Chapter 64

The atmosphere in Luoyang was gloomy and bleak. This year seemed to be a particularly unfortunate one for the Han Dynasty. Well, the Han Dynasty had been in decline for years, but this year was especially bad. The sudden emergence of the Great Qian was enough to overwhelm the Han. Although it was not as widespread and openly rebellious as the Yellow Turbans a few years ago, its threat and strength were even greater.

The Great Qian steadily advanced, now controlling several provinces. The Han's several attempts to suppress it were ineffective, and instead, they suffered heavy losses. Famous Han generals like Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, and Dong Zhuo were either captured or fled in disarray, which was a huge shock to the court and the entire country.

It seemed that Huangfu Song and others had their ups and downs, but everyone knew that these famous generals were the true pillars of the Han. If even they failed, what could the court do? Or, in this situation, did the Han still have any hope?

Many people in Luoyang pondered this question, but on the surface, they all appeared to be loyal to the state. They discussed how to deal with the Great Qian. The national treasury was empty, and the military was weak, so they often had to recruit soldiers locally.

Although there were still some troops in Luoyang, He Jin and others did not dare to send them out, for fear of who would protect them, these pillars of the Han? Although some court officials suggested this, the "wise and valiant" He Jin hesitated. In the end, he only dispatched a part of the troops, led by Chunyu Dao, to join Huangfu Song in Yingchuan to resist the Great Qian. Although there were voices in the court to punish Huangfu Song, He Jin was not a fool. He knew that if he punished Huangfu Song, who would have enough prestige and ability to deal with the Great Qian?

In addition to part of the army, He Jin also specially sent some of his subordinates, such as Chen Lin and Xun Yu, to assist Huangfu Song. Moreover, he ordered craftsmen to accelerate the research and replication of the cannons Zhu Jun had managed to send back.

At this critical moment, even the usually stingy major families appeared loyal to the state, providing a large amount of grain and supplies. Of course, both the families and the court were diligently extorting the wealthy, collecting money and grain, and conscripting able-bodied men. The eight passes of Luoyang were tightly sealed, which gave them a bit more security.

He Jin ordered the mobilization of part of the army from Guanzhong and, of course, did not forget to send people to recruit soldiers from various regions. At this time, He Jin and many officials in the court were quite relieved that the Great Qian did not advance on Luoyang after defeating Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song. Otherwise, they really had no confidence in defending it.

In addition to relief, some people looked down on the Great Qian for its short-sightedness, not knowing how to take advantage of the rare opportunity, and not being professional enough in rebellion.

In fact, there were indeed people in Zhang Hao's subordinates who suggested directly attacking Luoyang, but after discussion, Zhang Hao rejected it. He was not unaware of the benefits, but he saw the drawbacks more clearly. As mentioned earlier, the Great Qian's military strength was relatively weak. To directly attack Luoyang, they would have to mobilize troops from all over, and although the situation was stable due to effective propaganda, the time was still short, and the lack of military deterrence made it uncertain whether any rebellion would occur.

Moreover, directly attacking Luoyang, regardless of whether the main body of the court would flee, would certainly boost the Great Qian's momentum and strip the Han of its last face. This might lead to rebellions in many places, which would not be a bad thing for the Great Qian, as the Han's prestige would disappear, making subsequent conquests easier.

However, for the people in various regions, they would have to endure a period of chaos. The social environment after the order was disrupted would be unimaginable. The Great Qian's strength was not yet sufficient to quickly stabilize the entire region, which Zhang Hao considered a bad idea.

It was not because of false benevolence. After all, since Zhang Hao raised his army, many civilians had been affected. In critical moments, Zhang Hao could be ruthless. The problem was that the benefits of directly attacking Luoyang were not enough to outweigh the drawbacks.

With a significant technological advantage, Zhang Hao could achieve his goals steadily and efficiently. Building a solid foundation and accumulating sufficient strength before attacking was the most suitable strategy. This way, he could minimize the impact on the people and avoid excessive damage to the nation's vitality.

After considering everything, Zhang Hao put aside this seemingly good opportunity. Of course, if the situation changed, he would adjust accordingly. For now, he just needed to let Huang Zhong put pressure on Huangfu Song.

After reading the intelligence about Luoyang that was brought back by the wind, Zhang Hao put it aside. No matter how the Luoyang court responded, their ultimate fate was already determined.

These thoughts flashed through Zhang Hao's mind. At this time, Zhang Hao was not at ease either. From controlling one province in Yangzhou, in a short time, he expanded to five provinces, including Jiaozhou. With such a large expansion, there were more things to handle.

Jingzhou and Jiaozhou were fine, but Xuzhou and Yuzhou, which had just experienced war, were the most troublesome. Fortunately, Zhang Hao had prepared a large amount of grain and medicine in advance, and with the harvest in Yangzhou, there were ways to deal with the situation. Additionally, pacifying the people, reorganizing the army, and rectifying local officials were all complex tasks. Fortunately, Zhang Hao's household had more and more talented people, and they had experience, so they handled things in an orderly manner.

Apart from the necessary tasks, Zhang Hao was actually quite relaxed. After personally leading the army to fight Zhu Jun, Cai Yan finally expressed her feelings to him. Zhang Hao naturally could not miss this good opportunity and had to seize the time to get closer to her.

Speaking of which, Zhang Hao thought of something. Taking over Yuzhou meant that Cao Cao's hometown was now under his control. He wondered if Cao Cao, who had gone to Luoyang to join the Eight Commandants of the Western Garden, had taken his wives and concubines with him.

Well, this was purely Zhang Hao's perverse interest.

The good news was that with the development of the Great Qian, more and more talented people were coming to join, such as Xu Chu and Chen Dao. Some came voluntarily, and some were recruited by Zhang Hao, making the Great Qian increasingly rich in talent.

Zhu Jun and Dong Zhuo were still besieged in Shouchun. Because Zhang Hao had promised Cai Yong to try not to harm Zhu Jun, and Cai Yong was unwilling to persuade him to surrender, Zhang Hao simply left them alone, knowing that the other side would be the first to give in.

Indeed, Shouchun did not hold out for long. After Zhang Hao spent two days at his hometown and returned to Qin Prefecture, he received good news when he entered the Three Kingdoms world. The remnants of Zhu Jun's forces in Shouchun had surrendered.

To be precise, it was not Zhu Jun who surrendered, but Dong Zhuo and some of Zhu Jun's generals who jointly surrendered. Those who did not want to surrender, including Zhu Jun and other generals, were tied up and presented to Zhang Hao as gifts.

In Linyang, Zhang Hao first met Zhu Jun. This famous general left a deep impression on Zhang Hao. If their conditions were the same, Zhang Hao might not have been able to outmaneuver him. His benevolence and cruelty were all for victory and the greater good, perhaps making him a true famous general.

Thinking about Zhu Jun's actions and the materials he had read, although he did not like them, Zhang Hao was somewhat moved.

Even after being betrayed by his subordinates and presented as a gift, Zhu Jun, though gaunt and haggard, still had a firm and fearless gaze. In the hall, he did not show gratitude for Zhang Hao not making him kneel, but instead looked straight at Zhang Hao and asked directly,

"I came here to ask you one question. How do you plan to treat the Emperor and the royal family?"

Zhang Hao was taken aback, not expecting Zhu Jun to ask such a question.

Zhu Jun, who had personally fought against the Great Qian and deeply understood it, knew even before the battle that his chances of winning were slim. Even if he could win temporarily, the ultimate victory would belong to Zhang Hao. However, his character and thinking determined that he had to be loyal, so he fought to the death.

The fierce Zhu Jun did not commit suicide when he was betrayed by his subordinates and presented as a gift, just to find out the answer to this question.

"I will treat them as ordinary people. I have no need to exterminate them, and they are not worth it. Well, if treated as ordinary people, they might find it hard to survive, given their lack of skills. I will grant them an honorary title and a stipend sufficient for them to live a life of ordinary wealth."

Zhang Hao thought for a moment and said,

"Thank you. You indeed have lofty ambitions. Under your rule, the world will flourish, and the people will live better lives."

Zhu Jun said sincerely, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Zhang Hao suddenly felt something was wrong and gestured. The guards quickly supported the fainting Zhu Jun, seeing blood trickling from his mouth. He had chosen to bite his tongue and commit suicide.

Rushing over to check, Zhang Hao found that Zhu Jun had fainted from exhaustion or pain. Fortunately, he was not dead. Otherwise, how would Zhang Hao explain it to Cai Yong? How could he not know that biting the tongue was the hardest way to die and very painful?

He immediately called for a doctor to take good care of Zhu Jun and instructed his guards to inform Cai Yong, asking Cai Yong and Lu Zhi to take care of Zhu Jun. This stubborn old man was too much for Zhang Hao to handle.

Subsequently, Zhang Hao met the surrendered Dong Zhuo and others. The one who caught Zhang Hao's attention the most was undoubtedly Dong Zhuo, a bear-like man with a face full of scars but able to show a fawning and obedient demeanor, a true talent who knew how to adapt, no wonder he could rise so high.

Dong Zhuo was quite unlucky, a small tragedy influenced by Zhang Hao. This year was supposed to be the year of his rise.

Thinking of the might of the historical Dong Taishi, sleeping in the imperial bed, deposing and enthroning emperors, although his end was not beautiful, he had been powerful and enjoyed everything.

Thinking of the historical end of Dong Zhuo, Zhang Hao glanced at him. Although he was very fat, if he were to be executed by burning, it would not be as exaggerated as the legend. Well, it must be the fat he gained from living a life of luxury in the capital!

Under Zhang Hao's gaze, Dong Zhuo's expression did not change, but he felt a chill. Even after experiencing so many brutal wars, Dong Zhuo did not want to die. If he died, how could he enjoy his wealth and glory? So, at this moment, Dong Zhuo bent his waist even lower and smiled even more brightly.

Even though Dong Zhuo had a lot of dark history, since he had surrendered, Zhang Hao could not kill him outright.

On the surface, he had to treat him equally, reorganize and retrain him. He would have to send someone to keep an eye on him.

Notably, because of his poor impression of Dong Zhuo, Zhang Hao subtly hinted. So, Dong Zhuo wisely presented the Red Hare horse to Zhang Hao. Zhang Hao did not even pretend to refuse, accepting it directly. He could not help but speak kindly to Dong Zhuo, after all, words were free.

Another person who must be mentioned is the Tiger Guard Commander, Yuan Shu.

This young master of the Yuan family did not surrender, which was not because he was particularly loyal, but because he knew he had a grudge with Zhang Hao.

Thinking of their encounter in Luoyang last year and the subsequent small actions of this guy, Zhang Hao gave Yuan Shu a good job. Cleaning manure, to toughen his body.

After making this arrangement, Zhang Hao did not even see Yuan Shu, although he had a reason to humiliate him. But at this point, Yuan Shu was no longer in Zhang Hao's eyes, and he had no interest in humiliating him face-to-face.

After the remnants of Zhu Jun's forces surrendered, the Great Qian was busy consolidating its territory, such as suppressing the remaining soldiers and bandits.