The next half-month passed relatively peacefully.
On the fifteenth day of the tenth month, Pei Sixteen visited the Piyong Academy.
After a secret discussion that lasted half a day, he left and that very night, he entered Luoyang City by a hanging basket, heading straight for the Minister of Works' residence.
Sima Yue was hosting a family banquet to entertain several guests.
Present were members of the Pei family, Pei Dun and Pei Xia, as well as generals from the Donghai Kingdom, He Lun and Wang Bing.
Also in attendance were Princess Pei and the heir, Sima Pi.
The presence of the Pei family members was expected, but the fact that He Lun and Wang Bing were allowed into the inner chambers was quite telling.
It could be said that Sima Yue regarded these two as his most trusted confidants; otherwise, he would never have allowed the princess and the heir to meet them.
To put it bluntly, if Sima Yue were to face a great calamity in the future and needed to entrust his wife and children to someone, He Lun and Wang Bing would undoubtedly be the first choices.
Thus, the two were extremely excited, their demeanor respectful and cautious, not daring to look around too much for fear of offending the noble guests.
Princess Pei sat there leisurely, quietly listening to the conversation.
"Grand Marshal Sima Yi, leading the imperial forces, has achieved a great victory over Zhang Fang, securing victories on both the eastern and western fronts. The situation in Luoyang has turned from peril to safety overnight," He Lun said with great enthusiasm.
Though he came from a prominent family, He Lun had spent many years in the military camps and was not particularly deep-thinking.
He got excited whenever the topic of battle came up.
For the imperial forces in Luoyang, the tenth month was indeed a dreamlike period.
At the beginning of the month, during the Battle of Jianchun Gate, they had crushed the forces from Jizhou, beheading tens of thousands and killing sixteen generals, including Ma Xian and Jia Chong.
The dead piled up so high that the water in the rivers stopped flowing.
Lu Ji and Shi Chao fled under the cover of night, not daring to look back.
Subsequently, Grand Marshal Sima Yi led his troops to the western part of the city and defeated Zhang Fang once more, beheading over five thousand enemy soldiers.
Since September, Zhang Fang had lost over ten thousand men, while Lu Ji had lost fifty to sixty thousand.
The imperial forces, on the other hand, had only suffered around ten thousand casualties, achieving an unprecedented victory.
Of course, there were still underlying concerns.
The majority of the imperial casualties were from the relatively elite Luoyang Central Army, not the hastily conscripted soldiers from Sizhou or the local men of Luoyang—no one cared much about these losses, but upon closer examination, the actual casualty ratio was likely less than 1:3.
The Central Army originally had only fifty to sixty thousand men.
Before the battle, about twenty thousand had defected, leaving only thirty thousand inside and outside the city.
Losing a third of their remaining forces in a single month was indeed painful.
But to secure victory, they had no choice but to push these men to their limits, which was a difficult situation.
Thinking of this, He Lun couldn't help but sigh.
Not long ago, the Luoyang Central Army had over a hundred thousand soldiers, well-armored, well-trained, and formidable in battle, keeping the local militias and border tribes in check.
Yet in just a few years, the once-mighty army of a hundred thousand had been nearly depleted by civil war.
It was a bitter irony.
"I don't think it's that simple," Wang Bing said timidly.
"The enemy forces have retreated to regroup and seem intent on fighting again."
Wang Bing was a descendant of Wang Lang, the Minister of Works, and came from an old aristocratic family in Donghai.
Unlike He Lun, who was a nouveau riche, Wang Bing should not have been so timid.
However, he had suffered a defeat outside the city, losing five hundred Donghai soldiers and nearly a thousand Sizhou militiamen, which had become part of Zhang Fang's achievements.
Thus, he had little to boast about now.
When Wang Bing spoke, Princess Pei glanced at him subtly, her heart filled with indescribable emotions.
When they had retreated from Panyuan, she had intended to bring Mi Huang and Shao Xun's troops into the city but had failed.
This wasn't a big deal—after all, Wang Bing's troops hadn't made it into the city either.
But she had sent Pei Sixteen to Piyong several times, and Shao Xun had always been respectful, never complaining, and had even privately expressed his loyalty, which made her feel a bit guilty.
When Lu Ji had gathered his forces and surrounded Luoyang from all sides, though she was reluctant to admit it, she had felt a twinge of worry—like one would for a pet they had raised for a long time, it was impossible not to feel some attachment.
Fortunately, Shao Xun had given her a pleasant surprise.
According to Pei Xia, Shao Xun had single-handedly slain the enemy general Meng Chao, then stood his ground with his sword drawn, causing over a thousand enemy soldiers to hesitate and eventually scatter.
What bravery! What heroism!
When she first heard the news, she had been stunned for a long time.
Only after repeated confirmations did she finally feel at ease.
She was somewhat puzzled.
Wang Bing was supposed to be a seasoned general, so why was he so ineffective in battle, even compared to a young man like Shao Xun? It was truly baffling.
But now, seeing Wang Bing's dejected appearance, she thought she understood.
Shao Xun, when he was bold, was indeed bold, even daring to look at her inappropriately.
Wang Bing, on the other hand, didn't even dare to look at her directly, always cautious and timid.
Perhaps the military needed a bit of that fearless spirit—that was the conclusion she had reached.
Of course, while Wang Bing, the old military hand, often avoided looking directly at her, Princess Pei still found his gaze somewhat repulsive.
Shao Xun, on the other hand, had occasionally let his eyes linger on her chest, but she thought it was just the admiration of a young man, not as vulgar as it might seem, and thus forgivable.
"Those two indeed have not given up," Sima Yue's low voice interrupted Princess Pei's reverie.
She stood up and poured her husband a full cup of wine.
Sima Yue picked up the wine cup and said expressionlessly, "This war is far from over. However, from what I gather, the Grand Marshal seems inclined to negotiate peace while we have the upper hand."
"Negotiate peace?" He Lun was surprised.
With consecutive victories, the Hebei forces had fled twenty miles east, and Zhang Fang from Guanzhong had retreated west to the Thirteen Mile Bridge.
With such favorable conditions, why would they consider peace talks?
"Is it because of insufficient food supplies?" Pei Xia asked from the side.
Sima Yue's expression froze for a moment before he smiled and looked at Pei Xia.
"Shu Dao, you are indeed clever. Wang Yifu has found a good son-in-law. Indeed, food supplies are quite insufficient, and the Grand Marshal is very troubled, unsure of what to do.
Thus, he has made two preparations. If the Princes of Chengdu and Hejian are willing to negotiate peace, then so be it. If not, we will send envoys to contact the governors of Yong and Liang provinces, ordering them to march on Chang'an and drive back one of the enemy forces.
We will also contact Bingzhou, Youzhou, and the border tribes, urging them to move south and harass the rear of Ye City."
Pei Xia, being perceptive, noticed the fleeting complex emotions on Sima Yue's face—displeasure, jealousy? He didn't dare to dwell on it and simply said, "This strategy is brilliant and well thought out."
Sima Yue nodded.
"Therefore, we must not slack off. You all need to continue training your troops and recruiting talented individuals. In times like these, one brave and capable warrior is worth more than two empty talkers."
At this point, his gaze turned back to Pei Xia.
"Shu Dao, the Shao Xun you mentioned earlier is indeed a military officer from Donghai. I had no idea he was so brave. We almost overlooked him."
Princess Pei was quietly reprimanding her eight-year-old son, seemingly oblivious to the conversation.
Some things were better left unsaid; bringing them up oneself would only make things awkward.
When Pei Xia had visited the prince's residence and mentioned Shao Xun, Princess Pei had not shown too much emotion but had subtly steered the conversation, deepening Pei Xia's impression of Shao Xun.
This was the right approach.
In her view, she was merely recruiting talent for the family and building good relationships, with no personal motives.
At today's family banquet, Sima Yue had brought up Shao Xun again, clearly due to Pei Xia's efforts.
This was good.
Having a capable general in the treacherous environment of Luoyang provided an extra layer of security.
"That man—he's truly impressive," Pei Xia seemed to recall the events of that day.
Though their own drumming had played a part, and the overall momentum of the battlefield had influenced the outcome, the fact that Shao Xun had slain enemy generals was undeniable.
Times were different now compared to the days of conquering Wu and Shu.
The elite troops and generals had dwindled significantly.
Whether it was the Luoyang Central Army or the local militias, their overall combat effectiveness was declining, and talented individuals were scarce, if not entirely absent.
Sima Hu, the Minister of War, had once slain sixteen enemy generals in a single battle, a feat that could silence crying children in Hebei.
Gou Xi had repeatedly defeated enemy forces in the northern part of the city, striking fear into the enemy.
Shao Xun had broken through enemy lines and slain generals, displaying remarkable bravery and heroism that earned admiration.
But there were only a few like them, and among the three, two had no noble background, while one was of humble origins, which was quite frustrating.
In an era of declining martial virtue, finding a capable general was difficult, which was why the Minister of Works valued Shao Xun so highly.
What was even more remarkable was that Shao Xun was from Donghai, making him naturally trustworthy.
"Haha," seeing Pei Xia's look of admiration, Sima Yue laughed heartily.
"Mi Zihui also mentioned Shao Xun to me. He's one of our own, just turning seventeen this year. Truly a young man of great promise."
"My lord has found a talented individual. This calls for a toast," Princess Pei said softly, pouring Sima Yue another cup of wine.
Sima Yue was even more pleased and downed the cup in one gulp.
"My lord, since Shao Xun is only sixteen, if properly nurtured, he could serve for decades. Not only would you benefit, but our son could also make use of him," Princess Pei added.
"There are rumors among the servants that Shao Xun was taught martial and literary skills by a divine being and came to serve you. Could this be a sign of heaven's favor?"
"Heaven's favor…" Sima Yue paused, his face slowly flushing.
Heaven's favor!
He had been drinking and was already a bit tipsy.
Hearing the words "heaven's favor" seemed to strike a chord within him.
Was heaven helping him?
Thinking of all the times he had humbled himself, flattered others, and even been secretly mocked by the nobility, Sima Yue suddenly felt a pang of sadness.
His life had been so difficult!
Did they think he enjoyed groveling and flattering others? Did they think he was so foolish as to constantly switch allegiances, enduring ridicule and disdain?
We are all princes of the same bloodline.
Why should I be so lowly?
No, not anymore!
Sima Yue shook his head unconsciously.
Princess Pei stood up again, gently patting his shoulder as if to comfort him.
Sima Yue was touched.
His wife still cared for him.
As for Shao Xun, if he truly was a star general descended from heaven, then they should test his loyalty.
If he proved to be a loyal and righteous man, he could be greatly utilized.
Sima Yue had already thought of a task he could assign to Shao Xun in the future.
If Shao Xun could accomplish it, then his loyalty would be proven, and he could be groomed for greater things.
(End of Chapter)