Chapter 1355: Under Luoyang City
Chapter 1355: Under Luoyang City
January 9th, 2018
In fact, from the moment the warlords decided to take action against Lu Hai Kong, they were left with no other choice.
Although they all knew in their hearts that Lu Hai Kong might be intentionally feigning weakness, knowing and being able to do something about it were two different matters.
If Lu Hai Kong was indeed intentionally showing weakness, deliberately luring them to concentrate under Luoyang City for a decisive battle, then the severity of the situation far exceeded their imagination. It meant that the information they had received previously might all be false. Lu Hai Kong might not have suffered any severe damage, and it was even possible that the foreign demons had been driven back by Lu Hai Kong or had retreated after reaching some agreement with him.
If that were the case, it would imply that Lu Hai Kong had made up his mind to sweep across the land.
Given Lu Hai Kong's determination to conquer all under heaven, the warlords had no say in whether or not to go; in such a situation, they could only unite, and only by uniting would they have a slim chance of resisting Lu Hai Kong. Escape was not a viable solution!
The gears were already in motion, and everything had already begun. At this moment, the warlords had no choice but to continue.
This gamble had only two possible outcomes: either a huge success or a complete loss. Aside from that, they had no other options!
Of course, there were many talented individuals among the warlords, and they wouldn't just sit idly by and foolishly march towards Luoyang.
The more they approached this critical moment, the more cautious they became.
In the following period, they kept making small moves, repeatedly testing Lu Hai Kong's strength.
Even if they discovered that Lu Hai Kong was feigning weakness, they still had to go, but if they could gather as much information about Lu Hai Kong as possible, it would be beneficial for them.
However, they encountered a formidable opponent. Lu Hai Kong had a natural talent for acting, no, it wasn't just Lu Hai Kong.
In fact, after the battle against the foreign forces ended, Lu Hai Kong's attention shifted to pacifying the people of Sanzhou of Ji, Bing, and You, as well as taking care of his wife and children. As for dealing with the warlords, Lu Hai Kong entrusted the matter to Jia Xu.
In Lu Hai Kong's view, from the moment he decided to take decisive action against the warlords, their fate was already sealed. This would be a victorious campaign.
Of course, Lu Hai Kong wouldn't ignore this campaign just because it lacked challenge; it was because the strategies against the warlords had been prepared by Jia Xu several years ago.
Given this, Lu Hai Kong naturally handed the performance over to Jia Xu.
And indeed, Jia Xu was an expert in this regard. Not only was he scheming, but his acting skills were also impressive, making him a true thespian on stage.
When Lu Hai Kong's resources were handed over to Jia Xu, he put on a series of impressive performances.
Facing the constant pressure and cautious probing from the various warlords, Jia Xu perfectly portrayed the helplessness of Lu Hai Kong, the tyrannical tyrant, when his strength was waning.
From the initial furious and domineering counterattacks to the later small-scale resistance, and finally, the reluctant raising of the banner of human heroes.
Jia Xu's performance was spot-on, and almost all the middle-ranking officials among the warlords believed that Lu Hai Kong was on the verge of collapse.
With Jia Xu's convincing performance, the various warlords finally put their worries aside and led their forces towards Luoyang, ready to reap the fruits of their victory.
In the blink of an eye, it was already October!
From early September, the warlords had been steadily marching their troops towards Luoyang, and by around October, most of the warlords from across the land had arrived.
In reality, the term "heavenly lords" was a bit of an overstatement, as there were only a handful of true lords in the realm at this time. The powerful figures included Dong Zhuo, who controlled Xiliang; Liu Bei, ruling over the two regions of Xishu and Jingzhou; Cao Cao, with his dominance in Yanzhou and Yuzhou; Yuan Hong, the master of Jizhou and Qingzhou; and Sun Jian, the lord of Jiangdong. These five forces were undoubtedly the strongest at the moment.
Aside from these five major powers, there were a few others of slightly lesser strength, such as Meng Hu of the Nanman region and the ruler of Jiaozhou, but for some unknown reason, neither of them made an appearance. Only the five major forces arrived in Luoyang by October.
Although the number of forces that reached Luoyang was limited, their display of might and military prowess was astonishing.
Over the past few years, while Lu Hai Kong had been developing his five major forces, they, too, had been making significant progress. Their most remarkable advancements were in their military capabilities.
This time, they showcased their military might to perfection.
Despite the relatively small numbers of troops deployed by the five major forces, with an average of around 150,000 per side, the combined forces didn't even reach a million.
However, the legions of the five forces had undergone significant improvements and changes compared to before, and their strength had increased immeasurably.
The elite soldiers of the five forces were all of exceptional quality, with the lowest Strength Attribute being 40. Their equipment was top-notch, and these legions were no less formidable than Lu Hai Kong's original four armies, even surpassing them to some extent.
In addition to these nearly million-strong elite forces, there were several distinctive legions among the five powers.
For instance, Dong Zhuo's Black Demon Cavalry, shrouded in dark energy, and Cao Cao's cavalry, which exuded a sense of wildness and ferocity from a distance, were among these unique legions. Each of these special legions possessed a unique aura and was incredibly powerful, rivaling even Lu Hai Kong's Black Wind and Iron Blood legions. The lords had no less than five such formidable legions.
As the various lords made their way to Luoyang, they maintained communication. Although their journeys differed, they all arrived in Luoyang almost simultaneously.
The simultaneous arrival of the five forces, with nearly a million elite troops, was a grand spectacle. They lined up in formation beneath Luoyang City.
The formidable and intimidating legions stationed outside Luoyang City immediately put immense psychological pressure on the soldiers hastily assembled from the Militia Camp, who had received little to no professional training.
When the allied forces of the lords below Luoyang City saw the garrison troops trembling despite their efforts to endure, their anxiety dissipated.
"Even Luoyang City is using such troops," Yuan Hong remarked, gazing at Luoyang City, "it seems Lu Hai Kong is truly at his wit's end."
As Yuan Hong expressed his thoughts, someone beside him furrowed their brows.
Dantai Mingjing, standing behind Liu Bei, along with Xun Yu and Cheng Yu behind Cao Cao, and the youthful figure behind Sun Jian, all had cold glints in their eyes at that moment.
Many things were not as they seemed.
(End of Chapter)
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