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He swung his halberds with such force that they cleaved through two Wei soldiers in a single motion. Around him, Song Xian and Wei Xu coordinated the infantries around them into a wedge formation, even within the narrow approach, dismounting where needed to push siege ladders forward under covering fire.
On the walls, chaos had erupted. Flames licked across rooftops inside the city, thick black smoke rising into the sky. The common peopel screamed loud, as they are scattering in panic. Buckets of water were passed desperately from hand to hand, but the fire was already leaping from house to house.
The Wei commander within, named Zhang Lou, was torn between two impossible duties, saving the people or defending the walls. His men shouted conflicting orders, and discipline began to crumble.
"Get the common people to safety!" one shouted.
"Hold the southern parapet!" cried another.
"The east tower is falling!" came the desperate reply.
It was the breaking point Huang Zhong had foreseen.
From his vantage point, the veteran general could see the defenders' confusion. "They're pulling some of their men from the walls!" he said sharply. "Focus the Hwachas on the breach that was shown now!"
The engineers of the siege engines obeyed the order, immediately releasing a deafening storm of arrows into the thinned lines. Hengyuan infantry surged forward through the hail of fire and smoke, shouting victory cries as they began to climb the Climbing Tigers.
For the first time, the banners of the Hengyuan Dragon appeared atop the city walls.
Huang Zhong's hands tightened on the edge of the map table as he watched the colors rise. "By Heaven," he murmured, "Shangdang's wall has been taken."
Chen Deng's gaze followed the rising banner. The faintest smile crossed his face, the cold, sharp satisfaction of a strategist whose plan had reached fruition. "And once the walls fall," he said softly, "the heart of Shangdang will not beat much longer."
The fighting within the battlements turned into close quarters slaughter. Dian Wei, his halberds now slick with blood, led the charge along the ramparts. "Hold fast!" he bellowed. "Cut them down, every last one!"
The defenders, exhausted and demoralized, faltered. Some dropped their weapons and fled toward the burning inner streets. Others fought on, screaming defiance until Hengyuan blades silenced them.
By sunset, the northern wall of Shangdang had fallen entirely into Hengyuan hands. The crimson banners fluttered triumphantly over the smoking ruins.
Huang Zhong and Chen Deng alongside their aides and elite soldiers rode down toward the captured gates as the din of battle began to fade. The acrid scent of ash filled the air. Fires still burned within the city, but the flames that had once threatened to save the defenders now sealed their fate.
As Huang Zhong dismounted before the shattered gate, Dian Wei emerged from the smoke, bloodied but grinning, his halberds resting across his shoulders. "Hah! Old Marshall! Strategist! The walls are ours. The enemy has fallen back to the inner district, they fight like trapped rats, but it won't last long."
Huang Zhong nodded approvingly. "You've done well, old friend. His Majesty will be very pleased with this progress."
Chen Deng stepped forward, eyes gleaming with strategy. "If I may, General, I suggest we use the fire once more. The wind is shifting westward. If we direct the Hwacha toward their granaries, it will force their surrender by starvation rather than slaughter."
Huang Zhong thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Do it. But spare the civilians if possible. His Majesty values the people more than the ashes of a city."
The orders were issued swiftly. Hwacha teams adjusted their launchers, and within minutes, volleys of flaming arrows rained down upon the fortress district. The defenders, already stretched thin, rushed to douse the flames, but it was futile.
Meanwhile Huang Zhong clasped his hands behind his back once more. The veteran general looked toward the west, where the sun bled red across the horizon. "Another city falls," he said quietly. "But this victory… it feels heavier than most."
Chen Deng looked at him. "Why is that?"
"Because," Huang Zhong said, his voice low, "every battle we win brings us closer to the one we cannot avoid, the reckoning with Cao Cao himself. And when that day comes, it will not be a siege we fight. It will be the war that decides Heaven's Mandate."
Chen Deng said nothing. He only nodded once, solemnly.
Behind them, the Hengyuan banners rose higher against the burning sky, and the drums of victory thundered across the valley, a declaration to all the northern plains that the tide of war was turning, and that the dragon of Hengyuan was spreading its wings ever wider.
Times passes and in the middle of the night, the inner fortress gate creaked open. A white banner rose from within, fluttering weakly in the smoky air.
"General Zhang Lou wishes to parley!" cried one of the messengers.
When the news reached Huang Zhong, he rode forward, flanked by Chen Deng, Dian Wei, Liao Hua, and Hao Meng.
At the ruined gate, the Wei commander appeared, his face streaked with soot and exhaustion. He knelt on one knee, sword laid before him. "I am Zhang Luo of Wei. I surrender Shangdang to the Hengyuan Dynasty. My men are beaten, my city aflame. I only beg mercy for the civilians."
Huang Zhong dismounted, his boots crunching over the charred debris. "General Zhang," he said, his tone grave but not unkind. "You have fought bravely. The Emperor rewards courage, even in his enemies. Lay down your arms. Your people will be spared, and your wounded treated."
Zhang Miao bowed deeply, his shoulders trembling. "Then I thank you, General. Perhaps under a ruler such as your Emperor, peace will at last take root in this land."
With that, the battle for Shangdang was over.
That night, as the stars emerged over the ravaged skyline, a solemn calm settled over Shangdang. The fires had burned themselves out, leaving the city cloaked in ash. The Hengyuan soldiers lit small lanterns in memory of the fallen, friend and foe alike.
Huang Zhong, sitting outside his command tent, gazed toward the heavens. The faint scent of smoke still clung to his armor. "Another step toward His Majesty's vision… but how many more lives will it demand?"
From the shadows, Dian Wei's voice rumbled softly. "So long as it builds a world without sickness, poverty, and fear, the price is worth paying."
Huang Zhong smiled faintly, the lines of age softening in the lamplight. "Perhaps. Let us hope that the true self of our lord still embodies our Emperor, never forgets that the people are the foundation of his strength."
Meanwhile dawn that broke over Luoyang was gray and cold, the kind of morning that felt more like the dim echo of a long night than the promise of a new day.
Inside the administrative hall, Xun Yu sat alone for a moment, staring at the sealed letter before him. The wax bore the mark of the northern courier division, urgent, military dispatch, and his fingers trembled slightly as he broke it open.
The contents were short, almost brutally so. "Shangdang has fallen. The northern garrison routed. Zhang Lou surrendered at dawn."
The words seemed to weigh down the parchment itself. For a long moment, Xun Yu said nothing, his mind a swirl of disbelief and dread. Then, he exhaled slowly, placing the letter down with the care of a man handling a viper.
"So… it has come to this," he murmured. His face remained calm, but the color had drained from it completely.
He rose abruptly and called for his attendants. "Summon Cheng Yu, Jia Kui, Tian Feng, and Xu You, immediately! Tell them this concerns the fate of Luoyang itself."
Within the hour, the hall of state was filled with hurried footsteps and tense voices. The four men entered, their expressions grim, they had heard whispers, and each dreaded what confirmation might come from Xun Yu's lips.
Xun Yu turned toward them, the morning light falling across the lines of exhaustion on his face. "Gentlemen," he began solemnly, "the city of Shangdang has fallen. Huang Zhong and Chen Deng led the assault. The northern line is broken, completely. The Hengyuan banners now fly over the ruins."
A silence fell across the room so heavy it seemed the air itself stopped moving.
Xu You was the first to speak, his tone incredulous. "That fast? Shangdang's walls were said to be impregnable. We fortified them ourselves, and Zhang Lou was no fool."
"Even fortresses fall when the will of Heaven shifts," Tian Feng said bitterly, his sharp features darkened by shadow. "We all warned that Hengyuan's Northern Command was no ordinary army. Huang Zhong's veterans and Chen Deng's engineers have conquered half a dozen strongholds in less than a season. And now, the path north of Luoyang lies open."
Jia Kui slammed his hand lightly against the table, his scholar's composure slipping. "If Shangdang has fallen, we have lost not only the northern defense but also access to Jinyang, Wei Commandery, and the northern grain routes. Our supply lines are cut. Even if the Emperor returns from Chang'an, we cannot sustain a prolonged defense."
Cheng Yu You, ever the realist and cynic, gave a low laugh. "And yet, if we abandon Luoyang without a fight, history will remember us as cowards who surrendered the capital before the enemy even appeared on the horizon."
Xun Yu looked toward him sharply. "We will not abandon Luoyang without necessity. The Emperor entrusted us with emergency powers, yes, but those powers were to preserve the dynasty, not flee at the first sign of danger. His Majesty's army has reached Chang'an. If we can hold Hulao Gate for another month, he will return with reinforcements."
Cheng Yu leaned forward, hands clasped. "Then we must strengthen Hulao's defenses at all costs. If the gate falls, the enemy will march directly to Luoyang's doorstep."
Xun Yu nodded. "Agreed. We'll send additional supplies to Wu Ze's garrison, food, arrows, and reinforcements from the west district reserves. Jia Kui, draft the orders. Tian Feng, coordinate the evacuation of civilians from the northern suburbs in case the enemy advances faster than expected."
The strategists bowed slightly and hurried to their duties, but none could shake the unease in their hearts.
As they dispersed, Cheng Yu lingered. "Xun Gongda," he said softly, using Xun Yu's courtesy name, "you look pale. Is there something else troubling you?"
Xun Yu turned his gaze toward the window, where the faint outline of Hulao's distant mountains was barely visible through the haze. "When Shangdang fell, it was not just a city we lost. It was our signal fire, the last beacon tying the north to the heartland. Without it… we are blind."
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 35 (202 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 966 (+20)
VIT: 623 (+20)
AGI: 623 (+10)
INT: 667
CHR: 98
WIS: 549
WILL: 432
ATR Points: 0