Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 136 Zhongda, what do you think I should do?
"Report!"

"Sir, the west gate of Chaoge City is wide open, and many people have seized horses and are fleeing the city in the chaos."

The auxiliary soldiers were setting up the camp. Liu Bei was standing on a high platform overlooking Chaoge when he heard the scouts coming over to report.

He couldn't help but frown and immediately ordered Taishi Ci to come.

"Zi Yi immediately called together the Tiger Guards and cavalrymen to attack and kill the fleeing soldiers of Liang Province. No horse was allowed to be unsaddled and no soldier was allowed to take off his armor until all of them were killed."

Liu Bei then gave the order.

Why did he just think about escaping when the enemy is almost at the gates?

However, the infantry could save some energy, so Liu Bei turned to the military officer and said, "Pass my military order, and order Zhang Fei to lead the armored battalion to rush to the west gate of Chaoge. If we can quickly seize the gate and rush into the city, it will be his first achievement."

"Order Zhao Zhen to lead the way and follow closely behind, to clear out the remaining enemies in the alleys, houses, and the county government office. Tell him to be careful to prevent the enemy troops from setting fire to the county town."

"If there is a fire, after finding out the situation in the city, send soldiers to put it out."

Liu Bei gave orders in an orderly manner.

When the rebels are fleeing, they all like to set fires. On the one hand, it can slow down the enemy's pursuit, and on the other hand, it can increase the difficulty of management for the enemy, allowing some people in the market to take advantage of the fire to rob, burn, kill and loot.

Liu Bei naturally would not allow anyone to destroy his territory. Setting fire to it was easy, but rebuilding it would be very expensive.

There is a shortage of money everywhere at the moment. Anyone who dares to poke a hole in his purse will be killed even if he runs to the ends of the earth.

"Envoy." Xun You and Guo Jia rushed over after hearing the news and greeted each other as soon as they met.

Liu Bei turned around and said with a smile: "Gongda and Fengxiao are here."

As he spoke, he ordered the clerk beside him to write an official document, ordering the ships transporting food and fodder in the rear to change the waterway to the Qi River in the southwest direction, and the army would turn around and head south to Ji County the next day.

He asked the military officers to find a guide to lead the way and inquire about the various situations in Jixian, Gongxian and Huojia.

The middle-aged guide talked eloquently, first describing the specific conditions of the city walls and county government offices of the three counties, and then talked about the situation from inside the city to outside the city.

"Mr. Xuande, 25 miles northwest of Ji County there is a place with deep and fast-flowing water. The spring water is clear and sweet, and flows for 10 miles before entering the ground. It is called Taigong Spring. In the past, Taigong Wang once fished here to avoid disasters. It is said that this is Taigong's former residence. When attacking Ji City, you can station troops here to rest for a while."

The guide suggested.

Liu Bei smiled and praised: "Gong Yi is good at planning and winning battles, and he is no less capable than our ancestor Liu Hou!"

"Lord Xuande, you are too kind. Compared with our ancestor, Marquis Liu, I am far inferior." When Zhang Fan heard Envoy Liu comparing him to Zhang Liang, he quickly bowed and said humbly.

He was a descendant of Zhang Liang, Marquis of Liu, grandson of Prime Minister Zhang Xin, and son of Grand Commandant Zhang Yan. He had lived in Xiuwu County, Henei for generations. When Dong Zhuo controlled the government, he wanted to lead his troops with his brother Zhang Cheng to respond to the coalition forces of the princes in Guandong and attack and destroy Dong Zhuo.

Fortunately, their younger brother Zhang Zhao came to stop them, advising them not to fight against the enemy with a weak force and to keep themselves useful so that they could serve the court in the future. The three brothers then went to Yangzhou to avoid the chaos.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. Yangzhou is now more chaotic than Hebei and the Central Plains. Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, and Liu Yao each occupy a prefecture and fight for it, capturing cities and territories, all wanting to seize Yangzhou for themselves.

It was said that Liu Biao, under the instigation of the powerful families, also wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to get a piece of the pie, and stationed troops in Jiangxia County, eyeing Lujiang County covetously.

The fleeing scholars could not stay any longer, and some took their families to Jingzhou, while others took their wives and daughters to Xuzhou.

Zhang originally wanted to flee to Jingzhou, but she happened to hear that Lord Xuande, who controlled Qingzhou and Yanzhou, was about to send troops to attack the three counties of Henei and recover the Heluo capital area.

With the Liu clan members rising up, why go to Xuzhou? Wouldn’t it be nice to return to their hometown, Henei County, after wandering in a foreign land for many years?
Who hasn't heard that Yuan Benchu, the leader of the Guandong coalition in the early years, was also beaten by Lord Xuande and fled in panic, almost advancing to Yecheng. The nobles and aristocrats in Hebei and the Central Plains, upon hearing that Liu Shijun's army was coming, were all silent and dared not act rashly.

The offensive from Qingzhou was unstoppable, and the aristocratic families and princes felt like they were facing a great enemy and feared him like a tiger.

After some discussion, the three Zhang brothers decided to return to Hanoi and go to Yanzhou to lend a helping hand to Lord Xuande.

Liu Bei knew that Zhang Fan and Zhang Cheng were both Cao Cao's military staff.

Zhang Fan was even more interesting. He liked to provide relief and assistance to the common people, so much so that after his death there was no wealth left in his family.

Liu Bei carefully looked at the silk map of Henei County presented by Zhang Fan, and suddenly asked curiously: "The three counties here are almost adjacent to each other, why are the first two counties single characters, but become double characters when it comes to Huojia?"

Zhang Fan explained, "Reporting to Lord Xuande, Huojia was renamed. Emperor Xiaowu visited Hanoi in the sixth year of Yuanding and came here. The Kingdom of Nanyue sent a good news that they had obtained the head of Nanyue Prime Minister Lü Jia. In joy, they renamed this place Huojia, which means the joy of obtaining Lü Jia's head."

After hearing this, Liu Bei secretly felt that this was indeed in line with the style of Emperor Xiaowu Liu Che.

Unfortunately, he was influenced by his childhood name in his later years and did foolish things.

After the affairs of the three counties came to an end, Liu Bei waited for the generals and captains to clear Chaoge County before entering the city.

While distractedly handling military affairs, he asked his staff to sit down and talk, and asked Zhang Fan who the nobles and powerful families in Henei County were.

Zhang Fan thought for a moment and then answered with a cupped hand: "The most famous noble families in Henei are the Wenxian Sima family, who are descendants of Sima Ang, the Yin King of the late Qin Dynasty, and the Wenxian Zhao family, who have been intermarried with Sima Ang for several generations."

"The Li family of Huai County has produced a family of 2,000 officials, and the family's classic book is the "Yanshi Chunqiu."

"The Shan family of Huai County, the Xiang family and the Yu family of Henei, as well as the Guo family who migrated from Yingchuan Yangdi to Ji County, are all aristocratic families."

After Zhang Fan finished speaking, he looked at Guo Jia and saw that he was shaking his head and not saying anything.

He added: "The powerful noble families include the Yin family in Henei, the Zhou family in Jixian, and the He family in Jixian. If Lord Xuande wants to recover Henei County, he will inevitably come into contact with the noble families and noble families. It is better to make plans early."

Zhang Fan had been in Yanzhou for half a month and heard a lot of rumors. Liu Shijun liked to imitate Emperor Guangwu in measuring the land. There had been frequent wars in the Heluo area in recent years, and countless common people had fled to other places. The gentry and wealthy families took the opportunity to occupy the farmland.

The Liangzhou bandit army didn't care about these things. As long as the wealthy and powerful families gave them money and food as taxes on time, they didn't plan to stay for long anyway, so they simply turned a blind eye.

Liu Bei understood the implication of Zhang Fan's words, and naturally had some understanding of the situation of the wealthy and powerful families in Henei County before sending troops.

He smiled and sighed, "Since Dong Zhuo threatened to move the court west to Chang'an, the noble families in the capital have colluded with Dong, causing the Han Dynasty to decline. The wicked people are in power, and the country has become a ruin. If the traitors are found, they will be killed as a warning to the rest."

The counties of Sili had long been in ruins and were not as important as Qingzhou and Yanzhou.

It is entirely possible to plow the yard and sweep the door of those who are blind.

Liu Bei was not worried about the impact on his reputation by killing the nobles and powerful families in Henei County. If you look into it carefully, no one can survive under Dong Zhuo's rule without a clean record.

He recovered Luoyang for the Liu clan. Under the banner of restoring the Han Dynasty, anyone who dared to oppose him would be killed directly.

I couldn't help but think to myself: "Sima Zhongda, if you were in my position, how would you deal with the Sima family in Henei?"

Liu Bei had an itchy feeling that made him feel uneasy.

(End of this chapter)