I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 38 Trick or Treat
There are more than a hundred Xuanlong Bone-Forging Pills. If all of them are used to train death warriors, and more than a hundred Iron Scale Guards are directly summoned to form a formation for battle, Wang Jing can only turn around and run away, otherwise he will be hacked to death.

But Dong Li would rather lock such a miraculous medicine in the warehouse to rot than take it out to train his own subordinates.

With the previous experience, Wang Jing would not repeat the same mistake. He immediately took out twenty pills and handed them to Wang Ling solemnly, and carefully instructed: "Yan Yun, distribute these Xuanlong Bone Strengthening Pills as soon as possible, recruit brave soldiers from the new soldiers, and improve their strength."

"Yes, Ling understands."

Wang Jing planned to use all the remaining Xuanlong Bone Strengthening Pills on the veterans in the Chenliu Old Camp. After all, this was the biggest trump card he had in his hand. The stronger he was, the more stable he would be.

In April of the sixth year of Zhongping, there were still three months, less than a hundred days, before Dong Zhuo entered the capital.

Just over a month after the death of Emperor Ling of Tang, Liu Hong, the power struggle in Luoyang had entered a full-scale stage and the situation was extremely turbulent.

First, Jian Shuo was beheaded, then the Empress Dowager fell from power, General Dong Chong died in prison, and the core forces of the Ten Attendants eunuch group and the Dong family's foreign relatives group all suffered devastating blows, and the situation was precarious.

Seeing this, Zhang Rang and other ten eunuchs also tried to find ways to make a living for themselves, and placed their last hope of survival on this woman, Empress Dowager He.

As the only remaining in-law group, the He family seems to be the big winner, but cracks are quietly appearing within the family.

The first person to express a disagreement was none other than General He Miao.

He was extremely wary and cautious of the aristocratic families, so He Miao began to disagree with his half-brother He Jin on the issue of how to deal with the Ten Attendants.

At the General's Mansion, He Miao, who had received gifts from Zhang Rang and others several times, was now giving advice in a fierce tone: "Brother, when we first came from Nanyang, we were poor and humble, and it was with the help of the people in the palace that we became rich and noble today. Have you forgotten all that?"

He Jin was a little upset by the question: "I haven't forgotten, but this is a national matter and there is no room for personal feelings."

He Miao sneered at this: "It is precisely because it is a national affair that it cannot be entrusted to the hands of the aristocratic families! If the Ten Eunuchs are all killed, who will be used to check and balance the aristocratic families in the future? Brother, please stop dreaming, okay? These famous families have never taken you and me seriously. Please think twice before killing the Ten Eunuchs!"

He Jin was restless and hesitant, unable to make a decision. What he wanted was to make the He family a noble family, and from then on, bring honor to the family and bring glory to the ancestors.

However, He Miao and Empress Dowager He never thought of sharing power with the aristocratic families.

The aristocratic families also noticed He Jin's hesitation and the change in attitude of Empress Dowager He, He Miao and others.

In the Henan County Residence, Wang Ling hurried to the west wing and knocked on Wang Jing's door.

"Come in."

Wang Jing was practicing the "Golden Armor Yuan Gong" in the house at this time. Relying on the huge assets confiscated from Dong Li, he purchased a large amount of golden silk fire dates, a specialty of the Sili area, and spent money like crazy.

In just a few days, he had successfully advanced the "Golden Armor Yuan Gong" to the second level, which was a very fast progress.

The red-heart copper bones that have reached the twenty-seventh level of forging not only improved the defensive power of the protective air shield, but also greatly increased his own strength, allowing him to easily pinch the copper ball into a copper cake.

Such a violent power was actually hidden in his body. Wang Jing couldn't help but recall his life in his previous life.

Living alone, sleepy-eyed, ordering takeout for three meals, shopping online all year round, feeling lazy and at a loss.

At this time, he had evolved into a terrifying super upright ape. If he was wearing heavy armor, facing ordinary soldiers, he could easily defeat a thousand of them.

With his powerful strength, Wang Jing naturally had the confidence to face the crisis, so his expression became much calmer: "Tell me, why did you come to see me in such a hurry?"

"Second brother, Sword Saint King Yue has recovered from his injury and has come out of retreat. Zhang Rang and other eunuchs have sought shelter with Queen Mother He Lian. Yuan Shao has repeatedly urged General He Jin to kill the eunuchs, but was stopped by Queen Mother He and the General of Chariots and Cavalry. He is now hesitant."

After hearing the news, Wang Jing sneered and said, "The butcher family is really a hopeless case. They just defeated the foreign enemy and they are so impatient to start a rebellion?"

"Second brother, do you have any plans for the next step?"

Wang Ling has also noticed the unpredictable situation and feels vaguely uneasy. He feels that if this continues, the situation that has finally been stabilized will get completely out of control.

And in fact, his feeling was right.

Because, whether it is General He Jin or Queen Mother He Lian, the IQ and vision of these two are not enough to stabilize the political situation, and they are typical bad teammates.

The Yanhan Dynasty is now in turmoil, but the He brothers and sisters cannot even work together. Each of them is pursuing their own little plans.

Wang Jing didn't intend to bury them with him, so he ordered Wang Ling: "Yanyun, your first priority now is to train the troops, and you don't have to worry about other things."

"Yes, Ling will not let my second brother down."

Wang Ling made a solemn promise. At this time, he had been recommended by Wang Jing as the Sima of Tunqi Camp and was the real second in command of Tunqi Camp. Wang Jing even entrusted him with the important task of training troops, which showed his trust in him.

Wang Ling was very grateful for this.

After all, not everyone has the opportunity to be an official with a salary of 1,000 stones and be in charge of the imperial palace guards. If Wang Jing had not strongly recommended him to the general, it would never have been Wang Ling's turn to be the official.

Just as Wang Ling stood up to leave, someone from the General's Mansion came to summon him. Wang Yun and his son Wang Jing were among the invited guests and were to go to discuss matters.

On the way to the General's Mansion, Wang Yun was also worried about the situation: "Yuan Xu, why do you think the General summoned us?"

Wang Jing casually replied, "It's just killing the Ten Eunuchs."

Wang Yun shook his head and said, "I always feel that things are not that simple. The Ten Attendants are now helpless. As long as the general is determined, a few jailers can put Zhang Rang and others to death. But the Queen Mother is obstructing us, and the general is so indecisive. This is not a blessing for the country."

At this time, Wang Yun was still thinking about turning the tide, supporting the collapsing empire, fulfilling his duties faithfully, and being a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty.

Wang Jing sighed in his heart. He actually wanted to tell Wang Yun that the Yanhan Dynasty was beyond salvation. The total collapse of the world could not be saved by the painstaking efforts of one or two loyal ministers.

But he didn't say much. After all, it was too difficult to change a person's mind through words, let alone someone as stubborn as Wang Yun.

Soon, Wang Jing arrived at the General's Mansion.

He Jin's retainer Zhang Jin came out to greet him personally: "Master Zi, you are finally here. The general has been waiting for a long time. Come with me to the meeting hall."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Ziyun."

Wang Yun responded with a smile, and then asked Wang Jing to come forward and pay his respects.

Zhang Jin smiled and praised him: "Your son has bright eyes and bright eyebrows, and he is handsome. The Wang family of Taiyuan has a successor."

Although Zhang Jin is not well-known and is currently just a retainer in He Jin's mansion without holding any official position, he is deeply trusted by He Jin and is on good terms with upper-class celebrities such as Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Xu Jing, so his network of contacts is very strong.

If people like Zhang Jin could be transferred to other places in the future, their official position would at least start as a county governor.

Therefore, Wang Jing also intended to make friends with Zhang Jin. A person with such a wide range of friends might come in handy at some point in the future, so it would be a great benefit to try to warm up the cold storage in advance.

When Wang Jing entered the meeting hall, he saw that there were already quite a few people sitting inside, all of whom were He Jin's trusted subordinates.

Yuan Shao, the General of the Tiger Guards, Liu Biao, the Marquis of the Northern Army, Chen Lin, the Chief Clerk, Cao Cao, the Counselor, Kuai Yue, the Official of the Eastern Army, He Yong, as well as Xun You and Feng Ji, who had no official position but were also present as advisers.

Such a lineup is simply star-studded, and it can be called a dream start.

He Jin was able to gather so many talents but was unable to control and make good use of them, and eventually died at the hands of eunuchs. The more Wang Jing thought about it, the more suffocated he felt, and his heart was filled with emotion.

Seeing that all the participants had arrived, He Jin explained the reason why he had called everyone together for the meeting today: "The Queen Mother has been deceived by villains and is unwilling to kill all the eunuchs. What can we do?"

Kuai Yue was a representative of the Kuai family, one of the prominent families in Nanjun, Jingzhou. He was wise, tall, strong and heroic. Upon hearing this, he immediately persuaded He Jin to act as soon as possible: "The Dong family in Hejian has been eliminated, Jian Shuo is also dead, and there is no one to hinder the general. Now you just need to make up your mind. Even if the queen mother objects, what's the problem with killing a few eunuchs? Please make a decision as soon as possible, and don't hesitate!"

This is undoubtedly correct advice.

But He Jin was caught in a dilemma. He wanted to win over the aristocratic families by killing the Ten Eunuchs, but he was unwilling to break with his sister because of this matter and affect his power as the general.

"Not right, not right. This action is tantamount to offending the Queen Mother and may cause criticism."

What He Jin was actually worried about was not the criticism from others, but the loss of his existing power and status.

After all, in addition to her half-brother, Empress Dowager He also has another half-brother!
General He Miao has firmly stood on the side of Empress Dowager He because of the matter of the Ten Eunuchs.

If He Jin and Empress Dowager He really broke up, then his position as general would most likely be replaced by He Miao.

You have to know that the real person who was ruling the country from behind the curtain was Empress Dowager He. If she really wanted to do this, she could do it, and this was what He Jin was most worried about. But He Jin didn't know that when a person wanted to have it all, he often got nothing.

When Yuan Shao saw that He Jin was caught in a dilemma and the people around him remained silent, he was secretly proud of himself, because the current situation was exactly what the Yuan family of Runan expected.

He first exchanged glances with Zhang Jin, and Zhang Jin nodded secretly to Yuan Shao, indicating that they could proceed with the next plan.

He Jin didn't know that Zhang Jin, the retainer he relied on, was actually a retainer of Yuan Shao in private.

In order to arrange Zhang Jin to be with He Jin, the Yuan family of Runan put in a lot of effort, and now it is finally time to reap the rewards.

Yuan Shao made a suggestion in public: "General, I think we can mobilize brave generals from all over the country and lead the troops to the capital to make a military appeal to the Queen Mother."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone went wild.

Among them, Cao Cao and Chen Lin were the most excited, and they were almost yelling at He Jin, calling him a fool.

But after listening to Yuan Shao's suggestion, He Jin's eyes lit up and he praised: "This is a great plan!"

Afterwards, He Jin decided to summon border troops to station in Luoyang, regardless of the opposition of others. In addition to Dong Zhuo recommended by Yuan Shao, He Jin himself was also more cautious. He ordered the official Wang Kuang to lead the powerful crossbows of Jizhou, and summoned the Dongjun prefect Qiao Mao to station troops in Chenggao, and the Wumeng Duwei Ding Yuan to go south from Bingzhou and enter Luoyang together.

In He Jin's view, he was a great general, and it was natural and legitimate for him to command all the troops in the world, and this move would definitely be foolproof.

As long as the border troops enter Luoyang, he will have powerful soldiers at his command and his own strength will reach its peak.

By then, even Empress Dowager He, who holds the emperor's power, will have to rely on him instead of being restrained and cautious like she is now.

Wang Jing sat in the corner, not saying a word, just watching He Jin commit suicide.

However, although He Jin was stupid, there were still many smart people in the General's Mansion.

For example, Kuai Yue, seeing that things were hopeless, decided to run away on the spot and decisively applied to He Jin to be the magistrate of Ruyang. It was obvious that he did not want to stay in the general's mansion any longer.

He Jin was in high spirits and agreed to Kuai Yue's request without giving it much thought.

When leaving, Wang Jingxiang said to Wang Yun, "Father, Jing has something to discuss with Gongda."

"Well, let's go."

Then Wang Jing quickly stepped forward and called out to Xun You, who was about to leave quietly: "Gongda, please stay!"

"You meets the Cavalry Captain."

Xun You stopped and turned back to greet Wang Jing. He had a gentle and easy-going personality, and even from his appearance and temperament, he gave people the illusion that he was weak and could be bullied, and unable to handle important tasks.

But Wang Jing knew Xun You's abilities very well. How could he be a simple person to become the strategist of Wei State and be highly praised by Cao Cao?
"The Xun and Wang families have always been close, so it would be awkward to address each other by official titles. You and I can just call each other by our courtesy names."

After Wang Jing pulled Xun You onto the ox cart, he began to recruit him and played the emotional card.

As early as the first year of Zhongping, the Wang family of Taiyuan and the Xun family of Yingchuan had a relationship of kinship. At that time, the massive Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out in various parts of the Central Plains.

In order to quickly suppress the uprising, Emperor Ling Liu Hong appointed Wang Yun as the governor of Yuzhou. Wang Yun recruited famous scholars such as Xun Shuang and Kong Rong as his assistants, and wrote a letter requesting the lifting of the ban on political parties.

From this we can see that Wang Yun and Xun Shuang had a life-and-death friendship as they had fought together. With this relationship, Wang Jing and Xun You naturally became familiar with each other quickly.

After a few pleasantries, Wang Jing suddenly asked, "Does Gongda think the general will win?"

Xun You stroked his beard and smiled calmly: "Why does Yuan Xu ask when he already knows the answer?"

The two of them had a tacit understanding and it was obvious that neither of them was optimistic about He Jin.

"Does Gongda have any plans in mind?"

Wang Jing looked at Xun You and made no secret of his intention to recruit him.

Xun You, who was already over thirty, looked at Wang Jing with a half-smile: "You have lived to be thirty-two in vain. You are not as famous as Yuan Xu at a young age and have made great achievements on the battlefield. As for the future, I haven't thought about it yet."

This response was considered a rather tactful rejection, but it was not Xun You's fault.

After all, at this time, Wang Jing had no territory and no foundation. Although he held an official position, his foundation was weak and his future was uncertain.

Although the recruitment failed, Wang Jing still managed to leave a good impression on Xun You. The two also chatted about the current situation and the court's malpractices.

The oxcart moved slowly along Chaotian Street. Xun You looked out the window at the scene with a look of surprise on his face: "Yuan Xu, this is not the direction back to Henan County Residence."

Wang Jing smiled and said, "Jing is about to visit the Taifu Mansion. Gongda, why don't you guess the reason?"

Xun You was a talented strategist and naturally had the ability to see the big picture from small details. He quickly thought of the suggestion that Yuan Shao had just made at the general's mansion to summon brave generals and heroes from all over the country to go to Luoyang.

Both Cao Cao and Chen Lin could see the risks of this plan. Yuan Shao was well-known for his talent, so how could he not know it?
And if he knew the seriousness of the consequences but still offered this plan, the reason behind it would be very intriguing.

Xun You, who had wanted to find an excuse to leave, suddenly didn't want to leave anymore. He was very curious about what Wang Jing had seen and what he was going to do.

Soon, Wang Jing and Xun You, who submitted their visiting cards, were received by Grand Tutor Yuan Wei.

"Meet the Master."

Yuan Kui also made no secret of his admiration for Wang Jing and Xun You, two rising talents: "No need to be polite to my two nephews."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Jing got straight to the point: "Taifu, I came here today for only one thing."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"Seek an official position."

Yuan Wei was stunned when he heard this, and then he did not know whether to laugh or cry: "Yuan Xu is now valued by the general. If he wants to be promoted, why should he go to a far place instead of a nearby one?"

Wang Jing's back was as straight as a sword, and he said to Yuan Wei without changing his expression: "Grandmaster, let's not speak in secret in front of others. The official position that Jing wants can only be given by you, Grandmaster."

"Ok?"

Yuan Wei saw that Wang Jing really wasn't joking, and there was a lot of meaning in his words. His narrow eyes narrowed instantly, "I wonder what position my nephew wants to apply for?"

"Northern General."

Wang Jing immediately put forward his conditions. This official position was not high, but it was just enough to allow him to command the five battalions of Tunqi, Yueqi, Infantry, Changshui, and Shesheng.

That’s right, Wang Jing was planning to attack the Fifth Battalion of the Northern Army.

Of course, Wang Jing did not intend to take the benefits of the Yuan family for nothing, so after setting the conditions, he also made his promise to Yuan Wei: "Grandmaster, I am happy to see the success of the Runan Yuan family's plan, and I can even help to facilitate it. From now on, I will only follow the Yuan family's lead."

Yuan Wei, who originally regarded Wang Jing as an ordinary junior, now heard a different meaning from Wang Jing's words: "You...are you threatening me?"

First he asked for an official position, and then he pointed out that the Yuan family of Runan had other plans. It seemed like a threat no matter how you looked at it.

For a moment, the atmosphere became depressing.

Yuan Wei was a master of Confucianism and one of the Three Dukes, so his spiritual cultivation was earth-shaking. At this moment, just by focusing his eyes on him, a surging tide of thought and energy surged in, giving Wang Jing a tremendous pressure like a mountain and a sea.

But Wang Jing still stood up straight, and his tone was calm and unhurried, neither humble nor arrogant: "Master, you are joking. This matter is beneficial to both sides. How can it be considered a threat?"

Hearing Wang Jing's calm but firm tone, even Yuan Wei couldn't help but applaud and said, "It's a win-win situation, but why should I agree to you?"

At this time, Yuan Wei was too lazy to pretend anymore.

Wang Jing also knew that simple threats would have limited effect. If he wanted Yuan Wei to agree to cooperate, he had to show enough value.

Wang Jing was well prepared for this. He started with a simple and crude attempt to sow discord: "Grandmaster, Dong Zhuo is a rebellious person and has been in the frontier for a long time. He repeatedly disobeyed the emperor's orders during his reign. Such a person can be appointed but not trusted. Although Jing is not talented, he is willing to help you to restrain this man."

(End of this chapter)