Chapter 500: Zhao Kuangzan's Feast at Swan Goose Gate

Puzhou in Hezhong Prefecture was actually very close to Chang'an — only about two hundred forty or fifty li away.

So Zhang Zhao's eastward-advancing army had only just reached Huazhou when Zhao Kuangzan's secret envoy caught up with them.

However, the moment this yabing officer before him — who looked honest and straightforward, with quite an open and hearty bearing — gave his name, Zhang Zhao could not help feeling a twinge of discomfort.

"Your servant, Zhao Siwan, Chief Supervisor under Lord Zhao Jinwu, comes to pay respects to the Great King. The young lord has already persuaded Lord Hou Renbao, Acting Military Governor of the Huguo Army in Hezhong.

Puzhou is a strong city. The moment the Great King's army arrives, we will immediately slay the Khitan general Zhang Lian and surrender the city."

Zhao Siwan — if Zhang Zhao remembered correctly, in about four or five years this fellow would join Li Shouzhen's rebellion, and when cornered, his brutal nature would erupt.

It turned out the man firmly believed that eating human gallbladders could increase fighting strength, and once told his subordinates, "Eat a thousand gallbladders, and you will be invincible."

This dog of a man was not particularly greedy for money, nor for power, but he was fond of eating people.

What kind of foul sickness was that?

Zhang Zhao was somewhat at a loss for words, but the civil and military officials around him, along with the Hanshan Guard soldiers, immediately burst into cheers.

Puzhou in Hezhong Prefecture was the only fortress that could threaten their advance from the northern bank of the Yellow River.

With Hangu Pass already repeatedly damaged and unable to serve as a bridgehead for a large army, taking Puzhou would give them a secure rear area.

Moreover, the significance was extraordinary: the army had gone out on campaign and, before even meeting the enemy, gained a major enemy stronghold — an omen that could hardly be better.

So Zhang Zhao set aside that small bit of unease in his heart, reminding himself not to judge people of the present by things that would happen in the future. People change; taking things one step at a time was the correct approach.

"Mei Ge'er truly has courage and cunning. Xinzhang, my son, you will personally lead two hundred elite troops and follow Chief Supervisor Zhao back into Puzhou. You must take Puzhou within three days."

This was another tangled matter of family relations. Strictly speaking, Zhao Kuangzan was Murong Xinzhang's wife's nephew, which would make him Zhang Zhao's grandson by seniority.

Yet as it turned out, though there was no blood relation, once Zhao Kuangzan married Zhang Qiwang, he became Zhang Zhao's son-in-law.

What the hell!

Zhang Zhao cursed inwardly, then looked at Zhao Siwan and said, "Chief Supervisor, for braving death to deliver this message, you have rendered great service. You are awarded thirty bolts of brocade, two fine horses, and the forty-sixth rank, the eighth-grade junior Bingjie Lang.

Hou Renbao, for offering the city, is awarded the fourteenth rank, the sixth-grade junior Youwu Dafu, three thousand strings of cash, ten fine horses, and five sets of iron armor."

Zhao Siwan was overjoyed at these words and immediately knelt and kowtowed three times to Zhang Zhao.

As someone close to Zhao Kuangzan, Zhao Siwan naturally knew the value of the Liang Kingdom's military ranks: every year goods and money were bestowed, and they could even offset crimes — even military offenses could be pardoned. They were precious beyond measure.

At Puzhou, Murong Xinzhang's two hundred men followed Zhao Siwan and the Huguo Army's yabing guards along small paths. After slipping into Puzhou in Hezhong Prefecture, they found that Zhao Kuangzan and Hou Renbao had long been prepared.

However, Zhang Lian, Commander of the Zhangguo Army, was very alert. Several times Hou Renbao invited him to banquets, but Zhang Lian always brought armored soldiers with him.

Moreover, soldiers of the Huguo Army in the water fort had quietly reported that every time Zhang Lian went to a banquet, the water fort was placed under the control of another deputy commander, with strict precautions.

Zhang Lian himself was highly skilled in martial arts and a fierce general. With his guard up, taking him down would truly not be easy.

And Hou Renbao had no way to invite Zhang Lian and his deputy commander to a banquet together; that would have been too obvious.

But once Murong Xinzhang arrived, matters became much simpler — especially since behind Murong Xinzhang stood men like Wang Tongxin and Qiong Reduojin, warriors who could each face ten thousand.

"Uncle, is it not too risky for you to go disguised as my guard? If anything went wrong, how could your nephew ever face Fifteenth Aunt?"

"Get lost! Stop pretending. In a moment, the instant I see that Zhang Lian, I'll strike him dead. You just arrange your personal guards well — not one soldier of the Zhangguo Army in the water fort may escape."

Murong Xinzhang glared at Zhao Kuangzan in annoyance. He understood this wife's-nephew-cum-brother-in-law's character very well.

Clever, brave, and extremely measured — since he had agreed to Murong Xinzhang's plan of disguising himself as a guard, he must be confident of success.

And this was also the best way to deal with Zhang Lian. The man was extremely wary, so they would simply go straight to the water fort and kill him during the banquet.

At the water fort, Zhang Lian was somewhat wary of Hou Renbao, especially when Zhao Kuangzan was not present, but toward Zhao Kuangzan himself, Zhang Lian had little suspicion.

Because in his view, Zhao Kuangzan truly had no reason to betray the Great Liao.

His father Zhao Yanshou had risen to Prince of Yan, Grand Chancellor, and Chief of the Secretariat — practically the ceiling for a Han Chinese in the Liao Kingdom, higher in status than most Khitan nobles.

If this Zhao Kuangzan rebelled and went over to the Liang Kingdom, could he possibly become the Liang King's son?

Though called a banquet, it was in fact simply two roasted sheep, a few Yellow River carp made into soup, and the wine was just Puzhou's local unfiltered wine, which still had to be strained through a wine sieve before drinking.

Zhao Kuangzan glanced over. Sure enough, behind Zhang Lian stood two armored soldiers with hengdao sabers at their waists, and outside the door were large numbers of Zhangguo Army troops. The water fort's visible and hidden sentries and patrols were arranged in perfect order.

Setting everything else aside, in purely military terms, this Zhang Lian really was a talent.

The group chatted and laughed as they ate and drank for a while. When Zhang Lian noticed Zhao Kuangzan looking at the armored soldiers behind him, he chuckled.

"Lord Zhao Jinwu, do not take offense. I am used to it. Without a few trusted guards, I always feel uneasy."

Zhang Lian had only intended to offer a small explanation since Zhao Kuangzan was present, but Zhao Kuangzan immediately seized on the opening.

"I did not expect Commander Zhang to be a kindred spirit. Since childhood I have always had loyal family guards. Without them, I truly would not be used to it either. Go! Summon the Immortal Elder in for me."

A secretary seated below Zhao Kuangzan chimed in with a smile, "Young lord, how could you forget? The Immortal Elder is outside the city overseeing the construction of fortifications. He is not here."

"Ah! I did forget." Zhao Kuangzan acted as though he had only just remembered, and set down his chopsticks.

"Then summon Murong Erlang and the others in. Let Commander Zhang see that our Lulong Army has fine men too."

Zhao Kuangzan put on the face of a competitive third-generation scion of privilege. Zhang Lian inwardly sneered, but said aloud,

"I have long heard that heroes under the Prince of Yan are as numerous as hairs on an ox. I have already witnessed it before; my Zhangguo Army surely cannot compare."

But though he said this, Zhang Lian did not particularly object, because he had little suspicion of Zhao Kuangzan to begin with. His wariness toward Hou Renbao's invitation had been out of caution, not suspicion.

Besides, with Zhangguo Army soldiers inside and outside the water fort, Zhang Lian did not think Zhao Kuangzan could cause any trouble.

A sound of footsteps approached. Zhang Lian, utterly unaware of the danger, looked toward the door — and immediately grew uneasy.

Because the three men who entered were simply too oppressive in bearing, in every gesture and movement.

The one in the lead was handsome and refined, with long arms and a stride like a dragon's walk and a tiger's pace. He did not look like a servant at all — rather like Zhao Zilong of Changshan reborn.

The man slightly behind on the left was short and stocky, his two legs like iron pillars, chest out and belly thrust forward, hands like eagle talons. The smell of blood wafting from him was almost visible.

At a glance, this man was clearly an expert in heavy armor, charging into battle with fierce close-combat weapons like iron hammers and great axes. With that round build, he could fight on and off for several hours at least.

Such a fierce warrior would be a rare elite even in the Pishi Army.

On the right was a big man nearly seven chi tall, with a somewhat gloomy expression, the light in his eyes seeming always to be drawn inward.

When he walked, his shoulders and back tilted slightly to the right — a habit peculiar to someone who had carried long spears and javelins on his back for years.

His steps were slow, but each stride was far longer than an ordinary man's. Combined with his cold, sinister air, one could imagine that if he thrust with a spear, it would be fast, vicious, and ruthless — and on horseback, he would be a dashing general impossible to guard against.

As a seasoned expert in martial arts, Zhang Lian sensed the danger of these three men almost instantly.

He could not help wondering: even if the Prince of Yan and his son held great authority, how could they afford to keep such terrifying officers?

"Let us go up and pay our respects to Commander Zhang. From now on we must fight the enemy together, and we will need to rely on Commander Zhang."

Zhao Kuangzan said with a smile. Murong Xinzhang and the other two, who had just entered, clasped their hands in salute and acknowledged the order, then walked toward Zhang Lian.

Zhang Lian fought the urge to leap up and flee; the smile on his face had grown somewhat stiff.

"I have heard that the Commander is a hero among the Han people of our northern court. Allow me to offer the Commander a bowl of wine."

Murong Xinzhang spoke as he carried a wine jar forward. Paying no heed to Zhang Lian's reaction, he came straight on with Wang Tongxin and Qiong Reduojin.

Zhang Lian could hardly tell Murong Xinzhang to stay back, so he had no choice but to stand up himself, which at least gave him some measure of readiness.

The armored soldier behind Zhang Lian was his cousin. Sensing that something was wrong, he immediately put his hand on his saber hilt and shouted sharply.

"If you want to drink, one man coming over is enough. Why do all three of you come together?"

Qiong Reduojin raised his brows slightly at these words and looked at Zhang Lian's cousin like a venomous snake locking onto its prey, letting out a cold chuckle.

"Your words are most unreasonable. Do you look down on us brothers?"

Wang Tongxin had an even more explosive temper. He jabbed his finger and cursed, "You blind Hu wretch! For our family to come in person to offer wine is your tremendous good fortune, and you still dare to run your mouth."

After cursing, the two of them advanced with the wine jars, looking as though they meant to start a fight.

Although Zhang Lian's face had turned green with anger, he saw that the two men wore no armor and carried no weapons at their waists, so he did not realize the gravity of the situation and still wanted to swallow his rage and say a word of dissuasion.

But to his surprise, with a loud bang, Zhang Lian felt a sharp pain in his head, then dizziness and blurred vision as wine poured from head to toe, drenching his whole body.

It turned out that Murong Xinzhang had seized the chance as he drew near Zhang Lian and simply smashed the wine jar down onto Zhang Lian's head.

"Strike!" Zhao Kuangzan shouted, pulling two short-handled hammers from inside his robes and hurling them to Wang Tongxin and Qiong Reduojin.

The two men almost simultaneously flung their wine jars at the armored soldiers opposite, then turned and caught the iron hammers in a single step.

The two armored soldiers had just dodged the wine jars when the pair pounced on them.

Qiong Reduojin was tall and powerfully built. One flying stride brought him in front of his opponent; before the soldier could even draw the hengdao saber at his waist, Qiong Reduojin's iron hammer arrived first.

The five- or six-jin iron hammer seemed weightless in his hands, each blow faster than the last, every strike aimed at the opponent's head.

The poor soldier, though armored, could hardly be expected to wear a helmet on such an occasion. He had only a leather cap on his head, and he was beaten until blood streamed down, soon staggering and collapsing.

The soldier facing Wang Tongxin fared even worse. Wang Tongxin was naturally skilled at close-quarters combat with axe and hammer. His left hand gripped like a claw, seizing the soldier's right hand as it reached for the hengdao saber at his waist, while his right hand swung the iron hammer and smashed it violently into the soldier's chest.

A scream rang out, and blood gushed from the soldier's mouth. Wang Tongxin's strength was immense; a single blow caved in the soldier's chest. Had it not been for the layer of lamellar armor protecting him, his ribs would surely have broken.

Even so, the soldier was in terrible shape. Wang Tongxin pinned him to the ground and hammered blow after blow; even wearing lamellar armor, he could not withstand many more strikes.

Of course, the fiercest fighting came from Murong Xinzhang's side.

Zhang Lian had always possessed martial prowess. After taking the wine jar to the head, he immediately came to his senses. He kicked over the low table in front of him, then hastily drew the short hengdao saber at his waist.

But Murong Xinzhang was faster. As Zhang Lian's short hengdao saber cleared its scabbard, Murong Xinzhang had already closed in. Though the short hengdao saber had the word "short" in its name, that was only relative.

Compared to it, the long dagger in Murong Xinzhang's hand truly deserved to be called short. Zhang Lian kept leaping backward and darting about, trying to open the distance, but Murong Xinzhang closed in swiftly every time.

Neither man wore armor. After several exchanges, Zhang Lian's short hengdao saber had failed to show its advantage; instead, Murong Xinzhang had stabbed him four or five times at close range, and blood dripped steadily onto the ground.

Amid the fighting, Wang Tongxin hammered the soldier beneath him to death. This was Zhang Lian's cousin, and the scream distracted Zhang Lian. In his panic, he tried to run for the door, but Murong Xinzhang seized the moment and pinned him down.

The good son pressed his knee down on Zhang Lian's short hengdao saber, gripped the long dagger with both hands, and drove it toward Zhang Lian's throat. Zhang Lian was helpless and could only use both hands to hold Murong Xinzhang back.

But their strength had been unequal to begin with, and Murong Xinzhang could also bear down with the weight of his whole body. The disparity showed at once.

The two struggled for a dozen or so breaths. Amid Zhang Lian's despairing screams, the long dagger slowly sank into his throat.

Then Commander Zhang suddenly seemed to lose all his strength. His hands flew to his throat, and bloody froth began bubbling from his mouth.

His nostrils strained to breathe, but almost no air came in. His life was already at its end.

And just as the three of them killed Zhang Lian and the two armored soldiers, Zhao Kuangzan and Hou Renbao led their followers charging out of the banquet hall, and even their two secretaries ran after them, long swords raised, howling as they joined the assault.

The Protectorate Army soldiers in Water City also drew their blades and charged out from all directions, while Zhao Kuangzan's Lulong Army in Puzhou City and the two hundred Hanshandu armored soldiers rushed from Puzhou City toward Water City.

Murong Xinzhang took Zhang Lian's short hengdao saber and called to Wang Tongxin and Qiong Reduojin, then ran toward the west gate of Water City.

The Zhangguo Army soldiers at the west gate were bewildered and at a loss. Before they could react, Murong Xinzhang and the others were upon them.

Wang Tongxin roared, forcing open the gates of Water City with brute strength, and the Hanshandu armored soldiers outside poured in.

The battle instantly lost all suspense.

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