Chapter 306: Layer upon Layer Collapse
Heavy rain was pouring at Hua Xin’s mansion.

He had only returned to Xu Du for a few days and was waiting for the emperor to summon him, but he did not expect such a violent upheaval to occur.

It was also a stroke of luck. If the emperor had summoned them during this period, all the members of the family would have died in the chaos of war.

In the heavy rain, Hua Xin paced back and forth in the hall.

After much hesitation, Hua Xin said to the old servant guarding the door: "Take someone you can trust and pack your luggage. When the rain stops a little, we will leave for Jingzhou."

"Yes."

The old servant bowed, straightened the sword hanging at his waist, turned around and prepared.

In the second half of the night, the rain eased a little. More than thirty armed servants from Hua Xin's mansion escorted eight ox carts through the mud and gradually merged into the Jingyu Road.

We didn't dare light torches on the road and just advanced in the dark.

After walking seven or eight miles, we encountered another small convoy fleeing. They only had one car, and the wheel hub was damaged.

Hua Xin and his gang did not dare to make contact with the other party and went around in the dark.

In just a short period of time, the other party abandoned the vehicle, carried the bags of cloth, gold and other items loaded in the vehicle, and followed not far behind Hua Xin's convoy.

After walking for more than ten miles, more and more scattered fleeing soldiers and civilians joined this larger convoy.

Hua Xin could only pretend to be ignorant. Everything had to wait until dawn, when they fled from the suburbs of Xu Du and revealed their identities to each other before any discussions and arrangements could be made.

Luo Tong was sitting in the rear vehicle, surrounded by Hua Xin's wives and children, all of whom were silent.

At this moment in Luoyang, Xiahou Dun was pacing back and forth holding the secret letter sent by Cao Cao.

The three nephews and nephews who came to deliver the letter were sitting on the ground, panting, and applying medicine to their abraded inner thighs.

Xiahou Dun clenched his fists and then unclenched them, shouting, "Someone come!"

The guards and clerks on duty came in and bowed deeply.

Xiahou Dun hesitated for a long time, but finally waved his hand to send them away. He went into the study alone, ground ink, and picked up a pen. However, after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't write a letter of surrender.

After thinking for a long time, Xiahou Dun calmed down and wrote: As long as I am here, Luoyang is here, Meng De, don't worry.

Someone was immediately sent to deliver the handwritten letter to Xudu by express horse. However, by the next day, which was the fourth day after the Xudu Incident, the counties in Heluo learned of the great change in Xudu.

Sima Lang, the magistrate of Chenggao County, was very familiar with this feeling. When Luoyang changed drastically, he, as a student of the Imperial College, fled back home with some villagers at the instruction of his father.

Unfortunately, he was unlucky and was caught by the soldiers and brought before Dong Zhuo.

But he was lucky enough to enter the Imperial College Boy's Examination in the same year as Dong Zhuo's son, but Dong Zhuo's son died young.

After seeing Sima Lang, Dong Zhuo released Sima Lang because of his son's reasons.

And now, where can I escape to?
Just as Sima Lang was thinking and hesitating, his chief clerk came quickly and said, "Sir! The soldiers from Qingzhou are rebellious!"

"!"

Sima Lang stared, then stood up and straightened his sword: "What happened?"

"The Qingzhou soldiers to the west of the city are making a commotion, some are packing their luggage, and some are trying to enter the city to plunder. About 200 people have gathered at the west gate, wanting to demand travel expenses!"

"I gonna go see."

As Sima Lang was about to leave, the chief clerk stopped him and said, "Since Dong Zhuo, our county has been poor. Now the Qingzhou soldiers are coming into the city. If they gather in greater numbers, our county will find it difficult to resist."

"What do you want to say?"

"I have no other intentions, I am only concerned about you, the county lord."

The chief clerk bowed and said, "There has been a disturbance in Xudu, I don't know if it's true or not. But seeing the turmoil everywhere, it's definitely not without reason. Our county has few carriages, horses, money and food. If we give them to the Qingzhou soldiers, how will the county lord escape? If we don't give them to the Qingzhou soldiers, they will enter the city and demand everything, and eventually rob everything."

Sima Lang understood. It seemed that the noisy Qingzhou soldiers were still in a state of negotiation.

This was to allow him to escape on horseback before the Qingzhou soldiers broke into the city.

There were less than 200 households in the city, and they were simply unable to resist, nor were they willing to resist, the Qingzhou soldiers.

When the national laws and military discipline of the Xudu court were unable to restrain the Qingzhou soldiers, the old walls naturally could not stop the Qingzhou soldiers.

Not to mention carriages and horses, even the clothes of men and women in the city, the gauze curtains of the government offices and the like would not be spared by the Qingzhou soldiers.

The Qingzhou soldiers would take away everything they could. The people in the city would abandon their supplies and Sima Lang. As long as the Qingzhou soldiers did not harm or plunder the people, they would retreat.

As the chief clerk was speaking, several other county officials came in and bowed, "Please have mercy on the officials and civilians of this county, both men and women."

Only after Sima Lang left with the horses, carriages and supplies did the officials and people in the city grit their teeth and unite with the Qingzhou soldiers against the enemy.

With a mixture of shoving and persuasion, these people pushed Sima Lang onto the carriage, and Sima Lang's servants also ran around actively.

The east gate opened, and Sima Lang's horseman Gou Zhong raised the whip and shook the reins to control the horse.

The carriages drove out, and on both sides of the drivers of the two accompanying carriages were guards, each holding a crossbow.

The dozen or so Qingzhou soldiers who ran to the east gate did not dare to stop him forcefully and could only watch Sima Lang break through the siege and escape.

When Sima Lang's convoy passed Xingyang eastward at noon, the city gates of Xingyang were wide open and there was no one there.

After Hei Xiong and Zhang Xiu evacuated from Xingyang, Xiahou Dun dispatched more than 200 people here.

Now all these two hundred people are missing; they must have escaped first.

Sima Lang thought for a moment and said to the people who were resting: "Xudu is no longer a good place. I want to return home."

The people accompanying him had no objection, and after feeding the horses a little, Sima Lang's caravan turned north and went to the Yellow River to wait for the ferry.

Because Xiahou Dun's troops were stationed in scattered areas, the garrisons in the counties east of Chenggao were almost all in disarray.

Chenggao has Hulao Pass, and the troops stationed at the eight passes can allow Sima Lang to escape, but they will not allow the organized troops inside the pass to escape.

Xiahou Dun was busy suppressing the deserters.

On the East China Sea battlefield, after besieging Chang Xi, Xiahou Yuan enforced field military discipline.

Therefore, news spreads slowly in the army and the military order is stable.

There was no problem with the army assembled by Xiahou Yuan, but there was a problem with Zang Ba in the north.

Zang Ba had his own envoys and confidants in Xudu. When the Xudu incident happened, the news was passed to Zang Ba immediately.

After waiting for a few days, and waiting for more and more envoys, scholars from Taishan, Langya and Xuzhou to return, Zang Ba was convinced that something had happened in Xudu.

He could still hold his temper, but others couldn't sit still any longer.

Yin Li, the governor of the nearby Dongguan County, rushed to meet him in person, and the two met outside the city.

Yin Li was filled with joy: "Cao Cao is not a loyal minister, but a traitor, just like Dong Zhuo! Chang Xi has already raised an army of righteousness, how can my brother fall behind? In my opinion, Lord Xuande will definitely return to the Central Plains and revive the country."

"I am ready for battle."

Zang Ba was very clear about the characters and thoughts of the other commanders. For the sake of their own survival and interests, no one was willing to sit idly by and watch Chang Xi be defeated.

Chang Xi could raise troops just because of Liu Bei's words, but others could not do so because they had many concerns; but if Chang Xi was allowed to fail, one of them would be the next.

Chang Xi's East China Sea is located at the outermost edge of the entire Tunshuai's territory, and is considered to be the gate for other Tunshuai.

Because it was so close to Xia Pi, Chang Xi and Liu Bei had a close friendship.

If Liu Bei really returned to the Central Plains, Chang Xi would most likely become a person on par with Zang Ba.

Chang Xi's real name was Chang Ba. He was as brave as a wild boar in battle. In order to avoid Zang Ba's edge, he changed his name to Chang Xi.

If Chang Xi could really hold back Cao's army and usher in the final turning point, then with Liu Bei's support, Chang Xi would restore his original name and become Chang Ba.

Then he, Zang Ba, might have to change his name.

For example, Yin Li in front of us, when he started out, everyone called him Yin Lu, Yin Luer, and Luer means dog.

Zang Ba, who didn't want to become Zang Xi, Zang Luer, Zang Xiong, or Zang Biao, could only grit his teeth and agree.

Anyway, it's just preparing for war.

The real battle will have to be delayed until the end of July, which is enough time for him to find out what happened in Xu Du.

Zang Ba did not dare to delay and informed Sun Guan and other garrison commanders that if they wanted to rescue Chang Xi, they should send troops together.

What will Lord Xuande do now?

(End of this chapter)