Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 470 Discussing Strengths and Weaknesses with Emperor Gaozu
Baimajin was a place where four pontoon bridges were built across the Yellow River, and tens of thousands of Tang soldiers marched across them.

On the hillside on the south bank, Zhang Yu rode his horse up the hill and looked at the four long dragons stretching for more than ten miles. He couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and said with a whip: "The elite soldiers of Hebei have never been seen in the Central Plains. Now, 100,000 Xiongbi are marching south. If we do not defeat Yuan Shu, we will not drink the waters of the Han and Huai Rivers. I will never return to the capital."

"Your Majesty is mighty!"

Guo Tu praised, "Your Majesty, you ruled Hebei under the name of Daishuo, and now you have conquered the Central Plains. You are able to compare your merits with those of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Shizu."

"hehe!"

Zhang Yu laughed heartily and said, "Emperor Shizu used the name of the Liu family, while Emperor Gaozu founded the Han Dynasty. Therefore, when I conquer the Central Plains, I should discuss military achievements with Emperor Gaozu."

As the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu's civil and military achievements are undoubtedly among the top tier in history. However, his ability to continue the Han Dynasty's legacy inevitably makes him seem inferior to Liu Bang. As the founder of the Tang Dynasty, he cannot be compared to those who restored the dynasty; rather, he must be compared to Liu Bang, who established the foundation of the dynasty.

Of course, Zhang Yu's tendency to belittle Liu Xiu while praising Liu Bang was not unrelated to his subjective views. This was because Zhang Yu lived in the Dai region, and throughout the Eastern Han dynasty, the governance of the Hetao region was generally inferior to that of the Western Han.

For example, during the Western Han Dynasty, the Great Wall was extended to the north of the Yin Mountains, and a large number of people were relocated to the Shuo Shang region. However, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, not only were people not relocated to the Shuo Shang region, but Emperor Liu Xiu repeatedly guided the people of the Shuo Shang region to move to the interior, which led to the desolation of the Shuo Shang prefectures and the migration and submission of the Hu people.

Therefore, considering multiple factors, Zhang Yu naturally leaned towards Liu Bang!
Just as Zhang Yu was shamelessly boasting about his martial arts skills, a scout arrived on horseback.

"Report! Chen Yuan's proclamation!" The scout knelt on one knee and reported.

"Read!"

Guo Tu took the proclamation, glanced at its contents, and hesitated before saying, "Your Majesty, the proclamation contains Yuan Shu's insults against you and fabricates charges against you. Therefore, should we..."

"Speak freely!" Zhang Yu said, unconcerned.

"promise!"

In his proclamation, Yuan Shu accused Zhang Yu of bringing barbarians into China, causing chaos throughout the land. He further stated that Zhang Yu, who had previously served the Yuan family, had now betrayed them, making him a heartless and ungrateful person. Yuan Shu then went on to accuse Zhang Yu of massacring the people of the Central Plains and slaughtering loyal officials, and finally insulted Zhang Yu's humble origins, saying that a herdsman was unworthy of holding the title of emperor.

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu was not angry but pleased, and said with a smile: "It has been ten years since I last met Yuan Shu. I thought that Yuan Shu had made some progress, but Yuan Shu has not changed his old ways. What about the four generations of high officials? Emperor Gaozu established the world as a mere village head, while Yuan Shao was forced to his death by me. Now Yuan Shu is conservative and values ​​etiquette. How can he survive for long?"

A calm expression on one's face is one thing, but the anger in one's heart is another.

Zhang Yu was utterly disgusted by Yuan Shu's lingering belief in bloodlines. He was determined to give Yuan Shu a sound beating, and if he could capture him, he would humiliate him thoroughly.

"If we can capture and kill Yuan Shu during this campaign in the Central Plains, then the proclamation to the Central Plains can be issued!" Zhang Yu said to his men. "Therefore, if we can capture and kill Yuan Shu, we will be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces, granted the title of Marquis of a County, and our descendants will be blessed with the title."

"As ordered!"

The soldiers responded joyfully, their voices filled with delight.

"Your Majesty, Yuan Shu claimed in his proclamation that he had dispatched 300,000 troops. We cannot underestimate Chen's army," Guo Tu warned.

"bluff!"

Xun You stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Yangzhou was almost taken by Cao Cao, Jingnan fell to Liu Bei, and Yizhou was occupied by the Sun family. Now Yuan Shu only has half of Yuzhou and Jingzhou, not to mention the troops of Yuan Xi, Yuan Shang, and Gao Gan. If my prediction is correct, Yuan Shu's army is at most 150,000, and the troops fighting against Your Highness are less than 100,000, which is equivalent to my army of 70,000 to 80,000."

"Just as Gongda said!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Yuan Shu is preparing for both Liu Bei and Cao Cao, so most of the troops in Jingzhou dare not act rashly. Now, those who can be commanded by Yuan Shu are mostly from Nanyang, Ruzhou, and Yingzhou. One hundred thousand troops are the troops that Yuan Shu can use. If we include the civilian laborers, the number may be as high as two hundred thousand."

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Yuzhou had a population of 1.14 million, meaning that at its peak, Yuzhou had a population of five to six million, which, strictly speaking, was even higher than that of Jizhou. However, after experiencing periods of chaos, especially since Yuzhou was a major area affected by the Yellow Turban Rebellion, its population declined significantly and became less than that of Jizhou.

Historically, during the hundred-year period from the Eastern Han to the Western Jin dynasties, the population of Yuzhou declined to 110,000 households, a loss that can be described as less than one-tenth remaining. As for why such a great loss occurred, in addition to the Yellow Turban Rebellion mentioned above, the most crucial factor was the frequent power struggle between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, which triggered a wave of refugees from Yuzhou who fled to Yangzhou for refuge.

However, due to Zhang Yu's meddling, the situation in the Central Plains has changed considerably in this current world. Because Yuan Shu seized control of Jingzhou and drove Sun Jian to attack Yuzhou, Yuzhou was taken by Yuan Shu much earlier. Cao Cao, burdened by the internal situation in Yanzhou, was not only unable to launch an attack on Yuan Shu, but was also bogged down in Yanzhou by Lü Bu.

After several years of turmoil, the population loss in Yanzhou was more severe than in history, while the population loss in Yuzhou was not as severe. Compared with the population of 320,000 households in Jizhou, the population of Yuzhou today is about 200,000.

Of course, due to powerful clans and influential families, the population of these two prefectures was not accurately recorded, and a large number of unregistered households existed within the prefectures and counties. Uncovering these individuals would require time for officials to conduct a thorough investigation. However, this is not feasible at present; peace and prosperity are needed, taxes will be reduced, and land will be distributed before the people might be willing to register with the government.

Jia Xu seized the opportunity to speak, saying, "Your Majesty, Yuan Shu's troops are far away in Huaibei, while our troops have already reached Baima. Why not march south now, take Chenliu first along the Honggou Canal, and then attack Yongqiu? Let's see if we can seize Yongqiu in front of Yuan Shu's army and use the convenient transportation of the Honggou Canal to control Yuan Shu."

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment, then asked, "I heard that Yuan Xi withdrew his troops to Shouzhang. What is the current situation?"

"Your Majesty, after General Li Song and Lü Bu joined forces, they marched day and night to capture Zhang County and cut off the Wen River. Shou Zhang is now isolated and without reinforcements, and Yuan Xi is besieging the city. The armies of Li Song and Lü Bu have joined together, totaling 20,000 infantry and cavalry, and are now besieging Shou Zhang again," Xun You asked.

"What is your opinion?" Zhang Yu asked in return.

"Your Majesty, I have consulted with the officials of the Privy Council and believe that it would be better to have Generals Li Song and Lü Bu besiege Shou Zhang, capture Shou Zhang, and kill Yuan Xi, thus opening the gateway to Lu."

Xun You had his men present him with a map of Yanzhou and said, “My main army is marching south to Chenliu, while a detachment is marching to Dongping. If Dongping falls to our forces, then the three commanderies of Taishan, Jibei, and Lu will surrender. And if our main army can capture Yongqiu, then Yanzhou will belong to Your Majesty.”

"When Yuan Shu's army arrives, the main force will confront them. A detachment will be sent out from Mount Tai to aid Man Chong and Zhang Yan, thus subjugating the coastal regions. After Your Majesty defeats Yuan Shu, lead your troops in a long march into Ru and Ying, shielding the eastward routes from Nanyang. Send troops to conquer, and issue proclamations to appease them. The three commanderies of Chen, Liang, and Pei will surrender their cities. With peace restored in the Central Plains, send envoys to persuade Tao Shang to surrender, thus securing the Xu and Huai regions!"

Looking at the advance map drawn by Xun You, Zhang Yu nodded in satisfaction and said, "The Central Plains are vast, and our troops cannot be concentrated in one place. We need to divide our forces and attack together. The Privy Council's plan is excellent!"

As Zhang Yu's advisory group, the Privy Council was able to help him choose the route of advance and the target of the campaign based on the situation, and the strategy of pooling everyone's strength was the most suitable solution at the moment.

After a pause, Zhang Yu looked at Jia Xu and asked, "Wenhe, do you have any new insights?"

After pondering for a long time, Jia Xu cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, an army cannot be without a commander-in-chief. Li Song is the Left General and Lü Bu is the Grand General. In terms of official rank, Lü Bu is higher than Li Song, but in terms of closeness, Li Song is Your Majesty’s confidant. Therefore, Your Majesty still needs to clearly identify a commander-in-chief and grant him the imperial insignia to control the generals.”

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "What Wenhe said is exactly what I have been thinking."

"The order was sent to Li Song and Lü Bu, granting Li Song the authority to act as military commander, overseeing the military affairs of Yin and Yan provinces, and appointing him as the General Commander of the Southern Expedition."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu looked at Zhang Yang and said, "Uncle, I'm sorry to trouble you to go on this journey for me. As the Protector of the Army, you are in charge of protecting Generals Li Song and Lü Bu. If the two generals develop conflicts, you should try to persuade them to stay together."

Seeing Li Song's initial victory, Zhang Yu was willing to support him. However, to support Li Song, simply granting him an official position and insignia was not enough; someone was also needed to back him up and ensure that Lü Bu cooperated with him in battle. At present, the only person who could keep Lü Bu and Li Song in check was Zhang Yang.

"As ordered!"

Zhang Yang responded and said, "Your Majesty, Lü Bu is unwilling to accept the people's will. If he encounters a difficult decision, I will try my best to persuade him. If persuasion fails, then I fear I will need to forge Your Majesty's decree to summon Lü Bu to pay homage to Your Majesty."

"allow!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "The most important thing is to maintain harmony and capture Shou Zhang as soon as possible."

"promise!"

Zhang Yang may not be very good at fighting, but with his status, becoming the Protector-General would not be a problem. In particular, although Zhang Yang was born in the northern frontier, he was not a tough person, but rather a person who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside.

Zhang Yang accepted the order and withdrew. Zhang Yu pointed his whip in the direction of the enemy and instructed, "Let Meng Ning be the vanguard to clear the way for the army and head straight for Chenliu County."

"Yes, sir!" The scout obeyed and rode out.

(End of this chapter)