Chapter 380: The Ultimate Con Artist

I, Commander Ding, have had it hard!

He was a man of Mingzhou — in later times, Yongnian County in Hebei.

In his early years he followed the Lulong Military Governor Zhao Dejun, and with great difficulty climbed to the high post of Military Governor of Xingzhou.

But right after that, Zhao Dejun lost out in his contest with Shi Jingtang over who was more shameless.

Afterward, Zhao Dejun and his son Zhao Yanshou went over to the Khitan, but Ding Shenqi was unwilling to follow, so he stayed behind.

Yet once Shi Jingtang entered the Eastern Capital at Kaifeng and got his footing, he stripped this Military Governor of Xingzhou, who had lost his backing, of his post.

At that time, however, Ding Shenqi still had two or three hundred armored soldiers under him, and he still enjoyed some prestige within the Anguo Army of Xingzhou.

Fearing that he might stir up trouble, Shi Jingtang transferred Ding Shenqi to the Eastern Capital, where for a time he served as Right Yulin Army Commander.

In this Later Jin dynasty, there was no Yulin Army at all; the so-called Right Yulin Army Commander was nothing but an empty post with a bit of salary attached.

Unwilling to accept this, Ding Shenqi went and clung to Shi Chonggui's coattails, and on Shi Chonggui's recommendation, Ding Shenqi — who was not of the three Dai-bei tribes — landed himself another post as a provincial commander.

Which is this godforsaken post he now holds: Military Governor of the Zhangwu Army of Yanzhou.

If we're talking hardship, Gao Yunquan has had it hard too. The Gao family had produced military merit for generations, and his uncle was none other than the grand Prince of Beiping, who held two military governorships at once and whose power dominated the northwest.

In their glory days, even the Li family of the Dingnan Army had to present horses to the Gao family — otherwise they could forget about selling horses in the Central Plains.

But ever since his uncle Gao Wanxing died and his cousin Gao Yuntao was transferred to Xingzhou, the Gao family had inevitably declined, and the Zhangwu Army, which the Gaos had controlled for decades, no longer answered to them.

A great local clan like the Gaos, having lost its military authority, was in an awkward position in times like these.

Because without military power, it was very hard to guarantee the safety of the family's property. So when Liu Jingyan extended an olive branch, the Gao family had no choice but to take it.

But the moment they took it, they were lashed to Liu Jingyan's and the Zhangwu Army's war chariot.

By now, Yanzhou city had been battered to pieces, and the autumn harvest was nearly ruined.

If the autumn grain could not be brought in, there would be no autumn tax, so the Zhangwu Army's supplies had to come from the Gao family — and when Ding Shenqi's private soldiers went plundering, it was mostly Gao family property they looted.

Losing on both fronts, inside and out, Gao Yunquan's heart was bleeding. He wished Ding Shenqi and the Zhangwu Army would both just vanish.

Cao Yanjing's eyes rolled twice. Back when Zhang Zhao returned east, he had been the one who reacted most violently.

That was only natural, because he was Cao Yuande's son, and he had a claim to the post of Guiyi Army Military Governor.

Historically, he had succeeded Cao Yuanshen as Guiyi Army Military Governor, the fifth Military Governor of the Cao-family Guiyi Army.

But now, he was more loyal to Zhang Zhao than even his cousins Cao Yanlu and Cao Yanming.

This was even more natural, because under Zhang Zhao's leadership, the Guiyi Army had accomplished a great undertaking that even Zhang Yichao had not completed.

The Guiyi Army was no longer that little runt with only the two prefectures of Gua and Sha, but a giant spanning several thousand li, holding nineteen prefectures and a population of three million.

And soon, it would also gain the three prefectures of Ling, Jing, and Yan from the Lingwu Military Governor.

The two prefectures of Qing and Wei from the Qingzhou Tangut.

And the four prefectures of Yin, Xia, You, and Sui from the Dingnan Army.

Nine new prefectures in all, with nearly a million people.

That would make twenty-eight prefectures! A domain so vast was something Cao Yanjing had never before dared imagine.

Rather than wait who knew how many years for his turn at a stifling post that was called Guiyi Army Military Governor but was in reality only Prefect of Shazhou (Guazhou belonged to the Murong family), it was better to cling to a powerful patron now.

At Zhang Zhao's speed of development, if he could show a certain ability, would the prefectship of any major prefecture not be his for the taking?

Besides, Zhang Zhao was not only his cousin's husband and his cousin's husband, but also his uncle.

Cao Yanjing's grandmother was Zhang Yichao's granddaughter, so both he and Zhang Zhao carried Zhang Yichao's blood in their veins. Of course Cao Yanjing was willing to give his life for Zhang Zhao.

Thinking of all this, Cao Yanjing suddenly realized: weren't this Military Governor of the Zhangwu Army of Yanzhou, Ding Shenqi, and the Gao family exactly his stepping stone to advancement?

"Ahem!" Cao Yanjing coughed twice, cutting off the battle of glances between Ding Shenqi and Gao Yunquan.

"When I came from Changze City, the King of Han ordered me to bring fifty jin of Hexi rock sugar, eighty jin of white sugar, two hundred jin of Hexi refined iron, and ten fine horses, as gifts for... er."

As Cao Yanjing spoke, he paused deliberately. Both Ding and Gao understood: the gifts were for whoever could have the final say in Yanzhou — but right now, neither of them was that person.

"You are both heroes, so I will not beat around the bush. His Highness the King of Han, at the invitation of Grand Marshal Zhang of Lingwu, drove out the Li family of the Dingnan Army, who had seized Yanzhou.

But who could have expected that Li Yiyin would be so reckless as to raise forty thousand men to resist the imperial troops? Our Guiyi Army's hundred thousand soldiers had no choice but to defeat him.

The King of Han observed that Li Yiyin is no proper subject, and wished to choose a loyal minister from within the Dingnan Army to set up in his place — but he feared the Son of Heaven in the Eastern Capital might misunderstand.

Therefore he ordered me to bring these modest gifts, so that Commander Ding or Young Lord Gao might submit a memorial to the Son of Heaven and explain the matter."

The moment Cao Yanjing finished speaking, Ding and Gao — both shrewd men — naturally understood.

But this envoy from the Guiyi Army was truly shameless. It was plainly the Guiyi Army that coveted the Dingnan Army's territory, seized their land, and defeated Li Yiyin's forty thousand troops — yet now they made it sound as if they had come to uphold justice.

But it didn't matter. In this age, whether one was a loyal minister or a treacherous one was unimportant.

Strength — the strength to easily defeat the Dingnan Army's forty thousand soldiers — that was what mattered most. If your fist was big enough, whatever you did was right.

And Ding Shenqi and Gao Yunquan now understood the purpose of Zhang Zhao's envoy. That Hexi rock sugar, refined iron, and fine horses would not be so easy to take.

If they took the King of Han's goods, then should the Son of Heaven ever order troops out on a punitive campaign, they would have to do one or the other: either disobey orders, or drag their feet and stall for time.

But at the same time, if there were someone in Yanzhou right now who could speak with authority, Zhang Zhao's goods would surely satisfy him.

Unfortunately, Yanzhou at this moment was still stuck in this bizarre state of affairs.

Precious as the rock sugar, refined iron, and fine horses were, none of them were what Ding Shenqi or Gao Yunquan wanted.

So Cao Yanjing — who possessed rich experience in internal power struggles, had been groomed from childhood to be a Military Governor, and had seen Zhang Zhao's methods and breadth of vision — now thought of a brilliant, and at the same time wildly imaginative, idea.

"Would the two of you be willing to dismiss your attendants? I have a few words that may be presumptuous for such slight acquaintance, but I truly cannot hold them in!"

Ding and Gao exchanged a first, puzzled glance, then after a moment's thought, nodded almost simultaneously.

Before long, only three people remained in the room: Cao Yanjing, Ding Shenqi, and Gao Yunquan.

"Given the situation you two are in now, if I may be blunt, it cannot last.

The court is only turning a blind eye now because it is focused on dealing with the rebels in Zhenzhou and the Western Shannan Circuit. Once it has a free hand, it will certainly not permit this."

Cao Yanjing first laid out the current situation. Ding Shenqi and Gao Yunquan of course understood it too, and the two quickly nodded in agreement.

To say nothing else, this business of a provincial commander and his yabing guards attacking each other — though not rare — was still a serious taboo.

Yanzhou was not a mighty strategic town like Hedong that the court could do nothing about. If something like this happened, the court would sooner or later intervene.

"Military Governor Ding was appointed by the court and is the rightful governor of the Zhangwu Army. If the court intervenes, Young Lord Gao will certainly be in the wrong. At best he will lose his wealth to avoid disaster; at worst he will be punished by the court."

Ding Shenqi nodded approvingly at these words. Gao Yunquan wanted to retort, but before he could speak, Cao Yanjing continued.

"But Young Lord Gao is of a powerful local family, and the Prince of Beiping was a hero of his generation. The descendants of the young lord's elder brother, Gao Gongyuntao, are all still in the Eastern Capital. If he is willing to spend money, Military Governor Ding may not necessarily win!"

Now it was Gao Yunquan's turn to stroke his beard and praise the words, while Ding Shenqi's face clouded over.

And Cao Yanjing had hit the mark. Historically, Gao Yunquan had indeed spent a great sum to open a path through the court's connections.

Three years later, Shi Jingtang sent the Defense Commissioner of Caozhou, He Chongjian, with the troops of Fuzhou and Tongzhou to wipe out Ding Shenqi's thousand-odd private soldiers, and Ding Shenqi died on the spot.

At the same time, the Gao Yunquan family fared no better. They spent a great sum, yet the military governorship was still seized by He Chongjian on the strength of the moment, and afterward they were extorted for another large amount.

One side was destroyed, the other bled white — it could be called mutual ruin.

"You two should understand that in such matters, once the court takes a hand, I fear no one will come out well.

Whether the Bao Da Army of Fuzhou comes, or the Kuang Guo Army of Tongzhou, or the court's own troops, at best you will lose all your goods and wealth, at worst your lives. I would not advise either of you to choose that path!"

Gao Yunquan was a local man whose family had great interests here, so he was far less carefree than Ding Shenqi. He frowned and thought for a long while, then cupped his hands.

"Since you, sir, have had me dismiss my attendants and clearly understand the court's power, you must have a good plan. Please do not begrudge your instruction."

Cao Yanjing slowly nodded, then said unhurriedly, "If it is a solution you want, there is one. I have heard that Military Governor Ding's finances are exhausted. To obtain the Zhangwu Army post away from the capital, he already emptied his family wealth to bribe the Prince of Zheng.

Once he arrived in Yanzhou, he raised private troops and spent money like water. Even if the court did not punish the governor for the crime of keeping personal troops without authorization, he can hardly afford to keep them much longer.

His Highness the Prince of Han in Hexi is renowned for his trustworthiness. Now that he is leading a great army against Xiazhou, he is in need of men. The governor might as well come with me to see the Prince of Han and offer his thousand-odd brave warriors to his command.

When Li Yiyin is beheaded, would it not be a simple matter for the Prince of Han to grant the governor a prefecture of land so that he has a place to feed himself?

Even if the governor does not wish to remain here, he may take ten thousand strings of cash and goods and return home. That too is possible."

Ding Shenqi's expression turned somewhat ugly. Zhang Zhao was more than ten years his junior. When he, Ding Shenqi, had been military governor of a province, Zhang Zhao had not even returned from the east yet — he had been a nobody.

But when he thought over his present situation, he was somewhat moved.

The thousand-odd private soldiers under his command were the foundation of his survival, yet without money and goods to support them, they could at any moment turn into ingrates who would take his life.

Moreover, he had allowed his private soldiers to plunder in all directions, and the people of Yanzhou hated him deeply. Continuing as military governor was no longer possible.

This Prince of Han in Hexi was young, but he already held nineteen prefectures across Hexi and Longyou. A military governor like that was far beyond comparison with one like himself, who held only a prefecture or two.

After thinking for a while, Ding Shenqi — a man whose poverty had shrunk his ambitions — prepared to set aside the dignity of a military governor and preserve his life first. Otherwise, without silver to support the desperadoes under him, he might well be cut down by them with a single stroke.

"If I could have the Prince of Han's assent, even just a word or a fragment, I would be willing to try!"

This was the effect of the prestige Zhang Zhao had accumulated in Guanzhong and in the return of the eighteen prefectures to the nation.

Ding Shenqi was unwilling only because he could not quite set aside his pride and felt embarrassed. He never once considered that Zhang Zhao might go back on his word or swallow him whole.

The character of this Great King Zhang was still very reliable, very firm.

"Then perhaps Military Governor Ding should select one or two trusted men and have them go at once with my messenger to Changze City to meet His Highness the Prince of Han. That way the governor can rest assured."

Cao Yanjing said after a moment's thought. Ding Shenqi considered for another while, then cupped his hands toward Cao Yanjing.

"Then I ask Young Lord Cao to wait a moment." With that, Ding Shenqi hurried out.

Seeing Ding Shenqi leave, Cao Yanjing turned to Gao Yunquan. The Gao family's greatest problem now was that they held no military power.

The Zhangwu Army now appeared to obey Gao Yunquan, but in truth it was no different from Ding Shenqi's private soldiers — it was merely using this dispute to suck the Gao family's blood for all it was worth.

"I observe that what troubles the young lord is not Military Governor Ding, but certain yabing guards and yabing officers of the Zhangwu Army who have already set covetous eyes on the young lord's family wealth.

If the Zhangwu Army truly obeyed the young lord, Military Governor Ding's thousand-odd men would have been driven out of Yanzhou City long ago."

Cao Yanjing's few words left Gao Yunquan drenched in cold sweat, because Cao Yanjing was not wrong.

Gao Yunquan had sensed it too: certain men in the Zhangwu Army were using this affair to make designs on the Gao family estate.

Otherwise, the Zhangwu Army had nine thousand troops, including more than a thousand elite armored soldiers. If they truly meant to fight Ding Shenqi to the death, two Ding Shenqis would have been driven out already.

"The poison has entered the marrow — what can be done?" At this point, Gao Yunquan grew hesitant and veiled, for if word got out, his Gao family would be in trouble.

"The Prince of Han has a Hexi treasured blade that can help you scrape the bone and heal the wound!"

Cao Yanjing narrowed his eyes. The Gao family was right here in Yanzhou, and who knew how much grain they had stored in their granaries.

Even if they only bought it, it could serve as a supply base for the Guiyi Army's siege of Xiazhou. It was worth sending troops to help them break the Zhangwu Army's hold over them.

And there was no need to settle everything — only some of the yabing officers and guards. Zhang Zhao would certainly agree.

At Cao Yanjing's words, Gao Yunquan's spirit jolted. If he could borrow the Guiyi Army's armored soldiers to deal with certain men in the Zhangwu Army, he, Gao Yunquan, could ride the momentum and seize control of the Zhangwu Army.

Then, with Ding Shenqi gone and the Zhangwu Army under his control, the Gao family would once again become the local emperors of Yanzhou.

"If I can obtain the aid of Hexi's elite troops, then I, Gao Sanlang, will from this day follow His Highness the Prince of Han as my leader. My family has ample grain and fodder, and is willing to supply the great army in its campaign to pacify Xiazhou." (To be continued.)

Related