Chapter 13 Winning

Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao disagreed on the temporary peace with Li Tang and divided their troops in Qizhou. After returning to Ruzhou, Huang Chao discussed with the generals and gathered the main force to advance to the Qilu area. Soon, he entered the Laiwu Mountain area and met with Chai Cun, Yue Lingfei, Huang Kui, Sun Mei, Cao Min and other generals who remained in the mountainous area. Ji Zhong had no worries about the death of his mother and recruited hundreds of people to join the Rebel Army. After reorganization, the Huang Chao Rebel Army has 100,000 people, and the soldiers are strong.

In the military account, Huang Chao, Chai Cun, Meng Kai, Yue Lingfei, Huang Kui, Sun Mei, Cao Min, Huang Siye, Lin Yan, Qiao Qi, Niu Feng and Ji Zhong sat together to discuss military intelligence.

Cao Min said angrily, "Since the army left Lu, Xue Chong has acted as the vanguard to encircle and suppress us. Du Yu is in Huazhou, Cao Quanyu is in Yizhou, Xue Neng is in Xuzhou, and Xue Chong has surrounded our left-behind troops many times. This time you come back, and the opportunity to counterattack has come. I suggest that you knock down Xue Chong's main force first and take Yunzhou, and the enemy will be scared. Our army will have a great development in Qilu!"

Huang Chao smiled and said, "What your wife said is very true. We have to teach Xue Chong a good lesson and let him know how powerful we are!" The generals were in favor of taking Yunzhou first and stabbed the heart of the Tang army in the Qilu area to completely break the encirclement and suppressing situation of the Tang army. Huang Chao clenched his fist, and the flame of revenge appeared in his eyes. He shouted, "Then it's decided that the army will be launched tomorrow, surround Yunzhou, and resolutely fight down!"

The next day, Huang Chao led the main force of the Rebel Army to go north to Yunzhou. Meng Kai and Yue Lingfei led 10,000 troops to prevent Cao Quanyu's reinforcements. Sun Mei and Cao Min led 10,000 troops to fight against Du Yu. Chai Cun and Huang Kui prevented Xue Neng from going north. Huang Siye, Lin Yan, Qiao Qi, Niu Feng and Ji Zhong attacked Yunzhou with the army. The rebels were neat and armed with clear armor. Chai Cun and other generals supervised a large number of siege equipment in Laiwu Mountain and came to Yunzhou.

A few days later, Huang Chao led his army to the city of Yunzhou and surrounded Yunzhou like an iron barrel. Huang Chao gave an order: "Attack the city!" The Rebel soldiers scrambled to set up siege equipment and launched a fierce attack on Yunzhou. Xue Chong knew that the Rebels would definitely not spare him. He personally went to the head of the city to supervise the battle, command the Tang army to the death, and all the retreaters were beheaded on the spot. And forced the men in the city to work together to defend the city, and the women cooked and sent them to the wall.

The Rebels attacked for several days in a row. The city of Yunzhou was tall and strong, and the Rebels suffered heavy casualties. At this time, it was almost the Spring Festival, and there was a heavy snowfall. The weather was very cold, and most of the soldiers had not changed into winter clothes. Huang Chao saw that the hard attack was too heavy, so he had to pull the team to the mountains first and fight after the New Year.

The New Year passed quickly, and every family is pushing rice and grinding noodles, making sweet dumplings, and celebrating the Shangyuan Festival. Huang Chao thought, and the soldier said, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will not be defeated in a hundred battles." Why don't I take advantage of the people's holiday to go to the city to feel the reality of the enemy, observe the defense of the city, and then decide on a strategy to attack the city? Thinking of this, he immediately gathered the generals to discuss it, chose some soldiers to dress up as ordinary people, disguised themselves as old farmers, picked up Tangyuan and went out of the camp and went straight to Yunzhou.

Because the rebels withdrew from the siege for a long time and there was a shortage of wintering materials in Yunzhou, Xue Chong had no choice but to open the gate for a limited time every day to make some transactions with outside the city and deliver military supplies, but the inspection of passers-by was very strict. Tang Jun, the gatekeeper, saw Huang Chao carrying sweet dumplings, ragged, walking slowly, and didn't care at all. In this way, Huang Chao successfully entered the gate.

Huang Chao entered Yunzhou and kept walking on the street. Not far away, I saw a group of people pointing to what they were looking at. At this time, an old man selling sugar-coated haws came to the opposite side, wearing a torn cotton-padded jacket and cotton-padded trousers, and kept knocking on the bang in his hand. Huang Chao came forward and said, "Excuse me, what happened in front of you?"

The old man looked at Huang Chao, looked left and right, pulled him to the roadside, and whispered, "A few days ago, Huang Chao led troops to attack the city and went to the mountains. I heard that he would come again. Officials posted a notice to ask the people to produce food, alas! It's going to be a big battle."

While the two were talking, they suddenly heard a rapid sound of horses' hoofs. Huang Chao looked up and saw a group of people flying in. As soldiers ran, they shouted, "Listen, Huang Chao has entered the city. Now the four doors are closed and can't run. If you find someone selling sweet dumplings, please report immediately. Those who do not report will destroy the nine clans!"

Huang Chao estimated that some of the soldiers who entered the city were suspected of being caught by Tang soldiers and couldn't survive to confess that he had entered Yunzhou. Not good! There must be a traitor in the army, and the news has been leaked! Thinking of this, Huang Chao threw down the dumplings and ran east. He quickly got into an alley, then entered a yard and hid behind the door. After the horse team passed, they got out of the alley and ran north. After not running far, he heard the sound of horses' hoofs and knew that the horse team was back. Huang Chao turned around and got into a small courtyard.

Huang Chao inserted the door and was about to enter the room when he saw an old man coming out of the house. It was the old man talking to him on the cross street. Huang Chao hurried over and said, "The old man is fine. Hide me." The old man was stunned when he saw Huang Chao, and then nodded and agreed.

At this time, there was a rapid sound of horses' hoofs in the street, and soon the sound of smashing the door was heard. The old man was so anxious that he didn't have time to say anything. He immediately led Huang Chao to the backyard and walked to a large pile of firewood to let Huang Chao get in. The old man was about to sweep the floor with a broom when the door opened. More than a dozen Tang soldiers broke in and surrounded the old man.

Tang Bing's leader put his waist second-hand and asked viciously, "Old man, why did you insert the door in broad daylight?"

The old man said, "I'm afraid that thieves will come in and steal things."

The leader asked, "There is a big man, where did you hide him?"

The old man looked outside in a calm tone: "The door of my house is inserted, and no one comes in."

The boss scolded: "Nonsense! He clearly got here. You don't want to live!"

The old man pretended to be committened and sighed, "Master, if you don't believe it, please search."

The leader ordered Tang Bing to search, and more than a dozen officers and soldiers immediately entered the house, rummaging through the boxes and cupboards. There was a bang, and a lot of things were smashed, but nothing was found. Several Tang soldiers scolded and chopped up the wood stacks with knives and guns. Fortunately, they did not go to the yellow nest.

Tang Bing tossed for a while and finally left. Huang Chao came out of the wood stack and saw a mess in the old man's house. The old man squatted on the ground and sulked. Huang Chao hurried over and comforted him, "Don't be angry. I'll compensate you in a couple of days."

The old man stood up and said, "Sir, go quickly. They went to the front to search, and they will come back if they can't find anyone."

Huang Chao asked, "Old man, it's not dark yet. Officers and soldiers are everywhere. Where can I get out of the city?"

The old man replied, "You get out of this alley and get into the opposite yard. From the back, you will be the Yuwang Temple. You hide in the temple first. After dark, walk south along the city wall and walk out of a gap of more than two feet. You can go out from there.

Seeing that the old man was kind and honest, Huang Chao further heard: "Old man, what's the beauty of this city? Huang Chao's army can't attack for several days?"

The old man said, "The guest officer didn't know that this city was built during the period of the First Emperor. The city wall was high and thick, with rolling wood and archers hidden in the two compartments." Huang Chao asked, "Is there no way?"

The old man lowered his voice: "If you want to hit the city, you can't enter through the gate, you have to enter through the gap of the Yuwang Temple."

Huang Chao was very happy to hear that. He turned around and wanted to leave. He turned around and asked, "Old man, do you know who I am?" The old man hesitated for a moment and said, "You are General Huang." Huang Chao said, "Don't you afraid of Tang Bing scolding me for killing people and eating people without spitting bones?"

The old man shook his head gently: "That's what the officials said. Can the officials have good words? We poor people are looking forward to your coming.

Huang Chao was very moved when he heard this. He didn't expect the people to respect him so much, so he said, "Old man, do you have red paper?"

The old man replied, "There is no ready-made one. You can buy it in the store."

Huang Chao ordered, "Buy some red paper, tie a lantern, and hang it on the eaves on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month."

After Huang Chao left, the old man passed the news to his neighbors. Soon after, the poor people in the city knew about it, and every family bought red paper to tie lanterns.

Huang Chao returned to the camp and immediately gathered the soldiers to discuss. On the fifteenth night of the first month of the summer calendar, he took 5,000 elite soldiers and touched the moat and quietly entered the city according to the road pointed by the old man. With a cannon, he attacked inside and outside. He quickly broke through the gate and the rebel army entered the city!

At this time, red lights were hung at the door of the poor's house, and the whole city was brightly lit. All the people with red lanterns will not be able to enter; if they don't hang red lanterns, the rebels will rush in and arrest them, killing all the corrupt officials and local tyrants and evil gentry overnight.

Seeing that the general trend had gone, Xue Chong rushed left and right with his own soldiers and wanted to go out of the city. He happened to meet Ji Zhong leading a team of volunteers to kill him. Ji Zhong shouted, waved a big iron bar, and made Xue Chong's brain burst and die. Tang soldiers knelt down and begged for mercy, and the rebels captured Yunzhou City and shocked Qilu. The next day, Huang Chao opened a warehouse to distribute grain and sent 200 taels of silver to the old man.

Since then, every family has hung a red light on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. This custom has been passed down.

If you want to know what will happen, please read the next chapter.