Great Tang Idyll - Volume 4 Chapter 218

The collected fruit was plentiful. Batch after batch was shipped out during fermentation, sent to outside locations, then shipped by boat toward the capital, where it would continue fermenting.

Seeing that the fruit harvesting was nearly finished, and that the local people had exchanged for the daily necessities they needed, Zhang Zhong gathered the chiefs of all the villages and drank and made merry with them.

The village chiefs were quite satisfied with this new official. He did not use his official status to pressure them like other officials had, though they themselves were not afraid anyway.

Since his arrival, Zhang Zhong behaved like a true brother to the locals. He approached everything from the perspective of a brother first, something that made every village chief feel at ease.

Because some villages were close and some far, Zhang Zhong had no choice but to prepare everything and first settle those who arrived early. The matters to be discussed required every chief to be present. If he spoke to some beforehand, the later ones might refuse.

“Assistant Magistrate Fang, how many people are still missing?” Zhang Zhong asked that day as he sat in the yamen, looking at Fang Sima, who came holding the register.

“My lord, two are still missing. In another day and a half—two days at most—they should arrive. Does my lord wish to gather everyone now and proceed?” Fang Sima answered respectfully. 

His attitude toward Zhang Zhong was no longer only admiration—he now felt a hint of fear. He had served six years as Assistant Magistrate in Yizhou. Every year things were troublesome. The locals would not cooperate, and he dared not intimidate them, for intimidation done poorly could spark rebellion.

When Zhang Zhong first arrived, he thought Zhang Zhong would follow the same methods—visiting each village to negotiate over native tribute.

But it turned out completely different. Zhang Zhong arrived and simply played. While playing, he somehow secured friendship with the locals. Now all the villages acknowledged him.

From this alone one could see: the Zhang family not only handled business well; they also governed well. His son truly had entered the right academy.

He must not offend the Zhang family. Even though Zhang Zhong was younger than him, he had to view him with respect; otherwise he would lose opportunities.

For days Fang Sima reminded himself of this repeatedly, afraid of committing errors and provoking Zhang Zhong’s displeasure.

Because of him, Zhang Zhong even wrote home instructing the household to look after Fang Sima’s son—to help him pass the jinshi examination, with a high ranking if possible.

Hearing Fang Sima now, Zhang Zhong shook his head. “No. Even if the last one is missing, we must wait. If something happened to him on the road, I must personally investigate and have the village elect another in his place. We wait. How goes the limestone procurement ordered under the government’s name? That is the key to success; we cannot afford carelessness.”

“My lord, everything is ready. Those hired elsewhere are firing the lime, but now that they are unpaid, they are uneasy. They have sent people several times to ask whether they will receive some advance payment.”

Fang Sima could not understand why Zhang Zhong wanted so much limestone—burned, mined, purchased under the government’s name—and why he still owed money. In normal private trade, the workers would have stopped long ago.

But Zhang Zhong was not anxious. He said, “If anyone wants to withdraw, tell them to deliver what they have completed, and I will pay immediately. But afterward, we will never buy from them again. We will see who remains.”

“My lord, where will the money come from?” Fang Sima asked. He believed the prefecture could not pay.

“It will come from my household. Only the first batch. After that, we must handle government matters with government mechanisms. I now understand—unless there is absolutely no alternative, we shall not use private funds.”

Zhang Zhong intended to test his theory in Yizhou: his family should no longer casually inject money unless forced.

When preparation was complete, the last two late-arriving chiefs arrived. The assembly could begin.

Old Man Bi, Old Man Yao, and Old Man Zhang also came out of curiosity, wanting to see what tricks the Zhang family had and to test their own guesses. Such games were enjoyable, even if they always guessed wrong.

The village chiefs sat in the hall waiting. At this moment, they no longer acted like brotherly equals, because Zhang Zhong had summoned them in the name of the government. That was different.

In the past, if an official summoned them, they would not go. Not flipping the table was already kindness. 

Now, however, Zhang Zhong’s summons did not displease them at all. He had brought real benefits—especially the city’s hospital, which had cured many.

With the fruit-exchange system and stores trading goods, the lives of Yizhou’s four thousand people had improved. Salt alone—they could eat it every day. Compared to before, the past was unbearable to recall.

Zhang Zhong did not deliver any long speech. He directly explained his plan—part of the plan his son left him. Yes, part. After this step, more would follow, each linked to the next. He had not seen such a sequence in a long time.

Old Man Bi, Old Man Yao, and Old Man Zhang listened intently. 

The content was simple: build small dams in suitable spots near each village to store snowmelt water. Materials were ready. If the chiefs agreed, construction could begin within days.

“That must mean they intend to produce cement locally. Once burned, the site will be cleared. This secret cannot leak,” Old Zhang murmured as he sipped the medicinal wine prepared for him. It was not ordinary wine—doctors crafted it for his joints, which hurt badly from martial arts and age. The alcohol combined with hot compresses had helped greatly.

Old Man Bi wanted to drink as well but had been forbidden. 

Hearing Old Man Zhang, he added, “Everyone knows cement is involved. But what comes next? What can dams do? Store water, irrigate—everyone understands that. This cannot be the Zhang family’s true aim. I have learned: to guess the Zhang family’s intentions, think in unusual directions. The more unconventional the guess, the more likely it is right. In my opinion, building dams is not mainly for irrigation, nor for raising fish. These common answers do not fit the Zhang family. Think—besides these, what else can dams do?”

“What else? Make laundry easier? No need to fetch river water or dig wells. Does that count?” Old Man Yao offered.

“That counts, but it won’t be that. The Zhang family would not spend so much money just for laundry convenience. My guess is they will put pleasure boats on top—waiting for tourists.” Old Man Zhang said.

Old Man Bi now felt confident. “Hearing you two, I know—the Zhang family is definitely not building dams for irrigation, fish, laundry, or boats. I summarized a pattern: anything others can guess is not the Zhang family’s main objective.”

“For example…?” Old Old Man prompted.

“For example—the charcoal used to filter sugar. That is definitely not the main step. Otherwise, why did the Zhang family use only part of their collected charcoal? And it was purchased early. Would they forget that local wood can also be burned into charcoal? It certainly is not for the sake of skiers.”Old Man Bi spoke with certainty.

While the three old men guessed and eliminated possibilities, Zhang Zhong finished arrangements. 

All village chiefs agreed—not because the plan was good, nor because of Zhang Zhong’s official rank, but because a brother had proposed it. They must respect his face.

They did not need to pay—only labor. If it succeeded, they benefited; if not, they still helped a brother. They could not let outsiders laugh at him. Their brother had come to serve as an official—they must support him. Let anyone watching know: their brother’s opinion was the will of Yizhou’s people.

Such were their simple thoughts. If Zhang Zhong proposed something, right or wrong, they would do it—because they treated him as one of their own.

Zhang Zhong understood. His son’s plan was built entirely around this—the locals were actually the best people. If governance failed, it was the officials’ fault. To summarize their nature: “If you treat me as a valued man of the state, I will repay you as a valued man of the state.”

Treat them sincerely as family, and they treat you the same. Pressure them with authority and you would suffer. If you even thought of suppressing them with troops, you would learn the truth of the saying: “If the people do not fear death, how can death be used to intimidate them?”

Zhang Zhong succeeded. He became the first since Zhuge Liang—despite not being of their ethnicity—to be fully accepted, simply because his heart held the people.

(Translator’s Note: Zhuge Liang (諸葛亮) —The famed strategist, statesman, and inventor of the Three Kingdoms era (181–234 CE). Also known by his courtesy name Kongming (孔明), he served the state of Shu Han as Chancellor and chief adviser to Liu Bei.)

Arrangements settled, details and later steps would be explained gradually. 

Zhang Zhong used the occasion to celebrate with all. Wine and meat were served. The Zhang family’s inner-court musicians sang and danced. Amid the laughter and songs of “Long nights that do not feel like dawn,” everyone enjoyed a night unlike any before. With all village chiefs present, it was worth commemorating.

While Yizhou’s people rushed to build dams before autumn harvest, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan finished their tenth day of instruction.

As they prepared to continue training, Pengzhou suddenly sent a message.

The moment they read it, they were stunned. Guo Tu had actually been foolish enough to concentrate his entire army in one place, without even feints or diversions.

“Does he think he commands one hundred fifty thousand? He has only fifteen thousand. Worst of all, he did not arrest or kill people along the way. Isn’t that brainless? Soft-hearted! It’s war—either you die or I die. And now look—they discovered him early and burned the logistics grain.” Wang Juan complained with a dark expression. 

She could not understand Guo Tu’s thinking. Leading only fifteen thousand men and still letting the locals live as usual?

At this point, hesitation meant waiting for the enemy to strike first. How could a general be afraid of collecting more vengeful spirits? Better to go home and farm.

Zhang Xiaobao also had not expected Guo Tu to act like this. Did he think he was from the International Peace Organization, or a peacekeeping force?

This was an invasion. What was there to hesitate about? Kill what needed killing, burn what needed burning, and afterward one person carried all the blame. Even if he killed many civilians, so what? His own people would remember him as a hero. Even *** had a shrine, did it not?

The more he thought, the angrier he became. Reading the message again twice, Zhang Xiaobao muttered gloomily, “Which idiot in the court issued this order? It arrived neither early nor late, but exactly now—saying we should follow the front army to ‘share in the victory.’ Damn it, the message from the court takes forever to reach here. They really believed in Guo Tu that blindly? And even wanted us to follow behind? I’m furious. Now the Pengzhou officials no longer have to fear being blamed for dereliction.”

Wang Juan was also helpless. She understood that this was the court’s “compensation” to the Zhang and Wang families. They believed Guo Tu would charge all the way to victory. Letting the two youths go along would allow them to share in the credit—and then the court could continue giving them benefits.

“It must have been Li Longji. He probably felt that transferring my father straight from Shuzhou to Yizhou, while hiding the real situation, was somewhat improper. So he used this war as a way to compensate my family. But how did he not think—Guo Tu is not some other general. The moment he charged in, he froze. I’m convinced. Could Li Longji’s luck really be that good? Did he somehow know I had already made preparations? Fine. Let’s go back. Return to Pengzhou and continue supporting General Guo Tu. Damn it, what do I owe him? If I don’t spend resources on him, I can still do other things. And now—great—I didn’t even earn what I should have earned.”

At this moment, Zhang Xiaobao was truly helpless. He could not blame Li Longji—the emperor’s intentions were good. If possible, he really wanted to strangle Guo Tu and put Wang Juan in command. At least she would not make such foolish mistakes. She was a top-tier talent. If she could not attack, did she not at least know how to defend?

Wang Juan was equally dejected. She called out to the people still training, then led the group back. Since Li Longji’s decree had arrived, they could not simply watch the army die. This was where logistics would truly be tested.

“Xiaobao, don’t be afraid. During the War to Resist America and Aid Korea, we even endured the Americans’ most classic air-interdiction tactics. Would we still fear the Tibetans now?” Wang Juan comforted him.

(Translator’s Note: During the War to Resist America and Aid Korea (1950–1953), U.S. forces relied on air interdiction, a doctrine developed in World War II that focused on bombing supply routes, railways, bridges, convoys, and logistics hubs behind enemy lines to prevent Chinese and North Korean troops from receiving reinforcements, food, and ammunition. Lacking air superiority, Chinese forces endured continuous aerial attacks by moving at night, hiding in terrain cover, and manually transporting supplies. The line emphasizes that they survived and continued fighting despite facing the United States’ most advanced and effective air-power strategy of the era.)

Zhang Xiaobao was not ignorant. He immediately retorted, “What does that have to do with us? Back then their planes flew everywhere. If the Soviet Union hadn’t entered the war, sending so many elite pilots and providing aircraft, do you really think those anti-air batteries hidden in the mountains and that detached-train offloading method were enough?”

“Then what do we do? Tell them we have no way out, and let them wait to die?” she countered.

Zhang Xiaobao took two deep breaths. “Juanjuan, honestly… I have always expected, or even hoped, that Guo Tu would lose. That would give you a chance. That is why I borrowed Li Xun’s two hundred men. The rest of the preparations are complete. I want you to use this moment to show your worth. In my heart, you were never a mere follower. Come. Let me show you how international fraud operations work.” As he spoke, Zhang Xiaobao pulled Wang Juan onto the horse. The two rode as one, leading more than three hundred people at full speed toward Pengzhou Prefecture.

In a little more than one hour, they arrived. The inner-court members had already prepared everything exactly as Zhang Xiaobao instructed.

Seeing the equipment and arrangements Zhang Xiaobao had secretly prepared for her, Wang Juan was speechless. Everything before her existed solely for one purpose: to showcase her value. If she did not need them, everything would have been diverted into the shadows. But now that they were needed, she did not have to worry about equipment at all—she only needed to execute tactics well.

“Xiaobao… these things…”

“These are for the female general in my heart. Right now, you are not an operative of Department Two, nor China’s Iron Flower. You are a general who commands thousands. Use everything you have learned before, and everything you have figured out here. Show me a war crafted from generations of accumulated wisdom.”

At that moment, Zhang Xiaobao felt he had succeeded. He had prepared everything for Wang Juan, allowing her to realize her own ideals—not to stand quietly behind him like an obedient woman, but to shine on her own.

Wang Juan planted a hard kiss on his cheek, put on the armor he had prepared for her, raised her spear, and shouted to the three hundred astonished people: “Move out! Reinforce the front-line forces! Logistics Camp—follow me!”

Those three hundred people now fully understood their mission. 

They mounted their prepared horses, took up their weapons, and—together with the supply and medical teams behind them—charged out of Pengzhou’s gates under the stunned gaze of the officials, rushing toward the mountains where Guo Tu’s army was trapped.