Chapter 407: The Zhe Family and the Yang Family

Shilong Gully — it sounds like a gully, but it is actually a fairly large river, part of what later generations would call the Ulan Mulun River.

Shilong Gully rises in the Mu Us Desert, flows southeast through Liangu, Linzhou, and other places, and finally empties into the Yellow River.

Just northwest of Linzhou, on the west side of Shilong Gully, lies a vast stretch of flat ground known as Camel Weir.

In years past, the famed Kaiyuan-era chief minister Zhang Yue won a great victory here over Kang Daibin, a surrendered Turkic general who had rebelled again.

At the time, many Tangut had also followed Kang Daibin in rebellion out of fear, and Shi Xian, deputy commander of Zhang Yue's Celestial Troops, considered these Tangut a problem and prepared to slaughter them all.

Zhang Yue, however, believed it would harm the harmony of heaven and refused. Not only did he spare these Tangut, he also petitioned to establish Linzhou, settled these Tangut there, taught them to farm, and saved tens of thousands of lives.

To this day, there are still temples to Lord Zhang Wenzhen in Linzhou, Yinzhou, and other prefectures, and many Tangut tribes maintain the custom of making offerings there.

This time, returning from the Hun River, Zhang Zhao did not take the Lingzhou route. For one thing, traveling upstream against the Yellow River is not easy; for another, after swearing brotherhood with Yelu Deguang, Zhang Zhao's state of mind had changed.

Before, he had been pushed along by the Guiyi Army and the Anxi descendants' longing to return to their homeland.

But after returning, once that wish was fulfilled, the descendants of the Guiyi Army and the Anxi Army found themselves feeling rather uneasy at heart.

Because this Son of Heaven of the Central Plains court, the child-emperor Shi Jingtang, truly was a piece of work!

And so the mood of the officers and soldiers under Zhang Zhao, as well as his own, was undergoing a change.

For example, two months earlier, in dealing with the Zhe family of Fuzhou and the great local magnate Yang family of Linzhou, Zhang Zhao's strategy had been not to press them too hard, hoping that after the Central Plains were stabilized he could bring them into service.

But now Zhang Zhao no longer wanted to do that. If he did not use the Zhe and Yang families, then Liu Zhiyuan would.

Including the Yunzhou contingent, a full fifty thousand troops arrived at Camel Weir.

This place was no more than fifty or sixty li from Linzhou, and less than a hundred li from Fuzhou.

The arrival of so many people quickly alarmed the Zhe family, the Yang family, and the many Tangut tribes living in Linzhou and Fuzhou.

Not to mention that among the Datong Army from Yunzhou, there were already quite a few members of the Zhe and Yang families.

Zhang Zhao ordered his men to raise a Great Tang Three Luminaries banner before the temple of Lord Zhang Wenzhen at Camel Weir, and then waited for certain people to come to him of their own accord.

Three days later, scouts reported that dust and smoke in the southeast blotted out the sky. Before long, the light cavalry of Yingyang Town brought in Zhe Deyi, whom they had not seen in a long while.

Zhe Deyi was travel-worn and dusty, and looked rather embarrassed before Zhang Zhao.

Zhang Zhao himself did not mind. The Zhe family's shifting attitude toward him was simply their way of surviving; there was no need to be harsh about it.

"Great King, my father, Military Governor of the Yong'an Army and Prefect of Fuzhou, Zhe Congyuan, has come to pay his respects, together with the chieftains of the forts and stockades of Fuzhou and Prefect Yang Hongxin of Linzhou!"

The Zhe family had come after all, and the Yang family had sent someone too. Smiling, Zhang Zhao took Zhe Deyi by the hand.

"Your honored father is a senior to me. It is I who should be paying my respects to him."

Then Zhang Zhao turned to the generals behind him and called out, "Military Governor Zhe has come from afar. All you generals, follow me to welcome him."

Zhe Congyuan still had that rather refined, scholarly appearance, while Yang Hongxin beside him was far more rough-hewn.

Dressed in a leather robe, his face lined by wind and frost, he looked less like a court-appointed Prefect than like a weathered old soldier.

But Zhang Zhao knew this fellow was no simple man. One could tell from history: when Liu Chong, founding emperor of the Northern Han, seized his position as Prefect of Linzhou, he could still smile and send his own son Yang Ye to Liu Chong's side.

This was not only a brave and mighty warrior, but an old fox who could endure what ordinary men could not and see clearly the greater currents of the age.

Zhe Congyuan also saw Zhang Zhao. Sure enough, just as his son Zhe Deyi had said, this Great King of Hexi looked extremely young.

The local magnates of Fuzhou and Linzhou behind Zhe Congyuan also began murmuring among themselves, clearly none of them had expected this Great King Zhang to be so young.

Tens of thousands of troops, banners arrayed in ranks, swords and spears dazzling in the sun, elite armored soldiers thick as clouds — and behind Zhang Zhao, the fierce, battle-hardened officers radiating pressure all made the local magnates of Fuzhou and Linzhou feel their stress mount sharply.

Before Zhang Zhao reached them, they still regarded him with the air of looking at a young upstart.

But the moment Zhang Zhao arrived, that decisive, battle-forged bearing, and the fierce generals behind him who seemed to carry the smell of blood with them —

it immediately revealed the majesty of a Great King who had swept across Hexi, Longyou, and Shuofang, commanded tens of thousands of elite cavalry, and could swear brotherhood with the Khitan Emperor.

Zhe Congyuan also noticed that among the great banners behind Zhang Zhao, apart from that Three Luminaries banner, the yamen banner of the Military Governor of Hexi and Longyou granted by the Later Jin court, the banner of the Guiyi Army, and most importantly the great royal standard of the King of Han, had all vanished from sight.

"Today happens to be the death anniversary of Lord Zhang Wenzhen. Since you have all come, let us go into the temple together and offer a stick of incense!"

Zhang Zhao said he was welcoming Zhe Congyuan, but he did not show any particular warmth.

That was inevitable. He was close to Zhe Deyi because Zhe Deyi had fought for him.

As for Zhe Congyuan, although Zhang Zhao respected him too, the man's recall of Zhe Deyi had, after all, harmed Zhang Zhao's interests, and could not simply be laughed off.

Inside the temple of Lord Zhang Wenzhen, after everyone had finished offering incense, Zhang Zhao finally had seats granted to these local magnates of Fuzhou and Linzhou.

Under Zhang Zhao's imposing gaze and the intimidation of the armored soldiers all around, every one of the local magnates sat bolt upright, not daring to breathe too loudly.

"It is my intention to settle the heroes of Yunzhou who fought the enemy for our country in Xiazhou and Yinzhou.

Administrative Assistant Wu shall be Prefect of Xiazhou, and my general Luo Yu'er shall be Prefect of Yinzhou. From now on they will be your close neighbors, so you should all become well acquainted!"

Zhang Zhao first announced his arrangements. The Dingnan Army's four prefectures of Yin, Xia, You, and Sui —

Youzhou had already been assigned to Li Yijun, younger brother of Li Yimin, who had been the first to submit to Zhang Zhao, while Suizhou was administered by Feng Xili, originally known as Xifeng Xili.

The reason for using Tangut was, apart from calming people's hearts, simply that Zhang Zhao did not have that many capable men at his disposal.

The moment his words fell, Wu Luan, the former Administrative Assistant to the Military Governor of the Datong Army, who had been sitting quietly not far from Zhang Zhao, steeled himself, stepped out, and performed a full kowtow, prostrating himself on the ground.

"I, Wu Luan, kowtow in thanks for the Great King's grace. The thirty thousand men of our Datong Army shall henceforth follow the Great King's lead!"

Zhang Zhao truly had not discussed this with Wu Luan beforehand, and was inwardly rather surprised, though he did not show it.

He had originally planned to slowly win over this Wu Luan, but had not expected the man to be so quick on the uptake.

Sure enough, anyone who could leave a name in history for loyalty and valor was no simple person.

Zhe Congyuan and Wu Luan were old acquaintances. He had never imagined that Wu Luan, who always spoke of the state and the court, would do such a thing. It seemed Shi Jingtang had truly broken his heart.

At once everyone rose to their feet and said in unison, "We respectfully obey the Great King's command. We are all fellow natives of Yunzhong and will naturally become well acquainted."

Zhang Zhao also quickly helped Wu Luan up with his own hands, then looked at the local magnates of Fuzhou and Linzhou and said:

"In years past, the court moved your ancestors here from the Qingtang Plateau, taught you to farm, gave you a place to stand, and spared you the suffering of oppression. You should remember the great dynasty's grace.

The Han folk of these two prefectures should remember even more who their ancestors were. You must be of one heart and one mind, and guard the court's northern frontier!"

These words were stern and severe, and made no mention at all of the Later Jin court. Instead, he kept speaking of the great dynasty — that is, the Great Tang.

Seeing Zhang Zhao's words grow sharper and sharper, the local magnates of Fu and Lin prefectures glanced at one another, and before anyone knew who had led the way, they all knelt down.

Only then did Zhang Zhao's expression soften a little. He hurried over and helped up Zhe Congyuan, who had not yet knelt.

"The Military Governor is loyal to the state and is my honored elder. He must never perform such a grand courtesy."

Zhe Congyuan could see it now: Zhang Zhao was probably going to force him onto the 'cart.'

In his heart, Zhe Congyuan truly was not very willing. But with the court abandoning Yunzhou, and Zhang Zhao and Yelu Deguang swearing brotherhood, the Zhe family of Fuzhou had been pushed into an extremely dangerous position at once.

Once Yunzhou was ceded, resentment toward the court surged throughout Fuzhou. They had to remember that Fuzhou, in fact, also lay within the territory being ceded, and everyone there had kin ties with the people of Yunzhou.

And after Zhang Zhao became Yelu Deguang's imperial younger brother, this immediately gave Zhang Zhao enormous prestige in Fu and Lin prefectures.

After all, the Son of Heaven in the eastern capital served the Khitan as a father, and Zhang Zhao was the younger brother of the Khitan Emperor — was he not, then, the Son of Heaven's own uncle?

Even the Son of Heaven of the Central Plains could only serve the Khitan ruler as a father, yet that ruler was willing to swear brotherhood with Great King Zhang — this showed how formidable Great King Zhang's strength was.

"The Military Governor need not worry about Fuzhou's affairs any longer! My elder brother and I agreed by the Mandarin Duck Lakes that he has abandoned incorporating Fuzhou into Khitan territory.

From now on, Fuzhou will be like Yinzhou and Xiazhou, and will no longer face the Khitan threat."

The moment Zhang Zhao finished speaking, the local magnates of Fu and Lin prefectures burst into jubilation.

These past few years, the Khitan had been a great mountain pressing down on their heads, and everyone feared meeting the same fate as Yunzhou.

Now that they heard the Khitan had finally given up the idea of occupying Fuzhou, they were naturally overjoyed.

A rare smile appeared on Yang Hongxin's face as well. If the Khitan occupied Fuzhou, his Linzhou would be the first to face the Khitan army head-on.

Now that Fuzhou was not lost, Linzhou could continue to shelter behind Fuzhou and develop.

Zhe Congyuan, however, felt somewhat bitter. He had caught it: the most important sentence in Zhang Zhao's words was that Fuzhou would be the same as Xiazhou and Yinzhou.

"Great King has now pacified the Dingnan Army and rescued tens of thousands in Yunzhou. Once the court learns of this, who knows how it will reward you. Allow me to offer my congratulations in advance, Great King!"

Zhang Zhao looked at Zhe Congyuan. This Military Governor Zhe was testing him.

Because the Zhe family of Fuzhou were fringe members of the Daibei military meritocracy, unlike the Li family of the Dingnan Army. Zhang Zhao was openly demanding that Fuzhou serve his purposes, so he had to consider the court's attitude.

"Zhe Erlang is brave and decisive, and I am deeply fond of him. My granduncle Zhang Huaiqing's sixth son, adopted as the son of Guiyi Army Military Governor Lord Zhang Huaishen, Nanyang Commandery Duke Zhang Chengfu, has a daughter, just eighteen, gentle and virtuous.

If Lord Zhe does not disdain it, he may send Zhe Erlang to accompany me on a trip to Liangzhou, so our two families may join in the bond of Qin and Jin!"

Although Zhe Deyuan could not compare to his elder brother Zhe Deyi, he had charged into Yunzhou together with Li Xiaojie, and could be counted a brave young man skilled in bow and horse.

Zhang Huaiqing was the only surviving elder of the Zhang family's Huai generation — a figure of Zhang Zhao's grandfather's generation.

And from Zhang Chengfu's title of Nanyang Commandery Duke, one could see that he was the heir Zhang Huaiqing had adopted, at Zhang Zhao's wish, to continue the incense of the second-generation Guiyi Army Military Governor Zhang Huaishen.

This branch held a special place in the Zhang family; it was the symbol of reconciliation within the family.

The moment Zhe Congyuan heard the name Zhang Huaishen, he knew this marriage alliance absolutely could not be refused. To refuse would be to create a deep and bitter enmity.

Zhe Deyi and Zhe Deyuan also watched Zhe Congyuan nervously. They absolutely did not wish to fall out with Zhang Zhao, because that was something the Zhe family could never withstand.

In a flash, a look of delighted surprise suddenly appeared on Zhe Congyuan's face.

"For my unworthy son to be favored by Great King and marry the descendant of a hero — I could not ask for more!"

Zhang Zhao smiled and took Zhe Congyuan's hand, then looked toward Yang Hongxin behind him.

"I have heard that Prefect Yang has two sons, named Chonggui and Chongxun, both young and outstanding. I intend to take them with me and instruct them. Would Prefect Yang be willing to part with them?"

Yang Hongxin turned it over in his mind only twice before agreeing at once, though he cupped his hands first.

"To be favored by Great King is my sons' honor. However, my younger son Chongxun has not yet reached the age of bound hair, so I beg that he be allowed to follow Great King when he is a little older."

Zhang Zhao nodded. In this age, infant and child mortality was extremely high; not yet having bound hair meant the boy was not yet eight.

If Yang Chongxun was not yet eight, then the eldest son Yang Chonggui was probably only eight or nine — indeed a bit young.

"Then let us set ten as the age. When the time comes, they may follow at my side!"

"I thank Great King for his grace. Why not let my sons Chonggui and Chongxun bow to Great King as their adoptive father today!"

Yang Hongxin immediately seized the opportunity. In the custom of the times, being chosen by a great man and taken as an adopted son was a most glorious thing.

It proved you had real talent. A mediocre, useless person would never get such a chance!

Eh! Zhang Zhao was taken aback for a moment. Taking the historical Old Lord Yang as an adopted son — that seemed rather good, actually. After all, he had originally been the adopted son of Liu Chong of the Northern Han.

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