Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 117 Liu Bei Discusses Prophecies and Apocryphal Texts, He Jin and Yuan Shao Get Anxious (Seeking Follow-up and Monthly Tickets)
The 20th day of the eighth month of the first year of Guangxi.

Liu Bei has been in Luoyang for more than ten days.

During this period, in addition to Gai Xun and Zhang Feng, many officials and powerful figures also came to find Liu Bei.

The mixed propaganda campaigns by Ma Chao and Fa Zheng in Luoyang, which included both genuine and false claims, also had an effect.

In addition, Zhang Feng suddenly transported hundreds of cartloads of money to Quanzhou in Yongzhou, and the officials and powerful figures who conspired with Gai Xun to help Liu Xie also transported some money to Quanzhou in Yongzhou one after another. This made some astute officials and powerful figures in Luoyang sense something unusual.

Officials and powerful figures who could enter Luoyang all understood, to some extent, the principle of having three burrows for a cunning rabbit.

Liu Bei warmly welcomed the officials and gentry who came to inquire about the situation, and explained in detail the advantages of Yongzhou, such as its "vast territory, sparse population, abundant resources, and pacification of external threats."

In short, it boils down to this: as long as you deposit your money and grain into the Yongzhou Quanfu, you will not only not lose money, but you will also make a fortune!

For those who hesitated, Liu Bei would subtly hint that Luoyang would be in great turmoil, even resorting to apocryphal texts such as, "The main star is dim, the guest star is bright, an omen of great chaos. The wise should act like cunning rabbits, seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune," and so on, using both coaxing and frightening tactics.

When asked about his intentions in entering Luoyang, Liu Bei either remained silent, hinted at something, used prophecies, or blatantly lied; everyone heard a different answer.

As more and more people searched for Liu Bei, rumors spread in Luoyang, and more and more officials and powerful figures secretly transported money and grain to Yongzhou.

They were afraid that if chaos broke out, there would be no chance to transfer the money and grain elsewhere.

Inside the General's Mansion.

After investigating and discovering that the rumors in Luoyang were mostly related to Liu Bei, He Jin was so angry that his flesh trembled.

"That Liu Bei, is he just trying to make Luoyang chaotic?"

Although it was He Jin who truly caused the turmoil in Luoyang, He Jin did not admit that there was anything wrong with killing the eunuchs. On the contrary, he was furious with Liu Bei for causing rumors to spread in Luoyang.

Yuan Shao also sensed something was amiss. After Liu Bei entered Luoyang, he seemed to stay in his camp every day, but in reality, he used rumors to exacerbate the conflict between He Jin and Zhang Rang.

In particular, the act of officials and powerful figures secretly transferring money and grain to Yongzhou shocked and angered Yuan Shao.

I've been scheming for a long time, but I haven't gained any benefits yet, and now Liu Bei is starting to seize the spoils?

Yuan Shao looked down on Yongzhou for a simple reason: although Yongzhou was the former capital, it had long been abandoned.

It may appear to be a prefecture, but in reality, it has fewer registered residents than Hanoi County.

Fewer registered households mean less money and food.

Without money and provisions, Liu Bei, the governor of Yongzhou, could at best be a confined and helpless man.

Therefore, Yuan Shao was able to tolerate Liu Bei's repeated humiliations, and he didn't really take Liu Bei seriously at all.

But things are different now. Liu Bei has gone so far as to incite officials and powerful figures in Luoyang to smuggle money and grain into Yongzhou.

This is competing with Yuan Shao for food!

Everything in Luoyang should belong to me, Yuan Shao. What is Liu Bei, that he dares to come and steal it?
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Yuan Shao hurriedly sought out He Jin and advised, "General, the situation is now at a critical juncture where we must act decisively. Hesitation will only lead to further chaos. Take Dou Wu's fate as a warning; please consider this carefully, General!"

He Jin was also getting anxious.

After creating the "Black Mountain Earl" incident in Hanoi, it was thought that things would fall into place naturally. However, not only did Empress Dowager He disagree with the execution of the eunuchs, but even her own brother He Miao came to persuade He Jin, saying, "What's done is done, and we should maintain friendly relations with the palace."

With the current tense situation, He Jin was also worried that he might follow in Dou Wu's footsteps, just as Yuan Shao had predicted.

With a heavy heart, He Jin decided to disregard the opinions of Empress Dowager He and He Miao, and said, "Benchu, I hereby appoint you as the Commandant of the Capital Region, with the authority to issue orders and make decisions independently, and to command the Eight Armies of the Western Garden. You may make all decisions without consulting others."

"Order that Wang Yun, the Attendant Gentleman, be appointed Governor of Henan and ordered to arrest the eunuchs' cronies."

"Order Yuan Shu, the Tiger-General of the Central Army, to quickly select Tiger-Generals and have them await orders outside the palace gates."

"Order Dong Zhuo, Ding Yuan, Wang Kuang, Qiao Mao, and others to immediately enter Luoyang."

"A notice was sent to all prefectures and counties to arrest the relatives of eunuchs, and no mistakes were to be made."

As the orders were issued one by one, Yuan Shao's mood became much more relaxed.

The title of Commandant of the Capital Region, Imperial Envoy, and Commander of the Eight Armies of the Western Garden—this was a meteoric rise to power!

"I will certainly live up to the General's trust!"

Upon returning to Pingguan, Yuan Shao immediately summoned Cao Cao, showed them the seal and tally of the Commandant of the Capital Region, and explained He Jin's plans.

He laughed triumphantly: "After plotting for many days, I have finally seized power. As long as I get rid of the eunuchs, I will be able to achieve unparalleled feats. Neither Yuan Ji nor Yuan Shu can compare to me. That fool Yuan Shu often humiliates me; my uncle is not even dead yet, but Yuan Ji often acts as the head of the Yuan family. These two are extremely hateful. I will make them understand that I am the one who is worthy to inherit the Yuan family!"

Cao Cao, however, was worried and said, "Yuan Shao has already taken control of the eight armies of the Western Garden, and the Grand General has made up his mind to eliminate the eunuchs. Killing the eunuchs will be easy. Why should we summon Dong Zhuo to Ping Le Guan again? Dong Zhuo has been fighting for many years, and his soldiers are brave and skilled in battle, far superior to the Western Garden Army. Moreover, Dong Zhuo is quite ambitious. I'm afraid he will bring a wolf into the house again."

Upon hearing the word "again," Yuan Shao subconsciously thought of Liu Bei and immediately felt displeased: "Mengde, you are mistaken. Although Dong Zhuo is ambitious, he is ultimately just a military man from Liangzhou. Apart from relying on the Yuan family, where else can he go? Moreover, I brought Dong Zhuo to the capital not to deal with the eunuchs. You should also understand that there are some things I should not do personally."

Cao Cao remained silent.

After Yuan Shao returned to Pingguanguan, he also told Cao Cao some secrets.

What he said was not suitable for him to do personally; Yuan Shao wanted to get rid of He Jin and Yuan Kui at the same time, and then ascend to the position of Grand General!

Yuan Shao had even groomed his younger sister, waiting to offer her up after he became Grand General, and then replace the current Empress Tang Ji with her.

"How should we deal with Liu Bei?" Cao Cao reminded him again, "Liu Bei is an unconventional man. Although he expressed his support for the General after entering Luoyang, he has not even entered the General's mansion yet. He spends all his time hiding in his camp, secretly meeting with officials and powerful figures in Luoyang. The rumors circulating in Luoyang recently are mostly related to Liu Bei. If we are not careful, I fear that Liu Bei may ruin things."

"That is troublesome." Yuan Shao snorted coldly. "If Liu Bei hadn't stirred up rumors, my preparations would have been even more thorough."

After a moment's hesitation, Yuan Shao said, "I will give you two battalions of troops. Starting today, you will also be stationed in Luoyang to keep an eye on Liu Bei. If Liu Bei makes any rash moves in Luoyang, you must strike him down immediately!"

Seeing Cao Cao's hesitation, Yuan Shao added, "I know that Liu Bei has many brave men under his command, but with Mengde's abilities, he is more than capable of dealing with them."

Then, Yuan Shao gently patted Cao Cao's shoulder and said, "Mengde, although we are not of the same surname, I have always regarded you as a brother, and you are my best friend. If we succeed this time, I will never forget your contribution. You must keep an eye on Liu Bei for me, and never let Liu Bei ruin my great cause!"

Yuan Shao addressed Cao Cao as "brother" and "friend," seemingly indicating that he held Cao Cao in high regard.

Cao Cao sighed inwardly. If possible, he would like to take back what he had just said.

To monitor Liu Bei?

Crazy!
Liu Bei is always unpredictable. If he finds out I'm monitoring him, who knows what kind of trouble he'll cause!
Thinking back to the days when he was suppressed by Liu Bei at Ping Le Guan, Cao Cao felt a deep sense of frustration.

But Cao Cao couldn't refuse.

If we reject Yuan Shao now, all our previous efforts to please him will have been in vain.

"I will certainly not fail the trust placed in me by Yuan Shao!" Cao Cao feigned being deeply moved by the trust placed in him.

Following He Jin's order, Dong Zhuo, Ding Yuan, Wang Kuang, Qiao Mao, and others set off for Ping Le Guan.

Dong Zhuo arrived the fastest and was the most delighted.

"After waiting for months, the opportunity has finally arrived. He Jin certainly doesn't expect that I will be stationed at Ping Le Guan with a secret edict, and that Gai Xun and others will be my inside agents. When I present the secret edict, the soldiers of Ping Le Guan and the wise men of Luoyang will surely support me in supporting the new emperor." Dong Zhuoyue became more and more excited as he spoke, as if Luoyang was already under his control.

Dong Yue, standing nearby, was worried: "I heard that He Jin has also summoned Liu Bei to Luoyang. That Liu Bei keeps saying that his ambitions are not in Luoyang, yet he entered Luoyang before you, my lord. Not only that, Liu Bei has also made Zhang Wen flee in fear in just a few months, and even made Huangfu Song hand over military power. At present, Liu Bei has 6,000 Yongzhou soldiers in Luoyang, while you, my lord, only have 3,000 infantry and cavalry. If Liu Bei wants to take advantage of the situation and seize the credit, you, my lord, may not be able to stop him."

"It doesn't matter." Dong Zhuo sneered, "So what if Liu Bei has six thousand soldiers from Yongzhou? He has offended too many people. Why would the lords of Luoyang support Liu Bei? As for me, I am now trusted by both He Jin and Yuan Shao. If Liu Bei dares to cause trouble, I will first help He Jin and Yuan Shao get rid of Liu Bei, then help Yuan Shao get rid of He Jin, and finally I will intimidate Yuan Shao. Which of the lords of Luoyang would dare not bow down to me?"

Seeing that Dong Yue's worries had not diminished, Dong Zhuo became impatient and said, "Don't worry about things that haven't happened yet. We men of Xiliang must be brave in the face of anything, and win in one fell swoop. Advance quickly. If we are late, it will not be the officials of Luoyang who will bow down, but you and I who will bow down to the officials of Luoyang."

Dong Yue sighed and stopped trying to persuade him.

Now that we've embarked on this path, there's no turning back; we can only follow Dong Zhuo and charge forward with all our might.

Direction to Hanoi.

Several thousand troops rushed toward Luoyang; it was Ding Yuan's army.

Because Dong Zhuo was appointed as the governor of Bing Province, Ding Yuan, the former governor of Bing Province, was demoted to the rank of Wu Meng Duwei.

Although his official rank was reduced, Ding Yuan still retained his military power.

The main reason was that Dong Zhuo only held the nominal position of Governor of Bing Province and was waiting for an opportunity to enter Luoyang, so he did not go to Ding Yuan to hand over military affairs.

Ding Yuan was happy with this arrangement.

Without military power, they would be unable to cooperate with Ho Jin in causing trouble in Hanoi.

Ding Yuan, who called himself "Lord of Black Mountain" in Hanoi, led several thousand men to burn down Mengjin, Pingyin, and the residences of the military governors in Hejin. The firelight illuminated the city, and everyone shouted for the execution of the eunuchs. This was Ding Yuan's masterpiece.

Even when Liu Hong was still alive, Ding Yuan had been sending people to Luoyang, such as Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang, who were both appointed by Ding Yuan.

To Ding Yuan's surprise, Liu Bei suddenly appeared and not only tricked Zhang Liao away, but also Zhang Yang.

It should be noted that Ding Yuan was hedging his bets by sending Zhang Liao to the General's Mansion, while Zhang Yang secretly responded to Jian Shuo's summons.

Unfortunately, both of them were tricked away by Liu Bei.

When Ding Yuan first heard the news, he was so angry that he trembled. He wanted to rush to Chang'an and ask Liu Bei: "Can't you find anyone? Are you trying to trick me with my men?"

Provoked, Ding Yuan immediately sought out Lü Bu, who was then serving as the Commander of the Imperial Guards, and asked Lü Bu if he would be willing to become his adopted son.

Lü Bu readily agreed, saying on the spot, "If you do not despise me, I am willing to become your godfather." This delighted Ding Yuan, who immediately promoted Lü Bu from the position of Commander of the Guards to Chief Clerk, as a sign of his high regard for him.

If it were someone else, Lü Bu would not have so easily recognized his adoptive father.

However, Ding Yuan is now highly regarded by General He Jin. If Lü Bu recognizes Ding Yuan as his adoptive father, he can enter Luoyang through Ding Yuan.

For Lü Bu, as long as he could climb the social ladder, what was wrong with finding a godfather?

By calling him "godfather," he went from being a subordinate officer to a chief clerk. After helping He Jin eliminate the eunuchs, he will surely be promoted again.

As long as I can get promoted, what's wrong with calling him "godfather" a few more times?
Riding along the official road, Ding Yuan once again instructed Lü Bu: "Fengxian, listen to me. This time, the General has summoned warriors from all directions to Luoyang. There must be those who are not loyal to the General. Our wealth and honor are all in the General's hands. Whoever is detrimental to the General, we will deal with them. Do you understand?"

Lu Bu, his face full of arrogance, said, "Father, rest assured. With my strong bow and my steed, whoever you command me to kill, I will kill!"

Lu Bu had great confidence in his archery skills.

At least in Bingzhou, Lü Bu had never seen anyone whose archery and horsemanship were superior to his own.

Ding Yuan feared that Lü Bu would be kidnapped like Zhang Liao and Zhang Liao, so he adopted Lü Bu as his son for this very reason.

A warrior like Lü Bu, with his extraordinary strength and skill in riding and archery, would be extremely easy to be tricked away if not bound by the bond of father-son affection.

After all, Ding Yuan is currently just a military commander who has been dismissed from his post as governor of Bingzhou. Whether he can be promoted in the future depends on his performance in Luoyang.

Even if he performs poorly or misses an opportunity and other warriors steal the credit, with a warrior like Lü Bu around, Ding Yuan still has a chance to make a comeback.

The other armies, led by Wang Kuang and Qiao Mao, also urged their troops to enter Luoyang.

While the various armies rushed to Luoyang, Cao Cao also led his Dianjun Camp and Youjun Camp into Luoyang, adjacent to Liu Bei's camp.

The reason he was assigned to the Right Army Battalion was because the Right Army Battalion Commandant was Chunyu Qiong.

If Yuan Shao were to bring He Xian, Pan Yin, or Xia Mou, Zhao Rong, and Feng Fang, these five men would probably be so terrified at the sight of Liu Bei that their legs would go weak, let alone be able to keep an eye on Liu Bei for Yuan Shao.

Before Cao Cao could figure out how to respond, Liu Bei sent Fa Zheng to invite Cao Cao to a banquet.

"Liu Bei's invitation to Mengde at this time is probably not for good intentions," Chunyu Qiong immediately became wary and whispered a warning to Cao Cao.

After all, He Jin and Yuan Shao had already begun to carry out their plan to eliminate the eunuchs. If something were to happen to Cao Cao at this time, it would inevitably affect He Jin and Yuan Shao's plans.

Cao Cao also had doubts and politely declined, saying, "Please inform Liu Yongzhou that I am too tired to attend the banquet today. I will hold a banquet in my camp another day and apologize to Liu Yongzhou there."

Seeing this, Fa Zheng laughed and said, "My master once said that Commandant Cao is a man of great talent. How come he is as cowardly as a rat today? Does he think that my master has set up a trap? My master said that today's banquet for Commandant Cao is for private matters, not for official business. If Commandant Cao is unwilling, I will report to my master right away."

(End of this chapter)