Chapter Three: The Sixth One

"What is your name?"

"Reporting to you, hero, my name is Zhao Liu."

Zhao Huai'an looked at the "simple and honest" man from Guanzhong and could only feel speechless inside. You are no Zhao Liu; you are clearly a cunning fox.

Although he had been taught a lesson by this "fox," Zhao Huai'an did not intend to do anything about it. After all, this Zhao Liu might know him, and he needed to extract enough information from this person. Most importantly, he had to determine—damn it—where on earth he was and in what era.

Zhao Liu had already stood up, hunching his back and keeping his head low, while silently complaining about Zhao Huai'an in his heart.

*Hmph, this bumpkin must be a deserter. His armor is clearly cobbled together, and look at that useless archery—a disgrace to his ancestors.*

As Zhao Liu mused, his eyes suddenly landed on the three Nanzhao soldiers lying on the ground. One had a severed throat, another was decapitated, and the last had his neck cleanly sliced through. What kind of butcher was this? Zhao Liu suddenly felt uncertain and asked in a low voice:

"Hero, might I ask which unit under Commander Huang you serve in? You are fierce!"

Zhao Huai'an frowned upon hearing this and glared at him. "Hmm? Are you implying you don't know me?"

Zhao Huai'an might not have realized it, but he was currently covered in blood, radiating a murderous aura. With that frown, he terrified Zhao Liu into dropping back to his knees.

Zhao Liu, abandoning all his little schemes, spilled everything in one breath:

"Hero, I am a man from Qishan. I farm usually and play music in my spare time. Later, when Commander Huang received the imperial decree and took office in Lizhou, he recruited a group of us fellow countrymen to go south. Because I play the suona, I joined the military band. I truly have never seen you before."

Zhao Huai'an remained silent. Seeing the suona that Zhao Liu had clung to even while fleeing, he believed most of what the man said. However, Zhao Huai'an still wanted to test this crafty man from Guanzhong. He put on a solemn expression, rested his blood-stained horizontal blade on Zhao Liu's shoulder, and said coldly:

"So you became a deserter?"

Zhao Liu was stunned. To be slandered like this by a deserter, he felt so wronged he almost cried:

"Who is the coward calling me a deserter? I followed Commander Huang. The battlefield was in total chaos; who knew the Southern Barbarians would circle back? And those useless Xichuan soldiers never arrived! We couldn't hold the river, so we had no choice but to run."

As he spoke, Zhao Liu noticed the waist token hanging from Zhao Huai'an's belt. He looked up and studied Zhao Huai'an’s face carefully. Earlier, he had been too panicked to look, but now he realized—isn't this Zhao Da from the elite guard? He was instantly overjoyed:

"My good brother! It’s me, Zhao Shun! Do you not recognize me, brother?"

Zhao Liu was so excited he stood up, forgetting the blade was still resting on his shoulder. He grabbed Zhao Huai'an's hand, agitated:

"Brother, why are you playing tricks on me, Zhao Liu? You scared me so much I almost lost control of myself."

Zhao Huai'an coughed, lowered his blade, and went along with the act:

"Zhao Liu, I took a hammer blow on the battlefield and just crawled out from a pile of corpses. I saved my life, but I've forgotten many things. Don't blame me, brother."

Hearing this, Zhao Liu felt distressed and couldn't help but curse again:

"It’s all those spineless Xichuan soldiers! They caused me... no, they caused you to suffer, brother."

Zhao Huai'an needed to understand the situation, so he urged Zhao Liu to elaborate. As a musician in the military band, Zhao Liu stayed near the commander, so despite his low rank, he had plenty of inside information.

According to Zhao Liu, the Lizhou troops had fought quite well at first. The very purpose of the Lizhou garrison was to defend against the Tibetans in the west and the Nanzhao in the south, making them elite among the Xichuan forces. The Nanzhao troops had reached the Dadu River over ten days ago. Commander Huang Jingfu of Lizhou had led a thousand men to intercept them, cutting off their pontoon bridge and setting an ambush on the north bank, eventually routing the Nanzhao soldiers.

The Nanzhao troops had initially retreated, but for some reason, they mounted a counter-attack, crossing the Dadu River a second time. The Lizhou soldiers were caught off guard and lost the river defense. Huang Jingfu had already requested reinforcements from Chengdu, so even after losing the river, he led his troops to retreat and hold a defensive wall, awaiting support. Yet, after ten days of holding out, there was still no sign of the Xichuan troops. With supplies exhausted, they were forced to break out. During the breakout, the Lizhou troops were intercepted by the pursuing Nanzhao soldiers. After a fierce half-day battle, over a thousand Lizhou soldiers were killed, including fifty of Huang Jingfu’s elite guards. Only a few managed to break out with Huang, though Zhao Liu did not know where they had gone.

Zhao Huai'an realized that Zhao Liu was quite the talker; his tongue never stopped. He not only explained the sequence of events clearly but also added many glorious deeds for himself, claiming he had killed over a dozen Nanzhao soldiers during the retreat and that if he hadn't been exhausted, he wouldn't have let those three soldiers act so arrogantly.

Zhao Huai'an didn't debunk him, choosing instead to play along: "Right, right, you really are a crafty one."

Zhao Liu couldn't tell if it was a compliment or an insult, but he felt great being praised by the famous Zhao Da. He decided he was happy to be this "fox." Speaking of Zhao Da, he was indeed a hero, but hadn't he heard that Zhao Da was a master of both bow and blade? His blade work was indeed beautiful—none of his fellow countrymen could compare. But why was his archery so poor?

As Zhao Liu pondered this, Zhao Huai'an coughed again, then asked about the current era and the emperor. Zhao Liu couldn't answer, as he was illiterate and knew nothing of official documents. However, he told Zhao Huai'an that a new emperor had recently been enthroned by the eunuchs in Chang'an, and the latest era name had not yet reached Lizhou. Zhao Shun even complained that this month's pay hadn't been issued yet when the damned Nanzhao barbarians attacked.

Hearing this, Zhao Huai'an felt a surge of joy. Why? Because he concluded this was not the late Tang Dynasty. After all, in the late Tang, what elite guard would risk their lives without getting paid?

*Good, very good. As long as it's not the late Tang, it's fine.*

Zhao Huai'an felt a weight lift from his heart; there was hope for the future. He wanted to ask more, but sensing movement in the nearby jungle and fearing the smell of blood would attract trouble, he told Zhao Shun to help him clear the battlefield.

The three Nanzhao warriors were well-equipped. Besides their three short blades, they had spears, long swords, and two exquisite Tang-style horizontal blades. Zhao Huai'an also found three bamboo tubes of rice, six taros, and a piece of rock-hard, blackened dried meat on the bodies. He couldn't identify the meat, but he tucked it into his pack anyway.

Finally, he found a bamboo tube on one of the soldiers, sealed with banana leaves and red clay. Assuming it was wine, he swallowed hard and pried it open. Immediately, a pungent, fermented odor hit his nose, piercing straight to his brain. What kind of strange scent was this?

"It's fine," he consoled himself. "This is the craft of our ancestors, authentic ancient brewing. Back in my time, you couldn't even buy this."

He took a brave sip, but the next instant, his face turned green. He spat it out, cursing: "Heresy! Absolute heresy! Who ferments tea to drink? Damn it!" He threw the tube away.

...

Zhao Liu was currently struggling to put on a piece of leather armor he had stripped from a Nanzhao soldier. Even though it was the largest of the three, it was still tight on his Guanzhong frame. Watching Zhao Da act strangely, he muttered to himself:

*What a fool, can't even drink tea properly. Looks like I'll have to take care of him on the road.*

While grumbling, Zhao Liu didn't stop moving, filling a sack he’d found with food. But Zhao Huai'an was faster. He snatched the bamboo tube and taros, tossing them into his pack, and ordered Zhao Liu:

"Liu, take the rest of the leather armor, blades, and spears. We have a long road ahead."

Zhao Liu wanted to object, but Zhao Huai'an threatened him: "Do you still want me to lead you out of here?"

What could Zhao Liu do? He lowered his head to pick up the weapons and armor. *I, Zhao Liu, can bend and stretch. There will come a time when you need me, Zhao Da. When that day comes, if I don't get you under my thumb, my name isn't Liu.*

Watching Zhao Liu work, Zhao Huai'an curled his lips into a smile. *Hmph, I can definitely handle a fox like you.*

Soon, they found some copper coins on the bodies, inscribed with the characters "Kaiyuan Tongbao." This confirmed Zhao Huai'an's suspicion—it was definitely not the late Tang. Realizing there was nothing left to scavenge, the two Zhaos headed upstream along the river valley.

...

The journey was easy for Zhao Huai'an, not just because the valley floor was easier to walk on, but because he had Zhao Liu.

You have to admit, this Zhao Liu was a real talent. He talked non-stop, with such a rhythmic flow that he could practically play a tune without a suona. Zhao Huai'an found it quite pleasant. Indeed, no matter the era, artists always have a way with words.

Zhao Huai'an also learned more about his own identity from Zhao Liu. Initially, thinking Zhao Liu called him "fellow countryman" because they were both from Guanzhong, he was surprised when Zhao Liu said he was actually from Shouzhou. Apparently, after getting into trouble back home, he had fled to Chengdu to make a living, was scouted by the commander, joined the elite guard, and eventually rose to the rank of a junior officer commanding ten men.

Zhao Liu gave him a thumbs up, admiringly saying: "Countryman, you’re the best. Everyone in Commander Huang's camp is from Qishan, yet you, a man from Shouchun, managed to rise above them."

Zhao Huai'an had also realized that the original Zhao Da was indeed a tough man—strong, sturdy, and full of killing intent. In the fight earlier, Zhao Huai'an hadn't intended to kill like that, but his muscle memory for swordplay had taken over. In his previous life, Zhao Huai'an had been a martial arts enthusiast—trained in weapons, boxing, and wrestling—but no matter how fierce, a man from a peaceful era could never execute such lethal strikes. You wouldn't even dare to hit someone without checking for security cameras.

But the original owner wasn't from Shouchun; he was clearly from Changsha, a man who truly didn't blink when killing. He wondered if all warriors of this era were like this, but at least it didn't hurt to be one.

Seeing Zhao Liu grinning, Zhao Huai'an felt it was necessary to reassert his authority in their little group:

"Liu, stop trying to climb social ladders. You’re from Qishan, I’m from Shouchun—what kind of countrymen are we?"

To his surprise, Zhao Liu grinned, showing a mouth of yellow teeth, and replied as if it were a matter of course:

"Zhao Da, you’re surnamed Zhao, and I’m surnamed Zhao. You’re the eldest, I’m the sixth. If we really count, we’re closer than any fellow countrymen."

*Fine, fine. You really are a talent, Zhao Liu.*