Late Han Zhao Tang

July, Chang'an.

"Good news from Sichuan!"

In the corridor, attendants carrying bamboo tubes filled with handkerchiefs ran briskly, delivering news of victory to their entourage. Palace attendants and imperial guards alike turned their heads, whispering amongst themselves, curious about the battle situation in Shu.

"What's all the fuss about?"

Seeing the commotion outside the courtyard, Zhang Yu, who was taking a nap with his eyes closed, asked in a slightly somber tone.

"Your Majesty, news of a victory has arrived from Shu, hence the celebrations from the guards outside the court!" Zhang Lu's son, Zhang Fu, returned in high spirits shortly after leaving the palace, laughing, "In the past, Commander Man greatly defeated the Shu people, and now, after many days, news of another victory has arrived. Your Majesty, I congratulate you!"

"Oh?"

Zhang Yu's drowsiness vanished instantly, and he said, "Where is the military report? Send it up quickly!"

A short while later, Vice Minister Yuan Huan, carrying a bamboo tube, entered the palace with the officials on duty, bowed, and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Commander Xu has delivered a military report to the capital. According to the scouts, the people of Shu have surrendered. Commander Xu has specially written to Your Majesty to report the victory."

Zhang Yu opened the inkpad and took out the handkerchief from the tube. He then saw that Xu Huang had written on the handkerchief that Gao Shun's successful sneak crossing of Yinping and defeat of the Shu army at Fucheng had caused unrest among the people of Shu, and the Shu armies in Jiange and Langzhong had lost contact with Shu.

Then, he praised Zhang Yu for his foresight in military affairs from a high position, stating that the army's success in subduing the Shu people was due to the execution of Zhang Yu's military strategies. He then inquired about subsequent matters, such as the handling of the Shu army, the arrangements for Sun Quan and his clan, and the appointment of officials in the Shu prefectures and counties.
Zhang Yu folded the handkerchief and laughed, "The world has been in chaos for more than ten years. Shu has been occupied by Liu Yan and Sun Jian and his son. Now that it has surrendered to China, it is a joyous occasion. Let all officials in the country take a day off to celebrate!"

With that, Zhang Yu looked at his attendants and said, "Summon the four gentlemen—the Chancellor, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, the Privy Councilor, and the Minister of Finance—to the palace!"

"promise!"

Taking advantage of Zhong Yao, Du Ji, and others entering the palace, Zhang Yu asked those around him, "Now that Shu has just been conquered, do any of you gentlemen have any insights?"

Guo Tu was the first to speak, saying, "Your Majesty, the Shu region is surrounded by natural barriers, and the army and surrendered soldiers from Shu number as many as 150,000. In my opinion, Xu Huang and Man Chong should be ordered to return to the capital, while the remaining generals and officers should be assigned to govern the prefectures and counties to quell the remaining rebels in the country. This is a plan for the safety of the nation!"

He paused, then added, "I've heard that many people in Sichuan are from Dongzhou. Now that Sichuan is at peace, why not relocate all the soldiers and civilians from other places back to their hometowns?"

"Your Majesty, I believe that the matter of relocating people should not be rushed!"

Vice Minister Yuan Huan stepped forward and said, “Although the people of Dongzhou are outsiders, they have been in Shu for a long time. People are attached to their homeland and reluctant to move, so we cannot change them abruptly. Moreover, Shu has just been conquered, and people’s hearts are restless. It is difficult to go against their wishes. Once Shu is somewhat pacified, we can move the people of Dongzhou back to their hometown to please the people of Shu!”

Yuan Huan, courtesy name Yaoqing, was a member of the Yuan clan of Chen Commandery and the son of Yuan Pang, the Minister of Works. At the beginning of the chaos in the empire, Yuan Huan was recruited by Sun Jian as a subordinate official, and later by Yuan Shu as an official. When Sun Jian rebelled against Yuan Shu, Yuan Shu ordered Yuan Huan to write a letter insulting Sun Jian, but Yuan Huan refused because Sun Jian was his former master.

Yuan Shu was furious and originally wanted to execute Yuan Huan, but considering that Yuan Huan shared the same surname and that the two families had a close relationship, he exiled him to Yuzhou to serve as an official.

Yuan Shu was defeated and his army was wiped out. Zhang Liao's army captured Yu Province, and Yuan Huan became Zhang Liao's subordinate. Because of his meritorious service in assisting Zhang Liao in pacifying the people of Jianghuai, he was recommended to the central government and is now serving as a vice minister to enhance his prestige and facilitate Zhang Yu's assessment.

After several months of observation, Zhang Yu developed a very good impression of Yuan Huan. Compared to many other noblemen, Yuan Huan was more particular about his conduct, never violating the law, and while outwardly gentle, inwardly firm and not easily subdued, always acting with propriety. In terms of governance philosophy, Yuan Huan's methods leaned towards gentleness rather than harsh laws, making him suitable for the position of chief official in a newly conquered territory.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "What Yaoqing said makes sense. It is not advisable to rush the relocation of people. We can issue an order now to allow the people of Dongzhou to return to their hometowns on their own, and the government will grant them land. Once Shu is stable, we can follow Guo Shizhong's advice and relocate the people of Dongzhou and the unruly people of Shu."

"As ordered!"

With that, Zhang Yu asked with a smile, "Now that Shu has just been conquered, the prefectures and counties urgently need capable officials. I wonder if Yao Qing wishes to take up a post in Shu?"

"May you!"

Zhang Yu said, "I have heard that among the prefectures in Shu, Shu Prefecture has the most prosperous population, followed by Guanghan Prefecture. Therefore, I hereby appoint you as the governor of Shu Prefecture to reassure the people of Shu."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Yuan Huan replied.

"good!"

During the conversation, Zhong Yao, Xun You, Du Ji, and Yu Yi entered the hall one after another, first offering their congratulations and greetings to Zhang Yu before taking their seats. Looking at the high-ranking officials, Zhang Yu coughed and said, “Gao Shun secretly crossed Yinping and decisively defeated the Shu army at Fucheng. The Shu people suffered repeated defeats, and their morale is low, so they have submitted a memorial requesting surrender. Xu Huang dares not presume to bestow titles upon them and requests advice on the resettlement of surrendered officials and strategies for pacifying Yizhou. I wonder what your opinions are?”

"Your Majesty, Sun Quan is stubbornly resisting, and his intention to surrender is not sincere!" Du Ji straightened his back and said, "Now, in order to save on the cost of fiefs, it would be better to reduce the amount of fiefs granted to him as a form of punishment."

When Liu He, Zhang Lu, Lü Bu, and other lords surrendered, Zhang Yu granted them too many fiefs, leading to a decrease in national tax revenue. Zhong Yao and Du Ji had both reported this to Zhang Yu. Now that Sun Quan had surrendered, no one wanted to grant him too many fiefs.

"How many households are suitable for a fiefdom?"

“Sun Quan is at least the governor of Yi Province, with tens of thousands of troops under his command, and not all the local counties have yet submitted. Considering the need to quell Cao Cao and Liu Bei, he could be granted a fief of more than a thousand households!” Zhong Yao said. “Or, to avoid the suspicion of mistreating Sun Quan, we might as well also enfeoff Sun Ce’s son, Sun Shao, as a marquis to appease the old guard.”

Zhang Yu, seized by a wicked urge, said, “Then let Sun Quan be enfeoffed as Marquis of Hefei, with a fief of 800 households; Sun Ce’s son, Sun Shao, as Marquis of Huaiyin, with a fief of 1,200 households; Sun Kuang as Marquis of Wucheng, with a fief of 1,000 households; and Sun Yi as Marquis of Shanyin, with a fief of 1,000 households. The fact that these four men are enfeoffed as marquises with a fief of 1,000 households is a testament to the benevolence of our Tang Dynasty.”

After considering for a moment, Zhong Yao said, "The foundation of Shu was established by Sun Jian. Now, we can divide a thousand households among his four sons to convince the old guard. All members of the Sun clan should be enfeoffed as marquises and moved to Guanzhong. The remaining former members of the Sun clan can be moved to Guanzhong, firstly to enrich the population of Guanzhong, and secondly to prevent unrest in Shu."

"It's just that Sun Quan has few households, so I'm afraid he might feel slighted!"

"No problem!"

Zhang Yu disagreed, saying, "Relocate the Sun clan members first, and the old Sun subordinates later. The governor of Yizhou bears a heavy responsibility, and I intend to appoint Man Chong to this post, ordering him to pacify Bashu and the southern prefectures."

"Xu Huang also offered a plan to attack Wu, which I think is feasible. Xu Huang suggested leaving 20,000 troops from Guanzhong in Shu, and selecting another 20,000 elite troops from Bashu for use, along with 20,000 naval troops, for a total of 60,000 soldiers. He ordered Ba County to oversee the construction of ships, and when the troops are well-trained and strong, the army will be divided into three routes. The western route will go out from Jiangzhou, the central route will conquer Jingchu, and the eastern route will head towards Jiangdong."

"I believe that a three-pronged southern campaign against Wu and Chu is feasible. However, Jiangling is in grave danger. We must first repel the allied forces of Cao Cao and Liu Bei before discussing the southern campaign," Xun You said.

Zhang Yu frowned slightly and asked, "What is the current state of the Jingzhou army?"

"The military report just arrived today!"

Xun You said, "Cao Cao and Liu Bei have gathered their troops and surrounded Jiangling. General Li is worried about the enemy's large numbers and dares not make a hasty move. Therefore, he has stationed his troops eighty miles north of the city to prevent the allied forces from focusing on attacking the city!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu felt slightly dissatisfied, deeply sensing that Li Song was becoming increasingly timid in his military campaigns.

Previously, he had pulled off a feat of feigning an attack to repel Yuan Shao. Now, perhaps fearing defeat, Li Song is becoming increasingly cautious in his battles. Caution is not necessarily a bad thing, but let's not forget that he has generals like Huang Zhong, Lü Bu, Zhang He, Zhao Yun, and Hao Zhao under his command, as well as Jia Xu as his advisor. Which of these men hasn't made a name for themselves in history?
Holding a strong hand, yet he hesitated to advance south, leaving Zhang Yu speechless. However, upon further reflection, he realized that Jia Xu had not yet submitted his memorial, Jiangling had not fallen, and the relief army could be dispatched without hindrance; it wasn't entirely unacceptable!
After a moment's thought, Zhang Yu said, "Send a message to Li Song, saying that the Sun family of Bashu has surrendered, and Cao Cao and Liu Bei no longer need to stay in Jiangbei. Now, let Li Song lead his troops forward!"

"promise!"

After a pause, Zhang Yu returned to the topic of Sichuan and Chongqing, saying, "The list of officials in charge of the prefectures and counties in Sichuan will be drafted by the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and then approved and appointed by me. Man Chong will be the Governor of Yizhou, and will be in charge of 20,000 carefully selected troops from Sichuan. The 20,000 troops from Guanzhong will be under the command of Gao Shun, and will be stationed in Langzhong. Guo Huai will be the Governor of Jiangzhou, and will also be the General of the Dragon Cavalry, in charge of the ships and commanding a naval force of 20,000."

"The southern prefectures are remote and have historically been prone to rebellion. Now, Zhang Feng will be appointed as the Governor-General of the Southern Region, and Wang Ling as the Deputy Governor-General. When the time is right, we will see if we can merge the southern prefectures into one province so that the capital region can govern them for a long time."

"promise!"

"Do any of you gentlemen have any further comments?" Zhang Yu asked.

"Your Majesty, Sichuan has just suffered from war, and it may be difficult to collect taxes this year. In my opinion, it would be better to pardon Sichuan and Sichuan this year to win over the hearts of the people," Du Ji said.

“People’s hearts are restless and things are not going well, so we can exempt them from taxes for a year!” Zhang Yu said. “Next year, remote counties can continue to collect taxes under the old system, and the year after that, new taxes will be levied.”

"What about the reward?"

"You can handle this matter yourselves, and submit it to the palace later!" Zhang Yu said, unwilling to concern himself with too many trivial matters. "If the money, provisions, and rewards are not timely, we can use the money and provisions from Shu to reward the army on the southern expedition!"

"Yes, sir!" (End of Chapter)