Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 8 Yishe
The air was frozen.

Aqi Mo awkwardly broke the solemnity, he turned to Zhao Huaian and stammered:

"My Lord, the black sheep doesn't understand, so don't blame him."

But contrary to everyone's expectations, Zhao Huaian grinned after hearing this:
"If you want to learn, I'll teach you."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked at Zhao Huaian, and the barbarians, who didn't know what was going on, also looked over.

Zhao Huaian certainly understood everyone's shock.

The Baju he used, even in later generations, would have cost tens of thousands to systematically master. And what was it like now? That was when the power of force reigned supreme. If you possessed a killer skill, being granted titles for your wife and children might be a bit exaggerated, but it would definitely elevate your social status.

Not to mention, no matter how much money you have, there is no place to learn this kind of martial arts because no one can teach it. It is passed down within the family.

Otherwise, why would there be military families and samurai families?
So when the Qiang man said he wanted to learn his martial arts, everyone became serious, because this was no longer just wishful thinking, it was something extremely bold.

But Zhao Huaian still decided to teach.

Why?

Because before he went to sleep last night, he tossed and turned and couldn't sleep, thinking about how to survive in this chaotic world and live a better life.

Although the Huang Chao Uprising marked the beginning of the troubled times, Zhao Huaian understood that by the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the world had already been in chaos.

Whether it was within the imperial court, in the local military governorates, or in the countryside, there was already a murderous aura, and dragons and snakes were emerging from the land.

If Zhao Huaian wants to get along well in this world, he has to master the power of force.

But what good is bravery alone? Just like last night, if I hadn't taken advantage of the surprise attack, those six Tibetan warriors alone would have killed me.

So he had to gather a team.

But it is not easy to recruit people and become followers. You need money, power and prestige.

What did Zhao Huaian have now? He was a Shouzhou native, an outsider in Shu. Then, the Lizhou army where he had taken root was completely annihilated, and he was even more outnumbered.

Even if he could return to Chengdu, he would be cannon fodder if he joined the army, and there would be no way for him to join politics. Even if Xianyu Yue took him in because he saved his life, wouldn't he still be a slave and guest?

So you still need power.

If someone has a knife, even if he rebels, he can be recruited and his path will be wider than it is now.

So the question is, how do you recruit people when you have no money, no power, and no fellow villagers?
Then I can only rely on taking in disciples.

In this era, the relationship between master and apprentice is close. In addition, what I teach is scarce technology in the market. As long as I manage it well, I will have no worries about students.

By then, with a group of disciples who know him well helping him in the army, everything will be convenient.

And I am more suitable to teach this.

In my previous life, I was also a fighting enthusiast. I had systematically learned boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, German long sword, and heavy armored combat.

It seems that I was born in the wrong era. If I had arrived in the Tang Dynasty, I would have become a hero immediately!

Although he was not sure about the current level of martial arts in the Tang Dynasty, the things he knew must be not bad. After all, they were fighting techniques that had been passed down for many years and had been improved by many famous masters. There was no reason why they would be inferior to those inherited from families.

Thinking of this, Zhao Huaian felt that there was great potential.

Good, good, it’s good to teach you martial arts.

Martial arts are knowledge. Teaching one person is teaching, and teaching a group of people is also teaching. The more you teach, the more disciples you will have.

Isn’t this better than shedding blood and risking your life in the army to build up connections?

Sure enough, no matter what era, paying for knowledge is always a good business.

And they were not afraid of teaching their apprentices and starving themselves to death. How could the pure ancestors of the Tang Dynasty know the tricks of paying for knowledge?

I had thought of most of these ideas last night, and today it just so happens that Black Sheep came to learn the skills, so I can get this done.

It seems that my first step in starting a business in Datang starts with this black sheep.

……

Zhao Huaian coughed, looked at Heiyang's eyes, and smiled:

"If you want to learn, I'll teach you."

But I don’t know if it was because Zhao Huaian’s words were too unexpected, but after he finished speaking, no one responded.

It was not until Zhao Huaian said it again that everyone reacted, but surprisingly, Zhao Liu, Xian Yuyue, Song Yuan, Ren Tong and others remained silent again.

On the contrary, Achimo was certain that the Tang warrior in front of him was really willing to teach him his skills, so he excitedly patted Heiyang's shoulder and told him the good news.

Black Sheep was so happy that he hugged Zhao Huaian's feet and was about to lick his shoes.

Zhao Huaian finally helped Black Sheep up after much persuasion, and then said to Aqi Mo beside him:
"Lao Mo, you have to teach Black Sheep to speak Chinese on the way back. How can you learn martial arts from me if you don't know how to speak Chinese?"

Aqi Mo nodded quickly and smiled at Zhao Huaian:
"My Lord, the Black Sheep are smart and quick learners."

In fact, it is true that they lived in the no-man's land of Nanzhao, Tubo and Datang, and had many opportunities to come into contact with Chinese. In fact, these Yi Ding people themselves had some basic knowledge of Chinese.

As long as the Tang people didn't say anything fancy, they could guess the general idea from their daily language.

Zhao Huaian nodded, looked at the dark black sheep, and suddenly said:
"Black Sheep, kneel down."

Aqi Mo hurriedly pulled Hei Yang to kneel down, and Hei Yang also realized that he was going to become a disciple, so he kowtowed to Zhao Huaian in a proper manner.

Zhao Huaian sat upright and said loudly to the black sheep below:

"Black Sheep, I wouldn't say my martial arts are unrivaled, but they are rare. I learned them from an old man in the mountains. They involve boxing, swords, wrestling, armor, and staffs. As long as you master one of them, you can make a living. Now that you want to learn from me, I will teach you all of them."

All the Tang people present were holding their breath at this moment. Among them, Xianyu Yue looked at Zhao Huaian with the most complicated eyes. He had already guessed what Zhao Huaian was thinking.

It seems that our Shu land will also produce a hero like Zhao Huaian.

After Zhao Huaian finished bragging about himself, he thought to himself that he still needed to give their school a name so that they could build a brand in the future.

He had talked with Lao Liu before and knew that the most fashionable thing at this time was forming associations. From high-ranking officials to ordinary people, everyone loved to join various associations.

There were sutra-copying societies, Dharma societies, and poetry societies run by literati and scholars. Then there were the small, coterie-like societies run by various industries. Rice sellers, cloth sellers, vinegar sellers—all loved forming these small groups to establish regional monopolies. So, Zhao Huaian thought for a moment and decided to form his own society, calling it the "Yi Society." Whether it was running a social organization or teaching apprentices, "Yi" was paramount.

Then there is the issue of club discipline. These disciples will become core cadres in the future, so while they are still young and not established, we should set high standards for them.

He knew that the soldiers at this moment were all rebellious, so he had to increase his intensity.

Then, Zhao Huaian pondered for a moment and continued:
"Black Sheep, remember this: our society is called Yishe. We are all brothers. There are no other rules in the society except these three."

"First, loyalty is the foundation. Brothers of our society should be loyal to our society and should not sell out their brothers for profit."

"Secondly, filial piety is in our hearts. Brothers in our community should sincerely serve our parents and do our utmost to show filial piety. We should not betray our parents' kindness in raising us."

"Third, loyalty is paramount. Brothers in our society should be as close as brothers, trusting each other through life and death, helping each other in good times and bad, and supporting each other in times of trouble."

Seeing everyone present moved, Zhao Huaian became more and more proud and added more drama to himself.

He raised three fingers to the sky and sang in a righteous voice:
"If an outsider disturbs my brothers, he must be killed. If a brother disturbs my brothers, he must be killed."

Black Sheep could understand the first part, but was confused by the latter part. Fortunately, Achimo next to him was translating.

At this time, Black Sheep was in tears. When Zhao Huai'an finished speaking, he cried and said something in Chinese:
"Here!"

This is a Chinese language that few Black Sheep can speak.

Zhao Huaian nodded and said to Aqi Mo beside him:
"Lao Mo, tell Black Sheep that his name needs to be changed. From now on, he will be called Yang Mao."

Aqimo was delighted and quickly told the Black Sheep.

On the other side, the black sheep was whispering the name Yang Mao, as if he wanted to recite it into his bones.

Zhao Huaian was delighted, but Zhao Liu, who had always been cheerful, fell silent. He touched the suona on his waist and recalled the scene when his father took him to the countryside to become an apprentice, feeling sad and helpless.

……

Zhao Huaian made such a big scene just now just to liven up the atmosphere and see other people's reactions.

Zhao Liu didn't know what was wrong and looked aggrieved. The local tyrant Xian Yu Yue was obviously a smart man and he should have seen through his thoughts.

Ren Tong looked eager to try, while Song Yuan beside him was smiling as brightly as a peach blossom.

Huh? Can't look any further.

Looking at the right side, the old Mexican man seemed to be returning home, and he even called himself "benefactor" in his words.

Well, that's not a bad name.

Needless to say, Yang Mao even made himself cry.

The remaining eight barbarians had different expressions: some were excited, some were indifferent, and some were smiling foolishly.

It seems we need to add more fuel to the fire.

So, Zhao Huaian turned his attention to Ren Tong and decided that it was you.

He coughed and said to Ren Tongdao:

"Lao Ren, come up here, let's have a fight."

Ren Tong didn't hesitate. He tucked his robe into his belt and came up.

He admired and was grateful to Zhao Huaian, so he knew that Zhao Huaian was planning to perform and was willing to come up and cooperate.

Zhao Huaian pulled Ren Tong to an open space, and then said to Ren Tong:

"Come on, throw me down in your way."

Ren Tong and his men were all former generals from Chengdu. Although this unit was not a regular army in Jiannan Road, its combat effectiveness had always been among the best. It was originally established to deal with the Nanzhao people.

Ren Tong was a well-known fighting general among them. He was from Ba County, which had been a place for producing generals since the Han Dynasty, so he had his own family tradition.

Because he knew Zhao Huaian's strength, Ren Tong did not fall right away, but circled around Zhao Huaian.

But Zhao Huaian took the initiative to attack. He grabbed Ren Tong's hand as soon as he came up. When the opponent's hand was about to grab his belt, he suddenly fell to the ground.

Ren Tong was stunned for a moment, and then he found that Zhao Huaian's feet had been wrapped around his legs at some point, and then, he didn't know what happened, he was thrown to the ground.

By the time Ren Tong reacted, Zhao Huaian had already grabbed his left leg with strange movements.

Ren Tong was about to slam his legs back, but he felt pain immediately, and then he heard Zhao Huaian laughing:
"If it hurts, pat the ground."

Ren Tong was a stubborn person, and these words irritated him, so he resisted and tried to pull his leg out.

But no matter how Ren Tong struggled, he couldn't break free, and the pain was getting worse and worse.

But Ren Tong still did not beg for mercy.

In the end, Zhao Huaian released the armbar, leaving Ren Tong lying on the ground, gasping for breath.

When Zhao Huaian pulled Ren Tong up, he gave him a thumbs up and praised:
"Old Ren, you are such a tough guy."

Ren Tong felt embarrassed and stammered as he tried to speak.

But Zhao Huaian interrupted and said with a smile:

"I know you want to learn, so I'll teach you."

Ren Tong smiled innocently, nodded heavily, and then patted his chest, meaning that he would talk to him later if there was anything.

Not to mention, Zhao Huaian quite liked Ren Tong's personality. He patted Ren Tong's shoulder and helped him back.

He didn't really use much force, and the pain in Ren Tong's foot soon subsided.

When Zhao Huaian and the other two came back, everyone was cheering.

Zhao Huaian was delighted and looked at the group of Yi Ding like a fitness coach trying to sell memberships:
"Boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, do you know anything about it?"

(End of this chapter)