Lu Li sorted out his thoughts, and the next step was to figure out how to find out who was behind this.
Since he left Jizhou, Laifu has announced to the world that anyone who oppresses the people will be executed!
He also ordered all local leaders to rush to Jizhou, and those who disobeyed would be killed without mercy!
This order was nothing short of a catastrophe for the various leaders of the Yellow Turban Army!
However, Leif's orders cannot be disobeyed; those who disobey will be executed!
This was the plan that Lu Li and Lai Fu discussed: to use force to suppress those who refused to obey, or else they could establish their own independent stronghold and see if anyone would still follow them if they didn't use the Yellow Turban Army's banner.
Either you obey orders, or you will be swallowed up!
In an instant, the entire north was in turmoil, and leaders from all over the country rushed to Jizhou.
In less than a month, Jizhou had gathered more than a dozen chieftains, and each chieftain had considerable power, with some even commanding hundreds of thousands of troops!
The atmosphere in the entire Han area instantly became tense.
Because Zhang Jiao suddenly changed his tactics, this announcement led more impoverished people to voluntarily join the Yellow Turban Army or Zhang Jiao's camp.
In their eyes, Zhang Jiao was a god. As long as they followed Zhang Jiao, they would never have to worry about food and drink, nor would they have to worry about starving or freezing to death.
Upon learning this, Emperor Ling of Han felt an unprecedented threat and immediately summoned his ministers to discuss solutions.
Everyone gathered in the main hall of the palace, their faces solemn, even their breathing became much quieter.
"What good strategies do you gentlemen have?" Emperor Ling of Han asked calmly, glancing at his ministers.
The group exchanged glances, but no one could come up with a solution.
After all, the Yellow Turban Rebellion is becoming increasingly rampant, and they are helpless to stop it. Under such circumstances, who would dare to stand up and say a word? Wouldn't that be courting death?
Seeing that no one spoke up, Emperor Ling of Han was furious. These officials, who received salaries from the court, were eating the emperor's food but did not know how to repay the army's kindness!
Emperor Ling of Han roared, "Is there no one who can suppress the rebels? If so, what use are you all to me?"
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became extremely heavy. All the civil and military officials knelt on the ground, begging for forgiveness in fear: "Your Majesty, please forgive us! Your humble servants are incompetent!"
At this moment, He Jin stepped forward and quickly said, "Your Majesty, I recommend someone who will surely be able to quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion!"
"Oh? Who is it?" Emperor Ling of Han sneered.
"Dong Zhuo, Governor of Bingzhou!" He Jin announced loudly.
Emperor Ling of Han remembered Dong Zhuo. During the Great Wall crisis, it was Dong Zhuo who persuaded the Qiang people and stabilized the Western Liang region. Emperor Ling was overjoyed and appointed Dong Zhuo as the governor of Bingzhou.
"Your Majesty, Dong Zhuo has 20,000 elite Xiliang soldiers under his command. If we send Dong Zhuo to Ji Province to quell the rebellion, he will surely be able to wipe out the Yellow Turban rebels!"
"I second that proposal!"
"I second that proposal!"
"......"
He Jin's suggestion was met with approval from the others, who all echoed his sentiments.
"Well, in that case, send an order to Dong Zhuo, commanding him to lead his army to Ji Province and wipe out the Yellow Turban rebels!" Emperor Ling of Han said coldly.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The officials from the Censorate immediately went down to convey the imperial edict.
"Dismiss the court!" Emperor Ling of Han waved his hand, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they slowly walked out of the hall.
According to the original historical development, Dong Zhuo did indeed serve as the governor of Bingzhou, but not for long, before he was promoted and transferred, and the governor of Bingzhou became Ding Yuan.
But the course of history has changed. The Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out earlier than expected, and Dong Zhuo is still the governor of Bingzhou.
The number of troops in Bingzhou under Dong Zhuo's control far exceeded previous historical figures, by a full two times.
Since the imperial court issued an edict allowing the governors of each province to recruit soldiers on their own, Dong Zhuo began to recruit soldiers. Although he was only a governor, the governor of Bing Province did not have the same prestige in the army as Dong Zhuo, so he was effectively sidelined.
Dong Zhuo now commands not only 20,000 Xiliang soldiers, but also 100,000 newly recruited infantrymen and several fierce generals, making him extremely powerful.
Bingzhou, Dong Mansion.
"My lord, your chance has come!" Li Ru walked in with a smile and said to Dong Zhuo, who was sitting in the grand chair.
"Oh, what opportunity is Wenyou referring to?" Dong Zhuo asked hurriedly.
Li Ru chuckled and said, "My lord, His Majesty has now ordered you to personally lead the Bingzhou cavalry to Jizhou to quell the Yellow Turban rebels! This is an excellent opportunity!"
Dong Zhuo's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed excitedly, "Good, good!"
A smug smile crept across Li Ru's lips. He was Dong Zhuo's most trusted man, and naturally knew Dong Zhuo's identity and ambitions!
When the Yellow Turban Rebellion first broke out, Li Ru advised Dong Zhuo to secretly recruit soldiers and horses, so that the world would be in chaos and that would be the time for Dong Zhuo to rise to power.
Just as Li Ru had predicted, the Yellow Turban Rebellion has spread throughout the country and can no longer be suppressed. The imperial court has no way to deal with the Yellow Turban army and can only send troops from the various prefectures and governors.
Dong Zhuo was the chosen one!
"Wenyou, analyze the situation!" Dong Zhuo said excitedly.
Li Ru stroked his beard and said, "The Yellow Turban Army is now very powerful and sweeping across the north. If our army can defeat the Yellow Turban Army, we will surely be rewarded by His Majesty. At that time, our lord will be able to enter Luoyang!"
"Enter Luoyang!" These words made Dong Zhuo's heart race.
Although he was the governor of Bingzhou, he was actually marginalized. Emperor Ling of Han did not attach as much importance to Bingzhou as he did to other provinces.
If he could take control of Luoyang, Dong Zhuo's power would be greatly enhanced! He might even rise to the top!
"That's right. Our army is strong and well-equipped now. Those Yellow Turban rebels are nothing but a rabble and are not worth worrying about!" Dong Zhuo sneered.
Li Ru nodded. In their eyes, these Yellow Turban soldiers were nothing more than infantrymen made up of ordinary people. They had never been trained and were just an army that had been put together on the verge of death. How much fighting power could they possibly have?
In other words, those incompetent officials in the imperial court, having become accustomed to a peaceful life, don't even know how to fight a war anymore.
Dong Zhuo, however, was different. He had previously served in Xiliang and often fought against foreign tribes, so he naturally had a set of effective combat methods. Using his talents to deal with the Yellow Turban Army was simply a waste of his abilities!
"Wenyou, pass down the order: in ten days, the army will set off to attack Ji Province and wipe out the Yellow Turban rebels!" Dong Zhuo laughed loudly.
"Yes, my lord!"
Li Ru immediately went downstairs to prepare provisions. Dong Zhuo was going to do everything in his power to fight the Yellow Turban Army, so naturally he would have to bring a large amount of provisions!
As the saying goes, an army marches on its stomach, but just as Li Ru was about to go down to make preparations, a middle-aged man who had been completely unnoticed spoke up: "Wen You, wait a minute!"
Li Ru stopped in his tracks, looking at the middle-aged man with a puzzled expression. He knew this man very well; he was a close friend and a strategist under Dong Zhuo.
Jia Xu, also known as Jia Wenhe, was a notorious strategist during the late Eastern Han Dynasty.
"My lord, I believe now is not the right time to send troops!" Jia Xu said slowly.
Upon hearing this, Li Ru asked, "Wenhe, our army is now strong and well-equipped, while the Yellow Turban Army is nothing but a rabble. Why is now not the time to send troops?"
Jia Xu shook his head and said, "Wenruo, you are still too young!"
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