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The cold wind from the north made the battle flags on Hulao Pass flutter.
Chen Guodong’s heart at this moment was colder than the wind. He looked at the menacing Niu Ben and had no choice but to have his subordinates take off all their armor.
Because Chen Guodong took the initiative to surrender, Hulao Pass was easily taken. However, Niu Ben did not believe this was merely due to Chen Guodong’s duplicity.
Chen Guodong had always been an opportunist. His choice to surrender at this time indicated that Prince Zhao’s power was waning, and those who had once submitted to Prince Zhao were now like stray dogs.
But even so, Niu Ben would not fully trust Chen Guodong.
War was a serious matter for the state. If Hulao Pass were entrusted to Chen Guodong’s soldiers, and an unexpected event occurred, their retreat route would be cut off, trapping them like caged beasts.
Having the Qingzhou army soldiers change into the traditional armor of the Great Yu Empire, Niu Ben temporarily detained the Hulao Pass soldiers.
In Niu Ben’s view, Prince Zhao was making a dying struggle, because no one who truly desired to conquer the world would commit such deranged acts at this time.
For him, the longer it dragged on, the more likely Prince Zhao would do something crazy. So, he prepared to have Chen Guodong lead soldiers disguised as Hulao Pass defenders to sneak into Tong Pass, thereby capturing Tong Pass in one fell swoop and simultaneously blocking the news of Tong Pass’s breach.
In this way, they could quickly reach Chang’an City and catch Prince Zhao by surprise.
After a night’s rest, the next day, Niu Ben led his army directly to Luoyang. They arrived in Luoyang in the evening.
Just as Chen Guodong had said, Luoyang was now an empty city. There was no trace of common people in this city, only burnt-out civilian districts and ravaged streets.
“This Luoyang was once a prosperous city second only to Chang’an, and now it has become like this!” Luo Hong said, heartbroken.
Lu Fei said, “This area around Chang’an and Luoyang will probably be completely devastated by Prince Zhao.”
“The former place of prosperity has now become like this; it’s truly a pity,” Ye Qingyun sighed, looking at the empty Luoyang City. However, he continued, “The area around Chang’an and Luoyang is densely populated, while Dengzhou is sparsely populated. This time, if we can rescue the common people, relocating some of them would also be an option.”
Niu Ben frowned. “That’s a matter for His Imperial Majesty and the ministers. We only need to obey His Imperial Majesty’s commands.”
With that, Niu Ben had the army camp in Luoyang City and prepare meals.
With Liang and Yan taken, the routes from Yunzhou to Chang’an were now safe, and provisions could be delivered smoothly.
One could say that in this western campaign, they held all the advantages in timing, terrain, and popular support. If they were to fail, he would truly have difficulty facing Xiao Ming.
The next day, the grand army set off from Luoyang towards Tong Pass. This time, the army led by Chen Guodong marched in front, while Niu Ben led the subsequent army from behind.
Their strategy this time was to have Chen Guodong trick open the city gate of Tong Pass. The disguised Qingzhou army would immediately launch an attack after entering the city to seize control of the city gate.
Upon receiving the signal, the subsequent troops would quickly attack and seize control of Tong Pass in one fell swoop. Then, using Tong Pass as a base, they would directly advance to Chang’an City.
Three days later, Chen Guodong and Ye Qingyun arrived under Tong Pass.
To prevent Chen Guodong from causing trouble, Niu Ben ordered Ye Qingyun to enter the city with Chen Guodong. In this way, if Chen Guodong dared to play any tricks, Ye Qingyun could immediately kill Chen Guodong.
“Oh, isn’t that General Chen?”
When Chen Guodong and Ye Qingyun arrived under Tong Pass, a figure who looked like a defending general appeared on the city wall.
Seeing this person, Chen Guodong smiled. This person was Sun Lirong, a trusted confidant of Prince Zhao. He said fawningly, “Oh, it’s General Sun. Please, General Sun, open the city gate and let this younger brother in.”
Sun Lirong looked down from above. He said, “General Chen, weren’t you at Hulao Pass? How did you return? His Highness said that to prevent spies from mixing into Tong Pass, no one is allowed to enter the city.”
“To be frank with you, Brother Sun, Prince Qi’s army is truly formidable. This younger brother resisted for a day but simply couldn’t hold out, so I led my army here, hoping to fight the Qi army to the death here.”
Sun Lirong’s face changed upon hearing this. “You mean Hulao Pass has fallen?”
“Brother Sun, it has fallen,” Chen Guodong stated honestly. “Prince Qi’s army only needs one day to conquer a city. This is not an exaggeration.”
Sun Lirong’s face grew increasingly grim. He glanced at the soldiers below the city and said, “If that’s the case, then all the more reason I cannot let you in.”
“Why is that? You and I both serve Prince Zhao. Why do you treat me like this, Brother Sun?” Chen Guodong grew anxious, and at the same time, he began to curse Prince Zhao inwardly.
Now he understood. He was merely a pawn, and Prince Zhao leaving him to guard Hulao Pass was simply to send him to his death.
Thinking of this, he gnashed his teeth with hatred, wishing he could personally kill Prince Zhao.
Sun Lirong said languidly, “It’s just that Prince Zhao doesn’t trust you at all.”
The conversation between the two made Ye Qingyun frown. Using this method to take Tong Pass was their first plan.
The second plan was to attack with force, just like attacking Hulao Pass. However, this would inevitably alert the enemy.
However, from the current situation, it seemed that only the second plan could be adopted.
Chen Guodong noticed Ye Qingyun’s expression. He then gave Ye Qingyun a reassuring look. Turning his head, he said to Sun Lirong, “Brother Sun, this younger brother doesn’t mind, but it’s a pity that the silver I plundered can’t be brought back.”
With that, Chen Guodong pointed to the boxes carried by the soldiers.
In Luoyang, Chen Guodong had already told Niu Ben about Sun Lirong, the defender of Tong Pass. According to Chen Guodong, Sun Lirong was an extremely greedy person, known for frequently embezzling military pay.
So, he requested to bring the silver from Hulao Pass, also to tempt Sun Lirong to open the pass.
Indeed, Sun Lirong’s face showed greed when he learned that the boxes contained silver.
News of the defeat at Juyong Pass had already spread. In this battle, the elite of the Zhao army suffered heavy losses, and many people understood that Chang’an could not be saved.
Precisely because of this, Prince Zhao ordered his army to plunder Luoyang and escort the common people of Luoyang to Zhao. If Prince Qi’s army continued to attack Tong Pass, Chang’an would be the next target for the Zhao army’s plunder.
So, in Sun Lirong’s opinion, they would retreat sooner or later anyway. Since that was the case, it was better to collect more silver before going back.
His eyes darted around. Sun Lirong said, “How much silver is there in total here?”
“Over a million taels at least,” Chen Guodong knew that Sun Lirong was tempted.
After a moment of hesitation, he glanced at the over 5,000 soldiers below the city. Sun Lirong felt that this small number of men could not pose a threat to the 30,000 men in the pass.
He finally nodded and said, “Open the pass!”
A smile appeared at the corner of Ye Qingyun’s mouth. At Sun Lirong’s command, the gate of Tong Pass slowly opened. As long as they took the city gate, Tong Pass would be theirs.
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