Chapter 578: How to Repay the Favor

In Zhu’a County of Qi Province, a caravan laden with various goods slowly entered the county town. It was not far from the Yellow River, and although it was already deep autumn in October, the river had not frozen yet. There were many such caravans in the county town, most of whom wanted to do business with immigrants from Hebei Province. The large number of people migrating south from Hebei Province created endless business opportunities for merchants. They needed to purchase grain and daily household items. In fact, many forward-thinking merchants had already arrived, and those who came now were slightly late. Additionally, some merchants intended to cross the river to the north to continue seeking business opportunities in Hebei Province.

The small county of Zhu’a was crowded with merchants, and caravans loaded with goods could be seen everywhere. With inns fully occupied, merchants looked for private homes to rent. Some astute local merchants had already rented out many houses along the roads and then rented them at higher prices to merchants from other places, making a fortune.

This caravan that had just entered the town was not in a hurry. They had contacts inside the town, and all their accommodation and food needs were taken care of, allowing them to enter the town at their own pace. The caravan was quite large, consisting of over a hundred wagons loaded with heavy goods. The goods were covered with oilpaper and coarse burlap, hiding what was inside. Nearly a hundred drivers rode horses on either side of the wagons, all of them tall and agile, keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings.

Needless to say, this caravan was sent by An Lushan to various provinces in eastern Henan Province to procure sulfur. But this was just one of three such caravans. To the east of Henan Province lay what is now the Shandong Peninsula, where there were several small sulfur mines. Although the output was not large, it was sufficient for An Lushan to manufacture gunpowder.

This caravan had acquired more than four thousand pounds of sulfur in Yizhou and was on its way back to Youzhou. They needed to cross the Yellow River to the north, and Zhu’a County served as the meeting and transfer point for their three caravans. As soon as the caravan entered the city gates, more than a dozen people came to greet them. A man bowed and said, “The other caravan has also returned. The ferry is being arranged, but the Yellow River has been very rough these past two days, making it difficult to cross. We will do our best to arrange everything. As soon as the conditions allow, we will cross the river immediately. Please follow us to rest first.”

The merchant leader was worried upon hearing that crossing the river was not possible for now, but he had no choice but to bow and say, “Then thank you all for your efforts. Please show me the way!”

The dozen people led the caravan to a large house a few hundred steps away…

Not long after the caravan entered the city, four horseback riders also appeared at the city gates. Following the leading group at a steady pace, these men were members of the Henan Circuit branch of the Internal Security Intelligence Bureau. The branch had received orders from the central intelligence bureau to monitor those purchasing sulfur in the various provinces of the Henan Circuit. These spies had already kept an eye on the caravan in Yizhou and followed them all the way to Zhu’a County.

At that moment, they noticed that the caravan seemed to have reinforcements, and since they were not far from the Yellow River, the caravan could cross at any time. After brief discussion, the spies split up: two continued to watch the caravan, while the other two rushed to report the situation to the branch head nearby.

……

Qizhou fell under Li Guangbi’s jurisdiction. Li Guangbi led an army of 50,000 troops to the Henan Circuit. After defeating the armies of Ji Guangchen and Xu Shuyi in succession, his forces grew to 120,000. Li Qingan then sent another 80,000 troops to him, bringing his total force to 200,000.

Li Guangbi divided his army into three combat zones: Li Sheng led 50,000 troops to defend Qizhou, General Li Fei Yuanli led 70,000 troops to defend Xuzhou, and Li Guangbi himself led 80,000 troops to defend Zhengzhou. These three armies supported each other.

Li Sheng’s troops were stationed in five provinces—Yun, Ji, Qi, Qing, and Zi—along the Yellow River, with his command post located in Licheng County, Qizhou.

That afternoon, two riders sped in from afar. When they were less than a hundred steps from the camp gate, the soldiers on the watchtower immediately shouted, “Stop!”

The two riders halted their horses and raised their hands, calling out, “We have urgent matters to see General Li!”

An officer on duty came out of the camp and asked, “I am the officer on duty at the gate. Who are you, and what do you want from General Li?”

One of the men, in his thirties, took out a silver plaque and handed it over, saying, “We are from the Intelligence Bureau of the Henan Circuit. I am Niu Jin, the head of the branch. We have an urgent matter that requires General Li’s assistance!”

The head of a branch of the Intelligence Bureau was at least a middle-ranking general, and since they were part of the Internal Security Forces, their status was even higher. The officer on duty did not dare neglect them and quickly said, “Please wait a moment; I’ll go report this right away!”

He rushed back to report, and shortly after, he came out and said, “Head Niu, our general is waiting for you!”

Niu Jin dismounted and followed the officer into the main camp.

The commander in the main camp was Li Sheng. According to Li Guangbi’s plan, he was responsible for defending the areas around Qingzhou and Qizhou. In fact, Li Sheng had his own ideas—he believed that the Northern Tang forces should not passively defend south of the Yellow River but should enter Hebei when conditions allowed, trapping An Lushan in Youzhou. This way, they could take the initiative in the battles against An Lushan. However, Li Sheng did not submit a letter to Li Qingan, knowing that Li Qingan would have already thought of this and likely had his own well-considered plans. Li Sheng focused solely on military aspects, while Li Qingan would consider political factors, which were beyond his scope of interference.

As a soldier, he had to obey his commander’s orders firmly, but as an individual, he also hoped that the Tang Dynasty would have a monarch with military background. Such a monarch would be kind to soldiers, better understand their honor, and refuse to yield in the face of external threats, fighting back resolutely—a quality unmatched by emperors raised in the palace.

These past two days, Li Sheng had also received orders from Li Guangbi, instructing his troops to fully cooperate with the Internal Security Intelligence Department. He was required to provide immediate assistance whenever the department requested it urgently.

Li Guangbi’s orders had been issued the day before yesterday, and today, the head of the Internal Security Intelligence Department had come in person to seek help.

A moment later, the on-duty officer rushed into the tent with Niu Jin. Niu Jin bowed and said, “Niu Jin, head of the Henan Circuit Intelligence Branch, pays his respects to General Li.”

Li Sheng knew that the Henan Circuit Intelligence Branch was located in Chenliu County. The fact that Niu Jin had come all the way from Chenliu to Qizhou meant the matter he needed help with was serious. So he quickly said, “Head Niu, there’s no need for formalities. If it’s urgent, please speak directly!”

“Thank you, General Li, for your promptness!”

Niu Jin continued, “Here’s what’s going on. Following orders from the main headquarters in Chang’an, we’ve been investigating An Lushan’s purchase of sulfur in the Henan Circuit. After several days of investigation, we discovered that three merchant caravans sent by An Lushan purchased tens of thousands of pounds of sulfur in Qingzhou, Yanzhou, and Yizhou. Two of these caravans have already gathered in Zhu’a County, preparing to cross the river to the north. They have over 500 supporters, who are actually An Lushan’s disguised troops. We ask General Li to send troops to help us intercept these people and goods.”

Li Sheng frowned. “But the Yellow River has been very rough these past few days; crossing it is not easy!”

“That’s exactly why they’re waiting in Zhu’a County and haven’t crossed yet. This is our chance.”

“What about the caravan in Qingzhou? Don’t they need my help?” Li Sheng asked again.

“General Li, our men destroyed their boat while they were crossing the Ji River, and more than 3,000 pounds of sulfur sank to the bottom of the river.”

“Well then, if they send people to buy sulfur again, how will you deal with it?” Li Sheng thought things through carefully. If he was to help, he had to go all the way—meaning completely destroying the sulfur mines to cut off An Lushan’s supply. “Well… we plan to prepare some fake sulfur. If An Lushan sends people to buy it a second time, we’ll sell them the fake sulfur so they can use it to make thunder bombs. But we haven’t had time to prepare this batch yet. Please offer your full support, General!” Li Sheng laughed heartily. “Great! I’ll send troops to assist you right away.” He immediately assembled five thousand cavalry, led them personally, and marched triumphantly toward Zhu’a County. … At that time, Zhu’a County wasn’t just home to two merchant caravans; there were also five hundred scouts sent by An Lushan after the explosion at the gunpowder factory. The sulfur they had acquired was their only hope. An Lushan also sent one of his aides to take full command of this operation. The aide’s name was Luo Qingzheng, in his forties, a scholar who had joined An Lushan last year. He thought things through very carefully, compensating for the fact that the five hundred scouts were brave but lacked strategy. By now, over seven thousand pounds of sulfur and all the personnel had left Zhu’a County. They had just received news from Qingzhou: another merchant caravan had encountered trouble—over three thousand pounds of sulfur had sunk to the bottom of the river. Although the news claimed it was just an accident, Luo Qingzheng sensed that it couldn’t be accidental. The Ji River wasn’t very wide, and the water was calm—there was no way a ship would sink halfway across. Someone must have tampered with it. He also realized that their whereabouts must have been discovered by the Northern Tang army. In the darkness, hundreds of cavalry protected over a hundred wagons as they rushed along the official road along the Yellow River. They wanted to cross the river overnight, but several boat owners refused, insisting it was too dangerous due to the strong winds and waves at night. No amount of money would persuade them; the earliest they could cross was the next morning. Another boat owner, however, was willing to take them across, though his boats weren’t here—they were at a dock fifty miles away, with three large ships in total. He charged three thousand guan to transport them and their goods across the river, demanding full payment before boarding. Although this was an exorbitant price—a hundred times too much—Luo Qingzheng agreed immediately. As long as they could get the sulfur back to Youzhou, he was willing to pay whatever it took. He planned to settle accounts with this boat owner after crossing the river.

An hour later, the convoy arrived at Qibei Ferry. It was a medium-sized ferry site located in a remote area, with few people crossing the river usually. Dozens of large boats were moored there. In the dark and windy night, the dark river was rough, with waves crashing against the shore with a “whooshing” sound. The large boats bobbed up and down in the river. There wasn’t a single person on them, as they hadn’t been able to cross the river for two days. Only two young men were guarding the boats at the dock.

Luo Qingzheng frowned and said unhappily to the boat owner, “You assured me repeatedly that we could cross the river. Now I see the boats, but where are the crew members? Where are your sailors?”

The boat owner hurriedly replied, “Wait a moment, I’ll go find them right away.”

He ran over and asked the two crew members, “Where have the others gone?”

The two crew members exchanged a glance and said, “The others have all gone home. Anyway, they can’t cross the river anyway, so it’s fine for them to stay here.”

The boat owner returned and bowed to Luo Qingzheng with a smile, saying, “Sir, the crew members have all gone home, but they all live nearby. I’ll call them right away. It won’t take more than half an hour. Please wait, sir!”

“Hmph!” Luo Qingzheng snorted heavily and snapped, “Go quickly and come back fast!”

“I’ll be back right away!” The boat owner dashed into the darkness and disappeared in no time.

After waiting about fifteen minutes, everyone grew impatient and sat around haphazardly. Luo Qingzheng also sat on a large rock, occasionally looking southward with anxious eyes. Another fifteen minutes passed, and it was already the agreed time, but not even a trace of the boat owner was visible.

At that moment, the officer beside him could no longer hold back. He stepped forward and whispered, “Sir, I’m worried there might be a trick here!”

“How do you know there’s a trick?”

“I grew up by the Yellow River as well. Judging from the waves now, crossing the Yellow River at night is extremely dangerous. There are strong undercurrents in the river, and it’s hard to see in the dark. There’s a high chance the boat will capsize. Otherwise, why would other boat owners refuse to set sail? You should know that the price you offered is a hundred times higher than usual, yet these people still refuse. I suspect this man is up to no good and has led us to such a remote place.”

Luo Qingzheng pondered for a moment and said, “Perhaps as you say, crossing the river at night is too dangerous, which is why the crew members refuse to come. Actually, I know too that we might not be able to cross tonight. But at least we can stay away from Zhua County and avoid being found by them. Waiting here at this remote dock until dawn might also be a good option.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a sudden sound of a bowstring rang out, and a cold arrow shot forward with a whoosh! The officer was unprepared and couldn’t dodge in time; the arrow struck his throat directly. He let out a muffled cry and fell to the ground. This arrow shocked everyone. Luo Qingzheng was the first to react—he rolled to the ground and hid behind a large rock, trembling with fear.

Arrows rained down in the darkness, along with chaotic sounds of running from all directions. The Yan army scouts at the dock were in complete chaos, scrambling to find shelter from the arrows. Their bows and arrows were in the bags on their horses, and they couldn’t retrieve them quickly, leaving them unable to fight back and in a very vulnerable position.

Horses, both those used for riding and carrying goods, were hit by arrows and fell to the ground with cries. Dozens of carts overturned, spilling bags of sulfur across the ground. The arrow rain grew denser, coming from the east, west, and south, leaving no place to hide. Cries of pain filled the air as people were shot down one after another.

The 5,000 troops of the Northern Tang completely surrounded the dock. They shot arrows from 60 steps away, forming a semicircle and unleashing a deluge of arrows at the dock. When every soldier’s quiver was empty, the intense arrow rain finally stopped. The dock fell silent, with no sign of life left.

Torches began to light up, quickly forming a sea of flames. Thousands of torches slowly moved toward the dock, illuminating it like daylight. The dock resembled a shooting range, with hundreds of thousands of arrows scattered across the few acres of land. Corpses lay everywhere, blood flowing like rivers. Even those lying on the ground couldn’t escape death. Hundreds were killed, not a single survivor. Even the strategist Luo Qingzheng was hit by over a dozen arrows and died curled up behind a large rock.

The soldiers quickly cleared the battlefield, pulling out the arrows and throwing the corpses into the Yellow River. Then, as the flames cleared a path, General Li Sheng rode in slowly, followed by Niu Jin, the head of the Intelligence Department.

He was deeply impressed. The enemy, numbering five or six hundred, were all elite scouts under An Lushan, yet they were all killed by arrows without even seeing their faces.

Li Sheng spurred his horse forward and, looking at the sulfur stored in over a hundred carts, smiled at Niu Jin and said, “Do you need me to help you deal with this?”

Niu Jin quickly thanked him, saying, “Thank you, General, for your help. I can burn this sulfur with just one fire.”

“Very well, let’s withdraw!”

At Li Sheng’s command, thousands of soldiers withdrew in no time, leaving only over forty members of the Intelligence Hall on the dock. The soldiers retrieved their warhorses from the nearby woods, mounted them, and headed toward Licheng. After traveling a few miles, Li Sheng couldn’t help but look back—only to see flames soaring and thick white smoke rising from the dock. He sharply pulled on his warhorse, which galloped like an arrow into the darkness.

…

Two days later, secret reports from the Henan Circuit Intelligence Hall reached Chang’an. Li Qing’an received the news immediately. Although he had achieved a decisive victory in the gunpowder interception battle, dealing a heavy blow to An Lushan’s dreams of using gunpowder, he was not happy. Zhang Yue’s death also dealt him a severe blow.

It was seven days later that Li Qing’an learned of the incident at Miaoshou Huichun Hall in Youzhou. By then, his five hundred elite scouts had withdrawn to Taiyuan and were on their way back to Chang’an. Miaoshou Huichun Hall had been destroyed. Aside from Zhang Yue and Zhao Jiaju committing suicide, forty-three others were captured, including twenty-seven members of the Intelligence Hall. Meanwhile, fifteen members of the Han-Tang Association in the military, who had direct ties to Miaoshou Huichun Hall, were also arrested, including Chen Zhiming, the officer who first discovered An Lushan’s use of gunpowder.

Li Qing’an’s carriage rolled through Chang’an, flanked by hundreds of bodyguards holding halberds. Next to the carriage, Hu Peiyun, the General of the Inner Guard, reported the latest news from Hebei through the window. “News has just arrived from Hebei. An Lushan has ordered a strict ban on raising pigeons among the people in Youzhou and several surrounding counties. Anyone caught will have their entire family executed. He has also banned people from other counties from entering Youzhou, and those leaving Youzhou must be thoroughly searched. It’s now very difficult to get information from Youzhou.”

Li Qing’an said slowly, “If pigeons can’t be raised, hawks can be used. Keep a low profile. Above all, the flow of intelligence must not be cut off. Appoint Qi Yuhua, the head of the Yizhou branch, as the head of the Hebei Circuit Intelligence Branch. Order her to rebuild the Hebei Intelligence Hall, learning from the mistakes of Miaoshou Huichun Hall. There must be no more mistakes. Also, strengthen surveillance in Chang’an. I suspect An Lushan will retaliate against Chang’an. He must have intelligence agents there as well. It would be best to use their opportunity to retaliate against Chang’an to wipe out An Lushan’s spies in Chang’an at once. Go!”

“Your subordinate obeys!” Hu Peiyun bowed and left in haste.

The carriage continued moving. After a while, Li Qing’an let out a long sigh. Four generations of the Zhang Yue family had been loyal. Even in death, they showed their loyalty like Ji Bu and Hou Ying. How could he repay such devoted subordinates?

In the carriage, besides Li Qing’an, was also his secondary concubine, Jiang Wuyi. Wuyi didn’t understand why her husband had taken her along; puzzled, and seeing his solemn expression, she dared not ask further. Soon, the carriage entered Chongren Fang and stopped in front of a modest house. Another member of the Hidden Dragon Society, also a court official in the Ministry of Rites, Wang Xian’an, went forward to knock on the door. This house was one that Zhang Yue had purchased in Chang’an. Zhang Yue was one of the core members of the Hidden Dragon Society; he was an only child in a family of three generations. Ten years ago, his only son died of illness, leaving him with no children. Two years ago, one of his concubines gave birth to a daughter for him, but she also died of illness soon after. Zhang Yue then sent his daughter to Chang’an to be raised by his wet nurse, Mrs. Qiu. Mrs. Qiu’s family lived in this house with Zhang Yue’s two-year-old daughter. The door opened, and a man in his thirties stepped out. He was the son of Zhang Yue’s wet nurse, named Qiu Yuan’er, and he was a fur trader who traveled between Anxi and Chang’an. As soon as he opened the door, he was shocked to see so many soldiers outside and asked anxiously, “Who… are you looking for?” Wang Xian’an, who was on very good terms with Zhang Yue and knew Mrs. Qiu’s family, smiled and said, “Qiu Yuan’er, don’t you recognize me?” Qiu Yuan’er was stunned for a moment. “You’re… Ah! You’re Officer Wang.” “Good, you still remember me.” Li Qing’an got out of the carriage, and Wang Xian’an quickly introduced him, “Your Highness, this is Qiu Yuan’er, the son of Zhang Yue’s wet nurse.” “Your Highness?” Qiu Yuan’er had seen Li Qing’an a few times in Anxi and suddenly recognized him. Frightened, he quickly knelt down and said, “Your humble servant, Qiu Yuan’er, pays his respects to Prince Zhao.” “Get up! I’ve come to see Zhang Yue’s daughter.” With an “Ah!”, Qiu Yuan’er quickly turned around and called, “Wife, come out quickly!” A young woman slowly emerged from the courtyard. It was clear she was a woman from Anxi—she had high cheekbones, thin lips, no color in her face, was extremely thin, but quite tall, with a figure like a compass from later times. She was holding a young boy in her arms, holding a four- or five-year-old girl by one hand, and behind her was another little girl, about two years old, looking cute and obedient. She was holding the woman’s skirt, her big eyes shyly staring at Li Qing’an. Li Qing’an felt a pang in his heart. This little girl with big eyes resembled Zhang Yue greatly, and he knew this was the only child Zhang Yue had left in the world.

He crouched down, stretched out his hands to the little girl, and said with a smile, “You must be Zhang Ling’er! I’m your uncle. Your father asked me to come and pick you up.” The little girl hid behind the woman, too afraid to come out. Qiu Yuan’er stepped forward, gently grabbed her wrist, and persuaded her, telling her that her uncle had come to see her. She pulled the girl over to Li Qing’an, who took out a string of shiny pearls and hung them around her neck, saying with a smile, “These are from your uncle. Do you like them?” The little girl was attracted by the beautiful pearls. Holding one with her delicate hands, she nodded shyly. At that moment, Qiu Yuan’er’s other daughter reached out to snatch it, but was slapped back by Qiu Yuan’er. The little girl immediately started crying. Qiu Yuan’er’s wife glared fiercely at her husband and angrily took her daughter away. Qiu Yuan’er was extremely frightened. He stammered in explanation, “Um, Your Highness, my wife is from a barbarian tribe and doesn’t understand etiquette.” Li Qing’an glanced at the woman’s back and said coldly, “I won’t hold you accountable, but I’ll take the child as compensation for raising her for a year. This house will be yours.” At that moment, Wu Yi came over. She crouched down, took out a small bronze mirror covered in gems, reflected her image in it for the child, and handed it to her with a smile, “Do you like it?” The little girl smiled shyly, nodded gently, and held the mirror with both hands, examining her reflection carefully before giggling. Wu Yi adored her greatly. She picked up the little girl and kissed her on the cheek. By now, Wu Yi fully understood Li Qing’an’s intentions. Seeing him look at her as if seeking her approval, she nodded solemnly. Li Qing’an ignored Qiu Yuan’er and strode quickly toward the carriage. Wu Yi, holding the little girl, followed behind her husband onto the carriage. From time to time, she caressed the child’s face affectionately, feeling indescribable emotions. Li Qing’an stroked the child’s hair and said, “Take good care of her. In the future, she will be a princess of my Great Tang Empire.” Wu Yi nodded silently, looking at her husband gratefully with slightly red eyes. By then, the little girl was completely captivated by the exquisite bronze mirror, flipping it over and over without any sign of wanting to stay with the Qiu family. Qiu Yuan’er stared blankly as the carriage drove away, his heart filled with mixed feelings—neither joy nor sorrow.