Chapter 79

Ben General absolutely does not believe it—come again!

Facing Dian Wei, Xu Rong let out a loud shout, then gripped his great blade tightly with both hands, using all his strength, and fiercely slashed at Dian Wei.

This strike was like Mount Tai pressing an egg, mighty and overwhelming, as if it would cut Dian Wei in half.

However, facing such a ferocious attack, Dian Wei appeared unusually composed.

He merely gripped his iron spear with one hand, held it horizontally before him, and easily blocked Xu Rong's great blade.

Only a clear "ding-dong" sound was heard.

Xu Rong's great blade clashed violently with Dian Wei's iron spear, producing a crisp sound.

Sparks flew everywhere, and the great blade in Xu Rong's hand was violently shaken back.

Dian Wei's strength was clearly superior; with one hand he easily blocked Xu Rong's strike.

Immediately, Dian Wei's right hand shot out like lightning to seize Xu Rong.

His movement was as swift as a gale, leaving people dazzled.

Xu Rong had no time to react before feeling his body suddenly become light.

Only after he came to his senses did he realize he had been captured alive by Dian Wei.

Dian Wei gently set Xu Rong down, then clasped his fists in salute and said:

"General Xu, I have offended you greatly; I yield to you!"

However, Xu Rong at this moment seemed still immersed in the recent battle, not fully regaining his senses.

He stood there blankly, his gaze somewhat dazed, as if he had lost focus.

Dian Wei's words did not awaken him; he remained in a dazed state.

"General Xu Rong!"

Seeing Xu Rong had no response, Dian Wei reached out, waved his hand in front of him, and shouted loudly.

After hearing Dian Wei's loud shout, Xu Rong finally came to his senses.

"General Zhang's martial arts are superb; I am no match for him, I have lost!"

Xu Rong wore a look of dejection, and bitterly said to Zhang Fei:

"Hehe, General Xu Rong, you need not feel dejected; once you submit to the Emperor, you will possess strength as great as that of Yide."

At this moment, Liu Bian and others also came before Xu Rong; hearing Xu Rong's dejected tone, Liu Bian could not help but speak.

"Guilty General Xu Rong, I pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

Seeing Liu Bian arrive, Xu Rong and Zhang Fei immediately bowed and clasped their fists in salute.

And Xu Rong was greatly shaken inside; he saw Liu Bian wearing purple-gold Emperor Armor, his right hand resting on the Emperor Sword at his waist, making his whole appearance...

He appeared extraordinarily majestic, his whole body exuding a rich Imperial Aura that made people dare not look directly at him.

Liu Bian dismounted, stepped forward, personally helped Xu Rong up, and smilingly said:

"General Xu, your submission to me, to the court, brings me great comfort."

Seeing Liu Bian actually personally help him up, Xu Rong was instantly overcome with emotion.

With tears and voice choked, he said in anguish: "The lowly officer is ashamed before Your Majesty; the lowly officer actually dared to oppose Your Majesty, please Your Majesty mete out punishment!"

Having said that, with a face full of shame, he bowed to the ground before Liu Bian and spoke in a low voice:

"Didn't I already say it? General Xu, as long as you repent in time and do not persist in error, and since there is a reason for this, how could I blame you?"

"Rise, let us first enter the city and then talk!"

Seeing Liu Bian no longer blaming him, Xu Rong also felt somewhat moved, rose and respectfully said to Liu Bian and the others:

"Your Excellency, ladies and gentlemen, please follow this lowly officer into the city!"

After making a gesturing invitation to the crowd, Xu Rong closely followed behind Liu Bian as they headed for Fuping City.

"This is the Emperor! The Emperor is truly awe-inspiring!"

"Yes! Just watching him for a moment gave me an urge to worship!"

"I've heard that the Emperor treats his subjects very well!"

"Who says otherwise! My daughter-in-law's nephew's uncle's son says he is in Chang'an, and I've heard that the Emperor distributes sweet potatoes to them, yielding ten thousand catties per mu!"

"Yes, yes, yes, it is said that now the sweet potato has spread throughout the Han Empire, and many people everywhere are waiting for the Emperor to distribute sweet potatoes."

"Moreover, it is said that the Emperor in Linjing City has also produced a new grain called corn."

"Oh, is there such a food? Is its yield higher than that of sweet potato?"

"Of course there is; this is given by the Emperor, and the government has even issued documents about it—there's no falsity!"

"However, it is said that the corn's yield is not as high as that of sweet potato, but compared to what we usually plant, its yield is still quite high."

"Quickly tell us, how high is the corn's yield?"

"Exactly, hurry up and say it!"

"Don't rush, this corn's yield can reach a thousand catties per mu!"

"Moreover, it adapts to all kinds of land; even in our arid Liangzhou, it can achieve a thousand catties per mu!"

"What, there is actually such a high-yielding food that can adapt to all kinds of land—doesn't that mean we will all have good days ahead?"

"Who says otherwise? Therefore, the Emperor is none other than a heavenly savior sent to rescue us."

"Long live the Emperor!"

Along the way, the people, upon seeing Liu Bian's appearance, were all greatly shocked.

Those who knew of Liu Bian's deeds immediately boasted to the people around them.

And upon hearing that the people under Liu Bian's rule lived so well, and that there were high-yielding foods, they instantly felt envious.

Furthermore, hearing that Liu Bian had even distributed grain seeds to the people of the recently reclaimed Anding Commandery, they too began to look forward to it.

Along with this, they also came to recognize Liu Bian, falling to their knees en masse and shouting, "Long live the Emperor!"

They wanted to express their respect and gratitude toward Liu Bian in this way.

Liu Bian, seeing the actions of the people of Fuping City, also stopped in his tracks and loudly addressed the crowd:

"I, the Emperor, subjects of the Han Empire, rise up!"

Upon hearing Liu Bian's words, the crowd all rose to their feet, looking at him with fervent eyes, and exclaimed:

"We, the subjects of the Han Empire, thank Your Majesty!"

Seeing the ragged, sallow-faced commoners before him, Liu Bian also felt a pang in his heart.

These are all his Han subjects, yet they have been reduced to this state by those marquises.

Just looking at them, you can tell how bitter their lives are.

Seeing Liu Bian's expression, Xu Rong, standing nearby, immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying:

"Your Majesty, Fuping City is originally a border region, and due to its geographical location, the people are not well-off to begin with."

"In peaceful times they could barely get by, but in recent years the realm has been plagued by constant warfare, and foreign tribes often invade."

"For the commoners, merely surviving is already a blessing, but under Dong Zhuo the taxes were heavy, making life even harder for the people of Liangzhou."

Xu Rong spoke in a low voice, his face full of shame, as he explained to Liu Bian.

"General Xu, rest assured—with Your Majesty here, the people of the Han Empire will surely live good lives."

Hearing Xu Rong's low voice, the nearby Dian Wei slapped his shoulder and shouted:

Originally feeling down, Liu Bian, upon hearing Dian Wei's words, also broke into a smile.

"E Lai is right—with me here, our Han subjects will henceforth live good lives!"

Having said that, Liu Bian again loudly addressed the crowd:

"Subjects of the Han Empire, rest assured; once I have arranged the affairs of the city, I will send people to distribute corn seeds to you."

"Under my rule, I will treat all subjects equally; next year, when sweet potato seeds are plentiful, I will also provide them for you to plant."