Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 447 Hanchuan Presents a Memorial
In October, Xu Huang employed a feint attack, pretending to enter Hanzhong via the Ziwu Valley while actually launching a surprise attack via the Tangluo Road. The following day, he defeated Sun Ce's forces, pursuing them for over ten li, killing and capturing more than three thousand Shu soldiers, and his reputation shook Hanzhong.

Knowing he could not conquer Nanzheng and fearing Shi Yi, Xu Huang, and the subsequent reinforcements from Shanxi, Sun Ce adopted Fa Zheng's suggestion and ordered his army to cross the Han River to Hannan, stationing troops along the Han River at Liangshan and Dingjunshan, facing Nanzheng across the water.

After Sun Ce withdrew from Baocheng and Nanzheng, Xu Huang first contacted Shi Yi in Baocheng and arranged to meet in Nanzheng to discuss matters.

The two armies met fifteen miles outside the city. Generals Shi Yi, Xu Huang, and Ke Bi greeted each other on horseback.

"Shi Yi!"

"Gongming!"

"Lian!"

Xu Huang cupped his hands in praise of Shi Yi, saying, "You have held Baocheng for dozens of days and made a significant contribution to the victory. If you had not entered Hanzhong first, Zhang Lu would probably have already surrendered to Sun Ce."

As he spoke, Xu Huang asked with concern, "How are your troops doing?"

Shi Yi glanced back at his subordinates and said with a wry smile, "We have been trapped in the city for dozens of days, and there is no food left in the city. Fortunately, we have a lot of troops and horses under our command, so we can eat horse meat to fill our stomachs. However, Sun Ce piled up earth into mountains and ordered his troops to attack in turn. Because the city is short of arrows, it is becoming more and more difficult to resist. If it weren't for the general defeating Sun Ce, I'm afraid Bao City would not have been able to hold on."

When Shi Yi arrived in Hanzhong, he still had over three thousand men under his command. However, after several dozen days of steadfast defense, and under repeated attacks from the Shu army, his soldiers suffered nearly a thousand casualties. Had Xu Huang not arrived in Hanzhong in time and defeated Sun Ce's army, given the situation in Baocheng, Shi Yi would not have been able to hold out for long!
Knowing that Shi Yi was not easy to deal with, Xu Huang said, "If any of your soldiers are wounded, they can be sent to Nanzheng City to recuperate. The rest of the soldiers can rest here and let Nanzheng provide them with provisions to reward them well. If Your Majesty issues an edict to return the army, you can lead your troops back to your hometown first."

"I'll trouble you, General Gongming!"

Seeing that Xu Huang was taking care of him, Shi Yi said gratefully.

Taking advantage of a lull in the conversation, Kirby lightly touched Shi Yi's thigh with his whip and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is about to become king. Shi Yi will surely be richly rewarded for his merit in saving Hanzhong."

Although Kebi and Shiyi were gradually assimilated into Han culture, their shared Xianbei origins made them good friends. Now that Shiyi had made a great contribution, Kebi naturally had to tease him.

"Ha ha!"

Taking advantage of the moment of joking, Shi Yi asked, "Compared to the Yuan family, which family has more elite troops?"

"It is the Yuan family!"

Kirby laughed and said, "The reason our army was able to defeat Sun Ce was because the Shu army had few cavalry. Yuan Shao is different. If he could be easily defeated, why would you have spent months confronting him?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Yi said regretfully, "Your Excellency swept through Ji Province, while I was stationed in Longyou. Sun Ce is not like Yuan Shao. His mere rescue contribution is not worthy of comparison with you gentlemen. You two followed the army to the east to fight against Yuan Shao and made outstanding contributions to Your Excellency. Now you have also made contributions to the rescue of Hanzhong, which is beyond my ability to compare with."

"With warlords like Yuan Shu, Sun Ce, Cao Cao, and Tao Qian occupying various prefectures and counties, why should you worry about not having a day to realize your grand ambitions?" Xu Huang reassured him.

While the three were talking, Zhang Wei, on Zhang Lu's orders, went out of the city to greet them, invited the generals into the city to discuss military affairs, and presented them with a large amount of grain and fodder to reward the soldiers and officers of Shanxi.

Nanzheng, a prefecture.

Because he needed someone's help, when Xu Huang led his generals into the city, Zhang Lu led his men out of his residence to greet him and invited Xu Huang, Shi Yi, Ke Bi and other generals to sit down next to his deputy.

"Hanzhong was besieged by Sun Ce's army. Many thanks to the generals for their hard work in relieving the siege!"

Zhang Lu cupped his hands slightly and said, "A small feast will be prepared later. I hope you will do me the honor of having a drink."

Xu Huang said, "I am acting on the orders of Lord Zhang, and I dare not complain of my hard work. Now that the enemy is still at large, we should first discuss military matters."

"good!"

At Zhang Lu's signal, Zhang Wei asked, "Nanzheng City has 20,000 elderly and weak people and a million shi of grain, which should be enough to meet your army's needs. However, although Sun Ce's army has been defeated, he still occupies Hannan and has moved the people of Hanchuan south. I wonder what General Xu's opinion is?"

Xu Huang pondered for a moment and said, "To be honest, in order to defeat Sun Ce's forces, our army lost more than half of its horses and only a thousand cavalry are still usable. General Shi Yi, on the other hand, marched nearly three thousand li in half a month to aid Hanzhong, losing thousands of horses. Therefore, although our army has ten thousand elite soldiers, they are exhausted."

"Sun Ce's Shu army numbers in the tens of thousands. They are currently holding the Han River, intending to attack our army halfway across. Therefore, given the current situation, the best course of action is to do everything possible to protect the people of Hanchuan and confront Sun Ce across the river. If we are too hasty, it may backfire!"

Zhang Wei said in a strange tone, "General Xu is known as a famous general. He was able to defeat Sun Ce, so why can't he drive Sun Ce out of the country? If we let Sun Ce stay in Hannan for a long time, wouldn't we be handing over the people to Sun Ce!"

Xu Huang glanced coldly at Zhang Wei and said, "I am acting on Zhang Hou's orders to relieve the siege of Hanzhong, not on your behalf. If you believe you can defeat Sun Ce, you should cross the river and attack, then settle the score with Sun Ce." If Hanzhong were his own territory, Xu Huang might have tried everything to prevent Sun Ce from relocating people to Shu. However, since Hanzhong now belongs to Zhang Lu, rescuing Hanzhong is based on geographical considerations. Therefore, for Xu Huang, it is better to act cautiously and confront Sun Ce across the river, wearing him down until he is defeated, rather than risky military action.

Xu Huang wouldn't tolerate Zhang Wei's sarcastic remarks. Even though Zhang Wei was Zhang Lu's brother, Xu Huang didn't take him seriously. Don't forget that he was the one who saved Hanzhong from danger.

"You~"

"shut up!"

Zhang Lu sternly interrupted Zhang Wei, then changed his tone and said humbly, "General Xu, Marquis Zhang appointed me as the governor of Hanzhong, so I, Lu, will govern the people of Hanchuan on behalf of Marquis Zhang. Now, if one household of people in Hanchuan is relocated, Marquis Zhang will lose one household of people."

As he spoke, Zhang Lu looked at Yan Pu and said, "In the past, due to frequent wars and blocked roads, it was inconvenient to submit official documents. Now that the year is approaching, Hanzhong should submit its report in accordance with the law. I only hope that the general will prioritize the overall situation."

"Master!"

Seeing that Zhang Lu intended to offer Hanzhong to Zhang Yu, Zhang Wei had something to say, but was interrupted by Zhang Lu.

“General, you are a renowned general. All military affairs shall now be decided by you!” Zhang Lu said.

As Zhang Lu expressed his stance and revealed his intention to surrender, Xu Huang's expression changed. After all, if Zhang Lu surrendered, Xu Huang, as the commander-in-chief of the army, would also have a share of the credit. The more brilliantly he fought, the higher his position would be in the Tang Kingdom.

Xu Huang softened his tone and said, "Lord Zhang is worried about the military situation in Hanzhong, so besides me, there are two other forces on the road, with a total of nearly 10,000 men. If these 10,000 infantry and cavalry arrive, Sun Ce will have no superior military strength, and only then will we have a chance to drive Sun Ce out of Hanzhong."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lu bowed and smiled, saying, "I am deeply grateful for Lord Zhang's concern for Hanzhong. Since you are the commander-in-chief, the soldiers and civilians of Hanzhong are all under your command. I hope you will defeat Sun Ce as soon as possible."

Xu Huang returned the greeting and said, "It's my duty!"

Seeing that the two armies had reached an agreement, Guo Huai stepped forward and said, “General, Sun Ce wants to relocate the people of Hanchuan in order to weaken Hanzhong and strengthen Bashu. However, relocating people is difficult. The people are attached to their homeland and are unwilling to obey Sun Ce. Therefore, in my opinion, since you have the position of Heavenly Master, it would be better to lure the people to flee north, so that Sun Ce will not be able to find them.”

Xu Huang nodded slightly and looked at Zhang Lu, saying, "Sun Ce's soldiers are mostly from Shu and are unfamiliar with the geography of Hanzhong. If you can entice the people to flee north, it will be difficult for the people of Shu to relocate the people of Hanchuan!"

Zhang Lu pondered for a long time before saying, "I have a slight reputation in Hanzhong, and my followers are now spread throughout Hanchuan. It would not be difficult to get the people of Hannan to cross the river to the north. However, I would like to trouble you, General, to receive the people and prevent them from being harmed by the Shu army."

"Bo Ming" was Zhang Lu's self-deprecating remark. Zhang Lu established a theocratic government in Hanzhong, controlling the people of Hanchuan and the Ba people in the Daba Mountains. Now, it would not be difficult to lure the people of southern Han to northern Han through grassroots efforts; the only requirement was that Xu Huang could receive these refugees.

Historically, Cao Cao was able to relocate a large number of people from Hanzhong and send Zhang He deep into Bazhong to relocate the Cong people, all thanks to Zhang Lu's instigation. Without Zhang Lu's instigation, judging from Cao Cao's reaction to his plan to relocate the people of Huainan, hundreds of thousands of people from Huainan fled to Jiangzuo when they learned of Cao Cao's relocation efforts.

Therefore, Guo Huai's strategy can be described as brilliant. He seized upon Zhang Lu's extraordinary status and attempted to use the power of public opinion to wage a war against Sun Ce, who controlled military power, for control of the people of Hannan.

"good!"

After chatting for a few more minutes, Xu Huang politely declined Zhang Lu's invitation to a banquet and returned to his military camp with the other generals.

After everyone had left, Zhang Wei stayed behind and asked with dissatisfaction, "Brother, you have Hanchuan under your control and numerous households, living a very comfortable life. Why then do you offer Hanzhong to Zhang Yu?"

Zhang Lu, angered by their lack of ambition, said: "Hanzhong is a remote place, bordering Zhang Yu to the north and Sun Ce to the south. If Zhang Yu had not sent troops to its aid, Hanzhong would probably have already fallen to Sun Ce. Now, instead of making friends with powerful neighbors, you want to establish yourself, which will cut off your own path to survival."

"If you prove yourself capable and defend Yangping Pass, why would we need outsiders to send troops now?"

Compared to Zhang Lu, who was adept at assessing situations and knowing how to act accordingly, his younger brother Zhang Wei was solely focused on establishing his own independent regime. However, his military capabilities were poor, making him unrealistic and overly ambitious. If not for being Zhang Lu's brother, how could Zhang Wei have become the top military leader in Hanzhong?

Zhang Wei's face showed a hint of sullenness. Before the battle, he had indeed boasted that Yangping Pass could stop Sun Ce's advance. However, as the war progressed, Yangping Pass fell, and he fled back to Nanzheng to hold it, leaving Hanzhong in danger of being destroyed. Only because Zhang Yu intervened in the Hanzhong battlefield was Hanchuan preserved.

Seeing that Zhang Wei remained silent, Zhang Lu snorted and said, "Zhang Yu's troops are all in Hanzhong. Their strength far surpasses that of the Sun family, while our army is not as well-trained as the Sun family's. Therefore, if we do not know when to surrender, I fear that the day Xu Huang defeats Sun Ce will be the day we brothers are imprisoned."

Previously, Zhang Lu had hesitated to surrender to Zhang Yu after being persuaded by Yan Pu. However, now that Zhang Lu has witnessed the fighting power of the Shanxi army, he has decided to sincerely surrender to Zhang Yu.

“Brother, you are a respected teacher, why are you being so humble today?” Zhang Wei said, trying to make amends.

Zhang Lu said helplessly, "Xu Huang is a famous general under Zhang Yu and is highly valued by Zhang Yu. If you and I surrender to Zhang Yu, how can we not be on good terms with Xu Huang? If we offend Xu Huang and his men, and they slander us to Zhang Yu, how will we deal with that!"

Since he had joined Zhang Yu's forces, Zhang Lu naturally wanted to do well under Zhang Yu's command, and making good relationships with his trusted civil and military officials was the foundation for his success!
(End of this chapter)