Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 412 Military conquest of various prefectures, endless internal strife

Ye City, inside the government office.

"Now that you have suffered a defeat, I fear you will value Ju Shou even more in the future."

The candlelight flickered as Feng Ji paced back and forth, thinking to himself, "Perhaps it would be best if Ju Shou stayed in Handan."

"Mr. Feng, my father sent me to inquire about the letter. Has it been written yet?" Yuan Shang knocked on the door and asked.

"Oh?"

Feng Ji snapped out of his deep thought and said, "I haven't drafted Ju Shou's letter yet."

"Mr. Lao, please hurry!"

After glancing at Yuan Shang, Feng Ji had an idea. He pulled Yuan Shang into the house and then closed the door behind him.

"Why is that, sir?"

Seeing Feng Ji acting mysteriously, Yuan Shang asked in confusion.

Feng Ji said in a low voice, "I am thinking about your future, young master. If you go to Linzi this time, I fear that the eldest son will become powerful, and your future will be in danger!"

Yuan Shang frowned and asked, "What do you mean, sir?"

Feng Ji spoke frankly, saying, "Your Excellency has always favored the young master and has long harbored the idea of ​​making him the crown prince. If the young master is made crown prince, the eldest son will be dissatisfied, while Ju Shou is respected by the eldest son. Or perhaps Your Excellency wants to make the young master crown prince, but Ju Shou is advising him on the grounds of seniority. I ask you, young master, what should you do?"

Yuan Shang remained silent for a long time before saying, "Sir, are you worried that Ju Shou will return south and be respected by my father in the future?"

Seeing Yuan Shang's intelligence, Feng Ji smiled wryly and said, "Ju Shou enjoys a high reputation. Not only does Your Excellency respect him, but all the military officers in Hebei fear him, therefore..."

"It depends on your wishes, young master. I am willing to assist you in becoming the ruler!" Feng Ji said frankly.

After Yuan Shao vomited blood, Feng Ji placed his bets on Yuan Shang, hoping that Yuan Shang would succeed Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shang frowned in deep thought and asked, "Now that Your Excellency wishes to have Ju Shou withdraw from Handan, do you have any plans?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Ji knew Yuan Shang's intentions and said in a low voice, "Your Excellency wants to order Ju Shou to withdraw his troops. If you have no intention of letting Ju Shou return south, you might as well temporarily change Your Excellency's military order and issue a false letter ordering Ju Shou to hold Handan."

Yuan Shang's eyes widened as he asked, "Does the gentleman mean to forge my father's letter?"

Feng Ji smiled but remained silent.

"I'm afraid my father will find out about this later!" Yuan Shang said hesitantly.

Feng Ji smiled and said, "Why worry that Your Excellency might know?"

“With the army withdrawing from Ye City, Handan will be left as an isolated city. Wouldn’t it be captured by Zhang Yu sooner or later? Therefore, if Ju Shou is captured by Zhang Yu, he will be unable to verify the military orders with you, and no one will know about this matter.”

"If Ju Shou were to surrender, he would be a traitor to his lord. How could Your Excellency possibly believe him?"

Feng Ji stroked his beard and said smugly, "If Ju Shou does not surrender, Zhang Yu will surely kill him. There will be no one to testify against him when he dies!"

"If Ju Shou is defeated and killed, Your Excellency may appoint me as Protector of the Army. At that time, military power will be in my hands, and with my assistance, Your Excellency will surely be able to continue Your Excellency's great cause!"

Yuan Shang gave Feng Ji a deep look and said, "My father ordered me to review the military reports. Sir, please write a letter quickly and I will find someone to send it to Handan."

"good!"

Seeing that Yuan Shang had agreed to his plan without batting an eye, Feng Ji bowed knowingly.

Later, Yuan Shang, taking advantage of Yuan Shao's trust in him, gave Yuan Shao a false account of Feng Ji's letter and then handed the letter to the scout.

Not to mention that Feng Ji, for the sake of power, falsely issued military orders to Ju Shou, ordering Ju Shou to hold Handan. Meanwhile, compared to the internal strife within Yuan Shao's court, Zhang Yu was quite busy in Xindu.

Inside the palace, Zhang Yu was discussing military and political matters with his civil and military officials.

"My lord, I was ordered to recruit the surrendered troops of the Yuan clan. With the assistance of Generals Zhang, Gao, and Qu, we have recruited more than 40,000 surrendered Yuan soldiers." Xu Huang rose from his seat and said, "Among them, there are more than 6,000 cavalry and more than 35,000 infantry. If we include the 5,000 infantry and cavalry under Jiang Qi's command, then the number of surrendered soldiers is close to 50,000."

Zhang Yu stroked his mustache and said, "Fifty thousand surrendered soldiers, that's beyond my expectations!"

Previously, he only thought there were many surrendered soldiers, but he hadn't carefully calculated the numbers. Now, after taking a closer look, he was quite surprised. It should be noted that when he went to Hebei, he only had fifty or sixty thousand men. Now, the number of surrendered soldiers was equal to the number of his troops. How could Zhang Yu not be astonished?

In fact, in the historical Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao captured even more of Yuan Shao's soldiers. Yuan Shao led an army of 100,000 south, and Cao Cao retreated to Guandu to defend against the enemy. Using the fire at Wuchao, Cao Cao destroyed hundreds of thousands of bushels of Yuan Shao's grain. Knowing that he was no match for Cao Cao, Yuan Shao abandoned his army and fled with only 800 cavalry.

After his victory, Cao Cao gathered as many as 80,000 surrendered soldiers. However, due to the shortage of food and supplies under his rule, the large number of surrendered soldiers, and the fact that many of their families were in Hebei, he ultimately ordered the brutal massacre of all 80,000 surrendered soldiers.

To put it bluntly, 80,000 surrendered soldiers represented 80,000 households of males, and affected an additional 200,000 to 300,000 households of civilians. Therefore, the fact that it took Cao Cao seven or eight years to pacify Hebei was undoubtedly related to his massacres. After all, slaughtering 80,000 surrendered soldiers undoubtedly drove the hearts of the people of Hebei to Yuan Shao's side.

Zhang Yu was not an executioner like Cao Cao, and could not issue a military order for a massacre. Moreover, Zhang Yu was not far from occupying Hebei at the moment; if he slaughtered so many soldiers, wouldn't he be forcing the people of Hebei to become his enemies?

As Zhang Yu sighed, Xun Yan cupped his hands and said, "My lord, our army has twenty to thirty thousand troops, and now we have nearly fifty thousand surrendered soldiers, totaling eighty thousand. Our daily consumption is enormous, and the grain reserves in Xindu are running low. Moreover, the counties of Ji Province are not yet pacified. Therefore, in my opinion, my lord should procure provisions, or perhaps order the troops to seek food from the various counties." Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Fifty thousand soldiers and officers are too many. We can eliminate twenty thousand old and weak soldiers, select thirty thousand elite troops to form an army, and then choose generals to conquer the various counties."

"Gongsun Zan held firm in Yijing, while Zhang Liao, along with the troops from Youzhou, led 20,000 infantry and cavalry to besiege it. However, Yijing was fortified with tall buildings outside and stored grain inside. With only 20,000 troops, it would be difficult to break through Yijing."

Zhang Yu looked at Qu Yi and said, "Your Excellency has fought against Gongsun Zan for a long time and is well aware of Gongsun Zan's military situation. Now you can choose five thousand surrendered soldiers to form an army, while you and Ma Bozhan will lead ten thousand infantry and cavalry north to be under the command of Zhang Zhendong."

For his meritorious service in beheading Tadun, Zhang Liao was promoted to General Who Guards the East by Zhang Yu and appointed Marquis of Ji County; Man Chong succeeded Zhang Liao in his position, was promoted to General Who Conquers the West, and appointed Marquis of Fangcheng County.

It's not hard to predict that many generals will be promoted after the war in Ji Province ends. And when Zhang Yu becomes a duke, the position of one of the Four Generals will be vacated, and Zhang Liao will certainly be among them.

"As ordered!"

Ma Dai and Qu Yi stepped forward to receive the order.

Zhang Liao's troops were supplied with provisions by Youzhou. Now, the 10,000 troops of Qu Yi and Ma Dai are heading north, which can not only reinforce Zhang Liao, but also reduce the problem of food consumption caused by too many surrendered soldiers.

Where are Gao Shun and Gao Lan?

"The general is here!"

The two men rose and stepped forward to await Zhang Yu's instructions.

Zhang Yu walked up to the map of Ji Province and pointed out, "You two select surrendered soldiers, totaling ten thousand men. Later, lead the troops to attack and plunder Qinghe, and stop south at the Yellow River."

Gao Shun hesitated for a moment, then said, "Half of Dongjun in Yanzhou is north of the Yellow River. After we conquer Qinghe County, should we launch a campaign against Dongjun? The plains of Qingzhou are in the same situation as Dongjun."

Zhang Yu looked at the map and pondered, saying, "After taking Qinghe County, Zixun can lead his troops westward to take Dongjun and the counties north of Hebei, and then garrison troops in Dongwuyang. If Yuan Xi crosses the Yellow River to the north, then Zixun should first protect Qinghe County, and I will make arrangements accordingly."

After a pause, Zhang Yu looked at Yan Xing and said, "Yan Ming will select surrendered soldiers to take Boling to the north, and then they will meet up with Zhang Zhendong to besiege Yijing and take Hejian County."

"Yes, sir!" the three replied in deep voices.

After pondering for a moment, Li Song said, "No troops have been sent to attack the five commanderies of Julu, Zhongshan, Zhao, Wei, and Bohai. In my humble opinion, Your Majesty should first lead your troops westward to take Zhao and Wei, and then take Julu along the way to open up the connection between Shanxi and Shandong. Once the two commanderies of Zhao and Wei are at peace, you can then send troops to conquer the coastal area."

Ji Province has a larger population distribution in the west and a smaller population in the east. Along the mountains, there are four commanderies: Zhongshan, Zhao, Wei, and Changshan. In the eastern region, there are only two commanderies: Hejian and Bohai. Therefore, for Zhang Yu, the priority should be to concentrate his forces to take the four commanderies first, and then pacify the four commanderies of Boling, Anping, Qinghe, and Julu before he can talk about conquering the coastal areas.

"Bosong's words make sense!"

After considering for a moment, Zhang Yu said, "I will order Zhang Yan to lead troops north to take Zhongshan, while I will lead troops west to conquer Zhao and Wei, so that we can capture the two counties of Yuanshan before spring."

"My lord, should the 20,000 surrendered soldiers who were eliminated be allowed to return to their hometowns on their own?"

Xun Yan said with concern, "I fear that the surrendered people will not be able to return to their hometowns in peace, but will instead occupy the mountains as bandits, causing chaos in the villages and towns of Hebei."

"otherwise!"

Xu You seized the opportunity to offer a plan, saying, "Hebei has been plagued by war for years, and both soldiers and civilians are exhausted. If Your Excellency releases 20,000 surrendered soldiers to return to their hometowns, the villagers will all know Your Excellency's kindness, and from then on, the people's hearts will be won over."

"As for those who become outlaws, that is a matter for the local officials to deal with, and it is not something that Your Excellency can handle in detail."

"My Lord~"

Xun Yan wanted to say something more, but Zhang Yu raised his hand to interrupt him.

Zhang Yu paced back and forth in the hall and said, “If Xiu were the governor of Anping, he could focus on managing the people’s livelihood in Anping County. As for the matter of the surrendered soldiers, we will temporarily follow Ziyuan’s advice. Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. The people of Hebei do not know my benevolence and power. Even if the surrendered soldiers return to their hometowns, it may cause bandits to rise up. However, it will let the people know that I am benevolent and kind. Wouldn’t that be beneficial to the stability of Hebei?”

As he spoke, Zhang Yu said, "The governor of Ji Province, Du Ji, will soon arrive in Xindu to take up his post. With Governor Du's talent and strategy, he will be able to handle the matter of the surrendered soldiers properly."

Ji Province is the largest province in the land, and Zhang Yu can manage it when there are no military affairs. But now that there are military matters to attend to, Zhang Yu doesn't have that much time to manage it.

Therefore, when the situation stabilized slightly, Zhang Yu sent a fast horse to Anyi to transfer Du Ji to Hebei and appoint him as the governor of Ji Province, so that Zhang Yu could then launch a campaign against Ji Province.

As for Xun Yan, as a newly surrendered official, Zhang Yu's appointment of him as governor already shows his high regard for him. Now, even if Xun Yan is capable of managing the affairs of Ji Province, Zhang Yu is unlikely to use him due to trust issues, unless it is a last resort.

"As ordered!"

Xun Yan responded with frustration, thinking to himself, "Zhang Yu's style of doing things is very different from Yuan Shao's. Yuan Shao often acts after much consideration, while Zhang Yu is much more decisive."

"My lord, when will our army advance westward?" Xu Huang asked.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Within five days, all the armies will have completed the selection and training of the surrendered soldiers, and then we will lead the army on a western expedition. After I leave Xindu, Li Bosong will take charge."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu smiled and said, "It is already November, and it is difficult for you all and I to return to our hometowns to celebrate the New Year. However, I hope that before the New Year, I can invite you all to a grand banquet in Ye City."

"We should hold a grand banquet in Ye City!" the crowd exclaimed excitedly.

(End of this chapter)