Chapter 124 Your Majesty, You Are Not Behaving Well

Among them, Wang Zheng once followed Liu Yu's order to kill Zhang Chun, a nobleman from Yuyang County in Youzhou who had rebelled together with Zhang Ju.

Han Long was even more extraordinary. In history, this man had taken the heads of enemy generals in the midst of thousands of troops and assassinated the Xianbei leader Kebi Neng. With his own efforts, he brought decades of peace and stability to the northern border of the Cao Wei regime, reduced the military and political pressure on Wei, and allowed Cao Pi to recuperate.

At this moment, Han Long was only twenty-five years old, but his swordsmanship was even better than Shi A's. Therefore, he alone was able to hold Shi A back, allowing Dong Cheng to lead his troops to attack Xiyuan.

As a result, as soon as he rushed in, he was shot out by a volley of arrows.

Boo~hoo~hoo~
Inside the gate, densely distributed Tianzhi crossbows fired powerful arrows one after another. The soldiers brought by Dong Cheng had no way to dodge in the narrow aisle and were shot and knocked off their horses on the spot.

"Ah, it's the Mohist mechanical crossbow array!"

"Run away, or you'll die!"

The soldiers were all incompetent, and the generals were all incompetent. Dong Cheng himself had no ability to lead troops in battle, and the imperial guards he led were just a bunch of show-offs. They looked quite capable on weekdays, but now that they really started fighting, their weak nature was immediately revealed.

More than a thousand people were killed by more than a hundred secret guards cooperating with the Mohist mechanical array. The army's morale collapsed and more than a thousand people fled out of the West Garden tumbling.

In the center of the battlefield, Shi A, after fighting with Han Long for more than thirty moves, saw that he was about to be defeated, so he activated the mechanism of the Hundred Blades Receiver behind him without hesitation, and with the help of nails and ropes, he quickly broke away from the battle circle and flew back into the army formation.

Han Long was a ruthless man who didn't talk much. He wanted to chase after him with a sword, but was stopped by the secret guard who used a Hundred Blades Machine to shoot various flying needles and hidden weapons.

Dong Cheng was also hit by the flying needle, and his face was instantly bruised and bleeding. He was so angry that he flew into a rage and scolded Shi A: "The West Garden is the palace of the late emperor. Qi Hou's forced occupation is already a great treason. Now you are disobeying the emperor's order, which is even more unforgivable! If you don't surrender, do you want your property to be confiscated and your family to be exterminated?"

Shi A was dismissive of Dong Cheng's questioning and responded with a sneer, "When Dong Zhuo stayed overnight in the palace, he even slept on the dragon bed with the princess, but you didn't stand up to oppose it. You even secretly fawned on Dong Zhuo, the traitor. How come you think you are a clean person now that you are the uncle of the emperor? Bah, you dare to question my master without even taking a piss to see what kind of person you are? Are you worthy?"

Dong Cheng was almost driven crazy by Shi A's words.

The reason why the Empress Dowager Dong’s family was uprooted by the General and Empress Dowager He was because of Wang Jing!

Dong Cheng still remembers this hatred.

And now, Shi A's actions were tantamount to rubbing salt into Dong Cheng's wounds, and he even mixed chili powder into the salt. How could Dong Cheng tolerate it?

He ordered his men, "Go up and kill him!"

If Shi A's words today were to reach Liu Xie's ears, Dong Cheng would not dare to think about the consequences, because when Dong Zhuo was causing trouble for the capital, he, Dong Cheng, was indeed on Dong Zhuo's side. Many people knew this, and they would know the answer if asked, so Dong Cheng was so angry and humiliated.

The general of the Imperial Guards who led the Iron Scale Guards was worried that this move would anger Wang Jing and Wang Yun, so he wanted to persuade them: "Uncle Dong, Shi A is the Inspector of the Imperial Guards after all, an official appointed by the court. Even if he needs to be punished, it should be done by His Majesty..."

But Dong Cheng was so angry that he didn't care about the rules. He immediately shouted, "Did you hear what he said just now? He is so arrogant and disrespectful. He has no respect for the law or His Majesty! You and I are both His Majesty's subjects. Don't forget which side you are on!"

The person who started to persuade them could only sigh, turned around, and immediately led the team to launch an attack.

More than a hundred well-trained Iron Scale Guards, holding long swords and fighting in formation, were like a sharp knife, stabbing fiercely into the position of the Dark Guards.

Afterwards, more than a thousand soldiers joined in the fight and immediately defeated the two hundred secret guards.

Once again, Han Long faced Shi A: "Die!"

"By you?"

"What about adding me?"

Wang Zheng drew his sword and attacked Shi A together with Han Long. The two cooperated well and put Shi A in danger in an instant.

Shi A drew his sword and slashed angrily, his moves were swift and fierce. In the situation of fighting to the death, his strength increased greatly, and for a while he was evenly matched with Han Long.

But it was already a stretch for him to face off against a swordsman like Han Long, let alone Wang Zheng. Shi A was completely unable to withstand him. After fighting for more than thirty moves, he was finally completely at a disadvantage. He was beaten back step by step, with bruises all over his body.

"Die!"

"Following a hero like my lord, I, Shi, will die without regrets!"

Shi A brandished the famous sword Xuan Jian in his hand, obviously preferring to fight to the death rather than surrender to a waste like Dong Cheng.

A real man should stand tall and proud, even if he dies, he should do it in a blazing manner!
Just then, the sound of footsteps like thunder was heard on the earth.

Some of Dong Cheng's men saw the battle flags with the characters "Xun" and "Gao" written on them and were immediately frightened out of their wits: "Uncle, it's the Xianzhen Camp!"

"But how could it come so quickly?!"

Dong Cheng looked at the counselor Zheng Tai and asked loudly, "Gongye, didn't you say that you would send people to block the road and the news would never reach Xun You's ears?"

Zheng Tai was also very speechless: "Today, I have specially replaced the generals guarding the city gate with people that Your Majesty trusts, and they came too quickly. Even if they sent a letter, it couldn't be that fast!"

However, they had no idea that before Wang Jing left, he had already arranged the means of communication. Shi A was stationed in Xiyuan and would send someone to contact Xun You every half hour.

As long as there is no one there for half an hour, it means something has happened in Xiyuan.

That's why Xun You realized the problem at the first moment and immediately called Gao Shun to come and rescue Shi A.

Seeing that Shi A was in danger, Xun You ordered Gao Shun without hesitation: "Form a battle array!"

Upon receiving the order, Gao Shun immediately led his elite troops from the Xianzhen Camp. More than 700 of them were almost like one person. They stood a hundred steps away from the enemy, spread their wings like a wild goose, and surrounded Dong Cheng, Han Long and others.

The soldiers of the Xianzhen Camp are typical heavy infantry. They are covered in thick armor. In addition to swords and halberds, they are also equipped with the Han Army's standard large yellow crossbow and other powerful weapons!
The soldiers of the Xianzhen Camp calmly took out their crossbows and arrows, and strung their bows in an orderly manner. They held their breath, as if they were waiting for something.

Until a military order was issued.

"Fire arrows!"

Gao Shun pointed his finger, and suddenly the sound of the vibrating bowstrings gathered into a huge wave of sound.

And in the sky, "black rain" began to fall.

咻咻 咻 ~
The black rain of arrows arrived in an instant, causing immediate disaster for Dong Cheng's imperial guards, who were thrown off balance by the sudden attack.

"Protect my uncle!"

At this time, Wang Zheng and Han Long did not bother to continue to cause trouble for Shi A. They waved their swords to block the arrows that were as dense as locusts, and rescued Dong Cheng in great danger.

Seeing that the soldiers around him had suffered heavy casualties under the rain of arrows, and that their morale was low after being attacked from both sides, Wang Zheng realized that the situation was hopeless, so he advised Dong Cheng to retreat first: "Uncle, now things are hopeless, it is better for us to leave first. If we don't leave, the army will surround us, and we will be left with nowhere to go."

Dong Cheng glared at Shi A angrily, but finally had to agree with Han Long's decision.

Seeing the enemy retreat, Xun You did not order a pursuit, but led his men into the West Garden. The first thing he saw was Shi A, who was covered in blood. He asked, "Zijun, are you okay?"

"It's just some minor skin injuries, nothing serious."

After the fierce battle, Shi A had consumed a lot of physical energy. Now he was a little out of breath even when talking, but his spirit was surprisingly good.

Just now, he had fought with Han Long and walked between life and death, which directly unleashed his physical potential. His comprehension of swordsmanship was further improved, and his strength was further improved.

Shi A even felt that as long as he took good care of his body, he would definitely become stronger than he is now.

"Fortunately, Gongda arrived in time today, otherwise I would be dead."

Shi A was panting heavily, his arms were completely powerless. He had just fought Han Long and Wang Zheng alone, and the situation was extremely dangerous, which directly cost him half of his life.

Xun You's expression at this moment was also quite solemn. Although the big fish Dong Cheng had jumped out, it was still unknown how many undercurrents were eyeing the Northern Army covetously.

"Zijun, please be more careful. I'm afraid the days ahead will be even more unsettled."

Luoyang City was so huge that it attracted the attention of countless people. It was unknown how many civil and military officials in the court had secretly colluded with the heroes of various prefectures and counties. Without Wang Jing's suppression, all kinds of monsters and demons would emerge.

Xun You told Shi A to be careful: "From today on, Zijun, you should send your secret guards to monitor the situation in Luoyang City at all times, especially the movement of troops."

Shi A was also annoyed: "I was indeed careless this time. I didn't even notice that Dong Cheng secretly mobilized a part of the imperial guards and came to take over Xiyuan."

Xun You's eyes were slightly cold, and he said calmly, "That's a good plan. It seems that our Majesty is restless."

Don’t think that Xiyuan was a place for enjoyment just because it was built as a temporary palace by Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, Liu Hong. In fact, Xiyuan also served as a military fortress. It was not only a military stronghold, but also could be used to train soldiers.

Many people in the upper echelons of the imperial dynasty were well aware of the importance of Xiyuan.

This is not only the largest horse farm in Luoyang, but can also be used for military training. Emperor Ling also built a treasury and granary here, leaving behind a large amount of equipment, food and even a large amount of real gold and silver "legacy".

The reason why Dong Cheng wanted to seize Xiyuan was to train an absolutely loyal team, and this might not have been without Liu Xie's secret instructions.

After all, Liu Xie was raised by Empress Dowager Dong since he was a child. The grandmother and grandson are close relatives of different generations. In Liu Xie's view, Dong Cheng is his only truly reliable person.

However, Xun You obviously did not think highly of Liu Xie and Dong Cheng. He thought that they were blinded by greed: "Haha, it's a good plan. But it's a pity that if the plan is not backed up by strength, it will all be in vain in the end."

…………

Hangu Pass, the main camp of the Northern Army.

Wang Jing received a letter via carrier pigeon from Luoyang.

Jia Xu and Li Ru happened to be nearby, so Wang Jing told them the contents of the secret letter: "The young emperor has taken action, and Dong Cheng led the imperial guards to retake the West Garden. Fortunately, Shi A fought desperately and Gongda rescued him in time, otherwise the consequences would be unpredictable."

None of the three expected that the first one to lose patience and take action would be Dong Cheng and the young emperor Liu Xie behind him.

"The nature of young people is always unexpected."

"Your Majesty is still too impatient. He attacked directly without any probing."

Both Jia Xu and Li Ru were speechless at Liu Xie's impatience.

When Liu Xie took action, other forces would inevitably wait and see. Although he was the emperor, in the competition among various forces in Luoyang City, the royalist faction itself was the weakest faction.

The two most powerful factions are the New Party represented by Wang Jing, who controls the military power, and the Old Party represented by several aristocratic families such as Yang and Yuan, who control finances, food, and the world's justice.

Although Wang Jing was a little weak politically, he had the upper hand in military affairs and his people were united internally, like a powerful fist.

In comparison, there are numerous factions within the aristocratic families.

Yang Biao and Yuan Wei were never able to truly join forces, and there were also many conflicts between the local nobles and the bureaucratic aristocrats, making it difficult for them to work together, and instead they fell into a disadvantage in the struggle with Wang Jing.

But even if he was at a disadvantage, Wang Jing could not kill these people without reason, otherwise he would immediately become the second Dong Zhuo and be despised by the world.

Therefore, if Wang Jing wants to take action, he must have an absolutely legitimate reason.

And the most appropriate reason is that the other party took action first.

Wang Jing looked at Jia Xu and Li Ru: "What should we do now?"

Jia Xu remained silent, obviously not intending to take the credit.

Li Ru thought for a moment and suggested to Wang Jing, "My Lord, we are now under the spotlight of all parties. We cannot do nothing, but we cannot overreact, or they will see through us. How about this, my Lord, you still claim to be ill, and privately appoint Xu Rong to lead troops to Luoyang for support."

"Xu Rong? Although he is a veteran, he is good at fighting and can be entrusted with important tasks."

Wang Jing agreed with Li Ru's suggestion, but his eyes turned to Jia Xu again, obviously not wanting him to keep a low profile any longer: "Wenhe, what do you think?"

Jia Xu secretly sighed in his heart. It seemed that he could not be lazy. He had to use his brain and then offered a plan to Wang Jing: "My lord, there are too many surrendered soldiers and generals of the Western Liang Army within the two passes. It is better to let Xu Rong lead the troops and transfer all these people to the Luoyang front line."

When this plan came out, Wang Jing and Li Ru were both shocked.

Too bad!
A war is about to break out in Luoyang, and the fighting will surely be brutal.

It was obvious that Jia Xu wanted to use these soldiers of the Xiliang Army as cannon fodder.

Regardless of whether they win or lose, few of these people will survive.

However, it is obvious that neither Wang Jing nor Li Ru cares much about the lives of these Xiliang soldiers and generals, and they even hope that all these internal unstable factors will "disappear".

If Wang Jing had not been afraid of destabilizing the military morale, he would have wanted to kill all these people long ago. When Dong Zhuo was in power, except for a few Xiliang generals such as Dong Yue, Duan Wei and Xu Rong who were able to maintain basic military discipline, the hands of the other soldiers and generals were all stained with blood.
"Then we should follow Wen He's advice and transfer those who have disloyalty in Tongguan and Hanguguan to Luoyang for defense. With Xu Rong leading the troops, I don't think these people will be able to cause any trouble."

At Wang Jing's command, Xu Rong immediately led his troops to the battle.

An army of 20,000 marched eastwards from Hangu Pass and headed towards Luoyang in a mighty force.

Luoyang, the residence of the famous scholar Cai Yong.

Ma Riti, who was very angry in the court, came to Cai Yong to drink tea and relieve his boredom: "It's not even a few days of peace, and a bunch of old foxes are always thinking about calculating this and that, and they just won't stop."

The two sat opposite each other and drank, and Cai Yan made tea herself.

Between the slender fingers, green smoke was curling up and the fragrance of tea was everywhere.

"What's wrong? Who made Taichang so angry again?"

Cai Yong said this with a joking smile, still writing his "Book of Han".

Cai Yong now lived a pretty good life. He was appreciated by Wang Jing and was appointed as the Secretary General. He was also responsible for managing the specific affairs of the Publishing Bureau and proofreading books. The monthly subsidy salary alone was enough for him to support his family's food and clothing, and he lived a very comfortable life.

So compared with Ma Riti's depression, although Cai Yong held a low official position, he had a good mentality.

Seeing Cai Yong, who was heartless and still didn't understand the cruelty of political struggle, Ma Riti really didn't know what to say to this old friend and had to remind him: "Bo Ji, the situation is urgent right now, and you can still laugh? Xu Rong's 20,000 troops will arrive in Luoyang tomorrow. The news that Qi Hou was seriously injured seems to be true. After all, your majesty has taken action, but he still hasn't come back."

When Cai Yan heard that Wang Jing might be in trouble, her hand trembled and some of the boiling hot tea spilled out. She screamed "Ouch" in pain and retracted her hand, and the teapot fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Cai Yong looked at his daughter's red, scalded hand with distress: "Why are you so careless? Go find Aunt Liu to apply some medicine."

Cai Yan obviously wanted to know more about Wang Jing, but she couldn't persuade her father, so she had to leave first.

Ma Riti was very surprised by Cai Yan's reaction: "What is this, Zhao Ji?"

Cai Yong sighed: "Alas, a girl cannot be kept at home when she grows up."

Cai Yan now only regarded Wang Jing as a close friend, but Cai Yong misunderstood their relationship and thought that his daughter had secretly fallen in love with Wang Jing.

Ma Riti smiled and said, "It's normal for a beautiful woman to love a hero. To be fair, Wang Yuanxu is indeed a great man of the time. His talent and courage are unmatched anywhere in the world."

At this point, Ma Ridi sighed again: "Alas, what a pity! If Wang Yuanxu had not been in trouble, I would have risked my reputation to get this marriage for Zhaoji. But now Wang Yuanxu is seriously injured, and it is unclear whether he can survive. It's a pity that such a good match is lost."

Cai Yong's expression was also very unhappy: "How is it possible? Isn't that fake news?"

Now Cai Yong's political career is completely tied to Wang Jing. If something happens to Wang Jing, not only will he lose his position, he may even lose his life.

Ma Ritian sighed: "I also hope this is a rumor. After all, the capital can survive without anyone, but not without him, Wang Yuanxu."

Although the proud Ma Riti did not want to admit it, he knew very well in his heart that the Han Dynasty had reached the most critical moment. In the vast Yanhan Empire, only a powerful figure like Wang Jing who had a bottom line in doing things could turn the tide and reverse the fate.

(End of this chapter)