I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 734: Dong Zhuo dies in the battle to execute Li Ru, and Lu Bu appoints Su Yao as his general and returns to the east (Chapter 5K3)

Early morning, the front hall of Weiyang Palace.

In front of all the ministers, Su Yao put his hand on Liu Xie's shoulder and said generously:
"That's how it is."

“Seeing is not necessarily believing.”

"In the past, Emperor Xiaoling prepared several substitutes to protect the current emperor. The thief Dong did not kill the emperor himself. The little guy in front of you is just another substitute."

The ministers were deeply shocked by Su Yao's words. They looked at each other and looked at Su Yao and Liu Xie in astonishment, simply unable to believe their ears.

Su Yao's words were so bizarre that they could not digest them for a while, and they could not understand what this champion was talking about.

"The one who died is a substitute? The one who is now dead is also a substitute?"

"When did Your Majesty have so many substitutes? Why have we never heard of it?"

"Yeah, that's unlikely."

"Champion Hou, you are joking, right?"

Dong Cheng, Wang Yun and others widened their eyes and looked at Su Yao with confusion, trying to find any trace of a joke in his expression.

However, there was no expression on Su Yao's cold poker face.

Then, Dong Yong, who was standing behind Su Yao, sighed, walked forward, and explained with his hands clasped:
"My Lords, what the Champion Marquis said is true."

"After our interrogation of the thief Dong all night yesterday, the whole story has been clarified."

"In order to escape smoothly and resolve the opposition of the ministers, the thief Dong secretly handed the real Majesty to his trusted confidants long before the civil strife in Chang'an, quietly took him out of the capital, and fled to the west first."

"That thief Dong originally wanted to plunder Chang'an and then force you all to leave the capital to follow him, but he didn't expect that his information would be leaked by Minister Dong. We took advantage of the situation to launch a mutiny and dragged him into the city."

"What made him even more desperate was that the army of Marquis Guanjun arrived at the city gates at an extremely fast speed, like a divine army descending from the sky, destroying the last hope of Dong the thief."

"At this moment, the thief Dong knew that he could not do anything, but he was unwilling to fail in disgrace, so he suddenly had an idea and came up with the idea of ​​using your Majesty's substitute as bait to set a trap in the main hall of the Weiyang Palace, and staged a big show for us, trying to lure and kill all the ministers."

"However, as you can see, good prevails over evil, and the conspiracy of the thief Dong did not succeed. The Marquis of Guanjun arrived in time at the critical moment, saved the building from collapse, captured the thief Dong alive, and saved me from the fire."

"This"

"Is this the truth?"

"This is too outrageous."

"It's unbelievable, it's unbelievable!"

Faced with Su Yao and Dong Chengjiu's true and false speeches, all the officials present were talking about it with different expressions.

Especially Dong Cheng, who was a double agent for Dong Zhuo and Liu Xie and thought he knew the emperor well, he immediately objected:

"How come I didn't know that your majesty had a substitute?"

"If you really want to transfer His Majesty, then you should arrange for me to do it!"

"But I had no idea about this at all. Something is wrong. This is not right!"

Dong Cheng looked nervous and approached Liu Xie who was beside Su Yao, shouting, as if he wanted to confirm it in more detail.

However, Su Yao would never give him a chance. He simply pushed Dong Cheng away and snorted:

"Isn't this what Minister Dong is saying, accusing me of lying, deceiving the emperor, and making fun of the ministers?"

Dong Cheng was pushed away by Su Yao. He staggered a few steps, his face changed drastically, and he waved his hands repeatedly:
"I dare not, I dare not, it's just this matter."

"The facts are very clear!"

Su Yao asserted:
"The fake emperor was pierced through the heart by the thief Dong and died right in front of you. Countless eyes saw it clearly."

"If Your Majesty doesn't have a substitute, who is this child?"

"Are you going to say that His Majesty has come back to life and is here with me to act out a play and fool all the officials?"

Dong Cheng was speechless after being asked by Su Yao. His face turned red. He opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.

Indeed, the thrilling scene of yesterday is still vivid in my mind, and the scene of Dong Zhuo personally killing the "emperor" seems to be right in front of me.

And now, the child that Su Yao brought was extremely similar to Liu Xie in terms of body shape, face and temperament, and could even be said to be exactly the same.

This left Dong Cheng with no way to refute.

It can't be that someone really came back to life, right?
In this case, it is an ironclad fact that His Majesty has a substitute, and Dong Cheng was kept in the dark the entire time.

Could it be that neither Dong Zhuo nor His Majesty trusts me as much as they appear to? !
"It is what it is."

Seeing Dong Cheng speechless, Su Yao nodded and said:

"Minister Dong, you don't have to be sad. After all, you have only been serving His Majesty for a short time. It is reasonable that you are unaware of this matter."

"It was me. It was because Emperor Xiaoling once wanted to entrust his son to me, that I knew that Your Majesty was preparing a replacement."

"Similarly, as your Majesty's cousin, Dong Yong is well aware of this."

Then, Su Yao looked at Dong Yong and gestured:
"Well, am I right?"

Dong Yong was stunned for a moment. Although he was very unhappy, he still kept a straight face and cooperated with Su Yao in lying.

"What the Champion Marquis said is absolutely right. Your Majesty does have a substitute, and I know a thing or two about it."

He paused, and continued with a serious look:
"This matter concerns the safety of Your Majesty. Emperor Xiaoling attached great importance to it when he was alive, and it has always been kept secret. Only a few close confidants know about it. It is because I am close to Your Majesty that I have a glimpse of the inside story."

Su Yao and Dong Yong sang the same tune, which immediately frightened the foreign officials.

Even though they had all kinds of guesses about such royal secrets, they were not involved and could not confirm them.

Many people could only nod and agree with this.

After all, although this matter is bizarre, it is not surprising that the emperor has a substitute in such a chaotic world.

Otherwise, what else can be done?

Are you going to openly contradict this extremely powerful Marquis who has completely taken control of Chang'an City?

They were able to defeat Dong Zhuo's tens of thousands of Western Liang Iron Army with just a few thousand cavalrymen. What could these unarmed court officials do?
Now, with the testimony of Dong Yong, one of His Majesty's close ministers, no one wants to offend the Marquis of Guanjun, who is at the peak of his career, at this critical moment, just for some vague suspicions.

Su Yao couldn't help but feel relieved when he saw that the ministers gradually accepted his words.

The little emperor's willfulness did cause him some trouble.

But as long as the fact of His Majesty's disappearance is confirmed, Liu Xie, the "stand-in", will be able to officially step forward and move freely around him.

I have to say, it’s quite cool to have the emperor as your follower, no matter what the little guy’s future abilities are, it’s still pretty cool.

In this way, he not only repaid the late emperor's kindness, but also fulfilled his promise to his wife, the princess, and freed the young emperor from the doomed tragic ending of being a puppet.
More importantly, through this incident, he established absolute authority in the court.

Su Yao was secretly calculating in his mind, his eyes swept over the ministers, and an unprecedented sense of pride surged in his heart.

He knew very well that this was the right move. It not only solved the immediate crisis, but also laid a solid foundation for his future undertakings, and would enable him to better carry out actions in the name of the court.

"We already know what the Champion Marquis said."

"In this case, I wonder what your Excellency is going to do next? How should we cooperate?"

All the ministers spoke up and asked what to do next.

Su Yao naturally had a plan in mind for this:

"Your Majesty is missing, so we should naturally send people to look for him, but the most urgent task is to stabilize the court as soon as possible to prevent chaos."

Su Yao looked at the officials present with deep eyes and continued:

"Although Dong Zhuo has been captured, his power has not yet been completely eliminated, and the princes in various places are also ready to make moves. The situation in the world is still turbulent."

"Therefore, the most important thing right now is to punish this evil chieftain Dong Zhuo to serve as a warning to others, to deter the scoundrels, and to tell the world that the prestige of our court still exists!"

Upon hearing this, all the officials nodded in agreement.

They knew very well that under Dong Zhuo's tyranny, the court's prestige was gone, especially Dong Zhuo's final letter to the world asking the princes to enter Guanzhong to attack Su, which was a huge hidden danger.

Now that Dong Zhuo has been defeated quickly, he should be executed as soon as possible. At the same time, a clarification notice should be issued to warn the princes in various places not to act rashly.

"Your Excellency is absolutely right."

Gai Xun took a deep breath and agreed:
"Dong is a traitor and has committed many evil deeds. If he is not executed, it will not be enough to set things right. He should be executed as soon as possible and severely to serve as a warning to others."

"That's right. Dong Zhuo is a villain who disrupted the government, murdered loyal officials, oppressed the people, and committed all kinds of evil. His crimes are too numerous to list, and he must be severely punished!"

Wang Yun followed Gai Xun's words and was also filled with indignation.

Their words instantly evoked the memories of the ministers being oppressed by Dong Zhuo. For a moment, the ministers were excited and demanded that Dong Zhuo be severely punished and must not be allowed to die easily.

Su Yao nodded and agreed, "What you said makes sense. Dong the thief has committed so many evil deeds that he should not be forgiven lightly. But according to your opinions, according to the laws of the Han Dynasty, how should Dong the thief be dealt with in order to demonstrate the majesty of the national law and appease the indignation of the people?"

How to deal with Dong Zhuo?

This really perked up the ministers.

Suddenly, everyone spoke freely.

Some said that he would be beheaded in public and his head would be hung on the city gate and exposed to the sun for three years as a warning to others; some said that he would be tortured to death and cut into pieces to appease the public anger; and some said that he would be torn into pieces by five horses and torn into pieces by a chariot to show the majesty of the country's law.

In the end, Su Yao felt that beheading was too easy, while lingchi was too cruel and was not included in the Han law. In the end, Su Yao made a bold decision and decided that Dong Zhuo's fate was to be torn apart by five horses and torn apart by chariots on the streets in the center of Chang'an city.

In addition to himself, the crime of treason and the extermination of his three clans were naturally inevitable.

However, since most of his family members are now hiding in Meiwu, it will take some time to catch them all.

Therefore, the only people executed that day were Dong Zhuo himself and some of his family members in Chang'an.

At the execution ground, Dong Zhuo was tied up and kneeling on the ground, his face as pale as death.

He stared at Su Yao angrily. If looks could kill, he would have killed Su Yao thousands of times by now.

But unfortunately, he doesn't have such super powers.

Dong Zhuo, whose tongue was pulled out, could only make a "woohoo" sound in a weak protest.

Soon, after the official in charge of criminal law in the Supreme Court finished reading out Dong Zhuo's crimes, five horses were driven forward and came to Dong Zhuo's side.

The executioner tied the ropes tightly around Dong Zhuo's limbs and neck, firmly connecting him to the horse.

Then, as soon as Su Yao gave the order to execute, the horses were controlled by the riders and ran in all directions.

Just like that, under the gazes of countless onlookers, officials and civilians, the five horses neighed, galloped, and the ropes tightened. Dong Zhuo's body was instantly torn into five pieces, blood splattered everywhere, and the scene was extremely tragic.

This tragic scene not only did not frighten or panic the onlookers, but instead triggered a thunderous cheer.

"Oh my God, am I dreaming?"

"Dead, dead!"

"The thief Dong is finally dead!"

"Long live the Champion! Long live the Han!"

Cheers rose one after another, resounding through the sky.

Tears of excitement sparkled in the eyes of the people. They waved their arms vigorously, celebrating that this evil villain who had disrupted the government and killed loyal people had finally received the retribution he deserved.

The officials were extremely excited. They walked down the platform one after another, came to the edge of the execution ground, and clapped their hands in approval as they looked at the bloody remains of Dong the thief.

They knew that Dong Zhuo's death was not only a punishment for him personally, but also a warning to all evildoers in the world.

"The thief Dong has been executed, and the world is at peace!"

Many people shouted such slogans, venting their emotions, and some even wanted to take advantage of the chaos to break into the execution ground, snatch Dong Zhuo's body, and eat his flesh alive.

However, Su Yao would naturally not allow such an exaggerated restriction of the scene.

Around the execution ground, Su Yao's soldiers maintained order, blocking the excited crowd and ensuring the smooth progress of the execution.

Immediately afterwards, some of Dong Zhuo's family members, close associates, and remnants in the capital were escorted here one by one and executed by beheading.

When the execution was completed, Su Yao immediately ordered that Dong Zhuo's head be taken and hung on the city gate as a warning to others.

At the same time, Su Yao would naturally not let go of Dong Zhuo's remaining remnants in Guanzhong.

The biggest threat first came from Li Ru's troops, which Dong Zhuo sent to the north to confront Zhang Liao and others.

Those powerful troops of Xiliang and some elite troops of the Northern Army have complete organization and sufficient field strength.

If they were allowed to escape the encirclement, there would be war everywhere in Guanzhong, and the damage to the local economy would be immeasurable.

Therefore, after executing Dong Zhuo, Su Yao immediately found Lu Bu, promoted him to the rank of Cavalry Commander, and led his two thousand cavalrymen to the north to attack Li Ru together with the Xiongnu cavalrymen led by Zhang Liao and Yu Furu.

The cavalry led by Lu Bu swept across the north like a storm. The sound of their horses' hooves shook the earth, and wherever they went, they struck fear into the enemy's heart.

Zhang Liao and Yu Furo's Xiongnu riders had been waiting for a long time. When they saw Lu Bu's army coming, their morale was immediately boosted. The two sides quickly joined forces and launched a fierce attack on Li Ru's troops.

Li Ru's troops were Dong Zhuo's direct subordinates from Western Liang, and they also had a considerable number of elite Northern troops brought by Gao Shun. Even if they were defeated, they could still inflict considerable losses on the enemy.

However, the news of Dong Zhuo's death was like a bolt from the blue, instantly crushing the morale of Li Ru's troops.

Especially when they learned that the leader they once served, the once powerful Dong Zhuo, was torn into pieces by five horses and torn apart by a chariot, they felt extremely shocked and desperate.

"Dong Gong is dead?"

"This is impossible! How could Mr. Dong die like this?"

"Then why are we still fighting here?"

Faced with the pincer attack from Lu Bu, Zhang Liao and others, the soldiers who had lost their backbone became morale-destroying and had no will to fight.

Although Li Ru wanted to rebuild morale and lead his troops to retreat in order to make a comeback.

However, the Northern Army led by Gao Shun made a decision opposite to theirs.

"We are the imperial army."

Gao Shun shouted on the battlefield:
"Now that the traitor Dong has been executed, you are all traitors to the court. Why don't you quickly lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid death!"

Gao Shun's voice echoed on the battlefield like a huge bell, awakening the deaf.

The Northern Army soldiers he led were originally loyal to the imperial court, but they were forcibly conscripted by Dong Zhuo and forced to become his minions.

Now that Dong Zhuo was dead, they naturally did not want to serve the rebels anymore, and they responded to Gao Shun's call and rose up in rebellion.

The defection of Gao Shun's Northern Army was like a sharp dagger, piercing Li Ru's heart.

Li Ru's troops, whose morale was already low, became even more chaotic after Gao Shun's Northern Army defected. Soldiers dropped their weapons, knelt down and surrendered, while others fled in all directions. The entire battlefield fell into chaos.

Seeing this, Li Ru’s face turned pale as paper.

He always prided himself on his wisdom and strategies, but in such a situation he was helpless.

Lu Bu, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, Yu Fuluo and others led their troops and launched a final offensive against Li Ru.

Lu Bu led Su Yao's cavalry and came from the south. He was the first to ride in the lead, holding a Fang Tian Hua Ji in his hand. He was invincible and killed Li Ru's troops, causing chaos in their formation.

Zhang Liao and his men were not to be outdone and launched an offensive from the north. He wielded his long sword, drawing streaks of cold light in the air. The Xiongnu riders led by Yu Furuo behind him were also extremely brave. They rode fast horses, wielded scimitars, drew bows and shot arrows, and engaged in a fierce battle with Li Ru's troops.

Compared with their two armies composed entirely of cavalry, Gao Shun's Northern Army advanced steadily and cautiously.

Although they are not numerous, they are all elite troops with strong combat effectiveness.

Under the command of Gao Shun, the Northern Army soldiers cooperated well, took advantage of the chaos in Li Ru's troops and slashed in from the east, like a sharp knife pointing directly at his heart.

How could Li Ru resist such a three-pronged attack? Seeing that the situation was not good, he wanted to break through and escape.

However, in terms of mobility, how could he be better than Su Yao's cavalry and nomadic riders?

Lu Bu and his men were confident of victory and had anticipated his plan. They had surrounded Li Ru before he could escape, and as soon as they saw him make any unusual movement, they immediately surrounded him.

In the end, after a fierce battle, Li Ru was stabbed to death by Lu Bu's halberd in the melee, ending his sinful life.

The elite troops from Xiliang that he brought were thus completely annihilated. Except for the thousand or so people who died in the battle, the rest were incorporated into the army by Lu Bu, Zhang Liao and others.

At this point, the last remaining field forces of Dong Zhuo's forces were completely destroyed.

After confirming the result of this great victory on the map, Su Yao, who had completed his rest in Chang'an, did not waste any time.

He immediately ordered a reward for the three armies, and the heroes who fought against Dong Zhuo were rewarded. In addition to Zhao Yun, who had always been by his side, being promoted to Cavalry Commander, Lu Bu finally got his wish and was appointed General of the Central Army and Commander-in-Chief of Guanzhong's military affairs. Together with Gai Xun, the Jingzhao Yin who had been reinstated, the two of them, one civil and one military, handled the affairs of Guanzhong. While searching for clues about the non-existent emperor, they also cleared out local bandits and rebel forces, quelled local wars, and restored local production.

After finishing these things, Su Yao took Zhao Yun, Wang Ling and others, and led more than a thousand elite cavalrymen under his command, with three horses each, to start a forced march back to Luoyang in the east.

After Su Yao, Dong Yong will also set off immediately. He took over Dong Cheng's position as the General of the Tiger Guards and led the Tiger Guards to escort the court officials back to Luoyang.

However, things in Guanzhong are not yet completely over.

On Su Yao’s map, there is still one last patch of small red dots in the Guanzhong area.

That was Meiwu, the old nest that Dong Zhuo had painstakingly built in his fiefdom.

However, Su Yao was not worried about this at all.

Because the person he sent out to lead the attack there was General Huangfu Song, one of the three famous heroes of the late Han Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)