Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 388 Before the Storm
Liu He naturally heard the sarcasm in Ding Yuan's words, but he was not angry.

"As far as I know, Dong Zhuo's Xiliang army already has 100,000 soldiers. Later, he incorporated the Luoyang Imperial Guards, Yulin Army, and the guards of the He family. Now he has an army of no less than 180,000. Hulao Pass and Luoyang City are both easy to defend but difficult to attack. Lord Jianyang, do you think that with your 50,000 or 60,000 troops, you can shake Dong Zhuo? What's more, you have to leave troops to guard Xihe and Taiyuan."

Ding Yuan hesitated for a moment, but then became firm again.

"Hmph, just do your best and accept your fate! I have Fengxian, who is invincible and brave, so why should I fear Dong Zhuo?"

Liu He shook his head repeatedly after hearing this.

"What do you think of the bravery of my five brothers?"

Ding Yuan thought for a moment and replied, "From what I have seen, at least Governor Liu himself, as well as your second and fifth brothers, are as brave as Fengxian."

"That's it. In the grassland war, my five brothers worked together to face an army three times larger than mine, but we still almost lost our lives. The disparity in strength between you and Dong Zhuo is even greater than that time. What can you do with only Lu Bu?"

Ding Yuan was silent for a while, and finally sighed.

"Even so, how can we sit idly by and watch Your Majesty be humiliated? We will only serve our country with our remaining bodies."

"In this case, the Duke of Jianyang not only did not achieve anything, but also made mistakes. Not only did he fail to kill Dong Zhuo, but he also helped him gain power."

Ding Yuan was very puzzled and asked, "What does this mean?"

Liu He said, "There is a huge gap between you and Dong Zhuo. You are attacking while he is defending. The outcome is certain. I think your life will be in danger if you go. By then, the Bingzhou army will have no other choice but to be incorporated by Dong Zhuo. In this way, Dong Zhuo will have more than 200,000 troops and will be in Luoyang. Even if I join forces with Lords Lu and Zhu, we will not be his opponent. Isn't this your fault?"

"This……"

Liu He's words obviously moved Ding Yuan.

"So...are we just going to sit back and do nothing?"

Liu He shook his head and said, "Of course not. There are so many people in the world who are against Dong Zhuo. Not to mention that the two old generals Lu Zhi and Zhu Jun are leading their troops back to Luoyang, there are countless loyal and righteous people in the states and counties alone. We can all submit a petition and order Dong Zhuo to assist the emperor. If he can assist us, we will be happy. If he really commits treason, we will then summon the heroes of the world to raise troops together. With the strength of the world, we will surely win the battle!"

Ding Yuan was delighted when he heard this: "Liu Taishou is indeed thoughtful. If it weren't for your advice, I would have almost made a big mistake."

"You are too polite, Governor. You and I are allies, so this is the way it should be."

Ding Yuan stood up and saluted, saying, "In that case, I will go back first and wait for news from Governor Liu before making any plans!"

"I'll send the governor."

After seeing Ding Yuan off, Liu He felt relieved.

"After much persuasion, Ding Yuan was finally retained. This way, Lü Bu will no longer be Dong Zhuo's general, and Dong Zhuo's strength will be weakened compared to the original history. This way, I have a better chance of winning against him. The anti-Dong Zhuo alliance is just a bunch of unreliable people. In the end, I have to rely on myself. As for Lu Zhi and Zhu Jun, I have to make careful arrangements..."

He clenched his fists, then turned and went back to the camp.

It was late at night, the moon was dark and the wind was strong. In the wilderness somewhere in Jingzhou, there was a huge military camp.

The military camp is well-organized and the soldiers patrol in an orderly manner. One can tell at a glance that the commander is no mediocre person.

A group of people suddenly came galloping from a distance and soon arrived at the gate of the camp.

"Stop! This is a restricted area of ​​the military camp, no trespassing!"

The guard stopped the person.

"We are here to convey the imperial decree. Report quickly!"

As he spoke, the man took out a roll of gold cloth and held it high.

When the guard saw this, he did not dare to act rashly and hurried into the barracks to report.

Soon, the group arrived at the commander-in-chief's tent. An old general, who was about 40 or 50 years old, and several other generals knelt on the ground.

The man unfolded the imperial edict and read: "The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, declares: When the Right General of Chariots and Cavalry, Lu Zhi, led his troops to suppress the rebellion in Jiaozhou, he behaved inappropriately and failed to live up to my expectations. He is hereby dismissed from his post, and all his seals are handed over to the Left General of the Imperial Guard, Niu Fu, and he is to be escorted back to the capital immediately. I decree this!"

"What! How could it be..." All the generals were shocked, except Lu Zhi himself, whose expression changed slightly, as if he had expected this.

"I accept your order, thank you!"

A muscular man in his thirties in military uniform walked over and stretched out his hand.

"Give it to me, old general."

The generals behind Lu Zhi were about to explode, but he stopped them. He walked to his own desk and took the seal.

"General Niu is young and promising. I admire him. This is my seal. I am giving it to you now. I hope you will ..."

Before Lu Zhi could finish his words, Niu Fu snatched it away.

"Alright, alright. I will take care of it. You can go to Luoyang and recuperate."

Lu Zhi held his hands in the air, and the generals behind him were filled with indignation.

A team of soldiers came over and made a "please" gesture to Lu Zhi.

Lu Zhi looked at the generals who had followed him for many years and forced a smile.

"Don't worry, I am old and it is time for me to return home to take care of my health. You should follow General Niu and make new achievements. Don't worry about me."

After saying that, he walked straight out of the general's tent.

"General..."

The generals wanted to go out to see him off, but were stopped by Niu Fu and his men. They could only stand at the door of the commander's tent, looking at Lu Zhi's back with reluctance.

A group of ten soldiers, led by Lu Zhi, headed northwards until they reached a forest, where Lu Zhi suddenly stopped.

He looked around, not knowing what he was looking at. The soldiers behind him did not urge him and seemed not to be in a hurry at all.

After a long time, Lu Zhi suddenly said, "This is a good place. It is suitable for me to be buried here."

The leader of the soldiers behind him laughed and said, "Mr. Lu is indeed extraordinary. I am far from being able to match his breadth of mind and state of mind."

Lu Zhi put his hands behind his back and held his head high. "I have never failed my country and my people. Before I die today, I have something to say. Please pass it on to Dong Zhuo."

"Please tell me, Lord Lu."

"The way of heaven is clear. Good and evil will be rewarded. This has been the case since ancient times and has never changed. Although Dong Zhuo is powerful today, there are so many righteous people in the world. If he does not restrain himself, he will die sooner or later. By then, his end will be even more miserable than mine."

After hearing this, the soldier thought for a moment and said, "Well, that's true. I will report this to my master. Well, now is the time. I will send you off."

The soldier slowly pulled out the accessories and walked towards Lu Zhi step by step...

The same situation also happened at the same time in a field somewhere in Jizhou. The same ten soldiers surrounded Zhu Jun...

More than half a month later, the two armies respectively marched to the foot of a mountain north of Yingchuan and a wilderness in Henei County, set up camps, and never advanced even a single step towards Luoyang.

Just after the two armies were settled, two pieces of news that shocked the court and the country spread one after another to every corner of the Han Dynasty.

Emperor Liu Bian was deposed and demoted to King of Hongnong, and the new emperor Liu Xie succeeded to the throne.

Soon, King Hongnong and his biological mother, Queen Mother He, died on the way to their fiefdom.

And Dong Zhuo, for his contribution in supporting the enthronement, was promoted to the title of Grand Tutor. He entered the palace wearing a sword and shoes, and did not have to name his name when praising or bowing, nor did he have to kneel when entering the court. From then on, he lived in the harem day and night.

As soon as this incident came out, the world was in an uproar.

Liu He, who was far away in the northern border, said to himself after receiving the news: "The time is finally ripe!"

(End of this chapter)