Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 437 Hebei is at peace, and he will become the King of Tang.

Zhang Yu's strategic vision was undeniably far-sighted. After subjugating the counties of Longyou, he considered the possibility that Sun Jian would occupy Bashu. Therefore, in order to split Bashu and facilitate his southern campaign against Bashu, Zhang Yu chose to make peace with Zhang Lu.

On the issue of gaining or losing Hanzhong, Zhang Yu had a very clear understanding: Hanzhong could not be his, but it absolutely could not be occupied by the Bashu regime. After all, history shows that any Sichuan regime that lost Hanzhong almost inevitably faced conquest.

Zhang Yu may not need to ask for help during Sun Ce's northern expedition to Hanzhong, but Sun Ce will definitely cause more trouble for Zhang Yu during the later southern expedition and on the road to unifying the world. Therefore, the rescue now is to save effort for later.

Fortunately, Zhang Yu allowed his soldiers to take turns resting before setting out on the expedition. Otherwise, after fighting for several months, and now having to travel thousands of miles to provide relief, the troops would likely be exhausted by the time they reached Hanzhong, let alone be able to fight.

Not to mention that after the military order was issued, the scouts rode day and night, hoping to deliver the letter to Xu Huang and Shi Yi as soon as possible.

Due to Zhang Yu's voluntary withdrawal, the Yuan families, except for the besieged Bohai Commandery, were the first to withdraw their troops from the Central Plains battlefield. However, the conflict between Lü Bu and Zhang Miao in Yanzhou was still unresolved, especially since Ji Ling was ordered by Yuan Shu to lead an expedition against Lü Bu.

The war between Lü Bu and Zhang Miao began with Zhang Miao seizing Jiyin Commandery by taking advantage of a betrayal. However, as Lü Bu led his army back to reinforce the area, he defeated Zhang Miao at Dingtao, not only recapturing Dingtao but also extending the war to Chenliu Commandery. Had Ji Ling not marched north in time, Lü Bu might have taken advantage of the situation to advance to Yongqiu.

Lü Bu, having established a stronghold in Jiling, confronted Zhang Yu at Bo County. Upon learning that Zhang Yu had led his army westward, Lü Bu again sent Chen Qun as an envoy to request Zhang Yu's assistance in defeating Jiling.

Dongwuyang, Tang army camp.

Inside the main tent, Chen Qun presented Lü Bu's letter, saying, "General Lü has few troops, while Ji Ling has many. Therefore, General Lü has appointed me as your envoy to request that you, my lord, send troops south."

Zhang Yu glanced at the letters briefly, then looked at Chen Qun and smiled, "I am largely unaware of the situation in Henan. Changwen is Lü Bu's chief clerk and is very familiar with the situation in Henan. Do you think I should send troops south?"

During his last mission, Chen Qun pledged his loyalty to Zhang Yu, and now, regarding affairs in Henan, Zhang Yu is willing to listen to Chen Qun's opinions. Or perhaps Zhang Yu wants to take this opportunity to test whether Chen Qun is truly willing to submit.

After pondering for a long time, Chen Qun said, "In my opinion, Your Majesty should not send troops south!"

"Why?"

Chen Qun cupped his hands and said, "General Lü controls the counties of Shanyang, Rencheng, and Peiguo, and has more than ten thousand soldiers. Now that you, my lord, have helped General Lü defeat Ji Ling, I fear that General Lü may plot against Chenliu or the counties of Yuzhou. If General Lü's forces are strong, I fear it will be difficult for you, my lord, to submit."

"If you, my lord, were to defeat Ji Ling, you might anger Yuan Shu. You have just withdrawn your troops from Qingzhou, and if you were to become embroiled in the military affairs of Yanzhou, wouldn't that benefit Yuan Shang?"

"If we don't send reinforcements to Lü Bu now, how can we resolve Lü Bu's current predicament?" Zhang Yu asked again.

“Ji Ling originally came to rescue Yuan Shao and his son. Now that you, my lord, have withdrawn your troops from Qingzhou, Ji Ling’s mission to rescue them is complete. If Ji Ling knows that you, my lord, are in Dongjun, he will surely fear that you will lead a large army south. Therefore, in my humble opinion, if you, my lord, send a letter to show off your power, Ji Ling will take advantage of the situation and withdraw. At that time, the siege of Lü Bu will be lifted on its own!” Chen Qun said.

Zhang Yu nodded in satisfaction. Chen Qun's words were undoubtedly for Zhang Yu's benefit. Ji Ling had a large army under his command. If Zhang Yu sent his troops south to fight against him, even if he could defeat Ji Ling, the territory he gained might end up with Lü Bu due to the adjacent borders.

Moreover, Zhang Yu now intends to end the war and wants to let the two Yuans fight each other first. If he gets involved in the military affairs of Yanzhou again, he may not be able to extricate himself in the short term.

Zhang Yu looked to his left and right and asked, "What do you gentlemen think of Changwen's view?"

"Reporting to Your Lordship!"

Guo Jia was the first to stand up and said, "What Lord Chen said is not without reason. Lü Bu is like a tiger and a wolf. If Lü Bu is allowed to get ahead, he may turn against you, my lord. Therefore, we must help Lü Bu break through Ji Ling's siege and not allow Lü Bu to seize control of Yan and Yu!"

“Now that there is fighting in Youzhou and Hanzhong, it is best for you, my lord, to cease hostilities and lift the siege. It is not advisable to launch a southern campaign against Yuan Shu for the sake of Lü Bu.” Jia Xu said, “Chen Jun’s opinion is feasible. Write a letter to Ji Ling and tell him to be sensible and withdraw his troops.”

"good!"

Seeing that no one objected, Zhang Yu said, "Since that's the case, then let's go with your suggestion. Wenhe, write a letter on my behalf and have someone deliver it to Lü Bu."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu looked at Chen Qun and said, “Return to Lü Bu. Lao Changwen relayed a message that Gongsun Du has gathered 50,000 Han and Hu troops to invade Youzhou. I must lead my troops to relieve the siege. In addition, Sun Ce has raised 100,000 troops to launch a northern expedition against Hanzhong. Zhang Lu’s army is in grave danger. Now, we should first retreat Ji Ling’s troops, and after I retreat the troops in Hanzhong and Liaodong, we will then attack Yuan Shu in the Central Plains.”

"To reward Lü Bu for his hard work in leading troops, I will provide him with eight hundred horses as a reward!"

"Yes, sir!" Chen Qun replied, accepting the order.

After Chen Qun withdrew, a scout suddenly came up to report.

"Good news! General Zhang has led his army to capture Nanpi, and Prefect Juhu has been killed in battle. All the counties of Bohai have now surrendered!" the scout reported. "Congratulations!"

Zhang Yu said with satisfaction, "Wen Yuan's achievements are outstanding. Now, under the jurisdiction of Bohai Commandery, Hebei is at peace. We only need to keep an eye on the two Yuans and see when they will fight each other."

"Send an order to Zhang Liao, instructing the troops of Youzhou to return to the province first, in case Xianyu Fu is no match for Gongsun Du."

"As ordered!"

Upon receiving Zhang Yu's letter, Ji Lingguo, just as Chen Qun had predicted, saw that his mission was accomplished and, fearing Zhang Yu's military might, took the initiative to lead his troops to retreat.

Although Lü Bu was dissatisfied with Zhang Yu's failure to send troops, he quickly put his dissatisfaction aside upon learning that Zhang Yu had 800 horses.

It should be noted that since he had been active in the Central Plains, he had lost many horses due to frequent battles. Furthermore, due to the difficulty in acquiring warhorses in the Central Plains, Lü Bu's cavalry force had dwindled. Now, Zhang Yu's donation of eight hundred horses greatly strengthened Lü Bu's army, which naturally pleased him.

As military affairs in the Central Plains subsided, conflicts arose between Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang in Qingzhou due to the loss of external enemies.

Upon learning of Zhang Yu's withdrawal, Yuan Tan, in order to reclaim the throne, intended to return to Linzi first and then gather his troops. However, Yuan Shang was prepared, and Chunyu Qiong, under Feng Ji's instruction, led his cavalry back to Linzi at breakneck speed, occupying the city before Yuan Tan.

When Yuan Tan arrived outside Linzi, he demanded that Chunyu Qiong open the gates for his army. However, Chunyu Qiong, citing the large population of Linzi, only allowed Yuan Tan to enter the city, while his troops were not permitted to enter.

Yuan Tan suspected that Chunyu Qiong wanted to kill him, so he abandoned his plan to return to Linzi and instead stationed his troops in Shouguang, Anping Commandery, where he summoned troops from Beihai and Donglai Commanderies. However, because Yuan Shang had offered him amnesty beforehand, Liu Xun, the governor of Beihai Commandery, refused to comply, and only Guan Tong, the governor of Donglai Commandery, led his troops to come.

Shouguang City, inside the county government building.

When Yuan Tan was discussing military matters with his advisors, he learned that Yuan Shu had chosen to appoint Yuan Shang as the King of Qi, which enraged him.

“When the late king was alive, he often said that he wanted to pass on the great cause to me. But now Yuan Shang has suddenly succeeded him, and there must be something unsavory about it. Moreover, Yuan Shang was born to a stepmother, while I, as the eldest son, have been falsely accused of not being the late king's son. How can I accept this!”

Yuan Tan was indignant and said, "Moreover, since the late king's defeat, I have welcomed him to the seaside and presented him with the seal of governor, which has made great contributions to the state of Qi. Yuan Shang is incompetent and only gained respect because of the late king's favor. Now that he has presumptuously become the king of Qi, he will surely ruin the foundation of the state of Qi."

Seeing Yuan Tan's anger, those around him dared not utter a sound. As Yuan Tan's confidants, they were also dissatisfied with Yuan Shao passing the throne to Yuan Shang.

Meng Dai rose from his seat, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness need not worry. Zhang Yu has already withdrawn his troops. Your Highness need not fret about Zhang Yu gaining profit. You may make a decision as soon as possible!"

Yuan Tan composed himself and asked, "What strategy do you have for me, sir?"

Meng Dai said, "Zhang Yu has retreated, and Yuan Shang has returned to the capital. Why don't you invite Yuan Shang to a banquet under the pretext of burying the late king, and then secretly ambush him to kill him? The matter can then be settled!"

Upon hearing this, those around him whispered amongst themselves, expressing differing opinions on Meng Dai's strategy.

Yuan Tan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yuan Shang and I are brothers. To kill a brother in the name of the late king would be against brotherly affection and even more against propriety and law."

Meng Dai sneered, "Your Highness is unaware that Feng Ji's plan was to have you adopted by the late King's elder brother as his heir. If Your Highness does not kill Yuan Shang now, Yuan Shang may want to kill you!"

Yuan Tan's face was contorted with rage as he said in a stern voice, "It was Feng Ji who slandered me, making me a separate son so that Yuan Shang could be the eldest legitimate son. Now that the two of them want to kill me, have altered the late king's will, and disregard familial bonds, then don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Yuan Tan's biggest grievance was that he had been adopted by another man by Yuan Shao. Now that Meng Dai had brought this up, it was impossible for Yuan Tan not to be furious.

"Your Highness, calm down!"

Wang Xiu, the former Prefect of Qingzhou, rose from his seat and moved to the center of the table. He bowed and said, “Your Highness, please hear me out. Brothers are like hands and feet. If brothers fight each other, it will only harm the soldiers and civilians of Qi. Wouldn’t this benefit Zhang Yu? Therefore, Your Highness should be careful.”

Su You refuted, saying, "The late king had long intended to pass the throne to Your Highness, but now he has suddenly passed it to Yuan Shang. I fear that Yuan Shang is plotting to usurp the throne. This is done out of necessity to rectify the foundation of the state."

Wang Xiu advised, "It would be better to proceed slowly. If the ambush fails, there will be chaos and war. If Zhang Yu were to profit from this, wouldn't that chill the heart of the late king?"

Yuan Tan said in a deep voice, "It's not that I can't tolerate Yuan Shang, but that he can't tolerate me!"

(End of this chapter)