Unbridled

Luoyang stretched six miles east to west and nine miles north to south, its walls standing several zhang high. This towering, majestic sight provided the garrison soldiers with a profound sense of security.

It could be said that as long as the defenders did not lack morale or grain, they could hold out until the enemy fell into despair.

However, throughout history—including in later eras—whenever an imperial capital was besieged, the morale of the defenders was invariably abysmal.

This was easy to understand: although the imperial capital was built to be sturdy and tall, it was never intended to be a fortress for a last stand. Once the time came to defend the capital, it meant the dynasty had reached the brink of collapse.

The current state of Luoyang was no exception.

The Han Army guarding the city clearly held the advantage in numbers, possessed a massive city as their bastion, and lacked neither grain nor armor. Yet, their morale was rock bottom; they viewed the Yellow Turban Army outside the walls like fierce tigers, trembling in fear.

"Keep your spirits up!"

At Daxia Gate, Sun Jian was patrolling the ramparts under orders. Seeing many soldiers hanging their heads in a daze, listless and dejected, he could not help but rebuke them.

Startled by his shout, the soldiers shivered. In their hearts, they cursed: We're the ones standing here in the cold wind, while you officers just go through the motions—and you have the nerve to lecture us?! You should let the Moth Bandits break in and skin you alive!

A platoon leader complained, "Major Sun, the Moth Bandits haven't attacked in days. They aren't even building siege engines; they're just obsessed with digging dirt. How are we supposed to be careful? They can't fly onto the ramparts, can they? If you ask me, we should be more worried about someone secretly opening the city gates to let the Moth Bandits in."

If they weren't launching an ant-like swarm assault, it could only mean they were plotting an inside job.

Sun Jian knew the platoon leader had a point, but he kept a stern face. "You don't need to worry about the gates. Just guard the ramparts well and keep an eye on the enemy camp's movements."

The platoon leader nodded helplessly. Suddenly, a thunderous, intense drumbeat erupted from the distance.

"That direction... it's the Moth Bandits' main camp!"

The expressions of everyone present shifted drastically. Sun Jian quickly leaned over the wall to look toward the Yellow Turban camp. He saw a tide of yellow-clad figures pouring out of the open gates in an orderly fashion. Some held spears and Ring-pommel Sabers, others wore leather armor and gripped sword and shield. They moved in squads and columns; just the act of exiting the camp and forming ranks took a significant amount of time.

"Are the Moth Bandits finally launching a full-scale assault?"

Sun Jian was puzzled. How could they attack without siege engines? Could they really fly onto the ramparts?

He waved his hand and said decisively, "Beat the drums and blow the horns to send the signal! Warn all the armies in the city: the Moth Bandits are attacking!"

Though he couldn't fathom what the Yellow Turban Army was planning, Sun Jian issued the alert immediately.

Hearing the earth-shaking drums from outside and atop the walls, the city erupted into chaos.

The Moth Bandits were finally attacking!

The heavy stone that had been weighing on their hearts for days was finally about to drop!

If the defenders could repel the first wave, the morale of the army and the hearts of the people in Luoyang would gradually stabilize. If they collapsed on the first wave, then nothing else would matter.

General-in-Chief He Jin and Grand Marshal Deng Sheng arrived at the Daxia Gate ramparts with their personal guards. Sun Jian knelt to pay his respects, but He Jin ignored him, leaning directly over the parapet to look outside. He saw tens of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers arrayed in solemn ranks across the flat plains; spears and halberds stood like a forest, military banners fluttered, and warhorses neighed—a scene of chilling lethality.

After Deng Sheng helped Sun Jian up, he walked to the edge of the wall to observe. Looking at the well-drilled Yellow Turban Army with their complete sets of armor, he frowned deeply. "The Moth Bandits have truly come into their own. While not quite on par with the Five Schools Elite Soldiers, they are quite formidable."

He Jin disliked Deng Sheng, but since this was a time for everyone to unite to defend Luoyang, he didn't want to cause a scene. He replied, "The Moth Bandits have defeated Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi in succession, seizing the weapons of tens of thousands of troops, and have been training extensively in Ji Province. It's no surprise they are elite. It would be strange if they came to attack the city wielding pitchforks and hoes."

His words were filled with dissatisfaction toward Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi.

If not for their consecutive defeats, would the Moth Bandits have such high-quality weapons?

Deng Sheng, however, was quite sympathetic toward Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi. He didn't echo He Jin's sentiment but asked in confusion, "What is the point of the Moth Bandits just forming ranks? They don't even have a single scaling ladder or battering ram for the siege."

He Jin was also puzzled and was about to say something when a commotion broke out behind him. His face turned cold, and he turned to scold them, but upon seeing that familiar, pale face, he trembled in fear.

"Y-Your Majesty, why have you come here?" He Jin stammered.

The person who arrived was none other than Liu Hong. He wore a profound black robe adorned with jade at his waist, exuding an air of nobility. Behind him followed a group of eunuchs; Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and other Regular Palace Attendants were all in the ranks, though each wore a bitter, reluctant expression.

Deng Sheng was also shocked. He hadn't expected Liu Hong to leave the palace and come to the ramparts. He quickly said, "Your Majesty, the Moth Bandits are about to attack. This place is dangerous; please, Your Majesty, leave at once."

Liu Hong shook his head. "No rush. I will leave once the Moth Bandits begin firing arrows and swarming the walls."

The reason he came to the ramparts was primarily because he was panicked and felt insecure; he couldn't stay in the palace. Furthermore, he wanted to see with his own eyes what these Moth Bandits, who had forced him and the Han Empire into a desperate corner, actually looked like.

"They look like ordinary troops, after all..."

He scanned the Yellow Turban soldiers arrayed outside the city and gave a low evaluation.

As the master of the world, Liu Hong's standards were quite high. Even though the Yellow Turban soldiers were much stronger than typical provincial troops, in his heart, they only earned a rating of "ordinary."

As he was sizing them up, more and more high-ranking officials and generals gathered on the gate tower: Zhang Wen, Yuan Wei, Liu Yan, Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, Gongsun Zan, Liu Bei, Yuan Shao...

Some of them didn't actually want to come up—for instance, Yuan Shao was already planning his retreat toward Dongyang Gate—but since the Emperor had personally climbed the tower to "boost morale," they had to follow to show their loyalty and lack of ulterior motives.

After all, no one knew if Luoyang could hold. If it did hold, anyone who deserted now would surely be on Liu Hong's blacklist later...

Surrounded by his ministers, Liu Hong suddenly felt a sense of stability. A thought struck him, and he feigned disdain, pointing below the wall. "The Moth Bandits haven't even built scaling ladders or grappling hooks, yet they dream of taking the city! It is truly laughable!"

The ministers echoed his laughter. The surrounding garrison soldiers, seeing these great figures laughing so freely, felt their anxiety ease, and their morale recovered somewhat.

Seeing that his actions were effective, Liu Hong struck while the iron was hot. "Pass the order: those who defend the city today will be rewarded with a thousand coins and two bolts of cloth each!"

As the order was passed down, cheers erupted from the ramparts, and morale soared. Liu Hong felt smug. I truly have an innate talent; I know how to govern and command an army without ever having served in one!

However, before he could revel in his triumph for long, sounds of terror rang out one after another. Liu Hong was secretly displeased. Just as he was about to see what had caused the soldiers such panic, he leaned toward the parapet and saw a sight that shook his very soul.

Below the city walls, on the open plains, tens of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers knelt in unison, fanatically shouting, "Holy Venerable Huang Tian!" At the same time, a young man dressed in a cloud-patterned Daoist robe walked slowly out from the midst of the vast army. He reached the front of an earthen altar, waved his sleeve gently, and several wisps of faint, cloudy mist lifted him slowly onto the three-zhang-high altar...