The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

Dong Zhuo's gaze, like that of a venomous snake, instantly coiled around Ding Guan. He didn't speak, but simply stared at him coldly.

Seeing that Dong Zhuo did not immediately become angry, Ding Guan felt a sense of relief. He thought that perhaps Dong Zhuo only wanted to make an example of someone, and that Xun Yu had only been imprisoned yesterday. He thought that he was like Xun Yu, only having offended him verbally, and that his life would not be in danger.

"Lord Ding, you should think this through." Li Ru's voice rang out behind Dong Zhuo, carrying a warning.

Ding Guan, however, was blinded by grief and rage. He pointed at Dong Zhuo and shouted fiercely, "Dong Zhuo, you traitor! If you persist in your ways, the heroes of the world will rise up against you! You will die a horrible death!"

"Insolence!" Dong Zhuo could no longer restrain himself. He suddenly drew the sword from his waist, its cold light flashing.

"Pfft!"

Blood splattered, and Ding Guan's head fell to the ground with a thud, rolling to the feet of the officials. The headless corpse twitched a few times on the ground before falling silent.

A deathly silence fell over the entire court. All the officials trembled with fear; some of the more timid ones even collapsed to the ground. The stench of blood permeated the air, assaulting the nerves of everyone present.

Dong Zhuo, sword stained with blood, surveyed his surroundings, his gaze icy and cruel: "Who else is willing to be loyal to the young emperor?!"

No one answered.

"Very well." Dong Zhuo sneered, sheathing his sword. "Since no one objects, then it shall be so. From tomorrow onwards, the young emperor shall be the Prince of Hongnong, and the Prince of Chenliu shall be the emperor!"

He shook the blood off his hands, as if he had just killed a trivial chicken.

After the court session ended, the officials, like frightened birds, scrambled to flee this blood-soaked place. Xun You was pale-faced; he knew that today's carnage was even more shocking than Xun Yu's imprisonment yesterday. Dong Zhuo was not a reckless brute who could be easily fathomed.

The news quickly reached the Xun residence.

Xun Yu overheard the servants whispering outside his bedroom door and began to suspect something. He struggled to get up and ordered someone to summon Xun You.

When Xun You recounted the horrific scene at court to Xun Yu, Xun Yu's face turned deathly pale. He closed his eyes, his body trembling slightly.

"Ding, who cares... He's dead?" Xun Yu's voice was hoarse, filled with disbelief.

Xun You nodded, his tone heavy: "He was beheaded on the spot by Dong Zhuo, his blood splattering five steps away."

A complex mix of emotions welled up in Xun Yu's heart. Faced with absolute violence, everything else seemed so pale and powerless. He thought he had seen through Dong Zhuo, but he hadn't expected Dong Zhuo's cruelty to far exceed his imagination. "In chaotic times, human life is cheap. Uncle, you must take care of yourself so that you can do more for the Han Dynasty and for the family." Xun You knew Xun Yu felt some self-reproach. "Dong Zhuo has deposed and installed a new emperor, seizing control of the court, seemingly holding immense power. But his foundation is unstable. Although the Xiliang soldiers are fierce, they lack popular support. He needs the support of scholars to paint a picture of peace for him. Therefore, he won't easily harm our Xun family. But that doesn't mean he won't make an example of us."

Dong Zhuo deposed and installed a new emperor, and executed Ding Guan, leaving the Luoyang court deathly silent. All officials were terrified, and no one dared to raise any objection to Dong Zhuo's decisions.

The atmosphere at the morning court the following day remained tense. The newly enthroned Prince of Chenliu, Liu Xie, young yet astute, sat upright on the dragon throne with Dong Zhuo's support, his eyes displaying a composure beyond his years. Dong Zhuo stood by, like a guardian deity, overlooking the officials below.

Accompanied by Xun You, Xun Yu stood once again among the court officials. His face was still somewhat pale, but his eyes had regained their former clarity. He knew that every step he took now had to be taken with extreme caution.

"Today, I, the Prime Minister, have a matter I wish to discuss with you gentlemen," Dong Zhuo's voice rang out, breaking the silence of the court. "Now that Luoyang has been pacified, the world is in turmoil, and refugees are rising everywhere. I, the Prime Minister, wish to construct roads to facilitate trade and provide relief to those affected by disasters. I wonder if any of you gentlemen have any good plans?"

Upon hearing this, the officials exchanged bewildered glances. The construction of imperial highways was originally a beneficial undertaking for the country and its people, but the fact that Dong Zhuo was proposing it now made them feel uneasy.

"The Prime Minister is wise!" A sycophantic official immediately stepped forward and loudly echoed, "Building highways will reassure the people, benefit merchants, and be a meritorious deed for generations to come!"

Dong Zhuo smiled with satisfaction and ordered Li Ru to take overall charge, first planning the route to the northwest.

"Build a road westward, passing through Hangu Pass, directly to Guanzhong. I think it's because they feel there aren't enough soldiers in Luoyang, and they want to build a road to make it easier for them to mobilize troops from their hometown in Xiliang. "Zhong Yao lives nearby, and after court, he returned with the Xun family uncle and nephew."

Upon hearing Zhong Yao's words, Guo Jia didn't even lift his eyelids. "He's not repairing the road."

"Um?"

"He's preparing an escape route."

Zhong Yao was no fool; Guo Jia pointed it out to him, and he understood immediately.

An escape route.

Chang'an!

Dong Zhuo's stronghold was in Xiliang, while Luoyang was located in a strategically important but vulnerable area, making it a liability for an unpopular and powerful minister. If anything happened in Guandong, he would be trapped. Chang'an, on the other hand, was strategically located with natural defenses and closer to his base, offering both offensive and defensive advantages.

This butcher never intended to stay in Luoyang for long. Everything he did—deposing and installing emperors, killing, and winning people's hearts—was merely to stabilize the situation in Luoyang before his true base was established.

"What a Dong Zhongying, what a Li Wenyou," Xun You muttered to himself. He had originally thought Dong Zhuo was just a reckless brute, but now it seemed that Li Ru behind him was a truly formidable opponent.

Once this is understood, the road construction takes on a completely different meaning. This is not about benefiting the country and its people; it is clearly preparation for moving the capital. Once the road is completed, the wealth, population, and even the palace in Luoyang will be taken away by him, leaving the warlords of Guandong with only an empty city and scorched earth.

Xun Hao sat beside Guo Jia, holding the hand warmer that the other had insisted on giving him, feeling the warmth emanating from Guo Jia's palm that was even more comforting than the warmer itself. His eyes were lowered, but his mind was clear.

Guo Jia already knew that Dong Zhuo intended to move the capital to Chang'an. This was an inevitability etched into the historical trajectory, and one of his greatest assets as a smuggler. But Guo Jia was different. With just the clue of "road construction," he was able to thoroughly analyze Dong Zhuo's deeply hidden strategic intentions. This level of wisdom was truly almost supernatural.

The system is right.

Xun Hao subtly moved closer to Guo Jia, drawing upon the energy that calmed his chaotic thoughts. The construction of the imperial highway, at Dong Zhuo's command, commenced with great fanfare.

However, this was not a benevolent act that benefited the country and its people, but a disaster that swept across the entire capital region. Hundreds of thousands of young men were forcibly conscripted and driven to construction sites like livestock. Among them were farmers who had just put down their hoes, merchants with a little wealth, and even some scholars whose families had fallen on hard times.