Soon, the rebels sent messengers to Lü Bu and his men stationed in Wuhu with a letter of surrender. Their only condition was that the Han army should not purge their leader and other chieftains.

After discussing with Tian Feng and Zhang Zhao, they agreed to the rebels' surrender and accepted their conditions.

Early the next morning, under the leadership of their chief, the 90,000 rebel troops who had been holed up in their camp set out and headed towards Wuhu.

Lü Bu, Dian Wei, and Dong Zhuo also led their armies out of the city to accept the surrender.

Looking at the well-organized Han army troops, their armor gleaming, the chieftain and his officers couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

These people had actually been paying close attention to the situation of the northern court. They only knew that the court had won several battles, the northern economy had greatly improved, and the emperor had ordered the expansion of the army.

However, to their surprise, in just a few short years, the Han army had grown to such a terrifying extent that in just over a month, 250,000 troops were wiped out.

It seems that in the future, Jiangnan will never be able to stir up any more waves...

With this thought in mind, the chieftain bent over, held his sword, and slowly walked up to Lu Bu, Dian Wei, and Dong Zhuo.

"I was ignorant of the Emperor's might and offended him by raising an army, causing suffering and devastation to the people. Now I have come to repent and beg for surrender, hoping that the Emperor's army will accept me!"

Having said that, the chieftain knelt down respectfully and raised his sword high.

"We hope the royal army will accept us!"

The leaders following behind also knelt down to show their submission.

Lu Bu, who was in the middle, glanced coldly at the crowd, then stepped forward, grabbed the sword from the chieftain's hand, turned around, faced the Han army ranks, and raised the sword high!

Xiahou Dun, who was at the very front of the formation, immediately raised his weapon and shouted, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Han Dynasty!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Han Dynasty!!"

The Han soldiers behind them also raised their weapons and shouted in unison, proclaiming their victory.

Subsequently, under the organization of Tian Feng and Zhang Zhao, these surrendered prisoners were divided into fifteen teams and escorted by the soldiers of the prefectures and kingdoms to various counties to begin building roads and bridges.

Thus, the rebellion that had plagued Jiangnan was completely quelled...

On the other side, Huang Zhong and others, having learned the news, led their army to Wuhu three days later to join Lü Bu and his men.

The two armies met and both sides were overjoyed.

That night, the soldiers held a grand victory celebration in Wuhu City. They gathered together, drinking and eating meat, having a great time.

Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, and other generals from Xiliang also sought out Dong Zhuo to start a drinking contest.

After a few bowls of strong liquor, everyone's faces were flushed, and they began to chat about all sorts of things.

"Haha~, Zhongying, it's been a long time! You've lost so much weight!"

Looking at Dong Zhuo's slightly shrunken belly, Li Jue couldn't help but tease him.

"Pat pat!" Dong Zhuo bent down and patted his round belly, laughing loudly, "Don't even mention it! Ever since he came to Jiangnan, he's been eating fish and shrimp all day long, but he doesn't gain any weight..."

Fan Chou chimed in, "That's true. Southerners have different tastes. They eat everything, not just fish and shrimp, but anything that flies in the sky or runs on the ground!"

Li Jue, standing to the side, waved his hand and said, "What's so special about that? I've heard that the people living by the sea, and the Baiyue people, are even more fierce and valiant."

They'll eat anything with legs, except for two-legged people and four-legged tables!

"Really? This guy's fucking fierce?"

Dong Zhuo, sitting opposite him, asked in shock.

Li Jue rolled his eyes: "Tch~, of course it's true! I'll bring you a few Baiyue women someday and show you!"

"No way, I'm afraid they might get greedy one day and eat me too!"

Dong Zhuo quickly waved his hand in refusal, feeling a slight fear in his heart at these Baiyue people who ate everything.

"Haha~ No way, I never thought that Dong Zhongying, who is fearless, would have a moment of fear?"

When everyone saw Dong Zhuo's appearance, they couldn't help but burst into laughter.

On the other side, Lü Bu, Huang Zhong, and Gao Shun also gathered together, drinking heartily.

After downing a cup of wine, Lü Bu looked at Huang Zhong and asked with a smile, "Brother Hansheng, I heard that your wife recently gave birth to a son for you?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Zhong nodded with delight: "The news travels fast enough, even Fengxian knows?"

Lu Bu smiled and said, "Among our many colleagues, Brother Hansheng is the first to give birth to a qilin. How could I not know about such a momentous event?"

"Fengxian, you flatter me. This is no big deal."

Huang Zhong smiled and waved his hand, but there was a hint of happiness and satisfaction in that smile.

Then Huang Zhong looked at Lü Bu with a smile: "By the way, Fengxian, you and Miss Yan have known each other for several years, haven't you?"

Five years!

Lu Bu smiled slightly, and Yan Jin's beautiful face involuntarily appeared in his mind. He then took out a sachet from his bosom and stroked it.

Huang Zhong laughed and said, "After this year, Fengxian will be twenty. It's time for him to get married and have a son so that he can continue to serve His Majesty when he grows up, right?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu simply smiled and nodded without saying a word.

It's been so long, it's time to settle down and start a family...

As Lü Bu looked at the sachet in his hand, his thoughts drifted back to Luoyang.

On the other hand, with the suppression of the rebels, the powerful gentry who had been entrenched in Jiangnan were also basically wiped out, and a large amount of land and property were nationalized.

The aristocratic families and merchant caravans that had been stationed at the rear also flocked to Yangzhou, assisting the local government in handling the aftermath while also starting to establish various workshops and factories.

Those lands that had been taken over by the imperial court were remeasured according to the policies of Jiangbei, and rented to the people at a low price, based on the previously promised tax rate of one-tenth.

The local people were overjoyed to learn of the new policies issued by the imperial court and were extremely supportive of the court and the government.

You have to understand that in the past, in addition to paying taxes to the government, we also had to pay rent to the landlords. After a year of hard work, we had less than 20% of our food left. We could only survive by eating fish and shrimp from the water.

Now, according to the new policies of the imperial court, at least 90% of the grain they produce belongs to themselves.

This is undoubtedly a great thing for the people of Jiangnan.

Before, I worked for the government and landlords; now I work for myself. My feelings are definitely different.

In a short time, the enthusiasm of all the people of Yangzhou was fully mobilized, and they began to plow the fields and reclaim wasteland under the arrangement of the government.

The grand development of the Jiangnan region has officially begun.

Several days later, just as the army was preparing to set off, a scout arrived in Wuhu with military orders from General Huangfu Gui, the General Who Pacifies the South.

Upon seeing Huangfu Gui's order, Lü Bu, Huang Zhong, and the others, who were thinking of rushing back to Luoyang for the New Year, couldn't help but smile bitterly. Then they led the assembled 60,000 troops toward Changsha.