Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 182: Calling Friends and Inviting Companions, Dominating Heshuo

Since Wen Shao offered Yangyi and captured Li Jun and made him surrender, there was no force in Taiyuan that could contend with Zhang Yu.

On the eighth day, the army went to Yuci; on the ninth day, Zhang Yu entered Jinyang; on the twelfth day, Zhang Liao occupied Jiexiu and controlled the main roads in and out of Taiyuan from Hedong.

It took Zhang Yu less than a month from the time he set out on September 14 to the time he captured Taiyuan on October 12. He completely took control of Taiyuan County and subdued nearly 4,000 infantry and cavalry in the county.

Jinyang, the provincial capital.

"Tsk tsk~"

Hao Zhao touched the Shu brocade curtains on the governor's mansion and could not help but exclaim in admiration, saying, "Compared with the decorations in the governor's mansion, the items in the Shangdang Prefecture are really vulgar and simple. The difference is like the difference between a slow horse and a thousand-mile horse."

Guo Tu was a connoisseur of value and said with a smile, "Bo Dao, do you know how much the brocade curtain in your hand costs?"

"How many?"

"It's worth at least three golds!"

"Thirty thousand coins?"

Xu Shu was amazed and said, "It's enough for an ordinary family to spend for more than ten years!"

Guo Tu pointed to the folding screen embroidered with birds and beasts behind the main seat and said, "This screen would have cost the labor of ten thousand people. Judging from the market price, it would cost at least ten gold coins."

Hao Zhao shook his head and sighed, saying, "In the early days, the income from horse trading was less than one gold coin a year. A simple screen or brocade curtain would cost several gold coins, or even ten gold coins. I really can't imagine it."

“It’s so luxurious!”

Xu Shu couldn't help but sigh when he thought of the people in Shangdang who were affected by the disaster.

Seeing Hao and Xu's short-sightedness, Guo Tu stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Bingzhou is poor, so this arrangement cannot be considered luxurious. If you two see the Jizhou Governor's Mansion in Yecheng, it is not an exaggeration to describe it as a palace."

Zhang Yu stood on the steps, took in the furnishings in the hall, and said, "Have them removed."

"Sir, you can't go!"

Guo Tu hurriedly stopped him, saying, "The state government was decorated splendidly to boost morale. How can you boost morale by ordering people to remove it now?"

Zhang Yu didn't care. He pointed at Xu Shu and asked, "Yuanzhi, why are you following me?"

Xu Shu bowed and said, "Your Excellency saved me and appreciated me. I am deeply grateful for your kindness, so I am willing to work for you."

"Where's Bodao?"

Hao Zhao grinned and said, "Your Excellency has treated me with great kindness, so I am willing to run around for you."

Zhang Yu held his belt with his hand, looked at the rich furnishings, and said in a deep voice: "Those who strengthen their reputation and prestige are not those who wear extravagant ornaments, but those who are willing to work hard for Yu."

Guo Tu looked embarrassed and didn't know how to persuade Zhang Yu.

At this moment, Zhong Yao came in from outside the hall with a smile on his face, bowed to Zhang Yu, and said, "Congratulations, my lord. The household registers and maps of Bingzhou and Taiyuan County have all been preserved, as well as the official lists of each county."

"Thank you Yuan Chang for coming all the way from Huguan to sort out the state affairs for me!"

Zhang Yu walked down the steps, held Zhong Yao's hand, and said with a smile: "With Taiyuan, we now have the foundation for great things!"

As he spoke, Zhang Yu pointed at the surrounding furnishings and said, "Yuan Chang, the state government is decorated luxuriously. I want to have them removed. What do you think?"

"Why do you say that, my lord?" Zhong Yao asked.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment, then revealed his thoughts to his close associates, saying, "Although the state government's splendid furnishings can boost momentum, the current situation is different from the past. Now we must first fight on horseback. If we enjoy luxury when the world is not at peace, our will will be weakened and our bones will become soft. How can we talk about supporting the country?"

Zhang Yu had read a lot of history and knew that many princes were full of vigor and did not enjoy luxury when they started their own businesses. However, after they had their own businesses, they became weak due to wealth and became someone else's food. Typical examples of this were Zhang Shicheng and Chen Youliang.

Therefore, before the great cause is accomplished, Zhang Yu must learn to restrain himself and not let material things corrupt his mind. Wouldn't it be better to remove these luxurious furnishings in the state government and use the money to spend on the army?
Upon hearing this, Zhong Yao, Guo Tu, Xu Shu and others looked awe-inspiring and admired what Zhang Yu had done very much.

Zhong Yao said: "Your Excellency's wish to remove the magnificent furnishings is not a problem, but for the sake of beauty and practicality, you can replace them with ordinary items."

"it is good!"

Zhang Yu said: "Let Yuan Zhi handle this matter, and everything should be done with frugality and practicality in mind."

"promise!"

After Xu Shu left, Zhang Yu thought of the key issue at hand and asked, "Yuan Chang, our army has occupied Taiyuan. How do we report this to the court?"

Zhong Yao frowned slightly and asked, "My Lord, do you want to tell me how to deal with the relationship with Dong Zhuo?"

"Almost!" Zhang Yu sat on the table and said, "Our army led troops into Taiyuan on the pretext of fighting against the enemy. Now that Li Jun has been captured, our army needs to ask the court for an official position before we can control Taiyuan. Moreover, my wife's family is in Chang'an. If we offend Dong Zhuo, I'm afraid my wife's family~"

Zhang Yu was worried that his capture of Taiyuan would cause a butterfly effect, which would abort Wang Yun's plan to kill Dong Zhuo, so Zhang Yu needed to maintain a friendly relationship with Dong Zhuo as much as possible.

Zhong Yao thought for a moment and said, "Sir, the princes of Guandong have raised an army to fight against Dong Zhuo, and Dong Zhuo is deeply trapped in their trap. Now if you can send an envoy to the court to present a horse and a memorial to the court to show your humility, Dong Zhuo will appease you out of his concern for the safety of the border. As for controlling Taiyuan, you should appoint someone you trust as the governor of Taiyuan."

"What Yuan Chang said makes sense!"

Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said, "Let Shao Ran and Li Jun go to Chang'an to explain to Dong Zhuo the reason for the expedition to Taiyuan and offer the fur of a fine horse as a gesture of submission."

"Your Excellency passed through the territory on the pretext of conquering the Dingxiang thief Zhang An. When you submit a memorial to Chang'an, you must also state your achievement in persuading Zhang An to surrender. You must avoid giving rise to gossip." Zhong Yao reminded.

"good!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Bo Dao, you lead 500 cavalrymen to the north to meet Li Song in Wuzhou. Then I will write a letter to the court, saying that Zhang An heard that I led troops to attack and surrendered to me."

"promise!"

I have been separated from my wives and concubines for such a long time. Now that we have captured Jinyang, it is time to bring them back to my side.

"Tell the people outside that Zhang An's surrender to you is a good thing!"

Guo Tu said with a smile: "Your Excellency first captured Li Jun and took Taiyuan; now you have sent people to persuade Zhang An to surrender, and then you will recover Dingxiang County. Within a month or so, your Excellency will control the two counties. If such deeds spread throughout the world, wouldn't the scholars be in awe?"

As he spoke, Guo Tu bowed to Zhang Yu and said, "Your Majesty's name is feared throughout Hebei and I believe all the scholars respect you. I have already sent a letter to the wise men in the village, asking them not to doubt you and to come and surrender as soon as possible."

"Yao and you have the same idea. I have already written to the clan members, telling them that you have a reputation for intimidating Hebei." Zhong Yao said.

In the past few years, Zhang Yu had a little reputation and had to rely on his own lobbying to find talented people. But now, as Zhang Yu's territory expands, he no longer needs to look for talents. Talents will come to Zhang Yu on their own initiative through recommendations from people around him or attracted by his reputation.

Zhang Yu asked with a smile, "Who would you like to invite to Jin?"

Guo Tu hesitated for a moment and said, "My cousin Guo Jia is my friend, the brothers Xin Ping and Xin Pi. My other cousin Guo Yuan is the nephew of Mr. Zhong. He is now serving under Han Jizhou. Mr. Zhong has sent a letter to invite him."

Perhaps because he had many talented people under his command, Zhang Yu did not have much feeling for Guo Jia, Xin Pi and others. Instead, he was surprised that Guo Tu and Zhong Yao were related by marriage.

"Gong Ze and Yuan Chang are related by marriage?"

"Of course!"

Zhong Yao did not shy away from the question and said, "You have a younger sister who married the Guo family, whose family is a distant relative of yours. Guo Yuan is your nephew. Although he has talent, he became famous at a young age and is stubborn and competitive. If his temperament does not change, you can use him, but not on a major basis."

"What about Guo Jia?" Zhang Yu asked.

Guo Tu pondered and said, "Guo Jia has great ambitions. He has kept his name secret since he was a young man. He has made friends with outstanding people in the world and not ordinary people. His wisdom and strategy are amazing. He can be said to be a young hero. He just left Han Fu's camp and was invited by Xin Ping to stay temporarily in Yuan Shao's camp."

Zhang Yu was moved and said with a smile: "I hope that Guo Yuan, Guo Jia and other wise men can accept your invitation and visit Jinyang so that I can show my hospitality."

Having said that, Zhang Yu already had an idea in mind. He couldn't say whether all of the above people could come, but even if half of them came, there would be a lot of Yingchuan scholars under his command. In the future, he would need to promote more scholars from Bingzhou to prevent the scholars from Yingchuan from dominating.

"Sir, now that Taiyuan has been taken and Dingxiang and Shangdang counties are in our hands, I wonder what to do with Xihe and Yanmen counties?" Guo Tu asked.

Zhang Yu thought for a while and said, "There is only one county left in Xihe County, Pingzhou. I have met its governor Cui Jun a few times. He is very talented and is a descendant of the Cui family of Boling. We can now resume the affairs of Xihe County and invite him to Jinyang for discussion."

"As for Yanmen Governor Guo Yu, I have a close relationship with him. His family is a prominent family in Taiyuan. We should treat him with courtesy and show kindness and power, but not use force."

Among all the counties in Bingzhou, the most difficult person to deal with is probably Yanmen Guo Yu. Li Jun and Liu Bo are both outsiders, and they can be annexed by using strategies and weapons. However, Guo Yu has a close relationship with Zhang Yu, so it is difficult for Zhang Yu to forcibly annex Yanmen. He can only temporarily appease Guo Yu and make him stand on his side.

As for Cui Jun, the governor of Xihe, Zhang Yu did not plan to move him for the time being. After all, Xihe County had few people and only one county in Pingzhou. There was no difference between its governor and the county magistrate. If Xihe County was to be restored later, Cui Jun would be needed to govern Xihe County for him.

Seeing that Zhang Yu had his own arrangements, Guo Tu bowed and said, "Your Excellency is the General Du Liao, and you have no official position at the moment, and you are also in charge of the counties of Bingzhou. Now let's see if you can ask Dong Zhuo for an official position, and let him be the General Du Liao and the governor of the counties of Bingzhou."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "I'm afraid Dong Zhuo is afraid of my army and is unwilling to grant me the power of governor of Bingzhou. But if Dong Zhuo refuses, I will write a letter to Liu Youzhou and ask him to grant me the power of governor of Bingzhou."

Although the world was in chaos, the necessary procedures still had to be followed. In the Hebei region, Liu Yu, a relative of the Han Dynasty, had a higher reputation than Han Fu; in the border areas, needless to say, Liu Yu's reputation was no less than that of Dong Zhuo, who owned the imperial court.

"Taiyuan is now at peace. Thank you both for your hard work in military and political affairs." Zhang Yu said with a bow.

"Don't dare!"

"I am willing to serve you, my Lord!"

Now that the arrangements had been made, everyone seized the time and tried to pacify Taiyuan and Dingxiang counties before winter.

On October 20, Hao Zhao led 500 cavalrymen to Wuzhou and ordered the Dingxiang bandit "Zhang An" to surrender, otherwise Zhang Yu would personally lead troops to attack him. Hearing of Zhang Yu's reputation, Zhang An accepted Li Song's advice and surrendered the county.

Just as Guo Tu said, Zhang Yu captured Li Jun, subdued Zhang An, and successively took over Taiyuan and Dingxiang counties in just over a month. All the people in Bingzhou respected him, and his name spread far and wide!
In the winter of the first year of Zhongping, Zhang Yu's name was known throughout Hebei!
(End of this chapter)