Wei Qing was unwilling to be captured, but it was all in vain.
Over the next three days, the Great Xia army attacked fiercely using the broken fortress as a breakthrough point. Soon, they would reach the foot of the imperial city. Over the next two days, the Han army was obviously unwilling to put up too much resistance. They would often raise their hands and surrender halfway through the battle.
This was beyond Wei Qing's control.
At this stage, no one could change the fate of the Great Han army.
At this moment, the Grand Council of Great Xia and the commander-in-chief of the southeast war zone, Han Xin, represented the Great Xia imperial court and issued a final announcement to the Great Han to surrender, "Great Han has two days to surrender to Great Xia. Emperor Xia is benevolent and promises to protect the royal family. Otherwise, if they continue to resist stubbornly, the Liu family will be completely wiped out. "
Once the announcement was made, not only was the imperial court shaken, but even Crown Prince Liu Fuling could not sit still.
If he could not protect the Liu family, he would be a sinner of the Great Han. He had no choice but to face his ancestors without any hesitation. The next day, Liu Fuling expressed his willingness to surrender.
Wei Qing saw this and was powerless to stop it.
On the 28th of the seventh month, the Han army completely surrendered. Han Xin led the Great Xia army and quickly took over Luoyang, guarding the important passes and the remaining granaries.
The battle of Luoyang came to an end.
Just as the Great Xia army was busy taking over Luoyang, there was a shocking piece of news.
After General Wei Qing returned to his residence, he committed suicide in the secret chamber. Apart from Wei Qing, Zhang Qian and Sima Qian also committed suicide in their own residences, vowing not to surrender.
They were buried together with Emperor Wu of Han, and also together with the Han Dynasty. It was truly a pity.
The most outstanding talents always withered in their best years.
After learning of Wei Qing's suicide, Ouyang Shuo, who was overseeing Shanhai City, was speechless for a long time. This was his most valued general, but he chose such a method to defend the last glory of the Han army.
After a long time, Ouyang Shuo ordered, "Bury Wei Qing!"
Wei Qing's suicide caused a huge uproar in the Han army. Upon receiving the news, more than a hundred soldiers committed suicide in the barracks on the same day to follow Wei Qing.
The Han family's spirit had never withered.
…
Gaia Year 6, 1st of August, Luoyang.
Since early in the morning, the Great Xia army had imposed martial law on the public square where the transmission array was located. The entire capital was sealed off, and unauthorized people were not allowed to enter.
On the square, Han Xin led a group of generals and stood on the left, while the Great Han Dynasty's Crown Prince, Liu Fuling, led a group of civil and military officials and stood on the right, waiting for Ouyang Shuo's arrival.
In the crowd, there was also the thunderous Sword Qi of the Head of the Rain-savoring Tower.
At nine o 'clock in the morning.
Ouyang Shuo brought the Cabinet Chief Jiang Shang, the Chamberlain of Chamberlain Zhang Yi, and other ministers under the protection of the Divine Martial Guards to Luoyang City to formally accept the Great Han Dynasty's surrender.
"Welcome, Your Majesty!"
As soon as Ouyang Shuo appeared, the people on both sides simultaneously saluted him.
Under Zhang Yi's lead, the former Crown Prince of the Great Han, Liu Fuling, dressed in plain clothes, presented the Great Han Imperial Seal and the letter of credence. Ouyang Shuo accepted it and gestured for Jiang Shang to announce the decree.
Jiang Shang understood and took out the edict he had prepared earlier. "Liu Fuling, receive the edict."
Liu Fuling bowed once more when he saw this. "This sinner, Liu Fuling, receives the decree." When he said this, a trace of humiliation flashed in Liu Fuling's eyes. In the blink of an eye, he changed from a Crown Prince to a prisoner.
Nothing could be more changeable than this.
"By the decree of Emperor Xia, the former Crown Prince of the Great Han Dynasty, Liu Fuling, is the King of Han, and the former Crown Prince's wife, Shangguan, is the Princess of Han. The Crown Prince's Mansion will be changed to the King of Han's Mansion. You are not allowed to leave Luoyang City without the order. You are not allowed to make friends with the court officials, and you are not allowed to raise soldiers. "
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Respectfully receiving the imperial edict, Liu Fuling could not hide the shock in his eyes.
Although the conferred King of Han had neither fief nor real power, and was just an idle king, no matter what, this was the first conferred King of a different surname in the Great Xia Dynasty, which was already a very great honor.
Before, Liu Fuling just wanted to preserve the Liu bloodline, but he did not expect that there would be such a conferment.
Not only Liu Fuling, but even the group of former Great Han Dynasty's civil and military officials behind him also showed a commotion. Obviously, they were surprised by the Great Xia Dynasty's kindness.
Ouyang Shuo did this to appease the Han Dynasty's old officials.
The old officials that he was referring to were not only Liu Fuling's father, Sima Xiangru, and Dong Zhongshu, but also Xiao He, Huo Qubing, and other former subordinates of the Great Han Dynasty.
Treating the descendants of Liu Bang well would obviously win the hearts of the people, and it would also show Ouyang Shuo's imperial magnanimity. Moreover, with the Han Royal Family's example, if the other dynasties surrendered to the Great Xia Dynasty, they would also do the same.
This was very beneficial to the Great Xia Dynasty's future strategy.
After a simple ceremony, Ouyang Shuo was welcomed to a mansion in the city. He did not live in the Great Han Palace. In fact, the Great Han Palace was about to be demolished and the governor's office would be built on its original site.
It was necessary to erase the traces of the Great Han Dynasty in Luoyang.
After settling down, Jiang Shang represented Ouyang Shuo to appease the group of civil and military officials. Ouyang Shuo only saw two people, one was Han Xin, and the other was Sword Qi Lei Yin.
When he saw Han Xin, he naturally wanted to understand the frontline reports.
Aside from taking over Luoyang, Han Xin also did two things. The first was to imprison over 100,000 Han prisoners of war and wait for the Privy Council to reorganize them. The second was to send troops to take over other cities.
In the next few days, the cabinet would arrange for officials to rush to the Central Plains Province.
"How long can the army's provisions last?" Ouyang Shuo asked.
Han Xin knew that this was the main point of the king's question, so he did not dare to hide it. "Although we've taken over Luoyang and saved more than half of the food from the burned granaries, it can only last for 20 days at most."
Ouyang Shuo fell silent. He pondered for a moment and said, "What if we forcibly levy grain in the counties?"
According to the system, the Central Plains Province was already under the rule of the Great Xia Dynasty. Apart from paying agricultural taxes, the people did not have to hand over any additional provisions. Forcibly levying grain was only suitable during times of war, and it was easy to lose the hearts of the people.
Especially if they forcibly levied grain right after taking over the Central Plains Province, it would put the governor's office in a difficult position in the future.
Ouyang Shuo did not want to do that, but the Central Plains was currently in flames. After taking over the Great Han Dynasty, the Great Xia could not stay where it was and had to attack again.
Extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures.
Han Xin did not hesitate when he heard this and replied, "If we really disregard the cost of levying grain, then with the wealth of the Central Plains Province, its potential is extremely huge. It won't be a problem for it to last for two to three months."
"Then let's levy it!" Ouyang Shuo decided.
"Yes!"
Han Xin's eyes lit up as he vaguely saw through the King's intentions.
Logically speaking, after taking down the Darkhan Dynasty, the Leopard Army would switch from offense to defense according to the Imperial Court's established strategy and help the Imperial Court defend the Central Plains Province.
But now, the King was in a hurry to levy grain. Obviously, he had other ideas.
Han Xin was unwilling to continue investigating this matter and only accepted the order. What he had to do was to take down the entire Central Plains Province as soon as possible and allow the Leopard Army to recover its peak strength.
He had a premonition that the war in the Central Plains had just begun.
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