Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 159: Xiao He surrenders, Gonglu is furious

Luoyang, Fanglin Pavilion.

In a secluded courtyard of the pavilion, Zhong Yao held a letter in one hand and placed the other hand behind his waist, gazing at the setting sun with a thoughtful look on his face.

Zhang Yu's letter was secretly delivered to Zhong Yao by a messenger under the pretext of submitting a petition to the court. Now Zhong Yao was faced with Zhang Yu's recruitment, but he could not make a decision.

In his letter, Zhang Yu did not ask about the other person's well-being, but went straight to the point and stated his purpose directly.

'Now the traitorous ministers are in turmoil, and the nobles are raising righteous soldiers without any intention of helping the country and the people. Although Yu is young, he dare not sit idly by and watch the world in turmoil. You have great ambitions, how can you stay in Luoyang and talk about the situation in vain. Yu wants to work together with you to help the people and stabilize the country. Yu has prepared a bed for you at Huguan! '

After reading the letter again, Zhong Yao frowned and sighed.

Before leaving the capital, Zhang Yu led his troops out of the capital, citing concerns about the ongoing unrest in Luoyang, in order to avoid being caught up in the political whirlpool.

Judging from the current situation, we have to admit that Zhang Yu's choice was correct. He Jin was killed by eunuchs, the eunuchs were killed by Yuan Shi, and Yuan Shi was taken by Dong Zhuo.

I thought the chaotic situation in Luoyang could come to an end, but unexpectedly, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, who had fled, formed an alliance with the governors and governors of the various states in Guandong. Now, almost all officials in the capital knew that the heroes in Guandong were running around to contact each other and deliberately attacking Dong Zhuo.

With Zhong Yao's vision, it is not difficult to see that once the heroes in Guandong rise up, it will be a prelude to chaos in the world, and the Han Dynasty will not last long.

If he wanted to find a way out, Zhong Yao might have sought refuge under his friend Zhang Yu. However, in this letter, Zhang Yu did not invite him as a friend, but as a leader. Obviously, if he went to Shangdang, he would most likely work for Zhang Yu.

So is Zhang Yu worthy of his service now?

In terms of official position, Zhang Yu is definitely unable to provide Zhong Yao with a satisfactory position.

But from the perspective of his talents, if he went to serve Zhang Yu, judging from their past interactions, Zhang Yu would definitely value him.

But can Zhong Yao be sure that Zhang Yu can succeed?

Even if nothing can be done, can Zhong Yao ensure that his future will be better than staying in Luoyang?
Zhong Yao was unable to confirm the above matters.

He is now forty years old, with half of his body buried in the ground. He is not a young man full of vigor and vitality who would be tempted by the macro narrative and would go straight to Zhang Yu without caring about anything else.

He needed to consider his family and the declining Zhong family. He had a heavy burden on his shoulders and could not afford irrational considerations.

If we judge rationally, does Zhang Yu have a chance to succeed?

Zhong Yao stopped pacing and couldn't help but recall the past events he had experienced with Zhang Yu.

First, Zhang Yu had great ambitions. Not only did he repeatedly raise the idea of protecting the country and the people, but in his letter of invitation, he also mentioned his intention to support the country. Judging from Zhong Yao's opinion, Zhang Yu might have had the intention of being disloyal, otherwise he would not have sent a letter to invite him.

Second, Zhang Yu was an outstanding military commander. He was sent to the frontier as a deputy lieutenant, and was feared by the frontier. Later, he was appointed to a defeated army, turned the situation around, and killed the Chanyu, achieving great success. At the age of more than 20, he was appointed as a lieutenant of the imperial army. He conquered the Gepi bandits, and won the battle after being attacked. His troops were strong. Now he is fighting the bandits as a general of Du Liao, and he controls Shangdang County.

Third, Zhang Yu had a great reputation. Since he turned the tide of the war and killed Chanyu, Zhang Yu must have a great reputation in Bingzhou. This can be seen from the fact that Zhang Yu took the position of Shangdang governor and the county governors had no objections.

Fourth, Zhang Yu's situation was acceptable. Although Shangdang was poor, its geographical location was crucial. Shangdang could overlook Hebei and was the gateway to the Three Jins. As someone who had been to Shangdang, he was qualified to evaluate it.

Therefore, if Zhang Yu really wanted to have great ambitions, he might take advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains in the future, use Shangdang as a base, swallow up Taiyuan and Yanmen counties, and look down on Hedong and Henei. By then, there will be Taixing as a barrier in the east, the great river as a barrier in the west, the northern desert and Yinshan Mountains, and Mengjin and Jingxing in the south. The Three Jins will be a complete and solid place.

With the Three Jins, even if Zhang Yu could not achieve great things, at least he could preserve his foundation in a chaotic situation. It is even said that if Hebei and Guanzhong were in turmoil, he could sweep across Guanxi or the Central Plains with his superiority and conquer the world to achieve hegemony.

As for whether the Han Dynasty could survive, Zhong Yao might have had some thoughts before. But with the three governors of Jizhou, Han Fu, Yuzhou Governor Kong Zhu, and Yanzhou Governor Liu Dai raising their armies, and the news that Yuan Shu was fighting against the rebels in Nanyang, Zhong Yao no longer believed that the Han Dynasty had any hope of reviving.

If the Han Dynasty wants to prosper, it will have to rely on another Emperor Taizu to come to the world and rebuild the Han Dynasty!

No matter what the future holds, Zhang Yu can at least take over the Three Jins. And in troubled times, because of his outstanding military talent, he might be able to go further. At worst, if Emperor Taizu came to power and advised Zhang Yu to follow Dou Rong's example, Zhang Yu could also have a good ending.

If he joined Zhang Yu, his future position would be higher than his current status, and his talents would be fully utilized. If Zhang Yu was lucky enough to go further, he would at least not lose out.

Then vote for Zhang Yu?
Zhong Yao was moved, but out of fear, he hesitated and wondered whether he should wait until the situation became clearer before crossing the Yellow River to the north and joining Zhang Yu.

However, if he had joined Zhang Yu's army later, the benefits would naturally be less.

Thinking of this, Zhong Yao couldn't help but shake his head and laugh at himself, feeling helpless about his mentality of being willing to take risks to succeed and wanting to enjoy more benefits without having to pay more.

"Master, there is a doorman named Mr. Sun outside the mansion. He asked the servant to pass on a message to ask if you can make a decision?" the attendant asked. Sun Zi passed the Imperial College examination and was selected as a filial and honest official. During the Taiping years, Sun Zi might have had a bright future, but now that the situation in the court was unclear, after receiving Zhang Yu's letter, Sun Zi did not plan to stay in Luoyang, but went to Shangdang to seek refuge with his old acquaintance Zhang Yu.

"Young people are decisive, but I am the one who is becoming more hesitant!"

Zhong Yao shook his head and sighed, saying: "Send someone to tell the scholar surnamed Sun that I have made a decision. I will go find him in a few days!"

"promise!"

"That's it!"

Zhong Yao clutched the scarf tightly and said to himself, "It is not a manly thing to look ahead and behind. Zhang Yu has the ability to accomplish things. If I join his camp now, I may have a different kind of wealth and honor. If Zhang Yu fails to accomplish anything, don't blame me for leaving him and joining Yuan Benchu's camp."

Not to mention that Zhong Yao and Sun Zi were invited by Zhang Yu to go to Shangdang. Yuan Shu, who was far away in Nanyang, received a letter from Yuan Shao and heard that Zhang Yu had no intention of joining the alliance, so he became dissatisfied with Zhang Yu.

"How dare Zhang Ji'an not respond to the call to punish the rebels?"

Yuan Shu paced with his hands behind his back, looking angry, and said: "When I was in Luoyang, I treated him well. If I hadn't worked hard for him, how could he have been made a marquis and appointed a general, and commanded troops at a young age? Now the traitor Dong Zhuo is causing chaos in the country, is it not because he coveted the wealth and honor that Dong Zhuo would give him, and abandoned my Yuan family!"

Yuan Shu was furious when he learned that Zhang Yu had accepted the letter but did not raise troops. When he was in Luoyang, he had doubted Zhang Yu, but was persuaded by Zhang Yu to let him go out of the capital to recruit soldiers.

However, with the entry of Dong Zhuo, the situation changed dramatically in just three or four days, leaving him no time to recruit Zhang Yu to lead his troops to the capital. In order to avoid Dong Zhuo's persecution, he fled to Nanyang and contacted people in Guandong to prepare for an uprising.

When he started the rebellion, he also wrote a letter to Yuan Shao, vowing that as long as the letter arrived, Zhang Yu would lead his troops to start the rebellion. However, he was slapped in the face. After receiving the letter, Zhang Yu was indifferent.

You must know that even Changsha Sun Jian and Jiangxia Taishou Liu Xiang have obeyed his orders and led their troops to Nanyang. How dare a mere shepherds and cattle herders refuse to respond to the alliance manifesto?

Yuan Si hesitated for a moment, then said, "Brother, please calm down. Zhang Ji'an has had many dealings with my Yuan family. Besides you, he also saved the life of Yuan Mi, the Prime Minister of Pei. Now, Brother Benchu has delivered the Qiao Mao letter to Zhang Ji'an, but Zhang Ji'an may be hesitant, which is why he has been unable to send a letter to sign the alliance."

"If Zhang Ji'an's wife's family, Wang, all hold important positions under Dong Zhuo, I'm afraid that if he raises an army, Wang will be killed by Dong Zhuo."

After a pause, Yuan Si said, "So in my opinion, you should write a letter of divorce and send your trusted confidant to Shangdang to contact Benchu, Han Fu and Wang Kuang, and to find out why Zhang Ji'an did not accept the alliance."

Yuan Si, as Yuan Shu's cousin, had had dealings with Zhang Yu in Luoyang. Zhang Yu was kind and often invited him to drink and even gave him gifts, which made him like Zhang Yu. Now Yuan Shu was angry that Zhang Yu did not raise troops to respond to the alliance, so Yuan Si thought about it and decided to speak up for Zhang Yu.

As for the princes who have raised troops in the current plane, in addition to the thirteen original princes in history, there is also Yuan Mi, the prime minister of Pei State, who survived because of Zhang Yu's action. Among the fourteen princes, the Yuan family has four of them, and the other related ones include Sun Jian, Cao Cao, Han Fu, etc., which shows the amazing strength of the Yuan family.

Yuan Shu frowned and paced, snorting coldly, "My uncle is in Luoyang, and Yuan Shao and I have to bear the pain of raising an army to fight against the enemy for the world, not to mention Zhang Yu? If Zhang Ji'an doesn't want to give up Wang, I can marry him to a daughter of the Yuan family. How can the Wang family compare with my Yuan family?"

Yuan Si touched his nose, looking embarrassed.

Yuan Kui and Yuan Ji were in Luoyang, and they had doubts about whether Dong Zhuo would kill Yuan Kui if they started a rebellion. However, Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao firmly believed that Yuan Kui was Dong Zhuo's sponsor, and Dong Zhuo would not dare to kill Yuan Kui.

Since the two Yuans thought so, other Yuans who were not as important as them did not object. After all, the Yuan family had a high reputation, so how could Dong Zhuo dare to do such a treasonous thing!
However, the Yuan family belongs to the Yuan family. If Zhang Yu rebels now, Yuan Si can guess that Dong Zhuo will definitely kill Wang Yun and Wang Hong first.

Yuan Shu calmed down a bit and said, "What you said makes sense. I will send you as an envoy to Yuzhou and Jizhou to contact Yuan Shao, Han Fu, Wang Kuang and others. And go to Shangdang to ask Zhang Yu why he didn't raise troops to join the alliance."

"promise!"

Yuan Si bowed and accepted the order.

Yuan Shu sat back at the table, drank a sip of honey water, and asked, "Where is Sun Jian now?"

"To Nanjun!"

Yuan Si said: "According to the plan, the governor Wang Rui will be executed."

"it is good!"

Yuan Shu nodded in satisfaction and said, "When Sun Jian reaches Nanyang, he will find a chance to execute Zhang Zi. When he reaches Luyang, I will recommend him as General Breaking the Enemy and Governor of Yuzhou."

As he spoke, Yuan Shu stroked his beard and sighed, "The tigers in Jiangdong are more obedient than those in the border areas. Now that Sun Jian is at my service, why should I worry about not being able to take over Jingzhou?"

(End of this chapter)