The Three Kingdoms: Home Travel

Dong Zhuo, having suffered a defeat due to his talkativeness, summoned his men for a discussion. "I never expected Ding Jianyang's army to have so many fierce generals, especially Lü Bu, who is no ordinary man. If we could acquire such a man, what would we have to fear in the world!"

A man stepped forward from the tent and said, "My lord, do not worry. I am from the same hometown as Lü Bu, and we are childhood friends. With my silver tongue, I can persuade Lü Bu to surrender without a second thought. What do you say?"

Dong Zhuo was overjoyed and quickly looked at the man, who turned out to be Li Su, the Tiger General.

Dong Zhuo asked, "What are you using to say this?"

Li Su cupped his hands and said, "Fengxian is brave, but unfortunately he lacks a fine horse. I have heard that you, my lord, have a famous horse called Red Hare, which can travel a thousand miles a day. We must obtain this horse, and then use gold and pearls to win his heart. I will also persuade him further, and Lü Bu will surely rebel against Ding Yuan and come to serve you, my lord."

Dong Zhuo frowned. If it weren't for that horse that day, he wouldn't even know where he would have gotten his head! He hesitated and glanced at Li Ru.

Li Ru smiled faintly and said, "Father-in-law, if you wish to conquer the world, why should you hesitate to sacrifice a single horse!"

After a moment's thought, Dong Zhuo nodded.

Li Su took the gifts and went to Lü Bu's camp, where he was surrounded by soldiers lying in ambush.

Li Su said calmly, "Quickly inform General Lü that an old friend has come to see you."

A moment later, Lü Bu indeed summoned Li Su.

Li Su entered the tent, cupped his hands to Lü Bu, and said, "Fengxian, how have you been?"

Lu Bu was surprised for a moment, then said with delight, "So it's Gongzheng! It's been a long time. Where are you staying now?" He waved for Li Su to sit down.

Li Su smiled slightly and said, "I am currently serving as the Tiger General of the Central Army. I am overjoyed to hear that you, Fengxian, are helping the country. I have a fine horse that can travel a thousand miles a day, crossing rivers and climbing mountains as if walking on flat ground. It is named Red Hare. I am presenting it to you, Fengxian, to enhance your tiger-like might."

Lu Bu had been annoyed earlier that his warhorse had died suddenly and that Dong Zhuo had escaped. Upon hearing this, he was overjoyed and immediately ordered it to be brought over for inspection.

What a fine horse! Its entire body was fiery red, without a single stray hair; it was ten feet long from head to tail; and eight feet tall from hoof to neck; its neighing and roaring sounded as if it were about to leap into the sea.

"Huh?" Lu Bu said suspiciously, "This horse looks very familiar..."

"Fengxian, are you satisfied?" Li Su asked.

Setting aside his distracting thoughts, Lü Bu thanked him, saying, "Gongzheng bestowed this magnificent steed upon me; how can I possibly repay him?"

Li Su laughed heartily and said, "I came out of loyalty. I have no expectation of reward!"

Lü Bu then prepared a feast to entertain him.

After a long while, both of them became drunk.

Li Su said, "Fengxian possesses the talent to support the heavens and command the seas; who in the world does not admire him? Fame and fortune are as easy as taking something from a bag. Why then must you be relegated to a subservient position?"

Lu Bu's expression changed, and he looked at Li Su, saying, "Gongzheng, what is the purpose of your visit?"

Li Su simply smiled and remained silent.

Lu Bu took a deep breath and said, "This horse looks very familiar to me. I hope you can tell me!"

Li Su hesitated for a moment before saying, "This is because Lord Dong has long admired your reputation and specially ordered me to present this Red Hare steed."

Lu Bu's expression changed, and he stood up, saying, "Gongzheng, are you here to persuade me?"

Li Su smiled slightly and said, "A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and a wise minister chooses a good lord to serve. If you don't seize the opportunity early, it will be too late to regret it."

"No need for further words!" Lü Bu glanced at Li Su and said, "Take this horse back and tell Dong Zhuo that I will take his head sooner or later!"

"Why bother, Fengxian?" Li Su frowned, then smiled slightly. "Very well! Let's not talk about this anymore. Fengxian, I met a childhood friend in Luoyang. Do you know who he is?"

"Childhood friends?" Lü Bu paused for a moment, then hesitated before saying, "Wen Yuan and Gong Xiao are both somewhere, leaving only Gong Zheng... Who else do you have as a friend?"

Li Su smiled slightly and said, "Could it be that Fengxian has forgotten Ah Xiu?"

"What?!" Lü Bu shouted, hurriedly saying, "You said you saw Ah Xiu in Luoyang?"

"Only eight or nine parts similar..." Li Su shook his head and said, "I followed her for a while, and all I know is that Ah Xiu entered the residence of Situ Wang Yun..."

"Wang Yun?" Lü Bu muttered to himself, then exclaimed angrily, "How foolish I am! Ah Xiu's father was a close friend of Wang Yun, yet I didn't even think of that, and spent ten years searching for him in Bingzhou in vain!"

"Thank you for your correction!" Lu Bu said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"No need for thanks!" Li Su glanced at Lü Bu and said, "It's just that I noticed Ah Xiu's headdress; it seems she's also a married woman..."

"What did you say?" Lu Bu was genuinely startled, and repeatedly exclaimed in disbelief, "Impossible! This is impossible!"

"What's impossible?" Li Su said with a smile. "That year, Bu was nine years old, we were all seven, and Ah Xiu was only five..."

Lu Bu abruptly raised his head and roared, "Gongzheng! Do you know who Ah Xiu has married?"

"I did inquire about this one!" Li Su chuckled inwardly upon seeing Lü Bu's agitation. "This man is named Jiang Zhe, courtesy name Shouyi!"

"Jiang Zhe, Jiang Shouyi?!" Lu Bu clenched his fists tightly, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Actually, Fengxian, there's no need for this!" Li Su said. "As long as you submit to Lord Dong, he will surely value you highly. Then, you can use both kindness and force, and Wang Yun won't object! Jiang Zhe? He's just a scholar; what's there to fear?"

"You want to defect to Dong Zhuo?" Lu Bu stared at Li Su, his hand slowly reaching for the sword at his waist.

Li Su's expression remained unchanged as he continued, "Ding Jianyang of Bingzhou has a powerful army, and with my old friends like Fengxian as his right-hand men, yet Lord Dong controls the capital. Ding Jianyang, though nominally the Commander of the Imperial Guard, can't even enter Luoyang. Isn't that laughable?"

"This matter is none of your concern, Your Excellency!" Lü Bu's eyes turned cold. "I will speak with you after I have conquered Luoyang!"

"I wonder how long that will take!" Li Su chuckled. "If Ah Xiu here were to bear that scholar a child or two, then things would get interesting..."

Lu Bu frowned. He had only said that in anger. Luoyang was a well-fortified city with many soldiers. How could it be captured in a short period of time?

Seeing that Lü Bu was wavering, Li Su quickly said, "I really don't understand. Ding Jianyang disregards Fengxian's bravery and uses him as a mere clerk. Isn't that like casting pearls before swine? Why should Fengxian protect him so fiercely?"

Lu Bu remained silent. He had long been dissatisfied with Ding Yuan's actions. Having been exposed to weapons since childhood, Lu Bu was not illiterate, but he was truly annoyed by dealing with those chores every day.

Li Su pressed his advantage, saying, "Even someone as incompetent as myself is only a Tiger-like General; if Fengxian were to go there, his honor would be immeasurable, and then... hehe!"

Lu Bu was still tempted, but hesitated and said, "However, Ding Jianyang has always treated me well. Such behavior might make me a laughingstock!"

Li Su mocked, "Ding Jianyang has buried a gem; how can that not be considered bad? He must be afraid of Fengxian's abilities! If you ask me, why not kill Ding Yuan and lead the army to Lord Dong? What do you think?"

Lu Bu stared wide-eyed at Li Su.

"Who dares to be so bold as to persuade my adopted son to defect to the enemy?!" A cold shout startled Lü Bu and Li Su.

Ding Yuan stepped into the tent, glaring angrily at Li Su, and said, "Who are you? How dare you interfere in the relationship between father and son?!"

Li Su's expression finally changed, and he repeatedly gestured to Lü Bu, who remained silent.

Ding Yuan turned to Lu Bu and said, "Fengxian, do you truly intend to exchange my head for wealth and power?"

A hint of shame flashed in Lü Bu's eyes. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Ding Yuan say, "You scoundrel, how dare you?"

It turned out that Li Su, fearing for his life after his deeds were exposed, took advantage of Ding Yuan's inattention and took out a broken blade from his waist, stabbing Ding Yuan in the waist.

"Fengxian!" Li Su hurriedly whispered, "The victory is within reach!"

"Shut up, you scoundrel!" Ding Yuan kicked Li Su away and drew his long sword, aiming straight at Li Su.

"Father, no..." Lu Bu panicked and quickly grabbed Ding Yuan's arm. Just then, Li Su stabbed Ding Yuan in the chest with his blade.

"Fengxian..." Ding Yuan looked at Lü Bu in disbelief, which made Lü Bu panic.

Lu Bu glared at Li Su, then shoved him aside and helped Ding Yuan lie down slowly.

Ding Yuan looked at Lü Bu with sorrow and said, "Fengxian... alas..."

Feeling guilty, Lü Bu saw Ding Yuan's breathing becoming increasingly rapid and quickly asked, "Father, why have you appointed me as your chief clerk! My ambition is to become a general!"

Ding Yuan seemed to remember something, a smile appearing on his face. He said softly, "I know you prefer martial arts to literature, but Minister Wang once told me that a general... who does not read books and does not understand principles is... is just a commoner! I have always kept these words in mind, but unfortunately, I suffered hardship in my childhood and later, due to many things, I have not read any books and only have a rough understanding... You are my son... I do not want you to be like... like me... just a warrior..." After saying this, he passed away quietly.

Lu Bu was shocked. Filled with murderous intent, he slowly stood up, drew his sword, and coldly looked at Li Su, saying, "Li Gongzheng!"

Li Su's expression froze for a moment, then he said, "It's all my fault, but Ding Jianyang is already dead. What's the use of killing me now? Does Fengxian truly not care about our childhood friendship? Does Fengxian not want to see Axiu anymore?"

Lu Bu was startled and struggled with his inner turmoil.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. The two leading generals rushed into the tent and were stunned by what they saw inside.

Upon seeing that it was Gao Shun and Zhang Liao, Lü Bu remained silent.

Gao Shun looked at Lü Bu in disbelief. "Fengxian, Uncle Jianyang has treated you so well, and you actually... I'll kill you, you shameless scoundrel!" With that, he drew his sword and slashed at Lü Bu.

"Gongxiao!" Zhang Liao shouted in a low voice, and hurriedly reached out to grab Gao Shun. However, Gao Shun exerted his strength, and Zhang Liao immediately tore off half of his sleeve.

Lu Bu dodged Gao Shun's sword with a swift movement, kicked him to the ground, and shouted, "Gongxiao, you are no match for me!"

"I swear to kill you!" Gao Shun roared like a raging beast.

"If you kill me!" Lü Bu said calmly, "then come and kill me!"

"Gongxiao, do not be rash!" Zhang Liao helped Gao Shun up and nodded to Li Su.

So it was this guy! Gao Shun immediately realized there must be something fishy going on.

"Wen Yuan, Gong Xiao, it's been a long time!" Li Su bowed slightly to Lü Bu and said, "Things have come to this! What are you still hesitating for, Fengxian?"

"Enough, enough!" Lü Bu glanced at Zhang Liao and said in a hoarse voice, "Wen Yuan, go and convey my order: Ding Yuan was wicked, I have already killed him. Those who are willing to follow me, stay here; those who are not, leave!"

"……yes!"

Li Su glanced at Ding Yuan's corpse and said with some regret, "Fengxian, why didn't you take Ding Yuan's head to Lord Dong? He would surely reward you handsomely!"

Gao Shun's eyes widened, and he roared, "I'll take your head first!"

Lu Bu grabbed Gao Shun, realizing that killing Li Su would offend Dong Zhuo. Now that his adoptive father had died, wouldn't killing him destroy all of his adoptive father's life's work?

"You may choose to surrender to Dong Zhuo!" Lü Bu said in a deep voice, "but the troops in Bing Province will all be under my control, and no one else may overstep their authority!"

Seeing that Lü Bu had finally agreed, Li Su smiled and said, "It's just a small matter; Lord Dong will surely agree! Then I'll take my leave!"

"Hmm!" Lü Bu said indifferently. Gao Shun watched Li Su walk out with a cold eye and said hatefully, "Such a despicable person is not worthy of being associated with!"

The next day, Lü Bu led the Bingzhou army to surrender to Dong Zhuo and mentioned the matter of the Bingzhou army's ownership. Dong Zhuo was delighted and readily agreed.

After Ding Yuan's death, Dong Zhuoyue rose to power, even placing Empress He under house arrest. He then proclaimed himself Prime Minister, taking control of all affairs in the court!

From then on, Dong Zhuo's power was immense and unparalleled!

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