My name is Huang Tian, ​​what the hell is this "Heaven is dead" nonsense?

Chapter 30 The High-minded Scholar
The moth thieves are here!

The news exploded like a bomb in Luoyang. Although the people in the city had long heard that the Yellow Turban Army was marching towards Luoyang with a large army, many of them thought that Luoyang was the capital of the country and surrounded by eight passes. How could it be so easy to take it?
Unexpectedly, the so-called natural barrier of the Yellow River and the perilous Mengjin Pass failed to stop the Yellow Turban Army's advance. The local garrisons, on whom high hopes were placed, were also unwilling to resist, and the Yellow Turban Army stormed straight into the city of Luoyang.

The city was in an uproar.

Some planned to stay in the city and not go anywhere, some sought refuge with powerful officials and wealthy families in the city, and some planned to surrender without any resistance...

The General's Residence.

He Jin knelt in the hall with a dark face, drank three cups of wine in a row, and, slightly drunk, forcefully pulled the beauty who was pouring wine for him. The beauty was startled, but fell into He Jin's arms and reached out to hug his waist.

"General!"

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

He Jin, his eyes still slightly glazed with drunkenness, looked at the imposing and handsome Yuan Shao and chuckled, saying, "Benchu ​​seems to be displeased?"

Yuan Shao said coldly, "General, you invited me, Mengde, Dong Jun, Sun Jun, and others to a banquet. I thought you intended to discuss the siege of the city with us, but I did not expect you to flirt with women in public. Isn't this displeasure with us? How can it be that I dislike you?"

As soon as he spoke, Cao Cao, Dong Zhuo, Wu Kuang, Chen Lin, Sun Jian and others present all looked at He Jin. Their eyes may not have shown displeasure, but they still startled He Jin and made him feel much less drunk. He pushed the beauty in his arms hard, making her fall to the ground, and then laughed loudly twice: "I was wrong. I drank too much. I'm drunk!"

The beauty, after being thrown by him, dared not cry or make a fuss. She simply got up, bowed, and left the hall.

Seeing that He Jin seemed to have regained his senses, Yuan Shao's expression softened slightly. "General, we are surrounded by 100,000 bandits. Although we have not yet started the attack on the city, the people inside are uneasy. We should discuss countermeasures as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, He Jin sighed, "Yes, we must have a solution. What advice do you gentlemen have for me?"

He looked around, his gaze settling on everyone's faces.

Dong Zhuo shook his head inwardly, Cao Cao remained silent, and Wu Kuang, a subordinate of He Jin, always obeyed He Jin's orders and had no intention of offering any advice...

"Wentai, do you have a plan?" He Jin asked, staring at Sun Jian.

Sun Jian had been following Zhu Jun in besieging the Yellow Turban army in Wancheng, but the court was in such dire straits that he finally ordered the elite troops to be transferred from Zhu Jun to defend Luoyang.

After learning of the defeats of Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun understood the court's predicament and, without hesitation, sent his most valiant and skilled general, Sun Jian, to Luoyang, along with 5,000 troops.

When Sun Jian arrived in Luoyang with 5,000 men, he was immediately taken seriously by He Jin, Yuan Shao and others. They often held banquets to entertain Sun Jian, allowing him to experience firsthand what it meant to be a king with riches and honors, a scholar with high moral character, and a noble family.

Under the "strategies" of many famous scholars, Sun Jian quickly sided with He Jin.

Meanwhile, another force of soldiers from Youzhou, said to be equally elite, sided with Liu Yan, the Minister of the Imperial Clan, under the leadership of Gongsun Zan, or rather, with Emperor Liu Hong.

The reason is that Gongsun Zan had a general named Liu Bei. Liu Bei was handsome and strong, and was also a disciple of Lu Zhi. Most importantly, he was surnamed Liu. At this critical moment, he was immediately relied upon by Liu Hong and Liu Yan.

When He Jin called on Sun Jian, he immediately said generously, "General, in my opinion, it would be better to lead several thousand troops out of the city to fight the Moth bandits and thwart their fierce attack."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao, sitting opposite him, couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. Sun Jian immediately stood up, his fierce eyes glaring at Cao Cao, "Is Lord Cao making fun of me?!"

Cao Cao quickly replied, "No, no, Wentai, please sit still. I am not laughing at you, but at myself."

Everyone was puzzled, and Sun Jian also hesitated before sitting down.

Cao Cao gave a bitter, helpless smile and explained, "Back when I was besieging Guangzong under Huangfu Gong, I also asked Huangfu Gong to lead an army to fight against the E'zhai bandits, but I never expected..."

Unexpectedly, the Yellow Turban Army launched a decisive battle upon arrival, completely stunning the Han army. As a result, Cao Cao was forced to abandon several thousand men and flee back to Luoyang alone.

Upon hearing this, Sun Jian gave a soft hum, and Chen Lin said at the opportune moment, "Mengde has fought against the Moth Bandits. Can you come up with a way to deal with them?"

Cao Cao pondered for a long time, then shook his head, saying with some despair, "The Moth Thieves are not difficult to deal with, but even immortals and gods cannot handle them."

The moment the words "immortals and gods" were uttered, everyone held their breath.

They all knew that the most important reason for the Han army's great defeat was the legendary Yellow Heaven Holy Venerable, who was said to be invincible. If it weren't for the protection of the gods, the mere Yellow Turban rebels would have been wiped out long ago. Even if there were thirty-six Yellow Turban armies in the world, with hundreds of thousands of troops, what difference would it make? They would be easily crushed by the Han court's conquest.

However, there are no "what ifs" in life.

Dong Zhuo sighed and said, "I advise you all that instead of thinking about fighting against the gods, you should make plans as soon as possible and find a way out, so as to avoid being killed by the rebel army when the city falls."

These words were quite blunt, yet no one could blame him. Dong Zhuo had lost thousands of his loyal followers in a single battle and, like Cao Cao, had fled back to Luoyang alone. People could barely accept his discouraging remarks.

After a moment of silence, Yuan Shao spoke up: "The enemy is at the gates of the city. We cannot abandon the city and flee. The emperor, princes, ministers, and dignitaries are all in the city, as are most of our relatives. If we surrender and give up the city, it would be tantamount to handing the knife to the enemy and letting them slaughter us."

Surrender was out of the question, and they couldn't win a fight either; the situation was a dilemma.

Sun Jian, growing impatient, said, "So what if the Moth bandits have immortals and gods? Does that mean we dare not fight? In the end, it's just death. What is there to fear if we risk our lives?"

He stepped out from his seat, faced He Jin, and said passionately, "General, I am willing to lead five thousand troops out of the city to fight against the Moth bandits. If we win, it will boost morale; if we lose, let the Moth bandits cut off my head!"

He Jin's face showed emotion, and he said repeatedly, "Wen Tai is a true hero! I will definitely go to the palace to see His Majesty and obtain military orders for Wen Tai to annihilate the bandits!"

Everyone stood up and bowed to Sun Jian, calling him a hero, which made Sun Jian overjoyed and even more excited.

Yuan Shao watched coldly, a surge of anger rising within him, not directed at Sun Jian, but at his family.

'Hmph, the elders of the clan clearly dislike me for not being a direct descendant. When news of the Moth Rebels' attack on Luoyang arrived, they immediately sent that brat Yuan Shu with some direct descendants to flee Luoyang for Runan, leaving me stranded in this desperate situation in Luoyang! How despicable! How despicable!'

His anger was burning fierce, and he was unwilling to sit and wait for death in Luoyang City. He was thinking about various ways to escape, and when he looked at Sun Jian again, a hint of pity appeared in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)