Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 407 Yuan Shao's Collapse, Everyone Suspects

Xiyang Pavilion, and the military camp.

Inside the main tent, Xin Ping, acting as envoy, paid a visit to Li Song to express Zhang He's willingness to surrender.

After pondering for a moment, Li Song smiled and said, "Since Generals Zhang and Jiang are willing to return to the righteous path, how could I not accept them? Please tell General Zhang that if he can lead his troops to surrender as agreed, I will certainly report your merits to Your Majesty."

"Thank you, General!"

After discussing the surrender for a few minutes, Li Song dismissed Xin Ping.

After Xin Ping withdrew, Zhang Yan said with doubt, "Zhang He and Jiang Qi are generals of Yuan's army. Now they have suddenly led a large army to surrender. I wonder if it is true or not?"

"Your Excellency's attack on Xindu has terrified Hebei. Gao Lan led his elite cavalry to surrender first, so why can't Zhang He and Jiang Qi lead their troops to surrender now?"

Li Song paced back and forth in the tent, analyzing the situation: "Although Yuan Shao enjoys a high reputation, with four generations of his family holding high office and all the heroes of Hebei serving him, judging from the current situation, it is clear that Yuan Shao can gather people but does not employ them effectively, and there are many conflicts between his civil and military officials. Zhang He is resourceful and intelligent; how could he not know about Yuan Shao's shortcomings?"

“With the general trend in place, Zhang He should act accordingly. What concerns do you have?” Li Song said.

After the two armies had been locked in a stalemate for more than half a year, the high-ranking officials and military officers in Shanxi were already familiar with the situation of Yuan Shao's camp. Although Yuan Shao seemed to have a large army at his disposal, due to the situation in Ji Province and his own temperament, Yuan Shao's troops were in grave danger. Therefore, Li Song chose to believe that Zhang He was truly surrendering.

"I fear that Zhang He is feigning surrender, intending to launch a surprise attack on our camp while we are unprepared," Zhang Yan said worriedly.

Upon hearing this, Li Song hesitated for a moment before saying, "What the general says makes sense. Since Zhang He wants to surrender, we need to see if he is sincere and if he dares to enter the camp alone for a military meeting."

"It would be better to send an envoy back to Zhang He. If Zhang He intends to surrender, it will dispel his doubts; if Zhang He intends to plot against us, it will reveal any unusual military movements," Zhang Yan suggested.

"We can follow Mr. Zhang's advice!"

Nodding, Zhang Yan smiled and said, "If Zhang He is sincerely surrendering, then General can lead his troops eastward to join forces with you, making it difficult for Yuan Shao to take Xindu."

Li Song stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "If Yuan Shao's army cannot capture Xindu, cannot advance to victory, and has nowhere to retreat, under such circumstances, morale will collapse, and men will think of deserting. Then, the army will crumble without a fight!"

Zhang He's mission was to defend against the armies of Li Song and Zhang Yan. If Zhang He were to surrender now, not only would it have a politically unsettling effect, but more importantly, it would allow Li Song to contact Zhang Yu. With Li Song's troops supporting Zhang Yu, who was isolated deep in enemy territory, Yuan Shao would have absolutely no chance of capturing Xindu.

At that time, Yuan Shao's inability to recapture Xindu immediately would have a significant impact on the morale of his army. This is similar to the case of Lü Meng's attack on Jingzhou; after Guan Yu returned, he was unable to capture Jiangling, ultimately leading to the mass defection of his troops.

With the help of the messenger, Li Song realized that Zhang He was truly surrendering, and thus boldly accepted the surrender of generals Zhang He and Jiang Qi.

In order not to delay the military campaign, Li Song appointed Zhang He and Jiang Qi as generals to command their respective troops. To divide the two generals, Jiang Qi stayed with Zhang Yan to guard Changshan, while Zhang He went with Li Song to Xindu.

The news of Zhang He and Jiang Qi surrendering with 10,000 men quickly reached Zhang Yu and Yuan Shao.

Xindu, the prefectural government office.

Zhang Yu was sitting and discussing matters with Xun Yan when he laughed and said, "It has been more than ten years since we parted ways in Yingchuan. Brother Xiuruo, you are still as charming as ever!"

Xun Yan, courtesy name Xiuruo, was the elder brother of Xun Yu and Xun Chen. He had previously joined Cao Cao at Xun Yu's urging, but due to Cao Cao's defeat and retreat to the Jianghuai region, he was summoned by Yuan Shao to serve in Hebei. When Yuan Shao went on campaign, Xun Yan remained in Xindu, and was captured by Zhang Yu when the city fell.

During the late Han Dynasty, the Xun family produced a great number of talented individuals, even surpassing the Zhuge family in some respects. Among them, Xun Yu and Xun You were well-known, while Xun Chen, Xun Yue, and Xun Yan were less famous, all of whom had commendable talents.

Xun Yan respectfully said, "When we met in Yingchuan, you were still young. Now that we meet again, you are full of heroic spirit and ready to conquer the Central Plains. This makes me admire you greatly."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Xindu has just fallen, and Yuan's army is approaching. People's hearts are restless. I wonder if you would be willing to serve as the governor of Anping County and temporarily bring peace to the people in the city?"

Xun Yan humbly declined, saying, "I fear my talent and learning are insufficient to shoulder this heavy responsibility!"

Zhang Yu poured wine for Xun Yan and said, "Gongda has praised Xiu Ruo's talent, saying that your talent and learning are no less than Wen Ruo's. Therefore, if you cannot share my worries now, I fear that there will be no one left in Xindu!"

As he spoke, Zhang Yu stared at Xun Yan, a half-smile on his face, and said, "Could it be that you think I am no match for Yuan Shao, and therefore you are unwilling to serve me?"

Zhang Yu's eyes were sharp, seemingly piercing straight to the heart. Xun Yan dared not meet his gaze, and lowered his head, saying, "Your Excellency's military tactics are like those of a ghost or god. Your sudden attack on Xindu shook Hebei, and the world could not fathom your power. How could I, Xun Yan, not serve Your Excellency? I only fear that my abilities are insufficient. Now that Your Excellency wishes to entrust me with a great responsibility, how could I, Xun Yan, not serve Your Excellency?"

"good!"

"Let's drink another cup!"

As Zhang Yu was pouring wine, a servant rushed into the hall and said with delight, "Reporting to Your Majesty, General Li Song has sent a report of victory, saying that Generals Zhang He and Jiang Qi have surrendered with 10,000 infantry and cavalry. Now General Li Song is leading 10,000 men eastward to await Your Majesty's orders."

Zhang Yu was overjoyed, but he suppressed his joy and said with a faint smile, "Zhang He's surrender to me is like Han Xin returning to Han. Yuan Shao's troops are nothing to fear, and Xindu can be at peace!"

As he spoke, Zhang Yu looked at Zhao Yun and said, "Zilong, convey my imperial edict to appoint Zhang He and Jiang Qi as Lieutenant Generals and to grant them the title of Marquis of Duting."

"promise!"

Xun Yan's heart was in turmoil. He had just agreed to accept the position of Prefect of Anping, not entirely voluntarily, but rather under partial coercion from Zhang Yu. After all, the outcome of the two armies' battle was still undecided, and he really didn't want to get involved in the conflict. Now, he had to be thankful that he had accepted the official title offered by Zhang Yu.

"The two generals led their troops to surrender, and the people of Hebei turned their backs on Yuan."

Xun Yan said, "Congratulations, my lord! We are not far from annihilating Yuan Shao's army!"

Zhang Yu took a sip of his wine and calmly said, "Yuan Shao has tens of thousands of elite troops. You can watch me defeat them."

"My lord!" Zhao Yun seized the opportunity to say, "Li Song and Zhang Yang are each leading their troops to Xindu, and the morale of Yuan Shao's troops is low. Therefore, in my opinion, my lord, you might as well order your troops to hold their ground and not engage him. At that time, Yuan Shao will be unable to advance or retreat, and his morale will inevitably be low. Our army will be able to defeat Yuan Shao without bloodshed."

Zhang Yu nodded and smiled, "Zilong has a good understanding. Now we can pass on the order as Zilong said."

"Yes, sir!" Zhao Yun replied with delight as he withdrew.

Watching Zhao Yun's retreating figure, Zhang Yu smiled. With years of experience, Zhao Yun's military skills had improved significantly, and he might one day be able to govern a region.

While Zhang Yu was overjoyed at Zhang He's surrender, Yuan Shao's reaction was the opposite.

Yuan Shao marched his army to Nangong City (present-day Nangong City), and set up camp sixty li from Xindu City.

“Xindu is a fortified city, and Zhang Yu has over ten thousand troops under his command. If he holds the city, our army will find it difficult to break through quickly!” Yuan Shao said. “We need to find a plan to lure Zhang Yu out.”

Qu Yi said, "Xindu has no stored grain. We can besiege Xindu again and cut off the city's food supply to force Zhang Yu to fight."

"That makes sense."

While Yuan Shao was discussing matters with his generals, a scout suddenly rushed into the tent and knelt on one knee.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, urgent military news. Zhang He and Jiang Qi, misled by Xin Ping, have now led their troops to defect to Zhang Yu."

"What did you say?"

Yuan Shao jumped up from his stool in shock, his face full of disbelief, and said, "How could Zhang He betray me?"

The scout, stunned, said, "Jiang Qi led his troops to defect to Zhang Yu; how could I dare to lie!"

"Get out!"

Yuan Shao, for reasons unknown, flew into a rage and shouted at them.

The scout, fearing Yuan Shao would kill him, hurriedly fled the main tent. Meanwhile, the civil and military officials, knowing of Zhang He and Jiang Qi's betrayal, each harbored their own thoughts and fell silent.

Yuan Shao looked dejected and said in bewilderment, "First Xu You and Gao Lan, then Zhang He and Jiang Qi, they all turned their backs on me. Could it be that Heaven wants to help Zhang and not me?"

"Ming Gong!"

Feng Ji, forcing himself to remain calm, comforted him, saying, "Things have come to this point, Your Excellency must pull yourself together and devise a plan to extricate yourself from this predicament!"

Yuan Shao spread his hands and sighed, saying in a low voice, "Xindu is a fortified city and cannot be taken down quickly. Now that Zhang He and Jiang Qi have surrendered, and there are reinforcements outside Xindu, the morale of the army is low. How can we talk about recovering Xindu?"

Feng Ji advised, "My lord, you hold sway over four provinces. Ji Province is in dire straits, but Qing Province can serve as a base. Moreover, you still have tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry under your command. Therefore, you should not abandon your cause."

Yuan Shao's lips curled into a bitter smile as he said, "Ji Province is our fundamental territory. If Zhang Yu takes Ji Province now, how can our army contend with him?"

"This~"

Seeing Yuan Shao's current pessimism, Feng Ji had no choice but to say, "My lord, Zhang Yu has sent his former officials to defect to you, spreading news of the fall of Xindu and the safety of their families. His intention is to sow discord among the troops. Right now, the people are in a state of panic. If you do not have a plan to defeat the enemy for the time being, you must find a way to stabilize their morale. If the soldiers and generals defect to Zhang Yu, our army will surely be defeated!"

Upon hearing the word 'defection,' Yuan Shao was filled with worry and indignation, and asked, 'Where is Meng Dai?'

"I am here!"

"I hereby appoint you as the military commander, to lead troops to inspect all camps. Anyone who disrupts morale or deserts the enemy camp shall be dealt with according to military law!"

With that, Yuan Shao slammed his fist on the table and said sternly, "Supervise all civil and military officials in the army. If any of their relatives serve Zhang Yu, imprison them all. If their families are in Xindu, send someone to monitor them. Let's see who dares to defect to Zhang Yu then!"

Upon hearing this, Qu Yi rolled his eyes, lamenting that Yuan Shao, under pressure from Zhang Yu, had issued such an irrational policy. If this policy were implemented, wouldn't everyone become suspicious?

Qu Yi was aware of the flaws in Yuan Shao's military orders, so how could the others not know? It was just that seeing Yuan Shao had lost his mind, the others dared not offer any advice, fearing they would get themselves into trouble.

However, Yuan Tan, as the eldest son, could not stand by and watch Yuan Shao act recklessly. So he stepped forward, cupped his hands, and advised, "My lord, two generals have defected one after another, and Zhang Yu has seized Xindu. Now the people are filled with fear and suspicion. If you enforce the law harshly, I fear the people's hearts will be scattered!"

"How could a mere boy know anything of such an important matter?"

Yuan Shao's eyes widened, and he said angrily, "I have been kind to everyone, yet they have turned against me and defected to Zhang. This shows that only strict discipline in the military can make everyone fear and obey!"

"Ming Gong~"

Seeing Yuan Shao's anger rising, Meng Dai, fearing that Yuan Tan would be punished, hurriedly interrupted, saying, "The situation is critical. Young Master is concerned about military matters. I hope Your Excellency will understand!"

As he spoke, Meng Dai frantically winked at Yuan Tan.

Seeing this, Yuan Tan had no intention of persuading him any further. He sighed inwardly and apologized, saying, "I have spoken inappropriately, and I hope my father will forgive me!"

"Properly inspect headquarters and do not allow the thieves to cause trouble!"

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)