Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 255 Infiltration
A gentle breeze and warm sunshine accompanied a small donkey caravan of six people traveling peacefully along the dirt road.

When Guo Shaobin returned to the Caojun camp outside Xiaqiu City, he was accompanied by five more men, each of them highly capable.

Two of them were under Zhao Huai'an's command, one named Wang Yanzhang and the other Zhao Wenzhong.

At this moment, Guo Shaobin was riding on his horse, looking at Wang Yanzhang and Zhao Wenzhong. One of them was driving the donkey cart in front, and the other was supporting a pile of blood-stained clothes behind the cart. The whole way, there was a stench.

The remaining three were all dressed in tattered robes, carrying spears on their shoulders and a bundle of luggage. Their overall appearance was slovenly and disheveled, making them look like a group of refugees from a distance.

But Guo Shaobin, who was on his way, frowned as he looked around, sensing something was wrong. Then he slapped his forehead and said to Wang Yanzhang:

"Xiao Wang, you guys are too strong, you can't hide it like that."

Then he looked at the others and found that they were all the same; they were all strong men with arms big enough to run a horse.

Those at the grassroots level are either fierce generals from various families or have become local commanders themselves, so how could they be sent out to collect grain?

So anyone with a discerning eye could tell that something was off about this group.

Upon hearing Guo Shaobin's words, Wang Yanzhang realized he couldn't hide it any longer and quickly asked:

"what is it now?"

As Guo Shaobin was thinking, Zhao Wenzhong, who was supporting a pile of blood-stained clothes, said indifferently:

"It's alright, Lao Guo, just be fierce when you speak. Don't explain, just be fierce! Anyone who dares to ask questions, get a beating!"

Guo Shaobin immediately understood the meaning and exclaimed in admiration:
"Young Master Zhao is indeed intelligent!"

He was initially unhappy about the arrival of this spoiled brat, fearing that the magistrate's adopted son would show off and ruin things.

The most important thing for them to do when they are infiltrating is to not cause trouble, not attract attention, and even to keep a low profile. Can pampered second-generation kids do this?

Unexpectedly, Zhao Wenzhong did whatever he was told without uttering a single complaint.

He put on the tattered robe as he was told, and sat on the donkey cart to look at the blood-stained clothes as he was told. These clothes were all taken from dead people, and he couldn't stand the strong stench. But surprisingly, this man sat on the cart the whole way without ever frowning.

Now, with his quick wit, the way he acted was more like that of a core warrior in the rebel army. Even if someone saw it and felt something was wrong, after his actions, they would only imagine that they were carrying out a mission.

Looking back now, there was a reason why the commander involved Zhao Wenzhong.

So the donkey cart team continued forward and finally entered the area where the bandits were active.

Why is it called the "activity area"? Because once you get here, you can see small campsites everywhere, each with a few vehicles, a few large animals, three or five horses, and then a hundred or so people busy inside, with a dozen or so wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys.

Even though the fighting was still going on at the front, the peasant troops in the rear were still swarming around in various places, with little awareness of war. They didn't even bother to set up camps or dig trenches, let alone send anyone out to patrol.

Meanwhile, in the open fields on both sides of the dirt road, some bandits spotted the group and, seeing a "Pass" flag hanging on the donkey cart, looked away and went about their business.

Even though they didn't need to go to the battlefield, the soldiers in the rear were still busy, either going out to collect food or building siege equipment such as wooden ladders to send to the front lines.

And so, Guo Shaobin led his donkey cart, creaking and groaning, through countless small settlements of bandits, slowly making his way deeper into the region.

……

Sitting on the donkey cart, Zhao Wenzhong scrutinized the soldiers on both sides.

These people were generally very thin and poorly clothed, and they were pulling up wild vegetables in the open field under the watchful eyes of bandits carrying wooden sticks.

Zhao Wenzhong could tell that these people were terrified of being beaten. Even when the bandits with wooden sticks just passed by, their bodies would tremble uncontrollably.

Looking at these people, a thought suddenly popped into Zhao Wenzhong's mind:
"These people won't survive the winter."

These wild, untamed soldiers were starving and cold; when winter came, it was simply fate's turn to take them away. How were people, reduced to such a state, any different from wild beasts? They too were subject to the cycle of life and death, rising and falling with each passing year.

Guo Shaobin noticed Zhao Wenzhong sizing up these people and gave him a warning:

"Young master, we'd better not watch too much. If we watch too much, it will cause trouble."

Zhao Wenzhong nodded, then said to Guo Shaobin:

“Guo Tou, let’s not call me by those names, just call me Tie Zhu.”

Guo Shaobin nodded, then couldn't help but glance at the bandits. Although it wasn't the first time he'd seen them, he still couldn't help but sigh:
"These people are pitiful too! They suffered a disaster, and now they're forced to work for the peasant army. It's just a matter of dying sooner or later. They might as well die sooner and enjoy a better life in the afterlife."

Wang Yanzhang, who was focused on driving the carriage, muttered something under his breath:

"If you can't enjoy happiness while you're alive, how can you enjoy it after you're dead?"

Guo Shaobin was speechless at those words, feeling that this Wang Yanzhang was not as humane as Zhao Wenzhong.

Zhao Wenzhong nodded upon hearing this, thinking to himself:
"If I hadn't been taken in by my adoptive father, would I be just like these people?"

The team kept moving forward. Because they had daily trips to collect grain and Xiao Shuai had special access flags, no one stopped to question them along the way.

This is quite normal. These are the old camps of the rebel army. They are already struggling to survive, so who cares who they are?
They came to a place where a wooden cart had overturned on the dirt road, its wheels broken off to one side. Seven or eight bandits dressed in robes of various colors were squatting by the roadside, watching a burly man whipping the cart driver with a stick.

The sticks were struck on his legs and back. Each time he was hit, the driver would straighten up and let out a wail, looking just like a river shrimp being fried alive.

When these people saw Guo Shaobin and his group arrive, their eyes lit up, and they immediately surrounded them.

Wang Yanzhang, who was driving the cart, sensed something was wrong and tried to hurry over by pushing the donkey cart over.

Then a rude voice was heard:

"Why should I leave? Did I say you could leave?"

As he spoke, the burly man who had just pulled the man out pushed through the crowd and blocked the donkey cart, then ordered his men to seize the cart.

"Snapped!"

A sharp crack of a whip rang in my ears, and then I saw the burly man who had just been so arrogant rolling on the ground, groaning in pain.

It hurts when the whip strikes you.

Then Guo Shaobin, seated on his horse, raised his whip and lashed it again, cursing as he did so:

"What kind of bastard dares to block my way? Do you know who I am? You dare to lay a hand on me?"

While the burly man was being whipped, none of his fellow soldiers behind him stepped forward; they just watched until Guo Shaobin himself grew tired of beating, at which point he turned to the wary Wang Yanzhang and said:
"Let's go, keep going! I want to see who dares to block our way! Are they tired of living?"

Wang Yanzhang flicked the reins, and the donkey trampled over the straw on the ground, eventually running over the entire cart. After a few cries of pain, the cart came to a complete stop. The straw soldiers watched indifferently, simply stepping back to clear the way, and then watched as Wang Yanzhang drove the donkey cart away.

A moment later, these people squatted down by the roadside again.

……

Upon arriving at the forward camp, Guo Shaobin smoothly turned into one of the camps and then called over a child who was guarding the camp:
"Kid, is our commander in the camp?"

The child, carrying a wooden spear twice his height, ran over and replied to Guo Shaobin:

"Guo Tou, the commander is here. He just came back from Commander Liu's place and gave us a lot of grain and silk."

As he said this, the little boy chuckled, revealing half of his broken tooth.

Guo Shaobin turned to Wang Yanzhang and the others and shouted:

"You all go back to my tent first. I'll go and report the situation to the commander before I find you!"

After saying that, he said to the little child:
"Kid, go and call a few men to take the cart to the stables. Wash all the clothes on the cart and then distribute them to the brothers."

As he spoke, he added another sentence to the doll:
"You'll get one this time!"

The child stomped his feet with joy, then looked up at Guo Shaobin and replied:

“Guo Tou, we’re not cold. Can we not change our clothes and eat a few bushels of rice? My mother has been coughing since the beginning of spring. We want to feed her a little more, maybe that will help her get better.”

Guo Shaobin nodded, then said to him:
"Alright, take the clothes too. I, Guo Luohan, never take back what I've said. Take these people to my tent, and then take a bag of grain from my tent!"

The boy nodded hurriedly, then looked at Wang Yanzhang and the others. Seeing that they were all tall and strong, he praised them:

"Guo Tou, they're all so strong!"

Guo Shaobin cursed and then walked off to find the Hun Tianchong.

Then Wang Yanzhang grinned at the baby, showing his teeth, and said:
"What's your name?"

……

When Guo Shaobin came to find the "Deceitful Insect," this former ruffian commander, who had previously been sitting in a sorry state on the blood-soaked mud, crying for mercy, was now in high spirits, hands on his hips, directing the men in the tent:

"Put all these things away properly, don't leave them lying around, otherwise you'll forget you've used them if you don't see them! If they're useless, then all these good things will be wasted."

Then he gave a shout to the bandits present:

"See this? These are all gifts from Commander Liu to me. Keep up the good work, the best is yet to come!"

It was also his happiest moment when Guo Shaobin lifted the tent flap and came in. As soon as he saw this man, Mantianchong trembled and then chased everyone out of the tent, including the two women from the city that Liu Yanzhang had sent earlier.

Guo Shaobin frowned as he watched the two thin women leave the tent, their faces covered.

It seems that Liu Yanzhang greatly appreciates this "deceiving insect"!

After everyone in the tent had left, the charlatan bowed and scraped as he ran over, then ushered Guo Shaobin inside, before asking in a low voice:

"Guo, the message has already been sent back? It came back so quickly?"

Guo Shaobin nodded, then sat down and smiled:

"That's great! Life's getting better! Now women are being supported! Not bad, not bad."

The cloaking insect wiped the sweat from its brow and said:
"Guo Tou, let's keep our voices down. I don't want either of them. They were both pushed to me by Liu Yanzhang. If I don't accept them, it will arouse suspicion. You know me, I'm not interested in women."

Guo Shaobin paused for a moment, then said to the Deceitful Insect:

"Old Zhao, you mentioned before that a messenger came from the Grass Army to inform you of their victory. Is that person still around?"

The cloaking insect narrowed its eyes slightly, but still replied:
"Yes, yes, we're about to take Xiaqiu, so Liu Yanzhang spared him. He said he'd bring back the head of the dog governor of Xiaqiu."

Guo Shaobin fell silent.

After a moment, the Deceitful Insect cautiously asked:

"Guo Tou, what's wrong? Tell me about it, and I'll see if I can help."

After hearing this, Guo Shaobin suddenly asked seriously:
"Old Zhao, I have a question for you, and you need to answer seriously. If we give you a chance to leave our Black-Clad Society, you can peacefully be your little bandit leader from now on. Are you willing?"

Without a moment's hesitation, the sly insect was about to kneel down to pledge his loyalty when Guo Shaobin pulled him up, but he continued, "..."
"Guo Tou, you can't say that. I'm one of ours in life and in death. Although I, Mantianchong, don't know many characters, I know that 'a good dog doesn't serve two masters, and a good woman doesn't marry two husbands.' Guo Tou, just tell me what you want to say, and I'll take care of it for you even if I die!"

"But please don't say things like that again, it hurts people's feelings."

The crocodile poured out its heart in tears, but Guo Shaobin remained unmoved, nodding instead:

“Very good, this is your choice! Do you remember what our commander told you? Your descendants will enjoy wealth and honor because of your choice! And today, I must tell you, your choice is not wrong! Your ancestors' graves are burning in celebration for you getting on my Righteous Army's ship! Do you understand?”

How could the Deceiver not know? Because today, Liu Yanzhang summoned these young commanders to tell them a piece of news: the Cao Army that was originally stationed in Zhongdu had been completely wiped out, and the one attacking was the Baoyi Army.

When the Deceitful Insect heard this, he exclaimed, "Goodness!"

Goodness, Wang Chongyin was a renowned hero in the army, commanding thirty or forty thousand men, and he was wiped out in a single battle? Goodness, the Righteous Army is so fierce!
Liu Yanzhang called them over to tell them that he would be launching another fierce attack on the inner city of Xiaqiu soon, and if they couldn't take it, the troops would have to retreat.

After all, the inner city was very small, and most of the military supplies were outside the inner city, so the rebel army had eaten their fill. When they left, they demolished the outer city. Although they did not completely complete the mission, it was close enough.

The main problem is that we can't stay any longer. The Baoyi Army has already advanced to our flanks and rear. If we don't run away now, the losses will be huge.

So starting today, each faction should gradually gather back the troops that have scattered outside. As for the outer perimeter, we don't need to worry about them; they can serve as a buffer.

Knowing the outcome of the battle, the Sky-Deceiving Worm was extremely unwilling to jump ship.

Seeing that the "Deceitful Insect" was nodding incessantly, Guo Shaobin said this:

"Alright, where does the envoy live? We'll kidnap him tonight!"

Upon hearing this, the Deceitful Insect was stunned. Only when Guo Shaobin's gaze grew increasingly fierce did he hurriedly nod.
"Alright! Let's do it tonight!"

After finishing speaking about the Deceitful Insect, he was about to leave when Guo Shaobin pulled him back, coldly saying:
"Let's act together tonight."

(End of this chapter)