Wubizhi (Treatise on Armament Technology), Volume 42

War Strategy Studies: Tang Dynasty, Part 6

Tang Xi replied: "Your Excellency has already been victorious; do not inquire further. However, the Prefect has arrested him again; there must be a reason See, there is a connection here. If you execute him now, not only will it cause Your Excellency to lose great public trust, but I fear the remnants of Qian Neng’s faction will rise up again in chaos."

[Chen] Jingxuan followed this advice. When he looked into the actual circumstances, it turned out that Hang Quan a former rebel leader who had surrendered owned several hundred acres of fertile land. The Prefect had wanted to purchase it, but [Hang] Quan refused to sell; thus, the Prefect held a grudge against him. Jingxuan summoned the Prefect to be interrogated, but the Prefect died of anxiety likely out of fear of the impending punishment before the trial could proceed.

Chen Jingxuan dispatched troops to suppress Han Xiusheng and Qu Xingcong, but his forces were defeated by them. Consequently, the tribute and tax flow from the Jiang and Huai regions was cut off. The routes to the salt wells of Yun’an and Yujing vital salt-producing regions in modern-day Sichuan were blocked, leading to a salt shortage.

Jingxuan then submitted a memorial to the Emperor to appoint Gao Renhou as the Army Commander Xingjun Sima: a high-ranking military administrative officer responsible for operations, leading three thousand soldiers to suppress the rebels. On the march, Renhou encountered the defeated government soldiers fleeing back from the front. Renhou shouted for them to stop and immediately executed one Chief Inspector Du Yuhou: an officer responsible for maintaining military discipline on the spot. He then ordered the remaining troops to reorganize and hasten their formations. He summoned...