Chapter 400 Battle of Luoyang, Revisited – Part 1 (1/2)
Chapter 400 – Battle of Luoyang, Revisited – Part 1
June, 191 AD.
Cao Cao received a decree from Tong, which related to the emergence of Yuan Shu's Zhong Dynasty.
The order was simple. They had to cooperate with Liu Biao to defeat the traitors.
Received the imperial decree, Cao Cao, Guo Jia, and Xu Chu moved to Xuchang with half of their army, leaving Xiahou Yuan to oversee the southern campaign.
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July, 191 AD.
Cao Cao organized 40,000 soldiers and made their way to Hulao Gate. He took many commanders and strategists with the army, such as Cheng Yu, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, Li Dian, Cao Xiu, and Guo Jia.
Liu Biao Army, led by Huang Zu and Huang Zhong, besieged the Wan City of Yuan Shu. Liu Pan, a nephew of Liu Biao, also joined them.
Also, the Ghost Legion, led by Zhang He, would participate in this joint campaign. Zhang He's assisting generals, Han Hao, Qu Yi, and Gao Lan, also came with them.
The strategist of Zhang He was Xun You of the Xun Clan, the cousin of Tong's personal advisor, Xun Yu.
Like how they battled the Xiongnu, 60,000 men from Henei gathered at Port Wen, getting ready to cross the Yellow River to siege Luoyang directly.
Meanwhile, Yuan Shu was not that stupid to self-proclaim himself an emperor unprepared. He requested support from his ally, the Xiongnu, by giving them tributes.
Li Ru, the former strategist of Dong Zhuo, led a force of 30,000 copies of Xiliang Cavalry and 20,000 cataphracts to Luoyang. On their way, they forced Yuan Yin, the honest governor of Hongnong, to conscript their troops to help them in this defense.
Yuan Yin turned to Liu Bei and his brothers, ordering him to join this battle with Hongnong conscripted soldiers.
At first, Liu Bei had planned to rebel against this person, but he received a secret proposal from Li Ru's messenger.
Li Ru was aware of Liu Bei's position in this city, and he decided to tempt him.
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[Lord Liu Bei,
Our princess has noticed that your brothers had awakened to immortal power, but they do not have a mentor to guide them. Without a mentor, they would not be able to use their power efficiently like our lord.
We are also aware of your difficulties during the turbulent time, and we are willing to give you a hand.
Moreover, we are willing to support you if you wish to obtain a province to be your home base in the future.
There is only one condition. Work with us and fight against Zhang Tong, the tyrant emperor that you despises. Then, we will give you our lord's secret cultivation technique that will help you and your brothers enhancing your power.
Sincerely,
Li Ru, the Administrator of Chang'An.]
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Liu Bei turned this letter to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to consult with them. Both of his brothers agreed that they should use whatever necessary to break free from this predicament and this war. Also, sabotaging Tong's armies and allies was a good idea since they were aiming to restore the Han Dynasty from the outsiders. Having a [Zhang] as the Han emperor was unacceptable to these brothers.
As such, Guan Yu led a force of 30,000 men to Luoyang, planning to fight against Tong's Ghost Legion. As for Liu Bei and Zhang Fei, they stayed behind in Hongnong, just in case they required to betray Yuan Yin and open the gates for Liu Biao's forces.
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Wen Port, southwest of Henei
Banners, [Ghost], fluttered in the wind inside the camp north of Yellow River. Also, many flags of generals presented as well.
However, a new banner caught the eyes of all soldiers.
[Liu]
Liu Xie, by Tong's order, had to join this battle as a reserve force commander to gain real combat experience. His followers, Wei Yan, Liu Ye, and Sima Yi, also joined him in this deployment.
Unfortunately, Cao Ang and Zhang Min were barred from participating since their status was different. Cao Ang was still serving as a hostage while Zhang Min was a princess. Sending both of them to the battlefield would make the battle more complicated than necessary.
The 10-year-old child, Liu Xie, attended the strategic meeting with sweat all over his face. Even a child could tell that he was nervous. Fortunately, Sima Yi and others stood behind him, giving him courage.
Zhang He gazed at these youngsters with a wry smile. He recalled the old memory when he first met Tong.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please clickfor visiting.
At that time, he was as young as Sima Yi and Wei Yan. He also never dreamt that he would become a general with 60,000 men serving under him.
Now, looking back, he felt it was funny to see promising youths following his footsteps. Zhang He believed that, soon, these people would become another pillar for Tong's country.