Chapter 619: Banners Flying and Princes Falling
Zhang Liao originally wanted to reject Lu Bu.
I, Zhang Wenyuan, am a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty!
If they retreat like this, the front line will collapse immediately. Where will the emperor in Luoyang City be?
Seeing this, Lu Bu said, "Look at Huangfu Song's attitude. When will he take us seriously? If he is a warrior, what will the nobles of Luoyang think of him?
Stay useful and wait for a wise leader to come, revive the Han Dynasty and leave your name in history.
Wenyuan, are you going to leave or not? If you don’t leave, prepare to be killed here by the chaotic army.”
The words "keep him until he is of use" really touched his heart. Looking at Zhang Jue's invincible figure, Zhang Liao was immediately convinced.
I am a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty!
But the emperor and the ministers do not trust me, they are the ones who are wrong.
Lu Bu knew Zhang Liao very well, and he knew that the matter was settled as soon as he saw the change in his expression.
Zhang Liao's moral bottom line is indeed a bit higher, but they are all military men from the border counties. Not to mention the eldest brother, whoever does not have resentment towards the emperor in his heart does not need to pretend in front of his own people.
Although Ding Yuan was the governor of Bingzhou, it was generals such as Lu Bu and Zhang Liao who were actually in charge of the Bingzhou army, among whom Lu Bu was the most powerful, simply because Lu Bu had high combat power and his army was the most reverent in the strong.
Lu Bu and Zhang Liao hit it off immediately, and the generals under their command immediately organized their troops. The Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry turned straight to the left. There were fewer Taiping soldiers on the left side, and it was easiest for them to escape from the battlefield.
However, the Bingzhou Wolf Riders' act of running away without saying a word directly pitted the rest of the group. And it was not just an ordinary big pit, but an abyss!
On the battlefield, even an unstable line may lead to unpredictable consequences. Lu Bu and Zhang Liao, the Bingzhou soldiers, were responsible for the important task of attacking the enemy, but they ended up escaping.
The horrific consequences were triggered almost instantly, and the soldiers on the Han army's flanks were instantly exposed to the Taiping Army's cavalry.
Who would give up this pie that fell from the sky? The Taiping Army, which had been searching for it, immediately launched an attack.
The princes who had been observing the situation on the battlefield were all shocked when they saw the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry with a large T-shaped flag suddenly break through.
At this time, Hou Cheng rushed out and ran to Ding Yuan and said loudly: "Sir, General Lu and General Zhang are injured. They have no choice but to break out."
Injuried?
Lu Bu was not injured at the hands of Zhang Jiao. He was the only one among the six who was not hurt. How could he be injured now?
Huangfu Song felt a chill rushing to his head, raised his sword and roared: "Let Lu Bu return to the formation immediately, otherwise I will kill him!"
The murderous intent in Huangfu Song's words was almost clearly visible, leaving no doubt that he would definitely kill Lu Bu.
“It’s too late!”
Yuan Shao stood in the formation, looking at the Taiping Army's flags which were unfurled in almost an instant. He seemed to see the moment of his defeat. The princes who came to support the king were shocked and anxious. Gongsun Zan was dumbfounded and looked at Liu Bei beside him in disbelief. Liu Bei himself did not expect the situation to change so quickly.
As Lu Bu and Zhang Liao led the most elite Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry to leave the formation, the coalition forces of the princes were suddenly in chaos. Then the Taiping Army charged into the formation. The coalition forces of the princes saw that the Bingzhou Army was about to leave the battlefield, and the chaos in the field quickly spread, and they immediately rushed to retreat with their elite troops.
It's all over now!
Only the imperial army, the Western Region cavalry and two or three armies that did not understand the situation were still holding on, but it was useless. The princes' army retreated with only the elite troops, and the remaining soldiers immediately lost their command.
The confused soldiers looked around on the battlefield.
The noisy sound of war drums sounded intermittently, and it was unclear whether it was an attack or a retreat. The sound of the retreat was not heard, and the flag was still there, but why had some people around me started to retreat?
What exactly happened?
Or should I follow him?
Countless thoughts fill everyone's mind, this is the human race that follows the crowd.
Luo Xiao had a hunch that this was exactly the goal he wanted to achieve. It would be easy to defeat such an internally unintegrated coalition.
I just didn't expect that the goal would be achieved so quickly. This Lu Bu really has a true character.
Others were dissatisfied with the emperor and the ministers of Luoyang, and with Huangfu Song, the commander-in-chief of the army to support the king, so they at least pretended to be dissatisfied. However, Lu Bu was dissatisfied with the emperor, the ministers, and Huangfu Song, so he directly sold them out.
Lu Bu didn't feel embarrassed at all.
His idea was very simple. I, Lu Fengxian, had fought against the Hu people in Bingzhou for so many years. The Xianbei people were stopped in Bingzhou and could not go south to Luoyang. It was because of my bloody battle that I defeated them.
In the past, the old King Su said that Xia and Yi could not coexist, and the kingly way could not be half-hearted.
Even if you pull out the emperor and ministers in Luoyang, their contribution to the Chinese nation is not as great as mine, Lu Bu, alone!
Why should I be ashamed? It's your fault for not using me, Lu Bu, but it's not my fault.
Lü Bu excitedly led his army to run, thinking to himself: "Let's see what you, Huangfu Song, will do now. Haven't you always looked down on us?"
Facing this sudden opportunity, Luo Xiao stared directly at Huangfu Song's banner and the loyal princes. He smiled lightly under his visor and said softly, "Let God decide who of you can survive and become the protagonist of the next era."
Luo Xiao kills people at will. Whether you can survive in front of him depends mainly on luck.
Now all the fronts of the Han court have basically collapsed, and the remaining people can only be described as powerless to turn the tide. Luo Xiao knows that the final moment has been brought forward greatly.
Without hiding his weakness, Luo Xiao took out all the Taiping Army's remaining assets and pushed forward. This was the final battle, the final struggle of the Han Dynasty, there was nothing else to say.
Lu Bu's sudden departure made Huangfu Song extremely angry, but he was able to keep his composure. However, the other princes who followed him also fled, and Huangfu Song's face turned pale in an instant.
it's over!
Even if Han Wumu was reborn, he would be unable to do anything in the face of the current situation.
Han Wumu was able to defeat King Xiang back then. Even though his own command was invincible in the world, the powerful generals of the princes, Emperor Gao, and the generals under Emperor Gao all worked together and were able to hold the line in the face of pressure from King Xiang and prevent it from collapsing.
This is also an extremely important reason.
What can I do even if I have unrivaled command now?
People's hearts are scattered!
Seeing that Lu Bu had left the front line, Liu Bei reacted immediately and took Gongsun Zan with him. He walked to Cao Cao and said, "Meng De, Lord Benchu, the situation is over. We are going to lose this battle. We should quickly regroup. There may still be a chance. I will go and meet up with Marquis Wushuang and others.
Leave quickly, otherwise it will be difficult to leave once the soldiers are in chaos."
Liu Bei's decisiveness surprised Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. Yan Liang and Wen Chou, whose wounds had not yet healed, were about to escort Yuan Shao away. At this time, Xu Chu had already rushed back, covered in blood, and asked anxiously, "My lord, what should we do now?"
What else can I do?
Of course, run away immediately!
Cao Cao and Yuan Shao no longer hesitated, and directly clasped their fists to each other and said, "Everyone, let's say goodbye now. If we can escape this disaster, we will definitely drink and chat happily when we meet again!"
These people didn't think about escaping together. After all, if they did, they would be too big a target. If Zhang Jiao caught up with them, they would all die. The best way was to go separately.
As long as you don't encounter the main force led by Zhang Jue himself, there will be no problem in escaping, and most people can escape.
Liu Bei rode his horse and rushed into the Western Regions army, shouting: "Sir, the situation is hopeless, retreat first, the Western Regions cavalry is the foundation of the Han Dynasty's revival!
Isn't it a pity to die in vain in a chaotic army with no hope of turning the situation around?
Although the army has been defeated now, there are still loyal ministers in the world, there are still princes in Guandong, the Western Regions are still in your hands, Dong Zhuo of Liangzhou is a close minister of the emperor, Bingzhou, Youzhou, Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Yizhou, most of the world is still in the hands of the Han Dynasty.
We still have hope!"
Liu Bei was good at making promises, but when Luo Kong saw the sudden collapse of the entire line, he was already preparing to retreat. At this point, it really became a big question mark as to how many loyal ministers the Han Dynasty still had.
The Dong Zhuo mentioned by Liu Bei was not a loyal minister based on his previous actions. Would he be willing to fight for the Han Dynasty?
Luo Kong was very suspicious!
If I die here, the Han Dynasty will really have no one to entrust its care to.
I will wait for my brother to enter Luoyang and kill that useless emperor, and then I will enthrone a new emperor, Luo Kong thought, and went to Luoyang to bring the crown prince and other princes with him.
"Xuan De, where are you going?
I will go back to Luoyang to bring the Crown Prince and the other princes to Chang'an. As long as we can hold on to the fortress of Qiao and Han, we still have a chance."
When Liu Bei heard this, he knew that he would have to confront Zhang Jue head-on. That person was the legitimate heir. Was there really a chance he could bring him to Chang'an?
"My Lord, prepare to go back to Youzhou to gather your men. Be careful when you go to Luoyang. If things don't work out, return to the Western Regions. The Second King is still there."
Liu Bei expressed his concerns, trying to persuade Luo Kong to give up the current emperor's lineage if it really didn't work out. Of course, he was not saying that the second king of the Western Regions could be emperor, but he was implicitly telling Luo Kong that there were still many Han royal relatives in the world, and there was no need to fight to the death with the current prince.
Luo Kong certainly knew what Liu Bei meant, but it was precisely because of this chaotic situation that he had to choose an undisputed heir to inherit the throne, so as to avoid causing a dispute over the throne first.
The two of them had already tacitly accepted that the current emperor was going to die. Luo Kong said in a deep voice: "In that case, let's say goodbye. Xuande, when you return to Youzhou, if I can really rebuild the Han court, I will definitely give you the two thousand stone governorship that I promised you.
Let's cheer up together. Just as you said that day, everything depends on human efforts. After the fall of the First Han Dynasty, there was the Later Han Dynasty. When the Later Han Dynasty fell, who knows if it will not be able to cheer up again? "
After that, they parted ways. Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan broke out from the chaotic army with their white horses.
Liu Bei thought back on this period of time and suddenly had some inexplicable feelings. If it weren't for this campaign to support the king, how could he have had connections with so many important figures?
In the past, even in front of Gongsun Zan, I could only be a younger brother.
But within a short period of time, Cao Cao, a noble descendant from the early Han Dynasty, became his friend, Yuan Shao, a wealthy family with disciples and former officials all over the world, treated him with kindness, and even General Xiaoqi and Wushuang Hou, a top nobleman of the past two hundred years, admired him very much.
Liu Bei now deeply understood what it meant that heroes emerge in troubled times. In such a chaotic world, his former family background, official position, and class were greatly weakened.
The direct line of descent may not necessarily be able to suppress the secondary branch; the wealthy families in Luoyang may not be able to suppress the aristocratic families in the border counties; the gentry may not necessarily have more advantages than the poor.
This is the troubled times!
Only true heroes can stand out from this crowd. Will I be one of them?
Liu Bei didn't know, but he suddenly remembered what he had said when he was young, I should ride on this canopy!
Those loyal princes who reacted quickly, such as Liu Bei, had already fled in all directions, and even let Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others go with them. Those who reacted slowly were still waiting there, not knowing what to do.
Huangfu Song wanted to escape with the remaining troops. His idea was roughly the same as Luo Kong's, but he wanted to take the emperor and the court officials and escape to Chang'an. As long as they could hold the natural barrier of Hangu Pass and the 800-mile Qinchuan Plain, they might have a chance to turn things around.
The reason for the failure of this war was that before the battle even started, the imperial court had lost the important towns and passes around Xingyang, resulting in no strategic locations to defend and was forced to fight a head-on decisive battle.
But Huangfu Song felt that Zhang Jue would not give him a chance, because Zhang Jue was leading the elite cavalry directly towards him. Everyone could escape, but he, the commander-in-chief and leader of the imperial army, would definitely not be let go by Zhang Jue.
When those loyal princes saw Zhang Jiao coming straight towards this place, they basically guessed Zhang Jiao's purpose, so they scattered like birds and beasts in an instant, taking the "die for your friend rather than let me die" approach to the extreme.
I don’t know whether I can escape later, but as long as I can let Huangfu Song delay a little time, the chance of survival will always be greater.
Ever since Luo Xiao started charging into the enemy formation, he had never felt it was so easy. It was so easy that Luo Xiao felt that he was luring the enemy deep into his territory. The next moment, the soldiers and horses would be lying in ambush to cut off his retreat, then shut the door to attack the dog and kill him off his horse.
But when the Taiping Army broke through the heavy armor and defense, when Huangfu Song appeared in front of him, and when Luo Xiao thrust the lance in his hand forward, Huangfu Song tried to struggle, but it was useless, and bright blood spurted out of Huangfu Song's chest.
It turns out that once people’s hearts are scattered, they are so vulnerable!
Luo Xiao drew out a knife heavily and chopped off the big banner. The battlefield was filled with figures of people fleeing, abandoning their armor and weapons.
Luo Xiao was too lazy to ride his horse to chase after him. He rode on his tall horse, reached out to take out the specially made bow, and then put the arrow on it.
"Let God decide your life or death!"
Luo Xiao shot an arrow at each of those fleeing princes. Life or death depended on one arrow!
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I think the battle of Luoyang by Jiao is quite similar to the battle of Handan by King Xiang. King Xiang destroyed Qin in one battle, and Jiao also annihilated the main force of Han court in one battle. Why was King Xiang the emperor, and Jiao the rebel? The one who won the world at the end of Qin was Emperor Gaozu of Han, and the one who won the world at the end of Han was the princes of Han! - "Historical Mirror: Later Han Records"
(End of this chapter)
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