Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 173 Mergers
The team needs to speed up; this was instructed to Zhao Huai'an by Du Cong, the Salt and Iron Commissioner of Yingzhou.

It wasn't that anything drastic had happened at the Bianzhou camp, but rather that if we didn't hurry, the coldest time of the year would arrive, and the Ying River might freeze at any moment.

So after only two days in the bustling city of Yingzhou, the Huainan army's fleet of ships gathered these grain transport boats and headed to Bianzhou. There, the boats would again turn onto the Yellow River and deliver the grain to Chang'an before the river froze over.

Yes, the batch of grain that Zhao Huai'an sent was not actually destined for the front-line camp, but for Chang'an.

It seems that even if the common people suffer, the soldiers shouldn't suffer, and even if the soldiers suffer, the people of Chang'an shouldn't suffer.

Zhao Huai'an was completely unaware of this. At that moment, he was on a deck, wrapped in a large fur cloak, waving goodbye to Du Cong on the shore.

To be fair, Old Du is indeed a good person. Although he may not be particularly good to the common people, he has at least taken good care of Zhao Huai'an.

Yesterday, when I attended the banquet, I asked a few questions about whether a batch of armor and weapons could be sent to the army. As a result, Old Du sent him a ship full of armor, a hundred sets, and even thoughtfully added a fur coat.

The reason for this is that it is now the dead of winter, and the officers and soldiers cannot wear iron armor directly. If they touch it, the skin on their hands will freeze off.

Therefore, it is generally necessary to wrap oneself in fur, which not only keeps one warm but also provides an additional layer of protection.

In fact, Zhao Huai'an was not short of furs. After he pacified most of the Dabie Mountains, he had more furs than he needed. He gave some of the best quality furs as gifts to his friends, and tanned the rest as strategic reserves.

Zhao Huai'an had plenty, but that didn't mean he didn't appreciate Du Cong's kindness. He knew that there was no such thing as unearned kindness or gift, but Zhao Huai'an was confident enough to accept anyone's gift; if he couldn't repay it, he could repay it in the next life.

As Zhao Huai'an remarked on how kind Du Cong was to see him off, Du Cong below was also waving goodbye to Zhao Huai'an.

As the massive fleet gradually departed Yingzhou, one of Du Cong's attendants asked his superior, puzzled:

"My lord, why are you so friendly to Zhao Da? Those armors are from Yingzhou's treasury, and we don't even have enough for ourselves. Why are you giving them to him?"

Du Cong watched the departing fleet and shook his head, saying:
“You don’t understand. These iron armors are only useful to this person. As for the other people, do you think I don’t know their character? They’re just a bunch of guard dogs who waste the government’s grain. Expecting them to suppress bandits? You might as well expect this Zhao Da to do it.”

After saying this, he turned to his attendant and said:
"I consider myself a person who has seen countless people, and the moment I met Zhao Huai'an, I knew he was a man who dared to take on responsibilities. In this day and age, there are not many people who can get things done and get things done."

As he spoke, Du Cong seemed to have thought of something and sighed.

Then he spotted a fleet of ships following behind, saw the banner of the Prefect of Shouzhou, and a cold snort escaped his nostrils:
"Take Yan Zhang for example. Can we expect someone like him to risk his life on the front lines? Military affairs are a matter of national importance. Throughout history, many bandits have only emerged as minor figures, but once they are defeated by the imperial army, they suddenly become a force to be reckoned with, and the nation is overthrown as a result. Therefore, I observe that all the generals are very self-important and do not take those bandits seriously. One says that three thousand can wipe out the bandits, and another says that he can quell the banditry in three months. I think they are all a bunch of boastful people who will suffer a great loss sooner or later."

“But look at Zhao Huai’an. That day when we were drinking, he was the only one who kept talking about the front-line battle, and he was the only one who asked us for military equipment. What does this show? It shows that they value these bandits and don’t treat national affairs as a joke.”

At this point, Du Cong looked at the densely packed warehouses on both banks of the river and sighed:
"We are all salt and iron producers, and all we can do is ensure the supply to the front lines. There's not much else we can do. But that's precisely why we must do a good job of transporting supplies, so as not to fail His Majesty's trust in us to manage the affairs of the state. The ground will soon freeze, and we must transport another batch of grain to the front lines. You must handle this matter well."

The subordinate nodded quickly, indicating that he would definitely share the emperor's burdens and solve his problems.

Hearing his subordinate's words, Du Cong felt ashamed and mocked himself:
"What talk of sharing burdens and relieving difficulties? We can't even take care of the disaster victims outside. They are the real problem of the country. Sigh, after you transport this batch of rice to Kaifeng, check how much old rice is left in each granary. Sweep it all up and distribute it to the disaster victims outside the city. If we can do that, we can have a clear conscience."

After speaking, Du Cong looked into the distance, his eyes filled with worry about the future.

……

After Zhao Huai'an had Yan Zhang completely under his control, the Guang and Shou allied forces had only one voice.

In reality, since Zhao Huai'an publicly dragged Yan Zhang onto the carriage, Yan Zhang, who had not yet established much prestige among the guards, had completely destroyed the authority of the governor.

Power is a complex thing. Sometimes, the imperial court can simply issue a two-foot-long piece of silk or a tattered bamboo pole, and then grant a person the power to control the people of an entire prefecture. Even the most outstanding heroes will have to submit to it.

Six years ago, when the massive Pang Xun Rebellion was quelled by the imperial court, a mediocre military man like Yan Zhang could become the ruler of hundreds of thousands of people in Shouzhou with just an imperial edict.

But now, six years later, a strange atmosphere is lingering in the hearts of many military officers.

That is, the imperial court seems to be struggling to breathe.

Yes, the imperial court is still as powerful as ever, having suppressed both Annam in the south and Nanzhao in the southwest. But in the last two years, the situation has changed somewhat.

First, the rebels in Liangzhe, which were right under their noses, have not been wiped out yet, and there are signs that they are getting worse. Meanwhile, the heartland of the Central Plains is experiencing a series of disasters. In particular, the apocalyptic scenes that these Huainan warriors witnessed on their way north gave them a clear understanding of the disasters plaguing the Central Plains.

Most of the samurai were illiterate and ignorant of historical patterns, but they understood a simple truth.

That is, people need to eat, whether they wield a knife or a hoe.

Given the current situation in the Central Plains, where can they find rice to eat? If they continue to suppress bandits under these circumstances, won't the bandits just multiply?

Therefore, these soldiers of Shouzhou all felt uneasy, sensing that this civil unrest might be a little different.

They certainly couldn't see the future, but that didn't stop them from instinctively gravitating towards the strong, especially those who were about to go to the battlefield.

Therefore, they chose Zhao Huai'an without hesitation when faced with the choice between Zhao Huai'an and Yan Zhang.

Even if he was only the governor of Guang Prefecture, not their governor.

Right now, all of these people are standing on the deck, staring intently at a large ship ahead.

There, Zhang Ao, the military commissioner of Shouzhou, had just received orders from the governor of Guang Prefecture and boarded the large ship in a small boat to speak with the governor.

Many people were worried about Zhang Ao's fate, and many of them felt that this scene was very familiar.

Because back then, the silver knives of Xuzhou were all killed by their new governor, who called them in one by one. Now, would the governor of Guang Prefecture do the same thing?
At this moment, many people couldn't help but grip the hilts of their knives. It wasn't that they dared to fight those Gwangju soldiers; if they could have won, they wouldn't have been trapped on the ship yesterday.

They are now waiting for Zhang Ao to come out. If he doesn't come out and the people from Guangzhou continue to call for people to board the ships, then they will immediately take over the fleet and return to Shouzhou.

……

Zhao Huai'an lay on the soft couch, with a copper stove burning beside him, roasting several oranges on it, and he was leisurely peeling one in his hand.

People like Zhao Liu and Dou Pangzi sat cross-legged around the stove. Orange peels were scattered all over the blanket, and two small hunting dogs were wagging their tails and circling around Zhao Huai'an's soft couch.

When the anxious and fearful military commander of Shouzhou, Zhang Ao, was led into the ship's tower, this was the scene he witnessed.

The strong scent of oranges made Zhang Ao's mouth water instantly. He swallowed it without making a sound, then carefully bowed to Zhao Huai'an on the soft couch.
"This humble general Zhang Ao greets Your Excellency."

He didn't dare to look up until Zhao Huai'an called out:
"Get up. Kneeling there in the dead of winter, even on a wooden board, is cold enough. Come, sit next to me."

As he spoke, Zhao Huai'an glared at his simple-minded adopted son, Zhao Wenhui, telling him to move aside and not to block the way.

Zhao Wenhui was eating an orange when he looked up and saw his godfather glaring at him. Just as he was wondering what was going on, he looked up and saw an embarrassed face.

He reluctantly said "Oh," then moved the cushion under his buttocks forward a little, leaving a gap, as if to say, "Zhang Ao, just let it be."

Zhang Ao didn't dare to speak. At this moment, the few dozen people in the building were all staring at him, some smiling, some grinning, and some expressionless.

He was under immense pressure, lifting his foot, turning to the side, carefully avoiding stepping on the boy's mat.

After finally getting through, there were still seven or eight people ahead of me, all sitting cross-legged and blocking the way, and they showed no intention of giving way.

Zhang Ao didn't dare to look up and ask Zhao Huai'an for help. He could only apologize and wait for someone to make way for him. Then he slowly moved to Zhao Huai'an's side.

Zhang Ao's back was covered in sweat after walking just seven or eight steps.

It's just that the stove is too hot.

When he finally reached Zhao Huai'an's soft couch, he dared not sit down. Because the person next to him had only left him a very cramped space, he could only barely put his feet together.

Thus, Zhang Ao stood with his feet together, bowed deeply to Zhao Huai'an, and waited for Zhao Huai'an to speak.

Zhao Huai'an looked at this general from Shouzhou. Logically speaking, this man was from his hometown, but he couldn't see the fighting spirit of the heroes of Huoshan in him.

Shaking his head, Zhao Huai'an handed an orange to Zhang Ao and said with a smile:

"Try this orange. It's from Huainan, not from Yingzhou." Zhang Ao, flattered, accepted the orange, held it, smelled it first, and said with delight:
"Yes, it tastes like home."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huai'an was clearly taken aback, and then he saw Zhao Liu and Dou Pangzi simultaneously move the cushions under their buttocks further out.

This guy's got some skills, let's give him a little stretch.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the crowd, a young Taoist priest, who was also peeling an orange and eating it, saw this scene, pouted, and looked down on these hypocritical outsiders.

Then his master stepped on his toe, but he didn't dare to cry out and took a bite of half an orange.

However, the general was right about one thing: the oranges from Huainan are delicious and sweet!
……

Zhang Ao was tearing off segments of an orange and eating them, while Zhao Huai'an, without waiting for him to finish, asked:
"I called you over for no particular reason. I just wanted you to tell me how many of my Shouzhou natives are in the army, and which of them are particularly outstanding heroes."

Zhang Ao didn't find anything wrong with Zhao Huai'an, the governor of Guang Prefecture, calling himself "a son of Shou Prefecture," and instead replied happily:

"My lord, the troops of Shouzhou are the strongest in Huainan..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Liu coughed, and the chubby guy next to him patted his back to help him catch his breath.

How come I can choke even when eating an orange?

Zhang Ao immediately said the next sentence:
"That is, the Baoyi Army is second only to Guangzhou, and my Shouzhou has 6,000 cavalry and infantry, including 500 cavalry, making it the most important military force in Huainan, second only to the Guangzhou Cavalry."

When Zhao Huai'an heard that there were actually five hundred cavalry in Shouzhou, he visibly raised his eyebrows and then asked Zhang Ao to continue.

Then Zhang Ao, not daring to look at Zhao Huai'an's expression, continued:

"There are twelve of them, each with five hundred men. The five hundred men in the yamen are the soldiers who accompanied the governor north to the front lines this time. The remaining twelve men were all left in Shou County. It is said that this was a military order directly issued by the military governor's office."

Zhao Huai'an nodded, thinking to himself that it was no wonder Yan Zhang had chickened out so quickly; it turned out he was just a big shot in the state.

Then Zhang Ao began to list the people of the Twelve Capitals for Zhao Huai'an as if they were his own treasures. Some of them were people Zhao Huai'an had heard of before. They were already famous heroes in the underworld when he was still messing around. He never expected that they would also make it to the real world.

Alas, youth is indeed fleeting and never returns; the ultimate fate of heroes lies in the military.

After Zhang Ao finished his introduction, Zhao Huai'an handed him another orange. This time, Zhang Ao ate it in big bites, completely losing his previous awkwardness.

However, after eating only half of it, Zhao Huai'an asked another question:

“I know what you’re saying. Tell me about things I don’t know, like some good ones you’ve seen but are still wasting your time on. Tell me one.”

Zhang Ao hesitated for a moment, but after considering it in his mind for only a short while, he said:

"I do have someone I can recommend to you, Your Excellency. He is a platoon leader in the Zhixian Army, named Zhu Jing. He will be traveling north with us this time. If Your Excellency is interested, I will go and summon him to meet you."

Zhao Huai'an didn't care. He didn't care at all whether they were true heroes or not. He just wanted to find a few bitter and resentful people in the Shouzhou army who were not valued by others.

Since Zhang Ao had made a recommendation, Zhao Huai'an nodded in agreement and prepared to have Zhang Ao stay there while someone else took a boat to the back to call for help.

But as soon as Zhao Huai'an finished speaking, Zhang Ao raised his head and hurriedly shouted:

"My lord, you must not do that. If the soldiers in the rear see that I did not leave from here and then called for reinforcements to come in, they will surely think it is the story of the Silver Knife Army of Xuzhou. At that time, the soldiers will be frightened and may ruin your important business."

After Zhang Ao finished speaking, a robust young man among the group of people sitting cross-legged heard this and his face darkened noticeably. His father and uncles had been tricked into going in and beheaded in the same way.

Zhao Wenzhong, who was eating an orange next to him, noticed his darkening expression and assumed he had eaten something sour, so he quickly handed him his orange.

"Yanzhang, eat this one we're holding. It's not sour, it's sweet!"

Wang Yanzhang smiled and nodded, and was about to take a segment of orange when Zhao Wenzhong stuffed the whole orange into his hand.

Wang Yanzhang ate a piece and smiled at Zhao Wenzhong, saying:
"So sweet!"

After saying that, he couldn't help but look at the magistrate on the soft couch in the middle and finished eating the rest of the oranges.

Zhao Huai'an had many men from Xuzhou under his command, so he had heard the story of the Silver Knife Army and laughed directly:
"What are you saying? I, Zhao Da, am not that kind of person. We are all from my hometown of Shouzhou. How could I do such a thing?"

Then, he said to Zhang Ao:

"You're quite thoughtful. Alright, go back first and bring Zhu Jing with you, along with his military register."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ao understood, so he respectfully bowed and then retreated the way he came.

This time, however, no one blocked him.

……

As soon as Zhang Ao left, Zhao Huai'an's face fell.

Yuan Xi, who was sitting next to Zhang Guinian and his advisors, spoke first:

"My lord, this man has ulterior motives; he's clearly using the masses to protect himself."

Zhao Huaian shook his head:
"I don't mind that, but I'm wondering if someone is deliberately spreading rumors about the Silver Knife Army. After all, I'm from Shouzhou, and these soldiers are also from Shouzhou. We're all fellow villagers who grew up drinking from the Huai River. How could they subconsciously have such thoughts?"

His words left everyone thoughtful.

Not long after, Zhang Ao indeed led a burly, dark-skinned soldier in and saluted Zhao Huai'an from a distance.

Zhao Huai'an didn't test the man's martial arts skills, but asked him where he was from and what he used to do. He then learned that Zhu Jing had also been involved in the underworld, so he asked who he had followed back then.

After a few questions, they directly made connections, saying that Zhu Jing could be considered a disciple of Brother Zhao Huai'an, and that he was one of their own.

So Zhao Huai'an laughed and, in front of the military commissioner of Renshou Prefecture, tore out Zhu Jing's page from the military register and placed it in a book on his desk.

Zhu Jing was overjoyed and prostrated himself before Zhao Huai'an, from then on joining the Baoyi Army.

Meanwhile, Zhao Huai'an didn't ask Zhang Ao any more questions. Instead, he let Zhang Ao lead a group of guards and stay under his command.

Zhang Ao bowed deeply and then left.

Watching Zhang Ao's departing figure, Zhao Huai'an's lips curled into a sneer.

……

The fleet sailed along the Ying River out of Yingzhou and soon reached the territory of Zhongwu Army.

At this time, the weather is getting colder and colder. Often, when you wake up in the morning, you can see that the area near the shore has already formed a thin layer of ice.

The fleet dared not slow down any longer. Thousands of rowers, chanting in the cold weather, sped forward towards Xiangcheng.

Two days later, Zhao Huai'an saw Xiangcheng from the deck, as well as a huge camp stationed on the riverbank outside the city.

From afar, Zhao Huai'an seemed to see something hanging on the large flagpole in the camp.

As the fleet drew closer, he could vaguely see what looked like someone stripped naked and tied to a flagpole.

It wasn't until the fleet had completely docked outside the city that Zhao Huai'an could see the man clearly, and then he was greatly surprised:
"Damn, isn't that my good brother Li Shitai hanging from the bamboo pole?"

"How did he get up there? Quick, quick, go and put my brother down, it's so cold!"

(End of this chapter)