Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 577 Countdown!
March of the fourth year of Shenwu.

The spring rain arrived as scheduled, and the rain drizzled down, lasting for several days in Chang'an.

Zhang Yuliu read reports from various places, occasionally sipping iced milk tea, his expression full of contentment.

To be honest, since Zhang Yu took charge of the central government, he has been living a very comfortable life.

Warfare in the old days was extremely arduous and physically damaging. Zhang Yu recalled that when they attacked Han Sui in Longyou, they pursued the retreating Han Sui for several days and nights. On the night before the decisive battle, the army had almost no meat or rations to eat and had to kill horses for food.

At that time, it was winter in Longyou, and the north wind was biting, stinging people's skin and even making their limbs stiff. The conditions were even more difficult for ordinary soldiers, many of whom suffered from frostbite on their hands and feet. If the enemy had not been defeated in time before the depths of winter, who knows how many would have died from the cold!

Their food consisted mostly of hardened biscuits, and they drank icy snow water. They had to march at high intensity almost every day. In order to inspire his soldiers, Zhang Yu often took the lead and charged into battle.

The most grueling days were the confrontations with Yuan Shao, a period of attrition and testing of resilience. Only later did signs of defeating Yuan Shao emerge, but the turning point came with Xu You's defection. He decisively launched a night raid on Yuan Shao's hometown of Xindu.

It can be said that in the past ten years or so, Zhang Yu has been working non-stop, going out to fight and returning to the country to lead the army, and he has hardly had a moment of peace.

As for now?

Managing state affairs in the capital, designing national systems, guiding the dynasty toward a glorious future, and finding ways to prepare delicious food and play with the concubines in the palace in one's spare time—this is much better than living on the edge of a knife.

Therefore, when Zhang Yu occasionally recalls the days of living in the open and eating in the wind, he can only say that it was all worth it!

"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to submit!"

As was customary, Du Ji and Zhong Yao were summoned to the palace to report on recent political affairs to Zhang Yu.

The practice of reporting matters to the emperor in the palace was a rule established by Zhang Yu. Although there were regular court meetings, they were insufficient to resolve many political affairs, and most reports were submitted by individual officials. Therefore, to facilitate the handling of political affairs, Zhang Yu stipulated that every three days in the morning, the heads of each department should come to the palace to report on recent events, so that any problems could be easily coordinated. Because the meeting place was the White Tiger Pavilion, it was called the 'White Tiger Meeting'.

Those in charge of the White Tiger Meeting were almost all top officials, both inside and outside the court. Yu Yi should have been present with Du and Zhong, but due to an inspection tour of Sichuan, he was unable to attend the meeting.

"Please speak!"

"Your Majesty," Du Ji said, "since the Later Han Dynasty, extravagant funerals have been common throughout the land, with many people building stone chambers, stone beasts, and inscriptions. Those who have lost a family are impoverished because of the funerals, which is detrimental to the people's self-cultivation and wealth accumulation. Therefore, I earnestly request Your Majesty to issue an edict strictly prohibiting lavish funerals, in order to save the people's wealth."

Zhang Yu was browsing through the memorials when he saw that Du Ji mentioned a recent example in his memorial.

Dong, a native of Hedong, had risked his life for many years to accumulate wealth for his family. However, due to his mother's death, he had to sell his property to pay for his mother's funeral and to have an inscription carved on her tombstone, which led to his family falling back into poverty.

When Dong was on his southern expedition, he was eager to make a name for himself and accumulate wealth, but unfortunately, he died in battle in Bashu. After Dong's death, his family was penniless, and his widow and orphans needed government assistance to survive. This caught the attention of Yan Xiang, the governor of Hedong County, who submitted a memorial to the Ministry of Personnel, hoping to strictly prohibit extravagant funerals.

"Marriage is for the living, funerals are for the dead!"

Zhang Yu lamented, "It's understandable that the living spend money, but funeral expenses are not only financially damaging but also emotionally distressing!"

There are many cases of people falling into poverty due to funeral expenses. For example, Cui Shi, a political commentator admired by Zhang Yu, was born into a prominent family in Youzhou. However, due to his father's death, he had to sell his land to pay for the funeral, which led to Cui Shi falling into poverty. He was forced to make a living by selling wine to barely support his family. If it weren't for his exceptional knowledge, Cui Shi would probably have had a hard time turning his life around.

Even after becoming an official, Cui Shi was involved in political struggles and died penniless, without any money for funeral expenses. It was only thanks to the contributions of Yang Ci, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, Yuan Feng, the Grand Master of the Palace, and Duan Jiong that he was able to be buried.

It can be said that Choi Shi's life was full of hardship, constantly plagued by financial difficulties. If Choi Shi had not sold his family's possessions for his father's funeral, perhaps his life would not have been so difficult. It was because he suffered from the extravagance of his wedding and funeral that Choi Shi advocated frugality and prohibited extravagance in his "Political Treatise".

Of course, Cui Shi's poverty did not mean that the Cui family was poor. His cousin Cui Lie was very wealthy and spent five million coins to buy the position of Minister of Works, which shows that Cui Shi's father's generation was very rich.

"What Lord Du said makes sense!"

Zhong Yao said, “In the past, Yingchuan was wealthy and prosperous, and the customs were extravagant. Merchants wore fine clothes and ate delicacies, spending their fortunes on weddings and funerals. Now the world is in decline. Your Majesty should prohibit lavish funerals to conserve the people’s strength and promote a frugal lifestyle!”

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Extravagance must not be allowed to flourish. Now that an edict has been issued to allocate different expenses to households, funeral expenses should also be allocated accordingly, as a law. Anyone who violates this law will be exiled to Hexi. As for the standards, these can be discussed by the two ministers and the gentlemen."

"promise!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Since there are distinctions based on household registration, it would be best to limit consumption according to household level. Wouldn't it be ridiculous if wealthy families evaded taxes and then had to pay for the funeral of lower-ranking families when the head of the household passed away? If someone wanted to raise their household level by paying for a high-standard funeral, Zhang Yu would wholeheartedly agree. After all, if someone was willing to go bankrupt, Zhang Yu couldn't stop them.

After all, Zhang Yu's purpose in issuing the edict was not to expect national laws to truly prohibit extravagant funerals, but rather to give those with differing opinions an excuse to refuse funeral expenses that would bankrupt them. People always think of themselves, and most people, unless forced by social trends, would likely find it difficult to go bankrupt to send their ancestors off to a funeral.

While the above can be considered the advantages of the household-based system, its drawbacks cannot be ignored. Once there are differences in household status, it will inevitably affect friendships and marriages, as people will likely first inquire about each other's social standing before making contact.

Therefore, marriage customs were strictly enforced throughout the Zhang Tang dynasty. Upper-class families did not intermarry with middle-class families, and lower-class families could only marry women of equal or slightly lower status. The stratification caused by differences in wealth was vividly displayed during the Zhang Tang dynasty.

Looking at the pros and cons of the household registration system, it can only be said that those who want to enjoy the benefits of paying less are destined to suffer from discrimination based on their status. After all, you can't have it both ways; everything in this world has its gains and losses.

After arranging the remaining administrative matters, Xun You requested an audience with Zhang Yu, presenting a memorial to the emperor.

"What brings you here?" Zhang Yu asked after Zhong Yao, Du Ji, and the others had left.

"Your Majesty, news of victory has just arrived at the Imperial Secretariat!" Xun You said with a smile, "It concerns the cities of Yiling and Yufu!"

"Oh?"

Zhang Yu asked with great interest, "Was it Guan Yu who was ordered to seize Yufu?"

"Exactly!"

Xun You smiled and said, "Guan Yu was exceptionally brave. He and his son went up the river to visit Wu Ju. Under the pretext of reminiscing, they met at a banquet. Guan Yu took Wu Ju hostage at the banquet. His subordinates were caught off guard and dared not step forward because of Guan Yu's strength."

"Guan Yu took Wu Ju and left the city by boat. The next day, Guo Huai arrived with his troops. Under the persuasion of Wu Ju through his letter, all the cities surrendered to Guan Yu. Guan Yu moved Wu Ju and his family to Chang'an, and they are on their way now."

"color!"

Zhang Yu couldn't help but clap his hands and exclaimed, "Guan Yu boasted that he could capture a city for me with just a hundred axemen. I was skeptical at first, but unexpectedly, Guan Yu went to the banquet alone and captured the city. His courage and resourcefulness are unmatched by any other hero."

Guan Yu's bold claim of capturing Yufu demonstrated his confidence in his authority. Wu Ju had only recently become independent from Liu Bei's army, and many generals and officers recognized the loyalty of the Guan and Zhang brothers. With their existing followers as a foundation, many surrendered to Guan and Zhang after Wu Ju was taken hostage.

Zhang Yu said, "Now I am fulfilling my promise and establishing Yiling Prefecture in the four counties of Yufu, Zigui, Wuxian, and Yiling. Guan Yu will serve as the prefect, leading his own troops and concurrently commanding Wu Ju's former troops, under the command of Guo Huai, the governor of Jiangzhou."

"promise!"

Xun You pondered for a moment and said, "Yu Fu, Zi Gui, Wu Xian, and Yi Ling have all fallen. Now the mouth of the Yangtze River to the east is almost open. The only concern is Yi Dao on the south bank. I wonder if we should still order Yi and Jing to send troops to clear the dangerous passes of Cao's army west of Hen Shan and Yi Dao."

“Now that Yu Fu has been captured, if Yizhou sends troops, they will have to float down the Yangtze River, which is a long and inconvenient journey. We can have Wen Ping lead troops to put pressure on Cao Cao, forcing him to station a large force at Gong’an and Yidao, so that the enemy knows that we intend to hold out for a long time,” Zhang Yu suggested.

"As ordered!"

Yufu was a difficult city to capture, and the joint operation of troops from Yi and Jing provinces was precisely because of its rugged terrain. The Jing and Han troops, hampered by Cao Cao's forces on the south bank, were unable to advance upstream and seize the city, and could only play a diversionary role. The true offensive force was Yi province upstream. Therefore, the recapture of Yufu saved Yi province's navy the trouble of launching an eastward offensive!

"Knowing that I have seized Yufu, why has Cao Cao remained silent?" Zhang Yu asked.

"According to intelligence reports, since Cao Cao conquered Jingchu, there has been unrest in various counties of Jingchu. It is possible that some of Liu Bei's subordinates have colluded with the mountain barbarians to rebel. Cao Cao ordered Li Yan to lead troops to suppress them, and also left troops in various counties to quell the rebellion."

Xun You organized the information in his mind and said, "Therefore, perhaps due to the turmoil in Jingchu, Cao Cao had no time to care about the gains and losses of Yufu. Moreover, the gains and losses were only within two days, which Cao Cao could not have foreseen. However, now that the turmoil in Jingchu has subsided somewhat, Cao Cao may take some action."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Cao Cao has been waging war for years, and his troops are exhausted and his people are impoverished. Therefore, I have ordered the Jingzhou troops to be on guard on the north bank, and the Jiangzhou navy to come to the east to provide assistance at any time, so as to put Cao Cao in a hurry. If necessary, you can have Wen Yuan pretend to go hunting on the Huai River!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

To reiterate, Zhang Yu held an absolute advantage, while Cao Cao was at a disadvantage. Last year, Cao Cao launched a campaign to seize Jingchu, marking two military campaigns within a year; one can imagine how exhausted his troops were, and how much labor was needed for farming. Zhang Yu, however, targeted this weakness, allowing Cao Cao to strike first.

If Cao Cao doesn't act, Zhang Yu will send troops to harass him, keeping Cao Cao's army constantly on the move. Following Tian Feng's strategy of protracted warfare, troops will launch repeated attacks to harass the southeast, striking the left to defend the right and vice versa, keeping the enemy constantly on the move and disrupting the lives of the people. By next year, Cao Cao will surely be exhausted by his constant nightly campaigns, leaving the southeastern troops weary.

The soldiers and officers are exhausted, and the people yearn for peace. If all the troops of China are dispatched, and one army can win, it will be an overwhelming force. They will then encourage the people of the counties and prefectures to be treated, and the people will be fed and clothed. Cao Cao's army will surely be defeated, and the southeast will surely fall under Zhang Yu's control.

It can be said that, in terms of macro-strategy, through discussions among outstanding strategists, a highly successful strategy was developed. As long as no mistakes were made in the southern campaign tactics, the demise of the southeast was already on the countdown!
(End of this chapter)