Chapter 154: I Am the World's Most Awkward Dancer

What was the highest form of ceremony for an audience with the sovereign in the Tang dynasty?

Zhang Zhao gave a bitter laugh. The ceremony was not three kneelings and nine kowtows with shouts of "Long live the Emperor" — it was, damn it all, singing and dancing.

This was far too mortifying. Can you imagine, at a national assembly in later ages, a crowd of officials all at least at the ministerial level, singing something like a car-mounted DJ track together, and then dancing in all sorts of bizarre, awkward ways?

"In the sixth month, all bustle and haste; the war chariots are made ready. The four stallions are mighty; they bear the regular uniforms. The Xianyun are fiercely ablaze; therefore we are pressed. The King goes forth to war, to set the kingdom aright.

We match the four black horses; their training is by rule. It is this sixth month; our uniforms are now complete. Our uniforms complete, we march thirty li a day. The King goes forth to war, to aid the Son of Heaven...."

Zhang Zhao was still feeling somewhat awkward over here, when over on the high platform Li Shengtian had already begun to sing in a lilting, drawn-out voice.

What he sang was "The Sixth Month" from the Book of Songs, a poem that records and praises the great victory won by the famous minister Yin Jifu of King Xuan of Zhou's era in his northern expedition against the Xianyun.

And by a very fortunate coincidence, both the present Guiyi Army and the Golden Kingdom of Khotan cursed the Uyghur Karluks as Xianyun.

However, this poem is actually written in a narrative tone. It is fine for praising the valor and tenacity of the Fengtian Army led by Zhang Zhao in this battle, but it is not quite suitable for Li Shengtian to sing it here in his capacity as the ruler of a kingdom.

But considering that this is the Western Regions, where it is already remarkable enough that someone can record the Book of Songs in full, it did not seem so out of place — one might even say it showed a certain degree of culture.

"Grand and illustrious, clear and bright. The King commands his ministers and officers: Nan Zhong the Great Ancestor, the Grand Master Huang Fu. Array my six armies, to repair my arms. Be reverent, be vigilant, and bring grace to this southern land.

The King spoke to the Yin clan, commanded Cheng Bo Xiufu, to array the ranks left and right. Warn my armies and hosts, to advance along the banks of the Huai, to inspect this land of Xu. Do not linger, do not halt; let the three affairs be set in order....."

Since Li Shengtian had sung, Zhang Zhao could only steel himself and begin singing as well. Fortunately, he had once been a young lord of a great family; although his house and country had been overthrown, he had not fallen into complete ruin. Under the arrangements of his legal mother, Princess Fengtian, he still understood these aristocratic pastimes.

This poem was "Chang Wu" from the Greater Odes, and its subject was King Xuan of Zhou, praising him for personally leading a campaign against the state of Xu, for knowing men and employing them well, and for winning a great victory, and so on.

In the battle beneath Lower Artush, although Li Shengtian had not been present in person, Zhang Zhao could be said to have been dispatched by him, and in the end Prefect Pei's three thousand cavalry had been urged forward at great cost by Li Shengtian — so it was about the same as a personal campaign.

When the two had finished their call-and-response singing, Li Shengtian stood solemnly, then bowed to Zhang Zhao with great respect. Zhang Zhao hurriedly returned the salute, and then the two men walked hand in hand toward the high platform that had been erected.

Behind them, the familiar "Music of the Prince of Qin Breaking the Battle Array" had already begun. More than three hundred musicians blew and beat their instruments, and the military officers led by Prefect Pei, Li Ruotai, Yan Jin, and others also began to sing and dance along with the tune.

Zhang Zhao stood on the high platform and looked down. The Prince of Qin's Battle-Breaking Dance was a relatively complex dance. Most of the great figures of Chang'an back in the day could dance it, but that was because they had dedicated instructors to teach them.

But most of the people below the high platform knew only a few simple postures. As for the rest — how to take their positions, what was meant by "the dance has three variations, each variation forming four battle arrays, twelve arrays in all, matching the verses of the song" — they had no idea at all.

Yet it was precisely this somewhat awkward group dance that, amid the drum music, on this land where they had fought bloody battles, seemed so perfectly in step.

Gradually, Zhang Zhao on the high platform no longer felt awkward. He faced Li Shengtian, and the two of them danced in a measured, formal manner opposite each other.

Compared with the officers below, Li Shengtian and Zhang Zhao had truly learned the Prince of Qin's Battle-Breaking Dance. Therefore, although there were only the two of them, their dancing was unexpectedly and remarkably well matched.

Before long, the dance ended, and the assembled men knelt neatly on one knee and shouted "Long live!" three times.

The reason it was on one knee was that Zhang Zhao and the others were all in full armor, and men like Li Ruotai and Bai Congxin had come straight from the battlefield, so it was simply a brief one-knee kneel.

Zhang Zhao glanced at Li Shengtian. If his cousin and aunt-in-law Cao Yuanxin had not tipped him off in advance, Zhang Zhao would not have known that Li Shengtian had any intention of enjoying the acclamation of "Long live."

Before this, although Li Shengtian had called himself Son of Heaven, he had not called himself Emperor, nor had he let those below shout "Long live." Cao Yuanxin had also always been Queen, not Empress.

But today, after crushing the Karakhanids, although Li Shengtian had not had the thick skin to call himself Emperor, he was already preparing to have Cao Yuanxin styled Empress, and to match himself with the acclamation of "Long live."

Moreover, this maneuver had appeared in history before, but that was when Li Shengtian had been disgusted by Shi Jingtang and, feeling there was no hope, had amused himself with it.

Now Li Shengtian still held hope for the Central Plains, so why would he put on such a show?

Li Shengtian glanced at Zhang Zhao with some satisfaction. "Erlang is so valiant. If you return to Gua-Sha, sooner or later you can break through to Ganzhou and Liangzhou. If the Central Plains learns that we have accomplished such deeds in the Western Regions, the imperial envoys and imperial troops will arrive any day. When that time comes, I will renounce the title of Son of Heaven of my own accord. Would that not be a great achievement, and a delight to all?"

Ah! Zhang Zhao understood Li Shengtian's meaning.

Li Shengtian believed that once Zhang Zhao regained control of the Guiyi Army, breaking through to Ganzhou and Liangzhou would be a simple matter. If the Central Plains dynasty knew that it could recover the Western Regions with just a single imperial edict, it would surely send people over in haste.

At that point, the submission of a petty King of Khotan could hardly compare in prestige to the submission of the Son of Heaven of the Golden Kingdom!

If I, the ruler of a great Western Regions state who styles himself Son of Heaven, enjoys "Long live," and has established an Empress, submit — no matter who the master of the Central Plains is, could I be fobbed off with a few trifles?

Fine! Zhang Zhao thought it over. Logically, there did not seem to be anything wrong with it. If he had transmigrated seventy or eighty years later and submitted the twenty prefectures of Anxi and Hexi to the Central Plains, the Chariot God of Gaoliang River and Xiao Chuo would probably have fought each other over him, wouldn't they?

Who knows, he might even have replaced Han Derang and become a father-figure to Emperor Shengzong of Liao, Yelu Longxu! Li Shengtian just wanted a bit more in the way of benefits. There was nothing wrong with that.

After the kneeling and bowing was complete, this grand ceremony reached its final step: the bestowal of rewards. The look of satisfaction faded from Li Shengtian's face. He took hold of Zhang Zhao's arm, his expression brimming with emotion.

"Does Erlang know that when our Golden Kingdom of Khotan was first founded, we not only thought day and night of how to take Shule, but also had to solve one enormous problem — namely, how to hold Shule?

That is why, when Shule fell, your uncle did not properly reward you. It was because your uncle still had worries in his heart.

At that time, the bandit captive Satuq had tens of thousands of troops outside the city. Although we had taken Shule, Satuq had not suffered a crippling blow.

As long as he relied on the swiftness of his light cavalry to cut the links between the cities of Shule, and then brought the surrounding tribes under his control, with the hundreds of thousands of Karluks of the Seven Rivers region, he would be more than enough to hold an undefeatable position.

And as long as Satuq still had a great army in hand, he could drive the tribes around Shule to make themselves our enemies.

The people of Khotan excel at farming and are weak at nomadism. If we could not win over the surrounding tribes after breaking Shule, we would have no way to establish a foothold at all. With one side waning and the other waxing, in just a few years Satuq could drive us back to Khotan again.

Therefore, Erlang, the battle of Lower Artush was of critical importance — one might even say more crucial than the battle of Shule. Your uncle could not sleep at night over this. Fortunately, Erlang was divinely brave and could win against greater numbers at Lower Artush.

In that one battle, Satuq was left with only a thousand or so light cavalry at his side, and his elite ghulam armored cavalry was utterly destroyed. From then on, he no longer had the strength to contend with us for supremacy. The centuries-old wish of the Golden Kingdom of Khotan has at last been fulfilled in my hands!"

After this exclamation, Li Shengtian did not wait for Zhang Zhao to reply. He directly summoned the palace attendant at his side.

"The decree says: Zhang Zhao, Duke of Fengtian Commandery, loyal, brave, resolute, and decisive, with talent sufficient to command the multitude — in the battle of Lower Artush he crushed the northern caitiffs and rendered merit of the highest order. Lower Artush is hereby renamed City of Crushing the Caitiffs.

At the same time, with Upper Artush and Arhu and the various cities to the west and north of the City of Crushing the Caitiffs, a new Crushing the Caitiffs Prefecture is established. Zhang Zhao, Duke of Fengtian Commandery, Administrator of Yao Tou Gang, is transferred to be Prefect of Crushing the Caitiffs Prefecture, in charge of the affairs of Crushing the Caitiffs Prefecture. The soldiers, civilians, and tribes of this territory shall all be under his jurisdiction."

Only now was Zhang Zhao truly astonished. Although Li Shengtian had not produced a great heap of gold, silver, silks, and all manner of fancy official posts, the two appointments of Prefect of Crushing the Caitiffs Prefecture and Administrator of Crushing the Caitiffs Prefecture Affairs were simply staggering. This was granting Zhang Zhao the entire region around Lower Artush!

"Uncle, this reward is too generous!" Zhang Zhao could not help saying to Li Shengtian.

If he accepted this reward, he, Zhang Zhao, would become the greatest feudal lord in the entire Golden Kingdom of Khotan.

And he would also bear the heavy responsibility of guarding the northern gate of Shule. Placed in the early Ming, that would make him a frontier great king like those of Yan or Jin.

Li Shengtian waved his hand grandly. "Without generous reward, how can merit be repaid? I know your aspirations, and you know my long-cherished wish. You and I, uncle and nephew, are as one body. There is no need for suspicion."

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