Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 113: Layout of Yanmen
Kirby asked Zhang Yu to allow him to leave the army in the name of summoning his old subordinates. His original intention was to get away from Zhang Yu's control. However, Kirby ignored the surrounding environment he faced, or he was deceived by Zhang Yu.

At first, Zhang Yu went out of the border to eliminate bandits. Because he marched secretly and captured all the Hu tribes he plundered, the news did not leak out. Qian Man did not know that the rear was being plundered by the Han army.

When Kebi left and wanted to gather his old troops, Zhang Yu deliberately leaked the news, so Qianman learned about the Han army's movements in and out of the Great Wall, and learned that the Hu traitor Kebi could lead the Han army. Qianman was furious and sent people back to hunt down Kebi.

After Kirby reunited with his old subordinates, he hesitated briefly on whether to return to the frontier and serve Zhang Yu. After all, Zhang Yu not only defeated him by force, but also treated him well after his surrender.

After some ideological struggle, just when Kirby was about to make a decision, the army sent by Qianman appeared and attacked Kirby's headquarters without saying a word.

Kobe and his brother Ju Luohou led their troops in a fierce battle. Although they repelled the troops sent by Qianman, his brother Ju Luohou was killed in the battle, which made Kobe extremely sad.

Now that he had become a mortal enemy of Qian Man, Ke Bi had no choice but to lead his troops to flee back to the border and seek refuge from Zhang Yu. In this situation, in order to avoid being hunted down, Ke Bi slaughtered the cattle and sheep he brought with him, led his troops to hide during the day and travel at night, and after half a month of hardship, he finally fled back to the border.

When Zhang Yu learned the news, he immediately sent Shi Yi to the border to meet Ke Bi.

In the hall, Zhang Yu warmly entertained Kobe and said with a smile: "When Lai En left the army, many people said that Lai En would never return to the frontier. However, I firmly believed that Lai En would keep his promise and would lead his troops back to the frontier. Now Lai En's actions have lived up to Yu's expectations."

Kobe had a complicated expression, and he said with a folded hand: "Your Excellency is so generous and righteous, and you have trusted me. I am extremely grateful!"

Zhang Yu asked, "I heard that Lai En's troops suffered heavy losses during their migration southward. I wonder what the situation is like?"

Kobe sighed and said, "Perhaps because he knew I was working for you, Qianman sent people to hunt me down. I fought back, but we were outnumbered. Although we repelled the enemy, we suffered many casualties. Even my brother, Zhu Luohou, died in battle. Although we have moved south to the frontier, we have no livestock, our people are poor, and our tribe has died. There are only a hundred tents left."

The decline of the tribe made Kobe feel mixed emotions, not to mention that he was stabbed in the back by his own elders, which led to the disintegration of his tribe. If he had not wanted to return to the grassland this time, perhaps his brother Zhu Luohou would not have died in battle.

After all, if Kobi had moved his tribe south earlier as agreed, he would have most likely not encountered Qianman's pursuers, and his tribe would have been able to escape back to the border smoothly. This made Kobi blame himself for his greed, which led to the death of his brother Ju Luohou.

Zhang Yu was touched when he heard this and said, "Laien moved south because of me. On the way, he was surrounded and hunted by Qianman, which led to the separation of his people and the loss of all his livestock. It was all because of me."

"Come here, considering the loyalty of the people of Guisai, take two thousand cattle and sheep from the looted livestock as a gift to them, and select the fertile area in Yanbei to be handed over to Lai En's troops for farming and grazing." Zhang Yu ordered.

"promise!"

Kobe was so excited that he bowed and said, "Since you have been so kind to me, I and my people have no way to repay you. From now on, we will guard the border for you to repay your kindness."

"No gift!"

Zhang Yu stood up from his chair, helped Coby up, and said soothingly: "Lai En should govern the people first. If there is a chance in the future, I will avenge you."

"Thank you, sir!" Kirby said gratefully.

After Kobe left, Zhang Yu stared at his back, still a little worried, and said, "Place Kobe's troops around Pingcheng, and don't let them get close to the border."

"Ke Bi is knowledgeable in military strategy and good at commanding troops. If he is stationed near the frontier, he may be able to drive the Hu people out of the border. Now that your Excellency has placed Ke Bi in Pingcheng, is there any other hidden reason?" Yu Yi asked.

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "There are ways to raise a tiger, you can't let it go."

"Has there been any news from Budugen?"

"Have!"

Yu Yi sorted out his thoughts and said, "Budugen led his troops to fight Qianman at Mumashui. At first, Qianman was weak and could not defeat Budugen's army. But Qianman actually lured Budugen's tribes to rebel. Budugen was caught off guard and was defeated by Qianman."

"When Fuluohan led his troops to the scene, they were able to stop Qianman's forces. Budugen received reinforcements and had many soldiers under his command. Although the two armies attacked each other in the following days, many of Qianman's soldiers were killed and wounded. Just when they were about to be defeated, the Xianbei from Youzhou attacked Budugen's tribe from behind, and the two tribes had no choice but to negotiate a truce."

"The two departments are negotiating peace?" Zhang Yu asked with a frown.

"Of course!"

Yu Yi nodded and said, "The two tribes have temporarily agreed on a border, with Zhongshan as the border, with Qianman in the west and Budugen in the east. However, in my humble opinion, the two tribes should rest because of exhaustion, and when they are stronger, they will rise up and fight again."

Zhang Yu shook his head and smiled, saying, "In the past, Emperor Gaozu and Xiang Yu divided the Chu River and Han River. After Xiang Yu withdrew his troops, Emperor Gaozu accepted Zhang Liang's strategy and led his troops to counterattack, eventually establishing the foundation of the Han Dynasty. Now, looking at what the two Hu are doing, they are not people who can accomplish anything. The border may be a little more peaceful."

"Your Excellency is wise!" Yu Yi praised with a smile.

Originally, Zhang Yu was worried that a powerful leader would emerge between Budugen and Qianman and unite the Xianbei again. Now, seeing the two of them taking action, he felt relieved.

After all, once the Xianbei, a nomadic people with a lack of organization, split up and gave each other time to develop, it would be difficult to unify them. And a nomadic people that could not be unified would hardly pose a threat to the Central Plains dynasty.

Soon, time proved Zhang Yu's point of view. After Qianman returned to his headquarters, he moved his headquarters westward because he was worried that Budugen would unite with the Han people.

Budugen and Fuluohan had a conflict over the distribution of spoils. Budugen believed that as the Chanyu he should get more spoils, while Fuluohan believed that he had made more contributions in the war and should get more spoils.

After a dispute, Budugen finally got more spoils by virtue of his status as Chanyu. This also made Fuluohan dissatisfied with Budugen's actions, so he led his troops away.

Not to mention the internal division within the Xianbei, now Zhang Yu received an imperial edict of reward from Liu Hong again after many months.

"Your Majesty was very pleased to hear that Lord Zhang had made another military achievement. He asked me to tell you that Bingzhou is close to the Xianbei, and the two counties have been plundered. However, since you left the city, you have repeatedly defeated the Hu bandits and greatly enhanced your reputation. The world is in trouble today, and I hope you will work hard.'"

The envoy solemnly handed the seal to Zhang Yu and said with a smile: "Lord Zhang has moved twice in one year, which is not something that ordinary people can do. All the nobles in Luoyang are talking about your name."

Zhang Yu took the seal and said with a smile, "I wonder if Changshi Zhang still remembers Yu?"

The messenger was puzzled, not knowing what Zhang Yu meant, and could only say vaguely: "Attendant Zhang serves Your Majesty, how could he not know your majesty's reputation!"

Zhang Yu invited the envoy to take a seat and asked, "I have lived in the frontier fortress for a long time and do not know the changes in the world. Can the envoy give me some advice today?"

"promise!"

The envoy knelt on the table and said, "Your Majesty, since this year, there have been many disturbances in the country. The people of Xingyang rebelled and the magistrate of Xingyang died. The governor of Henan, He Gongshuda (He Miao), went out to fight against the rebellion. Now he has been promoted to General of Chariots and Cavalry and is running the country with the general." "The governor of Liangzhou led the troops of six counties to fight against the rebellion, but because the governor of Longxi rebelled, the army was defeated and all the counties on the right side of Long were lost. Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun colluded with the Wuhuan to rebel, and the governors of Youbeiping and Liaodong counties, as well as the commander of the Wuhuan Guard, Gong Qi Chou, died in battle. They falsely claimed to be the emperor. Now your majesty has sent a large army to fight against the rebellion, and also ordered the conscription of 3,000 cavalry from the Southern Xiongnu to join the army."

"Your Majesty, are you going to mobilize 3,000 cavalry from the Southern Xiongnu to go on the expedition?" Zhang Yu asked with a frown.

Seeing that Zhang Yu looked unhappy, the messenger asked, "Does your Excellency think this is inappropriate?"

"nothing!"

Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "Apart from the above, are there any other changes?"

"Except for Youzhou and Liangzhou, Jingzhou is in turmoil. Bandits are rising in Changsha. Your Majesty has ordered Sun Jian to lead a thousand men to Changsha to fight against the bandits. I think it will not be difficult to quell the small bandits in Jingzhou."

The messenger looked worried and said, "Now that the moth thieves have been defeated, I thought the world would be at peace, but unexpectedly bandits have sprung up everywhere. I don't know when we can have peace again!"

Zhang Yu tried to appease them symbolically, saying, "After the turmoil, there will be peace. Your Majesty is wise, and you are all virtuous. The world will eventually be at peace."

"I hope so!" sighed the messenger.

After the envoy left, Zhang Yu showed a worried look. The world was becoming more and more chaotic. Not only were there riots on the border, but even the Yin of Henan was in rebellion. It was really unimaginable!

"My lord, why are you not happy about being granted an official title?" asked Yu Yi.

Zhang Yu stood up from the couch and said, "It's not that I'm unhappy, but I'm worried about the affairs of the world. Today, the world is in turmoil. Youzhou and Jizhou are in turmoil. The two Zhangs colluded with Wuhuan and rebelled. Even the Southern Xiongnu had to send troops to Youzhou to suppress the Wuhuan rebellion, which shows how urgent the situation in Youzhou is!"

Zhang Liao looked worried and asked, "Sir, the Xiongnu tribes have been scattered and have not obeyed the Chanyu's orders for a long time. Now the court has sent 3,000 cavalry to Youzhou to quell the rebellion. I wonder if this will cause unrest in the royal court?"

"probably not!"

Hao Zhao said: "The royal court is in Zuocheng, under the protection of the General of the Central Army, and has other soldiers and horses to guard it. Now that 3,000 cavalry are being dispatched to the expedition to Youzhou, how can the royal court be in turmoil?"

"Bo Dao, you don't know that now Chanyu Qiangqu has appointed Youxian King to succeed the throne, and many people in the lineage of Zuoxian King are dissatisfied. If the royal court is weak and Zuoxian King launches a mutiny, the Xiongnu will be in chaos!" Zhang Liao said.

In order to control the Southern Xiongnu, the Eastern Han Dynasty often interfered with the succession order of the Chanyu, such as not following the etiquette and choosing the descendants of the branch line or the leaders who were loyal to the Han Dynasty. When the previous Chanyu was killed by the General of the Central Army Zhang Xiu, the weak Right Wise King was chosen to take the throne instead of the Left Wise King.

"So what if it's turbulent?"

Zhang Feng was eager to try, and said: "Your Excellency has already controlled the two Xiongnu tribes of Lan and Hu Yan. If the Southern Xiongnu rebels now, I will lead my army to wipe them out unexpectedly."

Zhang Yu paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, saying, "To be honest, I am not worried about Zuo Xian Wang's rebellion, but I am worried that the court will withhold military funds, causing the Xiongnu cavalry to become dissatisfied and follow the example of the Wuhuan cavalry and rise up in rebellion against the court."

Zhang Yu had been in politics for several years, so how could he not know the nature of the Eastern Han Dynasty court? The fact that the situation in Liangzhou had reached this point was probably related to the incompetence and corruption of Liangzhou officials.

In the past, the governor of Liangzhou, Zuo Chang, embezzled tens of millions of military funds and indulged the rise of the Liangzhou rebels. In order to quell the Liangzhou rebels, 3,000 Wuhuan cavalry were dispatched, but because of the withholding of military funds, the 3,000 Wuhuan cavalry rebelled. Now, in order to resolve the Wuhuan rebellion, 3,000 Xiongnu cavalry were dispatched. If the military funds are withheld again, it is feared that riots will occur again.

Take him for example. Since he was ordered by the court to recruit soldiers, Bingzhou often withheld military pay. Now he has been awarded by the court, but Bingzhou has only paid half of the reward. Fortunately, he looted a lot of livestock, so he was able to use the livestock to reward his subordinates, so there was no arrears of military pay.

"Since Your Excellency is worried about this, I wonder if you want to report it to Luoyang?" Yu Yi asked.

Zhang Yu pondered for a long time and said, "The court used the Xiongnu tribes to protect the frontier. In the past, the court would not move lightly. But now the court has dispatched Xiongnu cavalry to attack Youzhou, which is enough to show that Youzhou is in urgent need. How could the court change its policy easily?"

After a pause, Zhang Yu said, "If the turmoil in Youzhou is serious, maybe even our army will rush to Youzhou to quell the rebellion!"

Would dispatching 3,000 Xiongnu cavalry definitely lead to a Xiongnu rebellion?
Zhang Yu didn't know, but there was one thing he was very sure of. Based on his understanding of the Southern Xiongnu, once a rebellion broke out, all the conflicts accumulated in the past would burst out, and the momentum would definitely be considerable.

Zhang Yu chatted with his subordinates for a few more minutes, asked them to intensify the training of their cavalry, and then let them withdraw.

After everyone left, Zhang Yu took out the letter sent by Yuan Shu.

Because he gave up his throne to He Miao, Yuan Shu was promoted to General of the Tiger Guards. In the letter he sent, in addition to praising Zhang Yu's military achievements, Yuan Shu also complained about the current political situation in Luoyang.

In order to divide He Jin's power, Liu Hong pushed He Miao, who was the half-father of Empress He, to the forefront. He appointed He Miao to suppress the bandits in Xingyang, appointed him as General of Chariots and Cavalry, and allowed him to set up a government office.

After He Miao came to power, he recruited a large number of famous scholars to the capital. Unlike He Jin, who was close to scholars, He Miao recruited scholars to serve as officials, but his attitude was close to eunuchs, which made Luoyang, which was already a mixed bag, even more chaotic.

At the end of the letter, Yuan Shu mentioned Sun Jian, saying that Sun Jian was quite talented and was quite close to him. Now, with his recommendation and Zhang Wen's care, Sun Jian, who had been idle for more than a year, finally got the opportunity to quell the rebellion. Now he would go to Changsha to quell the Quxing Rebellion.

After replying the letter, Zhang Yu walked to the window, looked at the sunset in the sky, and couldn't help frowning and thinking deeply.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the power of scholars increased greatly, while the power of eunuchs gradually declined. Liu Hong promoted He Jin to the position, perhaps out of consideration for balancing the power of the court. Liu Hong hoped to use He Jin to strengthen his control over officials.

But after He Jin came to power, Liu Hong was worried because of his overly friendly attitude towards scholars. In order to divide He Jin's power, Liu Hong pushed He Miao, who was close to the eunuchs, to the front and made him a general of chariots and cavalry, with the power to open a government and recruit troops.

It is not difficult to predict that in the future He Jin and He Miao will most likely fight over different interests.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu had to admit that Liu Hong was really talented in manipulating power. No wonder he was able to take advantage of the conflict between the eunuchs and Dou Wu and gradually seize the royal power.

Unfortunately, Liu Hong forgot that political tactics are always tactics rather than principles, and there are too many smart people in the world, not everyone would obey Liu Hong's orders. Even an emperor like Emperor Wu of Han would get involved in the disaster of witchcraft, let alone Liu Hong.

Once Liu Hong passes away, the world will soon be plunged into conflict, and I must make arrangements as soon as possible!

"Yanmen County!"

Zhang Yu murmured, his eyes becoming fierce.

(End of this chapter)