Chapter Thirty-Eight: Luoyang Beneath the Flames

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Some comments, perhaps...

Hulao Pass had fallen. Anyone with eyes could see that Dong Zhuo had simply abandoned it, but in Yuan Shao’s eyes, the achievement was plainly his own! It did not matter why Dong Zhuo had given up Hulao Pass. The fact was that Yuan Shao now occupied it, and that was all there was to it.

With the campaign to rescue the emperor seemingly on the verge of success and an unparalleled merit soon to be his, Yuan Shao waved his hand and ordered the allied forces to make every effort to seize Luoyang and bring this great undertaking to completion!

The coalition advanced swiftly. Bolstered by money and the threat of force, the army’s marching speed was astonishing.

Following Chen Xi’s plans, Liu Bei leisurely lingered at the very rear of the coalition. Cao Cao likewise dragged along behind, barely moving. Every intelligent man knew that Luoyang was certain to be dangerous, but most had been blinded by the radiant road to a glorious future and could not see the corpses lying ahead.

Luoyang went up in flames. Screams and cries could be heard for miles. Gazing toward the city, Chen Xi felt an overwhelming sorrow. By now, most of the troops that had entered first had probably already been consumed by the fire.

“Demou, this way!” Sun Jian shouted toward Cheng Pu. They had only just entered Luoyang and had not yet begun looting when they heard someone cry out that a fire had broken out. Sun Jian immediately sensed that something was wrong. A moment later, the whole of Luoyang was ablaze, flames and smoke surging everywhere. Even a fool could tell they had fallen into a trap. Clearly, it was already impossible for him to retreat.

“Gongfu, Yigong, move!” Cheng Pu swung the iron-ridged serpent spear in his hand. His powerful aura suppressed the flames around them, but he soon felt a wave of dizziness. The fire was consuming vast amounts of oxygen, and warriors like them required more oxygen than ordinary people, causing them to feel its absence sooner.

Huang Gai and Han Dang did not hesitate for a moment. They followed Cheng Pu and charged down the path where the flames had been extinguished.

“Put out the fire!” Yuan Shao shouted frantically as he directed his men. He had never imagined that Dong Zhuo would be so insane as to set the imperial capital ablaze!

After more than a hundred thousand soldiers struggled together, they finally brought part of the fire under control. Yet most of Luoyang had already burned. Looking upon the ruins and smoke-shrouded streets, Chen Xi felt for the first time the brutality of this age.

“Ah...” Chen Xi sighed. He had previously tried to see whether he could summon rain from the heavens, but there was not even a trace of moisture in the sky. All he could do was watch helplessly as Luoyang burned into ruins. It was not that he did not want to save the city; he simply lacked the power. The allied princes possessed that power, but it did not belong to him.

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“Zichuan, can you understand how I feel right now?” From the moment Liu Bei entered Luoyang, his face had been filled with grief and indignation. “This is the imperial capital! This is the imperial capital of our Great Han! How could Dong Zhuo dare do this?”

Liu Bei’s hoarse roar echoed in Chen Xi’s ears.

“Yes, this is Luoyang, the imperial capital. We lack the strength to save them. Even if we had known in advance, it would have made no difference. The allied princes possess the power, but it is not ours. If you wish to sweep away all under Heaven, Xuande, then do not think of relying on others. Only what is held in our own hands can prevent such tragedies from occurring again,” Chen Xi said quietly.

“We are returning to Mount Tai Commandery at once. I loathe their inaction. No matter how difficult it may be, I will save the Great Han!” Liu Bei declared solemnly, gripping Chen Xi’s hand.

Ordinarily, this would have been the moment for Chen Xi to bow down in devotion. Instead, he stared at the hand Liu Bei had seized, his face filled with disgust. Two grown men were publicly tugging at each other, and one of them was himself, no less...

Without making a fuss, Chen Xi withdrew his hand and bowed to Liu Bei. “Xuande, please wait another two days.”

Elsewhere, Sun Jian had fished a woman’s corpse out of a well. A brocade pouch lay upon it, and inside the pouch was a box. When he opened it, he discovered an imperial jade seal.

Sun Jian’s heart nearly stopped. He examined it carefully and found that it was genuine. The seal was four inches square, engraved above with five entwined dragons. One corner was missing and had been inlaid with gold. Inscribed upon it in seal script were eight words:

“By Heaven’s mandate, may the empire endure forever.”

Sun Jian was stunned. He did not even know where to put his hands. His body trembled uncontrollably, and he was so exhilarated that he nearly rolled his eyes back.

Only then did Cheng Pu notice what Sun Jian held. He was startled at first, then overjoyed.

“A man who survives a great disaster is surely destined for great fortune. My lord’s blessings have arrived! Heaven has bestowed the imperial seal upon you. One day, you will surely ascend the throne. Quickly conceal this treasure, and let us return to Jiangdong as soon as possible to lay the foundations for our great undertaking!”

As he spoke, Cheng Pu cast a menacing glance at the several soldiers behind them.

“These men are all my trusted guards. They will never reveal what they have seen. The few of us should return to Jiangdong as quickly as possible and quietly prepare for the future,” Sun Jian said. Seeing that the six or seven soldiers behind them were all his personal guards, he rejected Cheng Pu’s suggestion.

“Very well.” Cheng Pu pondered for a moment, then sighed and abandoned the thought. Even so, he watched the men carefully.

Meanwhile, Liu Bei brought Chen Xi, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun to pay their respects at the imperial tombs. Though the tombs had already been reduced to ruins, in the hearts of those loyal to the Han, the ancestors who had once protected the dynasty still rested there.

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These were all revered martyrs. Chen Xi calmly offered them a stick of incense, then led Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun toward another direction.

“I’m counting on you. Rescue as much as you can,” Chen Xi said, pointing toward the residence of Cai Yong, which was enveloped in flames.

On the way, Chen Xi had already explained everything to the three men. Cai Yong’s home contained four thousand scrolls. Their task now was simply to bring out as many as possible. There was no need to worry about rare editions; grab whichever one was nearest!

Chen Xi had completely misunderstood the situation. With the three men exerting their full strength, suppressing one section of the surrounding fire was no problem at all. Compared with their methods, the fire-rescue techniques he had imagined were nothing but a joke. They simply smothered the flames with their hands—one slap in front, one behind, one to the left, one to the right, and finally one upward.

Well, that took care of the air...

“Hey, Second Master, what are you doing?” Chen Xi stared as Guan Yu tucked another scroll into his robe. He had already hidden one there earlier.

“Only the Commentary of Gu Liang. Why make such a fuss?” Guan Yu replied with an impassive expression, showing no intention of taking it out. He casually stuffed Cai Yong’s handwritten silk manuscript of the Commentary of Zuo into his robe as well.

“You’re collecting the commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals!” Chen Xi said miserably as he sorted through the bamboo slips. Fortunately, not too many had burned. The fires had only been started after the allied princes entered the city, so roughly nine-tenths of the four thousand scrolls had survived. They had been lucky, though quite a few books were scorched.

Guan Yu glanced at Chen Xi, then pulled out a copy of the Commentary of Gongyang annotated by Cai Yong and began reading it on the spot.

This was his sole literary passion. With the Spring and Autumn Annals in hand, he could debate even a great Confucian scholar. The reason was simple: his family possessed only one book. Anyone who spent more than an hour a day studying the same text for twenty uninterrupted years would be astonishingly formidable whenever the subject arose.

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