After entering Luoyang, Shangguan Si glanced nervously at the city gates, which had not yet been closed.
It had been a ridiculous and humiliating defeat.
In truth, not many had died, but the retreat had been uncontrollable.
Everyone had fled, each thinking only of their own survival, turning tail at the slightest sign of danger.
Some stopped running after a while, waiting to see how the situation would unfold.
Others fled south without pause.
A few brave souls headed north, seemingly intent on rescuing the emperor, but such people were few and far between.
Most of them were quickly surrounded by the Ye army and annihilated within a day.
Thankfully, I’m not that foolish! Shangguan Si thought to himself.
"General Chen—" Shangguan Si turned to General Chen Zhen, who had accompanied him back, and spoke.
"General Shangguan, this is where we part ways," Chen Zhen said, clasping his hands in salute from atop his horse.
"I’ll take my men and find a place to regroup. No need for you to trouble yourself."
Chen Zhen held a higher rank than Shangguan Si, but his old troops had been decimated at Dangyin, leaving him with fewer than a thousand men.
In contrast, Shangguan Si’s forces, though battered, had managed to retreat with over three thousand soldiers.
Along the way, he had absorbed fleeing troops, swelling his numbers to over seven thousand.
Chen Zhen was no match for him now.
After saluting, Chen Zhen left as if eager to avoid Shangguan Si.
Shangguan Si’s eyes flickered with conflict, but in the end, he did not give the order to attack.
It wasn’t the right time yet.
Such a move would frighten too many people, including—
"General Shangguan, now that we’ve entered the city, shouldn’t we…?" Crown Prince Sima Tan, seated in a carriage, suddenly spoke up.
The crown prince was only ten years old, but that didn’t stop him from recognizing Shangguan Si’s ambitions.
This man had been courteous and attentive throughout the journey, but he had also prevented the prince from leaving alone and had his trusted men closely monitor him, cutting off all contact with others.
What was he planning? It wasn’t hard to guess.
"Haha," Shangguan Si laughed.
"Your Highness, don’t worry. We’ll escort you to the palace shortly."
The crown prince’s face paled, and he stammered a few words before falling silent, intimidated by the gleaming weapons around him.
Shangguan Si gave the prince a sly glance, then turned to Miao Yuan, who had approached.
"How many troops do you have left?"
"About four thousand," Miao Yuan replied.
He had started with only two thousand men but had absorbed some fleeing soldiers, bringing his numbers up to just over four thousand.
"Let’s combine our forces," Shangguan Si said with a low chuckle.
"The Prince of Donghai’s fate is unknown. The emperor and the officials are far away in Ye. It’s time for someone else to take charge of Luoyang."
Miao Yuan felt a stirring of ambition but hesitated.
"What, are you scared?" Shangguan Si’s expression darkened.
"Have you forgotten about Zhang Fang?" Miao Yuan asked.
"Some fleeing soldiers mentioned seeing the western troops turning toward Luoyang. If we don’t deal with Zhang Fang, nothing else matters."
"That is indeed a concern," Shangguan Si admitted, his ambition momentarily tempered.
"Between the two of us, we have over ten thousand men. Add in the forces of Man Fen and Mi Huang in the city, and we have a sizable army. How many troops does Zhang Fang have? I say we take our entire force out and crush the western troops. With such a victory, who in the city would dare oppose us? Even Commander Mi Huang might join us. With Sima Yue’s fate unknown, hasn’t he thought about what to do next?"
Miao Yuan seemed to find this reasoning persuasive.
The fleeing soldiers they had absorbed were a mixed bunch, but among them were many seasoned veterans.
Shangguan Si himself commanded over three thousand elite troops, a formidable force.
Last year, when Zhang Fang had led seventy thousand troops to the border, Sima Yi had repeatedly defeated him with the central army, killing twenty thousand and forcing the western troops to retreat to their camps, too afraid to fight.
Given that, perhaps they could take on Zhang Fang?
Seeing the change in Miao Yuan’s expression, Shangguan Si knew he had convinced him.
"Don’t worry about the men’s morale," he said with a smile.
"Oh? How do you plan to boost their spirits?" Miao Yuan asked.
"Look—" Shangguan Si pointed with his whip and laughed heartily.
Miao Yuan turned to see soldiers rushing into the streets, hacking and slashing with swords and axes, even breaking down doors.
Behind the doors came cries of alarm and the wailing of women and children.
Miao Yuan’s face turned pale as he realized what Shangguan Si intended: plunder.
"Come, let’s escort the crown prince to the palace," Shangguan Si said, pulling Miao Yuan along with a laugh.
Miao Yuan forced a smile and followed reluctantly.
If he had no ambition, why would he have gotten involved with Shangguan Si in the first place?
There had been no news of the Prince of Donghai, Sima Yue.
Perhaps he had panicked during his escape and been killed in some village.
Even if he had survived and escaped, could he ever rise again? Based on Miao Yuan’s "extensive" political experience, it seemed unlikely.
So why not take a gamble? If he could take control of Luoyang, wielding power and authority, wouldn’t that be wonderful? Even if the emperor returned later, they could surrender Luoyang and claim credit for it.
With that thought, Miao Yuan steeled his resolve.
The sprawling mansion was not easy to pack up, but the master of the house could leave first.
When Shao Xun arrived at the Minister of Works’ residence with over a thousand armored soldiers from the front and rear battalions of the lower army, Lady Pei had already been waiting inside the gates for some time, holding the hand of the heir.
"The outside seems chaotic?" Lady Pei asked, unable to hide her concern.
She was intelligent and resourceful, but some people didn’t play by those rules.
Zhang Fang, Shangguan Si, and their ilk couldn’t match her in schemes and cunning, so they resorted to brute force.
How could one deal with that?
"Your Ladyship, rest assured. I have a plan," Shao Xun said, fully armored with a bow on his left, a sword on his right, and a heavy blade on his back, ready for battle.
"Mm," Lady Pei responded softly, taking the heir’s hand and boarding the carriage.
She felt fortunate.
She had first met Shao Xun two years ago.
At the time, a squad leader named Yang Bao had secretly reported that Shao Xun was "gathering young men in secret."
Mi Huang had informed her, and it had truly frightened her.
By a twist of fate, she had decided to let him go.
Now, two years later, she was reaping the rewards of that decision.
What had her state of mind been back then? Frightened by the news brought by her cousin and niece, she had made that decision out of fear.
If they hadn’t visited her, if they hadn’t mentioned the terrifying events in Bingzhou, perhaps things would have turned out differently.
Such was the way of the world.
She had been lucky.
"Let’s go!" Shao Xun mounted his horse and gave the order.
Officers barked commands, and soon the thousand armored soldiers formed into four columns, marching toward Jinyong City.
The streets were eerily empty, the sound of footsteps echoing.
In the eastern part of the city, flames were already rising into the sky.
Luoyang was once again plunged into disaster, this time at the hands of its own people.
Shao Xun suddenly felt a sense of absurdity.
He had carefully planned to maintain the fragile balance in Luoyang, trying to preserve the city for the local forces in the wake of the northern campaign’s failure—to some extent, Sima Yue, Mi Huang, and Shao Xun himself were all part of Luoyang’s local forces.
The troops causing chaos now, Shangguan Si’s men, might also be part of Luoyang’s local forces.
But they were shortsighted and unrestrained.
Upon realizing they were the largest military force in Luoyang, their first instinct had been to loot.
Had they been too poor for too long?
"Commander Shao, can the Kingdom Army fight? Can they defeat Shangguan Si and Miao Yuan?" Lady Pei asked as the carriage moved.
"Your Ladyship, Shangguan Si and Miao Yuan are cautious. They’ve set up barricades at intersections and stationed soldiers there. It won’t be easy to break through. Their troops include many seasoned veterans from the central army, making them a formidable force. The Kingdom Army has too many new recruits. If we attack, the outcome is uncertain," Shao Xun replied.
"If the Kingdom Army can control the situation in Luoyang and repel Zhang Fang, it would also preserve a retreat for the Minister of Works," Lady Pei sighed, then fell silent.
Shao Xun pondered this.
If Mi Huang could successfully defend Luoyang, would Sima Yue return? It was hard to say—at best, a fifty-fifty chance.
Moreover, there had been no news of him.
What if he was dead?
At this point, history could only serve as a reference, not something to be fully trusted.
Shao Xun even suspected that the timing of Sima Yue’s northern campaign had already diverged from history, making accidents possible.
He had sent Chen Yougen north to investigate and repeatedly questioned fleeing soldiers, but no definite news had emerged.
Regardless, he planned to wait and see.
The carefully laid plans to control Luoyang, gain military achievements, and build a reputation had completely fallen apart.
Now it was time for Plan B: hold Jinyong City.
He wanted to see what Shangguan Si would do with a stubborn thorn like him planted in the northwest of Luoyang.
Jinyong City soon came into view.
He Lun and Wang Bing came out to greet them, bowing deeply upon seeing Lady Pei and the heir.
"Generals, there’s no need for such formalities," Lady Pei said, holding the heir’s hand.
"The Minister of Works’ northern campaign has ended in failure, and his fate is unknown. Now, as a widow and orphan, we are filled with anxiety and must rely on you all."
Her voice trembled slightly, on the verge of tears.
He Lun and Wang Bing’s eyes reddened.
He Lun sighed deeply and said, "We came from Donghai and will stand united. In the Minister’s absence, all matters in Jinyong City will be decided by Your Ladyship and the heir."
"Whether we stay or leave, Your Ladyship and the heir shall decide. We will follow your orders," Wang Bing added.
"My intention is to hold out and wait for an opportunity. What do you think, Generals?" Lady Pei asked.
"We will follow Your Ladyship’s command," He Lun and Wang Bing said in unison.
Lady Pei nodded lightly and led the heir into the city.
Shao Xun approached He Lun and Wang Bing, and the three exchanged glances, each sighing.
The situation was too murky, and no one could see the future clearly.
In such times, the three men, all from the same hometown, felt a natural closeness.
Past minor conflicts and disputes now seemed trivial.
He Lun and Wang Bing no longer thought about positions in the imperial guard.
Shao Xun no longer fantasized about single-handedly defending Luoyang and achieving unparalleled feats.
In this chaotic world, plans often couldn’t keep up with changes.
They could only adapt as they went.
Weakness was a sin, and their strength was ultimately insufficient.
(End of Chapter)