Chapter 325: Setting Up the Stage to Put On a Grand Show

Building up a person's good name is no easy task. You not only have to genuinely do good deeds, you also need people to spread the word for you, and you yourself must be even better at spreading it.

But ruining a person's reputation is far too simple, especially for someone like Commander Wang, whose hands were never clean to begin with.

The only reason this rotten egg of his had not yet stunk was that, set against a pack of utterly shameless martial madmen, he simply did not seem quite so rotten by comparison.

Zhang Zhao prepared a two-pronged approach: on one side, raise the image of the Guiyi Army; on the other, find Commander Wang's black marks and start blowing them up out of all proportion.

The best way to raise the Guiyi Army's image was through military discipline.

And so the still-shaken residents of Weizhou discovered that these Guiyi Army soldiers who had entered Weizhou City kept discipline so good they could hardly believe it.

That borrowed line of Zhang Zhao's — "To kill one man is to kill my father; to violate one woman is to violate my mother" — was not spoken lightly.

In three days since the Guiyi Army entered the city, they had not killed a single person. No — one should say they had not even beaten anyone without cause, still less raped or looted, and on the whole they maintained an excellent attitude.

On the first day in the city, the Guiyi Army soldiers took the initiative to help residents affected by the great fire repair their houses, arrested more than a dozen criminals who had stirred up trouble and stolen goods, and disarmed those soldiers whose homes were in the city and sent them all back.

On the second day, they set up cauldrons at the intersections. Any household in dire straits that could not buy rice because of the war, or had no money to buy rice, could receive one large bowl of millet rice and a little pickled vegetable per person per day to stay alive.

At first no one dared come, but gradually, some who truly could not endure the hunger chose to risk coming out, and in the end they discovered that this really was grain being distributed to save lives, with no scheme behind it.

After a morning of food distribution, by the afternoon, residents who felt there was no longer any danger began going out one after another, tentatively resuming production and daily life.

By the third day, the markets had basically recovered, and once the residents of Weizhou City discovered that these Guiyi Army soldiers were indeed very friendly, they began going out normally.

In the morning the men looking for work came out; they still had to go outside the city to farm and so on. In the afternoon the women also began daring to take to the streets, and the small peddlers and the city's eateries and medicine shops opened their doors on their own.

By the fourth day, children already dared to laugh and play outside the military camp, and they liked laughing and playing outside the camp gate.

Because the Guiyi Army soldiers who were allowed out of camp to rest would sometimes, when in a good mood, give them a little snack.

Of course, the soldiers were generally reluctant to part with such things; the soldiers who gave snacks to the children were all arranged by Zhang Zhao.

Across from the Weizhou prefectural office there was a large open plot of land. It had originally been the site of the Pingliang County school, but after the county school was destroyed in the chaos of war it had never been rebuilt — there were hardly any scholars left here anyway.

And today, Zhang Zhao had ordered men to erect a high platform here.

On the platform were musicians with bronze gongs and other drum-and-wind accompaniment, a storyteller with a booming voice, and several "actors" dressed in splendid costumes.

It had to be said that information truly spread slowly in this age. Around Liangzhou, the Complete Biographies of the Great Tang Heroes had already become the top sensation of society — even a three-year-old child could rattle off a long list of the names in it — yet in Weizhou, several hundred li away, not a single person had heard of it.

But it did not matter that they had not heard it. This kind of beloved novel, having crossed over from several hundred years in the future, instantly seized the hearts of all the people of Weizhou.

From the moment the storyteller began the first chapter, it took only a quarter of an hour before the platform was surrounded so tightly that not a drop of water could get through.

Guo Tiance nodded with satisfaction, grabbed the petty official in charge of managing the storytellers, and said, "This afternoon, tell only one chapter of the Heroes, and for the rest, tell Grand Guardian Zhang Recovers Hexi and The Buddha Descends to the World, the Grandson Carries On the Ancestor's Work."

The so-called Grand Guardian Zhang Recovers Hexi and The Buddha Descends to the World, the Grandson Carries On the Ancestor's Work were two newly written stories from the Political Propaganda Office, which was subordinate to the Secretary of the Hexi Military Governor — that is, directly managed by Guo Tiance.

These were two programs performed through a combination of storytelling and acting, similar to the skits of later ages.

Grand Guardian Zhang Recovers Hexi was very simple: it told how Zhang Zhao's great-grandfather Zhang Yichao set his resolve in old age, rose in arms at the advanced age of forty-eight to overthrow the tyranny of the Tibetans, brought the eleven prefectures of Hexi back to the motherland, and in the end, upholding loyalty and righteousness, handed over power and enjoyed his remaining years in peace in Chang'an.

The Buddha Descends to the World, the Grandson Carries On the Ancestor's Work was actually two stories.

The former wrapped a halo around our Minister of Works Zhang, saying that he was a divine Buddha descended from heaven to the mortal world, that he had gone to Vulture Peak in India, where the Buddha attained enlightenment, to cultivate, and that he was revered by the monks and laity of Hexi as the Dharma King Bodhisattva.

The latter told how Zhang Zhao had great ambition from youth. Although by the time he was born the family fortune had already collapsed, he was not the least bit discouraged. He secretly studied military strategy and tactics, trained his martial skills, used wit and cunning to toy with those who mocked him, used force to thrash local tyrants and vent the people's grievances, and in the end finally reclaimed his ancestral inheritance.

At the very beginning, Guo Tiance and the others had not been very receptive to this whole approach, feeling that territory had to be won on horseback, and that doing this sort of thing was meaningless.

But later they discovered that the effect was astonishingly good. When Murong Xinzhang went to win over the three Tuyuhun tribes east of Shanzhou, the people, upon hearing that they were submitting to Bodhisattva Zhang, came flocking to join.

And in Weizhou, the emphasis this time was still placed on the section where Zhang Zhao thrashed the local tyrant and vented the people's grievances.

That's right! The title of that local tyrant — Zhang Zhao had already reserved it for Commander Wang.

Zhang Rongbao found a spot closest to the platform, and had even brought along a smoothed tree stump of his own, just right for sitting on and saving his strength.

His family had lived in Weizhou City for generations, and it was said that his ancestors had been officials, but by his generation the family had fallen into decline.

In his youth he had been betrothed to a wife, but before she even crossed the threshold she had disappeared — truly disappeared, and after searching for many years she was never found.

Some said she had fallen into the water and been swept away; others said she had been eaten by a tiger. In any case, she was gone.

Wasting away until now, more than ten years later, Zhang Rongbao was still all alone. After his wife was gone, he had completely lost heart.

The family's last few mu of land had also been sold to the Wang family, and he supported himself by doing odd jobs for the Wangs, just scraping by without starving. He had no ties and no cares anyway.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Why are they talking about this now? Who is this Grand Guardian Zhang? Shouldn't they be telling about Qin Qiong selling his horse?"

As it turned out, he had just settled onto his little stool and finally waited for the storyteller to begin, only to find that the story was different from the morning's.

But he muttered a couple of times and no one paid him any mind. Zhang Rongbao was used to it — whatever he said, no one listened. Now that someone was wasting their own spittle to tell him a story for free, he had no standing to be picky, did he?

But as he listened on, Zhang Rongbao felt that this story of Grand Guardian Zhang was actually quite good, and what was more, the man was of his own surname.

When he heard that Grand Guardian Zhang had risen in arms at forty-eight and driven off the Tibetans, Zhang Rongbao felt both ashamed and full of longing, feeling that one ought to live so grand and stirring a life, or else this trip through the mortal world would have been in vain.

By the end, everyone understood: this Grand Guardian Zhang was none other than the great-grandfather of Minister of Works Zhang, who had entered the city just a few days earlier. Seen this way, Minister of Works Zhang was a descendant of a great loyal minister!

All at once, these people of Weizhou rose a full step in their goodwill toward Zhang Zhao. China had since ancient times had the custom of venerating loyal ministers, and they reasoned that the descendant of a loyal minister would surely also be a great good man and a great loyal minister.

At the same time, the people of Weizhou also gained a preliminary understanding of the history of the Hexi Guiyi Army, which had been sunk in barbarian dust for over a hundred years.

Behind Zhang Rongbao, old Master Guo trembled as he cupped his hands toward the heavens. "A hundred and fifty years, and they still remember to bind their hair and wear the right-lapped robe, and still yearn to return to their country. Grand Guardian Zhang and Minister of Works Zhang, grandfather and grandson, are truly great heroes!"

"A hundred and fifty years, and several generations of grandfathers and grandsons never wavered in their resolve — truly models of loyal ministers and righteous men. No wonder the Guiyi Army soldiers in the city keep such strict discipline. A true army of loyalty and righteousness!" A petty clerk of the prefectural office also stood up and praised them.

For a time, heartfelt praise and reverent exclamations rose from every direction. Zhang Rongbao also nodded, feeling that these people of Hexi truly had it hard — enslaved by the Tibetans, ignored by the court, they had still had to rise up and resist on their own.

They had finally returned to the motherland, yet still had not come to any good end. But they never forgot their identity as sons of Tang. Grand Guardian Zhang was gone, and now Minister of Works Zhang carried on leading the people in search of the road back to their country.

The storyteller on the platform was still going on. Listening and watching, Zhang Rongbao felt as though something deep inside him had been stirred.

It turned out that on the platform they were now acting out the part where the local tyrant deliberately colluded with the tax clerk to press for autumn taxes before the autumn harvest, thereby forcing the farmers into debt that compounded with interest.

When the autumn harvest came, even if the farmers did not keep back a single grain, it was still not enough to repay the debt. The local tyrant seized the chance to take the farmers' land as repayment. All manner of extortion and seizure, bullying men and violating women — the list went on and on.

Suddenly, a short, stocky figure leaped up onto the platform. The crowd was badly startled, and several Guiyi Army soldiers responsible for keeping order were just about to step forward when the short, stocky figure burst into wailing.

"This humble commoner has a grievance! I beg Minister of Works Zhang to right this wrong for me!" the short, stocky figure shouted as he raised the yellowed petition in his hand above his head.

"This humble commoner wishes to sue Third Official Wang. Three years ago, Third Official Wang took advantage of my old father's illiteracy. We had clearly only borrowed three strings of cash from him, but it was written down as fifty-three strings. When we could not repay it, he seized our family's twenty mu of land as repayment!"

"Isn't that the foolish lad from the Li family? But the matter seems to be true — Third Official Wang really did take their family's twenty mu of good farmland!"

"He's throwing his life away! He still earns his bread in the army — offend Third Young Master Wang, and won't someone find an excuse to beat him to death?"

Someone who recognized the foolish young man coming to lodge a complaint exclaimed in disbelief.

Third Young Master Wang was none other than the nephew of Garrison Commander Wang, serving in the army as a squad leader, famed for his great physical strength. If that fool of the Li family went to lodge a complaint like this, trouble would follow, and whether the Guiyi Army's Sikong would even see justice done for him was far from certain.

While the onlookers were still puzzled, another man leaped onto the platform — none other than Li the Fire Chief, who also raised a written plaint and began to wail.

"I wish to sue Garrison Commander Wang! Ten years ago, he seized my elder sister by force and made her a slave. Six years ago she died of illness, and I never even saw her body. I beg the Sikong to see justice done for me!"

Zhang Rongbao suddenly shot to his feet. He stared at Li the Fire Chief on the platform in disbelief. So Li the Fire Chief's elder sister was the very woman who had vanished before she could cross Zhang Rongbao's threshold as his bride.

In that instant, Zhang Rongbao felt a surge of hot blood rush violently to the top of his head, so much so that he grew dazed and unsteady.

"Li Erlang! Didn't you say your elder sister had disappeared? You clearly knew — why did you never tell me?"

Li the Fire Chief looked at Zhang Rongbao, his face showing shame. "Father said the Wang family was too powerful and forbade me to tell you. When we went to demand her back, we were beaten badly. If you had gone, wouldn't the Wang family have beaten you to death?"

"Ah!" Zhang Rongbao let out a wretched cry and collapsed directly onto the high platform, weeping and wailing.

"How could this be? Wang Shouye, I'll fuck your mother! Lord Sikong, you must see justice done for this humble commoner!"

Back then, before Zhang Rongbao's betrothed, the eldest daughter of the Li family, had gone missing, the two of them had already been inseparable, utterly attached to one another.

By the time she vanished, Zhang Rongbao was like a man who had lost his soul. Then, with his father and mother falling ill and dying one after the other, Zhang Rongbao simply collapsed into ruin.

After burying his parents, he traveled through the surrounding prefectures and counties, searching for any word of his beloved, the eldest daughter of the Li family. Whether she was dead or alive, he wanted to know. In the end, he spent his entire family fortune and still found nothing, and so he began to give up and drift through his days.

At this moment, all the grievance, regret, and longing for his first love that Zhang Rongbao carried in his heart erupted like a mountain torrent and a tidal wave.

If not for this affair, he too would have been a promising young man back then. He had studied under a renowned master and become skilled with spear and staff. He had even attended a village school and learned several dozen characters — enough to be called literate and able with numbers. All of that had been destroyed after the eldest daughter of the Li family went missing.

What he did not see, however, was the bitter smile and awkwardness that flashed across Li the Fire Chief's face. His elder sister, the eldest daughter of the Li family, had indeed been seized by Garrison Commander Wang to serve as a bed-warming maidservant.

But money had been paid for her, and his father had later agreed to it. That was why they had kept it from Zhang Rongbao.

As Zhang Rongbao's wailing continued, more and more people leaped onto the platform. Some held written plaints in their hands; those without plaints joined Zhang Rongbao, bringing their whole families and crying out together.

The people listening below were somewhat bewildered. Only a couple of days ago, everyone had been saying that Garrison Commander Wang had saved them all, and that they should pray for blessings for him before the Buddhas. How was it that in an instant, so many people were suing Garrison Commander Wang?

But right after that, some of those who had truly been bullied by Garrison Commander Wang or his family began to feel a faint stirring of hope in their hearts — hope that Garrison Commander Wang might meet with misfortune.

Only they were not certain: would this Sikong Zhang truly stand up for them? Would officials not shield one another?

What they noticed even less was that these people coming up to lodge complaints were almost all soldiers who had stood guard at the west city gate, or the relatives of those soldiers.

——————Author's note——————

Third update, fourteen thousand characters so far. One more update tonight.

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