Chapter 411: Founding the State and the Posthumous Title

The Great Dynasty Western Han Jinshan Great Liang State — this name originated from Zhang Zhao's father Zhang Chengfeng, who, after the fall of the Tang, proclaimed himself ruler of the Western Han Jinshan State in order to rally people's hearts.

"Great Dynasty" meant the Great Tang, because Li Cunxu had established the Later Tang, so people at this time used "Great Dynasty" as a substitute name for the Great Tang, while calling Li Cunxu's the the Shatuo Tang the Tang State.

"Western Han" was not the Western Han founded by Liu Bang — "West" indicated the direction, and "Han" indicated the ethnic people.

"Jinshan" was what later generations called the Altun Mountains. At this time, all of Hexi and half of Longyou had a custom of Jinshan worship; they regarded the Jinshan range stretching across Hexi as their protective sacred mountain.

Zhang Zhao's seat of governance was in Liangzhou, and since the Longshe Zhang clan of Shazhou and the Dunhuang Zhang clan descended from Zhang Gui of the Former Liang had already merged their lineages, he established the state name as Liang.

The Great Dynasty Western Han Jinshan State Great Liang State, in actual interpretation, meant: the Great Liang State established by the Han people of the western Great Tang in the region of Jinshan.

Therefore, Zhang Zhao's founding of a state was still very different from what Meng Zhixiang, Li Sheng, Qian Miao, and others had done.

Men like Meng Zhixiang had explicitly declared that the Mandate of Heaven rested with them — "I am the Emperor."

But Zhang Zhao's Liang State existed because the Son of Heaven in the Central Plains had lost his virtue, so he established the Liang State to await a sage ruler and enlightened sovereign from the Great Dynasty.

It was just that if the sage ruler and enlightened sovereign happened to be himself, that would also be acceptable.

After founding the state, Zhang Zhao styled himself Heavenly King of Great Liang.

He honored his legal mother, Princess Fengtian, as Queen Dowager Fengtian.

His birth mother, Lady Song, became Queen Dowager Fengsheng.

Cao Shijiu Niang, Cao Yanxi, became Queen of Great Liang.

Cao Sanniang, Cao Yannai, became Lady of Shouchang Commandery, and his younger aunt Li Ruoliu became Lady of Shanshan Commandery.

Cao Yanmian, Li Wenxiu, Guo Wan'er, and Ayiguli became concubines of the ru rank.

The Left and Right Chief Ministers were elevated to Left and Right State Chancellors.

The eight bureau adjutants — Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, Works, Commerce, and Horses — became vice ministers of the eight ministries.

The Han Prince's Secretariat was renamed the Qionglin Academy of Great Liang; its chief officer, the Secretary, became Grand Academician of the Qionglin Academy, and the remaining secretaries who had originally undertaken various duties became Qionglin Academicians.

The territory of the Hexi Military Governor became Hexi Circuit.

The territory of the Longyou Military Governor became Longyou Circuit.

The territory of the Lingwu Army Military Governor became Shuofang Circuit.

The territory of the Dingnan Army Military Governor became Xiasui Circuit.

Huizhou, Yuanzhou, Qingzhou, Weizhou, along with Yanzhou carved out from the original Lingwu Army Military Governor's territory, were formed into Longbei Circuit.

Below the circuits, the prefectures and counties remained unchanged. A Grand Commissioner served as circuit chief; the Grand Commissioner managed only civil affairs, not military affairs, with three special commissioners under him.

The Administration Commissioner was concurrently held by the circuit Grand Commissioner.

There was also a Transport Commissioner in charge of finances, taxes, and oversight.

The Militia Commissioner was in charge of organizing archers and sworn-follower light cavalry, responsible for public order and militia building.

Zhang Zhao enfeoffed his father-in-law Cao Yuanzhong as Marquis of Ziting and State Chancellor, with the substantive appointment of Grand Commissioner of Xiasui Circuit.

The State Chancellorship was a nominal post; only the Grand Commissionership of Xiasui Circuit was substantive. The four prefectures of Yin, Xia, You, and Sui were newly settled, and he also had to handle the Zhe clan of Fuzhou and the Yang clan of Linzhou, which had not been fully incorporated. Only if Cao Yuanzhong went could Zhang Zhao be at ease.

The Grand Commissionership of Hexi Circuit Zhang Zhao took upon himself.

The Grand Commissionership of Longyou Circuit was given to Li Ruotai after he was stripped of military office.

The Grand Commissionership of Shuofang Circuit naturally belonged to Pei Yuan.

Longbei Circuit was given to Liu Zaisheng.

Cao Yuanzhong's Left Chancellorship was given to Zhang Xichong.

Militarily, Zhang Zhao split the Hanshan Guard into the Left and Right Yulin Guards, reducing the Hanshan Guard to a strength of one thousand men, serving as the force closest to Zhang Zhao's person.

He added Datong Garrison, Lingwu Garrison, Dingyuan Garrison, and Feng'an Garrison. Datong Garrison was in Xiasui; Lingwu and Dingyuan were in Shuofang; Feng'an was in Longbei.

The original five garrisons — Hanhai, Yingyang, Yucheng, Wuwei, and Xiongwu — remained under the Guiyi Army as before.

The newly added four garrisons — Datong, Lingwu, Dingyuan, and Feng'an — belonged to the Shuofang Army.

The post of Army Commissioner was still not established; Zhang Zhao appointed men on a temporary basis, called Acting Guiyi Army Commissioner or Acting Shuofang Army Commissioner.

At the same time, Zhang Zhao drew on the Song dynasty's fifty-three military-official ranks to devise the Liang State's military-official system, which was now essentially complete.

The original purpose of this thing was to solve the problem that Five Dynasties military officials cared only for wealth and goods, with no sense of honor at all.

It must be said, it was actually very useful — it was just that the old Zhao family ultimately skewed it in the wrong direction.

And if one had to say who was happiest in this affair of Zhang Zhao's self-enthronement, it was still his legal mother, Princess Fengtian.

She personally led Zhang Zhao, with Lady Song in tow, and the three of them entered the Zhang family's ancestral temple of state.

Because Zhang Zhao still harbored the intention of using this independent founding of a state to bargain with Shi Chonggui, he had not posthumously enfeoffed three generations of former kings at all.

But Princess Fengtian knew that Zhang Zhao's ultimate ideal was to found a great unified dynasty, so once only the three of them remained, she fixed her eyes on Zhang Zhao and asked, without the slightest courtesy.

"Thirty years ago, I married into your Zhang family. At that time your father had just seized back power, riding high on the spring breeze with his horse's hooves flying — what a fine young lord he was!"

A look of longing shone from Princess Fengtian's eyes.

"In the blink of an eye, it has already been twenty-six years since he passed away, yet I still feel as though Dalang is right here beside me."

As she spoke, Princess Fengtian pulled Zhang Zhao down to kneel before Zhang Chengfeng's spirit tablet.

"What posthumous title do you intend to bestow upon your father?"

Only then did Zhang Zhao realize that Princess Fengtian had come to request a posthumous title for Zhang Chengfeng.

She had probably sensed that Zhang Zhao did not have much feeling for Zhang Chengfeng, and on top of that, Zhang Chengfeng had brought ruin upon the family and the state — in truth he had been a failure — so Princess Fengtian feared Zhang Zhao would not grant Zhang Chengfeng a fine posthumous title.

The ancients, especially rulers, placed great weight on this.

Thinking back to those days, King Cheng of Chu had endured being hacked until the blood streamed down, refusing to close his eyes, all for the sake of a posthumous title.

Lady Song's face showed little emotion. Marrying Zhang Chengfeng had not been her wish, and Zhang Chengfeng had not given her much joy either — rather, there had been more fright and oppression.

So she did not, like Princess Fengtian, who had been in perfect harmony with Zhang Chengfeng, cherish the memory of that white-robed Son of Heaven who had died young.

"Better to give him the temple name Zhuang, the posthumous title Su, and call him Emperor Su of the Zhuang Temple!"

In the posthumous title system, "martial but unfulfilled is called Zhuang; repeatedly waging war is called Zhuang."

For Zhang Chengfeng, this was a middling-to-low posthumous title, and it truly fit him — he repeatedly started wars but never won any of them.

The two most famous figures in history to use this posthumous title were King Zhuang of Chu and Emperor Zhuangzong Li Cunxu of the Later Tang.

Both were skilled in war, but after King Zhuang of Chu died, Chu fell into chaos, and Li Cunxu did not even meet a good end.

To put it in case-law terms, Zhuang means capable and martial, but with poor outcomes afterward.

Su, in the posthumous title system, means resolute in judgment; dignity and virtue fully achieved is called Su.

This is a fine posthumous title, indicating that Zhang Chengfeng had determination, decisiveness, dignity, and uprightness — barely fitting, one could say.

"No! Absolutely not Zhuang!"

Zhang Zhao had thought his choice was quite good, but unexpectedly Princess Fengtian flew into a rage. She glared at Zhang Zhao with wide eyes, looking very much like she wanted to grab his ear.

"I knew it — truly worthy of your father's son. You Zhang men can never be flexible. Stubborn! No! Absolutely not Zhuang!"

Having said this, Princess Fengtian's anger could not be dispelled. She said "absolutely not Zhuang" twice in a row, so furious that the pearl hairpins on her head shook wildly.

Because Zhuang also carried the meaning of "defeating enemies with strong will" — something Zhang Chengfeng clearly had not achieved. If he were given Zhuang, would it not seem ironic?

"Mother, do not let anger harm your health. Allow your child to think further."

Although Zhang Zhao felt that giving Zhang Chengfeng the title Zhuang was good enough, he could not withstand Princess Fengtian being so angry she wanted to hit someone, so he quickly backed down.

On the other side, Zhang Zhao's birth mother, Lady Song, had already been scared out of her wits by Zhang Zhao's phrase "Zhuangzong the Su Emperor."

She had never imagined that her son wanted not only to be a king, but to be an emperor.

"Then change it to Yuan! 'First to establish the state and capital is called Yuan' — it fits Father perfectly. Call him Yuanzu the Su Emperor."

Racking his brains, the Great Liang Heavenly King quickly thought of another posthumous title. Fortunately, he had studied the posthumous title system quite thoroughly recently, which was how he could come up with Yuan.

Uh... Yuanzu — why does that sound like a cake shop?

Princess Fengtian pondered for a moment, then finally nodded, feeling that Yuanzu the Su Emperor was indeed quite good. Only then did she let Zhang Zhao off.

"This posthumous title is not bad. Let it be settled."

With the posthumous title settled, the three of them spoke for a while longer before Zhang Chengfeng's spirit tablet. Only then did Princess Fengtian's tears come streaming down.

"Dalang! The wishes you could not fulfill, your son has now accomplished. He will do even better in the future. Rest easy, my lord!"

"Mother, do not grieve. Your child also plans to give Elder Brother the posthumous title of Crown Prince Shanghuai, and to adopt a child from another branch to continue Elder Brother's incense."

Does Mother think we should adopt one from Cousin Congde's children? Or simply adopt Xianyu over to Elder Brother?"

Princess Fengtian had originally had a child of her own — Zhang Zhao's elder brother Zhang Geng. Back when Zhang Chengfeng lost the state, Zhang Geng, already suffering from severe dysentery, was so frightened that he simply did not pull through.

A surprised smile appeared on Princess Fengtian's face, and then she affectionately embraced Zhang Zhao.

"Mother thanks you. My son is truly thoughtful!

As your son, Xianyu has boundless prospects ahead of him. Khotan is a small state, and your Cousin Congde has many children. Adopt one over and let him enjoy the blessings of the great dynasty!"

Princess Fengtian's excitement was not without reason. Zhang Zhao's question also carried deeper meaning.

After all, he was not Princess Fengtian's biological son, so his son Zhang Xianyu had no blood relation to Princess Fengtian.

Li Congde was different — he was Princess Fengtian's own nephew, so his son, however one put it, carried a trace of blood connection to Princess Fengtian.

"Then we shall do as Mother says!" Since Zhang Zhao had brought it up himself, he had no objection either way.

And this also served as a small repayment to his uncle Li Shengtian. In the future, one branch of the Khotan Li family would become a princely line of the new dynasty.

All chapters have been cached for you. Download the APP to view.