"Congratulations, sir! Congratulations, sir!"

After the messenger finished reading the imperial edict, he repeatedly congratulated Dong Zhuo, saying, "General Pingbei, the Grand General has said that you are to serve the court even more diligently in the future, guard Bingzhou well, and prevent anyone from plotting against us!"

"In addition, there are also promotion quotas for your officers. Please draft a report and submit it to the General for consideration!"

"Hahaha!"

After burning incense and bathing, Dong Zhuo, accompanied by Li Ru, Niu Fu, Dong Min, and Dong Huang, received the imperial edict and smiled calmly.

Niu Fu, Dong Min, and Dong Huang were overjoyed.

"The envoy has had a long and arduous journey. Shuying, go and fetch 100 gold coins as travel expenses!"

Dong Zhuo said generously.

"Thank you, General!"

The envoy was overjoyed, never expecting Dong Zhuo to be so generous!

After accepting the reward, the messenger exchanged some polite words and then took his leave.

After seeing the envoy off, Dong Zhuo showed little joy; instead, his expression was very serious.

He faced Liu Wei directly in Bingzhou, and the pressure he felt was immense.

He Jin is now promoting him to a high-ranking military officer, but in reality, he is still preparing him to deal with Liu Wei.

"I suppose Ding Yuan of Liangzhou and Yuan Shao of Jizhou are the same!"

Thinking of Liu Wei, who bordered his territory, Dong Zhuo felt a headache coming on.

He doesn't want to start a war with Liu Wei right now.

Over the past year, Dong Zhuo had his share of ups and downs with Liu Wei, but in the end, they both turned a blind eye and didn't bother each other, which benefited Dong Zhuo considerably.

Through trade, he acquired large quantities of horses, fine salt, and coal.

They even obtained something called a saddle and stirrups from the Hetao region.

No wonder Liu Wei's cavalry was so powerful, invincible, often winning with fewer troops, causing heavy losses to the Tuoba Xianbei, and wiping out the Southern Xiongnu and Jie tribes!

Dong Zhuo's 10,000 cavalry in Taiyuan County were all equipped with saddles and stirrups, making them move as if on flat ground, almost indistinguishable from the Hu people who were used to riding horses all year round, and their combat effectiveness was significantly improved!

He was unwilling to have a conflict with Liu Wei.

All the hard-earned wealth they've accumulated will be wiped out if they go to war with Liu Wei.

However, if Liu Wei were to raise an army and march on the capital, he would definitely take the Qin Straight Road from Wuyuan to Xianyang.

Because if you go through Yanmen Pass or Pian Pass, you have to cross the entire hinterland of Bingzhou.

The Qin Straight Road had already been developed into a trade route by Liu Wei, with caravans traveling in an endless stream from the Hetao region to Guanzhong.

It was located in a weak point of defense in the western part of Bingzhou.

If the cavalry were to march at full speed and there were no one to intercept them along the way, they could enter Guanzhong in three days and three nights.

Currently, Dong Zhuo has three generals stationed there: Hua Xiong, Zhang Ji, and Fan Chou, plus Niu Fu's main force, totaling 20,000 troops.

With such a vast and sparsely populated area, how could these people be stopped?

However, once Liu Wei raised an army, Dong Zhuo had no choice but to fight, since he had been promoted to General Who Pacifies the North by He Jin.

When Dong Zhuo returned to the hall, Niu Fu, Dong Min, and Dong Huang were still chatting happily, while only Li Ru was filled with worry.

It seems Li Ru really understands him!

He had a sudden thought: "Wenyou, you draft a memorial first, recommending Xu Rong, Hu Zhen, Duan Wei, and Dong Yue as Lieutenant Generals!"

Niu Fu and Dong Min were both taken aback!

Shouldn't Niu Fu be the one promoted to General of the Household? Why did Dong Zhuo promote these four people first?

“Father-in-law, this…” Niu Fu was somewhat unconvinced.

He was, after all, the top military general under Dong Zhuo, so why wasn't he promoted first?

How can I control others after this?

"Baiye, Xu Rong, Hu Zhen, Duan Wei, and Dong Yue have been appointed as prefects to guard their respective territories. The future stability of Bingzhou will depend on them!"

"You are the person your father-in-law trusts most; you will definitely be of great use!"

Before Dong Zhuo could speak, Li Ru immediately comforted Niu Fu.

He seemed to understand what Dong Zhuo meant.

Dong Zhuo would definitely not fight Liu Wei. Once Liu Wei raised an army to enter Guanzhong, Dong Zhuo would make a show of force, pretend to intercept him, and then leave without a fight, abandoning Hexi and Shangjun, and transferring Niu Fu's 20,000 men back to Taiyuan.

If Liu Wei were to launch a major offensive into Guanzhong, it would threaten the new emperor's rule, and He Jin would certainly mobilize the entire nation's army to fight Liu Wei.

Dong Zhuo will then send some people to make a show of participating in the battle!

Even if Liu Wei is strong, with Tongguan, Hangu Pass, and the natural barrier of the Yellow River, along with hundreds of thousands of troops from the Central Plains and Ding Yuan from Liangzhou joining the fight, this is destined to be a protracted war.

At that time, Dong Zhuo would seize the opportunity to launch an attack and first send troops to raid Liu Wei's hometown in the Hetao region.

In this way, Dong Zhuo could still gain a huge credit.

In short, avoiding involvement in the war would be very beneficial for Dong Zhuo!

Although Niu Fu was displeased, seeing Dong Zhuo's serious expression, he remained silent.

Subsequently, Dong Zhuo kept Li Ru behind alone.

“Wenyou, what I am worried about is something you may already know.”

“Father-in-law, a promotion is naturally a happy event. Although there are some concerns, overall we should remain optimistic.”

Li Ru thought for a moment, "Bingzhou is surrounded by mountains and rivers, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. I just hope my father-in-law won't give up on it."

"If we have the opportunity to occupy Guanzhong in the future, we will surely achieve great things!"

"We'll have to wait and see what Liu Wei and He Jin do in the future. Let's wait for an opportunity in Bingzhou," Dong Zhuo said calmly. "Let's conserve our strength, stockpile provisions, and observe the movements of the world!"

"That's the only way for now!"

Li Ru echoed this.

Just then, someone rushed in from outside: "My lord, someone from the General's Mansion has arrived!"

Dong Zhuo and Li Ru were both startled. After exchanging a glance, they hurriedly invited the person in.

"Mr. He, it's you again?"

When Dong Zhuo and Li Ru saw He Yong, they were genuinely taken aback, as this was the third time He Yong had come to Dong Zhuo's place.

The first time was when Dong Zhuo was transferred from Hedong to Bingzhou as governor, and the second time was when Liu Wei went to the capital to attend to Liu Wei's illness.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!