Chapter 176

Chapter 176

As soon as Han Zongping arrived in Luoyang, he rode alone towards the city walls, demanding to see the Holy Majesty across the moat.

Imperial Uncle Dou finally showed his face.

Though Dou Guogong was a traitor despised by people across the land, he was nonetheless a striking figure. At that moment, dressed in deep purple royal robes of a chancellor, standing atop the city wall, he looked dignified and somewhat resembled a virtuous minister or a great scholar.

On the side of the Right Route Army, Xiao Yan clicked his tongue, "He and Mei Huaixin look like father and son-in-law. What a waste of a good appearance."

Xiao Ye said, "I heard the late emperor was a lecher. Since Empress Dou was surely a beauty, her brother couldn't be ugly either. Dou Dechang is just ruined by overeating."

Xiao Zhen interrupted, "Shut up."

A row of young generals immediately fell silent.

Tong Sui smiled and continued to look forward.

Han Zongping called out, "Dou Weichang, I want to see the Emperor. As soon as the Emperor shows his face, I will take my own life here under the city gate for defying the imperial edict!"

Imperial Uncle Dou replied, "The Emperor has long been bedridden. Earlier this year, when he learned of your rebellion and defiance of the edict, his anger worsened his noble health day by day. How dare you ask the Emperor to come and see you?"

Han Zongping said, "Words are futile. I will not retreat unless I see the Emperor."

Imperial Uncle Dou sighed, "Very well, I'd like to see if you'll really take your own life when the Emperor arrives! Someone, go and invite the Emperor to grace us with his presence!"

Immediately, two eunuchs left the wall.

Seeing this, Xiao She exclaimed in surprise, "Could the old emperor really still be alive?"

Xiao Ye replied, "Impossible. If he were alive, Imperial Uncle Dou would have sent him to Taiyuan by now, where the General could have been blocked."

Qiao Changshun said, "Truly a traitor. Just wait, in a moment the eunuchs will return crying, saying the old emperor has just been angered to death by the General."

About three quarters of an hour later, a eunuch returned, just as Qiao Changshun had guessed. He reported that the old emperor, upon hearing that the General was about to attack Luoyang, spat blood and passed away after naming the young prince as his successor.

How could Han Zongping believe such a cleverly worded lie? After a mutual exchange of insults with Imperial Uncle Dou, he returned to the camp with a livid face and summoned the three main generals, Feng Ji, Lu Gong, and Xiao Mu, for a meeting.

Soon after, Han Zongping, along with the central army led by Feng Ji, continued to camp opposite the Dingding Gate south of Luoyang, while Lu Gong and Xiao Mu led the 50,000-strong left and right route armies to the east of Luoyang, outside the Yongtong Gate and Shangdong Gate, respectively. They would wait for Han Zongping's order to attack the city at dawn.

By the time the camp was set up, it was already dusk.

Tong Sui and Xiao Zhen, along with several commanders, had dinner in the old general's central army tent.

Xiao Yan said, "It's going to be a tough fight. The capital's walls are over ten li long on one side."

Xiao She added, "Around fifty to sixty li all around. Even on horseback, it takes half an hour to circle it."

Xiao Ye said, "With 50,000 defenders, plus the citizens, about 20,000 defenders will block 50,000 troops. It's going to be a hard battle no matter which side you're on. If reinforcements come from the south, Imperial Uncle Dou might just turn the tide. No wonder he refuses to surrender."

Sun Dian said, "Kaifeng is also under siege. Zhao Jin is there alone and must be anxious."

Xiao Mu said, "The Xuchang reinforcements have already been defeated. The Southern Army from Jingzhou and Huainan is too far away to arrive in time. The General has already sent Dou Dechang to persuade the two local commanders to surrender. They will likely adopt a wait-and-see attitude."

Xiao Yan said, "So, instead of attacking the city, can we just wait and starve them out?"

Xiao Zhen replied, "It's freezing cold. It's not advisable for a large army to wait too long. Moreover, foreign enemies and the two self-proclaimed emperors are watching eagerly. It's best to finish this quickly."

As they were discussing, a sweet fragrance wafted from the charcoal brazier—the smell of roasted sweet potatoes.

Qiao Changan said proudly, "I put them in."

Xiao Zhen asked, "Where did the sweet potatoes come from?"

Qiao Changan replied, "When we went to buy sacks from nearby villagers, a wealthy family gave us two carts of sweet potatoes. They hoped we would quickly capture those traitors. The General told us to keep them and give them to the General. When we moved the camp just now, I delivered them, and the General was very happy. He let me keep three-tenths and distributed the rest to the left and central armies."

As he spoke, several others rushed to dig out the roasted sweet potatoes.

Xiao Zhen and Tong Sui didn't move, so Xiao Ye and Xiao She each grabbed one for the couple. Since larger sweet potatoes wouldn't cook easily in the brazier, Qiao Changan had buried egg-sized ones, enough for easy distribution.

The roasted sweet potatoes were blackened and still hot to the touch.

Xiao Zhen peeled one, pinched the remaining bit of skin, and placed the golden-red flesh into Tong Sui's bowl.

Tong Sui instinctively looked around, meeting a few quickly averted gazes and several lips that curled up into smiles.

Feeling a slight warmth on her face, she lowered her head and ate the sweet potato.

Seeing Zhang Wengong grab a sweet potato but not eat it, Sun Dian teased him, "Is it for Miss Zhou?"

Zhang Wengong blushed deeply.

Xiao Mu said to the bachelors, "No need to laugh at Wengong. There's no time this year, but once we enter the city and things settle down, you'll all get married."

Those without sweethearts joined in the teasing, while Sun Dian looked at the old general with a deep gaze.

Xiao Mu glanced at the dusty leather shoes on his feet.

The leather was common pigskin from the countryside, stuffed with a layer of cotton. It was warm and convenient to wear in the cold winter.

The same type of shoes was worn by the young and old in their group, as well as the Zhou family, all sent from Wei County via courier soldiers.

Although Sun Dian always snatched the shoes from Fourth Brother, their feet were not the same size. How was it that the pair Sun Dian grabbed always fit perfectly?

"Eat up, and rest early. There's more fighting tomorrow."

---

Imperial Uncle Dou was both a chancellor and a military general. In the freezing cold, the moat lost its function of blocking enemy soldiers. However, Imperial Uncle Dou took advantage of the cold weather and ordered water to be poured over the walls on all four sides. The water quickly froze, making the walls slippery. The defenders could easily push away the cloud ladders that the attacking army had painstakingly set up.

Three columns of troops attacked for a day but failed to breach the city walls, losing 5,000 soldiers in the process.

After calling the troops back, Han Zongping summoned his two military advisors and three main generals to discuss strategy in his tent.

Han Zongping: "The walls are frozen, making it several times harder to climb than usual. Continuing to attack will only waste more soldiers' lives. Do you have any other good strategies?"

Wei Qi: "The city just had an autumn harvest, and their supplies are abundant. The strategy of starving them out won't work."

Feng Ji: "Imperial Uncle Dou is cunning and experienced. Any tricks to lure the enemy will likely be useless. I can't think of any other method besides a full-on assault."

Lu Gong: "If the late emperor were still here, we could try to stir up internal conflict between the ruler and his ministers. But now, the new emperor is not even two years old. Imperial Uncle Dou holds all the power in the city. It's a difficult situation."

Han Zongping then looked at Song Lan and Xiao Mu, who hadn't spoken yet.

Song Lan said, "So, we still need to attack the city. But the soldiers have fought hard to get here, and I can't bear to see them killed by the enemy's arrows and stones. Perhaps we could bring in a group of prisoners from the surrounding counties, offer them rewards, and maybe they'll be motivated to lead the charge up the walls."

Han Zongping thought for a moment and said, "With corrupt officials in power, not everyone in prison is guilty of serious crimes. Moreover, if we send prisoners to their deaths, Imperial Uncle Dou can do the same with the city's prisoners and even civilians, endlessly sacrificing innocent lives. It will only lead to more suffering."

Song Lan nodded in agreement. "General, you're right."

Han Zongping then looked at Xiao Mu, and everyone else followed his gaze.

Xiao Mu looked back at Han Zongping, and suddenly, two hot tears rolled down his cheeks.

Han Zongping was startled. "Why are you crying, sir?"

Xiao Mu wiped the corner of his eye with his sleeve and sighed, "I've been racking my brains, trying to think of a viable strategy. But after hearing your words, I suddenly remembered the two carts of sweet potatoes that the local people gave you. That person lives outside Luoyang City, closer to Imperial Uncle Dou than to you, General. Yet why did he choose to help you instead? It's because of your benevolent heart, General. Even prisoners in jail are shown compassion by you. When the people of the world hear of this, how could they not support you wholeheartedly?"

Han Zongping did care for the people, but having such high praise thrust upon him made him feel a little unworthy.

Just as he was about to respond awkwardly, Wei Qi looked at Xiao Mu and said, "Are you suggesting that we first gain the support of the people of Luoyang?"

Xiao Mu replied, "Yes. When we attacked Shuozhou, we used this very method. Shi Yi and his son wreaked havoc on the local people for only six months before losing their support. Imperial Uncle Dou has been causing harm in Luoyang for twenty years. The people must have long-standing grievances, but they are prevented from coming out to support the general by the city's military. They just need an opportunity."

Lu Gong added, "To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest strategy praised by military strategists. If it works, it will be a great success. But if it fails, we might be ridiculed by corrupt officials."

Wei Qi said, "If it works, our 150,000 troops can march straight into the city. If it fails, we'll just be laughed at by some petty officials. We can ignore them. General, I think this plan is worth trying."

Song Lan nodded in agreement. "General, you always distribute land to the local people after taking a city. This is well-known throughout the land. That alone will gain the support of the poorer households in the city."

Wei Qi added, "The imperial court has been corrupt for decades. Countless officials and citizens of Luoyang have suffered injustices over the years. These people would definitely be willing to support you, General."

Feng Ji chimed in, "And among the soldiers in the city, only the top commanders benefit from Imperial Uncle Dou's power and wealth. The lower-ranking soldiers come from ordinary families. They won't dare to betray the court without someone leading the way. But if someone takes the lead, many will follow."

Lu Gong, looking at the others, said excitedly, "Listening to all of you, I feel like we might be able to enter the city soon."

Han Zongping smiled. "Let's not get too excited just yet. I would be grateful if the two of you could each draft a letter to the people and the military to see if this works."

Wei Qi and Song Lan gladly accepted the task.

Soon after, two concise and catchy surrender appeals were written.

The appeal to the people read: "Corrupt Imperial Uncle Dou oppresses the people. Citizens, open the city gates and surrender to clear your names and receive land!"

The appeal to the military read: "Corrupt Imperial Uncle Dou appoints people based on personal favor. Soldiers, open the city gates and surrender to receive silver and return to your hometowns!"

These short messages were what both the people and the 150,000 troops outside the city longed for. Every soldier could memorize them after just a few recitations.

On the third day of the twelfth lunar month, as dawn broke, the sound of drums echoed, and the three columns of troops shouted in unison.

The million citizens inside Luoyang City heard it clearly, and many were moved to tears that day.

Imperial Uncle Dou had his ways of balancing severity and kindness to deal with the situation.

But could people believe a wolf who had eaten humans for over twenty years when he suddenly claimed he would stop?

The people of Luoyang didn't believe him. They trusted General Han outside the city more.

Three days later, soldiers from the lower ranks, along with enraged and brave citizens, opened one of the city gates under the cover of night.