Taiheiki

Chapter 292 The Three Dukes
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Luoyang, the Grand Commandant's residence.

"Have the stables trim this horse's hooves. Something felt off when we were outside the city today!" Zhang Huan dismounted, patted his mount, and instructed the steward who was there to greet him.

"Yes, sir!" The steward's face was flushed, and he looked somewhat anxious. He took the reins from Zhang Huan and said in a low voice, "An envoy from Liangzhou has arrived. He's in the study in the backyard. He was sent by Commandant Duan!"

“Duan Jiming?” Zhang Huan’s expression immediately tensed up. Although he and Duan Jiong were both from Liangzhou, and according to the political conventions of the Eastern Han Dynasty, they could be considered fellow townsmen, they had significant differences in their strategies for the war against the Qiang. Unlike Duan Jiong, who advocated for the hardline approach of using force to exterminate all the rebellious Qiang, the other two famous Liangzhou generals, Huangfu Gui and Zhang Huan, believed that a major reason for the Qiang rebellion was the corruption and cruel exploitation by Han officials. Therefore, they strongly advocated that after defeating the rebellious Qiang militarily, the surrendered Qiang should be settled in various places in Longyou and even Guanzhong to appease them.

Because of this disagreement, the two sides had often attacked each other's strategies in court. Furthermore, since they were both military commanders, a close relationship between them could arouse suspicion from the court and the emperor. Therefore, although Zhang Huan and Duan Jiong were from the same hometown, they did not have close private relations, and this was the first time he had received an envoy from the other side.

"I'm leaving the horse to you. Don't let any outsiders bother me!" Zhang Huan said in a low voice, then strode towards the backyard.

Something important, something very bad, must have happened, otherwise he wouldn't have sent an envoy to Luoyang to find me!
Zhang Huan placed his study in a secluded western-facing room in the backyard. The room was cold and isolated, with a large mulberry tree in the yard whose canopy shaded most of the area, making it cool even in summer. The sole reason he chose this place as his study was to avoid attracting attention. Zhang Huan walked into the yard with a worried expression, climbed the steps, and the servant by the door quickly stood up and opened the door for him.

"Go and wait at the gate. Don't let anyone disturb me!" Zhang Huan said.

"This humble servant greets Minister Zhang!"

Hearing Zhang Huan enter, the messenger stood up and knelt before him. Zhang Huan sized the messenger up; he was of medium height, with a square face common in Longyou, a broad forehead, full cheeks, and a thick chin. His purplish-red face was covered with small scars, and his dark brown eyes were full of fortitude. It was easy to see that this was a tough man from Longyou, forged in countless battles.

"This is a letter from my lord!" The messenger took the letter from his robes and presented it with both hands. Zhang Huan took the letter but didn't read it. He sat down behind the desk and asked, "What is your name, and what is your official position under Commandant Duan?"

"Reporting to the Minister of Works, my humble name is Zhang Ji, and I serve as a military officer under the command of the Colonel!"

"Who is that person?"

"A native of Zuli County, Wuwei."

"Oh, so you're from the same prefecture as Commandant Duan?"

“Not bad!” Zhang Ji said in a deep voice.

What was the situation like in Liangzhou before you came?

Zhang Ji, of course, knew exactly what Zhang Huan meant by asking about his hometown: "Very good. Since Commander Duan led his troops out this summer, he has fought across thousands of miles, engaging in dozens of battles, large and small, with the Qiang bandits. Finally, he surrounded the Eastern Qiang bandits in Shehu Valley and wiped them out in one battle. A total of over 38,000 heads were taken, and hundreds of thousands of livestock were captured. With this battle, the Eastern Qiang rebels have been completely pacified, and Liangzhou is now at peace!"

"More than 38,000 heads were cut off?"

"This number of beheadings has already been reported to the imperial court!"

Zhang Huan nodded without speaking. Zhang Ji's meaning was clear: the number of heads taken was definitely accurate; otherwise, it wouldn't have passed the scrutiny of the military officers counting the heads. Based on his understanding of Duan Jiong, this man might kill innocent people and claim credit for them, but he certainly wouldn't kill Han people and claim credit for them. Even if many of the 38,000 heads belonged to the Gongshun Qiang tribe, the simultaneous slaughter of so many able-bodied men had already weakened the various Dongqiang tribes. For at least twenty years, the local Qiang tribes would certainly not cause any trouble. As for what happened afterward, that was beyond his control. From this perspective, Duan Jiong had truly carved out a generation's worth of peace.

"It is truly commendable that Commandant Duan has achieved such a great feat!" Zhang Huan smiled, opened the letter, and began to read. As he read, his brows furrowed, and after a few minutes, he sighed deeply, "I never imagined that Duan Jiming would also want to wade into the muddy waters of the capital. What a pity!" Zhang Huan then realized his mistake. He glanced at Zhang Ji and called out loudly, "Men, prepare food, drink, and lodging for this brave man, and prepare a carriage and horses for me. I am going to pay my respects to the General!"

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The General's Mansion, the inner hall.

"Look!" Zhang Huan poured himself a glass of wine. "Look, Duan Jiming is also thinking of leading troops to Luoyang. He says he has 10,000 Qiang slaves and Ferghana horses to offer as captives to the emperor in Luoyang. When we led our troops into the capital, we set a bad precedent!"

Wei Cong put the letter he had just finished reading into his sleeve and took a sip of wine: "Sikong, do you think Duan Jiong is trying to use this letter to intimidate you?"

“Obviously!” Zhang Huan said, “Back then, the three of us joined forces to enter the capital, and after entering the capital, I was granted the title of one of the Three Dukes. In the eyes of outsiders, the three of us were a faction. He must have expected that you would also see this letter to me!”

Wei Cong laughed, "He's a bit hesitant to actually lead troops to Luoyang. He's using the fact that you're from the same prefecture as him to write you a letter, hoping to gauge our reaction before deciding what to do. That guy's really clever!" "He's not just clever, he's also incredibly bold!" Zhang Huan sneered. "Back when he was the Commandant of the Dependent State in Liaodong, the Xianbei invaded the border, and he led his troops to the frontier. To prevent the Xianbei from fleeing upon learning of the impending reinforcements, he actually sent a courier with a fake imperial edict ordering him to retreat. The Xianbei fell for the trap, believing he was genuinely retreating, and pursued him, only to fall into Duan Jiong's ambush and suffer a crushing defeat. Afterwards, he was punished for forging the imperial edict and nearly executed. He was only pardoned for his meritorious service and was later sentenced to guard the border!"

"This guy is truly ruthless. He's ruthless not only to the enemy but even more ruthless to himself. He even dared to forge imperial edicts—that's a capital offense!" Wei Cong couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement upon hearing this. There was another Han general in the Eastern Han Dynasty who forged imperial edicts to deceive both himself and the enemy, just like Duan Jiong—Chen Tang, who left behind the powerful saying, "Those who offend the mighty Han, though far away, shall be punished." While serving as the Deputy Commandant of the Western Regions, in order to conquer Zhizhi Chanyu, who was on a distant expedition to Kangju (present-day northern Xinjiang to Central Asia), he secretly forged an imperial edict behind the ailing Commandant of the Western Regions, Gan Yanshou's back. He mobilized Han troops stationed in the area and troops from vassal states to prepare for the expedition against Zhizhi Chanyu. When Gan Yanshou learned of this, he was horrified and tried to stop Chen Tang's actions. Chen Tang, however, drew his sword and threatened Gan Yanshou, ultimately facilitating the successful expedition.

Although Chen Tang escaped the serious crime of forging an imperial edict thanks to his great achievements, his reputation was ruined due to his greed and bribery, leading to a tragic end. This isn't surprising given his character; someone like Chen Tang, who didn't care about his own life, wouldn't care about his reputation. Furthermore, he was capable of leading armies of various ethnic groups on a long march of thousands of miles to defeat the Xiongnu, indicating he wasn't stingy with his soldiers. Such a person wouldn't have accumulated much wealth, making it unreasonable to expect him to be an upright official. If Duan Jiong had been similar, his fate likely wouldn't have been much better.

“Zhang Sikong, you and this man are from the same hometown, so you should know him better than I do. What do you think he wants from writing this letter?” Wei Cong asked.

"What else could it be?" Zhang Huan sneered. "Besides fame and fortune, what else is there? His appetite is enormous! General, you must not underestimate him!"

"I see!" Wei Cong breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "I see, that makes things easier!"

"Easy to say?" Zhang Huan frowned. "You already have a plan?"

"That's right. I'm just afraid he won't want anything. I'll give him whatever he wants. What's so difficult about that!"

"You agree to whatever he wants?"

"Of course that's impossible!" Wei Cong laughed. "The throne is definitely out of the question, and as for the position of Grand General, the Empress Dowager probably wouldn't agree! The others are negotiable! Isn't there still one vacant position among the Three Dukes? If he wants it, we'll just give it to him!"

"General!" Zhang Huan exclaimed anxiously, "What are the Three Dukes of the Son of Heaven? They are the prime ministers of the Son of Heaven. Why are there three prime ministers of the Son of Heaven? The one east of Shan is the Duke of Zhou; the one west of Shan is the Duke of Shao; and one minister resides within the palace, hence the Three Dukes! The Duke of Zhou was the younger brother of King Wu. After King Wu's death, he quelled the rebellion in one year, conquered Yin in two years, subdued Yan in three years, established the Marquisate of Wei in four years, built Chengzhou in five years, established rites and music in six years, and returned power to King Cheng in seven years. The Duke of Shao was a son of King Wen, and he had the great merit of assisting two monarchs, King Cheng and King Kang, for more than forty years. Therefore, the Three Dukes are not essential positions; only those of high virtue and prestige can be appointed. How can they be used as positions to reward merit?"

“Minister Zhang, you’ve gone a bit too far!” Wei Cong laughed. “If we follow your logic, then only people with the virtue and talent of the Duke of Zhou and the Duke of Shao can be the Three Dukes? If there aren’t any, it’s better to leave them vacant than to let unqualified people hold those positions?”

"Not bad!"

"So, do you think you can be compared to the Duke of Zhou or the Duke of Shao?"

Zhang Huan's face flushed red, then turned deathly pale. He took off his official hat and sword, placed them aside, and kowtowed to Wei Cong, saying, "I am of meager virtue and unworthy of the position of one of the Three Dukes. I beg the General to accept them on behalf of the Emperor for now, and I will present my resignation tomorrow!"

"Lord Zhang, Lord Zhang, why are you doing this to yourself!" Wei Cong hurriedly helped Zhang Huan up: "I was just joking, I didn't mean to say you're unworthy to be one of the Three Dukes!"

“I resigned not because of the General’s words, but because I know I am unworthy to be one of the Three Dukes!” Zhang Huan insisted.

"Why bother?" Wei Cong said with a wry smile, "You can't take everything written in books as gospel! In the Han Dynasty, is there anyone among the Three Dukes who can compare to the Duke of Zhou and the Duke of Shao? They were ancient sages, how can you compare them? Are you just going to leave the Three Dukes vacant forever and not let anyone hold the position? Isn't that a joke? You say it's wrong of me to use the Three Dukes as a reward for merit, but the problem is, I don't know about the Han Dynasty, but in this dynasty, the Three Dukes have lost their positions, and the power has been transferred to the central government. The Three Dukes have become an honorary empty position to accommodate meritorious officials! This is what Emperor Guangwu did, does that mean Emperor Guangwu was wrong?"

Hearing Wei Cong's words, Zhang Huan gradually calmed down. He knew in his heart that Wei Cong was speaking the truth. Indeed, since the Eastern Han Dynasty, to prevent Wang Mang from usurping the throne in the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Guangwu of Han weakened the excessive power of the Three Dukes, concentrating their power in the Imperial Secretariat within the inner court. The Three Dukes thus became positions of high rank but without real power, specifically reserved for the most prestigious and meritorious officials. Furthermore, the prevalence of Confucianism in the Eastern Han Dynasty linked the Three Dukes with ancient political legends, thus sanctifying them. Therefore, Zhang Huan was so agitated when he heard Wei Cong bestowing such high-ranking positions like pork so casually, even expressing his intention to resign on the spot.

"Alright, Lord Zhang, put it on quickly!" Seeing that Zhang Huan's attitude was no longer so resolute, Wei Cong handed him the official hat and his sword. "What you said earlier, I also think makes some sense. It's a bit much to make someone as radical as Duan Jiong one of the Three Dukes; it would be beneath the dignity of the court. How about this, we can increase his stipend to 12,000 households, and also reward him with 5 million coins and 1,000 taels of gold, and grant his two sons the position of Gentleman of the Palace. Would that be about right?"

"Isn't this a bit too thick?" Zhang Huan was also startled and asked.

"You know how much money the imperial court spends on the Western Qiang every year—it's an astronomical figure. If he can put an end to the war in the Western Qiang for twenty years, this reward is nothing. Of course, I also have a condition, or rather, an idea!"

"Conditions? Ideas?"

"Hmm!" Wei Cong nodded. "As you know, Minister Zhang, before I left Jiaozhou, I quelled the Lin-yi rebellion and expanded our territory by over a thousand li. That's why I had enough manpower and resources to go north and quell the rebellion. The war elephants in my army were originally intended by the King of Lin-yi to attack Jiaozhi. I originally planned to return to Jiaozhou after quelling the E-ze rebellion and continue as the Governor of Jiaozhou. But you know what happened later. I had to marry the daughter of the Dou family and stay in Luoyang as the Grand General! Isn't this Duan Jiong good at fighting and loves fighting? Very well, he can't just take the reward for nothing. Go to Jiaozhou. I'll give him two years. He should be able to expand Jiaozhou's borders southward by another thousand li. By then, it should be about time for him to return as one of the Three Dukes!"

"Go to Jiaozhou and expand the border by a thousand miles?" Zhang Huan was stunned: "General, you're not joking, are you?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Wei Cong asked. "I'm discussing this with you very seriously!"

(End of this chapter)