Upon hearing that Su Hu was mustering his troops to leave the city, Chong Houhu also mustered his troops to go into battle.
After Marquis Su Hu of Jizhou mustered his troops and left the city, he saw that shortly afterward, Chong Houhu's camp was also preparing for battle. Su Hu saw that Chong Houhu wore a phoenix-patterned helmet, golden chainmail, a crimson robe, a jade belt, and rode a purple steed with a large sword resting on its saddle. Su Hu couldn't help but think to himself, "Although Chong Houhu is not upright, he is still a general with great talent." He then stepped forward and said, "My lord, how have you been? I am in full armor and cannot perform the proper ceremony. Today, the emperor is tyrannical, valuing beauty over virtue, and does not consider the well-being of the nation. He listens to slanderous words and forcibly takes the daughters of his subjects as concubines, indulging in debauchery. Soon, the world will be in chaos. I will guard my own border. Why does my lord raise this unjust army?" Upon hearing this, Chong Houhu was furious and said, "You have defied the emperor's decree!" "To compose a seditious poem at the Meridian Gate is to be a traitorous minister, a crime deserving of death. Now, by imperial decree, I shall be kneeling before the gate, yet you still dare to use clever words to evade the issue, wielding weapons and armor to display your tyranny!" After speaking, Chong Houhu turned to his men and asked, "Who will capture this traitor for me?" Before he finished speaking, a general under the left guard, wearing a phoenix-winged helmet, golden armor, a crimson robe, a lion-mane belt, and riding a blue-gray horse, said in a stern voice, "Wait for this humble general to capture this traitor!" After speaking, he and his horse walked to the front of the two armies. It was Mei Wu, a subordinate general under Chong Houhu.
From Jizhou, Su Quanzhong, the eldest son of the Marquis of Jizhou, suddenly appeared, spurring his horse and brandishing his halberd as he charged towards Mei Wu, who met him head-on with his axe.
Axe comes, halberd parries, a phoenix shakes its head as it circles the body; halberd goes, axe meets, never leaving the cheek, passing the forehead. Mei Wu's martial arts were also extraordinary, but Su Quanzhong was a born warrior, his martial arts were superb. The two horses clashed, and in less than twenty rounds, Mei Wu was stabbed off his horse by Su Quanzhong with a single halberd.
Seeing his son's victory, Su Hu ordered the drums to be beaten. On the Jizhou battlefield, generals Zhao Bing and Chen Jizhen charged forward, swords in hand. A shout rang out, and the battle was fierce, the sun blazing, corpses strewn across the fields, blood splattered everywhere. Hou Hu's subordinates, Jin Cai, Huang Yuanji, and Chong Yingbiao, fought and retreated, fleeing to within ten miles.
After Su Hu returned to the city with his troops, he rewarded his generals. One of his lieutenants, Zhao Bing, stepped forward and said, "My lord, although Jizhou has won a battle today, it is but a small place. If Emperor Xin were to send several vassal lords to attack, we would be utterly unable to resist. The best course of action now is to take advantage of Chong Houhu's recent defeat and the fact that his army is demoralized and only ten miles away from Jizhou. We should raid his camp at midnight, slaughter Chong Houhu without leaving a single survivor, so that Chaoge will know the strength of Jizhou. Then we can find a magnanimous vassal lord to go to Chaoge and plead for Jizhou's continued submission to Chaoge. Only then can we repay the people of Jizhou." Upon hearing this, Su Hu said, "Your words are excellent, exactly what I intend." He then ordered his eldest son, Quan Zhong, to lead three thousand men to ambush ten miles west of the city gate, Chen Jizhen to command the left camp, Zhao Bing to command the right camp, and Su Hu himself to command the central camp. At the dead of night, they rolled up their banners, silenced their drums, gagged their men, removed the reins from their horses, and listened for the signal to launch a surprise attack on Chong Houhu's camp.
Meanwhile, Chong Houhu, relying on his talent and acting recklessly, led his troops on a distant expedition, only to suffer heavy losses today, leaving him deeply ashamed. He could only gather his defeated and decimated troops, set up camp, and sullenly addressed his generals in the central command tent: "I have led my army in many years of campaigns and have never been defeated; today, Mei Wu has been lost, and the entire army has been decimated. What can I do?" Huang Yuanji, a general under Chong Houhu, said: "My lord, do you not know that 'victory and defeat are common occurrences in war'? The army of the Marquis of Xibo will arrive soon. With our two armies joining forces, conquering Ji Province will be as easy as turning one's hand. My lord, do not be troubled; you should take care of yourself." Chong Houhu, hearing this, thought it made sense, and thus held a banquet in the camp, drinking and celebrating with his generals.
Su Quanzhong secretly led his troops out of the city, ready to raid the camp. By midnight, they had traveled ten li. Scouts reported to Su Hu, and the Marquis of Jizhou immediately gave the order to sound the alarm. A loud bang, like the collapse of heaven and earth, rang out as three thousand iron cavalry charged into the camp.
Chong Houhu's army was already demoralized after his defeat today, and none of the generals had expected that the Jizhou troops would risk leaving the city to raid their camp. As a result, everyone was drunk in the commander's tent, and the soldiers were left without anyone to command them. How could they possibly withstand the Jizhou army?
The three armies of Jizhou, each brave and determined, charged forward with shouts of battle, breaking through seven layers of encirclement and knocking down all the fierce enemy forces. Su Hu, alone on horseback with only a spear, charged straight into the enemy lines to capture Chong Houhu. Shouts shook the ground at the left and right gates.
Chong Houhu, hearing the sounds of battle in his sleep, rose abruptly, donned his robe, mounted his horse, drew his sword, and charged out of the tent. In the lamplight, he saw Su Hu in golden helmet and armor, a crimson robe, a jade belt, a blue horse, and a fiery spear, shouting, "Chong Houhu, don't run! Dismount and surrender!" He thrust his spear at Chong Houhu's heart. Chong Houhu panicked and met the attack head-on with his sword; the two horses clashed. Just then, Chong Houhu's eldest son, Ying Biao, led Jin Cai and Huang Yuanji to join the battle. Zhao Bing attacked from the left supply gate of Chong's camp, and Chen Jizhen from the right supply gate.
Not long after the battle began, Jin Cai was cut down from his horse by Zhao Bing with a single stroke.
Seeing that defeat was inevitable, Chong Houhu fought his way out. His eldest son, Chong Yingbiao, protected his father, and they fought their way out like stray dogs or fish that had escaped the net. The troops of Jizhou were as fierce as tigers and as ruthless as jackals, leaving corpses strewn across the fields and blood filling the ditches. Su Hu killed the remaining troops of Houhu for about twenty li before ordering the retreat.
Chong Houhu led his defeated army back twenty miles, and in his frustration, he heard a loud shout: "Chong Houhu, I have been waiting for you here for a long time on my father's orders. Quickly surrender and die! Why don't you dismount now!" Chong Houhu was shocked to see this, and his generals Huang Yuanji and Sun Ziyu both went out to fight. Su Quanzhong fought the two generals alone, but he was not afraid. After a few exchanges, Su Quanzhong shouted and killed Sun Ziyu.
Chong Houhu and his son were shocked to see this, never expecting Su Quanzhong to be so fierce. They quickly stepped forward and fought Quanzhong. Quanzhong displayed his divine might, like a tiger stirring the wind and a dragon stirring the sea, and fought off the three generals.
In the midst of the battle, Quan Zhong feigned an opening and with a single halberd ripped half of Chong Houhu's golden leg armor off. Houhu was startled, spurred his horse, leaped out of the encirclement, and fled. Seeing his father's defeat, Chong Yingbiao panicked and lost his composure, caught off guard by Quan Zhong's halberd thrust. Yingbiao dodged hastily, but was struck in the left arm, blood staining his armor, and nearly fell from his horse. His generals rushed forward to support him, saving his life, and they fled.
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