Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 81 Fist Pressure
Before the six men could even stand still, they kicked Yan Liulang in the stomach, then unleashed a flurry of punches on him, yelling:

"I'll beat you to death, you idiot! I'll beat you to death!"

Zhao Liu also lost his composure. He had never suffered such a loss in his life. If it weren't for Niu Li and the others holding him back, he might have really beaten Yan Liulang to death right here.

When Yan Liulang was being beaten and screaming in agony, the hundred or so soldiers from the Eastern Sichuan Army stood there like ostriches, not daring to lift their heads.

At this moment, Lu Zhongyuan, the number one lackey, had already brought over a small stool for Zhao Da to sit on. Zhao Da patted Lu approvingly, then sat down with an air of nonchalance, looked down at the group of Sichuan soldiers, and cursed them as useless.

That's how soldiers are; if they run too much, they become useless.

With Yan Liulang beaten so badly, not a single one of the Sichuan soldiers dared to draw their swords. At this moment, Zhao Da was no longer so afraid of Yan Shihui.

What good are eight thousand soldiers?

If all his men were like these people, even if they were all tied together, they wouldn't be enough to defeat Baoyi.

Withdrawing his disdainful gaze, Zhao Da looked at Yan Liulang, who had just been beaten up, chuckled, and was about to speak.

Suddenly, Zhao Jinzhong, the archer from Nanzhao who had been keeping a low profile, bent down and whispered something behind Zhao Da:

"My lord, among those prisoners, there seems to be one who looks very familiar."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Da looked over and saw dozens of prisoners huddled in the shed, all looking disheveled and listless, with no discernible difference between them.

So he called over Zhao Liu, who was still cursing:

"Zhao Liu, why did you buy these prisoners?"

Zhao Liu didn't think it was anything special, so he just said:
"Xiao Liu, oh, that's the reformed soldier who sells prisoners. These prisoners were captured outside the city by them. They didn't want to share their work with their superiors, so they brought them here to sell."

"Zhao Da, you used to admire Shi Sanlang from the reformatory army, right? Well, I thought it would be good to get to know him. And Xiao Liu said there are some good craftsmen here. Anyway, we need some, so we bought them."

As Zhao Liu spoke, he didn't notice that the faces of the reformed soldiers next to him had turned black.

One of the burly warriors, dressed in a crimson robe, noticed Zhao Huai'an's suspicious gaze and quickly stepped forward to explain:
"General Zhao, Zhao Liulang, you've misunderstood. We were all sent here by Shi Yaya to sell them. My Ganhua Army is a pure and honest people of the Tang Dynasty; how could we engage in the trafficking of prisoners? Hehe."

Zhao Da didn't care about any of that, since Zhao Liu had already bought all these people anyway. Instead, the person in front of him looked familiar, and his eyes lit up. He asked:

"Were you there when Sanlang charged into battle at Baizhu Water that day?"

This guy, called Xiao Liu, looked robust but was quite young, and his voice was still going through puberty. He didn't dare to be arrogant at all towards the rising star Zhao Da in front of him, and quickly clasped his hands in greeting.
“General Zhao, I did indeed follow the orders of the magistrate in battle.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Da jumped up, grabbed Xiao Liu's hand excitedly, and said:
"Good man, good man indeed. Come, come, let's give our heroes of the reformation army a stool. Aren't you tired of standing?"

Zhao Liu pursed his lips and moved a stool over for Xiao Liu to sit on.

Xiao Liu was initially hesitant to sit down, but when he suddenly saw the group of guards staring intently at him, and then saw the circle of fierce-looking warriors outside, Xiao Liu became more assertive and sat down confidently.

He bowed to Zhao Da:

"General Zhao, I will gladly accept your seat. Thank you, General Zhao!"

Zhao Huai'an liked it even more now. He truly deserved to be called a hero of northern Jiangsu; he was a man of guts.

Then he laughed and said:

"Xiao Liu, I felt an instant connection with you the moment I saw you. From now on, I'll call you Zhao Da. By the way, what's your name?"

Xiao Liu was even more pleased to be flattered by a famous and fierce general in the army, and he also clasped his hands in a fist salute:
“Zhao Du, my name is Liu Zhijun, from Xuzhou.”

Zhao Dayi clapped his hands and said:
“Fellow townsman, Zhao Da is from Shouzhou, not far at all. This is truly a case of ‘meeting an old friend in a foreign land’!”

After saying that, he punched Liu Zhijun's well-developed muscles and said seriously:

"Don't go back after we disperse. Come to my camp for a drink, and I'll introduce you to my brothers. They're all heroes."

Liu Zhijun didn't know why, but after being punched by Zhao Da, his heart felt warm. He stood up again and respectfully clasped his hands.
"My lord, you are so kind; how could I dare disobey?"

Look, now he's not called Zhao Du anymore, he's called Langjun directly.

Zhao Da laughed heartily, then gestured for Xiao Liu to continue sitting, before finally looking at Yan Liulang with a gloomy expression and snorting:

"Yan Liulang, I won't lie to you. If you can take three punches from me today, not only will Zhao Liu's matter be settled, but you can also go back. You can even take these prisoners with you. Do you want this opportunity or not?"

Yan Liulang was now in a bind. After seeing the man the prisoner had mentioned, he had to take him away. Otherwise, if he fell into the hands of someone like Zhao Da, the entire Yan family would be doomed.

At this moment, his eyes were red, he tore open his robe, and glared angrily. He was no longer the cowardly man who had just been punched by Zhao Liu.

"Fine, I'll take three punches from you, but you'll take three punches from me too. You dare?"

Zhao Da sneered, also pulling off his robes to reveal his muscular upper body, and roared back:

"Don't even mention three punches, even thirty or three hundred, what can you do to me? Now, we've signed a duel to the death, life and death are in the hands of fate! Don't complain even a little!"

Yan Liulang raised his fist:
"Alright, let's fight to the death. After we leave the Underworld, don't forget who killed you—your father, Yan Liulang!"

Really loud.

...Seeing Zhao Da stride to the open space, Yan Liulang felt a surge of anger rising from the soles of his feet to his head.

It's too much to bully others, it's too much to bully others!
Does Zhao Da really think I, Yan Liulang, am made of clay?
Just now, I let him drag me along, partly because of the crossbowmen pointing at me from the outside, but more so because I wanted to keep the peace, since that person was too important.

Later, he appointed Zhao Liu Lao Quan, hoping to let the man vent his anger and let the matter drop.

But now, Zhao Da is pressing him again and again, even wanting to fight him to the death, so he can't be blamed.

Zhao Da thought he could defeat me just because he used a trick to ambush me last time? He's such a frog in a well.

Which son of a military family like him doesn't train hard in the coldest winter and hottest summer?
While others were indulging in romance and poetry, they were sweating! While others were composing poems and verses, they were still sweating!

After the dynasty faced hardship, military men rose to power, and even the hundreds of thousands of Shence Army soldiers of the court could not control them. Was it because the emperor was benevolent?

Isn't it all thanks to the knives in their hands? Slaughtering all those who resist, slaughtering all those who are wicked and unruly?
If the prime minister dared to criticize them, they could behead him in the street; if the emperor dared to be displeased with them, they could force him to flee in panic, leaving him like a homeless dog.

This is their era!

Since the last time he was caught off guard and Zhao Da ambushed him, Yan Liulang asked someone to find Zhao Da's military records and learned that he was just a fugitive from Shouzhou. Even if he had some martial prowess, how could he compare to his family's profound martial arts skills?
So this time, he not only wanted to avenge his previous humiliation, but he also wanted to beat Zhao Da to death in front of everyone!
Moreover, it was Zhao Da who brought this upon himself, insisting on talking about a life-or-death struggle.

Normally, killing a general would be a huge hassle, but now, even if he were killed by him, no one could find fault with him.

After all, although the dynasty forbade private duels, it was not uncommon for warriors to draw their swords and kill each other over a mere disagreement. Military law and national law also silently followed an unspoken rule: since both parties were willing to fight, whether they lived or died was left to fate.

Seeing Zhao Da still laughing, Yan Liulang chuckled cruelly to himself:

"Hehe, Zhao Da, your death is imminent, so I'll let you laugh a little longer."

……

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an had his shirt off, and the biting spring chill did nothing to quell his anger.

Beneath his calm face lay a raging inferno, like wildfire erupting.

This dog-like Yan Liulang, this dog-like Yan Shihui, it was these scoundrels who killed thousands of righteous and righteous men.

It was this bunch of muddle-headed bastards who, for their own selfish reasons, allowed those loyal and brave righteous men to be slaughtered like animals on the west bank of the Baishu River.

There was also the old general who fought to the death for his country, but not a single soldier came to his rescue. When he was cut in half at the waist by Gao Pian, he was probably thinking about his brothers who died in the Dadu River.

There were also the refugees who froze to death in Shuangliu, Sun Chuanxiu who tragically died on the road, and Zhao Da who lost his passion in Baizhushui.

Various characters and subtle emotions flashed rapidly through Zhao Da's mind and heart.

At this moment, Yan Liulang was no longer Yan Liulang, but rather the embodiment of this unjust world and this filthy dog ​​of morality!

Seeing that Yan Liulang was still laughing, Zhao Da suddenly rushed over.

Yan Liulang reacted just as quickly, kicking Zhao Da in the head the moment Zhao Da rushed over.

Many years have passed, and no one knows that the Yan family are descendants of people from Goguryeo. Even the descendants of the Yan family have forgotten this fact.

However, the martial arts skills passed down from the Goguryeo era have been passed down from generation to generation among the Yan family members.

This kick alone startled the onlookers, whose hearts leaped into their throats.

But Zhao Da, who rushed over, only blocked with his left arm, then twisted his waist and hips, stepped forward, bent his right elbow, and put all his strength into the tip of his elbow, ramming it into Yan Liulang's chest.

Zhao Huai'an charged like a wild horse, gathering all his strength into one elbow strike, and rammed it into Yan Liulang with tremendous force!
Even though Yan Liulang tried his best to block, he was still sent flying by the impact.

Zhao Dayi elbowed Yan Liulang away, and without pausing, grabbed Yan Liulang's hand and punched him in the nose with his right fist, causing blood to flow freely.

Yan Liulang's eyes were bloodshot. He tried to speak, but his broken nose made it impossible for him to breathe. He stared wide-eyed as Zhao Da threw a second punch.

This time, Zhao Da struck his nose again, the shattered nasal bone tearing through his fist, but it still couldn't stop Zhao Da from shouting:
"This punch, I'm not doing it for anyone else, I'm doing it for you!"

After saying that, he slammed his last punch into Yan Liulang's temple. In one blow, the man bled from all seven orifices and collapsed to the ground.

"Having killed Liu Lang with a fist," Zhao Da roared at the hundred or so soldiers from Sichuan who were present, his eyes bloodshot:
"Who else wants to die! Who else! Kneel down! Go and apologize to the spirits of our fallen brothers! You dare to come back? Huh? You have the nerve to return to Baishu Water? You're all a bunch of beasts!"

The Sichuan Army soldiers present were dumbfounded. Looking at Zhao Huai'an, who looked like an angry Buddha, everyone was stunned.

It's unclear who succumbed to the pressure first, but one of them knelt down with a thud. Then, more and more people knelt down, and the force of the attack even affected the surrounding area. Some of the foreign warriors who had also fled in the face of battle knelt down in fear.

They wept and begged for mercy from the soldiers of Baoyi and Muyi who had been betrayed on the west bank that day.

Among the crowd, Sun Chuanwei and six other former members of the Baoyi Army were all in tears.

Sun Chuanwei looked up at the sky, tears streaming down his face, and murmured:
“Brother, do you see? They will all avenge you! But brother, believe me, this is just the beginning. Believe me, that day will not be too late. Brother, you and your brothers, slow down, slow down even more.”

After saying this, Sun Chuanwei could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

At this moment, Liu Zhijun, sitting alone on a stool, looked at the kneeling soldiers from eastern Sichuan, and at the naked Zhao Huai'an. Drops of blood from his hands fell onto Yan Liulang's corpse, bathed in sunlight, turning it golden.

He murmured:
"His sword cleaves the path of life and death, his fists crush four hundred states. Zhao Da is truly a celestial being!"

(End of this chapter)