The Rebirth of Lu Bu in the Legend of the Heroes of the Later Han Dynasty

After becoming the Prime Minister of Luoyang, Cao Ren went to Xianyang to garrison, while Cao Hong took on the important task of building Tongguan. Xia Houyuan, who was appointed as the general to conquer the west, encountered trouble when he entered Shu. Transportation of grain from Qinling Mountains was indeed a big problem. Food from Guanzhong could only be transported to Hanzhong through plank roads.

The so-called plank roads are small roads built on the mountainside. From east to west they are Ziwu Valley Road, Chencang Road and Qishan Road. The roads are narrow and difficult to navigate, and the climate in central Sichuan is changeable. Flash floods often break out and wash away the roads. Xia Houyuan had been stationed in Hanzhong for several years, and the food was only enough to supply the army with daily food. As for conquering Yizhou, it was really difficult.

Hanzhong County is located in the north of Yizhou, with a plain terrain. It is governed by Nanzheng and has a population of about 200,000. Due to the lack of food, local people mostly believed in the Five Dou Rice Cult. According to legend, Zhang Lu, the leader of the Five Dou Rice Cult, had a quarrel with Zhang Lu, the Taiping Cult leader who launched the Yellow Turban Uprising. They had a brotherly relationship, and Zhang Lu also learned some Taiping techniques. As a civilian force, the Five Dou Rice Sect often clashed with Xia Houyuan's imperial army. Although Xiahou Yuan's army only had 5,000 soldiers, it was well-equipped and still had the upper hand in the face of more than 100,000 members of the Five Dou Rice Sect.

Cao Ren had two main purposes in garrisoning Xianyang. One was to defend Guanzhong, and the other was to support Xiahou Yuan in Hanzhong. However, the problem of grain transportation was also a difficult problem that he needed to solve. Only by successfully transporting grain to Hanzhong could he add more troops to Hanzhong.

Cao Hong mobilized 100,000 civilians to shuttle between the Qinling Mountains all day long, carrying stones and wood, and building cities. This was a big project. Once Tongguan was completed, it would be the most powerful pass in the world, not inferior to Hulao Pass. There was only one road that could pass through it. It is surrounded by mountains and mountains that are difficult to climb.

Dian Wei and Xu Chu, as ten thousand enemies, followed Cao Cao all day long to protect his safety. All civil servants and generals also moved to Luoyang. , Yuzhou was governed by Xun You and other Yingchuan gentry. Cao Cao changed the name of Guanzhong to Yongzhou. From then on, Yongzhou, Sili, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou were connected into one area, running from east to west, and became the fiefdom of the King of Wei.

Liangzhou is an important town in the northwest of the Han Dynasty. It has been a place of great importance to military strategists since ancient times. It borders Yinchuan to the east, Xining to the west, Lanzhou to the south, and Dunhuang to the north. It is known as "a line connecting the vast desert and controlling the throat of the five counties." Liangzhou was a pastureland for the Yuezhi during the Qin Dynasty, and was later occupied by the Xiongnu. During the reign of Emperor Wu, Huo Qubing, the general of the Hussars, went on two expeditions to the west, driving away the Xiongnu, controlling the Hexi Corridor, and opening up the Silk Road. Since then, Liangzhou has become one of the Thirteen Prefectures of the Han Dynasty, governing Longxi County, Hanyang County, Wudu County, Jincheng County, Anding County, Beidi County, Wuwei County, Zhangye County, Jiuquan County, Dunhuang County, and Xihai County, with a vast territory. It is sparsely populated, located on the border between Han and Qiang, and its people are fierce and unafraid of death. In the past, Dong Zhuo relied on Liangzhou's elite cavalry to dominate the world and was invincible.

After Dong Zhuo entered Beijing, he left General Ma Teng and Liangzhou wealthy Han Sui to garrison in Jincheng County and Wuwei County respectively. Ma Teng was the successor of Fubo General Ma Yuan. He was brave and good at fighting and was one of Dong Zhuo's troika. His eldest son Ma Chao was more He inherited the family's bravery and was the leader of the younger generation in the Xiliang army. Together with Zhang Xiu, he became the twin walls of the Xiliang army. After Niu Fu's Luoyang Rebellion, Ma Chao returned to Jincheng and devoted himself to fighting against the Qiang people. He made many military exploits. The Qiang people were all frightened when they heard Ma Chao's name. Han Sui only surrendered to the court on the surface. After Dong Zhuo's death, Han Sui stopped paying tribute to Luoyang. His general Yan Xing even extended his tentacles to Guanzhong. It was not until Cao Ren's army arrived that he stopped plundering the people of Guanzhong. .

Cao Cao's original intention was to let the three forces of Ma Teng, Han Sui, and the Qiang people restrain each other. He wanted to pacify the nine counties of Jingxiang first, and then go back to deal with the affairs of Liangzhou. However, Xia Houyuan was currently engaged in a tense war in Hanzhong, and Cao Ren was unable to support him separately. Cao Cao decided to raise an army of 200,000 and march personally to Liangzhou. In this battle, Xu Huang, Yu Jin, Le Jin, Li Dian, Xu Chu, Dian Wei and other generals accompanied him. Guo Jia accompanied the king as a military advisor and general, and Xun Yu handled the government affairs with Luoyang as usual.

The cost of food and clothing for an army of 200,000 is not a small sum. At this time, Cao Cao, the king of Wei, already has enough financial resources to support a large-scale war. This battle is to completely conquer Liangzhou, reopen the Western Regions Protectorate, and rebuild Silk Road.

After the Northern Xiongnu fled, the Western Region Protectorate gradually lost its control over the thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Region. The Kushan Empire established by the Yuezhi people took over the dominance of the Han Empire in the Western Region. The Kushan Empire was located in the Silk Road. The traffic artery of the road was a transit point for the trade of Han Dynasty silk, Southeast Asian spices, Parthian linen fabrics, and Roman glass products. It started from Iran in the west, the Ganges River in the east, Congling in the north, and the Nabada River in the south. It was connected with the Han Dynasty, Rome and Parthia were listed as one of the four great empires in Eurasia.

It was Lu Bu's wish to conquer these three empires. Destiny made him come to this era two thousand years later to do great things that would open up the world. He arranged for Mohists to infiltrate these three empires along the Silk Road in order to obtain more information. After the land in Hebei became Lu Bu's fiefdom, taxes no longer had to be handed over to the court. Lu Bu used maritime trade to transport silk, lacquerware, and ironware through Japanese counties to Southeast Asian countries such as Siam, Luzon, and South Vietnam in exchange for local spices. And on the Maritime Silk Road, an island was discovered. Lu Bu named it Yizhou, and sent Han troops to live on the island, reclaim wasteland, and settle down. Yizhou later became Taiwan.

After Liu Bei arrived in Jingzhou, he defected to the eldest son Liu Qi. Jingzhou and Jiangdong had fought several battles before and recaptured Jiangxia County. In order to prevent Jiangdong's army from invading Jingzhou again, Liu Qi led an army of 30,000 to garrison in Jiangxia.

Liu Bei served in the army for half his life. Although he suffered many hardships, he still maintained his ambition. He believed that he would definitely find an opportunity to compete in the world. Because Liu Bei could not be humane, he adopted Kou Feng, the son of the Kou family of Jiangxia, as his adopted son. He had previously served Gongsun Zan for a long time. With the Youzhou cavalry, Liu Bei took on the important task of helping the Jingzhou army establish the cavalry.