"What? Lord Dingshan is dead? How is that possible? There is no way anyone in the world could kill Lord Dingshan."
"An army of 180,000 men ambushed and annihilated the enemy. All the feudal lords and powerful clans sent their trusted confidants to participate, and even many foreign tribes sent their troops."
"Lord Dingshan fell into Liu Yan's ambush, fought a bloody battle for half a day, killed more than 60,000 people, and finally died in battle due to exhaustion?"
"You witnessed it with your own eyes, and you participated?"
"Lord Dingshan perished together with Liu Yan and the foreign generals in the end."
Within three days, news of the Marquis of Dingshan's death spread rapidly. To the surprise of the feudal lords and powerful clans, because Liu Yan, along with the officers and generals present, were almost all dragged down with him, the soldiers united by the various feudal lords and powerful clans were without command and somewhat disorganized. The news didn't reach them immediately; instead, it leaked out, and the truth about their ambush of the Marquis of Dingshan was also revealed, first spreading among the common people.
When the people heard the news, they initially didn't believe it. How could the invincible Marquis of Dingshan be killed? They didn't want to believe it either. However, as the soldiers who participated lost their command, they started to talk their way out of it, or were goaded by others, and described the details. In particular, when they heard that 180,000 troops had surrounded and killed the Marquis of Dingshan in a small canyon, and that they had prepared traps such as oil and boulders, the people couldn't help but start to believe it.
The news spread to cities large and small, and many people personally went to Sanzu Cliff. Looking at the blocked Sanzu Cliff canyon, and the corpses scattered all over the canyon and the crows flying around, including many corpses of foreign tribes and charred corpses, the people were filled with grief. Then, with the guidance of several captured soldiers, they found the section of the cliff that Wang Han had knocked down.
After half a day of moving the collapsed rocks, the people found Wang Han's mangled body, riddled with arrows and bloody holes, and his discarded drum and golden hammer. The sight before them filled them with grief, and almost everyone wept. The soldiers who had been captured to guide the way were torn to pieces by the enraged crowd.
The people wept as they carried Wang Han's body and weapons back to Chengdu.
………………………………………………
In Chengdu, when the people carried Wang Han's body back into the city amidst cries of sorrow, the news of Marquis Dingshan's death was finally confirmed, and the whole city was filled with grief.
The entire city's populace took up arms, and the enraged crowd stormed Liu Yan's residence, arresting everyone inside. They also discovered secret letters written to Liu Yan by various feudal lords and powerful clans. None of these lords or clans suspected that Liu Yan, fearing their betrayal and the potential execution of those who knew the truth, had preserved these letters.
Upon seeing the letter, the people searched the entire city for those involved in the ambush, and Liu Yan's army mutinied, hunting down Liu Yan and other vassal confidants. Meanwhile, the foreign armies, having lost their commanders, had already departed.
As the death of Marquis Dingshan was confirmed in various cities, the letters were made public, and the people of Yangzhou took up arms.
The changes in Yangzhou were beyond everyone's expectations. No one anticipated such a strong reaction from the people and the army after the death of Marquis Dingshan. What surprised them even more was that as the news spread and the contents of the letters circulated, astonishing civil and military uprisings broke out in the places it reached. No state or region involved in the siege was spared, and the momentum was simply unstoppable.
The mutinous army and angry civilians stormed into the government offices and the mansions of powerful clansmen, arresting and killing all those involved.
Only then did the feudal lords and powerful clans truly understand what Marquis Dingshan meant when he said that the pace of progress in the times was unstoppable. The powerful clans and feudal lords were only a small part of the world. Although they stood at the top, the common people were the foundation of the world. Under the monarch's system, they could represent the people. They monopolized talent and resources and blocked the path for the people to progress.
However, all of this had already sown the seeds of progress when Marquis Dingshan began his reforms. Marquis Dingshan continuously reformed, nurturing and cultivating these seeds. In the hearts of the people, Marquis Dingshan was the one who brought them peace and happiness; the people looked to him with anticipation and faith. Now, Marquis Dingshan's death has allowed these seeds to sprout and grow rapidly.
………………………………………………
"My lord, is this your plan? Why did you have to use your own death to complete the final plan?" When the news of Wang Han's death was confirmed, Xi Zhicai burst into tears.
Given Wang Han's prestige, it's impossible that no one told him, and it's impossible that Wang Han didn't know. Recalling Wang Han's instructions before leaving about rapidly expanding the army and establishing a new regime, he knew that Wang Han had deliberately laid an ambush. Wang Han was using his own death to awaken the people.
From the moment Wang Han forcefully seized Youzhou, he gradually pressured the feudal lords and powerful clans to rebel. This was his way of resolving the problems posed by these local lords and powerful clans. The large-scale expansion of the army was not intended to fight the various feudal lords, but rather to quickly stabilize the situation and establish a new system after the people rebelled against the lords.
Xi Zhicai cried out to the sky, “My lord, we promised to make our nation strong together, why did you have to leave first? Is Heaven always jealous of talent?”
"What are you crying for? I'm not dead yet." Suddenly, a voice came from behind Xi Zhicai. Xi Zhicai's voice stopped abruptly; the voice was all too familiar.
Slowly turning his head, Xi Zhicai saw Wang Han standing behind him. He wiped away his tears and exclaimed in surprise, "My lord, you're not dead!"
“Of course I’m not dead. The plan isn’t over yet. I wouldn’t feel at ease if you were dead. I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to keep the others in check.” Wang Han walked up to Xi Zhicai and said, “I just faked my death. Don’t tell anyone about this. Just keep it to yourself.”
"Yes, my lord," Xi Zhicai said happily. "With you gone, I really can't keep the others in check."
Wang Han asked, "Have all the things I asked you to do been done?"
"My lord," Xi Zhicai quickly said, "the army has completed its expansion, but it still lacks training."
“The lack of training is a minor issue, as there is no major war at the moment. We must take advantage of the current unity between the people and the military to quickly take control of the situation and prevent foreign tribes from taking advantage of the chaos,” Wang Han instructed. “In addition, prepare me a black general’s armor that can cover my entire body, including my face. I will use it very much.”
"In addition, let Cao Cao leave half of his troops on the grasslands and bring the other half back immediately to guard against other foreign tribes."
"Yes, my lord," Xi Zhicai quickly replied. If Wang Han were truly dead, he would absolutely not dare to let Cao Cao return; he would only allow Cao Cao to continue defending the grasslands. But since Wang Han was alive, there was no need to worry.
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