I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 100: Little Notebook, Remembering a Revenge
Although Wang Jing is young now, he has become famous. Not only does he have strength, but he also holds a righteous reputation. Therefore, he immediately attracted many aspiring people to come and join him.

Fame and status are not illusory.

Dong Zhuo had no status and his reputation was terrible. Therefore, although he had great power, the whole country still rebelled against him. He was regarded as a tiger, leopard, jackal and wolf by the world, and they wanted to kill him as soon as possible.

But Wang Jing was different. He came from a noble family, and he participated in the pacification of the universe, wiped out the rebellion in Hedong, and successfully blocked the invasion of the Southern Xiongnu. Recently, he even killed the traitor Dong Zhuo. He had outstanding achievements and impeccable character. Many heroes who wanted to make a name for themselves regarded him as a wise leader and they rushed to join them.

Therefore, even though the Northern Army's selection standards were comparable to those of the Wei Wuzu, it was still able to quickly recruit enough soldiers.

In an instant, the mighty power shook Luoyang and the whole world!

The strength of the Northern Army made many people in the old forces feel dissatisfied and even fearful.

Huang Wan, who had just experienced the Dong Zhuo Rebellion, was dissatisfied with all the military officers. He felt that Wang Jing's motives for forming the group were impure. He took Yang Biao with him to Yuan Wei's residence to discuss the matter.

Huang Wan directly questioned Wang Jing's motives: "Marquis Qi keeps saying he wants to put down the rebellion, but these days have passed and he hasn't taken any action. Didn't Dong Zhuo come to the capital under the banner of killing the rebels? But the Ten Eunuchs are dead, and he is even more cruel than the Ten Eunuchs, and is more harmful than before. If we let the Northern Army be formed, who among us can check and balance him?"

Yuan Wei naturally understood this kind of thing. Dong Zhuo had set a bad example, and there was no guarantee that some generals would want to follow suit.

After all, the taste of power is really wonderful.

Yuan Wei looked at Yang Biao and said, "Mr. Wen, what do you think about this?"

Yang Biao looked distressed, and hesitated to speak. Finally, he sighed and said, "It will take time for Yizhen to dispatch his troops, and the Guandong coalition forces are still blocked outside Hulao Pass and cannot advance an inch. We are now unable to contain Wang Jing."

It was not easy to mobilize Huangfu Song's 30,000 border troops to leave Xiliang and return to Luoyang. You must know that at this time, Han Sui, Ma Teng and other Liangzhou warlords were still raising the flag of rebellion. Once they knew that Chang'an was short of troops, wouldn't they send troops to attack?
Therefore, the mobilization of troops must be carefully deployed. This difficult problem is now placed before them, and it depends on how they choose.

To deal with Wang Jing, we have to start from other aspects.

Yuan Wei pinched his long beard, thought for a while, and then said confidently: "Since we can't control him militarily, we will attack him from the perspective of public opinion. Otherwise, once Wang Yuanxu becomes powerful, we will all become fish on the chopping board."

After killing Dong Zhuo and expelling the rebellious army from Xiliang, Wang Jing's reputation and popularity in the capital area are now at their peak and unmatched.

Countless people regarded Wang Jing as a savior, and many places had even begun to spontaneously build ancestral temples for Wang Jing and offer incense and worship him.

Since ancient times, whoever wins the hearts of the people will win the world. Although Luoyang is not the world, it is the heartland of the Yanhan Dynasty and the center of power.

If Wang Jingruo wins the hearts of the people in Luoyang, it will definitely not be a good thing for the old party forces such as the Yuan family of Runan and the Yang family of Hongnong. In the eyes of Yuan Wei and his people, this is even more terrifying than the threat posed by Dong Zhuo.

After all, no matter how powerful Dong Zhuo was, most of the victims were the common people, while the aristocratic families could still remain unscathed. It was difficult for Dong Zhuo to politically threaten the ruling foundation of the old party.

But if Wang Jing comes to power and has the support of the people and the New Party behind him, then no one will be able to stop him from doing anything to the New Party.

The old party has been in power for so long, enjoying wealth and glory and holding great power. How can they accept an end where they are at the mercy of others?

Therefore, Yuan Wei, Yang Biao and others were willing to take action even at the cost of making Wang Jing their enemy.

For three days, the 10,000-strong army was resting.

Wang Jing also stayed in the Xiyuan training ground and secretly trained more than 10,000 new recruits of the Northern Army, mainly to boost the morale of the troops and restore the military spirit that had been greatly consumed before.

Just when Wang Jing was concentrating on training his troops, rumors suddenly spread in Luoyang City, claiming that Wang Jing killed Dong Zhuo in order to replace him and become the second Dong Zhuo.

Many people actually believed this statement and became panic-stricken.

In the study, Wang Jing called Xun You and Jia Xu to discuss countermeasures.

Jia Xu stroked his beard and smiled: "It seems that the old guys hiding in the dark can no longer hold back."

Xun You, who had been observing the current situation in Luoyang through the secret guards, also had a clear understanding of the whole incident: "The one who could spread the news so quickly must be either the Grand Tutor Yuan Wei or the Minister of Civil Affairs Yang Biao, or the two of them have teamed up to break the destiny of the lord. This is the specialty of the prophecy and sutras, and the scheme is very vicious."

Since the expansion of the Northern Army, Xun You has gradually lost his scruples in private discussions. He now speaks frankly of destiny and regards Wang Jing as a potential dragon who is qualified to compete for the Central Plains.

Although Wang Jing despised Yuan Wei and Yang Biao, he knew they were the kind of people who would hinder him the most, so he sneered and said, "Gossip can melt gold, and constant criticism can destroy a person. It seems that they really want to get rid of me as soon as possible."

Wang Jing, having read all the history books, naturally knew the powerful destructive power of public opinion.

Historically, at the beginning of the first year of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, there was a nursery rhyme in Chang'an that said: "The grass is so green, a thousand miles away. Ten days of divination, no life."

And whenever there is troubled times, a few verses will flow out to stir people's hearts and cause the whole world to rebel.

Who said words can't kill?
The trend of people's hearts should not be underestimated in many cases.

Seeing Wang Jing remain calm and unmoved by the rumors, Xun You and Jia Xu secretly admired him: "As expected of a lord. Facing such a big event, he is not angry but calm and composed. He is indeed a wise lord and a future dragon."

What they didn't know was that at this time Wang Jing didn't take Yuan Wei, Yang Biao and others seriously at all, but was concentrating on thinking about how to strengthen his own Destiny Emperor Star.

For Wang Jing, false reputation is not important. What is important is the support of the people of Luoyang.

As long as the people of Luoyang believe in him and are willing to follow him, the power of the Emperor's Star of Destiny will become stronger and stronger. Yuan Wei's attempt to block his own destiny by means of prophecies and Confucian classics will inevitably fail.

But this was not an easy task. After all, after the eighteen princes had fought against Dong Zhuo, the world had entered a period of chaos and people's hearts were unsettled. In addition, Yuan Wei and Yang Biao secretly used the connections of the aristocratic families to stir up trouble and ruin Wang Jing's reputation in various ways. It was extremely difficult to win the hearts of the people over.

But Wang Jing was not panicked at all because he still had a trump card.

With a strategy in mind, Wang Jing calmly said, "For now, if we want to break the impasse, we have no choice but to start the Western Expedition."

This was all planned. Xun You said with a smile, "Wenhe, how effective this chain of tactics of attacking Guo by pretending to be a vassal and using someone else as a substitute for a dead person will be? It all depends on you."

Jia Xu smiled confidently: "I will not let my lord down.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of Luoyang, the area in front of Hulao Pass was as peaceful as water, which made Lu Bu so bored that he yawned and lost his motivation.

Suddenly, several riders came in, exhausted and dusty: "Marquis Qi has issued an order to order General Lü Bu to march west to quell the rebellion, and to leave Hulao Pass to General Yangwu Xu Huang to guard."

"Let me go west to quell the rebellion!?"

After hearing this, Lu Bu was a little dazed and very unhappy.

After all, sitting in Hulao Pass, one only needs to confront the idiots from Guandong. After Yuan Shao and others were slapped in the face by Dong Zhuo's Xiliang soldiers, they were like once bitten by a snake, afraid of ropes for ten years. They hid in the sour jujube and kept their troops motionless, sending people to come and yell a few times every day to deal with the task.

On the contrary, the Western Expedition to quell the rebellion meant that they had to bring troops to tackle tough enemies like Li Jue and Niu Fu, and even had to face the Xiliang Qiang Rebellion that lasted for a hundred years.

When Lu Bu was Dong Zhuo's son, he heard a lot about how powerful the Qiang people were, and knew that they were more troublesome than the Xiongnu and Wuhuan. All the small soldiers and generals under his command were those who had followed He Jin in the past, and were later recruited by Dong Zhuo and now belonged to him. They were complete slaves of three surnames and had no fighting spirit at all. Moreover, after laying off the old and weak, there were not even 10,000 of them left, so it would be a waste if they were gone.

However, military orders were as firm as a mountain. The messenger sneered at Lu Bu and said, "Marquis Wen, do you want to disobey orders?"

Xu Huang's 10,000 Hedong soldiers have already entered the Xiyuan parade ground, and have also brought with them 3,000 veteran Northern Army soldiers from Luoyang. Wang Jing now has a powerful military force in his hands and no longer needs to rely on Lu Bu and his former subordinates He Jin to maintain security and order in Luoyang City. The situation has quietly changed.

Lu Bu was well aware of this, so no matter how dissatisfied or unwilling he was, he had to obey military orders.

Soon, fluttering military flags began to appear on the horizon west of Hulao Pass.

Then came a neatly arrayed army, 4,000 infantrymen and 800 cavalrymen, exuding an astonishing murderous aura that made Lu Bu's scalp tingle and filled him with doubt and uncertainty.

Such amazing spirit, is he really a new recruit?
I saw a 5,000-strong army marching in silence, with only the sound of their footsteps like thunder filling the air.

Any experienced general could see that the army before them was well-disciplined and full of vigor. After a few bloody battles, they would be transformed into a strong army. Xu Huang, riding on his horse, raised his right hand to signal to stop advancing.

Then the army stopped moving, the five thousand soldiers were silent, only the smoke and dust were still spreading.

Xu Huang rode out of the line and arrived at the pass: "I am General Yangwu Xu Huang, under the command of Marquis Qi."

As soon as he opened his mouth, his voice was as loud as a bell, and his momentum was shocking.

Lu Bu saw through Xu Huang's strength at a glance. Although he was not as strong as himself, he was still considered one of the top military generals of the time with extraordinary martial arts skills.

Among the generals under his command, only Gao Shun could barely compete with him. If anyone else faced him, they would be killed by Xu Huang within ten rounds.

Lu Bu was extremely shocked by this: "I didn't expect that there would be such a powerful person under my lord's command!"

The original dissatisfaction disappeared instantly.

When the gate was opened, Lu Bu came out to greet him personally: "General Xu, I have long heard of your great name. I have ordered people to prepare wine and food to welcome you."

Lu Bu was a very down-to-earth person who only respected the strong. Xu Huang's strength was obviously recognized and respected by him.

However, Xu Huang was serious and unsmiling when facing Lü Bu: "There is no need for a banquet. The military situation is urgent. The lord has ordered that Lü Zhonglang and you should set off immediately after handing over the defense. There must be no delay."

Lu Bu had no choice but to obey the order.

Xu Huang immediately ordered his soldiers to enter Hulao Pass and take over the city gates, armory, and various checkpoints.

Cheng Lian and Wei Yue were Lu Bu's trusted followers. They were always brave and good at fighting, but they were unwilling to leave Hulao Pass to fight the Xiliang army. So they came to persuade him privately, saying, "Marquis Wen, troubled times are coming. You have powerful troops at your disposal. Why do you have to work for Wang Yuanxu?"

"Yes, with the ability of Wen Hou, he can conquer the whole world!"

What the two said made Lu Bu feel restless.

But he wanted to betray, but he also felt uneasy. In the end, Lü Bu did not choose to be an enemy of Wang Jing. He rejected Cheng Lian and Wei Yue's proposal and said, "Don't mention this matter again. I have already betrayed Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo. If I betray Marquis Qi now, where will I, Lü Bu, have a place in the world?"

Lu Bu didn't know that he was under the influence of the Destiny Emperor Star and was under the suppression of his luck, so he did not develop any rebellious thoughts and chose to betray.

The power of luck is the condensation of thought energy. Even a peerless warrior like Lu Bu, as long as his spiritual cultivation is insufficient, will still be subject to the interference of fate and fortune and will find it difficult to be completely independent.

Lu Bu did not cause any trouble, so the handover of defense went very smoothly, and Xu Huang successfully led his troops to Hulao Pass.

A few days later, in Luoyang's outer city, Xiyuan.

Lu Bu responded to the call and stepped in with a nervous mood.

It is spring now and flowers are blooming. In the West Garden, birds are singing and flowers are fragrant. Intoxicating scenery can be seen everywhere. It is worthy of being the palace built by Emperor Ling, it is extremely luxurious.

However, Lu Bu had no intention of lingering. Led by the guards, he walked to a courtyard and saw Wang Jing wearing a dark brocade robe with red patterns. There were flying wild geese on his sleeves, just like Wang Jing's high-spirited fortune at the moment.

Lu Bu immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, my lord."

Wang Jing was feeding the koi in the pond. He didn't look back, but asked calmly, "Are you dissatisfied with my transfer of you to Xiliang to quell the rebellion?"

When Lu Bu heard this, he was immediately terrified and lowered his head and said, "I dare not!"

Wang Jing looked at the koi fish swarming into the pond and fighting for food. He raised his lips and smiled slightly, "They just don't dare. Does that mean they are really dissatisfied?"

Lu Bu didn't dare to argue, but just lowered his head even more, trying to hide his thoughts deeper.

However, Wang Jing's understanding of him might be even better than Wang Jing himself.

However, Wang Jing did not get angry because of this. Instead, he continued to feed the carp in the pond slowly and calmly, saying, "People are just like the koi in this pond. You can't feed them too much at once. If they can't finish eating, the water quality will be damaged. But you can't feed them too little either. If they don't have enough, the koi will not be full and may even want to retaliate against me, their master."

After saying that, Wang Jing turned around and looked at Lu Bu: "Do you think I'm right?"

Lü Bu was startled and hurriedly knelt on one knee, saying in a panic: "I will never have any second thoughts, the sun and the moon can testify to this!"

Wang Jing clapped his hands and walked to Lu Bu with a smile: "There is no absolute loyalty in this world, and I don't care about your betrayal. But now you are loyal to me, and I will not be stingy with the reward you deserve."

After saying this, Wang Jing waved his hand and asked someone to bring an official document and an official seal, and handed them to Lu Bu: "From now on, you are the General of Cavalry. Good horses, precious armor, and even food and fodder, everything that should be prepared for you will not be deducted. If you can make military achievements, it is not impossible for you to have a higher official position and title."

Lu Bu was terrified at first, but after receiving Wang Jing's promise, he was completely relieved. He then clasped his fists and said, "I am willing to die for my lord!"

"Well, go ahead. The military situation is urgent. I'll be waiting for your good news in Luoyang."

Lu Bu stood up and walked away with big strides.

Jia Xu then appeared, looking at Lü Bu's back with empty eyes, and said to Wang Jing: "My lord, Lü Bu has the appearance of a fierce tiger and a greedy wolf. I'm afraid he won't really surrender. Moreover, the Xiliang army has Li Jue and Xu Rong, famous generals with old-school experience, leading the troops. Even if Lü Bu is brave, I'm afraid he is no match for them."

Wang Jing didn't seem surprised by this. Instead, he smiled confidently: "Don't worry, everything is under my control."

After leaving Xiyuan, Lu Bu rode back to the army at full speed, and indeed saw mountains of food and weapons. Wang Jing even specially sent him more than a thousand strong war horses from Hedong.

Although he was not truly submitting to Wang Jing in his heart, even a cold-hearted person like Lu Bu had to admit that Wang Jing treated his subordinates very well, was generous and did not make trouble. It was reassuring to serve such a lord.

When Cheng Lian and Wei Yue heard that Lü Bu had returned to the camp, they immediately came forward and asked, "Marquis Wen, what's going on?"

Without thinking, Lu Bu gave the order: "Gather the troops and march out immediately!"

"Marquis Wen, how can you do this? For the sake of your grand plan, please think twice!"

"I have made up my mind, no need to say anything else."

Lu Bu was not stupid. He knew that Wang Jing had 8,000 soldiers and horses under his command and was personally stationed in Luoyang as still as a mountain. He also transferred a young but calm and capable general like Xu Huang. It was obvious that he was on guard against trouble. So Lu Bu dared not rebel no matter what and could only follow orders.

Cheng Lian and Wei Yue tried to persuade him in vain and had no choice but to obey the order.

The army immediately set out and marched towards Hangu Pass in a mighty force.

As Lü Bu marched west, the rumors in Luoyang were broken, and the dirty water originally thrown at Wang Jing was now completely ineffective. This was because Wang Jing used iron-clad facts to prove that he was dedicated to the public and cared about the world.

On the contrary, those who criticized Wang Jing instantly became the target of public criticism, and what awaits them will be the anger of the people.

"These are the people who dared to slander Marquis Qi as a traitor!"

"I think they are the traitors!"

"Kill them!"

At the market in the south of the city, rotten eggs and vegetable leaves fell like rain. Two students from the Imperial College who had been speaking ill of Wang Jing everywhere, relying on their family background to speak out, now experienced firsthand the anger of the people.

Not only were the two men's embroidered robes covered in filth, they were also chased and beaten in the street. There were even secret guards hiding in the crowd who silently wrote down the names and origins of the two men, and would inevitably launch revenge in the future. After all, Wang Jing has never been a mean person.

Next to the market, on the second floor of a quiet tavern, three men in luxurious attire were looking through the railings at what was happening below.

(End of this chapter)