Chapter 696: The True King of Dali

A huge map of the Kingdom of Dali hung in Zhang Zhao's study. Standing beside him, apart from Zhang Xiancun, were Guo Rong, Zhang Fei, and others.

This was the custom of the Zhang Zhou court: hang up the map before discussing any matter. It could also be called one of the Zhang Zhou court's advantages, because in this era there was certainly no one who understood maps better than Zhang Zhao.

You have to understand, when I, Sage Zhang, was in school, history and geography were both my twin strengths. In junior high I filled three whole exercise books drawing maps and expanding borders. Later, after I became a genial Paradox Interactive player, I grew even more familiar with these things.

Therefore, as long as a map of this era was brought for him to look at, Sage Zhang could transform it in minutes into a mountain-and-river geographical map that would seem extremely detailed by the standards of this time.

Guo Rong was stroking his chin, carefully studying this imperially bestowed geographical map of the mountains and rivers of the Kingdom of Dali. Although he had been appointed Pacification Commissioner of the Dongchuan Circuit of the Jiannan-Sichuan Province, as well as Prefect of Nanxi Prefecture and Supervisor of the Prefectural Troops, in reality he had been constantly traveling back and forth between Hedong, Henan, and Guanzhong.

Because he knew why Zhang Zhao had appointed him Pacification Commissioner of the Dongchuan Circuit — was it not to prepare for the entry of the eldest prince, Zhang Xiancun, into the Kingdom of Dali?

In fact, even a large part of the Left Baotao Guard of the personal army and the Pingnan Garrison of the imperial guards now concentrated at Nanxi Prefecture would ultimately remain in the Kingdom of Dali and become Zhang Xiancun's core following.

But this task was not easy, because the seven thousand men of the Left Baotao Guard and the Pingnan Garrison were of complex composition, each with their own ideas.

Some felt this was an opportunity and were willing to follow the eldest prince into the Kingdom of Dali, to become local emperors in the remote mountains.

Some still felt that after winning the battle and receiving the eldest prince's rewards, they would return to the Central Plains to enjoy themselves.

Of course, even more were waiting to see how much reward Zhang Xiancun could offer, and whether the campaign to pacify Dali went smoothly, before making their decision.

But one advantage was that the Pingnan Garrison of the imperial guards had only just begun to be formed, so Guo Rong could calmly select and recruit brave men from all quarters into the Pingnan Garrison, while gathering in advance those willing to remain in Dali.

As for the Left Baotao Guard, it had essentially been recruited by Guo Wei, Guo Congyi, Guo Chongwei, and Bai Wenke to help the Emperor after the Hedong troops scattered.

Although they had become the personal army of the new dynasty and naturally knew whom to serve, they had after all been led by Guo Rong all along, so the ideological work was much easier to do.

Therefore these days, Guo Rong had not gone to Nanxi Prefecture, nor had he taken charge of the Left Baotao Guard. Instead, with the assistance of several secretaries from the Secretariat in charge of tally verification and military registers, he had been traveling east and west, selecting and winning over brave men everywhere.

All for the sake of making as many of the officers and soldiers selected into the imperial guards' Pingnan Garrison as possible willing to remain in the Kingdom of Dali.

The standard Sage Zhang had set for the eldest prince Zhang Xiancun was this: the Left Baotao Guard and the Pingnan Garrison, plus after conquering the Kingdom of Dali selecting brave men locally to form an imperial guard unit — with this one guard and two garrisons, an army of ten thousand, to serve as Zhang Xiancun's trusted core following.

As for the other administrative affairs of Nanxi Prefecture, they were now entirely the responsibility of Zhang Yongde, Surveillance Commissioner of the Dongchuan Circuit.

Zhang Yongde had also gone to Nanxi Prefecture. This was Guo Wei's intention. Within the Guo family's small circle, Guo Wei's son-in-law Zhang Yongde was to serve as a principal general, following Zhang Xiancun into the Kingdom of Dali.

Originally Guo Wei had wanted Guo Rong to go. He had also wanted Guo Rong to serve as state chancellor for Zhang Xiancun, but after some consideration, Zhang Zhao refused.

Throwing Guo Rong into the Kingdom of Dali would still be somewhat of a waste of great talent on a small task. Zhang Zhao was preparing to use him himself in the future.

Thus there remained two options: Zhang Yongde and Li Chongjin. Zhang Zhao ultimately chose Zhang Yongde.

Because from a historical perspective, Zhang Yongde had been able, after Zhao the Elder usurped the throne, to still rise to high office and enjoy wealth and honor until his death. Whether in military talent or political acumen, he surpassed Li Chongjin, who had even dragged his feet when raising troops in Huainan.

Though this also showed from another angle that Li Chongjin, who after Zhao the Elder's usurpation chose to burn himself to death with his entire family in righteous defiance, crying out before death, "I have failed the great favor of the Taizu!" — was a man of greater integrity and gratitude.

Therefore Zhang Zhao chose to keep Li Chongjin by his side, to be cultivated in the future into a General of the Palace Guard or a Commander-in-Chief of the imperial guards. Zhang Yongde, being so tactful, was exactly the sort to send out to help Zhang Xiancun govern the Kingdom of Dali.

Zhang Xiancun's inner knot had been largely untied. As Director Dong had said, the smarter a person is, as long as he does not stubbornly fixate on one point, it is still easy for him to think things through.

In the past, Zhang Xiancun had simply believed that because his mother was not the empress, he was destined to have no chance at the position of crown prince.

Moreover, he felt that his maternal grandfather's family came from the Yuchi clan, a royal house of a thousand years, and that he carried the blood of the emperors of a great dynasty — far nobler than the Cao family, the maternal grandfather's family of Zhang Xianjing, which was merely a local magnate from a small place that had only recently risen.

Therefore there had always been some lingering resentment in his heart. But once Zhang Zhao explained the reasoning clearly to him, he finally understood.

His inability to become crown prince had little to do with his birth, whether he was of the main line or a concubine's son, or his ability.

The sole thing that determined he could not become crown prince was that his father Zhang Zhao was a sovereign like Emperor Shizong Xiaowu of the Former Han and Emperor Taizong Wen of the Great Dynasty.

Therefore, this was the first time Zhang Xiancun had wholeheartedly begun to regard himself as the future King of Dali.

The eldest prince Zhang studied the map his imperial father had told him to observe carefully again and again, and suddenly noticed something wrong.

After exchanging a glance with Guo Rong and Zhang Fei, who were also studying the map, all of them simultaneously turned in astonishment to look at Sage Zhang, who sat behind them with an air of utter composure.

Zhang Xiancun was the first to lose his composure. Pointing at the map, he asked Zhang Zhao, "Father, is my Kingdom of Dali really this close to India? It looks even closer than to Jingzhao Prefecture."

Indeed, on the map, the distance from Dali to India did not look far.

But in Zhang Xiancun's impression, India was a place you reached only after traversing the entire Hexi Corridor, then crossing Anxi, and finally winding this way and that — altogether at least ten thousand, even twenty thousand li away.

One could say it was at the very edge of the sky.

But now, looking at it this way, the distance from the Dali capital, Yangjuxie City, to that something-or-other Rashtrakuta kingdom in India seemed even shorter than the distance to Jingzhao Chang'an Prefecture.

The Rashtrakuta kingdom was roughly the area of later Assam and northern Bangladesh, originally territory of the Pala Empire.

But by the time Zhang Zhao had last entered India, the Rashtrakuta had already broken away from Pala control and become independent.

"Not just somewhat closer — much closer. From Yangjuxie City to Rashtrakuta is only about one thousand six hundred li, but from Yangjuxie City to Jingzhao Chang'an Prefecture is a full three thousand li."

Zhang Xiancun felt the world had become somewhat unreal. The India he had imagined as being at the edge of the sky, tens of thousands of li away, was actually closer than Yangjuxie City to Chang'an — even closer than Yangjuxie City to Chengdu Prefecture. This completely shattered the worldview of geography the eldest prince Zhang had just formed.

At these words, the big and small black bears behind Zhang Zhao, as well as Zhang Fei, also widened their eyes.

Man Xiong even walked up to the map and studied it left and right. "So last time we went to India, the journey took over a year on foot — turns out it was because we didn't know the way!"

Zhang Xiancun and Zhang Fei, meanwhile, were thinking that the growing prosperity of Hexi and Longyou now rested on the support of the great trade route.

If India was this close to the Kingdom of Dali, could they not directly open a trade route from Dali to India? Would the Kingdom of Dali not then become the next Hexi?

Zhang Xiancun almost laughed aloud. So Father did love him most after all, having chosen such a treasured land for him.

Zhang Zhao saw the little expression on Zhang Xiancun's face and knew exactly what the boy was thinking. But before he could interrupt the beautiful dream of this fifteen-year-old lad, Guo Rong spoke first.

Worthy of being a renowned accomplished sovereign in history, Guo Rong pointed at the Hengduan Mountains on the map, and further west at the Naga Hills and the Arakan Mountains, and said:

"Before the Kingdom of Dali there were states such as Nanzhao, and India has had powerful states since the time of the Former Han.

But I have never heard of much intercourse between India and the Kingdom of Dali. Could it be that these two mountain ranges form a barrier? I imagine these two stretches of continuous mountains must be very difficult to cross!"

Zhang Zhao glanced at Guo Rong approvingly and nodded heavily. "Not just very difficult to cross — one should say difficult as ascending to heaven! These two mountain ranges, especially here."

Zhang Zhao pointed at the Hengduan Mountains in the area of later Jiangxinpo and the Savage Mountains and said, "These mountains stretch vast and boundless, essentially uninhabited. Crossing them is harder than the road into Shu in the pre-Qin era. A large force is basically impossible to get through."

As he spoke, Zhang Zhao smiled, then looked at Zhang Xiancun with a thoughtful expression and said, "Unless in the future there emerges a sovereign of great talent and bold vision, who can open this road as the ancient King of Shu opened the Jinniu Road, or as Tang Meng opened up the southwestern barbarians.

At that time, India will be to our Celestial Dynasty of the Central Plains what the fertile Shu region is!"

Zhang Xiancun had originally been quite dejected, but upon hearing Zhang Zhao's words, his face suddenly lit up again with a glow of delighted surprise.

In truth, with his background, he did not care at all about wealth and honor.

Because such things had been destined for him from the moment he was born into Li Ruoliu's womb. To him, wealth and honor were as ordinary as eating and drinking water.

What Zhang Xiancun truly cared about was whether he could accomplish a great enterprise, whether he could leave his name in the annals of history, and whether, a thousand years later, later generations reading his biography would be unable to resist slapping the table and exclaiming, "This is what a great man should be!"

"Come! Come! All of you, come look!" Zhang Zhao said, then gathered everyone closer to the map of mountains and rivers.

His finger traced down from the Kingdom of Dali, and everyone could see that this was still a vast stretch of rolling hills and valleys with flat land among them.

"Around the end of the Zhenguan era and the beginning of the Yonghui era of the Great Tang, the White Wolf Qiang, who had lived on the Qingtang Plateau since before the Former Han, could no longer endure the oppression of the Tibetans and migrated as a whole tribe into the territory of the Nanzhao Kingdom.

Later, around the second year of Qianfu of Emperor Xizong of the Great Tang (875), Gao Pian, Acting Minister of Works and Military Governor of Jiannan Xichuan, inflicted a crushing defeat on Nanzhao by the banks of the Dadu River.

The White Wolf Qiang, who had been conscripted by the Nanzhao king Shilong to serve as cavalry, suffered terrible casualties, and fearing that the Nanzhao king would settle accounts after the war, the whole tribe migrated south once more. They are now approximately in this place, in the process of conquering the local natives."

The place Zhang Zhao was pointing to was the valley of the Irrawaddy River basin in the Burma of later ages.

Everything he said was also entirely true. The Burmese people of later ages were in fact formed from the White Wolf Qiang of the Qingtang Plateau, who migrated south and conquered the Mon and Pyu peoples and merged with them.

In terms of ethnic kinship, the Burmese are closest to the Han and the Tibetans. In ancient times, the ancient Qiang people split into three branches.

Those who remained on the plateau became the Tibetans.

The Qiang who went east to the Central Plains and merged with other tribes there became part of the Han people. At the very least, among the bloodlines of the Zhou people and the old Qin people, there were very many who carried the blood of the ancient Qiang.

The remaining branch went south in this era to Southeast Asia and became the Burmese of later ages.

Zhang Xiancun suddenly understood after hearing this. "No wonder Father values the Eight Tribes of the Western Mountains so highly. So one of them has already gone south of Dali.

Does Father intend that after I pacify Dali, I use the Qiang of the Eight Tribes of the Western Mountains as the vanguard to win over the White Wolf Qiang, bring them under my command, and then conscript the local barbarians to cut a road to India, and build another Guanzhong and Shuzhong for our clan?"

Is the Savage Mountain hard to cross? Is Jiangxinpo hard to cross?

They are indeed hard to cross! But the reason transportation here is so poor in later ages is mainly due to the international situation—namely, that both Burma and India are very afraid of us opening up this region.

Because if transportation here became as convenient as in Yunnan, do you really think the various "tusi" of northern Burma wouldn't know who it would be better to follow?

Do you really think that once this natural barrier became a thoroughfare, India could still hold southern Tibet? I'm afraid they couldn't even hold Manipur and Assam in the northeast.

So what limits the development of this region is not geography, but international factors.

But at this time there is no such drawback, and Zhang Zhao does not need transportation conditions as good as those of later ages.

He only needs a small path that can move three to five thousand troops through at any time, and he can completely revitalize the entire Kingdom of Dali.

Just think—if it were faster to go from the Kingdom of Dali to India than to Guanzhong, then Dali's location would not be a poor, bitter border region, but another Hexi.

The people of Dali would be blessed!

Sage Zhang stroked his beard smugly. India—what a fine place! Over thirty million people! How many men would be needed to go and be their masters!

As for the Burmese, they might as well simply never appear, and be directly absorbed into the White Wolf Qiang, who are currently growing in strength.

These people have surrendered and rebelled, rebelled and surrendered, ever since the Western Han. This time, let us simply settle it once and for all and assimilate them completely.

Zhang Zhao explained point by point, and at the end he looked at Zhang Xiancun. "My son, do you understand? This is the mission of us, father and son!

Since the Chu general Zhuang Qiao entered Yunnan, since Tang Meng of the Former Han opened up the southwestern barbarians, since Zhuge Wuning of the Latter Han pacified Nanzhong—for several hundred years after that, it has gone back and forth repeatedly. In the twenty-sixth year of Kaiyuan (738), Piluoge declared himself independent, and from then on finally grew powerful, until Nanzhao rose and besieged Chengdu with its armies.

Now it is exactly two hundred and ten years since Piluoge was enfeoffed as King of Yunnan. My son, following Heaven's will and answering the times, you shall be the great hero who returns Nanzhong to the nation!"

A fifteen-year-old boy loves to hear such words most of all. Zhang Xiancun trembled with excitement, wishing he could run right now to Yangxiumie City, wipe out the Duan clan, and then conquer India.

In fact, it was not only him—even old hands like Guo Rong and Zhang Fei were stirred up by Zhang Zhao's words.

To a Chinese, high office and generous salary in life are of course important. But what matters most? Is it not that single bold, vivid stroke in the history books after one is gone?

Guo Rong raised his head and sighed to the heavens. "The Chu general Zhuang Qiao was originally a nobody, yet after entering Yunnan from the Yuan River, he has been praised and passed down for a thousand years.

Tang Meng was merely a minor official of the Former Han, with a rank of barely five hundred dan, yet once he achieved his feat, even the Sage today regards him as a worthy of old.

I am unworthy, but I wish to follow in the footsteps of these two worthies. I earnestly beg the Sage to appoint me as a general, to serve as the vanguard of the Marquis of Shanshan, to settle Dali, to expand the borders, and to earn two or three characters of ink in the history books."

If Guo Rong was willing to go, that was naturally better than Zhang Yongde. But Zhang Zhao was preparing Guo Rong for use later. Using him in a place like Dali would still be somewhat of a waste.

Besides, this man's lifespan in history was not long. If he died in Dali, that would not be worth it.

"Dalang and I are in accord; there will be important duties for you later!" Zhang Zhao thought it over and still refused.

Unexpectedly, Guo Rong suddenly stepped forward and prostrated himself on the ground. "Now that the Sage Son of Heaven reigns, the court is full of talent, and it does not lack this one mere soldier.

Moreover, I need only ten years, and I will surely stabilize Nanzhong. When the time comes, it will not be too late to return to court and receive instruction before the Sage."

Very well! Seeing Guo Rong's attitude, Zhang Zhao did not insist further. May your health be better in this time and space, and may you live a little longer.

When Zhang Xiancun heard that Guo Rong was willing to go personally, he was even more overjoyed, and immediately stepped forward and bowed to Guo Rong. "With Xinbo's help, I am like a tiger given wings!"

Then he quickly walked over and grabbed Zhang Fei's arm. The two were not far apart in age and had known each other in Hexi, so they were closer and spoke with less reserve.

"Zhang Sanlang, are you willing to follow me to settle Nanzhong?"

Zhang Zhao nodded affirmatively with a face full of smiles. This was the good thing about his eldest son—although he had previously lacked some social experience and knowledge of hardship, he was still capable of winning people over, building a core following, and knowing how to recognize and use talent.

At least he knew Guo Rong's ability, and he did not think Zhang Fei was of little use just because Zhang Fei was a cripple.

Only after Guo Rong and Zhang Fei saw Zhang Zhao nod did they cup their hands, bow low, and say in unison: "We are willing to serve the Marquis of Shanshan and leave our names in the annals of history."

"Hahaha!" Everyone in the room laughed heartily, and even Director Dong, who was attending outside, laughed as well.

As for how many local natives on both banks of the Irrawaddy and in the Naga Hills would have to die to open the road to India—that was simply and cruelly ignored.

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