Chapter 52: The situation in Luoyang

Luoyang, the palace, the back garden.

In early autumn, the colorful back garden should have been a beautiful flower group, but because of this chaos, it seemed dilapidated, with broken branches and leaves everywhere and garbage everywhere.

Emperor Liu Bian of Han and King Liu Xie of Chenliu led several small yellow gates to clean up and clean in the back garden. These small yellow gates were the only surviving eunuchs in the entire palace. At that time, they were not discovered by the rioters.

These little yellow gates are also the only ones that Liu Bian can do now. After simply cleaning up the bedroom, he came to clean up the back garden.

Empress Dowager He walked slowly and walked towards the back garden alone. After returning to Beijing, Empress Dowager He was too frightened and couldn't afford to get sick. She recruited an imperial physician to see her. After taking a few medicines, she rested and her body slowly recovered.

Looking at Liu Bian from afar, Liu Xie's thin figure was busy in the back garden. Queen Mother He's eyes were covered with a layer of mist. She was the emperor and the emperor's brother. They have been pampered since childhood, and have never suffered such hardships?

Since returning to Luoyang, Dong Zhuo and Ding Yuan have sent troops to hold the palace gate firmly in the name of protecting the emperor. Except for the two of them, all officials wanted to enter the palace and saw that the lords were blocked outside the gate. Now Empress Dowager He and the others are like blind people, and they don’t know anything about the outside of the palace.

The daily life and diet are not as good as before. Although there is a stable supply and you won’t be hungry, compared with the previous delicacies, it can only be said to be the dietary standard of ordinary officials’ homes.

He Jin's body had been put into a coffin. Thinking of He Jin's cold body, his soul had ascended to heaven, and Empress Dowager He felt that her heart was also cold.

The most terrifying thing is, where is the future path for their mother and son? Queen Mother He felt as if she was walking in a formation set up by someone else, lonely and can never see a way out or hope.

Luoyang, the official residence of the Sili Captain Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, He Yong and others sat in the living room with no one talking, and the atmosphere was quite dull.

A servant walked in and said, "The captain of the Houjun Army Bao Xin is visiting."

Cao Cao's eyes lit up when he heard this, but Yuan Shao just waved his hand and said, "Please come in."

After a while, a low- tall but very strong general walked in, bowed to everyone, saw that everyone looked strange and asked Yuan Shao, "Why are you worried?"

Without Yuan Shao's answer, Cao Cao asked first: "Yuncheng, according to the general's order, how is the situation of your return to your hometown to recruit soldiers?"

Bao Xin replied: "One thousand five hundred healthy soldiers have been recruited."

"Where is now?" Cao Cao continued.

"Now, when I led my troops to Chenggao, I heard that the capital had changed and the general was killed, so I kept the soldiers in Chenggao and rushed over by myself."

"Oh..." Yuan Shao just spoke and said, "Yuncheng, thank you for your hard work. Zhang Rang and others who killed the general have all been killed, and the eunuchs in the palace have also been killed. They should be a comfort to the spirit of the general in the sky."

"Why are you all sad?" Bao Xin asked in confusion.

"Oh, the front door drives the wolf, and the back room enters the tiger." He Yong sighed.

"What you are talking about is Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo?" Bao Xin asked.

"That's right." He Yong sighed again.

Cao Cao stood up and said, "From my opinion, Ding Yuan was not worth worrying. He was originally from Jinwu and stationed troops in Hanoi to defend the capital. His soldiers were only more than 10,000 soldiers. Dong Zhuo, the governor of Bingzhou, had many generals under his command. The 100,000 Western Liang Iron Cavalry was definitely a nightmare for all the troops in the world. Moreover, he was brave and ambitious. As soon as they entered the capital, they controlled the emperor and the queen mother. The saints were blocked several times when we were about to enter the palace. The situation was worrying."

Bao Xin couldn't help but frowned and asked Yuan Shao: "Benchu, before I left the capital, I heard that Dong Zhuo had stationed troops in Hedong, and there were only 3,000 troops. Why? Now he has mobilized all the troops and horses in Xiliang?"

Yuan Shao sighed: "Yes. At the beginning, Dong Zhuo only brought three thousand cavalry into the capital, and the number was not large. But every other day, thousands of Xiliang soldiers entered the city, with distinctive armor and strong soldiers. In this way, he already had more than 10,000 troops. I am afraid that the Xiliang soldiers and horses behind him will continue to come."

Bao Xin stopped and thought for a while, and said to Yuan Shao: "By the beginning, Dong Zhuo is now holding heavy troops, so he must be inappropriate. If we don't take the opportunity to take action, we will definitely suffer losses in the future. While he just arrived in Luoyang and the soldiers were tired, we will attack him and we will definitely be able to capture Dong Zhuo."

Yuan Shao hesitated: "Dong Zhuo is all elite soldiers and has been through a long battle. We are probably not his opponents."

Bao Xin's voice increased eighth and said, "Person Yuan, will 50,000 troops from Xiyuan be sent to you?"

Yuan Shao nodded.

Bao Xin asked Yuan Shu: "General Yuan, can the 10,000 Tiger Ben Army be sent to you?"

Yuan Shu said: "Of course."

Bao Xin said angrily: "Fifty thousand Xiyuan Army, ten thousand Hu Ben Army, and 60,000 troops, what are you afraid of against Dong Zhuo's mere 10,000 Xiliang soldiers? If you don't believe in it, you are willing to lead your soldiers as the front drive!"

Cao Cao looked at Bao Xin with a look of praise.

Yuan Shao blushed slightly and defended: "Yuncheng, don't be impulsive. Dong Zhuo is a devil and a jackal, and it is not that easy to deal with. He has now controlled the Supreme Lord and the Queen Mother, and has also controlled many officials in the court, and is very powerful. Let's make a long-term plan and a long-term plan..."

Seeing Yuan Shao's timid look, Bao Xin felt disappointed and said angrily: "Since that's the case, I can't rest assured that the newly recruited soldiers will go back to Chenggao to wait for your good news." After that, Bao Xin bowed to everyone, and said goodbye without even taking a sip of water.

Cao Cao hurriedly chased out the door and called out, "Yuncheng, why leave in such a hurry?"

Seeing that it was Cao Cao who followed him, Bao Xin complained to him: "Meng De, I didn't expect that my first family was prominent and he held the soldiers and horses in Xiyuan. He usually seemed like a hero, but hesitated when facing strong hands. Is this what a hero does?"

Cao Cao explained: "It is necessary to be cautious in doing big things. I have his own ideas. No matter how much Dong Zhuo makes trouble, he is still a Han minister. Can he still turn against him?"

Bao Xin looked at Cao Cao for a while and said, "Meng De, this is not your original intention. I think it will be you who will affect the overall situation of the world in the future, not him, Yuan Shao."

After saying that, Bao Xin turned over the horse, whipped it hard on the horse's butt, and left in the dust.

After Bao Xin returned to Chenggao, he led his troops back to his hometown overnight, and continued to recruit 20,000 soldiers and 700 cavalrymen, and prepared more than 5,000 vehicles carrying food, grass and supplies. This is a later story.

Luoyang, Dong Zhuo’s official residence.

This is an idle mansion. I guess some senior official from the court left Beijing and returned to his hometown to live there, leaving behind this courtyard. After Dong Zhuo entered Beijing, he had no suitable residence and didn't care about it. Let's talk about it when he moved in.

The courtyard is three in front and back, with five houses entering each time. There is also a large garden in the backyard, full of chrysanthemums. At this moment, the chrysanthemums are in full bloom. There is a sea of ​​yellow chrysanthemums in the garden, which is pleasing to the eye.

Dong Zhuo is a rough and thin person. In the final analysis, he is still a rough person. He doesn't like to sing the wind and the moon, and looks at the chrysanthemums in the garden as if nothing is left. What the generals under Dong Zhuo like is the pleasure of charging into battle, and naturally they don't like to appreciate chrysanthemums. Only one person has this kind of elegance, that is Li Ru.

Li Ru walked among the chrysanthemums, intoxicated by the golden color of the garden, and the unique fragrance of the chrysanthemums also made him addicted... Li Ru was thinking in his heart, if the entire Luoyang city was planted with chrysanthemums, would it be like wearing golden armor when the flowers bloomed in the city?

"Son-in-law!" A deep call came, awakening Li Ru from his meditation. Who else could the person who called him besides Dong Zhuo?

Dong Zhuo smiled and came to Li Ruxing. His steps were quick and his fat body did not look bloated. Judging from Dong Zhuo's facial expression, he was in a very happy mood today.

"Greetings to my father-in-law." Li Ru bowed.

As we all become familiar with each other, we still need the necessary etiquette.

"Haha, there is no need to be too polite for the son-in-law." Dong Zhuo's mouth couldn't close, and he said, "The son-in-law's plan is really good. Our three thousand soldiers quietly left the city the next night, and then drove in from another city gate during the day. The soldiers were majestic. For many consecutive times, the people in the city thought that our Xiliang cavalry had all arrived in Luoyang. Even the self-righteous officials in the court were frightened. They were afraid of our troops and did not dare to have any disagreement with us."

Li Ru's smile was flattering and said, "It is appropriate to do these things for his father-in-law."

Dong Zhuo's words were calm: "However, paper can't keep the fire alive. I have to inform Niu Fu to speed up the march. When our army really arrives in Luoyang, I have the final say in the entire court... I'm not sure about it! Humph!" Dong Zhuo said, holding his right hand tightly in the air.

Seeing this, Li Ru reminded Dong Zhuo: "Everything will change later. General Niu Fu's army is expected to arrive in ten days. Now there are 50,000 soldiers and horses in Xiyuan, 10,000 Hu Ben, 15,000 Hanoi army in Ding Yuan, 30,000 soldiers and horses of He Jin general Wang Kuang, 20,000 soldiers and horses of He Miao, and we only have 3,000 soldiers and horses, if they unite..."

Dong Zhuo smiled and said to Li Ru: "You are a good reminder for the son-in-law! But I have already planned that although Yuan Shao's Xiyuan Army and Yuan Shu's Hu Ben Army have a large number of troops and average combat power, and Yuan Shao is hesitant and suspicious. Yuan Shu is greedy for enjoyment. They are only bystanders at present."

Li Ru understood what Dong Zhuo meant and continued: "My father-in-law said it was reasonable. Wang Kuang had always been upset about He Miao, believing that He Miao accepted bribes and indirectly helped the ten eunuchs kill He Jin. We just need to fan the fire and let the two factions fight, so that we can reap the benefits of the fisherman."

"The only thing that can be considered at the moment is Ding Yuan's Hanoi soldiers, with more soldiers than us. His subordinate Lu Bu is very skilled in martial arts and is said to be invincible in the battle. Ding Yuan himself has always been very cautious about his father-in-law and has two hearts, which is indeed a big trouble for us."

"Yes." Dong Zhuo nodded and asked Li Rudao: "What good advice do a virtuous son-in-law have?"
Chapter completed!