Ancestors, please don't crawl out again.

Chapter 135 The Final Winner: Liu Bei
Half an hour later.

The battle within the city of Reiji has ended.

My great Jin Dynasty Liaoxi Duke Duan Jilu Juan and his alchemy techniques perished in the raging flames.

He lit it himself.

As for his alchemy furnace, he smashed it before he died.

Of course, this kind of heretical practice should have been destroyed anyway.

However, the Duan family cannot be considered extinct. His brothers and nephews are still scattered in various places and need to be gradually eliminated. But the remaining battles no longer require Emperor Taizu Gao to personally intervene. These people rely on nothing more than pills. In order to prevent them from seizing the throne, Duan Jilu usually only gives them a few pills and gives them more when they need to replenish their strength. Therefore, they cannot withstand more than a few battles.

Not to mention the Imperial Guards, even the Han army's garrison troops would be enough to deal with them.

After all, the officers leading these soldiers were not ordinary generals.

Next……

Next up is Yuwen Bu.

Lulong Pass.

Or, to put it another way, Xifengkou.

"Zhazha!"

Emperor Taizu looked with disdain at the Yuwen cavalrymen who were fleeing like madmen in the valley below the mountain.

Because of the terrain, the latter had no ability to resist at all.

Amidst the whistling of shells, bullets, and even 12.7mm rounds, their corpses clogged the valley, and blood stained the river red—a truly horrific sight. Those with nowhere to escape abandoned their horses and fled into the surrounding mountains. But even this was futile, for countless Han soldiers awaited them in the forests. Even the Han strongmen and Wuhuan cavalry who had recently defected from Duan's side were already in pursuit, and would continue to do so.

escape?
Where can they escape to?

Even if they escaped back to the northern pastures, they would still have to face the mighty Han army.

Although the Yuwen tribe was considered a Xianbei, it was actually a remnant of the Northern Xiongnu. They fled east instead of west and mixed with the Xianbei, but the main body of them was still the Northern Xiongnu. Their language was different from that of other Xianbei. They were nomadic along the Xilamulun River and the Laoha River, which was roughly the area under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty's Daming Commandery.

But they are not very strong.

Historically, they were initially suppressed and beaten by the Murong tribe, and were eventually killed.

As for the remnants later becoming the Xi and Khitan, that's another matter entirely.

As for Yuwen Tai...

Both Yuwen Tai and Huanhuan's Gao lineage are recorded in history as such, and this is generally accepted. However, the doubts are not without merit, since both came from impoverished families in the Six Garrisons, and who wouldn't want an ancestor with some status? Even Yuwen Tai's claim is less plausible than Huanhuan's; at least Huanhuan's claim to the Gao clan was recognized by the legitimate Gao clan, such as the Gao brothers, Gao Aocao and Gao Gao, whom he called uncles. However, this could also have been for political alliance purposes.

After all, Gao Qian and the powerful clans of Hebei needed his army, and he also needed their support.

The uncle and nephew were also happy to meet.

But only Yuwen Gong's family accepted Yuwen Tai's claim.

If Yuwen Tai is a descendant of Yuwen Yidougui, then Huanhuan is a descendant of Gao Tai of the Bohai Gao clan.

Similarly, Li Shimin was also a descendant of Li Gao.

Yang Jian was also a descendant of Yang Zhen.

You can't apply double standards to this.

After defeating the Yuwen tribe, Emperor Gaozu of Han returned to Chang'an and learned the final outcome of the Battle of Pingyang: Liu Cong committed suicide, and his son Liu Jie attempted to break out and flee to Longyou to rally the scattered Xiongnu forces for a future campaign. However, he encountered Chen An, who had come to join Emperor Gaozu, who originally intended to kill his leader Sima Bao and take his head, but ultimately failed.

I was worried that I wouldn't be valued by Emperor Taizu because I didn't have any gifts!
Unexpectedly, they ran into Liu Jie, who was fleeing. It was a pleasant surprise. After a fierce battle, Chen An, who was known for his bravery and even wielded two long weapons like Ran Min, killed Liu Jie.

Liu Yi surrendered at Tongguan.

Of course, as the crown prince of the pseudo-Han dynasty, he was still sentenced to death.

However, his family members were pardoned.

Thus, both the pseudo-Han and Jin factions were completely destroyed.

Soon, Chen Andang led the Han army back to Shanggui, and Sima Bao committed suicide. The last hope of our Great Jin was also extinguished.

After some hesitation, the Zhang family of Liangzhou ultimately chose to surrender.

After all, even if the Zhang family wanted to establish a separatist regime, the local powerful families who supported them would not allow it. They were only protecting Liangzhou as a refuge because the Central Plains had fallen. Now that the Central Plains were settled, who would continue to play the separatist game with them?

Shortly after Yang Feng recaptured Chang'an, Tao Kan, the governor of Guangzhou, surrendered and, together with Gan Zhuo, entered Jiaozhou from two directions, resolving the internal strife there. Similarly, Zu Ti's campaign against Cao Yi ended with Cao Yi's surrender, leaving only Li Xiong as a separatist regime. Other groups, such as the fleeing Tiefu Xiongnu, Yao Yizhong and Pu Hong still in Longxi, the Yang clan of Qiuchi, and even the Tuyuhun, Qifu, and Tufa, were essentially just bandits. After the Zhang clan's surrender, the Han Dynasty had effectively recovered Longyou; only some bandits remained, occupying mountainous areas and causing trouble.

It's only a matter of time before the score is settled.

Moreover, Yao Yizhong and Pu Hong had a large number of Han Chinese refugees under their command, who were already fleeing.

Even the Di and Qiang people under their command fled among the Han refugees.

It wasn't just them; there were also tribes like the Murong and Yuwen. These were just the main forces that had suffered heavy losses in their southward advance, but those remaining in their homelands still needed to be gradually eliminated.

There was also Goguryeo.

Wen Qiao has been appointed as the governor of You and Ping prefectures and the commandant of the Eastern Barbarians, and is responsible for continuing the campaign against them.

As for Yang Feng, he had lost interest in dealing with them.

He wasn't even interested in dealing with Li Xiong anymore. There was no need for him to intervene in such a force. The Han Dynasty was currently strong and well-equipped. Not to mention the full strength of the country, even if they simply dispatched 100,000 troops, it would be enough to destroy Li Xiong. Moreover, the powerful clans of Yizhou were already secretly pledging allegiance to Emperor Taizu Gao.

We can't fall behind!
Because a new emperor needs to be chosen.

If one doesn't come to pay homage to Emperor Taizu, how will one have the chance to be elected emperor?

Changan.

Ba Shang.

Amidst the worship of hundreds of thousands of subjects summoned from all over the country, Emperor Taizu Gao stood before the bronze cauldron, gazing at the Crimson Sky Sword rising from the blood pool.

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

……

Countless shouts rang out.

Yang Feng calmly picked up the unlocked Crimson Sky Sword and then made a feinting slash at Mount Li.

however……

"It's the same as before, isn't it?"

He stared in astonishment at the sword light that was no different from the previous one. He had thought it would unleash a sword aura that could traverse the heavens and earth and then cleave Mount Li in two. But it turned out to be the same as before. This power was clearly not worthy of Liu Bang's status. Of the four divine weapons he possessed, this was already at the bottom.

What did Liu Bang sever with the Crimson Cloud Sword?

The so-called God said.

"The White Snake!"

Yang Feng said.

Are there white snakes in Pei County in the real world?

The so-called God said.

"Uh, could it be an albino snake? Although there shouldn't be any albino pythons in the north, we should still be able to find other albino snakes. Maybe it's an albino black-tailed snake!"

Yang Feng said.

This kind of legend is just talk.

If we have to explain it, the only explanation is that Liu Bang cut down an albino snake back then. Theoretically, any snake can become albino, so the most reasonable explanation is that he really cut down an albino black snake. After all, the only large snake that could appear in Pei County was the black snake. He couldn't have cut down an albino reticulated python, could he?
No sooner had he finished speaking than a giant white snake appeared out of thin air in front of him.

A chorus of screams erupted around them.

"Escort!"

Liu Kun shouted anxiously.

Ran Liang and the others immediately rushed towards the white snake. But Yang Feng stopped them with a gesture.

"So, the Crimson Sky Sword can now cut through energy-based objects?"

He said.

This is an energy entity similar to those two dragons.

After he finished speaking, he swung his sword, and the sword light instantly sliced ​​through the white snake. The energy snake was split in two, turning into dissipating starlight in everyone's sight.

"That did come in somewhat useful."

Yang Feng looked at the Crimson Sky Sword in his hand and said.

This is indeed stronger than the jade axe. The jade axe can indeed cleave space, but it cannot cleave soul energy. That's why the Jie general wasn't separated when he collided with the cleaved space; his soul energy was so strong that it could withstand spatial rifts. Of course, it only withstands spatial rifts. If Yang Feng were to directly chop him with the jade axe, he could still cleave it, but the jade axe certainly couldn't cleave Zhu Yuanzhang's two dragons.

And this is possible.

Therefore, it should be able to split not only the two dragons of the energy body, but probably other divine artifacts as well.

After all, those two dragons were actually two spears.

It may not seem as powerful as others, but it can destroy them.

"You'll see its power later."

"That so-called god said."

Yang Feng didn't bother to care anymore, since even as it was, it was actually quite useful.

He just felt it wasn't as good as expected, but it wasn't useless!

He looked at his descendants kneeling before him.

There are still quite a few descendants of Liu Bang, and although most of them are probably still missing, the total number already exceeds five thousand, including descendants of Liu Bei who fled from Chengdu. Liu Bei's great-grandson, Liu Xuan, who was enfeoffed as the Duke of Anle by Li Xiong, also came. His explanation was that he learned that Emperor Gaozu had descended to the mortal realm and risked his life to escape Chengdu, accompanied by several other descendants from other branches of Liu Bang's family. However, the actual situation is likely that Li Xiong deliberately sent them away; there must have been a deal between the two sides. They are currently in a state of panic, as the Han Dynasty has swept across the land, leaving only their small territory.

Li Xiong knew very well that with his limited strength, he couldn't possibly stop them no matter what.

But what if one of these descendants of Liu were chosen as emperor?
Then you can surrender.

He treated these people quite well, after all, he still needed to rely on Liu Bei's popularity in Yizhou to appease the local powerful families. Their Di people were not strong to begin with, and the reason they were able to take over Yizhou was largely because the people of Yizhou had no feelings for the Sima family, and could even be said to be hostile.

If it weren't for the support of local powerful families led by Fan Changsheng, they wouldn't have been able to control Yizhou at all.

They even initially considered making Fan Changsheng the emperor.

Of course, Fan Changsheng understood this as well.

They're giving me face, so I can't be unreasonable.

Therefore, Fan Changsheng refused, but accepted the positions of Prime Minister and Imperial Preceptor.

But now it's Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty!

Li Xiong knew without even guessing who the powerful figures of Yizhou would choose.

So what he wanted to do now was to send Liu Bang's descendants from Yizhou to him, hoping that one of them would become the new emperor, and then he would lead the Di people to surrender in exchange for a better outcome. These descendants of Liu Bang from Yizhou also needed his support, since emperors from any region naturally rely on the power of that region as their base. At that time, the mixed group of Han Chinese powerful families and Di refugees in Yizhou, led by Li Xiong, was the backing of this new emperor.

This kind of thing is normal.

The descendants of Liu Bang sent from other places also carried the expectations of local powers.

"let's start!"

Yang Feng said.

As for his method of selecting emperors...

Of course, it's still a lottery.

It's still that same big box from the Tang Dynasty, still filled with golden balls. Whoever finds the slip of paper containing the title of "Supreme Ruler of the World" will become emperor. This is currently the most scientific method of selection, truly leaving it to fate, and also the most convincing way to win people's trust. Currently, no member of the Liu clan can command universal respect. Liu Kun certainly has the highest prestige, but precisely because of his high prestige, everyone is also aware of his abilities, including his various shortcomings.

It is said that his historical failures were largely due to his lack of ability.

Nepotism.

Of course, there's nothing we can do about it.

In such chaotic times, besides family, there's really no one else you can trust.

Moreover, at least some of the people he appointed were truly capable relatives like Wen Qiao.

But if he were to become emperor, it would be very difficult for him to gain the trust of the people.

But drawing lots is different.

This is providence.

This might seem childish to modern eyes, but in this era, it's the optimal solution. As long as the participants in the lottery are carefully selected, preventing fools or madmen from getting in, ability becomes secondary; an ordinary person is sufficient. The selected members of the Liu clan rose one by one, walked to the box, reached in, and pulled out a golden ball. They opened it to look at the slips of paper inside, but unfortunately, they were all blank. They could only sigh dejectedly.

Liu Kun also won the gold ball.

He gestured expressionlessly to the white paper in his hand.

Then everyone let out a sigh of relief.

I don't know whether to be happy or to feel sorry for him.

Then there's his nephew, Liu Yan.

It's also a blank sheet of paper.

Liu Yan cried.

He was truly ambitious, after all, he was still very capable in combat, and it was inevitable that he would feel a surge of heroic spirit.

"Why are you crying? This is the will of Heaven."

Yang Feng shouted.

"I know the crime!"

Liu Yan quickly apologized.

Then the drawing of lots continued.

Everyone watched nervously as the Liu clan members opened the golden orbs one by one, but the latter all raised blank sheets of paper as a gesture, including Liu Xuan, who also held up a blank sheet of paper.

"It is the will of Heaven that cannot be defied!"

He stood there holding up the white paper and sighed deeply.

however……

A young man beside him tremblingly raised a piece of white paper in his hand, on which was written the words "Supreme Ruler of the World".

Liu Xuan turned his head in astonishment.

There was silence.

"My son! My son is the emperor!"

Liu Xuan shouted excitedly.

The emperor of the Han Dynasty was finally born.

He was the great-great-grandson of Liu Bei and the great-great-grandson of Liu Yong.

"By imperial decree, bestow upon him the name Ming, so that the teachings of the Great Han may spread throughout the world like the light of the sun and moon."

Yang Feng said.

As for what he was originally called, there's no need to care. From now on, he'll be Liu Ming, which is a good result. At least Liu Bei can be happy in the afterlife. He became the ultimate winner, and it also clarifies who the legitimate ruler of the Three Kingdoms was, since he has already said that Cao Cao and Sima Yi were both usurpers.

(End of this chapter)