Juyong Pass is located near the Youzhou side, within the rebel army's main camp.
To avoid any unforeseen complications, Liu Ziyu, who had proclaimed himself the General Who Punishes the Rebels, had already ordered his 100,000 troops to rush to Juyong Pass day and night. He himself led 20,000 cavalrymen and 30,000 Turkic cavalrymen as reinforcements to arrive at the outskirts of Juyong Pass ahead of time and set up camp.
Together with the rebels north of Juyong Pass, they formed a pincer movement, encircling the 20,000 Tang imperial guards inside Juyong Pass, along with Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, who was personally leading the expedition.
Furthermore, upon arriving at Juyong Pass, Liu Ziyu immediately dispatched messengers to the headquarters of another rebel army to deliver orders, aiming to launch a pincer attack and wipe out the 20,000 imperial troops in one fell swoop.
Ideally, Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an, should be killed in the Battle of Juyong Pass.
If that were to happen, the entire Tang Dynasty would immediately fall into a state of leaderlessness, and Liu Ziyu could take advantage of the chaos to fish in troubled waters.
Inside the rebel army's central camp, Liu Ziyu was summoning his generals and the newly appointed Turkic Khan, Batel, to discuss a pincer attack on the imperial guards the following day.
Liu Ziyu said, "Gentlemen, the imperial army of 20,000 men, after several days of fierce fighting against the punitive expeditionary forces of Gui, Shun, and Tan prefectures outside Juyong Pass, is now at its last gasp."
"According to scouts, the imperial army inside Juyong Pass currently numbers less than 15,000, while our two armies fighting the rebellion together have a total strength exceeding 150,000."
"In the Battle of Juyong Pass, the ratio of our army to the imperial army was ten to one. No matter how you look at it, the advantage in the Battle of Juyong Pass was in our army's favor!"
As Liu Ziyu spoke, he enthusiastically pointed at the combat simulation sand table in front of him, and continued, "Gentlemen, I have already ordered the anti-rebel army north of Juyong Pass to launch a preemptive strike tomorrow to lure the imperial troops into battle, thus creating an opportunity for our army to annihilate the imperial forces."
"Everyone, look this way—"
As he spoke, Liu Ziyu pointed with his sword at the sand table, where a narrow strip of land was surrounded by mountains on two sides.
Liu Ziyu said, "This place is called Jiapigou, the burial ground I chose for the vanguard of the imperial army. It is surrounded by mountains on two sides, making it a natural ambush site."
"My plan is to use the punitive expeditionary force north of Juyong Pass as bait, drawing the main battlefield to Jiapigou, while our main force will move overnight, concealing our cavalry in the dense forests on both sides of Jiapigou."
"When the imperial army and the troops of Gui, Shun, and Tan prefectures are locked in fierce combat, our main force will be poised to strike. With 50,000 cavalry as the vanguard, we will fully utilize their mobility and flexibility to launch a surprise attack from the flank, catching the imperial army completely off guard."
After speaking, Liu Ziyu waved his hand and said, "Now, I will begin assigning specific combat tasks."
"Deputy General Dong Tianbao, listen to my command—"
"Your subordinate is here!"
Liu Ziyu said, "I order you to immediately lead 20,000 cavalry to hide in the mountains to the left of Jiapigou. Tomorrow, upon receiving my order, the entire army will launch a surprise attack, catching the imperial troops completely off guard."
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Liu Ziyu continued, "Khan Batel, I need you and 30,000 Turkic cavalry to coordinate your actions. Set off tonight and conceal yourselves in the mountains to the right of Jiapigou. After the battle, follow my orders and attack the Tang Dynasty's troops from the right flank."
Batel smiled and readily agreed, saying, "General Liu, no problem, no problem. I will personally lead the troops there tonight!"
Liu Ziyu cupped his hands in thanks and said, "Khan Batel, thank you very much!"
Immediately afterwards, combat tasks were reassigned: "Deputy General Liu Ming—"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"This general orders you..."
......
The next day.
The war to quell the rebellion that followed the founding of the Tang Dynasty broke out again outside Juyong Pass in the territory of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.
In this battle, the imperial guards and the elite troops of the rebel armies in Gui, Shun, and Tan prefectures were all deployed, showing a determination to fight to the death.
On the other side of the imperial army suppressing the rebellion, Zhao Zilong, one of the Five Tiger Generals known for his unparalleled courage, led his troops, using the Xuanjia Army and the Iron Pagoda Army to form a light and heavy cavalry formation to charge the rebel army.
On the Youyun rebel side, the rebel forces from the three prefectures of Gui, Shun, and Tan joined forces and, taking advantage of the terrain, deployed defenses layer by layer to resist the imperial army.
On the open field called Jiapigou outside Juyongguan Pass, the two armies lined up and assembled, and a great battle was about to break out.
On the side of the imperial army suppressing the rebellion, Zhao Zilong, clad in silver armor, stood proudly at the front of the army, his Dragon Gallant Silver Spear gleaming coldly in the morning light.
Behind Zhao Zilong stood 10,000 Xuanjia soldiers and 6,000 Tiefu soldiers, their eyes gleaming with determination and their faces filled with unwavering resolve and a willingness to die for their cause.
After the battles with the rebels in the past few days, they were already familiar with the rebels' strength and tactics. Today, they were even more focused on the battle, aiming to defeat the enemy and return victorious!
On the Youyun rebel side, the three commanders—Zhao Xiaofei of Guizhou, Yang Ke of Shunzhou, and Lei Li of Tanzhou—were all clad in bright armor and wielding ring-pommel swords at their waists.
The three rebel generals stood side by side on horseback at the front of the battle, their eyes revealing decisiveness and resolve.
With the great battle imminent, no one spoke, but they all looked at each other in unison, and then nodded firmly.
Thump, thump, thump—
Woohoo—
As the deep drumbeats and mournful bugle calls resounded from both sides, the battle horn finally sounded.
Zhao Zilong was the first to attack, pointing his Dragon Gallant Silver Spear with domineering force as he roared, "Soldiers of the Great Tang Dynasty, follow me in charging into battle, crushing the rebel camp, slaying the rebel commander, and seizing the rebel banner—"
"Kill them!"
At Zhao Zilong's command, a deafening roar of battle cries erupted from the Imperial Guards who had come to quell the rebellion. More than 15,000 light and heavy cavalrymen assembled into battle formations and charged into the rebel ranks.
At the same time.
Outside the Juyongguan-Jiapigou battlefield, General Liu Ziyu of the Youyun "Anti-Rebel Army," who had been closely monitoring the battlefield's movements, never took his eyes off the battlefield, staring intently at the actions of the two armies.
Beside him, Li Meng, the deputy general, reported at the opportune moment: "General, the Imperial Guards of the court have moved!"
As Li Meng spoke, he kept adjusting the angle and direction of his monocular telescope, trying to find that familiar golden figure in the imperial guards who had come to quell the rebellion, but to no avail.
He added, "However, this humble general did not see Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an among the Imperial Guards!"
"Could it be that Chen Huai'an is hiding inside Juyong Pass and did not go on the expedition with the army?"
snort!
Hearing Li Meng's words, Liu Ziyu snorted coldly without expression, and said with a look of disdain, "Lieutenant Li, do you really think that Chen Huai'an is still the Prince of Jin who conquered the world on horseback back then?"
"On the battlefield, swords have no eyes, and now that Chen Huai'an is the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, the supreme ruler, how could he possibly personally ride into battle to kill the enemy again?"
"If I'm not mistaken, he should be somewhere on the walls of Juyong Pass right now, watching the battlefield situation just like us!"
"but--"
Then, Liu Ziyu changed the subject and said sternly, "Does he think that by hiding inside Juyong Pass and commanding from the rear, he can ensure his own safety without any mishaps?"
"Hmph, just daydreaming!"
"Once my surprise troops, hidden in the dense forests on both sides of Jiapi Gully, are unleashed in full force and annihilate the imperial army on the battlefield, the next step will be to launch a full-scale attack on Juyong Pass."
"Today, even if it costs lives, I, the general, will take Juyong Pass and make Chen Huai'an follow in the footsteps of Zhao Gan, the second emperor of the Great Xin Dynasty!"
"General, something terrible has happened—"
Just as Liu Ziyu was confidently dreaming of breaking through Juyong Pass and beheading Chen Huai'an, Li Meng, the deputy general who was standing to the side with his binoculars always on, suddenly exclaimed, "Why haven't the punitive expeditionary forces of Gui, Shun, and Tan prefectures advanced to meet the enemy as planned and deplete the strength of the imperial army?"
Um?
Upon hearing this, Liu Ziyu raised an eyebrow, hurriedly raising his binoculars to observe the battlefield situation while asking sternly with a grim face, "What's going on? What exactly are Zhao Xiaofei, Yang Ke, and Lei Li trying to do?"
As he spoke, Liu Ziyu's monocular telescope had already locked onto the battlefield at Jiapigou.
Just as Li Meng, the deputy general, had predicted, the imperial guards' cavalry were almost about to break through the defenses of the Youyun Anti-Rebel Army, but the Youyun Anti-Rebel Army in the three prefectures of Gui, Shun, and Tan remained inactive.
They didn't even make the slightest preparation for war or defense.
From the perspective of Liu Ziyu, Li Meng, and others, the Youyun Anti-Rebel Army of the three prefectures seemed to have been frozen in place by a celestial being, resigned to their fate and waiting for the imperial guards' cavalry blades to fall on their heads.
Not only were Liu Ziyu and Li Meng taken aback, but even Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, who was watching the battle from the city wall of Juyong Pass, was startled.
He wondered to himself, what are those rebels up to? Why aren't they sending troops to fight them?
Back to Zhao Zilong, who was charging forward on horseback, he also noticed something strange about the rebels, who hadn't even made any preparations to resist.
Even Zhao Zilong, a veteran of countless battles, was unsure of what the rebels were really up to.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The next moment, white flags suddenly appeared on the positions of the Youyun rebels in the three prefectures of Gui, Shun, and Tan.
Immediately afterwards, as if by prior agreement, the soldiers orderly threw their weapons to the ground, then closed their eyes resignedly, awaiting their fate.
Even the three commanders voluntarily removed their swords and faced the imperial cavalry army that was right in front of them with calm and relieved expressions.
The rebels in Gui, Shun, and Tan prefectures actually laid down their weapons and surrendered to the imperial army on the spot before the two armies clashed!
This sudden turn of events not only left Zhao Zilong, who was commanding the imperial guards and determined to crush the enemy camp, completely bewildered, but also caught the rebel general Liu Ziyu, who was watching from afar, and Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an somewhat off guard.
What are these three rebel armies (the punitive expeditionary force) trying to do?
It turns out that ever since the rebel commander of the three prefectures confirmed the identity of the man in golden armor who appeared on the battlefield yesterday as the current emperor, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, he had the idea of surrendering with his troops in the face of battle.
This move was simply to find a way out for his soldiers, so that they would not be purged and their entire families exterminated after the war.
Therefore, after the three generals made a unanimous decision, the rebels in Gui, Shun, and Tan prefectures will raise white flags and surrender to the imperial army on the battlefield today.
As for why these people did not report their surrender to the court to Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an inside Juyong Pass beforehand;
This is because, as the art of war says, "Warfare is based on deception!"
As rebel generals with a "previous record," if they took the initiative to contact the emperor and pretended to surrender with their troops, they would likely be regarded as feigning surrender by Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, thus missing the last chance to seek a glimmer of hope for the lives of their soldiers and their nine generations of relatives.
After all, how could the enemy, who had fought fiercely with the imperial army the day before and whose eyes were bloodshot on the battlefield, possibly choose to surrender in a moment?
Even if they genuinely wanted to surrender, it's unlikely anyone in the imperial court would believe them.
Therefore, after some discussion, the generals of the three prefectures of Youyun finally decided to raise the white flag and surrender their weapons on the battlefield to show the court and the emperor their sincere determination to surrender.
Thus, the scene that is unfolding on the battlefield has come to be.
Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up!
At this moment, Zhao Zilong, the commander of the Imperial Guard who was suppressing the rebellion, was still charging towards the enemy's front line on horseback when he was suddenly caught off guard by the enemy's initiative to raise a white flag and surrender their weapons.
It was clear that the vanguard of the imperial army's cavalry, which was leading the army to quell the rebellion, was less than a thousand paces away from the enemy. The cavalry could reach them in a dozen breaths if they charged at full speed.
Such a critical moment is a true test of the commander's ability to react in battle.
Zhao Zilong acted decisively, shouting loudly to the flag bearers behind him, "Messenger, relay my order: the army will split in two to encircle the enemy!"
"No one may kill rebels who have laid down their arms without my command!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
swish, swish, swish—
Several flag bearers immediately began waving their flags in the wind, signaling the Imperial Guard cavalry, who were charging towards the enemy, to change their original wedge-shaped charging formation into a fan-shaped one, as ordered by their commander Zhao Zilong. Ultimately, they would encircle the rebel army, which had laid down their weapons, from both flanks.
A short while later, Zhao Zilong had already spurred his horse and charged to the front lines of the rebel army in the three prefectures of Youyun.
Behind them, the Imperial Guard cavalry, having received orders, continued their charge to the flanks, drawing a huge oval in front of the rebel ranks and completely surrounding the rebels who had already laid down their weapons.
Despite the general's orders, no one was allowed to shoot down the rebels who had laid down their weapons.
However, these Imperial Guard cavalrymen still aimed their crossbows at the rebels, ready to riddle them with bullets if they dared to make any move.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the soldiers in the rebel formation of the three prefectures of Youyun and Yun, who had already laid down their weapons, parted to make way for Zhao Zilong, the commander of the Imperial Guard, to face the three rebel commanders in the formation.
A moment later, Zhao Zilong spurred his horse forward without hesitation, passing through layers of rebel soldiers and reaching the three rebel generals.
Zhao Zilong, mounted on horseback, roared arrogantly, "Zhao Zilong, the commander of the Imperial Guard of the Great Tang Dynasty, is here! You rebel generals, why don't you dismount and surrender at once!"
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