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

Chapter 334 Finally, Luoyang is Acquired
In the early winter of the third year of Jianxing, Miwei finally ended his twenty-five-month mourning period.

Because Hedong has been the focus of attention in the world for the past two or three years, Mi Wei is naturally a person of great interest to the world.

His reputation as a filial son has long been known throughout the land.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Emperor Liu Shan of Han eagerly announced the reinstatement of Mi Wei as the governor of Yuzhou.

He then sent envoys to Hedong to reissue the imperial insignia, battle-axe, and seal of the General of the Guards to Miwei.

It is said that Liu Shan originally intended to grant the vacant General of the Cavalry position to Mi Wei.

However, Mi Wei declined the offer because he had not yet achieved any merit and General Zhang Fei was ahead of him.

After completing his appointment and reinstatement, Mi Wei planned to return to Chang'an.

However, just as they reached Puban County, another messenger arrived from Chang'an.

Please send Mi Wei south to Luoyang immediately to take over military affairs from Guan Yu.

It is said that Guan Yu is seriously ill and can no longer attend to official duties.

Considering that Lord Guan is already nearly seventy years old, Mi Wei dared not be disrespectful.

He had no choice but to bid farewell to his wife and children in haste, and then led his close followers to board a boat at Pubanjin and head south at top speed.

Afterwards, they detoured to Shanxian County, then transferred to carriages and horses, and continued eastward along the Xiaohan North Road.

It wasn't until they reached Gucheng, near the west of Luoyang, that they learned from Master Zhang that...
Guan Yu had contracted typhoid fever at the beginning of the year, but the symptoms were not yet obvious during the hottest days of summer.

Unexpectedly, one day when the north wind came, his illness suddenly worsened, and he almost died several times.

It was only thanks to the efforts of that divine doctor Zhang from Jiangling that the patient was kept alive and has recovered in the past few days.

Mi Wei was still uneasy, so he bid farewell to Zhang Fei and continued eastward.

Finally, they met Guan Yu and his son Guan Ping in a military camp on the southern outskirts of Luoyang.

Surprisingly, Guan Yu was riding a horse.

Although he was riding a docile mare, it was clear that he had recovered quite a bit.

He was even more impressed with the medical skills of that Dr. Zhang and immediately summoned him to commend him.

Little did he expect that the person who came was not the one he had met in Jiangling, but rather his son or nephew.

Upon asking, I learned that he had long since grown old.

However, thanks to Mi Wei, the Zhang family of Nanyang had already become famous for their medical skills, and over the past ten years, their branches had spread far and wide.

At least in this industry, he can be said to have students all over the world.

Mi Wei couldn't help but marvel, and then inquired whether any of the elders in the other party's clan had the courtesy name Zhongjing.

The other person said they vaguely remembered him, but it seemed he died during the Jian'an period.

Mi Wei was already used to this, so he rewarded the other party generously and then went to hand over military affairs to Guan Yu.

Although it was called military affairs, it was actually more about everyday matters.

Guan Yu said that although he was from Hedong, he had never been to Hexi and did not know what Chang'an looked like.

When Mi Wei told him that the old capital of the Han Dynasty was long abandoned and dilapidated, with only the city walls still standing and the palaces mostly in ruins, far less magnificent than the Luoyang city before him, which had been renovated by two generations of Cao Wei, Guan Yu actually showed a relieved expression:
"Your Majesty has been on the throne for three years, and has only strengthened the city's defenses without undertaking large-scale construction of palaces. This is the mark of a wise ruler."

"If the late emperor is watching from heaven, he will surely be comforted."

Mi Wei thought to himself that the reason that person seemed so self-disciplined was mostly due to the efforts of Zhuge Liang, Dong Yun, and others.

He then said tactfully:

"With a prime minister assisting in governing, the emperor will surely be a wise ruler."

Guan Yu raised an eyebrow and said:

"And then what happened after Zhuge Liang?"

Mi Weidao:
"And Ma Lingjun."

Guan Yu: "And after Ma Liang?"

Mi Wei: "Jiang Wan, Fei Yi, Dong Yun, Chen Zhen, Pan Mi, and Lu Yu, Xu Miao, Yang Jun, and others who have returned in recent years all have the ability to assist the ruler, and there are countless fierce generals and guards."

"If Your Majesty only befriends virtuous ministers, keeps away from petty men, and does not neglect the law, you will be able to govern the country with ease and ensure the peace and prosperity of the Han Dynasty for a hundred years."

"As for what will happen a hundred years from now, future generations will take care of it. Why should you think so far ahead, maternal uncle?"

Guan Yu stroked his white beard and chuckled:

"Isn't it natural for a person to think about their descendants when they are about to die?"

"Besides, you just took stock of all the talents in the world, but you still missed a general whose reputation is known throughout the world."

Mi Wei laughed:
“My maternal uncle was a renowned general during the Jian’an era; why compare him to a bunch of juniors?”

Guan Yu rolled his eyes and said:

“Your uncle is talking about you.” Mi Wei chuckled again, shook his head, and offered no explanation.

Guan Yu had long known that he was like this, so he wasn't surprised.

He then pointed to Luoyang City and said:

"This city could fall in a day or two, yet Yide and I have besieged it without attacking. Do you know why?"

Miwei immediately said:
"My maternal uncle may not be attacking the city, but he has been attacking hearts and minds."

Guan Yu: "Whose heart are we attacking?"

Mi Wei: "We will attack not only the hearts of the people in Luoyang, but also the hearts of the scholars and commoners throughout the land. We will attack not only the hearts of the rulers and ministers of Wei, but also the hearts of the feudal lords in all directions."

Guan Yu nodded with a smile and said:

"If you understand this, then your uncle has nothing more to say."

"Let's go and help Yide take Luoyang."

"On the day the city falls, my uncle will offer sacrifices to the late emperor."

Having said that, he spurred his horse back to camp.

As Mi Wei gazed at the other man's hunched back, a mix of emotions welled up within him.

I felt the burden on my shoulders grow heavier.

……

Luoyang wasn't built in a day.

Luoyang was not captured in a day.

Instead, the attack lasted for more than two years, to the point that everyone became numb to it.

However, Zhang He's surrender on behalf of the entire city, stripped to the waist, was still a political event that attracted worldwide attention.

This is not only because Zhang He, as a general of Cao Wei, is inherently a controversial figure.

It's not just because of Luoyang's pivotal political position.

Furthermore, during the two or three years of siege of Luoyang, the Han army demonstrated great restraint.

Even with powerful siege weapons like the siege cannon, the Han army rarely used cannons to attack cities after they opened up the passes on the Xiaohan Pass.

There was a large siege fortress beneath Luoyang.

But apart from firing a few symbolic shots in the first year to intimidate the city's garrison, no further shots were fired.

So much so that by the time Zhang He surrendered, the walls of Luoyang were almost completely intact.

However, the wooden frame of the artillery was covered with moss.

It also contrasts beautifully with the surrounding large areas of temporary military settlements, where the lush green wheat fields create a picturesque scene.

This magnanimous stance of a benevolent army punishing the wicked and relieving the suffering of the people not only aligned with the values ​​of traditional Confucian scholars but also won the support of the common people.

So much so that when Guan Yu and Zhang Fei entered Luoyang together, the people who came out to welcome them blocked the roads.

Miwei didn't join in the fun.

Upon entering the city, he immediately went to inventory the remaining books, maps, registers, and other documents in the official's office.

He also ordered people to clean the Han Dynasty's Imperial Ancestral Temple and to close the Cao Clan Ancestral Temple, which was only half-built, in preparation for future needs.

Afterwards, temporary decrees were promulgated, and trivial matters such as the selection and appointment of low-level officials were handled without further ado.

Three days later, the data from all aspects were roughly tallied up.

Luoyang City is connected to the surrounding villages and towns, and there are still 40,000 to 50,000 registered households.

It is difficult to count the number of unregistered migrants, but it is estimated that there are at least 70,000 to 80,000.

After all, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had recruited a lot of refugees to settle in the military camps in recent years.

Taking all the data into account, the Heluo metropolitan area centered on Luoyang still has a population of over 200,000.

If we include the laborers brought by the Han army from Guanzhong and Nanyang, the number would be around 300,000.

Although it was far less prosperous than during the Han Dynasty, considering that this was a chaotic era and that the major event of Cao Rui moving the capital had occurred a few years prior, this was a significant period.

This size is already quite large.

In addition, Guan Zhang has consciously maintained local agricultural production in recent years.

Given time, this "Eastern Capital" will surely regain its former glory.

On this day, Mi Wei was discussing with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei who should be recommended as the magistrate of Luoyang and the governor of Henan.

Suddenly, Zhuge Qiao arrived from Chang'an, bringing with him a handwritten letter from Zhuge Liang.

(End of this chapter)