Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 147 Suppression
While everyone hesitated, Hong Yanshi, who had just given the speech, suddenly stood up and bowed to Zhao Huai'an:
"My lord, the villain you just shot dead was none other than Zhao Keju, the head of the 'Bright Blade' unit, and this man was his son, Zhao Pei. This father and son were arrogant and rebellious, leading the Bright Blade unit in a mutiny, driving out the governor, and assuming the title of governor. Your lord's swift and decisive action brought the villain to his head, which is truly gratifying!"

With Hong Yanshi taking the lead, everyone quickly bowed and agreed.

But at that moment, the cavalry general who had caught Zhao Huai'an's attention suddenly clasped his hands and said loudly:

"This humble general, Geng Xiaojie, urges the magistrate to quickly send troops into the city. Guangdao is already at the drill ground. It won't be long before they know that the Zhao father and son have been brought to justice. They will surely be terrified and panicked. If they are not suppressed, they will plunder the city, and there will be a great loss of life."

Zhao Huai'an looked at the man, then at Zhao Keju, whom he had shot dead. He was a little stunned. He hadn't expected that he would kill Zhao Keju with a single arrow, directly escalating the conflict. He had originally planned to proceed slowly.

Well, every mistake has its merits; a clean break is necessary. Therefore, Zhao Huai'an made the following direct deployment:

Where is Wang Jin?

The scarred-faced general on the left of the two squads stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and chanted:
"The general is here!"

Zhao Huai'an pointed to the city wall:

"You will lead the three teams of Bashan, Tieshou, and Guiyi, along with the Eighth Team on the left, into the city and occupy the four gates first!"

After saying this, Zhao Huai'an handed Wang Jin a command arrow. After Wang Jin acknowledged the command, he led his troops and the Bashan, Tieshou, and Guiyi under the central army into the city in single file.

Zhao Huai'an then issued another order:
Where is Han Tong?

Han Tong, who had been standing guard in full armor, held an iron mace, clasped his hands, and chanted:

"The general is here!"

Zhao Huai'an also issued an order, giving the following command:
"You shall lead the eight squads of your camp into the city immediately to clear the streets. If any unruly soldiers or civilians dare to take advantage of the chaos, commit arson, murder, or looting, they shall be killed without mercy!"

Han Tong clasped his hands in a fist salute, accepted the command token, and led his troops forward along the street.

Finally, Zhao Huai'an looked around at the assembled civil and military officials of Guang Prefecture and addressed them:

"All generals of Gwangju, heed my command!"

Geng Xiaojie, who had previously reminded Zhao Huai'an, was the first to dismount and sing loudly to Zhao Huai'an;
"The general is here!"

Then, the other military judges, yamen officers, generals, lieutenants, and yamen runners from the other prefectures stepped forward and clasped their hands in greeting to the newly appointed prefect, Zhao Huai'an.
"The general is here!"

In a short while, Zhao Huai'an seized military power in Guang Prefecture. Pointing into the city, he shouted:
"The rest of you, follow me, and march to the drill ground!"

After saying this, Zhao Huai'an mounted his horse and, leading his cavalry generals Guo Congyun, Liu Zhijun, Ding Hui, and Zou Yongfu, charged into the city.

Behind him, the governor Geng Xiaojie, Han Yuanhao and others also led their soldiers closely behind.

……

After entering the city, the scout who had just been checking the distance to the governor's carriage couldn't help but ask Geng Xiaojie:
“Captain, we are all from Xuzhou. Zhao Keju was arrogant and deserved to die. The governor killed him, so be it. But why should we help him kill the ‘Guangdao’ Army? Seven or eight out of ten of them are our Xuzhou heroes.”

Geng Xiaojie remained calm and whispered to the junior officer he favored beside him:
“Yanzhang, you only see one thing, not the other. What about the Xuzhou youths? Our roots are in Guang Prefecture now, and we don’t know how many relatives and friends are in the city. Once those Guang soldiers find out that their heads have been killed, they will definitely grab something and run away. If they run away, won’t we Xuzhou youths who stayed in Guang Prefecture have to bear the infamy?”

Yan Zhang then realized what was happening.

His ancestral home was Yunzhou, but his grandfather's generation moved to Xuzhou. His father was a valiant general of the Silver Knife Capital of Xuzhou, but he died in the year Wang Shi massacred the Silver Knife Capital of Xuzhou. After that, he and his father's generation in the army wandered along the Huai River until they were taken in by Governor Zhang of Guang Prefecture and finally settled down.

Therefore, he cherished this peace and stability, and upon hearing Geng Xiaojie's words, he couldn't help but curse:

"That Zhao Keju deserves to die! He actually dared to spy on the governor from a high place. This man is also a wolf in sheep's clothing. He probably wanted to see who the new governor was. If he wasn't strong enough, he might cause trouble and drive the new governor away. But I didn't expect that this governor would take office with so many troops."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but ask Geng Xiaojie:
"Captain, who is that governor? How come he has such a large army and loyal followers? Moreover, I see that his army has both Han and non-Han people, which shows that he can win the hearts of the people."

Geng Xiaojie chuckled, glanced at the flag protected in the very center by the cavalry, and shook his head, saying:
"Young Wang, this governor is no ordinary man. He is a chivalrous hero from Shouzhou, the neighboring prefecture. Four years ago, to avenge his father, he ambushed and killed six people. He was only sixteen years old at the time. After that, he ran to Xichuan and joined the Lizhou Army. Last winter, the Nanzhao Army launched a major attack, and the Lizhou Army was completely wiped out. This man crawled out from the pile of corpses and wandered hundreds of miles through the mountains to find the main force of the Xichuan Army."

After hearing this, Wang Yanzhang exclaimed in admiration:

"What a hero! He truly embodies both loyalty and filial piety."

Geng Xiaojie added:
"What's even more impressive is yet to come. This man fought several more battles and repeatedly distinguished himself. In the final battle, he led only two hundred cavalrymen and crushed the Nanzhao army, killing the Nanzhao king, Chief Long, in the midst of the battle. It was precisely because of this great achievement that he became our governor!"

Wang Yanzhang, being at the age of youthful passion, couldn't help but look ahead after hearing this story:
"This is a true hero!"

He thought that was the end of it, but then Geng Xiaojie said something else:

"Young Wang, do you think the governor just shot at us randomly? Do you know how many steps from the city gate we set up to welcome the governor?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yanzhang suddenly remembered and exclaimed in surprise:
"At least 150 paces! My goodness! To be able to shoot and kill Zhao Keju on the city wall from that distance, the governor's bow must be at least three stones!"

Wang Yanzhang had just finished speaking when he shook his head again:

"No, the magistrate shot from below, which is farther away. With the wind also involved, it was even more difficult. And yet he was able to accurately kill Zhao Keju. This is too... too terrifying!"

Geng Xiaojie nodded and said calmly:
"So you understand now! What do those rebellious Xuzhou people have to do with us good Xuzhou people? We have a bright future under this governor! Just watch, our rise to prominence is all thanks to this governor!"

The more Wang Yanzhang pondered this, the more he realized the truth of the matter. He couldn't help but let out a long howl, which attracted the attention of many galloping knights from Sichuan and Kangxi, who then drove away to a great distance.

I just think this person is just like that Liu Zhijun, a madman!
……

Along the street, Zhao Huai'an led his cavalry in a rapid advance, and soon arrived at the edge of the training ground.

From the moment Zhao Keju was shot dead to the moment the cavalry charged towards the training ground, very little time had passed. It was this lightning speed that caught the Light Blade Army on the training ground off guard, and they were trapped there before they could even react.

At that moment, the upstairs official was looking at the approaching horse team with surprise, wondering what had happened.

Without hesitation, Geng Xiaojie, who had caught up, shouted upstairs:
"This is the newly appointed governor, who has come to reward the troops. Open the gate immediately!"

Geng Xiaojie's prestige was evident at this moment. Although the gatekeepers didn't understand why the governor was making such a big fuss to reward the troops, they still worked quickly and opened the gates of the drill ground.

The gates swung open, and Zhao Huai'an took the lead. He wasn't even wearing armor, just his fourth-rank official robes, and charged ahead.

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves pounded on the drill ground, and the soldiers of the Light Blade Army, who were encamped on both sides, were already awakened and rushed over with their swords in hand.

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an had already run to the reviewing stand on the drill ground, sat down directly on the stand, and shouted to Liu Zhijun and the others:
"Beat the drums, muster the troops!"

Liu Zhijun and his men dismounted and rushed to the large drum at the back, striking it in unison. The booming sound of the drum echoed throughout the drill ground. The bewildered soldiers, including the Guangdao Duya, instinctively headed towards the reviewing stand.

Looking at the unfamiliar cavalry on both sides, the soldiers grew increasingly uneasy as they advanced. Suddenly, one of them shouted:
Where are our leaders?

Just as this man was about to incite a mutiny, Wang Yanzhang himself drew his bow and shot an arrow at the man from his horse.

After shooting the man, he roared:
"The traitor Zhao Keju, who had been spying on the governor from a high place, was guilty of murder and has now been executed by the governor! You should not remain obstinate; you are all sons of Xuzhou. Put down your swords and don't do anything foolish!"

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an on the platform looked at the military academy student who had led the killing of his own men, nodded, and made a mental note of him. Then he stood up and roared at the hundreds of swordsmen on the training ground:

"I am your governor, Zhao Huai'an, and I have three things to say."

"First of all, I'm here to pay you your wages. I know the governor didn't treat you well before, thinking that you were from Xuzhou and didn't deserve to eat rice from Guang Prefecture. But here, if you serve me as a soldier for a day, I'll pay you for a day!"

"Secondly, I am here to eliminate the accomplices of the previous mutiny. Now that the ringleaders Zhao Keju and his son have been captured, there are still a number of accomplices who have not been dealt with. So who are the accomplices? Whoever is carrying a knife is an accomplice! In short, those who carry the knife die, and those who lay down the knife live!"

"Third, from today onwards, your military titles of Light Blade Army are invalidated. I will select one hundred men from among you to serve as my personal guards, and name them 'Golden Blade'."

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an shouted at the Xuzhou disciples with their gleaming swords, who were surrounded by them:
"So, do you intend to be my coerced followers, or do you wish to serve as my personal guards?"

The disciples of the Light Blade Sect present were completely bewildered and had no idea how things had suddenly turned out this way.

In the morning, the head constable told them to go and see who the new governor was.
If he is obedient, then treat him as a fake governor. If he is disobedient and thinks he is a real governor, then get the brothers to make a scene and drive him away!

This Guangzhou should belong to the people of Xuzhou!

But now, after only welcoming the governor, Zhao Dutou died and even lost his son. In their haste, they couldn't find anyone to lead them, and then they were surrounded by a group of cavalry at the drill ground.

Because they arrived in a hurry, most of them were not wearing armor and could not even withstand the first volley of arrows from the enemy cavalry.

Now that the new governor has said something like that, everyone's hearts have immediately scattered.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense. The soldiers looked at each other and suddenly dropped their weapons, fearing that the last one to drop his weapon would be considered a coerced accomplice.

However, there were still Zhao's cronies in the group who knew that once the decision was made, they would inevitably be purged, and at this time they clamored and made a fuss:

"Brothers, don't put the knife down! Haven't we learned our lesson from Silver Knife City yet?!"

Sure enough, these words made the soldiers present hesitate again. Back then, wasn't the Silver Knife Army tricked by that old man Wang into going to the training ground to distribute rewards, and then wiped out in one fell swoop?
So those who hadn't put down their knives gripped them even tighter, their eyes growing increasingly fierce!

"Whoosh!"

An arrow pierced the air and struck the throat of the man who had just incited the crowd. The archer was Kang Baoyi, a knight from Chuankang.

Seeing that someone had made a move, the remaining Sichuan-Kang knights also fired arrows at those still holding swords. In a moment, arrows rained down, accurately killing their targets.

One by one, those wielding knives fell down, and those surrounded no longer dared to hold knives, dropping them all.

The arrows stopped when no one present dared to take out a knife.

As for those who lost their knives but were still unlucky enough to be shot to death, they can only be told that it was bad luck.

Wailing and screams filled the air as countless corpses lay piled upon each other, their blood staining the drill ground crimson.

Some of the soldiers who came with them to quell the rebellion, a hundred of whom were from Xuzhou, couldn't help but turn their faces away when they saw their fellow villagers falling one after another.

That's horrible!
As the Sichuan-Kang knights shot those people, Zhao Huai'an stood and watched, making no attempt to stop them!
Huairou is a matter of personal relationships; some people can't be warmed no matter how much sincerity you offer, and in those cases, you'll just have to endure Zhao Da's fists.

Looking at the remaining hundred or so people, Zhao Huai'an nodded:
"Alright, although there are more coerced followers, at least no one is competing with you for the Golden Knife Fang Soldier spots."

"Now, I order all teams to return to their respective tents. No one may leave their tents without my order!"

Then the cavalry charged forward and began to gather the remaining hundred or so Xuzhou soldiers. The army scribes recorded their names on the spot and then divided them into tents of five men each.

These Xuzhou soldiers had been thoroughly terrified by the slaughter. Now that they were lucky enough to survive, they would do whatever the other side said without daring to utter a single word of dissent.

And so, the Xuzhou soldiers who had repeatedly committed atrocities in Guangzhou were captured by Zhao Huai'an.

The whole process took less than half an hour.

……

In the days that followed, the storm of suppressing the "Guangdao" army subsided, but the high-ranking officials and powerful families of Guang Prefecture began to realize Zhao Da's methods.

Those who were killed were all convicted and beheaded, while the survivors were carefully identified and eighty people were left.

These were all coerced soldiers who received two years' worth of military pay from Zhao Huai'an and were then asked one by one whether they were willing to join the 'Golden Knife' team.

In the end, fifty people were willing to stay. In their eyes, killing was not the problem; the sin was not being able to kill! They chose to pledge allegiance to the stronger ones!
Others, tired of the constant killing and uncertainty, took their pay and left Gwangju, unsure if they could find a peaceful haven free from bloodshed.

Then, Zhao Huai'an rewarded those who had made contributions.

Hong Yanshi, who was the first to identify Zhao Keju, was promoted from the provincial government system to the shogunate and became Zhao Huai'an's military advisor.

Wang Yanzhang, who led the shooting of the rioters, was promoted by Zhao Huai'an to the position of Ten-Man General in Beiwei and joined the Righteous Society.

The one who received the greatest reward was Geng Xiaojie, the former commander of the pacification army. He was promoted to Right General of the Yamen, the third-highest military rank in the Yamen.

Regarding this suppression, Zhao Huai'an had Zhang Guinian write a well-written official document and submit it to the Jiedushi's office to see what the reaction would be.

However, Zhao Huai'an did not receive a response from the military governor's office, but instead received a call from the magistrates of the other three counties under his jurisdiction.

After the bloody suppression of the Guangdao Army, Xie Yuanshang, the magistrate of Gushi County, Xue Shaotong, the magistrate of Xianju County, and Yang Guangding, the magistrate of Yincheng County, went to the prefecture to pay homage to Zhao Huai'an.

At this point, Zhao Huai'an's carriage had just arrived at the prefectural government office, and the five counties of Guang Prefecture had already been largely settled.

Gwangju is nothing special... I guess!

(End of this chapter)