Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 226 Direct Approach
When Li Si'an waded through the water, dodging a few stray arrows, and climbed ashore, he was stunned.

On the vast plain, eight neatly arranged military formations stood in a row, countless flags fluttering in the wind by the river, their crimson uniforms and gleaming armor shining brightly.

Is this the Righteous Army? They're incredibly strong! If they were to mobilize, our Xuanwu Army would be saved.

but……

However, Li Si'an still couldn't believe that these Baoyi Army would go to rescue Xuanwu Army, because he also knew the current situation of the vassal army.

Putting aside any enmity or personal grudges, even among loyal regional governors under the same imperial court, each minded their own business and didn't care about the troubles of others.

To put it bluntly, a single soldier in our own household costs twenty or thirty strings of cash a year, not to mention that it takes seventeen or eighteen years to train a qualified warrior. We are reluctant to use them even if we are willing to do so ourselves, let alone for the sake of others.
We tried to save the Xuanwu Army, but people died. Who will replace them? Are we counting on the imperial court?

Li Si'an wasn't unaware of these things; he was simply doing his best. After all, the military order had given him to request reinforcements, and he would do it even if it meant his death.

With her lips pursed, Li Si'an climbed up, took off her wet military uniform, and ran up in just a pair of shorts.

Several cavalrymen on the outskirts were resting on the ground when they suddenly saw a naked man emerge from the river. They were all startled. Some of them were from the Huai River area of ​​Guangzhou and had heard terrifying stories about water monkeys since they were young. They were told that disobedient children would be dragged into the river by the water monkeys.

Suddenly seeing this wet thing emerge, childhood nightmares flooded back, and I pointed in that direction, my teeth chattering.

A knight from the Dongchuan army couldn't stand it any longer, cursed, then mounted his horse, drew his sword, and galloped over.

At that moment, Li Si'an, who was running over there, saw a rider coming from the opposite direction and shouted happily:

"I am Li Si'an from Xuanwu Army. I have important military information to report to Governor Zhao!"

The Dongchuan army's soldiers were about to smash the "water macaque" to death with their iron maces when they suddenly heard the other party's words. They instinctively stopped their horses and circled around Li Si'an to see that the thing was indeed a person.

Only then did his tense muscles relax, and he looked down at Li Si'an:

"Do you have any proof? If you don't, we'll just consider you a spy and beat you to death!"

As he said this, the Dongchuan soldier did not move, but continued to sized up Li Si'an, clicking his tongue as he saw that he was muscular and had a broad chest and back.

Upon hearing this, Li Si'an slapped his forehead, then ran back, pulled out a talisman from the lining of his wet military uniform, and handed it to the other side.

The Dongchuan soldier took the talisman, comparing it to the recorded height information, then stuffed it into his pocket. Finally, he tossed over a hemp rope and shouted:

"Tie it up yourself!"

Li Si'an was dumbfounded. Ha, how did she tie herself up? And why did he want to tie her up?

He patiently explained once again:
"Brother, I have important military intelligence to report to your Governor Zhao. Please take me there quickly, we really can't afford to delay. In the time it takes us to talk, at least dozens of lives will have been lost."

Li Si'an was smart enough not to immediately say he was there to ask for reinforcements; otherwise, it would have been hard to say whether he would have been able to meet that Magistrate Zhao.

The soldier from Dongchuan curled his lip upon hearing this and was about to rebuke him when the sound of hooves came from behind. Then, several of Guang and Shou's sons, who had been trembling and dared not come forward, rode over.

Seeing that their brother could talk to the person opposite them, they knew he was alive and well, so they quickly came to help.

A younger boy, while curiously observing Li Si'an, jumped down, picked up the rope, and prepared to tie Li Si'an up.

This displeased Li Si'an, who shoved the man aside and shouted:

"What are you doing? If you keep doing this, I'm not going to be polite!"

But as soon as he pushed, the other white-clad warriors drew their knives, and one of the more skilled ones thrust his spear at him.

At this moment, the young man, Ta Bai, who had been pushed to the ground, shouted:
"Don't kill him!"

Then the knight pinned the lance to Li Si'an's feet.

At this moment, Li Si'an's forehead was soaked with sweat, and he didn't know whether it was sweat or water. He looked at the young warrior who was walking over and noticed that several strong warriors carefully surrounded him. He realized that this person must be someone of status.

The young martial artist patted the dirt off his backside and then smiled at Li Si'an:

"Don't be nervous, everyone. We're all family. What's your name?"

Li Si'an apologized and then introduced herself:

"Li Si'an".

The martial artist smiled and nodded.
"Good name, but you'd better tie it up, that way it'll be more convenient for everyone."

As he spoke, the man came up and continued to tie the hemp rope around Li Si'an's hands. However, instead of wrapping it around both hands, he wrapped one side around Li Si'an's wrist and the other side around his own wrist.

At this moment, he said:
"Don't worry, we will definitely take you to see Magistrate Zhao."

What could Li Si'an say at this moment? He was at the mercy of others.

Finally, the young martial artist introduced himself:

"By the way, my name is Zhao Huaide."

After saying that, he deliberately showed off a row of teeth.

When Li Si'an heard the name, he was taken aback. The name was too suggestive. The governor of Guang Prefecture of the Baoyi Army was named Zhao Huai'an, and the boy in front of him was named Zhao Huaide. Who would believe that there was no connection between them?

At that moment, he understood why this person was being protected by several people.

So he's Zhao Shijun's younger brother!
So, Li Si'an gave what he considered to be his most amiable smile.

……

Zhao Huai'an stood on the donkey cart. The wind on the riverbank was getting stronger and stronger. At this moment, Zhao Liu draped a cloak over him and said:
"Brother, something feels off!"

Zhao Huai'an discovered that Zhao Liu had a knack for talking. During his first major battle, Zhao Liu dreamed of a crow that said they would definitely win.

In the end, the main army was defeated, but their newly formed local militia won, and he earned the title of "Hubaoyi" in that battle.

So when Zhao Liu said he felt something was wrong, he took it seriously and asked:
"Oh? What do you say?"

Zhao Liu pointed to the fleet of cargo boats still burning on the Baigou River beside him and said:
"Brother, I just can't understand it. They burned the ships on the water, but instead of attacking us nearby, they went to attack the Xuanwu Army in the north. I really don't understand. Brother, do you think there might be some shady dealings we don't know about?"

Zhao Huai'an thought it was something serious, and after thinking for a moment, he told Zhao Liu his observations:

"Sixth, as the saying goes, the expert sees the details, while the layman sees the spectacle. The day I welcomed Yang Fuguang, I also saw those Xuanwu soldiers. How should I put it? On the surface, these people are indeed not bad, in armor and helmets, with bows, crossbows, swords, and spears, and they walk with an air of self-importance. But did you notice that these Xuanwu soldiers have an unusually large amount of baggage and merchants? Others only send caravans after winning a battle, but they came directly with their own people."

"Another problem is that their officers and soldiers are very undisciplined. I saw several times when military officers reprimanded them, but the officers and soldiers acted as if they hadn't heard them."

"The most important thing for an army is to obey orders! Especially in large-scale operations, military discipline must be strict! But the Xuanwu Army doesn't feel like a large army to me; it's more like they've come to Caozhou to buy goods."

Zhao Liu was puzzled and didn't understand, so he asked:
"Ha, what kind of goods should we stock? Caozhou is practically a wasteland, what's left?"

Zhao Huai'an shook his head and said no more.

Meanwhile, Zhao Liu gradually figured it out. It turned out that these Xuanwu soldiers had their eyes on the wealth of Caozhou City. But hadn't they seized these things when they were in Yuanju?

So these Xuanwu soldiers didn't know that!

While Zhao Huai'an and Zhao Liu were talking, Zhang Guinian was observing the situation to the north from the watchtower of the rear military camp. The more he looked, the more he felt something was wrong, so he ran down from the watchtower, rode his warhorse to Zhao Huai'an's donkey cart.

He steered the horse and turned to Zhao Huai'an, saying:

"My lord, I'm looking north from upstairs, and something's not right with Xuanwu Army! The commotion over there has been going on for over an hour and it hasn't died down yet. Could something have happened?"

Zhao Huai'an didn't believe it, and he said to Zhang Guinian:

"Old Zhang, although the Xuanwu Army is not as good as ours or the Zhongwu Army, and their minds are not purely those of warriors, in this world, none of the soldiers who can serve as elite troops are fake. It is surprising that the common army defeated the enemy, but their forces could not possibly break through the Xuanwu Army's position. More than 10,000 elite troops, of which 60% are armored soldiers, are holding a strong fortified camp. Tell me, how can we lose?"

"Moreover, Yang Fuguang is nearby with the Zhongwu Army, much closer than us. Perhaps the Zhongwu Army has already come to our aid and is attacking the rebel army that has left the city from both sides!"

Just then, Zhao Huai'an suddenly saw his third brother bring over a person who was soaking wet, wrapped in a robe, with two hairy legs showing, and looking at him excitedly.

So he shouted directly:
"Third brother, who is this person?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huaide happily ran over and whispered to Li Si'an, who was standing there in a daze, "Come on, my elder brother Zhao Hua'an is just ahead. Aren't you going to talk to him about the important military report?"

At this moment, Li Si'an looked at the imposing warrior standing on the donkey cart and was immediately impressed by the warrior's demeanor.

Tall and strong, he exudes an indescribable air of authority with every gesture!

So this is the "righteous and filial Hei Dalang, the soldier who calls for justice"! What a hero!

Hearing Zhao Huaide's words, Li Si'an thought to himself, "Just as I thought," and then followed closely behind, before lying prone on the ground and shouting from a distance:

“Li Si’an, a soldier of the Xuanwu Army, greets Governor Zhao. Please send troops quickly to save our Xuanwu Army.”

These words completely shattered Zhao Huai'an's confidence. His ears turned red, and he couldn't help but ask in surprise:

"What? What happened to your Xuanwu Army? Come forward and tell me quickly."

Li Si'an hurriedly crawled forward on his knees, dragging a cloud of mud and dust under the donkey cart, and then cried to Zhao Huai'an:

"Lord Zhao, my general has sent me to request reinforcements. He says that two of our camps have already been breached, and if we don't get help soon, our main camp will be lost."

Zhao Huai'an became increasingly confused as he listened, and repeatedly asked:
"How could you lose two battalions so easily? You have less than ten thousand soldiers, and twelve fortified camps. How long has it been? What kind of battle are you fighting?"

Li Si'an quickly explained:
"I don't know much either, but I do know that the fortifications our army has built are weak and ineffective, and can be easily pushed down by a straw army. The troops in all camps are almost easily routed, and the rear troops dare not fight. That's why the general called me here specifically to ask for reinforcements! Lord Zhao, please help our Xuanwu Army out of consideration for the court's concerns!"

It was only then that Zhao Huai'an realized how outrageous the Xuanwu Army was; their main camp on the battlefield was so shallow, it was just for show.

These Xuanwu soldiers weren't lacking in fighting ability; they'd just been floating in the air for too long. They always felt that such life-or-death situations wouldn't be their turn, assuming things would be the same as before: the Zhongwu Army would fight on the front lines while they profited in the rear. But they forgot that the battlefield is a place of life and death, and anyone who slacks off on the battlefield will find their fate playing tricks on them.

But it's pointless to say all this now. Why? Because most of the supplies they brought this time are at the Xuanwu Army camp.

This time, Yang Fuguang arrived at the city of Caozhou with a large amount of supplies. Originally, they were all loaded onto cargo ships, but in order to put on an act, he transported a large amount of supplies to the Xuanwu Army's camp.

After all, given the situation of the Xuanwu Army at that time, it was undoubtedly the main force.

Therefore, once the Xuanwu army camp is lost and their supplies are all looted, they will not only be unable to attack Caozhou City again, but will probably have to flee back to Bianzhou immediately.

What's even more troublesome is that this batch of supplies fell into the hands of the rebel army, which would be a major event affecting the entire Central Plains war situation.

Thinking of this, Zhao Huai'an asked:
"Why did you come all this way to me? Before the battle, our army was ordered to seize the gate, and we didn't have any spare troops to rescue you. You should go to the Zhongwu Army."

However, Zhao Huai'an was just saying that; after all, he couldn't make this person make another trip to the northeast of the city, could he? There wouldn't be enough time then.

But he didn't expect that after hearing this, Li Si'an would start cursing at the Zhongwu Army:
“Lord Zhao, I first went to find the Zhongwu Army, since the military supervisor was stationed there. But who would have thought that we didn’t even see the military supervisor before being driven out by a group of people. In the end, a kind person told us to come to you, saying that you could definitely save our Xuanwu Army.”

As he spoke, Li Si'an began to flatter Zhao Huai'an:
“Lord Zhao, I have long heard of your righteousness and integrity. Today you have saved our Xuanwu Army, and our army will surely repay you handsomely.”

Zhao Huai'an glanced at Li Si'an, not believing his words at all. It wasn't that he didn't believe in the man's sincerity, but rather that he didn't believe his words would be useful.

But why didn't the Zhongwu Army send troops? What were Supervisor Yang's considerations?

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head:
"Could it be that these loyal soldiers have no intention of saving us at all?"

Thinking about his previous behavior, I suddenly felt that this was very likely.

However, if the Chungmu Army does not send troops, then the matter becomes a bit complicated.

He wasn't afraid of the bandit army, but rather that when he went to rescue the Xuanwu army, the Zhongwu army might take advantage of the gap in the city gate. In that case, he would not only fail to rescue the Xuanwu army but also lose the merit of capturing the city, which would be a loss.

Just as Zhao Huai'an was weighing the pros and cons, three cavalrymen led a knight through the ranks of soldiers on the racetrack outside, heading straight for them.

The cavalryman stopped in front of Zhao Huai'an's carriage, without dismounting, and shouted:

"My lord, General Zhang has sent a military report."

As he spoke, he handed a roll of paper from his chest to Zhao Huai'an.

Zhao Huai'an recognized the cavalrymen's attire as belonging to the Chixin Capital. He frowned, unfolded the paper, and scanned it, his expression becoming even more serious.

After reading it, he did not respond immediately, but instead stuck his hand into the small copper bowl, which was filled with grains of rice.

Holding the rice, Zhao Huai'an pondered for a moment, then suddenly said to his advisor, Pei Desheng:
“Xiao Pei, I’m telling you, you write it down.”

Pei Desheng immediately took out paper and pen and stood by the donkey cart to listen to Zhao Huai'an's orders.

Then we heard Zhao Huai'an, with clear thinking and calm demeanor, give the order:
"Order: Guo Congyun, the commander of the Left Wing Cavalry, shall be the vanguard general, leading his Flying Dragon Cavalry and Infantry to march north and flank the Grass Army. They are not allowed to enter the Xuanwu Army camp to pursue them."

Pei Desheng wrote quickly, and then Zhao Huai'an issued the second military order:
"Order that Wang Jin, the commander of the Right Wing Infantry, be appointed as the main general of the garrison, leading Geng Xiaojie's Flying Leopard Cavalry, and the two garrison commanders of Wudang and Jindao."

"I hereby order that Beiwei, Bashan, and Feihu all move closer to my banner and then I will lead them as a reserve force."

Repeat my command.

Pei Desheng was able to stay by Zhao Huai'an's side for so long not only because he was the son of Prefect Pei and his future brother-in-law, but also because the young man had a very clear mind.

When Pei Desheng read Zhao Huai'an's words verbatim, without altering a single word, Zhao Huai'an nodded and instructed a scribe to copy them down, which were then handed over to his subordinates to be distributed to the various generals.

After doing all this, Zhao Huai'an spoke to the knight of the Red Heart Capital, word by word:

Tell Zhang Ao, I only want the North Gate!

The knight paused for a moment, raised his head, and then quickly nodded. After saying this, Zhao Huai'an added:
"Let him fight without worry, I'll be right behind him!"

Now the rider shouted loudly, in his hometown dialect of Shouzhou:
"Here!"

Subsequently, Zhao Huai'an ordered Wang Maozhang, Yao Xingzhong, and Yang Yanqing to each lead ten riders to return along the same route as the ordering riders.

Looking at the various military formations that had begun to move, Zhao Huai'an nodded, then said to Fatty Dou:
"Take this man with you. When you save the Xuanwu Army, you can use him to claim credit!"

Fatty Dou nodded. Seeing that the man named Li Si'an was only wearing a robe, he asked Lao Mo and the others to change him into a clean set of clothes, and then took him with him.

At this moment, as Zhao Huai'an's military orders were successively transmitted to the generals, the banner representing Wang Jin's banner began to move towards the center of the position, and the banners of the Flying Leopard, Wudang, and Golden Knife capitals also gradually moved closer to Wang Jin.

Meanwhile, amidst the continuous bugle calls, Guo Congyun, who was already concentrated on the left flank of the battlefield, gathered his Flying Dragon Cavalry and Infantry and began marching north.

At this moment, amidst the billowing dust and the earth-shaking sound of horns, the warriors of Flying Dragon and Stepping Warriors shouted in unison:

"Victory!" "Victory!"...

The roar rose and fell, changing the very color of the sky and earth.

Zhao Huai'an looked on with satisfaction at the high morale of the two commanders. Meanwhile, Wei Jingang, the deputy commander from Beiwei, and Han Qiong, the commander of Bashan, rushed over and loudly reported to Zhao Huai'an on the donkey cart:
"My officers and soldiers are ready and await your instructions, Your Excellency!"

Zhao Huai'an nodded, raised the Hidden Blade in his hand, and gave the order:

"All troops, advance! Target: North Gate!"

Han Qiong and Wei Jingang loudly acknowledged the order, then tapped their chest armor before turning their horses back to their respective ranks.

Then, amidst an even more stirring chorus of war drums and horns, Beiwei and Bashan rode mules forward, one on the left and one on the right, followed by two hundred Flying Tiger Cavalry led by Liu Zhijun.

Finally, fifty armored warriors, riding horses and pulling chariots driven by four donkeys, headed straight north of the battlefield.

They either don't move at all, or when they do, the Baoyi Army mobilized the elite troops of five commanderies.

The procession stretched endlessly, stirring up clouds of dust that highlighted the large "Protect Justice" banner as it marched northward.

The rebel soldiers guarding the city tower at the west gate saw everything, and then rode their horses directly from the city wall to the north.

Their commander, Huang Qin, had already moved the main banner there and was personally overseeing the attack on Xuanwu Army.

　The next chapter will be released later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)