Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 135 Along the River
Four days later, the fleet arrived at Jiaozhou with favorable winds and currents.

When the ship owner knocked on the door to tell Zhao Huai'an that they needed to stay in Jiaozhou for a while, Zhao Huai'an was talking with Dong Gongsu about the Nanzhao trade route.

The ship owner said the fleet would stop in Jiaozhou, and Dong Gongsu, who was standing nearby, helped to explain:
“We came from the Dadu River, but Jiaozhou is where three rivers converge. Not only boats from the Dadu River, but also boats from the Qingyi River and the Min River all flow into the Min River. Because boats often collide and capsize, Jiaozhou has set up locks to separate them into the river.”

Zhao Huai'an nodded. He had been to Leshan before, when he went to Mount Emei to burn incense. He wondered if the Leshan Giant Buddha was still under construction.

Thinking of this, Zhao Huai'an said to Dong Gongsu:
"That's perfect. We've been cooped up in the warehouse for too long. It's good to go out and take a walk. Is Jiaozhou a bustling place?"

Dong Gongsu laughed heartily and said proudly:
"How could a place where three rivers converge not be prosperous? This place is backed by mountains on one side and surrounded by water on three sides. It connects to Chengdu in the north and Chongqing and Kuizhou in the south. It is a vital transportation hub, and its commercial prosperity is unparalleled in southern Sichuan. Since you are going to disembark, I, Old Dong, will do my best to be a good host and show you the sights and culture of southern Sichuan!"

Zhao Huai'an laughed heartily, indicating that he was about to eat Lao Dong's food, and then called Lao Mo to invite Mao Niang and the others as well, so they could go shopping together.

……

As soon as Zhao Huai'an stepped onto the deck, he was immediately struck by the sight before him. It wasn't the prosperity that Dong Gong had described, but rather the turbulent landscape where the three rivers converged.

The Qingyi River flows from the northwest, and here it surges forth like a thousand galloping horses, with unparalleled force. After merging with the Dadu River, which flows slowly from the southwest, the water becomes even more turbulent, like a white ribbon shooting eastward, crashing against the dikes of the distant delta.

To the east of the delta, another river comes from the north, crashing into the river bend like an angry dragon. After merging with the Qingyi River and the Dadu River, it surges even more violently into the eastern river fork.

Strangely enough, the Minjiang River, which was turbulent and bumpy at the river fork, became docile and peaceful after flowing under a huge Buddha statue.

Zhao Huai'an looked up and knew that the huge stone Buddha was the Leshan Giant Maitreya Buddha.

Unexpectedly, this human-made landscape had already been carved out by then.

Standing beside him, Dong Gongsu watched Zhao Huai'an's astonishment with satisfaction, assuming he had never seen such a large Buddha statue before, and proudly introduced it:
"This Buddha was built with donations of money and goods from the devout men and women of Sichuan, as well as the support of several generations of military governors of Xichuan."

Zhao Huai'an nodded, and exclaimed in surprise:
"This Buddha was probably built to suppress the floodwaters. I never imagined that the people of Sichuan would be so selfless, donating money and supplies for the safety of Leshan. Their hearts are truly sincere!"

Upon hearing this, Dong Gongsu's expression turned strange. Seeing that no one was around, he whispered:

"Brother, that's not the case at all. To control the water flow, you can just carve a channel in the mountainside. Why build a Maitreya statue? It's because in Buddhism, we value spreading the Dharma and accumulating merit. So, wherever there is a flow of people, we carve grottoes and Buddha statues so that travelers can see such creations, admire the Buddha in their hearts, and thus form a connection with Buddhism, which brings even more merit."

Zhao Huai'an suddenly realized, "This is indeed human nature."

As the two admired the Buddha statue, Mao Niang emerged from the cabin with a group of her young ladies, all dressed in fashionable cloud-shaped buns adorned with flower forks, their lips gleaming red, radiating beauty.

Zhao Huai'an repeatedly praised:
"Okay, okay, it's just that your hair isn't quite right. Once we get off the ship, I'll find a place to get you a trendy new look; I guarantee it'll look even better!"

Zhao Huai'an's words made the group of young ladies from Tangguan smirk.

Just as Zhao Huai'an was flirting with the young woman, a group of officials dressed in red robes were shouting and yelling on the north bank of the embankment:

"Is this Governor Zhao of Guang Prefecture? My lord invites you to his residence for a gathering."

Zhao Huai'an nodded to himself, "That's more like it."

If I, Zhao Da, were to pass through your territory, and you, the Prefect of Jiaozhou, did not bring me here to pay my respects, how could that be considered the proper conduct of an official?
So he had Zhao Hu and Sun Tai take Beiwei down with him, and then he took Mao Niang, Zhao Liu, Dou Pangzi, and a group of staff members, and rowed to the Delta in a small boat.

As for the generals, they remained on the ship, ready to launch an attack on Jiaozhou City should anything happen.

At this point, Zhao Huai'an and his group of Beiwei were able to hold out for as long as possible.

Yes, even though Zhao Huai'an didn't think the unfamiliar governor of Jiaozhou would do anything to him, he still made such a contingency plan.

People like Zhao Huai'an, who love attending drinking parties, are often the easiest targets. Zhao Huai'an is always more afraid of the unexpected than the real danger. With this contingency plan, he can survive if something unexpected happens.

And so, with Mao Niang dressed in elegant attire and Zhao Da wearing a round robe over his chainmail, they led a hundred armored Beiwei soldiers ashore.

The officials of Jia Prefecture who were waiting there were dumbfounded. This governor of Guang Prefecture was going to a banquet with a hundred armored soldiers? Was he really here to attend a banquet?

But they dared not stop them. Looking at these unruly and fierce men, and thinking of the "terrifying" achievements of this governor of Guang Prefecture, the officials of Jiao Prefecture did not dare to say a word. They simply let the palanquin bearers carry Zhao Huai'an straight to the government office in the center of Zhongzhong.

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an sat in his palanquin, watching his officials from Jiaozhou cleaning the streets and clearing the way, and felt a sense of satisfaction.

That's power!

Everyone says that the officialdom is a deep and murky place, so let's see how deep it really is, Zhao Da!

Hey!
……

Zhao Huai'an left feeling quite pleased with himself after the drinking session; he hadn't expected the officials in Jiaozhou to be so sensible.

Not only did they mean that all expenses for Zhao Huai'an's fleet during this period would be supplied by Jiaozhou, but they would also hire a group of boat trackers to pull Zhao Huai'an's fleet across the river.

Because this section of the waterway is turbulent, a slight misstep could result in a boat being destroyed or capsized, so boatmen are needed to help navigate it.

Although Zhao Huai'an was generous, he was not the kind of person who would accept rewards without merit, so naturally he wanted to find out the reason.

Then, after asking around, I learned that Jiaozhou and Nanzhao had a blood feud! About four years ago, the Nanzhao army marched down the Dadu River to Jiaozhou. The governor of Jiaozhou at the time was defeated in a battle with the Nanzhao army and fled to Chengdu after losing Jiaozhou.

Then Jiaozhou City naturally suffered a terrible misfortune. The people Zhao Huai'an saw at the banquet were all those who had cleverly escaped four years ago. Those who failed to escape were still teaching people in Nanzhao to speak Tang language.

Therefore, when Zhao Huai'an, a meritorious official who killed the king of Nanzhao, passed through Jiaozhou, they naturally had to treat him well, since many of their relatives had died in the war four years ago.

Zhao Huai'an hadn't expected this cause and effect, and then, without refusing, happily accepted it.

After all, it was someone's good intention!

As the moon rose above the treetops, Zhao Huai'an and his companions declined the invitation to stay overnight at the government office and returned to the boat with the Beiwei men.

Then, under the moonlight and fueled by alcohol, Zhao Huai'an and Mao Niang engaged in some more sensual activities.

At his age, he really needs to have a son!
……

The following day, all the officials and river officials of Jiaozhou were mobilized and went to the river embankment to direct the cargo ships on the river to anchor, so as to clear the Minjiang River channel.

The reason the Prefect of Jiaozhou did this was not only to express his gratitude, but also because he and Zhao Da had enjoyed their meal together immensely the previous day.

Sometimes people and things are like this; they are always in a state of ambiguity. However, when different people do things and do them in different ways, they can have completely different results.

Zhao Huai'an's generosity at the banquet made the governor of Jiaozhou feel respected. Even though this rising star in the military field did not look down on him, he naturally had to repay him with a gift.

The ships that had been cut in line, upon hearing that the one behind them was none other than Hu Baoyi from the army, all shouted in celebration.

Most of those who traveled along the Minjiang and Qingyijiang waterways were responsible for transporting grain to the Yazhou granary, and many of their families had sons serving in the Western Sichuan army.

Those who had already died on the battlefield of Hanyuan need not be mentioned, but the officers and soldiers of Xichuan who were lucky enough to survive were all filled with gratitude towards Zhao Huai'an.

Without a doubt, if Zhao Huai'an hadn't led his cavalry out at the crucial moment and successively defeated several large formations of the Nanzhao army, these defeated soldiers wouldn't have survived until the foreign troops came out.

The ship owners and rowers who had saved their lives because of this were overjoyed when they saw the flags of "Baoyi Du" and "Hu Baoyi" flying high on the fleet behind them.

Zhao Huai'an was also satisfied by the cheers from both sides. Looking at Mao Niang's admiring eyes, he waved his hand to show that he, Zhao Da, had only made a small move, but he did not expect that the Nanzhao people would be lying there.

And so the fleet sailed through the delta and finally reached the Minjiang River, where they gradually entered the river fork one after another.

There, a large number of boatmen were already waiting.

……

The fleet was pulled by hemp ropes, and groups of boatmen shouted work songs as they pulled the Baoyidu Brigade across the river ford.

Zhao Huai'an stood on the deck, watching the group of boatmen working together with high spirits, and a thought struck him.

He called over Wang Jin, who was on the same boat, and pointed to the group of boatmen below, saying:
"Old Wang, do you think these people, with a little training, could become excellent infantrymen?" Wang Jin hadn't expected that the capital would actually recruit such a group of people as infantrymen. After all, the soldiers in Baoyidu's army, even those prisoners of Nanzhao, were warriors who had trained and fought for years. How could they be compared to a group of boatmen?

But upon closer inspection, Wang Jin had to admit that Du Guo had a keen eye. Although these boatmen were thin and many were not tall, they had a lot of energy.

It was a fighting spirit that defied heaven and earth, a spirit of vigorous progress that many warriors lacked.

They must have been attracted by this spirit. You know, with such boatmen becoming spearmen, how could He Jun possibly break through their ranks?

Therefore, Wang Jin agreed without hesitation:

"General, I believe this is an excellent lance team. With proper training and instruction in formation, they will surely become formidable."

With Wang Jin, a key figure in the army, recognizing his abilities, Zhao Huai'an no longer hesitated. He walked directly to the side of the boat and shouted to the river official of Jiaozhou below:
"After you've finished pulling the boat, tell these boatmen not to leave. I will reward them handsomely!"

The official from Jia Prefecture nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, then spurred his horse to the shore and shouted to the boatmen who were still pulling the boats.

But the boatmen didn't seem to react; they continued chanting and pulling the boats across the river fork.

When the fleet finally left the river, the boatmen threw away their ropes and roared with joy.

They met a generous benefactor!
……

Zhao Huai'an recruited a hundred boat trackers and gave each of them a settlement allowance of twenty strings of cash, which moved them so much that they kowtowed on the spot.

Then Zhao Huai'an told these people that if any of their family members were willing to go to Guangzhou, he would allocate land to them, and the travel expenses would be covered by Bao Yidu's own fleet. They just needed to come to Jiaozhou and wait for the ship to depart.

Where are the ships from in Baoyi? Right now.

Zhao Huai'an and Dong Gongsu discussed it and decided to invest a sum of money in the Yangtze River fleet, with one of the bases to be located in Jiaozhou.

This was something Zhao Huai'an and Dong Gongsu had repeatedly weighed, concluding that Jiaozhou was a key node in their trade network with Nanzhao, Tubo, and Guangzhou.

The trade routes to Nanzhao and even the South China Sea generally started from Chengdu, then went down the Minjiang River to Rongzhou (Yibin), and then turned onto the Wuchi Road, the Budao Road and the Yelang Road. Therefore, Leshan, which is on the Minjiang River, is a necessary stop on this route.

In addition, if you take the western route, there are three other routes heading south: the Pingqiang River Road, the Yangshan River Road, and the Muyuanchuan Road. The starting points of these three branches are all in Jiaozhou.

This means that Jiaozhou will become a distribution center for goods. Silk fabrics, brocades, and Shu brocades from Chengdu can travel along the Minjiang River to Jiaozhou, then transfer to the Yangtze River, and finally enter the Huai River to Guangshan.

Goods from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River can also be gathered in Leshan via waterways, and then directly flow down to the Dadu River from there.

Thus, a trade network connecting the Yangtze River Delta, the Huai River region, Sichuan, southern China, and India was established in Jiaozhou to distribute goods.

Moreover, Jiaozhou itself has a well-developed shipbuilding industry.

It is said that the Sui Dynasty built the Yellow Dragon warship here to attack the Southern Chen Dynasty. By the present dynasty, it was possible to build large inland river sailing ships that were 100 feet long and 50 feet wide.

Therefore, Zhao Huai'an decided to establish a base in Jiaozhou, and the first priority was to integrate with the local social network.

What could be better than recruiting locals and integrating them into the community?

In this way, Zhao Huai'an recruited another group of ambitious and capable soldiers, and also gained local connections. In the end, the boatmen and their families were able to live a good life again. It was a win-win-win situation! Zhao Huai'an won twice!

Thus, Zhao Huai'an decided to stay in Leshan for a few days, giving the boatmen time to send the news and money back, and also to have another drink with the officials of Jiaozhou.

This time, he brought along Dong Gongsu and a group of boat captains so that they could get to know each other.

For a long time to come, these people in Jiaozhou will have their interests deeply intertwined with Zhao Huai'an's.

In that case, let's have a few more bar meals.

……

Three days later, six more Jiaozhou ships, each with a capacity of 1,600 shi (a unit of dry measure), were purchased, bringing Zhao Huai'an's fleet to over seventy ships.

The fleet lined up and sailed south, taking advantage of the river breeze.

They successively visited small towns along the coast, such as Yujin and Qianwei.

To open up this waterway, Zhao Huai'an needed to become acquainted with the local people, so he did three things wherever he went:

"Recruiting soldiers, attending banquets, and making friends."

Wherever Zhao Huai'an went, he would assign fifty soldiers to his subordinates, specifically selecting those who had suffered greatly and were involved in group activities, such as charcoal burning and logging.

These people need not be many; fifty should be collected from each area, and they should be organized into a special team, then placed under the command of the various teams in Baoyidu.

Zhao Huai'an has now begun to consciously prepare for future military expansion.

With his current forces, the elite troops are elite enough, but the number is too small, which is not conducive to forming a military group, so he must expand his army.

The safest way to expand the force now is to first have experienced soldiers mentor new recruits, increasing each team from fifty to one hundred men, thus expanding the total strength to three thousand.

Since we are currently on the river, we can only get to know each other first. We will begin large-scale military training once we reach Guangzhou.

And so they continued on, stopping frequently, for seven or eight days, until they finally reached Rongzhou, one of the ports of their journey.

Zhao Huai'an had never been to Rongzhou before, but he quickly realized how fierce the people there were.

Just moments ago, Zhao Huai'an saw a group of people dressed in clothing similar to the Miao ethnic group's headscarves openly chopping down a group of people on the shore.

Then these people glanced at Zhao Huai'an's fleet, grabbed the heads of these men, and ran into the mountains.

Zhao Huai'an didn't recognize them, but he did have people under his command who did.

On that day at Jidong Pass, Yang Qingfu sent Zhao Huai'an out of the pass to search the mountains. One of the guides sent was named Wen Wujian, a Bo person from Bodao. He later entered Baoyidu and became a junior officer under Hu Honglue.

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an had someone call Wen Wujian over and asked who those people were.

Wen Wujian replied shyly:

“These are our Bo people, and those who were killed should be the Liao people from the surrounding area.”

Later, through Wen Wujian's narration, Zhao Huai'an understood the grudges between the Bo and Liao people.

It turns out that the Bo people were natives of Rongzhou. They participated in the conquest of the Shang dynasty by King Wu of Zhou. Later, during the Shu Han period, Zhuge Liang even campaigned against the Bo people and persuaded the local chieftains to surrender, giving them one hundred bronze drums as a gift.

However, during this dynasty, the Liao people from Yunnan and Guizhou entered southern Sichuan in large numbers and began to encroach on the space of the Bo people. As a result, the tribes fought each other for generations due to the mountains and trade with the Han people.

Therefore, the people Zhao Huai'an just saw must have been killed in a vendetta.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huai'an asked a question:
"Are those Bo people willing to enlist in the army?"

Wen Wujian thought for a moment and shook his head:
"It's unlikely. In recent years, our Bo people's mountain territory has been shrinking, so our population has never been large. If more than fifty tribal warriors were to be drawn away, the nearby tribes wouldn't be able to withstand the Liao people's attacks. So they won't leave."

As he spoke, Wenwujian pointed to the continuous mountain range to the south and said:

“Those are the mountains where we have lived for generations. Our ancestors are buried on the cliffs on both sides. Their roots are here.”

Zhao Huai'an looked over, sighed, and then said nothing more.

Wen Wujian had no idea that his words had caused his people to miss a tremendous historical opportunity.

And so, the fleet finally arrived at Rongzhou City, the most important town in southern Sichuan.

(End of this chapter)