Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 414 Tian Feng's Resentment, Advising the King to Ascend to the Throne and Become Emperor

Winter, Handan.

Ju Shou, clad in armor, stood atop the city tower, gazing at the endless camps outside the city, his expression extremely solemn.

"Lord Wei ordered our army to hold Handan, but why are there no reinforcements from Yanzhou?" Lou Qi asked in confusion.

"Where in Yanzhou is there a large army?"

Tian Feng chuckled and said, "Yanzhou is depleted of its population, and the Second Young Master can only control half of the land. He needs to defend the south against Lü Bu and Zhang Miao, how can he possibly send a large army north?"

"The military supervisor?" Lou Qi looked at Ju Shou.

Ju Shou frowned slightly and said, "Yuan Hao, do not undermine the morale of the army, or don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Tian Feng, with an indifferent expression, said, "I have been pardoned by the Duke, and now you want to take my life. I have nothing to say."

Previously, Yuan Shao had ordered Ju Shou to execute Tian Feng. Ju Shou knew of Tian Feng's talent and therefore couldn't bear to kill him, intending to plead with Yuan Shao for Tian Feng's pardon. However, Yuan Shao's army suffered a major defeat, and Ju Shou, knowing that Yuan Shao was in a fit of anger, took it upon himself to pardon Tian Feng, concealing this matter from Yuan Shao.

Seeing that Tian Feng was as stubborn as a mule, Ju Shou glared at him fiercely. If it weren't for the fact that he needed people right now, he would never have tolerated Tian Feng's behavior.

As Ju Shou was pointing out the military situation outside the city, his soldiers suddenly rushed to his side.

"Reporting to the military supervisor, Xun Chen has arrived at the city walls and requests an audience with the military supervisor!"

“Xun Chen has come here to persuade us to surrender,” Tian Feng said.

Ju Shou considered for a moment and said, "Please invite him to the city wall. I have something to ask him!"

"promise!"

Not long after, Xun Chen was seen being hoisted from the basket to the city tower, and under the guidance of the soldiers, he met Ju Shou.

"By order of the General, Chen pays his respects to the Military Supervisor!"

Ju Shou had no intention of arguing with Xun Chen, and asked, "Have you come here today to persuade him to surrender?"

Seeing that Ju Shou was getting straight to the point, Xun Chen said truthfully: "Since Yuan Shao's great defeat at Xiyang, the Yuan family's power has been gone. A few days ago, Yuan Shao sailed east across the river, Yuan Xi of Yanzhou fled to Liyang, and Ye City was captured by the General. Now, among Zhao and Wei, only Handan is holding firm."

"The General could not bear to see the people of Zhao suffer, so he ordered Chen to enter the city and persuade you all to surrender."

Upon learning that Yuan Shao had withdrawn from the river and that only Handan City remained to hold the line in Hebei, the generals and officers of the Yuan clan were immediately in an uproar.

Previously, Yuan Shao had clearly stated in a message to everyone that he would hold Ye City while they defended Handan, forming a pincer movement to await reinforcements from the Yanzhou army. However, now that Ye City has fallen and the Yanzhou army has been defeated, it's not just them foolishly holding on.

Ju Shou's expression was grim; he had already realized that he had been tricked!
Seeing the strong reaction from the crowd, Xun Chen, though unaware of the reason, said in order to sway their resolve: “Yuan Shao has abandoned you all and fled. Now, most of your families are in Xindu. Why not surrender to the General? You can reunite with your families and receive official titles and rewards. Wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds?”

Many were tempted, and they looked at Ju Shou. Ju Shou seemed to sense their intentions and said sternly, "Xun Youruo, you have been deeply favored by Duke Wei, how dare you face me now?"

Then, without letting Xun Chen explain, Ju Shou said, "I will spare your life for now out of consideration for our past relationship. But if you try to incite people's hearts now, I will kill you."

At Ju Shou's command, Xun Chen was forcibly taken down by soldiers.

After Xun Chen left, Lou Qi was the first to challenge him, cupping his hands and asking, "May I ask the military supervisor, is the current situation truly as Xun Chen described?"

Ju Shou remained calm and said, "Xun Chen came to persuade us to surrender, so what he said must be exaggerated. You gentlemen can hold the city for now. If you cannot come to relieve the siege within two or three months, then we can discuss important matters again!"

"We are willing to follow the orders of the supervising officer!" Lou Qi hesitated for a moment, then responded along with the other officers.

As the generals were ordered to inspect the city walls, Ju Shou, harboring doubts, looked at Tian Feng and asked, "Yuan Hao, what do you think of the current military situation?"

Tian Feng stroked his beard and recited, "If what Xun Chen said is true, leaving the military supervisor to guard Handan should be a plan for Lord Yuan. Now that the troops in Ji Province have been routed, Lord Yuan is powerless to raise an army to contend with Zhang Yu. He can only go east to Qi and Lu and gather troops in the coastal area."

"As for your decision to lead your troops to defend Handan, I fear it's a ploy by Lord Yuan to contain Zhang Yu. Although Lord Yuan is slow to act, he's capable of sacrificing an arm to save his life. After all, if Zhao and Wei have no troops to defend them, wouldn't Zhang Yu send a proclamation to conquer Ji Province? Without worries about his rear, Zhang Yu will be heading to the coast!" Tian Feng smiled and said, "Regardless of whether Xun Chen's words are true or false, in my opinion, the morale in the city is low, and Handan is unlikely to hold. If you wish to survive, you should make plans as soon as possible!"

Having been imprisoned and executed by Yuan Shao, Tian Feng no longer felt any loyalty to Yuan Shao, and even harbored considerable resentment towards him. After all, in Tian Feng's eyes, he had devoted himself to Yuan Shao for so many years, only to have Yuan Shao not only imprison him but also order his execution. If it weren't for Ju Shou's intervention due to the dire situation, which allowed him to withstand pressure and pardon Tian Feng, he would likely be dead long ago.

Ju Shou ignored Tian Feng and simply ordered someone to take Tian Feng away.

Unless absolutely necessary, Ju Shou would never surrender to Zhang Yu. After all, as Ju Shou had told his clansmen before the battle, if Yuan Shao could defeat Zhang Yu, the Ju family's wealth and status would reach their zenith. If Yuan Shao were to be defeated, not only would the Ju family's wealth and status be gone, but even their survival would be in question.

As the second most important figure in Yuan Shao's army, if Ju Shou were to defect to Zhang Yu, he would likely find it difficult to gain important positions. Even if he were, Ju Shou would not be able to obtain the same power he had under Yuan Shao.

Besides, even if the Ju clan surrendered, they would still face corresponding purges and have to relinquish considerable benefits in order to feed the generals and officers who followed Zhang Yu. Although Shen Rong surrendered to Zhang Yu, only Shen Rong's family was spared from purges; the rest of the Shen clan were destined to be purged.

Therefore, the high-ranking officials under Yuan Shao would generally not choose to surrender unless absolutely necessary.

While Ju Shou was doing his best to appease the soldiers in the city, Zhang Yu was discussing strategies to break through the city with everyone in the city.

Inside the main tent, Xun Chen reported to Zhang Yu, saying, "When I told Ju Shou that Yuan Shao abandoned Qingzhou, he saw that all the generals and officers in the city were astonished, so I guessed that the soldiers and officers in the city did not know the details. In my opinion, Your Excellency may be able to use a psychological strategy to make the soldiers and officers in the city panic, and then find an opportunity to take Handan again."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said, "The strategy of winning hearts and minds is feasible, but in order to prevent the soldiers and generals in the city from refusing to surrender, we need to find another strategy to break through the city!"

Guo Jia frowned in deep thought and said, "It's a pity that Handan is not like Ye City; there is no large river outside the city. If there were a large river outside the city, the water could be diverted to flood Handan."

"What do you think of the plan to dig underground?" Xu You asked, having come up with a solution.

"The strategy of digging underground to breach the city is feasible, but I fear that Ju Shou is too clever and could foresee our army's strategy of digging underground!" Guo Tu said.

After considering it for a moment, Lü Fan said, "Since there are no reinforcements from outside, why not build siege weapons?"

"Wenhe and Gongda?" Zhang Yu called out the two scholars and asked.

Xun You pondered for a long time before saying, "Your Excellency might as well employ multiple strategies simultaneously. Openly implement a strategy of attacking the mind, while simultaneously developing weapons and equipment, and secretly digging tunnels. Ju Shou can foresee one strategy, but how can he foresee many?"

Jia Xu smiled and said, “My lord, I have a different opinion from the others. There is no longer Yuan Shao’s army north of the Yellow River. So why don’t you reward the surrendered people in Hebei and persuade the counties of Ji Province to surrender? Once the counties of Ji Province are pacified, the soldiers and officials in Handan will not see any reinforcements to relieve the siege. Wouldn’t they all be worried and fearful? At that time, you can easily pacify Handan.”

"In the past, Emperor Gaozu left troops to besiege Zhang Han in order to compete with Xiang Yu for the Central Plains, while he himself led a large army to attack Xiang Yu. Now, Your Excellency's troops are exhausted and your supplies are almost exhausted. You cannot follow the example of Emperor Gaozu. However, you can leave a general to besiege Handan, while Your Excellency leads your army to garrison Ye City to intimidate Yuan Xi of Yan Province. If Handan does not fall for several months, will it not give Yuan Shao an opportunity to win over the hearts of the people of Hebei?"

Seeing that his advisors disagreed, Zhang Yu paced back and forth, pondering the pros and cons.

"In Wenhe's opinion!"

Zhang Yu said, "Handan is bordered by Ye City to the south, Zhongqiu to the north, Quliang to the east, and Taihang Mountains to the west. Apart from the enemy in Yanzhou, the Yuan family has no reinforcements to save Handan. Therefore, I will be stationed in Ye City to deter Yuan Xi. With no reinforcements in sight for a long time, letters from family members inducing rebellion, and the city's food supplies gradually running out, morale is low, and Handan can be taken!"

If Yuan Shao were still in Hebei, Zhang Yu would certainly have launched an attack on Handan. However, Handan is now practically an isolated city, and its fall to the Shanxi army is only a matter of time. Therefore, if Zhang Yu can quickly pacify the civil and military officials of Hebei, he can not only stabilize the counties of Ji Province but also weaken Yuan Shao's influence over Ji Province.

Upon hearing this, Guo Tu understood and bowed, saying, "The Han Dynasty is in decline, and Chen and Yuan usurped it, so there is no common ruler in the world. In the past, Emperor Shizu conquered Hebei and proclaimed himself emperor in Hao City. If you wish to appease the people, why not follow Emperor Shizu's example, make a petition to Heaven and Earth, and proclaim yourself emperor in Ye City? With rewards and honors bestowed upon you, the hearts of the people will surely be at peace!"

"No!"

Lü Fan preemptively refuted, saying, "Your Excellency is upholding righteousness by punishing the traitors. Now that the world is not yet at peace, you are already proclaiming yourself emperor. How is this any different from what Yuan Shu did? In my opinion, Your Excellency should wait until Handan surrenders and Hebei is at peace before you inherit the title of Duke."

"What is the difference between a duke and a king?" Xu You, eager to gain merit in supporting the emperor, urged, "In my opinion, Your Excellency should first be called a king, and then, when you conquer the Central Plains, you can be promoted to the title of emperor, thus clearly demonstrating the legitimacy of the dynasty."

Seeing everyone arguing about who should become king and ascend the throne, Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow and looked at Jia Xu, who was stroking his beard in thought.

Under Zhang Yu's watchful gaze, Jia Xu said self-consciously, "With the fall of the Han Dynasty and the rise of numerous heroes, only the virtuous can rule the world. Your Excellency was once a minister of the Han Dynasty, so you should consult Liu Youzhou for his opinion. In my opinion, winning the hearts of the people first, and then choosing a high rank, is the right path."

After Jia Xu's words, Zhang Yu immediately understood the crucial matter. Now was a critical time for unifying Hebei, and he needed to consider Liu He's thoughts in Youzhou. If he rashly declared himself king without Liu He's support, wouldn't he risk a break with Liu He?

(End of this chapter)