The Three Kingdoms: Home Travel

"What? Mengde went to assassinate Dong Zhuo?" Jiang Zhe stared at Wang Yun with wide eyes.

"Keep your voice down!" Wang Yun hissed, putting down his pen. "A few days ago, he came to me, wanting me to give him the Seven Star Blade... This Cao Mengde, even before achieving his goal, is already thinking of a way out. Such meticulous thinking, he's quite a talent!"

"Then...why didn't my uncle tell me?" Jiang Zhe was frustrated. If he had known, he could have helped hold off Lü Bu. It seemed that historically, Cao Cao failed because Lü Bu suddenly entered...

"Inform you?" Wang Yun sneered, continuing to write with his brush. "Have you seen Cai Bojie's scorched tail these past few days?"

"...Um." Jiang Zhe lowered his head and said cautiously, "Actually, I think Uncle Cai was also forced into this situation, Uncle..."

"Shut up!" Wang Yun frowned, looking at Jiang Zhe and said, "You don't need to concern yourself with this matter. Just focus on your own business!"

"That old man!" Jiang Zhe shook his head, said this, and then withdrew.

Afterwards, it was indeed rumored that Cao Mengde had failed in his assassination attempt on Dong Zhuo and fled Luoyang in a panic. Jiang Zhe was even more depressed, wondering why he hadn't remembered this incident.

Seeing Jiang Zhe's wavering mind, Lü Bu naturally noticed and struck him on the back with his staff, sneering, "With your mind so unsettled, how can you possibly withstand a single attack!"

Jiang Zhe glared at Lü Bu with some resentment before regaining his composure.

Lu Bu was quite surprised. Usually, he would berate himself, so why was he acting like this today? Let me teach him a lesson!

"I've heard that Cao Mengde is your friend?"

Jiang Zhe was startled and remained silent.

Lü Bu chuckled inwardly and said to himself, "He recently attempted to assassinate Prime Minister Dong, but I stumbled upon his plan. He then feigned offering a sword and fled Luoyang overnight… What a pity!"

"What a coward!"

Jiang Zhe's anger flared upon hearing this, and he said, "Meng De is a chivalrous man! How could he be as despicable as you describe!"

"Hmph!" Lu Bu leaned closer to Jiang Zhe and whispered, "Were you involved in this matter?"

"..." Jiang Zhe was startled, glancing sideways at Lü Bu and saying, "If Zhe also knew, he would do everything in his power to hold you back! How laughable!"

Lu Bu glanced at Jiang Zhe in surprise and sneered, "You? Hold me back? That's laughable!"

"Hmph!" Jiang Zhe snorted and continued practicing his swordplay.

"Why do you all want to assassinate Prime Minister Dong?"

"Do you think everyone is like you? Killing your father, betraying your country, and coveting power?"

"You! How dare you!" This matter was a thorn in Lu Bu's side, and now that Jiang Zhe had brought it up, how could Lu Bu not be angry? He suddenly caught sight of Xiu'er walking over and managed to suppress his anger.

When Lü Bu occasionally caught a glimpse of Xiu'er's gaze, he felt a pang of pain in his heart and a deep hatred for Li Su.

A month later, Jiang Zhe believed he could withstand one of Lü Bu's attacks, and his desire to leave Luoyang grew stronger.

The next day, Lü Bu went to Jiang Zhe's place. Upon hearing about this, he looked at Jiang Zhe in surprise and said, "In just two months, you dare to claim you can withstand a single attack?"

He then sneered, "If you die at my hands, don't blame me!" and turned to leave.

Not long after, Lü Bu returned, and in his hand was his personal weapon, the Fangtian Halberd!

Seeing Jiang Zhe's dumbfounded expression, Lü Bu sneered inwardly, "Since that's the case, you'd better watch out! I'll go all out!"

Jiang Zhe saw that the pressure emanating from Lü Bu was increasing, and knew that he was not joking. He calmed himself down and suddenly caught sight of Lü Bu's eyes, those eyes that carried a strong killing intent.

He...he really wants to kill me? Jiang Zhe was shocked. Seeing Lu Bu's halberd coming down, he quickly drew his sword to block it.

With a single, powerful strike, Lü Bu's halberd cleaved Jiang Zhe's sword in two. Seeing the halberd tip so close to him, Jiang Zhe's mind went blank, and he could only instinctively dodge.

The halberd tip grazed Jiang Zhe's shoulder, and blood gushed out immediately.

"Lu Bu!" Xiu'er suddenly shouted.

With injuries like this, he should be able to recover for about a month...

Lu Bu sighed inwardly, looking at Xiu'er with some apology, and said, "Since Xiu'er's husband has been able to withstand one of my attacks, I will keep my promise and let you all leave Luoyang!"

Xiu'er was speechless. With a pained expression, she helped Jiang Zhe, who was covered in blood, to his feet. How could he possibly return to Xuzhou safely with such injuries?

"Things cannot be defied..." Lü Bu felt frustrated and turned to leave Wang Yun's residence, muttering to himself, "Ah Xiu, don't blame me, I've already shown mercy... Let me see you for another month..."

"Why are you crying!" Jiang Zhe felt most hurt when he saw a woman crying, especially the woman he loved.

Xiuer was seen weeping as she helped Jiang Zhe bandage his wounds. Mi Zhen came in once, but seeing the awkward atmosphere, she quickly left.

"Didn't I block one of those arrogant Lu Bu's attacks? Let's get out of Luoyang quickly, or we'll be in trouble soon!"

"Huh?" Xiu'er looked at Jiang Zhe strangely.

Seeing Xiu'er's confusion, Jiang Zhe explained, "In my opinion, Dong Zhuo is so tyrannical that he will surely suffer a great calamity. You know I have a good friend named Cao Mengde, right? He might gather troops from all over Guandong to attack Dong Zhuo. When things get chaotic, how will we get back to Xuzhou?"

"Is that really so?" Xiu'er nodded, then said, "But husband, your injuries are so severe, why not wait until you've healed before you leave!"

"This..." Jiang Zhe frowned and thought to himself, "That's right, there aren't many famous doctors in ancient times. What if I get tetanus or something? That would be... Ugh!"

Forget it, I'll wait until my injuries heal before leaving! I'll use this opportunity to think about how to weaken Dong Zhuo's power...

If the Kwantung Army were to march all the way into Luoyang, that would be ideal! Since I know Cao Cao, I should be fine…

A honey trap? Pshaw!

Why don't we tell the old man about this first and hear his opinion?

Jiang Zhe went to Wang Yun's study first, and before he even entered, he heard Wang Yun say from inside, "Is this Shouyi?"

"It's Zhe!" Jiang Zhe walked in.

Wang Yun looked up at Jiang Zhe and suddenly asked in surprise, "What happened to your shoulder?"

"It's nothing!" Jiang Zhe hurriedly explained the matter.

"You say the armies from all directions in Guandong will attack Luoyang?" Wang Yun stroked his long beard thoughtfully. "Shouyi's words are always insightful. I must consider this matter carefully. If used properly, it could eliminate Dong Zhuo!"

"But I'm afraid that the Kwantung Allied Forces are divided and we'll achieve nothing..."

Wang Yun frowned, intending to stop Jiang Zhe, but after a moment's thought, he said, "That's certainly possible!" He pondered for a while, then his eyes suddenly lit up, and he said, "Why don't I unite with the virtuous officials in the court and take advantage of Dong Zhuo's absence..."

Jiang Zhe's eyes widened, and he hurriedly said, "Uncle, you don't have any military power, so how come..."

Wang Yun smiled slightly and said, "Dong Zhuo is tyrannical, and many virtuous officials in the court resent him. Although we have no military power, each of us can still muster several hundred guards and retainers, which adds up to several thousand men. This is not to be underestimated! If things get urgent, what harm is there in me personally taking to the battlefield?"

"..." Jiang Zhe was both amused and exasperated, and advised Wang Yun, "Uncle, please don't get agitated. Let me think this over carefully, okay?"

"Yes!" Wang Yun nodded and said, "I will go and contact my comrades. Shouyi will devise a plan to eliminate the traitor. By the way, I have overheard your conversation with Lü Bu these past few days. However, I seem to sense that he harbors resentment towards Dong Zhuo. You should carefully probe him. If that is indeed the case, it will be a great help!"

"What? Lü Bu?" Jiang Zhe was dumbfounded. How could Lü Bu possibly harbor resentment towards Dong Zhuo now? That's not how it is in history. He glanced at Wang Yun, who didn't seem to be joking, and couldn't help but think, "Should I give it a try?" But if Lü Bu wanted anything else, that would be fine, but if he wanted my wife, forget it. At worst, I'd just leave Luoyang overnight. What did the fall of the royal family have to do with me?

Within half a month, Cao Cao indeed forged an imperial edict to attack Dong Zhuo. The edict vehemently denounced Dong Zhuo as inhumane, tyrannical, and a threat to the Han dynasty. Various warlords rose in response: First, Yuan Shu, General of the Rear and Prefect of Nanyang; Second, Han Fu, Governor of Ji Province; Third, Kong Zhou, Governor of Yu Province; Fourth, Liu Dai, Governor of Yan Province; Fifth, Wang Kuang, Prefect of Henei Commandery; Sixth, Zhang Miao, Prefect of Chenliu Commandery; Seventh, Qiao Mao, Prefect of Dong Commandery; Eighth, Yuan Yi, Prefect of Shanyang Commandery; Ninth, Bao Xin, Chancellor of Jibei Commandery; Tenth, Kong Rong, Prefect of Beihai Commandery; Eleventh, Zhang Chao, Prefect of Guangling Commandery; Twelfth, Tao Qian, Governor of Xu Province; Thirteenth, Ma Teng, Prefect of Xiliang Commandery; Fourteenth, Gongsun Zan, Prefect of Beiping Commandery; Fifteenth, Zhang Yang, Prefect of Shangdang Commandery; Sixteenth, Sun Jian, Marquis of Wucheng and Prefect of Changsha Commandery; Seventeenth, Yuan Shao, Marquis of Qixiang and Prefect of Bohai Commandery.

Seeing that Cao Cao had indeed summoned the various warlords to attack Dong Zhuo, just as in history, Jiang Zhe secretly summoned Fang Yue and said, "I will give you several brocade pouches. Go and help Mengde. If things go as I predict, then give the pouches to Cao Cao. If things don't go as I predicted, then keep them in your pocket and bring them back to me!"

Fang Yue nodded, carefully hid the brocade pouch on his body, cupped his hands and said, "Take care, sir! I'm off!" After saying this, he disguised himself as a commoner and sneaked out of Luoyang under the cover of night to go to Cao Cao's meeting place.

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