Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 253 Making a decision
After Zhao Huai'an finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

Zhang Guinian has just explained the pros and cons of the three options. Because it is clear, no one dares to speak out of turn. This is a huge decision, and if you choose the wrong one, you will have to take responsibility.

No one in the Baoyi Army is qualified to take this responsibility!
Zhao Huai'an looked at Wang Jin, who stood up and chose the first option without hesitation:
"My lord, I believe we should return to aid Yuncheng, secure our rear, and then plan our advance."

Wang Jin then continued:

"The core interest of our army in this Central Plains war lies in the cohesion of our righteous army. If Yuncheng falls, our army will either be in uproar or collapse directly. If the prestige of the governor is damaged, how can our righteous army still have a core?"

"Moreover, the current situation on the eastern front does not support our army to continue its advance. If Marshal Song can still stabilize the situation, our army can still take a gamble. But now the eastern defense line has been breached, and Song Gongshi is in a state of panic. Our army can't even make contact with the eastern front, so how can we launch a pincer attack?"

"Therefore, I suggest that our army return to reinforce Yuncheng."

Finally, Wang Jin said something truly sincere:

"My lord, time is on our side. Our army has already achieved remarkable results. Sometimes, if we take a step back and play it safe, things might turn out better."

Zhao Huai'an took it to heart; this was advice to him not to be a stickler for others and not to stand out too much.

but……

Zhao Huai'an clenched his fist, sighed, and asked Wang Jin:
"Old Wang, tell me, if we were to return to reinforce Yuncheng, how should we fight? Would we have enough time?"

Zhao Huai'an's concerns were justified. If Huang Cun's group had indeed gone to Yuncheng, they must have set off two days ago. Under such circumstances, even if the Baoyi Army set off immediately, they might not be able to catch up.

But Wang Jin expressed a different opinion. After thinking for a moment, he said to Zhao Huai'an:

"My lord, I have noticed that the rebel army has a particular characteristic: they tend to retreat very quickly when they are in disarray, but they are very slow when they are marching."

Zhao Huai'an thought about it for a moment, and it seemed to be true.

Previously, under the walls of Caozhou, those core members of the rebel army who fled were truly impossible to catch!

Wang Jin continued:

"I later discovered that the reason for the rapid retreat was that the core of the rebel army always carried many horses. At the slightest disadvantage, they would abandon the main force and flee in a frenzy. Conversely, because the rebel army dared not lose its core, it had to drive a large number of refugees to the periphery when attacking cities and seizing land. However, the rebel army had no supplies, and its daily expenses all came from plundering along the way. Therefore, whenever they marched, the troops were very scattered. They had to gather food and fodder before marching, and often they could only travel ten miles a day."

"Although our army is two days slower, the mules and horses will run back to the riverside camp and then cross the Juye Marsh. It will only take two days for them to arrive."

"Our army is mobilized by naval forces, and our soldiers can rest and recuperate on board, ready to fight upon arrival. Our enemy army, on the other hand, has come from three hundred miles away, traveling at double speed, and is exhausted. How can they possibly be a match for our army?"

"Therefore, I suggest that we immediately turn back to Yuncheng and coordinate with the Zhongwu Army in Caozhou to defend together."

"However, we must be wary of the nearby rebel forces, especially those surrounding Xiaqiu in the southwest. If they see our army retreating, they are very likely to ambush us. Therefore, our army should deploy a small number of troops with many flags to create the illusion of continuing eastward to Laiwu, thereby confusing the nearby rebel forces and preventing them from pursuing us when we return."

"Within our army, we also need to do a good job of propaganda from top to bottom, and explain the reasons for this return clearly, so that our brothers below do not think that we are avoiding the enemy."

"By using speed to overcome slowness, there is no chance of failure!"

After speaking, Wang Jin clasped his hands in a fist salute again, looking intently at Zhao Huai'an with earnest eyes.

Zhao Huai'an nodded, but felt extremely regretful.

Did he suffer any losses by retreating back to Yuncheng? It seems not, since he had won a battle in Yanzhou, and no one would say anything if he retreated at this time.

But that's just a small calculation.

It's a very simple reason why the rebel army suddenly turned around and attacked Yuncheng. Wasn't it to lure them back to protect the righteous army?
Therefore, whether or not the city of Yuncheng was attacked was actually not important to them; what mattered was achieving the tactical objective of mobilizing the Baoyi Army to return.

In military strategy, the goal is always to control others rather than be controlled by them.

Although Zhao Huai'an himself was unharmed after leading the Baoyi Army back, it was a devastating blow to the entire Central Plains war effort.

Once Yizhou on the eastern front falls, the rebel army will march directly south to the Huaidong region, which is not only a vital grain supply area for the Tang Dynasty but also the main market for his current commercial empire. A large quantity of Xiaoguan tea is currently mainly sold to the Huaidong area.

Moreover, in his plan, Huaixi would provide troops and Huaidong would provide funds, thus forming the two legs of Zhao Huai'an's foundation.

However, if the rebel army were to march south and plunder Huaidong, to put it bluntly, it would be tantamount to robbing Zhao Huai'an of his money bag.

As for whether he needs Huang Chao and his band of outlaws to clear obstacles for him so that he can go as a savior to take over the country, that's fine in other places, even in future Chang'an and Luoyang, but not in Huaidong.

Because Huaidong was truly wealthy and also genuinely close to the Baoyi Army.

If Huang Chao were to attack Chang'an one day, he could easily escort him a thousand miles away.

After all, the people of Chang'an are from heaven. No matter how much Zhao Da tries to warm their hearts, they will still treat him like a shoehorn.

When you're using it, you stick it to your feet; when you're not, you just toss it aside.

He couldn't gain any other value from Chang'an; if he recaptured Chang'an, it would only be of political value.

But Huaidong is different. This place is home to the most open-minded people in the Tang Dynasty, including big merchants and large workshop owners. These people can provide talent for Zhao Huai'an to go to the sea. If they are beheaded by Huang Chao, they will never grow back.

As for the local powerful figures, do they really need Huang Chao to eliminate them? How much does that mean they look down on Zhao Da?

When he has all of Huainan, he will have a hundred ways to make these people cry and beg, kneeling at his feet, begging his little father to love them one more time.

Therefore, Zhao Huai'an was very clear from the beginning that Huaidong could not be allowed to rot.

Without the economic foundation of Huaidong, his attempt to use the south to counter the powerful forces of the northwest and central plains in the future has virtually no chance of success.

Only by building a large fleet of ships and purchasing the finest horses from overseas can an elite cavalry force be raised.

Therefore, Huaidong is the foundation of our business.

Even though Liu Ye, the military governor, is in charge of Huaidong at the moment, just as his family's gold mine is temporarily in Liu Ye's hands, the great foundation of Huai'an is only being taken care of for Zhao Da.

How could Zhao Huai'an accept this situation?

If he was just trying to secure Yuncheng for stability, he could have stayed there instead of making the long journey to Yanzhou.
Dozens of brothers died, wasn't that a waste of their lives?

But now, even their own trusted advisor, Lao Wang, has come forward to support the first plan, and looking at the expressions of the generals present, almost all of them are in support.

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an couldn't help but slap his thigh and fall into silent thought.

Now that Wang Xianzhi is staying in Laiwu, and Huang Chao has taken an unknown number of troops to Yishui, what use is this intelligence?
Thinking back to Wang Jin's analysis of the army's marching speed, a vague plan seemed to be forming in his mind.

At this moment, Zhao Juntian, who rarely spoke at military councils, suddenly spoke up. He said to Zhao Huai'an:

"My lord, I have a preliminary idea that I would like to discuss with everyone."

Zhao Huai'an looked over and nodded.

Then Zhao Juntian had the screen moved to the center, and without even looking at the screen, he addressed the crowd directly:

“When I was working in the Yunzhou shogunate, I often arranged official business to be carried out in the neighboring Yanzhou navy, so I am quite familiar with Yizhou, especially the Laiwu area.”

"In short, both Laiwu and Xintai are surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only a main road leading to them on the west. In military strategy, this type of battlefield is most suitable for encirclement and annihilation battles."

"The reason why everyone hesitated to go in was because the enemy forces were strong. Our army would be isolated and unable to achieve anything, and would be surrounded and trapped. But the students did not see it that way."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huai'an immediately perked up and shouted:

"Old Zhao, please speak."

Zhao Juntian said;
"The second piece of intelligence sent by the Black-Clad Society gave us an opportunity: the elite of the Grass Army is now advancing to the vicinity of Yishui, and the number of Grass Army troops remaining in Laiwu and Xintai is definitely less than before."

"In addition, the characteristic of the guerrilla army's encampment is that the old camp is behind and the elite troops are in front. The rear, which is the direction in which our army advances, is where we encounter these enemy old camps." "These guerrilla army old camps are extremely dependent on land defense, and the passages to the front line are also very limited, relying on the tunnels in the Yimeng Mountains."

"Our army has the advantage of boats, and now we have opened up the passage from Juye Marsh to Wenshui. It will take time for the rebel army in Laiwu to learn of this intelligence and then react and reorganize the defenses on both sides of Wenshui."

"At this time, our army quickly advanced by boat to Laiwu and Xintai, and carried out a precise strike on the old camp of the grass army."

"Once our army penetrates into the rear of the bandit army's old camp and destroys their supply camp and command center, if we can behead the bandit leader Wang Xianzhi, we can wipe out more than 100,000 bandits in one battle. With such an unparalleled achievement, how could you not grant me an official post?"

Upon hearing this, the generals' breathing quickened considerably. If the lord could truly be granted the title of military governor for this battle, then all of them would rise to prominence, and their families would be guaranteed wealth and honor for at least three to five generations.

Back then, the Wu family in Huaixi enjoyed wealth and power for generations.

Then, Zhao Juntian said:
"As for the rebel army in Qizhou counterattacking Yuncheng, we can select a group of generals to lead some troops and our auxiliary troops back to Yuncheng. With the quality of the auxiliary troops, defending Yuncheng will not be a problem at all."

"As the saying goes, strike the snake at its seven-inch spot, and the enemy's main camp is precisely that seven-inch spot. The bandit army may seem powerful, but most of its hundreds of thousands of troops are coerced or joined by others. Once the bandit army's core camp is destroyed, the soldiers will have no food, their families will be captured, and their command will be cut off, and they will surely collapse."

"This is a strategy of using speed to overcome slowness, fully utilizing the advantages of our naval forces to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop. In addition, once the main force of the rebel army is scattered, the rebel army heading towards Yuncheng will also lose its support and will not dare to venture deep into enemy territory alone. In this way, the siege of Yuncheng can also be lifted."

After hearing this, Zhao Huai'an stood up abruptly and addressed the crowd:

"This is what it means to rise and fall with a single word. I often tell you to see the essence of things, to find the main contradictions, to see what determines what and what influences what. And now, it seems Old Zhao has learned this very well, just like me!"

As he spoke, Zhao Huai'an paced back and forth, saying the following to everyone:
"Directly infiltrating the enemy's main camp is extremely risky, but also extremely rewarding. However, there are several points that need to be prepared in advance."

"One is that we must find out Wang Xianzhi's exact location, whether it is in Laiwu or Xintai. And it's not just a general location, we need to find out the exact location of the enemy's main camp, which valley it is."

"Secondly, we still need to contact Lord Song in Yizhou and convey the news of our army's raid on the old camp of the Cao army to him, so that he can hold back the Cao army's elite troops on the front."

"Thirdly, the Wen River can only provide a general passage. If we want to remain mobile after landing, we must send out cavalry."

Then Zhao Huai'an stared intently at the place names Laiwu, Xintai, and Qianfeng on the screen, then suddenly turned around and sat down on the stool, straightening his sleeves and adopting a serious expression.

"Generals, obey the order!"

Without further discussion, once Zhao Huai'an began to favor Zhao Juntian's infiltration strategy, they decided to act on it!
Zhao Huai'an has always had a particularly clear understanding of power and responsibility.

With power comes responsibility. This time, the infiltration strategy succeeded, and the biggest contributor was not Zhao Juntian, who offered the strategy, but Zhao Huai'an, who made the decision.

Conversely, if they lose this time, the biggest blame will fall on Zhao Huai'an, and he will bear the greatest cost.

If a person in a position of authority lacks this awareness and sense of responsibility, he or she is unqualified.

Therefore, without military democracy, Zhao Huai'an was above all the generals and made all the decisions unilaterally.
"Where is Sun Tai?!"

Sun Tai, who was on guard outside the tent, lifted the tent flap and entered, donning armor and carrying a sword, and clasped his hands in greeting:
"The general is here!"

"Immediately select the best and bravest men from your troops and rush to the old camp by the river. Have the fleet anchored on the marsh enter the Wen River and reach the ferry crossing north of Zhongdu!"

Upon hearing this order, Sun Tai already had a candidate in mind, then clasped his hands in a fist salute and left the tent.

Then Zhao Huai'an looked at Guo Congyun and shouted:
Where is Guo Congyun?

Guo Congyun strode forward and sang loudly:
"The general is here!"

"Go and select the Three Capital Cavalry immediately to see which ones are ready to fight. The wounded will return to Yuncheng with the fleet first."

Guo Congyun clasped his hands in a fist and nodded, then led Liu Xin and Geng Xiaocheng out of the tent.

Finally, Zhao Huai'an looked at He Weidao, who had remained silent, and asked:
"Old He, who in your Black Clothes Society can get Wang Xianzhi's position?"

He Weidao pointed to Guo Shaobin without hesitation and said;

"Currently, the highest-ranking member of our organization in the Grass Army is Hun Tianchong. All the most important intelligence is obtained from him, and Guo Shaobin is currently in contact with Hun Tianchong."

Zhao Huai'an thought for a moment and asked:

"Get five more men from your subordinates and send them back to Hun Tianchong with Guo Shaobin. I'll also give you ten thousand taels of silver specifically for this operation."

"I don't care where you spend this fortune, I only have one request: you must get me Wang Xianzhi's position. If you do it well, everyone in the Black-Clad Society will be richly rewarded; if you mess it up, you'll lose your position as the leader of the Black-Clad Society."

He Weidao immediately received the order and went to find Guo Shaobin to prepare to allocate all the resources of the Black-Clad Society, determined to get this matter settled.

Zhao Huai'an then looked at Wang Jin and smiled:
"Old Wang, I'm entrusting Yuncheng to you. But I can only entrust Beiwei to you. The remaining two thousand men from the old camp by the river, you can take with you. I have no demands of you, just protect the purse strings for our Baoyi Army!"

Wang Jin did have a different opinion, but once Zhao Huai'an set the tone, he chose to fully support him without hesitation.

He stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and shouted loudly:

"Rest assured, my lord, if ten thousand enemies come here, I will annihilate them for you; if a hundred thousand enemies come in force, I will still defend Yuncheng for you!"

Zhao Huai'an laughed heartily; he trusted Wang Jin unconditionally.

Finally, he also made arrangements for Zhang Guinian and other staff members:
"We only have one chance, and our only hope for victory is time. Therefore, you recruits must quickly devise a battle plan. I've reviewed it and found it satisfactory. Distribute it to all officers in the army immediately!"

Zhang Guinian, Yuan Xi, Zhao Juntian, and others quickly clasped their hands in greeting.

Finally, Zhao Huai'an addressed everyone present:
"From this moment forward, no one in the entire battalion is to leave the camp. Without my written order, not a single person may leave!"

The generals present all stepped forward, clasped their fists, and sang loudly:
"Here!"

Seeing the generals' spirits high, Zhao Huai'an was delighted and exclaimed, "Very spirited!"

Regardless of their previous thoughts or attitudes, when he pointed his whip, the Baoyi Army would unite as one and follow closely behind. That's what his brothers are all about!

Do you think Zhao Huai'an was feeling guilty? Of course he was, after all, the one who was leading the charge alone was none other than himself, Zhao Huai'an.

But that's just how he is! He dares to gamble, and he dares to go all in!

When the opportunity arises, he dares to go all in, firmly believing that big bets bring big rewards!

Gambling on small amounts will inevitably lead to losses!
Zhao Huai'an tried his best to manage the risks, but there were still some things that were beyond his control.

For example, when it came to notifying Song Wei to cooperate, he really didn't have a good solution. For now, he could only hope that Song Wei, this veteran general, was not just a name without substance.

With pursed lips, Zhao Huai'an looked at everyone again, then slammed his fist on the table and shouted:

"Damn it, let's go all out! If I win this battle, I'll become a military governor, and all my brothers will be generals!"

"Brothers, let's seize wealth and glory on horseback!"

Wang Jin led the way, and the generals roared:
"Brothers, let's get rich right now!"

In an instant, everyone's heart was filled with passion, and no one thought of backing down anymore.

Just then, Zhao Hu rushed in and shouted to Zhao Huai'an:
"My lord, Yang Yanqing has returned, leading several hundred Taining cavalry! He's right outside the city!"

Zhao Huai'an was stunned for a moment, and then an extremely strong joy exploded in his heart.

Haha!

Old Yang is absolutely right, Zhao Da is really lucky!
So he slapped the table and laughed loudly:
"Let's go! Let's go greet the brave men of the Taining Army!"

(End of this chapter)