Dong Zhuo's ruthlessness and determination to relocate the capital far exceeded everyone's expectations! On the day he returned to court, Dong Zhuo practically dragged the entire imperial court of civil and military officials into the palace hall, where his word was final. All those who voiced opposition were put to death. Only when no one dared object any longer did Dong Zhuo leave with unrestrained laughter.
On the second day after Dong Zhuo returned to Luoyang, the proclamation for relocating the capital was posted throughout every street and alley of Luoyang. Written by Li Ru, it ran to several hundred eloquent characters, its literary brilliance enough to shame the great scholars of the age. Yet its actual contents were enough to make every Confucian scholar and famed literatus in the realm cough blood in fury.
In summary, it said: Luoyang's fortune had run out, while Chang'an possessed new fortune and was better suited to serve as the capital. Chancellor Dong was wise and mighty beyond compare and had decided to relocate the capital to Chang'an. Everyone had three days to pack their belongings and follow Grand Commandant Dong. Anyone who dared object would be defying Heaven's mandate and courting destruction.
On the very day the proclamation went up, the troops stationed outside the four gates surged into the city, smashing down doors and driving people out house by house. Anyone who delayed was beaten to death with clubs. For a time, beneath the overcast skies, Luoyang was filled with misery and chaos. Robbery, murder, rape, arson... countless evils played out within this ancient capital of a hundred years.
Under such extreme, bloody pressure, the relocation proceeded with unimaginable speed and smoothness. On the first day, all eight gates of Luoyang's western district were flung open, and hundreds of thousands of