The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

Before the joy of the harvest had faded from the land of Bingzhou, a carefully planned "rumor" broke out.

It has already spread silently throughout the entire northern grasslands via trade routes and spies' channels.

"Have you heard? Bingzhou has had a bumper harvest this year; the grain in the granaries is piled up like mountains!"

"So what? Liu Bei has sent most of his troops to the Taihang Mountains to suppress the Black Mountain bandits, leaving the northern border very vulnerable!"

"That's right! I saw it with my own eyes. Xu Huang and Qian Zhao were leading more than 5,000 men, wandering around in the mountains. They even transferred half of the garrison from Dingxiang County!"

"I heard that the first snow on the grasslands came earlier this year than last year, and many cattle and sheep froze to death. If we could go south and harvest some, this winter would be much easier!"

These words, half true and half false, are the most tempting!

Indeed, Bingzhou has had a bumper harvest, and Xu Huang and Qian Zhao have indeed carried out large-scale military mobilizations in the Taihang Mountains! The garrison in Dingxiang County has also been reduced.

It's fake. There's only one. Xu Huang and Qian Zhao have already returned from training.

Deep in the grasslands, the Xianbei royal court.

Helian sat on the throne of the Chanyu, listening to the reports from his spies below, his eyes flashing with the flames of revenge!

During his time as Chanyu, he utterly disgraced the Xianbei!

For a whole year, they were forced to migrate north!

Summer is fine, the northern pastures are good, but now, as autumn and winter approach, we have to move our livestock south to graze!

But once they moved south, the Han Chinese engaged in even more aggressive raiding and grazing!

People, cattle, and sheep were all robbed! Even the elderly and children were not spared!

"This is outrageous!"

Seeing this intelligence now, he's finally waited for this day!

"Great! This is truly a stroke of luck!" He Lian slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"Now is the perfect opportunity for the Xianbei to rise!"

"This year, the grasslands have been covered in snow, causing countless deaths and injuries to cattle and sheep. The tribes are on the verge of starvation. It's the perfect opportunity to march south to Bingzhou, seize its grain, take its women, massacre the city of Yinguan, and march straight into Jinyang!"

"Avenge our fallen brothers!"

The Xianbei nobles below were also eager and excited.

They had long heard that Bingzhou was wealthy, and now that its military strength was depleted, it was the perfect time to strike.

"Chanyu! I am willing to be the vanguard!"

"Chanyu! I will lead ten thousand cavalry; I am certain I can plunder Yunzhong County!"

Just then, a messenger rushed in, knelt down, and reported: "Reporting, Chanyu! An envoy from Youzhou requests an audience!"

"An envoy from Youzhou?" He Lian frowned. "Let him in."

A moment later, a Han Chinese dressed in Wuhuan attire entered. He did not bow or pay his respects, but instead displayed an arrogant demeanor.

"I am an envoy under Zhang Ju, and I have met with the Xianbei Chanyu."

"Zhang Ju?" He Lian didn't care about the Han Chinese envoy's attitude; on the contrary, he was quite used to it.

They were even taken aback when they saw their Wuhuan attire:

"Who is he? What does he want with me?"

"My lord and General Zhang Chun have joined forces with the various Wuhuan tribes, raised an army of 100,000, and are preparing to attack Youzhou."

The envoy didn't bother with a detailed explanation and went straight to the point:

"I have long heard that the Chanyu and Liu Bei have an irreconcilable feud, so I have come to make an agreement with the Chanyu to launch a joint attack. My lord will attack Youzhou, and the Chanyu will attack Bingzhou, so that the Han Dynasty will be unable to attend to both ends."

"After this is accomplished, Youzhou will belong to my lord, and Bingzhou will belong to the Great Khan. Our two nations will form a permanent alliance and will not invade each other!"

Accompanying him were envoys from the Wuhuan people, who also bore witness to this.

He Lian's eyes lit up.

We're kindred spirits!

With someone else drawing attention, I don't have to face the pressure from the big man alone!

"Alright! I agree!" He Lian immediately decided, "We'll send out our troops simultaneously on the first day of the twelfth lunar month!"

The envoy was overjoyed and quickly bowed to express his gratitude.

After seeing the envoy off, Holian immediately gave the following order:

"Pass on my order! All men from all tribes aged fifteen to sixty, go to war!"

"This time, I will personally lead 100,000 warriors to annihilate Bingzhou!"

The Xianbei nobles below were all red-eyed with envy.

Last year was a year of heavy losses for them; countless people lost loved ones, and many of their cattle and sheep were stolen.

They had been holding back their anger for a long time, wanting to take revenge.

"I am willing to follow the Great Khan south!"

"Crush Yanmen Pass! Slaughter all Han Chinese!"

The entire royal court instantly transformed into a sea of ​​fervor!

Meanwhile, in Youzhou.

Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun have officially raised an army.

Zhang Ju, former governor of Mount Tai, called himself "the Son of Heaven".

Zhang Chun, former Chancellor of Zhongshan, styled himself General Mitian and Prince Anding, and was the commander of the Wuhuan coalition.

The Wuhuan leader Qiuliju led 100,000 elite cavalry to attack Ji County.

But they discovered that the Xianbei hadn't even set off yet; they were clearly using them to attract attention! How could this be allowed?

The allied forces quickly captured Jicheng, killing high-ranking officials such as Gong Qichou, the Protector of the Wuhuan, and Liu Zheng, the Prefect of Youbeiping.

The garrison troops in various parts of Youzhou fled at the mere sight of the rebels, who swept through the region with unstoppable momentum, quickly capturing Youbeiping, Liaoxi and other counties, and their advance was aimed directly at Zhuojun in Youzhou.

After a surprise attack and seizing the initiative, they left to proclaim their alliance with the Xianbei! The Xianbei army of 200,000 will march south to Bingzhou!

When the news reached Luoyang, the entire imperial court was in an uproar once again.

"What? Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun have rebelled? And they've even allied with the Wuhuan?"

"The Xianbei are also going south at the same time? What should we do!"

"We've been fighting in Liangzhou for years, and the central army, supplies, and money are all depleted!"

Liu Hong lay on the dragon bed, his face paler than paper.

He had just coughed up blood and barely had the strength to speak.

"My esteemed ministers, what strategies do you have to repel the enemy?" Liu Hong asked weakly.

The civil and military officials below looked at each other in bewilderment, and no one responded.

They were still figuring out how to profit most from the chaos. After all, there had been many rebellions in recent years, yet the Han Dynasty had fared just fine, hadn't it?

Yuan Wei stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, things have come to this point, and we can only let the governors of each state defend themselves."

"An imperial edict was issued to Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, instructing him to raise troops on his own and quell the rebellion. Another edict was issued to Liu Bei, the governor of Bingzhou, instructing him to defend against the Xianbei invasion."

"The imperial court can allocate some grain and allow them to retain all taxes as military pay."

Liu Hong looked at them, his mind perfectly clear.

These people just don't want to put in any effort; they want to dump the mess on Liu Bei and Liu Yu.

But now, he really has no other choice.

The central army had been wiped out, and the national treasury was empty. He had no choice but to relinquish power.

The Qiang people of Liangzhou! Decades of rebellions, along with the recent Yellow Turban Rebellion and other uprisings across the country, have finally exhausted the Han Dynasty!

Liu Hong never believed that he was to blame; he felt he had done his best!

After a long silence, he could only nod helplessly in the end.

I also know that this is like drinking poison to quench thirst.

But now, he has no other choice.

"Granted." Liu Hong waved his hand and closed his eyes wearily.

The imperial edict was quickly drafted and sent to Youzhou and Bingzhou by express courier.

……

Before the imperial edict from Luoyang even reached Bingzhou, Liu Bei's army had already set off.

Even before the Xianbei moved south, they had already made preparations to move north.

When the grain and fodder were harvested, they were delivered to Yanmen Pass.

This is practically a two-way street!

Li Changzao had already won the strategic battle before the war even began.

When the imperial edict was delivered to Jinyang City, Liu Bei's men had already arrived at Yinguan City.

After receiving the imperial edict.

Li Chang glanced at it, smiled, and handed it to Jia Xu next to him.

"Mr. Wenhe, look, the imperial court has not only exempted us from three years of taxes, but also sent us 500,000 shi of grain and fodder. We are free to recruit soldiers and act as we see fit!"

In this way, our tens of thousands of troops can be openly exposed!

After reading it, Jia Xu nodded: "Your wisdom is impeccable. The court has completely entrusted the entire Bingzhou to your command."

Cheng Yu stood to the side, looking at the imperial edict in his hand, filled with emotion.

He sincerely exclaimed, "Mingdao is a man of great talent!"

Li Chang smiled and said, "I know."

Cheng Yu: "..."

He turned to look at Liu Bei, who was standing in front of the map, and said in a deep voice, "Brother, the imperial edict has arrived. Now, we can take action."

Liu Bei turned around, his eyes firm and resolute:

"Pass on my orders!"

"The entire army is on combat readiness!"

"We swear to fight to the last moment and keep the Xianbei outside Yanmen Pass!"