"To Alliance Master Yuan Benchu!"
As expected, Yuan Shao's name was written on the letter. After Yang Rui received it, he opened the letter.
"Alliance Master Benchu: Traitor Dong will increase his forces at Hulao. When the time comes, Traitor Dong and Lu Bu will arrive personally. Benchu should pay attention … Most of the forces at Luoyang's east gate are still under our control. If there is any progress at Hulao, raise a fire outside the east gate as a signal. My soldiers at the east gate will risk their lives to cooperate at any time … Written by De Yu himself!"
Yang Rui only needed to skim through the contents of the letter to know that the knight was not lying. He immediately withdrew his spear. He never expected that this knight, who was clearly wearing the bright colors of the opposing faction, would actually be from the Anti-Dong Alliance!
Yang Rui already knew the contents of the letter, but Yang Rui could not figure out who "De Yu" was for the time being. According to the contents of the letter, "De Yu" should be Yuan Shao's spy in Luoyang's imperial city. For him to be able to control most of the forces at Luoyang's east gate, he was clearly not a simple character!
Yang Rui had once guarded Luoyang's east gate, so he was relatively familiar with it. Now that De Yu's letter had landed in Yang Rui's hands, this was undoubtedly a heaven-sent opportunity. If Yang Rui wanted to enter Luoyang's imperial city to rescue Liu Bian and his mother, and even more, he might have to rely on De Yu, this spy.
"Please report to the person in charge that I am a general under Lord Yuan Shao. I have already obtained your letter and will immediately pass it to Lord Yuan Shao! I believe that Alliance Master Yuan Shao will take action through the waterway in the near future. Please be on the lookout. "
After thinking for a moment, Yang Rui used the identity of Yuan Shao's subordinate to speak to the knight. The reason why he did not use his own name was because … Yang Rui was worried that the knight would only pay attention to Yuan Shao. If he revealed his identity, he might mess things up!
"Of course, I will report in detail!"
The cavalry general saw Yang Rui put away his spear. His heart relaxed as he replied respectfully. Currently, Yang Rui was a special-grade general, while the cavalry general was only a mid-grade general. In front of Yang Rui, he naturally didn't dare to disobey.
After Yang Rui separated from the cavalry general, he kept the secret letter for Yuan Shao and returned to Spirit Condensation Mountain Village. As for the secret letter, Yang Rui would definitely not pass it to Yuan Shao. The letter clearly stated that as long as Yuan Shao's troops reached the vicinity of Luoyang's Imperial City, he would set fire to them. The Alliance camp troops at the east city gate of Luoyang City would work together to support the sieging soldiers.
Thus, all Yang Rui needed to do was wait. Once Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu left Luoyang City, Yang Rui could find an opportunity to attack Luoyang from the east city gate. Then, he would rescue Young Emperor Liu Bian and Empress Dowager He from the palace as quickly as possible.
Over the past two days, Yang Rui had to keep an eye on Dong Zhuo's movements at all times. Thus, he wasn't able to go to Guan Dong to mobilize more troops. It was already too late to mobilize more troops now. In other words, when Yang Rui finally made his move, he could only rely on the thirty thousand Fifth Grade soldiers he currently had. This number of soldiers was far inferior to Dong Zhuo's forces in Luoyang City. It was hard to say whether they would succeed or not.
However, being able to obtain Yuan Shao's secret letter was already a great opportunity. Naturally, Yang Rui wouldn't let go of this opportunity so easily. When the time came, he would have to give it his all.
Yang Rui didn't have much time to wait. Just as' De Yu 'had mentioned in the secret letter to Yuan Shao, Yang Rui's Fifth Grade bandit leader reported that Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu's army were heading for Hulao Pass the next morning. Yang Rui decided to make his move that very night!
Under the circumstances of a large-scale march, the journey from Luoyang City to Hulao Pass would take an entire day and night. It was more appropriate for Yang Rui to make his move when Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu were halfway to Hulao Pass. More importantly, he could use the cover of the night to launch a surprise attack on the city guards.
During the day, Yang Rui had Zhang Ning, Gao Shun, Zhang Liao, Chen Lin, Wu Anguo, and the rest of the soldiers rest up. He also prepared a large flag with the word 'Yuan' on it, as well as firewood and other materials for setting fires! By midnight, Yang Rui led all the troops and traveled along the east side of Mount Beimang until they were five kilometers away from the east gate of Luoyang City.
Yang Rui had been using the Flying Carpet at the very front along the way, leading the Fifth Grade bandit leaders in clearing out the patrolling forces of Dong Zhuo's faction. As Yang Rui had chosen a relatively remote path to begin with, he had purposely chosen a location that was further away from the cities and towns. Forty bandit leaders were barely enough.
"Set the fire!"
By the time all the troops were five kilometers away from the east gate of Luoyang City, the patrolling forces of Dong Zhuo's faction had already become more concentrated. Yang Rui decisively ordered the soldiers to set the place on fire.
As every soldier had prepared some firewood beforehand, and it was currently spring when the grass was withering, a large fire quickly burned when Yang Rui gave the order to set the place on fire. The situation could be seen from very far away.
Since Yuan Shao's spies at the east gate of Luoyang had agreed to raise the fire as a signal, they had placed soldiers to keep an eye on the situation outside the city. At this moment, a huge fire suddenly appeared ten li away from the east gate, and it had long attracted the attention of the soldiers stationed at the east gate tower. Furthermore, the soldiers quickly reported the situation outside the city. After about the time it took to brew a cup of tea, the person in charge had already received the relevant information.
The person who had written the letter to Yuan Shao was actually Lieutenant Wu Qiong. When Wu Qiong received the news, she immediately sent someone to pass the message to Attendant Zhou Qiong and the others. She, on the other hand, went directly to the eastern city gate tower. While looking at the fire in the distance, she gathered her trusted subordinates.
Just as Wu Qiong had mentioned in the letter, he had made many arrangements at the east gate. In a short amount of time, Wu Qiong had gathered a large number of men and started attacking the soldiers of Dong Zhuo's faction at the east gate.
Wu Qiong wasn't completely confident in the first place. After he started attacking, Wu Qiong realized that dealing with Dong Zhuo's soldiers at the east gate tower was much more difficult than he had imagined.
Dong Zhuo's soldiers were all experienced soldiers. At this moment, almost half of the soldiers on the east gate and east wall were Dong Zhuo's valiant soldiers. Although Wu Qiong had gathered a larger number of soldiers than the enemy, and it was under the circumstances where they were unprepared, they were still at a disadvantage after the first attack.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"There's a traitor …"
“.....”
Battle cries rang out from the east gate tower and the walls. Yang Rui knew that the spies had started to make their move. Therefore, he led his 30,000 soldiers towards the east gate of Luoyang City. Little did he know that Wu Qiong wasn't able to open the gate immediately.
At this moment, Wu Qiong was also very anxious. He was entangled with a general of Dong Zhuo's army and couldn't get away for the time being. The soldiers under his command were also increasingly at a disadvantage in the battle. It was very difficult for them to even protect themselves, let alone control the east gate!
Moreover, if this continued, the soldiers of Dong Zhuo's faction at the other gates and inside the city would soon notice the abnormality here. By the time these soldiers arrived to help, Wu Qiong and his men would still be finished off.
While Wu Qiong was feeling extremely anxious, he saw many soldiers swarming up from the inner ramp of the city gate. Wu Qiong was immediately shocked. He thought that other soldiers of Dong Zhuo's had come to help him. When he realized that it was Zhou Qiong and his men, Wu Qiong finally heaved a sigh of relief.
Zhou Qiong's arrival immediately equalized the situation on the east gate tower. Most importantly, Zhou Qiong had opened the east gate before he rushed up the tower. This made things easier for Yang Rui, who had already reached the city gate. Instantly, the east gate seemed to have been opened. A large number of soldiers of the Anti-Dong Alliance swarmed out.
The two sides were engaged in a fierce battle on the city gate tower. Both sides were busy with their own affairs, so when Yang Rui and his men approached the city gate, the archers on Dong Zhuo's side on the city gate tower and the city wall only fired a few arrows sparsely. Basically, they did not cause any damage.
After Yang Rui led his men into the city gate, he immediately ordered his men to charge up the city gate and the nearby ramps on the walls. These groups of soldiers were led by Yang Rui, Gao Shun, Zhang Liao, and Wu Anguo. Zhang Ning and Chen Lin followed behind Yang Rui. As such, every single one of these groups of soldiers was incredibly powerful.
Dong Zhuo's faction might have been having a hard time fighting before this, but both sides were still in a state of balance. The arrival of Yang Rui and the others was like a massive weight that caused the balance of power to change on a fundamental level. Dong Zhuo's army on the east gate was showing signs of complete collapse.
This collapse continued to spread to the walls on both sides. The Fifth Grade Iron Guards were extremely suited for siege and defense in the first place. Now, under the leadership of several powerful generals and the enhancement of their skills, they were like fish in water, slaughtering their way through the enemy. Yang Rui's forces were rapidly nibbling away at the east gate and the walls on both sides. Yuan Shao's flag had already been planted on the east gate tower.
After the situation at the east gate became clear, Yang Rui left Zhang Liao and ten thousand Iron Guards behind to guard the east gate. He worked with Zhou Qiong to temporarily hold back the reinforcements from Dong Zhuo's faction. Meanwhile, Yang Rui led Gao Shun, Zhang Ning, Wu Anguo, Chen Lin, and the rest of his men toward the east gate of Luoyang's inner city under Wu Qiong's guidance.
As Yang Rui wasn't sure if he could successfully enter the inner city, he left Zhang Liao behind to keep an escape route open. Zhang Liao's Crushing Edge Ambush was extremely powerful after the ten thousand Iron Guards were strengthened. It shouldn't be too difficult to protect the east gate for a short period of time.
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