Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 299: To destroy someone, he must first be arrogant, and he will not hesitate to give him off

Chapter 299: To destroy someone, he must first be arrogant, and he will not hesitate to give him official titles.

Anyi, the provincial capital.

"Is Yuan Gonglu out of his mind?"

Zhang Yu glanced at the letter sent by Yuan Shu and could not help but sneer, saying: "Two thousand horses are worth ten thousand gold coins, how dare Yuan Gonglu ask for such a price?"

During the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, although the country was in turmoil, the Central Plains was generally peaceful, and the prices of horses, cattle, and grain were regulated by the market, with little fluctuation, so the price of war horses fluctuated between several thousand coins (one gold = 1 coins). Now in the chaotic times of the late Han Dynasty, especially with warlords fighting each other, not only are the prices of grain and salt soaring, but war horses are also luxury goods.

It is no exaggeration to say that in this era when roads were cut off, Yuan Shu, the southern regime, had war horses that were worth a lot but not in demand. In history, Lü Bu sent people with gold to Hanoi to buy horses, but they were robbed by Zhang Fei on the way. From an indirect point of view, the fact that Zhang Fei was able to rob them shows how valuable the gold was. From an indirect point of view, the value of a horse is not excessive, and may even be higher.

Now Yuan Shu asked for two thousand horses right away. Isn't this simply treating Zhang Yu as a sucker?

"My Lord, I heard from the messenger that this letter was written by Yuan Shu when he was drunk at a banquet."

Jia Xu stroked his beard and smiled, "Yuan Gonglu has an arrogant personality and is inevitably confused when drunk. If you don't want to give me 2,000 horses, you might as well write a letter to say that you will exchange rations for horses."

Zhang Yu did not get angry, but thought for a while, then looked at Xun You and Guo Tu and asked, "What do you two think?"

Xun You smiled and asked, "Does Your Excellency intend to agree?"

Zhang Yu put the letter aside and said, "Although two thousand horses are a lot, they are not impossible to give. If I can get a high price for them, or if they can help the situation, I am willing to give them to Yuan Shu."

To accomplish great things, one does not need to be fussy about small details. In Zhang Yu's eyes, two thousand horses might be important, but it is not that he cannot get them together. If there are greater benefits to be gained, Zhang Yu does not mind giving up small profits for big ones, or investing in the future.

Xun You said: "In the past, Zhao Wuxiu wanted to establish a close relationship with him in order to conquer the country of Dai. Your Excellency is offering two thousand horses to Yuan Shu. This will not only strengthen your relationship with Yuan Shu, but also make Yuan Shu arrogant. Your Excellency's immediate worries are in Longyou and your distant troubles are in Hebei. Therefore, a close relationship with Yuan Shu will help you focus on the Central Plains."

"Where is Gongze?" Zhang Yu asked.

Guo Tu thought for a moment and said, "Your Excellency wants to lead Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao to fight and make them compete for supremacy in the Central Plains, so how can we not give them a small benefit? Although two thousand horses are expensive, if it can make Yuan Shu very happy and relieve your worries when necessary, I will give them to you. If you do not give them to you, Yuan Shu will lose face and may become enemies with him."

Zhang Yu knew that Yuan Shu was very concerned about his reputation. When he was entertaining guests, he wrote a letter in front of everyone asking for horses, which would surely be known to all the civil and military officials in his account. If he was reluctant to give up the horses and Yuan Shu lost face, he would probably offend him in disguise, and then wouldn't the investment he made in befriending Yuan Shu be invalid?

Moreover, if we learn from history, Liu Bang gave up the King of Qi for Han Xin, and finally defeated Xiang Yu to establish the Han Dynasty; Liu Bei and Sun Quan entangled in Jingzhou, and finally caused a fight between the two families and both lost. Therefore, for the sake of the general situation, it is better to be patient for a while, because worrying about small gains will only cause big disasters.

Of course, it doesn't mean that I will just endure without taking revenge, but after achieving my goal, I can settle both old and new accounts. Moreover, I want Yuan Shu to take over the Han Dynasty now, and it would be a pity if I don't take the opportunity to help him!

Zhang Yu's scattered eyes lingered on the letter, but he soon came back to his senses and said with a smile, "Yuan Shu ordered Sun Jian to go to Yizhou so that I can conquer Longyou next year and contain Liu Yan. Now that he has promised to send troops, how can I be stingy with two thousand horses!"

"Your Excellency is wise!"

Jia Xu understood Zhang Yu's intention and flattered him, "If you want to achieve great things, you must give up first and then gain. Your Excellency gave up the horse in exchange for Yuan Shu's pride. This is indeed a wise move!"

"Wenhe!"

Seeing Jia Xu answering, Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Please write a letter for me. The words should be humble and the things in the past should be repeated!"

"promise!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Xu understood what Zhang Yu meant. He was hinting at him to spread the rumor to Yuan Shu that Yuan Shao intended to send troops to the capital.

"Sun Wentai conquers Yizhou!"

Thinking of Sun Jian's expedition to Yizhou, Zhang Yu tapped the table lightly, with a playful look on his face. Under his influence, Liu Bei was tied to Liu Xie, Yuan Shu occupied Jingzhou, and now Sun Jian was going to establish a career in Bashu.

If the original history is followed, letting Liu Zhang take the throne would actually be beneficial to him. If the Sun family replaces Liu Zhang, it will be disadvantageous for him to pacify Bashu in the future. But it is not without benefits. After all, when the Sun family attacks Bashu, it will inevitably cause chaos within Bashu.

If I have spare energy, I might as well intervene in Bashu and follow the original plan to see if I can capture Hanzhong, block the road to the north from Shuzhong, and use it as an outpost for the attack on Shu.

"Sun Jian and I are old friends. Now he is sending troops to attack Shu. I must help him!"

Zhang Yu suddenly said to his attendants, "Gong Ze, you should arrange for someone to visit Sun Jian and send him a hundred horses to support his expedition to Yizhou."

Guo Tu hesitated for a moment and asked, "Why did you support Sun Jian?"

"I met Sun Jian when we were fighting against the enemy. He is extremely brave and has great courage. He is bold and has the appearance of being able to accomplish things. He is not someone who will be inferior to others for long." Zhang Yu said, "Now Sun Jian has sent troops to attack Yizhou. I am afraid Liu Yan is not his opponent. I am sending an envoy to make friends with him so that we can make plans for the future."

"Yes!" Guo Tu replied. While Zhang Yu was instructing Guo Tu on the details of the mission, Xun You received a letter from the waiting cavalry and handed it over, saying, "Sir, here is the military report from Wudu!"

"speak!"

Xun You opened the letter, read it through, and then gave a brief report, saying, "My Lord, according to Zhang Zhengxi's report, when he led Xu Gongming's troops as the vanguard and marched out of Chencang Road, he encountered Jiang Ze, a general under Ma Teng, who blocked the way. General Gongming made a feint to the east and attacked in the west, and defeated Jiang Ze's troops, thus clearing the Chencang Road."

"Zhang Zhengxi led his army to drive straight to Xiabian. Ma Teng saw that the army was coming to help him and Xiabian was still unconquered, so he fled with his troops. General Man took the opportunity to leave the city and defeated Xu Fan, a general under Liu Yan."

Upon hearing the battle report, Zhang Yu became very interested. He took the military report presented by Xun You and saw how Xu Huang defeated the enemy and cleared the Chencang Road. He could not help but admire him.

"Gong Ming defeated Jiang Ze brilliantly!"

Jiang Ze led his troops to occupy the strategic Sanquan in the middle of Chencang Road, intending to stop Xu Huang's troops. When Xu Huang arrived at Sanquan, he saw that Jiang Ze was defending the strategic location, and the enemy camp had little water, so they had to go to the valley to fetch water for drinking.

Xu Huang led his troops to seize the water source. Seeing the water source was seized, Jiang Ze rushed to rob it, but was defeated by Xu Huang halfway. Xu Huang captured many people, and Jiang Ze escaped alone. After opening a channel to rescue Xia Bian, Zhang Liao led his troops to pour in continuously.

Ma Teng saw that Man Chong was firmly defending Xiabian, and the army suffered heavy losses in the siege, and it was unknown when the siege would be broken. At that time, he learned that Jiang Ze had escaped alone, and Zhang Liao led his troops to march straight into the city. Ma Teng was frightened and plundered before retreating. However, Xu Fan was slow to react, and when he was withdrawing his troops, Man Chong seized the opportunity and broke out of the city.

"Gongming is well versed in military tactics. He pretended to cut off the water source but actually attacked the main camp. This is something that only ordinary generals can do!" Zhang Yu held the letter in his hand and praised to his advisers: "Man Boying understood the situation and dispatched troops when the opportunity arose. This is truly the demeanor of a great general."

"Congratulations, my lord. You have lifted the siege of Wudu and have recognized the talents of your officers!" Jia Xu congratulated him with a cupped hand and said with a smile, "In the past, the only two generals you could entrust with important tasks and take charge of your affairs were Generals Li Duliao and Zhang Zhengxi. Now I see that Generals Xu and Man can both be used and help you relieve your worries!"

"Hmm~"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Although Wenyuan was the main general in the relief of Wudu, the real achievement was due to Gongming. And Bo Ning defended the isolated city alone and took advantage of the opportunity to defeat Xu Fan. He is a famous general."

"My lord, do you want to move Gongming to another fief?" Xun You asked with a smile.

Zhang Yu held the letter and smiled, saying, "In the military, those with talent and virtue are superior, and those without talent and virtue are inferior. Now Gongming has made great achievements, so he must be rewarded."

"He ordered his men to personally go to the army with the order and confer the title of 'acting' General of the Southern Expedition, and to increase his fief by 200 households."

"As ordered!"

Compared with Cao Cao who was stingy in rewarding his subordinates, Zhang Yu was generous in rewarding his subordinates. He was willing to give them official positions and even entrust them with important tasks.

For example, in history, Xu Huang followed Cao Cao for more than 20 years, but until the Battle of Fancheng, Xu Huang was only promoted to General Pingkou. Even during the Battle of Hanzhong, Xu Huang was commanded by the younger Cao Zhen, which is ridiculous.

When Cao Pi ascended the throne, Xu Huang was appointed Right General, with a title of only Marquis. What's even more amusing is that as Right General, Xu Huang was stationed in Jingzhou and had to obey the orders of General Xiahou Shang.

In order to conquer the world, Zhang Yu learned from Liu Xiu and Liu Bang that the most important thing was to be generous in giving out gifts. Taking Liu Xiu as an example, in order to win the hearts of his generals, he appointed a lot of great generals. In the later period, because there were too many great generals under his command, it was difficult to appoint a chief general, so he simply asked the generals to recommend one.

In order to win over the hearts of the generals who were eager for advancement, Zhang Yu simply appointed the chief commander of the 5,000 troops as the General of the Central Army, and those with more experience as generals with miscellaneous titles. The four generals who could stand on their own were promoted from the generals with miscellaneous titles.

As for the four expeditionary generals, if they were not enough, they could set up four town generals. If the four town generals did not want to be four generals, they could set up four peace generals above them. Anyway, the world was in chaos, the official system collapsed, and he had the final say on the ranking of the sixteen generals of peace, expedition, town and peace.

"What about Man Chong?" Guo Tu asked.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment, then said with a smile, "Bo Ning has just been promoted to General Anlong, so it is not convenient to promote him suddenly now. First, Bo Ning will be promoted to General Zhenglu, and he will be granted an additional 150 households of food and land. He will also be commended by a letter and a meritorious service will be recorded for the governor You Yin."

There are actually different levels among the generals with miscellaneous titles. Common generals with miscellaneous titles such as "Dang Kou", "Zheng Lu", "Ba Zei" are high-ranking, while uncommon generals with miscellaneous titles such as "An Long" and "Guang Ye" are low-ranking. Before being promoted to the Four Generals of Expedition, one needs to make meritorious contributions to be promoted from a low-rank to a high-ranking position.

"correct!"

Zhang Yu thought about the reward and said, "Write a letter to Zhang Zhengxi on my behalf, commending him for his ability to employ generals properly and thus lift the siege of Wudu. Now arrange for the troops to be settled as soon as possible. I will wait for him in Anyi to attend the New Year's banquet with other generals."

"promise!"

"My lord, General Cheng led the Xi'an army to defeat the Fengyi Hu, killed and captured more than 6,000 people, and cleared out the Qiang and Hu in the mountains and valleys. What orders would you like to give?" Xun You asked.

"Appoint Cheng Pu as the General who drives out the Hu bandits, and have him continue to suppress the Hu bandits in Xihe. At the beginning of the year, we will go to Anyi for a banquet!" Zhang Yu said.

(End of this chapter)

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