History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 425 Zhang Xichong Returns to China

【Zhang Xichong returns to China】

All things are inferior, only reading is superior. In the cultural tradition of the Central Plains, scholars are always at the top of the contempt chain, especially those who wield swords and sticks.

But Liu Shouguang wanted him to be a warrior, Li Cunxu wanted him to be a warrior, Yelu Abaoji wanted him to be a warrior... I am a scholar! How can you tell that I am good at chopping people?

Zhang Xichong was puzzled.

While serving in Pingzhou, Zhang Xichong tried his best to dress himself like a scholar and lived a very simple life. Although he was a local commander, he did not pursue a luxurious and decadent life. He did not keep concubines, attend banquets, or watch singing and dancing. He worked diligently and served the people wholeheartedly during work hours. After get off work, he would hold books in his hands and read without sleep or food.

Zhang Xichong seemed to have obsessive-compulsive disorder and was almost paranoid about his appearance. Even in the hot summer, he would wear formal clothes and sit upright.

Zhang Xichong was simply the most typical nerd, a role model for scholars. Even servants and runners were influenced by him and behaved in a proper manner, not even daring to tell dirty jokes or make jokes. Everyone tried hard to act like a serious person.

He governed Pingzhou with good policies and the people praised him unanimously, all praising Comrade Xi Chong as a good leader.

Gradually, the Khitans relaxed their vigilance and thought that Zhang Xichong was indeed a foolishly loyal and filial nerd, and an honest man.

Those who can accomplish earth-shaking things are all honest people.

One day, Zhang Xichong climbed up a tall building alone. The night was long and he could not sleep. Looking at the bright moon in the sky, he missed his hometown, looked at his current situation, looked forward to the distant future, and thought about his unattainable dream...

"Alas! In the past, Ban Chao was stationed in the western frontier and could not return without permission because of the imperial edict. But what about me? Whether to stay in Khitan or become a traitor, isn't this a choice in my own hands? Well, let's do it!"

Zhang Xichong secretly summoned several Han generals whom he regarded as his confidants and said eloquently: "We in the north eat cheese and wear furs. We cannot see our relatives and friends in our hometown while we are alive. After death, we will become lonely ghosts here... Whenever I look south at the mountains and rivers of my hometown, I feel that the days here are like years. Don't you have this feeling?"

A few words brought tears to everyone's eyes. Who doesn't miss his wife and children, who doesn't miss his homeland, and who is willing to be a running dog for the barbarians?
Needless to say, everyone understands. But everyone still has a concern, how to deal with the 300 Khitan cavalry in front of them?
Zhang Xichong said this is easy to do. To catch a thief, we must first catch the leader. I will set up a Hongmen Banquet and kill their leader first. They will surely scatter in a hurry, and there is no need to worry at all. Moreover, this place is very close to the Central Plains Han area, but it is a thousand miles away from the Khitan's nest. It will take at least ten days for them to bring back the news and send troops to chase them. By that time, we have already entered the pass!

Everyone was delighted, "Students always have a lot of bad ideas!"

On that day, Zhang Xichong led his men to dig a large pit in the open space next to the mansion, set up mechanisms, prepared quicklime, and then invited the Khitan generals to a banquet.

The Khitans had long since relaxed their vigilance against the "honest man" Zhang Xichong, so several generals happily attended the banquet. Zhang Xichong welcomed them with a smile, brought out good wine, prepared delicious dishes, and entertained them, getting several leaders drunk.

Afterwards, Zhang Xichong sent people to throw these drunkards into a big pit, bury them in quicklime, half-cremate them and half-bury them alive. Then he led the Han soldiers to attack the Khitan army.

The Khitan cavalry was left without a commander and in disarray. They scattered and fled to the north. Zhang Xichong did not chase them, but quickly led his men and horses, including the elderly and children, to flee south. In the end, Zhang Xichong brought back more than 20,000 people for the Later Tang.

Li Siyuan appointed Zhang Xichong as the governor of Ruzhou.

There are also disputes in authoritative historical books about Lu Wenjin and Zhang Xichong's defection from Liao to Tang. For example, the order recorded in the History of Liao is that Zhang Xichong defected first, and then Lu Wenjin; and Zhang Xichong is written as "Zhang Chong". However, historical materials such as the Old History of the Five Dynasties and Zizhi Tongjian all record that Lu Wenjin defected first, and Zhang Xichong replaced Lu Wenjin and defected two years later.

Comprehensive analysis shows that the records in the History of Liao are not very accurate. There are many inaccuracies in the History of Liao. Usually, if it conflicts with the records in other authoritative historical books, this book will not adopt the records in the History of Liao.

Lu Wenjin, Zhang Xi Chong and Yelu Bei successively rebelled against Liao and returned to Tang. However, Khitan, in a humble manner, begged Later Tang to return the previously captured senior Khitan generals.

During the few years that Li Siyuan ascended the throne, subtle changes occurred in the overall strength of the Central Plains and the Khitan.

First, the Khitans, although they annexed the Bohai Kingdom and unified the northern part of the Great Wall, were caught in a struggle over political lines due to the sudden death of Yelü Abaoji, which was an earthquake from the core of the empire.

Secondly, in the Central Plains, in order to deal with the harassment of Khitan cavalry in Youzhou, Zhao Dejun, the governor of Youzhou Lulong Army, carefully analyzed and summarized, and found that Khitan cavalry often set up ambushes in Yangou (now Liangxiang Town, Fangshan District, Beijing) and plundered grain transport teams. Zhao Dejun built a city in Yangou and stationed troops there. He also reorganized and built Gulu County, 50 miles east of the city, and Sanhe County, more than 100 miles northeast of the city. With the three newly built cities as support, Zhao Dejun improved the military defense system in Youzhou, making the days when Khitan cavalry came and went like the wind and moved freely gone forever.

In addition, Zhao Dejun dug a canal in the southeast of the city, from Wangmakou (in today's Anci County, Hebei Province) to Yukou (in today's Xin'an Town, Hebei Province), which was 165 li long, 65 bu wide, and 12 feet deep, and could accommodate 1,000-ton-class grain transport ships. From then on, Youzhou's grain route no longer relied solely on narrow and dangerous land transportation lines.

Zhao Dejun garrisoned Youzhou, improved the defense capabilities of the Later Tang Dynasty, and effectively weakened the Khitan threat to the Hebei region.

Finally, the Central Plains dynasty also faced serious internal division problems, with "five kingdoms coexisting" in the south, but this was a historical problem and did not cause any substantial harm to the Later Tang group.

As one side gained strength while the other lost, the power comparison between the two sides was equalized. Strength determines attitude, and the Khitans were finally willing to sit down and exchange views with the Later Tang on certain key issues in a calm and peaceful manner.

In response to the Khitan's request to return senior generals, Li Siyuan sought the opinions of the generals.

Zhao Dejun and others unanimously opposed the return of the prisoners of war, saying that these people had already learned a lot of intelligence about the Later Tang Dynasty and knew the truth. Once released, the harm would increase rather than decrease, and they must not let the tiger go back to the mountain!

As a political leader, Li Siyuan weighed the pros and cons. The so-called weighing the pros and cons means assessing the strength of the enemy and ourselves, because strength determines attitude.

After comprehensive analysis, Li Siyuan believed that although the Later Tang Dynasty caught up with the Khitan in the short term and even showed signs of surpassing it, the Khitan's Queen Dowager Shulü had already won the political struggle, and under her iron-fisted policy, internal turmoil had basically ended and would gradually warm up in the future. The two sides would be in a state of tug-of-war and confrontation for a long time.

Therefore, Li Siyuan thought that he could neither agree to their request in full nor reject it in full, and he had to show some mercy to the Khitan. So he took a compromise and only released one senior general.

(End of this chapter)