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Before departing, with a single command, Dong Zhuo set the city of Luoyang ablaze. The soldiers, frenzied, ignited fires simultaneously at all four gates, smoke billowing into the sky as flames consumed everything in their path. The fires of the South and North Palaces roared like two furious dragons, intertwining between the palace halls. The firelight painted the entire night sky red, mingling with the cries of the people, the sounds of collapsing buildings, and the crackling flames, as if the apocalypse had arrived.
"Burn these houses to the ground! Leave those traitors with nowhere to hide!" Dong Zhuo commanded from his elevated position, a smug expression on his face as he issued orders to Lu Bu at his side.
Lu Bu bowed his head in acknowledgment and led a squad of elite soldiers straight to the Luoyang Ancestral Temple. The soldiers smashed down the temple doors and trampled over the scattered ritual offerings. With a toss of a torch, the temple was instantly engulfed in flames. The ancestral tablets within fell, consumed by the fire as black smoke spiraled upwards with ashes. Lu Bu personally directed his soldiers to excavate the tombs of past emperors and imperial concubines. Armed with shovels and hammers, the soldiers dug into the graves without a shred of reverence; stone doors were smashed open, coffins pried apart, and treasures of gold and jade were unearthed one after another. Covered in dirt yet exhilarated like starving wolves, they fought over the spoils while bones from within the coffins were scattered across the ground.
"Hurry up! If we dawdle any longer, Chancellor Dong's convoy won't wait for us!" a centurion barked sharply, kicking a sluggish soldier. The soldier hastily picked up a jade pendant and stuffed it into his pocket. Seeing this, the centurion sneered as he snatched away the pendant and shoved the soldier into an already dug pit.
Inside the city, soldiers grew even more reckless. They burst into homes, looting valuables without leaving a trace of mercy. The cries of women mixed with children's screams echoed throughout. An elderly man knelt on the ground, holding up his family's last few tattered garments and pleading, "General, please spare my family! These are all we have left!" A soldier kicked him aside with a sneer: "Old fool! Keep begging and I'll make sure you burn along with your dilapidated house!" He then set fire to the home; illuminated by the flames, the old man and his family cried out in despair, but no one came to their aid.
Dong Zhuo sat in his carriage, idly playing with a golden cup he had just plundered from a tomb, indifferent to the wails surrounding him. His convoy moved slowly like a giant beast through the burning city of Luoyang, thousands of carts laden with gold and jewels following closely behind. Meanwhile, the emperor and imperial concubines were forcibly placed in shabby carts, their faces pale and tears streaming down their cheeks. Those once held in high esteem now faced only terror and despair as they clutched tightly to tattered remnants of clothing.
The common people were driven forward; their steps faltering, faces smeared with ash and streaked with tears. Every hundred paces revealed fallen corpses—some dead from hunger, others mercilessly slain by soldiers' blades. The burning houses lining both sides of the road served as their final farewell; black smoke and despair seemed to stretch endlessly.
Dong Zhuo turned back to gaze at Luoyang City being devoured by flames, a cold smile curling at his lips: "This Luoyang is nothing but a dead city; let it burn!" He cracked his whip against the horses as they trampled over blood-soaked earth, heading straight for Chang'an.
At this moment, Dong Zhuo's general Zhao Cen paced anxiously at Si Shui Pass, watching clouds of dust rise in the distance. He had long known that Dong Zhuo was abandoning Luoyang and thought to himself: "Chancellor Dong has retreated; what can I do alone here? Rather than face certain death, I might as well open the gates and surrender to save my life." He gathered his subordinates and coldly ordered: "Send word! Open Si Shui Pass's gates to welcome the lords inside."
The heavy gates of Si Shui Pass slowly creaked open as Sun Jian's banner first appeared through the remnants of smoke on the horizon. He rode atop his Flower Mane Horse clad in silver armor, his gaze sharp as a blade. Troops surged into the pass like a tide; remnants of Luoyang's citizens could be seen among crumbling walls—bloodstains and torn clothing littered everywhere. Soldiers wielded swords with weary yet fierce expressions; however, their fervor for conquest remained unquenched.
Sun Jian halted his horse within the pass and looked down at Zhao Cen: "You have aided this traitor for years; do you now understand your crimes?" Zhao Cen knelt down in submission, trembling as he spoke: "We were forced into this; we dared not disobey Chancellor Dong's commands. Today we willingly surrender this pass; please spare us from death!"
Sun Jian snorted coldly and turned to command Cheng Pu and Huang Gai to enter and search for any remaining threats. Shortly after, Cheng Pu returned with news: "My lord, all supplies within the city have been emptied by Dong Zhuo; only some defeated soldiers remain—there is little we can use." Sun Jian frowned deeply and commanded sternly: "Eliminate any remaining threats; leave no future troubles!"
Cheng Pu responded immediately and led his troops to sweep through the interior. Sun Jian looked at Zhao Cen and coldly smiled, "You may keep your life for now. Go back and tell Dong Zhuo that the blade of Sun Jian will surely take his head!" With that, he raised his whip and urged his horse, heading straight for Luoyang.
Meanwhile, smoke billowed from Hu Lao Pass. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei led their forces into battle. Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade and Zhang Fei's Eighteen-Feet Serpent Spear carved a bloody path through the enemy ranks, and amidst the clash of blades, enemy soldiers fell like grass under the scythe. Zhang Fei roared, "Dong Zhuo has fled; what use do you have left? Prepare to die!" His spear danced through the air, each strike splattering blood as the enemy army crumbled.
Liu Bei rode at the front of the formation and, seeing the countless corpses littering Hu Lao Pass, could not help but sigh, "The people suffer so greatly; when will this war ever cease?" He raised his sword towards the city, declaring, "Brothers, follow me into the city and bring justice to the common folk!"
The remnants of soldiers within the city attempted to resist, but under the combined assault of the three brothers, their defenses were utterly shattered. Zhang Fei, bloodied but exhilarated, raised his spear and laughed maniacally, "What a joy to kill! If Traitor Dong lives a few more days, I will surely take his head!"
As various lords' armies entered the pass one after another, they were struck by the scene before them. The ground was strewn with corpses; rivers of blood flowed freely; shattered weapons and banners lay everywhere.
Just as they surged forward at Si Shui Pass with great momentum, Sun Jian led his troops swiftly onward. In the distance, he saw Luoyang ablaze; flames soared high into the sky while thick smoke enveloped it like a massive black shroud. The air was filled with the acrid scent of charred remains. He halted his horse to survey the scene and found the vast plains littered with rubble and scorched earth—no one in sight for miles; even the shadows of chickens and dogs had vanished. Gritting his teeth, he raised his hand to order an immediate effort to extinguish the fires. His soldiers rushed into the ruins to douse the flames with water; however, the stench of charred bodies and decay rising from beneath made them gag. Standing before a burnt palace ruin with piercing eyes, he solemnly declared, "Traitor Dong is so tyrannical that heaven and earth cannot tolerate him!"
Soon after, various lords arrived in succession. Yuan Shao ordered his troops to camp on barren land and set up a temporary base. Cao Cao arrived clad in armor with a grim expression and stepped into Yuan Shao's main tent. His gaze swept over the assembled lords as he coldly asked, "Dong Zhuo has burned down the imperial palace and taken the emperor hostage; he is indeed a rebel! If we do not pursue him now, when will we?"
Yuan Shao smiled slightly and replied calmly, "Mengde, you are too impatient. Our troops are weary and our horses tired; advancing now would be futile and only weaken our forces."
Cao Cao stepped forward sharply to meet Yuan Shao's gaze, his tone thunderous: "Dong Zhuo has abducted the emperor and burned cities; this has shaken all under heaven! The wrath of heaven and man is upon him—this is his moment of downfall! If we do not seize this opportunity to pursue him now, how can we restore peace to the realm? You all seem so hesitant; do you not betray our cause for raising arms today?"
Yuan Shao frowned slightly but then shook his head dismissively: "Mengde, you are too radical. A battle cannot be decided in an instant; if you rush for results now, it may backfire."
"You are unworthy of counsel!" Cao Cao snorted coldly and turned away with a flick of his sleeve. Yuan Shao's expression shifted slightly but ultimately chose not to act.
Returning to his camp, Cao Cao slammed his hand on a table in frustration and shouted: "Send my orders! All soldiers shall follow me in pursuit of Dong Zhuo! If we do not strike down this bandit now, when will we?" His generals Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Li Dian, and Le Jin all knelt in unison and declared loudly: "We are willing to follow our Lord into battle to determine our fate!"
As night fell, the camp of Cao Cao was ablaze with light, and tens of thousands of soldiers quickly readied themselves for battle. Horses snorted, iron armor clashed, and the soldiers cracked their knuckles, their swords glinting in the firelight like a pack of wolves thirsting for blood. Their eyes burned with the spirit of war, and someone whispered, "That scoundrel Dong Zhuo has become a rat in the street; this time, we must slay him!"
Cao Cao rode at the forefront of his army, his voice booming like thunder: "Dong Zhuo is a great bandit of our time, burning Luoyang and seizing the Emperor. Today, we, Righteous Army, will strike out to slay the bandit and achieve merit; the world will look to us for our name! Forward!"
The soldiers responded with a roar that shook the mountains: "Kill Dong Zhuo! Rescue the Emperor!"
In the darkness, Cao Cao personally led over ten thousand troops, charging like an arrow towards Dong Zhuo's direction. Banners fluttered in the wind, and the sound of hooves thundered like rolling thunder across the wilderness. A heart-stopping pursuit was about to unfold.
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