Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 18 Suona (Thanks to the leader lixiaopang)

Early in the morning, Zhao Huaian was awakened by the sound of chopping wood.

He rubbed his eyes and face, and saw a bucket of water at Zhao Liu's feet, so he hurried over.

He took out the linen, swirled it in the bucket, and then covered his face with it.

The clear water in winter is indeed stimulating, and Zhao Huaian suddenly became sober.

But Zhao Huaian soon saw Zhao Liu looking at him fiercely:

"Gua Seung, this is cooking water."

Zhao Huaian felt guilty and quickly changed the subject, asking:
"Sixth Brother, just forget about the spoils from this camp. They are our future capital."

These words really attracted Zhao Liu's attention, because when he talked about this, he couldn't suppress his joy. He counted on his fingers and told Zhao Huaian:

"Zhao Da, we've made a killing this time. There were originally several hundred Tibetan soldiers in this camp. Although they took most of the supplies with them when they left, there's still enough left. You like armor, don't you? Guess how many iron armors there are in the camp?"

Zhao Huaian roughly calculated and guessed:

"Thirty collars?"

Zhao Liu was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Zhao Da to guess correctly, but he was still excited:

"That's thirty-two sets. Add to that the nine we already have, that's forty-one sets. Add the leather armor, and there are probably about a hundred sets. If we sell them all when we get back..."

Zhao Liu fell silent, because he suddenly realized that no one would buy this thing, and if he was discovered, he would lose his head.

So he looked up and around and asked in a low voice:

"Zhao Da, tell me, are we really going to Qiongzhou later? We are both defeated soldiers. If we return to the army, our life or death will not be decided by us. Why don't we just wander around here? With people like Lao Mo around, it won't be that dangerous here."

Zhao Huaian shook his head and said to Zhao Liu:
"Laoyue told me yesterday that the Tibetans on the other side of the mountain to the north are likely to move south. When they do, they will definitely clear out this place. It will be even more dangerous for us to stay here. And even if the Tibetans don't clear out this place, there's no future here. Without supplies, it won't be long before we all disperse."

Seeing that Zhao Liu wanted to talk more, Zhao Huaian gave him the lowdown:
"Do you know why Lao Yue and I became sworn brothers? Because he was going to Qiongzhou to report on the Tibetans' military situation, and he promised me that if I went there, he would help me raise a local militia. We would then be directly affiliated with the local area and not be under the control of the military. He would also recruit some wealthy people from Chengdu to sponsor us and provide us with money and food."

But Zhao Liu frowned:
"Zhao Da, don't be fooled. Those aristocratic family members can't be trusted. What did Lao Yue do all this for? He wanted you."

Zhao Huaian raised his eyebrows and said without hesitation:
"That's right, it's Tu Zan."

Zhao Liu curled his lips and muttered:
"Aren't we still subject to their control?"

Zhao Huaian choked and cursed inwardly, saying that Lao Liu was just a suona player, but his heart was even wilder than mine.

He waved his hand:
"Alright, alright, let's take it one step at a time. At least it's better than the returning army. Besides, I'm sure I'll find a source of money and food later. By the way, you haven't told me how much we captured this time?"

Speaking of this, Zhao Liu was still very interested:
"Let's not talk about the armor, but the weapons and staffs are enough to equip a hundred men. Then there are some large livestock: three oxen, six horses, and twenty-six sheep. The camp's treasures are also being counted, but they're not much. These Tibetans are also poor."

"There's also some agate and amber, but I don't think they're very useful. There's plenty of barley in the camp, though; it filled up an entire tent. The rest are the Tang slaves, so there are twenty-six of them."

Zhao Huaian hit Zhao Liu:
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm telling you, from now on, those are our people, don't call them Tang Nu anymore."

Zhao Liu shook his head. Although he disagreed, he didn't say anything.

After hearing Zhao Liu's figures, Zhao Huaian calculated the distribution of supplies and asked:

"How much of these things do you think we can take away?"

Zhao Liu was also unclear, so he made an estimate:
"If we could get a bigger car, we might be able to take more."

Zhao Huaian's eyes lit up. He knew how to drive a four-wheeled carriage, but he suddenly thought of the road to Qiongzhou later. Could he drive?
Zhao Liu was also unsure. He didn't know the way to Qiongzhou, so he suggested waiting for Xian Yu Yue and the others to come back and ask them.

Speaking of Xianyu Yue, Zhao Huaian looked around the camp and found that the people who were doing the work were all liberated Tang people, but Xianyu Yue and the others were not there, and Lao Mo and several of his disciples were not there either.

So, Zhao Huaian wondered:

"Where have they all gone?"

Zhao Liu didn't care. He pointed to a hillside not far away and pursed his lips:

"Well, they all went there, saying they were digging a grave for the three dead barbarians."

After hearing this, Zhao Huaian cried out that this was not good. Xianyu Yue had told him yesterday about his hatred for the Yi people. How could anything good happen if he let them be alone together now?

After saying that, Zhao Huaian pulled Zhao Liu together and ran towards the slope not far away.

……

Standing on the slope, Xianyu Yue looked up and down at the barbarians, watching them dig pits and carry the bodies of their companions.

His hand stroked the ox horn bow, and to be honest, he really wanted to shoot these people to death.

But he knew that his second brother needed them, and he didn't want to ruin his relationship with his second brother because of these people.

Xianyu Yue admired Zhao Huaian very much. Although his second brother was just a defeated soldier at that time and was surrounded by a few armored foreign slaves, he firmly believed that Zhao Huaian could have a career.

The reason why I firmly believe this is not because Zhao Huaian is an outstanding martial arts master.

Although the second brother's martial arts were indeed extraordinary, there were many who were more brave than Zhao Huaian in their group of generals. Their group was established by General Yang Qingfu when Nanzhao invaded Chengdu four years ago. They recruited 3,000 brave men from Chengdu to form an army. They were the best at breaking through the enemy's lines, just like the "Entrapment Army" of the late Han Dynasty.

In addition to General Tu, Chengdu also had the Dingbian Army from the main town of western Sichuan, and the Zhongwu Army, Hengye Army, Xusu Army, Yanhai Army, Yicheng Army, and Fengxiang Army from the outer towns.

These troops were also stationed in Chengdu after the great battle four years ago. Among them were many brave generals and warriors, especially the Zhongwu Army.

Before this, Xianyu Yue was not very worried about Nanzhao, and one of the important reasons was the camps stationed in Chengdu.

But after interrogating the Tibetan yesterday, Xianyu Yue felt a heavy burden on his heart.

The Tibetans told him that there was an insider in Chengdu.

Yes, he and Zhao Huaian concealed this fact. He did not say these things. It was not because he did not trust Zhao Huaian, but because this matter was too important.

At the beginning, the Tibetan noble told Xianyu Yue that the Tibetans did not want to go to the front line of Qiongzhou, but only wanted to plunder in the Yazhou area.

They are not stupid. Four years ago, the Nanzhao people were defeated at the gate of Chengdu. What chances do they have of winning if they come again four years later?
But the Nanzhao people told them that they had an insider in Chengdu.

The Tubo people did not believe it at first, but they soon discovered that after the Nanzhao people crossed the Dadu River, they were able to defeat everyone in their path and marched all the way to Qiongzhou.

If there were no insider providing information about the strengths and weaknesses of Shu, could these Nanzhao people be so powerful?
Therefore, the Tubo people finally believed what the Nanzhao people said and decided to participate in the front line of Qiongzhou. After all, the essence of western Sichuan is Chengdu, and it is better to seize Chengdu than anywhere else.

Not only did the Tibetans believe these words, but Xianyu Yue also believed them.

Because he knew the secret. Four years ago, when the Nanzhao people surrounded Chengdu, the defending general Li Zixiao colluded with Nanzhao and planned to burn the Dongcang as an internal support.

If the troops in the city had not been alert at the time, Chengdu would have been captured four years ago.

Four years later, the Nanzhao people repeated the same trick, only more covertly and more dangerously.

The more this happened, the more Xian Yu Yue wanted to keep this information secret. He couldn't trust anyone.

Because of the existence of the tea-horse trade, all the wealthy and powerful families in Chengdu had dealings with Nanzhao, and even their governor Niu Cong was involved.

At the same time, Xianyu Yue also had a deep fear, because there were not many people who could obtain intelligence about the military garrisons in Shu. They were all powerful and any one of them could easily crush Xianyu Yue's family.

In order to protect himself and prepare for the worst, he must have a force that has nothing to do with any party in Chengdu and can be used at critical moments.

Zhao Huaian was the man he had chosen. He was from Shouzhou, and his Lizhou army had been destroyed at the Dadu River. He had a grudge against the Nanzhao people, and he was also ambitious, making him the best candidate for cooperation.

He was under too much pressure, which was why he got drunk last night and actually danced with a group of barbarians.

Thinking of this, he wanted to shoot those barbarians to death even more.

Just when Xian Yu Yue was trying to control his murderous nature, he saw Zhao Huaian running towards him.

……

Zhao Huaian waved and greeted Xian Yuyue on the slope, then went straight to Lao Mo.

At this time, Lao Mo and his men had already dug three deep pits, and Yang Mao and Wang Li were moving the bodies of the dead Yi people into the pits.

Sun Tai and Zhao Hu held their bows nervously, looking at Xian Yu Yue not far away from them from time to time.

Zhao Huaian nodded with satisfaction. Sun Tai and Zhao Hu were indeed former armored slaves, so their vigilance was acceptable.

Seeing Zhao Huaian running over, everyone hurriedly bent down. Sun Tai even stepped forward to say something, but was interrupted by Zhao Huaian shaking his head.

Seeing that everyone was safe and sound, Zhao Huaian let out a long sigh and then looked at the three barbarians in the pit.

To a certain extent, they died for him, so it was reasonable for him to come and see them off.

Obviously, Lao Mo and the others cleaned the three people, so this was the first time Zhao Huaian saw their faces clearly.

They should not be very old, but the hard life has left deep wrinkles on their faces. Old may be the only word Zhao Huaian can think of.

With a sigh, they are also miserable people.

At this time, Lao Mo saw that his benefactor did not speak, so he said something to Wang Li. Then after Wang Li nodded, Lao Mo and Yang Mao began to cover the soil.

Zhao Huaian and Zhao Liu stood aside, watching the red soil gradually cover the three people, until their faces could no longer be seen.

His heart ached, and he suddenly said to Zhao Liu beside him:

"Sixth Brother, play a song for them."

Zhao Liu sighed, took out the suona he always carried with him, gathered his breath, and blew it hard:
"Beep, wow, tick, tick."

When the suona sounded, Wang Li, who was still crying, looked at Zhao Liu gracefully. This was the first time he heard such a sound.

Zhao Huaian was in a low mood as he watched the red soil pile up layer by layer.

Lao Liu was very skilled and played the suona very powerfully. The whole mountain was filled with the sound of the suona, which lasted for a long time.

(End of this chapter)