Chapter 155: Inside Hangu Pass

At first, the various warlords did not react much upon seeing Yuan Feng's head. However, upon hearing that it was the tailor-made father of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, they were instantly struck with astonishment. They never expected Dong Zhuo to be so ruthless as to have Yuan Shao's father executed. This meant that it was impossible for anyone else from the Yuan family remaining in Luoyang to have survived.

"Leader, the dead are gone, but you must take care of your health," Han Fu consoled him. After all, Han Fu was also a former student of the Yuan clan, and seeing Yuan Feng dead filled him with a certain inescapable sorrow.

"Men!! Prepare a full army for me. Today, I will shatter Tiger Trap Pass, capture Dong Zhuo, and avenge my father!" Yuan Shao stood up and roared. At this moment, Yuan Shao had long since been consumed by anger, losing all reason, which was why he uttered such words. Little did he realize that speaking this way was essentially equivalent to saying that he, Yuan Shao, expected the other warlords to waste their military strength in vain to avenge his father, while he simply stood by and watched the spectacle. How could that ever work?

Cao Cao also looked at his old friend with a sorrowful expression. He was naturally well aware that Yuan Shao was indecisive; the moment he encountered anything concerning himself, he would immediately become foolish and utterly incompetent. It was already bad enough that he hadn't figured out a way to take Tiger Trap Pass earlier, but now that his own father was dead, he wanted to launch a direct assault on Tiger Trap Pass—was this not child's play? Whether having such a glory-seeking and indecisive alliance leader was a stroke of good fortune or bad fortune for the coalition forces was truly hard to say.

"Alliance Leader, think twice," Han Fu urged immediately upon hearing that Yuan Shao actually intended to launch a direct assault on Tiger Trap Pass. If Tiger Trap Pass were that easy to conquer, it would not have been known as the greatest impregnable pass under heaven.

"Please think twice, Alliance Leader," the other warlords advised in unison. They had no desire to waste their own strength for nothing.

"Report..." At this moment, a messenger rushed in. "Reporting to the Alliance Leader, the gates of Tiger Trap Pass are wide open. Right now, there are no troops left inside Tiger Trap Pass, save for a thousand-odd members of Dong Zhuo's army who have opened the gates to surrender."

"What?! Dong Zhuo has fled?!" Yuan Shao roared furiously. "How on earth did that Dong Zhuo manage to escape?"

"This humble subordinate does not know," the messenger said with a hint of fear.

Seeing this, Cao Cao quickly stepped forward and said with a helpless expression, "Alliance Leader, since Tiger Trap Pass is already deserted, we should quickly move in and occupy the pass. We can dispatch men earlier to gather intelligence and then decide our next course of action."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao snapped back to reality. Saying anything else now was useless; the most pressing matter was to learn of Dong Zhuo's whereabouts as soon as possible, as that would give him the opportunity to seek revenge. Immediately, Yuan Shao declared, "Mengde speaks reasonably. Gentlemen, quickly follow me into Tiger Trap Pass." With that, he took the lead, striding out of the main camp to reorganize the troops.

The various warlords followed Yuan Shao outside, regrouping their forces to advance toward Tiger Trap Pass.

Hangu Pass was the essential route from Luoyang to Chang'an. Ever since Dong Zhuo usurped control of the imperial court, he had stationed Li Meng and an army of twenty thousand soldiers here. The purpose was to maintain control over the road connecting Luoyang and his ancestral home in Longxi. Should any emergency occur in Luoyang, he could retreat through Hangu Pass back to Liangzhou and plot his next steps.

At this very moment, Liu Yao was leading a large army straight toward Hangu Pass.

When Liu Yao arrived before Hangu Pass, he had no intention of capturing the pass by force. Instead, he spurred his horse forward entirely on his own, calling out to the sentries atop the city wall, "Where are Ziyi and Xuangao?"

Upon recognizing that the approaching figure was none other than Liu Yao, the commander of the city guards was overjoyed. He excitedly shouted to a guard beside him, "Quickly, go and summon General Taishi and General Zang! Hurry!"

"Understood!" the guard acknowledged, and in the next instant, he bolted down the city wall like a puff of smoke.

Indeed, those soldiers upon the city gate were none other than Liu Yao's Youzhou troops.

Long before Liu Yao came to Luoyang to join the coalition, he had made a detour to Hangu Pass. Knowing full well that Dong Zhuo would inevitably move the capital to Chang'an, Liu Yao realized that Hangu Pass would be Dong Zhuo's mandatory route; seizing this place meant practically controlling Dong Zhuo's lifeline. Therefore, he had brought only ten thousand Youzhou light cavalry to knock on the pass, falsely claiming to have been sent by Dong Zhuo's son-in-law, General Niu Fu, to help Li Meng garrison Hangu Pass. This deception tricked Li Meng into opening the city gates.

Liu Yao then led his troops charging straight into Hangu Pass, routing Li Meng disastrously. Thus, even before arriving in Luoyang, Liu Yao had already secured Hangu Pass in the palm of his hand. Furthermore, because Li Meng feared death, he surrendered to Liu Yao. Dong Zhuo required Li Meng to write a report on the situation at Hangu Pass every ten days; Li Meng's surrender saved Liu Yao a great deal of trouble.

After taking control of Hangu Pass, Liu Yao left Taishi Ci and Zang Ba behind, along with ten thousand Youzhou cavalry, to garrison the pass, while he himself led twenty thousand troops to Luoyang to participate in the alliance.

At this very moment, Taishi Ci and Zang Ba happened to be walking up the city wall. Looking down, they saw that the leading figure was none other than Liu Yao. Moreover, the unique equipment of the Assault Battalion was something no one who had seen it even once could ever mistake.

"Open the city gates!" Taishi Ci shouted to the guards below, and immediately descended the city wall alongside Zang Ba to welcome Liu Yao.

"We pay our respects to the Lord," Taishi Ci and Zang Ba greeted Liu Yao in unison. "Will the Lord please accompany us into the pass first?"

"Very well!"

Inside Hangu Pass:

"Ziyi, Xuangao, how is the situation here at Hangu Pass now?" Liu Yao inquired.

"Reporting to the Lord, we have fully taken control of Hangu Pass in accordance with your instructions. The remaining fifteen thousand soldiers under Li Meng have also been incorporated into our ranks," Taishi Ci reported respectfully.

Hearing this, Liu Yao nodded with great satisfaction. Another fifteen thousand troops were now in his hands. Since Liu Yao already held Youzhou, Bingzhou, and the greater part of Liangzhou, expanding his army was an absolute necessity. Although Li Meng's troops could hardly be considered an elite force, they were still far superior to newly recruited greenhorns.

"And what about Li Meng? How is he handling things now?" Liu Yao asked with curiosity.

With a look of disdain, Taishi Ci replied, "Lord, you have no idea. When we first arrived, Li Meng put on a righteous and unyielding front, acting as though he would rather die than surrender. But the moment I mentioned dragging him out for execution, the fellow changed his tune immediately and became eager to surrender. He fawned over me so shamelessly that he was practically ready to call me father. I find such spineless wretches utterly infuriating. If the Lord hadn't said that this fellow still had his uses, I would have slaughtered him long ago."

Guo Jia, standing nearby, chuckled at Taishi Ci's words and remarked, "Ziyi, isn't fear of death actually a good thing? Wouldn't someone like that be all the easier to control?"

"Indeed," Liu Yao agreed with a nod. "Ziyi, send someone to bring Li Meng to me."

"Understood," Taishi Ci replied, summoning his personal guards to fetch Li Meng.

"Ziyi, has Dong Zhuo sent any correspondence to you recently?" Liu Yao asked.

Taishi Ci immediately pulled a piece of silk fabric from his sleeve, handed it over to Liu Yao, and said, "Lord, two days ago, Dong Zhuo dispatched a fast messenger to deliver a letter instructing Li Meng to prepare at Hangu Pass to welcome Dong Zhuo into the pass. Dong Zhuo's vanguard should reach Hangu Pass in another two or three days."

Liu Yao took the letter and began to read. Reaching the end, he could not help frowning. "Fengxiao, I never expected that Dong Zhuo would actually hollow out the entire city of Luoyang, leaving behind only an intact imperial palace and empty city walls while dragging all the wealth, grain, and common people of Luoyang toward Chang'an. What are your thoughts on this?" Liu Yao could not say too much against it, since he had indeed previously stated that as long as the ancestral temples and Luoyang remained intact, it would suffice.

"Lord, this time Dong Zhuo's intention to move the capital to Chang'an means he will certainly bring the young Emperor Liu Xian and all the civil and military officials of the imperial court. Furthermore, Chang'an is no longer what it used to be and has fallen somewhat into disrepair. Therefore, population, grain, and wealth are absolute necessities for Dong Zhuo; otherwise, he could never support such a large army. If we ambush Dong Zhuo here at Hangu Pass this time, even if we cannot kill him outright, we must at least rescue the common people, the officials, and that wealth and keep them here. As for that young emperor, we can simply let Dong Zhuo take him along to Chang'an," Guo Jia said with a smile.

Whenever he referred to Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xian, he simply called him the young emperor without a shred of reverence. After all, in Guo Jia's eyes, the imperial throne rightfully belonged to Liu Yao, and allowing Liu Xian to occupy it for a little longer was merely a temporary arrangement.