The Emperor was captured because Gou Xi and Gou Chun had been lured deep, losing themselves in successive victories, becoming arrogant and overconfident. They were counterattacked and defeated by Liu Cong. Shi Lei also circled around from behind, directly cutting off their retreat. First, Gou Chun was captured. As for Gou Xi… the letter said he felt the situation was lost. With only a few hundred riders beside him, he ultimately had no choice but to surrender to Shi Lei to preserve his life.

Ming Yu read this with heartache. His eyes instantly filled with tears, extremely grieved: “The Great General… his will has fallen so low.”

Two years of extravagance had not only ruined Gou Xi’s body but also his mind. How could he surrender?

As long as he didn’t surrender, within Yan Province’s borders with the Emperor present, he could rally support with a call and assemble a new army. Even if he couldn’t turn defeat into victory, as long as he found the Emperor and escorted him to Yu Province or south of the Yangtze, he could make a comeback. How could he surrender out of fear of death?

This was a fatal blow to Dajin’s morale.

Ming Yu hurried to read on. As soon as news of Gou Xi and his brother’s surrender reached them, two subordinate generals who had originally belonged to Gou Xi also led their armies to surrender to Shi Lei.

The Emperor then became difficult. Almost as soon as news of his surrender arrived, two subordinate generals who had originally belonged to Gou Xi also brought their main armies to surrender to Shi Lei.

The Emperor could only gather the remaining generals to firmly defend Yun City, but Liu Cong’s offensive was swift and fierce. He couldn’t hold it either.

Zhao Ju was on the western front, held back by Shi Lei’s fifty thousand troops, unable to return in time to provide relief. By the time he rushed back, Liu Cong had already killed his way back and captured the Emperor and many ministers and imperial clan members.

Zhao Ju was also heavily defeated, leading the remaining eight thousand Zhao’s Army troops with whereabouts unknown.

Ming Yu suppressed the grief in his heart, folded the letter, and looked at Zhao Hanzhang: “His Majesty is in Liu Cong’s hands. Will the Commander surrender?”

Zhao Hanzhang’s brows shot up. Her face darkened as she thought for a moment, then said: “The Emperor can be replaced.” Surrendering was impossible.

Ming Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said: “His Majesty has been captured. The Crown Prince’s whereabouts are unknown. Apart from the Crown Prince, among the current imperial clan, Prince Wu Sima Yan and Prince Qin Sima Ye have the closest blood relations to His Majesty.”

They were all descendants of Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan.

Calculating it out, Sima Yan had a total of twenty-six sons. Apart from those who died young, the remaining ones had all died successively over these years. The current Emperor was the youngest. Apart from him, Prince Wu was still alive.

All the other dozen or so princes had died. As for their descendants, there weren’t many still living.

The Sima family was too fertile. There were too many grandsons—she really couldn’t remember them all. Moreover, too many had died in these years.

Many died during the War of the Eight Princes. Two years ago, Shi Lei killed a batch. Now with Yun City broken, who knew how many had escaped.

Zhao Hanzhang wrote to Zhao Ming, telling him to firmly defend Yu Province and search for surviving imperial clan members and ministers.

As for the Emperor, if he could be saved, save him. If not, wait until she returned to discuss further.

Zhao Hanzhang paused, still entrusting him to help investigate news of Zhao Zhongyu: “He serves as Minister of the Secretariat and must be at His Majesty’s side. If you can contact him, please ask him to preserve his life first. I’ll find a way to exchange for him.”

Zhao Hanzhang sent the letter off, then immediately ordered Luoyang to attack Pingyang Commandery with full force and commanded Beigong Chun to support Shangdang.

Zhao Hanzhang said: “Turn all prisoners into war slaves. Tell them they can exchange military merit for commoner status. Those who convert to commoner status can choose to leave the army and be allocated farmland to cultivate, or they can remain in the army as military households, accumulating merit to advance. Tell them that I, Zhao Hanzhang, treat all equally. Whether they are Han, Xiongnu, Jie, or Xianbei, in my domain, as long as they don’t violate the laws I’ve established, all are good citizens!”

“I, Zhao Hanzhang, am not cruel and do not kill the innocent indiscriminately. Follow me, and the capable can not only eat their fill but also establish careers and bring glory to their ancestors! Even the incapable can farm and herd without dying unjustly!”

Fan Ying and Zeng Yue wrote down the words and personally went to encourage and persuade the prisoners.

By the next day, Zhao Hanzhang personally spoke before the battle lines. Everyone’s already wavering hearts swayed even more.

Among the captured, the Han people naturally needed no mention. Basically, as soon as Zhao Hanzhang spoke, they surrendered.

The rest were all non-Han peoples. They were very hesitant because Shi Lei had also treated them well.

Apart from some who had been forcibly conscripted from various places and had no choice but to become soldiers, the rest were non-Han peoples Shi Lei had sent people to persuade back after arriving at Bing Province.

The non-Han peoples’ circumstances at that time weren’t very good.

This was also the Sima family’s karma. There had been constant warfare. The common people’s lives were difficult, and non-Han peoples in Dajin were also ordinary commoners. When they migrated here during Jin’s reign, governors and county magistrates would favor Han people, placing more tax burden on non-Han peoples and those of even lower status—the common folk.

When soldiers couldn’t be paid, they would be captured as vagrants and escaped slaves to be sold for military pay. And when Liu Yuan’s Han state was established, the Xiongnu still looked down on Jie and other mixed non-Han peoples, oppressing and exploiting them even more wantonly.

So Zhang Bin persuaded Shi Lei to raise the banner of Jie and unite with other non-Han peoples to dominate a region.

Shi Lei had indeed done this. Since entering Shangdang, his position had gradually stabilized. Liu Cong had tried several times to seize Shangdang but failed.

So the inducement Zhao Hanzhang gave them only made them waver momentarily, not enough to make them loyal to her.

Zhao Hanzhang said: “Since you’ve surrendered to me, you must be loyal to me! During this time, whoever dares betray me or do things that wrong me will be killed without mercy!”

The prisoners silently lowered their heads. Great General, rest assured—they were only physically loyal to Zhao Hanzhang. In their hearts, they wouldn’t be loyal to her. All for the sake of staying alive.

Zhao Hanzhang made brief arrangements and left Tunliu County, leading her main army toward Lu County.

She searched among the prisoners and found two lieutenant generals. After asking about the whereabouts of their family and friends, she had them follow at her side, bringing them to blast open the city gates of two cities along the way. After receiving their family and friends, Zhao Hanzhang met with them, selecting two literate youths from their children to serve as clerks in Tunliu County, and selecting two girls to enter the army to help Fan Ying process documents—actually just doing odd jobs.

She also had their wives enter the military medical corps to follow the army learning medicine and help treat wounded soldiers. This was also military household status—the kind with monthly military pay.

Calculating it out, this was even better than their husbands who had earned military merit but still held war slave status.

The two non-Han men knelt before Zhao Hanzhang, tears and snot flowing as they expressed they would definitely be loyal to Zhao Hanzhang.

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, had them withdraw, and promoted them to squad leaders, each leading one hundred prisoners.

As soon as they left the command tent, Sun Dong and Zhi Hei exchanged glances. Actually, they didn’t want to betray the Great General. It was just that Zhao Hanzhang gave too much, and circumstances were such. If one day they were captured by the Great General, they could pledge loyalty to the Great General again. Surely the Great General would understand them.

Zhi Hei muttered quietly: “In my heart, I’m still loyal to the Great General.”

As for his body… he couldn’t help himself.

When attacking Lu County, Zhi Hei volunteered as vanguard, leading men in fierce assault on Lu County. Only by establishing merit could he shed his slave status and convert to military household. Inspector Zhao—oh no, Zhao Hanzhang said that if he accumulated merit to lieutenant general, she would transfer his son to serve under her command. Even his wife could be transferred to his battalion as a medical woman.