Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

The attack by Sili was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather something that had been brewing for some time.

After Ju Shou finished sorting out the several counties in Ji Province, he led a large army south and pressed on to Sili, almost making Dong Zhuo lose his appetite and sleep.

However, instead of launching an immediate attack, they continued to provoke Dong Zhuo at the border, prompting him to send his elite troops and powerful generals over.

The eastern part of Henan, starting from Hulao Pass, was controlled by the Great Wilderness Territory.

Recently, the cities controlled by Dong Zhuo have been plagued by rampant taxation and tyranny, leading to numerous popular uprisings. However, these incidents have all been suppressed by the ruthless Xiliang army.

Meanwhile, the cities in the Great Wilderness Territory have always focused on restoring people's livelihoods. Not only are the people living well, but this has also attracted people from other parts of Sili to smuggle themselves over.

This situation arose because of the inaction of the officials in charge of the cities and towns controlled by Dong Zhuo and the brutality of the Xiliang army.

In fact, among all the warlords in China at that time, Dong Zhuo had the most civil officials under his command.

He controlled the most civil officials in the court, and he had the most capable people, but none of them did anything. Dong Zhuo had tried many methods to deal with this, but unfortunately, none of them worked.

Whether recently or before, the population of Sili has been declining significantly.

The ordeal suffered by the people of Luoyang, the capital city, had already chilled the hearts of many. To have seventy or eighty percent of one's possessions looted—who could withstand that?

The people of Sili did not actually migrate primarily to the areas controlled by the Great Wilderness Territory, even though they had heard that the cities under the Great Wilderness Territory were peaceful and had excellent livelihood policies, with land to cultivate and food to eat. The truly insightful people, namely the powerful clans, feared that this situation wouldn't last long. They felt that the territory controlled by Lin Mu was like a castle in the air, destined to collapse at the slightest change… This was also the sentiment of the other lords.

Migration does have an effect. Many ordinary people follow the powerful clans, because these clans are knowledgeable, value their lives, and are unwilling to take risks. They are willing to serve under powerful lords who offer them a future and a strong backing.

Therefore, the biggest beneficiaries were actually Cao Cao and Yuan Shao!
One is in the northeast of Sili, and the other is in the southwest of Sili.

In response, the Great Wilderness Territory did not take any radical actions. It welcomed cities that were willing to come to the Great Wilderness Territory and did not try to seize those that did not come. Everything was developing in an orderly manner.

What's meant to come will come; what's not meant to come, forcibly trying to force it will also bring hidden dangers.

Forced relationships are never sweet!

Before Hulao Pass, the former encampment of the alliance, on the vast plains, there are still many traces of the former anti-Dong Zhuo alliance's encampment.

However, only one camp stood on the vast plain.

Lin Mu stood on the wooden wall of the temporary camp, gazing at Hulao Pass in the distance.

"My lord, the latest intelligence: Dangyin City has been captured by Gongyu!" Cui Wu once again acted as a messenger, reporting the latest situation to Lin Mu.

“If we hold off Lü Bu inside Hulao Pass, and there are no powerful generals in Hanoi County, it will be easy to take the fortress.” Lin Mu nodded.

His appearance at Hulao Pass attracted Lü Bu. At the same time, Ju Shou of Ji Province seized the opportunity to attack the city directly and immediately saw results.

In fact, the main force is all in Hanoi County. The primary objective of the Great Wilderness Territory is to conquer Hanoi County!
After that, we will head south to deal with the western cities of Henan Yin. Many borders of Hanoi Commandery are connected to Henan Yin, and there are many places between them without fortified cities to block the way. In that case, even Hulao Pass can be easily attacked from both sides!
Once we capture Hanoi Commandery, the governorship of Henan will essentially be ours.

As a result, the two eastern prefectures of Sili fell into the hands of the Great Wilderness!
"This time, the generals led the charge with the Qingyang Legion, the Thunder Legion, and the Nine Yang Legion, charging regardless of casualties. The regional troops from Jizhou followed behind to reap the rewards. With those five hundred terrifying siege ballistae, battering rams, and the Zhenwu Totem, they simply couldn't hold out." Cui Wu nodded.

The Great Wilderness Territory had been preparing for this first battle for a long time. During this period of intense preparation, they had been infiltrating various cities in Hanoi County.

As long as Dong Zhuo doesn't forcefully take over all cities, there's always a chance to infiltrate them.

Dong Zhuo's camp also had limited resources and could not fully control every city.

"Send a message to Gongyu, instructing him not to attack too hastily after entering Hanoi County, and not to massacre the city or kill Dong Zhuo's generals. Try to surround three sides and leave one open," Lin Mu instructed.

"Yes, sir!" Cui Wu responded immediately, and then went to deliver the message.

Ju Shou didn't have any pages of the Qiankun Mother-Child Book, as they had already been divided up among the others. Everyone's pages were valuable, and there weren't any extra to give to Ju Shou. Lin Mu didn't trust the players, so he had to use other methods to send messages.

After that, new intelligence was sent over every now and then.

After Ju Shou and his men breached the fortress, they were able to advance unimpeded into Hanoi County.

Afterwards, the army split into two groups.

The Qingyang and Jiuyang legions attacked Linlu City, located slightly to the north. Linlu City was also a fortified city, but due to the fall of Dangyin City, it had become an isolated island. Therefore, Dong Zhuo's army abandoned its defenses and withdrew its forces to the rear for a final battle. Near Dangyin City was the ancient and renowned city of Chaoge, which was attacked by the Thunder Legion, the Taishan Legion, and the main force of the Jizhou army. Despite suffering considerable losses, they quickly captured Chaoge City.

After that, there were four cities: Xiuwu, Huojia, Jixian, and Gongxian.

These four cities are relatively close together and can support each other; if one city is attacked, the other three can provide support.

However, the Great Wilderness Territory did not directly launch a reckless attack. Instead, it first directed its forces towards Gongxian City to attract the attention of the other three cities, prompting them to send troops to its aid. Then, it ambushed the reinforcements on key roads.

A strategy of besieging the enemy's stronghold and attacking their reinforcements!

This plan was accomplished very easily... because Dong Zhuo's army had no strategist to command or plan.

Li Ru does not appear in Hanoi County.

Thus, the army of the Great Wilderness Territory quickly reached the central area of ​​Hanoi County.

The cities in the central area were mostly built along the Yellow River, and there were many towns and villages nearby.

This actually increased the difficulty for the Great Wilderness Territory.

Although Dong Zhuo's army lacked a core strategist, they still had some plans. They resisted while retreating, ambushing nearly three million troops in cities near the Yellow River.

Once the army from the Great Wilderness Territory rushes in, they will directly engage the enemy using the advantageous terrain outside.

At first, it was quite effective, halting the unstoppable advance of the army.

However, at this moment, the two naval legions of the Great Wilderness Territory exerted their strength, taking advantage of the dense waterways around them to launch surprise attacks on Dong Zhuo's army, leaving them in a state of panic and unable to defend themselves.

After that, Dong Zhuo's camp began a major retreat.

They knew that if they continued to drag things out like this, Hanoi County would still be captured by the Great Wilderness Territory, which would greatly deplete their military strength.

It would be better to retreat directly, gather more troops to hold other defensive lines, and truly resist the onslaught of the Great Wilderness Territory.

Thus, under the iron hooves of the six legions of the Great Wilderness Territory and the Jizhou Army, the Hanoi Commandery quickly and completely fell.

Liu Bei governed Hanoi Commandery for a period of time, and he had some experience in managing it. The cities were quite stable, and the trouble caused by bandits within the commandery was greatly reduced. With Guan Yu and Zhang Fei personally leading the suppression of bandits, stability was assured…

However, land consolidation in Hanoi was extremely severe, with approximately 80% of the land occupied by powerful clans, noble families, or even the royal family. Hundreds of millions of ordinary people owned only 20% of the land…

As a result, most of the common people became servants of the powerful clans.

This situation did not change during Liu Bei's reign.

But now that the Great Wilderness Territory has arrived, the situation has changed.

Of course, the blades of the Great Wilderness Territory don't slice down in one swift motion. Instead, they use blunt blades to slowly bleed the great clans.

First, we must reclaim 30% of the land, and present it to General Lin Mu of the Imperial Guard!

That's right, it's about turning 30% of this land into Lin Mu's private property.

Then he would hire people to cultivate the land. Although this model was similar to that of the powerful clans, Lin Mu would not exploit the people relentlessly, but would give them a fair return!
This is only temporary...

In fact, this approach has also aroused dissatisfaction among many people.

Some people even jumped out and accused Lin Mu of becoming a corrupt official, owning countless acres of land, and becoming the number one corrupt official in China!

Lin Mu's actions were also the reason why those powerful clans dared not easily submit to him.

The interests of powerful clans always come first, prioritizing their own family's interests. If they can't even protect their own bottom line, how could they dare to seek refuge with others?

This situation has persisted in Youzhou, Qingzhou, and even Yangzhou, which was the first to be occupied. It's a very complex problem, and even Guo Jia and others are finding it difficult to eradicate quickly. They can only prioritize safeguarding the overall interests of the Great Wilderness territory, stabilizing the local powerful clans, and dealing with the issue gradually, like boiling a frog in warm water. (End of Chapter)