Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 81: Deputy Commandant of the Xiongnu Guard
Luoyang, Beigong.

Liu Hong sat on the imperial couch, put down the memorial in his hand, and asked, "When the magistrate of Zheng County, Zhang Yu, was a palace official, he was appointed as the Minister of the Chancellery by the Guanglu Xun. I wonder if you remember this person?"

Liu Yu pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "How could I not remember this person? I thought that although Zhang Yu was still young, he had outstanding talents and extraordinary insights, so he was appointed as the magistrate of Zheng County."

"Your Majesty may not remember this person, but you should remember the "Memorial on Refuting the Recruitment of Xianbei Soldiers"."

"Refuting the Recruitment of Xianbei Soldiers?"

Liu Hong recalled a little and said in surprise, "I remember that this memorial was submitted by the Shangshu Langguan. Could it be that this Langguan is Zhang Yu?"

"Of course!"

Liu Yu nodded slightly and said with a smile: "Zhang Yu was born in Yunzhong, and he is familiar with the customs of the Hu people and can speak the Hu language. When he was a Langguan in the guest department, he interpreted the Hu language for the ministers. So when he knew that the court wanted to recruit the Xianbei as soldiers, he was shocked and prepared this memorial."

Liu Hong looked thoughtful and said, "So it seems that Zhang Yu is a man of both virtue and talent?"

Liu Yu smiled and said, "Although Zhang Yu is young, he is mature and steady. Although he has given up his post and entered Luoyang to save his former master, he has not neglected the political affairs of Zheng County. As far as I know, Zhang Yu has made many achievements since he took office half a year ago."

"For example, he eliminated the man-eating tiger in Nanshan, cleared the long-standing criminal cases, and saved thousands of refugees from the three prefectures. Zheng County has a small area with few fields, so Zhang Yufa, a big family, opened up the mountains and borrowed land to increase the number of households and fields. Judging from the above, he deserves the name of a good official."

Zheng County is too close to Luoyang, so if we send someone to investigate, we can know Zhang Yu's achievements. Now that everyone knows that Zhang Yu did not give up governing Zheng County even though he was busy saving Wang Yun, they have nothing to say, and instead admire Zhang Yu for his dedication to his duties.

Under such circumstances, Zhang Yu's reputation gradually rose in Luoyang. At present, apart from being able to despise Zhang Yu for his humble origins, those who were interested could not find any points to slander Zhang Yu.

Out of his love for talent, Liu Yu was willing to say good things about Zhang Yu.

"If I continue to detain Zhang Yu, it seems that I will be at fault!" Liu Hong said with a smile and shook his head.

"Forgive me for being frank, but Your Majesty has no intention of detaining Zhang Yu." Liu Yu said with a smile.

Liu Hong laughed a few times and did not comment on Liu Yu's words.

He admired officials like Zhang Yu who could stand up for their former masters. But admiration does not mean he would approve of such behavior. He handed Zhang Yu over to the court for punishment, not only out of the idea of upholding the law, but also out of the idea of killing Zhang Yu to show his prestige.

But since Zhang Yu was imprisoned, his reputation has become increasingly famous, and many people hope to pardon him. This made Liu Hong wonder if Zhang Yu was imprisoned on purpose so that his reputation would spread. If Zhang Yu planned to be imprisoned in advance to become famous, then this young man is too scheming!

Regardless of whether Zhang Yu did it on purpose or not, given the current situation, we still have to follow the will of the people and release Zhang Yu from prison.

Liu Hong pondered for a moment and said, "Wang Yun submitted a memorial to Zhang Yu, in which he said that he heard that Bingzhou was plundered by the Hu people, and now he wants to join the army and guard the border for the country. What do you think?"

Liu Yu stroked his beard and thought for a moment, then said, "The border is in turmoil now, so choosing a local to guard the land is a good idea. And looking at Zhang Yu's talents alone, he is better at martial arts than literature, and better at archery and horsemanship than civil affairs. The border is in trouble now, and Zhang Yu wants to guard the border for the country, so why not encourage his ambition?"

The basic policy of the Eastern Han Dynasty in defending its borders was for the villagers to defend their hometowns. For example, Gongsun Zan of Youzhou and Dong Zhuo of Liangzhou were undoubtedly the representatives of the villagers defending their hometowns.

Since the Bingzhou area has been a conflict zone between the Han and the Hu people for many years, there are naturally corresponding border people guarding the border, such as Guo Yu, Wang Rou, Linghu Fa and others.

Liu Hong nodded slightly and asked his attendants, "Where are the Bingzhou military officers missing?"

The attendant Yang Qi bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, there are few vacancies for military officers in Bingzhou. Now you want to appoint Zhang Yu. I think it would be better to appoint him as the deputy lieutenant of the Xiongnu Guard to assist the General of the Central Army in protecting the Xiongnu internally and driving out the Xianbei in the north."

"Who is the Lieutenant General of the Guard against the Xiongnu? What is the official position of the Deputy Colonel of the Guard against the Xiongnu?" Liu Hong asked.

Yang Qi thought for a moment and said, "The current Lieutenant General who protects the Xiongnu is Wang Rou of Taiyuan. Although he has the same surname and county as Wang Henei, they are not related by blood. The deputy lieutenant is the deputy of the Lieutenant General, and his salary is equivalent to a thousand stones."

"Many of the Zhonglangjiang have submitted memorials saying that the troops in the camp are too few and weak, and no longer as numerous as before, and they have pleaded with the court to transfer troops. So why not appoint Zhang Yu as the deputy commander to strengthen the defense."

Yang Qi, whose courtesy name was Gongting, was the grandson of Yang Zhen. Yang Ci was his cousin and Yang Biao was his cousin. He had a very good relationship with Wang Yun.

Liu Hong thought for a moment and said, "In that case, release Zhang Yu from prison and appoint him as the deputy commander of the Xiongnu defense department."

"promise!"

Soon, the news that Zhang Yu would be appointed as the deputy commander of the Xiongnu army spread in the palace.

In the side hall, Zhang Rang, who heard the news, had a cold look in his eyes. He was very angry and felt that he had no place to use his strength.

He took action twice and forced Wang Yun to be imprisoned. If he didn't make Wang Yun suffer, where would he put his face?

If Zhang Yu had not appeared out of nowhere and presented the umbrella of the people to His Majesty, he was sure that even if Wang Yun could be released from prison, he would have suffered a lot. Now Wang Yun was not only released from prison, but also promoted to the position of governor of Henei and left Luoyang, which directly hurt his face.

The boy Zhang Yu was really cunning. He went directly to the border to take up a post from the magistrate of Zheng County to the deputy lieutenant of the Protectorate over the Xiongnu, leaving him out of reach and unable to seek revenge.

In the Secretariat, Xun You, who had just become a palace attendant, felt deeply moved when he heard that Zhang Yu had been released from prison and appointed as deputy lieutenant.

Two years ago, Zhang Yu was a friend who drank with him, but now he has become a famous person in Luoyang, and even promoted to deputy lieutenant, which has widened the gap with everyone else. Thinking about it now, it is really sad!

At the same time, Zhang Yu was released from the imperial prison. His friends including Wang Gai, Wang Chen, Guo Tu, Cheng Pu, Li Song, and Sun Zi came to greet him, and the motorcade was quite impressive.

"Congratulations to Ji An for being released from prison!"

Zhang Yu returned the greetings and said with a smile, "I have been in prison for more than a month. Thank you for your efforts to get me out of prison. I will be back home today. I will not leave until I am drunk with you all."

"please!"

"Jian, please get in the car!"

Wang Gai no longer had the serious attitude he had shown when he first met Zhang Yu. His expression was quite friendly. Obviously, after the incident with Wang Yun, Wang Gai no longer thought that Zhang Yu was inferior to him. Or he began to admire Zhang Yu from the bottom of his heart and no longer thought that Zhang Yu was marrying up to the Wang family. "Thank you, cousin!"

"Please!"

Sun Zi's eyes in the crowd revealed even more reverence. In the past, he and Zhang Yu were both disciples of Wang Hong. He was highly valued by Wang Hong, so he was able to study in the Imperial College.

When Sun Zi first met Zhang Yu, he simply felt that Zhang Yu was a person he could get along with. Zhang Yu helped with his family affairs, which made Sun Zi regard Zhang Yu as a friend. Later, Zhang Yu became a filial and honest official and had an engagement with Wang Ji. Although Sun Zi was happy to be a good friend, he was quite jealous deep down.

Now, as Zhang Yu became more and more outstanding, and he had been studying hard in the Imperial Academy, the gap between the two continued to widen, which made Sun Zi's complex emotions such as jealousy, envy, and joy directly transformed into admiration.

"Yanlong is well!"

"Congratulations to Ji'an!" Sun Zi said, bending his body.

"How about riding in the same carriage with me?" Zhang Yu invited Sun Zi when he saw that he was all alone.

"Thank you, Ji'an!" Sun Zi said gratefully.

Amid the laughter and joy of the crowd, Zhang Yu and Sun Zi sat in the same car and drove to the palace.

On the way, Hao Zhao, Zhang Feng and others who came from Zheng County rode their horses in front of the carriage to lead the way, with their chests held high and their heads held high, as if they were the ones who were being treated with courtesy.

When Wang Yun returned to the palace, he had already prepared a banquet to celebrate Zhang Yu's release from prison.

At the banquet, Wang Yun drank a few cups. Realizing that it was difficult for everyone to relax while he was at the banquet, he left the banquet on the pretext of having something to do.

Zhang Yu was drinking and having fun with everyone, and when he was a little tipsy, Wang Yun called him to the back hall.

"Yu greets uncle!"

"Sit down!"

Wang Yun asked his maid to serve Zhang Yu a hangover soup and said, "Don't drink too much. Stop drinking when you are in the mood. If you drink until you are drunk, it is not the behavior of a gentleman."

"Thank you for your teaching, uncle!"

Zhang Yu knelt at the table, his expression still humble.

Wang Yun took out a letter from the table and told Zhang Yu, "My father has sent me a letter about the incident at Chanhewu."

Zhang Yu immediately opened the letter, only to find that his father was telling him about the Xianbei people's southward looting. Because they had noticed the Hu people's looting in advance, everyone hid in the dock, thus avoiding a large number of casualties. Only more than ten people were killed or injured in defending the city.

The losses were mostly in the form of property losses. For example, cattle and horses in the periphery were looted. The looting led to the cancellation of border trade, which affected the family's economy.

"How is it?" Wang Yun asked with concern.

"When the Xianbei went south to plunder, they didn't suffer many casualties because they had the protection of the fortress, only some damage to their property," said Zhang Yu.

"It's good for people nowadays to have nothing to do. Money is just something outside of one's body." Wang Yun said.

"Yu thinks so too!" Zhang Yu's worries were gone and he smiled.

Wang Yun nodded slightly and said with a smile: "Your Majesty has already issued an imperial decree regarding Ji'an's appointment."

"Oh?"

Zhang Yu suddenly became interested and asked, "I wonder if I can return to Bingzhou to take up my post?"

Wang Yun stroked his beard and said with a smile: "As far as I know, Your Majesty appointed Ji'an as the deputy commander of the Xiongnu defense, with a salary of 1,000 stones, to assist the General of the Central Army in defending the Xiongnu and the Xianbei."

"Deputy commander of the Xiongnu Guard?"

Zhang Yu pondered for a long time in his mind and said, "Since the Xihe County seat moved south, the Xiongnu royal court also moved south. If I am to serve as the deputy commander of the Xiongnu defense, I need to go to Xihe County to take up the post!"

"Of course!"

Wang Yun said: "Xihe is located at the junction of Han and Hu, adjacent to Yunzhong, Dingxiang, and Yanmen. Now the Xianbei are heading south to plunder, and it is time to use force."

After a pause, Wang Yun smiled and said, "Ji'an has been away from Bingzhou for a long time. Now that he has returned to take up his official post, he can also find an opportunity to marry Ji'er."

Zhang Yu smiled and said nothing. When the Xianbei tore up the contract and went south to plunder, he was appointed as the deputy lieutenant of the Xiongnu Guard. He would have the power to lead troops in battle. With military power, he could make military achievements and legally own troops.

"correct!"

Wang Yun seemed to remember something and said, "Ji'an was able to be released from prison this time, thanks to the help of the general and the general, and Guanglu Xun will also speak for Ji'an. Therefore, before Ji'an leaves Beijing, he needs to visit you to express his gratitude."

"promise!"

Zhang Yu bowed in response.

Without Wang Yun's instructions, Zhang Yu would visit everyone after he was released from prison. After all, visiting is better than not visiting, and if a friendship can be established, it is even better.

(End of this chapter)