CHAPTER 500: CHAPTER 494 REUNION

Many corpses lay before the gates of Luoyang City. A few birds landed on them, but as the scouts approached, they flapped their wings and flew to the city walls, turning around to keenly watch the intruders penetrating the area.

The further they went inside, the more uneasy the scouts felt.

Upon reaching a hundred meters in, even the seasoned scouts who had fought several battles alongside Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help but feel a chill in their hearts.

The roads were full of corpses, and the shops and residences on either side were eerily silent, making the entire city seem like a dead city.

"Centurion..."

"Shut up, split into two teams. Squad leader, take four people and explore westwards; I’ll continue north. Report back immediately if you find any enemy presence."

"Yes!"

Half of South City was deathly silent; the scouts barely made their way out by dusk when Ji Yuan and his men arrived, officially meeting with Zhao Erlang.

Zhao Erlang felt frustrated upon seeing Ji Yuan arrive so quickly, lamenting that he hadn’t had the chance to enter the city and rescue the Emperor.

Eager to make a name for himself in front of his sister, Zhao Erlang complained to Xie Shi, "I said we should have gone in earlier, now that so many of us are here, the enemy within the city is surely aware of us."

Xie Shi replied, "Don’t worry, Erlang. I’ve cleared out the area within twenty miles of the South City Gate, ensuring enemy scouts won’t detect us."

Before Zhao Erlang could retort, Ji Yuan nodded approvingly, "Well done."

He addressed Erlang warmly, "Erlang, you can’t rush into battle blindly, uninformed. Entering a trap puts your and the entire army’s lives at risk."

"But the Emperor is still in the city; Sister said we need to save him."

"The Emperor needs saving, but to your sister, Erlang’s safety surely outweighs the Emperor’s. One cannot disregard personal safety for the Emperor’s rescue, can they?"

Zhao Erlang pondered, agreeing, "Sister truly cares for me."

Ji Yuan said, "Let’s wait for the scouts. If all goes well, the lady should arrive shortly."

Just then, a soldier ran in to report, "Mr. Ji, the governor’s troops are twenty miles away."

Ji Yuan’s eyes lit up, immediately rising, "Let’s go greet the lady."

Another report followed, "Mr. Ji, Prefectural Governor, the scouts we sent out have returned."

Ji Yuan couldn’t help but smile, "Perfect timing."

Zhao Hanzhang hurried on their way, finally arriving outside Luoyang’s suburbs before nightfall on the second day.

The road was littered with corpses; birds pecked at them, startled by the sound of hooves, taking flight as Zhao Hanzhang galloped past—passing overhead...

Wild dogs and wolves scattered, darting frantically into the woods.

Beigong Chun and Fu Tinghan followed closely behind her. From afar, they saw Ji Yuan and others waiting with torches up ahead.

Zhao Hanzhang reined in her horse, dismounting to stride toward Ji Yuan.

Zhao Erlang already restless, sprang forth from Ji Yuan’s side, running to Zhao Hanzhang, "Sister!"

Zhao Hanzhang finally spotted Zhao Erlang, raising a hand to ruffle his hair, "Summer hasn’t even arrived, how did you get so tanned?"

She almost couldn’t see him.

Boasting, Zhao Erlang replied, "Sister, I eradicated all the bandits in Nanyang Country, increasing our population by nearly fifty thousand."

This indicated rampant banditry in Nanyang Country, though what’s there to be proud of? Xie Shi grumbled internally.

Yet Zhao Hanzhang genuinely congratulated him, patting his shoulder, "Well done."

She smiled and said, "Since the bandits are cleared, let’s focus on development, especially agriculture. Efforts must be intensified."

Zhao Erlang readily agreed.

Zhao Hanzhang then turned to Ji Yuan, asking, "Mr. Ji, when did you arrive?"

"Around the same time as the lady."

Zhao Hanzhang knew he brought mostly infantry, thus was slower, but didn’t mind. She instructed Zeng Yue and Huang An to settle the soldiers, then headed to the main tent with Fu Tinghan. After sitting, she asked, "What’s the situation in Luoyang now?"

Zhao Erlang lowered his head, dejected, "Sister, I haven’t had the chance to rescue the Emperor yet."

Xie Shi remarked, "The scouts sent to investigate have returned."

We’ve captured three enemy scouts; the rest are dead.

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Have our scout report first."

"Yes."

"South of the city is deserted, only corpses remain, silent. All households are open, likely due to attacks, slaughter, and plundering by chaotic troops."

Zhao Hanzhang pursed her lips and asked, "How is the Imperial Palace?"

"The enemy is stationed at the palace gates," the scout replied, "split into two camps, totaling around twenty thousand."

"Twenty thousand?" Zhao Hanzhang frowned, "Wasn’t Liu Cong supposed to bring twenty thousand while Wang Mi brought thirty thousand? Where are the rest?"

Ji Yuan and Xie Shi exchanged glances, keeping silent.

"Find them!" Zhao Hanzhang commanded, "Locate the remaining thirty thousand."

She asked, "Can the Imperial Palace hold out?"

The scout replied, "I inspected closely; archers are stationed along the palace walls, numerous in count, gates tightly shut with no damage."

Zhao Hanzhang sighed with relief and looked outside, "It’s getting dark."

Ji Yuan: "Tonight should be secure, but they’re already at the palace gate. How can we rescue them now?"

Zhao Hanzhang pondered, "What about the city inhabitants elsewhere?"

"All doors sealed tight, scouts couldn’t ascertain anything."

Zhao Hanzhang ordered, "Bring up the captured enemy scouts."

The two scouts were Han people, Zhao Hanzhang recognized, "Are you Wang Mi’s men?"

The scout remained silent.

Understanding, Zhao Hanzhang asked, "Who can question them for me?"

Someone stepped forward, bowing, "I volunteer to interrogate on behalf of the Governor."

Zhao Hanzhang squinted, "Yuan Li?"

"Yes!"

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "Fine, take them away. Don’t kill them."

"Yes."

Yuan Li promptly had them dragged away, following close. Soon, screams echoed outside.

Zhao Hanzhang turned a deaf ear and said to Xie Shi, "Cook meals; we’ve been marching since yesterday. Soldiers are exhausted; feed the horses too."

Xie Shi bowed in acknowledgment, "Yes."

Fu Tinghan rose as well, "I’ll oversee logistics."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "The battle for Luoyang won’t be quick; we must ensure our supplies are ample."

Fu Tinghan understood, "I’ll calculate quickly. We’ll need Mr. Ji for provisions later."

Ji Yuan assured, no problem.

Fu Tinghan turned to leave, seeing Yuan Li performing interrogations, frowned and looked away, turning on his heel.

Yuan Li turned back, spotting Fu Tinghan, wiped blood on his face, tasting iron, spat onto the ground, then brandished a small knife, saying to the two scouts, "You know what this is?"

"It’s my self-defense knife. Once, I accidentally stabbed it under my nail, and the pain was unbearable. Only then I discovered it’s useful for this..."

Fu An closely followed Fu Tinghan, grumbling, "My lord, Yuan Li is disrespectful to you, why does the lady still use him?"