Chapter 61: Uprooting the Fortress

In the second year of Qianfu, on the twelfth day of the first lunar month, Gao Pian, the Military Commissioner of Xichuan, arrived in Chengdu and dispatched five thousand infantry and cavalry in pursuit of Nanzhao.
The headquarters issued a banner dispatch stating that both the West Sichuan forces and the allied foreign garrison forces had performed poorly in battle, ordering them to advance to Shuangliu to pursue the Nanzhao troops and redeem themselves through meritorious service.

However, when the military order from Shuangliu reached Zhao Huaian, he was right in the middle of celebrating the Spring Festival with all his men, eating dumplings.

Yes, the Spring Festival.
During the Tang Dynasty, the Spring Festival fell on the first day of the first lunar month. Ordinarily, the entire army should have been granted leave at that time to return home and reunite with their families. But because the Nanzhao army had suddenly invaded, the Baoyi Garrison had been assigned the task of leaving the city to guard the stockade and was still out digging trenches by the river.

Now that they had finally beaten back the enemy and the rear headquarters had not yet issued any further military orders, Elder Zhao intended to have everyone celebrate a lively Spring Festival together.

Zhao Huaian had always treated dining as a matter of utmost importance; it was an essential means to build team cohesion.
Therefore, Zhao Huaian specially procured more than two hundred sheep from the camp followers. This did not cost him much—together with some vegetables, it was settled for less than a hundred strings of cash.

Zhao Huaian was wealthy now; he could spend a hundred strings of cash without blinking an eye.
If he had previously considered the army to be a money-swallowing beast, after trading with those marching merchants, he now believed the army was actually a printing press.
Never mind that a single round of rewards earlier had cost over three thousand strings of cash; selling off prisoners of war and slaves had basically replenished his coffers. Thus, as long as they won battles, they made a massive profit.

Having grasped this logic, Zhao Huaian became even more willing to spend money on his troops. This was called investment.

So, as the two hundred sheep were simmering in pots and Zhao Huaian was about to chant once more, "Simmer the sheep and slaughter the oxen for merrymaking," he suddenly saw a convoy approaching from the direction of Shuangliu.
Leading the convoy was an old acquaintance of Zhao Huaian, the aide and garrison officer Ren Conghai.
……
"Congratulations, congratulations! Old Ren, I knew from the start you were extraordinary, and sure enough, you've been promoted."

When Zhao Huaian learned that Ren Conghai had leaped from a mere aide to a garrison officer, all sorts of flattering words tumbled out of his mouth.
Zhao Huaian had witnessed this man's ruthlessness firsthand that day and knew he was a genuine villain, so he spared no effort in observing superficial niceties.

Ren Conghai was also delighted. Waving his hand dismissively while boasting of nothing, he looked quite pleased with himself, casting proud glances all around.
As luck would have it, his previous superior—the former garrison officer—had been stripped of his post by Yang Qingfu because he failed to supervise the battle properly and caused a rout. That was how Ren Conghai got his chance to rise.
Later, learning that Ren Conghai had an old connection with Zhao Huaian, his superiors assigned him the mission of coming here to deliver rewards to Zhao Huaian.

Indeed, if he, Zhao Huaian, knew how to buy the loyalty of the troops, did Yang Qingfu not know?
This time, the Xichuan grand army had performed so poorly that the newly appointed Military Commissioner Gao Pian completely looked down upon the people of Shu, repeatedly sneering at them in military councils as cowardly and timid rats. Naturally, no rewards were granted from above.

Yet even if the top command refused to give anything, Yang Qingfu could not afford not to distribute rewards.
Especially Zhao Huaian's unit—although it had not been established long, it had fought several tough battles and showed great potential. Therefore, Yang Qingfu tapped into the army's personal reserves to send rewards to Zhao Huaian.

This time, Ren Conghai had come specifically to deliver these supplies.
Because it was the festive season, the shipment included a large quantity of wine and spirits, all of regional Xichuan specialties: Qinghao wine, sweet wine, Ehuang wine, fermented milk wine, and Linqiong wine.
There were also two large jars of famous vintage wine that Yang Qingfu had specially purchased in Chengdu: Jiannan Shaoshun and Jinjiang Chun, both renowned fine wines of Chengdu.

Aside from the wine, there were various textiles and armaments.
Chengdu had been a flourishing center of textiles since ancient times, producing treasured fabrics from every region, such as the new-style Yizhou brocade, crimson-patterned brocade, Chupu damask from Zizhou and Suizhou, heavy silk from Guozhou and Langzhou, and Exi silk from Zizhou and Lingzhou.
If these had not been itemized on the manifest, Zhao Huaian would never have known there were so many varieties of silk and damask.

Just like the wine, these were divided into standard and premium tiers. The ones Yang Qingfu specially bestowed upon Zhao Huaian were ten bolts of bird-patterned gold-woven damask and Mianzhou light gauze—historically famous Sichuan brocade specifically used to tailor cloaks for heroes and stout fellows.
……
The armaments were much the same. Aside from standard-issue military weaponry, there were also famous sabers and crafted crossbows.
There were Shu sabers modeled after Han Dynasty ring-pommel sabers, ospreay-shaped perforated Yufu sabers, and a renowned divine saber from the Shu region forged by Pu Yuan, a masterpiece of a hundredfold-fold blade.

As a martial artist, Zhao Huaian loved sabers, so upon reading the manifest, he asked to inspect this famous blade.
True to its reputation, when he drew it from its scabbard, it flashed like a sheet of autumn water, radiating a chilly glint. Inscribed upon it were the words:
"Hidden Edge."

Upon seeing it, Zhao Huaian was unable to put it down, repeatedly praising it as a "fine saber."
Meanwhile, Ren Conghai stood nearby offering obsequious remarks; Elder Zhao was truly not the man he used to be.
Not only did Commissioner Song of the Zhongwu Army cherish him, but now even Yang Shuai, the number two figure in the Xichuan藩 garrison, held him in high regard.

At times, Ren Conghai felt quite envious, utterly failing to understand how this Zhao Huaian managed to win the favor of so many people.
Yet, recalling the rumors circulating in the army, Ren Conghai looked up and down at the eight-foot-tall Zhao Huaian.
Truth be told, Elder Zhao stood out like a crane among chickens throughout the entire Shu region, and with his upright and handsome features, he was indeed a pleasing sight to behold.
Ah, same people, different destinies.

Elder Zhao was unaware that Ren Conghai beside him was wallowing in self-pity. He prepared to invite Ren Conghai to join the festival celebration, but Ren Conghai shook his head in refusal and instead delivered the headquarters' orders to Elder Zhao.

Starting today, Zhao's unit was placed under the direct command of the Central Army, to be combined with Yang Qingfu's Chengdu Assault Troops, and would soon set out alongside the Central Army to launch a counteroffensive against the Nanzhao troops stationed west of Shuangliu.

Not daring to delay, Zhao Huaian accepted the order and immediately instructed his brothers to finish their meals quickly and prepare to break camp.

However, Ren Conghai pulled Zhao Huaian aside and privately confided a piece of intelligence:
"Commissioner Gao summoned Prefect Huang the day before yesterday, rebuking him for the loss of the Dadu River, and yesterday he had him executed by being cut in half at the waist."

With that, Ren Conghai sighed and led his convoy back.

Zhao Huaian stood there in a daze. Prefect Huang was none other than his former superior, Prefect Huang Jingfu.
The veteran commander had fought so well, only to be executed at the waist by that Gao Pian, while those cowardly scoundrels who repeatedly fled in panic lived on unscathed—all because the old commander was honest and loyal, expending his entire foundation in a single battle.
A veteran commander without an army became the chicken that Gao Pian slaughtered to frighten the monkeys.

At that moment, Zhao Huaian's mind raced. He glanced in the direction of Chengdu, then forced a smile, turned back, and joined his fellow brothers to celebrate the festival.
He spoke of this to no one, not even Old Six; no one knew what kind of impact this event had left on Zhao Huaian.
……
In the second year of Qianfu, on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month.

The Xichuan army and allied foreign garrison forces, which had suspended operations for many days, began launching counterattacks against nearby strongholds and towns occupied by the Nanzhao troops.

Zhao Huaian acted in concert with the West Sichuan grand army, breaking three Nanzhao military stockades near Tang'an on that very day.
In this battle, the Baoyi Garrison captured sixty Nanzhao soldiers, six warhorses, thirty pigs, and three oxen.

After the battle, upon interrogation, Zhao Huaian discovered that this detachment of Nanzhao troops consisted of the Wuhu barbarians from south of Guangrong and west of Yonggui. Therefore, he incorporated ten of their elite warriors into his own ranks, assigning each to oversee the sixty prisoners.

During the previous assaults on the stockades, Zhao Huaian had noticed that these Wuhu barbarian soldiers were fierce, robust, skilled with bows and crossbows, and adept at fast running, which could supplement the Baoyi Garrison's combat capabilities in mountainous terrain.

Following that, Zhao Huaian broke through several more small stockades, but they were merely appetizers with little loot to speak of.
Clearly, the Nanzhao army was also contracting its forces, successively abandoning smaller strongholds and concentrating its strength in several major garrisons in the surrounding area.

With Zhao Huaian's current strength, it was still impossible to attack such large stockades, so the Baoyi Garrison temporarily suspended its offensive, awaiting subsequent orders from the Central Army.

Yang Qingfu at the Central Army headquarters reacted swiftly to this shift by the Nanzhao forces.
Soon, the Baoyi Garrison received new military orders to join forces with the Fengxiang army operating nearby to jointly attack the largest stockade near Tang'an: Xianren Garrison.

Judging by this speed of reaction, this Yang Shuai of theirs was indeed a man of extraordinary capability.
……
Xianren Garrison was located ten li east of Tang'an city, along the eastern bank of the Min River. Previously, it had served as a checkpoint on the commercial route, and was now used by the Nanzhao army as a bulwark to defend Tang'an.

To hold Tang'an, the Nanzhao army stationed two thousand troops within the city and a thousand at Xianren Garrison, forming mutual support between the two positions.

When Zhao Huaian and the eight hundred infantry and cavalry of the Fengxiang army surrounded Xianren Garrison, to everyone's surprise, the Nanzhao garrison inside the stockade actually intended to open the gates and surrender.

This was actually quite reasonable. The Nanzhao army had originally invaded Western Sichuan solely for captives and wealth; now that Gao Pian was leading a grand army into Shu, there was certainly no hope of taking Chengdu.
Why else would they stay if not to leave?

At this point, the Nanzhao army had also plundered a massive number of captives, livestock, and wealth, and the various tribes were eager to return home.
Evidently, the Xianren Garrison, placed at the rear of the Nanzhao forces, was precisely the unluckiest of them all.

Therefore, they had no intention of risking their lives for the retreat of their allied forces. They lowered envoys down the stockade walls by ropes and offered to surrender to the Fengxiang army outside.

They were willing to open the stockade on one condition: that they be permitted to retreat back to Nanzhao, and in exchange, they were willing to surrender Tang'an.

Regarding this demand, the Fengxiang army agreed arbitrarily without even consulting Zhao Huaian.
Perhaps, to the Fengxiang army, Zhao Huaian—who had risen to prominence only recently—was not yet qualified to sit at the table and share this meat.
Indeed, those Nanzhao troops and the veteran garrison soldiers of Fengxiang clearly shared a tacit understanding.

They were essentially using Tang'an in the rear as a bargaining chip to buy safe passage from the Fengxiang army. As for what would happen when the Fengxiang army subsequently stormed into Tang'an—did that even need to be said?
Since ancient times, when external troops entered a city, when had they ever failed to make a fortune?

Therefore, that night, when Zhao Huaian was encamped outside the stockade, someone from the Fengxiang army suddenly arrived to inform him that tomorrow's plan to assault the stockade had been canceled and that they were preparing to take over Xianren Garrison instead. He was utterly dumbfounded.

After slipping a sum of money to the messenger—while Old Six struck up a sworn-brotherly camaraderie with this fellow Guanzhong townsman—they finally figured out what had happened during the day.

Learning that the Fengxiang army had taken it upon themselves to let the Nanzhao troops go, Zhao Huaian flew into a rage, cursing:
"A pack of vermin! No wonder our Great Tang has been reduced to this state."

He, Zhao Huaian, was counting on making a fortune off these Nanzhao troops; how could he possibly be willing to let them slip away?

Just as Elder Zhao was fuming with frustration, Lu Zhongyuan, who had recently developed a strong instinct for acting like a bootlicking flatterer, chimed in with a sly grin:
"Commander, to take over a stockade and yet let the enemy escape—since ancient times, whenever people pull off such stunts, nothing ever goes entirely smoothly. During the process, if someone were to happen to 'tremble' ever so slightly, do you suppose the two sides might just end up fighting?"

Lu Zhongyuan's words truly served as a sudden awakening from a dream.
Brilliant!
This old soldier Lu was truly a clever scoundrel.