Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 111 Another Way
Most of the border guards were from Yunzhong and Wuyuan counties. Because their hometowns were invaded by the Xianbei, they fled to the interior of the country. As they were all strangers in a foreign land, in addition to emotional resonance, they would also stick together and help each other.

For example, in history, the relationship between Zhang Yang and Lu Bu continued until the Warring States Period. When Lu Bu was in danger, Zhang Yang helped him many times. In order to save Lu Bu, Zhang Yang even sacrificed his life.

Now that the Zhang family has become prosperous, the nobles on the border naturally tend to favor the Zhang family. Therefore, it is not surprising that Lu Bu recognizes Zhang Ji as his uncle out of the idea of currying favor with them.

In order to control the Xiongnu Lan clan in Dingxiang County, Zhang Yu asked Zhang Liao and Hao Zhao to return to Pingcheng first with the looted goods and women. After the spoils were placed, Hao Zhao led the troops south to Dingxiang to look for Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu considered that he needed to communicate with the governor of Dingxiang County in order to purge the Xiongnu people in Dingxiang County. After parting with Zhang and Lu, Zhang Yu went to Shanwu, the county seat, to visit Guo Yu, the governor's old leader.

Shanwu, county government.

"Yu pays respect to Lord Guo!"

Under Guo Wei's warm hospitality, Zhang Yu bowed to him.

"Mr. Zhang is so polite!"

Seeing Zhang Yu perform a great ceremony, Guo Yu stood up and returned the ceremony, saying, "You are now a man of our generation, so just perform a moderate ceremony!"

Zhang Yu smiled humbly and said, "If it weren't for the Lord's recommendation, I wouldn't be where I am today. Now that I see the Lord, I must treat him as an elder and dare not fail to show respect."

What Zhang Yu said was true. If Guo Yu had not written a letter for Zhang Yu and recommended Zhang Yu to become Wang Hong's disciple, Zhang Yu would probably be limited by his connections and would still be struggling on the frontier. Even if he had made some achievements, he would not be able to be granted the title of Marquis Ting.

Nowadays, whether for the sake of human relations or for the sake of his connections and reputation, Zhang Yu must respect Guo Yu. Don’t you see that Dong Zhuo followed Zhang Huan in his early years, even though Zhang Huan hated Dong Zhuo, Dong Zhuo still had to give gifts to Zhang Huan to express his gratitude to his former master for the sake of his own reputation.

Guo Yu showed a satisfied look on his face, and asked, "I heard that Ji'an led his troops out of the border and gained a lot, is that true?"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Yu was lucky to have made a contribution. He took advantage of the battle between Budugen and Qianman to wipe out several bandits. Now that the two countries are coexisting, there is no time to look south. This is really beneficial to our dynasty."

Guo Yu nodded and praised, saying: "Ji'an's words are the words of an experienced person. At present, the rebels in Liang Province are strong, and You, Ji and Wuhuan are in chaos. Bing Province should not have too many changes."

After a pause, Guo Yu asked, "Ji'an is here today, what's the important matter?"

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "I was ordered by your majesty to protect the Xiongnu in two counties. Now the Xiongnu in Dingxiang are scattered, and I want to reunite them, so I came to consult Lord Guo."

Guo Yu stroked his beard and said, "The reason why the Lan clan is scattered and arrogant is because Gudu Hou Liu Meng is young and his prestige is declining, making it difficult for him to take power. For this reason, the Lan clan, from top to bottom, in order to seek patronage from our dynasty, has taken the royal surname as the surname of their nobles."

"So in my opinion, if Ji'an wants to reunite the Lan clan, it would be better for him to respect Liu Meng and use the method of kindness and power to reunite the scattered Lan clan. I have wanted to clean up the Lan clan for a long time, but due to my jurisdiction and the fear that the Lan clan would be dissatisfied and rebel, I have been unable to take action. If Ji'an needs my help, I can ask Zhishan to go without notice."

"Thank you, Mr. Guo, for your guidance!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "If any noble from the Lan clan comes to the county government to appeal, I hope Lord Guo will not listen to them."

This visit to Guo Yu was not only to communicate with him, but also to give him a shot of prevention. Zhang Yu was worried that the next method of purging the Xiongnu tribe would be too cruel, which would cause resistance from the Lan family. If he did not explain it in advance, Guo Yu would misunderstand or interfere, which would cause unnecessary trouble.

"good!"

Before Guo Yu could speak, he saw a young man rushing into the hall from the side hall.

"Father, when can I go out hunting?" the young man asked excitedly.

Guo Yu's expression turned serious, and he scolded, "Huai'er, don't you see that your father is discussing important matters?"

Guo Huai immediately reacted, bowed to Zhang Yu, and said, "I acted rashly, please don't blame me!"

Seeing that Guo Huai was only a little over ten years old, Zhang Yu asked out of courtesy, "How old is your son, Qilin?"

Guo Yu showed a loving expression and said with a smile: "The boy is fifteen years old, his name is Huai, and his courtesy name is Boji. He likes martial arts and archery, and has read a few military books. He is not worthy of being called a Qilin child."

As he spoke, Guo Yu introduced him to Guo Huai, saying, "Huai'er, Mr. Zhang is the cavalry commander, and his title is Marquis of Zhishuiting. Now he leads the Yunzhong Yiqi to travel across the border, subdue and defeat Ke Bineng, and drive out the Hu people for the country. Why don't you come and meet him as soon as possible?"

"Greetings to Lord Zhang!"

Hearing this, Guo Huai became excited and said, "Your Excellency led 800 cavalrymen out of the border, beheaded and captured many people, subdued the Hu chieftains, and intimidated Yanbei. Huai has admired your reputation for a long time!"

Ever since Zhang Yu was recognized as a great figure in Yanbei and was granted the title of marquis for his military achievements, his reputation has spread. In particular, Zhang Yu himself was an expert in riding and shooting, and became famous at a young age. Many young men on the border have regarded Zhang Yu as their idol.

"Ha ha!"

Seeing that the young man in front of him was Guo Huai, a famous figure in Longshu in history, and that he admired him so much, Zhang Yu smiled proudly and said, "A tiger father will have a dog son. I think Bo Ji is smart. After being taught by you, he will be better than his father in the future."

Guo Yan shook his head and smiled, saying: "Huai'er's talent and virtue are shallow. If there is a chance in the future, I hope Ji'an will guide and take care of him."

"It's natural!"

Zhang Yu nodded and smiled, saying: "I often command troops in Pingcheng, and now I will purify the Xiongnu tribe. If Bo Ji wants to gain more experience, he can go to Yunzhong Cavalry to travel around." The reason why the students and former officials of the Eastern Han Dynasty are so scary is exactly the same as what Zhang Yu did with Guo Yu. Guo Yu recommended Zhang Yu, and Zhang Yu had an official title. In order to repay Guo Yu, he would take care of Guo Huai.

As it is now, Zhang Yu invited Guo Huai to experience life in the army, so that Guo Huai could get in touch with military affairs early. From the starting point, he was already ahead of his peers. This repeated process, with generations of officials, the gentry family evolved into an aristocratic family.

"Thank you, Lord!"

Seeing that Zhang Yu was willing to invite him, Guo Huai was eager to try, but due to his father's prestige, he could not help but look at Guo Yu.

Guo Yu loved Guo Huai very much. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Bo Ji has a bad temper and might delay Ji'an's affairs."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Now we should focus on reorganizing the army and suppressing the barbarians. That won't be a problem. I'm just afraid that Bo Ji will have trouble adapting to the military."

"Boji?"

Guo Yu looked at his son and asked for his opinion.

Guo Huai was in high spirits and said, "I have heard that you are a good archer. I am willing to follow you and experience the hardships of the army."

Seeing that his son was determined to go to Yunzhongyi to gain experience, Guo Yu said, "Thank you for your help, Ji'an!"

"You're welcome!"

The visit to Guo Yu and the encounter with the young Guo Huai was an unexpected event and not in Zhang Yu's plan. However, being able to get to know Guo Huai would be of great benefit to Zhang Yu in deepening his relationship with the Guo family.

After all, if Zhang Yu wants to use Bingzhou as his base, the Guo family of Taiyuan is a force that Zhang Yu must fight for. Otherwise, without the popular support, how can he compete with other heroes?

Under the guidance of Guo Yu, Zhang Yu led Li Song, Shi Yi and others with 500 cavalrymen to the tribe where Liu Meng was. After the Lan clan got the news, Liu Meng led his clansmen to welcome Zhang Yu into the big tent.

"Liu Meng, Marquis of Gudu of the Lan family, pays his respects to the Lord." Liu Meng bowed respectfully and said.

Zhang Yu asked the Xiongnu people of the Lan clan in the tent to avoid being polite and asked, "Since your tribe moved south to the border, you have also taken on the duty of protecting the border. However, since the death of the old Gudu Marquis, the tribes have dispersed and are no longer protecting the border for our dynasty. I wonder why?"

Hearing this, Liu Meng knelt down and pleaded, "Your Excellency, it's not that I don't want to defend the border for the country, but because my tribe is weak. After my father passed away, the elders in the tribe bullied me because I was young and took their people away. Now I beg you to help me."

Zhang Yu helped Liu Meng up and asked, "Chief, please stand up. I wonder what the situation is like in our tribe right now?"

"There are only more than 500 tribes in my tribe. My uncle led more than 700 tribes to migrate south to Wucheng to avoid the Xianbei looting. There are also several small tribes that have dispersed to Zhongling and Wuzhou to graze. All the tribes together should be no less than 2,000 tribes!"

Liu Meng said pitifully, "If you can reunite the Lan clan, I am willing to follow the example of my ancestors and serve as a scout to guard the border for the Holy Dynasty."

Zhang Yu already had an idea. Since the Zuonan region was unified, it was difficult for him to interfere and he had to use Hu Yanhe to govern the tribe. Now that the Lan tribe was dispersed and their leader Liu Meng was in his early twenties, it was unclear how talented he was. Instead, he could take this opportunity to extend his hand to the grassroots of the Lan tribe.

Zhang Yu comforted them by saying, "Although the Lan clan is nominally under the jurisdiction of the Chanyu, they are also people of the Han clan. I will come here to protect them and reunite with the people of your clan."

Liu Meng said: "The leaders of the tribes are unruly and unruly. I wonder when you will send out the troops?"

Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "Although your tribe is separated, we are all one clan. And although the tribes do not obey the orders of the leader, they have not committed any treason. How can you use force at will now?"

Before arriving at the Lan clan, Zhang Yu had already considered how to deal with the Lan clan. Sending out troops to intimidate the scattered clans was straightforward and effective, but it was too rough and might benefit Liu Meng.

"My Lord~"

Liu Meng was impatient, and seeing that Zhang Yu had different ideas from his, he wanted to refute. But soon Meng Ningzhi's fierce eyes swept over, instantly scaring Liu Meng away, and he swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

Zhang Yu had a kind expression and smiled, "All the tribes are originally of the same clan. Using military force may hurt people's hearts. Therefore, I want to invite the leaders of all the small tribes here to announce the order of our holy dynasty, explain the pros and cons in words, reconcile the conflicts among the tribes, and regain the loyalty of Gudu Hou."

"Chief Lao sent people to each tribe to convey my military order and invite the leaders of each tribe to a banquet here."

"Yes!" Liu Meng replied depressedly.

After Liu Meng left in frustration, Li Song said, "Sir, the various tribes of the Lan clan have been separated for many years, and conflicts have gradually arisen. Now, with your troops, you may be able to temporarily unite the tribes. But if you leave, with Liu Meng's prestige, there may be chaos again."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Sending troops to eliminate the leaders of each tribe now will help Liu Meng take the opportunity to integrate the tribes. If Liu Meng changes his ways, there will be no one to control him!"

"What do you think, my Lord?"

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "I want to take away Liu Meng's power to govern the people and make the Lan clan members equals the people, so that they will know me but not Liu Meng."

"It is difficult to achieve your wish by simply holding a banquet to mediate," Li Song asked.

Zhang Yu motioned Li Song to come closer and whispered, "Bo Song, go find my uncle Zhang Yang now, and then you and my uncle will lead..."

(End of this chapter)