Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 207 Facing Danger
After finishing the most important task, Zhang Chengye couldn't stay any longer. He made an excuse to say goodbye to Zhao Huai'an and returned to the city.

This time, Zhao Huai'an's demands were quite high; yes, it was the position of Deputy Military Governor of Huainan, which would be extremely difficult for the Yang family to manage.

Before Tian Lingzi, that Shu monkey, appeared, the Yang family was the foremost family of eunuchs, with four generations of nobles, and their adopted sons and retainers were everywhere in the court and the army.

At that time, it wouldn't have been difficult for the Yang family to promote a meritorious general to the position of deputy military governor of Huainan, let alone directly promote him to the position of military governor of Huainan.
Don't tell me that the military governor of Huainan was a prime minister; for the Yang family, rules and laws were everything! They were the imperial court!

But now that Tian Lingzi has come along, the young emperor trusts him far too much, letting him arrange everything, big or small.

Moreover, Yang has someone close to Tian Lingzi, and it is said that this person has been looking for an opportunity to help his brother, who sells sesame cakes, become the military governor of Xichuan.

Zhang Chengye just used the rules of the court to refuse Zhao Da, but in reality, isn't the military governor of Xichuan also the prime minister's hometown? That pancake seller isn't even a warrior, and Tian Lingzi just wanted his brother to rise to the top in one step.
So it's not that the Yang family is afraid of the rules and doesn't want to help Zhao Huai'an, but rather that they simply lack the power to do so.

We can't really just depose the little emperor!

Zhang Chengye knew that Yang would not do such a thing, so he could only sigh and decide to send the message back first, and then see how the military supervisor would decide.

Zhang Chengye glanced one last time at the brightly lit Baoyi Army camp and couldn't help but nod.

Alas, Zhao Da was a loyal and virtuous gentleman when he was in Xichuan, but he has become like this after only one year as the governor of Guang Prefecture. He must have been corrupted by those people from Huaixi.

He will definitely come here more often in the future, so that Zhao Dalang can also feel his loyalty to the imperial court.

Shaking his head, Zhang Chengye ordered the Shence Army soldiers beside him to take the cart back to Yuanju.

……

After Zhang Chengye left, Zhao Huai'an couldn't hold back any longer and grinned.

This is indeed the art of negotiation. He couldn't negotiate a price with Gao Pian before, not because he didn't know how to negotiate, but because he knew he didn't have any leverage and didn't even have a chance to bargain with Gao Pian.

But now the situation is different. He has encountered a powerful eunuch who needs him more. If he doesn't negotiate a good price, wouldn't he be a victim of injustice?
Zhao Huai'an knew he had no chance of obtaining the military governorships of Huaixi and Huainan. At this time, the court still had laws and regulations, and there were countless ways to control a small prefect like him.

Perhaps only when Huang Chao storms Chang'an and the court realizes that official titles are becoming less valuable will they issue such titles to people like Zhao Da.

As for now? The position of Deputy Military Governor of Huainan promised by Zhang Chengye—no, it should be Yang Fuguang—is probably the biggest bargaining chip their faction can offer.

However, Zhao Huai'an also knew that so far this was just wishful thinking. Whether it could be realized depended not only on his military achievements but also on the future situation.

In fact, he has a very clear understanding of future development.

That is, even if he were given the position of Deputy Military Governor of Huainan, he would not go to Yangzhou to take up the post. Instead, he would stay in Guangzhou and use it as the core to radiate to the surrounding Shouzhou, Luzhou, and Haozhou.

His ideal scenario would be to use the Dabie Mountains as the core, connecting the surrounding seven prefectures of Guang, Shou, Lu, Shu, Qi, Huang, and Shen into one area, and to become the observer of these seven prefectures.

Your court is afraid of Huaixi Town, isn't it? Zhao Da won't do it. When the time comes, he will carve out a new vassal state from these seven prefectures and call it Baoyi Jiedushi.

Wouldn't that be wonderful?
As for whether this ideal state can be achieved, Zhao Huai'an still thinks it is somewhat feasible.

His most important goal at this stage is to completely defeat the rebel army's southward offensive in Yizhou and block their passage to Huainan.

Once the rebel army is blocked outside Huaidong, they can only move westward, enter the Huaixi Pass from the Central Plains, and then enter the prosperous Eyue region for food.

If the situation deteriorates by then and the court is unable to stop the rebel army from advancing south on the western front, wouldn't it be logical for him to request to be appointed as the military governor of Shen and Guang prefectures to stop the rebel army from advancing south to E and Yue?
Zhao Huai'an felt increasingly pleased with himself and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Then Zhao Liu and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

By this time, they had drunk enough and were preparing to rest, but Zhao Huai'an was still worried and said seriously to everyone:

"Let's keep the campfire going and then head straight back to the Yuanju camp. That tiger that came during the day was acting strangely. I think someone might have a grudge against us and is trying to harm us!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked. The chubby boy jumped up, patting his round belly and cursing:
"How dare they! They've got a death wish! Daring to attack us? Brother, who is it? We'll go and kill them tonight! It's not like we haven't done it before!"

Zhao Huai'an glared at him and cursed:

"I think the secretary is right. We absolutely have to issue a ban on alcohol for you. After a few drinks, you start talking without thinking."

Dou Pangda was scolded and dared not utter a sound.

At this moment, Zhao Juntian, who was the first to notice something was wrong, quickly stepped in to ease the tension and explained:
"Today during the day, while you were hunting the tiger, I went into the jungle. Although the smell had faded considerably, I could still smell the odor of cow entrails along the way. This means someone was deliberately luring the tiger here."

"My lord's advice is not to alert the enemy now, because we don't know who is trying to harm us. We can only pretend not to know and then lure them out."

Everyone suddenly realized, and then Fatty Dou, shamelessly, gave Zhao Da a thumbs-up and exclaimed in praise:

"Taller, Dalang is taller! He's as tall as a three-story building!"

Seeing this shamelessness, Zhao Huai'an couldn't help but laugh, and his anger dissipated. He shook his head.
"That's not the case. The best thing for us to do now is to go back to camp. With so few of us out here in the wilderness, and who knows which scoundrel is out there trying to harm us, how can we possibly sleep soundly here?"

"Therefore, I have decided to set off immediately and return to the camp outside the city overnight. With my Zhongbao Righteous Army by my side, I want to see who has the audacity to do this!"

After saying this, Zhao Huai'an drew his knife, spat out a mouthful of wine, and carefully wiped it with a handkerchief, revealing his murderous intent.

Without hesitation, everyone stood up and bowed.

……

The moonlight, like flowing water, spilled onto the ground, shining like a silver plate.

A convoy was rapidly advancing towards the military camp to the south.

Zhao Huai'an had drunk some mixed liquor and was a little tipsy, so he didn't ride a horse but chose to ride his donkey cart instead.

At this moment, the tiger skin was hanging on the side of the carriage at his feet, with the huge tiger head facing outwards, still exuding a fierce aura.

It truly lives up to the saying, "Even when the tiger dies, its frame remains standing!"
On either side of the vehicle, Sun Tai and Li Hu each held a shield and ran alongside the vehicle, while Ding Hui, Guo Liang, and others rode their warhorses ahead to clear the way. The group of fifty people continued to advance along the forest path.

Zhao Huai'an was dozing off, occasionally being jolted awake by the road. Suddenly, the wheels rolled over a stone, jolting Zhao Huai'an awake.

At this moment, he realized that the team had entered a dense forest. Suddenly, his heart tightened. Zhao Huai'an was about to speak when he found a mouthful of phlegm in his throat.

After he spat out the thick phlegm, a whooshing sound suddenly came towards him.

Zhao Huai'an didn't dodge because his disciples reacted even faster than him.

At this moment, Sun Tai and Li Hu stood on the cart, carrying giant shields, and deflected all six crossbow bolts that were fired.

Then, at the other end of the vehicle, Yang Mao and Wang Li were also carrying giant shields, protecting the other side.

Then He Wenqin and Niu Li, who were driving in front, immediately sped up and left the area.

At this moment, arrows were continuously shot from the forest, and the muffled groans of the attacked warriors could be heard from time to time as they were hit by arrows.

Knowing there were treacherous people inside, these people wore chainmail, so the crossbow bolts couldn't pierce their skin at all.

At this moment, while protecting Zhao Huai'an, Sun Tai was shouting:

"Quickly, split up and charge into Zuolin! The rest of you, continue to protect the magistrate and break out!"

Without Sun Tai giving any orders, Wang Yanzhang, Liu Wei, and Tao Ya, who were protecting him from behind, had already spurred their horses into the forest. They were all wearing armor and cloaks, ready to charge at the assassins in the forest.

However, because it was too dark inside the forest and there were branches everywhere, Liu Wei and Tao Ya were knocked down by the branches and fell to the ground as soon as they entered.

The heavy armor pinned them down, preventing them from rising. They could sense the assassin nearby. Seeing Wang Yanzhang dismount and charge towards them with his shield raised, they shouted:
"Don't worry about us, charge into the forest!"

But how could Wang Yanzhang ignore them?
Several arrows struck his shield, making a "thud" sound. He ran wildly, and before the two black-clad assassins rushed towards him, he reached Liu Wei and Tao Ya.

He used his left hand to block the horizontal sword on the right with his shield, and then thrust his right hand into the chest of the man on the right.

But the moment he raised his shield to block, the center door opened wide, and three crossbow bolts shot in instantly, embedding themselves in his breastplate.

One of the bullets was slashed open by the breastplate, but the other two pierced through the armor and were stopped by the chainmail inside.

Wang Yanzhang severed the arrow's fletching with a single slash, then used his shield to knock down the remaining assassin, before smashing the man's throat with his shield.

Then he raised his shield and pulled Liu Wei up. In that instant, another arrow pierced Liu Wei's leg armor, but fortunately it didn't go deep into the flesh.

After Liu Wei was pulled up, he quickly pulled Tao Ya up as well. The two hid behind shields and moved quickly to a warhorse, where they obtained shields, a short axe, and a bow and arrows.

With their equipment in hand, the three men, led by Wang Yanzhang, charged in, shields in hand.

Then came the sounds of hacking and slashing.

At this moment, a group of black-clad assassins rushed out from the opposite forest. They roared as they looked at the donkey cart speeding ahead, but the next moment, a dozen or so riders came from the side. They were Ding Hui and his group, who had just been riding ahead.

By the moonlight, Zhang Guiba's bow flashed like thunder, felling assassin after assassin. But suddenly, an armor-piercing arrow pierced through a tree branch and struck him in the chest. Even his sturdy iron armor couldn't withstand the arrow. Zhang Guiba groaned and fell from his horse, wounded.

Meanwhile, the Righteous Society members who were protecting Zhao Huai'an as he broke through the encirclement were also in dire straits.

Because there were still assassins ahead, they kept firing their crossbows at Zhao Huai'an in the carriage. Some of the arrows were blocked by Sun Tai and his men, while the rest grazed Zhao Huai'an's scalp and missed.

Perhaps still drunk, Zhao Huai'an remained standing on the car, without even trying to dodge.

At this moment, Zhao Hu, whose shield was already riddled with arrows, roared at He Wenqin, who was also holding a shield in front of him:
"Quickly subdue the magistrate!"

He Wenqin was holding up his shield to protect Niu Li, who was driving the carriage. He glanced at him, cursed, "Be careful!" and was about to run over Zhao Huai'an behind him.

But Zhao Huai'an immediately pulled out a shield from the carriage and deflected the arrow aimed at Niu Li. Then he said to He Wenqin in a deep voice:

"You're protecting Ali!"

Then he gave the following order to Niu Li:
"Turn the car around and charge back!"

But Niu Li ignored him, gritted his teeth, and frantically drove the four strong donkeys in front of him.

These four donkeys were all carefully selected, each with a size no less than that of an ordinary horse, but with stamina far exceeding that of warhorses.

Zhao Huai'an shouted again:
"I'm saying this one last time: turn the car around and go back!"

Sun Tai, with two arrows already lodged in his shoulder, roared through his tears:

"My lord, our brothers are willing to die for you! We must break through!"

As he spoke, Sun Tai was about to pounce on Zhao Huai'an and shield him with his body when a piercing arrow was heading straight for Zhao Huai'an.

But Zhao Huai'an deflected the arrow with his shield, then slapped Sun Tai across the face, cursing loudly:

"Damn it, only this damned Heaven can kill me, Zhao Huai'an!"

After saying that, Zhao Huai'an kicked Niu Li in the back and cursed angrily:
"Go back and kill them all!"

At this moment, Niu Li dared not disobey any longer. He roared and shouted at the Yishe men protecting Zhao Huai'an in the carriage:

"I'm going to spin around now, all of you protect the lord!"

After saying that, Niu Li suddenly turned around, and the huge centrifugal force was about to throw Wang Li on the right off.

At the critical moment, Zhao Huai'an grabbed him by the neck, and then he heard him shout:

"Hold my arrow!"

After saying that, Zhao Huai'an kicked off his shoes, stepped barefoot onto the carriage, and gripped the wooden planks with all ten toes. Then, he suddenly drew his bow to its fullest extent, and an arrow shot through the air towards an assassin who was about to nock an arrow.

The bowstring was constantly plucked, and arrows streaked across the night sky like shooting stars. With each strike, a man cried out in agony as he fell to the ground.

Sun Tai, who was standing nearby, was freed up and handed over the arrows one by one. At this moment, Zhao Huai'an was simply a ruthless archery machine.

The donkey cart turned back and sped along the original road. Zhao Huai'an's eyes were like an eagle's and his hands were like lightning. In a short time, he shot out thirty arrows. Screams echoed in the darkness. No one knew how many assassins had died.

As Zhao Huai'an rushed back, Zhao Liu and Dou Pangzi were shouting and smashing things wildly with iron maces.

The two men were originally sleeping on Zhao Dalu's cart, but when they encountered danger, they jumped off the cart themselves and gave their seats to the other members of the Righteous Society.

The two, especially Fatty Bean, weighed as much as three Yishelang members, so he jumped down without thinking.

Zhao Liu had the same idea. He was not good at fighting, so he left his position to Yi Shelang. Then he, Dou Pangzi, and the other warriors who stayed behind to cover the rear would buy time for Zhao Huai'an to retreat.

The moment he got off the bus, Zhao Liu suddenly blew the suona he was carrying.

He had no idea whether they could summon the cavalry; at this moment, they could only rely on fate.

After blowing the whistle about ten times, Zhao Liu finally took cover in the battle circle formed by Yao Xingzhong and his men.

His outer perimeter, formed by the fierce general Yao Xingzhong, along with Duan Zhongjian, Zhao Jinzhong, and Zou Yongfu, was struggling to hold off the assassin.

It was fortunate that they were all wearing armor and were vigilant, otherwise they would have all died in the first wave of arrows.

At this moment, Yao Xingzhong wielded a double-edged axe, swinging it left and right, and utterly routed the black-clad assassins who were charging at him.

It was the same armor-piercing arrow, in the same direction, that shot straight at Yao Xingzhong's head.

By sheer luck, Yao Xingzhong suddenly heard the sound of wheels behind him, instinctively turned around, and the armor-piercing arrow grazed right past his forehead.

Even so, the arrow still managed to knock off Yao Xingzhong's helmet, revealing the turban underneath.

At this moment, Yao Xingzhong's soul seemed to be soaring.

But he still didn't back down; instead, he burst into laughter and roared at the black figure:

"Brothers, the lord has brought reinforcements to our rescue!"

But where could we find any help? All we had was the magistrate's modified donkey cart.

Alright, following behind such a magistrate, even if I, Old Yao, become a ghost, I will continue to be the magistrate's brother, becoming that evil spirit to claim the lives of these people!

At that moment, Yao Xingzhong's lips twitched. His intuition told him that the sharpshooter in the shadows was aiming at him.

Thinking of this, Yao Xingzhong couldn't hold back his tears any longer and murmured:
"To repay the kindness shown to me on the Golden Terrace, I will wield the Jade Dragon and die for you."

Yes, what does it matter if I die to repay the kindness of the magistrate?

The mournful cries infected the other samurai, and a strong atmosphere of fighting to the death permeated everyone's hearts.

These warriors under their command, apart from the surrendered generals, were all selected by Zhao Huai'an from among the lowly. Without Zhao Huai'an, they would all have to drink foul water, wear dirty clothes, and not know where they would be the next day.

But what about now? They wear brocade robes, Zhao Huai'an serves them medicine when they are sick, the magistrate bestows clothes upon them when they are cold, and they now have land, wives, and an infinitely bright future.

But now, someone actually wants to kill the lord? Trying to crush our brothers' hopes? Then we'll fight you to the death!

Play to the death!
Then everyone shouted:

"To repay the kindness shown to me on the Golden Terrace, I will wield the Jade Dragon and die for you."

The sound reverberated through the forest.

Yao Xingzhong laughed loudly, then chopped off half of his skull with another axe swing, and prepared to wait for death.

But after a while, the arrow still didn't come, and then he heard someone laughing loudly behind him:
"Old Yao, do you want to die? Without my order, Zhao Da, not even the King of Hell can take you away! I said it!"

It turned out that the moment Zhao Huai'an arrived in his carriage, he saw an archer aiming at Yao Xingzhong. But suddenly, the archer was surprised to find that he had returned. Without hesitation, he turned his bow to shoot him.

Then, Zhao Huai'an shot an arrow, which struck the man squarely between the eyebrows.

Then, from his galloping donkey cart, he continued to fire arrows like lightning, shooting another thirty arrows in succession, clearing out all the assassins nearby.

Then he drove to Yao Xingzhong's side. Looking at these brothers who were fighting to the death for him, Zhao Huai'an was deeply moved, even more so than he could show on his face.

He glanced at them and saw that Zhao Liu and Dou Pangzi were both unharmed and were now looking at him with tears in their eyes. He couldn't help but laugh back.

Then he saw Ding Hui and Guo Liang carrying Zhang Guiba back, an arrow still stuck in Zhang Guiba's chest. Zhao Da was startled. Before he could ask, Ding Hui shouted:

"Old Zhang is fine. The arrow was first blocked by his chainmail, and then by the silver medal that the magistrate gave him. He just had a stitch, but he's alright."

Zhao Huai'an was also in poor condition at this moment. Because he wasn't wearing his thumb ring, his finger was bleeding profusely, but he remained in high spirits.
"Let's go and slaughter these bastards! Remember to leave some alive! Find that man and I'll kill his entire family! No, I'll wipe out his nine generations!"

The warriors laughed heartily, looked at Zhao Huai'an standing on the donkey cart, and all bowed in greeting.

Then the warriors, in groups of three or five, charged into the dense forest.

After Zhao Huai'an sniped the crossbowman among the assassins, the roles of hunter and prey began to reverse.

Meanwhile, a cavalry unit, upon hearing the suona music, was greatly alarmed. Ignoring the darkness and danger, they led over a hundred elite riders on horseback towards the scene.

The leader was none other than Zhao Huai'an's top lieutenant, the leader of the Five Tiger Generals, and General Wang Jin.

(End of this chapter)