The man under Niu Fu's command, through his counter-espionage scheme, the iron chain across the river, and now the removal of the fuel supply from under his cauldron, is all acting in Dong Zhuo's best interests and is directly related to him.

Moreover, these were all ingenious and treacherous schemes devised when Dong Zhuo was at his most vulnerable.

Even if we assume that Liu Wei contacted and instructed him privately, burning down Luoyang was a plan that would wipe out his entire family!

And there's the plague, isn't Liu Wei afraid?

You're definitely overthinking it.

Dong Zhuo shook his fat head a few times, then glanced at Li Ru: "Wenyou, tonight I'm sending you to take away the young emperor and abduct the empress dowager. You're going to do something earth-shattering. Are you mentally prepared?"

A sinister glint flashed across Li Ru's face: "My son-in-law only cares about my father-in-law and the Bingzhou army. He doesn't care about the emperor or the empress dowager. Anyone who disobeys will be killed!"

"How could I not know my son-in-law's loyalty!"

Dong Zhuo nodded. "I'll remember that. Tonight, be swift and clean. Anyone who tries to stop you will be killed without mercy."

"Yes, sir!"

"Go and make preparations! I also need to summon all the civil and military officials. Once we arrive in Yanzhou, the court won't look like a court without these ministers!"

Dong Zhuo straightened up and, supported by two guards, walked towards the council hall of the Grand Tutor's mansion.

He planned to resolve the issue at the Grand Tutor's mansion and hold all the officials hostage.

These ministers never imagined that Dong Zhuo would actually take them all away tonight.

......

"Your Excellency, for the sake of the Han Dynasty and to spare Luoyang from the ravages of war, we urge you to make this trip!"

"With your help as a go-between, we can turn hostility into friendship with the King of Clouds, and everything can be discussed."

"To show our sincerity, if you two just leave the city, we will go to the palace tonight and have the Empress Dowager bind herself and apologize to the King of Yunzhong."

"......"

When Yuan Feng and Wang Yun arrived at the residence, they found Liu Yu there as well. They immediately explained their purpose.

Liu Hua remained calm, exchanged a glance with Liu Yu, and then said, "Grand Commandant Yuan, Minister Wang, you must have made a mistake!"

"Since His Majesty's passing, we have not been involved in politics for a long time. How can we interfere in important matters of the court?"

“***, please don’t make things difficult for us. Right now, the only ones who can persuade the King of Yunzhong to sit down and talk are you and the Imperial Clan Minister!” Wang Yun said anxiously.

"If you don't step forward, how can we have a proper talk with the King of Yunzhong?" Yuan Feng pleaded earnestly.

"You secretly asked us to negotiate with the King of Yunzhong. If Dong Zhuo finds out, what will his reaction be?" Liu Yu asked unhurriedly.

"He's just a local warlord. If it weren't for our support, would he be so arrogant today?"

Yuan Feng sneered, "Don't forget, we also have 150,000 troops in Luoyang!"

"I don't want to hear your useless talk. In short, neither of us will go to these peace talks. You can figure it out yourselves!"

Liu Hua, however, showed no appreciation whatsoever.

She knew every move Liu Wei's army made every day, and she was even the first to know about the battle between Dong Zhuo's 10,000 cavalry and Liu Wei's cavalry at the foot of Beiman Mountain today.

Liu Wei has his own plans and steps, and he is currently at a critical juncture. If her interference disrupts Liu Wei's grand plan, wouldn't that be counterproductive?

Therefore, Liu Hua and Liu Yu now agree that they should do nothing and not interfere in anything.

We must remain calm until victory arrives.

When Yuan Feng and Wang Yun came to visit her, asking her to act as an intermediary to negotiate with Liu Wei, Liu Hua immediately refused.

Seeing that Liu Hua remained unmoved, Yuan Feng and Wang Yun could only leave with regret.

They hadn't walked far when someone hurriedly came in and whispered something in Liu Hua's ear.

Liu Hua's eyes lit up, and her graceful figure suddenly straightened up:

"Please wait, gentlemen!"

"I am willing to step forward and take your place."

What?

Yuan Feng and Wang Yun were overjoyed: "Then we will go and report to the Grand Tutor now to discuss when to set off."

"Without further ado, let's head to Mengjin now!"

However, Liu Hua said anxiously, "If we want to leave the city, please ask the Grand Commandant to arrange for someone to let us through."

"So urgent?"

Yuan Feng was somewhat surprised, but he didn't think too much about it. "***Let's leave the city through the north gate! Our men are guarding this place."

After the Yuan family and Dong Zhuo reached a compromise, Dong Zhuo was appointed Grand Tutor, with 100,000 troops under his command, divided into two parts to garrison Luoyang.

The main camp at Beiman Mountain had 50,000 men, the west gate of Luoyang had 40,000 men, and the city center had 10,000 men.

In addition, 10,000 soldiers from the Xiyuan Army were also incorporated into Dong Zhuo's army.

The imperial army consisted of Yuan Shu's troops, the troops of Huang Wan, the governor of Yuzhou, the five schools of the Northern Camp, as well as the city defense troops and the palace guards.

Yuan Shu's army is at the South Gate, Huang Wan's army is at the East Gate, and the Five Schools of the Northern Camp are at the North Gate!

"No problem! You two go back and tell the Grand Tutor that I will convey your message and persuade the King of Yunzhong to negotiate."

After Yuan Feng and Wang Yun left, Liu Hua said to the messenger:

"We will set off now and leave the city within an hour."

"***, please bring the mistress along as well. Keep the gates closed before nightfall."

"The people in the manor should be moved or hidden if possible."

The messenger looked grave. "Lord Zongzheng is in the same boat. For safety's sake, he has also left the city with *** to avoid any unnecessary disaster."

"I am all alone, and there is nothing of great importance in my residence. I can handle things efficiently!"

Liu Yu asked solemnly, "Will Luoyang really descend into chaos tonight?"

"Does your lord really intend to force Dong Zhuo to do this?"

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