hotmtlnovel Chapter 163
Chapter 163
At dusk on the second day, a few rays of sunset glow hung in the sky. The coalition army led by Liu Yao set out from the towering Hulao Pass and embarked on the journey to Luoyang. The road was winding and dusty. The soldiers' steps were firm and powerful, as if every step was a drumbeat of victory.
As the army marched, an unusual shadow quietly emerged from the western sky. At first, it was as small as a dot of ink, but it spread at an astonishing speed, like a sign of the early arrival of night. The shadow gradually turned into thick black smoke, rolling and expanding until it covered the sky and dyed half of the sky a deep ink color.
At first, everyone thought it was just a strange phenomenon in nature and didn't think much about it. However, as the sun set and night fell quietly, the black smoke that filled the sky revealed its horrifying truth - it was a sea of fire woven by blazing flames, reflecting the western sky like daylight, with flames rising to the sky, majestic, as if it was the angry flame of the gods, foreshadowing the upcoming great changes.
There were many experienced generals and sharp scouts in the coalition army. They looked at each other and felt ominous in their hearts. This sudden fire not only broke the tranquility of the journey, but also seemed to be a silent warning for their trip.
Liu Yao stood at the front of the team, his eyes like torches, penetrating the layers of black smoke.
"What is coming will come after all."
"Luoyang can't be saved after all."
Everyone fell into madness, and everyone was stunned to watch what was happening in the distance.
Kong Rong and a group of scholars stood there like sculptures forgotten by time. Some of them had empty eyes, as if their souls had gone away with the flames; others knelt on the ground, tears silently falling, mourning for this capital city that carried countless glories and dreams.
Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and other princes were also full of disbelief, their eyes passed through the crowd and locked on the western sky. There, the once glorious Luoyang City was being ruthlessly devoured by the raging flames. Every wisp of black smoke was like a sigh of history, and every explosion was the end of past glory.
Except for Liu Yao, no one thought that Dong Zhuo would dare to burn Luoyang City. Wasn't he afraid that future generations would poke his spine?
The prosperity and glory of Luoyang are the wisdom and sweat of more than a dozen generations. They converged into a river here, nourishing every inch of life on this land.
Now, all of this will turn to ashes, leaving only ruins and endless sighs.
Dong Zhuo, what are you doing? Do you really want your name to be engraved on the top of the historical pillar of shame forever?
Liu Yao beat the drum overnight and went to the tent to summon all the generals to discuss.
The lights in the tent were bright, reflecting the resolute and courageous faces.
In the end, everyone came to a conclusion, that is, charge! Forced march day and night, even if people run to death, they must rush into Luoyang.
At this time, Kong Rong and other Confucian scholars, who usually use pens as swords, are willing to be the vanguard with their bodies as scholars, wearing armor and holding sharp weapons.
There is a strange light in their eyes, which is the deep friendship for the country and the world, and the ambition of scholars to serve the country.
This scene moved every soldier present, and the morale of the coalition forces was ignited in an instant, like a wildfire, unstoppable.
The coalition army was instantly filled with righteous indignation, and the three armies held up torches and began to march rapidly towards Luoyang.
All the princes did not take off their armor, and they kept on running. Everyone began to run wildly day and night, and the Hulao Pass Marathon was officially kicked off.
In the front were a group of cavalry, and behind them were a group of infantry, and finally the soldiers and horses responsible for escorting the baggage.
Now the formation of the army has no order at all. All the soldiers and horses are mixed together, and it is not clear who is who, but they all have a common idea.
Charge! Rush to Luoyang as soon as possible.
Luoyang City, the once prosperous imperial capital, has now become a sea of fire, with raging flames, reflecting the most miserable sunset in the sky. And this piece of fire has become the most blazing beacon in the hearts of all the soldiers, guiding them to sprint forward regardless of everything.
When the morning light first broke through the shackles of dawn and the sky gradually became golden, the iron hooves of the coalition finally broke the silence of the night. However, the scene before their eyes was a doomsday ember - under the sky of dozens of miles, black smoke was like ink, rolling and tumbling, as if it was a heavy sigh from the lungs of the earth.
Although most of the magnificent palace complexes have been reduced to ashes, and the ruins tell of the past glory, fortunately, there are still a few ancient streets and alleys that have been miraculously preserved under the ravages of the flames.
Seeing this, the princes seemed to be anxious to order their troops to join the heroic action of extinguishing the fire, but in fact, they each had their own ulterior motives, and their eyes were flashing with fear of the upcomingThe light of greed for plunder.
Finally, when the last spark of fire was extinguished in the morning light, the earth returned to tranquility, but inside the military tent, there was another storm.
The princes sat around, talking fiercely, and the sound of disputes was endless, as if to ignite the quiet morning again.
It was roughly divided into two factions, one was the princes headed by Yuan Shao, and the other was the faction headed by Liu Yao and Cao Cao.
The reason for their quarrel was also very simple. Dong Zhuo burned Luoyang and took the emperor hostage to escape. Liu Yao and Cao Cao advocated leading the army to attack immediately, but they were unanimously opposed by Yuan Shao and others.
"Now Dong Zhuo has burned Luoyang, and the people of the world are watching us. Dong Zhuo fled all the way to the west, with no intention of fighting and slow marching. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"Our army will surely win a great victory if we attack at night!"
Cao Cao kept roaring at this moment, and the veins on his forehead were tense.
This group of pig teammates is completely unbearable. Do we really have to wait until Dong Zhuo enters Luoyang and recuperates before coming back to deal with us?
As Liu Yao's most loyal ally, Gongsun Zan will naturally stand firmly on his side.
However, Sun Jian, who has always advocated war, did not know what happened this time. After staying in Luoyang for a day, he became stupid, not talking, and just staring blankly. Liu Yao looked at his half-smiled expression as if he had picked up some incredible treasure.
Yuan Shao, who was standing aside, knew the benefits of the Western Expedition.
However, the princes behind him were unwilling to go west at all. The most fundamental reasons were two points. First, Dong Zhuo still had more than 100,000 troops. Once this army counterattacked, no one wanted to be a scapegoat.
Second, the 800-li Qinchuan in Guanzhong has a steep terrain and is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Most people's foundations are all in Guanzhong. If they attack rashly and their hometowns are raided, it will be all over.
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