Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The three-night gong rang, breaking the dead silence. Wang Yun's trembling fingers grasped Lu Bu's armor, sinking deep into the metal cracks. "Fengxian! Immediately issue an order, ordering all officials to gather with their families at Suzaku Gate at 3:30 AM tomorrow morning!" His hoarse voice was filled with anxiety. "The new emperor's carriage is already waiting in the East Market. If you delay any longer, the scimitars of the Xiliang cavalry will be at your neck!"

Lü Bu raised an eyebrow and sneered, his painted halberd slamming heavily against the blue bricks. Sparks flew, illuminating the bloodthirsty glint in his eyes. "Don't worry, Situ." His golden hair crown swung violently with his movements. He suddenly kicked the old eunuch blocking his way, the sole of his boot rolling over the man's twisted fingers with a teeth-grinding crunch. "All men, listen! Break down every door! Anyone who dares to delay—" Even before he finished speaking, a shrill scream echoed through the streets, "I'll hang his dog's head on the gate for public display!"

The military order was as heavy as a mountain, yet it resembled a beast unleashed from its cage. A torrent of armor, carrying a foul wind, slammed open the gates of the mansions, and the sound of shattering bronze rings rippled through Suzaku Street. Inside a minister's mansion, an elderly woman sat slumped amid the rubble, clutching a family tree. She watched helplessly as soldiers overturned a sandalwood chest, and her daughter-in-law's meticulously embroidered wedding shoes tumbled out of the overturned dressing box, stained with mud and blood. "My child!" she cried, leaping at her dragged granddaughter, only to be stabbed in the shoulder by a spear. Blood splattered the yellowed family tree, dissolving the hideous red plum blossoms.

"Hurry!" Guards dragged the Grand Marshal toward the carriage. The old minister turned back to his own residence—smoke billowed from it. The ancient books and calligraphy he had treasured for half his life were being used as kindling by the thugs as kindling for the flames. "My ancient books..." the old man spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the python-patterned jade belt red. "Those were given to me by the late emperor..."

As the newly appointed Minister of Rites was dragged backwards by the soldiers, the jade beads on his crown tumbled off. Lü Bu's general Cheng Lian stomped hard on his crown and sash, the strong smell of alcohol emanating from beneath his armor. "I heard your family has hidden treasures from the previous dynasty?" Before he could finish his words, the soldiers had kicked open the red door. The sound of shattering porcelain mixed with the cries of women and children, like the screams of a ghost, piercing the night sky. In the moonlight, Cheng Lian pulled the stolen white jade sceptre from his bosom and shook it at the torch. "This thing is much more valuable than your broken official seal!"

Wang Yun gazed at the devastated ground from afar, his old face instantly turning ashen. The streets were littered with looted corpses, and the flickering candlelight in the pools of blood illuminated the ruins like a purgatory on earth. He stumbled and grabbed Lü Bu's cloak, "Fengxian! If you don't rein us in, Chang'an will become a hell!"

Lu Bu leaned against the broken wall, playing with the stolen gold-inlaid jade pendant, and sneered: "Situ, please be at ease." He glanced at the burning streets, and the smell of alcohol mixed with blood hit his face. "Anyway, Chang'an will change hands tomorrow. Do we really want to keep these gold and silver jewelry as a dowry for that kid Ma Chao?" Before he finished speaking, there was a dull sound of a heavy object falling to the ground in the distance - a young lady from an unknown family was thrown into the carriage, and her embroidered skirt fluttered, revealing half of her bruised calf. Lu Bu laughed at this and threw the jade pendant into the air: "Let the brothers have fun! When the sun rises tomorrow, we will make Chang'an cleaner than the yellow sand in Xiliang!"

As the night thickened, the stench of blood and burning mingled with the smell of burning, swirling through Chang'an. With Lü Bu's connivance, violence spread like wildfire throughout the districts. The vermilion doors of the usually imposing noble families were now flung open. The cold gleam of armor flashed through the pavilions and towers. The sounds of shattering porcelain, toppling furniture, and wailing for mercy intertwined into a hellish symphony.

At the Cui Mansion in the south of the city, the old housekeeper was hung upside down from the door beam, watching helplessly as the women of the clan were dragged past. Cuixiu, the fifteen-year-old youngest daughter of the Cui family, had her golden hairpins scattered from her hair, and her skirt, embroidered with lotus flowers, was torn to shreds. She desperately reached for the old housekeeper, but the soldier slammed her down on the brick floor, leaving two bloody marks on her knees. "Let me go!" she cried at the top of her lungs, only to receive a resounding slap in the face. "You bitch, you dare to scream?" The leading sergeant grinned as he tore open her skirt, and behind him, the laughter and cheers of his companions echoed.

In a bank east of the city, the shopkeeper, chained to the counter, watched as soldiers roughly stuffed boxes of copper coins and silver ingots into sacks. Someone discovered gold ingots hidden in a secret compartment, and amidst shouts of excitement, the crowd rushed forward, shoving and fighting, even drawing swords. Spattering blood stained the account books, the ink and blood mingling, blurring the densely packed account entries.

The Taoist temple further away wasn't spared either. The nuns huddled in fear beneath the statues, trembling as they chanted scriptures. But the thugs kicked over the altar, sending incense ash flying. They then dragged the nuns out of the temple by their hair. "Are monks this beautiful?" Amidst the harsh laughter, their robes were torn open, exposing their fair skin to the cold wind.

Wang Yun stood on the city wall, looking at this horrific scene, shaking with anger. He turned and angrily scolded Lu Bu: "Fengxian! Look at this Chang'an City, what a disgrace! If this gets out, how will the people of the world view the Han Dynasty?" Lu Bu wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth nonchalantly and raised an eyebrow, saying: "Why are you making a fuss about it, Si Tu? It's just to make the brothers happy. Chang'an will belong to Ma Chao tomorrow, and it's a good thing for him to keep these things."

At this moment, Cao Cao, along with Cao Ang and others, hurried over. Seeing the chaos in the city, Cao Cao frowned, a subtle flicker of disgust in his eyes. But he quickly recovered, bowed to Wang Yun, and said, "Don't worry, Minister. It won't be too late to rectify military discipline after we evacuate Chang'an tomorrow." He turned to look at Lü Bu and said with a meaningful smile, "The brothers of Marquis Wen are indeed extremely brave." Lü Bu heard the sarcasm in his words, but simply snorted and continued to play with the jade pendant he had snatched.

Amidst this chaos, Liu Xie was the only one left, hiding in his carriage, his hands tightly covering his ears, yet unable to stop the tears. He had never witnessed such a horrific scene, and his heart was filled with fear and despair. He suddenly realized that the so-called emperor was nothing more than a puppet in this chaotic world, unable to protect even his own people.

In the Xiliang camp, Ma Chao stared at the flames rising toward Chang'an, his brow furrowed. Li Ru approached, sneering, "General, I'm afraid Wang Yun is destroying the Great Wall himself. This way, we'll save a lot of effort entering the city tomorrow." Ma Chao didn't respond, but simply tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. His mind flashed back to Lu Wan's face, wondering if she was safe amidst this chaos...

As Cao Ang, Cao Ren, and Cao Hong rode down Suzaku Street, they encountered three armored soldiers tearing at a young girl's skirt. The gold-embroidered silk ripped into shreds in the night breeze, and the girl's shrill cries pierced Cao Ang's temples. He slammed down from his horse, his black cape sweeping across the messy ground. His bronze wristband grasped the wrist of a thug with precision: "Stop! Cao has been ordered to maintain order!"

"Oh, the dog of the Cao family dares to meddle in other people's business?" Cheng Lian leaned against the door frame of the tavern, picking up half a piece of smoked meat with the tip of his blood-stained knife. Oil dripped down the shaft of his halberd onto Cao Ang's shiny armor. "My Wen Hou said that tonight in Chang'an..." Before he finished speaking, Cao Hong roared and pushed through the crowd, punching Cheng Lian directly in the face: "Bullshit!"

Cheng Lian stumbled back, a bloody gash at the corner of his mouth. He wiped his face, a fierce gleam in his eyes: "What a bastard from the Cao family!" He suddenly swung his three-pronged steel fork, but Cao Ren blocked it with his horizontal sword. The three-pronged steel fork and the ring-handled sword collided with a dragon's roar. A melee broke out instantly, with Cao's soldiers and the Bingzhou army on the verge of a fight, and arrows streaked dangerously in the night sky.

"Stop!" Cao Cao's furious roar pierced the clamor. His Qingguang sword, half a foot unsheathed, its cold light tingling everyone's scalps. He rode his horse over the devastated ground, his hawk-like gaze sweeping over Cheng Lian's swollen face and Cao Hong's bloodied fist, finally resting on Cao Ang's tightly clenched sword hilt. "Are you planning a fight beneath the Emperor's feet?"

Lü Bu suddenly interrupted with wild laughter, the dragon on his golden hair crown swaying as he said, "Stop pretending!" He stepped on the broken porcelain on the ground and approached Cao Cao, the red tassel of his Fang Tian Hua Ji almost brushing the tip of his nose. "Cao Mengde, are you sending your son to show off your authority?"

Cao Ang knelt on one knee, the sound of armor clashing between them resoundingly clear. "Father! I have a duty to fulfill. Seeing General Lü Bu's men looting and robbing women, I really..." Cheng Lian suddenly leaped up, aiming his bloody fist straight for Cao Ang's face, but Cao Hong grabbed his hold and rammed his knee into the back of his neck. Cheng Lian groaned and fell to the ground. Lü Bu's pupils shrank suddenly, and the sword at his waist was already three inches out of its sheath.

"Enough!" Cao Cao waved his sleeves violently, startling the crows under the eaves. "Cheng Lian has violated military discipline and will be handed over to General Lu Bu for punishment!" He turned to look at Cao Ang, a complex expression in his eyes. "Since you want to uphold the law, go to Suzaku Gate to supervise the retreat." He glanced at Cao Hong and said, "Come with me to appease the people." Finally, he bowed to Wang Yun and said, "Don't worry, Minister. I will ensure that Your Majesty leaves the city safely at 3:15 tomorrow morning."

In the darkness of the night, Cao Ang watched his father's receding figure, clenching his blood-stained fists. The flames of Chang'an were still raging.

Cao Ang had just sheathed his sword and was about to turn his horse to flee when the sound of fierce fighting, like an arrow piercing the night, echoed from the depths of a nearby alley. He jerked the reins, and his horse reared up with a neigh. Cao Ang's brow furrowed, a flicker of alarm and confusion in his eyes. This chaotic noise, on this night of panicked evacuation, seemed especially abrupt and dangerous.

Following the sound, I dashed off, turning a few corners and discovering a shambles in front of the Lu Mansion. The vermilion lacquered gate stood ajar, hanging crookedly on its hinges, as if ready to collapse at any moment. The doorsteps were stained with messy footprints and dark red blood, a startling sight in the moonlight. Torches flickered in the courtyard, figures gathered, and the clang of weapons intensified.

Cao Ang pulled someone over to inquire, and upon learning that this was the home of the late, renowned scholar Lu Zhi, Cao Ang dismounted and strode into the palace. He was greeted by a scene of ferocious combat: a fierce general, wielding twin halberds, surged through the crowd like a furious Vajra, his towering figure like an iron tower. His halberds wielded with ferocity, each swing unleashing a powerful gust of wind that sent weapons flying from Lü Bu's men as soon as they came within striking distance. Even with such valor, Dian Wei's armor was stained with blood, evidently evidence of a fierce battle.

Another general, covered in blood, stood fiercely before Lu Wan and her family. His broadsword had long since bent, and blood oozed from wounds, staining most of his clothes red. But his gaze remained steely, his sword pointed at the enemy, refusing to retreat. Behind him, a woman, pale as a cadaver, clutched her younger brother tightly, her body trembling. Her mother, terrified, collapsed to the ground.