On the chaotic battlefield, Zhang Fang laughed cruelly.
When he first saw the banner of Shangguan Si, he almost thought he was mistaken.
Who was Shangguan Si to command tens of thousands of troops?
He still remembered that at the end of last year, Shangguan Si, as a staff member of the Yi Mansion, was transferred to the imperial guards and given the title of "Great General."
However, he had never commanded more than five thousand soldiers, and his clumsy tactics often led to humiliating defeats.
His skills were nothing special.
After hastily interrogating the prisoners, Zhang Fang learned that Shangguan Si was now in charge of the city.
This made him both amused and ambitious.
Perhaps he could send cavalry to seize the gates swiftly and try to capture Luoyang.
The thought consumed him, and he couldn't suppress it.
The generals were equally excited, clamoring to enter the city.
They coveted the wealth of the noble families.
They desired the treasures within the imperial palace.
They longed to see the once-unattainable noblewomen weeping and humiliated beneath them.
The mere thought was enough to make them tremble with excitement.
The robbery at the beginning of the year had ended too quickly, leaving them unsatisfied.
Thus, the proposal to plunder the city was unanimously approved without a single dissenting voice.
Zhang Fang wasted no time.
He immediately ordered Zhi Fu to gather the cavalry and charge toward the Great Xia Gate.
By then, the fastest fleeing soldiers had already reached the city gates.
The guards, with their crossbows ready, looked to Shangguan Pu for orders.
Shangguan Pu, Shangguan Si's younger cousin, was stationed inside the gate with two thousand men, ready to assist.
Shangguan Si had made it clear: the gates were not to be closed until he returned, lest they be "harmed by petty men."
Shangguan Pu understood his brother's distrust of Wang Yan, Mi Huang, and Man Fen, fearing they might seize the opportunity to close the gates and take control of Luoyang.
He steadfastly followed the order, ignoring the anxious looks and urgent pleas from those around him, focusing only on the scene outside the city.
The thunderous sound of hooves grew closer.
Anyone with experience knew that the enemy, emboldened by their victory, was sending cavalry to seize the gates.
"General, if the fleeing soldiers break through, our formation will collapse, and chaos will ensue..." someone finally stepped forward to warn.
Shangguan Pu hesitated.
In that moment of hesitation, the first wave of fleeing soldiers surged through the gates, jostling and cramming the gate passage.
"General, we can't close the gates now. Let loose the arrows!" another urged.
Shangguan Pu's face twisted in indecision, unable to make up his mind.
The delay allowed the flood of fleeing soldiers to overwhelm the crossbowmen, sweeping them back in a chaotic retreat.
"It's over..."
Shangguan Pu's mind went blank as he stumbled backward, surrounded by his guards.
When Shao Xun met Mi Huang, the three thousand soldiers of the lower army were already prepared, waiting for orders in the camp.
"Shangguan Si, seeing the enemy come from afar with weak forces, decided to overwhelm them with numbers. He led over ten thousand men out of the Great Xia Gate to engage the enemy. It seems they are about to be defeated. I don't know how many will return. Young master, quickly lead the lower army out of the city and defend the Great Xia Gate," Mi Huang said, sweating profusely and speaking in a hurry.
"Why not close the gates?" Shao Xun asked while ordering his officers to prepare the troops.
The three thousand soldiers, already ready, sprang into action.
They formed rough units and began exiting the city in batches.
"Shangguan Si's men are guarding the Great Xia Gate. We can't close it," Mi Huang replied.
In truth, he had considered the issue and concluded that Shangguan Si wasn't foolish enough to leave the gates unguarded.
"What does the commander plan to do?" Shao Xun, now fully armored and wearing a red headband, asked solemnly.
"Young master, make the decision yourself," Mi Huang said decisively.
"Go to the Great Xia Gate first. I will follow with the rest of the troops."
"Alright," Shao Xun replied.
He had wanted to ask if Mi Huang dared to take a risk, but seeing his determination, he said no more.
Surrounded by his instructors, he mounted his horse and charged out.
Jinyong City was close to the Great Xia Gate, and they arrived in moments.
Seeing the chaotic flood of fleeing soldiers surging into the city, Shao Xun's expression changed.
Plans had gone awry.
All strategies were now useless.
The priority was to stop the chaos.
"Archers, forward! Shoot!" he ordered decisively.
Li Zhong, the leader of the front unit, understood the gravity of the situation.
Without needing further instructions, he ordered the crossbowmen forward to fire, blocking the fleeing soldiers.
At the same time, he divided the two hundred archers into three groups: one hundred in front to support the crossbowmen, and the remaining hundred split into two groups to climb onto the rooftops on either side, shooting from above.
This would not only block the fleeing soldiers but also kill any enemy troops that might follow.
His mind was clear, and he adapted quickly—a rare talent.
"Yu An!" Shao Xun called.
"Here."
"Take a hundred men and gather all the carts and wagons you can find. Bring them to the street to build barricades."
"Yes, sir."
After giving Yu An his orders, Shao Xun called for a messenger and instructed him to return to Jinyong City to ask Commander Mi to bring barricades.
With everything arranged, Shao Xun drew his heavy sword and ordered the shield bearers to the front, followed by the spearmen, ready for battle.
Chen Yougen, clad in heavy armor, led a hundred elite instructors to surround Shao Xun.
In the many battles of Luoyang, Shao Xun had been wounded five times, a grim reminder of the dangers.
This couldn't continue.
Who knew if the next stray arrow might take Shao Xun's life? This was unacceptable.
Chen Yougen was waiting for Shao Xun to fulfill his promise and distribute land to the brothers.
"Woo..."
A deep horn sounded.
Following it was a dense rain of arrows.
The fleeing soldiers, like grass before a strong wind, fell to the ground.
The archers were seasoned veterans.
They watched indifferently, firing without pause.
On either side, groups of spearmen moved forward, stabbing any fleeing soldiers who survived the arrows and slowing their advance to buy more time for the archers.
Soon, more archers climbed onto the rooftops.
They calmly nocked their arrows, occasionally shooting at the fleeing soldiers but mostly keeping their eyes on the city gates.
"Mi Huang, you will die a terrible death!" Shangguan Pu cried out in despair from the crowd of fleeing soldiers.
Shao Xun noticed him, handed his heavy sword to Chen Yougen, and nocked an arrow.
"There are no good people in Luoyang City," he sighed softly.
The bowstring twanged, and the arrow flew through the air, striking Shangguan Pu in the face.
The rain of arrows continued, and the streets were littered with corpses, rivers of blood flowing.
Those in front fell, and those behind stumbled over the bodies, desperately trying to escape.
Some were hit by arrows but not yet dead, struggling to rise and flee.
Some crawled on the ground, wailing and begging the lower army soldiers to let them pass.
Others frantically banged on the doors of nearby houses, trying to hide.
But it was useless.
The archers, like enforcers of military discipline, shot anyone who ran amok, friend or foe.
Humans are fragile, and blood eventually runs dry.
After suffering hundreds of casualties from the archers' onslaught, the fleeing soldiers finally came to their senses and stopped surging backward.
Shao Xun called for a messenger and gave instructions.
Soon, a dozen men climbed onto the rooftops and began shouting.
"Anyone who runs amok will be killed without mercy!"
"Turn back and fight the enemy! Extra rewards for those who do!"
"The enemy cavalry is coming, but their horses are exhausted!"
"The streets are narrow, perfect for killing the enemy!"
Under their repeated shouts, the fleeing soldiers looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
Finally, some of the veteran soldiers gritted their teeth, turned around, and stepped forward with their spears.
The others followed suit, quietly awaiting their fate.
The non-veteran fleeing soldiers, inspired by them, nervously picked up weapons from the ground, preparing to fight the western troops.
"Clop, clop..."
The sound of hooves was now close at hand.
In an instant, the first group of several dozen cavalrymen charged in.
Seeing the dense array of spears, they were shocked but had no time to slow down.
They crashed into the formation.
Horses and men tumbled in chaos.
The leading western cavalrymen fell to the ground, and those behind them hastily tried to slow down.
But more cavalrymen were coming from behind, all crammed together.
In the narrow streets and gate passage, horses neighed, and chaos reigned.
"Kill the enemy!" The archers on the rooftops fired continuously, picking off the clearly visible cavalrymen one by one.
The fleeing soldiers regained their composure.
The bold ones stabbed with their spears, knocking cavalrymen off their horses.
Others slashed at the horses' legs, and when the panicked horses threw their riders, the waiting soldiers rushed forward and hacked the fallen cavalrymen to death.
It was a pity that double stirrups and high saddles hadn't been invented yet.
Without proper support for their legs and waists, the cavalrymen struggled in battle, and their large size made them easy targets.
One by one, they fell to the ground and were killed by the fleeing soldiers.
It was almost a repeat of the Battle of Jieqiao between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan—where the front cavalry was decimated by arrows, and the bodies of men and horses created obstacles.
The following cavalry, unable to gain speed, was slaughtered by Yuan Shao's infantry, resulting in a crushing defeat.
Now, the situation bore a striking resemblance.
The gate passage was packed with western cavalry.
Some realized something was wrong and dismounted to fight on foot.
Others sat dumbly on their horses, shouting orders.
The fleeing soldiers killed over a hundred cavalrymen, and their morale began to rise.
They charged toward the gate passage, stabbing with spears, slashing with swords, and even firing arrows, their coordination improving.
Infantry rarely had such an easy time killing cavalry.
They took full advantage, slaughtering the enemy without mercy.
"Beat the drums! Advance!" Shao Xun retrieved his heavy sword and ordered.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
The drums thundered.
The soldiers of the Kingdom Army formed neat ranks, their cold spears gleaming as they marched quickly toward the Great Xia Gate.
The archers regrouped.
Without orders, they formed small groups, aiming at the foolishly exposed cavalrymen and picking them off one by one.
The enemy cavalry outside the city seemed to realize something was wrong and began to retreat.
The cavalrymen inside the city screamed in terror, trying to flee, but it was too late.
At this point, the battle was a one-sided slaughter, with no suspense left.
(End of Chapter)