Chapter 861: Lao Huihui Returns
While Zhu Cunji was having the time of his life, his relative, Zhu Changxun, the Prince of Fu, whose fief was in Luoyang, was living in constant dread.
The rebels in Henan were growing more violent by the day. Although Bai Yuan was stationed in Luoyang, preventing the rebels from causing trouble directly within the city, the Prince of Fu kept hearing reports: one town burned down today, another county breached tomorrow. These towns and counties were all only a few hundred miles from Luoyang, which was terrifying.
"Mr. Bai, Mr. Bai!" The Prince of Fu pounded frantically on the door of Bai Yuan's temporary residence. "Mr. Bai, wake up! A rebel force just passed through Ruzhou, burning and looting as they went! They're so close to Luoyang! Don't sleep, get up and defend the city!"
The door opened, and Bai Yuan emerged, dressed in a moon-white inner garment, looking utterly exasperated. "Your Highness, you've come pounding on my door this early morning. If I don't rush to greet you, I lose my sense of propriety. If I rush to open the door, my clothes are disheveled, and I still lose my sense of propriety. No matter what, I lose my sense of propriety; I can only cross out the 'rites' aspect of the Six Arts... you can't do this to me!"
The Prince of Fu looked exasperated. "Never mind your clothes or anything else, just defend the city! The bandits are very close!"
Bai Yuan was visibly annoyed. "Ruzhou is over a hundred miles from Luoyang. Even if the rebels ran full tilt, it would take them an entire day. What are you panicking about?"
The Prince of Fu countered, "The rebels have cavalry!"
Bai Yuan rolled his eyes. "Cavalry can't attack a city."
Hearing this, the Prince of Fu felt a little relieved. "Ah, right, cavalry can't attack the city. What do I have to fear then? Phew! That was a scare."
Bai Yuan blinked, "Huh?"
The Prince of Fu shrieked, "Ahhh! Protect me, quick!"
A group of personal guards instantly leaped out, forming a protective circle around the Prince of Fu.
Bai Yuan didn't even bother putting on his outer garment, running straight for the south side of the city wall in his moon-white inner clothes. The Prince of Fu's guards, still encircling him, also rushed towards the south city wall.
As he ran, the Prince of Fu bellowed, "Mr. Bai, you heard the bandits were coming, and you ran to the south city wall alone? Why didn't you order the militia to mobilize?"
Bai Yuan retorted, "If they have to wait for my orders to defend the city walls, what good are they? In situations like this, the militia has its own emergency plan; they'll have assembled within moments of the alarm sounding."
The Prince of Fu gaped, "Oh?"
Indeed, when Bai Yuan and the Prince of Fu reached the south city wall, they found the militia soldiers already stationed and ready. The Prince of Fu inquired and learned that after the alarm sounded, these militia soldiers had, in an instant, gotten up, dressed, folded their quilts, and rushed to the city walls with their weapons.
Their speed and responsiveness were truly astounding. Compared to them, the official troops were far worse. The pitifully few garrison soldiers in Luoyang City were still scurrying around like headless flies.
As soon as Bai Yuan arrived, a soldier captain immediately reported to him, "Instructor Bai, three thousand veteran militia, and seven thousand raw recruits, have all assembled."
Bai Yuan glanced over and spotted a recruit whose uniform wasn't properly worn. He pointed a finger at the man, "Someone go check if his quilt is folded."
Before anyone could check, the recruit said dejectedly, "Reporting, Instructor, my quilt isn't folded at all. I woke up too slowly."
Bai Yuan ordered, "Do one hundred push-ups."
The recruit responded, "Yes, sir!" He stepped out of the formation and began doing push-ups on the open ground behind the city wall.
The Prince of Fu gasped, "They're coming! The bandit army is about to arrive, and you still have the nerve to punish your soldiers with that?"
Bai Yuan paid no mind to the Prince of Fu. He turned and asked, "Why didn't the scouts report earlier?"
A man who looked like a scout, covered in dust, stepped forward. "Reporting, the approaching bandits were all cavalry, swift as the wind, no slower than your subordinate. By the time I returned to report their approach, the bandits were already within sight of the city wall sentries."
Bai Yuan frowned, "Running as fast as scouts? Ugh! That is quite troublesome. When the Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloons can't be used, our reconnaissance capability has a major flaw. Note this down and find a solution."
With these two minor issues resolved, Bai Yuan finally turned his attention to outside the city.
In the distance beyond the city, a cavalry unit watched Luoyang City with cold precision. This cavalry unit was very different from ordinary rebel forces. Common rebels were tattered and ragged, their weapons a chaotic mix, their morale low, and their formations disorganized. But this cavalry unit was brightly uniformed, disciplined, and arrayed in a standard cavalry wedge formation. They clearly looked like an exceptionally formidable force.
Bai Yuan furrowed his brow. "Which unit is this again?"
The scout reported, "Lao Huihui's forces."
"Oh, Lao Huihui?" Bai Yuan mused. "I remember him very clearly. That... who was Lao Huihui again?"
Everyone was speechless.
The Prince of Fu wiped sweat from his brow. "Lao Huihui is from Suide, Shaanxi, a Hui border army soldier. Most of his cavalry are also Hui people. Their combat strength is extremely formidable! This is important, remember it properly!"
Bai Yuan spread his hands. "I clearly remember it very well."
The Prince of Fu dabbed at more cold sweat: *How can you even say that with a straight face?*
Bai Yuan frowned. "Since they are border army veterans, we absolutely cannot let them get close. We must keep them at a distance. If they get close, our militia is no match for them."
He leaned on his binoculars, gazing intently at Lao Huihui's army.
Lao Huihui, in turn, was gazing back at him.
Their gazes met across the distance.
Soon, fifty men from Lao Huihui's army stepped forward and shouted in unison towards Luoyang City, "Listen up, princes, officials, gentry, and wealthy households of Luoyang City! I am Lao Huihui. I don't like robbing ordinary common folk; I'd be ashamed to take their meager possessions. But I will not be polite when robbing *you*..."
At this declaration, many within the city trembled with fear. The Prince of Fu couldn't help but flinch, his neck shrinking back.
Lao Huihui continued, "If you don't want to be robbed by me, then send out some supplies. I don't ask for much this time, just a thousand *shi* of grain. Once I see the grain, I'll turn around and leave, absolutely not harming Luoyang in the slightest. If you don't provide it... I will circle Luoyang, and whichever family's fortress I pass, I will burn it down."
His words were clearly aimed at the gentry who had "fled into Luoyang City." The estates of the gentry in those days were usually in the countryside, as that was where the farmland was. When rebels approached, these gentry would flee their fortified homes and hide within Luoyang City.
Lao Huihui's meaning was clear: *I can't kill you personally, but I can burn down your ancestral home. Are you scared of that?*
[Thinking Process]
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**1. Chapter Title:**
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