Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 410: Counter-espionage
Dong Zhuo had no reaction after hearing this. He just said coldly: "Oh? How can it be all his?"

"I dare to conclude that Liu He has never had good intentions from the beginning to the end. He only pretended to surrender to the Grand Tutor, but in fact he was secretly plotting many things with sinister intentions and ulterior motives. Now Generals Niu and Li must have been captured or killed by him, and the army must be under his control. He sent a letter alone to deceive us that his plan was successful and that the Grand Tutor would personally lead the army out of Hulao Pass. In this way, Luoyang would be empty, and he could directly send troops to capture Luoyang City in one fell swoop. At that time, we would be the ones being attacked from both sides. Please think twice, Grand Tutor."

"Oh? Wenyou is indeed very thoughtful."

Dong Zhuo's words were apparently praising Li Ru, but his tone made Li Ru shiver all over.

"If I remember correctly, Hulao Pass has not been breached yet. How could his army arrive at the gates of Luoyang without making any noise?"

"Grandmaster, the Yellow River is to the north of Luoyang City. General Li Meng's army is only a hundred miles away on the other side of the Yellow River. As long as we cross the Yellow River and seize Mengjin Port, we can march straight in and reach Luoyang in less than an hour."

After Li Ru's explanation, the generals around him nodded frequently. They all felt that Li Ru's analysis would definitely make Dong Zhuo suspicious of Liu He.

"Also, the place where Niu Fu's army is stationed, although..."

Li Ru continued talking. Zhu Ye's heart was pounding as he listened. He clenched his fists and was about to rush over to beat him to death with a random punch.

However, at this moment, Dong Zhuo himself suddenly interrupted Li Ru's words. Everyone looked over and saw that the coldness on his face was even deeper than before.

"Okay, okay, Wenyou, I have always treated you well. Why did you betray me and want to kill me for that little Yuan Shao?"

Dong Zhuo flew into a rage and shouted at Li Ru, completely confusing him.

"Grandmaster...Grandmaster, why do you say that..."

Dong Zhuo sneered and threw Liu He's letter at Li Ru's face.

"See for yourself!"

Li Ru picked up the letter and read it carefully. He was so frightened that his heart started to beat fast. He felt a buzzing sound in his head and he almost fainted.

"How is it possible... Impossible, impossible..."

In addition to informing Dong Zhuo, this letter also mentioned two things.

One thing is that Liu He once passed by Yuan Shao's tent by chance, and he vaguely heard someone claiming to be Li Ru's secret envoy, telling Yuan Shao the news that Dong Zhuo wanted to kill Yuan Feng and Yuan Wei, and also said that Liu He had surrendered to Dong Zhuo and was preparing to cooperate with the outside to wipe out the Guandong coalition. Li Ru would try his best to stop Dong Zhuo from killing the two Yuans in Luoyang, and undermine Dong Zhuo's trust in Liu He. However, Liu He only heard a few words about this matter intermittently, and he did not count them. He also specifically said that he hoped Dong Zhuo would not be too suspicious of Li Ru, so as to avoid internal strife at this important juncture and affect major events.

The second thing is that Liu He said that his plan would be obstructed by someone who would say that he would take advantage of the emptiness of Luoyang to betray the Grand Tutor and attack. In order to prevent disputes among the Grand Tutor's followers, Liu He suggested that Dong Zhuo leave some troops to the person who questioned him, and order him to guard Luoyang and not allow anyone to enter or leave, including Liu He himself.

Dong Zhuo sneered, "Hehe, when I first saw the news that you were colluding with Yuan Shao, I thought it was a misunderstanding. However, what you said and did now is exactly what Liu He expected. You always slandered me and ruined Xian Zhao's reputation. You also repeatedly obstructed me from killing the old man of the Yuan family. Now you are even blocking my plan. Everything you did was perfect! If you hadn't really colluded with Yuan Shao to rebel against me, how could Liu He have guessed everything you were thinking in advance?"

By the end of what he said, he was already scowling and furious, obviously furious.

"Grand Master, Ru has been loyal for many years. Could it be that you would rather trust Liu He than your son-in-law? Grand Master..."

"That's enough! You still have the nerve to say that you are my son-in-law? I have valued you so much over the years. You are almost second only to me in the army. Since you entered Luoyang, you have enjoyed wealth and glory. Have you ever treated me unfairly? Why are you helping the traitors and betraying me now? How can this be tolerated?"

Dong Zhuoyue became angrier as he spoke, and he picked up a palace lantern and threw it at Li Ru.

"Come here, drag Li Ru away and put him in jail. When I return victorious, I will execute him by slow slicing in front of Xian Zhao!"

"Master, you can't do that!"

Li Jue, Guo Si and others knelt down and pleaded for Li Ru.

"Wenyou has been following the Grand Master for more than ten years, loyal to him and would never rebel. Grand Master, please do not believe the slanderous words of the traitor!"

"Yes, before the big things are decided, cutting off the arm first is a bad omen!"

They all tried to persuade Dong Zhuo with all their heart, but Dong Zhuo was already angry. What's more, it was such a coincidence that no one could believe it was not true. Even Li Jue, Guo Si and others doubted in their hearts whether Li Ru had made preparations for himself. After all, he had complained about Dong Zhuo behind his back a lot in the past few months.

"Anyone who pleads for mercy again will be imprisoned!" Seeing that there was no hope, the generals could only sigh and stop talking.

"Haha...haha...hahahaha..."

Li Ru suddenly laughed.

"What a great Liu He! He always anticipated my moves. Such strategies are formidable. No wonder he was able to suppress the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Yellow Turbans, and Black Mountain bandits in just a few years. I admire you so much... It's not unfair for me, Li Ru, to lose. It's not unfair..."

His expression became extremely lonely, and he looked at Dong Zhuo with a look of unfamiliarity in his eyes.

"My lord, I was loyal to you because of your lofty ambitions and strong character. But once you arrived in Luoyang, you became overbearing and closed your eyes and ears. Haha, okay, you want to wait until you return victorious to kill me? I'm afraid you won't see that day. You will definitely die earlier than me and more miserably than me..."

"Drag it away, drag it away quickly!"

Dong Zhuo was extremely furious, and was even more confused by his words. He shouted at people to take Li Ru away.

All the generals looked at this scene and looked at each other, and they all saw the sadness of the rabbit's death and the fox's grief in each other's eyes.

"Damn it!"

Dong Zhuo swept the fruits and vegetables on the table to the ground.

A palace maid hurried over and picked up the things scattered on the ground.

Unexpectedly, when Dong Zhuo saw the palace maid, he immediately became furious. He stepped forward and kicked her, knocking her to the ground.

"You bitch, you dare to pick up the things I threw away? Are you trying to laugh at my stupidity?"

The palace maid endured the pain, knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, and soon her forehead was bleeding.

"Grand Master, please spare my life, Grand Master, please spare my life..."

"Bastard thing!"

Dong Zhuo drew his sword from the weapon rack beside him and stabbed her in the chest with it.

The poor palace maid died with her eyes wide open.

The generals were terrified, and Zhu Ye also frowned, with a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.

After killing a palace maid, Dong Zhuo's mood seemed to calm down a little.

"Pass the order down. All the troops in the city, except for the 10,000 soldiers who are left to intimidate the ministers who have different opinions from me, all the others will follow me, follow the plan, leave Hulao, and kill Yuan Shao!"

All the generals felt that it was useless to leave 10,000 troops in Luoyang City. Even Li Ru, who used to be their most trusted confidant, had suffered such a fate. How could they dare to say anything more? They could only follow orders and prepare.

"Grandmaster, I will take my leave now. The war is imminent, and I should prepare myself well."

Dong Zhuo looked at Zhu Ye who was speaking, and his expression softened a little.

"Well, when the time comes on the battlefield, I will witness the power of your Thunder God Cavalry."

Zhu Ye bowed and walked out.

Dong Zhuo didn't notice that Zhu Ye's face turned very gloomy as soon as he walked out of the palace.

"Humph, you old thief are so cruel and inhumane, you deserve to die soon."

(End of this chapter)