Chapter 149: Restoring the Han Dynasty

With the departure of the two main armies, successive battle reports began to pour in within just a few months.

Lü Bu and Zhang Liao led their forces southward, fighting all the way to the seas beyond Jiaozhou.

On the other front, Zhang Liao had already expanded the territorial boundaries by several hundred kilometers.

As the war heated up, the Jingzhou army grew increasingly powerful.

Exactly one year later, news arrived from Cao Cao in the north.

"Your Majesty, Cao Cao has assembled a massive army, preparing to launch an attack on our Jiangnan territories," Zhuge Liang said with a solemn expression.

Liu Xie nodded gently; he had anticipated this long ago. Calculating the time, it was indeed fitting for Cao Cao to make his move.

"Inform Zhang Liao, Lü Bu, and the others to mobilize every available soldier. Recall all troops back to Us," Liu Xie commanded.

Within a few months, Lü Bu, Zhang Liao, and the rest returned with their forces to the regions of Jingzhou and Yizhou, awaiting Liu Xie's directives.

"Listen well, everyone. Before Cao Cao makes his move, we must prepare everything in advance."

"Lü Bu, Zhang Liao, the two of you shall command one million troops and advance toward Xiliang."

"Zhang Lu of Yizhou must provide full cooperation, deploying all available troops and capable generals."

"The remaining forces will join Us in attacking Jiangdong," Liu Xie declared with imposing momentum.

Following this, the entire regions of Jingzhou and Xuzhou sprang into motion.

Through the expansion campaigns of the past year, the total number of their troops had reached nearly two million.

Liu Xie placed half of the army under the command of Lü Bu, sending them to Xiliang to deal with Ma Teng, while the remaining troops were entirely incorporated into the navy.

The grand army split into two paths: one set off toward Xiliang, while the other marched toward Jiangdong.

They intended to pacify these two regional warlords before Cao Cao could arrive.

As the armies entered, battles broke out instantly.

On one side was Xiliang, and on the other was Jiangdong.

With a million-strong army pressing in, there was no room for negotiation—they would fight first and talk later.

"Liu Xie, what are you trying to do? What on earth are you trying to do?"

"We have no grievances between us, why do you come to attack my Jiangdong?" Sitting in his imperial carriage after Liu Xie's forces had breached Jianye in one breath, Sun Quan could no longer sit still.

Liu Xie, seated on the imperial chariot, did not even open his eyes or deign to look at him.

Instead, Zhuge Liang, accompanying the army, stepped forward and shouted, "Sun Quan, do you not know that under the vast heaven, every inch of land belongs to the sovereign?"

"Your occupation of Jiangdong is an act of rebellion. Today, His Majesty has embarked on a personal expedition; why do you not surrender immediately?"

"Once we slaughter our way in, it will be too late for regrets!"

After a period of entanglements, Sun Quan surrendered along with all his civil and military officials, yielding the entirety of Jiangdong.

Just like that, crushed by the momentum of a million-strong army, the entire region of Jiangdong was completely subdued in a matter of months.

Meanwhile, news arrived from Xiliang in the north: "Your Majesty, word has come from General Lü. He has successfully subjugated Ma Teng, Han Sui, and Ma Teng's two sons, Ma Chao and Ma Dai."

When the news arrived, joy filled the air. In less than half a year, apart from Cao Cao in the north, all other warlords had been brought back under Liu Xie's rule. At present, only a single enemy remained.

That enemy was Cao Cao.

"Your Majesty, Cao Cao has gathered a massive army numbering one million strong, and they have already set out toward our Jiangnan," Zhuge Liang reported once more.

It seemed Cao Cao intended to make one final, desperate struggle.

"Very well. Since he wishes to come, let him come."

"Sun Quan, you shall continue to govern Jiangdong and intercept the Cao army from the waterways."

"Lü Bu, lead your thirty thousand cavalry northward as a mobile reserve force."

"Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, the three of you shall command the fifty thousand Nanyang troops and march on Xuchang."

"Tell Ma Teng and Han Sui to commit all their Xiliang forces and launch an attack on Cao Cao's northwestern flank."

"Zhang Liao, Wei Yan, Gan Ning, and Wen Pin, you shall lead all the troops of Jingzhou and Yizhou as reinforcements."

"Instruct Yuan Shu, Huang Zhong, and the others in Jiaozhou to ensure an uninterrupted supply of grain, fodder, and military equipment."

"As for Us, We shall remain here in the court, awaiting your triumphant news."

With Liu Xie's comprehensive arrangements, all his civil and military officials went into action.

Having previously subjugated Sun Quan and Ma Teng of Xiliang, Liu Xie now commanded an even greater number of troops.

Especially in the case of Xiliang, the formidable strength of the Xiliang army and the peerless valor of Ma Chao would play a monumental role in the battles to come.

Liu Xie did not participate in this campaign personally; instead, he awaited the news within the imperial palace of Jingzhou.

Ever since he had arrived in this world, he had personally commanded almost every battle over the past few years.

Now, he needed to entrust matters to his subordinates. After all, it was impossible for him to handle everything by himself.

Otherwise, what use would there be for all those civil and military ministers?

The great war soon erupted.

The three sworn brothers—Liu, Guan, and Zhang—led fifty thousand troops and captured Xuchang in a single stroke.

On the Xiliang front, Ma Chao led his army to capture the majority of Cao Cao's cities in the northwest.

Following closely were Lü Bu, coordinating with Zhang Lu of Yizhou, Zhang Liao, and the armies of Wei Yan, Gan Ning, and Wen Pin. Millions of troops surged forward with unstoppable momentum, inflicting a crushing defeat on the Cao army.

Most of Cao Cao's former territories were swiftly occupied.

At this critical juncture, Cao Cao's strategists, Xun Yu and Guo Jia, defected and surrendered to Liu Xie.

From then on, the momentum of the Cao army was completely broken.

After nearly a year of encirclement and pursuit, Cao Cao's generals were captured one by one.

Even Cao Cao himself was captured by Lü Bu and brought back to Jingzhou, standing before Liu Xie.

From that moment on, with the capture of Cao Cao, the grand enterprise of restoring the Han Dynasty reached its completion.

The entire realm once again returned to the rule of the Han Dynasty.

The new emperor, Liu Xie, became the greatest emperor in the history of the Han Dynasty since its founding ancestor.

Time flowed on, and a dozen years flashed by in the blink of an eye.

In the imperial garden of the Jingzhou palace.

Liu Xie held Fu Shou on his left arm and Yuan Ying on his right, gazing out at the breathtaking scenery of the imperial garden before them.

"Your Majesty, have you given any thought to the appointment of the crown prince?" Fu Shou asked softly.

Hearing this, Liu Xie gently shook his head. "My dear, we do not even have children yet, so where would a crown prince come from? Unless we go and make one right now."

After a brief spell of playful bantering among them, Yuan Ying wore a look of disappointment, unable to cheer up.

She dropped to her knees before Liu Xie with a soft thud. "Your Majesty, this concubine is incapable of bearing children. Without the ability to produce heirs, how can I bear the title of Empress? I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Hearing this, Liu Xie slapped his forehead. Only then did he recall that, in history, Yuan Ying was indeed barren.

Liu Xie smiled gently, raised her up from the ground, and looked at her with utmost sincerity. At the same time, he pulled Fu Shou closer, looking earnestly at both of them.

"My dears, both of you are My Empresses. Whether you can bear children or not is of no importance."

"Even if Empress Fu were to bear a crown prince in the future to inherit the throne, you, too, shall remain the Empress Dowager."

"My dear, don't you agree?" With that, he looked earnestly at Fu Shou.

Fu Shou nodded solemnly. "We are like sisters of the same flesh and blood; how could we ever care about such things?"

"In the future, my children will be yours as well. I will teach them to treat you with the exact same reverence they show me."