And at this very moment.
Yao Guangxiao, Xue Rengui, Xun You, and others led an army of 100,000, entering Luoyang territory from Hangu Pass and arriving at the city of Gucheng.
General Dong Min was ordered not to resist and retreated to the walls of Luoyang.
Yao Guangxiao captured Gucheng without losing a single soldier, and then pressed on with his army eastward, setting up a large camp twenty miles west of Luoyang City beside the Luo River.
The army numbered 100,000, with 20,000 to 30,000 warhorses and countless supplies.
The camp stretched for more than ten miles, covering the sky and creating a magnificent sight.
After setting up camp, Yao Guangxiao led Xue Rengui, Xun You, and other generals out of the camp and climbed a hillside not far away, looking out at Luoyang City across the Luo River.
The majestic and towering city of Luoyang, from twenty miles away, naturally appears as small as a matchbox.
It appeared somewhat ethereal amidst the swirling dust of the earth.
"Since I began serving my lord a little over a year ago, I have been able to travel from beyond the Yellow River to the heart of this empire. My lifelong wish is about to be fulfilled!"
Yao Guangxiao clasped his hands together, his black monk's robe fluttering in the wind, his eyes deep, but his face revealing an undisguised excitement.
"The strategist's words touched me deeply. I never expected that after half a year, I would return to Luoyang in this way."
"Back then, I was working as a staff member in the General's mansion. Now, everything has changed!"
Six months ago, Liu Wei was ordered to go to the capital to attend to the ailing emperor, and many things happened between him and Empress He, He Jin, Empress Dowager Dong, ***, Liu Yu and others.
At that time, Xun You, who was He Jin's advisor, was kidnapped by Liu Wei's men and taken to Hetao.
Subsequently, Liu Hong died, and the situation in Luoyang changed drastically. The Rebellion of the Ten Attendants occurred, He Jin was killed, and Dong Zhuo entered the capital.
He Jin's former advisors have all gone their separate ways to make a living.
He Yong, Wu Qiong, Cao Cao, Chen Lin, and others, unwilling to serve Dong Zhuo, all disappeared without a trace.
Wang Yunhua and others followed the Yuan family.
Some people also followed Yuan Shao to Ji Province.
Xun You, however, took a different path and, after being kidnapped, became one of the most important strategists of Liu Wei, the King of Yunzhong.
"Once our lord drives out Dong Zhuo and assumes regency in Luoyang, we urge you, Gongda, to make strong recommendations for those talented individuals!"
"This humble monk is skilled at persuading the lord to rebel and kill for the dead. If it comes to governing the country, he should abdicate and yield the throne to a more worthy successor."
Yao Guangxiao smiled meaningfully, "I think the Grand Council was also established by the lord for wartime needs. Once it is on the right track, it will still be assisted by the prime minister. At that time, Gongda will have to take on more responsibility!"
“The country is in dire need of talent, how could the strategist possibly retire?” Xun You waved his hands repeatedly. “I am not learned enough to shoulder such a great responsibility. Strategist, please don’t joke with me. Our lord must have other considerations.”
"General Xue, what are your thoughts now?"
Xun You quickly changed the subject.
Xue Rengui, however, was observing the military camps that bloomed like mushrooms on the plains outside Luoyang. He was thinking about how to break through their formation with heavy cavalry from the front and how to cut them off from the flanks with light cavalry.
Moreover, their side doesn't have just ten or twenty thousand soldiers, but a hundred thousand.
Large-scale military operations are no longer about individual bravery.
No matter how strong one's personal abilities are, in such a vast sea of people, one is like a small boat adrift, utterly insignificant!
How these 100,000 men fought will also test Xue Rengui's command abilities.
After all, when it came to actual combat, Yao Guangxiao would not implement specific tactics. Along the way, the deployment of the 100,000-strong army was led by Xue Rengui.
"Mr. Xun, what can I possibly think? I will dedicate myself to winning this battle and helping our lord enter Luoyang as soon as possible!"
Xue Rengui replied without hesitation.
"What if we enter Luoyang? With so many troops, it's impossible for us to stay in Luoyang; we'll definitely be transferred out," Xun You asked casually.
"Of course I'll follow my lord's orders; I'll go wherever he tells me to go!"
Xue Rengui said seriously, "However, if I were to be transferred out, I would like to go back to the Western Regions!"
“You probably don’t know that there are even more vast territories west of the Western Regions. I want to expand our territory for our lord and take them all over.”
"General Xue, if that's really the case, I'll go with you. This humble monk wishes to visit the place where Buddha came from!"
Yao Guangxiao was also moved by Xue Rengui's words, "Wusun, Dayuan, Kangju, Kushan, and even further afield, I too will attain Buddhahood. This humble monk will use the Buddhist teachings of the Han Dynasty to deliver them from suffering."
"Is the strategist's ritual for the deceased still the same?"
Xun You recalled Yao Guangxiao's rituals for the deceased, where heads rolled and blood flowed like rivers.
"I'll treat people differently depending on who they're dealing with. If they agree with me, I'll talk to them about Buddhism; if they disagree, well, oh well!" Yao Guangxiao sneered.
After observing the mountain for a while, the three of them descended and returned to their camp.
With 100,000 main force troops arriving at the gates of Luoyang, the pressure has been put on the enemy.
This would significantly weaken the defenses on the south bank of the Yellow River, making it easier for Liu Wei's troops to cross the river.
The three men, accompanied by their attendants and guards, had just arrived at the camp gate when a rider galloped up at full speed:
"Strategist, a letter from the Prince!"
Yao Guangxiao looked at it and saw that it was a secret agent of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He immediately asked him to bring the letter over.
After reading it, Yao Guangxiao was first shocked, then his lips curled into a smirk as he shook his head and sighed, "My lord, this is too much of a bullying tactic!"
"You two, take a look!"
He then handed Liu Wei's letter to Xun You and Xue Rengui.
What!
After reading it, Xun You immediately cried out. Xue Rengui, seeing their expressions, took the letter with great confusion. After reading it, he couldn't help but shout:
"What? A million-strong army? Where did our lord get these troops?"
"However, if there were really that many, surrounding Luoyang in layers, we would win without even fighting!"
"The art of war says that subduing the enemy without fighting is perhaps the highest level of military strategy!"
"This general named Yue Fei was able to command a million soldiers, which is truly amazing!"
In his letter, Liu Wei instructed Yao Guangxiao to temporarily station his 100,000-strong army outside Luoyang and not to launch an attack.
This army will be under the unified command of Grand Commander Yue Fei.
Soon, eight large armies, each with 100,000 men, will arrive from all directions around Luoyang.
Adding to the original 150,000 troops, the total reached one million, surrounding Luoyang like an iron barrel!
This million is a real number of troops, not an inflated figure.
Cao Cao's 150,000 troops at the Battle of Red Cliffs could be described as an army of 800,000.
If there really were 800,000 troops, they would probably be declared as 8 million!
"Not only is it amazing that General Yue can command a million troops, but where did these eight units of 100,000 troops come from?" Xun You exclaimed in astonishment.
Moreover, the eating, drinking, defecating, and sleeping of a million-strong army cannot be commanded by just any general!
If this general named Yue Fei achieved this, then he would be comparable to the military genius Han Xin and the god of war Bai Qi.
"I remember when we were in Shangjun, the lord proposed to take only the guard battalion to Hedong, which meant that a large army hidden in the Wangwu Mountains would be mobilized."
"He also mentioned a general who was both a scholar and a warrior, and who wrote books. Could it be General Yue Fei?"
Xue Rengui echoed this.
"Those who can write books and establish theories are already saints among soldiers!"
"I look forward to meeting General Yue more than to those eight armies of 100,000 men!"
Yao Guangxiao nodded deeply, "Let's go back to camp first!"
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