Chapter Fifty-One: Arrival of the Army

In the first year of the Qianfu era, on the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhao Huai'an led a force of about one thousand men out of Shuangliu and arrived at the Jinma River, where they began to pitch camp and establish fortifications.

The Jinma River lay fourteen li to the west of Shuangliu city, and the encampment set up by Zhao Huai'an was situated about three to four li away from the eastern bank of the river, forming a pincer formation with Shuangliu city.

This location was not chosen by Zhao Huai'an himself, but rather by the great commander within Shuangliu city, the formidable West Sichuan general Yang Qingfu, who had personally ridden out of the city to survey and select the site.

As it turned out, when Zhao Huai'an finally made up his mind to take a gamble that day, securing this mission was unexpectedly difficult.

Yang Qingfu did not recognize a nobody like Zhao Huai'an at all; let alone being merely a garrison soldier from Lizhou, even the Prefect of Lizhou, Huang Jingfu, would have been seated at the lowest tier in Yang's presence.

Ultimately, it was Commissioner Song Jian himself who personally introduced Zhao Huai'an to Yang Qingfu. With Song Jian's endorsement and Yang Qingfu's private examination, Zhao Huai'an successfully secured the assignment.

Through this experience, Zhao Huai'an came to understand that without connections, even a suicidal task like this would never fall to you.

Yet, it was precisely the importance Yang Qingfu attached to the selection of the garrison commander that brought Zhao Huai'an some comfort. It seemed the man was not simply looking for a sacrificial lamb; he genuinely intended to hold Shuangliu.

That was fine by him. As long as Yang Qingfu still wished to hold Shuangliu, he would not sit idly by and watch the outpost outside the city be breached, which meant Zhao Huai'an stood a chance of receiving reinforcements.

Once Zhao Huai'an was confirmed for the post, Yang Qingfu held a military council that very afternoon.

This time, Zhao Huai'an was allowed to wait outside the hall. Even as the protagonist of the upcoming battle, he still stood like a lowly foot soldier.

During the meeting, Yang Qingfu emphasized the strategic importance of the Jinma Encampment and then introduced Zhao Huai'an to the assembled generals. The military commanders from West Sichuan and the outer prefectures displayed varied reactions.

Aside from Tian Chongyin of the Yanhai Army, who showed friendliness toward Zhao Huai'an, the rest of the generals were entirely cold. Perhaps in their eyes, Zhao Huai'an was already a dead man, and there was no need to bother making his acquaintance.

None of this mattered; Zhao Huai'an knew what he wanted.

Right there during the meeting, Yang Qingfu granted Zhao Huai'an his request, officially permitting him to recruit soldiers within the city and bring the Baoyi Battalion up to full strength.

A full battalion consisted of a thousand men, while Zhao Huai'an's core force numbered fewer than two hundred. In other words, his troop establishment had to be expanded fivefold overnight—a burden far beyond what his original unit could absorb.

Therefore, Zhao Huai'an sought out Fatty Dou, formally inviting his irregular militia to be incorporated into the Baoyi Battalion.

Through the recent flight and trials, Fatty Dou's militia had also suffered heavy casualties, leaving only slightly over sixty men. However, those who remained were all core retainers of the Doulu clan.

At first, upon hearing that he was going to march out of the city with Commander Zhao to certain death, Fatty Dou shook his head a myriad of times. But Zhao Huai'an pointed out to him that irregular militias like theirs, if left inside the city, would simply serve as cannon fodder for the defense, whereas going outside offered a glimmer of survival.

When Zhao Huai'an spoke of finding a way to survive outside, his tone carried an unmistakable hint. Fatty Dou understood instantly, and after conferring with several of his household generals, he finally decided to join Zhao Huai'an's Baoyi Battalion.

With the addition of Fatty Dou's men, Zhao Huai'an recruited six hundred routed soldiers and brave volunteers within the city. Among them, only two hundred were routed soldiers, yet they were seasoned veterans without egregious vices, recruited strictly according to military rosters by Wang Du.

Whether routed soldiers or brave volunteers, virtually everyone inside the city was merely awaiting death. Now, Zhao Huai'an recruited them with a bounty of twenty strings of cash per man, providing winter clothing and firewood. Though they knew sallying forth meant fighting to the death, they were all willing to give their lives.

After all, dying in battle was still better than freezing to death.

Moreover, the military competence of these men exceeded Zhao Huai'an's expectations. Not only did the two hundred-plus routed soldiers possess combat capability, but even the recruited volunteers had undergone a certain degree of military training.

This made Zhao Huai'an truly realize how thoroughly martial the late Tang dynasty was, where even three households could support a soldier.

Regarding specific organization, Zhao Huai'an was forced to throw caution to the wind. The military officers at his disposal were these very men; previously accustomed to commanding merely ten soldiers each, they were now required to lead fifty men apiece.

There was no other choice. Even Zhao Huai'an himself was learning on the job, and everyone else had to do the same.

The battlefield would be the best teacher.

In terms of specific troop expansion, Zhao Huai'an first formally promoted Sun Tai and Zhao Huai to the positions of left and right vanguard generals of the central army, placing them in command of a hundred armored warriors within the central unit.

These hundred men were veteran soldiers specially selected by Zhao Huai'an from among the routed troops, boasting rich combat experience. Zhao Huai'an organized them into the central unit and assigned all six of his personal disciples into their ranks as squad leaders.

Zhao Huai'an even specially bestowed upon them the military designation of "Beiwei."

Aside from the hundred-plus veterans of his personal guard and the eighth squad, he organized Fatty Dou's unit into a complete squad, and further ordered Sun Chuanwei to take his seven Baoyi martial artists as the core to expand a fifty-man squad.

Additionally, newly arrived generals Gao Renhou, Dang Shushu, Hu Honglüe, and Kang Yanjun were appointed as squad commanders by Zhao Huai'an, each leading fifty men.

Thus, Zhao Huai'an now had sixteen squad commanders under his direct command. The remaining two hundred-odd men were organized as logistics and incorporated under the sixth squad for management.

All sixteen squad leaders reported directly to Zhao Huai'an. While this somewhat reduced communication efficiency, such a flat management structure gave Zhao Huai'an greater peace of mind regarding the current Baoyi Battalion.

Aside from troop replenishment, Zhao Huai'an also requested corresponding equipment from Yang Qingfu. Although his combat force numbered only eight hundred men, Zhao Huai'an still demanded supplies and equipment for a thousand.

These materials posed no difficulty for Yang Qingfu, as the warehouses of Chengdu were piled high with provisions. Within two days, equipment for a thousand men loaded onto over a hundred large carts arrived at Zhao Huai'an's camp.

Over the next three days, Zhao Huai'an's forces intensified their reorganization and training. By the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, his unit marched out of Shuangliu and camped four li east of the Jinma River.

...

At this moment, the Jinma Encampment was a swirl of dust. Zhao Huai'an, alongside Chen Fahai and Gao Ende, was busy directing the construction of the camp.

Both Chen and Gao possessed extensive military careers and rich experience in establishing encampments.

To withstand the siege of the Nanzhao army, the Jinma Encampment had to be built as a heavily fortified stronghold.

Tang dynasty military encampments had their own established regulations, consisting essentially of deep trenches, caltrops, wooden palisades, and watchtowers. These were conventional methods that required no deep pondering from Zhao Huai'an, but combining his knowledge from future generations with his recent military experiences, he had a few minor insights to add.

First was the deep trench. How deep did Zhao Huai'an have it dug? It had to be the height of a man, with all the excavated earth piled solidly on the side closer to the encampment to form a slope.

Furthermore, he deployed caltrops and sharpened stakes within the trenches, and even had men dig a shallow trench three to four li long extending from the Jinma River to channel river water directly into the moats.

Next came the construction of watchtowers erected at the four corners, manned by archers and crossbowmen, alongside a loftier command tower positioned on high ground within the camp to serve as the headquarters for the entire army, allowing both observation of enemy movements and coordination of all-around defense.

Finally, he established several hidden underground passages—a trick Zhao Huai'an learned from historical dramas, knowing that Western-style blockhouses often utilized such secret tunnels specifically for launching surprise sorties.

With these additions by Zhao Huai'an, the defense system became far more rigorous, though the engineering workload was immense. Fortunately, Yang Qingfu inside the city strongly supported him, dispatching refugees within the city to assist with civil engineering work.

Over the following week, the Jinma Encampment gradually took shape. Even Yang Qingfu came out from the city with his generals to inspect it, offering high praise.

Regrettably, still no one held out hope for Zhao Huai'an, simply because the enemy he faced was a Nanzhao army numbering in the tens of thousands.

...

Once the main camp was completed, Zhao Huai'an's troops officially garrisoned the Jinma Encampment.

Shortly after, the final batch of supplies arrived from the city, including funds, grain, siege weaponry, defensive gear, and a personal handwritten letter addressed to Zhao Huai'an.

The letter was penned by Yang Qingfu, and its contents were brief, consisting of only four characters:

"Pillar of West Sichuan."

Zhao Huai'an shook his head, thinking to himself that this Yang Qingfu was indeed better at winning hearts than Song Jian or Military Governor Niu Cong, yet Zhao Huai'an cared little for such gestures.

He knew these things were illusory, just as his thousand-man troop was illusory. Once they failed to hold the Jinma Encampment, all of this—including he himself—would vanish like smoke.

At that moment, Zhao Huai'an finally understood the saying:

"Walking on thin ice my whole life, can I ever reach the other shore?"

Sighing softly, he tucked the letter into his tunic and awaited the arrival of the Nanzhao army.

...

To everyone's surprise, this waiting stretched all the way into the following year.

Throughout the entire twelfth lunar month, the main force of the Nanzhao army remained stationed in Tang'an, with various detachments pillaging the surrounding countryside, showing no intention whatsoever of advancing toward Shuangliu.

Although military reports sent from the city claimed that the Nanzhao army seemed to have no intention of moving east, Zhao Huai'an dared not relax his vigilance for a moment, instead utilizing the time to intensify troop training.

For he knew that even if the Nanzhao army intended to plunder, they would eventually march on Chengdu; these counties outside Chengdu were merely appetizers.

Sure enough, on New Year's Day of the second year of the Qianfu era, just as the entire army was celebrating the Lunar New Year, a fast courier crossed the opposite bank of the Jinma River and galloped straight toward Shuangliu city.

From the watchtower, Zhao Huai'an spotted the messenger and instantly guessed that the Nanzhao army had most likely mobilized.

However, Zhao Huai'an kept this to himself, saying nothing to his generals, and instead ensured everyone spent the New Year's holiday properly.

He knew very well that this might well be the last New Year many of them would ever experience.

...

Sure enough, the following day, a military report arrived from Shuangliu city: a Nanzhao grand army of thirty thousand had departed Tang'an, stretching ten-odd li from front to rear, rolling relentlessly toward Shuangliu.

Over the subsequent days, Shuangliu city dispatched three reports daily, relaying the movements of the Nanzhao army to Zhao Huai'an.

An atmosphere of pre-battle tension permeated the entire ranks of Zhao Huai'an's forces; everyone knew what eight hundred facing thirty thousand meant.

Then, two days later, on the fifth day of the first lunar month in the second year of Qianfu, Zhao Huai'an, patrolling atop the watchtower, finally saw the Nanzhao army appear on the opposite bank of the Jinma River.

Billows of thick dust obscured the western sky, and countless banners dyed the wilderness in a riot of bright colors.

Upon reaching the Jinma River, the enemy forces swiftly crossed the shallow waters.

Catching sight of the encampment standing three to four li away, the Nanzhao army clearly paid it no mind. They had been victorious in every battle and conquered in every attack along their march, holding the Tang forces in complete contempt.

Thus, Zhao Huai'an watched as the enemy main force, having crossed the Jinma River, did not halt in the slightest and pressed straight ahead toward Shuangliu city in the west.

Only a single detachment was left behind, flying banners that indicated no more than a thousand men.

Once this unit halted, instead of pitching camp or building fortifications, they dispatched a single horseman who galloped directly toward the Jinma Encampment.

Just as Zhao Huai'an and his men on the ramparts looked on in astonishment, they heard the rider halt at a distance, cup his hands around his mouth, and roar at the top of his lungs:

"The imperial army has arrived! Why do you not surrender?"

Zhao Huai'an flew into a towering rage, solely because the man shouting those words was unmistakably a Tang Chinese.