Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 122 Hero
As sunset approached, Tang Jun's position at the mountain pass.

After finishing his tea-soaked rice, Zhao Huai'an wrapped himself in a blanket and took a nap in his tent. He slept until the sun set over the mountain.

Feeling refreshed, Zhao Huai'an sat on a stool with a dazed head, looking at the setting sun outside the tent.

This scene reminded him of the day he came to the Tang Dynasty, on the same battlefield, in the same Hanyuan, under the same sky stained red with blood.

Zhao Huai'an took a deep breath and shouted towards the tent outside:

"Someone is coming!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than his four adopted sons, dressed in armor, entered.

Zhao Wenzhong and the others could no longer be described as short. With plenty of meat and rice in the army, they began to grow taller, and in just four or five months, they all shot up.

Watching his four adopted sons, dressed in adult armor, bowing solemnly, Zhao Huai'an laughed:
"Alright, stop with this when no one's around. See your sixth uncle?"

Zhao Wenzhong, the leader of the four, remained respectful and prostrated himself in reply:
"Sixth Uncle was talking to Shan Xingzhang and Xu Geng, soldiers from Meizhou. Oh, they also called Zhang Zao, a soldier from Maozhou."

Zhao Huai'an was puzzled. What was Shan Xingzhang doing here? Did he want to dance for him too?

So Zhao Huai'an told them to call in Lao Liu, along with Shan Xingzhang and the other two.

Once his adopted sons left, Zhao Huai'an realized he had to meet guests, so he got up and put on a robe. People who came to visit must have something important to say, and he couldn't be impolite.

Just as they finished getting dressed, Lao Liu came in with Shan Xingzhang, Xu Geng, and Zhang Zao, all laughing.

Zhao Huai'an also greeted him with a smile.

He had met Shan Xingzhang twice, so he didn't need to know him well. However, the one standing next to him was a fat, white warrior and a short, thin, dark-skinned man wearing a black round turban, leather armor, and white cloth thongs tied around his calves, looking just like a hunter from the mountains.

When Shan Xingzhang entered, he was extremely humble and immediately bowed to Zhao Huai'an.

Zhao Da didn't bother with any of that. He pulled these people to sit down, and then the fat, white warrior and the short, thin, dark-skinned man briefly introduced themselves.

As for Zhao Da? He doesn't need to introduce himself; there aren't many people in the army who don't know him!
The plump, fair-skinned warrior was named Xu Geng. He was always smiling and looked like the kind of person who would fall asleep as soon as he lay down. The short, dark-skinned, and thin man was named Zhang Zao. He was from Longzhou. Although he spoke fluent Tang dialect, Zhao Huai'an thought he was from Guangxi.

Then he learned that Longzhou was indeed part of Guangxi in later generations.

Although it was unclear how a man from Longzhou ended up as a military commander in Maozhou, Zhao Huai'an didn't press the matter since the man wouldn't say.

Shan Xingzhang exchanged pleasantries with them, then got straight to the point: they had come over in the evening so that they could stand with Bao Yi during the decisive battle tomorrow.

Zhao Huai'an was overjoyed to hear this, since the combined strength of the three men and Bao Yi was comparable. They needed him, and he needed them in return.

But what he was even more curious about was why Shan Xingzhang had suddenly changed his mind. This man was a cunning old fox; he must have sensed something.

So Zhao Huai'an patted his chest and guaranteed:
“That’s great. I said it last time under Commander Yang’s tent: as long as we stick together and help each other, we’ll have no problem with this battle.”

But Zhao Huai'an's next question was direct:

“But if we all have our own agendas and keep everything to ourselves, things might get really bad this time. So Lao Shan, just tell everyone directly if you’ve heard anything. Don’t hide it, just say it.”

So Zhang Zao also stared over there, making Shan Xingzhang feel very uncomfortable.

This barbarian from Longzhou keeps glancing at people's necks; he's such a savage!

Faced with Zhao Huai'an's question, Shan Xingzhang dared not hide anything, after all, he really wanted to seek refuge under Zhao Huai'an's protection, and he was uncertain about tomorrow's battle.

But he was only guessing at some things and didn't dare to speak definitively, so he cautiously said:

“I vaguely heard that some people were moving around in each camp.”

Zhao Huai'an frowned, puzzled by the meaning of those words. Then Shan Xingzhang changed the subject and said:
"Well, vaguely, vaguely, it doesn't count."

This fussy, indecisive manner annoyed Zhao Huai'an, who suddenly slammed his hand on the table and yelled:

“Look at me and speak clearly. What kind of behavior is this, being so long-winded?”

Zhao Huai'an, who had been all smiles and gentleness, suddenly slammed his hand on the table, startling Shan Xingzhang. The man was about to look outside the tent when he heard the clanging of armor plates against the outside air; his face paled instantly, and he choked on his words like a spitting-out bean.
“Some Nanzhao people entered the main camp of several battalions, but I cannot say which ones went there.”

Zhao Huai'an was stunned for a moment, and in a flash, he asked directly:

"Has someone from Nanzhao come looking for you?"

These words startled Shan Xingzhang, who got up to walk outside. Suddenly, Zhang Zao, who had been silent all along, grabbed his arm and held it tightly as if it were cast in iron.

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an laughed heartily behind him, stood up, and pressed Shan Xingzhang back into his seat to reassure him:

"Lao Shan, what are you panicking about? The fact that you're coming to tell me this at this time shows that you trust me, so why wouldn't I trust you?"

As he spoke, Zhao Huai'an draped an arm over Shan Xingzhang's shoulder and said with a smile:

"Was that Nanzhao man killed?"

Shan Xingzhang was stunned for a moment, then, feeling the pressure of Zhao Huai'an on his shoulder, he immediately realized what was happening and nodded quickly.

Zhao Huai'an then let go and returned to the stool with a smile.

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an had already realized the seriousness of the situation.

The great battle is tomorrow, yet the Nanzhao people can find the various military camps and even pass through the scouts patrolling the battlefield. This in itself is a big problem.

Regardless of what these Nanzhao people said to the Xichuan generals, or how many objected and how many agreed, none of that matters anymore.

At this point, a chain of suspicion had formed among the generals, and every Xichuan general who was approached would think about the same question:
"Did they only contact me, or did they contact others as well? If I don't agree, but others do, won't my battle tomorrow be in danger?"

Another point is that the Nanzhao people didn't look for him. What does this mean? It means that they are very familiar with the various generals of Xichuan on the battlefield at this time.

He himself rose to power through this Nanzhao War, so he would never agree to any of the Nanzhao people's conditions.

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an glanced at Shan Xingzhang, who was wiping his sweat and smiling apologetically, and felt a genuine sense of gratitude towards him.

If this person hadn't come to him, he would still be clueless and unaware of the seriousness of the problem.

But Zhao Huai'an immediately thought of something: why were these Nanzhao people so familiar with these Xichuan generals? And even confident that they could shake their resolve to fight?

So, Zhao Huai'an looked at Shan Xingzhang and asked in a serious tone for the first time:

“Old Shan, you trust me, and I trust you. So we are brothers who will stand by each other through thick and thin. Tomorrow, when we get to the battlefield, whether we live or die will depend entirely on our mutual trust. But brother, there is still one thing I don’t understand. I won’t feel at ease until you explain it to me.”

So Zhao Huai'an voiced his doubts.

At this point, Shan Xingzhang had completely bet on Zhao Da. Later that day, when the Nanzhao people reached his camp, he was terrified.

Without even meeting the man, one could tell that the Nanzhao people had offered him enormous benefits, either to make him defect tomorrow or to keep him watching the battle from the sidelines.

He was a smart man, so naturally he thought a lot. He thought of everything that others could think of, but he thought of one more thing: whether Zhao Dazhi next to him knew.

Then, even a fool could figure out that the Nanzhao people could not bribe Zhao Huai'an.

He currently has two units of soldiers in Meizhou: one is his own 500 soldiers, and the other is Xu Geng's 300 soldiers. Don't be fooled by his constant smile; he is actually a very upright person.

Outsiders may not know what kind of people are in the team, but everyone else does too.

So once he starts flirting with the Nanzhao people, Old Xu definitely won't side with him.

Looking at the two neighboring states, Ren Baoyi was a given, with three battalions under his command, any one of which could crush them. And then there was Zhang Zao from Longzhou next door.

This man led a group of Yi soldiers from Longzhou to Maozhou to lead troops. He had previously been stationed in the mountains and was a marginal figure in the Chengdu power structure. Such a person would never have any dealings with the Nanzhao people.

Under these circumstances, the Nanzhao people wouldn't approach him. Therefore, after this analysis, Shan Xingzhang realized that he actually had no choice.

So he simply refused to see the Nanzhao people, fearing he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation.

Since he wasn't going to side with the Nanzhao people, he naturally had to remind Zhao Huai'an beside him, since the safety of their flank depended on Baoyidu.

So after a moment's hesitation, he told Zhao Huai'an about the relationship between the generals of Xichuan and the Nanzhao people, right in front of the country bumpkin Zhang Zao.

Shan Xingzhang told Zhao Huai'an that Chengdu was indeed wealthy, but the wealth that truly grew from the land was only a few cents; the real wealth came from commerce.

The most important trade in Xichuan was the triangular trade with Tubo and Nanzhao. Xichuan used tea, coarse salt, cloth and Buddhist scriptures to exchange with Nanzhao for gold, silver, precious goods and people, and with Tubo for people, horses, furs and other highland treasures.

This trade route isn't carrying goods, it's carrying mountains of gold and seas of silver.

In fact, this trade route had already taken shape during the Han Dynasty and was then known as the "Southern Central Route". However, if it was just a trickle back then, it developed into a vast ocean after the rise of Nanzhao and Tubo.

In particular, the Nanzhao Kingdom became a dominant power in central and southern China, not only integrating vast mountain ranges but also opening up trade routes to Annam.

Previously, the Tang Dynasty obtained overseas treasures and supplies either from the Western Regions or from Guangzhou. However, after the rise of Nanzhao, trade along the Nanzhong Road became the Tang Dynasty's third foreign trade route.

Moreover, unlike the previous two, this trade route is not controlled by the imperial court to this day, or to be precise, it is not subject to tribute.

The profits from the Western Regions trade route were shared by Uyghur, Sogdian, and Chang'an noble families. Guangzhou's maritime trade was subject to tribute to the imperial court, and its profits were directly transferred to the imperial family.

But the Southern Central Road is different. It has only been around for a hundred years, and because it is inhabited by unruly barbarians who do not submit to the king's rule, apart from the local powerful families of Chengdu and the noble families of Chang'an behind them, no one else can get in at all.

Therefore, over the past century, the imperial court has repeatedly sent large armies south to conquer Nanzhao, but each time it has failed, ultimately leading to the current compromise.

After that, the connection between Nanzhao and the powerful clans in western Sichuan became even deeper, forming a situation where they were intertwined.

We'll have a little fight today, and we'll continue doing business tomorrow.

There's no way around it; the profits here are just too huge. Anyone who tries to stop everyone from getting rich won't live long.

Shan Xingzhang told Zhao Huai'an directly that among the generals under Yang Shuai, almost none of them did not do business with the Nanzhao people. No one could tell who among them was genuinely doing business and who was a traitor to the Tang Dynasty.

And now, the only ones we can trust, besides rising stars like Zhao Huai'an, are the elite border troops like Zhang Zao and Li Ting who were transferred back from the northwest frontier. And the rest, in Shan Xingzhang's words:

"Zhao Da, don't believe anyone else! This isn't as simple as fighting on the battlefield. The situation here is far more complex!"

This was the first time Zhao Huai'an had heard someone explain the relationship between Nanzhao and Xichuan from an economic and trade perspective, which also explained his long-standing doubts.

Why couldn't Nanzhao resolve this issue? Why could Nanzhao switch between war and peace so easily? And why did Nanzhao understand them so well?

He used to think that Yan Shihui was a traitor to the Tang Dynasty, betraying information about Xichuan. Now he sees that Yan Shihui is not the only traitor to the Tang Dynasty. Or, to be more precise, anyone could be one!

Even sitting on a small stool, with the curtains blocking out the night wind, Zhao Huai'an was still shivering with cold.

He couldn't help but look at Zhao Liu, and stammered:
"Sixth brother..."

Before Zhao Huai'an could finish speaking, Zhao Liu suddenly slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and said:

"Zhao Da, we'll fight them! There's something I haven't told you yet. The other day, when we were resting, I went south to see our brothers who died on the Dadu River plateau. Do you know what I saw?"

Looking at the furious Zhao Liu, Zhao Huai'an felt for a moment as if he didn't recognize him anymore.

Zhao Liu roared:

“Those Nanzhao people beheaded all our brothers in the Lizhou army and made them into a Jingguan (a mound of heads). They even erected some kind of stone stele. It’s just that I can’t read, otherwise I could tell you what’s written on it.”

Zhao Liu grew increasingly angry as he spoke, while Shan Xingzhang added:
"During the Tianbao era, our army of 200,000 men was defeated on the shore of Erhai Lake. All 200,000 men perished. The Nanzhao people then built a mound of earth to commemorate the fallen Tang soldiers and erected a stele, which became known as the 'Dehua Stele'."

This sentence completely ignited Zhao Liu. He rushed over to Shan Xingzhang, spitting as he roared:
"What kind of morality is this? The only way to change this is to kill all those Nanzhao people and avenge our brothers!"

Seeing Shan Xingzhang shrinking his head, he turned to stare at Zhao Huai'an, and as he looked, he cried:

“Zhao Da, many of the soldiers from Lizhou are from my hometown. Their families still don’t know they died here. In our area, once someone’s head is chopped off and they die far from home, you can’t bring their soul back even if you try to summon it. They’ve become complete wandering ghosts!”

"Waaah, I, Zhao Liu, don't care how many Nanzhao people there are, or how many traitors we have. It's all about fighting to the death, isn't it? Zhao Da, we've crawled out of piles of corpses, we're already wandering ghosts, are we afraid of dying again? This time, we'll be right here, killing all those Nanzhao dogs and avenging our brothers!"

Then Zhao Liu wiped the tears from his eyes and said fiercely:

"Zhao Da, I've also learned martial arts quite well during this time. Tomorrow I'll go to the battlefield. Give me a long-handled broadsword, and I'll fight on the front lines!"

Zhao Huai'an kept looking at Zhao Liu. At this moment, in his heart, Lao Liu was not just a seven-foot-tall man, but a great man of eight feet tall, just like him! A true man!

It was also rare that he didn't scold Zhao Liu, but instead smiled and said:

"What are you, a mere cultural soldier, doing on the battlefield? Who are you going to kill? You better play your suona properly, and let me tell you, the louder you play, the more excited the brothers will get in the fight! Your job is very important!"

Zhao Liu nodded heavily, for the first time treating playing the suona, which he had previously disliked, as something meaningful.

Over there, Zhao Huai'an turned to look at Shan Xingzhang, Xu Geng, and Zhang Zao, and said sincerely:
Can I trust you?

Shan Xingzhang nodded hurriedly, while Xu Geng, who was chubby and white, patted his belly and laughed heartily:

"To be able to fight side by side with Hu Baoyi in the army is a great joy in life!"

Zhang Zao, short and thin, looked at the completely dark sky outside and said:
"When the morning glow appears in the mountains, it's not a good time to go out, but if the evening glow appears, tomorrow will definitely be a rare good day."

Then Zhang Zao looked at Zhao Huai'an and smiled:

"Commander Zhao, then we must have a good kill tomorrow! We can't waste such a beautiful day."

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an was filled with emotion. He suddenly stood up and said to the three of them:
"Very well, you have not let me down, Zhao Da, and I, Zhao Da, will certainly not let you down. Tomorrow, when we go to the battlefield, if I live, so be it; if I die, I will die before you all!"

Then, Zhao Huai'an directly pulled out a small meat cleaver, cut his finger, dripped the blood into the bowl of water next to him, and said to the three of them:
"Tonight, the four of us will swear an oath of brotherhood, to live and die together tomorrow. Even on the road to the underworld, I, Zhao Da, will lead you to continue killing the Nanzhao people! Don't worry about our small numbers; I still have over a thousand brothers from Lizhou down there, and they will not let you suffer any injustice!"

At this moment, Shan Xingzhang, Xu Geng, and Zhang Zao all smiled.

Especially Shan Xingzhang, his eyes were a little wet. Everyone hates him and despises him, but who knows his suffering?
Seeing Zhao Dahao's boldness, he stepped forward without hesitation, took the water bowl and meat cleaver, and dripped his own blood, followed by Xu Geng and Zhang Zao.

Finally, the four men swore an oath by drinking blood. After the bowl of blood was emptied, they faced the dark sky outside the tent and made their vow:
"Tomorrow we will fight to the death!"

Zhao Liu jumped up and shouted:
"revenge!"

……

Over there, Shan Xingzhang finished drinking the bloody water and hurriedly went out. Zhao Liu shouted after him:

"Lao Shan, why are you in such a hurry to go back? Let's have a meal together before you leave."

Then, without turning his head, Shan Xingzhang shouted:

"I'll go back and kill that Nanzhao dog, to avenge my brothers who died in Lizhou!"

These words made Zhao Liu very happy. Then Xu Geng and Zhang Zao also prepared to go back. They also needed to go back to reorganize the troops, and they were determined to have a good fight tomorrow!
Zhao Huai'an escorted the two men out of the tent, watching them disappear into the night. He couldn't help but say to his four adopted sons waiting beside him:

"Who says there are no heroes in Sichuan? I've seen two today, no, two and a half!"

The four adopted sons exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of who their adoptive father meant by the "half".

It shouldn't be our sixth uncle!
Just then, Ding Huaiyi, who was on night patrol outside, came over with one of Yang Qingfu's bodyguards and whispered something to Zhao Huai'an.

After listening, Zhao Huai'an couldn't help but look towards the direction of Buddha Mountain in the northwest, his doubts growing:

"Why is the commander calling me over at this time?"

(End of this chapter)