Chapter 134: The Fate of the Jade Seal
Li Ru had just been thrown off his horse and was dizzy. He felt as if his leg bone was broken in the fall, and his arm was also broken. Then he heard what Qiao Yan said.
He looked towards Qiao Yan with a still dazed look, and saw her raise her hand, signaling the team behind them to ignore her and continue their pursuit. She held the gun more steadily, and continued to point it at him, clearly not giving him a chance to escape.
When Li Ru fell from his horse, some of Dong Zhuo's close followers naturally turned around to rescue him. However, these people were no match for Qiao Yan's soldiers who were chasing him with great momentum, and they were killed on the spot.
Having suffered a great loss in this round of rapid collision, these people, if they still have some brains, would know that the best choice for them at this moment is not to continue making unnecessary sacrifices for a military advisor who is no longer safe, but to continue to escape.
Li Ru was complaining in his heart.
I don't know what this Lord Qiao was thinking that made him insist on following him.
From the sentence "Where is Mr. Wenyou going?", Li Ru has heard that Qiao Yan's action was not accidental.
"Why do you have to ask so many questions, Lord Qiao?" Since he was following Dong Zhuo to evacuate, he naturally wanted to go towards Chang'an.
"That thief Dong has many generals. If I leave him one by one, I may not be able to capture him. But if you follow him, with your intelligence, there is no guarantee that he will not rise again in Chang'an." Qiao Yan smiled, "When Dong was in poverty, he could listen to others. He can still be a hero. We can't let you get away."
Anyone can leave, but Li Ru cannot leave!
What Qiao Yan wanted was to have a court in the east and the west respectively, rather than Dong Zhuo finally waking up from this disastrous defeat and, with the assistance of Li Ru, creating an image of working hard to govern the country in Chang'an.
This went against her vision.
Qiao Yan was in a much better mood after successfully stopping Li Ru. Seeing Sun Ce catching up, she nodded at him and asked, "Are you the son of Sun Wentai?"
Sun Ce was one year younger than her and still far from adulthood, but at this stage, for someone as brave and capable as him to lead his men, it would be a waste if he did not gain experience on the battlefield early on.
This young man riding his horse is very handsome and worthy of the name Sun Lang of Jiangdong.
However, Sun Jian is still the prefect of Changsha who works with Yuan Shu. He cannot be considered as Jiangdong. At most, he should be called Sun Lang of Changsha.
Seeing that Zu Mao, who had just fought with Zhang Liao under Qiao Yan, had already led his men and Qiao Hou's troops to distinguish between friend and foe, and were chasing them into the distance together, Sun Ce did not insist on chasing them. He just stopped riding and looked at Li Ru again.
I don’t know what kind of abilities this military advisor of Dong Zhuo has that makes Qiao Yan value him so much.
Sun Ce would never admit that he still had a desire to compete with everyone because of the word "idiot" he had just been called.
However, Qiao Yan didn't seem to take the misunderstanding seriously and spoke in a normal tone. He didn't need to dwell on it and replied, "Yes, I am Sun Ce, and my father is Sun Changsha."
When they were rushing to Luoyang, because they broke through Taigu Pass at a fairly fast speed by climbing mountains and the cavalry rushing to Luoyang were also marching very fast, Sun Ce thought they should be the first to arrive.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived in Luoyang, they saw Dong Min gathering the troops guarding Nan Guo and making preparations to retreat.
Although Sun Ce had only participated in a few battles, Sun Jian had almost developed an instinct for combat.
He immediately concluded that Dong Zhuo's troops had already suffered a defeat and had to withdraw.
It doesn't matter whether it is Lu Zhi and Yuan Shao's route or the route of Bingzhou Mu in the north that succeeds, after all, this is the time for them to pursue the victory!
Of course, when Sun Ce really met Qiao Yan's Bingzhou Army, he couldn't help but feel curious about how Qiao Yan managed to cross the natural barrier of the Yellow River.
But Qiao Yan obviously would not give him an explanation at this time.
Seeing that Sun Jian had fought his way through the remnant troops left by Dong Zhuo and was heading straight for this place, Qiao Yan hurriedly ordered people to take Li Ru into custody and send him to where Lu Bu and Xu Rong were, telling them not to treat him badly. Then he immediately led his personal guards to join forces with Sun Jian and pursued westwards in a swift and resolute manner.
Five years ago at Changsha, Sun Jian already knew that Qiao Yan was a genius, but when he saw her leading the troops today, Sun Jian finally understood how she had earned the reputation of a young governor and a man of both civil and military talents over the years.
The impression that the heroic Marquis of Leping gave him during this encounter was enough to make him cheer in his heart.
Because he arrived later than Qiao Yan, he asked during the pursuit: "May I ask Lord Qiao, what is the current situation in Luoyang?"
Qiao Yan's reply came in the wind: "Niu Fu, a subordinate of Dong Zhuo, was killed by my troops, and Xu Rong surrendered to me. Just now, during the pursuit, one of Dong Zhuo's troops rushed out and fought with my soldiers. I think the odds of victory are still on our side. The North Palace caught fire, and Dong Zhuo fled with Your Majesty. There are not many of his direct subordinates left. We will pursue him and rescue Your Majesty from this villain."
"But please be careful. King Hongnong is not in Dong Zhuo's team. He is likely to have been killed by the thieves. Please do not let the thieves hurt Your Majesty!"
She really needs to make this clear now.
Sun Jian and Sun Ce were both fierce tigers, and many of their generals were good at fighting. If she did not remind them, Dong Zhuo might be caught up from behind and surrounded by them because he left too few generals. This once-in-a-lifetime good situation might disappear before her.
Anyway, Qiao Yan had never entered the Luoyang North Palace in person, so it was not surprising that he came to the conclusion that King Hongnong had been killed by Dong Zhuo!
It’s not her fault!
Sun Jian replied, "Don't worry, Lord Qiao. I know what's going on."
In fact, even if Qiao Yan had not restricted the pursuit team, it would not be easy to catch up with Dong Zhuo.
Although Duan Wei rushed to Chang'an ahead of Dong Zhuo's orders, opened up cultivation in Huayin area in advance, and also met up with Dong Zhuo's relatives who were supposed to go to Luoyang, the men he had left behind to guard Hangu Pass could still serve as Dong Zhuo's support.
When Qiao Yan arrived at Hangu Pass, he saw that Zhang Liao had led his men to recapture Hangu Pass. However, of the generals of Dong Zhuo who were previously within the range of the enemy, only the vague figure of the last one could be seen.
She was sure that it was almost impossible to catch up with Dong Zhuo.
The horses ridden by Dong Zhuo's elite troops were mostly fine horses from Xiliang, which were comparable in speed to Qiao Yan's Bingzhou horses, and much faster than the horses used by Sun Jian's troops. With this obstruction, the distance between them was widened.
Zhang Liao apologized to Qiao Yan, "It was my incompetence that allowed the thief Dong to escape..."
"No need to say more," Qiao Yan interrupted him and looked towards Hangu Pass. As the true dividing line between Guanzhong and Guandong, it was not surprising that Dong Zhuo had a backup plan at Hangu Pass. "It's OK as long as the people are fine. It's not your fault."
It was inevitable that Dong Zhuo would retreat to Chang'an, but this responsibility should not be borne by Zhang Liao, who was in the forefront of the pursuit.
If the Suanzao coalition forces coming from Xuanmen Pass could arrive in time like Sun Jian, Dong Zhuo would never have the opportunity to rush around in Luoyang city like this, relying on the seesaw in the alleys to leave his pursuers behind.
They rushed back and forth from Hangu Pass, and even though they rode on the official road, it was already the second day when they returned to Luoyang City.
The Sour Jujube coalition forces have not arrived yet!
If I don’t take the blame, who will?
Anyway, it wasn’t Qiao Yan who had problems as he was the first one to arrive.
She, Sun Jian and Sun Ce went straight into the palace.
The fire in the North Palace had long been extinguished. Although this fire did not burn down as many palaces as the fire in the South Palace that day, Sun Ce, who was visiting Luoyang and setting foot in the North Palace for the first time, could not help but feel a sense of regret.
If this place had not been burned, who knows what a magnificent scene it would have been.
It was the early morning of the second day of the siege of Luoyang. The rising sun was shining from the southeast, casting a golden glow on the roof of the palace. If one ignored the parts that had been burned by fire and destroyed by fighting between soldiers, one could still vaguely see the atmosphere of the Han Dynasty.
Unfortunately, the Han emperor, who was living in the North and South Palaces, had already tasted the pain of exile in the last years of the dynasty.
Qiao Yan withdrew his gaze from the surroundings and saw Queen Mother Dong walking towards them.
Dong Zhuo's operation of tracing his family background allowed him to enter and leave the palace without fear, and he could be said to respect the Empress Dowager Dong. However, the existence of this person, or more accurately, the Grand Empress Dowager, had made her a little tired after the shock yesterday.
She just managed to hold on for a breath before being supported and walked out. When she heard that Qiao Yan and others had returned from chasing Dong Zhuo, she hurried over to greet them.
But when she looked in the direction where Qiao Yan was, she did not see any trace of Liu Xie, and realized that her expectations for this day and night were obviously in vain.
Still holding onto the last bit of hope, he asked, "Where is His Majesty?"
Qiao Yan bowed and replied, "Your Majesty was robbed by the Dong thief and went straight to Chang'an, but please rest assured, Queen Dowager, we will definitely march to Chang'an after we have assembled our troops and bring Your Majesty back."
Queen Mother Dong was shocked when she heard this and waved her hand weakly, "Marquis Qiao has worked hard, please go down and rest first."
She experienced the death of her husband and her son, and went through a lot of ups and downs.
In the first year of Xiping, Empress Dowager Dou, the wife of Emperor Huan of Han, passed away. She finally became the legitimate empress dowager as the biological mother of Liu Hong, and raised Liu Xie, the son most valued by Liu Hong, under her knees. She thought that all the hardships had paid off, but she didn't expect...
Chang'an? It’s not that easy to attack Chang’an!
The distance between Luoyang and Chang'an is eight hundred miles!
Even though she was not familiar with military affairs, she knew that the distance could not be covered in a day or two. Once Dong Zhuo has established a firm foothold in Chang'an, he will be able to dispatch troops from Liang Province, which will probably set up another insurmountable barrier.
She was extremely regretful at this moment. She wondered why she had accepted bribes from people who wanted to gain connections with Liu Hongxing because of his selling of official positions and titles in her early years.
Now this money is not enough to support the march expenses along the way, but it may damage Liu Xie's luck!
Seeing that the other party walked towards Yongle Palace in a trance after hearing those words, Qiao Yan couldn't help but shook his head.
The power struggle with Empress He in her early years may have drained the body of Empress Dowager Dong. She was supposed to die within this year, and now she has probably reached her limit.
Qiao Yan didn't have much sympathy for her. After all, her actions as the queen mother were also criticized. He just turned to Zhao Yun and asked, "How is the situation in Luoyang?"
Too many unexpected events happened in Luoyang City yesterday, which was overwhelming.
Zhao Yun could only talk about the key points, starting with the fire in Beigong that Qiao Yan was most interested in. "That fire was set by the Yuan clan members who were controlled in Beigong in order to rescue King Hongnong."
"Their choice was actually not wrong. Before Dong escaped from Luoyang, he intended to kill the King of Hongnong. But at that time, there were still Guo Si's followers in the North Palace who killed most of the Yuan clan members who participated in the incident. Only Yuan Taifu was left to lead the King of Hongnong to escape."
"It's just a little strange. After the Lord went to chase Dong Zhuo, Fengxian, Wenxian and others stayed here to put out the fire, but no trace of these two people was found in the North Palace."
Qiao Yan thought to himself that it was a bit strange that he hadn’t discovered anything until now.
Zhao Yun went on to say: "We have sent people to search all around. Maybe because of the turmoil in the North Palace, they left temporarily and hid somewhere to prevent further disasters. They will not show up again until they are sure that the capital is stable."
"In addition, the man I fought with yesterday was Zhang Xiu, the nephew of Zhang Ji, a lieutenant under Dong Zhuo. His uncle had already left with Dong Zhuo, leaving only him to cover their retreat. I have now captured him and he is at the mercy of Lord Qiao."
Qiao Yan thought for a moment and asked again, "How are the officials in the capital?"
Zhao Yun replied, "Because Dong Zhuo took Your Majesty away in a hurry, these people quarreled for a long time outside the North Palace yesterday afternoon. I listened for a long time and the opinions were divided into two groups. Some of them thought that they would go wherever Your Majesty was. Dong Zhuo's soldiers and generals were killed in this defeat. They went to protect Your Majesty and prevent Dong Zhuo from killing Your Majesty in his anger. Secondly, they could serve as internal support and discuss how to get rid of Dong Zhuo."
This is well said. If there is no official to support Liu Xie, there is no guarantee that Dong Zhuo will feel that this hostage is not important enough and will not even bother to do the work of holding on to the emperor's face.
Fortunately, Liu Xie was indeed Liu Hong's explicitly designated successor, and with the remaining power of the Han Dynasty, there would still be Han officials who would go there.
"Another group of people are suggesting that we should use the excuse that His Majesty has passed away as soon as possible to find another member of the royal family to be crowned as the emperor. For example, Youzhou Mu Liu Yu is highly respected and a good choice."
Not too surprising.
Qiao Yan had an idea of the current situation and replied, "Fortunately, for the safety of Fengxiao and Wenhe, they were left in Mengjin, but you are here to listen and see for me."
If it were Lu Bu, he would definitely not have the political qualities.
Zhao Yun felt ashamed of the compliment, and then heard Qiao Yan say, "Don't worry about these trivial matters for now, find the King of Hongnong first. We can make a decision on the rest after everyone is here. But be careful not to disturb the residents of Luoyang when searching for them."
She is not the second Dong Zhuo.
Zhao Yun immediately took the order and left. Sun Jian, Sun Ce and others also joined the search team.
Of course Qiao Yan was not idle either.
There was no trace of Liu Bian and Yuan Ji in the North Palace or in the alleys around it, which made her make an almost intuitive judgment and turn her gaze towards the direction of the South Palace.
Ever since Yuan Shu set fire to the palace and Dong Zhuo usurped the throne, the Nangong Palace has been blocked on all sides. Except for Xun Shuang who occasionally went to Lanting and several palaces in the southeast that were still guarded, hardly anyone would come here, so it naturally became a blind spot for the search.
Qiao Yan had another purpose in mind and needed to go to the Nan Palace, so he walked slowly along the palace wall. When he passed a small door in the corner, he suddenly discovered that the door was not closed tightly.
She pushed the door tentatively, and sure enough, she saw the door open.
After she walked along the path behind the door for a while, she saw some bloodstains on the ground.
She squatted down and observed it for a while, and was sure that this was definitely not the trace left by the battle between Yuan Shu and others and Zhang Rang and Jian Shuo. It could only be left when Yuan Ji fled here with Liu Bian!
Qiao Yan hurriedly followed the trail and then, remembering the system's reminder, he opened the numerical panel and put it aside.
Before she could follow the faint bloodstains that appeared at a distance to find the two hiding people, when passing by a palace, Qiao Yan suddenly discovered that her luck value suddenly dropped by ten points.
She looked towards the palace opposite the Lanting with a quick gaze, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
This kind of change in luck values has never happened before.
If the suggestions given by the system are not wrong——
The jade seal was now ownerless, and she couldn't take it for herself with her current manpower and territory. If she took it rashly, she would only be trapped in disaster. It will be directly reflected in the luck value and can be explained!
So, the seal is right there!
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