Han officials

Chapter 170: What is honey to others is poison to me [22]

"Hu Zhen deserves death!"

In Bigui Garden in Luoyang, Dong Zhuo was seen to be furious and kicked the table to the side.

"The dog ruined my plan!"

But even so, Dong Zhuo did not calm down. He took the hand halberd from the waist of the guard in the hall and threw it at the messenger.

The messenger was immediately pierced through the chest and abdomen with a look of horror on his face and died tragically on the spot.

Dong Zhuo calmed down a little after seeing this, but he still sat on the couch with a furious look on his face, panting heavily.

If only Xuanmen Pass was lost, Dong Zhuo would still have a chance to save the situation.

But Dong Zhuo could not accept the fact that Hu Zhen lost three passes in one day.

You should know that there are no more obstacles between Luoyang and Chenggao Pass, it can be said that the road is flat.

If Wei Zhe were to ride out lightly, the sound of war drums would be heard outside Luoyang City tomorrow.

The generals in the hall did not dare to say anything more when they saw this. Hu Zhen was already dead anyway, so it was unnecessary to explain for him.

However, after Dong Zhuo's expression calmed down a bit, Captain Guo Si couldn't help but speak up, "Prime Minister, Hu Zhen certainly deserves death, but there must be something else going on. If it weren't for Lü Bu's treachery, Hu Zhen probably wouldn't have lost three passes in a row."

After all, the previous wave of messengers told a lot about Lu Bu, and now this can even be regarded as Hu Zhen’s suicide note.

To a certain extent, Hu Zhen was risking his life to frame Lu Bu.

As for Guo Si, there was actually no deep blood feud between him and Lu Bu. He just lost to Lu Bu in a duel.

In addition, Guo Si and Hu Zhen were both old men from Liang Province, so they naturally disliked Lu Bu, the arrogant newcomer.

In fact, Guo Si was not the only one under Dong Zhuo who disliked Lu Bu.

In the past, Lu Bu relied on his military strength and looked down on others. Almost all the officers under Dong Zhuo disliked him.

Therefore, when Guo Si said this, no one in the hall took the initiative to speak up to defend Lu Bu.

Dong Zhuo in the hall also became suspicious after hearing this, but before he could give any order, Lu Bu asked for a meeting outside the door.

After entering, Lu Bu did not realize that there was anything wrong around him.

Just based on his previous experience, he didn't say anything and directly presented Li Min and Zhang An.

"Father, please allow me to report. These are the governor of Yingchuan and the official of Yuzhou." Lü Bu stood in the hall, pointing at the two bound men. He said with considerable pride, "Although I was framed by Hu Zhen and had to take a detour back to the capital, I will never forget your instructions. Therefore, I have specially traveled deep into Yingchuan to capture these two thieves. I hope to relieve your worries for a little while."

It’s true that although Lu Bu had almost no political acumen, he managed to survive.

Perhaps it was because a reckless man could defeat a genius, Dong Zhuo actually nodded when he heard this.

"It's amazing that my son has such filial piety. My heart is so comforted!"

Dong Zhuo, still furious, looked at Li Min and Zhang An and snorted coldly, "Come here, cook these two thieves!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Ai, Cai Yong and others in the hall couldn't help but feel nervous.

However, with Dong Zhuo's temper, how could he listen to the two's advice? He directly ordered them to be cooked and killed on the spot.

Then, down in the hall, a large cauldron was quickly brought to a boil.

Although Li Min and Zhang An were literati and scholars, they were quite courageous.

Under such circumstances, the two men were able to uphold their moral integrity and not beg for mercy from Dong Zhuo, but resolutely went to their deaths.

Li Min even laughed at Zhang An and said proudly, "I never thought that we were born on different days, but cooked on the same day!"

Zhang An also smiled heroically when he heard this, and then the two of them jumped into the cauldron on their own initiative.

Until the whole room was filled with fragrance and not a single cry or plea for mercy could be heard around.

Seeing this, everyone around was silent and dared not speak.

Although Lu Bu's troubles were temporarily resolved, the consequences of Hu Zhen's defeat could not be eliminated.

Faced with Wei Zhe, who might send troops out of Chenggao Pass to attack Luoyang at any time, Dong Zhuo was also frowning.

There is no way, the land of pleasure is the grave of heroes.

Today's Dong Zhuo is no longer the powerful general from the frontier counties who can shoot arrows with both hands.

Now, he is the one wearing shoes, while Wei Zhe seems to be the same person he was ten years ago!
After much deliberation, Dong Zhuo finally did not choose to fight a decisive battle with Wei Zhe, but chose another method.

……

The next day, Chenggao Pass.

As the door opened wide, Li Jue, a captain under Dong Zhuo, slowly stepped into the tiger's den.

Unlike the horse thief Guo Si, Li Jue came from a powerful family in Liang Province. He was one of the few officers under Dong Zhuo who was eloquent and smart, so Dong Zhuo sent him as an envoy this time.

Wei Zhe didn't arrange any scenes of an array of swordsmen and axemen to greet them, but he didn't give them a good look either.

When Li Jue entered the general's tent, he took the initiative to take off his sword and handed it to the personal guard beside him.

After greeting him, he stroked his beard and smiled, "General Zuo is truly remarkable. He broke through three passes in one day. Even the Prime Minister was impressed. I remember when we were suppressing the Yellow Turbans..."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe interrupted without hesitation, "Li Zhiran, there's no need to waste time on this nonsense. Tell me, why did Dong Zhongying send you here?"

Li Jue had originally wanted to try to get closer by recalling their time together to defeat the Yellow Turbans, but upon hearing Wei Zhe's words, he could only say helplessly, "General Zuo, why are you being so distant? We were once comrades, weren't we?"

"Comrades?" Wei Zhe sneered upon hearing this and said, "How many of your fellow soldiers have died at your hands?"

Li Jue choked, speechless. After much deliberation, he could only offer earnest advice: "General Wei, you and I are both from the frontier counties. The Prime Minister rose from the wilds of Liang Province, and you, the General, rose from the bitter cold of Liaodong. We both fought our way to a future by risking our lives through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Why should we gratify our enemies while our loved ones suffer?"

In Li Jue's view, they were all military generals who had fought their way out from the border counties, and there was no need for them to kill each other.

I have to admit that Li Jue is quite eloquent. According to him, Wei Zhe and the Liangzhou Army are really the same kind of people.

However, Wei Zhe just looked at him expressionlessly.

The same kind of people? Wei Zhe really didn't think so.

In his opinion, Dong Zhuo was not cruel enough, nor bold enough, he was just a warlord.

Li Jue, undaunted by this, stepped forward and continued to seduce, "General, please don't be fooled by the sweet words of those Guandong villains. When the Guandong nobles controlled the imperial court, did they ever give us, the border county lads, even the slightest chance? Even if we, the border county lads, risk our lives, we're no match for a fleeting comment from the Guandong people!"

Wei Zhe didn't react much after hearing this, but Taishi Ci, Zhong Hu and others beside him were slightly moved.

There is no way, because what Li Jue said is reality, and the eating habits of the Guandong gentry are ugly.

For example, the Yuan family of Runan, there were many of his disciples and former officials who caused chaos in the local area.

However, many times, because of their relationship with the Yuan family, these people were often merely dismissed from office.

So what if he disregards human life? He can still become an official in another place after a while.

If he could secretly establish some connections within the Yuan family, he might even be promoted to a higher rank.

So rather than saying that Li Jue is good at speaking, it is better to say that reality is the most convincing.

After noticing the reactions of Taishi Ci, Zhong Hu, and the others, Li Jue, feeling quite excited, immediately took the opportunity to encourage them and said, "If the general is willing to stop the fighting and call for a truce, the Grand Tutor will give the Lord of Weiyang to him as his wife."

The "Lord of Weiyang" mentioned by Li Jue is actually Dong Zhuo's granddaughter Dong Bai.

Since Dong Zhuo's only son died in his prime, he always loved his only granddaughter very much.

Among Dong Zhuo's relatives, apart from Dong Zhuo's mother who was granted the title of Marquis of Chiyang, only his granddaughter Dong Bai had a title.

It was precisely because of Dong Bai's special status that Li Jue even boldly tempted him: "After a hundred years as prime minister, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry and the Liaodong Black Armor will become one family. This vast land..."

Unexpectedly, just as Li Jue said this, Wei Zhe suddenly slammed the scabbard of his sword to the ground. The bronze beast swallowed and shook the map on the table slightly. "Who do you think I am? Dong Zhongying?"

Li Jue apologized profusely upon seeing this and tried to make amends:

"I just spoke carelessly, General. Please do not blame me. However, the Prime Minister did give you many instructions before leaving. For the sake of the people of the world and the country, the Prime Minister is willing to make peace with you."

"Your Excellency, please submit the names of any of your clan members who wish to be appointed provincial governors or prefects. We will draw up the list tonight, and it will be ready for the Secretariat to issue its seal tomorrow morning!"

However, Wei Zhe couldn't help but sneer when he heard this.

"Why didn't Dong Zhongying talk about the country when he burned Luoyang? Why didn't he care about the people when he poisoned the young emperor?"

Wei Zhe didn't give Li Jue another chance to speak. He said firmly, "Go back and tell Dong Zhuo to clean his neck and wait for me in Luoyang. Although I am humble, I will never marry a traitor!"

Then, the armored soldiers outside the tent rushed in, carried the staggering Li Jue out of the gate, and drove him out of Chenggao Pass.

Seeing Wei Zhe's attitude, Li Jue could only leave cursing.

However, although Li Jue left, the atmosphere on Wei Zhe's side was a bit weird.

Taishi Ci, Zhong Hu, and even Zhao Yun all felt that it was a pity to reject Dong Zhuo in this way.

However, Xi Zhicai and Shi Yi understood that Dong Zhuo's promise was like honey tainted with arsenic.

If Wei Zhe couldn't help but drink it, he would have to perish along with Dong Zhuo.

Seeing that Wei Zhe was not in a position to explain, Xi Zhicai could only take the initiative to explain: "Marrying Dong Zhuo has a hundred advantages, but there is one disadvantage."

At this point, Xi Zhicai's eyes were serious and he said pointedly: "You have lost your righteousness!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Yi nodded in agreement and said, "If the name is not right, then the words will not flow, and if the words are not flowing, then the things will not be accomplished."

You must know that the reason Wei Zhe raised an army to fight against Dong was to restore order, gather righteous soldiers, and save the country.

Even during the Suanzao Alliance, Wei Zhe said this in front of the world.

Things like "righteousness" may seem vague, but sometimes they are the foundation of one's life.

The reason why ordinary people cannot feel its existence and value is that they have not reached that level yet.

But once you reach Wei Zhe's level, righteousness becomes a crucial factor.

For example, at this moment, if Wei Zhe married Dong Zhuo, the image he had previously established would collapse.

If an idol's reputation collapses, the most he can do is retire. But if Wei Zhe's reputation collapses, he might even die and his family will be destroyed.

This is also the reason why even someone as utilitarian as Sun Jian resolutely refused to be won over by Dong Zhuo in the original history.

He could oppose Dong Zhuo from the beginning, or he could obey Dong Zhuo's orders.

But Wei Zhe was the only one who started out under the banner of opposing Dong Zhuo, but ended up standing with Dong Zhuo.

Besides, it is still unknown how effective Dong Zhuo's seemingly tempting promise will be.

Although Liu Biao was appointed as the governor of Jingzhou by Dong Zhuo, if someone else had entered Jingzhou, he would probably not have survived for more than three months, let alone hold the position of governor of Jingzhou.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe no longer hesitated, and immediately stood up slowly and said resolutely:
"Pass on my military order—tomorrow at noon, we will march to Luoyang and destroy this breakfast!"

There was an immediate roar of approval from within the general's tent, without any further hesitation...

(End of this chapter)