"I never expected that Ding Yuan would actually have heavy cavalry!"

Inside Dong Zhuo's camp, however, there was a heavy and tense atmosphere.

In response to Lü Bu's challenge, it was thought that sending Li Meng and Wang Fang with four thousand cavalry would at least result in a stalemate, even if they couldn't crush the opponent.

The horses were magnificent northern steeds, the riders were valiant soldiers from Bingzhou, and their equipment and weapons were top-notch, typical of the Han Dynasty.

Furthermore, the Bingzhou cavalry was formed early and trained diligently, which gave Dong Zhuo high hopes for them.

Keep in mind that he only had ten thousand cavalrymen in total.

The four thousand cavalrymen led by Li Meng and Wang Fang already represented the results of his military training.

The imperial coalition was only able to confront Dong Zhuo because the emperor was in his hands and because they were wary of his large cavalry force. They dared not launch an attack rashly.

Now, Lü Bu, with a hundred heavy cavalrymen, supplemented by two cavalry and infantry units of a thousand men each, actually broke through his cavalry charge.

This gave the imperial coalition hope of defeating Dong Zhuo.

The scene of Lü Bu leading a hundred heavily armored cavalrymen rampaging through the Bingzhou cavalry was accompanied by worried expressions from Dong Min, Dong Huang, Li Ru, Niu Fu, Li Jue, Guo Si, and others in the main tent.

As the two generals who went into battle, Li Meng and Wang Fang remained silent, their disdainful expressions from before the battle long forgotten.

"Tell me, what should we do?"

Dong Zhuo glanced around at the people in the tent and asked angrily.

No one answered; even the resourceful Li Ru kept his head down, counting ants.

They had witnessed Lü Bu's bravery, and with the addition of today's heavily armored cavalry, although their numbers were small, the morale of the imperial army was soaring after this battle.

Moreover, they completely disregarded the young emperor's life or death.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have issued this challenge today.

Li Ru once tried to bribe Lü Bu with the Red Hare horse, but was rejected. Now, Lü Bu is at the height of his power, and it is impossible to bribe him again!

The 50,000 troops of Bingzhou, facing an encirclement by 150,000 troops, had no choice but to retreat or fight a decisive battle.

Because the Bingzhou army did not carry much food, they originally hoped that He Jin would provide them with supplies after the successful remonstrance.

But things had come to this point, and the court officials certainly wouldn't provide Dong Zhuo with any supplies.

Even if we continue this standoff, without supplies, we'll only be vulnerable to being beaten.

"Wenyou, aren't you supposed to be resourceful? Why aren't you saying anything!"

Dong Zhuo looked at Li Ru, "You must come up with a solution for me!"

"Father-in-law, how about we take His Majesty and retreat eastward?"

A sudden inspiration struck Li Ru: "Although they are not afraid of harming His Majesty, His Majesty is in our hands, so we can use him to command the feudal lords."

"Let alone Grand Tutor, His Majesty could even bestow upon you the title of a prince of a different surname, it would be no problem at all!"

Dong Zhuo thought about it and agreed: "Does that mean we should withdraw our troops and return to Bingzhou now?"

"Bingzhou is now surrounded by enemies on three sides. Why not take His Majesty eastward to Yanzhou, Qingzhou, and Xuzhou?"

"Then select a valiant general to guard Hulao Pass, and the imperial army will stop there!"

Li Ru continued, "As for the troops in Bingzhou, my father-in-law ordered them to withdraw completely, cross the Taihang Mountains, pass through Jizhou, and come to Qingxu along the north bank of the Yellow River to meet up with my father-in-law!"

“East of Hulao Pass, the three prefectures of Qing, Xu and Yan are prosperous lands. Our army has landed here with abundant food and strong troops, and can now stand on equal footing with the court.”

Dong Zhuo was somewhat tempted by Li Ru's words, but this plan was extremely difficult to execute.

Let's not even talk about how the governors of the four prefectures of Taiyuan, Shangdang, Hedong and Yanmen in Bingzhou, as well as the three generals Hua Xiong, Fan Chou and Zhang Ji, with nearly 50,000 to 60,000 troops, crossed the Taihang Mountains from Bingzhou, passed through Jizhou, and arrived in Yanzhou.

Take their current 50,000 men, for example. If they make a move, the imperial army will follow. How can they possibly have a chance to capture Hulao Pass and enter Yanzhou?

The others, of course, didn't have any good ideas; they just frowned, unsure whether to agree or not.

"Let's adjourn this meeting for now and send a messenger to secretly contact Empress Dowager He!"

"I just don't believe she doesn't care about her son's life or death."

Dong Zhuo waved his hand impatiently, signaling everyone to leave.

If a breakthrough cannot be achieved through warfare, then the only option is political maneuvering.

Dong Zhuo felt that he still needed to use Empress Dowager He to put pressure on these people.

With He Jin dead and the young emperor in his hands, Empress Dowager He was more anxious than anyone else.

Although the Yuan family currently controls the court, Empress Dowager He is still the Empress Dowager, and the Yuan family has to take her influence into consideration.

In addition, Liu Wei, the King of Yunzhong, is getting closer and closer to Luoyang. He is currently fighting against both Ding Yuan's Liangzhou and Dong Zhuo's Bingzhou, and is personally leading a large army to Luoyang.

It's impossible for him to stand on the same side as Yuan Shao and his group.

Dong Zhuo did not believe that the powerful families such as Yuan, Wang, Yang, Sima, and Cui would actually line the streets to welcome Liu Wei to Luoyang to take control of the government.

Therefore, there is still room for negotiation in this matter.

Li Ru and the others left the camp.

Dong Zhuo rubbed his temples in the camp.

"Baiye, what do you want?"

At this moment, Niu Fu quietly turned back.

“Father-in-law, I…I have a plan that will allow you to enter Luoyang smoothly.” Niu Fu’s eyes gleamed.

"Hmm? Why didn't you say anything in front of everyone just now?"

Dong Zhuo didn't take it seriously.

With Niu Fu's IQ, what good plan could he possibly come up with?

“This…” Niu Fu stammered.

"Alright, alright! Just tell me already!"

Niu Fu immediately said slowly, "The only thing the imperial coalition relies on is Ding Yuan's 30,000 troops, and later, Lu Bu under his command is very brave!"

"Without Ding Yuan and Lü Bu, the imperial coalition forces would be as weak as tofu and easily defeated."

Dong Zhuo said calmly, "I naturally understand this principle!"

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