PFC Chapter 29 Liang Jun and Zhang Lin
Chapter 29 Liang Jun and Zhang Lin
Although history has added the Liang Kingdom and the Zhang family, its wheels will not change their original trajectory, and destiny will not always favor the Zhang family and the Liang Kingdom.
Throughout history, countless absurd people and events have emerged. Take Zhang Ding, for example. Although he was known as a child prodigy in his youth, his performance after taking over the Liang Kingdom and the Zhang family from Zhang Du was far from Zhang Zhao's expectations, leading Zhang Zhao to exclaim, "It's a tragedy to see such a prodigy fail to live up to his potential!"
Those descendants who had already entered the ancestral temple all said they had misjudged him, especially Zhang Du, who wished he could crawl out of the mausoleum and grab Zhang Ding by the ear to ask, "Where did your cleverness from your youth go? Was it all just a trick by your old man Tang to pretend to be smart?"
However, Zhang Zhao was not particularly moved. He even felt that using the dream-seeking technique on Zhang Ding was a waste, as three generations of wise rulers had come from his family. Zhang Zhao was already very content.
Even if Liang Kingdom is destroyed in the future and the Zhang family suffers the calamity of extermination, there is nothing to be afraid of since we have the "spring breeze blows and it grows again" prop.
Zhang Ding ascended the throne at the age of fifteen and reigned for a total of fifteen years. He passed away at the age of thirty and returned to the ancestral temple to meet his ancestors. His life was uneventful, and the Liang Kingdom did not experience any major turmoil.
And so, Zhang Taiyang of Liang began to dim, his light no longer as intense as before. However, Zhang Taiyang's kindness still fell accurately upon every citizen of Liang as always.
The debt of gratitude owed to Zhang Taiyang can never be repaid, it can never be repaid!
Everything in the world is changing every moment. The world today is different from the world when Zhang Quzhuo was in power.
During Zhang Du's lifetime, King Xi first recognized Duke Huan of Qi's hegemonic status and entrusted him with the task of recognizing Duke Huan of Song as the ruler. In 680 BC, King Xi of Zhou sent Shan Bo with troops to meet with the states of Qi, Chen, and Cao. After making peace with the state of Song, Shan Bo returned to his country.
In 678 BC, King Xi of Zhou accepted a bribe from Duke Wu of Quwo of Jin and appointed him as the ruler of Jin, elevating Jin from a marquisate to a duchy.
After King Li died, King Hui, Ji Lang, took over the gardens of the State of Wei to raise wild animals, which displeased the people of Wei.
In the second year of King Hui's reign (675 BC), the five ministers rebelled and installed Prince Tui as king. Ji Lang fled to Wen (south of present-day Wen County, Henan Province). Duke Li of Zheng took King Hui in at Li (present-day Yuzhou City). In the fourth year of King Hui's reign (673 BC), Zheng, together with the State of Guo, quelled the "Rebellion of Prince Tui". After King Hui was restored to the throne, the State of Zheng was granted land east of Hulao (present-day Fanshui Town, Xingyang, Henan Province) for its merits, and the State of Guo was also granted land.
In his later years, King Hui favored Queen Hui, a woman from the state of Chen, and planned to depose Crown Prince Zheng and establish his son, Zidai, born to Queen Hui, as his heir. He proposed an alliance between Zheng and Jin to achieve this, but at this time, Duke Huan of Qi became the hegemon of the world and formed an alliance with the feudal lords to support the Crown Prince, so King Hui failed to achieve his goal.
After King Hui died, Crown Prince Zheng ascended the throne with the support of Duke Huan of Qi, becoming known as King Xiang of Zhou. In the first year of King Xiang's reign (651 BC), Duke Huan of Qi presided over the Kuiqiu Alliance, and Ji Zheng was granted sacrificial meat, once again acknowledging his hegemonic status.
Then the troubled state of Bangzhou faced another period of hardship.
From the third to the sixteenth year of King Xiang's reign (649 BC – 636 BC), his half-brother Prince Dai repeatedly rebelled in alliance with the Rong people. King Xiang fled to avoid the rebellion, but Duke Wen of Jin came to his aid and quelled the rebellion.
In the seventeenth year of King Xiang's reign (635 BC), he granted Duke Wen of Jin four cities. Twenty years later, in 632 BC, he acknowledged Jin's hegemonic status and attended the Jiantu Conference. In the twenty-eighth year (624 BC), Duke Mu of Qin defeated Jin and became the hegemon of the Western Rong. King Xiang presented a drum as a sign of recognition. During his reign, the struggle for hegemony among the feudal lords intensified, and the power of the Zhou royal family gradually declined. After his death, his son Ji Renchen succeeded him.
In such a momentous time when the world's fortunes were changing rapidly, what was the ruler of Liang doing?
The King of Liang is still indulging in pleasure!
From the time of Zhang Ding's death (645 BC) to the 28th year of King Xiang's reign (624 BC), the two reigns of the Great Liang Emperor scorched the people of Liang to the point of misery.
In contrast, the neighboring state of Qin, with the help of the benevolent Duke Mu of Qin, dominated the Western Rong, defeated Han three times, and successfully captured Duke Hui of Jin alive in the Battle of Hanyuan (within the present-day Hejin and Wanrong counties of Shanxi), thus gaining eight cities in Hexi.
This battle marked a major turning point for the Qin state, which successfully broke free of its shackles and truly gained the ability to contend for supremacy in the Central Plains!
After Zhang Quzhuo and Zhang Du successively won three gold medals, Emperor Zhang Zhao finally ushered in another big win in the first year of King Ling (571 BC). At that time, Chencang County of Liang was annexed by Qin, Ba was eyeing Hanzhong in the east, and Shu was stationed in Zitong in the south, keeping a close eye on Shubei County.
We have external troubles, but what about internal problems?
Yes, some brothers have it!
This generation of Liang Bo continued the national policy of "making the people of Liang deeply aware of the weight of the monarch's favor" established by Zhang Ke (son of Zhang Ding). This led to the loss of power, widespread discontent among the people, frequent disturbances, and a growing sense of rebellion.
It was in this environment that Zhang Lin stepped forward.
Zhang Lin was Zhang Ke's younger brother. He was unremarkable in his youth and lacked any strategic acumen.
On his deathbed, Zhang Ke summoned him to the palace, pointed at him, and said to his trusted ministers, "My brother is destined to be like Yao and Shun, a worthy ruler!" Then he breathed his last.
Thus, the Zhang family's new chosen one was born!
Zhang Lin inherited a precarious situation: Chencang had fallen to Qin, the Di and Qiang tribes in the west had abandoned Liang and surrendered to Qin, and Wudu was in turmoil. In the imperial court, power was entirely in the hands of the Grand Chancellor Li Xiao.
Li Xiao was a regent appointed by his grandfather and the maternal uncle of Zhang Lin and Zhang Ke. Li Xiao cultivated his own faction and controlled the positions of Sima and Situ. He privately set up seven tripods (a system for feudal lords) in the capital and even used jade wine vessels to worship his ancestors. His power had surpassed that of the emperor.
Faced with his uncle, who was both a close relative and a powerful minister, Zhang Lin used the excuse of "excessive grief over the death of his late father and needing to recuperate from illness" to entrust all daily government affairs to the Grand Chancellor. He himself stayed in seclusion and did not concern himself with court affairs, but in reality, he was secretly contacting the ministers and nobles who had been suppressed by Li Xiao.
Since Li Xiao came to power, he has suppressed many nobles other than the Li family, especially the Zhao family. In the past, how glorious the Zhao family was.
You, Li, only became wealthy because you were lucky enough to pick up the head of the Liang traitor Zhang Zhuo during the reign of Duke Xuan (Zhang Du). Now that you have power, you want to compete with the Zhang and Zhao families?
You little dog, Li, you're just a dog raised by Zhang, yet you dare to bite your master? I, Zhao, will not allow it!
Therefore, the Zhao family actively rallied the nobles who had suffered oppression at the hands of the Li family to join Zhang Lin.
Li Xiao was completely unaware of this. He was very satisfied with Zhang Lin's entrustment of all state affairs to him, thinking that his nephew was weak and just like Zhang Ke, and not worth worrying about. He became increasingly unscrupulous in overstepping the bounds of propriety in the capital, setting up a private armory, raising a private army, and even exercising the power of the monarch as the chief minister.
As for the six armies of Hanzhong that Li Xiao had placed his cronies in, he actually did not control much of them. This was because the Wu Army, which had the highest armor coverage and the strongest combat power among the six armies, was led by Zhang Sili, a descendant of Zhang Shidong.
However, Zhang Sili did not feel much a sense of belonging to the Zhang family at this time. He was observing and would help whoever had the best chance of winning! Apart from the Northern Army controlled by Li Xiao's confidants, the other four armies shared the same idea as Zhang Sili.
The reason they remained neutral and did not take sides was because Li Xiao had a private army and the Zhang family had a clan army.
The year was 569 BC, in the spring.
That year, Li Xiao had already figured out how the Li family would replace Zhang.
According to tradition, the monarch should hold the "Spring Festival" ceremony north of the capital to worship the earth god and pray for a bountiful harvest. Li Xiao, as the chief minister, should have assisted the monarch, but eager to demonstrate his authority and directly replace Zhang Zhangliang, he privately ordered that the sacrificial animals (cattle and sheep) used in the ceremony be changed to the "Tai Lao" ceremony, which could only be used by the monarch, and prepared to preside over the ceremony wearing the "Nine Chapters" robes, which could only be worn by feudal lords.
The news reached the inner palace, and Zhang Lin knew his opportunity had arrived. As the old saying goes, opportunity knocks but once!
He immediately issued a secret order to eliminate the traitors on the day of the sacrifice!
On the day of the sacrificial ceremony, just as Li Xiao was about to perform the ritual, Xunquan Jun Zhao Sineng led the Zhang clan's troops to block the scene.
"By order of His Majesty!" Zhao Si Neng raised his imperial staff high and shouted sternly, "The Rites of Zhou states: 'Utensils should be made of pottery and gourd to symbolize the nature of Heaven and Earth.' Grand Chancellor Li Xiao has overstepped the bounds of propriety, arbitrarily using the rites due to the ruler, which is extremely disrespectful! According to the law, he should be demoted to commoner status and detained for trial!"
Li Xiao was terrified: "How dare you, you brat! I am the king's maternal uncle, and a minister entrusted with the care of Duke Jian. Who dares to arrest me?"
"I dare to take you!" Zhang Lin, dressed in plain clothes, appeared on the high platform, his voice icy. "Uncle, have you forgotten your place? Have you forgotten that the current Liang Kingdom belongs to the Zhang family, not the Li family!"
Subsequently, the Zhang clan swarmed forward and seized the powerful prime minister on the spot, stripping him of all his official positions and fiefs, and exiling him to the Qiang Plain.
As for his private soldiers, they didn't even have a chance to make a move before Zhang Sili arrived and took them down on the spot!
After eliminating Li Xiao, Zhang Lin first rewarded those who had rendered meritorious service. After five years, he completely regained power and took control of the six armies in Hanzhong. He then stopped hiding his true colors and revealed his true nature.
He first wrote the "Liang Criminal Code":
Zhang Lin personally revised the laws and regulations, modified the "Liang Jing" written during the time of Duke Wen, added legal texts, abolished hereditary officials, adopted guest officials, and implemented policies to "reward military merit" and "reward agriculture and warfare."
Not only that, he also opened up fields and rewarded farming and weaving. He remeasured the land of Li Xiao's confiscated fief and distributed it to landless refugees. He stipulated that those who paid more grain and cloth to the state could be exempted from corvée labor. The Hanzhong Basin was fertile for thousands of miles, and in just a few years, the granaries were full.
In 560 BC, Duke Jing of Qin was mired in a struggle for hegemony with the State of Jin and was unable to advance south. Zhang Lin sensed an opportunity, led his army to recapture Chencang County, and besieged Yongcheng. Fearing a two-front war, the State of Qin had no choice but to sue for peace, return the occupied city of Liang, and send hostages to Liang.
The following year, Zhang Lin proposed an attack on Shu. He appointed Sima Zhao Si Neng to command the central army, with Zhang Si Li as his deputy. The army marched for over a year, capturing Zitong and Guangdu. The King of Shu was terrified, bowed his head and submitted to the emperor, and the state became a vassal state.
Two years later, the Ba people raided Hanyin. Zhang Lin again appointed Zhao Si Neng as general, and Zhang Si Li as his deputy. Within a year, they destroyed the Ba. They then took over the land of Nanyang, established Nanyang Commandery, and made its capital at Shangyong. Liang thus once again dominated the western lands, and the emperor bestowed upon them sacrificial meat and appointed them Marquis of the West.
One day, Zhang Lin ascended the city wall of Hanzhong, looked around with deep emotion, and said to those around him, "Have I done anything that is not ashamed of my lineage as Duke Wenzhao and my descendants as Duke Wen?"
Those around him all said, "Your Majesty is valiant and wise, worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with Duke Wen and Duke Zhao!"
Lin laughed and said, "Does anyone not know their own limitations? If I were to meet Duke Wen or Duke Zhao, I would be a filial son, sincerely serving and waiting for his ascension! If I were to meet Duke Wen, I would serve him with utmost respect! How much more so should I, as his son and grandson?"