The expedition against Luoyang fielded fifty thousand combat troops, along with tens of thousands of support troops and laborers, for a total of roughly a hundred thousand men. In the past, they could have claimed to have an army of three hundred thousand.
Huang Tian had joined the expedition as well, though he wouldn't be directly commanding the troops. The professionals would handle their own business. Zhang Jiao was commander-in-chief of the Yellow Turban Army, with Zhang Liang, He Yi, Huang Shao, Zong Yuan, Guo Dian, and other generals under him.
Meanwhile, Zhang Bao and Tian Feng remained in their home base in Ji Province, where they coordinated their efforts. They still had nearly fifty thousand elite troops under their command, so there was no need to worry about an enemy invasion. They'd be doing well if they didn't launch an expedition against other commanderies themselves. Zhang Bao and Tian Feng's main task was handling logistics and ensuring that the expeditionary army's provisions and equipment never ran short.
If one phrase could sum up the Yellow Turban Army's campaign against Luoyang, it was this:
Unimpeded!
The army set out from Guangzong, passed through Ye City, and made straight for Henei Commandery. Only a few thousand men there put up resistance, and they did nothing to slow the Yellow Turban Army's advance.
After taking Henei, the army rested briefly in Huai County, then set out again for Mengjin Pass, where they forced their way across the natural barrier of the Yellow River.
Zhang Jiao had expected a hard-fought battle at Mengjin Pass. After all, the pass was exceptionally well protected by its terrain, and the Yellow River served as a natural defense. The Yellow Turbans were bound to suffer heavy losses crossing it under fire.
But who could have guessed that Mengjin Pass would fall in just three days? With that, the road to Luoyang lay open, with nothing left to obstruct them.
The army swept south at speed, its advance fierce and unstoppable.
The court in Luoyang was in a state of panic. Emperor Liu Hong hastily packed up his "belongings" and prepared to flee.
There were simply too many gold, silver, and other valuables. Loading them alone took a full fifty carts!
Before the fifty carts had even left Luoyang, numerous high-ranking officials spotted them and blocked their way. The commotion was simply too great; anyone who wasn't blind could see the endless line of carts laden with valuables along the main road.
"My ministers, if you won't let Us leave, do you want Us to be captured by the Moth Bandits here in Luoyang?" Liu Hong glared at the officials blocking his way, furious.
The moment he'd received word that the Yellow Turbans were marching on Luoyang, he'd wanted to flee to Hongnong and Jingzhao, then head south to Yi Province if the situation called for it, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the Yellow Turbans.
But Yang Ci, Zhang Wen, Deng Sheng, and the others had kept urging him to stay in Luoyang and wait to see how things unfolded. They'd assured him that Mengjin was a formidable pass and the Moth Bandits would struggle to take it. Yet Mengjin, fortified by the natural barrier of the Yellow River, had fallen in mere days. Now the Moth Bandit army was bearing down on Luoyang, and these men still wouldn't let him leave. The nerve of them!
Faced with Liu Hong's cutting accusation, the ministers could only kneel and beg forgiveness.
Liu Hong's expression darkened. "If you know you've done wrong, then why are you still blocking the road?!"
Grand Marshal Deng Sheng raised his head and pleaded, his voice anguished. "Your Majesty, there are still seventy thousand troops in the city. Why flee? If the Son of Heaven heads west and Luoyang falls, the court's authority will be trampled into the dirt, and the realm will be shaken. Then those with strong armies and ample horses will be unable to suppress their ambitions. They'll carve out territories for themselves and proclaim themselves kings. That would be when the dynasty truly perishes!"
Liu Hong sneered. "Minister Deng, tell Us this: why did Mengjin Pass fall in a matter of days?"
Naturally, it was because the defenders had completely lost their nerve.
The Han Army guarding Mengjin had lost its nerve. Did the seventy thousand Han troops in Luoyang fare any better?
"Do you think We haven't seen those seventy thousand troops? There are many brave soldiers among them, and men like Gongsun Zan and Sun Jian are certainly capable. But the armies are a jumble, with no unified commands. They're like a hundred-headed snake. How can they stand against the united Moth Bandits?"
Deng Sheng replied earnestly, "Though the troops answer to different commanders, they all have a sincere desire to serve their country, and they're all prepared to defend Your Majesty to the death!"
Liu Hong was speechless. "Minister Deng, must We spell it out? Is it the fifty thousand Moth Bandits We fear? If they were merely tens of thousands of bandits, We would sit calmly inside the city and watch you all defeat them at your leisure. But...the Moth Bandits have divine protection! What can we use to defend the city? How are we supposed to hold it?"
Deng Sheng had no answer.
The successive defeats of Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song had convinced the Han Court's high-ranking officials that the Yellow Turban Army enjoyed the protection of Immortal Gods. Faced with the mysterious and powerful God Huang Tian, they had no way to fight back.
Liu Hong continued, "If the Grand Marshal has a way to deal with the false god, We will never leave Luoyang!"
What could Deng Sheng possibly do? He pressed his forehead to the ground and rasped, "If the false god breaches the city, this old minister will die before Your Majesty!"
What he really wanted to say was that they might escape for a time, but they couldn't escape forever. Better to stay in Luoyang and fight with all they had than have the Yellow Turbans chase them down and kill them. At least tens of thousands of troops remained in the city.
If they fled to another province, they'd only be clinging to life, existing as little more than shadows of themselves.
Liu Hong was at a loss for words.
He didn't want to die. He only wanted to live, one more day if he could.
"That is enough. I order you all to clear the road at once!" Liu Hong waved his hand impatiently.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" Deng Sheng remained kneeling in the middle of the road, blocking the way.
"You—you!" Liu Hong pointed at Deng Sheng, hopping with rage.
As the emperor and his ministers remained deadlocked, Grand General He Jin came hurrying over. His face was pale as he dropped to his knees, trembling. "Your Majesty, the Moth Bandits' scouts have been spotted outside the city!"
The news struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. Liu Hong staggered, despair filling his heart.
It was over. He couldn't leave now!
The dozens of carts already made their escape slow. With the Yellow Turbans' vanguard cavalry now reaching the outskirts of Luoyang, there was no way they could move any faster.
He could only abandon the gold and valuables, take a small elite cavalry force, and try to escape under cover of night. Only then might he have a chance of getting out of Luoyang safely.
But it was hard to part with wealth. Liu Hong truly couldn't bear to abandon the money he'd painstakingly "saved" over the years and flee alone. Besides, the Moth Bandits were outside. Escaping was too risky. If they spotted him and gave chase, he might be killed amid the chaos of battle. That would be downright laughable.
He stomped hard, pointing at Deng Sheng, Yang Ci, and the others kneeling on the ground. "Well, there you have it. No one can leave now. Are you satisfied?"
The ministers trembled as they kowtowed.
Liu Hong raised a hand to cover his face. "Enough. We won't leave."
He didn't dare.
The ministers breathed a sigh of relief.
Whatever Liu Hong's reason for staying in Luoyang, as long as he remained, everyone had someone to rally around, and the seventy thousand troops in the city could still hold the line.
Morale was the key to defending a city.
Liu Hong sighed, stepped forward, and helped Deng Sheng and the others to their feet. "We know nothing about warfare, much less defending a city. We entrust Luoyang's safety to you, my ministers!"
"We will give our lives to repay Your Majesty's favor!"
Liu Hong waved them off and turned to order the palace eunuchs to gather up the valuables from the carts. Then, weighed down with worry, he returned to the palace.
The officials went their separate ways, busying themselves with preparations to reinforce Luoyang's defenses.
Just two days later.
The sky was overcast, and fierce winds howled.
An army so vast its end could not be seen slowly advanced on the outskirts of Luoyang. Scout cavalry rode at the very front, traveling light and fast. They fanned out like a flock of birds, surveying the area around Luoyang.
Next came enormous ranks of infantry, arranged in formation. Yellow cloth was wrapped around their heads, and they wore earth-yellow uniforms beneath snug leather armor. Long spears and halberds rose and fell with their marching steps, like waves rippling through the ranks.
Amid the countless infantrymen rolled a carriage with red wheels and an ornate canopy. A great banner rose behind it, bearing four bold characters: "Great Peace Yellow Heaven."
The banner whipped wildly in the gale, proclaiming the Yellow Turban Army's arrival!
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