Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 132 West Garden Captain
"The key to training new soldiers is that the local military preparations are lax. The reason why the world is in chaos today is not because our soldiers are not brave, but because the prefectures and counties are in turmoil. Your Majesty wants to deter those who do not follow the law. In my opinion, it is better to adopt the method of strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches, select the best local troops to come to the capital, and put them under your command."

Zhang Yu knelt on the mat and said respectfully, "Your Majesty is stationing a strong army in Luoyang at that time, to stabilize the capital and intimidate the prefectures and counties. If the strong army in Xiyuan is established, how dare the villains like Wang Fen and Bian Zhang rebel!"

"Hmm~"

Liu Hong nodded slightly, very satisfied with Zhang Yu's words.

Why was the imperial court afraid of Dong Zhuo? Wasn’t it because Dong Zhuo stationed his troops in Guanzhong, leaving the central government empty?

In order to appease Dong Zhuo and make him work for the court with peace of mind, he was almost ruthless in rewarding him. If we use brave soldiers to form the Xiyuan Army, it will have a great deterrent effect on generals like Dong Zhuo.

With this in mind, Liu Hong gained a lot of trust in Zhang Yu. After all, if Zhang Yu didn't care about the Han Dynasty, how could he make such a suggestion to him?
"I am deeply pleased that you care about the country."

Liu Hong stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Hearing what you said, I have a slight idea. The soldiers and officers of the Xiyuan Army will use the elite soldiers from the border counties as soldiers, and recruit brave warriors from the local areas, following the northern and southern military systems, and set up eight camps."

A school of Han troops has about 800 men, and eight school lieutenants have a total of 6,400 men. But if various officials and personal guards are included, the number of Xiyuan troops may be close to 7,000.

Although 7,000 people are few, if we train elite soldiers, the military strength of many states and counties is not as good as that of the Xiyuan Army. If we add the troops in Luoyang area, the only army that can compete with it is probably the army deployed in Guanzhong area by the Eastern Han Dynasty.

As he spoke, Liu Hong seemed to think of something and asked, "I have heard that the soldiers of Bingzhou are brave and valiant. I wonder which of the thousand cavalry warriors under your command is stronger than the soldiers of Liang and Long?"

Zhang Yu couldn't help but frown slightly, but soon relaxed his brows.

He still didn't know Liu Hong's purpose, or how Liu Hong would arrange his official position. And now Liu Hong suddenly asked about Bingzhou soldiers. Combined with what he just talked about, could it be that Liu Hong was interested in Bingzhou soldiers and planned to use them to form Xiyuan soldiers?

Zhang Yu remained calm and said, "Because Bing, Liang, and You are close to the border, the people are strong and everyone is good at riding. I don't know which of the two states has stronger troops. But in my opinion, the troops are evenly matched."

"Your Majesty wants to build a strong army in Xiyuan. If you don't mind my crudeness, I am willing to hold the halberd and raise the flag for Your Majesty and serve as a small soldier under the emperor's command."

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu's expression of loyalty made Liu Hong smile happily, and he asked, "Ji'an is a young and brave general. Don't you feel wronged to be appointed to Luoyang?"

"Luoyang is the capital. I feel extremely honored to be able to serve in Luoyang and protect the safety of Your Majesty. How could I feel wronged!" Zhang Yu said with a smile.

Hearing this, Liu Hong restrained his smile and said, "To be honest, Ji'an is a man of both civil and military talents, and is well versed in military tactics. I intend to recruit you to serve in Xiyuan. But I am afraid that if you stay in Beijing, it will be difficult for you to display your talents."

Zhang Yu was relieved to know that Liu Hong wanted to appoint him to Xiyuan. He was afraid that Liu Hong would go crazy and send him to Guanzhong to join forces with Dong Zhuo, or send him south to Wu and Chu to take up a post, or even take his troops away from him.

Zhang Yu's expression became serious, and he said, "As I said before, serving the country is not limited by territory or position. And your majesty built the Xiyuan Army not for viewing, but to deter evildoers."

"If the Yunzhong Yicong under my command patrol the border, the Hu bandits on the border will be forced to retreat when they see the Yunzhong flag. Now that the Xiyuan army has been formed, in my humble opinion, we should send the troops to fight against the local bandits, so that all the prefectures and counties in the world will know the name of the powerful Xiyuan army, and everyone will be pleased with your majesty and submit to you."

Hearing this, Liu Hong was overjoyed. If the Xiyuan soldiers under his command could have the effect that Zhang Yu described, then the villains in the world would not dare to cause chaos, and those officials would listen to him obediently.

"Whether the Xiyuan Army will have such a reputation in the future depends on the cooperation between you and the other captains," Liu Hong said.

Seeing that Liu Hong had made up his mind and really wanted him to serve in the Xiyuan Army, Zhang Yu no longer hesitated, bowed and said, "I will live up to your majesty's expectations and do my best to repay the country."

"good!"

Before he finished speaking, Jian Shuo stepped into the hall and reported, "Your Majesty, the prince asks to see Your Majesty!"

Liu Hong showed joy on his face and said, "Let Xie'er enter the palace quickly!"

Seeing this, Zhang Yu bowed and said, "Your Majesty has other important matters to attend to. I will take my leave first."

"No need!"

Liu Hong wanted Liu Xie to meet the ministers, and said with a smile: "It's not a big deal, it's just that the boy wants to see me, you can stay for the time being."

Liu Hong pointed at Jian Shuo and said with a smile, "The Xiyuan Army will be under my command, and Huangmen Jian Shuo will be the lieutenant of the upper army to help me command the troops in the capital. Ji'an will work with Jian Qing in the future, and the two gentlemen can communicate more."

"promise!"

After a while, the eight-year-old Liu Xie walked into the hall with small and quick steps, like a little adult. He greeted Liu Hong in a serious manner, and also greeted Zhang Yu and Jian Shuo very sensibly.

Zhang Yu immediately returned the greeting, cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you!"

Liu Hong pointed at Zhang Yu and said with a smile, "Xie'er, Zhang Qing once killed the Xiongnu Chanyu at night and shocked Bingshuo. He is a great general under my command. If Xie'er wants to practice riding and shooting in the future, he may ask Zhang Qing for advice."

Liu Xie bowed slightly, his young face very serious, and said: "Mr. Zhang's reputation is well known in the palace. If I want to learn archery in the future, please teach me the art of archery."

"I dare not say thank you for your hard work!" Zhang Yu said respectfully, "If the deputy has any orders in the future, I will never delay!"

Liu Hong stroked Liu Xie's little head, his eyes full of love, and said, "Ji'an has just arrived in Luoyang, and I think he must be very tired. You can leave now."

"I resign!"

Zhang Yu understood. Wasn't Liu Hong trying to let Liu Xie get to know the ministers?
After walking out of the hall, Zhang Yujian also walked out with Jian Shuo, and took the initiative to greet him and said, "Yu greets the commander of the army!"

"Shuo meets Lord Zhang!"

Jian Shuo smiled and said, "The Xiyuan Army has not yet been established, and I am afraid that you will need your assistance in the future."

"General Jian is so polite!"

Zhang Yu looked normal, not displeased by Jian Shuo's status as a eunuch, and said, "We all serve Your Majesty, so how can we talk about assistance? If you have any important matters in the future, just tell me!"

"good!"

Jian Shuo had a good impression of Zhang Yu and said, "You are in charge of one of the eight schools in Xiyuan. You have just been appointed as a school lieutenant and have no soldiers under your command. I am afraid you will need to recruit soldiers yourself. You can report the amount of money and food needed for the soldiers to me, and I will report it to Xiyuan and allocate funds for you."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu had already gained something in his mind. He pretended to be hesitant and said, "To be honest with you, Lord Jian, my trusted confidants are far away in Bingzhou. I don't know if I can transfer them to Beijing!"

In order to make friends with Zhang Yu, Jian Shuo invited Zhang Yu to a secluded place to talk, and whispered: "Your Majesty has ordered Ding Yuan, the governor of Bingzhou, to recruit brave men from Bingzhou and then go to Luoyang to serve as soldiers. Now if you want to transfer your old subordinates to your camp, you may follow this method to enter the capital."

After a pause, Jian Shuo reminded, "I heard that you have a lot of soldiers and horses under your command. When you transfer old subordinates to the capital, the number of them should not be too large to avoid gossip."

Jian Shuo could understand Zhang Yu's intention to transfer his old subordinates to Beijing to help him build the army, but Jian Shuo could not sit idly by and watch Zhang Yu transfer a large number of his old subordinates to his account. After all, Jian Shuo needed to ensure that the Xiyuan Army belonged to Liu Hong.

Zhang Yu stretched out his finger and gestured, saying, "How about four hundred people?"

Jian Shuo frowned and said, "Four hundred people are too many. I can approve two hundred and fifty people for you, and the rest must be selected by you from the soldiers and horses of the counties."

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty values the Xiyuan Army and hopes that it can become famous throughout the world. Our soldiers have been fighting with the Hu people for many years and are naturally brave and valiant. Everyone is good at riding and shooting. If they can be transferred to the Xiyuan Army, it will greatly enhance our army's strength."

Jian Shuo thought for a long time and said, "Your Excellency can dispatch 300 cavalry archers to Luoyang, but no more."

"Thank you, Mr. Jian!"

Zhang Yu bowed and expressed his gratitude.

Jian Shuo smiled and said, "Your Majesty promoted you and you are highly valued by him. Now that your Majesty has appointed you to an important position, I hope you can serve the country faithfully."

"Naturally!"

Zhang Yu said: "You are the commander-in-chief of all the troops in Xiyuan, and I should take charge of the military orders."

"good!"

Jian Shuo bowed and said, "Sir, please go slowly. I have some business to attend to, so I will go ahead now."

Seeing Zhang Yu's promise, Jian Shuo felt relieved. Since he was appointed, his biggest enemy was He Jin. Therefore, he wanted to ensure that the eight lieutenants appointed by Liu Hong could not be won over by He Jin.

Although Zhang Yu had contact with He Jin in the past, their relationship was not deep. Now that he has the emperor's endorsement and is showing goodwill to Zhang Yu, Zhang Yu will not side with He Jin.

After Jian Shuo left, Zhang Yu looked at Jian Shuo's burly back, looking thoughtful.

Jian Shuo was a unique eunuch. In addition to his unusually large stature, he was diligent in his work and at least protected Liu Hong's interests. Unfortunately, due to the issue of military power, Jian Shuo was destined to conflict with He Jin.

As a captain in the Xiyuan Army, he would be hard to stay out of the turbulent political situation that was about to happen in Luoyang. If he turned to He Jin, it might be the right choice.

However, if the timeline is extended, He Jin is doomed to fail, and he can only become a victim of the great turmoil in Luoyang. How to gain greater benefits in the future may be what Zhang Yu cares about.

So what is more important?
It's nothing more than soldiers, talents and money. His best option right now is to use the name of the Central Army to recruit more soldiers for himself, and it would be best if he could go out to suppress bandits and take the opportunity to develop himself.

Now he can transfer 300 cavalry from his old subordinates to Beijing, but he needs to pay attention to the placement of the rest of the troops. He needs to find a way to maintain the status quo as much as possible, or to keep his troops in Yanmen as much as possible. So that when he returns home, he can wave his hand to call on his old subordinates, and the Yi Congqi will follow his orders.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu exhaled. Being transferred to Luoyang by Liu Hong was not a bad thing. As for who to transfer to Beijing, he would consider it carefully.

After Zhang Yu left the palace, seeing that it was still early, he rushed to Yuan Shu's residence without stopping to communicate with Yuan Shu.

(End of this chapter)