Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 239 Siege
Outside Xiaqiu City, the Cao army's offensive continued unabated, with countless people surging towards several fortifications ahead, shaking the Yanhai Navy's defenses.

Under such a fierce offensive, the Yanzhou Navy's elite cavalry, who had previously swaggered out of their camp, fell silent and retreated behind the camp walls.

As the sun fully rose, the Grass Army finally breached one of the Yan Navy's strongholds, and countless men charged in, brandishing gleaming swords and spears.

The sound of killing shook the sky.

……

Inside the main tent of the grass army camp, Liu Yanzhang returned with his guards, quite satisfied. He had just handed his riding whip to his personal general when he whispered:
"Commander Liu, there's a commotion inside."

Liu Yanzhang was not surprised and smiled as he lifted the curtain and went inside.

Upon entering, the previously noisy tent fell completely silent. Liu Yanzhang then walked to the head of the table with a smile, sat down, first looked around at the generals, and then asked with a puzzled expression:
"Can anyone tell me what you're arguing about?"

At first, everyone remained silent, but finally someone couldn't hold back any longer. Ignoring the pulls from those around him, he stood up and asked Liu Yanzhang:

"General, we've heard that Tang cavalry have been spotted in the southwest."

After he finished speaking, he stared intently at Liu Yanzhang.

Liu Yanzhang's smile slowly faded. He looked at the man and asked softly:
"Li Da Ba Zi, are you asking me a question or interrogating me?"

Before the young military commander nicknamed Li Dabazi could speak, he was pulled down by a burly middle-aged martial artist next to him, and then he said to Liu Yanzhang:
"Commander Liu, he drank a few bowls of turbid wine and his mind is clouded. He doesn't think things through and speaks without thinking. Please bear with him. But the brothers really want the commander to give us a clear answer: has the Tang army sent reinforcements?"

This time, Liu Yanzhang didn't reprimand him, but instead said calmly:
"We have spotted a group of Tang cavalry. Several patrols encountered them, but none of them returned. However, we shouldn't overreact. The presence of cavalry doesn't necessarily mean reinforcements have arrived. Besides, wouldn't the arrival of enemy reinforcements be exactly what we want?"

Then he said to the muscular middle-aged martial artist:

“Zhang Yanshou, you’re an old hand at commanding cavalry, don’t you know the ins and outs of warfare? Don’t be so alarmed. Just focus on attacking the city, I’ll take care of the rest.”

This middle-aged warrior was Zhang Yanshou, a cavalryman who had previously served under Cao Shixiong in Puzhou. When reinforcements from both the northern and southern fronts of the Baoyi Army arrived, he decisively led two or three hundred cavalrymen to break through the encirclement and directly defected to Yanzhou.

Upon hearing Liu Yanzhang's words, Zhang Yanshou hesitated for a moment, but was ultimately persuaded. However, he still sincerely said:
"Commander Liu, if the enemy cavalry discovered in the southwest is a large reinforcement of the Tang army, then it is most likely the Baoyi Army that came from Caoyun. The Baoyi Army is not easy to deal with."

Liu Yanzhang stroked his beard, deep in thought.

In reality, he wasn't sure if the enemy cavalry that appeared in the southwest were Tang reinforcements; he just didn't want to ruin the established siege plan because of it.

Once we capture the enemy's three lines of defense, we can launch a full-scale attack on Xiaqiu. Once we take this place, the Cao army will have no worries about its rear. Neither the Baoyi Army nor the Zhongwu Army will dare to cross Xiaqiu and attack the Nimeng Pass and Laiwu Valley.

So Liu Yanzhang didn't care whether they were reinforcements or not; he was just racing against time. It was a matter of life and death, and he couldn't let anything interrupt him.

However, before Liu Yanzhang could express his opinion, a person suddenly stepped forward from the audience and clasped his hands in greeting:
"Commander Liu, we came from Yunzhou. Although we are not under your command, we still have something to say."

Liu Yanzhang looked at the man and remembered that he was the messenger sent by Huang Cun, so he smiled kindly and said:
“We’re all one family, all brothers, why are you being so formal? Speak up! And if you speak well, I’ll reward you!”

Hearing this, the man who had stepped forward, with his belly protruding, turned his back and then lashed out at Zhang Yanshou, who had just spoken:
"This hero is said to have come from the military garrison of Xuzhou, but he's not as brave as us country bumpkins. What reinforcements or justice? I'll just ask you one question: even if they are, so what? We'll still fight them, won't we? We're just a bunch of country bumpkins with nothing but tough lives! If Heaven doesn't take us, if Earth doesn't take us, and if those damned imperial court comes to take us, let's see how tough their heads are!"

After saying this, the man turned back and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Liu Yanzhang:
"Commander Liu, although my Mantianxing army has few soldiers and generals, we still have a knife and a head. As long as you give the order, I'm willing to fight to the death! So what if it's the Baoyi Army? If they dare to come, we'll kill them!"

Liu Yanzhang burst into laughter after hearing this, and shouted loudly to Mantianxing:
"Good, brother, you speak well. We, the common army, have nothing to our name. If we don't even dare to die, how can we right the injustices of the world? How can we settle our blood feud with the imperial court? Well said! I'll reward you!"

Then he shouted outside:
"Someone, bring a box of jewelry."

Upon hearing this, Mantianxing was overjoyed, but outwardly still shouted:
"Liu Shuai, what do you take me for? I don't want money!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yanzhang wasn't angry at all. He slapped his forehead and laughed:

"Yes, what use is money to people like us? Here's what we'll do: a few of our commanders died during the attack on the wall, and their defeated soldiers are all gathered in the western camp. I'll give you five hundred men; it's a gift from me!"

Upon hearing this, Mantianxing was so angry he wanted to slap himself, but it was too late. He could only clasp his hands and shout:

"Thank you, Commander Liu!"

After saying that, Mantianxing glanced at Zhang Yanshou and returned to the queue with an arrogant air.

Then the nearby generals of the rebel army happily pounded Mantianxing's chest and back, all saying that he spoke well.

This infuriated Zhang Yanshou.

A chubby guy, noticing the atmosphere was getting a bit tense, quickly stepped in to smooth things over:

“Everyone is here for our army, regardless of whether they are reinforcements or not. But we can’t just ignore this cavalry force. In my opinion, we should send one of our brothers to scout out their strength first, so that we can be prepared for anything.”

"After all, even if that cavalry force were just flies, buzzing around all day, it would still be quite annoying."

Upon hearing this, many young military leaders couldn't help but nod in agreement; these words were mature and prudent.

At this point, Liu Yanzhang was getting a little annoyed, so he waved his hand and said:
"Alright, alright, let Old Zhang go then."

Then he said to Zhang Yanshou:

"Old Zhang, you take your two hundred cavalrymen, and I'll give you another hundred. Then, we'll set up a net to the southwest and find that enemy cavalry force."

Zhang Yanshou had just been squeezed out of his position, and now that he had been given an order, he could only clasp his hands in obedience. Otherwise, others would really think that he, Zhang Yanshou, was afraid of death, and who would come to him in the future?
And so, after Liu Yanzhang finished this matter, he added one last sentence to the generals:
"You fought well today, brothers, you all fought with all your might. After you take down the outer fortress, I'll treat you all to meat today!"

The generals responded with a shout of agreement, and then each withdrew.

One of them, Li the Scarface, walked to the side and whispered to Zhang Yanshou:

"Old Zhang, I have a feeling these people are setting a trap for you."

Zhang Yanshou smiled and said:

"It's alright, it's all for the sake of the great cause of building an army."

But Li Bazi just sneered:

"What grand cause or not? Aren't we all just working for others? Even if we achieve something great in the end, it'll still belong to them, right? So, Lao Zhang, don't be reckless. If things don't look right, just run. After all, you're all cavalry, so what are you afraid of being chased?"

Zhang Yanshou patted Li Bazi on the shoulder, indicating that everything was understood without words.

……

After everyone had left, Liu Yanzhang's personal guard approached and whispered a few words in his ear.

Liu Yanzhang looked up and then said to his personal guard:

"Bring him in, and remember not to let anyone notice."

The general nodded and hurried out to take care of the matter.

Then the general quickly returned, followed by a tall man wearing a cloak. After delivering him here, the general quietly withdrew.

Upon seeing this man enter, Liu Yanzhang quickly stood up, pulled the cloaked man to the soft couch, and asked in confusion:
"Li Qilang, why did you come all this way in person? We've been working together for so long, why did you have to make this trip again?"

Li Qilang, whose real name was Li Rang, was a wealthy man in Bianzhou. He also had another identity: a businessman who often cooperated with some of the generals of the rebel army.

It was no easy feat for the rebel army to maintain such a large-scale operation. They had amassed a considerable amount of money, but had captured very little grain.

But what about food for humans and horses? Doesn't it require large quantities of grain?
At this moment, Li Qilang approached and expressed his willingness to do business with the bandits. He said that as long as the bandits gave him gold and silver, they would be willing to sell their grain.

Although Li Qilang was offering three times the market price for the grass army, in such a famine-stricken year, it was impossible to buy it even with a lot of money.

And so, the two sides began their cooperation.

Seeing that Li Qilang had come in person, Liu Yanzhang became curious and asked this question.

Li Rang laughed and said, "Isn't today your birthday, Brother Liu? I came here to ask you for a drink."

Liu Yanzhang pursed his lips, not believing a word of what he said. However, since he wasn't going to say anything, he didn't dwell on it. It was good that he had come; he also needed his help with something.

He picked up the wine pot on the table, took a cup, filled Li Rang's cup, and then smiled;

"Li Qilang, how could you be short of a cup of wine when you come to my place? Please drink up, I also have something I need your help with."

Li Rang laughed, took the wine cup in his hand, but did not drink it. Instead, he smiled and said:

“General Liu, if you don’t explain clearly, I won’t dare to drink this wine. I’m just a small businessman, and I’m very weak. If you’re having trouble with 70,000 or 80,000 men under your command, then it must be an even bigger problem for me.”

Liu Yanzhang smiled, then said seriously:

"Can you get information about the movements of your Xuanwu Army? This is very important to me."

Li Rang thought for a moment, then put the cup to his lips and smiled:
"Liu Shuai, you know me, I only do business."

Liu Yanzhang laughed heartily. Seeing that Li Rang was drinking, he knew that the matter could be discussed, so he said earnestly:

"Don't worry, this is business! Once I conquer Xiaqiu, I'll give you five hundred women and a hundred cartloads of gold and silver, how about it?"

Li Rang smiled and then explained the purpose of his visit:

"General Liu, I have no shortage of gold, silver and beauties, but I have an enemy nearby. If you help me kill him, I'll take care of your business."

Liu Yanzhang laughed heartily, then put his arm around Li Rang:

"Don't worry, my brothers' enemies are our enemies. Just tell me where he is, and I'll take care of the rest. Do you want to kill him alone or his entire family?"

Li Rang's eyes flashed with ferocity as he said coldly:

"Of course I'd rather their lives be taken, I'd even kill their dog!"

Seeing Li Rang's great resentment, Liu Yanzhang didn't want to ask any more questions. Just as Li Rang said, this is business.

Just then, a trusted general outside suddenly rushed inside and said:

"General, two generals, Wang Chongyin and Liu Hanhong, request an audience."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yanzhang frowned, but still said to Li Rang:
"Give me the address of your enemies in a moment, and leave a place for them. After I've had them killed, I'll send their heads over. I'll have someone send you out first."

Li Rang nodded, then bowed to Liu Yanzhang, and then left the tent with one of Liu Yanzhang's confidants, walking through the other side of the Thorn Gate.

On the way, he saw two armored generals waiting anxiously outside. They must be the other two commanders. Judging from their anxious appearance, something must have happened.

Thinking about this, Li Rang seemed to understand something, then put on his cloak and disappeared into the numerous tents.

Meanwhile, Wang Chongyin and Liu Hanhong also saw the cloaked figure coming out of the main tent and were certain that this person was not from their camp.

Just as the two were wondering who it could be, the general summoned them into the main tent.

Upon entering, Wang Chongyin immediately reported that he had brought some intelligence:

"General, our people in Rencheng have sent us intelligence that they have discovered traces of the Baoyi and Xuanwu armies."

Wang Chongyin was a fellow villager of Liu Yanzhang, and they had both sought refuge with Wang Xianzhi, so they had a very good relationship in private. Therefore, Liu Yanzhang's attitude towards Wang Chongyin was completely different from that towards others; he was genuinely kind to him.

Upon hearing this information from Wang Chongyin, Liu Yanzhang frowned deeply. Suddenly, he asked a question.
"Did those Baoyi Army and Xuanwu Army come by boat?"

Wang Chongyin nodded, then added;
“One of our brothers has moved to the vicinity of Rencheng, and we were planning to try to take it, but unexpectedly, hundreds of ships came from the Huan River to the west, and they were flying the banner of the Baoyi Army.”

Liu Yanzhang remained silent, while Liu Hanhong shared his opinion from the side.

"This Zhao Huai'an is indeed a formidable enemy of our army; his move was truly brilliant. He must have seen through the ambush we've set up in the northwest, so he jumped out and traveled by water to Rencheng. From there, he can coordinate with the Yanzhou navy in Xiaqiu without taking any risks. Moreover…"

Liu Yanzhang asked:
"And what?"

"Moreover, I am worried that the Baoyi Army will enter Sishui through the waterway and eventually turn towards Yizhou. At that time, with the help of this elite force, it will be even more difficult for Song Wei to take Yizhou."

Those present were all people from the heartland of the Central Plains. When Liu Hanhong mentioned this possibility, the dense water network of the Central Plains came to mind, and they knew that what Liu Hanhong said was indeed very likely.

At this moment, Wang Chongyin couldn't hold back any longer and said:

"General, why don't we send a detachment to the southwest as well, at least to tie down that Baoyi Army here?"

Seeing that Liu Yanzhang remained silent, he anxiously said:

"Hey, my good brother, say something! Give us all some advice, so that at least we'll have some idea of ​​what to do."

Liu Yanzhang sat back down, this time directly on the table, and suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question:
"Have our people in Zhongdu County reported anything back, saying that something is amiss?"

Both Wang and Liu shook their heads, indicating that everything was calm on the other side.

Zhongdu County, which Liu Yanzhang mentioned, is located in the eastern part of Dayeze. It was a gathering place for the Grass Army to set up an ambush formation, and it was also their shield to protect their flanks, rear supplies, and main camp.

The two men didn't understand what Liu Yanzhang meant by asking this, so they just looked at him quietly.

Then, Liu Yanzhang told the two vote-getters his whole thought:

“Some things you can see are deliberately shown to you by others. Now the enemy has made traces in the southwest and Rencheng directions. Which one of them is the main force of the Baoyi Army, or neither of them? And is their main attack direction Xiaqiu, or is it a deliberate feint to reduce the pressure on Xiaqiu? All of these are possible, but I can't follow the enemy's rhythm, because that's exactly what the enemy wants.”

"What is the most crucial thing for our army right now? It is to take Xiaqiu City right in front of us. We are not concerned with the safety of Xiaqiu, but with the rear of our main force. So no matter what Rencheng does, it has nothing to do with us."

"In addition, the Baoyi Army has fought several battles, and I see that many people in the army are now afraid to fight them. This is a bad sign, so I plan to fight the Baoyi Army to test their strength. If we fight well, we can boost morale; if we fight poorly and some people die, our food supply will be less strained."

"You two are both commanders of my army, so I'll make some things clear to you. The key to our army's survival lies in the two words 'fleeing' and 'fighting.' Fleeing means we must run, but we must also fight, because our army can only grow stronger in war. Others are afraid of death, but what are we afraid of? Only by continuing to fight will our veterans increase, the blood feud between our brothers and the court deepen, and the court weaken. Eventually, the balance of power will shift, and at that time, it won't be us running away, but the enemy running away."

"So, if the Baoyi Army is so powerful, then let's fight them! They're as tough as nails, but we'll chew them up even if it breaks a tooth!"

"Now, I need both of your units to move to the west and send all your scouts there. We'll ignore the enemy forces in Rencheng; let them come or not. We'll also ignore the enemy cavalry in the southwest; I've already sent men to intercept them. The only thing we need to do now is deal with the enemy forces coming from Zhongdu County. Whether it's the Baoyi Army, the Xuanwu Army, or our old friend, the Tianping Army, as long as we keep an eye on Zhongdu County, we'll be fine here."

"As for me, I will launch a full-scale attack on Xiaqiu City. Give me three more days, and Xiaqiu will surely fall!"

After hearing this frank statement, the two leaders, Wang and Liu, immediately felt reassured and accepted the order with clasped hands.

At this moment, hurried footsteps sounded outside, followed by five or six junior officers of the peasant army, wiping away blood, rushing in to report the victory. They shouted outside the tent:

"Commander Liu, the brothers have taken the second wall and are now at the city gates!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yanzhang burst into laughter, first addressing the two generals, Wang and Liu:
"You all gather your troops and head to Zhongdu County now. Leave this place to me!"

Then he shouted to the outside world:
"Good! I will personally beat the drum to cheer on my men. Today we will take Xiaqiu! Kill! For the sake of peace!"

Everyone burst into laughter and shouted:
"Kill! For equality!"

Outside the camp, beneath the walls of Xiaqiu, over ten thousand peasant soldiers, like ants carrying various long ladders, surged towards the north of Xiaqiu, shouting in unison:

"Kill, kill, kill!"

"Equalize the world!"

Then, the sound of drums resounded from the army camp outside the city, growing ever more urgent and intense.

(End of this chapter)