Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 100 Huang Chao
The following day, Dong, Luo, and Du bid farewell to Zhao Da.

All three of them were wealthy merchants under the command of the military, and they all had their own duties. Otherwise, why would you be chosen for the lucrative job of accompanying the army on a business trip?
These days, if you want to do business well, you can't avoid these tasks of transferring and distributing supplies by the military.

Zhao Da was holding Dong Gongsu's hand tightly under the gate, unwilling to let go for even a moment.

Dong Gongsu was also very moved. This Lord Zhao was indeed impeccable, truly treating his friends with his heart. Thinking this, he glanced at Luo Yuanbao and Du Zonghan beside him, as if to say, "Look, with our friendship, what is there to worry about?"
Last night, Dong Gongsu managed to win over Luo Yuanbao and Du Zonghan. One agreed to provide 20,000 strings of cash annually, and the other agreed to give 1,000 strings of cash monthly. At the same time, he also arranged for Zhao Da to recruit 50 cavalrymen to be sent to the front lines.

It wasn't that Lao Dong wanted to drag these two friends down with him, but to be honest, he didn't expect Zhao Da to develop so quickly. Now, relying solely on him to supply the military needs of Baoyidu, he really couldn't handle it.

So at this time, good friends are just for use.

However, he wouldn't really betray his two friends. If Zhao Da were unreliable or had no future, would Dong Gongsu be stupid enough to spend most of his wealth and even put his daughter in his place to protect Zhao Da?

Having paid such a high price, is Dong Gongsu worried that Zhao Da might be transferred later?
In fact, Dong Gongsu had thought about this problem long ago. He also estimated that with Zhao Da's strength, he wouldn't be able to stay in western Sichuan for long.

The logic is simple: Western Sichuan is only so big. Whether it's the powerful, the nouveau riche, or the Shence Army of Guanzhong, it should have been divided up long ago within the last hundred years.

Now that a strongman like Zhao Da has suddenly emerged, with powerful connections at higher levels, what can the bigwigs in western Sichuan do? They will inevitably promote him after the war and then kick him out of western Sichuan.

Ultimately, despite being a treasure trove, western Sichuan is still a closed-off region, not a place where heroes can truly unleash their talents.

Dong Gongsu was also ambitious and never wanted to be just a guard dog for the family. He had already planned that if Zhao Da was really transferred elsewhere, he would take his confidants and attendants to join Zhao Da.

This is also why he looks down on Du Zonghan; he only knows how to focus on his own small plot of land, but doesn't know that following the right person is the right path.

Once you step out of this narrow western Sichuan region, you'll find a vast and open world beyond.

However, by then, it's estimated that Lao Luo and Lao Du will probably not dare to invest, since their businesses and connections are all in western Sichuan. Once they give them up, they'll be nothing outside.

Even so, Dong Gongsu didn't cheat them. After all, even if Zhao Dazhen was transferred later, that was in the future. Right now, with Zhao Dazhen's connection, these two could make a fortune from this decisive battle against Nanzhao.

It's not a loss!

Alas, who would have thought that just a month ago Zhao Da needed to rely on the Shence Army to see me, now I've become someone important, someone others need to rely on!

However, thinking about this, Dong Gongsu became more and more confident about the future. He now just hopes that his daughter can grow up quickly.

Oh, I really can't wait any longer!

……

Zhao Da then had Zhao Liu bring the food box and handed it to Dong Gongsu.

"Old Dong, we must part ways eventually, but our friendship is beyond question."

Zhao Da patted his chest, meaning that being brothers meant being brothers in his heart.

Then, seeing Dong Gongsu looking at the food box, he explained:

“I saw you really enjoyed the braised pork yesterday, so I made another serving this morning. It also has a pot of Jiannan Shaochun liquor in it, which you, Lao Luo, and Lao Du can share along the way. Knowing you like strong flavors, I added extra salt. I don’t know if Lao Luo and Lao Du will be able to eat it.”

Luo Yuanbao, beaming, accepted the food box from Dong Gongsu and thanked him profusely.

"I can eat it, I can eat it. Zhao Dalang really put his heart into it."

That was indeed the truth. Just by looking at how moved Du Zonghan was, you could tell that Zhao Da really meant it this time.

It's not that anyone in Zhao Da's position would notice which dishes the guests like to eat, let alone get up early to cook them and cater to their tastes.

At this moment, Luo Yuanbao and Du Zonghan finally understood why Old Dong was so excited. If it were them, they would have been excited too!
Sure enough, Dong Gongsu was clearly stunned for a moment, and his nose twitched slightly. This time, if he didn't kill that Nanzhao Crown Prince Longshun severely, he wouldn't be a Dong.

Just as he was about to say goodbye to Zhao Da, something suddenly occurred to him, so he mentioned it to Zhao Da:
"By the way, I saw some coarse salt in your warehouse yesterday. Is Dalang planning to sell it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huai'an laughed and said:

"I'll keep some for myself, and I plan to trade some with the other mountain huts after I go into the mountains. What? Old Dong, you want some? If you want them, I'll just sell them to you."

Dong Gongsu shook his head; he didn't even care for that little bit of salt, so he just gave a casual explanation:

"That's not it. I think if we want to sell salt, there's no need to rush. I predict that the price of salt will definitely rise later!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dayi subconsciously wondered if he could make a quick profit by buying low and selling high, but then he thought about how little capital he had and wondered why he was messing around with this.

Unexpectedly, Luo Yuanbao, who was standing next to Dong Gongsu, spoke up:
"Old Dong, are you talking about the incident where Wang Xianzhi from Puzhou gathered a crowd to rebel in Changyuan?"

Dong Gongsu nodded and said to the group:

"Speaking of Wang Xianzhi, I've heard of him too. He's a salt smuggler from the Central Plains. These people are different from us; they're a real gang of desperados with formidable fighting skills."

But Luo Yuanbao was very confident in the imperial court, and laughed:

"So what if they're good at fighting? There are many powerful warlords in Changyuan, which is also the foundation of the imperial court. I've heard that these people are going to attack Caozhou. Do you think they can even touch it? If they dare to threaten the imperial court's grain transport, do they think they'll survive?"

After saying that, Luo Yuanbao sighed:
"Speaking of which, the imperial court is inhuman. Last year, there was a severe drought and flood in the Central Plains, but the court didn't offer any disaster relief. Instead, they kept levying taxes. The people in Puzhou were even worse off, suffering from a locust plague that devoured everything in the fields. The common people had no choice but to surrender to the powerful local tyrant Wang Xianzhi. But how could Wang Xianzhi support so many people? In the end, didn't he also resort to robbery?"

Luo Yuanbao was about to speak when Du Zonghan coughed. Only then did he realize that there was a military commissioner from the Western Sichuan region of the imperial court standing in front of him. Wasn't this just asking for trouble?
But for some reason, Luo Yuanbao, Dong Gongsu, and Du Zonghan noticed that Zhao Da was completely stunned.
what's wrong?

What could be wrong? Zhao Da was completely bewildered!

What did he just hear? He heard that Wang Xianzhi rebelled! Who is Wang Xianzhi? Isn't he Huang Chao's elder brother?

Damn it! He thought this chaos was the chaos of the late Tang Dynasty, but now you're telling me, Zhao Da, this is the end of the Tang Dynasty? If you were Zhao Da, would you be stupid or not?

Dong Gongsu called out, which brought Zhao Da back to his senses. Then, perhaps realizing that Luo Yuanbao's words had embarrassed Zhao Da, he changed the subject, saying:

"Brother, don't listen to Luo Yuanbao's nonsense. What could he possibly know? It's just hearsay. But there is one thing you should pay attention to, Brother: the recent civil unrest in the Central Plains is probably not a temporary event."

Zhao Huai'an had already come to his senses. Seeing that Dong Gongsu seemed to have a brilliant idea, he quickly asked:

"Old Dong, please tell me more, I'd like to hear more about this."

Seeing that Zhao was very interested, Dong Gongsu was about to say a few more words when Zhao Huai'an directly instructed Lao Liu to bring over a few stools so that everyone could sit down and talk.

At this moment, Dong Gongsu realized that Zhao Dalang seemed to really care about this matter.

So he stopped beating around the bush and told everyone he knew.

Although Dong Gongsu's family were salt merchants in Luzhou, they did not only deal in the Sichuan market. After all, the population there was limited, so the Dong family would use the Yangtze River waterway to transport salt goods to Ezhou for distribution.

In Ezhou, some of the salt would be transported along the Han River to Jingzhou and further north, while the rest would continue along the Yangtze River all the way to Wuhu.

Once they reached that point, they stopped heading south because the Huainan region downstream was a salt-producing area, and the well salt from Sichuan was not competitive there.

Therefore, most of the salt goods would travel north along the Ruxu River after arriving in Wuhu, passing through Chaohu Lake to Shouzhou, which is Zhao Da's hometown. Shouzhou was another distribution center.

Salt from stoves and seas in Yangzhou, as well as well salt from Sichuan, were all collected and distributed here. This was because Shouzhou was an important town on the Huai River, from which one could enter the Ru, Ying, Wo, and Si rivers via the Huai River, and these four waterways could then radiate throughout the Central Plains.

The Central Plains was not only the largest consumer market for smuggled salt, but also the core hub for salt products to radiate further north.

Therefore, the Central Plains region was the most aggressive in cracking down on smuggled salt, which forced smugglers to become increasingly ruthless. The most ruthless heroes on the road were basically from the waterways of the Central Plains.

Dong Gongsu told Zhao Da that although he had never met Wang Xianzhi in person, he had heard of his reputation.

This man was a hero from Puzhou, and he also raised a group of outlaws in Juye Marsh to be in charge of the salt road from Daye Marsh to Baigou.

Dong Gongsu was worried that Zhao Da had never heard of Dayeze, so he specifically told him about this lake.

He told Zhao Da that Juye Marsh had been a gathering place for powerful figures throughout history, and that Wang Xianzhi's ability to suppress such a place was a testament to his skill.

Luo Yuanbao just said that the imperial court would not let Wang Xianzhi go unpunished, and that is true. Wang Xianzhi's activities are concentrated in Caozhou, and south of Caozhou is Songzhou, a key point on the Grand Canal. If Caozhou is in chaos, the entire section of the Grand Canal will be affected.

Therefore, the imperial court will indeed send troops, but Dong Gongsu does not believe that Wang Xianzhi will be pacified in a short time. In the worst-case scenario, Wang Xianzhi will lead his people to hide in Dayeze, and the local warlords will be helpless against him.

Dong Gongsu also mentioned something else: a folk song has begun to emerge in the Central Plains, saying:

"The golden toads strain their eyes, turning Caozhou upside down and the world rebels." Dong Gongsu looked at Zhao Da and his advisors and shared this insight:
"Such folk songs have been common since the Han Dynasty. Just like the saying 'Eighteen sons will win the world' in our dynasty, the appearance of such prophecies now shows that the hearts of the people in the Central Plains are already in turmoil, and perhaps countless heroes are restless."

Then, Dong Gongsu finally mentioned a name that caught Zhao Huai'an's attention. He said:

"As far as I know, Huang Chao, the salt tycoon of Yuanju, has a past relationship with Wang Xianzhi. He is considered Wang Xianzhi's upstream distributor. And Yuanju is located in Caozhou. Isn't that a coincidence?"

Zhao Huai'an remained silent, but Zhang Guinian, who was standing next to him, seemed quite interested and asked a question:
"So, Lord Dong, do you think Huang Chao will respond to Wang Xianzhi and join forces to attack Caozhou?"

Dong Gongsu shook his head, indicating that he was also unsure.

After all, it's one thing for a place to be a gathering place for popular uprisings, but it's quite another for someone to dare to attack a major town on the imperial canal.

However, Dong Gongsu didn't care about this matter. He didn't think that Wang Xianzhi, a salt merchant, could cause any trouble.

To reiterate, the Tang Dynasty certainly had many problems, but they weren't something that Wang Xianzhi could easily solve.

Therefore, Dong Gongsu only regarded this matter as a short-term event that affected salt prices and did not think it was a big deal.

Everyone present agreed with Dong Gongsu's opinion, and they chatted and laughed, treating the matter as a topic of conversation that passed by.

No, not everyone, but rather only one person truly understands what this means.

At this moment, Zhao Da, who was silent, looked towards the direction of Chang'an, as if he could see flames burning in the sky.

The glorious Tang Dynasty finally began its final curtain call at this moment.

Fortunately, Zhao Da found out about this not too late, and it's not too late to change many things now.

……

This time, Lao Dong and his men were finally leaving. Before they departed, Zhao Da asked Du Zonghan to help gather more horse materials and then asked Lao Dong to pay close attention to the deal with Long Shun and to get it done as soon as possible.

What Zhao Da didn't tell them was that the Sichuan Western Army's attack on Yazhou was not going smoothly. Yang Qingfu, who was in front, was already very angry and even killed one of his generals, but the Sichuan Western Army still couldn't take Yazhou.

Therefore, Zhao Da judged that if Yang Qingfu failed to capture Yazhou, he would likely transfer Zhao Da to the south. After all, if Yang Qingfu could not take Yazhou before Gao Pian arrived, then Yazhou would be out of his reach.

After watching Lao Dong's convoy drive away, Zhao Da led his team to stand in front of the gate for a while to enjoy the breeze, and then took Wang Jin's hand and led him to the shooting range to begin their intensive training.

Not only did he have to train, but the entire army did! Even Zhao Liu, the cultural troupe soldier, picked up a bow and arrow and started practicing!
Seeing the army full of vigor and vitality, Wang Jin was very pleased. This was how a warrior should be!
……

In the following days, Bao Yi and his entire army practiced martial arts. With the constant supply of grain and fodder from the rear, Zhao Da trained a large number of soldiers.

Meanwhile, Dong Gongsu quickly brought news that he had finally reached an agreement with Long Shun and was willing to redeem the Wuman knights in Zhao Da's hands for 200 guan per person.

This price is indeed expensive, but it's not exorbitant. Those Wuman knights are all elites; training them to that level would have cost them far more than two hundred strings of cash in the past.

But Zhao Da didn't care anymore. He counted the Wuman Knights, and there were 307 of them. In the end, they sold them for a total of 61,400 strings of cash at a price of 200 strings of cash per person. Of these, 6,140 strings of cash were given to Lao Dong and the other two.

In the blink of an eye, Zhao Da earned another 55,000 strings of cash, and the entire warehouse was suddenly full again.

In addition, next month, the three families of Lao Dong will provide another batch of money and grain.

Because the reward had already been distributed when they entered the pass, this sum of money was pure profit in Bao Yidu's account, and now Wang Duo was walking with a swagger.

Let alone raising 500 cavalry, even the entire army together could support them for two or three years.

It can be said that Bao Yi will not have to worry about military pay for a considerable period of time, and Zhao Da can sit comfortably for at least three years.

During this period, grain and fodder from the rear were continuously delivered to Jidongguan, while the front lines became increasingly turbulent.

It is said that Yang Qingfu received news from the local barbarians in Yazhou that a force of the Nanzhao army had circled around to the Lushan area, seemingly intending to infiltrate the rear of the Tang army and attack their supply lines.

Yang Qingfu trusted the intelligence of the Qianman. The Nanman in Yazhou had a good relationship with the shogunate. In the past, the shogunate would send them 3,000 bolts of silk every year to spy on the Nanzhao.

Therefore, Yang Qingfu attached great importance to this intelligence, but he was currently short of troops. So he ordered Zhao Da to lead Bao Yidu to search the mountains to the north in order to annihilate this group of Nanzhao troops.

Therefore, after receiving the military order, Zhao Da stopped the training of Bao Yidu, handed over the border defense to the Tianping Army sent by Gao Pian, and led the entire army out of the pass towards Lushan.

……

The journey from Jidongguan northwest to Lushan is actually not long, only about 80 or 90 li.

However, this road is very difficult to travel, with rugged mountains and intricate mountain paths.

Four months ago, Zhao Da and Lao Liu and others walked back to Qiongzhou from this mountain ridge under the guidance of the mountain herders. Four months later, he walked it again and felt a sense of loss and change.

I wonder how Uncle He and Fei Yanggu are doing after they returned to the village.

Zhao Da is now leading over a thousand troops along the mountain path, guided by Yang Qingfu's men.

When Bao Yidu arrived at the Tiantai Mountain pass, it was already dark. Due to the unclear road conditions at night, Zhao Da ordered the entire army to set up camp on the spot and spend the night in a sheltered spot outside the mountain.

The next day at daybreak, Bao Yidu lit a fire and cooked a hot meal on the spot, because once they entered the mountains, they were not allowed to eat hot food to prevent the smoke from revealing their location.

After the entire army had a hot meal, the vanguard set off first to scout the road conditions, and then each team entered the mountains in order of their assigned units.

Zhao Da was very careful; having built up his fortune to this extent, he couldn't afford to be careless here.

So each team, like a mountain, erected its flags, facing each other from front to back. Once the flag of the front team fell down, the rear team immediately formed ranks.

Thus, with utmost caution, Bao Yi and his more than a thousand officers and soldiers entered the mountains.

……

Ding Huaiyi led thirty white-clad warriors as they rode their horses along the mountain path.

Having crossed a shallow river earlier, and with the mountain wind blowing, everyone was shivering. The knights of the White-Treading Team then tucked their bodies into their cloaks and cautiously surveyed the surrounding mountains.

Hiding a few people in the mountains is easy enough that no one can find them, but hiding an army is not so easy.

Because people can deceive each other, but birds cannot. If you see birds circling and not landing on the mountain ridges, there must be an ambush in the forest.

The scouts in Ding Huaiyi's team were originally spies from various vassal states, so their experience in this area was already well-established.

At this moment, Ding Huaiyi, who was in the group, looked around and found that this mountain valley was very beautiful.

Unlike the barren slopes outside the mountains, this place is lush and green, and even the rising sun makes Ding Huaiyi feel that it is more beautiful.

The group quickly ventured deeper into the mountain path, but found no trace of the Nanzhao people. Instead, they discovered an abandoned fortified village in a sheltered spot.

This type of fortified village is a typical example of Tang Dynasty construction. People who fled from the plains into the mountains would gather together and build such a fortified village.

In fact, this kind of earthen hut is actually the core building consisting of three rows of earthen houses, and then earthen houses are built in circles on the outer layer, eventually forming a hut.

Such fortified walls were primarily for protection against insects, snakes, and wild animals, and did not possess much military function.

Perhaps that's why their owner abandoned this fortified village.

Ding Huaiyi understood the Nanzhao people's way of life quite well. They were poor, and seemed insatiable when it came to everything in western Sichuan, whether it was manpower or ironware.

Upon seeing the fortified wall, Ding Huaiyi planned to lead his brothers inside to rest, then light a fire and eat something. With the roof providing shelter, they could start a fire.

Ding Huaiyi felt a little uncomfortable at this moment. The cold air in the mountains had made him feel unwell.

Ding Huaiyi wasn't sure whether he had caught a chill or inhaled the miasma from the mountains and been poisoned.

But just as the group of Bai were about to enter Wubi, a group of people came from the mountain pass, and the two sides collided immediately.

In a flash, without thinking, Ding Huaiyi shot an arrow at the person at the very front of the group.

(End of this chapter)