That Jia Xu is ruthless! He had a million-strong army, and there were still many civilians in Luoyang.
Dong Zhuo thought he was ruthless enough, but compared to Jia Xu, he was nothing.
"This is against the natural order!"
Jia Xu cupped his hands and said, "This is the only way now. Hulao Pass is no match for the million-strong army of the Golden Army and will be breached sooner or later."
Dong Zhuo hesitated; he also did not want to see countless people die tragically in the war.
But if he doesn't do this, he might not be able to achieve his ambitions.
Having come this far, Dong Zhuo absolutely would not allow anyone to ruin his plans, no matter the heavy price!
"Order the entire army to withdraw from Luoyang in five days and head to Chang'an!" Dong Zhuo gritted his teeth and finally decided to withdraw his troops!
He dares not gamble!
Even if it meant taking a million Yellow Turban soldiers with them, we would not hesitate!
......
Outside Hulao Pass!
The Yellow Turban Army attacked Hulao Pass wave after wave without stopping. If this continued, Hulao Pass would probably fall in less than three days.
Lu Zhi's 30,000-strong army had been almost entirely wiped out by this time. Fortunately, Hulao Pass was easy to defend and difficult to attack, otherwise he would not have been able to hold out until now.
"Why hasn't the imperial court sent reinforcements yet? Once Hulao Pass is breached, the Han Dynasty is finished!" Lu Zhi's face was pale, and he was filled with worry.
"My lord, we have just received news that Prime Minister Dong... is heading to Chang'an!"
"What?!" Lu Zhi stood up abruptly, shocked. "Dong Zhuo is going to abandon Luoyang and move to Chang'an?"
"Yes!" the soldier said with a wry smile.
Lu Zhi was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter and cursed, "Beast! Dong Zhuo, that beast, has ruined the country! The Han Dynasty is doomed!"
"My lord, what should we do now? Should we continue to resist, or retreat to Luoyang City as soon as possible?"
"Let's retreat!" Lu Zhi said helplessly. They were no longer capable of fighting the Yellow Turban army head-on and could only retreat into the city.
Since Dong Zhuo doesn't want Luoyang, he has to!
Luoyang is the foundation of the Han Dynasty, the imperial city built when Emperor Guangwu of Han moved the capital.
It was thanks to Luoyang that the Eastern Han Dynasty was able to continue.
"Send the order to retreat to Luoyang!" Lu Zhi said to the messenger beside him.
"yes!"
The soldier immediately went down to relay the order.
Since Hulao Pass could not be defended, then it would not be defended. At this moment, Lu Zhi had already resolved to die and was determined to live and die with Luoyang!
Lu Zhi led the remaining soldiers into Luoyang, where he organized defenses within the city and prepared for the upcoming battle!
Meanwhile, Dong Zhuo and his men retreated to Chang'an. Along the way, Li Ru came to Dong Zhuo and said, "My lord, Lu Zhi... Lu Zhi has retreated to Chang'an."
Dong Zhuo immediately frowned. He had already ordered Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun to ambush outside Luoyang City. As soon as the Yellow Turban army entered the city, they were to fire fire arrows at Luoyang.
At that time, these Yellow Turban soldiers will perish in the sea of fire.
"Send word to Lu Zhi, tell him to retreat immediately!" Dong Zhuo said coldly.
However, Li Ru shook his head and said, "My lord, Lu Zhi is already resigned to his fate. If we force him to leave Luoyang now, it may only provoke his rebellious intentions and make things worse!"
Li Ru knew that Lu Zhi was an upright and unyielding man. If he were forced, Lu Zhi would rather die than leave Luoyang.
If Lu Zhi is not allowed to leave, then he will also perish in Luoyang.
"Lu Zhi! You'd better not ruin our family's affairs!"
Upon returning to Luoyang, Lu Zhi discovered that a large quantity of saltpeter was hidden in secret within the city.
"Dong Zhuo, oh Dong Zhuo, how could you do this?!"
But then he felt relieved; now, if he wanted to protect the Han Dynasty, this was probably the only way.
Lu Zhi was loyal to the Han Dynasty. As long as the Han court could be preserved, he would pay any price.
"Since that's the case, then let this old man lend you a hand!" Lu Zhi's eyes changed, becoming incredibly resolute.
He mobilized the remaining 20,000 troops and ordered them to defend the gates of Luoyang to the death. He then dispatched 2,000 soldiers to hide the saltpeter even more carefully.
Because of the rush, Dong Zhuo's men did not hide the saltpeter very well, and he was able to find it. Once the Yellow Turban vanguard enters the city, they will definitely be able to find it as well.
Although Lu Zhi was a loyal minister, he understood that if things really came to that, he probably wouldn't be able to save the Han Dynasty.
His only option before he died was to take the Yellow Turban rebels with him to the grave, giving the Han a chance to catch his breath.
When Huangfu Song learned that Lu Zhi had retreated to Luoyang, he personally came to Luoyang to persuade Lu Zhi to leave.
But Lu Zhi laughed and said, "If it's an empty city, the Yellow Turban rebels will definitely be on their guard. Only if I fight to the death will they believe me!"
“Master Lu, but if that’s the case, you will also…” Huangfu Song said anxiously.
Lu Zhi waved his hand and said, "It's alright. I've lived for over sixty years. I'm not afraid of death!"
"Those who receive the emperor's bounty must repay his kindness!"
Upon hearing this, Huangfu Song was speechless.
Lu Zhi risked his life to protect the Han dynasty, and he had no regrets in his life.
Such a loyal minister should not have met such an end.
"Master Lu!" Huangfu Song wanted to persuade him further, but Lu Zhi interrupted him: "General Huangfu, you don't need to persuade me anymore. I swear to live and die with Luoyang!"
Seeing Lu Zhi's reaction, Huangfu Song could say nothing more.
He could only nod and say, "Master Lu, your righteousness is admirable! Farewell!"
Huangfu Song sighed and left Luoyang.
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