Yuan Shu was taken aback by Dong Zhuo's personal arrival.

When Empress Dowager He saw Dong Zhuo arrive, she wanted to go forward, but then she saw a large group of soldiers rushing over to protect Yuan Wei and others.

"Dong Zhuo, you traitorous scoundrel, look what you've done to Luoyang!"

Yuan Wei breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the Empress Dowager and the young emperor were in Yuan Shu's army.

If the Empress Dowager and the young emperor were taken away by Dong Zhuo, they would be in a very passive position.

They had already learned that the ministers in the court who had been summoned to the Grand Tutor's mansion by Dong Zhuo had either been killed or taken away under duress.

Meanwhile, many soldiers were also rushing towards their residence.

Yuan Shu's troops arrived just in time, first protecting the residences of prominent families such as Yuan, Wang, Yang, Sima, Wei, and Cui to prevent them from being attacked by the chaotic army.

Meanwhile, Yuan Shu rushed to the palace and, ahead of Li Ru and Niu Fu, protected the Empress Dowager and the young emperor.

In this way, the situation seemed to be under the control of Yuan Wei and his men.

"I've brought disaster to Luoyang? Grand Tutor, do you think I don't know that you plan to hand over the Empress Dowager and His Majesty to Liu Wei?"

Dong Zhuo made no attempt to hide anything and revealed Yuan Wei and his group's plans to everyone.

Although Empress Dowager He had guessed what Yuan Wei had done, she was still shocked when she heard Dong Zhuo say this.

Dong Zhuo and his group of seemingly righteous ministers were all harboring wolfish ambitions!

"Nonsense! We are all veteran officials of the Han Dynasty, how could we possibly do such a heaven-defying thing?"

"But you, Dong Zhuo, seeing the might of the King of Yunzhong's army, burned Luoyang, plundered the people, and poisoned the water throughout the city. Are you trying to destroy Luoyang and turn it into a barren wasteland?"

"You've come to the palace now, do you intend to kidnap the Empress Dowager and His Majesty again?"

Yuan Wei, with an upright and stern expression, loudly rebuked him.

"Shortsighted!" Dong Zhuo's eyes turned cold. "Empress Dowager, do not trust these hypocrites."

"If you stay with them, what good will come of it besides being betrayed and handed over to Liu Wei?"

"Although my actions were ruthless, they left Liu Wei with a Luoyang that was devastated."

"Soon, a plague broke out in Luoyang. Liu Wei's troops entered Luoyang, were infected with the plague, and were defeated without a fight."

"Let alone a million-strong army, even an army of tens of millions would be infected by the plague and lose its fighting capacity."

"At that time, I will protect Your Majesty and you, rebuild the capital, and continue the Han dynasty."

Dong Zhuo spoke eloquently, making his wicked plans for Luoyang sound perfectly legitimate.

Everyone was covered in cold sweat.

It's hard to imagine what a living hell Luoyang would be if its million inhabitants and Liu Wei's million-strong army were all infected with the plague.

However, Empress Dowager He was tempted.

If she had gone with Dong Zhuo, her son's throne and her position as Empress Dowager would still have remained.

If he stayed, Yuan Wei and the others would send him to Liu Wei, where he would surely die.

Her son was forced to abdicate, and was then killed by some unscrupulous ministers who either drowned or fell to his death.

But she couldn't say it directly at this moment.

"Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor!"

"You are all ministers in the same court, and all are loyal subjects of the Han Dynasty. You must not suspect each other at this time."

"Although the Grand Tutor's actions were ruthless, they were understandable. For the sake of the Han Dynasty, the people of Luoyang had to be sacrificed!"

Empress Dowager He immediately stood up and said loudly, "And the Grand Tutor's side is also here to protect His Majesty. What does the Grand Tutor mean by what you said?"

"I believe they would not do such a heinous thing."

"Since the Grand Tutor has such a plan, I think it would be better for everyone to withdraw from Luoyang tonight and then make further plans."

Empress Dowager He wanted to go with Dong Zhuo, but she also wanted to take Yuan Wei and the others with her, along with Lu Zhi and his men from Dongmen, so that the three forces could be balanced and restrained when they went to Yanzhou.

"Empress Dowager, Dong Zhuo is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and you actually believed him?" Yuan Wei and the others were speechless.

However, they also knew that Empress Dowager He was not stupid. If she stayed here, she would inevitably become a sacrifice in the peace talks.

To survive, people will do anything.

"Didn't the Grand Tutor say that a plague is about to break out in Luoyang? Are you going to stay here and wait to die instead of leaving?"

Empress Dowager He then spoke.

"If Your Majesty believes his alarmist claims, please forgive our disrespect, but we would be better if His Majesty did not leave the palace."

Yuan Wei said firmly.

As he spoke, he gestured to Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu nodded.

He brought two thousand soldiers into the palace, and there were five thousand elite troops outside the imperial city. He was not afraid of Dong Zhuo at all.

When Dong Zhuo saw that Yuan Kui had Yuan Shu guard the young emperor and empress dowager and refused to submit, he immediately became furious.

However, we don't have many troops around us right now, so launching a rash attack is not a good idea.

Just as they were hesitating, someone came to report: "Xuanmen Pass has been captured, but there is not a single Yunzhong King guarding it."

"The matter is too strange. General Li Jue does not know what to do and has sent a fast horse to report it."

It's fifty or sixty li from Xuanmen Pass to here; it would take at least two hours for a fast horse to come.

In other words, what happened at Xuanmen Pass in those two hours is unknown.

Dong Zhuo's heart tightened.

He recalled Liu Wei's surprise attack on his cavalry at Beiman Mountain. Could it be that Liu Wei set up an empty city ploy at Xuanmen Pass just to wait for the two armies of Li Jue and Lü Bu to arrive?

If Liu Wei had set up an ambush, he could have wiped out both armies.

So Dong Zhuo only had the 50,000 troops in Luoyang by his side, and he had no resources left to resist.

They even claimed to have held the emperor hostage, controlled Hulao Pass, and occupied several prefectures including Yanzhou, Xuzhou, and Qingzhou, thus becoming equal to Liu Wei.

Have we been tricked again?

He looked at Niu Fu with a cryptic expression: "Baiye, where are the people under your command who offered the plan?"

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