The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 176 As long as the other party does not use nuclear weapons, Xuzhou will never send out the big man succubus

Although Zhang Yan was a bandit, he had great political skills.

The fact that he was able to win the support of the Xiongnu and Wuhuan to fight against Yuan Shao proves that his methods were not comparable to those of ordinary bandits.

But at the same time, Zhang Yan himself is very good at protecting himself.

He can be regarded as the military version of Jia Xu.

Win many times in your life.

If you write Zhang Yan's experience story into an online article, you will definitely be criticized by netizens.

Because it is too smooth and too "brainless", netizens will find it illogical.

However, many things in history are often more magical than online literature.

From the time Zhang Yan started his rebellion to the time he inherited Zhang Niu Jiao's troops for free.

Then, while Yuan Shao was suppressing the Black Mountain Army, he inexplicably got a million Black Mountain Army soldiers for free.

Later, in the confrontation with Yuan Shao, he was already at a disadvantage and was about to be destroyed by Yuan Shao.

It just so happened that the Battle of Guandu broke out, giving Zhang Yan a chance to catch his breath.

During the war between Yuan and Cao, Zhang Yan just watched the whole time and never took part in the battle.

After the outcome of the battle was determined, Zhang Yan immediately led his people to surrender to Cao Cao.

Since Zhang Yan brought money into the group, Cao Cao directly appointed him as General Pingbei.

He was also granted the title of Marquis of Anguoting, with a fief of 500 households.

The job that Cao Cao gave Zhang Yan was very simple, which was to let him guard Yecheng.

This meant that Zhang Yan was able to stay away from the battlefield and live a comfortable life early on.

Afterwards, Zhang Yan spent the rest of his life peacefully in the State of Wei, and his title was passed down to his great-grandson.

For people living in troubled times, Zhang Yan's life was enough to be envied by others.

At this point in time, the Black Mountain Army led by Zhang Yan is at a disadvantage in the confrontation with Yuan Shao.

Zhang Yan realized this and knew that their undisciplined bandit army could never compare with the warlord's troops.

Even if there were millions of them, they would never be able to resist Yuan Shao's army.

Therefore, Zhang Yan must find foreign aid.

Gongsun Zan was his original ally, but he was trapped in Yijing and couldn't get out.

The Wuhuan and Xianbei people in the north had been won over by Yuan Shao and became his shield in the north.

Looking around the world, the only alliance that can resist Yuan Shao now seems to be the Cao-Liu alliance in Henan.

Zhang Yan had been looking for an opportunity to go to Henan to conclude an alliance with Cao and Liu.

But Yuan Shao was pressing hard, and he was also afraid that his identity as a "rebel army" would not be tolerated by Cao and Liu.

Therefore, I hesitated and did not move forward.

Unexpectedly, not long ago, I unexpectedly received an invitation letter from Li Tanhou of Xuzhou.

For Zhang Yan, this was like a blessing from heaven.

So he ignored the opposition and rushed to Xia Pi without stopping, traveling day and night.

Met the famous and capable Li Ziyu.

The first impression Li Yi gave Zhang Yan was that he was smart, wise, and resolute.

The good first impression deepened Zhang Yan's determination to cooperate with Henan.

After all, he didn't come here just for himself, but also for the future of millions of Montenegrin people.

only……

Zhang Yan knew that Li Yi was not an easy person to deal with.

He could only try to downplay his desire to cooperate with Henan by being silent and calm.

Otherwise, if he reveals his flaws and is caught by Li Yi, he will definitely ask for a huge profit.

This puts you at a disadvantage in the negotiations.

"How has General Zhang been doing in recent years?"

Li Yi was the first to break the silence. He walked to Zhang Yan's table and personally poured him a glass of wine.

Zhang Yan hurriedly raised the cup with both hands and took the wine poured by Li Yi.

"Thanks to the care of Marquis Tan, the harvest last year was good and we were able to be self-sufficient."

The Black Mountain Army was a component of the Yellow Turban Army.

Like the Yellow Turban Army, they brought their own seeds, tools, and even oxen.

So by relying on farming, we can barely be self-sufficient.

What's more, the leaders of the Black Mountain tribes would come down the mountain from time to time to plunder the wealthy counties of Jizhou.

The double insurance ensures that even though there are millions of people, they can still survive.

"…But Yuan's army is powerful and close."

"Without external help, Zhang may not be able to hold on for long."

Zhang Yan made a brief test and explained his difficulties.

"...Well, the thief Yuan called himself a descendant of Great Shun, and his surname was Chen."

"Before this, Yuan Shu of Huainan had secretly kept the imperial seal, but he was destroyed by Cao Sikong and General Liu."

"Now Yuan Benchu controls four states and occupies our Han cities, but he is unwilling to send money and food to the central government."

"This is tantamount to rebellion and should be punished."

Li Yi also immediately expressed his attitude.

Previously, when Cao and Liu were meeting in Chen, they had proposed that Yuan Shao send money and food to the court in Chen.

At first, everyone thought that Yuan Shao was a man of three generations of high officials and was very generous, so he would definitely not be stingy with this money and food.

Although it is not much for Yuan Shao, it is not a lot for Cao and Liu either.

But the war is imminent, so the more we can gain, the better.

When it is really delivered, Cao and Liu will naturally take 70% first.

The remaining 10% was given to the officials in Chen, 10% to Liu Chong and Luo Jun, and 10% to the imperial treasury.

It should have been a happy situation for everyone.

As a result, Yuan Shao refused!
After Yuan Shao received benefits from the court and was awarded the title of general, he refused to give out even a little money and food after the holiday.

Yuan Shao simply made excuses, saying that he was busy with the "Northern Rebellion" war and really could not come up with any money.

In response, Cao and Liu immediately wrote to the court and issued an edict to condemn Yuan Shao's "treasonous" behavior.

Although this is just a public opinion attack, it is best to create some momentum before the war.

For example, now, Li Yi can make a fuss about the fact that Yuan Shao is unwilling to send money and grain to the court.

"General Zhang was appointed by the late emperor as the General of the Central Army to pacify the rebellion. The Yuan rebels occupied the Han cities and attacked the Han officials."

"General, are you willing to be a loyal minister to the court and fight against the enemy for the country?"

Li Yi also began to test the waters and extended an olive branch to Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan's eyes lit up, he stood up, and solemnly bowed to Li Yi:

"…I really want it, but I dare not ask for it."

Just when everyone thought the alliance between the two families was going so smoothly, Zhang Yan suddenly changed the subject and looked embarrassed.

“Just as a single thread cannot make a line, a single tree cannot make a forest.”

"Yuan Shao is powerful, and my Black Mountain tribe is isolated and helpless in Changshan."

"If Yuan Shao leads a large army to attack, how can Yan resist him?"

Although Li Yi knew that Zhang Yan was asking for an exorbitant price, he still acted surprised.

"Yanzhou Cao Sikong and Xuzhou General Liu are allies of General Zhang."

"What do you mean, General, isolated and helpless?"

Zhang Yan secretly thought that Li Yi was indeed a difficult person to deal with, so he could only say:

"What Zhang meant is that my people are all in Changshan, which is far away from Henan."

"Even if Cao Sikong and General Liu ally with me, how can they come to my rescue in time?"

Zhang Yan was both asking for a price and revealing the plight of their Black Mountain Army.

After all, they really couldn't defeat Yuan Shao.

Historically, if the Battle of Guandu had not broken out, Zhang Yan would have been destroyed by Yuan Shao long ago.

Although Zhang Yan stood by and watched during the war between Yuan and Cao, he did not take part in the battle.

But in 205, Zhang Yan led his people to surrender to Cao Cao.

The population they brought with them was now only over 100,000 people.

Although there were more than 100,000 people, it was still a huge fortune for the sparsely populated late Han Dynasty.

But this is obviously not comparable to the population of one million at its peak.

some of,
There are factors such as the population decline caused by the war.

There were also reasons that the generals under his command were out of control, acted on their own, and moved to other places.

This is also the fundamental reason why Zhang Yan really wants to "recruit amnesty".

He is the King of Black Mountain in name only, and everyone only regards him as king in name.

He would really like to mobilize all the generals under his command.

Those millions of Black Mountain bandits would not have been killed by Yuan Shao until the valley was empty.

Not to mention those far away, let’s just talk about the generals Sui Gu, Bai Rao and others who came to Xuzhou with him.

These people only respect him on the surface, but they really want him to work hard for them.

Zhang Yan was the first one who didn't believe it.

"I, Li, can understand General Zhang's difficulties."

"But General Zhang must also understand the difficulties we face in Henan."

"Right now, from Guanzhong in the west to the East China Sea in the east, along the banks of the Yellow River, city walls are being built in preparation for the war in Hebei."

"We want to help Montenegro, but we are powerless."

Zhang Yan was also quite experienced. When Li Yi said this, he smiled and said:

"Tan Hou, there is no need to scare me. I know you are kind-hearted and resourceful."

"You must have a way. Please say a few good words to General Liu."

"Give Montenegro some supplies."

"You certainly can't bear to see the people of Black Mountain being killed by Yuan's army and their bodies left exposed in the wilderness, right?"

Hahaha……

Li Yi smiled and said, "General Zhang is even more slippery than I expected."

Zhang Yan lowered his head and replied in a gentle voice:

"I don't deserve it. I can't show off my prestige in front of you."

"……stop."

Li Yi waved his hand and frowned, "Seriously, Henan is now fully preparing for the war in Hebei."

"From Yuzhou, Runan, Yangzhou, and Huainan, all the baggage, money, food, and equipment should be transported to the south bank of the Yellow River."

"It is really impossible to provide supplies to Montenegro."

Li Yi formally revealed his true feelings to Zhang Yan. They were fully preparing for the war in Hebei and had no extra resources to provide blood transfusions to other princes.

Especially Cao Cao in Yanzhou, his depth was too short, and once Yuan’s army crossed the Yellow River, it would be almost smooth sailing.

Therefore, the two families are jointly building fortresses and other defensive fortifications on the south bank of the Yellow River and stationing troops at outposts.

I really can't support Montenegro, I'm not pretending.

Zhang Yan's expression was solemn and his brows were furrowed. He realized that Li Yi had not lied to him.

Henan is indeed powerless against Montenegro.

If it were five years ago, it would have been fine for Zhang Yan to ask Henan for help.

Because at that time, Zhang Yan's sphere of influence expanded to the Yellow River area.

It won't take too much effort for Henan to support him.

But after a wave of encirclement and suppression by Yuan Shao, the entire Black Mountain tribe shrank to the Changshan area.

They all ran to Zilong’s hometown. How did Henan provide him with a remote blood transfusion?

Not to mention, five years ago, the two Yuans were competing for supremacy, and Cao and Liu were both subordinates of others.

Time has passed, and the world has changed after five years.

The negotiations did not go smoothly.

Zhang Yan went through great trouble to travel all the way to Xuzhou just to form an alliance with Henan to fight against Yuan Shao.

But what he wanted was not a verbal alliance, or even a written covenant.

What Zhang Yan wants is tangible benefits.

During the negotiations, Zhang Yan hinted at Li Yi in a veiled way.

He cannot control all the Black Mountain tribesmen.

Many of them were loyal to Yuan Shao.

These thieves are all greedy. If you in Henan cannot offer them actual benefits, you will be able to win them over.

Well, even if Zhang Yan had a grudge against Yuan Shao, they would fight to the death.

But he couldn't control his subordinates and wondered whether they would go and defect to Yuan Shao.

Zhang Yan's words were almost a threat.

But Zhang Yan did not exaggerate.

After all, the reputation of the Yuan family, with three generations of officials, is still very attractive to the people of Heishan.

As early as the second year of Chuping,
Zhang Yan chose to stand on Gongsun Zan's side because of the fight between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan for Jizhou.

As a result, many people left Zhang Yan.

In the fourth year of Chuping, Yuan's army in Wei County rebelled and joined forces with the Black Mountain bandits, and occupied Yecheng for a time.

The rebellion was suppressed by Yuan Shao because of the rebellion of Tao Sheng, the leader of Heishan Canal.

Yuan Shao also promoted Tao Sheng to the position of General of Jianyi.

It can be seen that many people in the Black Mountain Army still support the Yuan family.

This also included Sui Gu and Sui Baitu. After being defeated by Cao Cao, he personally led his army to the north to seek help from Yuan Shao.

Now Zhang Yan hinted to Li Yi that these words were both a threat and a warning.

The millions of Montenegrins seem to be a huge number and the population is astonishing.

But after all, they are all independent and fragmented.

It’s up to you in Henan to decide whether you are willing to win them over.

Anyway, I, Zhang Yan, can't control them.

Li Yi, who has always been wise and courageous, fell into deep thought after listening to Zhang Yan's explanation of the internal situation of Heishan.

There was total silence in the lobby.

Everyone held their breath and dared not make a sound.

Although this incident had nothing to do with many people at the scene, such as Shanyue commander Zu Lang and Fei Zhan.

They were just diners who inexplicably witnessed a political game.

While I secretly felt it was exciting, I also felt extremely nervous and exclaimed that it was thrilling after seeing the confrontation between the two political veterans.

"……it is good."

After hesitating for a long time, Li Yi finally gave in.

He slowly opened his eyes and asked Zhang Yan about the conditions.

"...General Zhang, please name a price."

"One million bushels of grain!"

Zhang Yan opened his mouth and understood clearly, and said in a decisive tone.

Well……

Even though there were many spectators at the scene, they still couldn't help but hold their breath when they heard the conditions offered by Zhang Yan.

This is simply a lion's mouth!

"...Haha, General Zhang, are you kidding me because I am young?"

"How can Mr. Li be an eight-year-old child who doesn't know numbers?"

Li Yi was also considered a veteran in officialdom. Facing the shocking conditions offered by Zhang Yan, he remained unusually calm.

"How dare Yan lie and deceive the Marquis of Tan?" "But there are indeed a million people in Heishan, from Henan to Changshan, to eliminate the losses."

"Of the millions of bushels of grain, how much will be left?"

Some people may wonder why food is consumed so quickly during a war.

Could it be that there are a few more mouths to feed the soldiers on the front line?
There are indeed a few extra mouths to feed, and those are the civilians who feed these frontline soldiers.

They transported food to the front line and they had to eat food.

But these strong and capable men do not produce grain.

The labor force was pulled to the front line, and there was no one to cultivate the fields, which naturally led to less and less food being produced.

In fact, road loss is only one of the reasons, the more important reason is the loss of labor force.

If there is sufficient labor, it can ensure that soldiers can fight on the front line while there are enough people to farm in the rear.

Then the country becomes a war machine that can expand outward without limit.

But this was absolutely impossible to achieve in ancient times.

During this negotiation, Zhang Yan took a shortcut and talked about the issue of grain and fodder loss.

But it avoids a key question.
That is the population of Montenegro, which is one million, and not everyone has to fight on the front line.

They have a large number of people who are self-sufficient.

You have a million people, not a million soldiers.

How can we discuss military issues together with this?
“…This is not something Henan can afford.”

Li Yi responded to Zhang Yan in a decisive tone and rejected the conditions he offered.

This was naturally within Zhang Yan's expectations, so he asked:

"Then how much food and fodder can Marquis Tan provide?"

"...300,000 hu, this is the limit that Henan can offer. In this case, I must consult General Liu first."

"Li himself cannot be counted."

Li Yi made a solemn promise, so his actions were difficult.

It seemed that he had gritted his teeth and made great determination to agree to give these thirty hu of grain.

Zhang Yan smiled.

"These 300,000 hu of grain and fodder may not be enough for the soldiers on the front lines to fight."

"How about 900,000 hu?"

"...No, 400,000 hu, no more."

"Otherwise, Henan would rather fight alone against Yuan Shao."

"As for the generals under your command, let them go. What does it have to do with me?"

Li Yi showed a tough attitude.

It seemed that if Zhang Yan did not accept the conditions he offered, he would declare the negotiations broken down.

Although the conversation between the two was not long, the pace was very slow.

Both of their brains were spinning rapidly, trying desperately to test each other's bottom line.

Especially Zhang Yan, he narrowed his eyes and racked his brains to think whether this was Li Yi's bottom line?

This is a business negotiation theory.

That is, when you walk into a store, you buy an item that you have been longing for.

But its price is higher than you expected, and you know it must be inflated.

You have a maximum price you can accept, and you also know that the store owner must have a minimum price he can accept.

By bargaining, you are not only trying to get the price of the item as low as you expect, but also trying to get it as close to the store owner's lowest price as possible.

Because the closer you are, the more you save.

The shop owner is just the opposite.
He wants the price of the product to be as close to your highest price as possible; the closer it is, the more money he makes.

You know this, and you know he knows this.

But you don't know what the other person's bottom line is.

So you start gambling.
In the process, you will continue to throw out false bottom lines.

And bluff and try hard to make the other party believe that this is your bottom line.

In the end, you're threatening each other with breaking the deal.

If the deal really falls through, it will undoubtedly be a lose-lose situation.

You didn’t buy anything, and the store owner didn’t make any money.

But you will all pretend not to care and accept this lose-lose situation calmly.

This is to put pressure on the other party.

At this point, you will turn around and slowly walk towards the store door.

This is the most tense and challenging time.

You will regret it because the store owner's price is acceptable to you and you are hesitating whether to turn back.

The shop owner will also regret it. It is better to earn less than no money. He is hesitating whether to call you.

With every step you take, the atmosphere becomes more tense.

You both can't help but want to compromise, but you both hope that the other person will compromise first.

This is the situation Zhang Yan and Li Yi are facing at this time.

Zhang Yan is the shop owner and Li Yi is the customer.

But Zhang Yan's products are unique and cannot be bought anywhere else.

And Li Yi was the only buyer Zhang Yan could find within his ability.

For Li Yi,

The Montenegrin Army has a huge force and can play a huge role in both wartime and peacetime.

During wartime, as a thorn rooted in the western part of Jizhou, it could greatly restrain Yuan Shao's military power.

In peacetime, if they can be transformed into ordinary people, sufficient labor force can be obtained.

If we go to suppress them, they are hiding in the mountains, which would be a thankless task and a waste of money and food.

For Zhang Yan,

Yuan Shao and he were at war to the death, and it was almost impossible for Zhang Yan to reach a reconciliation with Yuan Shao.

But he was no match for Yuan Shao and had to seek external help.

Looking around, the only province that can compete with Hebei is Henan under Cao and Liu.

If the negotiations fail,

Li Yi will lose a thorn, and many members of the Black Mountain Army will be attracted to Yuan Shao, indirectly assisting the enemy.

Zhang Yan was unable to continue to manage the one million people of Montenegro, and everyone fled in all directions.

It is also very likely that Zhang Yan himself would withdraw from the stage of history and become a bandit in the countryside, and his current good situation would no longer be possible.

Obviously, a lose-lose situation is something neither of them wants to see.

Both of them are waiting for the other to compromise first.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the lobby seemed to be frozen.

Although there were only two main characters in the restaurant, the diners around them also became nervous.

I don’t know how the negotiations will end.

Suddenly, a sound like thunder came from outside the hall.

"Five hundred thousand bushels of grain!"

"I wonder if General Zhang can accept this amount?"

Just when everyone was holding their breath and getting nervous, they were all startled by the sound outside the hall.

Just when he was about to stand up and see who was so bold as to disturb them.

I saw someone coming in the evening light.

He was seven feet and five inches tall, with ears that reached his shoulders, long arms, and a heavy, majestic face.

Upon seeing this, Li Yi hurried forward and saluted.

"...My Lord, why are you here?"

Liu Bei smiled and patted Li Yi on the shoulder, "If I don't come, I'm afraid the military advisor will be too tired to deal with the visitors from Black Mountain."

Li Yi replied sternly, "If you give me another half an hour, all the people from Black Mountain will have joined Henan..."

Haha~
Liu Bei smiled gently and said:

"The military advisor has been very worried about the affairs of Hebei these days, and he also has to manage the military and political affairs of Henan. It's very hard."

"I just dealt with a few ignorant youngsters. I heard that the military advisor was receiving guests from Jizhou in the state capital, so I came to take a look."

"...Look at you, little boy, can you catch a swallow?"

The last sentence was obviously a joke.

Liu Bei was very serious when he was conquering Japan, but he was an exception in front of Li Yi.

Especially since Li Yi was too busy on weekdays and had a frown on his face every day, Liu Bei felt very distressed when he saw it.

Therefore, whenever he was in front of Li Yi, Liu Bei would try his best to be relaxed and lively so that Li Yi would not put too much pressure on him.

Therefore, even when Li Yi mentioned the affairs of Hebei, Liu Bei was not very concerned and just hoped that Li Yi would have less burden.

"...Haha, Yi has only these little tricks, how dare he embarrass himself in front of the Lord?"

"My lord, please come in!"

Li Yi curved his lips and smiled, and invited Liu Bei into the hall.

The conversation between the two just now took place outside the hall, and the people inside the hall did not know what had happened.

Li Yi then introduced him to everyone, saying that this person was the lord of Xuzhou.

This is Liu Bei, Liu Xuande, the Left General of the Han Dynasty, Marquis of Xia Pi, and Governor of Xuzhou.

When everyone heard that the host had arrived, they all stood up and saluted.

"I've met General Liu."

"I've met General Liu."

"...Nice to meet you, General Liu."

While everyone was greeting each other, they were still sizing up Liu Bei's appearance.

It was really as the rumors said, with the appearance of a dragon and a phoenix, and the appearance of heaven and sun, and its appearance was very strange.

"...This must be General Zhang."

Liu Bei walked up to Zhang Yan and greeted him.

Zhang Yan quickly returned the greeting.

Liu Bei held his hand and said sincerely:

"I heard that General Zhang was nicknamed 'Flying Swallow' by the army because of his bravery and agility."

"Everyone at that time called her Zhang Feiyan."

"I have traveled far and wide, met many heroes in the world, and today I met General Zhang."

"Only then can we understand what it means to be valiant and heroic."

Zhang Yan was held by Liu Bei's hand, and when he looked into Liu Bei's eyes, he saw that Liu Bei was sincere in his words and said:

"General Liu, you are too kind. I really don't deserve this compliment."

"……hehe."

Liu Bei smiled, looked into each other's eyes, and said frankly:
"Now heroes have risen up, and the general can unite the millions of people in Black Mountain with the people of one village."

"My power is so great that it spreads across the country."

"How can I not deserve such praise?"

Well……

Although I knew it was just Liu Bei's polite remark, he said it too sincerely.

Even Zhang Yan, a veteran, was quite moved.

Li Yi watched from the side and couldn't help but sigh.

You say, why don't you talk to me and agree to it early?

You have to force me, Xuzhou, to send out the big succubus before you will obey, right?
Seeing Zhang Yan's half-fallen look, Li Yi knew that the matter was already half done.

Liu Bei continued:

"...Now Yuan Shao controls four states and has a population of one million households."

"Although he was called a great general, he was ultimately obsessed with power and profit, and had no regard for the royal family."

"It is expected that chaos will arise over time, and there will be another outstanding one."

Like ruler, like ministers.

The rhetoric Liu Bei used when speaking to Li Yi was almost identical.

They all tried to step on Yuan Shao first and label him a traitor.

It's just that Liu Bei put a harsher accusation on Li Yi.

Li Yi merely listed Yuan Shao's crimes, and Liu Bei directly labeled Yuan Shao a traitor like Dong Zhuo.

This label is too harsh.

Of course, Liu Bei had all the evidence.

After all, everyone knew that Yuan Shao wanted to support Liu Yu as emperor.

Especially since Liu Bei was still in the north at that time, he knew the matter in detail.

You said that the emperor was still alive, but you, Yuan Shao, dared to support Liu Yu as emperor.

If not Dong Zhuo, then what is it?
Even if this matter finally fell through.

That's also because Liu Yu still has the Han Dynasty in his heart and knows the big picture.

It has nothing to do with you, Yuan Shao, the traitor.

Playing politics?
You have to be able to put labels on people and fabricate charges.

In fact, if you count the dynasties, you will find that these politicians’ favorite thing is to put labels on people.

They can make a small matter into a very serious matter.

It can also take a very serious matter and try to downplay the impact it causes.

In short, do whatever is beneficial to yourself.

Now, not only the leaders of Henan and Hebei, but even the people in both places know about it.

It is only a matter of time before the two places go to war.

Before the hot war begins, there is naturally a cold war.

Try to create trouble for yourself and increase your advantage in public opinion.

In Henan, people accused Yuan Shao of disobeying the royal family and refusing to pay taxes and levies, which was considered treason.

In Hebei, people accused Cao and Liu of holding the emperor hostage and killing loyal ministers, and called them traitors to the Han Dynasty.

Anyway, whoever has the right to speak will win the Cold War.

"General Zhang was appointed General of the Central Army to pacify rebellions by the previous emperor. He will never associate with rebels."

"When the spring comes next year, Henan will send troops to attack Hebei."

"I beg General Zhang to lend me a helping hand when the time comes. I will be very grateful!"

Liu Bei held Zhang Yan's hand tightly, looked into her eyes, and spoke sincerely.

"If the matter is successful, I will report it to the emperor and commend General Zhang's achievements."

"With General Zhang's merits, it goes without saying that he will be granted the title of marquis and appointed as a general."

"As long as General Zhang nods, I will immediately send 500,000 hu of grain and fodder to your palace."

"Go to Chendi and ask for an imperial edict to punish the enemy."

"General Zhang is following the imperial order to fight against the bandits, so he should be able to appease the leaders of the Black Mountain tribes."

"...I wonder what General Zhang thinks?"

Well!
Zhang Yan frowned, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.

Looking at Liu Bei's sincere and kind expression, I really couldn't bear to refuse him.

……

……

(Brothers, please read the author's words below)

(End of this chapter)