He motioned for Sun Ce to look as he explained, “All of the marquises’ troops are stationed at the foot of Hulao Pass and are locked in combat with Dong Zhuo. However, despite the fact that Luoyang has been sealed off for several months now, no troops have been sent forth to block Dong Zhuo’s way out. With the way things are, if they truly intend to unite under a common cause, the coalition leader Yuan Shao should lead his allied forces in besieging the city. So why haven’t they? It’s because everyone is hesitating. Whoever enters Luoyang first will inevitably seize great power.
“The fall of Dong Zhuo is but a few days away,” Zhou Yu said, resigned. “The coalition army assembled in the spring, but it is autumn now and not a single squad attempted to ambush Dong Zhuo in his westward retreat. Clearly they all want to be first into the city, to claim Luoyang…”
As Zhou Yu elaborated, he realized Sun Ce’s father was part of the group he was criticizing, so he withheld his next words. He merely looked silently at Sun Ce.
“People are inclined to seek their own gain and avoid unnecessary trouble,” Sun Ce said. “My father was also not willing to send out his troops, but he had no other choice. But what does this have to do with which of the marquises will be able to take the lead?”
“There’s a connection, obviously,” Zhou Yu said. “Don’t play dumb. They’re all staying in Hulao Pass and watching Luoyang like a tiger eyeing its prey. Other than profit, why wait there? What will they gain upon entering the city? Nothing more than mere gold, silver, valuables, and the reputation of being the one who expelled the traitor Dong Zhuo. And what benefits are there to ambushing Dong Zhuo as he flees west?”
Sun Ce raised his eyebrows and looked at Zhou Yu, puzzled. “I honestly don’t know.”
“Killing Dong Zhuo,” Zhou Yu said. “It’s a pity none of the marquises have realized this yet.”
“It’s reasonable to expect rewards for your good deeds,” Sun Ce said, thoughtlessly.
“Is it? Have you forgotten who Dong Zhuo escaped with?”
When he said these words, Sun Ce suddenly understood what he was hinting at.
“The emperor…” Sun Ce muttered. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“You really didn’t?” Zhou Yu asked, amused. “That’s unlikely.”
“I truly hadn’t, but you are right,” Sun Ce replied sincerely. “Dong Zhuo has the emperor in his hands, and though he is young, he is still the Son of Heaven. His standing is indisputable, and in a chaotic situation like this, whichever marquis succeeds in saving the emperor will ensure the emperor is under his control instead.”
Sun Ce had to have realized this earlier, but why had he not gone to rescue the emperor? Was it only to save Zhou Yu, trapped in Luoyang? But with how Sun Ce acted ignorant, Zhou Yu did not want to force him to explain. Either way, he was flattered, being the recipient of such an honor. Sun Ce had given up on such a crucial act in order to save him instead. Zhou Yu would have to think of a way to remedy the situation, no matter what it took.
Zhou Yu continued, “No one is rescuing the emperor because they want to compete for merit and treasure. Those eighteen marquises are shortsighted; the person who will establish himself as leader in the turbulent world of the future and rise above all other factions will not be one of them. Only someone whose first thought was to conduct a rescue will be able to bear heavy responsibility and may even unite the entire world one day. What a pity that fellow’s friend holds him back all the time, delaying his important matters.”
Sun Ce laughed at that, his chuckle tinged with a youthful vigor.
“Who are you talking about, huh? Look at you, finally acknowledging that you’ve delayed my important tasks.” He poked Zhou Yu’s face with the tree branch.
Zhou Yu swatted Sun Ce’s branch with his own a few times in a playful manner before he tossed it aside.
“I won’t be playing around anymore. On a battlefield, everything can change in the blink of an eye. When Dong Zhuo was still in Luoyang, no one expected him to set fire to it and flee with the emperor. But now…” Sun Ce trailed off.
Zhou Yu rose and walked out of the hut. With the pitch-black sky as his backdrop, he looked toward Sun Ce and narrowed his eyes, as if he were thinking hard.
Sun Ce seemed to be considering something as well.
“If you had a group of soldiers on hand, could you ambush Dong Zhuo and save the emperor right now?” Zhou Yu asked, very quietly.
“Before setting out with my troops, I did consider it. But I need someone to feint an attack from the east, instead of striking from the west, so we can drive the rabbit into a trap. As long as Shifu is not in the barracks, which is unlikely, that plan would succeed. It’s too difficult, though, so my father didn’t approve of letting me pursue the emperor.”
“Shifu”? Zhou Yu noticed this specific address, but Sun Ce didn’t elaborate, so Zhou Yu didn’t inquire further.
“Go request reinforcements from your father. Ask him for one thousand men,” Zhou Yu said. “Have them meet us at the foot of Hangu Pass. Let’s get going, let’s go!”
Sun Ce only looked at Zhou Yu, who raised his eyebrows.
“Do you have any other questions?”
“No.”
Sun Ce revealed a smile, mounted his horse, and released Fei Yu into the air. As the sky began to lighten, the two headed along the mountain path, vanishing into the distance.
Fei Yu flew through the vast heavens, over the plains belching black smoke. It headed toward the city of Luoyang.
Simultaneously, the black mass of the migrating army was leaving Luoyang. Dong Zhuo and the young emperor rode in a carriage. Liu Xie lifted the hanging curtain of the window and looked out. Despite the youthfulness of his face, his eyes were tinged with numbness and bleak desolation.
After leaving Hangu Pass, they would head directly for Chang’an, the ancestral land of the Han rulers. Four hundred years of painstaking effort building Luoyang laid completely to waste by a fire. Less than fifty thousand people remained in the capital, and they were all leaving, fleeing west with their families in tow.
Soldiers with stern, cruel countenances patrolled through the marching ranks. Dong Zhuo called over a commander and asked about the military situation along the way. Upon learning Yuan Shao and his allied forces had entered Luoyang, he set his mind to rest.