Thief Emperor

Chapter 732 Common Enemy
When Wei Yao arrived, the east gate of Luoyang was indeed crumbling.

Five thousand Jiangdong troops suddenly launched a fierce attack on the east gate. In addition, they used a large number of firearms to clear the way. Caught off guard, many Jiangdong troops were able to climb onto the city wall.

If the defenders of Luoyang at this time were an ordinary local army, Luoyang City would have probably been breached by now, and street fighting would have followed. However, the Shuofang Army was an elite force after all, and they had been burning, killing and looting all the way south, but they had also taken a lot of benefits. The army's morale was still there. After the Jiangdong Army climbed up the city wall, the Shuofang Army rushed up one after another, regardless of life and death, and finally drove the Jiangdong Army back.

By the time Wei Yao arrived at the top of the East Gate Tower, the battle at the East Gate was fierce. The major general's face turned red, and he loudly scolded his subordinates and began to frantically gather troops towards the East Gate.

It was not until the second half of the night that the Jiangdong army retreated one after another after seeing that there was no hope of taking the city.

Wei Yao watched the Jiangdong army go away, took off his helmet, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Soon, a captain guarding the east gate approached cautiously, bowed his head and saluted Wei Yao, saying: "Major General, our army's casualties are around a thousand, and the enemy's casualties should be similar to ours..."

If the defenders and attackers suffer the same casualties, it can almost be considered a complete defeat.

Moreover, they have no way of counting the specific casualties, so it is difficult to say whether the number is inflated.

Wei Yao was silent for a long time, then he looked around and asked, "These Jiangdong troops..."

The captain was also holding his helmet, his forehead was covered with sweat. He wiped the sweat off his forehead, took a deep breath, and whispered: "Major General, these Jiangdong troops are very powerful..."

"Especially their firearms. Not only do they use catapults to throw firearms onto the city walls, but after the catapults' firearms explode, they also use ladders to throw firearms onto the city walls. They are quite difficult to deal with."

Wei Yao looked at the dark outside the city and groaned, "Are the casualties really similar?"

The captain lowered his head and did not respond. After a while, he spoke up, "Major General, the Jiangdong Army has already climbed onto the city wall tonight. If they were willing to sacrifice lives and invest their manpower at all costs, the East Gate might have been breached by now."

"These Jiangdong troops don't seem to be in a hurry to break through Luoyang..."

Hearing this, Wei Yao felt even worse. He groaned and gritted his teeth, "That Li guy, everything he did was not to break into Luoyang, but to force me and us out of Luoyang, damn it!"

"This is the first time I've seen someone use troops like this!"

Wei Yao, the former Major General of the Shuofang Army, was quite immature in his approach and did not see things clearly enough. However, after years of training and the loss he suffered at the hands of Li Yun in Yuzhou last time, he has surprisingly grown a lot. Now, he can see through many things clearly.

Li Yun does have a chance to attack Luoyang tonight.

But they only captured Luoyang.

If he was willing to send troops to the east gate one after another, he could almost certainly fill the city gate with lives, but the damage might require nearly 10,000 troops.

However, after knocking on the east gate and entering the city, there were still 30,000 Shuofang troops in the city. Li Yun's troops outside the city could not guarantee victory after entering the city, and the troops he deployed on the periphery were working according to the previous layout and were showing results little by little. There was no need to pay such a huge price to do such a thing at this time.

We should be anxious about the affairs of the Central Plains, but there is no need to be too anxious about Luoyang City. After all, although Luoyang is important, it is still too insignificant compared to the entire Central Plains.

The Shuofang Army Captain looked up at Wei Yao, thought for a while, and whispered: "Major General, this time the Jiangdong Army has basically figured out our defensive capabilities. If the Major General sends another person to break through, once the war breaks out there, Luoyang is likely to..."

He did not continue speaking, but added: "If there is a first time, there will be a second time."

Wei Yao glanced at him, expressionless: "Just say whatever you want to say, why are you beating around the bush?"

This captain was also a veteran of the Shuofang Army. After being scolded, he was not angry. He just looked up at Wei Yao and said with a wry smile: "Major General, I just want to know when the main reinforcements of the general will be able to return to the Central Plains. If it is delayed for another half a month, I am afraid that the Jiangdong Army..."

"We really need to firmly occupy the Central Plains."

He said in a deep voice: "The only solution now is to wait for the general to return, and then our Luoyang defenders will break out of the city at the same time, attack from both inside and outside, and directly break through the Jiangdong army. Otherwise, this Central Plains territory..."

His words came to an abrupt end here.

When Wei Yao heard this, he became extremely irritated and angrily asked, "I am also trapped here, how can I know what is going on with my father?"

He said angrily: "Maybe right now, he is already sitting on the throne in the capital and becoming the emperor!"

The captain lowered his head quickly and said, "General, you shouldn't do this. You shouldn't do this."

…………

Zezhou, inside the main camp of the Hedong Army.

Cui Shao stood in the general's tent, looking up at the Hedong commander Li Hao who was only in his thirties, and forced a smile on his face: "Young General." Li Hao looked him up and down, frowned at first, and then asked: "Qinghe Cui family, would you actually commit to the Shuofang Army?"

Cui Shao was immediately choked when he heard this. He took several deep breaths before a smile reappeared on his face. He said, "In this chaotic world, how can we talk about whether to commit ourselves or not?"

Li Hao lowered his head and drank a sip of tea, then looked at Cui Shao and said with a smile: "I see, General Wei probably coerced you with something."

"Mr. Cui is really confused."

Li Yu shook his head and said, "If you had been more resolute and died directly in Shuofang, your death would have been more moving. The reputation of the Qinghe Cui family would have been raised to a higher level because of you. In the future, when the Qinghe Cui family compiles their genealogy, they might even open a separate book for you."

Cui Shao shook his head: "If I could really open a separate book, I would have run into a wall and died in Shuofang long ago without the general telling me."

Li Hao was about to reply when Cui Shao bowed his head and said, "General, the military situation is urgent. We don't have time to chat. My general came south from Shuofang, intending to put down the rebellion of Li the bandit once again. Unexpectedly, before the battle even started, there was another chaos in Guanzhong. For the sake of the emperor and the country of Great Zhou, the general had no choice but to lead the main force into Guanzhong. He is now helping the court to recover Guanzhong."

"And the thief Li is now wreaking havoc in the Central Plains."

He looked at Li Hao and said in a deep voice: "General, if you don't take action, the people of the Central Plains will fall into the hands of the thief Li and sink into dire straits!"

Li Hao put down his teacup and looked at Cui Shao with a somewhat unfriendly expression: "Mr. Cui, have you forgotten that my last name is also Li?"

"You keep calling me Li Zei. It's so easy to call me that."

Cui Shao's expression froze. After coughing, he quickly said, "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, General, you misunderstood. The Hedong Li family has been blessed by the country for generations and has always been a pillar of the court. General Li was loyal to the king and was conferred many titles by the court."

"The Hedong Li family is completely different from traitors like Li... Li Yun."

"OK OK."

Li Hao waved his hands impatiently and said, "Mr. Cui, I tell you honestly, if someone else were to be the lobbyist, I would not even meet him. I am meeting you to give face to the Cui family of Qinghe."

"There is no need for you to tell me these lies and empty words. In this world, if we talk about traitors, you, Cui Shao and Cui Jizong, are probably one of them."

He looked at Cui Shao, thought for a moment, and continued, "Besides, Hedong is now ruled by my eldest brother. Although I am leading troops outside, I still have to obey my eldest brother's orders. It is of little use for you to come here to see me."

"Even if they talk to me, Hedong must see corresponding benefits."

After saying this, he looked at Cui Shao who was about to speak, and sneered: "Don't talk about Li Yun threatening Hedong. After Li Yun wins, he will march to Taiyuan one day. If General Wei wins and occupies the Central Plains, he will not march to Taiyuan in the future?"

Cui Shao lowered his head, took a deep breath, and said, "General, my general has already said that we should work together to defeat Li... Li Yun and force him back to the south. Then, we will divide the existing territory between our two families."

"Guanzhong belongs to the general, and the Central Plains belongs to the Li family!"

Li Hao narrowed his eyes and sneered, "General Wei has already occupied Guanzhong. If that's true, isn't he working for our Li family?"

Cui Shao shook his head and said, "Very different."

"If Li Yun were to occupy the Central Plains, with his ability to govern a region, within two or three years, he would have the foundation and ability to conquer the rest of the world!"

"Besides him, no one else has the ability to do this. No matter who occupies the Central Plains, I'm afraid they won't have the energy to conquer the rest of the world."

"Even if we leave aside the Great Zhou, just based on this point, Li Yun should be the enemy of the whole world."

"and…"

Cui Shao looked at Li Hao and said softly, "The general has led his troops and is almost face to face with the Jiangdong Army. I don't believe that the general will sit idly by and watch the Jiangdong Army act recklessly in the Central Plains without doing anything."

Li Yu closed his eyes and asked, "When will General Wei leave Guanzhong?"

Cui Shao lowered his head: "Within five days."

"Well…"

Li Hao said slowly: "After five days, we will wait and see."

(End of this chapter)