Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 195: Become a Brother, Each One Gains Something

Under Xu Shu's lobbying, Zhang Yan was lured by the governor of Changshan and agreed to meet with Zhang Yu.

On May 10th, with the help of Xu Shu, Zhang Yan chose Mashou Town on the banks of the Xiaoshui River to meet Zhang Yu.

In Mashouyi, the weather is clear and cloudless.

Zhang Yu led 300 cavalrymen to the riverside of the Xiao River, and was several miles away from Zhang Yan's 300 cavalrymen.

As the valley was flat and in full view, and Xu Chu had personally investigated it, Zhang Yu was not afraid of Zhang Yan's ambush and rode out first.

Soon, Zhang Yan, like Zhang Yu, dressed in casual clothes and rode alone without weapons or bows and arrows.

After letting his beloved horse out to graze, Zhang Yu turned to Zhang Yan, who was coming from afar, and said, "General Yu, I greet General Pingnan."

Zhang Yan led his warhorse and returned the greeting, saying, "Yan has met Zhang Duliao. Zhang Duliao's reputation as a powerful figure in Hebei and Yan has also heard of him while living in the mountains. Today, I am able to meet Zhang Duliao and finally understand his ambitions as a young man."

"you flatter me!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "General, you are a poor man, but you can live in Hebei, dominate Taihang, and lead millions of people. I admire you very much!"

Seeing Zhang Yu's words, Zhang Yan asked in return: "Will Du Liao not abandon my humble origins and allow me to plunder prefectures and counties and roam the mountains and forests?"

"Why do you dislike it?"

Zhang Yu walked closer to Zhang Yan and said with a stern expression, "I am a young shepherd and horse herder, and I am only slightly better than you. How dare you look down on me? Besides, it is not a shame to be born in a humble family. Only a man can bend and stretch. You are a great man, and you have saved millions of lives. You are worthy of being called a real man."

"And the general did not intend to howl in the mountains and forests. It was because people's lives were difficult and the people were displaced. The general had no other choice but to gather people in the mountains and valleys, cultivate the land along the edge, and survive with difficulty, so that the people would not be harmed by the government."

Perhaps because he was born a commoner in his previous life, Zhang Yu naturally had a good impression of the peasant uprising army. Especially the uprising leader Zhang Yan, although he had the ambition to secede from one side, at least he gave hundreds of thousands of people under his command a chance to survive. Moreover, the northern Black Mountain Army led by Zhang Yan was much better in discipline than the southern Black Mountain Army.

Seeing Zhang Yu's words, Zhang Yan's favorable impression of him increased greatly. He smiled and said, "I like what Du Liao said very much. Last year, when you attacked Wang Dang, your ministers wanted to attack Shangdang. At that time, I saw that you recruited refugees and gave them land to cultivate. Unfortunately, they encountered a locust plague and the people had nothing to eat. Yan felt sorry for them, so he rejected the advice of the generals."

"Thank you, General, for saving the life of the people of Shangdang!" Zhang Yu said with a bow.

Zhang Yu believed half of Zhang Yan's words. Shangai was too far away from the Shangdang Basin. If he came to plunder, it would be more trouble than gain. As for the locust plague, if he didn't plunder Shangdang, he would not be able to make money.

Of course, no matter what the truth is, Zhang Yu must believe what Zhang Yan said and express his gratitude.

"You're welcome!"

After some greetings, the atmosphere between the two Zhangs became much closer.

Zhang Yan could not wait any longer and asked first, "Du Liao wants to recommend me as the governor of Changshan. Is it true or not? Is Xu Yuanzhi's statement about the three families dividing Ji true or not?"

Zhang Yu gathered his thoughts and said, "What Yuan Zhi said is true. Yuan Shao has great ambitions and wants to take over Jizhou, but Han Fu is timid and a former subordinate of Yuan. Yuan Shao invited our army to attack Jizhou in order to force Han Fu to give Jizhou to him. The situation is not difficult to predict. Gongsun Zan and Yuan Benchu will definitely share Jizhou in the future."

Zhang Yan was doubtful and asked, "If you follow your advice, and the three kingdoms divide Ji, which place do you want to take?"

"To be honest, our army is deeply controlled by Dong Zhuo and we are unable to send troops to occupy Jizhou." Zhang Yu said with a smile: "So I attacked Jizhou in exchange for Henei County. And I am willing to give the cities and towns in Jizhou to you, General."

"Transfer it to me?"

Zhang Yan held the horse whip and paced along the river bank, thinking. Suddenly, he pointed to the direction of Shangdang and said with a smile, "If we go to Shangdang and live in Liao, we will follow Feng Ting's strategy of offering land. If everything goes as you said, I will definitely have grievances with Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan. At that time, I will be troubled by Changshan and will not be able to invade Bingzhou. Then you can plot against me!"

Seeing Zhang Yan think of this, Zhang Yu couldn't help but sigh inwardly that Zhang Yan understood the situation. Those who can protect themselves in troubled times have unique vision and are indeed extraordinary.

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu stopped by the water and laughed, saying, "How foolish is what you said, Mr. Zhang?"

"Why do you say that?" Zhang Yan asked with a slightly gloomy expression.

Zhang Yu paced with his hands behind his back and said, "If Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao occupied Jizhou together, I would like to ask the general, can the two of them coexist in peace?"

“Coexist in harmony?”

Zhang Yan frowned and thought deeply, then said, "Although Gongsun Zan has powerful troops, he is controlled by Liu Yu, so Gongsun Zan is eager to use Jizhou as his base. There is no room for two tigers in one mountain. If Yuan Shao wants to occupy Jizhou, he will have to fight with Gongsun Zan."

"Of course!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "A tripod can only stand on three legs. If two legs are separated, one side will fall. General, since you know that there is no room for two tigers on one mountain, why don't you know the saying of a three-legged tripod?"

"General, you have the people of Taihang under your command. Your troops are not inferior to those of Sun and Yuan. When Sun is strong, he will help Yuan, and when Yuan is strong, he will help Sun. This is the principle of the three powers standing side by side!"

"Yu is too disdainful to follow Feng Ting's plan!"

Zhang Yan nodded slightly and said, "It's Yan who blamed Du Liao wrongly!"

After a pause, Zhang Yan changed the subject and asked, "Since you are thinking about me, what is your intention?"

Zhang Yu winked and jokingly said, "What do you think Yu is up to?" Looking at the sparkling Xiaoshui River, Zhang Yan pondered for a long time and said, "I see that Du Liao seems to be quite afraid of Sun and Yuan, and intends to use Yan to control them."

"The general is very insightful!"

Seeing that Zhang Yan saw through his intention, Zhang Yu readily admitted it and said, "I am in Bingzhou, bordering Jizhou to the east and Guanzhong to the west. Now Dong Zhuo is in Guanzhong, and he is the most powerful enemy in the world. Jizhou has a large population, and if a strong man occupies it, he will definitely be an enemy of Bingzhou. Now that Jizhou is separated, Bingzhou will be able to focus on you in the west!"

There are too many smart people in the world. It is better to tell the truth than to be vague and deceitful. After all, he and Zhang Yan have no conflict of interest for the time being. Explaining his original intention will be beneficial to his cooperation with Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan had a subtle expression and smiled as he asked, "Are you not afraid of my troops?"

“How can I not worry?”

Zhang Yu admitted it frankly and said, "But I think there is no need for me and the general to fight each other. I can even form an alliance with the general."

He was not afraid of Zhang Yan, but Zhang Yan was a headache for Zhang Yu. After all, no one wanted to offend a strong enemy out of thin air. If Zhang Yan insisted on causing trouble for Zhang Yu, Zhang Yu could only lead his troops to deal with him and let Zhang Yan see the fighting power of Bingzhou's elite soldiers!
"Why?"

"There is no other reason!"

Zhang Yu looked around the surrounding terrain and said with a smile: "The people of Heishan are in Shandong, not in Shanxi. If you want to plunder Shanxi, you must travel three or four hundred miles along the mountain road to reach Jinyang. So if I were a general, instead of plundering Taiyuan, I would rather go out of the mountains and plunder the counties of Jizhou. Why would I give up the rich and plunder the poor!"

"Moreover, most of the general's men are from Jizhou and are familiar with the terrain of Hebei. If we seize the counties of Jizhou, it will be much better than plundering Shang and Tai counties."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu's expression became more serious. He looked at Zhang Yan and said, "General, your way out is in Jizhou, and Yu's goal is to go west. You and I are separated by the east and west of Taihang Mountain, so why should we go to war? We should not invade each other and advance and retreat together!"

Zhang Yan understood clearly. As Zhang Yu said, he and Zhang Yu had no conflict of interest for the time being. Even if there was a small profit, it was insignificant compared to the secession of Changshan County.

After Zhang Yu explained his doubts, he became interested in what Zhang Yu proposed.

Considering the credibility of the alliance, Zhang Yan asked: "How does Du Liao want to form an alliance?"

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "First, the general sends an envoy to Dong Zhuo to ask for the title of Changshan prefect, and I and Youzhou governor Liu Gong recognize it. And I will move the people of Jizhou to Bing, and the general is not allowed to stop us along the way."

"Second, General, you can go east to Jizhou to help both Yuan and Sun. But before you help me, you must inform me so that the two armies can have the same attitude."

"What if I am unable to control the situation in Jizhou and troops invade?" Zhang Yan asked.

Zhang Yu said without hesitation: "If the situation in Jizhou changes, I will lead the troops from Bingzhou to support you and help you defend Changshan."

"Is this feasible? Are there any other matters?"

"Third, General, you have taken Changshan, and I want to take back Shangai. I wonder if you can give it up?" Zhang Yu asked.

Zhang Yan frowned slightly and said, "Most of my people live in the countryside around Shangai. If Du Liao wants to take back Shangai, I'm afraid it won't work."

After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Yan said, "From Shangaicheng to Jingxing in the east, I cannot give it to Lord Zhang. But from Shangaicheng to the west, such as Mashou, I can give it to Lord Zhang."

Pointing to the vast riverbank, Zhang Yan said, "Mashouyi (Shouyang County) has fertile land. Although the fields are not as vast as those in Shangai County, it can be upgraded to a county if it is repaired into a city wall. Your Excellency will station troops here to mark the boundary between our two families. The passage of soldiers and civilians will not be blocked. I will treat you as you treat me."

"Let's follow what the general says."

Seeing Zhang Yan's sincerity, Zhang Yu was reluctant to get entangled with Shangai and Jingxing. The two sides have formed an alliance now, and there will be a honeymoon period in the short and medium term. When there is no dispute between the two sides, he can let Zhang Yan guard the border for him, and he can also save the garrison troops.

Once he is familiar with the terrain of Shangai and Jingxing, if the relationship deteriorates in the future, don't blame him for taking forceful measures to take back the land west of Jingxing that belongs to Taiyuan County.

Zhang Yan was unaware of Zhang Yu's "evil" thoughts, and in order to implement the alliance, hesitantly said, "Although I have only met Mr. Zhang for a short while, we have a lot in common. I wonder if Du Liao is willing to be brothers with Yan? We can look after each other in the future."

Zhang Yan had some ulterior motives in his mind. He thought that the alliance was unreliable, but if he added the brotherhood into the equation, if Zhang Yu wanted to break the alliance in the future, his reputation would be severely damaged.

Zhang Yu was stunned when he heard this. He had never expected that Zhang Yan would want to become his brother. According to what Zhang Yan said, the two of them were of the same mind, which was probably true. He guessed that Zhang Yan did not trust him and wanted to use brotherhood to bind the two sides.

However, at this time, their respective spheres of influence and matters of mutual cooperation had been divided. Zhang Yan occupied Jizhou, becoming a tripartite power with Sun and Yuan. He gained the people of Jizhou, swallowed up Henei, swept away the Xiongnu in the west, and annexed Hedong. In the next few years, the two sides would inevitably be friendly with each other.

Seeing that Zhang Yu was slow to respond, Zhang Yan thought that Zhang Yu was worried that his reputation as a thief would affect his own reputation, so he hesitated.

"If you don't want to..."

Zhang Yu interrupted with a smile on his face, saying, "Mr. Zhang's surname is Zhang, and mine is also Zhang. We may have been one family hundreds of years ago. Yu has long wanted to be brothers with the general, but he was afraid that the general would not agree. Since the general is willing, how could I not be willing?"

Then, Zhang Yu and Zhang Yan talked about their ages. Zhang Yan was exactly thirty years old this year, and Zhang Yu was a few years younger than Zhang Yan. Zhang Yu was a sworn brother and Zhang Yan was a sworn brother.

Zhang Yan, on the other hand, was very considerate. Considering his own experience as a thief, he said that there was no need to publicize their sworn brotherhood. It was enough for both parties and their subordinates to know about it so that they could help each other.

Although Zhang Yan's words were in line with Zhang Yu's wishes, Zhang Yu laughed it off for consideration of Zhang Yan's face.

After becoming brothers, Zhang Yu began to feel uneasy, wondering if this was the right choice. He hoped it wouldn't be like the sworn brotherhood between Jiang Guangtou and Zhang Shaoshuai, otherwise it would be hilarious!

(End of this chapter)