Chapter 553

"Big Brother, there is one thing I don't understand; after such a great victory, why didn't we take Yecheng directly and occupy the land of Hebei?"

Liu Bei looked at Guan Yu.

"Yunchang, you explain it to Third Brother."

Guan Yu stroked his long beard.

"Third Brother, although Yuan Shao was defeated, he still has one hundred thousand troops and fortified cities to defend; our army has no siege equipment, so how can we take Yecheng?"

"Moreover, with snow swirling, the difficulty of a siege is extremely high; our army had a great victory, but if a siege of Yecheng were unfavorable, wouldn't that let the Yuan army regain their confidence?"

Zhang Fei pondered it and finally understood.

Guan Yu continued.

"Besides, this great battle lasted for several months, and the soldiers are exhausted; it is time for them to rest."

Liu Bei and Guo Fengxiao looked at each other and nodded.

Liu Bei laughed.

"Good, Second Brother's insight is extraordinary; with the Henei front line handed over to you, I can sleep soundly!"

Guan Yu cupped his hands.

"Big Brother, rest assured, I will act according to the situation."

Liu Bei nodded.

"Scouts report that Yuan Shao has fallen seriously ill and is now bedridden; once Yuan Shao passes, his two sons will definitely fight, and that will be the time for us to strike."

Everyone's eyes lit up; occupying Hebei would mean more than half of the world would be in the lord's hands!

Early the next morning, the entire military camp began to move.

Liu Bei and the others stood on a high platform.

Below were over one hundred thousand soldiers, and in the distance were the watching surrendered soldiers and laborers.

Liu Bei said loudly.

"In this great victory, all soldiers have merit; I won't talk nonsense; it is now time to award the military merit for this victory!"

The soldiers shouted.

"Might!"

"Might!"

The collective shout of over one hundred thousand people shook the heavens and the earth, leaving a deep impression on the watching laborers.

"Xu Hu, killed two enemies, captured five, promoted to Squad Leader, awarded eighty mu of fertile land, twenty head of cattle and sheep, and three female slaves!"

The honest-looking Xu Hu went up to the platform, and Liu Bei personally awarded him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Well done!"

Xu Long was moved to tears.

"My lord, I will definitely fight bravely in the future to repay you!"

"Good, I look forward to your future performance."

Next were hundreds of others who had achieved higher merit, all awarded personally by Liu Bei.

The others were left to Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Zilong, Huang Zhong, and others.

The watching allied soldiers and laborers were stunned, and their eyes turned red.

"No wonder Lord Xuande's soldiers are so elite; their rewards are truly good!"

"Can that Xu Hu manage all that? I'm talking about the fertile land!"

"If Lord Xuande gives land and women, I can also fight hard!"

Some captives inquired about the pay of Liu Bei's army, and their eyes turned even redder; it was more than double theirs!

The award ceremony lasted for a day, and the allied soldiers were envious for a day.

That afternoon, Liu Bei ordered chickens and sheep to be slaughtered, letting everyone have a good meal; even the captives were given a few pieces of meat, a bowl of hot meat soup, and a flatbread.

Early the next morning,

Liu Bei announced that soldiers willing to join them could be selected based on merit.

Those who were unwilling would be given ten days' worth of rations and allowed to return home.

Everyone shouted that Lord Xuande was benevolent and righteous.

Tens of thousands of bachelors eagerly signed up; Liu Bei took fifteen thousand of them, and the rest would serve as garrison soldiers first, depending on their later performance.

The remaining one hundred and eighty thousand people walked through the wind and snow to return home.

Liu Bei had Guan Yu lead troops to accompany them, firstly to escort them and secondly to prevent them from disturbing the people.

The famous Hebei general Gao Lan surrendered to Liu Bei and was appointed as a Colonel.

Liu Bei specifically sent a letter asking Yuan Shao not to make things difficult for Gao Lan's family; he had released his son and over two hundred thousand young men, so Yuan Shao would still give him that much face.

Gao Lan was indeed extremely moved.

Thus, of the four pillars of Hebei, Liu Bei had obtained two, killed one, and only Wen Chou remained.

Liu Bei also healed Chen Wu's injuries and had him lead the Lujiang soldiers who were willing to return home back to Lujiang.

Chen Wu was grateful.

"Lord Xuande is benevolent and righteous; I, Chen Wu, will keep it in my heart."

Having settled these matters, Liu Bei led his great army back to Chang'an; the great battle was over, the soldiers had all gained much, and it was time to go home for a good New Year; Liu Bei also hadn't heard the Two Qiaos play music for a long time.

Yecheng,

Yuan Shao's illness was sometimes better and sometimes worse.

"My Shang'er."

Yuan Shao's second wife, Lady Liu, comforted him from the side.

She was the biological mother of Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang and was extremely jealous; as soon as Yuan Shao died, she killed five of Yuan Shao's concubines and their families.

She also favored her youngest son and wanted Yuan Shao to make Yuan Shang his heir.

Historically, she even grabbed Zhen Mi's face to make her look up and offered her to Cao Pi to save her own life.

"Report! ~"

Xu You ran in.

"My lord, they have returned!"

"Young Master Yuan Shang and tens of thousands of soldiers have returned."

Yuan Shang ran in quickly.

"Father, Mother, I have returned."

Yuan Shao's heart was shaken.

"Shang'er has returned?!"

Yuan Shang explained the situation, and Yuan Shao sighed long.

"Liu Bei is a kind-hearted person!"

Xu You sighed in his heart.

"If the lord thinks so, how could our Hebei's nearly ten million people not think so too!"

Xuxian,

Military Sima Yi was appointed as the Literary Clerk of the Chariot and Cavalry General's Office, staying by Cao Cao's side, and also got along well with the second young master, Cao Pi.

Cao Cao looked at the report on the desk.

"Hmph, Liu Bei not only released Yuan Shang but also released over two hundred thousand young men of Hebei."

Military Sima Yi cupped his hands.

"My lord, this Liu Bei is buying the hearts of the people of Hebei; releasing Yuan Shang to go back is to make him fight with Yuan Tan, so he can reap the benefits."

Cao Cao nodded and looked at Military Sima Yi with a meaningful gaze.

"Liu Bei snatched your wife; what do you think about that?"

Military Sima Yi said with hatred.

"Liu Bei is shameless; I have an irreconcilable hatred for him!"

As for what he was really thinking, no one knew.

Cao Cao was noncommittal.

"I heard that you and Cao Pi are close friends."