Chapter 60 Who Moved the Groom?

  Everything was ready, and at Dong Zhuo's command, Luoyang shook, the people who had gathered early were taken away by the army to Chang'an first, and a few days later, Li Jue and Guo Si personally escorted them. Dong Zhuo and Liu Xie also set out with hundreds of carts of gold, silver, and jewels that had been seized. It was quite strange that this time Dong Zhuo actually let Long Fly lead the way alone, and even surrendered Zhang Ji and Hua Xiong under his command at Hu Lao Pass.

  Looking at the mighty marching troops, Gao Shun slightly shook his head: "The journey to Chang'an is fraught with danger, it's hard to say how many civilians will really arrive!"

  "It's all just fate, isn't it? This is how the common people live in these chaotic times." Zhang Liao shook his head and said.

  Xu Shou hastily rode his horse to arrive, saw Long Fei, and the two whispered a few sentences. Long Fei's eyes widened: "Damn it, he really came! Where are we now?"

  "We're about to cross the river! We've arrived at Jiguan, and I heard that the Wei family has already made contact with Yuan Shao. The allied army won't attack Luoyang within ten days!"

  "Good!" Long Fei nodded: "It's just right to take advantage of this, immediately send someone to Tiger Trap Pass, let Zhang Ji and Hua Xiong retreat, go, wait by the river, I want to see what kind of guy dares to compete with me for a woman?"

  The Yellow River is the mother river of the Chinese nation, nurturing the people living on both sides of the Yellow River for thousands of years. The Yellow River at the end of the Han Dynasty was still very clear, which was due to good afforestation, with lush forests and grasslands everywhere. There is also an important reason, that is, the population, with only about 10 million people nationwide, even if they cut down trees recklessly, it would not destroy the ecological balance.

  Looking at the porters moving things onto the shore at the ferry terminal, Long Fei asked Xu Shu: "Are these all from the Wei family?"

  Xu Shou nodded and pointed to a young man drinking tea in the pavilion: "He is Wei Zhongdao, Cai Yong's future son-in-law, the eldest son of the Wei family in Hedong. He is proficient in qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and music, and is also a famous debater in Hedong. He and Miss Cai can be said to be a perfect match made in heaven."

  "You know nothing!" Long Fei knew that Xu Shu was intentionally saying this, and immediately said: "This kid is a sick devil, he will die an untimely death in a year, such a beautiful flower, how can it be ruined by this kid?"

  "What are you going to do?" Xu Shu asked: "Kill him or kidnap him directly?"

  "Both ideas are great!" Long Fei laughed: "In the future, if someone asks, I'll just say that Xu Shu and Xu Yuan taught me to do it this way. That's what we'll do!"

  "You! Shameless!" Xu Shu's words were stuck in his throat.

  There are still dozens of miles to Luoyang from the Yellow River crossing. Wei Zhongdao was going out so far for the first time, although he had never met Cai Yan before. But Cai Yan's reputation as a talented woman had long been known outside, which made Wei Zhongdao feel excited and nervous. As they got closer to Luoyang, Wei Zhongdao's mood seemed to become more anxious. They crossed the river at noon, carrying too many things, so they walked slowly. As the sky was about to darken, they still hadn't seen the city wall of Luoyang.

  "Hiss……!" A shrill whistle, four war horses suddenly rushed out from the woods on both sides, blocking their way. The riders were all dressed in black and masked, holding weapons in their hands. Wei Zhongdao's guards hurriedly protected the vehicle.

  An older guard stepped forward, cupped his fists: "Good gentlemen, we are going to Luoyang for a wedding, please let us pass." As he spoke, he took out a cloth bag from his bosom and gently placed it on the ground, then hastily retreated several steps.

  The man in black on horseback, with a masked face, used the tip of his gun to lift the sack into his arms, opened it and found it was full of gold. He laughed and said: "The Hebei Wei family is indeed rich and generous! I'll let you go because of this bag of gold, but all your belongings will be left behind!"

  "Good fellows! These are just things for the wedding procession, not worth much money!" The older guard hastily said: "We hope that all of you good fellows will show your noble and generous hands, let us pass by! After the wedding is over, we will definitely reward you heavily!"

  "Shut up, you good-for-nothing! My big brother said it, leave the stuff and get out of here! What are you waiting for? Scram!" Another rider on a flower-patterned horse raised his large knife: "One more word and I'll chop you all to pieces!"

  Seeing that the other side had only four people and were quite unreasonable, the guards got annoyed. With a swoosh, they gathered around the older guard. A young man pointed at the four with his knife: "Giving you money is giving you face, don't be ungrateful, you're just four people, know your place and scram quickly, or else I'll take action!"

  "Hahaha..." The man opposite laughed and said: "Oh? You think you have more people? Brothers, all come out!"

  With a loud shout, four or five hundred men rushed out of the forest and surrounded Wei Zhongdao's convoy. The guards were frightened, never expecting so many people. An older guard hastily shouted: "Good fellows, spare our lives! There really is nothing else here!"

  "Hum! You don't listen to good words, and you actually talk nonsense with me!" The man riding the flower horse roared: "Too late! Brothers, take action!"

  Hundreds of bandits swarmed up, and the dozens of guards and servants were powerless to resist, instantly killed. Wei Zhongdao was pulled down from the carriage, a black hood was put over his head, and he was thrown onto the horseback, taken away by the bandits. The man on the flower-patterned horse pressed his knife against the older guard: "Let you go back, give the Wei family a message, say that within ten days, prepare 10,000 taels of gold, or else they'll have to collect their young master's corpse!"

  Watching the bandits disappear into the distance, he turned his head to look at the corpses scattered all over the ground. The guard was on the verge of tears, and just as they were about to reach Luoyang, they encountered this disaster. What to do? Should they return to Hedong or go to Luoyang? For a moment, they lost their composure. After deliberating for a long time, they decided to first go to Luoyang to find his relative Cai Yong and then get a horse back to Hedong quickly.

  Cai Yong's mansion was decorated with lanterns and streamers, as tomorrow would be the big day for Cai Yan's wedding. The Wei family had already sent someone to inform them that Wei Zhongdao would arrive in two days' time. After all, it was a grand occasion for the daughter of the current Grand Tutor to get married. Various officials from Luoyang who remained behind came to offer their congratulations. Cai Yong entertained the guests with wine and food in the courtyard. Just as everyone was getting merry, a servant came to report that someone from the Wei family had arrived. Cai Yong hastily got up to greet them.

  The guard rushed into the Cai mansion, fell to his knees in front of Cai Yong and cried out: "Your Excellency, save me!"

  After inquiring about the cause, Cai Yong's mouth was wide open, and he didn't recover from his anger. He fainted on the spot. Everyone rushed to rescue him, some suggested giving money, others suggested sending troops, and there were all sorts of suggestions. The banquet ended here, and the guests came with excitement but left in disappointment. After finally rescuing Cai Yong, Cai Yong was filled with tears, thinking that he only had this one daughter, and if Wei Zhongdao died, his precious daughter would have to live a life of widowhood, and he really felt sorry for her.

  Huangfu Song said, "Now that Dong Zhuo has left, the affairs of Luoyang have all been handed over to General Yang Wei Longfei. He is the only one with troops in hand. Shall we send someone to find him and ask for his help? Whether it's borrowing troops or sending troops out, we must rescue Crown Prince Wei."

  Zhu Jun nodded: "Right! This person used to be Wang Yun's house general. It would be better to ask Wang the Imperial Tutor to take action!"

  Cai Yong immediately got up: "I'll go find Wang Yun right away! Someone, prepare the carriage!"

  "Let's not be in a hurry, let's think it over again!" Huangfu Song said: "Wang Yun has already gone to Chang'an, and naturally can't be found. Last time at my house, I saw Long Fei still knew some etiquette, why don't I go to the Western Garden and ask him to send troops? Everyone take care of Old Master Taifu, wait for my news!"

  Far away from the Western Garden, I heard the sound of shouting and killing inside. Huangfu Song did not expect that at this time, Long Fei still had the mood to practice martial arts. The arrival of Huangfu Song caused a great stir in the entire Western Garden. For a long time, Long Fei has been classified as one of Dong Zhuo's faction, and it is rare for someone like Huangfu Song, a clean stream, to come into contact with him. It was even more unusual that he took the initiative to find him today.

  "Huangfu sir has come in person, I'm truly honored!" Long Fei smiled slightly: "Is there something going on?"

  Huangfu Song smiled and said, "No, no. Now that the Grand Tutor has gone west, Luoyang is under your command, General. We are all Han officials, and it's our duty to ensure Luoyang's safety. I happened to be free and was strolling around, so I came in to take a look. Doesn't General Long welcome me?"

  "Where, where? Please, sir! I'll take you around everywhere and show you how well my troops are trained."

  Nowadays, the Western Garden has become a training ground for Long Fei. Since he got some soldiers from Yang Feng, he posted notices everywhere and many young people who couldn't eat came to join him. Now there are 600,000 troops under Long Fei's command. They were divided into heavy cavalry, light cavalry, bow cavalry, heavy infantry, light infantry, and archers, led by Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, Ta Leng, Gao Shun, Xu Huang, and Huang Zhong respectively. With the gold, silver, and grain that Long Fei had brought as a backing, these troops were well-equipped and brave in battle.

  Huang Pu's heart had something on it, and he hastily scanned through the documents, which were all filled with praise. After spending the entire morning touring the West Garden, he returned to the living room, where Huang Pu hesitated to speak. Long Fei smiled: "Lord Huang Pu, if you have something to say, just say it directly. You've had something on your mind all day, so go ahead and speak up. If there's anything you need, feel free to ask."

  "Hmm...!" Huang Fu hesitated for half a day, the old man had never asked anyone for help in his life and didn't know how to start. He sighed and said: "Ah, Cai Taifu's son-in-law, He Dong Wei's family Wei Zhongdao was kidnapped by thieves in Luoyang North 15 miles away, hoping that General Long can send troops to rescue him, I wonder..."

  "Was Wei Zhongdao kidnapped?" Long Fei immediately looked at Xu Shu, who smiled slightly and coldly stared at Long Fei. Long Fei asked Huangfu Song: "Do you know who did it?"

  Huang Fu Song shook his head: "According to the returning guards, there were a large number of people in that group, at least five or six hundred. As far as I know, there are no such big bandits around Luoyang?"

  Gao Shun suddenly interjected, "That's not entirely true. Yang Feng and others from White Wolf Valley seem to still be there. It's said that Li Jue wanted to amnesty them, but for some reason they were rejected. As for being able to gather hundreds of people at once, aside from them, there really isn't anyone else."

  "Yang Feng?" Huangfu Song thought for a moment: "He's been holed up in Baima Valley, rarely causing trouble around Luoyang. It shouldn't be them, should it? From what I know, they have tens of thousands of troops, occupying Baima Valley. The imperial court has sent armies to quell them multiple times, but none succeeded. If it really is them, that would be a huge problem!"