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Chapter 803: Yuan Shao
Chapter 803: Yuan Shao
September 25, 2017
Early August, 186 AD.
After Lu Hai Kong's troops had stopped for six or seven days at the location of the previous assassination attempt outside Luoyang City, they finally advanced and arrived at the city gates.
With over three thousand Bloodbath Corps members, they began setting up camp right in front of the defending soldiers and the city gates, leaving the confused commoners witnessing the entire scene.
As the soldiers and citizens watched in bewilderment, Dian Wei, from Lu Hai Kong's army, arrived at the city gates carrying a large white banner with bold black words.
Dian Wei unfurled the banner beneath the city walls and began to recite the words he had carried on his back all the way.
The banner was, in fact, a petition written by Lu Hai Kong himself, denouncing the He siblings.
It accused one of them of having a heart as venomous as a snake and scorpion, meddling in politics and leading the country astray, while the other was described as fearless and lawless, disregarding court etiquette and harming loyal officials, causing the vast Great Han Empire to descend into chaos.
Throughout the entire petition, not a single word criticized Emperor Ling of Han, but upon careful analysis, every sentence carried an unspoken accusation and mockery. Although not explicitly stated, anyone reading this petition would envision the image of an incompetent ruler.
After the denunciation, Lu Hai Kong boldly concluded the petition with the phrase, "Cleanse the Emperor's side, heed the righteous plea."
Lu Hai Kong's petition was audacious and almost entirely in plain language, making it easily understandable to both scholars and commoners alike when Dian Wei recited it.
With Dian Wei's voice amplified by his inner power and Lu Hai Kong's ingenious devices, the petition echoed throughout Luoyang, reaching even Emperor Ling's ears within the imperial palace.
Emperor Ling couldn't bear to read halfway through the petition before he was infuriated to the point of spitting out a mouthful of blood and losing consciousness.
While Emperor Ling had swiftly fainted, the ministers within Luoyang and the citizens throughout the city remained alert. Dian Wei's words and Lu Hai Kong's petition had stirred up a storm in Luoyang.
Inside the city, at Wang Yun's residence.
"How outrageous! How outrageous! Lu Hai Kong has gone too far! Doesn't he know that the Emperor's thunder and rain are both expressions of his grace? Even if he disregards the Emperor's orders, how dare he bring his troops to the gates of Luoyang and pressure the court? And listen to what he's saying—it's outright treason! Cleanse the Emperor's side, heed the righteous plea? Does Lu Hai Kong have the qualifications to make such a demand?"
Wang Yun's face turned red with anger upon hearing that Lu Hai Kong had arrived at Luoyang's gates, shouting for the Emperor to punish the He siblings.
"Indeed, these bandits-turned-commoners know nothing of gratitude. His Majesty should never have trusted him in the first place!"
As Wang Yun condemned Lu Hai Kong, Cai Yong, standing by his side, wore a worried expression. It was clear that the situation had escalated beyond what Cai Yong had hoped for.
Perhaps it was because his daughter was still with Lu Hai Kong, or maybe it was due to their journey together, but Cai Yong couldn't help but side with Lu Hai Kong in this matter, seeing things from his perspective.
From Lu Hai Kong's viewpoint, he was entirely blameless, except for perhaps going a bit too far in the end. Lu Hai Kong had been a victim from start to finish.
He had been inexplicably attacked, and after the assassination attempt, instead of receiving any comfort from Emperor Ling, he was subjected to impeachment by the ministers. Without considering the facts, they were even prepared to take action against Lu Hai Kong and annul his marriage to Princess San. This had enraged Princess San, leading to the subsequent events.
Although Princess San's actions were a bit excessive, beheading the General's Mansion, killing He Miao in the imperial palace, and almost assassinating the He siblings, she had the authority as the wielder of the Crimson Heaven Sword to carry out such deeds. It couldn't be considered her fault. Yet, she was ultimately suppressed by Emperor Ling, and the marriage annulment further escalated the situation.
Viewing it from Lu Hai Kong's perspective, he was clearly the victim, but now that things had progressed this far, there was no point in arguing.
"I just hope he doesn't go too far," Cai Yong murmured after a long pause.
Wang Yu, standing nearby, heard this and scoffed, "Him? Going too far? Cai Yong, you worry too much. Where are we? This is Luoyang, the heart of the Silizhou, not Lu Hai Kong's Bingzhou. If he had followed the Emperor's edict and returned to Bingzhou, there might have been some trouble, but causing a ruckus here is akin to seeking death. Do you think Lu Hai Kong's mere three thousand cavalry can create any significant waves?"
There was some truth to his words. Luoyang, as the capital of the Great Han Dynasty, was theoretically home to the nation's most elite troops.
The military forces in Luoyang alone consisted of several units, including the Vigilant Army responsible for the Emperor's safety.
The capital's defense and mobile forces were under the command of the Northern Army, and there was also the Eight Elite Divisions of the Western Garden, established by Emperor Ling of Han for He Jin. Together, these forces numbered over a hundred thousand strong.
In the eyes of the ministers, these three armies were the elite of the Great Han Empire's military, far superior to the disorganized Yellow Turban rebels.
Lu Hai Kong's actions, in their view, were akin to courting death. Emperor Ling could easily have him killed with a mere wave of his hand. However, Cai Yong, who had witnessed Lu Hai Kong's army, felt a hint of concern. Regardless, his worries were futile as Lu Hai Kong's troops had already reached Luoyang, and He Jin's Eight Elite Divisions of the Western Garden received the Emperor's command to engage.
Historically, the Eight Elite Divisions were established in 188 AD, but in this world, they were already in place during the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
Although referred to as eight divisions, the Eight Elite Divisions had not yet reached their full strength in recent years. Each division was supposed to have a full complement of ten thousand soldiers, but with not even eight commanders in place, the current strength stood at only three to four thousand. Originally under the command of He Miao, it was unfortunate that he had been killed by Yue Er at the very beginning.
Under these circumstances, Emperor Ling ordered the Eight Elite Divisions to engage Lu Hai Kong. He Jin, who had just experienced a terrifying incident in the palace, was supposed to lead this mission, but he was not in the best condition. Instead, he entrusted the task to the Middle Division Commander, Yuanshao, the Tiger Guard General.
At this time, Yuanshao was a young and ambitious man, full of drive and determination. Despite knowing that He Jin's reluctance to lead this mission was not without reason, and even suspecting that He Jin feared Lu Hai Kong and thus delegated the task to him, Yuanshao was unbothered.
As a prominent figure in recent years, Lu Hai Kong was well-known to Yuanshao, who had also heard numerous accounts of Lu Hai Kong's battlefield prowess from his close friend, Cao Cao.
Regardless of the version of the story, Lu Hai Kong's abilities were exceptional, be it the tale of 'one thousand against thirty thousand' or 'two thousand against a hundred thousand', or his god-like ability to turn the tide of battle.
In the 1619 version of the book, there was no mistake!
However, Yuanshao's pride led him to feel unconvinced by Lu Hai Kong's reputation. While he didn't consider Lu Hai Kong a mediocre talent, he believed that he, Yuanshao, could achieve similar feats if placed in the same circumstances. As a member of the Yuan family's side branch, he felt a sense of inferiority about his background, but he also took great pride in his current accomplishments.
Thus, Yuanshao saw this as an opportunity to prove himself to everyone. If he could defeat Lu Hai Kong, he would become the new rising star, solidifying his capabilities.
When presented with this opportunity, Yuanshao seized it without hesitation.
Upon receiving the order, Yuanshao immediately assembled the four hundred thousand soldiers of the Eight Elite Divisions and marched towards the city gates.
In Yuanshao's eyes, his four hundred thousand troops were well-trained veterans, with excellent personnel quality and well-equipped. Their gear, in particular, was exceptional, and the army had invested millions of gold to outfit them. This force was far superior to the disorganized Yellow Turban rebels.
Although Yuanshao had not personally experienced the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he had some knowledge of the Yellow Turban Army. As far as he knew, many of the rebels didn't even have shoes, and some went into battle wielding kitchen knives. Yuanshao believed he could take on ten of such disorganized soldiers.
Of course, Yuanshao didn't completely underestimate Lu Hai Kong. He wanted to defeat Lu Hai Kong, but he also held a certain respect for his opponent, acknowledging Lu Hai Kong's remarkable abilities. However, Yuanshao's confidence in his own abilities was even greater. Moreover, with Lu Hai Kong severely injured, it was uncertain if he could even take the field. In this situation, Yuanshao felt certain of victory.
This belief remained as he approached Luoyang, but upon reaching the city's outskirts and deploying his four hundred thousand troops to face Lu Hai Kong's three thousand cavalry, Yuanshao's confidence began to waver.
Initially, he thought his troops' equipment was already top-notch, but when he saw the gear of Lu Hai Kong's soldiers, Yuanshao's brow furrowed.
Each of the three thousand soldiers was equipped with elite-level gear, a level of equipment that only one division in the Yuan family possessed, and it wasn't even under Yuanshao's command.
What truly shocked Yuanshao, however, was not just the equipment but the iron-blooded killing intent emanating from the three thousand soldiers. As he faced this force, his initial confidence gradually began to crumble...
(End of Chapter)
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