Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 10 Copper Mountain
Soon Zhao Huaian no longer had to worry about this problem, because Xianyu Yue told him that according to military law, deserters like him had to return to their hometowns and rejoin the army. Once discovered, caning and imprisonment were light punishments, and if the punishment was severe, he would lose his head.

On the other hand, if one can voluntarily return to the team during a retreat, not only will the punishment be reduced, but if he or she performs outstandingly, he or she may also be rewarded.

Xianyu Yue told Zhao Huaian that although the country had been in chaos for many years and there were countless deserters and rebels, especially four years ago when the imperial court mobilized troops to suppress Pang Xun's rebellion in Xuzhou, the two sides had been fighting for years, and the Central Plains had long been littered with deserters.

But in Shu, the situation was completely different. Because it had been stable for many years and was a vassal state directly under the imperial court, the Tang Dynasty laws were still strictly enforced in Shu.

For a foreigner like Zhao Huaian, who has an accent, it is impossible for him to hide in Shu for long. It is only a matter of time before he is discovered.

So Xianyu Yue advised Zhao Huaian not to do anything stupid and go back to Qiongzhou with him to rejoin the army.

Moreover, Xianyu Yue also told Zhao Huaian a good news, that is, the six Tibetan soldiers he had killed before could be counted as military merit.

Although the army calculated merit most accurately based on the number of heads taken, they were fleeing in the mountains at the time and it was impossible for them to carry bloody heads with them, otherwise they would be attacked by wild beasts on the way.

But Xianyu Yue was smart and cut off the hair of these six Tibetan soldiers.

Tibetans have very recognizable hair styles, so they are sometimes recognized in the army. When the time comes, combined with the Tibetan armor seized by Zhao Huaian, Xianyu Yue assured Zhao Huaian that this achievement will definitely be counted.

Xianyu Yue was really trying to persuade Zhao Huaian with all his heart, because he could see that Zhao Huaian was somewhat reluctant to return to the Tang army.

He couldn't bear to see a hero like Zhao Huaian become a bandit. With such ability, he could only soar to fame in the army.

Seeing Xian Yuyue so anxious, Zhao Huaian was a little touched.

This old man is quite enthusiastic.

So he called Aqimo, who was leading the way, and asked:

"Lao Mo, how long will it take us to reach the next settlement?"

Aqimo estimated with his fingers, then gave Zhao Huaian an answer:
"almost."

After hearing this, Zhao Huaian's face turned dark, because when he asked Lao Mo more than an hour ago, this was the answer he got.

Does this old Mexican have any concept of time?

Even though he had a thousand complaints in his heart, Zhao Huaian still forced a smile and continued to "encourage" Lao Mo:

"Lao Mo, it has to be you. Otherwise, there is a saying that every old man has a treasure, and you are the living treasure!"

Of course, Aqi Mo didn't understand Zhao Huaian's yin and yang. He grinned, revealing his broken yellow teeth, and the wrinkles on his face bloomed like chrysanthemums.

Seeing this, Zhao Huaian felt a little guilty again.

Alas, this old Mexican is also a miserable man. It is said that he is only 36 years old this year, and half of his teeth have fallen out.

So, he patted Lao Mo's shoulder and said:
"Then let's keep going. There's no rush anyway. We still have enough supplies for two days."

They had been walking in the mountains and forests for two days and had not encountered any trace of the Nanzhao people along the way.

They were heading northwest, while the Nanzhao army was marching northeast towards Rongjing and Yazhou. As long as they passed the middle section, they would be safe.

That's why Zhao Huaian and his friends decided to leave the forest, led by Lao Mo, and go along the river to the next settlement to rest and inquire about some news from the outside world.

Lao Mo has been to that place. He said it was a resting place for many tea-horse merchants, and then gradually formed a small market.

……

Here, Zhao Huaian was about to let Lao Mo continue to lead the way, but Xian Yuyue next to him took the initiative to ask questions. This was the first time he spoke to these barbarians:
"What's the name of that place?"

Seeing that the person asking the question was a "distinguished" Han noble, Lao Mo bowed and said:
"We all call it Bison City, but I heard from some Tang people that it used to be called Tongshan Pass City."

Zhao Huaian had no reaction to this, but Xianyu Yue heard it and said to Zhao Huaian in a rather bleak tone:

"I never thought that the border built by Lord Wei would fall into the hands of evil people."

Zhao Liu next to him also said:

"Thanks to our ancestors."

Zhao Huaian saw that Lao Mo was a little embarrassed, and hurriedly said to Lao Mo:
"You continue to lead the way. Try to arrive before sunset, otherwise we'll have to sleep outdoors again."

Lao Mo nodded respectfully, then turned around and returned to the front of the team, but his steps were a little heavier than before.

It seems that Lao Yue's words hurt this barbarian.

He was just planning to give Xian Yu Yue some gentle advice. After all, everyone was running for their lives together, so it would be better not to say anything that would be detrimental to unity.

Xian Yuyue, on the other hand, persuaded Zhao Huaian first, and he said sincerely:
"Lord Zhao, we must be on guard against these barbarians. Hasn't our country suffered enough from them? Since ancient times, the barbarians have been beasts, fearing power but not virtue. When they are strong, they will rob and plunder, and when they are weak, they will be servile and submissive, disregarding gratitude and righteousness."

Zhao Huaian was a little embarrassed, but he didn't dislike Xian Yuyue because Old Yue was a very sociable person.

When I wanted to teach these barbarian people the Ba Rou technique before, this person was a little opposed, but he didn't say anything because he was afraid of getting into too much trouble. Now, after a few days of getting along with me, he has become very familiar with me and is now trying to persuade me.

However, Zhao Huaian also had his own considerations, because compared to the Han people, these barbarians would be more determined.

It was a simple truth. If he returned to Chengdu later, foreigners like Yang Mao, Sun Tai, and Zhao Hu, unfamiliar with the place, would stay close to him. Of course, Zhao Huaian would definitely recruit some Tang people as disciples when the time came, which would give him more peace of mind.

So, although Zhao Huaian couldn't follow Xian Yuyue's kind reminder, he was still touched. He wanted to avoid the topic and asked a question that had just occurred to him:
"Old Yue, who is this Lord Wei you were talking about?"

It was obvious that Xian Yuyue was confused by Zhao Huaian's question. He looked at Zhao Huaian's clear eyes and felt like there was something stuck in his throat.

However, Zhao Liu on the side was very excited. He clapped his hands and said carelessly:

"Zhao Da, you don't know, Duke Wei is the pride of us Guanzhong people. He is from the royal family of the Jingzhao Wei family in Meicheng. I've been there to hold funerals, and it's very grand..."

Zhao Liu talked all the way through this lecture, and although most of it involved his own "glorious" deeds, he still mentioned Wei Gong's name at the end.

The so-called Wei Gong was none other than Wei Gao. It was said that he had been the Jiedushi of Jiannan during the reign of Emperor Dezong, and had controlled Shu for more than 20 years. He was the fake King of Shu during those years.

But Zhao Liu couldn't say more. After all, it was so long ago and his level was low, so how could he know these things?

Therefore, on the rest of the journey, Xianyu Yue was the one who supplemented the story, talking about Wei Gao's achievements in Shu, and praising this governor very much, saying that among all the governors in Shu since the Tang Dynasty, Wei Gao was the best.

In the fourth year of the Zhenyuan reign, he defeated a Tibetan army of 100,000 at Qingxi Pass. In the seventeenth year, he took the initiative to attack Tibetans, marching across 2,000 miles and defeating 160,000 Tibetan troops. He captured seven cities and five towns, captured 3,000 civilians, took 6,000 Tibetan soldiers alive, and beheaded over 10,000. The following year, he defeated another 100,000-strong Tibetan reinforcement force and captured the Tibetan Prime Minister Lun Mangre alive.

In Xianyu Yue's words, that battle completely broke the bones of Tubo, and for the next seventy years, they dared not march south. And now, during Wei Gao's time, Nanzhao was as submissive as a sheep.

Finally, Xian Yuyue expressed his true feelings and said:

"If Duke Wei were still alive, with his formidable authority and his combined grace and power, how could Nanzhao dare to provoke an attack and wreak havoc in the southwest?"

Xian Yuyue was speaking eloquently here, and Zhao Huaian should have been listening intently, but suddenly he saw Zhao Liu shaking his head beside him, and his mind was in a trance:
"This Lao Liu has a wide range of business experience and has traveled extensively. It seems he plays the suona quite well. I hope he can play it for us when he has the chance."

But Zhao Huaian immediately realized that it was unlucky and kept saying "Pooh, Pooh".

However, what Xian Yuyue said did broaden Zhao Huaian's horizons.

Because he had the impression that Tubo was very powerful? Several times, they killed the Li family and forced them to flee in panic. But he didn't expect that they would be beaten to death in Shu.
Wow, this Wei Gao is really awesome. It seems that there were also some great figures in the middle and late Tang Dynasty who should not be underestimated.

However, while listening, Zhao Huaian also realized one of his disadvantages, that is, he knew too little about the people and allusions of the Ming Dynasty.

It would be fine if you always stay at the bottom level, but if you want to make progress, you will inevitably have to deal with middle and upper-level people. When you chat with them, you will be looked down upon because you don’t know anything.

Thinking of this, Zhao Huaian secretly decided that when he earned his first pot of gold, he would hire a scholar to tell him about these imperial anecdotes.

But that's all in the future. Isn't there a powerful young man here right now?
Although the old man said that his family had fallen on hard times, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. He could easily quote these allusions from the Qing Dynasty.

We have no money and no people now, but we can’t delay our studies, so we should use this free tool first.

In this way, Zhao Huaian asked Xianyu Yue many questions about the people in Shu along the way, and Xianyu Yue told him everything he knew without any impatience.

The reason for this is not only the life-saving grace, but more importantly, Zhao Huaian is very good at giving emotional value and can always speak to Xian Yu Yue's heart.

On the other hand, Zhao Huaian also discovered that Xian Yuyue was an outstanding man. Not only did he not have the arrogance of a rich family's son, he was also proficient in both civil and military affairs, and could be called a handsome man in the Tang Dynasty.

In this way, the two of them fell in love with each other and had the same spirit. If they had not arrived at Tongshan Pass soon, they would have almost sworn an oath to the sky and sworn blood to become brothers.

……

Lao Mo was finally right for once, and they really arrived at their destination, Tongshan Pass City, very quickly.

But unlike what Lao Mo described, the Tongshan Pass ruins in Zhao Huaian's eyes did not look like a market, but more like a military fort.

At this time, everyone hid in the dense forest, holding their breath, and carefully looked at the camp ahead.

The camp is located beside the river, surrounded by a sparse circle of wooden fences, with more than a dozen tents scattered inside.

On the outskirts of the camp, there were several cattle pens with cows, horses, and quite a few people.

At this time, Zhao Liu suddenly questioned the silent Aqi Mo:

"Didn't you say this was a market? Where did the soldiers come from?"

Aqi Mo glanced at Zhao Huaian, then carefully explained to Zhao Shun:
"This place was indeed a settlement before, and some tea and horse traders often stopped here to exchange goods with the people from the mountains. But why there are soldiers here is really unclear."

Aqi Mo didn't dare to say more because he saw that the Han man named Ren Tong had drawn his sword and was standing behind him.

Aqi Mo was so scared that he knelt on the ground and cried to Zhao Huaian:
"My Lord, trust me. I dare not lie to you."

Zhao Huaian didn't say anything, Xian Yuyue said to him:

"Lord Zhao, the barbarians are untrustworthy. They have led us here to sell us out."

After saying that, Xian Yuyue looked straight at Zhao Huaian. On both sides of him, Ren Tong and Song Yuan were holding knives and staring at him hungrily.

Zhao Liu shrank behind Zhao Huaian, Sun Tai and Zhao Hu silently retreated to the side, and the remaining barbarians panicked and drew their swords to point at the Tang people opposite.

Only Yang Mao and Aqi Mo knelt on the ground together, looking at Zhao Huaian pleadingly.

(End of this chapter)