Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 117 Doubt

When Zhao Huai'an and his men arrived at Yang Qingfu's main camp at Fojin Mountain, the deputy military governor of western Sichuan was setting up a sand table based on intelligence.

As the only commander-in-chief of the Western Sichuan Army, Yang Qingfu's abilities need no further explanation.

Although he was subordinate to Gao Pian, he did not rely entirely on the battlefield intelligence gathered by Gao Pian. Instead, he ordered his generals to constantly venture out and infiltrate the opposite mountain to gather intelligence on the Nanzhao army.

At this moment, he had a map of the area surrounding Hanyuan for dozens of miles in his mind. This sense of the overall situation was something that even Zhao Huai'an did not possess. Among the 40,000 Tang soldiers, only he and Gao Pian had it.

This insightful and far-sighted perspective stemmed from Yang Qingfu's more than 20 years of combat experience. It can be said that he was a general who grew up in western Sichuan during the Nanzhao War.

As for Hanyuan, the front line where the Nanzhao and Western Sichuan armies fought repeatedly, Yang Qingfu was familiar with every mountain ridge and every valley.

This kind of mindset, with a living map in one's head, is something even Gao Pian couldn't compare to Yang Qingfu.

The other generals in western Sichuan, including Zhao Huai'an, did not possess such a high-level perspective. Zhao Huai'an was a little better, as he had traveled this mountain road before and had some understanding of the situation around the battlefield.

However, the other generals in western Sichuan only had their minds limited to what they could see. If you asked them to imagine the terrain around the battlefield, their minds would be completely blank. They could only wait for Yang Qingfu to give orders and act as pawns.

After returning from Gao Pian's side, Yang Qingfu listened to Xie Zaixing's report in the main tent.

This guerrilla general had previously received orders from Yang Qingfu to lead dozens of elite, agile guerrillas to infiltrate the opposite mountain range and investigate the strength and weaknesses of the Nanzhao army.

After Xie Zaixing's explanation, Yang Qingfu roughly understood the plans of the opposing chieftain, Long. After killing the peace-seeking faction in the army, it meant that he would fight them to the death in Hanyuan.

The reason why Chief Long was so resolute was probably inseparable from the Nanzhao prince under Gao Pian's command. This king, who was over fifty years old, was also afraid that after his death, his son would be supported by the Tang people to punish the disloyal king.

The local military governors of Nanzhao, who had lost their sense of righteousness, were no match for the Tang army.

If Chieftain did not want his ancestral legacy of over a hundred years to be destroyed, he had to defeat the main force of the Tang army here so that he could use his undeniable military achievements to support a young crown prince.

Therefore, after learning about the blood feast on the other side, Yang Qingfu was able to determine that the Nanzhao army would not run away again.

The location of the decisive battle is thus clear: the only place in the entire Hanyuan region that can accommodate tens of thousands of troops is the valley where Hanyuan is located.

However, there is a problem here: at this time, Hanyuan City is in the hands of the Nanzhao army. Once the Tang army and the Nanzhao army fight a decisive battle in that valley, Hanyuan City will be like a chisel stuck in the waist of the Tang army.

Therefore, before the decisive battle, the Tang army had to take Hanyuan City first.

Thinking it over, Yang Qingfu placed a stone on the sand table to represent Hanyuan City.

Just as they were pondering who could be the general, Zhao Huai'an walked in with a group of loyal generals, all smiles.

Looking at the energetic and vigorous Zhao Huai'an, Yang Qingfu's eyes lit up and he couldn't help but laugh.

Okay, I've chosen you!

Over there, as soon as Zhao Huai'an came in, he saw Yang Qingfu smiling at him. He was also puzzled, but it wasn't surprising. Ever since Zhao Dabing became strong and well-equipped, who hadn't greeted him with a smile?

Seeing that many generals from western Sichuan had not yet arrived, Zhao Huai'an arranged for Zhao Liu and the others to find a place to sit. Then, he casually walked over to Yang Qingfu's side and looked at the sand table together.

Although the sand table was simply made of stones, mud, and wood, Zhao Huai'an immediately recognized it as a terrain map of the Hanyuan battlefield, because his camp also had one, which Zhao Da himself had made.

At this moment, Yang Qingfu was still thinking about something. When he saw Zhao Huai'an coming over to look, he did not refuse, and let him learn more.

Besides the recent capture of Hanyuan City, the Sichuan-Western Army faces other troubles.

The first one is about Xie Zaixing's own game of chess.

At first, the Nanzhao army did not realize that scouts had infiltrated from western Sichuan, so they were unprepared and Xie Zaixing and his men obtained a lot of intelligence.

However, the Nanzhao army soon discovered Xie Zaixing and his group, and organized a large number of elite scouts to search for them.

Although the Chengdu generals were elite, they were not born in the mountains and forests. Their survival and combat experience was far inferior to that of the Nanzhao barbarians. After several fierce battles, many of them died.

The reason Xie Zaixing and his group are with Yang Qingfu now is not only to report intelligence, but also because they no longer have a place to survive on the opposite mountain.

Only about a dozen elite soldiers from the Qionglai Mountains remained on the other side, and they were the only source of intelligence for the Western Sichuan Army.

But it's easy to imagine that those dozen or so people, trapped among tens of thousands of Nanzhao soldiers, were likely doomed.

Just now, Yang Qingfu specifically asked these people their names and learned that they were called Qian Neng, Luo Hunqing, Ju Huseng, Luo Fuzi, Han Qiu, etc. He even wrote their names on their robes.

He will never forget these loyal and brave warriors who shed their blood for western Sichuan!

Besides these two troubles, there was another issue that directly affected the survival of the Western Sichuan Army: their supply lines.

Nowadays, the Tang army's provisions are all gathered at the grain depot in Yazhou, and then transported from Yazhou to Rongjing by water. However, from Rongjing to the front-line camp, they need to be carried by porters.

Don't assume that the Tang army is fighting on the inside just because this mountain road is in Lizhou. In reality, their operations are no different from those on the outside.

The reason why the Nanzhao army was able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the Lizhou army and deceive Huang Jingfu of the Lizhou army through the feints and realities of crossing the Dadu River twice was because the Nanzhao army had long ago used the tea-horse trade to win over the six tribes of Qiongbu in Lizhou.

The six surnames of the Qiong tribe were originally a branch of the Wuman, and were of the same clan as the core of the Nanzhao royal family, so they were inherently connected by blood.

Previously, although a prefecture was established in Lizhou in western Sichuan, it was actually a tributary prefecture. The Tang army only set up garrisons and outposts along this valley corridor of the Tea Horse Road to protect the safety of the trade route. As for the vast mountains and forests and the Qiang, Man, and Liao people living there, they were basically left to their own devices.

However, the past leniency has become a fatal problem now, as the six barbarian tribes that have been won over by the Nanzhao army are openly threatening the Tang army's supply lines.

In fact, the Nanzhao army didn't need to go to great lengths to win them over. Which village could resist seeing groups of grain and weapons passing by at the foot of the mountain?
Therefore, in addition to capturing Hanyuan City before the battle, the Western Sichuan Army also needs to safeguard this supply line in the rear.

This task was clearly only something the Sichuan Army could handle. The northern vassal troops, once inside the mountains and forests, couldn't even find their way, let alone fight against the barbarian soldiers who could climb like monkeys.

Therefore, Yang Qingfu planned to send Ren Kezhi with his Xishan Qiang camp to the rear to maintain the supply lines. His Xishan Qiang were also skilled in mountain warfare and were even more adept in the mountains and forests.

However, Yang Qingfu had one concern: when they attacked Qiongzhou before, Ren Kezhi led the Xishan Qiang to the front and suffered considerable losses. He wondered if their fighting strength had recovered.

So, he couldn't help but look around at the assembled generals, and finding that Ren Kezhi was nowhere to be seen, he asked his son, Yang Shifan:
"Where is Ren Da?" Yang Shifan called out to a Qiang soldier from Xishan outside, then frowned and reported to Yang Qingfu:
"That Ren Kezhi discovered a group of Nanzhao soldiers and led some Xishan Qiang to attack them."

Upon hearing this, Yang Qingfu slammed his fist on the table and cursed:
"What's wrong with Ren Da? Who told him to launch the attack? And why did he lead the pursuit himself? How many men did he bring?"

Yang Shifan replied:

"He only brought more than fifty people!"

Now, Yang Qingfu couldn't sit still. Ren Kezhi was a fierce general under his command, and his Xishan Qiang tribe was especially important. He didn't even want to imagine the consequences if something went wrong.

Therefore, he directly ordered Zhao Huaiyi, a general sitting to the side, to lead his troops to support Ren Kezhi.

Yang Qingfu's Chengdu general had two thousand men, divided into two commanders. One commander was Xianyu Yue, and the other was Zhao Huaiyi.

The triangular-eyed general who dared to rob Baoyidu's warehouse after capturing Qiongzhou that day was none other than a squad leader under Zhao Huaiyi.

The reason for this conflict was that Zhao Huaiyi and Xianyu Yue were at odds.

At this time, Xianyu Yue was leading a thousand-strong elite force under Gao Pian's command, and the one currently in charge of the elite force was none other than Zhao Huaiyi.

Zhao Huai'an didn't like Zhao Huaiyi very much. He had met this man last year when he was rescuing Song Jian outside Yazhou.

At that time, this man looked down on the barbarians and Han people under his command. Later, when he came to drink with Li Shitai, he was still very disrespectful.

Although Zhao Huai'an held a lowly position at the time, he refused to tolerate such rudeness, so he never called that jerk over again when drinking after that.

Not to mention, this bastard's men even dared to steal his supplies from Baoyidu, which created an even bigger grudge.

Of course, besides these factors, there was another thing that also displeased Zhao Huai'an.

So, what level are you, Zhao Huaiyi, that your name is similar to mine, Zhao Huai'an?
My name is An, and yours is Yi. Aren't you stealing my name? How many times have I fought to the death for the title of Hubaoyi? I wonder how many people thought I was talking about you, Zhao Huaiyi?

This is the crux of his feud with Zhao Huaiyi; to put it bluntly, it's about him taking up Zhao Da's niche!
At this moment, upon hearing Yang Qingfu call for his help, Zhao Huaiyi quickly got up and prepared to leave the tent. Then, a hearty laugh came from outside.

Then, including Zhao Huai'an, the generals of the Sichuan-Western Army saw Ren Kezhi enter carrying two heads, his body reeking of blood.

He tossed the two heads, their hair tied together, onto the tray, then casually bowed to Yang Qingfu above them.

"General, we spotted this group of Nanzhao soldiers on the road and killed them. We also found some intelligence among them."

At this moment, he saw Yang Qingfu's face turn ashen, and he nervously turned his head to shout outside:

"Bring that traitorous dog up here!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two valiant Qiang warriors brought in a man bound. Upon seeing this man, several generals from western Sichuan instinctively gasped in surprise, then abruptly fell silent.

It turned out that many of them knew the person Ren Kezhi brought up and often dealt with him, because this person was Yan Jiulang, the chief clerk of the powerful Yan family in Chengdu.

The Yan family was originally a powerful clan in Zizhou, eastern Sichuan. They produced two military governors, Yan Zhen and Yan Li, who held immense power in eastern Sichuan. However, Yan Li was corrupt and lawless, and his family was confiscated after his death.

From then on, the Yan family left their ancestral home in eastern Sichuan and migrated to Chengdu, where they developed into one of the most powerful and influential families in the city. They became wealthy merchants through the tea-horse trade.

Many of the generals from western Sichuan in the tent had done business with Yan Jiulang, and some were even his honored guests. But when they saw that this broker had been arrested as a spy by Ren Kezhi, they immediately dared not look.

Why are they feeling guilty? Because deep down they mostly know that Ren Kezhi made the right arrest.
Yang Qingfu, who was at the head of the table, naturally recognized Yan Jiulang, but he also noticed the reactions of several of the generals under his command and secretly thought that something was wrong.

So he drew his knife, walked over, and before Ren Kezhi could react, he beheaded Yan Jiulang.

Ren Kezhi was sprayed with blood. At this moment, even the slow-witted Ren Kezhi knew he had caused trouble. He hurriedly tried to kneel down, but then he heard Yang Qingfu laugh loudly:
"You idiot! If you know he's a traitor, why keep him around? Drag him out and feed him to the dogs!"

Ren Kezhi was sweating profusely. He quickly ordered the Qiang people below to drag the corpse away and feed it to their hounds.

The Qiang people under his command were characterized by carrying strong bows, wielding long spears, and leading fine hounds.

After the Qiang soldiers dragged Yan Liulang's body away, Ren Kezhi stood there, not daring to say a word.

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an pulled Ren Kezhi to sit down, and then smiled at the group of Sichuan generals with complicated thoughts:
“I was inspecting the camp when the commander summoned us here. I was thinking to myself, he must be telling us old brothers to stick together. The decisive battle is dangerous and fierce. Can we rely on those foreign troops? Can we rely on the northern troops under the envoy? Can we rely on our own people?”

"Old Ren handled this matter poorly. He brought this person in as a spy without even figuring out who he was. What if he was one of our own, captured? Or just an ordinary interpreter? Right? Don't make things up without evidence!"

Then Zhao Huai'an said to everyone meaningfully:
"Don't say things that are detrimental to unity!"

"Actually, who that person was doesn't matter at all. What matters is that the commander has already taken action and killed him, even feeding his body to the dogs. So what is important? It's that on the day of the final battle, we old brothers will be united in spirit and bound by blood! That's what matters most!"

"Don't you all agree?"

Among the crowd, Shan Xingzhang, who loved to dance, was the first to respond with a smile. Then all the generals beamed with joy and said that Zhao Da was right.

At this moment, Ren Kezhi, who thought the matter was over, scratched his head and burst into laughter.

Only Zhao Huai'an couldn't laugh at all, because this matter was too serious.

Despite the cheerful smiles of the group of generals from western Sichuan, none of them dared to think too deeply about one thing:

"Why would Yan Liulang bring a group of Nanzhao people here? Are they going to see someone? Is that person among them?"

The seeds of doubt, like poison, devoured the already dwindling trust among these generals from western Sichuan.

And just now, despite Yang Shuai's decisive killing of Yan Liulang, he actually handled the matter terribly.

If it were up to him, he would definitely interrogate the person on the spot, and no matter what the final answer is, it would put people's minds at ease.

But now, even though everyone seems to be laughing it off, once we get to the battlefield, where we can't communicate in time, any doubts we have now could be fatal!
Damn it, of all times, this had to happen right before the big battle!

(End of this chapter)