activa-t Chapter 43 Zhang Ling
Chapter 43 Zhang Ling
As autumn arrives, the weather gradually turns cooler.
Qin implemented a conscription system, with five men forming a squad, two squads forming a shi (a unit of measurement), five shi forming a tun (another unit of measurement), two tuns headed by a bai jiang (a military officer), five hundred men headed by a wu bai zhu (a military officer who was in charge of 500 men), and one thousand men headed by a er wu bai zhu (another military officer who was in charge of 2500 men).
In fact, the Qin state's system of military merit rewards was not a panacea for ordinary soldiers.
"Those who are beheaded by doctors shall be exiled."
The word "迁" means exile and demotion.
A "doctor" at the fifth level would not only receive no military merit for personally carrying out a beheading, but would also be breaking the law.
In other words, the upper limit for beheading and granting titles could not exceed "Daifu". That is to say, in the military merit system of Qin, a head was not entirely equivalent to military merit. Lower-ranking soldiers could indeed be promoted by beheading enemy heads. However, once they were promoted to Daifu by beheading enemy heads, their status was equivalent to that of a junior officer, and the assessment standards for them changed and were no longer the same as those for ordinary soldiers.
As a military officer, the title of Daifu (大夫) was in charge of a chariot and 36 attendants. He was entitled to wear a long, single-plank crown, received an annual salary of 250 shi (石), and was granted 5 qing (顷) of farmland and residential land.
From Gongshi to Gongcheng, all were commoner titles. Above Guandaifu was Gongdaifu, who had a fief and received treatment equivalent to a county magistrate. Gongcheng was the highest commoner title. Above Gongcheng were Wudaifu and Guanneihou, which were high-ranking titles. Above Guanneihou was Chehou, which was also known as Liehou.
Marquises were granted fiefs of ten thousand households, with their estates being hereditary.
Although Zhang Ruotuo was granted the title of Lord Jingning by his father Zhang Jujiu, his rank was only Junior Master of Works, just one rank lower than Bai Qi's Grand Master of Works.
Zhang Ruotuo's health deteriorated, and he was confined to his bed. Just then, news came from Xianyang Palace that Ying Ji had died and Crown Prince Zhu had ascended the throne.
After Crown Prince Zhu ascended the throne, he posthumously honored his deceased mother, Tang Ba Zi, as Empress Dowager Tang, and buried her with King Zhaoxiang of Qin.
He also made his principal wife, Lady Huayang, queen, and his son, Chu, crown prince.
Just when Zhang Ruotu thought that with the new king's ascension to the throne, the Qin state would smoothly pass through the period following the death of the previous king.
Yingzhu passed away just three days after the mourning period ended and the emperor announced the change of reign title. He was 53 years old and was posthumously honored as King Xiaowen. He was buried in Shouling.
Within a year, two kings of Qin died in succession, and the political situation immediately became turbulent. However, the newly appointed Prince Zichu and Lü Buwei were very capable and directly suppressed those negative voices.
After King Xiaowen of Qin died, his son Zichu succeeded him as King Zhuangxiang of Qin.
After Zichu ascended the throne, he issued a general amnesty, rewarded the meritorious officials of the former king, treated his relatives and clansmen well, and distributed alms to the people.
He honored his birth mother, Lady Xia, as Empress Dowager Xia, and his adoptive mother, Lady Huayang, as Empress Dowager Huayang. He appointed Lü Buwei as Chancellor and granted him the title of Marquis Wenxin. At the same time, King Xiaocheng of Zhao also took the initiative to send envoys to return Lady Zhao and her son to Qin to establish good relations.
In the first year of King Zhuangxiang of Qin (249 BC), Duke Wen of Eastern Zhou conspired with other feudal lords to attack the State of Qin. King Zhuangxiang of Qin learned of this and ordered Lü Buwei to lead an army to destroy the State of Eastern Zhou. He then moved the Duke of Eastern Zhou to Yangrenju (west of present-day Linru County, Henan Province) and continued his ancestral sacrifices. He also granted the land of Yangren to the Duke of Zhou so that he could continue his sacrifices.
Thus, the last remnants of the Zhou Dynasty were wiped out. Following this, the Qin army continued its gradual encroachment on the Three Jin states, conquering vast territories.
On the fifth day of the ninth month in the second year of King Zhuangxiang of Qin (248 BC), a Qin army was marching out of Lantian and heading towards Xianyang.
Along the way, a gentle autumn breeze blew, and the sky was high and the clouds were light.
Although it is already autumn, the autumn wind is rising, and the fallen leaves along the way are withered and yellow, making people feel deeply sad and lonely.
The Qin state used the Zhuanxu calendar, with the tenth month (the month of Jianhai) as the beginning of the year and the start of the year's solar terms (Lichun) as the starting point. This calendar employed a nineteen-year, seven-leap-month system, with a tropical year of 365 and 1/4 days and a synodic month of 29 and 499/940 days. The leap month was placed after the ninth month and called the second ninth month. The tenth month was also called the tenth month, without being renamed the first month or the first month of the year.
Zhang Ling carefully observed each soldier in the ranks; the youngest was no more than 15-20 years old, while the oldest was already of marriageable age.
Although they all looked tired, you could still tell they were very excited.
It has been two years since Zhang Lingji's grandfather passed down the title of Prince Jingning from his son to Prince Jingning.
When the late king passed away, his father, Zhang Ruotuo, let out a mournful cry and then inexplicably said to him, "You cannot fulfill the will of the Zhang family," before following the late king in death.
Afterwards, the king issued a royal decree that Zhang Ruotuo should be buried with King Zhao, and Zhang Ling should inherit the title and rewards bestowed upon the emperor during the Jingning era.
When King Zhuangxiang destroyed Duke Wen of Eastern Zhou in the first year of his reign, Zhang Ling replaced his father and went on the expedition with Lü Buwei.
"What goes up must come down, and what reaches its extreme will inevitably reverse. The main branch of the Zhang family has been in decline for four generations, while the Zhang Liu branch has produced three generations of outstanding officials. Who knows what the next generation will be like?"
Inside the ancestral temple, Zhang Zhao faced the Zhang family's established rules with a sense of helplessness.
What goes up must come down, and what reaches its extreme will inevitably reverse. The main lineage has been in decline for four generations, but the Zhang Liu lineage has produced three generations of outstanding figures—Zhang Jujiu, Zhang Ruotuo, and now Zhang Ling.
This kid's stats are even better than Zhang Quzhuo's and Zhang Shen's. Four policies, four abilities, four events, his intelligence and strategy are maxed out. Such talent is rare; the Zhang family has only produced one like him in over twenty generations.
Inside the ancestral temple, Zhang Zhao stood with his hands behind his back in the void, facing the vast land of China.
His gaze pierced through the layers of clouds and landed on the long procession outside Xianyang City.
Zhang Ling rode his horse at the head of the column, with an endless line of Qin infantry behind him.
The autumn wind, carrying withered leaves, swept in from the direction of Mount Li, causing the banners behind him to flutter loudly.
"...Recently, the state of Han has been yielding to our Great Qin in everything, and I have not been able to achieve any military merits. Alas."
"If this were during the reign of the late king, I would have been either a high-ranking official or a junior officer!"
"Come on, you're nothing but a brute, and you dare to call yourself a 'left watchman'?"
"Ha ha ha ha……"
"I've heard that His Majesty's health hasn't been very good since autumn..."
"Shut up! His Majesty is of noble birth; how can you speak so recklessly? Even if the general punishes you, I will first teach you the severity of military law!"
The one who said this was Li Zuogeng, the deputy general, an old soldier who had followed his father Zhang Ruotuo for ten years and was now following him again!
Two riders came side by side, their voices coming in fits and starts.
Zhang Ling ordered his soldiers to maintain formation while listening intently.
He knew that the king's health had never been good, and the ancestor had also said in a dream that the king probably wouldn't last more than two years.
Zhang Ling remained silent, lost in thought.
If the king is truly gone, the crown prince Zheng will naturally succeed him.
How old is Crown Prince Zheng this year? He's barely a child.
If a child in his early teens ascends the throne, the government will inevitably fall into the hands of Chancellor Lü Buwei.
Who was Lü Buwei? He was a merchant from the State of Wei. When he met Zichu, who was a hostage in Handan, he dared to gamble his entire fortune and managed to turn Zichu from a hostage in the State of Zhao into the King of Qin.
Now he holds great power, has three thousand retainers, and scholars from all over the country flock to Xianyang, all depending on his influence.
How could such a shrewd and power-hungry person easily relinquish power to a young ruler? He would surely take charge of state affairs and replace all the key figures in the court with his own confidants.
Zhang Ling had met Crown Prince Zheng, the boy who grew up in a slum in Handan, the capital of Zhao, once.
That year, when Zichu had just ascended the throne, King Zhao sent Zhao Ji and her son back to Xianyang. All the civil and military officials came out of the city to welcome them, and Zhang Ling was also in the procession.
At that time, Crown Prince Zheng was only seven or eight years old. He was led by his mother down from the carriage. Facing the gaze of hundreds of eyes, he was neither timid nor arrogant. He just stood there quietly. Those eyes were not like a child's eyes. Zhang Ling could tell that the child was a born king!
How could a man like that, having reached adulthood, tolerate Lü Buwei continuing to control the government?
At that time, there will inevitably be a thunderous reshuffling of power, and for the Zhang family, a reshuffling of power has never been a bad thing.
My grandfather, Zhang Jujiu, kept a low profile during the reign of King Huiwen, managing to preserve the Zhang family's military power amidst the machinations of Empress Dowager Xuan and Wei Ran. My father, Zhang Ruotuo, survived for over a decade under the suspicion of Ying Ji and Fan Ju, and in the end, he was able to lead his army to destroy the Zhou dynasty, capture the emperor, and move the Nine Tripods back to Xianyang for the Qin state.
The Zhang family was able to remain in power in the Qin state for four generations not because of their bravery in battle, although that was certainly necessary—but more importantly, because they were able to take the right position each time power changed hands.
Now that Lü Buwei wields immense power in the court, Zhang naturally wants to maintain a superficial harmony with him; however, Zhang Ling also knows that the Qin state belongs to the Ying family, not the Lü family!