Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 691 Burning Luoyang
Li Ru, Dong Zhuo's most trusted strategist, was dressed in a black robe and had a stern face. He stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "My lord, the battle at Hulao Pass is at a stalemate now, and the morale of the allied forces is high. We should not stay here any longer."

Dong Zhuo raised his head, his eyes full of unwillingness: "You mean, we have to give up Luoyang? This is the foundation I laid with great difficulty!"

Li Ru nodded slightly, his expression solemn: "My Lord, Luoyang is good, but now it has become the target of public criticism. We are here, and we are attacked everywhere. Chang'an has a dangerous terrain, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and there are sufficient food and grass reserves. We can retreat to Chang'an and be worry-free for a while."

Dong Zhuo frowned, pondered for a moment, and then asked: "Then we will just hand over Luoyang City to them?"

At this time, Lu Bu stood up and said loudly: "Father, we can't let those princes get away with it like this! Before we leave, burn Luoyang City so that they will get nothing!"

Dong Zhuo's eyes flashed with ruthlessness: "Okay! Let's do it! Burn down Luoyang City and let those princes know that if they dare to go against me, they will not have a good end!"

Li Ru, however, showed a worried look on his face: "My Lord, if Luoyang is burned, the people will surely suffer. I am afraid that this move will be despised by the world."

Dong Zhuo snorted coldly: "I can barely protect myself now, why would I care about the people of the world? As long as I can defeat the allied forces, I will do anything!"

Seeing that Dong Zhuo had made up his mind, everyone stopped talking. So Dong Zhuo began to order preparations for retreat. He sent Lu Bu to gather the troops and prepare food and supplies. He also ordered Li Jue, Guo Si and others to capture the rich families in Luoyang and rob them of their property.

For a time, Luoyang was in chaos. Soldiers were arresting people everywhere, the rich were crying and shouting, and the common people were terrified. The whole city was in a panic.

"What should we do? Dong Zhuo wants to burn Luoyang city. Where should we go?" An old woman sat on the street, crying bitterly.

"Yes, Dong Zhuo is too cruel. What have we ordinary people done to deserve such suffering?" A young man next to him also had a face full of grief and indignation.

The people packed their bags and prepared to flee Luoyang. However, the city gates had been blocked by Dong Zhuo's soldiers and they could not leave the city at all.

In the Grand Tutor's Mansion, Dong Zhuo continued to issue orders. "Move out all the treasures in the palace, don't leave any behind! And take away all those precious calligraphy and paintings, porcelain!"

"My lord, there are too many things in the palace. I'm afraid we can't move them all at once." A subordinate said cautiously.

"If you can't move everything, burn it!" Dong Zhuo said viciously, "We can't let the allied forces gain any advantage!"

As time went by, the preparations for Luoyang City were basically completed. Dong Zhuo ordered that flammable materials be placed in various places in the city, waiting to be set on fire at his command.

"My lord, everything is ready." Li Ru stepped forward to report.

Dong Zhuo stood up and looked towards Luoyang City, with a complicated look in his eyes. He had enjoyed all the glory and wealth here, but now he was forced to leave, and he couldn't help but feel reluctant. But when he thought of the threat from the coalition forces of the princes, his eyes became firm again.

"Light the fire!" Dong Zhuo gave the order, and the soldiers lit the torches in their hands and threw them at the houses around. In an instant, the fire shot up into the sky and burned fiercely. Luoyang City was engulfed in a sea of ​​fire, and thick smoke billowed, covering the sky and the sun.

The people fled in the sea of ​​fire, their cries, shouts and screams intertwined to form a tragic song. Many people were engulfed by the fire and died in the sea of ​​fire; others were chased by the soldiers and fell in a pool of blood.

Dong Zhuo led his army, carrying the looted property and civilians, and retreated towards Chang'an. He looked back at the burning Luoyang City with a smug smile on his face: "Union of princes, you can slowly clean up this mess!"

At this time, the coalition forces of princes outside Hulao Pass were in an uproar when they learned the news that Luoyang City was burned.

"Dong Zhuo is so despicable that he actually burned down Luoyang City. This is simply intolerable!" Yuan Shao said angrily.

"We must chase him as soon as possible and not let Dong Zhuo escape like this!" Cao Cao also stood up and said loudly.

Therefore, the allied forces decided to pursue Dong Zhuo immediately. They packed their bags, reorganized their troops, and headed towards Chang'an. A new pursuit began in this chaotic world.

The fire in Luoyang City burned fiercely, illuminating half the sky, and the billowing smoke was like a ferocious beast, devouring the prosperity and tranquility of this ancient capital. Jia Changsheng looked at the flames from afar, his heart filled with shock and anger. He knew very well that this was Dong Zhuo's crazy act, but he did not expect that his actions were so resolute that he turned Luoyang City into a living hell.

"General, what should we do?" the deputy general beside him asked anxiously, his eyes full of worry.

Jia Changsheng clenched his fists, his eyes determined: "Gather the troops immediately and go to Luoyang to put out the fire! No matter what, we can't let the people suffer in vain."

At this time, the allied forces also received the news that Luoyang City was burned, and there was a lot of discussion. Yuan Shao was furious and immediately called everyone to discuss the pursuit of Dong Zhuo, but Jia Changsheng quietly led his 10,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry and galloped towards Luoyang City.

When Jia Changsheng's army arrived in Luoyang, the scene before them was horrible. The once prosperous streets were now covered in fire and smoke, houses collapsed, and people were running around, crying and shouting. Jia Changsheng didn't have time to think about it and quickly issued an order: "Infantry, get water to put out the fire and open up a passage! Cavalry, spread out, rescue the trapped people, and maintain order!"

The soldiers acted quickly. Some of them rushed to the river with buckets to fetch water, some used their weapons to clear obstacles on the road, and some rushed into the sea of ​​fire to carry the trapped people out. Jia Changsheng took the lead and personally participated in the firefighting operation. He saw an old man trapped in a burning house, and rushed in without hesitation and carried the old man out.

"Old man, are you okay?" Jia Changsheng asked with concern.

The old man burst into tears and held Jia Changsheng's hand tightly: "Thank you for saving my life, General. Dong Zhuo is so cruel. How can we live?"

Jia Changsheng comforted the old man and then returned to the rescue work. With the efforts of him and the soldiers, the fire was gradually brought under control and lives were rescued from the sea of ​​fire.

At this time, Sun Jian's army also entered Luoyang City. Sun Jian wanted to make achievements in this war, so he led his soldiers to search around the city. Suddenly, his soldiers found a strange light in a dry well. Sun Jian's mind moved, and he immediately ordered people to go down the well to check.

Soon, the soldiers fished out a beautiful box from the well and opened it to find the imperial seal. When Sun Jian saw the seal, a hint of surprise and greed flashed in his eyes. He knew the importance of the imperial seal. Once he had it, he would have more capital to fight for the world in this chaotic world.

"Don't make this public, or it will lead to disaster." Sun Jian whispered to his confidants, "Keep the seal safe and don't let anyone know." However, the news that Sun Jian had obtained the imperial seal spread quickly. When Yuan Shao learned about it, he immediately sent someone to ask for it. Sun Jian denied it, and the conflict between the two gradually intensified.

Jia Changsheng was completely unaware of this and continued to devote himself to the rescue and reconstruction of Luoyang City. He organized soldiers to help the people build temporary shelters, distribute food and medicine, and calm the people's emotions.

"General, you are our great benefactor!" A young mother holding her child said to Jia Changsheng gratefully, "If it weren't for you, my whole family would have been buried in the sea of ​​fire."

Jia Changsheng smiled and said, "This is what I should do. Everyone has suffered. As long as we work together, we will be able to rebuild Luoyang City."

Thanks to Jia Changsheng's efforts, the situation in Luoyang City gradually stabilized. The people were grateful to him and joined in the work of rebuilding their homes. In the process, Jia Changsheng also won the heartfelt support and love of the people.

As time went on, the pursuit of Dong Zhuo by the allied forces became difficult. Dong Zhuo had already set up many ambushes on his way back, and the allied forces suffered heavy losses, so they had to temporarily stop the pursuit.

Jia Changsheng's good deeds in Luoyang also attracted the attention of other princes. Cao Cao praised his behavior and came to visit him in person.

"Brother Jia, what you did in Luoyang this time is really admirable." Cao Cao said with a smile, "In this chaotic world, it is rare to have someone like you who cares about the people."

Jia Changsheng said modestly: "General Cao, you are too kind. I just did what I could, and I couldn't bear to see the people suffer."

The two had a pleasant conversation, and Cao Cao became more and more impressed with Jia Changsheng's knowledge and character. He invited Jia Changsheng to join his camp and work together for world peace.

"Brother Jia, with your talent and vision, if you can fight alongside me, there will be no need to worry about the unrest in the world," Cao Cao said sincerely.

Jia Changsheng was grateful for Cao Cao's appreciation, but he had his own plans. He declined Cao Cao's invitation and said, "I appreciate General Cao's kindness. But I still have my own way to go. I want to do more for the people in this chaotic world."

Although Cao Cao felt a little regretful, he also understood Jia Changsheng's choice. He and Jia Changsheng agreed that they would help each other if needed in the future.

After the reconstruction of Luoyang City came to an end, Jia Changsheng left Luoyang with his army. He knew that the disputes in this chaotic world were far from over, and he would continue to move forward in this chaotic world and find his own direction.

With the joint efforts of Jia Changsheng and the people, Luoyang City gradually recovered from the ruins of the fire. However, the coalition of princes was full of contradictions and was like a pile of loose sand that could fall apart at any time.

In the central army tent, Yuan Shao had a gloomy face. He held tightly in his hand the letter from Sun Jian refusing to hand over the imperial seal, and threw it to the ground angrily: "Sun Jian, the traitor, how dare you embezzle the imperial seal! This is a national treasure, how could it fall into his hands? We, the 18 princes, raised an army to fight against Dong Zhuo in order to support the Han Dynasty. Now his behavior is no different from Dong Zhuo's."

Cao Cao frowned and stepped forward to persuade: "Master, calm down. The most important thing right now is to pursue Dong Zhuo. If there is internal strife at this time, it will play into Dong Zhuo's hands."

"Meng De, you are still speaking for him!" Yuan Shu jumped out, his face flushed, "Sun Jian is ambitious and will become a big problem in the future if we don't get rid of him today."

The people argued with each other until their faces turned red. Some advocated attacking Sun Jian first to take back the imperial seal, while others believed that they should continue to pursue Dong Zhuo and complete the original mission.

Jia Changsheng stood in a corner, watching all this quietly. He knew very well that this dispute was just the tip of the iceberg of the internal contradictions of the princes' coalition. These princes, on the surface, gathered together for the sake of justice, but in fact, they had their own ulterior motives and were all calculating their own interests.

In the end, the coalition forces failed to reach a consensus. In anger, Yuan Shao decided to ignore Sun Jian and led his army to retreat. Seeing this, other princes followed suit. Cao Cao sighed and said, "This boy is not worth consulting with!" He led his army and chased in the direction of Dong Zhuo's retreat, but was eventually defeated by Dong Zhuo's ambush due to his weak strength and returned in disgrace.

As the various princes left, the once bustling coalition camp became deserted. Jia Changsheng looked at the empty camp with mixed feelings. He did not follow the other princes and decided to stay in Luoyang City.

"General, now that all the princes have dispersed, why should we still stay in this dangerous place?" asked the deputy general in confusion.

Jia Changsheng looked at the ruins of Luoyang City with a determined look: "The people here have just experienced war and disaster, they need someone to protect them. If we leave now, Luoyang City will probably fall into chaos again."

Therefore, Jia Changsheng led his 10,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry to take root in Luoyang. He first organized soldiers to help the people rebuild their homes, clean up the ruins, and repair houses. At the same time, he also sent people to post notices in the city to recruit craftsmen and laborers, giving them reasonable remuneration so that the people could rebuild their lives with their own hands.

During the reconstruction process, Jia Changsheng also focused on restoring order in Luoyang City. He set up a temporary security agency, sent soldiers to patrol, and cracked down on robbers and refugees who took advantage of the fire. The people in the city gradually settled down and were full of gratitude and trust in Jia Changsheng.

"General Jia is our savior!" A white-haired old man came to Jia Changsheng with a cane, trembling, "If the general hadn't stayed, the old, weak, and disabled like us would have no chance of survival."

Jia Changsheng quickly helped the old man up and said, "Old man, this is the result of our joint efforts. As long as we work together, Luoyang City will surely be able to restore its former prosperity."

In order to ensure that the people could live and work in peace and contentment, Jia Changsheng also actively communicated with the surrounding counties to seek assistance in materials and food. He personally went to the surrounding counties to negotiate with local officials and asked them to support the reconstruction of Luoyang City. Thanks to his efforts, the surrounding counties extended a helping hand and sent food, seeds and farm tools.

At the same time, Jia Changsheng also used his military talents to train soldiers and strengthen the defense of Luoyang City. He knew that in this chaotic world, only by being strong can we protect the people. He personally guided the soldiers in training every day and taught them various combat skills and tactics.

As time went by, Luoyang gradually regained its vitality under the leadership of Jia Changsheng. On the streets, shops reopened and people came and went; in the fields, people worked hard and sowed the seeds of hope. Jia Changsheng also became the patron saint in the hearts of the people of Luoyang, and his name was known to every household in Luoyang.

However, Jia Changsheng was not satisfied with this. He knew that although Luoyang City had temporarily settled down, the whole world was still in the midst of war. He began to think about how to truly end the chaos and let the people live a peaceful life.

"In troubled times, only by being benevolent can we win the hearts of the people." Jia Changsheng often said to his soldiers, "We must always remember that our mission is to protect the people and create a peaceful living environment for them."

During his time in Luoyang, Jia Changsheng continued to learn and explore. He read various military books and studied the ways of governing a country in history. He believed that as long as he persevered, one day he would be able to find a way to end the chaos and allow the people of the world to enjoy peace and tranquility.

(End of this chapter)