A swift horse galloped into camp, its rider shouting, "An urgent military dispatch, seven hundred li express!"
Wang Chong was just about to press forward inch by inch. Hearing someone shouting outside, he cried out in irritation, "What urgent military dispatch? Couldn't it have come an hour or two later?"
Yueliduo burst into lilting laughter, slapped him up, and walked out of the command tent, only to see a scout tumble from his saddle and shout, "An Dushan has captured Shangdu, Luoyang!"
Wang Chong followed her out of the tent. Greatly startled himself, he asked, "Luoyang had the natural defenses of Copper Pass. How could it have fallen so easily?"
The scout said, "Third Lord Jiang suspected the commander of Copper Pass of colluding with An Dushan and sent someone to strip him of his military authority. The newly appointed commander knew nothing of strategy. An Dushan lured him out of Chang'an and wiped out the entire garrison in a battle in the open, then used the surrendered troops to trick the defenders into opening Copper Pass. With that, Shangdu, Luoyang, had no defensible barrier left, and An Dushan took it in a single push."
Wang Chong could not help cursing. "How could these people court death like this? Their own lives were at stake, yet they still dared to meddle and make a mess? What about the old ministers' faction in Luoyang?"
The scout said, "An Dushan captured them in one sweeping push."
"An Dushan has now taken all the troops of Copper Pass and all the wealth of Luoyang. His army has expanded to more than two hundred thousand, with countless weapons and suits of armor. His territory spans twelve prefectures, and his strength already surpasses Chang'an's."
Wang Chong asked a few more questions, then sighed and said,