Chapter 583: The Situation in Hebei

The early morning sunlight slowly streamed into Zhang Zhao's bedchamber.

A glance at the hourglass not far away told him it was already ten in the morning, yet outside the bedchamber it was still as quiet as the small hours of the night.

Presumably everyone within several hundred meters around the bedchamber had been sent far away.

A soft nasal murmur sounded; the person beside him woke the moment Zhang Zhao opened his eyes, frowning as she started to rise to dress him.

Zhang Zhao reached back and gave a gentle pull; amid a low, startled cry, a soft body tumbled into his arms.

It was a snow-white body, exquisitely soft to the touch, with an indescribable feel, as if it had no bones at all.

Merely resting his hand lightly on that snow-white rear was enough to bring a satisfaction as if he held the whole world in his grasp.

Cao Yanxi still could not bear to leave Zhang Zhao, who had been living like a monk for over half a year, to keep an empty bed; before midnight she had left of her own accord and sent him a fiery little beauty.

Breathing in the fragrance of the beauty's body, Zhang Zhao reached out and roamed his hands over her, until goosebumps rose and subsided in waves across her skin and low moans began to come in fits and starts.

High nose, deep-set eyes, snow-white skin, hair faintly tinged with purple, full in front and round behind — a standard fine foreign filly.

Eight years ago, Kang Fu had boasted to Zhang Zhao below Mawei Slope in Guanzhong that he had many granddaughters, and that they were all great beauties; it seemed that had not been false at all.

It was only a pity that the granddaughter Kang Fu had boasted of then was probably some elder sister of this Kang woman now in his arms.

"Sage, the Military Governor of Weisheng Army in Dengzhou, Baode Marquis Erzhu Jing, has sent an urgent messenger to report: the King of Nanping, Gao Conghui, has dispatched his son, the Acting Minister of Works, Vice Military Governor of Jingnan, and Prefect of Xiazhou, Gao Baorong, as envoy to come pay tribute. He left Dengzhou thirteen days ago."

Zhang Zhao was just holding Kang's soft body, thinking of sleeping a little longer, when the voice of a palace attendant came from outside the door.

He had passed Dengzhou thirteen days ago, and Dengzhou to Kaifeng was about eight hundred li; if they traveled fast on urgent business, they should arrive within the next day or two.

Sage Zhang had just been preparing to vent his anger on Nanping, and had not expected Gao Conghui's reaction to be this quick.

Seeing that the Emperor really was preparing to rise, Kang hurriedly scrambled up to dress Zhang Zhao.

And watching Kang bustling about before him, Zhang Zhao realized that Empress Cao Yanxi probably only seemed so sweet and naive in front of him.

This was evident from her choice of person: Zhang Zhao clearly preferred the elder Fu, yet Cao Yanxi had not secretly brought the elder Fu or Gao E'niang into the palace.

Because those two each had a whole faction behind them; only Kang, after Kang Fu's death, was destined to be nothing more than a pure favored consort who pleased with her beauty.

And after rising, Zhang Zhao had just reached Chongwen Hall, before he had even had time to eat a bite of breakfast, when Yan Jin and Fu Yanqing, who had been summoned back by imperial order, arrived.

Zhang Zhao quickly had the Bureau of Imperial Cuisine prepare more food and invited the two to eat a little with him.

Yan Jin and Fu Yanqing had come for the matter of Hebei.

During the six, nearly seven months that Zhang Zhao had been campaigning against the Southern Tang, Liu Zhiyuan in Hebei had not been idle.

As early as the second month, Liu Zhiyuan had appointed his trusted follower Shi Hongzhao as Military Governor of Jianxiong Army in Jinzhou, and then appointed Li Wanchao, a yabing officer of the Zhaoyi Army, as Military Governor of Zhaoyi Army in Luzhou.

In the third month, he appointed his trusted follower Guo Wei as Chief Deployment Commissioner of Hebei, concurrently serving as Surveillance and Disposal Commissioner of the three prefectures of Xiang, Xing, and Ming, and as Military Governor of Zhangde Army.

Yecheng lay in Xiangzhou, within the jurisdiction of the Military Governor of Zhangde Army in Xiangzhou.

Liu Zhiyuan, as early as last year, had built a large number of stockades and troop encampments north of the Ye capital, at Fuyang on the border of Xiangzhou, along the Fu River.

This time he had directly sent Guo Wei as Chief Deployment Commissioner out through the Taihang Mountains, clearly to seize Yecheng. Yan Jin had originally been guarding the Xiangzhou area against Liu Zhiyuan's forces crossing the river, intending to adopt a defensive posture.

But later he realized that if he only defended Huazhou, and Guo Wei took Yecheng, Guo Wei could then continue south and occupy Weizhou, and then cross the river from Weizhou.

So Yan Jin, while sending an urgent messenger galloping to seek Zhang Zhao's instructions, used the discretionary authority Zhang Zhao had granted him and led two thousand troops north from Huazhou into Yecheng.

And on the sixth day after he entered Yecheng, Guo Wei's vanguard arrived five li outside the city. At that time, Zhang Xichong, who was in charge of court affairs, with the consent of Empress Cao Yanxi, decisively intercepted and retained three thousand troops that were supposed to be sent to the Southern Tang.

It was fortunate that these three thousand soldiers of the Xiongwu Garrison arrived, enabling Yan Jin to hold Yecheng.

Throughout the fourth month, Yan Jin and Guo Wei fought back and forth along the Yecheng line in more than ten engagements large and small; in the largest battle, both sides committed over ten thousand men.

Guo Wei relied on abundant troops, while Yan Jin relied on the Hexi cavalry and the strong walls of Yecheng; under Guo Wei's siege of twenty thousand men, he held the Yecheng line with five thousand.

Elsewhere in Hebei, Fu Yanqing also contended with the Hedong forces, though this contest was conducted mainly through winning hearts and minds, with warfare as a supplement.

It was just unfortunate that Liu Zhiyuan's fame in Hebei far exceeded Zhang Zhao's. Liu Zhiyuan, though he had followed Su Fengji's advice and styled himself a loyal minister of the Jin dynasty, which tied his hands, had indeed gained real benefits from it.

Because the people of Hebei, especially in the northern prefectures, generally believed that Liu Zhiyuan had driven out the Khitan.

Thus, despite Fu Yanqing's utmost efforts to win them over, Zhang Zhao held in Hebei only the three prefectures of Wei, Bo, and Bei, plus the greater part of Xiangzhou.

The remaining prefectures and commanderies were basically controlled by Liu Zhiyuan or by people loyal to him.

Zhang Zhao, however, was not too concerned about this, because he deeply understood the truth of the great ancestor's famous saying: preserve the people and lose the land.

No matter how large a spread Liu Zhiyuan laid out now, no matter how much territory he occupied, in the end it would still come down to men fighting a decisive battle.

The land of Hebei had suffered the triple calamities of flood, drought, and locusts, and the ravages of the Khitan; moreover, the great battles between Jin and Liao had also mostly been fought in Hebei. According to the Ministry of Revenue's investigation and estimates, the population of all Hebei had plummeted from around one million six or seven hundred thousand to certainly under one million.

Well, that was actually still a rather conservative estimate. Zhang Zhao reckoned that, never mind one million, if Hebei now had seven hundred thousand people, that would already be good.

Such a vast Hebei with so few people, and many of them fugitive unregistered households or people hidden by great clans with fortified manors — apart from dispersing Liu Zhiyuan's forces, Zhang Zhao could not imagine what benefit it held.

This was perhaps the greatest difference between Zhang Zhao and Liu Zhiyuan: Zhang Zhao did not care about the gain or loss of a single city or patch of land, though at times it did make him look less powerful.

And the reason he was unwilling to expand rapidly in Hebei also lay here.

Taking in the prefectures of Hebei too early would inevitably require sending men to garrison them; too few would not do, too many would disperse his forces, and if Liu Zhiyuan captured them, it would instead damage his prestige.

Fu Yanqing was still not accustomed to Zhang Zhao's easy approachability, and was far less composed than Yan Jin; after eating a couple of bites, he said to Zhang Zhao in a low voice.

"Sage, my spies planted beside Liu Zhiyuan have sent back word that after Liu Zhiyuan met with the Liao ruler Yelu Ruan at Dingzhou, they very likely met again near Yunzhou.

And it is said that the Liao Empress Dowager Shulu Ping also attended, either in person or by sending someone."

Zhang Zhao nodded calmly; this situation, he had in fact long anticipated.

Liu Zhiyuan had made no major move for a full six months, not even seizing such a perfect opportunity as Zhang Zhao's southern campaign against the Southern Tang. There was only one possible explanation.

Liu Zhiyuan was mending the rift between himself and the Khitan, and might even be acting as an intermediary, facilitating negotiations between the Khitan Yelu Ruan and his grandmother Shulu Ping.

From Liu Zhiyuan's standpoint, only if the Khitan could join forces with him would there be any possibility of breaking through the Eastern Capital, Kaifeng Prefecture.

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhao said to Yan Jin: "Since we left Liangzhou, the soldiers have not had a moment's rest, and only half of the troops whose families have come from Hexi have arrived.

Many men are homesick. This year, I fear, is still not the time for a decisive battle with Liu Zhiyuan. The defense of Yecheng remains a heavy responsibility."

Yan Jin nodded. "I had long anticipated this. But in my view, Liu Zhiyuan's own strength is not formidable; he relies heavily on the Khitan.

And the Khitan are already loathed by gods and men alike in Hebei. If Liu Zhiyuan cannot reverse the Hebei people's hatred of the Khitan, his so-called strategy of relying on the Khitan as wings simply cannot be carried out.

What is more, he still calls himself a loyal minister of Jin. Utterly laughable."

In my view, this man is full of schemes but forgets faith and honor; he covets great achievements and does whatever he pleases. Though he is lord of a region, his conduct is still much like that of a village gallant leader.

It is rather Guo Wei of Fuyang who is steady, cautious, and possessed of a commander's talent. He can win the hearts of the troops, and he is truly a formidable enemy of our army."

Zhang Zhao fell silent for a moment, but in his mind he was considering the problem of Guo Wei. This was a man he could not quite see through.

Was he ultimately a loyal minister or an ambitious schemer? How much was his loyalty actually worth? Was there any possibility of winning him over?

"Chengjie, have you been in contact with Guo Rong?" Zhang Zhao softly asked, speaking a name that had not been mentioned for a long time.

He wondered whether Guo Rong now felt any regret in his heart.

Yan Jin grinned. "I have. But young Rong is the same as ever. The former subordinates I sent to reminisce with him were shown out before they even got through the door.

But one thing was different from before. In the past, he decided on his own whether to see them or not, but this time he probably asked Guo Wei for instructions.

He said that loyalty and righteousness cannot both be complete. The Great King has shown him kindness, but he must still be loyal to the Prince of Beiping."

Zhang Zhao also felt somewhat speechless, and for a moment did not know what to say.

One could only say that circumstances change a person far too much.

For a certain period, Guo Rong could actually be said to have been one of Zhang Zhao's capable subordinates, yet his adoptive father and uncle by marriage happened to be Liu Zhiyuan's trusted confidant.

Caught in such a sensitive vortex, even Guo Rong, who in history was quick to rage and call for blood at the slightest provocation, had become so cautious and circumspect.

Fu Yanqing sensed that Zhang Zhao might be thinking of persuading Guo Wei to surrender. He thought for a moment, then said to Zhang Zhao:

"This Guo Que'er is rough on the outside but fine within. When Liu Zhiyuan traveled beyond Datong to meet with the Khitan ruler, he could still control twenty thousand Hedong troops from a thousand li away. That alone shows how deeply Liu Zhiyuan trusts him.

And for Guo Wei, if he helps Liu Zhiyuan succeed, he will be second only to one man and above ten thousand. But on the Sage's side, there is absolutely no such position for him.

Unless he is driven to utter desperation, I fear he will absolutely never betray Liu Zhiyuan.

I suggest the Sage go ask Feng Hui, the Chief Commander of the Silver Lance. In their village days, Feng Hui and Guo Wei were kindred spirits, both good-for-nothing rogues.

If there is anyone in this world who understands Guo Wei best besides Guo Wei himself, I fear it is Feng Hui."

Zhang Zhao thought it over. Fu Yanqing's reasoning was correct. Guo Wei had followed Liu Zhiyuan for so many years that he had long since staked his life and fortune entirely on Liu Zhiyuan.

Unless it came to the point of losing his life, he certainly could not be brought over. So Zhang Zhao gave up the idea of recruiting Guo Wei.

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