Chapter 157: Chaos in Chang'an (Part Two)

Under heaven, those capable of withstanding the edge of the Sky-Piercing Halberd could be counted on one's fingers.

Dong Zhuo's armor was evidently not among them.

That initial pinprick of silver light gradually transformed into a roaring giant beast, lunging straight toward Dong Zhuo on the ground.

At this moment, the river of time seemed to stand still.

The cloudiness in Dong Zhuo's eyes slowly dissipated, much like silt settling at the bottom of a clear stream.

He saw himself in his younger days as a chivalrous wanderer—that grand hero Dong who roasted oxen, slaughtered sheep to entertain guests, and possessed boundless heroic spirit.

He saw himself as the man who had been pushed around and ordered about by the imperial court, trembling with fear, receiving no rewards for his merits yet punished for offenses he never committed.

He saw himself holding his head high, protecting the sovereign and saving the country, his words carrying the weight of tripods where all who defied him were executed, lording over the city of Luoyang.

He saw himself growing increasingly aged, lying amidst the pleasures of Mei Fortress, enjoying all the wealth the world had to offer.

The silt flowed backward, and everything around him slowly grew clear once more.

Dong Zhuo's entire body was paralyzed, able only to watch as that halberd—which had once swept across battlefields invincible for his sake—inescapably pierced through his throat.

"I, Dong Zhuo, am actually going to meet my end here!?"

"As the Grand Tutor, possessing awe-inspiring might across the realm, how could it come to this!?"

Dong Zhuo's eyes widened in horror, and for some reason, that familiar call seemed to ring in his ears once more.

"Zhongying... return home early."

"Ugh... ah!!"

...

"I bear an imperial decree to suppress the rebels!" Lü Bu sat tall in the saddle, holding his halberd horizontally, radiating majestic might.

At his side, Li Su had long since seized the opportunity, severing Dong Zhuo's head and lifting it in his hand.

"Now, Administrator of the Capital Lü Bu, acting by imperial command, has come to subjugate the rebel minister Dong Zhuo! All others are absolved of blame; those who surrender shall be spared their lives!"

Lü Bu's voice shook the palace gates and stirred up a tremendous uproar throughout the entire city of Chang'an. Though a few of Dong Zhuo's guards within the imperial city still put up resistance, they were merely a minor skin irritation; the great matter was already settled.

"When hegemony is achieved, one becomes an emperor; if it fails, one remains a wealthy noble. Who knew heaven's will is impartial and unyielding? Mei Fortress was just completed, only to be destroyed."

In the year 192 AD, before the bitter winter of 191 had even departed, it carried away the greatest demon king among the warlords of this era—Dong Zhuo, Dong Zhongying of Xiliang.

...

"General Fengxian!" Li Su cupped his fists and said, "The wicked atrocities of the Dong rebel could not have happened without the bewitchment of Li Youwen. This man must be eliminated!"

"I am well aware of his profound foresight and distant strategies. What my brother says is entirely correct. I shall go report this to the Minister of the You, and you may lead men to hunt him down."

...

"Minister! Minister!"

"What is it!"

Wang Yun's hands trembled, yet his eyes fixed like a falcon's upon the messenger's lips, unwilling to miss a single shred of news uttered.

"The Dong rebel—the Dong rebel has been executed! General Lü Bu captured and killed him, and is on his way here now!"

Wang Yun's expression remained frozen for a moment, then he looked blankly around to the left and right, before tears suddenly burst from his eyes, carving paths through the gullies of his cheeks.

"Heavens! You have not forsaken our Great Han!"

"Xiuer, celebrate for your adoptive father, celebrate for the Great Han." Diao Xiuer wore a plain, elegant gown, offering a slight bow to Wang Yun before reaching out to steady the unsteady and swaying old Minister.

"Xiuer... do not hold it against your father for the previous scheme. Now that the Dong rebel is dead, no one can ever torment you again!"

Xiuer supported Wang Yun into the main hall, where Lü Bu was already waiting.

"Yun has long known that General Fengxian possesses divine might and peerless valor, but henceforth, the General shall no longer be regarded merely as a man of brute strength! I shall surely memorialize the Emperor to bestow greater ranks and stipends upon the General!"

"Thud!"

Lü Bu, clad in campaign attire, dropped directly to his knees before Wang Yun.

"Lü Bu seeks no high official posts or generous emoluments; I only ask that the Minister bestow Xiuer upon me as my wife!"

Wang Yun glanced at Diao Xiuer, who looked somewhat startled by the unprepared proposal, then looked back at the expectant Lü Bu. He smiled first, patted the hands with which Xiuer supported him, and said to Lü Bu:

"How could I not know of the General's deep affection for Xiuer? It is just that the Dong rebel has only just been eradicated, and the city remains in turmoil. We still require the General to assist me. Once order is restored, Yun will surely give Xiuer to the General in marriage!"

"Bu thanks the Minister for this immense grace!"

Lü Bu raised his head, his tiger-like eyes filled with incomparable tenderness. He gazed at Diao Xiuer, his gaze as clear and pure as that of an untainted child untouched by the secular world.

Before long, Li Su came to report that Li Ru had left the estate earlier and had yet to return. Wang Yun cursed him under his breath for a crafty dog, then ordered the soldiers to place Dong Zhuo's corpse upon the widest street in Chang'an City.

The common folk of Chang'an flocked to the scene upon hearing the news, packing the multi-directional avenue so tightly not a drop of water could pass. If the fury in their gazes could inflict physical harm, Dong Zhuo would likely have been ground to dust several times over by the crowd at that very moment.

The soldiers guarding the corpse saw the public indignation and grew somewhat flustered, unwilling to make any sacrifice for a headless body. Amidst the clamor, someone in the crowd shouted: "When the Jade Youth encountered peril at Mei Fortress, he once composed a poem saying: 'Ultimately, who can compare to a hero? His navel fat can light itself without a lamp!' Those words could not be more fitting here!"

"That's right! His navel fat can light itself without a lamp!"

"The Dong rebel ravaged the country, and my wife, children, and parents all died because of him! If we do not hack him to pieces and tear him apart with five chariots, it will not appease the hatred in my heart!"

"Light him! This wretch is so terribly fat; as the Jade Youth said, his blubber can surely serve as oil to be burned and roasted!"

Such a sentiment, like a tiny spark, had already ignited into a raging prairie fire.

...

Ignite the fire, burn him, light the heavenly lamp.

Blubber flowed across the ground.

Grand Tutor Dong, who held power over the realm just a day prior, was now pelted with his own severed head and trampled under the feet of the common people, reduced to charred mud.

Within the imperial court, Wang Yun used thunderous methods to purge Chang'an of Dong Zhuo's faction; some were implicated, but few were innocent. Once Chang'an had been swiftly pacified, Wang Yun dispatched the renowned general Huangfu Song alongside Lü Bu to Mei Fortress, leading a hastily assembled force of tens of thousands straight to Dong Zhuo's stronghold.

Inside Mei Fortress, Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and Fan Chou heard that Dong Zhuo was dead, that Lü Bu was approaching, and that an army of tens of thousands was bearing down upon them. Too panicked for grief or rage, they hurriedly gathered their personal troops and fled northward toward Xiliang by night.

Though Mei Fortress was as sturdy as a fortress of bronze and boiling water, with Dong Zhuo slain and the commanding generals fleeing, the imperial army met virtually no resistance and easily breached the city.

Following the fall of the city, Huangfu Song ordered the immediate release of all the virtuous daughters and maidens sheltered within the stronghold. As for Dong Zhuo's relatives, young and old alike, all were put to the sword.

In the past, deep animosity had existed between Dong Zhuo and Huangfu Song. Initially, the two had been jointly commanded to suppress the rebellion of Wangguo in Xiliang, but they had clashed over operational strategies, creating a significant rift. Ultimately, Huangfu Song had insisted on his own course, winning a massive victory, but he had also planted deep resentment in Dong Zhuo's heart. Not long after, Emperor Ling grew gravely ill, and Dong Zhuo was appointed as the Shepherd of Bingzhou, ordered to hand over his military command to Huangfu Song. Dong Zhuo, whose ambitions had just begun to sprout, defied the imperial edict, prompting Huangfu Song to submit a memorial against him. Consequently, Dong Zhuo was reprimanded by the court, turning the two into mortal enemies.

Later, when Dong Zhuo seized power and civil and military officials lined the roads to welcome him, Huangfu Song was among them. Dong Zhuo went so far as to hint that officials of the rank of Vice Director of the Imperial Secretariat and below should kneel beside his carriage, using this to break Huangfu Song's spirit and humiliate him.

Now, all grudges and favors had reached their end.

Huangfu Song gazed out at the fortress enveloped in billowing smoke and raging fires everywhere, recalling that day in Chang'an when his former subordinate had looked down upon him from above, his eyes filled with arrogance and mockery.

"Yizhen, are you afraid now?"...

"Hear my orders, all officers!"

"Present!"

"Not a single member of the Dong clan shall be spared!"

"Understood!"

Before long, a soldier galloped forward to report:

"Reporting to the General, Dong Zhuo's mother is over ninety years of age. How shall we dispose of her...?"

A centenarian elder like her ought to be treated as a national treasure in the Great Han!

"No bloodshed."

"Understood!"

That day, Dong Zhuo's mother was executed, and his younger brother Dong Min and nephew Dong Huang were both beheaded, their heads hung on public display.

The imperial army confiscated the accumulated treasures within the fortress, finding hundreds of thousands of catties of gold, millions in white silver, silks, jewels, utensils, and countless grains.

The troops returned laden with spoils and reported back to Wang Yun. Wang Yun then lavishly rewarded the soldiers, set up a banquet in the main hall, summoned all the officials, and poured cups of wine to celebrate.