Chapter 494: Shu First, or Liao First?

The office of the Jinchang Army Military Governor in Chang'an — this was originally part of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's Xingqing Palace.

After Chang'an had suffered several large-scale burnings and demolitions at the hands of Huang Chao, Li Maozhen, Zhu Wen, and others, the city's problems were actually still very severe.

For instance, of the Daming Palace in the north of the city, only the tall walls still stood; everything else had been completely destroyed.

The main functional districts, the East Market and West Market, were likewise almost entirely ruined and abandoned; at Kaiyuan Gate and elsewhere only a few broken walls and rubble remained.

The only area still relatively intact was the stretch around Xingqing Palace, where the Jinchang Army Military Governor's office stood; after several years of repairs by the Later Tang court, it could finally serve as a place for Zhang Zhao to stay.

Before Zhang Zhao reopened the trade routes, Chang'an had only about seventy thousand or so residents left.

After seven or eight years of recovery, it now had roughly one hundred forty thousand people — a full doubling, and barely enough to be considered to have regained a measure of vitality.

However, because the city was so ruined, dwellings could only be distributed along the two sides of Zhuque Avenue, and the houses were rather low and cramped, giving no appearance of a great metropolis.

The only somewhat better buildings, such as government offices and official halls, were located around Xingqing Palace.

This pattern of distribution was precisely why Zhang Zhao considered the problem so serious.

Because the vast stretches of broken walls and the long, narrow strip of residential housing made Chang'an's defenses all but useless.

At present, the Jinchang Army defended the city by building forts and stockades inside it, combining them with the portions of the city wall still usable, supplemented by palisades, abatis, and similar devices.

Zhang Zhao shook his head. Defenses of this level could only ward off bandits; they could not possibly hold off an attacking army.

That said, it did rather suit the temperament of Five Dynasties warriors. The soldiers had no interest in defending cities at all — they would rather deploy in formation and start fighting.

But if Chang'an was to serve as a national capital, that would not do. Even now, it was somewhat dangerous, because the threat from Meng Shu was very real.

During Yan Jin's years in Qinzhou, Meng Shu had never stopped sending men from the Zhaowu Military Governor's seat in Lizhou (Guangyuan, Sichuan) and the Shannan West Circuit Military Governor's seat in Xingyuan Prefecture (Hanzhong) to infiltrate Guanzhong. Small-scale clashes of a hundred or so men had been happening all along.

And Zhang Zhao had learned from traveling merchants coming off the Shu roads that Meng Chang had been stockpiling grain and forage and drilling troops in Lizhou, Xingyuan Prefecture, and the Wuding Army Military Governor's seat in Yuanzhou (Yang County, Shaanxi).

Add to that the historical fact that Meng Shu had taken advantage of exactly this period to seize Qinzhou, Chengzhou, and Fengxiang Prefecture — it was no small threat to Zhang Zhao's side.

Zhang Zhao had originally thought of repairing Chang'an's walls, but after recalling what he had seen on his journey south from Weizhou, Great King Zhang wisely shook his head.

Because after the Han and Tang dynasties — especially after Chang'an was burned and rebuilt, then burned and rebuilt again several times over at the end of the Tang — the hills throughout Guanzhong were almost entirely bare. It was now nearly impossible to find even slightly larger timber to repair the palaces.

"Great King, a letter has come from Palace Attendant Pei in Lingzhou."

Although Guo Tiance had become Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs, he was still the same as before — whenever he had a spare moment, he would come to Zhang Zhao's side and serve as his personal attendant.

Hearing Guo Tiance say that Pei Yuan had written, Zhang Xichong immediately raised his head to the sky with the expression of one whose spirit had wandered off to distant things.

Others might not know what Pei Yuan's letter was about, but how could he, Zhang Xichong, not know?

Lingzhou was a pit. The Tangut tribes in the north were full of problems, the Han population was small, and with no strong enemy on the steppe at present, there was simply no opportunity to win merit and build a career.

No matter how great your abilities, once you went to Lingwu, it was like plunging headfirst into a mud pit. It looked like a post of immense importance as a regional grandee, but in reality it was little different from banishment.

So Zhang Xichong did not even need to look to know what Pei Yuan wanted: he surely wanted to be transferred to Guanzhong, to follow the Great King into the Central Plains.

Sure enough, after Zhang Zhao finished reading the letter, he scratched his head in vexation.

Pei Yuan first recounted how the two of them had come to know each other, "incidentally" pointing out his own merits, and then heaped a round of flattery on Zhang Zhao.

The core message was that he wanted to come to Guanzhong. Even if following the eastward advance into the Central Plains was out of the question, guarding Chang'an would also be acceptable.

Zhang Zhao swept his gaze around the room. Every civil official and military officer who thought he might be tapped immediately took a cue from Zhang Xichong.

Yin Yaozi lowered his head, as if the pattern on his sleeve were a famous painting.

Cao Yuanzhong held up a book he had found somewhere and began leafing through it.

Yan Jin had nearly shrunk himself into the shadows.

Liu Zaisheng was even more extreme: he shifted backward and shot a look at Man Xiong, telling him to block him from view.

Zhang Zhao sighed. At a time like this, no one would be willing to go to Lingwu to replace Pei Yuan.

And Lingwu could not do without Pei Yuan. Integrating the local Tangut and other mixed Han and barbarian tribes was no easy task; an ordinary person simply could not manage it.

So Great King Zhang looked toward Zhang Xichong. The old man had spent many years in Lingwu and should have some people tucked away — perhaps he could recommend someone?

Zhang Xichong saw Zhang Zhao's bright, intent gaze fixed on him, and his heart gave a start. Thinking Zhang Zhao wanted to send him back to Lingwu, he hurriedly stepped forward to offer advice.

"Great King, Pei Yuying's memorial is not really about having to come to Guanzhong; it is that he suffers from having no merit in following the dragon.

Now that the water route from Lanzhou to Lingzhou has been opened and the transport of supplies and war materiel flows freely, why not order Pei Yuan to build warships on a large scale and recruit a naval force, then descend the great river to seize Fengzhou, which the Khitan control?

Then order Zhe Congyuan to lead the powerful chieftains of Fuzhou and Linzhou, together with Wu Luan, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Datong Garrison, to strike out from Fuzhou against Shengzhou.

After the two armies link up, they can take Yunzhou. In this way, the Khitan can be caught between two fronts, and Hedong can also be enveloped from both sides."

That made sense. Zhang Zhao nodded. Pei Yuan was probably, as Zhang Xichong said, afraid of being stuck in Lingwu without any founding merit in establishing the new dynasty. So he turned to Fan Zhi and said:

"Have the Secretariat draft an edict ordering Pei Yuan, Zhe Congyuan, Yang Hongxin, Wu Luan, and the rest to advance separately and strike together, attacking Yunzhou to support the main army in Guanzhong."

"The Great King is wise. However, your servant hopes the Great King will also send a letter in his personal capacity to reassure Pei Yuying."

Zhang Xichong let out a long breath of relief in his heart and said to Zhang Zhao.

Right! A personal letter was indeed needed as well.

As one of the earliest Central Plains scholars to follow Zhang Zhao, one who had endured every hardship for Zhang Zhao's great enterprise and had not wavered even when tempted with high office by Shi Jingtang, it would be utterly unfair if he now could not follow Zhang Zhao out of Guanzhong to establish the dynasty in the Central Plains.

"Yuying has labored long and hard in Shuofang. If he can descend the great river and take Fengzhou, the Tiande Army, and the Zhenwu Army, then when merits are assessed and rewards bestowed in the future, he will surely rank among the foremost."

The moment it was clear there was no risk of being sent to Lingzhou, Yan Jin immediately popped out.

"Great King, the Shu ruler Meng Chang has recently been frequently transferring the Shu imperial guard troops to Lizhou and Xingyuan Prefecture. Should we not deal with the Shu army first, before the eastern campaign?"

Zhang Zhao was somewhat speechless. His own rise had actually stirred up that boy Meng Chang's ambition.

The boy, instead of lying in bed treating the rear palace like a brothel, actually wanted to seize Guanzhong.

"No! The Khitan are ravaging the Central Plains. Raising righteous troops to punish the chaos is already a matter of an arrow on the drawn bowstring. As for when Meng Shu will march, there is still no accurate information — we have no time to wait."

Hearing Zhang Zhao say this, everyone understood that Zhang Zhao intended to strike the Khitan first, and only then consider everything else.

And that was indeed right. To obtain the moral mandate, Great King Zhang had made Li Congyi publicly declare that whoever drove the Khitan north would be the Son of Heaven of the Central Plains. He could not afford to wait any longer; if anything went wrong, the consequences would be enormous.

Yin Yaozi finally stopped studying his sleeve. He sighed inwardly, and immediately noticed that Zhang Zhao's gaze had turned to him as well.

What could be done? Who asked him, Yin Yaozi, to have always excelled at defense?

"Great King, your servant requests to garrison Qinzhou and guard against the Shu army advancing north from Jiezhou (Wudu)."

"Cousin, you understand the greater good. With you holding Qinzhou, all west of Guanzhong will be free of worry!" Zhang Zhao greatly admired Yin Yaozi's spirit.

But Qinzhou (Tianshui) could only block the Shu army coming north from Jiezhou; against those advancing from Xingyuan Prefecture (Hanzhong) through the Chencang Road and the Xiegushui (Baoxie Road), it was powerless.

Seeing this, Liu Zaisheng also volunteered. He could be counted as the general on Zhang Zhao's side best at defense apart from Yin Yaozi.

"Your subject requests to lead three thousand soldiers from the Yingyang and Feng'an garrisons to hold Fengxiang Prefecture against the Shu army."

Zhang Zhao was even more satisfied. Someone had to go into the Central Plains to fight the Khitan, but the bitter, exhausting work of staying behind also had to be done by someone.

"Elder Brother, you'll have to endure some hardship. Serve for now as Defender of Chang'an, responsible for supporting Yin Yaozi and Liu Zaisheng, resisting the Shu army, and stabilizing Guanzhong."

The "Elder Brother" in Great King Zhang's mouth was Li Ruoyu, Li Ruoliu's eldest brother.

After returning from the east, this man had gradually given up military office and become a high official guarding a region.

"Your subject does not find it a hardship. I am willing to stabilize Guanzhong for the Great King."

Li Ruotai of course understood Zhang Zhao's meaning. To campaign east before Guanzhong was even settled, he had to leave behind someone trustworthy and capable to hold it.

As Zhang Zhao's elder brother-in-law, he was the most suitable person.

"Great King, your subject has a plan that might delay the Shu ruler's advance into Guanzhong." He Ning, who was standing to one side, suddenly spoke.

"Elder He, please speak." Zhang Zhao waved a hand, signaling He Ning to speak freely.

For Zhang Zhao, he did not want to fight Shu first, so the later Shu sent troops, the better it was for him.

"The Great King holds righteousness in his hands, and expelling the Khitan is a righteous undertaking. Better to first send proclamations to Meng Shu, Nanping, Qian Yue, and the other states, calling on them to raise troops together and jointly attack the Khitan.

We can even secretly tell the Shu ruler Meng Chang that the Great King plans to begin the campaign in the eighth month, and ask the Shu ruler to supply provisions and equipment, agreeing that after the deed is done, we will reward him with the two prefectures of Qin and Cheng."

"March in the eighth month? And cede the two prefectures of Qin and Cheng?"

Ma Shacai did not quite understand these scholars' roundabout schemes, and could not help frowning.

He Ning smiled with the cunning of long experience. "All of this is merely to lull the Shu ruler.

This Meng Chang was born into a wealthy house and raised deep within the palace. Though he has ambition and can be counted a benevolent and enlightened ruler, he is no sovereign on horseback.

Moreover, the land of Shu is rich, and for twenty years it has not known war. Your subject is certain that the Shu army's will to fight is not firm.

We can send a proclamation to Shu, make the wording as earnest as possible, demand money, grain, and equipment, agree with them to march in the eighth month, and even be willing to cede two prefectures.

The Shu court will certainly believe it to be true, thinking that Guanzhong is ruined, that our Great Yong has difficulty transporting grain and fodder, and that we therefore have no choice but to seek their help.

Thinking the eighth month leaves ample time, Shu will certainly grow lax, and their troop movements will not be so urgent.

If they wait until the eighth month, when their armor and weapons are fully prepared, and we are willing to honor the promise, they will gain Qin and Cheng for nothing; if we are not, with Guanzhong empty, they can take them themselves."

Zhang Zhao laughed heartily. "Who would have thought that we would already march in the fourth month, drive the Khitan north by the eighth month, and have Guanzhong long since settled.

If Meng Chang still does not know his place, I can first destroy Shu, then retake the lands of Yan-Yun."

"Then why send proclamations only to Meng Shu, Jingnan, and Qian Yue? Why not send word to Wu Tang?"

Guo Tiance and the others still did not understand the situation in the Central Plains well, which was why they asked.

He Ning's expression turned solemn. He clasped his hands toward Guo Tiance, then looked at Zhang Zhao and spoke.

"Among the states under heaven today, apart from the Khitan Liao state, which is our Great Yong's greatest opponent, Wu Tang also cannot be underestimated.

Though they lack cavalry and their soldiers are not as fierce as those of the north, their land is vast and their people numerous, their armor plentiful and their grain sufficient, and they have a navy that roams the great river.

We northerners are not skilled with boats, and moreover the Central Plains have been ravaged by the Khitan, leaving much ruin. Therefore we must by no means take Wu Tang lightly.

If we send a proclamation to the Tang ruler Li Jing, those people already falsely claim descent from the Great Tang imperial house. If we let them gain righteousness, the prefectures of Xiang, Deng, Shen, and Cai will be in danger, and we must be even more wary of them colluding with the Khitan."

What He Ning said actually made sense. Zhang Zhao vaguely remembered that in history, the Southern Tang ruler Li Jing had once, when the Khitan entered the Central Plains, sent envoys to contact Yelu Deguang, and seemed to have seized several pieces of territory.

This also became an important reason why the Later Han and Later Zhou dynasties repeatedly struck at the Southern Tang.

In fact, looking at history, had it not been for a poet-emperor like Li Yu, it would not have been easy for the Northern Song to conquer the Southern Tang. Zhang Zhao immediately followed good advice.

"Good! Then let it be as Elder He says. Send proclamations to Meng Shu, Nanping, Ma Chu, Qian Yue, and the other states, calling on them to raise troops together and jointly expel the Khitan."

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