Dahan: A 100-year-old veteran, I will build the strongest family

Liangzhou, Wuwei County, County Magistrate's Office.

"Wenyou, you said that the general wants to summon me to lead the army into Luoyang City to defend the king?"

In the hall, Dong Zhuo, who exuded a fierce aura, was somewhat shocked as he looked at Li Ru, who had rushed back exhausted and was drinking water in big gulps.

He didn't expect that Li Ru would bring him such explosive news.

At this time, Niu Fu, Dong Yue, Duan Wei, Hu Zhen, Li Jue, Guo Fan, Zhang Ji, Ma Teng, Han Sui and other generals in the hall were also looking at Li Ru in shock and surprise.

You know, this is to serve the king.

In ancient times, being summoned to the frontier meant that the emperor expected them to lead the army to rescue and assist when the country encountered difficulties or crises. This usually happened when the country was facing major threats or civil unrest, and the emperor would issue an imperial edict to maintain his rule and stability.

Of course, this was not an edict issued by the emperor, but by He Jin.

However, He Jin is now in a high position of power, and the new emperor is his nephew Liu Bian, so it is He Jin who is in power.

In short, being summoned to serve the king was a major task and challenge for the frontier officials. At the same time, it also showed He Jin's trust in Dong Zhuo.

In an instant, Ma Teng and Han Sui looked at each other and could see the excitement in each other's eyes.

A year ago, after Dong Zhuo became the governor of Liang Province, he used forceful means to force them to disarm. They had no choice but to serve under Dong Zhuo.

At that time, Dong Zhuo promised them that they would be rich and prosperous in the future.

Now, He Jin summoned Dong Zhuo to come to the capital to defend the country, which showed that Dong Zhuo had connections in the court and had a promising future, which gave them hope.

"Whoosh~"

Under the eager and expectant gazes of Dong Zhuo and the others, Li Ru heaved a sigh of relief and said to Dong Zhuo, "Yes, father-in-law, this time the general really wants you to lead the army into Luoyang to defend the king and lend a helping hand to the general."

Li Ru didn't wait for everyone to be happy, and changed the subject:

"However, the general did not only invite the troops from Liang Province to Luoyang, he also invited the troops from Yu Province, Yi Province, Yang Province, Xu Province and other four provinces to Luoyang to support the king."

"What? You also invited troops from the other four states to come to the king's defense?"

Dong Zhuo, Niu Fu, Dong Yue, Duan Wei, Hu Zhen, Zhang Ji and others who were in the hall with happy faces were dumbfounded when they heard Li Ru's turn of events.

So it wasn't just the soldiers from Liang Province who were invited to enter Luoyang.

In an instant, the joy on the faces of Dong Zhuo, Niu Fu and others disappeared, and their interest was greatly reduced.

Li Ru naturally saw the disappointment of Dong Zhuo and others.

However, Li Ru smiled and said:
"Father-in-law, this is a good opportunity for you. You must not miss it. But Ru worked so hard to invite you here."

Li Ru's words made the disappointed Dong Zhuo slightly stunned, and he couldn't help but look at Li Ru with some suspicion.

However, when he thought about it, he was appointed as the Governor of Liang Province by Li Ru who personally bent over to He Jin and helped him get the position.

Dong Zhuo perked up.

"Wenyou, what do you mean?"

Even Niu Fu, Dong Yue, Duan Wei, Hu Zhen, Zhang Ji, Ma Teng and others focused their attention on Li Ru.

Li Ru then smiled and said:
"Father-in-law, you are not in Luoyang, not in the center of the world, and you don't understand the current situation in the world."

"Ru, in the General's Mansion, helped the General to read the petitions and memorials from various states and counties. He indeed found that states and counties such as Jingzhou, Yizhou, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, and Yuzhou did not care about the imperial court's orders, and even ignored them directly. Liu Biao, Liu Yan, Ding Yuan, Yuan Feng and others all became local emperors in their respective states. Father-in-law, do you know what this means?"

Li Ru reported to Dong Zhuo and others.

Dong Zhuo, Niu Fu, Ma Teng, Han Sui and others listened to Li Ru's words, and then they realized that the current situation in each province and county was actually the same as that in Liang Province?

"What else could this mean?" Niu Fu asked Li Ru directly, puzzled. He felt it was quite normal. Isn't it enough to just take a look at the decree issued by the court?
Anyway, the emperor is far away and no one from the court will come.

Facing Niu Fu's words, Li Ru smiled and said to Dong Zhuo who was also somewhat confused:

"Father-in-law, this means that the governors of each state are all local emperors. They only follow orders from the court and not announcements. Even now, when He Jin ordered the governors of Yuzhou, Liangzhou, Yizhou, Yangzhou, and Xuzhou to lead troops to Luoyang to purge the emperor and deal with Empress Dowager Dong and the Ten Eunuchs, some of the governors of the five states may not go."

"The fact that the governors of several states did not come is tantamount to a conflict with the Luoyang court. The general is extremely angry, but he treats those who came as his confidants and even his right-hand men!"

Li Ru would not stop until his words shocked the world. His words were like a bolt of thunder, shocking everyone in the hall, including Dong Zhuo.

"How is it possible that the governors of each state will not go after the general's order?"

Dong Zhuo exclaimed. This was indeed beyond his expectations. According to his thinking, He Jin was now a general, and Liu Bian was the emperor. The power would be in He Jin's hands in the future. The governors of various states would have to give He Jin this face, right?

However, in response to He Jin's exclamation, Li Ru sneered and said:
"He Jin probably doesn't have the nerve to ask Liu Yan, Liu Biao and others to lead troops to deal with the Grand Empress Dowager Dong. After all, the Grand Empress Dowager Dong, surnamed Dong, was from Hejian (now in Hebei), but she was the wife of Liu Chang, the Marquis of Jie Du Ting, and the mother of the late Emperor Liu Hong. They looked down on He Jin, a general who came from a butcher's family, so how could they give He Jin the face to go to the king with a bad name!"

"Therefore, Ru speculates that it is very likely that the governors of various states will not go. In this case, if my father-in-law leads a large army and even brings enough troops to support the general, the general will definitely regard my father-in-law as his right-hand man, and my father-in-law's power will increase greatly."

"Even the governors of various states pretended to obey the imperial court's orders but actually disobeyed them. They only followed orders but not announcements. This would definitely anger He Jin. In comparison, my father-in-law would only be more valued by He Jin."

Li Ru's eyes were blazing as he said something that made Dong Zhuo and all the generals in the hall shocked, agitated and excited.

"So that's the case, Wenyou, can you take this seriously?" Dong Zhuo asked Li Ru excitedly.

Li Ru knew Dong Zhuo's ambition. Being the governor of Liang Province could not satisfy Dong Zhuo, nor could it satisfy Li Ru. Especially knowing the current situation in various states, Li Ru knew that there was too much room for maneuver.

Of course, neither Dong Zhuo nor Li Ru had the idea of ​​controlling the court and using the emperor to control the princes.

Li Ru just wanted to use He Jin to increase Dong Zhuo's power and even allow him to enter the power center of the court.

"Okay, okay, okay, Wen You is really smart. I will listen to you and gather the troops. There are now a total of 150,000 Xiliang troops. All of them will be mobilized. You will all follow me to Luoyang to help me purge the emperor's court!"

Dong Zhuo was overjoyed to receive Li Ru's affirmative reply, and he shouted to all the generals.

"promise!"

Niu Fu, Dong Yue, Duan Wei, Hu Zhen, Ma Teng and other generals were all extremely excited and shouted in unison.

……

Just as Dong Zhuo immediately summoned the troops from Liang Province and marched towards Luoyang.

However, there was unrest in Jinyang City, Bingzhou.

Inside an antique mansion.

The increasingly charming Lady Wang looked so sad that she was almost pale. She sat in the living room, tears streaming down her face, and said:
"There's actually internal strife in the palace. I wonder how Xie'er is doing now. When will Li Hong come back?"

Ever since she learned half a month ago that He Jin and Empress Dowager Dong were fighting for the throne between Liu Bian and Liu Xie, and that Liu Bian succeeded to the throne, while Empress Dowager Dong and Zhang Rang had not given up, Concubine Wang became worried and concerned about Liu Xie.

At this time, the maid quickly entered the hall and said to Lady Wang with a happy face:

"Madam, the master is back. All thirty-six countries in the Western Regions have surrendered and paid tribute to the Han Dynasty. They have presented a large number of rare treasures, beauties from the Western Regions, and Ferghana horses as apology. The master has returned to Jinyang with his personal guards."

The master that the little maid was talking about was none other than Li Hong.

"What? Li Hong is back! That's great, that's great, Xie'er is saved." Lady Wang cried with joy after hearing what the little maid said.

At this moment, a gorgeous, gentle and elegant woman outside the door was stunned when she heard the words in the hall. Her delicate and beautiful face showed four parts of panic, three parts of expectation, and three parts of surprise.

Li Hong is back? (End of this chapter)