Chapter 177

“Just when did you become a member of the imperial family?!”

For Guan Yu, this was an utterly unacceptable statement.

But Yu Ye didn’t stop there.

“Open the gates of Luoyang? You want me to hand over Luoyang to you? What a ridiculous joke! You, who saw Luoyang reduced to ashes that day, how can you spout such nonsense?!”

Guan Yu’s sword aura trembled.

Luoyang? Of course, he had seen it. How could he forget? He even vividly remembered the smell of smoke that stung his nose.

Because he remembered, Guan Yu felt certain that the heavens still favored the Han Dynasty when he saw Luoyang reborn.

In the chaotic times when Dong Zhuo ran rampant, Yu Ye, who was just a child back then, dared to speak so arrogantly about those days. The words of this brat, who hadn’t even experienced it firsthand, irked Guan Yu deeply.

Yet, Guan Yu silently listened to Yu Ye. On the contrary, those accompanying him were more outraged and exploded in anger. Standing still like a statue, Yu Ye continued to speak.

“Look! This Luoyang! Who was it that rebuilt Luoyang after it fell in chaos? In times of chaos, you military men thrive! Battlefields are everywhere for you to gain fame and rise to high positions! But the more you do, the more the people suffer! Do you know the fear of the people who can’t even guarantee their safety for a single day? The heavens sent no son to care for them, only greedy scoundrels filled the land! Only the late emperor envisioned a new world! He dreamed of the end of chaos!”

Yu Ye, who lost his parents at seven and became an orphan, committed his first murder at thirteen.

He became friends with Lu Su and discussed the world, witnessed the reality of chaos under the command of warlord intelligence, and personally beheaded intelligence.

Because imperial blood flowed in his veins, he abandoned the path of a warlord and followed Liu Xun, the governor of Lujiang, before submitting to Cao Cao. Only then did Yu Ye see the light that could end the chaos.

The light that would end the chaos, turning humans into beasts and stripping away hope and joy.

“If you hadn’t held back the late emperor at Chibi! If only you had realized the situation later in Hanzhong and bowed your heads! The song of peace would already be echoing across the land! Just as Luoyang, reduced to ashes, has flourished again, the entire world, turned into a wasteland, would be singing joyfully in abundance!”

Yu Ye poured out his resentment with a heart full of blood.

The imperial family? To Yu Ye, it held no value.

Rather, the Liu imperial family, which opened the era of chaos with incompetence and greed, was an object of hatred for Yu Ye.

Having seen the ugliness of the world as an orphan, not the comfort of the imperial family, the Han Dynasty remained a source of disgust, not pride, for Yu Ye.

Yu Ye’s words were not just his own; they might as well have been the cries of the people weary of chaos.

Guan Yu simply waited quietly for Yu Ye to pour out all his words, the resentment he had bottled up.

And when Yu Ye finally stopped speaking and began to catch his breath, Guan Yu opened his mouth.

“Are you done?”

That Guan Yu, who would be second to none in arrogance, calmly asked after hearing Yu Ye’s blasphemy against the Han Dynasty, shocking everyone present.

“If you have more to say, go ahead.”

It wasn’t a bluff.

Guan Yu sincerely spoke to Yu Ye.

‘Is it true?’

Until now, Yu Ye hadn’t even considered the possibility that Guan Yu had defeated Sima Yi. He just thought Guan Yu had luckily escaped Sima Yi somehow.

So, if he just bought time, Sima Yi would return and easily handle Guan Yu.

But now, the attitude Guan Yu displayed cracked Yu Ye’s firm conviction.

‘Did Henan really fall to Guan Yu? Has Henan and Nanyang Commandery been pacified by Guan Yu?’

As Yu Ye fell into confusion and fell silent, Guan Yu took it as affirmation.

“Then, this time, I will speak. I sympathize with your words. You spoke of the people’s suffering? How could I not know? I, too, was once just one of the people.”

Unlike Yu Ye, Guan Yu’s tone was calm, but his voice carried a deep resonance that spread through Luoyang.

Guan Yu’s life hadn’t been smooth either. Driven from his hometown, he wandered until he met Liu Bei, and since then, he had faced countless hardships.

Now, though he had risen to the position of a great general of Han, looking back, it was anything but easy or lucky.

“Your faith in Lord Cao, I also sympathize with that.”

Guan Yu had also been under Cao Cao. And he understood that Cao Cao could indeed bring order to the chaos.

Knowing this, Guan Yu still chose Liu Bei. Even though he knew it was a path of hardship with little chance of victory, he did so.

Thus, Liu Bei’s current rise to power was nothing short of a miracle to Guan Yu, beyond mere destiny.

“Since I cannot deny your words about following Wei, the only thing I can promise you is this one thing.”

Guan Yu couldn’t deny that the Han Dynasty had brought chaos upon itself, nor that Cao Cao could revive the lives of the people, just as he had rebuilt Luoyang.

But in hoping for the end of chaos, Yu Ye and Guan Yu were no different.

Guan Yu replied.

“If you open the gates, it won’t just be opening the gates of Luoyang, but opening the gates to an era of peace.”

Cao Cao’s chance to open a new era had passed.

The desire for unification, thwarted at Chibi, had its last embers extinguished in Hanzhong.

So now, they could only wait for the next turn.

Liu Bei’s turn.

Yu Ye’s eyes shook violently.

Just as Guan Yu couldn’t deny Yu Ye’s words, Yu Ye couldn’t deny Guan Yu’s words.

If he opened the gates of Luoyang and accepted Guan Yu.

Guan Yu’s tens of thousands of troops, far outnumbering the Wei forces in Luoyang, would quickly occupy the city and hold out until reinforcements from the Han Dynasty arrived.

Luoyang’s walls were thick, Guan Yu’s soldiers disciplined, and the supplies within the city abundant. They could hold out until the Han reinforcements arrived.

And if Liu Bei truly sent reinforcements to capture Luoyang, the fall of Wei and Wu would be as natural as water flowing from a river to the sea.

Thus, the world would finally escape long chaos and regain order.

‘The end of chaos…’

Yu Ye, imagining a future he might create with his own hands, shuddered at the high possibility.

A whirlwind of conflict arose in Yu Ye’s heart. His hand trembled slightly. Yu Ye quickly hid his hand in his sleeve, but someone noticed.

And that person immediately grabbed a bow from a soldier nearby and drew the string.

Aiming the arrow at Guan Yu, he shouted.

“Growing old has only made your tongue sharper! The past when you were praised by the late emperor is wasted! The people of Luoyang are ready to die to stop you! Stop spouting nonsense and get lost!!”

And he actually released the arrow, shooting it.

It wasn’t aimed at Guan Yu but as a warning shot at his feet, yet it pushed the conversation to a breaking point.

“No! General Zhennan, what are you doing?!”

Yu Ye shouted in shock at the one who shot the arrow, Xiahou Shang.

Once, due to Xiahou Mu’s betrayal, all members of the Xiahou family were transferred to the north or Sun Quan’s Huainan region, but Xiahou Shang, closest to Cao Pi, was soon reinstated.

Xiahou Shang was not only Cao Pi’s closest relative but also married to Princess Deyang, Cao Cao’s niece, making him a relative by marriage, just like Xiahou Mu.

Xiahou Shang’s reinstatement wasn’t due to such connections. Cao Pi sent Xiahou Shang back to Luoyang for three reasons.

One, he was uneasy about fully granting military authority to his subordinates.

Two, Xiahou Shang’s abilities were too valuable to be buried in the northern front.

And three, he had a perfect means to control him.

Namely, Xiahou Shang’s concubine. Despite having a main wife, Princess Deyang, Xiahou Shang loved his concubine more.

In the original history, Cao Pi, finding it outrageous that Xiahou Shang favored a concubine over a Cao, killed the concubine, driving Xiahou Shang to madness. He dug up her grave, hugged her corpse, and wailed until he died.

But knowing the current situation was precarious, Cao Pi decided to use the concubine as a hostage instead.

Thus, Xiahou Shang’s concubine remained in Ye, and Xiahou Shang was sent to Luoyang to assist and monitor Sima Yi.

Sima Yi, finding Xiahou Shang troublesome, left him in Luoyang and handed full authority to Yu Ye. But seeing Yu Ye waver, Xiahou Shang intervened without hesitation.

Looking at the furious Yu Ye, Xiahou Shang pressed on.

“Don’t worry, Lord Yu. Return to the inner city with me. It seems you’re mentally strained from lacking direct command experience. I’ll manage Luoyang for now.”

An Bi, sent with Yu Ye and Xiahou Shang to assist Sima Yi in managing Luoyang and Henan, sided with Xiahou Shang.

An Bi, who alongside Chang Zi became famous as a magistrate in Wei history, had the same strong character as Cao Cao in his youth when he killed his uncle Jian Shi.

An Bi immediately approached Yu Ye.

“It would be best for you to rest in the inner city for now.”

Xiahou Shang and An Bi.

With Xiahou Shang, who had partial military authority from Cao Pi, and An Bi, who effectively managed Henan, stepping forward, Yu Ye had no choice but to hand over command.

With full control of Luoyang, Xiahou Shang immediately issued orders to the entire army.

“If you are determined to die, you will live. Defend Luoyang with the resolve to die. Then, Henan will surely return to us.”

Xiahou Shang, steeling his resolve, watched Guan Yu’s retreating back.

‘I am not like Xiahou Mu. Guan Yu, you will never set foot in Luoyang.’

To restore the Xiahou family’s honor and to remove Cao Pi’s suspicious gaze from the entire Xiahou family, Xiahou Shang prepared for battle.