Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 123 The Long Night
The moonlight was obscured by the high mountains. Zhao Huai'an, holding a torch, led more than ten cavalrymen, galloping along the slope behind the mountains.

In the darkness, amidst the chirping of insects and calls of birds, this cavalry, carrying torches, stood out like a bonfire in this desolate wasteland.

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an was also on tenterhooks, especially after learning that most of the generals in the Xichuan army were not trustworthy, he was even more worried that he would be ambushed.

In fact, if Zhao Huai'an hadn't seen that the messenger rider who came was one of Yang Qingfu's trusted men, he would have thought that he was about to be targeted and killed by the Nanzhao people.

Even so, Zhao Huai'an was still fully armored and galloping at this moment, and even if he brought two more horses, he would never remove his armor.

It's no wonder he was so cautious; many great generals in history died this way.

Hundreds of years ago, also in this land of Sichuan, Xiahou Yuan, the most important general and a close relative of Cao Cao, was ambushed by the veteran general Huang Zhong when he went to inspect the front-line outposts at night.
There was no way around it; it was just too conspicuous!

Therefore, Zhao Huai'an galloped all the way, not caring about his warhorse at all. The less than ten miles of mountain road was covered in a short time. This was only because of the mountain road; otherwise, the time would have been halved.

This is the mobility of cavalry; as long as you dare to run freely, you can complete a maneuver and infiltration within a radius of 500 li in a single night.

Of course, running like that would pretty much ruin the horse.

Soon, Zhao Huai'an led Liu Zhijun and other cavalry to the Fojinshan position.

The night was still deep, but the Buddha's mountain stronghold was brightly lit.

Zhao Huai'an stood on his horse, and several soldiers from Xichuan who recognized him rushed up to pull his horse back before he began to look at the somewhat chaotic battlefield.

All that could be heard was the sound of armored warriors shouting at the guards and spearmen amidst the swirling mountain mists of night:

"Stand up the wooden fence, aligning it entirely with the slopes on both sides."

The servants quickly shouted and blocked the mountain path with wooden fences and deer antlers.

Then there were those who carried other supplies, and those who dug ditches with shovels. If it weren't for the fact that the soil in Fojin Mountain was made of limestone underneath, Zhao Huai'an believed that these people would have dug three feet into the ground.

Looking at the busy soldiers of the central army, Zhao Huai'an felt suspicious. He looked at the warrior who was pulling his horse and recognized him as an old acquaintance, Lü Silang.

The crimson-colored military officer, who had even given away several gold coins, shouldn't he be with Old Yue?

Without thinking twice, Zhao Huai'an jumped off his horse and patted Lü Silang:
"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly so busy?"

Lü Silang hurriedly replied with a smile:

"The commander-in-chief returned from the envoy's place and this is how he is now. We don't know why."

Zhao Huai'an raised his eyebrows:
"Did our commander go to see the prime minister? So he sent me here after he returned?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Huai'an saw several more Xichuan generals rushing over. After glancing at Zhao Huai'an, they headed straight for the camp on the hillside.

At this moment, Lü Silang finally spoke:
"Yes, but the commander also called other people, but no one knows exactly who they called."

Zhao Huai'an nodded, instructing Liu Zhijun and the others to stay and tend to the horses. He then chatted with Lü Silang for a while before heading straight for the camp on the slope. At this time, Zhao Huai'an still hadn't removed his armor.

Wearing his bulky iron armor, Zhao Huai'an climbed the slope, where Yang Qingfu's banner had already been raised, bearing the inscription:

Yang Qingfu of Western Sichuan

Yes, without any titles, everyone knows this pillar of western Sichuan.

As Zhao Huai'an walked to the front of the tent, he couldn't help but glance back behind him. He saw countless bonfires burning in the valley below, like stars in the sky.

The commander's choice of this location as the banner's residence was indeed excellent.

……

As soon as Zhao Huai'an entered, he saw that there were already four people in the tent.

They are Ren Kezhi of the Western Mountain Qiang Army, Zhao Huaiyi, the general of Chengdu, Qu Dafu, the cavalry commander of the left wing, and Xie Congben, the cavalry commander of the right wing.

There were also a few of Yang Qingfu's trusted guards and soldiers, all of whom Zhao Huai'an knew and had drunk with. Among them were cavalry general Song Xingneng, the brothers Li Jichang and Li Jiyong, and guard general Fei Cun.

When Zhao Huai'an entered, no one spoke in the tent. Yang Qingfu had been resting his chin on his hand, deep in thought. Only after Zhao Huai'an entered did he stand up and smile:
"It must be quite cold coming up into the mountains at night when it's foggy."

As he spoke, Yang Qingfu was about to wipe the condensation off Zhao Huai'an's armor, but Zhao Huai'an quickly wiped it himself with his cloak, then clasped his hands in a fist and said:

"General, your humble servant Zhao Huai'an has arrived on orders. I wonder what instructions you have for me?"

Yang Qingfu didn't say anything, and pulled Zhao Huai'an to sit in the seat to his left.

At this moment, the Xichuan generals present felt quite bitter. Although they saw that the seat was empty when they arrived, and knew that someone more important was going to sit there, they did not expect it to be Zhao Huai'an.

Looking at the general's attitude towards Zhao Huai'an, it's even more infuriating.

After Zhao Huai'an sat down, Yang Qingfu suddenly ordered his soldiers to serve wine to the group.

Everyone was surprised. After all, Commander Yang was extremely strict in disciplining his troops, and most of his army had already been sent down to the valley. Everyone knew that under such a stalemate, tomorrow would surely be a fierce battle.

Under these circumstances, even someone who usually loves alcohol wouldn't dare touch a drop today. Unexpectedly, they ended up drinking with Yang Shuai.

Zhao Huai'an was also surprised. He saw that the generals and Yang Qingfu had started drinking, so he brought the wine cup he was holding to his lips, but he only took a small sip.

We'll be riding back to camp along the mountain road soon, so we can't get drunk and drive.

Yang Qingfu downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, then smiled at the group and said:

"It's chilly at night, let's have some wine to warm ourselves up. Besides, we're going to have a big battle tomorrow, otherwise we would have drunk ourselves into oblivion!"

After saying that, Yang Qingfu smiled at Zhao Huai'an and said:
"It's a pity that we didn't have a drink together when we passed through Jidong Pass last time. Today, let's have a little something special, and that will be a way of acknowledging you, a true hero of wine."

Zhao Huai'an raised the wine cup, then drank it all in one gulp, and said to Yang Qingfu:

“Yang Shuai, tell us what’s wrong. The brothers are all on your side.”

The others also looked at Yang Qingfu, eager to hear what had happened.

Yang Qingfu hesitated for a moment, but still smiled and said:
"There is something you all think we should do tomorrow."

Upon hearing that this was the question, Ren Kezhi was the first to speak:

"What else is there to say? As long as our army holds out until the envoy sends troops, we will surely win this battle."

Yes, even a brave general like Ren Kezhi knew that the key to this battle was Gao Pian's more than 30,000 troops from various vassal states on Canglong Ridge behind the ridge.

After all, everyone knows that the total number of Nanzhao troops scattered across Guanggu has already exceeded the strength of Xichuan's forces.

But at this moment, Qu Dafu, the cavalry commander of the left flank, said something:
"I estimate that the enemy force numbers around 20,000, roughly equal to our own. There's no need to worry."

Upon hearing this, the warriors present were all astonished. This Doctor Qu had been a military commander for many years, so how come he couldn't even count the enemy's flags and campfires? And he was still leading troops?

On the contrary, Yang Qingfu, who was above, became interested and laughed:
“Come on, Lao Qu, you tell us.”

So Doctor Qu, with his protruding belly, explained the following principles:
"Indeed, judging from the flags on the opposite ridge, we must have at least 70,000 to 80,000 men. But in my humble opinion, they are nothing to worry about. These men don't even dare to come down into the valley. They are just watching the battle from the ridge. With such a mentality, can they be called warriors? They are nothing but rotten wood. So the only ones who can truly fight are the 20,000 or so troops in the valley. That is the enemy's true strength."

Upon hearing this, some generals felt encouraged, some clapped and cheered, while others thought that what Doctor Qu was talking about was not the Nanzhao army at all, but clearly Gao Pian, who was lingering in the rear without engaging in battle.

Yang Qingfu was equally pleased and personally came down to pour wine for Doctor Qu, drinking with him.

But at that moment, Zhao Huaiyi, who was also a general, suddenly said in a deep voice:
"This humble general believes that if our army launches a night attack tonight, the enemy will be caught off guard, and we can achieve victory in one battle!"

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an, who was sitting on the stool, had a lot of opinions about Zhao Huaiyi, but he had to admit that what the man said made sense.

Zhao Da himself liked night raids. One advantage of night raids was that they could make up for the difference in troop strength between the two sides.

After all, if a fight breaks out in the dark, who knows how many people are coming from the other side?

Surprisingly, Yang Qingfu not only refused with a smile, but also said: "This battle cannot be won by a night raid. If we want to sweep away the enemy on our borders that have existed for a hundred years, we must defeat the Nanzhao army in a fair and square manner. The valley we are in right now is ten miles long and five or six miles wide, enough to accommodate an army of 100,000. It is the place we are going to use for the decisive battle."

As he spoke, he ordered his soldiers to carry the sand table over and place it on the ground. Then he sat on a stool and used a bamboo stick to tap the sand table below.

"This is the valley, and the main camps of our army and the Nanzhao army are on the surrounding mountains. This afternoon, I ordered twenty battalions to set up camp in the valley, occupying half of the valley area. This is already an advantage in terrain, but it is not enough. Tomorrow I intend to have a decisive battle with Nanzhao. At this time, the military strength in the valley is slightly insufficient. Therefore, I plan to order you to break camp in the valley tonight. Tomorrow, as soon as my banner arrives, we will launch a fierce attack on the Nanzhao army's positions."

Upon hearing Yang Qingfu's instructions, the four military officers, including Zhao Huai'an, all stood up to accept the order.

After saying that, Yang Qingfu finally addressed the matter that the generals were most concerned about:
"I just returned from the envoy's place. He has ordered the Boye Army, Yanhai Army, Ganhua Army, and Shannan West Road Army to be the first wave to set out, followed by the Zhaoyi, Hedong, and Changwu Armies as the second wave. It is estimated that they will all arrive in the valley before noon tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, everyone, including Zhao Huai'an, breathed a sigh of relief.

Then this battle is practically won.

But just as everyone was venting their anger, Yang Qingfu suddenly added:
"This is a top secret of our army. You must not divulge even a fraction of it. Anyone who violates this rule will be executed without mercy."

His words were filled with murderous intent, and the generals tensed up, hastily agreeing once more.

Then, Yang Qingfu dismissed the men.

Zhao Huai'an intentionally stayed until the very end, and only after seeing that the other three had gone far away did he circle back into the military tent. By this time, Yang Qingfu had already called out all the soldiers, as if he had already anticipated that Zhao Huai'an would return.

Time was of the essence, so Zhao Huai'an immediately whispered:

"General, I've heard rumors circulating in the army that people from Nanzhao have been seen in the positions of some generals. Are you aware of this, General?"

At this moment, Yang Qingfu remained expressionless, only humming a few words:
"Zhao Da, you know it's just a rumor, yet you still ask me? Didn't you say before that we shouldn't say things that are detrimental to unity? Why are you telling me this now?"

Zhao Huai'an's face fell, and he hurriedly called out:
"General Jie, my good General Jie, as the saying goes, flies don't land on eggs without cracks. These things are spreading so widely, there must be some truth to them. We must be vigilant. To be honest, General Jie, we are very uneasy. Even if we have to fight to the death, we must find out the truth."

At this moment, Yang Qingfu recalled the saying, "Flies don't land on eggs without cracks," and then looked at Zhao Huai'an:
"Zhao Da, today I'll teach you another trick. In the army, you can only trust yourself. No matter how reasonable or good other people's words may seem, just listen to them. You must understand that the lives of everyone in your army are in your hands. You must make your own decisions. No one can do it for you."

"So once you've thought it through, just do it. After you've done it, leave the rest to fate! That's why I told you before, without luck, you can't become a general."

Zhao Huai'an didn't want to hear any reasoning; he just wanted Yang Qingfu to give him the truth. So he asked more questions, but Yang Qingfu kicked him out.

Finally, Zhao Huai'an, pushed down the mountain by his soldiers, could only glance helplessly at the camp on the slope, sigh, mount his horse, and return to his main camp at the mountain pass.

Having come all this way, Zhao Huai'an felt even more uncertain. Only when he was with his brothers could he feel at ease.

If you want Zhao Da's life, then come and take it.

But before that, you'd better have enough brains, or you won't be enough for Zhao Da's gang of brothers to kill.

……

Zhao Huai'an returned safely to the Yakoupo position.

But he found an unexpected person in the tent: Li Shitai of the Zhongwu Army was waiting for him there.

In that instant, Zhao Huai'an's heart sank to the bottom.

Sure enough, as soon as Li Shitai saw Zhao Huai'an enter, he hurriedly stepped forward to speak, but was stopped by Zhao Huai'an.

Zhao Huai'an, clad in armor, sat on a stool and took a breath. He then instructed Zhao Liu and the others to position the Beiwei men twenty paces away. After doing this, only he and Li Shitai remained in the tent.

Li Shitai had also rushed here through the night and was in a state of disarray. Seeing Zhao Huai'an's demeanor, he was truly impressed.

Zhao Da is indeed a man destined for great things!

Regardless of his martial arts skills, and without mentioning his drinking capacity, Old Li, with his shrewdness, courage, and composure, what can't he accomplish?

So Li Shitai steadied himself and said to Zhao Huai'an:

"This afternoon, Magistrate Song summoned me and ordered me to rush to your position. He only wants to tell you one thing: you must not go down the mountain to join the battle tomorrow!"

Li Shitai's words struck Zhao Huai'an like a thunderbolt, almost causing him to drop his riding whip.

He reluctantly asked:
"Did the magistrate explain why?"

Li Shitai pursed his lips. This matter was too important; he dared not speak carelessly and could only cautiously say:

"It seems that this morning, just as you were going into battle, the envoy summoned the generals, including Envoy Song, and they returned. After that, the envoy walked around the tent for a while before calling me in."

Zhao Huai'an was listening, but he couldn't concentrate at all.

Old Song should know that tomorrow is the decisive battle. If he doesn't come down from the mountain to fight, he will definitely be subject to military law, and he will hardly survive! Not to mention that he will have failed Yang Qingfu's expectations.

But he also knew that Song Jian wouldn't talk nonsense. At most, there were some things he couldn't say, but once he did, he wouldn't say them carelessly.

Therefore, if he goes into battle tomorrow, there will definitely be a major crisis! Otherwise, Old Song wouldn't have sent Li Shitai in such a hurry.

At this moment, Li Shitai suddenly thought of something and added:
"Oh right, when the magistrate left, he said something like, 'If you send him peace, he will protect you,' but I don't understand what that means."

Now Zhao Huai'an was finally certain that Old Song was saving him!
In a split second, he thought of many things, but just as he was speaking, he suddenly heard shouts of killing coming from down the slope.

Then, Zhao Huai'an looked at the distant valley where flames were raging, and deafening battle cries were coming from the direction of Hanyuan City.

At that moment, three battalion commanders, Wang Jin, Chen Fahai, and Han Tong, rushed into the military tent. Among them, Wang Jin shouted to Zhao Huai'an:
"General, the Nanzhao army is attacking us!"

But it was at this moment that he and the others noticed that Zhao Huai'an's expression was very strange, like that of someone who had become extremely angry.

Then they saw Zhao Huai'an stand up, kick over the low table in front of him, and laugh angrily:

"Fine, fine, you all think Zhao Da is weak? Very well! You're all important people, but I, Zhao Da, am just a fool. Fine, I'll show you how a fool can kill people when he gets angry."

As he spoke, Zhao Huai'an pointed at Wang Jin and cursed:
"What are you talking to me about? You should immediately, right now, take the Mountain-Pulling and Iron Beast teams and kill all those people! Leave no one alive!"

Finally, Zhao Huai'an spoke slowly and deliberately:
"I said, not a single one will be left!"

Wang Jin had never seen Zhao Huai'an so angry before, and he roared without hesitation:

"The final general honors your order!"

Then he ran out and shouted at the outside world:
"Where are the Mountain-Pulling and Iron Beast? Charge out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the tent next to him was pushed open, and a heavy infantry unit in iron armor was dispatched.

These people were covered in iron armor from head to toe, with only their eyes showing. Because their bodies were so bulky, they could only move forward with a pigeon-toed gait.

As they marched, the iron maces, heavy axes, and long-handled iron maces in their hands would occasionally brush against the scales on their bodies, as if knives were scraping their scalps, sending chills down one's spine.

These men gleamed coldly in the darkness, leaving Li Shitai, who was standing behind the curtain, dumbfounded. Good heavens, Zhao Da had quietly amassed such a formidable army!
How magnificent! How heroic!

Then he saw that the man named Wang Jin, who had just been there, holding an iron helmet, leading his armored soldiers down the slope, causing the earth to shake violently.

Then he heard a deafening roar erupt from the bottom of the slope, followed by countless agonizing cries.

Li Shitai couldn't see anything, but he knew that it must be a living hell!

At that moment, Li Shitai, who already had some Buddhist beliefs, couldn't help but close his eyes and murmur:
"Amitabha Buddha, may you die sooner and be reborn in a better realm!"

Only Zhao Huai'an sat on a stool, his eyes fixed on the distant Hanyuan City.

Did Yang Shuai not tell me the truth?
Or perhaps, Lao Yang knows there's a traitor among us?
Thinking of this, Zhao Huai'an let out a cold laugh:
"Tonight is really long, and everyone is really busy!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shitai nodded hurriedly. Indeed, he was exhausted tonight.

　Tomorrow is the final battle, a climactic moment that will mark the first peak of this book! Everyone, please support us with your monthly votes! Let's see how Zhao Da becomes famous throughout the land! After this battle, who in the world wouldn't know Hu Baoyi?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)