Chương 481: More than 3 people outside Luoyang City

Each person held up a large white cloth. The cloth was covered with large characters written in black ink and cinnabar, densely filled with signatures and red handprints.

When the wind blows, tens of thousands of white cloths flutter at the same time, like a white ocean, so spectacular that it makes people want to cry.

"We will not go home until the Prince of Yan ascends the throne!"

"Fellow villagers of Zhuoxian, we beseech Your Highness, Prince Yan, to ascend the throne!"

"The people of Ye City are willing to follow the King of Yan for ten thousand generations!"

"The people of all counties in Youzhou respectfully welcome His Majesty's ascension to the throne!"

"To kill Dong Zhuo, pacify the warlords, and save the people, none other than the Prince of Yan is capable!"

"Veterans of Bingzhou: We will not rise until our lord ascends the throne!"

"The million people of Jizhou respectfully request His Highness Prince Yan to ascend the throne as soon as possible!"

An old man with gray hair, leaning on a well-worn cane, stood at the front, holding a white cloth covered with names written on it, tears streaming down his face with emotion.

"Back then, Dong Zhuo's men were killing and burning everywhere. Of my family of five, I was the only one left. I thought I would never survive."

The old man wiped away his tears and continued to speak to the people around him: "It was His Highness Prince Yan who led his troops to drive away Dong Zhuo, distributed land to us, built houses for us, and enabled us to have enough to eat and warm clothes to wear."

Now that the world is at peace, if His Highness the Prince of Yan doesn't become emperor, who is qualified? I'd rather die here today than not wait until His Highness agrees to ascend the throne!

Beside him stood an old soldier who was missing an arm. He hung his medals on a white cloth and shouted:

"I lost this arm while fighting the Xianbei alongside His Highness Prince Yan, and I have no regrets! Without His Highness Prince Yan, none of us would be where we are today! We veterans of Bingzhou all support His Highness Prince Yan! If our lord does not ascend the throne, we will kneel here every day until we die!"

Several merchants from Jiaozhou not only brought a petition from the people of Jiaozhou, but also three carts full of lychees and bananas, which they distributed to everyone for free.

"We traveled by boat from Jiaozhou for two months just to invite His Highness the Prince of Yan to ascend the throne! In the past, Jiaozhou was constantly at war, with barbarians robbing each other, and we couldn't even do business."

"Ever since His Highness Prince Yan sent General Yue Fei and others to pacify Jiaozhou, we no longer have to live in fear, and our business is booming! This amount of lychees is nothing; if His Highness Prince Yan ascends the throne, we'll bring ten cartloads next time!"

Among the crowd were several herdsmen who had come from Liangzhou, riding tall horses and holding up a huge white cloth that read, "The million people of Liangzhou respectfully invite the Prince of Yan to ascend the throne."

They traveled for half a month, enduring wind and rain, their skin tanned dark, but their spirits remained high.

"We Liangzhou people aren't good at sweet talk; we just know whoever treats us well, we'll follow them!" the leading herdsman shouted.

"His Highness the Prince of Yan sent General Xu Da and others to pacify Liangzhou, allocated us pastures, and opened border markets. We no longer have to worry about selling our horses! His Highness the Prince of Yan is our heaven! If he doesn't become emperor, the sky will fall!"

Lu Bing had already led the Imperial Guards to set up thousands of tents and hundreds of large pots outside the city, cooking porridge and steaming buns every day for the people to eat for free.

They also hired dozens of doctors to treat sick people.

"Don't push! Line up! Everyone will get food!" the Imperial Guards shouted, maintaining order.

"There are still empty tents; those who are tired can rest! There will be a bonfire tonight, so don't catch a cold!"

Hundreds of thousands of people stayed quietly outside the city, without causing trouble or looting, maintaining perfect order.

Everyone gathered together, chatting about Liu Ce's heroic deeds back then, their faces full of longing and anticipation.

A young man from Youzhou vividly recounted the story of how Liu Ce, the King of Yan, defeated 100, 000 Yellow Turban rebels with his eight hundred Xuanjia Iron Cavalry. The surrounding people listened with rapt attention, forgetting even to eat.

"You don't know what happened back then. Eight hundred iron cavalry charged into a hundred thousand Yellow Turban soldiers, cutting them down like watermelons, one slice after another! His Highness the Prince of Yan was at the very front, covered in blood, but he didn't even blink!"

"Wow!" The children around them stared wide-eyed, their eyes filled with admiration.

"And then what? And then what?"

"And then? Later, His Highness the Prince of Yan... quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion... Dong Zhuo's usurpation of power... fought his way to Luoyang, destroyed Dong Zhuo, pacified the warlords... and unified the world!"

"His Highness Prince Yan is amazing! When I grow up, I will serve His Highness Prince Yan."

...

At this time, the backyard of the Prince of Yan's mansion presented a completely different scene.

Liu Ce, barefoot, squatted on the ground, his face and hands covered in mud, as he helped the children make clay figures.

His sons and daughters ran around him, occasionally grabbing a handful of mud and smearing it on his face.

"Daddy, look at the horse I sculpted!"

Liu Chen held up a strange creature, with four legs and a tail, but its head was shaped like a pig.

Liu Ce stared at it for a long time, but still couldn't recognize it, so he asked, "This is... a horse?"

Liu Chen nodded vigorously and said, "Yes! It's the horse Father rode!"

Liu Ce suppressed a laugh and said, "Not bad, not bad. Next time, stretch the neck a little longer, and it will look even more like it."

"Daddy, look at the little rabbit I made!" Liu Ying held up a round thing with two long ears that were different lengths and crooked.

Liu Ce took it, looked at it carefully, and nodded, saying, "Hmm, Ying'er sculpted it very well, much better than what Father sculpted."

Liu Ying smiled so hard her front teeth were showing, and she jumped for joy.

The ladies, including Cai Yan, Zhang Ning, and Zhen Jiang, sat on a stone bench nearby, cracking melon seeds and watching them make a fuss with a smile.

"Husband, look at you, you're practically covered in mud." Cai Yan laughed and handed her a handkerchief.

"The children will smear you like a big cat in a little while."

"It's nothing, just playing with the kids." Liu Ce wiped his face, but the more he wiped, the dirtier it became, which made the ladies burst into laughter.

Zhang Ning laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight: "Husband, your face is dirtier than when I was practicing swordsmanship!"

Zhen Jiang handed over a cup of tea: "Have some water, don't just keep playing."

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Lu Bing rushed in like a gust of wind, sweating profusely, with two buttons on his flying fish robe popping open.

He was stunned for a moment when he saw the scene in the yard, then his voice trembled with excitement:

"My lord! It's done! A resounding victory!"

The clay figure in Liu Ce's hand fell to the ground with a "thud," and he looked up at him: "What's done? Why are you in such a hurry? Speak slowly."

"Petitioning people!" Lu Bing shouted, panting heavily.

"Outside Luoyang, over 300, 000 people have gathered! People from thirteen prefectures, from Youzhou to Jiaozhou, have come! The petitions are piled higher than me, all signed and fingerprinted by the people themselves! The whole city is in an uproar; everyone is waiting for you to come out!"

"Over 300, 000?" Liu Ce suddenly stood up, his eyes wide with surprise.

"I thought there would be at least a few hundred thousand, how come there are so many?"