Chapter 383: Almost Forgot About the Zhe Family

Beneath the walls of Yinzhou, battle cries shook the heavens!

Dozens of whirlwind catapults hurled stones ceaselessly at Yinzhou's west gate.

The moat, built with water from the Wuding River, had been breached in more than ten places, and the moat water was gushing out with a loud rush.

Contrasting with the battle cries below the walls was the awkward, somewhat fearful expression on Li Yimin's face.

He had sworn confidently to Zhang Zhao that he could certainly persuade Li Yijing, the Defense Commissioner guarding Yinzhou, to come out of the city and surrender.

But as it turned out, the envoy Li Yimin sent into the city was dragged up onto the wall by Li Yijing and beheaded with one stroke, and Li Yimin was cursed until he could not lift his head.

Unlike Li Yimin's awkwardness and fear, Zhang Zhao was entirely indifferent to this.

If Li Yijing refused to surrender, then Zhang Zhao would feel even less burdened about slaughtering his whole family.

Yinzhou was not a terrifying stronghold like Xiazhou; it would not be so hard to take.

After filling in the trenches and breaching the moat, the Guiyi Army attacked from three sides.

The catapults pounded the west gate, the Fenjin Capital troops blasted the southern wall, and two thousand mining slaves together with one thousand men from the newly joined Ding Shenqi's force assaulted the east gate fiercely.

Zhang Zhao himself led one thousand light cavalry and one thousand horse archers in ambush on the hillside outside the north gate.

Sure enough, after three days of fierce assault from three sides, several hundred Yinzhou troops slipped out of the city, hoping to escape through the north gate.

They ran straight into Zhang Zhao's ambush. After more than three hundred were killed or wounded, the rest were driven to the banks of the Wuding River and had no choice but to surrender.

On the fifth day, the catapults smashed an enormous hole in Yinzhou's west gate, and the Fenjin Capital troops also blasted open a section of the southern wall.

Zhang Zhao drove the surrendered Tangut as the vanguard and stormed into Yinzhou from three sides at once.

At the Yinzhou government office, Defense Commissioner Li Yijing and his entire family did not wait for Zhang Zhao to act — he set a fire himself and burned his whole family to death inside the office.

Still, Zhang Zhao was not entirely at ease. The army entered the city and identified people one by one, guarding carefully against any member of Li Yijing's household escaping.

Only when the search confirmed that Li Yijing and his three sons had all perished in the flames did Zhang Zhao feel reassured.

But this great search also brought an unexpected gain: Zhang Zhao uncovered a great Han family of Yinzhou, the Zhang family.

If Zhang Zhao remembered correctly, the Zhang Pu who later assisted Li Jiqian in driving off the Song armies and then assisted Li Deming in initially establishing the Western Xia should have been a descendant of this Zhang family.

However, the matter was a bit awkward: at this time, the Zhang family was still far from the prosperity it would attain decades later.

Although they controlled large tracts of land in Yinzhou, in reality their family was the white-glove front for a great Tangut clan that did not know much about farming.

The land appeared to belong to the Zhang family, but in truth it belonged to Li Yijing and a group of high Yinzhou officials; the Zhang family were merely the organizers of production.

Moreover, they held no military power and no political authority. All they could mobilize were the farming households under them who were skilled at agriculture — the very picture of harmlessness.

This put Zhang Zhao in a difficult spot. Historically, Zhang Pu was indeed a wretch, but Zhang Zhao could hardly conjure an enemy out of thin air and condemn people now for things that would happen decades later.

At this time, the head of the Yinzhou Zhang family was an old man named Zhang Duan, tall and slender, who looked as though he had trained some in spear, staff, bow, and arrow, but who gave off even more of a scholarly air.

He was overjoyed at Zhang Zhao's arrival — and how could he not be? The more than one hundred thousand mu of land in Yinzhou had basically all been managed by the Zhang family on behalf of the Tangut.

Now that the Tangut were gone, even if the family could obtain only three-tenths of that farmland, it would be enough for the Zhang family to eat and drink their fill.

"Your servant has heard that the Great King's family and lineage originated from Nanyang Commandery?"

At this moment, Zhang Duan naturally had no idea that Zhang Zhao was inwardly considering whether to kill his whole family; he assumed Zhang Zhao was thinking about other matters.

But after kneeling on the ground for a long while without hearing Zhang Zhao speak, his knees truly began to ache, and he could only ask in a low voice.

Hearing this, Zhang Zhao waved for Zhang Duan to rise. "Correct. My family and lineage come from the Nanyang Zhang clan of Nanyang Commandery. After arriving in Hexi, my grandfather established a separate branch called the Dragon-Tongue Zhang clan."

"That is wonderful news indeed! Our Nanyang Zhang clan first established its commandery prominence in the Taihe era of Emperor Ming of Wei. Seven hundred years have passed since then, and at last it has produced a heaven-blessed heroic lord such as the Great King. This brings me boundless joy!"

Zhang Zhao sighed deeply. So it had come to this — currying favor through claimed kinship?

"From your words, you too are a descendant of the Nanyang Zhang clan? The Son of Heaven reigns at present; words like 'heaven-blessed heroic lord' must not be spoken again."

"The Great King's instruction is correct!" Zhang Duan said hurriedly, then knelt again and produced a book from his waist.

It would still be decades before Bi Sheng invented movable-type printing, so books were almost all copied by hand and were extremely precious.

"In the second year of Kaiyuan, my ancestor served as County Magistrate of Rulin County in Yinchuan Commandery, and it was then that our family first moved here from Nanyang. The family genealogy proves it!"

Zhang Zhao opened it and looked. It really was a move from Nanyang in the second year of Kaiyuan.

However, although this Nanyang Zhang clan was as well known as the Qinghe Zhang clan, the commandery prominence was actually false.

It had been fabricated during the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties by Zhang families of humble origin with some standing, to raise their own status.

At that time, many famous Zhang figures of humble origin would claim descent from the Nanyang Zhang clan. To put it bluntly, it was a bargain-bin commandery prominence created by a group of talented Zhang men of humble birth.

As long as you had talent and rose to high office in troubled times, you could call yourself a member of the Nanyang Zhang clan. Those who had already gained the Nanyang Zhang commandery prominence would not expose you; instead, they would pull you in, and everyone would acknowledge one another.

Zhang Duan naturally knew this too. His Nanyang Zhang clan and Zhang Zhao's Nanyang Zhang clan could not possibly be the same family.

Apart from the possibility that their ancestors several thousand years ago had been one person, there was no other kinship between them.

He was nervous as well, unsure whether Zhang Zhao would acknowledge him.

His thoughts turning over countless times, Zhang Zhao considered the matter carefully. His siege of Xiazhou would not be completed in one or two months.

This Zhang Duan's Yinzhou Zhang family were local powerbrokers, controlling more than a thousand farming households, and would make an excellent source of logistics support. He would let them off for now.

"Indeed a worthy talent of the same clan. Rise." Zhang Zhao closed Zhang Duan's genealogy and said softly.

Zhang Duan was overjoyed, his mouth stretching nearly to his ears. He accepted the genealogy and bowed respectfully to Zhang Zhao.

"I report to the Great King: Yinzhou has 133,420 mu of land, of which more than 40,000 mu is top-grade, more than 70,000 mu is middle-grade, and 20,000 mu is low-grade. Originally all of it was the property of the Tangut Li family. Now that the Great King has taken Yinzhou, it should belong to the Great King."

Zhang Zhao chuckled and gave Zhang Duan a deeply meaningful look.

"Yinzhou is indeed prosperous. But there is no rush to tally the fields. Elder Duan may return first and make a more careful count.

As for gathering provisions, I will also need Elder Duan to devote himself to that. If it is done well, official posts and landed property will naturally be bestowed."

Clever as Zhang Duan was, he was still only a white-glove front for men like Li Yijing. Now, under Zhang Zhao's gaze, he felt a terrifying pressure bearing down on his head, and the little scheme he had harbored of concealing tens of thousands of mu of land vanished without a trace.

"Your servant understands. Within three days I will submit the field count and the grain that Yinzhou can supply for the army."

After watching Zhang Duan leave, Zhang Zhao waved for Fan Shun to come in.

"Take two thousand troops and garrison Yinzhou. Serve as Defense Commissioner of Yinzhou. Make the city comfortable, stockpile plenty of wine and meat. The winter siege will be harsh, and I intend to rotate the troops through Yinzhou in batches to rest and recover.

That Zhang Duan will come again in three days. If the fields number less than 150,000 mu and the grain less than 30,000 shi, muster your troops, kill his whole family, and find someone capable to replace him."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Fan Shun knew the importance of Yinzhou. With such a logistics base and a comfortable city, they could give the army besieging the city in the ice and snow a glimmer of hope, letting them quench their thirst by gazing at plums, and making it easier to endure the winter.

"Several dozen li north of Yinzhou, there is a small city called Kaiguang." After giving Fan Shun his orders, Zhang Zhao summoned Luo Yu'er over.

"I missed one household in my calculations the other day. North of Kaiguang, the Tangut Zhe family has lived for generations in the Linzhou and Fuzhou area.

Though the population under the Zhe family's rule is less than a hundred thousand, their lineage stretches back several hundred years, and they are the local powerholders. The stout lads of Linzhou and Fuzhou are also quite skilled in war.

After you go, defend Kaiguang on one hand, and on the other send someone with my personal letter to see Zhe Congyuan, Military Governor of the Yong'an Army and Prefect of Fuzhou."

At this point, Zhang Zhao thought it over again and again. "Best if you go yourself, and explain to Zhe Congyuan that this campaign of mine is only a personal grudge with Li Yiyin and the Dingnan Army, and involves no one else."

After Luo Yu'er left, Zhang Zhao was secretly alarmed. People of this time cared greatly about face. Of the four Military Governors around the Dingnan Army, he had sent envoys with gifts to explain himself to the Zhangwu Army of Yanzhou, the Baoda Army of Fuzhou, and Liu Zhiyuan of Hedong — only the Zhe family of the Yong'an Army in Fuzhou had been forgotten.

Would this not be seen as looking down on the Zhe family? If Zhe Congyuan were persuaded by Li Yiyin or Shi Jingtang to lead troops to the rescue, that would also be trouble.

A man's name, a tree's shadow — in later ages the Zhe family army awed the northwest and served as the Central Plains' protective screen for several hundred years. Not only loyal and righteous, their fighting strength was formidable. A battle with them would truly not be worth it.

This Zhe family, historically, withstood the repeated attacks of the Western Xia and the Khitan, and remained loyal even after the Northern Song fell. They were exactly the sort Zhang Zhao wanted to recruit! Fortunately, there was still time.

However, this was also Zhang Zhao overthinking it, because the Zhe family at this moment was facing its most serious danger.

That is, of the two prefectures of Linzhou and Fuzhou where the Zhe family dwelt, Fuzhou was also among the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan-Yun.

The Zhe family had been the northwest's protective screen for several hundred years and had long since sinicized. In their hearts they identified as Han Chinese, and naturally had no wish to become Khitan.

And after Yelu Deguang stabilized the situation in Yanzhou, he had been using both soft and hard tactics, wanting to take the Zhe family.

Zhe Congyuan, leading the soldiers and civilians of Fuzhou, had in fact been resisting the Khitan for several years now. It was only that Fuzhou was remote, and Zhe Congyuan was no great figure, so it had not drawn anyone's attention. Shi Jingtang did not even know that the Fuzhou he had ceded away was still resisting.

Historically, Fuzhou was the only one of the ceded Sixteen Prefectures of Yan-Yun that the Khitan never got their hands on. The loyalty and heroism of the Zhe family can be seen from this.

Just as Luo Yu'er left, Ding Shenqi came in. With a slight bow, the fellow plopped himself down on a folding stool with great swagger.

"I am old, not like the Great King in the prime of youth. I cannot endure the hardship of standing. I beg the Great King not to take offense!"

Zhang Zhao chuckled, the smile on his face extremely radiant, and his words showed not the slightest displeasure at Ding Shenqi's posturing.

"Lord Ding and I are both Military Governors of the court. You are my elder in years, and should be treated as my senior. Why stand on ceremony!"

When Ding Shenqi heard Zhang Zhao speak this way, he was immediately overjoyed, and felt all the more that this Zhang of Hexi had only achieved his accomplishments by relying on the support of family elders and the shelter of his ancestors' legacy.

Still, at least he knew to respect an elder like himself. That was not bad.

Guo Tiance, watching from a distance, saw the smile on Zhang Zhao's face and heard his warm words, and could not help but break out in a cold sweat down his back.

As Great King Zhang's personal attendant, he knew this king's temper better than anyone.

He seemed magnanimous, but that magnanimity was only for people of ability and character.

For someone like Ding Shenqi, there was probably not that much magnanimity.

Just looking at this moment's "benevolent" smile and words, his heart was surely already furious. This Ding Shenqi probably would not live to become Prefect of Suizhou.

While he was grumbling inwardly, the conversation over there had already concluded. Ding Shenqi swaggered off, grinning as he cupped his hands to Zhang Zhao.

"Since the King of Han says so, then I shall heed the Great King for now. As long as the Great King takes Xiazhou quickly and does not delay my attack on Suizhou, that will do."

"Certainly! Certainly! Rest assured, Lord Ding!" Zhang Zhao grew ever more respectful, assuring him repeatedly.

And not only was he respectful to Ding Shenqi — after Ding Shenqi left, Zhang Zhao looked at Guo Tiance with a beaming smile as well.

"Tiance, what do you think I should do about this Ding Shenqi?"

Guo Tiance, frightened by Zhang Zhao's smiling face until his throat went dry, hurriedly said: "Ding Shenqi has an army officer under his command named He Xingzheng.

This man has ties with the Tangut Si family of Yanzhou, and has even married a daughter of the Si family. We hold his leverage and his wife and children in our hands. We can order He Xingzheng to feign a falling-out with Ding Shenqi and kill him in a mutiny!"

"That idea..." Zhang Zhao rubbed his chin and thought for a moment.

"Won't do. In the Guiyi Army, such a thing as a subordinate overthrowing his superior must never occur, much less at our instigation. Man Xiong, come in."

Man Xiong heard Zhang Zhao call him and came stomping in, thud-thud-thud.

"In ten days, I will have Ding Shenqi lead troops to attack Funing County, also in Suizhou. Tiance, have He Xingzheng kill Ding Shenqi with a stray arrow during the siege. Do not make it public."

As he spoke, Zhang Zhao patted Man Xiong.

"After He Xingzheng kills Ding Shenqi, find an opportunity to clash with He Xingzheng, and then 'accidentally' beat him to death. Once it's done, I'll send you off to Yan Jin's place. You may have to endure a few months of hardship."

Man Xiong grinned. "What hardship is there in that? Going to Yan Chengjie's place, without the Great King's discipline, I, Man Xiong, can drink and eat meat to my heart's content. I couldn't be happier!"

"You bastard!" Zhang Zhao curled his lip in disgust.

"What do you know besides wine and meat? You can't even be a proper official. You don't know to win your son a start in life, to leave him some family property."

Man Xiong had married after returning from the east, and his son was now almost two. Hearing Zhang Zhao mention his son, the simple fellow's face finally showed a tender expression, but then he chuckled.

"Leave him jack! I'll teach him some spear and staff, fists and kicks, and when he's fourteen, I'll have him come serve the Great King as a guard too."

"You've thought it through quite thoroughly!"

Zhang Zhao was stunned for a long while, not knowing whether to call Man Xiong simple or shrewd. (To be continued)

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