Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 127 The Law of True Fragrance
March 11th was the sixth day that Zhang Yu became the interim head coach.

In the afternoon, the sun dispelled the dark clouds, and the corpses of the Hu people were scattered all over Sanchagou. The Han cavalry gathered from all directions.

Zhang Yu stopped his horse at a hill and looked out at the abandoned Xiongnu camp.

After he killed Xubu Chanyu last night, the Xiongnu soldiers lost their leader and fell into chaos under the charge of the Han cavalry.

After the Chanyu's camp was broken, Zhang Yu divided the main Han cavalry into two groups, one to support the left and the other to support the left and right camps respectively.

For example, the left camp was attacked by Zhang Yang and Lu Bu. Although their troops were small, they were extremely brave and turned the left camp of the Xiongnu upside down. With the support of Shi Yi later, the two men defeated the left camp and spread the war to other parts.

In the Xiongnu right camp, although Hao Zhao and Ke Bi launched a charge, they were caught in a fierce battle in the camp. After defeating the Xiongnu soldiers in the Chanyu's camp, Zhang Yu and Zhang Liao raided the right camp from the flank. After a night of hard fighting, they helped Hao Zhao and Ke Bi to break through the right camp.

That night, the Han cavalry broke through the four camps of the Xiongnu in succession. Until dawn, when the Xiongnu soldiers from various tribes came to support them, the Han cavalry reluctantly withdrew.

After the Han cavalry retreated, the leaders of the various Xiongnu tribes were shocked to learn that the Chanyu had been beheaded.

Soon, due to the quarrel and conflict between Luan Timoche and Qubei, the nobles of various tribes had no time to avenge Xubu Chanyu. After reconciling the conflict between the two, they hurriedly led their troops to retreat.

After the Huns left, Zhang Yu led his troops back to Sanchagou to clean up the battlefield from last night to see if there were any missed achievements.

"Fengxian, are there any military achievements missed today?" Zhang Yu pointed at Lu Bu with his whip and asked.

"More than thirty more heads were beheaded!"

Lu Bu bowed to Zhang Yu and said with a smile: "Our army attacked the Xiongnu camp at night, beheaded more than 900 people, and captured five Xiongnu nobles. Your Excellency also killed the Chanyu at night. This is a great victory. Lu Bu congratulates you for your great achievement!"

Zhang Yu returned the greeting to Lü Bu and said modestly, "If it weren't for Fengxian's bravery in defeating the Xiongnu's left camp last night, how could our army have won the victory? After this battle, I will commend Fengxian for his achievements."

"Thank you, Lord!"

Looking at Zhang Yu's leaving back, Lu Bu's eyes were filled with envy and faint jealousy.

If he had the resources of Zhang Yu, he might not be much worse than Zhang Yu. After all, in terms of horseback archery, his shooting speed is just as superb; in terms of bravery in breaking through the enemy lines, he is not much worse than Zhang Yu...

Before, he worshipped Zhang Ji as his uncle in order to establish a good relationship with Zhang Yu and hope that Zhang Yu would recommend him, but he found that Zhang Yu had not taken any action.

Although he has made meritorious contributions in the army, his mere merit of defeating the Hu chieftain cannot be compared with his deeds of turning the tide, leading troops to repel the Xiongnu, and beheading the Chanyu at night. People will only remember the name of the commander Zhang Yu, not his name Lu Bu.

Zhang Yu became rich because he had a good father-in-law. I wonder who his benefactor is?

Zhang Yu had no idea what Lu Bu was thinking.

Since Lü Bu and Zhang Yu started to interact, Zhang Yu did not dare to get too close to Lü Bu. After all, in history, even Dong Zhuo could not control Lü Bu, let alone his current situation.

Therefore, Zhang Yu had his own principles in dealing with Lu Bu: he was cautious inside but used his power outside, and only used his military power but not his personality.

This is also why Zhang Yu did not recruit Lu Bu. If he recruited Lu Bu, what position could he give him? If he gave Lu Bu resources, could he ensure that Lu Bu would not turn against him?

Therefore, instead of recruiting Lu Bu, he should have used him not because of his talent, but because of his bravery in battle, and reported his military merits and rewards fairly and justly, so as to establish a good relationship with Lu Bu.

After all, if Lu Bu does not change his historical deeds, he will sooner or later cling to others. And in his struggle for supremacy in the world, he will inevitably need some allies to help him.

Zhang Liao rode his horse to find Zhang Yu and said, "Brother, according to the captives' report, the Han army pursued us yesterday but was defeated by Qu Bei, killing hundreds of people. It must be that the lords who stayed behind did not listen to my advice and rashly pursued us and were defeated by the Xiongnu!"

Zhang Yu raised his eyebrows slightly and said calmly: "It is better to be frustrated in pursuit than to be defeated. Now that the Xiongnu Chanyu is dead, the rebellious Hu may be able to stay calm for a few years."

With the situation clear, Zhang Yu hoped that Wang Ze would make a fool of himself to highlight his current military achievements. After all, only with comparison can there be a gap, which will make the people of Bingzhou respect him.

Zhang Liao looked respectful and said, "The army was defeated and everyone was in panic, but you were fearless in the face of danger and accepted the responsibility of repelling the enemy. Now you have not only repelled the enemy, but also attacked and killed the Chanyu. From now on, all the Han and Xiongnu people will be in awe of you."

Zhang Yu showed his pride and said, "Being in awe is not enough. If I can make the Xiongnu submit to me in the future, that will be what I want."

The significance of the campaign to defeat the Huns to Zhang Yu is self-evident.

Zhang Yu will be able to become famous in the northern border with this battle, and even be promoted to the rank of general. He is now a colonel, and if nothing unexpected happens, he will be awarded the title of Lieutenant General. The status of Lieutenant General is completely different from that of Colonel.

The power of a lieutenant can be large or small, and he has the power to lead troops to fight. However, in the current situation, if there is a large-scale turmoil, the Eastern Han Dynasty will at least select a general to lead the troops, and under him will be a lieutenant or a captain. Therefore, if he has the title of general, Zhang Yu will be able to control more troops.

Judging from the subsequent impact, Zhang Yu's reputation within Bingzhou will be elevated. In times of chaos and turmoil, Bingzhou will not reject Zhang Yu's rule. Even if a crisis occurs, Bingzhou officials may even welcome the royal army!

While the two were chatting, Shi Yi came riding fast, bowed and said, "Sir, Wang Ze and Guo Yu are coming with their troops!"

Zhang Liao sneered and said, "Wang Ze knows that you have won a great victory, so I am afraid he is here to steal the credit!"

Zhang Yu looked towards the east and saw a series of black spots on the river coming towards him. He smiled and said, "What's the big deal about stealing the credit? Your Majesty has made a great contribution by helping us repel the Huns!" After that, Zhang Yu rode his horse forward to meet Wang and Guo.

Zhang Liao curled his lips and said to Shi Yi, "Your Excellency is very generous. You are willing to share the credit and are unwilling to argue with your colleagues."

Shi Yi shrugged and said, "Your Excellency's mind is as vast as the sky, and your ambition is as high as an eagle soaring into the sky. Wang Ze is short-sighted, and I'm afraid Your Excellency is unwilling to argue with him."

Not to mention that Zhang Yu's subordinates were dissatisfied with Wang Ze coming to share the credit now, and now Zhang Yu had just met with Wang Ze and Guo Yu.

Zhang Yu said in a friendly manner, "Yesterday, the military situation was urgent, so I couldn't tell you the reason in detail. I hope you won't blame me!"

Seeing Zhang Yu's words, Guo Yu looked ashamed and said, "I regret not listening to the captain's words. I rashly pursued him yesterday and unfortunately was defeated by Qu Bei, and lost all my troops!"

Zhang Yu gave the two men a step down and said with a smile: "If you two hadn't been chasing and delaying Qu Bei's journey, how could Yu have taken advantage of the empty camp of the Chanyu and led his troops to attack and destroy it? Therefore, if Yu can achieve great merit now, you two should have contributed a lot!"

Hearing this, Wang Ze couldn't help but blush. Yesterday, he suspected Zhang Yu of being greedy for merit, so he didn't want to listen to Zhang Yu's words of chasing after him, and insisted on dragging Guo Yu to chase after him.

After being defeated by Qu Bei, Wang Ze immediately regretted that he had to pursue and suffered a lot of losses. Now, when he heard Zhang Yu say that they had contributed to his military achievements, Wang Ze, who used his own mean heart to judge others, also felt ashamed.

Guo Yu looked at the Han cavalry cleaning up the battlefield and asked curiously, "I wonder what the captain has gained?"

Zhang Yu said calmly, "According to my statistics, my troops raided the Xiongnu camp last night, captured nearly a thousand prisoners, beheaded the Chanyu, and seized the Chanyu's banner and the sacrificial gold man!"

"what?"

Wang Ze exclaimed in shock, "Did the captain say that he killed the Chanyu last night?"

"Ok!"

Zhang Yu pointed casually and said, "If Wang Yanmen doesn't believe it, you can take Xubu Chanyu's head and have a look."

Using calm words and speaking in a boastful manner made Wang Ze and Guo Yu look at each other. There was nothing but shock in their eyes.

Pursuing and making achievements may not be a big deal, but pursuing and killing the Hu chieftain and returning with him is of extraordinary significance. Now the two of them have been shocked by Zhang Yu's achievements.

Guo Yu was the first to react and asked, "May I ask how the captain knew that the Xiongnu had elite troops guarding the rear, and how the captain was able to pursue the Xiongnu and kill the Chanyu?"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "There are many military experts among the Xiongnu. If they withdraw now, they will be afraid of our pursuit, so they must leave their elite troops behind. I know that the Xiongnu may leave elite troops behind, so I sneak through the mountains to avoid their elite troops, and attack them by surprise in the dead of night."

"As for killing the Chanyu, it was just a fluke last night!"

Wang Ze couldn't help but think to himself: "If there is a deliberate plan to kill the Chanyu, wouldn't that be against the will of heaven?"

Thinking that Zhang Yu was willing to share the credit for defeating the Hu with them, Wang Ze's negative impression of Zhang Yu was swept away, and he was left with only admiration for Zhang Yu's ability to command troops. After all, killing the Chanyu could be attributed to luck, but defeating the Xiongnu could not be explained by good luck.

It feels so good to hug someone’s thigh!
Why bother with Zhang Yu’s seniority and age!

Now that we have achieved the feat of "defeating the enemy", maybe we can finally move our butt which has been motionless for years!

Wang Ze's attitude changed greatly, and he exclaimed: "Captain Zhang can predict the Xiongnu's military strategy. I admire him very much!"

Guo Yu said with emotion: "If Captain Zhang was born during the reign of Emperor Shizong, he would have been able to go out of the border with Generals Wei and Huo to attack the Xiongnu in the north for the Han Dynasty!"

"You are too kind!"

Zhang Yu said modestly: "Today, I am able to defeat the Hu people thanks to your great help!"

The three of them flattered each other, and Zhang Yu left first on the pretext of military affairs.

After Zhang Yu left, Guo Yu stroked his beard and sighed, saying, "I have long known that Ji'an has the ability to be a great general. When General Zhang died in battle, I strongly recommended him to be the commander-in-chief. Now he has lived up to the expectations of the soldiers and officials."

"Ok!"

Wang Ze understood and said with emotion: "When Ji'an beat the drum and showed his might, he scared off the Xiongnu pursuers. I knew he had the potential to be a famous general. Now he leads all the troops in Bingzhou, repels the Xiongnu, pursues and fights them, and kills the Chanyu. Now he can be called a famous general in Bingzhou!"

When he said this, Wang Ze couldn't help but feel fortunate that he did not object, but followed the crowd and agreed to Zhang Yu's temporary appointment as the commander-in-chief. Otherwise, he would be too embarrassed to say this now.

"Book of Tang: Chronicle of Taizu": "...Attack Huangluling. Taizu ordered his generals to select strong bows and crossbows, and shoot in succession. The enemy suffered heavy casualties and climbed the ridge by stepping on corpses, but failed. It rained heavily, and the enemy fled because of the difficulty. Taizu secretly went to Chagou, and on a rainy night, he led his cavalry to attack them vigorously, and defeated the enemy and beheaded the Chanyu. The barbarians were frightened and did not enter Bingzhou again."

ps: My waist hurts a lot today, so I can only update once for now. Let’s see if I can make up for it tomorrow and the day after tomorrow!

(End of this chapter)