Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 399 The Xu family comes to surrender and persuades us to attack Xindu.

At dawn, at the military camp in Shangquanyi.

Six riders escorted Xu You and his servants to the camp gate, but they were stopped by the guards.

"Who goes there?" the military academy officer asked, sizing up the group.

"I am a scout under General Xu Huang, and I have been ordered to escort Xu You of Nanyang to pay his respects to you, my lord," the scout said.

Xu Youwei puffed out his chest and said, "I am a strategist under Yuan Shao. I have urgent military information to report to the General. If this is delayed, I'm afraid you will not be able to bear the responsibility."

"Let's go into the camp first and talk. I wonder if the general has woken up yet!" the officer said. "I will send someone to inform the general. Please wait a moment, sir."

As he spoke, the military officer waved, signaling that everyone could enter the camp. Meanwhile, the gatekeeper quickly ran to the main tent to report to Zhang Yu that Xu You had come to surrender.

Inside the large tent, Zhang Yu lay fast asleep on the couch. Perhaps because the siege of Youzhou had been lifted, Zhang Yu slept exceptionally soundly.

"My lord, there is an urgent military matter!" Guo Tu, who was on night duty, entered the tent and called out softly to Zhang Yu.

To avoid missing any military intelligence, Zhang Yu had his advisors take turns on night watch, and if there was any important military matter, they had to wake him up in his tent.

Zhang Yu lay on the couch, his eyes still heavy with sleep, and asked, "What urgent matter does Gongze have to discuss?"

“Xu You from Nanyang has come to surrender!” Guo Tu said.

"what?"

Zhang Yu was wide awake, turned over and sat on the couch, and asked to confirm, "Is it Xu Ziyuan?"

"Of course!"

Guo Tu cupped his hands and laughed, "Xu You was a former official under Yuan Shao, but now he has defected to our army. This is Heaven's will to destroy the Yuan family!"

Zhang Yu laughed a few times and said, "Wen Yuan beheaded Tadun and besieged Gongsun at Yijing. Now that Xu You has come to surrender, how can we not defeat Yuan Shao?"

Unlike Cao Cao, Zhang Yu had little interaction with Xu You. Therefore, when he launched the eastern campaign against Yuan Shao, Zhang Yu did not expect Xu You to defect to him or offer him strategies for defeating the enemy. The sudden news that Xu You had come to join him was a pleasant surprise.

Where is Xu You now?

Zhang Yu inquired, "I will personally go out to greet you."

"My lord, there's no need for a haste!"

Guo Tu reached out to stop Zhang Yu, saying, "I have long heard that Xu You is greedy for money and arrogant, and is not tolerated by the people of Hebei. Since he is a former official of Yuan Shao, there must be a reason why he came to serve you, my lord. If you treat him with too much courtesy, I fear that Xu You will become too arrogant."

"Oh?"

Guo Tu's words calmed Zhang Yu down.

Historically, Xu You's high self-esteem was likely due to both his inherent nature and Cao Cao's attitude when he greeted him. Furthermore, Cao Cao was indeed driven to the brink by Yuan Shao at that time; had Xu You not appeared and saved Cao Cao, Yuan Shao might not have been the one to unify the Central Plains.

His situation is different now. In a sense, Yuan Shao is being suppressed by him. Since the situation has changed, he might as well first reduce Xu You's arrogance and make him realize his own position.

What is the meaning of "public policy"?

Seeing that Zhang Yu understood what he meant, Guo Tu smiled and said, "Since Your Excellency has summoned him today, why not test him first, and then ask him for advice in a friendly manner?"

"good!"

Zhang Yu understood and said, "In that case, Lord Lao, please go out and greet Xu Ziyuan. I will wait for him in the tent."

"promise!"

Following Zhang Yu's instructions, Guo Tu stepped out of the tent and welcomed Xu You inside.

"Guo Gongze of Runan pays his respects to Mr. Xu!"

Xu You bowed slightly, and seeing that Zhang Yu did not personally greet him, he felt a pang of disappointment and said, "I have long admired Lord Guo's name, but I wonder where the General is?"

Guo Tu said, "The Lord is waiting for you in the tent. Please come with me."

On the way, Xu You tentatively asked, "It's still early today, Master should be retiring, why..."

Guo Tu smiled and said, "Last night, Your Excellency discussed military strategies with your advisors and has only recently arrived. I was on night duty, receiving and sending military intelligence, so I came to welcome you, sir."

"Discuss military strategy?"

Xu You's eyes flickered slightly as he asked, "Zhang Liao slew Tadun and defeated Gongsun, his power shaking Hebei, and he has become a major threat to Yuan Shao. Now, you, my lord, are discussing military matters again, perhaps to help defeat Yuan Shao?"

Guo Tu smiled without saying a word, and simply led Xu You into the tent.

Inside the tent, Xu You saw Zhang Yu dressed neatly and couldn't help but sigh. Compared to Yuan Shao, Zhang Yu was really young. No wonder he was so patient in confronting Yuan Shao. Wasn't he just relying on his youth?
"Xu Ziyuan of Nanyang pays his respects to the Great General!"

Zhang Yu feigned suspicion, scrutinizing Xu You for a long time without saying a word.

After a short while, Zhang Yu slowly spoke, saying, "You are a follower of Yuan Shao, so what brings you to my army today?"

To bolster his confidence, Xu You chuckled and said, "I have long heard that the General is eager to find talented people, and I have come here today to serve the General."

Zhang Yu remained unmoved and said, "I fear your service is feigned, and you truly wish to be a spy for my death!" Upon hearing this, Xu You's expression changed slightly. He had thought that by coming to join Zhang Yu, he would be warmly welcomed, but unexpectedly, he encountered Zhang Yu's skepticism.

Xu Youjian became angry and said, "I came here wholeheartedly to serve you, why does the General say such a thing?"

“Why is it wrong to ask this?” Zhang Yu rose from the couch and said calmly, “When I was fighting Yuan Shao, the outcome of the battle was decided in one fell swoop. You were a loyal follower of Yuan Shao, yet you abandoned Yuan and joined me without any reason. How can I not be suspicious?”

Having said all that, Xu You could only vaguely reply, "I could not choose a good master and thus submitted to Yuan Shao. Since the start of the war, I have repeatedly offered Yuan Shao strategies, but he has refused to listen to my advice or follow my plans. Therefore, I have abandoned Yuan Shao and joined you, my lord."

"Ah!"

Zhang Yu looked displeased, snorted coldly, and then flung his sleeves and left the tent.

Seeing this, Xu You was at a loss and asked, "Why is Your Excellency acting this way?"

Zhang Yu stopped at the tent entrance and said, "You claim to have sincerely come to me, but you refuse to tell me the truth, which greatly disappoints me."

Xu You gritted his teeth, bowed, and said, "It is not that I am deliberately concealing the truth, but there is a reason for it. If Your Majesty is willing to listen, I am willing to tell you everything."

"it is good!"

Zhang Yu moved back to his couch and invited Xu You to sit down.

"To be honest, I have a grudge against Shen Pei. He was ordered to reply to the governor to manage the grain supplies, but unexpectedly, he imprisoned my wife and children. Yuan Shao not only refused to accept my plan, but also allowed Shen Pei to frame me. He is heartless now, so how can he blame me for being ungrateful!" Xu You shook his head and sighed.

Seeing that Xu You's words concealed the truth, Zhang Yu scrutinized Xu You from head to toe and said, "Xu Ziyuan dared to replace the Han emperor, so why doesn't he dare to explain the reasons now!"

Under Zhang Yu's scrutinizing gaze, Xu You looked embarrassed and had no choice but to tell the truth: "The Shen family is a powerful clan in Ji Province and is Yuan Shao's support. I used to accept bribes and had many conflicts with Shen Pei. Now that Shen Pei is in charge of Ji Province, he is investigating my past crimes and has ordered the arrest of my wife and children."

Zhang Yu's expression relaxed slightly, and he said, "Chen Ping was guilty of stealing gold, yet Emperor Gaozu still accepted him. You possess the talents of Liang and Ping, yet Yuan Shao failed to value you; this is truly Yuan Shao's fault!"

With that, Zhang Yu stood up, cupped his hands to Xu You, and said, "Since you have sincerely pledged your allegiance to me, I shall treat you with the same sincerity. If I have offended you just now, I hope you will forgive me."

Xu You's displeasure vanished, and he bowed deeply in return, saying, "You are a great general, while I am but a commoner. How dare I accept such a grand gesture?"

"Someone come and serve us wine!"

Zhang Yu invited Xu You to sit on the couch opposite him and said, "Sir, you must be hungry after a long night's journey. I'll offer you a small feast now. Later, I'll host a grand banquet and invite everyone to welcome you back."

"Thank you for your kindness, my lord!"

Xu You cupped his hands again and said, "From now on, I am willing to serve you, my lord."

“Ziyuan said that Yuan Shao cannot accept your strategy. I wonder what plan you would offer Yuan Shao to defeat me?” Zhang Yu asked.

Xu You stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "This is a clumsy little plan. When Tadun besieged Ji County, I knew that you intended to send reinforcements north to Youzhou. Therefore, I advised Yuan Shao to take advantage of the situation and attack Hanoi. At that time, we could occupy Shangdang to the north to cut off your army's food supply, and we could intimidate Hedong to the west and disrupt the morale of your army."

Zhang Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, feigning surprise, and said, "If Yuan Shao follows Ziyuan's strategy, the army's morale will be thrown into chaos, and I fear we will already be defeated."

Xu You was in a good mood and said, "I am now serving you, my lord, so that I may offer you a plan to defeat Yuan Shao."

Zhang Yu poured wine for Xu You and said, "Ziyuan, if you have any plans, please tell me. I am all ears."

Xu You stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then said, “Throughout history, there have been only a few strategies to destroy a large army. The first is to cut off the enemy’s food supply, causing them to collapse on their own without food. This is the method Bai Qi used to defeat Zhao Kuo. The second is to destroy the enemy’s foundation, causing the enemy soldiers to collapse on their own without a fight. This is the strategy Gaozu used to defeat Xiang Yu.”

"Although Yuan Shao's army's provisions are stored in Handan, the city of Handan is high and fortified, making it difficult to capture. Therefore, the strategy of cutting off the enemy's supplies is not feasible. However, Yuan Shao's main army is outside, while the interior is undefended. Therefore, if we could send a soldier to take advantage of the situation and advance towards Xindu, and treat the people of Xindu kindly, Yuan Shao's army would collapse on its own!"

Xu You tapped the table with his index finger and said in a deep voice, "If the troops in Hebei are no longer under Yuan Shao's control, then Yuan Shao will only have the coastal areas to stay in. At that time, if you, my lord, want to destroy Yuan Shao, sending one general will be enough!"

Upon hearing Xu You's plan, Zhang Yu nodded repeatedly, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Seeing that Zhang Yu remained silent, Guo Tu said, "Taking advantage of the situation to attack Xindu is easier said than done. Not to mention the troops along the way, Yuan Shao must have left elite troops in Xindu. How can we easily take it?"

Upon hearing this, Xu You laughed and said, "Yuan Shao has divided his troops at Changshan, and Gongsun Zan is seeking help in the north. He has also stationed a large army at Cishan, and there are no heavy troops stationed in Julu and Anping counties. Therefore, we can send an army disguised as Yuan Shao's army to rescue Gongsun Zan and penetrate deep into Julu and Anping, making a smooth journey all the way to Xindu."

“There are several thousand soldiers in Xindu City. If ordinary people were stationed there, sending a fierce general to attack the city would surely be enough to break it.” At this point, Xu You hesitated and said, “But the person guarding the city is Shen Pei. If he notices the movement of the troops, then Xindu will be difficult to break!”

Zhang Yu remained silent, deep in thought about the plan offered by Xu You.

It must be acknowledged that Xu You was talented; his strategies were deeply aligned with military principles. Historically, when Lü Meng seized Jiangling, Guan Yu's tens of thousands of troops collapsed without a fight. Now, if he were to seize Xindu, Yuan Shao's Hebei troops would surely crumble, and historically, figures like Zhang He would undoubtedly surrender, at which point Yuan Shao's rule in Hebei would completely collapse.

"My Lord~"

Seeing that Zhang Yu remained silent for a long time, Xu You asked cautiously.

"Ok!"

Zhang Yu snapped out of his thoughts and said, "Ziyuan's plan is quite good, but the details of the deployment still need to be discussed."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu looked at Guo Tu and said, "Ziyuan has just arrived at the army and must be exhausted. You should take Ziyuan to rest first, and I will ask for your advice later."

"promise!"

P.S.: There's one more chapter, I can't forget it.

(End of this chapter)