Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 302: Settlement of the Central Plains Plan and Welcoming the Emperor

AD 195, the second year of Xingping.

In the first month of the year, Zhang Yang returned to Henei and immediately sent his general Sui Gu to lead thousands of soldiers and civilians to deliver food to Luoyang.

At the same time, Zhang Yang deliberately whipped Bian Xin, a soldier from Yingchuan who was from the same hometown as Chunyu Qiong, and revealed that Bian Xin had ordered Sui Gu to deliver food to the emperor. Bian Xin could not bear Zhang Yang's punishment, so he fled to Chunyu Qiong's camp and reported to Chunyu Qiong that Sui Gu wanted to kidnap the emperor.

Chunyu Qiong was shocked when he heard the news. Thinking of the mission Yuan Shao had given him, he gathered his troops to the river to stop Sui Gu from crossing the river, and sent people to angrily denounce Sui Gu for robbing the emperor. Sui Gu retaliated by claiming that Chunyu Qiong was blocking the road and trying to rob tribute grain, and sent people to inform Liu Bei and Zhang Yang to ask for military support.

At that time, Chunyu Qiong thought that Sui Gu intended to kidnap the emperor, while Sui Gu thought that Chunyu Qiong wanted to rob the tribute. Both sides insisted on their own opinions, making it difficult for outsiders to distinguish the truth from the false.

On the 11th, Zhang Yang led his troops to meet Sui Gu and stationed at Pinggao, only a few dozen miles away from Chunyu Qiong.

That night, Zhang Yang's troops were in chaos for no reason, and the soldiers and civilians fled. Chunyu Qiong coveted the money and food in the camp, so he took the opportunity to attack Zhang Yang's camp and seize the tribute food given to the court.

On the 12th, Zhang Yang wrote a letter to Liu Bei, accusing Chunyu Qiong of attacking the camp at night and robbing the tribute grain given to the court by the General of Cavalry's Mansion, and requested Liu Bei to send troops to help.

Liu Bei was wondering about the reason for the dispute between Zhang Yang and Chunyu Qiong, when he learned that Chunyu Qiong had robbed tribute grain. He immediately concluded that Chunyu Qiong was slandering Sui Gu's troops in order to rob grain along the way.

In order to get the tribute back, Liu Bei led his army to the south bank and wrote to Chunyu Qiong, asking him to hand over the tribute. Chunyu Qiong was unwilling to give up the tribute, so he rejected Liu Bei's words.

At the same time, Zhang Yang feared that something might happen if he delayed, so he led his troops to attack Chunyu Qiong and invited Liu Bei to send troops.

Liu Bei agreed to send troops, but when he was leading his troops across the river, he was blocked by Zhang He who came to support him and led his cavalry halfway across the river. Liu Bei lost hundreds of people and returned to the south bank. He ordered people to report to Liu Xie that the tribute grain had been seized.

Upon learning that Chunyu Qiong had seized the tribute grain, Liu Xie was furious and asked Yang Biao to write a letter to Xindu, blaming Yuan Shao for instructing Chunyu Qiong to seize the tribute grain. Zhang Yu in Anyi saw the incident in Henei, so he sent a letter he had written earlier to Yuan Shu.

Compared with the letter Zhang Yu sent to Yuan Shu, the envoy arranged by Liu Xie arrived in Xindu faster.

Xindu, the provincial capital.

Yuan Shao's dignified face showed astonishment. He asked his attendants, "Didn't Chunyu Qiong report that Zhang Yu wanted to seize the throne? How did it become that he was robbing the tribute grain?"

Ju Su frowned and said, "Chun Yuqiong wrote to me before, saying that he had received a secret report from a soldier under Zhang Yang's command that Sui Gu was robbing the emperor in the name of transporting tribute. After Zhang Yang led his troops to join Sui Gu, Zhang Yang's troops rioted for no reason that night and fled, and the food and grass in the camp were taken by him. The emperor sent a letter to blame him now, but I'm afraid he doesn't know the secret."

Yuan Shao slammed the letter on the table, stood up and paced back and forth, saying in dissatisfaction: "Chun Yuqiong is greedy for money and goods, and made me bear the crime of seizing tribute grain, which really ruined my plan!"

"My lord, do you want Chunyu Qiong to return the tribute grain to prove your innocence?" Feng Ji said.

"Since the emperor has accused you of stealing tribute grain, why don't you send troops quickly and welcome the emperor to Xindu while everyone is hesitating?" Xu You said.

"My lord, it's not that Chunyu Qiong is greedy for money, but I am afraid there is a fraud." Ju Su said.

"What's the trick?"

Yuan Shao stretched out his hand to stop Xu and Feng from arguing and asked.

“What a coincidence!”

Ju Su stroked his beard and hummed, saying, "Chun Yuqiong and Zhang Yang hardly fought each other, but he easily obtained tribute. Moreover, from the beginning to the end, there were only rumors that Zhang Yu wanted to welcome the emperor to Anyi, but I have never seen Zhang Yu's troops. After all, if you want to welcome the emperor to Anyi, it may be difficult with the thousands of troops in Zhang Yang's hands!"

"Do you think Zhang Yu has no intention of welcoming the emperor?" Yuan Shao asked.

"not sure!"

Ju Su shook his head and said, "From what I have heard, Zhang Yu intends to welcome the emperor to Anyi, but from what he has done, Zhang Yu has no intention of doing so."

"Why is that?"

"Perhaps Zhang Yu wants to use the emperor as bait to induce you to panic and send troops to the capital, so that he and Yuan Shu can join forces to attack you." Ju Su said: "Of course, maybe Zhang Yu really wants to welcome the emperor, and this is just a test."

"What do you think?" Yuan Shao asked.

Ju Su stroked his beard and thought, then said, "According to what I said before, you can wait and see. If Zhang Yu does not send troops to welcome the emperor, you should rest and recuperate this year and wait until next year to attack Shangdang. There was a severe drought last year and the people of Jizhou were starving. It is not appropriate to mobilize troops in the spring. Since Zhang Yu has sent troops to the capital, it will not be too late for you to send troops next year."

Seeing that Ju Su's words made sense, Yuan Shao nodded slightly and asked, "What should we do about Chunyu Qiong's robbing of the tribute grain?"

"Hand over the soldiers captured by Chunyu Qiong to the court, and offer double the tribute to apologize, and let the court decide right and wrong!" Ju Su said: "In my opinion, the most important thing this year is to plan to attack Zhang Yu."

"Planning to attack Zhang Yu?" Yuan Shao frowned and paced, saying, "Zhang Yu controls Bingzhou and Yongzhou, and has Youzhou as support. He has mountains and rivers. If we rashly send troops to attack him, it may be difficult to win. Besides, you said that there was a severe drought last year, so it is not appropriate to use troops this year."

Ju Su said: "Zhang Yu is in control of Bingzhou and can look towards Hebei, but he did not send troops to attack Jizhou. He knows that now is not the time to compete with you. If my prediction is correct, Zhang Yu will send troops to Longyou this year and sweep away Ma Teng, Han Sui and Song Jian. Longyou is peaceful now, Zhang Yu has nothing to worry about, and he will definitely attack Hebei next year."

"I should stop the enemy's desire." Ju Su said, "This year, you led your troops to station in Yecheng and ordered Zhang Yu to attack Henei and Shangdang. Zhang Yu is worried about your troops and will not dare to attack Longyou in the west. Zhang Yu wants to use Lu Bu and Liu He to check you. You may as well use Longyou to check Zhang Yu."

"Mingsir, what Ju Jun said is absolutely true!"

Tian Feng said: "The people have been exhausted from years of fighting, the warehouses are empty, and the taxes are getting heavier. It is not appropriate to raise a large army without a reason. This year, we will station troops in Yecheng, so that Zhang Yu will not dare to look west to Longyou. You will also help Cao Cao and Gongsun to ease the difficulties in the north and south. If Youzhou and Yanzhou are pacified, Xuzhou will surrender, and Jizhou will be prosperous, then the Central Plains can be settled within five years!"

"rational!"

Yuan Shao stopped, stroked his beard, nodded, and said, "I will follow the opinions of Gong Yu and Yuan Hao."

"Ming Gong is wise!"

Seeing that what Ju Shou and Tian Feng said often pleased Yuan Shao, Xu You and Feng Ji felt jealous but did not dare to express it.

It has to be said that Ju Shou and Tian Feng made excellent judgments on the overall situation. Although Zhang Yu occupied Shanxi and had a population of 1.8 million, his population was definitely not comparable to that of Qing and Ji states under the rule of Yuan Shao.

Therefore, Ju Shou and Tian Feng had unique insights, which tied down Zhang Yu's troops and prevented him from concentrating on the Western Expedition. While recuperating, Yuan Shao was able to resolve the pincer attack from the north and south, and then conquer Xuzhou, which not only allowed him to concentrate on fighting Zhang Yu, but also accumulated population and military advantages to counter Zhang Yu, who had geographical advantages.

The above content of Ju Su's words was mentioned in the conversation between Zhang Yu and Jia Xu about the expedition to Longyou. The strategy formulated by Zhang Yu and Jia Xu was to contact Yuan Shu to contain Yuan Shao. Therefore, letting Yuan Shu send troops to welcome the emperor was a key step in the plan.

In Wancheng, Yuan Shu read the letter sent by Zhang Yu, and a look of joy gradually appeared on his face.

"Mr. Ming, what is the purpose of Zhang Yu's letter?" Yan Xiang asked with concern.

Yuan Shu stood up from behind the table and said with a smile, "Zhang Yu said that Yuan Shao sent troops to seize the tribute grain. He was worried that Yuan Shao would lead his troops to welcome the emperor to Jizhou. He needed to defend Longyou from the troops and might not be Yuan Shao's enemy. So he asked me to send troops to Luoyang to protect the emperor to prevent him from being captured by Yuan Shao."

In addition to what Yuan Shu said, Zhang Yu also said that the capital was in decline and it was difficult to support the court in order to get Yuan Shu to send troops. Yuan Shu could ask Liu Xie to live in Luyang, or Yingchuan County, to avoid Yuan Shao's troops. When there was no danger in Henei, the emperor could be moved to Luoyang.

"What do you mean, sir?" Yan Xiang asked.

Yuan Shu laughed and said, "If I don't send troops, he will succeed. I want to welcome the emperor to Wancheng to show the kindness of the Yuan family to the Liu family."

Yan Xiang said worriedly, "If you send troops to the capital to welcome the emperor, you may have to fight with Yuan Shao. Liu Yao is still undefeated in Jiangzuo, and Sun Jian will soon march west to Yizhou. So in my opinion, it is better for you to send troops to protect the emperor, but it is not convenient to welcome the emperor to Wancheng instead."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu's expression turned cold and he scolded, "This is just my opinion. Do you know how to control the princes by holding the emperor hostage?"

"Liu Yao of Yangzhou and Zhu Fu of Jiaozhou are both appointed officials by the court. If I can welcome the emperor to Wancheng, I can summon them to the court with the emperor's order and replace the governors. Among the southern states, only Yizhou needs to be conquered."

"At that time, Yangzhou, Jiaozhou, Jingzhou and Yuzhou are ours. If Zhang Miao of Yanzhou is loyal to us, then half of the world will belong to our Yuan family!" Yuan Shu was ambitious and said, "After we conquer Yizhou, Yanzhou in the north and Xuzhou in the east, Zhang Yu and Yuan Shao will not be a problem for us!"

Yuan Shu had been the governor of Jingzhou for a long time. He knew very well that compared to the chaotic north, the southern prefectures and counties still had feelings for the imperial court. Therefore, if he could control Liu Xie, the prefectures and counties in the south of the Yangtze River would most likely be able to obey the order and remain in peace.

Of course, Yuan Shu's idea was not limited to this, his ultimate ambition was to change the dynasty. He now had the imperial seal, if he could welcome Liu Xie to Wancheng, and then use Liu Xie to conquer the southern counties, he could imitate Wang Mang's deeds and force Liu Xie to abdicate to his Yuan family.

Therefore, Zhang Yu’s invitation to him to send troops to the capital is exactly what he wants!

When Yan Xiang heard Yuan Shu talk about the benefits of welcoming the emperor, he fell silent.

"Yi Du, do you have any opinion?"

After thinking and imagining for a while, Yuan Shu looked at the taciturn Kuai Yue and asked.

Kuai Yue hesitated for a moment and said, "If you want to send troops to welcome the emperor, you must be prepared for Yuan Shao to send troops to seize him. And you need to have people pay attention to the movements of Zhang Yu's troops to prevent him from sending troops later. And among the officials in the court, you need to send someone to contact as your internal support!"

After a pause, Kuai Yue said, "There are pros and cons to welcoming the emperor. I hope you will consider it carefully!"

"good!"

I don't know whether Yuan Shu listened to me or not. I just saw him smiling and responding repeatedly.

(End of this chapter)