Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 373 Jingzhou has surrendered
On April 19th, the Han army carefully cleaned the city inside and outside Anyi, checked the river water source, and buried the soldiers who died in the battle to prevent plague and disease.

The rebel general Zhang Ji was killed in the battle, Yang Feng disappeared in the chaos, and Hu Cai, Li Le, Han Xian and others were all executed according to their crimes.

Liu Bei also selected the forced conscripts from among the 17,000 surrendered soldiers and gave them lenient sentences.

The Liangzhou bandits and Baibo bandits who had been causing trouble for many years were escorted to Henan and Hanoi in batches as laborers, specifically to open canals, dig rivers, and draw water to irrigate fields.

The Han army defeated the main force of the Baibo bandits in one battle, causing Hedong to lose most of its resistance.

On April 21st, the three cities of Wenxi, Jiangyi and Linfen surrendered without a fight. The Han army moved along the Sushui River like a rolling wave and easily captured Yishi County and Jie County. They then divided their troops and marched north to attack Fenyin County, heading straight for Puban. The people of Hedong were terrified!
On April 25th, officials from Pi, Xiangling, Fuze, Hebei, Yangxian and other places trembled and surrendered on their own initiative.

On the second day of May, the Xiongnu Chanyu Huhuxuan finally persuaded the tribal nobles to release all the captured Han people, including children and women.

Liu Bei then ordered part of the Han army to garrison Yang County, and dispatched the clerks who followed the army and the officials who surrendered from various counties to go and count the registered population of the people.

Just as Liu Bei captured Puyang and was preparing to find a ferry crossing where the Liangzhou bandits' defense was weak, he would use the requisitioned ships to lead his troops across the river and recapture Guanzhong in one fell swoop.

Duan Wei, who was stationed on the southwest bank of the river, suddenly sent an envoy across the river by boat to inform them of the news.

Li Jue and Guo Si, two thieves in Chang'an, used the excuse that there was an enemy surprise attack from the direction of Chencang County in Youfufeng as an excuse to take the three dukes, nine ministers, the emperor and the empress who had been taken out of the city, and turned around and fled westward.

Even if some ministers' relatives, wives and daughters were lost on the road, they did not care and continued to march quickly, leaving the ministers and the emperor in the army, marching sixty miles a day and heading to Longyou.

The two bandits were afraid of the Han King's fame and did not dare to fight the Han army. Instead, they took the emperor and his ministers with them and fled to the three counties of Zhangye, Jiuquan and Dunhuang in an attempt to survive and protect themselves.

Right now, Guanzhong is in chaos, bandits are rampant, and the people are suffering. I hope that the king will not hesitate and quickly enter the pass to calm people's hearts and stabilize the overall situation.

Duan Wei was not only willing to surrender the two cities of Huayin and Tongguan, but he could also persuade the defenders in Jin, Heyang and Xiayang to open the ferry crossings in order to redeem themselves for the Han family and welcome the royal army with drums and gongs.

Li Jue and Guo Si's escape without fighting was a bit beyond Liu Bei's expectations. After settling the envoy Duan Wei to rest, he asked the military officers to call many officials to discuss the matter.

"Your Majesty, although Duan Zhongming is a general under Dong Zhuo, he is also the younger brother of the former Grand Commandant Duan. He is also quite sympathetic to the people in the Liangzhou army, far better than the other bandits."

"Seeing that our army has wiped out the princes in Guandong and is about to reunite the world, now you are leading your army to recover Guanzhong. Considering the current situation, how can you not surrender?"

"In my humble opinion, Duan Zhongming's words should be firmly believed. It is better to persuade him to change his ways and persuade the garrisons of Jin, Heyang and Xiayang to surrender, so that our army can cross the river as soon as possible, recapture Chang'an and stabilize Guanzhong."

"Only in this way can we lead the army to pursue the two thieves Li and Guo and prevent them from escaping to Liangzhou."

After hearing the King of Han recount the details of the envoy Duan Wei's affairs and asking about the key points, Guo Jia immediately bowed and offered suggestions.

As long as they can confirm that Duan Wei's surrender is genuine and not fake, they will immediately send people to take over the five cities after the Han army crosses the river ferry. Then, entering the dangerous area of ​​Guanzhong will be in their hands, and there is no need to worry about the retreat being cut off.

He could march straight to Chang'an, first pay homage to Changling, and then appease the three counties of Jingzhao Yin, Zuofengyi, and Youfufeng in Guanzhong.

If Ma Teng, Han Sui and others refused to submit to Luoyang, he would lead his army to destroy them.

If the two of them also surrender, we can take advantage of the situation to recapture Yongzhou and aim at Liangzhou.

If it weren't for the fact that Liangzhou was vast and thousands of miles long, with mountains and rivers along the way, Guo Fengxiao would definitely have suggested that the King of Han immediately lead his army to pursue Li Jue and Guo Si.

Unfortunately, if they entered Longyou, they would be easily ambushed if they pursued them in a hurry. In an unfamiliar environment, Zhang Junyi and other generals and lieutenants might not be able to deal with the Qiang people and the terrain of Yongliang, so they had to put this matter aside for the last.

Guo Jia couldn't help but think silently in his heart.

The only thing that puzzled him was how the Liangzhou thieves could convince Ma Teng and other governors that they could escape to the westernmost part of Liangzhou and march boldly without fear of a sudden attack, so as to rescue the emperor, the queen, and the officials in the court? !

When Guo Jia said this, many clerks nodded in agreement.

However, some people have raised questions. If the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si really colluded with the governors of various counties in Liangzhou and successfully brought the three dukes and nine ministers as well as the emperor and the empress to Dunhuang County, what should we do then?

If we send troops to conquer them, the news will surely leak out due to the distance of six or seven thousand miles. By then, the two thieves, fearing death, will take the emperor and the empress with them, cross the Yumen Pass and flee to the Western Regions. How will the Han Dynasty respond?

Do we still need to send troops to conquer the countries in the Western Regions?
This doubt made Guo Jia shake his head and laugh, and he said firmly: "The Western Regions are different from the Han Dynasty governors. If the Liangzhou thieves still dare to go there, they will be killed by the kings of other countries."

"Given the power of the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions, when the Han envoys arrive in Luoyang, all the countries will be humble and courteous and personally send the King of Chenliu and the Queen back to Han territory."

"Besides, it is hard to leave one's homeland. It is fine for the Liangzhou bandits to return to their hometown, but if you ask them to go to the Western Regions, they will definitely not be willing to do so!"

"You may as well wait and see with Jia."

Guo Jia bowed and joked to his colleagues with a smile.

As long as the Han army recaptured Guanzhong, Emperor Liu Xie would no longer have the possibility of flattering the ancestral temple.

With the merits of King Guangwu of Han in pacifying the world and recovering the two capitals of Luoyang and Chang'an, he saved the Han country from danger. His achievements far surpassed those of Emperor Guangwu when he was still King Xiao, and his prestige was unrivaled in the world.

Now that the Xiongnu Chanyu has once again submitted to the Han Dynasty, it is also the king's achievement.

Even if he ascended the throne in Chang'an, the scholars of the world would have nothing to say.

"There is a document from Jingzhou!"

Just as everyone was discussing the matter, a messenger came on horseback at full speed, quickly stopped his horse in front of the military camp, and then reported to the main tent.

Upon hearing the call, the messenger from Luoyang immediately stepped forward, not caring about the sweat on his forehead, and immediately took out the document and held it up, saying: "Your Majesty, there is an urgent document from Jingzhou!"

The clerk next to him took the document, checked it carefully, and immediately opened it and handed it to the King of Han.

Liu Bei took it and read it. He couldn't help but look happy, so he passed the document in his hand to everyone and chuckled, "Huang Zu of Jiangxia is finally willing to surrender after fighting with Yide, Wenqian, and Cao Mengde for a whole month."

"Liu Jingsheng also surrendered in Jiangling on the same day, and Changsha governor Zhang Xian followed closely behind, sending envoys to surrender the next day."

"Gentlemen, Jingzhou has been secured!"

It wasn’t easy, Jingzhou finally returned to his hands.

(End of this chapter)