Ji Han Liu Zhang

The four counties of Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan and Dunhuang are collectively known as the Four Hexi Counties. They belonged to Liangzhou during the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the capital of Liangzhou was located in Ji County, Tianshui County.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the communication channels and written communications between the four counties in Hexi and Ji County were often blocked by Qiang and Hu. Therefore, any urgent military information or pressing government affairs in Hexi were often not handled in time because they had to be reported to Ji County first.

Therefore, the four counties in Hexi jointly wrote to the court, requesting the establishment of another province, so that the government affairs of the four counties would not be handled in time due to the long distance between the four counties and Ji County, the capital of Liangzhou, which would not lead to small matters turning into big ones and major mistakes.

It was the first year of Xingping. Emperor Liu Xie, who was in Chang'an, gathered his ministers to discuss and decided to divide the four counties of Liangzhou, Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan and Dunhuang, to establish Yongzhou, with its seat in Guzang. He appointed Handan Shang, a native of Chenliu, as the governor of Yongzhou, and appointed Zhang Meng's father, Zhang Huan - who was once one of the Three Ming of Liangzhou and had a great reputation in Hexi - as the prefect of Wuwei.

Emperor Liu Xie hoped that Handan Shang, the governor of Yongzhou, and Zhang Meng, the prefect of Wuwei, could get along well with each other, and work together as civil and military officials to stabilize the situation in Hexi. After all, Hexi was remote and difficult for the court to take care of, and all government affairs, big and small, needed to be handled by local officials.

However, Handan Shang and Zhang Meng were close in age and had conflicting temperaments, so they often bullied each other and blamed each other for their different political proposals. As a result, the rift between them grew day by day to the point where it could not be reconciled.

Because Zhang Meng was known for his bravery and was the descendant of a famous general, the merchants of Handan were worried that if they did not strike first, they would regret it later. So they devised a plan to summon Zhang Meng under the pretext of a meeting and kill him at the meeting.

However, Handan Shang acted carelessly and was noticed by Zhang Meng, so Handan Shang's plan failed. Instead, Zhang Meng, who had come to his senses, led his army to attack Handan Shang, who was captured by Zhang Meng and imprisoned in the official residence.

As a result, the power of Hexi fell into the hands of Zhang Meng. Zhang Meng appointed himself as the governor of Yongzhou and forced the merchants of Handan to submit a letter to the emperor to give up the throne to him. He then could sit in Hexi and establish his own regime.

However, Zhang Meng's plan was so brilliant, but it ended in vain.

Because of the illegal imprisonment of Handan Shang, the governor of Yongzhou, Liu Jiyu, the Grand Marshal who had just conquered Longyou, actually asked him to release Handan Shang as soon as possible and asked him to rush to Ji County to apologize. In addition, Liu Jiyu was not just talking nonsense. The Grand Marshal sent the Shu army to Hexi, intending to use strong troops to restore order in Hexi.

"You claim to attack me, but you only want to take over Hexi'er." Zhang Meng said in the hall to his civil and military officials.

Then Zhang Meng asked for everyone's opinions: "How do you think we should deal with the Shu army so that they can return without success and I can occupy Hexi alone."

The civil and military officials in the hall looked at each other, staring at each other, and no one came forward to answer. After all, the enemy was Liu Jiyu, the great commander who had defeated Han Sui and Song Jian, so how could they deal with him?

After a long silence, Zhang Meng said in a low voice, "Gentlemen, why don't you say anything to help me with my plan? Why do you keep silent..."

Under Zhang Meng's strong pressure, the Wuwei County Supervisor, a slightly stout middle-aged man, responded: "My Lord, the Shu army came west, such as Han Sui and Song Jian, these heroes who have been in Liangzhou for more than ten years, were defeated by the Shu army in just a few months... Now the Shu army is taking advantage of the high morale of the conquest of Longyou and sending a large army here. I think the people in Hexi are not enough to withstand the Shu army. If you want to be safe, it is better to surrender the county, or hold on stubbornly."

"What the Inspector said is very true." Seeing someone taking the lead, a county commander bowed to Zhang Meng and said, "The Shu army is brave and sharp, and the elite soldiers of Liangzhou are not enough to fight against the enemy, let alone people like us from Hexi. Your Majesty should decide on surrender as soon as possible, so as not to regret it later."

"What you said is reasonable." A famous scholar from Wuwei stepped forward and said, "Grand Marshal Liu Jiyu is known for his kindness and benevolence. If you surrender early, you can get a high position and keep your family. There will be no war in Hexi, and the country will be safe and the people will be happy. Isn't it wonderful?"

This famous scholar from Wuwei spoke earnestly and made dashing movements at the same time, signaling everyone to agree with him. All the civil and military officials present were indeed thinking of surrendering, and wanted to abandon darkness and join the light and submit to Liu Zhang.

So, Zhang Meng, who was sitting at the top, saw his subordinates, whether they were civil or military, old or young, prominent officials in the county or minor clerks, one after another, they all spoke up and believed that surrendering to Liu Jiyu was the best and resisting was the worst.

Listening to the civil and military officials suggesting surrender, Zhang Meng couldn't help but get angry. He drew the sword from his waist and held it in his hand. At the same time, he glanced at everyone in the hall one by one and met the eyes of the civil and military officials.

Under Zhang Meng's unfriendly gaze, the civil and military officials in the hall sensed the murderous intent in Zhang Meng's eyes. One by one, they closed their mouths silently and dared not suggest surrender anymore.

After all the civil and military officials in the hall shut up and the hall was silent for a few moments, Zhang Meng slowly said: "I have made up my mind. I must fight the Shu army to the end."

"If anyone disobeys me, he will be treated like this." Zhang Meng shouted and swung the sword in his hand towards the corner of the desk in front of him. This sword, inherited from his father Zhang Huan, easily cut off a corner of the desk.

The cut-off corners of the table rolled in front of the people in the hall, and after turning several circles, they fell into the eyes of the civil and military officials who were staring at the ground.

"Hmph." After saying that, Zhang Meng snorted coldly and left the hall surrounded by the warriors under his tent.

With the departure of Zhang Meng, the civil and military officials in the hall also left in twos and threes, forming small groups. They did not speak to each other, but just looked at others, sought their opinions from their eyes, and nodded silently from time to time.

Within a few days, when the flag of the Shu army arrived outside the Guzang City of Wuwei, the prefect Zhang Meng, wearing a helmet and armor, with a sword hanging from his waist, stood on the top of the city with a heroic look and a shining look.

"The Shu army has come from afar. Firstly, the soldiers are tired and cannot fight hard. Secondly, the road is long and it is inconvenient to transport food. Our army can rest and wait for an opportunity to defeat them." Zhang Meng pointed at the front of the Shu army with a smile on his face and uttered inspiring words to boost the morale of his soldiers.

As the son of the famous general Zhang Huan, Zhang Meng was not a mediocre person who could not use troops, but a person who was well versed in the art of war and could recite it eloquently. Because his words were extremely consistent with the art of war, the soldiers present thought it made sense after hearing it.

What Zhang Meng did not expect was that the Shu army, which had just arrived in Wuwei, started to attack the city. They built siege equipment under the city and soon launched an offensive towards Guzang City.

"Is this unreasonable?" Zhang Meng was very surprised when he saw the Shu army attacking. How could an army come from afar and attack a city immediately without any rest for three or five days?

At the foot of the city, Gan Ning looked at the seemingly well-defended Guzang City with disdain in his eyes. As a veteran general, he could see through the strengths and weaknesses of Guzang City at a glance.

Although Guzang City looked well defended, it was only a facade and very weak inside. Therefore, Gan Ning did not plan to rest before attacking the city. Instead, he attacked the city as soon as he arrived at the city, giving the Guzang defenders a small shock. The officers and soldiers defending Guzang were indeed shocked by the Shu army's unreasonable fighting style. Some soldiers were trembling and almost couldn't hold their weapons. However, they did not flee because they had the strong city to rely on.

"If you defend the city with me, you will be rewarded handsomely after the battle." Zhang Meng declared loudly. Although the Shu army's fighting style was unusual, it was a fact that the Shu army had come from afar and was tired. He only needed to hold on to Guzang and withstand the first few attacks of the Shu army when they were at their strongest. Then he could take advantage of the Shu army's slackness in the city and seize the opportunity to defeat them.

However, Zhang Meng's beautiful blueprint was only planned for a few moments, and he heard his soldiers pointing and shouting inside the city. Zhang Meng looked in the direction of the soldiers, but saw that a fire had broken out in the county temple in the city, and chaos had broken out in the city.

Suddenly something happened in the city and the Shu army outside the city attacked fiercely. Zhang Meng was suddenly panicked. Surrounded by his soldiers, he left the city wall, gave up the idea of ​​defending Guzang, and wanted to flee westward.

However, the county soldiers blocked the road and blocked Zhang Meng's way. Zhang Meng saw clearly that the person who blocked Zhang Meng's way was the Handan merchant who was imprisoned in the official residence for him before, but he didn't know who released him.

Handan Shang was smiling at this moment, and he also saw Zhang Meng: "Shuwei, everyone has agreed to make me the leader and submit Hexi to the Grand Marshal. Now all the land in Hexi will belong to the Grand Marshal... You should kneel down and surrender as soon as possible, and don't fight like a trapped beast."

Hearing Handan Shang's slightly sarcastic words, Zhang Meng's heart suddenly burned with anger. He held up the sword left by his father Zhang Huan, pointed at Handan Shang and said, "Don't say anything more, just fight."

Although Zhang Meng was extremely determined to fight and was ready to die, the soldiers accompanying Zhang Meng, seeing that everyone in the city had rebelled, also began to rebel. They pinned Zhang Meng to the ground, tied him up, and handed him over to Handan Shang.

Looking at Zhang Meng who was struggling and cursing, Handan Shang yawned and didn't take it seriously. As the nominal governor of Yongzhou, Handan Shang ordered his soldiers to open the city gates, welcome the Shu army into the city, and led a group of civil and military officials in the county to surrender to the Shu army.

Within a few days, Liu Zhang, who returned to Ji County from Fuhan, received news from Wu Yi, who was on the expedition to Hexi, that the four counties of Hexi had been conquered and the rebellious Wuwei prefect Zhang Meng was on his way to Ji County in a prison cart.

"There are still many people who know how to deal with current affairs!" Liu Zhang read the detailed military intelligence report handed over by Wu Yi. The detailed report said that Zhang Meng was determined to hold Guzang to resist, but all the civil and military officials under Zhang Meng were willing to surrender. These civil and military officials took advantage of Zhang Meng's garrison on the city wall to release the imprisoned Yongzhou Governor Handan Shang and opened the city wall.

As a result, Gan Ning, who arrived at the city of Guzang with the intention of showing off his skills by attacking the city, was in a situation where he was useless. He only entered the city through the city gate instead of taking Guzang in a fair and open manner.

Anyway, no matter what, Liu Zhang couldn't help but feel happy that the four Hexi counties were in his hands. At the same time, he had some new worries, which was the selection of the prefects of the four Hexi counties.

Hexi is remote, separated from Guanzhong by Longyou, so information exchange is not smooth. In addition, there are many Qiang and Hu tribes in Hexi, who often cause chaos in the county.

Therefore, the governor of the four counties in Hexi must be both civil and military. He must be able to govern the country and ensure the safety of the people, and be able to overcome disasters and chaos with his military skills. He must also have a certain degree of decision-making ability and be able to make decisions promptly when encountering major events, instead of being indecisive and turning small problems into big ones.

Liu Zhang picked up a pen and wrote down a few names on the silk cloth on the desk, then crossed out some names. He frowned from time to time, looking deep in thought, as he considered the candidates for the prefects of the four counties in Hexi.

When Liu Zhang was considering the candidates for the prefects of the four counties in Hexi, Zhang Meng, the former prefect of Wuwei, who was detained in a prison cart and heading towards Ji County, recalled an old story.

When his father Zhang Huan was the governor of Wuwei, his mother was pregnant and dreamed of singing on a building with Zhang Huan's seal and ribbon. Zhang Huan didn't understand what it meant, so he asked a dream interpreter, who said that the baby in her womb would be an official in Wuwei in the future, and would die as the governor of Wuwei.

And this baby was Zhang Meng. Thinking about this, Zhang Meng laughed at himself. It was indeed as the dreamer had said. He, like his father Zhang Huan, became the prefect of Wuwei, and he would die in office.

"If I had known this, I should have refused the post of governor of Wuwei." Zhang Meng felt a little regretful, and then he shook his head. This was his fate, but it was not something he could escape.

Zhang Meng had some guesses about what would happen after arriving in Ji County. As a rebel who had imprisoned the governor of a previous state, he would be counted for his crimes and then beheaded in public. As for hoping to survive, he was afraid that he would not be able to do so.

Walk and walk again, mountains and rivers.

After a long journey of ten days, Zhang Meng in the prison car saw the city wall of Ji County. At the same time, he seemed to see the end of his own fate. His head would be hung on the top of the city wall of Ji County, corroded by wind and rain, and finally turned into a pile of bones.

The prison car passed through the city gate of Ji County and went towards the official residence of Ji County. When it arrived at the door of the official residence of Ji County, a clerk in blue clothes was standing at the door, waiting for Zhang Meng's arrival.

"Are you Zhang Shuwei, the prefect of Wuwei?" the blue-robed clerk stepped forward and asked.

Zhang Meng remained polite and bowed in the prisoner car, saying, "Yes, I wonder who you are?"

"I am a clerk under the Grand Marshal's command. My surname is Cheng, my name is Yu, and my courtesy name is Gongsheng." Cheng Yu replied.

After a conversation, Cheng Yu asked the warriors to release Zhang Meng from the prisoner car, and led Zhang Meng to a house in the official residence. Then Cheng Yu said to Zhang Meng: "The governor will live in this house first. If there is anything wrong, please let someone tell me."

"Ah?" Zhang Meng looked puzzled when he heard this and exclaimed in surprise.

As a traitor, Zhang Meng thought that he would die after arriving in Ji County, but now it seemed that he was not arriving at a place of execution, but a spacious and comfortable house. In addition, it was a bit strange that Cheng Yu called himself "prefect" instead of calling him the traitor by his name.

Cheng Yu did not answer Zhang Meng's question, he just bowed and left. Zhang Meng did not dare to ask any more questions, he bowed and saw Cheng Yu off, looking at Cheng Yu's back, he looked thoughtful. (End of this chapter)