Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 406 Zhang He Surrenders and Inspects Morale

The moon rose above the treetops, and the fires of Yuan Camp flickered.

Inside the main tent, Yuan Shao paced back and forth anxiously, troubled by the military situation in Xindu.

The servants on either side lowered their heads, fearing that Yuan Shao would lash out at them and then drag them out to be beaten to death.

"Something bad is going to happen!"

Before he even arrived, Feng Ji's panicked voice could be heard. Because he was walking too fast, Feng Ji tripped at the tent entrance and then scrambled into the tent.

"How's it going?"

Yuan Shao pulled Feng Ji up and asked anxiously, "Is there any interrogation report? Has Gao Lan sent back any military intelligence?"

Seeing that Yuan Shao had lost his mind, Feng Ji braced himself and said, "Xindu has been captured by Zhang Yu, and Gao Lan has led three thousand elite cavalry to surrender."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's expression changed drastically, revealing disbelief. He said, "Xindu has several thousand soldiers, and Shen Pei is also holding it firmly. How could Xindu not be able to hold? Besides, I have treated Gao Lan well. How could he betray me and surrender?"

As he spoke, perhaps unable to accept reality, Yuan Shao suddenly became furious, overturned the table, and loudly vented his emotions, saying: "Xu You, you traitorous killer! If I had known this would happen, I would have killed you. Gao Lan is a disgrace to the throne. He led his elite troops to surrender. Even a dog knows to be loyal and dutiful."

"puff!"

Suddenly, overwhelmed by anger, Yuan Shao spat out a mouthful of blood, soaking his robes.

Seeing this, Feng Ji hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, calling out urgently, "My lord!"

With Feng Ji's help, Yuan Shao slowly sat down on the couch, then rinsed his mouth and spat out all the blood.

"How is the Lord? Should we urgently summon a physician?" Feng Ji asked with concern.

As he spoke, Feng Ji was about to summon the physician.

"No!"

Yuan Shao, suppressing his chest discomfort, said, "Xindu has been defeated by Zhang Yu, and Gao Lan has surrendered with his army. The generals' morale has already wavered. If they find out I am unwell, the generals will panic. We should first appease the army."

"Please take good care of yourself, Lord Lao Ming!" Feng Ji said with concern.

Yuan Shao was over fifty years old, and his health was not as good as that of a young man like Zhang Yu. At the end of the Han Dynasty, Yuan Shao was already quite old, and he might die of illness at any time. Yuan Shao dared not let his subordinates know that he was spitting blood, especially with his capital city fallen.

"Ok!"

Yuan Shao wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, took a few deep breaths to calm himself, and said, "Today, I have summoned the civil and military officials to discuss matters. Zhang Yu led his troops to launch a surprise attack on Xindu. His base is unstable. If our army can use the right strategy, we may not be unable to retake Xindu."

"As ordered!"

On Yuan Shao's orders, Feng Ji hurried out and ordered a crowd to gather for a discussion.

After a short while, the members of the Yuan family, each with a different expression, lined up in the tent in order, waiting for Yuan Shao on the couch to ask questions.

Seeing that most of the people had arrived, Yuan Shao forced himself to be alert and asked, "Zhang Yu launched a surprise attack on Xindu, and Gao Lan surrendered out of fear of battle. What insights do you all have to offer me?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances, unsure how to respond to Yuan Shao. The events had unfolded suddenly, and the specifics were unknown, making it difficult for them to make a judgment.

Yuan Shao, displeased, snorted and said, "You two always argue, but now that we're in danger, you're speechless?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Dai hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, “My lord, with Xindu fallen, the morale of the army may waver. To prevent a repeat of Gao Lan’s actions, it would be better to investigate the civil and military officials who have ties to Shanxi. For example, Xin Ping’s brother, Xin Pi, serves under Zhang Yu. Now Zhang Yu controls Xin Ping’s family, so in my opinion, Xin Ping will most likely defect to Zhang Yu.”

Yuan Shao frowned in thought and said, "What you say makes sense. You will be in charge of this matter. Also, send an order to Zhang He to investigate Xin Ping. If Xin Ping does anything wrong, Zhang He can execute him!"

"As ordered!"

When Yuan Shao entrusted him with important matters, Meng Dai was overjoyed.

When everyone saw that Yuan Shao wanted to conduct an investigation, they all frowned, but dared not object.

"Besides restoring morale, do any of you gentlemen have other plans?"

Yuan Shao asked, "Xindu has been captured by Zhang Yu, and there is a large enemy force in front of our army. What should we do?"

Ju Shou stroked his beard and pondered, then said, “If we want to turn the tide, we must return to Xindu. Xindu is the foundation of our army. You have cultivated it for a long time, but Zhang Yu hastily took it, making it difficult to win over the hearts of the people. Therefore, if you can return to Xindu, there may be hope of recovering it.”

"What should we do with the Shanxi army?" Yuan Shao asked.

"The main force should retreat swiftly eastward to recapture Xindu. Leave men to defend Handan to block the enemy's advance," Ju Shou said.

Yuan Shao scanned the crowd and asked, "Who is willing to lead troops to garrison Handan?"

Feng Ji, who was eager to seize power, deliberately said, "After you, sir, no one in the army is more prestigious than Supervisor Ju. Moreover, Supervisor Ju is both wise and brave, and is deeply feared by the soldiers and generals of Shanxi. Therefore, we can let Supervisor Ju lead the army to stay in Handan and manage the affairs of Zhao."

"Gongtu's words make sense. I wonder if you would be willing to lead the troops to stay and guard the area?"

Yuan Shao nodded, quite agreeing with Feng Ji's words. After Gao Lan led his army to surrender, he found it difficult to trust military generals. In his mind, only those close ministers who had deeply benefited from his kindness were likely to not surrender.

Of course, there were people more suitable than Ju Shou, namely his eldest son Yuan Tan. However, Yuan Shao was unwilling to let his eldest son take such a risk, and besides, Yuan Tan ruled Qingzhou, so he couldn't do without Yuan Tan's assistance. "I am willing to defend Handan for Your Excellency!"

Although Ju Shou was unwilling, seeing that Yuan Shao intended for him to stay and guard the city, he finally agreed to accept the order.

Yuan Shao assured him, "If you and I hold out for two months, I will be able to defeat Zhang Yu and then lead my army to relieve the siege of Handan."

“Zhang Yu occupies Xindu. If Your Excellency wishes to take Xindu, you should act quickly, not slowly. You must not allow Zhang Yu any respite,” Ju Shou cautioned, still concerned.

"good!"

Upon learning of the fall of Xindu, Yuan Shao acted swiftly, leaving Ju Shou with 10,000 troops to defend Handan, while he himself led 50,000 troops straight to Xindu.

Seeing Yuan Shao lead his army westward, Zhang Yang and Lü Fan led their troops to besiege Handan. Following Xun You's plan, Lü Fan led the majority of his forces to surround Handan, while Zhang Yang led 10,000 infantry and cavalry to follow Yuan Shao's army.

At the same time, Zhang He, who was stationed in Xiaquyang, received a letter from Yuan Shao urging him to surrender, while Yuan Shao was reviewing Xin Ping's letter.

Inside the large tent, under the dim light, Zhang He sat on the couch, looking at the two letters on the table, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"General, it's late, you should rest!" the officer reminded him.

Zhang He came to his senses and said, "Go and invite Military Advisor Xin for me. I have something important to discuss."

"promise!"

A short while later, Xin Ping, led by his retainers, arrived at Zhang He's tent.

"It is late at night. General, why have you summoned me here?" Xin Ping asked, bowing.

Zhang He handed Zhang Yu's letter of persuasion to surrender to Xin Ping and asked, "What does Zhongzhi think? Has he received the letter of persuasion to surrender?"

Xin Ping was unaware of the situation but dared not conceal it, so he said, "My brother serves under Zhang Yu and has recently received a letter from Zhang Yu urging him to surrender."

"As for whether to surrender to Zhang Yu, the assessment is that it is not advisable."

Xin Ping said, "We are deeply indebted to Lord Yuan for his recommendation. Although Zhang Yu has captured Xindu, Lord Yuan's army is still intact. We may still be able to turn the tide of the battle and win."

Zhang He remained silent, but instead took out Yuan Shao's letter and handed it to Xin Ping, asking, "After reading this letter, what do you think?"

Xin Ping glanced through the letter and, seeing Yuan Shao's suspicious attitude towards him, felt a pang of sorrow and shook his head with a sigh.

After a long pause, Xin Ping, not understanding Zhang He's intentions, asked, "What does the general mean?"

Zhang He paced back and forth, deep in thought, and said, “To be honest, I originally intended to test your intentions, sir. If you wished to surrender Zhang Yu, I would have obeyed your orders and executed him. However, what you said was beyond my expectations. Now, I cannot bear to see you deceived like this, so I will tell you this secret.”

As he spoke, Zhang He stopped and said, “Sir, you are deeply distrusted by Lord Yuan and it is now difficult for you to stay in the army. Why not leave the army tonight and join the Bing army to avoid being persecuted by Lord Yuan?”

Upon hearing this, Xin Ping was deeply moved and said, "I can hardly repay the general's kindness."

After a pause, Xin Ping had a bold idea and said, "If I flee to Bingjun now, Lord Yuan will surely be suspicious of you, General. Why don't you lead your troops and join me in surrendering to the Great General?"

Zhang He frowned slightly and said, "Although Zhang Yu has captured Xindu and Gongsun Zan is besieged in Yijing, as you said, Lord Yuan still has a chance to win. If I were to switch allegiance now, I would be failing Lord Yuan's expectations."

Seeing this, Xin Ping understood Zhang He's conflicted feelings and said, "General, you have risked your life for Lord Yuan for many years, yet your rank is not as high as Yan Liang and Wen Chou. Lord Yuan blamed you for the defeat of the two generals beforehand, so how can you say that Lord Yuan values ​​you highly?"

Xin Ping said, "Observing how Lord Yuan uses people, even though I am loyal to him, he is suspicious of me. Tian Feng and Xu You were both meritorious officials, but you did not treat them well; one surrendered and the other was imprisoned. It is not difficult to predict that now, with the families of the generals in Xindu, if any of the surrendered officials leave, Lord Yuan will surely doubt the loyalty of his civil and military officials. Suspicion among soldiers and generals is a major taboo in military strategy, and I fear Lord Yuan will find it difficult to win!"

"General, although you are willing to sacrifice your life for righteousness, have you considered your family in Xindu?"

"In my opinion, it would be better to support a wise ruler as soon as possible. Just like Ma Yuan abandoning Kui Xiao and serving Emperor Shizu, that is what you would do!"

"This~"

Zhang He hesitated. To be honest, given the current situation, if he led his troops to surrender to Zhang Yu, it might not be as bad as Gao Lan's surrender. Perhaps the impact he would have would be even more severe than Gao Lan's surrender, completely extinguishing Yuan Shao's hope of turning the tide.

But if he doesn't surrender to Zhang, does Yuan Shao really have a chance to win?

Based on his military talent and what he had seen and heard under Yuan Shao, he saw no hope for Yuan Shao to turn the tide. In particular, after Zhang Yu captured Xindu, he was not blinded by victory, but instead pacified the city's residents, ensuring that no harm was done to them, which won him the hearts of the people to some extent.

Therefore, he let Xin Ping leave, intending to do the Xin brothers a favor.

Seeing Zhang He hesitate, Xin Ping said, "General, Yuan Shao can treat me with such leniency. Now that you are letting me go, will Yuan Shao treat you well?"

"Therefore, General, you have no choice but to kill Ping to gain Yuan Shao's trust, or surrender to Shanxi with Ping and help Zhang Gongcheng establish his great cause of conquering the Central Plains!"

Zhang He stopped in his tracks, having made up his mind. He gritted his teeth and said, "Since that's the case, then I will follow your advice and raise an army to serve Lord Zhang. As for the matter of making contact, you will have to handle it."

"I am willing to serve the general!"

Xin Ping bowed deeply and said, "Apart from the general, Jiang Qi's attitude in the army is unclear. I'm afraid the general will have to step in."

"good!"

Zhang He gripped his sword hilt tightly and said, "I will invite Jiang Qi tomorrow to discuss the matter of surrender!"

(End of this chapter)