At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 293 Li Yan is on a mission
  Zhou Yu looked around at the crowd and said, "I want to send people to Nanzheng to persuade Zhang Lu to surrender. I wonder who is willing to be the envoy?"

After everyone heard this, they suddenly realized this time.

The upper troops attacked the plot, the second attacked the Jiaotong, the second attacked the soldiers, and the lower attacked the city.

Zhou Yu first planned a surprise attack on Hanzhong, stationed troops at Dingjun Mountain, and marched directly to Zhengzhou, giving great pressure to Zhang Lu and Hanzhong's civil and military forces.

Then, Zhou Yu planned to use diplomatic means to force Zhang Lu to surrender and capture Hanzhong without any bloodshed.
  It has to be said that Zhou Yu has followed Zhou Qi and Xi Zhicai for many years, read a lot of books, and learned the combat experience of his ancestors. In addition, he is extremely intelligent, so his vision is naturally more far-sighted than others.

When Zhou Qi captured Hanzhong, he not only wanted to capture the northern barrier of Yizhou, but also wanted to obtain a complete and prosperous Hanzhong.

In the final analysis, the disputes between princes are still civil strife in China. It is necessary to avoid war as much as possible and achieve the goal at the minimum cost.

This is fundamentally different from Xiang Hongnan's conquest of Piao and Shan and the massacre of many local people.

Hanzhong is rich.

Zhang Lu also believed in the Five Pecks of Rice religion and was very generous to the people and ethnic minorities within the territory. Therefore, he won the hearts of the people and accumulated a lot of money and food.

If the city is attacked by force, even if Nanzheng is captured with a loss of troops and generals, the money and food accumulated by Hanzhong over the years may be wasted.

not to mention.

With Zhang Lu's reputation in Hanzhong, if he uses a forceful attack to conquer Nanzheng, it will be very troublesome to appease people in the future.

The so-called good fighters have no great achievements.

If he were a pure military commander, in order to promote his reputation, he might fight a big battle in Hanzhong, eventually reducing the place to ruins, beheading tens of thousands, and becoming famous all over the world.

But now Zhou Yu is not only a military commander, but also a strategic commander. He naturally considers things in the longer term than others.

One will be a million bones.

He would rather not publicize his reputation, but also want to preserve the sacred land of Hanzhong as completely as possible.

Just like the Battle of Hanzhong in history.

Although judging from the results of the war, the Shu Han did win the Battle of Hanzhong, and it was the only record that Liu Bei was able to achieve in his life.

The Battle of Hanzhong not only made Fazheng and Huang Zhong famous, but also allowed Liu Bei to finally defeat Cao Cao on the frontal battlefield, and many people lost money.

However, overall, Liu Bei not only lost troops and generals in this battle, but also suffered heavy casualties among his officers, and what he finally won was only ruins.

The people of Hanzhong had long been moved away in batches by Cao Cao.

Therefore, although Liu Bei nominally captured half of Hanzhong, he did not reap any actual benefits, but instead lost a lot of national power.

In contrast, China in later generations has not fought a war for nearly half a century, but its economy, technology, and military are all developing rapidly, and it has finally become an existence that no one dares to despise.

This is the best interpretation of "He who is good at fighting has no great achievements".

Facing Zhou Yu's inquiry, Li Yan stood up without any hesitation and said, "I am willing to go!"

Li Yan once served as an envoy to persuade Huang Zhong to surrender to Zhou Qi. Now he is the governor of Badong, which can be said to be a high-power position.

However, Badong was a place that had been governed by Xu Shu before, and the barbarians had long been attached to it, so there was basically no possibility of gaining military exploits.

He originally thought that he would finally be able to make achievements in this northern expedition to Hanzhong.

Li Yan also wanted to gain some military exploits so that when King Chu became emperor in the future, he could be granted the title of general and wife.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yu had no intention of attacking Nanzheng, but wanted to persuade Zhang Lu to surrender.

In this way, the military exploits were gone, and persuading Zhang Lu to surrender became the only opportunity to meritorious service, and Li Yan naturally did not want to miss it.

Seeing Li Yan step forward, Zhou Yu couldn't help but smile on his face and said, "Zhengfang is indeed a suitable candidate."

"Since you have proposed yourself, let's make some preparations and go to Nanzheng."

"On this mission, we must neither lose the face of His Highness the King of Chu, nor be too aggressive and make Zhang Lu dissatisfied."

Li Yan accepted the promise and rode alone to Nanzheng.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Li Yan left Dingjun Mountain, he was caught by Zhang Wei's scouts who led the troops, and then he was taken to Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei looked at Li Yan, who had an extraordinary bearing, and shouted: "Are you a craftsman of the Chu army?"

Li Yan slightly raised his hands to Zhang Wei and said: "To be honest, I am the governor of Badong County, and Li Yan of Nanyang is also the governor. On the order of the Grand Governor, I went to Nanzheng to visit Master Zhang Tian!"

Hearing this, Zhang Wei couldn't help but his face darkened. He had already expected that the other party wanted to persuade his brother to surrender, so he immediately shouted sternly: "Where are you, drag this Chu army out and kill him!"

The Zhang family is now divided into one side and has established a political and religious regime. Life is very happy, and even Zhang Wei is ranked as a general.

If Zhou Qi surrendered, both Zhang Lu and Zhang Wei's status would definitely be worse than before, and Zhang Wei would naturally not want to.

However, he also knew that his brother was a little afraid of Chu's military attack, and he was also hesitant about surrendering the city.

If Li Yan is allowed to go to Nanzheng, he may persuade his brother to make Zhang Lu surrender to Chu. This is not the result Zhang Wei wants to see.

In Zhang Wei's view, the political and religious regime established by the Zhang family brought the common people back to their hearts, and faced the dangers of mountains and rivers, as well as sufficient money and food, which could completely withstand the attack of [-] Chu troops.

It was precisely for this reason that he wanted to kill Li Yan first so as to cut off his brother's retreat.

When the soldiers on the left and right heard this, they immediately rushed forward, controlled Li Yan tightly, and planned to take Li Yan down and kill him.

"Let go, your legs are intact and you can walk on your own!"

Unexpectedly, Li Yan, who was held down by the soldiers, was not afraid at all. He shook his shoulders and shouted sternly.

When Zhang Wei saw this, he couldn't help but be surprised and asked: "Aren't you afraid of death?"

"Hahahaha!"

Li Yan burst out laughing after hearing Zhang Wei's words, his tone full of ridicule.

When Zhang Wei saw this, he couldn't help but became angry and shouted: "Are you laughing?"

Li Yan stopped laughing, looked at Zhang Wei with disdain, held his head high and said, "Although Li Yan is dead, a whole family of Zhang family members and all the people in Hanzhong are buried with me. How can it be unfair?"

Zhang Wei was shocked and doubtful, and shouted: "What do you mean by this?"

Li said sternly: "King Piao killed the Chu envoy, hundreds of members of the royal family were executed, and hundreds of thousands of people were slaughtered. King Piao's head is still hanging at the south gate of Xiangyang."

"I am the envoy of the Chu State. If you dare to kill me, the Piao royal family will be the fate of your Zhang family in the future!"

Zhang Wei couldn't help but feel fear when he heard this.

Lieutenant General Yang Bai took the opportunity to persuade: "Since ancient times, the two countries have not killed envoys when fighting. Moreover, Li Yan is the governor of Badong County and a famous scholar in Nanyang. Killing him will definitely lose the hearts of the people. General, please think twice!"

After being threatened by Li Yan, Zhang Wei did not dare to continue killing Li Yan. After listening to Yang Bai's words, he already had a step forward and immediately coldly snorted: "If General Yang hadn't persuaded you, I would definitely behead you today!"

After finishing speaking, Zhang Wei waved his hand and signaled the soldiers to retreat.

Li Yan, who had regained his freedom, shook off his sleeves and said, "I want to go to Nanzheng to pay a visit to Zhang Tianshi. General, please let me go!"

Yang Bai said: "General, please let this person go to Nanzheng. What will happen in the future should be decided by the Heavenly Master1"

Zhang Wei had no choice but to wave his hand and said: "In that case, let him go." Yang Bai took the initiative to ask Ying and said: "Let the last general send him away from the army to avoid being accidentally injured by other soldiers!"

In this way, Yang Bai took Li Yan and left the military formation.

Before leaving, Yang Bai suddenly lowered his voice and said: "After the envoy arrives in Nanzheng, you can pay a visit to my brother Yang Song first. It will definitely be of great help to the envoy!"

When Zhang Lu was in Hanzhong, he relied on the Yang family.

Yang brothers Yang Song and Yang Bai both held important positions under Zhang Lu. Two other brothers of the same clan, Yang Ang and Yang Ren, were also generals in Hanzhong.

The Yang family's prominence in Hanzhong is evident.

However, Yang Song was extremely greedy for money. Since Zhou Yu became the governor of Bajun, he has been secretly giving money and rare treasures to Yang Song.

This also made Yang Song's heart turn to Chu.

Yang Song's attitude also subtly influenced his younger brother Yang Bai. In addition, the Chu State was indeed very prestigious and had the potential to compete in the world.

Looking around Hanzhong, apart from King Zhou Qi of Chu, only Cao Cao from Guanzhong and Ma Teng and Han Sui from Xiliang were left.

In the opinion of the Yang brothers, the strength of the three people behind them was far inferior to His Highness the King of Chu.

Rather than taking refuge with the other three, it would be more beneficial to take refuge directly with the King of Chu.

Therefore, when Zhou Yu went north to conquer Hanzhong, although many people were frightened, the Yang brothers were secretly happy.

When Li Yan heard this, he couldn't help but look at Yang Bai deeply, and then bowed: "Thank you, General, for reminding me!"

In order to protect Li Yan's safety, Yang Bai even sent a dozen personal guards to escort Li Yan directly to Nanzheng.

Not long after, Li Yan had entered Nanzheng.

At this time in Nanzheng, the people were helping to strengthen the city walls and build defense equipment, instead of hiding in their homes in fear.

It can also be seen from this that Zhang Lu indeed won the hearts of the people in Hanzhong.

After Li Yan arrived in Nanzheng, he did not go to visit Yang Song first as Yang Bai suggested. Instead, he went straight to Tianshi Mansion and just wrote a letter to Yang Bai's personal guards to send to Yang Song.

Tianshi Mansion.

Zhang Lu had long received the news about Li Yan's mission to Nanzheng, and he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

He had just convened his civil and military officials to discuss matters when he heard someone coming to report: "Reporting to the Heavenly Master, Li Yan, the envoy of the Chu army, is asking to see you!"

Zhang Lu frowned slightly, glanced at Wenwu in the tent, and asked, "Do you want to meet Li Yan?"

Yang Song was the first to jump out and said in a deep voice: "Since the other party plans to pay homage first and then attack, the Heavenly Master might as well see what the other party's intentions are before making a decision!"

When Yang Ang and Yang Ren saw that their clan brothers had spoken, they naturally responded with words.

Seeing this, Zhang Lu couldn't help but frown slightly, then he turned his attention to his confidant Yan Pu and asked: "What does Yan Gong Cao want?"

Yan Pu pondered for a moment and then said: "That is indeed the case. No matter what the Heavenly Master thinks, there is no harm in meeting Li Yan first."

Zhang Lu immediately announced that Li Yan had come to see him.

When Li Yan entered the palace, he only nodded slightly to Zhang Lu without saluting.

When Yan Pu saw this, he couldn't help scolding him: "You see the Heavenly Master but you don't worship him. Do you know the etiquette?"

Li Yan asked: "Who are you?"

Yan Pu raised his chest and said, "I am Hanzhong Gongcao Yan Pu!"

Li Yan sneered and said: "In terms of official positions, although Tianshi is the prefect of Hanzhong, I am also the prefect of Badong. We are on the same level. Why should I pay tribute to Tianshi?"

"In terms of status, even though Zhang Tianshi is revered as Tianshi by the people in Hanzhong, I don't believe in the Five Pecks of Rice religion, and there is no need to salute Tianshi."

"On the contrary, I am not only the governor of Badong County, but also the envoy of the King of Chu."

"The Heavenly Master, as the governor of a county, should bow to the King of Chu's envoys when he sees them. May I ask Yan Gongcao, who doesn't know the etiquette?"

Yan Pu was speechless, but he quickly reacted and sneered: "The so-called King of Chu, but Zhou Ziyi proclaimed himself, how can he use this throne to suppress my lord?"

Li Yan asked back: "If Yan Gongcao doesn't recognize the King of Chu, does he recognize Hebei Yuan Shao as emperor?"

Being treated by such a general as Li Yan, Yan Pu was immediately speechless.

If you say you don't agree, you will definitely offend the powerful Yuan Shao. The most powerful princes now are Yuan Shao and Zhou Qi. If they are offended, where will Hanzhong go in the future?

Yan Pu was just a meritorious officer and did not dare to bring trouble to Zhang Lu.

If one accepts Yuan Shao as emperor but does not agree with Zhou Qi as king, it is equivalent to being a rebellious official and a traitor to the Han Dynasty. It is untenable in legal terms, and Yan Pu does not dare to bear such an infamy.

Seeing that Yan Pu was speechless, Yang Song hurriedly smoothed things over and said, "I wonder why your envoy is here?"

Li Yan looked at Yang Song and asked, "Who are you, sir?"

Yang Song stroked his beard and said, "I am Bo Yangsong, the master of Tianshi Mansion."

Li Yan's eyes widened, he slightly cupped his hands towards Yang Song and said, "I have admired your name for a long time, and now that I meet you, you are indeed extraordinary!"

Yang Song returned the gift, and then said with a hint of caution: "Your envoy has given you too much praise. Now you and I are at war, so please inform us of your intention first."

Li Yan smiled and then said: "To be honest, I am here to save the life of the Heavenly Master!"

When Zhang Lu heard this, his expression changed slightly and he shouted: "What do you mean by this?"

Li Yan asked: "May I ask the Master, how is the population of Hanzhong compared to the seven counties of Jingxiang?"

Zhang Lu said: "It's not as good as that."

Li Yan continued to ask: "How does the prosperity compare with the seven counties of Jing and Xiang?"

Zhang Lu continued: "It's not as good as that."

Li Yan asked again: "May I ask Master Tiantian, how do you think you compare to Liu Jingsheng?"

Zhang Lu was silent for a long time, and then sighed: "Liu Jingsheng is a clan member of the Han Dynasty. He is one of the Eight Horsemen. He has a distinguished reputation and is not as good as me."

A smile appeared on Li Yan's face, and then he continued to ask: "So how does the Heavenly Master think Hanzhong's civil servants, generals, soldiers, horses, money and food compare with Yizhou?"

Zhang Ludao: "Hanzhong is only one county, how can it be compared with the entire Yizhou?"

The smile on Li Yan's face became brighter and brighter, and then he said: "The King of Chu is a man of great talent and bravery, and has the ambition to conquer the world and help the country."

"Liu Jingsheng of Jingzhou and Liu Jiyu of Yizhou are both clan members of the Han Dynasty. They have a cloud of advisers, a rain of fierce generals, and countless money, food, population, and soldiers."

"When the King of Chu arrived with his troops, Liu Jingsheng trembled, and Liu Jiyu was frightened. They did not dare to challenge the King of Chu's troops, so they took the initiative to surrender the city. As a result, they were granted a title and could enjoy peace and wealth."

"Since the Heavenly Master knows that Hanzhong is not as good as Jingzhou and Yizhou, the troops have arrived today, Mianyang has been conquered, and the military governor has stationed troops at Dingjun Mountain, and the troops will be at the city in a few days, why haven't you surrendered the city yet?"

Zhang Lu was silent when he heard this.

(End of this chapter)