Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 409 With court jesters causing trouble, how can victory be achieved?
"How many soldiers came to join the army yesterday?"

On the city tower of Xindu, Zhang Yu looked at the camps that had sprung up outside the city and asked his men and women for directions.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, there are approximately four thousand people!"

Xu Huang cupped his hands and said, "However, according to what the surrendered general said, many soldiers and officers took advantage of the night to escape back to the countryside, perhaps no less than one or two thousand people."

Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow and smiled, "If what Gongming said is true, with five or six thousand men fleeing the camp, wouldn't that mean that every soldier and officer under Yuan Shao is already living in fear!"

Xu Huang pondered for a moment and said, "I dare not be certain of the exact number, but it is certain that morale in Yuan Shao's army is low. Yuan Shao has sent Meng Dai to supervise his officers and soldiers. Anyone who makes any reckless remarks that are detrimental to morale will be arrested by the supervising officers and soldiers."

As he spoke, Xu Huang added, "Yuan Shao's army is in turmoil, with several thousand soldiers deserting. Yuan Shao is doomed to defeat!"

Zhang Yu, however, remained calm and asked, "Are there any men from Yuan Shao's camp who wish to surrender?"

"Have!"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, my younger brother Xun Chen has fled from Yuan Shao's camp and has only recently arrived in Xindu. He is currently resting at my residence." Xun Yan stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Should I summon my brother for questioning?"

"My friend and I haven't seen each other for many years. Now that I'm in the city, how could I not see him again!"

"promise!"

After a while, Xun Chen hurriedly arrived. When he saw Zhang Yu, he bowed and made a gesture of respect.

"The surrendered Xun Chen pays his respects to the General and thanks you for your kindness in accepting him."

Upon seeing an old acquaintance, Zhang Yu smiled and said, "It's been a long time. Why are you being so distant?"

Perhaps recalling the scene when he persuaded Guo Tu to join Yuan Shao, Xun Chen felt slightly embarrassed and said, "I used to serve Yuan Shao, but now I am joining you, my lord, so things are different now."

"You possess extraordinary talent. Now that you have chosen to serve me, it is truly a blessing for Emperor Gaozu to have found Li Shiqi!"

Zhang Yu reached out and helped Xun Chen up, smiling as he said, "I just didn't know you were a senior member of the Yuan family. Why have you come to seek refuge with us?"

When Zhang Yu inquired about the reasons for his surrender, Xun Chen had no intention of hiding anything and told him everything, emphasizing that Yuan Shao was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"My lord, Yuan Shao's heavy reliance on unworthy men to inspect the officers and soldiers has led to a demoralization among them. If you were to send troops now, you would surely achieve a great victory!" Xun Chen said.

Zhang Yu inquired of those around him, "What is the current situation of Li Song's troops?"

"According to the scouts, General Li will arrive in Xindu today," Gao Shun said. "Now the morale of Yuan Shao's army is wavering, and your strategy of winning hearts and minds has been effective. With a little planning, we may be able to defeat Yuan Shao decisively."

"Does Zixun have a plan?" Zhang Yu asked.

"My lord, according to what Mr. Youruo said, Yuan Shao is suspicious of everyone and doubts that his officers and soldiers will surrender to us. Now that Yuan Shao has seen his troops fleeing in disarray, he is already terrified and his troops have lost their will to fight. Therefore, in my humble opinion, my lord can send cavalry to raid the camp, disturbing it without fighting. Under the fear in Yuan's camp, Yuan Shao may flee in panic, and then my lord can defeat Yuan Shao without fighting."

Gao Shun presented his long-considered plan, saying, "If Yuan Shao holds firm in his camp, then you, my lord, can emulate the Battle of Gaixia, lead your troops to surround Yuan Shao again, and wipe out the Yuan family in one fell swoop."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly and smiled, "Zixun's idea is similar to mine. The morale of Yuan Shao's troops is low, and now that reinforcements are arriving one after another, our army no longer needs to hold the line."

"Zilong, Zixun?"

"Your subordinate is here!" the two men shouted in response.

"Tonight, you two will each lead two thousand infantry and cavalry to sneak out of Yuan's camp under cover of darkness, and harass Yuan's camp every watch."

Zhang Yu said, "Tomorrow, when Yuan's army is exhausted, I will lead my troops to meet Yuan Shao and pacify Hebei in one battle."

"As ordered!"

The crowd responded with high spirits.

Hearing the rising morale of the crowd and seeing yet another group of Yuan Shao's soldiers coming to surrender, a smile gradually appeared on Zhang Yu's face. At this point in the battle, Yuan Shao had no strength left to resist; it was time for him to end the nearly year-long war.
-

Dusk falls on Yuan Jun's camp.

"Snapped!"

"what!"

"what!"

Dozens of Yuan Shao's deserters were tied to wooden stakes, their bare upper bodies covered in whip marks. Under Yuan Shao's watchful gaze, the soldiers wielding whips lashed the deserters mercilessly.

"Yuan Shao, you bastard, kill us if you want, why torture us like this!"

One of Yuan's soldiers, unable to bear the pain, cursed.

"Be bold!"

The soldier lashed his cheek with a whip, the barbed blade instantly tearing away a piece of flesh. Blood flowed from the wound, making the Yuan soldier's pain even more unbearable, and his shrill screams were terrifying.

Yuan Shao's face was cold, and his eyes were filled with disgust.

“My lord, I have verified the facts. There are more than a thousand people who fled today, most of whom are Wuhuan cavalry,” Meng Dai said with a fawning smile.

"Have you come up with a way to prevent soldiers from deserting?" Yuan Shao asked.

Meng Dai inwardly groaned. Given the current situation, with suspicion growing between superiors and subordinates, how could he possibly prevent desertion? But in order to appease Yuan Shao, Meng Dai solemnly declared, "Soldiers often desert at night. Tonight, I will personally lead the troops to guard the area and do my utmost to prevent any escape."

Seeing that Meng Dai couldn't come up with a good plan, Yuan Shao waved his hand helplessly, dismissing Meng Dai. "Gongtu, you pride yourself on your wit, do you have a way to teach me?" Yuan Shao asked, glancing sideways at Feng Ji.

Feng Ji braced himself and said, "My lord, the morale of the army is wavering, and the troops of the Bing army are gathering in large numbers. I believe this is not the time to wage war. It would be better to lead the troops to withdraw and wait until the morale of the army is stable before attacking Zhang Yu."

Yuan Shao looked displeased and said, "Zhang Yu occupies Xindu. We cannot take the city now, but instead we are leading our troops to withdraw. This will surely cause unforeseen changes in our military situation."

"Forgive my lack of foresight!" Feng Ji said in a panic.

“Kill these people, and then hang their heads at the military gate to deter those who might defect.”

Seeing that the deserters had been tortured beyond recognition, Yuan Shao had no intention of continuing to supervise them. He left a message, then drew his sword and returned to his tent.

"promise!"

Seeing that Yuan Shao had no intention of withdrawing his troops, Yuan Tan wanted to advise him against it, so he followed Yuan Shao back to his main tent.

"Xiansi, why are you following me to the main tent instead of returning to the camp to handle military affairs?" Yuan Shao asked.

After hesitating for a moment, Yuan Tan cupped his hands and said, "I have something to say, but I don't know if Father will accept it?"

"speak!"

Yuan Shao sat on a stool, pouring wine into a wine vessel while gesturing for Yuan Tan to speak.

Yuan Tan composed himself and said, "Father originally intended to retake Xindu, but unexpectedly Zhang He led his army in a rebellion, which led to Li Song's troops arriving in Xindu, making it difficult for Father to conquer Xindu. Now the morale of the army is low, and the soldiers are afraid of Father's prestige and dare not desert. However, when fighting Zhang Yu, if the soldiers suffer even the slightest setback, they will surely flee in the face of battle."

"The chances of victory are slim, so Father, it would be better to lead the elite troops to Yanzhou or Qingzhou to rest and reorganize. It will not be too late to confront Zhang Yu next year when morale is stable. If we force a battle with Zhang Yu, and our army suffers a crushing defeat, we will be unable to compete with Zhang Yu for several years."

"Therefore, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn!" Yuan Tan said sincerely.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao angrily slammed his wine cup on the table and said, "These are words that will sow discord among the troops, the views of a fool. Zhang Yang is leading his army in pursuit, and Zhang Yu's troops are ahead. Once our army retreats, Zhang Yu will surely chase and kill us."

"With your views, how can I dare to entrust such a great undertaking to you!" Yuan Shao said, exasperated.

Yuan Tan wanted to argue, but seeing that Yuan Shao wouldn't listen to his opinions, he could only lower his head and let Yuan Shao scold him.

After his tirade, Yuan Shao felt somewhat relieved and dismissed Yuan Tan. However, during dinner, Yuan Shao, still feeling depressed, drank quite a bit of wine.

Halfway through the drinking session, Yuan Shao, worried that a disturbance might occur in the camp, like the large-scale desertion of soldiers the previous night, took his sword and went out of the tent to inspect the area, still slightly drunk.

In November, the winter nights fall exceptionally early. As Yuan Shao inspected the camp, torches were gradually lit, dispelling the darkness within.

Under the orange firelight, several soldiers huddled together in the tent, chatting idly, their voices filled with lamentation.

"If Mr. Tian were in the army, the situation wouldn't be like this now, and Xindu wouldn't have been taken by Zhang Yu!" the sergeant sighed.

"In the past, when we went to war, Mr. Tian came up with many brilliant strategies and repeatedly defeated the enemy. But now that Mr. Tian has been imprisoned, our army has suffered many defeats. We hope that Lord Wei can reinstate Mr. Tian," the soldier said.

"Quiet!"

The older soldier, worried that someone might be eavesdropping, whispered, "Be careful not to be discovered by Meng Dai's henchmen. Today, someone was worried about his family and said a few extra words, and was arrested by Meng Dai. I heard he was whipped to death."

"Let's not talk about this anymore!"

"go to bed!"

"The military situation is beyond our control. If we can fight, we fight; if we can't, we run."

Upon hearing this, everyone showed fear, muttered amongst themselves, and dispersed, returning to their respective positions in the tent.

Yuan Shao was managing the accounts when he heard everyone talking about Tian Feng. He immediately felt regret. Perhaps, as everyone said, if Tian Feng had been by his side, he wouldn't have ended up in this predicament.

Yuan Shao sighed and said to his attendants, "I have done wrong, and no one dared to speak out except for Tian Biejia, who dared to step forward and offer advice. Now, I have suffered this predicament because I did not heed his advice; I am ashamed!"

"If Prefect Tian were here, although I could not win, I would not be in this predicament!"

Seeing that Yuan Shao regretted imprisoning Tian Feng, Feng Ji suddenly came up with a plan. He deliberately said, "Tian Feng's strategies are outstanding, and he can understand your mind. When Tian Feng learned that Xindu had been defeated by Zhang Yu, he clapped his hands and laughed, saying that you would definitely ask him to be released from prison."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao was both ashamed and furious, saying, "I did not heed Tian Feng's advice, and he has indeed laughed at me. This kind of scoundrel is arrogant and willful, and should not be given important responsibilities."

Seeing this, Feng Ji was overjoyed, but he kept speaking up for Tian Feng in order to provoke Yuan Shao's murderous intent.

After being provoked several times, Yuan Shao's murderous intent suddenly arose, and he ordered, "Send a message to Ju Shou, saying that Tian Feng's family has defected, and instruct him to kill Tian Feng."

"promise!"

Feng Ji was secretly delighted. He had been fighting with Tian Feng for so long, and finally Yuan Shao had killed Tian Feng.

Chen Lin, who was attending to Yuan Shao, sighed inwardly as he witnessed the dire situation and saw Feng Ji still sowing discord and inducing Yuan Shao to kill Tian Feng. With courtiers like Meng Dai and Feng Ji by his side, how could Yuan Shao possibly defeat Zhang Yu and seize the empire?

Then, Yuan Shao continued to inspect the camp with his entourage. Due to Yuan Shao's series of actions, including inspecting the camp and executing deserters, the Yuan camp was quite quiet that night.

When Yuan Shao inspected the southern camp, he saw a crowd of people moving around outside. Before he could investigate, a loud drumbeat suddenly sounded, followed by the rapid clatter of horses' hooves, as if they were about to rush towards the camp.

Yuan Shao was startled and his face changed color. He shouted loudly, "Enemy attack! Order the entire army to be on alert!"

(End of this chapter)