The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 277 Eternal Joy
Three days after the feast for all the people, the Han army entered Chang'an.

Prior to this, there was Xiahou Mao, the Governor-General of Guanzhong and General of Anxi.

In order to cover the retreat of Cao Zhen's remaining troops, he personally stayed behind to cover the rear of the main army.

During this period, they fought wits and courage against the Han army, and even sacrificed their lives, resulting in many moving and inspiring stories.

However, outnumbered, the army was routed overnight.

Xiahou Mao's fate remains unknown.

He was truly a man of unwavering integrity and loyalty, a loyal and upright official of the Great Wei Dynasty.

The above are all statements made by the Han army in its external propaganda.

In short.

With the complete recapture of Chang'an.

Zhuge Liang, Zhao Yun, and Mi Wei presented letters from the people of Yizhou, Liangzhou, and Jingzhou, respectively, along with various auspicious omens.

Emperor Liu Bei of Han finally entered the city of Chang'an, which he had always been loyal to.

The following day, Liu Bei, with astonishing willpower, completed the sacrificial ceremony at the Han Imperial Ancestral Temple.

He also entrusted Prime Minister Zhuge Liang to issue some basic decrees.

Finally, the main contributors to the victory were rewarded.

Among them, Zhang Fei, the General of Chariots and Cavalry and Commandant of the Capital Region, was transferred from the Prefect of Wudu to the Governor of Guanzhong, while retaining his imperial insignia.

He also increased the fief of the Marquis of Xixiang (this is a county marquis) by 800 households.

His son, Zhang Shaochu, was appointed as a Gentleman of the Three Departments.

General Wei Yan, who led the Northern Expedition, was transferred to the position of Governor of Yongzhou.

General Zhao Yun, who was originally appointed as the General Who Guards the North, was transferred to be the Governor of Yizhou.

Both generals increased the number of households in the county and granted titles and privileges to their sons and relatives.

It is worth mentioning that after Guan Yu and Ma Chao, the Shu Han dynasty stopped using the title of governor.

The chief official of a prefecture was called a governor, such as Mi Wei, the governor of Yuzhou.

As for Mi Wei, he was ranked first in merit in this battle, alongside Zhang Fei, and his reward was also the highest.

While retaining his position as Governor of Yuzhou, he was specially promoted to General of the Guards and given the authority to command troops.

His title was also elevated from Marquis of Duting to Marquis of Duxiang.

In other words.

Following Guan Yu, Ma Chao, Zhang Fei, Wei Yan, Zhao Yun, and Huang Quan.

Mi Wei became the seventh general of the Shu Han dynasty to hold the prestigious title of "Gold Seal and Purple Ribbon".

Moreover, he was a general of the Guards, ranked only after Guan Yu, Ma Chao, and Zhang Fei, and held a position second only to the Three Dukes.

Of course, in this era, the rank of general represented more of a political status than actual power.

Even before this honor, Mi Wei was recognized as a trusted advisor to Liu Bei and was among the trusted ministers entrusted with the care of the young emperor, alongside Zhuge Liang.

In addition, there was the real military achievement of killing Cao Zhen, a general of the Wei army.

This reward was widely expected within the Shu Han state.

Only scholars from Guanzhong who were unfamiliar with the affairs of Shu would be amazed by this.

That night, Liu Bei hosted a small banquet at Weiyang Palace to entertain the generals, both high and low, who had come to Guanzhong to participate in the battle.

Even Jiang Wei and Deng Ai, disciples of Mi Wei, were among those invited.

Fine wine and delicious food, accompanied by singing and dancing.

Although Liu Bei could no longer swallow a drop of wine.

Yet he still insisted on toasting with everyone, reciting their names and courtesy names.

The veterans seemed to sense something, and each of them became solemn.

The young soldiers were excited to hear Liu Bei call out their names, but dared not make a sound.

After the toast, everyone expected Liu Bei to give them some military advice.

After all, the Wei army still had a large force in the north of the Wei River.

Cao Pi was also eyeing Hongnong, not far east of Tongguan.

However, Liu Bei never mentioned the war.

He simply instructed them to continue playing music and dancing.

The generals gradually relaxed, and with the help of drinks, they began their traditional art of comparing their achievements with each other.

Liu Bei, holding his wine cup, watched with a smile as the three generations of generals, old, middle-aged, and young, drank and joked around.

Listen to them reminisce about the past or dream about the future.

They drank and celebrated until dawn.

When the generals rose to bid farewell to the emperor.

But then I suddenly realized...

I don’t know when.

Liu Bei has passed away.
It is said that when he left...

Face full of red light.

The aroma of wine overflows.

A slight smile still lingered on his face.

…… ……

On the third morning after entering Chang'an, Liu Bei died in Weiyang Palace.

He passed away at the age of 65 (by Chinese reckoning).

In an instant, the emperor and his concubines wailed, and the whole city wore mourning clothes as if they had lost their parents.

However, according to Liu Bei's will, the war in Guanzhong had not ended and the traitors had not been completely eliminated.

Therefore, funerals should be kept simple.

Officials and ministers would remove their mourning clothes after three days.

The same applies to the governors, chancellors, commandants, and magistrates of outlying prefectures, counties, and kingdoms.

The funeral will be held on a later date after Guanzhong is stabilized.

In short, whether it's to press the attack after a victory or to hasten Liu Bei's burial.

Once the mourning clothes were removed, all units of the Han army launched an attack, marching north across the Wei River in a grand and imposing manner.

Meanwhile, the Wei troops in the Weibei region were still reeling from the death of Cao Zhen and the fall of Chang'an.

They hadn't even had time to process the news of Liu Bei's death.

"Is Liu Bei really dead?"

Inside the Linjin County government building.

Sima Yi glanced at Zhang He, who was half-scratched.

He then looked at Xiahou Mao, who was covered in dust and dirt.

They were thrown into a state of extreme confusion.

After all, according to his original plan, as long as Liu Bei was outlived, the Han army would be in a state of leaderlessness, even if their morale did not suffer a major blow.

Once the enemy generals fight independently, we will have the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

When Cao Pi then enters Guanzhong again, the morale of the Wei army will surely be boosted.

With this rise and fall, perhaps we can recover the entire Guanzhong region in one fell swoop.

And I will become a pillar general of the Great Wei!
But now...

The Han army showed no signs of morale being low.

Where is there even the slightest sign of chaos and leaderlessness?

Zhang Fei, Mi Wei, Wei Yan, Zhao Yun, Guan Ping, and various tribes including the Lu Shui Hu of Anding... one by one, they all fought like madmen, disregarding casualties, and desperately attacked the remaining cities of Jingzhao and Fengyi counties.

It is said that Mi Wei even brought up the so-called "city-destroying artillery camp" along with it, vowing to smash every city gate that refused to open on its own.

This is clearly an organized and orderly collective action.

Is Liu Bei really dead?

Or is it that... Zhuge Liang was able to subdue all the generals and command them with ease after Liu Bei's death?

"Make a decisive decision!"

Zhang He suddenly roared.

Sima Yi instantly snapped out of his daze and deliberately asked:

"What instructions does General Zhang have?"

"You, Sima Zhongda, are resourceful and decisive; how could I be qualified to teach you?" Zhang He scoffed.

"Whether Liu Bei really died or faked his death, the loss of Chang'an is an undeniable fact."

"The best course of action now is to invite the Emperor to enter the pass and personally reward the three armies. Only then will we have the confidence to fight the Shu bandits!"

"Otherwise, let alone protecting Guanzhong, the enemy might even take advantage of their victory to conquer the Heluo region!"

Upon hearing Zhang He's report of the loss of Chang'an, Xiahou Mao showed no remorse.

But when he heard that he wanted to invite Cao Pi into the pass, he couldn't help but shudder.

However, the other two had no interest in him at all.

Sima Yi first slowly nodded in agreement with Zhang He's suggestion.

But then the tone suddenly changed:
"General Zhang, are you confident you can withstand this round of attacks from the Shu bandits?"

"I'm afraid that if the car gets into trouble, all three of us will become sinners for all eternity..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang He couldn't help but sneer:

Was Zhongda worried about the car accident, or was he worried about his reputation?

"Guanyu is the foundation of the Central Plains. If it is lost, the country will cease to exist... If the late emperor were here, he would surely have personally led a large army to reinforce us. How could he have stayed far behind, looking back and forth?"

Zhang He's tone was quite intense, and he was suspected of criticizing the emperor.

Xiahou Mao didn't dare to respond at all.

They could only watch Sima Yi helplessly.

The latter slammed his fist on the table and stood up, his face contorted with anger:

"I also followed the late emperor on his campaigns, and I believe I know as much about his military tactics as you do!"

"Instead of arguing with me about past glories, why not lead by example today and serve the court?"

"Could it be that they're using the excuse that they can't get their vehicle here, so they don't have to risk their lives in battle?"

Zhang He blushed instantly.

(End of this chapter)