Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 131: Han Dynasty Loyal Minister - Zhang Yu

After spending five or six days in the gentle land with the beauty, Zhang Yu finally set off for the capital to report on his work, escorted by Zhang Feng and twenty cavalrymen.

From Jinyang, he went to Shangdang County, then went down Shangdang, and went to Henei County via Baixing. In Henei, Zhang Yu paid a visit to the prefect Wang Yun.

"Yu greets uncle!"

Zhang Yu bowed to Wang Yun, performed the etiquette of a disciple, and said, "There are many furs in Yanbei, and I brought some with me. I hope you will not mind my humble gift."

"Jian is still so polite!"

Wang Yun asked his second son Wang Jing to accept the furs and said with a smile, "Ji'an was appointed to defeat the enemy and led his troops to kill the Chanyu. He made great contributions to defeating the Hu people. His military exploits were so outstanding that even I in Henei have heard of them. Now the court has conferred him the title of county marquis and granted him a fief of 1,500 households. This is really a generous treatment for Ji'an!"

Zhang Yu said humbly: "I still remember the first time I met my uncle. Without your recommendation and cultivation, I would not be where I am today!"

Wang Yun waved his hand and said disapprovingly: "Ji'an is not an ordinary man. He can make outstanding achievements both in the Central Plains and on the border. My Wang family has not contributed much."

Wang Yun saw through it and knew that Zhang Yu actually relied more on himself during his career, rather than relying solely on Wang's support. With Zhang Yu's bravery and military knowledge, he could have made a name for himself just by his military achievements.

From today's perspective, Wang Shi played a role as a catalyst in Zhang Yu's career, helping him to get ahead a few years earlier. If he relied on his status and talked about Wang Shi's help, Zhang Yu would probably be disgusted.

And Zhang Yu is not a pure blood-sucking person. When he was in trouble and imprisoned, Zhang Yu came forward and rescued him with the Umbrella of All People!
After a pause, Wang Yun asked, "Why did Ji'an go to Luoyang?"

"Your Majesty has issued an edict to summon Yu and order him to come to the capital to report on his work. As for his official position, I'm afraid there will be other arrangements!" Zhang Yu said.

Wang Yun hesitated for a moment and said, "Luoyang has been in turmoil recently. If Ji'an goes to Luoyang, he may need to pay attention to the situation."

"Uncle, please give me some advice!" Zhang Yu asked respectfully.

Wang Yun stroked his beard and said, "Last month, Jizhou Governor Wang Fen deliberately rebelled. He wanted to take advantage of Your Majesty's northern tour to Hebei to kidnap Your Majesty and support the Marquis of Hefei. Your Majesty canceled the northern tour due to unlucky astronomical signs, and Wang Fen was afraid of being caught, so he committed suicide out of fear of being punished."

"Your Majesty was furious about this. Not only did he order an investigation into Wang Fen's followers, he also wanted to establish the Xiyuan Army to deter those who did evil. Your Majesty wants to lead the Xiyuan Army himself, with the troops divided into eight colonels, led by Xiao Huangmen Jian Shuo."

After a pause, Wang Yun thought for a moment and said, "I think your majesty's intention in forming the Xiyuan Army is not to deter those who commit crimes, but to curb the military power of the general."

"Why do you want to restrain the general?" Zhang Yu asked casually.

Wang Yun shook his head and said, "Your Majesty favors the eunuchs, but the general always wants to eliminate the thieves for the country. Perhaps the eunuchs are worried about the general's power, so they instigated Your Majesty to check and balance the general."

Zhang Yu pondered for a long time. He always felt that Liu Hong's purpose of forming the Xiyuan Army was not so simple. He Jin was considered a relative supported by Liu Hong himself. It was enough to use He Miao to balance and check He Jin.

Now using eunuchs to check and balance He Jin personally would not only intensify the struggle between He Jin and the eunuchs, but would also put He Jin under the eunuchs, which would seem to be a restriction on the He family.

What family?

Zhang Yu thought of the succession turmoil after Liu Hong's death in history, and roughly understood something. Perhaps Liu Hong did not want to make Liu Bian, the son of Empress He, the crown prince. By restricting He Jin's military power, perhaps he could suppress He Jin and achieve the goal of abolishing the eldest and establishing the youngest.

I wonder what role he will play when he comes to Beijing this time?
Player, pawn, or outsider?

Seeing Zhang Yu thinking without saying anything, Wang Yun asked, "Does Ji'an have a different opinion?"

"No!"

Zhang Yu suppressed his thoughts in his heart, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you uncle for telling me about the situation in Luoyang!"

While the uncle and nephew were talking, Cheng Pu walked into the hall after being informed.

"Sir, Ding Yuan, the governor of Bingzhou, is here to pay you a visit!" Cheng Pu said, bowing to Wang Yun and Zhang Yu respectively.

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "Uncle, if it is inconvenient, I will take my leave for now."

Wang Yun waved his hand, signaling Ding Yuan to come in, and said helplessly: "Ji'an is temporarily the captain of the Xianbei Defeater, why should we avoid Ding Yuan? He came here today just for soldiers, money and food."

"Troops, horses, money and food?" Zhang Yu asked doubtfully.

"Of course!"

Wang Yun nodded and said, "Ding Jianyang was appointed as the governor of Bingzhou by the court. Knowing that Bingzhou has a sparse population and insufficient money and grain, the court approved and allowed Ding Yuan to be stationed in Henei and recruit able-bodied men from Henei as soldiers. Henei was also ordered to provide money and grain for the supply."

"Ji'an will inevitably interact with Ding Jianyang in the future, and now we can get to know each other here." Wang Yun said.

"good!"

After a while, Ding Yuan came in with a hearty smile, bowed and said, "Yuan greets Wang Henei!"

"Hello, Ding Bingzhou!" Wang Yun stood up and greeted him, saying.

"I wonder who this is?"

When Ding Yuan saw the heroic Zhang Yu greeting him, he couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Marquis of Pingcheng, I defeated the Xianbei captain Zhang Yu and am here to meet Ding Bingzhou!" Zhang Yu said with a kind smile.

Seeing this, Ding Yuan was very surprised and hurriedly bowed and said, "I am Ding Yuan, the governor of Bingzhou. I am honored to meet Lord Zhang. Lord Zhang's name is well-known. I have long wanted to pay a visit to Lord Zhang, but I didn't expect to meet him here."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "I heard that Mr. Ding was appointed as the governor. All the officials in Bingzhou are looking forward to Mr. Ding. From now on, I will trouble you to take care of Bingzhou's military and political affairs."

Ding Yuan smiled and said, "The barbarians in Bingzhou are rampant. I am afraid that you may need to deter them. I hope you can give me more advice in the future."

After a pause, Ding Yuan asked, "Your Excellency's residence is in Yanmen, how come it is in Henei?" Although Ding Yuan had not yet taken up his post in Bingzhou, he had already found out about the relationship between Zhang Yu and Wang Yun, as well as Zhang Yu's reputation within Bingzhou.

Zhang Yu said, "I was ordered to go to Luoyang. When I arrived in Henei, I wanted to visit Wang Fujun and then meet the governor. I didn't expect to meet him here."

Ding Yuan said with envy: "Your Excellency has killed the Chanyu and defeated the Xiongnu. You have made such a great contribution. Your Majesty will surely reward you greatly. I would like to congratulate you here."

If it was the old Zhang Yu, Ding Yuan would not have to be so kind and humble. But Zhang Yu's reputation in Bingzhou was extraordinary, and he had a large army under his command, not to mention that Zhang Yu's in-laws were from the Wang family of Qi County.

To put it bluntly, if Ding Yuan wanted to govern Bingzhou well, or to live in harmony with the officials of Bingzhou, he had to make friends with Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu naturally accepted the olive branch thrown by Ding Yuan. After all, he had no need to offend Ding Yuan at the moment, and he still needed to maintain a good relationship with Ding Yuan.

In Hanoi, Zhang Yu chatted with Ding Yuan and Wang Yun for a long time. Afterwards, Zhang Yu did not forget Cheng Pu. Before leaving, Zhang Yu drank with Cheng Pu, which touched Cheng Pu deeply.

Cheng Pu originally thought that Zhang Yu would forget him because of his promotion to a higher position, but Zhang Yu did not forget him. Not only did his tone and expression remain unchanged, but the content of his conversation was more about caring about him.

Moreover, Zhang Yu saw that Cheng Pu had not been promoted for a long time, so he said some conciliatory words, saying that if Cheng Pu wanted to leave Wang Yun and join the army, he would prepare an official position for Cheng Pu. These words touched Cheng Pu deeply, and he felt that Zhang Yu was a person he could trust.

Cheng Pu saw him off to the bank of the Yellow River. After Zhang Yu said goodbye to him, he crossed the Yellow River and arrived in Luoyang.

Luoyang had not changed much from a few years ago. When Zhang Yu arrived in Luoyang, it was already late. Just like when he entered Beijing a few years ago, he stayed in the palace to rest and met with Wang Chen and Wang Gai.

The next day, after obtaining permission to meet Liu Hong, Zhang Yu entered the palace in formal attire and went to the Nan Palace to pay a visit to Liu Hong.

When Zhang Yu was the Shangshu Lang, a fire broke out in the Nan Palace. Now when Zhang Yu arrived at the Luoyang Palace again, the Nan Palace had been renovated. The materials used were more luxurious than the previous palaces, and the appearance was more magnificent. The cost of repairing these palaces was probably the same as the refugees Zhang Yu saw on the road.

Because Liu Hong had something to do in the palace, Zhang Yu could only wait outside the palace for a while.

After a while, the attendant came up and said to Zhang Yu, "Your Majesty summons Lord Zhang to come in!"

"Thank you!"

Zhang Yu straightened his clothes and followed the attendants' instructions to enter the hall to pay his respects to Liu Hong.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhang Yu, pay my respects to you. May your Majesty enjoy eternal happiness and long-lasting joy!"

Zhang Yu knelt down and greeted Liu Hong who was sitting on the couch.

Compared to the ruddy Liu Hong a few years ago, Liu Hong now looks haggard, pale, and much weaker in spirit.

This change was either due to excessive paperwork or excessive indulgence in wine and women. In Zhang Yu's opinion, Liu Hong probably did the latter, after all, Liu Hong was well-known for his lust in the court.

"No need to be polite, Mr. Zhang!"

"Someone please give me a seat!"

Liu Hong got off the bed and helped him, saying with a smile: "Several years ago, you submitted a petition to recommend yourself, saying that you would serve the country at the border and drive out the Hu Ansai. I was skeptical at the time."

"However, I didn't expect that you would live up to your promise and purged the Xiongnu in the two counties and drove the Xianbei out of the Great Wall. When the army was defeated, you took the order in the face of danger, occupied the dangerous place of the Hu, and secretly killed the Chanyu. When I read the military report, I deeply sighed how difficult and dangerous it was!"

As he spoke, Liu Hong fondly stroked Zhang Yu's back and said with a smile, "I said in my imperial edict that I regretted not being able to stroke your back. Now I have fulfilled my usual wish!"

Zhang Yu was flattered and said, "Your Majesty has shown me great kindness. How dare I not serve you till my death?"

"good!"

Liu Hong asked Zhang Yu to sit down and said with emotion: "I have promoted many officials in recent years, but the only one who stood out and did not disappoint me is Zhang Qing!"

"Your Majesty is so complimentary!"

Zhang Yu said hypocritically: "When I lived in the northern border, I was always worried that I could not repay your majesty's kindness and violated the words in the memorial. Now I have made some achievements, thanks to your majesty's great blessing. I have been able to establish merits and finally have the face to see your majesty!"

In order to advance himself, Zhang Yu had to bear the image of a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty!

And Zhang Yu is really like an octopus. The octopus can change its color and structure according to the environment. Zhang Yu can change his personality and words and deeds according to different situations. He really lives up to the name!
Liu Hong sat back on the couch and said, "I know your loyalty and enthusiasm now."

As he spoke, Liu Hong asked tentatively: "I invited you to the capital. First, I want to learn about the Hu bandits and listen to your report. Second, because you have made meritorious contributions, you need to be awarded an official position. So I don't know what position you want to seek?"

"To serve the country is not about time or place. If Your Majesty needs me to go to Bashu to fight the bandits, I will lead my troops south immediately to wipe out the bandits for the country."

Zhang Yu looked serious and said, "The reason why I asked to go and destroy Baibo is because Baibo is in Hedong, and I live next door to it. I want to pacify the people and defeat the bandits, so I went to Hedong to ask to conquer Baibo."

"Your Majesty decides the positions now, how dare I make the decision on my own!" Zhang Yu said, "If Your Majesty needs me to serve in Luoyang, I can hold the halberd and guard the palace for Your Majesty."

Seeing Zhang Yu's statement, Liu Hong was overjoyed and said with a smile: "Ji'an is well versed in military strategy, and he will become a great man in the future!"

As he spoke, Liu Hong changed his tone and asked: "I have a doubt now, I wonder if you can solve my doubts?"

"I am a humble and unsophisticated person, but since Your Majesty has asked me this question, I will do my best to answer it!" Zhang Yu said.

"I want to form the Xiyuan Army, but as for the origins of the soldiers and officers in the army, some say we should recruit new soldiers, while others say we should select brave warriors. I can't be sure for the moment. I wonder what Ji'an thinks?" Liu Hong asked.

ps: My waist still hurts repeatedly, so I will have to delay the update I owe. Please forgive me, fellow book lovers!

(End of this chapter)