[Light-screen]
[ In the year 848, Zhang Yichao—then still a commoner—rose in revolt at Shazhou.
By 861, thirteen long years later, he had achieved the impossible:
the recovery of the Hexi and Huangshui regions, lands that had been lost to foreign rule for over a century.
"Westward to Yiwu, eastward to Lingwu—"Westward to Yiwu, eastward to Lingwu—
over four thousand li of territory reclaimed,over four thousand li of territory reclaimed,
a million households restored.a million households restored.
Six prefectures and their mountains and rivers—Six prefectures and their mountains and rivers—
exactly as they once were."
The so-called revival of the Late Tang was, in truth, lifted to its highest point by Zhang Yichao's own hands.
Yet his legend did not end there.
After the Hexi Corridor was fully reopened, the Tang court reestablished the Liangzhou Military Governorship, appointing Zhang Yichao to hold it concurrently.
In 866, Zhang Yichao submitted a memorial to Chang'an.
That same year, Xizhou, Beiting, Luntai, and Qingzhen were all announced as having been restored.
That October, Zhang Yichao ordered the Uyghur king Pugu Jun to meet Lun Kongre in battle.
The result was a crushing victory—Lun Kongre was slain, his head sent to Chang'an.
That same year, the Kingdom of Khotan in Anxi followed Zhang Yichao's example, rising to reclaim the southern frontier.
Intimidated by the might of the Guiyi Army, they once again declared allegiance to Tang.
At last, Tibetan power in Hexi was wiped out entirely.
From Chang'an, through Guanzhong, across Hexi, and onward to Beiting and Khotan—
the road to the Western Regions was once again unobstructed.
Only then did the Late Tang finally recover a trace of the grandeur of the High Tang.
The following year, Zhang Yitan, who had been left in Chang'an as a hostage, passed away.
Zhang Yichao voluntarily went to Chang'an to serve as a hostage in his place, entrusting the future of the Guiyi Army to his nephew Zhang Huaishen.
Moved by his uncle's achievements, Zhang Huaishen commissioned the mural
"Zhang Yichao Leading His Army Forth" at the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, and wrote his biography.
When Zhang Yichao arrived in Chang'an, the entire city welcomed him.
Civil and military officials alike sang his praises.
The emperor appointed him Commander of the Right Shenwu Army, granted him land and estates, and promoted him to Minister over the Masses.
In 872, Zhang Yichao died of illness at the age of seventy-four.
He was posthumously honored as Grand Protector.
All of Hexi mourned him.
Born in Shazhou, he died in Chang'an.
Raising troops and returning east, sweeping the realm—
he fulfilled the dream of his life:
Returning to Tang.]
"Now that," Zhangsun Wuji said with feeling, "is a warrior of the High Tang—
born in the Late Tang."
Li Shimin, unusually, said nothing.
The words "hostage" and "posthumously honored" lingered in his eyes, leaving him distinctly displeased.
"With achievements like these," he finally said, "he should have been given the posthumous title Zhongwu."
"Don't tell me I was that stingy," the emperor muttered.
He remembered how rare the title Zhongwu was—even in the light-screen's history, only a handful bore it, and one of them came from his own reign.
That descendant-emperor's restraint made Li Shimin feel… oddly accused.
Was I truly that miserly later on?
He found himself involuntarily reflecting.
Fang Xuanling exchanged a glance with Du Ruhui.
Du Ruhui gave a faint shake of the head.
On the matter of posthumous titles, both ministers shared the same thought—
but saying it aloud would only enrage His Majesty further.
Better left unsaid.
Du Ruhui smoothly changed the subject.
"Zhang Yichao may rightly be called a general for the ages."
"And by examining his life," he added, "we can even sketch a framework for managing the Western Regions. A fortunate lesson."
Du Ruhui was correct.
Li Shimin studied the simple map displayed on the light-screen once more.
Though crudely colored, it already revealed how prefectures were divided.
From Zhang Yichao's campaign routes, one could even infer the distribution of Tibetan power, and thus reconstruct their invasion paths.
Even scraps from later generations were enough for great ministers to extract insight.
"Keming speaks wisely," Li Shimin nodded.
"Let us await Yaoshi's victory reports, and then—"
A flash of killing intent crossed his eyes.
Western Regions. Tibet. Goguryeo. Wa…
One by one. No rush.
Still, he could not help sighing.
Zhang Yichao had truly been born in the wrong era.
That "Little Taizong" was no match for him.
How could he compare to this Taizong—the true Taizong, emperor for the ages?
"A fine man should live exactly like this!" Guan Yu clapped his hands in praise.
"Alone he pacifies chaos; the court sings his name.
Victorious, the people rejoice.
In death, the people mourn together."
"A life like that—no regrets."
Huang Zhong found it deeply inspiring.
"When Zhang Yichao first rose, Lun Kongre was still one of Tibet's two great powers."
"Yet barely a dozen years later, from Chang'an to the Western Regions, everyone knew Zhang Yichao's name—
and Lun Kongre, once a mighty foe, was destroyed with a single command."
He shook his head in admiration.
"A true hero."
The generals all nodded.
Zhang Fei was already fuming on Zhang Yichao's behalf.
"With achievements like this, and yet they say the Late Tang only recovered a fraction of High Tang's spirit?"
"What kind of harsh judgment is that?!"
Wei Yan snorted as well.
"One man pacified the Western Regions, and that's still called 'only one-tenth of High Tang'?"
"Could the High Tang wipe out nations with a single word?"
The crowd looked around, all shaking their heads.
Zhang Yichao had only a single regional force, yet he crushed the barbarians on all sides, pierced the Hexi Corridor, and reclaimed thousands of li of land.
How was that not extraordinary?
Liu Bei also shook his head, remarking casually:
"I wonder which was truly stronger—the Han or the Tang."
Instantly, sharp looks turned toward him.
He hastily corrected himself.
"Presumably… the Han."
Pang Tong was less polite.
"The Tang had strong arms," he said coolly, "but they did not strike such terror into the Hu."
"Whether in the Former Han or today, when did the people ever suffer humiliation like this at barbarian hands?"
The others nodded quietly.
Yes—Great Han still reigned supreme.
As for things like the Five Barbarians?
By then, the Han had already been usurped for generations—hardly relevant.
[Light-screen]
[ Poetry flourished in the Tang.
It bore witness to the rise of the High Tang—
and also to the decay of the Late Tang.
The year before the An Lushan Rebellion, Du Fu had already smelled rot in the empire, raging:
"Of what use is Confucian learning to me?"Of what use is Confucian learning to me?
Confucius and Robber Zhi alike are dust."
Before Zhang Yichao's uprising, the twilight of the Late Tang grew heavier still.
Xu Hun lamented:
"Stream clouds rise as the sun sinks behind the pavilion;"Stream clouds rise as the sun sinks behind the pavilion;
mountain rain is coming—the wind fills the tower."
Zhang Yichao's revolt gave the people of Hexi a glimpse of hope—
hope of returning to Tang.
Dunhuang manuscripts, now held in the French National Library, recorded their praise:
"From ancient Dunhuang comes a godlike general,"From ancient Dunhuang comes a godlike general,
revered by all foreign tribes afar…revered by all foreign tribes afar…
sooner or later the wolfish barbarians will be destroyed,sooner or later the wolfish barbarians will be destroyed,
and all will bow before the Sacred Court."
After Liangzhou was recovered and Hexi reopened, a Tang loyalist named Zhang Qiao wrote of his tangled emotions:
"In youth I followed generals to reclaim Hexi;"In youth I followed generals to reclaim Hexi;
white-haired, in peaceful times, I return home.white-haired, in peaceful times, I return home.
A hundred thousand Han soldiers—all gone.A hundred thousand Han soldiers—all gone.
Alone, I play a frontier tune to the setting sun."
Three years after Zhang Yichao's death, Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao rose in rebellion.
Wei Zhuang described the empire's end:
"Dancers and singers vanish into darkness,"Dancers and singers vanish into darkness,
infants and young girls abandoned to die…infants and young girls abandoned to die…
the inner treasury burns into brocade ash,the inner treasury burns into brocade ash,
the imperial avenue is paved with ministers' bones."
Zhang Yichao could not reverse the collapsing tide, nor hold up the falling sky.
He was merely a meteor in the Late Tang—
a final flash of dignity history granted to a giant before its fall.]