High Scholar

The Moth Bandits are here!

This news exploded within Luoyang like a bomb. Although the city's commoners had long heard that the Yellow Turban Army was marching on the capital with a massive force, many believed that Luoyang, being the capital of the world and protected by the Eight Passes, could not be taken so easily.

Unexpectedly, the so-called natural barrier of the Yellow River and the formidable Mengjin Pass failed to halt the Yellow Turban Army's advance. The local garrisons, in whom such high hopes had been placed, lacked the heart to resist, allowing the Yellow Turban Army to strike directly at the gates of Luoyang.

The city was in an instant state of turmoil.

Some planned to hunker down and go nowhere; others scrambled to find connections to seek shelter under prominent officials or powerful clans; still others intended to surrender without offering any resistance at all...

The General-in-Chief's Mansion.

He Jin sat on his mat in the hall with a dark expression, downing three cups of wine in quick succession. With a hint of drunkenness, he yanked the beauty pouring his wine toward him. The woman gasped, but she leaned into his embrace and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"General-in-Chief!"

Yuan Shao, sitting to He Jin's lower left, looked displeased and spoke up.

He Jin looked at the majestic and imposing Yuan Shao with drunken eyes and chuckled, "Benchu seems unhappy?"

Yuan Shao said coldly, "The General-in-Chief summoned Mengde, Lord Dong, Lord Sun, and myself to a banquet. Shao assumed you intended to discuss the matter of the Moth Bandits besieging the city, yet I did not expect you to dally with a woman in public. Is this not a sign of your displeasure with us? How could it be that I am the one unhappy with you?"

As soon as he spoke, Cao Cao, Dong Zhuo, Wu Kuang, Chen Lin, and Sun Jian all turned their eyes toward He Jin. While their gazes were not necessarily hostile, it was enough to startle He Jin, sobering him up significantly. He shoved the beauty in his arms away, causing her to fall to the floor, before laughing loudly, "I was wrong! I drank too much, I am drunk, truly drunk!"

The beauty, having been thrown, dared not cry or make a scene; she merely scrambled up and bowed as she retreated from the hall.

Seeing that He Jin seemed to have regained his senses, Yuan Shao's expression softened slightly. "General-in-Chief, with one hundred thousand Moth Bandits surrounding us, although they have not yet begun their assault, the people in the city are restless. We must discuss a strategy as soon as possible."

He Jin sighed upon hearing this. "Indeed, we must have a strategy. How do you gentlemen advise me?"

He looked around the circle, his gaze resting on each of their faces.

Dong Zhuo shook his head to himself; Cao Cao remained silent; Wu Kuang, a subordinate general of He Jin, had always followed his lead and did not intend to offer a plan...

"Wentai, do you have a strategy?" He Jin fixed his gaze on Sun Jian.

Sun Jian had originally been following Zhu Jun to besiege the Yellow Turbans at Wan City, but the imperial court was in such dire straits that they eventually ordered elite troops to be pulled from Zhu Jun's command to defend Luoyang.

Upon learning of the defeats of Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun understood the court's predicament and did not hesitate to send Sun Jian, his bravest and most capable commander, to Luoyang along with five thousand men.

Once Sun Jian arrived in Luoyang with his five thousand troops, he was immediately courted by He Jin, Yuan Shao, and others. They frequently hosted banquets for him, allowing Sun Jian to fully experience the meaning of royal power, wealth, the high-mindedness of the literati, and the prestige of noble clans.

Under the "campaign" of these famous scholars, Sun Jian quickly leaned toward He Jin.

Meanwhile, another supposedly elite force, the You Province troops, had fallen under the influence of the Palace Secretary Liu Yan—or rather, the Emperor, Liu Hong—under the leadership of Gongsun Zan.

The reason, of course, was that one of Gongsun Zan's generals was named Liu Bei. Liu Bei was remarkably handsome, possessed great strength, and was a disciple of Lu Zhi. Most importantly, he shared the surname Liu. At such a critical moment, he was immediately held in high regard by Liu Hong and Liu Yan.

When named by He Jin, Sun Jian spoke generously, "General-in-Chief, in my view, it would be best to select several thousand troops to sally forth and engage the Moth Bandits in battle, to crush their momentum."

As the words left his mouth, Cao Cao, sitting opposite him, could not help but let out a soft, mocking laugh.

Sun Jian immediately stood up abruptly, his tiger-like eyes glaring at Cao Cao. "Is Lord Cao laughing at me?!"

Cao Cao quickly said, "Not at all, not at all. Wentai, please sit. Cao is not laughing at you, but at myself."

The others were puzzled, and Sun Jian sat back down hesitantly.

A bitter, helpless smile appeared on Cao Cao's face as he explained, "In the past, I followed Lord Huangfu to besiege Guangzong, and I also requested to lead an army to engage the Moth Bandits in the field. I did not expect..."

He did not expect that the moment the Yellow Turban Army arrived, it would be a decisive battle, one that left the Han Army completely stunned. Cao Cao had been forced to abandon his thousands of men in a sorry state and flee back to Luoyang alone.

Sun Jian snorted softly upon hearing this. Chen Lin spoke at the opportune moment, "Mengde, you have fought the Moth Bandits once before. Have you thought of a way to deal with them?"

Cao Cao pondered for a long time, then shook his head, saying with a touch of despair, "The Moth Bandits are not difficult to deal with; the immortals and deities are."

The mention of immortals and deities caused everyone to hold their breath.

They all knew that the primary reason for the Han Army's crushing defeat was the legendary, omnipotent Holy Venerable Huang Tian. If not for the protection of immortals and deities, the mere Yellow Turban bandits would have been wiped out long ago. Even with thirty-six divisions of the Yellow Turban Army and hundreds of thousands of troops, they would have been nothing but dry wood before the Han Court's punitive expeditions.

However, there were no "ifs" in this world.

Dong Zhuo sighed, "I advise you all: rather than thinking about how to oppose immortals and deities, it would be better to make plans early and find a way out, lest you be killed by the chaotic army when the city falls."

This was said quite bluntly, yet no one could blame him. Dong Zhuo had lost all of his thousands of personal troops in a single battle and, like Cao Cao, had fled back to Luoyang alone. Everyone could barely accept his defeatist remarks.

The hall fell silent for a moment before Yuan Shao spoke up. "With the Moth Bandits at our gates, we cannot abandon the city and flee. The Emperor, the princes, the ministers, and the virtuous of the high clans are all in the city, and most of our own families are here as well. If we surrender and offer up the city, it would be no different than handing a knife to the Moth Bandits and letting them slaughter us at will."

Surrender was impossible, yet they could not win; the situation had fallen into a dilemma.

Sun Jian, growing impatient, spoke out, "Even if the Moth Bandits have immortals and deities, does that mean we dare not fight? In the end, it is but one death. If we stake our lives on this, what is there to fear?"

He stepped out from his seat and addressed He Jin with passion, "General-in-Chief, this humble one is willing to lead five thousand troops to sally forth and engage the Moth Bandits. If we win, it will boost morale; if we lose, I shall let the Moth Bandits take my head!"

He Jin's expression showed he was moved, and he said repeatedly, "Wentai is truly a hero! I shall enter the palace to see His Majesty, request the military order for you, and exterminate the Moth Bandits!"

The others also stood up in unison, bowing to Sun Jian and calling him a hero, which made Sun Jian's heart swell with pride and fervor.

Only Yuan Shao watched coldly from the sidelines, a fire of anger rising in his heart—not directed at Sun Jian, but at his own clan.

Hmph, the elders of the clan despise me because I am not of the direct line. When the news of the Moth Bandits attacking Luoyang arrived, they immediately had that brat Yuan Shu take some of the direct descendants and flee Luoyang for Runan, leaving me behind in this dead end. Despicable! Despicable!

His anger burned fiercely. He did not wish to sit and wait for death in Luoyang, and he began to weigh various escape routes in his mind. As he looked at Sun Jian again, a trace of pity could not help but flicker in his eyes.