Those aristocrats in Luoyang and the old associates of He Jin, including He Miao who harbored dreams of becoming Grand Marshal, none of them cared about the dignity of the royal family.

Dong Zhuo had long been in the west, in Liangzhou, so why should he be an exception?

He had refused the imperial decrees appointing him as Minister of Finance and Governor of Qingzhou without facing any consequences, revealing the true nature of the Han court—intimidating on the surface but fragile within.

Now, an opportunity had descended upon him.

With the Emperor’s death, generals pressing for palace control, the palace on fire, and the princes fleeing, each event seemed unreal yet oddly predictable years ago!

Thus, Dong Zhuo seized this opportunity.

He first mobilized troops to Hedong under the pretext of being summoned by the Grand Marshal, then continued pushing forward towards the vicinity of Luoyang.

Then, perfectly timed, he received this piece of news…

It was indeed a heavenly opportunity!

As soon as he declared his decision to eliminate rebels and protect the throne, Li Ru immediately voiced his approval.

“If heaven presents an opportunity and we do not take it, we will bear the blame. General, you understand this principle well and need not hesitate. Zhang Rang and the others, if they intend to escape with the princes and are unsupported, must pass through Mangshan. They are closer to us now. Please command the cavalry to advance straight to the northern pass of Mangshan, then move southward, ensuring the rear troops carry many banners to bolster morale.”

Dong Zhuo applauded, “As you say, Li Ru.”

His soldiers from Liangzhou had fought under him for years, hardened in the brutal battles of Liangzhou.

Upon deciding to move, they packed up camp swiftly, moving faster than ordinary troops could dream.

Xu Rong, Guo Si, and Niufu led the cavalry ahead, while Dong Zhuo himself managed the rear advance.

Niufu was his son-in-law, essentially family.

Xu Rong, not from Liangzhou, was nonetheless skilled in battle.

Even though he had previously failed in Luoyang against Qiao Yan, he was a competent fighter whose presence guaranteed a good chance in any engagement.

As for Guo Si…

As Dong Zhuo later discussed with Li Ru, coming from a bandit background, Guo Si’s reactions would be the quickest between the. his had understood even

After Dong Zhuo departed with 1,500 cavalrymen, the group traveling with him actually included over 3,000 people.

Heading east, he saw the red sun rising before him.

Flicking his whip in excitement, he felt this was a good omen!

Surely, this was the time for Dong Zhuo to show his prowess!

Meanwhile, Zhang Rang was still fleeing.

Little did he know, crossing the Beimang Mountains might not lead to a safe crossing of the Yellow River or reinforcements from Henan County, but rather to facing fierce enemies from the West Liang.

Unaware of the chaos in Luoyang that night, the pursuers attempting to chase him were intercepted by Cao Cao’s forces first, and then partly halted by troops commanded by Lu Zhi.

Lu Zhi, who hadn’t held military power for years, personally wielded a long spear and sternly questioned Zhang Zhi and others, suspecting them of treason.

As a renowned figure, Lu Zhi’s sharp words were hard to deflect, despite his limited troops, creating an intimidating presence.

Perhaps it was because several hours had passed since the first fire started at the Southern Palace in Luoyang, and the initial revenge-driven emotions had subsided, leaving behind a sense of unease and fear.

Wu Kuang and Zhang Zhi exchanged glances, then looked at Lu Zhi in front of them, involuntarily stepping back.

With these two obstacles in place, only a portion of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu’s soldiers remained in pursuit behind Zhang Rang and others.

If Jian Shuo had some talent in military strategy, retreating to the Yellow River wouldn’t have been difficult.

But in their current situation of uncertainty and limited information, they could only hastily eat a few wild fruits from the mountains and continue on in a state of extreme hunger.

Zhang Rang even felt as if he could hear pursuers in the valleys behind him, but scouts reported no one else.

His greatest skill lay in guessing Liu Hong’s thoughts, but even that was now faltering.

He almost slipped off the mountain path due to this misunderstanding.

If not for someone beside him grabbing him, he might have lost his life over such a mistake.

Yet, as they traveled further north, he suddenly realized that the noise he heard earlier wasn’t a figment of his imagination.

Amidst the echoes in the mountains, a particularly clear shout reached his ears—

“Don’t let the eunuch escape!”

Throughout the night, skirmishes ensued, and after creating distance, every rustling leaf and twig put Zhang Rang on edge.

He turned back, At a glance, Zhang Rang saw the approaching pursuers led by Yuan Shao’s fierce soldiers, Yan Liang and Guo Tu, renowned for their bravery in the capital city.

This made him even more anxious.

Jian Shuo was already exhausted beyond measure.

But whether it was Zhang Rang or Jian Shuo, they both knew they had to either survive this ordeal together or perish here.

So, they had no choice but to fight and retreat.

Gritting his teeth, Jian Shuo urgently said, “Let Lord Rang and the prince’s go ahead. I will hold off these two!”

Having been promoted to the position of Central Commander of the Eight Division Army by Liu Hong, he had already made enemies, making him less likely to survive this upheaval than others.

It might be better to help Zhang Rang and, if they survived, perhaps there would be a chance for someone to recover his body.

Thinking this through, he made his decision immediately.

Despite his rank as a Commander, he often took orders from Liu Hong, which was quite different from facing genuine Commander like Yan Liang and Guo Tu.

Even if he summoned up some courage to lead his troops at this moment, he was no match for such seasoned warriors.

Before Zhang Rang had gone far, he heard the voice that had earlier shouted

“Don’t let the eunuch escape!”

now cry out with another four words:

“Jian Shuo is dead.”

Zhang Rang’s heart sank.

Seeing the two prince still unaware of what was happening, and the late Emperor’s body still unattended, his grief deepened.

In this situation, he feared for his own life…

As Zhang Rang mechanically followed with his remaining few dozen riders and a hundred or so followers over the next hill, he glimpsed in the distance the Mengjin Ferry outside the Beimang Mountains.

There, he saw a column of over a thousand cavalry charging towards them.

There was still a distance between him and these riders, and in his haste, Zhang Rang couldn’t discern whose troops they were—only that another group of pursuers was closing in.

However, Xu Rong recognized the figures on the hillside at a glance.

Having been to Luoyang before and seen Zhang Rang, he noticed two young men in distinctive attire among the group—likely the two princes Dong Min had mentioned in his reports!

Before he could report to Niu Fu and confirm their identities, he saw Zhang Rang fleeing eastward, apparently trying to evade them.

But before he could take more than a few steps, an arrow shot from afar struck his chest.

The eunuch who once stood at the highest ranks alongside the emperor, this time, couldn’t be grabbed and pulled to safety.

Instead, he rolled down the hillside.

When Niu Fu’s men went to check on him,

It was unclear whether it was due to the arrow or his fall from the heights that broke his neck, but Zhang Rang had breathed his last.

Niu Fu didn’t have time to dwell on the situation.

The princes, still running down the hillside under the escort of the small yellow gates, and the distant sounds of battle cries, gave him enough to assess the situation in that moment.

He immediately ordered Xu Rong and Guo Si to intercept the pursuers, while he himself hurried towards Liu Bian and Liu Xie.

Yan Liang and Guo Tu were on the verge of complete victory, but they never expected someone to intervene at this crucial moment!

And it wasn’t just anyone intervening!

The fierce and robust soldiers of the Western Liang army.

They charged up the hill and attacked without delay.

Xu Rong acted decisively.

Before they advanced, Li Ru had given them instructions: if they encountered He Jin’s troops, they should only display a defensive posture.

After all, Dong Zhuo had come to Hedong at He Jin’s behest, and some respect was due to him, even in death.

But if they faced troops from others, they should strike back aggressively, showcasing the prowess of the Liangzhou army!

Elite Army? That was under Yuan Shao!

Clearly, they were not within Li Ru’s category of those who required deference.

Even if there were negotiations to follow, they were just Dong Zhuo’s advance guard.

It was reasonable to act decisively in defending the future emperor, even if it meant aggressive actions.

Both sides had similar formations from troops to commanders, but there was one major difference.

Xu Rong and Guo Si only received their marching orders near dawn and arrived at the foot of the Mangshan Mountains by midday.

Meanwhile, Yan Liang and Guo Tu had been with Yuan Shao, He Jin, and others since yesterday afternoon, surrounding the Southern Palace.

They had been engaged in a stalemate with Jian Shuo’s forces since the fires started.

They had entered the Beimang Mountains ahead of Lu Zhi, and after circling around with Zhang Rang’s group in the mountains for half the night, they had only just resumed normal mountain pursuit.

This relentless pursuit and battle had lasted almost a day.

Even Yan Liang, known for his toughness, couldn’t help but feel particularly exhausted.

When he had earlier shot an arrow directly at Zhang Rang, he felt somewhat inadequate because his bow was heavy and he was not at his best.

But now, facing him were the fierce soldiers

The soldiers under Xu Rong unexpectedly surged forward in a cavalry charge on the flat terrain.

A year and a half ago during the Luoyang confrontation, Yan Liang had been by Yuan Shao’s side and had briefly met Xu Rong.

He had also witnessed Xu Rong’s duel with Dian Wei and heard the high praise for Xu Rong as a formidable soldier.

Now, in the sudden closeness of the cavalry charge, Yan Liang realized that their previous encounter had not been a true test of skill, severely limiting Xu Rong’s abilities!

But before he could fully grasp this realization, his head was swiftly struck down.

By the time Dong Zhuo arrived with his retinue, the battle here had already concluded.

Yan Liang fell at the hands of Xu Rong, but Guo Tu reacted swiftly, rallying the cavalry to retreat and saving his own life from the hands of the Western Liang army.