Chapter 351: Sang Weihan's Underhanded Scheme

The Later Jin capital, the Eastern Capital at Kaifeng Prefecture — this city, which had lain silent for a thousand years ever since the Qin general Wang Ben breached the dikes to flood Daliang, began to shine with new brilliance.

After Shi Jingtang established the capital at Kaifeng and renamed it the Eastern Capital, even with war raging on all sides, Kaifeng's urban construction still began to develop at a rapid pace.

Moreover, because Kaifeng had not been a particularly important city during the Great Tang period, it did not carry the same historical baggage as Chang'an or Luoyang, and therefore did not have to strictly follow the ward-and-market model of city building.

Once this approach to city planning — which bound everyone up and arranged everything for them — was broken,

the commercial economy of Kaifeng Prefecture began to grow rapidly, and it soon took on the bustling appearance of a great metropolis.

Of course, credit for this had to be given to one man: Sang Weihan.

Though he was a shameless traitor who sold out his country, a power-grasper with a heart narrower than the eye of a needle, unlike the previous generations of chief ministers and military affairs commissioners, who were usually illiterate military men, Sang Weihan was a proper man of letters.

Shameless as he was, he was no crazed martial lunatic. He knew how to build a state, and he knew how to run one.

And so a rather bizarre scene unfolded.

In Hebei, Fan Yanguang led the former Weibo yabing guards in a great battle against the court's armies at Hua County; in Luoyang, Zhang Congbin sealed Sishui Pass and cut off east-west traffic — yet the Eastern Capital at Kaifeng Prefecture presented a rare spectacle of prosperity amid the chaos.

For this reason, everyone who visited Kaifeng Prefecture said that Shi Jingtang's throne was secure, and that the defeat and death of Fan Yanguang and Zhang Congbin was only a matter of time.

And today was the day that prophecy came true. A courier with red flags strapped to his back galloped in through the Weizhou Gate on the northwest side, and before long, the music of victory resounded through the Daning Palace within the imperial palace.

It turned out that An Shenqi, coming from Tong Pass, and Hou Yi from the east, after routing Zhang Congbin, had picked out their finest troops, crossed the Yellow River, and driven straight into Fan Yanguang's rear.

Among them, six hundred elite cavalry of the Guiyi Army played an enormous role, cutting off the already exhausted Zhenwu Army's vanguard from its rear.

Hou Yi repeated his old trick, ordering his men to shout that Fan Yanguang was dead. The Zhenwu troops, their lines of communication severed, believed it, and fell into chaos; tens of thousands of soldiers trampled one another.

Fan Yanguang could only flee in disarray back to Weizhou with a few hundred personal guards and hold the city. His defeat was only a matter of time.

From this point on, Shi Jingtang not only removed the threats from the north and west, but also gained an elite force of several thousand men, balancing the power of Yang Guangyuan and Liu Zhiyuan.

Just yesterday, Liu Zhiyuan finally set out from Taiyuan, no longer dreaming of becoming Military Governor of Hedong, and expressed his willingness to come to Shi Jingtang's side and take up the post of Chief Commander of the Imperial Guard Cavalry and Infantry.

At the same time, Yang Guangyuan, who commanded a large army and had been half-hearted in resisting Fan Yanguang, now personally directed the assault on Weizhou, and in his memorial to Shi Jingtang, his language had at last become respectful.

After the clamor in the palace died down, Shi Jingtang summoned no one else, calling only Sang Weihan, together with his adopted son Shi Chonggui — just the three of them — and in the imperial study, he began to sigh with emotion.

At the most stirring moment, Shi Jingtang rose and bowed deeply to Sang Weihan, saying with great feeling,

"Were it not for Guoqiao, I would have died at the hands of Wang Congke, or at the hands of Fan Yanguang!"

Sang Weihan was likewise deeply moved. He prostrated himself on the floor, tears streaming down, and only at this moment did Sang Weihan truly feel that the head on his neck was secure.

When he wept, Shi Chonggui — who had suffered no small amount of fright along the way and could now be said to be Shi Jingtang's only son — also began to sob.

It was, in truth, a piece of black humor: the great traitors of the ages, Shi Jingtang and Sang Weihan, had begun their whole series of shameless maneuvers merely to save their own lives.

Once the three of them had composed themselves somewhat, Shi Jingtang took out the joint memorial from An Shenqi and Kang Fu and asked Sang Weihan for his opinion.

In Shi Jingtang's thinking, he had already accepted the Military Governor of Hexi while holding his nose; now to add Military Governor of Longyou on top of it — that he absolutely did not want to confer.

Besides, the moment this Zhang Zhao entered Guanzhong he began winning hearts and minds; his ambitions were clearly not small.

But Sang Weihan was evidently more pragmatic than Shi Jingtang. After pondering a moment, he said,

"According to Grand Commandant Kang, this Zhang Zhao has already won the hearts of all the Wenmo and Qiang peoples of Hexi and Longyou. Whether or not we confer the Military Governor of Longyou, Hexi and Longyou will sooner or later fall into his hands.

What we would be giving out is nothing but an empty title. There is no need to provoke Zhang Zhao's displeasure. If he flew into a rage and began harassing Guanzhong right now, the loss would outweigh the gain.

What is more, the situation in Hexi and Longyou is complicated. For Zhang Zhao to fully control those two regions, it will certainly take no less than eight or ten years to take effect.

In other words, generously conferring the Military Governor of Longyou on him could, on the contrary, buy us ten years of peace."

"And after ten years, what then?" Shi Chonggui asked softly. He was already beginning to ease into the role of crown prince, because Shi Jingtang had no surviving heirs.

Although it was said that a beauty in the rear palace was pregnant, it was not necessarily a boy! And even if it were a boy, in the current situation, unless he lived to the age of thirty, how could he preside over the court and keep those arrogant soldiers and fierce generals in check?

So Shi Chonggui was practically Shi Jingtang's only choice. Not only did Shi Chonggui think so; Shi Jingtang thought so too.

Sang Weihan glanced at Shi Jingtang, and Shi Jingtang answered with a bitter smile. The two understood each other's meaning perfectly.

Ten years from now? Whether Shi Jingtang would even still be around in ten years was unknown. In this situation where one player leaves the stage and another takes it, who could possibly think about matters ten years down the road?

Therefore, Sang Weihan clasped his hands toward Shi Chonggui and said, "Does the Grand Guardian think that ten years hence, the state, with the vast territory and abundant resources of the Central Plains, will still be unable to suppress a single region of Hexi?"

Shi Chonggui was satisfied. He nodded, finding this very reasonable. How many people did Hexi have, anyway? And it was poor. By then the Great Jin would have been founded for twelve years, with a hundred thousand whetted swords — why fear one region of Hexi?

"However," Sang Weihan continued, addressing Shi Jingtang, "the title of Prince of Dunhuang Commandery absolutely must not be granted to Zhang Zhao. That would be concealing malicious intent!"

"Why is that?" Shi Jingtang did not quite understand. The Military Governor of Longyou had already been given; what was wrong with giving an empty commandery-prince title like Prince of Dunhuang Commandery?

Sang Weihan's face was cold as he said, word by word, "Because the first title held by Emperor Taizong Wen of the former Tang was Duke of Dunhuang Commandery."

When Shi Jingtang heard this, his nose nearly bent out of shape with rage. Zhang Zhao might as well have openly declared: I have my eyes on your throne.

"That brat! Does he take me for Emperor Yang of Sui?"

However, seeing Shi Jingtang thoroughly enraged, Sang Weihan hurried to cool things down, lest Shi Jingtang's temper flare and he refuse to grant the Military Governor of Longyou — in which case Guanzhong could forget about ever having a moment's peace.

"Calm your anger, Sage. The Zhang family has long been in Dunhuang; perhaps requesting the title of Prince of Dunhuang Commandery was simply a request based on his native place, with no other intent behind it.

But the title of Prince of Dunhuang Commandery should still not be granted. I note that since the seat of the Military Governor of Hexi is in Liangzhou, it would be better to change the title to Prince of Wuwei Commandery!"

Shi Jingtang nodded slowly. "That will do." Then he turned to Shi Chonggui.

"I have heard that the six hundred elite cavalry of the Hexi Army are incomparably brave, and that their commander is a valiant general in a white robe, known in the army as 'Xue in the White Robe,' rumored to be a match for ten thousand men. Go at once and investigate him, and report back soon!"

After Shi Chonggui received the order and departed, Sang Weihan walked with Shi Jingtang before the hall. Once he saw that the anger had faded from Shi Jingtang's face, he said softly,

"This Zhang Zhao has considerable ambition. He actually wants his adopted son to seek the hand of Princess Yongle in marriage. I submit that this cannot be allowed!"

At this, Shi Jingtang's face darkened further. His father-in-law Li Siyuan was simply too prolific!

At sixty-five he had begotten Prince Xu, Li Congyi, and in the year before his death, at sixty-six, he had still produced his youngest daughter, Princess Yong'an.

The fifteenth daughter, Princess Yongle, was not quite that young, but she had been born when Li Siyuan was fifty-four — nearly thirty years younger than Shi Jingtang.

If Zhang Zhao's adopted son married Yongle, then, damn it all, by the reckoning of seniority, Shi Jingtang would actually have to call Zhang Zhao "uncle"!

But Shi Jingtang shook his head, disagreeing with Sang Weihan's opinion.

"Yongle has been close to the Empress since childhood; she is almost like my own daughter! As things stand, her position is awkward, and it is not easy to find her a suitable match. If this Murong Xinzhang is truly as valiant as the rumors say, then letting him marry the Princess is acceptable!"

"Since the Sage is so inclined, then it is easily arranged!" Sang Weihan pretended that a thought had suddenly struck him from another angle.

"I have heard those six hundred Hexi cavalry are extraordinarily brave. When Grand Tutor An marched east from Tong Pass, he relied heavily on them to screen the main army, and at the Sishui Pass they even had the courage to cut down a general amid ten thousand troops!

Why does the Sage not lure their leader Murong Xinzhang with the offer of an imperial princess, then lavish rewards on all his officers and men, keeping them in the Eastern Capital as the personal army to guard the Sage's safety?

This Hexi army has no ties to any other military province, and its leader would be the Sage's brother-in-law — surely more reliable than anyone else!"

When Shi Jingtang heard this, he thought it truly made sense! Keep these six hundred cavalry, take Murong Xinzhang as a brother-in-law, bestow generous rewards, and have them stay directly in the Eastern Capital — then would he not have an elite cavalry force of his own under his command!

"Guoqiao, you are truly my Zifang!"

In the eleventh month, just after Zhang Zhao had finished relocating the various Tangut tribes of Huizhou to Lanzhou, the Later Jin court's imperial envoy arrived.

The court enfeoffed Zhang Zhao as Prince of Wuwei Commandery, Acting Grand Marshal, Chief Minister, and Grand Military Governor of Hexi and Longyou.

Among these titles, the addition of Chief Minister was, in the Five Dynasties, the treatment of a chancellor.

The implication was that Zhang Zhao was permitted to open his own headquarters and appoint officials on his own, merely reporting to the court for approval.

When An Shenqi reached Chang'an, he had been given the office of Chief Minister, which was why he could mobilize the Xiongwu and Zhenguo Armies, which did not belong to the Military Governor of Jinchang.

When Zhang Zhao, then in Lanzhou, heard this news, he immediately prepared to return to Liangzhou.

For this was only the advance envoy; the envoy carrying the actual investiture, along with the full regalia of a commandery prince — the Military Governor's banner of authority, the great standard, the yamen gate flags, and the rest — was still behind.

So Zhang Zhao simply appointed Jia Yanchang, the great-uncle of Wang Tongxin, as Administrative Adjutant of Hexi and Longyou, Prefect of Lanzhou, concurrently serving as Militia and Defense Commissioner to hold Lanzhou.

He then appointed Ma Shacai to transfer to the post of Prefect of Huizhou and Defense Commissioner of Huizhou, and Wang Tinghan of the Jincheng Wang clan as Chief Clerk of Huizhou and concurrently Commissioner of Military Farms — one civil and one military to hold Huizhou — while he himself led the main army back to Liangzhou.

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