While Zhu Cunji was living life to the fullest, indulging himself without restraint, his distant relative—Zhu Changxun, the Prince of Fu, whose fief lay in Luoyang—was trapped in a state of constant terror.
The rebel situation in Henan was worsening by the day. Although Bai Yuan was stationed in Luoyang, preventing rebel forces from directly storming the city, grim reports kept pouring in without pause: one town burned today, another county breached tomorrow. Worse still, these towns and counties were only a few hundred li from Luoyang itself.
The Prince of Fu found this utterly terrifying.
"Mr. Bai! Mr. Bai!" Zhu Changxun hammered frantically on the door of Bai Yuan's temporary residence. "Mr. Bai, wake up! A rebel army just passed through Ruzhou, burning and looting everything in its path! They're already so close to Luoyang! Don't sleep—get up and defend the city!"
The door finally opened.
Bai Yuan stepped out wearing only a moon-white inner garment, his expression one of deep annoyance.
"Your Highness," he said wearily, "you pound on my door at the break of dawn. If I don't rush out to greet you, I violate propriety. If I rush out like this, clothes in disarray, I still violate propriety. No matter what, propriety is violated—so I suppose I'll have to strike 'rites' off the Six Arts entirely. You really can't do this to me."
The Prince of Fu was on the verge of collapse.
"Forget propriety! Forget your clothes! The city needs defending! The bandits are practically at the gates!"
Bai Yuan frowned, visibly irritated.
"Ruzhou is more than a hundred li from Luoyang. Even if the rebels ran without stopping, it would still take them a full day. What exactly are you panicking about?"
"The rebels have cavalry!" the Prince of Fu shot back.
Bai Yuan rolled his eyes.
"Cavalry can't attack a city."
Hearing this, the Prince of Fu finally let out a long breath.
"Ah… right. Cavalry can't attack a city. Then what do I have to fear? Phew! That gave me quite a scare."
Just as the two were speaking—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Alarm bells suddenly rang out across Luoyang. Warning gongs boomed in succession, and the entire southern half of the city instantly plunged into chaos. Countless civilians screamed as they ran:
"The bandits are here! The bandits are here!"
Bai Yuan blinked.
"Huh?"
The Prince of Fu shrieked in terror.
"Ahhh! Protect me! Hurry!"
A group of personal guards leapt out at once, forming a tight protective ring around the Prince of Fu.
Bai Yuan didn't even bother putting on an outer robe. Clad only in his moon-white inner garment, he sprinted straight toward the southern city wall. The Prince of Fu, still surrounded by his guards, was dragged along in the same direction.
While running, the Prince of Fu shouted,
"Mr. Bai! You clearly heard the bandits were coming—why did you run straight to the city wall yourself? Why didn't you order the militia to mobilize first?"
Bai Yuan replied without slowing down,
"If they need my orders to defend the city walls, then they're useless. In emergencies like this, the militia has its own contingency plans. The moment the alarm sounds, they assemble on their own."
The Prince of Fu stared blankly.
"Oh?"
When they reached the southern wall, the answer was immediately clear.
The militia were already in position.
Fully armed. Fully formed.
The Prince of Fu asked a few questions and learned that the moment the alarm rang, the militia soldiers had leapt out of bed, dressed, folded their quilts, grabbed their weapons, and rushed to the walls in one seamless motion.
Their speed and discipline were astonishing.
Compared to them, the official garrison troops were utterly disgraceful. The pitiful number of city soldiers were still running about in confusion like headless chickens.
As soon as Bai Yuan arrived, a militia captain stepped forward and reported crisply,
"Instructor Bai! Three thousand veteran militia and seven thousand new recruits have all assembled!"
Bai Yuan scanned the ranks and immediately spotted a recruit whose uniform was worn improperly. He pointed at him.
"Someone go check whether his quilt is folded."
Before anyone could move, the recruit stepped forward dejectedly.
"Reporting, Instructor… my quilt isn't folded at all. I woke up too late."
Bai Yuan nodded.
"One hundred push-ups."
"Yes, sir!"
The recruit stepped out of formation and began doing push-ups on the open ground behind the wall.
The Prince of Fu gasped.
"The enemy is about to arrive, and you're still punishing soldiers like this?"
Bai Yuan ignored him completely and instead asked,
"Why wasn't there an earlier scout report?"
A dust-covered man stepped forward—it was clearly a scout.
"Reporting! The approaching rebels are all cavalry, moving fast as the wind. They were no slower than this subordinate. By the time I returned to report, they were already within sight of the wall sentries."
Bai Yuan frowned deeply.
"As fast as scouts… troublesome. When reconnaissance hot air balloons can't be used, our reconnaissance capability has a fatal weakness. Write this down—we need a solution."
After addressing these two minor issues, Bai Yuan finally turned his gaze beyond the city walls.
Outside Luoyang, a cavalry unit stood watching the city with cold precision.
This force was nothing like ordinary rebel bands.
Typical rebels were ragged, poorly armed, disorganized, and low in morale. But this unit was different—uniformed, disciplined, and arranged in a proper cavalry wedge formation.
They were unmistakably elite.
Bai Yuan frowned.
"Which unit is this?"
The scout replied,
"Lao Huihui's forces."
"Oh? Lao Huihui?" Bai Yuan mused. "I remember him very clearly. That… who exactly was Lao Huihui again?"
Silence fell.
The Prince of Fu wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Lao Huihui is from Suide in Shaanxi. A Hui border army soldier. Most of his cavalry are Hui as well. Their combat strength is extremely formidable. This is important—remember it properly!"
Bai Yuan spread his hands calmly.
"I remember it very clearly."
The Prince of Fu dabbed away more cold sweat.
How can you say that with such confidence?
Bai Yuan's expression grew serious.
"Since they are border army veterans, we absolutely cannot let them get close. We must keep them at a distance. If they close in, our militia won't stand a chance."
He raised his binoculars and stared intently at Lao Huihui's army.
At the same time, Lao Huihui was staring right back at him.
Their gazes met across the open land.
Soon, fifty riders rode forward from Lao Huihui's ranks. They raised their voices and shouted in unison toward Luoyang:
"Listen well, princes, officials, gentry, and wealthy households of Luoyang! I am Lao Huihui! I don't like robbing ordinary common folk—I'd be ashamed to take what little they have. But when it comes to robbing you…"
Fear rippled through the city. Many people trembled. The Prince of Fu shrank back instinctively, his neck drawing in.
Lao Huihui continued loudly,
"If you don't wish to be robbed by me, then send out supplies. I won't ask for much this time—just one thousand shi of grain. Once I see the grain, I'll turn around and leave immediately. I will not harm Luoyang in the slightest."
A pause.
"If you don't provide it…" his voice turned cold, "I will circle Luoyang. And whichever gentry estate I pass, I will burn it to the ground."
The threat was aimed precisely at the gentry who had "fled into Luoyang City."
In those days, gentry estates were usually located in the countryside, close to their farmland. When rebels approached, these families would abandon their fortified manors and hide inside the city.
Lao Huihui's meaning was unmistakable:
I may not be able to kill you here—but I can burn down your ancestral home.
Are you afraid now?