Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 194 Riding Alone
Cao Shixiong looked around with self-satisfaction, watching his subordinates rush out, and couldn't help but let out a long roar.

To lead an army of 100,000 and sweep across the land—that is the spirit of a true hero.

Unable to contain his passion, Cao Shixiong suddenly led a group of core members of the rebel army to the north gate on horseback.

The guards protecting Cao Shixiong were clearly elite soldiers, and very likely remnants of Pang Xun's troops from Xuzhou, so their every move was imbued with military discipline.

The knights near Cao Shixiong were holding up shields, ready to protect him from the arrows coming from the city wall.

Meanwhile, the knights on the outer perimeter formed a wedge formation, and they all laid their lances flat, ready to charge head-on if the city gate tower opened and they launched a surprise attack.

Surrounded by a group of heroes from Xu Su, Cao Shixiong sat securely on his horse, gazing at the parasol atop the city wall, and roared:
"Does Zhao Huai'an dare to step forward and answer?"

Then dozens of heroes from Xu Su roared in unison:

"Does Zhao Huai'an dare to step forward and answer?"

……

Below the north gate tower, Zhao Huai'an, dressed only in a cotton robe and with a crimson headband, lay on the battlements watching the cavalrymen in the distance. Seeing their skillful formations, he couldn't help but nod in praise.

At this moment, Yao Xingzhong, who was standing next to Zhao Huai'an, saw the familiar cavalry formation below the city and couldn't help but say to Zhao Huai:
"My lord, this is precisely the wedge formation that the cavalry under King Pang Ming used to employ. Therefore, those knights are very likely the Xuzhou army that was routed back then."

Zhao Huai'an nodded and continued watching.

Meanwhile, Fatty Dou nudged Yao Xingzhong with his elbow and asked:
"Old Yao, weren't you a big shot in the Xuzhou army back in the day? Do you think those cavalrymen would come over if you just shouted from here?"

After saying that, Fatty Bean said with a smug look on his face:
"That middleman, acting all high and mighty, must be a big shot in the bandit army. He's either their top commander or a core old thief. Once we can lure those cavalrymen to the front lines, we'll surely capture him. If he really is their top commander, wouldn't that be a victory without a fight?"

Dou Pangzi couldn't help but laugh at the thought of such a good thing, and then patted Yao Xingzhong:
"Old Yao, now it's all up to you!"

While Fatty Dou was beaming with pride, Yao Xingzhong was so embarrassed he couldn't utter a single laugh. He looked at Zhao Huai'an, and seeing that he wasn't listening to Fatty Dou, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then he explained to Fatty Dou:
“Brother Doulu, that’s not how it is. In Xu Su’s army, we are all sons of soldiers who were sent to defend Guilin back then, while the Eight Armies with their horses, silver knives, carved flags, and gate guns are veteran elite troops. They were formed sixty years ago to quell the rebellion in the three towns of Hebei, and have been the core of Xu Su’s military preparedness ever since.”

"During these sixty years, the eight armies have seen fathers die and sons succeed, brothers die and brothers succeed, and there are many intermarriages within the army, so they have long been closely connected and often even the military governors cannot control them."

Speaking of this, Yao Xingzhong even joked self-deprecatingly:

"If the Silver Knife Army hadn't been bloodily wiped out by Jiedushi Wang Shi back then, making the other seven armies realize that the court couldn't tolerate them, how could those entrenched elite soldiers have looked up to the Ming King and us with their arrogant nature? So after the Ming King's defeat, the remaining eight armies parted ways with us."

"So at this moment, let alone us, even if King Pang Ming were alive today, we couldn't summon them over. It's just that the other side clearly has a new lord."

Hearing Yao Xingzhong's words, Fatty Dou was greatly discouraged and sighed with a bitter face:

"What a pity, what a pity!"

However, he was curious, so he asked another question:
"So, which unit of the Xuzhou army did you young men who were stationed in Guangxi belong to before? And later you all went to Guang Prefecture?"

Yao Xingzhong hesitated for a moment, glanced at Zhao Huai'an, and seeing that the magistrate was also listening, he took this opportunity to say what he had been wanting to say for a long time:
"After the Ming King's defeat, we, the sons of soldiers stationed in Guilin, fled to places like Su and Guang. Among them, Xu Ying and his men were in Guang, while there were more in Su, about ten regiments. However, the only one who could be considered a big shot was Yang Shihou. He used to be in Pang Xun's army and was famous for his ability to raise and train troops. However, because of his low status, he did not gain the trust of the other remnants in Su. Otherwise, he would not be inferior to Xu Ying."

"However, although we have the largest population in Gwangju, we have fallen into depravity the fastest."

"This is because Xu Ying's elder brothers and uncles were originally bandits from Xuzhou. They were later incorporated into the army and sent to Guizhou for garrison duty. It was because of this background that they naturally became bandits again after the Ming King's defeat."

"However, it's not like that for me and my old brothers. Back then, we were soldiers from outside the Xuzhou government office in Guizhou. We weren't on the same side as those bandits. It was only because we all wanted to go home that we jointly elected Pang Xun, who was from our military academy system at the time, as our leader."

"So, when we were defeated and arrived in Guangzhou, we were actually unwilling to become outlaws, but we had to repay the favors we had received in the past. However, Xu Ding and his men did not trust us old brothers. They would not take us with them when they went out to hunt for merchants, but would only leave us to guard the manor and watch over the tea. So over the years, we few dozen people have actually been very marginalized, at best just guard dogs."

Dou Pangzi suddenly realized what was happening and patted Yao Xingzhong on the shoulder to comfort him.

After hearing Yao Xingzhong's words, Zhao Huai'an knew what Yao Xingzhong was worried about. He turned to look at him and shook his head.

"Old Yao, the longer you stay by my side, the better you'll understand the character of Zhao Da."

“In my opinion, who you are is not important; what matters most is who I think you are. I know you’re worried that you and your brothers have a history of thievery, and that I’ll look at you with prejudice. Especially since Xu Ying is a real scoundrel, it will only further damage your reputation.”

"But Lao Yao, don't underestimate yourself, and don't underestimate Zhao Da's vision. Ever since you were beaten to a bloody pulp, you were still able to lead a group of armored soldiers to guard the manor gate and protect Xu Ying's family. I know what kind of person you are."

"Are you blindly loyal to Xu Ying? No, this only makes me realize that you, Lao Yao, are a true hero who would 'speak up after three cups of wine and consider the Five Sacred Mountains as light as a feather.' No matter how others treat you, as long as it is for the sake of your beliefs, you will go without hesitation, even at the cost of your own life."

"Could I be wrong? Perhaps, but when those thirty armored veterans followed you out of the village to fight to the death, I knew I wasn't wrong. A person who can entrust others with their lives must be someone worthy of entrusting one's life to."

"So, the phrase 'righteousness reaching the heavens' perfectly describes someone like you. And I, Zhao Da, will speak frankly in front of all the brothers here today: the kind of person I, Zhao Da, respect most in my life is someone as righteous and loyal as Guan Yu! When you're in this world, loyalty comes first!"

"So, Lao Yao, trust me, and trust yourself. You're a hero! You don't need to explain to anyone! Including yourself!"

After saying that, Zhao Da patted Yao Xingzhong, whose eyes were bloodshot, and then turned to look at Cao Shixiong, the barking general outside the city.

When Zhao Huai'an heard Cao Shixiong address him so casually, only one thought came to his mind:
"Is Cao Shixiong so rude? He calls us by our first names? He won't even call us 'big brother' before expecting us to show up and see him?"

Meanwhile, Yao Xingzhong was stunned after hearing Zhao Huai'an's words. He saw Dou Pangzi nod emphatically to him, indicating that Zhao Da was right.

At that moment, an indescribable warmth suddenly moistened his long-parched heart.

He had only been repaying Zhao Huai'an for saving his life, but today he realized what a true friend and a soulmate were.

My parents gave me life, but it is my lord who knows and trusts me.

Therefore, when Cao Shixiong, the commander of the opposing army, so rudely called out the lord's name, Yao Xingzhong immediately drew his longbow and was about to shoot at him.

But the next moment, a large hand pressed down on the longbow. It was Zhao Huai'an, who smiled and said to Yao Xingzhong:

"There's no need to get angry. Let's just play along."

After saying that, Zhao Huai'an emerged from behind the parapet, half of his body sticking out of the wall, and shouted to Cao Shixiong on the other side:
"Cao Shixiong, what do you want?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liu, who was holding a shield to protect Zhao Da from the arrow, burst into laughter, laughing so hard that it sounded like a goose quacking.

But then he suddenly remembered that when he met Zhao Da by the Liusha River, Zhao Da had told him to call him "Da" too, and his goose-like laughter abruptly stopped.

……

From a distance of at least 150 paces, Cao Shixiong, surrounded by his cavalry, saw a man with a crimson turban standing out from behind the wall, and could faintly hear him shouting something like "Big Brother".

So he asked a clad warrior beside him, bewildered:
"Yanshou, what is Zhao Huai'an saying?"

This man named Zhang Yanshou was one of the junior officers of the remnants of the Xie Ma Army. He had brought the remnants of the Xie Ma Army to join them after Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao started their uprising.

Having spent so many years mingling between Yan and Yun, they had frequent contact with Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao. In addition, they were lawless people, so since Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao were going to cause a big disturbance this time, they decided to lend a hand.

As long as they oppose the imperial court, they are our cavalry's friends. Besides, these ragtag troops are still better than those rotten garrison troops in Guangzhou.

Therefore, not only did their cavalry surrender to Wang and Huang, but many other armies also defected. It was the addition of these people to Xu Su's regular army that gave the fledgling army the strength to fight the Taiping army in the field.

Upon hearing Cao Shixiong's question, Zhang Yanshou hesitated for a moment, then replied uncertainly:

"Perhaps he was referring to himself. When we were in Yanzhou, I heard some friends from the Yanzhou Navy who had returned from Xichuan talking about how Zhao Huai'an of the Baoyi Army was the eldest among his men, so he was often called 'Big Zhao' in the army."

With Zhang Yanshou's explanation, Cao Shixiong suddenly understood, and then he shouted towards the city wall:
"Zhao Da, I've heard of your reputation and know you're a fine man, and so are we, the common soldiers. Fine men don't fight each other; they should fight that corrupt court. Now that you're surrounded, why not surrender? With your reputation, I'll recommend you to the General as a regional commander. Then we can march together on Chang'an and even sit in the Daming Palace. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Because of the distance, Cao Shixiong was worried that Zhao Huai'an above him wouldn't be able to hear what he was saying, but he was unwilling to risk going forward. So, after saying each sentence, he would wait a while and have the cavalrymen repeat it before saying the next sentence. Therefore, after he finished speaking, it took Zhao Huai'an behind the battlements a long time to hear the whole thing.

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an looked at Cao Shixiong in the distance and sighed in his heart:
"These days, the rebel army is really ambitious. They've only managed to wreak havoc in Cao and Pu provinces, and their main force heading south is still stuck in Yi province, yet they're already here one or two at a time, saying they want to march on Chang'an. Tsk tsk, they really have ambition!"

This time, however, Cao Shixiong was much more polite, knowing to address himself by his birth order, so Zhao Huai'an was also much more courteous, loudly calling out to Cao Shixiong:

"You traitor Cao! You say you've surrounded us? Haha! Don't you know that you're the one being surrounded?!"

This time, Zhao Huai'an roared loudly, his voice booming like thunder, so that everyone near and far could hear him clearly.

But after he finished speaking, Zhao Liu and Fatty Dou were both dumbfounded, not knowing what Da Lang was up to. Cao Shixiong wasn't stupid; who could be confused when surrounded like that?

Cao Shixiong, on the other hand, indeed laughed heartily and said to those around him:
"This Zhao Da also has a great reputation, something like 'Zhao Dalang, the righteous and filial son in the army,' is that all? Isn't he a fool!"

The knights burst into laughter, thinking that Zhao Huai'an must have been so frightened that he lost his mind.

Zhao Huai'an, however, didn't care that the people over there were laughing, and instead shouted again:

"You traitor Cao, you don't believe me? Look behind you if you don't!"

Then Zhao Huai'an disappeared, and then smiled at the group and said:
"It's alright, just play a trick on this guy."

Meanwhile, Cao Shixiong, feeling insecure from Zhao Huai'an's confident words, actually turned his head to look behind him.

After looking for a long time, apart from the main force and the old camp constantly setting up tents, there was no enemy force on the vast plain!

At this point, Cao Shixiong realized he had been tricked. Enraged, he yelled at his superior, Zhao Huai'an:
"Zhao Huai'an, you're asking for trouble. We gave you a chance because we respected you as a man. But you insisted on courting death, so don't blame us. Once we clear your name, we'll skin you alive and stuff you with straw. Let's see if you can still entertain us then!"

On the city wall, Zhao Huai'an's face darkened completely upon hearing this. He pointed at Cao Shixiong below and began to curse:
"You dog, what are you barking about? Aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew? You're trying to frame us? Let me tell you, we'll send our troops to fight you in a minute! If you have any guts, don't run away!"

Cao Shixiong was furious, but then he was stunned.

Just because he suddenly saw Zhao Huai'an on the city wall wave his hand, and then a hundred people were pushed onto the city wall.

Their heads were pressed firmly against the battlements, and they heard Zhao Huai'an roar at them:

"Cao Cao, look at how confident you are of us. Is this all you have on hand? Come on, let's see if they're your men."

After saying that, Zhao Huai'an chopped his hand, and the Beiwei men, right in front of Cao Shixiong below, chopped off the heads of the nearly one hundred men.

Blood gushed onto the battlements, and heads rolled down the city wall to the ground below. One head rolled particularly far, stopping less than thirty paces from Cao Shixiong.

Cao Shixiong saw the head clearly. Even though it was covered in dust, he still recognized that the person was one of the people who had been placed in the city before.

At this moment, how could he not know that the plan of colluding from the inside and outside had completely failed? He desperately wanted to understand how Zhao Huai'an, who had only just entered Yuanju City, could have so quickly uncovered the hidden agents that Lao Huang and his men had left in the city?
At this moment, Cao Shixiong and these rough-and-tumble heroes also exposed their greatest weakness: none of them had received systematic military education.

Practitioners often disdain theoretical knowledge, but the biggest difficulty in learning solely from experience is that their understanding of areas where they have no experience is almost like that of an idiot.

Because of their extensive experience in dealing with government troops, salt smugglers like Cao Shixiong could easily develop into excellent guerrilla commanders.

But none of these people had ever defended a city before, and they knew nothing about the rules and theories of city defense.

Little did he know that when Zhao Huai'an established patrol teams in each ward of the city, the traitors hiding in the wards would have nowhere to hide.

When refugees from ten cities poured into the ten wards of the city, the Baoyi Army completely dominated the majority of the city's population.

It was with these eyes that hundreds of spies lurking in the city were discovered in just half a morning.

Then, the soldiers of the Baoyi Army in the ward killed most of them with crossbow bolts, and those who surrendered were sent to the city wall for the governor to deal with.

At this moment, with heads piled up below the city walls, Cao Shixiong roared in anger and gave an order to the knights beside him:

"Charge! Shoot! Shoot that bastard Zhao Huai'an to death!"

The group of grass army knights exchanged glances, then rode north to the city walls, unleashing a barrage of arrows at the city walls.

Zhao Liu immediately raised his shield and stood in front of Zhao Huai'an. The shield jingled, clearly indicating that most of the grass army cavalry were aiming at Zhao Huai'an.

But Zhao Huai'an didn't even bend over. With only a few shields for cover, he roared:

"shoot!"

After saying this, the archers of the Baoyi Army, who were hiding behind the parapet, fired back through the holes in the parapet.

Arrows rained down, knocking down the galloping, firing cavalrymen below.

Under Zhao Liu's cover, Zhao Huai'an took the three-stone bow handed to him by Sun Tai and fired an arrow at the two grass army cavalrymen running at the forefront.

In an instant, one of the bandit riders fell to the ground, startling the rider next to him so much that he turned his horse and rode away.

Zhao Huai'an laughed heartily, but suddenly noticed the scene in the distance, paused for a moment, then burst into laughter again, pointing his longbow at Cao Shixiong below, and laughed loudly:

"You traitor Cao, look behind you!"

At this moment, Cao Shixiong looked at Zhang Yanshou, who had fled back from the front, with a dark face.

Just moments ago, Zhang Yanshou and his cousin charged ahead, unstoppable. But in the blink of an eye, his cousin fell beneath the city walls, while Zhang Yanshou turned his horse and rode back!
Two went out, one returned? Wasn't Zhang Yanshou a hero of the cavalry? Is that all?

Just as Cao Shixiong was about to unleash a torrent of abuse, he suddenly saw Zhang Yanshou pointing in horror behind him and shouting:

"Handsome guy, something's wrong! Look behind you!"

Only then did Cao Shixiong turn his head in the direction Zhang Yanshou was pointing, and there he saw this scene.

A white-clad cavalry general, covered in blood and riding a white horse, charged left and right, weaving through the gaps in his own army's tents. The camp, stretching for seven or eight miles, was completely ravaged by this man.

After the cavalry general charged out of the camp, dozens of his own knights were already in pursuit. However, the white-armored knight did not turn his head and fired five arrows at the rear, directly knocking down the five knights of his own army who were charging at the front.

The remaining grass-armored knights instinctively took control of their warhorses, then helplessly watched the white-armored cavalry general get further and further away.

Having suffered repeated blows, Cao Shixiong, his hand trembling, pointed at the cavalry general and muttered in his sleep:
"Whose general is this? How can he be so brave?"

Then, Cao Shixiong saw the white-armored cavalry general charging towards him.

Could it be that this person, having managed to escape the camp, actually dares to come and kill me?

But at that moment, a crimson five-sided flag suddenly rose on the top of Yuanju City.

The white-armored cavalryman caught a glimpse of it, gave him a cruel smile, slit his own throat, and galloped off towards the south of the city.

At that moment, Cao Shixiong swallowed hard, said nothing more, and led his entourage straight to the main camp.

Today's humiliation must be washed away by the entire righteous army with their lives!

(End of this chapter)