Chapter 14: One Stick Falls, One Stick Resurrects [Please Read and Vote]

A carriage, escorted by several personal followers, drove out of the city and opened the curtains.

Yuan Wei, the Grand Tutor who was in charge of the Secretariat, slowly stepped down from the carriage.

Lu Shangshu Shi was originally a part-time official title, which can be understood as supervising important officials in the court and supervising the country.

In certain special periods, the Recorder of the Secretariat had almost the authority to oversee the government affairs and was in charge of the Secretariat.

Previously, He Jin and Yuan Wei jointly recorded the affairs of the Secretariat, but now only Yuan Wei is left.

He has the longest seniority and the highest status in the court.

Dong Zhuo was still his old official.

Yuan Shu was following Yuan Wei, and it was he who shouted those words just now.

Yuan Wei got off the car and glanced at Dong Zhuo and Ding Yuan. His face darkened. "Zhongying, Jianyang, you two are both important officials in the court. In this chaotic time, you don't know how to work together, but instead you raise troops on your own to confront each other. What do you want to do?"

Yuan Wei was not really angry.

The current situation is closely related to his planning and promotion behind the scenes.

The mutual suspicion between the two foreign generals was a means of balancing and restraining each other.

The Yuan family of Runan has been reading the Book of Changes for generations, and one of the core ideas of the Book of Changes is the balance of yin and yang.

The five elements complement and restrain each other, and are indispensable.

Yuan Wei boasted that he had a thorough understanding of the principle of balance and could apply it without any hindrance.

So Cao Cao thought he was a troublemaker.

Are you trying to balance yourself and think with your butt at this time?

If you are not careful, the balance will be broken and eaten away by the tilted balance, leaving nothing behind.

Moreover, Cao Cao knew that this balance would tilt quickly.

According to historical trends, there will be dramatic changes within two or three days.

Dong Zhuo was very polite and said solemnly, "What the Grand Master taught me is that I was too anxious and afraid of chaos in the court, so I made arrangements as soon as I arrived to deter the villains. I didn't expect to be misunderstood instead."

"Fortunately, Zhuo sent a message to the Grand Tutor in advance and informed him of all the arrangements. Otherwise, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to explain myself clearly and would be framed."

Ding Yuan also apologized, and only then did Grand Tutor Yuan Wei's expression ease a little.

"Zhongying, the Queen Mother knows you are coming to Luoyang, and she has urgently summoned you to the palace for an audience. Come with me."

Dong Zhuo agreed, quickly came to Yuan Wei's carriage, and eagerly helped Yuan Wei get on.

Then he followed outside the carriage, indicating that he did not dare to ride with Yuan Wei and wanted to walk beside the carriage to show respect.

Cao Cao was watching from the side and was shocked.

This fat guy Dong Zhuo has both military power and cruelty, but he can bend and stretch himself. The key is that he is so shameless. He is really a strong opponent.

Yuan Wei was about to leave when he lifted the curtain from inside the carriage and looked at Cao Cao: "Did you gather the Xiyuan Army here without permission? Have you reported it?"

Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were on the same side, and Cao Cao took the opportunity to attack Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao had no choice but to take the blame and said, "Uncle, it was me who asked Meng De to gather the troops."

Yuan Wei glanced at Cao Cao and lowered the curtain.

Dong Zhuo followed the carriage and walked into the city. Before leaving, he secretly made a cryptic gesture to Li Ru.

His personal troops also followed Yuan Wei and Dong Zhuo, walking slowly into the city.

However, a part of the imperial guards did not continue to enter the city when they reached the city gate. Instead, they stopped under the gate tower, intending to take over the city gate.

It wasn't that Dong Zhuo was impatient, but his continuous unusual movements as soon as he arrived aroused people's vigilance.

Instead, he and his advisers, including Li Ru, had analyzed the situation carefully and placed spies in advance to investigate the situation in Luoyang.

We must control the city gates and the city center with lightning speed as soon as they arrive, leaving no one with time to respond, otherwise something might happen.

The same is true in history. Dong Zhuo was extremely bold and took advantage of the chaos to quickly seize Luoyang.

At this time, Dong Zhuo entered the city, and his personal army approached the city gate quietly.

Cao Cao saw it clearly, but did not stop it and returned to the city with Yuan Shao.

However, before Cao Cao left, he also exchanged glances with Ding Yuan.

Dong Zhuo had a plan and wanted to take the city gate, but Cao Cao also had a countermeasure and was ready to give Dong Zhuo another blow.

Jingzhao Yin Gai Xun was also called away by Yuan Wei.

Li Ru looked around and saw Ding Yuan gathering his troops and leaving towards the military camp on the outskirts of the city. The rest of the people were doing their own things. No one was sufficiently alert about Dong Zhuo's personal troops approaching the city gate. A sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.

In addition to the obvious arrangements, they also had secret arrangements when they came here this time. It is definitely not as simple as it seems.

Just wait, things will change in Luoyang soon...

On the way into the city towards the palace.

Yuan Wei's voice came from the carriage, instructing Dong Zhuo: "Zhongying, there is a change in the palace, and the Queen Mother is in danger. I am very worried."

Dong Zhuo already understood without having to explain.

At this time, Empress Dowager He was in urgent need of a force. As long as she was shown enough respect and loyalty to her, she would gain a lot of conveniences.

Dong Zhuo nodded slightly, indicating that he would follow Yuan Wei's arrangements.

When they arrived at the palace and met Empress Dowager He, it was just dawn.

Dong Zhuo paid a grand audience to Empress Dowager He.

Queen Mother He, wearing a gorgeous palace robe and a tall figure, sat in the main seat and looked at the fat Dong Zhuo: "Brother once said that he would transfer you to Luoyang."

"Yes, Zhuo is here on the orders of General He, the Grand Tutor, to await your orders."

Dong Zhuo had a fat head and big ears, and a ferocious face, and was not liked by the Queen Mother.

But when her brother He Jin was alive, she always felt that He Jin wanted to use her to further control the government.

However, after He Jin died, she wanted to take over He Jin's "political legacy" to help her stabilize the court.

Especially after being held hostage by Zhang Rang, she desperately wanted to grab something to protect the rights of herself and her son.

Towards Dong Zhuo, who held a large number of troops, Empress Dowager He's attitude was to win him over, appease him, and promise him greater power in exchange for Dong Zhuo's support.

When the two met, Dong Zhuo was respectful and said, "I will obey the Queen Mother's orders. I am willing to lead the troops under my command and serve the Queen Mother and the Grand Tutor."

Empress Dowager He hummed lightly.

This "hmm" was a slight relaxation from her days of tension, and there was a hint of tenderness in her voice.

Dong Zhuo raised his head slightly and saw the alluring whiteness on Empress Dowager He's neck.

"Mr. Dong, the city is in chaos. Your troops should camp outside the city for the time being."

Empress Dowager He did not completely trust Dong Zhuo, so she did not allow his troops to enter the city.

Dong Zhuo readily agreed without any objection.

"I heard there was some commotion at the city gate just now?" asked Empress Dowager He.

Yuan Kui stepped forward and said, "It was Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo. There were some misunderstandings, which have been explained."

He added: "Cao Cao mobilized the Xiyuan Army without reporting and gathered at the north gate. The Queen Mother had previously wanted to promote Cao Cao to the rank of Senior Lieutenant of the Xiyuan Army and let him lead the entire Xiyuan Army to reward him for his meritorious service in rescuing Your Majesty. In my opinion, it is better to wait a little longer."

Yuan Wei wanted to warn Cao Cao to prevent him from gaining power and letting the Xiyuan Army slip out of his control.

Empress Dowager He nodded but did not express her opinion. She planned to ask Lu Zhi about it later.

Lu Zhi had saved her when something happened the night before, and Empress Dowager He now trusted Lu Zhi the most.

After leaving Yongle Palace, Yuan Wei whispered to Dong Zhuo, who was accompanying him, "Zhongying, when will your follow-up troops arrive?"

Dong Zhuo bowed his head and saluted: "Zhuo knows that the Grand Tutor is working hard to stabilize the government. It will be achieved in three or four days at the earliest. The rest is up to the Grand Tutor."

Yuan Wei nodded, and the two of them discussed as they walked.

North city gate.

Cao Cao separated from Yuan Shao and others who were returning to the city, came to a carriage, lifted the curtain and got in.

Xun Yu was sitting in the car.

He stayed behind Cao Cao's troops throughout the whole process and watched the two armies fighting outside the city at dawn.

As Cao Cao boarded the carriage, Xun Yu looked thoughtful. "General Cao sent someone to pick me up early. Could it be that he had foreseen the change in things? Did Ding Yuan attack Dong Zhuo have anything to do with you?"

Cao Cao neither admitted nor denied it, but asked, "Dong Zhuo is coming, what do you think?"

Xun Yu hesitated and said nothing.

Cao Cao: "Can you see that the political situation will be overturned at any moment?"

This attack hit exactly what Xun Yu had in mind.

He took it as his responsibility to revitalize the Han Dynasty. He was a man with a strong sense of responsibility and a concern for the country and the people.

The crisis in the court is indeed imminent and dangerous.

Xun Yu took a deep breath, "Dong Zhuo has rebellious intentions! He just showed up with his troops. If it weren't for you, Cao Dianjun, arranging the troops in front, he would have taken the opportunity to enter the city and even attack the central government."

Cao Cao asked, "According to what you said, why didn't Taifu, Benchu ​​and others see it?"

Xun Yu shook his head slightly: "The Yuan family has been high and mighty for too long, thinking that things are still under their control. Without them, others who want to make changes will only bring disgrace upon themselves. However, they don't know that the world has been in chaos in recent years, and holding on to the troops is the most important thing.

You brought Yuan Benchu ​​here to remind him, and he was already a little alert.

But Dong Zhuo said that he had informed the Grand Tutor of his whereabouts in advance, and Yuan Benchu's suspicion was retracted. "

"There is another possibility. What Dong Zhuo did, at least at this stage, was approved by the Grand Tutor."

Cao Cao asked again: "Then how to control Dong Zhuo!"

Xun Yu uttered a word: "Difficult... You can use Ding Yuan first. If you can quickly transfer General Huangfu's troops to Luoyang, you can stabilize the court and eliminate the chaos."

The General Huangfu that Xun Yu was talking about was the Left General Huangfu Song, the most famous general of the time.

Cao Cao himself, including Dong Zhuo, were working generals under Huangfu Song in their early years.

Cao Cao glanced outside the car and thought it was too late to transfer Huangfu Song now.

At this moment, Xun Yu let out a light exclamation, and his eyes were fixed on the direction of the city gate outside behind the curtain of the carriage.

Cao Cao's ears moved slightly and he heard two people approaching his carriage.

They are the Zhen sisters.

Xun Yu suddenly said: "Look!"

(End of this chapter)