Ling Di and Ye Feng had not expected the noble families' response to be so swift this time.
They didn't know where Ling Di planned to flee or what he intended to do.
But none of that mattered!
As long as they could make Ling Di 'perish' here, any Ling Di elsewhere would be a fake.
Did he still want to hold the Son of Heaven hostage to command the lords?
Did he intend to abandon them, the noble families?
A pipe dream!
Thus,
Not long after Ling Di Liu Hong and his entourage fled Luoyang, a sky-high inferno erupted within the city.
The Imperial Palace,
It was on fire!
This palace, which had stood for centuries, was set ablaze.
Let alone the citizens within the city.
Even the Yellow Turban rebels outside the city were alerted by the sudden conflagration engulfing Luoyang.
"What the hell?"
"There's a fire?"
Zhang Bao, who had just settled down to sleep, was once again jolted awake by Guan Hai.
Upon hearing the news,
Zhang Bao initially thought their own camp had caught fire and shot up from his bed.
"It's on fire, quick, put it out! What are you still standing there for?"
"Huh???"
Guan Hai paused, slightly confused.
"G-General, are we supposed to put out the fire?"
"What else?"
Zhang Bao, hastily dressing and getting up, glared at Guan Hai.
"Where is the fire? Is it far? Have the brothers all evacuated?"
"Uh..."
Guan Hai finally realized that the important figure hadn't fully grasped his report.
"General Di Gong~!"
Grabbing Zhang Bao, who was about to rush out of the command tent, Guan Hai chuckled sheepishly.
"It's Luoyang, Luoyang city that's on fire, not our camp!"
"Ah?"
Zhang Bao stopped in his tracks, rubbing his ears, and asked uncertainly,
"It's really not our camp on fire?"
"No!"
Guan Hai shook his head affirmatively, his voice firm.
"General Di Gong, please rest assured, your subordinate has been keeping an eye out for any surprise attacks from the court!"
"That's good, that's good..."
Completely relieved, Zhang Bao turned and smacked Guan Hai on the forehead.
"Damn it!"
"What business is it of mine if Luoyang is burning?"
"You useless kid, you didn't make it clear, you almost scared me to death!"
"Get out, get out!"
Waving Guan Hai away, Zhang Bao walked back towards his bed.
Clearly, he intended to go back to sleep.
However,
Zhang Bao seemed to have forgotten one thing... could a matter that required Guan Hai to report personally be a trivial one?
"What?!"
"The Imperial Palace?!"
Zhang Bao, who had just returned to his bed, sat bolt upright again, startled by Guan Hai.
"You're saying the Imperial Palace is on fire? And it looks like quite a blaze?"
"Yes!"
Guan Hai nodded, gesturing outside with his hand, a hint of schadenfreude in his tone.
"General Di Gong, you can see for yourself if you go out. It's still burning over there!"
"Let's go!"
Intrigued, Zhang Bao forgot all about sleeping and got up to walk out of the command tent.
Indeed!
As soon as he stepped out into the open, Zhang Bao saw the fiery red sky above Luoyang.
Although, due to the distance, he could only vaguely make out the tongues of flame leaping upwards.
But this precisely indicated the intensity of the fire!
Otherwise,
From where they stood, it would have been fortunate to just see the red glow in the sky.
"Tsk tsk~!"
After gazing for a while, Zhang Bao called Guan Hai over, his expression filled with curiosity.
"Are you sure that place is the Imperial Palace?"
"Sure!"
Guan Hai's mood was clearly good at this point, he replied with a smile.
"I've asked several Luoyang residents, and that place is indeed the Imperial Palace!"
"Hmm..."
Zhang Bao nodded thoughtfully, but his tone still carried a hint of confusion.
"How could the Imperial Palace suddenly catch fire? Is it related to that group that fled earlier?"
"That can't be right either!"
"That group fled first, and then the Imperial Palace caught fire. They wouldn't have had time to set it ablaze!"
"General..."
Listening to Zhang Bao's muttering, Guan Hai's brows furrowed, as if he had thought of something.
"You said the group that fled... could they be those noble families?"
"Noble families?"
"Yes!"
Guan Hai nodded seriously, his face wearing an expression of certainty.
"Aren't they the ones most adept at this kind of trickery?"
"After getting rid of the Emperor, they'd frame us, then run to the allied forces of the 'Qinwang' and perhaps establish a new ruler to oppose us!"
"Hiss..."
Hearing Guan Hai's analysis, Zhang Bao narrowed his eyes, finding it quite plausible.
"Damn it!"
"If I had known it was them, we shouldn't have let them go!"
"These wicked bastards!"
"Yes!"
Guan Hai nodded in agreement beside him.
"The old Emperor rarely governs anyway, it's those scheming nobles who come up with these wicked ideas!"
"These sons of bitches who'll never have heirs, they only know how to victimize us common folk!"
"If we can catch a few this time, we absolutely must make them taste the agony of being skinned alive!"
"..."
Watching Guan Hai become increasingly agitated in his cursing, Zhang Bao's eyes unconsciously narrowed.
Kid, you're digging your own grave!
Don't you know the order to let them go was given by me, the General?
When I curse myself, it's called self-reflection, and it's commendable!
But what's the meaning of you joining in the cursing?
Taking the opportunity to vent?
Fine!
Since you're so idle, I'll let you have some excitement!
"Guan Hai!"
Having made up his mind, Zhang Bao patted Guan Hai's shoulder with a friendly smile.
"I have a very important mission here that I want you to complete!"
"Huh?!"
Hearing this, Guan Hai finally stopped, his eyes lighting up.
"General Di Gong, please just give me your orders. I will definitely carry them out perfectly!"
"Is that so?"
Guan Hai looked at him with a half-smile and pointed towards Luoyang.
"Go and find out exactly what happened in Luoyang last night!"
"Ah?"
Guan Hai, who had just spoken so confidently, suddenly looked crestfallen.
Go to Luoyang now?
Isn't that suicide?
Although the Luoyang garrison wasn't large, they were still enough to kill him.
Besides,
Who knew if this wasn't a trap set by the court's soldiers?
If he blundered in rashly, he might end up collecting his own corpse!
But,
He had already made such a grand promise, would it be too awkward to refuse now?
What to do?
What on earth should he do?
Glancing at Zhang Bao, who was still staring at him and smiling, Guan Hai felt increasingly uneasy.
He seemed to be starting to understand.
His boss was clearly trying to set him up, and doing so quite openly.
Now he had two choices!
Either admit defeat and back down, he believed his boss wouldn't continue to play tricks on him.
But that would mean losing all face today!
With so many people watching,
If he made such a bold claim and then failed to act, wouldn't he become a laughingstock?
In the impoverished Han Dynasty, spiritual satisfaction was the only thing that sustained them.
Otherwise, where would the tales of sudden white hair come from?
And where would the stories of shame-driven suicides come from?
It was precisely because they valued their reputation more than anything that they couldn't back down.
With that in mind,
Despite knowing the immense risk of this mission, Guan Hai gritted his teeth and agreed.
"General Di Gong, please rest assured, I will definitely get the news!"
"Hmm?"
Zhang Bao was slightly taken aback and reminded him uncertainly,
"Guan Hai, you know that's Luoyang, which we haven't been able to capture even after a day of fighting!"
"Your subordinate knows!"
Feeling the concern in Zhang Bao's tone, Guan Hai puffed out his chest.
"Precisely because I know it's Luoyang, your subordinate has to go personally!"
"If it were someone else, your subordinate wouldn't be at ease!"
"Who doesn't know that in the entire Yellow Turban army, no one is my match, Old Guan?"
"..."
Listening to Guan Hai's self-praise, Zhang Bao was already regretting his decision.
How could he have forgotten that this fellow was a simpleton?
Otherwise,
With his current martial prowess and status, he wouldn't always be kept by his side.
He was simply too single-minded!
Given a task, he would basically complete it, but ask him to make a decision?
He'd do whatever seemed right!
As for the outcome?
What did it have to do with him?
It was precisely because of Guan Hai's careless nature that Zhang Bao was uneasy about letting him lead an army alone and always brought him along.
This way,
Guan Hai could serve as his blade, while not causing trouble due to recklessness.
But now?
He was clearly heading towards a wall, and there was nothing Zhang Bao could do to stop him!
What to do?
What on earth should he do?
Facing Guan Hai's sudden stubbornness, Zhang Bao was at a loss.
He regretted it!
Since he had long known this fellow was a stubborn mule, why had he provoked him?
Now?
In front of everyone, he couldn't show too much favoritism, otherwise, others would have opinions.
After all,
Luoyang still needed someone to investigate. He definitely needed to find out what had happened inside.
If he stopped someone who volunteered, and assigned someone else instead...
"Forget it!"
Zhang Bao waved his hand in annoyance, looking at Guan Hai with a complex expression.
"Since you are so determined to go, then I won't say anything more!"
"Choose your own men!"
"Remember one thing!"
"Even if you learn nothing, you must return alive!"
"Yes!"
Guan Hai nodded at this, cupped his hands towards Zhang Bao, and immediately called out:
"Xu Huang, Pei Yuan Shao, Liao Hua... you all select fifty elite soldiers. We will infiltrate at a later time!"
"Yes!"
Those called out by Guan Hai all stepped forward, cupping their hands respectfully.
Even though they were reluctant internally, military orders were absolute!
Fortunately,
Guan Hai had a good eye for talent; he chose those with actual combat experience.
These men might be a bit arrogant, but they had one praiseworthy quality.
That was, when needed, they truly stepped up!
In their view,
If they were unmatched among hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers, the vastness of the world was theirs to explore.
Even if they encountered some tough opponents,
As long as they weren't surrounded and fought in a pincer, they still had ways to protect themselves and escape.
Survival?
There was no shame in it!
Only those who survived the battlefield had the right to enjoy everything.
Therefore,
From their first day on the battlefield, they had told themselves that living was the most important thing.
And now?
Wasn't it just a matter of going to Luoyang to gather information? At worst, they would go in for a quick look and come out!
Who could prove they hadn't gone?