Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 426 What can Zhang Yu do to me?

Liaodong, Xiangcheng.

"Yuan Shao controlled four provinces, with Ji Province boasting a large and prosperous population of one million, yet he was easily defeated by Zhang Yu. Now, he has fled to the coast and humbly begs for my help. This truly surprises me!"

Gongsun Du raised the letter, his tone full of disdain for Yuan Shao, and said smugly to the people around him.

Since Zhang Yu returned to Ye City, all troops have been actively preparing for war. Yuan Shao keenly sensed Zhang Yu's movements. In order to avoid Yuan Shu breaking his promise and to better resist Zhang Yu's expedition, he adopted the suggestion of Wang Xiu from Qingzhou and sent an envoy from Donglai across the sea to Liaodong to invite Gongsun Du to send troops to Youzhou.

Yang Yi hesitated for a moment, then said, “Your Highness, Ji Province has a large population and a military force of 100,000, making it a major province in the land. Since Yuan Shao lost Ji Province, he no longer has the strength to deal with Zhang Yu. Now, Zhang Yu has sent an envoy to appoint Your Highness as governor and to bestow upon Your Highness the title of marquis. His intention to make amends is sincere. Forgive my humble opinion, but Your Highness should reject Yuan Shao’s request and focus on dealing with Zhang Yu.”

Gongsun Du was slightly dissatisfied and said, "I am the king of Liaodong, why should I need the marquisate bestowed upon me by Zhang Yu? Besides, Zhang Yu's title is only that of a county marquis, and he holds the official position of Grand General. What qualifications does he have to bestow a title upon me? Now the Han dynasty is in decline, and the world is without a ruler. Who will determine the fate of the world? Who can predict the situation?"

Gongsun Du was no ordinary man. In his eyes, Liaodong was a dangerous and remote place, difficult for the Central Plains armies to conquer. He had dominated Liaodong for many years, commanding tens of thousands of troops, with Buyeo, Yemaek, and Goguryeo all submitting to him. Even if Zhang Yu was powerful, he was not afraid of Zhang Yu's conquest. He was the one who had to conquer Zhang Yu; how could Zhang Yu dare to conquer him?

Seeing that Gongsun Du was arrogant and domineering, and did not take Zhang Yu, the hegemon of the Central Plains, seriously, Liang Mao advised: "When the country was in turmoil, you sat in Liaodong and subdued the barbarians. You have done a great service. Zhang Yu was worried about the country and the people and pitied their displacement. He led his troops to first attack Li Jue and then defeat Yuan Shao. His merits and virtues are great and no one can match him."

"Yuan Shao suffered a crushing defeat and fled hastily to the coast. How could he possibly contend with Zhang Yu? Compared to him, the two are like stars compared to the bright moon. Zhang Yu's reason for winning over Your Highness is not out of fear, but because Hebei has just been pacified and the enemy threat in Henan has not yet been eliminated. Therefore, he sent an envoy to bestow titles upon Your Highness. Now Your Highness is leading troops westward. Whether you can conquer Youzhou is unknown, but you will certainly offend Zhang Yu. Therefore, I hope Your Highness will be cautious."

Gongsun Du's face darkened, and he said, "My Liaodong is east of the Bohai Sea, and the Buyeo and Yemaek have submitted. We can mobilize an army of 100,000. In the current situation, the strong prevail. What can Zhang Yu do to me?"

"Zhang Yu was powerful for a time, but now that we are not sending troops to attack him, do we intend to force the Central Plains to submit so that we can then punish Zhang Yu? Moreover, Dong Zhuo held the emperor hostage and commanded the feudal lords, and the Han people all submitted to him. Who could have predicted the division that would occur after Dong Zhuo's death?"

Liang Mao hesitated for a long time, then bowed and said, "May I ask how Your Highness compares to Tadun of Wuhuan?"

“In the past, Yuan Shao had many soldiers and generals, and he was also aided by Tadun and Gongsun Zan. However, Zhang Yu was able to defeat Tadun in the north and then capture Xindu in the south, annihilating Yuan Shao’s army of 100,000. Now, Yuan Shao’s army is not as large as Zhang Yu’s, and you are far away in Liaodong. May I ask Your Highness if you think we can succeed?”

“If we fail to achieve our goal now and anger Zhang Yu, once Zhang Yu has swept through the Central Plains, he will surely look eastward, and Liaodong will be in grave danger!” Liang Mao said sincerely. “In my humble opinion, Your Highness is already a powerful ruler in Liaodong, subduing all the barbarians. Isn’t that impressive? Why would you need to go to the Central Plains and compete with the powerful enemies there?”

After Liang Mao's rational analysis, the arrogant Gongsun Du calmed down considerably.

After a long silence, Gongsun Du asked, "Given the current state of affairs, what are your thoughts, Bofang?"

Liang Mao pondered for a moment and said, "In my opinion, the reason why Your Highness was able to dominate the counties of Liaodong is because of the strife in the Central Plains. If a hegemon emerges in the Central Plains, why doesn't Your Highness submit to him? You can sit on the shore of the Bohai Sea and observe the success or failure of the Central Plains. When the Central Plains are unified, Your Highness can submit a memorial to surrender and not lose the position of Dou Rong."

"Liang Jun's words are far too certain!"

Liu Yi rose from his seat, cupped his hands, and said, “Zhang Yu has millions of people under his rule and has the potential to conquer the world. However, Yuan Shu still controls Henan, and with Yuan Shao joining forces with him, their strength surpasses Zhang Yu’s. Moreover, the Yuan family has held high office for four generations, and their reputation resounds throughout the Central Plains. Zhang Yu comes from a humble background; how can he be compared to Yuan Shu?”

"Your Highness, Liaodong has 30,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry. We will send 40,000 infantry and cavalry to conquer Youzhou. If we can conquer it, Your Highness will have a chance to contend for the Central Plains. If we cannot conquer it, it is not too late to flee to Liaodong and Bohai and submit a memorial of allegiance!" Liu Yi said in a deep voice.

"Ok!"

Gongsun Du's brows relaxed slightly, and he smiled, "What Minister Liu said is similar to my own thoughts. If Zhang Yu can dominate Hebei, why can't I follow suit?"

"Zhang Yu is campaigning against Yuan Shao, leaving Ji and You provinces vulnerable. If I raise tens of thousands of troops to attack him, we might just succeed."

Gongsun Du's thinking is not hard to understand. He just wanted to try it out. If he could gain some benefits from the opportunity, he could participate in the struggle for hegemony in the Central Plains. If he couldn't gain any benefits, he would retreat to Liaodong, submit to Zhang Yu, and live a peaceful life as a local emperor in Liaodong, watching the rise and fall of the Central Plains.

Seeing Gongsun Du's arrogance, Liang Mao gave up trying to persuade him and instead agreed, respectfully returning to his seat.

Although Gongsun Du was talented, he was narrow-minded. Since taking office, anyone who offended him had been subjected to his retaliation. Especially after dominating Liaodong for a long time, he became arrogant, believing that with the remoteness of Liaodong and his troops, no one would dare to invade his borders.

Liang Mao knew Gongsun Du's temperament well, and since his persuasion had failed, he dared not say more lest he anger Gongsun Du.

While Gongsun Du, arrogant and overconfident, accepted Yuan Shao's invitation to send troops to Youzhou, Liu Bei, resting and regrouping in Ling County, is now troubled by the current situation.

Inside the county government building, Liu Bei sat cross-legged, staring at the map on the wall with a solemn expression.

"Brother!" Guan Yu stepped into the hall, bowed to Liu Bei, and said, "The grain supplies from Guiyang County have been transported by me and have now been counted and stored."

After Liu Bei captured Ling County, considering its importance, he personally took charge of the area. Guan Yu, on the other hand, was appointed Prefect of Guiyang and led troops to conquer the counties of Guiyang before taking charge of Chen County. Now, to transport military supplies to Ling County, Guan Yu, fearing the supplies might be lost, personally escorted them.

"Yun Chang, you've worked hard!"

Liu Bei looked up at Guan Yu and asked, "What is the current household registration number in Guiyang? How many soldiers are there?"

Guan Yu pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Guiyang County has 30,000 to 40,000 registered households and a population of about 200,000. I have expanded my army, and now the county has 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers."

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, many household registrations in the southern prefectures were falsified. Guiyang Prefecture had a population of over 500,000 during the Yonghe era, but the actual number of registered households today is not just 50%, but more than 30%.

"The army numbered five or six thousand, and together with the troops from Cangwu and Lingling counties, the total number of soldiers was nearly seventeen or eighteen thousand. If we lured the barbarian soldiers to join the campaign, our army could reach twenty thousand men."

Liu Bei gestured for Guan Yu to sit down, then frowned and said, "Yuan Shao submitted a memorial to the emperor and Sun Jian was killed in battle at Jiangling. These two events have greatly enhanced Yuan Shu's prestige. Although I now control three commanderies, have 20,000 troops, and have relatively abundant provisions, my troops are mostly old and weak, and are no match for Yuan Shu. If we wish to succeed, we need external assistance!"

"It would be better to present a memorial to Shouchun now, requesting the Emperor to appoint you as the Governor of Jingzhou, and to discuss with Cao Cao the matter of attacking Yuan Shu." Chief Clerk Jiang Wan said with his hands clasped: "Although the Emperor of Shouchun is not legitimate, he still has the blood of the Liu family. You, my lord, respect the Han Dynasty, and now you are fighting for the greater good to attack Yuan Shu. You still need to join forces with Cao Cao."

Jiang Wan was from Lingling County. After Liu Bei took control of Lingling County, he recruited many powerful local families to gain their support. Among them, Jiang Wan, though young, had extraordinary insight, so Liu Bei appointed him as his chief clerk.

Liu Bei pondered for a moment and said, "Sending an envoy to Shouchun to seek help from Cao Cao is not impossible. However, Yuan Shu has a large army and many generals. If Cao Cao is only used to hold back the enemy, how can our army possibly capture Changsha?"

Jiang Wan smiled and said, "My lord, do not forget Zhang Yu of Hebei?"

Liu Bei looked thoughtful and said, "Zhang Yu is far away in Hebei, fighting against Yuan Shao. How can he possibly help our army?"

Jiang Wan said, "Zhang Yu has no intention of conquering the south, but Yuan Shu may march north. Yuan Shu usurped the throne and declared himself emperor, and now Yuan Shao has sent an envoy to submit to him. If Yuan Shao is in danger, Yuan Shu will surely raise an army and march north. At that time, Cao Cao will be in Jiangzuo, so why should you worry about not being able to take Changsha!"

Liu Bei nodded and said, "Gongyan's words make sense. Right now, we should focus on training our troops diligently so that we can prepare for a major upheaval in Jingzhou and then have a foundation for our attack."

"Brother, why be so fussy!"

Zhang Fei shouted, "Qiao Rui is stationed in Changsha, a fortified city with heavy troops, making it difficult to attack. However, Jiaozhou is a convenient location. Shi Xie is withholding supplies and intends to destroy our army. We should head south to conquer Nanhai, and then we can deal with Yuan Shu later."

After Liu Bei captured the important town of Ling County, Yuan Shu was furious. He then adopted his subordinates' plan and sent an envoy to appoint Shi Xie as the governor of Jiaozhou in exchange for Shi Xie cutting off his support to Liu Bei.

Shi Xie had no intention of being an enemy of Yuan Shu. Especially after seeing Yuan Shu appoint him as the governor of Jiaozhou and order him to oversee the counties of Jiaoling, Shi Xie, after some consideration and taking into account various factors, finally agreed to Yuan Shu's request.

Shi Xie then cut off Liu Bei's supplies and, citing a rebellion in Jiaozhou, ordered his generals to lead their troops back. Fortunately, someone tipped him off, and Liu Bei preemptively executed the officers and soldiers under Shi Xie's command, and then incorporated Shi Xie's troops into his own army.

After this incident, the Shi and Liu families were essentially at odds, except that they didn't actually fight. It was just that Shi Xie had no intention of provoking Liu Bei and was single-mindedly focused on being his own local tyrant, so he did nothing more than block the road to Jiaoling.

Seeing Zhang Fei spouting nonsense, Liu Bei rebuked him, saying, "Yide, stop talking nonsense! There are many barbarians in Jiaoling, and it is a wild and desolate place. If we fight against Shi Xie now, and Qiao Rui leads his troops south, won't our army be attacked from both sides?"

Zhang Fei said sheepishly, "Living in Ling County, our alliance has been broken, the situation is difficult, and I'm in a bad mood!"

Liu Bei sighed and said, "How does the current situation compare to when we were temporarily under Yuan Shu's command? Now we have three commanderies and 20,000 infantry and cavalry, far better than when we were at the mercy of others. The situation is difficult now, but we will wait for the times to change, and then we will surely have our day to achieve great things."

Regardless of how historical circumstances changed, Liu Bei's unwavering perseverance remained constant. From Luoyang to Wancheng, then from Wancheng to Guangxin, and from Guangxin to his present location, Liu Bei diligently transformed his environment. Now, Liu Bei has gradually gained prestige and become a regional warlord.

As he spoke, Liu Bei looked at everyone and said, "Now that our army has expanded, most of them are weak and newly recruited soldiers. All generals need to train them well."

"Yes, sir!" the crowd replied in deep voices.

(End of this chapter)