Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 25 Tang Hand
Li Shitai of the Zhongwu Army squinted at Zhao Huaian in front of him.

He didn't understand why Envoy Song was so fond of this man. In yesterday's battle, he did use the Mo Dao quite well, but that was all.

Their Zhongwu Army is the legacy left over from the Huaixi vassal state. It has always been the strongest army in the Central Plains. There are countless brave warriors and heroes in the army. What has he not seen?

Yesterday, the general Xian Yuyue called Zhao Huaian "a brave man who could not match ten thousand men". He almost died of laughter. These people from western Sichuan are so short-sighted that they can call him a brave man like ten thousand men.

However, Li Shitai had been in western Sichuan for four years, and he knew that the military equipment in western Sichuan was weak and the people there lacked talented and brave people, so he could understand that.

But he couldn't understand why Envoy Song was a member of their Zhongwu Army and was said to be invincible?
Thinking of this, Li Shitai became even more indignant. He pursed his lips and shouted at the thirty Tang soldiers behind him:

"You stray dogs should be executed on the spot, but Envoy Song is kind and righteous. He has allowed you a chance to live. From now on, this man will be your lover. Get out of here."

After hearing this, the soldiers knelt down obediently on the ground and kowtowed to Zhao Huaian.

Li Shitai's words were unpleasant to hear, but they were the truth. These people had lost their chief general and were defeated and captured. According to the military law of the Tang Dynasty, if the chief general died in battle, they had to seize the chief general's body, otherwise they would be executed.

So even if these people were rescued, they would die if they returned to Qiongzhou.

Now Envoy Song has agreed to remove their names from the military rolls. Although this will make Zhao Huaian a subordinate, it is still a way to survive.

Moreover, the young master in front of them had saved them to some extent, so they kowtowed to him willingly.

Zhao Huaian glanced at Li Shitai. He could see that this man had some ill will towards him, but since he didn't attack, he pretended not to see it. He looked at these captured Tang soldiers and felt satisfied.

These people actually looked pretty bad. They were only wearing linen clothes and didn't even have a pair of straw sandals. They were just kneeling barefoot on the ground.

In addition, because they were captured, these people were in low spirits and looked like they had lost their souls.

But if you look closely, these people have thick joints, fierce eyes, and thick calluses on their palms. They must be elite soldiers.

And I got thirty parts for free, so what else is there to be dissatisfied about?

I just exchanged twenty-three people from Old Sun, and now I have received thirty more people from Old Song. Now I have received fifty-three people in total, and our Old Zhao's team has grown again.

Before, he was worried that after Uncle He’s people left the mountain huts, his team would be too small and would be targeted by others. Now that 53 people have been added, it is really a timely relief.

Thinking of this, Zhao Huaian became even happier. He pulled these people up one by one, saying "good, good, good" repeatedly.

But when Li Shitai saw this behavior, he felt even more disdainful. He could no longer hold back and turned around to mock the guards behind him:
"These scumbags abandoned the army and were captured. In my opinion, they should have been killed long ago, but someone treats them like treasures."

Then he pointed to the front, which was Zhao Huaian's team, and continued to sneer:
"But it's true. Those people up there are either Qiang Yi, barbarians, refugees, or mountain huts. But this guy, birds of a feather flock together. They're all a bunch of scum. I don't know how Envoy Song took a liking to him."

The people behind Li Shitai were all arrogant soldiers of the Zhongwu Army. In the past, they would make a fuss whenever they were treated unreasonably. Not to mention, now that their insults were justified, they laughed even louder.

At this time, Zhao Huaian's face had turned dark. Sun Chuanxiu next to him couldn't bear it and wanted to speak, but was stopped by him.

Zhao Huaian tilted his head, pointed his finger at Li Shitai's chest, and said fiercely:
"Hmm? From what you said, you are dissatisfied with Envoy Song? Is that right? Hmm? Is that right?"

As Zhao Huaian spoke, he poked Li Shitai's developed chest muscles, and his tone was even more arrogant than his.

Li Shitai's face flushed red. He did not dare to complain to Song Jian because Song Jian's uncle Song Wei was the old commander of their Zhongwu Army and was very prestigious among them.

But this would make Zhao Huaian anxious, he could no longer hold back and cursed:

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

As he said this, Li Shitai was about to slap Zhao Huaian.

But Zhao Huaian was so angry that he was waiting for this moment. Before the slap could land on him, he lowered his body and punched directly with his right hand.

The punch hit Li Shitai's left chin directly, and then it was like turning on a sleep switch. Li Shitai's eyes rolled back and he fell straight to the ground.

The Zhongwu soldiers behind him took a deep breath and took a step back together.

They looked at the fierce general Li Shitai lying on the ground sleeping like a baby, and did not dare to glance at Zhao Huaian.

Why is this guy so fierce? He beats people up as soon as they disagree with him!
……

Zhao Huaian walked over, picked up Li Shitai's sword and hung it on his waist, then cursed at the Zhongwu soldiers who were as cowardly as quails:

"You bastard, remember me, Zhao Da, from now on. We're all brothers, be polite to others. Why are you looking so fierce? You're a cannibal! Let me tell you, I, Zhao Da, am the cannibal!"

"If I see you swearing in the future, I'll beat you to death! If I see you hitting someone, I'll beat you to death too! If I see you without saying hello, I'll beat you to death too!"

At this moment, these loyal soldiers felt extremely aggrieved. They tried hard to smile and said submissively:
"Zhao Da, we obey you. We won't dare to provoke you again." But Zhao Huaian actually said to them:
"No, I still like your rebellious side. If you're too soft on me, I'll beat you to death."

At this moment, these Zhongwu soldiers felt that Zhao Da was really a little crazy and just wanted to stay away from him in the future.

After teaching these people a lesson, Zhao Huaian waved his hand and asked them to carry Li Shitai away, and told them that if Li Shitai was not satisfied, they could come to him directly.

The guards nodded hurriedly, supported Li Shitai, and ran straight ahead without looking back.

Looking at the embarrassed look of those people, Zhao Huaian clapped his hands and snorted coldly:
"Damn it! Zhao Huaian didn't come to the Tang Dynasty to be bullied!"

After dealing with the bullies in the Tang army, Zhao Huaian smiled and looked at Sun Chuanxiu. Seeing that old Sun looked dumbfounded, he was unhappy and thought to himself:
"This old Sun seems like a brave man, honest and upright, but he's a bit of a coward. He's not as brave and courageous as those five-inch men he took in."

Wanting to remind him, Zhao Huaian went over and patted Sun Chuanxiu on the shoulder, reminding him:

"Old Sun, the army is divided into different ranks, and people are also divided into high and low, but that's made by others. Don't really think that you are inferior. The army believes in fists. Don't think too much. If you don't agree, just fight!"

Sun Chuanxiu was a mature man, so how could he be changed by Zhao Huaian's words? He could only smile bitterly and said:
"Mr. Zhao, today I finally understand why Envoy Song thinks so highly of you. You are a true hero, an extraordinary person. How dare ordinary people like me treat you like this?"

Seeing that Sun Chuanxiu was still like this, Zhao Huaian stopped persuading him. He also understood that people like Old Sun, who had a family and a military camp behind them, could not be compared with himself who was barefoot.

Thinking of the hard-working people born in the 1980s in the workplace in later generations, Zhao Huaian could also understand Lao Sun.

Zhao Huaian wanted to persuade Sun Chuanxiu, while Sun Chuanxiu wanted to remind him with his experience:

"Lord Zhao, the Zhongwu Army has always been domineering. Beware of Li Shitai's revenge!"

But Zhao Huaian heard this? He pointed at himself and said to Sun Chuanxiu:
"Old Sun, believe it or not, I beat up that Li Shitai, and he'll come to apologize to us later!"

Of course Sun Chuanxiu didn't believe it, but suddenly he thought of the big man in Chengdu, Envoy Song, and his heart fell silent.

People are really divided into different classes. Mr. Zhao really has someone above him! There's no comparison!

Zhao Huaian patted Sun Chuanxiu and said:
"On the way back, I will teach my disciples. If there are any good men in the Baoyi Army who want to learn, come to me and I will teach them everything!"

After hearing this, Sun Chuanxiu's eyes lit up immediately and he asked hurriedly:
"Is that the fist that just hit someone?"

Zhao Huaian nodded and was about to say it was boxing, but then he thought about making a name for himself in the future and needed a resounding name, so he told Sun Chuanxiu:

"This is my Zhao-style Tang Hand! Learn this from me and you can beat ten of them!"

As soon as Zhao Huaian mentioned Tangshou, Sun Chuanxiu understood what he meant. It was the Tang Dynasty Sanshou!

But when he thought about the fact that the Baoyi Army was not wealthy, he asked hesitantly:
"I wonder how much the tuition is?"

Zhao Huaian was unhappy when he heard this and patted his chest:
"Who am I looking down on? How can I be short of money? If you want to learn, just come and I'll teach you for free. I'm just making friends."

But Sun Chuanxiu had experienced so much in human relationships that he was not happy at all after hearing this. Instead, he said cautiously:
"I'll go back and ask. The boys are all good at martial arts, but they've been lacking a teacher. They'll be happy to hear that Lord Zhao is willing to teach them. But Lord Zhao, the rule of the tuition cannot be broken. You must teach them."

Having said that, Sun Chuanxiu didn't dare to stay any longer. He told Han Da and the others to work hard, and then he hurried away with the rest of the people carrying their burdens.

Looking at Sun Chuanxiu's cautious look, Zhao Huaian felt a little bored. He touched his nose and sighed:

"Yes, even Old Sun understands the saying 'eat someone's food and be soft-hearted, take someone's money and be short-handed', so how could I, Zhao Huaian, not understand it?"

Although he saved Song Jian, it was not his own achievement. Just like Li Shitai also contributed, but obviously he did not receive any reward, otherwise he would not have called himself.

Now Song Jian is giving away cars and people, and he doesn't even have to do the work himself. What's the point? It's obvious that he wants to keep Zhao Da as his dog!
Hey, in this Tang Dynasty, why do these bigwigs love to treat people like dogs so much?
Although he knew Song Jian's purpose clearly, Zhao Huaian had no intention of returning the gifts. These were all the resources for his business.

From another perspective, we can regard Song Jian as our angel investor. Sometimes morality needs to be flexible.

Zhao Huaian, who had achieved a spiritual victory, smiled confidently, then turned to look at Han Da and the others:

"Han Da, are you willing to learn?"

Han Da and his men were already Zhao Huaian's followers, their lackeys. They didn't need to worry about not being grateful for what they had done. They all bowed down excitedly:
"I am willing to learn, I am willing to learn."

Like the captured Tang soldiers, Han Da and his men were not wearing any clothes. They were kneeling on the ground, walking around like birds, which made Zhao Huaian quite uncomfortable. He smacked his lips and made a big decision:

"If you have money, you can get everyone some underwear!"

(End of this chapter)