Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 177: General Baima, Explaining the Pros and Cons

The distance from Huguan in Shangdang to Jixian in Guangyang is about 1,500 to 1,600 li, and it takes half a month to travel 100 li a day.

Yu Yi was worried about the locust plague in Shangdang, so he rode a horse at full speed, covering 200 miles a day, and reached Ji County in just eight days. When Liu Yu learned that Yu Yi was sent by Zhang Yu to be an envoy, he immediately summoned him to the prefecture to meet him.

Ji County, the provincial capital.

Yu Yi was dressed in plain clothes and a scholar's hat on his head. Led by his attendants, he walked into the hall.

"I am here on the orders of General Du Liao to pay a visit to the Grand Marshal!" Yu Yi saluted respectfully.

Liu Yu invited his attendants to sit down and asked kindly, "Ji'an sent you to Ji County. I wonder why?"

Yu Yi showed a sad face and said, "Your Majesty was worried about the displacement of the people, so you recruited refugees in Shangdang and gave them wasteland. However, we did not expect that this year, when the harvest was good, there was a drought first, and then a locust plague, and the people had nothing to eat. Now the treasury is empty and it is difficult to provide relief to the people. Your Majesty is worried day and night, so he sent Yi to visit the Grand Marshal to ask for food to rescue the soldiers and civilians in Shangdang."

"If there is no food~"

Yu Yi sighed and said, "The refugees in the county are difficult to contain and will surely gather together to rebel. Your Excellency has no food and may find it difficult to suppress the refugees. By then, the 200,000 people in Shangdang will unite with the Black Mountain bandits to plunder the counties in Hebei, and Hebei may be in chaos!"

What Yu Yi said was true. In history, the Black Mountain bandits had repeatedly plundered Hebei and even became a major concern for Yuan Shao at one point. This was related to the eastward migration of Baibo refugees and the escape of Shangdang people to Black Mountain.

If there is no food in Shangdang area now, in order to ensure that his soldiers and civilians have food to eat, Zhang Yu might follow the example of Liu Xiu and take a gamble by plundering the counties in Hebei. He might recruit soldiers on the condition of plundering, and if he is lucky, he might become the "Black Mountain Emperor".

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu looked at his left and right aides and asked, "Is there a locust plague in Youzhou now?"

"Reporting to the governor, there is no report of locust plague in Shanggu, Zhuo, Yuyang and other counties under the jurisdiction of Youzhou. It did rain less in the past few days, but due to the benefits of rivers and canals, the drought has little impact." Cheng Xu, an official, reported.

Liu Yu's worries disappeared, and he said, "Shao Ran, I wonder how much money and food Ji'an needs now? Tell me the truth, don't exaggerate, and I will do my best to help."

Yu Yi hesitated for a moment and said, "To be honest with you, Grand Marshal, there are nearly 200,000 soldiers and civilians in Shangdang. Your Excellency requests 300,000 shi of grain to be used as work-in-lieu-of-relief to help the people through the winter."

"Three hundred thousand shi of grain?"

The staff in the hall couldn't help but whisper to each other. Three hundred thousand shi of grain was not a small number. Converted to the measurement standards of later times, it would be about 18,000 tons of grain.

Although Youzhou had been governed by Liu Yu and the price of grain and fodder had dropped to thirty coins per stone, Youzhou was still poor. It was not a rich place like Jizhou, and it was not easy to take out three hundred thousand stones in one go!

Cheng Xu frowned, looked at Liu Yu, and said, "Mu Bo, although there is surplus grain in the treasury, we will give 300,000 shi of grain to Shangdang. If a sudden military event occurs, we may not have enough grain and grass, so it is better to save it."

The staff wanted Yu Yi to be tactful and ask Liu Yu for less food. However, Yu Yi's expression did not change, and he quietly waited for Liu Yu's speech. After all, the real person in charge was not the staff, but the Grand Marshal Liu Yu.

Liu Yu's expression became serious, and he said in a deep voice: "When Ji'an and I were in Luoyang, we wanted to clear the emperor's side, but unfortunately the previous emperor passed away, He Jin's government became chaotic, and Dong Zhuo entered the capital, causing the world to fall into chaos. Now the Lord has fallen, and you all have your own states and counties. The only one who can go with me is Zhang Ji'an!"

"Ji'an recruited refugees and wiped out the Baibo, which made Shangdang suddenly prosperous. If it weren't for the locust plague, Shangdang would have been rich in grain. Now the people are starving and people are about to eat each other. If someone comes to me for help, how can I not help them in danger?"

Liu Yu had a good impression of Zhang Yu. In the long run, Zhang Yu was promoted by him. Later, Zhang Yu even intended to plot big things with him, but failed.

Since Dong Zhuo entered the capital, the Yuan family launched an expedition against Dong, and Zhang Yu stationed troops in Shangdang. Not only did he not forget his promise, but he also maintained the same political stance as Dong, that is, not to attack Dong or help Dong, so as to prevent the world from becoming more chaotic.

Therefore, in Liu Yu's eyes, Zhang Yu can be regarded as a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. If he does not come to his rescue, the forces loyal to the Han Dynasty will become more isolated, which is not what Liu Yu wants to see.

Seeing this, Yu Yi took the opportunity to say, "Mu Bo, in addition to asking for food, there is another matter I want to discuss with you. Your Majesty has moved west to Chang'an, and I don't know your Majesty's news. You are very worried. Therefore, at the end of the year, when the tribute is paid, I would like to go to the capital with Mu Bo's staff to pay homage to Your Majesty."

Liu Yu nodded and said with emotion: "The traitorous ministers are causing chaos and the court is in turmoil. As an old minister of the royal family, I dare not not attend the court. Now that the roads are cleared, I should send an envoy to show my loyalty."

As he spoke, Liu Yu looked at the chief clerk Wei You and asked, "If I remember correctly, there are 1 million dan of grain in the treasury, right?"

"Correct!"

Wei You said with a bitter face, "Three hundred thousand dan of grain and grass is a lot, and it requires eight thousand carts, which can travel fifty miles a day. The distance from Jixian to Huguan is one thousand five hundred miles, and it takes thirty days. The grain and grass along the way must be provided by our army. This time, we need six hundred thousand dan to transport grain to Shangdang."

Shangdang was too far away from Youzhou and consumed a lot of food and grass. Liu Yu wanted to save Shangdang from danger, but the distance was too long, which made his subordinates feel troubled.

After hearing the data reported by his subordinates, Liu Yu couldn't help but feel hesitant. Six hundred thousand shi of grain is not a small number.

"Six hundred thousand shi of grain is too much!"

When Liu Yu was hesitating, a loud voice suddenly came from outside. Yu Yi looked in the direction of the voice and saw a dignified and burly warrior in a strong suit, holding a sword and walking with an arrogant air, which made it difficult for people to have a good impression of him. This person was none other than the White Horse General Gongsun Zan!

"Mu Bo, although Youzhou has plenty of food and grass, spending half of it to help Shangdang is not only a waste of people's energy, but also detrimental to the safety of Youzhou."

Gongsun Zanhu walked into the hall, looked at Yu Yi, who was dressed simply, and said with dissatisfaction: "The world is in chaos today. The first thing is to benefit oneself, and the second is to benefit others. Now I am sending food and grass to support Shangdang. If Youzhou encounters famine or a sudden military incident, the food and grass in the warehouse will determine the survival of the soldiers and officials in Youzhou."

The reason why Gongsun Zan opposed the relief to Zhang Yu was that he regarded Youzhou's grain as his own military rations. Especially with the turmoil in the world, Gongsun Zan, as a warlord in Youzhou, had ambitions that were ready to move, and he was unwilling to be a general under Liu Yu, so he naturally opposed the relief to Zhang Yu.

Liu Yu naturally didn't know what Gongsun Zan was thinking, but he couldn't help but consider what he said, so he fell into deep thought, considering whether to transfer 300,000 shi of grain and grass to Zhang Yu.

Seeing that Liu Yu was silent and in danger of being persuaded, Yu Yi immediately said, "I wonder if Mu Bo could invite Yi to the side hall to talk?"

Liu Yu glanced at Yu Yi, then looked up at everyone in the hall, then stood up from the couch and said, "Follow me inside!"

"Thank you, Uncle Mu!"

When the two of them arrived at the side hall, Liu Yu and Yu Yi sat on the couches facing each other and asked, "I wonder what Shao Ran has to say that cannot be known by others?"

Yu Yi bowed to Liu Yu and said, "This is about the rise and fall of the Han Dynasty. There are confidential words that cannot be known to outsiders."

"please!"

Yu Yi recalled Zhang Yu's words of advice and said, "Dong Zhuo has committed many evil deeds, and all the nobles in the capital are indignant. Minister Wang intends to eliminate the thief and contact you to coordinate internal and external affairs. However, you are short of troops, so I have recommended Mu Bo to Minister Wang and asked Yi to tell you military secrets."

"When the incident in the capital comes, you will lead the elite troops of the Three Jins, join the Youzhou cavalry under Mu Bo's command, go to Shangdang, break through Hedong, and go down to Guanzhong. At that time, we will eliminate Dong Zhuo and the bandits of the Western Army. Then you two will be able to welcome Your Majesty in Luoyang, return to the old capital, appease the nobles in Guandong, put an end to the war, and restore the Han Dynasty."

Yu Yi carefully selected his words, analyzed the pros and cons and said: "Your Excellency lives in Shangdang and recruits refugees with the intention of reviving the Han Dynasty. Now it is hit by a locust plague and the soldiers and civilians have no food. Shangdang will be in chaos and your Excellency will have no place to stay. Your Excellency is displaced, and I am afraid that no one can help you in the cause of defeating Dong and the cause of the Han Dynasty!"

"Your Highness is in Dai, Mu Bo is in Yan. Yan and Dai are closely related. Guangwu used soldiers from Yan and Dai to revive the Han Dynasty. Whether the Han Dynasty can revive again in this era may depend on Mu Bo's leadership of Youzhou."

Liu Yu stroked his beard and nodded, his face showing joy, and said: "Zi Shi is planning things in the court, and Ji An is stationed outside, responding to each other inside and outside. Ji An and Zi Shi are of the same generation as Yu!"

If you want others to help you, you must show your own value. Although Liu Yu is a benevolent person, it does not mean that he will help others unconditionally.

In order to obtain Liu Yu's assistance, Zhang Yu naturally had to tell about his and Wang Yun's plan, adding fuel to the fire and showing his unique value.

As he spoke, Yu Yi bowed to Liu Yu and pleaded, "I am not forcing Mu Bo to help you in the name of saving the Han Dynasty. But now the Han Dynasty is weak and few are willing to be loyal to it. The heroes in Guandong claim to be righteous soldiers, but they have no heart of benevolence and righteousness; Liu Yan of Yizhou claims to be a royal family, but he actually has the intention of being disloyal."

"Liu Yizhou has any rebellious thoughts?" Liu Yu asked in surprise.

"Of course!"

Yu Yi added fuel to the fire, saying: "Liu Yan entered Yizhou because Yizhou was said to have the air of an emperor. After entering Bashu, he recruited rice thieves, attacked and killed the county governor, closed the Shu Road, and cut off the grain supply from Shu to Chang'an."

Liu Yu sighed and said, "I thought Liu Junlang (Liu Yan's courtesy name) and I were of the same mind, but I didn't expect him to do such a disloyal thing. Shao Ran, don't worry. I will help Shangdang when it is in trouble of lack of food."

Liu Yu had originally offered a discount, but now with Yu Yi's words of pros and cons, Liu Yu decided to help Zhang Yu. After all, according to what Yu Yi said, if Zhang Yu was exiled and Youzhou lost the road to Guanzhong, then the plan to save the Han Dynasty and eliminate Dong Zhuo would fail.

"But the difficult thing now is how to transport 300,000 dan of grain to Shangdang?" Liu Yu said.

Yu Yi hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Mu Bo is the Grand Marshal, the head of the Three Dukes. It would be better to send an envoy to convey a message to Han Fu, exchanging 300,000 dan of grain from Youzhou for 300,000 dan of grain from Jizhou. This way, the loss in the middle of the journey can be avoided, and there will be no loss for Han Fu."

"Han Fu, governor of Jizhou?"

Liu Yu stroked his beard and thought, and said, "I will write a letter to tell him that transporting grain over a thousand miles will cause a lot of losses. Even if we add tens of thousands of shi of grain, it will be better than transporting military supplies. If Han Fu disagrees, I will send Gongsun Zan to supervise the delivery of grain to Jingxing, and Ji'an will lead the troops to receive the grain and grass."

Yu Yi smiled and said, "Your Excellency once said that Han Fu was cowardly. Who knows if Han Fu would agree to exchange food for relief if he is afraid of the troops crossing the border."

"Does Shao Ran want to stay in Ji County or return to Huguan?" Liu Yu asked.

Yu Yi said solemnly: "Since Mu Bo has decided to allocate grain to aid Shangdang, Yi needs to return to Huguan as soon as possible to inform the prince of the good news, and ask the prince to write a letter to Han Fu to reach an agreement on exchanging grain between You and Ji."

"good!"

(End of this chapter)