Chapter 308: Father Departs, Son Filial, in the House of Wang

Inside Weiyan Temple, after Long Bian and Yelu Abuli arrived, the atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

From time to time, patrol soldiers in leather robes with long sabers at their waists moved about outside Weiyan Temple, and the worshippers who would normally have come at this hour to pray and burn incense were nowhere to be seen.

Since Lanzhou had the official post of Prefect of Lanzhou, it naturally had the corresponding establishment as well.

This was a rule set down decades ago: in the city of Lanzhou, the Wang family had originally held control, and the patrol soldiers of that time were mostly Wang family men.

The reason the the the Shatuo Li family could become the "men in charge" of the Wang family today, and could keep the Jincheng Wang clan pinned down and unable to move, was precisely because they controlled Lanzhou's patrol soldiers.

These patrol soldiers were mostly chosen from the brave and able-bodied men of the the the Shatuo Li family, a full thousand or more of them.

And in the vicinity of Lanzhou, the the the Shatuo Li family and the Qiang tribes allied with them numbered more than forty thousand people.

These half-nomadic, half-farming tribes could take up sword and spear and fight at any time, and could mobilize ten thousand or so men at a moment's notice.

This was the main force behind the the the Shatuo Li family's hold on Lanzhou, while the Jincheng Wang clan's influence had been squeezed out to the areas east and south of Lanzhou.

The former lay downstream on the Lanzhou stretch of the Yellow River, the choicest part the Jincheng Wang clan could still hold, and the hundred thousand-plus mu of fine farmland that Wang Zongheng could not bear to part with was located there.

The latter was close to Weizhou, where the Jincheng Wang clan's Han in-laws were nearby, so the two sides could huddle together for warmth.

And within Lanzhou city itself, the patrol soldiers the Jincheng Wang clan could still call upon numbered no more than two hundred. Were it not for the fact that Wang Zongheng's son Wang Tinghan held a force of fifty-odd armored men drawn from the Wang clan, the Wang family would probably have been wiped out by the the the Shatuo Li family long ago.

At the same time, apart from the Li and Wang families, the only other forces in Lanzhou with any military strength were the Su Lun family's hundred or so men, and the hundred-plus monk-soldiers of Weiyan Temple.

The Su Lun family's base was in the Lanzhou area west toward Shanzhou, and Weiyan Temple's monastic fields were not extensive, so apart from a surprise attack, neither had the the the Shatuo Li family's ability to mobilize ten thousand men in a short time.

At this moment, the abbot of Weiyan Temple, Master Dinghui, felt utterly numb. He felt as though he had fallen into a chain of traps.

This Dharma King Zhang, returned from India, had first used vast quantities of Buddhist treasures and sutras to make the temples of Hexi and Longyou acknowledge his status as a Dharma King.

Then he had asked them to help with small matters, such as summoning a few Buddhist tribal chieftains, or assisting in holding a dharma assembly or the like.

Next he had produced those things called silver notes, linking the great temples together through money.

Gradually, it had now reached the point where he actually wanted to mobilize the monk-soldiers of the great temples.

Master Dinghui very much wanted to refuse, but he also realized that if he did refuse, the prospects for himself as abbot and for Weiyan Temple might become somewhat unfavorable.

Unfavorable in a physical sense, because the martial-monk instructor of Dayun Temple sitting before him held in his hands a thing that was said to be the truth of Buddhism, capable of emitting the supreme Buddhist mystery, the Lion's Roar.

The Lion's Roar of sutra chanting and recitation, the pouring of enlightenment upon the head — Master Dinghui was very familiar with that, for he excelled in this style of chanting.

And this club-shaped Lion's Roar across from him he was also familiar with. He also knew that with a single flash of sparks, everyone around could go meet the Buddha.

Apart from this physical threat, Master Dinghui had also suddenly realized that he had no choice but to follow in Dharma King Zhang's footsteps.

Because he could not openly oppose the Buddhist Jade Maiden Treasure, the Hexi Chief Monk-Registrar Master Long Bian, and the others entering Weiyan Temple.

And the moment they entered Weiyan Temple, what followed were thirty Liangzhou warriors, seventy Suzhou Long-family warriors, and fifty Khitan warriors.

The moment these one hundred fifty men entered the city, they were immediately marked by the Li family patrol soldiers outside.

This was truly a case of a mute eating bitter herbs, unable to speak the bitterness. If Master Dinghui went out now and said that everything concerning Dharma King Zhang of Liangzhou had nothing to do with them, not only would it be hard to explain to his Buddhist colleagues, even the Li family would not believe it.

Seeing that Master Dinghui before him had said neither yes nor no, Wen Chongle understood.

If he found it hard to choose, then he would help him choose. Wen Chongle promptly and decisively cupped his hands toward Master Dinghui.

"Since the Master has no objection, then please place your temple's martial monks under my command. Tomorrow at the yin hour, when we hear three cannon shots, we will open the west gate and welcome the Dharma King's army into the city."

Master Dinghui slowly nodded, formed a mudra, and intoned a Buddha's name.

"Namo Wheel-Turning Sage King Bodhisattva, all in accordance with the Bodhisattva's decree!"

The Hexi Chief Monk-Registrar Long Bian, seated to Master Dinghui's left, was long accustomed to such scenes; his face did not even show a ripple. In Hexi, this was merely basic procedure.

Only Yelu He and Mu Shunyi were greatly astonished. Such a renowned abbot of a great temple, a virtuous and eminent monk, was actually unable to resist the command of a Dharma King who held only Liangzhou.

And it took only dispatching a single military officer to force the eminent monk to submit.

This was extremely rare not only among the Khitan tribes, but even in the Central Plains.

Yelu He felt as though he had discovered a road to heaven. His father's dream of returning to the Khitan and taking back their branch's tribe — it seemed it could be achieved with the help of Dharma King Zhang!

This was truly no fantasy. Historically, the Khitan Liao state was destroyed precisely by excessive worship of Buddhism; reverence for Buddhism could be said to be something engraved in the Khitan people's very genes.

Back then, when the Liao founder Yelu Abaoji, in order to attract Han people to his side, insisted on placing Confucius before the Buddha, it had stirred up a great uproar.

Even a founding hero-ruler like Yelu Abaoji could not suppress the Buddhist fervor within the Khitan realm, let alone now, when having an affinity with the Buddha was a tangible, visible strength among the Khitan.

At this moment, Yelu He even felt a few stirrings of reverence from afar for the Wheel-Turning Dharma King in distant Liangzhou. He cupped his hands and looked toward Wen Chongle.

"General Wen, we Khitan warriors escorting the Jade Maiden Treasure westward are also believers in the Buddha. We are all skilled with spear and staff, adept at bow and horse. We too are willing to help Dharma King Zhang open the gates of Lanzhou."

Wen Chongle glanced at Yelu He. These Khitan warriors all had calluses on the webs of their hands, were tall with long arms, skilled with spear and staff, able to ride and shoot. It probably was not a pretense, though he did not know how their combat strength would hold up.

But in any case, having fifty more men in the fight was never a bad thing.

"With the aid of the young lord Yelu, I am deeply grateful!"

Lanzhou was built along the Yellow River. In ancient times it was called Jincheng — the Golden City — taking the meaning of a city of metal walls and boiling moats, impregnable as gold.

Before the Tang dynasty had seized Shanzhou, the seat of the Longyou Military Governor, Lanzhou was the second-greatest military stronghold in Hexi and Longyou after Liangzhou.

However, after the Great Tang occupied Shanzhou, whose terrain was even more strategically important, and its military edge pointed straight at Dafeichuan, Lanzhou's military status declined compared to the Han dynasty.

But despite so many years of neglect and declining status, Lanzhou remained one of the great cities of Hexi.

Ma Shacai had led twelve hundred men over the Wild Horse Ridge, and after stragglers and losses reduced his force by another two hundred or so, what he had left in hand now was just over nine hundred men.

Braving wind and snow, a thousand-li raid — saying it sounds easy, and hearing it carries a kind of bloody romance, but actually doing it is exceedingly difficult.

One must know that the eight hundred men of the Six Tribes selected for this expedition were all the elite of the Six Tribes, and the armored soldiers chosen from Jade Town and the Hanhai were even more extraordinary than ordinary soldiers.

Yet out of fifteen hundred men, after a long raid of more than five hundred li, those lost to straggling and attrition still exceeded a terrifying one-third.

Once down from Wild Horse Ridge, concealing their movements was no longer possible, because the river valley where the Yellow River flows through Lanzhou was extremely rich — the very essence of all Lanzhou — and everywhere lived great numbers of the the the Shatuo Li family known as the Lanzhou Wenmo, along with other Qiang tribal people.

So when they were about ten li from Lanzhou, the nine hundred-plus men led by Ma Shacai were already spotted.

At first, those Lanzhou Wenmo tribesmen on their short horses, holding crude swords, still dared to ride up and spy on them from a distance.

But after Ma Shacai personally led the elite cavalry of Hanhai Town, swiftly closing in on their explosive, powerful folded-ear horses and killing several dozen of them, these people no longer dared to come and spy.

But they were still constantly gathering their forces, following this lone Guiyi Army force deep in enemy territory from two or three li away.

Ma Shacai gave a cold snort and, paying them no mind, led his troops straight for Lanzhou.

And once word arrived that Ma Shacai had brought his army to the walls of Lanzhou, the atmosphere in the city grew heavier still, and in an instant the streets emptied of people.

Wang Zongheng and his son Wang Tinghan had not imagined that the Guiyi Army could truly cross the Hongchi Ridge in winter and suddenly appear beneath the walls of Lanzhou.

With this one move, they had landed themselves in a fine mess — mud down the crotch, shit or not, it was shit now.

The trembling Wang Zongheng looked at his second son, Wang Tinghan, clad in full armor. "Erlang, send someone at once to deliver a letter outside Li Family Fort. We truly never meant to collude with Zhang the Minister of Works of Liangzhou. Tell Chief Li he must not misunderstand."

Wang Tinghan exchanged a speechless glance with his two younger brothers beside him. For the first time, he felt that his father had grown old.

How could it possibly be explained clearly now? Whether it was true or false, the Li family could no longer believe them.

"Uncle! Second Brother! The Li family has mustered all their patrol troops and is heading for Weiyan Temple!"

At that moment, a young man of the Wang family ran in through the door. Wang Tinghan, who had still been thinking of how to reject his father's suggestion, was overjoyed at the news.

The Li family was courting death. If they had left the city at once and called up their clansmen, they could still have fought and negotiated with the Liangzhou warriors at the same time, and at worst they could have withdrawn to the mountains.

But now, by going to Weiyan Temple, if they failed to take it in a short time, then all would be lost.

"Erlang! Muster our Wang family patrol troops. We too shall go to Wei—"

"Father is wise! We too shall go to the aid of Weiyan Temple and crush those ungrateful curs of the Li family — now is the moment!"

Before Wang Zongheng could finish, Wang Tinghan cut his father off. Whether from excitement or something else, he was actually trembling a little.

"You blind—" Wang Zongheng was both furious and anxious. This unfilial son — what was he shouting about before even hearing him out? What he had meant to say was to muster the Wang family patrol troops and go to Weiyan Temple to see who was winning, then help whichever side held the upper hand.

"Elder Brother! Father has agreed — he is telling you to give the order!"

Unfortunately, before Wang Zongheng could finish speaking, his fifth son Wang Tingbi also let out an excited shout, directly cutting him off.

By now, even if Wang Zongheng had been the slowest man alive, he understood what this meant. He opened his mouth and looked at his two unfilial sons, their faces flushed with excitement. The words "you blind" stuck in his throat, and for a long time he could not force them out.

After a long while, in the awkward silence, Wang Zongheng gently patted his chest and waved his hand feebly.

All chapters have been cached for you. Download the APP to view them.