Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 102: Like a Man-Eating Tiger
Pingcheng, county hall.

The attendant ran into the house and shouted, "Sir, there is news about Captain Zhang!"

Yang Zan warmed his hands on the stove, leaned back on the couch, looked lazy, closed his eyes and asked: "Did the troops suffer serious losses?"

"It's serious. Almost everyone is injured!"

Yang Zan opened his eyes slightly and sighed, "Zhang Ji'an has just arrived at the border and does not know the depth of the Hu people. This time he was defeated, just as I expected!"

"defeat?"

The attendant was stunned for a moment, and said, "My Lord, Captain Zhang returned with a great victory, why are you talking about a defeat?"

"A great victory?"

Yang Zan jumped up from the couch and said in surprise, "You said Zhang Yu returned with a great victory? Then why did he suffer such heavy losses?"

"According to the report from the scouts, Zhang Yu encountered a large group of Kebineng. After a day of hard fighting, although he suffered heavy losses, he won a great victory and captured Kebineng. In this battle, the Yunzhong Yicong camp killed and captured too many Hu Lu and seized thousands of cattle, sheep and horses." said the attendant.

"Sigh~"

Yang Zan took a deep breath and said, "Zhang Yu is so brave and brave. He killed and captured the barbarians. Since Zhang Ranming (Zhang Huan), the imperial court has not had such a feat for more than ten years. Zhang Yu will be granted a title of nobility!"

During the reign of Emperor Huan of Han, the Xianbei became powerful under the leadership of Tan Shihuai. However, because Zhang Huan was stationed in Bingzhou, the governor of You, Bing and Liang provinces, and in charge of the military affairs of the nine borders, Tan Shihuai was unable to do anything to the Eastern Han Dynasty and could only continue to plunder southwards.

Since Emperor Ling of Han ascended the throne, with Zhang Huan being deposed due to political struggles and the defeat of Xiping, the nine borders were plunged into the flames of war. Up to now, there has not been a result of beheading 700 people for many years, let alone such an amazing military achievement as "killing and capturing excessive number of barbarians".

Yang Zan was secretly glad that he had not lost his mind and sent the official document in advance. Otherwise, when Zhang Yu returned, wouldn't he have offended him?

Yang Zan put on his fur boots quickly and said with a smile, "I knew Zhang Ji'an was an extraordinary man who could turn a defeat into a great victory."

"Quickly send doctors from the city to treat the soldiers in the army, and have the women make warm soup to entertain the soldiers returning to the border. Don't let the soldiers in the army feel disappointed."

"promise!"

The attendant looked at Yang Zan with strange eyes. He said before that Zhang Yu would definitely lose, but now he said that Zhang Yu was not an ordinary person. His own county lady was really changeable!

It's not Yang Zan's fault that he is fickle, but society has taught him to be fickle. He was sent to the frontier for his stubborn remarks in the court. If he doesn't work harder now, he may not even have the opportunity to return to the Central Plains to serve.

With Yang Zan's immediate assistance, the Han army returning from the northern frontier was promptly settled. Because Pingcheng was warmer than Baideng Camp, at Yang Zan's invitation, Zhang Yu led his troops to temporarily reside in the city.

Not long after Zhang Yu arrived in Pingcheng, the news of his great victory spread. Hu Yanhe, who heard the news, hurried to Pingcheng to meet Zhang Yu.

In the county hall, Yang Zan looked respectful and humble. He poured warm wine for Zhang Yu and said with a smile, "The captain has the spirit of Huo Huqi. He killed and captured many barbarians in his first trip to the border. I admire him very much."

Zhang Yu took a sip of wine and said with a smile, "You are exaggerating. Ke Bineng's troops were near the border and didn't know that our army had rushed out of the border to attack us. They won intentionally but not intentionally, so their victory was mostly due to luck."

Yang Zan sat at the table and asked, "When will Ji'an report the prisoners?"

"What's wrong?" Zhang Yu asked puzzledly.

Yang Zan hesitated for a moment and said, "Pingcheng has too few soldiers and horses to accompany the army to the border. But Ji'an is going to the border to fight, and I will provide a lot of supplies for the army. I wonder if Ji'an can say a few words of praise for me in the military report."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu instantly understood Yang Zan's intention. Yang Zan clearly wanted to take advantage of his military merits and gain a political achievement for his preparations.

"Why not?"

Zhang Yu laughed a few times and said, "Gong Tan has given me a lot of supplies. How could I forget Gong Tan's hard work?"

"Thank you Captain!"

Yang Zan was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.

"Given the friendship between you and me, you can just call me Ji'an. There's no need to be too distant!" Zhang Yu said with a smile.

It was just a piece of cake to let Yang Zan take credit for his military achievements. After all, it did not count the number of people, nor did it count for the planning. It was just mentioning that Yang Zan had the merit of supplying materials, so it would not affect Zhang Yu's merit. And getting closer to Yang Zan would help Zhang Yu get more materials in Pingcheng.

After a while, Meng Ningzhi stepped inside and said, "Captain, General Zuonan's leader Hu Yanhe has brought a valuable gift to see you!"

"Huyanhe?"

Zhang Yu laughed a few times and said to his attendants, "I know how powerful I am, so I came to pay my respects to you!"

"Ha ha!"

Li Song was delighted and said, "The old captive was afraid of the Xianbei bandits and was unwilling to follow the captain to the battle. Now that he knows that the captain has made special contributions, he has changed his face and knelt to pay homage. This is extremely ridiculous!"

Zhang Yu sipped his wine and smiled faintly. He could understand Hu Yanhe's actions and attitude. But understanding does not mean forgiveness. Hu Yanhe's two-faced behavior made him very angry, and it was not in line with his strategic interests of deterring Yanbei.

If Hu Yanhe had sent his cavalry to follow him out of the border, perhaps his own troops would not have suffered so many casualties. Even when he met Kebineng, Zhang Yu would have been able to defeat him with one blow. After considering it for a while, Li Song said, "Hu Yanhe's words and deeds are not in line with the will of the army. Since the captain is the protector of the Yanbei Xiongnu, it is better to replace the leader, depose Hu Yanhe and choose someone else to succeed him."

The defeat of Kebineng's troops gave many soldiers in the army a surge of confidence. Take Li Song for example. In the past, he would never have dared to propose the dethronement of Hu Yanhe. But now, with the support of his military achievements, Li Song dared to ask Zhang Yu to change the leader and support a new leader to replace Hu Yanhe in order to ensure control over the Xiongnu troops.

Zhang Yu looked at Yang Zan, as if he wanted to hear a different opinion.

Yang Zan thought for a while and said, "Hu Yanhe has been the leader of the Xiongnu for many years. If we replace him now, I am afraid it will be difficult to win the hearts of the Xiongnu. It is better to see him first and observe what Hu Yanhe says and does, and then discuss it!"

Zhang Yu nodded and smiled, saying: "If we depose and enthronize the leader too hastily, it may frighten the Wuhuan tribes. We need to appease Hu Yanhe for now. But if Hu Yanhe doesn't know what's good for him, don't blame me for being cruel!"

Yang Zan couldn't help thinking: "Zhang Yu was able to be promoted from a palace official to a deputy lieutenant. He must have some means. He just returned to the army not long ago, and he wants to use his prestige after the great victory to deal with the Xiongnu in Yanbei. If the Xiongnu accept his protection, the Wuhuan tribes will also respect him. Wouldn't it be easy for me to govern Pingcheng in the future!"

While Yang Zan was thinking, Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "We can intimidate him first and observe Hu Yanhe's expression."

"Bo Ling, bring Ke Bineng here, and call Yan He in!"

"promise!"

Not long after, Hu Yanhe entered first, and then Ke Bineng was brought into the tent.

Hu Yanhe looked at Kebineng, who had a haggard face, as if he wanted to recognize who the Xianbei Hu in front of him was.

Before Hu Yanhe could think about it, Zhang Yu asked in Chinese: "Chief, do you know Ke Bineng?"

"Kebineng?"

Hu Yanhe was shocked and asked, "The captain captured Ke Bineng and returned?"

"Ok!"

Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said nonchalantly: "At the beginning, the leader was afraid of Ke Bineng's reputation and did not dare to follow Yu to the battle. After Yu went out of the border, he was very curious about Ke Bineng's appearance, so when he defeated the Hu, he let his men capture him!"

As he spoke, Zhang Yu's eyes turned cold, and he said with a half-smile, "I'm meeting Ke Bineng today, what do you think of him, Chief?"

Hu Yanhe glanced at Zhang Yu, and suddenly felt awe in his heart. He bowed his head and said, "If I knew that the captain was so powerful, I would never dare to disobey him."

Seeing the opportunity, Li Song stood up and saluted, saying: "Captain, the leader of the southern left, Hu Yanhe, is responsible for protecting the frontier, but he disobeyed military orders, waited for an opportunity to move south, and secretly plundered the Han people. According to the law, he should be executed. Captain, why don't you replace the leader to set an example!"

After saying this, Meng Ningzhi led the two men into the tent with knives drawn.

"what?"

Hu Yanhe's face turned pale. He thought that if he brought a valuable gift to celebrate, Zhang Yu would forgive him for not sending troops. He did not expect that Zhang Yu wanted to punish him directly and replace the leader of the tribe.

Frightened, Hu Yanhe begged for mercy, saying, "Although I did not send troops to follow the captain, I did lead the way, and even went out on horseback to help the captain. I hope the captain will be kind and forgive my death penalty for my small contribution. From now on, the captain will protect my troops, and I will never dare to disobey!"

Zhang Yu waved his hand, asking everyone to leave, and said calmly: "Guiding the troops and horses is your job. According to the law, your troops should obey my orders. But now that you have a past, I find it hard to trust you."

Hearing this, Hu Yanhe immediately understood that Zhang Yu wanted him to show his loyalty.

Looking at Kebineng, who was used to intimidate him, Hu Yanhe gritted his teeth and said, "The captain has come to the bitter cold land of Yanbei, and there is no one to take care of him. I have a daughter who is not bad looking, and I am willing to serve by the captain's side. In addition, I am willing to hand over my household registration and obey the captain's orders from now on."

For the sake of his head and the position of the leader of his tribe, Hu Yanhe had to compromise with Zhang Yu in order to gain his support. Zhang Yu, who had captured Ke Bineng, was obviously not someone he could afford to offend.

As for rebellion, Hu Yanhe didn't have the guts to do so. His people had been guarding the border for the Han Dynasty for many years, and they had a deep blood feud with the Xianbei. If he said he would rebel against the Han Dynasty and return to the grassland, I'm afraid even his people would not be able to accept it.

Seeing Hu Yanhe's attitude change drastically, Zhang Yu secretly looked at Kebineng. It seemed that Kebineng had considerable prestige among the Hu people in the Yanbei area!

Li Song leaned close to Zhang Yu's ear and said, "Jian, my army is small and weak, and now we have gained respect from the victory over the Hu. And with Hu Yanhe's attitude, perhaps there is no need to replace the leader. Instead of marrying the Xiongnu, it may be the best strategy to let the Xiongnu serve Ji'an!"

Although Li Song is Li Suyi's elder brother, he has always been open-minded about Zhang Yu's wives and concubines, and he always thinks from the perspective of Zhang Yu's interests, whether he supports Zhang Yu marrying Wang Ji or accepting Hu Yanhe's daughter.

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, very satisfied with Li Song's suggestion. If he wanted to succeed, he would need women of various identities in his house.

His expression eased, Zhang Yu helped Hu Yanhe up, and said with a smile: "With your words as evidence, Yu dare not disbelieve it."

"Thank you Captain!"

Zhang Yu supported Hu Yanhe and said with a smile: "From now on, you and I will be father-in-law and son-in-law. Calling you captain is too distant."

"Yes!"

Hu Yanhe had a bitter smile on his face. He had been living in the frontier fortress for so many years, watching the Chanyu being replaced by the Han people. Now that it was his turn to be replaced, in order to preserve his position, he had to show his loyalty to Zhang Yu and even offer his beautiful daughter to him.

I really underestimated Zhang Yu. He is not just a young boy, but a ferocious tiger ready to eat people!
(End of this chapter)