Great Tang Idyll - Volume 4 Chapter 222

The fire had died, the pursuers were closing fast; the deep forest hid the scattered field kitchens in its shadows—who knew where the road ahead led? Resolve unto death, the wind blew without intent; the Weak Water surged endlessly against the riverbank, raising sand into the air.

When the time arrived, Zhang Xiaobao ordered withdrawal without hesitation and led his men to catch up with Wang Juan.

“Th-there’s still someone… Young… Young Master, there are still people behind us.” Among the twenty-five men rescued at the last moment, one gasped for breath as he caught up beside Zhang Xiaobao. He wanted the child who could command others to wait a little longer.

Zhang Xiaobao glanced at him and said, “I know there are still people. Not just the scattered soldiers—there are Tibetans chasing behind them. I cannot disrupt the combat plan for a small number of men.”

“Just one more hour… wait one more hour before pulling out,” the man pleaded, still hoping.

He didn’t know who this half-grown child was, but he recognized the emblem on the front of the uniforms—the Yizhou Logistics Camp that had resupplied them along the way. He couldn’t understand how the logistics unit had managed to reach the front, but he only wanted them to save a few more brothers.

Zhang Xiaobao closed his eyes briefly, then said decisively, “No. Not even a quarter of an hour. An hour is enough time for tens of thousands to seize favorable terrain. If you want to stay, then stay—don’t drag the main force down. And I was given an order to withdraw in twenty-four hours. Military orders are absolute.”

“Discard all copper and iron from the armor except for weapons. The first five battalions disperse to hunt—collect animal hides. Battalions six through eleven rotate carrying loads. Battalion twelve collects flammable materials. Move.” Wang Juan lifted her head, judged the sky, and gave her instructions to the messenger.

Orders were transmitted and executed immediately. 

Guo Tu and the other detained officers learned of the commands as well. The more they tried to guess the logistics unit’s intentions, the more confused they became. At this point, they had expected the proper course to be evasion—finding a place the Tibetans couldn’t track, then waiting for an opportunity to act.

Having men carry other men slowed the army and drained strength. When the Tibetans caught up, they wouldn’t even be able to run. And they were moving farther from Jinshui City—if they didn’t attack, then this campaign was already a failure. In that case they should flee toward Pengzhou.

Most infuriating was the order to discard all armor containing copper or iron. If they met the enemy, how were they supposed to fight? That was money—real money—and not money paid by Yizhou.

After discussing without finding any answer, Guo Tu finally shouted to the guards watching them: “I want to meet the real commander of the logistics unit. There are urgent matters to discuss—delay is on your heads.”

Wang Juan was still studying the military map, trying to draw out inspiration. The knowledge she had learned before could only support her—they could not become rigid doctrine. Victory came from the orthodox and the unorthodox alike. Right now, there was no opportunity to face the enemy directly; only the unorthodox could work.

“If only these twelve thousand were people who had trained with me and Xiaobao for three years. Two years would be enough. It would be so much easier.” Wang Juan blinked repeatedly, murmuring to herself.

When the messenger reported that Guo Tu wanted to see her, she muttered, “What’s there to meet about? ‘Urgent matters’? What, does he have celestial soldiers hidden somewhere?”

“I want to see the real decision-maker in your army, not a little girl like you,” Guo Tu said, eyes wide, when the hastening Wang Juan arrived.

Wang Juan curled her lip. “That’s me. Say it. What’s the matter? Hurry—don’t waste my time.”

“Fine. Then listen well, and tell the one making these decisions: every idea he’s using is rotten. If this continues, not a single person in the army will escape alive. The task is to attack Jinshui City. Since you seized command, you should proceed with that.” Suppressing his anger, Guo Tu spoke each word with force.

Wang Juan burst out laughing. “Stop dreaming. Attack Jinshui City? The order you received was to seek an opportunity to attack Jinshui City—your real mission is to conduct a surprise strike, enrage the Tibetans, and burn as much of their autumn grain as possible. You think the imperial court is full of fools, sending fifteen thousand men to directly assault Jinshui City? Don’t lecture me on orders. ‘When the general is in the field, there are commands he cannot obey.’ Your brilliant ideas brought the army to this state. You wanted to play the benevolent general and refused to kill—then you accept the consequences. Foolish. You toyed with your soldiers’ lives.”

“You… you… you little brat, how dare you—how dare you…? I’ll die of rage!” Guo Tu’s face went red as he pointed at her.

“What are you pointing at? And you call yourself a general? How many exercises have you participated in? How many red-vs-blue mock battles have you won? You played a few sand-table games and thought you were an undefeated general? Twelve thousand men holding a mountain pass—yet you can’t even win a morale-boosting battle? Run, run— all you know is run. You drained your soldiers’ strength and morale. I know what you were trying—withdraw first, then seek a chance to counterattack. The essence of maneuver warfare is not ‘running’—it is forcing the enemy to shift their superior numbers and finding opportunities to destroy them piecemeal. When you go back, I suggest you study properly in the game room of the Between Water and Clouds Pavilion flagship store in Sanshui County.”

Wang Juan was angry as well. She and Zhang Xiaobao had spent so much money, only for it to be wasted—and he still wanted to lecture her.

Guo Tu could not speak. None of what she said was wrong. Aside from refusing to kill civilians, the rest was simply bad luck—it wasn’t that he lacked skill. General Gao himself had praised him. Yet a little girl scolded him like this.

The adjutant stepped in to defend their dignity. “Juanjuan, then you should at least tell us the purpose of marching this way. What’s the use of having men carry each other? Are we supposed to defeat the enemy like this?”

“I’m not telling you. From the moment your command was taken until I safely return to Yizhou, you won’t be participating in anything. And who said carrying people is useless? At least it trains lung capacity a little. Tomorrow, you’ll need it to avoid… unexpected problems.”

After saying this, Wang Juan walked back toward her position. After ten steps, without looking back, she added coldly, “Behave. Anyone who tries to stir trouble—I don’t mind killing a few as an example. His Majesty won’t blame me. If you don’t believe me, try it.”

“Infuriating! Absolutely infuriating! That little girl is too outrageous. When I get back—when I get back I’ll… when I get back…” Only once her figure disappeared did Guo Tu dare shout. Earlier he did not dare—he was afraid she would actually kill him. And even as he said “when I get back,” he did not say what he would do—because even he wasn’t sure, and returning alive was uncertain.

Wang Juan returned to studying strategy. Soldiers hunted where they should hunt, carried loads where they should carry loads, and collected flammable materials nonstop.

Under her command, morale remained decent—not because of “charisma.” She was just a pretty little girl; she had no personal authority. The key was her promise—backed by the wealth of Between Water and Clouds Pavilion—giving soldiers hope.

After one day, the carrying stopped. They had collected plenty of animal hides. Regardless of whether the hides had been dried, even with blood still on them, people used branches as makeshift needles and animal intestines as thread to stitch simple coats and skin bags.

Because carrying people slowed movement, Zhang Xiaobao caught up that evening. Wang Juan ordered everyone to rest. After eating wild vegetables and meat, each soldier kept one compressed biscuit. Except for a few on watch, the entire army fell asleep.

Two pigeons, after a long journey, flew from Yizhou back to the Zhang family home in the capital. After the messages were removed from their legs and they ate quickly, they cooed a few times and rested.

Gao Lishi, holding the message delivered to him, hurried to Xingqing Palace.

Li Longji was watching his concubines sing and dance while handling government affairs, still undecided about whom he would choose to accompany him that night. The women were exerting themselves, hoping to receive favor.

Just after Li Longji said two words of praise, he saw Gao Lishi’s expression and knew something had happened. He waved the concubines away and summoned Gao Lishi closer.

“Lishi, is there urgent news?” Li Longji asked.

“Pengzhou’s fast courier has not yet arrived. But Yizhou’s Yao Chong and Bi Gou’s carrier pigeons arrived first. Guo Tu refused to kill on the march, exposed traces, had his grain burned, lost the battle, and retreated toward the great river,” Gao Lishi reported.

“He lost? Does Pengzhou have grain convoys?” Li Longji had not expected Guo Tu to fail before even reaching the battlefield. His expression darkened. He asked about Pengzhou’s stored grain, intending to send supplies.

“Pengzhou has ample grain, but no one dares mobilize troops without permission. Fortunately, Your Majesty’s decree arrived at Pengzhou, and the Yizhou Logistics Camp received it and immediately reorganized their forces overnight to reinforce the front, but their whereabouts are unknown. Additionally, Zhang Zhong’s eldest son Xiaobao and Juanjuan accompanied the force and are responsible for command.”

Gao Lishi’s tone softened as he said this. He liked Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. Bi Gou and Yao Chong’s letters often mentioned the children—beautiful, intelligent, filial, well-mannered, and good cooks, always making food for elders.

Unable to have children himself, Gao Lishi loved other people’s children. If possible, he would have wanted Zhang Xiaobao as his own.

This news left him extremely worried for the pair.

Li Longji also grew tense. “How many men did they bring?”

“Fifty-six from the Zhang family’s Seedling Protection Team, one hundred from Bi Gou and Yao Chong’s escorts, two hundred from the Prince of Tong’an’s guards, the rest ordinary grain transporters. This journey is perilous.”

Li Longji was well aware of the danger. Three hundred able fighters—what could they accomplish? He could not help complaining: “How can the Zhang family be so foolish? Look at others—every household has many guards. They earn plenty of money, but when it comes time to use men, they only have fifty-six.”

Gao Lishi did not reply. He knew His Majesty feared the Zhang family having too many guards and fleeing the Tang Empire. Now there was no point in saying anything—he could only hope the two children would be frightened enough to turn back and return home safely.