I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 102 Fiery Zhongshan
After leaving Liu Miao's place, Zhang Zhao personally went to the vicinity of the main city of Jinling, which was still under repair, to deal with the dispute, and did not return to his residence until midnight.

Upon returning to his residence, Zhang Zhao first sent a servant to Liu Miao's home to inquire about Liu Miao's condition and to buy some medicinal herbs for the servant to take with him.

The waiter returned quickly. Seeing the waiter still holding the medicinal herbs, Zhang Zhao frowned and asked, "Does my lord think these herbs are bad?"

"That's not the case."

"My lord is not in the inner palace, but has gone to Yecheng, so I did not see him."

"what?"

Zhang Zhao, who was exhausted from a long day of official duties and was about to rest, immediately threw on his clothes and rushed out upon hearing these words: "How can the lord be like this? Did he not listen to a single word of my advice today?"

As a ruler, one's words must be truthful and one's actions must be documented! This is what a ruler should be like!
The thought of Liu Miao still being ill made Zhang Zhao even more furious: "Even if it offends the lord this time, I will make sure that the lord drives away Zhou Tai, Chen Wu and others who are by his side! And that he has a reasonable servant by his side!"

Zhang Zhao walked with a powerful and imposing gait, his robes billowing in the wind, heading towards Yecheng with the air of someone ready to devour a man!

However, just as they reached the unfinished city gate, a sharp whistling sound suddenly came from the south, shattering the entire night sky!

"Enemy attack?"

Zhang Zhao was not ignorant of military affairs, and when he heard such a sound, he was immediately shocked!
"Enemy attack! It's an enemy attack!"

The sound was sharp, and not only Zhang Zhao, but also Lu Kang, Gu Yong and others who were left in the city heard it and instantly gathered together!
Lu Kang, nearing his eighties, donned armor and stood before the crowd: "The commotion is from the south! Where is Zhong Shan? How many troops can he still mobilize?"

"They went to Yecheng!"

"Of all times?"

Lu Kang clenched his fists: "He was sick in the morning, and then he went out again in the evening?"

Zhang Zhao glanced into the distance and saw what appeared to be a tide approaching the main city from within Zhongshan. He immediately said, "It's actually a good thing we're not in the main city at this time!"

"The enemy arrived extremely quickly; if our lord remains in the city, he will not be able to escape!"

Zhang Zhao made a decisive decision: "Lu Zhongyi, you take the lord's family and retreat to the east first! I will lead the men to break through from the west!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Kang immediately knew what Zhang Zhao was up to and couldn't help but feel indignant: "Does Zibu think I'm a coward who's afraid of death?"

Zhou Yu's army had just headed west. If they ran westward, the enemy might mistake them for Liu Miao, who was trying to escape to Zhou Yu's camp. Therefore, they would inevitably be surrounded and intercepted!
Now Zhang Zhao wants Lu Kang to go east while he goes west, clearly intending to use him as bait!
"No! The imperial court has bestowed upon you the title of General of Loyalty and Righteousness. Does anyone still dare to doubt that Lu Zhongyi is a coward who fears death?"

Zhang Zhao pointed to the tide in the darkness: "These people have a clear purpose: they're coming straight for our lord! If they really gather in one place, they will surely be wiped out in one fell swoop!"

"The best course of action now is to let them capture me first, and then buy time for Lu Zhongyi and our lord to escape!"

"how about you?"

The tide from the direction of Zhongshan was even more turbulent, and everyone could feel the chill and murderous intent contained within it.

Zhang Zhao's sleeves billowed in the wind, and he was pointing to the land outside the city, which had already been cultivated and was just waiting for the right season to arrive so it could be plowed and harvested.

"Lu Zhongyi should know that Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, once recommended me as a candidate for the civil service examination, but I did not accept it!"

"People either think that I, Zhang Zhao, am nothing more than a hypocrite trying to gain fame, or that my mind is not on governing the people and that I am not a useful person to the country!"

"But to tell Lu Zhongyi the truth today, what I seek is nothing more than for the people to no longer suffer and for us to return to the glorious Han Dynasty of my youth!"

"The Han Dynasty has been glorious for four hundred years! Never before has there been an event as great as the Yellow Turban Rebellion! After this event, the feudal lords attacked each other, the people were displaced, and for thousands of miles there was no sound of chickens crowing or dogs barking, and white bones were exposed by the roadside in the wilderness! Lu Zhongyi is much older than me. Others may not know what I mean, but surely Lu Zhongyi knows what I mean?"

Lu Kang certainly knew!

The older a person is, the more they know what the Han Dynasty was like before the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Although the central government had experienced events like the "Party Prohibitions" in the past, the prefectures and counties were relatively stable and not as chaotic as they are now.

People often praise Lu Kang as a capable official who governed Lujiang County in an orderly manner, but only Lu Kang himself knew that what he did was not just to make the people live in peace and prosperity.

More than anything, Lu Kang wanted to deceive himself with the relatively peaceful Lujiang County, believing that the Han Dynasty he lived in during his youth was still around!

Unfortunately, with Yuan Shu taking control of Huainan and the collapse of Lujiang's once-prosperous state, Lu Kang knew that just as he had transformed from a handsome young man into a wretched old man who couldn't even defeat Liu Miao, the Han Dynasty would never return to the peace and strength of its youth.

Chaos eventually arrived.

Unfortunately, far too many people who had experienced the golden age of the Han Dynasty were not prepared for the sudden chaos that followed.

Like Lu Kang and Zhang Zhao, they couldn't understand why the Later Han Dynasty, which didn't have to face the powerful Xiongnu or fight against such a strong steppe empire as the Former Han Dynasty, still ended up like this.

But now, Zhang Zhao seems to have understood something.

"The powerful clans and aristocratic families in various regions have seized too much territory, leaving the common people with no way to survive. This is what turned the Han Dynasty into a chaotic world!"

"Although Tao Qian is a governor, I have not seen any sincerity or ability in him to solve the problem... But here! From the lord's 'three chiefs' system and 'equal distribution of land' system, I know that the lord is sincere in solving this major problem."

"Once we can resolve this major threat, the Han Dynasty will still be the Han Dynasty! Even if by then, I, Zhang Zhao, may no longer be alive, but so what?"

In addition to his usual majesty, Zhang Zhao now displayed an even more arrogant demeanor!
"Of all the warlords I've heard of, only you, my lord, are capable of bringing about the golden age of the Han Dynasty!"

"If sacrificing one Zhang Zhao now can bring about a prosperous Han Dynasty with thousands upon thousands of Zhang Zhaos, then what do I have to fear?"

Loyalty to Liu Miao? Yes, but not enough for Zhang Zhao to die.

His integrity towards the imperial court? Yes, but it was not enough for Zhang Zhao to die in the line of duty.

Zhang Zhao was willing to act as bait for Liu Miao for one reason only: he believed that Liu Miao might be able to restore the glorious Han Dynasty to the world and bring back the powerful Han Dynasty he had known since his youth!

"I'm leaving!"

Just as Zhang Zhao was about to leave, Lu Kang grabbed him.

"I've heard that Lu Zhongyi is usually a straightforward person, so why is he being so indecisive today?"

Zhang Zhao thought Lu Kang still wanted to keep him, and was about to struggle when Lu Kang told him to turn around and look back.

“Zhongshan knows Zibu, but Zibu does not know Zhongshan.”

"Who told Zibu that Zhongshan would definitely run away at this time?"

"Attacked at night, visibility is poor! Any ordinary person would retreat first to regroup their troops!"

"Who told Zibu that Zhongshan is definitely an ordinary person? If you don't believe me, Zibu, go and see for yourself!" Zhang Zhao turned around, his pupils shrinking instantly!
A bright light suddenly ignited behind the surging black waves!

The light was scattered like stars, but the cold wind was biting, and in just a few moments it had spread like wildfire!

Zhongshan, which was originally pitch black, was now fully exposed, roaring and raging in the flames, as if a caged dragon was about to break free!

Fire illuminates Zhongshan!

Who...did this?
------

When Liu Miao arrived in Yecheng, he introduced a type of double-edged long-handled knife to the master craftsmen there.

"It's that kind of long, thick, and powerful sword! A sword that can cut a warhorse in half with one stroke! Have any of you masters heard of it?"

Because Liu Miao did not shut down the brothels, he instantly became a good friend of the common people! Therefore, although Liu Miao's description was somewhat abstract, several experienced masters still understood that Liu Miao was going to do something.

"Like a horse-slaying sword? But longer? Thicker? More powerful?"

"Yes! That's right! That's the thing! The one used to slay horses! Master, can you make it?"

One of the master craftsmen's eyes lit up: "I've seen this diagram once before in an ancestral manual! I should be able to reproduce it!"

Liu Miao was immediately surprised and asked, "Were your ancestors blacksmiths?"

"Of course! I've even forged weapons for feudal lords before!"

"Which feudal lord are you? Shouldn't someone with such achievements be rich and powerful long ago? You don't look like you come from a wealthy family."

"Alas! It was made for Liu Bi, the King of Wu!"

"Oh~~~ No wonder!"

Liu Miao squatted by the stove, feeling its intense heat. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt more comfortable here than at home, and even his mind was much clearer! Especially listening to the blacksmiths bragging and joking around, he felt no drowsiness at all!

Some of these people claimed that their ancestors fought alongside Xiang Yu and Gaozu for the throne! Others claimed that their ancestors served under Liu Bi and Zhou Yafu! Still others claimed that their ancestors served under Goujian and fought against the state of Wu!

Liu Miao listened with amusement, realizing that Jiangdong was indeed a breeding ground for entrepreneurial groups! It was a pity that they were still just a tiny bit short of his ancestor!
At the same time, Liu Miao once again expressed his gratitude that his strategy of dragging his ailing body to Yecheng had not been wrong.

So many startups have failed. If I don't work hard, won't I end up following in their footsteps?

Just as Liu Miao was feeling smug, the sound of an arrow rang out!
Zhou Tai immediately stood guard beside Liu Miao, while Chen Wu quickly went outside to investigate the situation!

"My lord, there really is an enemy attack! There's a dark mass of enemies to the south!"

south?

Isn't Zhongshan Mountain to the south? Where did the enemy come from?
However, Liu Miao immediately thought of the day when he confronted Zu Lang, when many people suddenly appeared out of nowhere from the mountains and forests!
Realizing that Zhou Yu had already led his troops away, Liu Miao immediately realized what this was all about—

"You've managed to lure the tiger away from the mountain and end up luring me, Liu Miao, into this?"

Liu Miao climbed to a high place and looked out. He saw black waves constantly surging from the depths of Zhongshan Mountain, which made him even more certain of his guess.

The ability to mobilize so many Yue people at the same time must not have been a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather a long-planned scheme!

"Zu Lang! I'm not going to bother with you, but you dare to mess with me?"

Seeing that the black waves were moving extremely fast and had already submerged most of the area in an instant, Liu Miao immediately understood Zu Lang's determination!

"This Zu Lang is something else!"

Zu Lang's ability to rise to prominence in the chaotic Jiangdong region and become a powerful leader clearly demonstrates his genuine talent.

Putting everything else aside, this one move alone, "As fierce as fire," is enough to make many generals from legitimate backgrounds feel ashamed and self-destructive!

"My lord! Let's retreat!"

Zhou Tai and Chen Wu were clearly not in the mood to accompany Liu Miao to climb the mountain and enjoy the view. At the same time, they did not have Liu Miao's leisure to observe Zu Lang's military tactics. They only knew that the enemy army would probably be able to attack them soon!
Liu Miao ignored Zhou Tai and continued watching. He only understood Zhou Tai's intentions after seeing that the black wave, after crashing through a granary, did not cause any disturbance.

"I was wondering earlier, who would choose to launch a surprise attack at night without lights? Now it seems that the other side was afraid that if they picked up torches, I would discover their movements and they would escape, which is why they came in a dark mass!"

If the opponent charges at you with torches, Liu Miao will be in the dark while the opponent is in the light, allowing Liu Miao to easily dodge by moving according to the opponent's movements.

But now that the other side is not lighting a fire, if Liu Miao tries to escape, he will inevitably make a light in his panic and be chased by the other side!
"Zu Lang has truly mastered the art of deception!"

Especially when he saw that the other side was clearly a group of bandits, yet they opened the granary without looting, Liu Miao understood Zu Lang's tactics even more!

At this point, whoever tries to escape will die!
Zulang must be hiding in the shadows right now, waiting for the light to come out before he pounces like a jackal that has smelled blood!
"Why run?! The enemy outnumbers us, do you think we're outnumbered? As long as we don't panic, I don't believe the hundreds of thousands of households around Jinling can find me, Liu Miao!"

Looking at the increasingly chaotic Jinling City, and glancing at the Zhongshan Mountain that had returned to silence in the distance, Liu Miao suddenly worried about what would happen if the others in the city were caught up with and decided to escape, since he was not in the city.
"Looks like we'll have to start a big fire!"

Liu Miao returned to Yecheng, then picked up a red-hot iron rod and speared a piece of charcoal.

"Gentlemen, the Yue tribes are raiding us again! Would you be willing to set the mountain on fire with me and smother them to death?"

These craftsmen were initially afraid when they heard that enemies were coming to attack.

However, seeing that Liu Miao, a dignified governor and a member of the Han imperial family, was about to charge forward with a red-hot iron rod, how could these craftsmen not follow him?

"go!"

"I've dealt with fire my whole life, but I've never actually set a mountain on fire! This time, I should definitely give it a try!"

"Exactly! My ancestors served under Xiang Yu and Liu Bi! I refuse to believe that we can lose this time, following Liu Yangzhou!"

"..."

Liu Miao remembered the face of the person who spoke last and decided to send him to Yuan Shu after he returned...

Let's count the number of people. There are a total of one hundred!

Liu Miao waved his hand dismissively, completely forgetting that he was still ill, and beckoned everyone to head into the mountains.

"Today, we will show Zulang and these mountain tribes what it means to 'ignite Zhongshan with fire' and drive away evil spirits!"

(End of this chapter)