Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

Chapter 2638 Dong Zhuo Dominates the Capital

Lin Mu frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Dong Zhuo is an ambitious man. Now that he has gathered all the foreign troops, his power has greatly increased. I'm afraid the capital, Luoyang, is about to fall into an unprecedented upheaval."

Lin Mu was aware of the matter concerning Dong Zhuo, but others were not.

Dong Zhuo's bravery surpassed even that of Lü Bu; he even dared to kill the deposed emperor. Combined with his previous act of daring to kill the Red Dragon, it all points to his even greater ambitions.

Cui Wu sighed softly and said, "My lord, should we contact Yang Biao, Lu Zhi, Yuan Shao, and others in Luoyang in order to control Dong Zhuo's ambitions?"

If Cui Wu could think of this, how much more so would Guo Jia and the others?

Just then, Guo Jia, Xun You, and Xi Zhicai appeared, hurrying along their way.

The three rushed over in a great hurry, but before they even arrived, Guo Jia was the first to speak: "Dao Jiu, is your fate sealed?"

Although he didn't say it explicitly, it sent a chill down everyone's spine, because they all knew that "the end of its reign" referred to the Han Dynasty!
With the death of the Imperial Pillar, the successor is still from Dong Zhuo's camp, and the Imperial Guards have been infiltrated by Dong Zhuo. With preparations made so thoroughly inside and out, it is quite obvious that Dong Zhuo will dominate the capital!

Unlike previous powerful ministers, Dong Zhuo's ambition was far greater. He didn't want status or titles; he wanted... the entire land of China!
It should be noted that Guo Jia and his group had returned to their respective posts after completing their mission with the Xu clan, and had only been gone for less than a day. Now, stunned by Ding Yuan's death, they quickly regrouped to discuss the changing situation in the capital.

Previously, Lin Mu had asked the relatives and friends of the forces in the Great Wilderness territory to leave the capital, fearing that they would be affected by the extermination of the eunuchs, and also fearing that their growing influence would attract hatred towards them, so they stayed away from the capital.

But after Ding Yuan's death, previous speculations seemed to change in an instant, as if they had seen the truth hidden behind the thick fog!
Therefore, after they gathered together and rushed over, the first thing they asked was this extremely sensitive question!

"The world, after a long period of division, tends to unite; after a long period of unity, tends to divide!" Lin Mu did not answer Guo Jia directly, but instead quoted the opening lines of the first chapter of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

When Guo Jia and the other two arrived at Lin Mu's side, they were all shocked by what they heard.

The Han Dynasty's fate is sealed!
The heroes are about to begin their struggle for supremacy!
"Next, Luoyang, the capital, is about to undergo a massive bloodbath!" Xi Zhicai sighed softly and guessed.

Lin Mu smiled slightly upon hearing this. Xi Zhicai, however, was wrong. After Dong Zhuo dominated the capital and monopolized the imperial court, he did not engage in widespread killing. Instead, he continuously tried to win over various ministers in order to maintain stability. Even when he did kill, he only killed a few of the most prominent figures.

Even Lu Zhi, whom Dong Zhuo deeply resented, and Yuan Shao, who later vehemently opposed him, were not murdered by Dong Zhuo. Otherwise, how could Lu Zhi and Yuan Shao have safely evacuated from the capital?

The only one who received special treatment later on was Cao Cao. And that might have been a fatal crisis for Cao Cao!
"Dao Jiu, Ji Beiqin has something that Dong Zhuo needs. If we don't give it to him, his power will rise even faster..." Xun You said meaningfully in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Lin Mu frowned slightly.

"We should give them the gifts. It's not advisable to confront them head-on for now." After pondering for a while, Lin Mu shook his head and rejected Xun You's suggestion.

"Let me check with Ji Beiqin first." Of course, Lin Mu didn't give a definitive answer, but rather wanted to see the attributes of the items Ji Beiqin dropped.

"Let's go into the council hall. Ding Yuan's death has had a significant impact, and some of our previous plans may need to be completely changed," Guo Jia said, waving his hand.

Upon hearing this, Lin Mu hesitated for a moment. He had originally wanted to go to the capital to welcome Gao Shun immediately, but Guo Jia and the others stopped him.

"Never mind, Ding Yuan just died, it might be too much of a shock for Gao Shun, let him recover a bit," Lin Mu thought to himself.

However, he still instructed Cui Wu: "Tell Night Shadow to keep a close eye on Gao Shun's situation."

"Yes, sir." Cui Wu accepted the order and quickly left.

Afterwards, the group entered the simple meeting hall of Yizhou Village and began to discuss countermeasures intensely.

The first thing to be discussed was the position of General Lin Muwei, our lord.

Indeed, in their opinion, if Dong Zhuo were to seize power, the first person he would deal with would not be Lu Zhi or Yang Biao, but their lord, Lin Mu.

Currently, the only one with the capability and military strength to confront him is our lord, Lin Mu.

Dong Zhuo wanted to rule the world, and Lin Mu would definitely be a stepping stone for him!
Therefore, they discussed the consequences and impact of the removal of the General of the Guards from his post.

After some discussion, Guo Jia, Xun You, and Xi Zhicai unanimously decided not to relinquish military power and to delay the process for as long as possible!
That's right, it's about going head-to-head with Dong Zhuo!
Lin Mu agreed to the decision. After all, what he was going to do next was to confront Dong Zhuo head-on.

After discussing the first item, they began to discuss the possibilities and subsequent impacts of other official positions within the Great Wilderness Territory system...

The three of them truly lived up to their reputation as master strategists; their grasp of many things was remarkably precise, and their control over details was extremely meticulous.

Lin Mu agreed with most of the proposed solutions.

However, there was one condition that Lin Mu overpowered Guo Jia and the other two: Lord Lin Mu could not enter Luoyang.

Indeed, everyone agreed that they could not allow their lord, Lin Mu, to return to Luoyang and get caught up in the vortex.

But Lin Mu opposed the decision because he had a compelling reason to go.

Lin Mu did not use a legitimate reason to persuade everyone, but he insisted on going, and he would go immediately after the meeting.

Reluctantly, everyone agreed, but Guo Jia and others suggested that they should bring guards, such as Zhao Yun and Xi Zhicai.

Indeed, since their lord Lin Mu is so determined to enter the tiger's den, Xi Zhicai, as his subject, must also go. Even with the Night Shadow Legion secretly protecting them, they are still uneasy.

After some discussion, both sides compromised and took Zhao Yun with them.

Lin Mu rejected Xi Zhicai's and the National Protection Army's proposals to march south and exert pressure. As night fell, the council hall was brightly lit, and the discussions were lively and urgent…

Meanwhile, many outstanding individuals in Luoyang, the capital city, were also extremely distressed and panicked by this.

Inside the Yang family mansion, Yang Biao was entertaining Lu Zhi, Zhu Jun, Huangfu Song, Wang Yun, Tao Qian, and others.

"In this battle, Dong Zhuo lost tens of thousands, but that's not enough to cripple him. We need to add fuel to the fire!" Lu Zhi shouted.

Ding Yuan's ambush of Dong Zhuo was part of their behind-the-scenes planning.

"Hehe... Keep the fire burning brighter, and the hatred between the two sides will deepen, leading to greater casualties," Zhu Jun said confidently.

"Hmm... I still have the same suggestion: in chaotic times, harsh measures are necessary. Directly assassinate the relatives of the Xiliang faction and frame Ding Yuan, and assassinate the relatives of Ding Yuan's faction and frame Dong Zhuo, so that they can fight to the death." Huangfu Song suggested with a murderous look on his face.

He had made this suggestion several times before, but Yang Biao, Lu Zhi, and others did not agree with it.

They didn't want to be so radical; instead, they wanted to adopt a gradual, insidious approach.

Just then, Zhu Hao rushed in with an extremely solemn expression.

Before Zhu Jun could reprimand him for his lack of manners, Zhu Hao said in a trembling voice, "Lü Bu murdered his father, successfully assassinated Ding Yuan, and then used Ding Yuan's head to persuade the entire army to surrender and to Dong Zhuo!!"

His words were similar to those of Cui Wu.

However, the reactions of those who heard this were much more intense. The smiles on Yang Biao and the others' faces instantly froze.

Immediately, everyone stood up abruptly, their faces changing drastically, and they exclaimed in unison, "Lord Ding is dead? How is that possible?!"

"The entire army surrendered to Dong Zhuo... This is terrible!!!"

Now, everyone panicked.

Lu Zhi, in particular, had his expression change several times. He knew that Luoyang would soon be under Dong Zhuo's absolute control.

Given Dong Zhuo's personality, it would be considered lenient for others to use his position to settle personal scores; his normal style would be to directly confront him.

"What should we do now?" Even Yang Biao was somewhat flustered at this moment.

Dong Zhuo's army was already strong, and now that he has integrated Ding Yuan's army, they are even stronger and have no rivals.

The only force that can currently stand against them is the Imperial Guards within the palace. However, the Imperial Guards don't concern themselves with external affairs; as long as Dong Zhuo doesn't go too far, they tend to turn a blind eye to Empress Dowager He and the Emperor.

What Empress Dowager He and the Emperor wanted was time, time for the Emperor to grow.

"Gentlemen, Dong Zhuo previously proposed at the banquet to depose the current emperor and install the Prince of Chenliu in his place. Why don't we..." Wang Yun said meaningfully.

His meaning was clear to everyone: he wanted Empress Dowager He and the Emperor to take action against Dong Zhuo.

"Let's go to the palace!" After thinking for a moment, Yang Biao agreed to the suggestion.

However, just as they were about to enter the palace, a messenger came in to report the latest intelligence.

After Dong Zhuo gathered Ding Yuan's three armies, he ordered four generals, Lü Bu, Hua Xiong, Niu Fu, and Hu Zhen, to lead four armies to attack the four surrounding cities of Luoyang, the capital, and to annihilate the army of officials that had gathered there!

Once Dong Zhuo gained power, he swiftly began eliminating his political opponents.

Even Lin Mu's General's Mansion was ransacked, but there was no one inside, leaving Dong Zhuo's army empty-handed.

Even the three so-called manors of the Yuan family were directly breached, and the hundreds of thousands of so-called retainers, servants, and guards kept within were all slaughtered. The killing lasted for a full day and night, with rivers of blood flowing!

This move shook the entire city of Luoyang, and countless people were terrified.

The officials of the entire Han Dynasty were shaken and filled with fear.

They were even more afraid that Dong Zhuo would overturn the chessboard, storm the palace, kill the emperor, and seize the Han Dynasty!

In that case, these officials will basically all meet a bad end!
The terrified officials began to change their stance. Many went directly to visit Dong Zhuo with lavish gifts, formally pledging their allegiance to him.

Those who had previously criticized Dong Zhuo even went so far as to carry thorns on their backs and apologize.

The Yang family mansion was also surrounded by Dong Zhuo's army.

Li Jue, fully armed, sat swaggering in front of the Yang family's gate, surrounded by a large force of soldiers.

When Yang Biao, Lu Zhi, and the others came out of the gate and saw the menacing Li Jue, they didn't say a word and simply closed the gate and retreated.

At this moment, they didn't even have a chance to enter the palace...

Upon returning to the main hall, Yang Biao immediately said to Lu Zhi, Zhu Jun, and Huangfu Song, "You should flee the capital first."

(End of this chapter)