Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 272: Unique Secrets - Defeat Zhang Yu
In April, Zhang Yu sneaked out of Beigukou, defeated Zou Dan, subdued Shan Jing, opened Juyongguan, and gathered the army in Ji County.

Liu He marched into Ji County, raised the banner of revenge for his father, and issued a letter to all the counties in Youzhou. The families of Yuyang County were persuaded by Xianyu Fu to support Liu He as their leader; the officials of Youbei County beheaded the governor Zhu Jin to honor Liu He as their leader; the counties of Guangyang County changed their banners and submitted petitions to Liu He to show their allegiance.

Liu He was kind-hearted, and knew that he did not have a deep foundation, and that he was able to come to power only because of the kindness of his father and the recommendation of many nobles. So he broke the Three Mutuals Law and recommended Xianyu Fu as the prefect of Yuyang, Tian Chou as the prefect of Youbeiping, and Qi Zhou as the prefect of Guangyang.

Zhang Yu was the first to submit a memorial to the emperor in Shanggu County, claiming that Zu Wei had made great contributions in persuading Shan Jing to surrender. He first built up a relationship with him in his Chariot and Cavalry Bureau, and then quickly appointed Zu Wei as the prefect of Shanggu.

In order to control northern Yan, Zhang Yu appointed Yan Rou as the commander of the Wuhuan Guards for his meritorious service in luring the Hu people, and concurrently served as the prefect of Dai County and the commander-in-chief of the military affairs of northern Yan.

Yan Rou was an old acquaintance of Zhang Yu. Ever since Zhang Yu became the governor of Pingcheng, Yan Rou had been continuously investing in Zhang Yu, spending a lot of money.

Even when Zhang Yu was the governor of Bingzhou, Yan Rou asked for an official position and served under Zhang Yu together with his brother Yan Zhi. The only difference was that Yan Rou had more autonomy, could make money and raise his own troops, and also had a high prestige among the Hu people.

Zhang Yu has expanded his influence to Youzhou. Now, except for Yan Rou who is qualified to be the governor of Yan and Bei counties, there is no one else who can be qualified for the job.

As for Zhang Yu's recommendation of Yan Rou and Zu Wei to be county governors, Liu He could not say that he had no objection, but because Gongsun Zan was still alive and he needed Zhang Yu's protection, he could only acquiesce to the current situation.

Liu He's timely behavior kept the atmosphere of the coalition forces very good. Today, the army moved to Ji County to prepare for the next step.

Ji County, the provincial capital.

Zhang Yu was recommended by Liu He and temporarily sat on the main couch, while the other generals sat in order.

"The chariots and cavalry were deployed like gods, circling over 600 miles to attack the Beigukou Pass, making it impossible for the enemy to defend themselves!" Liu He praised: "Now we have defeated one army and surrendered another within eight days. If there were no chariots and cavalry, it would be difficult to cross the dangerous Yanshan Mountains."

"Youzhou is overrated!"

Zhang Yu smiled and gave credit to his subordinates, saying, "My path was guided by Gong Zuo. The defeat of Zou Dan was thanks to the service of his soldiers. The persuasion of Shan Jing to surrender was the work of our ancestor Yuanxiong."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu said to his advisers, "You all have deep ideas. Gongda and Wenhe's ideas are comparable to Liang and Ping!"

Now Zhang Yu pushed the credit to everyone else, which made all the civil and military officials who contributed feel proud of it. Some of them pretended to be serious, while others showed a smile on their faces.

"May I ask the cavalrymen, Gongsun Zan still has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses entrenched between Zhao and Yan. I wonder how our army should deploy them?" Liu He asked.

Zhang Yu's skillful use of troops made Liu He dependent on him. Whenever he encountered a military matter, he would ask Zhang Yu for his opinion. Even Liu He was like this, not to mention the officials in Youzhou.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment, then looked around and asked, "What do you think?"

Guo Tu was the first to answer, saying, "Since Guangyang County was conquered, the two counties to the east, Yuyang and Youbeiping, have all surrendered. Gongsun Zan only has Youzhou and Zhuo County now, so you don't have to rush to send troops. You can first raise food and grain, rectify people's livelihood, and then see what Gongsun Zan does."

"Mr. Guo is right!"

Xun You thought for a moment and said, "Gongsun Zan only has one of the six counties in Youzhou. Gongsun Zan is currently in a difficult situation, and his people must be in turmoil. Therefore, you and the governor may write to Gongsun Zan's subordinates to recruit their officers and officers to disrupt the morale of Gongsun Zan's army."

"And Gongsun Zan will lead his army north to calm people's hearts. By then, Your Excellency will be well rested and it will be easy to defeat Gongsun Zan!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said approvingly, "You two have a very good plan. Do you have any other ideas?"

Jia Xu stroked his beard and said, "I am afraid that Gongsun Zan will flatter Yuan Shao in order to take Youzhou. Yuan Shao is in Jizhou, with many soldiers and generals. If he takes Shangdang in the west, it will be a threat to you, Your Excellency!"

"Now the Xihe Army is stationed in Taiyuan, the Heyang Army is stationed in Henei, and only the Xianyang Army is training in Hedong. In order to prevent Gongsun Zan from flattering Yuan Shao, it seems necessary to transfer the Xianyang Army to Shangdang for garrison!" Zhang Yu said.

"Huguan is a natural fortress. If we block it, we can prevent the enemy from entering Shangdang. If you send an army to garrison there and have other soldiers from the county to assist in the defense, then Yuan Shao will not be able to take Shangdang unless he raises tens of thousands of troops to march west!" Guo Tu said.

Zhang Yu pondered for a while and said, "In this case, let Shi Yi lead his army eastward to Shangdang, order Hanoi and Taiyuan to be on alert, and report the news to Zhang Yan in Heishan. At the same time, contact Li Song as soon as possible to see where his troops are moving!"

"promise!"

After talking about military matters, wait for Liu He and his subordinates to leave the lobby.

Zhang Yu looked at Guo Tu and said, "There are many scholars in Youzhou. You are good at making friends. You can help me get to know the wise men in other counties. I want to recruit wise men as officials to win the hearts of the people in Youzhou."

"promise!"

While the coalition forces were rejoicing over their victory, Gongsun Zan was already furious.

"A fool and a coward have ruined my plans!"

Gongsun Zan kicked over the table in front of him and cursed, "More than 20,000 people were guarding Yanshan, and Zhu Jin was still in Youbeiping. Now Zhang Yu broke through Juyongguan in less than ten days. What a bunch of incompetent people." Gongsun Zan couldn't help but be angry. There were only a few roads in Yanshan. Couldn't they be blocked by just sending anyone?

He really couldn't understand why Zou Dan was defeated so easily and was almost manipulated by Zhang Yu. And Shan Jing's surrender with 10,000 soldiers and horses made him very angry.

Shan Jing was a veteran who had followed him for many years. When he was at the peak of his career, he appointed him as the Governor of Yanzhou. After he conquered Youzhou, he let him lead his troops to guard Juyongguan out of trust. How could he have expected that Shan Jing would surrender so quickly?

Shan Jing didn't really want to surrender to Zhang Yu, but he had to surrender because of the situation. If Zhang Yu fought to the death at Juyong Pass, Shan Jing would hold on to the end. However, Zhang Yu took a detour to Nankou, killed Zou Dan first, and surrendered three counties, leaving Juyong Pass an isolated city, which inevitably made Shan Jing psychologically shaken.

Therefore, after receiving the letter from his wife, Shan Jing's psychological defenses were broken down due to the blessing of family affection, so Shan Jing took the opportunity to surrender to Zhang Yu.

"Please calm down, my lord. The key now is how to defeat Zhang Yu and recover the counties occupied by the two men!" Guan Jing advised.

Gongsun Zan was furious and said, "Why think so much? Gather the troops and march north today. I will fight Zhang Yu to the death, cut off his head, and keep Li Jue company!"

Guan Jing sighed and said, "If you withdraw and head north, and Zhang Yu does not fight with our army, I'm afraid you will have nowhere to go!"

Hearing this, Gongsun Zan's anger suddenly subsided and he asked, "Why do you say that?"

"It's not that Jing is bluffing, but the situation is critical now!"

Guan Jing said, "If you go north, the three counties of Zhuo, Hejian, and Bohai will be left unprepared. Even if Yuan Shao does not send troops, will Li Song in Puyin Xing turn a blind eye? I am afraid that he will take advantage of the confrontation between you and Zhang Yu to send troops to Zhuo County and then cut off your grain supply."

"If Yuan Shao sends troops, Hejian and Bohai will not be yours. Jizhou and Jizhou are populous and are your foundation. If they are taken by the enemy, the world will be vast but there will be no place for you."

Gongsun Zan calmed down, showed a worried look, and asked: "Since you have profound insights, do you have any strategies to teach me?"

Guan Jing hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "It is still the same strategy as before. We will give Bohai County to Yuan Shao in exchange for Yuan Shao sending troops to order Zhang Yu to withdraw his troops and return to Jin. Once Zhang Yu leads his troops to withdraw, it will be easy to defeat Liu He with your ability!"

Gongsun Zan felt deeply hurt and said, "Bohai County is rich, how can we give it to Yuan Shao? I wonder if we can send an envoy to inform Yuan Shao and persuade him to send troops by saying that the lips and teeth are cold."

"How can Yuan Shao send out his best troops if he cannot gain any benefit?"

Guan Jing sighed and said, "If we cannot give him up, I am afraid that Yuan Shao and Zhang Yu will unite to divide our territory. Then I will lead the army to the west to attack Bingzhou, force Zhang Yu to return, and then attack Liu He. By then, even if you take refuge in Yijing, you will not be tolerated by Liu He and Yuan Shao!"

Gongsun Zan paced and thought, and asked: "If I give Bohai to Yuan Shao now, will Yuan Shao really let my army retake Youzhou? I am afraid Yuan Shao does not want to see me retake Youzhou!"

"This~"

Guan Jing looked embarrassed, he had not thought that far ahead. He just felt that it was more likely to repel or defeat Zhang Yu than to invite Yuan Shao to send troops.

After holding it in for a long time, Guan Jing smiled bitterly and said, "Please forgive my short-sightedness and make it difficult for you to make long-term plans. However, the current situation is not favorable to you, so you need to make plans as soon as possible. Contacting Yuan for external assistance is a safe move."

Gongsun Zan clenched his fists, feeling unwilling.

"The previous alliance between Yuan and Gongsun was all Yuan's plan. Now Yuan has taken Qingzhou, and I have suffered a setback in Youzhou. Yuan saw danger and did not send troops, which is a violation of the promise in the past!"

"Hey~"

Guan Jing sighed. It was useless to talk about past decisions now. After all, the matter was done.

Gongsun Zan paced for a long time, gritted his teeth and said: "For the time being, we will not seek peace with Yuan Shao, but station troops in the southern border of Yan. All the grain in Youzhou has been taken by me. Now Zhang Yu is on a long expedition, and the grain and grass need to be mobilized from Bingzhou. I will confront him and force him to withdraw when the grain runs out."

"Our cavalry is brave and brave. If Zhang Yu runs away due to lack of food, I will lead the cavalry to pursue him and will surely defeat Zhang Yu. If Zhang Yu is defeated, Liu He will not be a threat!" said Gongsun Zan.

Although Gongsun Zan suffered many defeats, he had a unique secret to winning. That was to take advantage of the enemy's disorderly retreat, take advantage of the cavalry, and attack them with elite horses, which often led to a great victory.

In the Battle of Jumashui, Gongsun Zan was able to defeat Cui Juye because Cui Juye was short of food and had to retreat. When Cui Juye led his army to retreat, especially when crossing the river, Gongsun Zan attacked them halfway across the river and defeated the enemy.

Now he prepared to repeat the past battle, using food and supplies to wear down Zhang Yu. When Zhang Yu withdrew his troops due to lack of food, he would be able to launch a strong attack and defeat Zhang Yu.

"Ming Gong's plan is feasible!"

Guan Jing nodded slightly and said, "Since the spring rain, there has been no rain for more than 20 consecutive days. If there is still no rain, this year may be a year of severe drought. Moreover, most of the grain and grass in Youzhou have been transported to Yijing by Ming Gong. Now the grain in Youzhou is in short supply, and the army has consumed a lot. Zhang Yu will not be able to hold on for long!"

(End of this chapter)