The victory of the final battle has long been finalized, but the conclusion will still take a long time.
After all, the coalition forces numbered more than 100,000, and not only had all the stragglers been wiped out, but the larger number of defeated soldiers must be wiped out completely.
Furthermore, Cao Sun and Liu were defeated, but it would still take time to recover the four counties of Jingnan, Jiaozhou, Yizhou, and Xiangyang.
Lin Mo didn't plan to wait here until all these things settled before leaving. It would take at least three months to half a year, which was too long.
After the express reports from various ministries arrived to confirm that there were no unforeseen problems, we were ready to choose a day to go north.
Liao Shen came back first, and only brought back more than 300 prisoners of war. Sun Ce, Cheng Pu, and Han Dang didn't bring back any of them. Lin Mo was not satisfied with this.
After all, it would be frightening to attack these poor bandits too harshly, which would not be conducive to recovering the lost territory.
However, Liao Shen had his own words, "You can't blame me for this. You don't know that Sun Ce brought not many people, only about 10,000, but these people are not afraid of death, and would rather die than surrender. what can I do.
However, although he only brought back more than 300 prisoners, Sun Ce had nothing to worry about. The cavalry chased them all the way. According to the statistics, the number of people who escaped was only a few dozen. Moreover, it was a dark and windy night and there were many forks in the road. Sun Ce At this point, they might all be naked. "
Lin Mo believed this.
In fact, after this battle, he didn't care too much about who ran away or who died.
Even if Cao Cao runs away, they will not be able to cause any trouble in the future. There is no place for them to be useful in this world.
That afternoon, Zhao Yun and Ma Chao also came back.
According to the previous assignment, Zhao Yun took Gan Ning to Wulin Road, and Ma Chao took Pang De to Huarong Road.
It is basically impossible for warriors of their level to join forces and return empty-handed.
On Zhao Yun's side, Xia Houyuan died in battle and Xu Chu was captured alive; Ma Chao beheaded Cao Hong and brought Xu Huang back.
As for the gains made by soldiers and horses, they were basically those who escaped sporadically. After all, they were prepared to fight.
"Xu Huang and Xu Chu are both worthy generals." Lin Mo couldn't help but sigh when he thought of their brilliant achievements in history.
"Maybe in the past, now."
Lu Bu sneered, "Keeping them alive is just because I don't want the prefectures and counties that have not surrendered to think that you and I are killing too indiscriminately."
This is the truth.
However, it is actually not accurate enough.
The world is still very big, and if you really don’t want future generations to learn English, these people can use it.
Not to mention the distance, Goguryeo and Fusang can actually be taken easily. According to the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, Fusang should now be under the rule of Himihu.
They can reach the Central Plains, which shows that no matter how weak the navigation technology of this era is, they can still communicate with each other.
Keep it, it may not be useless.
If you can't fight a water war, you can fight Goguryeo or Tianzhu.
However, Lin Mo did not explain this section and was going to see the two of them in person.
Unlike Cao Cao, these two men were generals who commanded thousands of armies, and their treatment was definitely much better. In addition to being imprisoned in a cage that made them unable to stand straight up, their hands were also trapped in shackles.
"I haven't seen Sikong yet!" Ma Chao, who was following him, reminded him sternly.
Xu Huang raised his eyes and looked at Lin Mo, lowered his head and said nothing.
On the contrary, Xu Chu wanted to get up. After being blocked, he held the fence with both hands and said excitedly: "Where is my lord?"
Quite loyal.
Cao Cao's death is an inevitable result. There is nothing to say about this.
But thinking that Xu Chu was also a loyal and fierce general, if he could be used for his own purposes, he could actually help a lot in the future, so Lin Mo waved his hand and said, "Bring him out."
Without weapons, trapped in shackles, and with Ma Chao following him, there would be no problem.
Lin Mo took Xu Chu to the place where Cao Cao died outside the military camp.
At this time, a tomb was erected here. The fresh soil on the tomb and the brand-new white flags beside it all confirmed that this was a new tomb.
Xu Chu looked at this scene a little confused. He didn't know that Cao Cao was dead. When he led him out of the military camp, he was still confused as to why Cao Cao was not imprisoned in the camp.
It wasn't until he saw clearly the inscription on the new tombstone: 'The tomb of Cao Cao, the general of the Han Dynasty who conquered the West', that his body suddenly froze.
I don't know how long it took, but his neck mechanically twisted towards Lin Mo, as if he wanted to ask for proof.
"This is the best destination for him, and it is also the path he chose." Lin Mo just told him the answer indifferently.
After hearing the news, the hunky-backed man knelt down and cried like a child.
"Untie his chains."
"Sikong, this..." It was Zhao Yun who captured Xu Chu, but Ma Chao asked Zhao Yun on the way back and knew that this was an unworthy warrior, so he was still a little worried.
"Why, he's bare-handed, but you're still afraid of him with a weapon?"
Ma Chao thought that was true, so he stepped forward and opened the shackles hanging around his neck.
Xu Chu moved his knees and crawled towards Cao Cao's tomb while crying. He hugged the tombstone and cried loudly. He kept sobbing and whispering in his mouth, not knowing what he was talking about.
Maybe, it's reminiscing about the past, or maybe it's guilt and self-blame.
From beginning to end, Lin Mo waited patiently. As loyal as he could be to Cao Cao, he would be as loyal to himself after conquering him.
And loyalty is the most important quality of a subordinate.
For this, Lin Mo is willing to wait.
I don’t know how long it took, but the warm sun had dissipated, the wind was blowing by the river, and the chill was suddenly rising.
Xu Chu seemed to have stopped sobbing. He stared blankly at the new grave, then suddenly picked up a stone larger than his fist and stood up.
Ma Chao, who had always been on alert, raised his gun forward with his right hand and swung his left hand horizontally to protect Lin Mo behind him.
Before he could speak, Xu Chu shouted: "Lord! Even under the Nine Springs, I am willing to protect you!"
After saying that, the stone held in his right hand hit him hard on the head.
Phew~
There was a muffled sound, and the stone seemed to be embedded in Xu Chu's head. Blood stains spattered out, as well as some unknown yellow and white objects.
Then, his body fell straight in front of Cao Cao's tomb.
This scene stunned Lin Mo and Ma Chao. They didn't expect Xu Chu to be so loyal.
Lin Mo stepped forward and took a look at Xu Chu's body, then looked at Cao Cao's grave, and murmured paradoxically: "General Cao, with this general, you can truly defeat a hundred thousand soldiers."
Lin Mo sighed, turned his back to Ma Chao and said, "Let someone build a tomb for General Cao next to him, the tomb of General Huben Xu Chu."
"Here."
When he returned to Dazhai, Lu Bu was a little surprised to see that only Lin Mo and Ma Chao had returned and asked, "Where are they? Did they run away?"
"Suicide." Lin Mo said softly.
"I can't tell, this rough guy with a big body and a thick body can be so loyal."
Lu Bu couldn't help but sigh after hearing this, and then asked: "What are your plans next?"
"My father-in-law, I, Uncle Zhang, Uncle Gao, Zilong, Wen He, and Wen Xiang, all of us, should go back to Xuchang first. As for here, it is left to Meng Qi and General Ma Teng to deal with the aftermath."
These are all recognized core members of Lu Lin, and those who remain, even if they have indeed entered the core, can at least give Liu Xie an illusion. Once he succeeds, these people will not recklessly avenge Lu Lin.
It can be regarded as giving him the last courage.
"Why don't you go to Changsha? The soldiers who surrendered said that Zhuge Liang took a boat back to Changsha alone when the war started. Another thing is that those soldiers said that the east wind that night was borrowed from Zhuge Liang's method. Do you believe it?"
The ancients would instinctively believe these bizarre rumors. Lin Mo naturally sneered at this, "I'm not going, I'm not interested. Let's go back to the capital."
Lin Mo knew best that Zhuge Liang didn't borrow Dongfeng to travel through time.
But his own talent for governing the country is unparalleled by few in the world. If it were purely about talent, Lin Mo would be willing to take this trip.
The problem is that Zhuge Liang should be the same as Xun Yu in his heart. Such a person will only sing the opposite in his next actions.
If necessary, Xun Yu would have to let him retire and return to his hometown first, so as to avoid some unpleasant remarks in the court.
As for whether Zhuge Liang lives or dies in the end, Lin Mo actually doesn't care either.
In the face of overwhelming strength, even if Zhuge Liang really joins Liu Bei, it will have no effect.
What's more, escaping from Jieshou is easy, but returning to Changsha from Jieshou is harder than climbing to the sky. Lin Mo has many deployments along the way. As long as those two show up, they will definitely not be able to escape.
"Don't we need to take action in Yizhou and Jiaozhou? Fazheng hasn't replied yet, so I'm a little worried." Zhao Yun said thoughtfully.
"Don't worry, the general trend of the world has been established, and the next step is just a matter of smooth sailing. When the battle report here spreads to the world, they will send a letter of surrender without us sending troops." Let the bullets fly for a while, this point, Lin Mo was not in a hurry at all.
According to time estimates, before things in Kyoto are settled, the letters of surrender from those states and counties have already been written.
Fa Zheng, this fellow, is purely giving him credit now. If he had not lost his mind, he would have shown his sincerity very quickly.
"In that case, I'll go and deliver the order." Seeing that Lu Bu didn't offer any advice, Zhao Yun bowed his hand.
Soon.
Soon, everything will be settled.
Liu Xie in the palace was really addicted to the emperor during these days.
Although there are no big things that require him to adjudicate, natural disasters still happen every day in a country. Even if it is just a local relief effort, or even a small matter of refusing to pay tribute, he is in a good mood when dealing with it. .
In his more than ten years as emperor, these days were the only periods when he was not restricted by others.
Being an emperor is actually quite tiring, but he is happy.
However, such a happy life did not last long. He received the battle report from the front line and learned that Lu Lin had defeated the coalition forces, Cao Cao was dead, and Liu Bei and Sun Ce were missing.
Liu Xie's mood was a little complicated. Sometimes, he even thought that it would be best for them to fight in the south for the rest of their lives and never come back.
But if he had to decide a winner, he still hoped that Lu Lin would win. Only if they won could his long-prepared plan be carried out, and only then would it be possible to really pull the trigger and take back the country at once. It was better than them fighting. It's evenly matched, and it's ten thousand times better to continue to be a puppet.
As long as this thing is successful, these more than ten years of being a puppet will not be in vain, and the two characters Liu Xie will become a presence in the Han emperor that is not weak to Liu Bang and Liu Xiu.
"Are you all ready?"
Liu Xie took a deep breath and looked at his uncle Dong Cheng, who nodded heavily and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, everything is ready and we will wait for them to come back."
Liu Xie just nodded without saying anything, reviewing the entire plan in his mind.
After they return to the army, soldiers and horses are not allowed to be brought into the city according to the law. They can only come back by themselves. At that time, they will hold a celebration banquet for them in the palace. Weapons are not allowed to be brought. After all, they have not wanted to enter the court beforehand. The right to worship and go to the temple with swords and shoes.
When the time comes, there will be three insurances prepared for them.
The first is that the wine at the celebration banquet has been manipulated, which is very important. At this time, they will not be too defensive;
The second thing is that there are enough people from the Nine Sects to replace all the confidants on the same day, ensuring that no one goes out of the city to report the news, and at the same time, soldiers and horses from outside the city cannot enter.
The most critical third point is that the number of people in the Royal Forest Army has reached more than 1,800, which is an astronomical number.
Of course, not all of them are those whom Dong Cheng and the others have replaced in captivity. After all, no matter how much money they spend, they will eventually be discovered if they are too powerful.
He had never taken Wei Yue, Yan Liang and Wen Chou lightly.
"Let the people below get ready. I guess they will return to Beijing soon."
"Your Majesty, don't worry!"
On the way back, Lu Bu, Lin Mo, Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, Xu Sheng, Gao Shun, and Jia Xu only brought the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, which was only a thousand people.
The rest was left to Ma Chao and his son to deal with the aftermath.
It is worth mentioning that before departure, Ma Teng received a letter. Cao Ang and Cao Ren's attempt to retreat to Xiangyang City had been repelled by them, and their whereabouts are now unknown.
Anyway, as long as they don't return to Xiangyang City, the soldiers and horses in the city will definitely surrender if they know the news of Cao Cao's defeat.
What's more, Cai Mao was still there. He surrendered more simply than anyone else.
In order to ensure success, Pang Tong was also asked to follow.
"Hahaha, I've finally waited for you!"
While the army was marching, suddenly a burly man with tattered armor, missing tassel and helmet, disheveled hair and a dirty face jumped out of the haystack.
When everyone was confused, the man laughed and ran in front of Lin Mo, "Zhongmou, where did you get so many cavalry? If my father knew about it, he would be very happy. We are poor in Jiangdong, and the cavalry can't do anything." It’s so rare.”
Then he looked at Lu Bu, pulled his reins excitedly and said, "Ziyi, your horse is so majestic. You can tell at a glance that it is a thousand-mile horse. It is even more majestic than my gale horse."
"And you, Gong Jin, Uncle Cheng, Uncle Huang, Uncle Han. Hahaha, it's not easy to wait for you." The man went to say hello one by one.
Lu Bu looked at him and then at Lin Mo, "Is he crazy?"
Lin Mo tilted his head, "Like."
Sun Ce's life was indeed hard enough.
The two defeats in Guangling destroyed half of Jiangdong's heritage, and the final battle in Huainan lost all his energy and energy.
He fled to Jiaozhou, but his whole family was massacred.
Now that he has suffered another defeat at Hulukou and has become a real loner, it is entirely possible that he will collapse mentally because he cannot bear it.
"God knows whether it's true or not, let me help him!" With that said, Zhang Liao swung his hook and sickle and struck the mentally disturbed Sun Ce.
Lin Mo opened his mouth, but finally did not speak.
If he is pretending to be crazy to approach me, he should definitely avoid any future trouble;
If he is really crazy, he is a powerful little bully after all, and he should not be reduced to being bullied.
Sun Ce died very simply. When he called Gong Jin, the man gave him a knife and his head flew away, but there was a smile on his face.
Maybe, he is really happy now.
In the end, Lin Mo just ordered the soldiers to build a grave for him.
In any case, it is true that he carries the identity of Wu Hou on his head.
It was impossible to give him a grand burial like a marquis in this wilderness, but it was worthy of him.
If it were handed over to Huang Zu, he would probably be humiliated before his death.
I wish you all a Happy Chinese New Year in advance and hope that you will have all the best and good health in the new year.
It's New Year's Eve tomorrow, so let's try not to ask for leave. If we do ask for leave, please let me know.
Anyway, we’re here now, everyone should be able to tell that it’s almost over.
(End of chapter)
