential to control the entire Henan region, and even threaten the Huai River region and Xiangfan, to solidify his foundation. It was precisely Lu Jiong's defense of Nanyang and Zhang Xun's defense of Suiyang that completely shattered the rebels' plans and gradually built up the strength for a counterattack.

However, Lu Jiong's defense of Nanyang was not sustainable. After a year of fierce fighting, the city finally fell, forcing him to flee south to Xiangyang. Moreover, judging from his experiences during the war and later, he was not a true military genius. Only Zhang Xun, because Suiyang was strategically located on the Bian River, defended it to the death for the greater good, even when the city fell. Furthermore, he led exhausted and starving soldiers against an enemy a hundred times their size, yet managed to inspire the city's people to fight to the death for him. He also repeatedly devised ingenious counterattacks, decisively defeating figures like Yin Ziqi. The ultimate fall of Suiyang was not due to Zhang Xun's lack of ability, but purely to the lack of internal supplies and external reinforcements. Had he been given three more days' worth of provisions, the city would not have fallen and he would not have perished!

Just three days after the city fell, the newly appointed military governor of Henan, Zhang Hao, finally arrived with his army, defeated Yin Ziqi, and recaptured Suiyang City...

Just three days! History is so merciless!

Suiyang fell and was then recovered, but sadly, Zhang Xun, Nan Jiyun, and Lei Wanchun did not live to see this moment... I wonder if Xu Yuan, imprisoned in Luoyang, received this news before his death. If he did, perhaps he could die without regret and close his eyes with a smile...

So how could Suiyang ignore it? How could Zhang Xun not come to the rescue? How could they not help General Lei, who remained unmoved despite being hit by six arrows, and Nan Ba, who had lost a finger and was pleading for help?! Even if the protagonist didn't know this part of history, upon hearing their cries from afar, he should still do something!

That's why the second volume begins with the rescue of Suiyang, both to satisfy the readers and to put my own conscience at ease. History cannot be rewritten, and the blood of the loyal cannot be recovered, but I hope that in the novel, I can give the eternal heroes of the Chinese nation a better ending. If their spirits can be enshrined in the book, perhaps it can offer some solace to their hearts.

Just like Zu Ti, whom I described in "Lehuma".

If time is tight, then I'll just make some minor revisions. After all, it's a novel, and the butterfly effect of a time traveler will always create some ripples different from before. For example, some people actually say that the Spanish colonization of the Americas caused Emperor Chongzhen to hang himself on Coal Hill... If this is used to study history, it's pure nonsense; but if it's used to structure a novel, it's not entirely unreasonable.

For example, didn't Li Ji shoot and kill a bandit after leaving Tanshan? Perhaps his men, terrified, fled east and joined the rebels, and later, dissatisfied with their treatment, their camp rebelled, thus tying down Yin Ziqi's forces and easing the siege of Suiyang.

……

I've inadvertently written so much about the events in Suiyang, and it has absolutely nothing to do with whether it's published or not... Please forgive me, dear readers; I simply had something on my mind that I had to get off my chest. In short, what follows is the plot about saving Suiyang, and I'm taking this opportunity to publish it. It didn't cost much, and I hope you'll be generous enough to support me with a small donation.

Just imagine, if Zhang Xun had survived, with his talent and the bravery of Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun, even without a protagonist, wouldn't the future Tang Dynasty have been completely transformed? In my opinion, Zhang Xun, as a military commander, was on par with Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi, and might even have been superior.

Starting tomorrow, I'll be updating paid chapters. I'll try to update more frequently in the first few days, so please look forward to it.

Chapter Six, The Offspring of the Xianbei

According to Nan Jiyun, the rebel army this time claimed to have more than 100,000 troops, with Yin Ziqi as the main general and Yang Chaozong as the deputy general. It also included cavalry from the Turkic, Tongluo, and Xi tribes, and their advance was fierce. Zhang Xun led them to fight desperately and also seized opportunities to go out of the city to counterattack on several occasions. They killed countless rebel soldiers and captured a large number of carts, horses, cattle, and sheep.

However, killing over 100,000 people was not so easy. The rebels regrouped after their initial defeat, surrounded the city on all sides, and attacked day and night, causing heavy casualties on the defending side. In particular, Suiyang originally had enough grain to last a year, but half of it had been diverted by Li Ju, the former military governor of Henan, to aid Puyang and Jiyin. Xu Yuan repeatedly pleaded with Li Ju, but Li Ju ignored him. As a result, after more than half a year of siege, even with occasional spoils, the food supplies within the city gradually ran out.

Nan Jiyun said that when he came out of the city to ask for help last month, the soldiers could only get a spoonful of rice a day and had begun to slaughter their warhorses; as for the civilians, they could only peel tree bark and even eat straw paper...

Seeing that the supplies were running out, Zhang Xun knew that he could not defend Suiyang City on his own, so he ordered his brave general Nan Jiyun to break through the siege and seek reinforcements.

So where could they seek reinforcements? The closest was Xu Shuji, the prefect of Lingchang. Since the fall of his territory, he had led his troops south and subsequently incorporated several defeated armies, now encamped in Pengcheng. Nan Jiyun went to plead with Xu Shuji, emphasizing that the rebel army was exhausted and, despite their numbers, seven or eight thousand fresh troops could be mobilized to coordinate with Zhang Li and potentially lift the siege. Xu Shuji, with tens of thousands of troops, could certainly provide seven or eight thousand men.

To everyone's surprise, Xu Shuji showed no intention of sending troops, instead bestowing upon Nan Jiyun several thousand bolts of cloth as military supplies. Nan Jiyun was furious. The city was currently short of food; what use was he to cloth? Moreover, how was he supposed to break through the encirclement and bring this cloth into the city?

Enraged, Nan Jiyun spurred his horse, brandished his spear, and cursed Xu Shuji, demanding a duel. Xu Shuji, of course, dared not refuse and ordered his men to drive Nan Jiyun out of the city…

After returning empty-handed, Zhang Xun had no choice but to order Nan Jiyun to leave the city a second time the next day to plead with Helan Jinming. The reason he hadn't sent anyone to find Helan Jinming before was because the location of that military commander was too remote.

Helan Jinming was stationed in Linhuai. The Henan Circuit of the Tang Dynasty covered a vast area, roughly encompassing what is now eastern Henan Province, Shandong Province, and northern Anhui Province. It bordered the sea to the east, the Yellow River to the north, and the Huai River to the south. Linhuai, as its name suggests, was located on the banks of the Huai River, at the southeasternmost tip of its jurisdiction…

Nan Jiyun led thirty elite cavalrymen out of the city. The rebel army came to intercept them, but he shot them from both sides, killing those hit instantly. He successfully broke through the encirclement. He then rode day and night, covering a distance of eight or nine hundred li, and arrived in less than three days—of course, most of the warhorses were exhausted by the journey—to a Buddhist temple in Linhuai to see Helan Jinming.

However, Helan Jinming refused to send reinforcements, saying, "The fate of Suiyang is already decided, what benefit would there be in sending troops?"

Nan Jiyun kowtowed and wept, saying, “Suiyang has been besieged for more than half a year. At first, there were five or six thousand soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians in the city. Now, most of the soldiers have died in fierce battles with the rebels, and the women, children and the elderly have almost all eaten each other. There are only one or two thousand left... We should have used ourselves as bait to restrain the rebels so that the Grand Master (He Lan Jinming was originally the Grand Censor) could slowly gather supplies. However, if Suiyang is lost, Linhuai will be next. We are as close as skin and hair, as interdependent as lips and teeth. How can we not save it?”

"Ji Yun braved the enemy's blades, broke through the encirclement, and prostrated himself here to beg for your help. You should have responded immediately, but why have you made so many excuses? Is this what a loyal and righteous man should do? You say that the fate of Suiyang is sealed, but I believe that the city may not have fallen. I earnestly request that you send troops to its rescue. If the city has already fallen by then, I am willing to die to atone for your sins!"

Despite repeated pleading and weeping, Helan Jinming remained unyielding, refusing to agree. However, seeing Nan Jiyun's loyalty and bravery, he offered him food and drink, hoping to recruit him. Nan Jiyun said, "When I left Suiyang, the soldiers were subsisting on tree bark and straw paper for nearly a month. Since you, sir, refuse to send troops, even the best food and drink cannot be enjoyed alone—and even if I did eat it, it would be difficult to swallow." He then bit off his left middle finger and gave it to Helan Jinming as a token—to show that he had indeed been there—and left without eating.

But the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. After mounting his warhorse, Nan Jiyun could no longer hold back. He drew his bow, nocked an arrow, turned around and shot, hitting the temple pagoda squarely and embedding it more than an inch deep in the brick. He then swore, "Once I have defeated the enemy, I will surely destroy Helan!"

Although he said he would "return after defeating the enemy," he was actually prepared to perish with Suiyang. However, after days of riding, he and his horse were exhausted and collapsed. If he returned, he wouldn't even be able to break through the city's siege. Therefore, he took a detour on his return journey, first going to Zhenyuan, where Zhang Xun had started his career. Zhenyuan's magistrate, Li Ben, gave him a hundred horses. Ningling, northwest of Suiyang, had not yet fallen, so he rushed to Ningling. The garrison commander, Lian Tan, mobilized all the city's soldiers, gathering nearly three thousand men, to come and rescue Suiyang.

Or rather, let's all die together with Zhang Xun and Nan Jiyun!

Nan Jiyun and Lian Tan, with tears streaming down their faces, then beat their chests and stamped their feet, drawing their swords and striking stones, recounting their past to Li Ji in a mixture of sorrow and anger. Li Ji, who had been waiting for this story, was immediately enraged upon hearing it, his anger rising like boiling oil, reaching the very top of his head!

Unable to contain himself, he burst into a tirade: "Helan Jinming, that damn bastard... a Xianbei bastard, a cowardly scoundrel! When he received his orders, the military clerk reminded him that the key to the Battle of Henan was Suiyang, and asked him to make sure to save Suiyang. Who would have thought that this fellow... this is intolerable!"

He almost blurted out, "I'll go into Suiyang City with you! I'll die with you!"

Unexpectedly, Jia Huai secretly tugged at his collar.

Jia Huai was worried that Li Ji might act impulsively and join forces with Nan Jiyun and others.

They were going to their deaths together. Although he was just a江湖人士 (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world) with no great ambitions, after listening to Nan and Lian's account, he couldn't help but be furious. He thought to himself, "So all officials are like this? What's the point of the Tang Dynasty protecting them?!" What about Li Ji?

Because Li Ji was so well disguised, in Jia Huai's mind, he was still a naive young man—although he had taken his poison, this little bit of cleverness couldn't cover up his recklessness—plus, he was confident in his martial prowess and was said to have little experience in battle, so he might as well go and charge into the 100,000 or so rebel troops under the walls of Suiyang... If he went, what should I do? If I followed, I would also die, and I would definitely die faster than him; if I didn't follow, and Li Ji died because of this, how could the Marshal and the Sima let me off so easily?

So he quickly tugged at the other person's clothes, reminding Li Ji—please stay calm, we don't have a mission, we can't risk our lives here.