Given Qiao Yan’s status and her career, this was quite possible.

“If they have the edict and cavalry, driving away Luoyang’s residents would be of no advantage to the Prime Minister and might even be a burden!”

“Even if Chang’an is deserted, it still has 280,000 people. If the Prime Minister has the Emperor, he can later recruit soldiers and refugees. There’s no need to worry about a lack of people. Don’t be concerned about the current losses,” Li Ru said urgently, afraid Dong Zhuo might make an unwise move due to recent frustrations.

This wasn’t the time for a nouveau riche mentality.

Fortunately, Dong Zhuo eventually followed his advice.

Li Ru breathed a sigh of relief.

After receiving Dong Zhuo’s confirmation, he continued, “When you exit through Guangyang Gate and enter Wang Zi Fang, it’s better to take a few hostages. To make the Bingzhou troops hesitant, these hostages will be very useful.”

“You’re right. Quickly arrange for the Emperor and the prince to be brought… no, just bring the Emperor. Execute the prince. Let these attackers who have dared to attack Luoyang see that the King of Hongnong(Liu Bian) is punished.”

“They’re scared to death!” Dong Zhuo said in a deep voice.

After Liu Xie ascended to the throne, Liu Bian was granted the title of King of Hongnong.

Dong Zhuo had killed people like He Miao and He Taohou one after another but had refrained from killing Liu Bian to avoid the crime of murdering a prince.

Now, however, there was no longer any reason to spare him.

Liu Bian had long been frightened into illness ever since Dong Zhuo entered the capital and the external relatives had been slaughtered.

If Liu Bian were to die now from illness, it would not be inexplicable and could conveniently be blamed on the invaders.

Eliminating a prince would save a lot of trouble on the road.

“And those aristocratic families still in Luoyang, aren’t they waiting for someone to rescue them? Others might not make it in time! The sons of the Yuan family from Runan are scattered, one in the east and one in the south, and they clearly do not value their ancestors’ lives. It would be better to let them die with the King of Hongnong!”

Dong Zhuo took the long sword handed to him by a servant.

He had grown somewhat plump in recent years, and in the past two months in Luoyang, he had indulged himself a lot, but he was not someone who would surrender easily.

Li Ru knew well that trying to persuade Dong Zhuo to avoid taking the people of Luoyang and only take the Emperor with him was already difficult enough.

Persuading him to take the King of Hongnong as well, while avoiding making a mortal enemy of the Yuan family, was almost impossible in light of the current situation where Qiao Yan was attacking and Xu Rong had defected.

Thus, he could only suppress this idea.

Liu Xie was still too young…

Li Ru was not without worry.

Even though Liu Xie was eleven years old, in the current environment of widespread disease following the war and the harsh conditions in Chang’an, there was a high likelihood that he might die from illness.

Taking the King of Hongnong along would have provided a backup plan.

But… never mind! At worst, he could find a few more members of the Liu family around Chang’an!

As for the Yuan family members in the capital, killing them was no loss!

Without someone like Yuan Kui to connect them, the forces that Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu could mobilize would undoubtedly be greatly reduced.

The performance of these two men in burning Nanjing and the recent meeting at Suanzao did not compare to Qiao Yan’s, and they would not stir up much trouble.

Coincidentally, to keep a closer watch on the Yuan family, except for Ma Lun, who was appointed as the Grand Historian by Liu Hong, all other Yuan family members had been directly confined in a corner of the North Palace by Dong Zhuo.

This was initially meant to serve as hostages against the coalition forces of Suanzao and Luoyang but now conveniently facilitated their execution!

Dong Zhuo issued this order and sent people to carry it out, then he and Li Ru climbed the northern city wall of the North Palace.

The North Palace city wall was very close to the northern city wall of Luoyang.

At the closest point, there was only a straight path, allowing a clear view of the troops attacking from the direction of Xia Men.

The Bingzhou troops were indeed fierce and valiant, having now secured the advantage on the northern city wall.

Dong Zhuo ordered archers on the North Palace wall to shoot forward, killing many of the Bingzhou soldiers who attempted to scale the wall.

However, as the number of enemy soldiers increased, the counterattacks coming from the other side became more frequent.

Especially after the heavily armored soldiers also reached the city wall, their shields and armor provided significant protection against the arrows, allowing them to establish a strong foothold.

Since the attack range from Xia Men to the North Palace was too narrow for the Bingzhou troops to spread out, they began to fan out to the sides.

They then opened the valley gate, allowing more Bingzhou soldiers to enter Luoyang through this northern gate.

As the crowd surged, the battlefield of attack and defense shifted from the northern city wall of Luoyang to the North Palace city.

Dong Zhuo gritted his teeth as he watched the Bingzhou soldiers pouring in, effectively using their shields to lead the advance.

Within the northern city wall, the attacking forces spread out and gradually expanded from outside the Yong’an Palace.

Such a military strategy made the counterattacks from the North Palace wall barely effective.

Unless they launched an attack right away.

But clearly, they were waiting for a command.

Dong Zhuo could only watch as a batch of even more elite soldiers emerged from the valley gate, followed by dozens of cavalry on fine horses, and then, riding a red horse, entered Luoyang—

Qiao Yan!

Although Dong Zhuo had not had a formal meeting with her before, it was not difficult to identify her from this encounter.

Even though she wore armor and a helmet and was slightly taller than other youths of her age, it did not hinder Dong Zhuo from recognizing her gender.

This fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl could only be Qiao Yan!

In the tense standoff between the city above and below, her overly calm yet sharp demeanor formed a stark contrast to Dong Zhuo’s current expression.

From Qiao Yan’s perspective, while the Liangzhou bandit had evidently experienced many things that allowed him to remain composed, the anxiety beneath that calm was still apparent.

It made sense.

After all, he had managed to amass such wealth only to have it pried away by someone who seemed to have descended from the heavens, and was now about to reach into his pocket.

How could he maintain absolute calm?

Beside Qiao Yan, Lu Bu, Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, and Qia Yi, as well as the newly defected Xu Rong, made the most direct impression of elite and formidable troops on Dong Zhuo.

Not to mention, the youthfulness of both Qiao Yan and her generals at this moment further added to the fuel.

Dong Zhuo was struck by another blow.

Perhaps… he was already too old!

No, Dong Zhuo forced himself to stay resolute.

It was not the time for him to surrender!

If he followed Li Ru’s advice, he could regroup in Chang’an.

He could wait for Li Jue, Dong Chao, and Hu Zhen to join him and form a defensive line outside Chang’an with Duan Wei’s troops.

Holding the Emperor in his hand, he could still be the Prime Minister!

Seeing Dong Zhuo’s determined expression, Qiao Yan raised her spear and pointed it at Dong Zhuo. “Old scoundrel! You only have the palace left as refuge.

Why do you persist in this futile resistance?

You were once a general.

If you had followed the late Emperor’s orders, you could have been the governor of Qingzhou, just like me.

If you had governed properly, Qingzhou would have been renowned for its wise administration, clearing your name as a mere Xiliang bandit.

Why have you ended up in such a state?

“If you surrender now, you might still keep your body intact.”

Dong Zhuo, filled with hatred, maintained his composure and replied loudly, “Then I must ask you, Marquis Qiao, why don’t you and your generals cooperate with me to defend Luoyang under the Emperor’s command? I could advise the Emperor to make you a general of the chariots, which is much more legitimate than your self-proclaimed title from the Alliance. Once the Emperor rules directly, you would also gain a good reputation. Isn’t that a fine thing?”

Qiao Yan immediately laughed, and the mockery in her laughter was clear to Dong Zhuo.

“What a joke! If I followed your suggestion, would I be serving the Emperor or just your lackey? Do you think I don’t know? Even if you offered immense wealth, who among my followers would obey your orders?”

None would, naturally.

It was better to follow Qiao Yan, a promising future leader, than to remain under Dong Zhuo.

She then decisively asked, “You treacherous, unfaithful, unkind, and unforgiving person—how dare you hold power and endanger the Han Dynasty!”

She set aside her spear and extended her hand.

Lu Bu, with quick insight, handed her the bow and arrows.

Lu Bu’s three-stone bow was not something just anyone could use, but during their march on the Mangshan path, Qiao Yan had improved her physique and archery skills to handle it!

From a distance away from the northern palace wall of Luoyang, the armored girl bent her bow and nocked an arrow.

As she drew the blood-red jade string, the white-feathered arrow whistled through the air.

With the twang of the bowstring and a flash like white lightning, the arrow shot straight at Dong Zhuo!

As Dong Zhuo attempted to dodge, he realized that the other side knew well that his shield bearers were not easy targets.

The arrow flew directly over his head and struck the city tower without obstruction.

The arrow quivered lightly, like a slap to Dong Zhuo’s face.

And this was clearly just the beginning.

The resolute young woman on horseback shouted, “Everyone—follow me to breach the city!”

Though General He Jin had once threatened the southern palace, Qiao Yan’s advance to the northern palace was well-justified.

Behind her, someone held up the imperial decree, illuminated by the morning light, making her red horse seem like a blazing fire.

The rising sun was like fire!

And indeed, a fire had started!

Just as Dong Zhuo prepared to respond, he heard the sound of a fire coming from the northern palace.

Turning around, he saw several rooms in the northern palace ablaze, mirroring the chaos outside.

But now—

It was not yet the time for him to set the palace on fire as part of his plan to retreat!