A troop of Yan cavalry thundered up, their leader roaring, "Kill them all!"
Wu Tong said, "Wait until they come closer, then strike."
Soon the Yan riders were nearly upon them. "Now!" came the shout. At a single command the four great elders and Wu Tong moved with light-footed skill: they leapt, mounted, and surged forward to seize and cut down the Yan scouts. Ever quick, Fei Jing the Drunken Beggar sprang forward with his lightness skill, delivered a flying kick, then two palm strikes in midair — in the blink of an eye he had slain four Yan men. Everyone mounted and, Fei Jing cried, "Raise the righteous banner — forward!" The righteous army spurred on, dust roiling as they raced for Suiyang.
Before long a cloud of dust rose far off: a pursuing force of Yan numbering perhaps fifty or sixty. Wu Tong said, "I'll stay to cover the rear. You all hurry into the city."
Li Qian protested, "The four of us will stay and cover the rear too!"
Wu Tong replied, "Their numbers are not great. I can handle them. If you stay, I'll be distracted." With that he kicked the horse and charged at the Yan force. The pursuing soldiers were startled at Wu Tong's sudden onrush. Several archers raised bows and loosed a hail of arrows — swish, swish — but Wu Tong's Wolong blade swept upward and knocked each arrow aside until he closed upon the Yan ranks. Seeing the commander, Wu Tong leapt in and cut him down before the blade of the commander could fall. In a continuous burst he cut down five men; the Yan formation broke. Wu Tong struck left and right; the enemy horses and men scattered and withdrew. He did not give chase — it was a great victory.
Turning back, Wu Tong saw the righteous army entering the city and rode back toward the gate. The enemy sent more troops in pursuit, but then there came the whistle of an arrow. One feathered bolt sped true and pierced the chest of the Yan officer leading the charge. The shot's speed and force betrayed a master archer — hardly an ordinary soldier's skill. Looking toward the city walls, Wu Tong saw that the arrow had come from General Nan Jiyun. Such prowess was no common soldier's achievement. Then a volley of arrows flew — rapid, deadly, each shot striking its mark like a hundred-pace sharpshooter; one arrow felled a Yan soldier after another. The pursuers cried, "Retreat!" and their mounts, all fine steeds, fled like the wind.
Wu Tong entered Suiyang, where both Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan stood with sincere respect to greet the righteous army. Zhang Xun proclaimed in a respectful voice, "Welcome, anti-traitor righteous army. You risked life and limb to bring supplies. Your cause is for the people and guided by chivalry; on behalf of the Tang forces I offer our thanks."
Fei Jing said, "General Nan Jiyun's archery is wondrous, General Lei Wanchun brave in battle. Generals Zhang and Xu are selfless and work seamlessly together — only by holding Suiyang can we stem the rebels' southward push." Zhang Xun made a gesture and said, "General Xu, this hero is none other than Wu Tong, head of the Loyal-Righteous Hall." Wu Tong saluted, "General Xu, your loyalty to the state is known to all." Xu Yuan answered, "I am but an assistant to General Zhang in military affairs." That night Zhang Xun ordered oxen and sheep slaughtered to reward the troops and steady their spirits. Tang soldiers and the righteous men feasted together — old comrades reunited, cups raised freely without need for many words.
In the days that followed the righteous force aided the garrison in defending the city. Early in May, Zhang Xun ordered drums beaten at night to simulate a sudden sortie — a tactic Wu Tong had seen once before during the defense of Yongqiu. The Yan soldiers on watch were kept sleepless and, after several nights, grew confused. Later the Yan tried to observe the city from flying towers but saw nothing. Hearing the drums, they did not don their armor and fell asleep off their guard. One night Zhang Xun again sounded the war-drums and, finding the Yan defenses slack, dispatched General Nan Jiyun and Captain Lei Wanchun with over a dozen commanders, each leading fifty horsemen to burst from the gate and strike the enemy camp. The Yan, caught unarmored and with horses un-saddled, fell into chaos. In that engagement the Yan lost more than fifty officers and over five thousand rank-and-file men.
One night, when urgent military matters required discussion, the righteous men and the generals gathered in the commandant's mansion. Wu Tong entered with Old Fei, and General Xu rose to speak: "The rebels have lately been harvesting wheat from the fields. This concerns our grain supplies. General Zhang, how do you advise we handle this?" As ever, logistics precede battle: classical tactics often show victory won by denying an enemy its food, forcing retreat when supplies run out.
Zhang Xun replied, "It is harvest time. If we burn the wheatfields to deny the Yan their provisions, we also lose them. Do the generals have proposals?"
Nan Jiyun said, "General, your strategy is peerless; we will follow your lead."
Zhang Xun nodded and turned to Lei Wanchun. "What say you, General Lei?"
Lei answered, "Dare to strike boldly and take them by surprise."
Zhang Xun nodded again, then asked Fei Jing, "Old Fei, have you a plan? I'd hear it." Fei Jing considered and said, "We in the jianghu are no strategists, but we can harry the enemy so their movements are uncertain. For several days we keep them unsettled; when they relax, your troops strike and victory will follow." Zhang Xun smiled and listened. He then told Wu Tong, "We'll have the Beggars' brothers pose as peasants to collect enemy intelligence and mount an inside-outside coup." Wu Tong replied at once, "Old Fei's plan is sound. Let the troops rest and gather strength these days; when the time comes, we strike." That night the generals and righteous men returned to prepare: Tang forces would harass and deceive the enemy while the righteous men, disguised as farmers, gathered intelligence and awaited the signal for an inside-out pincer.