Treatise on Armament Technology, Volume 33: Strategic Studies—Liang Dynasty, Part 1

Lu Gou’er led a host of over one hundred thousand to surround and press upon Qinzhou A strategic province in modern-day Gansu. The general Yuan Li attacked, broke their lines, and forced them to surrender.

The Minister of the Imperial Stud Taipuqing (太僕卿): A high-ranking official responsible for the empire's horses and carriages, often serving as a military commander Yang Chun conducted a separate campaign against the rebel Chen Zhan. Zhan occupied a dangerous height and held his position. Several generals requested to set ambushes in the mountain paths to cut off the enemy's movements and wait for their grain supplies to be exhausted before attacking. Others wished to cut down the timber and set the mountain on fire.

However—These two tactics are not necessarily wrong; it was simply that the timing was not right for them.—when it came time to advance and attack, Chun said, “Neither of these are good plans. Since the government army arrived, we have been victorious wherever we turned. The reason the rebels have retreated so deep into the wilderness is simply to escape death. If we now restrain our various armies and cease our pillaging, the rebels will surely believe we are intimidated by the terrain and will not advance. If we wait until they are off their guard and then strike with vigor, we can pacify them in a single move.”

He then halted the camp and did not advance. As expected, the rebels came out to raid and forage. Chun further used horses and livestock as bait to lure them. After a long time, he secretly selected elite troops. Holding gags xianmei (銜枚): wooden bits or sticks held between the teeth to prevent soldiers from talking and maintain absolute silence during a surprise attack, they launched a night raid and decapitated Zhan. Both provinces were thus pacified.

As the Wei Northern Wei troops were victorious, the Lord of Wei The Emperor of Northern Wei issued an edict to Yuan Ying, Prince of Zhongshan, ordering him to take advantage of the momentum to pacify and clear the southeast. The people of Wei then pursued...