Zhang Xun wept and shed blood to defend Suiyang!! Zhang Xun had been intelligent and talented since he was a child. When he grew up, he was seven feet tall and his beard spread out in anger. Not only was he well-read and talented, but he also had an amazing memory. He could never forget a book he read only three times and would never forget it for the rest of his life. He did not need to draft an article when writing it. Later, when he was guarding Suiyang, there were only ten thousand soldiers, but there were tens of thousands of civilians in the city. Zhang Xun asked everyone's name when he saw them, and everyone he didn't recognize in the future. Zhang Xun also knew how to fight the battle formation. He was popular and ambitious. He liked to communicate with knowledgeable elders and disdained to associate with vulgar people, so that "people at the time didn't know much about it." At the end of the Kaiyuan period (713-741) of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Xun passed the Jinshi title and initially served as Prince Tongshi Shiren. At that time, his brother Zhang Xiao was appointed as the censor. Both brothers were well-known for their literary skills and were highly regarded for a while.

In Tianbao (742-755), Zhang Xun was transferred to Qinghe (now northwest of Qinghe, Hebei). Zhang Xun's character was generous and generous, and he helped those in need. During his term of office, he not only had outstanding political achievements, but was also deeply loved by the people because of his fairness, integrity, and consideration for the people's sentiments. After his term of office expired, he returned to Chang'an. At that time, Concubine Yang's brother Yang Guozhong was in charge of the government, and his power was overwhelming. Some people advised Zhang Xun to follow Yang Guozhong's path and find a good way out for himself. However, Zhang Xun refused sternly, saying: "This is auspicious for the country, and it is not allowed for officials to do so." Soon, he was transferred to the command of Zhenyuan (now the west of Haozhou, Anhui). The true source is located in the Central Plains, and there are many powerful landlords who collude with the government and do evil. The local powerful Hua Nanjin was the most violent, and the locals said: "Nanjinkou, the hand of the Ming Dynasty". After Zhang Xun took office, he executed Huanan Jin in accordance with the law, and then pardoned his accomplices and showed kindness and kindness. From then on, everyone became good. Zhang Xun's administration was simple and simple, so that the people could live and work in peace and contentment.

When Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty Li Longji came to the throne, he worked hard to govern and the country entered its heyday, which is known in history as the "Kaiyuan Heyday". But during the Tianbao period, amid the prosperity of singing and dancing, he began to be complacent and unwilling to interfere in political affairs. He entrusted himself to treacherous people such as Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong. He indulged in pleasure and the politics became increasingly corrupt. On the ninth day of November in the fourteenth year of Tianbao (755), the three towns of Pinglu (governing Yingzhou, today's Chaoyang City, Liaoning), Fanyang (governing Youzhou, today's southwest of Beijing), and Hedong (governing Taiyuan, today's Shanxi) In the name of attacking Yang Guozhong, An Lushan sent 150,000 troops from Fan Yang, claiming to be 200,000, and went south to rebel against the Tang Dynasty, attacking Luoyang and Chang'an (today's Xi'an) (see Fan Yang's Rising of Troops). There has been no war in the Central Plains for many years, and many counties and counties have no troops available and no preparations for emergencies. When local officials heard that the rebels were coming, they either abandoned the city and fled, or opened their doors to welcome them. The An army drove southward and encountered little resistance, and quickly occupied most of the area north of the Yellow River. On December 12, An Lushan led his troops to cross the Yellow River from Lingchang (now east of Huaxian County, Henan Province), and successively captured Chenliu (now Kaifeng, Henan Province) and Xingyang (now northeast of Xingyang) (see the Battle of Xingyang). He defeated Chang Qing's troops in Wulao (i.e. Hulao Pass, now west of Sishui Town, Xingyang, Henan Province) and Kuiyuan, and occupied Luoyang (see the battle of the An Army to capture Dongdu).

After Anlu Mountain captured Luoyang, he made his general Zhang Tong the governor of Suiyang (now south of Shangqiu County, Henan Province), and sent Yang Chaozong, the chief historian of Chenliu (now Kaifeng, Henan Province), to lead thousands of elite cavalry , developing eastward, county and county officials often surrendered or fled. However, when they entered Shandong, they were resisted by Wu Wang Li Zhi, the prefect of Dongping (now part of Shandong), and Li Sui, the prefect of Jinan (now part of Shandong). Officials and people from other places also responded by raising troops to fight against the bandits. When Zhang Tong met to seize territory to the east, Yang Wanshi, the governor of Qiaojun (now Bo County, Anhui), surrendered the enemy and forced Zhang Xun to go to the west to meet the rebels.

In February of the fifteenth year of Tianbao (756), Wei Jiaben, Shan's father (now Shanxian County, Shandong), led his officials and people to conquer Suiyang in the south and killed Zhang Tongmei. At that time, Yongqiu (now Qixian County, Henan) ordered Linghu Chao to surrender the rebels in the city, so he led his army to attack eastward and defeated the reinforcements from Huaiyang (now Huaiyang, Henan) in Xiangyi (now Suixian County, Henan). Linghu Chao took more than a hundred captured people to Yongqiu and prepared to execute them. Just as Linghu Chao was out of the city on business, Huaiyang soldiers took the opportunity to untie the rope, kill the guards, and closed the city to refuse Ling Huchao. Linghu Chao had to leave his wife and children and escape. Then Huaiyang soldiers welcomed Jia Ben into the city, and Jia Ben marched into Yongqiu with 2,000 people.

After Zhang Xun, who met the rebels in the west, arrived at Zhenyuan, he led his subordinates to mourn at the emperor's ancestral temple and announced the rise of troops to fight against the rebellion. There were thousands of officials and people who were willing to accompany him, and Zhang Xun selected 1,000 elite soldiers from them to go west to Yongqiu to join Jia Bi. After Jia Bi and Zhang Xun entered Yongqiu, they first killed Linghu Chao's wife, and then joined forces to defend the city. After Wu Wang Li Zhi heard the news, he immediately appointed Jia Bi as the supervisory censor. In order to avenge the murder of his wife and children, Linghu Chao led his elite troops to attack Yongqiu on February 16. Jia Ben attacked and was defeated and died. Zhang Xun led the troops to fight and repelled the rebels. Because of his bravery in battle, he won the trust of the army and the people and was regarded as the commander-in-chief. Zhang Xunsui also led Jia Ben's troops to continue to defend the city. Within a month, they defeated multiple attacks by the rebels, causing more than half of their casualties. After Zhang Xun reported the battle situation to Li Zhi, Li Zhi entrusted Zhang Xun with the war east of Yanzhou. From then on, Zhang Xun called himself the vanguard envoy of King Wu and took on the important task of defending Yongqiu.

After the fall of Luoyang, the Tang court quickly mobilized and organized troops to fight against the An army in the south and north of Luoyang. In Hebei there were Yan Gaoqing, the governor of Changshan (now Zhengding, Hebei), Yan Zhenqing, the governor of Pingyuan (now Ling County, Shandong), Wu Wang Li Zhi, the governor of Dongping, Li Sui, the governor of Jinan, Lu Quancheng, the governor of Raoyang (governing the southwest of Shenzhou, Hebei), etc. , all used troops to attack Anlu Mountain, blocking and containing the An army, preventing them from advancing westward. At this time, the Tang Army gradually formed two major battlefields: one was to contain the An Army's westward advance; the other was to prevent the An Army from marching south to the Yangtze River and Huaihe River.

The Jianghuai area was the source of wealth for the Tang Dynasty. Once captured by rebels, the consequences would be disastrous. Yongqiu is the main road from Luoyang to the Jianghuai region, and has extremely important strategic significance. Therefore, when the rebels failed to attack Yongqiu for the first time, they were not resigned to this and prepared to attack Yongqiu again. It was already a big battle. Inevitable.

On March 2, Linghu Chao and the rebel generals Li Huaixian, Yang Chaozong and Xie Yuantong led more than 40,000 troops to compete for Yongqiu (Battle of Yongqiu). The soldiers and civilians in the city were in great panic, and no one had the confidence to defend the city. Zhang Xun made a bold decision after thinking calmly and carefully analyzing the enemy's situation. He said to the generals: "The thieves are elite soldiers and they have the intention of underestimating me. If we attack them unexpectedly, they will be stunned. The thieves' strength will be reduced, and then the city can be defended." After hearing this, all the generals agreed. Zhang Xun immediately sent thousands of men to the city to defend the city. He led a thousand men into separate groups and suddenly opened the city gate and rushed straight into the rebel camp. The rebels had just arrived and had not yet established a firm foothold, so they retreated in horror. The next day, the rebels attacked the city again. Hundreds of stone cannons were placed around the city to bombard them. The city towers and the female wall on the city were all destroyed. Zhang Xun erected a wooden fence on the city to block the rebel attack. The rebels in Guizhou were at a loss for resources and had no choice but to attack by force and climb up the city one after another. Zhang Xunyi filled wormwood bundles with grease and burned them before throwing them in. The rebels were so burned that they were unable to climb the city. Sometimes Zhang Xun saw that the rebels were slack and suddenly sent troops to attack; sometimes in the dead of night, he would sneak attack on the enemy camp. After holding on for more than 60 days, after more than 300 large and small battles, wearing armor, eating, binding wounds and fighting again, the rebels were finally driven back, and they took advantage of the momentum to pursue them, annihilating more than 2,000 enemy soldiers, and almost capturing Linghu Chao alive. In mid-May, Linghu Chao once again led troops to besiege Yongqiu. Linghu Chao, who had known Zhang Xun in the past, went to the city in person to persuade Zhang Xun to surrender. Linghu Chao said: "This dynasty is in danger. The soldiers cannot leave the pass, and the world is in trouble. I am guarding the dangerous battlements with weak soldiers, and my loyalty has no foundation. Is it true that I only want to be rich and noble by obeying Prime Minister Yong?" However, Zhang Xun categorically rejected him. He refused, and took this opportunity to shame Linghu Chao: "In ancient times, the father died on the king, and the righteousness was not repaid. The son took his wife as his grudge, and used his power to show off his strength to the thief. I see the king's head leading to the thoroughfare, which will make all generations laugh. What can I do?" After hearing this, Linghu Chao retreated in shame.

At this time, Ge Shuhan stood firm at Tongguan, preventing the rebels from advancing; Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi defeated Shi Siming's troops in Hebei, cutting off the communication line between the rebel front line and Fan Yang's lair; The advance and southward march were blocked by Zhang Xun and Lu Jiong at Yongqiu and Nanyang (now Dengzhou, Henan) (see the Battle of Nanyang). An Lushan could not advance, and the rear was threatened. The morale of the army was shaken, and he planned to abandon Luoyang and withdraw to Fanyang. The war situation took a turn in favor of the Tang army. But at this time, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty overestimated the improvement of the war situation and forced Ge Shuhan to send troops for a decisive battle in June. As a result, the Tang army was defeated in the Lingbao Xiyuan (see Battle of Lingbao). The Tongguan defense line completely collapsed and the counter-insurgency situation became worse. Then it took a sharp turn. A few days after the fall of Tongguan, Tang Xuanzong fled to Shu in panic with his royal relatives. Chang'an was occupied by the An army. Li Guangbi was besieging Shi Siming in Boling (now Dingzhou, Hebei), and was preparing to march north to attack Fanyang. Suddenly he heard that Tongguan had been lost, so he had to break the siege and retreat south, and retreated to Jingxing (now southwest of Huolu, Hebei) with Guo Ziyi. In July, Li Heng ascended the throne as Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty in Lingwu (now southwest of Lingwu, Ningxia), changed the Yuan Dynasty to Zhide, and respected Xuanzong as the Supreme Emperor.

At this time, Linghu Chao had been besieging Zhang Xun in Yongqiu for more than 40 days and had severed contact with the imperial court. When Linghu Chao heard that Chang'an had been lost and Xuanzong had fled to Western Shu, he wrote to Zhang Xun to persuade him to surrender again. Six of the defending generals also believed that the strength of the troops was disparate and Xuanzong's survival was uncertain, so they all advised Zhang Xun to surrender. Zhang Xun pretended to agree on the surface. The next day, Zhang Xun hung Xuanzong's portrait in the hall and led his soldiers to worship. Everyone cried for a while. Then Zhang Xun led six men to the front of the hall, charged him with justice, and beheaded them, which further strengthened his determination to defend the city.

Food supplies were scarce at that time, and hundreds of ships carrying salt and rice sent by the rebels were about to be transported to the front line. Zhang Xun heard the news and adopted the strategy of attacking in the east and attacking in the west. He led his troops out of the south of the city at night. Linghu Chao heard the news and led his troops to fight. However, Zhang Xun sent another warrior to the river to seize the rebels' salt, rice and dendrobium, burned the rest, and then returned to the city safely.

As the rebels continued to attack the city, the city ran out of arrows. Zhang Xun then ordered more than a thousand soldiers to tie straw and put on black clothes, and set them down into the city at night. When the rebels found out, they thought they were coming for a sneak attack and rushed to shoot arrows. By the time the rebels discovered that it was a straw man, the Tang army had already obtained hundreds of thousands of arrows. A few days later, Zhang Xun selected 500 warriors and quietly lowered them into the city in the dark. The rebels thought they were still fools this time and laughed unprepared. These 500 brave men took the opportunity to attack the Linghuchao barracks. The rebels were killed and caught off guard. There was chaos and they burned the fortress and fled. The Tang army pursued them for more than 10 miles before returning. Linghu Chao fell into the trap one after another, and became angry from shame, and continued to increase his troops to besiege the city.

Zhang Xun asked his general Lei Wanchun to talk to Linghu Chao on the top of the city. The rebels took the opportunity to shoot Lei Wanchun with a crossbow. Although Lei Wanchun was shot in six places on the face, he still stood tall and motionless. Linghu Chao suspected that it was a wooden man, so he sent troops to investigate and found out that it was indeed Lei Wanchun. He was very surprised and said to Zhang Xun from a distance: "I have to meet General Lei before I can issue military orders, but how is it like heaven!" Zhang Xun replied: "You don't understand human relations, how can you know the way of heaven!"

Yongqiu was besieged for a long time and all the firewood was used up. Zhang Xun deceived Linghu Chao and said: " If you want to lead the crowd away, please retreat two units to allow me to escape." Linghu Chao didn't know this plan, so he led his troops to retreat. Zhang Xun then led all the soldiers and civilians out of the city for thirty miles in four directions, demolished the houses, took out wood, and then returned to the city. Linghu Chao was furious and led an army to besiege the city again, accusing Zhang Xun of being dishonest in his words.

Zhang Xun said to Linghu Chao: "You need this city and thirty horses. I have the horses and run away. Please take the city as an excuse." Linghu Chao indeed sent thirty horses. After Zhang Xun got the horses, he gave them all to his generals and said to them: "When the thieves arrive, take one of the generals." The next day, Linghu Chao asked Zhang Xun why he didn't go out of the city to surrender. Zhang Xun said: "I want to Go, what can you do if the soldiers don't obey?" Linghu Chao then realized that he had fallen into Zhang Xun's plan again, and prepared to form a formation to attack the city. Before the formation was set up, Zhang Xun's thirty generals suddenly came out, and soon Zhang Xun led another The soldiers went out to fight, captured fourteen rebel generals, killed more than a hundred people, and collected their weapons and horses. The rebels fled at night and withdrew their troops to protect Chenliu, not daring to come out to fight again.

Soon, more than 7,000 rebel infantry and cavalry troops stationed in Baishaduo. Zhang Xun led his troops to attack at night and defeated the rebels. When Zhang's patrol army arrived at Taoling (ten miles southeast of present-day Sishui County, Henan Province), they encountered more than 400 rebel reinforcements and captured them all. Zhang Xun separated the captured rebels and killed all the soldiers from Guizhou (governing southeast of Huairou, Hebei Province today), Tanzhou (governing Miyun, now part of Beijing) and the Hu people; he also killed the troops from Xingyang and Chenliu Then dismiss them and let them return to their respective jobs. Within ten days, more than 10,000 households deserted the rebels and came to join Zhang Xun.

In the same month, Linghu Chao led his troops to attack Yongqiu again. Hu Chao first sent four envoys into the city to persuade them to surrender, but Zhang Xun killed them all, and then escorted their entourage to King Wu Li Zhi. At this point, Zhang Xun led thousands of people to defend the isolated city of April, resisting the attacks of tens of thousands of rebels, and winning every battle. At that time, Li Ju, the king of Guo, the governor of Henan Province, garrisoned Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province) and pretended that Zhang Xun was the vanguard. In the Battle of Yongqiu, Zhang Xun defended the isolated city when the enemy was outnumbered, inspired his soldiers with loyalty, responded to the enemy at the right moment, and was resourceful. As a result, he won the victory in defending Yongqiu and stopped the rebels' attempt to go south.

For a period of time thereafter, Zhang Xun defeated the rebels many times. In August, Li Tingwang, the governor of Henan Province in Anlu Mountain, personally led an army of 20,000 to attack Yongqiu and set up camp 30 miles east of the city to break up Zhang's patrol. Zhang Xun led 3,000 elite troops to attack and defeated the rebels, killing most of them. Li Tingwang gathered his troops and fled overnight. On the fourth day of October, Linghu Chao and Wang Fude led more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry troops to attack Yongqiu. Zhang Xun led the troops to attack, and again defeated the rebels, killing thousands of people, and the rebels fled in defeat. In December, Linghu Chao led more than 10,000 troops to camp in the north of Yongqiu City. Zhang Xun led the troops to attack and defeated the rebels, who fled.

Linghu Chao and Li Tingwang led tens of thousands of troops to attack Yongqiu (now Qixian County, Henan Province). Not only did they fail to capture it for several months, but they were defeated continuously, so they did not dare to besiege Yongqiu easily. In desperation, the rebels had no choice but to set up Qizhou north of Yongqiu in December, build a city and cut off Yongqiu's food aid in order to force Zhang Xun. He also sent troops to capture Lujun (now Yanzhou, Shandong), Dongping (now northwest of Dongping, Shandong), and Jiyin (now southwest of Dingtao, Shandong). They were all captured by the rebels. Li Ju, the king of Guo, the governor of Henan Province, led his troops eastward to Linhuai. The rebel general Yang Chaozong led 20,000 troops and prepared to attack Ningling (southeast of today's Ningling, Henan Province) to cut off Zhang Xun's retreat. Under this situation, Yongqiu could no longer be defended, so Zhang Xun voluntarily abandoned Yongqiu, led 300 horses and 3,000 soldiers to defend Ningling, and joined forces with Xu Yuan, the prefect of Suiyang, Yao Min, the city father's order, and others. On the same day, after Yang Chaozong led his troops to the northwest of Ningling City, Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan sent their generals Lei Wanchun and Nan Jiyun to lead their troops to fight (see Battle of Ningling). After a day and night of fierce fighting, the Yang Chao clan was defeated, 20 rebel generals were killed, and more than 10,000 people were beheaded. The dead bodies filled the Bian River and flowed down. Yang Chaozong gathered the remaining troops and fled overnight. Suzong of the Tang Dynasty issued an edict appointing Zhang Xun as the deputy envoy of Henan Jiedu to direct the operations in the Jianghuai area. Zhang Xun believed that his officers and men had meritorious service, so he sent an envoy to ask Li Ju, the king of Guo, for a letter of appointment and a reward item. However, the king of Guo, Li Ju, only gave thirty letters of commission to Captain Zhechong and Captain Guoyi, but did not give any. Rewarded items. Zhang Xun wrote a letter to blame Li Ju: "The clan is still in danger, and the mausoleum is surrounded and isolated. Can he be stingy with rewards?" Li Ju did not reply.

At this time, the counterinsurgency war gradually deteriorated. In the first month of the second year of Zhide (757), An Lushan was killed by his son An Qingxu, who proclaimed himself emperor in Luoyang. The rebel Shi Siming's troops retook the counties in Hebei, and then besieged the isolated city of Taiyuan (see the Battle of Taiyuan) in an attempt to seize Hedong, and then marched straight to Shuofang, Hexi, Longyou and other places. An Qingxu also appointed Yin Ziqi as the governor of Henan and led his troops to attack Suiyang in order to develop in the direction of Jiangsu and Huaihe and seize the important land of wealth. As a result, the focus of competition between the two sides shifted to the two strategic locations of Taiyuan and Suiyang. If either of the two locations were captured, the consequences would be disastrous. On the 25th of the first lunar month, Yin Ziqi led Gui, Tanzhou, Tongluo, Tujue, Xi and other soldiers to join Yang Chaozong and attack Suiyang with an army of 130,000 (see the Battle of Suiyang). Xu Yuan, the prefect of Suiyang, heard the news and hurriedly reported to Zhang Xun. Zhang Xun led more than 3,000 troops from Ningling to Suiyang, and joined forces with Xu Yuan to kill 6,800 people. With the support of the people in the city, they launched a fierce battle with the rebels. The rebels attacked the city with all their strength. Zhang Xun personally supervised the battle, encouraged the soldiers, and fought hard day and night with the rebels. Sometimes they repelled more than 20 rebel attacks in one day. They fought continuously for 16 days and nights. The Japanese captured more than 60 rebel generals and killed them. There were more than 20,000 soldiers, and the morale of the defenders doubled. Xu Yuan and Zhang Xun were both wise and brave, so they said to him: "A coward from far away has no training in military affairs, but a man from far away is both wise and brave. If you are far away, you will be guarding for me, and if you are far away, you will be fighting far away." From then on, the two of them divided their labors, and Xu Yuan was responsible for arranging military supplies. , repair combat equipment and other logistical support work; Zhang Xun is fully responsible for military command. From then on, the two worked closely together and formed a life-or-death relationship. At that time, Xu Yuan's general Li Tao rescued Dongping and surrendered to the rebels. He also secretly colluded with general Tian Xiurong.

When Xu Yuan found out, he reported the matter to Zhang Xun, who summoned Tian Xiurong to the city and beheaded him in public. Under the stubborn resistance of the defenders, the rebels were unable to attack the city many times and had to retreat at night. Zhang Xun led his soldiers to defeat Yin Ziqi in a row and obtained many chariots, horses, cattle and sheep. He gave them all to the soldiers without taking any for himself. Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty issued an edict to appoint Zhang Xun as the censor Zhongcheng, Xu Yuan as the censor, and Yao Sheng as the doctor of the Ministry of Personnel.

Zhang Xun wanted to take advantage of his victory to attack Chenliu. After Yin Ziqi heard the news, he led a large army to besiege Suiyang again in mid-March. Zhang Xun encouraged the soldiers and said: "I have received the country's favor and guarded it. It hurts my heart to think that all the kings sacrificed their lives to anoint the fields and did not reward their merits." After hearing this, the soldiers were excited and brave. Please fight. So Zhang Xun killed the cattle, held a banquet, rewarded the soldiers, and led the entire army into battle. The rebels didn't take it seriously when they saw that there were few officers and soldiers. Zhang Xun held the battle flag and led his soldiers directly to the rebel camp. The rebels were poorly prepared and collapsed. The Tang army killed more than 30 enemy generals and killed more than 3,000 soldiers, chasing them for dozens of miles. The next day, the rebels came to the city again. Zhang Xun led his troops to fight and repelled the rebel attacks many times. At the most intense period, they fought dozens of times throughout the day and night, defeating the rebels many times. However, the rebels still laid siege to the city. more than.

In May, Yin Ziqi increased the siege troops and the siege became more fierce. In order to tire out the enemy, Zhang Xun often beat drums in the city at night to form a team, as if he was about to attack, so that the rebels did not dare to rest all night long and were on alert. After daybreak, Zhang Xun stopped drumming and stopped his troops. The rebels looked over the city from the flying tower and saw that there was no movement in the city, so they disarmed and rested. Zhang was slack while patrolling the enemy. He and more than ten brave generals, including Shang Jiyun and Lei Wanchun, each led 50 cavalry, made a sudden attack and rushed directly to Yin Ziqi's camp. The rebels were in chaos, killing more than 50 enemy generals and 5,000 soldiers.

There was a Hu chief among the rebels who was wearing armor and led a thousand Hu soldiers to recruit Zhang Xun to surrender. Zhang Xun secretly lowered dozens of warriors into the moat, equipped with hooks, swords, crossbows and other weapons, and made an agreement: "When you hear the sound of drums, rise up." The Hu people relied on their large number of soldiers and took no precautions. When the barbarians walked to the foot of the wall, drums on the city suddenly sounded, and dozens of warriors suddenly rushed out and captured them all. The rebels behind did not know why the Hu people in front were in trouble and tried to save them, but they were all shot back by powerful crossbows and could not move forward. After a while, the warriors hiding in the moat climbed back to the parapet along the city wall. Only then did the rebels know the reason and were greatly alarmed. They stopped moving from then on. Zhang Xun wanted to capture the thief and the king, so he decided to shoot Yin Ziqi, but the soldiers did not recognize him. Zhang Xun then cut wormwood into arrowheads and shot them at the rebels. The rebels who were shot were very happy, thinking that they had run out of arrows in the city, and immediately reported to Yin Ziqi. Zhang Xun therefore recognized Yin Ziqi and asked Nan Jiyun to shoot Yin Ziqi. Nan Jiyun shot Yin Ziqi's left eye with an arrow, and the rebels immediately became confused. The Tang army took advantage of the situation and rushed out, almost capturing Yin Ziqi alive. Yin Ziqi had to retreat with injuries, and the siege of Suiyang was solved.

On July 6, Yin Ziqi once again concentrated tens of thousands of troops to besiege Suiyang. Before that, Xu Yuan had accumulated 60,000 shi of grain in Suiyang, which could be used by the army and civilians for a year, but King Li Ju of Guo insisted on dividing half of it among the two counties of Puyang (now part of Henan) and Jiyin. Trying to resist the temptation is of no avail. As a result, Jiyin quickly surrendered to the rebels after getting the food. At this time, there was a food shortage in Suiyang City. The soldiers' food was reduced to one piece (10 pieces equal to 1 liter), so they had to mix it with tea, paper, bark, etc. The lack of food severely affected his combat effectiveness, and he was so thin that he could not even draw a crossbow. However, the defenders, led by Zhang Xun, still fought tenaciously. With no rescue outside, the soldiers were starving and sick, and the number of troops defending the city was reduced to more than 1,600.

The rebels surrounded Suiyang with heavy troops, and Zhang Xun prepared city defense equipment to resist the rebels. The rebels made a ladder as tall as half a rainbow, placed 200 elite soldiers on it, and pushed it to the bottom of the city, hoping to jump into the city from there. Zhang Xun dug three holes in the city wall in advance. When the ladder was approaching, he stretched out a large log from one hole and set an iron hook on the head to hook the ladder so that it could not retreat. A log came out from the other hole. , holding up the ladder so that it cannot move forward; a large log came out of the other hole, and an iron cage was placed on the head, with fire in the cage to burn the ladder. As a result, the ladder was burned in the middle, and all the rebels on the ladder were burned to death. The rebels also used a hook truck to hook the enemy towers on top of the city. Wherever the hook truck went, the enemy towers collapsed one after another. Zhang Xun placed a chain on the big wood, and installed a large ring on the lock to catch the rebel's hook and truck. Then he used the leather truck to pull into the city, cut off the hook on the truck, and then released the truck. The rebels also made wooden donkeys to attack the city. Zhang Xun melted molten iron to water the bushes on the donkeys, and the wooden donkeys were immediately destroyed. The rebels finally piled firewood in the northwest corner of the city to make a stepping path, hoping to use it to climb the city. Zhang Xun did not fight with the rebels during the day. At night, he sent people to secretly throw pineapple, dried artemisia and other flammable materials into the piled steps, but the rebels were not aware of it. More than ten days later, Zhang Xun led his troops out of the city to fight, and ordered people to set fire to the pedal road. The rebels were unable to put out the fire, and it took more than 20 days for the fire to be extinguished. Zhang Xun commanded the battle and always responded to the situation. The rebels had nothing to do. They were all frightened by their wisdom and bravery and did not dare to attack again. So they dug three trenches outside the city and set up wooden fences to surround Suiyang. Zhang Xun also dug trenches inside the city. to fight against the enemy.

In August, the Suiyang defenders suffered casualties, but their number of soldiers had dropped sharply to 600. Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan divided the city into two parts and personally led their troops to defend it. Zhang Xun guarded the northeast and Xu Yuan guarded the southwest. The two of them shared the joys and sorrows with the soldiers and kept on guard day and night. Regarding the rebels who were attacking the city, Zhang Xun showed great righteousness to them. As a result, more than 200 of the rebels defected one after another. At that time, the rebel general Li Huaizhong was patrolling under the city. Zhang Xun asked him: "What is your business?" Li Huaizhong replied: "Second period.

Zhang Xun asked again: "Jun Zu, father official?" Li Huaizhong replied: "Yes." "Zhang Xun asked again: "I have received official posts and eaten the emperor's millet. How can I be a thief and guard my bow? Li Huaizhong replied: "Otherwise, I used to be a general and fought to the death, but I was killed by a thief. This is a disaster." Zhang Xun asked again: "Since ancient times, disobedience has always been destroyed. One day when things are calm, you, your parents, and your wife will be killed. How can you bear to do this?" Hearing this, Li Huaizhong hid his face and left in tears, and then led dozens of people to surrender to Zhangxun.

At that time, Tang Army general Xu Shuji was in Qiaojun, Shangheng was in Pengcheng, and Helan Jinming was in Linhuai Seeing that the city was getting increasingly difficult, Zhang Xun sent Nan Jiyun to break out and asked Xu Shuji for reinforcements, but Xu Shuji refused to send troops. Nan Jiyun was furious when he saw this. He scolded Xu Shuji and wanted to fight to the death. Xu Shuji refused to respond. Later, Zhang Xun sent Nan Jiyun to lead 30 cavalrymen to break out of the encirclement and ask for help from Helan Jinming who was stationed in Linhuai. After Nan Jiyun left the city, tens of thousands of troops rebelled. Coming to block the attack, Nan Jiyun led his cavalry straight into the enemy's formation, firing from left and right, invincible, and only lost two cavalrymen.

Nan Jiyun arrived in Linhuai, saw Helan Jinming, and explained his intention, but Helan Jinming. But he said: "Today Suiyang does not know whether it is alive or dead, so what is the use of sending troops!" Nan Jiyun said: "If Suiyang falls, Jiyun please die to thank the doctor." And once Suiyang is pulled out, it will reach Linhuai, just like the skin of the skin depends on each other, it is impossible to save! "But Helan Jinming still refused. Helan Jinming did not send reinforcements. One reason was that he was jealous of Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan's fame. The other reason was that he was at odds with Fang Guan, the prime minister of the dynasty. Fang Guan regarded Xu Shuji as Helan Jinming's military envoy. Helan Jinming was also the censor, and he controlled Helan Jinming. Xu Shuji believed that his subordinates were all elite, and their official positions were equal to that of Helan Jinming, so Helan Jinming was afraid that he would be attacked by Xu Shuji if he sent out reinforcements, so he did not dare to divide his troops. Seeing that Nan Jiyun was brave and good at fighting, he not only refused to send troops, but also wanted to keep Nan Jiyun for his own use, so he held a sumptuous banquet for Nan Jiyun, accompanied by singing and dancing. Seeing this, Nan Jiyun burst into tears. Next, he cried and said: "This state is surrounded by strong invaders and has been under siege for half a year. We are exhausted and our troops are exhausted, and we have no way out." On the day when the city was first besieged, there were tens of thousands of people in the city. Today, the women, old and young, all ate each other. Zhang Zhongcheng killed his beloved concubine to eat the soldiers. Now it turns out that the remaining number is only a few thousand. The people in the city are used as bait for thieves. But after pulling out Suiyang, they reached Linhuai, and they were dependent on each other, so they needed help. The reason why Ji Yun risked his life and begged his teacher was that the doctor was deeply concerned about his peril and responded to his words. How could he enjoy the feast and live in peace without any sympathy for the doctor? This is not what a loyal and righteous husband should do! Since Jiyun can't reach the general's intention, please bite a finger and leave it with the doctor as a sign of trust and return to the state. "After saying this, Nan Jiyun bit off one of his fingers. Everyone was shocked for a moment and all cried. Then, Nan Jiyun drew an arrow and shot it at the wall of the Buddhist temple, and swore: "I will kill the thief and return him. Destroying Helan is the reason for this goal! "

After Nan Jiyun left angrily, he first went to Zhenyuan. Zhenyuan ordered Li Bi to give Nan Jiyun a hundred horses. When he arrived at Ningling, he also collected 3,000 cavalrymen from the city envoy Lian Tan. On the 15th day of the eighth month, Nan Jiyun returned to Suiyang. The rebels were on guard day and night because of Nan Jiyun's breakout. Nan Jiyun fought a bloody battle outside the city, and the soldiers and horses he led to enter the city. There were only more than a thousand people. When the soldiers in the city heard that the reinforcements had not arrived, they mourned for several days.

Yin Ziqi knew that the food in the city was exhausted, and he stepped up his attack on Suiyang. After eating all the bark, they were forced to eat the horses. When the horses were gone, they dug up rats and birds, but this still could not meet their daily needs. Under this situation, they finally developed into the tragic situation of cannibalism. In order to ensure the combat effectiveness of the soldiers, Zhang Xun brought his concubine in front of everyone and said to everyone: "The princes are working hard to defend the city for the country, and they are single-minded. They have been hungry for many years, but their loyalty has not diminished. I can't cut my own skin to eat the soldiers. Isn't it a pity for this woman to sit back and watch the danger? "⑨ So he killed his beloved concubine, cooked it and rewarded the soldiers. When the soldiers saw it, they all cried, and Zhang Xun ordered everyone to eat it. Soon, Xu Yuan also killed the slave boy to satisfy his hunger. Then he tied up the women in the city. When they got up, they used all the men, old and young, to satisfy their hunger. By the time the city was destroyed, the number of people they ate was up to 20,000 to 30,000. The people also knew that if the city was destroyed, they would die, so no one rebelled. In the end, only about 400 people were left behind. p>

In this case, some people began to talk about abandoning the city and breaking out, but Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan insisted: "Suiyang is the protection of Jiang and Huaihe. If it is abandoned, the thieves will take advantage of the victory and drive away." , there is no river or Huaihe River. Moreover, we are all hungry and weak, and we will never reach it if we go. In ancient times, the princes of the Warring States period still rescued each other, and they were so close together that they were so handsome! It’s better to hold on and wait for it. "So they stood firm and waited for reinforcements.

On October 9th (November 24, 757 AD), the rebels attacked the city again. The defenders were unable to fight, and Suiyang City was finally captured by the rebels. When the city was destroyed, Zhang Xun bowed to the west and said: "I am exhausted of wisdom and courage, and I cannot stop the powerful invaders and defend the isolated city. Although I am a ghost, I swear to be strict with the thieves in order to repay my kindness. After the city fell, Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan were captured. When his subordinates saw Zhang Xun, they all cried. Zhang Xun comforted everyone and said, "Be safe, don't be afraid, death is your destiny." "Everyone could not look up. When Yin Ziqi saw Zhang Xun, he asked: "When I heard that the Duke was fighting, he shouted, his face was bloody, and his teeth were all broken. Why? Zhang Xun replied: "I want to swallow the traitor with anger, but Gu Li bends his ears." Yin Ziqi was furious and cut open Zhang Xun's mouth with a knife. Only three or four teeth were left inside. Zhang Xun cursed angrily: "I died for your father. You are a thief, and you are a dog and a pig." An Dejiu! Yin Ziqi admired Zhang Xun's integrity and wanted to release him. At this time, someone said, "How can I use that righteous man?" And if you win people's hearts, don't keep them. "So he wanted to use force to force Zhang Xun to surrender, but Zhang Xun was upright and would rather die than surrender.

So the rebels persuaded Nan Jiyun to surrender, but Nan Jiyun did not express his position. Zhang Xun thought that Nan Jiyun's will was shaken, and shouted: "Nan Ba! If a man dies, don't be unjust!" Nan Jiyun smiled and said, "If you want to be successful, those who know me will dare not die!" Refuse to surrender. On the same day, Zhang Xun, Nan Jiyun, Yao Min, Lei Wanchun and other 36 generals were killed. Xu Yuan was sent to Luoyang and was killed on the way. That year, Zhang Xun was forty-nine years old.

In the Battle of Suiyang, Zhang Xun responded to the enemy and won by surprise. Facing a strong enemy, he held on for ten months. He went through more than 400 battles, beheaded 300 generals, and annihilated 120,000 rebels. Coupled with the previous Battle of Yongqiu, the attack was planned to last 21 months, which allowed the Jianghuai area, the Tang Dynasty's wealth supply base, to be preserved and bought time for the Tang army to organize a counterattack.

Prior to this, Zhang Hao, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty and the military envoy of Henan Province, heard that Suiyang was in danger and traveled day and night. He also ordered the four military governors of Zhejiang Province, Li Xiyan, Zhejiang Xisi Air Raid Li, Huainan Gao Shi and Qingzhou Deng Jingshan. Together with Lu Qiu Xiao, the governor of Qiao County, and other officials sent troops to rescue. Lu Qiu Xiao was the closest, but he disobeyed orders to send troops. By the time Zhang Hao arrived at Suiyang, the city had been in ruins for three days. In a rage, Zhang Hao summoned Lu Qiu Xiao and killed him with a staff. Ten days later, the Tang army organized a strategic counterattack and regained Chang'an in one fell swoop (see the Tang Dynasty's Battle to Recover Chang'an). History says: "With an outnumbered enemy, fighting with hunger and fullness, he ran out of food and could not be saved, and finally died for his country. The hardships of fighting have always been bitter and the heroism of facing difficulties. Who has ever surpassed Zhang Xun?"

After Zhang Xun's death, the emperor issued an edict and presented Zhang Xun as the governor of Yangzhou and the governor of Yuanjingzhou; Nan Jiyun opened the mansion of Yitong with the third division, and then presented it to the governor of Yangzhou; and doted on his descendants, Zhang Yafu, Zhang Xun's son, worshiped King Wu General; at the same time, he also exempted Suiyang and Yongqiu from the corvee tax for three years. Suzong of the Tang Dynasty also issued an edict to confer him the title of Duke of Deng, and he was known as Zhang Zhongcheng in history. In Zhenyuan (785-805), Zhang Xun's wife was given the title of Mrs. Shen Guo and a hundred silks. During the Dazhong period (847-859), the portraits of Zhang Xun, Xu Yuan and Nan Jiyun were also placed in Lingyan Pavilion. Zhang Xun's deeds have been praised by future generations. To commemorate Zhang Xun, later generations built ancestral temples for him in Suiyang, Qixian, Nanyang and other places. He, Zhang Heng and Zhang Zhongjing were praised as the "Three Masters of Nanyang". To this day, residents in Jianghuai, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and other places still worship Zhang Xun's statue and respect him as "Yue Fei of the Tang Dynasty" and "Prince Zhang". At the same time, a Zhang Xun Research Society was established and various research works were published to promote and extol him.