Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 356: The Rise of the Zhong Clan, the Strategy of Suspicious Invasion

The first year of Jianxing, 196 AD, autumn.

"Sun Jian's military tactics are comparable to those of Wu Han. He first killed Zhao Wei, then conquered Jiangzhou and recovered three counties of Ba. He led his troops westward and won the surrender of three generals, Shen Mi, Lou Fa and Gan Ning. He defeated Pang Xi in Guanghan. Now his troops are approaching Fu County. The Shu people are unable to stop him. He may conquer Shu soon."

Yuan Shu paced in the hall, smiling happily and saying.

Yan Xiang stroked his beard and showed a worried look. He said, "Sun Jian is unstoppable and his army is heading for Shu County. This is a good thing. However, my lord, please remember that since he led his troops into Shu, Sun Jian has been using members of the Sun family. Now Sun Jian sent his eldest son Sun Ce as a general to attack Qianwei and subdue the Shu general Yan Yan. His reputation is gradually becoming prominent."

"Both father and son have military merits. If you go to Shu, I'm afraid the people of Bashu will only know the Sun family and not you!"

Yuan Shu paced and thought, and was persuaded by Yan Xiang. Sun Jian led 20,000 troops into Shu, 10,000 of which were under the command of the Sun family, and the other half were the navy of Jingzhou. Now that Sun Jian was recruiting soldiers in Bashu and surrendering a large number of Shu soldiers, Sun Jian's influence in the army might have surpassed that of the Yuan family.

Yuan Shu stopped and asked, "Sun Jian is leading the army to the west. If we rashly replace the generals now, it may be disadvantageous to the military. I want to restrict Sun Jian. What do you think?"

Yan Xiang thought for a while and said, "Sun Jian appointed Sun Jing as the governor of Badong, his nephew as the governor of Ba County, and his nephew Sun Ce as the governor of Qianwei. Therefore, if you want to restrain Sun Jian, you should first send officials to be the governors of Guanghan, Shu, and Baxi counties, and you must not let all the descendants of the Sun family be governors of Yizhou County."

"rational!"

Yuan Shu nodded and said, "Choose three people to serve as prefects and send military commanders to monitor Sun Jian as a check and balance. When Bashu surrenders, we can recommend Sun Jian as the governor of Yanzhou and let him lead the army to the north!"

Yan Xiang reminded him, "Sun Jian may be dissatisfied with the affairs of Yuzhou. If we do the affairs of Yuzhou again, it may make Sun Jian resentful. Therefore, if you want to make great use of Sun Jian, you must reward him with a high official title."

Yuan Shu smiled and said, "The Han Dynasty is declining, and the Yuan family will rise. Sun Jian presented auspicious signs to Wancheng, and I will not treat Sun Jian badly. I will appoint Sun Jian as a general and make him my in-law."

Yuan Shu was quite afraid of Sun Jian before, but now that Sun Jian presented him with the imperial seal and supported him to become emperor, Yuan Shu gradually changed his mind about Sun Jian. Considering that Sun Jian was a superior military strategist and he needed Sun Jian to conquer the world, Yuan Shu planned to give Sun Jian political privileges, such as marrying him to Sun Ce, or appointing Sun Jian as a general.

Yan Xiang was worried and advised, "Mingsir, in the past, Zhou from Hou Ji to King Wen had accumulated virtues and merits for several generations, and controlled two-thirds of the world, but they still served Yin. Your clan was prosperous, but they were deeply indebted to Han. Although the Han Dynasty is weak now, it is not as tyrannical as King Zhou of Yin. You control one-third of the world, but it is not as prosperous as the Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, if you want to replace the Han Dynasty, I hope you can act with caution."

Although Yan Xiang was Yuan Shu's confidant, he had always been skeptical about Yuan Shu's claim to the throne. It was not that he would not gain political benefits, but that the 400 years of the Han Dynasty had a far-reaching influence. Especially during the 400 years of the Han Dynasty, although it was in decline, its peak period was enough to make many people proud.

Why do we say that the heyday of the Han Dynasty makes people proud, or that the Han Dynasty is unforgettable to later generations? The essential reason is that the glory brought by the Han Dynasty was too dazzling.

The prosperity of a dynasty may not make the poor rich, but it can shape the people's sense of honor, which in turn affects their personal political preferences. For example, Liu Xiu was able to become emperor early and win the surrender of the people. In addition to being the descendant of the Han Dynasty, he was able to win battles continuously.

General Su's words may explain this phenomenon: winning a war is the best way to solve ideological problems. When a regime is questioned, the best way is to win, and use winning to solve ideological problems.

Therefore, from this perspective, the reason why it was difficult for people to unanimously agree on Yuan Shu's enthronement is that Yuan Shu failed to achieve convincing results and could not bring people confidence, which led to doubts about the legitimacy of Yuan Shu's enthronement. Especially since the dazzling achievements of the Han Dynasty were there, it is naturally impossible to compare them.

Seeing Yan Xiang's refusal to allow him to become emperor, Yuan Shu looked unhappy and said, "Although the Han Dynasty is not as tyrannical as King Zhou of Shang, its years have come to an end. Haven't you heard the saying 'The one who will replace the Han Dynasty will be Dang Tu Gao'?"

Seeing that Yuan Shu was determined to become emperor, Yan Xiang sighed inwardly, feeling that Yuan Shu's decision to become emperor was too hasty.

"If you want to become emperor, you should be wary of the old ministers of the Han Dynasty!" Yan Xiang said in a muffled voice.

"Ok!"

Yuan Shu nodded in response and said to his attendants, "Can I receive the Nine Gifts this year?"

Cai Mao immediately understood and said flatteringly: "Mingsir, in my opinion, maybe I can write a Zen article this year!"

"I'm afraid I'm too hasty!" Yuan Shu was moved and said hesitantly.

Deng Cha flattered him, saying, "With your prestige, if you can come to the court, even if you don't have the Nine Gifts, you can still ascend the throne."

"inappropriate!"

Although Yuan Shu was unruly, he was very polite. He shook his head and said, "Today, the emperor is here. If I don't present the Nine Gifts and grant the title of king, it may be against etiquette."

Yuan Shu looked at Kuai Yue and asked, "What do you think?" Kuai Yue didn't want to get involved in Yuan Shu's claiming of the throne, but seeing Yuan Shu asking, he had to say, "My Lord, why not wait for Sun Jian to pacify Yizhou and let him offer auspicious signs before you ascend the throne? This may convince people. Now the key matter is to test the opinions of the ministers in the court."

Yuan Shu seemed to be thinking about something, and asked his attendants, "Since the hunting incident, I wonder what Liu Bei, Dong Cheng, Yang Biao and others have said about it?"

"Liu Bei was cautious in his words and deeds, and he was simple in his explanations. He worked in the backyard and had little contact with outsiders. Dong Cheng often went in and out of the forbidden palace and had frequent contact with officials. Yang Biao drank with Kong Rong and Shisun Rui every day. According to the conversations of those who attended the banquet, they often talked about poetry. If it involved you, everyone would have complaints, but they would not dare to say much."

Cai Mao flattered him, "In my opinion, Dong Cheng's behavior is different from others, and Liu Bei is too aloof. I'm afraid we need to have people investigate the two of them more."

Yuan Shu narrowed his eyes and said, "See if you can bribe Dong Cheng and Liu Bei's close associates."

"There are no slaves in Liu Bei's mansion. He only leaves his fellow villagers and Guan and Zhang in his mansion. Dong Cheng's mansion has many slaves and confidants, so they may be able to be bribed." Cai Mao said.

"Send more people to try, and make sure to find out the movements of the two!" Yuan Shu said.

"As ordered!"

Compared with Dong Cheng's running around and making contacts, Liu Bei was extremely cautious. He let his wives and concubines take care of the affairs of the rear house. He did not keep any servants to serve him. He only relied on Shi Ren, Jian Yong, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others to run around.

Yuan Shu sat on the couch and asked, "Besides the ministers, what about the crazy boy in the palace? Is he still proud of his status as the emperor?"

"Since the spring hunt, the emperor has been cautious in his words and deeds. When meeting with his ministers, he does not keep anyone to serve him. But a month ago, he gave Dong Cheng clothes in the name of the empress's visit to her parents." said Assistant Minister Deng Cha.

Yuan Shu scratched his beard and said with a smile: "It has been a long time since I last met the emperor. Let me go to the palace in a few days and test the emperor with the matter of conferring the Nine Gifts."

Not to mention that the support of Sun Jian of Yizhou and Yuan Si of Yangzhou for the usurpation of the throne made Yuan Shu's desire to replace the Han Dynasty stronger. Now Yuan Shao, who was far away in Hebei, was worried about how to fight Zhang Yu.

Xindu, the governor's office.

"Mr. Mingshen, according to the secret report from the scouts, Zhang Yu appointed Jia Qu as the supervisor of the palaces and built palaces in various roads of Shangdang. Moreover, a month ago, Zhang Yan was appointed as the General of the Northern Expedition in Anyi, and after returning to Jingxing, he began to prepare his troops and store up military supplies. In Youzhou, Liu He ordered the storage of food, and asked the counties to recruit more troops and train them in autumn and winter."

Xu You reported to Yuan Shao, saying: "Based on the movements of Zhang Yu, Zhang Yan, and Liu He, Zhang Yu will lead his troops eastward soon, at the earliest this winter, or at the latest after the spring plowing next year."

Yuan Shao frowned slightly, and paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, and asked, "Looking at what Zhang Yu has done, do you have any good ideas?"

Ju Su said: "Your Excellency has recently attacked Yanzhou. The army has been on the march for many years. The people are in poverty, the warehouses have no food, and the corvée is heavy. It is not appropriate to mobilize troops. In my opinion, Your Excellency needs to pacify Yanzhou and Xuzhou, and make great efforts to govern Qingzhou and Jizhou. Then you can advance to Handan and Yecheng to shield the troops of Bingzhou. If the enemy raises an army, Your Excellency can send troops to occupy it. Our army will be free and the enemy will be exhausted. Then we can fight again!"

The problem of continuous military operations leading to the desolation of the people was not only a headache for Shanxi, but also faced by Yuan Shao. For example, in the early years, Yuan Shao fought with Gongsun Zan for Jizhou and guarded against Zhang Yu's invasion; in the middle period, Yuan Shao marched south to Qingzhou and appeased Jizhou; and in recent years, Yuan Shao opened up another battlefield and intervened in the situation in the Central Plains. It can be said that under Yuan Shao's rule, wars were frequent and there was almost no time for rest.

Shen Pei objected, saying, "Your Excellency's territory spans four states, and you command the people of the coastal areas. Your troops are more numerous than Zhang Yu's. Why should you be afraid now? If you do not seize the opportunity to attack him, it will be difficult for you to attack Shangdang in the future because of the steep mountain roads and high passes."

Ju Su shook his head and said, "Zhang Yu went south to meet the emperor in Guanzhong, led his army westward to pacify Longyou, helped Liu He conquer Youzhou, and won the hearts of the people in Heshuo. Therefore, if he leads his army eastward, he must mobilize the whole country. Zhang Yu's troops are well-trained, and they are not comparable to those of Yuan Shu and Gongsun Zan. Now, it is not wise to fight him instead of fortifying the city to weaken his spirit."

Shen Pei had been dissatisfied with Ju Su for a long time, and said: "How does Zhang Yu's army compare to Dong Zhuo? In the past, you led the people of Bohai to defeat Dong Zhuo in Luoyang, forcing him to move the capital to Chang'an. Now you lead the people of four states, why should you be afraid of Zhang Yu's front? The people of the coastal areas respect you, and the civil and military officials have done their best, so why can't you defeat Zhang Yu? Ju Jun's strategy is steady, but the use of troops is about finding opportunities and responding to changes!"

As he spoke, Shen Pei cupped his hands and said, "Mr. My Lord, in my humble opinion, Liu He's prestige is weak, and his troops are led by the governors of the counties, so it would be a good idea to let Gongsun and Tadun lead the troops to attack Youzhou first."

"No!"

Seeing that Shen Pei was willing to take the initiative to send troops, Tian Feng hurriedly advised: "Zhang Yu is good at using troops and is unpredictable. We should not underestimate him. In my opinion, it is better to hold out for a long time. General, you should occupy Hebei and the people of four states. You should cultivate the farmland inside and defend the city outside. Then, when Zhang Yu's troops retreat, you can lead the troops to pursue them, which will weaken Zhang Yu's spirit."

"Then select the best troops and attack Youzhou and Heishan in the north to cut off their wings, and then you can unify Hebei. Then divide them into special forces and take advantage of the opportunity to attack Bingzhou, so that the people of the Three Jins cannot live in peace. If Zhang Yu attacks, you will guard the mountain passes. Shanxi is not as rich as Hebei. In a few years, Zhang Yu's soldiers and people will be exhausted, and then we can decide the outcome."

Seeing that Tian Feng and Ju Su advised him to be conservative in his military operations, Yuan Shao was dissatisfied and replied vaguely: "Be cautious in military affairs, let me think deeply!"

(End of this chapter)