Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 287 It’s over, it’s over

After Yuan Shao was defeated, he only wanted to cross the Huan River and return to Hebei as soon as possible to regroup.

As a result, Ganling County, Beiqiu, Yimu and Dongwu City in Ganling Commandery learned from the fleeing soldiers that Yuan Gong's troops had been completely wiped out. The remaining auxiliary soldiers guarding the city were all defeated and surrendered faster than each other.

Because Ganling King Liu Zhong had passed away many years ago and his descendants were all killed by the Yellow Turbans in their early years, Ganling County had been without a master for a long time. The elders of each county, the heads of the powerful families, and the officials of all ranks, heard that the Han royal army had won and were looking forward to Lord Xuande for a long time, as if they had received sweet rain. They all raised their flags and changed their banners, taking down the Yuan flag and raising the red flag.

That very night, flags with the word "Liu" on them were erected all over the city walls. The powerful manors also took down their own flags and raised red flags instead. Overnight, everywhere was covered in red.

At that time, not only was Yuan Shao busy escaping, but the nobles and officials of Ganling County, which was closest to the Qingzhou army's front line, were also not idle. They all woke up all the servants, slaves, and boys with the lights on and worked all night to make Liu's flag.

Some clan leaders of powerful families felt that the servants were too slow in weaving and embroidering, so they decided to do it themselves despite their old eyesight.

After struggling for a long time without being able to compose any words on the cloth, he sighed and gave up.

The head of the Ximen clan in Dongwu City heard that there were 100,000 armored troops in Hebei who were all defeated by Liu Xuande, and with the addition of the soldiers who had surrendered before, according to Liu Bei's speed of integration, he only needed to bar his arms and call for help, and it would not take long for a full 200,000 Han troops to appear in Ganling County alone.

Whose manor and fortress can withstand the thousands of troops surrounding it?

In the entire Ganling Commandery, only the Ximen clan of Dongwu City had the most grudges against Liu Bei, and their clan also occupied nearly 4,000 hectares of land, many of which were arable land seized from the common people. Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, they have bought no less than a thousand people as slaves.

Every year, some slaves were beaten to death for various reasons, such as using money to bribe greedy officials. These people turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to Ximen's arrogance and domineering behavior.

At this moment, Liu Bei is about to occupy Ganling. Will all the cruel officials in Qingzhou have to come to Jizhou to measure the land? In addition to the previous grievances, the day when Ximen will be executed may not be far away.

"It's God's will that I die!"

When Master Ximen thought of this, he couldn't help but scream in a shrill voice, then he felt dizzy and fell to the ground with a thud.

Even though the servants helped him to the bed, his hands and feet were still weak, his whole body was shaking like a sieve, and he already regretted his decision.

"Will the descendants of Ximen Bao of Wei State come to an end here?"

Patriarch Ximen couldn't help but look up at the sky and said sadly.

The source of all the evil, that scoundrel Ximen Ru, died of illness several years ago, so even if he wanted to take the blame, he couldn't find anyone to do it.

"Quickly slaughter all the cattle, sheep, pigs and dogs in the manor, find a hundred carts and load them with a thousand pieces of cloth and silk. I will rush to Du County at night to reward my Han army's king's army, and then count all the money and treasures hidden in the clan and give them all to Lord Xuande to send troops to Hebei and support the Han Dynasty as soon as possible."

"We must make the event as loud as possible, and let all the nobles in the counties know about it. As soon as the sun rises, we will set out to pay our respects to Lord Xuande."

Patriarch Ximen was so anxious that he almost jumped up and gave orders in a hurry.

This time he would act completely independently, not consulting with others, and not letting the clan rats influence his judgment.

On the other hand, Liu Bei ordered his soldiers to take Yuan Shao's body with him, so Xun Chen naturally had to suppress his grief and rode back to the Qingzhou military camp. On the way back at dawn, they happened to pass by a hill and met the Wuhuan cavalry at a corner. The enemy thought that the Huben cavalry was exhausted, so they decisively stepped into the battle and shot arrows to avenge their defeat.

The vanguard of the Huben cavalry reined in their horses and retreated several hundred steps. When the Wuhuan people caught up with them, the left and right wings immediately shouted loudly. The Wuhuan cavalry were frightened and became panic-stricken like a frightened bird.

Fearing that the Qingzhou cavalry would trick them into moving forward and then charge up to engage in hand-to-hand combat, they quickly turned their horses around and fled.

At this moment, the army had been defeated, and the Wuhuan tribal cavalry had been divided into several groups. They had lost contact with each other and were all fleeing towards the Huan River. Only by crossing the river and burning the pontoon bridge could they stop the Qingzhou army's pursuit.

The Wuhuan cavalry's attack was originally a tentative one. They would advance when they saw an advantage and retreat when they knew it was difficult. Since the prey still had sharp fangs, they would not dare to provoke them.

Of course, the Wuhuan herdsmen would not sacrifice their lives in vain. The horns sounded several times, and the Hu people came like arrows and left like broken strings, quickly disappearing into the horizon.

Seeing that the Hu Ben cavalry soldiers were exhausted, Liu Bei could only watch the Hu people go away with regret. He could not help but say earnestly: "The Hu people take saddled horses as their home and hunting as their custom. They live by water and grass. It is difficult to catch up with them. They are very fast and fast, which is completely different from the Han army who wear armor and charge into battle formations. They are just moving around for convenience. If we fail in a battle, let them flee far to the north of the desert and harass the border day and night. Then it will be difficult for the border counties of the Han land to unsaddle their saddles."

Liu Bei seemed to see in these Wuhuan people the nomadic tribes that had faced the Little Ice Age disaster for hundreds of years and had continued to move southward to plunder.

Near the Great Wall and Liangzhou, the Hu and Han peoples fought bloody battles for three hundred years. Bones and flesh withered, and blood flowed like a river. It was an inevitable battle for survival.

Especially in recent years, Liu Bei clearly felt that the weather was getting colder.

If Qingzhou, which is close to the river, is like this, let alone Youzhou and Liaodong.

Xun Chen, who was not tied up by ropes, heard Liu Bei's words and said in astonishment: "Lord Xuande, why are you so afraid of the Hu people? Whether it is the Wuhuan Hu cavalry in Youzhou, or the Xianbei and Xiongnu, they all lack iron armor, and their bows and short swords are not as strong as the Han army's crossbows and long spears. It is cold outside the Great Wall, so they have no choice but to submit to the Han Dynasty to have a glimmer of hope. Moreover, the leaders of the tribes are hostile to each other. We only need to send officials to persuade them to fight the barbarians with the barbarians."

"Since Emperor Xiaozhang of the Han Dynasty, this policy has been used to make the barbarians kill each other, and the Hu people in the border counties have long ceased to be a concern."

Xun Chen never expected that Lord Xuande would actually think that the Hu people would become a serious threat.

You must know that the powerful Xiongnu, who claimed to have more than 300,000 soldiers, fell under the sharp Han crossbows and split into two parts, one part returned to the Han Dynasty, and the other part fled to an unknown place.

Which Hu tribe on the grassland today can compare with the Xiongnu in the past? At most, they are just minor enemies. If the whole people rebel, they can be easily defeated as soon as the Han army arrives.

Although Xun Chen looked down on the Hu people's words, he still had the pride of being a Han Chinese. They were just a few barbarians. With Lord Xuande's military prowess, they could be defeated in one battle. With some benefits, their many tribes could be divided and disintegrated, and then the situation could be settled by issuing an edict.

After hearing this, Liu Bei couldn't help but laugh.

He said bluntly: "It is indeed a good strategy to control the barbarians with the barbarians. If we use the salt and iron trade of the Han Dynasty together, we can split the tribes. If the Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Qiang and others who have moved inland live together in the border areas, and still use the style of plundering by the Hu people, the people in the border counties will suffer greatly and want to migrate away. In the long run, there will be fewer Han people and more Hu people."

"Once the Central Plains changes, Youzhou and Liaodong will become bloody and smelly lands, and the Hu people will be able to ride their horses and draw their bows and march south at will. What will you do then?"

Liu Bei chuckled, pointed, and asked.

(End of this chapter)