Move the time forward a little, to the night before.
When the news came that Yique Pass had been breached, the entire city of Luoyang suddenly fell into panic.
A few days ago, when Guangcheng Pass was breached, some people began to scare people, saying that the bandit army would soon approach the city.
Most people didn't believe it at the time.
That is Yique Pass, which is built on water and has natural dangers. How could it be so easily broken?
As long as the ferry is blocked and the thieves cannot cross the river, these thieves will not be able to break through Yique Pass, let alone threaten Luoyang!
Although Guangcheng Pass was broken, they were very surprised, but if they think about it carefully, it is understandable.
Nowadays, the world is in chaos. In order to quell the war, Luoyang is empty, with passes everywhere, and there are relatively few defenders.
In addition, there has been no fighting for a long time, and it is normal for the defenders of Guangcheng Pass to be negligent and be captured by a surprise attack by the bandits.
But Yique Pass was different. First, there was a natural barrier to rely on, and second, the imperial court had already reacted and sent the Forbidden Army to support the defense of the city.
It would be extremely difficult for the bandit army to break through Yique Pass!
Most people don't think that a small group of thieves can capture Yique Pass!
However, when frontline intelligence came again, everyone was stunned.
After only one day of siege, the bandits captured Yique Pass!
How did they cross the River Yi?
It was so cold that the Yihe River was frozen into ice, making it accessible to people!
For so many years, the Yi River has been flowing continuously and has never frozen.
However, in this year, the bandits attacked Luoyang, and God froze the Yihe River...
If this is not destiny, what is it?
In this era, the theory of destiny is simply not too popular.
Such a coincidence happened. Apart from believing in destiny, there is no other explanation.
They don't know what the 'Little Ice Age' is.
When the news came, it was initially controlled by the court and did not want the news to leak out.
However, today's court does not have such control. It cannot control it at all.
The news spread like wildfire, but it spread throughout Luoyang overnight!
Even the lower class people in Luoyang heard the news.
Although it was already dark, the emperor still held an emergency meeting.
After hearing the news, all the civil and military officials were awakened with shock.
They knew that the defense of Yique Pass would be difficult, and the rebel army was not that easy to defend, but the question was, why did the rebel army break through it in just one day?
This is too fast! !
At this moment, these officials realized the seriousness of the problem.
When the danger affected them, these usually aloof officials finally began to panic.
But the question is - how to save ourselves now?
Officials came in small groups and rushed to the palace in the freezing cold weather.
As soon as they stepped into the Greenhouse Hall, many officials breathed a sigh of relief. It was as warm as spring here, but after a while, they felt hot and quickly took off their cumbersome coats.
The greenhouse hall has a "fireplace" and a "fire wall", which are similar to floor heating and can maintain a fairly high temperature in winter.
The so-called "fire wall" is two tiles interlocked to form a pipe, which is wrapped in the wall and connected to the stove for heating.
The fuel of the fireplace is charcoal. Charcoal does not have a large flame and burns for a long time, which can keep the indoor temperature stable for a long time.
This design was very common as early as the Qin Dynasty.
In fact, there are many such designs, which only show the uniqueness and nobility of the royal family inadvertently.
After the ministers gathered together, many people looked at the man who had been kneeling on the ground, and there was some contempt in their eyes.
The man kneeling on the ground was the eunuch Jian Shuo who had sworn a few days ago that "if you keep people in prison, you will die if you keep them in prison."
At this moment, Emperor Liu Hong also came here. When he saw Jian Shuo who was still kneeling and trembling, he suddenly became furious.
"Why do you have the nerve to come back?!"
Hearing this, Jian Shuo said in fear: "This slave deserves death. He should have died at Yique Pass, but in order to bring back information, I had to come back!"
"Your Majesty, the bandits used a weapon called 'artillery' to attack the city!"
"In addition, they will also use an explosive that is so powerful that it can directly blow open the city gate!"
"With these two weapons, the bandits broke through Yique Pass in just one day!"
"It's not that I don't want to hold on, it's just that the situation is over and there is no way to turn it around!"
"In this case, the information must be brought back!"
"Even if Your Majesty executes the slave, the slave must bring the information back to Your Majesty so that Luoyang City can defend the rebel army's offensive!!"
These words were said with sincerity and deep affection, which made him even more loyal and loyal.
In fact, I started racking my brains to think about this as early as when I was escaping, and I have been thinking about it until now before I sorted it out.
When Liu Hong heard this, he couldn't help but frown, and then looked at the civil and military officials.
"My dear ministers, the thieves are about to attack the city. What countermeasures do you have?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone couldn't help but fall silent.
At this time, Taiwei Duan Juan stood up.
Duan Jiong, also known as Ji Ming, learned riding and shooting when he was young, and he had great wisdom in both civil and military affairs.
During the reign of Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty, he entered the army, first defeated Xianbei, and then defeated Dongguo Dou and Gongsun Li, and granted the title of marquis for his merits.
In the second year of Yanxi, he guarded the border and fought for more than ten years, fighting hundreds of Qiang people. By the first year of Yongkang, he pacified the Western Qiang, and in the second year of Jianning, he pacified the Eastern Qiang, killing more than 60,000 Eastern and Western Qiang.
He was granted the title of Marquis of Xinfeng County for his outstanding achievements.
Now he has taken the post of Taiwei!
He was very close to the eunuchs, so his power was not affected. He was also squeezed out by the court officials and became an "isolated minister", who was usually trusted by Liu Hong.
Now that he stood up, Liu Hong was overjoyed and asked quickly: "What countermeasures does Mr. Duan have?"
Duan Juan thought for a while and then said: "Your Majesty, as things stand now, the bandit army is strong, their morale is high, and they also have sharp weapons. The Luoyang defenders are short of manpower. If you want to rely on Luoyang City to defend, the chance of winning is not very good! "
As soon as these words came out, Liu Hong's expression suddenly changed.
When the ministers heard this, their faces became very ugly. Has the matter become so serious?
"What does Mr. Duan mean...?" Liu Hong continued to ask.
Duan Yan stood up at this moment, and he was definitely not out to attack others. He must have his own ideas.
Sure enough, the next moment, Duan Jiong said: "There is no way around the matter, so I have a plan that will not work."
"Speak quickly!" Liu Hong urged.
Duan Yan said seriously: "Your Majesty may be able to reward this person and make him withdraw his troops!"
As soon as these words came out, Liu Hong's expression was a little subtle.
When the civil and military officials heard this, they were even more shocked.
Some people couldn't help but sarcastically said: "Reward? How big of a reward would it be to make the leader of the thieves withdraw his troops?!"
"Are you going to grant your Majesty's position to this bandit army?"
"According to what the Taiwei said, the bandit army is strong, their morale is high, and they have sharp weapons that can be easily obtained by Luoyang. Why do they still accept the reward from the court? What is the reason for this?!"
Faced with everyone's doubts, Duan Ji remained unmoved and expressed his thoughts.
"Even if the bandit army takes Luoyang, it doesn't mean they have taken over the whole world!"
"If he takes Luoyang, he will become the common enemy of the nobles in the world!"
"When the time comes, everyone will find this thief and kill him!"
"Then Lu Yu is a smart man and should know this clearly."
"If he doesn't know this truth, then we can explain it to him."
"Taking Luoyang will do him no good at all."
"At this time, accepting the imperial court's reward and becoming just and legitimate is the best choice."
"I believe he will agree!"
Hearing this, many officials couldn't help but look at each other.
They were a little panicked because of the approaching army of thieves. For a while, they really didn't think clearly about the serious relationship between them.
At this moment, Duan Jiu reminded me, and then I realized that this is indeed the truth!
Duan Juan continued: "In addition to giving a reward, you can even lure him into the palace and then take the opportunity to surround him and kill him!"
"If the leader of the thief dies, the thief army will definitely be disintegrated, and it will no longer be a threat. This will ensure the majesty of the imperial court."
"Of course, I don't think the thief leader is that stupid, and he probably won't be able to trick him into the palace, so I can only give this method a try. If it doesn't work, forget it..."
Liu Hong, who was above him, breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Duan Jiong's words.
"Just do what Mr. Duan said!!"
…
Under the city of Luoyang.
As the army approached the city, what Lu Yu didn't expect was that what was waiting for him was not the imperial court's desperate measures to defend the city at all costs, but an envoy coming to sue for peace!
The messenger was neither humble nor arrogant, spoke clearly and clearly, and analyzed the current situation clearly.
"Even if you capture Luoyang City, you will not be able to become the lord of the world. Instead, you will become the only target of the nobles in the world. When the time comes, everyone in the world will come to attack you."
"This is really not worth the loss. It would be better to accept the imperial court's reward and become the King of Nanyang or even the King of Jing. Wouldn't it be nice to have the largest states in the world as territory?"
"If you feel that this is still not satisfactory, you can also become an official in the court and become a general who will not be followed in the court, praised and worshiped without fame, and will go to the palace with swords and shoes!"
"The imperial court is very sincere. These two choices are both unique and extremely generous!"
"In addition to these rewards, there are many other rewards. This is the list I wrote out all night long. Please read it!!"
The messenger handed over the list, and Lu Yu just looked at it briefly and saw a series of rewards including ten thousand catties of gold, one hundred million yuan, ten thousand pieces of silk, one hundred thousand stones of grain, and so on.
This is really a lot of bleeding.
Lu Yu casually gave the list to many guardians beside him.
When Zhang Mancheng and others saw it, they couldn't help but look at each other.
Needless to say, the court's sincerity was so great that they were all a little moved.
The envoy said that there is no problem. If Luoyang City is captured, it will become a target of public criticism.
But if he becomes King Jing, it will be different.
If they can do this, their goal has been achieved!
Among the people, only Huang Zhong felt something was wrong. He frowned and whispered a few words in Lu Yu's ear.
"If you accept the reward from the imperial court and truly become the King of Jing, then you will completely draw a clear line between you and the other rebellious Taiping Dao."
"At that time, even if we are not the lackeys of the imperial court, in the eyes of others, we will become the lackeys of the imperial court."
Lu Yu nodded, what Huang Zhong said did make some sense.
If you side with the imperial court, you will become the target of isolation for everyone, which can be said to be unpopular inside and outside.
Of course, if one state is used as the foundation to annex the entire world, that is not a bad idea.
This choice cannot be said to be good, but it cannot be said to be bad either.
but.
Lu Yu had his own thoughts and decisions.
He smiled and said: "I want to serve as an official in the court, and become a general who will never follow the rules of the court, be praised and worshiped without fame, and go to the palace with swords and shoes!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked, even the messenger looked surprised.
Zhang Mancheng came over quickly and whispered: "Shuai Lu, this choice is to follow him into the palace and meet the emperor. The person on the other side is obviously uneasy and well-intentioned!"
This choice is simply unexpected. Who would let a rebel become such a powerful minister? How big of a heart is that?
So, there must be many ambushes!
Once entering the palace, there must be many dangers.
but.
Why doesn't Lu Yu know this?
He smiled slightly and said slowly: "Wouldn't that be better?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone was stunned.
Wouldn't that be better? ?
Soon, everyone understood what Lu Yu really thought!
Follow him into the palace and directly control the emperor and even the civil and military officials!
In this way, the tall and majestic Luoyang can be captured directly.
Along the way, a lot of gunpowder was consumed, and there is not much left. The artillery has suffered even more losses under high-intensity use.
The city wall of Luoyang is so tall that if the defenders are determined to die, it will be difficult to attack them in a short time.
In addition, because there are no helpers, the manpower is not sufficient. Even if Luoyang is captured after all the hardships and countless casualties, it will be difficult to control Luoyang!
Even if Luoyang cannot be completely controlled, how will it face the next coalition of nobles from all over the world?
In fact, Lu Yu has been thinking about this issue for a long time these days.
Now the emperor in Luoyang has given a solution, how can he not appreciate it?
Then he followed him into the palace and met the emperor!
Hearing that Lu Yu was going to enter the palace, the envoy could not hold back his excitement. Although he didn't understand what it meant if it wasn't better, it was a good thing to be able to enter the palace.
He quickly lowered his head and said cautiously: "Then you will follow me into the palace, meet the emperor, accept the reward, and become a general, but please don't bring too many people with you."
"It doesn't matter, it's enough for me to bring my own soldiers." Lu Yu said with a smile.
"How many people?" asked the messenger.
"No more than a hundred people." Lu Yu said.
"That's okay!" The messenger breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, Huang Zhong said quickly: "Commander Lu, let me be your personal soldier again and enter the palace with you!!"
Lu Yu nodded: "Okay."
"I want to enter the palace too!" Zhang Mancheng and other guardians also spoke after hearing this.
"There is no need for so many people. You can just stay here and wait for my news."
"Here."
in this way.
Lu Yu led a group of soldiers into Luoyang City, entered the palace, and finally met the emperor of the Han Dynasty.
Above the palace, Liu Hong looked at Lu Yu not far away, his eyes full of ecstasy: "You really dare to come!"
Lu Yu smiled slightly and asked, "Why don't I dare to come?"
Hearing this, Liu Hong couldn't help but frown. Is this person so stupid that he doesn't know that he is surrounded and in extreme danger?
"Lu Yu, I ask you! Do you know your guilt?!" Liu Hong became a little angry when he thought of today's panic and the humiliation of being forced to sue for peace, and couldn't help shouting at this moment.
"Do I know my sin?" After hearing this, Lu Yu asked strangely: "What sin do I have? Could it be that you invited me here just to punish me for my sin?"
As soon as these words came out, Liu Hong couldn't help laughing: "Did you just realize it now?"
Lu Yu looked at Liu Hong and asked again: "Are you really sure you want to do this?"
Seeing Lu Yu's abnormal calmness, Liu Hong couldn't help but frown again. It was so abnormal that he finally realized something was wrong.
Liu Hong turned his head and glanced at Duan Jiong next to him, but Duan Jiong nodded, indicating that he was fully prepared and there was no chance of any problems.
"Is it really okay?" Liu Hong was still a little worried and couldn't help but ask again.
"The crossbows and imperial guards have been prepared for a long time. As long as His Majesty gives the order, these people will die without a place to die!" Duan Yan said seriously.
Hearing this, Liu Hong felt relieved, looked at Lu Yu again, and continued to scold: "Death is imminent, and you still don't know your crime. You really deserve death!"
"Hey..." Lu Yu sighed and said with a subtle expression, "Actually, I was a little worried when I came here."
"What are you worried about?" Liu Hong asked subconsciously.
"Of course I'm worried. This is actually not a trap. If you really make me a general, what should I do?" Lu Yu smiled.
"Fortunately, what I was worried about didn't happen."
"All of this is exactly what I expected. It's a trap."
Why should he worry about this? Still laughing?
Liu Hong felt more and more that something was wrong at this moment, but he didn't know what was wrong.
Lu Yu was obviously in danger, but he was so calm. He said he was worried that he would really reward him? What does this mean?
The inexplicable uneasiness arises from this, and becomes more and more intense!
No!
This is definitely a case of this person pretending to be calm and pretending to be a ghost!
He knew he was in danger, so he was scared to death and regretful, but he couldn't escape, so he could only pretend in this way!
Try to escape with this!
Absolutely!
Don't fall for the trap!
"kill him!"
Liu Hong gritted his teeth and issued the order.
The next second, the crossbowman who was hiding in the dark, waiting for orders, immediately pulled the trigger and fired the arrow.
Most of these crossbow arrows were shot at Lu Yu, and a few were shot at his soldiers.
call out! call out! call out! call out! call out!
The sound of powerful crossbows piercing the air is endless.
A dense rain of arrows shot at Lu Yu!
However, when these arrows were about to hit Lu Yu, they were completely blocked by an invisible barrier, preventing them from making any further progress!
The arrows seemed to hit steel and all bounced away.
Not only Lu Yu, but also the soldiers behind him.
This scene made Liu Hong, who was not far away, stunned!
What is this? !
"What other means are there? Use it quickly, I'm in a hurry."
Lu Yu said lazily.
Soon, the Forbidden Army emerged from the darkness and came towards Lu Yu with weapons to kill him!
Lu Yu casually took out a talisman.
This talisman is not the strong wind talisman, but the fire summoning talisman he recently developed!
With continuous practice, the fire-calling talisman has been studied by Lu Yu, and its lethality is very impressive.
Of course, there are costs. First, it can only be attacked at close range. Second, each fire summoning talisman consumes a lot of spiritual energy. Fortunately, there are enough spiritual stones as a backing, so I can draw it without any scruples.
With the injection of spiritual power, this talisman ignited spontaneously without fire. In the next moment, a huge burning fireball appeared above Lu Yu's head, like the sun!
The strong feeling of heat dissipates the coolness of winter.
The Imperial Guards who were leading the way and preparing to surround and kill them opened their eyes wide when they saw the huge fireball and stopped in their tracks, their eyes full of horror!
What is this stuff? Blindfold? No, no, this temperature, this burning sensation, this is definitely not a trick!
This is real magic!
Lu Yu looked at these forbidden troops indifferently. This huge flame would fall under his control.
It's just that the speed is a little slower, and the practitioner can easily dodge if his reaction is a little faster.
Therefore, the Fire Caller is only suitable for last-hitting.
But for mortals, it is impossible to escape.
This is a surefire move!
"go!"
Lu Yu waved his hand, and the huge fireball fell from the sky, like the scorching sun falling! !
Boom~~~! ! !
The flames burned wantonly, and the imperial troops who rushed over had no time to escape and were directly swept away by the flames!
These people were in the sea of fire and screamed in extreme pain.
The flame of the fire-calling talisman is very hot. Under this high temperature, even the iron armor on their bodies will melt, let alone their bodies?
In just the blink of an eye, these forbidden troops who rushed to the front were all burned to death! Each and every one of them turned into a pyromaniac, and they were all burned to charcoal!
In the rear, there are still some forbidden troops that have not been affected, and there are not many of them.
But at this moment, faced with such power from Heaven, how could he dare to continue the siege?
Directly above, Emperor Liu Hong was so frightened that he sat on the ground when he saw this horrific scene.
Lu Yu looked at Emperor Liu Hong and asked calmly: "Besides the crossbows and the forbidden army, do you have any other means?"
(End of chapter)
