Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 230 Overnight
As the sun sets, bonfires begin to burn in the open fields north of Caozhou City, and the aroma of rice and cured meat wafts through the camp.

After fighting for most of the day, the officers and soldiers finally relaxed and began to eat their first good meal after the war.

Inside the first camp of the Xuanwu Army, the middle and senior officers of the Baoyi, Zhongwu and Xuanwu armies were gathered. The camp was brightly lit, and some officers and soldiers carried basins of meat and vegetables into the military tents.

As usual, Yang Fuguang sat on the right and Zhao Huai'an on the left in the military tent. The Zhongwu Army faction sat on the right and the Baoyi Army faction sat on the left. As for the dozen or so generals of the Xuanwu Army, they sat on the sides and back, and were not given any special status.

However, these Xuanwu generals showed no signs of shame or distress. On the contrary, they were drinking and boasting about their war achievements, just like the other Baoyi and Zhongwu generals.

What military achievements did the Xuanwu Army have? Numerous.

Using 12,000 men from 12 districts as bait, they managed to hold off the brutal attack of several thousand enemy troops for most of the day, buying precious time for their allies to counterattack.

Isn't this a powerful weapon?
Yes, that's what Zhao Huai'an said when he publicly introduced the merits of the Xuanwu Army generals.

At that time, the members of the Baoyi Army were all silent, and the Zhongwu Army was dumbfounded. Only the Xuanwu Army members were all smiles, thinking that Zhao Shijun was a truly wise man.

And so, after this introduction, the Xuanwu Army, which had been almost defeated, was transformed into heroes who conquered Caozhou.

The generals of Xuanwu Army reciprocated the favor, and at the victory banquet, they took turns toasting Zhao Huai, fully expressing their gratitude to this righteous and loyal governor.

Zhao Huai'an took it seriously, patting his chest and saying that from now on they would be brother units, and that he should just let them know if there were any difficulties.

Then one of the Xuanwu Army generals actually asked if the Baoyi Army generals could return the supplies they had captured in their camp. But before he could finish speaking, he was dragged away by his own men.

Without that awkward little incident, the atmosphere among everyone became even more lively.

This was the first time that the three armies of Baoyi had cooperated in a joint operation, and both sides gained a more accurate understanding of each other's strength.

For example, the Xuanwu Army initially looked down on the Baoyi Army from Guangzhou, thinking they were just another bunch of beggars from out of town.

Gwangju? What kind of rural place is that? It's either mountain huts or bandits, a hotbed of bad elements.

But right before their eyes, a loyal and righteous army of less than five hundred men opened their eyes.

Immovable as a mountain, yet swift as a tiger descending from the mountain, this single battalion's strength was more effective than half of the entire Xuanwu Army.

In the end, what happened to them? These five hundred men captured the north gate, while their ten thousand men were almost driven out of the camp. That's the difference.

And then what? The Baoyi Army still has eight such commanders, and it's said there are eight more in Guangzhou. How ferocious is that?
The Xuanwu Army had seen elite troops before. Six years ago, when they fought Pang Xun, the Shatuo people from the remote northwest came to Bianzhou to gather troops. Those people were indeed fierce, daring to charge and shoot. On the battlefield, forty or fifty cavalrymen could break through a small unit of the Xuzhou Army.

So some Xuanwu soldiers were wondering to themselves, if these Shatuo people and Baoyi Army were to fight, who would be stronger in the end?

After some thought, the Xuanwu Army still felt that the Shatuo soldiers were stronger. After all, the Shatuo soldiers who fought against Pang Xun were not comparable to the bandit army that the Baoyi Army was currently fighting.

Meanwhile, the generals of the Chenzhou faction of the Zhongwu Army were more pragmatic.

Compared to the army's combat strength, they valued the Baoyi Army's ability to obey orders and maintain discipline more.

When cleaning up the battlefield after the battle, Zhao Chou and his men from the Chenzhou army reconstructed the course of the battle outside the north city, and the information they obtained was obviously more detailed than that of the Xuanwu army.

They knew that the predecessor of this Red Heart Army should be the guards of the Shouzhou Army. Zhao Chou had seen these people when he was in Chenzhou.

The actions of this newly recruited force in this battle are quite intriguing.

It is said that when they first arrived at the battlefield outside the northern city, they did not immediately engage in combat, but instead defended the area on the spot.

Suddenly, this force fiercely rushed towards the stone bridge and attacked the north gate drawbridge. This change was very likely ordered by Zhao Huai'an from the rear.

Zhao Chou was not surprised that Zhao Huai'an had such insight into the battle situation. What surprised him, or rather, what he did not understand, was why these Shouzhou soldiers would carry out such a seemingly certain-death mission.

A simple reconstruction of the battlefield situation at the time reveals that the Shouzhou soldiers were practically throwing themselves into a death trap.

Behind them were thousands of rebel soldiers leaving the city, and inside the city were countless main rebel forces. The stone bridge and the drawbridge were also defended by rebel soldiers. What could these five hundred soldiers do?

If Zhao Chou could understand this principle, then the commander of the Shouzhou army at that time must have understood it as well.

But in the end, they carried it out, and the entire army charged forward with all their might.

And this army that was willing to die for the cause was not even the old guard of the Righteous Army; it was even a foreign army that had been stripped of its military power, yet they were still fighting so desperately.

What kind of magic does this Zhao Huai'an possess?
Therefore, the generals of Chenzhou were both curious and admiring of the Baoyi Army. They felt that with such a powerful force in Guang Prefecture, the situation in Huaixi would be entirely under their control.

But not all people are cunning and deceitful. Right now, quite a few people are already quite drunk. Zhao Liu is looking at a young military officer and listening to his father praising him.

Zhao Liu recognized this military general, Kou Yi! Back when he fought with the Shence Army outside the Liwu Tower in Bianzhou, wasn't it this guy who led a group of people to clean up the mess? At the time, he looked like a big shot, but he seemed like a coward.

But looking at Kou Yi now, he was nowhere near as cowardly as before.

Just now, Kou Yi brought his son over and offered Zhao Liu a toast, saying it was to apologize for the matter of the Profit Building.

Then Kou Yi, standing next to his son, chatted with Zhao Liu with great pride, and nine out of ten sentences were about his son.

Even when Zhao Liu was talking about other things, Kou Yi managed to bring the conversation back to his son.

Looking at the handsome young man next to Kou Yi, whose ears were now red with embarrassment, Zhao Liu suddenly realized that Old Kou hadn't come to apologize at all; he had come to show off his good son!

Normally, Zhao Liu would have sent Kou Yi as far away as possible; he wouldn't allow anyone to boast or show off better than him.

However, after hearing about Kou Yanqing, Zhao Liu also became interested in this young warrior.

According to his father, among all the warriors of Xuanwu Army this time, Kou Yanqing was the most formidable, having single-handedly beheaded sixteen core members of the Grass Army.

If his father hadn't exaggerated too much, then this Kou Yanqing already had the air of a renowned warrior!
Thinking of this, Zhao Liu glanced at the people above who were still chatting warmly with Yang Fuguang, General Zhou Ji of Xuzhou, and General Zhao Chou of Chenzhou, and a thought struck him.

Dalang has always admired warriors. For such a hero to fall into the hands of the cowardly Xuanwu Army is like a phoenix falling into a pheasant's den. He was meant to fly, but ended up as a ground-dwelling chicken.

Then, Zhao Liu looked at Kou Yanqing again, his eyes showing a hint of affection, and after sizing him up, he smiled and said:

"Little Kou is taller than me! Is he eight feet tall?"

Before Kou Yanqing could speak, his father chimed in with a smile:
"No, he's only just reached eight feet tall. He's still young and has a long way to go."

Zhao Liu could tell that Kou Yanqing was not very old, after all, he had not yet come of age and had not grown a beard, but with such a big build, how small could he be?
But when Kou Yi mentioned his son's age, Zhao Liu was genuinely shocked:
"fourteen?"

Kou Yanqing, who was quite sensitive about others thinking he was too young, quickly explained:
“Zhao Yaya, I’m already sixteen.”

Then his father coughed and explained to Zhao Liu:

"The child is honest. He was born in the eleventh month of winter, so he was two years old at birth. He is actually only fourteen years old and still young."

Zhao Liu looked at his son, who was almost as tall as Zhao Da, and pursed his lips. "Yes, yes, the child is still young."

However, he held back and asked Kou Yanqing:
"Little Kou hasn't come of age yet, so he probably hasn't joined the Loyal Martial Army. Why don't you come to our Baoyi Army for a few years of training? Putting aside everything else, there are quite a few brave young men like you in our army. Our Lord Zhao has four adopted sons, each of whom is skilled in martial arts. You young men can also have a friendly spar."

Upon hearing this, Kou Yanqing was about to agree.

He had a very good impression of the Baoyi Army. The army was full of spirit and had a strong sense of honor, which could be felt simply by walking through the army.

This elite force, which emerged from the national war, seemed to have more ambition than other battalions. He was in the prime of his life and wanted to hone his skills in such an army.

As for their own clan, well, forget it. Their family has been military officers in the Xuanwu Army for generations, but the atmosphere in the army is not like that of a war.

They seem capable on ordinary days, but they show their true colors on the battlefield. If it weren't for their rescue, who knows how many people would have died.

Before Kou Yanqing could nod, his father, standing beside him, chuckled and dismissed Zhao Liu's words:

"Liu Lang really loves to joke. He's still a child. It's too early to talk about this."

After saying that, Kou Yi smiled and explained his purpose:

"It's like this, Sixth Brother. You know, our Xuanwu Army has had a tough time. We traveled all the way from Bianzhou and finally managed to save up some money in Puzhou. Now, we've lost it all in the battle. We just wanted to ask Sixth Brother, can we still get a share of this wealth? We're too ashamed to ask for it all. How about we get back 60%?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liu's face immediately darkened.

Would Kou Yi feel like he was being traded for his son? Thinking this, he no longer cared about Kou Yanqing, and instead sat down, scoffing:
"Old Kou, I need to have a serious talk with you. Let me ask you, where did you get this batch of spoils?"

Before Kou Yi could answer, Zhao Liu said:

"It was taken from those bandits, right? I won't argue with you about it; after all, whoever takes it, it belongs to them—it's only right!"

"Now that your spoils have been taken by the bandit army, does that mean they belong to the bandit army?"

"Then we defeated the bandit army and seized their wealth. So, wouldn't this be our spoils of war?"

"Let's talk about whether this makes sense or not."

Kou Yi paused for a moment, sorted things out, and said with a wry smile:
"Sixth Brother, how about a 50/50 split? For the sake of our comrades, and to give our Xuanwu Army some face, let's go with 50/50, what do you say?"

Zhao Liu ignored him and tried to reason with him, then Kou Yi gritted his teeth:

"Thirty percent, this is our bottom line. Liu Lang, you have to understand the generals of our Xuanwu Army. This batch of spoils of war doesn't belong to our superiors, but to these generals of the Xuanwu Army. Now that they've lost their spoils, they're filled with resentment. If we don't give them an explanation, they'll start targeting us generals sooner or later!"

"Don't underestimate the Xuanwu Army just because they're bad at fighting. If they mutini, they're really capable of killing us."

"Sixth Brother, please, just give us 30%. We don't want the remaining portion for our generals. The remaining 30% originally belonged to these scoundrels. Give it back to them. From now on, we will listen to your Righteous Army and follow your lead without question!"

Looking at Kou Yi's obsequious manner, I sighed. It was hard to bear to do such a thing in front of my son.

Thinking of this, Zhao Liu waved his hand and said to Kou Yi:
"Alright, you can go back now. I'll talk to Dalang about it later. After all, weren't these spoils earned by our righteous army brothers?"

Kou Yi remained silent, inwardly grumbling:

"Yes, yes, yes, it was earned back from our military tent."

Over here, Zhao Liu saw Zhao Da wink at him, then dismissed Kou Yi, leaving him a message for his son to report to the Baoyi Army later, and then left the tent with Zhao Da.

……

As soon as they came out, Lao Mo handed Zhao Huai'an a cup of hot tea to sober him up, then draped a cloak over his shoulders before stepping aside. After rinsing his mouth with the last of the tea and spitting it out, Zhao Huai'an asked Zhao Liu:

"Sixth Brother, what's that guy surnamed Kou doing, sneaking around looking for you?"

Zhao Liu explained:
"What else could it be? Just like we guessed, they've come for the spoils of war. I did as you instructed, and we negotiated a 70/30 deal."

Zhao Dayi was not very happy to hear this, but he still nodded:

"Forget it, it didn't take much effort anyway, so making 30% is fine. It's just a start-up fee anyway."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liu grinned and said:

"Big brother, do you look down on me, Zhao Liu? Do you think I can negotiate a 30/70 split? It's the Xuanwu Army that wants 30%, and we get 70%."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huai'an burst into laughter, patted Zhao Liu on the shoulder, and repeatedly said "good."

Then Zhao Liu added:
"Well, I can still bargain, but I can tell that's their bottom line. After all, those Xuanwu army leaders have to give an explanation to their scoundrels. But we can't just give it away for nothing. Kou Yi gave us a son as compensation, and then I'll go and squeeze some money out of the other Xuanwu generals. Anyway, these 30% of the goods can be exchanged for a few hundred pieces of iron armor."

Zhao Huai'an opened his mouth, but still added:
"Don't be so ruthless. We'll need these Xuanwu Army soldiers in the future, so let's not make things look bad."

Zhao Liu nodded and added an explanation:

"These Xuanwu soldiers are well-equipped with armor and weapons. Didn't we seize a large amount of iron armor and fighting gear from the bandits? But that's just a drop in the ocean for the Xuanwu army! Don't worry, Dalang, I know what I'm doing!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huai'an recalled their previous visit to the Bianzhou armory, where they had seen piles of armor and weapons, accumulated over countless years.

Although the 100,000 Xuanwu soldiers were not many in number, they were well equipped with all the necessary armor and weapons, enough to equip eight armies.

Ah, when it comes to cultural heritage, Bianzhou is the place to be.

No, we have to squeeze every last penny out of them.

So Zhao Huai'an let Zhao Liu do whatever he wanted, since the armor and weapons were truly wasted if they fell into the hands of the Xuanwu Army.

Zhao Liu chuckled and nodded, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

He was confident because he had spoken with several leaders of the Xuanwu Army while drinking, and knew that they didn't care about armor or weapons at all.

When the rebel army broke out earlier, they lost all their iron armor, which was mostly seized from the Xuanwu army camp.

But none of the Xuanwu Army wanted these things. To them, these things were just a matter of getting a note back. Isn't it normal to suffer losses during an expedition?
But the spoils of war were not like that, because they were the money of the Xuanwu Army officers and soldiers below.

When these Xuanwu soldiers came to drink, some officers and soldiers asked if there had been any losses in the army's treasury.

These people dared not tell the truth. They immediately said that the treasury was located in the rear camps and there was absolutely no loss. Not a single penny of the brothers' money was missing.

Only then did these thugs let them go out to the banquet.

Therefore, for those Xuanwu Army leaders, everything else was secondary; they absolutely had to get back the 30% of the spoils, otherwise they wouldn't be able to balance the accounts.

Zhao Liu knew this, so when Kou Yi came to talk, he was completely under Kou Yi's thumb.

Just as Zhao Liu was feeling smug, Zhao Huai'an called over Dou Pangzi and then said to the two of them:
"Zhao Liu, Fatty, you two stop drinking later. Take Beiwei and Bashan and go into the city. We'll seize Caozhou's treasury directly."

Zhao Liu and Fatty Dou looked at each other, seemingly at a loss. In the end, it was Fatty Dou who offered a word of advice:
"Brother, isn't this a bit underhanded? The Zhongwu Army is a good one, and Old Pang and Old Wang are loyal. When they heard we were out there, they came right away. We can't let them down, can we? Just plundering the treasury without even asking? This..."

Zhao Huai'an spat and cursed:

“You two have dirty minds. Do you think I, Zhao Da, am that kind of person? Just now when we were drinking, Yang Fuguang, Zhou Ji, and Zhao Chou agreed that we would split the city’s wealth into three parts, the Zhongwu Army would get four parts, and the remaining three parts would go to Old Yang.”

Zhao Liu and Dou Pangzi glanced at each other and realized that the consensus that only the Xuanwu Army was injured had been reached over a single drink.

This is the harsh reality: if you can't fight, you're lucky if you can avoid being laid out at the dinner table, let alone sitting down to eat.

"Then, the treasury will be divided among us. I'm afraid those scoundrels under the Zhongwu Army won't be able to see through things, so you guys go into the city first and protect the treasury for me."

The two nodded, and then Zhao Liu asked:

"Hey, what are you doing, Da Lang? Still drinking here? Should I call Lao Liu and Lao Huo over to help you fend off the drinks?"

Zhao Huai'an shook his head and sighed at the two of them:

"Everything's been settled, what's the point of eating? I need to go to the Chixindu camp to have a meal and sleep there tonight."

After speaking, Zhao Huai'an dismissed the two men, then turned to Xue Hang and Yuan Xi, who were standing to the side, and asked:
What did the soldiers eat tonight?

Xue Hang hurriedly replied:
"Tonight's meal consists of one piece of cured meat, one pound of vegetables, and unlimited rice for each person."

Zhao Huai'an sighed, dissatisfied with the food, but knowing that the logistics department had done its best.

Caozhou has long been ravaged, and all supplies come from Bianzhou. It's barely enough to supply rice and grain, so why would there be any space left to transport pigs, cattle, and sheep?

But Zhao Huai'an didn't show much. He first went to each camp to check the quality of the food, and then chatted with a few old brothers of the Baoyi Army for a while.

Finally, they reached the main force of this great battle, the Red Heart Camp.

Compared to the joyful atmosphere of other campsites, this place was noticeably more somber.

Despite the timely rescue by the Zhongwu Army, Chixindu still suffered considerable losses. Zhao Huai'an received the casualty figures in the afternoon.

In this battle, Chixin suffered 72 dead and 50 seriously wounded, losing almost one-fifth of its strength.

The team that suffered the greatest losses was Liu Kangyi's third team, which was blocking the Cao Jun infantry at the time. Each team lost one-third of its members.

This was the total number of casualties suffered by the Baoyi Army in this battle, but they captured more than 3,000 prisoners. These were all abandoned soldiers, and there were also a large number of soldiers scattered near the battlefield.

After dawn, the Baoyi Army will organize a search party to find these defeated soldiers. Otherwise, once their main force leaves Caozhou, there will be instability in Caozhou.

When Zhao Huai'an arrived at Chixindu, Zhang Ao came to greet him. Seeing the cotton bandage wrapped around Zhang Ao's leg, Zhao Huai'an sternly reprimanded him:
"Didn't Physician Pei tell you not to get out of bed? Who told you to move around?"

Just as Zhang Ao was about to bow and explain, Zhao Huai'an picked him up and carried him on his back.

Zhang Ao was stunned, and then Zhao Huai'an carried him into the camp.

At this moment, the loyal officials who were eating rice and steamed cured meat by the campfire stood up when they saw that the magistrate had arrived.

When they saw that there was another person on the magistrate's back, it was none other than their general Zhang Ao, and everyone was stunned.

Zhao Huai'an carried Zhang Ao over and smiled at everyone:

"What are you all standing there for? Give me a portion of rice, let me try it, and add extra meat! I can't live without meat."

By this time, Zhang Ao had come to his senses and hurriedly whispered to Zhao Huai'an:

"My lord, put me down. This is not dignified."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huai'an addressed him directly, and also shouted to all the loyal followers:
"Undignified? No, I think it's dignified! My brothers are risking their lives for me, Zhao Da, and I'll carry you for a while. It's my honor as Zhao Da."

“I know that you went to seize the gate this time not for anything else, but because of a promise you made to me, Zhao Da, which was to be loyal to me. I, Zhao Huai’an, am a man of flesh and blood. If my brothers are willing to risk their lives for me, then I, Zhao Da, will also risk my life for my brothers! Don’t feel unworthy of this. I, Zhao Da, am just a straightforward man who treats others with sincerity.”

"And I must also say that after this battle, when you return to Gwangju, you should all bring your families with you, especially those brothers who died in battle. Bring their families here, and I, Zhao Da, will be their son and see them off in their final days!"

These words were simple, even somewhat plain, but they made the soldiers present green with envy.

Because they could feel Zhao Da's sincerity; he truly treated everyone as brothers. He remembered the Shouzhou soldiers who died for him and took care of their parents.

Nowadays, military commanders treat their soldiers with harsh laws and severe punishments, readily beheading them or implicating their relatives. While this may be intimidating, it also makes the soldiers themselves stop seeing themselves as human beings.

They are nothing but a bunch of pigs and dogs who are slaughtered and used to establish authority by their superiors, which is why they band together to fight against them!
But who doesn't want to be treated like a human being? Don't they have feelings and dignity? They join the army because they want to give their families a good future and security.

They had only seen these things in the Baoyi Army.

The military law of the Baoyi Army was indeed strict, but it was all aimed at wartime. In peacetime, mistakes were only punished with corporal punishment, not torture.

The feeling is that the army is a strict father and the soldiers are filial sons. The two are in a father-son relationship. Although they are strict, they are still a family.

The Yibao (righteous protection) of the Baoyi Army can also provide them with protection.

After a few years of hard work, you can retire with a good life. If you get injured, you can transfer to civilian work as an inspector. The army takes care of your daily needs, including food, accommodation, and other necessities.

Most importantly, it's about the magistrate himself.

They're not blind; they can tell if someone's acting or not. But this magistrate truly comes from among them; he cares about everyone and understands their joys and sorrows.

In short, the magistrate cares about everyone!
That one sentence is enough! It's enough to make his brothers risk their lives for him!
This life was meant to be sold anyway, so what difference did it make who they sold it to? They were willing to sell it to their youngest father!

So, some of the loyal warriors actually cried. Then Zhao Huai'an went over, placed Zhang Ao beside him, took off his cloak and covered his injured leg, and finally asked the crying loyal warriors why they were crying.

And so, the group began to chat around the campfire. Each of them had a story; some told their own, others spoke of their comrades who had died in battle.

Zhao Huai'an also told them about his joy at seeing his family again, his fear while fleeing in Xichuan, and his anger at seeing his beloved elder die at his own hands.

That night, in the hearts of these loyal citizens, the magistrate was no longer an abstract symbol, but a flesh-and-blood person just like them.

On this night, these warriors of the Red Heart City were no longer just numbers, but real people with their own names, families, desires, and fears.

This continued until very late at night, until the sun slowly rose in the east.

The roosters in the camp began to crow at dawn, and Zhao Huai'an finally went to sleep.

He slept among the villagers of Shouzhou.

　I wrote the second chapter at noon, which is longer than the previous ones. I'm trying to catch up on the progress.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)