I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 634: There Must Be a Lich King (Chapter 6K1)

Two days after Su Yao recaptured the capital.

The sky above Luoyang City is clear and blue.

The sunlight shines through the clouds and shines on the glazed tiles of the palace, making it sparkle.

The North and South Palaces in Luoyang City experienced the Rebellion of the Ten Eunuchs and the chaotic rule of Dong Zhuo. Although they were ravaged, they still stood firm and ushered in a fate that was completely different from that in history.

Dong Zhuo's plundering, the looting of the noble families, and the looting by the eunuchs and female officials in the palace have certainly turned this once prosperous palace into a devastated place.

However, with the arrival of Su Yao's army, order in the North and South Palaces has been re-established.

Princess Wannian and Su Yao stood side by side at the gate of the imperial palace, looking at the dilapidated and desolate scenery before them, with mixed feelings in their hearts.

But today, Princess Wannian no longer looks haggard and confused as before, and her expression looks much calmer, perhaps because she has returned to the place where she grew up.

"Thank you, Lord Su, for keeping your promise."

Princess Wannian turned around, looked Su Yao straight in the eyes, and said seriously:

"Not only did you rescue me, you also recaptured Luoyang in such a short time and allowed me to return home. I will never forget this kindness."

"Princess, you are too kind. This is just the beginning."

Su Yao touched the princess's head, his eyes passed through the palace buildings and looked towards the distant sky:

"Although Luoyang has been recovered, the young emperor has not returned and Dong Zhuo is still on the run."

"If you want to thank me, wait until all this is settled."

"When the time comes, we will hold a grand wedding of the century to celebrate our success."

When Princess Wannian heard this, a blush rose on her cheeks.

She lowered her head, bit her lip and hummed softly: "I'll wait for you."

The princess' voice was small, but full of determination and expectation.

She knew that this man would keep his word and would definitely be able to do it.

Seeing this scene, Su Yao felt a warm current flowing in his heart, and he was in a good mood when something happy happened.

I almost couldn't help but want to reach out and pick up this little girl, and take her to the side hall to love her well.

However, Su Yao finally suppressed his inner impulse and kept this plot until the wedding night.

After all, he still has a lot of time-limited tasks to do.

First of all, with the princess entering the palace, Su Yao officially took over and reopened the North and South Palaces in Luoyang City.

A group of three hundred warriors who had stood out for their loyalty and bravery in previous battles entered the hall with the two men.

These people replaced the imperial guards who were taken away by Dong Zhuo and took on the duties of the palace guards.

However, this alone is not enough.

As we all know, as the times get closer to modern times, people's wisdom becomes more enlightened, and the power of the people that feudal emperors can exhaust becomes increasingly scarce.

The imperial palaces of Qin, Han and Tang dynasties were the culmination of the painstaking efforts of the emperors of all dynasties in the Middle Ages and could be said to be the culmination of the world's greatest achievements.

Although the Luoyang Palace of the Later Han Dynasty became the smallest palace among the three dynasties, due to Liu Xiu's idea of ​​ruling the world with judo and cherishing the people's strength, he did not build a large-scale palace.

However, its scale still exceeds that of the Forbidden City of Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the design of the North and South Palaces is not something that can be taken care of by three hundred warriors.

For this reason, the Han Dynasty court established a four-level guard system at the palace, hall, province, and forbidden areas to protect the emperor's safety.

Therefore, when Yuan Shao was hesitant and unsure of what to do, Su Yao naturally did not waste time, but started to rebuild Luoyang City's defense system.

After all, he will march west to fight against Dong next, so the stability of Luoyang City is of utmost priority.

This place will not only ensure a stable supply of food, wages and military supplies needed for his western expedition, but will also serve as a temporary center.

More importantly, not only did Princess Wannian return to the palace, but Su Yao's wife, children, and the families of the Bingzhou veterans had all moved back from Yique Pass.

Luoyang City has become Su Yao’s main base.

Therefore, on his way to the west, Luoyang City must not be lost!

"That being said, it is not easy to fulfill your request."

In the Shangshufang, Lu Zhi smiled bitterly and continued:
"Although Luoyang is a strong city, it is also surrounded by mountains and rivers, and is blocked by eight passes."

"But this place is located in the center of the world, surrounded by wars on all sides. Only a saint can make it the capital."

"When Emperor Taizu Liu Bang proclaimed himself emperor, he wanted to make Luoyang his capital, hoping to compete with the Zhou Dynasty."

"However, Zhang Liang, Lou Jing and other counselors dissuaded him, saying that although Luoyang was the center of the world, it was surrounded by enemies. It was not as strategic as Chang'an, which was easy to defend but difficult to attack, and was not a place where military force could be used."

"At that time, the Han Dynasty was just beginning to be established, and the world was not at peace. Unlike the Zhou Dynasty, which ruled the country with virtue, the Han Dynasty was established with military force, and it had to consider the security of the capital."

"In the end, Taizu followed their advice and made Chang'an the capital."

"Fortunately, because the capital was set in Chang'an, the Former Han Dynasty used Guanzhong as its base and remotely controlled Guandong. In the end, it safely survived the Rebellion of the Seven Kings, which led to the prosperity of later generations."

"I know this story."

Su Yao asked:

"What did Lord Lu want to say when he brought up this matter?"

"You're not suggesting that I give up Luoyang, are you?"

Chang'an is good, but it is now Dong Zhuo's territory.

He couldn't just give away the Luoyang City that he had worked so hard to obtain, right?
And then take the family on the road?

"Your Excellency has misunderstood."

Xun Yu bowed and said:

"Luoyang was the residence of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, the place where the holy kings were established, and it is the undisputed capital of our dynasty. Its cultural context and symbolic significance are irreplaceable. The thief Dong abandoned Luoyang and fled, which means he cut himself off from the hearts of the people."

"Your Excellency, it is of great significance to recapture the capital. How can you give up so easily?"

"What Lord Lu said just now was not to persuade you to give up the capital, but to remind you."

"Although the current situation seems to be very good, it is actually worse than when Taizu established the throne."

"Let's not talk about Dong Zhuo who fled to Hangu Pass in the west. Yuan Shao and others in the east are incompatible with us."

"Moreover, what is even more fatal is that Yuan Benchu ​​has captured Hulao Pass, and his army of 100,000 is approaching the city, but he is not ready to attack."

"Under such circumstances, we cannot even rebuild the Eight Passes, let alone protect the capital with such a small force after you leave Luoyang."

Su Yao understood as soon as he heard it. After all, they were still worried about Yuan Shao.

Ever since he captured Luoyang early yesterday morning, Yuan Shao neither wanted to fight nor surrender, and just stood outside the city, being an eyesore.

With such a subtle friendly force around, he obviously couldn't set out with peace of mind.

"Oh, in the end, we fought too fast!"

Wang Ling said in annoyance:
"Compared to Yuan Shao's coalition forces, our people are all in the outer border areas and can't get here in time."

"If you had taken your time, taken steady steps, and waited a month or so before taking Luoyang, we wouldn't have been trapped like this."

"Ha, that thief Dong is such a jerk that he can't take a beating at all. He ran away before I even put any strength on him. How can you blame me for it?"

Su Yao chuckled:
"Does it mean that according to what you said, Xiao Ling, I should just follow the rules and sit in Yique Pass and let him do what he wants?"

"By the time we arrive, the Dong thief may have already taken all the people and property in Luoyang and moved the capital, leaving us with an empty city burned to the ground."

Wang Ling was speechless and suddenly lost for words, with an awkward smile on his face.

He knew he had spoken out of turn, so he quickly bowed his hands to apologize and said:

"However, judging from the current situation, I'm afraid you should slow down your pace."

"According to the distance, Zhao Silang of the Black Mountain Army should arrive in the next few days."

"As for the troops from Liaodong and Qingzhou, I'm afraid it will take about another month."

"As long as we wait for our reinforcements to arrive and make adequate preparations, your Excellency can march westward to attack Dong Zhuo without any risk of failure."

As soon as Wang Ling finished speaking, Lu Zhi and Xun Yu nodded.

This was something they had discussed together before.

Champion Hou has always been resolute and courageous.

This is fine on normal days, but now that the situation has changed, we have to slow down.

When they formed an alliance to fight against Dong Zhuo and began to call on all the heroes, they had already summoned soldiers from Liaodong and Qingzhou to come to the capital at the same time.

The troops in Liaodong were led by Zhang Fei, while in Qingzhou, Su Yao sent Taishi Ci in the name of the former governor of Qingzhou to lead the county troops to Beijing.

These people, together with Zhao Silang's Black Mountain Army, these three forces, assisted by the support of Gongsun Zan and Wang Rou, will have no problem rebuilding the Luoyang defense line.

Even if Hulao Pass was not taken in the end, with this backup army there, Yuan Shao would not dare to do anything bad while Su Yao was away.

At that time, they only need to stabilize Luoyang City, wait for Su Yao to break through Guanzhong, capture and kill Dong Zhuo, and rebuild the two stars of Chang'an and Luoyang, so as to deter the princes and buy time for the stability of the court.

That’s right, Lu Zhi and Xun Yu could naturally see Yuan Shao’s ambition.

But there is nothing we can do.

As a result of Dong Zhuo's disturbance, the central court lost all its authority.

Although Su Yao fought hard against Dong Zhuo, this victory also meant he was waving a sword at the imperial power.

As high-ranking officials in the court and descendants of aristocratic families, Lu Zhi and Xun Yu knew very well what it took to rule the world.

Mencius said, he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world, and this heart of the people is the heart of awe!

As long as there is a sense of awe, the world will be safe and sound even if there is a baby on the throne.

If there is no awe in the heart, even if the emperor sits in the court, he is just another emperor of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Dong Zhuo's actions completely tore off the fig leaf of the imperial court, allowing people all over the world to see the weakness and powerlessness of the imperial power.

The world was in chaos and ambitions were growing. Although the princes shouted to overthrow Dong, it was obvious that they all had their own ulterior motives and plans.

Although Su Yao was extremely brave and had made many outstanding achievements.

But after all, he was just a strange man from a border county who had only risen to prominence about a year ago.

To the people of the world, this Marquis Guanjun is probably not much stronger than Dong Zhuo.

The more he dares to fight and charge, the more alienated people from him become.

Especially those who are self-important and have great ambitions are eager to try their abilities.

This time, the conflict between Yuan Benchu ​​and Su Yao's vanguards under the city of Luoyang was a sign.

Fortunately, thanks to the restraint of the two, this small conflict did not turn into an all-out war.

However, things have come to this point, and wars of annexation among the princes are inevitable.

This made Lu Zhi and Xun Yu very worried.

Su Yao and Yuan Shao.

One of them was a General of Chariots and Cavalry, one was a General of Light Cavalry, one was a champion marquis who had won every battle, and the other was Yuan Benchu, a man who had been a duke for four generations.

The two of them can be said to be the two flags of the world today, both of them are fighting for the country to eliminate the traitors and fight against Dong.

Once a fight breaks out between the two, no matter who wins or loses, the big man's last bit of face will be gone.

Avoid this from happening at all costs!
Therefore, even though it is very important to get the emperor back now, the two still advised Su Yao:

"Slow down, my lord."

"You are the only one who can control Yuan Benchu."

"Rest in Luoyang for a while to stabilize the situation, and let Yuan Shao go first to Guanzhong to fight against Dong."

"It won't be too late for us to take action after the follow-up reinforcements arrive."

"Hangu Pass is extremely dangerous, not inferior to Hulao Pass." "Even if Yuan Benchu ​​goes first, I don't think he will be able to achieve any results in a short time."

"We don't need to rush for a moment."

Su Yao raised his eyebrows when he heard this, looked around at the people around him in silence, and nodded:

"So this is what you're worried about."

"But you are too concerned."

Su Yao chuckled:
"You want me to stay at the rear and ask Yuan Shao to help fight against Dong?"

"Do you think Yuan Shao would really do such a thing?"

"No, if he had the will, he wouldn't have been hiding outside Hulao Pass."

"The Hangu Pass is even more dangerous than the Hulao Pass. One man can hold the pass without the intervention of ten thousand men."

"If we have to fight a war of attrition in front of such a strong pass, Yuan Benchu ​​will not go!"

Su Yao snorted coldly:
"If we don't go to fight Dong Zhuo, but instead sit here in Luoyang and confront him, the world will only think that we are fighting among ourselves, which will give Dong Zhuo a chance to catch his breath and make that fat guy very happy."

"What does your Excellency mean?" Zhong Yao asked.

"Declare Dong!"

Su Yao said firmly:
"The sky cannot be without the sun for a day, and the country cannot be without the king for a day."

"Dong Zhuo has held your majesty hostage and abducted the officials. As long as this villain is not eliminated, the world will never be at peace."

"As the General of Chariots and Cavalry of the Han Dynasty, it is my duty to defeat Dong Zhuo and defend the king. How can I ignore the overall situation for the sake of temporary stability?"

"Therefore, the matter of fighting against Dong must not be delayed."

"After two days, when I have collected all the supplies and fodder, I will set off immediately."

"This time, I will only bring cavalry with me, with a light load and few followers. I will leave the infantry to you to guard Luoyang."

"what?!"

"Only cavalry?!"

Lu Zhi and Xun Yu looked worried when they heard this.

Hangu Pass is dangerous and it would be extremely difficult to go on the expedition with only cavalry.

Although Dong Zhuo was defeated, his power was still there, and he still had many elite soldiers and generals under his command.

And since Su Yao is in such a hurry to leave, how will Luoyang’s defense be guaranteed?
"Sir, you need to consider the Western Expedition carefully."

Lu Zhi advised: "Luoyang is an important place in the capital. If it is lost, the consequences will be disastrous."

"Mr. Lu is absolutely right."

Xun Yu also echoed:
"Also, although Yuan Shao has not taken any action, we cannot rule out the possibility that he will take advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos. If you leave the capital, the situation in Luoyang will become even more complicated."

"He has a hundred thousand soldiers under his command. If he has evil intentions, how can we, a few thousand infantrymen, defend Luoyang City?"

Xun Yu couldn't help but roll his eyes in his heart.

It can’t be defended. It can’t be defended at all.

Does this champion think that everyone can achieve such outrageous results like him?
Although Lu Gong was a famous general, the capital Luoyang was not a fortress specially designed for defense like the border counties.

Not to mention the pile of illegal houses under the city wall that could provide a large amount of building materials to the attackers.

Just talking about the hundreds of thousands of mouths to feed in the city, after Dong Zhuo's plunder, almost every household had no surplus food.

That was why Su Yao took ruthless actions against those noble families and collected supplies for the Western Expedition.

Under this situation, if Su Yao leaves and Luoyang is sealed off and loses the food supply from the surrounding counties, they will face a devastating disaster.

Don’t say stupid things like defending the city wall and waiting for Su Yao’s reinforcements.

Once the food supply is cut off, the city will be broken in a matter of minutes.

It can be said that once Su Yao leaves, the fate of Luoyang City will depend on whether Yuan Shao has any shame.

Putting your fate in the hands of others is something that only a wise person would not do!

Xun Yu and Lu Zhi were getting anxious and angry, but Su Yao laughed:
"Do not worry."

"I am well aware of your concerns. I will not let Yuan Shao stay here."

After that, Su Yao formally proposed to draft a general order with Lu Zhi to persuade the princes to withdraw their troops.

"This, you want to order the princes to withdraw their troops with just a piece of paper?"

Xun Yu took a deep breath:

"Now is not the time for the late emperor."

“These people, can they obey?”

"Do not worry."

Su Yao waved his hand:

"Now that heroes have just begun to rise, the princes of Guandong are following Yuan Shao's lead."

"As long as we can take down Yuan Shao, the princes in Guandong will be leaderless and will have to scatter like birds and beasts."

"As for dealing with Yuan Shao, I have my own way."

"Just prepare the supplies for me first."

"I will take care of Yuan Shao before everything is ready."

Su Yao's words revealed a strong self-confidence, which moved everyone present.

On the battlefield, before sending troops, Su Yao always made such a declaration, and then moved forward courageously, winning one victory after another.

However, this time it is not a battlefield, what will be the result?

Lu Zhi and Xun Yu looked at each other. Although they still had doubts in their hearts, they also knew that Su Yao's decisions were always difficult to change, so they had to nod in agreement and began to prepare for the expedition.

"Since you have made up your mind, we should cooperate with you fully." Lu Zhi bowed.

Xun Yu also nodded and added:

"However, please be careful in your actions. We will do our best to maintain the city's affairs. We only hope that you will win the battle."

Next, Su Yao nodded and turned to leave the Shangshufang, leaving all internal affairs to professionals.

He himself called Wang Ling and Lu Bu separately, preparing to solve the problem of Yuan Shao before going on the expedition.

"Yuan Benchu ​​has an army of 100,000 soldiers at the gates of the city. I wonder what clever plan you have? Not only do you want to persuade him to dissolve the alliance, but you also want him to personally join you in the Western Expedition?"

"What's so difficult about this?"

Su Yao chuckled:
"Someone once said that Yuan Benchu ​​was fierce but timid, and that he was indecisive, that he was careful about his life when doing great things, and that he would forget his life when he saw small gains. Now I think this is very true."

"The reason why Yuan Shao did not move his troops is that he did not dare to break up with us, but he also wanted to reap the benefits while sitting back and watching our movements closely."

"Now that Luoyang City has been captured by us, he becomes indecisive and indecisive again when things change a little bit."

"In that case, let's take the initiative and help him make the decision."

"Please tell me clearly what you want me to do."

Lu Bu couldn't figure it out and decided to give up thinking.

And Su Yao laughed:
"Do you still remember why the noble families in the city surrendered and then rebelled again, going back on their words?"

"Although they hid very carefully, there is no impenetrable wall in the world. Someone discovered that there was an envoy from Yuan Shao who was interfering!"

"This Yuan Benchu ​​made a bet with me, and at the same time he was secretly colluding with the rebels to trip up the allied forces."

"Such behavior is truly the work of a mean person and is despised by the world."

"Once exposed, the reputation-seeking Yuan Benchu ​​will certainly suffer a great loss of prestige, and he will be unable to escape the charge of employing the wrong people."

"We can use this opportunity to question his motives and deny him the opportunity to fish in troubled waters."

"Either start a war or get out. In short, don't live under the nose of my Luoyang City."

"Well, what if Yuan Benchu ​​gets angry and starts a war with us?"

Wang Ling said hurriedly:
"Then the cause of defeating Dong Zhuo will be over, right?"

"We are locked in a chaotic battle with the Guandong coalition forces, while Dong Zhuo is enjoying himself in Guanzhong. This does not meet your expectations."

"That's right, so just make sure he doesn't dare to start a war!"

Su Yao chuckled:
"Xiao Ling, do you remember where Gongsun Zan, Zhang Fei and Taishi Ci are now?"

When Wang Ling heard this, his eyes lit up:
"In Jizhou!"

That’s right, a big reason why Yuan Shao didn’t dare to turn against Su Yao before was because Su Yao’s rear army was near his hometown.

Once the relationship breaks out, as long as Yuan Shao cannot win a quick and decisive victory, he will be in danger of being cut off and his hometown being attacked at any time.

"In this way, as long as we present an invincible image from the front, Yuan Shao will not dare to act rashly."

"But that's not enough. I want him to know that if he dares to act recklessly, even a hundred thousand troops can't save his life."

"By then, he will know what to choose."

"So, how do we do that?"

Wang Ling was confused:

"My Lord, what is your command for the two of us?"

"It's very simple."

Su Yao smiled and said:

"Wenhe has helped me find out that the envoy is Guo Tu, the envoy who sent us here before."

"I want the two of you to go as envoys to Yuan Shao's army. When you send the general's order, help me find out the layout of Yuan Shao's camp and where the envoy is."

"Then, I will give him a great gift, and let him see how vulnerable and full of loopholes the defense he relied on is."

"Ah this."

Wang Ling was stunned, and Lu Bu was also shocked:

"Are you planning to come back and break into his camp alone, and kill Guo Tu among the 100,000-man army???"

"Haha, the one who understands me best is Fengxian!"

"."

Amid Su Yao's confident laughter, the two of them took a deep breath, shocked by his boldness.

In the camp of a hundred thousand troops, if Guo Tu can be killed, then Yuan Shao can naturally be killed as well.

As a deterrent, that would be great.

When they put themselves in their shoes, they all felt a chill in their necks, fearing that one day they would fall asleep and never see the sun again the next day.

However, how could it be so easy to break into the camp of an army of one hundred thousand?

Moreover, more importantly,
"If you want to kill someone, why not just kill Yuan Shao?"

"As long as Yuan Benchu ​​dies, the Guandong coalition will naturally collapse. I will just follow your lead!"

In response to Lu Bu's doubts, Su Yao did not say much, but just said:
"There must be a Lich King."

"."

"What???"

(End of this chapter)