Chapter 275: Entering the City
Chapter 275: Entering the City (Additional chapter for the leader Wuming Weixin)
It was a windy and snowy day and many of the shogunate's officials were sweating profusely.
Sima Yue stared at the army that was showing off its might in the heavy snow and at the man standing on the high platform.
A moment of carelessness, a single thought, led to this!
Looking back, he missed too many opportunities.
After the Xuchang Armory Case, he should have killed them ruthlessly, but he had too many concerns at that time. The imperial guards were unreliable and might not be willing to be ordered around. He was also far away in Xuzhou and could not reach them.
After Chang'an killed the Xianbei, the situation was harmonious on the surface, but the contradictions had intensified secretly. At that time, the imperial guards seemed to be increasingly unreliable, and he had just returned to Luoyang and was not yet firmly established, so he was delayed again.
Afterwards, the late emperor passed away, and I was forced to leave for Xuchang. From then on, I completely lost the opportunity to kill this beast.
At this point, it’s myself that should be worried.
The Left Guard of the Imperial Guard had 15,000 men, many of whom were closely related to Shao Xun.
There were still more than 10,000 people in the Right Guard, and many of them were acquainted with Shao Xun.
The more than 20,000 people in the Left and Right Armies that were reorganized after Cao Wu's defeat were okay. Most of them were soldiers from Yu and Yan and had no friendship with Shao Xun, but they were not very good at fighting either.
It is really hard to say what the situation would be like if Shao Xun's tens of thousands of men were allowed to enter the city.
Can't let him in!
As he thought about it, Sima Yue felt dizzy.
The wild snow and wind outside made him feel very uncomfortable. It was not so cold just now, but now it was icy cold, as if the cold went from the bones to the bottom of the heart, making him unable to resist.
His followers, who had been watching him, quietly reached out to support him.
They are not servants who know nothing, they still have basic political literacy. In this situation, Situ must not show any abnormality, let alone fall down.
"Situ..." an attendant called softly.
"Grandpa!" General Zhenjun and Crown Prince Sima Pi squeezed over, supported his father, and called softly.
Sima Yue glanced at his son, his eyes fixed, and he miraculously recovered.
He can't fall down, he still has a son.
He has only this one son, who is only fourteen years old and has just started his own household.
He is too immature, knows too little, and his methods of controlling his subordinates are too crude. He still needs to learn and gain experience.
"Si Tu." Liu Tun, the Minister of the Left and the Supervisor of Luoyang, came up from downstairs and said as soon as they met: "The Duke of Luyang County has come with the army to defend the king. Should we open the city gates and let them in?"
Liu Tun has been feeling depressed these past two days.
On the night of the first day of the new year, Jia Yin led his troops to attack the Xiongnu camp at night, beheaded 3,000 people, and killed the pseudo-general Huyan Hao, and for a time he was feared in Luoyang.
During the day on the second day, the Huns attacked Guangmo Gate and fought to the death from dawn to night.
The left guard of the imperial army fought desperately to protect the city gate.
That evening, Liu Tun intended to repeat his old trick and selected elite troops to attack the city at night, but was stopped by Sima Yue, who said that the Xiongnu were already well prepared and that if they attacked the camp now, they would most likely return empty-handed or even fall into an ambush.
This made Liu Tun very angry. It seems that only your people can be in the limelight, but others can't, right?
"Tell someone to send some quilts, blankets, and tents to reward the troops. If there is any extra wine and meat, send some as well." Sima Yue said, "Tell Shao Xun to move to Zhang Fang's old fortress. Don't underestimate the enemy and advance rashly."
"Yes." Someone soon went to pass on the message.
"This..." Liu Tun advised: "Situ, why don't you take advantage of the high morale of the army and reorganize the troops to go into battle?"
Sima Yue glanced at him with contempt and didn't bother to pay attention to him.
Is Shao Xun here to support the king?
Perhaps, it seems so to most people, but he doesn't think so.
I asked you to go north to attack Shaanxi, why did you come to Luoyang? Do you have any other intentions?
This villain's ambition is not concealed at all, why can't everyone see his true face? Do you really think he is Shao Quanzhong?
"Even when the country is in chaos, there are still loyal ministers..." said the military officer Ruan Xiu with emotion.
"Xing" means temporary or acting, and its rank is lower than joining the army.
Sima Yue truly loved the Ruan family of Chenliu and was very fond of recruiting the sons of this aristocratic family to serve as officials.
Previously there was a military officer named Ruan Zhan, who has now left the palace and is serving as the prince's attendant.
Ruan Xiu was about to leave the palace to serve as the prince's groom.
There was also an aide named Ruan Fu in the shogunate, whose official title was "Qiqishu", which actually meant cavalry officer. He was also present at this time.
However, the three Ruan clans had no good feelings towards Sima Yue, but were more loyal to the imperial court. Sima Yue knew this very well, but he had to use them because the Chenliu Ruan clan had a great reputation and complicated relationships, after all, the source of his power was the support of the aristocratic families.
Sima Yue was furious when he heard Ruan Xiu's sigh. Just as he was about to explode, Wang Yan stepped forward and said with a smile, "Si Tu is mature and prudent, Pushe is brave and diligent. What you said makes sense. However, war is dangerous and unpredictable. Why don't we sit down and discuss it and then make a decision? How about it?"
Pei Kang glanced at Lao Wang. This guy is trying to smooth things over again. What else can you do besides smoothing things over?
Sima Yue snorted coldly and turned away.
At this moment, a military school student climbed up to the top of the city wall and whispered something in He Lun's ear.
He Lun was embarrassed, but considering the seriousness of the matter, he dared not take the initiative, so he walked to Sima Yue and reported: "Si Tu, the Duke of Luyang County sent someone to knock on the gate and wanted to enter the city."
Upon hearing this, Sima Yue could no longer suppress the anger that he had just suppressed.
He pushed He Lun aside and went straight to the parapet, but saw a large group of soldiers standing dozens of steps away, shouting in unison.
The wind was too strong to make it clear, but it was obvious that it was not a good thing.
Sima Yue didn't want to hear it clearly, so he just ordered: "The bandits are still waiting nearby, so we shouldn't open the city gate without permission."
"Yes." He Lun responded.
Between Shao Xun and Sima Yue, he would choose Sima Yue without a doubt. Even if Sima Yue seemed to be dying, it would not change his mind.
However, just as the two finished their words, a cheer rang out in the wilderness. Sima Yue and He Lun looked over subconsciously, and saw the soldiers of the Silver Spear Army, led by officers, lined up in neat rows and marched towards Ximing Gate.
Hmm? The two of them were somewhat confused. What was going on?
Well, the answer was soon revealed.
Another lieutenant ran up to the top of the city wall, panting, and reported: "General, Minister of the Interior, General Yang Bao of the Left Guard Palace has ordered the Ximing Gate to be opened, and the soldiers under the command of the Duke of Luyang have already swarmed into the city."
Sima Yue felt his head buzzing, his eyes were blurry, and his body unconsciously went limp.
He Lun quickly hugged him and shouted loudly.
There was chaos on the city wall.
******
On Ximingmen Street, team after team of warriors in helmets and armor came in.
The people of Luoyang flocked to the streets, looking with great joy at the first army that arrived to support the city after the Huns laid siege.
What a dignified look these people have!
There were many scratches and holes on the armor on his body, and some of the armor plates had even fallen off, revealing the lining underneath.
There were faint traces of dark red blood on his arms, shoulders, chest and even equipment.
The shoes and boots were covered in mud and even cracked.
He was unkempt, with an untidy beard, and his fingers were red, swollen, and cracked from the cold, with blood oozing out.
His face was made rough and dirty by the cold wind.
Ice crystals hung on his eyebrows and beard, contrasting with the white steam he exhaled.
The spirit is very high!
Their steps were in step, in complete silence, with a hint of arrogance on their lips.
When they saw the people of Luoyang watching from the sidelines, the soldiers of the Silver Spear Army straightened their chests and took more determined steps.
"Look back when you move forward." an officer shouted.
"Strike back with iron legs." The soldiers responded in unison.
"Look ahead and then look behind."
"Let's all wear iron hoko."
When the last sentence was shouted out, the sound shook the roof tiles and was overwhelming.
There were a few imperial guards who spontaneously maintained order on the side. They looked at these warriors who had fought all the way through, and then looked at their own bright armor, neat attire, and shoes and boots that were almost free of mud, and felt a little embarrassed.
After the first building of several hundred soldiers passed, they were met by horse-drawn carriages and mule-drawn carts.
In addition to various supplies, there were also many heads of people piled on the car.
The onlookers from Luoyang cried out in surprise subconsciously.
Hun head!
No idea where they were killed, each one looked extremely ferocious.
Someone spat on the head several times.
Someone threw tiles.
Some brave people came closer to take a look. The expressions on the heads were frozen. Most of them looked filled with fear and despair.
It turns out that you also feel fear and despair?
After more than a hundred carriages passed by, a large group of soldiers came and surrounded a carriage tightly.
A corner of the curtain was lifted, revealing the majestic face of a warrior in golden armor.
"This is the official bus of Luyang County." Tang Jian introduced loudly while riding a horse.
More than a hundred personal soldiers followed the carriage on foot, holding large shields and ring-handled swords, and glancing around from time to time.
As soon as Tang Jian finished speaking, cheers suddenly rang out.
"It's Shao Taibai!"
"The gods have come to save the world. The prophecies are not deceiving me!"
"Thank God, someone finally came to rescue us."
"Shao Taibai should be the commander of the Northern Army. The people in Luoyang City are all useless!"
"This soldier looks much better than the Imperial Guards."
"Although my son is also a member of the Imperial Guard, I don't want to lie against my conscience. This soldier has murderous aura and is not comparable to the Imperial Guard."
"The Imperial Guards are all just for show!"
The carriage moved slowly forward, and the discussions and cheers gradually faded away.
When we reached the square in front of Jinyong City, we stopped.
Shao Xun got off the carriage.
There was no one in the huge square.
There were only a few rows of imperial guards standing at the edge and inside and outside the city gates, and they all prostrated themselves on the ground.
Shao Xun stood in the middle of the square, his hand on the hilt of his sword.
He has firmly grasped his destiny into his own hands.
(End of this chapter)