Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

Chapter 2523 Driving Away a Wolf to Devour a Tiger (Part 1)

"Spreading heresies and misleading the masses! Dong Zhuo is defying Heaven, colluding with treacherous and eccentric individuals to plot against the nation's pillar, the guardian beast Crimson Dragon. This is a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of your entire clan, yet you remain obstinate and unrepentant!"

"Lay down your weapons, and I will treat you leniently!" Lu Zhi's voice echoed in the sky.

Compared to the Han army, Dong Zhuo's army showed no signs of trouble whatsoever. The difference between the two was immediately apparent.

"Nonsense! My lord Dong Zhuo is one of the Three Dukes, how could he do such a heaven-defying thing? He participated in it to stop the evil deeds of the Yiren. The Yiren act without restraint and are extremely arrogant. They are trying to kill the pillar of the country to obtain the achievement of the Heavenly Way."

"Gentlemen, why not wait and let the truth come to light before engaging in warfare?" Zhang Ji's voice rang out.

Afterwards, prominent scholars and officials from all sides stepped forward to criticize, and a war of words ensued. Zhang Ji, a mere military man, surprisingly held his own against the assembled scholars, leaving an impression on many who were unfamiliar with this general.

"Wow, my Wenhe is awesome!" However, only Zhang Ji knew that all his conversations were manipulated by Jia Xu. This experience gave him a deeper understanding of Jia Xu.

"The opponent is stalling for time, attempting to keep the Lesser Hun Tian Yin-Yang Formation active to deplete its power." Jia Xu showed no expression in the face of Zhang Ji's praise; instead, his face became serious.

Veteran generals such as Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, and Zhu Jun, though they had not participated in battles for a long time, were still fierce warriors on the battlefield and should not be underestimated.

"Let's hold out for now. We'll wait and see how things go on Brother Xu's side."

Thus, the Han army and Dong Zhuo's army ceased their fighting as the Lesser Heavenly Yin-Yang Formation was activated.

……

In a military camp outside Luoyang City.

"So many days have passed, and you still haven't found it?" Prefect Qiao Mao of Dongjun asked with a gloomy expression.

Qiao Mao, leading an army of 500,000 men gathered from cities near Dongjun, did not enter the capital Luoyang, but instead searched for something on the outskirts...

He actually wanted to enter Luoyang, to have the same influence as Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo, and then climb to a higher position. But the capital city of Luoyang no longer allowed him in. Without an imperial edict, he dared not force his way in like Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo. Moreover, Ding Yuan, Dong Zhuo, and their ilk were now unwilling to let him bring troops into Luoyang, as that would disrupt the balance of power.

Given the numerous constraints, Qiao Mao could only lament his disappointment.

"My lord, we still haven't found it," a military adjutant said in a low voice, head bowed.

"Aside from a short distance east of Luoyang near the Yellow River, Lord Wang Kuang's army disappeared. I suspect they likely left by boat," the general continued to report.

"Are you saying that Wang Kuang led his elite troops and deserted?" Qiao Mao's face suddenly turned cold upon hearing this, and he asked in a low voice.

"This...this...I don't know either." The military officer, sensing Qiao Mao's frosty expression, dared not raise his head.

"Hundreds of thousands of troops just vanished without a trace? This is utterly ridiculous!!"

"Is there any news from the place where the uprising started?" Qiao Mao asked again.

"There's been no movement; Lord Wang Kuang hasn't led his troops back," the military officer quickly reported.

“He’s not outside the city, nor has he returned…and there are no signs of battle…all the evidence points to…he may very well have entered Luoyang!” After tapping the table lightly for a while and considering his options, Qiao Mao came to a startling conclusion.

Now that their leader He Jin has passed away, the group is leaderless, so it's normal for Wang Kuang to act expediently.

Wang Kuang was also ambitious; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to amass such a large and powerful force so quickly.

"Should I go to the capital?" After reaching a conclusion, Qiao Mao also had a strange thought.

"Report!!!" Just then, a messenger rushed in.

"Prefect, intelligence from within Luoyang!" the messenger announced loudly.

"Speak!!" Qiao Mao said in a deep voice.

The messenger quickly reported what had happened in Luoyang.

The latest development is that Lu Zhi, under the orders of Yang Biao, led the allied forces to besiege Dong Zhuo's army.

After listening to the intelligence in detail, Qiao Mao suddenly stood up and paced back and forth.

After pondering for a moment, he muttered to himself, "Gongjie, you seized the opportunity well, but why didn't you invite me?"

Wang Kuang: You M&%&#@￥%……

"Issue my order: assemble the troops, break camp, and march toward the Qinglong Gate, the eastern gate of Luoyang." Qiao Mao finally couldn't resist and raised an army to enter Luoyang.

At the same time, he directly sent messengers to contact Yang Biao, Lu Zhi, and others. Clearly, he was anti-Dong.

At this critical moment, if Lu Zhi and others receive his support, they will certainly agree to let him enter the city, since it is necessary to inject external forces to deal with the foreign warlords.

...At night, the Allied forces set up camp outside Xianyang Garden.

Even under the pitch-black night, the array that enveloped the entire Xianyang Garden continued to operate, emitting a dazzling glow.

After glancing at the array in the distance, Lu Zhi and the others crawled into their tents to prepare for a meeting.

The gentlemen have already gathered inside the tent.

Inside the huge tent, hundreds of people sat in an orderly fashion.

Although the daytime attack yielded no results, it did provide some information about Dong Zhuo's camp. After some discussion, a strategy for attack was decided.

"Gentlemen, besides Dong Zhuo, there is another consequence of this purge of the eunuchs..." said Gai Xun, the Prefect of the Capital, with a pointed remark.

What he was referring to was none other than Ding Yuan.

“Besides, Gongsun Zan, the Commandant of the Capital Region, is also suspected of holding military power and acting arbitrarily… It would be better to use a strategy of using one wolf to devour another… to encourage Ding Yuan to deal with Gongsun Zan…” said Gai Xun, the Prefect of the Capital Region, with a meaningful tone.

"What? Use one wolf to devour another? Send Ding Yuan to deal with Gongsun Zan, and the two will fight each other and both will be severely injured?!" Upon hearing this, Lu Zhi immediately guessed the subsequent plan and consequences.

"No! No!" Lu Zhi immediately retorted upon hearing this.

"Gongsun Zan is not as ambitious as Dong Zhuo. He is a fierce general from the frontier. After being recommended to the capital by General Wei, he has always followed the rules of the imperial court. Although he has ambitions to climb the ranks, he has always been law-abiding and controllable."

“Heh heh… Gongsun Zan was once your student. The bond between teacher and student is so strong, no wonder you admire him so much… Aren’t you afraid of raising a tiger that will turn on you?” Yuan Shu said quietly from the side.

"Raising a tiger to cause trouble... Haha... You used to say that Lin Mu was a wolf in sheep's clothing, raising a tiger to cause trouble, but what about now? And Dong Zhuo, whom you admire, was so domineering as soon as he entered the capital, and now he wants to slaughter Guo Zhu. Such a vile act is all because of you." Lu Zhi immediately retorted sarcastically upon hearing Yuan Shu's words.

Immediately, Lu Zhi glanced at Yuan Shao and other members of the Yuan family, as well as Han Fu and other disciples of the Yuan family, and sneered.

Lu Zhi was an upright man throughout his life, able to distinguish right from wrong, loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and discerning in his choice of friends. Even those he associated with, including the much-criticized Lin Mu, were all honest, kind, and law-abiding individuals.

Time will tell. General Lin Mu has refrained from action, primarily out of fear of disrupting the court. As far as he knows, Lin Mu's military strength far surpasses that of Dong Zhuo. Although he had previously tried to dissuade Lin Mu from intervening, his approach was never forceful, as he too was aware of the potential repercussions.

He did not seek Lin Mu's help during this campaign to besiege Dong Zhuo's army.

"Because of us? We were meritorious in eliminating the eunuchs, yet we didn't claim credit; everyone did it willingly. But you, timid and cowardly, only stand up to criticize as soon as there are consequences. Humph, cowards as mice!" Yuan Shu immediately retorted. He didn't care what kind of great Confucian scholar Lu Zhi was or what his prestige was; he directly confronted him.

Yuan Shu's words are actually correct from other perspectives. The purge of the eunuchs has both advantages and disadvantages, but at present, the disadvantages are still manageable.

Huangfu Song also stepped forward and said, “Everyone, please stop arguing. The army of the Sili Commandant was originally the army of the Western Garden, which was the military power of the late emperor. Now the five schools of troops are scattered and there are not many decent legions, which is why the foreign armies have become arrogant. We must protect this army, not waste it.”

"Yes! The capital's garrison should not be moved rashly." Experienced generals like Zhu Jun also stood up to support this.

“We can let Gongsun Zan wear down Ding Yuan’s army, and then we can wear down Dong Zhuo’s army. In this way, the power of foreign warlords can be completely eliminated, and the restoration of the Han Dynasty will be just around the corner!” Yuan Shao, the General of the Five Offices, said.

Originally, Yuan Shao was the Commandant of the Capital Region, but his actions were too dangerous, so he was dismissed. However, he did have merit in killing the eunuchs, so he was reappointed as a General of the Central Army.

"How about this: if Gongsun Zan is truly loyal to the Han Dynasty, let him relinquish his military power directly, and then let a person of high moral character take control of the Shuwei Army?" suggested Han Fu, the Imperial Censor.

Good grief, that's a direct attack on the enemy's supply lines.

At this moment, Lu Zhi realized that Gongsun Zan's existence had affected the interests of certain people, and that this obstacle needed to be removed.

Thinking of this, Lu Zhi looked around and found that none of Ding Yuan's or Gongsun Zan's men had come.

You should know that he had notified Zhao Yun and the others in advance.

Since they didn't show up at the meeting, it means that some people have already started to obstruct it.

Lu Zhi looked towards Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, and found that the two of them were also looking over. The three of them exchanged a glance and sighed inwardly, "These guys think they have victory in their grasp..."

Yuan Shi still believed that Dong Zhuo was not a significant threat.

However, in the eyes of Yang Biao, Lu Zhi, and others, Dong Zhuo posed the greatest threat and needed to be eliminated first. This is why Yang Biao, from the moment he emerged, disregarded all consequences and set out to deal with Dong Zhuo.

The meeting then descended into argument.

Although veteran generals like Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, and Zhu Jun had considerable connections, and even some of Yang's protégés offered their support, a large majority of the hundreds of people supported the plan to use one warlord to devour another. Some neutral parties also supported this plan, as it could eliminate the threat of warlords once and for all. Once these hidden dangers were resolved, the imperial court would be free from the harm of eunuchs, and the emperor would be young and unlikely to act recklessly; then the restoration of the Han dynasty would truly be just around the corner.

After some arguing, Lu Zhi and the others reluctantly agreed to the plan. The reason was simple: some people had to pay a price again. They went directly to Yang Biao, who had broken through the enemy lines, and demanded that he send a million soldiers and countless resources to besiege Dong Zhuo.

With a combination of harsh measures, the plan to use one wolf to devour another was put into practice.

(I'm back!!!!)
(End of this chapter)