Great Tang Idyll - Volume 4 Chapter 201:

Zhang Xiaobao’s return had briefly lifted the three old men’s spirits, but when they heard he still intended to come ashore, they fell back into uncertainty and fixed their gazes on him, waiting for an answer.

They all knew Zhang Xiaobao had gone back to consult a certain expert, so now they waited for a reply: why stop the boats? The Zhang and Wang family flotillas could drift on the river for two months without resupply; after only a few days at sea there had to be a reason. Could they be asking for more terms?

“It’s your fault for telling us so late. If you had said it earlier we would have prepared. Peacetime preparations and logistical preparations are not the same. Once local authorities start mobilizing supplies it will be too late. Stop for one night and one morning, then hurry on.” Zhang Xiaobao spoke with much more ease this time. The new terms of exchange were better than the original, and they would help the people of Shuzhou get revenge.

If Zhang’s family had not gone to Shuzhou, those two mines might have kept stripping the land and destroying the riverbank. 

Zhang Xiaobao admired the two local officials who had stayed undercover waiting for this chance; after years of lying low they had established families and official posts, yet they still sacrificed everything for the state’s interest.

Admiration aside, they were not Tang people by birth; once you did something you had to expect retribution. If you flooded my people, I would slaughter yours — nothing to debate.

Zhang Xiaobao paid no mind to imperial praise. Practical gains moved people more than flattering words. What use were a thousand compliments?

After finalizing matters with the three old men, Zhang Xiaobao happily found Wang Juan, who had been playing with the little ones, then hurried back to his cabin.

He spread out a map and told Wang Juan, “Good news. We’ll make wartime profits and get a lot of benefits. War’s coming — you’re good at this. Help me figure out the logistics.”

While Wang Juan listened in confusion, Zhang Xiaobao recounted his conversation with the three elders.

The map before them was extremely precious — even the court did not possess it. Only Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had copies: Tubo (Tibetan Empire) military charts showing mountain ranges, rivers, fields, roads, the villages and shops encountered inland, and even a layout of Jinchuan city in Tubo.

They owed it to Songrinigan, a Tubo contact. In exchange for letting him run a game-business in Tubo, he had given them maps of the whole of Tang. The swap included several cartographers that Songrinigan’s group received from Song Jinggong. The military charts ended up with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, who adapted and converted parts into game maps and returned the rest to Songrinigan. Word was the game versions did not match the capital’s quality; many players ignored rules and carved their own characters and goods.

How much profit Songrinigan made was none of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan’s concern. The map itself was what mattered.

Wang Juan peered at the contour lines and marked roads and murmured, “These tracks are almost impassable. Putting your father in Yizhou means winning at Jinshui. It’s a bit out of the way. If he were posted to Zhezhou as prefect it would be more convenient — right on the border with Tubo. Li Longji must have feared trouble and moved the front back dozens of li, with another prefecture blocking the way so that if the expert fell there’d still be someone to take over. From the dates, the war preparations were rushed, especially logistics. Based on what you learned, to mislead the enemy they plan a quick punitive strike. They haven’t even gathered local grain in Chengdu. An emperor willing to risk a mutiny shows guts. He’s betting we can still establish a working logistical system under these conditions. Unfortunately, only the two of us can know this now — don’t tell anyone, not even family, to avoid leaks.”

Zhang Xiaobao nodded. He knew how hard it would be, but having accepted the task, he had to do it right. 

Everyone knew the principle: before troops moved, supplies must be secure. That applied doubly to him and Wang Juan.

He studied the track on the map that no one should reasonably walk and thought hard, then, as Wang Juan began running military simulations, he said: “Get word overland to the forward flotilla when we reach Jiangxia tomorrow night. Send five people from Zero Team out; many places have no roads, only mountains. They must be ready to block the upstream boats where ropes are needed for towing. Don’t sleep tonight. You run your simulations, I’ll plan. Li Longji really counts on us — no wonder Grandpa Bi and the others were pushing to build roads. They meant to open a supply route. Li Xun is supposed to join the fight, right? Fine, count him in. We honestly have no troops to spare.”

“Then don’t disturb me. It’s difficult, especially without data. I don’t even have reliable intelligence on the enemy or our commanders, let alone their personalities.”

Wang Juan tucked herself into a corner with a map and got to work. She knew their household had few soldiers — only fifty-six able fighters. The estate guards had never seen blood; they were far weaker than Li Xun’s escort.

While Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan busied themselves, the three old men could not sleep. Old age made their sleep light; worries made them toss and turn.

“Do you think the Zhang family will succeed?” Old Man Zhang, less learned than Old Man Bi or Old Man Yao, could not compare in scholarship, but he shared their anxiety. Anyone with common sense could see the scale of the challenge.

The Zhang family were given no time to prepare; a direct mobilization left no room for secrecy. Ideally, the plan would have been revealed closer to the Yizhou rendezvous. Now it was too late; transporting military stores could not wait. If it were their decision, they would force the matter to the bitter end rather than try to organize logistics without first solving local issues.

Old Man Bi and Old Man Yao felt uneasy. The move was risky. Perhaps the Zhang family was frighteningly capable, or perhaps they never compromised when facing danger; either way, someone had drawn up this plan.

Old Man Bi pulled the thin blanket back over his arm and stared at the dark cabin ceiling. “I don’t know if it will work. It depends on whether the Zhangs deserve their reputation. If it succeeds, it will be awkward to assign Zhang Zhong’s post. Should he go to the Ministry of Revenue at the local seat or the Ministry of War? One man cannot be split in two. If he took no post, the backers would not exert themselves. Maybe the Ministry of Works would suit him.”

“Then use Juanjuan’s father as well. Don’t give him a sinecure; give him an actual post with responsibilities and backing. With help behind him, he can do it. I don’t think it’s that big a risk. Otherwise, when Xiaobao came back to ask, he wouldn’t have promised so readily. I want to see their next move — how capable they truly are. Previously their work focused on local construction; this time it’s logistics. Construction thinking and logistics thinking differ. It’s not simply spending family money to give people work and then starting trade. There’s no time for that kind of approach.”

Old Man Yao sat up, flipped on the cabin lamp with a clack, brewed himself tea from the thermos, and opened a bag of melon seeds to nibble. 

Old Man Bi , eyeing the snack, joined them and handed Old Man Zhang a cup of tea.

“If we’d known, we would have negotiated earlier with the Zhangs. Now the terms we traded are even more numerous. Once the benefits are given, when the Zhang and Wang children grow up and the families intermarry, six people could support two clans — especially with two senior adults.”

“You can’t tell them early. If they prepared in Chengdu, flaws would show. Zhang Zhong wouldn’t even have taken office before others started buying grain. With the Shuzhou incident, if the Tubo people weren’t fools they would have guessed something. I don’t know everything, but I know wars usually wait until after the autumn harvest. Now it’s midsummer; harvest can’t start. Even if we defeat Tubo, any counterattack will take time — enough for Tang to redeploy. The advantage is surprise. Who would have expected troops at this time? But the burden falls on the Zhangs. If they manage it, no one will trust sending that sort of capable person out to a regional office afterward.” Old Man Zhang drank his tea in one steaming gulp and voiced his worries.

The next morning Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan ate in a hurry and went up on deck to sunbathe and nap. It had rained yesterday and the weather was now mild.

The little ones had waited for their older siblings to come play. After half an hour with no one, they tossed their toys and went out to find them. 

Seeing the two stretched out asleep, the children, interested, clustered by them and tried to express themselves until someone propped them up to sleep beside their big brother and sister.

At dawn the three old men observed the households of the Zhang and Wang families and, finding no changes, relaxed and called for Li Xun.

“Prince, you know why this trip is necessary. Forget any notion of joining the expedition. Your escort and my men, along with Yuan Zhi’s, will protect the Zhang and Wang families. Don’t treat distance lightly; a hundred li away can be reached in a day. If anything happens to them, I’ll have no face to live.” Old Man Bi had to warn Li Xun early after hearing Zhang Xiaobao mention Li Xun’s eagerness to participate, to prevent disruptions to the Zhang family’s plans.

Li Xun protested, “I—I have special forces.”

“Quiet. Every unit must stay behind for protection. If not, I’ll have you bound and sent to the capital so the emperor can see your special forces.” Old Man Bi gave Li Xun no chance to argue. 

He wished the Zhang and Wang households would train more private troops. With fifty-six capable men, they could have formed a fierce company. Sadly, to avoid suspicion they kept their numbers small.