Late Han Zhao Tang

Yuzhang, Haihun.

Inside the county government building, Cao Cao and his civil and military officials sat on mats to discuss military and political affairs in Yuzhang.

"Prime Minister, it has been reported that Yuan Si, the governor of Yangzhou, has fled with his family. I have pursued him along the river for more than ten miles, but have not found any trace of him. Should we send troops to search for him?" Zhou Tai stepped forward to report.

Cao Cao reviewed the household registration documents of the twenty-one counties of Yuzhang Commandery and said, "Yuan Si is a foolish man, why bother with all this trouble? Now that Yuzhang has been pacified, the key is to eliminate the bandits within the commandery before discussing the western expedition to Jiangxia."

As he spoke, Cao Cao looked at Liu Xun, who was sitting to the side, and asked, "Are the household registration records of the twenty-one counties of Yuzhang accurate?"

Liu Xun, courtesy name Zitai, was a native of Langya and a former official of Yuan Shu. At the end of the Zhongping era, he served as the magistrate of Jianping in Pei State. Coincidentally, Cao Cao was studying and farming in his hometown at that time, and Liu Xun and Cao Cao forged a deep friendship. Therefore, in the early stages of Cao Cao's uprising, when Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, sought refuge in Langya, he received considerable assistance from Liu Xun.

Yuan Shu raised an army in Nanyang, and Liu Xun, along with a group of scholars from Langya, were summoned by Yuan Shu to serve under him. Liu Xun rose through the ranks to become a general based on his merits. Later, due to Zhuge Xuan's unsuccessful campaign against the rebels, Liu Xun concurrently served as the governor of Yuzhang, cooperating with Yuan Si to defend against Cao Cao.

Cao Cao, leveraging his close relationship with Liu Xun, repeatedly wrote letters urging Liu Xun to surrender, and even obscured letters to sow discord between Yuan Si and Liu Xun. After months of Cao Cao's efforts, a rift gradually developed between the two. Meanwhile, news of Yuan Shu's defeat and capture reached Jiangzuo, and Cao Cao led his troops westward to conquer Yuzhang.

Seeing Cao Cao's westward expedition to Yuzhang, Yuan Si feared Liu Xun's rebellion and wanted to seize Liu Xun's military power. Therefore, he led Liu Xun to lead troops to counterattack. While the two were fighting, Cao Cao led his troops in a surprise attack, first seizing Liu Xun's Pengze camp, and then leading his troops to Haihun.

Seeing this, Liu Xun simply surrendered to Cao Cao, while Yuan Si abandoned the city and fled. Cao Cao occupied Yuzhang with almost no losses.

At this point, Cao Cao controlled the entire territory of Yangzhou and even occupied some counties in Xuzhou!
Upon hearing Cao Cao's question, Liu Xun bowed and replied, "During the old Han Dynasty, the population of Yuzhang was inaccurate, as it was mostly inhabited by barbarians. Now, the population of the twenty-one counties of Yuzhang is as verified at that time, with 53,000 households and more than 200,000 people on the register."

The area of ​​Yuzhang Commandery during the Han Dynasty roughly corresponds to what is now Jiangxi Province. Due to the presence of Poyang Lake and the inflow of many other waterways, the city was built along the water. After four hundred years of development during the Han Dynasty, the area became prosperous, with a population comparable to, and perhaps even slightly larger than, that of Wu Commandery and Danyang Commandery. For example, Shangliaoting under Haihun County had tens of thousands of households, while the actual population of Haihun County was at least twenty thousand households.

Cao Cao pondered for a moment and said, "Yuzhang Commandery has twenty-one counties, making it the most prosperous of all the commanderies in Yangzhou. Moreover, in the counties of Luling, Pingdu, Shiyang, Nanye, and Ganxian in the south of the commandery, there are clan leaders rebelling and barbarian attacks from the outside. It is appropriate to separate a commandery to govern them, and temporarily make Luling the commandery, and call it Luling Commandery."

As he spoke, Cao Cao looked at Xiahou Yuan and said, "Since I raised my army, you have followed me closely and made many contributions, which I cannot forget. Now I appoint you as the governor of Luling Commandery to pacify the southern border for me."

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

Xiahou Yuan was invigorated. He rose from his seat, bowed, and accepted the order.

Yuzhang is a newly surrendered territory and the gateway to Jiangzuo. How could Cao Cao dare to let an outsider govern it? He should appoint Zong Jiang as the governor.

Among the commanderies under Cao Cao's rule, Jiujiang Commandery was the capital region, governed by Xun Yu as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. Lujiang Commandery was the gateway to Jiangdong, and was headed by the loyal Cheng Yu. Xiahou Dun was appointed governor of Wu Commandery, Cao Ren held the title of governor of Danyang Commandery but did not govern it, and Wan Qian and Che Zhou, his trusted confidants, were appointed governors of Kuaiji and Guangling Commanderies respectively.

"With the surrender of Yuzhang and the submission of Yangzhou, Your Excellency now commands a million people and a superior army, which should be a cause for celebration. However, Zhang Yu's capture of Yuan Shu has shaken the Central Plains, and the lands of Han and Huai may fall into the hands of the Tang people."

Taking the opportunity, Liu Ye offered his advice, saying, "If Your Excellency wishes to build a great enterprise, you should lead your troops westward to Jiangxia, first defeat Huang Zu, then go up the river to take Nanjun, so that you can confront the Tang people across the river."

Cao Cao pondered for a moment and said, "Liu Bei is entrenched in Jingnan, with his sights set on Nanjun and Changsha. If we send troops westward now, it may lead to war with him."

Lu Su stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then said, "Prime Minister, Zhang Yu's power is now like Xiang Yu's, and his prestige shakes the world. No single family can defeat him. In my opinion, we should unite with Liu Bei and Sun Ce to resist Zhang Yu together."

Cao Cao nodded and said, "Zijing's words are not without reason. Although Yangzhou is a vast territory with a population of over a million, considering the overall situation of the world, without external assistance, it is no match for China."

As a brilliant strategist, Lu Su could already foresee the subsequent developments: the counties and kingdoms under Yuan Shu's rule would be taken by Zhang Yu. Therefore, Cao Cao alone was no match for Zhang Yu, who possessed a large population. Thus, in his eyes, uniting with Sun Quan and Liu Bei to resist Zhang Yu was a sure thing.

Although Cao Cao was not a first-rate strategist, given the current situation, how could he not understand the importance of alliances and counter-alliances?

Liu Ye said, “Prime Minister, Liu Bei’s power is weak and not enough to unite with you. In the past, when he was in the Central Plains, he served Zhang Yu for a long time. In times of crisis, he may surrender to Zhang Yu. Therefore, in my opinion, it is feasible to form an alliance to resist the enemy, but it is necessary to annex Liu Bei. At that time, Prime Minister, you can use the Huai River as a natural barrier in the north and Yiling in the west to unite with Ba and Shu, and fight against Zhang Yu together with Sun Ce.”

"inappropriate!"

Lu Su shook his head and said, "Liu Bei is a man of unwavering resolve, determined to restore the Han Dynasty. How could he willingly surrender to Zhang Yu? Moreover, with Zhang Yu's army pressing in, how can the Prime Minister fight against Zhang Yu in the north and Liu Bei in the south? Such an action might allow the Tang people to benefit."

Whether Liu Bei could be a force to be won over is a matter of opinion. For example, Lu Su, based on Liu Bei's abilities, believed that Liu Bei was worth allying with; Liu Ye, based on the strength of both sides, believed that it would be better to annex Liu Bei than to ally with him. Just as Liu Ye was about to object, a servant suddenly rushed into the hall.

"Prime Minister, urgent news from Jingzhou!" the attendant said, panting.

"What's the matter?"

"According to the merchants of Jingzhou, since Yuan Shu was captured by Zhang Yu, the State of Chen sent envoys to surrender to Zhang Yu. Now, the counties, officials, and soldiers of Chen may soon follow the Zhang family," the attendant said.

Upon hearing this, even those who had anticipated it couldn't help but gasp.

Zhang Yu already controlled Hebei, and now he also occupies the Central Plains and the Huai and Han Rivers. Except for the area south of the Yangtze River, he has almost unified the whole country. In the past, the State of Chen was not easy to deal with. Now, Zhang Yu, who controls the central lands, is even more difficult to deal with. It is possible that resisting him would be like throwing an egg against a rock.

Of course, besides being amazed by Zhang Yu's strength, everyone was even more shocked by the speed at which Zhang Yu conquered the State of Chen. Zhang Yu launched his campaign in the autumn, and now it is only the end of October, less than a hundred days at most. To be able to destroy a large country with an army of 100,000 and a vast territory of thousands of miles in just a hundred days was truly beyond everyone's expectations.

While everyone was shocked, Cao Cao maintained a calm expression, but his clenched fists and wide eyes revealed his nervous and uneasy state of mind.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Cao Cao suddenly burst into laughter.

"hehe!"

Seeing Cao Cao suddenly burst into laughter, everyone was puzzled. Liu Ye asked, "Why is the Prime Minister laughing?"

Cao Cao laughed and said, "I laugh at Zhang Yu for being good at commanding cavalry and for having a fierce army of Tang soldiers under his command. But there is a world of difference between the north and south of the Yangtze River. Southerners use boats as horses, while northerners live on saddles and horses. Even if Zhang Yu has a million soldiers, he cannot stop the flow of the river with his whips and cross the Yangtze River with the help of northerners. If Zhang Yu insists on using his troops, I can defeat ten thousand soldiers with a boat with a hundred men."

"The Prime Minister is right!"

Le Jin, deeply aware of this, said, “Southerners can board ships as easily as walking on flat ground, while northern soldiers are unfamiliar with water. How can they possibly compete with our navy?”

Le Jin was from Dongjun in Yanzhou and followed Cao Cao in his campaigns. When he first arrived in the Jianghuai region, he was completely unaccustomed to life in the south, especially to fighting on boats. However, after living in the south for many years and constantly traveling by boat, he had become accustomed to it. Now, his skills in water combat might not be as good as those of native southerners, but they were far superior to those of soldiers and generals from the north.

Cao Cao rose from his couch, paced back and forth, and said with a smile, “The Yangtze River is a natural barrier; without boats, the navy cannot cross it. I now have naval soldiers who roam the river with unparalleled skill, an invincible force in the world, and boats that form a great wall. Therefore, even if Zhang Yu has a navy, he is no match for our army. The Yangtze River divides into north and south; this is a strategic advantage.”

"The Prime Minister is right!"

"With the great river as a natural barrier, how can Zhang Yu's infantry and cavalry act recklessly?"

“If Zhang Yu dares to personally lead the expedition, I will personally capture him and present him to the Prime Minister,” Zhou Tai said with a loud laugh.

With Cao Cao's reassuring gesture, the people felt much more at ease and were no longer so afraid of Zhang Yu.

"Prime Minister, now that Chen has surrendered to Zhang Yu, we should not delay. We must advance quickly and see if we can take advantage of the internal strife in Chen to seize Jiangxia County," Lu Su urged. "We should also contact Liu Bei in Jingnan and join forces with him to resist Zhang Yu."

"As for whether to annex Liu Bei to strengthen ourselves, let's discuss that later."

"good!"

Cao Cao stopped, gripped his sword, and said in a deep voice, "Zijing's words are reasonable. Order Cheng Yu, the governor of Jiujiang, to lead the ships ahead, while my main army marches towards Jiangxia. We must defeat Huang Zu and capture Xiakou before Zhang Yu surrenders to Chen."

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

P.S.: Happy Dragon Boat Festival! (End of Chapter)