Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 448 Unification Should Be Done as Soon as Possible

After arriving in the capital, Yuan Hao took over the palace and became the new master of Luoyang Palace.

Of course, he hadn't forgotten how he got to this point. He immediately submitted a memorial to Emperor Xiao Yan to express his gratitude, and at the same time, he continued to promote Chen Qingzhi, appointing him as Attendant-in-Ordinary, General of Chariots and Cavalry, Grand Master of the Left, and increasing his fief by 10,000 households.

Chen Qingzhi, however, showed no joy. After leaving Luoyang Palace, he did not move into the Grand General's Mansion bestowed upon him by Yuan Hao, but returned to the White Robe Army Camp and summoned Ren Yuan to speak.

“Commander Chen doesn’t seem to be in a good mood.” Ren Yuan sat down opposite Chen Qingzhi and saw that he looked depressed and thoughtful.

"Yes." Chen Qingzhi nodded, then sighed, "This is the third time since the Jin dynasty moved east that it has launched a northern expedition and entered Luoyang. In the tenth year of Yonghe, when Huan Wen led the expedition, the elders of Luoyang lined the streets to welcome him, overjoyed. The older people in Guanzhong, upon seeing the Jin army, couldn't help but shed tears, all saying, 'We never thought we would live to see the royal army again!'"

"By the time of Yi Xi's Northern Expedition, Liu Yu's campaign, there were no longer any people born in the Jin Dynasty in Luoyang, but the people still strongly supported them and regarded them as the royal army." Chen Qingzhi said, then sighed again:
"But this time, we were met with indifference and even hostility from the people of Luoyang. It is clear that the people of the Northern Dynasty no longer regard the Southern Dynasty as their homeland."

Ren Yuan then said softly, "That's normal. Time is a terrible thing. Over several hundred years, it's enough to reshape people's perceptions. Let alone the Northern Dynasty, how many times have we changed dynasties? How can we expect the people of the Northern Dynasty to still cherish their homeland?"

"Which country is the homeland?" Chen Qingzhi nodded with a wry smile.

“If we don’t unify, the North and South will become two separate countries,” Ren Yuan said in a deep voice.

"Yes, that is the purpose of my Northern Expedition. If we don't seize this golden opportunity amidst the internal strife in the Northern Dynasty to take Luoyang and Guanzhong, we may never have another chance." Chen Qingzhi said with a smile, "But fortunately, we seized this opportunity."

"Yes." Ren Yuan nodded, not wanting to spoil Chen Qingzhi's mood at this moment.

But Chen Qingzhi remained calm, and then he changed the subject, saying, "But we are far from celebrating. There is an even more dangerous situation waiting for us."

"Yes." Ren Yuan nodded, pleased that Commander Chen had not been blinded by victory. He then whispered, "When I went to Luoyang to investigate last time, I found that the officials and people of the Northern Dynasty were very calm. It seemed that no matter who was the emperor, it would not affect their lives. It was just a matter of who kowtowed and shouted 'Long live the Emperor'."

“But we southerners are different. If Erzhu Rong comes back, we will only face death.”

“Yes. Ah Yuan, you are insightful. The officials and people of the Northern Dynasty have no preference for Yuan Ziyou or Yuan Hao, so it doesn’t matter who wins.” Chen Qingzhi nodded approvingly and said, “But after we took advantage of the situation and captured Luoyang, we have become the Northern Dynasty’s number one enemy. Erzhu Rong and Yuan Ziyou will definitely put aside their prejudices and join forces against us.”

"Therefore, only by defeating Erzhu Rong can the Northern Expedition be considered a success. If we lose to him, everything will come to an end," Chen Qingzhi concluded.

"What Commander Chen said is very true." Ren Yuan nodded and said, "The reason why the Wei army was so easily defeated was mainly because they were leaderless and their generals had their own agendas, which is why we were able to defeat them one by one. But once Erzhu Rong returns, they will have a leader... I'm afraid we will no longer be able to win so easily."

"Haha, A Yuan, don't hold back for me." Chen Qingzhi laughed loudly, "If you're worried that I'm no match for Erzhu Rong, just say so."

"Commander Chen is certainly more capable than Zhu Rong, but our army is deep in enemy territory, fighting alone, outnumbered by the enemy, and has lost the support of the people. We have committed every taboo in military strategy, which makes it difficult for me to feel at ease," Ren Yuan said frankly.

“What you say makes a lot of sense,” Chen Qingzhi said seriously, “We cannot defeat Erzhu Rong on our own…”

He paused for a moment and then lowered his voice, saying, "So I made an agreement with the Emperor that once Luoyang is captured, he will send a large army to reinforce it immediately."

"Really?" Ren Yuan was pleasantly surprised.

"Yes," Chen Qingzhi smiled. "Yesterday I had Lingzhi report the battle to the Emperor, and we should have news soon." He paused, then said in a deep voice, "In short, our most important task right now is to hold out until reinforcements arrive!"

"Understood." Ren Yuan nodded and didn't say anything more.

Or perhaps, saying anything wouldn't make a difference. Some things are beyond his control, even beyond Chen Qingzhi's control...

One can only do one's duty in one's own position.

~~
Before the imperial reinforcements even arrived, Yuan Tianmu's reinforcements had already struck.

Not long after the White-Robed Army and Yuan Hao occupied Luoyang, Yuan Tianmu's main force captured Chenliu.

He immediately dispatched Fei Mu as the vanguard, who led the army to capture Xingyang, and then marched swiftly towards Hulao Pass. He also sent Cui Xiaofen to lead the army to capture Suiyang, completely severing the White Robe Army's connection with the Southern Dynasty.

In the blink of an eye, Yuan Hao, the 'Emperor of Great Wei,' had reduced his control to only the area within Hulao Pass and the Luoyang region.

This brought Yuan Hao, who had just become somewhat arrogant, back to reality. He immediately summoned Chen Qingzhi to the palace and asked him to send troops to meet the enemy.

Even without Yuan Hao's prompting, Chen Qingzhi could not stand idly by and watch his retreat be cut off. So he led the White Robe Army, which had just rested, back to Hulao Pass.

At Hulao Pass, leading the army to resist Fei Mu's attack was Yuan Hao's brother, the Prince of Beihai, Yuan Xu. He had little military talent and no ability to win people's hearts; he only knew how to lead a supervisory team to force the Wei army to hold the city walls from behind.

Even the army guarding Hulao Pass was the same Wei army that Erzhu Shilong had abandoned. Although they were doing the same work, the roles of friend and foe had been reversed, so it would be strange if they had any fighting spirit. If it weren't for the supervisory team pushing them from behind, they would have all run away long ago.

Despite such a weak defense, Fei Mu attacked for two whole days but still failed to capture Hulao Pass.

The saying "one man can hold the pass against ten thousand" perfectly describes the natural defenses of Hulao Pass, and this is no exaggeration.

However, Fei Mu's 20,000 Imperial Guards were all from Luoyang. Worried about their families, they were determined to capture Hulao Pass. One after another, they scaled the high city walls, fighting fiercely with the defenders, determined to die with someone on the other side!

The Imperial Guards' offensive was like a torrential downpour; arrows and stones, mixed with magical energy, rained down on the city walls, the sounds of crumbling bricks mingling with the screams of the defenders. The city's defenses were riddled with holes, and even the supervising troops had suffered heavy casualties and were retreating relentlessly…

Yuan Xu stood on the western city wall, watching more and more Imperial Guards climb up the opposite city wall, and his heart was filled with extreme panic.

He thought he should slip away and run ahead, but when he turned around, he found that the road was filled with dust and a white torrent was rushing towards him.

Under the sunlight, the white robes and silver armor were dazzling and eye-catching, like a galaxy hanging upside down!

Upon seeing this, Yuan Xu immediately turned around and shouted as if he had seen a savior, "Soldiers, the White-Robed Army is here!"

(End of this chapter)