Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 132 Gwangju
The next day, the sun shone brightly.

Zhao Huai'an had Zhao Liu and Dou Pangzi get a big tub, and Lao Mo boiled a whole tub of hot water. Then he sat in the tub outdoors and enjoyed a hot bath.

The two men, Lao Liu and Dou Pangzi, followed suit, stripping naked and stepping into the bucket of water, but they retreated because the water was too hot.

Zhao Liu was alright; his figure hadn't changed. It was just that Fatty Dou was even fatter than before. Just by lifting or retracting his foot, his whole body of fat would jiggle.

Looking at the countless layers of pork belly, Zhao Huai'an said disdainfully:

"Fatty, can you eat less meat? Your leg is half full of water."

Fatty Dou blushed, but still stubbornly insisted:

"How often do we get to eat meat in the army? I gain weight just from drinking water!"

As he spoke, feeling that he had adjusted to the water temperature, he submerged himself completely, and the bucket was full.

At this moment, Zhao Wenzhong's adopted sons each took a stone and scrubbed the dirt and dead skin off Zhao Huai'an's body, making Zhao Huai'an groan comfortably.

While rubbing, Zhao Wenying, the most clever of the four, couldn't help but ask:

"Godfather, what do you think we should eat so that we can grow up to be as tall and strong as you?"

Zhao Huai'an couldn't help but look underwater and laughed:

"This is something you're born with, you can't ask for it. But hard work can make up for lack of talent. You're still young, so you can't see it yet. In the future, just like your godfather, eat more meat, more vegetables, make more rice, and train five times a day, alternating between chest, legs, and back. I guarantee that you'll all be heroes in a few years."

The four nodded hurriedly, and then carefully wiped Zhao Huai'an's back.

Especially Zhao Wenhui, who was the best at martial arts among the four, secretly made up his mind that he must eat more meat and train to become a tall and strong man! Otherwise, how can you be worthy of the surname Zhao?
Zhao Liu and Dou Pangzi took turns wiping, but they weren't exactly meticulous people, and all the mud that fell off their bodies ended up in the bucket. Seeing this, Zhao Huai'an threw another towel at them.

Then the two of them started to climb out, wiping off the mud and grime while using a gourd ladle to scoop water and rinse it off.

As soon as Bean Fatty stood up, the water level in the bucket dropped a bit.

Looking at Fatty Dou, Zhao Huai'an almost swore, but seeing the scar on his back, he swallowed the words. After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Huai'an finally said:
"Fatty, won't your family say anything if you come back to Guangzhou with us?"

Fatty Dou was rubbing Zhao Liu's hands when he heard this and shook his head, saying:
“Eldest son, what can we say about the family? We’re not the eldest son, and we have no say in the family’s possessions. Besides, I’m at the age where I should be out making my way in the world. I’ll get a piece of land and build a house in Guangzhou. If Father is willing to come, we can bring him here. If not, we can become the first ancestor of the Doulu clan in Guangzhou. But I still need to find a wife from Xichuan. That would be good.”

As he spoke, Fatty Bean asked Zhao Huai'an:
"Brother, how's the land in Guangzhou? Is it a plain like Chengdu?"

The present-day Guangzhou is what will later become Xinyang. Zhao Huai'an had been to that area in his previous life, after all, Xinyang Maojian tea is world-famous.

So he thought about it and nodded:

"There are hills and plains there. Although it's near the Dabie Mountains, it's said to have a dense network of waterways, so agriculture there is quite good. If you build a manor there, the profits won't be bad."

Dou Pangzi was even happier to hear this, and his heart was filled with longing for the future.

Suddenly, a voice came from outside:
"My lord, the loyal generals Li Shitai and Wang Jian have arrived and are waiting outside."

Zhao Huai'an hurriedly climbed out of the bucket, wiped himself down, put on his civilian robe, and went to the military tent.

……

As soon as he entered the tent, Zhao Huai'an saw Li Shitai, Wang Jian, and several Zhongwu Army warriors huddled inside. Li Jian and Wang Huan, former comrades-in-arms of the Zhongwu Army, were talking with them.

These people were making a lot of noise, mostly talking about the battle a few days ago, mainly about who killed more people and how many more.

As soon as Zhao Huai'an entered, everyone hurriedly stood up, even Li Shitai came up to him, both fawning and disappointed, and said:
"Zhao Da, you've really made it big now, you've even become the governor of Guang Prefecture. From now on, we'll be neighbors, so we'll have to look out for each other."

Li Shitai's sadness stemmed from Zhao Dadong's fear that his brother would live well, yet also his fear that his brother would suffer.

But even Zhao Da was powerless to help; who knew he'd take off so quickly? Zhao Huai'an could only pat Li Shitai on the shoulder and laugh:

"No words are needed, we'll be brothers in our hearts, stay for drinks tonight."

Then he shouted to Wang Jian and some of the officers and soldiers of the Zhongwu Army:

"Stay tonight, I'll have them get a roast lamb and some wine, and we can enjoy ourselves."

Wang Jian and the other soldiers of the Zhongwu Army hurriedly nodded in flattery, showing no sign of arrogance whatsoever; they were filled with pride and honor.

There was nothing he could do; he was a 21-year-old prefect, and he was still in Guang Prefecture.

These loyal soldiers understood all too well what this meant.

The original Huaixi region consisted of three prefectures: Shen, Guang, and Cai. Later, after Huaixi was split up, Guang Prefecture was given to Huainan, Cai Prefecture to Zhongwu, and Shen Prefecture to Eyue.

So when Zhao Huai'an became the Prefect of Guang Prefecture, he was essentially one-third the former Military Governor of Huaixi! This was the lifelong pursuit of countless Huaixi warriors, and Zhao Huai'an achieved it at the age of twenty-one.

But no one disagreed, after all, Zhao Da's military achievements were genuine, and they happened in the eyes of his brothers.

So even though Guang Prefecture is under the jurisdiction of the Huainan Military Governor and seems to have nothing to do with them, who doesn't know that if something happens in the future, the one they can count on to help them is still Zhao Da, who is just across the river?

So, when Li Shitai gave the call, everyone came together to congratulate Zhao Huai'an.

Zhao Huai'an looked at everyone and saw that these soldiers came to congratulate him without bringing any gifts, so he knew that these soldiers had only risen through the ranks by risking their lives and did not understand human relationships at all.

Although these people came to offer their congratulations, Zhao Huai'an could tell that they were not in high spirits, perhaps because they had really been discouraged by him.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Huai'an sat down on a stool and had his adopted sons put armor on him, leaving Li Shitai and the others completely bewildered.

You, Zhao Da, are about to take up your post in Guang Prefecture. The war will no longer concern you. Why are you still wearing armor?

After Zhao Huai'an straightened the last helmet, he looked at Li Shitai and the others and said in a deep voice:
"How are things? Are you doing alright?"

Now Li Shitai and the others understood immediately, and they all began to flatter him:

"Truly a hero of Huaixi."

"With Zhao Dalang's demeanor, let alone a prefect, why couldn't he be a military governor?"

"Yes, yes."

"When we return to our fiefdom, we'll inevitably have to get close to Zhao Dalang, won't we?"

But after hearing this, Zhao Huai'an didn't respond; instead, he merely made a fist with his right hand and sang out a loud cry:
"Why shouldn't a man carry a Wu hook and seize fifty states beyond the passes? Please ascend the Lingyan Pavilion for a moment, for which scholar has ever become a marquis of ten thousand households?"

Li Shitai and his fellow soldiers are good at wielding swords and spears, but asking them to appreciate poetry? That would be a real challenge for them. Seeing Zhao Huai'an's poetic inspiration, they all applauded and cheered, creating a lively atmosphere.

But Li Shitai felt a pang of jealousy in his heart, thinking to himself:

"Zhao Da has indeed started to show off. He's become estranged from his brothers and, like Gao Pian, has begun to dabble in literature."

But unexpectedly, Zhao Huai'an said this:

"Hey, look at you all! You have such petty ambitions, yet you act like little children. That poem you just read was written by Li He decades ago. Even a scholar like him had the ambition to become a marquis, while you all have shoulders big enough to run a horse across, and your archery skills are inferior to Zhao Da's?"

"I've only gone ahead and become a minor governor of Guang Prefecture. Which of you will lack this position in the future? You may look down on yourselves, but you cannot look down on my vision. You are my brothers, and can a mere military governor hold up your future prospects?"

Just look at the power of language! His words made Li Shitai, Wang Jian, and others overjoyed.

Yes, we're not bad either. If we were, would Zhao Daneng be drinking with us? Now that Zhao Daneng is the governor, they can be too in the future.

Once they thought about it this way, the crowd stopped feeling sorry for themselves and started to congratulate Zhao Huai'an with more sincerity.

Zhao Huai'an was very satisfied; this was what a real man should be like!

However, Li Shitai and his group arrived at the right time. He had a lot of things to discuss with Li Shitai and the others about in Guangzhou. Since they were from the surrounding area, they would definitely have a lot to remind Zhao Huai'an about the situation in Guangzhou.

Seeing that it was almost time, Zhao Huai'an asked Lao Mo to prepare roast lamb, but it would take half a day to roast, so they could only eat it in the evening. He then asked the back to cut some braised beef, prepare some seasonal vegetables and fruits, and serve some good wine. Everyone then ate and drank under the curtain.

Zhao Huai'an carried the wine jug around, then sat down directly next to Li Shitai and asked:

"Old Li, and Old Wang, tell me your stories about Gwangju. I've heard some people say it's a beautiful place, and others say it's a dangerous place. I'm really unsure. Tell me all about it."

As he spoke, Zhao Huai'an patted Li Shitai on the shoulder, telling him to stop eating and get back to work.

Li Shitai applied some oil and began by saying:
"Hehehe, Zhao Da, I have to say, you're quite lucky. Prime Minister Gao really loves you and promoted you to be the Prefect of Guang Prefecture. Do you know what kind of people usually sit in this position?" Zhao Huai'an shook his head, but he was even happier. The purpose of this banquet was to get these local Huai Xi people on his feet so that they could tell him the truth.

Sure enough, Li Shitai is the least able to drink alcohol, but he never refuses a drink. I just made sure he drank three rounds of alcohol, and now he's really getting down to business.

Seeing that Zhao Huai'an knew nothing, Li Shitai became even more smug. He picked up a piece of braised beef and began to speak:
“I remember that around my father’s time, an old military governor named Lu Jianci came to our Zhongwu Army. He was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and had risen to the position of Vice Minister of War. When he was transferred to a local post, he only became the Prefect of Xuzhou. After several transfers, he finally became the military governor of Zhongwu Army.”

As he spoke, Li Shitai's eyes revealed undisguised envy:
"This guy is a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), a court official, and from the Lu family of Fanyang. He's only in the same position as you, Zhao Da. Just think how wonderful it is for you to be a prefect. Ask everyone here. As long as you're a military governor, you can go to any region, not just Guang Prefecture, but even the borderlands."

A soldier from the Loyal Army standing nearby, named Pang Cong, nodded hastily, but before he could speak, he first rebuked Li Shitai:

"Old Li is talking nonsense. I know Lu Jianci. My father used to work under him. This man is known as the Lu family of Fanyang. In reality, those people can't even go back to their hometowns. They're like fallen phoenixes. It's only because you, Old Li, still care about the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families. Who with real ability still believes in that stuff? They either serve under the military governors of the great provinces above us or under the lieutenant of the imperial court."

Old Li just wanted to show off in front of Zhao Huai'an, but he didn't expect Pang Cong to expose him, and he blushed with embarrassment.

But in the next sentence, Pang Cong began praising Li Shitai again, echoing his sentiments:
"However, what Old Li said about the prefect is correct. In our localities, there are actually only a few main officials: the military governor, the prefect, the county magistrate, and the garrison commander. Other titles, no matter how nice they sound, are just subordinate officials who obey orders and are not considered prestigious."

"As for the Jiedushi (military governor), that's something only heavenly beings can do. Like the Jiedushi Lu that Old Li just mentioned, he was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and came from a prestigious family, so he could become a Jiedushi. Unless you're from Hebei or Pinglu, other people can't even dream of it."

"As for the county magistrate, although he is also a chief official, he does not have military power. In this day and age, if you don't have soldiers, no one will respect you even if you become a county magistrate. So we people are not happy to be county magistrates. It's only the local garrison commanders who are good."

“But the garrison commander has few soldiers, only four or five hundred in a county or town. You can’t suppress even the slightly stronger bandits. Then, he doesn’t care about the people, so he can’t make much money. And without money, he can’t reward the soldiers, so in the end he can’t keep the troops in check and ends up with nothing.”

“But the governor is different. He is in charge of both the army and the people. He can appoint and dismiss all personnel in the area. Zhao Da, take your Guang Prefecture for example. That place only has vast tea plantations. You can make a fortune as long as you do nothing.”

"But…….."

Zhao Huai'an subconsciously continued the conversation:
"But what? Old Pang, you're not exactly a straightforward person either? Come on, let's walk three more laps together, Zhao Da."

This startled Pang Cong. He truly dared not challenge Zhao Da, the universally acknowledged wine connoisseur, to a drinking contest. Therefore, he dared not show off any longer and quickly said:

"Guangzhou is still under the jurisdiction of the Huainan Military Governor, but we've all heard that the new military governor isn't a good person!"

Having spent a lot of time with these people, Zhao Huai'an knew that if they weren't talking about good people, then they must genuinely be of bad character, since these soldiers themselves already had very low moral standards.

So he quickly reached out his hand, indicating that Pang should explain in detail.

However, discussing a powerful military governor in front of so many people was definitely inappropriate. Pang Cong, unlike Li Shitai, wasn't drunk and impulsive, so he remained cautious and said:
"You can find out about Zhao Da later. Let's talk about other things for now."

But Li Shitai, who was standing next to him, was unhappy. He had just been reprimanded by Pang Cong and was now using this as an excuse to go crazy.

So he slammed his wine bowl on the table and said without any politeness:
“Old Pang, I’m not trying to be mean, but Old Zhao and we’ve been through thick and thin together several times. What can’t we say? Don’t be so coy like a girl.”

As he spoke, Li Shitai ignored the man and patted his chest, saying to Zhao Huai'an:

"Brother, come here, let me tell you something."

Then he explained in detail the current situation of the Huainan military governor.

The current military governor is Liu Ye, who actually arrived last year. The previous military governor was Li Wei, a good official. It is said that when he was about to return to Chang'an, the people of Guangling wrote a "Ten Thousand People's Umbrella" to keep him there.

But as soon as Li Shitai finished speaking, Pang Cong interrupted:

"Do you think I, Lao Pang, don't know who Li Wei is? My brother works as a bailiff in Guangling, and he told me that Li Wei appointed a local servant named Wu Yaoqing as a salt and iron official. I don't know how much money Li Wei made. As for the 'Ten Thousand People Umbrella,' I think it's just that Li Wei doesn't want to leave. That's right, if I were the military governor of Huainan, making hundreds of thousands of strings of cash a year, I wouldn't leave either!"

This enraged Li Shitai completely. He slammed his fist on the table, stood up, and began to shout:
"Old Pang, why are you so indecisive? I told you to speak earlier, but you wouldn't. Now that I'm speaking, you have to interrupt, as if to show off? What, do you want to outdo me in front of Zhao Da? Let me tell you, Zhao Da is my brother! Don't give me that!"

However, Zhao Huai'an pulled Li Shitai back down to sit, then took Pang Cong's hand with his other hand and said with a smile:
"Old Pang, you really made Old Li so angry. You're telling me that Old Li has drunk too much and his mind is all muddled. Don't lead me, Zhao Da, astray."

Seeing that neither of them spoke, Zhao Huai'an then addressed the crowd:
“Brothers, speak your minds freely today. Don’t you all know who I, Zhao Da, am? If you say something good today and can help me, Zhao Da, stabilize Guangzhou, then when we get there, I’ll give each of you a tea mountain. You won’t have to worry about anything then. You can just take the money home every year and let your wives see how powerful you are!”

These words stirred the emotions of the loyal and martial generals, who began to jeer and clamor, one of them even speaking out:
"With this gun of ours, we could kill her seven times in and out, and then ask who's better?"

Someone nearby started to make a noise:

"Oh, you can't even manage seven in and out? Then your woman really needs to ask someone else who's better."

This caused everyone to burst into laughter, and even Zhao Huai'an slammed his fist on the table.

Seeing that the atmosphere had finally become lively, Zhao Da coughed, clapped his hands, and asked Pang Cong to explain properly.

He had just discovered that among these soldiers, only Pang Cong had any real information; the rest had only heard things from drinking parties. If he listened to them, he was sure he would be led astray.

Pang Cong was also excited by the tea mountain and told them everything about the situation in Huainan.

The old Li Wei is gone, so there's not much to say about him. But the new military governor of Huainan, Liu Ye, who came last year, is truly no good person.

To be fair, Lao Pang had quite a few brothers, and one of them, who was a supervisor at the Zhongwu Army's Jinzouyuan in Chang'an, knew about Liu Ye's scandalous affairs back then.

It turns out that although this old fellow was also from a noble family, his father had risen to the position of Vice Minister of Justice through connections with Li Deyu, starting from his position in Li's staff.

Liu Ye's father died early, so he was taken in by Li Deyu and raised as his son. However, when Li Deyu fell from power, Liu Ye was destitute and had to make a living by writing in the Wu and Yue regions.

Liu Ye's rise to prominence was due to the support of a prominent figure from the Gao clan of Bohai, who appointed him to a high-ranking position and gradually promoted him to Chang'an.

Later, Liu Ye's father had a friend named Liu Zhan, who promoted him because of this relationship, and Liu Ye eventually got the opportunity to become the Vice Minister of Revenue.

However, Liu Ye later framed his former benefactor Liu Zhan because of one incident, which led to Liu Zhan being demoted to Lingnan and almost dying there.

So everyone knows that Liu Ye is a villain. If you, Zhao Da, were to become governor under such a person, you'd be in for a rough time.

While the loyal generals on the other side were sighing, Zhao Huai'an grasped the key information here. He couldn't help but exchange a glance with Zhang Guinian opposite him, and they both saw the worry.

What is Zhao Da worried about? His worry is not that he might be targeted, as the Zhongwu Army generals said, but that he is absolutely certain that he will be targeted.

From those words, Liu Zhan understood that this person was a staunch supporter of Li Deyu back then. And Zhao Huai'an, despite having Yang Qingfu, Song Jian, and Gao Pian above him, was actually promoted by someone in the first place.
Niu Cong, the former military governor of Xichuan! But who is Niu Cong?
This was something Zhao Huai'an had only recently learned: Niu Cong was actually the son of Niu Sengru.

During this time, with Zhang Guinian, a man who had been involved in the power struggles of Chang'an, telling him stories, Zhao Huai'an finally learned a lot about the power struggles of the past.

Niu Sengru entered Chang'an about seventy years ago with the top score in the list of candidates for the "Virtuous and Upright" examination. He later rose to the position of Censor, a typical example of a scholar-official.

And this person was indeed upright; it is said that he was one of the few high-ranking officials who did not accept gifts.

This story is true, because later, when someone's home was searched, an account book was found that listed who had been given money and how much money had been given. However, the only entry was "On such and such a date, I gave Vice Minister Niu of the Ministry of Revenue ten million coins, but he refused to accept them."

This is a fortune! Which official could withstand such a test? Even Zhao Da would hesitate, ask what the matter was, and then accept the money.

But Niu Sengru refused, which shows that he was indeed an upright man.

However, just because this person didn't want money didn't mean he didn't want power. Since he came from a family of upright officials, he was used to criticizing people. He even criticized the then-prime minister, Li Jifu, to the point of dismissal, which offended the Li family.

Li Jifu had a particularly successful son, Li Deyu, and the feud between the two stemmed from this.

Then the two factions fought each other, and also formed parties and banded together to fight.

Because Niu Sengru came from the imperial examination system, his network of teachers, students, and classmates was all within this circle, and the allies he recruited were naturally these same people.

Li Jifu was an old-timer, from a traditional aristocratic family, and his relationships and friends were all in this circle, so the allies he recruited were naturally from this group of people.

As a result, it gradually developed into a power struggle between officials who passed the imperial examinations and those who were supported by powerful families, eventually leading to irreconcilable differences.

How did it end? It was Niu Sengru who won by completely demoting Li Deyu to a local post and causing his death.

Zhao Huai'an's future superiors are definitely from the Li faction, while Zhao Huai'an is currently aligned with the Niu faction. Forget about past grudges; they've been there for two or three decades. In terms of power struggles, this is just the beginning.

Therefore, Zhao Huai'an's trip to Huainan was bound to end badly.

Moreover, Zhao Huai'an keenly noticed that the Bohai Gao clan was also behind Liu Ye.

He could guess with his toes that Gao Pian had deliberately arranged for him to go there so that Liu Ye would keep a close eye on him.

Oh, so this old Gao Pian was putting himself in a bind here! How wicked!
But Gao Lao'er, have you ever thought about why Zhao Da wants to bring several thousand brothers back to Huaixi? Moreover, I'm not only bringing Bao Yidu, but I'm also going to continue recruiting soldiers along the way to fully build up Bao Yidu's 3,000-strong army.

By then, I, Zhao Da, will have a strong army at my command and over 400,000 strings of cash in my pocket. Even so, Liu Ye will still be able to bully him. Wouldn't all this effort have been for nothing?

As I said before, Zhao Da is here to be the ancestor!
(End of this chapter)