Our Army is Unimpeded! Unimpeded!

The total number of combat troops marching on Luoyang this time was fifty thousand, with tens of thousands of auxiliary laborers in tow, totaling roughly one hundred thousand men. In the past, this would have been enough to boast of a grand army of three hundred thousand.

Furthermore, God Huang Tian was accompanying the army on this campaign, though he did not personally command the troops; he left professional matters to the professionals. The commander-in-chief of the Yellow Turban Army was Zhang Jiao, with generals such as Zhang Liang, He Yi, Huang Shao, Zong Yuan, and Guo Dian under his banner.

Meanwhile, Zhang Bao and Tian Feng remained behind to hold the home base in Ji Province. They still had nearly fifty thousand elite troops under their command, so there was no fear of enemy invasion; in fact, it would have been a mercy if they didn't take the initiative to conquer other provinces and commanderies themselves. The primary task for Zhang Bao and Tian Feng was to manage logistics, ensuring that the supply of grain and equipment for the expeditionary force remained uninterrupted.

If one were to use a single word to describe the Yellow Turban Army's military operation against Luoyang, it would be:

Unimpeded!

The army set out from Guangzong, passed through Ye City, and struck directly at Henei Commandery. Henei Commandery offered only a meager resistance of a few thousand men, which did not affect the Yellow Turban Army's pace of advance in the slightest.

After taking Henei, the army rested briefly in Huai County before continuing their march toward Mengjin Pass to force a crossing of the treacherous Yellow River.

Zhang Jiao had expected a fierce battle at Mengjin Pass, as the terrain was truly perilous and relied on the Yellow River for defense; he anticipated that the Yellow Turban Army would suffer significant losses in a river-crossing assault.

To everyone's surprise, Mengjin Pass was captured in a mere three days. With that, the road ahead to Luoyang became a smooth path, devoid of any further obstacles.

The army surged southward, their momentum fierce and overwhelming.

The Luoyang court was gripped by terror, and the Emperor Liu Hong began frantically packing his "belongings," preparing to flee.

However, there was so much gold, silver, and silk that it took fifty large carts just to load it all!

Before the fifty carts could even leave Luoyang, they were discovered and blocked by various high-ranking officials. The commotion was simply too great; anyone who wasn't blind could see the endless line of carts filled with treasure stretching along the main road.

"My lords, you refuse to let Us evacuate—do you intend for Us to be captured by the Moth Bandits here in Luoyang?" Liu Hong asked, looking at the obstructing ministers with extreme fury.

In truth, the moment news arrived that the Yellow Turban Army was marching on Luoyang, he had wanted to flee to Hongnong or Jingzhao, and then, depending on the situation, head south to Yi Province to stay as far away from the Yellow Turban Army as possible.

Yet Yang Ci, Zhang Wen, Deng Sheng, and others had kept urging him to remain in Luoyang to observe the situation, telling him that Mengjin was an impregnable pass that the Moth Bandits could never overcome. But now, Mengjin—which relied on the natural barrier of the Yellow River—had been taken in mere days, and the main force of the Moth Bandits was charging toward Luoyang with terrifying momentum. That these people still refused to let him leave was simply detestable!

Hearing Liu Hong's heart-piercing words, the ministers had no choice but to kneel and beg for forgiveness.

Liu Hong's expression remained grim. "Since you know you are wrong, why have you not yet stepped aside?!"

Grand Commandant Deng Sheng raised his head and said sorrowfully, "Your Majesty, there are still seventy thousand troops in the city; why must you flee? If the Son of Heaven heads west and Luoyang falls, the dignity of the Imperial Court will be swept into the dust, and the world will surely be shaken. At that time, those with strong armies and sturdy horses will find their ambitions hard to suppress, each carving out their own territory and declaring themselves kings. That is when the nation will truly be lost!"

Liu Hong sneered. "Lord Deng, tell Us: why was Mengjin Pass lost in mere days?"

Naturally, it was because the garrison had completely lost their nerve.

If the Han Army guarding Mengjin had lost their nerve, did the seventy thousand Han troops in Luoyang have any left?

"Do you think We do not see those seventy thousand troops? While there are many brave soldiers among them, and men like Gongsun Zan and Sun Jian possess true talent, the various units are mixed and the commands are inconsistent. Like a hundred-headed snake, how can they possibly deal with the single-minded Moth Bandits?"

Deng Sheng replied earnestly, "Though the armies are under different commands, they all possess a sincere heart to serve the country and have sworn to defend Your Majesty to the death!"

Liu Hong was speechless. "Lord Deng, must you force Us to speak plainly? Do you think We fear only fifty thousand Moth Bandits? If it were merely a few tens of thousands of bandits, We would sit securely in the city and watch you gentlemen defeat the enemy at your leisure. But... the Moth Bandits have the protection of a god! With what shall we defend the city? How can we possibly hold it?"

Deng Sheng was left without a reply.

The successive, crushing defeats of Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song had convinced the high officials of the Han Court that the Yellow Turban Army was protected by immortals and gods. Faced with the mysterious and powerful God Huang Tian, they had no way to counter him.

Liu Hong continued, "If the Grand Commandant has a way to deal with this false god, We shall never flee Luoyang!"

What way could Deng Sheng possibly have? He pressed his forehead to the ground, his voice hoarse as he said, "If the false god breaches the city, this old minister shall die before Your Majesty!"

In truth, he wanted to say that one could flee for a moment, but not for a lifetime. Rather than being hunted and killed by the Yellow Turban Army, it would be better to stay in Luoyang and fight with all their might; at least there were still tens of thousands of troops in the city.

If they fled to other provinces, it would be nothing more than a pathetic, lingering existence.

Liu Hong was speechless.

He did not want to die; he only wanted to live, to survive one more day for every day he could.

"The matter is settled. I ask you all to clear the road at once!" Liu Hong waved his hand, his voice impatient.

"Your Majesty, you must not!!" Deng Sheng remained kneeling in the middle of the road, blocking the path.

"You—you!" Liu Hong was frantic, pointing at Deng Sheng and hopping with rage.

As the monarch and his subjects stood in a stalemate, General-in-Chief He Jin came running over in a hurry. His face was pale as he slid to his knees, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, the scouts of the Moth Bandits have already been sighted outside the city!"

The news struck like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky. Liu Hong stumbled back, despair filling his heart.

It was over; he could not leave!

They were already slow because of the dozens of carts; now that the vanguard cavalry of the Yellow Turban Army had reached the outskirts of Luoyang, they would be even slower.

Unless he abandoned the gold and silver and took only a small number of elite cavalry to flee under the cover of night, it would be impossible to escape Luoyang safely.

But it is hard to part with wealth, and Liu Hong truly could not bear to leave behind the riches he had painstakingly "hoarded" over the years to flee for his life. Furthermore, with the Moth Bandits outside, the risk of fleeing was too great; if he were discovered and pursued by the bandits, only to be killed in the chaos, it would be too ridiculous.

He stamped his feet heavily, pointing at the kneeling Deng Sheng, Yang Ci, and the others. "Well, now no one can leave! Are you satisfied?"

The crowd trembled and kowtowed.

Liu Hong raised a hand to cover his face. "Enough. We shall not leave!"

He dared not leave.

The crowd breathed a sigh of relief.

Regardless of the reason Liu Hong chose not to flee Luoyang, as long as he remained, everyone had a pillar of support, and the seventy thousand troops in the city could still hold their ground.

The hearts of the people were the key to defending the city.

Liu Hong sighed and stepped forward to help Deng Sheng and the others up, saying earnestly, "We do not know how to fight, and We know even less about defending a city. The safety of Luoyang is entrusted to you, my lords!"

"Your subjects shall offer our lives to repay your grace!"

Liu Hong waved his hand, turning to instruct the eunuchs to gather the treasures from the carriages before returning to the imperial palace with a heavy heart.

The court officials, meanwhile, busied themselves with reinforcing the city defenses of Luoyang.

A mere two days later.

The sky was overcast, and a fierce wind blew.

An army so long it seemed to have no end slowly arrived outside the walls of Luoyang. At the very front were scout cavalry, light and swift, scattering like a flock of birds to probe the surroundings of the city.

Following them were vast ranks of infantry, their heads bound in yellow turbans, clad in earth-yellow tunics over sturdy leather armor, their spears and halberds rising and falling like waves with the rhythm of their march.

In the midst of the countless infantry was a carriage with vermilion wheels and an ornate canopy, behind which a great banner was hoisted, inscribed with the four large characters: "Great Peace Yellow Heaven."

The great banner whipped wildly in the gale, proclaiming the arrival of the Yellow Turban Army!