Chapter 567: The Big One Has Come

A fine book...

Where has Murong Xinzhang gotten to?

This was a question everyone cared about, yet it was no secret at all.

Because of the dense population from Yangzhou to Taizhou, along with the fairly dense network of waterways, Murong Xinzhang's force could be said to have been under the Southern Tang army's surveillance the entire time.

What many did not know, however, was that Murong Xinzhang had in fact deliberately let the Southern Tang army know his movements — mainly to avoid startling the snake, which would have scared the Southern Tang army back across the river.

They knew their own affairs best: Murong Xinzhang and Li Cunhui both knew that their adoptive father the Sage, and this freshly minted Great Zhou, had far too many matters to face and handle.

For example, the war with Meng Shu was nominally not actually over.

After the Shu army's crushing defeat, Meng Chang had shut every route, and the roads by which Hexi goods entered Shu had long been cut off; Meng Shu's ten-thousand-odd captives were still being fed by the Zhou state in Guanzhong.

Of course, more importantly, although Meng Shu had suffered a disastrous defeat, the main force of its palace army still remained, and had not been crippled the way the Southern Tang had been; the terrain was even more critical.

Zhang Zhao could not swallow Meng Shu all at once, so Shu's envoys were already on the road, waiting for Sage Zhang to return before negotiations could begin.

Nanping was the same. Gao Conghui's health was failing day by day, and some time ago he had harbored disloyal intentions; now he was frightened numb, and was likewise waiting for Zhang Zhao to return and receive his envoy.

Ma Xi'e of Ma Chu had arrived at the eastern capital of Kaifeng Prefecture before the new year, though given that Ma Xi'e was, historically, a shameless wretch known even to someone like Zhang Zhao, who possessed only a smattering of historical knowledge,

he had merely been received in a lukewarm fashion and then sent packing; it was estimated that the second envoy from the badly frightened Ma Xifan was already on the road as well.

Qian Yue's case was much the same. Last year the envoy sent to the eastern capital had been of too low a rank, and before he even arrived, Zhang Zhao had marched out against Songzhou, so he had simply had Zhang Xichong send Qian Yue's envoy back.

These fellows remember what they eat but not the beating; unless Sage Zhang picked some unlucky chicken to make a display of his strength, they would never know fear.

One must understand that when Qian Yue sent men to pay court to Shi Jingtang, he would never have sent an official of this rank.

Very well! These people, plus Liu Zhiyuan in Hedong, meant that in fact none of the realm's states had yet established stable ties with Zhang Zhou, and Zhang Zhou's standing as the superior dynasty of the Central Plains had not been established at all.

Such a chaotic situation meant that Zhang Zhao presently had no time to get too entangled with the Southern Tang in Jiangnan.

Liu Zhiyuan had still not moved, but that did not mean he would not act once the autumn air turned crisp and the horses were fat and grain was plentiful.

So this was why Murong Xinzhang feared the Southern Tang army would shrink back — because the Great Zhou state presently had neither the time nor the capital to cross the river and destroy the Southern Tang.

Their best outcome now was to annihilate a large portion of the Southern Tang's elite infantry, then force Li Jing to submit, extort a great sum of money and grain, and seize places such as Chuzhou, the gateway to Huainan.

Then, once Liu Zhiyuan was dealt with and there were no more worries, they could come back and settle the Southern Tang.

Thus a scene emerged in which the Southern Tang's hundred-thousand-strong army appeared to have Yizheng City completely surrounded, in the direst peril.

And Murong Xinzhang, who ought to have turned back to the rescue, was bringing more than ten thousand forcibly conscripted Southern Tang laborers, and had also carried off over ten thousand commoners of Taizhou, proclaiming a fifty-thousand-strong army returning to the rescue — yet he marched with extreme slowness, covering less than seventy li in two days combined.

From Taizhou to Yizheng was a full two hundred li; at this pace, Murong Xinzhang would need at least four more days to reach Yizheng.

This maneuver immediately made the Southern Tang side doubt Murong Xinzhang's strength again: rescuing troops is like fighting a fire, yet he still marched so slowly.

Under Li Cunhui, the Zhou army's discipline had been strict, but the moment Murong Xinzhang arrived, the Zhou army had immediately begun forcibly conscripting commoners and plundering the surrounding area; no matter how one looked at it, Murong Xinzhang was not a qualified commander.

Yet this commander whom the Southern Tang spread word of as unqualified had received the two pieces of intelligence he had been waiting for.

The first was that Li Jinquan, across the Yangtze, had moved.

This former Military Governor of the Anyuan Army at Anzhou under the Later Jin had, after defecting to the Southern Tang, gone through many ups and downs and had now actually worked his way up to the high post of Military Governor of the Zhenhai Army at Runzhou, guarding Jiangning.

As an important garrison army guarding the capital region, the Runzhou Zhenhai Army's own fighting strength was quite good, and since Li Jinquan had brought a great quantity of warhorses, armor, and weapons with him when he fled south, it counted as one of the most formidable forces among the Southern Tang's garrisons.

Li Jinquan's crossing of the river with six thousand men meant that the Southern Tang court had indeed played its very last card.

The second piece of news was that of the several wealthy households in Yangzhou controlled by the Brocade Robe Personal Guard, three had finally been selected to lead local militia in tending the beacon towers that Bian Hao had set up along the riverbank.

This news was of the utmost importance, because although Murong Xinzhang appeared to still be over a hundred li from Yizheng, in truth Murong Xinzhang was fully confident that he could lead these seven thousand cavalry, one man with two horses, and arrive within four double-hours.

And this was not merely arriving — it was arriving in four double-hours with both men and horses still having the strength to immediately throw themselves into battle.

Several thousand top-grade fine horses, fed for months on salt-fried soybeans, black beans boiled in salt water, oats mixed with egg white, and semi-dried alfalfa brought from Hexi — fed better than the men themselves — all for the sake of this very effect.

Although a warhorse's raiding speed certainly could not compare to the speed at which wolf-smoke signals spread, as long as the relay at a few of the beacon towers could be disrupted, that would be enough to screen the main army's movement.

This news had been delivered personally by Zhang Liecheng, who had not seen Murong Xinzhang and Li Cunhui for a long time either, because he had been busy planting spies throughout Huainan since before the main army attacked Songzhou.

This could also be counted as one of Zhang Zhao's golden fingers: spies laid out in advance in every region along the trade routes; each profession has its specialists, and before the main army had even arrived, the Brocade Robe Personal Guard had already scouted out the general intelligence.

"Erlang, of the beacon towers bought off by the Brocade Robe Personal Guard, there is one thirty-seven li ahead, another at sixty-four li, and one more at a hundred and ten li — three in all.

The most critical among them is the stretch within a hundred li. I have already drawn two hundred water bandits and mountain brigands from Huainan; tomorrow at the mao hour they will clear out the surrounding beacon towers, and Erlang may set out at the second quarter of the mao hour."

Murong Xinzhang was overjoyed. As Zhang Liecheng had said, this place was about a hundred and thirty li from Yizheng; as long as the beacon towers within a hundred li — no! within eighty li — could be cleared, then even if the last thirty or fifty li had beacon warnings, the Southern Tang army would not be able to react in time.

Overjoyed, he grasped Zhang Liecheng's hand and said, "If this battle is won, Elder Brother shall take the foremost merit. When we return to the eastern capital, I shall treat the lads of the Brocade Robe Personal Guard to wine in celebration."

Zhang Liecheng in turn gripped Murong Xinzhang's hand and laughed heartily. "That would be splendid. Erlang's family fortune is ample — we must go to the Guiyi Tower!"

With that, amid the laughter, the little awkwardness of the two brothers' old rivalry seemed to dissolve away.

When the laughter ended, Murong Xinzhang said to Li Cunhui, "Tomorrow at the mao hour, I shall personally lead the iron cavalry in a raid on Li Jingda. Sanlang, you will remain behind: distribute grain to the ten-thousand-odd laborers conscripted from Yangzhou and send them back to Yangzhou, and to the several thousand laborers forcibly detained in Taizhou, give each man a hundred cash, and call it wages for their labor.

If I leave it to others, I fear they will embezzle the silver and coin and ruin our army's reputation. Only if you, Sanlang, handle it will I be at ease."

Li Cunhui immediately cupped his hands. "Elder Brother, go without worry. Leave me a hundred cavalry and I will certainly see this matter properly done."

Li Cunhui naturally knew how important this matter was. The Zhou army's long-standing rule was never to plunder, rape, or kill without cause.

This time, in order to lull the Southern Tang, Murong Xinzhang had arguably violated the rule against plundering, but since the act was now finished, these forcibly conscripted laborers had to be properly placated.

First, to uphold military discipline; second, to let the Southern Tang commoners know the benevolence and righteousness of the Zhou state.

Outside Yizheng City, in the Southern Tang army's main camp, once Li Jinquan's six thousand men had arrived, the soldiers donned their armor in full order — sword-and-shield men, spearmen, Black Cloud longsword men, crossbowmen, and roving cavalry all arrayed with strict precision — and at once Li Jingda and Bian Hao felt much more settled at heart.

By now the sky was gradually darkening, and the soldiers were eating their evening meal; the Southern Tang army's high command in the main camp was holding a welcoming banquet for Li Jinquan.

Compared to the disaster-plagued Central Plains, the Southern Tang had enjoyed peace for a long time and was rich in produce; wine banquets were utterly commonplace throughout the Southern Tang, and even the common folk at the bottom had the custom of calling friends together for a few cups every ten days.

Thus the wine banquets strictly forbidden in the Zhou army were a matter of routine in the Southern Tang army. Around Zhang Zhao, old-guard meritorious officials like Manxiong and Dunzhu endured their craving for wine until they itched all over, yet dared not drink; but around Li Jingda, there was not only wine, but also musicians, dancers, and singing girls to add to the pleasure.

During the feast, the Southern Tang generals toasted one another and drank with the utmost relish. Li Jingda raised his rhinoceros-horn and colored-glass cup toward Li Jinquan and said, "With the Grand Commandant's six thousand brave and keen troops here, I no longer fear the Zhou army."

Li Jinquan, his face full of delight, drained a cup with Li Jingda. After his flight south, he had originally been given no important employment at all, because the Southern Tang, high and low, saw how easily Jiao Jixun had defeated him and thought he had no real ability.

But it was only after the Southern Tang sent the Left Jinwu Grand General Li Chengyu to take over Anzhou from Li Jinquan, and then five thousand Southern Tang troops were effortlessly laid low by Jiao Jixun's thousand-odd men, that they understood how formidable the northern sharp soldiers were.

And so from that time on, Li Jinquan was once again given important employment by the Southern Tang.

Li Jingda's second cup of wine was offered to Bian Hao: "For the strategy of deploying beacon towers and enemy-watch posts along the river, keeping that Murong Xinzhang able only to return to the rescue in proper order, with no opening to exploit — the Deployment Commissioner deserves the foremost merit!"

Bian Gao was also extremely pleased with himself. He had discovered that the most formidable thing about the Zhou cavalry was their high mobility, coming and going like the wind. Now that his beacon towers had them pinned down, it was as good as crippling half their martial prowess.

"Bodhisattva Bian" kept saying "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare," but his face was blooming with delight.

But just as he was about to drink, he saw black smoke suddenly shoot up into the sky in the distance. This was Bian Gao's design — the last beacon tower stood directly opposite the commander's main camp, so it could be seen at any time.

Bian Gao was not alarmed, for even if the wolf-smoke rose, he still had enough time to respond. But the next second, the hidden sentries around the main camp all struck their bronze gongs at once.

Right after that, the great warning drum on the hilltop platform by the river also boomed to life. The thunderous dong-dong sound shook the very hearts of the Southern Tang officers and soldiers.

"How is this possible? The wolf-smoke has only just risen, and the enemy cavalry is already around the main camp?"

Bian Gao let out a wretched cry, his eyes filled with utter disbelief.

The old Daibei fox Li Jinquan leapt to his feet at once. "What a man, that white-robed Murong! The way he wields his cavalry is nearly a match for the Zhuangmiao. I beg the Prince of Yan to move his person to the Zhenhai Army."

The moment Li Jinquan finished speaking, everyone at the banquet knew something was wrong. In an instant, dancing girls were shrieking and fleeing in chaos, and the musicians vanished in a scrambling, crawling panic.

"Go to the Zhenhai Army? What about these tens of thousands of troops? I beg the Great King to hold the central army. The Zhou army is only around ten thousand strong — they may not be able to break the camp."

Bian Gao immediately objected, because the Zhenhai Army had only just arrived. Not only were they camped by the river, but their boats were ready at hand. Going to the Zhenhai Army meant slipping away.

Li Jinquan rolled his eyes. He knew how dangerous this was. Cavalry that could crush a Khitan army and cut down the Khitan ruler Yelu Deguang in battle — how could they possibly give you a chance to defend?

And he knew Gao Xingzhou and his son. If such fierce men all ranked beneath the white-robed Murong, then how could Murong's ten thousand cavalry be ordinary?

If you don't slip away now, you're just waiting to lose your head!