Chang'an.
After Zhang Xins army withdrew, Dong Zhuo first tortured and cooked a batch of officials to intimidate the ministers, then replaced and purged all the generals and officers in the Chang'an Soldiers and Luoyang Soldiers, assigning Xiliang Soldiers to serve as corporals, squad leaders, and other grassroots positions, incorporating these two remnants into his command.
To completely subdue these two remnants, Dong Zhuo ordered his soldiers to go out and plunder, generously rewarding most of the plundered money and grain to the soldiers, buying their loyalty with heavy gold.
After annexing the Chang'an Soldiers and Luoyang Soldiers, Dong Zhuo's available troops returned to around 50,000.
With a large army in hand, and the strong enemy having retreated.
Dong Zhuo began to completely let himself go.
Previously, when he stayed overnight in the Imperial Palace, he at least knew to save some face for the royal family, always entering and exiting thru a small side gate.
Although the officials knew it well, on the surface, everyone pretended not to know.
Now, he directly stayed in the palace openly, flaunting the swans left behind by Liu Hong and Emperor Liu Bian, enjoying himself greatly.
It was also fortunate that Emperor Xian of Han was young and had not yet married or taken concubines.
Otherwise, Dong Zhuo would have at least tried to taste what it was like to have an Empress.
Of course, to prevent Zhang Xin from feigning a retreat and then secretly returning to ambush him, Dong Zhuo dispatched many scouts to closely monitor every move of Zhang Xins army.
When Dong Zhuo learned that the people of Huayin had moved with Zhang Xin, he couldn't help but feel tempted.
The common people were undisciplined and difficult to manage, which would definitely burden the army.
If he attacked now, Zhang Xin would surely be defeated!
However, the scouts reported that Zhang Xin had left Zhao Yun to guard Huayin.
Dong Zhuo then gave up on that idea.
"Forget it, let him be..."
The Xiliang Soldiers had suffered repeated defeats, and at one point could only be confined to the Imperial Palace, barely surviving by relying on the Son of Heaven, and their morale was extremely low.
At this point, asking them to attack a city again was basically impossible.
But when he learned that the people of River East had also left, and that the generals guarding the ferry crossing were Xu Rong and Wu Kuang, Dong Zhuo's thoughts became active again.
Xu Rong was once his subordinate and had always received his favors.
As for Wu Kuang...
Dong Zhuo had dealt with him for over a year; how could he not know his capabilities?
As a subordinate general fighting in campaigns, he was certainly fine.
But to let him guard a region?
"Zi Qing takes the people with him in his retreat, seeking fame and a good reputation, and yet he is poor at judging character. This is a heaven-sent opportunity for me to avenge myself! Hahahahaha..."
Dong Zhuo was overjoyed and immediately ordered his personal guards to summon Li Que, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou, and others.
Not long after, the Western Liang F4 arrived.
Dong Zhuo ordered Dong Min to guard the city, while he himself, along with the Western Liang F4 and twenty thousand infantry and cavalry, left the city in pursuit, rushing all the way to Puin Ferry.
Li Que and Guo Si had served under Zhang Xin, and Dong Zhuo, being suspicious by nature, had tried to avoid their contact with Zhang Xin in previous battles.
When the allied army entered the city, the two fought desperately to resist, which immediately dispelled Dong Zhuo's suspicions about them, and he brought them along for this pursuit.
When the news of Dong Zhuo's campaign arrived, the officials immediately felt that something was amiss.
He had been beaten so badly by Zhang Xin, yet he still dared to send troops in pursuit?
What happened?
For a time, the court and the common people were filled with worry.
Marquis Xuanwei, the Han dynasty's future relies on you to restore it; please don't let anything happen to you...
However, Dong Min, who remained in Chang'an, was not as brutal as Dong Zhuo; in terms of ruthlessness and deterrent power, he was far inferior to his brother.
With Dong Zhuo gone, the officials' activities within the city became much freer, and their contact with Emperor Xian of Han began to become more frequent.
"Alas..."
Emperor Xian of Han sat in the main hall of his bedchamber, resting his chin on his hands, gazing out the door with a look of utter despair.
He was very happy that Zhang Xin could come to his aid.
But he did not like that Zhang Xin attacked the Imperial Palace.
If Emperor Xian of Han had a flower in his hand at this moment, he would surely be muttering 'He loves me, he loves me not' repeatedly.
"Your Majesty."
A eunuch walked in and whispered, "General of the Household Cai requests an audience."
Since Cai Yong followed Dong Zhuo in relocating the capital, he hay put away the letter, wiping away the tears from his face.
"I will endure, I will endure..."