Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 445 The Emperor's Six Escapes (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)

"Coo coo, coo coo..."

On the tenth day of the first month of the eleventh year of Xiantong, as Huang Chao's troops at Yique Pass ceased their attack, the garrison inside Yique Pass gradually relaxed their vigilance.

If the garrison at Yique Pass was in such a state, one can only imagine how dangerous the even more formidable Dagu Pass and Xuanyuan Pass must have been.

Dagu Pass is located in the middle of the three passes, so vigilance is slightly stronger there, but Xuanyuan Pass to the east is not so good.

The garrison at Xuanyuan Pass was originally the army of Qi Kerang from the Eastern Capital, numbering over ten thousand. However, five thousand of them were transferred to Yique by Qi Yuanshi, leaving only five thousand men inside the pass.

Even so, relying on the high mountains and long roads, the garrison at Xuanyuan Pass enjoyed all kinds of food and drink.

For this reason, Qi Kerang, the garrison commander of Xuanyuan Pass, probably did not expect that at this very moment, more than 20,000 armored soldiers had already gathered in the forest a few miles outside Xuanyuan Pass.

The birds took flight in fright, but due to the great distance and the fact that it was 3 a.m., the Tang army inside Xuanyuan Pass could not notice the changes outside the city.

At this moment, the Tang army was like a quail, not daring to send out its troops, and could only stay inside the pass, waiting for Kang Chengxun's reinforcements.

It was precisely because they were so cowardly that they gave Huang Chao an opportunity.

"Send the order: Attack Xuanyuan Pass in half an hour, when it is just beginning to get light!"

In the woods, under the moonlight, Lin Yan was giving instructions to Zhu Cun, Meng Kai, and Li Hanzhi.

He had five generals under his command: Meng Kai, Li Hanzhi, Zhao Zhang, Zhang Guiba, and Zhu Cun. Among them, Li Hanzhi was a rising star.

For this reason, he left Zhang Guiba and Zhao Zhang to defend Huainan and guard against a surprise attack by Zhou Wei and Zeng Yuanyu.

Zhou Wei is easy to deal with, but Zeng Yuanyu is brave and skilled in battle. Last time, it was he who saved Kang Chengxun from certain death, so Lin Yan has to be on guard.

They have attacked and plundered many prefectures and counties in Huainan Road, and now all of their more than 20,000 soldiers are fully armored.

However, it would be difficult for them to directly capture Xuanyuan Pass, so Lin Yan and his men captured Dengfeng County in the south last night.

According to his military order yesterday, two thousand soldiers would be brought here today, along with the people of Dengfeng County.

With these people by their side, their chances of capturing Xuanyuan Pass are greatly increased.

Thinking this, Lin Yan, having given the military order, closed his eyes to rest, waiting for the day to dawn.

Half an hour passed quickly, and the sound of armor plates gradually filled the forest.

Lin Yan stood up, glancing around: "Let's go!"

With his command, more than 20,000 troops in the forest began to advance towards Xuanyuan Pass, which was six miles away.

Xuanyuan Pass is located between the Luotai and Shaoshi Mountains. The mountains on both sides are rugged with strange rocks, and the terrain is majestic and dangerous with winding mountain roads.

Although the sky was beginning to lighten, the clouds and mist in the mountains concealed the presence of Huang's troops.

Standing atop Xuanyuan Pass, which is more than two hundred paces wide from east to west, one can clearly see the rolling waves of mist and the swirling clouds.

Although the soldiers stationed here in the eastern capital region were already tired of seeing these sights, this was all they had to see while on guard duty.

For this reason, the Tang soldiers watched with utter boredom as the churning clouds gradually thickened, and then, after another half hour, gradually thinned out.

As the clouds and mist thinned, the figures of Huang's troops climbing the mountain path gradually came into view.

The soldier on the watchtower rubbed his eyes, initially disbelieving, but when he saw a troop of soldiers approaching on the mountain road carrying bandit flags, he hurriedly took out his wooden whistle and blew it abruptly.

"Beep--"

"Damn it, what happened?!"

"Enemy attack!!"

"The enemy is attacking! Screw them!"

"Get up and put on your nails! Hurry!"

The wooden whistle rang out, and within three breaths, the Tang soldiers inside the already cramped Xuanyuan Pass were all awakened.

Many dazed soldiers were quickly awakened by their comrades and hurriedly put on their armor.

While they were donning their armor, Lin Yan had already led an army of 20,000 to the gentle slope where Xuanyuan Pass was located.

Lin Yan looked out at Xuanyuan Pass. Xuanyuan Pass was two hundred paces from east to west, with cliffs and strange rocks on both sides. The pass was not high, at most two zhang, and it was built of rammed earth and stones, which was not as strong as a city wall with rammed earth and bricks.

"kill!!"

Lin Yan had already prepared simple cloud ladders. What he needed to do now was to catch the Tang army off guard and then wait for his troops to come with the people of Dengfeng County.

"Uuuuuu——"

As the bugle sounded, more than 20,000 Huang troops charged toward Xuanyuan Pass. However, at this time, there were only a few hundred soldiers on Xuanyuan Pass, while most of the Tang army was still inside the pass, tediously putting on their armor.

Without a moat, more than 20,000 of Huang's troops surged toward Xuanyuan Pass like a tidal wave. Simple siege ladders were erected one after another, and iron hooks were firmly fastened to the crenellations.

Generals such as Li Hanzhi and Zhu Cun led the elite soldiers of the Taiping Loyal Army, who, along with soldiers from the Hunan Army, used their hands and feet, holding daggers in their mouths, to climb up.

"Fire arrows! Throw stones!"

"Bam—"

"Uh-huh!!"

Arrows rained down from the city walls like locusts, while logs and rocks crashed down with a deafening roar.

Amidst the sounds of impact and screams, soldiers who were hit fell one after another from the ladder. But even as they fell, countless soldiers continued to rush forward, stepping over their flesh and blood to charge upwards.

"Fire arrows! Throw stones!"

The Tang soldiers guarding the pass drew their weapons and shouted at the top of their lungs.

Upon seeing this, the remaining Tang soldiers guarding the pass formed a defensive formation around the parapet, wielding their swords to chop down the ladders, while simultaneously throwing down catapults, logs, and other materials.

"A bunch of damned bastards, get out of the way!"

Seeing the sounds of battle coming from the horse path, the commanders of the Tang army began to drive the Tang soldiers to the top of the city wall.

Even though many soldiers were not fully armored, they were still forced to go up.

At this moment, at Xuanyuan Pass, many of Huang's troops had already stormed onto the horse path, and Li Hanzhi and Zhu Cun, among others, also climbed onto the city wall under the cover of their left and right.

They stared at the Tang army that kept pouring onto the horse path, their eyes filled with intense hostility.

"kill!!"

Li Hanzhi slashed the throat of the enemy soldier before him with a backhand stroke, hot blood splattering all over his face. Even he himself was stunned for a moment, shook his head, and after regaining his senses, raised his arm and shouted:
"Brothers, we have already taken the lead! Everyone is promoted three ranks!"

"kill!!"

Nothing motivates a person more than high-ranking official positions and generous salaries. Countless soldiers of the Yellow Army spontaneously formed ranks and began to cut down the Tang soldiers who were charging towards them.

On the four-zhang-wide horse path, the soldiers of the two armies formed ranks one after another, but with the continuous fighting, they eventually squeezed into a tight group.

In an instant, the sounds of swords and axes clashing, shields colliding, and bones breaking and flesh tearing filled the air.

A yellow-clad colonel roared and swung his axe, shattering the shield in front of him and denting the enemy soldier's skull in the process.

Before he could catch his breath, countless armor-piercing spears pierced his chest and abdomen from the side, leaving him only with resentment and astonishment.

More than 3,000 Tang soldiers surged onto the horse path, while the Taiping Loyal Army, led by Zhu Cun and Li Hanzhi, firmly occupied their positions on the horse path.

Lin Yanling ordered Meng Kai to lead the remaining 10,000-plus Hunan soldiers onto the horse path, while Qi Kerang, the garrison commander of Xuanyuan Pass, seeing the precarious situation, immediately raised his arms and shouted:
"Brothers of Dongji, do not forget that your wives, daughters, houses, and wealth are all behind you!!"

That simple sentence immediately roused the already demoralized troops of Dongji.

They dared not leave the pass to keep watch, in order to save their lives and protect their property.

Now, if the Yellow bandits were to storm Xuanyuan Pass, they would know better than anyone what would happen to the Eastern Capital region, after all, they had used the same methods to plunder the people before.

"kill!!"

Countless Tang soldiers felt a surge of strength suddenly appear in their bodies, and they fought the Taiping Loyal Army to a standstill.

Lin Yan, who had just climbed to the top of Xuanyuan Pass, was also anxious upon seeing this. He raised his arms and shouted, "If Xuanyuan Pass falls, the entire city will not sheath its swords! All spoils need not be handed over!"

Lin Yan's words were quickly relayed to each team by the flag bearers.

Upon hearing this, the soldiers in each unit felt that the Tang soldiers in front of them had become their spoils of war. They had their eyes on the armor and weapons on the soldiers' bodies, as well as the bulging pouches on their bellies that seemed to contain a lot of good stuff.

"Kill his mother! Eat his mother! Kidnap the women and enjoy the true king's pleasure!"

"Slaughter the government troops for our own consumption!!"

"kill……"

The already menacing Taiping Loyal Army has now become even more ferocious.

As the Hunan army continued to climb the city walls, the Tang soldiers on the horse path were gradually pushed off by Huang's troops.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Qi Kerang grabbed the general beside him and said sternly:
"Quickly! Send a message to Ziwei City: Xuanyuan Pass has fallen! We urge the Emperor to move here immediately!!"

"Yes!" The already dejected generals hurriedly agreed, then selected a few fast horses and rode with him, galloping towards Luoyang.

Seeing them leave, Qi Kerang drew his sword and shouted, "A true man serves his country today!!"

The battle cries at Xuanyuan Pass continued. The Tang army in the eastern region dared not let the band of devilish bandits into the region, and thus unleashed a fighting force that was usually difficult to display.

Even so, facing Huang's army, which outnumbered them several times over, they were like a dam under a sea wave, at risk of collapsing at any moment.

Seeing that he had the upper hand, Lin Yan immediately looked at Meng Kai behind him and said, "Send a messenger to the King of Huang. Xuanyuan Pass is about to fall. Please send troops to take control of Luoyang!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Meng Kai agreed without hesitation, mustered two teams of fast horses, and ordered them to withdraw beyond the pass, then ride off to inform Huang Chao, who was more than a hundred miles away.

At this time, large crowds gradually appeared at the foot of Xuanyuan Pass.

Upon learning this, Meng Kai rushed over to report: "Lord Lin, the people who were brought from Dengfeng have all arrived."

"Hmph!" Lin Yan snorted coldly: "We don't need them now, but we'll keep them for now. They'll still be useful when we attack Luoyang."

"Yes!" Meng Kai replied, then looked at the battlefield with Lin Yan.

At this moment, Huang's troops have firmly gained the upper hand at Xuanyuan Pass, and the defeat and death of the more than four thousand soldiers in Dongji is only a matter of time.

At this critical moment when Xuanyuan Pass was facing life and death, more than seventy miles away in Luoyang City, soldiers mainly from the Eastern Capital and Shence Army were still forcibly seizing the food rations of ordinary people inside and outside Luoyang City.

It wasn't until dusk, when two blood-stained cavalrymen galloped in from the east, that the soldiers in Luoyang realized something was wrong.

"what happened?"

"Why are they so panicked? Could it be that Yique Pass is about to fall?"

The soldiers from the Eastern Capital region stationed at the city gate looked at each other, their hearts filled with worry.

Meanwhile, the people of Luoyang City, upon seeing these blood-stained horses, couldn't help but feel panicked.

Countless high-ranking officials and nobles began to use various means to gather information, and when a fast horse brought news that Xuanyuan Pass was about to fall to the officials of the Southern Court, the entire Southern Court was thrown into chaos.

Yu Cong hurriedly went to Zhenguan Hall, while Lu Yan instructed his servants to transport the money to Mengjin Pass, preparing to travel by water to Jiangnan.

Officials in the Southern Court followed suit, notifying their relatives and clansmen to prepare to flee to Mengjin Pass.

Following their announcement, the price of carriages and horses in Luoyang skyrocketed, and powerful families fled to Mengjin Pass.

By the time Li Cui realized that Xuanyuan Pass was about to fall, it was already dark.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty..."

Tian Yun hurriedly entered the hall, while Li Cui, who was on the couch embracing two actors, impatiently got up and glared at him angrily: "You scoundrel!"

"Your Majesty!" Ignoring Li Cui's anger, Tian Yun rushed over and bowed: "Your Majesty, Xuanyuan Pass is about to fall, and Prime Minister Yu is requesting an audience outside the palace."

"What did you say?" Li Cui's expression, which had been angry, suddenly turned blank, clearly still reeling from the message.

Tian Yun quickly explained again, and at the same time ordered Yu Cong to go into the side hall, drive away the two actors, and help Li Cui put on his clothes.

When Li Cui finally came to his senses, he was completely bewildered. Only when he saw Yu Cong did he hurriedly go up to greet him, saying, "Prime Minister Yu, Xuanyuan Pass..."

"Your Majesty, Xuanyuan Pass is about to fall. I request that Your Majesty take the concubines to Mengjin Pass and then travel by boat to the Tongji Canal!"

Yu Cong strode over and then offered his suggestions.

Xuanyuan Pass is located southeast of Luoyang, in the southern region between Luoyang and Wulao Pass.

If we were to travel by land to Wulao Pass, we might run into the enemy. The only option would be to go to Mengjin Pass, which is more than 40 miles to the northeast, and use the Yellow River to reach the Tongji Canal. We could then decide whether to head south to Huainan depending on the situation.

Are there boats on the Luo River?

Li Cui was flustered at this moment and even asked such a common-sense question.

Upon hearing this, Yu Cong bowed and said, "There are naturally boats on the Luo River, but now that the news has spread, officials and wealthy people will surely scramble to seize them. Rather than taking a boat to Mengjin, it would be better to travel by land to Mengjin Pass lightly."

"Alright!" Upon hearing this, Li Cui didn't delay and immediately looked at Tian Yun: "Quickly arrange for the concubines in the palace to retreat to Mengjin through Longguang Gate!"

"This servant obeys!" Tian Yun hurriedly agreed, and at this moment, Qi Yuanshi and others, who had received the news, rushed into the side hall. The imperial guards along the way did not dare to stop them.

"Your Majesty, I have heard that Xuanyuan Pass has fallen. I urge Your Majesty to immediately move to Mengjin and then to Heyin to avoid disaster!"

Qi Yuanshi raised his voice, and Li Cui's expression changed slightly upon hearing it, but he knew that now was not the time to start a conflict.

He distrusted neither the eunuchs of the Northern Bureau nor the officials of the Southern Bureau, but he trusted Yu Cong completely.

"Minister Yu, please arrange for carriages and horses."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I have made all the preparations before entering the palace. I am only waiting for Your Majesty and the princes to exit through the Dragon Light Gate."

With Yu Cong having made the arrangements, Li Cui had no more reservations and said directly, "In that case, let's go to Mengjin via Longguang Gate!"

"The matter of Luoyang shall be handled by the Prime Minister for the time being."

"Your Majesty, I will certainly not fail you!" Yu Cong did not think that Luoyang was a hot potato at the moment, after all, there were still 20,000 troops west of Luoyang, and more than 30,000 troops in Yique Pass and Yique City.

If the emperor can be safely escorted out, and with Kang Chengxun's combined attack from the east and west, there is still a chance to defeat Huang Chao.

With Yu Cong's promise, Li Cui was helped out of the palace by Tian Yun, Qi Yuanshi and others, and headed towards Longguang Gate, the north gate of the palace.

At the same time, all ministers of high standing were notified to travel by carriage to Longguang Gate to accompany the emperor on his eastern tour.

Among these valuable ministers, Zhang Yichao was undoubtedly an extremely important one.

"Uncle! Uncle!"

Hurried footsteps echoed within the Sikong Mansion. Zhang Huaicheng rushed into Zhang Yichao's study and found him still studying late into the night.

"Have the rebel army breached Yique yet...?"

Seeing Zhang Huaicheng's anxious expression, Zhang Yichao sighed deeply, clearly having anticipated this day.

Zhang Huaicheng nodded quickly and explained, "The palace has sent word that you, Uncle, must go to Longguang Gate within two hours to accompany the Emperor on his eastern hunt."

“Eastern Hunt…” Hearing this familiar yet ironic phrase, Zhang Yichao shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Is this still the Tang Dynasty that Emperor Taizong left behind?"

"Is the Tang Dynasty now so vulnerable that even bandits can't be stopped?"

Zhang Yichao was talking to himself, and Zhang Huaicheng couldn't answer any of the questions he raised. He could only urge, "Uncle, I've already told the servants in the manor to start packing. You should also get up and rest outside while the servants come in to move the books!"

The printing technology of the Tang Dynasty was not as advanced as that of the Han Dynasty, so many books were only available in handwritten copies. Not only were they expensive, but they were also very difficult to obtain. Therefore, the most valuable items were often books and money, followed by antiques and calligraphy.

Seeing Zhang Huaicheng urging him on, Zhang Yichao could only stand up and walk out with a hunched back.

Zhang Huaicheng helped him to a seat in the courtyard of the mansion, watching the servants and soldiers busily moving things, and seeing his own residence become a mess. "How are the people of Luoyang…?"

Looking at the scene before him, Zhang Yichao couldn't help but ask a question. Zhang Huaicheng opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.

Seeing that he didn't know what to say, Zhang Yichao could only close his eyes in despair, because he had already guessed how the emperor and prime ministers would treat these people based on the previous incident of the Eastern Hunt in Chang'an and Luoyang.

As expected, these commoners and wealthy households were already imprisoned in Luoyang City until the emperor and his officials arrived safely at Mengjin Pass. Only then could these people escape, thus preventing them from obstructing the imperial procession on the official road.

This was not the first time the Tang emperor had done this; to be precise, this was the sixth time.

"Sikong, everything is packed. Please check if there's anything you've forgotten."

The two athletes bowed to Zhang Yichao and Zhang Huaicheng, their expressions somewhat downcast.

They were all members of the Zhang clan, who once thought that coming to the Tang Dynasty would allow them to enjoy peace and tranquility.

Unexpectedly, after arriving in the Tang Dynasty, he had already fled twice in less than ten years.

Seeing their somber expressions, Zhang Yichao felt a pang of sadness. He rose and went into the main hall to inspect the area. After confirming that nothing had been missed, he nodded and said, "Let's go."

"Yes……"

Amidst the responses, Zhang Yichao left the mansion and entered the main street through the Wutou Gate.

"Please! Take us with you!"

"roll--"

"Hissing..."

"drive!"

The once bustling capital city of Dongdu is now in chaos.

The sounds of horses' hooves, cries, pleas for help, and curses mingled together as the streets were filled with motorcades of high-ranking officials heading to Longguang Gate.

There were as few as seven or eight vehicles, and as many as over a hundred. Some ministers, upon hearing of the fall of Xuanyuan Pass, arranged for people to begin transporting valuables and supplies, using boats on the Luo River to transport money and grain to Mengjin Pass.

Zhang Yichao's group was also quite large, with more than two hundred relatives carrying gold, silver and valuables that were easy to carry, filling more than seventy carts.

In addition, more than a hundred Zhang family warriors, armed with bows and swords, patrolled on horseback, responsible for protecting the convoy.

Zhang Yichao was old and could only ride in a carriage, handing the group over to Zhang Huaicheng.

Fortunately, Zhang Huaicheng put him at ease compared to Zhang Huaiding and Zhang Huaiquan, who were far away in Taiyuan, and he didn't have to worry about them.

Before long, the caravan passed through Ziwei City, where the vermilion gates of the palace were smashed open, armor and weapons were scattered everywhere, and many eunuchs and palace maids who had been abandoned were fleeing in all directions with their valuables.

After bypassing these obstacles, the carriage arrived at Longguang Gate. The Zhang family's group, which had been instructed by Li Cui and Lu Yan to keep a close eye on them, was quickly allowed to pass.

As they passed through the passageway of Longguang Gate, what appeared before them was a disheveled and exhausted group.

The imperial canopy of the grand carriage had long been removed and replaced with an ordinary blue cloth curtain, and the six imperial horses pulling the carriage had been replaced with ordinary post horses.

The carriage curtains hung low, occasionally lifted by the wind, revealing a few figures sitting inside, but there was no trace of imperial aura.

Before and behind the grand carriage were over a hundred carriages for the imperial concubines, while on both sides of the carriages were hundreds of palace maids, eunuchs, entertainers, and musicians, all carefully selected by the concubines.

Behind the imperial concubines' motorcade were the carriages of the powerful officials from the Southern and Northern Offices, numbering in the thousands.

Among them, more than a thousand fully loaded carriages attracted attention, and even the officials who had gathered there early couldn't help but look over.

Clearly, although Li Cui claimed that the imperial treasury was empty, it still contained a considerable amount of wealth.

In comparison, the imperial treasury carts in the distance only carried a little over two thousand carts. This was the military pay that had not yet been distributed after the autumn harvest. If it were distributed, the surplus in the imperial treasury would not even be as much as the private treasury.

The more than 5,000 soldiers from the Eastern Capital and Shence Army kept glancing around, making it hard to doubt that they wouldn't develop ambitions along the way.

Zhang Yichao frowned slightly, sighed, and then looked away.

"Your Majesty, we may depart now."

Qi Yuanshi approached the large carriage and inquired. Li Cui, inside the carriage, looked around and saw Li Meiling and the others. He then spoke, "Let's go... let's go..."

"Yes..." Qi Yuanshi responded and then ordered the army to set off.

As the soldiers shook their reins, many officials, wealthy families, and ordinary people in Luoyang were once again abandoned by the imperial court.

A guard of over 8,000 men escorted Li Cui toward Mengjin Pass, 40 miles away, while the more than 300,000 commoners and wealthy households in Luoyang were kept inside the city.

Yu Cong took over the post he was left behind, while Lu Yan, along with his family fortune, sent people to Mengjin Pass via the Luo River early on.

Faced with no one to restrain him, Yu Cong immediately dispatched a fast horse to Yique Pass to inquire about the situation.

At the same time, Huang Chao, who was outside Yique Pass, also received Lin Yan's fast horse.

"Your Majesty, Lord Lin has already led his troops to capture Xuanyuan Pass. Please lead your troops to Xuanyuan Pass immediately!"

"it is good!"

Inside the tent, upon learning that Lin Yan had captured Xuanyuan Pass, Huang Chao could not hide his excitement and stood up. He glanced around and looked at Zhu Wen, saying:
"Commander Zhu, I am leaving you with 5,000 Hunan soldiers and 50,000 militiamen. You must cut off the connection between Yique City and Yique Pass."

"This subordinate obeys!" Zhu Wen also wanted to lead his army to attack Luoyang, but he knew that Huang Chao was preventing him from going because he was wary of him, so he did not insist but respectfully accepted the task assigned by Huang Chao.

Huang Chao was very pleased to see that he was obedient, and then instructed the others:
"Order the army to immediately break camp and proceed through Xuanyuan Pass into Luoyang!"

"The last general takes command!"

Huang Cun, Ge Congzhou, and others readily agreed. Soon after, Huang Chao led over 20,000 armored soldiers and over 50,000 civilians eastward, leaving only Zhu Wen to contain Yique Pass and Yique City.

Huang Chao's actions naturally did not escape the notice of Yique City and Yique Pass, but at this moment they did not know that Xuanyuan Pass had been breached, so they thought that Huang Chao was preparing to lead a large army to plunder.

However, half an hour later, as the fast horse sent by Yu Cong was brought to Yang Xuanji's tent, Yang Xuanji finally learned what had happened.

"You bastard, what did you say?!"

"Reporting to the military supervisor, Xuanyuan Pass has been breached by the rebel army. His Majesty has already marched north to Mengjin, and the troops in the eastern capital are under the command of Yu Xiang to suppress the rebels!"

Inside the tent, not only Yang Xuanji was shocked, but the Tang army generals of Shaanxi and Guozhen were also in an uproar.

To their utter surprise, the rebel army actually divided its forces to attack Xuanyuan Pass, the most difficult pass to conquer, and actually captured it.

"Where did they get so many soldiers?!"

Yang Xuanji wanted to press the matter further, but Li Changfu quickly interrupted him, questioning the colonels, "Is there any news about the Prime Minister?"

"Not yet, I've only ordered you to come and investigate the strength of the rebels outside Yique," the colonel replied honestly. Upon hearing this, Li Changfu felt his mouth go dry.

Although they had 20,000 troops at their disposal, and Yang Fuguang's troops outside the city could provide support, no one knew how many troops Yang Fuguang still had.

Although Huang Chao had previously broken camp and left, there were still quite a few rebel troops left behind. If this rebel force could not be dealt with, they would inevitably be attacked from both sides.

Thinking of this, Li Changfu looked at Yang Xuanji: "Right now, Yique Pass is attacked from both sides. We must send someone to contact Vice Envoy Yang so that the two armies can attack the enemy forces outside Yique City from both sides!"

"Absolutely, absolutely!" Yang Xuanji didn't understand, but he knew that the emperor and the Northern Division had run away, and he could only rely on a few people, Yang Fuguang being one of them.

Seeing that Yang Xuanji had agreed, Li Changfu immediately looked at the generals who were still in a daze and slammed his hand on the table, saying, "Tonight we must muster the troops and march out tomorrow to fight against the bandits outside the pass!"

The generals looked at each other in bewilderment. Seeing this, Li Changfu said anxiously, "Fool, why don't you think about it? If Huang Chao divides his troops to surround us from the inside and outside, how long can our army hold out with our food and supplies?"

"Now that the enemy's elite troops have all poured into Luoyang, Ruzhou is completely vulnerable. It is time for our army to eliminate them!"

"Only by recapturing Ruzhou and cutting off the enemy's retreat route can we have a glimmer of hope!"

In just a few words, Li Changfu laid out the situation before him, leaving the generals with no choice but to fight.

Given the situation, they naturally no longer hesitated and bowed to Li Changfu, saying, "We will obey the military commander's orders!"

"Good!" Li Changfu breathed a sigh of relief and looked at everyone before continuing:
"Our army is not in a dead end. Not to mention that there are still 5,000 troops at Dagu Pass and 10,000 troops at Yique Pass, there are 20,000 elite troops at Hongnong Tong Pass alone, and there are hundreds of thousands of troops of the imperial court north of the Yellow River."

"You lowly thief, even if you want to act violently, you'd better see if our weapons are sharp enough!"

Under his bold words, the generals, whose morale had been low due to the emperor's escape from Luoyang, gradually regained their confidence.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Li Changfu immediately dismissed his generals, and the sound of sharpening knives could be heard from inside Yique Pass.

The sound of sharpening knives echoed all night. As dawn broke, Li Changfu ordered the Yique Pass to be opened, and the army marched out of the city and formed ranks.

The Tang army's departure from the city threw the Huang troops outside into chaos, and Zhu Wen quickly assembled 5,000 Hunan soldiers and led 50,000 civilians to form ranks in front of Yique Pass.

Twenty thousand Tang soldiers marched out of the city. Even if their spears were just for show, the way their armor gleamed on their bodies still left Zhu Wen somewhat bewildered.

He only had 5,000 armored Hunan soldiers at his disposal who were capable of fighting. If the Tang army attacked, he would certainly not be able to withstand them.

If this camp were lost, he would inevitably be scolded by Huang Chao, so his mind raced, constantly thinking about how to resolve this crisis.

Before he could react, a piercing wooden whistle sounded behind him, causing his expression to change drastically.

"Beep--"

"Commander, the whistle is coming from the direction of Yique City!"

"I know!"

As the whistle blew, the generals on both sides spoke up. Zhu Wen responded, but immediately thought of the situation where his side was being attacked from both sides by Yang Fuguang and Li Changfu. Without hesitation, he said, "Order to retreat to Yingyang County!"

Yingyang County is located south of Dagu Pass, and can be considered a key pass on the left flank of Huang's troops.

Zhu Wen knew he couldn't defeat the Tang army head-on, but if he retreated to Yingyang and held out there, he might be able to get Huang Chao to forgive him for the mistake of withdrawing his troops.

"withdraw!"

Zhu Wen shook the reins and led the Hunan army to retreat to Yingyang. At the same time, he sent a fast horse to inform Huang Chao of the situation at Yique Pass.

However, Zhu Wen was cunning. He deliberately ordered his men to chase after them slowly, thus creating the illusion that he had held out for some time.

Huang Chao was unaware of Zhu Wen's thoughts, but he didn't expect Zhu Wen to actually stop Yang Fuguang and Li Changfu.

Right now, he was focused on saving time, so when he learned on his way to Xuanyuan Pass that Zhu Wen had abandoned the camp, he did not immediately blame Zhu Wen. Instead, he made a note of the matter and continued to rush to Xuanyuan Pass.

He arrived at Xuanyuan Pass on the second day after setting off. At that time, Xuanyuan Pass was still cleaning up the battlefield, which showed that the war had not been over for long.

"uncle!"

Upon seeing Huang Chao's arrival, Lin Yan hurriedly led his men to the pass to welcome Huang Chao, who had come from afar.

Seeing Lin Yan's slightly more mature appearance, Huang Chao smiled with satisfaction: "Good, good, good. Once we take Xuanyuan Pass, the entire Luoyang will become my toilet, which I can come and go as I please."

"Order the three armies to rest for three hours, and then set off for Luoyang!"

"Your subordinates obey!" Ge Congzhou and the others responded one after another, and then began to arrange for the army to rest.

Huang Chao, accompanied by Lin Yan and Huang Cun, inspected Xuanyuan Pass and saw the body of the defending general Qi Kerang, who had died in battle.

"I only managed to wipe out these Tang troops from the Eastern Capital region last night."

Lin Yan gritted his teeth and said, "We lost more than three thousand brothers of the Tianping Loyal Army and more than six thousand brothers of the Hunan Army."

"How many?" Huang Chao couldn't believe it either. In the face of a surprise attack, they had lost nearly 10,000 soldiers.

These were all armored soldiers, his precious darlings, especially the Taiping Loyal Army.

"Please punish me, Uncle!"

Lin Yan knew he had caused too many casualties, so he knelt down and begged for punishment.

Although Huang Chao was angry, he calmed down when he thought that the armor was still there and the elite troops would always be available. He said, "I was just surprised that these weaklings from the Eastern Capital were able to kill so many of our soldiers."

Lin Yan nodded in agreement, saying, "I also think they are weaklings, but seeing that our army is about to enter Xuanyuan Pass, they suddenly became determined and killed so many of our soldiers."

The uncle and nephew sighed, but Huang Chao quickly added, "After capturing Luoyang, the three armies must not loot, burn, or kill, understand?"

"Uncle, what will we eat if you don't take it from us?"

Before Lin Yan could speak, Huang Cun started shouting, and Lin Yan frowned and said:

"Uncle, our army's rations are insufficient for three months. If we don't seize them, then we..."

He hesitated, but Huang Chao raised his hand to calm them down.

Huang Chao knew who he needed to govern the country, and he also knew that his identity was about to change and he could no longer continue to plunder as before, so he had to win over some people.

Compared to him, Lin Yan and Huang Cun did not understand; they still held onto the old-fashioned bandit mentality.

Their behavior made Huang Chao frown, so he explained to the two of them:
"Although our army has captured Luoyang and gained a chance to become famous, people all over the world will inevitably pay attention to our army's words and deeds as a result."

"The governance of this world still requires the sons of powerful and wealthy families. We need to use some compassionate methods to temporarily confuse them so that they will be willing to help us govern the world."

“Years ago, I debated with Chen Ying from Longyou, and I deeply agree with many of his points.”

"Throughout history, countless uprisings by powerful figures and commoners have failed because they followed the rules and regulations and were unable to transform from the status of seizing power to the status of ruling power."

"Now that I want to rule the world, I can no longer rely on plunder to support my troops. The way we farm and fight in Hunan is the foundation for our army to last."

"To govern a region, neither you nor I are capable or sufficient, so we can only rely on the scions of those aristocratic families."

"Therefore, after entering Luoyang, loot the government treasury and merchants, but do not loot the powerful families, noble clans, or commoner officials, do you understand?"

He glanced at the two men. Although they were puzzled, they could tell that Huang Chao's words made sense. No matter how unwilling they were, they still chose to bow and accept the order.

Upon seeing this, Huang Chao nodded and ordered Lin Yan, "Our army has suffered many casualties, but we have also captured a considerable number of armored soldiers."

"Now that Zhu Wen has lost his camp, he has fortunately held Yingyang, which has opened up a way for our army to retreat."

"If we are unable to contend with Liu Jilong after capturing Luoyang, we should immediately retreat to Shenzhou, and make sure to take all our armor with us."

"Yes!" The two replied without hesitation, clearly understanding the importance of the armor.

Seeing that they agreed, Huang Chao patted the two men on the shoulder and said, "Go and prepare. We will be marching towards Luoyang in a little over two hours."

At his invitation, the two respectfully left the place and began to mobilize troops and forcibly conscript people to transport grain for the army.

Two hours later, Huang Chao set off as scheduled, with more than 40,000 troops advancing into the eastern capital, leaving Zhu Cun and more than 5,000 soldiers to guard Xuanyuan Pass.

Upon learning of Huang Chao's army's advance, Yu Cong urgently dispatched troops from Yique Pass back to defend Luoyang. Yang Fuguang, upon hearing the news, also led over 9,000 troops from Zhongwu and Xuanwu under his command to Luoyang, leaving only Yang Xuanji and over 10,000 troops to continue garrisoning Yique City and Yique Pass.

Because of their closer proximity, Yang Fuguang and Li Changfu were able to retreat into Luoyang City in time.

On the fourteenth day of the first month, Huang Chao led an army of 40,000 and more than 100,000 civilians and laborers to besiege Luoyang. At that time, there were more than 300,000 civilians and less than 20,000 soldiers in Luoyang.

Huang Chao, dressed in silver armor and a yellow robe, reined in his horse on the west bank of the Yi River, gazing at Luoyang City in the distance, a peculiar light flashing in his eyes.

"Uncle, is this Luoyang, the Eastern Capital? It is indeed magnificent and prosperous..."

Upon first seeing Luoyang, apart from Huang Chao, who had seen Luoyang many times on his way to the imperial examinations, everyone else felt a feeling that was hard to describe.

An ancient and weathered atmosphere swept over me. This city of Luoyang, the eastern capital, which is bisected by the Luo River, was still one of the leading metropolises in the Tang Dynasty, even though it had been destroyed during the An Lushan Rebellion.

Of course, its more important identity is that of the capital of the Tang Dynasty at this time, and this capital has been besieged by Huang Chao's army.

“I said back then that as long as I had the chance, I would prove that I was no worse than those scions of noble families who had passed the imperial examinations.”

Huang Chao turned his horse around and spoke to himself in front of his generals, as if he were giving a speech.

He was filled with a surge of heroic ambition, as if he could raze the entire city of Luoyang to the ground.

He raised his whip and pointed it at Luoyang City, but his gaze was fixed on the generals behind him.

"Now those self-righteous Jinshi officials, as well as the mediocre ones who were my examiners in the past, are all surrounded in the city by my army. Who says that commoners who are not literate are not men?"

"Break through this city, let them see for themselves, let them see what a true man is!"

(End of this chapter)