Wu Yuanji - Campaign Against The Imperial Government - Defeat By Li Su

Defeat By Li Su

As Li Su was not well known, and the Zhangyi forces had defeated Gao Xiayu and Yuan Zi previously, it was said that the Zhangyi forces did not consider Li a threat and did not take much precautions against him. Li, after receiving reinforcements from several circuits, began to carry out military actions in which he targeted Zhangyi officers, captured them, and then treated them well and incorporated them into his command structure, using their familiarity with Zhangyi's defenses against Zhangyi. Such Zhangyi officers he thus captured included Ding Shiliang (丁士良), Chen Guangqia (陳光洽), Wu Xiulin (吳秀琳), Li Xian (李憲, whose name Li Su changed to Li Zhongyi (李忠義)), and Li You. Meanwhile, with Zhangyi's food supplies running low, the people were forced to initially resort to eating water caltrop, fish, freshwater turtles, birds, and beasts, but after those plants and animals ran out, the people started surrendering to the imperial forces en masse. The Zhangyi forces, believing that detaining the people would merely lead to quicker drain on resources, did not stop them.

Meanwhile, in addition to Li Su, Li Guangyan and Wu Chongyin were also continuing to deal Wu Yuanji defeats, capturing the important city of Yancheng (郾城, in modern Luohe) in summer 817. Wu Yuanji put Dong Chongzhi in charge of his strongest army, which rode mules, and Dong was stationed at Huiqu (洄曲, near Yancheng) to defend against further attacks by imperial forces from Yancheng. Pei Du volunteered to serve as the overall commander of the operations, and Emperor Xianzong agreed. Pei soon arrived on the front and personally monitored the troop advancements. With Zhangyi in great difficulty, Wu Yuanji offered to surrender to Emperor Xianzong, and Emperor Xianzong was initially inclined to accept and promised not to execute Wu, but with Dong opposing capitulation, Wu's surrender never came.

On November 27, 815, at dusk, Li Su launched an attack, from his then-base of Wencheng Fence (文成柵, in modern Zhumadian), and, after dusk, after destroying the bridges between Huiqu and Cai Prefecture, and with a major winter snowstorm serving as cover, he advanced quickly to Cai Prefecture. With Li You and Li Zhongyi leading the forward attack, Li Su's forward soldiers climbed up the city walls and surprised the defending soldiers, killing them without engagements and then opening the city to allow the remainder of Li Su's soldiers to enter. Li Su's forces then attacked Wu Yuanji's fortified mansion. Wu Yuanji still commanded his own guards to defend against the attack. During the battle, Li Su, believing that Wu Yuanji's last hope would be if Dong returned quickly to save him, personally visited Dong's house and asked Dong's son Dong Chuandao (董傳道) to go to Dong Chongzhi's camp to express Li Su's good faith. Dong Chongzhi immediately abandoned his troops and returned to Cai Prefecture to surrender to Li Su. On November 29, with even the residents of Cai Prefecture joining the attack on Wu's headquarters, Wu surrendered. Li Su put him under arrest and delivered him to Chang'an.