In Luoyang, it remains unknown what methods Empress He and General He Jin will use against Liu Wei.
However, the imperial edict appointing Dong Zhuo as governor was eventually issued to Bingzhou.
This confirms that what Yao Guangxiao said to him privately that day was absolutely true.
This made Dong Zhuo even more convinced.
He left Li Jue as the governor of Dingxiang and withdrew his troops thirty miles away, waiting for Liu Wei's troops in Shanwu to withdraw safely before taking over.
Thus, Diao Chan, Liu Yifei, Xiao Guizi, and dozens of other women and servants from the Marquis's household left Shanwu City, where they had lived for almost two months, under Zhang Xun's protection.
Many beautiful memories remain here; Liu Wei and Diao Chan's wedding was even held here!
Diao Chan was reluctant to leave, turning back every few steps.
However, the thought that it had been almost half a month since I last saw Liu Wei made my heart flutter.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder; I wonder what kind of passionate ignition will ignite between them when they meet again.
Guo Luo and Yang Yi were accompanied by twenty old guards and more than a thousand boy scouts.
Among these boy scouts were several sons of Liu Du's tribe who were given to Liu Wei as hostages.
There was a Han Chinese boy who lost his parents in the Great Battle of Shanwu.
There were also Xiongnu boys, shorter than a cartwheel, brought back by Yao Guangxiao from Meiji.
There were also the children who survived Xue Rengui's extermination of the Jie people in the Gobi Desert.
From a young age, they were trained by guards such as Guo Luo and Yang Yi, and were taught Chinese, how to write Chinese characters, and the etiquette and customs of the Han people.
The goal is to gradually erase the memories of these alien races so that they can grow up and become Liu Wei's henchmen.
Accompanying them were the five thousand meritorious soldiers and the Hu women who held a collective wedding in Shanwu.
Seeing countless people leave Shanwu, many people in the city couldn't understand why they had left all of a sudden.
Some people did not want to stay and went with them.
Yao Guangxiao agreed to everything.
Thus, in addition to Zhang Xun's five thousand sword and shield soldiers, the accompanying army and civilians numbered more than thirty thousand!
Upon hearing that so many people wanted to leave Shanwu, Dong Zhuo and Li Ru were surprised.
This prince has so many followers; he is quite popular with the people outside the Great Wall!
"Wenyou, this Marquis's future is definitely limitless."
"When we are in charge of Bingzhou, we should try our best to avoid conflict and provoke others."
"Everything was done according to the three rules that the senior monk made with us."
“Doing this will bring us even more benefits in the future.”
Dong Zhuo narrowed his eyes.
If we forcibly attack Shanwu, the five thousand defenders and tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the city will resist stubbornly.
Dong Zhuo definitely couldn't have taken it.
Once Liu Wei has dealt with the Xianbei people in Yunzhong, he will return to relieve Shanwu's siege.
At that time, Dong Zhuo's 30,000 ragtag troops might have remained outside Yanmen Pass forever.
But at this very moment, Liu Wei relinquished Dingxiang, helping Dong Zhuo ascend to the position of governor.
This immense wealth was beyond Dong Zhuo's wildest imagination.
It wasn't until Yao Guangxiao delivered the household register and began withdrawing from Shanwu that Dong Zhuo finally believed it.
Meanwhile, someone in Luoyang had given him advance notice that the imperial edict was about to arrive.
His appointment followed.
Everything seemed like a dream, Dong Zhuo couldn't help but sigh.
While marveling at his performance, I felt even greater respect for Liu Wei.
A person with such vision would absolutely not be content to fight against foreign tribes on their border territories.
He must have even bigger ambitions!
"General, is it this marquis's or prince's identity that makes you wary?"
Li Ru pondered for a moment, "Empress He and the General seem to intend to kill him."
"Although I am not in Luoyang, I have heard some rumors and gossip."
"According to the rules, Empress He's son is already an adult and should be made crown prince, but His Majesty has been hesitant to make a decision."
"However, the Prince of Chenliu, whom Empress Dowager Dong raised, was quite favored by His Majesty."
"This inevitably leads to a lot of speculation!" Dong Zhuo said meaningfully.
Li Ru said calmly, "Both princes have different interest groups behind them. Each wants to win!"
"We've now boarded the General's ship, haven't we?"
"Logically speaking, we should be enemies with this Marquis of Yinshan."
"Who would have thought that we would secretly cooperate with him? If the General finds out, he will definitely be displeased."
Dong Zhuo's chubby face twitched, as if he were sneering: "I'm doing this for myself!"
“If we fight Yinshan Hou to the death, the general will not show us any mercy and will only send someone else to replace us.”
"The Marquis of Yinshan also needs a buffer zone between himself and the imperial court, and we just so happens to be the ones he chose!"
"Therefore, we must maintain this rare and delicate relationship with Marquis Yinshan from now on."
"As long as we don't make it too obvious to the imperial court, there shouldn't be any problems."
Li Ru nodded solemnly: "I understand what my father-in-law said. Next, we will take over Ding Yuan's troops and truly bring Bingzhou under our control!"
The monk not only gave Li Ru a generous sum of money, but also spoke incisively and eloquently.
Every word and phrase struck a chord with Dong Zhuo.
Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo immediately agreed to cooperate with Liu Wei.
Liu Wei voluntarily withdrew from Dingxiang to help Dong Zhuo ascend to the throne.
All Dong Zhuo needed to do was submit a memorial to the General's Office, saying that he had already captured Dingxiang.
As for other matters, needless to say, there will naturally be people who will fan the flames.
"Yes, tell Baiye that training soldiers and forming an army as soon as possible is the most important thing."
Dong Zhuo said, "Also, quickly find out if the person who delivered the imperial edict to Ding Yuan has arrived at Pianguan!"
The eunuchs who were delivering the imperial edict were unwilling to go beyond the Great Wall; they must have summoned Ding Yuan and his troops back from a remote pass to receive the edict.
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