Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 587 Few are content with what they have
Chengdu, the governor's residence.

Man Chong stared at the imperial edict on the table, his expression gloomy, and sighed.

"Your Excellency has been summoned back to the capital to meet His Majesty, why are you so gloomy?" Qin Mi asked.

Man Chong rose from his bed and said dejectedly, "Today, when the discussion was about destroying Cao, His Majesty appointed Zhang Liao, Li Song, and Xu Huang as commanders, and Gao Shun and Guo Huai to command the land and naval forces of Yizhou. Yet I have the great merit of destroying Shu, but I am not given important positions by His Majesty."

"Moreover, Generals Xu Huang and Li Song are not as skilled in martial arts as I am, yet they are now able to lead an army, while I am ordered to return to the capital and watch them achieve merit. How could I be willing to do that?"

As he spoke, Man Chong's words were filled with resentment, as he considered himself the one who deserved the most credit for the conquest of Bashu in the south.

In Man Chong’s eyes, Xu Huang, the main general of the southern expedition, was blocked at Jiange from beginning to end. Although Gao Shun’s crossing of Yinping was successful, it was unknown whether he could have made meritorious contributions after crossing Yinping if he had not dealt a heavy blow to Sun’s army at Hanchang.

As for Li Song?

Throughout His Majesty's many battles in unifying the empire, Li Song was involved from beginning to end. If it weren't for his status as a relative of the empress, how could he have been ranked alongside him as a general!
Therefore, Zhang Yu preferred to appoint Xu Huang and Li Song as commanders-in-chief rather than let Man Chong take the position, which greatly displeased Man Chong. After all, Man Chong considered himself the main force in the conquest of Shu, so he should rightfully be the commander in the conquest of the southeast.

Qin Mi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your Excellency's achievements are great, but there are many who are jealous of you. Your Majesty is bound to make mistakes, especially since Your Excellency has not yet paid a visit to Your Majesty since the conquest of Shu."

Man Chong frowned slightly and said, "According to what Zichi said, do you think that an official in the court has impeached me?"

"I am new to officialdom and dare not speak recklessly," Qin Mi said. "But Your Excellency has served His Majesty since the end of the Han Dynasty. Given Your Excellency's strategic acumen, how could His Majesty not consult you on the great matter of defeating Cao Cao?"

"Humph!"

Man Chong snorted and said, "Now that I have returned to the country, I will let His Majesty and the ministers know of my great achievement in destroying Shu."

After a moment's thought, Qin Mi said, "My lord, you are upright and honest, but honesty makes one vulnerable. In my humble opinion, when you return to the capital, you should wear a turban and go to your private residence, keeping silent about the pacification of Shu. If anyone asks, simply say, 'With the virtue of the Holy Emperor and the strength of the generals, what power did this old man have to contribute?' His Majesty will be greatly pleased to hear this, and it will also make this humble man feel ashamed!"

Man Chong disagreed, saying, "If I don't confide my grievances to outsiders, how will the world know my achievements!"

Without knowing the truth, Man Chong leaned towards Qin Mi's speculation that some villains had blocked his speech and concealed his achievements, which was why he was not allowed to go to war.

Just as Man Chong was feeling resentful about not being given important responsibilities, he saw a servant rushing in.

"My lord, Gao Shun knows that you are about to leave Shu, so he has come to pay his respects," the attendant said.

“Please invite him to come here!” Man Chong said.

"promise!"

A short while later, Gao Shun, dressed in casual clothes, came to the central hall to pay his respects to Man Chong.

"Having heard that the Governor has left Sichuan, I have come to pay my respects!" Gao Shun said.

Man Chong remained calm and asked, "Zixun is the Governor of Yizhou, ordered to lead an eastern expedition against Cao Cao. What brings you to see me today?"

Gao Shun said, "The Commander-in-Chief has rendered meritorious service in conquering Shu. Now I have been ordered to conquer Cao, and I have come here specifically to seek your advice on strategies."

Man Chong said self-deprecatingly, "Did I think the world was unaware of my great contribution in conquering Shu?"

"How dare you!"

Gao Shun said with utmost respect, "The Governor-General's prestige is renowned throughout Sichuan and Chongqing. Now that he has returned to the capital, I presume His Majesty has other plans for him!"

Man Chong's expression softened slightly as he said, "Zixun is indeed a wise man. Now you wish to ask about the destruction of Cao Cao. In my opinion, the difficulty lies in crossing the Yangtze River. Our army's infantry and cavalry have roamed the world, but the southeast relies solely on its naval forces. Therefore, if we can send our troops to southern Chu, the counties and prefectures of Jingchu will crumble at the mere sight of them, and the people will welcome the king's army with food and drink."

"If Zixun desires to achieve great merit, then he should not linger in Jingchu. He should sail down the river and strike directly at the enemy capital of Jinling. If Jinling surrenders, the morale of Cao Cao's army will be low, and they will surely be defeated by our army!"

"Therefore, the first step in destroying Cao was for the troops of Jing and Yu to cross the Yangtze River, while the Yizhou navy traversed the Yangtze River in response, thus sweeping through the southern Chu prefectures and counties."

Seeing that Man Chong was generous with his explanation, Gao Shun bowed and said, "The Commander-in-Chief's strategies are outstanding. I am very grateful to the Commander-in-Chief for his guidance on the plan!"

Man Chong waved his hand, feeling frustrated, and said, "If the capital appoints me as a general, how can you lackeys lead the troops!"

Gao Shun glanced at Man Chong's expression and knew he was unhappy about being summoned back to Chang'an. He said tactfully, "General, you surrendered to Sun Quan and your power shook Ba and Shu. You sit upright and look around, and everyone in the world fears and admires you. Now your achievements far surpass those of other generals. Your Majesty's summons of you back to the capital may be for your consideration!"

"I hope so!" Man Chong sighed.

Realizing his lapse in decorum, Man Chong dismissed Gao Shun and prepared to pack his belongings to return to the capital. After bidding farewell to Man Chong, Gao Shun reported the situation to Zhang Yu, detailing Man Chong's resentment at not being appointed to the eastern expedition.

On Man Chong's return journey to Chang'an, Zhang Yu received Gao Shun's report first. "Man Boning harbors quite a bit of resentment!"

Zhang Yu read through Gao Shun's secret report and said to his attendant with dissatisfaction: "I have observed that throughout history, few people in high positions are content. Regardless of their intelligence or stupidity, none of them have self-awareness. Even those with low talent and learning insist on holding office. Even those suffering from illness reluctantly take up their posts."

"When Man Boning was a general, he was still humble and courteous to those around him. But now that he has made the greatest contribution to the conquest of Shu, he is unaware of my good intentions and has poured out his resentment to his subordinates. Does Man Boning think that I am incapable of conquering Shu?"

Zhang Yu did not believe that Ba and Shu could not be conquered without Man Chong. In particular, Zhang Yu believed he had the ability to pacify the world, and that his decision to send his generals to lead the expedition was simply because he, as emperor, could not personally lead the campaign, and he wanted his officers to accumulate more merit. Now, Man Chong's resentful and tactless words had aroused Zhang Yu's dissatisfaction.

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

Seeing that Zhang Yu was about to get angry, Jia Xu put down his teacup and hurriedly advised, "As Your Majesty said, few people in the world are content with what they have. Man Chong has made great contributions, and his achievements are higher than those of other generals. If he can make another great contribution to destroy Cao Cao, he will leave a good name in history. He has no evil intentions, he just wants the world to know his achievements and is ashamed to be ranked with the mediocre."

Zhang Yu calmed himself down, put down the confidential report, and asked, "What are your thoughts, Wenhe?"

Jia Xu said, “When Emperor Guangwu pacified the world, he summoned all his generals to the capital, held a grand feast for them, rewarded them for their merits, and granted them fiefs. He then laid down arms and promoted civil virtue. Man Chong is upright and outspoken, and he said that gentleness should be used rather than force. I think we should send an envoy to welcome him, to dispel the doubts between the emperor and his ministers, and to show Your Majesty’s magnanimity.”

Zhang Yu nodded slightly and sighed, "Of the more than ten provinces in the empire, only Jiao, Yang, Ping, and Jingnan are half-unsettled. If we attack the southeast next year, China will be unified in no time. Once the empire is unified, weapons will be stored away, and meritorious officials will enjoy wealth and honor. Inevitably, some will be unwilling. If we can win Man Chong's favor, he can serve as a model for all generals!"

After a moment's thought, Zhang Yu said, "Wenhe understands my intentions. I will now trouble you to act as my envoy and welcome Man Chong back to the capital on my behalf."

Although Man Chong's complaints displeased Zhang Yu, Zhang Yu was not as petty as Yang Jian, who would hold grudges and seek revenge later. Zhang Yu now intended to appease Man Chong's discontent, hoping to use him as a role model so that he could later consolidate military power over the generals.

Jia Xu said, “Your Majesty wishes to take Man Chong as a model, which I think is a good thing. However, the northern barbarian lands have not yet submitted. It would be a pity to send Man Chong back to the capital to report on his duties and let him go home to recuperate. Therefore, it would be better to let Man Chong take charge of the affairs of the northern frontier, recover the abandoned prefectures for Your Majesty, and build the northern frontier fortifications.”

"In this way, we can not only restore the border prefectures, but also make Man Chong feel that His Majesty values ​​him highly!"

"Can!"

Zhang Yu said, "Wenhe will arrange the reception of Man Chong."

The Guanbei prefectures refer to the prefectures in northern Shaanxi and the Hetao region in later generations. Although the Xihe prefecture was previously established in northern Shaanxi, a large amount of territory of the Shang, Beidi, and Anding prefectures was not recovered. The Hetao region consisted of the three prefectures of Yunzhong, Wuyuan, and Shuofang.

Several months ago, Zhang Yu ordered the relocation of the Cong people to populate Long County, with the main destinations being Shang County, Beidi, Anding, and Longyou County. While the destinations were clear, organizing the Cong forces to form a military defense line with the local surrendered Hu and Han people was another issue. The construction of passes and the deployment of troops also required the supervision of generals skilled in military strategy.

Therefore, it was a good use of Man Chong's talents to be in charge of the design and repair of the Longshuo border defense line, as he was a general in the country. Otherwise, it would be a waste of his talents to keep him in Chang'an to enjoy wealth and honor.
"promise!"

Taking advantage of a lull, Guo Tu handed over a memorial: "Your Majesty, Shi Xie from Jiaoling has submitted a memorial!"

As Zhang Yu opened the memorial, he asked, "Does Shi Xie intend to offer a hostage?"

"Your Majesty, the envoy Shi Xie said that the hostage is already on his way. He is now entering Shu from Nanzhong, and then from Yizhou to the capital. He is also carrying tribute, so his journey is slow!" Guo Tu said.

Zhang Yu closed the memorial and said, "Shi Xie sincerely surrendered. In his memorial, he said that he was willing to send troops to Guiyang to disperse the enemy's forces."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Since Shi Xie is willing to surrender and send troops to help me, he should be generously rewarded."

"Guards, issue an imperial edict appointing Shi Xie as General of the Guards and Marquis of Longbian, with a fief of six thousand households!"

"promise!"

Although Zhang Yu gradually reduced the number of fiefs and rewards bestowed upon Shi Xie, if Shi Xie surrendered Jiaozhou, Zhang Yu would certainly follow the previous precedent and enfeoff Shi Xie as a Marquis of Ten Thousand Households to appease the Shi clan. The current enfeoffment of six thousand households instead of ten thousand is simply to leave four thousand households vacant for future enfeoffments.

Of course, if Shi Xie surrenders but the Shi clan does not, then Zhang Yu cannot be blamed for going back on his word and taking back the fiefdoms he had granted, since fiefdoms were obtained in exchange for territory under his jurisdiction.

"Your Majesty, since Shi Xie intends to surrender and Cao Cao is about to be wiped out, the only remaining warlord in the land is Gongsun of Liaodong!"

Guo Tu suggested, "Your Majesty should send envoys to Liaodong to see if the Gongsun family can be persuaded to surrender, so as to avoid further warfare and the suffering of the people of Liaodong!"

Zhang Yu asked with doubt, "Gongsun Du has been defiant for a long time, relying on his distance. He nominally submits to our dynasty, but in reality, he calls himself the emperor. I wonder if this attempt to persuade him to surrender will be effective?"

"His Majesty!"

Guo Jia stroked his short beard and pondered, then said, “According to merchants from Liaodong, Gongsun Du was an elder from the late Han Dynasty. Now that he is getting older, the affairs of the country are gradually being managed by his son, Gongsun Kang. Your Majesty rules China and commands respect from all corners of the world. When Gongsun Du was in his prime, he dared to disobey Your Majesty. But now that he is old and frail, how dare he hold up an army to resist China?”

"Therefore, in Jia's opinion, it would be better to let Dong Zhao, the governor of Youzhou, reveal his plans to attack Liaodong, and then send an envoy to Liaodong to thoroughly understand the advantages and disadvantages. At that time, Gongsun Du will realize that he is old and frail and unable to resist China, so he should relinquish the imperial duties. After the southeast is unified, and Gongsun Du passes away, his son Gongsun Kang will naturally submit to him!"

"Let's follow Fengxiao's opinion!"

(End of this chapter)