Ji Han Liu Zhang

Very rare.

After only one day of attack, Fuhan City fell into the hands of the Shu army. Fuhan, which Song Jian, the King of Heshou Pinghan, had managed for more than ten years, was like a pool of mud in front of the Shu army, unable to withstand the Shu army's merciless destruction and fierce attack.

At this moment, in the Shu army camp outside the city of Fuhan, Liu Zhang was listening to the military officer Peng Ying reporting the detailed military situation after the army entered the city.

"My lord, now the entire city of Fuhan has fallen into our hands. Now that Fuhan has been pacified, Longyou will be at peace." Peng Ying said with great joy. With the fall of Fuhan City, the entire Longyou came under the rule of Liu Zhang. According to the records, all the former territories of the Qin Dynasty belonged to Liu Zhang. As a subject of Liu Zhang, Peng Ying was naturally delighted by this happy event.

"Song Jian, the King of Heshou Pinghan, was killed by Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing, subordinates of Han Sui. His head is on the way. You will be able to see Song Jian's dog head soon."

Liu Zhang shook his head upon hearing this. He was not very interested in viewing Song Jian's head. After thinking for a moment, he ordered: "There is no need to send Song Jian's head here. Have someone hang it directly on the top of the city wall of Fuhan to warn people from all over the world that the Han family should not be insulted lightly."

"Yes." Peng Ying nodded and agreed.

"Where is Han Sui?" Liu Zhang asked. Even if Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing rebelled, abandoned the dark and joined the light, and handed over the head of Song Jian, the King of Heshouping Han, as a gift of surrender, then Han Sui, who was the master of Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing, was also killed by Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing?

The idea of ​​Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing killing their master and surrendering only existed in Liu Zhang's mind for a moment before it disappeared. He vaguely remembered that Yan Xing had betrayed Han Sui in history, but Cheng Gongying had always followed Han Sui from beginning to end, never leaving him, and was a well-known loyal minister.

If it was only Yan Xing, Liu Zhang would probably think that Han Sui was also killed and his head was used as a gift for the emperor. But there was an additional Cheng Gongying, and Cheng Gongying would certainly not commit murder, so Han Sui's life or death was now in doubt.

Liu Zhang's doubts did not last long, as Peng Ying spoke up and cleared up his doubts: "My Lord, Han Sui surrendered alone, but he was separated from Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing who presented Song Jian's head. They have nothing to do with each other."

"Hmm? Oh." Liu Zhang was puzzled, and then he quickly understood the connection. Han Sui acted this way, firstly so that his subordinates Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing could take the credit and use Song Jian's head as a gift to Liu Zhang for his surrender; secondly, so that Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing would not be branded as traitors, after all, Han Sui surrendered on his own, instead of Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing being tied up and offered to him.

"It's really well-intentioned." Liu Zhang sighed.

Peng Ying was a smart man, and he roughly understood the twists and turns. He also sighed and said, "Han Wenyue really has good intentions, and his actions are worthy of his reputation as a hero."

One day later, the Shu army cleared out the city of Fuhan. The royal palaces that had been usurped by Song Jian, the former King of Heshou Pinghan, were demolished and destroyed. The prime minister and other officials appointed by Song Jian were all killed by the Shu army to show the fate of traitors.

At that moment when the city of Fuhan was clear and bright, Liu Zhang rode his horse leisurely into the city. When he was several feet away from the city wall, Liu Zhang raised his head slightly and glanced at the head of Song Jian hanging on the top of the city wall. He showed a faint smile, then whipped his horse and drove into the city.

Fuhan, a county temple.

In the hall, Liu Zhang sat at the top and met Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing, who had turned from darkness to light.

"You two have abandoned the dark and joined the light, and killed Song Jian. You can be said to be wise and reasonable, and you are also meritorious officials. I will now promote Mr. Cheng Gong to be the Liangzhou official, and Mr. Yan to be the Qiang Suppression Captain."

Liu Zhang offered rewards to Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing for turning from evil to good and returning to the right path.

"Thank you, Lord Ming." Yan Xing knelt down eagerly. On the one hand, he was happy to get rid of the identity of a traitor, and on the other hand, he was happy that he was promoted to a higher position. His heart was filled with joy.

"Thank you, Lord Ming." Cheng Gongying also knelt down to express his gratitude, but his tone was calmer than Yan Xing's, not too eager or excited. Perhaps it was the usual indifference of counselors, or perhaps he had not yet convinced Liu Zhang.

Conquering Fuhan and killing Song Jian was a great military achievement. So after nightfall, Liu Zhang held a banquet to celebrate the quick capture of Fuhan.

Considering that the city of Fuhan had just been captured, there might be some evil creatures hiding in the darkness, trying to rebel. So at the dinner, they drank only a little and did not get drunk.

At the banquet, Liu Zhang occasionally raised his glass to Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing, urging the two newly surrendered people to drink, to show his preferential treatment and to demonstrate his respect for the wise.

"I wonder how you plan to deal with General Han." At the banquet, Cheng Gongying could not hold back any longer. He asked Liu Zhang, wanting to know how Liu Zhang would deal with Han Sui. However, he knew that Han Sui was still in prison without a clear result, and he did not know what would happen in the future.

As Cheng Gongying's words came out, the slightly lively banquet paused for a moment, and a brief silence occurred. Everyone turned their eyes to Cheng Gongying, who was out of place at the right time, and speculated that Cheng Gongying was thinking about his former master and wanted to plead for him.

Everyone in the hall, especially Yan Xing and Ma Chao, looked at Cheng Gongying with bright eyes. Yan Xing thought to himself that he and Cheng Gongying surrendered to Liu Zhang at the same time. If Cheng Gongying's next words offended Liu Zhang, he would not have a good ending. Ma Chao's eyes were filled with hatred. He was worried that Cheng Gongying would use his words to persuade Liu Zhang to spare Han Sui's life, and then his father and brother's revenge would not be avenged.

Peng Ying was sitting near Cheng Gongying. He saw Liu Zhang was drinking and had no time to answer Cheng Gongying, so he interrupted with a bad face and replied on behalf of Liu Zhang: "My lord, you have said before that Han Wenyue has been causing trouble in Longyou for more than ten years and has shown no kindness to Liangzhou. He is a traitor to the country and a strong enemy to the people. The only way is to behead him and show him to the public to show the power of the court."

Liu Zhang drank a glass of wine calmly, then put down the glass in his hand without saying a word, as if he agreed with Peng Ying's answer.

When Cheng Gongying heard what Peng Ying said and observed Liu Zhang's expression, he knew that even if he was eloquent, he could not persuade Liu Zhang, the leader, to spare his former master Han Sui's life.

After sighing inwardly, Cheng Gongying bowed and asked Liu Zhang for permission, saying, "Ming Gong, Ying and General Han were loyal subjects in the past. Although his crime is unforgivable now, please give General Han some dignity and don't let him lose his head and body."

When Yan Xing heard this, he was silent for a moment, then he also bowed and asked for orders, echoing Cheng Gongying's words. Although he was a minister of Liu Zhang today, if he did not care about his old master, he would lose his status as a good man in the eyes of others.

"I agree to this matter." Liu Zhang nodded and gave his conclusion.

As Liu Zhang's conclusion came out, Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing, two of Han Sui's former ministers, showed a hint of gratitude on their faces, feeling deeply touched by Liu Zhang's leniency.

On the other hand, Ma Chao was relieved. He was just prepared to argue with Cheng Gongying when Cheng Gongying said something that might persuade Liu Zhang to spare Han Sui's life. Now that Cheng Gongying just asked him to give Han Sui some respect, he didn't have to worry about anything.

As Ma Chao, who had a blood feud with Han Sui, did not care how Han Sui died, although he thought it would be best to cut Han Sui into pieces. But now that Liu Zhang had promised Cheng Gongying to give Han Sui a decent death, Ma Chao could only agree and did not dare to have any rebellious thoughts. Next, Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing returned to their seats, and the banquet continued to be lively. At this time, many people came to Cheng Gongying's seat and toasted Cheng Gongying with wine. Cheng Gongying's behavior of not forgetting his old master was recognized by many people.

The banquet did not last too late and ended quietly when the moon was about to reach its zenith.

The next day.

Liu Zhang cast out his fishing line and started fishing by the Daxia River outside the city of Fuhan. After a while, the fishing line in the distance swayed slightly, and then it was stretched straight. Liu Zhang calmly held the fishing rod and pulled with the big fish that had taken the bait.

Under the control of the experienced driver Liu Zhang, the big fish that had taken the bait was so slippery that it lost its temper. Finally, Liu Zhang gently pulled it onto the green grass by the river.

"What a big fish! Great Sima is a great fisherman."

When Liu Zhang caught a big fish, a flattering voice came from several feet away. He glanced around and after confirming the identity of the person, he smiled indifferently: "It's a big fish, and it fell into my hands." His words were double entendre.

Han Sui, who was several feet away, was slightly startled, then he laughed. He saw through the meaning of Liu Zhang's words: "It is an honor for me, Han Sui, to be regarded as a big fish by the Grand Marshal."

"General Han, can you fish?" Liu Zhang asked casually. Liu Zhang had some good feelings towards Han Sui, who sacrificed himself to protect his subordinates. So he took advantage of his free time while fishing to call Han Sui over for a while, intending to have a chat with this hero from Liangzhou.

Han Sui shook his head and replied, "I don't know how to do this. Whenever I go fishing in rivers, I always come back empty-handed."

"Are you willing to learn?" Liu Zhang asked.

Han Sui frowned slightly upon hearing this. He pondered Liu Zhang's true intention. After a moment, he shook his head again: "Sui has not much time left. I am afraid that I will not have time to learn the skills of the Grand Marshal to catch big fish."

"That's right." Liu Zhang nodded, and he changed the subject naturally: "I heard that General Han was a former official of Yin Hua, the governor of Jincheng. After Yin Hua passed away, he sent Yin Hua's coffin to Xiaqiu and engraved a stone to commemorate his merits. He became famous because of this."

Han Sui was silent and lowered his head slightly.

"I also heard that General Han once went to Luoyang as a clerk and met General He Jin. He once advised the general to kill the eunuchs. He clearly had the ambition to clear up the world. He is also a hero of the Han Dynasty."

Han Sui looked a little embarrassed and continued to remain silent.

“Judging from General Han’s conduct when he was young, he will be qualified to be a minister or a prefect in the future. Even if he stays indoors and does not take care of worldly affairs, he will still be a famous scholar in Liangzhou and well-known in Xizhou.” Liu Zhang said sincerely.

"By the way, I heard that General Han's original name was Han Yue, and later he changed it to Han Sui. I don't know if this is true or not."

"Yes." Han Sui nodded, and said dejectedly: "When he was young, Sui was famous in Xizhou and Guanlong. At that time, he was in his prime, full of vigor and ambition, and he talked about world affairs and was determined to clear up the world... Seeing off his former master Yin Hua and persuading He Jin to kill the eunuchs were all of this kind of ambition."

"But the heavens do not fulfill our wishes." Han Sui sighed. "On that winter day in the first year of Zhongping, the Qiang dog Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou rebelled in Xizhou. My fellow county commander Bian Zhang and I were kidnapped by Beigong Boyu because we were famous in Longyou. In order to boost the momentum of the rebels, we fell into the mud and could never wash off our identity as thieves."

"At that time, in order to protect my family from harm when the rebels were defeated, I changed my name from Han Yue to Han Sui, and thus even my name no longer existed." Han Sui's eyes were deep, and he couldn't help feeling sad when he thought about the past.

The young man who was full of vigor and ambition to clear up the world, because of the changing world, could not control himself, and eventually became a famous thief. Instead of clarifying the current situation, he caused chaos in the world and stirred up the current situation. It can be said that the world is unpredictable and life is uncontrollable.

Han Sui let out a long sigh and said with a smile: "The past should not be recalled. Today's affairs should be carefully considered." Han Sui showed some regret. To be honest, when he was first kidnapped by Beigong Boyu, he still hoped that one day he could escape from the rebels, turn over a new leaf, and become a Han official again. However, he had entered the den of bandits and committed serious crimes, and it was difficult to turn back.

As the situation changed, he, a man who was kidnapped and forced to become a thief, became the biggest thief. He repeatedly caused chaos in Longyou and disturbed the peace in Guanlong area.

Moreover, his words and deeds gradually abandoned the propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame of the old scholars and officials. He became a bandit. He would resort to betrayal and conspiracy as long as he could survive.

"It's not too late for General Han to regret now." Liu Zhang saw the embarrassment on Han Sui's face and knew that this hero who had been wreaking havoc in Liang Province for more than ten years, thought about the past before his death and finally regretted his life.

Liu Zhang put down his fishing rod and said to Han Sui in a serious tone, "The general's old official Cheng Gongying asked me to give the general a favor, and I agreed."

"In that case, thank you very much, Grand Marshal." Han Sui bowed solemnly and thanked Liu Zhang.

"Yes." Liu Zhang nodded to accept Han Sui's gratitude.

Not long after, when Han Sui was about to be executed, Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing, two of Han Sui's former officials, got Liu Zhang's permission and came to the prison to see Han Sui off.

"General." Cheng Gongying burst into tears. He just called out respectfully, which made Yan Xing beside him feel a little sad as well.

"Why act like a woman?" Han Sui was still in the mood to chat and laugh. He laughed to make Cheng Gongying put away his sadness, and then told Cheng Gongying and Yan Xingdao: "Serve the Grand Marshal well, and become famous in the country in the future, and be awarded a title. Let the people of the world know that I, Han Sui, have good vision."

After a brief conversation with Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing, Han Sui dismissed them and said he was going to hang himself, not wanting Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing to see his embarrassing state before his death.

Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing left, and Han Sui hung a piece of silk on the beam, then stretched out his head and ended his life without hesitation. (End of this chapter)