The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 403 Zhang Lu Surrenders

Zhang Lu had just finished washing up when Yan Pu, Yang Song and others broke in.

"Master, the cavalry is already at the gates of the city." Yan Pu looked panicked.

"What?" The pottery bowl in Zhang Lu's hand fell to the ground and shattered. Although he knew that his troops were no match for the Cavalry Army, he never expected that the final result would be like this.

It had only been a short time, and Yangping Pass had already been lost. Were all Zhang Wei's tens of thousands of troops pigs? Even if they were pigs, there were tens of thousands of them, and now they were easily destroyed, allowing the enemy to approach the city.

"Go and have a look."

Zhang Lu led everyone to the city wall without even having time to change his clothes. Sure enough, he saw countless soldiers and horses below the city, with flags covering the sky and the sun, like a black torrent appearing before them.

"Is that you, my lord, on the city wall? I, Wei Yan, have come to conquer Yizhou on the orders of the emperor. Please open the city gate and let us enter." When Wei Yan saw the people on the city wall, he hurriedly rode forward and said loudly.

"General Wei, my lord and the prime minister have nothing to do with each other, so why did the prime minister invade my border?" Yan Pu shouted.

"Master, we are conquering the world on the orders of the Son of Heaven? Could it be that Hanzhong is the city of the Han Dynasty? Isn't Master a subject of the Han Dynasty? I remember that this is the birthplace of Emperor Gaozu!" Wei Yan laughed.

Yan Pu and others laughed bitterly in their hearts. Everyone knew the truth behind this. Who would still take the emperor seriously? However, on the surface, no one dared to say anything. They all believed that they were ministers of the Han Dynasty and loyal to the emperor.

But what made everyone very angry was that Qin Shoushou was the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, but in fact he was a traitor to the Han Dynasty. The emperor was just a puppet in his hands. Such a person dared to hold high the banner of the Han Dynasty and conquer all directions. Isn't this a huge joke?
On the city wall, no one spoke. No one knew how to object to this matter.

Now the enemy is at the gates of the city. The city is short of soldiers and generals. How can it resist such a fierce and powerful army? It doesn't even have a chance to escape.

What lies ahead is a fight to the bitter end or even surrender.

No matter which one it is, Zhang Lu will have to make the final decision. For a moment, everyone's eyes fell on Zhang Lu, waiting for his decision.

Zhang Lu looked at the fierce and ferocious cavalry soldiers under the city, and fear suddenly appeared on his face. He had heard of the name of the cavalry soldiers for a long time, but when he really saw them, he was still very frightened.

"This matter is of great importance. General, please wait a moment and let us discuss it before making a decision." Yang Song saw it clearly from the side and quickly answered loudly.

"Master, look, it's Zhang Wei and the other three generals."

Yan Pu suddenly discovered something and quickly pointed towards the city and exclaimed in surprise.

Zhang Lu also discovered Zhang Wei and others at this time. All three of them had been arrested. Although he didn't know why all three of them were captured, it didn't matter now as his three generals had all been captured alive.

He looked around and saw fear on the faces of the soldiers around him. He knew that the morale of the army had been lost and it was impossible to resist. There was only one way left for him.

"Open the gates and surrender!"

As soon as Zhang Lu finished speaking, he felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. The enemy was already at the gates of the city, and surrendering at this time was not a shameful thing.

You will have to surrender sooner or later anyway, so you might as well be decisive now and gain a good reputation. At the very least, you can keep yourself safe.

Wei Yan and others on the city wall just stood there quietly, waiting for the result. There was no impatience on their faces, because they all knew that they were already at the gates of the city. Zhang Lu, who was short of soldiers in the city, had no chance of resistance. There was only one way out for them. Sure enough, in less than a cup of tea, the gate of Hanzhong was opened, and Zhang Lu led the civil and military officials in the city, holding the military and civilian registers and the seal, and slowly walked out of the city gate.

Wei Yan was overjoyed when he saw this. He jumped off his horse and moved forward with Xun You and others.

"Your humble servant Zhang Lu pays homage to the general."

Zhang Lu had a complicated expression and fell to the ground.

Wei Yan took the tray and passed it to Xun You. He then helped him up and said comfortingly, "When we were in Chang'an, the Prime Minister had heard of your name for a long time. When he asked me to go to the battle this time, he repeatedly told me to ensure your safety."

"Thank you for your concern, Prime Minister. I am grateful."

Zhang Lu hurriedly headed towards Chang'an to express his gratitude.

Regardless of whether it was Qin Shou's order or not, just based on these few words, Zhang Lu knew that his life was saved. His expression suddenly became relaxed and a look of joy appeared on his face.

Wei Yan was immediately invited to Hanzhong.

Wei Yan was not polite and ordered the army to take over the defense of Hanzhong, while the others entered the prefectural government.

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Zhang Lu quickly ordered people to prepare wine and reward the three armies. Next, he sent a letter to all parts of Hanzhong, and the army firmly controlled the entire Hanzhong. These things were also decided by the letter and could not affect the overall situation.

"Master, the emperor asked me to conquer Liu Zhang. I wonder if the marquis has any suggestions."

Wei Yan asked impatiently.

Zhang Lu was just doing it as a side job. Wei Yan's main target was still Liu Zhang of Bashu. As long as he occupied Bashu, he could go down the river, attack Nanjun and other places, manage southern Jing, and completely break Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang's view of dividing the world into three parts.

It can be said that the land of Bashu is the key to unifying the world. If he could achieve such an achievement, Wei Yan believed that his achievements would surpass those of Zhang Liao, Huang Zhong and others, and he would be the number one among the military generals.

"General, the only feasible route between Hanzhong and Bashu is the Jinniu Road. From Hanzhong to Guangyuan, Jiameng, Jianmen and other places, these places are easy to defend and difficult to attack." Zhang Lu said with a wry smile.

Liu Zhang was weak, and Zhang Lu and Liu's father and son were mortal enemies. He wanted to seize Bashu day and night, but there were too many dangerous places in Bashu, such as Jiameng Pass, Jianmen Pass, etc. There was no place that was not guarded by one man and ten thousand men could not pass. This made Zhang Lu look at Shu and feel helpless.

If not for this, he would have entered Chengdu long ago and would not have stayed in Hanzhong and become a prisoner.

"The royal army has entered Hanzhong. I believe that the news will reach Liu Zhang's ears soon. Let's see how he reacts first. Liu Zhang is weak, and the troops in Shu are exhausted. They may not be our match." Xun You comforted.

He did not think that Liu Zhang had the ability to turn the tide in this situation. After all, he had no helpers.

Liu Bei, who had Ke He as his helper, now had his main force tied up in Nanjun and was unable to help Liu Zhang. The opponent's defeat was only a matter of time. When the news reached Shu, some people were already preparing to surrender.

(End of this chapter)