My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Wei Yan's words clearly indicated his intention to take Meng Quan's life.

"General Wei, spare my life! I beg you, General, spare my dog's life!"

Meng Quan was terrified and kowtowed repeatedly, leaving red marks on his forehead, hoping to save his life.

Wei Yan remained unmoved, raising his hand and waving it away, his tone as cold and hard as iron:
"Guards, drag this thief away and behead him as a warning to the public!"

The two tiger guards stepped forward and grabbed Meng Quan's arms.

Meng Quan cried and begged, but he was no match for the Tiger Guards' brute force and was dragged away, his cries fading into the distance.

After dealing with Meng Quan, Wei Yan turned his gaze to Lü Kai, who was standing to the side:

"Lü Kai, what do you have to say?"

Lu Kai let out a long, slow sigh, his expression filled with dejection:
"Wei Yan, it was I who overestimated my abilities and insisted on being an enemy of the Han Dynasty. Today's consequences are all my own doing, and I deserve it!"

After saying this, he lowered his eyes and closed them, having already accepted his fate of death.

Seeing his composure, a hint of approval flashed in Wei Yan's eyes:
"In that case, I will give you a dignified ending."

He then gave the order in a deep voice:

"Drag Lü Kai away and hang him!"

Two more Tiger Guards stepped forward, grabbed the helpless Lü Kai, and carried him outside.

The hall quieted down. Wei Yan turned around, picked up a wine cup from the table, and raised it high:

"The southern barbarians have been pacified, and the fate of the world is settled. Come, everyone, let us drink this cup together!"

Upon hearing this, the generals all rose and raised their cups, and a burst of hearty laughter filled the hall.

In their view, the last enemy had been eliminated, the world was unified, and from now on they would enjoy a life of wealth and comfort.

Amidst the jubilation of the entire hall, only Xiao He remained seated, his expression calm and undisturbed.

"The world is not yet at peace, and there is still an enemy that has not been defeated."

Upon hearing this, the laughter in the hall abruptly ceased.

All eyes turned to Xiao He, their eyes filled with confusion.

Xiao He did not say anything more, but simply raised his eyes and looked into the distance outside the hall.

After a moment of contemplation, Xiao He had made his decision:

Let the soldiers rest for a month to recuperate and build up their strength before planning the next steps.

In the following days, Xiao He did not slack off.

He ordered the annihilation of the remaining forces of the southern barbarians to eliminate future troubles.

On the one hand, capable officials were assigned to guard the counties in the south and stabilize local order.

At the same time, an edict was issued to relocate a large number of Han people to the former lands of the southern barbarians to fill the population gap.

January passed in the blink of an eye, and the southern region had begun to stabilize...

Inside the Nanli Military Headquarters, Xiao Hezheng and his generals sat around a table, discussing the specifics of returning to the capital to report back.

The voice just fell.

A messenger, covered in dust from his journey, burst into the hall and knelt before Xiao He:

"Reporting to the Grand Marshal, Gongsun Kang of Liaodong has rebelled and declared himself King of Liao!"

"His Majesty has decreed that the Grand Marshal must immediately lead troops north to quell Gongsun Kang's rebellion!"

"Gongsun Kang has rebelled?"

The explosion was like a thunderclap, and the expressions of all the generals in the hall changed.

No one expected that just after the southern barbarians were pacified, another change would occur in Liaodong.

Xiao He raised his hand to signal the messenger to leave, and then ordered someone to bring a map of the world and spread it out on the table.

Gongsun Du was originally the governor of Liaodong during the Han Dynasty.

In those days, the world was in chaos, and warlords rose up everywhere. Gongsun Du seized the opportunity to establish a separatist regime in Liaodong, recruiting soldiers and stockpiling grain, becoming a veritable local emperor. After Liu Bei ascended the throne, he sent envoys to Liaodong to summon Gongsun Du to the capital for an audience with the emperor.

However, Gongsun Du was unwilling to give up his territory and power, and immediately refused the invitation to enter the court.

At that time, Liu Bei was focused on pacifying the remaining forces of Cao Cao and had no time to attend to Liaodong, so the matter was temporarily put aside.

Who would have thought that Gongsun Du died of illness a few years ago, and his son Gongsun Kang succeeded him. His ambition grew even more, and now he dared to openly rebel and declare himself king.

This was undoubtedly a public challenge to the authority of the Han Dynasty, an attempt to rival the imperial court!

"Gongsun Kang!"

A murderous glint appeared in Xiao He's eyes, and his tone turned icy:

"Since he's courting death, I'll grant his wish!"

Take a deep breath and slam your hand on the table:
"Pass down the order: the three armies shall immediately withdraw and return north!"

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers in the camp were all invigorated and filled with fervor.

Following Xiao He in battle meant a constant stream of military merits and rewards.

The great achievement of pacifying the southern barbarians has not yet been rewarded, and now there is another good opportunity to pacify Liaodong. Everyone is eager to do their best.

The next morning.

Xiao He personally led 100,000 Han troops on a grand journey back north.

The army marched swiftly, first stopping in Chengdu to replenish supplies, then resting briefly in Hanzhong, before continuing north to Chang'an.

After a brief stop, the army turned east and successfully arrived in Luoyang.

On the day Xiao He led his army back to the capital, banners covered the sun outside Luoyang, and drums and music filled the air.

Liu Bei, accompanied by all his civil and military officials, waited outside the city gates early in the morning to welcome the triumphant return of the pacification army.

Upon seeing the banners of the Han army's vanguard appear at the end of the official road in the distance, Liu Bei immediately stepped forward.

When Xiao He and his troops arrived, Xiao He dismounted, and Liu Bei rushed forward to help him up.
"Minister Xiao, you have done a great job in pacifying the southern barbarians!"

To show his utmost respect for Xiao He, Liu Bei, without further ado, pulled him onto the imperial carriage, and they rode side by side.

The imperial carriage started moving, followed by hundreds of officials and a large army. People along the street came to greet the news and cheered.

That evening, the palace was brightly decorated, and a grand victory celebration banquet was held as scheduled.

At the banquet, Liu Bei publicly issued an edict, granting Xiao He an additional fief of 20,000 households for his meritorious service in pacifying the southern barbarians, along with 100 catties of gold and 1,000 bolts of brocade, an unparalleled honor.

The generals who accompanied the southern expedition were also rewarded according to their merits, some were promoted in rank, and some were given money and silk. Everyone kowtowed to express their gratitude.

Perhaps it was the joy brought by the great victory in Pingnan that made Liu Bei's lingering illness noticeably improve. He was in high spirits, chatting and laughing with his officials, showing no signs of his previous serious illness.

What reassured Xiao He even more was that Liu Bei was already aware of the various absurd behaviors of the former crown prince Liu Shan.

Long before he led his army north to attack Gongsun Kang, Liu Bei had already issued an edict to depose Liu Shan as crown prince and appoint his second son, Liu Yong, as the new crown prince.

In this way, Xiao He's worries about the rear while he was fighting abroad were completely eliminated.

Immediately after the victory banquet, Liu Bei summoned Xiao He for a meeting:
"Minister Xiao, Gongsun Kang of Liaodong has rebelled and declared himself King of Liao, which has become a major threat to the north."

"I hereby order you to lead 150,000 Han troops north immediately to quell the rebellion and secure the northern border!"

"My lord, take the order!"

Xiao He bowed and accepted the imperial decree.

Military orders are absolute, and Xiao He dared not delay. He immediately ordered the entire army to pack their belongings and prepare for the northern expedition.

Three days later, the army had assembled outside Luoyang. At a command, 150,000 Han soldiers marched in a mighty procession toward the northern border.

Xiao He ordered the entire army to march swiftly, day and night, and within a few days they traversed various prefectures and counties, successfully arriving at the capital of Youzhou.

The army temporarily camped outside the city, while Xiao He, accompanied only by a few personal guards, went straight to the Youzhou prefecture to meet with the garrison commander Zhang Liao.

Inside the prefectural council hall, as soon as he was seated in the main seat, Xiao He got straight to the point:
"Wen Yuan, what is the current situation of the Liao army? What are Gongsun Kang's movements?" (End of this chapter)