“Can strategists not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 132: Fire at the North Palace
The governor of Bingzhou, Qiao Yan, received an edict to deal with the bandits!
Which bandit was it, you might ask? No need to guess!
Residents in the Shangli community rushed out from their homes, first retreated eastward and then some curious folks climbed to higher ground, peering towards the North City Gate of Luoyang.
What they saw was large clouds of dust rising from the Mangshan mountain path, a troop of cavalry rushing straight for the northern city wall, with the front-line soldiers already at the city gate while the rear was still linking back to Mangshan, quickly spreading out along the northern wall.
Such a sight had never been witnessed by the folks of Luoyang before.
Even when Dong Zhuo entered the capital not long ago with just over three thousand men, he later mustered tens of thousands and divided that army to guard the eight passes. What made this sudden assault of so many men all the more shocking!
Bingzhou’s governor!
Perhaps due to Qiao Yan’s youth, the process of her promotion to nobility was almost legendary, with the citizens of the Guo District often recounting her tales to their children. Yet nothing could compare to the realization now that she was an official wielding great power, not merely some youthful genius.
The command to “deal with the bandits” not only served as a window for them to retreat but also was a bold provocation and declaration of war against Dong Zhuo.
The northern wall of Luoyang was thicker than any other, impossible to breach through digging or battering; all they could do was climb.
By the time the thunderous command resonated for the last time, a rain of arrows had already soared towards the wall, while the Bingzhou army in armor rushed towards the wall with ladders in hand.
As the citizens looked up, amidst the dawn’s glow, atop Mangshan seems another batch of soldiers appeared, evidently aiming to breach Luoyang from the northwest corner via the Xiamen path.
Or perhaps they aimed to breach toward Zhe Long Garden.
Garden defenses often aren’t too dense, so it might just be the opportunity to break through the city gates.
Originally, this area was where the Northern Army Five Divisions had camped; however, now all eight passes’ soldiers had been dispatched, leaving behind precious few defenders.
Yet passing through this way, were still the soldiers joining Qiao Yan led by Xu Rong.
So those left behind instantly recognized their compatriots and joined the city assault, creating yet another wave.
The only thing left to block them was the thin stretch of city wall.
Unfortunately, the incline near the northern slope of Mangshan had eased up; had it remained steep, they could’ve launched arrow attacks from the mountain’s heights.
However, the current situation was already shocking enough!
Even though Dong Zhuo had stationed a considerable number of troops at the northern edge of Luoyang, they were not like the dire circumstances at Mengjin Pass. Despite having secure guards, the unexpected large-scale assault caught them off guard.
This was still an assault by thousands on the city!
Most of Luoyang’s million residents were not inside the city, but rather in the Guo District and outlying areas.
The guards inside were thinly dispersed across the walls, originally only a couple of thousand, recently increased to seven thousand, yet this northern wall held merely one-fifth of those numbers and not all of them were at their posts.
With the massive number of troops outside showering arrows upon them, they had created a suppressive fire that discouraged the defenders from even peeking out.
Even though the climbing troops faced some limitations, they were already halfway up the wall.
The northern wall was under threat!
Even if the attacking troops politely shouted their commands, it wouldn’t change the fact!
Since Dong Zhuo took over Luoyang, and with a large portion of the Southern Palace burned down, causing a hassle to repair, he claimed he needed to stay close to protect Your Majesty from harm while brazenly occupying the North Palace, he was now situated not far from where the Bingzhou troops were assaulting.
Without waiting for his subordinate to wake him, he was already stirred from his heavy slumber by those sounds.
Years of war in Liangzhou had taught him enough to estimate the number of attackers just from the distant sounds of battle and the tremors beneath.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t good news for him.
At least, over ten thousand were coming!
He donned his armor for safety and shouted at the soldier bringing the news, “How have you all been defending this city? You only notice the Bingzhou army at your doorstep!? You’re all a bunch of useless gluttons!”
The soldier reporting was understandably aggrieved.
Although Qiao Yan did greet them politely before launching combat, the distance from Mangshan to Luoyang wasn’t vast; there wasn’t even time for those soldiers who were a tad slower to properly don their chain mail—at best they had weapons ready for a backup. The first to engage were the guards during the night after all.
Fortunately, none of them had taken advantage of the chaos; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been him reporting to Dong Zhuo, but rather Luoyang having already been breached!
The fact that the opposing side could muster so many troops for the assault, passing through Mangshan without facing any hindrance, and no one preemptively reaching Luoyang to report was indeed a massive oversight by the guards at Mengjin Pass and Xiaopingjin, so they couldn’t place the blame solely on them!
Dong Zhuo had also realized this concern afterward.
Qiao Yan didn’t sprout wings!
No, even if this glorious eleven-time noble and fourteen-time governor had magically grown wings to fly over, her overwhelming number of soldiers couldn’t possibly have flown over from one end of the Yellow River to just jump over Mangshan, directly landing outside Luoyang.
The only explanation was that both Mengjin and Xiaopingjin had indeed been lost! Evidently lost!
“Where are Niu Fu and Xu Rong!” Dong Zhuo fastened his helmet and scolded again.
The reporting soldier spoke softly, “We’re not sure about General Niu’s whereabouts, but Xu Zhonglu is… well, he’s with the attacking forces.”
“What!?” Dong Zhuo froze for a moment, then snapped back with a ferocious expression, “I’ve treated Xu Rong kindly! Is this how he repays me!? Does he really think he can earn merit for rescuing the emperor by attacking Luoyang!?”
But the soldier was just a messenger, not a fighter present in the combat to give Dong Zhuo a concrete explanation.
In the face of imminent danger, Dong Zhuo didn’t have the energy to ponder Xu Rong’s intentions in making this decision.
He immediately summoned Li Ru.
Most of his middle generals and officers had been dispatched to guard, except for minimal pressure at Yi Que and Huan Yuan Passes; he had summoned Guo Si and Zhang Ji back, leaving him without many capable generals nearby.
At most, he had Dong Min guarding the South Gate.
This unavoidably filled him with an unparalleled sense of crisis.
Even during past sieges by the Qiang people, it was nowhere near this intense feeling of danger!
Li Ru had been somewhat speechless at Dong Zhuo’s rash decisions of not listening to his advice and reckoning so terribly, but today Luoyang was in peril; he found himself tied to Dong Zhuo in this predicament, and regardless of their prior grievances, he had to set those aside and devise a strategy for survival.
He quickly replied, “Please act as though you’re firmly holding the North Palace, wear down some of the Bingzhou troops at the north wall and palace wall with defense, and then set the North Palace ablaze, exiting through the East Gate toward the broad street.”
“East Gate?” That would lead him to Duan Wei, who was already in Huayin; they should rather exit through the West Gate instead.
Li Ru said, “Your Majesty’s plans to relocate have already been advertised in Luoyang, and if Qiao Yan sets her mind to it, she will naturally lay in wait at the West Gate. I heard the attackers came from Zhe Long Garden; it’s not impossible for them to take the upper West Gate.”
Seeing Dong Zhuo nodding that Li Ru had a point, he continued, “So it’d be better to head east first, pass through the San Gong residence, and take the direct road before the Southern Palace, then turn west, exiting through the Guangyang Gate. Even if others see through our plan, there should be guards outside the North Palace’s East Gate, and at least their numerical advantage won’t be overwhelming down the broad street. Street battles come down to courage. This is the chance for your Xiliang army to counter!”
“Right, right…” If they limited the scope of battle and the number of combatants, he wouldn’t be as wildly outmatched.
However—
“But if we head straight out to Guangyang Gate towards Chang’an, then the relocation…”
This would entirely ruin their relocation plan.
This would be no different than being driven out of Luoyang!
Dong Zhuo still had quite a few troops; if he could use them to drive the people as a barrier to obstruct Qiao Yan’s pursuit, wouldn’t that be feasible?
Before he could voice that thought, Li Ru quickly interrupted, “Your Majesty, didn’t you hear what Qiao Yan shouted when ordering the attack? It was ‘to deal with the bandits!’ What edict did she follow? Just look at the style of her proclamation; she’s not one to exaggerate. The only possibility is that she genuinely has the late emperor’s secret edict.”
Considering Qiao Yan’s status and meteoric rise, that was indeed highly likely.
“The enemy has the edict—”
“With cavalry and a bunch of chaos, the Chancellor drives the Luoyang residents with no advantage, might even drag himself down!”
“Even if Chang’an is abandoned, it still has two hundred eighty thousand people. If the Chancellor holds the Son of Heaven, he can easily recruit soldiers and refugees. Why worry about not having anyone to use? No need to mind the losses right now,” Li Ru said anxiously, fearing that Dong Zhuo might make some foolish move due to the recent events.
This was no time for the nouveau riche mindset of a certain someone.
Fortunately, Dong Zhuo still listened to his advice.
Li Ru breathed a sigh of relief after receiving a positive response. “When the time comes, let’s exit through Guangyang Gate and enter the Prince’s Lane. The Chancellor can easily gather more hostages after that. To make the Bingzhou army wary, these hostages would be much more useful.”
“You’re right. Hurry up and bring His Majesty and Prince Bian… No, just bring His Majesty. Prince Bian should be killed to show those rebels attacking Luoyang that the Wang of Hongnong was scared to death by them!” Dong Zhuo replied sternly.
After Liu Xie ascended, Liu Bian was given the title of Wang of Hongnong.
Although Dong Zhuo had already killed He Miao and the Empress Dowager, he didn’t actually kill Liu Bian to avoid the crime of killing a prince, but now it wouldn’t matter.
After all, Liu Bian had been scared to death since Dong Zhuo came to the capital and the previous royal family was annihilated; if he died of illness now, it wouldn’t be unbelievable, and they could conveniently pin it on those entering the city.
Bringing one less prince would save a lot of hassle on this journey.
“And those noble families still in Luoyang are just waiting for someone to save them, right? Others might be too late! The sons of the Yuan family in Runan are split between the East and South and clearly don’t care about their fathers’ lives; these relatives are better off as sacrifices for the Wang of Hongnong!”
Dong Zhuo took the long knife handed to him by his servant.
He had gained some weight over the past couple of months of indulgence in Luoyang, but he wasn’t about to go down without a fight.
Li Ru knew better than to urge Dong Zhuo to take the residents of Luoyang; getting away with just the Son of Heaven was difficult enough and trying to take the Wang of Hongnong too would only create more enemies with the Yuan clan, especially after hearing Qiao Yan was attacking and Xu Rong had defected, which seemed nearly impossible, so he held back that thought.
Liu Xie was still too young…
Li Ru’s heart was heavy with worry.
Even though he was eleven, with the rampant wars and diseases around these days, and the harsh conditions in Chang’an, there was a high chance he could be taken by some illness; having the Wang of Hongnong could give them a backup plan.
Too bad… whatever, they could always find two or three Liu family relatives around Chang’an!
As for those from the Yuan family in the capital, killing them wouldn’t be a loss!
Without someone like Yuan Wei connecting them, the influence Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu could wield would definitely take a hit. Those two had already flubbed their chances during the Southern Palace fire and at the meeting in Suanzao, showing no flair compared to Qiao Yan, so they wouldn’t stir up any trouble.
Perfect timing, the Yuan clan was currently being watched over by Dong Zhuo, with everyone except Ma Lun, the Grand Historian appointed by Liu Hong, tightly held in the North Palace, initially aimed as hostages against the Suanzao and Luyang coalition, but now made it convenient for them to take action!
Dong Zhuo issued the command for action and set off with Li Ru towards the North Palace’s northern city wall.
This northern city wall was just a straight shot from the Luoyang north wall, so they could clearly see the soldiers advancing from the summer gate.
The Bingzhou army was indeed quite brave, having occupied the advantage on the northern city wall by now.
Dong Zhuo ordered his men on the North Palace wall to shoot arrows ahead, killing quite a few of the climbing soldiers, but as numbers from the other side increased, they were also met with considerable resistance.
Especially after heavily armored soldiers climbed the wall, with shields and armor protecting them, holding their ground against a lot of arrows.
Because the area of attack from the summer gate to the North Palace was too narrow, the Bingzhou soldiers couldn’t stretch out their numbers and began to spread to the sides, quickly opening the valley gate to let more Bingzhou troops into Luoyang.
As the crowd flowed in, the battlefield’s focus shifted from the northern Luoyang city wall to the North Palace city.
Dong Zhuo gritted his teeth, watching the stream of Bingzhou soldiers pour in, using their shields wisely upfront while they formed their attack ranks, slowly spreading out from outside Yong’an Palace.
This military tactic meant any counterattack from the North Palace wall would be extremely limited in damage to the enemy.
Unless they attacked right then.
But obviously, they were still waiting for a signal.
Dong Zhuo could only watch as a more elite group of soldiers poured out from the valley gate, followed by dozens of cavalry on fine steeds, and then stepping into Luoyang was none other than—
Qiao Yan!
Dong Zhuo hadn’t formally met her before but could easily identify her from this first glance.
Although she wore armor and a helmet, standing a bit taller than other teens her age, it didn’t affect Dong Zhuo’s recognition of her gender.
This fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl could only be Qiao Yan!
And in this stare-off between the walls, her composed yet fierce demeanor starkly contrasted with Dong Zhuo’s expression at that moment.
To Qiao Yan, it was clear that the once-dominant figure of Luoyang, who had weathered so much, could maintain some calm, but the anxiety underlying that calm was unmistakable.
No wonder—after managing to hold a vast fortune, now someone was wielding divine weapons to take away even the outer layer of protection; how could he stay utterly composed while seeing it all about to be plucked away?
Beside Qiao Yan were Lü Bu, Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, Qu Yi, and Xu Rong who had just switched sides, all giving Dong Zhuo the most direct impression of skilled and fierce warriors.
Not to mention, the youthfulness of Qiao Yan and her commands was yet another blow to him.
Perhaps! Perhaps he was getting old!
No, Dong Zhuo suppressed the turmoil in his heart; it was not yet time for him to concede!
If he followed Li Ru’s advice, he could still rise again in Chang’an, waiting for Li Jue, Dong Yue, Hu Zhi, and others to regroup with him, forming a barrier beyond Huayin; wielding the Son of Heaven, he could still be the Chancellor!
Seeing the expression of determination on Dong Zhuo’s face, Qiao Yan pointed her spear in his direction first, “Old thief! You’ve only got this palace city left to protect yourself; why bother clinging to this desperate act? You were a former General; if the late Emperor had given you orders, you could serve as a Governor of Qingzhou, just like I govern my region. If followed properly, after a few years you could even wash away your infamous Western Liang reputation. Why end up in this situation?”
“If you surrender now, you might even keep all your limbs intact.”
Dong Zhuo’s heart seethed with hatred, but his face remained unchanged as he replied loudly, “Then I must ask you, Qiao Hou, why don’t you join forces with your generals and troops and guard Luoyang under the Son of Heaven’s command? I could advocate for you to be made General of Chariots and Cavalry, far more rightful than the self-important title of the Suanzao alliance, and when His Majesty takes charge again, a good name will surely follow; wouldn’t that also be a fine outcome?”
Qiao Yan immediately laughed, the mocking quality of her laughter clear enough for Dong Zhuo to hear.
“Ridiculous! If I truly did what you say, would I be a general for the Son of Heaven or your dog, Dong the Thief? Do you really think I don’t know? You might as well ask, even if you offered immense wealth, who behind me would obey your commands?”
Definitely no one.
Following Dong Zhuo was nothing compared to following Qiao Yan, who held a promising future.
With steel resolve, she asked the next question: “You, a man without loyalty, righteousness, kindness, or mercy, how dare you sit in the temple and seize power, bringing disaster to our Han Dynasty’s foundations!”
She let go of her weapon and extended her hand, prompting Lü Bu to quickly hand her a bow and arrows.
Lü Bu’s three-stone bow was not something just anyone could draw, but during their march up the Máng Mountains, she had managed to increase her strength and archery skills, and it was just within reach!
Standing some distance from the North Palace wall, this armored girl bent her bow and nocked an arrow; as blood-red jade gripped by her thumb was released, the white-feathered arrow hissed through the air.
With the sound of the bowstring yelling in protest, like a flash of white light, it shot straight for Dong Zhuo!
He was about to dodge, only to realize that the shield soldiers in front of him were no pushovers, and this arrow shot cleanly over his head, embedding itself in the castle tower behind him.
The arrow trembled lightly, as if it slapped Dong Zhuo right in the face.
And this was just the beginning.
The girl on horseback, with fierce determination, called out loudly: “Everyone—let’s break the city!”
In the past, He Jin, the Grand General, had pressured the Southern Palace, which held no solid ground; yet as Qiao Yan stepped onto the North Palace, her claims were far more justified.
Behind her, someone raised the imperial edict, shining in the morning light, almost turning her red horse into a ball of flames.
The rising sun was like fire!
Fire…
And it truly burst into flames at this moment!
Just as Dong Zhuo was preparing to battle, he heard cries for help coming from the North Palace.
Turning around, he saw several rooms within the North Palace catching fire, almost as if they mirrored the troops outside.
But at this moment—
It wasn’t yet time for him to burn everything down to make his escape!
