Wubei Zhi (Vol. 17)

[Chen] Jingxuan consulted with the local elders regarding the mountains, rivers, and narrow paths of the region, as well as the locations where the rebels had established their strongholds. He said with delight: "The rebels' elite troops are all stationed on their boats. They have left only the old and weak to guard the camps, yet all their supplies and grain are kept within those camps. This is what is called 'prioritizing combat while neglecting defense' original: 重戰輕防 (zhòng zhàn qīng fáng); a strategic error where one focuses on the frontline battle but leaves the rear vulnerable. Their defeat is now certain."

He then displayed his forces along the river, making it appear as if he intended to cross. The rebels remained on guard day and night, sending out troops to provoke a confrontation. [Chen] Jingxuan did not respond to the provocations. Instead, he secretly dispatched a thousand brave soldiers to attack and set fire to the rebel camps. The rebels were unable to return in time to save them, and their grain and supplies were completely destroyed. [Chen] Jingxuan further recruited expert swimmers to bore holes in the bottoms of the rebel boats; one after another, the vessels sank. The rebels were thrown into a panic and were unable to assist one another. [Chen] Jingxuan then sent his troops to intercept them at key mountain passes while simultaneously calling for their surrender. The rebel masses eventually seized their leaders, Zhao Xiusheng and He Cong, and surrendered.

Huang Chao the leader of a massive agrarian rebellion that spanned much of China dispatched his valiant general Meng Kai at the head of ten thousand men to attack Caizhou. Qin Zongquan the local Tang commander rode out to meet them in battle but was defeated; he subsequently declared himself a vassal to [Huang] Chao.

Previously, the Prefect Cishi: the civil and military governor of a Prefecture of Chenzhou, Zhao Chou, spoke to his generals and subordinates, saying: "[Huang] Chao..."