Chapter Nine: The Battle of Changche

As Huang Chao had anticipated, after the arrival of the Taining Army, the imperial court ceased to send additional reinforcements. Years earlier, Kang Chengxun had led a force of two hundred thousand to besiege the leader of the Ming Sect, Pang Xun, but now only tens of thousands under Song Wei and Qi Kerang remained. This was partly because the grass army was deemed less threatening than Pang Xun, necessitating conservation of supplies, and partly due to the declining strength of the Tang dynasty.

Thus, the standoff between the imperial forces and the grass army settled into a stalemate, each side entrenched in fortified camps, launching probing attacks against one another. Both Huang Chao and Wang Xianzhi were widely connected in the martial world, capable not only of dispatching mobile units to forcibly requisition military provisions but also attracting numerous black market merchants who secretly supplied grain to the rebels. As a result, the rebel army’s logistics remained stable.

Moreover, Wang Xianzhi’s troops had previously suffered an ambush by Song Wei, leaving many skilled fighters wounded, with broken limbs not uncommon. Yet Huang Chao had procured renowned physicians and rare restorative medicines, so the longer the conflict dragged on, the fuller the recovery of these veterans—an advantage over the government forces. Evidently intimidated by Huang Chao’s mobility, Song Wei refrained from launching a full-scale assault on Wang Xianzhi’s weakened unit and instead awaited Qi Kerang’s reinforcements—a delay that cost him the initiative.

“Meng Juehai stands here; thousands will flee before us!” Meng Kai brandished his great axe, spurring his horse with a long, piercing shout. His fierce cavalry charge forced even the stalwart infantry line of the Snow Commander’s “Three Thousand Yue Armor” to yield ground, threatening to break.

In recent years, due to financial constraints, the Taining Army had seen a significant reduction in combat troops, now lean but elite. Of Qi Kerang’s tens of thousands, the vast majority were auxiliary soldiers managing supplies, constructing fortifications, with only about five thousand true combatants.

Huang Chao’s forces, famed for strict discipline and modeled after great Han generals Zhou Yafu and Cheng Bushi, differed greatly from Wang Xianzhi’s loosely organized band. Each soldier was formidable individually; their cavalry formed orderly spearhead formations with precise tactics. Given that Qi Kerang deployed only limited forces in this skirmish, Huang Chao’s side gained the upper hand.

Suddenly, a sharp command to spur the horses rang out, and a cloud of dust billowed as a flood of hooves thundered forward. In a flash, chaos erupted—horses and men toppled, limbs flew. The infantry dispatched to support the cavalry had been cut down, forced into a bloody bottleneck.

“Ye Luoliang of the Pinglu Army’s vanguard is here! Any who dare face death, come forward!” A broad-shouldered man as black as coal, towering like an iron tower, wielded a snake spear and shouted fiercely, his voice deafening.

Song Wei commanded the combined forces of Pinglu, Zhongwu, and Xuanwu military circuits against the grass army, and Ye Luoliang hailed from Pinglu. Since Wang Xianzhi’s troops failed to fully contain Song Wei’s forces, Ye Luoliang’s cavalry pierced through.

The grass army soldiers saw Ye Luoliang’s cavalry arrayed in full armor, their blades and spears gleaming frost-like, their mail shining bright. Even more daunting were their mounts: powerful horses bred from the Jiaodong Peninsula, armored in overlapping iron plates forming horse armor that enveloped them in steel, radiating a chilling metallic gleam. Brass bells hung upon the armor jingled incessantly as the horses galloped, reflecting the sunlight like streaming gold, amplifying the imposing presence of these armored warriors.

Though small in number, this armored cavalry exuded an aura of killing intent like storm clouds blotting out the sun, resembling primeval beasts charging from ancient times.

Armed to the teeth like massive, highly mobile iron-clad war machines, they utterly eclipsed Huang Chao’s light cavalry. Who would not tremble at their sight? It was well remembered that Emperor Taizong Li Shimin had once led 3,500 armored cavalry to rout Dou Jiande’s hundred-thousand strong army, capturing two kings in the Battle of Hulao, shaking the realm with their might.

From the Three Kingdoms through the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the present, armored cavalry had been a decisive strategic force on the battlefield. Their charge could break through millions. These iron monsters, fully clad in steel, were nearly unstoppable. In many famous battles, just hundreds or thousands of armored cavalry could turn the tide and seal victory.

Clearly, though Ye Luoliang shouted boldly, he had no intention of dueling Meng Kai or Huang Chao one-on-one. His plan was to use his few hundred armored cavalry to smash through Huang Chao’s infantry, then, like a hammer striking an anvil, coordinate with Qi Kerang’s Taining troops to crush Huang Chao’s cavalry, delivering a devastating blow.

Yet Huang Chao, watching from behind, laughed heartily. At his command, the cavalry under Meng Kai scattered like a swarm of bees, abandoning Qi Kerang’s infantry to their fate, and spread out around the battlefield.

From the infantry ranks, gleaming war chariots were suddenly pushed forward, drawn by horses and forming a tight formation opposite Ye Luoliang’s armored cavalry.

War chariots! When Zhu Wen first joined the rebels, he noticed Huang Chao’s army possessed a large number of these steel contraptions that should have been obsolete for nearly a millennium. These chariots, primarily wooden but sheathed in iron plates, were apparently converted from large salt transport carts.

Seeing this, Ye Luoliang laughed mockingly: “Huang Jutian, you bandit, you truly know nothing of warfare! During the An Shi Rebellion, Prime Minister Fang Guan used war chariots in battle and was utterly defeated at the Battle of Chentao Slope, losing elite troops and generals, with all supplies destroyed. These ancient relics, discarded for a thousand years, how can you now expect them to fight?”

His words were met with hearty agreement from his armored knights.

The Battle of Chentao Slope, a notorious defeat in the An Shi Rebellion, saw over forty thousand casualties, shattering the Tang’s plan to quickly recover the two capitals, and branding Fang Guan as a mere theorist. It cemented the belief that chariot warfare was obsolete and useless.

Meng Kai immediately retorted: “Our master values chariots for a reason. Recall the Battle of Yunzhou, where our forces used chariots to ambush and kill Xue Chong, the military governor of Tianping. To say chariots are useless is sheer nonsense, foul to the point of stench.”

Ye Luoliang sneered: “Though Xue Chong descended from the famed general Xue Rengui, he lacked wisdom and courage, reckless and foolhardy, falling into your trap. His death was no testament to chariot effectiveness. Besides, Xue Chong lacked armored cavalry, whereas our armored knights can face a hundred foes alone, easily shattering your large but hollow chariot formations—as simple as eating or drinking!”

Belittling one’s own defeated generals to diminish the enemy’s success and boost morale is a common wartime tactic. Ye Luoliang, as a veteran of the Pinglu army, was clearly well-versed in such psychological warfare, not merely a brute.

Meanwhile, Zhu Wen whispered to his second brother Zhu Cun: “Though Ye Luoliang’s words sound plausible, the reality is quite different.”

“Fang Guan used ox carts as chariots without training and lacked impact force. He fought against the wind, while the An Shi rebels used wind to spread fire and smoke, causing his defeat.”

“Our chariots are horse-drawn, expertly trained, and battle-hardened. They are far superior to Fang Guan’s useless scholar’s Spring and Autumn chariot tactics and his superstitious ‘Twenty-Eight Constellations Formation.’”

Fang Guan’s use of ox carts to form the so-called Twenty-Eight Constellations Formation—divided into the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise arrays—ended in disaster when the formations became isolated and unable to aid each other, collapsing in defeat and ridicule thereafter.

Zhu Cun chuckled: “Huang Yanshu’s command is no simple matter for a mere Pinglu vanguard like Ye Luoliang to fathom. That boy is in for a serious beating.”

“Charge, Pinglu armored cavalry!” Ye Luoliang ordered. The armored cavalry formed ranks, their iron-clad horses kicking up dust like thunder, charging like tigers descending a mountain towards Huang Chao’s grass army, moving with lightning speed and sudden turns.

The grass army’s chariot line formed a straight barricade, with iron chains hanging from the chariots. The armored charioteers linked these chains together, creating a connected barrier. The horses pulling the chariots crouched behind them for safety.

Seeing this, Ye Luoliang laughed again: “The enemy’s iron chain links reveal their cowardice! If we overturn a few chariots, the entire chariot formation will collapse! Brothers, follow me and kill Huang Jutian, take his head!”

Huang Chao, watching from afar, smiled without reply, leaping onto a large chariot to personally direct the battle.

The linked chariots had front shields, with troops divided between spearmen and archers on board.

As the armored cavalry charged, the rebel spearmen raised their long spears, ready to meet them.

Ye Luoliang led the charge, eyes blazing, spinning his eight-foot snake spear, its cold gleam blinding and fierce.

Two spearmen on the lead chariot raised their spears to block but were swept away by Ye Luoliang’s spear, flying off with their weapons. The archers on the chariot, about to shoot, were also knocked down by Ye Luoliang’s spear that pierced over the wooden shield. The impact of man and horse hit the chariot like a great river flood.

The chariot jolted, its wheels bouncing, nearly toppling, but the iron chains linking it to adjacent chariots pulled it back into place.

Suddenly, sharp spears thrust from gaps between the chariots, aiming for Ye Luoliang’s horse’s hooves beneath its armor, forcing him to pull back swiftly.

Amid the spear ranks were warriors wielding large double-edged blades known as mo knives—famed during the Tang dynasty and evolved from Han cavalry swords—renowned for cleaving both man and horse with unstoppable force.

Though mo knives were standard issue among Tang troops, Huang Chao’s acquisition of many indicated the rebels had extensive connections.

In reality, mo knives alone could not resist cavalry charges effectively, as they required ample swing space and could not form dense formations. Instead, after spear formations halted the enemy cavalry, mo knife and long-handled axe anti-cavalry squads could flank and strike at horse hooves.

Additionally, the spearmen on the chariots carried shorter but much sharper spearheads, conical or pyramidal, several times sharper than regular spear tips, designed to pierce armor. These armor-piercing spikes were wielded by strongmen, capable of penetrating heavy armor with a single thrust.

Zhu Wen was also beneath the chariots, wielding the famed Daxia Longque saber. Leaping out, he severed the hoof of a Pinglu cavalryman stalled by the spears, unseating him. As Zhu Wen raised his blade to strike the helm, Zhu Cun cut the rider’s head off with a mo knife as easily as slicing tofu.

“Hey, second brother, don’t steal my glory!” Zhu Wen exclaimed.

“You cut down the enemy general Feng Geyin before. I haven’t slain anyone yet; let me enjoy this kill,” Zhu Cun said with a relaxed smile, still wearing his usual simple expression.

Zhu Wen shook his head, sighed, and said, “Our master’s deployment is truly ingenious. Mixing infantry with chariots, originally a Spring and Autumn warfare method, but combined with our ultra-long spear formations and mo knife tactics, plus armored heavy bowmen and armor-piercing spearmen on the chariots, the defense is as solid as an iron fortress, impenetrable.”

“Enemy within twenty steps, release arrows!” Huang Chao called out from a towering chariot, clad in gleaming golden armor, radiating an awe-inspiring presence. His voice alone could rally the entire army’s morale — the mark of a born leader.

Waiting until the enemy was within twenty steps to shoot seemed unusual, but the archers atop the chariots were no ordinary bowmen. They wielded powerful hard bows, firing heavy, armor-piercing cross-shaped arrows, capable of penetrating armor with deadly precision.

These weapons had mostly been seized from the Tang army when Huang Chao had slain Xue Chong, the military governor of Tianping. After training with defected imperial soldiers, the rebel elite’s tactical skills closely matched those of the Tang forces.

Watching his comrades struck by arrows, though clad in thick armor and rarely killed outright, many were wounded, bleeding heavily. Ye Luoliang was shocked and realized he had indeed underestimated his foe.

Dense infantry formations favored spear defense against cavalry, while cavalry formations needed to be loose for maneuverability. Hence, charging cavalry faced not only rows of long spears but also arrows and sword strikes.

The Pinglu armored cavalry surged like avalanches and tidal waves, their valor sufficient to break through Huang Chao’s infantry squares. Yet Huang Chao’s iron chain-linked chariots, relying on their massive weight to halt the charge, rendered even the massive impact of armored cavalry ineffective.

Frustrated by repeated failures, Ye Luoliang ordered his armored cavalry to split and flank Huang Chao’s sides, aiming to strike the vulnerable flanks.

Compared to the Western Liang and Tiger-Leopard cavalry of the late Han and Three Kingdoms period, Tang dynasty armored cavalry had become more agile due to widespread use of stirrups, enabling heavy horse and rider to execute flanking and encirclement maneuvers, dominating battlefields for centuries.

However, Huang Chao had anticipated this. He arranged infantry on the flanks in square formations, set deer horn traps on the ground, and concealed longbowmen inside to harass the attackers, preventing Qi Kerang’s Taining troops from attacking their flanks. Moreover, the chariot formation formed a three-sided box, open only at the rear.

Ye Luoliang’s repeated flank assaults failed under Huang Chao’s expert command, forcing him to withdraw and reorganize. Looking back, he saw many dead and wounded comrades, some horses injured, their riders dismounted and unable to charge.

This grass bandit Huang Chao’s chariot formation had blunted Ye Luoliang’s prized armored cavalry, inflicting heavy casualties. Ye Luoliang dreaded how he would report this to the great commander Song Wei.

“That black-faced brat is nowhere near the salt commander’s caliber. Sanlang, do you want to take his head and earn great merit?” Zhu Cun winked at Zhu Wen.

“Of course I do, but that boy is skilled. In the chaos, killing him won’t be easy,” Zhu Wen replied.

“Heh heh,” Zhu Cun smiled, dragging the corpse of a fallen cavalryman, stripping off his armor. “When the enemy fully breaks, you mount your horse, put on the Pinglu armor and horse armor, and slip in to take his head. I’ll back you up. Nothing’s impossible for those who try. Even if I steal your kill, I’ll make sure you get the credit.”

Gratitude swelled in Zhu Wen’s heart, speechless.

Meanwhile, Ye Luoliang regrouped his cavalry, unwilling to yield, spear pointed forward, commanding his armored knights to charge again, oblivious that his head had become the prize of the two brothers watching keenly.