Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 236: Meeting with the Princes and Going West to Guanzhong (I)

The first month of the fourth year of Chuping in 193 AD.

Jinyang, the provincial capital.

"Sir, Liu Xuande led his troops through Henei and has now reached Hedong." Guo Tu reported, "And Zhang Jun is organizing his troops and asked when he will meet up with you, Sir."

Zhang Yu turned his attention away from the Guanzhong map and asked, "How is the construction of the Linfen platform going?"

"The platform for the alliance has been built. Now Lu Bu, Dong Cheng, Liu He, Liu Bei and other generals have sent people to ask when the alliance will be held." Guo Tu said.

Zhang Yu did not answer in a hurry, but looked at Lu Fan and asked: "Ziheng, what is the current situation of the troops? Have they all returned to the camp to prepare for battle?"

Lu Fan bowed and said, "My Lord, all the soldiers and officers of the seven armies, including Huguo, Xi'an, Xihe, Heyang, Gaoping, Yunzhong, and Hezhong, have returned to the camp, except for those who are on leave due to illness. The total number of soldiers who have returned to the camp is 30,535."

Zhang Yu used the surrendered troops from Hedong to expand the Hezhong, Xi'an, and Xihe armies. Except for the Hezhong army, which had a full strength of 5,000 men, the Xi'an and Xihe armies together only had the number of soldiers of one army. So although Zhang Yu nominally had seven armies, in reality there were only six armies with 30,000 men.

For this western expedition to Guanzhong, 30,000 people were the majority of the main force that Zhang Yu could mobilize. The remaining soldiers and officials would be responsible for escorting food and fodder, and garrisoning the counties.

Of course, if the troops of the princes are included, the number of troops for the expedition to Guanzhong would be more than 30,000, close to 40,000. If the troops transporting grain and corvée are included, the number of people involved is estimated to be 100,000.

"good!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Send a message to all tribes to hold a meeting in Linfen on February 2, to hold a sacrifice ceremony on the stage and discuss strategies to deal with the bandits."

"promise!"

Since it was a meeting to fight against the enemy, he should have written a manifesto and burned it to the heavens to let the heavens bear witness. After all, if there was no legitimate reason, and he fought against the emperor as a minister, wouldn't it mean that Zhang Yu was rebelling?

Seeing that Zhang Yu's eyes were fixed on the Guanzhong map, Xin Pi asked, "The enemy troops are deployed along the river. I would like to ask you, my lord, do you have any strategy for advancing?"

Zhang Yu frowned slightly and said, "From Hedong to Guanzhong, crossing the river at Pujin is the most convenient. Now the enemy soldiers are stationed in Wangcheng, and they want to prevent me from crossing the river at Pujin. If the army wants to cross the river, I'm afraid we need to find another way."

Zhao Zi, who was sitting in the corner and was silent, suddenly spoke up: "When Han Xin attacked Hedong, the King of Wei blocked the river pass to prevent Han Xin from crossing Pujin. Han Xin used a strategy of making a feint to the east and attacking the west, pretending to cross the river at Pujin, but actually going to Hedong from Longmen. I think if you want to cross the river, you might as well follow Han Xin's strategy."

Zhang Yu glanced at Zhao Zi. He had promoted him to the position of military officer because of his advice to pacify Guanzhong first and then Hebei. Since Zhao Zi took up the post of military officer, he has been very low-key and rarely expressed his opinions. Now facing the rebels blocking Pujin, he was able to come up with a strategy of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west. His military accomplishments were indeed good.

Fearing that Zhao Zi would steal his limelight, Guo Tu hurriedly said, "The strategy of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west is feasible, but I am afraid that Li Jue and Guo Si are prepared. If you want to cross the river and defeat the rebel generals, it is better to contact the righteous men in Guanzhong, cooperate internally and externally, and defeat the rebel army in one fell swoop."

Then Guo Tu said, "The Minister of the Court Ma Yu and the former Governor of Liang Province Zhong Shao sent a letter saying that if you lead troops to the west, they are willing to be your internal support. In addition, Zhu Gong was summoned to the capital and can be your internal support."

"What Gongze said makes sense!"

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, looked at Zhong Yao, and asked, "Yuan Chang was responsible for contacting Ma Teng before. I wonder if Ma Teng has responded now?"

Zhong Yao pondered for a moment and said, "My Lord, Ma Teng said in his letter that he wanted to serve his country, but when it came to raising an army, Ma Teng talked about other things. In my opinion, if you want to use Ma Teng for your Lordship's use, you have to use the strategy of sowing discord so that you can benefit from it!"

Zhang Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, and understood something in his mind. After a while, Zhang Yu said: "I will lead the troops to the battle, and Lao Yuanchang will stay in Jinyang to prevent Yuan Shao from attacking Shangdang or Henei."

Zhong Yao cupped his hands and said, "Zhang Yan lives in Changshan. If Yuan Shao wants to attack Bingzhou, he will definitely take Changshan first. However, if you leave Jin, Yuan Shao may take action because the Grand Marshal has cut off Gongsun Zan's military supplies. I think before you send troops, you should write to the Grand Marshal and Gongsun Zan and try your best to persuade them to make peace."

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "What Yuan Chang said makes sense. I will write to the Grand Marshal and Gongsun Zan in the near future to see if we can stop Yuan Shao from dominating Jizhou."

"Your Excellency is wise!"

Yuan Shao's family background, reputation, and talents are all superior to those of ordinary princes. Zhang Yu dare not take it lightly. Even though he is on a long expedition to Guanzhong, he still places his hopes on Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan, and uses the two to stop Yuan Shao's growth.

Zhang Yu did not need to explain too much about the matters left behind after the expedition, as the people had long been accustomed to his absence from Jinyang. Zhong Yao was in charge of the military and political affairs of the three prefectures of Taiyuan, Yanmen, and Dingxiang, while Wang Chen was in charge of Shangdang and Du Ji was in charge of Henei.

Now, on the eve of the expedition, Zhang Yu tried to spend as much time as possible with his family, as a way of relaxing before the war.

The bright moonlight shines through the windowsill and fills the house.

When Cai Yan looked at Zhang Yu, her eyes were full of resentment.

Having lost her husband the year before, Cai Yan was already very attached to him now that she had finally met a considerate husband. However, knowing that Zhang Yu was about to go to war made Cai Yan very uneasy. Of course, since Hu Yanyu became pregnant, almost all the wives and concubines in the harem had children, and she had spent a lot of time with Zhang Yu, but there was no sign of pregnancy, which made Cai Yan very depressed. If Zhang Yu went to war now, wouldn't she be lonely at home?

Zhang Yu couldn't stand Cai Yan's gaze, so he hugged the talented woman's slender waist and comforted her: "The world is in chaos, wars are everywhere, and the emperor is in deep trouble. Now he has no choice but to send troops."

Cai Yan said worriedly, "The rebels in Guanzhong are fierce and ruthless. When Dong Zhuo was alive, his soldiers captured the rebels and slaughtered hundreds of them in front of all the ministers. I have no intention of dissuading my husband from going to war, but now I am worried about his safety."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "I am not good at poetry and prose, so it is difficult for me to respond to Zhao Ji. But in terms of martial arts, there are not many soldiers in the army who can beat me. And I am now the commander of the army, and I am surrounded by many guards, so Zhao Ji does not need to worry!"

Cai Yan hugged Zhang Yu's broad arms and said, "Although my husband is not good at poetry, he has great ambitions, which are beyond the reach of ordinary people. I like my husband, and I only hope that he can achieve great things as soon as possible and live in the mansion permanently."

Zhang Yu laughed loudly and said, "If I can accomplish my great cause, I will make you my concubine in the future."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu lifted Cai Yan's white chin with his hand and asked, "When I first saw you in the house, you looked so cold. Now you don't blame me for forcing you back to the mansion?"

Cai Yan blushed and said, "In troubled times, I would rather be a general's concubine than a soldier's wife. How dare I blame my husband? Besides, although my husband is from the frontier, he also knows how to be humorous. It's just that my husband is away on the battlefield, and I am alone and lonely. I hope to have my children to accompany me."

"After we conquer Guanzhong, I'll go with you through Hedong next time. We can borrow the Wei family's house temporarily then..."

After hearing Zhang Yu's nonsense, Cai Yan's body softened and her watery eyes became thread-like. Zhang Yu was good at everything except being picky and always saying nonsense.

Not to mention that on the eve of the expedition, all the wives and concubines were treated equally. On the night before leaving, Zhang Yu also met with his father Zhang Ji.

Although Zhang Ji is now the father of a feudal lord, he still lives a simple life in clothing and food. Due to his disability, the woman who stays with him is still his lover in Chanhewu.

"My son will go to Guanzhong to fight tomorrow. Today I come to bid farewell to my father!" Zhang Yu bowed.

Zhang Ji was deeply moved as he looked at his high-spirited son. He had expected his son to be outstanding, but he had never expected his son to achieve such success.

"Ji'an is now a high-ranking official. There is no need for him to show great courtesy when he sees me. If the servants see it, it may damage his prestige!" Zhang Ji said.

Zhang Yu laughed and said, "The relationship between father and son is filial piety. If the son cannot be filial to his father, how can Yu rule his people in the future?"

Zhang Yu identified the character of his subordinates by looking at their attitude towards their parents. They were very respectful, and he could not say that they would work hard for him, but at least they were reliable.

In front of Zhang Ji, Zhang Yu always behaved like a son, otherwise how could he ask his subordinates to be loyal to him. After all, in the Han Dynasty, filial piety could be extended to loyalty to the emperor, which must have a reason.

Hearing this, even though Zhang Ji had a thousand words in his mind, he couldn't speak for a moment.

Zhang Ji was not good at expressing his emotions, so he changed the subject and said, "I am old and do not know the general situation of the world. But now I know that the Han Dynasty still exists in people's hearts. If Ji An succeeds in defeating the enemy, I hope you can endure it for a while and respect the emperor and the gentlemen."

After a pause, Zhang Ji said, "Ji'an's descendants are young, and now everyone depends on Ji'an. If we fail to defeat the enemy this time, we will have another chance, so don't rush."

"Thank you for your advice, father. I'm not at home most of the time, so I hope you can take care of yourself." Zhang Yu knelt down.

There was always little to talk about between father and son, and after Zhang Yu and his father Zhang Ji had a conversation, the conversation had actually ended. After that, Zhang Yu talked about some family matters and said goodbye to Zhang Ji.

On the second day, Zhang Yu led the National Protection Army to leave Jinyang with everyone's farewell.

On the way south, they first joined the Yunzhong Army which was heading south from Yanmen, followed by Hao Zhao's Xihe and Cheng Pu's Xi'an armies, and then the Hezhong Army led by Xu Huang.

On the 31st day of the first lunar month, 20,000 soldiers and horses marched to Linfen in a mighty procession. Before Zhang Yu led his troops to arrive, Zhang Yang, Zhang Liao, Lu Bu, Liu Bei, Liu He, Dong Cheng and other generals had already arrived in Linfen to wait.

On February 1, Zhang Yu met with Yuan Shu's envoys, Liu Bei, Liu He and others, and clarified his political ideas, namely "welcoming the emperor in Luoyang and following the example of Ji Zhou's eastward migration." The princes had no objection to Zhang Yu's political ideas.

Only Tao Qian was missing from the meeting of princes. After some inquiries by Zhang Yu, he learned that Tao Qian had cancelled the meeting halfway because he was canonized by Li Jue.

In order to win over Tao Qian, Li Jue was willing to spend a lot of money. In addition to granting Tao Qian the title of governor of Xuzhou, he also appointed him as the governor of Xuzhou and Yangzhou, and conferred him the titles of Marquis of Xiapi and General Zhennan. In addition to the above, Li Jue recommended Zhao Yu, a subordinate of Tao Qian, as the governor of Guangling and Wang Lang as the governor of Kuaiji, so that Tao Qian's power could penetrate into Yangzhou.

Now Tao Qian suddenly gave up the alliance, which caused discussion among the people, but because Tao Qian only played a role in shouting and running around, it did not affect the alliance of the princes.

(End of this chapter)