Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 98 Debate
Two days later, the vanguard of the Western Sichuan Expeditionary Force arrived outside Jidong Pass.

Banners fluttered for more than ten miles. Zhao Huai'an, along with his generals, staff, righteous men, and adopted sons, stood outside the gate, waiting for Yang Qingfu's arrival.

Yesterday, Yang Qingfu's soldiers spurred their horses into the pass and informed Zhao Huai'an that Commander Yang was leading 12,000 troops from western Sichuan to advance first, and that Zhao Huai'an should meet them.

So early this morning, Zhao Huai'an had the supply battalion cook hot soup and food, and then he and his generals waited outside the pass.

Before long, Yang Qingfu's troops arrived. He, along with his son and generals such as Guo Qi of the Yellow Head Army, rode at the front, followed by as many as 12,000 soldiers from the Western Sichuan region and more than 10,000 laborers.

A long, winding snake, stretching as far as the eye can see.

Yang Qingfu saw Zhao Huai'an waiting outside the pass from afar, laughed heartily, and then rode his horse over.

He dismounted his horse when he was more than ten paces away from Zhao Da, and then walked over with a swagger.

Zhao Da hurriedly went to greet him, and was about to bow when Yang Qingfu's strong arm stopped him.

Zhao Da was inexplicably familiar with this scene; wasn't this the one he always used?

Then he heard Yang Qingfu burst into laughter:

"Zhao Da, I knew I hadn't misjudged you! In this battle, you showed the spirit and might of the Western Sichuan Army! Well done!"

Just as Zhao Huai'an was about to say a few words of modesty, he suddenly heard Yang Qingfu follow up with:
"How was it? What are your feelings after fighting this battle?"

Zhao Dazheng wanted to ask for advice, since Yang Qingfu was one of the few generals in the Western Sichuan region who had participated in large-scale military operations.

Oh, there were two others before, Li Xiang and An Zairong. Both of them, like Yang Qingfu, participated in the Battle of Chengdu four years ago.

Unfortunately, both of them had already been killed by Gao Pian.

Therefore, Zhao Da also shared some of his thoughts and concerns with Yang Qingfu:

"General, I feel like I fought this battle in a daze, and I was too lucky. Thinking about it now, I'm still scared. Fortunately, my soldiers fought hard, and the Tang Dynasty blessed us with a heavy rain. Otherwise, I'm afraid you wouldn't be here to see me now."

When Zhao Da called himself a military commander, Yang Qingfu was quite pleased, thinking that Zhao Da was a discerning person, unlike the soldiers in the capital.

These people only know how to call themselves "Commander-in-Chief," but they forget that Yang Qingfu is also a deputy military governor. Even if he is a deputy, he is still a military governor!

Now that Gao Pian is being called "Minister," wouldn't it be just right for Yang Qingfu to be called "Marshal"?
Zhao Da is really considerate and speaks very kindly.

But after Zhao Da finished speaking, a hint of embarrassment flashed across Yang Qingfu's face.

After all, it was Yang Qingfu who gave the order, but his original intention was to have Zhao Huai'an launch a surprise attack on Jidong Pass. Even if they couldn't take it, they could still accumulate some military merit.

But who would have thought that there would be a Nanzhao cavalry force inside Jidong Pass, and even took the initiative to go out of the pass to attack Zhao Da. Just as Zhao Da just said, it wasn't because he was lucky. This time, Yang Qingfu was probably going to see Zhao Huai'an's head.

Yang Qingfu pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said:
"Don't attribute everything to luck, and don't blame others. I've read your military report this time. The key to winning this battle was that you committed all your troops. Otherwise, no amount of rain or the soldiers' hard work could have reversed the defeat."

After speaking, Yang Qingfu looked at Zhao Da and said meaningfully:

"Zhao Da, now that you're in our position, do you know what's most important?"

Zhao Da thought of a few answers, but he wasn't quite sure about any of them, so he could only shake his head.

Then Yang Qingfu uttered two sentences:

"courage!"

This answer surprised Zhao Huai'an, who subconsciously asked in confusion:
"Courage? Do we, too, need to don armor and wield weapons?"

Yang Qingfu smiled, then pointed to himself:

"The courage I'm talking about isn't the kind of ten-man bravery, but the resolute determination to risk everything."

“Zhao Da, what do you think war is? War is a fog. Everyone, including us commanders, is actually blind. We can’t see or hear anything. How can we have perfect strategies or be so wise? In most cases, we may not even know how many troops the enemy has, let alone the personality of their generals!”

"At this moment, what can we rely on? We rely on our iron will and our confidence in victory. And where do these things come from? From winning battles!"

“Sometimes, things are just strange like that. The more battles you win, the more battles you win! Look at Baoyi, isn’t that how it is? When I sent you out of the city to defend Jinma Village, you were just a bunch of rabble. But after these two months of fighting, you’ve won one battle after another. And look at Baoyi! Everyone is full of confidence!”

"Let me give you an example. Imagine that your Baoyi troops suddenly encounter the Nanzhao army in the wilderness. If you give the order, will your men fight or not?"

Zhao Huai'an thought for a moment, then said with considerable confidence:
"At my command, my brothers will brave any danger, even mountains of knives and seas of fire, to follow my banner and advance without hesitation, even unto death. I have full confidence in them!"

Yang Qingfu nodded, then said to Zhao Huai'an:

"Yes, that's the point! In war, courage is everything! You may have a thousand men willing to serve you, but the enemy may have a thousand men ready to fight to the death. So when the two meet, the brave will become braver, and the cowardly will become more cowardly, and the outcome will be decided!"

As Zhao Huai'an listened to these words, he glanced at Yang Qingfu suspiciously, wondering if the old man was trying to fool him. Was winning battles really just a matter of these things? Then why bother studying "The Art of War"?

But Old Yang was a veteran in the army, a senior figure, and he didn't know how to respond to these words, so he could only repeat:
"General Yang, is courage enough to win a war?"

Yang Qingfu laughed heartily and patted Zhao Da on the shoulder:
"Just kidding, war isn't that simple! Wasn't General Li Guang brave back then? He still suffered many defeats!"

"So, today I have something to say to you, and you should remember it."

Zhao Huai'an straightened his clothes and listened attentively as Yang Qingfu uttered this philosophical statement:
"Zhao Da, remember this: those who are unlucky can never become generals! Remember my words!"

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an could only half understand, but that did not prevent him from sensing the expectation in Yang Qingfu's words, so he solemnly bowed:

"Although I cannot understand your wise words at once, I will always keep them in mind and one day I will be able to comprehend your wisdom!"

When asked about Zhao Da's speech, Yang Qingfu laughed heartily and patted Zhao Da on the shoulder:

"There's no wisdom to speak of, just some experience. As for luck, I think you, Zhao Da, are just lucky. Keep up the good work."

Zhao Huai'an didn't even look up, and said:
"This humble general has no luck at all; it's all because of General Yang's favor!"

Unexpectedly, Yang Qingfu tilted his head and said:
"Isn't it good luck that I favor you? Zhao Da, keep up the good work, and you will surely achieve great things in the future."

Zhao Da was stunned for a moment, speechless, and bowed again.

Finally, Yang Qingfu patted him on the shoulder and smiled:
"Let's go, have a meal at your camp, then the army can continue its march!"

……

Zhao Da always valued the importance of banquets, so even while in the army, he still made a great effort to prepare a decent feast to entertain Yang Qingfu and the generals from western Sichuan.

He even had Zhao Liu find a way to get a cow, which was already roasting over the fire.

With the addition of pork, mutton, chicken, and goose, the meal was of a high standard, so the Sichuan generals, including Yang Qingfu, ate very comfortably.

For such business-oriented banquets, the standards must be high, especially when the leaders are present; extra care must be taken.

This is a mutual affirmation; it shows respect for the leader and lets the leader know that you respect him.

Once there is this mutual trust between superiors and subordinates, many things can proceed smoothly.

It was a pity that Yang Qingfu didn't drink much because he was going to continue south to Yazhou after dinner, so the atmosphere was a bit less lively.

Zhao Da took a look and saw that Yang Qingfu had eaten two bowls of rice with braised pork. He suppressed a laugh.

Seeing Yang Qingfu turn to look at him, Zhao Huai'an quickly stood up, clasped his hands in a gesture of invitation:
"General, on this journey south to Yazhou, this humble general is willing to be the vanguard!"

When Zhao Da finished speaking, many of the Baoyi generals, especially Guo Congyun, looked over in confusion.

Didn't they say before that there were too many merits to accumulate and that others should have more opportunities to make contributions? Why are they now asking for credit again?

Just as they were wondering, Yang Qingfu, who had finished eating and was wiping the grease off his mouth with a wet wipe, spoke up:

"You, you, you've already taken Jidong Pass, give everyone a chance too."

As soon as he finished speaking, Guo Qi, the blond-haired general standing next to him, also laughed and joined in the joke:
"Zhao Da, you're so fierce, Bao Yi, you're all about eating meat and gnawing on bones right away, but at least give the brothers a sip of soup, otherwise we won't be able to explain ourselves to the lower ranks!"

Zhao Huai'an chuckled awkwardly, scratched his head, and sat down again.

So the generals of western Sichuan laughed heartily, feeling that they had finally suppressed this "Hu Baoyi".

The generals were completely baffled, but Zhang Guinian remained calm and knew the meaning behind their actions:

Whether or not someone can be invited to fight is not important at all, but whether or not they have the heart to share the burden of the general is extremely important!

Our general is becoming increasingly extraordinary!
Suddenly, he saw He Weidao sitting opposite him, and seeing that this man also had a smile on his face, he became more vigilant.

Meanwhile, He Weidao keenly noticed Zhang Guinian's gaze and quickly raised his water glass to toast Zhang Guinian from afar. Zhang Guinian also smiled and raised his glass in response.

……

As Zhao Huai'an sat down, someone suddenly stood up – it was Shan Xingzhang, who had previously performed a dance for Gao Pian.

Shan Xingzhang stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yang Qingfu above him, and said in a deliberately rough manner:
"General, it's one thing to have meat but no wine, but how can we do without a dance? I'll perform a dance for you right now!" After saying that, without waiting for Yang Qingfu's consent, he walked to the center of the field and began to dance.

Embarrassingly, no one in the audience used chopsticks to keep time; they just watched Shan Xingzhang dance by himself, and even Zhao Da felt embarrassed for him.

Sure enough, this old mountain was no ordinary person. Despite the awkward atmosphere, Shan Xingzhang was completely unaffected and danced three dances in a row, putting his all into each one. By the time he finished, his robes were soaked with sweat.

When Shan Xingzhang stopped catching his breath, no one spoke until Yang Qingfu at the head of the table clapped his hands, and then everyone applauded.

Shan Xingzhang let out a long sigh, then bowed to Yang Qingfu before returning to his seat.

Sitting in his seat, Zhao Huai'an watched Shan Xingzhang work so hard and couldn't help but admire him.

Sigh, I guess this guy from Laoshan has had enough of life's hardships and is too eager to improve himself.

Just as Zhao Huai'an was sighing, a voice came from the side. It was Ren Kezhi, the Qiang general of Xishan. The old man looked at Shan Xingzhang's back and sneered:
"It's rare for all of us generals from western Sichuan to gather together and talk, but Shan Xingzhang is jumping around like a big monkey in the mountains."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huai'an knew there was more to it than met the eye, and quickly lowered his voice:
"Old Ren, tell me what happened, tell me about it."

Don't laugh at Zhao Da's gossip, because you know how many things are hidden in this gossip.

Although Zhao Da and Ren Kezhi have only met twice, they already have a long history together.

It turns out that this general of the Western Qiang tribe is actually the elder brother of Ren Conghai, Zhao Da's old friend. No wonder Zhao Da thought this person looked familiar.

Ren Conghai had previously told his elder brother that he had met a hero in the military.

At first, Ren Kezhi didn't take it seriously, thinking that his foolish younger brother had made another fair-weather friend.

But when Ren Kezhi actually dealt with this "righteous man" in the army, even the picky Ren Kezhi had to praise Zhao Da as a "good man"!
When Ren Kezhi met Zhao Dawen, he told him about the events of the past few days.

It turns out that on the day Gao Pian was welcomed, Shan Xingzhang jumped and bowed as he followed the emperor, hoping to join Gao Pian's ranks.

But who knew that the high-ranking official was truly a celestial being, and how could he possibly look down on this sycophantic Shan Xingzhang? He didn't even bother to acknowledge the man.

This time, Shan Xingzhang is in big trouble.

Despite the fact that all the generals in western Sichuan were eager to lick Gao Pian's boots, seeing Shan Xingzhang like this did not stop them from despising him at all, and even kicking him when he was down.

But this was at most a loss of face. Unfortunately, Yang Qingfu was appointed as the vanguard commander to lead the south to attack Yazhou, and Shan Xingzhang was under the command of the vanguard and went south with him.

At this point, it's no longer about saving face; it's about life and death!
If Shan Xingzhang fails to appease Yang Qingfu, he will likely be assigned to the most dangerous mission, where he will undoubtedly die.

That's why Shan Xingzhang is jumping so hard now, he just wants to live!

For some reason, Yang Qingfu was happy and actually let the man go, which made Ren Kezhi quite regretful.

As Zhao Da listened to this gossip, and then looked at the rather desolate Shan Xingzhang across from him, he saw many people.

……

The brief banquet ended quickly, and Yang Qingfu was indeed decisive. After finishing his meal, he led his generals out of the pass to catch up with the troops ahead.

While they were having their meal, the main force of the Western Sichuan Army was still marching towards Yazhou without stopping.

This shows Yang Shuai's leadership in military affairs.

Zhao Da led the core of the entire team to see off the generals from western Sichuan out of the pass. Among them, Ren Kezhi even took the initiative to say that he would treat Zhao Da to a drink when he returned.

Before leaving, Yang Qingfu whispered something to Zhao Da: that the envoy already knew, and that Zhao Da should wait patiently, as he expected the envoy to react.

What did Gao Pian know?
It turns out that, when Zhao Da reported the battle, in addition to describing the events before and after in great detail, he also specifically asked He Weidao to take his official seal to Yang Qingfu and convey his message.

Zhao Darang and He Weidao's message concerned Yan Shihui's alleged treason within the army. He hoped Yang Qingfu would report this to Gao Pian to prevent the tragedy of Baizhushui from repeating itself.

Yang Qingfu was indeed a good Samaritan; he actually helped Zhao Da get involved in this mess by embellishing the story and reporting it to Gao Pian.

Gao Pian simply replied, "I know!", and that was it.

As for what he just said to Zhao Da about "the envoy will definitely react," it was just Yang Qingfu trying to reassure Zhao Da. He had no idea what Gao Pian was really thinking.

Zhao Da, of course, knew nothing of this; he just kept thanking him and praising Yang Qingfu as a reliable elder brother!
Yang Qingfu waved his hand, indicating that this was no big deal, and then, not daring to discuss the matter further with Zhao Da, he led his generals and several hundred cavalrymen southward with a thunderous roar.

The horses' hooves flew as they followed the mountain path and soon disappeared from sight.

……

Watching Yang Qingfu and the others depart, Lao Liu sighed:

"Yang Shuai is a good person! Even with someone like Shan Xingzhang, Yang Shuai still gave him a way out. He's much better than Gao Pian."

Wang Duo nodded in admiration, sighing:

"Minister Gao is too cruel. I've heard of Li Xiang and An Zairong; they were heroes in our army, yet they died at the hands of their own people. Alas!"

After sighing, Wang Duo added:
"A human head is not like a leek; once it's cut off, it really won't grow back!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liu's eyes reddened even more. He thought of the old marshal, but this emotion came and went quickly. He suddenly remembered something and asked Zhao Da:
"I saw that the generals all went south with Commander Yang, but why didn't I see Lao Yue and the others?"

Zhao Da shrugged, ignoring Lao Liu, and instead sighed in front of the generals:

"Yang Shuai is a good person, it's just a pity."

As for what was regrettable, Zhao Da didn't say. He turned to Wang Duo and gave him an instruction:
"Old Wang, you've released all those people inside the gate and provided them with food for three days already. What else do you want? Are you really trying to extort me? Tell them that I, Zhao Da, have no surplus grain either!"

Zhao Huai'an was referring to the fact that after the pass was captured, some Shu people who had previously fled into the mountains had no other choice. They heard from somewhere that Zhao Huai'an was a simpleton with lots of rice and was a very good person, so they came to Jidong Pass to ask for food.

In the end, Zhao Huai'an had no choice but to reluctantly accept them. However, since the main army would continue to march south from Jidong Pass, it would be inappropriate to leave these mountain people inside the pass. Therefore, Zhao Da asked Wang Duo to make arrangements to send these people to the rear for resettlement.

This invasion by Nanzhao has left many fields abandoned, but there is still land available for these people to cultivate.

This happened out of nowhere. Nobody knows why, but rumors started circulating in the mountainous areas of Qiong, Ya, and Li prefectures that Zhao Da was a fool with too much money. Nobody knows who started this rumor, but anyone caught by Zhao Da would be beaten to death.

……

The next day, Zhao Da led the Baoyidu lads in training inside the pass. Each team leader went to the front line to teach the officers and soldiers their skills. At this time, Zhao Da, with his arms bare, was also learning martial arts under Wang Jin's supervision.

He studied archery!

Alas, it's also his fault for not being completely honest with Gao Pian before, which made Gao Pian really think that Zhao Da was good at archery. Later, when he was about to leave, he even told Zhao Da to go hunting with him when he had time.

Although this was probably just Gao Pian being polite, after all, as a military governor, he must be busy and wouldn't have time to take Zhao Da hunting.

But Zhao Da couldn't stop practicing. If Gao Pian really remembered this matter one day and made him a lieutenant colonel in archery, then Zhao Da would lose face big time.

So, taking advantage of the lull in the work and the fact that the troops were resting inside the pass, he also took the opportunity to practice his archery skills.

Xianyu Yue had taught Zhao Da before, so he knew the basics of archery and originally intended to continue practicing according to those methods.

However, after Wang Jin became Zhao Da's archery instructor, he overturned Xianyu Yue's method and instead had Zhao Da hold up a bow with a bag of stones hanging from it, and then continuously aim at the target and shoot arrows.

Wang Jin told Zhao Da that he had already mastered the essentials of shooting, and his arm strength was already strong enough that he no longer needed to exert himself. The reason he couldn't shoot accurately now was simply because he hadn't shot enough.

So, Wang Jin was there, meticulously supervising Zhao Da as he shot arrow after arrow.

By now, Zhao Da had been pulling for almost a quarter of an hour, and his arms were swollen and sore, but Wang Jin wouldn't let him stop until the allotted time was up.

Zhao Dadu was starting to regret letting Wang Jin come in to teach him.

Finally, the incense in the bronze incense burner burned out. Zhao Daya threw away his longbow and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

But before Zhao Da had rested for long, Wang Jin came over and looked at him.

It's time for another round of practice!

The silence was deafening. Zhao Da instinctively looked down, not daring to look Wang Jin in the eye.

Old Wang really trains us to death as long as we don't die!

Just as Zhao Da was lamenting, he suddenly heard Zhao Liu running towards him with a laugh:

"Zhao Da, come quick and see who's here!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Da sprang up from the ground and grabbed Wang Jin, rushing over there.

If you don't greet the guests when they arrive, won't people say that Zhao Da is impolite?

(End of this chapter)