Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 304: Guandong Affairs, Thinking of Invading Longyou
Anyi, the residence of the General of Cavalry.

Inside the mansion, Zhang Yu rested his head on a cushion, holding a map of Longshan Mountain, preparing for the summer expedition to Longshan.

"Since my husband is ill, how can he manage things as usual every day?"

Cai Yan's belly was slightly bulging. She served tea and water to the 'sick' Zhang Yu and said, "Why don't you rest for a few days? After the imperial envoy leaves, we can go back to normal!"

Zhang Yu put the map down, looked at Cai Yan with a round face, and said with a smile: "If I can't pacify Longxi now, I can't go east with peace of mind. While I have free time, I should study the geography of Longyou more."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu glanced at her belly and said, "Since Zhaoji is pregnant, why bother so much? Just let someone else take care of her!"

Cai Yan smiled happily and said, "Madam has arranged for the concubines to take turns. Although I am pregnant, I dare not disobey Madam's order. Besides, it is my honor to serve my husband."

Zhang Yu touched Cai Yan's hand and said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, Zhao Ji!"

Cai Yan looked at the Longshan map and said, "When I met my father a few days ago, I remembered that he mentioned that Zhang Ze, the former governor of Liangzhou and now the prefect of Hanyang, had a friend named Zhang Wohu. He and my father had corresponded in the past and discussed painting. Since my father is going to attack Longyou, we might as well contact him. If necessary, I will let my father write a letter!"

Zhang Ze, courtesy name Liangxiu, was a native of Nanzheng, Hanzhong. When he governed Nanzhong, he was known as "Crouching Tiger" because of his harsh and stern actions and severe punishments. He was famous in the south. He started as the governor of Zangke. He was promoted to the position of Protector of Qiang for his meritorious service in conquering foreign barbarians. He was transferred to Fufeng to fight against bandits and then to Guiyang, where he defeated bandits.

When Bajun Bantun rebelled, Zhang Ze took charge of Hanzhong. Later, when Dong Zhuo took control of the government, Zhang Ze was promoted to the governor of Liangzhou. When Zhang Yu came to power in Chang'an, he was transferred from the governor of Liangzhou to the governor of Hanyang because Guanzhong and Longyou were divided into Yongzhou.

While Zhang Ze was the governor of Liangzhou, he was only able to temporarily ensure the safety of the area around Ji County due to civil unrest in the central capital. Later, because of his meritorious service in protecting Ji County, Zhang Yu did not transfer him away, but asked him to serve as the prefect of Hanyang exclusively.

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "Zhang Liangxiu borrowed the power of the Hanyang clan to protect Ji County and make peace with Ma Teng. Now I am attacking Longyou. If he helps me, I can break through the mountain road and enter Long."

"My husband has no contact with Zhang Liangxiu. I asked my father to contact him by letter and ask about the current situation in Longyou?" Cai Yan said with a smile.

"it is good!"

Zhang Yu touched Cai Yan's soft hands and smiled.

Zhang Yu had had dealings with Zhang Ze. He had already communicated with him during his expedition to Longyou. But now that Cai Yan was in high spirits and was willing to help him contact Zhang Ze, how could Zhang Yu not know his own business and disturb Cai Yan's interest?

In fact, the difficulty of conquering Longyou would not be too high. Song Jian, Ma Teng and Han Sui each had their own troops to block the dangerous Longshan Mountain. Since Zhang Zechu was stationed in Ji County and controlled the Weishui River, Zhang Yu already had a way to march his troops into Longyou.

While Zhang Yu and Cai Yan were being intimate, a maid came hurriedly to report, "Sir, the imperial envoy Feng Fang is here to see you."

"please!"

Zhang Yu quickly handed the map to Cai Yan and quickly lay down on the bed to rest, with a white linen towel wrapped around his forehead and trying his best to look uncomfortable on his face.

After a while, Zhong Yao and Jia Xu led Feng Fang into the house, where they saw Cai Yan holding medicine.

"Your Majesty!"

"lady!"

"Please forgive me, my lord has a headache and is now recuperating!"

"excuse me!"

Cai Yan smiled and welcomed the three people behind the screen, saying, "My Lord, Lord Zhong, Lord Jia, and Feng Sili are here to visit you!"

"Welcome from afar!"

With the help of Cai Yan, Zhang Yu leaned back on the cushion and waved to Feng Fang, whom he had not seen for a long time. He said weakly: "It has been several years since we parted in Luoyang. I am sorry to see you again today, but I am ill and cannot entertain you, Mr. Feng."

Feng Fang sat on the small stool beside the couch, cupped his hands and said, "Lord Zhang is not feeling well, and I shouldn't have disturbed you. I only came here because of your majesty's request."

"You're welcome!"

Zhang Yu pointed at Feng Fang and said to Zhong Yao and Jia Xu, "When I was the lieutenant of Xiyuan, Mr. Feng was in the same rank as me and he took good care of me. You two should treat him well and don't neglect him."

"As ordered!"

After a pause, Zhang Yu asked, "Why didn't I see Mr. Feng when I entered Chang'an?"

"Return to Lord Zhang!"

Feng Fang said: "When Dong Zhuo was in chaos, I took my family back to Yangzhou to seek refuge. Fortunately, Marquis Zhang moved east to the Han Dynasty. The emperor remembered that I was an official in the past, so he sent someone to recruit me and appointed me as the Inspector of the Imperial Guards."

After a series of events such as the eunuchs killing He, the two Yuans killing the eunuchs, Dong Zhuo entering the capital, the westward migration to Chang'an, Wang Yun plotting against Dong, and Li Jue's attack, the number of central officials in the Eastern Han Dynasty gradually decreased. Therefore, after the court moved back to Luoyang, it recruited a group of famous scholars and old eunuchs as officials, and Feng Fang was among them.

"it is good!"

Zhang Yu seemed to have a headache. He rubbed his temples and said, "The position of Si Li Xiao Wei is very important. You are highly valued by His Majesty. I wonder how you are doing now?" Feng Fang looked bitter and said, "The court is weak now, and it is difficult to issue orders outside the capital. Although I am Si Li Xiao Wei, I have no power to manage the affairs of Hongnong and Henan. Everything must be reported to Yang Situ. At the end of the year, there is no food in the capital, and Fang and my family have to live on vegetable porridge."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu was deeply moved and said, "Since Feng Jun is in trouble, why don't you send someone to find me? I will send someone to escort meat and food to you."

Feng Fang sighed and said, "Your Majesty can only eat meat porridge, how dare I eat meat grains!"

After a pause, Feng Fang calmed down and said, "I came here this time on the orders of Your Majesty, hoping that Marquis Zhang will send troops to the capital to persuade Yuan Shu to withdraw his troops and return home to protect the peace of the country."

Zhang Yu rubbed his head and said helplessly: "Your Majesty has summoned me, and I should have led the army to go, but now I have a headache and it hurts so much that I am afraid I can't respond to the order and lead the troops!"

"Can Lord Zhang send his generals out of Guandong and write a letter to Yuan Shu, urging him to withdraw his troops and return to Jing?" Feng Fang asked.

Zhang Yu looked at Zhong and Jia and asked weakly, "How many soldiers are available now? Who can be dispatched to fight?"

"My Lord!"

Zhong Yao and Zhang Yu looked at each other and understood what he meant. They said, "The Qiang and Hu people are in turmoil, and Generals Hao Zhao and Shi Yi are leading troops to suppress them. The rebels in Longyou are disturbing the border, and General Zhang Liao is in charge. The only one who can be used now is General Xu Huang."

"it is good!"

Zhang Yu ordered, "Then let Xu Huang lead his troops to Henei, meet up with Zhang Jun, and station them in Heyang. Also, let Yuan Chang write a letter on my behalf and have someone deliver it to Yuan Shao."

"There is a shortage of meat and grain in Luoyang, and Mr. Feng has difficulty living. I am transferring some meat and grain from the government treasury to Mr. Feng. Please don't despise this small gift. If you need it in the future, just let me know!"

"promise!"

Feng Fang was filled with gratitude and said, "It is my great honor to have met Lord Zhang. Now I am benefiting from our old friendship!"

Zhang Yu looked haggard and said, "Yuan Shu has sent troops to the capital, and the situation in the capital is unpredictable. The Han Dynasty is now in decline and it is difficult to protect the ministers. If you don't want to give up, you can follow the example of the ministers in the capital and settle your family in Guanzhong, and go to the capital to take up your post."

"Thank you, Lord Zhang, for your care!"

Feng Fang was overjoyed and said, "I have sent someone to bring my family to Guanzhong. I hope Marquis Zhang will take care of them in the future."

"a piece of cake!"

Apart from Kong Rong, Zhang Yu had a good relationship with all the officials in the court. After all, Luoyang was desolate and people's livelihood was scarce, while Guanzhong was relatively prosperous. The officials in the court considered the safety of their families and almost all of them were placed in Guanzhong. They went to Luoyang alone to take up their posts.

In terms of taking care of the families of the ministers, Wang Ji often sent people to deliver rice, oil, and grain, and occasionally gave them some cloth and silk. Therefore, considering the fact that one should be grateful for what one has done, the ministers had a good opinion of Zhang Yu.

After Feng Fang left, Zhang Yu took off the scarf on his head, sat up, and said with a smile: "I don't know what it feels like to have a headache, but you asked me to pretend to have one. You are really making things difficult for me!"

"Your Excellency has acted very well!" Jia Xu said with a smile.

Zhong Yao stroked his beard in worry and said, "Yuan Shu has won the emperor. If he does not claim the title of emperor, he may become a powerful enemy of you. If Yuan Shao ally with him, then the Yuan family will control three-quarters of the world."

Zhang Yu stood up and paced, saying: "Although Yuan Shu has many soldiers and generals, he is not good at commanding the army. Although the territory is vast, he cannot support the people. Now he can be proud for a while, but not for a long time. In order to obtain the imperial seal, he let Sun Jian go west to Yizhou; now he welcomes the emperor, and he will be arrogant."

"Our most powerful enemy now is Yuan Shao. If we can destroy Yuan Shao and unify the provinces in Hebei, Yuan Shu will be easily captured. Moreover, I have secretly allied with Sun Jian for support. If he can take Yizhou, I will recommend him as governor of Yizhou and live in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River to attack Yuan Shu in Jingzhou."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu looked at Zhong Yao and Jia Xu and said in a deep voice: "So if Yuan Shu proclaims himself emperor, the people of all states will be in turmoil and he will destroy himself; if he does not usurp the title of emperor, once I destroy Yuan Shao, that will be the beginning of his downfall!"

"And from what I know about Yuan Shu, he already has the intention to claim the throne as emperor, otherwise he would not have taken the imperial seal without permission. Now that Yuan Shu has obtained the throne, he will abdicate within a few years."

Compared to Jia Xu, who knows more about the inside story, Zhong Yao has known for a shorter time, and is still worried about whether Zhang Yu's choice is correct. But even if he is worried, Zhang Yu's performance since he started the army has won the hearts of all the counselors. So even if he doubts, he still chooses to obey.

Zhong Yao changed the subject and said, "The wheat is growing well and can be harvested in April this summer. If you want to send troops to Longyou, you can do so after the wheat harvest. Besides, the people will not have farm work to do at that time, so sending troops to Longyou will not affect the farming season."

Zhang Yu paced for a while and said, "I will contact Zhang Ze now. If the situation is suitable, I will send several thousand infantry and cavalry to advance from Chencang and advance westward along the Wei River to Ji County."

"Since your Excellency intends to enter Longyou from the Wei River, why not let Captain Man go out of Qishan and meet up with the troops from Guanzhong in Ji County, perhaps they can respond to your Excellency's army!" Jia Xu said.

There are many roads connecting Longyou and Guanzhong. Except for the Weishui Road which runs along the river, the other roads all go into Long from Longshan. However, the Weishui Road is rugged and difficult to pass. It requires walking on plank roads along the way, so it is difficult to transport food and grass for tens of thousands of soldiers and horses.

"It is feasible to order the troops of Wudu to join forces with the troops of Chencang!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Let's first send out scouts to investigate Longyou to see if Song Jian, Ma Teng, and Han Sui have formed an alliance. Also, ask Yuan Chang to find someone to write a letter for me, saying that if Ma Teng, Han Sui and others can surrender, the court will forgive their past, but Song Jian must be executed!"

"As ordered!"

(End of this chapter)