Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 188 Ge Congzhou

On the sixteenth day of the first month of the third year of Qianfu, in Puzhou, Linpu.

Along the official road from Linpu to Puyang, one could occasionally see refugees walking aimlessly. They were all groups of disaster victims organized by the Yicheng Army to go to Puyang for food.

The Yicheng army entered Puzhou earlier than the Huainan army. In fact, after the order to set up the camp was issued, Li Zhong, the military governor of the Taiping Army, ordered General Chen Quanyu to lead his own 500 troops and 3,000 Yicheng soldiers into Puzhou, and to take advantage of the opportunity to recover Puyang.

Chen Quanyu was once a member of Pang Xun's army, but he was not from the core of Xuzhou. Instead, he was a local tyrant from the Fengpei area on the outskirts. When the Tang army commander Kang Chengxun launched a counterattack, he led a thousand men from Fengpei to surrender to the surrendered army.

Later, he was transferred to Yicheng as the military commander, and now he is the commander of the cavalry and infantry of the Yicheng army, the third most important figure in the army.

After Chen Quanyu led his troops into Puzhou, he encountered the same situation as Zhao Huai'an: a chaotic countryside and countless disaster victims. On the contrary, he did not see many so-called bandits.

So first they recaptured Puyang, and then they took Linpu and Juancheng in one fell swoop.

It was at this time that Li Zhong, the military governor in the rear, ordered Chen Quanyu to gather the disaster victims and settle them in the Puyang area, because the area is backed by the Yellow River and can use waterways to transport grain to relieve the disaster victims.

Clearly, after news of Zhao Huai'an's actions in Caozhou reached Yang Fuguang in the rear, the supervising officer intended for the Yicheng army to follow suit.

Li Zhong, the military governor of Yicheng Army, was a distant relative of the imperial family. He valued his own country quite a bit and knew that instead of trying to stop the fire by adding more water, it was better to address the root cause. Only by separating the bandits from the disaster victims could the chaos and the disaster be resolved.

So he allocated a batch of grain and fodder to Puyang, and then had Chen Quanyu at the front gather the rural disaster victims and transport them to Puyang for resettlement and re-registration.

……

A light drizzle was falling from the sky. On the official road, twelve-year-old Xie Yanzhang was fleeing to Puyang with his aunt's family.

Xie Yanzhang stepped onto the dirt road full of ruts, stuffed the chicken coop that was about to fall off the donkey cart, and then continued to push the donkey cart forward with difficulty.

He was from Xuzhou. When he was eight years old, his parents died of an epidemic. His aunt, who had married into Linpu, took him to live in Linpu, where he lived for four years.

My aunt's family used to be very well-off; they ran a mule and horse inn, providing carriage and horse services to merchants and travelers.

However, in the four years since Xie Yanzhang arrived in Linpu, there have been three years of natural disasters, and each year the disasters were more severe than the last. Under such circumstances, the entire Puzhou could not survive, let alone his aunt's family.

The mule and horse inn used to be doing well, and they had some savings. But after three years of struggling like this, now even if they have money, they can't buy grain.

Fortunately, the imperial army arrived at this time. After occupying their houses, they gave them a piece of paper, saying that they would be able to eat millet once they arrived in Puyang.

There were no chickens in the chicken coop, and no donkey in front of the donkey cart. His two cousins ​​were pulling the cart, while he was pushing it from behind.

As for the people in the car, they were his uncle and aunt, and a six-year-old cousin.

At that moment, the uncle sat in the car, pushed by his two sons and a nephew. Looking at the refugees along the way, he sighed and said to them:
"Don't be discouraged. Things will get better once we get to Puyang. We'll still be rich by then. Do you believe me?"

The two older cousins ​​were too exhausted to speak, only Xie Yanzhang echoed his uncle from behind:
"I believe you, Uncle. With our family's mule-raising skills, we won't starve even if we go to Puyang. Besides, they say that a large amount of grain is being transported to Puyang for disaster relief, which will definitely require a lot of mules and horses. When we get there, we'll definitely be able to get our business back up and running."

The uncle laughed heartily upon hearing this and said to his wife:

"I was just saying that Guangyuan is smart and will be extraordinary in the future."

Then my uncle said earnestly:

"Ah, Guangyuan, you are still young. Stay here in our mule and horse inn and train well. First, improve your riding skills. Later, when our lives get better, we will hire a good spearman for you so that you can learn good martial arts and join the army."

At this point, my aunt asked my uncle out of curiosity:

"Why did Sanlang send Guangyuan to join the army again today? Isn't that a death sentence? It's either killing or being killed, there's no good end. Why did you suddenly have such a change of heart?"

Xie Yanzhang looked up at his aunt and said very seriously:

"Aunt, your nephew wants to join the army."

The uncle smiled with relief, then sighed and said to his wife:
"Women, what were those years before, and what are those years now? In the future, whether you join the army or not, few of you will have a good end. It's better to join the army and try your luck for wealth and status, so you can protect yourself and us."

At this moment, how could the aunt not know that her husband was calculating things deeply? He was sending Guangyuan to the front lines to risk his life so as to protect their family.

Sigh, my aunt felt both heartache and helplessness. In the end, she was just a woman, and these things really didn't matter to her.

Looking at her remarkably mature nephew, the aunt sighed. Luckily, her nephew probably also wanted to join the army.

……

The road they are walking on now is the main road leading directly to Puyang. Originally, there were rows of shady trees on both sides that could provide shade and rest for pedestrians, but now these trees are all bare, and even the bark has been gnawed off.

It's a truly desolate, apocalyptic scene.

It was still the first month of the lunar calendar, and many of the refugees on the road had already set off in groups on New Year's Eve. Those who had survived the three years of disaster and still had luggage were basically small and powerful people with businesses, like Xie Yanzhang's uncle.

These people used to be influential in the area, able to summon hundreds of people with a single word. But now that they've fallen on hard times, apart from their own family, even their servants have all fled.

Because many of them are not good at walking, many have been on the road for more than ten days and have not yet seen Puyang City, but fortunately they will be there soon.

Thinking about the better days to come, the disaster victims secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then a cloud of dust rose up on the official road ahead.

Then they saw a group of knights dressed in crimson military robes appear on the official road.

At first, the refugees on the road couldn't help but hide under the wheels of the horses when they heard the sound of hooves. But when they saw that it was the Tang army, and most likely the Yicheng army that had organized them to go to Puyang, they all crawled out again.

Even so, some people couldn't help but quicken their pace, after all, soldiers have knives, and when they're unreasonable, they really are.

The group of knights, carrying dozens of small flags with various inscriptions, neither advanced nor retreated upon seeing the fleeing group, but simply stood blocking the road and watched.

At this moment, the uncle in the car quickly jumped off, rubbed the ground with his hands, and then rubbed his wife's face repeatedly.

My aunt was a little embarrassed but felt a sweet warmth in her heart, and said to my uncle:
"Sanlang, you still do this? I'm already so old, do you think I'll still be remembered by others?"

But my uncle didn't care about that, and said to my aunt:
"Keep your head down, who knows what these thugs are up to?"

Then the uncle said to his two sons pulling the cart in front:

"Let's speed up the ride and get to Puyang sooner."

But at that moment, the group of knights who had been sitting on their horses and looking around suddenly drew their swords and slashed at the refugees in front of them.

In an instant, most of the disaster victims were stunned, and then, with a series of shrill screams, everyone came to their senses.

By this time, my uncle's legs had gone weak. Looking at the Tang army knights indiscriminately slaughtering the refugees, he was completely at a loss, until Xie Yanzhang shouted from behind:

"Uncle, let's leave the main road and run behind the woods on both sides."

"Quick!"

As he spoke, Xie Yanzhang started running, hoisted a basket from the cart onto his back, and then ran into the woods on the left.

At this moment, the uncle and aunt finally realized what was happening, and, crying and shouting, they pulled their two sons and jumped out of the car, running to the left.

At this moment, the entire official road was in complete chaos. The refugees were in a daze, unable to understand why the government troops had sent them to Puyang and why they were being ambushed and killed here.

Among the crowd, there were also clever ones like Xie Yanzhang, who began to run towards the woods on the left, where the woods were larger and denser, and even deeper in there were some evergreen pine forests.

With these leaders in place, the chaotic crowd swarmed and followed suit.

The clatter of hooves grew closer, accompanied by shrill cries. The Yicheng army, which had been indiscriminately slaughtering refugees, laughed loudly, mocking the galloping "military achievements" with their accents from the Feng and Pei areas.

Xie Yanzhang, having run halfway, saw his aunt lagging behind and quickly turned back. He saw his aunt tightly embracing his cousin and hurriedly called out to her:

"Aunt, put Aru in my basket."

At this moment, the aunt panicked and subconsciously put the child into Xie Yanzhang's basket. Just as she was about to speak, the Yicheng army knights who were slaughtering on the official road saw that most of the "military merits" were running into the woods. They laughed strangely and rode over.

The sound of horses' hooves grew closer behind them. The two cousins ​​were completely exhausted; each holding a long stick, they addressed their parents behind them:
"Father and Mother, you run quickly, we can't run anymore, we'll cover your rear."

Then the two brothers ran dumbfounded towards an oncoming Yicheng knight. One stabbed the man, and the other rammed the horse, actually knocking the Yicheng knight to the ground.

The two men laughed and prepared to seize the warhorse, but the knight who was nominally part of the army had already stood up.

Hearing his companions mocking and jeering him from behind, he became enraged. He drew his sword from his waist and with two strokes, he felled the two brothers to the ground. Then, with two more strokes, he beheaded them.

Witnessing all this, the aunt and uncle let out a wail, grabbed stones from the ground, and rushed forward to fight the Yicheng army knights. After two blows, the couple fell into pools of blood.

Afterwards, Xie Yanzhang stared blankly as his only remaining family member died before his eyes, his mind going completely blank.

It wasn't until his cousin's cry from inside the basket that he was awakened. With tears in his eyes, Xie Yanzhang suddenly ran towards the woods behind the house.

The Yicheng knights, who had just finished killing people, also saw Xie Yanzhang fleeing. Knowing that he must be the last remaining member of that family, they grinned and gave chase.

Although Xie Yanzhang was only twelve years old, he had worked hard for four years and had developed a strong physique. The Yicheng army chased after him for a while but failed to catch up, and then returned.

When Xie Yanzhang saw that the knights chasing him had finally disappeared, he burst into tears.

My aunt was a good person who brought me from Xuzhou and raised me. My uncle was neither a good nor a bad person; he treated me like a farmhand. He washed the mules and horses in the shop and cleaned up their excrement. But he was my aunt's relative, so he was also my relative.

The two older brothers were also good people, often helping him with food and clothing. However, neither of them was very clever, which often drew scolding from their uncle.

But they're all dead. Just moments ago, they were dreaming of the future. Waaah, why did those Righteous Army soldiers kill people?

Xie Yanzhang's tears kept falling until his little cousin in the basket reached out her tiny hand to wipe them away, and said in her childish voice:

"Cousin, don't cry. Aru, don't cry. Cousin, don't cry either."

Xie Yanzhang paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

Just as Xie Yanzhang was about to catch his breath, he suddenly heard the sound of hooves behind him. The Yicheng Army knight who had just retreated not only reappeared on horseback, but also brought two familiar companions with him.

Gazing at the little boy carrying the basket from afar, the knight cursed loudly:

"You think you can run? Stand still and let us kill you!"

But Xie Yanzhang ignored him and continued running into the woods with his bamboo basket on his back.

There was a gentle slope outside the forest entrance. He climbed over with great effort, but when he looked down, he was stunned.

Below him stood a densely packed group of knights, dressed in brightly colored clothes, with only yellow turbans tied around their heads, all staring at him.

Xie Yanzhang felt all the blood rush to his brain, and he couldn't move his legs for a moment, until a burly, bearded man holding an iron spear looked at him and laughed.

Then the man spurred his horse and galloped past him, heading straight for the three Yicheng army knights who were attacking from behind.

The three men, seeing Xie Yanzhang standing still, assumed he was tired from running and were about to cut off his head when suddenly they saw a burly man rushing towards them with a large iron spear.

The three were shocked. The two who were lagging behind immediately drew their bows and arrows and shot, while the one in front turned around and ran away without looking back.

But the next instant, the big man galloped past on his horse, and the iron spear merely grazed the man, causing him to vomit blood and fall to the ground.

The two Righteous Army knights behind him hurriedly tried to run away after firing an arrow.

This bandit general who suddenly appeared is too fierce. He managed to dodge the two arrows he just shot with his body. It was simply divine skill.

How could the two of them possibly defeat such a formidable opponent?
But they realized it too late and ran too slowly. Almost the instant the man in front fell off his horse, the two men behind them had their heads smashed by iron spears.

After the burly man with the thick beard easily dealt with three Yicheng knights, he suddenly heard a scream from behind. He turned around and saw that the boy who had just fled had come down again and used a stone to kill the Yicheng knight who had just been knocked off his horse.

The boy carried a little girl in a bamboo basket. She was amazed to see the boy smash the knight's head to pieces with a stone. The little girl watched intently.

He dragged his iron spear, rode his horse forward, looked at the youth below, and asked:

"Do you have a grudge against this person?"

Xie Yanzhang lay sprawled on the ground. Although he had avenged himself, he felt nothing. He looked at the burly man with the thick beard and replied:
"This man killed my aunt's entire family; it's a blood feud!"

The burly man with the thick beard nodded, but said to the young man:
"This man killed your aunt, but after you killed him, didn't you feel unsatisfied, as if the revenge was too easy?"

Seeing the boy nod, the man sighed:
"The reason it is like this is because although this person killed people, what really harms you is this unjust world. Why should we people of Puzhou die? Why can't we people of Puzhou eat the rice we grow ourselves? It's all because of this unjust world. You have taken your revenge, but you still have resentment in your heart. This is the resentment of injustice. If we don't vent it and kill some people, this world will never be better."

"So you're not just killing this one; there are millions more like him. Only when all these people are wiped out will the world be a better place!"

Xie Yanzhang was bewildered; it was the first time he had heard such words, but he found them very satisfying.

At this moment, more and more knights came down the hillside and headed straight for the official road behind the forest.

With each scream of agony, the bearded man burst into laughter, then brandished his iron spear and said to Xie Yanzhang:

"Hey kid, if you want to come with us, then run five or six miles behind us. There's a big camp there."

As he spoke, the man tossed Xie Yanzhang a small wooden plaque, on which was written:
"General Tianbu Junping and Commander-in-Chief of the Army under the Commander of All Heroes in the Land."

Then this person left him with a sentence:

"Remember to say that it was I, Ge Congzhou, who sent you."

After saying that, the man ignored the boy and led the seven or eight impatient knights straight out.

They were going to annihilate the Yicheng army outpost and then launch a surprise attack on the Yicheng army camp outside Puyang.

Let these Zhengzhou people come to their Puzhou and kill our fellow villagers, and let their heads roll.

And so, Xie Yanzhang sat on the ground, watching the thousand cavalry sweep across the plain and then disappear from sight.

He tossed the wooden plaque into the bamboo basket for his cousin to play with, then bent down to pick up the Yicheng Army knight's sword and a lance, and then found a warhorse that had escaped to this place in the woods.

Then, leaping onto his horse and carrying a bamboo basket, Xie Yanzhang galloped off in the direction the bearded man had pointed.

He was going to join these heroes.

The bearded man is right. We must exterminate these bad seeds before the good people will be rewarded.

……

Three days later, on the nineteenth day of the first lunar month.

About eighty li from here, at the border of Cao and Pu prefectures, five li outside Nanhua County.

Wang Jin arrived here in broad daylight with 380 elite cavalrymen.

This is already the outer perimeter of the bandit army. In order not to alert them, they lie in ambush here, preparing to launch a night attack on the bandits outside Nanhua.

At this moment, Wang Jin, clad in armor, sat on a stool. The moonlight shone on the scars on his face, making them appear as if a centipede was moving.

Wang Jin closed his eyes, contemplating the current situation.

Judging from the current situation, the magistrate's guess is probably correct: the Huang clan's bandit army in Caozhou should indeed be moving north.

But he still didn't understand one thing: why did they attack Nanhua? Wouldn't that directly expose their location?
Was this an oversight by the Cao army? Did they not expect that the Baoyi Army's Ta Bai could scout twenty miles away? Or was this something the Cao army did on purpose?
The moonlight tonight is as clear as water, illuminating the surroundings clearly, but the battlefield seems to be shrouded in a layer of mist, making it impossible to see clearly.

Holding the riding whip, Wang Jin first put aside the magistrate's speculations and waited for his own intelligence.

At this moment, Wang Huan, the cavalry general he had sent out to scout intelligence, rushed over with a prisoner whose mouth was gagged.

Upon arriving, he went straight to Wang Jin's side, where Guo Congyun, the commander of the cavalry, was standing. Wang Huan then addressed Guo Congyun directly:
"Commander, we've interrogated them. The ones besieging Nanhua aren't the bandits from Caozhou, but rather roaming bandits. Our initial intelligence was wrong."

Guo Congyun's expression changed, and he was about to speak to Wang Jin beside him, but Wang Jin interrupted him with a stern face and shook his head:

"Impossible. Ding Huaiyi's scouts would never have misjudged the situation. The army that surrounded Nanhua earlier must have been a bandit force."

Then he pointed to the prisoner's mouth and said in a deep voice:
"Take off the cloth and ask him where the straw army went!"

The prisoner was now completely panicked. After the cloth was removed from his mouth, he kept saying:

“We’re not thieves, no, a few days ago someone was saying that someone was distributing grain in Nanhua, so we all came over, but we didn’t see any bandits.”

Wang Jin frowned and asked:
"How many days have you been here?"

The prisoner said:
"We've been here for five or six days. At first, people did distribute grain, but for some reason, they've been distributing it late these past two days. But people are still distributing it, so we're just staying here."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jin suddenly stood up and immediately gave the order:

"The entire army must return immediately, without delay!"

Guo Congyun clasped his hands in greeting, but just as Wang Huan was about to speak, he was met with a glance from Wang Jin, and immediately dared not utter another word.

Thus, the 360 ​​elite cavalrymen who were preparing to launch a night raid received a retreat order instead of an attack order.

Many people were already feeling uncomfortable at the time. What were they doing running around like this twice? Were they messing with us?
This was the result of Wang Jin's failure to win over the hearts of the three cavalry units. But after all, the order came down from above. Despite his complaints and frustrations, the three cavalry units still wrapped themselves in armor and carried their packs as they retreated.

As night deepened, Wang Jin suddenly gave another order:

"The entire army mounted their horses and galloped towards the target, Yuanju."

This order caused many knights with bad memories to have all sorts of wild thoughts: Could it be that Wang Jin is planning to rebel against the lord?

Despite their doubts, the Baoyi Army maintained strict discipline, and the men suppressed their thoughts and began to march back to Yuanju at a rapid pace.

At this moment, Guo Congyun, who was at the front of the marching column, was also puzzled, but he did not ask in public in order to maintain Wang Jin's authority in the army.

But when Wang Jin began to spare no effort, even at the cost of sacrificing troop combat effectiveness, to rush back as quickly as possible, Guo Congyun finally realized:

"The injustice has been redressed, and the magistrate is in trouble."

Therefore, Guo Congyun spurred his horse and loudly gave the order:

"The entire army must gallop at full speed without rest! Even if it kills our warhorses, we must get back as quickly as possible!"

With Guo Congyun's order, the three cavalrymen had no more doubts; their trust in Guo Congyun far surpassed that of Wang Jin.

At that moment, everyone realized that something might have happened to Yuan Ju.

(End of this chapter)