The Three Great Han Dynasties: Awaken Liu Bei with a scolding; you weave mats and sell sandals.

In the shadows around the eaves, where there had been no movement just moments before, soldiers holding bows and crossbows were now fully revealed. The arrows were already loaded, their tips gleaming with a cold light. With just a gentle command, they could unleash a volley of arrows, turning Yuan Shao, He Miao, Yuan Shu, Dong Zhuo, and the others in the courtyard into pincushions, killing them instantly.

It is evident just how meticulously Liu Hong had laid out his inescapable trap at this moment.

Upon seeing this, Dong Zhuo's expression changed, and he quickly waved his hand. Hua Xiong and Niu Fu, who were beside him, wisely put down their weapons.

They are now trapped like fish in a barrel. The only difference is whether they die sooner or later. It would be better to show them the sincerity they deserve beforehand.

With him taking the lead, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, and others also silently put down their weapons.

At this point, resistance would undoubtedly mean certain death.

"How...how dare you do this?"

Upon seeing this, He Miao was immediately terrified.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but suddenly felt that it would be futile to say anything at this moment.

His body trembled, and then the long sword in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.

He Miao was more afraid of death and more cowardly than his brother He Jin, so his actions were not surprising to many.

"General, spare my life! General, spare my life!"

He Miao's knees were very weak, while the others hadn't even knelt yet.

Instead, he knelt down with a "plop" and kowtowed repeatedly towards the inner courtyard, almost pleading with tears streaming down his face: "This matter has nothing to do with me, He Miao."

"It was all He Jin's idea. He was the mastermind behind it all."

"Please, General, make your judgment."

As soon as He Miao opened his mouth, he completely betrayed his brother.

He knew what he was doing was dishonorable, but if he didn't betray He Jin, he would be the next to die. Between two evils, he chose the lesser; being a true villain was still a tiny bit better than losing his life.

He Miao shouted at the top of her lungs at the shadows directly in front of her.

And the figure of the great general he mentioned was indeed the one he had guessed correctly.

With the creak of the door opening, Liu Hong stood with his hands behind his back, slowly walking out into the darkness. His gaze swept lightly over He Miao, who was kneeling on the ground, and a half-smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

He glanced at He Miao, then slowly spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly carrying throughout the courtyard: "Don't worry, I won't kill you today."

You are still somewhat useful.

Keeping you here will put His Majesty's mind at ease.

"Some members of your He family should be alive."

Liu Hong paused, his tone carrying a deeper meaning: "Otherwise, if His Majesty is not at ease, how can my Great Han Dynasty possibly recover?"

Liu Hong's words, conveying the image of a loyal and devoted subject of the Han Dynasty, immediately left Cao Mengde, Yuan Shao, and the others speechless.

After all, if they were in their current position of power, no one could be sure whether they would do anything rebellious.

Liu Hong's magnanimity is truly admirable.

"As for you... tell me today how to resolve this?"

With Liu Hong's words, He Miao felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She staggered to her feet, ran to the side, and quietly huddled down, prioritizing survival above all else.

"The General wouldn't kill us, otherwise why would he go to such lengths to set up this trap?"

Cao Cao stepped forward and said in a deep voice, his face showing a certain confidence.

Liu Hong glanced at him indifferently, a cold smile playing on his lips: "You can try."

This simple sentence terrified the future Emperor Wu of Wei, turning his face pale and causing his heart to pound.

If Liu Hong hadn't killed Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, he might have had a better chance of success.

After all, the Yuan family had held high office for four generations, wielding great power and deep roots. Not to mention the alliance between the Liu family of Youzhou and the Yuan family.

But Cao Mengde was really not qualified.

Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were both direct descendants of the Yuan family.

What could Cao Mengde possibly use to compete with these two?

Cao Cao's face immediately darkened, but then Liu Hong turned his gaze to Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, his tone still indifferent: "Don't be too proud of your Yuan family's reputation."

I can spare your lives, but what about the people you brought with you?

Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Ji Ling, Zhang Xun… they might not be as noble as you. Therefore, we can kill them all without fear that your uncle, the current head of the Yuan family, might break ties with the Liu family of Youzhou.”

As soon as Liu Hong finished speaking, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's expressions changed drastically.

If it were today...

They abandoned their fierce generals and strategists to save their own lives, and that will likely happen someday.

They will inevitably find it impossible to gain a foothold among the gentry, and may even be despised by the entire Yuan clan.

Such a person would never be given important responsibilities anywhere.

Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of despair in each other's eyes.

Liu Hong's gaze swept across the entire room again, finally landing on Dong Zhuo.

Dong Zhuo was quite a bachelor.

He didn't have any powerful family background to back him up. At most, he was related to Empress Dowager Dong by a distant relative, but that relationship was completely irrelevant and had long been useless.

So at this very moment.

His eyes darted around, and then he bowed down with remarkable speed and precision, his voice booming and echoing throughout the courtyard: "Dong Zhuo, the Prefect of Liangzhou in Xiliang, pays his respects to the Great General. Today, I wish to lead all my troops and generals to join the Liu family of Youzhou and become a disciple of the Great General."

"Please, General, take me in."

Liu Hong waved his hand, and immediately a servant came forward with a writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Dong Zhuo's face lit up with joy. Without hesitation, he took the paper and pen, quickly wrote down his name, and signed the document of allegiance. There was not a trace of hesitation on his face.

He was originally from the Qiang and Hu regions.

They were not from any prestigious family, and the Liangzhou army under their command was merely troops from a border county.

Even though he has entered the capital now thanks to his merit in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion, joining Liu Hong's ranks would only bring him benefits, not harm.

As for his future titles such as Grand Tutor Dong or Chancellor Dong, Dong Zhuo dared not even think about it at this moment.

Even his son-in-law Li Ru, and the strategist Jia Xu in the Liangzhou army, would probably never have made such a connection.

Dong Zhuo was able to reach that position entirely due to a series of coincidences.

It should be understood that when He Jin sent that letter summoning Dong Zhuo to the capital, the entire Liangzhou group only thought of taking advantage of this opportunity to attach themselves to the Yuan family, and then occupy a place in Luoyang and gain some influence. It was not a direct rebellion.

The connection between us is really minimal.

Later, when the group arrived near Luoyang, they first encountered the fleeing young Emperor Liu Bian and Prince Liu Xie of Chenliu. After entering the palace, they discovered that He Jin had died, the eunuchs had been wiped out, the power of the imperial relatives had disintegrated, and the power of the aristocratic families had not yet stabilized.