Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 66 Wrongful Seed
Although Zhao Huaian appears to be carefree, he actually has a stronger sense of crisis than anyone else.

He particularly loved organizing drinking parties, but no one knew that he always wore a layer of chain mail under his robe, and he always kept in mind the lessons of historical heroes.

False political struggles are like the Thirty-Six Stratagems, each one linked to the next. Real political struggles have always been about one simple strategy: to deceive and then to kill. It is as plain and simple as that.

He Jin, Dong Zhuo, Caesar, and Erzhu Rong were all like this.

So remember to wear armor when attending a banquet, and remember to wear a helmet when fishing or playing chess. These are all lessons learned from blood.

And now, the man opposite, Dong Gongsu, whom he had never met before, came up and shouted "invaluable". This reminded Zhao Huaian of the sentence Fan Zeng said when he saw Liu Bang:
"Are you the Red Emperor's son?"

Then he turned around and said, "This child must not be kept."

But the wind blew through the curtains, and the armored soldiers and the cold light were still invisible. When he saw Dong Gongsu walking towards him, Zhao Huaian realized that he was scaring himself.

In order to hide his change of color, Zhao Huaian patted his chest and laughed:
"Thanks to your good words, Old Dong, I, Zhao Da, will definitely do something great."

Dong Gongsu was obviously stunned when Zhao Huaian called him "Old Dong". In this era, people addressed each other in a way that was full of hierarchy. In terms of public office, as a guard, even if Zhao Huaian didn't call him "Lord", he should still bow respectfully.

But this Zhao Huaian was different. He took advantage of me and treated me like a brother the first time we met. If an ordinary person did this, it would only make people feel annoyed and think that he didn't know how to respect others, but this Zhao Huaian made people inexplicably want to get close to him.

This is strange.

Just now he only looked at Zhao Huaian's figure and gait from a distance, and felt that he walked like a dragon and a tiger, with extraordinary majesty. Now that he was closer, he looked at Zhao Huaian's face again. His brow bones were prominent, like the shape of a dragon, and his eyes were high up, so he could look up at the sky without having to look up.

These are all noble features, but it’s a pity that the head is not pointed, which ruins the facial features a little. Otherwise, they would be truly noble.

When Dong Gongsu on the opposite side said nothing and just looked at Zhao Huaian carefully, Zhao Da thought that this investor felt that he was boasting, so he hurriedly explained:

"Mr. Dong, do you think I, Zhao Da, am a lunatic? But a real man is born in this world. He cannot live without food, and he should die without a cauldron. How can I live under someone else for long?"

Dong Gongsu was shocked and felt that these words really showed the man's magnanimity.

As for the arrogance revealed in Zhao Da's words, it was not surprising, simply because that was how warriors of that era were.

During the hundred years of feudal rule, overthrowing the superiors was as common as eating and drinking. If there was an opportunity, even if you didn't want to overthrow the superiors, your brothers would promote you to the position of Jiedushi.

Therefore, the military governors of the vassal states were most wary of the military leaders below them, especially those who were popular among the people, for they were afraid that someone would put clothes on the military leaders while they were sleeping at night.

So Zhao Huaian just said what he should say in his position.

Moreover, he could guess a little about the purpose of Zhao Huaian's visit this time. He was simply here to ask for money. Mr. Dong was known for his wealth throughout Xichuan. Nine out of ten people who came to visit him were here to ask for money.

However, there is really no one like Zhao Da who expresses his intention of making a fortune right from the start.

Now it seems that Zhao Da is a little too honest.

While Dong Gongsu was observing, Zhao Huaian also took the initiative and asked:
"Old Dong, what do you think of me, Zhao Da?"

As he spoke, Zhao Huaian pointed at a few people around him and began to make promises:
"Old Dong, let me be frank. I have weapons and swords, and I have as much armor and weapons as I need, but the shogunate can't pay me. You know the current situation. Without money to pay, how can we, Old Zhao, sleep peacefully? And I heard from my friends that you, Old Dong, are eager to help others and have the spirit of Mengchang Gong, so I wanted to come to you and ask for a favor and borrow some money."

In fact, Zhao Huaian was not short of money when he said he was short of money. For example, among the treasures seized from the previous attack on Xianrenshu, although 3,000 strings of cash had been handed in and 3,000 strings had been distributed, there were still 8,000 or 9,000 strings left.

This money is enough to pay the officials and soldiers for another year.

But the problem is that this money is dead money. Once it is used, it is gone. What Zhao Huaian lacks now is a sponsor, someone who can provide Zhao Huaian with funds continuously.

And the man in front of him, Dong Gongsu, whose family privately opened a salt well, was the right person.

Besides, when it comes to starting a business, why use your own money when you can use investors' money?

After Zhao Huaian came up and made his intention clear, he began to explain the project prospects to the investors:

"Old Dong, I'm not exaggerating. With our current strength, as long as we fight the Nanzhao people behind us, we will definitely seize a lot of spoils. No matter how much you invest in me, as long as we capture spoils, I will immediately return 20% of your original investment. In other words, as long as we win five battles, you can get your original investment back."

Seeing that Dong Gongsu didn't say anything, Zhao Huaian began to introduce several entrepreneurial teams present.

He first pointed at Zhao Liu and introduced him to Dong Gongsu:
"This gentleman is Zhao Shun, a hero in Guanzhong. He has had many interactions with the Wannian Li family and is well-versed in military affairs. He is a capable figure in our army."

When Zhao Liu was introduced in this way, although he felt a little nervous, he still held his head high and puffed out his belly, looking like no one else could do it better than him.

Then Zhao Huaian pointed at Zhang Guinian, gave him a thumbs up, and said:
"This gentleman is Zhang Guinian, a talented person in Shu. He is well versed in classics and military strategy. He even went to Beijing to take the imperial examination. Now he is my secretary and is also a capable person to me." Then, Zhao Huaian pointed to the disciples and the leading warriors outside and boasted:

"And I have a group of heroic warriors outside, each one of them is worth ten. With such talents and courage, my command, and your full support, what can't we accomplish?"

At this time, Dong Gongsu listened and looked at several people, then nodded. He now thought that the big thing Zhao Da was talking about was just to plot to become a Jiedushi, and he didn't think about anything else.

He looked at Zhao Liu with his bulging belly and praised him:
"Your face is like the face of a great beast. You are loyal to your friends. In the future, you will receive help from your friends and hold a high position."

Zhao Liu was immediately appeased when he heard Mr. Dong's serious tone. He hurriedly asked with a flattering smile:
"Is what Mr. Dong said true?"

Dong Gongsu raised his eyebrows quickly, but did not respond. Then he looked at Zhang Guinian, who was standing there. After carefully examining his face, he was moved.
"You have accomplished the Three Pavilions, and the Heaven and Earth are in harmony. In ten years you will be in a high position of honor."

Zhang Guinian was also happy after hearing these words. He bowed to Dong Gongsu and then stood behind Zhao Huaian.

Here, Zhao Huaian was secretly amazed when he heard Dong Gongsu indulge in feudal superstition. He also knew some strange people who could judge people's fortune, luck, status, and even life expectancy based on their facial features, bone structure, and palmistry.

Could it be that the Dong Gongsu in front of him is also such a strange person?
But no matter what he felt in his heart, Zhao Huaian still understood the purpose of his visit, so he laughed heartily and followed Dong Gongsu's words and said:
"Mr. Dong, since the three of us are all destined to be wealthy and powerful, isn't your support for us now a timely help? If we can truly follow Mr. Dong's advice and accomplish some achievements in the future, we will surely reward you handsomely."

After hearing this, Dong Gongsu actually nodded in agreement. Just when Zhao Huaian thought he had won, this person suddenly put forward a condition.

That is, he wanted to take a look at the soldiers under Zhao Huaian.

……

Zhao Huaian came out holding Dong Gongsu's hand. After walking for only a short distance, he seemed to be very close to Dong Gongsu.

When Dong Gongsu felt the warmth and generosity of Zhao Huaian's hands, he knew that Zhao Da must be a man of great wisdom and good fortune.

On the contrary, if the palm he just touched was as hard as cast iron and as cool as a flower snake, then even if Zhao Huaian's temperament, bone structure, and face were all good, they would be greatly reduced, because people with this kind of palm will hardly achieve great success in their lives.

At this moment, combining several aspects, Dong Gongsu felt more and more that Zhao Dafu in front of him was very lucky. Maybe he was really a hidden dragon in the abyss. If he invested in him at this time, he would not be able to gain the country like Lu Buwei, but the return of a hundred or a thousand times would definitely be no problem.

Of course, all this depends on Zhao Huaian's strength.

In this era, soldiers and horses are strength.

But when he followed Zhao Huaian out of the military camp, he saw a neat military formation lined up in the wilderness, and he was shocked.

Just now, he suddenly decided to go and see Zhao Huaian's troops, and on the way here, he didn't see anyone coming to consult first.

In other words, this team lined up in the field like this after Zhao Huaian entered the camp.

Dong Gongsu was no pushover. Although the soldiers in western Sichuan were weak, he often traveled around when he was young and had seen many powerful troops in the Central Plains. Only the veteran vassal soldiers could maintain such military discipline.

So, I couldn't help but exclaim:
"Zhao Da, your troops are so well-disciplined, I'm afraid there aren't many in the entire shogunate that can rival them. Nearly a thousand men are arrayed in battle formation, and not a single one is making a fuss. Excellent, excellent."

At this moment, Dong Gongsu finally recognized Zhao Huaian's strength.

Suddenly, Dong Gongsu remembered that when he was young, he learned physiognomy from his teacher, who was a blind man. When Dong Gongsu was going down the mountain, his teacher told him his fortune and said:
"When you meet a noble person, one with extraordinary appearance and abundant talents, that person is your master. You should treat him with respect, and you will become noble."

As a nobleman in Luzhou, Dong Gongsu was not without ambition. He and the blind man learned the art of Yin and Yang, hoping to use physiognomy to recruit heroes and talents.

And the effect is indeed obvious. Over the past ten years, he has been kind and generous, eager to help others, and has made friends with many heroes in the world. His friends have also given him the nickname "Mengchang".

But Dong Gongsu found that he could recognize people but could not win them over. Perhaps it was because he looked like a naive person and had no dignity, so he could not win the hearts of heroes.

So at that time, Dong Gongsu accepted his fate, knowing that he was not qualified to be a master, so he could only listen to his master and find a wise master to serve.

Looking at the handsome and vigorous Zhao Huaian, could this man be my wise leader?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but hold Zhao Huaian's hand:
"Zhao Dalang, I've studied physiognomy since I was young. In the past ten years or so, I've read countless people, but no one has a face like yours. If you don't mind, I have a daughter I'd like to marry to you."

Just now, Zhao Huaian saw that Dong Gongsu was shocked by the appearance of the Baoyi Du army, and was complacent about his advance planning, but he didn't expect Dong Gongsu to suddenly say this, and he was dumbfounded.

Old Dong, Old Dong, I treated you as a sucker, but you accepted me as your son-in-law?

Who do you think I, Zhao Da, am?

(End of this chapter)