Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 143 Gratitude and Revenge
But the next moment, a soldier wielding an iron spear blocked Liu Zhijun's path. Just as Liu Zhijun was about to get angry, he saw that the person who blocked him was actually Li Jiyong, with Fei Cun and several other soldiers following behind him.

These were soldiers who had survived the decisive battle of Hanyuan under Yang Qingfu. Because they were unwilling to stay in Xichuan to risk their lives, they followed Zhao Huai'an south to Guang Prefecture.

Because Li Jiyong was a former elite soldier of Yang Qingfu, possessing unparalleled bravery and status, Liu Zhijun, upon seeing him, forcefully suppressed his anger and snorted:
"Li Jiulang, why are you stopping me?"

Ever since Li Jiyong was pulled from the pile of corpses by Bao Yidu, he had rarely smiled. Now, he said in a low voice:
“You are all cavalry, not good at attacking walls. Let us brothers clear the way for you.”

But who is Liu Zhijun? He's always the one clearing the way for others. Just as he was about to refuse, he saw Li Jiyong, Fei Cun, and several others already wrapped in iron armor, carrying spears and halberds, rushing towards the house wall.

Liu Zhijun cursed loudly, but could only order the Sichuan-Kang knights behind him to draw their bows and shoot arrows at Liu's followers on the opposite wall to cover Li Jiyong and his men.

Li Jiyong led the way, holding up a shield, while Fei Cun and two other soldiers followed behind, carrying long-handled axes. Under the cover of Liu Zhijun and his cavalry, they rushed straight to the entrance of the mansion.

Then came a flurry of axe blows, and the already vulnerable gate was shattered.

At this moment, Liu Zhijun, who was lagging behind, could no longer hold back. He roared and charged his horse toward the Liu residence, but someone was faster than him.

Huo Yanchao, who had been silent all along, rushed over the moment the door was smashed to pieces by the axe.

Then, right before Liu Zhijun's eyes, he led a group of Sichuan-Kang knights into the front house.

This time, Liu Zhijun was truly enraged. With a low roar, he rushed in as well.

……

Huo Yanchao rushed into the front house and saw a member of Liu's gang running backward. Without hesitation, he rushed up and smashed the man's skull with a spear.

The henchman let out a wail and collapsed to the ground; then there was no one left alive.

Huo Yanchao cautiously ran around the front yard to make sure that all of Liu's followers had retreated to the back yard, and then stayed put and did not charge. He wanted to wait for Liu Zhijun behind him.

Sure enough, after Liu Zhijun rushed in, he didn't see Huo Yanchao at all and just kept rushing inside.

But the next moment, a horse neighed, and Liu Zhijun's white horse was shot down by Liu's henchmen who suddenly appeared. Even he himself would have taken several arrows if he hadn't used his shield to block them.

After being thrown from his horse, several of Liu's followers in the backyard tried to use long spears to hook Liu Zhijun's armor as he fell to the ground, intending to abduct him inside.

But then came another neighing of horses, and Huo Yanchao charged forward, grabbed a long spear with one arm, and snatched it away with a backhand.

Huo Yanchao didn't linger in the fight. He turned around, grabbed Liu Zhijun's belt as he fell from his horse, and carried him to the back.

At this moment, the knights of Chuankang, who had only just realized what was happening, launched a barrage of shots at the open space in the backyard, causing a chorus of groans from the opposite side.

When he was brought up to the back, Liu Zhijun felt both ashamed and guilty, his face flushed red, and he buried his head under his shoulder.

If Huo Yanchao hadn't just saved him, he would have almost perished in this small mansion.

If you go down there then, won't you be laughed to death by the brothers who died in battle? You, Liu Zhijun, have come through thousands of troops, and now you've just returned to Shou County, and you almost died at the hands of a local tyrant. Won't you be so ashamed that you'll die again?

Seeing Liu Zhijun's expression, Huo Yanchao said softly:

"I won't tell the governor about this."

A single word snapped Liu Zhijun back to his senses, and he lifted his head excitedly.

Before he could get any more excited, Huo Yanchao added:
"But you have to hold the line for me in this battle, and I'll take the credit!"

Liu Zhijun was furious at the shamelessness of this fake monk, but he was even more afraid of being scolded by Zhao Huai'an, so he held back and snorted:
"I'll hold the line for you, but if you can't take it, then I'll step in."

Huo Yanchao chuckled and left with the following words:
"Don't worry, the credit is mine!"

It turned out that he had just run around the front yard and had already figured out the layout and structure of the mansion.

The Liu family lived in a three-courtyard house, but because it was a rural area, the imperial court's etiquette did not apply to them. So, the Liu family added a side courtyard on each side, which really brought trouble upon themselves.

When Bao Yidu's cavalry besieged the Liu family's residence, some nearby villagers also peeked out from their own yards. They deeply hated the Liu brothers who had released the money, and some of them had even borrowed money from them. They wished for the entire Liu family to be wiped out.

But suddenly they saw the cavalry that had just rushed in come out again and knock on their door.

In a panic, the neighbors opened the door for the Bauist knights, and then the knights removed their door panels.

The neighbors were all lamenting, wondering how they had ended up being neighbors with the Liu brothers.
……

After taking the door panel, Huo Yanchao immediately ordered Kang Baoyi and Wang Huan to each lead twenty or thirty riders to dismount, circle around to both sides of the house, and use the wooden planks to climb into the side courtyards on both sides.

Huo Yanchao himself, along with more than thirty Sichuan-Kang knights and about ten riders from Liu Zhijun's side, stayed in the front yard.

After waiting only a moment, when the sound of arrows piercing the air came from the opposite courtyard, followed by countless cries of agony, Huo Yanchao dismounted, held a shield to his chest, and then rammed straight into the courtyard gate.

The gate here was more for guarding the servants in the front yard than for guarding the front yard. So Huo Yanchao and four or five armored soldiers bumped into each other and rushed into the back yard.

More armored soldiers surged in behind them.

By this time, the Liu clan's followers who were guarding this place had been swept away by arrows shot from both sides of the courtyard. Now, only about ten people, led by two fierce men wearing iron armor, rushed up.

But just from that one bump, a whole bunch of these people collapsed.

The remaining two who tried to escape were also shot down by arrows from Liu Zhijun, who was galloping towards them on horseback.

Huo Yanchao glared at Liu Zhijun, who remained defiant:
"I only said I'd give you the top credit, but I didn't say I'd give you all of this too."

Huo Yanchao ignored the man and, after killing everyone in the middle courtyard, rushed into the backyard.

This is also the place with the largest number of Liu's followers.

Forced into the backyard, Liu Xingquan, disheveled, roared at the surrounding Baoyidu warriors:

"Do you people still have any regard for the law? What crime have I, Liu Xingquan, committed? In broad daylight, you allow your soldiers to kill people. Aren't you afraid of the imperial court? Aren't you afraid of the military governor?"

Upon hearing this, Huo Yanchao, who had been slowly approaching, laughed loudly, casually tossing a Liu clan armored soldier who had been hammered to death on the ground, and said with a smile:
"You dare mention the law? Harboring armor, your entire clan wouldn't be spared! What are you still resisting for? Surrender at once!"

At this point, Liu Xingquan knew he had no chance of survival and was about to lead his men to fight his way out.

But the next moment, he was tackled from behind, and his last remaining brother, Liu Daiquan, was also pinned to the ground, crying and screaming.

Only then did Liu Xingquan realize that the people who had tackled him were his brothers with whom he had sworn to fight to the death: Li Fengyi, Chen Hao, Wei Yong, Li Heng, Cai Zuo, Li Fuzhi, and others.

Liu Xingquan burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face, then roared:

"Good, good, good, he's Liu Erlang's brother! He's my brother! I'll die before you and see how Zhao Dalang kills you."

After pinning him down, a man named Li Heng stepped forward and said helplessly:
"Erlang, we've advised you before to be forgiving. If you hadn't forced the Zhao family of Xinghualing so hard back then, how could this disaster have happened? We've fought alongside you to this day, what brotherhood isn't enough to repay? Are you really going to make us brothers die with you? We didn't kill Zhao Da's father!"

Over there, Liu Xingquan's fifth brother, Liu Daiquan, was pinned to the ground, letting out sharp screams, his body thrashing about like a dead fish pulled from the shore, while his good second brother beside him had already closed his eyes. At this moment, the Liu clan's followers on the periphery dropped their weapons and surrendered to the Baoyi Dutu cavalry on the opposite side.

……

Then, Liu Zhijun turned to Huo Yanchao and said:
"Should we accept their surrender? Will the magistrate agree? Or should we just kill them here to avoid trouble?"

Huo Yanchao thought for a moment, then shook his head:

"Who knows which of these people are enemies of the magistrate's family? If we kill them, it will be worse. Let's take them out of the city first, so it'll be quicker. It's taking so long to attack a house. Wouldn't that be a disgrace to Baoyidu?"

Liu Zhijun glanced at Huo Yanchao, thinking that this fake monk was indeed much more meticulous than himself. However, after hearing Huo Yanchao's last sentence, he still felt he had to offer some explanation:
"These people are no ordinary tycoons. They dare to hide armor and fight to the last moment. Each of them is quite brave and strong. Are all the people from your hometown so brave?"

Huo Yanchao nodded in agreement, glanced at the bound Liu Xingquan brothers and the remaining accomplices, and waved his hand to give the order:

"Take them all away!"

……

Zhao Huai'an and the others had long since finished their drumming performance, and he was covered in sweat. He took the towel Zhao Hu handed him, wiped himself a little, and seeing his mother looking at him with satisfaction, he quickly went over to her.
"Mother, I haven't neglected my dancing skills, have I?"

Zhao was genuinely happy, not because her eldest son danced well and was well-liked, but because she saw that her sons, whom she hadn't seen for several years, were still very close to her.

In a family, what could be more important than loving each other?
So she smiled and said:
"Okay, all good, all good!"

Zhao Huai'an laughed heartily, and only then did he turn around and call Ding Hui and the others over.

At this moment, Ding Hui, Guo Liang, Zou Yongfu, Lin Yanhao, and Lin Renhan were also panting heavily. When they went to kill Xie Liulang, they had no trouble at all. After all, Xie Liulang never expected that Ding Hui and the others would come to kill him in their armor when he was dying.

They danced with Zhao Da for a while, and even though they were wearing armor, they were already drenched in sweat just from the effort.

Just then, Ding Hui and the others came over, panting. Zhao Da laughed heartily and patted Ding Hui on the shoulder.

"Young men, you still need to train! After you join Baoyidu, you'll all be running drills in armor with us. If you want to make a name for yourself on the battlefield, you'll need good stamina."

Ding Hui and the others were embarrassed and nodded quickly.

Then Zhao Huai'an looked at the pile of heads, the top one being Xie Liulang's, his withered head now bearing the marks of terror and regret.

This guy was part of my team, but I never expected him to treat his family like this after I left. It's true, not all brothers can end things as well as Ding Hui and the others.

After sweeping, Zhao Huai'an asked Zhao Hu and the others to bring over the tray, which was piled high with gold ingots, all of which Zhao Huai'an had brought specifically for this trip.

He smiled and said to Ding Hui and the others:

"Brothers, as the saying goes, 'Let's drink from the same golden cup together.' When I'm not home, you serve my mother as you would your own, and treat my brothers and sisters-in-law as you would your own. Then you are my brothers, and naturally, we should share wealth and honor. There are rules in the army, so if you want to get ahead, you have to work hard for it! But this money, hehe, come on!"

As he spoke, he beckoned Ding Hui and the others over, and each of them received twenty taels of gold, a real fortune.

Although there was no unified conversion rate in the market at that time, since gold was mainly used for royal rewards and large-scale foreign trade settlements, twenty taels of gold were still worth more than five hundred strings of cash.

In front of everyone, Zhao Huai'an distributed a total of more than 6,500 strings of gold to the thirteen people present.

Not only were Ding Hui and his men at a loss and dared not accept the offer, but even Magistrate Sun Pang of Huo County, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, was stunned.

This Zhao Da is so generous! He just divided up more than six thousand strings of cash like that. At this moment, he realized just how big the gap was between himself and Zhao Huai'an.

After Zhao Huai'an stuffed the gold into Ding Hui's and the others' hands, he said solemnly:
"Later, you will bring your families to Gwangju and live a good life together. You are not allowed to waste the gold you have; use it to buy land and build a house. The house will be built near my mother's house, understand?"

At this moment, Ding Hui had a sudden inspiration. He knelt down in front of Zhao Shi, who was sitting there, and shouted:
"Madam, you are Ding Hui's mother!"

At this point, Zou Yongfu and the others dared not hesitate any longer and knelt down before Zhao Shi, calling out "Mother".

Zhao was overjoyed. Ding Hui and the others had helped them a lot over the years. As the saying goes, true friendship is revealed in times of trouble, and people's hearts are revealed over time. These people are all good-natured kids, so how could she not be happy?

Zhao Huai'an kicked Ding Hui and laughed as he scolded:
"You're the only one who knows how to cause trouble, even bowing to my mother now. Fine, fine, from now on you're all my half-brothers."

This time, when Ding Hui and his group called him "Big Brother" again, they did so with even greater affection.

On this side, there was a scene of harmony and brotherly love. At the city gate, Liu Zhijun and others led the remnants of the Liu clan over, along with a cartload of captured armor and about ten cartloads of valuables. As for the remaining furniture and other items, the neighbors nearby took them as compensation.

Liu Zhijun, Huo Yanchao, Li Jiyong, Fei Cun, and others came to report their findings, and Liu Zhijun spoke first:
"Old Huo deserves the credit this time. Without his brains, we would have had to use some tricks to take this mansion. This Liu fellow also has a group of followers who are very fierce. They are armed with armor and crossbows. If it weren't for us, those people from Huo County would probably have been driven out of the city long ago."

Sun Wan looked ashamed after hearing this.

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an also saw the armor on the cart. Many of them were standard military armor, and some even had four layers of Mingguang armor, which was quite excellent.

Zhao Da gave a heavy snort and said in a deep voice to Sun Pang, whose face had turned pale:
“Lord Sun, count how many sets of armor you have. Such a major case has occurred in your jurisdiction. Should you report it to your superiors or should I report it?”

From a systemic perspective, it wouldn't be unreasonable to exterminate the entire clan of Liu Xingquan and his brothers for hoarding more than ten suits of armor. However, this is already the end of an era, with people's hearts wavering and the legal system collapsing. Which wealthy family doesn't have one or two suits of iron armor for protection? So this is nothing out of the ordinary.

But this kind of thing is indeed a major taboo. It might be okay at other times, but if it's used to convict someone, it's a death sentence.

Li Fengyi and the others who were waiting there changed their expressions drastically when they heard Zhao Da's words. Just as they were about to curse, Bei Wei smashed their jaws with an iron bone from behind.

At this moment, only Liu Xingquan was left behind. He looked up at Zhao Da with a deathly expression:

"I never thought I was wrong, I only regret that I was powerless to avenge my brother's death. But is it the behavior of a true man to use public office for private revenge?"

Zhao Huai'an nodded:
“Indeed, your brother killed my father, and I killed your brother. Originally, the two feuds were even, but you insisted on seeking death and avenging your brother. I have already left my hometown, yet you still want to take my brother away and have bullied and forced my clan to this point. If I don't kill you and exterminate your entire family, am I not a son?”

"However, you are right about one thing: if I kill you today, he will kill me tomorrow. It's all about who's stronger. There's no logic to it. In this world, you can't accept that? Stop showing off your words."

Liu Xingquan was extremely anxious:
“Spare my brother’s life. He is the last bloodline of my Liu family. I didn’t take your land. What use would a money-grubber like me have for your land?”

Zhao Huai'an ignored them completely, only glancing at the two brothers, secretly regretting that one was missing, and then calling out to the second and third brothers behind him:

"Huaitai, Huaide, take the knives and kill them!"

Zhao Huaitai and Zhao Huaide, true to their Zhao family heritage, obeyed their elder brother's orders and immediately drew their short knives from their waists. They stepped forward and stabbed at each other, about to behead the two Liu brothers, when Zhao Huaian cursed them.

"Why are you being so fierce in front of your mother?"

The two brothers then came to their senses and stopped.

Zhao Huai'an looked at Sun Pang, who was still stunned, patted him on the shoulder, and snorted coldly:

"Let's go, take me to see who's taken over Old Zhao's land!"

At this moment, Sun Pang suddenly collapsed, but was supported by Zhao Hu and Sun Tai on either side. All the soldiers and guards of Huo County, including Sun Wan, lowered their heads and dared not look.

(End of this chapter)