() Ma Yuezao knew Li Ru’s intention of asking him to go to the back garden with him this time, so the journey seemed easy, but in fact he was always prepared. Hearing the other party’s sudden serious question, he took a moment

He started laughing: "Why, is Brother Wenyou suspecting that I have ulterior motives?"

"Isn't there?" Li Ru still stared at Ma Yue's eyes, as if he wanted to see through his heart: "You have only been following the lord for a month, but you seem to understand the lord's temperament very well.

How to explain? And what you said today is clearly to frame the lord for injustice. If everyone in my imperial army thought this way, they would have lost three points in the first battle against the Qiang people.

."

Ma Yue spread his hands and watched a snowflake slowly float into his palm. After it was melted by his own body temperature, he said slowly: "If you really want to look into it carefully, I do have my own considerations in saying this."

But it was definitely not as Brother Wenyou thought, that he wanted to harm the lord.

"As for what you mentioned that I seem to know the lord very well, it can only be said that I guessed it. No matter how you tried to persuade me before, the lord was unmoved. Since this approach doesn't work, I will do the opposite.

I used irony to persuade the lord. But as I said, with the talent of the lord, even if he is angry at the time, he will understand it later, so I just played a promoting role. I don’t know what this explanation is, Brother Wenyou

Is it still acceptable?"

The hostility in Li Ru's eyes weakened slightly, but he still said: "Then let's talk about your intention?"

"Don't Brother Wenyou have this consideration? We are in Xiliang, a desolate place that only interacts with the Qiang people. Are you willing to stay here for the rest of your life? I don't want to stay here for the rest of my life.

In Liangzhou, I not only want to leave here, but I also want to spread my name throughout the world!

"It's a pity that with my father's current status and the current situation of the court, it may not be too easy for me to pursue an official career, so I thought of relying on someone with great ambitions and great abilities to help me realize my ambitions."

.And looking at my entire land in Xiliang, who else can have more prestige and ability than my lord?

"That's why I will follow my lord and advise him on this matter. As for your worries that this will lead to disadvantages in the war, you are overthinking it. The thieves seem to be united, but in fact they are not.

Those who are wary of each other will have ways to deal with them when the time comes."

"..." After hearing Ma Yue's words, Li Ru's suspicion eased a bit. In his mind, since Ma Yue even said what he wanted, he obviously couldn't be fake.

In fact, wasn't he himself like this? Because he was dissatisfied with the status quo, he became Dong Zhuo's staff, and later became the Dong family's son-in-law. So it's not a big deal if Ma Yue has such thoughts.

However, he still said without doubt: "How can you be sure that your strategy will succeed? Even if Zhang Wen doesn't know military skills, the imperial court will send powerful generals to him, so you are sure that they can't win?"

"Sun Tzu's Art of War says: Know yourself and the enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. This is what I rely on. These people sent by the imperial court have never fought against the Qiang people, and they are not familiar with the geographical environment of Xiliang. What do they rely on?

Can he win? But the Lord is different. He is originally from Xiliang, and he later gained recognition from the court through his battles with the Qiang people. These two points alone are several times stronger than those like Zhang Wen.

"Coupled with the loyal assistance of you and me, I believe that the lord will be able to shine in quelling this chaos!"

"If things are really as you said, that would be the best!" This time, Li Ru's doubts about Ma Yue were completely dispelled. He finally regarded this young man as Dong Zhuo's right-hand man just like himself.

.

"I believe that the day when my lord will achieve great success is not too far away." Ma Yue said with confidence. He was the most confident in saying this, because no one in this era knows better than him the path of Dong Zhuo's life next.

Got it

??????????

"Did he really say that?" Dong Zhuo leaned on the couch and looked at Li Ru, who was reporting everything in front of him. It turned out that the latter's conversation with Ma Yue was also with his tacit approval, in order to explore Ma Yue's true intentions.

, and whether this person can be used. Although Dong Zhuo is not a suspicious person, his loyalty to the people around him still needs to be tested more.

"Yes. My son-in-law has tried his best to make him feel surprised, but his reaction tells me that he does not have any other bad intentions. The only thing he wants is to use the power of the lord to enable himself to pursue an official career.

."

"That's the best. A young man should have some ambitions. I'm just afraid that he will ask for nothing. As long as he needs it, he must do his best to do things for me. And to be honest, the strategy he set this time

It's also very good. We can use this to deal with Zhang Wen and others." Dong Zhuo said. Through recent contacts, he was already very sure of Ma Yue's ability. Today, Li Ru tried to test it, and finally knew that this young man

After asking for help, his loyalty to Ma Yue was guaranteed, and he could be officially used as a person.

Seeing that Dong Zhuo had completely shifted his attention from the previous refusal of the imperial court to appoint him as commander to how to obtain benefits from this war, Li Ru finally felt at ease. However, he was still worried and said: "Father-in-law, this matter

After all, it’s no small matter. Zhang Wen’s identity is out there. If our intentions are known to him, I’m afraid..."

"I'm not worried about this." Dong Zhuo's eyes flashed with ruthlessness: "It is not difficult to convince him, a senior official of the imperial court who has never been to Xiliang, to act according to our wishes. As long as he agrees to divide the troops, everything will be fine.

It's under our control. As for someone who will investigate this later, huh, once that time comes, even if the court really finds out something, Xiliang is already under my control. What else can they do to me?

Huh? As long as the land of Xiliang has my backing, I am not afraid of what those incompetent people in the court can do to me."

"Ru will definitely do his best to help my father-in-law achieve his wish as soon as possible!" Dong Zhuo's domineering statement made Li Ru feel agitated and he immediately expressed his stance.

"Well said!" Dong Zhuo was very satisfied with Li Ru's statement, and then laughed loudly, having wiped away all the previous unhappiness.

??????????

A few days later, the weather improved even more, and the official order became normal. The officials sent by the imperial court to Xiliang did not dare to delay any longer, so they came to Lintao City on the last day of November to convey the imperial court's intention.

Dong Zhuo.

When Dong Zhuo received the order, Ma Yue was also watching, and found that Dong Zhuo's words and actions were in line with etiquette, and he could not see the anger he had shown a few days ago. He was so good at hiding his own thoughts, so Ma Yue couldn't help it.

Don’t say a single word of submission in your heart.

The officials who came to convey the order this time not only conveyed the intention of the court and rewarded Dong Zhuo and his soldiers for defeating the enemy, but also brought military orders from the new commander Zhang Wen. Before Zhang Wen arrived in Xiliang, Dong Zhuo was responsible for

For specific military affairs, make preparations before the war, and only wait for the army to arrive in Liangzhou before dispatching troops.

This was not only a trust in Dong Zhuo's ability, but also a test for him. Dong Zhuo even thought with some malice that if he failed to complete the assigned tasks, Zhang Wen might use this as an excuse to impeach him. And he

Of course, it was impossible to put such a handle in Zhang Wen's hands, so even though it was already winter, he did not dare to slack off in the training of his men, making sure that the other party could not find any mistakes.

However, this problem was not without its problems. The problem of shortage of food and grass soon appeared in front of Dong Zhuo. Because nearly two months had passed since the previous troops were sent to attack the Qiang people, the food and grass that had been prepared had already been greatly reduced.

Attrition. In addition, the Qiang people burned a lot and took away a lot during the previous attack, making the Han army even more stretched for food and grass.

Because of the victory at Lintao, part of the Han army that was originally defeated by the Qiang and dispersed surrendered to Dong Zhuo's command. This not only greatly increased his strength, but also increased the consumption of food and grass. By December, Dong Zhuo

The food and grass in his hand was only enough for the 7,000 men and horses under his command for two months. Originally, Dong Zhuo could only control 3,000 men and horses when the war started, but this victory doubled his strength. This was also the reason why he dared to challenge Zhang Wen.

The reason is.

If we add the troops arriving from other counties, and if Dong Zhuo arranges food and grass for them, I am afraid that this small amount of food and grass will only be enough for tens of thousands of troops for half a month. This is the most realistic and difficult problem.

Dong Zhuo couldn't feel at ease for several days, and finally he called all his counselors to discuss how to deal with it.

This is the second time Ma Yue has participated in such an important discussion. Compared with the last time he was suddenly invited, he is obviously much calmer this time. He knows very well that with his previous treatment of Dong Zhuo,

After some persuasion and a conversation with Li Ru, Dong Zhuo had really accepted it, and he no longer had any doubts. Ma Yue, who had already understood the food problem and had thought of countermeasures, planned to do it this time.

In the discussions, he once again made himself stand out, and thus he was more valued by Dong Zhuo and truly became his confidant.

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Chapter completed!