Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 147 Leading Dong to Beijing
"If Bo Ning is wronged under Ji'an's command, I will wait for Bo Ning's return in Pei State."

Secretary Yuan looked reluctant as he handed the bundle to Man Chong and said, "There are some valuables in the bundle that can be used for expenses on the way to Boning and to Luoyang."

"Thank you, Brother Yongning!"

Man Chong took the bag, looking slightly guilty.

Under the temptation of Zhang Yu's words, he was tempted to pursue advancement. Yuan Mi, considering Man Chong's future, not only took the initiative to let Man Chong and Zhang Yu leave, but also persuaded Man Chong to go to Luoyang to make a living.

Seeing that Yuan Mi had let him go, Man Chong hesitated for only one day before deciding to go to Luoyang with Zhang Yu. After all, the opportunities in Pei State could not be compared with those in Luoyang. Although the Eastern Han Dynasty was in decline, Luoyang was still the capital, full of nobles and opportunities for promotion.

Moreover, Man Chong was not opposed to Zhang Yu, and even had a favorable impression of Zhang Yu because of his record of beheading the Chanyu and defeating the Gepi bandits. Especially when he had offended the big families in the county, he had hope for a better career by following a general who could make military achievements.

Seeing that the two were reluctant to leave, Zhang Yu inserted himself between them and said with a smile: "Don't talk nonsense, Yongning. I am the Chief Secretary who recruited Bo Ning. How could I let him suffer any injustice? Bo Ning will be treated well if he joins my camp."

Secretary Yuan smiled helplessly and said, "Zhang Ji'an, are you afraid that I will regret it and let Bo Ning stay?"

Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "I am not worried that you will regret it, but I am worried that Bo Ning will not leave because of his old relationship with Yong Ning. Then I will lose a talented person."

Hearing this, Man Chong smiled and bowed, saying, "I will never forget the love and care that Brother Yongning has shown me. I will never go back on my words, Your Excellency."

Secretary Yuan looked at the sky and said, "It's getting late today. It's more than 200 miles from Xiang County to Qiao County. Secretary Yuan can't keep you here. Please drive slowly along the way!"

"Thank you Yongning for giving up your love. I hope to see you again in the future!" Zhang Yu bowed to Yuan Mi and said with a smile.

"See you later!"

After bidding farewell to Yuan Mi, Zhang Yu, Man Chong, Zhong Yao and others rode on horseback to the camp in Qiao County.

On February 15th, Zhang Yu returned to the camp in Qiao County, introduced Man Chong to his generals, and entrusted him with the responsibility of military law.

The next day, Zhang Yu received a letter from Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu sounded anxious in the letter. In addition to mentioning that Liu Hong was seriously ill, he urged Zhang Yu to return to Luoyang as soon as possible.

Upon hearing that Liu Hong was seriously ill, Zhang Yu did not dare to stay in Qiao County for too long. After meeting with Huang Wan, he returned on the 17th.

The distance between Qiao County and Luoyang is more than 30 li. According to the normal marching speed, the infantry can travel about 50- li a day. In order to get back to Luoyang as soon as possible, Zhang Yu only spent days and arrived in Beijing in early March.

Along the way, Zhong Yao returned to Changsha due to family matters and separated from Zhang Yu again. Before leaving, Zhang Yu promised Zhong Yao that he would commend Zhong Yao for his achievements.

As for why Zhong Yao was not recruited?
It was not that Zhang Yu was unwilling, but that Zhong Yao and Man Chong had different statuses. Man Chong was a county official, temporarily serving as a county magistrate, and his true status was still a minor official with a salary of several hundred shi.

Zhong Yao had been recommended as a filial and incorruptible official and had once served as a county magistrate. Even after resigning and returning to his hometown, he still held the status of a filial and incorrupt official, and the only thing missing from entering officialdom was an appointment by the imperial court.

Under the political rules of the Eastern Han Dynasty, if one wanted to recruit Zhong Yao, one had to be a senior official with a salary of ten thousand stones, but Zhang Yu, who had a salary of two thousand stones, was not someone who could recruit him.

Of course, Zhang Yu could shamelessly recruit him, but Zhong Yao would most likely decline Zhang Yu's recruitment out of consideration for his own career. After all, although the two had a good relationship, Zhong Yao's temporary advice did not mean that he had surrendered to Zhang Yu.

Even so, Zhang Yu was already satisfied. This time, he not only defeated the Gepi bandits, but also recruited Xu Shu, Lu Fan, Xu Chu, and Man Chong as his subordinates, which was a great harvest.

Including these four people in the Left School Camp, plus the soldiers and officers who stayed behind in Pingcheng, Zhang Yu's army was already full of talented people.

In terms of military affairs, there were more than ten generals including Zhang Yang, Zhang Liao, Zhang Feng, Hao Zhao, Gao Shun, Shi Yi, Ke Bi, Xu Chu, Meng Ningzhi, etc.; in terms of civil affairs, there were slightly fewer, with only a few people including Li Song, Yu Yi, Lu Fan, Man Chong, Xu Shu, etc.

If we include those who had a closer relationship with Zhang Yu, such as Zhong Yao, Sun Zi, Cheng Pu, Guo Huai, Wang Ling, Guo Tu and others, the number would be even greater.

Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine that if the world is in chaos and Zhang Yu leads his army, he will not worry about talent in the short term. The only limitation to Zhang Yu's talent is probably training and experience.

On March 3, not long after Zhang Yu happily reported to the court, he received a summons from Yuan Shu on the same day.

"Jian!"

Seeing Zhang Yu approaching the hall, Yuan Shu showed his delight and asked Zhang Yu to take a seat quickly.

Zhang Yu sat down at the table, presented a scarf to Yuan Shu, and said, "When I went east to fight the bandits in Gepi, I was lucky enough to get some special products from Yuzhou."

Yuan Shu had no intention of checking the gift Zhang Yu had sent. He casually placed the towel on the table and asked, "Does Ji'an know the situation in Luoyang?"

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "I only know that your Majesty's health is deteriorating. I would like to hear from you, Yuan Jun, in detail!"

Yuan Shu gathered his thoughts and said, "Your Majesty has been suffering from a cold since the winter, and it has been two months now. His health has been declining day by day, and he has been taken to Jiafu Palace by Empress Dong for care. The ministers are worried about your majesty's condition, and have repeatedly submitted petitions to your majesty in recent months, hoping that you would appoint Marquis Shi as the crown prince, but your majesty has not responded to the petitions."

Zhang Yu looked around and saw that there was no one else in the hall. He bowed and asked, "May I ask, Lord Yuan, if your Majesty were in trouble, what would the general think?"

Yuan Shu stroked his beard and said, "To be honest, the general is planning to kill the eunuchs and support Marquis Shi to succeed to the throne."

"Mr. Yuan, given the close ties between the He family and the eunuchs, it may not be easy to expect the general to eradicate the eunuchs!" Zhang Yu said.

Yuan Shu understood and said, "The He family was born in a humble family and was able to gain a foothold in the court thanks to the protection of the eunuchs. If your majesty dies now, the general Fu Shihou will succeed to the throne, but because of Empress He and the General of Chariots and Cavalry, he may not eliminate the eunuchs as Ji An said."

Zhang Yu lowered his voice and said, "Since the He family failed to eliminate the eunuchs, the Yuan family should be the one to get rid of the traitors, not the He family. Your family has a high reputation, so why not follow the example of Yi and Huo and support the young ruler, show loyalty and righteousness, eliminate evil and harm, and prosper the world."

"What does Ji An mean?"

Yuan Shu's eyes flickered, and he said, "The general is a relative of the emperor. If your majesty dies, the He family will take power. It is up to the He family to restore the country!"

Seeing Yuan Shu's confusion, Zhang Yu said bluntly: "Your family has had three dukes for four generations, and you are highly respected. Your students and former officials are all over the world. But now the government is out of control and the world is in turmoil. The one who can stabilize the world is not your family, but the hands of the butcher."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu bowed and said, "You are the General of the Tiger Guards, with more than a thousand men. Yuan Benchu is the lieutenant of the Central Army, with more than a thousand soldiers. I am not talented, but I have a thousand men under my command. Three thousand imperial guards are waiting for your family to send you, so why worry about not being able to accomplish anything!"

Yuan Shu looked at Zhang Yu deeply and said, "The general has been kind to the soldiers for many years. The governor of Bingzhou, Ding Yuan, has stationed troops in Henei, and many people are willing to fight for him. Moreover, the queen is He, and now you want to replace He and take charge of the government, which will be difficult."

"This is not difficult!"

Zhang Yu said: "If Your Majesty unfortunately dies, we will instigate the general to kill the eunuchs, but the general will be in a dilemma because of the ties between the empress and the eunuchs. At this time, we will advise the general to recruit troops to the capital to force the empress to promise to kill the eunuchs."

"Dong Zhuo in Guanzhong is a former official of your clan, and he has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. If we can lure Dong Zhuo into the capital, the eunuchs will have a hard time staying. And your clan has the help of the Western troops, so there is no need to worry about the affairs of the court."

Yuan Shu frowned and said, "That being said, if we bring Dong Zhuo to the capital, we will definitely have a fight with the He family in the future."

Zhang Yu did not say much, but sighed and said: "He Jin is just a butcher, but now he is promoted to general because of his family background. If he takes charge of government, the world will be in chaos. Your family has had three dukes for four generations, and they are the hope of the world. If you want to revive the world, who else can be the left general?"

"If you are worried that Dong Zhuo is difficult to stop, and he is now appointed governor of Bingzhou, with less than 5,000 soldiers under his command, Huangfu Song is enough to control him."

As a disciple of the Yuan family, Zhang Yu naturally had to consider the Yuan family's major plans. Nothing was more important than letting the Yuan family take sole control of the government. As for the worry about He Jin's troops, couldn't bringing in Dong Zhuo solve the problem?
As for whether Dong Zhuo came to the capital to help or to destroy the situation, Zhang Yu had no right to consider it.

Yuan Shu was silent for a long time, then said, "I know that Ji'an wants to bring peace to the world. But this matter is too important for me to decide."

It was obvious that Yuan Shu was tempted. After all, Yuan Shu had his own pride. In Yuan Shu's eyes, He Jin, who was born a butcher, was actually no different from a eunuch. They all relied on the emperor's favor to advance.

If Liu Hong really passed away now, the court would most likely be controlled by He Jin, and the Yuan family would be subordinate to the He family.

If he could control the government, it would be a great leap forward for the Yuan family!

"Book of Tang: Chronicle of Taizu": When Emperor Ling died, the crown prince ascended the throne and the empress dowager ruled. General He Jin and Yuan Shao planned to kill the eunuchs, but the empress dowager refused to listen, so they summoned Dong Zhuo to threaten her. Taizu heard about it and sighed, "Dong Zhuo is a wolf. If he is summoned to the capital, there will be chaos. A mediocre person is not worthy of planning!"

ps: I’m stuck in a writer’s block today, so I’ll only update one chapter for now.

(End of this chapter)