Lu Qing did not inform Chen Man about Kong Rong and the others' escape, and the guards, in order to avoid punishment, did not say much either.

After forcing Kong Bao to sign and affix his seal to the proclamation condemning the treacherous officials of the court, Chen Man and Lu Qing ordered it to be copied and then sent to Yuzhou, Xuzhou and other places.

Kong Rong and his companions, who had escaped from the Kong family mansion, changed into civilian clothes and followed some refugees out of the city through a gap in the city wall of Lu County.

After escaping the city, Kong Rong and his companions gathered together to discuss their next course of action.

Kong Rong looked at the group and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, the royal army is currently sweeping away the rebels in Yanzhou. I wish to go to Yanzhou to seek reinforcements!"

A young man asked, "What about us?"

Kong Rong said, "Lu County cannot be defended for long. I predict that the rebels will move to Pei State or Pengcheng to garrison. You should split into several groups and send messages to the local governments of those cities so that they can make preparations in advance to prevent the rebels from causing further trouble!"

"Wenju is right, we will head there immediately!"

The young members of the Kong family nodded in unison, and then dispersed in different directions.

Kong Rong, on the other hand, went straight to Rencheng.

As Kong Rong had said, Lu Qing and Chen Man also felt that Lu County was too close to Yanzhou and that the city walls were too low to be easily defended. After some discussion, the two decided to lead a large army to Xiang County in Pei State to garrison it.

The third day of the first month of the third year of Jianning.

After staying in Lu County for two days, at the order of Chen Man and Lu Qing, the rebel army once again rushed into the homes of scholars and wealthy families in Lu County, and without explanation, tied up the old and young of the family members together.

Those scholars and wealthy families also hated the rebels, but they were helpless, like fish on a chopping board, and had no choice but to submit under the threat of the rebels' swords.

Subsequently, under the coercion of the rebels, all the scholars and wealthy families in Lu County were taken away and headed south, leaving only the people of the city behind.

After the ravages caused by the rebels, Lu County, the sacred place for scholars throughout the land and the place where the Confucius family had been passed down for more than twenty generations, was completely destroyed.

On the other side, after fleeing all the way, Kong Rong finally arrived in Rencheng.

When he learned that the imperial army was stationed in Rencheng to quell the rebellion, Kong Rong was overjoyed and rushed to the army's camp to request an audience.

Upon learning that someone from the Kong family was requesting an audience, the army commander Huangfu Gui dared not delay and immediately ordered his men to bring Kong Rong into the army camp.

Upon entering the tent, Kong Rong immediately filled with tears and bowed to Huangfu Gui, who was seated in the main seat.

"General, please save the people of Lu County!!"

Huangfu Gui shook his head helplessly: "The order I received was to wipe out the rebels in Yanzhou, but there are still rebels raging in Shanyang, Dongping, Jibei and other places. How can I lead the army away?"

Furthermore, Lu County is within the territory of Yuzhou. Without an order from the imperial court, how could I possibly mobilize troops on my own?

"General, you are mistaken. Those rebels are nothing but a rabble. You only need to send a light cavalry force there, and then join forces with the government and people of Yanzhou to wipe them out."

Furthermore, all land under heaven belongs to the emperor. Whether it is Yanzhou or Yuzhou, they are both the territory of our great Han Dynasty. The people of both provinces are all His Majesty's subjects. How can you treat them differently, General?

Moreover, His Majesty has always been wise and powerful and cares for the people. If he were to abandon the people of Yuzhou because of some outdated rules, how could His Majesty lightly forgive the general?

I urge the general to reconsider!

After saying this, Kong Rong bowed again to Huangfu Gui.

"Wenju's words are reasonable; it is I who am being pedantic!"

Hearing Kong Rong's reasoned and well-founded words, Huangfu Gui was also moved. He then stood up and looked at the generals in the tent.

"Dong Zhuo!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

Huangfu Gui picked up a command arrow and looked at Dong Zhuo: "You are hereby ordered to immediately lead five thousand Imperial Guards as the vanguard and rush to Lu County!"

"promise!!"

Dong Zhuo stepped forward, took the command arrow, and then strode away.

"Gao Shun, Huangfu Song!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"I hereby order you two to each lead 15,000 Northern Army soldiers and 20,000 Luo Army soldiers, lightly armed and swiftly, to provide support from the rear!"

"promise!!"

Gao Shun and Huangfu Song respectfully accepted the order.

"The rest of you, immediately gather your troops and join me in wiping out the remaining rebel forces in Yanzhou, and then advance towards Yuzhou!"

"promise!!"

After the generals left, Huangfu Gui looked at Kong Rong and said, "I will send men to escort Wenju to Luoyang immediately so that I can explain the situation to His Majesty and the officials of the court in person!"

Kong Rong immediately replied, "I will obey your orders, General!"

Huangfu Gui then immediately arranged for several personal guards to escort Kong Rong on fast horses towards Luoyang.

As Huangfu Gui issued one order after another, the army stationed in Rencheng also sounded the drums. After resting for a few days, the army quickly assembled and set out from the camp.

January 6th.

After two days of rapid travel, Dong Zhuo led 5,000 Imperial Guards cavalry to Lu County.

Upon learning that the rebel army had left Lu County and marched towards Pei State three days prior, Dong Zhuo merely ordered a short rest before leading his troops to continue the pursuit.

Because the rebels had brought along the Kong family, as well as scholars and wealthy households from Lu County, to pave the way, the counties they passed through surrendered without resistance in just a few days.

Following the example of Ji and Yan provinces, Chen Man and Lu Qing forced local scholars to sign documents for rebellion, and then coerced their guards, servants, and hidden people to join the rebel army.

The number of rebels surged, reaching 200,000 once again.

This demonstrates the immense power of the local literati.

Meanwhile, after several days of dissemination, the proclamation that the rebels forced the Kong family to write had reached Runan, Qiao County, Pengcheng, and Xiapi.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!