Chapter 663: A Good Son Is Truly Fearsome

With tremendous self-control, Zhang Zhao suppressed the fury in his heart. Even Li Shengtian, who had accompanied him to Xiangji Temple, had no idea what had happened that morning.

After arranging everything, he ordered Zhang Zhaojie (Qiongre Duojin) to personally lead five hundred elite cavalry to escort Zhang Xianyu to Hexi.

Zhang Zhao then ordered Luo Yu'er to lead the Changguo Garrison ahead to open the road, with the Left Dragon Guard as the vanguard, the Right Feathered Forest Guard bringing up the rear, and the Right Divine Might Guard as the central army providing close protection.

Zhang Zhao refused to believe that another traitor like An Sizhong was still lurking within his Right Divine Might Guard!

Having received such trust, Jiao Jixun immediately led all officers of the Right Divine Might Guard above the rank of squad general to kneel on one knee beside Zhang Zhao's carriage.

This scholarly general, eleven years older than Zhang Zhao, was moved to tears streaming down his face. Though the surrounding officers of the Right Divine Might Guard said nothing, Zhang Zhao could feel their overwhelming gratitude without even looking.

If another traitor were to appear in the Right Divine Might Guard, they would probably slit their own throats without Zhang Zhao having to do anything.

After Zhang Zhao boarded the carriage, Jiao Jixun turned to look at the dozens of officers behind him and spoke in a low voice.

"This time it was the Sage who preserved the honor of our Right Divine Might Guard.

You must all understand: if word got out that the Right Divine Might Guard produced a great traitor like An Sizhong, how could we still hold our place among the fifty thousand households of the personal army?

We receive the highest rewards and pay, yet such a thing still happened. How will the eighty thousand of the imperial guard, the garrison troops of every region, and even the patrol officers and yabing guards of every locality — the brave lads of the Steed, Spear and Staff, and Bow and Arrow societies — look upon us?

From this day forward, during guard duty there must be at least two lieutenant officers present at all times. Watch your comrades as if they were enemies.

Whichever squad has a problem, I will personally cut off their heads, and then take my own life to atone to the Sage.

After we return to Chang'an, each lieutenant officer will personally organize an internal investigation. Everyone must report the circumstances of relatives among their father's, mother's, and wife's clans — pay special attention to any household with devout Buddhists or close ties to temples.

We absolutely must not betray the trust the Sage has placed in us today!"

As expected of a scholarly general — once Jiao Jixun got fierce, he was quite capable. He had even begun organizing an internal self-investigation that Zhang Zhao had not requested.

The officers at every level agreed without objection. In the past they would never have done such a thing, but at this moment, everyone expressed their support without hesitation.

Jiao Jixun had made it very clear: this time Zhang Zhao, the Emperor, was actually covering for them. Otherwise, if this matter spread widely, the result would be that the Right Divine Might Guard could no longer hold its place in the personal army.

At the same time, the personal army as a whole — the best-treated troops — would also be unable to face the surging criticism of the imperial guard, the garrison troops, the patrol officers and yabing guards, and the brave lads everywhere.

By then, the Right Divine Might Guard would become the sinners of the entire personal army, and all their futures and wealth would be gone.

Inside the imperial carriage, Zhang Zhao — the man who had moved Jiao Jixun and the entire Right Divine Might Guard to the point that they wished to tear out their hearts and show him — had not been entirely without precautions.

Although Zhang Zhao had deliberately sent Zhang Zhaozhong and Zhang Zhaojiu away from his side, he himself wore, beneath his wide imperial robes, a suit of pure steel ring-mail armor worth ten thousand in gold, forged link by link by hand.

With this precious armor, unless someone assassinated him from a distance with a fuyuan crossbow or a giant hammer like the one used at Bolangsha, his armor and martial skill would absolutely hold out until Zhang Zhaozhong and Zhang Zhaojiu arrived.

Murong Yanchao was crouching on a mountainside a few li from the great army. When several Tuyuhun scouts came to report that the Emperor was still using the Right Divine Might Guard as his central army, he sighed quietly.

The bald-headed men behind him understood nothing. They still thought the Emperor was backing down, not daring to carry out a real purge.

They were still fantasizing that the Emperor would come to recognize their power, which could provide capital for future bargaining with him.

Hearing such absurd talk, Murong Yanchao immediately wanted to flee.

What fools these were! The Emperor was not backing down — he was suppressing his fury with tremendous magnanimity, first seeking to stabilize the interior and avoid major upheaval, and only later would he come to deal with them.

And an emperor who could endure such a thing without showing his anger was usually not as easygoing as he appeared on the surface, but rather the very model of ruthlessness.

Murong Yanchao believed that once the Shaoming Son of Heaven had his hands free, he would surely unleash a retaliation a hundred times more ferocious. When that happened, not one of these people would meet a good end.

In that case, should he sell these people out for a good price?

This question had turned over in Murong Yanchao's mind countless times, and now he had come to the point of decision once again.

But after much deliberation, Murong Yanchao ultimately chose to give it up.

Because Li Ye had participated in this scheme. This man was the younger brother of Li Sanniang — the principal wife of Liu Zhiyuan and Murong Yanchao's sister-in-law — and also the maternal uncle of Liu Zhiyuan's son, Liu Chengyou.

Murong Yanchao let out a long sigh. That Li Sanniang and Liu Chengyou were still alive at all was already an extraordinary act of mercy from the Shaoming Son of Heaven. If Li Ye were implicated, not to mention anything else, Liu Chengyou would most likely lose his life.

And Liu Chengyou was already the only heir of his elder brother Liu Zhiyuan, who to this day had no other sons or daughters.

What kind of man was Murong Yanchao? In his youth he had been a bandit who killed and robbed. After joining the army he did not much observe military discipline either. If not for his elder brother Liu Zhiyuan pleading on his behalf everywhere, his head would have been lost countless times.

In the second year of Tiancheng of the Later Tang's Mingzong (927), he got into a fight in Jinzhou and was careless enough to fall into an ambush. He was slashed more than a dozen times and nearly died.

After fleeing back to Taiyuan, it was his sister-in-law Li Sanniang who, without loosening her sash, cared for him like a mother for more than two months, and only then did he keep his life.

It could be said that his elder brother Liu Zhiyuan and his wife were practically Murong Yanchao's parents.

The moment he thought that betraying these people might put his sister-in-law's life in danger and end his elder brother Liu Zhiyuan's line, this notion was extinguished.

This man, in an era teeming with fierce generals, could still be counted among the notable warriors. Though he was shameless and greedy for money, he was extremely loyal to his friends and knew how to repay kindness.

Back then, when he and Huangfu Yu charged back into the Khitan battle formation to rescue Du Zhimin, it was because he had been moved by Huangfu Yu's sense of honor.

And though he had risen to the position of Chief Military Inspector under Zhang Zhao, when Liu Zhiyuan merely sent word by messenger, Murong Yanchao abandoned his post and fled back to Hedong — all to repay that kindness.

He had spent time in Zhang Zhou's army and could not have failed to see who was strong and who was weak, yet he still risked everything to flee back to Hedong.

So Murong Yanchao truly could not bring himself to do something that might cause Liu Zhiyuan's line to end.

Moreover, even if Murong Yanchao had resolved to report them, he did not know who these people were!

Of those who had come, he only knew of the Huaibei bandit Li Renshu. The rest of the names were basically all false.

As for that convener, Master Fazhi, even his Buddhist name was certainly fake — whether he was even a monk at all was unknown.

The Buddhist establishment of the Central Plains had certainly been deeply involved, but they all remained hidden behind the scenes. Not a single conspicuous figure had appeared, so Murong Yanchao simply had no way to report them.

Better to first return to the Shi and Lan prefectures in Hedong and hide for a while!

The Tuyuhun people there were being continuously relocated, and the situation was extremely chaotic. Everywhere there were strongmen fleeing into the deep mountains to resist the authorities. Murong Yanchao was a native of Hedong, so it would be all the easier to conceal his tracks.

Zhang Zhao had just returned to Chang'an and had not yet moved into the partially restored Taiji Palace when he heard the sound of many hooves outside.

Before long, an attendant came to report: Gao Huaide, Commandant of the Left Feathered Forest Guard, had arrived with three hundred cavalry of the Left Feathered Forest Guard.

Zhang Zhao laughed heartily and went out to greet him. Guo Rong and Zhao Kuangyin had gone upriver from Jiangling Prefecture to do hard labor.

So the task of climbing the high mountains of Shu and risking one's life naturally fell to Gao Huaide.

After spending time in Yan-Yun with his father Gao Xingzhou and Murong Xinzhang, Gao Huaide had matured considerably.

Along with Gao Huaide came memorials from Murong Xinzhang, Grand Commander of Andong in Anzhou, and from his father Gao Xingzhou, Military Governor of the Fanyang Army in Beiping Prefecture.

Zhang Zhao first gestured for Gao Huaide to sit and rest a while, then began reading the memorials of Gao Xingzhou and Murong Xinzhang.

Gao Xingzhou's memorial was relatively simple, all about how the local strongmen of the You-Yun region and the various peoples beyond the Yinshan and Yanshan mountains north of the passes had been recruited and won over by him one by one.

This was essentially a work report. But at the very end, Gao Xingzhou still raised a point: now that the Sage Zhou had opened a new era and few military provinces remained anywhere, Hebei should not be treated as a special case. He hoped Zhang Zhao would abolish the military province of the Beiping Prefecture Fanyang Army.

After reading the memorial, Zhang Zhao sighed and said to Gao Huaide, "Before I entered the Central Plains, I heard people say that Gao Xingzhou of Guizhou was loyal, sincere, prudent, and generous — a man who devoted himself wholly to the state and did not covet power.

Now I see it is truly so. Your father has the manner of the great generals of old, comparable to the great dynasty's Prince Zhongwu of Fenyang."

Gao Huaide was inwardly delighted, but he still knew his limits. Beaming, he replied, "My family are honored kin of Sage Zhou, so of course we must serve with our lives. My father has always most revered Prince Zhongwu and often uses Prince Zhongwu's deeds to inspire his subordinates."

Prince Zhongwu of Fenyang, Guo Ziyi, was no ordinary man. In all of history, few had ever managed what Guo Ziyi did — to render a heaven-saving service and still retire with his life intact, so that his descendants flourished with the dynasty and became one of the empire's foremost great houses.

Gao Xingzhou clearly still fell far short of Guo Ziyi, but as his son, Gao Huaide naturally could not say that Gao Xingzhou was inferior to Guo Ziyi. He could only tactfully describe Guo Ziyi as Gao Xingzhou's idol.

Zhang Zhao was also quite satisfied. Gao Huaide was not only an unmatched warrior, but his emotional intelligence was beyond reproach — a man who could be entrusted with great matters.

"Since the Grand Commandant has proposed abolishing the military provinces, he must also have proposed a solution. Tell me."

Although Gao Xingzhou wanted to help Zhang Zhao take the final step in abolishing the military governorships, the military governors of the realm were not limited to the Beiping Prefecture Fanyang Army alone.

There were also Fu Yanqing's Changshan Prefecture Zhangde Army, An Shenqi's Beihai Prefecture (Qingzhou) Pinglu Army, and Li Rong's Shangdang Prefecture Zhaoyi Army — three more.

It was surely with this in mind that Gao Xingzhou had slipped the matter of relinquishing his own military province into his "work report," without specifically mentioning any solution.

Gao Huaide cupped his hands. "Your Majesty is indeed sagely and all-seeing. On the day my father's memorial was sent out, the memorials of Grand Commandant Fu of Changshan Prefecture and Grand Commandant An of Beihai Prefecture were also sent out.

It is not only our Gao family that wishes to relinquish the military governorship. The two Grand Guardians Fu and An also wish to relinquish theirs."

Being a military governor in Zhang Zhou's realm was truly flavorless now. The yabing guards numbered only one or two thousand men in total, and the military men now in favor were the personal army and the imperial guard, so no brave warriors were willing to become yabing guards.

For a military governor, these one or two thousand men were less yabing guards than a small personal escort. As for the military governor's authority over personnel and finances, it had long since been stripped away by a whole string of appended offices.

The military governor of today had almost no real power, yet still bore the name of a military province and drew sidelong glances from others. It truly held no appeal.

"My father suggests to the Sage that the office of Military Governor be abolished. Take the twelve prefectures of Beiping Prefecture east of Yunzhou, plus Chengde Prefecture and Pingzhou — newly recovered from the Khitan — and form a new Andong Province, with Beiping Prefecture as the provincial capital, and simply confer the title of Staff-Bearing Commander-in-Chief."

Gao Xingzhou had not mentioned the cases of Fu Yanqing and An Shenqi, because their problems were easy to solve: abolish their military governorships and appoint them on the spot as provincial administrators.

The troublesome one was the Gao family's Beiping Prefecture Fanyang Army, because that territory administratively belonged to Hebei Province. If the Fanyang Army military governorship were abolished, Beiping Prefecture's status would plummet, which would be detrimental to dealing with the various peoples beyond the frontier.

So the solution was simply to create a new Andong Province, and to use the title of Staff-Bearing Commander-in-Chief that had been used in the Han, Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties.

For example, if troops needed to be stationed at Beiping Prefecture to guard against the Khitan and manage affairs beyond the frontier, then one could simply appoint a Staff-Bearing Commander-in-Chief over the military affairs of all the prefectures, districts, and counties of Andong Province.

A Staff-Bearing Commander-in-Chief could command all armies within his assigned territory except the personal army. The post could be established when there was need and abolished when there was none — a position of high rank and great authority, but not a standing office.

In truth, this was no particularly brilliant system, because the original military governors had been established in exactly this way.

But later, as the state gradually became unable to bear local military expenses, and because of border defense needs and a host of other reasons, power was progressively devolved, and they became the military governors.

Zhang Zhao could not help baring his teeth. History truly was just a cycle. In another one or two hundred years, Zhang Zhou's Staff-Bearing Commanders-in-Chief over regional military affairs would surely evolve into the military governors of today.

But in this present moment, when the dynasty was rising with explosive vigor, this system was certainly far better than the military governorships, which reeked of decay and warlordism.

Moreover, the fact that Gao Xingzhou had deliberately raised the Commander-in-Chief post suggested that he must have found his tenure as Fanyang Army Military Governor somewhat stifling.

Because Murong Xinzhang was at Pingzhou, east of Beiping Prefecture, serving as Grand Commander-in-Chief of Andong.

There was no need to guess — Gao Xingzhou could probably only command the two or three thousand men of the Fanyang Army.

Who was Murong Xinzhang? He was the Empress Cao Yanxi's own nephew, the son of Consort Cao Yannai, and Sage Zhang's half-adopted son and chief enforcer.

His mother, Lady Cao Sanniang Yannai, had followed the Emperor from humble beginnings and could be counted among the original followers faction.

On top of that, Murong Xinzhang was famed throughout the realm, was the son-in-law of the Later Tang Emperor Mingzong, and the brother-in-law of the Jin ruler Shi Jingtang.

With such a fearsome status, even if he himself was modest and amiable, could the claws and strategists gathered around him all be modest and amiable?

Gao Xingzhou was an imperial affine, a veteran general, and a senior — on the surface still a military governor of a province — yet he could only play second fiddle to Murong Xinzhang. He must have found it thoroughly stifling.

Zhang Zhao thought it over calmly. He had indeed been somewhat inconsiderate. With that in mind, he said to Gao Huaide:

"E'niang is pregnant now. She has been vomiting badly lately and has grown quite haggard. In a while, Cangyong, go see her and keep her company for a bit."

Gao Huaide was overjoyed. His sister Gao E'niang had been married into the Du family for half a year without conceiving, and after following the Emperor for a year, there was still no sign.

The Gao family had always worried that Gao E'niang might be unable to bear children. They had finally managed to have a daughter become an imperial consort — if she could not bear children, it would be truly heartbreaking.

Now, hearing that his sister was pregnant, Gao Huaide leapt three feet into the air, even in front of Zhang Zhao.

"Congratulations to the Sage! Congratulations to the Sage! I shall go see E'niang at once."

Gao Huaide understood, of course, that Zhang Zhao was showing him out. So, cheerfully, he was led by a palace attendant toward Gao E'niang's courtyard.

Gao E'niang had originally been chosen to accompany the imperial procession precisely because she had not conceived. Now, suddenly learning she was pregnant, she felt both joy and a touch of loss. Combined with the jolting of the journey, she was feeling quite unwell. Seeing her elder brother arrive, she brightened considerably.

After Gao Huaide left, Zhang Zhao began to reflect. When Murong Xinzhang was at his side, Zhang Zhao had not noticed it. Now that even a veteran imperial affine like Gao Xingzhou could not withstand his prestige, Zhang Zhao gained a much clearer understanding of his fine son's reputation and ability.

If he himself had been assassinated yesterday at Xiangji Temple, his fine son would surely have been the undisputed successor. Even Empress Cao Yanxi would probably have been willing to let her own nephew Murong Xinzhang take control of the situation.

As things stood, once Gao Xingzhou's memorial to abolish the military governorship was approved, Gao Xingzhou would certainly be unwilling to remain in Beiping Prefecture. Murong Xinzhang taking over the entire Andong Province was all but a foregone conclusion.

Although Zhang Zhao did not doubt Murong Xinzhang's loyalty and affection for him, and assumed Murong Xinzhang would harbor no improper thoughts, the necessary checks and balances could not be omitted.

A suitable deputy had to be appointed for Murong Xinzhang.

Who would be suitable? Zhang Zhao thought for a moment, and the name Zhe Congyuan suddenly came to mind.

Although Zhe Congyuan came from the remote and narrow region of Fuzhou, thanks to the fine reputation his family would enjoy in later times, Zhang Zhao had treated the Zhe family with extraordinary favor.

Zhe Congyuan himself had leapt from a mere Prefect of Fuzhou to become provincial administrator of Ningxia Province. His eldest son, Zhe Deyi, was provincial administrator of Shuofang Province.

His second son, Zhe Deyuan, was even more remarkable — not only was he Sage Zhang's adopted son, he had also married Sage Zhang's cousin's daughter, making him a member of the Zhang clan of Shazhou.

He currently served as Deputy Defense Commissioner of Hedong, Governor of Datong Prefecture (Yunzhou), and Military Supervisor of Datong Prefecture.

The Zhe family could be said to be honored to the last member. Among all the military men of the Hedong and Daibei regions, no one enjoyed greater favor than the Zhe family. Zhang Zhao had entrusted nearly half the defense of the northwest to them.

The Zhe family was therefore utterly loyal to Zhang Zhao and could be used with confidence.

After much deliberation, Zhang Zhao made his decision: the twelve prefectures including Beiping, together with Pingzhou and other places in western Liaoning, would form Andong Province.

Murong Xinzhang would be appointed provincial administrator and Defense Commissioner of Andong Province, and at the same time be ordered to serve as Staff-Bearing Commander-in-Chief over the military affairs of Andong Province.

That is to say, with the title of Staff-Bearing Commander-in-Chief, the imperial guard troops entering Andong Province would also fall under Murong Xinzhang's command.

At the same time, Zhe Congyuan would be transferred to serve as Governor of Beiping Prefecture and Military Supervisor of Beiping Prefecture. However, since Zhe Congyuan had originally been a provincial administrator, becoming a prefectural governor was clearly a demotion.

So Zhang Zhao prepared to add to his duties the oversight of the Khitan, Xi, and other barbarian peoples north of the mountains, at the rank of a provincial administrator, making him responsible for all affairs concerning the various barbarian peoples north of the Yan Mountains.

In Ningxia Province, the post of provincial administrator would be taken over by Wu Luan. As for Gao Xingzhou, Zhang Zhao planned to transfer him to Shuofang Province to serve as provincial administrator.

As for the former Pingzhang of the Shuofang Branch Province, Zhe Deyi, Zhang Zhao planned that after conquering the Kingdom of Shu, he would temporarily divide Shu into two regions — Western Sichuan and Eastern Sichuan — for control. Zhe Deyi would go to Eastern Sichuan as Pingzhang, and while there, take charge of the work of pacifying and winning over the native peoples of what later generations would call Chongqing and Guizhou.

This would both break the localization that the Zhe family had formed through their long entrenched position in the northwest, and provide another capable commander to stabilize the Shu region.

Related