Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 467 A Sage Appears, the World Returns to One
The first day of the eighth month of the first year of Shenwu.

Only half a month before the southern expedition to the Central Plains, Zhang Yu led the Protectorate Army toward Ye City. Apart from the generals and officers who needed to command their own troops, the rest of his close ministers accompanied him.

Before setting out on the expedition, Zhang Yu, concerned about the education of his sons, specifically instructed Wang Ji, saying, "In the past, the most important matters of state were sacrifices and warfare; now, the most important matters of state are governance and warfare. Even if the world is unified, we dare not forget military affairs. Moreover, I have raised an army in Shuo Shang to pacify Hebei, and I rely solely on cavalry and archery!"

"Although the princes do not need to personally experience battles, horsemanship and archery are the foundation of our dynasty. It is said that the King of Chu loved slender waists, and many starved to death in the palace. This is in line with the idea that the superiors set an example for the inferiors. Therefore, if the nobles do not forget martial prowess, the people will also admire martial arts and achieve merit, so that our dynasty will not be disturbed by the Hu and Di tribes."

Wang Ji's educational philosophy wasn't necessarily wrong; the emperor's duty was to govern the country, not to be an expert in horsemanship and archery. After all, as the ruler of the world, he had no shortage of brave warriors under his command, so why should the monarch be required to be proficient in horsemanship and archery?

However, Zhang Yu and Wang Ji had completely different educational philosophies, or rather, Zhang Yu could see the essence of the problem. Although horseback archery is an individual sport, its key is to strengthen courage and gradually improve military skills through hunting.

If a monarch is skilled in riding and archery, he will enjoy hunting and will frequently organize it, thus maintaining the organization of his army. More importantly, a monarch skilled in riding and archery can understand the level of his own army and, to some extent, promote the practice of archery.

In particular, Zhang Yu already had a plan: after he brought peace to the world, in order to strengthen the connection between the Han lands and the Hu tribes of Daishuo, he needed to emulate the Tartars' alliances and hold irregular alliance meetings in the Hetao region. Since he wanted to hold alliances with the Hu tribes, how could the monarch be weak? Naturally, he needed to be skilled in riding and archery to demonstrate his martial prowess.

Under Zhang Yu's stern words, Wang Ji dared not disobey and resumed the teaching model that emphasized both literary and martial arts. In front of Zhang Yu, he urged Zhang Luo to diligently practice riding and archery.

With Wang Ji's statement, Zhang Yu felt somewhat relieved and led his army away from Chang'an.

The journey from Chang'an to Yecheng is over a thousand li, but Zhang Yu did not choose the main road through Henan, but instead deliberately took a detour through Shangdang County.

August 12th, sunny.

The Shangdang Plateau is characterized by its continuous mountain ranges, vast plains, and a mix of hills and plains.

Zhang Yu stood on the hill, looking down at the familiar yet unfamiliar county and township on the plain, his face full of high spirits.

Ten years ago, he traveled from Luoyang to Shangdang to suppress bandits. At that time, Shangdang was desolate, with fields lying fallow and foxes and rats roaming the land. He then used Shangdang as his base and, over the course of ten years, conquered the various warlords of Hebei.

However, after ten years of change, he had become the King of Tang, and Shangdang had rapidly prospered due to the influx of refugees from Hebei. Today, villages are as numerous as woven fabric, smoke rises from chimneys, fields are like clouds, and people can be seen everywhere.

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, pointed with his whip at the fields that stretched out across the plains, and said with a smile, "Shangdang is where I rose to prominence. Now it is prosperous and thriving, with villages scattered throughout the land, paths crisscrossing the fields, and livestock grazing. This is all thanks to Minister Yang's governance!"

"Pei dares not claim credit for himself. The prosperity of Shangdang today is thanks to the efforts of his predecessors!"

Yang Pei respectfully said, "The influx of refugees into Shangdang left the prefectures and counties in dire need of reconstruction. At that time, Lord Chang was in office, and he distributed land and registered households, thus laying a foundation for the cause. I merely continued the old system, opened up the fields, and taught people about civil affairs."

Yang Pei, courtesy name Kongqu, was a native of Wannian County, Fengyi, Guanzhong.

Zhang Yu led his troops to attack Guanzhong, and Yang Pei was appointed as the commander of Chongshao. At that time, Li Jue was defeated by Zhang Yu, and a large number of surrendered prisoners were released by Zhang Yu, causing unrest in Guanzhong. Yang Pei mobilized able-bodied men to patrol, recruited refugees, and distributed land to them to settle down, thus preventing them from being harmed by bandits.

With his outstanding political achievements, Zhang Yu, who was in charge of Guanzhong, transferred Yang Pei to be the magistrate of Duling, and later promoted him to the magistrate of Anyi.

During Yang Pei's tenure as magistrate of Anyi, Zhang Liao's retainers were arrogant and unwilling to be conscripted for corvée labor. Upon taking office, Yang Pei broke the legs of one of Zhang Liao's retainers and later had him executed. This act subdued the powerful and influential, and no one dared to commit evil. Zhang Yu issued a special edict to commend Yang Pei. Although Zhang Liao was angry that Yang Pei had disrespected him, he knew the problem lay with his retainers and therefore had no intention of pursuing the matter further.

After Lü Fan stepped down as governor of Shangdang, Yang Pei, due to Zhang Yu's appreciation, was promoted to governor of Shangdang. Since taking office, although Shangdang had a considerable population, the people were still poor. Therefore, Yang Pei taught the people how to raise cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs, and other livestock, and formulated corresponding regulations. The diligent people gradually became rich.

With his outstanding examination results, ranking first among all the prefects, Yang Pei earned Zhang Yu's admiration. Now, Zhang Yu was passing through Shangdang, not only because there were military supplies in Shangdang, but also to take the opportunity to assess Yang Pei's abilities.

“Changlin has laid the foundation, while you have brought prosperity,” Zhang Yu said with a smile.

As he spoke, Zhang Yu patted Zhang Yu's shoulder and said, "The Central Plains are in ruins, and the counties and prefectures are in need of rebuilding. If I can pacify the Central Plains, you will go there to take up your post. You should strive for it now!"

Perhaps having experienced the corruption and darkness of the Eastern Han Dynasty's officialdom, Zhang Yu had a particular fondness for politically upright and resolute officials. Yang Pei's fearlessness in the face of power, as evidenced by his execution of Zhang Liao's retainers, was enough to earn Zhang Yu's admiration. Not to mention, Yang Pei had a compassionate heart for the common people, and in every position he held, he encouraged agriculture.

Yang Pei was secretly pleased and cupped his hands, saying, "I am willing to serve Your Highness with all my heart!"

"good!"

As they spoke, the 10,000-strong National Protection Army was marching along the post road. Their ranks stretched as far as the eye could see, banners fluttering in the wind, marching in perfect formation. Zhang Yu looked down at the land, noticing that it was getting late, and waved his hand, saying...

"Bring the horse!"

Seeing that Zhang Yu had no intention of lingering, Yang Pei asked, "Your Highness, would you like to rest in the city for the night?"

"No!"

Zhang Yu mounted his horse, shrugged, and said with a smile, "Military matters come first; it's inconvenient to linger."

"drive!"

With that, Zhang Yu spurred his horse and chased after the army.

Watching Zhang Yu depart, surrounded by dozens of riders, Yang Pei couldn't help but admire Zhang Yu's decisive and efficient work style. In particular, the fact that his army of over ten thousand men had managed to pass through the countryside without causing any disturbance to the people made Yang Pei admire the Tang Emperor even more, believing that the world should be unified by such a ruler.

"When a sage appears, the world will be united!"

When the various armies rushed to Ye City, Lü Bu received a letter from Zhang Yu and immediately discussed the matter of sending troops.

Changyi, within the prefecture.

"The Tang Emperor has ordered our army to attack Yuan Xi. Chen Gong has submitted a memorial requesting to remain in charge. What do you think, brother?" Lü Bu asked Wei Xu.

Wei Xu frowned and said, "Chen Gong has a history of rebellion with Hao Meng. If we leave Chen Gong to guard the state, I fear that after you leave, Chen Gong will lead the soldiers and civilians to surrender to Chen."

After careful consideration, Lü Bu said, "Then you shall guard the city, drink less alcohol, and do not bully your subordinates!"

Because of his frequent betrayals, Lü Bu was often suspicious of his generals, especially after the Hao Meng incident. Lü Bu then regarded Wei Xu as his right-hand man, appointing him as commander-in-chief of the generals. However, Wei Xu was incompetent and prone to bullying his subordinates, so the generals were not truly convinced of his abilities. Besides Wei Xu, Lü Bu had no other relatives or friends he could rely on.

Wei Xu pondered for a moment and said, "Although our army is under the command of the Tang King, the soldiers are what the general relies on. In this campaign against Yuan Xi, the general should not exert too much effort, lest the Tang King look down on us in the future."

Seeing Wei Xu advising him not to exert himself, Lü Bu sighed and said, "The Tang army is strong and its troops are invincible. The Chen army is weak and cannot possibly be a match for the Tang army. In my opinion, the King of Tang will rule the world, so since our army is serving him, we should not be half-hearted. If we anger the King of Tang, are we not going to surrender to Yuan Shu?"

Lü Bu knew perfectly well that in this world, military might was the deciding factor, but the problem was that the Tang army was fierce and powerful. If he didn't fight hard, the Tang army might look down on him instead.

Now that he has betrothed his daughter to Zhang Yu's second son, the Lü family's wealth and status are secured. If he were to act half-heartedly again, it might implicate his wife and daughter in Chang'an. Therefore, Lü Bu's biggest thought right now is to achieve significant military exploits, making it more costly for Zhang Yu to bribe him.

"This is a despicable opinion; please forgive my ignorance, General!" Wei Xu said awkwardly.

"Defend Changyi!"

Lu Bu instructed him, "If I lead my army north, and Yuan Shu leads his army to reinforce us, he may take over the city. Therefore, your important task is to guard the city and wait for the Tang King's army to march south."

As he spoke, Lü Bu lowered his voice and said, "Yesterday, I asked a sorcerer to divine the outcome of the war in the Central Plains. The sorcerer said that a sage would emerge from Hebei. Now, according to the divination, the one who will win the Central Plains is none other than the King of Tang."

Seeing that Lü Bu actually believed the sorcerer's words, Wei Xu was both amused and exasperated. He had followed Lü Bu for so many years, and this was the first time he had ever seen Lü Bu consult the oracle on such an important matter.

Why did Lü Bu suddenly believe in divination? It wasn't out of thin air; rather, it was because he recalled the time when the warlords were campaigning against Dong Zhuo, and the Central Plains was abuzz with the rumor that "Yu will be the emperor." At that time, everyone believed Liu Yu was the emperor, but now, looking back, why couldn't Zhang Yu be the emperor?
"General, rest assured, I will definitely defend Changyi!" Wei Xu assured him.

"good!"

Lu Bu's position in the Central Plains was one of being surrounded on multiple sides by Yuan Shu's forces. Now, his northward march to defeat Yuan Xi was aimed at establishing a connection with the Tang army in Hebei. Therefore, after Lu Bu's expedition, Changyi was very likely to be attacked by Yuan's troops.

Summoned by Zhang Yu's letter, Lü Bu led 10,000 infantry and cavalry north, taking with him the reluctant Chen Gong, and stationed his troops at Juyang on the banks of the Ji River to support Li Song's forces who were crossing the river at Baimajin.

(End of this chapter)