Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 40 River Battle
In the first year of Qianfu, on the twelfth day of the twelfth month in winter, on the north bank of the Baizhu River.

The central army beat drums three hundred times and blew horns continuously. Tens of thousands of Tang troops lined up along the Baizhu River. The scorching heat had long since driven away the cold winter. Everyone looked nervously at the other side of the river. That was the direction of the Nanzhao army, and they were also lined up.

In the northeast corner of the battlefield, Zhao Huaian's militia was deployed here.

It is indeed easy to get things done with some people in the army. Even though they are still in the local militia, Zhao Huaian's team was assigned to the rear line and did not have to be the first batch of cannon fodder.

Looking at the mighty army with flags flying all over the fields, Zhao Huaian's thoughts went back to last night. Xian Yu Yue entered his tent at nightfall and told Zhao Huaian to be cautious in tomorrow's battle.

In particular, you should pay attention to the flags of the East Sichuan Army. Once they make any unusual movements, do not hesitate and move north immediately.

In fact, during the training these days, Zhao Huaian still wanted to fight in his heart. After all, he started a business to win the battle, not to be a defeated soldier to save his life.

But Xian Yuyue told Zhao Huaian not to be naive.

The person who presided over this battle was Jiedushi Niu Cong, who knew nothing about military affairs and had been afraid of the Nanzhao people before.

The reason why the Nanzhao envoy was later beheaded was because the Nanzhao people in Chengdu actually said that they were here to pass through Chengdu, with the purpose of going to Chang'an to see the emperor and express their sufferings over the years.

When these words fell into the ears of Zhou Congyu, the military supervisor at the time, it meant that these Nanzhao troops were no longer just looking to rob things in western Sichuan, but were planning to lead their troops to attack Chang'an.

The power of people like Zhou Congyu is consistent with the power of the emperor, so once the Nanzhao people show such intentions, he must fight back, otherwise his political enemies in Chang'an will definitely kill him.

Niu Cong's choice was similar to Zhou Congyu's. After the Nanzhao people revealed their intention to attack Chang'an and overthrow the Tang Dynasty, he could no longer turn a blind eye.

That's why there was this proactive attack.

Xianyu Yue told Zhao Huaian that Niu Cong and his men were fighting for Chang'an to see, but this battle could not be won at all, because the generals in the army, especially the foreign vassal soldiers, did not obey them at all, and they would not risk their lives for the emperor of Chang'an.

After the difficult times of the Tang Dynasty and the hundred years of feudal rule, there were very few warriors who were truly loyal to the emperor and patriotic. They came to western Sichuan only for money. Even if they did not fight, they could still receive three salaries. Why would they risk their lives?
Not to mention, there is also a Dongchuan general named Yan Shihui in the army who harbors evil intentions and is completely untrustworthy.

After saying this, Xianyu Yue left a sentence "Only by being alive can you have a future" and left. After all, he also had 500 generals under his command, and he also needed to be prepared.

It was Xian Yu Yue's words that made Zhao Huaian completely give up.

At this moment, surrounded by thousands of troops, Zhao Huaian was both excited and uneasy. He stood on his warhorse, trying to look ahead, but he could only see countless flags and military uniforms of various colors.

Time passed minute by minute, and until noon, there was still no movement from the central army.

Zhao Huaian had already seen the fat man next door, Dou, who had taken off his armor due to the heat, pacing back and forth, biting his nails. He also saw the large "Tang" flag on the central army, fluttering in the wind.

Suddenly, a burst of violent drumbeats came from the center of the army, filling the entire world.

At this moment, Zhao Huaian had only one thought in his mind:
"The war has begun."

……

As more than ten military flags of various colors on the central army watchtower began to press forward, the first row of troops began to move forward.

They were the Baoyi Army and the Muyi Army battalions, with a total of more than 2,000 people, and they began to push forward from the eastern front.

At this time, the Baizhu River, which was located between the Tang army and the Nanzhao army, had very little water due to the dry season in winter.

The Baoyi and Muyi armies stepped on the riverbed and began to enter the icy river surface. The Nanzhao army on the opposite side began to fight back, and countless arrows fell on the ranks of the two armies like a rainstorm.

Although the Baoyi and Muyi armies were not well equipped, they had enough shields and shields, so these arrows did not hinder the progress of the two armies.

They moved forward under the rain of arrows from the Nanzhao people.

At this time, Zhao Huaian was sitting on a warhorse. His limited vision only allowed him to see the Tang army rushing down the riverbed, but he had no idea what the outcome would be.

When everyone was getting nervous, Lao Liu next to him suddenly said:
"Zhao Da, I have a feeling that today's battle will be the one that brings good luck to you."

At this time, Lao Liu also put on the Ming Guang armor. You know what, he really has a bit of the flavor of an old Qin warrior.

Zhao Huaian thought Lao Liu had a good idea, so he asked:

"Sixth Brother, tell me."

But Lao Liu said seriously:
"Zhao Da, I had a dream yesterday. I dreamed of a flock of crows circling above the military gate. This is a good omen."

Zhao Huaian really wanted to ask if this was a bad omen, but he felt that he didn't understand the auspicious situation in the Tang Dynasty, so he decided not to say anything.

However, when chatting with Zhao Liu, Zhao Huaian was not so nervous.

The reason why he was nervous was that he and the hundred of them were too powerless on this battlefield.

Just looking ahead, more than 20,000 Tang troops gathered on this narrow river beach, with people and flags everywhere. Zhao Huaian was completely in the dark about what was happening on the battlefield.

So he could only listen to Xian Yu Yue and keep his eyes on the flag of the central army, as that was their only way to survive.

Just as he was thinking about it, suddenly there was a thunderous cheer from the left side of the battle line. They were shouting something loudly, but the voices were too noisy and Zhao Huaian could not understand what they were saying at all.

At this moment, Zhao Huaian suddenly saw the Nanzhao army moving out ahead of him. However, unlike the Nanzhao troops he had attacked before, the Nanzhao troops crossing the river seemed to be poorly equipped. They held a large number of "fire bull" totem flags and were galloping across the shallow Baishu River.

These people were moving too fast. Several local militias lined up on the river bank hurriedly shot arrows, repeatedly killing the oncoming Nanzhao army on the riverbed.

But soon, more and more Nanzhao soldiers climbed onto the riverbed, stepping on the corpses of their companions, and then jumped to the north bank of the Baizhu River.

Although they were quickly killed on the river bank by the local militiamen holding spears, the Nanzhao army reached the other side faster than the Tang army.

It was also at this time that Zhao Huaian saw the flag of the Nanzhao army opposite, on which were three words written in Chinese characters, "Wangwaiyu".

Zhao Huaian didn't understand what it meant, but when he saw the flag unfolded on the opposite side, the previously stable front line of the United Malays National Organization began to become unstable.

Suddenly, a dozen or so local militiamen in the rear, upon seeing the flag, collapsed and dropped their spears, shouting and running to the rear.

From a distance, Zhao Huaian could hear people shouting words like "Wang Zhuzi".

But before Zhao Huaian could continue listening, a dozen knights suddenly rushed out from the nearby army formation, holding eight-foot-long lances, and killed all the deserters on the battle line.

And that military formation was exactly the position of the Yanhai Army, where Tian Chongyin led 500 Yanhai Army soldiers to form a battle line.

After killing these fleeing soldiers, the Yaqi did not return to their positions. Instead, led by a cavalry general in a red military robe, they rushed out from the narrow gap between the two Tutu positions and attacked the Nanzhao army on the riverbank.

Zhao Huaian couldn't help but look up, and saw that the more than ten Ya cavalry were like a ball of fire shuttling through the Nanzhao army's positions. The Nanzhao army that had climbed up from the riverbed had no formation at all, and encountered such a charging cavalry. The result can be imagined.

The scattered soldiers of the Nanzhao army were scattered by these dozen cavalrymen and their positions were easily broken through.

Zhao Huaian saw the cavalry on the right side of the battlefield. They had already rushed out of the Nanzhao army's position. At this moment, it was impossible to tell which one was the red-cloaked cavalry leader, because all of them were stained with blood.

Zhao Huaian saw at a glance that there was one less person in the cavalry team.

Just as Zhao Huaian was lamenting the fall of a warrior, he suddenly saw someone in the cavalry team turn his horse's head and charge back the way he came.

The knights behind him did not hesitate at all, holding their cold-edged lances and following closely.

Then, cries and shouts were heard again from the Nanzhao army's position. The Nanzhao army, which was about to gain a foothold on the river bank, suddenly collapsed and jumped off the riverbed, fleeing to the rear.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Huaian saw the local militia on the front line begin to charge forward with loud roars. With countless earth-shaking roars, the local militia wiped out all the Nanzhao troops who were still left on the river bank.

The Nanzhao army flag with the three words "Wangwai Yu" written on it also fell into the hands of the red-cloaked cavalry general. He led his cavalry out from the riverbank, with a knight tied behind him. He was the one who had fallen from his horse before.

It turned out that the cavalry team just now was going to rescue their comrades who had fallen off their horses. How bold they were and how they regarded Nanzhao as nothing.

Watching the cavalry charge the formation and seize the flag, and then return to the Yanhai Army's phalanx with all members intact.

Zhao Huaian was dazzled and could no longer hold back:

"Whose general is this, so brave?"

At this moment, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind:
"If the vassal garrisons were all this powerful, it's no wonder the imperial court couldn't pacify them for a hundred years, and no wonder the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms lasted a hundred years."

……

The battle just now was just an appetizer for both the Tang army and the Nanzhao.

All the Nanzhao troops who fled to the other side were beheaded on the river bank, and then their bodies were kicked into the Baizhu River. As the horn on the other side sounded again, the Nanzhao army rushed over again.

Zhao Huaian was still looking carefully when Lu Zhongyuan from the front group suddenly turned around and shouted to him after seeing the flag on the opposite side:
"General, it's Wang Zhuzi who's coming to kill us."

Lu Zhongyuan was a guard soldier of the Dingbian Army before, and he had the deepest understanding of the various units of the Nanzhao Army. He quickly told Zhao Huaian that Wang Zhuzi was the elite of the Wangman tribes, good at using bows and spears, and had always been the vanguard of the Nanzhao Army's campaigns.

Zhao Huaian was listening when he suddenly saw a volley of arrows shot from under the riverbed, followed by the clumps of earth on the river bank wailing.

Those Wangzhuzi actually shot arrows while running on the riverbed.

Before the local militia on the front line could react, the Wangzhuzi had already climbed up from the riverbed.

These people were all wearing rhinoceros-skin armor, holding short spears as tall as a person, with bows slung over their backs and round shields in their hands. They used the round shields to block the arrows shot by the earthen balls, and while running and moving, they thrust their spears and were invincible.

The local militia, which had just won a battle, suddenly suffered a heavy blow. If it weren't for the precedent of deserters being killed on the spot, they would have collapsed.

But even so, the defense line of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) was constantly retreating, and the riverbed left behind was getting wider and wider.

It was at this time that Zhao Huaian saw the cavalry general of the Yanhai Army set off again.

Because of the excitement of the previous scene, as soon as they came out, the nearby military formations and local militias shouted, they were shouting:

"It's Shi Sanlang, the man who met my fate!"

(End of this chapter)