Outside Luoyang City,
Ten miles away,
The patriarchs of the aristocratic families, led by Yuan Wei, were resting at the foot of a dirt slope.
They were waiting for someone!
Although they didn't know that Yang Biao and the others were rushing over, they were confident that someone would come.
Why?
Wasn't it simple?
Because whether it was the head of the Yuan family or the Grand Commandant in office, they were all targets to be curried favor with.
As long as those provincial governors and prefects weren't fools, they wouldn't wait for them to come to them.
And so it was!
Even without the Yuan brothers taking the lead, the provincial governors and prefects would have come.
Of course!
They wouldn't have come like they were now, but would have incited Lu Zhi to bring people along.
It was a pity that Lu Zhi had struck first!
Coupled with the cooperation of the Yuan brothers, they were all brought back in one go.
The rest?
Except for a very few who left behind trusted aides, most of them had brought their trusted aides along.
Who else could be trusted more than their own people?
If something unexpected happened on the way, at least there would be someone to shield them, right?
But what they never expected was,
Shortly after they left, their own army was taken away by Lu Zhi.
Resist?
Although a few of them noticed something was wrong, they didn't dare to resist at all.
That was Lu Zhi!
That was Lu Zhi who could stand tall even in front of the aristocratic families and was sought after by everyone!
Who dared to act rashly?
Besides,
At this time, no one had thought about what Lu Zhi was planning.
Moreover,
Lu Zhi didn't lead the army back or retreat, but moved to another side of Luoyang.
This gave them a false impression.
Although moving camp temporarily and rushing on the road was a bit unusual, it wasn't entirely unacceptable.
They were still near Luoyang, weren't they?
So,
Even the prefects who had left trusted aides behind didn't receive any reports from their aides.
They didn't realize that Lu Zhi had betrayed them until they were surrounded by the Yellow Turban rebels.
"Wh-what's going on?"
"It's the Yellow Turban rebels!"
"Quick, form ranks!"
Yang Biao, who almost ran headlong into Zhang Bao and the others, turned a little pale.
How could this be?
Didn't this scoundrel Zhang Bao just capture Luoyang? Why was he here?
It shouldn't be!
It shouldn't be!
Why didn't he stay in the city to manage the overall situation? Wasn't he afraid of something happening?
Damn it!
Damn it!
Looking at the dense Yellow Turban rebels behind Zhang Bao, Yang Biao's eyes became a little bloodshot.
It seemed difficult to escape this time!
Even if their twenty thousand troops were as strong as dragons, they couldn't possibly contend against an enemy several times their number!
"Heh heh~!"
"As expected!"
Unlike Yang Biao and the others' panic, Zhang Bao breathed a slight sigh of relief.
He was also taking a gamble!
Because,
The scouts who went with Huangfu Song to gather information had only just departed.
He wasn't stupid!
Since Huangfu Song dared to let scouts go with him, it meant that the situation here wasn't too bad.
Or rather,
The situation here wouldn't be too bad before the scouts returned with their report.
Even if they wanted to do something, they would have to wait until the scouts left.
So,
As soon as the scouts and Huangfu Song left, Zhang Bao began to gather his subordinates.
Fortunately, to deal with the siege of the allied army of the Imperial Guard, he kept half of his army on alert at all times.
This way,
When the scouts arrived at the new encampment with Huangfu Song, Zhang Bao had already led a hundred thousand Yellow Turbans to set off.
And by chance,
Because there were too many old and weak among those who came to greet Yuan Wei, their marching speed was very slow.
Even though Zhang Bao set off half a day later, he still arrived at the destination before them.
Now, what?
Yang Biao and the others hadn't even rendezvoused with Yuan Wei, and they were already divided and surrounded by Zhang Bao.
The most crucial thing was,
Yang Biao and the others thought that Yuan Wei and the others had been captured by the Yellow Turban rebels, and they fought with some reservations.
They were also afraid!
What if the Yellow Turban rebels threatened Yuan Wei and the others? Would they fight with all their might?
Or...
"Kill!"
Facing Yang Biao and the others, who were fighting with reservations, Zhang Bao showed no mercy.
He wanted to finish this quickly!
Regardless of what Lu Zhi and the others were planning, Zhang Bao wanted to deal with these people as soon as possible and then lead the remaining army back to defend the city.
And so,
One side wanted to fight, dared to fight, and fought desperately; the other side didn't want to fight, wanted to retreat, and even thought about running.
What do you think the outcome would be?
Even though Yuan Shao and Old Cao and the others tried desperately to turn the tide, they couldn't stop the trend of collapse.
Too crazy!
The Yellow Turban army, which had just captured Luoyang not long ago, was at the height of its morale.
Let alone mere household guards.
Even if Ye Feng's elite soldiers came, they might still suffer heavy losses.
Because morale was too important for armies in the cold weapon era!
This was also one of the reasons why ancient times advocated for duels between generals!
If you won?
Take advantage of the high morale and lead your subordinates to charge!
If you lost?
If you can retreat, retreat quickly; if you can't, be prepared to lose.
Although winning a duel didn't guarantee victory, losing a duel most likely meant defeat.
Unless the disparity between the enemy and oneself was too great!
Even so,
When a duel was lost, the stronger side would temporarily cease hostilities.
What's the point of fighting with no morale?
It's easy to be overthrown, okay?
This was also one of the reasons why Zhang Bao launched the attack without hesitation.
He admitted!
If it was purely about the combat power of the generals, his side was no match.
After all,
Before the uprising, they were all just peasants and bandits, and they had never learned any moves or techniques.
Compared to generals with family martial arts?
They would let you have one hand and still be fine!
Going to duel with them at this time? That was asking for trouble, wasn't it?
Isn't it better to fight first and talk later?
Look at it now!
Even though they had a fierce general like Yan Liang, who could fight a hundred, the allied army of the Imperial Guard was still in full retreat.
The enemy was too numerous!
Even if Yan Liang was like a god of war on earth, capable of taking a head with every swing, it still couldn't change the fact that they were on the verge of collapse.
Speaking of which,
These household guards, although called the elite of the allied army of the Imperial Guard, still had a gap compared to regular troops.
At least regular troops knew how to cooperate!
Wasn't war fought through cooperation?
No matter how powerful your individual combat ability was, if you were surrounded by a ten-thousand-man army, you would still be finished.
And these household guards?
They could cooperate with their companions and put up a decent fight in small-scale team battles.
Large-scale battles?
Don't be ridiculous!
They didn't dare to entrust their backs to strangers they had never met before.
Even with their own companions, the household guards would sometimes hesitate.
Would he sell me out?
People are selfish!
If selling themselves could save their lives, they probably wouldn't hesitate, right?
One or two thinking this way is fine.
But when everyone thought this way, the battle was basically heading towards collapse.
And so it was!
Facing the endless waves of Yellow Turban rebels, the defense line of the allied army of the Imperial Guard was also in full retreat.
At this time,
Whether it was the temporary commander Yang Biao or the Yuan brothers, a thought crossed their minds.
Run!
As the saying goes: A true hero seeks revenge after ten years!
But there was a prerequisite for this:
Don't die!
If they really died here, what would be the point of avenging themselves in the end?
Could they be resurrected?
Thinking of this,
Several people, including Old Cao, reached a consensus.
Let's run!
Run back!
As long as they rendezvoused with the main force of the allied army of the Imperial Guard, taking down these hundred thousand Yellow Turbans would be a piece of cake!
At worst,
They could also take advantage of Luoyang's emptiness to recapture Luoyang in one fell swoop.
As for Yuan Wei and the others?
Sorry!
Uncle/Grand Commandant, we can't even protect ourselves, so you'll have to fend for yourself!
And so,
While the main force of the allied army of the Imperial Guard was still resisting, a small group of people were secretly slipping away.
Unfortunately,
No matter how small their movements were, how could they escape the eyes of those who were paying attention?
Just like Zhang Bao!
He learned from his previous mistake and didn't intend to let these members of the aristocratic families go back.
Even if the sacrifice was a bit greater, it didn't matter!
He felt that Huangfu Song was right; these people would definitely not let him off if they went back.
Rather than waiting for them to return and regroup, it was better to kill them all in one go.
So,
When he discovered that these people were preparing to slip away, Zhang Bao waved to call for a messenger.
Soon,
Led by those who were paying attention, slogans rang out among the Yellow Turban army.
"Brothers, hurry and chase them! The generals of the allied army of the Imperial Guard have all fled!"
"Look!"
"Young Master Yuan and Young Master Yang have fled, hurry and chase them!"
"General Di Gong said!"
"Whoever can capture Yuan Shao and the others will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold each!"
"Hurry and chase!"
"..."
As the slogans in the Yellow Turban army grew louder and louder, the soldiers of the allied army of the Imperial Guard subconsciously looked back.
Good heavens?
The generals who were originally standing under the banner had all disappeared?
This was a bit outrageous, wasn't it?
We are all on the same side, and you're running away without taking us with you?
That wouldn't do!
Since you leaders are running away first, then it's okay for us to run too, right?
And so,
Some of the household guards, who had been resisting to the death, began to give up resisting.
Although it was only a very small portion.
After all,
Accustomed to shielding their masters, even if they were dissatisfied, they wouldn't betray them so quickly.
But this was enough!
War in the cold weapon era was fought through cooperation, through an impenetrable defense.
If a gap suddenly appeared, wouldn't that create a breakthrough?
Seeing this,
The provincial governors and prefects who were slightly slower in their escape were grinding their teeth in anger.
"Trash!"
"A bunch of trash!"
Ding Yuan, who was the last to discover the problem, cursed fiercely with a dark face.
He wasn't just scolding the soldiers who weren't resisting, but more so the Yuan brothers for their lack of righteousness.
We're all comrades eating from the same pot, why didn't you call me when you ran?
If it weren't for his personal guards discovering something was wrong, he would still be giving blind orders on the front lines.
Even so,
By the time he and his personal guards prepared to flee, they were already on the verge of being discovered.
And as the Yellow Turban army's shouts grew louder and louder, Ding Yuan felt as if everyone's eyes were on him.
How could this not make him angry?
Not only angry,
He also felt wronged!
Damn it!
I'm clearly the last one to run, why are you all staring at me?
Can't you look at someone else?
Unfortunately!
Ding Yuan's inner cry went unanswered; instead, it spurred on a group of escapees.
Nonsense!
If even the provincial governor Ding Yuan is running, what else can they do by staying here?
Run!
One leads two, two leads three, three leads four... eventually forming a rout.
And at the forefront of the rout?
Was the already panting Ding Yuan!
He really couldn't run anymore!
Don't know who it was,
They had ridden away all their horses, leaving him to run on foot.
But he wasn't a young man anymore!
Even with his personal guards supporting him repeatedly, Ding Yuan felt like dying.
"No, I'm not running anymore!"
After waving to stop the personal guards who came to support him, Ding Yuan looked at the disappearing figures in the distance, a trace of hatred flashing across his face, and said:
"Since Yuan Shao and the others are unrighteous, then do not blame me for being unjust!"