Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 190 Come Quickly
"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

When the bell on the corner tower rang, the two groups of refugees gathered inside and outside the camp were completely bewildered, not knowing what had happened.

However, they still did not act rashly, assuming that something had happened elsewhere that prompted these soldiers to mobilize.

But when the group of refugees who had already entered the camp saw the armored soldiers heading straight for them, they immediately realized that they had been exposed.

A burly man shouted:
"Brothers, let's do it!"

Then he picked up a thick piece of wood that he liked and headed straight for the camp gate, where he started wildly swinging it around.

His followers rushed over, some carrying wooden sticks, others bare-handed, as they had no weapons and charged at the officers and soldiers of the Baoyi Army at the camp.

Meanwhile, the bandits hidden outside the camp gate, upon hearing their comrades inside shout, knew they had been exposed. They immediately pulled out shields and spears from the carts at the back and prepared to storm the camp gate.

This time, they were ordered by General Cao Shixiong and strategist Shang Junzhang to seize this refugee stronghold and then use these people to launch an attack on Yuanju City.

The soldiers at the front raised their placards to the top of the camp gate, while the dozen or so men behind them raised their longbows and fired a rapid-fire volley at the militia on the camp tower.

Only the military officers guarding the camp gate were members of the Baoyi Army; the rest were county soldiers from Shouzhou. Their quality and responsiveness were nowhere near those of the Baoyi Army.

When the bells of the corner tower rang, these people were still in a daze, while the Baoyi Army soldiers next to them began shouting to clear the camp gate.

So when those bandit cavalrymen fired their arrows, almost without exception, those who fell were the soldiers from Shou County.

However, the remaining Baoyi Army was too few in number to withstand the attack from both the front and rear, and the camp gate was breached directly.

At that moment, Sun Chuantao led all his armored soldiers up.

He himself wore a two-piece suit of armor, raised his bow, drew an arrow, and fired an arrow at the burly man who was the first to speak Chinese behind the camp gate.

The iron arrow pierced straight through his chest. The warrior who was charging with the wooden beam didn't even utter a sound before he swayed and fell down.

If the time and place were different, and this person were dressed in iron armor with guards protecting him, he would be worth a hundred soldiers. But now he was sent away by a single arrow.

Indeed, it is a weapon of the military and the state, a suit of iron armor.

As Sun Chuantao fired his arrow, the Baoyi Army behind him drew their bows and fired in unison. In just one volley of arrows, all the unarmored bandits behind the camp gate were killed on the spot.

Then Sun Chuantao saw that the camp gate had been breached, and without hesitation, he raised his spear and shouted:
"kill!"

Then they charged forward fearlessly, leading the charge.

At this moment, he was extremely grateful to Secretary Zhang Guinian. If it weren't for the secretary's keen insight, he would have been completely finished this time.

Moreover, it's not just him who's finished; once this refugee camp is captured by these bandits, the entire situation will deteriorate, and he will truly be a sinner.

Enraged by being mocked, Sun Chuantao roared and charged into the ranks of the bandits, still clad in his iron armor.

These bandits outnumbered the main force, but they had a fatal flaw: none of them were armored. After all, these men were initially ordered to infiltrate the camp and then coordinate with the main army when it arrived.

So when Sun Chuantao led twenty or thirty armored men into the crowd, blood and flesh flew everywhere.

Sun Chuantao's thinking was very clear; he immediately started attacking the most ruthless bandits among the outlaws.

In this kind of situation, no formation is needed at all. Just hack and slash wildly, kill off the bravest group of bandits in the front row, and the situation will be stable.

The two sides blocked the camp gate, hacking and slashing at each other. One side had many heavily armored soldiers and was unstoppable, while the other side was full of killing intent and had a large number of soldiers.

Soon, the ground was piled high with corpses, leaving no room to even step.

Sun Chuantao's helmet hilt was cut off, and he changed his sword twice. Blood and flesh splattered all over his body, but he was still tireless and fought bravely.

Blood and flesh splattered everywhere. The people lined up in front screamed and scattered. The red-clad men who got off the vehicle did not chase after the fleeing people, but when they encountered someone blocking the road, they swung their knives wildly. In an instant, the East Bridgehead was littered with corpses.

Inspired by the commander's fighting spirit, the infantrymen of the Baoyi Army behind him fought bravely, their blood staining the ground red, and they drove the bandits back step by step.

When Sun Chuantao cleaved off the head of the last bandit facing him with a single stroke, the blood gushing from his neck splattered all over his face, blinding him.

Then a long sword suddenly appeared out of nowhere and slashed at Sun Chuantao's neck. Fortunately, the collar of his armor caught the sword, but the bandit opposite him was clearly skilled with a sword.

The moment the knife got stuck, he dragged it down and then slashed it down at Sun Chuantao's face.

With a scream, the man fell to the ground.

One of the infantrymen behind Sun Chuantao thrust his spear forward, impaling the man like a gourd.

Then more and more infantrymen formed ranks and began to unleash their spears at the scattered bandit group.

This volley of spears completely shattered the bandits' fighting spirit. Facing the armored soldiers at the camp gate, they knew they could no longer break through, so they fled without hesitation.

Sun Chuantao stopped his men from pursuing them, cleared the corpses from under the camp gate to the side, and then closed the camp gate.

Only then did Sun Chuantao, utterly exhausted, sit on the corpse and give orders to his subordinates:
"Immediately suspend order at the camp. Everyone must remain in their tents. Anyone who dares to come out will be killed!"

Most of the armored soldiers were exhausted, but they knew this was the most crucial moment, so they led the Shou County soldiers who had not been able to play a role and began to patrol the camp while banging gongs.

As expected, there were still many remnants of the rebel army in the camp. Because they did not know that the outside world had been suppressed so quickly, they began to cause trouble in the camp as soon as the fighting started.

Surprisingly, most of the rebelling bandits were subdued by the nearby refugees, while a small number of them were killed by the patrolling county soldiers.

From then on, the refugee stronghold finally stabilized.

……

Meanwhile, the rebel army outside the camp withdrew from the camp gate and was about to flee north.

Then they heard the sound of hooves from the left, and then they saw a strange scene.

Two hundred or so armored soldiers rode up on mules, their feet almost touching the ground, yet this did not affect their speed at all.

From the moment they saw the mule soldiers to the moment they were overtaken, it took only three breaths.

As the armored soldiers dismounted from their mules and ruthlessly reaped lives with their swords, in a short time, most of the retreating bandits were killed or wounded. The rest had their legs broken, were tied to the ground, and were prepared to be tortured.

In addition, the White Cavalry of the southern camp were dispatched again to patrol further north and scout out whether there were any large enemy forces on the outskirts.

And so, when Zhao Huai'an led his son and his infantrymen on mules to the west of the city, they found that the riot had been quelled.

But when Zhao Huai'an subsequently tortured these prisoners, he realized that the real crisis had only just begun.

……

As night fell, the fighting outside Yuanju City had ended, but the entire western part of the city was bustling with activity, with countless torches illuminating the area as bright as day.

Zhao Huai'an set up his ceremonial guard below the West City Tower and personally oversaw the relocation of the displaced people.

After the daytime battle, Zhao Huai'an learned about the situation in Puzhou. It turned out that his guess was correct: the bandits from Caozhou had indeed gone north and joined forces with the bandits from Puzhou.

But he guessed the timing wrong. He didn't know that the other side was even faster. Five or six days ago, they had already encircled the Yicheng army in Puzhou. The so-called siege of Nanhua in the north was just a smokescreen.

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the three thousand Yicheng soldiers stationed outside Puyang were attacked by more than two thousand bandit cavalry and were completely annihilated. In particular, the Yicheng general Chen Quanyu suffered a tragic fate. Because many of the bandits were veterans from Pang Xun's uprising, these people had become the backbone of the bandit army. Therefore, these remaining veterans hated Chen Quanyu, a traitor to Pang Xun's army, to the bone. They skinned him alive, butchered him, and ate him alive.

After annihilating these Yicheng troops, Cao Shixiong, the chief commander of Puzhou, and Huang Cun, the chief commander of Caozhou, joined forces and marched south to Caozhou to completely eliminate the Baoyi Army stationed in Yuanju City.

The specific tactic was to first send elite troops disguised as refugees to infiltrate the refugee camp, and then, when the main army arrived, launch a surprise attack to seize the camp. After taking the refugee camp, they would then attack Yuanju City.

At this point, Zhao Huai'an already knew who was behind this entire offensive: Shang Junzhang, the strategist of General Wang Xianzhi, the Great General Who Patches Up the Sky, and a rustic scholar.

Even though they were enemies, Zhao Huai'an praised Shang Junzhang's series of plans and acknowledged the tactical and combat capabilities demonstrated by the Cao army.

It seems that these salt smugglers from Cao and Pu have actually become well-versed in military strategy through their long struggle against the government troops.

By avoiding the enemy's strength and attacking their weaknesses, by concentrating forces to launch long-distance raids and strike at the enemy's weak points on the battlefield, such tactical capabilities cannot be regarded as those of bandits.

Zhao Huai'an initially thought that even if Wang, Huang, and the core commanders of those bandit armies were highly capable and had strong military awareness, they must have been trained step by step from piles of corpses after years of fighting across the country.

For me, leading a formidable force that has emerged from the national war to fight against these newly formed, rudimentary armies is like a dimensional reduction attack!

But who knew these salt smugglers were so cunning? They pulled off a surprise attack right in front of him, then launched a counterattack?

In other words, he was cautious enough that after learning that Nanhua was besieged, he only chose the more mobile and flexible cavalry to go to its aid. If he had split his troops to go, they might have already been blocked in the wilderness by the rebel army.

However, precisely because of this, with all the cavalry from its three commanderies having left the city, the Baoyi Army currently lacks the conditions to engage in open battle with the bandits.

Not to mention that they learned from the prisoners that the Grass Army's cavalry force numbered at least two thousand, and that after attacking and annihilating the Yicheng Army, they had also captured hundreds of warhorses.

With the abundant manpower of Puzhou as its backing, the Cao army never lacked skilled strategists and cavalrymen.

Therefore, after receiving this intelligence, Zhao Huai'an immediately ordered the two groups of refugees to be resettled separately.

The number of refugees gathered by the Baoyi Army was eight or nine thousand, and they were more trustworthy, so they could be brought into the city for resettlement.

Part of it can be used for defending the city, and part can be used to balance the original inhabitants of Yuanju City.

Zhao Huai'an had not forgotten that this was Huang Chao's hometown, and that Huang Chao had not committed any offenses against the city after entering it. In contrast, Zhao Huai'an had only been in the city for a short time and had not yet been able to repay Huang Chao's kindness. Therefore, Zhao Huai'an was not entirely at ease with these people.

On the contrary, the refugees he rescued from those mass murderers and bandits were his life-saving grace, and he had fed them, so he could treat them as half of his own family.

As for the refugees who came later, they were of mixed quality, so Zhao Huai'an decided to transfer them to the other side by boat.

This way, it won't affect our defense of the city, and it will also give these people a way to survive.

Therefore, Zhao Huai'an began to evacuate the refugees from daytime. Those who had been rescued earlier were divided into three thousand households and ten districts according to the previous population register, and were settled in the city.

Those who came to surrender later were not classified and were all transported to the other side by boat.

Then he ordered the soldiers of Shouzhou County to clear all the trees within a five-mile radius, cutting down those that could be cut down and burning those that could not be cut down, to prevent them from falling into enemy hands.

At the same time, the two large villages originally built for refugees were also demolished, and the logs and antlers were used to reinforce the three military villages outside the city.

These three military strongholds will serve as the Baoyi Army's foothold outside the city, situated between Yuanju City and the Baigou waterway fleet, acting as a connecting point between the two.

These three military camps are all located on the north bank of the Baigou River, forming an inverted triangular shape. Beyond the two camps are Gao Qinde's 300 infantrymen and Zhang Ao's 500 soldiers from Shouzhou. The other camp is located behind the two camps, built directly on the banks of the Baigou River, and can be considered a half-water camp.

This water fortress was the lifeline for the Baoyi Army. A steady stream of supplies was transported here via the Baigou River, loaded and unloaded at the fortress, and then transported directly through the tunnel to the south gate of Yuanju.

This passageway was built by Zhao Huai'an when he constructed the three fortified camps, and now it has become the lifeline of the wronged.

It was precisely because this water fortress and passageway were so important that Zhao Huai'an appointed Huo Yanchao, the most astute and composed general, to lead three hundred Wudang soldiers to garrison this fortress.

After thoroughly clearing away the sheds outside the city, the view outside the city became clear, which made it easier for the Baoyi Army on the city walls to defend themselves.

This is the usual method of defending a city: fortification and scorched earth, and defending the stronghold before defending the city.

Originally, it was necessary to dig deeper trenches, but now there is no time. However, Zhao Huai'an did not intend to passively defend the city in order to protect the fighting strength of the righteous army. He could rely on the city walls to launch an active defense outside the city.

The tasks outside the city have been assigned to specific individuals, and there is also a great deal of work to be done inside the city.

The most important of these is preventing espionage.

Yuanju City was given to the Baoyi Army by the Cao Army themselves, and now they are launching a surprise attack with a large army. It is clear that there must be a large number of Cao Army spies left behind in the city.

Therefore, Zhao Huai'an is now having his thirteenth uncle recruit people from the rescued refugees to take on the joint defense work of the various wards in the city.

Yuanju City is not large, far from being comparable to the capitals of Bianzhou and Caozhou, but it still divides the city into urban areas according to the ward-market structure. The city has about ten wards, and each ward has about a hundred households.

Now, Zhao Huai'an has mixed all ten groups of refugees from Caozhou into these ten neighborhoods and then implemented a strict neighborhood prohibition system. Each neighborhood has a patrol team, half of whom are recruited from the refugees and the other half from the local neighborhoods.

Those recruited from this neighborhood must be jointly guaranteed by ten households. If this person causes trouble, all those who guaranteed him will be dealt with as well.

Starting tonight, each neighborhood will begin its night patrols, knocking on doors to gather information, and doing so every night, constantly checking for strangers within their neighborhood.

In addition, all wards must close their gates, whether it is day or night. If there is a need to recruit people to go up the city, someone will come to each ward with a military token to recruit people. No one is allowed to wander around in the wards.

After establishing a tight control over the market, Zhao Huai'an deployed troops in three locations within the city.

These are the county government office, the granary, and the armory. These are the most crucial facilities in the city, and their safety must be guaranteed as a priority. Even in the worst-case scenario, if there is unrest in the city's neighborhoods, as long as these three places are stabilized, the city will still be in the hands of the Baoyi Army.

The city was bustling with activity. Zhao Huai'an sat on the city wall, his clothes damp with moisture. Zhao Liu rushed up, having just helped some refugees onto the boat when he suddenly remembered something and hurried over.

Zhao Liu looked around at everyone and, seeing that there was no one else around Zhao Da, quickly ran over and whispered:
"Brother, something suddenly occurred to me."

Zhao Huai'an looked up, pleased that Lao Liu would also share his burdens, and then heard Zhao Liu say:
"Brother, have we asked Bianzhou for reinforcements? I've seen you busy all afternoon, but it seems no one has mentioned this. Is there some concern?"

Zhao Huai'an was dumbfounded. He embarrassingly realized that despite all his efforts, he hadn't sent a single request for help to Bianzhou.

I also fell into path dependence. I started fighting alone from the very beginning, and even during the decisive battle in Hanyuan, I led the team into battle by myself.

But now there's a huge force behind me! The Zhongwu Army, numbering 100,000, is less than 200 li away. Let's get moving! Also, judging by the time, the Zhongwu Army should have arrived in Bianzhou by now.

When there are people around, we should make use of them. This Tang Dynasty doesn't just belong to Zhao Da alone.

Thinking of this, Zhao Huai'an patted Zhao Liu repeatedly and praised him:
"Sixth brother, you've finally grown up and can share the burden now."

Zhao Liu's face turned green, but he couldn't beat them in a fight, nor did he dare to curse them. He could only sigh inwardly.
"Forget it, Zhao Da hasn't had it easy lately either. I've noticed he's been going to see those four beauties less often, so I won't hold it against him."

With Zhao Liu's reminder, Zhao Huai'an finally remembered the most important thing in defending the city and opening up the battlefield: "One arrow piercing the clouds will summon a thousand troops to meet us!"

Regardless of whether we can win or not, call for reinforcements first!

So, with a clear mind, Zhao Huai'an, by the dim torchlight, wrote down a sentence in a flourish:

"Brother, please know that I am in trouble. Come quickly!"

Then Zhao Huai'an confidently wrote down the letter requesting help and handed it to a group of porters, instructing them to take a fast boat to Bianzhou overnight.

Brotherhood isn't something you can just call a brother for nothing.
(End of this chapter)