Military Preparedness Manual, Volume 39

Strategic Studies: Tang Dynasty, Part 3

Page 33

"...and ○ they ○ think ○ of returning ○. Why? ○ Because whenever ○ the government ○ troops ○ depart, ○ they ○ will certainly ○ return ○ south ○ again. ○ If ○ that is ○ so, ○ then ○ the momentum ○ of this ○ war ○ will ○ never ○ have ○ an end. ○ It would be ○ better ○ to first ○ employ ○ them ○ against ○ those ○ cold ○ regions This refers to Fanyang, the rebel power base in the north. to ○ destroy ○ their ○ nests ○ and dens. ○ Then ○ the ○ rebels ○ will have ○ no place ○ to ○ return, ○ and their roots ○ and foundations ○ will be forever ○ severed. ○ The Emperor ○ said, ○ 'I ○ am consumed ○ by the longing ○ to see my parents ○ morning ○ and evening Emperor Suzong is expressing his urgent desire to recapture the capital to reunite with his father, the retired Emperor Xuanzong.; I ○ cannot ○ wait ○ for ○ this.'"

And so it was.

Yin Ziqi A prominent general under the rebel Yan state. again led his troops to attack Suiyang Suiyang was a strategic city protecting the grain supplies of the Yangtze-Huai region.. Zhang Xun The commander of the Suiyang defense, celebrated for his extreme loyalty. said to his generals and soldiers: "I have received the nation's grace,

His words were worth a thousand gold pieces original: 言勝千金

○ and so ○ what I ○ defend ○ is ○ simply ○ death ○ itself. ○ My only ○ thought ○ is for ○ you ○ gentlemen ○ who sacrifice ○ your lives ○ and fight ○ with all ○ your strength, ○ yet ○ your rewards ○ do not ○ match ○ your merits. ○ It is because ○ of this ○ that ○ my heart ○ aches." ○ The generals and soldiers were all inspired and asked to exert themselves. Xun then brought out oxen to feast the soldiers term: 饗士 (xiǎng shì) - The ritual of providing a grand meal to troops before a decisive or desperate battle., and the entire army
went out to battle. When the rebels saw how few troops there were, they laughed at them. Xun held a flag and led the various generals to charge directly into the rebel formation;
the rebels were then utterly routed. The next day, the rebels gathered their forces again and arrived at the city walls. Xun went out to fight day and night...
slaves... The character '奴' (slave/servant) appears here, likely beginning a description of the desperate measures or the composition of the defending forces.