Before Deyang Hall in the imperial city of Xu County, a place of utmost importance within the palace, everything had already been reduced to chaos.
Severed limbs lay everywhere, blood streaming across the ground and continuously running down the steps.
Cao Cao's troops stood arrayed before the hall. Cao Hong stood at the entrance and shouted inside, "Dong Cheng, you old traitor! Your plot has now been exposed. Release the Emperor and come out to surrender at once!"
"You have taken the Emperor hostage. Should any harm come to His Majesty, your nine generations shall be exterminated!"
Inside the hall, Liu Xie stood in the middle, trembling all over, while Dong Cheng shouted at his side, "We bear the Belt Edict to punish the traitor Cao Cao. You men enjoy the state's emoluments, so why do you not repent?"
"Now you have surrounded the palace. Who exactly is the rebel here, and whose nine generations should be exterminated?"
As soon as he finished shouting, he ordered his archers to loose their arrows. A succession of dull thuds followed as quite a few Cao soldiers were shot dead.
Seeing this, Dong Cheng was feeling rather pleased with himself when a cry came from outside the hall: "The Chancellor of Works Cao has arrived!"
Cao Cao then appeared, walking over slowly with Xun Yu. When he reached the front of the hall, he said in a low voice, "The rebels are trapped within the hall. Why are you still hesitating instead of advancing?"
Upon seeing him, Cao Hong, Cao Chun, and the others hurried forward and cupped their hands. "They are holding the Emperor hostage. We do not dare force our way in!"
Hearing this, Cao Cao looked at the brightly lit hall and pointed ahead. "Shieldmen, step forward! Break down the