Ji Han Liu Zhang

Going all the way south from Huangbai City to Chang'an, the angel Liu Ai saw such a scene: wherever he went, the local elders and common people would come out in full force to welcome the arrival of the Shu army.

Elders from all over the country would come out to greet the Shu army, bringing beef, wine and delicacies, for fear that they would not be treated well enough to save the Shu army from being in dire straits. Among them, Grand Marshal Liu Zhang was the most popular. Elders from Guanzhong actually knelt on both sides of the road, shouting "Long live Liu Zhang" and expressing their most sincere wishes to him.

"Long live the king, long live the king." The angel Liu Ai, riding on his horse, looked at the common people on both sides of the road who were shouting "Long live the king". He saw that what these people said was from the bottom of their hearts, and they bowed to Liu Zhang with sincere faces.

"Even if he is the emperor, he has never been treated like this and won the hearts of the people like this." Liu Ai sighed in his heart after he retracted his gaze from both sides of the road.

Here Liu Ai felt a strange mood. In the past, Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty and the Han Dynasty was almost destroyed. Fortunately, Emperor Guangwu came into the world and swept away all the heroes in the world and restored the Han Dynasty. But now, the world is in chaos and there are many princes. Who can clear up the world and bring peace to the world?

Liu Ai did not have an answer to this question before, but now he feels that he has got an answer. However, it will take time to verify whether this answer is correct or not.

"Mr. Peng, how did you come to serve under the Grand Marshal?" Liu Ai asked Peng Ying who was beside him. The journey is difficult, the journey is difficult because there is no one to relieve the loneliness on the road, and there needs to be someone to talk and laugh with.

Secondly, Liu Ai also wanted to learn more about Liu Zhang's past from the mouths of the many civil and military officials under Liu Zhang, so as to piece together Liu Zhang's personality and character.

Peng Ying became interested when he heard this. He was very willing to talk about this topic. He coughed to clear his throat, then raised his head slightly and looked into the distance. His eyes looked deep and distant.

"I was still very young back then, and of course, I am still young now." Peng Ying started by chatting and laughing.

"At that time, I was working as a clerk in the county government. Because of my outstanding talent, my colleagues in the county government were jealous of me. That group of colleagues took advantage of my few words of sentimentality about being a lowly official and deliberately spread rumors, saying that I was disrespectful to you, sir."

"What happened next?" Liu Ai asked, and he looked interested.

"Later, someone brought this matter to your attention, so you summoned me and my colleagues to face off in court. You are so wise that you would not be deceived by villains. You quickly exposed the ugly faces of my colleagues and discovered a gem in me. You promoted me to the position of military officer."

Peng Ying couldn't help but look a little proud when he said this. He sighed and said, "If it weren't for your wisdom in identifying people, I might still be a clerk in the county government. Of course, there's nothing wrong with being a clerk. It's just delivering documents every day and it's very leisurely. But the position of military officer will give me a wider range of opportunities."

Liu Ai nodded in agreement. He followed Peng Ying's past and continued to ask, "I heard that Mr. Peng once followed the Grand Marshal in his campaigns. He was present at both the Nanzhong Campaign and the Battle of Hanzhong. Can you tell me about it?"

"Since the Minister is willing to listen, I will tell him everything I know." Peng Ying smiled and prepared to tell the Minister Liu Ai about Liu Zhang's glorious past and, of course, his brilliant deeds.

On this side, Peng Ying was having a very pleasant conversation with Liu Ai, while on the other side, Liu Zhang in the central army was talking with his meritorious official Zhang Xiu.

"According to the battle documents handed over by Zhang Ren, Li Jue was killed by you single-handedly. I didn't expect your bravery to be so great." Liu Zhang said with a smile as he boasted about Zhang Xiu.

After his uncle Zhang Ji passed away, Zhang Xiu led his remaining troops to join Liu Zhang. He was always cautious. Although he thought Liu Zhang did not mind his identity as a general of Liang Province, he knew that as a general from Liang Province, and since his uncle Zhang Ji had done bad things in the past such as threatening the emperor and persecuting officials, he should restrain his character, not ask for too much, and protect himself so as not to extinct his uncle's family line.

Therefore, in response to Liu Zhang's praise, Zhang Xiu bowed his hands and said modestly: "General Zhang, what you said is a bit too much. The battle with Li Jue was due to Zhang Xiaoqi's good command. I just took advantage of the opportunity to achieve a few merits. It's nothing."

"Why are you so modest? This is not the style of a military commander." Liu Zhang laughed loudly. He reached out and patted Zhang Xiu on the shoulder. "A real man should be honest and modest. What is yours is yours. You should take it. Don't make excuses and act like a woman."

Zhang Xiu looked a little dazed when Liu Zhang patted his shoulder. Usually, only his uncle Zhang Ji would pat his shoulder and give him compliments, saying that he had grown taller or that his fighting power had improved.

This time, when Liu Zhang was patted on the shoulder, Zhang Xiu could not help but recall the happy image of his uncle and nephew in the past.

"What you said is true... It is my luck that I can help you get rid of Li Jue." After Liu Zhang withdrew his hand from his shoulder, Zhang Xiu bowed his head and replied, revealing his loyalty to Liu Zhang.

"It is also your own blessing. I have already issued a clear order that whoever captures Li Jue and Guo Si will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and be granted a title of nobility, regardless of whether they are dead or alive. When you return to Chang'an, the reward of a thousand gold coins and a title of nobility will be bestowed upon you." Liu Zhang's tone was as if he was going to keep his promise.

Zhang Xiu heard this and quickly declined, saying, "Mingsir, I am a soldier under your command, so I will naturally do my best to serve you. Killing Li Jue is my duty, so there is no question of reward or not."

"Are you planning to refuse the reward of a huge sum of gold or a title of nobility?" Liu Zhang asked meaningfully, rubbing his short beard with his hand.

"That's right..." Zhang Xiu was about to answer and affirm his attitude, but someone interrupted him for no reason.

"A Xiu, do you want me to lose my credibility with the world?" Jia Xu thought of Zhang Ji's old friendship and he enlightened Zhang Xiu.

"This... Xiu naturally doesn't want you to break your promise." Zhang Xiu said without hesitation.

Liu Zhang patted Zhang Xiu's shoulder again. He almost hugged Zhang Xiu and said to him, "For a man to walk in the world, loyalty and trust are the most important. Just like the letter I sent to Guanzhong before, which said that I would definitely kill the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si, then I will capture and kill them even if they go to heaven or hell."

"The previous proclamation also said that whoever captures Li Jue and Guo Si will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and be made a marquis. Now that you have killed Li Jue, you should receive a thousand gold coins and be made a marquis. If you refuse, it would not be a manly thing to do, and it would make me lose my credibility with the world."

"I will ponder deeply upon your teachings, sir." Feeling Liu Zhang's warm treatment, a smile appeared on Zhang Xiu's lips, and he bowed and accepted the order.

Seeing such a happy scene, Jia Xu, who was always indifferent, couldn't help but smile. As Zhang Xiu's uncle, he had been treated with respect by Zhang Xiu in the past. He regarded Zhang Xiu as his own nephew, and he was comforted that Zhang Xiu was favored by Liu Zhang. Liu Zhang also smiled, because he had gained a loyal and brave general.

After marching again and again, when the bandits in Liangzhou were wiped out, the road from Huangbaicheng to Chang'an was smooth. Within a few days, Liu Zhang led his troops back to the outskirts of Chang'an. He did not rush into the city, but remained stationed outside the city. He had to do the next big thing before entering Chang'an.

As for this big event, it was a grand execution ceremony on the second day.

Liu Zhang, together with his civil and military officers, stood on the platform to review the generals. When the sun slowly rose and reached halfway in the sky, Liu Zhang gave an order and the Liangzhou thief Guo Si was taken from the prison cart to the execution ground.

Surrounding the execution ground were the elders of Guanzhong who had come to watch today's execution. The elders of Guanzhong had been oppressed and humiliated by Li Jue and Guo Si for a long time, and even had their homes and families destroyed. After hearing the news a few days ago that the Yizhou governor was going to execute Guo Si, they rushed to the execution ground outside Chang'an early and waited for Guo Si's execution.

When Guo Si was released from the prison cart and escorted to the execution ground step by step, the elders of Guanzhong, who hated Guo Si to the core, threw all kinds of objects at him. Some threw tree branches as arrows, and some threw stones as weapons.

What's worse, he even wanted to break through the human wall formed by the Shu soldiers standing side by side. He planned to beat Guo Si with his fists and feet, to bring pain to Guo Si and not let Guo Si receive the punishment painfully and comfortably.

"The people who rode on the people's heads threw him down; the people who worked as cattle and horses for the people will always remember him!" Liu Zhang saw the scene around the execution ground and could not help but recite the poem he had learned.

When words and reality are combined together, words come to life and become vibrant. At this moment, words are no longer rigid words, but something vivid and alive.

Li Jue and Guo Si were rampant in Guanzhong, committing brutality and tyranny without caring about the lives of the elders of Guanzhong. They were only interested in violence and violence. Therefore, the rewards Li Jue and Guo Si received from the elders of Guanzhong were the same brutality.

The crowd was excited and filled with hatred, which seemed to be about to drown Guo Si.

Zhang Ji, the magistrate of Chang'an, and Wei Kang, the magistrate of Xinfeng, who were on the reviewing platform, seemed to be infected by the emotions of the young men from Guanzhong below the stage. They took light steps forward and then retracted their steps. At this moment, if they had not been concerned about their status, they would have wanted to go down and throw stones at Guo Si.

Even though throwing stones may seem childish to them, they still feel really happy.

Guo Si was being escorted to the high platform of the execution ground. He saw that the people below the field were all young men from Guanzhong, staring at him viciously. Those eyes were like a group of wolves' eyes shining brightly in the dark night. If it were not for the guards on duty at the execution ground, he would have been torn into pieces by these people in the next moment.

"Liu Yizhou, I am willing to surrender, please spare my life." At the last moment of his life, Guo Si broke out with a strong desire to survive. He shouted to Liu Zhang, who was already the Grand Marshal and the General of Chariots and Cavalry, and begged for mercy from Liu Zhang on the podium.

But Liu Zhang naturally had no response. He just watched indifferently as Guo Si was escorted step by step to the center of the execution ground, waiting for noon to come. When the sun rose to the zenith and the yang energy was at its strongest, that would be the day of Guo Si's death.

"This day next year will be the anniversary of your death." Liu Zhang saw Guo Si being escorted to the executioner. He saw Guo Si's body being pressed down, his head being stretched out, and his dark neck exposed to the executioner's gaze.

When things came to this point, Guo Si knew that there was no turning back. Today was the day he would die. In the last moments of his life, he looked back on the past like any other person.

Born as a horse thief, he was promoted by Prime Minister Dong Zhuo because of his extraordinary bravery. He rose through the ranks step by step, becoming a captain, a colonel, a general, and the founder of a government. He even counterattacked Chang'an after Prime Minister Dong Zhuo was killed, and was able to control the Han court and the emperor.

Guo Si, who came from a humble background, recalled his glorious past. Those times were so beautiful. He could do whatever he wanted then. The entire Guanzhong was his playground. Even the great Emperor of the Han Dynasty respected his ideas.

But happy times passed so quickly that Guo Si seemed to have spent a lifetime in just a few seconds.

Then a tiger-head broadsword was inserted in front of Guo Si's eyes, interrupting his thoughts. As for the falling of the tiger-head broadsword, it was because the executioner was making his final preparations. He needed to drink a pot of strong liquor. At this time, he naturally needed to put down the tiger-head broadsword in his hand.

The tiger-head broadsword was polished by the executioner until it was as clear as a mirror. Guo Si saw his own blurry image on the back of the knife. At this moment, his hair was disheveled and his face was haggard. He no longer had the heroic demeanor of the Liangzhou hero of the past.

Only at this moment did Guo Si think of his approaching death. Tears immediately rolled down his eyes. The fear of death rose in his heart, and his face became terrified.

"No, don't kill me." Guo Si's defenses were broken, and he actually begged bitterly.

But after shouting several times, Guo Si knew that his pleading was of no use. People cannot share the same joys and sorrows. His earnest pleading did not win sympathy, but instead earned him the sneers of the onlookers in the audience. Those cheerful laughs went straight into Guo Si's heart.

"Li Jue, you have caused me so much suffering." Guo Si kept talking about Li Jue. At this time, Guo Si did not know that Li Jue was dead. He only thought that Li Jue had escaped.

Therefore, Guo Si began to curse. If Li Jue had not abandoned him, how could he have been betrayed by his subordinates, captured alive by the Shu army, and ended up being executed.

The sun moved step by step towards the zenith. In the expectation of the elders of Guanzhong, the sun reached the zenith. At this time, the elders of Guanzhong, who were the onlookers, stopped talking and stared at Guo Si on the execution platform with bated breath, waiting for Guo Si's head to fall to the ground.

The executioner held a tiger-head sword high in the air, and when the shadow of the sword fell squarely on the ground, he knew that the sun was at its zenith and it was time for the execution, so he dropped the sword in his hand without hesitation.

As the tiger-headed sword fell, a large head followed it down. Guo Si's head fell to the ground, and then followed by a deafening sound of joy. It was the joyful laughter from the hearts of the people of Guanzhong.

When Liu Zhang saw Guo Si's head fall to the ground and the people of Guanzhong cheering, he smiled. The battle of Guanzhong was finally settled. (End of this chapter)