After noon, the entire city of Luoyang became somewhat bustling. Since the han dynasty still adhered to the rule of 'markets opening at noon and closing at sunset,' the Common People of the city could only conduct their necessary or unnecessary transactions during the brief afternoon hours.
Today, however, a strange person appeared on the main avenue, causing the passing Common People to look sideways. Even some bold children on the street would run madly after the man for a while before being scolded back by their parents.
The reason for this was that the rather handsome-looking young man was wearing plain mourning clothes and riding a donkey. Of course, riding a donkey wasn't particularly unusual; the main thing was that his way of riding was completely different from others'.
Others rode normally, letting the donkey carry them, but he rode the donkey backwards. Others used their legs to kick the donkey's belly to urge it to walk or turn, but he had a green sunflower plant dangling in front of the donkey. He would occasionally look back at the road, then wave the green sunflower in his hand to direct the poor donkey.
Such unconventional behavior naturally caused the men of Luoyang to fall silent and the women to laugh. And such an unconventional person could only be He Xian.
This time, entering the Western Garden, he had plenty of time and naturally didn't want to rush like last time, when Cao Cao nearly jolted his backside to pieces. Since he had already arrived in the han dynasty, eighteen hundred years in the past, and could wander through the historically rich city of Luoyang, he naturally wanted to take a leisurely look around.
As for those troublesome matters, he was no longer bothered by them. After all, worrying couldn't solve problems, and besides, he was the type with a broad mind and thick skin.
Last time, although Cao Cao had given He Xian an introduction to Luoyang, Cao Cao had focused more on Luoyang's political situation. This time, as He Xian strolled leisurely into this magnificent picture, he naturally brought his own understanding of Luoyang to mind.
Luoyang was named for its Location north of the Luo River. Later, because the han dynasty's element was fire, after Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu established the capital in Luoyang, he changed the city's name to Luoyang. The entire Luoyang city, along with the surrounding Governor of Henan region, was situated in a basin, backed by the Qinling Mountains to the west, facing Mount Song to the east, overlooking the Funiu Mountains to the south, and leaning against the Wangwu Mountains to the north. It also held the strategic advantage of the Yellow River, surrounded by mountains on all sides, with five rivers winding around the city—a natural fortress, unparalleled in the world.
In the first year of Zhongping, six years ago, when the Yellow Turbans rebelled, Emperor Ling appointed the Governor of Henan, He Jin, as Grand General. He Jin led the Left and Right Imperial Forest Army and the five Northern Army commanderies to garrison the capital's outskirts to secure the capital. Based on Luoyang's terrain, He Jin established eight passes around Luoyang: Hangu, Yique, Guangcheng, Dagu, Huanyuan, Xuanmen, Mengjin, and Xiaopingjin, appointing a Commander of the Eight Passes to oversee military and administrative affairs and protect the capital.
In this way, Luoyang was situated within the eight passes, as solid as a fortress. With such terrain, it would be impossible to enter Luoyang without a hundred thousand troops launching a six-month-long assault. For this reason, Luoyang became the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties in Chinese history.
Of course, this was only a theoretical military assumption. The rise and fall of a dynasty had little to do with the terrain of its capital. For example, half a year later, during the coalition of warlords against Dong Zhuo, the Warlords of the Guandong Region achieved little in the early stages, yet Dong Zhuo was so frightened that he voluntarily abandoned Luoyang and retreated to the more distant Chang'an.
And that relocation of the capital was nothing short of a catastrophic disaster for the entire Luoyang!
With He Xian's current strength, forget about standing at the forefront and turning the tides; even avoiding being crushed to dust by the torrent of history was already a monumental task. In other words, these next six months were the golden period fate had left him to make his mark in Luoyang. How far he could go depended entirely on his opportunities and luck.
"Whatever happens, I still have half a year. Even if I can't transform from a carp into a dragon, at least I can become a Ninja Turtle and grow a hard shell to protect myself, right?" Slowly carried by the donkey, lost in thought, He Xian felt he had the detached aura of a transcendent master.
However, just as his mind was wandering, lost in thought, He Xian was suddenly jolted awake by a clamor. A crowd of Common People was sprinting toward him in panic. With hundreds of people rushing toward him like this, He Xian could no longer imitate Elder Zhang Guo by riding the donkey backwards. He quickly jumped off the donkey, led it to a safe spot, then grabbed a fleeing commoner and asked, "What's happening?"
The man fearfully shook off He Xian's grip and urgently cried out, "Run! The Liang Province Soldiers and the Bing Province Soldiers are fighting!" After saying this, the man ran off again without looking back.
Upon hearing this news, He Xian's first reaction was also to flee. It was true he was a transmigrator, but he wasn't Superman with his red underwear on the outside. However, just as he was about to turn and run, a chance glance back made his eyes burn with fury!
In the midst of the chaotic crowd, two groups of Soldiers had turned Guangyang Avenue into a battlefield, charging and fighting back and forth. One side clearly had more men and was pushing the other side into retreat.
However, He Xian had no fondness for these Liang Province Soldiers and Bing Province Soldiers. The only thing that filled him with towering rage was that neither side cared about the Common People on the street. Wherever their horses' hooves trod or their blades flashed, it wasn't just Soldiers who died; most of the victims were Common People who couldn't escape in time, slaughtered like pigs or dogs!
The blood and wailing seemed to instantly ignite something within He Xian. Standing in the path of the approaching chaotic Soldiers, a cold smile involuntarily curled at the corner of his mouth: "Forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one... Only about fifty men on both sides. One Nameless Strongman is enough to handle this!"
So, he quickly opened the virtual system screen before his eyes and, in the only option under the previously summoned characters, clicked to summon again! Immediately, He Xian saw his 1600 reputation points instantly drop to 1100 points.
And at that moment, a Qiang and Hu Cavalryman charged into He Xian's line of sight. Seeing He Xian standing foolishly in the street, the cavalryman snarled angrily, "You whelp, get out of the way!"
"You're the one who should die!" At this moment, He Xian completely forgot about dodging. In fact, he was tired of dodging. The pressure left over from yesterday's court session transformed at this moment into a roar of anger and a reckless fury that disregarded life and death.
However, roars and fury could not stop the charge of a warhorse, nor could they erase the cold, gleaming blade before him. But just as the sneer on the Qiang and Hu cavalryman's face grew more excited and arrogant, his expression suddenly twisted into one of inexplicable terror!
"Young Master, move aside!" The familiar voice of the Nameless Strongman came from behind!
At this moment, He Xian also suddenly felt an extremely strong gust of wind rushing from behind. Without time to think, as the Qiang and Hu cavalryman swung his ring-pommeled sword down in panic, He Xian swiftly performed a lazy donkey roll and threw himself to the side.
Immediately, he heard the warhorse's piercing, agonized whinny and the Qiang and Hu cavalryman's panicked screams. Turning his head quickly, He Xian saw a massive iron mace smash heavily into the horse's head, shattering it in a spray of blood! The Qiang and Hu cavalryman, unable to control the collapsing horse, was crushed to the ground by the horse's massive body, his bones snapping!
Turning back, He Xian saw that the Nameless Strongman's attire today was the same as last time. The only difference was that today, he held a massive iron mace. The mace was hexagonal, its tip sharp and keen, and a chain was attached to its base. At the other end of the chain stood the mighty and imposing Nameless.
"Young Master, you have summoned Nameless today. May I ask what the urgent matter is?" With a sudden wave of his hand, Nameless tucked the heavy iron mace under his arm.
"Chaotic Soldiers have suddenly run amok in the city, slaughtering the innocent. Their crimes cannot be forgiven! I implore you, Brave Man Nameless, to take action and stop these chaotic Soldiers!"
Seeing the chaotic Soldiers ahead still fighting each other and slaughtering Common People, the chivalrous-hearted Nameless instantly burned with the same fury as He Xian. He growled in response, "This is a righteous act to save the people. Moreover, having already decided to follow you, Young Master, Nameless naturally serves! But I wonder, how does the Young Master wish this Subordinate to stop them?"
A flash of understanding crossed He Xian's eyes as he grasped Nameless's concern. Yet he still firmly replied, "Nameless, do not hesitate. It is perfectly acceptable to kill all these chaotic Soldiers!"
"Understood!" With He Xian's reply, the Brave Man Nameless hesitated no longer. With a furious roar, he brandished his chain mace and leaped into the battlefield!