Chapter 50: Mercy (Eleven)

Things proceeded smoothly thereafter. The morale of the defending soldiers, who had had their standard taken away, plummeted, leaving them unable to mount any effective resistance. Yang Yibo was not a responsible commander either; seeing his forces completely defeated, he raised his hands in surrender. Li Kuo ordered his trusted men—Zhang Yanji, Zhou Wucui, Dou Qing, Pu Dachui, and others—to take control of the four sides of the city wall and open the main gate to welcome Commander Zhang Shouyu and his troops into the city.

According to post-battle statistics from the military records, the Zhuque Regiment of the attacking force lost 137 soldiers, with 129 of them falling in the first and second brigades, and 8 in the third brigade led by Li Kuo. On the defending side, the Qinglong Regiment’s first brigade lost 53 soldiers, with the rest surrendering.

Inside the Shence Army’s council chamber, Zhang Shouyu, the deputy commander of the Hexi Army, and the newly appointed captain Li Kuo had a pleasant conversation.
“You did very well!”
Zhang Shouyu patted the young man’s arm encouragingly.
“I just followed your orders. My comrades also worked hard!”
The young man scratched the back of his head and smiled innocently.
“It’s your merit—no one can take that away. Our Hexi Army values clear rewards and punishments.”
Zhang Shouyu smiled and encouraged him further. He was very optimistic about this young man named Li Kuo. At such a young age, his ability to lead a troop and capture a fortress almost perfectly demonstrated his outstanding adaptability and leadership skills. After all, at that age, Zhang Shouyu himself was still just a straightforward soldier who charged forward blindly.

The young man felt warm inside. He realized that Captain Zhang was quite kind to him. It was a strange feeling—sometimes he even thought of Zhang Shouyu as an elder or uncle. This care came so gently and naturally that it seemed innate.
“Thank you, Captain, for your guidance!”
The young man saluted militarily with a fist pressed together, expressing his gratitude solemnly.
“Ah, it’s time you changed the way you address me.”
Zhang Shouyu waved his hand, looking pleased.
“Huh?”
Li Kuo was surprised and speechless.
“Do you know the commander promised military rewards before the exercise? Those who lead their troops to capture the city first will be promoted to captain, and their entire unit will also be promoted.”
Zhang Shouyu looked at the slightly childish young man with an amused expression.
“Oh.”

The young man’s gaze darkened. It would be a lie to say he had no selfish motives. No one is perfect—how could anyone be free from desires? Having grown up in a declining family, he had only managed to join the Divine Strategy Army through the emperor’s grace. Though Gao Shi took care of him in the army, he still had to face many things on his own. Take commanding troops, for example—leading an entire regiment at such a young age required considerable effort. How to establish authority among the soldiers, how to earn their genuine support, and how to cultivate loyal subordinates over time—these were all things the young man needed to figure out gradually. Although he had been mentally prepared, Li Kuo was still overjoyed upon hearing his official appointment. After all, an appointment granted directly by the emperor was different from a position assigned by General Geshu Han. To put it bluntly, the emperor had merely conferred upon him a title of a certain rank, and though he received a salary from the court, he held no real power. During this siege drill, by capturing the fortress, he had proven his strength. General Geshu Han’s decision to appoint him as a colonel meant he recognized his abilities and considered him one of his own. In the Tang Dynasty’s military system, inherited from the previous Sui Dynasty, officials above the seventh rank could be considered military officers. These positions were neither particularly high nor low. To ensure absolute control over an army, one had to start at the rank of colonel. Thus, each regional military governor would risk offending the court by replacing lower-ranking officers with their own loyalists. However, this was an unspoken rule in the border military system and not something to be openly discussed.

But why did Chief Zhang ask me about this?

“You little brat, you’ve already been promoted to colonel. Can’t your superior get promoted too?”

Zhang Shouyu stepped forward and put an arm around the young man’s neck, a rare smile appearing on his usually stern face.

“Thanks to General Geshu Han’s trust, I was promoted to General of Guidede, rising four ranks in one go.”

The young man suddenly understood. Indeed, since his regimental commander had been directly appointed as a colonel, it only made sense that his superior would also be promoted. He bowed to Zhang Shouyu with a slight smile and said, “Your servant wishes General Sir all the best!”

Zhang Shouyu waved his hand generously and said, “Actually, I don’t really care much about titles. I’ve been fighting alongside the general for half my life, and I’ve grown indifferent to such things. But you, at such a young age already a colonel, surely have a bright future ahead.”

Actually, Zhang Shouyu’s promotion to general was long expected by Li Kuo. After all, as one of Ge Shu Han’s most trusted confidants, a too-low rank would hardly enable him to effectively assist his commander in maintaining control. Moreover, General Gao Xiuyan and Zhang Tou’er were competing for the second-highest position in the Hexi army. In terms of family background and official rank, Zhang Tou’er was clearly at a disadvantage. From the perspective of a superior, he would never want one party to dominate. The rise of any faction posed a potential threat to him, so maintaining balance through suppression was a skill every leader had to master. Of course, Zhang Tou’er’s promotion was somewhat related to his personal relationship with General Ge Shu Han. But to say that Ge Shu Han did it purely out of consideration for an old subordinate would be overly emotional.

Zhang Shouyu tapped his fingers and sighed deeply. “But you must understand that leading an army alone has its advantages and disadvantages. You’re young and still have much to learn. Later, I’ll send you a few honest and experienced veterans from my personal guard to give you some advice.”

Li Kuo felt warmed and humbly asked for guidance, “I’m new to military affairs and don’t understand many things. I hope General will kindly offer some advice.”

Zhang Shouyu seemed particularly impressed by this young man and, against his usual practice, decided to mentor him. In his eyes, this was a rare and valuable talent that, with a little refinement, could become something truly outstanding.

“Since I’m a few years older than you, if you don’t mind, you can call me Brother Zhang. Military affairs can be complex or simple, depending on how you look at them.”

After a brief pause, Zhang Shouyu continued, “As a general, first and foremost, you must establish absolute leadership over your troops. It’s not just about holding a higher rank; you also need to earn their heartfelt trust. In short, you must combine kindness with authority—reward those who perform well and punish those who make mistakes. Only by keeping your word can you build credibility.”

Zhang Shouyu stopped and waited for Li Kuo to ask questions.

“But what if a general is assigned by higher authorities? Then…”

The young man opened his mouth but ultimately didn’t say anything.

“That’s when a general’s experience comes into play. If that person truly has the talent to lead troops, that’s ideal. But if he’s just theoretical, you should gently suggest replacing him with a civilian officer like a military secretary. This way, you won’t offend your superiors and will also be responsible for the safety of your own men.”

“Brother Zhang, what if some people provoke trouble without reason? What should I do?”

Although the young man was quite brave and decisive, he was still just a child after all. When it came to political scheming and intrigue, he was nothing but a novice who had not yet entered the field.

Zhang Shouyu raised his eyebrows, his tone gradually turning colder: “If someone provokes trouble, you can certainly send your trusted men to gather evidence. Once the time is right, capture them and sentence them according to military law!”

Seeing the young man frown slightly, Zhang Shouyu slowed down his speech, trying to make his voice sound more gentle: “As the saying goes, a kind person should not hold military power. How many people covet the position of a general? If everyone were as merciful as you, our Tang army wouldn’t need to fight the Tubo people—we’d just be fighting among ourselves every day.”

Amused by Zhang Shouyu’s words, the young man couldn’t help but laugh: “If all commanders were as interesting as Brother Zhang, who would want that position at all?”

“The most unpredictable thing is human hearts,” Zhang Shouyu said, shaking his head with a wry smile. “The world may be balanced, but people’s hearts are not. When people’s hearts are at peace, then the world will truly be at peace.”

Note 1: General Gui De: A rank below the fifth grade. It’s worth noting that ancient official ranks were divided into nine grades, each with primary and subordinate levels. Before the Sui and Tang dynasties, ranks below the fourth grade were further divided into upper and lower tiers. Previously, Zhang Shouyu’s rank was Zhenwei Deputy Lieutenant, which was below the sixth grade; thus, this promotion represented two ranks, or four steps upward. When people encounter good news, they feel uplifted—since this was such a joyous event as a promotion, I let him choose a larger number for good luck.

Another point to clarify is that military governors in the Tang dynasty held enormous power. After the An Lushan Rebellion, these positions could even be hereditary. Although their power wasn’t as great at that time, if a military governor wanted to appoint someone to a rank below the fourth grade, the imperial court generally wouldn’t object. Take An Lushan, for example—he requested numerous official titles from Emperor Xuanzong in just one petition…