gnovel Chapter 26 That Man Is Coming
Chapter 26 That Man Is Coming
Yuan Yao gave up on getting involved in Liu Bei's mess.
This fanatical man who was obsessed with the restoration of Han was so obsessed and prejudiced against Yuan Yao that he wouldn't listen to any of his advice.
What else can be said?
In any case, as long as Liu Bei stayed in Xuzhou, he could greatly distract Cao Cao's attention, so Yuan Yao was happy to see this happen and was content with the status quo.
Another event that happened afterward kept Yuan Yao busy again, leaving him with no time to worry about things in Xuzhou.
That is, after months of back-and-forth tug-of-war and negotiations, Lei Bo Chenlan, who had previously broken away, was finally willing to bring his followers back to the Zhong regime.
This is very important.
Lei Bo and Chen Lan's power is much stronger than Chen Ce's before, with more than 20,000 people under their command, which is almost equivalent to one-fifth of the current population of Lujiang County.
The Zhong family, which is now rebuilding from scratch, is most in need of manpower. With the addition of this new force, not only will the country's strength be further enhanced, but the reconstruction speed will also be greatly improved.
Overjoyed, Yuan Yao immediately decided that in order to resolve the unpleasantness caused by Yuan Shu and to make Lei Bo, Chen Lan and others feel his sincerity, he would personally lead people out of the city to welcome them.
Yuan Yao gave him such face, and Lei and Chen were equally appreciative. Everyone was in high spirits and together they performed a perfect scene of a long-awaited reunion between ruler and subject.
Upholding the professionalism of a veteran actor, Yuan Yao delivered a masterful performance, shaking the hands of the two generals and saying, "Having you two generals is like a fish finding water!"
Lei Bo and Chen Lan quickly pledged their loyalty: "We are willing to go through fire and water for the Grand Commander, without hesitation!"
Then a little incident occurred.
On the way back, since the necessary procedures had been completed, everyone was relaxed and spontaneously formed small groups in twos and threes.
This is when you can see how well-liked everyone is.
People like Zhang Kai, who came from humble beginnings and had a bad reputation, could only sit at a table with a few other colleagues.
As a non-Han Chinese, Changnu felt as if he had been bullied, all alone without any companions around him.
In contrast, the highest-ranking military leader in the Zhong clan, General Zhang Xun—
Zhang Xun himself was the leader, with Ji Ling, who was a step behind him, as the second-in-command. The rest of the generals, big and small, surrounded them, numbering more than a dozen.
Newcomers Lei Bo and Chen Lan are also in this circle, chatting and laughing with their senior, the air filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Compared to them, even Yuan Yao seemed a bit weak and outnumbered.
This scene immediately made Yuan Yao thoughtful, his eyes darting around.
Liu Ye keenly sensed Yuan Yao's thoughts and whispered, "Young Master, Zhang Xun has deep roots in the army. Isn't it possible that he'll become too powerful to control in the future?"
Yuan Yao didn't speak, but instead gave Liu Ye a deep look.
I have a feeling that Liu Ye is increasingly showing the potential to become a treacherous official, but I don't know why.
However, the other party did indeed guess his thoughts, at least partly.
Personally speaking, Yuan Yao had no complaints about Zhang Xun; in fact, he was quite grateful to him.
Although the opponent's military capabilities were mediocre, as a veteran who had followed Yuan Shu since the beginning of his rebellion, he did indeed act as a glue, preventing Yuan Shu's repeatedly defeated army from falling apart. He was like a rope-tightening man.
Furthermore, Yuan Yao's ability to successfully stage a coup and secure his position was largely due to Zhang Xun's support, which, together with Yang Hong, formed a three-way power structure within the Zhong clan, allowing the regime to continue functioning.
In short, Zhang Xun is a hard-working and meritorious person with no major flaws. He has a few minor flaws, but none of them are serious. His advantage is that he has no ambition, making him an ideal partner.
Therefore, Liu Ye's worries are completely unnecessary, at least for the next year or two.
So Yuan Yao said, "Ziyang, do you have any ideas? I want to purge Zhang Xun's faction from the army."
Yes, Yuan Yao still intends to target Zhang Xun.
This has nothing to do with personal likes or dislikes, or even with power struggles.
The fundamental reason is that the main contradiction facing the Zhong regime at present is still the contradiction between the increasingly powerful external enemies and its own weak military strength.
To solve this problem, Yuan Yao needs to implement a thorough military reform, overturning the old Shishan system and rebuilding it from scratch, creating the professional army he envisions.
This means that the old military leaders, headed by Zhang Xun, are destined to become stumbling blocks on the road to reform. He may not have made any mistakes, but his very existence is a mistake.
Yuan Yao: What does it have to do with you if I cleanse you?
Liu Ye hadn't thought that much about it, or perhaps he had but chose not to say it. Faced with Yuan Yao's request, he bowed slightly and said, "Young Master, I am ultimately an outsider, and it's not appropriate for me to get too involved in these matters. However, I can recommend someone who will surely be able to handle this matter properly."
"No need, I know who to talk to."
Later that day, Yuan Yao returned to Wancheng, where Yang Hong, the chief secretary who had received the order in advance, was already waiting for him at the Grand Commander's Mansion.
Upon hearing that it was about dealing with Zhang Xun, Yang Hong, who was usually calm and composed, instantly became beaming and began to talk at length to Yuan Yao:
"This is actually very easy."
Yang Hong seemed to have considered this matter long ago: "Zhang Xun is just a commoner, and even the generals around him are not worth fearing."
This is where we have to thank Yuan Shu again. Under his leadership, among the generals under Zhong's command, apart from Ji Ling who was somewhat of a figure, the rest were, if not incompetent, at least utterly useless.
Therefore, it can be replaced at will, without worrying about how much it will affect the army's combat effectiveness.
Yang Hong suggested that some mid-level generals could be gradually promoted, while a few of Zhang Xun's confidants could be demoted or dismissed. With this shift in power, Zhang Xun's influence would naturally decline significantly.
Of course, this is only a temporary solution.
Yang Hong: "As for the fundamental solution, the foundation of these veteran generals lies entirely in the soldiers who follow them. If Your Highness is willing, you can try to bestow favors upon these people."
Yuan Yao: "How should we bestow this favor?"
Yang Hong: "Secretary Yan mentioned a couple of days ago that much of the fertile land in Huainan has been abandoned, which is a real pity."
Yuan Yao's eyes lit up: "You mean, land is awarded for military merit?"
Yang Hong: "Exactly."
Yuan Yao thought about it and felt that this matter had great potential and might even help promote his military reform plan.
However, despite Yang Hong's simultaneous proposal of both temporary and long-term solutions, Yuan Yao remained unsatisfied and continued to ask, "Besides these, does Master Yang have any other good strategies?"
Yang Hong pondered for a moment: "If Your Highness intends to stay in Lujiang for a long time, you may try to unite with the local prominent families."
A prominent local family?
Yuan Yao suddenly remembered something, and his expression instantly turned into a comical one: "Is the Qiao family of Wancheng considered a prominent local family?"
Yang Hong's expression was subtle: "It can be considered as such."
Yuan Yao was very satisfied: "Then I'll trouble you, Master Yang, to make the arrangements for me. I'm going to visit the Qiao family tonight."
Yang Hong: "Yes, Your Highness."
Following Yang Hong's advice, Yuan Yao launched a three-pronged approach, gradually undermining Zhang Xun's power by slowly and steadily weakening him, thus gaining control of the Zhong family's military might and attempting to reform it.
Thanks to the fact that Zhang Xun and his group lacked both ability and ambition, and were powerless to resist the combined forces of Yuan Yao and Yang Hong, the plan progressed relatively smoothly.
But unforeseen events can happen at any time.
In December of the fourth year of Jian'an, a sudden and unexpected event disrupted all of Yuan Yao's plans.
On this day, a messenger arrived from Jiangdong and delivered a handwritten letter from Sun Ce to Yuan Yao.
The letter contained only a few dozen words.
Sun Ce: "Recently, I was ordered to punish the guilty, and I drew my sword and looked north, where the Jianghuai region surrendered. I heard that you wished to hunt tigers, but I have not seen your banners for a long time. Therefore, I have specially prepared an army of 100,000 men, and I plan to meet you for a hunt in Wan."