Chapter 252

Jia Xu nodded affirmatively. "I only need to go and greet Niu Fu!"

"You go outside the camp and wait for me; I will be there very soon!"

Saying this, Jia Xu went straight out of the tent and ran to find Niu Fu first.

He indicated that he had an urgent matter and needed to return to his residence.

"No! Sir, it is night now, the city gates have long been closed, and there is a curfew. How will you get back?"

Niu Fu asked, looking somewhat dumbfounded.

Jia Xu explained immediately, "I can wait outside the city for a few hours. Once dawn breaks and the city gates open, I will go straight in, saving the trouble of traveling tomorrow!"

"Mengjin is still some distance from Luoyang!"

Jia Xu explained.

"I see! Alright! Sir, do as you please!"

Niu Fu had a good relationship with Jia Xu and respected him greatly. Since Jia Xu had said so, he naturally would not refuse.

He agreed directly.

"Then I shall take my leave!"

Not long after, Jia Xu left the military camp on horseback. He met Yi San a few hundred meters away and asked, "I forgot earlier; now that the Luoyang city gates are closed and there is a curfew, do you have a way to take me into the city? Or is the base outside the city?"

"No!"

Yi San shook his head. "The base is inside the city, but we do indeed control several secret passages leading into the city, so entering the city at this time is not a problem!"

"Sir, follow me!"

Saying this, Yi San also mounted his horse and led the way.

The two of them hurried toward Luoyang.

Over an hour later, Yi San arrived with Jia Xu near a patch of mountain forest about ten miles north of Luoyang City.

He then dismounted and said to Jia Xu, "We are almost there. Mr. Jia, please dismount and follow me!"

"Very well!"

Jia Xu did not refuse and immediately followed suit, swinging himself off his horse.

The two led their horses and walked on foot into the mountain forest.

After winding through the paths for over ten minutes, they arrived before a low hill.

Yi San stepped forward and knocked on a section of the stone wall in a specific rhythm.

A moment later, a rhythmic knocking response came from within the stone wall.

Yi San knocked a few more times, then stepped back a few paces.

"Rumble!"

After a few breaths, the mountain shook, and the stone wall in front of them moved aside automatically, revealing an entrance three meters high and six or seven meters wide.

"Mr. Jia, please follow me!"

Yi San swung back onto his horse, beckoned to the stunned Jia Xu, and led him into the tunnel on horseback.

Once they had all entered the tunnel and walked a few meters inside.

"Rumble!"

A roaring sound came from behind them again.

The entrance was sealed shut.

At the same time, two rows of torches automatically lit up along the pitch-black passage.

They stretched far into the distance, with no end in sight.

"Did you dig this tunnel yourselves?"

Jia Xu asked, his face full of shock.

This was Luoyang!

Furthermore, why was this tunnel lined on all sides with a strange, gray stone material?

It did not look natural.

"In a way, yes!"

Yi San smiled and nodded from the front: "Part of it we dug, and part of it was converted from existing tunnels. There are plenty of tunnels beneath Luoyang City! Hehe!"

This also made things convenient for the Secret Guards.

With steel and cement, renovations were easier than ever.

"Impressive!"

Jia Xu praised.

Half an hour later, after traveling over ten miles underground, they finally arrived in a large hall.

Yi San led Jia Xu off his horse, and after a few more turns, they appeared in a bright underground secret chamber.

"Boss, I have brought Mr. Jia Wenhe here! He has already agreed to pledge his service to our Lord!"

Yi San reported to Jia Yi, who was sitting there.

"Very good!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Yi smiled, stood up, looked at Jia Xu, and bowed slightly: "I am Jia Yi, the chief of the Luoyang Secret Guards under our Lord. Mr. Wenhe, greetings!"

"You are too kind!"

Jia Xu hurriedly returned the courtesy politely, then asked: "I wonder how you intend to arrange for me? Or does the Lord have some task to entrust to me?"

Jia Yi did not answer immediately; instead, he invited Jia Xu to sit, ordered someone to bring tea and refreshments, and only then looked at Jia Xu and said: "The Lord indeed has a task to entrust to you!"

"I assume you are already very clear about the current coalition of lords against Dong Zhuo?"

"Indeed!"

Jia Xu nodded affirmatively: "But I do not know what the Lord hopes to gain from this campaign against Dong Zhuo?"

Jia Yi was very satisfied with Jia Xu's reaction and immediately said: "The Lord has said that the lords' campaign against Dong Zhuo is nominally to punish the rebel Dong Zhuo and rescue the Son of Heaven;"

"In reality, each lord has their own ulterior motives and individual agendas, primarily driven by selfishness;"

"There are likely very few who truly wish to rescue the Son of Heaven!"

"The Lord himself is no exception;"

"Because, in the Lord's view, this Great Han world has long since become utterly corrupt. If it cannot be toppled and rebuilt, and the rotten parts excised, then there is no saving this world;"

"Therefore, the Lord did not come here with the intention of saving the Son of Heaven from the very beginning."

Jia Xu nodded, not at all surprised: "The Lord's vision spans ten thousand miles! The Great Han is indeed beyond saving!"

"It has been this way since the Former Han!"

"The existence and continuation of the Latter Han were merely a stay of execution thanks to figures like Emperor Emperor Guangwu of Han, but the establishment of the Latter Han did not excise the ailments of the Former Han;"

"In fact, it made these ailments even more severe, to the point where they are now deep-seated and impossible to reverse!"

Jia Xu clearly saw things very thoroughly.

His words made Jia Yi's eyes light up: "Mr. Jia is truly a man of great talent! This is not something an ordinary person could discern!"

"No wonder the Lord values you so highly;"

"The Lord once said that no matter what, he must bring you into his service; otherwise, even if he had to destroy you, he could not let you serve another;"

"I didn't understand why the Lord felt this way before, but now that I see you and hear your words, I finally understand completely!"

"Your talent and insight, Mr. Jia, are no less than those of Mr. Xun You and the others!"

Perhaps even more thorough than Xun You and his peers.

But naturally, Jia Yi would not say such offensive things.

This man was indeed an old, cunning fox; it was best to have him in their service early.

At the same time, with Jia Xu's help, Jia Yi felt even more confident in completing the Lord's various tasks in the future.

"Haha! You flatter me! I have heard of Xun Gongda's reputation, and I dare not compare myself to him!"

Jia Xu waved his hand modestly.

He only wanted to protect himself and had no interest in comparing himself to others; it was better not to be put on such a high pedestal.

Being too conspicuous and high-profile.

Did not fit his philosophy of survival.

"Let us talk about the Lord's task! I have already heard from Brother Yi San about the Merit Hall. Now, what I want most is to perform meritorious service and earn merit points!"

— Author's Notes —

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