Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

Seeing that he was already swayed, Wu Qiong offered a final reassurance: "Prime Minister, Yuan Shao is a man who is good at scheming but indecisive, and lacks great talent. He is not worth worrying about at all. In my opinion, Prime Minister, you should go with the flow, pardon Yuan Shao's crimes, and grant him a general's position."

"Now that Yuan Shao has been pardoned and has a legitimate status, he will surely be grateful to the Chancellor and there is absolutely no reason for him to cause any more trouble."

"Firstly, the Prime Minister can use this opportunity to appease the Yuan family and the gentry of Guandong, and stabilize the situation in the court."

"Secondly, a general's position can keep Yuan Shao in check, preventing him from taking desperate measures, and he has no military power. This is the best strategy to stabilize the world without losing a single soldier."

The hall fell silent.

After a long while, Dong Zhuo finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the murderous intent on his face completely disappeared.

He raised his hand and waved to the guards outside the hall, then said in a deep voice, "Pass down the order to withdraw the bounty for Yuan Shao's capture."

He paused, then added, "Draft an edict for His Majesty, pardoning Yuan Shao's crimes, appointing him General of the Vanguard, stationing him in Yanzhou, and enfeoffing him as Marquis of Xiangxiang. Issue it immediately."

Zhou Bi and Wu Qiong exchanged a glance, both seeing a barely perceptible smile in each other's eyes. They then bowed respectfully and exclaimed loudly, "The Prime Minister is wise!"

What was hidden in that smile, only they themselves knew.

...

A few days later, in Chenliu, at Yuan Shao's temporary residence.

Yuan Shao received the imperial edict delivered by fast horse from Luoyang. After reading the words "General of the Vanguard," he suddenly burst into laughter.

The laughter contained sarcasm, smugness, and a sense of certainty that "I knew it all along."

Xu You and Feng Ji, who were standing beside him, exchanged a glance and stepped forward to ask, "My lord, what is it that makes you laugh?"

Yuan Shao handed the imperial edict to the two men, then turned to look at the gloomy sky outside the window. His gaze was sharp as a knife, and his tone carried a hint of mockery, yet also a certainty:

"That scoundrel Dong Zhuo, who thought himself all-powerful, ultimately fell into our trap. Did he really think that a mere General could hold me, Yuan Shao, in check?"

He paused, then his voice turned cold as he said, "What he gave me was not a general's position, but the right to raise an army and the confidence to command the Guandong region."

Xu You took the imperial edict, glanced at it, and laughed, saying, "Dong Zhuo has shot himself in the foot. He thought that bestowing an official title would buy off our lord, but little did he know that once the title is in our lord's hands, it becomes a legitimate banner for our campaign against Dong Zhuo. Brilliant, brilliant!"

Feng Ji frowned slightly and said, "But... Lord Yuan Kui is still in Luoyang, what if Dong Zhuo...?"

Yuan Shao's smile froze for a moment.

My uncle, Yuan Wei, is still serving as Grand Tutor in Luoyang.

If he runs away, will Dong Zhuo take his anger out on his uncle?

But he quickly suppressed this worry.

"My uncle has cultivated his influence in the court for decades, and his protégés and former officials are all over the country. No matter how arrogant Dong Zhuo is, he wouldn't dare to touch him easily," Yuan Shao said in a deep voice. "Besides, my uncle has his own plans, and we can't interfere too much."

Feng Ji opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

...

At this moment, in Luoyang, Yuan Kui was in his mansion, staring blankly at the candlelight.

He knew better than anyone that with Yuan Shao's escape, his days in Luoyang were numbered.

Dong Zhuo is not taking any action against him now because he still needs him.

But if Yuan Shao really raises the banner of rebellion in Guandong, Dong Zhuo will be the first to take his head.

But what could he do?

Run? Don't be ridiculous, do you think you can escape?

He sighed, picked up the teacup, only to find that the tea had already gone cold.

That's it, that's it.

Yuan Kui has lived for decades; what storms hasn't he weathered? When that day truly comes, it's nothing more than a knife sticking out of his throat.

It's just a pity about the Yuan family's legacy...

...

On his journey from Luoyang, Cao Cao witnessed far too many hells on earth.

The streets were filled with refugees, the elderly and children, all emaciated and pale.

Some people walk along and then collapse, never to get up again.

Someone was sitting by the roadside, holding the child's body, and wailing loudly.

Some people even started fighting over a bite to eat, resulting in bloodshed.

He barely made it here, his horse had long since died, and now he's walking on two legs.

His clothes were torn, his boots were tattered, and his face bore the marks of blood from tree branches he had scratched while fleeing for his life; he looked just like a refugee fleeing famine.

But the fire in his eyes burned brighter than ever before.

At the city gate, he gave his name.

The city gatekeeper verified the warrant sent by Zhang Miao and hurriedly opened the city gate. This was the man Dong Zhuo had offered a reward of a thousand gold pieces for, yet he had managed to escape alive to Chenliu.

Zhang Miao was already waiting in front of the government office.

Upon seeing Cao Cao, who appeared gaunt but with sharp eyes, the Prefect of Chenliu quickly stepped forward, grabbed Cao Cao's arm, and exclaimed in a trembling voice, "Mengde! You actually survived!"

He looked Cao Cao up and down, noticing his tattered clothes and dusty face, and his eyes reddened as he said, "News has come from Luoyang that Dong Zhuo has offered a thousand gold pieces for your head. The whole world thinks you've already died on the run!"

Cao Cao grinned, a smile that, combined with his disheveled appearance, looked somewhat ferocious as he said, "Dead? My life is tough enough that even the King of Hell won't take me."

Zhang Miao pulled him inside, saying, "Come in and rest! Someone, prepare hot water and food!"

...

A secret room in the government office.

Cao Cao stepped into the room, dismissed his attendants, and his first words were filled with barely suppressed anger and sorrow:

"Zhuo, this traitor, has brought ruin to the country and caused the collapse of the Han dynasty! Meng Zhuo, if I cannot eliminate this national traitor, I will have lived in vain as a Han subject and in vain these past few decades!"

He recounted the devastation in Luoyang: palaces were burned, imperial tombs were looted, the young emperor was imprisoned, the people were displaced, and the Xiliang soldiers were burning, killing, and looting in the city, even more ruthless than bandits.

When he got excited, he slammed his fist on the table, making the teacup jump.

Zhang Miao's face turned pale, his fingers clenched tightly, and he finally sighed heavily, saying, "As the Prefect of Chenliu, I am bound by Dong Zhuo's forged edict and dare not act rashly. But Mengde, you are my sworn brother. Whatever you want to do in Chenliu, I, Zhang Miao, will not stop you in the slightest."

He stood up and looked at Cao Cao solemnly: "As long as I am in Chenliu, I will ensure your safety. If you need anything from the prefectural treasury, just ask."

With Zhang Miao's protection, Cao Cao was finally able to establish a foothold in Chenliu.

After settling in, Cao Cao went to see his elder brother Yuan Shao.

The two met at Yuan Shao's residence.

The atmosphere was a little awkward when they met. The two "brothers in misfortune" who had just escaped from Luoyang looked each other over and didn't know what to say.

Cao Cao spoke first, clasping his hands in greeting: "Brother Benchu, how have you been?"

Yuan Shao returned the greeting with clasped hands, saying, "Mengde! You actually escaped too! I thought..."

Cao Cao smiled bitterly and said, "You thought I died on the road? I almost did. The day I failed to assassinate Dong Zhuo, I rushed out of the Prime Minister's residence and ran wildly. Several horses died in the process, and I barely escaped with my life."