Chapter 318: Troops Pass Through the Zither-Playing Gorge, Voices Rise Together Calling

In the Jingnan Military Governor's office at Binzhou, Military Governor An Shuqian had been trussed up with ropes and was being held in the Jietang hall where the Military Governor's six banners, insignia, gate banners, and fang banners were kept.

Later generations commonly called it the White Tiger Jietang — it was the military governor's banner hall, a place of grave military importance where major affairs were deliberated.

An Shuqian was of the the Shatuo stock from the Three Tribes of Daibei, though like Kang Fu who held Qinzhou, he was not a true the the Shatuo but a Sogdian false the the Shatuo — his ancestors were Sogdians from the state of An.

But no matter what, in the Later Tang and Later Jin dynasties, being of the Three Tribes of Daibei made one a member of the Li father and son's Daibei military merit group.

Moreover, An Shuqian had once held the post of Military Governor of Zhenwu Army — it was in that very office that Li Guochang and Li Keyong, father and son, had first risen to power.

"Do not harm me! Do not harm me!" An Shuqian wailed, bound to his seat.

Below, a crowd of troop commanders, deputy troop commanders, garrison commanders, squad generals, and even a few junior officers jeered and laughed, utterly indifferent to having trussed up the commander of an entire military province.

"A fine head, coming through! Hahaha! The vile wretch — I personally donned armor and took the field, and this scoundrel dodged and weaved, killing three of my brave officers. Truly of Daibei Three Tribes stock, and full of valor!"

With a great laugh, an officer in lamellar armor, hengdao saber in hand still dripping blood, strode in with long steps.

He walked quickly up to An Shuqian and with a clang threw the blood-smeared head at the Military Governor's feet.

"Grand Guardian! The traitor An Shuyan sought to rebel, and I have slain him with my own hands! The vicious wretch nearly hacked through my precious armor!"

An Shuqian held the honorary title of Acting Grand Guardian, so the arriving officer addressed him as Grand Guardian.

"Fourth Brother! My Fourth Brother!" The moment An Shuqian saw the head on the ground, he stamped his feet and broke into loud wailing.

An Shuyan was not only his fourth brother but also commanded the Jingnan Army's yabing — he had been An Shuqian's last hope.

An Shuqian wept in his seat with earth-shaking grief, while the officers in the Jietang laughed more heartily than anyone. With An Shuyan dead, An Shuqian had become a complete puppet in their hands.

"Whoa! To hack Troop Commander Zhang's precious armor like that, it must have been a treasure blade!" A squad general remarked, touching the damaged spot on the lamellar armor of Zhang Xiaoguo, the Chief Troop Commander of Longshan Pass, who had killed An Shuyan.

"Of course!" Zhang Xiaoguo raised the hengdao saber in his hand and showed it to everyone.

"A treasure blade indeed! Must be worth two hundred strings of cash?" someone said, admiring the blue-gray fine-steel blade.

"I'll offer two hundred strings — Troop Commander Zhang, do me the kindness of parting with it!" Someone in the crowd immediately offered to buy it.

Zhang Xiaoguo beamed, pointed a finger, and said, "You're the one with an eye for goods, Zhou Hu'er — but you'll have to throw in one of those two young ladies of the Shi family, the wealthy Binzhou merchants you seized yesterday."

"Why didn't the Commander say so earlier? Those two little girls kept trying to kill themselves and couldn't take a beating — no fun at all. I finished them off with one stroke each some time ago.

If the Commander is free at the hour of bu, come to my place — I've kept the plumpest cuts, already marinated in vinegar and wine. Once roasted, they'll be absolutely delicious!"

The moment Zhou Hu'er spoke, even though everyone present was a military man, the hall fell silent for a few breaths.

Killing and eating people was not uncommon, but selecting only the plumpest cuts, marinating them in vinegar and wine to serve a guest — that was...

Zhang Xiaoguo immediately felt that Zhou Hu'er had stolen his thunder. His triangular eyes reddened as he looked at Zhou Hu'er, who indeed wore a provocative, utterly brazen expression.

"Fuck your mother! Zuo Erlang, fetch my long saber — kill An Shuyan's whole family and marinate them too. Later today, I'll be inviting Garrison Commander Zhou to a banquet!"

"No need for the Troop Commander's orders — we already slaughtered that traitor An Shuyan's entire household, old and young. Only the eldest daughter of the An family is quite spirited, so we've saved her for the Troop Commander!"

Zuo Erlang was a junior officer who stayed in the quarters — ordinarily in the Zhangyi Army he was an exceptionally fierce troublemaker.

Zhang Xiaoguo hesitated at this. An Shuyan's eldest daughter was quite beautiful, and he had just had his way with her along with the others, finding the experience rather more than he could get enough of — so he did not want to kill her so soon.

But if he did not kill her, wouldn't Zhou Hu'er have gotten the better of him?

The cruel Troop Commander Zhang looked left and right. Behind Zhou Hu'er stood several squad generals of considerable valor — if it came to blows, he likely would not come off well.

But he was unwilling to be outdone by Zhou Hu'er, and in the end his gaze settled on An Shuqian, who was bound and had wept himself into a puddle of mud.

"Why eat a beauty? What's there to boast about? Is a beauty as plump as the Grand Guardian?" So saying, he drew a sharp zhangdao short blade from his waist.

"Watch me strike down Grand Guardian An and share him with you all!"

"Grand Guardian An has two concubines — I've long had my eye on them, so leave them be!"

"Troop Commander, hold a moment — let me go first. In fifteen years of soldiering I've killed no fewer than several hundred men, but never a military governor of a whole province. I wonder what that tastes like?"

Before Zhang Xiaoguo had even reached An Shuqian, another garrison commander leaped out with blade in hand, licking his lips as he stared at An Shuqian with gleaming eyes.

Part madness, part mockery.

"I am willing to be your master! I am willing to be your master! I will follow you generals to break Fengxiang and the Jingzhao prefectures, throw open the treasuries, and richly reward all the troops!"

By now An Shuqian cared for nothing else — these mutinous soldiers, if they said they would kill him and eat his flesh, would absolutely do it.

"Troop Commander He has arrived!" A guard's shout came from outside, and the officers in the Jietang hurriedly straightened up. Zhang Xiaoguo, resentful at having lost face, also quickly returned to the ranks.

The man who entered was He Chuan, the Zhangyi Army's yamen Troop Commander, and the chief plotter of this rebellion.

His reason for rebelling was simple: the previous Military Governor of the Zhangyi Army's Jingyuan command was Zhang Congbin.

That was the man who had joined Fan Yanguang of Yecheng in rebellion, captured Luoyang, and then killed Shi Jingtang's only two remaining sons.

He Chuan was Zhang Congbin's trusted confidant, and after Zhang Congbin left office, the newly appointed Military Governor of the Zhangyi Army — Li Decong, known as Seventh Brother Li — had not yet arrived. This gave He Chuan, already resentful that the court would not make him Military Governor, the opportunity to rebel.

Zhang Congbin had moreover promised He Chuan great wealth, pledging that once the deed was done, he would be transferred to the post of Military Governor of the Jinchang Army — that is, to be stationed in Chang'an, with all the military governors of Guanzhong under his command.

With such temptation, how could He Chuan not rebel? And he succeeded in turning a small-scale mutiny into a great upheaval aimed at the Jingzhao Prefecture (Chang'an).

"Grand Guardian An's prestige is outstanding. Since he is willing to share wealth and honor with us, I could ask for nothing more!" He Chuan first put on a show of courtesy, then turned to face the officers in the Jietang.

"Pass on my order: every officer is rewarded fifty strings of cash; squad leaders and fire leaders get ten strings; each brave soldier of the armies gets three strings. Half will be paid now, and the other half once we take Fengtian (Qian County). If we can enter Jingzhao Prefecture, I will throw open the treasuries and double the rewards!"

At He Chuan's words, the Jietang erupted in cheers, jubilant, all singing the praises of the deep-pocketed Troop Commander He. Only a few officers who still had some sense cupped their hands and asked:

"Why must we take Fengtian so quickly? Has something gone wrong?"

He Chuan's face darkened. "That the the Shatuo whelp has appointed An Shenqi as Acting Grand Commandant, Military Governor of the Jinchang Army, and Governor of Jingzhao, and sent him to campaign against us!"

A man's name is like a tree's shadow. An Shenqi, like An Shuqian, was of the Three Tribes of Daibei, and both his father and grandfather had been famous generals — far more valiant and decisive than An Shuqian. In the Later Tang he had been one of the court's renowned fierce generals, far more exalted than these backwater bumpkins.

So when they heard An Shenqi was coming in person, the faces of the officers in the Jietang all showed fear.

He Chuan looked left and right, then suddenly laughed three times. "What are you generals worried about? Grand Tutor Zhang (Zhang Congbin) has already seized the Eastern Capital and holds Sishui, Heyang, and other places. The court's great army is blocked east of the Eastern Capital.

An Shenqi can bring at most a few hundred men to take up his post. What is there to fear from such a man? Once we strike down this wretch, the world will know the valor of us generals of Guanxi."

"Right! Fight our way into Jingzhao Prefecture, and let Commander He sit on the dragon throne in Chang'an. After that, no matter who is Son of Heaven in Luoyang or Kaifeng, the affairs of Guanzhong will be ours to decide."

"But at present the army's provisions are rather short — what do we do? If that wretch An fortifies Fengtian and holds out against us, I fear we'll have supply troubles!"

He Chuan looked at the officer who had spoken, and a savage look appeared in his triangular eyes.

"If fodder and provisions run short, is that long blade in your hand just for show? Go collect supplies at once. Have all the troops conduct a great sweep of Binzhou — we must gather enough for two months' use!"

Southwest of Yuanzhou (Guyuan) lies Liupan Pass. A little over twenty li east of Liupan Pass is the Zither-Playing Gorge, commonly called the Three Passes. Because the wind blows across the flowing water, the sound of a zither being plucked is often heard — hence the name Zither-Playing Gorge.

After the An-Shi Rebellion, the Tibetans repeatedly passed through here to raid Chang'an. Later, Prince of Fenyang Guo Ziyi led his army here and defeated the Tibetans. After much back-and-forth fighting, in the first month of spring of the fourth year of Jianzhong under Emperor Dezong,

the Tang court and the Tibetans concluded a truce and alliance at Qingshui. The two states agreed: "Tang territory extends from Jingzhou on the right to the Zither-Playing Gorge."

Although the Tibetan Pingliang Alliance-Breaking Incident occurred afterward, through the bloody battles of the border generals, the Tang court in the seventh year of Zhenyuan under Emperor Dezong built Pingliang City on the foundations of the old Pingliang fortress, to guard the mouth of the Zither-Playing Gorge. Later it was renamed Acting Weizhou, and now it has simply become Weizhou.

One could say that once past the Zither-Playing Gorge, one has truly entered the territory of the late Tang court.

The Guiyi Army led by Zhang Zhao rested and reorganized in Yuanzhou for five days, leaving over a thousand men for Liu Zaisheng to hold the city.

After Zhang Zhao took control of Li Yanli, the Eastern Mountain Tangut — through Li Yanli's elder brother Li Yansi — sent a thousand cavalry as promised, declaring they would follow Minister Zhang into Weizhou to quell the rebellion.

This was plausible enough, because Qingzhou, where the Eastern Mountain tribe dwelt, had always been territory under court jurisdiction.

The Yuanzhou Tangut, however, were not subject to the court. That made things simple: Zhang Zhao seized their chieftain Li Zhongchao, along with his son and grandson — three generations.

From the more than thirty thousand Yuanzhou Tangut, he conscripted over two thousand cavalry, taking nearly all the bravest fighting men of the tribe, thereby ensuring the stability of Yuanzhou as a rear supply base.

While selecting Liu Zaisheng to remain and hold Yuanzhou, Zhang Zhao also dispatched fast riders to Lanzhou, ordering Jia Yanchang, acting Prefect of Lanzhou, to conscript two thousand brave fighting men from the Wang clan of Jincheng and the Sulun family.

With Ma Shacai, Troop Commander of Lanzhou, as general, they were to lead the army into Huizhou (Jingyuan) and win over the various Wenmo tribes of Huizhou.

So long as the Huizhou Wenmo were willing to submit, at this critical juncture Zhang Zhao would not only bestow wealth and goods, but also appoint local chieftains on the spot as Prefects, County Magistrates, and the like.

All of this was to secure the supply line, because Zhang Zhao did not know how formidable the Guanzhong rebel troops really were, so he left himself a way out — if he could not defeat them, he could still withdraw.

"Rewards for the whole army! Every three men get one jar of wine, half a sheep, all the flatbread and steamed buns they can eat, and three strings of cash. Tomorrow we pass through the Zither-Playing Gorge!" Zhang Zhao issued the order in a low voice.

Behind him, the Eastern Mountain and Yuanzhou Tangut also roared with joy, but the officers and men of the Guiyi Army were not so stirred.

Or rather, their excitement was not because of the rewards, but because once past the Zither-Playing Gorge, they would be on the soil of the Great Tang.

For a hundred and fifty years, they — the descendants of the soldiers of Anxi, Hexi, and Longyou — were about to return to the Great Tang for the first time.

"Do you all remember what I said when we set out?" At a moment like this, Zhang Zhao naturally had to give a speech to boost morale.

He climbed onto the high platform that had been erected. Below, thousands of troops filled the valley. His several dozen adopted-son soldiers, as always serving as human loudspeakers, took their places in the nearest rows beneath the platform.

"Toward the enemy, be as merciless as the wind and snow on the Qilian Mountains. Toward our own people, be as warm as the spring breeze blowing from the great river!"

The soldiers below shouted in unison!

Zhang Zhao nodded with satisfaction. "This time, our Guiyi Army marches into Guanzhong under imperial edict to quell the rebellion. In a hundred and fifty years, this is the first time the state has summoned us. Though the Great Tang is long gone, we remain. The spirits of our ancestors are watching us!"

As he spoke, Zhang Zhao drew the long blade at his waist. "We march under edict to quell rebellion. Beyond displaying our military might, we must let the people of our old homeland see that we sons of Tang, fallen among the barbarian dust, are still a righteous army of the state, punishing tyranny and comforting the people.

All officers, remember: after entering the pass, take no ill-gotten wealth, kill no innocent person. If you want merit, earn it by fighting the enemy bravely. If you want reward, claim it by military achievement.

After entering Guanzhong, killing one person is like killing my father; violating one person is like violating my mother!

Whoever dares disobey military orders will be executed on the spot without pardon, his land reclaimed, his rewards confiscated, and his whole family enslaved!"

"We obey! Killing one person is like killing my father; violating one person is like violating my mother!" Thousands of soldiers shouted in unison.

"Home! Home!" Someone started the cry, and the crowd surged like a tide. The mountain-shaking, sea-roaring cry of "home" filled the valley.

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