Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 102 Formation
At this moment, Zhao Huai'an no longer had time to think about how this ambush force came about, or why Ta Bai along the way had failed to discover them.

War is never fair. Some troops are lazy but rarely ambushed, while others follow the manual of sending out sentries every ten miles but still fall into traps.

It's pointless to assign blame now; Zhao Da's only option is to pull himself together and fight back.

He held up his shield to deflect the incoming arrows, surveyed his surroundings, and suddenly pointed to a hillside on the northwest side, shouting to Wang Jin, who was also holding a shield:
"Old Wang, quickly lead your troops to capture that hillside!"

Wang Jin looked in that direction and inwardly praised it. It turned out that it was a high point in the vicinity, and a river flowed around the northwest side of the slope, forming a moat around it.

What's even more fortunate is that the Nanzhao people didn't seem to realize the importance of that place and didn't deploy any troops there.

Although Wang Jin wanted to stay put to protect Zhao Huai'an, the order had been given and there was no room for negotiation. So he raised his shield and shouted to the rear:

"Where are the hill-climbing teams? Follow me and take over the slope!"

After saying this, Wang Jin leaped up like a tiger leaping over a mountain stream, rushing towards the earthen slope on the northwest side, followed by forty or fifty elite soldiers.

Zhao Da ordered Wang to go in and take the high ground, and then shouted for the nearby teams to lead their men to retreat there. Once they had a foothold on the battlefield, the battle would still be fought.

After assigning the task of seizing the high ground, Zhao Da had his adopted sons escort Wang Duo and Zhang Guinian to retreat there.

He now cherishes these few people, especially Old Zhang, who is the only talent in his team with a global perspective, and he absolutely cannot afford to lose him.

Zhao Da issued the military order, but Zhao Wenhui, one of his adopted sons, stubbornly refused to leave, insisting on staying by Zhao Da's side. Zhao Da then slapped him twice to make him behave.

With Zhao Da's continuous coordination, the teams that had been swarming around the mountain road like headless flies suddenly found their leaders. Some of them followed Zhao Da's instructions to set up camp on that earthen slope, while the rest gathered around Zhao Huai'an.

At this moment, Zhao Da stopped standing on the donkey cart. He quickly counted the troops. Apart from the five teams that he had sent to the northwest slope, there were only twelve teams here. The rest should be divided and surrounded in front and behind.

The northwest slope was Zhao Huai'an's escape route. Now that Wang Jin's side has quickly erected flags on the slope, it is believed that the other teams that were separated nearby will retreat there.

But no matter what, this is still a defensive move; passively taking hits has never been Zhao Da's style!
At this moment, Zhao Da was filled with rage. He was always the one who ambushed others; this was the first time he had been ambushed himself.

Then, Zhou Dexing from Zhao Dachong's side shouted:
"Give me a Mo Dao!"

Zhou Dexing quickly handed the Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) in his hand to Zhao Huai'an, and then took one from his subordinate.

By this time, the Yishe warriors had quickly draped Zhao Da in the outermost layer of leather armor. Zhao Da had always worn chainmail, so he was soon fully equipped with three layers of armor for battle.

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an, fully armored and holding a long-handled sword, surveyed the Baoyidu officers and soldiers, only half of whom were covered in armor, and roared:
"Damn it, Zhao Da was just worried about how to get rid of these rats, and now they've come to us on their own. Aren't they just asking for death? Brothers, those of you who put on your armor, come with me to kill those Nanzhao dogs. The rest of you, use your arrows to cover us."

Then, Zhao Da became adept at calling people out:

"Zhou Dexing, you stay behind and lead your Mo Dao team to guard the rear and escort the crossbow team."

Zhou Dexing, who had been full of enthusiasm, immediately deflated upon hearing this. However, he knew he couldn't refute it, so he could only slam his Mo Dao (a type of long sword) heavily on the ground and loudly acknowledge the order.

Then Zhao Da also summoned Liu Zhijun, who had led more than ten cavalrymen to join them:

"Liu Zhijun, take your troops and immediately relay the order to the rear. There are Han Tong, Wei Jingang, and Kang Junyan's three teams there. Tell them to quickly abandon their supplies and come here to rendezvous."

Liu Zhijun shouted from his horse, gripped his lance, spurred his horse on its flanks, and galloped straight toward the mountain path to the northeast.

After making the arrangements, Zhao Da surveyed the remaining five teams of armored sword and shield warriors—Sun Tai, Zhao Hu, Han Qiong, Chen Fahai, and Qian Tiefo—and shouted...
"Follow me!"

As he spoke, Zhao Da took the lead and ran north, where the Nanzhao army had already attacked from the west and east slopes.

Then, the five teams of armored swordsmen and shieldmen, led by their respective commanders, charged forward with howling voices.
Behind them, Zhao Liu and Niu Li led a group of suona players and drummers, playing their instruments in a rapid-fire manner. They, along with the remaining six teams of over three hundred unarmored soldiers who could only serve as archers, followed closely behind the armored soldiers.

The armor plates collided like a tidal wave, engulfing the Nanzhao army ahead.

……

This time, Zhao Huai'an clearly underestimated the cunning of the Nanzhao army.

Perhaps it was because he had won too many battles that he felt the Nanzhao army was nothing special.

However, as a regime that could fight against the Tang Dynasty at its peak for a hundred years, and as a dominant force in Southeast Asia, the Nanzhao Kingdom had a core population of nearly one million and a total population of four to five million. If you add the tribes that were under the control of the mountains and forests, this number could double. It's just that Nanzhao couldn't mobilize all of these people.

As a nation that has made war its profession since its founding, the Nanzhao army was quite well-equipped militarily. From the outer Jiedushi (military governors) to the core area in the heart of Erhai Lake, it used the Fubing system (military system) and the Jimi (tributary tribes) system to conscript troops.

At the same time, because the relationship with the Tang Dynasty was sometimes at war and sometimes at peace, whenever there was peace, Nanzhao would send nearly a thousand envoys to the Tang Dynasty to learn about Tang culture and etiquette.

Therefore, the Nanzhao people that Zhao Huai'an faced were not an uncivilized ethnic group, but a military group that was brave and cunning enough.

This implies that the Nanzhao people had actually been waiting for Zhao Da in these mountains and forests for a long time.

They simply didn't know which Tang army was coming, nor were they sure when they would arrive.

But they were certain that the Tang army would send troops into the mountains! Why?
The reason was that the Qianman who sent intelligence to the front-line camp in Yazhou had long been bribed by the Nanzhao people in order to trick the Tang army into entering the mountains and thus relieve the pressure on the Yazhou direction.

Did the Tang people think they could buy the Qianman people by giving them three or four thousand bolts of silk a year? We, the Nanzhao people, will give double that amount.

In fact, there were countless tribes like the Qianman in the mountains where Nanzhao, western Sichuan, and Rongguan met. The Tang people generally kept them under control. However, because there were so many tribes, even with the wealth and power of the Tang Dynasty, how much money could they possibly give to each tribe in a year?

But the Nanzhao people are different; they only need to rob! They ignore the tribes on the border, but when they need a particular tribe, they will send people to bribe the key tribe at several times the price.

This kind of precise bribery is far more effective than the general, piecemeal approach of controlling the entire country.

Therefore, after implementing this strategy, the Nanzhao people dispatched the Huichuan army to ambush the enemy in the mountains north of Yazhou.

The Huichuan Army was not simple. In the military and political system of Nanzhao, it can be summarized as having a core: the fertile heartland of Erhai Lake, followed by the six military governors and two regional commanders on the outside.

They were the Lishui Jiedushi, Yongchang Jiedushi, Jianchuan Jiedushi, Tuodong Jiedushi, Yinsheng Jiedushi, and Nongdong Jiedushi, while the two governors were the Huichuan Governor and the Tonghai Governor.

It was this core element that formed the structure of the Nanzhao army: six military governors and two regional commanders.

Among them, the Huichuan Army under the Huichuan Governor was particularly important, because it was a place that Nanzhao had seized from the Tang army more than a hundred years ago when it was at its peak.

At that time, the area was under the jurisdiction of the Xizhou Prefecture of the Tang Dynasty, which governed four counties. The registration of households and the establishment of the people had been completed. However, once it fell into the hands of the Nanzhao people, it was immediately converted into a military system.

The former Xizhou Prefecture became the Huichuan Prefecture of Nanzhao.

Subsequently, this place became a bridgehead for Nanzhao to attack the western Sichuan region of the Tang Dynasty. Nanzhao launched its four attacks on western Sichuan from here each time.

So naturally, every time Nanzhao plundered supplies and people from western Sichuan, they were first transported to Huichuan Prefecture. As a result, this prefecture became the richest of all the military governors and prefectures.

This time, the Huichuan Governor's Office alone dispatched more than 10,000 troops to accompany the king to raid western Sichuan, which shows the strength of the Huichuan army.

However, this time the Huichuan army responsible for the ambush was not so large, but rather two Zhongfu soldiers, totaling two thousand Fu soldiers, and the general in charge was Duan Baolong, a general from Nanzhao.

This dragon was the son of Duan Qiuqian, the former governor of Tonghai.

Ten years ago, Nanzhao sent 60,000 troops to attack Annam and Yongguan. The general in charge was Duan Qiuqian. However, two years later, he was defeated by Gao Pian. Not only did he die, but he also lost 30,000 troops, the core of the Tonghai Army, to Nanzhao.

As a result, the power of the Duan family, who had served as the governor of Tonghai, greatly declined. As a consequence of their defeat and loss of troops, the Duan family could no longer control the Tonghai Governor's Office, which was subsequently handed over to the royal family.

As the son of Duan Qiuqian, Duan Baolong naturally longed to establish military merit so that he could reclaim the family's private land as soon as possible. Therefore, at the beginning of the war, he led the family's last five hundred Tonghai warriors to join the army of the King.

Unfortunately, the ruler of Nanzhao, Chief Long, did not give Duan Baolong a chance to make a name for himself. Instead, he sent him to the Huichuan army as a general, responsible for transporting grain and supplies in the Huichuan Governor's Office.

This time, because Gao Pian appeared on the other side, the ruler of Nanzhao immediately thought of Duan Qian's son, Duan Baolong. So he transferred him from the rear, hoping that he would avenge his father and fight to the death for the country.

For this reason, the task of ambushing the Tang army was assigned to Duan Baolong.

The troops that Duan Baolong brought into the mountains included his own 500 Tonghai soldiers, about 1,500 Huichuan soldiers, and some barbarian tribes from Huichuan, such as the Luolan tribe with 300 men, the Adu tribe with 200 men, and the Shama, Qu, and Bacui tribes with 100 men each.

These people were all from mountainous areas, and with the ambush laid in advance, this mission should have been foolproof.

But things took an unexpected turn. After Qianman reported false information to Yang Qingfu, Yang Qingfu was unable to spare any troops, so he ordered the Baoyi troops in the rear to go into the mountains.

By the time the order was given and Bao Yi was still dawdling and reluctant to prepare to set off into the mountains, ten days had passed.

During this period, thousands of Nanzhao soldiers remained hidden in the mountains. In order not to expose their presence, they could not cook or light fires, and they endured this for ten days.

Duan Baolong's core troops and soldiers were still in hiding in the mountains in accordance with military law, but some of the barbarian tribes in Huichuan didn't care about that and had already scattered into the mountains to hunt and forage.

The enemy troops that Ding Huaiyi and his men had encountered earlier were these barbarian soldiers. Because the barbarian soldiers had all scattered, when the scouts reported that they had discovered traces of the Tang people, Duan Baolong actually only had about two thousand garrison soldiers with him.

These troops were not actually enough to completely block the Tang army, because the valley where the Tang army was discovered, though called a mountain path, was actually very wide.

Fortunately, a river blocked the mountain path, otherwise it would have been difficult to ambush the Tang army.

Even so, Duan Baolong hesitated at first, but the scout reported that a flag bearing the inscription "Baoyi" had appeared on the mountain road.

Without hesitation, Duan Baolong ordered his Tonghai soldiers to light three smoke signals and immediately commanded the 1,500 Huichuan Prefecture soldiers in the opposite mountains to launch an ambush.

This risk had to be taken. The righteous general was named Zhao Huai'an. The Nanzhao army generals had already received intelligence about him and knew that he was considered the one with the most outstanding military achievements recently.

No fewer than four or five Nanzhao generals were killed by this man. Even Meng Luopa, a renowned general in the country, who commanded eight hundred elite cavalry, was defeated and killed. Not to mention, their deposed crown prince was also captured by this man.

Duan Baolong was determined to achieve great merit, and when he saw that it was Zhao Huai'an who had entered the ambush, how could he let him go? So, regardless of whether he could win or not, he ordered an attack.

At this moment, looking down at the Tang army's vanguard that had been surrounded by the river, Duan Baolong laughed heartily, then shouted and led his five hundred Tonghai soldiers down the mountain.

……

The Tang army that was surrounded was the vanguard of Baoyidu, led by Gao Renhou, Hu Honglue, Chen Fahai, Duan Zhongjian, Zhao Jinzhong, Zhang Dai, Guo Congyun, and others.

Because of the angle of the mountain forest, Zhao Huai'an and his group saw the smoke signals rising on the right side of the mountain relatively late.

Gao Renhou's troops, being directly opposite the mountains and forests on the right, had an unobstructed view of the middle and thus saw the smoke signals as soon as they were lit.

At that time, Hu Honglue's troops had already crossed the river. Gao Renhou, who was supposed to be the second group to cross, changed his expression drastically when he saw smoke rising from the mountains on his right. He shouted to Hu Honglue on the opposite bank:
"Old Hu, come back quickly, there's an ambush."

Hu Honglue was short and stocky, and was wearing iron armor at the time. Upon hearing this, he immediately shouted and led his men, who had just stood still, back.

During the crossing, Hu Honglue tripped over some loose stones and fell into the river.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this stream is only knee-deep; it could kill Hu Honglue in one fell swoop, because he is wearing iron armor.

Fortunately, there was a tall and strong warrior in the group who lifted Hu Honglue up with one arm and carried him straight across the river.

After reuniting with Gao Renhou and his group, Hu Honglue, still shaken, grabbed the tall, burly man and cried out:
"Xiao Wen, from now on you are my brother in life and death! If I, Lao Hu, have a bite to eat, you will too."

This man named Xiaowen, whose real name is Wenwujian, is a Bo person from Bodao. He later moved to Yazhou. Because he was familiar with the local conditions and skilled with a long sword, Yang Qingfu appointed him as a guide under Zhao Da.

Upon hearing Hu Honglue's words, Wen Wujian scratched his head sheepishly, then pointed to the northwest, where a well-organized Nanzhao army of several hundred men was rushing towards them.

Seeing this, Hu Honglue no longer cared about expressing his gratitude and, soaking wet, directed his troops to form a square formation of infantry spearmen.

At this moment, Gao Renhou, who was secretly the leader of the infantry formation, shouted again from within the formation:
"Immediately move to the riverbank and confront the enemy on both sides of the river, preventing them from crossing."

But no sooner had Gao Renhou finished speaking than Guo Congyun in the crowd roared:
"let me!"

After saying that, Guo Congyun led more than fifty riders out from the rear and charged straight into the enemy ranks through the shallow water.

At this moment, within the formation, Gao Renhou saw Guo Congyun, Liu Xin, and other cavalrymen galloping away and roared:
"Beat the drums, cheer on our brothers!"

Within the formation, those playing small drums and suonas beat their drums in encouragement, and the six squads of officers and soldiers roared in unison:
"Guo Zilong, Guo Zilong, as brave as a dragon!"

Upon hearing this name again, Guo Congyun, who was charging ahead, felt no more embarrassment than before. He felt his blood boil, pointed his eighteen-foot spear forward, and roared with thunderous force:
"I, Guo Zilong, have arrived!"

Behind him, Liu Xin and his band of knights roared with fervor:

"Come on!"

Then, together with Guo Congyun, they heavily chiseled into the ranks of the Nanzhao army.

Meanwhile, eight hundred soldiers from the Nanzhao Huichuan Prefecture, who were excitedly rushing down the mountain from the left, surged through the mountain stream like monkeys. Seeing that there was a small stream in front of the Tang army's formation, they didn't take it seriously and charged up.

But to everyone's surprise, a group of knights charged out from the enemy's rear. Although their horses were not in iron armor, the knights themselves were heavily armored and charged straight at them like lightning.

Some experienced warriors roared and shouted for the soldiers to form ranks, but they charged too hastily and were too confident, leaving their ranks spread out too far apart.

The first Nanzhao army to reach the riverbank numbered only seventy or eighty men, divided into five or six groups, and they were too hasty to form a battle formation.

Thus, Guo Congyun and his cavalry were like hot knives cutting into butter; the moment they made contact, they slid through the butter, leaving behind a trail of groans.

The lance in Guo Congyun's hands was the finest kind in the Tang army, the kind that took three years to make and was worth two hundred strings of cash. It was given to him by Zhao Da after he captured Jidong Pass.

At that time, Guo Congyun's spear was just an ordinary one. Later, after Zhao Da entered the pass and distributed rewards, he told Zhao Da that he didn't want the reward and wanted to exchange it for a better spear.

Upon hearing this, what did Zhao Da do? Without saying a word, he went to Old Dong behind him and bought five of the finest horse lances, each worth a house in Chengdu.

Then Zhao Da bestowed the horse spear upon Guo Congyun to encourage him to fight bravely and capture Jidong Pass. Not only that, Zhao Da also gave Guo Congyun the original reward of two hundred strings of cash.

Faced with such a lord, what else can the brothers say? Only to fight to the death and earn glory.

At this moment, Guo Congyun, with a 200-guan horse spear in his hand, rampaged through the Nanzhao people's ranks without restraint. With just a light touch of his eighteen-foot horse spear, he could shovel off a person's head, and the blood gushing from the neck cavity would be like a fountain.

Guo Congyun rode past, his iron armor blocking a spear, but he ignored it and thrust his spear at an armored Nanzhao warrior in front of him.

This warrior was unusually tall and strong for the Nanzhao people, which is why he could wear iron armor and cross mountains and rocks. However, after Guo Congyun's lance struck his iron armor, the man was sent flying backward, spitting blood, as if he had been hit by a hammer.

Guo Congyun used a clever technique; his lance bounced off the armor after it touched it, instead of piercing the armor.

But it was this clever timing, the recoil of the spear combined with the speed of the galloping horse, that sent the Nanzhao warrior flying. Upon landing, he broke his neck and died instantly.

Fortunately, he only broke his neck, so he didn't have to suffer the pain afterward. As soon as he landed, Guo Congyun spurred his warhorse and trampled him. With a force of a thousand pounds, the man's body was crushed to pieces.

That wasn't all. Guo Congyun, who was in front, suddenly held the middle of the spear with both hands, twisted his waist and abdomen, and the spear was blown open like a windmill. The counterweight copper handle at the end of the spear smashed directly into the head of a Nanzhao soldier holding a spear behind him.

In just one blow, the man's head exploded like a ripe watermelon.

Hmph, you dare to poke me, Guo Congyun? You think you can live?
At this moment, Guo Congyun, caught up in the excitement of the battle, gripped his spear and let out a long, loud roar:
"That was great! That was great! Brothers, that was so much fun!"

After shouting, Guo Congyun suddenly yelled at Liu Xin, who was not far away:

"Si Lang, you really do get what you pay for. This 200-guan horse spear is definitely different when it comes to killing people."

Liu Xin, seeing Guo Congyun's smug expression, muttered something and then vented his anger on the retreating Nanzhao people.

Unable to form a battle formation, these Nanzhao people had completely lost their will to fight and were frantically retreating from the riverbank. But how could two legs outrun four?
The Nanzhao soldiers, having lost all courage, were no longer officers and soldiers, but merely a pack of pigs and dogs waiting to be slaughtered.

Liu Xin randomly selected a man, spurred his horse forward, and thrust the broken spear in his hand directly into the back of the Nanzhao soldier. Gazing at the Nanzhao soldier coughing up blood, Liu Xin swore an oath:
"I also want great merit, I also want a good spear."

……

Killing is indeed addictive. These warriors, who hone their martial arts skills day after day, grow more and more eager to make a name for themselves on the battlefield with each day of training.

But when these warriors went to the battlefield, they realized they were sorely mistaken. What could be more enjoyable than fighting on the battlefield?

I thrust my spear forward, and the enemy cried out in agony. You may be a brave warrior with many titles and backgrounds, but I'm sorry, once you meet me, I will take your life!
What power this is! What... what a great man!

At this moment, Guo Congyun, Liu Xin, and other cavalrymen were just like that, having long since lost their temper and slaughtered the Nanzhao soldiers on the riverbank.

In the blink of an eye, seventy or eighty people were all killed, heads rolled everywhere, and blood stained the stream red.

On the south bank of the stream, Gao Renhou and his infantrymen were stunned. This was the first time they had ever seen a cavalry charge slaughtering unorganized infantry at such close range.

The army fell silent, then erupted in a deafening roar.

But no sooner had they finished shouting than Guo Congyun on the other side led the remaining cavalry back.

Just as the officers and soldiers of the Baoyi Capital were puzzled, they saw Guo Congyun and his men run across the shallow stream and return to their formation.

At this moment, everyone could see clearly that on the opposite bank, a huge square formation of infantry was pressing forward in perfect formation!

The Nanzhao soldiers, in formation, charged in.

(End of this chapter)