Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 242 Zhongdu
On the 20th day of the third month of the third year of Qianfu, at night, on the eastern bank of Juye Marsh, inside the Baoyi Army's water fortress.

Zhao Huai'an, who had only been asleep for an hour, was startled awake by a series of hurried footsteps. Before the warriors waiting outside could even announce his arrival, he sprang to his feet.

Then he shouted directly to the outside world:
"Let them in!"

Sun Tai stormed in, his face flushed with anger. Behind him followed two knights from the Flying Tiger and Flying Leopard units, their faces showing a hint of fear. Clearly, they were quite afraid of disturbing their lord's rest.

Zhao Huai'an recognized the two men and said directly:
"How's it going?"

The two men, disregarding their anxiety, quickly reported:

"My lord, our troops have launched a surprise attack on the bandits' 'death trap' and obtained important intelligence. The enemy has a large amount of grain and fodder stockpiled in Zhongdu County. Generals Geng and Liu have ordered us to return and report, asking whether we should attack Zhongdu County tonight."

Upon hearing this news, Zhao Huai'an perked up completely.

He knew this was how it would be. If the mountain wouldn't come to him, he would go to the other side of the mountain. And so, after defeating only a small band of enemy soldiers, he found out where the enemy's supplies were.

So he instructed Sun Tai to prepare food for the two cavalrymen and have them rest in the next tent. Then he sent Zhao Hu to summon the staff and the generals of the camp.

The staff's tents were all set up next to the main tent, so Zhang Guinian and the other staff quickly walked in, wearing robes.

After the staff members entered, a brazier had already been lit inside the tent.

The waterside was already damp, and now it was night, so when Zhao Huai'an slept, the blankets felt icy cold. It wasn't until the brazier was lit that the tent felt a little warm.

By this time, Guo Congyun and his cavalry had finished setting up camp and, donning armor and helmets, filed in.

Once everyone had arrived, Zhao Hu, along with his warriors, spread out more than ten paces, spears in hand and swords at their sides, preventing any unauthorized personnel from approaching.

Finally, everyone in the tent gathered around the brazier and held this emergency military meeting overnight.

……

Zhao Huai'an sat imposingly on a stool, using tongs to stir the charcoal in the brazier to make the fire burn brighter. He didn't directly address the military report sent by Liu Xin and his men, but instead spoke to everyone about something else:
"Tonight is our first night in Yanzhou. In fact, our supplies will be quite difficult once we get here. In the past, we always marched by waterway, and everyone's food and supplies were transported from the rear. But later we will go deep inland, and then we will have to rely on ourselves for supplies. This will be a test for us."

"Not only that, we also need to be mentally prepared for the situation in Yanzhou. The extent of the damage in Yanzhou is no less than what we experienced in Caozhou, and it may even be more serious than what the Taiping Army experienced. This is because all the refugees and bandits from Caozhou, Puzhou, and Yunzhou have now flocked here, along with the local refugees. So we should not have any expectations of resupplying locally."

Zhao Huai'an immediately reported on the army's supply situation, and Du Zongqi, the finance official in charge of logistics, quickly stood up and reported:

"This time, our army entering Yanzhou consists of 1,800 heavy infantry, 800 elite cavalry, 40 armored cavalry, 2,000 auxiliary soldiers, 3,000 men, and also staff and scribes, totaling 8,000 men."

"The supplies vary depending on the combat mission. The frontline heavy infantry and cavalry need three shi of rice per month. In addition, the armored cavalry need to eat meat, so they need to eat ten sheep per month. The auxiliary soldiers have lighter combat missions and need two and a half shi of rice per month. Then the servants usually do miscellaneous work and need two shi of rice per month."

"So these personnel alone consume a fixed 19,000 shi of rice per month."

"In addition, we have 870 horses and 2,040 mules. However, only the horses need to eat concentrated feed. The other mules and donkeys can eat hay. Now that it is springtime and the grass is growing, there is grass everywhere in Yanzhou, so we don't need to transport hay from the rear, but we still need to spend a lot of manpower to gather it."

“I previously tallied up our grain reserves. When we set off from Yuncheng, we brought 30,000 shi of grain, which is just enough for my soldiers and horses to eat for a month.”

After recounting these figures, Du Zongqi sat down again.

Upon hearing the number, Zhao Liu seemed unconcerned and laughed:

"There's enough food. We've set up a grain depot in Yuncheng, and Military Supervisor Yang is stationed in Caozhou to oversee the transport of grain to Yuncheng. From Yuncheng to our water fortress, it takes two or three days at the fastest, and four or five days at the slowest. There's enough for everyone."

Upon hearing this, Du Zongqi, who had just sat down, quickly stood up again and said:

"That's not how the accounts are calculated. Our fleet takes eight or nine days to make a round trip. In other words, our army's food surplus is about twenty days. But if our army continues to use both suppression and appeasement as it did in Caozhou, our food will run out very quickly as we recruit more and more refugees."

"And I just saw it in the camp; it seems we've won another battle and brought back all the prisoners. These people also consume a lot of food."

Zhao Liu, on the other hand, hadn't actually considered such details. Hearing this, he grinned and gave Du Zongqi a thumbs-up, saying:

"As expected of our fiscal budget, it's incredibly accurate!"

When Du Zongqi mentioned continuing to recruit refugees and accept prisoners, Zhao Huai'an felt a little embarrassed because he was the one who proposed this policy. However, as the army arrived in Yanzhou, the logistical pressure increased, and it was clear that continuing to recruit refugees and take them away in this way would not work.

After thinking it over, Zhao Huai'an first stated his position and set the tone:
"Alright, the Ministry of Finance has made it very clear: we need to tighten our belts and live frugally. We can't be as extravagant as before. We should save where we need to, and spend where we need to. We'll eat our regular meals well, but forget about having any special meals like before. What kind of life is this? In Yanzhou now, a bowl of rice can buy a life!"

As he said this, Zhao Huai'an glared at Zhao Liu and Dou Pangzi, the two of them who ate the most special meals.

The two dared not raise their heads, and nodded meekly along with the others.

After explaining the current situation, Zhao Huai'an then got to the main point:

"My original plan was to proceed steadily, building fortifications along the way, and then we would gradually compress the bandit army's activity area to a narrow strip of land south of the Wen River and east of the Huan River."

"But now, after Geng Xiaojie and Liu Xin attacked a bandit camp, they found out where the enemy's supplies were located, and it was just as we had guessed, in Zhongdu County. So I called everyone here to discuss this matter. Do you think we should continue to proceed cautiously, or risk going straight to the bandit's supplies and accomplish everything in one fell swoop?"

After hearing this, everyone began to discuss and weigh the pros and cons of the two plans. While they were discussing, Zhao Huai'an called Lao Mo over and instructed him:

"Go and make two pots of strong tea. We might have to stay up all night tonight. Also, have the kitchen stew the leftover fish from tonight, add some tofu and mutton, and make it a midnight snack for everyone."

Zhao Huai'an is very particular about physiology and science. He usually prepares some tea and snacks when he holds meetings, because although meetings are mental activities, they consume a lot of calories.

And if a person is so hungry that they have low blood sugar, how can they hold a quality meeting?
Therefore, Zhao Huai'an often prepares some high-calorie snacks in advance before meetings. If it is a late-night meeting like this one, he will even ask the kitchen to prepare a late-night snack.

The most famous late-night snack of the Baoyi Army was mutton soup.

Having a bowl of hot mutton at night is already wonderful enough.

Then, because those who attended the night meetings were often middle and high-ranking members of the Baoyi Army, the kitchen staff were quite generous with the amount of pepper they used.

Just imagine how wonderful that tastes!

Especially after entering the Onozawa section, the supplies from the rear were all Hu sheep. These Hu sheep, which grew up in places with abundant water and grass, tasted so delicious that you wouldn't want to let them go even if you bit off your tongue.

Many of the cooks in the army's private kitchens were sent by Yang Fuguang; they were all renowned master chefs in Bianzhou City.

These master chefs don't stew mutton soup in a large pot; instead, they use individual red clay pots on a stove. Each pot of soup is topped with large pieces of the best mutton ribs, along with mutton fat, scallions, ginger slices, and pepper.

They also have a secret: they add a little hawthorn to the clay pot, which helps to cut through the greasiness and enhance the aroma of the mutton soup.

So when everyone heard the magistrate order the kitchen to prepare fish and mutton soup, their mouths watered reflexively.

Zhao Liu and Dou Pangzi, who had just been called out, were even more moved upon hearing this.

Dalang is really considerate of us. He doesn't let us have special meals, but he cooks special meals for everyone to nourish their bodies, and he even calls it "necessary for the meeting".

Oh, I'm so upset, Zhao Dawei and his team are really worried sick about him.

Old Mo quickly left the main tent and went to the small kitchen at the back to have them prepare a midnight snack.

Although it was a shed, there were quite a few people there.

In addition to dozens of kitchen helpers, there are eight master chefs, including those from Xichuan, Dongchuan, Eyue, Shouguang, Biansong, Caoyun and other places.

Some of these were recruited by Zhao Huai'an locally, while others were hired by the local governor when he traveled down the river. When the governor hosted a banquet, Zhao Huai'an would ask the governor for the chef if he enjoyed a good meal.

The head chefs for Bian and Song were sent by Yang Fuguang, while the head chefs for Cao and Yun were selected by Zhao Huai'an from among the refugees.

The main reason Zhao Huai'an needed so many cooks was that his generals all came from these places, and he needed to cater to their tastes.

Just because Zhao Huai'an is in a superior position doesn't mean he can disregard these things.

Because people are all made of flesh and blood, sometimes emotions can be more likely to make people blindly follow than power.

The generals had served many different people before, and some of them were seasoned veterans who had served many different masters. So why were they so loyal to Zhao Huai'an?
It's in these details.

You can imagine the joy these warriors from Xichuan, Dongchuan, Yanjiang, and Guangshou would feel if they suddenly tasted a dish from their hometown in a foreign land.

What pleased them even more than satisfying their appetites was the fact that the magistrate truly cared for them.

Therefore, the number of cooks in Zhao Huai'an's private kitchen will continue to increase. Their existence not only reflects the complex composition of the Baoyi Army, but also witnesses the path the Baoyi Army has taken.

……

Inside the main tent, everyone was engaged in a lively discussion while eagerly awaiting the late-night snack.

At this moment, Zhao Juntian, who had been silent all along, suddenly asked a question:
"My lord, is the enemy's supply depot really located in Zhongdu? That seems rather illogical."

Zhao Huai'an was taken aback when he heard this. Since the intelligence was obtained from the battlefield, Zhao Huai'an subconsciously believed that the intelligence was reliable. However, when he suddenly heard Zhao Juntian's questioning, he felt that something was wrong.

He quickly got up and went to the map screen at the back, where he found the place called Zhongdu County.

Upon arriving at the map, Zhao Huai'an immediately realized something was amiss.

Why?

Because compared to the location of the main force of the rebel army, the location of Zhongdu was too far to the west.

Under normal circumstances, when two armies clash, their two capitals would be positioned closer to the rear, and Zhongdu was indeed located behind the main force of the Cao army. However, what was unusual was that the Cao army was not simply confronting the Tang army in Yizhou; in fact, they were surrounded.

Initially, when the Cao army troops left in Pu, Cao, and Yun prefectures occupied fortified cities, the situation was not so serious, because at that time the Cao army could control the western battlefield in the Cao prefecture area.

Now, Zhao Huai'an led the Baoyi Army to capture Caozhou and Yuncheng, completely opening up the waterway from Baigou River to Juye Marsh. At this time, the Tang army can travel directly on Juye Marsh.

In other words, after the Baoyi Army successively recovered Baigoushui and Juyeze, it had actually pushed the battle line to Yanzhou.

In other words, the rebel army at this time was actually attacked from both the west and the east by the Baoyi Army, which was Song Wei's army in Yizhou.

Under such circumstances, how could these bandit troops still dare to set up supply depots in Zhongdu City?

You should know that the water fortress where Zhao Huai'an is now is less than eighty li away from Zhongdu City as the crow flies. This distance is a bit long for infantry, but for cavalry, it is a day's journey.

If we disregard the subsequent battles, we could actually arrive in half a day.

Something's not right, something's really not right.

Thinking of this, Zhao Huai'an shouted outside:

"Go and bring the two messengers over here."

Sun Tai outside shouted "Yes!" and then the armor plates collided, and he left.

After shouting his words, Zhao Huai'an directly asked Zhao Juntian:
"Come on, tell me your opinion."

Seeing that his guess had been agreed upon by the magistrate, Zhao Juntian was invigorated and said:

"My lord, this is my guess. Do you think it's possible that the enemy discovered our two other positions were decoys? Seeing that we weren't going into the trap, they put a bait in the trap, waiting for us to succumb to the temptation and eat it, at which point the enemy would surround us."

Zhao Huai'an pinched his chin and nodded repeatedly.

Zhang Guinian was also thinking. After a while, he said:
"The intelligence we have now indicates that the one leading the army to besiege Xiaqiu City is Liu Yanzhang, the leader of the bandit gang. We have inquired about him extensively. Although we do not know what he did before, he has been Wang Xianzhi's right-hand man ever since he joined Wang Xianzhi's army."

"In a system like the Grass Army, anyone who can lead other Grass Army commanders must have real strength and prestige; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to lead other Grass Army commanders. So we shouldn't underestimate this Grass Army commander, Liu."

"And if what Zhao Canjun said is true, that this Liu Yanzhang can identify our feints and has set up an ambush in Zhongdu City, waiting for us to jump in, is that very likely? I think it is quite possible."

After Zhang Guinian finished speaking, Yuan Xi added his own perspective, saying to Zhao Huai'an:

"My lord, have you noticed something? The defenses that the Cao army has set up on the eastern bank of Juye Marsh seem rather frivolous. It's as if they're trying to lead us to believe that Zhongdu County is the key to victory or defeat?"

Upon hearing this, Fatty Bean hesitated, but still touched his belly and asked doubtfully:

"Old Yuan, we agree that something's off about Zhongdu, but isn't what you're saying a bit too far-fetched? Do those bastards have the brains to figure out how we're going to be here?"

Yuan Xi shook his head and said:
"Doulu Yaya, I didn't explain it clearly. What I meant was that the enemy's commander might be using these ragtag troops on the western front as cannon fodder, and the information given to them was also wrong. Under our offensive, many of these people will inevitably surrender, and the intelligence they provide to us will all be the result of Liu Yanzhang and his men's pre-planned scheme."

Yuan Xi's words truly convinced everyone. In the two major battles in Caozhou, they also discovered that the rebel army valued the old brothers inside and outside the city very much, while the rebel army on the periphery was almost just a tool to be used and then discarded.

Now, these grassroots soldiers are setting up a scheme; this is so typical of their style.

Just then, Sun Tai entered the tent with the two cavalrymen he had just spoken to. Upon seeing all the generals present, they were about to pay their respects when Zhao Liu stopped them and asked:

"You two, tell me the details of your two armies' attack."

The two then recounted their own experiences of attacking the "Deathbringer" unit that night from their perspectives.

After the two finished speaking, Zhao Huai'an asked:

"In your opinion, what is the fighting strength of this bandit army?"

The two quickly said:

"Our unit went very smoothly in this battle. Although the surprise attack played a part, the Grass Army's combat strength was indeed not strong. The enemy's core force should only have a few hundred men, while the rest of the troops, although numerous, seemed to have little military experience."

After listening to the reports from the two frontline personnel, Zhao Huai'an did not make a hasty conclusion, nor did he stop thinking just because three of his advisors believed that Zhongdu City might be a trap set by the enemy.

Zhao Huai'an's brain was working at lightning speed, combining information from both sides, as well as countless pieces of intelligence gathered during this period. Information that he hadn't paid much attention to before was now being combined and cross-verified. One possibility after another was put forward, and then one by one it was disproven by the information he had.

As he pondered, Zhao Huai'an slowly inserted his hand into the rice bowl beside him.

The advisors and generals on both sides fell silent upon seeing this, knowing that the lord was deep in thought.

Time passed slowly, so fast you could hear a pin drop inside the tent. It wasn't until Old Mo led a group of cooks in carrying jars of red clay that Zhao Huai'an looked up.

Then, Chef He, who was in charge of the late-night snack and was the Bianzhou chef sent by Yang Fuguang, placed a jar in front of Zhao Huai'an. Old Mo next to him lifted the lid, and a rich aroma wafted out.

The civil and military advisors inside the tent all swallowed hard.

Old Mo ladled out a bowl and handed it to Zhao Huai'an, then waited to the side with the cook.

Zhao Huai'an wasn't worried about the cook adding extra ingredients to his food. He always considered caution a virtue, so he had long established a set procedure for food-related matters.

Old Mo would personally oversee these special meals in the kitchen. After the cooks finished preparing the food, Old Mo would taste one portion first, and then Sun Tai and Zhao Hu would taste another portion. Only after all three of them were satisfied would the food be brought in.

So Zhao Huai'an ate with confidence, and was amazed by the first bite. He gave Chef He a thumbs up, immediately pointing out the extraordinary nature of the mutton soup:

"You first stew the fish in fish broth until it's tender, then strain the broth and use it to make mutton soup, is that how you do it?"

Upon hearing this, the master chef from Bianzhou looked at Zhao Huai'an in surprise and repeatedly expressed his admiration:
"Your Excellency is truly remarkable."

Zhao Huai'an laughed heartily, first serving two bowls to the two messengers, and then addressing the crowd who had been unable to contain themselves any longer:
"You all eat! I'll talk to you after you've finished eating!"

Unable to resist any longer, everyone endured the heat, sipped their drinks, and drank slowly.

It was so delicious that Zhao Huai'an saw his fellow villager Guo Liang drinking until he cried.

For a moment, no one spoke; they just kept drinking the soup. Only after they had finished the whole pot of fish and mutton soup did they put down their bowls with satisfaction.

Then Old Mo put away the earthenware jars and bowls, and prepared to leave with the cooks.

After wiping his mouth with a wet wipe, Zhao Huai'an was completely satisfied with the soup. He no longer uttered any sentimental words like, "This year of great disaster is over, it's over."

Seeing that Old Mo was about to leave, he called out:

"By the way, check how much stock is left in the camp, and have the cooks get busy and send a bowl to each of the brothers on night watch outside. Try to make sure everyone gets a bite of meat."

Old Mo calculated the inventory, nodded, and left with the cooks.

After all the irrelevant people had left, Zhao Huai'an made the final arrangements.

He first asked the two messengers who had finished drinking the fish and mutton soup:
"Neither Liu Xin nor Geng Xiaojie have made a move yet, have they?"

The two replied in unison:

"We will all await the magistrate's next order."

Zhao Huai'an praised it with "Good," and then gave the order:

"You two go back now and tell the two generals to immediately lead their troops toward Zhongdu, but be careful of enemy ambushes. But don't be afraid, just charge in, I will bring the main force behind you!"

"Tell them there's no holding back in this battle; just kill the traitors and set fires!"

Just as the two were about to leave after hearing this, Zhao Huai'an gave them another instruction:
"I asked Lao Mo to leave a pot of soup on the stove. You two take it and deliver it to Generals Geng and Liu."

After saying that, Zhao Huai'an laughed heartily:
"Don't you dare drink it! We'll make it again when we get back!"

The two riders clasped their hands in excitement, then lifted the tent flap and went outside.

The moment the tent flap was lifted, the moonlight streamed in like flowing water. Zhao Huai'an glanced at the silvery-white ground outside and sighed:

"Tonight is the perfect time for murder and arson!"

After saying that, Zhao Huai'an focused his mind and shouted:
"Generals, obey the order!"

In an instant, all the Bao Yi people stood up from their stools and sang loudly:
"exist!"

Zhao Huai'an suddenly grabbed a small knife from the table and threw it directly at the map behind him, where it landed squarely on the city of "Zhongdu".

Then Zhao Huai'an shouted:
"Call all the brothers, let's march on Zhongdu City!"

"Here!"

　There's another one at noon.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)