Ji Han Liu Zhang

In the early morning, the sun rises from the east. No matter what the political situation in Guanzhong is, or whether there are any changes in the mountains and rivers in Guanzhong, the sun shines on the land of Guanzhong as always, bringing warmth and light to the land of Guanzhong.

However, there have been some changes in the Guanzhong land today. This former Qin land has a new owner today, from the former Liangzhou thieves Li Jue and Guo Si to Liu Zhang, the Grand Marshal and General of Chariots and Cavalry of the Han Dynasty.

The two heroes of Liang Province who used to run rampant in Guanzhong, Guo Si was publicly executed in front of the elders of Guanzhong yesterday, while Li Jue was killed in battle by Liang Province's brave general Zhang Xiu before Guo Si, and lost his life early.

Now Liu Zhang, stepping on the corpses of his powerful enemies Li Jue and Guo Si, is ready to enter Chang'an City as a victor.

Liu Zhang's move to enter the city was not just a simple entry. After all, taking control of Chang'an was extraordinary for Liu Zhang, both in practical and political terms.

In practical terms, controlling Chang'an, the capital of the Former Han Dynasty and the Western Capital of the Later Han Dynasty, means that Liu Zhang will step onto the stage of competing for world domination and be known by people in the world and heroes from all over the world. The heroes of the world will inevitably look at Guanzhong with awe.

In terms of political significance, Liu Zhang's move is almost in line with the actions of the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang. This will bring Liu Zhang extremely high prestige. Prestige means that the scholars and common people in the country will be willing to submit wholeheartedly, which is extremely beneficial to Liu Zhang's conquest of the world.

Therefore, today's entry ceremony was extremely grand. The gates of Chang'an City were wide open, and sharp soldiers wearing black armor and red tassels on their heads were lined up on both sides of the gate, extending all the way to the Shu army camp in Chang'an City, like tall and straight pines beside the road.

When everything was ready, Liu Zhang led his civil and military officers and set out from the Shu army camp towards Chang'an City.

The leader of the team was Liu Zhang, and behind Liu Zhang were the chief clerk and military advisor General Xun You, the military officer Peng Ying, the military advisor Fa Zheng, the cavalry captain Zhang Ren, the thunder captain Yin Pu and others. Liu Ai was sent by the angel to witness such a great event, and as a representative of the emperor, he was incorporated into the team.

At this time, the faces of all the civil and military officials under Liu Zhang were solemn, without a trace of joy or sadness. They just followed Liu Zhang's footsteps silently, neither hurried nor slow, neither arrogant nor impatient.

Speaking of which, today's weather is not very good. It's not that there is any drizzle or storm today. After all, the sun rises as usual, shining on the Guanzhong land. The weather is still normal. It's just that it is cloudy today. From time to time, the sun is blocked by clouds. The bright sunshine will be put away at this time, and it looks a little gloomy.

As the wind blew and the clouds moved, and the bright sun was sometimes bright and sometimes gloomy, Liu Zhang walked to the gate of Chang'an City. He was only a few steps away from entering the city. At this time, he only needed to slightly urge his horse to jump into the city.

But at this moment, when the sun was blocked by clouds and the surroundings were slightly gloomy, Liu Zhang stopped his steps, gently took the reins in one hand, and skillfully stopped the horse under him. At the same time, he looked up at Chang'an City.

As soon as Liu Zhang stopped, all his civil and military officials stopped as well. The angel Liu Ai also stopped in confusion. Liu Ai was puzzled. He didn't understand why Liu Zhang stopped at the city gate, but it was not easy for him to ask at this time. He could only wait quietly for Liu Zhang to start again.

Angel Liu Ai was puzzled, but the civil and military officials under Liu Zhang were clear-headed. They had followed Liu Zhang all the way, which was not easy. In the past few years, they had fought in the south and the north, against the southern barbarians, rice thieves, Qiang and Di, and the elite soldiers of Liangzhou. After defeating these powerful enemies, they arrived at the gate of Chang'an City and saw their goal - Chang'an City.

At this time, everyone would feel touched and linger in the thought, and would stop in front of the gate of Chang'an City to carefully admire Chang'an City - this magnificent city.

However, the civil and military officials under Liu Zhang only guessed one of Liu Zhang's thoughts. Liu Zhang was indeed moved by the hard fighting and the fact that he had fought all these years without taking off his armor, which was why he was able to take over Guanzhong and Chang'an. Therefore, his heartstrings were touched and he stopped in front of Chang'an City.

But here, Liu Zhang had another thought. He was worried about why no smart person stood up at this time to expose what he wanted to do in his heart, but he was not willing to say it out loud.

After another moment of silence, when the sun emerged from the clouds and the bright sunshine shone on the earth again, illuminating Liu Zhang's embroidered clothes with golden splendor, Liu Zhang prepared to restart his steps and step into Chang'an City under this sign as if he had been given a destiny.

At this moment, a clear and handsome voice called Liu Zhang: "Mingsir, it is not appropriate to enter the city today. There are still things that have not been completed, and you need to do it."

Upon hearing this, Corporal Peng Ying raised his eyebrows and looked in the direction of the voice. His eyes quickly locked onto the person who made the discordant sound - a person Peng Ying did not recognize.

However, Peng Ying did not recognize him, but the military advisor Fa Zheng knew him. Liu Zhang pacified the three prefectures and put down the rebellion, and many scholars from Guanzhong came here, among whom was Zhao Jian who had just arrived last night - Zhao Jian, the former Pingling magistrate and a native of Changling, Jingzhao.

Fa Zheng's hometown was Fufeng County, which bordered Jingzhao. In addition, Fa Zheng came from a noble family, so he had many contacts with the literati and common people of Jingzhao, including Zhao Jian. Zhao Jian's courtesy name was Shumao, and he was the nephew of Zhao Qi, the Grand Coachman. When he was young, he was honest and studious, and was known for his poetry and books. Later, he was appointed by the government as a Lang of the Ministry of Selection, in charge of election affairs, and then transferred to become the magistrate of Pingling.

When Zhao Jian was the magistrate of Pingling, he did something that made Fa Zheng admire him very much. That is, after Prime Minister Wang Yun murdered Li Jue and Guo Si, their bodies were displayed at the city gate, and no one dared to go close to collect the bodies, for fear of bringing disaster to themselves and their families.

At this time, Zhao Jian, as a former official of Si Tu Wang Yun, took the initiative to resign from his post and left without fear of the swords of the Liangzhou bandits. He collected Wang Yun's body and buried it, thus fulfilling the loyalty between him and Wang Yun as a subject. His act was heroic and he could be regarded as a true man.

Therefore, even though Zhao Jian's words were not smooth and he tried to stop Liu Zhang from entering Chang'an City, Fa Zheng controlled his temper and waited for Zhao Jian's next words. He knew that Zhao Jian was not attacking without reason and must have a follow-up plan.

When Liu Zhang heard someone trying to stop him from entering the city, he did not get angry. Instead, he turned back in the direction of the voice and looked at the person. However, this person was among the scholars who had surrendered from Guanzhong, and Liu Zhang did not recognize his voice or appearance.

This cannot be blamed on Liu Zhang. Ever since Liu Zhang conquered Guanzhong and put down the rebellion, scholars from Guanzhong have flocked to him like water. Sometimes, and with some people, he just couldn't find the time to meet and get to know them.

"Who are you? What advice do you have for me?" Liu Zhang opened his mouth slowly and asked humbly.

As Liu Zhang asked, everyone's eyes focused on Zhao Jian, but the Guanzhong scholars beside Zhao Jian were not prepared for Zhao Jian's words, and they all distanced themselves from Zhao Jian, leaving the stage to Zhao Jian. Zhao Jian felt relieved when he heard Liu Zhang's gentle questioning, and was not angry because of his words to stop him. This Grand Marshal was indeed a benevolent monarch, different from his generation.

Zhao Jian rode forward a few steps, and when he was a little closer to Liu Zhang, he dismounted and bowed, saying, "I am Zhao Jian, courtesy name Shumao. I first arrived in Chang'an last night. I have something to say to you, my lord. Please listen to it."

Zhao Jian did not express his opinion right away, but laid the groundwork first, and then he said: "Your Excellency sent troops to Guanzhong to punish the evildoers and the violent, for the sake of the Han country and the people of the world. Now that Li Jue and Guo Si have been killed, the culprit has been found, which is of course a matter of great joy."

"Then." Zhao Jian changed the subject: "At this time, my lord is eager to enter Chang'an, but he forgot to report to the ancestral temple and provide relief to the martyrs... Now that my lord has defeated Li Jue and Guo Si and settled Guanzhong, you should go to the mausoleum of Emperor Gao in person to report to the mausoleum of the Emperor Gao so that our ancestors will know. Secondly, the former ministers of the court, Song Yi of Zuofeng, and Wang Hong of Youfufeng, who served the Han Dynasty loyally but failed to save themselves, have not been given blood sacrifices, how can my lord not care about them?"

"There are many knowledgeable people in Guanzhong." Facing Zhao Jian's frank advice, Liu Zhang praised it in his heart. This was exactly the advice he wanted. For a person from the outer vassal clan to take the initiative to report to the ancestors, it was somewhat deliberate. If someone gave advice, he would have a step down, and he could just let it go.

"You are right. I think you should worry less. I will do these two things myself." Liu Zhang nodded and followed the advice.

At the same time, many of Liu Zhang's civil and military officials showed expressions of sudden enlightenment. Among them, Peng Ying nodded repeatedly. He was a little unhappy with Zhao Jian at first, but now, he has developed some respect for Zhao Jian. After all, what Zhao Jian said is reasonable.

This is Peng Ying. He treats talented people with courtesy, but he looks down on humble people with his nose in the air and his eyelids turned upside down.

Liu Zhang then dismounted, walked up to Zhao Jian, stretched out his hand and pulled Zhao Jian, who had dismounted earlier, and said, "You came here last night, but I didn't meet you right away. I think I was not treating you well. I hope you can forgive me."

"My Lord, your words make me feel frightened." Zhao Jian immediately spoke modestly upon hearing this.

Following Zhao Jian's advice, Liu Zhang first paid homage to the tomb of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, and explained the current situation in Guanzhong to his adopted ancestor, acting like a filial son and grandson.

Liu Zhang then carried out Zhao Jian's second suggestion. He collected the remains of Si Tu Wang Yun, Zuo Fengyi Song Yi, You Fufeng Wang Hong and other loyal and brave men, reburied them, and gave them a grand funeral to express his respect for them.

After doing these two things, Liu Zhang came to the gate of Chang'an again. This time, no one came out to stop him from entering the city. He rode his horse and stepped briskly into Chang'an City.

With this, Grand Marshal Liu Zhang entered Chang'an.

……

Longshan.

Gan Ning and Wen Pin's troops headed westward from Huangbai City to Longshan. They led their soldiers to travel day and night, reaching Longshan at a rate of five hundred soldiers in three days and one thousand soldiers in six days. They took advantage of the fact that many passes in Longshan were unguarded and captured the Guanlong Road, which was closest to Guanzhong.

At this moment on the Guanlong Road, Gan Ning and Wen Pin both looked relieved. The fact that they could take Guanlong Road so easily showed that Ma Teng and Han Sui, who were confronting each other in Tianshui County, were already in an incompatible situation. Otherwise, they would not have arranged people to protect the passage of Longshan and let them take Guanlong Road so easily.

"The Guanlong Road has been taken. Tomorrow your army will be dispatched to Longyou, and there will be no obstacles." Wen Pin said happily.

"That's right." Gan Ning nodded affirmatively. At the same time, he sighed, "The generals in Guanxi are all ordinary people who have no long-term plans or the intention to dominate the world... Otherwise, why did the two thieves Ma Teng and Han Sui in Longyou not care about the loss of their teeth and lips when my Shu army attacked Li Jue and Guo Si? Instead, they led their troops to attack each other, so that we have no worries and can defeat Li Jue and Guo Si with peace of mind."

"Fu Han is right." Wen Pin agreed, "The generals in Guanxi are greedy for profit and forget righteousness. They don't know what loyalty is. For example, Li Jue and Guo Si are hesitant and suspicious of each other. They failed to work together to fight against our Shu army, so they ended up in defeat."

"And Han Sui and Ma Teng of Longyou, who used to be sworn brothers, did not think of working together, but instead attacked each other. You took my Jincheng County, so I killed your wife and children. With a fierce tiger by your side, you still quarreled and fought in Tianshui County for days. These short-sighted thieves are really despicable."

"Although the generals in Guanxi are despicable, the enemy's short-sightedness and incompetence are our blessing." Gan Ning laughed happily and sneered at Ma Teng and Han Sui who were attacking each other in Tianshui County. If Ma Teng and Han Sui had not ignored their sworn brothers and attacked their sworn brothers, this Guanlong Road would not have fallen into his hands so easily.

After the joy of taking over Guanlong Road, Wen Pin asked Gan Ning: "Does Fu Han plan to rest for a day and a night before marching to Lueyang, or should he set out immediately and go to Lueyang?"

"Hmm?" Gan Ning pondered for only a moment, and then he made a decision: "The military situation is urgent, and time waits for no one. If we don't take Lueyang soon, I will feel uneasy. I will send troops to Lueyang immediately and take the key to Lueyang."

Then Gan Ning did as he said. After a short rest, he led his soldiers to Lueyang. Along the way, they built bridges over rivers and cleared roads across mountains, and rushed towards Lueyang City regardless of difficulties and dangers.

When Gan Ning arrived at Lueyang City, Lueyang, the key to the Pass, was in an almost undefended state at the moment when the two heroes of Longyou, Ma Teng and Han Sui, led their troops to attack. Gan Ning led his troops to capture Lueyang City easily without any decent obstruction and planted the flag of the Shu army on the top of the city wall.

sunset.

Gan Ning stood on the top of Lueyang City, looking at the mountains and rivers of Longshan Mountain and the sunset that looked like residual blood. He suddenly felt a sense of pride in his heart, and this pride poured out from his mouth: "The scenery is extremely unique, the best scenery in the world." (End of this chapter)