Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 95 Chicken House
Zhao Huai'an finally jumped off the donkey cart, followed closely by a group of Yishelang and his adopted sons.

At this moment, although Zhao Huai'an appeared calm on the surface, he had actually reached the peak of his state of flow.

Nothing is more exhilarating or offers a more intense experience than watching one's subordinates pursue and kill enemies one by one, something even Mohime cannot do.

Zhao Huai'an's leather boots pounded on the muddy ground, where there were headless corpses of Nanzhao people all along the way. When some of the officials and soldiers of Baoyidu saw that the general was coming, they straightened their chests, and a few even showed Zhao the head that was still dripping blood.

Zhao Huai'an laughed heartily, calling out the names of everyone along the way. Even those he couldn't remember, as long as he remembered their surnames, he would address them as "Little So-and-so" or "Old So-and-so." In short, Zhao Huai'an called out the names of everyone he saw.

Gradually, more and more officials and soldiers surrounded Zhao Da, each of them carrying at least one severed head on their waist.

What? You don't have a head? Then what are you doing hanging around the general's side? Get out of my way, all of you.

At first, they huddled together, but soon they spontaneously began chanting the slogan "Call for justice!"

At this moment, they bestowed upon this man boundless respect.

He led everyone to victory once again.

It's no wonder they were so excited, because this battle was different from the past. This was the first time that Baoyidu, as an independent unit, had annihilated an elite Nanzhao enemy force in the open field, and it was an elite cavalry force at that.

You should know that this is no easy task.

The officers and soldiers of Baoyidu were of a very diverse background, but every veteran knew the harsh reality that in the field, those who could defeat cavalry on foot were less than one in a hundred.

Yes, it's a case of almost none surviving.

In this era, whether it was the various regional military governorships of the Tang Dynasty or the surrounding Tubo, Uyghur, and Nanzhao, after a century of fighting, their national strength gradually declined, but their military talents became increasingly abundant.

A military district may have few farmers who know how to cultivate the land, but it will not lack warriors who know how to wield swords. In fact, it has a wealth of cavalry combat talents, which are scarce in other eras. After a hundred years of accumulation, it is now a place where talents emerge in abundance.

Among the four cavalry generals in Zhao Huai'an's Baoyi Army—Guo Congyun, Ding Huaiyi, Liu Xin, and Liu Zhijun—each is an excellent cavalry general and has the potential to become a leading cavalry general capable of leading independently.

But who were these people before?

The highest-ranking officer was Guo Congyun, who had served as a cavalry officer in the Boye Army, while the others were merely ordinary cavalrymen in their respective fiefdoms.

This is the terror of martial power in this world. Heroes and warriors are everywhere in the vassal states, and even in the countryside, heroes and fierce generals emerge. This is because this is an era of warriors, truly living up to the saying, "All other professions are inferior, only martial arts are superior!"

Studying can't change your destiny, but practicing martial arts can!
Cavalry is the core force in any army, and in today's world where military talent is so abundant, there is no incompetent person who can command a cavalry unit.

Therefore, when an infantry force lacking cavalry encounters a large cavalry force in the field, these excellent cavalry generals have almost a hundred ways to defeat the infantry.

Forming a battle formation? If forming a battle formation were effective, infantry wouldn't have a fear of cavalry.

Baoyidu was like that; it lacked sufficient cavalry strength, so in theory, it did not yet have the ability to fight independently in the field.

But now, under the leadership of this "Hu Baoyi," they had just wiped out an enemy cavalry regiment of seven or eight hundred riders in the field, something that was unprecedented in the experience of most veteran soldiers.

Moreover, what impressed the officials and soldiers even more was Zhao Da's consistency between his words and actions.

They would usually treat each other like brothers, but most of the people in Baoyidu were not new to the army or to the military. They had served under many different military commanders.

And weren't all those military generals like Zhao Da? They treated each other like brothers, but were always wary of these warriors, fearing they might mutiny and rebel.

No one is stupid. Even if someone was stupid in the past, they are not stupid now.

So the higher-ups are keeping an eye on the fact that everyone is mutiniing and rebelling. Tell me, which of the brothers isn't feeling disheartened? Although they don't understand the concept of "self-actualization," they've been doing it all along.

Since you're always so wary of your brothers, wouldn't it be a waste for them not to rebel?

And so, suspicion grew between superiors and subordinates, the spiral accelerated, and step by step they entered a dead end.

But what about our brothers? They truly treat their brothers like brothers.

Not only do they worry about how their families will take care of them after they die, but they also consider that when they grow old and frail, they should still send money to everyone to fulfill their brotherly duty.

If this was still a promise, then what happened today has made everyone no longer doubt that promise.

When Lu Zhongyuan and Dang Shousu's two teams were surrounded, if they asked themselves honestly, let alone Zhao Da, even if it were themselves, their first thought would be to run away as quickly as possible, or form a defensive formation on the spot to protect themselves.

But what will we do? Upon hearing of the misfortune befalling our brothers at the front, we will draw our swords, issue orders, and launch a full-scale attack, fighting to the death.

Who wouldn't want to work with such a general? Today, he can save the "Lu" and "Dong" teams without hesitation, and tomorrow he can save us without hesitation.

With such a group, they feel secure and confident following, and are willing to continue following them.

So at this moment, they sincerely shouted "Call for justice!" They wholeheartedly agreed with the general and the saying that had long been circulating in the army:

"Hu Baoyi is truly a hero!"

……

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an was equally excited. He repeatedly asked each team about the number of warhorses they had captured. When he learned that the teams had captured a total of more than 500 warhorses, he could no longer contain himself.

He turned to Zhao Liu beside him and called out:
"Six, this time our Baoyi has truly succeeded."

Yes, as long as they recruit enough cavalry to protect Yidu, they will have no weaknesses. In terms of defense, they fought in the Battle of Jinniu Village; in terms of large-scale troop operations, they participated in the Battle of Baishushui; in terms of siege experience, they fought in the Battle of Qiongzhou.

Even now, despite lacking a sufficient number of cavalry, they have still managed to defeat the Nanzhao cavalry in the open field. Once they replenish their cavalry, they will possess even greater field combat capabilities.

By then, Bao Yidu will truly be an all-around elite force.

As Zhao Da listened, he became more and more excited. Just as he was about to ask how many Nanzhao cavalrymen had been captured, Duan Zhongjian, the captain of the Guiyi team, came over with a prisoner covered in mud.

Zhao Da responded with a broad smile, giving him a friendly look.

He was satisfied with Duan Zhongjian. When he was deploying troops, he specifically sent out the Guiyi Team, which was composed of barbarian soldiers from the Wusa tribe, to block the Nanzhao people's return route.

Whether Zhao Huai'an believed these Wusa barbarian soldiers or not was irrelevant.

As long as you go to the battlefield and kill Nanzhao people, your loyalty will be tested, and Zhao Da will believe you.

Now, Duan Zhongjian and his Wusa barbarian soldiers have passed the test. From now on, they are no longer the prisoners of war of the past, but the "Guiyi" team directly under the command of the central army of Baoyidu.

As a surrendered general, Duan Zhongjian was always very sensitive, especially since Zhao Da later recruited another general, Zhao Jinzhong, which added to his anxiety.

Despite Zhao Jinzhong's self-proclaimed Han Chinese appearance, Duan Zhongjian dared to swear a solemn oath that this scoundrel was undoubtedly a Nanzhao person.

On the other hand, what about Duan Zhongjian? He is indeed a Han Chinese; his ancestors were from the Duan family of Wuwei.

But alas, no one will believe it. And in a team dominated by Chinese people, if he is not a Chinese person, what will his status be? Needless to say.
This is the root of Duan Zhongjian's anxiety and unease.

But now? He saw approval and appreciation on Duan Zhongjian's face. At that moment, Duan Zhongjian felt a sense of lightness, as if he had floated to Zhao Da's side.

Struggling to suppress his elation, Duan Zhongjian pulled the prisoner over, then kicked him into the mud. He then bowed respectfully to Zhao Da, saying:

"General, I have just captured this man. From him, I learned that the commander of this tribe is Meng Luopa, a member of the royal family of Nanzhao, and the garrison commander of Jidong Pass. I just don't know why he suddenly came out of the pass to attack us."

Upon hearing this news, Zhao Huai'an didn't see the key point at all and was overjoyed:

"So now the defenses at Jidong Pass are completely empty?"

Duan Zhongjian was taken aback; that wasn't what he meant to say. But he quickly nodded, indicating that Jidong Pass was indeed short of troops.

Just as Zhao Da was about to give the order for Guo Congyun to lead over a hundred elite cavalry straight to Jidong Pass, Zhang Guinian tugged at Zhao Da's cloak and whispered:

"Old Duan is saying that this Nanzhao cavalry is heading straight for us."

Zhao Da was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what had happened.

Suddenly, he pulled out the troop deployment order issued by Commander Yang from his pocket. After checking it again, he confirmed that it was indeed Commander Yang's seal.

Could it be Yang Shuai?

No, that's impossible. Yang Qingfu had absolutely no reason to do so.

It wasn't that Zhao Da was naive and had so much confidence in Yang Qingfu; rather, he was very clear that there was currently no conflict of interest between them, so why would Yang Qingfu sell himself out?

In a flash, Zhao Huai'an suddenly remembered someone.

Who was it? It was none other than his nemesis, Yan Shihui, a general from eastern Sichuan.

At that moment, Zhao Huai'an's mind raced. He suddenly glanced at Zhang Guinian beside him and said:
"Yan Shi Hui?"

Zhang Guinian replied coldly:
"It must be him, and it can only be him. We can't just sit here and wait to die!"

Zhao Huai'an had already devised a plan to deal with Yan Shihui. At this moment, after glancing at the Nanzhao prisoners, a complete plan gradually took shape.

He suppressed the thought and then gave an order to Guo Congyun, who was standing beside him:

"Old Guo, you take Old Duan and those Nanzhao prisoners who are willing to surrender, and head straight for Jidong Pass!"

Guo Congyun, still clasped in his armor, immediately clasped his hands in greeting upon receiving the order, and then, along with Liu Xin and Liu Zhijun, mounted their horses.

Meanwhile, Duan Zhongjian bowed to Zhao Da, then led the prisoners straight back to his unit.

Moments later, over a hundred mounted riders kicked up clumps of mud and galloped toward Jidong Pass.

After they left, Zhao Huai'an ordered each team to quickly clean up the battlefield and gather the warhorses before preparing to march towards Jidong Pass ahead.

Just as they finished packing up, a rider suddenly galloped up from the front, holding a "Protect Righteousness" military flag and shouting:

"Good news! Captain Guo has captured Jidong Pass!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huai'an burst into laughter and shouted three times:
"Good! Good! Good!"

It really is:

"The echoes of drums and horns had not yet faded when the army was about to set off to conquer the barbarians. Suddenly, a fast horse brought news of victory: the vanguard had already captured Jidong Pass."

What a beautiful poem! What a beautiful poem!
(End of this chapter)