The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 388: Without a fight, you won’t know how to be honest
At the Nanzheng prefect's mansion, Zhang Lu gathered everyone to entertain Chen Lin, who was on a diplomatic mission to Hanzhong. Chen Lin was a famous scholar from Hebei and was well-known throughout the world. Zhang Lu ruled Hanzhong and knew of his reputation, so when he heard that Chen Lin was on a diplomatic mission, he immediately invited his civil and military officials to set up a banquet to entertain Chen Lin.

Zhang Wei, Yan Pu, Yang Song, Yang Bai, Yang Ang, Yang Ren and others came to accompany him. Zhang Lu had a fair complexion, flying long beard on his chest, bright eyes, and looked like an immortal, very extraordinary.

"Master, the Prime Minister has heard of your name for a long time in Chang'an. When I came here, the Prime Minister asked me to bring a gift to you." Chen Lin clapped his hands, and saw his subordinates delivering books outside. He said, "This is the five thousand essays of Laozi copied by the Prime Minister himself, and it has now been published throughout the country."

Zhang Lu's face immediately showed joy after hearing this. He quickly washed his hands with water before taking the book. It was a thin layer, but it seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.

Zhang Lu's grandfather Zhang Daoling respected Laozi as the ancestor of Taoism, regarded "Laozi's Five Thousand Words" as the highest classic, and compiled "Laozi Xianger Notes" to develop Laozi's Taoist thoughts.

Therefore, Zhang Lu also highly respected Laozi's Five Thousand Words. He did not expect that a military general would actually copy Laozi's Five Thousand Words personally and let it spread throughout the world. How could Zhang Lu not be happy?

"Prime Minister also knows about the ancestral inheritance?" Looking at the iron painting and silver hook above, Zhang Lu asked impatiently.

"The Prime Minister once praised Zhang Tianshi's achievements and planned to enthrone him as Tianshi in the future. He also decided to build a Taoist temple for him in Longhu Mountain. The Tianshi Mansion in Longhu Mountain will belong to the Zhang family forever." Chen Lin said hurriedly.

Zhang Lu's breathing quickened after hearing this.

What does wealth and glory mean? Being honored as a Heavenly Master by Qin Shou and being granted a Taoist temple is the greatest compliment to Zhang. It also shows his appreciation for himself.

"Brother, what is Longhu Mountain? It's just a wild place. How can it be compared with Hanzhong? Are you going to give up your Hanzhong base and go to a wild place?" Zhang Wei was furious.

I was a general in Hanzhong, so why would I go to Longhu Mountain? Could I become a Taoist priest? The difference in status was too great, so how could he possibly agree?
Thinking of this, Zhang Wei immediately looked at Chen Lin with angry eyes. If Chen Lin was not a famous scholar, he would have killed him regardless of the court envoy.

Anyway, Zhang Lu had killed many imperial envoys back then.

"Haha, the second general is wrong. Longhu Mountain was only given to Zhang Tianshi, but this is certainly not the case for our master. Our master will serve as an official in the court, and he will naturally not escape the title of marquis. As for you all, the court will also reward you." Chen Lin laughed.

Yang Song and the others all showed satisfaction on their faces after hearing this, but they were not surprised at all. If the imperial court wanted to obtain Hanzhong, it would have to reward everyone to appease the hearts of Hanzhong officials.

Zhang Lu still had a smile on his face after hearing this. He neither said he would surrender nor opposed. His face was always full of warmth, making it difficult to read his face.

Although Chen Lin was a little anxious, he did not dare to urge them at this time. He could only kneel aside and watch the singing and dancing in front of him with a smile. There was actually a hint of silence in the whole hall.

After waiting for a long time for the singing and dancing to stop, Zhang Lu asked people to send Chen Lin back to the inn, and he kept Yang Song and others. "Brother, Hanzhong is the place where Emperor Gaozu rose to power. Emperor Gaozu occupied Hanzhong and became the ruler of the world. Why can't you do the same? Qin Shou is nothing but a clerk who relied on brute force to get to his current position. Brother, you occupy Hanzhong, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Why are you afraid of Qin Shou?" Zhang Wei spoke first.

"What do you think?" Zhang Lu asked.

"My lord, as long as we occupy Yangping Pass, why should we be afraid of Qin Shou?" General Yang Ren said disdainfully: "As long as Yangping Pass is in my hands, why should we be afraid of Qin Shou's hundreds of thousands of troops?"

Zhang Wei also spoke up, "Brother, we cannot retreat at this time. In my opinion, you should inherit the throne and establish yourself as the King of Hanning. You will surely be supported by the people of Hanzhong."

After hearing this, Zhang Lu just glanced at the other party. Qin Shou occupied the entire north but did not declare himself king. If he declared himself king, wouldn't he be laughed at by the world?
Gong Cao Yan Pu's face changed drastically when he heard this, and he quickly said: "My lord, the people of Hanzhong have a population of more than 100,000, with sufficient money and food, fertile land, and dangerous mountains and rivers. They can support the emperor and lead their own territory as local lords. Secondly, they can also be people like Dou Rong, who can maintain their wealth and honor. Now, whether you are king or not, you can command the territory, but if you are king, it will definitely bring disaster. At least, you can move freely."

Zhang Lu's expression changed slightly when he heard this.

"My lord, Yuan Shu occupied Jianghuai and had hundreds of thousands of soldiers. He claimed to be an emperor, but he could not win. Yuan Shao occupied five states and had 500,000 soldiers under his command. He had many counselors and brave generals, but he was destroyed by the prime minister. The rest, such as Liu Bei, Lu Bu, Cao Cao, etc., were all defeated by the prime minister. My lord, how do they compare to these people?" Yang Song was immediately impolite.

Becoming a king or not is a different matter. Only the Liu family can be king, otherwise the whole world will attack him. Once Zhang Lu becomes king, it will be a rebellion, and he and others will be the rebels. How could Yang Song agree to this?
Zhang Lu had not originally planned to resist, but after hearing what Yang Song said, there was a bit more fear in his eyes.

Zhang Wei was furious when he heard this. He sneered, "Mr. Yang is really trying to boost others' morale but destroy your own prestige. Hanzhong has mountains and rivers, and sufficient food and grass. Why should we be afraid of Qin Shou coming? Moreover, Qin Shou's main force is in Jingzhou, so how could you possibly come to Hanzhong?"

Although Zhang Wei's shouting was very loud, Zhang Lu still heard that the other party was afraid of Qin Shou, afraid that Qin Shou's army would come to attack. But even if they could resist the small army now, what would it matter? Qin Shou's army would come sooner or later. Would they be able to resist the attack of the cavalry at that time?
Yang Song had gained an advantage, so he was no longer afraid of Zhang Wei. He immediately sneered and said, "The imperial court has so many soldiers and horses. Although we have gained the advantage of Hanzhong, it is not wise to fight against the whole country with only one corner. Please think twice, Master."

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"Hmph, why is it only Hanzhong? If Cao Cao of Jiangdong, Liu Bei of Jingnan, Cai Mao and others can unite, why should they be afraid of Qin Shou? We now occupy Hanzhong and watch the success or failure of the world. If he defeats Cao Cao and Liu Bei, it will not be too late for us to surrender." Zhang Wei said loudly.

After hearing this, everyone showed a hint of intention on their faces. Although the Cavalry Army is powerful, they are not without opponents. If they all attack together, will they still be afraid of Qin Shou?
Even Zhang Lu showed a hint of intention on his face. If he could hold on a little longer, it might not be a bad idea to do so. At worst, he could just do it as his avatar in the future.

Yang Song saw it but didn't say anything.

If Zhang Wei is not killed and Zhang Lu is not taught a lesson, these people will not behave themselves.

(End of this chapter)