Although Yang Rui had stopped Dong Zhuo's troops from sneaking around the water surface and helped Sun Jian reduce the number of troops that would be ambushing him, Yang Rui observed that Sun Jian's troops were still in a passive state. They might not be able to escape the outcome of losing the battle.
Yang Rui did not have any troops on hand and had no intention of getting involved. Therefore, he left after understanding the general situation outside Hulao Pass.
The more intense the battle at Hulao Pass was, the more Dong Zhuo's troops would be affected. It would be more convenient for Yang Rui's troops to do things in Luoyang. Yang Rui planned to make a fuss in the imperial city. The fewer Dong Zhuo's defensive forces in the imperial city, the better!
In reality, what Yang Rui didn't know was that he wasn't the only one who had helped Sun Jian fend off the ambushers. The players in Sun Jian's army had also done a lot of work to prevent Dong Zhuo's ambushers from ambushing them. Moreover, the moment Dong Zhuo's ambushers appeared, they had sent out a warning, which had greatly reduced the risk of an ambush.
Even so, Sun Jian's troops were still in a passive state in the battle. It was obvious that the general trend of the storyline was still difficult to change! After Yang Rui figured out the general situation, he followed the fleet. It was not until the afternoon of the second day that he transported over three thousand vanguard soldiers to the vicinity of Luoyang.
However, Dong Zhuo's troops near Luoyang were very concentrated. Even the section between Mount Beimang and the Yellow River was frequently patrolled by cavalry soldiers. Therefore, Yang Rui did not immediately lead his troops to Spirit Condensation Mountain Village during the day. Instead, he continued to swim upstream on the Yellow River for quite a distance, allowing others to track him down.
Yang Rui only brought the fleet back to the Yellow River near Mount Beimang when night fell. Under the cover of the night, Yang Rui rode his Windy Carpet to scout ahead and eliminate the scouts from Dong Zhuo's camp. They successfully sent the 3,000 vanguard soldiers to Spirit Condensation Mountain Village.
By now, all 6500 Fifth Grade vanguard soldiers had been transported to Spirit Condensation Mountain Village by Yang Rui. They were quite a force now. However, Yang Rui was not in a hurry to dig a secret tunnel to the Royal Palace of Luoyang. Instead, he let these soldiers stay in the mountain village for now.
Yang Rui planned to at least bring Zhang Ning, Gao Shun, Zhang Liao, and Wu Anguo over before making his move. This would increase his chances of success! In addition, although it was very likely that Chen Lin didn't have much combat strength, he had been working in Luoyang Imperial City all this while. He was definitely more familiar with the terrain. It would be best to bring them along as well.
After stationing the vanguard soldiers, Yang Rui used his Windy Carpet to return along the Yellow River's surface. He quickly caught up to the vanguard fleet and led the fleet to Hulao Pass before dawn.
Dong Zhuo's camp had obviously increased their surveillance of the Yellow River around Hulao Pass after the incident with Yang Rui's fleet. However, they had only increased their surveillance. They did not have enough naval forces to defend themselves.
Thus, when Yang Rui's fleet arrived in the vicinity, Dong Zhuo's camp was quickly discovered by Dong Zhuo's camp. The ships of Dong Zhuo's camp quickly discovered Yang Rui's whereabouts, and the other party's reaction was to turn around and flee. As they fled, they sounded their gongs to warn Yang Rui. However, that was all they could do. They didn't stop Yang Rui's fleet.
Yang Rui hoped that Dong Zhuo's camp could arrange for some naval forces to stop them. Yang Rui had obtained quite a lot of merit and credit points from the battle of the transport ships. He had also obtained a thousand Fourth Grade skill books for infantry. It was a decent harvest.
The fleet successfully passed through Hulao Pass, allowing Yang Rui to travel without worry. At the first glimmer of dawn, Yang Rui had already found his own forces that were about to break camp and continue their journey to Hulao Pass.
At this moment, Yang Rui's main forces, which were being watched over by Gao Shun and the others, were still a day's journey away from Hulao Pass. They were still half a day's journey away from Dark Sun City. Yang Rui had already made a detour to investigate before he returned. Dark Sun City had already been reclaimed by Dong Zhuo's camp!
"My lord, General Sun Jian's soldiers at the front have reported that they were ambushed by Dong Zhuo's forces two nights ago. General Sun Jian's forces have suffered significant losses. They have already left the battlefield at Hulao Pass and are retreating south. They are preparing to set up camp and recuperate.
In just a single day yesterday, the other seven vassals had already come to see my lord several times, wanting to discuss whether or not they should delay their advance. They had all followed my lord's orders and were informed by Gao Shun that my lord had personally gone to Hulao Pass to investigate the situation! Thus, all the vassals decided to slow down their march and await the results of my lord's investigation. Please make an announcement, my lord. "
Yang Rui had just arrived at his tent when Gao Shun reported that Sun Jian had been ambushed. It matched what Yang Rui had discovered two nights ago and this morning. Sun Jian had indeed fled in defeat!
Fortunately, Yang Rui had instructed Gao Shun and the others before he left that if the other vassals came looking for him, they were to say that he had personally gone to Hulao Pass to investigate the situation. Unexpectedly, this excuse coincided with the fact that Sun Jian had been ambushed and fled. It was a perfect excuse to deal with the other seven vassals.
"Has this matter been reported to Yuan Shao and the other vassals at the rear?" Yang Rui asked after hearing Gao Shun's words.
"At that time, General Sun Jian's fast horse was headed straight for Alliance Chief Yuan Shao. When it reached my lord, it only reported the relevant news before heading in the direction of Alliance Chief Yuan Shao and the other vassals at the rear. Calculating the time, the other vassals should have known that Sun Jian had been ambushed by now!" Gao Shun said.
"I will first discuss with the other vassals and send messengers to the various military tents to invite the vassals over for a meeting."
"Yes, my lord!"
The messengers followed Yang Rui's instructions and informed the other seven vassals to come over for a meeting. About an hour later, Ding Yuan, Qiao Mao, Liu Dai, and the others finally arrived one after another. This was partly due to the distance and partly due to the fact that the other vassals were not very cooperative.
"Today, Sun Wentai has been defeated. Everyone knows about the relevant situation. According to Blazing Sun's investigation of the situation at Hulao Pass and Xingyang City, Dong Zhuo's army's morale is currently at its peak. Taking advantage of his victory against Sun Wentai, he has redeployed many soldiers in the area east of the pass and occupied many strongholds. Most importantly, Xingyang City has now been recaptured by Dong Zhuo's troops. What do you all think?"
Yang Rui explained the situation to the seven vassals first and then began to ask for their opinions. At this time, Yang Rui did not have the intention to go to Hulao Pass. Therefore, it was not a bad idea to listen to their opinions.
"Qiao Mao thinks that since Dong Zhuo's camp's morale is at its peak, we should temporarily avoid the vanguard and set up camp here to wait for Alliance Master Yuan Benchu and the others to arrive. When the time comes, we can make plans after gathering our forces. This way, it will be safer …" Qiao Mao was the first to speak.
As the one who initiated the vassals' demand for Dong Zhuo, although Qiao Mao was not the Alliance Master or Vice Alliance Master, his words still carried a certain amount of weight. Moreover, his proposal was in line with the interests of the various vassals. Therefore, as soon as Qiao Mao spoke, he immediately received the approval of several people.
"Zhang Miao thinks that Qiao Yuanwei's words are reasonable. Now that our forces are not complete, we should not act rashly!"
"Liu Dai agrees with Yuanwei's words …"
"…"
Four of the remaining six vassals agreed with Qiao Mao's point of view. The proposal to set up camp and wait for reinforcements was basically settled. It was worth noting that other than Ding Yuan who did not express his opinion, there was one other person who did not express his opinion — Yuan Yi.
However, after thinking about it for a while, one would understand. Yuan Yi and Yuan Shao were from the same family. At this time, the various vassals had to put the burden on Yuan Shao, who was at the rear. Therefore, it was very normal for Yuan Yi to not express his opinion. At this time, not only did Yuan Yi no longer fight for the right to speak for Yuan Shao like before, but it was very likely that he hoped that Yang Rui would be the first to poke the hornet's nest that was Hulao Pass!
Yang Rui did not care about what Qiao Mao said. Therefore, in the end, Yang Rui and the other eight vassals set up camp here. They did not advance toward Hulao Pass or Xue Yang City. Instead, they waited for Yuan Shao and the other vassals to arrive.
"System Announcement: The Black Mountain Army has been instigated by Dong Zhuo and has officially joined Dong Zhuo's faction. They are wreaking havoc in Ji Prefecture and Yan Prefecture. The second battlefield of Dong Zhuo's Rebellion has been opened. From now on, players from the Anti-Dong Alliance can head to the relevant areas to eliminate the Dong Zhuo's faction. The Achievement Points, Contribution Points, and Plot Quests obtained will be equivalent to the main battlefield. Players are encouraged to actively participate …"
After Yang Rui and the other eight vassals set up camp for two days, they still did not see the arrival of Yuan Shao and the other vassals at the rear. Instead, they received a system announcement that the second battlefield had been opened.
At this time, the 400,000 players from Predator Sword and the other major player organizations should have arrived in the East County. They would arrive just in time for the Black Mountain Army's arrival. Yang Rui chose to cooperate with them at the right time!
During the two days of setting up camp, Yang Rui did not idle around. First of all, Yang Rui still allowed the players in his army to move freely. They could head to Hulao Pass or Dark Sun City to farm Dong Zhuo's faction members and earn all kinds of equipment, Achievement Points, and Contribution Points.
At the same time, Yang Rui also used the Flying Carpet to scout the enemy near Dark Sun City many times. This was also done under the suggestion of the leader of the only remaining player organization, the CU Alliance.
Previously, the vassals had all agreed to set up camp. Although it did not affect Yang Rui much, Yang Rui was also a player. Earning Achievement Points, Contribution Points, Equipment, Skill Books, and Quest Rewards was equally important to Yang Rui. Therefore, after the CU Alliance mentioned it, Yang Rui had been considering whether to take down Dark Sun City alone for the past two days!
Dark Sun City was the closest city to the east of Hulao Pass. It was a very important strategic location for both factions. Although Dong Zhuo's faction's morale was very high and they had taken down Dark Sun City, they did not station many troops in this isolated city east of Hulao Pass. They only relied on the sturdy city walls to defend themselves.
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