Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 213 The End
Zhao Huai'an didn't chase after them for long. Once the hunting dogs discovered the tracks of the fleeing generals from Caizhou, the outcome was already decided.

He threw four skinned rabbits out of the basket and tossed them to the hunting dogs that had performed the service.

At this moment, Fatty Bean galloped over from the other end with more than ten riders. His three-layered belly pressed down on the warhorse, making the horse's legs feel weak.

After riding for only a short while, Fatty Dou's forehead was already covered in sweat. Upon reaching Zhao Huai'an, he huffed and puffed, "..."
"Brother, I heard they caught up?"

Zhao Huai'an nodded, then said to Fatty Dou, half-jokingly and half-seriously:

“Fatty Bean, you really need to lose some weight. With your weight and armor, even a regular warhorse would be weak in the knees carrying you. It would be fine if you were just an infantry general, but as a cavalry general, this is a matter of life and death! I don’t want to hear one day that my brother Fatty Bean was trampled to death by enemy horses because he crushed his warhorse!”

"I feel wronged," said Fatty Bean, repeating the same excuse as before.

"Big brother, you know I gain weight even from drinking water. It's not my fault, it's all my parents' fault!"

This time, however, Zhao Huai'an did not tolerate it. He directly gave Fatty Dou a choice:

"I'm not listening to that. Now, either you train with me and lose this fat, or you can stop riding horses and become an infantry general."

Fatty Dou shook his head vigorously.

He absolutely did not want to be a foot soldier; he, Fatty Dou, couldn't bear the shame!

He couldn't lose weight either, but this time Dalang looked so serious that he dared not refuse.

He couldn’t tell if it was because of this attack, but he could clearly sense that Dalang’s mentality had changed a lot.

If Dalang used to be a bit impetuous, he's much more composed now.

In the past, when it came to charging into the Zhongwu Army camp, Dalang would have been the first to lead the way in. But now, Dalang has stayed safely outside the camp, which is very cautious.

The same goes for the current investigation. In the past, Da Lang would be at the forefront, but now he's just waiting for the results.

He's becoming more and more like a general.

Fatty Dou didn't think it was a bad thing. After all, there weren't many places where Da Lang really needed to charge into battle anymore. Being cautious would keep everyone safe.

Now, in Gwangju, Mao Niang is pregnant. It was a letter from Gwangju that came some time ago, saying that she was already four months along. It seems that Mao Niang must have been pregnant around October of last year.

Thinking about this, Fatty Dou felt that Da Lang was also inexperienced; his own woman was already two months pregnant and he didn't even know.

Although in Doupangzi's opinion, the child that Maoniang gave birth to is just an illegitimate son, it's good to have one!

The Righteous Army is now renowned and will grow stronger in the future, so all the brothers need their eldest son to have a son so that they can feel at ease.

At this moment, Fatty noticed the change in Zhao Huai'an. Was it because of the attack, or because he had become a father for the first time? Perhaps it was both.

……

Dou Pangzi shook his head, and Zhao Huai'an cursed again:
"You coward, you really want to become an infantry general? Won't Zhao Liu laugh you to death then?"

These words immediately pulled Fatty Bean back from his reverie, and he quickly nodded:

"Big Brother, I want to lose weight! I want to lose weight! But I don't know how! I gain weight even from drinking water!"

Zhao Huai'an smiled after hearing this:

"Haha, that's more like it! Don't worry about how you lose weight, just come to my camp every day to report for duty and train with me!"

Fatty Dou had no choice but to nod with a bitter face.

But he noticed that after Zhao Huai'an finished laughing, he suddenly fell silent again, so he asked:

"Dalang, what's wrong with you?"

Zhao Huai'an sighed and asked Dou Pangzi in a low voice:

"Fatty, are you tired?"

Fatty Dou paused for a moment, noticing that something was wrong with Zhao Huai'an, and quickly shook his head.
"Good food and drink, brothers by my side, the chance to make meritorious contributions on the battlefield, get promoted and honored, these are things that can't be asked for, how could I be tired?"

Zhao Huaian shook his head:
"I didn't ask you what you were after, I asked you, are you tired?"

Fatty looked at Zhao Huai'an and saw the seriousness in his eyes. He hesitated for a moment, pursed his lips, and replied softly:

"I don't know if it's because I'm tired, but sometimes it feels like we're fighting one battle after another, and we encounter wave after wave of enemies. It feels like we've just taken a break when orders come in, calling us to continue the campaign. It's like there are endless battles to fight."

"And fighting now doesn't feel the same as before. When we were in Xichuan, what was there to think about when we were fighting those Nanzhao people? They were our fellow countrymen and elders, so we just killed them. But now that we've entered the Central Plains, well, how should I put it? There are bad guys in our army, but most of them are pitiful people. And no matter how many of them we kill, it feels like it's nothing special. Maybe we'll get promoted, but we don't have that same drive as before."

"Furthermore, my dear brother, how high do you think one has to be to be considered a high-ranking official? To become a military governor? To become like Gao Pian, the Grand Chancellor?"

Seeing that Zhao Huai'an was really thinking about it, Fatty Dou quickly waved his hand and said:

"Brother, I was just talking nonsense, don't take it seriously."

Zhao Huai'an shook his head and, like Dou Pangzi, gazed at the distant plains, where there was no crops for miles around, no roosters crowing for miles, and everywhere was overgrown with weeds and strewn with white bones.

He paused for a moment, then said:

"Fatty, now that we've come to the Central Plains, do you know what I'm thinking?"

Fatty Dou shook his head. "Since ancient times, the Central Plains has been the seat of dynastic destiny. When the Central Plains prosper, the dynasty prospers; when the Central Plains fall into chaos, the dynasty collapses. And when the world is in chaos, human life is really as cheap as the weeds under our feet. In such a chaotic world, no one can stay out of it. Even the officials in Chang'an are not much better than these weeds. Those people have nothing to do with us, and we can't worry about them. We just want to live well with you brothers."

As he spoke, Zhao Huai'an smiled at Fatty Dou:
"Why did I tell you to lose weight? You idiot, you jumped off the car last night! Wasn't it because you thought you were too fat and were afraid of slowing me down? I don't want you to jump off the car again next time we're escaping for our lives, understand?"

Fatty's eyes were red. He forced a smile and asked:
"Couldn't we just not run for our lives?"

Zhao Huai'an laughed heartily, then nodded:
"Yes, if we don't want to run for our lives, we have to fight harder than others! We have to risk our lives more than others! We'll do the things that others dare not do! We'll kill the people that others dare not kill! When our banner flies higher and higher, when our brothers number more and more, then we will not only no longer have to run for our lives, but we will also be able to change a lot!"

"So, Fatty, you're tired, and I'm tired too! But starting today, like me, grit your teeth and swallow your pride. We won't back down, and we won't be coy! Whoever blocks our path, we'll kill them! Whoever dares to bare their teeth at us, we'll smash their head in! No reason needed! They'll just stand in our way!"

"understand!"

Fatty Dou put his legs together, his belly fat jiggled, and he pounded his chest, roaring:

"understand!"

Zhao Huai'an nodded, then looked ahead. The pursuing cavalry had returned, bringing with them that nobody Qin Zongquan!

……

Sitting on a small stool, Zhao Huai'an looked at Qin Zongquan kneeling on the ground and asked:
"Not reconciled?"

Qin Zongquan shook his head and spoke the truth:

"There's nothing to be resentful about, it's just that your fists are stronger, and I can't beat you."

"I only regret two things: one is that I shouldn't have opposed you in Chenzhou, and the other is that I didn't lead my troops to fight you first before I knew that my good-for-nothing brother had done such a stupid thing!"

These contradictory words, however, allowed Zhao Huai'an to understand the character of this Caizhou tycoon.

Divided and contradictory.

Zhao Huai'an didn't intend to say anything more. He took the golden iron mace from Fatty Dou's hand and said one last thing:

“In Chenzhou, this golden melon should have smashed your younger brother to pieces, but it failed. Since you are the elder brother, you shall take this blow for your brother!”

As he spoke, Zhao Huai'an walked toward Qin Zongquan, who was kneeling on the ground.

As Zhao Huai'an drew ever closer, Qin Zongquan lost all his previous composure and roared:
"I'm innocent! It was all my good-for-nothing brother who did it, why should I die! Why! Ah!"

Zhao Huai'an relaxed his neck and then said:
"Finished?"

Then he smashed the hammer down on Qin Zongquan's Heavenly Gate.

The massive impact shattered his skull, but life did not immediately leave Qin Zongquan's body. He fell to the ground, his eyes bloodshot, staring intently at Zhao Huai'an, his body convulsing twice.

Then, his neck went limp, and he could no longer hold back his excrement and urine, which gushed out from Qin Zongquan's lower body.

Zhao Huai'an handed the golden melon to Fatty Dou, then turned to Liu Zhijun and gave him a word of advice:
“Cut off his head and hand it to Yang Fuguang. Don’t say anything else.”

After saying that, Zhao Huai'an mounted his horse, cracked his whip, and galloped back to Yuanju.

Liu Zhijun watched Zhao Da leave, then looked at the mangled head, scoffed in disgust, and pointed at Liu Xin:

"Old Liu, go chop off his head and hand it over to Yang Fuguang!"

Liu Xin, neck stiff with resentment:

"Why should I go!"

Liu Zhijun chuckled and pointed to himself:

"Just because we're generals, Lao Liu, wait until you become a general yourself, then you can say 'no' to us!"

After saying that, Liu Zhijun mounted his horse and went to catch up with Zhao Huai'an.

Liu Xin was furious. He looked around and found that Yang Yanqing and his men had all mounted their horses and ridden away without looking back.

Liu Xin was so angry he jumped up and down, secretly roaring:

"I want to be a general too!"

With no other option, Liu Xin was the only one left at the scene. He walked over to Qin Zongquan, glanced at the mangled head, avoided the excrement and urine, drew his knife, and cut off Qin's head.

Despite his utmost caution, he still stepped in a puddle of urine, which infuriated Liu Xin, who cursed loudly:

"You bastard, you've dirtied my boots!"

Then, Liu Xin put Qin Zongquan's head into a cloth bag, mounted his horse, and chased after the others.

At this moment, the flock of crows that had been circling in the air finally swarmed over after confirming that the two-legged creatures had finally left.

In a short while, the mutilated carcass on the meadow was covered with crows, their pecking incessant.

Zhao Huai'an, who had already traveled a long way, was unaware that from this moment on, the river of history broke through the earth, rushing across the plains without restraint, searching for the next place that could become a riverbed.

An era that had not yet begun has come to an end.

(End of this chapter)