Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 137 First Meeting with Zhaolie
Luoyang, the General’s Mansion.

He Jin smiled and said, "The eunuchs are cunning and want to force me to leave the capital so that they can take power alone. Fortunately, Ji An has offered his advice. If the situation becomes urgent, Your Majesty will choose someone else to be the commander-in-chief."

"It's just a crude trick. Even if Wu Yu offered his advice, how could Mr. He let the eunuch succeed!" Zhang Yu said modestly.

Although Liu Hong's method of forcing He Jin to go to war was an open conspiracy, it was not without a solution. Zhang Yu, considering the situation in Guanzhong, suggested that He Jin use the strategy of delaying to deal with Liu Hong, which eventually forced Liu Hong to re-appoint his generals.

Why did delaying time allow Liu Hong's key generals to go on the expedition?
The reason is not difficult to understand. Wang Guo led the rebels to attack Chencang. If Chencang fell, the three prefectures would be helpless. As the emperor, Liu Hong would not sit idly by and watch this happen. Seeing that He Jin was dragging his feet and not going to the battle, he would naturally order a general to go to the battle.

And how did He Jin delay time?

Naturally, he could not claim illness as an excuse to not lead the troops, so He Jin wrote a memorial to Liu Hong, requesting that he be allowed to send troops from Xu and Yan states to fight the enemy, on the grounds that there were insufficient troops. Once the troops from the two states arrived in the capital, he would lead the troops to the battle.

In order to buy time, He Jin asked the captain of the central army, Yuan Shao, to lead the troops eastward. With Yuan Shao's help, He Jin could have a suitable excuse to buy time, forcing Liu Hong to appoint another general to go on the expedition.

He Jin looked at Yuan Shao who was sitting next to him and said with a smile: "Now I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Benchu to lead his troops eastward!"

Yuan Shao looked slightly serious, cupped his hands and said: "The soldiers and officers under my command are loyal to the state. This time, we will lead our troops eastward to recruit troops from Xuzhou and Yanzhou, and we will definitely live up to the general's expectations."

"good!"

He Jin raised the wine jar and toasted everyone in the hall, saying: "Since this year, your majesty's health has gradually declined, and the eunuchs have controlled the government. The three ministers are all controlled by the eunuchs' cliques, and now they are deliberately plotting to establish a crown prince and try to curry favor with the rich and powerful."

"If the eunuchs are allowed to succeed, it will bring disaster to the country and the people, and the world will be in turmoil. I am willing to work with you to assist Your Majesty and revive the Han Dynasty."

"Restore the Han Dynasty!"

Zhang Yu and the others raised their wine glasses and responded.

Zhang Yu originally had an ambiguous relationship with He Jin, but because Zhang Yu offered advice that helped He Jin solve the problem of leading a military expedition, He Jin invited Zhang Yu to a private dinner in order to win him over.

Those attending the banquet today, in addition to Yuan Shao and Zhang Yu, are Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, Wu Kuang, Zhang Zhang and five others, all of whom are people who command troops.

He Jin took a sip of wine and asked, "If I don't go to war for a long time, Your Majesty wants me to recommend a general. Who can I recommend as the commander?"

Cao Cao put down the wine jar, bowed and said: "General, looking at the whole court, I think the one who can lead 50,000 people and defeat a strong enemy is none other than Huangfu Yizhen."

"Huangfu Yizhen?"

He Jin thought for a moment and said, "When Liangzhou first rebelled, Your Majesty appointed Huangfu Yizhen to fight. However, due to the long battle without results and the slander of the eunuchs, Your Majesty dismissed him from his post as General of Chariots and Cavalry and reduced his fief. Now I want to appoint Huangfu Yizhen to fight again, I wonder if Your Majesty will agree."

"General, Dong Zhuo is unruly and can only be controlled by someone of high rank and reputation. Looking at the candidates for Xizhou, only Huangfu Yizhen can be the commander-in-chief!" Yuan Shao said after a moment's hesitation.

"Of course!"

Zhang Yu added: "Huangfu Yizhen is a famous general in the world. Although he did not achieve anything in his first battle, he already has experience in resisting the enemy. Moreover, this battle is not about defeating the enemy and recovering lost territory, but about relieving the siege of Chencang. I think this battle should not be difficult!"

Seeing that everyone was recommending Huangfu Song, He Jin nodded slightly and said, "In the future, when Your Majesty asks about going to war, I will nominate Huangfu Yizhen as the commander."

There are not many generals who are qualified to lead tens of thousands of troops at the moment, let alone those who can convince Dong Zhuo.

As a general, He Jin was above all the other generals, and might be able to make Dong Zhuo obey. Now that He Jin did not go to war, if the Eastern Han Dynasty wanted to gain Dong Zhuo's respect, there was no one else except Huangfu Song, who was famous in Xizhou.

As time went on, everyone at the banquet asked He Jin to leave.

Because Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao had other things to talk about, Zhang Yu walked side by side with Cao Cao. They were slightly drunk and chatted and laughed.

When he was about to leave the house, he saw a woman with a pretty face and fair skin walking slowly towards the door, escorted by a maid.

Whether out of politeness or to admire the woman's beauty, Zhang Yu and Cao Cao involuntarily stopped and let the woman in front of them go first.

The woman, on the other hand, knew etiquette and walked through the door first. After she saw the two men clearly, she ignored Cao Cao and stole a few glances at the handsome Zhang Yu. With a slightly blushing face, she bowed and greeted both Zhang Yu and Cao Cao.

When she leaned forward, the clothes on her chest could not hold the weapon and fell straight down. However, when she looked at her waist, the curve of her body was quickly retracted because of the belt, forming an upward and downward arc, which could be called a willow waist.

After paying her respects, the woman, supported by her maid, walked towards the depths of the He Mansion.

Cao's wife couldn't help but squint and look at the woman's pretty figure as she walked away, as if she was savoring something.

Zhang Yu sniffed the fragrance in the air and admired the woman in his heart for not only her beauty but also her attractive smell.

After the woman walked away, Cao Cao turned around and looked at Zhang Yu. Both of them read the meaning on each other's faces that only men could understand.

"Jian and Meng De haven't left yet?"

Hearing someone calling them, Zhang and Cao looked back and saw that it was He Jin's confidant Wu Kuang walking towards them.

Cao Cao bowed and smiled, "We are leaving now!" "Then let's go together!"

Wu Kuang pointed to the gate of the mansion and invited Zhang and Cao to go with him.

After walking a few steps, Cao Cao could no longer suppress his passion and asked tentatively, "Did the general just take in a new concubine?"

Wu Kuang glanced at Cao Cao and said, "Meng De, stop talking nonsense. That is the general's daughter-in-law Yin."

Cao Cao laughed and said, "The general's son is kind and generous, and his wife is beautiful. They are a perfect match!"

Zhang Yu glanced at the interested Cao Cao and couldn't help but feel envious.

If he remembered correctly, after welcoming the Han Emperor, Cao Cao took Yin as his concubine, and even took He Yan, the son born to Yin and He Xian, into his palace to raise. Perhaps because of his love for He Xian, Cao Cao especially doted on He Yan, and he enjoyed the same treatment as Cao Pi.

When reading history in the past, Zhang Yu still ridiculed Cao Cao for favoring He Yan too much. But now when he met Yin, Zhang Yu had to admit that if he could marry Yin, it seemed that raising one more child was not unacceptable.

As expected, the wives identified by Cao Cao are of absolutely outstanding quality!

Emperor Wu of Wei really knew how to enjoy life!

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu looked at Wu Kuang. It seemed that Wu Kuang's clan daughter would marry Liu Bei in the future. He wondered what Wu, who had the potential to become the queen, looked like!
When they reached the door, Wu Kuang said goodbye to Cao and Zhang in advance because he had something to do.

When Zhang Yu was about to say goodbye to Cao Cao, he saw a man with a gentle appearance and delicate features walking towards him. The most unforgettable thing about him was that his ears were larger than those of ordinary people.

"Brother Meng De!"

"Xuan De has been waiting for a long time!"

Hearing this, Zhang Yu was surprised. In his impression, the name "Xuande" belonged to Liu Bei. Could it be that the person in front of him was Liu Bei, or that Cao Cao and Liu Bei knew each other so early?

Cao Cao pointed at the man with big ears and introduced him to Zhang Yu, saying, "Ji'an is Liu Xuande from Zhuo County, Youzhou. He used to be a student of Lu Zigan. When Your Majesty was recruiting warriors from all over the country to come to the capital, Liu Xuande was ordered to lead his troops to visit the capital. Now he is serving as my Sima."

Liu Bei took the initiative to bow to Zhang Yu and said humbly: "I am a servant, my courtesy name is Xuande, and I am the descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan. I have heard of your reputation of being a great leader in the frontier and killing the Chanyu. I am honored to meet you today!"

Zhang Yu returned the greeting with a smile, "It's just a small contribution, not worth mentioning."

Cao Cao was eager to make friends with Zhang Yu. He took Zhang Yu's arm and said with a smile, "It's late today. It will be inconvenient for Ji'an to return to the Anli military camp. Why don't you stay at my residence tonight?"

"In that case, thank you Meng De for the invitation!"

Seeing that Cao and Liu were there, Zhang Yu naturally agreed with a smile.

Perhaps because he was curious about why Liu Bei went to Luoyang, Zhang Yu tried to find out on the way to Cao Cao's residence. Liu Bei answered Zhang Yu's questions truthfully.

Liu Bei was appointed as the lieutenant of Anxi County for his meritorious service in the campaign against the Yellow Turbans. However, due to the internal layoffs in Jizhou, Liu Bei was included in the layoff list. In anger, Liu Bei whipped the inspector and left.

Not long after Liu Bei resigned from his post, Zhang Chun's rebellion broke out in Youzhou. At the recommendation of the Youzhou county officials, Liu Bei led his troops to participate in suppressing the rebellion. Because of his meritorious service and bravery in combat, he was recommended by Youzhou to the capital and served as a military officer in the Xiyuan Army.

Zhang Yu was deeply moved after hearing about Liu Bei's experiences. He, Liu Bei and Sun Jian all joined the wave of the late Han Dynasty around the time when the Yellow Turban Rebellion began.

Needless to say, thanks to the help of the Wang family, he was recommended as a filial and incorruptible official based on his achievements in the campaign against the Yellow Turbans. After going through a series of wars, he was able to achieve his current status.

When Sun Jian started his rebellion, he had already been appointed as the magistrate of Xia Pi County. He led thousands of soldiers from Xu Huai to fight against the Yellow Turbans. Through his bravery, he won the admiration of Zhu Jun. Eventually, he rose rapidly all the way to become a famous general known throughout Wu and Chu.

Liu Bei's life was more bumpy. When he was suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he met the three toughest brothers Zhang Jue, and his achievements were less. In addition, he changed three chief coaches and did not meet any reliable noblemen.

After being appointed as the lieutenant of Anxi County, he encountered layoffs again. When he participated in suppressing the Wuhuan Rebellion, the war was difficult and lasted for one or two years, which delayed him a lot of time.

When the three of them started, the gap between them was not that big. But after five years, the gap between them became bigger and bigger. Zhang Yu had to be thankful that he had spent five years struggling and barely ranked with Cao Cao as the Xiyuan Captain.

As for the difference after the chaotic times, except for the early period, the middle and late periods valued the monarch's ability more. Therefore, Cao and Liu were both able to rise to the top later, one killed Yuan Shao and unified the north; the other turned the tables in the later period, occupied Yizhou, and established a foundation.

Under the dim oil lamp, the three people in the hall were all drunk.

Zhang Yu was drunk and looked at Cao and Liu who were chatting with him about everything under the sun. Suddenly he asked, "I wonder what the world will be like in ten years?"

Cao Cao raised the cup to drink, stood up and laughed, saying: "I hope the world will be peaceful, there will be no more eunuchs causing chaos, and our Han Dynasty will be able to revive. I am willing to be the general who conquers the west and fight against the barbarians for the country."

Liu Bei was drunk and his face was red. He said, "I hope the world will be prosperous, the barbarians will be in dire straits, and your Majesty will rule the world wisely. I hope to return home as the Prefect of the Guards and revive the Liu family!"

Zhang Yu laughed a few times and said, "I have no other wish. I hope that ten years later, I can still drink with you two."
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Wang Can's "Heroes' Biography": In the last years of Emperor Ling, Bei was in the capital, and later returned to Pei State with Cao Gong to recruit troops. When Emperor Ling died, the country was in chaos, and Bei also raised an army to fight against Dong Zhuo.

(End of this chapter)