Chapter Fifteen: Early Spring (IV)

In the eyes of the young man, the Yumen Pass Garrison was no different from the wealthy mansions in Chang’an. The same carved beams and painted rafters, the same blue bricks and plain tiles. If one had to find a difference, it would be the aura of ancient solemnity that seeped through the intricate roof structures.
This was Yumen Pass—the crucial pass that must be crossed by hundreds of thousands of soldiers in gleaming armor to fight enemies in the west!
At some point, Yumen Pass had become an important frontier city guarded by the Central Plains dynasty in the northwest, and it had also become a cultural symbol to which many scholars and poets attached their emotions and feelings.
Since the Han Dynasty, through the Southern and Northern Dynasties and even the Sui and Tang Dynasties, regardless of the strength of the Central Plains dynasties, Yumen Pass had always been a topic that could not be avoided.
“The Western barbarians dare not cross the Tianshan Mountains; with great achievements, the white horses rest in peace…”
“Three thousand miles of newly planted willows invite the spring breeze to pass through Yumen Pass!”
Zhang Ziqian stroked his beard gently and continued Li Kuo’s words.
“I never expected General Li, despite coming from the ranks, to have such refined tastes. I truly admire him!”
Zhang Ziqian smiled and nodded at Li Kuo, holding high hopes for this young general who had already reached the rank of military commander at such a young age.
“Aren’t you also a scholar-general, Commander Zhang?”
Li Kuo quickly came up with a clever reply.
“A scholar-general?”
Zhang Ziqian was momentarily stunned before clapping his hands and laughing loudly. “Right! We’re both scholar-generals, scholar-generals!”
“To be honest, the last time I returned to Chang’an to report on my duties was five years ago. In the blink of an eye, five years have passed here. How many such five-year periods does one have in life?”
Zhang Ziqian shook his head with a bitter smile. The enthusiasm he had felt moments earlier vanished in the wrinkles around his eyes.
“You’re in the prime of your career. Who knows? You might be promoted to a military governor next year, and who knows, even becoming a deputy military governor isn’t impossible in the future!”
Unwilling to see Zhang Ziqian so pessimistic, Li Kuo said something he himself hardly believed.
Although Yumen Pass held great importance, the position of its governor didn’t require a very high rank. For someone like Zhang Ziqian, a scholar-general, if he didn’t have powerful patrons in the military, at most he could reach the rank of a guerrilla general. It would be like dreaming of being promoted to a military governor with such a low rank.
On the other hand, if Zhang Ziqian really had strong backing, why would he come to the frontier to seek fame and glory? Although promotion through the military was fast, it was only for sons of wealthy families with official experience. For children from ordinary families, unless they made great efforts to cultivate relationships with high-ranking generals, they might not even become a general of the fourth rank by the time they grew old.
Upon reflection, it was true that for frontline warriors like him, their military achievements couldn’t be easily erased.

“You needn’t comfort me; there are things we simply cannot change.”
Zhang Ziqian waved his hand and said, “The more one experiences, the more open-minded one becomes. Take me for example—having thousands of soldiers to defend the country, isn’t that magnificent? And in my free time, drinking by the desert, enjoying all the wonders of the world— isn’t that beautiful?”
Though his words sounded firm, Li Kuo could hear the helplessness in his tone. The position of guarding Yumen Pass was indeed one of heavy responsibility with little actual power; in truth, it was far less easy to advance than being a secretary under Uncle Gao.
After a brief pause, Zhang Ziqian downed a glass of wine, appearing somewhat agitated as his cheeks turned red: “When I was your age, I joined the army in Hexi with passion. I always thought that through my own efforts, I could make a name for myself, defeat all the barbarians, and then return home. But after spending most of my life, I’ve only ended up in such a position as a defender… Youthful ignorance, nothing but youthful ignorance!”
Whether from the effects of the wine or emotion, Zhang Ziqian felt dizzy.
“Tell me about Chang’an.”
Zhang Ziqian shook his head. “I haven’t been back to Chang’an in five years. I wonder if it’s still that place of heroes from the Jade Pool for children?”
“Ah!”
Li Kuo was taken aback by his comparison, though upon reflection, it made sense. Life in Chang’an was too extravagant—surely a great place for the young to indulge in pleasure. But for those with ambitions to rule the world, it was nothing but a tomb.
“What aspect would you like to know about?”
Zhang Ziqian’s question was too broad; he really didn’t know where to start.
“Hmm, I heard An Lushan has been made a prince?”
Zhang Ziqian seemed to think his own question was hard to answer, so he helped the young man steer the conversation.
Li Kuo paused briefly before smiling and saying, “I’m not very familiar with this matter. I only know that the emperor, in recognition of his military achievements, conferred the title of prince on him despite the objections of his ministers.”
“Absurd!”
Zhang Ziqian, clearly drunk, shouted angrily, “Since the founding of our Tang Dynasty, there has never been a precedent of conferring titles on people of other surnames. If this becomes a practice, other military governors will follow suit, killing enemies to gain rewards—will our Tang Dynasty then be full of princes?”
“How can we subjects understand the emperor’s thoughts?”
Li Kuo also didn’t have much goodwill toward An Lushan. Though they had only met once, from the cunning look in his eyes, Li Kuo could tell they were not kindred spirits.
“The barbarians value strength above all!”

The red candles inside the room flickered, casting delicate golden light into Zhang Ziqian’s eyes. “If our Tang Dynasty were prosperous, we wouldn’t need to reward him in any way, yet he would still work tirelessly for us. But if chaos breaks out in the Central Plains, even if you treat him as a father figure, they’ll be the first to turn on you!”
“Enough, enough, let’s not talk about him… What about that Yang Zhao? That guy has been rising fast lately by relying on women’s connections. Is there any news about him?”
Zhang Ziqian leaned back in his chair and tapped his forehead lightly.
“He’s been appointed as the Right Prime Minister by His Majesty!”
Whenever the young man mentioned Yang Zhao, he felt uneasy. Whether the news Yang Zhao spread was true or not, he had already considered him an enemy. A former ally turning into an irreconcilable foe—it was a strange feeling. “Oh, right, His Majesty also changed his name to Guozhong.”
“Tch! Is he even worthy of that?”
Zhang Ziqian’s gaze turned cold as he shook his head. “He’s just a street thug who rose to power through women. How could he handle the role of prime minister?”
Yumen Pass was too far from the capital, so the imperial edicts hadn’t reached there yet. Naturally, Zhang Ziqian had no idea about Yang Zhao changing his name and becoming prime minister.
“It’s not that I’m jealous.”
After a pause, Zhang Ziqian sighed. “That guy does have some talent, but only enough to be a low-ranking official. If he tried to rise any higher, no matter how diligent he is, he wouldn’t be able to handle it!”
“I heard you don’t get along with him?”
For some reason, Zhang Ziqian was talking a lot today, shifting the topic from Yang Zhao to the young man.
“Ah, no… Actually…”
The young man didn’t know how to explain this to Zhang Ziqian and stopped speaking, fidgeting with his hands.
“You needn’t be afraid. If he dares to say such things, it’s only because he thinks everyone else is weak and spineless! But I’m not going to go along with his wishes!”
Zhang Ziqian stood up shakily, walked over to a dark-colored box, and took out a silk pouch and a piece of paper.
“Child, do you know what’s written on this paper?”
Looking at the handsome young man before him, Zhang Ziqian felt pity and shook his head.
“I don’t know, sir.”
At this moment, the young man already regarded Zhang Ziqian as a respected elder and could sense the care in his eyes.
“You’re stupid, utterly stupid!”
Zhang Ziqian suddenly flew into anger. Disappointed, he walked over to the red candles and set the paper on fire.
By the time the young man reacted and tried to stop him, the paper had already turned into ashes.
“Uncle, why did you do this…”
“You came to my residence without even bringing your personal guards.”

Sighing, Zhang Ziqian said, “Do you know what was written in that letter? It was the marshal’s own order for me to execute you. If I had been ruthless, you would already be dead!”
“Ah!”
Li Kuo was shocked. Why did Ge Shu Han want to kill him? Although he wasn’t one of Ge Shu Han’s direct subordinates, he had grown up under him. Why would Ge Shu Han want to kill him? Could it be because of Yang Zhao? No, that couldn’t be! Wasn’t Ge Shu Han part of Li Linfu’s faction? Now that Yang Zhao held power, they should be enemies, right?
Seeming to notice the boy’s confusion, Zhang Ziqian sneered, “Do you think Ge Shu Han, as a follower of Li Linfu, should be at odds with Yang Zhao, or at the very least not work for him? Let me ask you—why did Ge Shu Han initially side with Li Linfu?”
“Ah!”
Indeed, hadn’t Ge Shu Han sided with Li Linfu to find a patron in the court? If Li Linfu could do it, then Yang Zhao surely could too. After all, no matter who held the position of prime minister, it had little impact on them, the military governors guarding the borders.
“So…”
“So, your head became Ge Shu Han’s gift to Yang Zhao!”
Zhang Ziqian sighed lightly.
“But uncle, you clearly…”
“My bones aren’t that cheap!”
Zhang Ziqian’s beard trembled, and his hunched back straightened.
Yes, his troops were all in South City now. If Zhang Ziqian really wanted to kill him, he would only need to station a hundred assassins outside this room, and he would already be chopped to pieces.
A cold sweat broke out on Li Kuo’s back. Ge Shu Han was so vicious, yet he hadn’t taken any precautions. If Zhang Ziqian had truly intended to kill him earlier, he would have had no chance of survival.
“You’re Da Fu’s nephew!”
Zhang Ziqian emphasized again, a glint in his eyes: “Don’t trust others so easily from now on. Remember, the only one you can trust in life is yourself… This is something he asked me to give you. Open it when you arrive in Shule!”
Zhang Ziqian handed the silk pouch to the boy as if instructing his own child, his lips twitching slightly.
“It’s just an official robe of the fourth rank. What is there to desire in this world? Ah, just an official robe of the fourth rank. I don’t care. I really don’t care…”
The flickering red candle cast light on Zhang Ziqian’s sword, making its silver-white scabbard appear covered in a layer of fine gold.