Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 196: Carving up Jizhou

On May 10th, Zhang Yu and Zhang Yan made an agreement to become brothers, and the two families set out from Jingxing and headed towards Jizhou in the name of suppressing the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou.

Zhang Yu led 5,000 infantry and cavalry, and Zhang Yan provided military supplies. He also sent his trusted confidant Du Chang with a thousand troops to follow.

On May 12, Zhang Yu led his troops to Shangai County, where they were warmly received by Zhang Yan. The army then rested for a day in Shangai.

The distance from Shangai to Puwu was more than 400 li. Zhang Yu led 6,000 infantry and cavalry to Puwu (now Pingshan County, Shijiazhuang) on the 20th.

The Mianman River flows out along the Jingxing Mountain Road, the water surface is sparkling, the villages on both sides are connected, and the sounds of chickens and dogs can be heard from each other.

When Zhang Yu's troops were marching on the official road, there were many brave children on the side of the road who would peek in. The children's behavior attracted the attention of the soldiers.

"The general reiterates the military order. There are many people in Puwu, Mianman, and Luquan. Soldiers are not allowed to enter the farmland without permission and steal the people's property. Anyone who violates the military order will be handed over to the authorities for punishment!"

Lu Fan rode on a horse, holding the reins, raising his whip and pointing at the queue that stretched for miles, and gave orders to his patrol soldiers.

"promise!"

The patrol soldiers wore white crowns, rode white horses, and carried the "Patrol" flag. They were all tall. After receiving the military order issued by Lu Fan, they dispersed and conveyed the order to the army.

Since Lü Fan requested to be the commander-in-chief of military discipline, Zhang Yu, in order to respect Lü Fan's status, simply organized a group of patrol cavalry and put them under the command of Lü Fan.

He was also granted the right that if military officers rank below the rank of military officer committed a crime, Lu Fan had the right to execute them first and report to the emperor later; if officers above the rank of military officer committed a crime, they would be handed over to Zhang Yu for personal handling, but Lu Fan had the right to imprison them when necessary.

The reason why the white horse, white crown and flag were used was purely for the purpose of being eye-catching, so that people could recognize them at a glance. Especially in battle, when there were crowds of people and drums were beating, the white flag and white crown were still easy to recognize.

As the patrols galloped, the entire army became more and more solemn, and the officers went back and forth to warn their soldiers to avoid breaking military law and being caught by the patrols.

In the middle army, Du Chang saw that the Du Liao army had strict discipline and said with admiration: "Your Excellency was able to defeat Baibo with a small and weak army, and march to Taiyuan to intimidate the northern border. Chang and the Black Mountain generals were very suspicious. Now that I follow your Excellency to the battle, I can see the majesty of your army!"

Although Zhang Yu was born in a frontier area, he was not a general from a wild background. His father Zhang Ji was an officer of the Han Dynasty, and his father-in-law was an important official of the Han Dynasty, and even served as a lieutenant in the imperial army. Therefore, Zhang Yu put forward strict requirements on the marching arrangements and military discipline of the army since the establishment of the army.

Although the number of soldiers under Zhang Yu increased eightfold within a year, don't forget that Zhang Yu had 1,000 imperial guards. After the expansion, most of the 1,000 imperial guards became squad leaders and sergeants, which allowed Zhang Yu to quickly control the soldiers under his command and smoothly use the old military system.

If it weren't for the thousand imperial guards he brought from Luoyang, it would have been difficult for Zhang Yu to rise to power. After all, training qualified officers is a long process.

Zhang Yu smiled, looked at the children on both sides of the road, and said: "Your army hides soldiers among the people, and trains every month. The people are brave and fearless when hearing about war. They are good at running in the mountains. Your army is not much weaker than ours!"

Zhang Yan led hundreds of thousands of people and occupied the edge of Taihang Mountain. Therefore, the cities near the mountains in Changshan County were almost all controlled by the Black Mountain Army. Changshan had thirteen counties under its jurisdiction, but Zhang Yan now controlled four counties. The remaining nine counties were too far away, so Zhang Yan was worried about being encircled and suppressed by the government, so he had no intention of interfering.

With the territory, Zhang Yan imitated the Han Dynasty system and established his ruling order by relying on the Yellow Turban Army's clergy system. In order to fight against the government, Zhang Yan adopted a system of universal military service. Because the territory under his jurisdiction was small, Zhang Yan could even call up soldiers for monthly training during the slack season. And because most of them lived on the edge of the mountains, the Black Mountain Army was particularly good at mountain warfare.

This is why when Zhang Yu led his troops on the road, the children were not afraid but came forward to give instructions to the Liao army. Their fathers often practiced military training, and the children had already seen what a large army looked like.

While Zhang Yu was chatting with Du Chang, a scout came on horseback and reported, "General, military news from Youzhou!"

"What's the military situation?"

"Gongsun Zan led 10,000 troops south from Yi County in Hejian County more than ten days ago. Three days ago, he defeated Han Fu's troops in Wusui. Now his troops have entered Anping County." said the scout.

"How far is it from Yi County to Wusui?" Zhang Yu asked.

During the conversation, Zhang Yu led the central army to dismount and go to the side of the road to discuss military affairs.

"About 400 miles away, Wusui belongs to Anping County." said a person who knew geography beside Du Chang.

"Where is the map?"

"Gongsun Degui's military operations are so swift!"

Guo Tu found a map of Jizhou and searched for the location from Yixian to Wusui on the map. He could not help but sigh and said, "We have marched four or five hundred miles in ten days and defeated the Jizhou troops sent by Han Fu."

Gongsun Zan had been frustrated for a long time. The whole country had been in chaos since the campaign against Dong Zhuo. He was ambitious and wanted to establish his own business. However, Youzhou belonged to Liu Yu, and he was also sent by Liu Yu, so it was difficult for him to do anything.

When Yuan Shao contacted him, Gongsun Zan readily agreed. Now that the time had come to send troops, Gongsun Zan simply took advantage of Han Fu's unpreparedness and marched quickly deep into the heart of Jizhou, defeated Jizhou's troops, and occupied as many surrounding cities as possible.

Xin Pi looked at the map and said, "Sir, Anping County is the heartland of Jizhou. Now that Gongsun Zan's troops have arrived in Anping, Yuan Shao must have taken action. Our army must not delay." Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Although Gongsun Zan's infantry and cavalry are fast, Jizhou has many soldiers and horses. Now that Gongsun Zan is rushing quickly, he must be restricted by the transportation of soldiers and food, and his strength has weakened. According to my prediction, Gongsun Zan will soon accept the surrender of counties along the way and will be unable to lead his troops deep into Yecheng."

"And according to Zuo Zhi's words, Yuan Shao may have sent lobbyists and stationed troops in the south to force Han Fu to give up the throne to him. In the next few months, Jizhou will be in chaos, the prefectures and counties will have no orders, and the officials will be in a panic."

"In your opinion, how should we deploy our troops now?" Du Chang asked.

Zhang Yu asked, "When will General Zhang be able to dispatch troops?"

"It will take about half a month to recruit soldiers from various garrisons in the mountains and prepare for the expenses of the expedition," said Du Chang.

Zhang Yu pointed to Yuanshi County on the map of Changshan County and said, "Let's lead our troops to Yuanshi, the county seat, to see if we can force the governor of Changshan County to surrender. If the governor surrenders, we will take his seal and hand it over to General Zhang, and have him send troops to various counties to control the cities of Changshan as soon as possible."

"If your army has sufficient troops, you can also attack the two neighboring counties of Zhao and Zhongshan and capture the cities under their jurisdiction."

Seeing that Zhang Yu was thinking about them wholeheartedly, Du Chang asked, "What about your troops?"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "I have made an agreement with General Zhang. If your army takes Changshan, I will move the people of Jizhou to Jin. If you pass through Changshan, please guide the way and don't rob the people."

Zhang Yan and Zhang Yu had an agreement on relocating the people. Zhang Yu was allowed to relocate 5,000 households in Changshan County, and Zhang Yu was allowed to relocate as many people as possible outside Changshan County. Zhang Yan could even provide assistance along the way.

Zhang Yu planned to return to the mountains as soon as possible. He personally went to the fertile areas of Zhao and Julu to relocate people, and sent a detachment of troops to Zhongshan and Boling to recruit people.

"Your Majesty!"

Xin Pi stroked his beard and thought, and said: "Although Jizhou is in turmoil, if we want to ask the people to migrate to Jin, I am afraid that the people will find it difficult to give up their homes and jobs. Unless it is like Henei, where the people suffer greatly from the war and have no choice but to migrate."

Linghu Shao wanted to make a contribution, so he interrupted and said, "I heard that Dong Zhuo sent troops to the counties and villages to burn houses and grains in order to relocate millions of people from the capital to the west."

"This method cannot be learned!"

Xin Pi shook his head and said, "Dong Zhuo is a traitor to the country. He oppresses ministers and plunders the people. His soldiers are very evil. If our army learns from Dong Zhuo's behavior, your reputation will be completely ruined!"

"Of course!"

Xu Shu said in a deep voice: "Since you started your army, you have done righteous deeds, driven out the bandits, and harmed no one wherever you went, winning the hearts of the people of Jin. If you follow Dong Zhuo's example, it will not be beneficial to your cause."

"I already know that Zhao Hu's move is beneficial to us. However, although this move can win the support of the people, it will alienate them and will not be beneficial to our army's relocation of the people." Zhang Yu comforted.

Seeing the heated discussion, Guo Tu suddenly had an idea and said with a smile: "Since Jizhou is in chaos, why don't you spread rumors that Gongsun Zan will fight Han Fu fiercely and Yuan Shao also wants to seize Jizhou. A war will break out in Jizhou and the people will be in a panic. If you order people to invite famous townspeople to move west, there will be countless followers by then."

"Good plan!"

Xin Pi nodded and said, "Your Excellency, this move will not only win you fame, but also win the support of the people. You will have the best of both worlds. Not only that, Your Excellency can spread rumors that the Yellow Turban Army has risen again and is attacking Changshan cities. Wherever they go, the people will not be spared. In this way, there is no need to worry about the people being reluctant to leave their homes."

Zhang Yu glanced at the complacent Guo Tu and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Guo Tu's image in history was almost that of a reckless treacherous person. He schemed to seize power and framed Ju Su; in the Battle of Guandu, he caused Yuan Shao's defeat; in the fight between the two Yuans, he brought Cao into the house.

However, since Guo Tu came to his side, he has come up with many constructive ideas, especially the idea of relocating the people, which must be said to be very good. Although Guo Tu has a strong desire for power and does not consider the long-term, at least he is not stupid.

Du Chang coughed and said, "There is no need to talk about the Yellow Turbans. It is better to talk about the resurgence of the Black Mountain. Although the soldiers under the general's command are disciplined and treat the people well, the likes of Yu Du, Bai Rao, and Sui Gu often plunder the people of Jizhou and often invade the three counties of Wei, Dong, and Zhao."

There were many Black Mountain bandits, with both good and bad reputations. Zhang Yan was a warlord who understood the situation. In order to sustainably exhaust the resources, he treated the people under his rule and in the surrounding areas well, and even reclaimed farmland to develop production. However, Yu Du, Bai Rao, Sui Gu and other more than ten bandits in the south occupied the mountains and robbed the people, committing all kinds of evil.

Why there is such a big gap between the north and the south may be related to the influence of external surrounding areas.

Zhang Yan was adjacent to Dai Prefecture in the north and Changshan Prefecture in the south. The people there were tough and the cost of looting was too high. Yu Du and his ilk were adjacent to Henei Prefecture and Wei Prefecture in the east. They had a large population and developed agriculture, so the cost of looting was low, forming a vicious cycle.

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Since Lord Du has said so, please forgive me for using your army's name."

"Gong Ze, you have been in office in Jizhou for a long time, so please take care of this matter. If you need manpower, the soldiers and officers of various departments will be at your disposal."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)