After Dong Zhuo led his army to Puin Ferry, he immediately sent someone across the river to deliver a letter to Xu Rong.
The content of the letter was simple.
It was a surrender plea.
Dong Zhuo wrote in the letter that as long as he was willing to surrender, not only would he be forgiven, but he would also be granted a noble title.
Xu Rong said, "I don't believe you."
"You can lie to children with such words, but don't I know you?"
"After Li Min and the Yu Province Soldiers surrendered, who ordered them all killed?"
"And it was a cruel slaughter."
"I was the one who handled that matter back then! Did you forget?"
Of course, Xu Rong certainly wouldn't say it so directly, but instead, he replied to Dong Zhuo with a letter in a more tactful tone.
"Be good, don't make trouble."
"Considering you are my Imperial messenger, I will tell you something."
"There's a plan."
Dong Zhuo: "I wasn't here today."
Then Dong Zhuo retreated his troops.
Xu Rong looked at the Dong that were slowly retreating on the other side of the river and breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed Dong Zhuo was truly scared by Zhang Xins army.
"Give the order."
Xu Rong looked at the General beside him, "Tell the soldiers not to be negligent and to guard against Dong Zhuo's sudden return attack."
"Understood!"
On the first day, Dong Zhuo retreated to Linjin.
On the second day, Dong Zhuo retreated to Chongquan.
On the third day...
The news reached Longmen Ferry.
"Xu Rong, with just one deceptive word, scared Dong Zhuo into retreating, which shows he fears the Lord like a tiger."
Wu Kuang burst into laughter, "Give the order, reward the three armies today!"
"Military Officer."
Xu Huang, who was nearby, heard this and asked, "Should we drink alcohol when rewarding the three armies?"
"Of course, we should drink."
Wu Kuang nodded as a matter of course, "Since it's a reward, how can there be no alcohol?"
"Military Officer, drinking at this time seems inappropriate."
Xu Huang advised, "Dong Zhuo has been in the army for thirty years. This time he led two hundred thousand troops here. Even if he fears the Lord, he wouldn't retreat in such a sorry state without firing a single arrow."
"General believes that our army must not be negligent..."
"Military Officer Xu, you worry too much."
Wu Kuang waved his hand, "You also said that Dong Zhuo has two hundred thousand troops."
"Xu Rong has less than three thousand soldiers. If he wasn't truly afraid, he would have tried to force a crossing, wouldn't he? Why would he retreat?"
"Military Officer."
Xu Huang continued to persuade, "Even if we are to drink, it's not too late to drink after the scouts confirm that Dong Zhuo has indeed returned to Chang'an."
"Dong Zhuo is cunning, and we must guard against him. It's only two or three days anyway..."
What Wu Kuang said, although it made some sense.
However, River East was Xu Huang's hometown, so how could he dare to be negligent?
If Longmen Ferry were to fall, allowing Dong Zhuo's cavalry to rush in, all those who would die would be his fellow townsfolk.
Zhang Xin considered this point, which is why he sent Xu Huang over.
"No need to worry too much."
Wu Kuang laughed, "Dong has repeatedly lost battles against the Lord, and their morale is already low. Dong Zhuo must have exhausted all his efforts to drive them here."
"Now that they have retreated, even if Dong Zhuo wants to come again, the soldiers probably won't be willing."
"Yes, yes."
Zhang Zhang and other Luoyang Soldiers' Generals agreed, "Military Officer Xu, you worry too much. Military Officer Wu has been in the army for ten years, and his experience is much richer than yours."
The Luoyang Soldiers were originally Imperial Guards, and most of their Generals were selected from prominent families.
Ordinary commoners didn't even have enough food to eat, so naturally, they didn't have extra food for brewing wine.
But prominent families lived in superior conditions and often drank, so these Generals more or less had some alcohol addiction.
When Zhang Xin attacked Chang'an, they rose up to assist, and they had to fight Dong, so they naturally dared not drink.
After joining Zhang Xin's command, due to Zhang Xin's strict military discipline, they dared not drink without orders.
By now, it had been almost half a month since they last drank.
Earlier, when Dong Zhuo sent troops, they had to be on high alert, which was understandable.
Now that Dong Zhuo had retreated, they naturally wanted to drink to their heart's content to relieve their hardships.
"I've been fighting for half a month, can't I enjoy myself?"
"This..."
Xu Huang spoke again to persuade.
"Alright, alright."
Wu Kuang's face fell, "If you're not at ease, then tonight you can lead your own troops to be on guard, and we'll drink by ourselves."
Drinking during military campaigns was a common occurrence.
Soldiers' spirits were under constant tension, and if they didn't vent, problems could easily arise over time.
Some countries iick, form ranks! "
Xu Huang shouted loudly, pointing at the rafts in the river.
"Shoot arrows, shoot arrows! "