Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 477 Alliance with Cao Cao to Attack Yuan Shao
On September 16th, the autumn rain fell softly and steadily, accompanied by a cold wind that seeped into the bones.

"Your Highness, Liao has been challenging us to battle for several days, but Chen's camp has refused to send troops."

Zhang Liao stood with his helmet in his hands and said, "Chen's army is dozens of miles away from our camp, separated by the Honggou Canal. Yuan Shu dares not cross the river recklessly, so if we want to defeat Yuan Shu, we need to find another plan."

Inside the main tent, Zhang Yu sat upright on the couch with his hand on his sword and asked, "Wen Yuan, do you have a plan?"

After pondering for a long time, Zhang Liao said, "Since Yuan Shu is confronting our army, Your Highness should first break through Yongqiu, open the Sui River route, and send Xu Huang's army south, or send troops to assist Li Song in breaking through Shouzhang and surrendering the counties of Yanzhou. At that time, the armies of Lü Bu, Li Song, and Xu Huang will arrive together, with a total of 100,000 troops. Yuan Shu will certainly be no match for our army."

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "We have been locked in a stalemate with Yuan Shu for half a month. Now, with his troops holding out in fortified positions, it is difficult for our army to break through. If we follow Wen Yuan's suggestion, we should first secure the He River and then gather our troops to plunder supplies. After a prolonged stalemate, Yuan Shu will be unable to hold out, and his morale will waver. Then we can defeat the enemy!"

"Your Majesty, I have a humble suggestion that might put Yuan Shu in a difficult position and force him to submit to Your Majesty's control," Guo Jia said, bowing.

"Oh?"

Zhang Yu's interest was piqued, and he asked, "Where did the plan come from?"

"Your Majesty, Chen Yuanshu is facing off against our army in the north, leaving our country's troops depleted. To the east, Cao Cao controls the Jianghuai region, and to the south, Liu Bei controls Jingnan. If Cao Cao and Liu Bei launch an attack on Jingzhou, the situation in our country will become critical. Yuan Shu may either send troops back to reinforce us or be eager to fight, which will benefit our army."

Guo Jia said, "The enemy's morale is low, and they will surely be eager to fight. If Your Majesty leads your army to invite them, Yuan Shu will gladly accept the challenge, and defeating the enemy will be easy. Therefore, in my opinion, Your Majesty should send envoys to contact Cao Cao and Liu Bei, and order them to send troops to assist you."

Zhang Yu looked at Xun You and Jia Xu and asked, "What do you two think?"

Xun You pondered for a moment and said, "The best strategy for warfare is to befriend distant states and attack nearby ones. If Cao Cao and Liu Bei send troops, the Jianghan region will be embroiled in war, leaving the country vulnerable. Yuan Shu will be worried and will not dare not fight."

After a pause, Xun You added, "I am only worried that Cao Cao and Liu Bei, knowing that our army is fighting Yuan Shu, want to sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight, and have no intention of serving Your Majesty."

Xu believed that Cao Cao and Liu Bei would definitely resort to military force.

Jia Xu stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "If these two do not attack Yuan Shu and annex the Jianghan region, how will they become arrogant? Therefore, even without Your Majesty sending envoys, they would still seek an opportunity to wage war. Now that Your Majesty has sent envoys to establish friendly relations, they will likely agree accordingly."

Guo Tu nodded slightly and said, “Jia Jun’s words are reasonable. I have no worries now, but Yuan Shu is not. Cao Cao and Liu Bei have deep hatred for Yuan Shu, and the current situation in the world is somewhat favorable. If the two of them have the intention to submit, they will not dare to disobey Your Majesty; if they do not have the intention to submit, they will surely think of ways to resist Your Majesty and will naturally annex counties to strengthen their own forces.”

Compared to Yuan Shu, Zhang Yu had no worries about his rear, and he pacified all the warlords in the north before heading south. Kuai Yue had seen this advantage and advised Yuan Shu to first pacify Liu Bei and Cao Cao before marching north. However, Yuan Shu could not stand by and watch Henan be taken by Zhang Yu, so he directly led a large army north to confront Zhang Yu.

"good!"

Zhang Yu nodded in agreement and said, "Since we wish to make contact with Cao Cao and Liu Bei, we now need an envoy to travel there. Where is Xun Chen?"

"Chen is here!"

Xun Chen stepped forward from the crowd and awaited orders.

"Now I trouble you to act as an envoy, go south to make contact with Cao Cao, and send someone with a letter to Liu Bei in Jingnan," Zhang Yu said.

"I accept your order!"

After Xun Chen took his leave, Zhang Yu got up from his bed, paced around, and said, “It would take at least a month or two to make contact with Cao Cao, and it would be difficult to see any results in a short time. Yuan Shu has led a large army and fortified his position. It is not a long-term solution for our army to hold out against him for so long. Therefore, following Wen Yuan’s strategy, I want to lead my troops north to first join forces with Xu Huang to besiege and break through Yongqiu, and then help Li Song capture Shouzhang.”

“Yuan Shu’s army numbers nearly 100,000, while our army numbers only 50,000. Now, Your Majesty, how many troops do you intend to send north? If a large army is sent north, I fear Yu County will be difficult to defend,” Xun You asked, frowning.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Although Yuan Shu has 100,000 troops, there are old and weak soldiers among them. After deducting those transporting grain and guarding the camp, there are only 50,000 to 60,000 troops available. Therefore, I will lead the Protectorate Army northward and leave 40,000 troops to guard the camp, which will be enough to keep the enemy at Honggou."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu said, "I will lead my troops north, and the affairs of the army will be managed by Xun You and Zhang Liao. If the camp is in imminent danger, you gentlemen should report the military situation to me, and I will personally lead my troops south to assist in the battle."

"promise!"

All the civil and military officials accepted the order in unison.

Having devised a strategy to defeat the enemy, Zhang Yu acted swiftly, assembling his troops and heading north on the 17th. Zhang Liao and Xun You led the troops to see him off, and on the day of departure, Zhang Yu gave many instructions regarding military matters.

"Gongda, I am going north to Yongqiu. You will be in charge of the military affairs in the camp."

Zhang Yu, holding Xun You's arm, said, "If Yuan Shu attacks, we will act according to the plan."

"promise!"

"Wenyuan!"

Zhang Yu beckoned to Zhang Liao and said, "Yuan Shu's troops are invading. You can entrust Qu Yi with a great responsibility. His experience in military affairs is reliable." As he spoke, Zhang Yu lowered his voice and muttered for a long time in a voice that was hard for others to hear.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, Liao will strictly guard the camp and follow Your Majesty's plan."

"good!"

The Shence Army and Zhang Yu's departure from the camp caused quite a stir, attracting the attention of many military officers, including Zu Lang.

Zu Lang watched Zhang Yu depart and asked Linghu Yan, "May I ask, General Linghu, why has the King led his troops away from the camp? Is there some military matter at hand?"

"No!"

When Linghu Yan saw that it was Zu Lang who asked the question, he didn't think much of it and said, "After days of challenging Yuan Shu, he has been holding firm and not coming out. Your Majesty thought it would be difficult to defeat the enemy in the short term, so you sent Xun Chen south to contact Cao Cao and Liu Bei. Your Majesty himself led his troops north to Yongqiu, intending to join forces with Xu Huang, first to break through Yongqiu, then to take Yuan Xi, and then join forces to march south to attack Yuan Shu again."

Upon hearing this, Zu Lang's expression changed slightly, and he deliberately asked, "I have heard that Zhang Chao has nearly ten thousand soldiers under his command, and there are tens of thousands of civilians in Yongqiu City. I wonder if Your Majesty has enough troops?"

“Xu Huang has 20,000 soldiers. Your Majesty can lead 10,000 infantry and cavalry northward, and with 30,000 troops besieging Yongqiu, how can we not defeat the enemy?” Linghu Yan said.

That's enough!

Zu Lang responded with a sound of agreement, then fell silent, his heart uneasy because of Zhang Yu's use of troops.

Zu Lang, as a former general of Yuan Shu, was very clear about the situation of Chen's army. If Cao Cao and Liu Bei took advantage of the situation and attacked, wouldn't Yuan Shu be put in a passive position? If Zhang Yu were to capture Yongqiu, Chen's army's situation would become even more awkward.

"We must contact His Majesty and, while Zhang Yu is far away in Yongqiu, see if we can defeat the Tang army in Yu County," Zu Lang thought to himself.

With this in mind, Zu Lang exchanged a few vague words with Linghu Yan and then returned to his tent to consider how to pass the intelligence to Yuan Shu.

That night, Zulang wrote a letter detailing the Tang army's deployment and arranged for his trusted confidants to sneak out of the camp under cover of darkness.

When the letter arrived at Chen's camp, Yuan Shu had just finished his midnight snack and was about to go to sleep when he saw the urgency of the military situation. So he summoned his close confidants to the main tent for a meeting.

"Zu Lang sent a secret report, saying that Zhang Yu sent an envoy to contact Cao Cao and Liu Bei, inducing them to raise troops to attack us. Seeing that our army was holding its ground and not fighting, he led his troops north to Yongqiu, intending to capture Yongqiu first and then fight our army together."

Yuan Shu frowned deeply and said, "If Zhang Yu succeeds, our army will be in a passive position. What are your thoughts on this?"

"Your Majesty, our army should not engage in a prolonged stalemate with the Tang army. If Cao Cao changes his mind and Zhang Chao is defeated, our army will be at the mercy of the Tang army," Yan Xiang said. "Therefore, in my opinion, our army should first seek a plan to defeat the Tang army."

"The Tang army is elite, and its cavalry is fierce and adept at charging. It will be difficult to defeat the Tang people," Zhang Xun said worriedly.

Cai Mao glanced at the letter and said, "Your Majesty, according to Zu Lang, Zhang Yu has mobilized 10,000 troops to march north in order to break Yongqiu, but now there are only 40,000 troops in the main camp. Our army has committed its best troops, and with Zu Lang as an inside ally, our army may be able to take advantage of this opportunity to defeat the enemy."

"Strategist Cai's plan is excellent!"

Ji Ling said, "The Protectorate Army is the elite of the Tang army. Zhang Yu has transferred the elite troops from various units to it, and there are also armored cavalry. Now that the Protectorate Army has marched north, the strength of the Tang people has been greatly reduced. If we do not take advantage of this opportunity to fight, and wait for Zhang Yu to contact Cao Cao, or if he captures Yongqiu, then our army will have a hard time defeating the Tang army."

Seeing that many people agreed to take advantage of the situation to wage war, Yuan Shu considered for a moment, then looked at Kuai Yue and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Kuai Yue cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, it is a good plan to take advantage of the enemy's small number of troops to fight. However, I am afraid that there is a trap involved, and that Zhang Yu is trying to lure our army into battle."

“Zu Lang is highly valued by me, and his family is all in the southern border. How could he betray me and join the rebels?” Yuan Shu said with a frown.

Kuai Yue said, “I do not doubt Zu Lang, but I doubt Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu’s military tactics have always been cunning, as unpredictable as ghosts and gods. Now he is leading his troops north to Yongqiu, under the pretext of breaking the city and joining forces, but Yongqiu is a high city with ample food. If we attack for a long time without success, won’t our military strength become dull?”

"And what is your opinion?" Yuan Shu countered.

Kuai Yue said, "First, contact Zu Lang, then send scouts to investigate and observe Zhang Yu's movements. If the main camp only has 40,000 Tang soldiers, Your Majesty can send out a large army to attack!"

"good!"

Yuan Shu nodded and smiled, saying, "What you say makes sense. Let's send scouts to investigate."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)