After Chen Gong's explanation, Ye Feng finally understood the plans of those aristocratic families.
It had to be said,
When facing a plan of his like pulling the rug out from under them, the aristocratic families had found the most correct countermeasure.
What?
You want to hold the Son of Heaven hostage to control us?
Dream on!
I'll burn the imperial palace to the ground with a single fire, and who can prove that Emperor Ling and the others are still alive?
No one, right?
Since no one can prove the emperor is still alive, then it's perfectly fine for us to elect a member of the imperial clan to be the emperor, right?
"So you're saying..."
After listening to Chen Gong's explanation, Ye Feng tapped his chin and said thoughtfully,
"As long as the aristocratic families can withstand this wave from the Yellow Turban rebels, then the Han Dynasty will be completely under their control."
"Precisely!"
Chen Gong nodded seriously, his tone filled with gravity,
"Whether it's for our plan or for the future landscape of the world, we absolutely cannot let those people control the narrative!"
"Is that so?"
Ye Feng smiled, a slight, mocking curve at the corner of his lips, and asked in return,
"Gongtai, how many troops do you think Chang'an, or rather Emperor Ling, can afford to support?"
"???"
Chen Gong was momentarily stunned by the question, but he still did some calculations and finally shook his head,
"There's no specific answer to this. It mainly depends on how determined Emperor Ling is!"
"How so?"
Ye Feng was curious. "Is that old fellow Emperor Ling very rich?"
"Not at all!"
Chen Gong shook his head. He organized his thoughts before explaining,
"My lord, I believe you also know that the number of troops you can support has little to do with money. The most important thing is a stable grain reserve."
"If we go all out to prepare for war, with the grain yields from regions like Liangzhou and Yizhou, supporting two hundred thousand troops would be no problem."
"If we were to live off the land by fighting, campaigning against the Qiang and Hu while maintaining the army, even three hundred thousand would be feasible."
"But all of this depends on Emperor Ling's resolve!"
"For example..."
"Whose army are these, ultimately? Who do they obey? Is it worth him paying such a price?"
"Hmm..."
Hearing this, Ye Feng nodded in realization, his smile widening.
So this was what Chen Gong was worried about?
Indeed!
If he were Emperor Ling, he wouldn't wholeheartedly support an army that didn't belong to him, even if that army was there to help him.
The reason was simple!
If I go through all this trouble to support you, you'll still leave in the end, won't you?
Why bother!
As long as you can solve my problems, wouldn't it be better to save the extra resources to support my own army?
However,
While this was an unsolvable problem for others, was it even an issue for Ye Feng?
Not at all!
The biggest advantage of system soldiers was their obedience, without any conditions.
As long as he instructed them to obey Emperor Ling, Emperor Ling would have the illusion that these soldiers were his own!
Moreover,
To completely eliminate Emperor Ling's wariness, Ye Feng also planned to add another setting.
Even if Emperor Ling ordered these cavalry to attack Ye Feng, the soldiers would still obediently follow orders.
Of course!
This obedience was only effective before they personally met Ye Feng.
As for afterwards? .oγg
Heh heh...
If Emperor Ling dared to issue such an order, he would essentially be courting death. There would be no need to worry about what happened next, right?
He refused to believe it!
After this series of moves, wouldn't that fellow Liu Hong be completely bewildered?
.........
The next day,
Early morning,
As the sky above Luoyang was painted with brilliant dawn clouds, a new day began.
In the Yellow Turban camp,
The command tent,
Guan Hai and others, who had gained nothing after a night of searching, were kneeling and reporting their findings.
"You mean to say..."
Looking at Guan Hai's sincere expression, Zhang Bao asked suspiciously,
"You searched the entire imperial palace, captured quite a few spies, and yet you learned nothing?"
"Uh..."
Guan Hai, who sported a perfectly natural smoky eye makeup, stammered, unsure of what to say.
He was frustrated too!
Unlike Liao Hua and Xu Huang, Guan Hai had personally gone to the front lines.
And the result?
He had captured several scouts who witnessed the entire event, but they all knew nothing.
The only somewhat useful piece of information was that before the fire broke out in the imperial palace, a cavalry of six to seven thousand men had charged out of Luoyang city.
But who was leading that cavalry?
No one knew!
Where did that cavalry come from?
No one knew either!
No one could even recall when those cavalry appeared in Luoyang.
Even more frustrating,
After capturing more than a dozen scouts, he still hadn't obtained any useful information.
This angered Guan Hai immensely!
Should he just return like this?
Let alone Zhang Bao,
If he were to report back like this, Guan Hai himself would feel like he had wasted his trip.
Therefore,
Leaving Liao Hua and the others who were just there to fill the ranks, Guan Hai wandered alone within Luoyang city.
And surprisingly,
Although he still couldn't gather any information, Guan Hai did have a gain.
"General Di Gong~!"
Recalling the person he had captured last night, Guan Hai eagerly approached Zhang Bao.
"Your subordinate has brought you a big fish this time!"
"Oh?"
Zhang Bao glanced at him with a hint of annoyance and grumbled,
"They even set the emperor's palace on fire, what big fish could you possibly find?"
"Heh heh..."
Guan Hai didn't say much, he simply clapped his hands, signaling his personal guards outside to bring the person in.
"Quickly!"
"Go in!"
Hearing the signal from within the tent, Guan Hai's personal guards pushed a young man inside.
"Your subordinate pays his respects to General Di Gong, General..."
"Rise!"
Waving for his guards to rise, Zhang Bao curiously observed the young man before him.
"Is this the big fish you spoke of? I don't see anything special about him."
"There is!"
"I do!"
Before Guan Hai could introduce him, the slightly trembling young man quickly exclaimed.
"My lord, this general, this general is a Zhonglangjiang of the Imperial Forest Army!"
"Hmm?"
"And that's it?"
Zhang Bao was somewhat surprised, but his expression remained neutral.
Just a Zhonglangjiang!
Although at this age, becoming a Zhonglangjiang could be considered a talented young man.
But so what?
They were about to take Luoyang city; were they short of one Zhonglangjiang?
Seeing this,
Not only was Guan Hai dissatisfied, but the young man himself felt a bit awkward.
"Then, that..."
After swallowing with some difficulty, the young man's voice was dry,
"I, I am also the legitimate second son of the Yuan family!"
"What?!"
As the young man's words fell, Zhang Bao became unsettled.
"The legitimate second son of the Yuan family?"
"Are you Yuan Shu?"
Without waiting for the young man's reply, Zhang Bao turned to Guan Hai beside him.
"Is this fellow Yuan Shu? Yuan Gonglu? Have you confirmed his identity?"
"Of course!"
Guan Hai smiled proudly, his tone quite smug,
"Your subordinate not only had his identity confirmed but also sent a servant back to inform the Yuan family. I believe the Yuan family must be in an uproar now!"
"This is the legitimate second son of the Yuan family!"
"Even Yuan Shao, who is making waves out there, can't compare to him!"
"Hahaha..."
"..."
Listening to Guan Hai's exaggerated laughter, Zhang Bao's lips twitched slightly.
But he didn't say anything!
Indeed.
The legitimate second son of the Yuan family, a family of four generations of dukes, should be second only to the Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty.
With this fellow in hand, Luoyang might be conquered today.
Even,
When the reinforcements from the various regions arrived later, they could use this fellow as a banner and hang him out. Then they would see if Yuan Shao would act righteously and eliminate his own kin.
Thinking of such a dramatic scene, even Zhang Bao's lips curved slightly.
Worth it!
Absolutely worth it!
Although Guan Hai hadn't gathered any information this time, having Yuan Shu was enough.
Moreover,
The fact that this fellow confirmed that the imperial palace had indeed caught fire was an even greater merit.
It's just that...
Glancing at Guan Hai, who was still beaming with smiles, Zhang Bao fell into contemplation.
How should such a great contribution be rewarded?
Lead an army alone?
Although this was Guan Hai's lifelong wish, was it really okay to entrust him with it just like that?
Zhang Bao wasn't stingy with the cannon fodder.
What did the Yellow Turban rebels have the most of?
People!
Even if they were annihilated at Luoyang city this time, given him some time, he could quickly gather hundreds of thousands of troops again.
No choice!
In the late Han Dynasty, what was lacking was everything, except for starving civilians.
As long as the Han Dynasty and the aristocratic families didn't change, the Yellow Turban rebels would continue to emerge endlessly.
Therefore,
Zhang Bao had never been stingy with his soldiers or cannon fodder.
His warfare had no special tactics; he simply overwhelmed the enemy with sheer numbers.
With this tactic of human lives, both Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song were left in disarray.
Because they couldn't afford to lose!
The Han army was small, and skilled fighters were even fewer. Every loss was a genuine loss.
How could they not be defeated?
Because of this,
Zhang Bao understood better than other Yellow Turban generals that the common soldiers and cannon fodder were not important.
What was important?
The generals!
A general who was skilled in combat and training could easily rise to a high position among the Yellow Turban rebels.
And Guan Hai?
Although he wasn't particularly skilled at training troops, he was certainly a capable fighter.
Whether as a vanguard or covering a retreat, he always performed well.
Only one point!
He couldn't lead an army alone; things always went wrong when he did.
Putting aside Guan Hai's past achievements,
Even in this life, among the few defeats suffered by the Yellow Turban rebels, Guan Hai had a share.
Therefore,
Facing Guan Hai, who had made such a great contribution, Zhang Bao was actually somewhat troubled.
They were about to attack Luoyang, and another defeat wouldn't look good, would it?
As the saying goes, what you fear most is what comes.
Just as Zhang Bao was contemplating how to reward Guan Hai, the fellow had already shamelessly come forward.
"General, you see, this was not easy for us. Why don't you consider it?"
"Consider what?"
Zhang Bao, who hadn't made up his mind, pretended to be confused and glanced at Guan Hai.
"Let's not rush the decision regarding this fellow. Let's first discuss today's plan for attacking the city!"
"Ah?"
"Don't!"
Seeing Zhang Bao getting up to leave, Guan Hai became anxious. He lunged forward and grabbed Zhang Bao's thigh.
"General, I swear, I won't be as reckless as last time!"
"Just let me be the vanguard!"
"I guarantee that I can take Luoyang within half a morning!"
"This..."
For some reason, hearing Guan Hai say this, Zhang Bao felt a sense of foreboding.
But with Guan Hai clinging to his leg, he couldn't move and could only say helplessly,
"Well, you first get up, and let's discuss it properly!"