Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 400 Spending Money Stems from Ambition

In a normal battle between two armies, Yang Fenggang's reorganized White Wave Army would have a hard time defeating Yufuluo.

But now Yufuluo is completely unprepared for Yang Feng, and Zhang Baiqi even "saved" Liu Bao...

While Hufro was directing his troops to besiege the city, Yang Feng launched a surprise attack on Hufro's central camp from the rear.

Just as Yufuluo attacked Guo Tai, Yang Feng attacked Yufuluo in the same way.

The Xiongnu central army was thrown into chaos.

Inside Gong County, Niu Fu heard the deafening shouts of "Kill the Hu!" outside the city and saw a large army charging into the Xiongnu camp. He quickly led his troops out of the city to fight.

Any leader would seize such a great opportunity.

However, Huvro was indeed lucky.

Or rather, it's because Hufro's habit of liking to wear Han Chinese clothing was well-cultivated.

Most of the Xiongnu nobles admired Han culture and many liked to wear Han clothing.

After Qiangqu Chanyu was killed, Yufuluo, as an exiled prince, sought to restore his kingdom in Han territory for several years. During this time, he had developed the habit of speaking Han language, practicing Han etiquette, and wearing Han clothing. Otherwise, he would not have survived to this day—at that time, several old Xiongnu kings had been trying to kill him.

The same applies to the army. The armor of the Han generals was better than that of the Xiongnu in every aspect. Yufuluo would naturally pursue better protection, and only his helmet had a sable tail, which represented the Xiongnu Chanyu.

After Yang Feng launched the surprise attack, the White Wave Army rushed into the camp and killed everyone they saw. Yufuluo's army was thrown into chaos, the royal flag was cut down, and the guards suffered heavy casualties.

Seeing the critical situation, Huvro cleverly gave his sable-tailed helmet and wolf-skin cloak to his guards, and they broke out separately.

Yufuluo himself did indeed look no different from the Han army generals.

At that moment, Niu Fujun, who was inside Gongxian City, also rushed out of the city and launched an attack.

Yufuluo was dressed in Han Chinese armor. Amidst the chaos of war and the crowds everywhere, the White Wave Army failed to recognize him at first and mistook him for a general of Niu Fujun's army.

As Hufro fought his way out, he killed many of his own men in an effort to break through the encirclement as quickly as possible.

The Xiongnu camp was in chaos, with many people running around frantically, cutting down anyone blocking their way in order to escape quickly – a normal tactic when fleeing for one's life.

Niu Fu's troops thought that the shouts of "Kill the Hu" outside were reinforcements and were also charging into the Xiongnu.

The White Waves and Yellow Turbans were easily distinguishable from each other, bearing the yellow turban symbol. Although they originally attacked indiscriminately, their primary targets were the Xiongnu.

Given the large number of Xiongnu troops, the White Wave Army certainly didn't need to pursue the Han generals; annihilating the Xiongnu first was the right thing to do.

Li Le and Hu Cai's goal is to kill Yu Fuluo to avenge Guo Tai.

Yang Feng's goal was to capture Empress Dowager Dong and her officials.

If Niu Fu's troops wanted to break out, it would actually be like removing some obstacles for the Bai Bo army. They weren't enemies, so let them run away.

In fact, all three sides were enemies, but the Han troops on both sides prioritized attacking the Xiongnu, so Yufuluo, dressed as a Han general, did not attract much attention.

Soon after, the guards wearing sable-tailed helmets and wolf-skin cloaks were killed, and the White Wave Army shouted "Yufuluo is dead!" The Xiongnu people collapsed completely, and Yufuluo's central army was almost completely wiped out.

But Huvro himself managed to escape.

He didn't run far, but instead circled around to the other side of the county town and joined up with the Huyan tribe, who were besieging the city.

The Huyan tribe has been the wife's clan of the Xiongnu Chanyu for generations, and Liu Bao's biological mother was also from the Huyan tribe. Currently, this tribe is led by Huchuquan.

With the fall of the Xiongnu royal banner, the central army collapsed completely, and the flank troops scattered in all directions. Only the Huyan tribe, which was on the other side of Gong County and relatively far away, was less affected.

Huvro managed to organize a force that did not collapse and barely managed to stabilize the situation.

However, only 15,000 Xiongnu troops remained who could still be commanded normally.

A few days earlier, the Xiongnu army that followed Yufuluo across the river numbered 50,000...

Being betrayed and ambushed by an ally without any warning, and still managing to survive to this extent, is already incredibly lucky.

Of course, not all the other Xiongnu were killed; they scattered and fled in panic, making it difficult for them to regroup.

Yufuluo knew that the remaining troops were also terrified and dared not fight any longer. They could only fight and retreat, and only after retreating for twenty miles did they begin to disperse their various units and gather the defeated troops.

Subsequently, Yufuluo learned that the pontoon bridge at Mengjin was no longer there—Yang Feng had destroyed the pontoon bridge used by the Xiongnu to cross the river before the Baibo army marched to Gongxian.

Currently, the Xiongnu are unable to quickly return north of the Yellow River, have suffered heavy losses in military strength, have low morale, and have lost most of their food and supplies. They truly dare not make any rash moves.

Niu Fu led his troops out of the city and fought for a while, only to find that the "reinforcements" were the White Wave Yellow Turbans.

They wanted to go back to the city, but they couldn't get back in.

The White Wave Army had already stormed into the county town.

The troops that quickly entered the city were Yang Feng's troops, whose operational objectives were most clearly defined.

When the officials saw the White Wave Yellow Turbans enter the city, they were all panicked. Some tried to resist, but to no avail.

The White Wave Army showed no mercy to the guards assembled by the officials; resistance only increased casualties.

Niu Fu led less than 10,000 troops out of the city. Facing an unknown number of White Wave Army soldiers, he dared not make any rash moves and could only retreat 20 li.

……

The next day, the Bai Bo army, Niu Fu army, and the remnants of the Xiongnu formed a strange standoff.

All three parties are enemies.

In fact, the number of Bai Bo's army was not very large; the force that raided Gongxian was only about 20,000, but they were all able-bodied young men.

The White Wave Yellow Turbans were at least part of the organized Taiping Dao (Way of Peace), which was different from pure bandits.

They will still use the same tactics as bandits, looting wherever they go, but they are not the kind of militia that intimidates people with sheer numbers.

The core group of Yellow Turban rebels were still Yellow Turban warriors, truly elite troops. In battle, they were all elite soldiers leading able-bodied men. They had also acquired a lot of equipment in Hedong and Henei. The structure of the White Wave Army was similar to that of most warlord armies at present.

In fact, the main force of the Yellow Turbans was not a group of refugees. For example, the troops of the three Zhang brothers consisted of strongmen leading able-bodied men, and they had a clear internal structure and "official system".

Although the White Wave Army has now lost its righteous path, it still uses the methods of powerful clans to turn the Yellow Turbans into a new powerful clan armed force. In essence, it is still following the route of local warlords with the characteristics of bandits. This is still the operating method of the main force of the Yellow Turbans.

However, he has lost Zhang Jiao's aura.

After entering the city, Yang Feng took control of the White Wave Army. He did not engage in large-scale looting, but only took the wealth brought out by the officials and distributed it to his subordinates.

Having secured supplies from the city and the wealth brought by the officials, and having just achieved a stunning victory, the entire army was in high spirits, and the initiative was now in the hands of the White Wave Army.

Based on their current morale and overall strength, including resources, the White Wave Army can now suppress both the Xiongnu and the greenhorns under Niu Fu.

But right now, it's a three-way stalemate. No matter which two sides start fighting, the third party will only benefit.

Zhang Baiqi has completed the task assigned by Jia Xu and has already departed on horseback.

He gave Yang Feng no further advice, because Jia Xu's arrangements were limited to these. Zhang Baiqi was a regular soldier under Duan Jiong, and he always strictly followed orders and never acted on his own.

……

After entering Gong County, Yang Feng became somewhat arrogant.

With 20,000 White Wave soldiers at their command, they also defeated the main force of the Xiongnu. Empress Dowager Dong and the officials of Luoyang were also in the city.

Although all of this was accomplished with Jia Xu's guidance from Zhang Baiqi, the credit for the victory will all go to Yang Feng.

Because Yang Feng was the most suitable pawn, only he could quickly incorporate the White Wave Army, and only he could more easily gain Yufuluo's trust.

But people generally don't see the "chess player," nor do they see a "hand" like Zhang Baiqi with such high execution ability.

All we see are "successful people" like Yang Feng.

Therefore, when the player's hand is no longer holding onto themselves, most "successful people" will selectively ignore the value of the platform and others.

Once one's strength increases significantly, it's easy to take behind-the-scenes help for granted, attributing others' success to luck while attributing one's own success to 'ability' and 'effort'...

Like those nouveau riche who made a fortune from policy dividends, most of them inevitably become a little arrogant.

There are very few people who can remain clear-headed, and even fewer who have such a clear understanding of themselves as Zhang Baiqi. In fact, if a person becomes wealthy and wants to avoid rapid decline, all they need is a clear understanding—maintain the existing wealth, don't start new ventures.

Spending money recklessly always stems from so-called "ambition".

Unfortunately, most people feel that since they have "successful experience", why not "expand and strengthen their business further"?

Considering the current situation where the three parties are mutually constraining each other, Yang Feng decided to take Empress Dowager Dong and the officials back to Luoyang.

Humans are all ambitious.

If Dong Zhuo could control the capital region and the surrounding three provinces, Yang Feng felt he could too…

Having a large army certainly changes your mindset – subconsciously you'll have the thought that "others will be wary of my strength."

Moreover, Yang Feng felt that he had learned some kind of essence from Jia Xu's operations...

Despite his inflated ego, Yang Feng's intelligence was not affected by it.

Yang Feng sent a message to his old subordinate Xu Huang and also sent messengers to find Zhang Yan and Niu Fu.

He did indeed want to form an alliance with Zhang Yan—Yang Feng thought it was worth a try to implement the plan Jia Xu used to lure Yufuluo into a trap.

However, the mode needs to be adjusted slightly.

Together with Niu Fu, they "protected" Empress Dowager Dong and her officials, and returned to Luoyang to defend the fortified city.

The White Wave Army was granted amnesty by the Han Dynasty and became a regular army.

Then, by using Empress Dowager Dong, Dong Min, Dong Huang and others to control Dong Zhuo, they formed an alliance with Zhang Yan and used the Empress Dowager's decree to summon surrounding generals and control the capital region.

Once the White Wave Army enters Luoyang, the Xiongnu will be unable to take it. Instead, the Xiongnu can hinder other forces and negotiate.

Even if Yufuluo hated Yang Feng to the core, he would not be willing to fight the White Wave Army to the death at this time.

The Xiongnu now have few options: the pontoon bridge across the river has been destroyed, and the Han-led coalition is launching a counterattack.

With Lü Bu in Hedong and Cao Cao's army already invading Hanoi, and Zhang Liao and Xu Huang proving difficult to deal with, the Xiongnu had no choice but to compromise and negotiate if they did not want to become extinct.

They could either back down to ensure their safety and submit to the Han Dynasty.

Alternatively, try returning north to fight a whole host of famous generals.

Even if Yufuluo did not want to compromise, Huchuquan and Huyan would compromise—Yufuluo's own tribe would suffer the greatest losses, while Huyan's tribe would suffer the least, and there would likely be some internal problems within the Xiongnu.

If the Han court could give the Xiongnu a chance, the Huyan tribe might be willing to talk, and might even offer Yufuluo's head in exchange for the safety of their people.

Most importantly, Yang Feng has a backup plan.

Yang Biao was in Luoyang.

Yang Feng was originally a member of the Yang family, but from a distant branch.

But in any case, they are still considered a clan, and Yang Biao will definitely seize this opportunity.

Yang Feng's judgment was actually correct, and he had thought far ahead.

However, it's really difficult to emulate Jia Xu...

Everyone thinks differently. If you don't consider other people's perspectives, you won't get the right results just by making judgments.

……

The next day, Yang Feng asked Empress Dowager Dong to write a document and sent it to Luoyang, asking Yang Biao to meet him there.

At the same time, he sent an envoy to take Dong Min to negotiate with Niu Fu, intending to have Niu Fu join the operation.

But Niu Fu sent the messenger back.

Even with the threat of Dong Min's life, Niu Fu still ignored Yang Feng.

Dong Zhuo's order was for Niu Fu to attack the White Wave Army. Although Niu Fu had military decision-making authority, he dared not ally with the White Wave Army. This was not a matter of disobeying military orders, but a matter of principle.

Yang Biao replied quickly, indicating his willingness to welcome Yang Feng into the city.

So Yang Feng led Empress Dowager Dong and the officials out of the city and headed towards Luoyang.

The Xiongnu and Niu Fu were mutually restraining each other, both were afraid, and neither dared to attack the White Wave Army. Moreover, the Xiongnu retreated completely to the banks of the Yellow River.

Clearly, the Xiongnu were considering how to return home.

The 20,000 troops left to guard Hanoi could not hold off Cao Cao and his men for long.

The return to Luoyang was relatively peaceful.

But as soon as he returned to Luoyang, a major incident occurred.

Yang Biao greeted Empress Dowager Dong's carriage outside the city gate, only to discover...

Empress Dowager Dong died.

……

In fact, when the Xiongnu besieged the city, Empress Dowager Dong already had the idea of ​​committing suicide.

She didn't want to fall into the hands of the Xiongnu.

When Empress Dowager Dong was overjoyed to learn that the "reinforcements" had defeated the Xiongnu army, her joy immediately turned to sorrow upon learning that the invading force was the White Wave Yellow Turbans.

For Empress Dowager Dong, being controlled by the Yellow Turbans was worse than being captured by the Xiongnu...

There was no other way; Empress Dowager Dong believed that the Yellow Turbans were there to overthrow the court.

She was afraid of suffering even greater humiliation.

She left Luoyang precisely because she was afraid that the Bai Bo army would occupy it.

Now the White Wave Army has actually entered Luoyang...

Empress Dowager Dong, realizing that she might suffer a fate worse than death, decided to commit suicide by drinking poison in her carriage.

Yang Feng's plan failed from the very beginning...

Moreover, Yang Biao's welcoming of Empress Dowager Dong back to the capital was, of course, in full view of everyone—all the officials saw it, so there was no way to hide the news of her death, and no way to frame her...

The Empress Dowager died on her way back to Luoyang, which was obviously caused by the White Wave Army.

Yang Feng was dumbfounded and at a loss for what to do.

Li Le and Hu Cai also had disagreements with Yang Feng because of this.

Li Le and Hu Cai both felt that Yang Feng's plan was a bit hasty. Now that the White Wave Army was destined to be bandits, it would be better to forcibly control Luoyang by force, use hostages to force officials to contribute money and grain, and force each household to cooperate with the White Wave Army.

In other words, they directly resorted to kidnapping and coercion, following Guo Tai's old path, and continued to adhere to the Yellow Turban line.

But Yang Feng was unwilling to take this path...

If after going through all that trouble he can only end up as a Yellow Turban rebel, then what was the point of all his hard work?

As a result, a disagreement broke out between the three already flustered individuals, and a conflict ensued.

Yang Feng tried to use force to suppress Li Le and Hu Cai... but he failed.

Li Le and Hu Cai's troops were all legitimate Yellow Turban warriors. They were persuaded to join them because they wanted to avenge Guo Tai and fight the Xiongnu, which aligned with the mindset of the Yellow Turban brothers.

If Yang Feng could offer the Yellow Turban brothers a better way out, Li Le and Hu Cai would certainly be willing to listen.

But now that Yang Feng's path is clearly hopeless, Li Le and Hu Cai will naturally have to follow the Yellow Turban path.

As a result, the two sides clashed fiercely in Luoyang City. Li Le and Hu Cai joined forces, and Yang Feng's troops were no match for them, so they had to flee Luoyang...

(End of this chapter)