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Chapter 626: The Fall of Juelu
Chapter 626: The Fall of Juelu
September 25, 2017
Jiuzhou, outside Juelu City.
It had been four days since Lu HaiKong's conquest of Guangping, and Dong Zhuo's forces had been camping near Juelu for several days. Finally, today they decided to make their move!
No one was foolish; they were well aware that the city of Juelu might not be as easy as they initially thought, but at this point, Dong Zhuo had no choice but to launch an attack.
Although it seemed like a forced decision, Dong Zhuo and his men were not gambling blindly. With some tricks up their sleeves, they were confident about taking Juelu.
As night fell, Dong Zhuo's Western Liang Cavalry and Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers gathered outside Juelu City. Strangely, this combined force had no infantry.
Although Dong Zhuo indeed did not bring any infantry, Gongsun Zan did. It was odd that they would prepare for a siege without any infantry.
The only explanation for this situation was that Dong Zhuo had a way to open the city gates of Juelu!
Considering Dong Zhuo's allies, this wasn't impossible.
As expected, Dong Zhuo, who was leading the troops personally, kept glancing towards Juelu while waiting, as if anticipating something.
Finally, after nearly an hour of waiting outside Juelu City, Dong Zhuo witnessed a flash of light akin to a meteor shooting into the sky from the direction of Juelu.
As soon as he saw the flash, Dong Zhuo's eyes gleamed with determination, and he waved his hand.
"Advance!"
At Dong Zhuo's command, the twenty thousand Western Liang Cavalry and over five thousand White Horse Volunteers sprang into action.
The deafening sound of hooves filled the air as Lu Bu, riding ahead, led his Flying Wolf Cavalry, which he had brought all the way from Bingzhou, towards Juelu City.
As Lu Bu and his men approached Juelu, the Yellow Turban soldiers guarding the city immediately noticed their presence. Instantly, torches were lit all over the city, illuminating the walls as if it were daylight, and the Yellow Turban soldiers on the walls quickly prepared the city's defenses.
But their actions were a little too slow. The speed of Lu Bu's Flying Wolf Cavalry in full charge was terrifying.
Just as the defenses of Juelu City were set up, Lu Bu and his men had already reached the city gates, and almost simultaneously, the gates opened, allowing Lu Bu and his troops to enter the city without resistance!
In an instant, Lu Bu's Flying Wolf Cavalry, like a fierce and sharp claw, easily tore through the already weakened defenses of Juelu.
Although Lu Bu's Flying Wolf Cavalry might not be as formidable as Lu HaiKong's Blood Bath Legion yet, this cavalry force was equally ruthless, especially under Lu Bu's leadership. Inside Juelu City, not only were they unprepared, but even if they had made the most thorough preparations, they would still be nearly unstoppable!
Lu Bu effortlessly captured the city gates, and soon after, the Western Liang Cavalry also arrived. Lu Bu then handed over the defense of the city gates to Zhang Ji, who had followed from behind, and continued to lead his Flying Wolf Cavalry deeper into Juelu!
Dong Zhuo's forces had gathered intelligence on Juelu, and they knew that the city originally had only about one hundred thousand troops. Although some Yellow Turban soldiers had retreated from Guangping in recent days, their numbers were not significant.
After all, most of the tens of thousands who had escaped from Guangping had already scattered, and without proper guidance, it was impossible for the majority of the soldiers to return to Juelu within a few short days. Therefore, Juelu currently had no more than one hundred and twenty to thirty thousand troops.
Although this strength was still several times greater than Dong Zhuo's current forces, most of them were mere Shrimp and Crab Generals. Dong Zhuo was confident in taking the city!
Indeed, with the city gates breached, Lu Bu and his men effortlessly pushed deeper into Juelu, facing no resistance along the way.
Lu Bu, after all, was the number one warrior in the Three Kingdoms. Despite the setbacks he faced due to Lu HaiKong, his strength was unquestionable. With Zhang Liang slain by Lu HaiKong and Zhang Jiao remaining hidden, no one in Juelu could withstand Lu Bu's might.
Lu Bu's progress was smooth, and the Western Liang Cavalry and White Horse Volunteers following him also faced no obstacles.
At this moment, Juelu seemed to have no commander, even with its tens of thousands of troops. They were all fighting individually, and the large force could not unite as one.
If this were the Yellow Turban Army at its peak, any one of the generals like Bo Cai or Zhang Mancheng could have easily controlled the tens of thousands of troops, making it difficult for Dong Zhuo to succeed. The tens of thousands of troops here were completely different from the ones Liang Qi had commanded.
Most of these tens of thousands of soldiers were Yellow Turban Volunteers with a strength of 35 or higher, and there were also dozens to hundreds of warriors. If they were well-led and took advantage of the terrain, defeating Dong Zhuo's forces would be effortless.
Unfortunately, the Yellow Turbans no longer had such talented individuals. With the city gates breached, the fall of Juelu was almost certain.
Despite the fierce resistance put up by some Yellow Turban soldiers within Julu, their fate of annihilation could not be averted.
Since entering Jiuzhou, the Western Liang Cavalry, who had been mostly playing a supporting role, finally displayed their brutal prowess.
Many previously inactive Western Liang generals, such as Zhang Ji, Fan Chong, and Li Que, emerged at this moment, each one exceptionally fierce. The fighting style of the Western Liang Cavalry was equally ferocious, and in the battle of Julu, they showcased their might.
The White Horse Volunteers, led by Gongsun Zan, were also not to be underestimated, despite lacking prominent generals. Gongsun Zan himself was a capable commander, and his performance in the battle was outstanding.
Under the rampage of these two cavalry forces, the Yellow Turban Army within Julu quickly disintegrated.
In this situation, without a commander, it was nearly impossible for the Yellow Turban Army to hold on.
Dong Zhuo's battle strategy was almost a carbon copy of Lu HaiKong's conquest of Liang Qi and Ye City. Even the results of the battle were similar.
From the moment the gates of Julu City were breached to the time Dong Zhuo's forces took control, it took no more than three hours.
With less than three hours and an army of just over twenty thousand, Dong Zhuo's forces achieved a remarkable victory in Julu. How could such a feat be any less impressive than Lu HaiKong's achievements?
However, Dong Zhuo's joy was short-lived. In three hours, he had indeed breached Julu and routed an army of over a hundred thousand, slaying numerous Yellow Turban generals. But to say they had conquered Julu was not entirely accurate.
This was because there were two places within Julu City that Dong Zhuo's forces had failed to capture.
In the 16th chapter of the 9th book, it was clearly stated!
One of these places was the Peaceful Dao Monastery, a mysterious location that Lu HaiKong had previously visited. It was understandable that it hadn't been captured yet.
The Peaceful Dao Monastery was located in a remote corner of Julu, and it was sufficient to station guards there. Failing to capture it immediately didn't affect the overall situation. But the other location was a different story!
The place that Dong Zhuo's forces couldn't capture was the Governor's Mansion, the symbol of the Yellow Turban rule in Julu. If this place wasn't taken, Dong Zhuo's conquest of Julu would be meaningless.
In this situation, Dong Zhuo couldn't even write a proper battle report.
So, when Dong Zhuo learned that the Governor's Mansion hadn't been captured, he became visibly displeased. He immediately issued a stern order to Lu Bu, who was in charge of capturing the mansion. Regardless of the circumstances, the Governor's Mansion must be taken, and if Lu Bu failed, he was to present his head!
The order was given with determination, but the reality was that they couldn't capture it. Lu Bu's forces couldn't even get close to the Governor's Mansion.
The Governor's Mansion was right before their eyes, yet no matter how Lu Bu's soldiers charged, they couldn't get any closer. The situation was incredibly bizarre.
In fact, the Governor's Mansion, in a sense, was the final chapter of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. This place wasn't something ordinary people could conquer or destroy. At least, Lu Bu leading the Flying Wolf Cavalry couldn't possibly breach it.
Lu HaiKong had anticipated this, which was why he confidently left the conquest of Julu to Dong Zhuo!
Confronted with this situation, Dong Zhuo had no solution. In the end, he could only summon his Yellow Turban partner for information.
"Lord Dong, according to my knowledge, Zhang Jiao is within the Governor's Mansion. He has placed a curse on it, making it impossible for ordinary people to approach. Only at midnight can a group of five to ten people enter!"
The man was well-informed. As Dong Zhuo was about to capture Julu, he had already switched sides and received a system task.
The final system task was, of course, to slay Zhang Jiao. The rewards were enticing, making his mouth water. But he was well aware that this task wasn't meant for him. Among all the mystics, only Lu HaiKong could possibly complete it.
Upon hearing this news, Dong Zhuo's brows furrowed.
If there was one person Dong Zhuo feared in Julu, it was undoubtedly Zhang Jiao. Although Dong Zhuo hadn't met Zhang Jiao, he had encountered Zhang Jiao's younger brother, Zhang Liang.
That man's strength was terrifying, and with his external powers, he effortlessly defeated Lu Bu.
If even the third-in-command was so formidable, what kind of existence was the leader, Zhang Jiao?
Initially, Dong Zhuo had hoped to overwhelm Zhang Jiao with sheer numbers, but this new development dashed all his hopes.
Nevertheless, Dong Zhuo had to find a way to deal with Zhang Jiao. Having conquered all of Julu, he couldn't just stop here.
So, that very night, Dong Zhuo organized the first small team to hunt down Zhang Jiao, led by Lu Bu, accompanied by Hua Xiong, Zhang Ji, Fan Chong, and Li Que. They entered the Governor's Mansion at midnight...
(End of Chapter)
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