Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 81 Who is Han and who is Qiang?
The next day.

Zhao Yun and Wang Ping's Chencang defenders were still on the road, and their marching speed was a bit slow because they had to escort captured civilians and supplies.

Liu Chan discussed some post-war matters with Dong Yun, Zong Yu, Deng Zhi and other Han Dynasty officials on Wuzhangyuan.

As the meeting was about to end, the Tiger Cavalry, who were monitoring the movements of the Wei army on the north bank across the Wei River, brought a piece of news that shocked everyone in the room.

Fire in Meiwu!

The Wei army retreated!
"The Wei invaders still have at least 20,000 soldiers in Meiwu, so why would they burn the fort and retreat?
"Could it be that Anguo's thousand cavalrymen actually headed straight for Xinfeng and burned the Wei invaders' granaries?"

Zong Yu, with a look of surprise on his face, made a guess that everyone found outrageous.

But when people think about how Guan Xing led dozens of soldiers to attack the Xiongnu king's tent, and finally praised Liu Bao's wise and courageous act of returning to Han, many people began to think that this was really possible.

It should be noted that after collecting the news reported by the surrendered captives from all sides yesterday, the Han civil and military officials not only had a fairly detailed understanding of the Wei army's military strength, but also knew the distribution of the Wei army's granaries.

The grain from Guandong was first transported to Shan County in Hongnong via the ancient Xiaohan Road, and then transported from Xijin in Shan County to Tongguan. The grain in the Tongguan warehouse was then transported to Xinfeng, and then to Chang'an.

Since Guan Xing was able to use two thousand cavalry to lift the siege of Chencang, what was so strange about him using another thousand cavalry to take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness and burn the Xinfeng granary?

"I'm afraid that's not the case." Deng Zhi shook his head.

"If we only burn one warehouse of grain, I'm afraid the Wei invaders in Meiwu won't all retreat.

"After all, Meiwu has over 30,000 dan of grain. If he leaves 6,000 to 7,000 men to defend the fort, they can hold out and rely on this grain to sustain them for half a year without any problem. They can certainly hold out until the subsequent grain routes are opened."

"Then why abandon the fort and run away?" Zhao Guang couldn't figure it out.

Meiwu was the only solid fortress west of Chang'an. It was unbelievable that the Wei army gave it up so decisively.

"Morale?" Zong Yu's eyes lit up before he spoke slowly:
"Even the elite troops under Zhang He voluntarily surrendered. Wouldn't the morale of the Wei invaders be greatly reduced?
"Furthermore, the Prime Minister sent 5,000 men to Longyou to lift the siege of Chencang. Could it be that the Wei bandits in Meiwu thought that the Prime Minister had already seized Longyou?"

Deng Zhi was reminded by Zong Yu and suddenly realized:

"Yes, and we are also worried that An Guo's thousand cavalry might seize the city or rob food. If they don't leave, the Prime Minister's army will enter Anding from Fanxu Road and then leave Chang'an along the Jing River. Given the low morale of the Wei invaders, they won't be able to leave even if they want to!"

After figuring it out, everyone was very happy.

Liu Chan suddenly thought of something and said:
"If the Wei invaders really abandon Meiwu, does that mean our Han army can march directly to the gates of Chang'an?"

"Army approaching Chang'an?"

Everyone was relieved because there was no longer any threat from the Wei invaders in Meiwu. They were overjoyed at first, but then they all nodded in understanding.

Liu Chan became even more dazed when he saw this.

He never thought that he could take Chang'an in one battle.

He had even asked Ma Bing, the head of the Ministry of Military Works, to organize craftsmen on the plateau to research and build farming equipment, preparing to keep the prime minister on Wuzhang Plateau to farm and wait out the days with Sima Yi!
Can Chang'an really be conquered in one fell swoop? !

On the other hand, as the saying goes, when one sees something unvirtuous, one should reflect on oneself. Dong Yun, the General of the Tiger Guards, who was also a little agitated because of a few small victories, finally remembered that he was still a Minister of the Interior.

First, he calmed the agitation that he himself hadn't noticed in time, then he stepped forward and poured a bucket of cold water on the crowd that had also been carried away by victory.
"Your Majesty, everyone, although our Han Dynasty has repeatedly won victories both large and small, we are still unable to capture Longyou and yet we are planning to march on Chang'an. I think this may be a bit impetuous.

“Your Majesty advised the soldiers a few days ago not to become arrogant, as arrogant soldiers will inevitably be defeated.

"But this great victory came so easily that the soldiers may become even more arrogant and underestimate the enemy.

"Calculating the time, Sima Yi's Jingyu army should have reached Wuguan by now, and will be able to enter Chang'an within ten days. Your Majesty, please be vigilant."

When the people in the room, who were excited and had different thoughts, heard Dong Yun's words, they were stunned for a moment and then slowly calmed down, as if they had begun to reflect on themselves.

Liu Chan's expression also became clearer.

exactly!
Now that the Wei army has withdrawn from Meiwu, the Han Dynasty can now peacefully cultivate land in Chencang and Wuzhangyuan!
Longyou was gone, and the outpost of Meiwu was also gone. Even if Sima Yi came, it would be impossible for him to confront the prime minister at Wuzhangyuan again, unless he really thought the prime minister was a useless person.

This situation is very good.

I can now farm and wait for the right time.

Thinking of this, Liu Chan said slowly:
"The Minister is right. For now, we should prioritize consolidating our gains.

"We captured a large number of prisoners in this battle, and recruiting them is a troublesome task. I'm sorry to trouble you all to take some time to do this.

"When the Prime Minister achieves a great victory in Longyou and joins us in Guanzhong, it won't be too late to make plans."

After a pause, Liu Chan thought for a moment and said:
"According to the timeline, the first letter sent to Sun Quan should have arrived.

"I don't know whether he will continue to wait and see, or take this opportunity to take action against Cao Wei."

As he spoke, Liu Chan looked at Dong Yun:
"Minister Dong, please write another letter to Sun Quan later.

"Tell him everything about Zhang He's surrender, the Wei invaders' surrender, and the abandonment of Meiwu.

"I want to see if he can still sit still."

Dong Yun bowed and said, "Yes!"

The Prime Minister had consulted with Sun Quan about the Northern Expedition.

Sun Quan also actively prepared for war.

The Battle of Shiting, in which Cao Xiu's army of 100,000 was defeated by the Eastern Wu, took place in the second half of this year. Sun Quan's prestige soared as a result and he was proclaimed emperor.

But this guy did nothing when the Prime Minister was on the Northern Expedition.

It makes sense when you think about it.

He did not want to distract Cao Wei's attention for the Han Dynasty, and wanted to wait until both Han and Wei were defeated before sending troops to take advantage of the situation.

But no one expected that the big man would fight so hard but end up defeated so quickly.

Of course, this is the original historical line. Now that Cao Wei has been severely defeated in Guanzhong, Cao Zhen and Zhang He have been beheaded, and Longyou is about to change hands, Sun Quan must be a pig to sit still.

Otherwise, if the Han Dynasty chose not to attack Chang'an, and Cao Wei chose to silently swallow this great loss, it would be difficult for the Eastern Wu to take advantage of the opportunity to gain some victory.

After all, Dongwu was only good at fighting water battles with the advantage of its warships, but when it came ashore, it was like a worm in the Three Kingdoms, and it was always poor at fighting siege battles.

The victory in the Battle of Shiting was entirely due to Zhou Fang's inducement to surrender. Cao Xiu was too arrogant. Now that Cao Zhen is dead, will Cao Xiu fall into the trap again as in the original historical line?
Hard to say.

in the afternoon.

Zhao Yun, Wang Ping, Fu Qian, Yang Tiao and others led 10,000 infantry and cavalry, escorting 20,000 captured civilians back to the northwest of Zhongzhou.

An hour ago, when Liu Chan saw this team on the plateau, he had already ridden down the plateau.

Calculating the distance, it’s about twenty miles away.

Under the general banner with the word "Zhao" on it, seven or eight riders, led by Zhao Yun, broke away from the team and slowly galloped towards the Jinwu banner directly in front of them. After about a hundred steps, they all dismounted and moved forward.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Zhao Yun, Wang Ping, Fu Qian and other Han officers said very naturally.

Only Yang Tiao was a little slow, perhaps because it was his first time seeing the Emperor of Han, or because he did not expect the Emperor of Han to be so young.

"Thank you all for your hard work." Liu Chan took the wine jar from the attendant behind him, handed it to several people in front of him one by one, and finally took up a jar himself.

Drinking it all together with a few people can be considered a simple and elegant way of performing the suburban labor ritual.

After drinking wine in the suburban area, Dong Yun, Deng Zhi and others led military officers across the river to receive the prisoners, settle the officers and soldiers, and count the spoils.

"I received news from Anguo that day that Zhang He might launch a surprise attack on Wuzhangyuan to lure General Zilong out. I was really worried that General Zilong would fall for Zhang He's scheme, and I even wanted to lead the army to rescue General Zilong.

"Fortunately, Pijiang persuaded me, saying that no one knows a father better than his son. If General Zilong really breaks out, it will only damage our relationship and the national plan. Therefore, I must not fall into your trap.

"I thought, General Zilong and I have shared hardships, and we are as loyal as king and subject. How can Zhang He and that false emperor be compared to me? Then I felt a little relieved."

Liu Chan spoke sincerely, and then looked Zhao Yun up and down again: "General Zilong is not injured again this time, right?"

Zhao Yun smiled:
"Zijun's five thousand infantry and Brother Yang's two thousand light cavalry have encircled the Wei invaders from the east and west, completely defeating them. How could they possibly resist?
"When they saw me riding towards them, they all just threw their heads in surrender. I, your humble servant, didn't even kill a few of them before the battle was over."

Liu Chan calmed down and did not advise the old general to stop riding a horse and killing the enemy in person in the future.

Lian Po was not old yet, and the old general felt that he was capable of fighting, so he just rushed forward to fight. The last time he chased Cao Rui, it looked so dangerous, but in the end it was just like that.

He walked up to Wang Ping again, took his hand unexpectedly, and stroked the back of his hand with his other hand, saying sternly:

"In the Battle of Jieting, if General Zijun had not led his troops to beat the drums and hold the fort, our Han soldiers would have been hunted down and killed by the Wei invaders, and would not have survived.

"Afterwards, he volunteered to go behind enemy lines and, together with Wei Wenda, defeated the bandits in Qi County and killed 3,000 of them.

"Seeing that I was surrounded and in danger, he once again led the troops and fought bloody battles to defeat the bandits.

"He is truly a man of both wisdom and courage, and of unrivalled loyalty and righteousness. Even the best generals of the past could not surpass him."

This was the first time Wang Ping met the emperor today. He never expected that the emperor would be so close to him?
Although he knew that this was the same trick used by the previous emperor to win over the hearts of the people, he still could not resist and was at a loss for a moment.

Just when I didn't know what to say, I heard the emperor continue:

"I heard that General Zijun couldn't write and could only recognize the character "十" (10 characters). He often belittled himself because of this, thinking that he was not as smart as others.

"Today I would like to quote a statement made by the Prime Minister to me last year: it is not advisable to belittle oneself. I hope the General will take it to heart."

Hearing this, Wang Ping was completely confused. He didn't understand how much investigation His Majesty had done on him, a surrendered person from the Wei State, and how he knew all about it even though he was illiterate.

No, how come even he, who often uses this to belittle himself and thinks he is not as smart as others, knows this?
Liu Chan didn't care what Wang Ping thought. He gently put his hand down and finally walked to the side of Qiang King Yang Tiao.

I wanted to do the same thing, but then I thought that since the other party had just returned to Han, it would be too boring to do so, so I gave up.

He only glanced at the man's self-chopped arm and said sincerely:

"Chief Yang Qiang's surrender of his county to the Han is truly a blessing for the Han family. His clever tactics of self-torture in capturing Jieting truly impressed me and the other loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty.

"If Chief Yang Qiang had not helped us capture Jieting, Zhang He might not have risked his life to attack, and this great victory would have been impossible. I will never forget Chief Yang Qiang's contribution."

Yang Tiao's voice trembled suddenly:

"Your Majesty, your words are too kind. Your Majesty has entrusted the Jieting event, which concerns the fate of Longyou and the Han Dynasty, to a Qiang barbarian like me!

"I am deeply grateful for your trust and respect! Fortunately, I have lived up to your Majesty's high expectations!"

Liu Chan was a little surprised that the Qiang King's words and deeds did not seem like those of a barbarian at all.

After a moment, he thought of something and pointed to the Wei River at his feet:
"King Qiang, the so-called Hundred Years of Qiang Rebellion before Emperors Huan and Ling, what exactly caused it and what exactly happened? The previous Han emperors did not know, did not care, and did not care.

"But I know, I care, and I think it matters.

"In my opinion, the so-called century-long Qiang rebellion was caused by the Han people, not the Qiang. It was caused by the corruption of the officials in the court and the emperor's indifference. The Qiang people were mostly helpless and resisted whenever there was oppression.

"The officials forced the Qiang to revolt, and the Qiang had no choice but to revolt. But behind the scenes, there were countless wealthy families feasting on wine and meat, and countless corpses lying in the Hehuang River. How pitiful is that?

"I swear by the Wei River that as long as I am the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, I will never allow such a thing to happen again.

"In the future, the Han and Qiang peoples will be one in me and the other in you, all of them will be the people of the great Han Dynasty.

"After another hundred years, I want to let future generations see which of those herding horses and sheep in the Hehuang and Lianglong areas are Han and which are Qiang."

"Thank... Thank you, Your Majesty!" Yang Tiao's face was flushed and he was shocked. He never thought that such words would come out of the mouth of the Han emperor.

Then he suddenly knelt down, banging his forehead heavily on the yellow earth, and after doing this several times, he suddenly bit his index finger with the Qiang ritual, wiped the blood on his forehead, and pointed to the sky after a moment:
"Your servant, Yang Tiao, a Qiang people, swears this blood oath on behalf of the five thousand Anding Qiang tents to never betray the Han!"

(End of this chapter)