I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 96 What does the grave Li Jue dug have to do with me?
Now Li Jue has gathered the remnants of his troops and hastily retreated into Hangu Pass to defend it, fearing that Wang Jing, the killer, would come and claim his life.

Wang Jing was obviously more concerned about the safety of the people in the capital than the statistics of the battle results. He asked, "How many casualties have there been?"

Xun You was moved by this kindness and replied with emotion: "There were not many direct casualties, but due to the attack of the chaotic soldiers, many houses were burned and damaged and are no longer habitable. Now that the weather has not yet completely warmed up, I am afraid that tens of thousands of people will become refugees. How to deal with them, please decide as soon as possible."

Wang Jing thought about it and made a decision immediately: "There should be a lot of grain in Taicang. We should open the warehouse first to provide relief to solve the current urgent need."

Xun You immediately suggested: "We can use work instead of relief to let them repair houses and maintain roads."

It is definitely not a good idea to open the warehouse and release the grain directly, because there will definitely be people who want to take advantage of the situation. Moreover, if people are too full, they will start to have wild thoughts and may even do all kinds of stupid things. It is better to drive them to work and accept the organization and dispatch of the government to eliminate all hidden dangers from the root.

It is obvious that Xun You is well versed in human nature, so the advice he gives is also mature.

"That's a good idea. Let's do as you say, Gongda."

Wang Jing also knew that in the current situation, the people of Luoyang must be brought under control to prevent any incidents from arising due to the instigation of someone with ulterior motives.

Then Xun You took another look at the excavated imperial tomb and whispered in Wang Jing's ear, "My lord, the imperial tomb has been excavated anyway, so why not take advantage of this opportunity!"

Xun You was a thoroughgoing pragmatist and had little respect for the dead.

He even thought that instead of putting these burial objects back into the ground to benefit other tomb robbers, it would be better to take them out now and use them for the people, where they would be more useful.

Wang Jing is not a pedantic person. The dead should be respected, but how can they be as important as the living?

I believe that all the emperors of the imperial dynasties should rest in peace in their nine springs.

Therefore, Wang Jing immediately understood what Xun You meant, and smiled at each other and said, "Gongda is right. What does the tomb robbed by Li Jue have to do with me?"

Obviously, Li Jue, who was far away in Hangu Pass, did not know that although others had escaped, the blame for excavating the imperial tomb was still placed on his head.

If he knew, he would definitely stand up and protest loudly.

It was indeed me who led people to dig up the imperial tomb, but the things inside were not taken by me!
But although the world is big, who would listen to the explanation of a traitor?
Even if Li Jue knew, he still couldn't defend himself, and he didn't dare to confront Wang Jing face to face. Therefore, all he could do was to bear everything silently with tears in his eyes.

After one night, order was restored in Luoyang City.

On the blood-stained streets, some people were already carrying buckets of water to wash the blood.

At the same time, teams of armed soldiers began to patrol the streets regularly. They had serious expressions and firm eyes. When they met anyone who dared to break the law, they would kill them on the spot without any explanation or reason, and no matter who their backers were.

Such a decisive style quickly deterred the thieves who wanted to take advantage of the situation to rob, as well as the children of wealthy families who acted recklessly.

Wang Jing rode on his horse and walked along Chengtian Street to the palace. He was quite satisfied with the situation and praised Lu Bu with a smile: "The order in the city has been restored. You have done a good job."

"It is all thanks to the Lord's divine power. I dare not take any credit for it!"

Lu Bu quickly clasped his fists, looking terrified.

Having witnessed with his own eyes how Wang Jing could subdue a magical weapon like the Hongming Sword and demonstrate his incomparably powerful personal strength, although Lu Bu was unruly, he dared not put on airs at this moment. He was trembling with fear in his heart, fearing that Wang Jing would chop him to death if he was unhappy with him.

Wang Jing looked at Lu Bu who was a little reserved and couldn't help but smile: "Don't worry, I have always been clear about rewards and punishments. As long as you work hard and don't make mistakes, I will not be stingy with the rewards you deserve."

Wang Jing still understood the principle of using both kindness and severity.

The reason why Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo in history could not suppress Lü Bu and suffered backlash was that the former had favor but no authority, while the latter had more authority than authority but less favor, which made Lü Bu dissatisfied and eventually killed him.

In fact, as a worker, it is not a bad thing to be ambitious. In life, if you are a lazy person without ambition, no matter how talented you are, what’s the use if others don’t work hard for you?

As for a peerless warrior like Lu Bu, as long as he is stronger than him and can suppress him, there is no need to worry about rebellion.

Wang Jing had naturally made arrangements for Lu Bu long ago. He would definitely not give Lu Bu territory and population in the future, but he could be more generous in terms of titles and official positions and give him higher ones.

Then let Lu Bu lead the cavalry to fight, because the elite cavalry are often small in number, and it is very difficult for them to rebel.

This was also Xun You's suggestion. At this moment, Xun You was leading 200 corpse soldiers to block the imperial tomb and secretly deal with the burial objects. After all, this kind of thing was not decent. Once exposed, it would damage one's reputation. Therefore, even Wang Jing did not dare to send people to deal with it in a high-profile manner. Instead, he asked Xun You to bring the absolutely loyal Wei Wuzu corpse soldiers to secretly move various burial objects.

As for Wang Jing, he simply brought Lu Bu into the palace to meet the emperor.

Halfway through the journey, I suddenly heard a familiar chirping sound.

Jiji~
The little Golden Crow flapped its wings and landed on Wang Jing's shoulder. It seemed that it had flown a long distance and the little guy was panting.

Ji~
The little golden crow's round head showed an expression of enjoyment. The Emperor Star of Destiny hanging on Wang Jing's spiritual platform was shining brightly, and the power of destiny it exuded was obviously the most delicious tonic in the world for a fairy bird like it.

After taking a deep breath, the little golden crow's body seemed to grow bigger, and its wings grew feathers as sharp as swords. They were condensed from the innate Gengjin Qi, and were indestructible and extremely sharp. Even if a famous sword like the Chunjun Sword was used to cut it, it could only leave a white mark at most.

Seeing this, Lu Bu was filled with envy, and his tone became more respectful: "My lord, you are so blessed that a divine bird has come to you. You can expect great things in the future."

How could he know that the little Golden Crow had already been Wang Jing's house-elf.

But it’s also good this way. When the news spreads that auspicious signs are appearing around Wang Jing, it will also be good for his reputation.

…………

The Luoyang Imperial Palace is not a palace.

Liu Xie, who was only 9 years old, sat upright. His seemingly calm expression actually concealed nervousness and anxiety.

All the ministers arrived in the hall.

Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, Minister of Works Liu Hong, Grand Commandant Huang Wan, Minister of Rites Yang Biao, and Right General of Chariots and Cavalry Zhu Jun who had suppressed the Yellow Turban Rebellion, all of them prominent figures, gathered together.

As soon as the news of Dong Zhuo's death spread, they rushed over like hyenas smelling meat, eager to get a piece of the pie from the sudden change in the situation.

"Your Majesty, we are late in coming to your rescue. Please forgive us."

"Your Majesty, the thief Dong has been executed. We should make a decision as soon as possible on how to deal with the follow-up matters!"

Yuan Wei and Yang Biao tacitly did not mention Wang Jing's contribution, and even planned to create a fait accompli and divide the fruits of victory in advance.

All I can say is that the two are indeed old foxes in politics, and their calculations are very precise.

Wang Yun and Xun Shuang were among the court officials. After looking at each other, they couldn't help but frown secretly.

The way these two old guys eat is just too ugly!

They did not make any effort to expel Dong Zhuo, but now they want to reap the benefits. This is the ultimate example of shamelessness.

But when Wang Yun and Xun Shuang wanted to stop them, they found that they had no idea where to start, because the forces behind Yuan Wei and Yang Biao were so complicated and difficult to shake!
The Hongnong Yang family and the Runan Yuan family were both prominent families with students and former officials spread all over the country. Not only did they have strong political capital, they also had the coalition forces formed by the princes of the Kanto region as external aid, so they were extremely powerful.

If not, how dare they pick Wang Jing's peaches?

Just when Liu Xie was about to be unable to bear the pressure and was about to agree.

Suddenly, there was a thunderous sound of footsteps outside the palace. Wang Jing, with Lu Bu and three thousand Bingzhou soldiers, entered the palace to meet the emperor.

"Marquis Qi is here!"

"My lord, I would like to pay my respects to Your Majesty."

"Marquis Qi, please get up quickly!"

When Liu Xie saw Wang Jing, his eyes lit up. He felt as if he had found a backbone and his originally uneasy mood finally settled down.

At this time, after a night of fighting, Wang Jing's originally golden gilt tiger-patterned armor was stained with a layer of dark red. In the fine cracks of the armor leaves, there was a lot of filth-like filth left. It was human flesh and blood mixed together, which solidified after drying.

Wang Jing just stood there, with a terrible murderous aura emanating from his whole body, which frightened the ministers so much that they dared not look him in the eye.

Even veteran officials like Yuan Wei and Yang Biao felt tremendous pressure.

Especially Yuan Wei, when he saw the Hongming sword on Wang Jing's waist, his eyelids twitched, and he felt as if he was facing a great enemy. In the ancient divine way respected by the Confucian school of prophecy and divination, the sword of the holy way, Xuanyuan, was the highest carrier of the spirit of the way. It carried the torrent of humanity and the destiny of the true dragon. It had the same source as the power of prophecy and divination, and was the representative of the order of heaven, earth, and man.

The Hongming Sword cuts through the order of heaven and earth and the destiny of the true dragon, so it is a natural nemesis for Yuan Wei.

At the beginning, Dong Zhuo was willing to kill Liu Bian even at the risk of falling out with Yuan Wei and Wang Yue, all for the purpose of completely awakening the power of the Hongming Sword. As long as he had this magical weapon in his hand, he would be invincible as long as the Xuanyuan Sword was not taken out.

However, man proposes, God disposes. The Hongming Sword was obviously unwilling to accept him as its master. Instead, it took the initiative to throw itself into the arms of the more "heretical" Wang Jing.

Wang Yun and Xun Shuang were both delighted when they saw Wang Jing. Before, they did not have enough influence and could not speak out, but now that Wang Jing was here, the situation was completely different.

At this moment, the several major families that had originally joined forces to fight against Dong Zhuo have undergone subtle changes because of Dong Zhuo's defeat and the rise of Wang Jing.

The aristocratic camp headed by the Yuan family of Runan and the aristocratic camp headed by the Wang family of Taiyuan were secretly opposed to each other. The former was the old party of aristocratic families who had originally occupied high positions.

The latter refers to the aristocratic families that want to return to the court after the lifting of the party ban. They can be temporarily called the New Party.

The New Party is not actually new; it was just severely suppressed in the past, so it is natural that it now wants to "regain lost ground" in officialdom.

It’s a pity that there are only so many official positions and resources are limited, so even if they are from the same aristocratic family, struggle is inevitable.

Just when the atmosphere was at a stalemate, someone came back whom no one expected.

With the help of Qian Zhao, Wang Yue, wrapped in bandages for protection, walked into the hall.

"Emperor Master!"

"The Sword Master is still alive!"

Everyone in the court was talking about it, with looks of surprise on their faces.

However, the attitude towards Wang Yue was divided into two distinct camps, and Yuan Wei frowned about this.

On the contrary, Wang Jing was very happy to learn that Wang Yue was still alive. He stepped forward to greet him. After asking, he learned that Wang Yue lost consciousness after jumping into the river and was rescued by Qian Zhao who led the army across the river.

Now that Wang Yue has returned, given his relationship with Liu Xie, Wang Jing has obviously gained a great support.

Because of Wang Yue's return, the court discussion came to an end. After the court was dismissed, Yuan Wei secretly met with Prime Minister Yang Biao.

The two of them had a secret meeting behind closed doors in a side hall of Yuan's mansion.

Yuan Wei pinched the small tuft of beard on his chin. Under his old face, he hid an unfathomable mind and scheming: "Mr. Wen, what do you think is the purpose of Marquis Qi's move?"

Yang Biao looked at the shrewd Yuan Wei, with a hint of disdain on his face: "Why, are you afraid that he will ruin your Yuan family's plans?"

Who with a discerning eye can't see what the Yuan family is thinking?

Yuan Wei was not angry when his thoughts were exposed, and he remained calm: "We are all working for the benefit of our family, why do you have to ridicule me, Mr. Wen?"

Yang Biao was indignant and said sarcastically, "We, the Hongnong Yang family, have never thought of deposing or enthroning an emperor. Moreover, your Runan Yuan family has been searching everywhere for the imperial seal like crazy recently. Do you really think we can't guess what it is for?"

Yang Biao, one of the three Confucian gentlemen who adhered to the principle of "benevolence", had never been optimistic about Yuan Wei's plan, and now he had really messed things up.

Yuan Kui had a blank expression on his face, but he did not argue with Yang Biao about this matter. Instead, he mentioned the purpose of this meeting: "Mr. Wen, I know you have some misunderstandings about our Runan Yuan family. But the most important thing right now is to stop Wang Jing from controlling the government. Military men must not be in power, otherwise another Dong thief will appear in the blink of an eye."

The struggle between civil and military officials has existed since ancient times.

Yuan Wei and Yang Biao were both from aristocratic families and belonged to the same Confucian school. Therefore, even though they did not like each other, they still had common interests.

Their consensus and bottom line is to respect Confucianism alone and suppress all other schools of thought.

Dong Zhuo, who was suspected to be secretly supported by a group of military strategists, caused considerable disagreement between the two.

Yuan Wei thought he could control Dong Zhuo, this "violent tiger", but the situation got out of control. After Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, he not only controlled the government with his own troops, but also caused great harm to the center of the imperial dynasty, and almost triggered the situation of great contention that military strategists expected.

Because of this incident, Yang Biao and Yuan Wei, as leaders of the Confucian school, were extremely wary and cautious of the military commanders within the imperial dynasty, fearing that Wang Jing would suddenly become the second Dong Zhuo.

In fact, both of them were trying their best to avoid the outbreak of war, because once the war broke out, the people of the world would be in turmoil, and their thinking power would no longer be under the control of Confucianism.

If the pattern of Confucianism as the only orthodoxy was broken, it would shake the foundations of the aristocratic families and Confucianism, which would be difficult for the two to accept in any way.

The matter was of great importance, so Yang Biao stopped making sarcastic remarks and said, "To suppress Wang Jing, we have no choice but to transfer strong troops from outside to Luoyang."

Yuan Wei also had this idea: "Benchu ​​and Gonglu both have strong troops, but Wang Jing has ordered Lu Bu to guard Hulao Pass, so I'm afraid he won't let them go easily. I also heard that there have been unusual movements in Hedong, and the main force of the Northern Army has been assembled and is ready to march south at any time. We don't have much time left."

Yang Biao frowned upon hearing this and suggested, "Perhaps we could write a letter and ask Yizhen to secretly dispatch border troops to enter Luoyang from the west."

Huangfu Song was an upright man and a general who commanded troops guarding the frontier. Although he came from a military family, he highly respected Confucianism and was very loyal to the court. He had a glorious record in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

In the eyes of Yang Biao and Yuan Wei, Huangfu Song is definitely one of their own.

The main reason was that Huangfu Song still had 30,000 border troops stationed in Fufeng County of Liangzhou. With just one letter, Yang Biao believed that this move would immediately reverse the situation in Luoyang.

Now, in order to fight against Wang Jing, they plan to join forces.

…………

It was February, and the warm night breeze brought the croaking of frogs of early spring.

Luoyang, Shili Pavilion outside the western suburbs of the city.

Under the starlight and moonlight, a middle-aged scholar with extraordinary temperament was traveling all night, riding a donkey and heading west.

"Mr. Wenhe, where are you going?"

Jia Xu was shocked when his identity was suddenly exposed, but he was a wise man who could keep his composure, so he quickly calmed down. Then he looked back and saw someone sitting in the pavilion.

After seeing the man's face clearly, Jia Xu's expression slightly changed, and then he said calmly: "Marquis Qi, tonight is not a good time to appreciate the moon."

"So, I'm waiting for someone."

"I wonder who you are waiting for, Lord Qi?"

"Wait for you."

Wang Jing looked at Jia Xu, and his eyes could not help but show approval. Jia Xu was indeed a ruthless scholar. Even now, he could still chat and laugh with him without changing his expression.

Jia Xu walked into the pavilion and sat in front of Wang Jing, looking quite like a famous Confucian scholar.

Looking at his gentle, elegant and calm appearance, it is hard to imagine that he was the vicious minister of the Three Kingdoms period who could either keep a country stable or cause chaos, and who single-handedly led the demise of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Looking at Wang Jing, who seemed a little too young, Jia Xu sighed first, then showed a puzzled expression: "I hid in a house outside the city and didn't dare to go out until the middle of the night. I don't think I have revealed any flaws. May I ask how Marquis Qi found me?"

Wang Jing smiled and said casually, "You didn't reveal any flaws, but since I returned to Luoyang, I have sent secret guards to follow you in secret. So I knew you were leaving, so I specially waited for you here tonight."

This answer made Jia Xu short of breath. Besides feeling a little helpless, he was also more curious and emotional.

"Alas, I am only a captain. How could I have deserved the favor of Marquis Qi?"

Jia Xu was a smart man, so he naturally understood what it meant that Wang Jing was waiting here in person.

If Dong Zhuo had not died, he would never have surrendered to Wang Jing. After all, the situation at that time was that Dong Zhuo was strong and Wang Jing was weak. Jia Xu never did anything that would put him in danger.

But now the situation is different. Dong Zhuo was defeated and Wang Jing rose. Jia Xu actually had a choice in his heart.

Wang Jing did not hide his intention to recruit him, and said with a smile: "The famous Liangzhou scholar Yan Zhong once said that Mr. Wenhe has extraordinary talents and strategies comparable to Zhang Liang and Chen Ping. I deeply agree with him, so I stopped Mr. Wenhe today to sincerely invite him to join me, analyze my strengths, and make plans for me."

Hearing this, Jia Xu looked at Wang Jing deeply and asked calmly, "What if Xu refuses?"

(End of this chapter)