novelAbuy Chapter 49 The Visitors Are Not So Friendly
Chapter 49 The Visitors Are Not So Friendly
Inside the Tongfu Inn, Zhang Mei arrived with only two lightly armored attendants, each carrying a sword, and no other guards. She was dressed in plain clothes and came to keep the appointment.
Once upstairs, in a private room converted from a guest room, he took out some money from his cloth bag and gave it to his attendants, telling them to go outside the inn to buy some food and wait for him at the door.
Upstairs, Wang Jun and Wang Lu stood at the top of the third floor, watching Zhang Mei go inside first. Wang Jun wasn't in a hurry to keep his appointment, but instead asked Wang Lu, "So this is Zhang Mei? She doesn't seem pretentious at all. What's her reputation like in history?"
"Well, it's a complicated story. He was Chai Rong's trusted confidant and very capable. His most brilliant strategy since the founding of the Song Dynasty was the campaign against Li Jun. I've told you about Li Jun's uprising before."
"Um."
"Li Jun's own military strength is not very strong, but the location of Luzhou is quite important. It can block the grain transport and also allow him to collude with the Northern Han and make contact with the Khitan."
If the situation cannot be quelled quickly, Li Chongjin of Yangzhou, Guo Chong of Hebei, and even other ambitious warlords might take action. Later Shu and Southern Tang would certainly not let this opportunity pass.
"Therefore, the most important thing for Zhao Kuangyin in his campaign against Li Jun was speed. If he could quell the rebellion with lightning speed, the Song Dynasty would be safe. If the war dragged on, the Song Dynasty might be in danger of perishing."
"At this moment, Zhang Mei stepped forward and said that he had long anticipated Li Jun's rebellion and had stockpiled grain in Huaizhou and Mengzhou in advance. The Song army was not burdened by the transportation of grain and could travel light and quickly, eating the grain from Huaizhou and Mengzhou."
Zhao Kuangyin was overjoyed and immediately dispatched troops. In just seven or eight days, the vanguard Shi Shouxin had already successfully engaged Li Jun. The speed was so fast that Li Jun was completely unable to react. Then Zhao Kuangyin arrived in person and caught Li Jun off guard.
In less than half a month, Li Jun was pacified. The Later Shu and Li Chongjin, who had secretly allied with him, had no time to react. Before they could even mobilize their troops, Zhao Kuangyin had already finished pacifying Li Jun and was heading south to attack them.
This is Zhang Mei's most famous work, the one that brought him fame. Objectively speaking, he was the one who made the greatest contribution to the suppression of Li Jun. As a core confidant of Chai Rong, he wouldn't have been able to occupy any important position in the early Song Dynasty, but Zhao Kuangyin still made him a military governor, the military governor of Cangzhou.
After thinking for a moment, he added, "In the early Song Dynasty, the military governors still had real power, especially the military governors of border towns like Cangzhou. In fact, there was not much difference between them and those in the Five Dynasties period."
Zhao Kuangyin's policy of strengthening the central government and weakening local power resulted in the military governors in the interior and border regions, especially those in Hebei, being given even more power than during the Later Zhou dynasty.
"So he was a civil official who later became a powerful warlord on the Hebei border? Ah, that's what a real man should be like. Son, you see, in the early Song Dynasty, it was quite easy for a civil official to become a military general, wasn't it? He's a first-rank official now, isn't he? He's a first-rank Grand Commandant now."
"He is one of Chai Rong's men. Zhao Kuangyin has always been generous to Chai Rong's people. You are not one of them. Do you even know Chai Rong? Stop thinking about these useless things. I've told you so many times, if we want to become a first-rank official, we can only hope that you will take the path of a military general."
"Hmph, there was still room for maneuver. Given my relationship with Zhao Guangyi, there might have been an opportunity during the reign of Emperor Taizong. It's all your fault. Why did you have to become sworn brothers with Zhao Guangmei? You really ruined me."
"Why are you here again? Whether I become sworn brothers with Zhao Guangmei or not, you still have to be a military general in the Taizu Dynasty. That's the easiest way to get a first-rank official position. We've talked about this dozens of times already, haven't we? Go eat your food."
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about Zhao Guangmei for now. Let me ask you, what do you think of Zhang Meiren's character? Is she a good official or a bad official?"
"It's hard to say."
"How can it be hard to say?"
"This person was an honest official; there are records of his integrity in historical books."
"A civil official who isn't greedy for money? Then he can't be a bad person."
"But when he was a military governor, he forcibly abducted women. The victims beat the drum to appeal and complained to Zhao Kuangyin. Zhao Kuangyin had to swallow his pride and pay out of his own pocket to compensate the victims as dowry to settle the matter."
Wang Jun's expression was strange: "An honest official who forcibly abducted a woman?"
"Um."
People from the Five Dynasties period may have different values and perspectives from modern people.
"This person is truly extraordinary." As he spoke, Wang Jun's expression turned serious.
"I heard that he arrested all the merchants and even their families in Kaifeng who were hoarding goods for profit. Some of them had powerful officials behind them, but he didn't give them any face."
Moreover, after being arrested, he was severely tortured and extorted for money using extremely cruel methods, aiming to ruin his family. You tell me, he…”
"Afraid he'll target you? You have Zhao Guangyi behind you. Besides, Han Tong has only retired, he's not dead. He shouldn't have the guts."
Besides, where would we two get any money right now? Other people who hoard goods and speculate make a fortune. If you go and hoard goods, ha, we might lose everything, even our own treasury! What are you so guilty about?"
"What do you mean by having a guilty conscience? I've just heard about the arrogance of military generals during the Five Dynasties period, but I never imagined that even civil officials would act in such a way... such a way... sigh~, I was indeed a little frightened. Oh well, what's meant to be will be. I'll go and meet him."
"Go ahead, I'll have Manager Tong arrange for some dishes to be delivered to you. Would you like some hostesses?"
"At such a young age, how come you're getting involved in lewd things?"
"This was legal in the early Song Dynasty; we have a cooperative relationship."
Wang Jun flicked Wang Lu on the forehead: "You're not learning good things, and you're leading Zhao Guangmei and Li Jilong astray too."
After saying that, Wang Jun straightened his clothes, held his head high, and entered the private room that Zhang Mei had booked.
"I am Wang Jun, and I greet the Grand Commandant."
"You're here! Have a seat. Perfect timing. The food has just arrived. Come, come, have a taste. I've heard that this restaurant makes particularly innovative and delicious dishes, especially the big white steamed buns, which are so white and soft."
"Hey, look at my brain! This inn is a joint venture between your son and the Third King, isn't it? You're the host, and I'm even introducing you to everyone, hahaha, don't mind me."
"How dare I? How dare I?"
Zhang Mei continued chatting and laughing, appearing very amiable, and said, "You and your son are both so capable, and you both have influential people supporting you. Your father-in-law is Grand Commandant Han, and your son is sworn brothers with the Third King. What can't you do to make money? Why did you end up hoarding and speculating?"
"The Emperor has issued an edict that anyone who hoards grain will be executed without mercy. Today, the Kaifeng Prefecture arrested over fifty grain merchants, and forty-eight of them implicated you, saying they had no money and that you'd made all the profits. You're putting me in a difficult position."
Wang Jun was startled: "Grand Commandant, I did hoard grain, but I also distributed it as relief."
"Wasn't the grain replaced with mud?"
"That mud is completely unusable! The mud that can be used to fire bricks must be the top layer mud. The top layer mud near Tongjifang has long been dug up. What we've collected since then is all rotten mud and rammed earth. I'd waste coal just using this kind of mud to start the furnace."
"Really? But I don't know anything about brick-making."
Zhang Mei took out a stack of bloodstained papers from her bosom and said, "These are the confessions of those grain merchants. Look, they've all signed them. I've also copied all the account books of those grain shops. We have both witnesses and physical evidence."
I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, Brother Zhaoyuan. You're telling me, a dignified Grand Commandant and Commissioner of the Three Departments, resorting to bandit tactics to raise some money? If I still can't get the money, isn't that inappropriate?
As she spoke, Zhang Mei pushed the stack of blood-stained memorial papers in front of Wang Jun: "Brother Zhaoyuan, what can you teach me?"