Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 423 A Hero of His Time, Arrogant in Liaodong
March, Guangzong.

During the spring planting season, a procession of over a thousand people slowly made its way eastward along the official road. Banners fluttered in the wind, armored guards stood tall and imposing, and riders gripped whips and reins. The carriage at the center, surrounded by the crowd, was simple and unadorned, hardly befitting the lord of the north.

Fields dotted the roadside, where able-bodied men worked and the elderly assisted them. As noon approached, women and children carried tea and water through the fields, creating a scene of harmonious joy.

As the armored soldiers marched along the official road, children, driven by curiosity, hid nearby to watch. The adults, fearing they might disturb the distinguished guests or inadvertently anger the soldiers, quickly waved to disperse the crowd.

Since the pacification of Ji Province, the various prefectures have enjoyed peace for several months. As the soldiers of Ji Province are gradually released back to the countryside, many able-bodied men have appeared in the fields this spring. With able-bodied men working at home this year, the harvest from the fields will surely be greater than in previous years.

Looking at the spring plowing scene outside the carriage, Zhang Yu smiled and said, "How does Mi'er think it compares to when Yuan Shao governed Ji Province?"

Zhen Mi understood what Zhang Yu meant by his question and followed his lead, saying, "When Yuan Shao governed Ji Province, he levied taxes every year and burdened the people every year. Since you, my lord, have governed Ji Province, you have carefully selected the soldiers and troops, eliminated the old and weak, and kept the strong and capable, allowing the people to focus on farming. This is something Yuan Shao could not do!"

Zhen Dao's beautiful eyes sparkled as she said, "How can Yuan Shao compare to you, my lord? The people of Ji Province are now praising your wisdom and brilliance in distributing land for farming, punishing evil tyrants, releasing men, and restoring the livelihood of the people of Ji Province. Some busybodies even predict that you are destined to rule the world!"

Zhen Mi's words were true. Previously, her third sister, Zhen Dao, had intended to serve Zhang Yu, so Zhen Mi introduced Zhen Dao to Zhang Yu. A few days ago, Zhang Yu was slightly drunk at a banquet, and Zhen Dao was serving him. Under the influence of alcohol, Zhang Yu and the young woman Zhen Dao slept together, and from then on, Zhen Dao became Zhang Yu's favorite concubine.

Although Zhen Dao was not as beautiful as Zhen Mi, she was still considered a beauty in public. Among them, Zhen Dao had a better figure than Zhen Mi, and her long legs were a favorite of Zhang Yu. Now, when he went on an inspection tour, Zhang Yu had the two women accompany him to serve him.

Zhang Yu sighed and said, "Yuan Shao was a hero of his time. At his peak, he controlled four provinces and ruled like an emperor. He was defeated because he failed to appoint the right people. Since he governed Ji Province, he has been lenient in criminal law and allowed his subordinates to do evil. I am now correcting this and I will be able to govern Ji Province well."

Yuan Shao's rise to become the most powerful warlord at the end of the Han Dynasty was due not only to his family background but also to his personal abilities. While his military prowess was somewhat inferior, his political skills were remarkable. At least Ji Province was not completely destroyed by Yuan Shao; instead, it maintained a considerable population of over 300,000 households, which was equivalent to the combined population of all the provinces west of the Hangu Pass.

Lowering the carriage curtain, Zhang Yu leaned against the armchair and said with a smile, "If we want Ji Province to regain its prosperity, we need to wait for peace throughout the land and for the Central Plains to be free from war. I hope that we can sweep away all the heroes of the land within five years."

After occupying the counties of Ji Province, Zhang Yu's population surged to four or five million, making him the most powerful warlord. With his superior military strength, Zhang Yu set a goal for himself: to unify China within five years. Including the ten years since his uprising, he aimed to unify China in fifteen years—not comparable to Liu Bang, but at least no less than Liu Xiu.

"Your Excellency's ambition is too great for me to fully admire," Zhen Mi said with a smile as she nestled in Zhang Yu's arms.

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu smelled the enchanting fragrance in the air and felt a surge of joy.

He desires to possess the world; he also desires to possess beautiful women.
-

When the inspection reached Jing County in Anping Prefecture, Zhang Liao, Man Chong, Yan Rou, Xianyu Fu and others were ordered to come from Xindu to welcome Zhang Yu's carriage.

"Greetings, Emperor Tang!"

Under Zhang Liao's conscious leadership, the generals bowed to Zhang Yu.

"No need for formalities, rise immediately!"

Zhang Yu stepped forward to help everyone up and said, "Since you have not yet been promoted, why should you perform such a grand ceremony? You may simply address me as 'Lord' as you always have."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

After everyone had taken their seats, Zhang Yu smiled and said, "It has been ten months since I last saw you all on your expedition to Youzhou. During this time, you first defeated the Wuhuan and beheaded Tadun; you lifted the siege of Youzhou and defeated Gongsun; you re-sieged Yijing and captured the bandit chieftain. Every time I hear about it, I am delighted by your achievements. Wenyuan and Boning, you two have lived up to my expectations!"

When Zhang Yu sent Zhang Liao to conquer Youzhou, he did not expect that Zhang Liao could achieve such a brilliant victory. Tadun and Gongsun Zan were both men who were famous in the northern frontier, but now they had both died at the hands of Zhang Liao. This eliminated the enemies of Yan and Zhao for Zhang Yu, and also indirectly forced Liu He to surrender, making the counties of Youzhou submit to him.

“Tadun and Gongsun Xiao are minor figures and not Yuan Shao’s greatest enemies. You, Zhang Liao and Bo Ning, can handle them. Why should Your Excellency personally lead the expedition?” Zhang Liao said with his hands clasped, “If Your Excellency does not go to Xindu, Yijing cannot be captured.”

Zhang Yu smiled and joked, "When did Wen Yuan learn such flattering words!"

After a pause, Zhang Yu said, "I have come here today for three reasons: first, to inspect local farming; second, to inquire about the situation in Youzhou; and third, to plan an attack on Yuan Shao."

"Please enlighten me, my lord!"

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and asked, "Since Tadun was beheaded, what is the situation of the Wuhuan tribes? And what is the situation of the various prefectures in Youzhou now?" With things in Jizhou on track, Zhang Yu was finally able to turn his attention to the northern frontier and prepare to deepen his rule over Youzhou.

Yan Rou rose from his stool, cupped his hands, and said, “Reporting to Your Majesty, Tadun has been beheaded, and the Wuhuan tribes have fled beyond the Great Wall. According to reports from Wuhuan informants, Gongsun Du sent envoys to confer titles upon the various tribal chiefs, but the chiefs have been hesitant and have not yet made a decision. I fear that if they surrender to Liaodong, Your Majesty will once again raise troops to conquer them.”

"In my humble opinion, Your Majesty should send envoys north to pacify the Wuhuan tribes, relocate them to the border cities, bind them to their fiefdoms, and collect troops and taxes, following the example of the Xianbei and Xiongnu. If the Wuhuan submit to Liaodong, given the rugged terrain of Liaodong, it will be difficult to mobilize troops for a distant expedition!"

Zhang Yu frowned slightly and asked, "Where does Gongsun Du get the audacity to send envoys to bestow titles upon the various Chanyu tribes?"

Yan Rou sorted out her thoughts and said, "Gongsun Du was initially a minor official in Xuantu, and later he was appointed governor of Liaodong during Dong Zhuo's reign. Since taking charge of Liaodong, Gongsun Du has annexed vassal states, dominated the eastern coast, and gathered refugees. He first conquered Lelang and occupied Xuantu; later he subdued Fuyu, campaigned against Goguryeo, defeated the Xianbei in the west, and his fame shook Liaodong, subduing foreign barbarians."

According to traveling merchants, Gongsun Du had tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry under his command, and was often referred to as having 100,000 soldiers. Since the collapse of the Central Plains, Gongsun Du divided the counties of Liaodong into Pingzhou, and proclaimed himself the Marquis of Liaodong and the Governor of Pingzhou. He set up an altar south of Xiangping City, where he offered sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, performed the Jitian ceremony, trained his troops, rode in a phoenix chariot, wore a nine-tassel crown, and was accompanied by the Imperial Guards. His movements were comparable to those of the emperor.

"As far as Rou knows, Gongsun Du is a man of great talent. He annexed Liaodong and subdued foreign barbarians. Although his territory is remote, he has Han and Hu people as his henchmen. He also predicted that Your Excellency would not be able to launch a distant expedition to Liaodong."

Although the prefectures of Liaodong were remote, they had a registered population of nearly 700,000 during the Yonghe period. By the end of the Han Dynasty, the population of these prefectures may have decreased, but it still numbered at least 400,000 to 500,000, which laid the foundation for Gongsun Du's dominance in Liaodong.

After establishing his regime in Liaodong, Gongsun Du, in order to expand his power, not only launched campaigns against Buyeo and Goguryeo, but also reformed his own forces, reorganizing more than a hundred powerful clans within the prefecture so that he could register them as commoners. In addition, he also gathered refugees, causing the population of Liaodong to surge, which gave Gongsun Du the foundation to support tens of thousands of soldiers.

After a series of operations to expand his power, Gongsun Du changed the Liaodong vassal state into a prefecture and established two prefectures, Liaoxi and Zhongliao, thus possessing five prefectures. Only then did he call himself the so-called Governor of Pingzhou.

"My lord, Gongsun Du has no less than 30,000 troops. If our army were to conquer him, we would have to travel thousands of miles and would need twice the number of troops. At present, Yuan Shao has not been subdued and Yuan Shu is powerful. Therefore, my lord would be better off pacifying Gongsun Du and appeasing the Wuhuan tribes, so that Youzhou would have no worries about its rear." Guo Tu said, "If we let Gongsun Du subdue the Wuhuan, I fear that Liaodong will suddenly attack Youzhou."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said, "Liaodong is remote and dangerous, and attacking it is like taking a chicken rib. We can appease it now. Since Gongsun Du has called himself the Governor of Pingzhou and the Marquis of Liaodong, then he should be formally enfeoffed as the Marquis of Xiangping County and General Fenyang, so as to appease him and encourage him to fight against the barbarians."

After a pause, Zhang Yu said, "In addition, Zirun will lead the Datong Army back north to protect the position of Wuhuan General and to pacify the Wuhuan tribes on my behalf."

"Yes, sir!" Yan Rou replied.

"What about the other prefectures of Youzhou?" Zhang Yu asked.

“Reporting to Your Excellency, military power is held by the prefects or generals of each prefecture, and Governor Liu may issue orders to mobilize troops. When the siege of Youzhou was lifted, Governor Liu granted military power to Liao, and when Liao attacked Gongsun Zan, he mobilized 10,000 elite troops from various prefectures of Youzhou to fight alongside him, under the command of General Xianyu Fu,” Zhang Liao said.

With that, Zhang Liao took out the tiger tally from his bosom and presented it, saying, "The military tally of Youzhou is here; please accept it, my lord."

Zhang Yu fiddled with the military tally, then casually slipped it into his pocket, and said, "Gongda, send an envoy to Youzhou to inquire about the detailed troop strength of each prefecture, and have all departments submit lists of their troops and generals."

"promise!"

"Is there anything else to report in Youzhou?" Zhang Yu asked, glancing at Xianyu Fu.

After considering the matter for a moment, Xianyu Fu stepped down and reported, "Your Majesty, I believe that Youzhou is remote and that to reach the counties of Youyan, one must travel thousands of miles through Jizhou. I believe that Hebei has many waterways, and we can dredge the canals so that Your Majesty can control Youzhou from afar. In the future, if we conquer Liaodong, the military provisions can be transported to Youzhou, which will save the laborers from exhaustion."

"Open up waterways?"

Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow and asked, "I wonder which two waterways you wish to dredge, and from where they meet?"

Xianyu Fu said, “During the Han Dynasty, the Yellow River changed its course and used to flow into the Bohai Sea. If Your Majesty could divert water into the old river channel and supplement it with other waters, and then connect it to the Lu River to the north, it could flow into the Bohai Sea from Yuyang County. Youzhou was known as the Nine Rivers in ancient times, and the river water was abundant. Supplementing the old river channel would not only facilitate the transport of grain but also the transport of troops.”

In the early Eastern Han Dynasty, the Yellow River did not flow into the sea in Qingzhou, but rather in the area where Jizhou and Youzhou met. Hejian Commandery was named because it was located between the Haihe River and the Yellow River, while Bohai Commandery was named because it was located in the Bohai Sea.

As for the Haihe River, it wasn't actually a single river in the narrow sense during the Han Dynasty. Instead, it consisted of nine rivers that flowed into the sea, hence the name "Nine Rivers." The formation of the Haihe River, besides being influenced by natural geography, was also inseparable from human intervention.

Zhang Yu frowned in thought, then looked at the accompanying scholars and asked, "I have heard of the old course of the Yellow River. But have you heard of the grain transport that you mentioned, sir?"

ps: There are two more chapters in the evening

(End of this chapter)