Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 427 Ten Thousand Bears Surround the Tang King

In May, the summer harvest is completed and stored, marking the off-season for farmers.

As various powerful figures gradually gain influence, they may actually bring more turmoil to the seemingly stable situation.

Examples include Gongsun Du, who dominated Liaodong; Cao Cao, who controlled the southeast; Sun Ce, who carved out Bashu; Shi Xie, who closed himself off; and Liu Bei, who gradually gained power. Each of them commanded tens of thousands of troops and were heroes of their time.

If Zhang Yu wants to establish his power base, he must subdue or quell the aforementioned groups. However, for Zhang Yu now, the most crucial thing is how to defeat the Yuan clan.

"If it weren't for me in Hebei, who knows how many people would have rebelled, and how many more would have been displaced!"

Outside Ye City, Zhang Yu, riding a tall horse, personally inspected the newly formed Shenfu Army with his civil and military officials, and sighed with emotion.

While there may be an element of boasting in these words, they are also true in the context of the current situation.

If Zhang Yu had not raised an army in Shangdang, bandits such as the Baibo, Heishan, Xianbei, and Xiongnu would have plundered the various prefectures of Bingzhou, and border prefectures such as Yanmen, Dingxiang, and Shanggu would likely have already been occupied by the Xianbei and Wuhuan.

If Zhang Yu hadn't immediately launched a campaign against Li Jue, the Guanzhong region would likely have been devastated, triggering a massive influx of refugees fleeing south to Sichuan and Chongqing. As for conquering Longyou and pacifying Youzhou, those were practically decided in a single battle.

What Zhang Yu was most proud of was his conquest of Hebei. Unlike Cao Cao, he did not first slaughter a wave of young men and then fight for seven or eight years, massacring cities and villages, causing fear among the people of Ji Province.

Zhang Yu is qualified to say this because his existence as a fierce tiger of the north has spared the people of the north from much suffering.

Of course, once he has pacified the land, he may be able to say this more loudly and recount his achievements. But for now, he is merely a warlord, and is still quite far from representing the legitimate Chinese people.

Zhang Yu stopped his horse and saw a burly soldier, asking him a question.

Where is your home?

"A native of Guangping, Julu County!"

"What is your name?"

"Guo Liu!"

"How many times have you gone on expeditions?"

"I have been on eight expeditions, but I have never followed you, my lord!"

"Has the land in your family been divided up yet?"

"The land has been divided. In addition to the original seventy mu of land, we have received an extra one hundred mu of land based on the number of people."

"One hundred and seventy acres isn't enough to rely on just people; we also need an ox!"

"I don't have any cattle at home. I'm going to make a name for myself on this mission and bring back a cow!"

"nice!"

Zhang Yu praised, "Now that you are a soldier under my command, if you can achieve merit, I will not only give you a head of ox, but also a hundred oxen."

As he spoke, noticing the bow and arrows at Guo Liu's waist, he asked, "How is your archery skill?"

"I once hunted a fierce tiger with the villagers!"

"Very well, hereby bestow upon him a fine bow and twenty arrows."

Zhang Yu pointed his whip at Guo Liu and laughed, "The weapons are ready; now it's time to see your archery skills."

"I will certainly live up to your expectations, my lord!"

Guo Liu was taken aback when Zhang Yu bestowed a bow and arrows upon him. He was stunned for a moment, then blushed and answered in a hoarse voice. Everyone around him envied Guo Liu. Besides being questioned by Zhang Yu, the key was that he was given a fine bow and arrows. You should know that twenty top-quality arrows are worth as much as an acre of land, not to mention a good bow, which ordinary soldiers simply cannot afford.

After exchanging a few words, Zhang Yu continued inspecting the Shenfu Army. The newly formed Shenfu Army soldiers were mostly from Hebei; more accurately, they had previously fought for Yuan Shao. To win over the elite troops of Hebei, Zhang Yu had gone to great lengths to win them over. First, he immediately distributed land according to household quotas, ensuring the soldiers received tangible benefits. Then, Zhang Yu frequently spent time with surrendered generals, building greater trust with them.

Over the months, the surrendered generals in Hebei gradually came to admire Zhang Yu from the bottom of their hearts and were willing to serve him.

Zhang Yu, who came from the frontier, was a powerful ruler who suited the tastes of military generals. He was exceptionally skilled in horsemanship and archery, his archery skills were well-known, and his military strategies were comparable to those of a god. He was generous and magnanimous, and when he was with his officers, he would talk things out. He often liked to reward his fierce generals, from gold and silver to beautiful women, to weapons and armor. Almost all surrendered generals received rewards.

Compared to Zhang Yu, Yuan Shao, coming from a family that had held high office for four generations, while often rewarding his subordinates, held lowly views of lower-ranking military officers. Aside from a few generals who suited his tastes, he maintained a distance from most of his officers. For Yuan Shao, soldiers were more like tools, instruments on his path to unification.

In comparison, it's almost obvious who the Hebei soldiers and generals favored more: Zhang Yu, who was more compatible with them.

Soon, Zhang Yu finished inspecting the Divine Palace Army from beginning to end.

"Zilong, Junyi!"

"The general is here!"

Upon hearing Zhang Yu's summons, Zhao Yun and Zhang He rode forward.

"Although the Divine Palace Army is newly established, its soldiers are all veterans. Do not disappoint me in this southern campaign against Yuan Shao."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu looked at Zhang He and encouraged him, saying, "Junyi is resourceful in his military tactics and has the potential to be a famous general, while Zilong is calm and composed. The two of you can complement each other. In case of emergency, the two of you should discuss and act accordingly."

Zhang He solemnly replied, "When Your Majesty's army arrives, I and General Zilong will surely descend upon the plains."

"good!"

Zhang Yu nodded in satisfaction and said, "I await your good news!"

"promise!"

With command flags waving, Zhang He and Zhao Yun led their troops forward in a grand procession toward Pingyuan County!
After the two generals left, Zhang Yang rode forward and said worriedly, "My lord, Zhang Junyi led a large force to defect in the face of battle. This man is of despicable character and I'm afraid he is not worthy of your trust!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Since Zhang He has joined me, I cannot discriminate against him, but must treat him fairly. Moreover, Zhang He is skilled in military strategy, and now is the time for generals to demonstrate their prowess, how can I not give Zhang He an important position?"

"But~"

Zhang Yu raised his hand to interrupt, saying, "Trust those you employ, and don't employ those you don't trust. Uncle, there's no need for further words."

Zhang Yu must have harbored resentment towards Zhang He for defecting to the enemy on the eve of battle. However, considering that the situation in Ji Province was already settled, and that Zhang He would be unlikely to surrender to Yuan Shao again unless an emergency occurred, Zhang Yu boldly selected Zhang He to join the Divine Palace Army, and looked forward to seeing what kind of brilliant performance Zhang He would give under his command.

"Yes!" Zhang Yang said dejectedly.

The Shenfu Army, acting as the vanguard, is now marching ahead with a month's worth of provisions to conquer Pingyuan County.

Three days later, Li Song led 10,000 infantry and cavalry, carrying only a month's worth of provisions, to attack Dongjun.

Next came the armies of Zhang Liao and Man Chong. Zhang Liao led 20,000 troops to attack Bohai Commandery, while Man Chong led his troops alone to take Jibei Commandery.

Four days later, Zhang Yu led the main force of the central army, along with generals such as Zhang Yan, Gao Shun, and Xu Chu, totaling 30,000 men, which was the most valiant force in the Shanxi army.

The four armies totaled 65,000 men. If we include the tens of thousands of laborers that Du Ji later conscripted, Zhang Yu could be said to have 100,000 infantry and cavalry.

Of course, in addition to Zhang Yu's own troops, Lü Bu agreed to send troops to attack Yuan Xi after being persuaded by Chen Qun, in order to relieve the pressure on Zhang Yu.

On Yuan Shao's side, upon learning that Zhang Yu had led his troops on an expedition, Yuan Shao summoned the troops from Qing and Xu provinces, along with generals such as Gao Gan, Yuan Tan, and Chunyu Qiong, totaling over 40,000 men. He ordered Yuan Tan to lead 10,000 men out of Bohai to resist Zhang Liao's army. Meanwhile, Yuan Shao himself led over 30,000 men to Gaotang, intending to personally block Zhang Yu's army.

As for Yanzhou, Yuan Shao could only let Yuan Xi handle the situation himself and seek help from Yuan Shu to relieve Yanzhou's predicament.

P.S.: I'm experiencing writer's block today!
(End of this chapter)