Chapter 378 Chess Player (End)

Countless torches merged into flames, seeming to paint the night sky of Luoyang blood red. In front of Yingtian Gate, thousands of soldiers were like a raging wave.

Countless people were running and shouting, and those wearing minister’s robes were also actively directing and dispatching with high morale. Countless arrows flew towards Yingtian Gate, and fireballs were thrown up by stone carts. The fireballs stained with saltpeter and sulfur burst into flames on the city wall, and the flames spewed out, making it inevitable that some parts of the tower would be set on fire, which caused another huge cheer from the imperial guards under the city.

The soldiers of the Imperial Guards who had been pounding the palace gates with battering rams inside the city gate also gritted their teeth and worked harder, shouting slogans in unison. After hitting the gates dozens of times, the hinges of the two palace gates finally creaked and broke. The Imperial Guards were greatly encouraged and shouted loudly, preparing to charge into the palace.

Seeing that the palace gate was about to fall, and even people could be seen running quickly on the Yingtian Gate amid the layers of torches, Niu Cunjie finally breathed a sigh of relief and laughed to Yuan Xiangxian, “Xiao the thief is courting death. Was he the imperial guard or the useless corvée rebel in Bianjing that night? Now that the palace gate is broken, I wonder what he can do!”

Yuan Xiangxian looked solemn and said, “The Xuanwu Gate of Yaoyi City is not easy to attack…”

Niu Cunjie sneered and was about to speak when several riders came rushing up from behind. Before he could stop his mounts, they reported in unison: “Generals, a large army has suddenly arrived from the east and has split up. They may be going to surround Luoyang from all sides!”

Yuan Xiangxian moved, and Niu Cunjie changed color and shouted, “Nonsense! Hulao Pass is currently under the control of the Zuolongwu Army under the command of General Yuan Jie. Where did the army from the east suddenly come to Luoyang?”

The few cavalrymen who came to report the news were at a loss for words, but the imperial guards and officials surrounding Niu Cunjie and Yuan Xiangxian heard the news very clearly. Some of them turned pale, while others hurriedly asked, “General Niu Jie, General Niu Jie, have the reinforcements from Taiwei Yang in Chang’an arrived?”

Zhao Yan, who had been waiting anxiously in the queue for the situation to change, felt his eyes go dark at this moment. Although he hurriedly grabbed the reins to prevent himself from falling, he cried for a moment: “General Niu, General Yuan, there is no chance of winning, let’s retreat quickly…”

Niu Cunjie was so furious that he drew his sword and pointed it at Zhao Yan: “Zhao Qiuyan, stop exaggerating! The palace is about to be breached and Xiao is about to lose his life. How dare you disturb the morale of the army!”

Zhao Yan’s face turned extremely pale, fearing that the enraged Niu Cunjie would stab him to death with a sword, so he just moved his lips without making a sound, but his eyes were looking at Yuan Xiangxian, and his meaning was very clear: Niu Cunjie was a stubborn and self-willed guy, so was General Yuan going to stay and wait for death as well?

Yuan Xiangxian also had a bad look on his face, but just as he was about to speak, his ears moved. He turned around and saw the palace gate being violently slammed open, and he was immediately delighted.

Not only him, but the entire imperial army instantly erupted in extremely crazy and excited roars. Countless people immediately rushed to the city gate, and some even shouted: “The one who broke through the city gate is Lu of the Divine Martial Army…Ah!”

However, that voice was quickly drowned out by countless exclamations and panicked sounds. The countless imperial guards who were rushing into the city gate paused almost visibly, and their mad momentum to rush into the palace suddenly slowed down.

“The Modao Army, the Modao Army… It’s the Modao Army!”

All of a sudden, there was a burst of fierce exclamations and shouts, and the crowd under the city gate became doubly chaotic.

Niu Cunjie and others were riding on horses and could see from afar behind the collapsed palace gate. There was a flash of cold light and giant men in heavy armor like iron towers holding a meter-long Mo Dao rushing out. Soon, the layers of fire under the doorway suddenly became dim. That was because many imperial guards holding torches were killed and the torches fell to the ground, resulting in uneven light.

No one had expected that Xiao Yan, who clearly had almost no soldiers available, would actually have an entire army of Modao soldiers under his command ready to fight behind the palace gate!
All the excitement, excitement, and madness just now seemed to be poured with a bucket of cold water at this moment, and the crowd immediately calmed down. The imperial guards began to shrink and retreat under the shouts of the officers, obviously preparing to form a formation to crush the Modao Army.

But Yuan Xiangxian knew that now they had no time to defeat the Modao Army!
“Let’s retreat.” Yuan Xiangxian shook his head.

Zhao Yan finally cried out to Niu Cunjie, whose face was ashen, “General Niu, let’s escape!”

Faced with the huge facts, the last string in Niu Cunjie’s mind suddenly broke. He glared suddenly, shouted loudly, and stabbed the sword in his hand straight at Zhao Yan, piercing into the latter’s chest and abdomen.

Everything around, including Yuan Xiangxian, was frozen in time at this moment.

Zhao Yan also stared blankly at the sharp sword blade that pierced his chest and abdomen. He breathed heavily, but only kept coughing up streams of blood. He glanced around in a daze and fell off the horse.

A group of military generals and officials had been standing nearby, staring in amazement at what was happening before their eyes, but Niu Cunjie’s loud shout woke them up.

“No one is allowed to leave!” Niu Cunjie pointed his sword at Yuan Xiangxian and ordered Pan Qige who was not far away: “Stop them! Whoever wants to leave today is Xiao’s accomplice and Xiao’s lackey! The palace gate has been breached, victory is at hand, Xiao will be killed soon! If you guys were not afraid of death and were hesitant, how could Xiao have become so powerful? Come on, stop them and continue the siege!”

Yuan Xiang was stunned at first, but Kou Yanqing, who had been watching coldly, suddenly roared like thunder: “Damn it! Yang Shihou and other troops can’t come to Luoyang! Xiao Yan’s Guide Army has arrived, and there are countless of his troops outside the city, rushing to surround Luoyang, and will soon rush in to capture us, the traitors who are rebelling and attacking the imperial city! What are you still dreaming about, you thief?!”

Just now, these few people suddenly started fighting and killing each other, which had already frightened everyone. At this time, Kou Yanqing roared loudly, which made everyone present almost faint.

Generals such as Pan Qige, who were about to strictly follow the order to stop Yuan Xiangxian and others, were also stunned at this time.

They only now realized how big a fire pit they had jumped into tonight!

What about being granted a title of governor, what about being rewarded with one million strings of cash, what about dividing up Xiao Ze’s millions of wealth, all of these are just fucking dreams! The only thing I can do now is to save my life!

As for Kou Yanqing, he just shouted and didn’t care at all about how much of a sensation his words would cause to the people around him. He reined in his horse and rode away, and no one knew where he was escaping to. His trusted generals also did not want to stay here and wait for death, and followed him one after another.

As Kou Yanqing left, a huge commotion suddenly broke out with him as the center. Many generals and ministers who had originally gathered around Niu Cunjie all shouted incomprehensible words and rushed towards Yuan Xiangxian, but no one paid any attention to Niu Cunjie, who seemed to be crazy or stupid.

At this juncture, Yuan Xiangxian no longer cared about these people. He just frowned and woke up Niu Cunjie, who was like a wandering soul, and called his close generals, including Pan Qige, to turn around and rush out of the city.

All the surrounding imperial guards and generals were stunned. Many soldiers who were rushing forward with shields in hand just turned back and looked in the direction of Niu Cunjie and others.

At this time, some generals shouted in panic and fear: “The commanders abandoned us and fled! There is no point in fighting this battle. Let’s disperse quickly. We can just rob Luoyang and run away!”

Hundreds of imperial guards who rushed into the city gate and fought desperately with the Modao army turned back in surprise and stared blankly behind them. Most of the crossbow arrows that were continuously flying straight up to the city wall from Yingtian Gate had stopped at this time. Many archers of the imperial guards who were covered with quivers stopped raising their bows and looked around in confusion.

“Your Majesty, the imperial guards are in chaos.” Li Mang pointed to the rear of the imperial guards.

In front of the imperial guards, who were desperately attacking the city and shooting arrows, stopped, but behind them, the riot suddenly broke out and then became more and more intense.

Countless imperial guards became panicked after confirming that Niu Cunjie and other commanders had escaped. Although they didn’t know why the commanders wanted to escape, countless of them had already begun to rush around trying to flee the battlefield.

Some of those wearing armor and holding weapons were still thinking about looting the city one last time, but most people simply dropped their weapons, took off their armor, and fled. Others were just pushed around by the crowd like headless flies. Some kept asking the commander why he wanted to escape, while others were already loudly cursing Niu Cunjie and others.

“Since the traitor dare not enter the palace and hold the emperor hostage like the King of Song, why is he inciting our imperial guards? How can a dog without balls be qualified to be a commander?”

The armored soldiers of the Imperial Guards who were still standing and watching in the front finally confirmed the situation and shouted a loud cry, then fled madly like a tide. The Modao soldiers in the front, almost covered in blood, chased after them, and after killing nearly a hundred people, they were unable to catch up with the fleeing Imperial Guards because their armor was too thick and heavy.

“It must be the Guide Army!” Li Mang suddenly got excited and said eagerly: “Your Majesty, please allow me to chase and kill the defeated bandits!”

Xiao Yan stood in front of the battlement, his sword-like eyes just scanning the Imperial Guards who were about to be defeated. The Imperial Guards were defeated earlier than he expected. In his imagination, he even needed a fair fight to defeat the Imperial Guards. After all, the elite level of the Imperial Guards was not comparable to that of ordinary soldiers, and their endurance was also stronger.

Niu Cunjie and his men were able to act decisively and leave without hesitation, giving up the good situation in front of them. It was a pity for the thousands of good men who worked hard for them.

“Let go and kill.”

Xiao Yan said calmly: “All the soldiers of the Imperial Guards, regardless of whether they disturbed the people or plundered or not, will be beheaded by dawn. Those who surrender after dawn can be imprisoned as corvée and sent to Bianjing, where Han Yanhui will be responsible for their punishment.”

A burst of restless hot air gushed out of Li Mang’s nostrils, and he immediately clasped his fists and left. There were still hundreds of war horses that had been prepared in the palace, which could be used at this moment.

Li Mang immediately led hundreds of cavalry to charge out, but Xiao Yan was not worried at all. A voice saying “Song King’s personal troops have arrived” could be heard faintly from outside the city. This time, the big net had already surrounded them. Niu Cunjie and others did not have the ability to escape. The only problem that needed to be solved at the moment was the west.

Xiao Yan finally laughed out loud with relief.

“Bring those two emperors with you, follow me out of the city, and completely wipe out this government and the country!”

——

Luoyang, the western capital, was guarded by eight passes and surrounded by mountains and rivers, forming a basin of 500 li.

After Yang Shihou left Chang’an and took control of Tongguan, he originally wanted to rest in Tongguan for a day before continuing to send troops. After all, the Youguo Army lacked horses for large-scale marches after being on the march for many days, and the soldiers were extremely tired.

But a day ago, a messenger from Niu Cunjie suddenly came rushing from Luoyang, saying that the Guide Army under Xiao Yan was at Hulao Pass and was rushing towards Luoyang. Yang Shihou did not dare to delay, and instead led his troops straight eastward without stopping, crossed the Hangu Pass in Mount Xiao, and continued to rush towards Luoyang.

Yang Shihou no longer has much room for retreat.

This time he led his troops eastward, not only to threaten the central government with his vassal army, but also to give all the benefits of Daliang in Fengxiang to Shu, and even trapped Dingba in the west without supplies, and he is now besieged by the Shu army in Wugong County. It is conceivable that if he fails to win this eastward advance and wants to turn back, Yang Shihou will have no way out in Daliang.

Although he had started to unite with Niu Cunjie and other central officials very early in this uprising, even Niu Cunjie and others were only generals of the imperial guards. The mobilization of troops in the country must be ordered by the emperor and then deployed by the privy council. Without proper procedures and even without an imperial edict, his mobilization of the army this time was no different from rebellion.

So after learning that Xiao Yan was also transferring the Guide Army westward, Yang Shihou did not dare to delay for a moment and hurried on his way.

Although he had sent a message to Niu Cunjie and others, asking them to stabilize the center at all costs to prevent Xiao Yan from launching a move, it was believed that the communication between the messengers would also take time. Yang Shihou had no idea about the specific situation in Luoyang.

The only hope Yang Shihou could place was that Niu Cunjie and others could continue to lie in wait in secret as planned, waiting for him to arrive with his troops. By then, with the cooperation between inside and outside, even if a fierce battle took place in Luoyang City, they would be able to compete with Xiao Yan.

Even if they cannot capture Xiao Yan for the time being, all the vassal states in the world will surely see that Xiao Yan’s foundation is unstable. Then they will attack him in groups, and one person can tear Xiao Yan’s troops to pieces.

After all, as the number one general of Daliang, Yang Shihou looked down on people like Xiao Yan from the bottom of his heart.

Xiao Yan’s foundation is too shallow. He has only been in business for three or four years, and he doesn’t even have any real descendants. How can he support a deep-rooted power? It was just that Yang Shihou was not in Hebei or in the Central Plains to compete with you. Otherwise, how could you, Xiao Yan, have the opportunity to soar to the sky?

As for the Guide Army, it was just formed by the defeated troops in Hebei. Think about its predecessors, the Yichang Army and the Youzhou Army. When they were under Liu Rengong’s command, Yang Shihou defeated them easily!
Yang Shihou had seen Dingba with his own eyes what he looked like. He was indeed brave and his weapons and armor were also excellent. Yang Shihou believed that they could defeat the imperial guards, but he absolutely did not believe that a so-called Guide Army could have any strength.

No matter how powerful Xiao Yan is, he can’t train two strong armies at the same time, right? Besides, there are also the Imperial Guards as internal support. I’m afraid that the Guide Army will be crippled as soon as they meet.

So with seven parts confidence, two parts disdain and one part caution, Yang Shihou simply led the army at a rapid pace.

But the Youguo Army under his command could hardly hold on.

The Youguo Army has been stationed in Chang’an for many years and is the front line against the Qi State’s troops. They are indeed brave and sharp, but they also have a shortcoming that all places in Daliang have, that is, the lack of cavalry.

Long-distance rapid marches require a strong will. The reason why the Hebei troops under Xiao Yan’s command could easily travel thousands of miles to conquer the east and the west is that Xiao Yan has horses from all over Hebei and even the Mobei grasslands. He can easily pull out a cavalry group with multiple horses for each person to support them in achieving their strategic goal of traveling thousands of miles.

Not only did the Youguo Army lack this rigid condition, but the long-distance march from Chang’an through Tongguan, and from Tongguan through Mount Xiao and Hanguguan was almost entirely dependent on their own two legs. No matter how much benefits Yang Shihou promised them, these brave men from Guanxi could not hold on.

Even if the soldiers under Xiao Yan were asked to rely on their own legs to travel long distances, they would only complain bitterly.

So from Tongguan to Hanguguan, and from Hanguguan to Shanzhou, although the distance was only about 200 miles, a lot of troops were left behind along the way.

Yang Shihou had no choice but to let these people settle down on the spot. Of course, this was not necessarily a bad thing. If things did not go smoothly in Luoyang, he could just turn back. If things did not work out, he could also block Tongguan and establish a separatist regime in Guanxi.

After passing Mianchi, Luoyang was in sight. Yang Shihou encouraged his soldiers and ordered them to plunder a county town, which boosted morale a little and increased the marching speed.

His trusted confidant Wang Shunxian was in good spirits the whole time. After reaching the plains, he did not forget to lead a few knights to scout ahead.

Although Yang Shihou did not feel too tired, he had lost several pounds after marching for several days. Now that Luoyang was almost within his grasp, he kept encouraging and making promises to his close generals.

At this time, Wang Shunxian led his men back, his face livid, and said to Yang Shihou in a deep voice: “Captain, something seems to be wrong ahead…”

Yang Shihou was startled and waved to the troops to stop. He rode his horse forward up a gentle slope and looked forward.

It was midsummer, the weather was clear, and the wilderness stretched as far as the eye could see. Only in the east was there a faint sound of sand and dust, and no one knew what was going on.

Yang Shihou already felt that something was not right, and he stood there with a stern face, watching for a moment. At this time, his subordinates and generals who were lagging behind also came over tiredly and gradually gathered around him.

Suddenly, when they saw what was behind the sand, everyone’s faces turned pale.

However, from the east, a large group of cavalry were heading here in different directions. Behind them, there were countless cavalrymen with various flags. In front of them, small groups of messenger cavalry were turning around at high speed, obviously to report the exact location of Yang Shihou!

These cavalry troops were all well-organized. Although their flags were different, they were obviously marching according to the military orders from above. After Yang Shihou discovered them, they must have also discovered the Youguo Army. However, in just a moment, these large groups of cavalry troops had already formed a semi-encirclement and were rushing towards here.

Yang Shihou was still silent with a sullen face, but Wang Shunxian and the generals on his left and right behind him were all stunned, looking at the smoke and dust raised by the enemy’s thousands of galloping cavalry, which was slowly pressing towards their tired army like a huge wall between heaven and earth.

“General, General…” Everyone around looked at Yang Shihou and shouted in panic.

Yang Shihou clenched his fists and said nothing. At this moment he could confirm that it was Xiao Yan’s Guide Army!
How could Xiao Yan manage such a large cavalry group?
When did this cavalry arrive in Luoyang and eliminate Niu Cunjie and his men?

Countless thoughts surged in Yang Shihou’s mind.

He recalled his disdain for Xiao Yan when he was sure that he could conquer Youzhou with 800 cavalrymen in the Bianjing Palace two years ago. He recalled that after Xiao Yan recruited Youzhou troops to defeat Li Cunxu and dispersed the Hebei defeated army, he did not hesitate to rush thousands of miles to penetrate the entire Mobei… At that time, how many people in the court did not think that Xiao Yan was doing useless work?

The mixed Hu people in Mobei have always been fickle. Can we expect to defeat them in one go? Without a huge military force to deeply deter the grassland, forget it!
But at this moment, Yang Shihou suddenly understood.

It must have been because of that victory over Mobei that Xiao Yan was able to equip his own men with countless horses, and was able to have his troops march south to Bian Jing to establish the capital a year later, and then to expand his forces to Luoyang to solve this major problem.

Fight fast with fast, fight thousands of miles away…

I should have understood it long ago, I should have known that Xiao Yan would use such means to decide the situation… Why have I never studied the war against Yan? Why have I always underestimated Xiao Yan?

Yang Shihou remained silent for a long time, but Wang Shunxian beside him kept asking, “General, what should we do?”

Yang Shihou turned around and looked at the exhausted and disorganized Youguo Army behind him, dejected: “Turn around and run. If you’re lucky, you can escape to Tongguan and defend it yourself.”

The generals on the left and right murmured to themselves: “What if we are unlucky?”

Yang Shihou glanced at him sideways, too lazy to say anything more, and rode away. Chang’an was still there, the main forces in Guanxi had not dispersed, and the warlords in Daliang had not yet completely attached themselves to Xiao Yan. He might not be without a chance!
At worst, we can surrender to Shu!
——

Ten miles away from Hangu Pass, a temporary camp had been set up.

Luoyang was captured the night before yesterday. Xiao Yan chopped off several thousand heads in one breath. All the men in the families of ancestors Niu Cunjie and Yuan Xiang, young and old, were beheaded. Hundreds of imperial guards who participated in the rebellion were beheaded, and countless others were detained.

After defeating the Luoyang general, he immediately turned to fight against Yang Shihou. He was exhausted from riding and had no time to rest, but he finally caught up with Yang Shihou outside Hangu Pass and surrounded all of his subordinates. The hardship he experienced was no easier than that of Yang Shihou’s side.

Xiao Yan himself did not participate in the battle, but just waited for news in the camp.

Of course, the so-called camp was just a few hundred soldiers guarding Xiao Yan, with flags erected on all sides and a bonfire in the camp. There were not even any tents pitched. Xiao Yan himself just sat on a big rock, holding the hilt of his sword with both hands and waiting.

The two emperors were brought here together. Zhu Wen looked like an old man, and he was almost exhausted from all the hassles he had experienced. Although Zhu Youzhen still had some energy, he had not yet recovered from the scene of people dying in Luoyang. He was still crying and begging not far away: “Prince Song, Prince Song, I will give you this country of Daliang for the time being, and please spare my life…”

No one paid any attention to Zhu Youzhen, and just let his crying voice carry far away.

In the gradually darkening evening twilight ahead, faint cheers were suddenly heard, followed by a group of horses galloping over. When they landed, they saw that they were escorting nearly a hundred generals of the Youguo Army, and Yang Shihou was among them.

Almost as soon as they landed, most of the Youguo Army generals knelt down and surrendered, including Yang Shihou’s confidant Wang Shunxian.

Yang Shihou did not kneel, but just kept a straight face, not even looking at the Zhu family father and son, but staring at Xiao Yan: “Song Wang, the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit, I will do whatever you want, but even though you won this round, I will not accept it!”

He finished speaking in a deep voice, but did not hear Xiao Yan’s response, and he was very angry. However, Ye Bu Shoujin around him was looking at him viciously, so Yang Shihou did not dare to lose his temper.

But when he looked again, he saw Xiao Yan sitting on the stone, his hands on the hilt of the sword, and he had fallen asleep with his eyes closed.

Yang Shihou was stunned to see this young man, who was only twenty years old, but already had enemies all over the world. He didn’t know why, perhaps because the government was stable, or perhaps because he had not rested for many days, he actually fell asleep with his sword in his hand.

The wind was strong, yet light, and only slowly caused the tassel on his helmet to flutter.

(End of this chapter)