Chapter 163: If We're Doing It, Let's Do It Big

East of Balasagun, at the Burana Great Buddhist Temple, Titixigu stared at the purple-robed monk who had come in haste to report, his mind going completely blank. Behind him, several eminent monks of Balasagun also looked utterly baffled.

This helper they had invited themselves had, without asking a single question, shut the door in their faces.

No! This could not even be called shutting the door in their faces — it should be described as outright hostility.

And the reason given was actually that Balasagun and Shule differed in their faiths.

What bullshit about differing faiths!

Buddhism was not like Nestorianism or Islam, where sectarian conflict was fierce. This Zhang Jungong could have used any excuse, but he should never have used this one.

Because using this excuse was equivalent to openly telling everyone: I am being blatantly perfunctory.

"This... this Zhang Jungong — could it be that an impostor has come?" one purple-robed monk said, his imagination running wild.

"Impossible!" Another purple-robed monk shook his head.

"Even if Zhang Jungong were an impostor, the armored soldiers under his command could not be faked. That traitor Satuq has already been defeated, and in all of Transoxiana and Anxi there is no second state that could field such fierce armored warriors."

"Then someone must have leaked our secret? Or did they learn of the news from Talas?" another man questioned.

Master Titixigu slowly shook his head, his face grave.

"Tomorrow morning this humble monk will go in person. This calamity was brought on by me, and it is only right that I resolve it.

Those of the Daqin faith have already begun to waver. Apart from the Golden Kingdom of Khotan, we have no other power left to rely on.

Even if it means deceiving him, we must keep this Zhang Jungong here. If he has any grievances, let him vent them all on me alone!"

Hele City. Several swift horses charged like whirlwinds toward the Nestorian temple in the city. The Great Virtue Shenchen read the secret letter in his hand and remained silent for a long time.

The secret letter had only a few characters, but it made this Nestorian Great Virtue monk, already past sixty, sigh deeply again and again.

The young man below quietly stood on tiptoe to look. On the secret letter were clearly written the large characters: "Sons of Tang have arrived in great numbers at Shazhou; perhaps we should delay."

"It was you! It was your Guo family that harmed everyone!"

"Your father was a traitor! He betrayed all of us! We were blind to have followed your Guo family."

"Does your Guo family deserve our loyalty? Does it deserve the spirit of the old Commandery Prince in heaven?"

The Great Virtue Shenchen closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. These curses, one after another, all came from those who had once been closest to him. For decades he had thought he had long forgotten, but now they were so vivid again.

"My father was not a traitor! He was not a traitor!" The Great Virtue Shenchen muttered a few words under his breath, then opened his eyes and, with immense difficulty, forced out a few words to the messenger.

"Please reply to the Great Virtue Weiyi: the dead are gone, the living go on. I have already forgotten those matters. The plan remains unchanged. Balasagun is about to become a place of trouble; it is not wise to linger."

In the palace of the Khan of Balasagun, Huduowuxi could not help but yawn. By his reckoning, it was almost the end of the chou hour (past two in the morning), yet the Zhang Jungong across from him showed not the slightest sign of fatigue, still watching him with that half-smiling, half-mocking expression that made one's hair stand on end.

This made Huduowuxi grumble inwardly. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? What kind of once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — just say it!

After several hours of internal struggle, Huduowuxi's attitude had in fact already softened somewhat.

He did not have many family members in Balasagun. Although his old wife and young daughter were both in the city, they were not impossible to abandon. What mattered was that the tribe survive, and whether the benefits could be great enough that he could give up his wife and daughter.

"Is the old gentleman tired? How strange. Is it not said that when people get old, they often cannot sleep? Why does the old gentleman seem rather different?"

Zhang Zhao observed Huduowuxi, whose eyes were now brimming with tears of exhaustion, before asking with a hint of mockery.

Huduowuxi was nearly speechless. What did he mean, old people cannot sleep? Right now he desperately wanted to sleep.

But he also felt a little pleased with himself, because the word "gentleman" in this era was not a casual form of address. It was used for elders of virtue whom one deeply respected.

Why would this seemingly rough Zhang Jungong treat him as an elder? Huduowuxi had no idea that in later ages, "gentleman" was merely an ordinary, commonplace form of address.

Very well! Since he had called him "gentleman," he would yield a little. Huduowuxi consoled himself inwardly.

"This old man still has family in the city. Could the Jungong send men to escort them out of the city? Master Titixigu and the others were willing to submit to the Great Jin Kingdom, and it is true they had ill intentions. But I too am a man of Balasagun — how could I casually betray them?"

He spoke righteously, but Zhang Zhao knew this was precisely the sign that he was about to make an offer. The key lay in that one word: "casually."

But Zhang Zhao curled his lip in contempt. You are a Uyghur — you should use the Uyghur way of speaking plainly. The roundabout ways of the Han are not something you can learn.

"Those words of yours — are you asking me for benefits? I said that if you could save me time and energy, I would certainly give you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Does the old gentleman not want to know what that opportunity is?"

"I would be glad to hear it!" Huduowuxi sighed inwardly, thanking heaven. This Zhang Jungong had finally gotten on track. I have wanted to know all along — it is just that you would not say it!

"Do you know why the Great Sage Son of Heaven of the Jin Kingdom sent me here? Because Balasagun is simply too far from Khotan. I fear that Master Titixigu's so-called submission is nothing more than empty words with no substance.

That is why the Great Sage Son of Heaven sent me here. And I do not have much energy to spare for managing Balasagun. Do you understand?"

After saying this, Zhang Zhao actually felt an unprecedented sense of relief, as if the irritation that had been pressing on his heart had been released all at once.

Zhang Zhao also suddenly understood the reason for his agitation these past days. Ever since Li Shengtian had proposed that he make a trip to Balasagun, a stone had seemed to press on Zhang Zhao's chest.

According to his original plan with Li Shengtian, after defeating Satuq, the next step should have been to attack the Kingdom of Fergana — that is, the Fergana Valley. Balasagun, cut off by the great snow mountains, had never been part of their plan at all.

Now that Li Shengtian had suddenly sprung this on him, it must mean he had developed a slight wariness of Zhang Zhao.

Zhang Zhao understood that this day would come sooner or later, but he had not expected it to come so quickly. Too early — so early that he had not yet completed his arrangements, and Khotan's national power had not yet stabilized.

Of course, this was still only a sign. Zhang Zhao guessed inwardly that Li Shengtian perhaps intended for him to garrison Balasagun. Perhaps Li Shengtian believed that the Golden Kingdom of Khotan could borrow the dual-ruler model of the Karakhanid state.

In truth, if he did not still harbor ambitions, Balasagun would not be a bad choice. Several hundred years later, this place would welcome a man deeply influenced by Central Plains culture — Yelu Dashi would make Balasagun his Husie'erduo and thereby establish the Western Liao.

With his own abilities, building a Western Liao would not be difficult. But that was not what Zhang Zhao wanted.

This was probably also the reason why Zhang Zhao, who usually liked to deliberate carefully, had chosen to treat Titixigu and the others so roughly. He did not want to spend too much time in this place; he only hoped to resolve the matter quickly.

Perhaps — another option involuntarily surfaced in Zhang Zhao's mind — perhaps he could simply not attack Fergana, and instead return directly to Shazhou once the Balasagun matter was settled?

But then he shook his head again. That would not do. If he returned now, he would still be nothing more than a military chief with at most two or three hundred armored soldiers. With that little strength, who knew how many years it would take to seize the great power of the Guiyi Army?

And after seizing the great power of the Guiyi Army, there would still be the Ganzhou Uyghurs, the Liangzhou Wenmo, and the Li family of Dingnan to deal with. It might well take ten or twenty years.

And ten or twenty years later, the Central Plains would be at the peak of the great hero Guo Rong's power. Would he lead an army of such complex ethnic composition to clash head-on with Guo Rong? He probably would not even know how he died!

Zhang Zhao knew his own abilities. Although he currently seemed invincible, this was actually because of the advantage of being a transmigrator. With that advantage, his vision, personal character, and even his martial prowess were all magnified.

But ten or twenty years later, once he was no different from the local natives, going up against a hero of the world like Guo Rong — he absolutely could not match him.

Never mind Guo Rong — even Zhao Da could outstrip him by two streets. Perhaps his ability was, at most, only slightly better than the Chariot God of Gaoliang River. At least he would rather die than abandon his comrades and pull off a donkey-cart drift.

Therefore, Zhang Zhao's best opportunity was to intercept Liu Zhiyuan when Yelu Deguang entered the Central Plains.

Entering the Central Plains at that time would let him firmly grasp the moral high ground, because with the Khitan ravaging the Central Plains, he, Zhang Erlang, would raise high the banner of his ancestors' loyalty and righteousness, carrying out the expulsion of the barbarians and the pacification of the Central Plains. Winning the realm that way would be even more legitimate than Emperor Gaozu of Han overthrowing the tyrannical Qin.

Among all feudal dynasties, only the later Hongwu Emperor's northern expedition against the Mongol Yuan could compare with it.

With such a grand mandate of righteousness, he would have the confidence to overturn the arrogant and domineering culture of the Five Dynasties' military men, and could smoothly recruit a roster of famous figures like Guo Wei and Guo Rong to his banner, and finally recover Yan-Yun, campaign north into the great desert, and perform the feng-shan sacrifice at Langjuxu.

But if he missed this window of opportunity, then to think he could enter the Central Plains relying on the northwestern lands alone would be nothing but a fool's dream.

To say nothing else, the military men of the Five Dynasties were not the military men of the Two Songs or the late Ming. This was the era when warriors were at their most arrogant and their combat strength at its peak. To join the chaotic wars of the Five Dynasties without holding the mandate of righteousness, like just another warlord?

Zhang Zhao could not help but shiver!

He had no desire to be taken hostage or stabbed full of holes by the paragons of military democracy — yabing officers and yabing guards like the Silver Spear Effect-Expedition Army of Weibo.

Therefore, the only way was still to dispel Li Shengtian's misgivings. He had to complete the established plan, for only then could he carry off large quantities of supplies from Anxi and Fergana, along with soldiers willing to march east with him.

He needed at least two thousand mounted armored soldiers and more than five hundred iron cavalry before he could swiftly pacify Hexi, and finally march into the Central Plains at the moment the Later Jin collapsed.

Zhang Zhao's mind was on Li Shengtian's shifting attitude, but Hudu Wuxi thought Zhang Zhao was waiting for him to think things through. He could not help glancing at Zhang Zhao with some puzzlement, then rather smugly stroked the few strands of beard at his chin.

The puzzlement was because he somewhat doubted whether Zhang Zhao could resolve the trouble at hand.

The smugness was because he thought this Duke of a Commandery had singled him out among so many people — that showed good judgment, proof that he knew he was capable!

"The Duke of a Commandery truly has keen eyes for talent. This old man was born here and grew up here; what I lacked was precisely such an opportunity. If I could control Balasagun on your behalf, I would devote myself utterly to the task!"

Zhang Zhao stared blankly at the beaming, curly-haired old Uyghur man across from him, Hudu Wuxi. This man's appetite was certainly not small! He had only meant to say that after the matter was done, the man could share in some of the power — he had never said he would let him control Balasagun!

"Does the Duke of a Commandery know why Master Titishgu has been so insistent on submitting to the Kingdom of Khotan? And why the city is so desolate?" Hudu Wuxi was preparing to reveal a great deal.

"Please, enlighten me!" Zhang Zhao extended a hand, gesturing for him to continue.

"Because since Balasagun fell into Persian hands twenty years ago, large numbers of people in the city and the surrounding countryside have converted to the Heavenly Square faith, and after the Persians were driven out, the returning Bughra Khan Saktu turned out to be a believer of the Heavenly Square faith as well.

So after the Persians left, the Heavenly Square believers in Balasagun not only did not decrease, but grew ever more numerous.

This time Saktu besieged the city precisely because the conflicts among the Buddhist, Nestorian, and Heavenly Square believers in the city had intensified.

When Saktu learned that the Duke of a Commandery had captured Shule and withdrew, the Heavenly Square believers who had followed him outside the city could not retreat in time, and several thousand of them were surrounded.

Originally, the two Nestorian elders of dignity and prudence meant to punish only the ringleaders and not pursue the coerced followers, but Master Titishgu would not have it. In the end a great battle erupted, and most of the Heavenly Square believers were killed or wounded, while a small portion escaped."

Zhang Zhao slowly nodded. Religious struggle in the tenth century was extremely cruel. The two Nestorian elders and Titishgu were both right in their views, but Zhang Zhao still appreciated Titishgu's ruthless style more.

Hudu Wuxi glanced at Zhang Zhao. So this Duke of a Commandery was also one who advocated ruthlessness. He sighed faintly.

"Originally, doing this posed no problem. When the Persians were here, they killed plenty of our people too, and levied a head tax on those who refused to convert.

But the trouble is this: although the Heavenly Square believers are few in Balasagun, they are numerous in another place — Talas, not far from here."

"Talas?" When Zhang Zhao heard the name, he could not help losing himself in thought for a brief moment. He recalled that Talas was indeed not far from Balasagun, only a few hundred kilometers away — half the distance from Shule to Balasagun.

"It seems the Duke of a Commandery already knows." Hudu Wuxi nodded. Seeing Zhang Zhao's thoughtful expression, he assumed Zhang Zhao already knew, when in fact Zhang Zhao was merely thinking of Gao Xianzhi's Battle of Talas.

"Because Talas fell even earlier than Balasagun, the number of Heavenly Square believers there is far greater than in Balasagun. Balasagun has only a few thousand, but Talas has tens of thousands — nearly half the population of the Talas region.

When the defeated Heavenly Square troops from here fled to Talas, conflict immediately erupted there as well. In the end the believers of the three faiths could not hold out, and were slaughtered until rivers of blood flowed, so they could only flee back toward Balasagun."

Only now did Zhang Zhao truly understand. So the reason Titishgu and the others had rushed to Khotan to offer submission was to find themselves a backer!

Still, there were some doubtful points. Even if they wanted a backer, that was no great matter, was it? Why not just say so openly?

Hearing Zhang Zhao's doubts, Hudu Wuxi shook his head with even greater helplessness.

"In fact, before we sent people to the Kingdom of Jin to express our willingness to submit to the Great Sage Son of Heaven, we had already fought a battle with the Heavenly Square believers of Talas.

At that time the Yabghus in the city scraped together an army of ten thousand and fought a great battle with the Heavenly Square believers of Talas at the city of Kulan, but the enemy waited at ease for our exhausted troops and routed us utterly with only a few thousand men."

Zhang Zhao was speechless. What kind of armchair generals did Talas have? Did they have no idea of their own level?

And they had just been through continuous campaigning, without even properly resting, yet they ran several hundred kilometers to Kulan to start a battle with the enemy. How much confidence did it take to pull off an operation like delivering their heads from a thousand li away?

"Even if you lost the battle, the area around Balasagun has over a hundred thousand people, while the Karakhanids of Talas probably number only a few tens of thousands. Could they really swallow you up?"

In Zhang Zhao's view, something else must have happened. A Balasagun of one or two hundred thousand people could not possibly be unable to hold on because of a single defeat.

"There is something the Duke of a Commandery does not know. We only learned later that the reason the Talas people could defeat us was that their army secretly contained large numbers of Persian armored soldiers. It turned out that after the Karakhanid Heavenly Square believers learned of Saktu's withdrawal, they had gone over to the Persians again.

And after this disastrous defeat, the Persians despised us even more. We have heard that the Emir Nasr of the Persian Samanid state has already gathered troops at Samarkand and Tashkent, preparing to come and capture Balasagun again!

The Duke of a Commandery says the population of Balasagun has fallen greatly — that is because the Nestorian elders have already prepared to withdraw their people to Hele City and Frozen City, several hundred li away, to avoid disaster. The only one who wants to hold on is the Buddhist Master Titishgu."

Now it was very clear. Zhang Zhao had finally grasped the general situation. No wonder he had always felt the atmosphere in Balasagun was frighteningly tense.

Titishgu was also putting on a show of covering things up. When he submitted his memorial to Li Shengtian, he had even volunteered to have Khotan send more troops to garrison the place — so he was actually trying to drag the Khotanese army over to take the fall!

And the waters ran deep. The Persian Samanid dynasty was no small state. It currently controlled half the Iranian plateau, all of Afghanistan, and most of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

It had been founded over sixty years ago, with its capital at Bukhara, a population of at least six or seven million, and a standing army of at least forty to fifty thousand — and it could summon far more.

"I have a task. Would the old gentleman be able to complete it for me? Take a message to the Nestorian elder of dignity for me — just say that Zhang Erlang wishes to meet with him."

Now that the matter was clear, Zhang Zhao's strategy changed. The disaster was Titishgu's doing, and he could not escape it, but the Nestorian congregation and tribes were preparing to flee, so these people had to be kept here first.

Because the Nestorians of Balasagun far outnumbered the Buddhists. If they fled, then relying on the remaining Buddhists and the already-declining Manichaeans, there would be no capital with which to contend against the Samanid dynasty.

Yes — although he had been dragged in to take the fall, he did not intend to run, because he had originally planned to carve a piece of flesh from the Samanid dynasty.

Moreover, if a fight broke out here at Balasagun with the Samanid dynasty, there would be an additional benefit: it would draw the Samanid dynasty's attention to a place they were unfamiliar with.

Now that Saktu had run off to the north, the Fergana Basin that had belonged to the Karakhanid state had become an exclave. If Nasr II of the Samanid dynasty had not yet become completely fatuous, he would certainly find a way to seize the Fergana Basin, because it had originally been their territory.

If Zhang Zhao fought the Samanid dynasty at Balasagun, it would relieve the pressure on the Fergana region.

Otherwise, by the time he finished dealing with the Balasagun matter, Fergana would probably already belong to someone else, and then it would be another bitter battle.

It seemed the best course was not only to hold Balasagun, but ideally to have a major showdown with the Samanid dynasty here.

Just after Hudu Wuxi left, Bai Congxin came in with Fan Shun and Li Ruotai. All three wore grave expressions — especially Li Ruotai, who looked at Zhang Zhao as though he wanted to speak but held back.

Toward his own convenient brother-in-law, Zhang Zhao naturally could not put on airs. As he gestured for the three to sit, he said to Li Ruotai:

"If Second Brother has something to say, say it. Here you may speak freely."

"Duke of a Commandery, I do not believe it is worth going to war with the Persians over Balasagun." Li Ruotai cupped his hands and said.

"This place never belonged to us, and moreover it is far away across snowy mountains and difficult to govern. Even if you cannot refuse for the sake of face, then let those willing to follow us withdraw to Shule. The Persian Samanid state is no small country — to make an enemy of it is unwise!"

"Second Brother speaks reason." Zhang Zhao could not help letting out a great yawn. He was truly too sleepy.

"But those are all surface appearances. The Persian Samanid state looks glorious and prosperous, a great power of Transoxiana, but in reality its interior has long been rotten to the core."

Nasr II was sunk in wine and women, extravagance prevailed throughout his realm, and the conflict between the Shia and the Sunnis was sharp. Instead of working to ease it, Nasr II actually fanned the flames because of his personal preferences.

On top of that, they were defeated by Satuq only four years ago, and their army's morale and fighting strength have not yet recovered. They look overwhelmingly powerful, but in truth they are strong in appearance and hollow within.

Moreover, from Balasagun to Talas, the terrain is steep and difficult, suited to ambushes and to elite troops fighting in small units — exactly where our army's crack forces can shine. Heaven's timing and the land's advantage are both on our side. If Satuq could defeat them, why can't we?"

"I support the young lord!" Bai Congxin said from the side.

"Beyond these favorable conditions, I also believe this: the Samanid state of Persia is the great power of Transoxiana. If we can defeat it, our prestige will surely shake the world.

The peoples of Anxi and Transoxiana are all steppe peoples, and they have the habit of following the strong. Do not look at how powerful the Samanid state of Persia is now — as long as we make them reveal their true weakness, immediately there will be large numbers of people hoping to tear a fat chunk off the Samanid state and join us. After all, in this place, being unable to protect one's own property is the greatest of sins."

Li Ruotai saw Bai Congxin speak this way, thought for a moment, and nodded as well. It had to be said, Bai Congxin's words made great sense. How does a new wolf king rise to power? Of course, by killing the old wolf that already shows signs of decline.

"In that case, my lord, why not give me a written order? I will simply make another trip back to Khotan. My elder brother still has two hundred armored soldiers under him — the foundation on which we brothers stand. I will bring them all here. If we are going to do this, let us do it big."

"Good! Then I must trouble you, Second Brother, to set out at once — but you must return within a month and a half!"

Zhang Zhao nodded in approval. Balasagun had seen constant warfare these past years, and its supplies could not sustain a large army, so victory would have to come through quality. He needed large numbers of elite armored soldiers.

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