Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 473 Mountain Collapse

Prince Anfeng, Yuan Yanming, led a large army to guard Mengjin. This imperial uncle had served as Grand Marshal and Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and was the most trusted member of the imperial clan of Yuan Hao.

He also privately opposed Yuan Hao's over-reliance on the main force of the Southern Dynasty, and he also stopped Chen Qingzhi from concentrating the Southern people of the Northern Dynasty.

Yuan Yanming naturally had ample reasoning. He said that while the Emperor's reliance on the Southern Dynasty brought him convenience, it was ultimately not a long-term solution. Emperor Taizu had also submitted to the Former Qin, but ultimately seized the opportunity to rise up and restore the country, laying the foundation for the century-long reign of the Great Wei. He hoped that the Emperor would take Emperor Taizu as his role model, strive unceasingly, and revitalize the Great Wei, rather than becoming a puppet of the Southern Dynasty and bringing shame upon his descendants.

Yuan Hao agreed with this, and thus conceived the idea of ​​breaking away from the Southern Dynasty and establishing his own independent state. Of course, he would not allow Chen Qingzhi to become too powerful.

Therefore, when news of Chen Qingzhi's series of victories on the north bank and his defeat of Erzhu Rong arrived, Yuan Yanming did not share the elation of others, feeling as if he had escaped a calamity. Instead, he was filled with worry, polishing his ancestral sword by lamplight in his central command tent while pondering how to contain the fearsome White Robe Army.

He was gazing absently at the gleaming sword, when suddenly a panicked report came from outside the tent:

"Report—Xixiashi has fallen, and General Champion has been captured!"

"What?!" Yuan Yanming was shocked when he heard this. The sword cut his finger, and blood rolled down the smooth blade.

Seeing his fingers trembling slightly, the guards quickly handed him a handkerchief. Yuan Yanming tried to take it twice but couldn't quite catch it. He finally managed to grab it on the third try and pressed it against the injured area.

"Quickly, summon the imperial physician!" His face was now deathly pale, clearly not from blood loss. "Uh, no, quickly go and fetch General Yu!"

The General Yu mentioned by Yuan Yanming was Yu Tianmin. When Chen Qingzhi led a large army across the river, he naturally had to leave some people on the south bank in case something happened and he was caught off guard and his retreat was cut off.

He then left Yu Tianmin and two hundred cavalrymen in Mengjin.

The news of the fall of Xixiashi and the capture of Yuan Guanshou was brought back by the cavalry. Therefore, Yu Tianmin knew more about the situation in Xixiashi than Yuan Yanming.

"What's wrong with the White-Robed Army? Didn't they drive back Erzhu Rong? How come they crossed the Yellow River again?!" Yuan Yanming asked Yu Tianmin as soon as he saw him.

“We have a total of six thousand men, guarding Beizhong City, but we can’t defend the Yellow River, which stretches for thousands of miles!” Yu Tianmin said unhappily upon hearing this. “Besides, is this the time to shift the blame?”

"Alright, let's not pursue the matter for now. You should contact Beizhong City immediately and have Chen Shizhong lead his troops back to reinforce the city!" Although Yuan Yanming was wary of Chen Qingzhi, once Erzhu Rong attacked, the only thing he could rely on was still the White Robe Army.

“I tried to contact them, but for some reason I couldn’t get through,” Yu Tianmin said, frowning.

"Could the White Robe Army be finished too?" Upon hearing that he couldn't contact Chen Qingzhi, Yuan Yanming felt as if the end of the world had arrived.

"Don't talk nonsense." Yu Tianmin glared and said, "Even if you're finished, we won't be. I've already sent cavalry across the river to Beizhong City to report the news, and we should have news soon."

"Sigh..." Yuan Yanming was sighing when a scout came to report that the Qihu soldiers, driving their routed troops, had already reached ten miles outside the camp.

"Send the order...send the order for the three armies to assemble!" Yuan Yanming gave the order weakly.

~~
In fact, there were as many as 80,000 troops in the Mengjin camp, all of whom were relatively loyal and strong troops selected by Yuan Hao from among those who had surrendered.

The 80,000-strong army, when assembled, stretched for miles, seemingly endless.

However, despite their large army, they were completely overwhelmed in terms of morale by the ten thousand Qihu soldiers...

Seeing the carrion vultures that blotted out the sky and the wolf riders galloping on the ground, completely blocking out the rising sun, the 80,000 soldiers trembled with fear, and many wet their pants in terror.

"Have you made contact with the White-Robed Army?!" Yuan Yanming asked one last time, his voice trembling with tears.

"No." Yu Tianmin shook his head, looking at the Yellow River in the distance, which had truly become an insurmountable barrier blocking the north and south, completely severing their contact. "Sigh, it's over..." Yuan Yanming's last hope was also shattered. He didn't even have the heart to put on a show of boosting morale.

The result was as expected: Yuan Hao's cobbled-together 'Great Wei Heavenly Soldiers' were utterly unable to stop the terrifying Heavenly Slaughter Army.

Erzhu Rong led five hundred Bloodwing Guards in a charge, cutting through the enemy lines as smoothly as a hot knife through butter, sweeping all before them and causing them to crumble at the slightest touch, much to his delight.

"Hahaha, this is what the Heavenly Slaughter Army should look like!"

Finally, he put aside the frustration of repeated defeats against the White-Robed Army.

Yuan Yanming, in the central army, saw the vanguard crumble at the first contact. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth, removed his golden cloak—a symbol of royal nobility—and discarded it like a worn-out shoe. Then he turned his horse and galloped south, a move so practiced it was heartbreaking…

"Damn it..." Yu Tianmin was stunned for a moment, but then he saw that Yuan Yanming had disappeared and couldn't help but curse.

No wonder Commander Chen refused to get involved with Yuan Hao's army. Otherwise, no matter how strong the White Robe Army was, they would have been dragged down by these incompetent allies.

With their leader gone, Yuan Hao's army collapsed instantly. Yu Tianmin had no choice but to lead his troops to retreat among the fleeing soldiers to avoid being targeted by the Tianlu Army...

~~
Luoyang City.

News of Erzhu Rong's army's return had spread throughout the city, yet the officials and civilians remained generally calm. This was because, after the Heyin Incident, Erzhu Rong had not massacred the city as they had expected; in fact, he had even restrained his subordinates, preventing them from going too far in Luoyang.

But Yuan Hao in Luoyang Palace was in a panic; Erzhu Rong would not let him off the hook, no matter who he had let go of.

At first, he kept comforting himself, thinking that everything would be alright as long as the White Robe Army returned to help.

But all the messengers he sent to ask for help disappeared as soon as they crossed the river, and there is still no news of Chen Qingzhi...

He was pacing back and forth in the Ziwei Hall when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps at the hall entrance. He quickly looked up and asked, "Has Chen Shizhong sent word?"

"No." It was his uncle Fan Zun who arrived, looking anxious. "Your Majesty, don't wait any longer, hurry up and leave, or it will be too late."

“No, I will wait for Attendant Chen. As long as he returns, everything will be fine,” Yuan Hao said resolutely, shaking his head.

"Chen Qingzhi won't come. If he could, he would have come long ago!" Fan Zun said in a deep voice. "Our 80,000-strong army collapsed in one battle. Guan Shou has also been captured. Luoyang certainly cannot be defended, Your Majesty!"

"No, I will never leave Luoyang, even if it means my death." Yuan Hao suddenly went into a fit of madness, clearly showing that not everyone can withstand the ups and downs of life.

"Alas, I have offended the Emperor..." Fan Zun sighed and looked around.

The guards rushed forward, grabbed Yuan Hao, and carried him out of the hall.

"Release me, release me, I will never leave, even if it kills me..." Yuan Hao's shrill cries echoed in the empty hall for a while before disappearing without a trace.

After a short while, Fan Zun and other former officials who had followed Yuan Hao into exile in the Southern Dynasty, along with several hundred guards, escorted the 'Hundred-Day Emperor' out of Luoyang Palace, and he could not escape through Xuanyang Gate in a grand manner.

None of the princes and officials who had welcomed him to the capital to proclaim himself emperor followed him...

(End of this chapter)