Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 422 Arrogance Leads to Necessity.

Inside the hall, Zhang Yu sat on a couch, surrounded by a few people, all of whom were his confidants.

"Xu Shu is the commander of Jiang Qi. It would be better to promote him to general and give him a proper title."

Xun You presented the list and said, "Ma Chao or Yan Xing have repeatedly achieved great feats by slaying enemy generals. One of them can be selected as the commander-in-chief. As for the remaining generals, Gao Shun, Xu Chu, and Zhao Yun have all made great achievements and can each lead an army."

Looking at the list of generals to be appointed to outside the capital, Zhang Yu said, "Xu Shu has followed me for many years. Now he is appointed as the governor of Qinghe County. If he does not have troops under his direct command, it will be detrimental to his overall command of the military and political affairs. Therefore, I can follow your suggestion and appoint him as the General of Henghe, with a force of five thousand men."

"As for Generals Ma Chao and Yan Xing, Yan Xing was originally Man Chong's deputy general. In this campaign against Hebei, Yan Xing charged into battle and offered strategies to defeat the enemy, all of which have made meritorious contributions. He can now be given command of an army and appointed as General Liyi. Gao Shun and Xu Chu have commanded the Protectorate Army for many years, and I cannot leave them now. Zhao Yun has commanded my cavalry for many years, and his achievements in this campaign are outstanding. He will be given command of an army."

After a pause, Zhang Yu circled Zhang He's name with his pen and said, "Zhao Yun and Zhang He will be combined into one army, with me as the commander-in-chief, Zhao Yun and Zhang He as his assistants, and Lü Fan as the military supervisor. The army will be called the Divine Palace Army."

The National Protection Army had 15,000 men, but Zhang Yu did not intend to expand it further, lest its power become too great. Instead, he planned to establish a separate army as his direct subordinate. As someone highly valued by Zhang Yu, Zhao Yun was naturally the first choice to be appointed as his general.

"If we follow your arrangement, then we will appoint Zhang He, Gao Lan, Qu Yi, Zhao Yun, Yan Xing, and Xu Shu as generals, each leading five thousand troops. Among them, Generals Zhao and Zhang will form one army, called the Divine Palace Army," Xun You said, verifying the list.

"Ok!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "The officers and clerks of the six generals and five armies will be organized by Gongda and Ziheng. They can consult with the generals more and report to me later."

"As ordered!"

Xun You and Lü Fan rose to accept the order.

"My lord, Chen Qun, the envoy sent by Lü Bu, is waiting outside the palace." A servant entered the palace to report.

"Xuan!"

A short while later, Chen Qun entered, dressed in formal attire, and bowed deeply to Zhang Yu.

"We have come to pay our respects to the General on the orders of Marquis Wen."

Chen Qun presented the memorial with both hands, saying, "Yanzhou is in decline, with few registered households. My congratulatory gifts are meager, and I hope Your Excellency will forgive me!"

Zhang Yu pressed down the watch and laughed, "You have traveled thousands of miles, and your friendship is genuine. How can mere money compare to friendship? Besides, Lord Wen has done many things for me in the Central Plains, such as harassing Yuan Shao. You have done me a great service!"

Then, Zhang Yu added, "Sir, what brings you here today?"

Chen Qun pondered for a moment, then said truthfully, "I dare not conceal the truth. The world is in turmoil today. Marquis Wen is caught in the middle of the Central Plains and feels that the prefectures and counties are unstable. Your Excellency has first established your authority in Guanzhong and then seized Hebei. You are the hope of the world. Marquis Wen is grateful for Your Excellency's virtue and admires Your Excellency's prestige. I wish to submit this letter to establish friendly relations."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Please tell Marquis Wen that he and I are from the same hometown and are also friends. If he does not betray me, I will certainly not betray him. I hope you can advise Marquis Wen not to be deceived by villains."

"In our opinion, no one but you, my lord, is capable of restoring order to the world. How could we not assist you, my lord?" Chen Qun said.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu became intrigued and asked, "I have heard that Yuan Shu often sends people to recruit Lord Wen. May I ask why you have submitted to me instead of Yuan Shu?"

Chen Qun said solemnly, “My father was sent as an envoy to Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu is fond of etiquette but also extravagant and licentious. When my father met Yuan Shu, he treated him with the respect due to a subject, and instead of discussing official business, he spoke of the dignity of the Chen dynasty before bestowing gold and silver upon him. He then ordered my father to go out again, where he held a lavish banquet for everyone, intending to bestow high-ranking official titles and honors upon him. From this, it can be seen that Yuan Shu has the demeanor of a humble servant, but how can he retain those with ambition by using gold and silver to win people’s hearts?”

"The outcome of the war is still uncertain. Yuan Shu does not welcome the country's talents with open arms, but instead focuses on grooming himself and considering himself extraordinary. Is he a true wise ruler? Therefore, I advised Marquis Wen to focus on your affairs and not to follow Chen Gong's advice to send his family to Wancheng."

In order to weaken Chen Gong's influence, Lü Bu invited Chen Ji and his son Chen Deng from Xuzhou to offer him a plan.

At that time, Yuan Shu harbored ambitions to become emperor. Under Chen Gong's persuasion, Lü Bu gradually became inclined to submit to Yuan Shu, and thus sent Chen Ji to pay homage to Yuan Shu. Chen Ji was a Han-leaning scholar who saw that Yuan Shu mistreated the emperor and had no grand ambitions, only plotting to become emperor. Therefore, after returning to Yanzhou, he advised Lü Bu that instead of sending his family to Yuan Shu, he should contact Zhang Yu more.

Chen Ji is currently in poor health and unable to travel far on a diplomatic mission. Chen Qun, at Chen Ji's behest, has volunteered to go on a mission to Zhang Yu.

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu laughed a few times and said, "I met Yuan Shu in Luoyang. At that time, Yuan Shu's actions were just as you said. Yuan Gonglu seemed to be imitating Emperor Gaozu's humility towards scholars, but he only got the appearance and not the substance. Therefore, even if Li Sheng went to Yuan Shu, he could not use him."

Then, Zhang Yu asked in return, "What do you think of me?"

Chen Qun pondered for a moment and said, "When I first spoke with you, I thought you were a magnanimous person. If I could serve by your side, I would dare to tell you in detail what kind of person you are!"

“If you are not tired, Minister Chen, I will be making an eastern tour in the next few days. You may accompany me!” Zhang Yu said.

"If Your Excellency does not abandon us, we are willing to follow and serve you!" Chen Qun said respectfully.

"Good!" After chatting for a few minutes, Zhang Yu dismissed Chen Qun.

After Chen Qun withdrew, Zhang Yu asked those around him, "What do you think of Chen Changwen?"

Xun Chen cupped his hands and said, "Chen Changwen is fickle and lacks foresight; he is not a man of national talent. Judging by his talent and learning, he may be able to reach the level of a prefecture or county, but it will be difficult for him to be appointed as one of the Three Dukes."

"Fickle!"

Zhang Yu stroked his mustache, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Chen Qun's most famous act was implementing the Nine-Rank System for Officials. Therefore, many people in later generations believed that Chen Qun was a representative of the gentry and persuaded Cao Pi to implement the Nine-Rank System. However, this actually overestimated Chen Qun's abilities.

Chen Qun's implementation of the Nine-Rank System for Officials was actually at Cao Pi's suggestion. To be precise, Chen Qun, being adept at speculation, bet on Cao Pi and became one of the Crown Prince's Four Friends. Later, after Cao Pi ascended the throne, Chen Qun, in accordance with popular opinion, worked with Cao Pi to formulate the Nine-Rank System for Officials.

With this political capital, Chen Qun was appointed Minister of the Imperial Secretariat in the year Cao Pi became emperor, and he ruled for more than ten years, making him the top political figure in Cao Wei.

Therefore, to evaluate Chen Qun's political abilities, nothing is more important than understanding the state of the people's livelihood during his more than ten years of governance of Cao Wei. Compared to the renowned Zhuge Liang, Chen Qun, during his tenure in Cao Wei, brought little change beyond the Nine-Rank System. Such a fickle person truly does not deserve the title of a national hero.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment, then asked, "How does he compare to Cui Yan?"

"Not as good as Cui Yan!"

Jia Xu stroked his beard and said, “Yesterday, I and Xun Jun welcomed Chen Qun together. Chen Qun is known for his adaptability, while Cui Yan is by nature firm and resolute. In conversation, Cui Yan is quiet and speaks little, but his words always hit the nail on the head regarding the problems in governance; while Chen Qun observes people's expressions and speaks his mind. This is the difference between them.”

As he spoke, Jia Xu smiled and said, "Cui Yan is a top scholar in Ji Province. In my opinion, his potential extends far beyond the prefectures and counties. If he is appreciated by a wise ruler, he can enter the Ministry of Personnel."

Zhang Yu understood Jia Xu's implied meaning and laughed, "If we follow Wenhe's advice, and I don't give Cui Yan important positions in the future, wouldn't that make me an unwise ruler?"

"I dare not; I have spoken out of turn!"

Seeing that Zhang Yu was making fun of this, Jia Xu repeatedly apologized so as not to leave Zhang Yu with the impression that he was holding the ruler hostage.

Zhang Yu knew Jia Xu's intentions. To be honest, Cui Yan was indeed a rare and outstanding scholar from Hebei. After all, he had only surrendered to Cao Cao for a year before being appointed to assist Cao Pi. When Cao Cao became a duke, Cui Yan rose to prominence and was appointed Minister.

Zhang Yu composed himself and said, "Regardless of Chen Qun's abilities, he is now Lü Bu's envoy and is willing to serve me, so you gentlemen should not underestimate him."

"Yes, sir!" the crowd replied.

Lu Fan, standing in the crowd, bowed and said, "Reporting to Your Lordship, according to intelligence from Anyi, Yuan Shao has sent envoys to establish friendly relations with Yuan Shu and to honor Yuan Shu as emperor. In turn, Yuan Shu has sent envoys to confer upon Yuan Shao the title of King of Qi and to oversee the affairs of the three provinces of Yan, Qing, and Xu. The two Yuans originally belonged to the same family, but Yuan Shao's defection to Yuan Shu due to the urgent situation will greatly enhance Yuan Shu's prestige."

"Moreover, Yuan Shu sent someone to warn our army, saying that if our army were to attack Yuan Shao, it would be considered as a break with Yuan Shu. Now that we intend to attack Yuan Shao, we must be wary of Yuan Shu's troops."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall began whispering among themselves, discussing the impact of the matter.

Xun Chen looked worried and said, "My lord, Yuan Shu controls three provinces and has no less than 100,000 troops. If our army attacks Yuan Shao, I fear Yuan Shu will raise troops to come to our aid."

Xu You scoffed, saying, "Yuan Shu is at war with Sun Quan, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei. Our army is campaigning against Yuan Shao. How could Yuan Shu dare to be distracted by a distant expedition? This is nothing more than a petty trick by Yuan Shu. Why should you panic?"

Xun Chen glanced at Xu You, a hint of dissatisfaction flashing across his face, and said, "Yuzhou has a large population and is adjacent to Yanzhou. Moreover, Zhang Miao is Yuan Shu's henchman. If our army attacks Yuan Shao, how can you be so sure that Yuan Shu will not dare to attack us?"

"Wenhe?"

Zhang Yu interrupted their argument and addressed them directly by name.

Jia Xu rose from his seat, cupped his hands, and said, "The alliance between the two Yuans was within my expectations. Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were originally brothers, but they separated due to conflicting interests and became bitter enemies over the struggle for the Central Plains. Now that Yuan Shao has lost Ji Province and is in danger of being overthrown by you, my lord, he will naturally seek help from Yuan Shu in order to survive."

"Yuan Shu controls the two provinces of Jing and Yu, with millions of people under his rule and no fewer than 100,000 soldiers. Yuan Shao occupies Qing Province, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers. If the two were to join forces, the Yuan family would control one-third of the country. However, in my opinion, although the two Yuans are supposed to be united, how could Yuan Shu possibly command Yuan Shao's troops, and how could Yuan Shu's army be under Yuan Shao's command? Therefore, the alliance of the two Yuans is merely a hollow name!"

"However, you cannot believe that Yuan Shu's dispatch of troops is false. Yuan Shao is your greatest enemy. If Yuan Shao is defeated, no one in the Central Plains can stop you. At that time, you will go to the coast, pacify Yan and Yu, and gather the forces of the world. Yuan Shu will not be able to stop you. Therefore, if Yuan Shao can stop you, you will not be able to launch a southern expedition. Thus, the two are like lips and teeth."

Jia Xu spoke eloquently, saying, "This year, Your Excellency intends to attack Yuan Shao, but the war should not be prolonged. If the war drags on, Yuan Shu will surely attack Your Excellency's undefended areas to relieve Yuan Shao's siege."

Zhang Yu narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a faint smile, "Yuan Shu is arrogant and conceited, like a frog at the bottom of a well. Do you think I'm afraid of him? I'm attacking Yuan Shao. If he dares to come, I can easily defeat him!"

(End of this chapter)