Luo Guanzhong

“ Zhuo said, "Bandit rebels from the east of the pass have risen up, and have wreaked havoc upon the nation. Chang'an is protected by Hangu Pass and Mount Xiao. It is also close to the area which is to the west of Mount Longshan, which has an abundance of wood, stone, bricks and tiles. If we set a deadline, we can get it done. It shouldn't take more than a month to oversee construction of a palace. All of you should cease talking nonsense." Minister over the Masses Xun Shuang admonished him, saying, "If the chancellor wishes to move the capital, the citizenry will become agitated to no end." ”

“ The sounds of crying and wailing seemed to shake heaven and earth. If anyone moved too slowly, there were 3,000 troops behind them to urge them on. The troops all had their gleaming swords drawn, and would kill people on the spot. ”

“ Shao said, "Right now, we are mobilizing the citizenry to fight against the bandit rebels, so that we may rid the country of that which brings harm to it. The jade seal is a treasure which belongs to the royal court. Seeing as you managed to acquire it, you should publicly leave it with leader of the alliance. Once we have killed Dong Zhuo, we can restore it to the court. What do you intend to do by sneaking away with it?" Jian said, "What would cause you to think that the jade seal is with me?" Shao said, "Where is the item that you fished out of the palace well?" ”

“ Jian ordered his soldiers to sweep up all of the tiles that were strewn about in what was left of the palace. All of the imperial tombs that were looted by Dong Zhuo were resealed. Construction of three new palace buildings was begun on the foundation of the emperor's ancestral temple. The nobles were invited to set out the spirit tablets of the previous emperors, and then to make sacrificial offerings of cows, sheep and pigs. Once the ceremony was finished, they all dispersed. Jian returned to his camp. ”

“ Jian was outraged, and pulled out the straight sword that he was wearing around his waist; his intention was to kill the soldier. Shao also pulled out his own sword, saying, "If you kill this soldier, I will take it as a personal insult aimed at me." Yan Liang and Wen Chou, who were both standing behind Shao, pulled out their swords as well. Then Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and Han Dang, all standing behind Jian, all drew their swords, and held them in their hands. All of the nobles unanimously urged everybody to calm down. Jian then mounted his horse, broke camp, and left for Luoyang. ”

“ Alarming the nation is extremely easy; pacifying the nation is extremely hard. I hope the chancellor reflects some more on this." Zhuo angrily responded, "Are you hindering my grand strategy for the nation?" Grand Commandant Huang Wan said, "Minister over the Masses Yang's words are correct. In the past, when Wang Mang rose up in rebellion, during the time of Gengshi and the Red Eyebrows, Chang'an was burned to the ground. Moreover, the people all moved away, and only a handful remain. It is not fitting that we abandon the imperial palace and move to a wasteland." ”

“ Li Jue and Guo Si forced almost the entire population of Luoyang out of the city, forcing them to head toward Chang'an. A group of soldiers was placed between each group of citizens, so that the citizens were alternately pulled and pushed toward their destination. A huge amount of people died in the ravines along the sides of the road. The troops were also given license to have their way with the wives and daughters, as well as to take possession of food rations. ”

“ Zhuo was outraged, and said, "I am making plans for the entire nation, why should I worry about the little people!" That day, Yang Biao, Huang Wan and Xun Shuang were relieved of their duties, and were made private citizens once again. ”

“ Dong Zhuo loaded several thousand or more carriages with gold and silver jewelry, along with satin cloth and other finery. Having plundered the riches of the sons of heaven and their empresses, he set out for Chang'an.
8 卻說卓將趙岑,見卓已棄洛陽而去,便獻了汜水關。孫堅驅兵先入,玄德、關、張殺入虎牢關,諸侯各引軍入。 Let us now turn to Zhao Cen, a general under Dong Zhuo. When he saw that Zhuo had already fled Luoyang, he made a present of Sishui Pass to the enemy. After Sun Jian brought in his soldiers, Xuande, Guan and Zhang fought their way into Hulao Pass; each of the nobles brought in their soldiers as well. ”

“ Li Ru said, "Chancellor, you have just abandoned Luoyang; you must prevent the enemy from following us. We must instruct Xu Rong to hide his troops at the side of the mountain pass, which is outside of the walls of Xingcheng. If any soldiers come in pursuit of us, he will unleash his men on them. I will stay here to fight ”