Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 162: A Strategy for Peace in the World, a Strategy for Taking Over Bingzhou

It was early morning, foggy and a cool breeze blew across the air.

"call!"

Zhang Yu wiped the sweat off his face with a warm towel and exhaled the foul air in his chest.

Although Zhang Yu already commanded thousands of soldiers and had many generals who were capable of charging into battle, he did not dare to relax and practiced martial arts every day.

"Is Mr. Zhong awake?" Zhang Yu asked.

"My lord, Mr. Zhong is enjoying breakfast in the government office today!" said the attendant.

"it is good!"

Zhang Yu handed the handkerchief to the attendant and said, "Please go to the side hall to discuss matters. I will be there shortly."

"promise!"

Zhang Yu went back to his room, took a shower, changed his clothes, put on some tight clothes and went to see Zhong Yao.

Today, Zhong Yao was invited to the side hall where Zhang Yu had been staying alone recently. As he was nearly forty years old, Zhong Yao wore a dark black robe. Looking at the books displayed in the hall, there was a lot of curiosity on Zhong Yao's face.

As Zhang Yu had not yet come to bathe or change his clothes, Zhong Yao started to walk around the hall, hoping to find out what Zhang Yu was thinking.

"The Chronicles of Emperor Gao!"

While pacing, Zhong Yao discovered that the book Zhang Yu had been reading recently was actually "Records of Emperor Gaozu" in the Book of Han.

Zhong Yao couldn't help but think of the current situation and what Zhang Yu had done, and thought to himself: "Zhang Ji'an really has extraordinary ambitions!"

"Yuan Chang!"

Seeing that Zhong Yao was absorbed in the contents on the bamboo slips, Zhang Yu stepped inside with his sword in hand and called out.

Zhong Yao placed the Records of Emperor Gaozu on the table and asked meaningfully, "Ji'an reads the Records of Emperor Gaozu in his room every day. What is his intention?"

Zhang Yu looked calm and said, "Emperor Gaozu, a village head, was able to establish the foundation of the Han Dynasty. Future generations must respect him."

Zhong Yao raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Now the Han Dynasty is in decline, with traitors in power and heroes rising up. I wonder if Ji An has any strategy to help the country?"

Zhang Yu straightened his clothes and invited Zhong Yao to sit opposite him.

"I dare not even talk about it!"

Zhang Yu smiled slightly, poured a cup of honey water for Zhong Yao, and said: "The heroes of Guandong claim to be righteous soldiers, but in fact they have their own calculations. Sooner or later, they will fall apart. Dong Zhuo is in charge of state affairs, and the ministers in the court are dissatisfied. Changes will definitely happen in the capital."

"The world is about to collapse, but Yu is not very talented and well-educated. Fortunately, the people of Shangdang supported us, so we were able to have a barren land. Yu did not dare to plan for big things, but only wanted to protect the people of the Three Jins and then see how the world changes."

Zhong Yao smiled in disappointment, and was very dissatisfied with Zhang Yu's answer. He said, "If Ji'an's ambition is limited to this, I'm afraid I have to bid farewell to Ji'an!"

Hearing this, Zhang Yu's expression changed slightly. He grabbed Zhong Yao's arm and said sternly, "Yu has great ambitions, but his strategies are short-sighted. I hope Yuan Chang can give me some advice!"

After saying this, Zhang Yu bowed deeply with a sincere expression.

Seeing this, Zhong Yao sat back on the couch and asked, "Yao would like to hear your intentions?"

Zhang Yu pondered for a long time. He had the memory of later generations and was very clear that the Eastern Han Dynasty was doomed to perish. When he first met Zhong Yao, he did not dare to easily reveal his ambitions, so he gave the previous answer.

Zhang Yu exhaled slightly, and made up his mind. He smiled and said, "I'm willing to tell you, but I'm afraid Yuan Chang doesn't dare to listen!"

"Please speak carefully!"

Zhang Yu straightened his body, put his hand on the hilt of his sword, and said in a deep voice: "Forgive me for speaking frankly, but the Han Dynasty has been in decline and has accumulated many problems. The barbarians are resentful and the people are in turmoil. If we want to pacify the world, we must destroy it like a rotten house and rebuild it."

"Looking at the Shang and Zhou dynasties, they only lasted four or five hundred years. The Qin dynasty fell due to tyranny, but Emperor Gaozu killed a white snake and started an uprising, which established the Han dynasty, which lasted four hundred years. In this dynasty, first the eunuchs and relatives of the emperor's wife rebelled, and then the people rose up in rebellion because of suffering."

"The late emperor was insane before his death and did not appoint a crown prince, which led to the rebellion of seizing the throne. Dong Zhuo entered the capital with his evil intentions, deposed the emperor, poisoned the empress, and usurped the throne. The Yuan family gathered people to do evil, causing the people's livelihood to suffer. Therefore, I secretly believe that the Han Dynasty will perish!"

"Yuan often asked me about my ambitions. To be honest, I have always been pursuing the ambitions of Emperor Gaozu. I will sweep away all the heroes in the world with my sword, crush the rebellious bandits, drive out the four barbarians who invade the border, and rebuild the country of China."

Zhang Yu paced back and forth, holding his sword, and said in a deep voice: "I am a humble man now, and I would like to protect the people of the Three Jins first, and then borrow the power of the Three Jins to observe the situation in the east and the west."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu looked at Zhong Yao fiercely and asked, "The above is my intention. What do you think of Yuan Chang?"

Zhong Yao could guess that Zhang Yu had a rebellious heart, and he was shocked by his bold statement. But in terms of the situation, Zhang Yu's words were not wrong, and Zhang Yu had the ability to compete for the world, and even take over Bingzhou, so he had a chance to wait and see the artifact. Zhong Yao responded quickly, cupping his hands and saying, "I admire your ambition to help An. I am not talented, but I hope that your prestige will be spread all over the world, and I can make a small contribution and leave my name in the books!"

Zhang Yu laughed loudly, helped Zhong Yao up, and said: "You have the talent of Xiao He, but the Han Dynasty could not make great use of it. Now that the world is in decline, it is time for you to make great plans."

Zhong Yao said, "I dare not boast of Xiao He's talent. Since this year, the world has been in turmoil. I have some thoughts. I wonder if you are willing to listen to them?"

"I am stupid, I hope you can speak more clearly."

Zhang Yu helped Zhong Yao to the seat, then knelt on the opposite couch and humbly asked Zhong Yao to make plans for him.

Zhong Yao stroked his beard and said thoughtfully, "In ancient times, if one wanted to achieve great things, one must have a strategy to conquer the world. In the past, Emperor Gaozu met Li Shiqi, who offered him the strategy of conquering the east and the west. Emperor Gaozu then got Han Xin's strategy of destroying Xiang Yu, and finally unified the world. Emperor Shizu fled and met Deng Yu, who offered him the strategy of pacifying the world. Emperor Shizu led the soldiers from Hebei, plundered Guanxi in the west, and swallowed up the Central Plains in the south, thus reviving the world."

"I am not talented enough to discuss the world for you. You control Shangdang, which clamps Hebei in the east and Henei in the south. Therefore, even if you do not join forces with the Yuan family, Yuan Shao will not dare to resent you for this."

"Shangdang is the gateway to Bingzhou, and Bingzhou's situation, with mountains and rivers both inside and outside, makes it a perfect place. To the east, there is Taihang as a barrier, to the west there is a big river as a barrier, to the north there is the desert and Yinshan Mountains, to the south there is Mengjin and Jingxing, it can be a place for a king or a hegemon."

"Bingzhou is a hub for the world. It relies on Shangdang in the east to look at Hebei, and controls Hedong in the west to look at Guanzhong. Therefore, in the eyes of the world, Bingzhou is a hub. Emperor Gaozu took Bingzhou and swept across Hebei to destroy Xiang Yu; Emperor Shizu took Bingzhou and swallowed Guanzhong in the west to revive the Han Dynasty."

Zhong Yao was very excited and said, "Since you have taken Shangdang and Bingzhou, I think you can lead your troops westwards and follow the example of Emperor Gaozu in conquering the world. If you swallow up Bashu, pacify Hebei in the north, and march south to the Central Plains, the world will be at peace!"

The cake that Zhong Yao drew was very delicious, but Zhang Yu's thoughts were not confused. Instead, he asked: "Since you have occupied Bingzhou, why don't you take Hebei and look west to Guanzhong?"

Zhong Yao hesitated for a moment and said, "Dong Zhuo moved the capital to Chang'an. Although the Han Dynasty is in decline, it still has loyal ministers. With Dong Zhuo's behavior, I'm afraid he won't survive for long. When Dong Zhuo dies, there may be war in Guanzhong. If you have already taken Bingzhou by then, why can't you wait and see?"

"As for Hebei, Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, is the hope of the world, and the Han and Hu people serve him. It is not a place that can be attacked suddenly. In addition, most of the princes in Guandong are mediocre, but Yuan Shao is famous in the world, and he has risen up and has the foundation to become powerful. It is expected that Liu and Yuan will fight for Hebei, and it may be difficult for you to attack it suddenly."

"Is it true that Han Fu, the governor of Jizhou, is unable to accomplish anything?" Zhang Yu asked thoughtfully.

Zhong Yao shook his head and laughed, saying, "Han Fu is a former official of the Yuan family. He is indecisive and timid. Han Fu controls Ji Province and could have contained Yuan Shao, but he was timid and made Yuan Shao the commander-in-chief while he stayed in Yecheng to supply the soldiers and food."

"This time, the heroes fought against Dong Zhuo, which greatly increased Yuan Shao's prestige. Therefore, although he is now a mere governor of Bohai, the people of Jizhou all look up to him!"

There were many princes who joined the war against Dong Zhuo, but the only one who could really gain fame was Yuan Shao, the leader of the alliance. After all, Yuan Shao was the leader of the alliance and he personally led the Northern Army to the war.

"color!"

Zhang Yu couldn't help but applaud. With the current chaotic situation, Zhong Yao was able to guess the general direction of the future, which was a far-sighted vision. Although there were many minor errors, it was not a big problem for the overall situation. It could even be said that the strategy could be changed according to the changes in the situation.

Among them, persuading Zhang Yu to take Guanxi was almost exactly what Zhang Yu intended. As far as the situation is concerned, if history does not change much, by the time he integrates Bingzhou, Yuan Shao is estimated to have already taken control of Jizhou.

If they went to war with Yuan Shao, who controlled Hebei, they would not be able to defeat him with the manpower and resources of Bingzhou. It would be better to use Wang Yun and Lu Bu to kill Dong Zhuo and the subsequent civil strife to first annex the wealthy Hedong and then Guanzhong.

Zhang Yu restrained his expression and asked, "What you are talking about is a long-term matter. Considering the current situation inside and outside the party, I wonder what you think?"

Zhong Yao took a sip of honey water to moisten his throat, and said, "According to what you said yesterday, Shangdang is in trouble because of the decline of the people, and there is the threat of Baibo outside. In order to relieve the difficulties in Shangdang, you want to take in the refugees in Henei and lead the troops to attack Baibo in the west. Is that right?"

"That's right!" Zhang Yu nodded.

Zhong Yao put down the lacquer cup, stood up and paced, saying: "Your Excellency's actions are indeed a move to strengthen Shangdang, but Yao's views are still insufficient."

"Oh!"

Zhang Yu sat upright and said, "Please speak clearly!"

Zhong Yao stopped, looked slightly serious, and said with a cupped hand: "Although the powerful and noble families in Shangdang County are not as many as those in Hebei County, they can also help you. In Yao's opinion, you might as well recruit scholars in the county, select the ones who can be used, and appoint them as county magistrates. Moreover, Henei is a rich place with a flourishing literary style. Why don't you treat the scholars in Henei with courtesy and recruit talented people into the shogunate?"

"In addition, the powerful and noble families built forts and forts to avoid the collection of taxes by the counties. Why don't you take drastic measures and order the powerful and noble families in the counties to pay taxes and send men to serve as soldiers?"

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "Your words make sense. However, the people of Shangdang are strong-willed. I am afraid that if I force the powerful and the nobles to pay taxes and send men to serve as soldiers, they will become alienated from me and secretly join others."

"otherwise!"

Zhong Yao smiled and said, "Your Excellency has appointed Shangdang scholars as officials, and how can Shangdang scholars not work hard for you? If you are worried about this, you can leave this matter to me. If you can lead the troops to defeat the Baibo bandits, I will have a way to make Shangdang people work for you."

After a pause, Zhong Yao bowed to Zhang Yu and said, "Your Excellency came to the court at a young age. Now, at a time of division, you have made great efforts to rush to Shangdang. If you can quell the Baipo, Bingzhou will respect you. If you can mobilize the people of Bingzhou and shock Daishuo, your name will spread throughout the world."

"The Xiongnu are rampant, the Black Mountains are overbearing, your Excellency can defeat them with an army; Bingzhou is out of order, the household registration is declining, your Excellency can stabilize the territory and welcome the refugees. At that time, the Xiongnu were cavalry, driving the Xianbei, and governing the Rongdi. They united the land of the Three Jins, with 50,000 soldiers, and fought for the world. Who can defeat them?"

Zhang Yu was greatly encouraged. Compared with the previous long-term strategy, the mid- and early-stage strategy proposed by Zhong Yao would be of greater help to him.

Zhang Yu held Zhong Yao's hand tightly and said with a smile: "You are not Xiao He, but my Deng Yu!"

(End of this chapter)