Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 351: Appointed as the Military Governor and Enforced Discipline

The General's Mansion, lobby.

"Sir, Song has something to tell me. Should I tell you?"

"But it doesn't matter!"

Zhang Yu put down the document in his hand, looked at his brother-in-law Li Song, and asked.

Li Song hesitated for a moment and said, "As far as I know, although Guo Tu has followed you for many years, he has taken a lot of money from the generals as the commander-in-chief. Those with more money get good treatment, while those with less money get bad treatment. If Guo Tu is made the commander-in-chief, I am afraid that the generals will all seek money to advance, instead of thinking about killing the enemy and beheading the generals to seek titles."

Zhang Yu frowned slightly and asked, "Where did Bo Song know about this?"

"Many people in the army know about this matter, but because they are worried that Guo Tu is a close minister to you, they dare not report it to you." Li Song said, "I learned about this matter when I returned to Anyi and chatted with my old subordinates."

"When Lü Fan was the Guard General, all the officers were promoted based on their merits; when Guo Tu was the Guard General, all the officers were promoted based on their merits. So from this perspective, Guo Tu is a traitor. I hope you will investigate this."

Zhang Yu's expression gradually showed his displeasure, and he ordered, "Send Guo Tu here and tell him that I have something important to ask you."

"As ordered!"

"Bosong, Suyi misses you very much. You go visit Suyi first and wait for me to talk later." Zhang Yu said.

"promise!"

Li Song knew that Zhang Yu was protecting him and it would also make it easier for him to deal with Guo Tu, so he got up and said goodbye. Led by his attendants, he went to the back house to visit Li Suyi.

After a while, Guo Tu came over and saw that Zhang Yu looked unhappy. He felt inexplicably panicked.

"I pay my respects to you, my lord. I wonder why you summoned me?" Guo Tu asked respectfully.

Zhang Yu looked at Guo Tu for a while and asked, "Have I ever treated you badly since you followed me?"

"Not yet!"

Guo Tu bowed his head and said, "Your Excellency has been very kind to me, and I have never felt guilty!"

Zhang Yu angrily slammed the table and asked in a stern voice: "If that is the case, then since you took office as the Guard, why have you been collecting money from the generals? Those with more money get good treatment, and those with less money get bad treatment, so that all the generals have to pay money, thus corrupting the morale of the army?"

As a vassal who rose to prominence through military power, Zhang Yu attached great importance to the army and could not tolerate Guo Tu's behavior of accepting bribes.

Seeing Zhang Yu's anger, Guo Tu was worried, but he tried to keep a calm expression on his face and said, "I have left my post naked and followed you, my lord. If I don't receive money as a living, I will have a hard time making a living. I hope you can forgive me!"

Zhang Yu looked at Guo Tu coldly and asked, "If you come to me, can I give you land and property? How much salary can you get each year?"

"Since I conquered Taiyuan, you have granted me a hundred acres of land and some gold and silver. The annual salary is five hundred dan, and I need to support a family of more than ten people," said Guo Tu.

Hearing this, Zhang Yu was surprised and said, "You have no extra money and no land?"

"In addition, I bought a hundred acres of land and houses in Anyi, which were donated by my servants!" Guo Tu said, "Since you started the war, your generals have received a lot, but your officials have not received enough."

Zhang Yu frowned slightly. He didn't expect that Guo Tu, who had followed him for so long, did not come from a wealthy family. His wealth was even less than that of the middle and lower class gentry in Shanxi.

After a pause, Guo Tu bowed and said, "It is true that I accepted money to select generals, but let me ask you, my lord. The surrendered generals have not made outstanding achievements and their qualifications are not as good as the old ones. If I don't accept money to reassure everyone, won't it make everyone worried? If you think I can be used, I will serve you; if you think I can't be used, I am willing to pay you money and ask for your bones!"

Zhang Yu's resentment gradually subsided, and he said, "When I started out, there was no money in Shangdang, and when I went to Taiyuan, there was a drought. When I went to Guanzhong, I gave all my money to the soldiers. Now you are poor and have insufficient funds every year. This is my fault."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu's tone became more serious again, saying: "However, insufficient funds are not the reason for corruption and bribery. As for accepting money to appease the surrendered, it is the benefit of accepting bribes, which violates the laws and regulations of the army."

"I wonder if you are aware of your guilt?" Zhang Yu asked.

Seeing that Zhang Yu was determined to hold him responsible, Guo Tu was worried and said, "I am the commander-in-chief and I accepted bribes from the generals. I know I am guilty!"

"it is good!"

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "You have assisted me for many years and have made many contributions and achievements. I am not able to reward you generously. This is my fault. I will give you 200 kilograms of gold and silver. However, you have violated military discipline by accepting bribes, which has displeased the generals in the army. Considering your outstanding achievements, I will now promote you from the commander-in-chief to the commander-in-chief."

"Are you satisfied?"

Seeing that Zhang Yu had transferred him to be the commander of the army and given him money and food, Guo Tu knew that Zhang Yu was trying to save his face, so he said gratefully, "Thank you, my lord. I will do my best in the future and live up to your love!"

The military commander was a military officer who was lower in rank than the military governor and the military guard. His duties were to guard the military ceremonies and the commander-in-chief. Guo Tu was demoted from military governor to military commander, which was obviously a demotion. However, the money Zhang Yu gave Guo Tu out of sympathy was considered compensation for the money he owed.

Zhang Yu stood up from the couch and said in a deep voice, "A gentleman loves money, but he gets it in a proper way. The soldiers in the army are related to our safety. What you have done now has caused the army to lose discipline. If the army is defeated, how will your wealth and honor come from?"

"I appointed you to succeed Lu Fan because I thought you were an old friend and could consider the overall situation, but I didn't expect you~"

The reason why Zhang Yu always trusted Lü Fan was that Lü Fan had persuaded Zhang Yu with the words of "we are in the same boat" and that he would rather serve as the commander-in-chief than command an army. Perhaps because he could hear Zhang Yu's disappointment, Guo Tu said ashamedly: "It is unfair for me to be the commander-in-chief. I have disappointed you."

Although Zhang Yu was annoyed that Guo Tu had failed to live up to his expectations, he still wanted to give Guo Tu a chance, considering that he had followed him for so long. So he asked, "Now that you have been transferred to another post, there is no one left to take over the post of military commander. Who do you think can take over the post of military commander?"

Guo Tu was stunned. He did not expect Zhang Yu to ask for his opinion. He felt even more ashamed and said, "I failed in my duties. How dare I recommend you!"

"Although you have made mistakes as the commander-in-chief, you still have achievements. I am willing to use you again." Zhang Yu said.

Guo Tu was grateful and said, "Your Excellency has many outstanding civil and military men under your command. The commander-in-chief needs someone who is good at law and discipline and can communicate with the generals. Tu looked at the people and saw that the military advisor Xun You was loyal and conscientious. He will definitely be able to be the commander-in-chief now."

"Jia Wenhe is not competent for the job?" Zhang Yu asked deliberately.

"Although Jia Wenhe is resourceful, he is a simple-minded person and does not communicate with outsiders. It is difficult for him to be the commander-in-chief now," said Guo Tu.

"good!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "I already know what you said. When you take over the military command in the future, please don't disappoint me."

"Thank you for your care!" Guo Tu said gratefully.

Guo Tu left in shame, while Xun You was called over by Zhang Yu.

"Your Majesty!"

Zhang Yu asked Xun You to sit down and asked, "Do you know whether Guo Tu was greedy for money and accepted bribes when he was the commander-in-chief?"

Xun You first observed Zhang Yu's expression, then pondered for a moment and said, "I have heard something, but since I have no evidence, I dare not speak nonsense."

Zhang Yu sighed and said, "You accepted bribes to select generals, and it was Bosong who reported it to me. The others did not speak up earlier, which is disappointing!"

Xun You pondered for a while and said, "Gongze is your confidant, and you have always valued Gongze, so even if you have heard about it, you should be cautious. Or maybe it involves military affairs, and few people know about it in depth."

Zhang Yu nodded and asked, "Gongze has disappointed me, so I will demote him to the position of military commander. Gongda is a cautious person and acts in a thorough manner. I want to use you as the military commander to crack down on corruption. What do you think?"

Xun You was somewhat surprised and said, "I have only been following you for a short time. Given my qualifications and experience, I am not qualified to be the commander-in-chief."

Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "Gongze has a lot of experience. I originally wanted to use him to succeed Lü Fan, but now Gongze has been corrupt and accepted bribes. How can he continue to be the commander-in-chief? Although you have served me for a short time, you have made contributions in the conquest of Gongsun and the conquest of Longyou."

The military governor needs to understand military affairs and accompany the army on expeditions for a long time, so there are not many suitable candidates.

Zhang Yu originally wanted Jia Xu to be the military commander, but as Guo Tu said, Jia Xu was not very suitable for the post of military commander because he was not good at explaining things in a simple way and did not communicate with outsiders. On the contrary, Xun You was introverted, but he had good communication skills and was proficient in military affairs. He was one of the few suitable candidates for the post of military commander.

Xun You hesitated for a moment and said, "Since you have entrusted me with such an important task, I dare not refuse. I am willing to serve as the commander-in-chief and help you share your worries!"

"good!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Although Gongze has violated the law, after careful consideration, I still recommend you to be the commander-in-chief. If you have any questions, you can ask Gongze."

Hearing this, and seeing that Zhang Yu had demoted Guo Tu but still listened to Guo Tu's opinions, he felt that Zhang Yu was kind to others and acted with moderation.

"Yes, sir!" Xun You replied.

After a pause, Xun You thought for a while and asked, "Now that you have been appointed as the military commander, would you like to investigate the officers who bribed Guo Tu?"

Zhang Yu thought for a while and asked, "What do you think, Gongda?"

Xun You said, "Your Excellency, we will be conquering Hebei next year. If you thoroughly investigate the bribery of officers, it may make them feel uneasy. Therefore, in my opinion, you should find an opportunity to send someone to inspect the armies. If there are those who are not worthy of their positions, you can get rid of them all; if they are worthy of their positions, their mistakes will be ignored."

Xun You's suggestion is not difficult to understand. Guo Tu received many bribes. If a thorough investigation is conducted, many people will panic, which will affect the combat effectiveness. However, if the purpose is to train the troops, although the bribery cannot be thoroughly investigated, the combat effectiveness can be guaranteed and the discipline can be strengthened in disguise.

"Gongda has thought it through carefully. Now I can follow your advice." Zhang Yu nodded with satisfaction and said.

"promise!"

Zhang Yu thought of something and asked, "I want to select someone to supervise the construction of the mansion. Does Gongda have any candidates?"

Xun You thought about the candidate for a long time and said, "My Lord, Jia Qu is a serious person and is good at military affairs. He has made many achievements since he joined the army. He has to be a strong, upright, cautious and knowledgeable person to supervise the construction of the palace and store military rations. Jia Qu has the above abilities, so why don't you choose him as the palace supervisor?"

When Zhang Yu went to Hedong, Jia Qu was personally received by Zhang Yu, and then because he was interested in joining the army, he was appointed by Zhang Yu as a military officer in Gaoping to assist Zhang Liao in his military operations. In recent years, Jia Qu has made many achievements in military affairs and has provided Zhang Liao with many strategies.

According to normal promotion, Jia Qu is already qualified to take up the position. The official rank of Di Ge Du is above that of a county magistrate, not much different from that of a county magistrate, so it is quite appropriate for Jia Qu to take up the position.

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Then Jia Qu will be the supervisor of the palace."

(End of this chapter)