Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo smiled slightly.

From this day forward, the Qiang people will be under his control.

"Hahaha, that's great!" Dong Zhuo couldn't help but laugh loudly.

Dong Zhuo was overjoyed and immediately ordered his soldiers to prepare wine and food to entertain the Qiang chieftain and others, and he himself accompanied them.

At the same time, he also received news from the Great Wall that Hua Xiong had decisively defeated the Xianbei camp, annihilating thousands of enemies and capturing tens of thousands of Xianbei cavalry!

Upon hearing this news, Dong Zhuo was overjoyed.

This time, Dong Zhuo had made a great contribution.

As long as the battle report is delivered to Luoyang, he will surely be promoted, and it is even possible that he will be ennobled and appointed as prime minister.

This delighted Dong Zhuo, who immediately sent someone to Luoyang to report the victory.

After making arrangements for the 20,000 Qiang soldiers, Dong Zhuo returned to Liangzhou without stopping.

Because he had an even more important goal: to keep Lu Li here!

This person possesses extraordinary talent, even surpassing Li Ru in ability; such a figure should not be overlooked.

..............

Five days later, Dong Zhuo hosted a banquet for Lu Li.

"Brother Xunzhen is so talented, it would be a real pity if he could not serve the court!" Dong Zhuo sighed as he looked at Lu Li in front of him.

Lu Li smiled calmly: "I am honored by General Dong's kindness, but my ambitions lie elsewhere, please forgive me!"

Dong Zhuo shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Brother Xunzhen, since you have no interest in the court, would you like to join my side? I will certainly give you a position and honor that you cannot imagine."

Lu Li raised an eyebrow; Dong Zhuo had indeed come to win him over.

"I'm sorry, General Dong. I have no intention of pledging allegiance to anyone at the moment!" Lu Li refused.

Dong Zhuo was not annoyed. All great talents tend to be somewhat arrogant, and Lu Li, at such a young age, already possessed extraordinary talent, making him even more difficult to persuade.

"Since that's the case, I won't force you. If Brother Xunzhen ever needs my help in the future, I will certainly not refuse!"

That statement is sincere.

Lu Li pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Actually, there is something I would like to ask General Dong."

Dong Zhuo immediately perked up: "Brother Xunzhen, please ask away. I will answer whatever I know."

"May I ask, General, do you know anything about what happened at the end of the Qin Dynasty?" Lu Li asked, voicing his doubts.

"The end of the Qin Dynasty?" Dong Zhuo was slightly taken aback.

"Back then, Meng Tian guarded the Great Wall. After Meng Tian died, Wang Li took over the Great Wall. He had an army of 300,000. How did he lose?" Lu Li asked again.

Upon hearing the names Meng Tian and Wang Li, Dong Zhuo's expression changed several times as he fell into deep thought.

After a long pause, Dong Zhuo raised his head, looked at Lu Li, and said, "Brother Xunzhen, why are you asking about this?"

Lu Li smiled faintly and continued, "I just want to find out what happened back then."

"this……"

Dong Zhuo hesitated for a moment, clearly knowing some inside information, but it seemed to involve some secret, so he was unwilling to tell Lu Li.

Seeing this, Lu Li said again, "General Dong, if you really know, please tell me. I will be extremely grateful!"

Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo's expression shifted violently. He couldn't understand why Lu Li was so interested in this matter.

Finally, Dong Zhuo took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Brother Xunzhen, I know a little about this matter. I am willing to tell you because I trust you!"

Lu Li quickly expressed his gratitude: "I thank General Dong in advance!"

Dong Zhuo waved his hand to indicate that Lu Li didn't need to be polite, and then slowly began to speak.

Afterwards, Dong Zhuo dismissed his attendants, leaving only himself and Lu Li in the room.

"Brother Xunzhen, to tell you the truth, I am a descendant of Meng Tian!" Dong Zhuo suddenly said.

Lu Li stared at Dong Zhuo in astonishment. He was a descendant of Meng Tian? How could that be?

However, Lu Li did not reveal his feelings and remained calm.

Dong Zhuo continued, "Back then, Qin Er Shi Fusu did not distinguish right from wrong and killed my ancestor Meng Tian, ​​exterminating the Meng clan. However, one branch of the Meng clan escaped from Xianyang and came to what is now Liangzhou."

When Meng Tian was stationed at the Great Wall, he enjoyed great prestige on the frontier, so there is indeed evidence to support the claim that this branch of the Meng clan fled to Liangzhou.

"From then on, the Meng clan went into hiding and changed their surname to Dong!" Dong Zhuo explained.

Lu Li immediately took a deep breath and looked at Dong Zhuo with a shocked expression. He was actually a descendant of Meng Tian!

"Then how did Wang Li lose back then?" Lu Li asked eagerly.

"I don't know exactly what happened back then; it's just some spiritual stories left behind by our ancestors."

"Back then, Xiang Yu seemed to have allied with the Xiongnu to attack the Great Wall. At that time, a strategist from the Qin Dynasty, together with Wang Li, defeated Xiang Yu and the Xiongnu. That strategist apparently died for his country."

Upon hearing Dong Zhuo's words, Lu Li was startled; the strategist was referring to him!

Dong Zhuo continued, "At that time, there were only seven or eight members of the Meng clan left. They were all relocated to Xiliang, and they all took this as their goal, hoping to one day restore the country."

"But in the end, Xiang Yu made an alliance with the seventeen feudal lords at the time, and whoever entered Xianyang first would be king!"

"Upon learning of this, Wang Li led an army of 100,000 south to intercept Xiang Yu, but was defeated and killed in battle!"

"Afterwards, Xiang Yu fought a desperate battle with his back to the river and defeated the Qin general Zhang Han, but Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang benefited from this and entered Xianyang first."

Xiang Yu was furious and resentful, and almost killed Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, which led to the Feast at Hongmen.

Dong Zhuo only knew the general outline and was unaware of the details of what happened back then, since he had never even heard of Lu Li's name.

"Xiang Yu and Liu Bang are not dead?"

Dong Zhuo asked with a puzzled look, "What do you mean by that, Brother Xunzhen? Those two were the two most powerful warlords in the allied forces back then."

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