Chapter 855: We Are All Han Chinese

Dong Mohe strode swaggeringly into the royal palace beneath Cangshan Mountain in Yangjumi City.

The central hall of the palace was where the Kingdom of Dali handled state affairs and received envoys.

But now the central hall held not a trace of its former majesty and grandeur; instead it was filled with an air of desolation.

The guards who once stood solemnly in the central hall and the maidservants in their colorful robes had all vanished, leaving only a few members of the Duan clan clustered helplessly around Duan Sicong.

The Kingdom of Dali was never particularly distinguished in Chinese history — it is even less famous than the later city of Dali, which at least is a nationally renowned tourist destination.

But in fact, from the eleventh to the twelfth century, the Kingdom of Dali was extremely glorious and formidable in the far south.

At this time, after the Great Tang had declined, it was Dali that inherited the Great Tang's prestige in Southeast Asia — or rather, it was Dali that continued to uphold the northern dynasty's dominance over the Indochinese Peninsula after the Great Tang.

At this time, Dali's territory directly encompassed a small part of what would later be northern Burma and northeastern India, plus nearly all of Laos, and it had repeatedly occupied Jiaozhi.

The other states of the Indochinese Peninsula — such as the Pyu kingdom of Burma and the Niu Hou Man of Vietnam — were all vassals of Dali, paying annual tribute of golden flowers, rhinoceros, elephants, and the like.

Dali's army was by no means incapable of fighting; historically, after the Yuan dynasty destroyed Dali, it still chose to rely on Dali's troops to control a host of small states on the Indochinese Peninsula, which shows their fighting strength was not low.

Thus, the historical Kingdom of Dali was in fact a powerful state based in Yunnan, looking down over the Indochinese Peninsula — though compared to the states of the Central Plains, its strength was still somewhat weaker.

Inside the central hall, when the Duan clansmen saw Dong Mohe walk swaggering in without the slightest shame or guilt, they immediately erupted into roars and curses.

Dong Mohe paid no attention whatsoever, completely ignoring the Duan clansmen's abuse.

The fact that he had not been hacked to mincemeat by summoned guards the moment he entered meant they were merely bluffing — not one of them dared risk his life to kill him.

So Dong Mohe walked straight up to a spot not far from Duan Sicong and asked, "Does the King wish to flee, or to fight?"

Duan Sicong had just turned thirty this year, and he had known hardship as a child.

Back then, his uncle Duan Siping, the founding emperor of Dali, had been hunted by Yang Ganzhen and could only hide wherever he could, and as Duan Siping's nephew, Duan Sicong's family had not had it easy either — they had wandered destitute and suffered every hardship.

Generally speaking, a ruler who suffered in childhood and later rose to stand above all others will turn out one of two ways.

One kind, having suffered himself, understands the hardships of the common people and the ways of the streets, and is not easily fooled by those below him — such a one can become an enlightened monarch of his age, the exemplar being Emperor Xuan of Han, Liu Bingyi.

The other kind, having been terrified of poverty and suffering as a child, has a twisted mentality once grown; he cares little for other things and pays little attention to governance, concerned only with whether he himself can enjoy rare delicacies, fine wine, and beautiful women.

Duan Sicong was precisely a typical example of the latter.

So the two options of fighting or fleeing were simply not among Duan Sicong's choices at all.

Flee — how could he flee?

Flee to Anxi City (Mogaung in Kachin State) or Jinbao City (Myitkyina) under the Military Governor of Lishui?

What would he do there? Watch giant pythons bare their fangs?

Fight? Fight his ass!

Gao Fang had basically thrown away the nation's entire elite force, and everywhere was surrendering at the first sight of the enemy; now only the thousand or so palace guards could still fight — could a thousand men defeat sixty thousand Zhou troops?

Not knowing how to answer, and unable to make a choice, Duan Sicong simply kept his mouth shut.

The moment Dong Mohe saw his expression, he understood even more clearly, and his face turned solemn.

He could not laugh now; Duan Sicong simply could not bring himself to lose face, so this was the moment to give him a way out.

"In your servant's view, neither fleeing nor fighting is the best choice.

For although the Son of Heaven has sent a punitive expedition against the Kingdom of Dali, it is not because he bears any grudge against the Great King, but for the sake of keeping the golden vessel whole.

The Zhou army has only just passed Shisang Commandery (Chuxiong) and will not reach the city until the day after tomorrow. If the Great King does not wish to bare his shoulders and lead a sheep in surrender, then he had better seal the treasuries, open the city gates, and send someone to ask the Duke of Dian for terms of surrender."

The moment Dong Mohe finished speaking, before Duan Sicong could react, a Duan clansman lunged at him, seized Dong Mohe by the collar, and bellowed:

"What 'keeping the golden vessel whole'? Since when has our land of the far south been part of the Central Plains' golden vessel?

You vile slave! Uncle and nephew colluding together, first throwing away sixty thousand troops, then selling Shanshan Prefecture and Shisang Commandery, and now you come urging our lord to surrender to others — have you no shame at all!"

Dong Mohe flew into a rage. He was a man who intended to become an Azhali, and had traveled everywhere as an envoy; his specialty was a sharp tongue. So he too grabbed hold of this Duan clansman and cursed back:

"You old slave, have you lost your mind? Since Zhuang Qiao became king of Dian, when has the land of the far south not been part of the golden vessel?

'Under the whole heaven, every spot is the sovereign's ground; to the borders of the land, every individual is the sovereign's subject' — do you understand this or not?

Your Duan clan's founding ancestor was Duan Jiming, one of the Three Luminaries of Liangzhou — now that you have become kings of the far south, do you no longer acknowledge your ancestors?

And you call me shameless? I say you are the most shameless wretch of all!"

Duan Jiming was the famed Eastern Han general Duan Jiong; Jiming was his courtesy name.

At this time, the upper ranks of the Kingdom of Dali — indeed the entire Bai ethnic group — all claimed Han Chinese ancestors.

The Duan clan's ancestor was Duan Jiong, and the founding king Duan Siping styled himself the seventeenth-generation descendant of Duan Jiong.

The Gao clan claimed descent from a great Han family of Nanzhong in the Shu Han period; their ancestor was also a famous figure — the Shu Han general Gao Xiang.

It was said that after following Zhuge Liang to pacify Nanzhong, he left behind a branch of descendants there, who eventually developed into the Gao clan of Dali.

As for whether it was true or false, that is hard to say — it might be true, it might be false — but that is what they believed, and if Duan Jiong knew from the underworld, he would certainly have firmly acknowledged that the Duan clan of Dali were his descendants.

And not only them: among the Bai tribes below, every one with any traceable lineage had a famous Han ancestor, and those without any traceable lineage claimed descent from the Chu nobles who followed Zhuang Qiao as king of Dian.

As for the Dong clan, their origins were even clearer: their ancestor Dong Cheng had drifted to Nanzhao during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, was favored by the King of Nanzhao and appointed to office, and thereafter his descendants multiplied, eventually forming the Dong clan of Dali.

So Dong Mohe's words were entirely defensible — not only defensible, but highly reasonable — and in one stroke he seized the moral high ground, leaving the Duan clansman clutching his collar speechless.

Then Dong Mohe played his trump card: "The Great King must understand that the reason you can still receive favorable treatment by surrendering is entirely because you are the lord of Dali.

But the Great King must also not forget: there is still someone at Chongsheng Temple!

Some people can of course urge the Great King to resist, because they have other options. Does the Great King?"

The person at Chongsheng Temple was Duan Sicong's cousin Duan Siying.

The throne Duan Sicong now sat on had originally belonged to his cousin Duan Siying, and had merely been seized by his father Duan Siliang.

Strictly speaking, father and son were nothing but usurping traitors; Duan Siying, forced into monkhood at Chongsheng Temple, was the true king of Dali.

Duan Sicong started in terror, sweat pouring down his forehead in streams. He sprang to his feet, shoved the old Duan clansman clutching Dong Mohe's collar to the ground with one push, then grabbed Dong Mohe by the arm and asked:

"I raised a great army to resist the Celestial Court — this crime is no small matter. Can the Son of Heaven of the great dynasty still tolerate me?"

What Duan Sicong was asking about being "tolerated" was not merely keeping his life, but whether he could keep his wealth and rank — if he could end up like Li Jing, so much the better.

Dong Mohe had long since received Zhang Xiancun's promise, and immediately grasped Duan Sicong's arm in return and urged:

"Your Majesty's ancestors were from Liangzhou Prefecture under Chengtian, fellow townsmen of the Sage himself. Had you not gone south of the heavens to be a king, you would surely have been counted among the meritorious ministers of Hexi and Longyou.

Now at the Great Zhou court, meritorious ministers from Liangzhou are beyond number. If Your Majesty only cultivates close ties with them, need you worry about lacking wealth and ease?"

As he spoke, Dong Mohe said in a low voice to Duan Sicong, "When I set out, the Duke of Dian had already said: so long as Your Majesty leaves him the city of Yangjumie intact, then of the treasures in the storehouses, Your Majesty may take away twenty percent.

The court has also already settled Your Majesty's reward — the title of Marquis of Yongchang."

Duan Sicong lowered his head and sighed. Only a marquisate — but who could he blame, when he had resisted, and had now lost the power to resist any longer?

Still, fortunately he could take twenty percent of the treasure, roughly over two hundred thousand strings of cash. If he did not have to support his whole clan, then with just his own household of thirty-odd people, he could still live as a wealthy man in the divine capital of Luoyang.

Dong Mohe seemed to know exactly what Duan Sicong was thinking. He leaned close to Duan Sicong's ear and said in a low voice, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. The Duke of Dian still has great use for us Bai people — they will not be going to the divine capital."

That was certain enough. Dali itself had only a million or so people, and the core Bai population was no more than three hundred fifty thousand in all. The Azhali sect still needed to take ten thousand or so able-bodied men with them to India.

If the Duan clan were then to migrate away on a large scale, how many people would be left? Zhang Xiancun would certainly never let the Duan clan leave.

In the eighth year of Shaoming, 953 CE, on the ninth day of the ninth month, the Double Ninth Festival, Zhang Xiancun, surrounded by famous ministers and great generals such as Yin Yaozi, the Savage Bear Zhang Zhaozhong, Zhang Cheng, Guo Rong, and Zhang Fei, arrived outside the city of Yangjumie.

By this time, sixty thousand troops had already completely occupied Yangjumie and the surrounding small towns of Yunnan Dan, Dali Dan, and Pintan Dan.

Dan means "offering." In the Azhali sect it specifically refers to mortals making offerings to the Buddha, and so every dan contains a great temple, giving these places an extremely dense religious atmosphere.

Zhang Xiancun frowned with great displeasure, but when he thought of how these Azhali believers would soon be leaving for India, his expression eased a little.

Yin Yaozi assumed Zhang Xiancun was displeased that the Azhali sect was taking people away. He cupped his hands lightly and said to Zhang Xiancun with a smile, "Your Highness need not worry. These people going to India is rather a good thing.

They are opening up the Shu-Shendu road for us, and settling down in India besides. Does that not save us the trouble of doing it ourselves?

Wait twenty or thirty years, until Your Highness reaches the Sage's age, and then you can send troops to destroy that country, and extend Dali's territory all the way to India.

Then in days to come, Your Highness's descendants will have places to spread their branches and scatter their leaves, and continue enfeoffing states and founding kingdoms."

"Ha ha ha ha!" Everyone present was a ruthless, thick-skinned killer, unlike the nineteen-year-old Zhang Xiancun, who was still somewhat naive. They all burst into knowing laughter at once.

Zhang Xiancun jolted, and then his eyes lit up, as though a door to a whole new world had opened before him.

Amid the laughter, Yin Yaozi walked a few slow steps and drew near to Guo Rong. "The young lord is not capable of holding this great southern kingdom. The Sage has sent me to ask you — would you be willing to serve here for a few years as Chancellor of the State?"

Guo Rong's eyes suddenly grew moist. He knew the Sage had considered that he had spent four years in Nanxi Prefecture and missed many chances for merit, and so had not given a direct order, but instead sent an old hand like Yin Yaozi to ask his wishes.

Without the slightest hesitation, Guo Rong nodded at once. "I, Rong, am but a surrendered general. In my lowliest days I received the Sage's profound favor, and have always brooded that I had no way to repay it.

Now that he treats me with such complete trust, I could not repay it with ten thousand deaths — how would I dare make excuses and demur!

So long as the Sage has need, your servant is willing to put down roots here and assist the young lord."

Yin Yaozi nodded, and an envious look appeared on his face. "Then you may write a letter. Have your wife, Lady Liu, take Yige'er to visit Consort Shu more often."

Guo Rong was overjoyed. Consort Shu was Zhang Xiancun's mother's younger sister. Besides bearing the Zhang Emperor five sons, she also had one daughter — the Emperor's fifth daughter, Princess Yuyang, Zhang Qixin, who was ten this year, about the same age as Guo Rong's eldest son, Guo Zongyi.

For Yin Yaozi to say this, the Emperor and Consort Shu must have already agreed. It could also be counted as a compensation for Guo Rong.

Come to think of it, Guo Rong truly had to thank Zhang Zhao. Without Zhang Zhao, the year before last, his first wife Lady Liu, who had shared his hardships, and his three sons including Guo Zongyi, would have been murdered by Liu Chengyou.

Looking at the joy on Guo Rong's face, Yin Yaozi continued, "Once the matter is settled and Yige'er is a bit older, he can be left in the divine capital to continue his studies, and Lady Liu can bring the other children to Dali to reunite with you."

This was truly favor higher than heaven. In fact, for someone like Guo Rong serving as chancellor in a vassal state, it was customary to keep one's family in the capital as hostages. Zhang Zhao's agreement to let Lady Liu go to Dali was indeed a special act of leniency.

Outside the east gate of Yangjumie, Duan Sicong, leading Dali's civil and military officials, held the golden seal of the King of Dali in his hands, while attendants beside him bore the precious seals, the household registers and maps, and the topographical charts of mountains and rivers.

When they saw Zhang Xiancun in golden armor appear in the distance, they immediately knelt prostrate in the middle of the official road outside the city.

Zhang Xiancun was experiencing such a scene for the first time. This was the lord of a great country of a million people kneeling in surrender!

He was just about to spur his horse forward in excitement when the Savage Bear beside him gave a light tug on his reins and said, "Your Highness, wait a moment."

At that moment, the little black bear Zhang Liechao personally led five hundred elite cavalry, sweeping past Duan Sicong and the assembled Dali ministers like a whirlwind.

He rode straight into the city and took over the east gate. Only after checking that nothing was amiss did he raise the silver-white banner on the gate tower, signaling safety.

Then Zhang Fei personally led three thousand iron cavalry into the city in a long file, beginning to take control of every part of Yangjumie. Only after everything was secure did Zhang Fei send his personal attendants out to report, and the Savage Bear released his grip on Zhang Xiancun's horse's reins.

Only then did Zhang Xiancun know to put away the delight on his face, assume a very serious expression, and spur his horse forward.

Duan Sicong raised the golden seal, struggling to put on a smiling face. He was just about to speak when Zhang Xiancun immediately waved a hand, cutting off his words.

"King Duan is to proceed to the capital at once!"

He was unwilling to exchange even a single word with Duan Sicong.

In the eighth year of Shaoming, 953 CE, on the ninth day of the ninth month, Duan Sicong, King of Dali, came out of Yangjumie bearing the golden seal and surrendered. Zhang Xiancun almost immediately had Zhang Yongde lead five hundred cavalry to escort Duan Sicong on the road.

At the same time, Duan Sicong's wives, concubines, and children, several dozen people in all, were also immediately escorted toward the divine capital of Luoyang.

Of course, the twenty percent of the treasure that Zhang Xiancun had promised Duan Sicong he could take was also brought along for him a little later.

Not long after Zhang Xiancun entered Yangjumie, good news arrived from the north. Cui Huxin and Zhang Xiancun's eldest brother-in-law An Shouqian, leading the Qiang troops of the Eight Tribes of the Western Mountains, had finally broken through the city of Yuzi and marched south to the vicinity of Yangjumie.

By this point, the Great Zhou's troops within Dali's borders had reached a terrifying eighty-five thousand. Counting laborers and the twenty-one tribes of the Black Cuan who had submitted early, there were a full one hundred thirty thousand or so.

On the one hand, more troops was a good thing. On the other, Dali's grain had already been more than half consumed during the standoff. Shipping grain from Sichuan, if one dan in ten arrived it was already good — distant water could not quench a nearby thirst.

This grain shortage meant it was impossible to keep nearly a hundred thousand troops in Dali for long. If they wanted to wipe out the opposition within Dali, they had to seize the time.

Young as he was, Zhang Xiancun understood this principle. On one side, he ordered Guo Rong to establish the Office of the Military Affairs Commissioner, and had Guo Rong take armored soldiers to buy grain from the great clans and rich merchants in the surrounding area.

At a time like this, it was the perfect moment for hoarding and profiteering. Without using force, certainly no one would be willing to sell grain at fair prices.

Not to mention that the credit of Dali's cowrie-shell currency had nearly been driven to bankruptcy, so they could only use somewhat unconventional means to buy grain.

Once the grain situation was somewhat secured, Zhang Xiancun immediately dispatched messengers in all directions, ordering

the Military Governor of Lishui (Myitkyina),

the Military Governor of Yongchang (Baoshan),

the Military Governor of Jianchuan (Lijiang),

the Military Governor of Yinsheng (Jingdong),

and the Tonghai Commandery (Gejiu) —

the military governors of these five outer garrisons of Dali not yet under his control, along with the military governors and chieftains of the Ten Tribes of the Black-Teeth and the Tangmo Tribe (Laos), to come quickly to Yangjumie to pay their respects.

Even as he dispatched the messengers, Zhang Xiancun made preparations for war.

For these places were all remote border regions of high mountains and dense forests, far from Dali's political center. Apart from the Tonghai Commandery, the local Bai populations were small, and even where the Bai were numerous, they would not necessarily submit to him.

Fortunately, however, these Military Governors had few troops and little fighting strength; the climate was actually the greater concern.

In the tenth month, of the seven batches of envoys sent out, only two had returned. Among them, the Heichi Ten Tribes and the Tangmo Tribe may have been delayed because the roads were long and difficult to travel.

But the rest — the Tonghai Command, the Yongchang Military Governor, and the Yinsheng Military Governor — all refused to obey Zhang Xiancun's orders. Only the Lishui and Jianchuan Military Governors obeyed and came to court.

So the great army set out at once. On the eighteenth day of the tenth month, Zhang Fei led twenty thousand troops and took Yongchang Prefecture (Baoshan, Yunnan), where the Yongchang Military Governor's office was located, in a single battle.

The Yongchang Military Governor, Duan Sigao, fled south in panic. Zhang Fei pursued him relentlessly and caught up with him at a small town called Fenglanrong (Lincang).

In that one battle, Duan Sigao and more than four thousand of his followers — whether or not they were willing to surrender — all had their heads cut off by Zhang Fei and were thrown into the Nanding River. The remaining cities surrendered at the mere sight of his banners.

At the same time, Yin Yaozi volunteered to lead an army south to conquer the territory of the Yinsheng Military Governor.

He won three battles in three engagements. First he took Yinsheng Prefecture (Jingdong), then Weiyuan City (Jinggu), and finally at Buridan (Pu'er) he crushed a coalition army of twenty thousand men assembled by the Yinsheng Military Governor from the various tribes, killing over ten thousand and taking the rest captive.

Under the intimidation of this overwhelming military force, the various tribes in the mountain forests of the Yinsheng Military Governor's territory, and the Heichi Ten Tribes further south, all bound themselves and came to offer surrender.

By the twelfth month, in all of Dali only the Tonghai Command — the later Gejiu City in Yunnan near Vietnam — had not submitted.

(End of Chapter)

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