Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 208 Lure the Snake
"bang"

The head exploded like a watermelon, splattering red and white all over Wang Yanzhang's face, but he didn't stop at all, raising the iron mace to smash down on the next head.

Just now, he led Liu Wei and Tao Ya into the dense forest, fighting their way through the enemy's assassins. These assassins were all skilled in martial arts and had sharp killing techniques; they were clearly desperate criminals.

But these people were as fragile as children under Wang Yanzhang's blade. At this time, this hero, though only fourteen, already possessed the courage and strength to fight a tiger, and was in no way inferior to the famous warriors of the world.

The assassins over there also noticed this and tried to surround and kill him, but Wang Yanzhang was flanked by Liu Wei and Tao Ya. Although the two were not trained warriors, they had a kind of wild and heroic spirit. While protecting Wang Yanzhang's flanks, they were also wielding deadly blades.

Therefore, for a time, the squad led by Wang Yanzhang kept reaping the lives of these assassins, but the three of them were getting weaker and weaker, and Liu Wei and Tao Ya on both sides were already panting heavily.

Just then, the two were about to be dragged to the ground by the rushing assassins.

At roughly the same time, Zhao Huai'an drove back from behind, accompanied by more than ten men who were shouting:

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

It was this roar that reignited the fighting spirit of the three men. With a shout, they threw away their broken swords and began to smash their iron maces at close range.

Most of these assassins are unarmored, so the mace will actually put them at a disadvantage.

But at that moment, a troop of cavalry rushed in from the north.

Under the moonlight, everyone dressed in crimson robes charged into the forest, wielding eighteen-foot-long spears.

When this cavalry appeared, the assassins who were still hesitating finally gave up and prepared to retreat from the rear.

They had warhorses lying in ambush over there, and that's how they infiltrated and carried out the ambush.

But as they retreated from the rear and just emerged from the woods, they saw a cavalry general in silver armor, covered with Shu embroidery, grinning maliciously under the moonlight. He then spurred his horse and charged towards them with dozens of riders, spears blazing.

The horse's hooves shattered, leaving behind a pile of corpses.

……

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an was still standing on the donkey cart, his face gloomy.

This ambush taught them a harsh lesson.

He was already very cautious. He always wore chainmail when he went out, and he was always accompanied by at least dozens or even hundreds of elite armored soldiers, as well as a group of disciples who were willing to die for him.

Even this time when he went hunting, he brought nearly five hundred elite cavalry, a number that could participate in a large-scale decisive battle.

He was quite perceptive and alert. After realizing the tiger's unusual behavior, he immediately contacted the various cavalry units patrolling the perimeter, ordering them to gather their troops and move closer to him.

He also casually set up bait.

Since someone would use a tiger to harm himself, it's clear that he would most likely launch a night attack on his own camp.

Therefore, he chose to return overnight, while having the Flying Leopard Cavalry lie in ambush on his left and right, ready to trap the enemy like turtles in a jar.

In addition, Zhao Huai'an believed that traveling light with only a few dozen of his own warriors would ensure a higher level of safety.

But to his utter surprise, his cunning scheme backfired spectacularly, as he had executed a series of brilliant maneuvers only to find himself walking right into an ambush.

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an gained a deeper understanding of the words his teacher, Yang Qingfu, had given him.

Yes, when fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend a hand; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless!
At the same time, Zhao Huai'an also felt a deep sense of lingering fear about that night.

How many lessons like his have been learned throughout history? Take Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, for example. Even after his defeat at Shanhai Pass, he miraculously survived. Although he lost parts of his core territory, he still had between 50,000 and 80,000 troops when he retreated from Shaanxi to Hubei and entered Jiugong Mountain.

However, he left Li Guo to guard the stronghold and led only twenty-odd horsemen to scavenge for food in the mountains. They were trapped by the villagers and were eventually killed.

It is utterly absurd and laughable that a hero and valiant general who had fought his way through thousands of troops at the end of the Ming Dynasty died under the pitchforks of mountain people.

If he hadn't been involved in this accident, the history of the late Ming Dynasty would certainly have been different.

Another notorious figure from the late Ming Dynasty, Zhang Xianzhong, suffered a similar fate. While leading troops north from Sichuan to fight the Qing army, he was scouting the enemy with only a hundred men before setting up camp. He was then directly struck down by the Qing army's vanguard and ultimately died from an arrow wound.

At that time, the main force of the Great Western Army had not yet engaged in a decisive battle with the Qing army. The core veteran troops under its command numbered 100,000, yet Zhang Xianzhong died just like that.

This serves as a lesson for future generations! Not everyone can have the same luck as Li Shimin.

Zhao Huai'an didn't know how long God would favor him. All he could do was be extremely cautious about his safety.

His career was not yet grand, and he didn't even have an heir. If he were to die so rashly, it would be irresponsible to history and his brothers.

Thinking of this, Zhao Huai'an tightened his helmet even more.

At this moment, he saw that Wang Jin's cavalry had already charged into the group of assassins from both sides. These people were not wearing armor and were almost powerless to fight back under the swords of these cavalrymen.

Even so, these people were still fighting fiercely with the Baoyi Army in the forest; this was no ordinary army.

Zhao Huai'an squinted, wondering who wanted to kill him.

In fact, when Zhao Huai'an learned that the tiger had been lured to him, his first suspect was Yang Fuguang.

The reasoning is simple: Yang Fuguang organized the hunt and personally allocated the hunting grounds. Therefore, Yang Fuguang is the most likely suspect to have had the time to lure the tiger to his side.

Zhao Huai'an was no longer just a simple military man; he knew the despicable nature of those politicians.

Although he had already promised Yang Fuguang that he would share the military merits with him, his arrogance had inevitably offended him. Would Yang Fuguang kill him because he felt offended? This possibility certainly existed.

Especially when he returned and even saw Zhang Chengye in the camp, Zhao Huai'an's disdain for Yang Fuguang grew even stronger.

This is clearly someone checking if they're dead.

But Zhang Chengye's subsequent behavior—his reaction to seeing himself and the tiger in the car—was too natural.

Later, Zhang Chengye brought up the matter of dividing up the spoils of the positions again, and Zhao Huai'an directly mentioned the military governors of Huaixi and Huainan. This was not only a means of negotiation, but also a way of further testing them.

If Zhang Chengye finally agrees, Zhao Huai'an will feel that Yang Fuguang truly cannot tolerate him and is going to take action against him, so he is using this impossible position to keep him in check.

But Zhang Chengye's performance was too perfect. He couldn't agree to either of them, and even under his coercion, he still refused. He only managed to get himself a position as deputy military governor.

What does this mean? It means that when Yang Fuguang summoned him, he told him that this was the absolute limit for this negotiation.

In other words, Yang Fuguang summoned Zhang Chengye to discuss matters, not to test whether he was dead.

If Zhang Chengye knew how cunning Zhao Huai'an could be, he would definitely feel wronged.

What happened to sincerity?

If not Yang Fuguang, then who is it? That Qin Zongquan, the military commissioner of Caizhou?
Although Zhao Huai'an had his suspicions about this person, reason told him that it was impossible!
Why?
Qin Zongquan was just a minor military commander with only a thousand soldiers under his command, while the people who ambushed him tonight numbered at least one or two hundred.

He, Zhao Huai'an, was the dignified Prefect of Guang Prefecture, a hero of the Tang Dynasty, and had just made a great contribution. Ordinary officials and soldiers simply did not have the courage to take on the task of ambushing and killing him.

Back when he killed Yan Shihui, he had about a thousand men under his command, but the ones he dared to call upon were still his loyal generals who shared his glory and disgrace.

Therefore, it was impossible for Qin Zongquan to gather so many assassins.

Who could it be? Those cowardly soldiers? No way, they've been reduced to ragtag dogs by us, what resources and manpower could they possibly have to set up such an ambush?
However, Zhao Huai'an didn't need to rack his brains anymore, because Wang Jin had already come over with the answer.

……

"You're saying these people are all thieves from Ohnosawa? Invited by Lord Shang to ambush us?"

Upon hearing this answer, Zhao Huai'an was stunned for a long time.

He suddenly realized something: the Cao and Pu army's previous maneuvering and flanking maneuvers were the work of that Shang Junzhang, but during the Battle of Yuanju, this man had vanished without a trace.

Later, Zhao Huai'an learned from Zhang Guiba and others that Cao Shixiong did not listen to Shang Junzhang, which angered Shang Junzhang so much that he left, saying that he went to Songzhou to find another leader of the bandit army, Bi Shiduo.

So he subconsciously overlooked this person.

How could Lord Shang be so wicked? He actually set an ambush to kill us?
But Zhao Huai'an also knew that it must be because he had stood out too much in the battle of Yuanju, and that he had become a thorn in the side of those salt smugglers who were used to using underworld methods.

"Fine, fine, is this how you do it? Well then, Lord Shang, you deserve to die a righteous death." But right now, he didn't know where Lord Shang was, so he couldn't retaliate even if he wanted to.

At this moment, all I can do is suppress this anger.

Thinking about this, Zhao Huai'an suddenly had an idea.

That means we need to build a highly skilled team to do this kind of work, and recruit those chivalrous heroes from all walks of life. Their skills come from all walks of life; they're certainly not suited for military battles, but they're perfect for this!
It's somewhat similar to the ninja squads under the daimyo of Japan's Sengoku period, capable of gathering intelligence, capturing people, and carrying out specific assassination missions.

Fine, fine, you forced us to do this! We, Zhao Da, want to fight fair and square, but you insist on forcing us to become spies! Fine, then let you cowards know who you shouldn't mess with!

After mentally assessing the current inventory, Zhao Huai'an decided to return to the main camp and allocate 50,000 strings of cash specifically to recruit these heroes of the martial arts world to do dirty work for him!

……

On one side, Zhao Huai'an was filled with evil thoughts. On the other side, the other members of the Baoyi Army were cleaning up the battlefield and seized a hundred crossbows. They also found a hundred mules and horses in the forest. It was clear that Lord Shang had gone to great lengths to kill Zhao Huai'an.

While everyone was busy, Flying Tiger, Flying Leopard, and other scattered riders, having received the news, all gathered in this direction, amidst the constant sounds of shouts and neighing horses. Upon arriving and witnessing the carnage in the forest, and recognizing that these assassins were the bandits from Juye Marsh summoned by the Grass Army, they roared and led their troops straight to Juye Marsh to slaughter all the bandits within.

Upon hearing these words, Wang Jin frowned deeply. He detested any arrogance or coercive behavior from his subordinates. Although these people were merely making a commotion in anger, he still rebuked them angrily.

"Stop making a racket! You've come all this way and are just shouting. The magistrate will make his own judgment. Clean up the battlefield and pick up all the arrows on the ground! Do more and talk less!"

The cavalry all lowered their heads, not daring to disobey Wang Jin, and thus remained silent, beginning to clean up the remaining battlefield.

At this moment, as Wang Jin watched the cavalry collect the arrows stuck in the assassins' corpses, another thought couldn't help but surface in his mind:
"The magistrate's archery skills have been completely transformed. Among these assassins, at least forty were shot to death by the magistrate. It is said that the magistrate was shooting from a galloping donkey cart. Such skill has surpassed mine. Last year, the magistrate still missed eight out of ten shots. In just over a year, he has become such a divine archer."

"Indeed, Your Excellency is a celestial being; there is nothing you do not know, and nothing you cannot do!"

While Wang Jin was further "deifying" Zhao Huai'an in his heart, the Baoyi Army cavalrymen who were pulling out arrows became more and more frightened.

Because they discovered that eight out of ten arrows in their hands were inscribed with the three characters "Hu Baoyi".

These people were all shot dead by the magistrate alone?
What incredible bravery!

Some people couldn't help but look at Zhao Huai'an standing on the donkey cart, and felt a sense of peace in their hearts.

It's one thing for the governor to be benevolent and righteous, but he's also so fierce and ruthless. Who in this world can stop us? The governor's position is still too insignificant.

If those filthy people can become military governors, why can't my lord?

We absolutely must give the magistrate a new robe!
……

After questioning several thieves, Zhao Juntian, the military advisor, approached with a frown and reported to Zhao Huai'an, who was also in a state of uncertainty:

"My lord, I still believe that the tiger-luring group and the ambush group are not the same people."

Zhao Huai'an was already holding back his anger when he suddenly heard these words, and he frowned:

"Stop talking nonsense and tell me your thoughts!"

Zhao Juntian noticed that the magistrate was in a bad mood and quickly explained:

“My lord, I am certain that someone else lured the tiger. The reason is simple: if it was those thieves who lured the tiger to the hunting grounds, why did they organize a large force to ambush us that very night before they were even sure the tiger had been caught? If they had succeeded, why would they still attack us? Wouldn't that be a waste of their lives?”

Zhao Huai'an nodded; this reason made sense.

Zhao Juntian continued speaking:

"Furthermore, I just questioned several different thieves, and these people are actually just camping in the forest tonight. They don't even know where our camp is. All they know is that we are organizing a hunt in this area."

"These thieves only took Shang Junzhang's gold; they weren't really committed to doing anything. According to many of their confessions, they originally planned to stay here for the night and then just get by. If we hadn't rushed here and seen the magistrate's carriage, they probably would have returned the next day."

Upon hearing Zhao Juntian's words, Zhao Huai'an felt embarrassed.

It was really his own fault. He had specifically chosen a road on the outskirts of the hunting grounds to return home, and then, of all people, he ended up bumping into the entrance of this group's camp.

I'm really quite clever!

However, Zhao Huai'an still asked the crucial question:

"You mean these assassins were just passively waiting on the outskirts of the hunting grounds, and they didn't have the ability to lure the tigers to the center of the hunting grounds?"

Zhao Juntian nodded, and then made a bold guess:
"This person must have been planning this for a long time, and may even be someone close to Military Supervisor Yang. He knew that Military Supervisor Yang was going to hunt here, so he made preparations in advance."

Zhao Huai'an kept thinking of candidates, and finally selected a few. He was about to give the order.

But then, that scoundrel Zhao Juntian came up with a brilliant idea:

"My lord, why not send the news of the assassination attempt to the military supervisor and see how he responds?"

Zhao Huai'an quickly understood the intention, laughed loudly, and then selected two cavalrymen to take his messenger token into the city to report to Yang Fuguang that he had been ambushed in the hunting grounds.

He deliberately stirred up trouble, wanting to see just how many snakes were hiding in the bushes!

As soon as the two cavalrymen left, Zhao Huai'an immediately mobilized all the cavalry generals and ordered them to form ranks and join him in meeting up with the infantry outside Yuanju City.

This time, Zhao Da is determined to get justice for himself!
Is this how you treat the heroes of the Tang Dynasty?
……

In the cool of the late night, within the city of Yuanju, the night watchman's drum sounded, fading into the distance.

Inside the government office in the city, Yang Fuguang was meeting with his sworn nephew, Yang Kequan.

Yang Kequan was the adopted son of Yang Fugong, a eunuch. Their relationship was similar to that of Yang Fuguang and Yang Xuanjia. Although they were adoptive father and son, they were like father and son and he could inherit everything from his father.

Yang Kequan had come all the way from Chang'an to the front lines of Yuanju, so he must have had something extremely urgent to attend to. Therefore, when Yang Fuguang heard that Yang Kequan had arrived while he was hunting outside, he immediately rushed back to the city.

At this moment, the young eunuch Yang Kequan, hunched over, whispered to Yang Fuguang:
“Dad, the imperial decree has come down. Wang Duo has been appointed as the military governor. In addition, Gao Pian has been sent to the capital in a prison cart. Tian Lingzi wants to make a deal with us. He said that if we support his brother to become the military governor of Xichuan, he is willing to let his adoptive father return to Chang'an and become the Privy Councilor.”

Yang Fuguang frowned upon hearing this:

"What do you think about this, brother?"

Yang Kequan quickly explained his godfather's attitude:

"My godfather couldn't get over his anger and didn't agree to Tian Lingzi's request. But he didn't want to let this opportunity slip by, so he sent his nephew over to ask his uncle if the method you mentioned before was really feasible."

When Yang Fuguang was still in Bianzhou, he frequently corresponded with his elder brother Yang Fugong, in which he told Yang Fugong about his cooperation with Zhao Huai'an.

Although the Yang family still has many descendants, including nine from the "Fu" generation alone, the real power lies with Yang Fuguang and Yang Fugong. One is outside the family, and the other is inside, supporting each other's reputation.

At this moment, Yang Fuguang, hearing his nephew ask so directly, already knew that his elder brother was probably already interested, but was afraid of losing face, so he went along with it and said:

“In my opinion, we should agree to this. With Gao Pian gone, Xichuan is in danger. If Tian Lingzi wants his brother, who makes sesame cakes, to go, let him go. We can’t stop him anyway. We might as well go with the flow and let his brother return to the central government first.”

After thinking for a moment, Yang Fuguang picked up a wooden box from the side and handed it to Yang Kequan, instructing him:
"Xiao Yang, this is my report of success this time. You must give it to my brother. As for how to do it, I have already explained in the letter. Tell your brother to do his best to achieve it."

Upon hearing that this was actually good news, Yang Kequan was overjoyed and asked if he could take a look. Seeing Yang Fuguang nod, he carefully read the letter. After reading it, he put the letter back into the wooden box and then kept it close to his body.

Yang Fuguang nodded, feeling a bit more favorably disposed towards the young eunuch who didn't say anything more.

Over there, Yang Fuguang suddenly asked:
"Since Tian Lingzi wants his elder brother to go to Xichuan, does that mean the imperial court has agreed to the marriage alliance with Nanzhao?"

The eunuch nodded, then smiled and said:

"That's the general idea, but there are still dissenting voices in the outer court, and His Majesty is reluctant to let it go, so he's dragging it out for now."

Seeing that Yang Fuguang was in a good mood, he finally asked cautiously:
“Uncle, our Yang family is indeed in a difficult situation right now. Even if our godfather returns to the position of Privy Councilor, it will probably still be difficult to promote you to the position of Pacification Commissioner. This military achievement is indeed timely, but could it be more secure?”

Yang Fuguang understood what he meant and frowned, saying:
"What are the court's plans now?"

Yang Kequan hurriedly shook his head:

"No, no, it's just that if the credit were a little bigger, we'd have more confidence. We can't possibly go begging to Tian Lingzi again, can we? My godfather really finds that guy disgusting!"

Hearing this, Yang Fuguang inwardly scoffed at his elder brother:

"Wanting everything but also wanting to save face? You can't have all that."

Feeling irritated, he shook his hand and told Yang Kequan to leave first.

Watching the young eunuch leave respectfully, Yang Fuguang sighed inwardly:
"I can't rely on anyone! I can only rely on myself!"

After mentally reviewing the subsequent plans, I felt that the current situation was still quite favorable.

Now that Yuanju has been recovered and the bandits in Puzhou have been severely damaged, his side, together with Zhao Huai'an's troops, has a total of 20,000 elite soldiers, which is in no way inferior to the army in Yizhou.

In this situation, continuing to play it safe is indeed not a good choice. If we take Caozhou, then it will be easier to negotiate with Tian Lingzi or those bandits.

In this, Zhao Huai'an's Baoyi Army is the key.

This time, Zhao Huai'an's asking price was far too high. Deputy Military Governor of Huainan? That position is almost exclusively held by military governors from other regions.

However, this is not something that cannot be agreed to. After all, Tian Lingzi had the audacity to promote his useless elder brother to the position of military governor of Xichuan. Zhao Da is a meritorious official of the country, so how can he not be a deputy military governor?

Okay, let's do it this way.

But this position can't be given to me now. I have to wait until the king and the bandit Huang Cao are defeated and I can return to Chang'an. Then, things will naturally fall into place.

But just as he was lost in thought, his adopted son, Yang Shouzhong, rushed over, saying in a panic:

"Father, something terrible has happened! Zhao Da was out hunting when he was ambushed by assassins."

Upon hearing this, Yang Fuguang's eyes widened, and he jumped up, grabbed Yang Shouzhong, and shouted:

"Explain yourself! What happened to Zhao Da?"

(End of this chapter)