Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 452 The Arrogance
Outside the Zichen Palace, a group of military officers gathered outside the gate, discussing matters with great enthusiasm.

"Xu Gongming defeated Sun Ce, relieved the siege of Hanzhong, and accumulated merits in the eastern campaign against Yuan Shao. His achievements are outstanding, and he will surely be ranked among the four generals, on par with General Wen Yuan," Xu Chu said with a wide grin.

I disagree!

Ma Chao said in a deep voice, "The General Who Guards the North has slain Tadun and destroyed Gongsun, and has rendered meritorious service in supporting the army. The General Who Guards the North has made outstanding achievements and holds a higher position than other generals. If Xu Gongming is ranked alongside the General Who Guards the North, it is only because Your Highness has no other choice."

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Zhang Liao glared at Ma Chao and said, "Xu Gongming fought against Yuan Shao and defeated all the enemy forces. Now he has the merit of rescuing Hanzhong. His achievements are higher than those of others. If you, my lord, appoint him as a general of the four directions, then the position will be rightfully his!"

Ma Chao remained silent, sullen. Apart from Zhang Liao and Man Chong, he looked down on the other generals. His use of Zhang Liao to belittle Xu Huang was simply an attempt to prove that his own achievements were not much inferior to Xu Huang's.

Zhang Liao's rebuke silenced the generals. Gao Shun, usually quiet, then slowly asked, "Are you all aware that His Highness has established the Privy Council to oversee the affairs of the various armies?"

"I've heard about it!"

Zhao Yun said, "Your Highness said that if civil officials are in charge of military affairs, it will be difficult to improve military preparedness. Only generals and officers should know about military matters, and those who do not know about military affairs should not be allowed to handle them."

"I fear General Zilong may be lying!"

Yan Xing said, "I heard that Your Highness appointed Xun You as the Privy Councilor and Zhang Gong as the Deputy Privy Councilor. If a military general is to command troops, why would you appoint Zhang Gong as a deputy?"

"Yes!"

Xu Chu nodded and said, "Zhang Gong is a seasoned warrior, well-versed in military affairs, and perfectly capable of serving as the Privy Councilor. Why appoint Xun You? Even if Zhang Gong is not qualified for the position, General Zhenbei is certainly capable. Appointing a scholar as the Privy Councilor is, I fear…"

“Your Highness has appointed Xun You as the chief envoy, there must be a reason for it.” Zhang Yang glanced at Zhang Liao and said, “I am not talented enough to be entrusted with important political affairs, but Zhang Zhenbei is capable enough to serve as the Privy Councilor.”

"Put Zhang Gong first!"

Although Zhang Liao was proud of his achievements, he knew how to defer to Zhang Yang in rank.

Just as the generals were comparing their merits, the palace doors were opened, and the generals entered the palace.

"Greetings to Your Highness!"

"No gift!"

Zhang Yu gestured for everyone to sit down, and asked with a smile, "We've been living in Chang'an for quite some time now, and it's almost the twelfth lunar month. How are you all doing?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. We and our families are all settled in Chang'an," Zhang Yang said on behalf of everyone.

"It's good to have a place to live!"

Zhang Yu sighed and said, "Xu Huang is still facing off against Sun Ce. I don't know what the situation is. I hope he can return home soon."

"Your Highness, what is the purpose of summoning us here?" Zhang Yang asked.

"The matter of the Privy Council!"

Zhang Yu looked around at the generals and said, "The Privy Council is the place in charge of the army. From now on, the Privy Council will issue orders for rewards for military merits, the ranks of military officers, the deployment of border defenses, and the selection of soldiers and generals. As for the generals who command troops, they will be under the command of the Privy Council. I wonder what your opinions are?"

"Your Highness wishes to have the Privy Council command the troops, and we are all willing to comply!"

Zhang Yang hesitated for a moment and said, "Simply appointing Xun You as the Privy Councilor may not be conducive to conquering the world. If I am not qualified to be the envoy, I would like to recommend Zhang Zhenbei as the Privy Councilor."

"Your Highness, Liao believes that Lord Zhang is suitable to be the Privy Councilor!"

Zhang Liao rose from his seat, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness has followed me for many years and has made great contributions. All the generals admire you. Although Xun You has military strategy, he is ignorant of battle formations. If you were to become the Privy Councilor, would you be willing to ask if you know how to deploy troops?"

While Zhang Liao was speaking, Zhang Yu glanced at the generals and, seeing that they all agreed, rose from his seat and looked down at the kneeling generals. With a serious expression and a slightly somber tone, Zhang Yu asked, "Do you all think that military affairs are merely about soldiers fighting each other?"

"War is a matter of vital importance to the state, a matter of life and death. Before waging war, one must first make strategic calculations, assessing the expenditure of military provisions, the quality of the soldiers' training, the terrain encountered on the march, and the enemy's troop situation. If these factors are not carefully considered, how can one send out an army?"

With that, Zhang Yu questioned, "If the Privy Council is to fight on the front lines, then what use are you to me?"

"These matters are the duties of officers and generals; there is no need for strategists to oversee them!"

Fearing Zhang Yu's intimidation, everyone dared not utter a sound, except for Ma Chao, who muttered under his breath.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu looked directly at Ma Chao and said with a sneer, "Ma Mengqi, do you know how to fight?"

When Zhang Yu called out his name, Ma Chao stood up proudly and said, "Your Highness, how could I, Chao, not understand military affairs!"

"I can tell you just don't understand warfare!"

Zhang Yu raised his voice and said, "I have an army of 100,000 under my command. Now we are going to conquer the world. How will you allocate them? How many auxiliary soldiers, how many doctors, and how much food are needed for this army? Do you know how to arrange them? If the soldiers make meritorious contributions, do you know how to reward them? If the soldiers die in battle, do you know how much money and food their families will receive?"

Under Zhang Yu's persistent questioning, Ma Chao was speechless; all of this was completely unfamiliar to him!

Zhang Yu's piercing gaze swept over the generals, and he said in a deep voice, "I could understand all of these things when I commanded five thousand men. But now that I govern Hebei, I no longer know the details. Yet I am still able to sweep through Longyou and conquer Hebei, thanks to the assistance of my strategists and civil officials."

"Human energy is limited, while all matters are endless. If generals wish to command a large army, they must concentrate on military affairs and not be burdened by paperwork!"

Zhang Yu's tone softened slightly as he said, "Xun You's appointment as Privy Councilor is not to compete with you gentlemen for titles and official positions, but to assist you in your campaigns. You need not concern yourselves with matters large and small, such as supplies, maps, auxiliary troops, armor, and relief efforts; Xun You will handle them himself. If he fails to perform his duties, I will deal with it myself; if you gentlemen are unable to defeat the enemy, I will hold you accountable."

"I will heed Your Highness's words!"

After Zhang Yu's reprimands, the generals were finally calmed down and accepted Xun You's appointment as Privy Councilor.

After the generals had taken their leave, Xun You stepped out from behind the screen.

"What about Gongda?"

Xun You remained calm and said, “Your Highness led the generals to conquer all directions and established the foundation of the nation. However, the generals are arrogant and lack the ability to command respect. Their views on the Privy Council are not without merit, but they are simply unaware of the complexities of warfare.”

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "You used to be the Protector of the Army, and you used my name to communicate with the generals. Now you are the Privy Councilor, the Commander-in-Chief of the generals, and the Chief of Military Affairs. It is normal that the fierce generals cannot submit to you for the time being. I hope you will live up to my expectations and establish the Privy Council as soon as possible."

When Xun You served as Protector of the Army, he didn't wield such great power. He often offered advice to Zhang Yu and issued military orders to the generals in Zhang Yu's name. However, the situation is different now. Xun You has moved from behind the scenes to the forefront, and he will inevitably face more scrutiny. How he can win the respect of the generals will depend on his methods, after all, his reputation as a proud and fierce general is well-deserved.

"promise!"

Xun You responded and said, "Your Highness, Wei Duan of Liangzhou has been appointed to a post in Chang'an, and his son Wei Kang has been appointed as the governor of Liangzhou. As previously mentioned, Your Highness intends to send troops into Liangzhou to join Wei Kang in suppressing the rebellion in Hexi. Who should be chosen to lead the expedition to Hexi?"

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Only those who are well-versed in the affairs of Hexi can go to conquer Hexi. I previously wanted to send Shi Yi with the Longxi troops and Yan Xing with his army. But now Shi Yi is still in Hanzhong. Whether he can conquer Liangzhou in the west is still unknown."

"According to the military report that just arrived, Sun Ce wanted to relocate the people of Hanzhong to Shu, but because of Zhang Lu's recruitment, the people of Hanzhong either fled to Hanbei or fled to the mountains. Therefore, Sun Ce now only has tens of thousands of people under his control, and his troops are already showing signs of withdrawing from Hanzhong."

Xun You presented a military report, saying, "By the end of the twelfth month, Sun Ce will surely lead his army to withdraw from Hanzhong, and I will also be able to return to the capital. Among our various units, the troops under Shi Yi have been engaged in the longest campaign and have traveled the longest distance, so they are no longer in charge of military affairs. Therefore, in my opinion, Your Highness should order Shi Yi to withdraw first, rest for a while, and then send him to conquer Hexi."

Zhang Yu browsed the military reports for a long time and said, "Gongda's words are not without reason. So let's order Shiyi to withdraw to Guanzhong for rest and reorganization, and then launch a westward expedition to Hexi after the New Year when it gets warmer."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu remembered something and said, "Now that I am about to be crowned king, many of the generals want to know about the rewards and honors. You might as well use this opportunity to contact the generals."

"As ordered!"

Civil officials are involved in many administrative departments, making the process of bestowing titles and rewards more complicated. Military generals, on the other hand, are simply rewarded with titles and ranks. Zhang Yu has already arranged the rewards and rewards for the military generals, and his suggestion to Xun You to release this information is simply to encourage the generals to seek his help, thus facilitating Xun You's work.

(End of this chapter)