Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 229: Sending an envoy to invite an alliance and forcing Cai's daughter to marry
September, Jinyang.

"Yanlong has been in charge of Changzi for more than two years. Now the people in the county are diligent in farming, every family is well-off, and they raise cattle and horses according to regulations. If you are evaluated for your achievements, you should be the first among all the counties." Zhang Yu closed the documents of Changzi County and praised him.

After more than two years of hard work and development, Shangdang has entered the fast lane of rapid development as there is no unrest caused by bandits, the officials are relatively honest, and there is less forced labor.

The first batch of officials appointed as Shangdang county magistrates were promoted because of their outstanding achievements. Some were sent to serve as county magistrates in Hedong and Henei counties, while others were promoted to the same level. Among all the county magistrates in Shangdang, Sun Zi had the most outstanding achievements.

After two years of experience, Sun Zi has shed his youthfulness and now behaves much more maturely than before.

"Your Excellency, you are overpraising me!"

Sun Zi said modestly: "The eldest son has the advantage of geographical location. In the past, a large number of people were settled in the county. I only followed the arrangements made by the prince, distributed the land, encouraged farmers to work hard, allowed them to raise livestock, and suppressed the powerful. Therefore, the people in the county can live in peace!"

"Yanlong is being modest!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Achievements are in the hearts of the people. I am not a king who does not recognize talents."

After a pause, Zhang Yu asked, "Does Yanlong know why I transferred you to the prefecture?"

"Please forgive my limited knowledge and I don't understand the deep meaning of your actions," said Sun Zi.

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "I intend to raise an army to fight the enemy next year, but I need someone to serve as an envoy to contact the princes. However, I see that there is no one available in the government, and you are outstanding in talent and learning, so I specially transferred you to the state government."

Sun Zi immediately understood Zhang Yu's intention and said, "If you need me to go as an envoy, I will definitely fulfill my mission and help you contact the heroes to fight the enemy."

"good!"

Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said, "Youzhou and Bingzhou have always had a good relationship. When you go to Youzhou and meet the Grand Marshal, you can talk about sending troops to attack the bandits in Guanzhong. If the great cause is accomplished, you will welcome the emperor to Luoyang."

Sun Zi hesitated for a moment, then asked, "If you get the emperor, won't you welcome him to Jinyang?"

Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "It would be good to welcome them to Jinyang, but I'm afraid Yuan Jingzhou and Liu Youzhou would not agree. We can invite Liu Youzhou to provide food for the army under the pretext of welcoming the emperor to Luoyang."

Although welcoming the emperor is a good idea, for Zhang Yu, the benefits are not that great. Instead, it will make the world criticize him as the second Dong Zhuo, which will do more harm than good to Zhang Yu.

As for using the emperor's name to occupy the Guanxi prefectures and counties, it was probably because they overestimated the emperor's prestige in the Guanxi region. Longyou and Hexi could only be conquered by suppressing them with the army.

Moreover, if the emperor is welcomed in Luoyang, he will be close to Yuan Shu and the other heroes in Guandong. If anyone wants to seize the emperor in the future, they will inevitably be attacked by everyone. If necessary, Zhang Yu can use some tricks to make the emperor go to Jingzhou on his own initiative.

When Yuan Shu, blinded by greed, proclaimed himself emperor, forced Liu Xie to abdicate, seized the imperial seal from Sun Jian, and established the Zhong Dynasty, the blame for the demise of the Han Dynasty could be put on Yuan Shu.

"After meeting Liu Youzhou, Lao Yanlong went south to Pingyuan to meet Liu Xuande and invite him to join the army to fight the bandits." Zhang Yu said.

"After meeting Liu Xuande, did you go south to Yuzhou to meet Yuan Jingzhou and invite him to send troops?" Sun Zi asked.

"Of course!"

Zhang Yu said: "Yanlong can go through Yanzhou, first pay a visit to Cao Mengde, and then go south to pay a visit to Yuan Shu. After that, he can go north from Jingji, cross the river, go through Henei, and return to Jinyang. This trip is a long way, and Yu will send more than ten riders to escort Yanlong."

"My lord, Cao Mengde is close to Yuan Shao. Now he lets Sun Jun pass through Yanzhou. I am afraid that Cao Mengde will send troops to stop him." Xin Pi said.

"Although Cao Mengde is close to Yuan Shao, he is not of the same kind as Yuan Shao. Now that he is asking Cao Cao for permission to pass through his territory for a meeting, he will surely agree. Besides, the purpose of the diplomatic mission is to raise an army to fight the enemy. How dare Cao Cao commit treason and send troops to stop us!" Zhang Yu said.

"promise!"

The next day, Zhang Yu went out of the city to see Sun Zi off. Sun Zi went out from Jingxing Road and wanted to go to Youzhou first.

After seeing off Sun Zi, Zhang Yu thought of Cai Yong, whom he had placed in Jinyang, and the legendary talented woman Cai Zhaoji, so he took time to visit Cai Yong.

Although Cai Yong had a small family, he had many books, so Zhong Yao built a new mansion for him in the new city of Fendong, adjacent to Lu Zhi's residence.

Now in Cai’s mansion, Cai Yong bowed his head over the desk, sometimes pondering, sometimes holding a pen.

Seeing his father busy with paperwork, Cai Yan, dressed in plain green clothes, came over with ginseng soup and said, "Father, are you writing the history of the Han Dynasty now?"

Cai Yong coughed a few times and said, "Yesterday I talked with Lu Zigan about the history, and now I have a lot of insights, so I wrote them down on paper to avoid forgetting them in the future."

Cai Yan raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at the contents on the paper. She saw that it was the biographies of Chen Fan and Wang Yun. She couldn't help but frown and said, "Wang Yun put my father in prison, so how can my father write a biography for him now, and even list him together with Chen Zhongju (Chen Fan)?"

Cai Yong put down his pen and said, "Wang Zishi saved the Han Dynasty from danger and killed Dong Zhuo by himself. His downfall was similar to that of Chen Zhongju, who failed at the last moment. Why can't they be recorded in the same book? Besides, I only have a personal grudge with him, so how can I forget the public interest because of personal interests?"

After a pause, Cai Yong spoke earnestly, "You and I are now living in Taiyuan, and the Wang family is the most prominent in Taiyuan. It would be a relief to have Master Wang Zi and Zhong Ju published together to avoid some trouble!"

"Father has thought things through carefully, but Yan is biased!" Cai Yan said.

Cai Yong drank the ginseng soup and asked, "What do you think about Lord Zhang's matter?"

Hearing this, Cai Yan's elegant face gradually turned red, and she said aggrievedly: "Marquis Zhang already has a wife at home, how can I be his concubine?"

Cai Yong put down the lacquer bowl and said, "My father is old and I don't know how long he can live. The world is in turmoil today. You can't save your life, but Mu Bo is safe for now. Ji'an occupies Bingzhou and has tens of thousands of soldiers under his command. He is brave and handsome, has great ambitions, and respects the wise and humble. He will surely accomplish great things. If Zhao Ji can get Ji'an's protection, I will have nothing to worry about now."

Cai Yan knew that the situation was pressing, so she sighed and said, "Lord Zhang has not come to visit yet, so why should father rush me to marry him?" "Forget it!"

"You are here~"

Before Cai Yong could finish his words, the doorman came hurriedly and said, "Sir, Lord Zhang is here to visit you. He is waiting outside the hall."

"Please quickly!"

Cai Yong stood up upon hearing the voice, ready to go out to meet Zhang Yu. After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, looked at Cai Yan, and urged her, "Change your clothes, put on some light makeup, and come out to meet the Lord."

Cai Yan's face was filled with depression. She considered herself a talented woman, so why should she learn from ordinary women to use her beauty to please men?

"If Lord Zhang judges people by their looks, my daughter is unwilling to serve him!" Cai Yan said.

"what ever!"

Cai Yong did not want to force his daughter, so he said, "I will go into the hall later to see Lord Zhang."

After saying this, Cai Yong went out to meet Zhang Yu.

Soon, Zhang Yu was welcomed into the hall by Cai Yong. But Cai Yan was no longer there and had retreated to the side hall.

"I heard that you want to issue a manifesto to the princes in Guandong, inviting them to raise troops to fight against the enemy. Do you need me to hold the pen now?" Cai Yong asked proactively.

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "I am afraid of disturbing Mr. Cai, so I asked Yuan Chang to hold the pen. If I knew Mr. Cai was interested, I would definitely ask Mr. Cai to write the article."

"Yuan Chang has brilliant literary talent and exquisite calligraphy. He has the demeanor of a master, and his characters are not inferior to my Feibai style. If he can improve further, he will surely be able to establish his own school." Cai Yong stroked his beard and smiled, with a hint of pride on his face.

Throughout his life, he was proud of his calligraphy, in addition to his literary talent. He thought that no one in the world could compare with him in calligraphy, but when he arrived in Jinyang, he met Zhong Yao and saw his regular script, which he admired greatly.

Zhong Yao's calligraphy is so outstanding that he can be called "Zhong Wang" together with Wang Xizhi, which shows that Zhong Yao's calligraphy attainments are high. However, calligraphy is just a hobby for Zhong Yao. His main job is a politician, which is different from Song Huizong. After all, Song Huizong's main job is calligrapher, and his side job can be considered as emperor.

As he was talking, Cai Yong handed the paper on the table to Zhang Yu and asked, "Yesterday, I was discussing history with Lu Zigan, and I wanted to write a biography of Zishi and Chen Fan together. I wonder if Ji'an has any objection?"

Zhang Yu took a few glances and said, "Your Excellency's failure at the last moment of success is similar to Chen Fan's, so they can be listed in the same biography."

After a pause, Zhang Yu asked with a sense of humor, "I wonder if I will be mentioned in later history?"

Cai Yong said meaningfully, "It would be best if Ji'an wrote his own history book based on his ability. It would not be a good thing if he were recorded in later history books."

Seeing that Cai Yong knew that the Han Dynasty could not be supported, Zhang Yu suddenly felt a little different. He thought Cai Yong would be a die-hard Han Dynasty loyalist, but unexpectedly, Cai Yong actually had the idea that the Han Dynasty should perish. Perhaps the older generation is not all pedantic.

Now that Cai Yong was compiling the history of the Han Dynasty, perhaps he wanted to give a final verdict on the Eastern Han Dynasty and record the turbulent last decade or so.

When Zhang Yu was moved by Cai Yong's thoughts, Cai Yan entered the hall on the pretext of picking up the Jiaowei Qin.

"Father!"

Although Cai Yan did not dress up, she tidied her hair, revealing her bookish oval face, with a gentle and warm smile on her face, which made people feel close to her. With the green gauze robe, she gave people a strong intellectual atmosphere, which made Zhang Yu feel refreshed.

After all, I have tasted many northern women at home, and seeing a woman of different style today is naturally a different experience.

"Zhao Ji, this is Lord Zhang!" Cai Yong coughed and said.

"Greetings, my lord!" Cai Yan said as she held up the zither and bowed.

Zhang Yu glanced at them a few more times, and the desire to have another father-in-law became stronger. He smiled and said, "Miss Cai is polite!"

Seeing that Zhang Yu had a good appearance, Cai Yan smiled and bowed and left the hall.

After Cai Yan left, Zhang Yu looked at Cai Yong, hesitated for a few seconds, and said boldly: "If Lord Cai does not abandon me, I am willing to serve you as your son-in-law in the future."

Zhang Yu had no time to talk about love, as a man should put important things first. As for Cai Yan's wishes, Zhang Yu could not care less, so he could just get in the car first and then get along with her.

Seeing Zhang Yu being so straightforward, Cai Yong was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face, and he said: "Yong has no children, and I don't know what my daughter wants for now, is it okay~"

Zhang Yu raised the stakes and said, "If there is a bloodline in the future, I will let one of my sons take the surname Cai, so that he can inherit the legacy of Lord Cai and worship the ancestors of the Cai family."

Hearing this, the smile on Cai Yong's face became even brighter. He had never expected that Zhang Yu was willing to marry into the Cai family. So what else was there to consider? For the sake of the inheritance of the Cai family's bloodline, Cai Yan had to marry.

"I am afraid I will have to trouble you from now on."

"Please rest assured, Lord Cai, Yu will treat Zhao Ji well!"

"Jiangzuo Yice": "Cai Yong's daughter Yan was well-educated, eloquent, and good at music. She married Wei Zhongdao of Hedong. Her husband died and she had no children, so she returned home. She had taken refuge in Jinyang, and Shenwu saw her and was surprised, so he forced her to be his concubine."

(End of this chapter)