Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 352: Envoy from Hexi
"Last year, there was a heavy snowstorm and a white disaster. There was a shortage of fodder. The Daishuo Hu tribe suffered terribly. They fought for pasture everywhere and many conflicts broke out, killing and injuring more than ten people. Fortunately, I led the troops to mediate, otherwise the two tribes would have fought each other."

In order to conquer Hebei, Zhang Yu successively dispatched generals to Anyi to report on their work. Now Yan Rou came from Dai County to report to Zhang Yu on the situation of Yan Shuo's Hu tribe.

"The Xianbei are too wild."

Zhang Yu walked slowly along the corridor with his hands behind his back, shaking his head and saying, "Although the farmland in Dai County is not as good as that in Guanzhong, if we can cultivate crops and grow food, it won't be a problem for the Hu tribe to survive the winter."

"Your Excellency's words are timely. I want to have someone teach me farming skills this year. Farming during the busy farming season and grazing during the slack season will be enough to ensure that the tribes don't have to worry about food and clothing." Yan Rou said.

Zhang Yu asked, "How are the Wuhuan tribes in northern Yan?"

Yan Rou pondered for a moment and said, "All the tribes in northern Yan all respect you, the Lord. Only Nanlou of Wuhuan in Shanggu, with more than 9,000 tribes, respects Tadun as king. In order to seek peace in Shanggu, I sent many gifts to Nanlou, asking him not to offend the Han people."

"Next year, if our army attacks Jizhou, Tadun is related to Yuan Shao by marriage, so he might raise an army to help Yuan. Zirun may need to be more vigilant against the Wuhuan in northern Yan." Zhang Yu reminded.

"I have ordered many of the big families in the county to build more forts to prevent the Wuhuan from looting the counties." Yan Rou said.

After a pause, Yan Rou said, "My Lord, the Hu tribe lives wherever there is water and grass, and now you have divided up the grasslands to allow the Hu tribe to settle down. So in my opinion, you should encourage the tribes to contribute money to build cities, move the tribes to live near the cities, and guard the territory for you. If the Wuhuan invade the border, the border generals can call on the Hu tribes to send troops to attack the Wuhuan tribes together."

Zhang Yu frowned slightly, looked at Li Song, and asked, "What does Bosong think?"

Li Song pondered for a moment and said, "Your Excellency's rule of the Hu people is to rule by doing nothing, so only a few strong Hu people are recruited as soldiers. Now the Hu people rely on the border, and every year they only pay taxes but do not serve, which is a lot of waste. If you follow what Lord Yan said, settle the tribes in the city, and send the generals to the city for training in spare time. If the Wuhuan invade, the tribes will definitely send troops to resist the enemy in order to protect their property."

Yan Rou's suggestion was refreshing to Zhang Yu. In order to appease the Hu tribe, Zhang Yu did not need to frequently recruit the Hu tribe from Shuofang as soldiers unless he was about to use troops. Now Yan Rou allowed the Hu tribe to settle in the city, which would not only better manage the Hu tribe, but also form a military town on the frontier. Zhang Yu could get a Hu soldier to maintain the security of the frontier at a low cost.

"The Hu people live wherever there is water and grass. Repairing the city and letting the Hu people settle down will help govern them!" Zhang Yu commented and said, "This can be implemented in the two counties of Yanbei first. If it is beneficial to govern the Hu people, it can be extended to Bingzhou and Yongzhou."

"Yes!" Yan Rou accepted the order and said.

While Zhang Yu was chatting with the foreign generals, he saw Zhong Yao walking to the pavilion led by his attendants.

"Yuan Chang, what's the important matter?" Zhang Yu asked.

Zhong Yao bowed to Zhang Yu and said, "My Lord, the Governor of Liang Province, Wei Duan, has sent an envoy to see you!"

"Liangzhou Governor Wei Duan?"

Zhang Yu muttered to himself, and asked, "What is the current situation in Liangzhou?"

"The powerful forces in the counties of Liangzhou are very strong. Since Wei Duan took over Liangzhou, his orders have not been able to reach the villages and counties, and he only controls a few cities in Wuwei." Zhong Yao said: "Now your Excellency is in charge of the two states of Shanxi, and your power is intimidating Longyou and Hehuang. Wuwei is adjacent to Jincheng. How dare Wei Duan not send an envoy to your Excellency!"

"Would you like to receive the envoy?"

"Send the messenger to the council hall!"

"promise!"

After a while, Zhang Yu led his attendants to the meeting hall, and everyone took their seats.

Before he could do so, he saw Pang Yu, an official from Liangzhou, wearing gorgeous clothes. Seeing that Zhang Yu was less than 30 years old, he admired Zhang Yu's achievements at such a young age.

"I am Pang Yu, a Liangzhou official, and Pang Ziyi, who are ordered by Envoy Wei to pay a visit to you, Your Excellency!" Pang Yu saluted.

As he spoke, Pang Yu presented the gift list and said respectfully: "Hexi is desolate, and there are few households. I hope you will not be offended by these small gifts!" Zhang Yu took a look at the gift list. The items on the gift list were indeed not rich, but Zhang Yu did not feel surprised. After all, as Pang Yu said, Liangzhou was desolate and the households were not rich. Moreover, although Wei Duan was the governor of Liangzhou, he had no power as the governor of Liangzhou. He still needed the support of local big families to gain a foothold in Liangzhou.

"A gift from a thousand miles away shows deep love and loyalty!"

Zhang Yu sighed and said, "I understand Wei Liangzhou's kindness. I wonder how Wei Liangzhou is doing now that we have parted in Chang'an, and how are the other counties in Liangzhou doing now?"

"My Lord, due to the decline of the imperial court, the various tribes in Liangzhou are powerful, and the barbarians are unruly and difficult to tame. The governors and county magistrates all rely on the favor of the powerful. Envoy Wei contacted the tribes and was able to take control of Guzang. Now he is barely able to gain a foothold in Wuwei."

Pang Yu said, neither servile nor arrogant, "Before leaving, Envoy Wei was concerned about our friendship, so he asked me to send his regards to you on his behalf."

Wei Duan was a descendant of the Jingzhao Wei family. After Zhang Yu requested to split Liangzhou and Yongzhou, he was appointed as the governor of Liangzhou by the court because of his family background and title, and went to Wuwei to take up the post. He had only met Zhang Yu a few times, but perhaps knowing that Zhang Yu dominated Guanxi, Wei Duan paid a special visit to Zhang Yu before taking up the post.

Zhang Yu put down the letter in his hand and said, "The situation in Liang Province is complicated, and there are many powerful people. If Yuan Shao had not caused chaos in Hebei, I should have sent troops westward next year to suppress the powerful people in Hexi and bring peace to Liang Province."

Pang Yu said, "Thank you for your concern for Liang Province. Envoy Wei knew that you were going to attack Yuan Shao, so he and other tribes gathered a thousand horses for you to help you pacify Hebei as soon as possible."

When Zhang Yu saw that Pang Yu had given him another thousand horses, he understood in his heart that between Zhang and Yuan, Wei Duan and Liangzhou Hexi had already bet on him.

"good!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "I already know what Envoy Wei meant. When you report back to Envoy Wei, please thank him for the gift of the horse on my behalf."

Then Zhang Yu asked, "People often say that Liangzhou is in decline and its literary style is not flourishing. But I think it is not that Liangzhou has no outstanding talents, but that the outstanding talents are not well-known. For example, Jia Xu, my military advisor, is a wise man in Wuwei. Since you are from Liangzhou and you have talent and strategy, I wonder if there are outstanding talents to recommend you?"

Pang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Your Excellency, I am not very talented and well-educated, and I am not as good as the talented people in the state. For example, in Dunhuang, the Zhang family is a well-known family. Zhang Ranming is the place of the Zhang family. Although Lord Ranming moved to the capital, there is still a son of Zhang Gong in the county. In addition to the Zhang family, Zhou Sheng, Suo, and Gai are all good at literature and have served in the capital for a long time. They all admire your Excellency."

"In Wuwei County, Yan Jun is proficient in both civil and military affairs. He holds a position in the state and is well-known. There are also three other surnames, Duan, Zhang, and Jia, whose sons and daughters serve under the command of the prince. Therefore, all the counties in Liangzhou have outstanding people, but it depends on whether there is a mentor to recognize them."

Because Zhang Yu absorbed some generals from Liang Province, he maintained good relations with the Hexi counties, especially Wuwei County. Zhang Xiu, Duan Wei and Jia Xu all served under Zhang Yu.

Seeing that Pang Yu was gradually showing signs of fatigue, Zhang Yu exchanged a few words of greeting and then said, "Zi Yi, you have come here exhausted after a long journey. You must be very tired after arriving in Anyi. You can go back and have a rest first. I will greet you later."

"Thank you, Lord!"

After Pang Yu stepped back, Zhang Yu asked his attendants, "What do you think?"

"My lord, from what I have seen from Pang Yu's actions, it seems that the nobles of Liang Province are loyal to you. Now, when you are about to fight a big battle with Yuan Shao, they have sent people to show goodwill to you, hoping that you will win and be treated well." Zhong Yao said.

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "There are many powerful people in Liangzhou. If you want to rule the counties of Liangzhou, you can't do it without the guidance of Liangzhou nobles. Now Pang Yu has come thousands of miles, so we should treat him well and not let him feel disappointed."

"promise!"

The problems in Hexi and Longyou are similar. Both are caused by the fact that the power of the gentry is too strong and can influence the local political direction. Zhang Yu must win over the gentry who are loyal to him.

As for why the power of the gentry in the border areas is strong, it is actually not difficult to understand.

The gentry itself is a small society that can produce and sell its own products and maintain a team with military literacy. Compared with the Central Plains, the border areas have a particularly strong demand for security and it is difficult for a single unit to survive. Therefore, the big families in the border areas are full of martial virtues, and if they have disloyal intentions, they can raise an army in troubled times.

Therefore, from the above perspective, in the turbulent times, it was not only the gentry in Hexi and Longyou that were powerful, but also Youzhou, Bingzhou, and even Nanzhong and Jiaoling areas. Strictly speaking, the essence of frontier governance is to solve the problem between the dynasty and the great families. The Central Plains dynasty relied on the local great families to rule the frontier.

(End of this chapter)