Chapter 39

In the Wu County Governor's residence, laughter from Zhang Hao echoed in the side hall.

The surrounding guards and maidservants knew that today the King of Gan was in a very good mood. It wasn't just because General Taishi Ci had returned; it seemed that from the commotion inside, the King of Gan was particularly favoring another handsome and tall general.

The maidservants exchanged glances, speculating about who this young general was, and even the guards had some doubts.

Zhang Hao was indeed in a very good mood today. There were several reasons: Huang Zhong's campaign against Kuaiji County was going very smoothly. Taishi Ci had returned with over ten thousand Divine Might Army soldiers. Additionally, there was the young and handsome general that the maidservants were curious about.

Speaking of which, Taishi Ci had given Zhang Hao quite a few surprises. The command of the Divine Might Army in Youzhou's border region rotated among the various generals. It just so happened that Taishi Ci had good luck. Two months ago, Taishi Ci brought back Tian Chou, a future celebrity, to report.

Tian Chou's abilities were beyond doubt. His decision to join Zhang Hao, who had no reputation at the time, was quite unexpected. It was also because Taishi Ci's army had rescued Tian Chou's hometown from the Wuhuan raiders that Tian Chou, out of gratitude, decided to join the Divine Might Army, eventually becoming one of Zhang Hao's subordinates.

Now that Taishi Ci had returned to Jiangdong, and other major generals could not go to Youzhou's border, Tian Chou was in charge of the Divine Might Army's affairs there.

Not only did Taishi Ci recruit Tian Chou, but this time he brought another surprise for Zhang Hao.

This person is an idol to many Three Kingdoms enthusiasts. While there are many idols in the Three Kingdoms, only a few are widely liked. Without a doubt, the White Horse Silver Lance Zhao Zilong is one of them.

The person Taishi Ci brought back this time was Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun had just completed his studies and could be considered a patriotic youth. Historically, Zhao Yun joined Gongsun Zan because Gongsun Zan was a strong advocate against the barbarians and had significant achievements in this area. However, Zhao Yun, being from Ji Province, was not given much importance by Gongsun Zan.

This time, Taishi Ci encountered Zhao Yun by chance. At the time, Zhao Yun was leading an attack against the Xianbei raiders. Taishi Ci, impressed by Zhao Yun's exceptional skills, immediately invited him to join the Divine Might Army.

Although the Divine Might Army's origins were somewhat mysterious, its reputation among the barbarians was well-known, and since it protected the Han people, the young and passionate Zhao Yun joined. When Taishi Ci returned to Jiangdong, he brought Zhao Yun back with him.

Taishi Ci was well aware of Zhang Hao's thirst for talent.

It seemed that Taishi Ci had often praised Zhang Hao, so when Zhao Yun faced Zhang Hao, he was extremely respectful.

Zhang Hao demonstrated his ability to conjure objects out of thin air, selecting a few weapons from a specially crafted collection for Zhao Yun to choose from. This act left Zhao Yun, who had heard many stories about Zhang Hao's supernatural abilities from Taishi Ci, deeply impressed.

While discussing the situation with the barbarians in Youzhou's border region, Zhang Hao explained the conflicts between nomadic and agricultural peoples. These modern, well-known theories were listened to with great attention by Zhao Yun, who found them insightful and wise.

At this moment, a guard approached and handed Zhang Hao a piece of paper. Taishi Ci and Zhao Yun naturally stopped talking and waited quietly.

"There are still some people who won't give up!" Zhang Hao did not hide this from Taishi Ci and Zhao Yun, and he smiled, saying,

Given the current situation in Jiangdong, which Taishi Ci and Zhao Yun were somewhat familiar with, Zhang Hao explained directly,

"Yangzhou Inspector Chen Wen is gathering an army. The local gentry and powerful families in Yangzhou are responding enthusiastically, contributing money, resources, and manpower. According to our spies, this army, if assembled, will have at least 70,000 soldiers, possibly even 100,000."

Zhang Hao showed no signs of tension, instead, he had a cold smile on his face,

"These gentry and powerful families are making a last stand. Clearly, they are unwilling to accept our new policies, which limit their privileges. They don't even consider why they should have such privileges. Moreover, these gentry and powerful families have deep roots, able to assemble such a large army. The gentry from the Huai and Yang regions make up the majority, indicating that the Huai and Yang regions are not only densely populated but also wealthy."

Zhao Yun, seeing Zhang Hao's calm demeanor, was deeply impressed. That was an army of 100,000.

On Zhang Hao's side, including the returning Divine Might Army and troops from the islands, there were only about 30,000 soldiers. Of course, Zhao Yun knew that if Zhang Hao were to forcibly assemble more troops, including new recruits and the retainers of the powerful families, he could muster another 20,000, but he was well aware that Zhang Hao would not do so unless absolutely necessary.

Moreover, Wu County and Kuaiji County had just been pacified, and a certain number of troops were needed to maintain order.

In comparison, Zhang Hao's forces were not as strong as the other side. Furthermore, as the official side, the other side could receive continuous support from the court.

Zhao Yun had just joined Zhang Hao's side and was not fully aware of Zhang Hao's strength, which was why he was impressed by Zhang Hao's attitude.

Zhang Hao did not take these hastily assembled armies seriously.

"Lord, the other side needs time to assemble their army. Should we strike first? General Huang is currently campaigning around Kuaiji County, but the Divine Might Army has almost completed its rest and recuperation," Taishi Ci suggested.

Taishi Ci was well aware of the advantages of the Gan Army, including various advanced military equipment and higher troop quality. Along the Yangtze River, the Jinghai Army was a powerful weapon. The Yangzhou Inspectorate could not send a large army across the river, while Zhang Hao's side could attack Huai and Yang at any time.

Zhang Hao pondered for a moment but shook his head, "No. I want to achieve victory in one decisive battle. Since the Divine Might Army has completed its rest and recuperation, we will start the campaign against Danyang County tomorrow. Once Danyang falls, the Jiangdong region will only have Yuzhang County left, which will not be a problem.

At that time, we will advance north and engage their assembled army in a decisive battle, crushing their morale. Once we do that, we can smoothly take control of the entire region.

This way, the private armies of the gentry and the county troops will be defeated, and they will not be able to mount any significant resistance. We can then vigorously implement our new policies. With the Jinghai Army, we can confidently campaign in Jiangdong and Jiangnan without worrying about interference."

Taishi Ci and Zhao Yun thought about Zhang Hao's strategy. Taishi Ci was impressed, while Zhao Yun still had some doubts. Taishi Ci knew the strength of the Gan Army, while Zhao Yun, due to his lack of knowledge, was still uncertain. He would understand these things in the future, and Zhang Hao did not boast about them.

At the governor's residence gathering, Zhang Hao introduced Zhao Yun to everyone. He then revealed his plan to the group, and Tian Feng, Gu Yong, Man Chong, and others worked to refine it.

In the afternoon, Zhang Hao visited the Divine Might Army to boost their morale. The Divine Might Army was Zhang Hao's earliest army, and he had demonstrated various abilities, making their loyalty to him unparalleled. Now, Zhang Hao was leading them to create the beautiful future described in the teachings, and the soldiers were highly motivated.

The New Year in Jiangdong was intense. Regardless of the Gan Army's campaigns, the people were elated by the various policies of the Gan Army and their image as heavenly soldiers, which gave them a strong foundation among the populace, almost like a righteous army.

For the gentry and officials, however, it was a time of great distress. The restrictions on the gentry by the Gan Army were obvious. As officials, they were responsible for the rebels in their territories, and they were helpless against them.

Lower-level officials had already resigned themselves, but the county governors and the Yangzhou Inspectorate were restless.

Not only were the officials in Yangzhou suffering, but the court in Luoyang was also in a difficult situation. The news of the rebellion in Yangzhou shocked the court.

The rebellion in Liangzhou had been ongoing for several years, with various uprisings. After the rebellion led by Han Sui and Wang Guo, the court had to rely on Huangfu Song to secure the Three Auxiliaries. In the first month of this year, using the omen of a meteor, Huangfu Song defeated the rebels led by Han Sui and Wang Guo.

However, the Han Dynasty was still unstable. Without mentioning Zhang Hao's rebellion, the Yellow Turbans had resurfaced in the Central Plains due to crop failures since the second half of last year, leaving the court overwhelmed.

Emperor Lingdi Liu Hong had been spending extravagantly in recent years, and the treasury was empty. The expenses for suppressing the rebellions were pieced together from various sources.

The resurfacing of the Yellow Turbans in Xu, Qing, and Yu provinces was handled by the local inspectors, who could not provide much support.

Now, with the news of the large-scale rebellion in Yangzhou, particularly the well-organized and disciplined nature of the so-called Great Gan, which even had its own laws, the court was very concerned.

They knew they needed to take strong action, but the court's finances were in ruins, and the officials were in a difficult situation.

Fortunately, the response of Yangzhou Inspector Chen Wen was considered appropriate, giving the court some hope and time to consider their next move.

Notably, Zhang Rang was shocked when he learned of Zhang Hao's rebellion but cleverly buried all important clues and even confessed to Emperor Lingdi, escaping unscathed. Besides Zhang Rang's trust with Emperor Lingdi, it was probably because Zhang Hao's attempt to buy an official position had failed.

More surprisingly, Zhang Rang did not cut off his connection with Zhang Hao, showing his cleverness in preparing for both sides.

Additionally, the Xu and Zhongshan families, who had previously cooperated with Zhang Hao, had deep roots and were not affected. Their cooperation with Zhang Hao continued, albeit under a different guise.

Both sides established workshops in Xu and Ji provinces, ostensibly to distance themselves from Zhang Hao, but in reality, their cooperation continued. Although they had their own calculations, seeing the growing influence of the Gan Army, their attitude towards Zhang Hao improved.

While some merchants who cooperated with Zhang Hao suffered, Zhang Hao had subtly warned them in advance. Those who could not escape the consequences were simply too careless, and Zhang Hao was temporarily powerless to help them.

In summary, the external conditions for Zhang Hao were very favorable, and the Gan Army's campaigns in Jiangdong were almost invincible.