Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 97 Treatment
As the finance officer of the Sichuan-West Military Government, Wang Duo was very meticulous about numbers. So when Zhao Da asked about the expenses of the cavalry, he counted on his fingers and gave Zhao Da a breakdown of the costs.

Although the Nanzhao army had "freely" sponsored horses, armor, and horse tack, the daily expenses of the cavalry were still an astonishing drain.

Take the hay that warhorses eat as an example. They need to consume a large amount of hay and a certain amount of concentrate every day.

Wang Duo had previously served as a frontline financial and logistical staff member under the Sichuan-West Headquarters, possessing accurate figures on all military expenditures—not the kind of fabricated figures used to deceive superiors.

He told Zhao Da that each warhorse in the army needed 20 catties of hay and 3 catties of concentrate feed per day.

The feed was a mixture of beans, grains, and wheat, and the ingredients were better than what some soldiers ate. But they couldn't do without it; if warhorses lost lean meat, it would be a matter of life and death on the battlefield.

Therefore, a warhorse is fed 20 catties of hay and 3 catties of concentrated feed every day without fail.

How much would it cost to purchase or supply these items on the market? Although prices fluctuate depending on the region and time, the army generally calculates the cost of fodder for a warhorse at three to five strings of cash per month.

A skilled archer and horseman in a regional military region only earns around twenty strings of cash a year. In other words, the horse they ride earns more than ten strings of cash a year!

Tell me, isn't this warhorse incredibly precious?
After hearing the number, Zhao Da hesitated for a while before asking this question:

"A good horse sells for only fifty strings of cash, but the cost of feed and fodder for raising it is thirty or forty strings of cash a year? Something seems off about that."

Unexpectedly, Wang Duo casually mentioned something:

“The merchants buy a captured Nanzhao warrior, a skilled one, for no more than fifty strings of cash! But to support him for a year and keep him in combat, it will cost at least ten strings of cash. And to keep him loyal, the money will be even more enormous.”

Finally, Wang Duo made a profound remark:
"Which is more expensive, raising a child or giving birth?"

This sentence made Zhao Daqian understand immediately. He could only grit his teeth and let Wang Duo continue, knowing that this old Wang wasn't finished yet.

As expected, Wang Duo's professionalism made him talk non-stop. He continued to talk about one of the expenses of raising cavalry. Now that there are more horses in the army, in order to prevent diseases, three to five veterinarians are needed, each with three to five attendants. Then there are the daily herbal medicines. If the higher-ups provide subsidies, that's fine. But if they don't, it's another expense.

When Wang Duo said this, Zhao Da had something to say, and he laughed heartily:
"It's alright. I've already asked Lao Liu to call Pei Min from the army to help me. He agreed to bring about ten fellow apprentices to join me. So not only will we not lack veterinarians in the future, but we'll also have a place to become great physicians."

Wang Duo was unaware of this and asked in surprise:
"Old Pei doesn't care about his master anymore?"

Unexpectedly, Zhao Dada said frankly:

“We’ve invited his master over too. We don’t need him to treat us; he can just come to Baoyi to retire. He’ll be paid fifty guan a year!”

Wang Duo smacked his lips but didn't say anything.

He actually admired Zhao Da. Wang Duo understood his own situation. He had been doing accounting for over ten years, but sometimes he couldn't distinguish between big and small accounts. Zhao Da, on the other hand, was born to do big accounts.

They are usually frugal and meticulous in their spending, but when it comes to important matters, they are quite willing to spend money.

Take Pei Min's master for example. His skill level was quite average, and he was selfish. For his own sake, he stubbornly held onto Pei Min's students and refused to teach them.

In reality, Pei Min and his group only followed that person for a while at the beginning. Their skill level was developed entirely because many soldiers died in the army, which forced them to hone their skills in treating sword wounds.

But even such a seasoned veteran was willing to be hired by Zhao Da with a high salary of fifty guan a year. Meanwhile, Wang Duo worked himself to the bone, and his annual salary was only eighty guan. This is truly amazing!

However, Wang Duo knew that Zhao Da's money was well spent, because Pei Min was worth far more than that.

Pei Min's medical skills were one thing, but what Zhao Da and Wang Duo truly admired was his medical ethics. This guy really did often provide free medical consultations, and such a person deserved to join their Righteous Army.

Not to mention Pei Minzhong! His master exploited him so much, yet he treated him like a father? How could Zhao Danong not trust him?

For someone in Zhao Da's position, the open battlefield is filled with swords and spears, but behind the scenes, there are all sorts of underhanded tricks that need to be guarded against.

A reliable, loyal, and skilled doctor is essential for every hero fighting for power.

Therefore, the money was well spent. Wang Duo nodded, but he still wanted to dissuade Zhao Huai'an from forming a force of 500 cavalrymen. He suggested that it should be done in batches, as he had already calculated the costs and knew that Baoyidu's financial resources simply could not support so many cavalrymen.

So, he mentioned another expense:

"My lord, we're still talking about the cost of warhorses. What about recruiting knights? Once they arrive, we have to give them a settlement allowance, and then their annual salary is twenty strings of cash. Recruiting five hundred people would cost ten thousand strings of cash a year. And that doesn't even include the cost of autumn and winter clothing, or pork and mutton for holidays. Every extra person means an extra penny!"

"There's another issue: the cost of the lances. I've seen the equipment of those Nanzhao cavalry, and the quality of their lances is very poor. It seems that although the Nanzhao people have plundered many master craftsmen from Chengdu over the years, their lance-making skills haven't improved much. Our Tang cavalry relies heavily on the lances for surprise attacks, and it takes three years of effort to obtain even one fine lance, which costs tens of strings of cash! These five hundred riders..."

Zhao Da, annoyed by what he heard, interrupted Wang Duo and cursed:
"Old Wang, you're trying to fool me. That lance you're talking about is for cavalry generals like Shi Sanlang. Can an ordinary knight afford it? You can't fool me! Tell me, why are you stopping me from building a cavalry unit!"

At this point, Zhao Da's tone had become very unpleasant, because Wang Duo had unknowingly committed a major taboo: he had attempted to use his information advantage to achieve his own goals through reporting to his superiors.

To put it bluntly, this is deceiving one's superiors!

Seeing Zhao Da's face darken, Wang Duo stammered. He hurriedly tried to kneel down, but Zhao Da stopped him.

Then Zhao Da hummed:
"Old Wang, I treat my brothers with sincerity, and they treat me, Zhao Da, with sincerity in return. So I, Zhao Da, will surely be with my brothers from beginning to end, sharing wine and wealth. But if anyone thinks I'm honest and thinks I, Zhao Da, am a country bumpkin, then don't blame me for not showing brotherhood."

Wang Duo stammered, sweating profusely. He had truly become carried away with his pride. During this time, Zhao Da and he had become incredibly close, and he had actually started to act like he did back in the military camp.

Zhao Da glanced at Wang Duo's trembling appearance and wanted to give him a warning.

What did Wang Duo do before? Don't be fooled by his professional position as a finance clerk; he was still a clerk. In the army, deceiving superiors and lining one's own pockets were commonplace. People like Old Wang, with his moral integrity, were truly rare.

But no matter how morally upright one is, after spending too much time in such places, one gets used to this kind of seductive behavior, and once the tension isn't as high as before, it immediately resurfaces.

Zhao Da is trying to teach him a lesson! To let him know Zhao Da's bottom line. This is Zhao Da's way of being kind; otherwise, if this goes on for too long, Wang Duo might not even be able to keep his head, let alone be considered a brother.
With the intention of healing and saving lives, Zhao Da supported Wang Duo's almost limp body and cursed:

"Get up. This score isn't settled yet. This time, I'll just deduct one month's salary from your pay. From now on, less trickery and more sincerity."

Wang Duo didn't understand the trick, but feeling the strength with which Zhao Da supported him, his heart finally calmed down.

Wang Duo will remember this event for the rest of his life, which may not be a bad thing for him.

So Wang Duo struggled to his feet and began to recount the events involving the cavalry in detail:
"My lord, I am indeed guilty for speaking recklessly. But I would like to reconsider the matter of maintaining cavalry. I have calculated the costs in private. If our army wants to recruit, train and maintain 500 cavalry, it will require 20,000 strings of cash directly, and then at least another 20,000 strings of cash every year. However, our army only has 7,000 or 8,000 strings of cash in its accounts. How can we afford to maintain them?"

Wang Duo was actually speaking with good intentions, and once Zhao Da corrected his attitude, he was able to listen.

Zhao Huai'an had finally finished tallying up the accounts and realized that he was now looking like a corporate slave who had won millions in the lottery, bought a luxury house, but couldn't afford the property management fees.

They had captured five hundred warhorses and thought they were about to take off, but little did they know that this was just the beginning of their spending spree.

But when he thought about how Baoyi would no longer have cavalry in the future, and if he encountered cavalry in the wild again, would there still be rice paddies and muddy ground to help him?

When the time comes, if we defeat their army in one battle, won't all that money we've saved up and been reluctant to spend end up benefiting others?
We must get this cavalry! We'll sell everything we own to get it!
So Zhao Dayi gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and said to Wang Duo and his advisors:
"An army is unstable without cavalry. We must get our cavalry. I, Zhao Dan, can raise the money. In short, brothers, if we are united, we can take down not only five hundred cavalry, but even Mount Tai!"

Seeing that Zhao Da had given up, Wang Duo did not insist any further, and then began to recount the wealth that Bao Yi had seized within the pass:
"I don't know where those Nanzhao troops looted from, but we seized five yi of gold, two hundred and fifty yi of medium gold, and four hundred bolts of brocade inside the pass."

Zhao Dayi was overjoyed to hear that there was so much money:
"Old Wang, what's the point of all this talk? With this much gold and silver, can't we support five hundred cavalrymen?"

Only then did Wang Duo whisper something to Zhao Da:
"My lord, there isn't enough money in the account; all of this needs to be used to pay the staff!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Da's expression immediately changed. He slapped his thigh and, laughing, addressed the group of officers:
"Yes, yes, yes, let's not rush the cavalry, let's reward the brothers first!"

The soldiers looked at each other, but no one dared to step forward and say no, and let Zhao Da recruit cavalry first.

Seeing this, Zhao Da could only sigh. It seemed that he would have to find a way to raise the money to recruit cavalry later.

(End of this chapter)