Chapter 164 Shameless, sneak attack

Seeing that the plan was about to succeed, Zhong Ji began to let himself go: "Fortunately, when the Imperial Household was recruiting soldiers in Huayin, you secretly intercepted a part of them. Otherwise, even if we see the opportunity now, we have no soldiers to use and we have missed the opportunity in vain."

It was widely known that Zhu Jun, on Liu Xie's orders, recruited soldiers from the wealthy families in Huayin and other places in an attempt to prevent Wang Jing from returning to the capital.

Since then, Wang Fu had secretly colluded with Dong Cheng, so he made a lot of efforts in recruiting local militia. But Wang Fu was a thoughtful person, so in this matter, he secretly kept a hand and intercepted some local militia to raise private soldiers. He never thought that these private soldiers would really come in handy today.

Wang Fu pinched his chin and began to estimate the chances of victory: "The main force of the Northern Army has left the city, and the main camp is empty. Even if there are troops defending the city, the number of soldiers cannot exceed 2,000, and they must be scattered everywhere, stationed at the twelve gates of Luoyang. With the internal support we have arranged in the city, if we concentrate them in one place, it will be easy to break the city."

Wang Fu then frowned and asked about the movements of Yang Biao and Huang Wan: "The Minister of the Interior and the Grand Commandant are not taking any action?"

Zhong Ji sighed, "Don't mention it. These two old guys usually claim to be loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty and famous Confucian scholars. Now Wang Jing just threw a few pieces of meat bones, and they all became Wang Jing's running dogs. Even the Grand Coachman Zhu Jun, although he did not completely turn to Wang Jing, did not respond to our invitation at all. It is obvious that he is afraid of Wang Jing's overwhelming power. It really makes me angry."

Wang Fu sneered: "Oh, everyone has their own ambitions. I won't force you. But after the matter is accomplished, there will be a time for reckoning. You and I will just wait and see."

In the eyes of Wang Fu and Zhong Ji, these people were all traitors to the aristocratic families and Confucianism.

When the overall situation is settled, they will all be punished.

"Speed ​​up the march, Luoyang is ahead!"

"Whoever enters Luoyang first will be promoted three levels and rewarded with a thousand strings of cash!"

Zhong Ji was wearing precious armor, and riding a famous dragon-blood horse with scales on its four hooves. It could travel a thousand miles a day and walk on the waves.

At this moment, he was full of energy and high spirits, and looking towards the eastern capital Luoyang, he seemed to have seen the dawn of victory.

Even Wang Fu, who usually liked to say "slow down" and "don't be impatient", was now filled with anxiety. He wished he could grow wings and fly directly into the Luoyang Palace to perform a divine attack.

"Have you arranged all the insiders in the city?"

Although Wang Fu was a weak scholar, he was now wearing a set of light armor and a long sword on his waist, which made him look quite heroic.

Zhong Ji was a little impatient with Wang Fu's question: "Ziyou, don't worry, I have already arranged everything. You asked me three times in a row, aren't you worrying too much?"

Zhong Ji is a descendant of Zhong Song, a famous official of the Eastern Han Dynasty. His ancestor can be traced back to Zhong Shanfu, a minister of the Western Zhou Dynasty and a prime minister of the Western Zhou Dynasty who is listed in the history books.

Therefore, it can be said that in Luoyang City, Zhong Ji has a prominent family background, a good reputation, and has many connections. With him, it is not difficult to trick the wealthy families in the city into opening the city gates secretly.

But for some reason, Wang Fu still felt a little uneasy deep down in his heart: "Things are going too smoothly. It's so smooth that it makes me panic."

Hearing this, Zhong Ji laughed heartily: "You wise men are always suspicious. Now that I have the upper hand, why should I hesitate and miss the opportunity?"

The two men secretly gathered eight thousand soldiers and horses, and then, along the official road, under the cover of night, they quickly approached Luoyang.

In the early morning, facing the rising sun, the towering city walls began to appear in their sight.

"Luoyang!"

"Here we are!"

The soldiers under Wang Fu and Zhong Ji were all excited.

Those who enter Luoyang first can not only be promoted, but also make a fortune. They may even be able to become a dragon's follower in the future, and their life will be prosperous from then on. How can they not be excited?
After a cockcrow, with the faint light of dawn in the sky, the defenders on the city wall also discovered the unidentified soldiers outside the city.

Although the other side was also wearing the standard uniforms of the Han army, the guards remained vigilant and did not order anyone to open the city gate.

Zhong Ji held the reins, glanced at Wang Fu beside him, and asked, "Ziyou, do you want to attack the city directly?"

Wang Fu shook his head: "You and I should reveal our identities first, and use the excuse of changing guards to trick the city gates into opening. If we can't, we can lead the army to attack, and then send people to contact the city's internal supporters. Together, we can break the city in one fell swoop."

Zhong Ji thought about it and felt that Wang Fu's method was more stable, so he rode out and came to the bottom of the city gate, shouting: "Listen, I am the Changshui Captain Zhong Ji, and the man behind me is the Yueqi Captain Wang Fu. Today, the two of us are ordered by His Majesty to take over the defense of Luoyang City. Open the city gate quickly. If we delay important matters, you will be punished!"

The guards used a hanging basket to lift up the tokens of Zhong Ji and Wang Fu. After checking, the officer guarding the city said, "The tokens are real. Do you have military orders?"

When Wang Jing mobilized troops, in addition to verbal orders, he often also issued paper documents.

In order to strengthen the control over the army, Wang Jing even made strict demands to the extent of "recognizing books but not people". No matter who it is, it is absolutely impossible to mobilize the army with just words.

If anyone dares to violate the regulations, no matter who they are, they will be executed and no leniency will be shown.

Therefore, even though Zhong Ji and Wang Fu revealed their identities and took out their tokens, the soldiers guarding the city still did not let them pass, but insisted that they show their military orders.

Wang Fu and Zhong Ji were dumbfounded. They had no military order documents at all!
Zhong Ji drew his sword and said, "Stop talking nonsense with these people and start fighting."

Wang Fu was helpless and had to order an attack on the city.

"Enemy attack!"

When the defenders saw that the enemy was actually attacking the city gate, they were horrified and immediately sounded the alarm.

clang~ clang~ clang~
The sound of bells stirred the entire Luoyang city.

Because Wang Jing personally led the main force out to quell the rebellion, even if Luoyang was not an empty city at this time, the garrison was seriously insufficient. With only two thousand soldiers and horses, they not only had to garrison the imperial palace, but also had to guard the twelve city gates. The manpower was simply stretched to the limit.

The defenders have to guard more than a dozen places, but Wang Fu and Zhong Ji only need to attack one place.

The Upper West Gate was under fierce attack. There were only a hundred people, while the enemy had 8,000 troops. In just a moment, the entire defense line became precarious.

Outside the city, Zhong Ji had a confident look on his face. He raised his sword high to encourage morale: "Attack quickly. The defenders are short of manpower. Let me take the city gate in one go! The first person to reach the city will be promoted three levels and rewarded with a thousand strings of cash!"

As for Wang Fu, he led two hundred cavalrymen, went around the city, and even took a boat to the east of the city to look for flaws.

Luoyang City was huge, and if the Upper West Gate was attacked, the defenders would have to mobilize troops from other gates to assist. The most likely garrisons to be mobilized were the troops from the three gates in the east: Jianchun Gate, Dongyang Gate, and Qingyang Gate.

Sure enough, Wang Fu discovered the flaw.

Inside the Qingyang Gate, three red prayer lanterns slowly floated up. This was an agreed-upon secret signal. Zhong Ji had already arranged an insider in the city to hide in the dark and monitor the movement of the garrisons at the various city gates.

Wang Fu decisively ordered: "It seems that Qingyangmen's defense is the weakest. Launch an attack immediately. There must be no mistakes!"

"Yes!"

These 200 cavalrymen are Wang Fu's trump card. They are trained from some of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry who were secretly surrendered. They are well-equipped and have powerful combat effectiveness.

They rode to the city, dismounted and shot arrows, successfully suppressing the defenders.
"The east side of the city is under attack, go get help!"

There were only twenty defenders, and none of them were the main force. Many of them could not even shoot arrows, so they were unable to fight back and could only seek reinforcements from other places.

However, they did not receive any reinforcements, or rather, reinforcements did come, but they were Wang Fu's reinforcements.

"Kill!"

"Open the city gates and welcome the king's division!"

The wealthy families in the city who had colluded with Zhong Ji actually led their servants to protect the city. Under the attack from both inside and outside, Jianchun Gate was breached in an instant, and the guards, who were already weak-willed, fled in panic.

The city gate was opened, and Wang Fu led his troops in immediately, then ordered his men: "Light the beacon signal to let everyone know that Luoyang City has been captured."

"Yes!"

The men took the order and started setting fires everywhere.

As flames shot up into the sky, panic quickly spread through the city.

Wang Fu looked at the blazing flames, his eyes reflecting the flames. Even though he was always calm and composed, he was trembling with excitement in front of this huge power: "One move will determine the fate of the world. It's time for the Eastern Capital Luoyang to have a new owner."

Although he had many complaints about Wang Jing, Wang Fu was always eager to replicate Wang Jing's path to success. He also wanted to purge the emperor's side, gain power in the court, and then use the emperor to control the princes!
At the Upper West Gate, Zhong Ji saw the huge fire rising from the east of the city and was overjoyed: "It seems that Ziyou's plan has succeeded!" Then he quickly came to his senses and ordered: "Go and shout at the city gate, saying that our army has broken into the city, and those who resist stubbornly will die!"

"Subordinates take orders!"

The defenders initially refused to believe it, but when they looked back towards the east of the city, they saw a raging fire. Their morale immediately plummeted and they no longer had the resolve to resist.

Wang Fu and Zhong Ji met up in the city, and those noble families who had originally not dared to openly confront Wang Jing all jumped out at this moment, wanting to join the rebellion.

"The situation is set!"

Zhong Ji was very excited. He had long wanted to do something big, become successful and famous, and have the world look up to him.

Wang Fu's mood at this moment was the same as Zhong Ji's, but he was still more patient than Zhong Ji: "A journey of a hundred miles begins with a single step. The more critical the moment, the more cautious we must be. We cannot let our guard down. Now we are only one step away from success - only when we take over the palace can we rest assured!"

Seeing success in sight, Zhong Ji naturally did not hesitate and immediately ordered: "Move forward quickly and take control of the imperial city!"

The news that Wang Fu and Zhong Ji had launched a military remonstration also spread quickly in the city.

Many people were very excited, especially those aristocratic families and wealthy families who were suppressed by Wang Jing, all of them applauded at this moment.

Those who were more impatient had even joined Wang Fu and Zhong Ji's team with their servants and guards. They also fantasized that after the success, they would be able to get a piece of the pie in the upcoming new pattern.

The 8,000 men who entered the city had expanded to over 10,000 when they arrived at the Suzaku Gate of the Imperial Palace. Zhong Ji couldn't help but show his joy, and exclaimed, "Hahaha, this is what it means when you are righteous you will have many supporters, while when you are unrighteous you will have few. Wang Jing is going against the will of heaven, and he will eventually be rejected by heaven. This battle is the beginning of his downfall."

"Oh, really? I don't think so."

"Who is talking!"

In front of the Suzaku Gate in the Imperial City, Zhong Ji was startled and looked around. Finally, he saw a familiar figure on the city wall. His face turned as black as the bottom of a pot: "Xun Gongda, it's you!"

Xun You was Wang Jing's first strategist and also a well-known figure. Zhong Ji was naturally no stranger to him.

"Captain Changshui, long time no see."

Xun You looked calm, even though the enemy was at the gates of the city, he still had a nonchalant expression.

"Xun Gongda, open the city and surrender, and I will spare your life."

With victory assured, Zhong Ji did not bother to waste time talking to Xun You. He simply ordered his soldiers to hold wooden stakes and prepare to force open the gate of the imperial city.

As for the various conditions proposed by Zhong Ji, Xun You shook his head and sighed: "What a pity, the lord has ordered that those who participated in the rebellion should be killed without mercy. I am afraid I cannot spare your life."

"Humph, you are about to die, but you are still here to show off your courage with words. How foolish! Launch an attack immediately. After breaking through the gate, kill all those who resist!"

Xun You's words completely aroused Zhong Ji's anger, and he immediately ordered a powerful attack.

"Wait a minute."

Wang Fu stopped Zhong Ji's impulsive behavior. He was not being merciful, but was worried that Xun You would become desperate. If something really happened to Liu Xie, even if his military remonstrance was successful, he would inevitably give people a chance to criticize him in the future.

Wang Fu, who valued his reputation, did not want to bear the blame for regicide.

So he weighed the pros and cons and decided to try to persuade Xun You to surrender. He said with a face full of nostalgia: "Gongda, you and I used to drink together in the general's mansion and discuss the general situation of the world. We were colleagues. Why do we have to fight each other now? Gongda, why don't you give up the dark and join the light? I promise that in the future, your Xun family will have a place in the court."

Xun You smiled calmly, "It is you who should give up the dark and join the light. As long as you, Prince You, can lay down your weapons and surrender, you can serve my lord together. Then we can drink fine wine together and discuss current affairs together. Isn't that wonderful?"

Seeing that Xun You was completely unwilling to accept the challenge, Wang Fu showed a regretful expression: "Gongda, I really admire your talent, but you are so stubborn, what a pity."

"Ha~"

Xun You shook his head and let out a scornful laugh.

Zhong Ji didn’t have the same good temper as Wang Fu, and he immediately flew into a rage: “Xun Gongda, what are you laughing at!”

Xun You looked at the sky and smiled again: "According to the time, the reinforcements should be arriving soon."

Hearing that reinforcements were coming, Zhong Ji was shocked, but then he didn't believe it. He angrily shouted at Xun You, "At this time, you still want to trick us into retreating. It's wishful thinking!"

"Keep attacking, don't stop!"

Zhong Ji did not think that there would be any reinforcements in Luoyang.

Wang Fu didn't believe it either. He looked up with a complicated look, stared at Xun You and asked, "Yan Xing was sent to Hangu Pass, Wang Jing led the main force out of the city, and Lu Bu has crossed the Yellow River and arrived in Henei. Luoyang is now without any help from inside or outside. I am very curious, where did your reinforcements come from?"

"Alas, despite all your calculations, you still missed something."

"I missed something? Tell me, what did I miss?"

Wang Fu was obviously not convinced. He always prided himself on being a wise man. Even if his opponent was a great wise man like Xun You, he did not think he would lose.

However, before Wang Fu could wait for Xun You to reveal the answer, he heard the sound of fierce fighting behind him.

The sudden reinforcements rushed directly into Luoyang, and they were well-trained, far superior to the local militia temporarily recruited by Wang Fu and Zhong Ji.

One of Wang Fu's personal officers came running over with blood all over his face to report: "Captain, it's bad, the rear army has been attacked, and we can't resist! Please send troops to support us as soon as possible!"

"Where did the reinforcements come from? How is this possible? Do you underestimate the enemy's banner?"

Wang Fu couldn't help but be shocked, and a trace of panic flashed in the corner of his eyes, because the front army was attacking the imperial city, and it was impossible to withdraw troops to support the rear in a short time.

The general almost cried out, "I don't know. The enemy suddenly appeared in the city without any flags. I only saw that the general leading the troops was tall and strong, good at wielding a big axe, and was very brave. He quickly defeated one of our battalions."

There are more than two thousand soldiers in one battalion.

The one who could defeat them so quickly must be no unknown person. However, there were only two generals under Wang Jing who used axes as weapons. Among them, Gao Lan led troops to suppress the Southern Xiongnu, so it was impossible for him to appear in Luoyang.

Therefore, the identity of this person is about to be revealed.

"It's Xu Huang, Xu Gongming!"

When Wang Fu heard that it was Xu Huang, a general under Wang Jing, who was leading his troops to help, his hands holding the reins began to tremble and he felt frightened and uneasy.

"Xu Huang is here? This is impossible!"

Zhong Ji also learned about the rear army's rout. He showed an expression of disbelief on his face and shouted angrily, "How dare Xu Huang leave his post without permission? With no one guarding Hulao Pass, isn't he afraid that the gate to the capital will be lost?"

On the Suzaku Gate, Xun You sneered and said, "Haha, Xu Huang only brought back 5,000 men, and now, there is someone else guarding Hulao Pass."

Upon hearing that Xu Huang had brought back 5,000 elite troops from Hedong, Wang Fu and Zhong Ji felt cold in their hands and feet, with despair in their eyes: "It's over, everything is over."

In Luoyang City, a group of fully armed soldiers suddenly rushed out from both sides of the street. They shouted loudly in the accent of Hedong people: "According to the order, the rebels are to be killed, and those who surrender will be spared!"

The troops under Zhong Ji and Wang Fu had already dispersed and were busy setting fires and looting in the city. Faced with the sudden attack, they were caught off guard.

In particular, the enemy general was holding a big axe and chopped people like chopping wood. He only used the move of Fenchuan Sunset in "Eight Views of Mountains and Rivers" to plow a bloody path in the crowd of rebels, causing the rebels to abandon their weapons and weapons and be defeated.

"kill!"

In the crowd, Xu Huang, holding a battle axe, looked calm and resolute, with a fierce aura on his body like a boiling sea of ​​blood. His aura was like that of a great general.
Soon his men came back to report: "General, the first rebels to enter the city have been defeated by our army."

Xu Huang did not take these rebels who were either dead or surrendered seriously. He calmly ordered: "Leave two hundred people to clean up the battlefield and supervise the prisoners to clean up the bodies. The others will follow me to the palace to rescue the emperor."

"understand!"

(End of this chapter)