Chapter 53: Raiding the Camp (Special thanks to Alliance Leader Princess Xiaodao)

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The moon shone brightly amidst sparse stars as magpies flew southward. Wang Jin, armored and biting on a blade, descended the fortress wall in a basket. Around him, Gao Renhou and dozens of other warriors did the same, quickly gathering below the ramparts.

On the city wall, Zhao Huai’an watched them, nodding in approval before seeing Wang Jin and the others off. Then he took a helmet from Zhao Liu’s hands, wrapped himself in a black cloak, and entered the camp.

In the darkness, the eight hundred officers and soldiers of the Baoyi garrison were already fully armored and arrayed beneath the camp gate. Zhao Huai’an had little to say; he walked straight to the front, donned his helmet, drew his long saber from the ground, and stood silently.

Behind him, countless breaths grew heavier; everyone awaited the signal to strike. No one knew how long the torment lasted before sudden shouts and cries of battle erupted outside. Zhao Liu atop the wall hurriedly called down to Zhao Huai’an:

“Master Zhao, Wang Jin and the others have broken in!”

Zhao Huai’an, who had been feigning sleep, shouted:

“Lower the bridge, open the gate!”

At once, Zhao Liu and his men severed the suspension bridge, and the strongmen behind the gate pushed it open. Through the opened fortress gate, Zhao Huai’an saw flames soaring from the enemy camp, like a ravenous beast devouring its prey.

He lowered the faceplate of his helmet, raised his saber, and charged out of the camp. Behind him, all eight hundred warriors, cloaked in black, bit on wooden pegs and thundered after him.

Yes, Zhao Huai’an once again led the charge from the front. Though already a commander of a thousand men, he still led the assault personally. This was the essence of building an enterprise—without braving arrows and stones oneself, how could one win the hearts of heroes? How to earn the trust of one’s brothers?

Ah, I, Master Zhao, have come to the Tang dynasty treading on thin ice.

As he ran, Zhao Huai’an heard the roars from the enemy’s main camp and smelled the acrid scent of burning. For some reason, a surge of hot blood rushed to his forehead. He suddenly bellowed:

“Kill! Avenge the brothers who died for Baoyi!”

His roar inflamed Sun Chuanwei, who led the charge behind him, eyes reddening with fury. He shouted:

“Thirteenth Son, fight alongside us!”

The five Baoyi warriors accompanying Sun Chuanwei, all bound by kinship and comradeship, went mad with zeal and charged forward with wild abandon, even outpacing Zhao Huai’an himself.

Zhao Huai’an cursed and hurried to catch up, finally bursting into the enemy camp ahead of them.

By now, the enemy camp was in chaos, with sounds of slaughter everywhere. Most of the Nanzhao soldiers had no time to don armor and merely grabbed their swords and spears to fight the invading Tang troops.

But the troops led by Wang Jin were the Beiwei under Zhao Huai’an’s command, fully clad in willow-leaf armor with chainmail underneath. Against these unarmored opponents, they slaughtered mercilessly.

Within the chaotic camp, Zhao Huai’an immediately spotted his fighting Beiwei comrades but did not rush to join them. Instead, he led his troops straight toward the enemy command tents.

With eight hundred Baoyi soldiers storming the camp, the Nanzhao forces utterly lost resistance. In the darkness, fear magnified, and everyone fled toward the rear.

Suddenly, Zhao Huai’an heard a Nanzhao warrior shouting, seemingly rallying the fleeing soldiers to regroup. Without hesitation, Zhao Huai’an called out:

“Shoot him!”

Party Shousu beside him drew his bow and released an arrow. The enemy general fell at once. Though the distance was at least two hundred paces, in the dim light and dense crowd, Party Shousu’s shot was a perfect kill.

Zhao Huai’an laughed heartily:

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“Well done, Old Party! Mark this as a great achievement.”

He then began directing the incoming units, especially the already bloodthirsty Sun Chuanwei, ordering them to form ranks and press the spear charge.

The enemy was utterly routed, perfect for forming ranks and crushing them under a spear phalanx.

Yet Zhao Huai’an had overestimated his troops’ discipline. In the dim light, most Baoyi soldiers were in disarray. Only eight core comrades under their respective leaders began to form long lines.

With this backbone, the others gradually found their squads, and at their commanders’ fierce shouts, they hurled their spears wildly.

Blood flowed like rivers, slippery beneath their feet.

Amid the chaos, Zhao Huai’an remained calm, searching for the enemy commander. Suddenly, he heard shouting as the enemy disintegrated before his eyes. Those who could not flee were slaughtered by Baoyi blades and spears.

Then Zhao Huai’an saw several mounted troops burst from the camp and gallop eastward.

His heart sank, for that was exactly the direction of the main Nanzhao forces.

Ignoring the risk of revealing his position, Zhao Huai’an shouted:

“Hurry, swiftly annihilate the enemy!”

At that moment, a squad of eight cavalry from Guo Congyun’s unit charged out from the camp, dashing toward the fleeing enemy horsemen.

Zhao Huai’an’s heart was in his throat. The two forces clashed violently. If those fleeing riders managed to escape and summon reinforcements, the Baoyi army would fall into an abyss of ruin.

All the unit commanders realized the danger and fought desperately.

At the forefront was Zhang Dai, utterly reckless. Clad in armor and wielding two blades, he plunged into the enemy ranks, his swords dancing, flesh flying.

Armored warriors against unarmored foes—it was slaughter.

As the generals surged forward, the remaining Nanzhao soldiers were squeezed into the camp’s center.

At this moment, Zhao Huai’an shouted:

“Disarm those who surrender; no killing.”

Some warriors who understood Tang speech dropped their weapons. A few stubborn to the death were stabbed by their own comrades.

Soon, the remaining Nanzhao troops knelt and surrendered. Yet Sun Chuanwei, eyes bloodshot, swung his blade relentlessly, showing no sign of stopping.

Zhao Huai’an silently counted to three and then shouted to halt the slaughter.

Thus, through a daring night raid, Zhao Huai’an once again turned small odds into victory.

Indeed, Zhao Huai’an had observed the enemy in daylight, confirming that this Nanzhao force was arrogant and undisciplined, neglecting fortifications and lax even in military conduct, with soldiers wandering off casually.

All these factors swayed Zhao Huai’an’s decision to attack.

But was this assumption infallible? If the enemy had deliberately used such behavior to deceive him, then his full-scale night assault would have been suicidal.

So, it was not that Zhao Huai’an was clairvoyant. Without clear knowledge of the enemy commander’s nature and habits, he simply gambled—and fortune favored him.

Similarly, the Nanzhao commander’s failure was partly due to underestimating Zhao Huai’an, unaware of the man’s character.

He had previously faced Western Sichuan generals who dared not fight and foreign vassal commanders who refused to engage, creating a false sense of security.

Now, confronting Zhao Huai’an, driven by desperate enterprise, he remained careless and unprepared, courting death.

Thus, strategy’s success lies not in brilliance but in outwitting your opponent by just one move.

You must understand your enemy, deceive him, and have a bit of luck.

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As the troops began gathering the remaining Nanzhao weapons, Zhao Huai’an remained distracted, his mind fixed on Guo Congyun, who had just ridden out.

Knowing Guo Congyun’s capabilities, Zhao Huai’an hoped for the best, but the stakes were too high to be certain.

Seeing the units preparing to clear the camp’s spoils, Zhao Huai’an shouted:

“Do not disperse! Bring the prisoners into the tents first!”

Baoyi was founded by Zhao Huai’an himself; his words carried weight. The soldiers halted their sorting and began tying prisoners in groups of ten with hemp ropes, then herded them into the camp tents.

Noticing Dou Pangzi organizing the prisoner guards, Zhao Huai’an called him over.

Dou Pangzi responded immediately, armor plates clinking, a pair of iron hammers hanging from his waist stained with blood.

Though playful and boisterous, when fierce, Dou Pangzi was a formidable warrior.

Zhao Huai’an instructed:

“Dou Pangzi, guard the eastern camp wall. If you see Old Guo’s return, notify me immediately.”

Dou Pangzi understood the importance, gave a grunt, and led his men to the eastern ramparts.

But before they could ascend, sounds of galloping horses came from the east. Guo Congyun appeared, riding swiftly with a corpse clutched in his arms.

Behind him were seven riders, bloodied robes fluttering, one carried by others, evidently fallen in battle.

Zhao Huai’an hurried to see Guo Congyun dismount and throw the captured enemy general to the ground, then saluted:

“Your servant has fulfilled his mission!”

Without even glancing at the fallen enemy, Zhao Huai’an grasped Guo Congyun’s hand and laughed heartily.

How many heroes exist in the world? In one battle, two tiger generals emerged.

Such fierce warriors arise from the ranks, from every county and township. Given the chance, heroes and warriors will always emerge.

...

While Guo Congyun’s capture of the enemy general eased Zhao Huai’an’s worries, the burning camp had undoubtedly drawn the attention of the main enemy forces to the east.

Therefore, Zhao Huai’an ordered the troops to collect armor and supplies as best they could, then burn the rest to ashes.

This victory was splendid. Though exact numbers were unknown, the mountain of armor and weapons rekindled Zhao Huai’an’s fighting spirit.

However, not all spoils belonged to him. Since his unit was fully integrated, the Western Sichuan command officially registered Baoyi under its rolls, meaning spoils must be apportioned per Tang military regulations.

One-third would be handed over to the command, one-third distributed among officers and soldiers, and one-third retained as reserves within the garrison.

Armor was a national treasure and Zhao Huai’an’s future capital. He would exchange it for cloth with the troops accordingly.

Yet these were not the true cause of Zhao Huai’an’s joy. They had nearly intact captured the enemy’s cavalry—over forty warhorses now in his possession.

Moreover, the remaining two to three hundred Nanzhao prisoners numbered nearly a third of Baoyi’s fighting force. Zhao Huai’an dared not take responsibility for them at this time.

Thus, he ordered these prisoners to sever their right thumbs and then released them into the wilderness.

Some unit commanders did not understand, but those who did recognized the cruelty of this act.

Hence, even the ever-cheerful Zhao Huai’an gained a different layer of respect among them.

So, with abundant spoils, the Baoyi army joyfully pushed the captured Nanzhao supply carts, returning triumphantly.

Behind them, the Nanzhao camp was utterly consumed by flames, reduced to ashes in the endless darkness.