My younger brother Lü Fengxian

Chapter 323 General Hou Anbei of Jin County
"Just have fun. I, Lu Yi, always keep my word."

"As long as you are willing to obey me, I will naturally not treat you unfairly, but I will not let go of those who are fickle and restless!"

Lu Yi said while looking at the clan leaders with a smile.

"We dare not. We will do our best to be loyal to Lord Lu!"

Inside the king's tent, the obedient Xiongnu tribal chief immediately echoed the sentiment.

"Wrong! I am only a general of the Han Dynasty, and you are all leaders of the Xiongnu. How can you say you are honoring me?"

Lu Yi kept smiling when he heard this.

"The one that all clan leaders should be loyal to now is Hexutuo Lao Khan, the future Zuo Xianwang. This is your duty, so you must remember it firmly!"

"I've made note of that!"

Most of the clan leaders present were smart people. They could tell what Lu Yi meant by knocking, and they quickly agreed.

Now these people are well fed by Lu Yi. Not only have they completely occupied all the grasslands south of the desert, but they also don't have to fight each other every day because of Lu Yi's prestige. Now, thanks to Lu Yi, they have captured the Xianbei camp. Last night, not only did the clan leaders of various tribes make a lot of money, but even the ordinary lower-level Xiongnu soldiers were so full that they could hardly walk.

Therefore, Lu Yi's prestige among the Huns now reached its peak.

After all, we can't win the fight, but we still give enough benefits.

Who doesn’t like a big brother like this?
Therefore, Lu Yi now has the power to determine everything about the Xiongnu people with just one sentence, even the succession of royal power.

"According to the original agreement with you, all the Xianbei captives, livestock, and pastures will be given to you. The specific division will be arranged by Zazade."

After Lu Yi gave instructions to the clan leaders in the account book, he called Qin Han in front of them.

"Zhazade, if anyone disobeys you, you can ask him to come to me!"

"I obey your command!" Qin Han felt warm in his heart when he heard that.

However, many Xiongnu chieftains in the tent were afraid of leaving an impression of being unruly in front of Lu Yi, so they did not dare to do so.

"You have gained the benefits, but you will also have to shoulder the responsibilities in the future!"

"The annual military service and horse tax cannot be delayed or postponed. Violators will be severely punished!"

After Lu Yi gave them one last beating, he waved everyone away and summoned Gongsun Zan into the king's tent.

"Bo Gui, now that the two Zhangs have surrendered and Wuhuan has been destroyed, you have made an invaluable contribution!"

"Therefore, I have decided to submit a petition to the court to appoint you as the governor of Youzhou."

Lu Yi went straight to the point and immediately affirmed Gongsun Zan's achievements.

"Why do you say that, Sixiao? Although I, Gongsun Zan, have made some minor contributions, they are nothing compared to Sixiao."

Gongsun Zan resolutely refused upon hearing this.

"The two Zhangs were killed by Yunchang and Yide, two of Sixiao's generals, and Qiuliju was killed by Zilong. If it weren't for Sixiao, how could he have persuaded the 100,000-strong Xiongnu army to help?"

"Therefore, even if we have to reward people based on merit, it will never be my turn, Gongsun Zan. Whether it is your brother Fengxian or generals like Yunchang and Yide, their contributions are all greater than mine. Please think twice before you act."

Seeing that Gongsun Zan was somewhat self-aware, Lu Yi couldn't help but feel certain.

Although his move was a test of Gongsun Zan, it was also sincere and heartfelt.

Now that Lu Yi is already the governor of Bingzhou and holds power over a state, if he recommends someone close to him to be the governor of Youzhou, Liu Hong might be wary of him.

Liu Hong is just sick now, not dead.

Lu Yi also did not want to make the conflict between himself and the emperor public.

Therefore, it was now a situation that forced Lu Yi to recommend Gongsun Zan, who was half his own, as the governor of Youzhou.

No matter how bad Gongsun Zan was, he was much better than Liu Yu, who was loyal to the court.

"Bo Gui, don't be modest. I have made up my mind. I will report to the court when the victory news comes from Qingzhou. Youzhou is a bitter and cold place. No one is willing to come here to serve. If I ask for it, I believe I still have some face now."

However, Lu Yi kept comforting him.

"In this case, Zan will thank Sixiao for his filial piety. From now on, Youzhou will definitely follow Bingzhou's lead. With the combined efforts of you and me, we will definitely be able to achieve something!"

Gongsun Zan was also a smart man. He also saw that the emperor was seriously ill, the court was in decline, and the world was bound to be in chaos.

In the future, the one who will stand out in the chaos will definitely be a governor like Lu Yi who holds real power.

The reason why Lu Yi recommended himself was that he would definitely give up a lot of credit in order to ensure that he could successfully become the governor of Youzhou.

Although he had a very good relationship with Lu Yi and got along well with her, it was impossible for him to accept favors from others for nothing, so he still had to show his appreciation.

At the same time, more importantly, Lu Yi helped him destroy the mortal enemy Wuhuan, and Gongsun Zan also sincerely admired Lu Yi and was willing to follow him.

"Alas, I am also a half-disciple of Master Lu. How can we have different opinions as family members?"

However, Lu Yi laughed and said that since Gongsun Zan was so wise, he believed that Youzhou would no longer be a direction he needed to guard against in the future.

……

Just when Lu Yi put down the rebellion of the two Zhangs in Youzhou and destroyed the Wuhuan nation.

The Bingzhou Army on Qingzhou Road had also defeated the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou under the leadership of Lu Bu.

Although the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou have a population of millions, they are still not enough compared to Lu Bu, who was far beyond his historical heyday.

With the assistance of Chen Gong and others, the so-called 300,000 elite troops of the Qingzhou Army could only collapse under the charge of the 30,000 Bingzhou cavalry led by Lu Bu.

Lu Bu easily regained the surrender of one million Qingzhou troops for Lu Yi.

"Hahahaha, the war in Qingzhou is going smoothly now. You all have made great contributions, especially Gongtai, who has extraordinary strategies and has repeatedly tricked the Qingzhou army. After the army returns to Bingzhou, I will definitely ask my brother for credit for you all!"

At the celebration banquet for the pacification of Qingzhou, Lu Bu was also very pleased and spoke repeatedly to Chen Gong, Gao Shun, Zhang Liao and others.

"This is all thanks to the general's bravery and good command. We dare not take credit for it!"

However, Chen Gong and the other generals smiled and praised Lu Bu. This time, Lu Bu led the troops independently, and he knew how to advance and retreat, and he enforced discipline. This greatly changed the generals' impression of Lu Bu. They no longer had the impression that Lu Bu was only a warrior with outstanding martial arts skills.

Today, the Lu brothers are becoming more and more powerful. They will no longer be as chaotic as they were when they first started their business. Unconsciously, there is a hierarchy in their words and deeds.

"Report, General Lu, there is a group of people outside the camp who claim to be Taishan bandits and want to see you."

Suddenly, a messenger broke into the tent and reported to Lu Bu.

"Taishan Bandit?"

Lü Bu could not help but frown when he heard this, wondering why this group of people wanted to see him. "Fengxian, you don't know, when Zhang Jue started his army, the whole country was in chaos, and many ruffians took the opportunity to establish themselves. The Taishan bandits are a separatist force entrenched in the Taishan County area. I heard that their leader Zang Ba is very brave and has a good command of the army. Therefore, although it is a rebellion, he can confront the government for many years. Since this person wants to see him, I think Fengxian should meet him!"

Chen Gong, who was standing by, saw that Lu Bu looked puzzled, so he couldn't help but stepped forward with a smile to explain.

"Since Gongtai has said so, I will obey him. I will invite the leader of the Taishan bandits to come into the tent and see me!"

Lu Bu remembered Lu Yi's instructions before the expedition, so he valued Chen Gong's opinion and gave the order immediately.

Soon, a burly man walked into the tent led by the guards.

"Zang Ba pays his respects to General Lu."

However, this person obviously respected Lu Bu very much and he bowed down as soon as he came up to him.

"Since you know my name, why do you want to see me?"

Seeing that this man was quite pleasing to the eye, Lu Bu asked straight to the point.

"We, the villagers, originally built a stronghold to protect ourselves from the Yellow Turbans, and were slandered by the world as Taishan bandits. Now that we see the general's mighty and orderly army, we admire him and come to see him, hoping to serve under him and clear our names."

Upon hearing this, Zang Ba immediately made a serious request to Lu Bu.

He had been a mountain king for several years, commanding nearly 10,000 troops, so he might have plans to establish his own regime.

But today, through Lu Bu's fighting power, he realized that there are always people better than you.

The million-strong Qingzhou army did not last more than a month under Lu Bu's command. How could his small group of Taishan bandits, with only more than ten thousand soldiers, resist?

Since you can't beat them, just join them and take this opportunity to escape punishment.

This was not only his own idea, but also the result of his discussion with many generals of the Taishan bandits.

"Since you are sincere in your intentions, you need to disband your tribes and follow my army back to Bingzhou. Are you willing?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Bu immediately began to question.

"I'm willing!"

Before Zang Ba came, he had already reached a consensus with all the leaders, so there was nothing wrong with it.

"it is good!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Bu was overjoyed. This was the first time he had ever seen someone bow down so he felt more comfortable with Zang Ba. He waved his hand and asked the waiter to hand Zang Ba a glass of wine.

"Since you have surrendered, you should work well under my brother's command from now on. Although your troops will be disbanded, I think you still have some loyalty. Drink this cup of wine and serve as a Sima under my command from now on."

"Zang Ba would like to thank General Lu on behalf of the brothers. We will be loyal to you from now on!"

Zang Ba was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately took the wine glass respectfully and drank it all.

At this point, Zang Ba, the last of Lu Bu's eight generals, also took the initiative to surrender, which could be regarded as God's will.

After Lu Bu led his army back to Bingzhou, he immediately handed over all of his nearly one million prisoners to his brother Lu Yi.

This is Lu Yi's most valuable gain from these several battles.

Like Bingzhou, Youzhou is a sparsely populated area. Therefore, Lu Yi did not feel comfortable plundering people from Youzhou. Even if he lost face, he could not plunder many people.

Although the Wuhuan people also had millions of captives, the lesson of the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China made Lu Yi not only dare not allow the foreign race to be incorporated into the Han area, but he would gradually implement policies in the future to force the Hu people in the Han area to either completely change their customs and assimilate completely, or return to their homeland.

If you want to join China, then you are Chinese. If you don’t want to join, then get out of here. China is not the promised land for these foreign races.

Therefore, the one million Yellow Turban captives from Qingzhou and the tens of thousands of Black Mountain Army soldiers who surrendered to him that Lu Bu brought back became Lu Yi's biggest gain.

As a result, Bingzhou's population suddenly soared to four million.

In today's chaotic world, Bingzhou's population has surpassed that of most other states, accounting for more than one-tenth of the Han Dynasty's current population.

However, this is close to Bingzhou's capacity limit.

Although Bingzhou has now become the safest and fertile land in the Han Dynasty due to Lu Yi's intervention from a cold and bitter frontier area that was often plundered by the Hu people, its carrying capacity is also limited, and it is impossible to accept the population indefinitely.

After absorbing and assimilating this one million people, Lu Yi could only temporarily slow down his pace and wait for changes in the world before proceeding to the next step.

Fortunately, Liu Hong's health was deteriorating, and Lu Yi felt that the opportunity might come in one or two years.

After Lu Bu returned to Bingzhou, the rebellion of Zhang Ju, Zhang Ju and Wuhuan, as well as the riot of the Qingzhou army were all declared completely quelled.

After the imperial court received the report of Lu Yi's victory, it had no choice but to continue to reward Lu Yi.

Since Lu Yi was able to easily quell rebellions such as those of Zhang Ju, Zhang Chun, Qiu Liju and the Qingzhou bandits, if he also rebelled, his power would definitely be much greater than that of the four combined.

When these people rebelled, the imperial court was able to command Lu Yi to suppress the rebellion. But if Lu Yi rebels again, who can the imperial court command to suppress Lu Yi?
Therefore, the court not only changed its decision to appoint clan member Liu Yu as governor of Youzhou, but also agreed to Lu Yi's request to appoint Gongsun Zan, who had also made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion, as the first governor of Youzhou. In addition, the court also rewarded Lu Yi.

Not only were all the civil and military officials under Lu Yi rewarded, but the second-in-command like Lu Bu was also granted a title of nobility.

Lu Yi himself was promoted to the title of Marquis of Jin County, and his military rank was also promoted from General Pingbei to General Anbei, and his status was even greater than before.

Many aristocratic families in Hebei who had been waiting and watching also turned their attention to Lu Yi, the dazzling new star in Hebei, and began to take the initiative to make friends with Lu Yi and curry favor with him.

But how can adding icing on the cake compare to providing timely help?
Although they tried their best to flatter Lu Yi, they were no match for the Zhen family, who had already placed a heavy bet on Lu Yi.

As long as Lu Yi does not fall, the Zhen family will still be the most prominent family in Hebei in the future.

The Zhen family can also build on their status as a wealthy family and move towards the top wealthy family they have always dreamed of.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lu Yi successfully poached his master's girlfriend and married Cai Wenji, who became Lu Yi's third wife.

Although Wen Ji entered the family relatively late, her status was higher than Qi Qi Ge because of Cai Yong's identity, and second only to Lu Yi's wife Zhang Wan'er.

Everyone in Bingzhou was naturally happy about Lu Yi's wedding, and the whole place was filled with joy and vigor.

Unlike Bingzhou, the imperial court far away in Luoyang was gradually experiencing undercurrents due to Liu Hong's deteriorating health.

Although Liu Hong was no longer able to control local powerful factions such as Bingzhou Governor Lü Yi, Youzhou Governor Gongsun Zan, Yizhou Governor Liu Yan, and Liangzhou Governor Dong Zhuo.

However, with Luoyang at his side, he was obviously unwilling to let power fall into the hands of others.

Since becoming a relative of the emperor, He Jin's status has been rising and his power has been growing day by day.

Especially because Liu Hong was seriously ill, many government and military affairs had to be entrusted to He Jin to handle.

After all, as long as the relatives by marriage are not powerful officials with ulterior motives, they are one of the two powerful weapons in the emperor's hands, just like the eunuchs.

However, it seems that He Jin's sword has begun to have inappropriate thoughts due to the weakening of its master's body...

(End of this chapter)