Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 246 Welcoming the Emperor
In the afterglow of the setting sun, the Luo River flows southward with rippling waves, and flags fluttering on the riverside.

Zhang Yu was clad in golden scale armor, looking majestic and awe-inspiring. Surrounded by armored cavalry, he rode his horse slowly back.

The soldiers of Bingzhou along the way were all in awe when they saw Zhang Yu and saluted him. To them, Zhang Yu was not only the monarch they relied on, but also the commander they admired, who sacrificed food and burned boats to lead them to defeat the powerful army of Guanxi.

"Long live the prince!"

"Long live the prince!"

No one knew who was leading the way, but the soldiers all shouted "Long live Zhang Yu". Zhang Yu couldn't help but smile, and like inspecting soldiers in later generations, he stepped on the reins and waved to the left and right.

"Your Majesty!"

Amid the shouts of "Long live the enemy", Guo Tu hurried forward with a flattering smile, held the reins for Zhang Yu and said, "Your Excellency's use of troops is like that of Han and Bai, abandoning food and burning boats, leaving the enemy to die. In the battle, it is like an attack from ghosts and gods, destroying the strong enemy in an instant. I admire you very much!"

Zhang Yu laughed a few times, pointed his whip at everyone around him, and said, "The credit for defeating the enemy lies with you, and the credit for breaking through the enemy's formation lies with the soldiers, not just me!"

Zhang Yu added: "After this battle, all the soldiers will be rewarded!"

"Thank you, sir!" Everyone's tone became more enthusiastic.

Since becoming a monarch, Zhang Yu became less and less fond of boasting about his achievements to his subordinates, and instead often gave the credit to them.

As for why?

After Zhang Yu's self-study, he has developed a set of strategies for being a monarch. As the leader of the people, the monarch's responsibility is not to compete with his subordinates in terms of talent, nor to compete with his subordinates for the priority of their achievements, but to reward them fairly and give them a sense of achievement.

For example, during the struggle between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, even after Liu Bang had established the world, he never mentioned his own contributions when talking to the public, but instead gave the credit to his meritorious officials. As a result, the public ignored Liu Bang's role. The reason why the three heroes of the early Han Dynasty were so outstanding was that Liu Bang was able to appreciate talents and appoint people to important positions.

When Xiang Yu was fighting for supremacy, he was proud of his achievements and used his own wisdom. He could not even accept Fan Zeng's advice. As a result, Xiang Yu had almost no generals to use during his fight with Liu Bang. The reason why Xiang Yu had no generals to use was that he competed for merit with his subordinates, acted arbitrarily, and stifled the performance of his soldiers and generals.

If a general had won the amazing Battle of Luoshui, he might have been praised by everyone, but Zhang Yu chose to be modest and gave the credit to his subordinates. After all, workers in ancient and modern times are all the same, they like salary increases and promotions, and they like to do work that gives them a sense of accomplishment.

As for Zhang Yu's reputation, the increasingly vast territory under his rule and the tens of thousands of soldiers and officials will prove his achievements.

"Today we have won a great victory over the armies in Guanxi. Your Excellency is delighted to welcome the emperor. The three prefectures in Guanzhong will be in power in the near future!" Zhao Zi congratulated.

Zhang Yu smiled and said meaningfully: "The emperor lives in Chang'an, and the three prefectures are the Sili. If you want to occupy the three prefectures, you still need to see the emperor's intention!"

The tough battle with Li Jue was over, but if he wanted to occupy the three prefectures of Guanzhong, he still had to fight a political battle with the officials of the court. Otherwise, on what grounds could Zhang Yu occupy Guanxi?

Zhao Zi said: "Your Excellency has won a great victory and saved the emperor from danger. How dare the court not reward you with a high rank and position. Whether the emperor can move east to Luoyang still depends on your attitude."

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "What Junchu said makes sense, but there are still others in the army, so we should be careful about what we say and do."

Zhao Zi calmed down and asked, "Sir, it's getting late today. I wonder if we should set up camp and gather the troops to pursue us."

Zhang Yu glanced at the sky and said, "By the way, notify the troops in Hedong and ask them to march east tomorrow and join our army in Hexi."

"promise!"

While Zhang Yu was talking, an attendant suddenly came to report, "Your Excellency, Zhang Ji and Jia Xu are here to see you!"

"Bring them here!"

When he heard the name Jia Xu, the smile on Zhang Yu's face disappeared.

"promise!"

After a while, Zhang Ji and Jia Xu were seen walking towards Zhang Yu, led by their attendants.

"The guilty general Zhang Ji pays homage to Lord Zhang!"

"Minister Jia Xu pays respect to Lord Zhang!"

Zhang Yu's eyes first lingered on the thin Jia Xu, then he helped Zhang Ji up and said with a smile: "I have heard of your name for a long time. Now that you have abandoned the dark and joined the light, you have helped me to defeat Li Jue and rescue the emperor from danger. What crime have you committed?"

Then Zhang Yu asked enthusiastically, "Your surname is Zhang, what is your surname?"

Zhang Ji said: "Ji is from the Zhang family of Wuwei. His grandfather Li had a little wealth. His ancestors were not prominent ministers. We only know that they migrated from the Central Plains. They are from the same clan as the Zhang family of Dunhuang. I am afraid that they are very far away from Zhang Gong's clan!"

Zhang Yu comforted him and said, "My father was an old subordinate of Lord Ran Ming, so he may have some connection with your clan. You and I are both descendants of the Zhang family in Shanxi, so we can be close friends in the future. What we did in the past was not your original intention. Besides, I am younger than the general, so I dare not be called Lord Zhang. Why don't you treat me as an equal!"

"Thank you for your kindness!"

Although Zhang Ji had no opinions of his own and had mediocre talents, he was not stupid and could distinguish between good words and bad words.

As he spoke, Zhang Ji gave up his position and introduced Zhang Xiu to Zhang Yu. He shamelessly said, "Sir, I have no son so far, and my nephew Zhang Xiu is my successor. If you don't mind, I am willing to worship you as your uncle." Seeing Zhang Ji taking advantage of the situation, Zhang Yu laughed in his heart. He was less than 30 years old, but he had a nephew in his early twenties. It was really unexpected.

In order to appease Zhang Ji, Zhang Yu smiled and said, "I am of the same generation as the general. Your nephew is my nephew. I wonder what your nephew's name is?"

Seeing Zhang Yu's resignation, Zhang Xiu quickly took over and said, "My uncle, my name is Xiu, and I am now twenty-one years old. I still have courage and strength. I am willing to serve you in the future."

"good!"

"I wonder what position Zixiu holds now?"

"My uncle, I am not talented enough now, so I will be appointed as a lieutenant and command the cavalry in the army."

Looking at Zhang Xiu, who was only a few years younger than him, Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Zi Xiu has made great contributions in defeating the bandits. I will now recommend you as the cavalry commander. Don't let me down in the future!"

"Thank you uncle!"

Zhang Xiu was overjoyed, bowed and said, "I will do my best for my uncle from now on!"

Seeing that Zhang Xiu had been rewarded, Zhang Ji felt relieved and no longer worried. Just as Jia Xu had said, Zhang Yu would do his utmost to win him over.

Thinking of Jia Xu, Zhang Ji introduced Jia Xu to Zhang Yu and said, "Sir, Ji is a rude scholar in both civil and military affairs. It was only with the guidance of Minister Jia that he was able to wake up in battle."

Zhang Yu had already noticed the low-key Jia Xu, pretending to examine him, and said, "I heard from the surrendered people that you advised Li Jue to build a strong defense and clear the fields to wear down our army. If Li Jue had listened to your advice, the outcome would be hard to predict!"

Jia Xu spoke calmly, "Your Excellency is braver than Li Jue, wiser than him, and better at employing people. Therefore, even if Li Jue accepts my views, he will still be defeated by your Excellency."

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu laughed a few times, shook Jia Xu's hand warmly, and said, "But I was able to defeat Li Jue today, thanks to Wenhe's help in the battle!"

After a pause, Zhang Yu asked, "Although we have defeated Li Jue, the remnants of the enemy in Guanxi are still there. Does Wenhe have any strategy to teach me?"

Jia Xu glanced at Zhang Yu, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I have heard that a general who has lost his army cannot be said to be brave, and a minister who has lost his army cannot be said to be wise. Now that I have been defeated and surrendered to you, I am not qualified to discuss the overall situation with you!"

Seeing Jia Xu's modesty, Zhang Yu treated him politely and asked for advice, "In the past, Baili Xi lived in Yu and Yu was destroyed, and lived in Qin and Qin became the hegemon. So it's not that he is stupider than Yu and smarter than Qin, but it's a matter of whether to use him or not, and whether to listen or not. If Li Jue had listened to you, the current situation would be unpredictable. Yu would like to hear your advice!"

Jia Xu hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Excellency killed Dong and supported the country, which was a righteous act. However, Your Excellency hesitated and could not decide to pardon him, so he led the generals to rebellion. Now your Excellency has defeated Li Jue and killed Guo Si, and has intimidated Guanxi, making the generals fear and submit."

"Although the general has won, his soldiers are exhausted. The emperor is in power and the ministers are popular. Therefore, the focus now is not on conquering, but on stabilizing Guanxi."

"The generals in Guanxi are only interested in small gains and have no ambition or foresight. Han Sui, Ma Teng, and Wang Guo in Longyou, although they have strong troops and control counties, have no ability to plan for the future. Now you, my lord, welcome the emperor and ask him to pardon the generals and offer a reward for Li Jue's head, then the three prefectures will be safe."

Stroking his beard and humming, Jia Xu said, "For your sake, it is better to take off the armor and train the troops, settle down in Guanzhong and comfort the people, welcome the emperor to rectify the status, recruit the elite soldiers who surrendered, and wait until the troops and food are sufficient, and then attack Longyou in the west. Once Longyou is in your hands, send generals to attack Hexi, and then Shanxi will be unified."

Jia Xu's views are profound. After all, this was Zhang Yu's interview with him, and everything he said was almost for Zhang Yu's consideration. Among them, asking Zhang Yu to ignore the remnants of Guanzhong and welcome the emperor was the key point.

The Han emperor is still in power. If Zhang Yu does not want his peach to be plucked by the emperor, he must go to Chang'an as soon as possible and get the title to rule Guanzhong.

"color!"

Zhang Yu cheered and said, "Wenhe has a far-sighted vision, I should follow his lead!"

Then, Zhang Yu said to Guo Tu with a smile: "You are Li Sheng, and Wenhe can be Zifang!"

Hearing this, Guo Tu had a smile on his face, but he was full of fear of Jia Xu in his heart. With the rise of Zhao Zi, Dong Zhao first came to join him, and now Jia Xu joined him on the battlefield. All of them were very wise, which put a lot of pressure on Guo Tu, who claimed to be the chief strategist.

"Don't dare!"

Jia Xu had no intention of competing with Guo Tu for power, and humbly said, "Your Excellency, I am so ashamed to accept your praise!"

Not only did he defeat the Guanxi army in one fell swoop, but he also gained the surrender of Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu, which made Zhang Yu very happy.

That night, the army camped on the bank of Luo River, and the pursuing troops from various groups returned one after another after chasing for twenty miles.

According to statistics, more than 5,000 people were beheaded and more than 40,000 captives surrendered. Among the generals in Guanxi, Li Jue and his sons and nephews escaped, Guo Si, Yang Zheng, and Hu Feng were beheaded, Hu Zhen was captured, Li Meng surrendered, and Zhang Ji and Jia Xu defected and surrendered.

The next day, the army recruited the defeated and fleeing soldiers, and the troops remaining in Hedong marched westward and met at Luoshui.

After two days of fighting, the army surrendered more than 60,000 people. However, Zhang Yu saw that there were too many captives, so he ordered the selection of 20,000 strong soldiers and released the remaining 40,000 soldiers to return home.

On March 26th, Zhang Yu left his army in the north of Wei River, while he, Lu Bu, Liu He, Liu Bei, Dong Cheng and other generals led 10,000 infantry and cavalry to cross the Wei River to Chang'an to meet the emperor.

However, the situation in Chang'an had changed greatly because of Li Jue's defeat and escape. Zhu Jun summoned his old subordinates and joined forces with Huangfu Song to kill all the families of Li Jue and Guo Si, expelled their followers, and took control of Chang'an. Upon learning that Zhang Yu led his troops across the Wei River, Liu Xie ordered Yang Biao and Zhu Jun to meet the coalition forces on his behalf.

(End of this chapter)