Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 223 Please let Situ die!
On May 30, the rebel camp in Guanxi,

Inside the big tent, Li Jue paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, looking anxious.

"Chang'an is a high city wall, with no less than 20,000 soldiers and civilians guarding the city. Lu Bu is also a brave warrior, so it will not be easy to take Chang'an by force!"

Li Jue said worriedly: "Now Niu Fu is incompetent. He abandoned the army and was killed by his subordinates, which led to Zhang Yu's surrender to the Hedong soldiers. If our army fails to capture the city, the morale of the soldiers will be low, and our army will be in danger!"

The generals were in low spirits. They had relied on Hu Zhen and Yang Zheng's defection to defeat Xu Rong. But now the strength of Chang'an City was beyond their imagination. They had led their troops to besiege for seven days but could not even climb the city wall.

"What should we do now?" Li Jue looked at the generals in the tent and asked.

Guo Si thought for a moment and said, "Chang'an is too high to be attacked. We should surround Chang'an and station troops in the strategic area north of Wei River to prevent Zhang Yu from crossing the river."

"There are so many river crossings, how can we take care of them all?" Zhang Ji said.

Guo Si looked unhappy and said, "Now that Chang'an cannot be taken, and we cannot go out to resist Zhang Yu, what do you think our army should do?"

Zhang Ji hesitated for a moment and said, "It would be better to plunder Sanfu for a while, and then lead the troops back to Longshang."

"The land of Long is barren. Where can we get food if we send our troops back?" Guo Si asked in return.

Fan Chou coughed and said, "Guanzhong is rich, with a large number of households, abundant products and fertile land, which is the foundation for establishing a career. Now we are going back to Longshan to compete with the rebels for food, which is a bad idea."

Ever since Dong Zhuo showed them the wealth of Luoyang and the pleasure of controlling the government, it is now difficult for the generals from Guanxi to return to Longyou.

After all, Longyou had been in decline since the founding of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and was no longer as prosperous as it was during the Western Han Dynasty. Moreover, after a century of war, Longyou had already been destroyed. Now that everyone returned to Longyou, they would have to fight for territory with the rebels led by Han Sui and Ma Teng, so it would be better to seize more opportunities in Guanzhong.

Although Guanzhong in the Eastern Han Dynasty was not as rich as that in the Western Han Dynasty, the geographical conditions of Guanzhong were there. The four counties of Hongnong, Jingzhao, Fengyi and Fufeng had a registered population of 700,000 to 800,000 people at their peak, although not as many as one million. And since Dong Zhuo moved the capital to Chang'an, the population of the capital moved to Guanzhong.

Therefore, the current population of the three prefectures of Guanzhong is at least millions. Unless the situation is unfavorable to the Guanxi coalition forces, how could they easily give up the rich territory of Guanzhong?

Zhang Ji frowned and said, "Although Guanzhong is good, the key is whether our army can gain a foothold. If the foothold is unstable, it is better to return to Longshang and seek a peaceful life for the rest of our lives."

Li Jue was unsure of the situation, so he looked at Jia Xu who was sitting in the corner and asked, "Does Wenhe have any good ideas?"

Jia Xu looked around at everyone and asked casually, "Do you know what Ma Teng and Han Sui are doing?"

"Ma Teng, Han Sui?"

Li Jue muttered for a moment, frowned, and asked, "Ma Teng and Han Sui are stationed in Longyou. I wonder why Wenhe mentioned them today? Do you want to send someone to contact them?"

Seeing that everyone was ignorant of the situation, Jia Xu said, "General, you may not know that Ma Teng and Han Sui have become brothers and led their troops out of Longshan, with a total of tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry."

Since Dong Zhuo took control of the government, Ma Teng and Han Sui submitted petitions to Dong Zhuo on the grounds that they were both from Guanxi. Dong Zhuo was happy to have good relations with Ma Teng and Han Sui, so he sent people to recommend them to official positions.

Now that Dong Zhuo was killed by Wang Yun, the Guanxi forces lost their strongman to suppress them, and the situation became chaotic. Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, Zhang Ji and other generals gathered Dong Zhuo's former troops to counterattack Chang'an in order to survive. However, the rebels in Longshan would not turn a blind eye. In order to fish in troubled waters, Ma Teng and Han Sui also led their troops out of Longshan.

Now Jia Xu heard that Ma Teng and Han Sui led tens of thousands of troops and intended to interfere in the situation in Guanzhong. All the generals in the tent were terrified. Chang'an City had not been broken, Zhang Yu stationed his troops in Hedong, and Ma and Han were coming from Longyou. Wouldn't they be surrounded by enemies?

Li Jue barely controlled his emotions and asked, "What is the purpose of Ma and Han sending troops to Guanzhong? I wonder how you know this?"

Seeing that everyone was nervous or anxious, Jia Xu really enjoyed controlling other people's emotions. He stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Generals Ma and Han have no connection with the court. They are sending troops to Guanzhong now, just because they saw that Lord Dong was killed and Guanzhong was in chaos, and they want to take advantage of it!"

"As for how did Xu know?"

Jia Xu paused and said, "It was nothing more than sending scouts to Fufeng to observe the movements of Wang Hong of Zuofufeng when the generals were besieging Chang'an."

"Mr. Talented!"

Guo Si nodded and asked first, "Mr. Jin mentioned Ma and Han. Do you want to use them to solve the current predicament?"

"Of course!"

Jia Xu nodded and said, "Zhang Yu is no mediocre person. If he knows that Ma Teng and Han Sui are leading their troops here, he will definitely send someone to contact them. By then, our army will be in danger!"

"So according to Xu's opinion, the general should quickly send envoys to Ma and Han, and make peace with them by claiming that they are both from Guanxi. If Chang'an is captured, the property will be taken and the official positions will be shared. If Ma and Han help, Chang'an will surely be captured and Zhang Yu will not dare to attack it."

"Sir, that makes sense!"

Li Jue paced back and forth, clasping his hands, and said, "Ma Teng and Han Sui have been fighting against the imperial court for many years, and they are sending troops now only for profit. If we can get the help of these two, great things can be accomplished."

"good!"

When everyone was discussing the alliance between Long and the annexation, Li Ru looked happy and walked into the tent.

"good news!"

Li Ru laughed at everyone in the tent and said, "The captain of the old soldiers under Lu Bu's tent contacted me and said that at dawn tomorrow, he will lead his troops to open the south gate and welcome our army into the city."

"Could it be a trick?" Zhang Ji asked with concern.

"No deception!"

Li Ru said confidently, "The captain of the old soldiers said that the court has been in arrears with military pay for several months. Lü Bu has an impatient temper and often sits and watches the Han soldiers bully the old soldiers. Moreover, I have a good relationship with the captain of the old soldiers. Now I only hope that after the gate is opened, I can get rewards of money and food, and official positions."

"Easy to say!"

Li Jue laughed and said, "If we can capture Chang'an, all the troops will have money and food." "Now that we have the old soldier captain as an internal supporter?" Fan Chou asked, "Should we also contact Ma Teng and Han Sui?"

"No need!"

Guo Si hesitated and said, "If our army can capture Chang'an, if we contact Ma Teng and Han Sui now, wouldn't it be a waste of their money?"

Ma Teng and Han Sui led a large number of troops. If they were to participate in the division of the fruits of victory, it would inevitably affect the interests of other Guanxi generals. Therefore, the Guanxi generals were obsessed with immediate interests and were not willing to give benefits to Ma and Han.

Seeing this, Jia Xu sighed deeply that everyone was brave but not strategic. It was fortunate that the shrewd Dong Zhuo appeared, otherwise the generals from Guanxi would never have been able to enter Luoyang in their lifetime.

Li Jue had a longer-term vision. He knew that Jia Xu was an outstanding strategist, so he asked, "What do you think?"

Jia Xu's expression became serious, and he said, "If you don't contact Generals Ma and Han, Zhang Yu will definitely contact them to take Guanzhong. Therefore, for the long-term vision, we should stop Zhang Yu from spying on Chang'an. Ma and Han should be your wings."

"Their roots are in Longyou, not in Guanzhong. You can grant them official positions and money and food, and you can order them to return to Longyou to serve in the name of the emperor."

"rational!"

Li Jue paced back and forth, rubbing his fists, and said, "If these two are won over by Zhang Yu, I will be in danger!"

As he spoke, Li Jue looked at everyone and said, "The most important thing now is to capture Chang'an and hold the emperor in our hands to command the other heroes."

"Listen to what General Li says!"

Seeing that Li Jue, who had the largest number of troops, had no objection, everyone else also had no objection and expressed their agreement unanimously.

The next day, June 1st, was Children's Day in later generations.

As expected, the captain of the army, Soubing, opened the city gates and led the Guanxi rebels outside the city into the city.

Lü Bu noticed that the rebels had entered the city, and he led his troops into a street fight with the Guanxi rebels. By noon, due to the disparity in numbers, Lü Bu was gradually losing, so he asked his troops to take their families out of the city, and before he fled, he went to look for Wang Yun.

Outside the Qingsuo Gate, Lu Bu stopped with his spear in hand and reins in his hand, his body covered in blood. Dong Zhuo's head was tied to the side of his Red Hare's head.

"My Lord, the Right General is stationed in Hedong now. You and Bu can go there to serve him!"

Lu Bu shouted loudly to Wang Yun on the city wall.

Wang Yun looked at Chang'an, which was deeply mired in war, and said with tears in his eyes: "Thanks to the protection of the heroic spirits of the former emperors of the Han Dynasty, I was able to kill Dong Zhuo. Your Majesty is still young and relies on me. If I flee, Your Majesty will be left alone, and I cannot bear it!"

"Fengxian thanks Ji'an on my behalf. I hope he can think about the country and the people in the future!"

Seeing that Wang Yun had no intention of leaving, Lü Bu rode his horse and was about to leave. After a few steps, he thought of Zhang Yu and turned back to shout, "What about the prince's family?"

Wang Yun replied, "Cheng Demou has returned home to escort his family out of the city. Fengxian is willing to go and meet Demou."

"it is good!"

Seeing that Wang Yun was determined to die for his country and the rebels' shouts were getting closer, Lu Bu rode away in order to survive.

Lu Bu was a righteous man, remembering that Cheng Pu had escorted Wang Yun's family. However, when he arrived at the palace, he saw that it had been occupied by the rebels, and Cheng Pu was leading his troops to fight the enemy.

Lü Bu led more than ten cavalrymen into the battlefield, killed the rebels, and then rescued Cheng Pu and Wang Yun's family. However, when Lü Bu and Cheng Pu were escaping, they were surrounded and killed by Guo Si's troops. Wang Yun's youngest son Wang Ding and his female family were killed, and only the second son Wang Jing escaped. The eldest son Wang Gai did not leave the city with the others because he was guarding Liu Xie. He and Wang Yun were forced to Xuanping Gate by the rebels.

Lu Bu and Cheng Pu escaped, but did not dare to stay in Chang'an. Instead, they led 800 cavalrymen to flee eastward to Hedong and seek refuge with Zhang Yu.

When the generals from Guanxi entered the capital, they let their soldiers plunder Chang'an, young and old. No less than ten thousand officials and civilians died in the looting.

In the afternoon, all the generals from Guanxi gathered at Xuanping Gate, while Wang Yun and his eldest son Wang Gai led troops to protect Emperor Liu Xie.

Wang Yun was very stubborn. Even when surrounded by the chaotic army, he was still dressed neatly and rebuked them: "You came to the capital without an imperial edict, robbed the people, and threatened the emperor. What do you want to do?"

Li Jue rode forward, full of vigor and vitality, pointed his whip at the tower, and asked, "Lord Dong was loyal to Your Majesty, but was killed by Lu Bu and you for no reason. We are Lord Dong's old subordinates, and we are here to avenge the Prime Minister, and we have no intention of committing a crime."

"May I ask, Si Tu, what is Mr. Dong's crime?" Li Jue asked loudly.

Wang Yun said sternly: "Dong Zhuo controls the government and slaughters ministers. He has evil intentions. Now we can kill him for the Han Dynasty. Why not?"

"What crime has Situ committed for holding Your Majesty hostage?"

Li Jue was furious and said, "If Si Tu is going to die today, I will not hurt Your Majesty. Otherwise, under the sword, there is no mercy!"

"We beg Situ to die!" the rebel generals shouted in unison.

Wang Yun knew he was doomed to die, so he turned to Liu Xie and kowtowed, choking with sobs, saying, "Forgive me for my incompetence. I killed Dong Zhuo but could not stop the rebels. I hope Your Majesty will take care of yourself and stay useful to restore the Han Dynasty."

After saying this, Wang Yun strode downstairs, and Wang Gai followed closely beside him.

Liu Xie looked at Wang Yun's departing back, his eyes red and tears streaming down his face.

A moment later, news came that Wang Yun and his son had died, along with the enthusiastic cheers of the Guanxi rebels!

(End of this chapter)