Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 200: Never occupy an inch of Jizhou!
July, Gaoyi.

"My Lord, Fan has been traveling around Zhao for more than a month and has recruited more than 6,000 households from Zhao. He has now been handed over to Sima Xu to lead the guards." Lu Fan said regretfully, "If we had more time, we might be able to gather more people from Zhao."

Zhang Yu looked delighted and encouraged him, "Ziheng has worked hard. Xu Ling has been defending Handan and has refused to surrender. Zhao is a small country with few people. It is enough to relocate more than 6,000 households. If you stay in Zhao for too long, it will not be worth it!"

As mentioned before, before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Zhao had five counties under its jurisdiction, with more than 30,000 registered households and more than 200,000 people. If we delve into the detailed population of the five counties of Zhao, the number must be more than the registered households, otherwise Lü Fan would not have been able to relocate more than 6,000 households in just over a month.

We should continue to dig deeper into the population of the four counties of Zhao State, and use all means to gather 8,000 households, or even 10,000 households. However, the time consumed in this process might be even longer.

In order to relocate as many people as possible in the shortest time, there was no need to spend too much time in Zhao State, which had a small land area and a small population. It would be better to send troops into Julu and relocate the people of Julu near Changshan County while Yuan and Sun were fighting for Julu.

Now, in addition to leaving Xu Chu's thousand men by his side, Zhang Yu ordered four generals to lead a battalion of soldiers each, and to relocate the people in a model where two battalions were responsible for one county.

Zhang Liao's commander-in-chief Xu Huang and Linghu Shao moved to Quyang County; Man Chong and Hao Zhao moved to Yangshi County and recruited people from the nearby Yingtao County.

"My Lord, I have another matter to report."

Lu Fan continued, "There are many powerful families in Zhao who are unwilling to migrate with our army. However, Fan said before we left that if there is a big turmoil in Jizhou in the future, we can go north to Changshan and enter Taiyuan from Jingxing."

"Very good!"

Zhang Yu was even more delighted when he heard this, and said, "The powerful and wealthy families are unwilling to give up their property and go to Jin, but when the war breaks out in Jizhou, the powerful and wealthy families will inevitably be worried. I wonder how many people Zifeng's words before leaving can bring to Bingzhou."

The whole country was in turmoil, but Bingzhou was stable. If Zhang Yu wanted to attract more people, it would not be enough to just migrate them. He had to create the image of Bingzhou as a place of refuge to attract people from Hebei and the Central Plains to come and seek refuge.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu said with regret: "Since Guo Youdao passed away, there are no more famous scholars in Bingzhou. If Guo Youdao were still alive, I would respect him as a famous teacher and would be able to attract scholars and people from all over the world to come to the Three Jins."

Guo Youdao, also known as Guo Tai from Jiexiu, Taiyuan, was also known by his courtesy name Linzong. He was one of the "Eight Gu". Wang Yun and Wang Hong were good friends with Guo Tai, and Yu Cheng, the father of Yu Yi under Zhang Yu, was promoted by Guo Tai.

Why was Guo Tai called "Youdao"? Actually, it was because he was recommended as "Youdao" by the Minister of Rites Zhao Dian. "Youdao" was a special subject in the recommendation system, and there were very few people recommended as "Youdao" during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Therefore, scholars called Guo Tai "Youdao" to praise his superb moral character and talent.

Hearing this, Lu Fan seemed to remember something and said, "My Lord, when Commander Fan led his troops into Zhao, I heard from the villagers that the former Shangshu Lu Zhi lived in seclusion in Shanggu County, Youzhou. If my Lord wants to promote famous scholars and recruit scholars and people from Hebei, why not send someone to welcome Lu Gong to Jinyang?"

"Lu Gong actually lived in seclusion in Shanggu?"

Zhang Yu clapped his legs and laughed, saying: "Although Lu Gong's official position is not high, he is a great scholar in the country. If we welcome him now, all the scholars in Hebei will look up to Lu Gong."

There were not many people who could be called great Confucian scholars in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. There were only Cai Yong under Dong Zhuo, Zheng Xuan who took refuge in Beihai, and Bian Rang under Zhang Miao. Although Lu Zhi was not as knowledgeable about ancient and modern classics as Zheng Xuan, nor as good at literature as Cai Yong, Lu Zhi was upright in character and was especially praised by scholars.

"quick!"

Zhang Yu held Lü Fan's hand and said, "Ziheng, you should quickly take the valuable gifts and drive to Shanggu to invite Duke Lu to Jinyang for me, and ask him to educate the people of Bingzhou for me."

"Come here, inform Zhong Yao immediately and have him build a school town on the east bank of the Fen River for Lord Lu to live in."

"promise!"

The attendant quickly withdrew, but Lu Fan hesitated and said, "Lord Lu lives in seclusion in Shanggu. What if he doesn't want to move to Jinyang?"

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "You can tell Lord Lu that Minister Wang and I have the same idea of defeating Dong Zhuo. Now I invite him to Jinyang!"

Lu Fan understood and said, "I will definitely live up to your expectations!"

"Lao Ziheng is running around for me!" said Zhang Yu.

The purpose of welcoming great scholars to the prefectures and counties is obscure, and the results cannot be seen in the short term. On the surface, they have to be treated well, which can be said to be a thankless job.

But as a mascot, one thing is certain, the great scholar can more or less attract talents for Zhang Yu and raise his reputation. The current situation in Bingzhou is that it lacks people.

When Cao Cao entered Yanzhou, he, a newly-established warlord, could not bear Bian Rang's ridicule, so he killed the great scholar Bian Rang in anger. Although Cao Cao vented his humiliation, he also forced Zhang Miao and Chen Gong to rebel in disguise.

After Cao Cao supported the emperor in Xuchang, Cao Cao, who had experienced the Yanzhou Incident, became much more mature politically. For example, although Kong Rong often slandered him after he entered the court, Cao Cao endured it for ten years for the sake of his great cause. It was not until Cao Cao was defeated at the Battle of Chibi that he killed Kong Rong in order to clear the obstacles before usurping the throne.

However, it was impossible for Zhang Yu to make the same mistake as Cao Cao. He had to welcome Lu Zhi, whom Gongsun Zan ignored, to Jinyang to elevate his image.

Just after Lu Fan was sent away, Guo Tu came to report.

"Sir, Xun Chen is here to pay his respects to you on the orders of Yuan Shao!"

"please!"

Zhang Yu adjusted his mental state and went to meet his acquaintances. Since entering Jizhou, he had been meeting people every other day, which really made him tired.

Soon, Xun Chen, under the guidance of his attendants, came to pay respect to Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu greeted him with a smile and said, "Yuan Cheqi has been appointed governor of Jizhou, but Yu has not yet sent anyone to congratulate him. But Xun Jun has come to pay a visit, I wonder what's the matter?"

Xun Chen bowed and said, "In the past, Yuan Cheqi and you made an alliance, saying that if you sent troops to attack Jizhou, you would be granted Henei County. Now that Jizhou has been taken, Yuan Cheqi dare not forget the old promise and would like to grant Henei County to you."

"Oh?"

Zhang Yu was very interested and said, "I heard that Wang Kuang still has troops stationed in Chaoge. I wonder how the cavalry will give Henei County to me. How about letting me fight with Wang Kuang? If I win, I will take Henei. If I lose, Hebei will return to Wang Kuang?"

"No!"

Xun Chen's expression remained unchanged as he said, "My lord has sent Wang Kuang to Taishan County to recruit soldiers. There is no one in charge of Henei now, so you can lead the troops into Henei. As for Wang Kuang's official position, my lord will make another proposal."

Wang Kuang's troops were annihilated in the campaign against Dong Zhuo. After Dong Zhuo fled to Chang'an, Yuan Shao asked Wang Kuang to return to Taishan County to recruit soldiers in order to make room for Zhang Yu. Now that there was no army in charge of Henei, Zhang Yu could lead his troops to take over and make it a done deal, replacing Wang Kuang as the new governor of Henei County.

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Thank you for coming to tell me. I will send someone to take over Hanoi now."

"What about Changshan County?"

Seeing that Zhang Yu did not mention Changshan County, Xun Chen hurriedly said, "Your Excellency has already relocated tens of thousands of people from Hebei. I don't know when you will hand Changshan County over to my lord."

Zhang Yu waved his hand and said, "The Grand Marshal recommended General Zhang Yan, the General who Suppressed the Rebellion, as the governor of Changshan. I have handed Changshan County over to Zhang Yan. You can ask him for it!"

"what?"

Seeing Zhang Yu go back on his word, Xun Chen's forehead was buzzing, and he said, "Zhang Yan is a bandit from the Black Mountain. How can we hand over Changshan to Zhang Yan now?"

Zhang Yu asked in return: "All the prefectures and counties in the world belong to the Han Dynasty. The court has appointed Zhang Yan as the governor of Changshan. How can I not join in?"

"Besides, the late emperor had already appointed Zhang Yan as the General of the Central Army to pacify the rebellion, and supervise the civil affairs of Heishan, just like the affairs of the prefectures and counties."

Zhang Yan's road to clean up his name began during the reign of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, when he was granted the title of governor of the various valleys in Hebei. He was required to send accountants to the court every year, provide a small amount of taxes and household registration, and for this, the court gave Zhang Yan the right to be recommended as a filial and honest official.

Xun Chen was so upset that he felt like crying but had no tears. Zhang Yu pushed the issue of Changshan County onto Zhang Yan, which made it obvious that he did not want to hand over Changshan County to Yuan Shao as agreed before.

In order to get Changshan County back, Xun Chen struggled desperately and said, "Sir, my lord did not break his oath to give you Henei County. How can you break your promise now? If the scholars in Henei find out, it will damage your reputation!"

Zhang Yu pretended to be silent and said, "I have no intention of breaking the agreement. It is just that I was appointed by the court and Zhang Yan is the Grand Marshal, so I dare not disobey. In order to fulfill the alliance, I am willing to hand over the four counties of Zhao to Yuan's chariots and cavalry."

Then, Zhang Yu said in a deep voice: "Mr. Xun, please report to Yuan Cheqi that I, Zhang Yu, will never occupy a city in Jizhou this time. If Yuan Cheqi wants to take Changshan County, you can ask Zhang Yan for it."

Xun Chen looked unhappy. There was nothing wrong with what Zhang Yu said. Zhang Yu handed Changshan County to Zhang Yan and gave four counties of Zhao to Yuan Shao. He really did not occupy any city in Hebei.

Moreover, when the two parties had agreed at the beginning, it was only agreed that when Yuan Shao conquered Jizhou, Zhang Yu would return the counties of Jizhou, and Yuan Shao would give Henei County as a reward. Now Zhang Yu has indeed done this.

Although Zhang Yu did not break the agreement, anyone with a discerning eye knew that Zhang Yu was fooling them!

While Zhang Yu and Xun Chen were talking, the attendant came in quietly and came to Zhang Yu's side to report.

"My lord, Gongsun Zan has sent Liu Bei as an envoy, and he is waiting outside."

Zhang Yu glanced at Xun Chen and deliberately asked, "Is Liu Bei the envoy of the Grand Marshal or the envoy of Gongsun Zan?"

"For Gongsun Zan's envoy!"

The attendant said, "The messenger Liu Bei has come and claims to be an old friend of yours, and is waiting outside."

Seeing that Gongsun Zan had also sent an envoy, Xun Chen immediately calmed down. The biggest enemy at the moment was not Zhang Yu, but Gongsun Zan who was stationed in Anping County.

If he forced Changshan this time and broke off relations with Zhang Yu, wouldn't he be pushing Zhang Yu towards Gongsun Zan?
Zhang Yu seemed to be trying to embarrass Xun Chen, and asked, "Should I see Liu Bei now?"

Xun Chen exhaled a long breath, cupped his hands and said: "I see that Liu Bei is doing private things for you, but Chen thinks that Gongsun Zan is brave but not wise, and is greedy. And seeing that my lord does not change the alliance, he will give Henei County to you."

Xun Chen then said politely: "Now that Changshan County has been taken by Zhang Yan, please hand over the four counties of Zhao so that Chen can report back to Yuan Cheqi."

Seeing that Xun Chen was neither humble nor arrogant, Zhang Yu nodded secretly and admired Xun Chen very much.

"Gong Ze, hand over the four counties of Zhao to You Ruo." Zhang Yu ordered.

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)