Late Han Zhao Tang

The court officials were in endless disputes over the equalization of transportation methods, so Zhang Yu convened a meeting to discuss the matter, allowing all the officials to speak freely. After combining the views of both sides, the equalization of transportation methods proposed by Zhuge Liang were adopted.

Zhang Yu had expected considerable support, but to his surprise, many still opposed him. Therefore, with Zhang Yu's support, Zhuge Liang engaged in a heated debate with the assembled officials, leaving the pedantic scholars speechless. Zhuge Liang also answered the questions raised by Zhong Yao and Yu Yi, greatly satisfying them.

After all, both men understood that politics wasn't about life or death, but about compromise and reconciliation. They also realized that Zhang Yu favored Zhuge Liang's strategy, which was indeed more suitable, so they switched their stance and agreed with Zhuge Liang's opinion.

With the consent of Chancellors Zhong and Yu, and the support of Zhang Yu, the Equal Transportation Law was implemented. Taking the four provinces of Bing, Yin, Hai, and You as examples, Zhuge Liang was appointed as the Transportation Commissioner of Hebei, under the jurisdiction of the Accounting Department, with an official rank of 1,500 shi (a unit of grain).

During the Han Dynasty, there were no officials with a salary of 1,500 shi (石). However, due to Zhang Yu's reform of the official system, the salary of 1,500 shi was established between 1,000 and 2,000 shi. Alternatively, the position of prefectural governor was determined by the number of registered households and was between 1,000 and 2,000 shi. The position of governor of a prefecture was then transferred to 2,500 shi because the governor was in charge of the prefectural governor.

Among the central government departments, the Prime Minister's salary was 5,000 shi, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat's salary was 2,500 shi, the Grand Chancellor's salary was 3,000 shi, the Privy Councilor's salary was 3,000 shi, and the heads of all departments received 2,000 shi.

Zhang Yu's purpose in reforming the salary system was simply to ensure a proper hierarchy among officials at all levels. After all, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the salary of a prefectural governor was two thousand shi (a unit of grain), while the governor was later considered the superior of the prefectural governor and could even lead troops into battle when necessary. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for the governor to receive a salary of six hundred shi.

After being appointed as the Transport Commissioner of Hebei, Zhuge Liang set off for Hebei, intending to first target the Grand Canal and integrate the transport capacity of the three prefectures in Hebei, and then gradually integrate the market of the four prefectures.

With the debate over the Equalization of Transportation Law coming to an end, Zhang Yu turned his attention to the southeast, preparing to embark on the great cause of unifying the country.

"Your Majesty, Guan Yu has presented Cao Cao with a letter urging Cao Cao to surrender, as well as the head of the traitor Jiang Gan!"

Xun You rose from his seat, handed the letter to a eunuch so that it could be forwarded to Zhang Yu, and said.

Cao Cao sent Jiang Gan with a letter to persuade Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to surrender, and the two generals immediately recognized Liu Bei's handwriting.

Zhang Fei considered surrendering to Cao Cao, but Guan Yu analyzed the pros and cons, saying that the reason Cao Cao hadn't killed Liu Bei was because of people like them. If they surrendered, Cao Cao, seeing Liu Bei as useless, might kill him to eliminate any potential threat. Moreover, the more they cared about Liu Bei, the more unscrupulous Cao Cao would become; therefore, surrendering to Cao Cao was absolutely out of the question.

After some persuasion, Zhang Fei refused to surrender to Cao Cao for Liu Bei, so he cut off Jiang Gan's head and sent it along with Cao Cao's letter to Chang'an in order to win the trust of the Tang emperor and his ministers.

Zhang Yu, wearing a crown and imperial robes, sat majestically on the imperial couch.

"Cao Cao sent someone to persuade Guan Yu to surrender, which shows that he had run out of ideas!"

Zhang Yu closed the letter, smiled faintly, and asked, "How are the naval training exercises in Yi and Jing provinces going? Are they usable?"

"Your Majesty, the Jingzhou navy has been training for two years, and according to the report from Governor Hao Zhao, it is now ready to fight the enemy. As for the Yizhou navy, it is composed of elite water soldiers from Jingchu. After Guo Huai pacified the people, all the troops are eager to fight and make contributions."

Xun You said, “The southeast is more than a thousand miles away from China, but its troops number less than two hundred thousand. If Your Majesty divides your troops and sends them out in multiple routes, the enemy will surely be busy guarding the area east of Xiakou. Without a large army to march west, they will not dare to leave the capital empty. Therefore, following the previous strategy, it is feasible to first take Jingchu and then plan the strategy of Yanghuai.”

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "In the past, Minister Jia presented three strategies for destroying Cao Cao, which I found very convincing. Now, the waterways of Yi and Yang are unobstructed, the people of the country have a bountiful harvest, and the army's provisions can reach the Yangtze and Han rivers. I wonder if we can launch an attack on the southeast next year?"

"Your Majesty, I once proposed three strategies: first, to stockpile military provisions for a prolonged campaign; second, to open waterways for mutual support; and third, to win over the hearts of the people and recruit the barbarians from within. The first two strategies are beginning to show results, but there has been no feedback yet regarding the incitement of the Chu barbarians."

Jia Xu, holding his scepter, said, "Therefore, in my opinion, Your Majesty should first prepare military provisions and plan the route for the southern expedition. The Chu barbarians are greedy for money and goods; if Your Majesty promises them a large sum of money, they will surely agree to raise an army."

Zhang Yu said, "For the southern expedition, I intend for five armies to advance simultaneously: the Yizhou troops will march east, the Jing and Han troops will head south, the Yuzhou troops will head straight for Jiangxia, the Hebei army will drive towards Shouchun, and the Qing and Xu naval forces will advance towards Jinling. At that time, the front three armies will target Jingzhou, while the rear two armies will contain the enemy. We will first conquer Jingzhou, and then take Jinling. What do you think?"

"Your Majesty, as previously stated, Tang and the enemy share a border of over a thousand miles. Now that our armies have all marched out, there must be a distinction between primary and secondary forces!" Xun You said. "If Your Majesty wishes to order the armies of Jing, Yi, and Yu provinces to take Southern Chu, then the troops of Hebei and Qingxu should beat drums and wave flags as a feint, creating a false impression and making it difficult for the enemy to distinguish between their true and false forces."

As he spoke, Xun You emphasized, "The enemy is weak while we are strong. Therefore, the enemy, eager to defeat us, will gather a large force to ambush us. At that time, our troops will remain stationary, preventing the enemy from achieving a swift victory. Meanwhile, our army, which has annihilated Jingzhou, will break through our borders and directly seize the land west of Xiakou. The enemy's rulers and ministers will be suspicious of each other, and their soldiers will be exhausted on the battlefield. When our army reaches the city gates, will there be no one to offer us food and drink?"

Tang Dynasty strategists had been analyzing the situation for over a year and had already calculated Cao Cao's plan to repel the Tang army. The only way was to concentrate a large force to quickly defeat one army, and then use the momentum of victory to defeat the remaining forces, as seen in the Battle of Sarhu. However, regarding the southeastern campaign, Tang strategists already had a countermeasure: to lure Cao Cao to Huainan. Then, the southern expeditionary force would patiently confront Cao Cao's troops. Unable to quickly defeat the southern Tang army, Cao Cao would wait until Southern Chu was occupied by the Tang army. When the main force sailed down the Yangtze River to Jinling, they could then seize the opportunity to defeat Cao Cao.

Once Cao Cao's army was mobilized, morale would inevitably collapse. When the ships arrived in Jiangdong, Cao Cao's regime would have no choice but to surrender.

“Therefore, Your Majesty intends to attack Cao Cao next year. I believe that we may be able to launch an attack in late autumn next year, when the rains in the south will be less and the rivers will not be full in winter, so that the Chinese troops can cross the river,” Xun You said.

"good!"

Zhang Yu pondered for a long time before saying, "I hereby issue an edict appointing Zhang Liao as the General Who Conquers the South, commanding the troops of Yu, Jing, and Yi provinces. Generals Hao Zhao, Gao Shun, Guo Huai, Wen Pin, and Huang Zu will be under his command, with 100,000 victorious troops from the three provinces. Before the troops of Yi province reach Jing province, Guo Huai will be appointed as the commander of the navy, and Gao Shun will command the infantry and cavalry."

"promise!"

"Where is Li Song, the Northern Commander?"

"Chen is here!"

Li Song excitedly stepped forward, bowed, and accepted the order.

"I hereby appoint you as the General Who Conquers Huai, and command the armies of Yin, Yan, Hai, and Sili, with a total of 100,000 victorious troops, under the command of generals Meng Ningzhi, Zhao Yun, Xu Chu, Ma Chao, and others, to lead the southern expedition against Shouchun!"

"Your subject obeys!" Li Song replied in a deep voice.

"Xu Huang, listen to my command!"

"Chen is here!"

Zhang Yu instructed, "I hereby appoint you as the General of Annam, commanding 50,000 troops by land and water from Qing and Xu provinces, to march south from the Han Canal into Huainan and drive towards Nanjing."

"I accept your order!"

Seeing that he would indeed have a part in the campaign to conquer the southeast, he happily accepted the order.

"Your Majesty, Man Yizhou is a general in the country. He is upright and honest. Should we transfer him to the position of deputy to the General Who Conquers the South?" Xun You suggested.

"No need!"

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "The prefectures and counties of Bashu are gradually stabilizing, so there is no need for Man Boning to be stationed in Bashu now. He will be transferred back to Chang'an at the beginning of next year."

"promise!"

Of the four great generals in the kingdom, three have stepped forward, but Man Chong is not given command of troops, which will likely cause him dissatisfaction. However, for Zhang Yu, Man Chong's dissatisfaction is understandable, but it's impossible for Man Chong to be involved in everything.

Of course, considering Man Chong's important position in the army, Zhang Yu considered re-granting Man Chong a title. After all, too many people had been granted the title of county marquis, which was insufficient to highlight the achievements of the generals. Therefore, Zhang Yu planned to reform the title system. Man Chong had the primary merit in conquering a country, making him the perfect candidate to be the first to receive this title.

The bestowal of a new title upon Man Chong will better motivate the generals on the southern expedition, inspiring them to strive for meritorious service! (End of Chapter)