Zhao Hanzhang reined in her horse. Across the street, Liu Cong had been waiting for some time. Seeing the expected person appear, his eyes revealed a viciousness he himself hadn’t noticed. “General Zhao, it’s been a while.”
Zhao Hanzhang smiled and greeted him cheerfully as well. “Has General Liu’s injury healed?”
Liu Cong replied, “Heaven couldn’t bear to see me die, so it healed.”
“Congratulations.” Zhao Hanzhang still wore a gentle smile on her face. “General Liu, why don’t we talk? Right now you’re surrounded by us. How about I open a path and let you leave?”
Liu Cong sneered. “General Zhao is too confident. Who’s surrounding whom is still uncertain.”
Zhao Hanzhang raised her lips slightly and asked, “Then shall we have a battle?”
“Fight if we must. Who’s afraid of whom?”
Liu Cong tilted his head back and asked, “Who among you will go?”
“This subordinate is willing to go.”
Zhao Hanzhang narrowed her eyes. After the opposing person stepped forward, she also asked those behind her, “Who among you is willing to try?”
Zeng Yue immediately said, “General, this subordinate is willing to go.”
Zhao Hanzhang nodded and let him go.
Just as Liu Cong and Zhao Hanzhang were selecting champions for single combat on the main street leading to the palace, Wang Mi was launching a fierce attack on the palace. Behind Zhao Hanzhang, Ji Yuan and Fu Tinghan simultaneously took action to transfer the surviving people in the city out.
Truthfully, Luoyang City was now nine-tenths empty. Over a year of famine and three years of war had left countless casualties among Luoyang’s people.
When Prince Donghai left the capital, he took a large number of noble families and their dependents, family servants, with common people trailing behind numbering up to one hundred thousand.
After Wang Mi attacked the city, he killed a batch.
Though they said the south of the city was slaughtered, in reality there were always soldiers who moved too quickly, plus these past two days of looting—quite a few people had died in other parts of the city as well.
Ji Yuan and Fu Tinghan’s soldiers sent into the city had to search many houses to find people. Sometimes there were clearly people in the houses, but they just couldn’t find them.
Because of strict orders from above, they didn’t dare rummage carelessly for fear of damaging the people’s property. So they just stood in the courtyard and announced, “We are the Zhao Family Army from Yuzhou. Our general has ordered all people in the city to leave Luoyang. A great battle is imminent, and staying in the city risks being caught in the crossfire.”
They added, “If your neighborhood chief is still alive, have him leave the city and report to the main camp in the southern suburbs to receive orders!”
With that, they left.
Those hiding, seeing they didn’t take any household property, were half-convinced and half-doubtful. After hesitating a moment, they still didn’t move. What if this was a barbarian trick?
There were also those at home who couldn’t hide in time, like the Wan Jian family.
When the Zhao Family Army burst in, the family was in the kitchen secretly cooking beans. The kitchen had no hiding places, so they were caught red-handed.
Wan Jian blocked his wife and children, forcefully pushing them into the gap behind the firewood while he stood facing the soldiers with a kitchen knife, trying to appear threatening.
The Zhao Family Army leader was used to such sights and didn’t advance to provoke him. He said, “Look closely—we’re Han people!”
He continued, “We’re the Zhao Family Army from Yuzhou. Our general sent us to rescue you. Hurry up, pack your things and leave the city. Fighting is about to break out in the city.”
Wan Jian didn’t believe it.
It wasn’t that he didn’t believe they were Han people. He didn’t believe these soldiers had come to rescue people. Most likely they wanted to take them out, rob them of their property, then sell them as slaves.
Prince Donghai’s subordinates often did such things. Everyone was used to it.
Soldier-bandits, soldier-bandits—sometimes soldiers were worse than bandits.
The soldiers ran through the eastern and western districts but brought out very few people in the end.
Ji Yuan had anticipated this. If he weren’t concerned about Zhao Hanzhang’s reputation, he would have preferred to have soldiers search people out of the city.
But that wouldn’t do. Zhao Hanzhang was naturally at a disadvantage, and popular support was very important to her.
Ji Yuan thought about it and sent someone to relay a message to Zhao Hanzhang.
“What? You want me to find a way to let everyone in the capital know I’ve come to the capital?”
“Yes, Scholar Ji said so.”
Zhao Hanzhang stroked her chin thoughtfully. After a moment, she suddenly understood. “I see. Scholar Ji wants me to tell the people in the palace that I’ve come to rescue them and they should hold on a bit longer.”
The soldier looked at Zhao Hanzhang with admiration. “It should be for this reason.”
Zhao Hanzhang then looked at Zeng Yue, who had just been injured and withdrawn. Zeng Yue indicated he understood. He rode his horse forward, raised his large blade high, and shouted toward the opposite side, “Zhao Family Army!”
The Zhao Family Army behind him immediately roared in unison, “Zhao Family Army! Zhao Family Army! Zhao Family Army!”
Never mind Liu Cong on the opposite side—even Zhao Hanzhang was startled. Hearing the thunderous cry of “Zhao Family Army” echoing through the clouds, Zhao Hanzhang had to admit this method was indeed effective. However… what had she wanted Zeng Yue to do just now?
Unable to remember, Zhao Hanzhang stopped trying. She let Zeng Yue lead the soldiers in their loud shouts.
The Xiongnu on the opposite side couldn’t accept defeat. Another deputy general came out and shouted loudly, “Han Kingdom Grand Commander! Han Kingdom Grand Commander!”
That’s right—the state Liu Yuan established was called Han. He insisted he was a descendant of Liu Bei and shared lineage with the Han royal house. But whether this was true or not, he and everyone in the world knew in their hearts.
Liu Cong was currently the Grand Commander.
Having already started shouting, Zhao Hanzhang was too lazy to continue exchanging words with Liu Cong at the top of her lungs. She simply said to Zeng Yue, “Ask Liu Cong if he accepts defeat from the previous battle.”
Zeng Yue had been injured, but the opposing general was hurt even worse—Zeng Yue had cut off one of his arms. This counted as a narrow victory on their side.
Zeng Yue was also proud. He shouted loudly, “Our general asks General Liu—do you accept defeat from the previous battle?”
The Zhao Family Army behind him immediately shouted in unison, “Our general asks General Liu—do you accept defeat from the previous battle?”
The sound echoed through the heavens. Not only did people in the palace hear it, but common people throughout the city heard it too.
The young man hiding in a rice jar quietly lifted the lid and listened carefully. Hearing a tremendous voice shout, “Our Grand Commander asks the Zhao Family Army—do you dare to fight personally? Do you dare?”
The young man’s heart leapt into his throat. Then he heard the other side shout, “Come on! Come on!”
The young man immediately removed the lid completely, climbed out of the rice jar, crawled under the bed to retrieve a bundle he’d been keeping, and slipped out. It really was the Zhao Family Army!
Fighting was really about to break out in the city. If he ran out now…
He wondered if the Zhao Family Army would capture them to sell as slaves. He’d heard that Zhao Hanzhang of Xiping was very kind and good-hearted. She probably wouldn’t rob them and sell them as slaves, right?
The young man secretly slipped out. After walking two streets, he discovered there were gradually more people on the streets. Everyone was sneaking toward the south of the city.
Perhaps because Zhao Hanzhang was blocking the front, the streets that usually had Xiongnu people coming to loot every day were completely empty. The young man turned a corner. Not paying attention to the ground while only watching ahead, he tripped over something and looked down—he couldn’t help crying out in alarm.
On the ground lay three or four Xiongnu people, covered in blood.