Chapter 275 The End of Xu Rong
It was still the forest where Lu Bu had been ambushed. Li Jue led his troops on a journey for a day and a night, and after a long detour, they finally arrived here.

In a sense, Li Jue and Guo Si are the same kind of people.

When setting up camp, Li Jue deliberately placed the infantry on the east side and the cavalry camp on the west side to make it easier to escape.

Everything seemed to be developing in the worst direction just as Li Jue had expected.

Guo Si attacked the Yangzhou army at night, resulting in Guo Si's disastrous defeat.

The Yangzhou army attacked Li Jue at night, resulting in Li Jue's disastrous defeat.

Li Jue didn't even have the courage to look back, and fled in panic with his 800 cavalry.

In two days and two nights, the Yangzhou army not only completed the encirclement of Luoyang, but also annihilated and captured most of the 10,000 people sent by Xu Rong to break out.

Sun Ce failed to achieve his wish. In two battles, he beheaded fifty-three people by himself, which is a very astonishing number.

But it cannot offset the huge losses suffered by the Huaihe River Navy under his leadership.

Even if the merits and demerits offset each other in the end, he may still lose the opportunity to lead the team.

There has never been a tradition in the Yangzhou army of having one general lead a unit permanently. If a general is not good at leading troops, then he should step down and let someone who can lead troops take over!
Arrogant and powerful generals will indulge anyone!
"One last chance!"

Sun Ce stared at the tall walls of Luoyang. As long as he led his troops to be the first to break the city and killed or captured generals such as Xu Rong and Guo Si, the Huaihe River Navy would not pursue his fault.

March twenty-eight.

After confirming that Xu Rong was trapped and died in Luoyang with no chance of breaking out and escaping, Jia Xu came to the city wall to persuade him to surrender.

"General Xu, my Lord, the governor of Yangzhou, appreciates your talent very much. Please come out of the city to have a chat."

Jia Xu sat upright on his warhorse, wearing the robe of a Confucian scholar, holding the reins in one hand and a large loudspeaker in the other, shouting at the top of the city wall.

"You and I are old acquaintances."

"To be honest, with your talent, you will soon be promoted to a higher position than the rear general, but if you are under Dong Zhuo, your life will be in danger!"

Just when Jia Xu was shouting until his mouth was dry, Xu Rong finally appeared on the top of the city wall.

"Jia Xu! What you said sounds good!"

"A position higher than the rear general, should I be appointed as the general of cavalry, or the general?"

"What kind of general is Jin Mao? How dare he compare himself with me?"

Jia Xu was not discouraged and continued to shout: "I am also considering the general's family."

"My Lord is merciful. He does not want to see your family being exterminated because of you."

"Even if you are considering the position yourself, you should also consider your family!"

Xu Rong said loudly: "Thank you for your hard work!"

"My family is well taken care of by the Grand Master. Let's talk about other things after Jin Mao breaks through Hangu Pass!"

Jia Xu had long known Xu Rong's character. This time he came to persuade him to surrender with the mentality of giving it a try, and he did not expect to succeed.

"General Xu!"

"I advise you to surrender as soon as possible. Not everyone agrees with you."

This time, Jia Xu used his trump card, the strategy of sowing discord.

"Soldiers on the city wall, listen up!"

"My lord only wants Xu Rong's head. If you give it to us, the Yangzhou Army will not only let you all leave, but will also give you food and fodder to see you off!"

"I know you all don't believe it."

"How about this, first take the heads of General Li Meng and Wang Fang in exchange for a chance to live. The Yangzhou Army has always kept its word!"

Jia Xu finally made a ruthless statement: "In two days, the Yangzhou army will launch a full-scale attack on the city and will not accept any prisoners!"

"If the people help the Xiliang army hide, they will be guilty of the same crime!"

After saying this, Jia Xu returned to his own army without looking back.

The Yangzhou army that surrounded Luoyang on both sides of the southwest was also gradually retreating.

For a moment, the atmosphere on the top of Luoyang City was weird, and the generals' eyes kept sweeping towards Li Meng and Wang Fang, the Infantry Generals.

Xu Rong then realized how powerful Jia Xu was. To avoid a fight, he shouted, "Pass on my order!"

"Whoever dares to murder Generals Li Meng and Wang Fang will be killed by me!"

It would have been better if Xu Rong hadn't said this, but once he said it, it lost its deterrent effect.

The generals suddenly had evil thoughts.

At this moment, Guo Si spoke up to break the deadlock and said, "The more difficult the time, the more we must unite!"

"If you want to live, listen to me."

After saying this, Guo Si and his trusted men walked down the city wall first.

Xu Rong looked at Guo Si's back and felt that things were not that simple, but as Guo Si said, they must be united.

If any doubtful words were uttered at this time, the Xiliang army would collapse without a fight.

...

Luoyang is exceptionally quiet tonight, yet exceptionally lively in some places.

Guo Si’s military tent.

The two generals Cui Yong and Wu Xi each won over many generals in the army and came to see Guo Si.

"Everyone!"

Guo Si did not look like someone who had just suffered a defeat. Instead, he looked like he had returned victoriously and was full of confidence.

"The Yangzhou army has completely surrounded Luoyang City. It is impossible to break out."

"For now, we should take Xu Rong's head in exchange for a chance to live!"

Guo Si said with a fierce look in his eyes: "Don't say I didn't remind you, the Yangzhou army is very powerful. Xu Rong once fought against 20,000 with 70,000 men and still couldn't win, let alone the 70,000 Yangzhou army now?"

As soon as this was said, someone immediately stood up and asked, "Guo Zhonglang is exaggerating, isn't he? If the Yangzhou army is really that powerful, how did Li Zhonglang escape?"

Guo Si narrowed his eyes and stared at the person who was speaking. It turned out to be a general under Li Meng.

He snorted coldly and said, "I was wondering who it was, it turns out to be you!"

"Why don't you protect your master properly and come here to bark like a wild dog?"

"Someone get me out of here!"

The man shouted loudly: "Guo Si! You will not live well! I will report you to General Xu and expose your shame!"

Guo Si ignored him and explained: "Do you know how I got into danger when I left the city this time?"

After a long conversation, Guo Si sighed and said, "The Yangzhou army was suddenly attacked by my troops, but they remained calm in the face of danger. Not only did they not cause any disturbances, but they also organized a defense very quickly."

"They even sent a small force to circumvent us in a despicable way."

"Five thousand men fought against thirty thousand elite troops from Yangzhou. I led my troops to kill ten thousand enemies, but we were ultimately defeated and fled back to Luoyang."

Fortunately, none of the generals present were mathematical geniuses, otherwise, such a simple problem in Guo Si’s words would have been exposed.

After Guo Si's own packaging, the battle was fought with honor even though it was a defeat, as if it was a victory.

"To be honest with you, I'm not afraid of anyone going to Gaomi."

Guo Si said as if he was going to die heroically: "Tonight is my chance to seek my only way out. I hope those who are traveling with me will go down quickly and prepare."

"Meet at Luoyang South Gate at midnight tonight."

"The Yangzhou army will meet us outside the city. Jia Xu has promised me that as long as the city gate is opened, I can leave with a thousand troops."

"As everyone knows, I don't have many people under my command now. The number of places is limited and it's on a first-come, first-served basis."

Guo Si clapped his hands and said, "Time is limited, please feel free to make your own decisions."

"The meeting is dismissed!"

The generals gradually left, each with different thoughts.

But time waits for no one. It is already the Xu hour, and in another hour and a half it will be the Zi hour.

It was too late to either report the news or prepare for civil unrest.

Cui Yong and Wu Xi saw off the guests and quickly returned to the military tent.

At this time, Guo Si was already fully armed and waved his hand, saying, "Let's go!"

A group of three walked out of the tent, followed closely by the remaining one hundred or so elite cavalrymen, gradually disappearing into the darkness.

...

The central military tent of the Luoyang garrison.

When Xu Rong received the information that Guo Si was planning a rebellion, he immediately ordered the city gates to be blocked.

But Luoyang is the capital, and there are dozens of large and small gates. Even if each gate has a hundred people stationed, there will be thousands of people. By the time Xu Rong realized something was wrong, it was too late.

Shouts and cries of killing were heard from the walls on all sides.

The Yangzhou army had no moral principles. They agreed to attack the city two days later, but they launched a night attack after only one day!

Xu Rong had a total of 10,000 defenders under his command. Excluding the soldiers guarding the city gates, the remaining men were completely unable to support the city gates in time.

Obviously, it was inevitable that the outer city would be breached.

Xu Rong made a prompt decision and ordered: "Retreat to the palace!"

The total length of Luoyang city wall is nearly eighty miles, and it is a giant city with a length and width of twenty miles.

If Xu Rong mobilized the people in the city to defend the city, it would not be easy for the Yangzhou army to attack.

But the people of Luoyang are not so easily obedient.

Even if Jinmao hired craftsmen with sincerity and at high prices, in the end it could only recruit more than 3,000 people from various industries.

This number is less than one-tenth of the total number of employees in Luoyang.

Not to mention that the brutal Xiliang Army has done so many things that have angered the people of Luoyang. It would be better to avoid that the Xiliang Army is harmed by them in the future.

Therefore, Xu Rong did not even dare to hire Luoyang residents as cooks, for fear that they would be poisoned.

There are countless examples of this.

During the evacuation, Xu Rong knew that defeat was inevitable, and the only question now was how long he could hold out.

All of Xu Rong's direct subordinates were around him. To be honest, Xu Rong really couldn't bear to see his soldiers buried with him.

However, there are not many butchers who are brave and righteous!
The more dangerous the times, the more you can see people's hearts.

How good Xu Rong is to his soldiers in normal times, how loyal they are to him now.

Not all of them were loyal. On the way to the palace, the number of soldiers around Xu Rong gradually dropped from 5,000 to 3,000.

two thousand.

To the last thousand!

The rest of the people either took advantage of the chaos to sneak into Luoyang and set fire, or rushed into civilians' homes to enjoy themselves for the last time before their deaths.

Wait until Xu Rong arrived outside the Nangong Gate.

The places I have passed by countless times have now become familiar yet unfamiliar.

suddenly!

Countless torches lit up on the palace walls.

"Xu Rong! I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Xu Rong raised his head and took a closer look. His jaw almost dropped in shock. "Jia Xu!?"

"Why are you here?"

In the firelight, the thin face of the person coming was exactly the same as Jia Xu.

"wrong!"

"You are not Jia Xu!"

After careful observation, Xu Rong discovered that this person was much younger than Jia Xu.

Whether it is Jia Xu or not, it doesn’t matter now.

Xu Rong forced himself to calm down, and instantly realized that the person in front of him was bluffing.

First, it was impossible for the Yangzhou army to send a large number of troops to sneak into Luoyang without being noticed.

Second, garrisoning in the palace was a decision Xu Rong made on his own. Even if someone ambushed outside the palace by accident, the number of people could not be large.

With the thousand elite soldiers in Xu Rong's hands, it is not difficult to break through the enemy in front of him.

"storm!"

However, when Xu Rong gave the order, many crossbow arrows were shot from the palace wall, killing or injuring nearly a hundred people!
"how is this possible?"

Xu Rong never imagined where the people in the palace got the powerful crossbow.

You have to know that all these powerful crossbows are in the armory, and outsiders don’t even know where the armory is.

Just because outsiders can't do it doesn't mean that traitors can't do it!

In an instant, Xu Rong thought of a possibility.

"impossible!"

Xu Rong shouted subconsciously, but the man on the palace wall responded: "General Xu, what else can you say is impossible?"

"Oh, you must be wondering where these crossbows come from, right?"

The person above is Jia Fang.

"This is not really a secret. You guessed it right just now."

"It is Guo Si! It is only because of Guo Zhonglang's surrender that I have the opportunity to obtain so many weapons."

In fact, there were less than a hundred people around Jia Fang, most of whom were local people recruited after entering Luoyang.

The powerful crossbow had naturally been prepared long ago, but it only had one round and no follow-up power.

If Xu Rong wasn't distracted, he would definitely be able to see it.

Unfortunately, after Jia Fang's remarks, Xu Rong was completely distracted.

Guo Si was a direct descendant of Dong Zhuo who was promoted by him, yet he turned against him at such a critical moment.

It's really hard to believe.

Xu Rong couldn't figure out what Guo Si was doing.

Even if they surrender to the Yangzhou Army, the bad habits in the Xiliang Army will definitely be forced to change.

Could Guo Si bear it?
If you can't stand it, what's the point of surrendering?

Xu Rong couldn't understand.

Of course he couldn't figure it out.

These were all Jia Xu's plans. How could a few words alone cause internal strife among the Xiliang army?

The truth is, Jia Xu contacted Guo Si and others through Jia Fang, and promised to let them go after they turned against him.

Just as Jia Xu said at the beginning, the Yangzhou army only wanted Xu Rong's head.

This is the most threatening person in the Xiliang army, no doubt about it!

In other words, Xu Rong was the only one in the Xiliang Army who posed a threat to the Yangzhou Army.

Jin Mao mentioned this matter more than once, Jia Xu kept it in mind, and Xun Yu, Xun You and others also agreed so.

It can be said that anyone from the Xiliang Army can leave, except Xu Rong!

"Ha ha!"

By the time Xu Rong reacted, the defense of Luoyang city had been breached, and the Yangzhou army was everywhere chasing the Xiliang army.

The flames illuminated the sky above Luoyang.

"attack!"

Xu Rong acted like a madman, pointed his sword at the palace, and more than a thousand soldiers rushed towards the palace wall like wolves and tigers.

The wall of the Luoyang Imperial Palace is 15 feet (3.6 meters) high, and it is impossible to climb up without auxiliary tools.

But this did not pose a problem for Xu Rong's personal soldiers, as they were all elite cavalrymen.

Several people working together were able to carry one person up, holding onto the palace wall with both arms, trying to climb up.

Fortunately, Jia Xu had ten elite disabled soldiers under his command. Before they were injured, they were all top fighters of the royal guards and the main battalion, and their combat effectiveness was extraordinary.

Even if he has broken arms and legs, he is no match for ordinary people and it is no problem for him to deal with a few people.

On the contrary, the dozens of newly recruited people were like quails, not daring to move.

After several attempts, Xu Rong calmed down completely and realized that a cavalry attack on the city was too irrational.

"gather!"

Xu Rong immediately changed his mind: "Divide the troops into two groups and enter from the east and west gates!"

Watching Xu Rong and his men leave, Jia Fang on the palace wall couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The rest has nothing to do with him.

(End of this chapter)