Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 425 The Achievements of Emperor Gaozu, Heroes Rise Together

Chengdu, April.

Inside the state capital, Sun Ce knelt on a couch, his handsome face displaying an air of authority. His trusted civil and military officials sat on either side, quietly awaiting his words.

Although Sun Ce succeeded Sun Jian, his past bravery and decisiveness in quelling the rebellion in Ba and Shu were enough to win over Sun Jian's former subordinates.

Sun Ce gathered his thoughts and said in a deep voice, "Zhang Yu has decisively defeated Yuan Shao, annexed Ji Province, and You Province has submitted a memorial. His military might is unmatched. According to the messenger, Zhang Yu has not yet returned to Guanzhong and is temporarily residing in Ye City, intending to attack Yuan Shao again. This is the situation in the north."

"In the two provinces of Jing and Yang, Cao Cao occupied Huainan and conquered Jiangzuo in the south, gradually increasing his power, and Yuan Shu suffered greatly from him. Although Liu Bei in Jingnan had fewer troops, he had been engaged in military affairs for a long time and seemed to have the potential to occupy the four counties of Jingnan. Meanwhile, Yuan Shu faced enemies to the east and south, and in the north he had accepted Yuan Shao as the King of Qi, and was about to clash with Zhang Yu. This is a summary of the situation in the south."

"Given the current state of affairs, what are your thoughts?" Sun Ce asked earnestly.

Wu Jing pondered for a long time before saying, "My late father has unfortunately passed away. General, you have won the battle against the rebellion. Now, the prefectures of Bashu are relatively peaceful, but powerful clans in the south are entrenched. I believe that our army needs to recuperate and rebuild, and to appease the people. We should also suppress the powerful clans in the south and expand our military strength."

"Although Bashu has suffered from the chaos of war, its treasury is still full. But now the world is in turmoil, it is easy to defend Bashu, but difficult to go out and make a name for ourselves. If we do not take advantage of the changes in the world to fight, we may be destroyed by Zhang Yu."

Sun Ce sighed, patting his knee, and said, "The powerful clans of the South seem arrogant, but they are in reality mere clowns. If we can conquer the South, and wage war this year, we can be safe in the autumn and winter. However, with the world in chaos, if we do not expand our territory, how can Ba ​​and Shu survive for long?"

Although Sun Jian occupied Yizhou, it was not a complete Yizhou, but rather a Yizhou that lacked Hanzhong in the north and Nanzhong in the south. The counties of Nanzhong were nominally submissive, but the governors sent by Sun Ce were unable to govern them.

Even so, Sun Ce did not consider conquering Nanzhong for the time being. After all, even if Nanzhong was in turmoil, it would not affect Bashu, and besides, he could attack Nanzhong at any time. If he did not seize the opportunity to contend for hegemony, the Sun family's regime in Bashu would lose its meaning.

“Yuan Shu is arrogant, extravagant, and licentious. Cao Cao and Liu Bei are both his enemies. My late father also died because of his campaign against Yuan Shu. Therefore, our army should take Jingzhou and see if we can take it to strengthen ourselves,” Huan Jie said after a moment’s thought.

"We can follow Mr. Huan's suggestion and launch another campaign against Yuan Shu!"

Xu Kun straightened his back, clasped his hands, and said in a deep voice, "Our late lord died from an arrow wound, and our army should avenge him first. Moreover, Yuan Shu usurped the throne and declared himself emperor, greatly losing the hearts of the people. His army is weak, and our army can easily defeat him by sailing downstream!"

Sun Ce remained silent for a moment, then looked around at everyone in the hall and asked, "Do any of you gentlemen have different opinions?"

After a long silence, the scholar with the most distinguished appearance at the end of the table raised his voice and said, "If we attack Jingzhou, my late father will not rest in peace!"

"Be bold!"

Xu Kun, slightly angered, saw that it was Fa Zheng, whom Sun Ce had exceptionally promoted, and scolded him, "How dare you speak so recklessly about the grudge of the late lord! Get out of here now!"

"Please allow me to hear what Mr. Fa has to say!"

Upon seeing Fa Zheng step forward, Sun Ce sat up straight and beckoned to the others not to rush.

Fa Zheng rose from his seat and, under the angry glares of the crowd, walked to the center with neither arrogance nor servility. He bowed to the people around him and asked, "General Xu, what was the purpose of my late father's arduous campaign in Bashu?"

Xu Kun said calmly, "Yuan Shu betrayed the Han Dynasty, causing chaos in the provinces and prefectures. My late father led troops to Bashu, firstly to punish Yuan Shu, and secondly to pacify the region, upholding righteousness and punishing the wicked."

Xu Kun's evasive approach did not frighten Fa Zheng. Instead, Fa Zheng asked further, "According to you, my late father rose up in Bashu to uphold righteousness and punish the wicked. Then I ask you, what is righteousness and what is wickedness in this world?"

"This~"

Xu Kun was speechless and didn't know how to answer.

"The so-called righteousness and immorality are nothing but pretexts. The world is in chaos, the Han Dynasty is declining, and the current struggle for supremacy is nothing more than annexing the weak, dominating a region, and coveting the imperial artifacts. If you gentlemen speak with such conviction, using righteousness to punish immorality, then considering the vastness of our territory, the greater good of the world lies with Zhang Yu. Therefore, why not surrender Ba and Shu to Zhang Yu?" Fa Zheng raised his voice and looked around at the crowd, saying.

Huang Gai's expression turned slightly serious as he asked, "May I ask, Master Fa, why do you speak of attacking Yuan Shu, words that would have troubled my late father?"

Fa Zheng waved his sleeves and paced back and forth, saying, "Although taking Jingzhou can avenge our late lord, I ask you all, if we take Jiangling, how will we coexist with the four families of Yuan, Sun, Cao, and Liu?"

"Cao Cao aspires to rule the world, and while he has established an emperor and established himself in the southeast, we can still coexist with him. However, Liu Bei is stationed in Jingnan. When you, General, take Jiangling, it will be the time when Liu Bei controls four commanderies. At that time, you will be at odds with Yuan Shu in the north and Liu Bei in the south. I ask you, General, how will you position yourself?"

“If Cao Cao advances westward, then the four families will divide up Jingzhou. Your Excellency, if you sail eastward down the river and transport troops over a thousand miles, how can you contend with Cao Cao and Liu Bei? Moreover, Yuan Shu is eyeing Jingzhou and Fancheng, and he cannot defend Jiangling. What benefit would you gain from taking it?” Fa Zheng spoke eloquently.

"The reason why you, General, have formed an alliance with Liu Bei and Cao Cao is simply because Yuan Shu is a formidable enemy. However, you border both of them, so how can you speak of forming an alliance with them? Therefore, going east to attack Yuan Shu would not only be a waste of troops, but would also be difficult to accomplish. I ask you, would my late father be willing to accept this?"

"When my late father attacked Yuan Shu, his intention was nothing more than to intimidate him and prevent him from daring to attack us, and to seize Jingnan in order to control Yuan Shu. However, Liu Bei rose to power in Jingnan, and Cao Cao gained benefits in the southeast, so this plan could not be accomplished!"

Fa Zheng's words gave everyone in the hall pause for thought, and they had to admit that Fa Zheng had considered things from a long-term perspective. Sun Ce was delighted and respectfully asked, "What are your thoughts, sir? I am all ears!"

Fa Zheng stopped and said solemnly, "Zhang Yu is now leading troops on a distant expedition to the Central Plains, so General, you should urgently plan for Hanzhong!"

"The people of Hanchuan number nearly 100,000 households, and the land is rich and fertile. It borders the Qinling Mountains to the north, the Bashan Mountains to the south, and the natural barrier of Yangping to the west. It is fortified on all sides and serves as the gateway to Yizhou. If you, General, obtain it, then Bashu will have a secure gateway. With military provisions stored inside and various passes guarded outside, even a million enemies will be unable to advance."

Fa Zheng bowed to Sun Ce and said, "If General cannot take Hanzhong, then Bashu will have no defenses. Without defenses, our foundation will be difficult to maintain. Wouldn't that be a betrayal of our late lord's hard work?"

"Hanzhong?"

Han Dang exclaimed in surprise, "Ever since Zhang Yu conquered Longyou, Zhang Lu has been terrified and has sent envoys to establish friendly relations every year. Because of our shared surname, Zhang Yu was appointed as the governor of Hanzhong, allowing him to occupy Hanzhong. Our army has been on good terms with Zhang Yu since my late father. When my late father raised his army, Zhang Yu provided him with military aid. Now that we are attacking Zhang Lu, I fear that Zhang Yu will be angry and thus hold a grudge against the Sun family."

Fa Zheng disagreed, shaking his head and laughing, saying, "How can one contend for supremacy without making enemies? In the past, Zhang Yu provided military aid only to enable my late father to attack Yuan Shu, so that he could monopolize Yuan Shao's power. Besides, although Zhang Lu sent envoys to establish friendly relations with Zhang Yu, did he say he was submitting to Zhang Yu?"

"The land under heaven belongs to the virtuous. If you, General, can take Hanzhong, with the Qinling Mountains and Yangping as natural defenses, Zhang Yu's troops will not be able to advance. What worries do you have then?"

Han Dang frowned and nodded, saying, "What Mr. Fa said makes sense, but Hanzhong is difficult to conquer, and I'm afraid Zhang Yu's troops will come to our aid."

Sun Ce narrowed his eyes and said, "Zhang Yu is far away in Hebei, and he will probably attack Yuan Shao again this year. The counties in Guanzhong are vulnerable. If our army launches a northern expedition to Hanzhong, Zhang Yu will be unable to come to our aid. We only need to worry about Zhang Lu's troops."

"Of course!"

Fa Zheng laughed and said, "Although Zhang Lu sent envoys to befriend Zhang Yu, he is also worried that Zhang Yu will annex Hanzhong. Therefore, even if Zhang Lu knows that our army is attacking, it is impossible to predict whether he will ask Zhang Yu for help!"

Sun Ce looked at Fa Zheng and asked, "Master, if we take control of Hanzhong, how will we deal with Zhang Yu?"

Fa Zheng, with a solemn expression, said, “Now that we have captured Hanzhong, General, we should expand agriculture and stockpile grain, and observe the changes in the world. If we take advantage of the enemy’s weakness, we can gradually encroach on Yong and Liang, and expand our territory. If the enemy holds strategic points, we can defend them and make it a protracted strategy. If Hanzhong is lost, it will not be too late for you to follow Dou Rong’s example of returning to the righteous path!”

“If we act in this way, we will be facing Zhang Yu in battle!” Xu Kun said.

"It's only a matter of time before we engage in battle with Zhang Yu!"

Sun Ce revealed his true feelings, saying, "Our army holds Ba and Shu, while Zhang Yu's ambition lies in the whole world. If Zhang Yu pacifies the Central Plains and then marches south to Yizhou, how can our army not fight him!"

With that, Sun Ce rose, sword in hand, his fighting spirit high, and said, "Moreover, the world is not yet at peace, and the outcome is unpredictable. In the past, when Jin was strong, Qin dared not venture eastward. But when Jin was divided into three states, the kings of Qi and Chu became hegemons. After Qin's reforms, the weak Qin ultimately conquered the world. Now, although Zhang Yu occupies the north, Liaodong is not yet pacified, Yuan Shao still exists, and Yuan Shu is powerful. But I will rise up in Ba and Shu, launch a northern expedition to Guanzhong, and perhaps I can achieve the same success as Emperor Gaozu!"

Sun Ce was only twenty-four or twenty-five years old, a time of youthful passion and ambition, eager to achieve great things. In Sun Ce's eyes, Zhang Yu had managed to conquer such a vast territory in just over twenty years, and he was unwilling to be inferior to Zhang Yu. He longed to lead the Sun family to glory.

“General, you have lofty ambitions, which is why I admire you!” Fa Zheng said.

Sun Ce calmed down slightly, looked at his inner circle of confidants, and asked, "You are all former ministers of the late emperor. I intend to attack Hanzhong. Do you have any objections?"

Huan Jie stroked his beard and recited, saying, "Lord Fa's words are sincere. Hanzhong is the gateway to Bashu. Compared to Jingzhou, it should be the gateway. It is inevitable that we will become enemies with Zhang Yu. If we do not take advantage of Zhang Yu's campaign in the Central Plains now, but wait until he is on guard, our army will find it difficult to conquer Hanzhong."

"In the past, Gongsun Shu lost his kingdom because he lost his navy and broke through Baidi City. Therefore, if you can take Hanzhong and befriend the people of Jingchu, you will be able to focus on the northern expedition. At best, you can do what Jin and Qi did, carving out territory and becoming a regional hegemon; at worst, you can emulate what Dou Rong did, offering up land and submitting to the Central Plains."

"Since you are the ruler of Yizhou, General, I dare not disobey!" Han Dang said solemnly, "If you wish to conquer Hanzhong, I am willing to be the vanguard."

……

Seeing that no one had any objections, Sun Ce smiled and said, "In that case, prepare the troops and supplies, and we will launch a northern expedition in a few days."

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

Sun Ce bowed to Fa Zheng and said, "Sir, your strategies are outstanding. I wish to appoint you as my military advisor so that I may consult you on military matters."

"I am truly honored!" Fa Zheng said, feigning trepidation.

Fa Zheng was originally from Fufeng. When Zhang Yu attacked Li Jue, Fa Zheng and Meng Da fled south to Bashu to avoid the war. During Liu Zhang's reign, due to their youth and the turbulent political situation, they were not given important positions.

It wasn't until Sun Jian entered Shu that Fa Zheng and Meng Da were recruited into official positions. Since Sun Ce came to power, he was eager to select talented individuals, and Fa Zheng was appreciated by Sun Ce for his outstanding military strategies, thus becoming a trusted confidant. Now, the talk of launching an expedition to Hanzhong was less about Fa Zheng persuading Sun Ce and more about persuading the elders of the Sun family.

(End of this chapter)