Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 80 Qi Sha
Outside the eastern city of Qiongzhou, the already bustling East Market became even more lively, with more and more soldiers from various vassal states gathering in a screen area to watch the play.

There, only a furious and shrill voice could be heard:
"Slap him, give him a good slap, make him stop talking so foul."

Upon hearing this, the two Dongchuan warriors wielding whips became even more ruthless, raising their whips to lash out at Zhao Liu, who was hanging from the tree.

There were several soldiers nearby, also bound, but they were not whipped. These men had come to mediate Zhao Liu's case out of indignation, but instead were tied up.

Zhao Liu was in a sorry state, his hair a mess, and it was unclear how many lashes he had received, yet he showed no signs of weakness and continued to curse:

"Who the hell had a torn crotch and gave birth to a coward like you? If I dare to slap you, may my ancestors die! Ouch, ouch."

Just then, Zhao Liu was whipped twice more, causing him to cry out in pain.

But sitting on the stool, Yan Liulang, who was furious, found it increasingly strange. Was Zhao Liu really that tough? He had been whipped forty or fifty times, and this bastard was still so stubborn.
Thinking of this, Yan Liulang looked at Zhao Liu's clothes and suddenly exclaimed:
“Tear off his clothes and whip him.”

Upon hearing this, two Dongchuan warriors came forward and tried to strip Zhao Liu of his clothes.

Zhao Liu's expression changed immediately, and he began to beg for mercy with a smile:

"Heroes of Dongchuan, give me, Zhao Liu, some face. I won't curse you anymore. Keep my clothes. If I were naked, I would be ashamed to face my ancestors."

Unfortunately, the two Dongchuan warriors ignored him and immediately stripped Zhao Liu of his clothes, leaving him spun around in the wind like a boiled chicken.

The two men immediately noticed something was wrong with the clothes and quickly tore open Zhao Liu's winter coat, only to find that it was lined with cowhide.

Yan Liulang saw everything and was furious. He stood up and roared:

"Beat him, beat that bastard to death, go all out."

The two warriors who had been holding the whip felt insulted, so they swung their whips and began to beat Zhao Liu mercilessly. Zhao Liu could no longer curse; he kicked his legs in the air, swayed from side to side, and howled in pain.

This time, it really hurt.

As Yan Liulang flew into a rage, one of his bodyguards said with considerable concern:
"Sixth Brother, I heard that Zhao Da has become quite successful and has a reputation in western Sichuan. Let's just teach Zhao Liu a lesson and not make a blood feud."

This person spoke kindly, but Yan Liulang immediately retorted with insults;

"You dog, are you eating the food of the Yan family? Why should you worry about that Zhao Da? Let me tell you, it's not about whether we want to make enemies or not, it's that I, Yan Liulang, want revenge! Understand?"

After speaking, he added:
"And what is that Zhao Da anyway? Even if he has some reputation, compared to our Yan family, he's nothing! I'm not only going to beat that foul-mouthed Zhao Liu to death, I'm going to make that Zhao Da kneel before me like a dog and beg for mercy."

Seeing Yan Liulang's behavior, the soldier became even more worried and whispered a reminder:

"Sixth Brother, we only brought about a hundred people with us to Qiongzhou, which is a bit small. If that Zhao Da gets into trouble, I'm afraid something might happen."

Yan Liulang paused for a moment, weighing his options in his mind.

His trip to Qiongzhou was on Yan Shihui's orders to befriend Yang Qingfu and hopefully reinstate the Sichuan Eastern Army to the government's command structure.

In the previous battle at Baishushui, Yan Shihui led eight thousand troops from eastern Sichuan and fled without a fight, heading south, which had already angered the masses.

The reason Yan Shihui dared to do such a thing was that he believed that after this defeat in Chuanxi Town, he would not be able to defend Chengdu.

Once the Nanzhao army plunders Chengdu, he can lead the Eastern Sichuan army straight to Chengdu and then take over Chengdu as agreed.

At that time, he would not only become a meritorious official in the recapture of Chengdu, but also, according to custom, request to be appointed as the acting governor of western Sichuan, and jointly govern the two provinces with his father.

But who would have thought that the Western Sichuan army would withstand the pressure in Shuangliu and hold out until Gao Pian brought reinforcements into Sichuan.

At this moment, Yan Shihui panicked. Once Gao Pian became the military governor of western Sichuan, given his character and behavior, he would definitely use him, who deserted in the face of battle, as an example.

So his first thought was to lead the Eastern Sichuan Army back to Eastern Sichuan, but his father dissuaded him.

His father urged him to find an opportunity to enter the Western Sichuan government, as his father was certain that Gao Pian, given his character, would launch a major counterattack against the Nanzhao army.

At that time, his Yan Shihui would naturally come in handy.

After much deliberation, Yan Shihui finally learned that Yang Qingfu, a general from western Sichuan, had recaptured Qiongzhou City. Only then did he send his cousin Yan Liulang with a batch of treasures to Qiongzhou to make way for Yang Qingfu.

After all, in his view, Yang Qingfu must be having a hard time right now, so this is a good opportunity to become allies and rely on each other for support.

According to the order of importance, Yan Liulang should be paying his respects to Yang Qingfu at this time.

But whether it was because his cousin had gone too far in selling out the Sichuan region before the battle, or for some other reason, when he went to pay his respects, the guards said that the commander-in-chief was not there.

Yan Liulang is a respectable man; he can't just wait idly outside the camp, it would be too disgraceful for the Yan family.

So, having just made some "gains" on the way here, and hearing that there was a grass market in the east of the city, they decided to come and sell them.

Upon arriving at the West Market, Yan Liu was filled with envy and jealousy.

Looking at the crowded market, with vendors hawking their wares everywhere, groups of prisoners, and piles of supplies, one can see just how wealthy Qiongzhou City is.

If their Eastern Sichuan Army had not marched eastward but had retreated to Shuangliu with the Western Sichuan Army, they would also have a share of this immense wealth.

Looking at what others were selling, and then at his own meager possessions, Yan Liulang immediately lost interest.

He originally planned to sell everything and leave, but suddenly he saw a person in a shack and was startled.

When the man saw Yan Liulang, he panicked for a moment, then they exchanged glances and he felt reassured. So he continued to hide silently among the prisoners.

It was upon seeing this person that Yan Liulang, who was about to step out, abruptly turned his foot back.

At that time, a soldier who was over seven feet tall, speaking with a Guanzhong accent, was talking to several Tang soldiers over there.

Yan Liulang only wanted to acquire these prisoners discreetly, without wanting to cause any trouble, so he pushed aside the Guanzhong soldier and tried to negotiate the deal.

But who knew that the soldier had already bought everyone; he was just chatting with the buyer.

Now, Yan Liulang has offended the new buyer, so how can he buy anything now? Originally, Yan Liulang wanted to reveal his identity, but when he heard that the person was from Baoyidu, he immediately got angry.

Zhao Da had humiliated him that day, and he originally wanted to regain his honor, but then he was defeated at Baishushui, so he had to let the matter go.

Unexpectedly, upon arriving in Qiongzhou, I encountered people from Baoyidu. Seeing that rough man from Guanzhong spouting strange nonsense, I was furious.

So Yan Liulang hung Zhao Liu up and beat him.

I just wanted to do business properly, but you forced my father to rob me!
……

After thinking it over, Yan Liulang still felt that the other person was more important. So be it, let Zhao Liu go first, and then send someone to kill him later.

So he walked over to Zhao Liu and said in a deep voice:

"Zhao Liu, I'm being magnanimous today, I'll let you go. Go back and cry to your Zhao Da..."

Yan Liulang couldn't say anything more; he was lying on the ground, retching incessantly.

Just moments ago, Zhao Liu, who had been beaten senseless, suddenly raised his head and spat a mouthful of phlegm into Yan Liulang's throat.

Now, a storm is brewing.

Yan Liulang lost all reason and roared:

"Kill him, kill him."

Even if the companions pull them along, it's still no use.

Just then, the soldiers who had gathered to watch the spectacle suddenly scattered with a whoosh, and then Zhao Liu, who was hanging there, heard that familiar voice:
"Who touched my brother?"

At this moment, Zhao Liu could no longer hold back and burst into tears:

“Zhao Da, my Da, this coward who bullied your brother, it’s him.”

At this moment, Yan Liulang's expression changed drastically. He saw countless soldiers dressed in crimson winter clothes, with headbands tied around their foreheads, each holding a whistle stick. They surrounded them as soon as they arrived.

These people were layered upon each other, some even standing on top of the goods, all staring at them intently.

Yan Liulang was a respectable man. Although he was fuming and his heart was pounding, he still calmly shouted:

"Zhao Da, come out here! What kind of hero are you, ganging up on the few with the many?"

These words enraged Zhao Liu. He swung his hips violently, jerking towards Yan Liulang, and delivered a powerful headbutt, shouting:
"You shameless coward, weren't you just bullying the weak with numbers? I'll beat you to death."

At this moment, Yan Liulang dared not hit Zhao Liu anymore. Looking at Zhao Huai'an who emerged from the crowd, he forced a smile:

"Zhao Da, this is a misunderstanding. Here, I'll hand the person over to you and then I'll leave."

As he spoke, Yan Liulang gave a signal and led over a hundred soldiers from eastern Sichuan to take the prisoners away.

Seeing this, Zhao Liu, who was hanging there, panicked and shouted:
“These are all my people, and they’re all mine! Not one of them is allowed to leave.”

Yan Liulang's face darkened slightly. He tossed a bag of gold beans he was carrying to Zhao Da and clasped his hands in a fist salute:

"Zhao Da, this is the money we paid for the prisoners. The extra is compensation for Brother Zhao Liu. We'll meet again someday."

But none of the Baoyidu warriors surrounding them gave way, all grinning maliciously at the group of Sichuanese soldiers.

At this moment, Yan Liulang realized he was panicking. He shouted at the sneering Zhao Da:

"Zhao Da, what do you mean? Are you trying to make this a big deal? We are from the Eastern Sichuan Army, and we're leaving here today. What are you going to do about it?"

As he spoke, Yan Liulang waved his hand behind him to encourage his subordinates:
"Come on, everyone follow me. Let's see who's got the guts to mess with our Eastern Sichuan Army."

But no sooner had he finished speaking than an iron arrow grazed Yan Liulang's ear and struck the ground.

Yan Liulang covered his bleeding ear and howled, but when he turned his head and saw that it was Zhao Da who had shot the arrow, he suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice:
"Zhao Da, what do you mean?"

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an put down his bow, glanced at the arrow that had missed its mark with a sigh, and said with shame.

Seeing that Yan Liulang didn't dare to get angry, Zhao Da sneered inwardly, his face growing increasingly fierce. Then, Zhao Da raised his bow, pointed it at the people present, and shouted:

"Today I'll see who dares to make a move, and whoever does will die. Of course, I'm not denying you a chance. I'll count to ten, and I won't make a move. I'll see if you can break out of here. If you can, I'll let you go."

A deathly silence fell over the entire area; even the Sichuan soldiers watching the spectacle dared not breathe loudly.

Good heavens, Hu Baoyi is enraged and wants to kill someone.

……

At this moment, blood was dripping from Yan Liulang's ears, his face was ashen, and he finally exploded, roaring:

"Zhao Da, I think you're tired of living. You want to mess with our Eastern Sichuan Army. Brothers, draw your knives! Anyone who dares to stop us, chop them all up!"

After saying that, Yan Liulang drew his sword with a "whoosh" and prepared to rush out.

But the next instant, the soldiers of Baoyidu on the opposite side all raised their crossbows. This time, apart from Yan Liulang who drew his sword, none of the rest of the Chuandong army dared to move.

Yan Liulang was also stunned until Zhao Da walked over, patted his neck, and snorted:
"Did I give you a chance? I did give you a chance, but you were useless!"

After saying that, Zhao Da grabbed Yan Liulang by the collar and dragged him like a dead dog all the way to Zhao Liulang's side.

At this moment, our Sixth Master was put down by Niu Li and the others.

(End of this chapter)