Chapter 40: Progress is rapid [Seeking follow-up reading]

The morning sun is shining brightly.

Empress Dowager He was the last empress dowager to rule the country among the "Six Empresses in Charge of the Dynasty" in history.

She entered the hall and sat down with her son Liu Bian. She looked around at the ministers and did not speak for a long time.

"Earlier today, I received a secret report that General Huangfu knew that Dong Zhuo's troops were approaching Luoyang, so he led his elite troops last night to intercept Dong Zhuo's rebels from Liangzhou and won a great victory. A thousand of Dong Zhuo's reinforcements were beheaded, and the rest were scattered."

The hall suddenly became quiet for a moment, and then there was a slight commotion.

Yuan Wei and Cui Lie looked at each other and saw the joy on each other's faces.

Yuan Wei had previously wanted to organize the troops in the city to jointly defeat Dong Zhuo.

This was to prevent their reinforcements from coming to Luoyang, which would be difficult to resist.

When he learned that Huangfu Song had sent troops to block Dong Zhuo's reinforcements, he was extremely surprised.

Dong Zhuo's arrival in Luoyang was like a sword hanging over everyone's head.

This is the good news that everyone needs most.

The crowd was excited.

"General Huangfu is a man of great talent. He dealt a heavy blow to Dong Zhuo head-on, which would be of great benefit to Luoyang."

"I wonder if General Huangfu will lead his troops to Luoyang in person to protect the country!"

"I told you not to worry. Dong Zhuo will suffer the consequences of his defeat. His wish to occupy Luoyang is wishful thinking."

Both Lu Zhi and Cao Cao were delighted.

In fact, both of them already knew the news.

Huangfu Song blocked Dong Zhuo's reinforcements in the early morning and sent troops to report to Luoyang overnight to reassure the people.

The scout sent to deliver the message galloped a hundred miles and entered the city at daybreak, going through the east gate.

A secret letter was also secretly sent to Cao Cao, discussing how to coordinate inside and outside Luoyang to eliminate the threat of Dong Zhuo.

Cao Cao sent the relevant information to Lu Zhi as soon as possible.

Ding Yuan also knew about this and was on guard against Dong Zhuo's counterattack.

"With General Huangfu commanding the troops outside, Dong Zhuo will be restrained at every turn."

All the ministers spoke up and praised Huangfu Song.

However, an idea suddenly occurred to Cao Cao that the number of refugees from all over the country was increasing.

The East Gate and the South Gate controlled by him and Ding Yuan were still connected by the Luo River, and they continued to receive news and memorials from all over the world.

But the emperor and the empress dowager neglected state affairs for many days.

The ministers did not pay much attention to the changes in the local area. Everyone was more concerned about the threat posed by Dong Zhuo.

After the Queen Mother announced the news, she also breathed a sigh of relief.

The high spirits of the ministers meant that she had the support of the people and could better maintain the power of her and her son.

After a while, the other ministers dispersed and went about their business.

Cao Cao, Lu Zhi and three or five others were left behind.

"Minister Lu, in your opinion, can we let General Huangfu march secretly, enter the city from the east gate, and join forces with the troops in the city to completely quell Dong Zhuo's rebellion?" asked Empress Dowager He.

Lu Zhi replied: "There must be Dong Zhuo's people in the court. General Huangfu is leading his troops to Luoyang. It is impossible to hide it from Dong Zhuo."

Empress Dowager He was disappointed: "It still doesn't work."

Lu Zhi added: "On the contrary, I think we can send a secret letter to General Huangfu and ask him to secretly lead the troops to Luoyang as quickly as possible. Even if Dong Zhuo finds out, the troops in the city are beyond his reach, so he can protect the Queen Mother and Your Majesty."

Empress Dowager He was worried and said, "If Dong Zhuo attacks the palace desperately, what if we fail to stop him? I will think about this matter again."

Cao Cao listened expressionlessly and did not speak.

Empress Dowager He said she needed to think about it, so he politely took his leave.

Lu Zhi still wanted to persuade him again, so he stayed.

It was a sunny morning in early September.

Cao Cao arrived at the east gate of the imperial palace.

There are a large number of Xiyuan troops stationed here.

Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren and Cao Hong were brought with him when he entered the court in the morning.

The Xiyuan Army originally had eight colonels, among whom Bao Hong, the colonel of the lower army, was dismissed and beheaded a few months ago because of massive corruption.

The captain who replaced Bao Hong was named Yao Jun, who was in his early forties and was taciturn.

The Xiyuan Army was personally organized by the late Emperor Liu Hong. It had little to do with the other divisions of the Imperial Guard, but it also had factions. Cao Cao assigned Xiahou Dun and the other two to the army as a preliminary measure to more securely control the Xiyuan Army.

It is against rules to arrange for confidants to join the army privately.

But during special periods, the emperor and the empress dowager relied heavily on Cao Cao.

Yao Jun, who was leading the troops on duty at the east gate, and Zhao Rong, the left colonel of the auxiliary army, read the appointment order that Cao Cao had obtained from the Grand Marshal Cui Lie. Neither of them wanted to offend their immediate superior, so they gladly accepted the arrangement.

The recruitment of the three junior schools was uneventful.

[Xiahou Dun, Cao Hong, and Cao Ren join the Xiyuan Army and become officers under your command. Information can be viewed]

After making all the arrangements, Cao Cao boarded the carriage back home.

He checked the entry in the car: [You are the captain of the Xiyuan Army, with 7976 people under your command, 5811 people (obey orders)

1894 people (obeyed)

141 people (loyal)

...]

The Xiyuan Army is on duty to guard the palace. In recent days, they have had small-scale clashes with Dong Zhuo's men, suffered some casualties, and the total number of troops has been slightly reduced.

But the loyalty of Cao Cao's soldiers is constantly increasing.

Most of these troops whose loyalty had increased were from the former captains of the Dian Army, who were led by him personally.

They had followed Cao Cao for some time and had developed a high level of obedience, which brought them a more stable and lasting reputation.

Cao Cao's reputation has approached the 10,000 mark.

Tonight or tomorrow, there will be over ten thousand.

[Your father, Cao Song, has recruited 3,000 young and strong refugees]

[He removed the porridge stall and began to develop secretly, expanding to surrounding counties with Qiao County as the center]

[According to your suggestion, your father began to selectively recruit craftsmen and blacksmiths, and planned to accumulate copper and iron, and the progress was rapid.]

[However, he has not yet found a good way to obtain a large amount of copper and iron...]

The entry gives a new hint.

Cao Cao smiled and thought, I am showing off my prowess in front of the people of Luoyang and earning reputation, while my father is secretly accumulating strength and developing rapidly in Qiao County. This combination is quite in line with expectations.

What should I do next to gain a lot of reputation faster?
noon.

Cao Cao returned to the mansion and walked towards the inner house with his hands behind his back, thinking as he walked.

Dong Zhuo would definitely counterattack, but Cao Cao and others had different judgments.

Dong Zhuo was good at commanding troops, and he had counselors like Li Ru to assist him.

His reinforcements would never be placed all together.

There will be at least two or three groups of people.

If Huangfu Song can block all his reinforcements outside, that will be the time for Dong Zhuo to let go of everything and fight for his life.

Dong Zhuo had just been defeated and his reinforcements were not going to lose his mind.

At this time, it is relatively stable and there is no need to be too nervous.

As Cao Cao walked forward, his ears moved slightly, and he could clearly perceive the scene inside the bedroom.

Yu Qing was looking in the mirror. She was wearing a thin apricot-colored Han skirt and sitting on the side of the couch. Her white feet were wearing shoes that were swaying back and forth.

Quite comfortable.

This woman was crying yesterday, but today she has become more comfortable. She is really generous.

Hearing Cao Cao's footsteps, Yu Qing's face turned pale. She quickly pushed the bronze mirror aside and hid it under the quilt. In a blink of an eye, her face was filled with tears. She looked like a little woman who had been bullied and was full of resentment. She had a great talent for acting.

Cao Cao almost laughed out loud. He walked into the room and waved to Yu Qing, motioning her to come over.

Yu Qing curled her lips, indicating that she didn't want to go.

But the man honestly got up from the couch, put on his slippers, walked in front of Cao Cao, and asked unhappily, "What are you doing?"

"Take you for a walk."

Yu Qing's charming peach blossom eyes lit up.

She had been in the palace for several years and had never been outside. She was almost going crazy. She was looking forward to going outside: "Can I go out?"

"It doesn't matter, let's take the carriage." Cao Cao said.

Yu Qing still wanted to pretend to be reserved, and hummed reluctantly: "Okay."

(End of this chapter)