Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

"A true man born in chaotic times should carry a three-foot sword and achieve unparalleled feats! Today, follow me to Luoyang, take the head of that old traitor Dong Zhuo, and appease the world!"

Thousands of Jiangdong youths roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

......

At the same time, messengers from all the prefectures and counties of the empire were constantly traveling back and forth, and the forged imperial edicts spread like wildfire throughout the thirteen prefectures of the Han Dynasty.

Beihai Commandery, Kong Rong's residence.

Kong Rong received the imperial edict, read it word by word, and remained silent for a long time.

Then he stood up, walked to the window, looked towards Luoyang in the north, and sighed deeply.

"As a Han official, I have already failed in my duty by failing to share the emperor's burdens. Now that I have received a secret edict from the emperor, how can I continue to stand idly by?"

He turned to the registrar beside him and said:

"Send the order to muster all the troops in the prefecture and prepare sufficient provisions. I will personally lead the troops to defend the emperor."

The registrar hesitated and said, "My lord, our troops in Beihai number only a few thousand, and our supplies are also insufficient. It's a thousand miles to Luoyang..."

Kong Rong raised his hand to stop him, his tone calm yet firm:

"The number of soldiers is irrelevant. What matters is that I, Kong Wenju, am a subject of the Han Dynasty. How can I stand idly by when the Emperor is in peril?"

He paused, then said, "Even if I cannot kill the enemy and serve my country on this journey, it will be enough if I can lead the righteous army of Beihai to stand outside Luoyang and let the world see that there are still people in this Han Dynasty who remember the words 'loyalty and righteousness'."

......

Yanzhou, Liu Dai's prefecture.

After reading the imperial edict, Liu Dai frowned.

He was a member of the Han imperial family, so he should have been the first to respond.

But Dong Zhuo is too powerful; what if we can't defeat him...?

He hesitated for a few days.

A few days later, he received a letter from Zhang Miao.

The letter contained only one sentence:

"Brother Gongshan, this is a golden opportunity! If we join forces, how can we not destroy the traitor Dong Zhuo?"

Liu Dai read the letter several times and finally made up his mind:

"Send the order: Raise the army!"

......

Hanoi County, Wang Kuang Mansion.

Wang Kuang was a well-known chivalrous man who had long harbored deep hatred for Dong Zhuo.

On the very day he received the imperial edict, he mustered his troops and roared at his soldiers:

"That old traitor Dong Zhuo has wreaked havoc on the world! We have received a secret imperial edict from the Emperor, ordering us to punish him! Are you willing to follow me and march on Luoyang?"

The soldiers roared in unison, their voices echoing throughout Hanoi.

......

Jibei Kingdom, Bao Xin Prefecture.

As Bao Xin looked at the imperial edict, he recalled the words Cao Cao had spoken to him in Luoyang.

"Mengde...you've finally made your move."

He put away the imperial edict and said to his generals:

"Order the entire army to set off immediately for the alliance meeting at Suanzao. This time, I want to see Dong Zhuo die with my own eyes."

......

Liangzhou, Ma Teng Prefecture.

After reading the imperial edict, Ma Teng looked up at the sky and laughed heartily.

He had a long-standing grudge against Dong Zhuo and had wanted to deal with that old bastard for a long time.

However, they lacked both opportunity and recognition.

Now that we have the Emperor's secret edict, what are we waiting for?

He looked at his son Ma Chao, who was under his command:

"Mengqi, muster your troops and follow me on my eastern expedition!"

......

Han Sui's side reacted in the same way.

He and Dong Zhuo fought in Liangzhou for several years, and everyone knew what kind of person each of them was.

Now Dong Zhuo is lording it over everyone in Luoyang, while he's left to starve in Liangzhou? On what grounds?

"Gather the troops! Launch an eastern expedition! Before Dong Zhuo dies, kill as many of his soldiers as possible to vent our anger!"

......

Shangdang County, Zhangyang Prefecture.

Zhang Yang was Yuan Shao's confidant. On the very day he received the imperial edict, he sent a messenger to Yuan Shao with a letter:

"Brother Benchu, wherever you are, I'll go. Let's go and kill Dong Zhuo together!"

......

Guangling County, Zhang Chao's Prefecture.

Zhang Chao was Zhang Miao's younger brother, and the two brothers were always of one mind.

Zhang Miao went, so he naturally followed.

......

Shanyang County, Yuan Yi's residence.

Yuan Yi was a cousin of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. Upon receiving the imperial edict, he immediately mustered his troops and set off.

He's a member of the Yuan family; how could he be absent from this important matter of opposing Dong Zhuo?

......

Dongjun, Qiaomao Prefecture.

Qiao Mao had long disliked Dong Zhuo.

He had previously contacted various states and counties privately, hoping to form an anti-Dong alliance, but unfortunately no one responded.

Now that Cao Cao has taken the lead, he is naturally happy to follow suit.

......

Yuzhou, Kong Zhou Prefecture.

Kong Zhou was a renowned scholar of pure conversation, skilled in rhetoric, but in reality, he was no good at fighting on the battlefield.

But he was the governor of Yuzhou, and he had troops and provisions at his disposal.

He can send troops instead of going himself.

He thought for a moment and then summoned his generals:

"Take five thousand soldiers to the Suanzao Alliance. Remember, carry my banner of Kong Zhou, and don't embarrass me."

......

Xuzhou, Tao Qian's residence.

Tao Qian is old and doesn't want to move.

However, he could not refuse Cao Cao's request, nor could he ignore the emperor's secret edict.

He thought for a moment, wrote a letter, prepared provisions, and sent someone to deliver them to Suanzao.

The letter contained only one sentence:

"I am old and unable to lead the army in person, but I am willing to contribute provisions to the campaign as a token of my sincerity."

......

Chen State, Liu Chong's residence.

Liu Chong was one of the few powerful members of the imperial clan.

After reading the imperial edict, he remained silent for a long time, then asked the prime minister Luo Jun beside him:

What do you think?

Luo Jun thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, this is an opportunity. If you go, your name will be on the list of merits for defeating Dong Zhuo. When rewards are distributed in the future, no one will be able to overlook you."

Upon hearing this, Liu Chong paused for a moment, then said:

"Then let's agree. We won't personally lead the expedition, but we'll prepare sufficient supplies and equipment to aid them..."

Guangling, Jibei, Hanoi, Dongjun, Shanyang, Yuzhou, Xuzhou...

Replies arrived in Chenliu like snowflakes.

Some were passionate and enthusiastic, some were cautious and wait-and-see, some were opportunistic, and some were taking advantage of the chaos.

But regardless of their motives, everyone's replies contained only one sentence:

"I am willing to obey the Emperor's secret edict and raise an army to punish Dong Zhuo!"

......

Zhuo County, Youzhou, the Prince of Yan's residence.

Liu Ce also received the forged imperial edict.

He was nestled in his study, holding Liu Chen and playing with him.

The little one is over two years old, which is the most fun age. He's always babbling away...

When Lu Bing handed over the imperial edict, Liu Ce was being pulled by the beard by Liu Chen, wincing in pain.

"Ouch... Be gentle! This beard is something your old man worked hard to grow!"

Liu Chen didn't care and pulled even harder.

Liu Ce finally managed to pry his son's hand open, took the imperial edict, glanced at it, and then burst out laughing.

"Forged imperial edict? That's incredibly audacious."

"This is like throwing your head in the slingshot."

He handed the imperial edict to a few people who had just arrived. After Guo Jia read it, he passed it on to Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xun Yu, Xi Zhicai, and so on...

Several people took turns reading it, and their expressions varied.

After reading it, Fang Xuanling pondered and said, "My lord, although this edict is forged, it is perfectly timely. Dong Zhuo controls the court, and the world is without a ruler. Without the emperor's name, the campaign against Dong Zhuo would be without justification. Cao Cao's move is brilliant."

Du Ruhui nodded and said, "Once the forged edict is issued, the whole country responds. Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Sun Jian, Kong Rong, Ma Teng... the eighteen warlords, plus Cao Cao himself, make a total of nineteen. With this momentum, even the arrogant Dong Zhuo would tremble."

Xun Yu said with a complicated expression, "But forging an imperial edict is, after all, a crime of deceiving the emperor. If Cao Cao succeeds, he can still offset his crime with merit; if he fails, he will be doomed forever."