Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 362: Pretentious and Famous, Not as Good as Zhang Yu
The first year of Jianxing, winter.

Yuan Shu sent envoys to confer the title of Duke on Zhang Yu, Yuan Shao and Liu He. Zhang Yu politely declined in order to gain greater benefits. Yuan Shao pretended to be reserved and wrote a memorial to decline the offer. Liu He was angry at Yuan Shu's actions and refused to see the envoy.

Soon, the reactions of the three parties reached Wancheng, which surprised Yuan Shu.

In the hall, Cai Mao believed Yuan Shu and said, "Mr. My Lord, Yuan Shao asked to resign from Duke Wei and wrote a memorial here, but the envoy was temporarily detained in Xindu by Yuan Shao."

When Yuan Shu saw the contents of the memorial through the crown, he could not help but laugh and said, "My son is famous and I want to promote him to Duke of Wei, but I am afraid of criticism from the people, so I am being reserved and asking to resign. If what I guessed is correct, Yuan Shao is pretending to resign the Duke of Wei, but he actually wants the emperor to issue an edict to confer the title for the second time."

"Ming Gong is wise!"

Cai Mao flattered him, "According to what the envoy sent, Yuan Shao sent people to feast him every day, always caring about you and greeting you, and entertaining you very well. So if Yuan Shao had no intention of becoming Duke of Wei, why would he treat the envoy so politely and keep him in Xindu?"

Yuan Shu smiled and said to his attendants, "When I was young, I traveled with Yuan Shao and knew that he was a hypocritical person who loved fame and was proud. Now that he has been promoted to Duke of Wei, he has declined the position three times, which shows that his character has not changed over the years."

"hehe!"

"What you said is absolutely right. Although Yuan Shao is polite and kind to others, he is actually jealous of talented people, unlike you who are willing to accept talented people." A busybody shouted to the crowd, mocking Yuan Shao.

"That makes sense. Yuan Shao first seized Han Fu's business and then sent people to assassinate him. This is despicable and a disgrace to the Yuan family." Zhang Chao responded.

"yes……"

In order to gain Yuan Shu's appreciation, people around him were all flattering him, complaining about Yuan Shao and laughing sarcastically. It was really lively.

Kuai Yue watched coldly, not wanting to pay any attention to the clown-like crowd.

"My lord, Yuan Shao has refused the title of Duke of Wei three times. Should we send another envoy to confer the title on him?" Cai Mao asked.

"Send another envoy!"

Yuan Shu said without hesitation: "The second edict will confer the title of Duke of Qi on Yuan Shao and let Yuan Shao choose his own title!"

"As ordered!"

"Now that Yuan Shao is pretending to resign as Duke of Wei, I wonder how Zhang Yu will react?" Yuan Shu asked.

Cai Mao hesitated for a moment and said, "My Lord, both Zhang Yu and Liu He refused to accept the title of Duke. The envoy sent by Zhang Yu is on the way, while Liu He drove the envoy back."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu was stunned. Zhang Yu was not a man who would settle for a place he was not content with. Liu He's refusal to accept the title of Duke of Yan was within his expectations, but Zhang Yu's refusal to accept the title of Duke of Zhao was unexpected. According to his previous expectations, Zhang Yu should be happy to accept it.

"Why did Zhang Yu refuse the title of Duke?" Yuan Shu asked suspiciously, "But Zhang Yu followed Yuan Shao's example of humility and concession, and Han Yin could not understand Zhang Yu's intention."

Cai Mao shook his head and said, "My Lord, according to the reply sent by the envoy, Zhang Yu refused to accept the title of Duke when he first met Han Yin. Han Yin tried to persuade Zhang Yu to think it over, but Zhang Yu refused again."

"Weird!"

Yuan Shu frowned and thought, muttering: "Looking at what Zhang Yu did in the past, he is definitely not someone who is loyal to the Han Dynasty!"

Compared to Yuan Shu's incomprehension, Kuai Yue seemed to be thinking about something, thinking to himself: "Zhang Yu was able to sweep the two states of Shanxi with a humble body and stand on equal footing with Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao. His vision is extraordinary. When Emperor Gaozu entered Guanzhong, he could have been the King of Guanzhong, but due to the situation, he accepted the title of King of Han. What Zhang Yu is doing now is similar to what Emperor Gaozu did. He can tolerate a temporary loss for the sake of the greater good."

"Yuan Shu is brave but indecisive, like a wolf in nature, extravagant and licentious, and has no ability to unify the world. Now the only one who can unify the world is between Zhang Yu and Yuan Shao. Compared with Yuan Shao who is greedy for small gains and forgets about long-term plans, Zhang Yu has a long-term vision. Moreover, Zhang Yu is less than 30 years old, while Yuan Shao is 50 years old. Perhaps Zhang Yu can defeat him with courage and strategy."

To be honest, except for the early days, Kuai Yue always looked down on Yuan Shu. In his eyes, Yuan Shu was able to control Jing and Yu only because he relied on the reputation of the Yuan family of Runan and had Sun Jian as his minion.

Now, because of the intention to usurp the throne, the reputation of the Yuan family has been completely consumed by Yuan Shu. And relying too much on Sun Jian's conquests, which makes Sun Jian's achievements too great to be feared by the lord, is not a good thing, and civil strife will occur sooner or later.

"Yi Du!" Yuan Shu suddenly called out the name and said.

"exist!"

Kuai Yue came back to his senses and bowed to Yuan Shu, saying, "What instructions do you have, sir?"

"You are a resourceful person, do you know why Zhang Yu refused to accept Duke Zhao?" Yuan Shu asked.

"Report to Duke Ming!"

Kuai Yue pondered for a moment and said, "When Zhang Yu started his army, he respected the Han Dynasty, so he went west to welcome the emperor and moved to Luoyang in the east. And it was precisely because Zhang Yu respected the Han Dynasty that all the people in Shanxi flocked to him. Liu He of Youzhou married him and followed Zhang Yu's lead. So if Zhang Yu accepted the Duke of Zhao, it might cause the people to turn away, and Liu He would become alienated from him. In order to attack Yuan Shao in Hebei, how could Zhang Yu dare to disappoint those who respected the Han Dynasty?"

"rational!"

Seeing Kuai Yue thinking from Zhang Yu's perspective, Yuan Shu nodded and said, "Zhang Yu and Yuan Shao are about to go to war. Now that we are trying to win over the old Han people, it is indeed difficult for us to lead Lord Zhao."

"Mingsir!" Yan Xiang took the opportunity to stand up and said, "If Zhang Yu and Yuan Shao start a war, they will definitely fight in Hebei. Since you control Jing and Yu, how can you remain indifferent? In my opinion, you might as well take advantage of the battle between the two to lead the army north and take Guanzhong directly from Wuguan. At that time, you can follow the example of Emperor Gaozu to unify Guandong and eliminate Zhang Yu and Yuan Shao."

Seeing Yan Xiang's anxiety, Yuan Shu pressed his hands down and said with a smile: "I have my own thoughts. If I help Yuan Shao now, Yuan Shao will surely win; if I send troops to help Zhang Yu now, Zhang Yu will surely win. So why not stabilize the territory first, and wait until Zhang Yu and Yuan Shao are exhausted, and then send troops to the north."

Yuan Shu had already considered the Northern Expedition. He planned to accept Liu Xie's abdication next year, and then transfer Sun Jian back to Jingzhou to lead the Northern Expedition with him. If Zhang Yu won, he would take Guanzhong; if Yuan Shao won, he would take Yanzhou.

Seeing that Yuan Shu was determined to become emperor, Kuai Yue unintentionally reminded Yuan Shu that Zhang Yu was a greater threat than Yuan Shao.

"My lord, now that Zhang Yu has been rejected as a duke, what should we do?" Cai Mao asked.

Yuan Shu thought for a moment and said, "Then forget about Zhang Yu. Send someone to appoint Lü Bu as General of Cavalry and make him Governor of Yanzhou. Tell him that the prince has no wife and that we are willing to marry him. Let Chen Gong persuade Lü Bu to send his family to Wancheng."

Since Lü Bu led his troops to Xuzhou, he has fought several battles with Gao Gan and Cao Cao, with both sides winning and losing. In particular, Lü Bu once again demonstrated his prowess with his cavalry during the battle, which made Yuan Shu eager to gain Lü Bu's loyalty.

"promise!"

Cai Mao thought of something and said, "Mingsir, under my strong persuasion, the emperor will enthrone you as the King of Chu in December!"

"it is good!"

Seeing that Cai Mao was working at full capacity, Yuan Shu was overjoyed and said, "Degui has lived up to my expectations. When Chu is founded, I will appoint you as the Minister of the Chancellery."

"Thank you for your appreciation, my lord!" Cai Mao said flatteringly.

Not to mention that Yuan Shu was gradually moving towards becoming emperor, but now Zhang Yu was discussing the issue of sending troops with his advisers.

"Mingsir, according to the report from the scouts, the generals in Hebei have gained something from the plunder."

Xun You reported to Zhang Yu, saying, "Ke Bi left Jingxing and joined forces with the Black Mountain Army to burn and loot the cities and towns of Zhao. He encountered most of Yuan's army and retreated; Ma Chao left Fukou, broke Maocheng, and took Shexian County, looting thousands of civilians and returning west; Yan Xing looted Dongjun, but because Dongjun was in decline, he gathered more than a thousand refugees and returned west; Zhang Jun left Henei, burned and looted the people's supplies in Chaoge and Weijun, met Zhang He, and retreated back to Henei."

"Looking at the progress of the troops, Yuan Shao's deployment at Fukou is a little weak. Maocheng and Shexian were originally owned by Yuan Shao. They were strongholds to prevent our army from going eastward to Hebei, but now they are occupied by Ma Chao."

Xun You pointed to the map and said, "So if we attack Hebei next year, you might as well lead the army out of Fukou, or send a fake army out of Fukou, to see if you can take Handan of Zhao."

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Tell the four generals to quickly draft a military report to Anyi. If any officers have made meritorious contributions during this looting, they will be rewarded according to military regulations."

"Yes!" Xun You replied.

After a pause, Zhang Yu looked at Jia Xu and asked, "Wenhe, I have been looking at the map for a long time. Do you have any opinion now?"

Jia Xu hesitated for a moment and said, "My Lord, I am worried that Yuan Shu will send his best troops out of Wuguan next year when we attack Hebei. So, to prevent any unexpected events, I may need to leave some troops to garrison there."

"Our army is on good terms with Yuan Shu, how could we break the alliance and take Guanzhong!" said Zhao Zi.

"The covenant is not trustworthy!"

Jia Xu said: "In the past, Emperor Gaozu and Xiang Yu made an alliance at Honggou, and Emperor Gaozu attacked Xiang Yu when he was withdrawing his troops. Now Yuan Shu is trying to usurp the throne and change his surname, and he has the intention to unify the world. How can we not be prepared for Yuan Shu to send troops to Guanzhong?"

Zhang Yu stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the map, and agreed, saying, "Yuan Shu is not a man without strategy. If I defeat Yuan Shao in Hebei, he will not allow me to dominate the country, and will definitely raise an army to attack me. Guanzhong is where our army's food is, and half of the population lives there. If he takes it, our army will be in danger!"

Previously, Zhang Yu led an army to attack Guanzhong. After defeating Li Jue, Ji Ling occupied Wuguan Road. In order to befriend Yuan Shu, Zhang Yu recommended Yuan Shu's son-in-law Huang Yi as the governor of Shangjun. If Yuan Shu wanted to attack Zhang Yu, he would be able to lead his troops directly to Chang'an, so Zhang Yu had to be prepared.

"Didn't you contact Sun Jian before?"

Zhao Zi said: "Sun Jian wants to establish himself in Bashu. Yuan Shu will not turn a blind eye to this. He will definitely raise an army to march west. Therefore, using Sun Jian can contain Yuan Shu."

Jia Xu shook his head and said, "If Sun Jian betrays Yuan Shu and establishes himself, Yuan Shu will fight him, but Yuan Shu controls Jing and Yu, and has a strong army. It is not difficult for him to send a general to attack Guanzhong. Moreover, Sun Jian is cunning, how could he be willing to be used by our army? It is better to rely on ourselves than to rely on others. Guanzhong must be guarded by troops."

Zhang Yu pondered for a long time and said, "Move Zhang Feng to the position of Tiger Teeth Lieutenant Colonel and lead 3,000 elite soldiers to guard Lantian. If the enemy attacks the border, Dong Zhao will be under his command. If the enemy is large, Sun Zi will need to send soldiers and civilians from Fengyi to help."

When it comes to guarding the home, Zhang Yu still trusts his own family. Zhang Feng followed Zhang Yu for many years and joined the army in the early days of the expedition, but since going to Guanzhong, Zhang Feng has been guarding Tongguan, guarding the eastern gate of Guanzhong. Now that Hongnong has been established and the government is located in Hedong, the importance of Tongguan has declined.

Zhang Yu had intended to bring Zhang Feng with him in the campaign against Yuan Shao, but considering the possibility that Yuan Shu would send troops to Guanzhong, Zhang Yu could only let Zhang Feng continue to guard Guanzhong and move his garrison from Tongguan to Lantian.

As he spoke, Zhang Yu looked at Xun You and asked, "Gongda, do you think Zhang Feng is capable of doing this?"

"General Zhang has a serious temperament and drinks little. He has made few mistakes since he took charge of the army. Your Excellency will use him to guard Lantian, and with the assistance of Dong Jingzhao, we should be able to secure Guanzhong." Xun You said.

"good!"

(End of this chapter)