Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 27 Felt
After two days of heavy snow, the Tang army was still confronting the Nanzhao army at Baizhu River, and there was no fighting between the two sides.

The snow melted today, and Zhao Huaian finally came out of the tent where he had been hiding for two days.

Although it was colder outside, Zhao Huaian really couldn't stand it because the living environment was too bad.

The tent they were living in now was the one they had seized from the Tibetans at Tongshan Pass. Although it was all made of authentic wool felt and was warm enough, the smell was simply tear-jerking.

Not to mention the perennial smell of mutton, they fought that night and there was no telling how much blood was spilled on the tents. Originally, Zhao Huaian didn't want these things, but Lao Liu couldn't bear to part with them, so he took the tents down and took them with him.

He also gave Zhao Huaian a reason that he couldn't refuse:

"You idiot, I don't want you to carry me on my back, why are you yelling?"

Well, that’s true, they are all those mountain sheds anyway.

But I have to say that Zhao Liu's decision was wise. Who knew that there would be such a heavy snow? If it weren't for these felt tents, there would really be deaths.

But no matter what, these dozen people were squeezed in a tent for two days, and the urine bucket was placed in the tent. Zhao Huaian really couldn't bear it.

He knew that the conditions now were difficult and not as good as in the future, but he couldn't be so down-to-earth.

However, Lao Liu, Lao Mo and the others adapted very well to the situation. They even felt that even though it was snowing heavily outside, they were really happy because they could stay warm in the tent.

This is the difference between people.

Zhao Huaian didn't care whether Zhao Liu and the others were happy or not. Since the snow had stopped today, he would definitely go out.

……

Wrapped in a sheepskin coat, Zhao Huaian let out a breath, letting go of all the depression he had felt for two days, then took a deep breath and let it out again.

Ah! This is the taste of freedom!

However, only Zhao Huaian came out, while the others were still hiding in the tent. It was not because they were lazy, but because no one had winter clothes and they would be cold if they came out.

This situation is not unique to Zhao Huaian. Looking around the camp, he sees very few people coming out.

Zhao Huaian looked around to see if there was anyone he knew nearby, but unfortunately, there was no one.

Three days ago, after they arrived in Qiongzhou with the team, they were assigned here.

Then the two powerful frontier troops, Baoyi and Muyi, had their own special camps. After leaving them behind, the general and the Zhongwu Army went deeper into the camp, where there was a wooden stronghold specially for these elite troops.

At that moment, Zhao Huaian once again clearly realized the different levels of society in the military.

The people he brought with him couldn't even enter the main camp. They just gathered on the riverbank with the local militia who came to support them from other counties. From here, they could directly see the Nanzhao army camp on the opposite bank.

Damn it! If those Nanzhao troops suddenly crossed the river to attack, wouldn’t they be taken away in the first wave?

But these past two days, Zhao Huaian realized he was worrying too much. The Nanzhao people were even more afraid of the cold than they were. Forget about sending troops these past two days, not even one person came to get water.

But this is definitely not a long-term solution. Zhao Huaian has been thinking about this matter in the tent for the past two days. After thinking about it, he decided that he had to use his connections, otherwise once the war broke out, he and his people would be cannon fodder.

So as soon as the snow stopped, Zhao Huaian went out, intending to run to the main camp to see if he could find Envoy Song and ask him to help him move to another place.

While Zhao Huaian was standing there, he saw a man coming out of a tent not far away. Like him, he was also wearing a sheepskin coat, but it didn't fit his round body very well.

Zhao Huaian's clothes were sent by Xian Yu Yue, because he knew that although Xian Yu Yue had furs, he still lacked winter clothes, so he delivered them personally as soon as the snow started.

I have to say this, but my cheap elder brother really has nothing to say about me, and nothing has happened to me!
Just when Zhao Huaian was feeling a little superior in his heart, the fat man came over with a big smile on his face.

As soon as he came over, he greeted Zhao Huaian warmly:

"Zhao Da, great!"

Zhao Huaian knew this man, his name was Dou Lufeng. It was said that his ancestors were Xianbei people, but looking at this man's yellow skin and black eyes, he was not a genuine Han Chinese.

Three days ago, when he just arrived, this old guy came over to make friends. Zhao Huaian was also a casual person, so after having a drink with this guy, they became familiar with each other.

This man was a small local tycoon from Xinjin, Chengdu. He had a local group of about a hundred people stationed next door to him.

Dou Lufeng was a bit cross-eyed, with a round, fat face and small eyes. He was smiling at the moment, looking very funny, so Zhao Huaian couldn't help but tease him:
"Dou San, why do you have time to come to my place? Didn't you say you were going to look for your brother-in-law?"

Speaking of this, Dou Lufeng's face was a little embarrassed. His brother-in-law was a battalion-level warehouse officer in the camp. Although he was not a big shot, he still had weight in the army, so he wanted to ask his brother-in-law to get some winter clothes for his people.

But who knew that his brother-in-law would scold him and drive him out of the camp.

This kind of shameful thing naturally cannot be said in front of Zhao Da, as he would be looked down upon for no reason. He looked around Zhao Huaian's tent and said enviously:
"Zhao Da, these felt tents of yours are really good. Mine are leaking. You don't know how I've been getting by these past two days."

Speaking of this, Dou Lufeng's eyes turned and he suddenly pointed at Zhao Huaian:
"Zhao Da, didn't I tell you before that our last name is Dou Lu, not Dou? You are disrespecting our Dou Lu family, which is also a famous family in Fanyang. So, if you allow me a tent, this matter will be over. Otherwise, I will let you see..."

Zhao Huaian kicked the fat man and cursed, "You are the only one who extorts money from others. You haven't paid me back the three bamboo craftsmen you lost to me, and I haven't even asked you to pay me back!"

While drinking that day, Dou Lufeng saw that Zhao Dasha was acting like a fool and treated him as a fat sheep. He insisted on playing dice with him, but in the end, Zhao Dasha won and took away three bamboo craftsmen, which was a huge loss.

He was just a small local tycoon, and he felt sad about losing three bamboo craftsmen, so he pretended to be drunk and refused to pay.

Now that Zhao Huaian was asking for the debt, he ignored the minor offense and started making all kinds of jokes.

Zhao Huaian ignored Fatty Dou, thought for a moment, and said to him:
"If you really need winter clothes, I have a lot of sheepskins here. You can trade them with the craftsmen in the camp. The manicurist will get five sheepskins for each, and the rope maker and bamboo weaver will give you one sheepskin each. What do you think?"

Fatty Dou was thinking about it, thinking that this must be a good deal, but then he crossed his eyes and immediately started bargaining:
"No, no, who doesn't need a craftsman? A rope maker or a bamboo strip maker would cost at least two. A manicurist is even harder to find. He would need at least ten sheepskins."

Zhao Huaian ignored him and left without even looking back.

In this camp, every family has a craftsman. Armor and sword making is hard to come by, and even fewer are there for nail repairs? Not to mention hemp rope and bamboo strips. Just having hands is enough for that, right?

And to be honest, after this heavy snow, it will be even colder when the snow melts. Without winter clothes and warm tents, it would not be surprising to freeze to death.

So I gave Dou Pangzi a chance and he can sell it if he wants.

……

Zhao Huaian walked over, and Fatty Dou quickly followed, holding Zhao Huaian's hand and smiling flatteringly:

"Good Zhao Da, good Zhao Da, we are all brothers, we should help each other. I will definitely help you with this matter, just as you say."

Zhao Huaian pulled his hand out of Fatty Lu's greasy palm, then spread his fingers and snorted coldly:
"It's too late. Just now was just now. Now is now. Let's change it for you now. Do you still want one?"

Fatty Dou took a breath and was about to curse when he heard Zhao Huaian hum:
"If you call again, it'll be three people."

Immediately, Fatty Dou shut up, grabbed Zhao Huaian's shoulders, and wailed:
"Good Zhao Da, good Zhao Da, I'm convinced. Just two of us, just two of us."

As he said this, the fat man squeezed out a tear from his fighting cock's eyes. He felt so wronged.

Zhao Huaian really had something to do, otherwise he would at least tease this funny guy. He patted the fat on Dou Pangzi's chest and said with a smile:

"Go find Zhao Liuhuan in my tent. Remember, return the two bamboo craftsmen you owe me, or I'll give you a good beating."

Looking at Zhao Huaian's rude look, Fatty Dou shrank his head and ran away.

In fact, for Fatty Dou, this deal was a good deal, because due to the sudden heavy snow, no family had prepared much winter clothes. In fact, the main reason was that they had no money to buy them, so they all hoped that the Qiongzhou camp would distribute them.

But the warehouse officials in the camp didn't care about the lives of these local lumps. They didn't even have enough winter clothes to share, so they let them figure it out on their own.

So Zhao Huaian's furs were indeed a scarce resource, in high demand. He also knew that Fatty Dou wasn't wealthy, so he couldn't buy many. If he did, it would be for the brave men in his camp, so he wouldn't care about the lives of the craftsmen.

Zhao Huaian guessed that the situation of other local groups in the camp was similar. He planned to ask these people after he came back and try to sell all the furs, otherwise he would not feel at ease when the war came later.

……

After Zhao Huaian sent Fatty Bean away, several people came out from the other felt tents. They were Lu Zhongyuan and Zhou Dexing. They were both wearing armor and ran over.

It turned out that when these two men saw the Lord coming out alone in the tent, they hurriedly asked their companions to help them put on armor, and then put on the only winter robe in the whole tent, and ran out to follow him.

Zhao Huaian was very satisfied with the cleverness of these two people, but when he thought about the lazy Zhao Liu, he cursed inwardly:

"Sixth Brother, Sixth Brother, if you hadn't met me, you wouldn't have been able to eat four dishes in your life! Look at him, this is what progress looks like."

Zhao Huaian said hello to Lu Zhongyuan and Zhou Dexing, and prepared to head straight to the camp behind.

At this time, another person came out from another felt tent. He was Fei Yanggu, one of the recruited mountain tent leaders.

He was also wrapped in a robe and wearing a pair of leather boots. He ran over and saluted Zhao Huaian as soon as he arrived.

Zhao Huaian looked down on Fei Yanggu a little. In the ambush against the Nanzhao people, this old guy ran away as soon as he saw danger, but rushed forward the fastest when he saw an opportunity to gain an advantage.

The pair of leather boots he is wearing now were taken off the feet of a Nanzhao warrior.

Damn it, Old Zhao couldn’t even get a pair of leather boots.

So he said to Fei Yanggu in a bad tone:

"Old Fei, what are you doing? I have to hurry to the main camp. If you have anything to say, we can talk on the way."

After saying that, he pulled Fei Yanggu and slowly walked towards the camp in front.

(End of this chapter)