Chapter 349 Yuan Wei: Since Dong Zhuo can't help him, let's do it ourselves!
Langya, Haiqu.
Within the county government office.
A man of about twenty years old was holding the wanted notice and looking at it carefully, muttering to himself: "What a Li Ru, he can actually escape when surrounded by a large army."
The man is called Lu Fan.
He was also the county magistrate promoted by Nanyang Hanting.
Although he is relatively young, his political achievements are not weak at all. Under his governance, Haiqu's various targets have been achieved ahead of schedule, and he has received more and more rewards.
Even just yesterday, he led Haiqu's county soldiers to participate in the battle to harass the peripheral forces of Cao Bao, Zang Ba and others. However, because he could not defeat the Danyang soldiers, he had no achievements to speak of.
I just never thought about it...
He had only been back for less than a day when the wanted order issued by the Prime Minister had already arrived. It even had a portrait and a huge reward for him, the county magistrate, and he couldn't help but feel a little excited.
"Someone is coming!"
Lu Fan shouted.
"County Honor."
The guards came outside the palace.
"Send someone to post this wanted notice."
Lu Fan handed the wanted order to the guards and casually gave instructions: "At the same time, send people to publicize this matter in various villages, so that they must take strict precautions and not hide outsiders in their homes, even vagrants."
"If a suspicious person appears, report it to the village immediately. If Li Ru is successfully captured, there will be a reward, so they must be cautious."
After the stages of land reclamation and sowing, the magistrates of each county have reached an unprecedented level of control over the township, and any order can be issued almost instantly.
The common people's trust in the government is increasing day by day, and they pay close attention to various government orders issued by the court. Even if they usually work in the farmland, there will still be soldiers beating gongs to announce.
The guard leaned forward and cupped his hands: "Here."
Immediately.
After receiving the wanted order, he bowed and left the hall.
Lu Fan turned back to his previous position and continued to study how to quickly complete his farming production responsibility letter.
The imperial court does not ask about one's origin, but judges heroes based on their political performance. As long as they do well and have outstanding political achievements, they will be promoted.
I come from a poor background and have few connections, so I can only work harder than others.
Although I have successfully married my beloved wife, if I fail to achieve results or get promoted, I am afraid that my father-in-law and his family will also look down on me.
Whether it is for himself or for his wife, Lu Fan vows to be diligent in government affairs, make political achievements, and strive to be promoted as soon as possible.
However......
Just as he was planning his next move.
Suddenly, some county soldiers hurried into the palace, bowed and raised their hands and said: "Your Majesty, a large number of cavalry suddenly appeared outside the city. Judging from the flags, they may be Cao Bao's troops."
"Cao Bao?"
Lu Fan was stunned and frowned slightly: "Cao Bao's troops are Danyang soldiers, but Danyang soldiers are infantry. Are you sure they are cavalry?"
The county soldier nodded affirmatively: "Well, that's right, they are all cavalry, at least hundreds of them."
"Hahaha!"
Lu Fan looked up to the sky and laughed, twirling his beard and saying with a smile: "They are not Cao Bao's Danyang soldiers, but the Yuzhou Military Guard General Cao Cao's cavalry. If my guess is correct, they are here to pick up Mr. Cao."
"Mr. Cao?"
The county soldier's eyes were kind and he was surprised: "Your Majesty, are you referring to Mr. Cao from this county?"
Lu Fan nodded: "That's right! It's him. When he first took office, the county was still curious about when there was an old Mr. Cao in Haiqu. He lived in seclusion and kept a low profile. Unexpectedly, he turned out to be the father of General Cao."
As Lu Fan, who was born in Runan County, Yuzhou, he is naturally aware of the major aristocratic families in Yuzhou. Although the Cao family in Peiguoqiao County is not an aristocratic family, it can also be called a powerful wealthy family in Yuzhou. How could Lu Fan not know about it.
"Walk!"
Lu Fan waved his hand: "Let's go and have a look."
The county soldier raised his hand and said: "Here."
Putting the matter at hand aside for the time being, Lu Fan left the county office, led the county soldiers, and rushed to the residence of Mr. Cao.
Sure enough, the person who came to pick them up was none other than Cao Chun, Cao Cao's general.
There was an endless stream of people watching on the street.
They didn't seem to have thought that the most mysterious Mr. Cao in the county had such a terrifying background.
"This old man turns out to be the father of General Cao of Yuzhou. No wonder his family is so wealthy."
"Mr. Cao has lived here for many years, but I have never seen him once."
"Yes! I heard that Yuzhou is stable, and I'm going back to enjoy my old age in peace."
"If he leaves, what will happen to such a big manor?"
"What can we do? Just leave it alone. Come back and live there when you have time. I don't lack housing."
"Tsk, tsk, that's so arrogant. When will I have such strength?"
"..."
Among the crowd, a man wearing coarse linen clothes and unkempt face, looking like a beggar, poked his head and looked out, thinking to himself, if Cao Song left, and he stayed here for a year and a half, there would definitely be no one.
Discover.
Now, the entire Langya is looking for him. Every step he takes is extremely dangerous. Every movement is worse than silence. Hiding in this manor and avoiding the limelight is the best way.
As for returning to Chang'an...
With this defeat, King Hongnong has become a leader. He spans three states. Who in the world can defeat him?
With Dong Zhuo's stupid brains, how can those old guys from Chang'an Hanting who are only good at intrigues be the opponent of King Hongnong? Why was I so blind in the first place that I didn't realize that King Hongnong had been hiding his strength?
"Damn it!"
Li Ru chewed it secretly, feeling annoyed.
After all, King Hongnong is a prince. If he could help him escape from the palace and form a good relationship, he might not kill him now even if he is desperate.
Fortunately, now, he has become the number two figure in the Dong Zhuo Group, and is on King Hongnong's death list. Although he is indeed in a high and powerful position, his own path has been completely cut off.
If you can survive, you are very lucky, so why would you dare to seek help from the powerful?
Just as Li Ru was sighing secretly, a group of soldiers and horses came from the end of the street.
"The magistrate of Haiqu County has arrived—!"
Following a call, Cao Chun hurried forward to greet him: "The last general, Cao Chun, has met the county magistrate."
Lu Fan hurriedly returned the courtesy and said with a smile: "How dare you! It's obvious that the subordinate didn't know that the general was coming, so he had to wait a long way to greet him."
Cao Chun said softly: "This is General Cao's private matter, so I dare not trouble the county magistrate."
Lu Fan nodded, knowing that Cao Cao was controlling his subordinates well, so he did not continue to struggle, but reminded him kindly: "The general is coming from the direction of Jiqiu, so he should know about Li Ru's affairs, right?"
"kindness."
Cao Chun simply responded: "But Li Ru is now a loner and poses no threat to us. Moreover, the general has brought five hundred elite cavalry with him this time, so he doesn't dare to covet my old master."
"That's for sure."
Lu Fan naturally knew that Li Ru did not dare to take action against Mr. Cao: "However, this person has always been cunning and cunning. There is no guarantee that he will not disguise himself and join your team, or sneak into the manor while Mr. Cao is gone."
"oh?"
Cao Chun frowned and asked tentatively: "I wonder what the county magistrate means..."
Lu Fan bowed his head and said softly: "I'm brave, I hope Mr. Cao can temporarily hand over this manor to the supervision of the county government. After half a year, we will withdraw and hand it back. I wonder what the general thinks?"
"this......"
Cao Chun can't make the decision on this kind of thing.
Before he could answer, a voice came from the garden: "If the county magistrate can do this, I will never ask for it."
Lu Fan turned his head and looked around, and saw a man wearing a satin-colored ink-colored robe, a floral silk robe, a jade crown inlaid with gold to tie his hair, a brocade belt inlaid with jade around his waist, a bright jade pendant, an exquisite sachet, and a unicorn ribbon.
Suspended, extremely luxurious.
Although this man is old, his face is very well maintained. There are no wrinkles on his face. He only has some crow's feet at the corners of his eyes. He can be described as radiant. It's a bit difficult to call him Old Mrs. Cao.
At least, the person in front of him gave Lu Fan the feeling that he was forty years old at best. Although his figure could not be called strong, he could be said to be upright and presentable.
The two women who followed him out were both graceful and beautiful young women, estimated to be only about thirty years old. They were also dressed in silk and satin, wearing gold and silver, and had so many jewelry that it seemed overwhelming.
"I have met Mr. Cao."
Lu Fan naturally knew that Cao Song was a person who ranked higher than the Three Dukes.
Back then, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty sold his official position to gain a title. The old man in front of him spent tens of millions of money, and his rich story was famous in the countryside. Only then did Lu Fan learn about the Cao family in Qiao County, Peiguo.
"Get up."
Although Cao Song was a commoner at this time and tried to remain respectful to the officials of the New Nanyang Dynasty, it was obvious that he still had the aura of a Shangguan, otherwise he would not have been able to wave his hand casually to the county magistrate and signal him to stand up.
Lu Fan, who was born into a poor family and was also just starting out, didn't think too much about the behavior of the old man who was once the Third Duke, and straightened up:
"I'm lowering my rank just in case."
Lu Fan gave an explanation casually and said respectfully: "In addition, Mr. Cao must not help the refugees on his way back. He must ensure that everyone in the team is his own."
"kindness."
Cao Song nodded slowly, twirled his beard and said: "The County Lord reminded me well, I will bear it in my heart! In this case, I will entrust the manor to the County Lord."
Lu Fan bowed his head and said softly: "Don't worry."
Cao Song returned the favor and said, "In that case, we are ready to hit the road."
Lu Fan nodded: "I respectfully send you off to Mr. Cao."
Watching the long motorcade slowly leaving.
In the peripheral vision, a man who looked like a beggar walked away slowly and in the opposite direction.
Lu Fan was keenly aware of this and glanced back at the man, only to see that he was walking steadily. Although he was wearing tattered coarse clothes, the shoes on his feet were relatively heavy.
The imperial court issued farm tools, and as long as you signed up, you could get farmland. Refugees and beggars from all over the country were turning into regular workers. How could such a guy appear out of thin air?
When something goes wrong, there must be a monster!
Lu Fan waved to the county soldiers to come forward and lowered his voice: "You two go forward first, and you behind, capture that beggar alive for me. The county suspects that he is Li Ru."
The county soldiers were surprised, nodded quickly, and immediately took action to surround the beggar: "Do it!"
The four county soldiers sealed off all four directions and rushed at the beggar with their swords drawn. Li Ru was also shocked. Before he could escape, he was knocked down by the county soldiers and captured alive.
"Let me go! You fellows, let me go!"
"You are Li Ru, right?"
"I'm not Li Ru! I don't even know Li Ru. You have arrested the wrong person."
"Hmph! Can you hide it from others, or from me? Don't think that you can hide yourself by throwing away your war horse and putting on coarse linen clothes. You have to walk for a long time and can't stand the shoes of beggars. This is your biggest problem.
The flaw."
"..."
Li Ru was silent and had no words.
Lu Fan looked at the other person up and down, recalling the appearance on the wanted poster, stretched out his hand to grab the other person's beard, and with a squeak, tore off his facial disguise:
"Sure enough, it looks more like this."
"Brothers!"
Lu Fan waved fiercely, with unmistakable joy on his face: "Take me back to the county office, put you in a prison car, and send him to Jiqiu City as quickly as possible, and hand him over to General Zu Mao."
All the county soldiers bowed and raised their hands: "Here."
*****
Sili, Chang'an.
Prime Minister's Mansion.
Snap!
Dong Zhuo stood up with his hands clapping, his eyes as wide as copper bells: "What? Failed again? What does Li Ru do for a living? He has so many troops in his hands, and he can still be defeated?"
"Prime Minister."
Wei Zhan, who was below, leaned over and cupped his hands and said: "According to the intelligence, it may be Cao Bao, Zhang Kai was found out, Zhang Kai failed to kill Tao Qian, which led to the failure of the plan in the direction of Pengcheng, and then Langya was implicated."
"Now, Tao Qian has taken back the Danyang soldiers, and annihilated the three clans with Cao Bao, Zang Ba and others. Xu Rong, Cheng Pu, and Zu Mao have successfully settled in Xuzhou, with a force of 40,000."
"And...and..."
As for this, Wei Zhan was a little embarrassed to speak, and his expression was uncertain.
After all, Dong Zhuo, the leader, was already furious, and his eyes could kill people: "Say! And what's going on?"
Wei Zhan was startled and blurted out: "Furthermore, Tao Qian separated some of the Danyang soldiers and handed them over to Xu Ronglai to command, which seems to have weakened the power of the state pastor. His desire to belong is obvious."
The governor has no military power, only supervisory power;
The Zhou Mu had military and political power and was equivalent to the Tu emperor.
After this incident, Tao Qian took the initiative to weaken his power, which was clearly a sincere expression of his sincerity to Nanyang Hanting. This meant that Xuzhou had completely entered a period of stability and peace, and the internal hidden dangers were almost eradicated.
"Damn it!"
Dong Zhuo gritted his steel teeth and chewed it secretly.
Li Ru has been operating here in Xuzhou for half a year. Unexpectedly, in the end, it is still in vain: "Where is Li Ru? When will he come back?"
"this......"
Wei Zhan's throat rolled and it became even more difficult to speak.
Dong Zhuo was furious and his eyes were as wide as bells: "Speak! Don't leave anything out!"
Wei Zhan had no choice but to tell the truth: "According to intelligence, Wen You had already fled, but when he passed through Haiqu County, the local magistrate discovered his identity and caught him. He is currently being escorted to Nanyang."
"ah?"
Dong Zhuo was stunned, with a look of disbelief on his face: "Wen You, he was... actually..."
Wei Zhan nodded affirmatively: "Prime Minister, Wen You, he...he must be in danger."
Dong Zhuo made a pop and collapsed on the futon. His whole body was like a deflated rubber ball, and his energy was gone for a moment, like an eggplant beaten by frost, wilting.
Li Ru is the only think tank under his command. Over the years, he has become accustomed to asking Li Ru for advice. Although most of the time, the results are always bad, but it is better than thinking about it alone.
But now...
Li Ru was captured alive. Once sent to Nanyang, he would most likely be killed. With his spiritual support gone, how could he fight against Nanyang in the future?
"Prime Minister!"
"Prime Minister?"
Wei Zhan greeted tentatively.
However, Dong Zhuo waved his hand lazily, signaling him to leave.
After all, Wei Zhan didn't say much, clasped his hands and fists, bowed and left the hall.
What happened in Xuzhou quickly spread within Chang'an.
All the courtiers discussed this a lot, secretly expressing that Dong Zhuo's end was coming.
but......
There was no surprise on their faces at this moment, but a hint of sadness.
After all, if Dong Zhuo falls, there will be no place for them in Nanyang Hanting.
This proves that they will lose their jobs next and become completely alone with the emperor of Chang'an.
At the same time, the Taifu Mansion.
In the side hall.
Yuan Wei knelt down and sat aside, picked up millet stalks and threw them into the charcoal brazier: "How are the moods of the civil and military officials?"
Yuan Ji bowed to the spirit tablet and said softly: "People are panicking, and some have already resigned and left. Even the officials in the imperial court seem to be looking for a way out for themselves."
"uncle."
Yuan Ji stood up, turned to glance at Yuan Wei, and asked tentatively: "Dong Zhuo is no longer reliable. He has been enjoying himself every day recently, and he has completely lost the energy of the past."
"I heard from Wei Zhan, the Prime Minister's Office Dong Cao, that Dong Zhuo wanted to use the imperial power to ennoble himself as Marquis of Xi, and recently there were soldiers and horses going to Xiwu to transport grain. This is a sign. If this continues, I'm afraid the Han court in Chang'an will take it seriously. It will collapse."
But Yuan Wei remained calm, continued to throw a handful of millet stalks into the brazier, and asked softly: "How are the soldiers and horses under Dong Zhuo's command?"
Yuan Ji exhaled: "Fan Chou and Zhang Ji are still stationed at Hangu Pass, Wuguan, and Chang'an. Dong Min, Dong Huang, and Niu Fu are stationed there, as usual, without any change."
"uncle."
Yuan Ji frowned and said worriedly: "If the Han court in Chang'an collapses, our Yuan family will really collapse. My nephew thinks that if Dong Zhuo is unreliable, we will have no choice but to go out personally."
"Moreover, now all the civil and military officials in the imperial court are looking after me, the Yuan family. If we can eradicate Dong Zhuo, our Yuan family can still dominate the government, and in the name of justice."
No matter how passionate Yuan Ji said, Yuan Wei still had a dull expression: "Just keep going, don't stop, let me see if you are qualified to take up the Yuan family's family."
Yuan Ji took a deep breath, plucked up the courage, cupped his hands and clasped his fists: "Then my nephew will just tell you."
Yuan Wei nodded: "Okay! Let's talk."
Yuan Ji pondered for a moment, organized his thoughts a little, and then said bluntly: "My nephew thinks that Dong Zhuo has lost his fighting spirit now, and if he relies on him to make an enemy of Nanyang Hanting, he will definitely lose."
"Nowadays, although Nanyang Hanting is still incomplete in terms of official organization, the officials of Chang'an Hanting have already understood that it is not that easy to enter Nanyang Hanting."
"after all!"
Speaking of this, Yuan Ji emphasized: "Not everyone is Yang Biao and Lu Zhi. For example, Yin Xiu from Nanyang, although he was a young man, was abandoned by King Hongnong like a pair of shoes."
"Even if Yang Biao and Lu Zhi entered the Han Dynasty in Nanyang, their powers were also greatly restricted. King Hongnong strengthened the powers of the Shangshutai, and the Shangshutai directly obeyed the emperor's orders, and the three princes were reduced to decorations."
"In this way, King Hongnong has completely blocked the retreat route of the Han court officials in Chang'an. If they want to keep their authority, they must be tied to Chang'an, live and die together, and advance and retreat together."
"So uncle..."
Yuan Ji said with certainty and certainty: "The current internal and external environment is very good. It is time for us to rise up to resist and replace it. I hope my uncle can think twice and make a decision as soon as possible."
However!
Yuan Wei remained calm and calm: "Tell me how you will behave after Dong Zhuo is eliminated?"
Yuan Ji frowned. Although he had thought about this question, he had not thought deeply about it, so he could only try to answer: "My nephew thinks that we can send troops into Bingzhou to connect with the original situation."
"In this way, a north-south opposition pattern can be formed with Nanyang Hanting. At the same time, the imperial court can restore the powers of the Han clan clan and canonize them as vassal kings, in order to achieve the purpose of containing Nanyang Hanting and win the victory for Benchu.
Youzhou, buy time."
"kindness!"
Having said this, Yuan Wei just said a simple favor: "What you have thought is quite far-reaching. If it can be realized, you may be able to compete with Nanyang Hanting in the future."
"So..."
A flash of excitement flashed across Yuan Ji's face: "Uncle, do you agree?"
Yuan Wei nodded slowly: "Dong Zhuo is dead, we can only stand up. You can secretly contact some trustworthy courtiers, and we will find an opportunity to plan and try to eliminate Dong Zhuo."
"Then he took the opportunity to use imperial power to appease Dong Zhuo's old troops and take them for his own use. Chang'an and the Han court were in turmoil and couldn't bear the trouble. For Dong Zhuo's remnants, we will only punish the culprits and never implicate them."
"Understand?"
"Ah, this..."
Yuan Ji didn't quite understand, so he asked: "Uncle, the officials of the imperial court now hate Dong Zhuo deeply, especially the troops under Dong Zhuo's command."
"Our action this time is to eradicate traitors. How can we only kill the culprits and not implicate Dong Zhuo's generals? How can we quickly regain the support of the people!"
Yuan Wei glanced at Yuan Ji and snorted coldly: "Even if you kill Dong Zhuo, how many troops will you have in your hands? If the traitors rise up, how can we resist?"
"Just remember!"
Yuan Wei's eyes were slightly sinister, and he said coldly: "A little Dong Zhuo is nothing to be afraid of. If I, Yuan Wei, wanted to kill him, how could he survive until now?"
"We have a more important goal, and everything must be centered on it. Once the internal turmoil in Chang'an continues, how can Zhang Liao and Zhong Yao, who are stationed in Heluo, give up this opportunity to attack."
"The mantis stalks the cicada, but the oriole follows behind."
Although Yuan Wei's voice was low, it was full of sinister atmosphere: "We cannot eliminate Dong Zhuo, but ultimately lose the fruits of victory to Nanyang. Such a stupid thing, it is enough to do it once in a lifetime."
just like!
Yuan Wei was referring to the princes' attack on Dong.
I originally thought that the Yuan family would be the ultimate beneficiary, but who would have thought that King Hongnong, who escaped from Luoyang, would swallow up all their fruits after several months of hard work and become the biggest beneficiary in the end.
one.
Yuan Ji nodded affirmatively: "Uncle, don't worry, my nephew understands."
Yuan Wei nodded: "Go ahead, Li Ru is gone, and we have no worries anymore, so let's go ahead and do it."