Time flew by, and soon it was the first month of the year.
The tyrannical Emperor Hui of Jin had already decided that this year would be called the first year of Yongxing (304).
Yongxing, meaning "eternal prosperity," was a good omen, but no one knew if this new era name would bring him good fortune and truly bring "eternal prosperity" to the Jin dynasty.
Over at the Piyong Academy, things were mostly calm.
A few days ago, news came from the south that Xianbei cavalry had been raiding the countryside.
However, these barbarian horsemen were cunning.
They avoided the deep, dense forests and the complex, heavily built-up southern part of the city, choosing instead to roam the open plains, intercepting messengers and driving away patrols—though their main goal was still plunder.
No one was foolish.
Sima Ying had invited them to fight, but without offering much in return, so the Xianbei took matters into their own hands.
In the end, it was the people of Luoyang who suffered.
On the eighth day of the first month, seeing the front lines stagnating, Sima Ying, the Prince of Chengdu, sent out messengers repeatedly to urge action.
Nearly half a year had passed since the campaign began.
This was the largest army assembled since the Wei dynasty, and the consumption of supplies was equally massive.
The Hebei region was struggling to keep up, and the people were growing resentful.
The previously defeated rebel armies were showing signs of resurgence.
With the spring planting season approaching next month, if the war wasn't concluded by the first month and the soldiers weren't sent home to farm, the coming year would be even harder for Hebei, and who knew what chaos might erupt.
Especially since Zhang Fang in the western part of the city had twice petitioned to withdraw the troops, though both requests were denied by Chang'an—Sima Yong didn't care about the impact on farming.
But when the news reached Ye City, Sima Ying couldn't sit still any longer.
He even had a premonition of his own defeat, filled with anxiety and unable to rest.
So, he decided to gamble everything and ordered an attack.
The new commander, Qian Xiu, was opposed to the order but had no choice.
He gathered his generals and, after discussion, decided that while they couldn't ignore the Prince of Chengdu's command, they also couldn't fully comply with it.
Thus, a medium-scale attack was launched.
The result was disastrous.
In a straightforward field battle, tens of thousands of Hebei troops were routed, suffering heavy casualties.
By this point, the Hebei army had lost over seventy thousand men, nearly a third of their forces, a devastating blow.
The advisors in Ye City begged Sima Ying to stop reckless fighting.
They couldn't win; it was better to dig in and starve Luoyang into submission.
Sima Ying reluctantly agreed.
This battle had starkly revealed the gap in the quality of troops, forcing him to question whether the decaying hereditary soldiers could still be relied upon as the main force.
When Miao Huang and Shao Xun heard the news a few days later, they were dismayed.
"Three major battles, and the Grand Commander won them all," Miao Huang sighed, his face showing pity.
The first was the Battle of Jianchun Gate, where Sima Yi defeated Lu Ji, killing over thirty thousand.
The second was the Battle of Qianjin'e, where Sima Yi defeated Zhang Fang, killing over five thousand.
The third was the Battle of Luoshui, where Sima Yi defeated Qian Xiu, killing over twenty thousand.
Sima Yi had suffered minor defeats, like at Yanshi and other peripheral battles, but these were small losses.
Moreover, the imperial forces had achieved minor victories in the northern part of the city, defeated Qian Xiu at Dongyang Gate, and killed Meng Chao in the south.
There were quite a few small victories like these.
Overall, in less than half a year, Sima Yong had lost nearly twenty thousand men, Sima Ying had lost over seventy thousand, and Sima Yi's central army in Luoyang had lost over ten thousand.
The casualty ratio looked good, but the situation was becoming increasingly dire.
It was truly bizarre.
By now, even Shao Xun couldn't see a way to win.
"Why the sigh, Commander?" Shao Xun asked.
"After missing two opportunities, the Grand Commander couldn't win anymore. Our army is suited for quick battles, not prolonged ones. It's already the first month; there's not much grain left in the granaries, is there?"
The granaries were located inside Jianchun Gate, serving as the main food storage for Luoyang.
By the time of the Northern Wei, the granaries had moved inside Dongyang Gate.
During the Sui dynasty, due to increasing reliance on water transport, granaries were built outside the city, like the famous Heyin Granary.
The Tang dynasty learned from past mistakes and moved the granaries back inside the city, located in the northeast corner, called the "Hanjia Granary," capable of storing millions of bushels of grain.
"It's almost empty," Miao Huang said.
"The soldiers' rations have been reduced."
"If there's still some left, why reduce the soldiers' rations?"
"Probably the Grand Commander wants to prolong the war," Miao Huang said with a laugh, though he clearly didn't believe it himself.
"How's the situation in Guanzhong?" Shao Xun always felt that Sima Yi lacked the courage to make decisive strategic choices.
Going all-in was a gamble, but did he have any other options?
"Liu Shen has gathered over ten thousand troops from seven counties to attack Chang'an. I heard Sima Yong was in a panic and almost couldn't handle it. But he's tough; he gritted his teeth and didn't recall Zhang Fang's troops, still holding out," Miao Huang said.
Liu Shen had originally been sent by the court to oversee the situation in Shu and suppress Li Liu.
When he reached Chang'an, Sima Yong forcibly kept him as his military advisor and later appointed him as the governor of Yongzhou.
To relieve the pressure on Luoyang's defense, Sima Yi sent an edict to Guanzhong, ordering the counties to rise up and attack Sima Yong.
Seven counties responded, rallying around Liu Shen.
At this point, it's worth mentioning Sima Yan again.
It was he who ordered the disbandment of the county troops, leaving the regions without soldiers.
This time, seven counties combined could only muster over ten thousand troops, most of whom were hastily conscripted farmers, showing just how dire the situation was.
Sima Yong had about the same number of troops left in reserve, so after the initial panic, he bravely decided not to recall Zhang Fang and held on, determined to defeat Sima Yi.
"In Guanzhong, the advantage lies in surprise. The longer it drags on, the more dangerous it becomes," Shao Xun judged.
"The troops from the seven counties are mostly inexperienced, while Sima Yong still has over ten thousand reserves. These men can fight. Even if they were caught off guard at first and suffered losses, once they adjust, Liu Shen's chances aren't great. There's no hope. The Grand Commander is pinning his hopes on outsiders, which is like trying to catch fish by climbing a tree."
"Let's not talk about this anymore," Miao Huang waved his hand, his mood not great.
Although his "boss," Sima Yue, had already contacted several imperial guard commanders and high-ranking officials to betray Sima Yi, seeing Sima Yi win battle after battle yet still heading towards defeat made him feel uneasy and regretful.
"Have you picked the men?" he asked.
"Yes, ten archers and thirty armored soldiers. I didn't tell them what's going on, but I briefed the two squad leaders."
In such matters, it's fine to keep the soldiers in the dark for secrecy, but the direct officers must be informed, or else it's just asking for trouble.
Just like when Sima Yue secretly plotted to backstab Sima Yi, he had to call Shao Xun, the frontline commander, and explain what he was doing.
If Shao Xun had shown up clueless, realized they were targeting Sima Yi, got scared and backed out, or was unprepared and messed up, Sima Yue would have been in trouble.
Sima Yue could keep some of his close advisors in the dark, even his wife Lady Pei, but he absolutely couldn't hide the truth from Shao Xun, the frontline commander.
Because things could go wrong on the ground, and while the soldiers could be clueless, the commander needed to know the details to adapt.
"Are they reliable? What if they hesitate when they see Sima Yi in person?" Miao Huang asked.
"Don't worry, I've picked reliable men," Shao Xun said.
The ten archers were from Li Zhong's squad, led by him personally.
The other thirty were from Shao Xun's "old stock," led by Huang Biao, chosen from the older youths, mostly around seventeen or eighteen.
Besides the soldiers, there were Chen Yougen, Huang Biao, Yang Bao, and Li Zhong.
Yang and Li were purely there to keep an eye on them, to prevent any mischief, even if the chance was slim.
Chen Yougen and Huang Biao knew what was going on.
They were desperadoes, as were the ten archers.
When dealing with Sima Yi, everything else was secondary.
The only thing that mattered was that the men brought along were reliable.
When it was time to act, they had to act.
If they hesitated upon hearing Sima Yi's identity, then it was all over.
So, he brought a mix of desperadoes and die-hard fans to ensure success.
"Try not to harm the Grand Commander," Miao Huang reminded.
"Why?" Shao Xun asked.
Killing and capturing were two different things, with completely different levels of difficulty.
To put it bluntly, given the right opportunity, he could kill Sima Yi with a single arrow.
But capturing him would require close combat with his entourage, which was much more complicated.
"The Minister doesn't want blood on his hands," Miao Huang said.
Shao Xun nodded slightly.
Sima Yue probably wanted to win over the scholars in Sima Yi's camp and the imperial guards.
Especially the latter, since Sima Yi's consecutive victories had boosted his prestige.
If Sima Yue were to kill him outright, it might have negative repercussions.
"When do we act?" Shao Xun asked.
"The Grand Commander has withdrawn from the western part of the city. The Emperor has summoned him for a commendation. We'll return tomorrow and prepare in advance. You handle things here; don't let anything go wrong."
"Don't worry, before we leave, I'll take Yang Bao and Li Zhong with me. As for Piyong, it's best if you stay here and oversee things," Shao Xun said.
"This..."
Miao Huang hesitated slightly.
"Commander," Shao Xun looked him in the eye, "I'm not ungrateful. Capturing Sima Yi was your plan, meticulously arranged. I'm just carrying out your orders."
Miao Huang nodded awkwardly, "In that case, I'll go into the city tonight and report to the Minister."
The city gates were definitely closed at night, but he could enter via a basket.
After a moment of hesitation, Miao Huang added, "You know how important this is. We only have one chance. Don't hesitate."
Shao Xun smiled and hefted his heavy sword, "I understand. At this point, I have no choice but to carve out a future with this sword."
The struggles of a small man, huh.
To climb higher, gain more status and resources, offending people, doing dirty work, risking one's life—none of it can be avoided.
Once the two had settled their plans, they said no more.
That night, Miao Huang quietly returned to Luoyang and came back in the early hours.
He had obtained permission to stay at Piyong, which relieved Shao Xun.
Early the next morning, as Yu Wenjun struggled to carry a pot of food outside, she saw Shao Xun, carrying a heavy sword and a bow, surrounded by his men, heading out.
As if sensing something, he turned and glanced back.
The golden sunlight fell on him, and the smile on his lips was bright, yet with a hint of cruelty.
Yu Wenjun put down the pot and watched silently until the group disappeared.
She was eight years old, with sharp intuition.
This was a man completely different from her brother.
Does killing so many people make you like this?
Please come back safely.
(End of Chapter)