We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 847 Visiting the Aristocratic Family

The deputy general's words touched the heart of the defenders.

The main general is dead, the city gate is broken, and the enemy emperor enters the city in person.

It's a dead end no matter how you look at it. What's the point of fighting any further?

Not to mention that there is no absolute justice in this war, both sides claim to be orthodox.

Ordinary soldiers had no reason to die, and they did not have to bear the torment of being "traitors to their country and their race" if they surrendered.

Therefore, in the hearts of the defending soldiers, the desire to survive gradually began to prevail.

"I'm willing to follow the general!"

"Welcome the Royal Master!"

"We are willing to surrender!"

"Open the city gates and welcome His Majesty!"

The defenders' will to resist completely collapsed. They dropped their weapons and knelt down to surrender.

When Ma Zhong led a group of troops to attack the city wall, all the soldiers on the ground were kneeling, and no one stood up.

He was slightly stunned, then quickly walked to Dugu Hong's flag and cut it off with one knife.

Duan Rui on the side respectfully handed over the Fengtian Army flag.

On the city wall, the flag was changed in an instant and Luoyang fell.

. . . . . .

Li Che led his troops into the city. He did not rush to clear out the remaining enemies in the city, but first issued an order:

"I hereby order that no one shall take advantage of this opportunity to rob or harass the people! Anyone who violates this order will be executed immediately, regardless of their origin!"

He then ordered Yue Yun, Yang Xuan, Ying Bu, and Yelu He to lead an army each to occupy important places such as the government office, granary, and armory.

The generals took orders and left, each leading a cavalry unit to different parts of the city. The people who passed by were terrified and hid away.

Orders were quickly issued, and the Fengtian Army began to take over this thousand-year-old capital that had just changed hands.

The chaos on the streets was quickly quelled. The people were a little worried at first, but when they saw that the Fengtian Army really did not harm anyone and even took the initiative to bypass residential areas, they finally felt relieved.

Key locations such as government offices, warehouses, and city gates were gradually brought under control, and order was restored at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Li Che did not enter the government office, but reined in his horse and stood at a relatively open street corner so that he could grasp the overall situation at any time.

When the city gradually quieted down, he ordered Qiu Bai beside him, "Go, invite a few generals over."

Soon, several surrendered generals, still covered in dust, were brought to Li Che's horse.

All the generals saluted and shouted "Long live the emperor", but did not dare to look up.

"Everyone, stand up and answer." Li Che's tone was calm, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Several people stood up nervously, standing respectfully with their hands hanging down.

Li Che's eyes swept across them and finally landed on a general in the front.

This person was the first general to take out a leaflet and ask for surrender.

"You have been in Luoyang for a long time and are familiar with the situation in the city. I have a few questions for you. Please answer them truthfully."

The generals dared not be careless and bowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, rest assured, we will tell you everything we know."

Li Che nodded with satisfaction and asked, "How many defenders are left in the city now? Where are they distributed? Besides the granaries and arsenals that are visible, are there any hidden places?"

The general at the front quickly stepped forward and replied respectfully, "Your Majesty! General Dugu... the traitors have taken away over 80% of the city's elite troops. Those remaining are mostly the elderly and weak, auxiliary troops, and the private armies of various noble families. The total number should not exceed 10,000."

"As for food, fodder, and weapons, the open warehouses are under the control of Your Majesty's celestial soldiers. However, I have heard that some prominent families, such as the Xue family in the west of the city and the Zheng family in the south, have also privately set up secret cellars in their mansions and villas, storing a considerable amount of food, fodder, and weapons..."

"Oh?" A gleam flashed in Li Che's eyes.

This is to be expected. As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. These aristocratic families are more cunning than the other. How could they not have a backup plan?

He nodded slightly, expressing satisfaction with the man's honesty.

Then he pointed at a surrendered general who looked relatively calm and composed: "General, what's your name?"

"General Liu Yao!"

"General Liu," Li Che nodded. "I give you a warrant to gather all the soldiers in the city and bring them back to their original camps."

"I strictly order all units not to harass the civilians or fight with each other. The necessary food and drink will be provided by the Fengtian Army later."

"You...could do it?"

Liu Yao was cheered up, knowing that this was a good opportunity to redeem himself for his crime.

He immediately knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and said, "I will obey your command and live up to your majesty's trust!"

"Okay, go ahead." Li Che handed him the written warrant.

Lieutenant General Li took it with both hands, saluted solemnly, and immediately turned around to summon his old subordinates to carry out the order.

After arranging the surrendered troops, Li Che's gaze returned to the surrendered general and asked casually:

"You just mentioned the Xue and Zheng families... In Luoyang City, which other families are as wealthy as these? Tell me."

The surrendered general did not dare to hide anything and quickly reported everything he knew:

"Your Majesty, in addition to the Xue and Zheng families, there is also the Wang family in the east of the city, the Sima family who are in charge of the Luoyang grain transport, and the Qian family, the Xu family..."

"These families are all well-established and have deep roots. They are quite influential in Luoyang and even the entire Yuzhou."

He named seven or eight surnames in one breath, all of which were the most powerful families in Luoyang City.

Luoyang is, after all, an ancient capital with a history of thousands of years. In addition to these seven or eight top families, there are at least a dozen smaller families.

These small families posed less threat, but they had done the same thing as the big families, which was to support Dugu Hong in defending the city and rebelling against Feng.

After listening to this, Li Che said "hmm" softly and tapped his palm casually with the whip.

Then he smiled and waved, and said in a relaxed tone: "What's your name?"

The surrendered general was terrified and said, "I am Song Zhong."

"General Song, lead the way." Li Che grinned. "I'm new here, so it's a good opportunity to pay a visit to these... Luoyang heroes."

Song Zhong was stunned and almost thought he had heard it wrong.

Your Majesty, are you going to visit the residences of those aristocratic families in person?

Those noble families are probably like ants on a hot pan right now. If Your Majesty goes there in person, they will be scared to death!

But he didn't dare to ask more questions. Seeing that Li Che had already urged his horse, he hurriedly followed.

Song Zhong led Li Che and his party straight to the Xue family mansion in the west of the city.

From a distance, one can see red gates, high walls, flying eaves and brackets, which are comparable to the top mansions in later generations.

The city walls are high and deep, with corner towers around them, separating the nobles inside the house from the common people outside.

Its grandeur and luxury are even comparable to the palace of Li Che when he was the King of Feng. Compared with the simple houses of other people in the city, this place is particularly eye-catching.

The gate of the mansion was already wide open, and Xue Chang, the head of the Xue family, personally led dozens of people from the clan, young and old, and knelt in an orderly manner on the stone steps in front of the gate.

The people of the Xue family deliberately took off their fancy clothes and wore only cloth. Their faces were pale and their bodies were trembling slightly.