Chapter 346: To Kill a Man for Someone

Below Mawei Slope, the banners and staffs representing the Son of Heaven fluttered in the wind, and An Shenqi, with the air of a host, set up a temporary camp at the foot of Mawei Slope.

At this moment, Zhang Zhao had four thousand troops stationed atop Mawei Slope; if anything went wrong, they could charge down from the slope in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Meanwhile, the yabing guards An Shenqi had brought, along with the soldiers of the Jinchang Army and the Zhenguo Army, were camped three li away.

This was An Shenqi's way of showing that he had truly come to act as a peacemaker, and absolutely harbored no ill intentions.

This was a delicate balance.

Li Congyan's more than five thousand Fengxiang Army troops were blocked halfway up the hill by the three thousand-plus men of the Qinzhou Xiongwu Army that Zhang Zhao had pressed into service.

Zhang Zhao had six thousand troops stationed at Mawei Slope and its surroundings, holding the advantage of home ground.

An Shenqi personally led six hundred Daibei elite cavalry, six thousand Jinchang Army troops, and seven thousand Huazhou Zhenguo Army soldiers — over thirteen thousand men in all — camped to the east, and had separated Li Congzhao's two thousand-plus men from Zhang Zhao.

On the surface, it seemed Zhang Zhao had only a little over six thousand men, but in truth he held the initiative.

Because although the Fengxiang Army still had eight thousand men in total, they were utterly demoralized, thinking only of withdrawing intact back to Fengxiang, and had lost the ability to launch any offensive.

An Shenqi had indeed brought thirteen thousand men, but An Shenqi himself knew that apart from the six hundred Daibei elite cavalry he had brought into Guanzhong, not many of them could actually fight.

Among them, the Jinchang Army garrisoning Chang'an had just been defeated in the field by He Chuan's mutinous troops, and were still in a state of shock, as if they had been beaten by monkeys; they had no desire to provoke the Guiyi Army that had annihilated the rebels.

Moreover, An Shenqi had not fully won the hearts of the Jinchang Army from top to bottom; if he really tried to lead them into battle, who knew what might go wrong.

And while the Huazhou Zhenguo Army's fighting strength was passable, it was Zhao Kuangzan's very foundation for survival.

This young lord's father and grandfather had mortally offended Shi Jingtang; without these few thousand Zhenguo Army troops, he might not even be able to keep his life.

So the Zhenguo Army could obey An Shenqi's orders, but it was hard to say what they would do once on the battlefield — at best, they would probably just go through the motions.

An Shenqi met Zhang Zhao for the first time; this Zhang Sikong who awed all of Guanzhong was surprisingly young.

Perhaps because his beard was not very thick, he looked much younger than his actual age — not at all like a man of twenty-five, but rather just over twenty.

Zhang Zhao was also observing An Shenqi. This forty-year-old An Taifu had not grown stout; he was tall and lean, with arms as long as an ape's, clearly a fine archer, and his features carried a faint trace of Sogdian ancestry, though it was already very indistinct.

War serves politics, and politics, apart from struggle, also involves compromise.

The present situation — An Shenqi outwardly strong but inwardly weak, and Zhang Zhao's army longing to return home — meant the time for compromise had come, because neither side wanted to keep fighting.

"Sikong is young and accomplished! Before I came, I paid my respects at the grave of your esteemed grandfather, Grand Guardian Zhang. In those days, the state lay in ruins and the realm was in turmoil; the Tibetans seized Hexi, shaved heads and changed clothing, and enslaved the sons of Tang. Hexi and Longyou were in danger of being buried beneath barbarian dust.

The Grand Guardian raised his arm in a rallying cry, and heroes flocked to follow, and thus the mountains and rivers of the six commanderies returned to the nation. He was a hero of all under heaven; even now, thinking back on him still makes my heart surge with emotion!"

The two men exchanged glances for a few moments, and then it was An Shenqi who spoke first — very cleverly, entering the conversation through the topic of Zhang Yichao, his words full of admiration for Zhang Yichao.

When someone praises your ancestor, you can hardly keep a cold face, even if half the blame for this war lay with An Shenqi.

Zhang Zhao sighed inwardly. The three words "Zhang Yichao" were both the glory of Zhang Zhao and the Guiyi Army, and the rope that bound their hands and feet.

Others could burn, kill, and plunder, but Zhang Zhao could not — unless he was willing to smash the signboard of Zhang Yichao and simply amuse himself in Hexi and Longyou.

In fact, Zhang Zhao still had a chance to turn the tables right now: he could use the two hundred thousand-plus commoners of Chang'an as bait, and promise that if they took Chang'an, there would be three days of unrestricted looting.

That would immediately let him organize the three thousand five hundred Xiongwu Army men and the more than one thousand captured Fengxiang Army troops.

Zhang Zhao believed that if he did that, An Shenqi could not possibly hold out.

But if he did that — would he still be Zhang Zhao? He had not transmigrated here just to become a Five Dynasties warlord!

An Shenqi's heart was thumping. He watched the shifting expression on Zhang Zhao's face and knew that a fierce struggle was raging within him.

If Zhang Zhao really meant to plunder Guanzhong, he would have no choice but to rely on the Huazhou Zhenguo Army to fall back to the Tong Pass line and make plans from there.

At last, An Shenqi let out a long breath of relief, because Zhang Zhao's expression had calmed, and he even cupped his hands toward him in salute.

"So there are still people under heaven who remember my ancestor, the Grand Guardian!

I, Zhang Zhao, mean to carry on my ancestor's legacy, and bring the million soldiers and sons of Anxi, Hexi, and Longyou — these masterless, wandering souls who have been buried beneath barbarian dust for a hundred and fifty years — back into the nation's fold."

As he spoke, Zhang Zhao looked at Li Congyan, who was being helped in with a hangdog expression, and called out: "Yet there are treacherous villains of the state who steal high office, envy the worthy, and scramble for wealth and goods. Is this the treatment my Guiyi Army deserves after marching a thousand li to serve the throne?"

Li Congyan did not dare look at Zhang Zhao at all; he did not even greet An Shenqi, but slunk dejectedly into the great tent.

Just then, the guards at the entrance reported: the Acting Grand Commandant, Military Governor of Qinzhou and Xiongwu, Kang Fu, had arrived.

An Shenqi was immediately overjoyed. Kang Fu still had five thousand Xiongwu Army troops in hand, and the three thousand five hundred Xiongwu Army men Zhang Zhao had forced into surrender had also been brought by Kang Fu. With Kang Fu here, his heart was steadier by a measure.

"Sikong, be at ease. We have gathered today precisely for this matter. Grand Commandant Kang is an elder and a loyal minister of the state; why don't you and I go out together to welcome him!"

As he spoke, An Shenqi warmly came over and took Zhang Zhao by the arm. Though Zhang Zhao was unwilling, he did not pull away, and so the two men, arms linked, walked together toward the camp gate to welcome Kang Fu.

As for Li Congyan, no one paid him any attention at all. After this battle, no matter how today's talks went, if Li Congyan could keep his title of Prince of Qi, he could count himself lucky. The defeated have never had any standing.

Kang Fu was born in the fourth year of Zhonghe of Emperor Xizong of Tang (884), thirteen years older than An Shenqi, and was highly skilled in bow and horse.

He had followed Li Keyong in campaigns north and south, served through the successive emperors of the Later Tang, pacified the regions, quelled internal rebellions, and struck at the Tangut — a true elder, a true senior.

The Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, and even Guo Wei's Later Zhou of this era can all be seen as one system.

Because whether emperor or famous minister or great general, virtually all of them came from the Daibei Three Tribes of Li Keyong and his son, all of them Daibei warriors who had followed Li Keyong, Li Cunxu, and even Li Siyuan in their early years.

It was not until Zhao Kuangyin was draped in the yellow robe that the imperial succession shifted from the Daibei Three Tribes to the line of the imperial guard scions of the Central Plains.

And only when Liu Chong's Northern Han fell did the Daibei military-aristocrat bloc gradually withdraw from the stage of history.

But at this moment, the Daibei military-aristocrats were still at their zenith; no matter who sat the throne, it was always these Daibei warriors who enjoyed the choicest fruits.

And although An Shenqi's fame was greater than Kang Fu's and his office higher, before an old-timer like Kang Fu, who had followed Li Keyong, he was still a junior.

Kang Fu lived up to his name. Now that his youthful prime had passed, the once-brave general of Li Keyong's Crow Army had grown stout; his frame was still large, but the flesh had regrown on his thighs, and he was no longer the fierce warrior of old.

"You do me too much honor! Too much honor! I am but an old man — how can I deserve to be met by a weighty minister of state and a hero who has quelled rebellion?"

Before An Shenqi and Zhang Zhao could speak, Kang Fu came striding over with a hearty laugh. After speaking, he took Zhang Zhao's hand and looked at him with a sigh.

"Could this be Zhang Sikong of Hexi? Truly a young hero, a talent of the age! In Qinzhou I have often heard of Sikong Zhang's mighty name; the Wenmo and the various Qiang all submit in awe.

What a pity that Lord Cao moved first — otherwise this old man would surely have married two of his granddaughters to you!"

An Shenqi was instantly stunned. This was not how the script was supposed to go!

By his reckoning, an old Daibei military-aristocrat like Kang Fu should have come to back him up. How was it that the moment he arrived, he brushed An Shenqi aside and latched onto Zhang Zhao?

There were several very important points in Kang Fu's words.

He began by saying the Wenmo and the various Qiang tribes were all thoroughly cowed — this was meant for An Shenqi's ears.

It signaled that Zhang Zhao's strength far exceeded what was currently visible, the key point being that he had the momentum to unite Hexi and Longyou, so one could only befriend him, never make an enemy of him.

The second remark, on the surface, was envy that Cao Yijin had moved early to marry his granddaughter to Zhang Zhao — but it was meant for Zhang Zhao to hear.

The implied meaning was that he knew the Guiyi Army's situation very well, and was reminding Zhang Zhao that they all knew each other's bottom lines, so he should quit while he was ahead.

The final mention of marrying off a granddaughter was meant for both An Shenqi and Zhang Zhao: it said, this old man thinks highly of Zhang Zhao, and has not come to back An Shenqi or use power to pressure anyone.

It was also to reassure Zhang Zhao and keep him from worry, lest Zhang Zhao do something rash.

Sure enough, this was a man of the late Tang and Five Dynasties era who had fought from south to north, served as Military Governor in more than ten places, been framed several times by the treacherous chief minister An Chonghui, yet had neither been killed by mutinous troops nor done in by powerful ministers — an old fox, and a delightful one at that!

"If Elder Kang has such an intention, why not petition for a princely title for me? In the Liangzhou treasury there are still several hundred jars of Anxi purple wine — fragrant, spicy, sweet, and smooth, unmatched in all the world. Three hundred cups a day, and one would not have lived this life in vain!"

Once Zhang Zhao realized Kang Fu was a delightful man, he grabbed Kang Fu's arm in return and, utterly shameless, began making his proposal.

Kang Fu's throat bobbed. There was no military man who did not love wine, and this purple wine — slightly strong yet sweet and fragrant — had always been his favorite; he had more than once sent men to buy it from Sogdian merchants.

Zhang Zhao's proposal was also quite interesting: if he could obtain a princely title, then any woman beyond his primary wife would no longer be called a concubine — she would be a consort, and that would not disgrace anyone.

After saying this, Zhang Zhao saw that Kang Fu was genuinely hesitating and at once felt there was a chance. He beckoned to Man Xiong, who at that moment was standing there dumbly playing dumb.

Man Xiong knew nothing good would come of it, but there was no help for it — Zhang Zhao had summoned him, so he could only come over with a bitter face.

The moment Kang Fu saw Man Xiong, he could not help exclaiming in praise: "What a bear-and-tiger of a general! Put him in three layers of armor, and he could serve as the vanguard claw and fang before my elder brother Jingxi!"

The Jingxi Kang Fu spoke of was named An Jingxi, and he had another name that resounded throughout the world — the one they say no king surpasses Overlord Xiang, and no general surpasses Li — Li Cunxiao!

To be worthy of serving as Li Cunxiao's vanguard claw and fang — for a brave general like Man Xiong, that was an extraordinary compliment!

Zhang Zhao laughed heartily and clapped Man Xiong on the shoulder. "The Grand Commandant praises you so — why don't you hurry up and bring it out?"

Man Xiong wore a bitter face. "The Minister of Works has a cruel heart, always thinking about this old bear's little stockpile!"

So saying, he brought out a leather wineskin the size of a man's head, then reluctantly handed it to Kang Fu.

Kang Fu had long since caught the wine's fragrance. Without any disdain, he took it, gave it a shake, then pulled the stopper and inhaled deeply.

"How fragrant! How fragrant! Fine wine! You rough brute — to think you could have stored away such fine wine! Hahaha! This old man is in for a treat!"

With that, he did not stand on ceremony, but tilted his head back and drank.

Man Xiong's face twitched with heartache. For more than three months he had hidden it away, moving it from place to place, and on ordinary days he only allowed himself a single small sip. Who would have thought that after saving it so long, Zhang Zhao would sell him out in an instant.

"Slow down! Slow down! Aiya! This is fine wine! Drink it slowly!"

This strapping man of over one meter eighty was thoroughly aggrieved, like a man watching his own wife being violated.

Zhang Zhao could not help clicking his tongue. This purple wine was by no means weak — it had been blended with distilled liquor, probably around thirty percent alcohol, and there were at least two or three catties of it. Would Kang Fu not get drunk?

Sure enough, after drinking more than half the skin, Kang Fu's face flushed red, as if he truly were drunk, and he even began to choke up a little.

"In years past, when the generals would not save my elder brother Cunxiao, the realm lost a hero. Today the Minister of Works strives alone to put down rebels for the state — if it goes on like this, who will still be willing to be a loyal subject? Is that not a loss to the state? I shall submit a memorial to the Son of Heaven!"

What Kang Fu spoke of was how, in former years, Li Keyong had not originally wanted to kill Li Cunxiao, and had hoped that those around him would plead for mercy so he could conveniently pardon him.

But all the generals were jealous of Li Cunxiao, and none spoke up on his behalf, so that Li Keyong had no choice but to kill Li Cunxiao.

Afterward Li Keyong resented the generals and fell into gloom. Had it not been for Li Cunxu, whose three parting injunctions awed the realm, the warriors of Daibei would have nearly faded from the stage for good.

The killing of Li Cunxiao thus became a painful past that the warriors of Daibei were unwilling to bring up.

An Shenqi gave a long sigh, then looked toward the great tent. His heart turned over a thousand times — Zhang Zhao's momentum was already formed, and he could only go with the flow.

Li Congyan! May you look out for yourself!

Kang Fu watched An Shenqi sigh and depart, then returned the wineskin with the last little bit of wine to Man Xiong. As he did so, he took hold of Zhang Zhao's arm, his eyes clear — with not the slightest trace of drunkenness.

"Send me one hundred jars of this wine, and help me kill a man. His surname is also Song! Once the matter is done, your wish shall be granted!"

Zhang Zhao nodded hesitantly. Also surnamed Song? Could it be?

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