Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 421 Whale Fall: Creatures Survive, Self-Destruction Arrested

In March of 198 AD, Ye City.

Inside the pavilion, Zhang Yu sat lazily on the mat, leaning against the armrest, watching the Zhen sisters playing in the pond, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips.

Taking a small sip of wine, Zhang Yu exclaimed, "To be free from the burdens of official duties is truly delightful!"

"Would you like to disembark and join us for a stroll, my lord?"

Zhen Mi sat at the stern of the boat, gazing at Zhang Yu who was resting in the pavilion, and waved and laughed.

"The boat is small, you should spend more time with the two older sisters!" Zhang Yu politely declined.

"it is good!"

The oars sliced ​​through the water, creating ripples, while three young women on board laughed and played.

Looking at Zhang Yu lounging lazily in the pavilion, Third Sister Zhen Dao's eyes gleamed, and she laughed, "That Yuan Xi is good, but his appearance is not as good as Zhang Hou's. Zhang Hou is handsome and over eight feet tall; he is a true gentleman!"

Fourth Sister Zhen Rong glanced at Zhang Yu and said, "Not only is he better looking than Yuan Xi, but Marquis Zhang is not even thirty years old yet, and he has already become a local ruler. He will later ascend the throne and become emperor. Isn't his future brighter than Yuan Xi's?"

Seeing her two elder sisters praising Zhang Yu so highly, Zhen Mi smiled faintly and said, "A loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Being Zhang Hou's concubine is a blessing in disguise!"

"That's still better than me!"

Zhen Dao leaned against the gunwale, revealing her voluptuous figure, and said resentfully, "I am now a widow at home, keeping my fourth sister company. If my fourth sister gets married, I'm afraid only my mother and I will be left at home. Of the five sisters in the family, you are the most beautiful, and now you have the best life."

Zhen Mi smiled and said, "There are many outstanding civil and military officials under Lord Zhang. If Third Sister wishes to marry, why worry about not having an orphan?"

Zhen Mi has four older sisters. Her eldest and second eldest sisters are married, while Zhen Dao's husband died shortly after her marriage, leaving her a widow. Zhen Rong was originally engaged to Shen Shi, but the marriage fell through due to Shen Shi's purge.

Zhen Dao stared at Zhang Yu with her beautiful eyes and said enviously, "When it comes to outstanding individuals, who in Hebei can compare to Marquis Zhang!"

Upon hearing this, Zhen Mi knew that her third sister, who had always been jealous, envied her life. After carefully considering her words, she smiled and said, "Lord Zhang is short of servants. If you are willing, sister, please stay a few more days and help me take care of Lord Zhang."

"I'm afraid Lord Zhang will look down on me!"

To hide his inner elation, Zhen Dao feigned reluctance.

"Sister knows how to treat people's needs, so why would she worry that Lord Zhang wouldn't like her?" Zhen Rong joked.

"No more to say!"

Zhen Dao skipped the embarrassing topic and asked, "Before leaving, Mother wanted to ask my sister to inquire about the future of my two elder brothers and see if she could help them."

Zhen Mi frowned slightly and said, "Although the officials in Jizhou are changing frequently, Lord Zhang tends to appoint people based on their abilities. I will try to ask Lord Zhang if there are any suitable official positions available."

"Thank you for your trouble, sister!" Zhen Dao said.

Just as a whale's fall gives rise to countless other creatures, the disintegration of any large group inevitably leads to the emergence of new interest groups. With the decline of Yuan Shao's group, the gentry who were attached to him were purged one by one, and former officials, regardless of their abilities, were also eliminated due to their political stance.

If it weren't for Zhen Mi, the Zhen family might have been on the list of those to be purged. But now, because Zhen Mi is Zhang Yu's favored concubine, they not only escaped the purge but might even have a chance to advance further. However, families like the Zhen family are few and far between; more common are families like the Shen family that are purged.

While the beautiful woman was boating and chatting on the pond, a servant came up and interrupted Zhang Yu's pleasant rest.

"My lord, Master Xun is outside requesting an audience, saying there is an urgent military matter!"

Zhang Yu stretched and yawned, greedily inhaling the fresh air, and said with renewed energy, "Lead the way!"

"promise!"

A short while later, Xun You saw Zhang Yu, dressed in plain clothes, appear before him, and he stepped forward to greet him.

"My lord, Zhang Liao has sent news of victory!"

"Did you break through Yijing?" Zhang Yu asked.

"Exactly!"

General Xun You presented the report, saying, "Zhang Liao led his generals to dig tunnels day and night, destroying the foundations of tall buildings. Following this, they launched a fierce attack with siege ladders, and the main army breached the city. Gongsun Zan retreated to the inner city, knowing he was doomed, and hanged his wife, children, and sisters before setting himself on fire. Gongsun's troops scattered, and our army broke through the inner city, beheading Gongsun Zan and capturing hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain, as well as the head of Li Jue. Yijing is now clearly lost." With that, Xun You cupped his hands in congratulations: "Yijing has fallen, Gongsun is defeated and dead. Now there are no more powerful enemies in Hebei. I congratulate you, Lord, on slaying this powerful enemy, establishing your authority over the counties of Hebei, and intimidating the remnants of the Yuan clan."

General Zhang Yu put away the report and laughed, "Back then, when Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu, I had just entered Guanzhong and sent Li Jue's head to Gongsun Zan. Unexpectedly, Gongsun Zan spared Li Jue's life."

"If I remember correctly, Gongsun Zan once boasted that he wanted me to keep Li Jue's head company. Now, the one keeping Li Jue company is none other than Gongsun Bogui!"

After a pause, Zhang Yu said with a hint of melancholy, "Gongsun Zan was a ruthless and ambitious man. When the world first descended into chaos, Gongsun Zan held the army of Youzhou and could have defeated Yuan Shao and taken Jizhou. However, he was first defeated at Jieqiao and then by me. In the end, his courage waned, and he became Yuan Shao's vanguard. He built the Hundred Towers in Yijing, hoping to sit back and watch the world's rise and fall. But how can one sit back and watch the world if one is confined to a corner of the land!"

Gongsun Zan started his career at an incredibly high level; before the Battle of Jieqiao, he was practically the undisputed ruler of Hebei. However, after the Battle of Jieqiao, Yuan Shao rose rapidly, and Gongsun Zan's power declined drastically. Following Zhang Yu's expedition to Youzhou, Gongsun Zan's fortunes plummeted, forcing him to seek refuge with Yuan Shao to survive in Hebei. Now, he has been captured and killed by Zhang Liao, marking the fall of a once-powerful warlord in Hebei.

Xun You followed suit, commenting: "Gongsun Bogui was ambitious but lacked talent, and was fond of extravagance. He built a tall tower, where women spread the word and soldiers were dismissed, thinking himself clever. First, he said he had three million bushels of grain stored up; once that was exhausted, he would observe how things changed. Second, he said that Zhang Liao and Yuan Shao were fighting fiercely, and neither could hold out for long under the city walls. Who knew that Zhang Liao's army would arrive, besieging the city for months, with drums and horns sounding from the ground and fires burning down the tower? Therefore, his defeat was truly self-inflicted!"

Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said, "Extravagance and pleasure are the worst of evils. When Dong Zhuo's army entered Luoyang, he was determined to conquer the world. However, when he retreated to Guanzhong, he wanted to occupy Meiwu to observe the world, hoping to follow Qin's example and destroy the world. He also wanted to retreat to Tongguan to defend Guanzhong. However, he was assassinated by princes and his foundation was destroyed. In the end, his plans were all in vain."

"I must take Dong and Sun as a warning!" Zhang Yu exclaimed.

Xun You bowed and said, "I have heard that since Yuan Shao fled to Qingzhou, he has sent people across the river to contact his former subordinates in Bohai and to recruit troops from Qing and Xu provinces, perhaps intending to revive his forces. Therefore, in my opinion, we should take advantage of Yuan Shao's recent defeat to launch an attack and prevent him from rising again!"

"Gongsun Zan has been defeated and killed, and Liu He has expressed his approval. There are no more powerful bandits in Hebei. Once the summer harvest is plentiful, we can attack Yuan Shao!" Zhang Yu said.

After a pause, Zhang Yu asked, "How many surrendered soldiers are there in Hebei now? Do you have any insights on this renewed campaign against Yuan Shao?"

"When you first conquered Ji Province, you had nearly 50,000 surrendered soldiers. You selected 30,000 elite troops and eliminated 20,000 old and weak soldiers. Now, there are 10,000 surrendered soldiers in Handan and 5,000 old and weak soldiers from Gongsun's former troops, totaling more than 45,000. In my opinion, Your Excellency may be able to eliminate some more troops." Xun You pondered for a moment and said, "In this campaign against Yuan Shao, we should select elite troops for combat and rotate the exhausted troops."

"We will leave 30,000 elite troops in Jizhou to train six armies, and the rest will return to their hometowns to help restore production in Jizhou," Zhang Yu said. "We have 50,000 to 60,000 troops in Guanzhong, which will make up 30,000 Jizhou soldiers. If needed, we can draw 10,000 infantry and cavalry from Youzhou. With all our troops, we can have 100,000 men."

Ji Province has 300,000 households eligible for military service, and its population is comparable to that of several provinces in Guanzhong combined. Therefore, Zhang Yu could even raise an army of 100,000. However, raising an army for the sake of raising an army is meaningless. In Zhang Yu's view, selecting elite troops and having more elderly and weak people provide logistical support is the sustainable way.

Of course, recruiting too many soldiers at once would require each unit to adapt to the other, which would indirectly weaken the Shanxi army's fighting strength. Moreover, an army of 100,000 men is already quite large. Among all the people in the world who could field 100,000 soldiers, only Yuan Shu could do so; the rest could only field a maximum of 50,000 men.

Xun You nodded slightly and said, "In this siege of Yijing, many of the surrendered generals made great contributions. Your Excellency may consider organizing six armies."

Zhang Yu paced back and forth in thought, and said, “Zhang He, Gao Lan, and Qu Yi are three famous generals from Hebei. In particular, Gao Lan led his elite cavalry to surrender, and Zhang He even persuaded Jiang Qi to join the cause. Therefore, the above three can be the commanders. As for the remaining three battalions, we can select former generals from Shanxi to take charge of one battalion.”

"Gongda Yigong will draft a list later so that I can select the commanders of the three battalions from it."

"As ordered!"

Xun You responded, then hesitated and asked, "Liu He's memorial urging you to ascend the throne has arrived, and all the princes are hoping that you will establish a kingdom. Now, Zhang Wenyuan has even defeated and killed Gongsun Zan. I wonder when you intend to ascend the throne as King of Tang?"

"Not urgent!"

Zhang Yu stopped and smiled, "Have someone draft the regulations first, and then release the news that after defeating Yuan this year, I will be promoted to Prince of Tang. And if any of my sons wish to be promoted, they must fight their hardest in this campaign."

Xun You said, “My lord, although our army has many scholars, few are knowledgeable in the etiquette and laws of the Han dynasty. Ying Shao is a member of the Ying clan of Runan and previously served as an official in the General of Chariots and Cavalry's office. He is well-versed in court etiquette and laws. When Yuan Shao was enfeoffed as the Duke of Wei, Ying Shao was in charge of all the regulations and etiquette. When you, my lord, ascend to the throne as the King of Tang, you need someone to preside over the ceremony, and Ying Shao is perfectly capable of doing so!”

"Ying Shao?"

Zhang Yu suddenly felt the name was familiar. After calmly recalling it, he said, "Back in Luoyang, I had met Ying Shao several times. During the rebellion in Longyou, Zou Jing requested the dispatch of Xianbei cavalry. Ying Shao and I strongly opposed it, and finally persuaded the court to rescind the old order. Ying Shao has extraordinary insight and is well-versed in both ancient and modern times; he is truly a great talent!"

"I hereby appoint Ying Shao as Commandant of Ceremonies, leading a hundred soldiers, to uphold the rites and laws, and to be in charge of matters related to his ascension to the throne of the Tang King!"

"promise!"

Ying Shao, courtesy name Zhongyuan, was the son of Ying Feng, the Commandant of the Capital Region. Ying Feng studied under Zheng Xuan and was known for his extensive knowledge. Ying Yang, one of the Seven Scholars of Jian'an, was his eldest son, and his second son, Ying Qu, was also a literary figure. The profound scholarship of the Ying family was unmatched by ordinary families.

"My lord, Lü Bu sent Chen Qun as an envoy to congratulate you on your great victory over Yuan Shu. He has already crossed the river by boat."

Before parting, Xun You recalled something and said, "Chen Qun is from Yingchuan County. I had a past friendship with him. Chen Qun's visit today is not only to curry favor with you, my lord, but perhaps he intends to choose a wise ruler."

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "After we arrive in Ye City, let Xun Chen receive us first, and I will meet with him when I have time."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)