Late Tang Dynasty: Descendants of the Imperial Clan

Li Cenji left the military governor's mansion, mounted his horse, and rode back to the camp with Xu Tai and several personal guards.

When he entered the camp, it was already getting dark.

The dust raised during the daytime drills on the parade ground had long since settled, and flickering lights shone from the barracks, while the air was filled with the aroma of cooking dinner.

Several soldiers who had finished their shifts were squatting at the entrance of the barracks, eating from rough earthenware bowls. When they saw Li Cenji, they quickly stood up and saluted.

Li Cenji waved his hand, signaling them to continue eating, but he didn't stop and walked straight towards the central command tent, while instructing Xu Tai:

"Go and summon Commanders Chen and Zhou, as well as Captains Wu, Zhao, and Zhang, to the central command tent."

Xu Tai responded, but mumbled something under his breath, only saying in a low voice:

"Just call him by his name, why bother with his official title? For a moment I didn't even realize who these Commanders Chen and Zhou were."

He muttered something, and before Li Cenji could laugh or scold him, he disappeared in a flash.

Li Cenji smiled and shook his head, lifted the curtain and entered the tent, untied the sword from his waist and placed it on the table, then took off his turban and wiped his face with his hand.

Although he appeared calm on the surface, he had expended a great deal of energy dealing with the situation at the Marshal's mansion.

His mentor called him forward in front of everyone and tested him in front of several military governors. He knew perfectly well the intention behind his mentor's cultivation of him.

But precisely because of this, he dared not make the slightest mistake.

Fortunately, my mentor agreed with what I said.

Before long, footsteps could be heard outside the tent.

The group filed in, exchanged greetings with Li Cenji, and then each found a seat.

Once seated, all eyes turned to Li Cenji behind the desk.

The candlelight inside the tent flickered, casting the shadows of the group onto the tent wall, swaying gently.

Li Cenji didn't waste any words and got straight to the point, explaining the matter of sending troops, but omitting the fact that they planned to ambush at Longweipi.

There was a moment of silence in the tent after this incident.

Immediately, the expressions of the others changed, except for Xu Tai, who had already heard about it at the Marshal's Mansion.

Zhao Shun slammed his hand on the table and shouted:

"Finally, it's time to fight! The brothers have been itching for battle for the past two months. If we don't fight soon, they'll go crazy!"

Wu Kang sat to the left of Zhao Shun, reached out and placed his hand on Zhao Shun's shoulder, and whispered:

"Brother Zhao, please let the Commander finish speaking."

Li Cenji took in everyone's reactions and continued:

"This expedition is different from the past. Although our cavalry has been training for two months, with a thousand infantrymen and a thousand cavalrymen, plus five hundred 'Swift Thunder Generals' training for Lord Zheng, it's still only been two months since we formed the army. The whole structure is newly built. Before, you were at most brigade commanders, but now you each lead several hundred or a thousand men. With this force spread out, there can be no mistakes in marching, encampment, supplies, or discipline. So I'm telling you upfront, this expedition will be a tough one. Lord Zheng wants to win a brilliant victory to show the world. If we do well, our new army will have established itself in the eyes of all the other armies. If we don't, not only will others look down on us, but Lord Zheng will also lose face."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the faces of everyone present, and said, word by word:

"No need for any fancy oath-taking ceremony. We have a total of two thousand men. All that empty talk would just be putting on a brave face. Just one sentence: In the next few days, each unit and brigade should prepare all their equipment, armor, weapons, provisions, and medicines, and be ready to set off at any time."

Everyone suddenly stood up, clasped their hands in unison, and responded in a resounding voice:

"Yes, sir!"

Li Cenji waved his hand, gesturing for everyone to sit down, and then said:

"Assign specific tasks, Chen An."

Chen An stood up and clasped his hands in greeting:

"Your subordinate is here."

"You will lead one thousand infantrymen of the left flank and five hundred 'Swift Thunder Generals' to accompany Lord Zheng. During the march, remember to keep your troops disciplined, and no one is allowed to strafe or make a fuss. Upon reaching each encampment, first set up a stockade, then deploy sentry posts. Remember, your primary task is to protect Lord Zheng; there can be no mistakes!"

"Your humble servant obeys. If Lord Zheng suffers even the slightest mishap, I will offer my head in retribution!"

"Zhou Ping."

Zhou Ping stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute:

"Your subordinate is here."

"You will lead a thousand cavalrymen from the right flank to accompany me and protect the two wings of the central army."

Theoretically speaking, this new army does not belong to any military commander, because Zheng Tian did not have a clear affiliation when the army was formed.

Therefore, the new army was directly under Li Cenji's command, and even if Li Cenji wanted to send out cavalry as scouts, no one could say anything.

However, Li Cenji preferred to concentrate the cavalry in the central army, waiting for an opportunity to use them as a mobile force.

"This subordinate obeys."

Li Cenji then looked at the captains:

"Xu Tai and Wu Kang, you two will each lead a cavalry unit and follow Commander Zhou. Zhao Shun and Zhang Yansi, you two will each lead an infantry unit, and the rest of the infantry will be under the command of Commander Chen. You've both trained quite a bit these past few days, and now it's time for real combat. Both of you, be on your best and don't disgrace us. Anyone who retreats in the face of battle or disobeys orders will face my wrath."

The crowd responded in unison once again.

After everyone had left, only Li Cenji remained in the tent.

He sat behind the desk for a moment, then suddenly got up, walked to the tent entrance, lifted the curtain, and looked into the camp.

As night deepened, the lights in the barracks gradually went out, leaving only the sentries on night duty patrolling the stockade with lanterns.

The firelight flickered in the night wind, making the outlines of the tents appear and disappear intermittently.

-----------------

The news was indeed released the following morning.

First, the military governor's office issued a proclamation, which was more than a thousand words long. In it, the proclamation listed Huang Chao's crimes of "seizing the capital, usurping the title of emperor, allowing his troops to plunder and harm the common people". It also cited the emperor's edict to declare Zheng Tian's position as "commander-in-chief of the military camps around the capital" and called on the regional military governors to send troops to support the emperor and jointly punish the rebel.

The manifesto concluded by stating bluntly:

"Anyone who can behead Huang Chao and present his head will be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces and enfeoffed as a marquis with ten thousand households; anyone who can behead a rebel general will be rewarded according to their rank."

This proclamation was like a pebble thrown into boiling oil, and Fengxiang City immediately erupted in chaos.

The clerks in the government office copied it again and again, and sent it by fast horse to various towns and prefectures.

On the notice board in front of the government office, the still-wet ink of the proclamation was posted in the most conspicuous place, attracting countless people to gather around and read it.

A few literate people read aloud to those around them. When they read the line "We vow to drive the traitors out of Tongguan and return them to the old capital," a cheer rang out from the crowd.

Following the proclamation were a series of military orders.

The gates of the granaries throughout the city were opened, and oxcarts and mule carts came and went between the inner city and the outer city in an endless stream.

The cart was loaded with bundles of arrows, boxes of crossbows, bags of millet, and jars of cured meat.

The grain and fodder were piled up inside the city gate, forming small hills.

The soldiers escorting the grain were shirtless, stacking bags of grain onto the cart. Despite the chilly spring weather, they were all working up a sweat.

The scene in Li Cenji's camp was also the same.

He went to find Wang Chu early in the morning and handed him a list of the grain, dried meat, and medicine needed by the army.

Wang Chu took the form, glanced at it, then looked at Li Cenji's tanned face, shook his head, but didn't say anything more. He wrote down his approval, then took a token from his desk and handed it to him.

"Just go to the granary in the west of the city to collect it. I have already instructed that your provisions should be doubled according to the standard for military operations."

Li Cenji accepted the token and bowed deeply.

Wang Chu waved his hand and simply said:

"We must not let Duke Zheng down."

With the token, everything went much more smoothly.

Chen An, accompanied by several constables, personally escorted more than a dozen oxcarts to the granary in the west of the city.

When they returned, the cart was piled high with 2,000 shi of millet, 800 jin of dried meat, 300 jin of salted fish, several jars of salted vegetables, 10,000 arrows, 200 spare bowstrings, and dozens of bolts of coarse cloth for camping.

Chen An registered all these supplies and then allocated them to various capitals and brigades according to their categories.

Zhou Ping wasn't idle either.

He inspected each of the thousand warhorses of the cavalry, and for those whose horseshoes were loose, he summoned the army blacksmith to re-nail them.

For any saddle that was damaged, a new saddle was taken from the treasury and put on.

They thoroughly inspected the weapons and armor of each city, replacing all broken bows, dulled blades, and rusted spearheads with new ones.

This continued for three days.

The soldiers in the camp all knew that a great battle was imminent, and during breaks from training, they all packed their personal belongings.

Some of the families living in Fengxiang City took advantage of finishing their shifts in the evening to hurry home and say goodbye to their parents, wives, and children.

Those who lived in Guanzhong would just silently sharpen their knives, their eyes flashing with a light that was hard to tell whether it was hatred or expectation.

On the evening of the third day, a commotion suddenly broke out at the camp gate.

Before long, a personal guard came running up to Li Cenji, panting, and reported:

"Commander, the General has sent someone with supplies!"

Li Cenji was taken aback, put down the document in his hand, and got up to walk towards the camp gate.

Upon reaching the camp gate, they saw an oxcart parked there, covered with burlap, its contents unknown.

A man, about fifty years old, was standing next to the car. He was wearing a worn-out blue cloth robe and a faded silk sash around his waist.

He had a thin face, his white beard was neatly combed, and although his eyes showed some fatigue, they still revealed a shrewdness.

Li Cenji recognized this person; he was an old advisor from the military governor's mansion, the master of ceremonies at Li Cenji's apprenticeship banquet. His surname was Lu, and Li Cenji called him Uncle Lu.

"Uncle Lu, what brings you here?"

Li Cenji hurriedly stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute.

Uncle Lu stepped aside, refusing his courtesy, and laughed:

"Commander Li, I am merely carrying out Lord Zheng's orders to deliver two items."

As he spoke, he turned and walked to the car, reaching out to lift the burlap covering it.

A large box was stacked on the oxcart, and a long weapon that looked like a spear or a club was placed next to it.

Uncle Lu took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Li Cenji with both hands:

"Zheng Gong said that the Commander will know once he has read the letter. The Commander can deal with the contents of the box as he sees fit; there is no need to make a fuss about it."

Li Cenji took the letter, opened it, and Zheng Tian's familiar handwriting came into view.

The letter was short, but every word was as powerful as metal striking the ground.

Zheng Tian, ​​noting his recent hard work training the troops and now his impending command to lead them on a campaign, instructed him to lead his men well in serving the country, adding:

"Inside the box is a fine-scaled inner armor, which I kept in my youth. There is also a lance. I gave the sword to the brave warrior, and now I give this lance to you. I hope you will fight bravely in battle and live up to your learning."

Li Cenji carefully folded the letter, put it into his bosom, bowed deeply to Uncle Lu, and then ordered his men to unload the box and long weapon from the oxcart and carry them into the central command tent.

Seeing that he was not ostentatious, Uncle Lu nodded, cupped his hands in farewell, and drove the oxcart back to his residence.

Li Cen sat silently in the tent, lifting the lid of the box.

Inside was a fine-scaled inner armor.

The armor plates were small and dense, each one polished smooth as a mirror, strung together with a leather strap, and lined with a thick layer of red brocade.

All joints of the armor were reinforced with copper rivets, and the two breastplates on the chest were so shiny they could reflect a person's image.

Li Cenji took out the armor, unfolded it under the candlelight, reached out and stroked the cool armor plates, and nodded silently in his heart.

This kind of fine-scaled inner armor is much lighter than ordinary lamellar armor. It can be worn inside a robe without being conspicuous, but it can protect against hidden arrows and stray arrows. It is something that generals dream of.

He set the inner armor aside and his gaze fell on the long weapon on the arsenal.

That was a horse lance.

The spearhead was over two feet long, made of cold-forged refined iron, with a faint bluish light emanating from the blade. The spine of the spear was thick, and the blood groove was extremely deep. When the candlelight shone on it, the blade looked as if it contained a pool of cold spring water, chillingly piercing one's eyes.

A red tassel is attached to the base of the spearhead. Although it has become slightly dull due to long storage, it still shows the vividness of its original brand-new appearance.

The handle of the spear is about ten feet long and is made entirely of mulberry wood. It is wrapped with fine hemp rope and repeatedly soaked in tung oil. When held in the palm, it feels warm and tough, and it exudes a deep and powerful force.

Li Cenji grasped the hilt of the spear, took the horse spear off the shelf, held it in his hand, and examined it carefully.

The more he looked, the more alarmed he became, and the more delighted he became.

The craftsmanship of this spear is beyond the capabilities of ordinary craftsmen.

The joint between the spearhead and the shaft is reinforced with a copper band, which is engraved with fine cloud patterns.

The ferrule at the end of the spear is also made of fine iron, blunt, round, and heavy, and can be used as a follow-up strike after a thrust.

Holding the entire spear in my hand, its length and weight were just right.

Although he was born into the imperial family, he was a collateral descendant.

By the time this lineage reached his father Li Yihuai's generation, it had fallen into complete decline, leaving nothing but an empty clan name.

His father's career had reached the pinnacle of success by becoming a Commandant of the Righteous Army, and it was already incredibly fortunate that he was able to pass on this military position to him. As for the ancestral lance or the family's treasured armor, those were things he could never even dream of.

A proper lance, from material selection to production, takes at least three or four years of work by a skilled craftsman.

The handle alone requires splitting the mulberry wood into thin strips, soaking it in tung oil for several years, then gluing it together layer by layer with fish glue, wrapping it with fine hemp, and then soaking it in tung oil again. This process is repeated until the handle is both tough and rigid, bending without breaking and standing without stiffness. Only then is it considered complete.

Such a labor-intensive and material-intensive item can cost hundreds of thousands of coins for just one handle.

He spent several months in Fengxiang and Longyou, but he didn't see anyone using a horse spear.

Unexpectedly, we've come to use it ourselves today.

He gave the handle of the spear a gentle shake, and the spear shaft, which was more than ten feet long, trembled slightly. The force was transmitted from the end of the handle to the spearhead without any resistance. It was both soft and strong, and it was indeed a well-preserved piece with a good foundation.

Li Cenji couldn't help but blurt out a compliment, but still felt it wasn't enough, so he praised it again.

He was usually so composed, but now he was like a boy who had just acquired a new and exciting toy, looking at the spear over and over again.