Chapter 408: Urging the Throne at Lingzhou

The fifth year of Tianfu of the Later Jin, the third year of Huitong of the Khitan, the sixth month of 940 CE.

After Zhang Zhao led his army to the great gathering of local magnates from the two prefectures of Fuzhou and Linzhou at Camel Ford, he at once disbanded the Tangut and Qiang cavalry of the six prefectures of Yin, Xia, You, Sui, Qing, Hui, and Wei at Xiazhou, taking along only the chieftains of each tribe and a small number of elite horsemen.

At the beginning of the seventh month, Zhang Zhao passed through Yanzhou and reached Lingzhou for the first time.

Zhang Xichong, Acting Grand Commandant and Military Governor of the Lingwu Army, came out ill to the main gate and received Zhang Zhao with the rites of a subject.

Zhang Xichong, Military Governor of the Lingwu Army, could be said to be one of the rare normal men among the warriors of this age.

But in truth what he excelled at was not leading troops in battle, but pacifying a region; serving as Commissioner of Military Affairs or Chief Minister would have suited him best.

In history, because Shi Jingtang sold off the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan-Yun, shattering all the glory of his southward return with his followers, and because his homeland had fallen and could not be saved, Zhang Xichong finally died of despair.

But in this time and space, although Zhang Zhao likewise had not been able to stop the Khitan from seizing the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan-Yun, he had shown the ability and the will to contend with the Khitan, and so although Zhang Xichong had fallen gravely ill, he had not yet died of despair.

Toward such a heroic figure, Zhang Zhao naturally had to treat him with courtesy.

On the strength of Zhang Xichong's not forgetting his country, refusing to become a Khitan Military Governor, and leading twenty thousand men south in a spirit of heroism, he was worthy of Zhang Zhao's respect.

Zhang Zhao took Zhang Xichong and Pei Yuan by the hand and walked with them into the headquarters of the Lingwu Army Military Governor; he first went to the rear hall and paid his respects to Zhang Xichong's aged mother and to Pei Yuan's parents.

In particular, Pei Yuan's parents, wife, and children had been rescued all the way from the Eastern Capital, and it had been a perilous affair.

Had Zhang Liecheng not mobilized the temples around Luoyang to shelter them, they would almost have been discovered by Shi Chonggui.

After paying his respects to the two men's families as a gesture of closeness, Zhang Zhao then followed Zhang Xichong and Pei Yuan to the Lingwu Army Military Governor's headquarters and received the officers of the Lingwu Army, high and low.

The Lingwu Army presently had eight thousand soldiers, of whom one thousand had already been assigned by Zhang Zhao to garrison Youzhou, and two thousand were still in Zhang Zhao's own army.

Of the remaining six thousand, most were garrison troops posted to various places, and their fighting strength was not great; only fewer than one thousand, commanded by a Troop Commander named Wang Yanzhong, could still be considered to have fighting strength.

Zhang Zhao at once lavishly rewarded all the officers and men, and north of Lingzhou, in the area of what later generations would call Shizuishan, he newly established Shizhou, appointing Wang Yanzhong as Defense Suppressor of Shizhou and ordering him to lead troops in garrison there.

Zhang Zhao had long since received reports from Pei Yuan that this Wang Yanzhong was the leader among the Han troops of Lingzhou and had always been dissatisfied with his treatment.

This was of course also related to Zhang Xichong's temperament of esteeming scholars and slighting military men; Wang Yanzhong felt he had not been given important employment, and therefore harbored considerable resentment.

This was a normal state of affairs, so Zhang Zhao had no intention of doing anything to this Wang Yanzhong; instead he gave him the post of Defense Suppressor of Shizhou, and also rewarded him with thirty bolts of colored silk and ten jin each of tea and sugar.

If he could serve loyally, then this should settle him down; if he still bore resentment, there would be time enough to deal with him later.

After the great banquet for the officers and men, that evening Zhang Xichong and Pei Yuan came to Zhang Zhao's room; this old man and this young man had come to urge him to take the throne.

That's right — to urge him to take the throne.

Because in Zhang Zhao's present situation, the somewhat laughable title of King of Han and Grand Commissioner of Hexi and Longyou could no longer satisfy him at all.

For example, the three prefectures of the Lingwu Military Governor that he now occupied, the four prefectures of the Dingnan Army, as well as Qingzhou belonging to the Binning Military Governor, and Yuanzhou and Weizhou belonging to the Jingyuan Military Governor.

None of these places were territory of Longyou or Hexi, and by the rules, Zhang Zhao had no authority over them.

Now there were only two choices: either Zhang Zhao went to the court and continued to request concurrent appointment as Military Governor of the Lingwu Army, Military Governor of the Dingnan Army, and Military Governor of Qingyuan.

But that was only something to think about; unless Zhang Zhao put a knife to Shi Jingtang's throat, he would absolutely never agree.

Then there remained only one choice: Zhang Zhao should follow the example of Jingnan, Ma Chu, and Qian Yue and become an independent vassal state, styling himself as state lord, or even become a king like Later Shu, Southern Tang, or Southern Han.

Zhang Xichong said gravely to Zhang Zhao: "Now the Son of Heaven has lost his virtue; in particular, issuing the edict ordering Wu Luan and the others to give up Yunzhou City has cost him the hearts of all under heaven.

If at this time the Great King does not free his hands and feet, and still considers himself a subject of the Central Plains, the road ahead will only grow harder and harder.

Nor can it explain the Great King's actions in seizing Lingwu, Dingnan, Qingyuan, and the other places while still being a subject of the state."

Pei Yuan nodded as well. "This is the best opportunity. The Great King can take advantage of Shi Jingtang's loss of virtue before all under heaven to raise the banner of the Great Dynasty.

To make clear that the Guiyi Army returned to the country from ten thousand li away out of allegiance to the Great Dynasty, and is not of the sort that sells out the country for glory.

In this way you can both cast off the fetters on the Guiyi Army and win the hearts of heroes throughout the realm who are dissatisfied with the Khitan."

Guo Tiance was already beside himself with excitement; if Zhang Zhao established an independent state, then he would at the very least be one of the Commissioners of Military Affairs, wouldn't he?

"Great King, time does not wait for us! You are already the younger brother of the Khitan Emperor; how can you still submit to another man? And submit to that 'child emperor' at that?"

"We beg the Great King to ascend to the royal title and lead us in restoring the Great Dynasty!"

Once these three urged him to take the throne, the officers behind them all began to clamor loudly, and Zhang Zhao looked out before him.

Whether it was great generals like Ma Yaozi, trusted personal guards like Man Xiong and Dunzhu, adopted sons like Murong Xinzhang and Li Cunhui, or even military officers considered outsiders like Zhe Deyuan, their eyes were all shining.

Only if Zhang Zhao became state lord could they advance further! This was not merely Zhang Zhao wanting to be state lord; these men were waiting to become founding nobles!

"Good!" Zhang Zhao gritted his teeth. This was not the time for three refusals and three deferrals; at a moment like this he had to make his attitude clear as quickly as possible.

"Since all you ministers and officers support me, then this old man here will no longer be a subject to that child emperor — I'll make him call this old man 'uncle'!"

Seeing Zhang Zhao agree, the crowd at once roared with joy, and only then did Zhang Xichong step forward and present an edict to Zhang Zhao, saying:

"Two months ago the court already removed me from the posts of Military Governor of Lingwu and Prefect of Lingzhou, and the newly appointed Military Governor Feng Hui has already set out with several hundred yabing guards."

Only now did Zhang Zhao learn that Zhang Xichong and Pei Yuan had been defying the imperial edict and working on his behalf, and he could not help being deeply moved; but then Zhang Zhao drew a sharp breath.

Yet it was not for Zhang Xichong and Pei Yuan that he drew a sharp breath, but for this fellow named Feng Hui.

Where did this reckless fool come from?

The Lingwu Army was already in this state — did he think the tens of thousands of iron cavalry under Great King Zhang Zhao were fake?

Li Yiyin's tens of thousands of troops were already gone, and he dares to come take office with a few hundred yabing guards?

"Does the Great King know who Feng Hui is?" Zhang Xichong asked Zhang Zhao with a chuckle.

"I do not yet know. Could it be he has some background?" Zhang Zhao, hearing this, sensed there was more to the story, and his interest was piqued.

Zhang Xichong stroked his beard, a look of reminiscence in his eyes.

"Feng Guangzhao is a man of Weizhou, and should be forty-six this year; some years ago I met him a few times.

He came from the famous Weibo yabing guards, and was originally a member of the Silver Lance Filial Duty Unit; he first served as an officer under Yang Shihou, then went over to the service of the former dynasty's Emperor Wu, Li Keyong, and later defected to the Later Liang, becoming an officer under Wang Tieqiang, Wang Yanzhang.

After the Emperor Zhuang entered Luoyang, he switched sides once more, and took part in putting down the rebellion of Yang Li in Luzhou, as well as in the campaign that destroyed Wang Shu.

Since the massacre of the Weibo Army, Feng Hui and his associates such as Wu Jixing are the only surviving members of the Silver Lance Filial Duty Unit from those years."

Good heavens, that was quite a rich resume — born of the famous Silver Lance Filial Duty Unit within the famous Weibo yabing guards.

He had served under Li Keyong and under Wang Yanzhang, fighting all the way from the end of the Tang to the present; after the Weibo yabing guards were nearly wiped out, Feng Hui had still managed to survive to this day.

"Has the Great King discerned Feng Hui's temperament?" Zhang Xichong asked with a smile.

"Whoever feeds him is his mother! Isn't that the customary style of the Weibo yabing guards?" Zhang Zhao said with a laugh.

Zhang Xichong's expression turned serious. "The Great King is right—the Weibo yabing guards truly do follow whoever feeds them. Precisely because of that, they were slaughtered three times, until even their families were killed to the last.

But this Feng Hui is different. He loves wealth and goods, but he obtains them by proper means.

Other Weibo yabing guards will murder their superiors the moment the pay falls short, but Feng Hui always writes out his reasons with utmost respect before leading his followers away, and he never kills a single person recklessly.

Though he has switched allegiance several times, he still keeps winning important posts. The man has great talent besides—whether leading troops or governing a region, he has the skill for both.

In valor and ferocity he is not inferior to the elite of the Great King's Hanshan Du, and he comes from a great clan besides—he can read, write, and compose poetry."

"Oh? So that's how it is! He does have some ability."

Zhang Zhao was genuinely surprised. From among the likes of the "Chang'an Son of Heaven, Weibo yabing guards"—that model of late Tang and Five Dynasties military democracy and its rotten breed—a man like Feng Hui could actually emerge?

"Moreover, since the decline of the Great Tang, nothing has surpassed the fighting strength of the Silver Spear Effectives.

The Zhu Liang relied on them to repeatedly defeat the former dynasty's Martial Emperor in Hebei; the Zhuangmiao also relied on them to storm Great Liang and wipe out the Zhu clan.

The Great King's Hanshan Du is brave, but in pure fighting strength, it still falls a step short."

Zhang Zhao laughed aloud several times. He knew exactly how much he himself weighed, and how much Yan Jin, Ma Yaozi, and the others weighed.

This Hanshan Du of his had been armed with golden-finger weapons—cloth-faced iron armor, the Divine Arm crossbow, the pear-blossom spear—and fattened on lavish pay and provisions.

It could be called a rare strong force, but compared to a monster like the Silver Spear Effectives, which deserved to be called a war machine, it was certainly inferior.

"Lord Defeng is still sparing my pride!

The Silver Spear Effectives arose from the realm's strongest military province. Great generals like Li Cunxiao and Wang Yanzhang could do nothing against them, and they could sway the course of the Liang and Tang dynasties. My Hanshan Du certainly cannot compare to the Silver Spear Effectives of old."

Having said this, Zhang Zhao fixed his gaze on Zhang Xichong. "Does Lord Defeng mean for me to go recruit Feng Hui? How could you not know that the Silver Spear Effectives have always been prone to turning on their superiors?"

Zhang Xichong bowed all the way to the ground, then said: "A divine weapon should of course be held in the hands of a heaven-blessed, heroic lord. When the Silver Spear Effectives followed mediocrities like Luo Shaowei and Yang Shihou, they naturally wounded both others and themselves.

But the Great King is different. With the Great King's heavenly might, and with Feng Hui and his men far from their homeland—if you can use such men well, have them pass on their methods of spear, staff, and battle formation, employ their courage while discarding their vices, then these men will become a sharp sword in the Great King's hand!"

Zhang Zhao's heart was stirred. The greatest problem with the Hexi troops was that they had never crossed blades with the Central Plains' top-tier armies. Neither the Dingnan Army nor the Lingwu Army was actually the fiercest there was.

By now Zhang Zhao was basically certain that the Guiyi Army's cavalry was among the finest in existence at this time—but the infantry? That was not so certain.

The men under him were all of too humble origin. Yan Jin, Ma Yaozi, and the others had all climbed up from the rank of squad leader, and Zhang Zhao himself was only half-knowledgeable.

To be honest, the reason he had made it this far was largely because he had been beating up weaklings the whole time.

A steady stream of weaklings delivered themselves to his door, giving the Guiyi Army ample opportunity to level up, and thereby raising its fighting strength sufficiently.

But very soon he would formally step onto the road of contending for the realm, and he would need to raise the Guiyi Army's fighting strength in every respect. At this thought, Zhang Zhao rose to his full height.

"Then I ask Lord Defeng to go with me. Let us go meet this Feng Hui. If he truly has talent, I will certainly put him to important use!"

Zhang Xichong was overjoyed. He knelt and prostrated himself on the ground. "Your servant presumes to ask one more favor of the Great King!"

"Speak freely!" Zhang Zhao pulled Zhang Xichong to his feet and said.

"The yabing officer of the Jingnan Army under the Binning Military Governor who followed He Chuan in rebellion, the Binzhou Defense Commissioner Wu Yanwei and the others—they are my fellow countrymen whom I brought from Youzhou.

Though they are guilty, I beg the Great King, out of pity that they have homes they cannot return to, to pardon them and let them serve the Great King with the labor of dogs and horses."

Zhang Zhao remembered now. That Defense Commissioner Wu and the thousand-odd Jingnan Army men who had followed He Chuan in rebellion—he had used them as cannon fodder when fighting Li Congyan, though not many had died at the time.

Zhang Zhao had resented them for plundering the countryside, so he had thrown them onto the high mountains of Shanzhou to eat snow.

He had originally said he would not kill these men, so he had left them to live or die on their own.

But he had never expected that they had been brought by Zhang Xichong. Right—it seemed Zhang Xichong was the previous Military Governor of the Jingnan Army at Binning.

"Good! When we return to Liangzhou, at the founding of my state, I will pardon them."

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