After everything in Qingzhou was settled, it was already the end of December, and the Bafu army returned to Chang'an with thousands of prisoners from Linzi. After the army garrisoned Ba Ling, Liu Bei led the generals into the city. He specially selected 8,000 elite soldiers from each department to enter Chang'an with Liu Chao, the puppet emperor, to perform a triumphal ceremony.
Emperor Si of the Eastern Han Dynasty Liu Xie and Sili Colonel Chen Chang led the civil and military forces to the east of Weiyang Palace and were captured. The army entered the city from the Chucheng Gate in the north. After arriving at Guanhou Street, they suddenly turned eastward and then circled the city along Dumen Avenue, Hengchi Road, and Zhangtai Street in this order. Almost the whole city of Chang'an was mobilized to watch the triumphant soldiers and Linzi prisoners of war. Along the way, there were crowds of ladies and gentlemen on both sides, vying to catch a glimpse of the cavalry of hundreds of battles.
Leading the way were Liu Bei's white-collared guards, dressed in military uniforms, red brocade robes, and white-feathered domed iron helmets, holding high the cloud-patterned flying tiger flag. The military flag fluttered in the wind, and the hooves of horses led the rumbling sound behind them. It could be seen that countless samurai with swords were walking behind them. They walked in unison, a thousand people seemed to be one person. The blade in their hands was drawn out. Under the winter sun, an iron blade could be seen shining coldly. Eye-catching. Behind them were General Liu Bei, Henan Yin Guanyu, General Du Liao Zhang Fei and other generals of the Chinese army. They were so powerful that even the emperor's chariot in front looked a little inferior in this situation. .
Then the Linzi Dynasty captured hundreds of people, as well as the puppet emperor Liu Chao. They were all dressed in plain clothes at the moment, standing on several horses and carts, and were crowded and driven through the galloping road by the soldiers. Seeing this scene, the crowd cheered and cheered sincerely, watching him come and go as if looking at the spring breeze.
Following at the end were the four thousand Bafu cavalry. These people are almost all warriors selected from a hundred, and they are the absolute main force in the war. After people heard about it, they couldn't help but open their eyes and watch carefully.
I saw the Bafu cavalry forming a column, two horses and a row, coming slowly. But they only wore ordinary military uniforms, with bows and arrows on their backs and broadswords on their horses. There might be rolled up leather blankets behind the saddles, as well as food bags, water bags and other items. Both the knight and the mount have the color of dust. The knight's leather boots are still stained with snow and mud, and the mount does not have any decorations. Just like marching through the valley of Hongnong, he entered the city of Chang'an where thousands of people were watching.
They had just seen countless Splendid Guards in front of them, and now they suddenly saw the Bafu Cavalry in ordinary attire, but people did not dare to have any contempt. Although the horses are all of various colors, and the clothes are neither gorgeous nor uniform, but as far as the eye can see, these knights are silent and solemn, with eyes as hard as stone. When riding, although they are not majestic, they still act in the same way and have a sense of their own. Terrifying murderous intent. What's more, there are also ferocious-looking Huns or Xianbei people among them, which makes people feel frightened.
When these cavalry passed by, people did not dare to look up. When they gradually walked away, people started talking and praising them, saying: "The so-called elites with fierce methods and countless murders are probably like this. There were rumors before that Duan Juan returned home in triumph. At that time, some people fainted because of the sergeant’s eyes, but now I believe it.”
Besides, the sacrifice of prisoners has been completed, and Liu Bei leads all the people who will come to pay homage to the emperor. This expedition to the east was a complete victory, and the three thieves Yuan Shu, Bai Bo, and Qi and Han were eliminated in succession, and they were blameless. Even though the emperor was depressed in his heart, he had to smile at this moment and issued an edict saying that the generals had worked hard and had outstanding achievements, so they should not go home first. He would host a banquet in the palace to entertain everyone.
At the beginning of the banquet, Liu Bei suddenly walked into the middle of the banquet and told the emperor and everyone that he had a treasure that he would give to the emperor. Everyone didn't know why, but Chen Chong was the only one who understood it very well. I saw a person slowly walking out of the banquet, holding a box in his hand, kneeling on the ground in front of everyone, and said solemnly to the emperor: "Your Majesty, Zhu Zhi, was ordered by General Sun Jun to seal the seal of the country in a letter and return it to Your Majesty. .”
Everyone couldn't help but uproar when they heard the sound, and the emperor couldn't help but stand up and look directly at the lacquer box in Zhu Zhi's hand. At this time, Chen Chong walked to the palace, took the lacquer box solemnly, held it flat on his chest, walked slowly back to the emperor, and placed the lacquer box in front of the emperor.
The Emperor's body trembled slightly. He remembered what happened ten years ago and his eyes turned red. He opened the cover of the letter, held the imperial seal in his hands, and signaled to all the officials at the banquet. They all shouted for thousands of years, and again and again Kowtow.
Since the Luoyang Rebellion, the disappearance of the national seal has been a concern for all officials in the imperial court. The imperial seal represents the destiny of heaven. If the emperor does not transmit the imperial seal, it means that the Han Dynasty has exhausted its power and the country will not be able to last long. Although the government and the public never mentioned this matter, there were already rumors among the people that Han Zuo was in decline and could not be saved. Now that the Chuanguo Seal has returned to the imperial court, these rumors will probably disappear.
The emperor couldn't help but be filled with emotion when he saw this seal. He shed tears and said to everyone: "The last time I saw this seal was when I was King Chenliu. The emperor said to me with this seal: 'If I die, This country can only be left to you.' Then there was chaos in the Eastern Capital. When I saw this thing today, I seemed to see the emperor's brother." This emotion was so touching that all the officials were not moved.
At this time, Chen Chong advised: "This is the result of today's situation because of the loyal ministers in the world who sacrificed their lives for the Han Dynasty. I hope your majesty will keep it in mind."
The emperor raised his eyebrows slightly, and then said slowly: "I never dare to forget what you said, sir." After that, he called Zhu Zhi to him and asked him about his experience in the past ten years. Under the gaze of hundreds of officials, Zhu Zhi did not panic, but responded calmly, and the words he spoke were as if they were being carved with an ax or a knife.
He first talked about Sun Jian's deeds in conquering Dong and conquering Hangu, and then talked about Sun Ce's humiliation under Yuan Shu's command and his desire to repay the imperial court. Finally, during the battle of Ruying, he decided to avenge his father and be loyal to his country. When the emperor heard this, he couldn't help but say: "Father and son both broke into captivity, which is also a beautiful story."
Then, Zhu Zhi talked about the current situation in Yangzhou. Sun Ce was unparalleled in Jiangdong, and within two years he had wiped out the rebels in five counties. Only Yuzhang was occupied by Liu Biao and had not yet been captured. The emperor once again lamented: "When Sun Hou was young, he fought with his father. He was more loyal than Dai Hou!" The so-called Dai Hou refers to the famous Yuntai general Anfenghou Dou Rong. During the Xinmang chaos, Dou Rong took control of Hexi. Although he still wanted to protect the Han Dynasty, Guangwu proclaimed himself emperor in Qianqiu Pavilion, so he took the initiative to return to the Han Dynasty and destroyed Weixiao. He was praised by Guangwu as "loyalty and filial piety, helping the poor and rescuing people in danger". The emperor used this analogy, which shows his attitude towards the Han Dynasty. Sun Ce's favorite.
So the emperor announced a reward on the spot, making Sun Ce the general to conquer the east, adding 600 households to the city, giving him 100 horses, 500 gold, and more than a thousand slaves. Zhu Zhi was also promoted to Baiyue Zhonglang General, and was granted the title of Marquis of Anting, leading the military affairs in Pingshan, east of the Yangtze River. Such favor is not uncommon, and all the officials at the banquet were secretly shocked.
After Sun Ce was rewarded, the merits of the generals who conquered the east were also discussed. Before Liu Bei came to Beijing, this matter had been discussed in the imperial court for a long time, and it had already been concluded, so it was just in time to announce it:
In this year's war, Cao Cao broke through fortified cities and stretched across Jinan. Without him, Cao Cao would not be able to equalize, so he ranked first in merit. Therefore, the imperial court named him Zuo Chaqi General Shouzhang County Marquis, envoy Chijie and Yibi Sansi. It's just that Cao Cao is still in Yanzhou and can't go to Chang'an in person, which is a pity.
And Xun You made many ingenious strategies in Qingxu's war. He deceived Linqu and flooded Linzi, which was a decisive factor. Therefore, his merits ranked second, above the other generals. In this discussion of merit, he was promoted to the rank of Military Advisor General, Marquis of Chexiang, and was given five hundred gold.
Guan Yu ranks third. In fact, Guan Yu's record this year is not impressive. However, he guarded the eastern capital, repaired palaces, fought many battles, and was defeated in every battle. Over the past few years, Liu Bei, in order to show his selflessness, never rewarded him, so he was rewarded this time and ranked third. . He was granted the title of General of Right Chariot and Cavalry, and was entrusted with the title of "Chijie Kaifu Yibi Sansi", and went to Luohou.
Later, Zhang Xian's achievements in pacifying Huainan were ranked fourth, Wei Yan and Liu Xuan's achievements in sweeping Zishui were ranked fifth and sixth. Although the generals under them had merits, they were only in battles and were not as good as the above six people. The award will not be described in detail in the article.
As for those Chen Deng and Chen Gui who surrendered before the battle, Liu Bei had made arrangements and would no longer reward them. If someone dies on the battlefield, his family will be compensated, his children will be promoted, and he will enjoy his father's title.
These arrangements were considered appropriate and there was no objection from the palace, government or the public. But there is a big problem that has not been solved and has been put on hold until now, which is how to reward Liu Bei.
Liu Bei is already a general and a Marquis of Qixian County, which is the ultimate in terms of official rank and title. But he has been in charge of the Bafu and has been campaigning in Guandong for six years. Not only has he never suffered a major defeat, but he has also won many victories. So far, he has pacified the Central Plains, conquered six states, and conquered the south of the Yangtze River. He is nominally the number one contributor to the resurgence of the Han Dynasty. If he is not rewarded, he will not be rewarded. It is not enough to convince the public. But if there is a reward, it is actually a reward without a reward, a reward without a reward.
Therefore, at the banquet, some people raised questions on the spot. Fazheng, Taishi Ci and others asked: "Is it possible that the general has no merit?" This made the emperor feel embarrassed.
In the end, Liu Bei answered: "Da Sima Huo Guang has assisted Emperor Xiaozhao and Emperor Xiaoxuan for more than 20 years, and he has made great contributions to abolishing and establishing policies. His contribution is the highest among ministers. However, the official honor is extremely high and cannot be rewarded. Huo Da and I What's wrong with Sima?" So he declined the matter.
As a result, everyone in the court praised Liu Bei, comparing him to the Duke of Zhou.
After this incident, Liu Bei arranged for Zhang Fei to be formally engaged to the third sister of the Xiahou family. This was what Cao Cao took the initiative to propose to Liu Bei when Cao Cao and Liu Bei parted. He heard that Zhang Fei was still unmarried, and Xia Houyuan, the Prime Minister of Jibei, had a daughter who was now eleven years old and at the age of engagement, so he asked Liu Bei for a marriage.
Liu Bei was quite happy to hear this, which meant that Cao Cao was willing to get close to him, so he naturally agreed to this. In order to show the sincerity of the marriage between the two families, this engagement was made with great fanfare, and everyone in Guandong and Guanxi knew it. Not only the three princes and nine ministers of the court came to congratulate them, but also the princes such as Liu Biao of Jingzhou, Liu Yan of Yizhou, Sun Ce of Yangzhou, and Zhang Jin of Jiaozhou. They also sent generous gifts. Even Yuan Shao from Hebei Province sent Xun Chen to congratulate him and presented him with an extremely precious ten-foot-long brocade screen.
Although Zhang Fei was only a general of Du Liao and had the same status as Jiu Qing, everyone in the world knew that he was no different from Liu Bei's biological brother. Cao Cao's father was from the Xiahou family, and the Xiahou family had been married to the Cao family for generations, and they were also members of the same family. Therefore, this engagement can be said to be the marriage of the two most prominent groups in the Han Dynasty. So much so that the emperor personally asked about the matter and gave Zhang Fei a pair of Lantian jade.
At least from this moment, it seems that the Jinyang Ba Mansion is at its peak, unparalleled in the world.
In this way, the Han Dynasty ushered in the sixth year of Yanxing (198 AD).
