Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 171: Respecting the Wise and the Gentlemen, the Original Picture

Taihang Pass is a narrow and winding road.

The spring sun was bright, the ancient cypresses were towering, and a team of fifty or sixty people were walking arduously on the steep mountain path, helping each other.

"call!"

Chang Lin wiped the sweat from his head, leaned on a wooden stick, and climbed the mountain with all his might.

After walking about two miles, everyone was exhausted because the Yangchang Slope was too steep, so they rested on the spot leaning against the mountain.

Chang Lin sat on a rock, looking down at the rugged and winding Yangchangban road, and could not help but sigh at how dangerous Yangchangban was. For several miles along the way, there were towering cliffs, deep ravines, and numerous stubborn rocks. If a strong force was sent to garrison here, they would be invincible!

"Bo Huai, how long will it take to get to Gaodu?"

Chang Xing asked while beating his sore feet.

"We're almost there. After we pass Yangchangban, Tianjing Pass is ahead. We can rest at Tianjing Pass today, and reach Gaodu tomorrow." Chang Lin said.

Chang Xing sighed and said regretfully, "If I hadn't provoked Wang Kuang, my Chang family wouldn't have had to flee to Shangdang."

Chang Lin comforted him, saying, "Henei is in turmoil now, with many heroes and soldiers gathering here. It is no longer suitable for living. If our Chang family wants to avoid the turmoil, we will have to move sooner or later."

"That's fine!"

Chang Xing said helplessly: "Shangdang is a vast land with few people. If we go to Shangdang now and reclaim wasteland, we won't starve to death, but we will just have to live a hard life for a few years."

"who?"

While the uncle and nephew were talking, they heard the people in front of them suddenly sound a warning. They looked and saw several people who looked like soldiers appear in front of them.

The leading official was dressed in the uniform of a county official, with a crown on his head and a sword on his waist. He had a kind face and kept pressing his hands down towards Chang Lin and his group, signaling everyone not to be nervous.

"I am Shen Tubei, an official from Shangdang County. Don't panic!"

Shen Tubei said in a hoarse voice: "Tianjing Pass is narrow and it is difficult to keep the people. You can follow me to Wanzi City to stay overnight. There are hot water and doctors in the city. Tonight I will arrange for you to go to the township pavilion. After you arrive at the township pavilion, I will divide the land."

"Thank you, Mr. Shen!" some people shouted.

Shen Tu Bei laughed a few times and said, "My last name is Shen Tu, not Shen!"

After saying that, Shentu Bei waved his hand, asked the accompanying soldiers to maintain order, and then took Chang Lin and his party to Wanzi City.

Chang Xing leaned on his cane and panted, "Bo Huai, where did the surname Shentu come from? I have never heard of it!"

Chang Lin climbed the mountain with bamboo slips on his back, saying, "The Shentu family was originally from Liang. In the Western Han Dynasty, Shentu Jia followed Emperor Gaozu in the uprising and was appointed prime minister during the reign of Emperor Wen. Perhaps because of the turmoil or because of the fiefdom, his descendants moved to Shangdang."

"The prefect of Shangdang County must be a kind and generous person who can recruit sons of the big families in the county as officials, otherwise he would not have set up an inn in Wanzi City for people like you and me to rest." Chang Xing said.

Chang Lin nodded. Although he had not met Zhang Yu yet, he had already had a favorable impression of him. After all, if he could make such arrangements, he must be a person who loves the people.

"Sir, are you reading the scriptures?"

Seeing Chang Lin carrying heavy bamboo slips, Shentu Bei asked.

"I have only read a few books on classics, so I don't deserve to be called a teacher!" Chang Lin said modestly.

Shen Tubei waved his hand to call the soldiers over and said, "Come here, carry the bamboo slips for me, don't let me get too tired!"

"No!"

Seeing the soldier offering his hand to help him recite the book, Chang Lin was flattered and said, "Mr. Tu is so polite. I cannot accept it!"

"It's acceptable!"

Shentu Bei said with a smile: "Your Majesty has issued an order that all Shangdang soldiers and officials must support any scholar who enters Shangdang. As a county official, I dare not disobey your order."

"Thank you, Tu Jun!"

In ancient times, the abbreviations of double surnames often took the last character of the two characters, such as Zhuge could be called Ge, Sima could be called Ma, and the current abbreviation of Shentu could be called Tu.

Chang Lin handed the heavy bamboo slips to the soldier to carry, and immediately bowed to express his gratitude to Shentu Bei.

"please!"

After receiving Shentu Bei's courtesy, Chang Lin looked at the soldiers carrying the book for him and felt mixed emotions.

When he was in Hanoi, he had worked hard to save his uncle from Wang Kuang by using his connections. Now that he was in Shangdang, he could receive such courtesy just because he was a scholar. This was something Chang Lin had never expected.

Although he had never met Zhang Yu, Chang Lin was certain that Zhang Yu must be a lord who treated people with respect and had a unique ability to govern the people. In addition, Zhang Yu's record of defeating Bai Bo meant that he would surely be able to stand out in troubled times.

Treating scholars with courtesy was a policy that Zhang Yu decided after discussing with everyone. After all, Bingzhou had few people, so naturally there were fewer civil and military talents. The counties adjacent to Shangdang were all well-off counties, so in order to attract talents from the counties, they endorsed scholars. This behavior may seem exaggerated, but it is also reasonable. During the Han Dynasty, there were not many scholars who could read, and even fewer who could own large-scale books. Shentu Bei had been at Tianjing Pass for half a month, and only met three people, and Chang Lin was only the fourth person.

As for transporting the books, the destination was only Wanzi City, ten miles away, which could greatly increase the foreign scholars' favor towards Zhang Yu.

"What's your name, sir?"

As he had the responsibility of recommending talented people, Shentu Bei went to Changlin to ask about the Dao.

"My surname is Chang, my given name is Lin, and my courtesy name is Bohuai!" said Chang Lin.

Shen Tu Bei smiled and said, "Looking at the large number of books that Lord Chang has brought with him, I think he must be a man of profound knowledge."

"I have only read the classics briefly, so I dare not say that I am knowledgeable!" said Chang Lin.

"Now that Lord Chang has arrived in Shangdang, do you have any relatives who can join us?"

"To avoid the war, I have no relatives to join the army!"

Seeing that he had almost understood everything, Shen Tubei pondered for a moment and said, "General Du Liao has issued an order that scholars who enter Shangdang can go to Huguan to take an examination of their knowledge. If they pass the examination, the general will recruit them as officials or recommend them to the court as officials. Mr. Chang is knowledgeable now, but if he does not go to Huguan to take the examination, wouldn't it be a waste of his talent?"

"If Mr. Chang has no intention of becoming an official, he can go to Huguan to take the examination. If his knowledge meets the requirements, he can be hired as a teacher to teach young people and earn more food to support his family."

"What is a teacher?" Chang Lin asked curiously.

Shentu Bei said: "Your Excellency has noticed that few young men in the county read the classics, so he has appointed teachers in all counties so that young men in each county can study and be taught good customs."

"In these troubled times, Lord Zhang is benevolent and loves his people, and he values education. He is rare in this world!" Chang Lin exclaimed.

Shen Tu Bei said with a smile: "Your Excellency is not particular about trivial matters, and you are both kind and strict in your administration. If there is an important matter, you will approve it even in the middle of the night. It is a pleasure to be an official under your Excellency's command."

"good!"

Chang Lin suddenly felt his tired legs become strong, and he climbed forward. Although Chang Lin only knew a little about Shangdang, he had decided to go to Huguan to take part in the so-called examination. Not only for his future, but also for serving a monarch like Zhang Yu.

Not to mention that Chang Lin, welcomed by Shentu Bei, entered Shangdang with ten households, and planned to go to Huguan to take the examination in order to serve Zhang Yu.

Yuan Shao, who is now stationed in Mengjin, is discussing military and political affairs with his subordinates.

"General, Han Fu did not give much money and food this month. When our army asked him for it, Han Fu was perfunctory." Feng Ji said.

Yuan Shao looked displeased and said, "We are now at the critical moment of defeating the enemy. Han Fu's failure to provide us with food and supplies has put our army at a disadvantage!"

Feng Ji put down the documents and said, "General, you have raised an army to fight against the enemy and want to accomplish great things. But now you are dependent on others and are controlled by others. This is not what a real man should do. In my opinion, if you don't occupy a state, you will not be able to accomplish anything."

Yuan Shao stood up from the couch, paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, and said, "The soldiers of Jizhou are well-trained and strong, while our soldiers are hungry and few. It is not easy for a small force to defeat a large one. Moreover, Zhang Yu stationed his troops in Shangdang, and now he has been appointed as the governor of Henei by the traitor Dong. I am afraid that he will take advantage of the victory over Baibo to march into Henei."

Feng Ji thought for a moment and said, "General, you have raised an army to fight against the enemy and have a great reputation. Judging from what Zhang Yu has done, he is particularly good at judging the situation. In Ji's opinion, the general can send someone to contact Zhang Yu and tell him that this is a strategy for Dong Zhuo's two tigers to compete for food."

Yuan Shao clapped his hands and sighed, saying: "I originally wanted to occupy the Yellow River in the south, block Yan and Dai in the north, and accomplish great things in Hebei. Now the troops are stationed in Henei, and are restricted by Zhang Yu due to the terrain, and by Han Fu due to the food and supplies. How can I talk about raising an army to fight against the enemy!"

The coalition army was fighting against Dong Zhuo, but the various princes had their own plans. Before the battle even started, Liu Dai began to encroach on the territory. Yuan Shu was even more aggressive. He captured Liu Biao, forcibly took the seal, and called himself the governor of Jingzhou.

Zhang Yu was not as good as him, but now he has won a lot of reputation by defeating Bai Bo. Moreover, he has stationed troops in Shangdang, which restricts him from the terrain, so he dare not offend easily.

Compared with the proud Zhang Yu and Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao still has to rely on others. If Han Fu does not provide him with food, his subordinates will probably mutiny within a month. Therefore, Yuan Shao can be said to be feeling aggrieved now.

Seeing Yuan Shao so worried, Feng Ji came up with a plan and said, "General, Jizhou is now strong, but Han Fu is a mediocre man. You might as well contact Zhang Yu and Gongsun Zan, and when the time is right, invite them to lead troops to plunder Jizhou. Han Fu will be horrified when he hears this. You can send a debater to explain the consequences. Han Fu will be forced into a hurry and will give way to you."

Yuan Shao was delighted and said, "What Yuan Tu said is a good strategy, but I am afraid Zhang Yu and Gongsun Zan will not cooperate."

Feng Ji stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "General, you want to occupy Hebei to accomplish great things. Gongsun Zan and Zhang Yu are both your enemies. Gongsun Zan has strong troops and horses, and his ambitions must be far-reaching. General, why don't you invite Gongsun Zan to come south by saying that you want to attack Han Fu and share Jizhou."

"When the general becomes the host, he will occupy Jizhou. Gongsun Zan occupies Youzhou and will sooner or later become the general's enemy. The old agreement will be broken."

"Zhang Yu controls a small part of Shangdang, which is vast but has few people. Although his soldiers are brave, their number is less than 10,000. The general invited Zhang Yu to attack Jizhou, so it is better to offer the land of Henei as a reward, saying that if he can take Jizhou, Henei will be given to Zhang Yu."

"What about Wang Kuang?" Yuan Shao asked.

Feng Ji showed a cunning look on his face and said, "Wang Kuang claims to be the governor of Henei, and Zhang Yu was appointed as the governor of Henei by Dong Zhuo. If you don't help Wang Kuang, it will benefit Zhang Yu. Let Wang and Zhang fight for Henei, and you can sit back and watch them win."

"color!"

Yuan Shao clapped his hands and laughed, saying: "I have been controlled by Han Fu for a long time. If I follow Yuan Tu's advice and regain Jizhou, then everything in Hebei will be settled, and I will no longer be afraid of the thief Dong!"

After Yuan Shao escaped from Luoyang, he did not go to his hometown of Runan, but went to Jizhou to start an uprising. His original intention was to follow the order of Liu Xiu's rise to power, occupy the prosperous Hebei, annex Youzhou and Bingzhou, and then march south to occupy the Central Plains.

But Yuan Shao was controlled by Han Fu in the early days. Now with Feng Ji's strategy, Yuan Shao finally saw hope of breaking the deadlock!

(End of this chapter)