"I wonder which thoughtful person reminded me!"

"But one thing is certain: this person must be an advisor in the General's mansion, and someone close to He Jin who knows important secrets!"

"He took this risk because he hoped that I could pass on this information to Liu Wei as soon as possible so that he could take precautions."

After reading the contents of the white silk, Liu Hua muttered to himself.

After pondering for a while, Liu Hua summoned the steward, gave him some instructions, and the steward nodded and left from the back garden of the mansion.

Before long, the steward appeared at the entrance of a tavern on Xuanwu Street in Luoyang.

After he went inside, he said something inexplicable to the shopkeeper behind the counter.

The shopkeeper was taken aback and immediately invited the steward into the inner room.

After a while, a waiter quietly came out from behind, and after several twists and turns, he arrived at an ordinary farmhouse.

Then, a farmer opened the door, and after the two exchanged a few words in hushed tones, the shop assistant left first, while the farmer looked around, picked up a hoe, walked onto the street, mingled with the crowd, and soon left Luoyang City.

It should take at least half a month, or at most a month, for Liu Wei, who is far away in the Hetao region, to receive the message from Liu Hua.

......

Bingzhou, Taiyuan Commandery, Jinyang City.

Inside the governor's office, Dong Zhuo was discussing matters with Li Ru, Niu Fu, Dong Min, and Dong Huang.

Dong Min, courtesy name Shuying, was Dong Zhuo's younger brother; Dong Huang was the son of Dong Zhuo's elder brother, Dong Zhuo.

His elder brother died young, and Dong Zhuo's adult son also died young, leaving behind only a daughter, Dong Bai, whom Dong Zhuo doted on.

Knowing he had no male heir, Dong Zhuo took concubines and conceived children every day, but most of the babies were still very young.

Therefore, at this time, Dong Zhuo's close family members, including his younger brother Dong Min, nephew Dong Huang, and two sons-in-law, became the core members of Dong Zhuo's group.

Dong Yue, Duan Wei, Xu Rong, Hu Zhen, as well as Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou, Hua Xiong, Wang Fang, Li Meng, and others naturally failed to enter the core.

At this time, Jia Xu was still a captain under Niu Fu and had not yet appeared as a strategist.

All of Dong Zhuo's schemes were orchestrated by Li Ru alone.

"Baiye, what is the military situation in the various counties of Bingzhou recently?" Dong Zhuo asked with a serious expression.

"Reporting to Father-in-law, all places are at peace. We are recruiting soldiers and training them," Niu Fu replied.

As the person who commanded the most troops under Dong Zhuo, Niu Fu's report was far too perfunctory.

At present, Dong Zhuo has 50,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry in Bingzhou!

Hua Xiong stationed 5,000 troops at Zhenlin in Shangjun to guard against Liu Wei's army near Guluo City.

Zhang Ji stationed 5,000 troops at Baitu, and Fan Chou stationed 5,000 troops at Sheyan.

These 15,000 soldiers were placed under the command of Niu Fu.

Niu Fu himself had 5,000 soldiers stationed at Fushi in Shangjun.

In other words, Niu Fu directly commanded 20,000 troops to guard the Hexi and Shangjun areas of Bingzhou.

At the same time, Niu Fu was also the Sima (military advisor) of Dong Zhuo's Bingzhou Governor's Office, and he participated in military discussions in Bingzhou along with Li Ru and others.

In addition, Xu Rong stationed 5,000 men in Dingxiang County, Duan Wei stationed 5,000 men in Yanmen County, Hu Zhen stationed 3,000 men in Shangdang County, and Dong Yue stationed 3,000 men in Hedong County.

Taiyuan Commandery was under the personal command of Dong Zhuo, who led four generals: Li Jue, Guo Si, Wang Fang, and Li Meng, each commanding 20,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry!

His younger brother Dong Min and nephew Dong Huang also had a retinue of two thousand men.

Dong Zhuo's army was powerful and well-equipped!

Upon hearing Niu Fu's reply, Dong Zhuo frowned:

"What has become of the Murong Xianbei who recently fled from Youzhou to Yanmen in Bingzhou, and the remnants of the Heishan Army who fled from Heishan to Shangdang?"

Seeing that Dong Zhuo was serious, Niu Fu knew he couldn't be perfunctory, so his expression turned solemn:

"Reporting to Father-in-law, as you instructed, Duan Wei sent people to contact the Murong Xianbei. The Xianbei expressed their submission, only asking for a place to rest and recuperate!"

"As for the Black Mountain Army, about 100,000 of them poured into Shangdang. Hu Zhen has already settled them and selected 20,000 young men from among them as reserve troops for Bingzhou."

Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo slowly said, "The Black Mountain Army is a minor matter. As long as they are fed, there will be no major problem."

"The 25,000 Xianbei people remaining in Bingzhou for an extended period will always be a hidden danger; we need to keep them occupied."

Li Ru said, "Father-in-law, the Xianbei people always want to return to the northern desert. However, they must hate Liu Wei to the bone. For now, we are keeping them at arm's length for future use."

Niu Fu also said, "Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts. The Southern Xiongnu people before us are a lesson from the past."

“Father-in-law, why don’t we transfer them to Shangjun? I plan to slaughter them all, and keep the horses to bolster our own army.”

Dong Zhuo shook his head: "No need. Although the Murong Xianbei suffered a defeat in Youzhou, their fighting strength is still quite good! Let them stay near Pingcheng in Yanmen for now."

"Pass down the order: all other troops must intensify their training. With the transition between the old and new emperors, major events are bound to occur both inside and outside the court. Only by holding military power and possessing strength can we gain more wealth and glory!"

“Yes!” Niu Fu responded first.

"How is our current food supply situation? Have the Wang and Gao families of Taiyuan made any statements?" Dong Zhuo asked Li Ru again.

"Father-in-law, Wang Yun and Wang Chang from the Wang family have spoken to me separately. They are willing to provide some grain and fodder, but they said we can't just target the Wang family!"

"As for the Gao family, Gao Rou and Gao Gan are not very willing, relying on their relationship with Yuan Shao!"

Li Ru said cautiously.

"Although the Yuan family has shown me great kindness, it concerns the survival of Bingzhou. Grand Tutor Yuan should be able to understand!" Dong Zhuo smiled.

"What my father-in-law means..."

"You should do what you're supposed to do. The Gao family still has to donate grain!" Dong Zhuo said with a forced smile.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!