The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

Chen Er nodded, took a big bite of jerky, and said to Zhao Yun, "That's why I've set my sights on Ding Yuan. Since Ding Yuan can loot Luoyang, we can loot him too. However, we can only do our best to protect the people of Luoyang."

"Cough cough!" Before he could finish speaking, Chen Er coughed twice. Zhao Yun quickly handed him a water bag. Chen Er drank from it and then said to Zhao Yun, "Zilong, our autonomous region wants to build a completely new world. This path is difficult, and we have many enemies, especially those powerful clans. Ding Yuan's actions, though brutal, have objectively helped us eliminate some of our enemies. Of course, I know those civilians are innocent, but Zilong, you must remember one principle: a general must never be soft-hearted. Sacrificing a few is to save more people. And it's not that I don't intend to save those civilians, but rather that after Ding Yuan passes Hangu Pass and the allied forces of the feudal lords cross Hulao Pass, our army will seize the opportunity to cut off Ding Yuan's migrating caravan. With pursuers behind and our army blocking the way ahead, we must gain more benefits at the lowest cost, while also preparing to save more people in the future. Do you understand?"

"My lord, Zilong has learned a great deal," Zhao Yun said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Alright, it's getting late. Let's get some rest. After sunrise tomorrow, we need to find the road as quickly as possible. We must capture Hangu Pass before Ding Yuan does, and at the same time, have Gongyi build the pontoon bridge as well as possible. Only in this way can our army save more people. Otherwise, even if we force Ding Yuan to hand over the people, our army will not be able to take them away. In that case, it will not only be a burden on our army, but also cause these people to suffer more disasters," Chen Er said.

"I will obey my orders."

After a sleepless night, Chen Er woke up the next morning feeling very unwell. This wasn't because he had slept in the wild, but because he had something on his mind. People with worries on their minds don't fall asleep easily, and the poor surroundings only make it harder to sleep.

"My lord! The army is ready and can depart at any time," Zhao Yun said to Chen Er.

"Okay, let's go!"

Three thousand cavalrymen were Chen Er's only force in his surprise attack on Hangu Pass; the majority of his infantry were still crossing the river and searching for locations to build pontoon bridges in the Cao Yang and Jia County areas. If the pontoon bridges were not completed, the ultimate gains from this opportunistic raid would be greatly reduced.

At this time, the Northern Autonomous Region lacked everything except food, weapons and equipment, money, and people, especially talented individuals.

Chen Er's plan to take advantage of the chaos had two purposes: first, to extort a sum of money from Ding Yuan; and second, to seize the people of Luoyang. Based on his memories from his previous life and Li Zhong's intelligence analysis, Ding Yuan's plan to relocate the entire population of Sili and Luoyang to the west of Hangu Pass to populate the Yongliang region. Chen Er's target was precisely these people Ding Yuan had forcibly relocated and the wealth remaining in Luoyang.

Intelligence indicated that Ding Yuan had already prepared for the relocation of the capital in Luoyang, intending to move the capital immediately should the battle at Hulao Pass falter. However, Chen Er's intelligence was a bit slow; Ding Yuan had already begun his relocation plan and, with three thousand Xiliang cavalrymen, had already crossed Hangu Pass towards Chang'an, taking Liu Bian with him. At this point, only Li Ru and Niu Fu remained in Luoyang, looting and plundering wealth. Even the generals guarding Hulao Pass were unaware of this. In fact, Ding Yuan had left Luoyang for Chang'an the moment Dian Wei led his troops to reinforce Hulao Pass.

According to the *History of the Great Wei Empire*, on June 3rd of the 2188th year of the Yellow Emperor's reign, Emperor Taizu, leading 3,000 cavalry, finally found the direction of Hangu Pass after being lost for a day. Two days had passed since Ding Yuan crossed Hangu Pass. When Emperor Taizu arrived at Hangu Pass, a convoy was passing through. He decisively led his cavalry in a charge, capturing Hangu Pass in one fell swoop, forcing the surrender of the garrison commander Xu Rong and 2,000 Xiliang infantrymen, thus severing the connection between Luoyang and Chang'an.

"My lord, what should we do now?" Zhao Yun asked Chen Er. Hangu Pass had been captured, but their forces were too weak. They had to use Xu Rong's troops, who had just surrendered. Even so, the defenses of Hangu Pass were still very weak.

"Zilong, immediately send cavalry along the river to find Gongyi, and have him send infantry to reinforce Hangu Pass!" Chen Er said to Zhao Yun. "Remember, time is life!"

Although Chen Er did not know whether Hulao Pass had been breached by the allied forces, he knew from Xu Rong's answer that Ding Yuan had gone to Chang'an. It seemed that the situation at Hulao Pass was already precarious. The convoys transporting treasures from Luoyang would soon arrive at Hangu Pass. If Chen Er's strength was insufficient and the plan failed, he would truly regret it for the rest of his life.

"General Xu." After Zhao Yun left, Chen Er turned his gaze to Xu Rong, a famous general from his previous life. Although the brutality of the Xiliang army in history made this general, who had repeatedly defeated Sun Jian and Chen Er, a third-rate general in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it did not negate his ability. If it weren't for a caravan passing through Hangu Pass just now, Chen Er really wouldn't have been confident that he could take Hangu Pass. You know, Xu Rong's command ability is not weak.

"Your humble servant is here." Xu Rong stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "What are your orders, General Cao?"

"General, you're from Liaodong, aren't you?" Chen Er said.

"How did you know that, General?" Xu Rong asked in surprise.

"I heard about this by chance," Chen Er said. Of course, Chen Er also silently added in his heart, "I guessed it based on my memories from my previous life. General, you are so talented, yet Ding Yuan made you guard a mere Hangu Pass. It is truly a waste of your talent."

"General Cao is too kind." Xu Rong frowned slightly, probably feeling somewhat resentful about his situation, but he continued, "It is already quite remarkable that a commoner like me could become a garrison commander."

"General, would you be willing to join my autonomous region's army?" The real show was about to begin. Chen Er asked Xu Rong. He had only forced Xu Rong to surrender before, but Xu Rong and the nearly two thousand Xiliang infantrymen from within the pass were still a ticking time bomb. Chen Er needed to win Xu Rong over as soon as possible before the Xiliang army could react.

“If the general is willing, I am willing to treat you as the commander of a division,” Chen Er said.

The organization of the Northern Autonomous Region army is now common knowledge. A division has more than 10,000 men, and Chen Er's troops are almost entirely composed of musketeers. Who wouldn't want to lead such an army, let alone follow a famous general like Chen Er?