Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 101
Ding Huaiyi made a brilliant shot, spurred his horse to meet the enemy, and cut one down before the enemy could react.

The thirty White-Robed Warriors behind them also nocked their arrows and released them without having time to aim.

Ding Huaiyi charged forward and was hit by two arrows. Fortunately, he was wearing armor, otherwise he would have died at the hands of his own people.

Ding Huaiyi felt a chill run down his spine after being nudged twice in the back. He quickly turned his horse around and tried to retreat.

At this moment, one of the enemy warriors also reacted in a panic and slashed at Ding Huaiyi's saddle with his sword. Although Ding Huaiyi also reacted and cut the man in two with one stroke, his warhorse was still startled.

The startled horse carried Ding Huaiyi straight ahead. With no other option, Ding Huaiyi had to kick the horse and jump off, finally rolling to the edge of the mountain before coming to a stop.

He strained against the pain and shouted at the bewildered and suspicious-looking men:
"Kill them all, but spare two. Kill the rest!"

The enemy force that suddenly appeared was small, only twelve or thirteen people. After being shot by the Ta Bai, only a few of them could remain standing. After hearing Ding Huaiyi's words, the Ta Bai charged forward again and then hacked and slashed wildly.

A moment later, two white-clad soldiers dragged a bloodied enemy soldier to Ding Huaiyi, who was then supported by several comrades and leaned against a tree.

Several tappers took turns asking the same question in different languages, and once they found someone who answered correctly, they quickly began to interrogate him for information.

After exchanging only two sentences, one of them, Ta Bai, turned pale and said to Ding Huaiyi:

"Commander, these men are going to ambush you!"

Ding Huaiyi was stunned for a moment, then jumped to his feet, pointed at the two barbarian soldiers, and angrily cursed:

"Pry their mouths open and ask them, ask them properly! What exactly happened!"

……

Bao Yidu's army marched along the mountain path, where a cool breeze was blowing. Even though they were wearing armor, it wasn't too hot, making it a perfect time for battle.

On the donkey cart, Zhao Huai'an drowsily swayed with the frame when suddenly Zhang Guinian next to him frowned and called out:

"My lord, our ranks are spread out a bit. Should we make them closer together, so that at least the flags can be seen from front to back?"

Zhao Da grunted in response, subtly wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth, and then called out:
"Wenzhong, take everyone to each team and relay the message: tell the brothers to slow down, what's the rush!"

Beside the carriage, Zhao Wenzhong knelt on one knee to receive the order, then mounted his horse and led a dozen or so riders to gallop towards the front.

Beside Zhao Da, Zhao Liu glanced at Zhao Wenzhong mounting his horse so nimbly and exclaimed in praise:
"This Wenzhong is quick to learn anything. He's only been learning for a short time, but he's already showing promise. He's a natural-born warrior."

Zhao Dan glanced at Zhao Liu and snorted.

Then Zhao Liu naturally changed his tune and began praising Zhao Da to Wang Duo and his advisors:
"Of course, it is also because our lord has a discerning eye that recognizes talent. Tell me, which of us is not a brilliant and outstanding person? But it is only because of the lord's discerning eye that we would have been just another face in the crowd!"

Sure enough, when it comes to who is Zhao Da's number one lackey, it has to be Zhao Liu.

But if you think about these words more carefully, you won't know whether he's praising Zhao Da or himself.

As for the reactions of the staff, apart from Wang Duo and He Weidao nodding frequently, Zhang Guinian just looked around, and Xue Hang just smiled, neither of them gave Zhao Liu much feedback.

Although Zhao Da didn't turn his head, he listened intently. He both loved and hated this sixth brother.

I love that he is both straightforward and cunning, and I hate that he is both cunning and straightforward.

However, Zhao Liu's self-reference is quite intriguing.

When we first met Zhao Da, we called him a silly goose; when Zhao Da had a team of about ten men, we called him Zhao Da; when we had five hundred soldiers, we called him Da Lang; and now? Hmph, he is the esteemed Lord Zhao.

Indeed, in this world, only those who have weapons and swords can command respect!
Seeing that Zhao Liu was about to continue joking around, Zhao Huai'an called over Liu Zhijun, who was accompanying him in front:

"Xiao Liu, where's your team's player?"

Upon seeing the magistrate summoning him, Liu Zhijun quickly tossed the horse reins to his attendant and then trotted over, looking up as he replied:
"My lord, the captain is worried that the front ranks are spread out, so he has taken a group of cavalry scouts to scout ahead."

Zhao nodded; Lao Guo was becoming more and more experienced.

Whether a person can make it depends on whether they have this kind of initiative. Lao Guo can fill in the gaps on his own. A small team can no longer give full play to his talents. It seems that we need to give him more responsibilities.

With Lao Guo going ahead to check for any omissions and fill in the gaps, Zhao Da didn't say anything more, but instead started chatting with Liu Zhijun:

"Little Liu, how do you feel about being part of the Baoyi Army?"

For some reason, Liu Zhijun, in his excitement, actually replied:
"good!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Da's smile visibly stiffened, and even Zhao Liu on the donkey cart couldn't help but glance at Liu Zhijun.

What's wrong? You used to be so polite, Xiao Liu. Why are you being so rude today?

Zhao Da was clearly taken aback by those words, but as long as you're not embarrassed, then the embarrassment isn't yours. However, he couldn't let Xiao Liu be embarrassed either, so he was just about to say something to make amends.

Liu Zhijun on the other end also realized he had misspoke and quickly...

"My lord, I meant to say that our Baoyi people are all very good. It's just that I didn't know how to speak properly. Please don't take it to heart."

This time, Zhao Da's smile was genuine. He took a deep breath, then lightly tapped Liu Zhijun's shoulder with the scabbard of his sword, and chuckled as he scolded:

"What's going on? Why have I, a man from Xuzhou, become so fussy? When you're with me, you can talk and sing as you please. Even if you want to dance for me, that's fine too."

Liu Zhijun, having apparently overheard something important, actually started dancing in front of Zhao Da. Keep in mind, he was still wearing full armor at the time; what a hero!

Zhao Da was intimidated by Liu Zhijun's abstract style, and he coughed:

"Xiao Liu, tell me about Baoyidu. I like listening to you newcomers. Many of the things you say are areas where Baoyidu can improve in the future. Come on, tell me."

So Liu Zhijun stopped his clumsy dance steps, thought for a moment, and said to Zhao Da:
"My lord, I think Baoyi is a good place. They pay their salaries clearly and without any ambiguity. Once the battle is over, the money comes out immediately. Also, the brothers are more genuine in their relationships, unlike our Ganhua Army, where they are wary of this and that, and they especially like to discriminate against the old soldiers like Pang Xun. I don't think that's good."

Upon hearing Liu Zhijun mention this, Zhao Da hurriedly asked:
"Is Pang Xun the Xuzhou general who rebelled before? You've met him?"

Liu Zhijun shook his head and said to Zhao Da:
“My lord, when I joined the army, Pang Xun and his men had already been wiped out, so I never saw them. But everyone in our area knows that Pang Xun was a hero. If it weren’t for the Shatuo people’s sneak attack on us, our Ganhua Army could have beaten the imperial court to a pulp.”

Then Liu Zhijun told Zhao Da about Pang Xun from the perspective of these local officials and soldiers of Xuzhou.

Those scoundrels in the imperial court love to send their reformed troops to fight on the frontier at the drop of a hat, and they're gone for three years at a time. Every time the reformed troops try to submit a report to go back, they're given the runaround by their superiors. Later, they even started killing their leaders.

Could the heroes of Xuzhou tolerate this?

So eight or nine hundred men pushed Pang Xun, who was then the grain and provisions judge, all the way from Guizhou back to Xuzhou, killing other warlords along the way and causing them to wail in despair.

We're just people from Xuzhou coming home, why are you blocking our way?

It's perfectly reasonable for us Xuzhou people to defend our Xuzhou territory, right? Your imperial court is exploiting us Xuzhou people, so we're not playing with you anymore, okay?

But that damned imperial court just can't stand to see us Xuzhou people living a good life. They insist on bringing people to beat us. Even the Shatuo people from beyond the Great Wall come to bully us. What can we do? Fight the damned imperial court!
Although my reformed army was ultimately defeated, it still demonstrated the might of the people of Xuzhou!

What Liu Zhijun couldn't understand was that after the war, although a large number of the defected soldiers returned to Xuzhou, these heroes who fought for the people of Xuzhou were not well received in the army.

So many people ran away after working for a while, and no one knows where they went to become bandits.

This was something Liu Zhijun found very regrettable, as he himself had benefited from the kindness of the veterans of the reformed army during Pang Xun's era.

He wasn't from a martial arts family; he was taught by Pang Xun, an old soldier who had been defeated years ago, and learned excellent skills in riding, archery, and spear fighting.

Why was Liu Zhijun not well-liked by Shi Pu?

It was because Shi Pu had joined the imperial court's side back then and rose to power by suppressing Pang Xun and his associates. Liu Zhijun had this background, so he was naturally treated specially.

Liu Zhijun stood by the carriage, talking about Pang Xun and his own experiences from back then. Seeing that Zhao Da hadn't spoken, he thought he'd lost his tongue and quickly clasped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"My lord, if there's nothing else, I'll head back to my unit. The captain there instructed me before he left that another squad should be brought to relieve him."

Zhao nodded with a smile and let Liu Zhijun leave.

……

At this moment, Zhao Liu, who had been silent all along, spoke up:

"Well, listening to this, it seems that Xuzhou really has a lot of heroes. Our court is the same. Those soldiers in Hebei are all so arrogant, but we didn't say we would deal with them. But the soldiers from Xuzhou just wanted to go home, and we wanted to kill them. It's just bullying the weak and fearing the strong."

Zhao Da glanced at Zhao Liu, thinking, "What a bumpkin, he has no knowledge whatsoever."

So he took the initiative and asked Zhang Guinian, "Old Zhang, what do you think?"

Zhang Guinian didn't expect Zhao Da to call on him. After thinking for a moment, he said to Zhao Da:

"Regardless of the reasons for the riots in Xuzhou, the imperial court will definitely pounce on the enemy with all its might, just because of one thing: Xuzhou is located at the hub of the Jianghuai Canal. Back then, when Pang Xun rebelled, he did one thing: he sent troops to attack Duliang City."

Seeing that Zhao Da didn't react, Zhang Guinian knew that he didn't know about Duliang City, so he subtly added:

"As everyone knows, Duliang City is a vital transportation hub between the north and south, and tribute rice and money from the Jianghuai region must enter the pass through here. Pang Xun has taken this place, directly strangling the imperial court. How could the imperial court not send a large army to besiege and suppress him?"

Now Zhao Da understood. This was just like when Emperor Daoguang fought the Opium War with the British. He couldn't hold on because Zhenjiang was captured.

However, our Tang Dynasty had ample resources and quickly defeated Pang Xun. Emperor Daoguang, on the other hand, was no match for the British, so he surrendered after being choked.

Zhao Da initially thought Zhang Guinian would stop there, but he didn't expect Zhang Guinian's next words to be even more profound:

"Xuzhou, with its control of the Grand Canal, enjoys all the advantages. Every year, 400,000 shi of grain are transported from the Jianghuai region, but only three or four tenths actually end up in the granaries. This is partly due to the cunning of the canal officials, but more often it is due to the corrupt practices of Xuzhou and Bianzhou, who plunder the grain for their own use. In the past, the court would often replace the two military governors to regulate the canal, but they were driven out by their own powerful figures, which led to the mutiny in Xuzhou. This gives the court an opportunity to rectify the situation."

After hearing Zhang Guinian's explanation, Zhao Da suddenly understood, but he was more concerned about one point:
"Old Zhang, can I understand it this way: Xuzhou is both strong in fighting and rich?"

Zhang Guinian nodded and summarized it in this sentence:

"Of all the rivers in the world, Xuzhou alone accounts for three-thirds. The land and water meet here, and trade is carried out. Every day, cargo ships come and go, reaching the sky and reflecting the sun. In addition, Xuzhou has produced elite soldiers since ancient times. Back then, Pang Xun resisted the whole country with just one town, which shows how powerful Xuzhou is."

Zhao Huai'an stroked his short beard, hesitated for a moment, and asked:

"Old Zhang, I mean, if I said I have a special connection with Xuzhou, and I made outstanding contributions after this battle, what do you think my chances are of being transferred to Xuzhou as a defense commissioner?"

Zhang Guinian was startled. He looked around and saw that his advisors all looked surprised and suspicious. He quickly said:
“My lord, we are currently only a right-wing military commander. Unless we can kill the chieftain of Nanzhao in battle, there is no way we can rise from military commander to defense commander. Moreover, even if we achieve such a great feat, it is impossible for us to become the defense commander of Xuzhou.”

Zhao Da looked a little regretful and muttered:
Is there really absolutely no possibility?

Zhang Guinian didn't want to discourage Zhao Da, so he only mentioned it tactfully:
"May I ask, Your Excellency, which lieutenant or minister in Chang'an do you know?"

Zhao Da gave an awkward smile. The highest-ranking official he knew was Gao Pian, but he couldn't side with him. In this way, Zhao Da truly lived up to the saying, "He has no one in the court."

Seeing Zhao Huai'an's silence, Zhang Guinian also remained silent for a while. After hesitating for a moment, he finally made up his mind and said:
"My lord, let alone whether we can go to Xuzhou, even if we could, Xuzhou is not a good place to go."

Zhao Da raised an eyebrow; he was quite interested in this topic, and he quickly asked:

"Oh, Lao Zhang, you really need to talk to me about this."

Zhang Guinian had made up his mind, and without beating around the bush, he stated his entire opinion directly:

“My lord, although Xuzhou is a powerful vassal state, it is not a place for heroes to display their talents. This place is a vital passage between the north and the south. If there is chaos in the north and the south, Xuzhou will be the first to fall. In addition, a few days ago, Lord Dong thought that Wang Xianzhi, the bandit, was not a concern, but I disagree. On the contrary, I think that this is a sign of impending chaos.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huai'an was stunned, while his advisors, such as Wang Duo, thought they had misheard and looked at Zhang Guinian in astonishment.

Old Zhang stopped hiding his true intentions and directly revealed his superior insight, far exceeding that of his fellow staff. He said to Zhao Da:

"As the saying goes, when Heaven unleashes its killing intent, dragons and snakes rise from the land. The Central Plains has always been the heartland of the world, and once chaos breaks out, it is a matter of life and death. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, it seemed as if the flames were boiling oil, but once the Central Plains were in turmoil, heroes rose up one after another, and the dynasty perished after only two generations. Our dynasty is different from the previous one in one aspect, and that is the Grand Canal."

This was the first time Zhao Da had listened so attentively. He knew that the old Zhang in front of him was no ordinary person; he had real skills.

To put it simply, he asked around and found that some people knew about Wang Xianzhi's troublemaking, while others didn't know anything at all. However, even those who did find out later didn't care at all.

Zhao Da came from a later era, so he valued Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao, but people of this era would only regard it as an ordinary civil unrest.

The territory of the Tang Dynasty was too vast. Tax resistance, plundering, bandit kings in the mountains, and killing officials were common occurrences, if not every year.

Normally, such matters wouldn't even reach the emperor's desk in Chang'an, let alone be heard of by the local governor; they would simply be ignored.

Because these kinds of civil unrest have a common characteristic: they disappear immediately when the harvest is good.

Therefore, most prefectures and counties simply ignore it.

In most people's eyes, this is how Wang Xianzhi is. Although this may seem like a big commotion, he didn't actually attack any prefectures or counties, did he? And if he didn't attack any prefectures or counties, what kind of big trouble is that? At most, he's just a bunch of rioters.

So, Zhao Da initially thought he was the only one who had noticed the beginnings of trouble, but he never expected that Old Zhang would be so open and honest with him today, giving him a big surprise. This was a pleasant surprise for Zhao Da.

So, Zhao Da suppressed his excitement and praised:
"Old Zhang, go ahead and tell me, I'm listening."

Zhang Guinian was surprised to see that Zhao Da was not surprised by his conclusion.

Indeed, many people only saw the magistrate's outwardly rough and chivalrous nature, but overlooked the fact that he truly possessed a heart full of beautiful landscapes.

So Zhang Guinian became even more respectful and continued:
"In the past, at the end of the Han and Sui dynasties, although the Central Plains were in turmoil, the strong army of Guanzhong could still sweep it away. But once the Central Plains of our Tang Dynasty were in turmoil, the collapse of the Tang Dynasty was imminent."

Wang Duo, who was standing nearby, interjected:

"Just because of the canal?"

Zhang Guinian glanced at Wang Duo, who had interrupted, and suddenly asked him:

"Chief Secretary, you must be very clear about the money and grain of the world. At present, our Tang army is stationed in the four regional military governors, and the money is in the Jianghuai region. The Guanzhong region in the heartland is just a place where the army and money meet. How does the court draw on the strong troops of the four regional military governors and collect money and grain from the Jianghuai region? It all depends on the Grand Canal."

Wang Duo nodded. He had actually discussed this matter with Zhao Da before, and the court was indeed in a state of tight financial balance.

Zhang Guinian then said:
"Our Tang Dynasty was made successful by the Grand Canal. Back when An Lushan rebelled, our Tang Dynasty was able to recover the two capitals because the Grand Canal transported money and grain from the southeast to Hexi and Longxi. This is how the story of Emperor Suzong's resurgence came about. But our Tang Dynasty also failed because of the Grand Canal. Because of the Grand Canal, the benefits of the whole country can be gathered in Guanzhong. Guanzhong was already densely populated and would have been unable to bear it in the past. But now that the Grand Canal exists, the population of Guanzhong is even more dense."

When Zhang Guinian spoke of this, it seemed he had touched upon a painful memory, and his tone became slightly melancholic:

"Has Your Excellency ever heard the saying, 'In the villages there are no powerful clans, and in the towns there are no gentry'?"

Zhao Da shook his head.

Then Zhang Guinian explained the situation in Tang Dynasty China. Because of the existence of the imperial examination system, a large number of powerful families and clans that originally relied on their hometowns moved to the area around Chang'an. The purpose of doing so was to facilitate the circulation of examination papers.

So even though the successful candidates in the imperial examinations come from all over the country, nine out of ten of them actually live in Guanzhong.

These people have long formed a network of personal connections, communicating and exchanging information with each other. No matter how talented or brilliant you are as an outsider, you can only lament your helplessness when you encounter such a trap.

This is why scholars all over the world longed to live in Chang'an.

Therefore, Guanzhong was already densely populated, and with so many powerful families settling down and multiplying there, the grain supply in Guanzhong was no longer enough to feed its people.

Thus, the powerful families of Guanzhong were like mosquitoes, and the Grand Canal was their sucking tube that burrowed into the world. Once the Grand Canal was cut off, it would be the end of their lives.

But who are Wang Xianzhi and his group now? They are the undercurrents beneath the canal. These salt merchants who rely on the canal for distribution know the situation of the canal better than anyone else, and they also know the weaknesses of Chang'an.

On that day, when Zhang Guinian heard Dong Gongsu say that folk songs and prophecies had appeared in Caozhou, he understood that Wang Xianzhi and his gang were not some bandits or rebels, but rather a group of powerful and cunning individuals.

Now, the Central Plains are suffering from a great disaster, and there are refugees everywhere seeking survival. With Wang Xianzhi and his group of salt merchants as the core, and by recruiting Pang Xun's defeated soldiers who have been scattered in the wilderness, they can raise their banners in the Central Plains and recruit soldiers. In just a few months, they can gather tens of thousands of troops.

Moreover, as long as the famine in the Central Plains continues, this great chaos will not end. Even if the imperial court manages to gather troops and successfully suppress the rebellion, the waterways connected by the Grand Canal will be severed. At that point, will the imperial court still have a future?
At this point, Zhang Guinian finally finished speaking, and Zhao Da and his staff all fell silent.

Zhao Huai'an took a deep breath, suddenly bowed deeply to Zhang Guinian, and shouted:

"Secretary, please advise me."

Just as Zhao Huai'an was about to perform, Zhao Liu was looking around when he was suddenly horrified to see three plumes of smoke rising from the mountain to the northeast. Just as he was about to pull Zhao Da away, countless shouts of killing erupted from the valley road!
At that moment, several Baoyidu cavalrymen rushed from the front. Just as one of them was about to shout, a group of Nanzhao soldiers suddenly appeared from the mountain on the left side of the column and shot him down.

Zhao Da reacted quickly, pulling out a shield from the donkey cart and blocking an incoming arrow.

Then he kicked the dazed Zhao Liu off the car, and then loudly ordered the guards circling the car:

"Raise your shields!"

The Beiwei soldiers stood on either side, holding up their shields, while some archers behind them were already retaliating with their crossbows.

At this moment, Zhao Wenying's adopted sons hurriedly raised their shields to block Zhao Da, but were met with a barrage of curses from Zhao Huai'an:
"Why are you protecting me? You all need to protect these gentlemen!"

After saying that, Zhao Da used his shield to knock away another arrow, leaving Zhang Guinian behind, bewildered yet moved.

This is truly my lord!

(End of this chapter)