Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 475: Weighting!
"Your Majesty, the strategy of feigning defeat proposed by Kebina Quyi lured the Chen rebels into a deep pursuit. At that time, an ambush was set up at Honggou, resulting in a great defeat of the Chen rebels' army. Now, Zhang Xun has been defeated and fled, Zu Lang has been captured, more than 5,000 enemy soldiers have been killed or captured, and 1,000 cartloads of enemy supplies have been seized. The two generals are leading their troops back on their way."

Inside the tent, the scout knelt on one knee and reported the good news.

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu chuckled softly a few times and said, "Qu Yi is a veteran general, and Yuan Shao used to rely on him a lot. Now, his troops have thwarted the enemy's advance, which shows his shrewdness in using troops!"

Qu Yi's military style was greatly influenced by the customs of Longyou. He came from the Qu clan of Hehuang. As the son of a powerful military man on the frontier, Qu Yi learned about military affairs in his youth, joined the army, and fought against the Qiang people for a long time.

Therefore, Qu Yi was not afraid of tough battles, especially since he knew how to control his cavalry. However, in addition to his tough military tactics, Qu Yi was also cunning due to his long-standing knowledge of military affairs.

Historically, Gongsun Zan suffered greatly from Qu Yi's military tactics. Except for victories achieved through pursuit, Gongsun Zan was always defeated by Qu Yi.

Although Qu Yi possessed the strategic acumen of a great general, due to his background as a surrendered general, Zhang Yu found it difficult to grant him independent military command. Instead, he would have him coordinate with other generals in battle. After all, besides Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Man Chong, and Li Song, there were other generals such as Ke Bi, Shi Yi, Hao Zhao, Gao Shun, Xu Chu, and Xu Shu who were eager to rise in rank and lead troops.

"Your Majesty, Generals Kebi and Quyi have rendered meritorious service. Why not bestow rewards upon them to all the tribes, so as to encourage all officers and soldiers to serve bravely?" Xun You suggested.

"Can!"

After considering for a moment, Zhang Yu generously said, "Qu Yi has rendered meritorious service by offering a plan and personally luring the enemy, so he is now promoted to General Zhenwei and his fief is increased by two hundred households. Ke Bi has rendered meritorious service by leading the army to defeat the enemy, so he is promoted to Marquis of Duxiang and his fief is increased by two hundred households. Among them, the one who captured Zu Lang alive will be rewarded with five hundred bolts of silk, and if there is more than one person, it will be divided among the people. Thirty percent of the captured supplies will be handed over to the national treasury, and the remaining seventy percent will be divided among the two generals and their subordinates."

"promise!"

Although two hundred households may seem small, obtaining a fiefdom during the Three Kingdoms period was extremely difficult and highly dependent on the leader's mood. For example, Cheng Yu, a veteran minister of Cao Wei, fought for the Cao family for two or three decades, but only received a fiefdom of five hundred households. Later, by taking advantage of Cao Pi's ascension to the throne, he was able to add another three hundred households, bringing his total to eight hundred.

Of course, Cheng Yu's small fief was largely due to the stingy nature of Cao Cao's subordinates. After Cao Cao unified the north, apart from the Xiahou and Cao clans, only Xun Yu, a civil and military official from outside the Cao family, received a fief of a thousand households during his lifetime. Guo Jia, who had two hundred households during his lifetime, benefited from Cao Cao's favor and received an additional eight hundred households after his death, thus reaching a fief of a thousand households.

While harsh treatment of founding heroes may save on national expenditures, it also has the negative effect of making it difficult to form a powerful military elite class, resulting in a lack of balance in the political structure of the court.

For example, when Liu Bang founded the Han Dynasty, he generously rewarded his meritorious officials with fiefdoms, ranging from tens of thousands to thousands of households. The interests of these groups were deeply intertwined with those of the Western Han Dynasty, thus limiting the power of the vassal states in the east and restraining the unbalanced court within the country.

The best example is the power struggle during the Lü clan's rebellion in the Han dynasty, where Chen and Zhou seized power and welcomed Emperor Wen to the court. Looking at Sima Yi's usurpation of Wei, the essence of Cao Wei's reliance on the imperial clan was that when the imperial clan could no longer shoulder heavy responsibilities, and the military merit group could not rise to power, the only one they could rely on was Sima Yi. Sima Yi had no other military merits of equal status to check and balance him, ultimately allowing the Sima family to become the sole power.

Zhang Yu would certainly not follow Cao Cao's example, keeping his title hidden away rather than letting it rot than pass it on to someone else. Such an act would not only alienate his subordinates but also lower the prestige of a founding dynasty.

Therefore, they should be rewarded, so that people know that protecting Zhang Tang is protecting themselves. This is the key point.

The concept of weight and measure is universally applicable throughout history!
"Your Highness, while we are pleased with the great defeat of Chen's army, Yuan Shu's army is still on its way," Jia Xu reminded him.

"What are your opinions, gentlemen?" Zhang Yu asked.

"Our army is riding high on the momentum of our victory. Now is the perfect time to advance and see if we can settle the score with Yuan Shu. If we can win, Your Majesty will be able to sweep across the Central Plains," Zhang Liao said.

"Although our army defeated Zhang Xun, due to the dispersion of our forces, our army is smaller than Yuan Shu's. Our army now numbers only 50,000, while Yuan Shu has nearly 100,000. Therefore, it is difficult to predict the outcome, and we should not underestimate him," Gao Shun said, shaking his head.

Xu Chu secretly observed Jia Xu's expression and cleverly said, "Before Your Highness set out on the expedition, you said that Yuan Shu had come from afar and was short of supplies. It would be better to confront him first, and then send out cavalry to harass him and disrupt the morale of Chen's army. We can then observe the opportunity, take your advice, and seize any loopholes to strike him suddenly."

Zhang Yu gazed at the map on the tent and said, “Although Yuan Shu is arrogant and conceited, he is not a fool. How could he not know that our army is elite and our own troops are weak? Now that Zhang Xun has been defeated by Ke Bi and the elite troops of Danyang have been utterly defeated by us, Yuan Shu must be on guard. Therefore, it would be better to first assess the strength and weakness of Chen’s army, and then observe Yuan Shu’s movements before taking action.”

Then Zhang Yu said, "After Generals Ke Bi and Qu Yi return to camp, have them come to see me first."

"promise!"

Although it is often said that Chen's soldiers are not as elite as Tang's soldiers, Zhang Yu needs to inquire about the specific situation carefully.

As evening fell, after a day of travel, Ke Bi and Qu Yi returned to Yu County. Guo Tu greeted them and they learned that Zhang Yu wanted to see them. So the two dared not return to their camp and went straight to the main tent.

Inside the tent, the two first kowtowed to thank Zhang Yu for the reward, and only then did they sit on the stools at Zhang Yu's invitation.

"We defeated Zhang Xun in a single day, blunted the enemy's advance, and greatly enhanced the prestige of our army!" Zhang Yu laughed.

"It is all thanks to Your Majesty's command that I have lived up to Your Majesty's expectations!" Kirby replied, bowing.

Zhang Yu exchanged pleasantries with the two men and then asked, "When you two fought against the Chen army, what did you think of the strength of the enemy soldiers?"

Kirby pondered for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, the Chen soldiers have come from the south and have not encountered any strong troops, nor have they fought much with northern cavalry. Therefore, when they see cavalry charging, they are often panicked, their formations break down, and they are easily defeated. Thus, our army needs the strength of the cavalry to break through the enemy lines. We must use armored cavalry to charge, and the enemy will be unable to stop us!" Zhang Yu nodded and looked at Qu Yi, asking, "You personally led the infantry to engage the enemy and even used yourself to lure them in. What are your brilliant ideas?"

After speaking, Zhang Yu gestured for his attendants to serve tea.

Qu Yi held the teacup with both hands, collected his thoughts for a long time, and asked in return, "Does Your Majesty wish to hear the truth?"

"To use troops to defeat the enemy, one must naturally seek the truth!"

Zhang Yu's expression turned slightly serious as he said, "The more realistic the better!"

Qu Yi took a sip of tea and boldly said, "Chen's army has tens of thousands of Danyang soldiers, all of whom are fierce and brave, the elite of the Southern people. Although my Huguo and Shenfu armies are also elite, the Xianzhen and Huben are particularly good at fighting, and the Danyang soldiers are not as good as them. However, the enemy's army is now twice the size of ours, so if we make a mistake or are careless when we clash with the enemy, our army may be defeated by the Southern people."

Zhang Yu frowned and pondered, understanding what Qu Yi meant. He realized that although the Danyang soldiers were fierce and the two elite forces of Huguo and Shenfu were sure to win, the Chen army had the advantage of numbers, and he felt that the Tang army was in danger of being defeated.

After some thought, Zhang Yu asked, "Is there anything lacking in Chen Jun's forces?"

"Have!"

Qu Yi said in a deep voice, "Although the Danyang soldiers are known for their fighting spirit and fierceness, their bravery is not long-lasting. Moreover, the southerners are skilled in boat battles but not in formation engagements, and their formations are not as good as those of the Hebei infantry. Therefore, if Your Majesty can wear down their morale and exhaust the Chen army, making their formations loose, that will be the time for our army to win."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing a thoughtful expression.

Through the accounts of Kirby and Qu Yi, Zhang Yu understood the weaknesses of Chen Jun, and if he could exploit these weaknesses, he could defeat Chen Jun in one fell swoop.

"good!"

Zhang Yu composed himself and smiled, "Your words should dispel my doubts. We are exhausted from the fighting, so why don't you two return to camp to rest?"

Qu Yi accepted the order, and as he was leaving a little later, he hesitated slightly and said, "The enemy general Zu Lang is brave and skilled in battle. He has now been captured by me. I wonder if Your Majesty wishes to see him?"

"Are you willing to surrender?" Zhang Yu asked.

"He has the intention to surrender, and he revealed much of the true strength and weakness of Chen's army!" Qu Yi said.

After a pause, Qu Yi added, "Zu Lang is skilled in naval warfare!"

"Summon him into the tent!"

Seeing that Zu Lang was knowledgeable in naval warfare, Zhang Yu became somewhat interested. Although he had no shortage of fierce generals, he lacked generals who understood naval warfare, and Zu Lang might be of use.

"promise!"

A short while later, Zu Lang, with his dark complexion, entered the tent under the escort of his attendants.

"This sinful general pays his respects to the Tang Emperor!"

Zhang Yu waved away the attendants and comforted Zu Lang, saying, "Although you were my enemy before, General, you brought peace to the world and restored tranquility to the land. Therefore, you employ people based on their virtue. Now that you have surrendered to me, I will entrust you with important responsibilities, just as I would to everyone else. Do not worry about your surrender."

Zu Lang bowed and replied, "The King of Tang is renowned for his magnanimity. I have done something wrong, but Your Majesty has pardoned me. From now on, I will do my utmost to help you."

"good!"

Zhang Yu said with a smile, "I will first appoint you as a General of the Household, under the command of your old troops. If you achieve meritorious service, you will be rewarded with another official position."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After some reassurance, Zulang took his leave and departed the tent.

After Zu Lang left, Zhang Yu suddenly summoned his attendant and whispered something to him.

(End of this chapter)