Chapter 52: General Material (Thanks to Alliance Leader Perfect Sweet Little Girl)

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huian flew into a towering rage. Tell me, what brave and upright man does not despise a fat collaborator?

At this, he swept his gaze around the assembly and bellowed:
"Gentlemen, who among you will shoot this wretch dead for me?"

When Zhao Huian said this, Wang Li, who was of Liao descent, was still standing right there, yet showed no reaction whatsoever. After all, such was the standard discrimination against the Liao people in our Great Tang.

Before his words had even faded, the officers looked at one another. Though they had the heart to slay the miscreant and win some renown before the commander, that Tang traitor was crafty indeed, halting at a distance just beyond the range of their bows. Furthermore, the scoundrel was clad in armor, making him all the harder to kill with an arrow.

Seeing this, Zhao Huian knew these men were hesitating, and displeasure rose in his heart.

Ah, he only regretted that there weren't two such Tang traitors; otherwise, he surely would have shot one dead. But with only one present, he was out of reach.

Yet just as Zhao Huian was preparing to save face, a figure suddenly stepped out from the rear. It was none other than Wang Jin, whose injuries had healed not long ago.

At this moment, he, like the other officers, wore a coat of willow-leaf lamellar armor, with a red headband tied around his temples. Standing seven feet and eight inches tall, he was robust and imposing. Were it not for the long scar across his face, he would have been the picture of a magnificent husband and a true hero.

Wang Jin stepped forward, cupped his hands in a salute, and said:
"Commander, this subordinate is willing to try."

Zhao Huian harbored not the slightest doubt regarding Wang Jin, and instead called out directly to Zhao Zhong:
"Bring me my heavy bow."

The draw weight of the bow Zhao Huian used himself was three stone. What level was this? Anyone capable of drawing such a bow could be hailed as a fierce warrior in any era.

Xianyue had previously told Zhao Huian that the esteemed Commissioner Gao Pian was just such a mighty warrior capable of pulling a three-stone bow. Back when he was honing his skills in the border armies, he had once brought down two vultures with a single arrow—a consummate master of archery.

Just how formidable was this? To give an example, the later generation's岳 Wumu, possessed of divine strength, could draw a three-hundred-jin bow before reaching adulthood. In Song stone-weights that equaled nine stone, but in Tang stone-weights, it translated to three stone.

Therefore, leaving aside whether Commissioner Gao's personal character was as radiant as Yue Wumu's, at the very least, in terms of military strategy and martial prowess, he was not the slightest bit inferior to that famous martial hero.

This allowed Zhao Huian to immediately gauge the caliber of the upcoming Commissioner Gao, and he dared not look down upon him in the least.

Learning from Xianyue that this commissioner had a particular fondness for peerless archers, Big Zhao had specially sought out this three-stone heavy bow from the armory.

Alas, though he could draw it, his archery accuracy was truly nothing to write home about. Thus, the bow had gradually become mere equipment for building physical strength, and to this day it had yet to claim a single life, earning it the title of a truly "benevolent" bow.

Yet, shameful as it was, Yue Feila drew a three-stone bow, and Big Zhao also drew a three-stone bow. By rounding up, Zhao Huian was essentially half a Yue Fei himself.

And when Zhao Huian handed this heavy bow to Wang Jin, it was not out of any desire to humiliate him. Ever since Wang Jin had recovered, he had been the one teaching Zhao Huian archery, so Big Zhao knew full well that Wang Jin could draw it.

Sure enough, after taking the bow, Wang Jin stood poised with it in hand. He nocked the string without drawing it yet, maintaining a calm and untroubled demeanor.

The crowd held their collective breath, staring fixedly at the Tang traitor outside the stockade. Seeing no response from within, the fellow began his attempts to persuade them to surrender once more.

Brandishing his riding crop and gesturing forward, the man shouted:
"You lot, do you refuse to surrender only to court death?"

Yet the words had barely left his mouth when an arrow came whistling straight from the camp wall, striking him squarely beneath the armpit of his right hand as he raised his crop.

The peerless, overwhelming force drove the arrow straight through the Tang traitor's chest. He died a painful and bewildered death, utterly failing to understand why he had perished.

At the very moment he collapsed, thunderous cheers erupted from the camp wall opposite.

***

Seeing Wang Jin strike the Tang traitor right beneath the armpit with a single arrow, Zhao Huian clapped his hands in excitement:
"Splendid, splendid, splendid! Old Wang, even Li Guang of old was no better than this, truly no better than this!"

At this moment, Zhao Huian's heart surged with wild joy; he had truly struck gold.

Being able to draw a three-stone bow and shoot accurately was enough to make one a fierce warrior, but what Zhao Huian valued even more was the tactical cunning Wang Jin had displayed.

The scoundrel was armored, leaving virtually no weakness across his entire body save for his bare armpits. Yet under normal circumstances, these were impossible to hit, as long as he didn't raise his arms, for the shoulder guards would block any incoming arrows.

Yet Wang Jin had kept his bow drawn without releasing, waiting until the Tang traitor exposed a flaw before launching a lightning strike without a moment's hesitation. Such strategic acumen and decisiveness far surpassed mere brute strength; it was the unmistakable sign of a military commander.

Zhao Huian gazed at Wang Jin, who remained unhaughty and unfazed amidst the cheers of the officers, and grew all the more fond of him.

***

This old Wang was simply the Tang Dynasty's ultimate sharpshooter!

The Nanzhao army outside the stockade was also deeply shaken by this single arrow. After a long while, a squad finally emerged, holding shields aloft to drag the fallen Tang traitor back.

This cautious behavior only served to boost the morale of the Baoyi Garrison atop the stockade to even greater heights.

Seeing this, Zhao Huian took the lead and shouted:
"The slayer of the thief is Wang Jin!"

The entire army shouted in unison:
"The slayer of the thief is Wang Jin!"

For a moment, cheers resounded like thunder over Jinma Stockade.

Only then did Wang Jin's expression change, and he bowed deeply to Zhao Huian.

***

Whether it was because Wang Jin's arrow had cowed the enemy or not, the Nanzhao army mounted no attacks that entire day, choosing instead to pitch their camp right where they stood.

Throughout the afternoon, Zhao Huian stood upon the watchtower observing the scene. He watched as the enemy laborers began fetching water from the nearby Jinma River, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

He summoned Zhao Zhong:
"Go, call all the squad leaders to my tent. We're holding a meeting."

Zhao Zhong and his three comrades—short fellows standing five inches under average height, clad in iron armor and carrying long swords taller than themselves, with two small flags fluttering from their backs—had been trailing behind Zhao Huian all this time. Hearing their foster father's order, they scurried off toward every corner of the camp walls to summon the squad leaders.

Shortly after, Zhao Huian instructed Xu Kaidao on the wall to maintain his observation, then descended with Zhang Dai and Lu Zhongyuan, who were stationed on this side.

Hardly had they returned to the tent when the team leaders from the other three sectors arrived in succession, crowding clumsily inside.

Without sitting down, Zhao Huian immediately put the question to them:
"Gentlemen, what are your thoughts on this?"

Among the crowd, Fatty Dou was the first to laugh, genuinely delighted:
"Ha, those foreign generals in the city must look like fools right now! If they knew the Nanzhao army is ignoring us and marching straight for the city, wouldn't they die of regret?"

Dou's remark certainly gladdened everyone's hearts. They had been prepared to fight to the death with the Nanzhao forces, yet who could have imagined the enemy would bypass them entirely and head straight for Shuangliu?

How marvelous was that?

Then Lu Zhongyuan nearby chuckled as well, though he raised a question:
"Since the enemy bypassed our stockade like this, aren't they afraid we'll sally forth and cut off their supply lines?"

Zhao Huian nodded, pondering this very question. Seeing Chen Fahai smiling over there, he hurriedly asked:
"Old Chen, tell us, what is the enemy's game?"

Chen Fahai sported a magnificent beard. Previously, when times were hard, he had simply let it be, but now that he was following Big Zhao and living the good life, he had immediately custom-ordered a small cloth bag specifically designed to sheath and cradle his beard.

At this moment, with the pouch dangling from his chin, Chen Fahai shook his head sagely and said:
"All the way here on their march, the Nanzhao army has grown arrogant and full of themselves. They don't believe for a second that we possess the courage to sally forth from the stockade. Besides, the enemy has also left behind over a thousand troops, believing they are fully capable of blocking us in."

Zhao Huian listened quietly, twirling his short beard in silence while observing the reactions of the assembled officers.

Those Nanzhao folks certainly had a deep understanding of the West Sichuan army; their guesses were dead-on. Judging by the looks on these officers' faces after hearing Chen Fahai's words, very few wore expressions of anger.

Clearly, their minds were entirely set on holding the stockade, and none of them had any intention of riding out to share Shuangliu's burden.

Only Gao Renhou asked:
"Even so, shouldn't we sally forth to harass the enemy and relieve the pressure on Shuangliu?"

Yet Gao Renhou's words found few echoes. Everyone shared more or less the same sentiment: let those foreign barbarians fend for themselves! If they hadn't feared the enemy like tigers, would these men have been relegated to such a suicidal outpost in the first place?

This was nothing more than getting what they deserved!

***

Zhao Huian took all these words to heart without directly refuting them, instead letting out a sudden sigh.

Old Liu nearby seized the moment to ask:
"Big Zhao, what's this for? What is there to sigh about? Speak your mind, and the brothers will figure something out together."

The officers nodded one after another, all eager to share and solve their commander's troubles.

Zhao Huian said to Wang Jin:
"It's a pity. Today, just to deal with a single Tang traitor, we exposed Old Wang's divine archery. Otherwise, we might have saved it to shoot down an enemy officer."

The others had been wondering what grave matter it was, only to find out it was merely this. Zhang Dai, possessing the most bandit-like air of them all, directly cupped his fists:
"Commander, what's difficult about that? I, Zhang Dai, am willing to capture and slay enemy officers for you."

With Zhang Dai striking a bold pose, the others were not to be outdone and chimed in loudly.

Zhao Huian kept smiling, then suddenly asked:
"If we stay cooped up in the stockade, how are we to capture and slay the enemy chieftains?"

At these words, the officers fell silent. They understood Zhao Huian's intent.

Yet someone still voiced a dissenting opinion. Lu Zhongyuan licked his lips, cupped his fists, and asked:
"Commander, those foreign generals look down their noses at everyone. Even among the West Sichuan army, how many hold us in any regard? It's simply not worth risking our lives for such people. We might as well let them fight it out."

Zhao Huian said nothing. But even if he remained silent, there were those eager to speak up for the boss.

Seeing this, Sun Tai, Zhao Huian's chief sycophant, stepped forward and shook his head:
"Team Leader Lu's words are quite mistaken. If we sit by and watch Shuangliu fall, will our own army fare any better? We aren't risking our lives for them; we're fighting for our own survival. When the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold—that is the very truth of it."

Even Zhao Huian glanced sidelong at him in surprise, not realizing that Sun Tai, usually so quiet, possessed such hidden depth.

Though these words were not particularly profound, they perfectly refuted Lu Zhongyuan's argument.

Sure enough, realizing he couldn't win on that point, Lu Zhongyuan quickly shifted his tack:
"But the enemy outnumbers us severalfold. Going out there is simply courting death. Besides, even if we rout the rabble outside, what then? The main enemy force is only five or six li away and can arrive in half a day. If we perform too well, the main force will simply turn around and crush us. Won't we be dead then?"

His remarks left Sun Tai, who had just held the upper hand, momentarily speechless.

As for Zhao Huian, sandwiched between the two, he looked upon Old Lu with even greater regard. Old Lu truly was a seasoned army veteran, leading the pack when it came to self-preservation.

Did what he say make sense? Not only did it make sense, but it was practically a reenactment of history.

Back during the An Lushan Rebellion, wasn't Zhang Yun capable enough at holding a city? But how did it end? The better he defended, the more enemies came, until he was ultimately carved to pieces.

In short, one must never emulate Zhang Yun. After all, Big Zhao had come to be the founding ancestor, not to act as a dog for them.

Yet cautious as Old Lu's advice was, it did not serve Zhao Huian's interest in seizing martial renown. Still, one couldn't entirely blame him, as he had no way of knowing that Commissioner Gao was already galloping at the head of a massive army to reinforce them.

Therefore, not only must he take the initiative to sally forth, but he had to deal the Nanzhao army a massive blow.

With that, Big Zhao gave a cough and chuckled:
"An entire army may have its commander seized, but even a common man cannot have his spirit taken. The enemy numbers barely a thousand, and yet I should fear them like a tiger? What do the brave men of this army think of me, Big Zhao? I have a finalized strategy: today, we shall thoroughly shatter Nanzhao."

With these words, Zhao Huian sat upon his camp stool and roared:
"Officers, hear my command!"

The squad leaders, who had just been lounging about, instantly cupped their fists and shouted back:
"This subordinate is ready!"