Chapter 666: The Old Bastards Who Push People Too Far

In the third year of Zhang Zhou's Shaoming era, 948 CE, on the third day of the third month, Zhang Zhao built a general-appointing platform in the Jingzhao Chang'an Prefecture and appointed Cai Guogong Yin Zhengqi as Commander-in-Chief of the Shu-Punitive Expedition.

He mobilized four guards of the personal army — the Right Yulin Guard, the Left Jinwu Guard, the Left Longxiang Guard, and the Right Shenwei Guard — twelve thousand men in total.

And fifteen thousand men from five garrisons of the imperial army: Xiongwu, Changguo, Xingqing, Yong'an, and Zhaoyi.

At the same time he dispatched two thousand five hundred men from the Left and Center Guards of the Chang'an garrison, and three thousand men from the Tianshui Guard.

In addition, he conscripted five thousand men from the Guanzhong region's patrol yabing guards, martial-exam Captains, and the Qiji, archery, and spear-and-staff societies.

Altogether thirty-seven thousand five hundred men, plus more than thirty thousand civilian laborers conscripted from Guanzhong, proclaimed as an army of one hundred fifty thousand, openly and unmistakably preparing to begin the campaign against Shu.

But although the clamor had been raised, Zhang Zhao did not order the army to move immediately.

He waited until the third day, the sixth of the third month, when Secretariat Drafter Lu Yan had transferred five thousand plow oxen from Hubei Province, Shandong Province, and the directly administered territory to Guanzhong; only then did Zhang Zhao order the great army to drill together for half a month before beginning the campaign against Shu.

The third month was the critical season for spring plowing. Without these plow oxen to fill the labor gap left by the thirty or forty thousand men conscripted from Guanzhong, this year's grain harvest in Guanzhong would certainly fail.

So Zhang Zhao immediately appointed Secretariat Drafter Lu Yan as Surveillance Commissioner of Guanzhong Province, concurrently Director of the Guanzhong Bureau of the Ministry of Revenue, with the additional title of Vice Minister of Revenue, giving him full authority over the allocation of the plow oxen.

Good policy still requires capable people to carry it out; otherwise, only a very small portion of these plow oxen would likely reach the common people who needed them most.

Moreover, this was not a gift of plow oxen to the people — they were to be rented, just at a very low price.

This raised a problem: when something belongs to the public, ordinary people generally will not treat it with much care.

Though plow oxen are strong, they are in fact somewhat delicate and require attentive care before they can do heavy work in the fields.

Without supervision, those lawless fellows below would probably dare to work the plow oxen to death and then eat the meat.

As for hiding plow oxen away and reporting them lost, or forming bandit gangs to steal or illegally slaughter other people's rented plow oxen — there were definitely people capable of such things, and not a small number of them.

Zhang Zhao thought it over, then left one battalion of the Hanhai Garrison by his side to Lu Yan.

As the former symbol of Zhang Zhou's military might, the soldiers of the original Hanhai Garrison had basically become the personal army, but the name Hanhai Garrison was still preserved and was called the foremost of the imperial army.

At Zhang Zhao's request, Yan Jin had brought two of the four Hanhai Garrison battalions stationed in Taiyuan to Guanzhong; Zhang Zhao had originally planned to have the Hanhai Garrison escort him to Hexi.

Because of the three thousand men in Zhang Zhao's Hanshan Du, at least two thousand had to take part in the Shu campaign.

Now, considering that Lu Yan was newly arrived and probably could not overawe the Guanzhong local magnates who regarded themselves as meritorious followers of the dragon, Zhang Zhao simply left one battalion of the Hanhai Garrison to Lu Yan.

Lu Yan was one hundred percent loyal to Zhang Zhao. As a remnant of Hedong, when he came to Zhang Zhao, Zhang Zhao not only did not disdain his origins but entrusted him with heavy responsibilities.

So he threw himself into the task. As soon as the Hanhai Garrison was in his hands, Lu Yan immediately made examples of those several short-sighted petty clerks of Jingzhao Chang'an Prefecture.

These fellows were truly audacious — "dog-gall to the heavens" was by no means an empty phrase.

The five thousand plow oxen had just arrived, and because they feared the animals would not adapt to the local conditions, the oxen needed to be carefully tended for a period and examined by veterinarians.

So these petty clerks colluded, going everywhere to buy sick oxen at low prices, then swapping them for the strong plow oxen that had been transported in — a cat-for-prince swap on a grand scale.

I, Sage Zhang, was so furious that smoke poured from all seven orifices. He had not even left yet, and already someone was eyeing these plow oxen. Given Zhang Zhao's temperament, he immediately wanted to chop them to pieces with one stroke.

Unfortunately, under the Great Zhou criminal code, this bit of corruption was nowhere near enough to warrant beheading.

Just when Zhang Zhao was at a loss, Lu Yan appeared and immediately found the legal provision for executing these petty clerks.

It turned out that although embezzling this amount was not a capital crime, stealing plow oxen was!

In every dynasty, stealing plow oxen was a capital offense. Even as late as the end of the Qing there were cases of cattle thieves being cangued before the county yamen and left to die of exposure in the sun — to say nothing of the fact that one of the sick oxen these men brought in had already died of illness.

Lu Yan swiftly charged them with stealing plow oxen and causing the death of an ox, and in his capacity as Provincial Surveillance Commissioner sent documents directly to the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, recommending immediate execution by beheading.

With Zhang Zhao in Guanzhong, the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review of the Eastern Capital court also sent back replies by flying courier, agreeing that there was no need to wait until autumn and approving immediate sentencing.

Among the several petty clerks involved in the case, some came from the Song family of Shazhou and could claim some distant, roundabout connection to Zhang Zhao.

Lu Yan sentenced them to death without the slightest hesitation, finally delivering a harsh shock to the others with ill intentions and revealing his true colors as a man not to be trifled with.

Zhang Zhao was greatly reassured by this and finally no longer worried about the spring plowing in Guanzhong.

On the twenty-first of the third month, the Zhou army held its oath-taking ceremony at Chang'an.

The news spread was that Zhang Zhou had mobilized the Right Yulin Guard, the Left Jinwu Guard, the Left Longxiang Guard, and the Right Shenwei Guard — four guards — plus four garrisons of the imperial army apart from the Xiongwu Garrison, along with most of the garrison troops and conscripts, a total of one hundred twenty thousand men, to march south via the Baoxie Road.

As for the commanders, Yin Zhengqi set up his headquarters at Xiegukou in Mei County and appointed Li Cunhui, General of the Right Yulin Guard and Duke of Su, as vanguard officer, leading three thousand men to enter the Baoxie Road first.

He appointed Luo Yu'er, Commander-in-Chief of the Changguo Garrison and Marquis of Yumen, as March Administrator and General of the Central Army, leading ten thousand men as the main force advancing steadily.

The rest — He Fujin, Zhao Hui, and Zhe Deyi — each led their troops in accompaniment.

At the same time he ordered Li Rong, Commander-in-Chief of the Zhaoyi Garrison, to lead a force claimed to be ten thousand down the Tangluo Road by forced marches, presenting the posture of a fierce assault on the Shu kingdom's Shannan West Circuit Military Governor's seat at Xingyuan Prefecture.

Of course, they really were going to fiercely attack Xingyuan Prefecture — that is, Hanzhong — but in secret, Zhang Zhao had made other arrangements for Tianshui Prefecture.

On the surface, the Tianshui Prefecture route was under the charge of Zhebu Jiashi, Commander-in-Chief of the Xiongwu Garrison, Prefect of Tianshui Prefecture, and concurrently Supervisor of Tianshui Troops, who drew seven thousand men from the Xiongwu Garrison and the Tianshui Guard, proclaimed as twenty thousand, to march south along the Western Han River via the Qishan Road.

But in reality, Zhang Zhao secretly ordered Gao Xingzhou to take charge of the matter, selecting elite troops from the Hanshan Du, the Right Longxiang Guard, and the Hanhai Garrison, including the Guanzhong heroes under Han Huzi and Gongsun Nian.

As for commanders, nearly the entire new generation of Zhang Zhou's generals was present.

Wu Xingde, Wang Quanbin, Wang Shenqi, Shi Kuangwei, Yao Kezhou, Pan Mei, Shi Yanchao, Han Tong, Huangfu Chong, Cao Bin, and dozens of other fierce generals.

With Gao Huaide, peerless in bow and horse, at their head, they led four thousand hand-picked elite soldiers, waiting only for the battle of Hanzhong to begin before striking the Shu army a vicious blow from the Qishan Road.

In Shu, at Chengdu Prefecture, Meng Chang did not even convene the grand court assembly this time. He only felt his cheeks burning, and his thumping heart seemed about to leap out of his mouth.

This was why he had not convened the grand court assembly and instead summoned only his senior and close ministers — because he feared outsiders would see this timid appearance of his and that schemers would be stirred to thoughts they ought not have.

Three years ago he had been deceived by Zhang Zhao, and in his rage had sent a great army to attack Guanzhong, even briefly occupying Fengxiang Prefecture and other places.

At that time Meng Chang's heart had not pounded like this, because back then he did not truly understand the meaning of the phrase "war is perilous."

Only when Zhang Qianzhao returned in crushing defeat, An Siqian died in battle, Gao Yanchou was captured, and of the three-route army of more than fifty thousand men only Sun Hanshao managed to escape with over ten thousand, with the Zhou army poised to drive straight into Shu, did Meng Chang finally understand.

War was not the grand and romantic thing he had imagined; it was a matter that could cost lives at any moment.

So now, with Zhang Qianzhao commanding the Zhaowu Army at Lizhou (Guangyuan), Sun Hanshao at Xingyuan Prefecture, and Gao Yanchou holding the Ningjiang Army at Kuizhou, it looked as solid as rock, yet Meng Chang still felt unsafe.

By this time Meng Shu's senior minister Zhao Jiliang and great general Zhang Gongduo had already passed away. The favorites around Meng Chang were Chief Minister Mu Zhaoyi, Li Hao, Hanlin Commissioner Wang Zao, and Memorial-Forwarding Commissioner Wang Zhaoyuan and others.

Among military commanders who could be presented with pride were the veteran generals Zhao Tingyin and Shi Jun, as well as Li Tinggui, Han Baozheng, and Zhao Tingyin's son Zhao Chongtao.

Meng Chang summoned them all to the inner court and, forcing himself to appear composed, said: "Last month I heard that Zhang Zhao had already pacified Nanping and Southern Chu, and I knew this man's ambitions were not small. I simply did not expect him to be so brazen as to set his sights on my Great Shu.

Does he truly take me for a mediocrity like Gao Baorong or Ma Xi'e, and my Great Shu for a petty state of less than a million people like Nanping or Southern Chu?"

As Meng Chang raged above, the expressions of those below were all somewhat grave.

In fact, what Meng Chang was saying was all nonsense, because by now Nanping and Nanchu were already settled, the Southern Tang had long since been beaten into submission, and Qian Yue, ever since its founding king Qian Liu, had humbly served the Central Plains and always regarded itself as a vassal of the Central Plains.

Looking across all the states under Heaven today, only the Shu kingdom and the Han kingdom in Lingnan still called themselves Sons of Heaven and had not submitted.

And since the Southern Han was far off in Lingnan, was there any need to say who the next target was? It had to be an attack on Shu!

Only, no one had expected Zhang Zhao to move so fast — after resting for less than a month, he was already coming to attack without pause.

His urgency exceeded everyone's expectations.

No one answered. The old general Zhao Tingyin slowly looked around, and only after confirming that all present were Meng Chang's trusted confidants did he speak.

"Your Majesty, do not worry. The Zhou army claims to number a hundred and fifty thousand, but most of those are surely laborers and so-called garrison troops. Their true personal army and imperial guards number no more than thirty thousand at most."

"With the terrain advantage of Shannan West Circuit, and with the Prince of Le'an Commandery holding Xingyuan Prefecture, even if the Zhou army had a full hundred and fifty thousand, let alone a mere thirty thousand, breaking through Baogu Pass would not be something they could accomplish in a short time."

The Prince of Le'an Commandery was Sun Hanshao. This title had been conferred by Meng Chang after Sun Hanshao captured Fengxiang Prefecture the last time.

Although Fengxiang Prefecture had later been lost, Sun Hanshao had not only withdrawn with his own person intact, but had also brought back four or five thousand of Zhang Qianzhao's men, which could be counted as salvaging a bit of face for Shu. For this reason Meng Chang had not stripped Sun Hanshao of his commandery-prince title.

Meng Chang nodded. If there was anyone in Shu who could put his mind most at ease, it was without doubt Sun Hanshao. This man could currently be called the foremost general of Shu.

And from Sun Hanshao, Meng Chang's thoughts turned to Zhang Qianzhao, and he could not help frowning.

The last time Zhang Qianzhao entered Guanzhong, one could say he had made a complete fool of himself. Thirty thousand troops had actually been thrashed by just over ten thousand Zhou soldiers, and in the end only three or four thousand made it back.

And had it not been for Sun Hanshao's relief, they would likely have been annihilated to the last man.

Wang Zhaoyuan, seated at Meng Chang's left, saw Meng Chang frown and knew at once what this Son of Heaven of Shu was worried about.

This Wang Zhaoyuan had originally been an orphan, and later became the page boy of the monk Zhiyin of Luoyang.

Zhiyin later entered Shu and won the favor of Meng Zhixiang, and therefore often came and went from the palace. Wang Zhaoyuan naturally accompanied him frequently.

This man was fair-skinned and handsome, quick-witted and clever, and was noticed by Meng Zhixiang, who selected him to be study companion to Meng Chang, then also a young boy. From then on Wang Zhaoyuan stayed by Meng Chang's side, successively holding posts such as Curtain-Raising Commissioner and Memorial-Transmitting Commissioner.

From these offices alone one could tell that these were posts obtainable only by those extremely close to Meng Chang — the relationship was comparable to that of Emperor Wuzong of Ming and Liu Jin, or the Tianqi Emperor and Wei Zhongxian.

The two had been companions for nearly twenty years and long understood each other's thoughts, so Wang Zhaoyuan spoke up at this small court conference.

"Besides Xingyuan Prefecture, Lizhou is also a critical place. Since the Chief Minister returned defeated from Guanzhong, he has grown increasingly despondent. Can he still bear such heavy responsibility?"

Zhang Qianzhao was by no means an incompetent man. On the contrary, he was a fierce general.

In his early years he had been a yabing officer in the Hedong army, and during Li Cunxu's reign he had been a Shock Cavalry Commissioner — these were posts only bold commanders could hold. Zhang Qianzhao had delivered too, repeatedly breaking the enemy's edge under Li Cunxu.

One must understand that in those days Hedong and Daibei produced famous generals in droves, and their opponent Zhu Liang was no soft persimmon either. Anyone who could make a name for himself in that period had real skill.

After Emperor Mingzong Li Siyuan seized the throne, he too knew of Zhang Qianzhao's valor and promoted him many times, and from then on Zhang Qianzhao was utterly loyal to Li Siyuan.

It was only after Li Congke usurped the throne that Zhang Qianzhao, dissatisfied, surrendered Shannan West Circuit — Hanzhong — to Meng Zhixiang.

As for the disastrous defeat outside Chang'an, one had to consider who the opponent was. Who was Liu Zaisheng? He was a great general under Zhang Zhao.

Given Sage Zhang's campaigns north and south over these past few years, and the unity of purpose throughout his ranks, not to mention a great general — even a mere cavalry officer of his would be no easy opponent.

The four thousand cavalry under Liu Zaisheng were moreover the elite of Liangzhou, and the core of the current Left and Right Jinwu Guard of the Zhang-Zhou regime was made up of these very men.

Zhang Qianzhao had only two thousand cavalry, the rest all infantry. Pinned down by more than ten thousand cavalry and unable to move, with four thousand of those being great Liangzhou horses, he could neither advance nor retreat.

Add to that the Liao kingdom's catastrophic defeat, which completely exceeded everyone's expectations, and the Zhou army came bearing the soaring momentum of having slain the Khitan emperor in battle, while the Shu army was utterly demoralized. Never mind Zhang Qianzhao — even Li Cunxiao or Xia Luqi would have been helpless.

Zhao Tingyin glared at Wang Zhaoyuan. Even as his son Zhao Chongtao kept signaling him with his eyes, he would not relent.

Wang Zhaoyuan pretended not to see Zhao Tingyin's glare and was actually about to say more, when Zhao Tingyin could bear it no longer. He roared and pointed at Wang Zhaoyuan.

"You beardless whelp, who do you think you are? Zhang Qianzhao followed the Emperor of the Ancestral Temple on campaigns north and south before he was even twenty. Three generations of emperors have all called him brave!

How dare you pass judgment on a great general here? If Lizhou is not to be defended by Zhang Qianzhao, then should it be defended by you?"

Wang Zhaoyuan did not yet have the arrogance of the powerful minister he would become a dozen years later. Berated so fiercely by a veteran general of Zhao Tingyin's seniority, he did not dare answer back and could only cover his face and retreat behind Meng Chang.

A flicker of displeasure crossed Meng Chang's face. Wang Zhaoyuan was his most trusted man, and Zhao Tingyin knew it. Even when beating a dog, one looks at its master — he had not expected Zhao Tingyin to show so little regard for his face.

Moreover, he and Wang Zhaoyuan were the same age. If Zhao Tingyin called Wang Zhaoyuan a beardless whelp, then what did that make him, Meng Chang?

But Meng Chang was no fool. Although he could not be as broad-minded as Zhang Zhao, he still knew he could not chill the hearts of these old generals at this moment — after all, he still needed them to fight the war.

He immediately offered a good round of soothing words, and even helped Zhao Tingyin scold Wang Zhaoyuan until the man's eyes brimmed with tears.

Only when Zhao Tingyin saw Meng Chang put on this act did some of his anger subside. He had long been dissatisfied with toadies like Wang Zhaoyuan and Wang Zao, who flattered Meng Chang and led him into boundless luxury.

"Great One, although Zhang Qianzhao suffered the defeat in Guanzhong, that was because Guanzhong is flat open country. With our Great Shu's infantry, it is all but impossible to stand against the great horses of Liangzhou.

That Zhang Qianzhao could hold on grimly until the Prince of Le'an Commandery arrived is already quite admirable.

Among the generals of our Great Shu, apart from the Prince of Le'an Commandery, no one surpasses him. Lizhou must absolutely not change commanders at this moment."

Meng Chang listened, and only after a long while did he nod. Although he felt Zhao Tingyin, as an old general, was deliberately praising Zhang Qianzhao as one of his own kind, at this moment there truly was no candidate to replace Zhang Qianzhao.

Having given Zhao Tingyin face, Meng Chang seized the opportunity to ask, "As the Grand Commandant says, with Minister of Works Zhang holding Lizhou, We are quite at ease.

But the Zhou army comes with ferocious momentum. Which route will be their main attack? And how should We repel them?"

"Minister of Education Shi has long held Lizhou, Yuanzhou, and other places. He can resolve Your Greatness's doubts." Zhao Tingyin looked toward Shi Jun, an old general of Meng Zhixiang like himself.

Meng Chang's face still wore a smile, but inside he was already cursing furiously.

These old generals were all like this — every one of them regarded himself as a founding merit-official, flaunting seniority, and fond of closing ranks.

If I ask you, just answer. Why must you drag in someone else and hand the opportunity to Shi Jun?

Shi Jun did not sense Meng Chang's irritation. He stepped forward without hesitation, cupped his hands, and said to Meng Chang, "Where the Zhou army comes from does not matter at all, because there are only those few roads into Shu.

What our Great Shu relies on is only the terrain. The Zhou army comes from afar; transporting grain requires crossing mountains and ridges, threading rivers and gorges. Of one dan of rice sent from Guanzhong to Lizhou, at most three or four dou remain. Once past the Sword Gate, not one in ten survives. Therefore movement is inferior to stillness — the best method is to wear them down.

In former years, when the Jin ruler Shi Jingtang came to attack by order of the Ming Temple, the late emperor and Grand Commandant Zhao used precisely this tactic to force the Tang army into heavy losses and compel them to retreat.

Now, if Your Majesty orders the generals to hold the passes tightly, moves the common people of Xingzhou, Lizhou, and other places inland, and burns all grain that cannot be carried away, the Zhou army can only return empty-handed."

What Shi Jun described was the affair of former years, when Li Siyuan sent Shi Jingtang to attack Shu.

At that time Shi Jingtang had even broken through the Sword Gate, but Meng Zhixiang sent Zhao Tingyin to employ scorched earth and a refusal to come out and fight, forcing him back.

But Shi Jun's every sentence invoked the late emperor, and he kept praising Zhao Tingyin as he spoke. Meng Chang was truly seething with rage as he listened, yet he had no choice but to listen.

Shi Jun's suggestion was correct, but it was a little too ruthless, and a little too cowardly. It essentially meant abandoning all territory north of Xingzhou, and carrying out scorched earth as well.

In Meng Chang's heart, he truly could not bear to give up even the slightest bit of territory close to Guanzhong, because it was tied to his illusory dream of marching into Guanzhong and becoming Son of Heaven of the Central Plains.

Moreover, Meng Chang still harbored thoughts of washing away past humiliation. Now that others had come knocking on his door, he was truly loath to play the turtle hiding in its shell.

Zhao Tingyin could tell at a glance from Meng Chang's expression that he was very unwilling, but at that moment the Commissioner of Military Affairs Wang Chuhui stepped forward from behind and said to Meng Chang.

"Sage, no matter which route the Zhou army takes, with the Prince of Le'an Commandery and Minister Zhang the Sikong in place, the Zhou army will find it impossible to advance a single step. But if Secretary Zhang leaves Suizhou, I fear disaster will follow!"

At these words, the expressions of everyone in the room became quite colorful.

Meng Chang's face changed in an instant. His trusted confidants like Wang Zhaoyuan and Wang Zao looked as if facing a great enemy. Old generals like Zhao Tingyin and Shi Jun wore somewhat complicated expressions. Chief Minister Mu Zhaoyi and Li Hao were deeply worried.

The "Secretary Zhang" in Wang Chuhui's mouth did not refer to Zhang Qianzhao, who held the honorary title of Secretariat Director, but to Zhang Ye, Vice Director of the Secretariat and Chief Minister of Meng Shu.

This man, along with his maternal uncle Li Renhan, was a representative of the old ministers from the era of Meng Zhixiang.

If men like Zhao Tingyin and Shi Jun merely flaunted their seniority, then Zhang Ye and his uncle Li Renhan were harboring disloyal intentions.

Li Renhan had been done away with by Meng Chang a few years earlier when an opportunity arose, but Zhang Ye, as the nephew, had not learned the slightest lesson from his uncle Li Renhan's fate.

The year before last, Meng Chang had tricked him and stripped him of control over the palace guard, but his strength and prestige remained. Taking advantage of Meng Shu's great defeat in Guanzhong, he had gradually returned to court and had in fact become the chief minister.

Zhang Ye had even made Meng Chang promote his son Zhang Jizhao to Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs.

Thereafter, father and son wielded power arrogantly, issuing policies from their private gates, gathering desperadoes in their residence, and using the son Zhang Jizhao's fondness for swordsmanship as a pretext to recruit large numbers of swordsmen around them.

What they intended was almost plain for all to see, but given the presence of those several thousand desperadoes, Meng Chang had never dared to move against him.

Earlier, rumors had spread throughout Shu that the Zhou army had already dispatched troops to attack Xingyuan Prefecture and Kuizhou. Zhang Ye submitted a memorial to Meng Chang, saying he wished to go to the territory of the Wuxin Army Military Governor in Suizhou to investigate the rumors and lawlessness.

Meng Chang could not have been happier to drive Zhang Ye out of the central government again, and agreed at once.

But now, reminded by Wang Chuhui, he suddenly sensed something was very wrong. This was no mere departure to a provincial post — it was likely a scheme to invite the wolf into the house, was it not?

After a long while, Zhao Tingyin looked at Wang Chuhui and said, "The Secretary is a loyal minister of the state. Does the Commissioner of Military Affairs have proof?"

Wang Chuhui did not look at Zhao Tingyin but instead looked at Meng Chang and said, "Among the swordsmen the Secretary has recruited is a man from my home village. I have heard that the Left Vice Director has already given instructions that from now on, those close to him, when writing, may only write 'Zhang Ji' and not 'Zhang Jizhao.'"

"Rebellion! Rebellion! That father and son Zhang Ye mean to sell me off like a pig or a dog!"

Meng Chang, full of pent-up rage, could hold back no longer. With a cry he lost his composure and shouted wildly.

The Son of Heaven of Zhou was called Zhang Zhao — though his given name had been changed to Zhao — so Zhang Jizhao was clearly avoiding the imperial taboo! What they intended was now glaringly obvious.

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