Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 7 Bai Guan
Zhao Huaian and his group continued on their journey.

Zhao Liu lowered his head and sulked, Xianyu Yue and the other two were talking to Zhao Huaian, while Aqi Mo and the other ten Yiding people were carrying large and small bags.

The clothes, armor, and weapons of the six Tibetans had been looted and were now being carried by Aqimo and the others. These were all Zhao Huaian's assets.

Especially the Tibetan warrior who was hanged naked by Zhao Huaian, his armor could be exchanged for a lot of money anywhere.

Why doesn't Zhao Huaian love money? Before, he had to escape, and he couldn't take those things with him from the battlefield, so he had to reluctantly give them up.

Now that Achimo and the others have joined, Zhao Huaian wishes he could clear all the land.

After learning that Achimo and his men were all barbarians from the nearby area, Zhao Huaian immediately decided to hire them as guides.

At first, these people all shook their heads and even pretended not to understand what Zhao Huaian said.

They were already terrified and wanted to go home early, so how could they be willing to take on such a tough job?

But Zhao Huaian directly promised these people that as long as they were sent to Qiongzhou, he would give them ten times the travel expenses.

The poor Aqimos had been working like slaves for the Tibetans, how could they have ever seen so much money? They were immediately tempted.

In fact, Achimo and the others also understood that judging from the look of the Tang warrior, they would not be able to leave if they did not agree to his request.

But this guy seemed to be a man of his word, so let's take them for a walk. It's just a mountain road after all.

Isn't that as simple as eating and drinking water?
In this way, Aqi Mo and others joined Zhao Huaian's team and sent Zhao Huaian and others to Qiongzhou at the price of ten strings of cash per person.

……

When Zhao Liu heard the price, he was shocked and was stunned for a long time.

Then he jumped up and grabbed Zhao Huaian's hand, shouting:

"Zhao Da, you idiot, do you know how much ten strings of cash are?"

Of course Zhao Huaian didn't know, as he was not from here, but he definitely knew that the price was too high.

He was not stupid. When he agreed to the price offered by Aqimo, Lao Deng couldn't suppress the smile.

But even so, Zhao Huaian did not bargain.

In his heart, no amount of money is as valuable as his own life.

Now the Nanzhao people have blocked the only way back. Without the help of these local barbarians, they have no way of getting out.

However, he was too lazy to say these words to Zhao Liu. He just pulled his hand out silently and shrugged.

"What? Do you have any other ideas? Besides, you just made a fortune from a deceased person. Six, you have to spend this kind of money when you get it, otherwise you'll be letting down your ancestors."

For some unknown reason, Zhao Huaian added:
"Oh, that's right, it's not ten strings of cash, it's a hundred strings of cash, there are ten of them."

Zhao Liu was completely desperate now, and wailed:
"It's a shame for our ancestors, so I'll beg you till I die. I won't give you this money, even if you kill me."

Seeing Zhao Liu in so much pain, Zhao Huaian felt pain all over his head:
"It feels so good. You, a bitch, have screwed me all the way."

While thinking, Zhao Huaian touched his beard with his hand, his face full of pride.

But the next second Zhao Huaian was stunned. He put his hand under his nose in disbelief, and a strong smell of urine rushed into his forehead.

At this moment, Zhao Huaian couldn't bear it any longer, and he grabbed Zhao Liu and beat him up, cursing as he beat him:
"You bastard, you peed without washing your hands?"

……

In the end, Zhao Liu finally agreed.

It’s not that he has come to terms with it, nor that he was defeated by Zhao Huaian, but Xian Yu Yue, who came to mediate, took the initiative to take the hundred-string expense after hearing about this.

Moreover, not only did he pay for the guide fee of 100 strings of cash, but when they arrived in Chengdu, Xianyu Yue would also give Zhao Huaian ten ingots of silver.

Xian Yu Yue said that these ten ingots of silver were not to repay the life-saving grace, but simply a thank you fee.

Later, Xian Yuyue said something to Zhao Huaian, which was very beautiful:
"In the face of life and death, it was the Lord of Zhao who disregarded his own safety and saved me from great peril. In the past, Han Xin, grateful for a meal from a floating mother, repaid her with a thousand gold coins. Now, you have given me a new life and a new beginning. I will never forget this great kindness, and even if I die, I could never repay even a fraction of it."

Zhao Huaian rarely heard such corny words, but he was modest and dared not to, but at the same time he was secretly happy:

"This old man is not only polite, but also very direct in his words. It seems that everyone here is like this. I have to learn from him."

Perhaps it was because Xian Yuyue was too extravagant, the more Zhao Huaian looked at this man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, the more he liked him.

But at this moment, Zhao Huaian saw Song Yuan looking at him and smiling at him.

Just with this smile, Zhao Huaian felt that his life or death was unpredictable.

He didn't dare to look at each other, and hurriedly let Achimo and the others lead the way.

……

Achimo and his men are indeed local tyrants.

The narrow path they were walking on was between two mountains, with dense vine forests on both sides. If it weren't for the local indigenous people, they would never have been able to find it.

Because he was no longer worried about encountering Nanzhao soldiers, Zhao Huaian took off his Ming Guang armor and asked the Yi Dings to carry it.

Zhao Huaian quickly discovered the advantages of these Yi Dings, that is, although these people did not have the courage to fight, they were indeed born to be good cattle and horses.

Although he is thin, he can carry dozens of kilograms of things and walk on the rugged mountain road as if it were flat ground.

But soon Zhao Huaian realized that he was also a beast of burden.

Although I don’t know the original identity, it must be not that good, otherwise how could he be used as cannon fodder?

Even though my identity as a dentist general is written on my dentist card, my boss didn’t even take me with him when he ran away. Am I not a palu?

Along the way, Zhao Huaian chatted with Xianyu Yue and exchanged a lot of questions, so he also understood what time it was. It was said that it was the first year of Qianfu.

When Xianyu Yue and other generals had just set out from Chengdu, envoys from the imperial court arrived and announced the year's reign title to the people of Chengdu.

It is called Qianfu, which means that the new emperor is given a talisman from heaven, and from then on there will be good weather and prosperity in the world.

In this way, the original 14th year of Xiantong was officially changed to the first year of Qianfu.

The Tang Dynasty had opened a new chapter. Unfortunately, Zhao Huaian still didn't know when the first year of Qianfu was. He only had a vague understanding of the history after the An-Shi Rebellion and knew some famous figures.

Does anyone know when the first year of Qianfu was? When did the Tang Dynasty fall?

This is also the fault of those who write online articles. They all write about the Ming, Qing and Han dynasties, but no one writes about the late Tang Dynasty.

How can I learn history if you don’t write?
Zhao Huaian chatted with Xian Yuyue all the way, muttering to himself all the time. Maybe it was because he was in a natural oxygen bar, but Zhao Huaian's mood was much better at this moment.

Forget it, let’s just go along and see what happens. No matter how difficult each level is, we can still pass it, right?

At the very least, he still knew about the Huang Chao Uprising. Of course, maybe Huang Chao wasn't even born yet?

Let’s go to Chengdu first!
However, I am unfamiliar with Chengdu and it seems I still have to rely on the rich man Xian Yu Yue.

As a result, Zhao Huaian became more friendly to Xian Yu Yue, providing emotional value along the way. By dark, the two had become brothers.

Achimo and his companions found a sheltered valley as their camping place. One of the Yidings even sprinkled some powder nearby, saying it could repel snakes and insects.

Zhao Huaian didn’t understand this, he just divided the dry food in the bag and then appointed people to keep watch.

Zhao Huaian did not keep watch, but asked Zhao Liu and Ren Tong to take a Yi Ding to keep watch respectively, and then he finished eating the Nanzhao people's bamboo tube rice and rested.

The first day in Datang was really tiring.

Just like that, wrapped in the Tang army's flag, Zhao Huaian fell into a deep sleep.

……

Zhao Huaian jumped up from the ground with sweat on his forehead. He didn't breathe a sigh of relief until he saw Zhao Liu and the others busying around.

I don’t know why, but I feel relieved when I see Lao Liu.

Just now, Zhao Huaian had a nightmare. He dreamed that the Yiding people chopped off his head in the middle of the night and died as miserably as Mr. Zhang Sanye.

Fortunately it was a dream.

Seeing Song Yuan, who was packing his bags, looking at him, Zhao Huaian remained calm, tightened his military uniform, and stood up.

I really deserve to die. How could I be so careless? Those Yi Dings even drew their swords on me yesterday, and now I dare to sleep peacefully? I don't even know that I'm being killed.

At this moment, Zhao Huaian was really a little scared. He realized that the knowledge and habits he brought from the modern era might not only be a gift from fate, but might also cost him his life.

Stop thinking of yourself as a damn modern person, this is the Tang Dynasty!

After Zhao Huaian stood up, several Yi Dings nearby saw him and nodded with a smile.

This made Zhao Huaian a little confused. These Yi Dings were so timid yesterday, but today they actually took the initiative to greet him when they saw him?

What happened? Did you become smarter after a good night's sleep? Did you know that our Lao Zhao is a good person?

Zhao Huaian didn't understand, so he saw Zhao Liu and Aqi Mo preparing food, so he walked over.

……

When Zhao Huaian came over, he heard Zhao Liu bragging to Aqi Mo, saying that he and Zhao Da had been killing people all the way, and that he himself had killed more than a dozen Nanzhao people.

He was carrying Zhao Huaian on his back, so he didn't see Zhao Da coming over and was still blowing.

You know what, Zhao Liu is indeed a skilled artist, and he is very good at talking. The story he told was so full of twists and turns that even Ren Tong was fascinated by it.

Originally, Zhao Huaian was listening from behind, but he didn't realize it until he heard Zhao Liu Cricket being particular and saying that he had to wash his hands before peeing.

He suddenly recalled the smell of urine on his hands yesterday, and couldn't bear it any longer, so he kicked Zhao Liu to the ground.

Then, Zhao Huaian sat in the seat where Zhao Liu had just sat.

Zhao Liu was kicked to the ground and was about to stand up and curse, but when he saw it was Zhao Huaian, an awkward smile appeared on his face, and he hurriedly handed a handful of fruit to Zhao Huaian.

But he did not forget to continue chirping:
"You're just a coward, you only know how to bully me, Old Six. I won't bother with a kid like you."

Zhao Huaian was not angry with Zhao Liu in the first place, and now that Zhao Liu was smiling and offering him fruit, he let him sit down.

Zhao Huaian felt that the fruits that Zhao Liu handed over looked familiar. They looked a bit like chestnuts.

So, he asked:

"Who got these?"

Aqimo pointed to a thin young man beside him and said:

"My Lord, these are the ones that Black Sheep picked nearby this morning. They are edible."

Zhao Huaian knew this Black Sheep. He seemed to be a Qiang. Anyway, he had a sharp eye.

Black Sheep smiled shyly at Zhao Huaian, then muttered something to Aqi Mo, after which Aqi Mo explained:
"My Lord, the black sheep is for you to eat."

Zhao Huaian felt a little embarrassed. After all, he didn't keep watch, didn't do any work, and finally ate other people's food.

After thinking for a while, he took out two pieces of dried yak from his bag.

These two pieces of meat were seized from the Tibetans. Zhao Liu wanted to hide them, but Zhao Huaian took them away directly.

Then Zhao Huaian called everyone together, asked them to share the chestnuts and dried meat, and have a high-calorie breakfast.

Apparently, eating does strengthen bonds.

Everyone, including the foreigners, laughed noticeably more.

Then, with the encouragement of several Yi Dings, the Qiang man named Heiyang finally plucked up the courage and said something to Zhao Huaian.

Zhao Huaian didn't understand and looked at Aqi Mo, who smiled and said:
"Black Sheep wants to learn martial arts from the Benefactor, the same kind that killed the Tibetan warrior yesterday."

But after Aqimo said this, he was stunned.

Not only was he stunned, but Zhao Liu, Xian Yuyue, Song Yuan, and Ren Tong were all stunned and silent.

The laughter and joy came to an abrupt end, and the atmosphere froze.

(End of this chapter)