Jinting Han people

When the Imperial Guards broke camp in Xingyang and returned west, Zhang Fang had already been in Luoyang for five days.

Five days is neither a long nor a short time. Within these five days, Zhang Fang is not yet able to fully control Luoyang and build an effective defense system, but it is enough for him to plunder at will and turn the eastern capital upside down.

Following his orders, the Western Army soldiers searched the capital city and its surroundings, looting the families of the Imperial Guards. These soldiers from Guanzhong, carrying ring-pommel swords in one hand and ropes in the other, arrived at their destinations without asking how many people were inside or what their names were; they kicked down doors and went in to take people. The families inside were mostly unsuspecting, and as a result, they were quickly tied together like gourds and driven out into the streets like a flock of sheep.

Of course, there were those who resisted, but since they were from scholar-official families, with the most important men in the family far away in the army, those left behind in Luoyang were nothing more than women, children, the elderly, and the weak. They had neither armor nor weapons; how could they possibly fight against these tigers and wolves in the army?

As soon as the family members showed the slightest hostility or offered some excuse, the Westerners would not waste any words, but would pull out their gleaming blades and begin killing. For every word the family members spoke, they would swing their swords once; for every word they spoke, they would swing their swords again. How many blows could a person withstand? The result was self-evident: either they would be terrified and helplessly bound, or their entire family would suffer, collapsing in a pool of blood.

When direct resistance failed, some tried to escape and hide. But this struggle was futile. As the number of soldiers increased, the Western Army's blockade had expanded from the city gates to all the villages and towns around Luoyang. Zhang Fang had already ordered that if not enough people were captured, the local village chiefs and even the fortified village lords would be punished. This meant that those who fled could not leave their hometowns, and even if they did, they had nowhere to go.

If they hid in a neighbor's house, could they escape this calamity? The answer was obviously no. Because the Western Army soldiers were only interested in making up the numbers, they didn't care whether they were capturing the right people or not. Once they found an empty house, they would simply take the houses next to them to make up the numbers, ultimately just implicating one more family.

These brutal measures left the elderly and infirm of the scholar families with nowhere to escape. In just five days, Zhang Fang, with astonishing efficiency, abducted more than 30,000 households, totaling 140,000 people, from the area surrounding Luoyang and forcibly drove them to Heyin.

What a horrifying scene! Luoyang, the capital of the nation and the most prosperous city in the world, had a registered population of only about 300,000, excluding slaves, refugees, and unregistered merchants. Yet Zhang Fang's actions had practically emptied half of Luoyang!
For a time, the crowd stretched for over twenty miles, heads bowed, necks bound, clothes tattered, looking like ants. A closer look at their faces revealed them all withered and emaciated, unable to speak, likely heartbroken beyond measure. Then someone burst into loud weeping, a mournful cry like that of a gibbon, enough to break the hearts of any who heard it. The escorting soldiers, tired of hearing it, showed no mercy, hacking at them with their blades, leaving a trail of blood; human life was as insignificant as grass. Yet even so, the cries continued unabated along the road, rising and falling in waves.

Faced with such a scene, the people of Luoyang felt as if they had just woken up from a dream.

Before this incident, regardless of how the coup unfolded, most people in Luoyang maintained their usual composure and self-satisfaction. After all, no matter how the regime changed, their lives were not greatly affected. The capital's markets remained prosperous, the Gushui Canal was still bustling, and the east and west streets were still congested. Even after the upheaval of the Qi King's coup, when fires burned hundreds of houses, the imperial court still managed to stabilize the disaster victims and restore order with remarkable speed.

People can still deceive themselves by saying that the previous turmoil was just a minor setback, or that things couldn't get any worse no matter how chaotic it got.

But now, under Zhang Fang's tyranny, all their self-esteem, all their pride, all their illusions have been shattered. It turns out that before the cold, merciless blade of war, the people of Luoyang can be as humble as dust. Yes, fate is so cruel yet fair; in a chaotic and disorderly world, everyone suffers, only to varying degrees.

Then everyone unanimously thought of the legend of the Jiazi Calamity. Originally, most people were skeptical, but now, with only two months until the Jiazi Calamity, such a terrifying hellish scene had occurred. People couldn't help but believe that the end was near. Therefore, they called Zhang Fang, who caused all this, an Asura, the messenger of hell in Buddhist scriptures.

Zhang Fang's actions, coupled with his deliberate propaganda in Yanshi and Gongxian, quickly spread to the Imperial Guards, causing a great uproar.

Soldiers enlist in the army, which, to put it nicely, is to make a name for themselves; to put it bluntly, it's to risk their lives for wealth and status. But what use is wealth and status if you have no family? If you die on the battlefield, no one will claim your compensation, and no one will mourn you. You'll just become a lonely ghost.
Therefore, upon learning that their families had been taken hostage, most of them were distraught and panicked, and many requested permission to fight. But with morale so low, how could Sima Yi possibly allow it?

Before the battle, Sima Yi had already discussed the matter with his advisors. He did not intend to fight a quick victory, but rather to adopt a strategy of stalemate, calmly cutting off the Western Army's supply lines and forcing them to retreat. To hastily change the plan and engage the enemy in a decisive battle now would lead to the same outcome as Lu Ji's strategy. Moreover, the morale of his troops had been severely damaged; under these circumstances, the chances of victory were probably less than 30%.

Sima Yi then led his troops to camp in Gong County, pretending to reconsider strategies and reorganize the army, and that it would not be too late to fight the Western Army after coming up with a good plan.

Upon learning that the court was unwilling to fight quickly, the soldiers in the army became even more worried. This was because the news in Zhang Fang's proclamation had already spread to everyone: if the Imperial Guards did not defect to the right side before mid-November, their families in Heyin would be chopped up and fed to the fish.

It's already late October, and there are only ten days or so left. How can we wait? If we don't go to rescue them, are we going to gamble that Zhang Fang wouldn't dare to kill them? But with Zhang Fang's behavior, who would dare to gamble with their family's lives?

Panic spread like an unstoppable plague through the army at an alarming rate. Soldiers, having sought battle in vain during the day, exchanged bewildered glances and, without uttering a word, reached a tacit understanding. That very night, some attempted to desert. In the first half of the night, only a few deserters probed the area; by the second half, groups of three or five were everywhere, observing the deserters.

Sima Yi had anticipated this scene, so he arranged for Gou Xi to patrol the camp at night. Any deserters caught, regardless of their reasons, were to be treated as deserters in the face of battle.

In just one night, Gou Xi beheaded over two hundred men in the camp, their bloody heads hanging on the walls of Gongxian County, a sight to behold. Yet even this could not stop the desertion trend in the army. Or rather, the soldiers, spurred by this, became even more determined to flee.

Over the next two days, the number of soldiers attempting to desert surged to over four thousand. Although Gou Xi managed to stop most of them, even he, known for his decisiveness, dared not act rashly against such a large number. He could only detain these soldiers and patiently reason with them, hoping they would repent. But the soldiers wouldn't listen. What hardship could they possibly have compared to the separation from their wives and children?
Gou Xi reported this matter to Sima Yi and asked for his opinion. Sima Yi also found it very difficult. The accompanying officials had never seen such a scene before. Moreover, they were also affected by the great panic and fear arose in their hearts. They then brought up the old matter again and suggested that Sima Yi withdraw his troops from Xuchang.

But the worse the situation became, the less Sima Yi dared to retreat.

The mere hesitation in Gongxian has already caused such severe negative consequences. If we hastily retreat now, wouldn't our Imperial Guards completely collapse? If Zhang Fang were to occupy Luoyang and recruit the Imperial Guards, he could turn the tide and attack us. Even if we manage to escape temporarily and retreat to Yuzhou, how can we, with our weak foundation in Xuchang, resist the Western Army? We'll only be able to survive a little longer.

Considering this, Sima Yi knew he had to hold on. He absolutely could not retreat; retreat would be tantamount to defeat. Sima Yi wasn't entirely without a chance of victory. Of his 70,000 troops, while the majority were traditional Luoyang imperial guards, a smaller portion, about 30,000, consisted of troops from Yuzhou and Jingzhou. The Yuzhou troops were transferred to Luoyang during Sima Jiong's reign and were primarily under the command of Gou Xi and others. The Jingzhou troops were a new force formed two months prior after Liu Xian's scheme to annex Li Han's 20,000 western troops, through a troop exchange with Liu Hong in Luyang. Therefore, these two forces were unaffected by Zhang Fang's scheme. With these 30,000 men, Sima Yi could maintain control of the imperial guards for the time being.

However, there is no other way to completely reverse the unfavorable situation than to confront it head-on.

During the three days that the troops were stationed in Gongxian, Sima Yi, Zu Ti, and others discussed the matter repeatedly and finally devised a plan. They planned to split their forces into two routes. One route, led by Sima Yi, would make a grand entrance and head straight for Luoyang, pretending to recapture Luoyang to boost morale. The other route, led by Sima Yue, would be a small force of cavalry and, while the main force was drawing the attention of the Western Army in Luoyang, would unexpectedly bypass Luoyang, advance on Heyin, and rescue the Shi family hostages.

Once Luoyang is recaptured, the Imperial Guards will regain their geographical advantage. If Sima Yue succeeds, the Imperial Guards will be free from any worries about their rear, and the advantage will return to Sima Yi's side.

Upon closer examination, from Sima Yi's perspective, this plan is quite feasible.

Luoyang is a large and powerful city. These days, the Western Army has been busy plundering hostages, and the force remaining in Luoyang cannot be its entire strength. Therefore, it cannot fully utilize the city's defenses, and there must be gaps. Furthermore, the Western Army's brutality has alienated the people of Luoyang. I could first send men to incite unrest within Luoyang, then raise the Emperor's banner, form a formidable army, and engage the Western Army in battle through the streets. At that time, the Western Army's cavalry would be unable to maneuver effectively, and with internal and external chaos, it wouldn't be impossible for the Imperial Guards to seize Luoyang in one fell swoop.

On the other hand, the Shi families in Heyin are numerous, and no matter how many troops Zhang Fang deploys there, his energy will be limited to guarding the hostages. As long as the Imperial Guards can launch a surprise attack, the Western Army will have no chance against them. To achieve this, it is not difficult. After all, Zhang Fang is new to the capital region and his understanding of Henan's geography is still insufficient. His lack of popular support makes it difficult for him to gather intelligence and even more difficult to guard against a surprise attack by the Imperial Guards.

However, there are two variables that cause Sima Yi some concern:

First, what if Zhang Fang chooses to abandon the city after taking so many hostages? Even if they recapture Luoyang, it will only give them a temporary respite, and ultimately they still won't be able to solve the morale problem.

Secondly, could Sima Yue control his Westerners like Liu Xian, leading them to break through enemy lines and kill the enemy? If not, the core of the strategy would be invalid.

Therefore, he slightly modified his plan. First, during the advance, he intended to employ a strategy of feigning defeat, sending small detachments to attack Luoyang, then pretending to be defeated and retreating. This would lull Zhang Fang into a false sense of security and prevent him from hastily abandoning Luoyang. At the same time, he spread rumors among the army that Liu Hong, the governor of Jingzhou, would soon be heading north to reinforce the city, thus boosting morale for another major battle.

Meanwhile, Sima Yue intended to send Shangguan Si and others to further strengthen his control over the righteous army. Unexpectedly, Sima Yue sent a reply saying that after Liu Xian returned to the army, the righteous army was extremely cooperative and there was no disobedience. Sending more men would only further provoke relations between the two sides, and maintaining the status quo was sufficient.

This surprised Sima Yi somewhat, but upon reflection, it made sense. These Westerners had come all the way from Guanzhong to the capital region, displaying unwavering loyalty. The political struggle between him and Liu Xian was probably an undeserved misfortune for them.

Sima Yi then followed the advice of the Prince of Donghai and stopped sending more men. He instructed Sima Yue, "This matter concerns the fate of the nation and must not be taken lightly. I hope you will consider this carefully and keep in mind the importance of serving the country."

After the new military order was issued, Sima Yue immediately showed it to Liu Xian and asked for his opinion.

Liu Xian was equally shocked by the spectacle Zhang Fang had created in Luoyang. Although he had been mentally prepared, Zhang Fang's actions still exceeded his wildest expectations. This caused Liu Xian to worry about his family in Luoyang, but fortunately, his wife recently sent his cousin Liu Xuan to report that everything was alright, temporarily relieving his concerns.

Faced with this unprecedentedly brutal opponent, Liu Xian had no choice but to be on high alert. After reviewing Sima Yi's plan and studying the map, he mentally planned the route and said to Sima Yue, "Generally speaking, I think the deployment of the Flying Cavalry is fine."

Upon hearing this, Sima Yue smiled and flattered, "Oh? So, Grand Commandant, victory is already a sure thing?"

Unexpectedly, Liu Xian shook his head slightly and denied it, saying, "It's hard to say."

Sima Yue was taken aback, then asked, "Why is that?"

Liu Xian glanced at the King of Donghai and slowly said, "Zhang Fang's use of troops has transcended common sense. How he will deal with this is completely unpredictable. In his eyes, victory is neither victory nor defeat, so the logic of war cannot be determined by victory or defeat."

Zhang Fang's behavior is truly baffling. His brutality is such that even if he temporarily disrupts the morale of the Imperial Guards, how will he govern Luoyang in the future? Even if he defeats Sima Yi, he will not gain fame, but rather the infamy of the people!
Traditional generals, when arranging their troops, always planned three steps ahead before acting, using victory to achieve their strategic goals. Zhang Fang, however, was entirely different. He seemed to have completely disregarded the consequences, simply reveling in the carnage, using war to incite more wars. Could such a person be swayed by temporary wins or losses?

Sima Yue didn't understand Liu Xian's predicament. He simply followed up on what had just been said and asked, "Oh? Then what will be the basis for this decision?"

"It's probably death."

Liu Xian didn't continue. He closed his eyes, trying to recall Zhang Fang's cruel and cunning face, but he failed. What appeared before him was a thick, impenetrable mist of blood, which gave him a vague premonition and unease: the outcome of his duel with Zhang Fang would probably not be decided in this single battle. (End of Chapter)