Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 349 Zhang Lu: Willing to be the Guest of Honor of the King of Han
In December of the second year of Jian'an, the King of Han conquered Heshuo, Jizhou and Youzhou, and the Yuan family surrendered with their entire clan. He also took over 16 northern counties, thousands of miles of fertile land, hundreds of millions of people, and an area of ​​tens of thousands of miles. With a million soldiers and an army, people could not help but be terrified.

The news spread throughout the country, and everyone who heard it was stunned, terrified, and looked at each other with changed expressions.

The world's general trend has been determined. Any further resistance will be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot or an ant trying to shake a tree.

Leaving aside Liu Biao, Liu Zhang, Liu Xie, Cao Cao and others, Zhang Lu, the rice thief who had occupied Hanzhong for many years, was the first to jump up in shock. He was no longer lying flat on the bed relaxing. His face was pale and his lips were trembling violently.

Liu Xuande had told him that he must either surrender immediately or wait for death.

After his death, his head would be put into the armory and he would enjoy the same treatment as Wang Mang.

This is absolutely unacceptable! I would rather be a guest of honor than the head of an arsenal.

Zhang Lu thought of his future situation, and immediately raised his head anxiously, calling the servants on his left and right, saying: "Quickly invite Gongcao Yan Pu to come. Oh, don't forget to invite Gongze to discuss important matters as well."

Zhang Gongze is Zhang Lu's younger brother. Most of the military affairs in Hanzhong have long been entrusted to him. Whether it is fighting or surrendering, Zhang Wei cannot be avoided.

Speaking of which, the Zhang family is also the descendant of Liu Hou, and he, Zhang Lu, is the tenth generation grandson. In terms of emotion, reason, loyalty and filial piety, they have no reason to go against the King of Han.

Zhang Lu rubbed his hands and stamped his feet, pacing back and forth in the hall, anxiously waiting for the two men to arrive. Suddenly, an idea suddenly occurred to him: "Why not surrender early?"

After all, my great-grandfather also took the name Fu Han, and the descendants should not let my grandfather down.

Thinking of this, he was no longer afraid. He had made up his mind and was not afraid of anything.

It was not that Zhang Lu was afraid of the sword and military power of the King of Han, but as a descendant of Liu Hou, it was his duty to assist the Han Dynasty.

"Boom! Boom!"

Footsteps were heard, and Yan Pu and Zhang Wei hurried over, their clothes a little disheveled as they ran. But the two had no time to worry about these things, as they had also heard the news that the King of Han had pacified Hebei.

The anxiety of these two people was no less than that of Zhang Lu, the prefect of Hanning.

As a result, when the two men lifted the curtain and came in, they saw Zhang Lu who was very relaxed and composed, straightening his hat and tidying up the documents on the desk with a solemn look.

Even the servant who came in with the seats was stunned. Who is this person? He looks so familiar. Where is my master who was so worried and impatiently asked me to go find him?
Is this the humble and calm demeanor of Master Zhang?

Gong Cao Yan Pu ignored the stunned servant. He hurried forward, bowed and asked, "My Lord, did you come to discuss life and death with us?"

Zhang Wei also bowed with a puzzled look, waiting for his brother Zhang Lu's reply.

Zhang Lu sorted out the documents from various counties, rolled up the bamboo slips and wooden tablets, and waved his hand to dismiss the two servants. Then he sat upright and sighed, "The King of Han was granted the title of Hanzhong for his contribution to the world."

"I, Zhang, was originally a minister of the Han Dynasty. I was appointed governor of Hanzhong because Liu Yan and his son rebelled against the country and wanted to proclaim themselves emperors in Shu, following the example of the traitor Gongsun Shu. How could Zhang follow them? So I rebelled and occupied Hanzhong, changing my name to Hanning."

"Every night I worry about the decline of the Han Dynasty. I, a humble servant, am powerless. Now that the King of Han has conquered Hebei and is dominating the world, how dare Zhang not welcome him?"

"Lu is willing to submit a letter of surrender to the King of Han, give up Hanzhong County, and drive a carriage to Luoyang to pay a visit to the king. What do you think?"

Zhang Lu glanced at the two of them and asked softly.

He had already made up his mind to surrender to the King of Han, and Gongcao Yan Pu had been persuading him to surrender as soon as possible since he returned from Luoyang, so he was not worried that Yan Pu would object. Only Zhang Wei held the power of military affairs, and he was the one who opposed surrendering to the King of Han before, but after all, things were different now.

If they continue to resist, the Zhang family will be exterminated.

Even if he did not attack Hanzhong from Nanyang, but led his troops from Guanzhong, it would not be something that Hanzhong alone could resist.

Rather than ending up like Yuan Gonglu in Huainan, it is better to surrender early.

Hearing Zhang Lu's words, Yan Pu's eyes lit up, and he immediately bowed and said, "If you are confused and know how to rebel, you can still escape. Now the King of Han has pacified Hebei. Next, he will either attack Jingzhou or attack the bandits in Guanzhong. If the Han army pacifies Guanzhong, even if Zhang wants to surrender, he may not have the chance."

"At this moment, the whole world is in shock, and all the princes are in a state of panic. Your Excellency leads hundreds of thousands of people and is the first to surrender to Luoyang. You will surely be a role model for all the princes. Your Excellency will be a guest of honor for the King of Han, while Liu Jiyu will be a prisoner. It is clear who is stronger and who is weaker."

Yan Pu was afraid that Zhang Lu would become shaken again in a few days, so he immediately compared him with Zhang's enemy Liu Zhang.

As soon as these words came out, they were really effective. Zhang Lu immediately slammed the table and stood up, angrily saying: "Lu will never be under Liu Zhang. I have made up my mind to surrender to the King of Han as soon as possible."

Zhang Wei couldn't help but look at Yan Pu, feeling unhappy.

He stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "Brother, Hanning has hundreds of thousands of people and is the gateway to Bashu. Since ancient times, if you take Hanzhong, you can look out over Shu. From Nanyang into Hanzhong, you can take the land of abundance to the south and the 800-li Qinchuan to the north. Then you can send troops to Guandong. This is the foundation for Emperor Taizu Gao to establish his empire."

"I heard that all the princes who control a certain area should wait for the right time to act and wait for the right price to sell. Although Zhang has no intention of competing for the world, he occupies a strategic location, which is enough to sell at a good price."

"It is feasible to surrender Luoyang. Why not send Yan Gongcao to ask clearly how the King of Han will reward the meritorious officials? Will they be granted titles of nobility and additional fiefs, or will they be appointed as the Three Dukes, the Middle Two Thousand Stones, the Two Thousand Stones, or the governors of counties and states in the future?"

Zhang Wei asked with a smile.

There are also some rules for surrendering. Since the King of Han has the ability of Emperor Guangwu, he led his army to sweep across Hebei and no one could stop him. It was like he was honoring the ancestral temple of the Han Dynasty.

Then why not discuss the conditions? If Hanzhong surrenders as a county, it can be said that this will directly open up a gap between Yizhou and Guanzhong.

It is extremely convenient to attack the Liangzhou bandits who occupy the court or the royal family member Liu Zhang.

What's more, Hanzhong's sudden surrender to Luoyang would certainly have a great shock on the neighboring Yizhou, Jingzhou, Yongzhou, Liangzhou, and Guanzhong.

Perhaps people will feel at ease and other princes will follow suit and surrender. In this case, Hanzhong County becomes extremely important at this moment.

With the benevolent heart of the King of Han, if he wanted to quell the war as soon as possible, why would he be reluctant to reward the marquisate and official positions? If not now, when?
Zhang Wei was unwilling to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Naturally, they have to buy at a low price and sell at a high price, and bid high prices.

After listening to Zhang Wei's advice, Zhang Lu couldn't help but hesitate. Since he was ready to surrender anyway, wouldn't it be better if he could negotiate more favorable terms?

So he set his sights on Yan Pu, hoping that he would go to Luoyang again to see how the King of Han planned to arrange for Zhang.

Unexpectedly, Yan Pu immediately shook his head and loudly refuted: "General, what you said is a way to bring disaster and the destruction of the whole family. If you think you can act according to this plan, the Zhang family will be destroyed by the King of Han!"

(End of this chapter)