Late Han Zhao Tang

June, Lishan Palace.

Beneath the pavilion in the rain, palace servants bustled about, some lighting incense and brewing tea, others preparing pastries and snacks, and still others arranging ice chests. Zhang Yu enjoyed the refreshing coolness, while the princes knelt on their mats, awaiting his instruction.

"When Cao Cao was trapped in Jinling, why didn't he surrender?"

Zhang Yu took a sip of tea and asked, "When Gongsun Shu lost Ba and Shu, he was trapped in Chengdu and fought against Wu Han. Why didn't he surrender?"

Zhang Bi replied, "Gongsun Shu's claim to the throne makes him an irreconcilable enemy of Emperor Guangwu; if he surrenders to the Han, he will surely die!"

"No!"

The learned Cai Xi said, "Second brother, you may not know this, but when Gongsun Shu was besieged in Chengdu, Emperor Guangwu wrote a letter to him, urging him to surrender. He clearly understood the importance of treating him well, but Gongsun Shu refused and vowed to fight the Han army."

Then, Cai Xi added: "I believe that the reason why Gongsun Shu did not surrender to the Han was not because he was unable to, but because he was unwilling."

"good!"

Zhang Yu said, “There are many heroes in the world who rise up in rebellion by the mandate of heaven. Those who can become local heroes all possess both talent and opportunity. At that time, they control a region, acting as rulers, with subordinates and servants, wielding great power. But if they are defeated and submitted to others, how could they do so willingly!”

"The reason why Cao Cao refuses to surrender is no different from that of Gongsun Shu!"

“Such ambitious people must be punished,” Zhang Bi said with murderous intent. “Their heads should be displayed throughout the land to deter all those who rebel.”

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "With you gentlemen guarding the frontier, how could anyone in the world dare to rebel!"

As he spoke, Zhang Yu encouraged him, "When Erlang goes to govern Meiji and the former Xiongnu people, there will surely be those who will not submit. Therefore, you should use both kindness and severity, and not kill without pardoning, lest the people of the country be filled with fear and unease."

"Your son will remember your teachings!"

Zhang Bi was enfeoffed as the King of Yunzhong, ruling over the former Xiongnu tribes and some Xianbei tribes. However, due to his young age, Zhang Yu had not yet allowed Zhang Bi to govern outside the capital.

As Zhang Bi grew older, under the deliberate tutelage of Zhang Yu and Alahai, he developed a love for archery and horsemanship, becoming the most outstanding warrior among all the sons. Now fifteen years old, Zhang Bi will be able to serve as the governor of Yunzhong next year.

"Father, I will be leaving for Yunzhong next year. I wonder if I can take Mother with me?" Zhang Bi hesitated for a moment, then kowtowed and asked.

"Why?" Zhang Yu asked.

Zhang Bi hesitated before saying, "Forgive my boldness, but Father has many concubines in the palace, and every year new beauties are introduced. Mother only has me as her son. If I leave Chang'an, Mother will rarely see Father, and she will have no relatives around her, I fear..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu stared at Zhang Bi without speaking. Although he was dissatisfied with Zhang Bi's words, Zhang Yu also knew that in recent years, apart from Empress Wang Ji and Li Suyi, the concubines who had married him in his earlier years had gradually received less favor, and he would only favor them occasionally when he was in the mood. Among them, Zhang Bi's mother, Alahai, was rarely favored, and it was considered good if she received favor once a month.

To be honest, if Araqhai had followed Zhang Bi to become a vassal king, he would most likely have been more comfortable than in the deep palace!
"Father!"

Zhang Zhang kowtowed and said, "I believe that my second brother values ​​filial piety and has requested to take our mother to his fiefdom, which is an act that promotes good morals. If he governs the country with filial piety and respects the virtuous, he will surely win the trust of the people."

Zhang Yu's expression relaxed slightly, and he said, "Your son is very filial, how could I refuse? Let's see what your mother's wishes are first. If she is willing to go to Yunzhong with you, then she will go with you."

"Thank you father!"

Zhang Bi glanced gratefully at Zhang Zhang, then knelt down to thank Zhang Yu.

While the father and son were talking, Guo Tu and Guo Jia approached and bowed to Zhang Yu and the princes one after another.

"Your Majesty, the Liaodong envoys Wang Lie and Guan Ning are here to pay their respects outside the palace!" Guo Tu said.

"How is the situation?" Zhang Yu asked.

Guo Jia cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Gongsun Du of Liaodong has passed away. His son, Gongsun Kang, knowing Your Majesty's prestige, has specially sent an envoy to the Central Plains to pay homage, requesting official titles and inquiring about the matter of surrendering territory."

"Summon the two of them here!"

"promise!"

A short while later, Wang Lie and Guan Ning, led by their attendants, arrived outside the Ziyu Pavilion. They saw water being drawn up by a waterwheel and poured onto the pavilion's eaves; a cool breeze swept over them despite the sweltering heat. The two exchanged a glance, secretly admiring the pavilion's exquisite design.

The Ziyu Pavilion did not originate in the Han Dynasty, but rather in the Tang Dynasty. Zhang Yu, a time traveler, couldn't bear the heat, so this year he had it built, where he and his companions seek refuge from the heat daily.

Now, in the sweltering summer, Zhang Yu went to the Lishan Palace to escape the heat, accompanied by all the high-ranking officials of the court.

"Your servants Wang Lie and Guan Ning are here to pay homage to Your Majesty!"

"No gift!"

Zhang Yu asked the two to sit down, his expression amiable, and inquired, "Judging from your accents, you speak of Qing and Xu provinces. May I ask where you are from?"

“Your Majesty, my ancestral home is Taiyuan, but I was born in Pingyuan with my father. Therefore, although I am from Bingzhou, I am actually from Pingyuan in Qingzhou,” Wang Lie replied.

"Do you know which family, the Wang clan, is from Taiyuan?" Zhang Yu asked. "Qixian County, Taiyuan!"

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu gestured to his attendants to pour tea for Wang Lie and Guan Ning, and said, "I am the son-in-law of the Wang family of Qi County. If we trace our kinship further, we might be able to address each other as in-laws!"

"May I ask where you are from, sir?"

“Ning is from Beihai Commandery, a descendant of Guanzi. He lived in Zhuxu in his youth, but due to the war in the Central Plains, he crossed the sea and sailed to Liaodong,” Guan Ning said.

Guan Ning and Wang Lie, stationed in Liaodong, were reluctant to serve Gongsun Du. Therefore, they focused on teaching Confucianism and were responsible for education. However, with Gongsun Du's death, Gongsun Kang succeeded him.

Although Gongsun Kang aspired to inherit his father's legacy and rule as the sole ruler in Liaodong, he saw Zhang Yu conquer Bashu and then the southeast, nearly unifying the entire country. As a result, his ambition to establish his own independent regime gradually weakened.

To test Zhang Yu's strength, Gongsun Kang specifically invited Guan Ning and Wang Lie to serve as envoys, promising them and their families a safe return to China upon successful completion of their mission. The two men, eager to help unify the world, agreed to Gongsun Kang's request and went to meet Zhang Yu as envoys from Liaodong.

“Both of you are senior scholars from Qingzhou. You have been sailing to Liaodong for many years now. I wonder what the situation is like in Liaodong?” Zhang Yu asked.

"Your Majesty, Gongsun Du rose from humble beginnings and became arrogant, but he restrained the strong and helped the weak, the powerful did not bully the poor, the many did not oppress the few, and merchants did not haggle over prices. He was quite a model of good governance. Moreover, knowing that the morals in Liaodong were not flourishing, he ordered the two of us to teach Confucian classics, and the morals flourished in the border regions."

Wang Lie carefully chose his words and said, "At that time, Goguryeo was doing evil, and Gongsun Du attacked it. As a result, Goguryeo submitted to Liaodong. To tell the truth, Gongsun Du recruited refugees, eliminated bandits and powerful figures, and bestowed kindness upon the people. At the end of the Han Dynasty, many barbarian tribes rose up, and the reason why they did not fall into chaos was truly due to the kindness of the Gongsun family."

During the chaotic period at the end of the Han Dynasty, Gongsun Du and Shi Xie made outstanding contributions to the frontier regions of China, with Gongsun Du being a prime example.

Although Gongsun Du was narrow-minded and launched a large-scale crackdown on powerful clans upon taking office, he ensured that the poor people of Liaodong were not bullied by them. He subsequently recruited refugees, reclaimed lost territories, developed agriculture, and educated the people of Liaodong.

Moreover, at the end of the Han Dynasty, various barbarian tribes rose up in Liaodong. Gongsun Du launched a heavy crackdown on the evil Goguryeo and Buyeo, allowing the Han people to survive in Liaodong.

On the Korean Peninsula, Han Ye frequently invaded Lelang County, and the county officials could not restrain him. Several counties south of Pyongyang were captured by Han Ye, and most of the people fled to the Three Hans. It was not until Gongsun Du sent troops to garrison Lelang that Han Ye dared not invade again.

Therefore, Wang Lie's assessment of Gongsun Du was accurate. The fact that Liaodong was able to remain unaffected by the chaos of the late Han Dynasty and even experience a period of prosperity must be attributed to the Gongsun family.

Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said with emotion, "Confucius said, 'Without Guan Zhong, we would be wearing our hair loose and our robes fastened on the left.' If there had been no Gongsun Du in Liaodong, the border region would have long been ruined, and the people would have been bound to the barbarian court!"

Seeing Zhang Yu praise Gongsun Du's achievements, Wang Lie felt somewhat relieved and continued, "Gongsun's territory has seventy to eighty thousand households and about four hundred thousand people. It is a paradise in the region. If it were to be attacked by war, I fear it would harm the people."

"Before Gongsun Du passed away, knowing that the trend of unifying the world was unstoppable, he instructed his son Kang to be respectful to Your Majesty. Now, Gongsun Kang wishes to inquire about Your Majesty's intentions, and has specially ordered me and Guan You'an to meet with Your Majesty!"

During the Yonghe era of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the combined population of Liaodong and Liaoxi was 170,000 households. If all the registered households were Han Chinese, it could be said that this was the dynasty with the largest population in Liaodong and Liaoxi before the Liao and Jin dynasties.

During Gongsun Du's tenure, the Han Dynasty's power in Liaodong had weakened, and barbarian tribes were invading in droves, so the population was certainly not as large as before. However, thanks to Gongsun Du's administrative measures such as recruiting refugees and cracking down on powerful clans, the population of Liaodong must have been considerable, at least three or four hundred thousand, otherwise it would not have been able to support tens of thousands of troops in battle.

The Han Chinese population in Liaodong declined sharply, mainly due to Sima Yi's conquest of Liaodong and related to the chaos in Liaodong at the end of the Jin Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, due to the influence of Goguryeo, its population in Liaodong was less than that of the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, if the Gongsun clan were to surrender voluntarily, it would be beneficial and harmless not only to Zhang Tang but also to the counties of Pingzhou.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Pingzhou is a remote border prefecture, yet it has 400,000 households. The Gongsun family's return to Tang is like Dou Rong's return to Han. I shall confer upon Gongsun Kang the title of Duke, establish an ancestral temple to commemorate his ancestors, and posthumously grant him the title of the late ruler, so that all the people of the world may know of the Gongsun family's achievements."

"Your Majesty is wise and mighty, uniting the divided prefectures and counties. Your achievements are comparable to those of Emperor Guangwu and Emperor Gaozu. Now you treat Gongsun with great kindness. I will report back to Your Majesty and do my best to persuade Gongsun to surrender as soon as possible."

"good!"

Zhang Yu laughed and said, "Jiangdong is almost at peace. Only Jiaoling and Pingliao are not yet secure. I hope that Liaodong can surrender completely so that we can pay homage together with Jiaozhou."

"Forgive my boldness in asking, but how is the war in Jiangdong going?" Wang Lie asked.

"The war in Jiangdong is progressing smoothly. Cao Cao has been besieged by his army in Jinling, and the city fell and his men perished within months," Guo Jia said. "Now, Jingzhou and Yangzhou have all surrendered, and the Chinese troops are returning home one after another. If Pingzhou can also surrender, the unification of the world will be just around the corner!"

Wang Lie and Guan Ning exchanged a glance, deeply impressed by the speed of the conflict. Before they set out, they only knew that Zhang Yu had launched a campaign against the southeast in Liaodong. Now that they had arrived in Chang'an, had the war already progressed so rapidly?
"May the world be unified soon, so that we may serve Your Majesty!" Wang Lie and Guan Ning said respectfully.

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "You two have worked hard and rendered meritorious service. I have ordered some small gifts to be prepared for you, and I have appointed you as the governors of Liaodong and Lelang prefectures. If you succeed in persuading others to surrender, I will bestow upon you another title!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" the two replied in turn.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two left the pavilion to take their leave.

"Gongze, you shall accompany them while they are in the capital."

Zhang Yu looked at Guo Tu standing beside him and said, "If Gongsun Kang surrenders, all the spoils will be with these two!"

"promise!"

P.S.: Chapter 2 is late! (End of Chapter)