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Chapter 143: The Opening of Luoyang City
When the three returned to the camp, their positions were naturally established. Luo Yi, who had initially appeared quite proud, humbly bowed last.
There was no way around it; in terms of background, the other two were clearly confidants of Li Jian Cheng. As for ability, neither was inferior to him. It was evident that his presence made little difference, so there was no reason for him to remain arrogant.
He had specifically come to support Li Jian Cheng instead of the more elite Naval Forces led by Zhou Fashang, all under the pretense that there were no great generals under Li Jian Cheng's command, and he was here to provide timely assistance.
"Thank you for your hard work, General Luo. If it weren't for your aid, we would surely have faced another defeat in today's battle."
Luo Yi repeatedly insisted it was nothing and then curiously asked, "My Lord, I am but a low-ranking official and have not received a direct order from His Majesty. However, I assume it must be an urgent command. Although we may be inferior to the enemy in some aspects, we still have superior numbers. Why not try a strategy?"
Li Jian Cheng replied, "While risky maneuvers can lead to victory, they also carry the possibility of total defeat. If our army were to fail as well, Luoyang would truly be in danger. As long as we hold our ground, at least we can keep Li Zixiong and Yang Jishan's fifty thousand troops occupied. That alone is a significant achievement."
Luo Yi felt somewhat unconvinced; while holding them off was indeed an accomplishment, how could such merit be showcased before the Emperor to earn great rewards?
However, he had no right to question Li Jian Cheng's decisions and certainly lacked the courage to express regret about coming here or consider switching allegiance to Zhou Fashang.
Li Jian Cheng understood that Luo Yi was solely focused on gaining fame and fortune and wanted to seize every opportunity. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing; in this world, if one wasn't born into nobility and didn't strive for success throughout their life, they would end up with little.
In the court, positions were like carrots in a pit; many from noble backgrounds still vied for recognition before the Emperor.
Li Jian Cheng instructed the three generals to sit down and then said to Luo Yi, "There is one more matter you should know about. I just received a letter from Right Wu Guard General Duke Hwa. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but according to the messenger, it seems related to you."
Luo Yi's expression changed slightly, but he stood up to explain, "I have a conflict with Duke Hwa; I never thought—"
Before he could finish, Li Jian Cheng waved his hand and pointed at the unopened letter on the table. He addressed his personal guard beside him: "Since General Luo has already come under my command, I will not read this letter. You may take it back to the messenger and inform him that I will apologize to Duke Hwa after this battle."
Duke Hwa's ancestor Li Jing was a high-ranking figure in the lineage of Li Yan's six great ancestors. By rights, Li Jian Cheng should refer to Li Jing as 'uncle,' but Li Jing was known as a loyal minister of the Emperor—much like Wei Wensheng and Fan Zigai.
Thus, despite his high status and power, he held little value in Li Jian Cheng's eyes and was not worth suppressing or confronting Luo Yi over.
Luo Yi first did not expect Li Jing to be so petty, and then he was surprised that Li Jian Cheng was willing to offend another confidant of the emperor for the sake of someone he had just met.
Even a heart of iron and stone could not help but feel a surge of the impulse to die for a true friend. At that moment, looking at Li Jian Cheng above him, Luo Yi felt something different.
...
Zhou Fashang was clearly not as resilient as Li Jian Cheng. He gathered several groups of Provincial Troops that had rushed to his aid and directly chose to follow Wei Wensheng's strategy, but with a slight variation—he launched a surprise attack on Yang Xuangan's camp under the cover of night.
The gains were considerable, but Yang Xuangan was no ordinary person. He immediately decided to let the panicked soldiers go and directly reorganized his remaining elite troops to retreat from the main camp and cut off Zhou Fashang's escape route from behind.
The two armies fought chaotically until dawn, and it was unclear how many had died by their own comrades' hands, but this did not matter. Zhou Fashang had followed the imperial decree, ensuring that the rebel forces could not attack Luoyang for at least several days, while Yang Xuangan took advantage of the situation to ambush Zhou Fashang's elite cavalry.
The battle here was brutal. Although Zhou Fashang suffered significant losses, he still had a steady stream of Provincial Troops arriving, while Yang Xuangan had to recall Li Zixiong and his twenty thousand troops to ensure that he could defend against Zhou Fashang while also launching an offensive on Luoyang.
However, even if the rebel forces were somewhat more elite, they could not withstand Li Jian Cheng's army. Yang Jishan found himself in a situation where he fought and retreated continuously.
Just as the emperor received news of victory and felt joyful, a shocking piece of news arrived: King of Yue, Yang Tong, had died from poisoning.
Fan Zigai, who remained in Luoyang, initiated a bloody purge to investigate the Crown Prince's assassination. In one day, he executed over ten high-ranking officials and nobles. Unable to bear it any longer, the ministers opened the city gates to welcome Yang Xuangan into the city. Before long, Fan Zigai's head was hung at the city gate.
When the emperor received this news, he fainted on the spot. The ministers hurriedly called for doctors while exchanging anxious glances—was it time for another change of dynasty?
To be honest, they were not very willing; chaos was not good for most families. Yet deep down, there was some anticipation because the current emperor was too harsh and ungrateful.
Soon, Yang Guang woke up as if from a great dream. He keenly sensed the strange atmosphere and immediately covered his face with tears: "Thieves! They have killed one of my Duke's loyal ministers! How could they inflict such pain upon me!"
The civil and military officials were astonished. Given the emperor's usual temperament, his heartache and agitation should have been due to the loss of Luoyang City; it should not have been solely for Fan Zigai. It was even possible that he would pursue accountability for failing to protect the Crown Prince and defend Luoyang with severe punishment.
Only a loyal minister should not be mourned; if the Emperor had such intentions, how could the world have come to this point?
However, if Li Jian Cheng were present, he would notice that the former Prince Jin, Yang Guang, had returned.
The Emperor did not vent his anger as usual or hastily order troops and supplies to be gathered, nor did he recklessly lead an army back. Instead, he commanded the Ministry of Rites to immediately arrange the funeral for Fan Zigai, intending to lead the officials in paying their respects.
In a moment, he conferred upon Fan Zigai the posthumous title of Jing and posthumously promoted him to Chief of Staff Equivalent to the Three Departments, granting him the title of Duke of Jiguo, with his son set to inherit it, along with various rewards of gold and silver.
Although everyone could see that the Emperor was acting this way out of a genuine sense of threat to unite people's hearts, there was also a feeling that His Majesty had finally turned over a new leaf.
Meanwhile, those who received Li Jian Cheng's secret letter, including Li Jing and others, began to formally gather supplies. The previously blocked river routes for grain seemed to have suddenly opened up; although there were still some reckless bandits occasionally causing trouble, it was already much better than before.
The Emperor had no mood to ponder or investigate further; he directly issued a reward and began gathering elite forces in the military. He intended to personally reclaim Luoyang.
As Yang Xuangan entered the city, he followed the advice of Li Mi and Wei Fusi to grant numerous promotions. Those who had contributed were directly elevated in rank and title, while those who had not also received various rewards; even verbal expressions of loyalty could lead to promotions.
However, problems soon arose. Some officials in Luoyang were already of equal rank or higher than Yang Xuangan; how could he promote them?
………
(End of Chapter)
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