Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 145: Recruiting Tiger Marquis
"From what Ji'an said, Luoyang is in a mess right now. Your Majesty's condition is unclear, and there is no crown prince. If your Majesty is in trouble, Luoyang may be in chaos."

The soldiers of the Left School Camp were marching on the official road. Zhong Yao was holding the reins and walking side by side with Zhang Yu. He could not help but sigh at the current situation in Luoyang.

Zhang Yu sat on his horse leisurely and said, "Now Lord Liu is out to govern Youzhou, and Lord Gai is out to serve as Jingzhao Yin. If something unexpected happens in Luoyang, I can only rely on Yuan Gonglu and help the general to eliminate the eunuchs for the Han Dynasty, hoping that the government will be clear and bright."

Zhong Yao sighed slightly and said, "Now that the Gepi rebellion has just been quelled, there are Yellow Turban rebellions in Qing and Xu. The whole country is in chaos. It may be useless to simply remove the eunuchs."

In view of his close relationship with Zhong Yao, Zhang Yu did not intend to hide it and said, "To be honest, if the turmoil in the world continues and the capital is in turmoil, I intend to ask for an order to return to my hometown to serve and protect the people and the country."

Zhong Yao hummed for a moment and said, "Bingzhou has mountains in the east and the Yellow River in the west. It was originally fertile land for the Han Dynasty. However, it was often plundered by the Xianbei, invaded by the Xiongnu, and attacked by the Black Mountain and White Wave bandits. It has become a desolate place on the border. It is really a pity."

The situation in Bingzhou during the Han Dynasty was very different. During the Western Han Dynasty, Bingzhou and Shuozhou had a combined population of nearly four million, while Bingzhou in the Eastern Han Dynasty had a population of only five or six hundred thousand. The gap was really too big.

After a pause, Zhong Yao smiled and said, "The court is in turmoil. If Ji'an wants to seek refuge, he can return to his hometown to take up a post, so as not to be trapped in Luoyang. If Yingchuan is hit by war, one day, Yao may need Ji'an's protection."

"If Yuan Chang leads his people to seek my protection, Yu will go out three miles to welcome them in person." Zhang Yu said with a smile.

As the situation has developed to this point, anyone with vision can see that the Eastern Han Dynasty's rule over the local areas has become increasingly weak, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it as being in jeopardy.

Therefore, ambitious people like Liu Yan and Wang Fen had already been ready to make a move. Wang Fen attempted to kidnap Emperor Ling of Han and establish a new emperor; Liu Yan took a fancy to the isolated Yizhou and went there in the name of governor.

The scholars who had some hope for the central government all hoped to eliminate the eunuchs, bring virtuous rulers and capable officials to power, and bring peace to the world. If they failed to save the central government, the scholars might have other ideas.

While they were marching and talking, they saw a scout coming on horseback, seemingly with something urgent to report to Zhang Yu.

"Xu~"

The scout tightened the reins and said, "Captain, there are heroes leading their men to meet us, offering more than ten Gepi bandit leaders and more than twenty captives."

"Oh?"

Zhang Yu was surprised and asked, "Do you know Lai Hao's name?"

"General, we only know that the noble man's surname is Xu, he is tall and strong, with a resolute look." said the scout.

Seeing that the man was a warrior, Zhang Yu became very interested. He pointed to the road and said, "Since you are a righteous man offering captives, I must meet you. Lead the way for me!"

"promise!"

"嘘嘚~"

Zhang Yu rode fast, and before he had gone far, he saw a group of more than ten people waiting on the roadside. They were looking at the cavalrymen riding on the road with envy in their eyes.

"Zhongkang, the horses ridden by the knights are all good horses. One knight rides two horses. They are equipped with bows, spears, armor and clothes. Even the horses have armor. No wonder they can defeat the Gepi bandits." Xu Ding said enviously.

Xu Chu saw that the Han army marched solemnly, following the official road, and did not invade the fields on both sides of the road. He could not help but praise: "The soldiers of the Left School Camp are not only well-armored, but also have strict military discipline. This is rare."

Soon, Zhang Yu rode his horse to Xu Chu and his group, but Zhang Yu did not look at them from his horse. Instead, he got off the horse.

"My captain is here!" the cavalryman came forward to remind.

Seeing Zhang Yu, who was tall and straight, wearing armor and holding a whip, coming, Xu Ding and the others hurriedly saluted and said, "Thank you, General, for eliminating the bandits for my villagers. Today, I and my clansmen have the honor of capturing and killing the bandits who were causing chaos in the countryside, and I have come to present them to you."

Zhang Yu looked at the brothers Xu Chu, Xu Ding and the clansmen on both sides. Not only did the two Xu brothers who were in the lead have different statures from ordinary people, but their clansmen were also taller and stronger than ordinary people. If they were to serve in the army, they would be a rare and high-quality source of soldiers.

Zhang Yu smiled, stretched out his hand to help the Xu brothers up, and asked: "Although most of the bandits have been defeated, there are still some bandits causing chaos in the countryside. It is rare for you righteous men to eliminate the bandits for the country and protect the people in the countryside!"

Then Zhang Yu asked, "What's your name?"

Xu Ding said respectfully: "General, my surname is Xu, my name is Ding, my courtesy name is Bozhen, and I am from Qiao County, Qiao State. My younger brother is Chu, and his courtesy name is Zhongkang. The rest of us include members of my Xu clan and a swordsman from the same county."

Hearing the name "Xu Chu", Zhang Yu could not help but take a closer look at Xu Chu. Seeing that he had a broad waist and a big body, probably twice the size of an ordinary person, Zhang Yu had confirmed that the Xu Chu in front of him was not the person with the same name, but the Xu Chu who was known as the Tiger Marquis in history.

Zhang Yu nodded, looked at the crowd, and praised: "What a brave man!"

As he spoke, Zhang Yu stretched out his hand and grasped Xu Chu's broad arm. Xu Chu subconsciously prepared to resist, but quickly stopped himself.

"He has the physique of Fan Kuai, but I wonder how good his martial arts are?" Zhang Yu asked.

Seeing Zhang Yu's question, Xu Chu was humble and said, "The captain attacked and killed the Xiongnu Chanyu, but I am just strong. Now in front of the captain, I dare not talk about bravery!"

Zhang Yu smiled and asked everyone, "How is Zhongkang's martial arts? Does anyone know?"

"My Erlangjun is not only strong, but also skilled in martial arts. When the Gepi bandits were looting, Erlangjun killed and injured many people. He also tricked the bandits into exchanging a cow for food in front of the battle line. When the bandits wanted to lead the cow back to the battle line, Erlangjun pulled the cow's tail for a hundred steps, frightening the bandits who were looting us." The villager replied.

Zhang Yu patted Xu Chu's shoulder, his expression full of appreciation.

Finding an opportunity, Xu Ding pointed to the cattle, sheep, wine and grain on the roadside and said, "General, you fought against the bandits for my fellow villagers. I will give you wine and grain to thank you for your hard work. I hope you will not think it is too little." Zhang Yu glanced at the wine and meat on the roadside and refused, "I led my troops to fight against the bandits to keep the people safe, not to covet their money. Besides, the court has no shortage of food and wages, and you have worked hard in the fields, so I will spare you the wine, meat, cattle and sheep. You can keep them for yourself!"

"This~"

Since the unrest in recent years, whenever soldiers passed by to fight against the bandits, they would offer wine, meat, money and food to avoid being robbed by the Han army. Zhang Yu's refusal surprised the Xu brothers. It was hard to imagine that the soldiers in front of them were not greedy for money and were dedicated to fighting against the bandits for the people.

Worried that it was just a polite remark, Xu Ding hesitated and said, "The gifts are too many for Ding and his clansmen to carry. General, can you wait for a moment?"

Zhang Yu refused again, pointed at the wine and meat with his whip, and said with a smile: "The court has not withheld the grain and grass from my left school. Now I am ordered to protect the people and the country. How can I accept the wine and meat from you? Besides, your life is not easy, it is better to keep it for your own use."

"Besides, I have already issued a military order that soldiers are not allowed to take the property of the people without permission. Those who violate the order will be executed immediately. How can I change it?"

Seeing that Zhang Yu's attitude did not seem fake, the Xu brothers suddenly became serious.

"The general has done no harm to anyone. You are truly a heavenly soldier!" Xu Ding said admiringly.

Zhang Yu waved his hand and smiled. Now he was jealous of the Xu brothers, their clan members and swordsmen. If he could recruit them as soldiers, he would make a fortune on this trip to fight the enemy.

After a pause, Zhang Yu asked, "You two brothers led the righteous men to kill more than 30 enemy soldiers. What do you want now?"

Xu Ding thought for a moment and said, "I dare not hide it. We are offering our soldiers to the general in exchange for money, food and rewards."

"Reward?"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "I will report your achievements to the prefecture, and the prefecture will allocate money and grain as rewards."

After a pause, Zhang Yu cast an admiring look at Xu Chu and said, "Giving you money and food alone may not be enough to complete the mission. I am still short of someone to take the position of supervisor of the gate. I want to recruit Zhongkang as an assistant official. What do you think?"

Zhang Yu seemed to be discussing something, but his tone revealed that he could not refute it.

Hearing this, Xu Ding realized that Zhang Yu was impressed by his brother's bravery, and then looked at Xu Chu.

Xu Chu was eager to try, and asked, "What is the job?"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "My job is to protect the Great Tent. Although I am a clerk in the army, I can go to Luoyang and have the hope of making military achievements and becoming an official. The soldiers of the Left School Camp are directly under the emperor, and the emperor commands our eight schools as the Supreme General."

Zhang Yu pointed at himself and said, "A few years ago, I was a frontier boy. Since I joined the army, I have been promoted to county marquis and a 2,000-stone official. Zhongkang is so brave and strong, how can he live in the countryside now? He should fight for wealth and honor with swords."

In order to attract people, Zhang Yu naturally used his own struggle history as an example, and used the emperor's personal guards to attract people.

As expected, Xu Chu was already tempted. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Since the Lord appreciates me, how can I refuse? But I have an old father at home. I need to go home and tell my father before I can become his disciple."

"good!"

Zhang Yu was reluctant to let the warrior escape, so he smiled and said, "It's getting late now, so we should camp in front and pay a visit to your king and father."

Xu Chu was flattered and said, "My father must be delighted to know that the captain has come to visit me."

After saying this, Xu Chu sent someone home to inform his family to prepare a banquet to entertain Zhang Yu who was about to visit.

That night, Zhang Yu's troops set up camp ten miles away from Xu's fortress, and Zhang Yu brought Zhong Yao, Zhang Yang, and Yu Yi to attend the banquet. Zhang Liao and Gao Shun took charge of military affairs.

When Xu's father learned that Zhang Yu was coming in person, he mobilized all the elders in the village to welcome him in person.

It's not that Father Xu is too flattering, but Zhang Yu's current status is different from the past. The title of captain may not seem loud enough, but don't forget that this is not a chaotic era.

Today, the school lieutenant is still a middle-to-high-level general officer, not to mention that the left school camp is directly under the emperor and belongs to the imperial guard system. If we use the official title of later generations, Zhang Yu's left school lieutenant should be the division commander of the Jingji Military Region, with a military rank between the colonel (brigadier general) and the major general.

With such a high-ranking figure coming in person, it is impossible for anyone to remain indifferent unless he or she has a prominent family background.

Entering the Xu family's fortress, Zhang Yu met many of the Xu family's clansmen and retainers, and gained a general understanding of the Xu family's current situation.

There are more than a thousand families in the Xu family. Although they have accumulated sufficient assets, they are still short of the condition of "being officials for generations" to become a member of the gentry. This condition is the most difficult one to become a member of the gentry.

At the banquet, Xu's father saw that Zhang Yu admired his youngest son, so he immediately asked Xu Chu to join the government. If he hadn't needed his son to serve him, Xu's father would have wanted Xu Ding to join the army.

Xu Chu was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the army. Out of consideration for him, Xu's father also selected more than ten strong men to follow Xu Chu into the army.

As for Zhang Yu, he was very envious of Xu's followers and clansmen. Because Xu's father had served in the army, all of Xu's followers were martial and strong. If they were trained, they would surely become elite soldiers in the army.

Unfortunately, the country is not in chaos, so Xu Shi cannot make the choice to sacrifice everything to serve him. But now that Xu Chu is in hand, it may only be a matter of time before Xu Shi sacrifices everything to serve him.

"Book of Tang·Biography 9" records: "Xu Chu, courtesy name Zhongkang, was from Qiao, Pei County. He was more than eight feet tall, with a waist that was ten times bigger than his waist. He had a strong and resolute appearance and extraordinary courage... When Taizu was fighting against the bandits in Gepi, Chu led more than ten of his clansmen to capture the bandits and surrendered to him, and was appointed as the director of the imperial court..."

(End of this chapter)