Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 92: Wind Rising from Yanmen
August, the third year of Zhongping.

In the valley, Zhang Yu rode his horse slowly, followed by Zhong Yao and Hao Zhao. The three of them wanted to go to Zuoguo City together.

After being persuaded by his wife, Zhang Yu pulled himself out of the arms of a gentle family. In order to accumulate strength as quickly as possible and achieve success, he left Jinyang the next day.

Of course, Zhang Yu admitted that it was related to Li Suyi's sudden visit. Although he didn't know what Wang Ji said to Li Suyi that day to calm her down, his keen intuition told Zhang Yu that if he didn't leave early, something would happen sooner or later.

That day, when Zhang Yu said he would go to Zuoguo City to serve as a director, Li Suyi's attitude changed drastically, and she showed reluctance to leave. With Wang Ji's tacit consent, Zhang Yu stayed with Li Suyi for two hours that night, and before going to sleep, he returned to his room and comforted Wang Ji again.

Zhang Yu was "exhausted" that night, and it also made him understand a truth: when traveling a long distance the next day, don't work too hard the night before, otherwise you might fall asleep on horseback!

Compared to the last time when he went to Zuoguo City alone with Hao Zhao, Zhang Yu specially called Zhong Yao along this time to ask Zhong Yao to help him come up with ideas on how to obtain the corresponding resources from Wang Rou and station in a suitable area.

At this time, Zhong Yao had no idea what he was thinking about. He kept looking at the steep cliffs on both sides. The cliffs were so steep that they made people feel awe.

When he found a chance, Zhang Yu asked, "Brother Yuan Chang, what do you think?"

Zhong Yao pointed at the surroundings with his whip and said with emotion: "Bingzhou is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with rugged mountains and fertile fields, and the people are strong and brave. In the Spring and Autumn Period, Jin was able to dominate the Central Plains, compete with Qi in the east, and compete with Chu in the south for hegemony, all thanks to this."

Zhang Yu's eyes flickered, and he asked, "In times of chaos, if a hero takes over Bingzhou, what do you think?"

Zhong Yao was immersed in the situation in Bingzhou, and said thoughtfully: "Although Bingzhou is protected by the Hengshan Mountain and the Great River, it is occupied by heroes. If we do not observe the situation and change it, it may not last long."

"Why?"

Zhong Yao thought and said: "Bingzhou has a sparse population and no longer has the household registration of the former Han Dynasty. Although we have the advantage of steep mountains and rivers, there are strong Hu tribes in the north, and the soldiers and food in the state are few. If we face a strong enemy, it will be difficult to hold out for long. Therefore, it can only be a temporary business."

Zhong Yao's evaluation of Bingzhou was quite neutral. Although Bingzhou in the Eastern Han Dynasty still had rugged mountainous terrain, its internal problems were more serious.

If the population is sparse, it will limit Bingzhou's upper limit in its fight for the world; however, Bingzhou's own geographical advantages can guarantee Bingzhou's lower limit in troubled times.

What Zhong Yao said now was actually Zhang Yu's long-term observation of the Bingzhou area. To be honest, although Li Tang started in Taiyuan, he did not stay in Bingzhou for too long, but marched straight into Guanzhong as a place to conquer the world.

After all, Bingzhou is surrounded by Guanzhong and Hebei, and in terms of population, Bingzhou is not as good as the above two places. If Zhang Yu wants to make a difference in the chaotic times, separatist Bingzhou is only the beginning, and the difficulty lies in the future development direction.

In addition, due to the complicated situation in Bingzhou during the Eastern Han Dynasty and Zhang Yu's current weak status, it would not be easy for him to seize control of Bingzhou. Therefore, Zhang Yu needed to be promoted as soon as possible or have a group of soldiers and horses, so that he could take control of Bingzhou in the future.

As if sensing Zhang Yu's complicated thoughts, Zhong Yao asked back, "Why do you ask this, Ji'an?"

Zhang Yu remained calm and said, "I just felt something special after listening to Yuan Chang's comments on the situation in Bingzhou."

After a pause, Zhang Yu changed the subject and asked, "I am going to Zuocheng today. I wonder what Yuan Chang thinks?"

Zhong Yao pondered for a while and said, "Jian wants to make achievements on the frontier, so it is important to have soldiers under his command. Now looking at what Wang Rou has done, he has no intention of giving Ji'an troops, so Ji'an needs to make a suggestion to Wang Rou to see if he can allow Ji'an to recruit soldiers."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, indicating his approval of Zhong Yao's words. It seems that there is no difference between allowing the recruitment of soldiers and building one's own army, but there is a big difference between them.

Due to the turmoil in the Eastern Han Dynasty, many local tyrants and powerful families had their own troops or family soldiers, but because they were not organized by the court, the recruiters had to provide military rations on their own. If the court gave a quota to recruit soldiers, the court would provide military rations and equipment, and the recruiters did not have to bear the cost of military money and food on their own.

Take Sun Jian as an example. Before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Sun Jian recruited thousands of soldiers in Xiapi, and the expenses of these soldiers had to be paid by Sun Jian. When Sun Jian became an officer of the Han army, the expenses of his troops would be supported by the Eastern Han Dynasty.

And because the ranks of the troops were different, the court would provide different equipment and food supplies. Therefore, if Zhang Yu could get the number of soldiers he was allowed to recruit, he would be able to legitimately form an army. After all, he probably couldn't afford to provide the troops himself.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhong Yao asked, "In addition to recruiting soldiers, we also need to consider where Ji'an wants to relocate his troops?"

Zhang Yu pondered for a long time and said, "When the Southern Xiongnu surrendered to our dynasty, Emperor Taizu divided the Xiongnu into eight tribes and stationed them in eight counties, namely Beidi, Shuofang, Wuyuan, Yunzhong, Dingxiang, and Yanmen. Over the past hundred years, the eight Xiongnu tribes have undergone many changes, some have defected and fled, some have disobeyed the king's orders, and some have attached themselves to the border."

"Among the eight tribes, General Zuonan's tribe is stationed at Yanmen. They have been attached to our dynasty for more than a hundred years and have rarely shown signs of disobedience. Moreover, they have been in conflict with the Xianbei for many years. General Zuonan's tribe has a blood feud with the Xianbei tribes. If we want to station troops on the border now, it would be better to go to Yanmen and borrow the strength of General Zuonan's tribe."

During the two months he spent in Zuoguo City, Zhang Yu had nothing to do, but he also learned about the current situation of the eight Xiongnu tribes. For example, due to the decline of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the lack of prestige of the Chanyu, it was difficult to control the Xiongnu tribes on the Ordos Plateau.

On the contrary, the northernmost General Zuo Nan's headquarters is still a loyal dog of the Han Dynasty for various reasons. It would be a pity if Zhang Yu did not go to the border of General Zuo Nan's headquarters! Of course, Yanmen has a key geographical location. It can unite with Budugen in the north, get Taiyuan Army supplies in the south, and conquer Qianman in the west.

Seeing that Zhang Yu was well versed in the affairs of the Xiongnu tribes and his answers were well-organized, Zhong Yao nodded in approval.

After two days of walking on the Luliang Mountain Road, Zhang Yu finally arrived at Zuoguo City. As it was getting late, Zhang Yu rested for a night, and the next day, he met Wang Rou again after being informed by his attendant.

Inside the hall, Wang Rouyi smiled and asked, "Why doesn't Ji'an spend a few more days with his newlywed wife?"

Zhang Yu bowed and replied, "Uncle, I am afraid that you may have something to tell me, so I dare not indulge in the pleasures of the world."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu thanked him and said, "Thank you, uncle, for the gift on our wedding day!"

"It's just a small gift. It's a pity that I can't come in person!" Wang Rou said.

After some greetings, Zhang Yu pretended to be hesitant to speak, as if there were some things he was difficult to say.

After taking a sip of the honey water, Wang Rou saw that Zhang Yu wanted to say something, so she gestured, "If Ji'an has anything to say, just say it."

After a moment's silence, Zhang Yu said, "In the past, Emperor Shizu divided the Xiongnu into eight tribes and placed them in the border counties. Since the prosperity of the Xianbei, many Xiongnu who guarded the frontiers have been killed, and some tribes have rebelled. Now the Xiongnu in Dingxiang and Yanmen counties are displaced, and General Zuonan's troops are isolated."

"Protecting the Chanyu is the most important thing, and protecting other Xiongnu tribes is the secondary thing. Since Yu is Shishu's deputy, he should share Shishu's worries. Therefore, it is better for Shishu to stay in Zuoguo City, and Yu to the north to Yanmen to station at the border, and in the name of Shishu, gather the scattered Xiongnu."

After the Xianbei became the overlord of the desert, they often went south to plunder, and the Southern Xiongnu, who were protecting the frontier, suffered a heavy blow. In fact, not only did the Han people in the Shuofang counties wither, but the Southern Xiongnu also migrated south.

It can be said that after the Chanyu was controlled by the Eastern Han Dynasty, the fate of the Southern Xiongnu was closely linked to the Eastern Han Dynasty. After Cao Cao unified the north, the five Xiongnu tribes he established were more of a continuation of the policies of the Eastern Han Dynasty, except that the eight Xiongnu tribes were reorganized into five.

Wang Rou stroked his beard and hummed softly, pretending to think, and said: "I have heard a little about the displacement of the Xiongnu tribes in the frontier, but I didn't have the energy to take care of it in the past. I wanted to let Ji'an go to Yanmen, but I was worried that Ji'an had just arrived in Zuocheng, so I didn't say anything. Now Ji'an wants to station troops in Yanmen, which is what I am worried about."

Zhang Yu didn't care whether what Wang Rou said was true or not, and continued: "Yu is willing to station troops at Yanmen, but I am worried that I don't have enough soldiers. I wonder if my uncle will give me some troops, or allow me to recruit soldiers?"

Wang Rou hesitated and said, "There are less than 2,000 soldiers in the camp now. If we send them to Ji'an, it may weaken the guards of the left city. The actual number of soldiers in the camp is 2,500, but there is a shortage of more than 700. If Ji'an goes to Yanmen to station troops, I will submit a petition to allow Ji'an to recruit 700 soldiers."

"Seven hundred people!"

Zhang Yu calculated in his mind that although the 700 soldiers might not seem like a lot, if they were recruited, their quality would far exceed that of a combination of soldiers and civilians. With 700 soldiers, supplemented by the Xiongnu miscellaneous soldiers, the force would far exceed that of a thousand.

Zhang Yu got the desired result and immediately said, "Thank you very much, uncle, for your arrangement. I am very grateful."

"It's your job!"

Wang Rou smiled and said, "Ji'an is going to Yanmen. If you have any difficulties, you can look for my brother."

"promise!"

Seeing that Zhang Yu was willing to go to Yanmen to station troops, Wang Rou had no intention of stopping him. After all, Zhang Yu was hanging around him every day, which was really not a big deal. Now that Zhang Yu took the initiative to ask for help, Wang Rou was willing to help him. If Zhang Yu made a contribution, he would also have a share of the credit.

Not to mention that Wang Rou submitted a petition to Luoyang, asking Zhang Yu to recruit 700 soldiers. After receiving Wang Rou's approval, Zhang Yu immediately asked Hao Zhao to return home to recruit warriors and agreed to meet in Mayi.

At the same time, Zhang Yu also wrote a letter to Li Song, asking Li Song to bring Meng Ningzhi, Zhang Feng, Shi Yi and others, and lead a hundred cavalry to Mayi to assemble.

After all matters were arranged, Zhang Yu and Zhong Yao rushed to Yanmen without stopping, preparing to contact Budugen and see if they could recruit Zhang Liao to join them.

While Zhang Yu was on his way to Mayi, an official document from Luoyang was delivered to Zuo Guocheng, which gave instructions on Wang Rou's memorial.

The number of troops in Zuoguo City remained unchanged, and Zhang Yu was allowed to recruit 700 soldiers, with food provided by Bingzhou. They were stationed in Yanmen, and were to protect the Xiongnu tribes in Yanmen and Dingxiang counties, and be responsible for the defense of the border counties.

Not only that, the imperial court also issued a decree to deal with the split between the two Xianbei factions, uniting with the pro-Han Budugen to attack the anti-Han Qianman.

As the imperial decree arrived, Zhang Yu also met Zhang Liao!
(End of this chapter)