Great Han Empire

Chapter 553 Immediately Crossing the Gun
The assassination was very well designed and very successful.Just when Dong Zhuo's car was driving out of the North Palace, before the three hundred guards and iron cavalry waiting outside the palace gate surrounded him, several petitioning Confucian scholars gathered outside the palace gate suddenly rushed out, armed with long swords and guns. Crossbow Assassin.The assassination worked in a short moment, and Dong Zhuo was hit with several crossbow arrows in his chest.Although the attendants guarding the car drove their lives to fight the fire, and even spared their lives to block the locust-like crossbow arrows for Dong Zhuo, Dong Zhuo was still stabbed.The assassins dispersed in a rush, and disappeared without a trace following the rush of wolves and the flow of fleeing people.

Dong Zhuo was wearing double-layer armor, so his life was safe, but he was just a little frightened.He pushed away the dead attendants who were protecting him, and shouted at the iron cavalry who were chasing and killing Confucian scholars: "Whoever kills innocent people indiscriminately, I will kill them. Get out of here..."

Tian Yi, who was following behind the driver, was terrified, and hurriedly asked Dong Zhuo if he wanted the entire city to strictly search for the assassin.Dong Zhuo said indifferently, what are you afraid of?Lao Tzu is not dead yet.They want to kill me, they want to cause chaos in Luoyang City, they want to lure me into killing, and they want to make the people of Gyeonggi unable to live a stable year, so I will not be fooled.Order, business as usual.Captain Liu Jing of Changshui, who was in charge of protecting Dong Zhuo's safety, asked, Sir, should these Confucian scholars gathered outside the Beigong gate be arrested?The assassin might be here.Dong Zhuo laughed, don't arrest them, make trouble for them.The Chinese New Year is coming soon, and the more noisy the more festive.

Dong Zhuo abandoned his chariot, got on his horse, and swaggered back home.A crisis that might cause another bloody storm in Luoyang disappeared without a trace in Dong Zhuo's few words.

There were too many reasons for the assassination of Dong Zhuo, but Dong Zhuo intuitively believed that the assassination was instigated by some ministers in the court, and his request to move the emperor and the court to Chang'an finally angered the ministers in the court.

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Dong Zhuo invited the emperor before the end of the year, saying that the rebel army was powerful and there would be bloody battles in the capital area. Considering the safety of the emperor and the officials, he hoped that the emperor and the court would move west to Chang'an after the year.

The ministers objected strongly, saying that the treasury is now exhausted, and the emperor and the imperial court need to spend a lot of money to move westward. Where did the money come from?Dong Zhuo said that part of the money needed for the westward move came from the taxes of the counties in the capital, part of it came from the confiscated income, and the other part depended on donations from everyone.Westward migration is a major event to protect the emperor and the country, and everyone must contribute their efforts and money, otherwise, they will be charged with treason.As soon as Dong Zhuo said this, there was a sudden silence in the hall.If you raise objections again, you will become a big man rebellious.

Xun Shuang said that the salaries of ministers have always been halved, and this month, the price of grain and silk cloth in Gyeonggi has skyrocketed. Some officials from other places don't even talk about donations. Even food is a problem. As for getting people to donate, it is even more difficult. Difficult thing.Now people who can eat their stomachs are considered very rich.Dong Zhuo sneered and said that officials without money can borrow from rich officials on credit, and it is easier for people without money to do so. Moving westward requires a large number of peasants to carry supplies, so let them act as peasants.

However, after all the officials came down to the west, the rumor of the westward move immediately became that Lord Xiangguo was going to move the capital. This rumor first spread throughout Luoyang City, and then quickly spread to all parts of Gyeonggi and prefectures and counties outside Gyeonggi.

Relocating the capital is a major event that shakes the foundation of the country. If the relocation is good, the country can be rejuvenated, but if the relocation is not good, the country will perish.Under the current crisis situation of the Han Kingdom, moving the capital is naturally to speed up the subjugation of the country instead of revitalizing the country, so the Confucian scholars in Beijing risked their lives to gather at the Beigong Gate again when the blood was not dry outside the Beigong Gate Petition outside.There are many big and small clans and aristocratic families in Beijing, plus the disciples from all over the world who live in famous scholars and great Confucianism, more than 2000 people gathered outside the Beigong Gate in one day.Dong Zhuo learned his lesson this time, and ordered Xuan Fan, captain of the Sili School, and Yin Wangyun of Henan Province to lead guards to guard all the streets outside the Beigong Gate, strictly prohibiting the Northern Army from interfering with any security affairs in the city.Luoyang can no longer be in chaos anyway.

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In the first year of Chuping of the Han Dynasty (AD 190), the first month, Luoyang.

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On the first month of Xinhai (the tenth day of the lunar new year), the emperor issued a decree to amnesty the world. Qiao Mao, the former governor of Dongjun County, was not included in the amnesty, and all the officials of the states and counties who participated in the rebellion were all pardoned.

The emperor ordered the officials of Zhuzhou and counties that as long as they can be loyal to the emperor, present a confession of guilt, and send taxes to Luoyang for storage before the end of the first month, the emperor will not only forgive the past and forgive the death crime, but also return the official post to the original position, and still arrange for them to serve in the same place. official.

=

This assassination incident made Dong Zhuo feel that no place in Luoyang was safe, and he thought of the hatred and betrayal of Luoyang's elites towards him.No matter how polite I am to the corporals, how loyal I am to the country, how much I respect the virtuous and the old, I cannot get the recognition and respect of the scholars, and I cannot get their loyalty and support.Leaving aside the bloody incident at the end of November, I have not done anything to offend the country or the scholars for it so far, and I even have credit for conquering the desert and expanding the territory, but now the sages are also good , the old man does not want to kill himself, why?
Dong Zhuo felt very sad. For the sake of power, he became the enemy of all the scholars of the Han Dynasty, and became a heinous traitor of the Han Dynasty.He thought of his old master, former Taiwei Duan Jiong (jiong).Duan Jiong was also a warrior. He was ranked among the three men because of his relationship with the eunuch. For this reason, he was rejected and attacked by the scholars. In the end, he ended up committing suicide by drinking doves. The heart of serving the country with fists is unmistakable.Today, I also stepped into Duan Jiong's footsteps.

Dong Zhuo just didn't understand that he had assisted the young master in charge of state affairs for four months, no credit but hard work, and he asked himself that he hadn't done any bad things to abuse power and harm the country, why did he become the biggest traitor of a big man?Scholars in various states and counties said that they had ten evils, and the first evil was to dethrone the young emperor, but the dethroning of the young emperor was done by all the officials, and at that time the Taifu Yuan Kai was also in charge of state affairs.Now Grand Tutor Yuan Kai is not guilty, and all officials are not guilty, and the blame suddenly falls on me alone.There are extremely shameless people in this world, but Dong Zhuo did not expect that there are so many extremely shameless people in this world.

If I hadn't entered Beijing and been in charge of state affairs, would I still be a traitor of the Han Dynasty?Dong Zhuo thought that his fate would not be better than that, not to mention that he was accused of double-faced swords when he dealt with the powers in Luoyang, even with the army in his hands, the scholars would knock him down and be sure to kill him Then fast.Looking at the attitude of the scholars towards the General Hussars, you can see that the Generals Hussars is the biggest hidden danger of the Han Kingdom in their eyes, and they think that if he is not killed, the Han community cannot be preserved.Dong Zhuo shuddered when he thought about it.Are warriors really shorter than scholars?This country was brought down by warriors, so why did you kneel down in front of these scholars in the end, allowing them to trample and humiliate you?
Dong Zhuo understands the truth that everyone's mouth makes gold, if he doesn't completely defeat these scholars this time, he will be infamous for thousands of years.You say that Dong Zhuo is messing with the government, that I will die without a place to be buried, and I don't believe in this evil.I'm going to turn the world upside down this time, and I'm going to make you scholars notorious forever.I am not the one who raises troops to rebel, nor is I the one who disrupts the government and brings disaster to the country. Whoever should be blamed should bear the blame.

Dong Zhuo decided to move the capital.

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When Dong Zhuo told Li Ru and Tian Yi of his decision, he was unanimously opposed by both.

Li Ru said that moving the capital at this time will obviously damage the country.After the Chimei fire in Chang'an, the palace was completely destroyed, and it has not been rebuilt in 200 years. If the capital is moved to Chang'an, not only will it cost a lot of money to build the palace, but also rebuild large and small government offices. This is fundamental to today's Han Dynasty. unable to bear.If an adult wants to defeat the scholars and become famous in history, first of all, he must fully control the power, and second, he must govern the country well.The move to move the capital was completely in the opposite direction. One, the adults were accused of destroying the country, two, this move further confirmed the framing of the scholars against the adults, and three, it aroused public anger, and the rebellion of the state and county would be even more serious. If there are too many, the Hussar General will also break his promise and try his best to go south to prevent the adults from moving the capital.If Luoyang is captured, even if the Lord occupies the danger of Guanzhong, how much authority will he have?How many states and counties are actually controlled?What else is there to talk about governing the world?
"My lord moved the capital, which is of no benefit to the country or himself. On the contrary, he fell into the tricks of the scholars. Since then, the lord has lost his authority. The crime is heinous, and he will really be infamous for thousands of years."

Tian Yi also said that your Excellency moved the capital because he wanted to take advantage of the danger in Guanzhong to stop the rebels outside Tongguan, and use Xiliang's foundation to continue to hold power. , but as Chang Sheng said, the adult will commit the crime of destroying the country and become a thief of the whole country.If you want power but no power, if you want property but no property, you will suffocate to death in the pass.My lord has been through battles for a long time and has outstanding strategies, how could he do such a plan to kill him?The rebels are scattered around Gyeonggi, people's hearts are not aligned, and their strength is not concentrated. We can use both soft and hard tactics, mainly by uniting the Hussar generals and dividing the rebels, supplemented by defense and attack. It is easy to win the rebels, but it is only a matter of time. .

"Although Luoyang is the land of the Four Wars, there is no danger to defend, but as long as the adults defeat the rebels, they can quickly control the state and counties, govern the country with power in their hands, and revitalize the Han. There are many dangers in the wild, but they can only stick to one corner and do nothing, and once Luoyang falls, Guanzhong is besieged, and all outlets are cut off, it will be a dead end."

"In the past, the emperor Gaozu won the world with the benefits of Guanzhong, why can't he come to me?" Dong Zhuo asked unhurriedly.

Li Ru and Tian Yi looked at each other and smiled wryly.

Li Ru said: "One moment and another moment, the gap is too great, and there are too many reasons. To put it simply, Emperor Gaozu conquered the world when he was emperor, and adults rule the world now. They are two different things."

Moving the capital is related to the rise and fall of the country, and it takes several years of preparation, carefully weighing the gains and losses, and even if you want to move, you must formulate a detailed strategy, otherwise it will not only be a disaster for the country, but also an act of subjugation.Moving the capital to Chang'an will require at least tens of billions of money and several years. Which one can be less?It will take several months just to relocate the classics and documents in Dongguan, Yuntai and other places. Will we have time?Can it be done?

The anti-insurgency war should be fought around March, that is to say, if the adults want to move the capital in just over two months, it is not called moving the capital, it will be a catastrophe, it is called subjugation.

The emperor and the imperial court moved westward to ensure the safety of the emperor, to divide the scholars and weaken the power of the scholars, to prevent the hidden worries of civil strife in Luoyang at any time, to grasp the initiative on the battlefield of counter-insurgency, and to take the opportunity to gather property to provide for the army. Even when the situation is extremely unfavorable, we can quickly retreat to Guanzhong. In short, the emperor and the court are enough to achieve all our goals. We can not only have all the benefits of westward migration, but also get rid of all the disadvantages of westward migration , and the adults can not only win the reputation of defending the country, but also have the advantage of defeating the scholars and suppressing the rebellion.

Li Ru pleaded: "My lord, the idea of ​​moving the capital must never be allowed. This is not a plan to quench thirst by drinking doves, but a plan to die after drinking doves. If the country is overthrown, where does your lord's authority come from? What is your grand plan and ambition in life?" How to achieve?"

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Dong Zhuo thought for a long time, and finally said very tiredly: "I also know that moving the capital is not good, but I am so angry, I can't swallow this breath in my heart."

"The elites and scholars in Luoyang spread rumors everywhere, saying that I want to move the capital, and I have been convicted of this crime. I am now the emperor of moving to the west, but in their mouths, what is the difference between moving the capital? If the counter-insurgency wins , I will continue to hold power and move the emperor and the court back. I may still have a chance to clear my name, but I can't see the possibility of winning at all now, and I don't even see a chance to return the emperor and the court. Go, we're afraid we'll never come back."

"You are also aware of the current situation. We have no money, and we don't have much food. How can a [-] army fight without money or food? Chang'an needs money to build a palace, and the emperor and the court to move westward need money. At present, the army stationed in the pass and the city can still deal with it. , but once we start fighting, we will be unsustainable, so this plan to move westward must start immediately. We have to collect every money and grain in the Kanto into the treasury. What is the reason? The emperor and the westward move Does the imperial court need to do this? Only moving the capital is the best reason.”

"Can we defeat the rebels? Maybe, they're scattered, they're all shattered, they're all in a state of disunity. But can we control all the states and counties? Obviously impossible. They're a powerful family with tens of thousands of Old disciples, even if they are defeated, they can still go back to the states and counties to continue to fight against us. What about us? Do we have such a large force to go to various places to counter the rebellion? This is obviously impossible, at least not in the past few years. Possibly. No matter which one we fight, other places will support us, and we can’t win.”

"The power of the scholars is far stronger than ours. Even Yuan Kai alone is stronger than me, Dong Zhuo. Moreover, these rebellious scholars are not idiots. They know that they will die sooner or later if they obey me, so it is good to divide them. Let them Cannibalism doesn't matter, in the end they won't go back to Luoyang, unless we are strong enough to wipe out all of them. But it will take time, I'm 60 years old, I won't live long, so I want to move the capital, I It is impossible to force them to fight. The great Han society is about to fall, and these self-righteous mainstays of the great Han dare not give up their lives to save them?"

"What is the purpose of General Longxiang Xu Rong's coming to Luoyang? To help us put down the rebellion? Absolutely not. The Hushi general helped us put down the rebellion, which is tantamount to breaking with the scholars of the Han Dynasty and putting a dent in the future of northern Xinjiang. With a sharp long sword, a leopard would not be so stupid. In order to survive the crisis in Beijiang in the past few years, what we need most is the help of the elites and scholars. What did Xu Rong come to Luoyang for? Nothing but two purposes First, I want to take the opportunity to kill me, and let the general of the hussars control Luoyang to stabilize the situation. There are many ways to kill me. You can cooperate with the rebels to capture Luoyang, and you can join forces with Luoyang scholars to launch a mutiny. The second is to maintain A stalemate prevents me from attacking the rebels, and prevents the rebels from attacking me. As long as the two sides do not fight, even if the big man is in crisis, there will be no accidents in northern Xinjiang, but as time goes by, the strength of the rebels will gradually increase, and But my situation became more and more difficult. In the end, we ran out of money and food, and we had to retreat westward to Chang'an. So I want to move the capital, I want to force the leopard to go south quickly, I want to force him to join hands with me, and then we will go from east to west. Direction to attack the rebels at the same time, and kill all the rebels."

Li Ru and Tian Yi were stunned and speechless.

"If the Hussar General is determined not to send troops, how will your lord respond?" Tian Yi asked anxiously.

"I just set Luoyang on fire." Dong Zhuo laughed, the laughter was desolate and helpless, "What I can't get, no one else can get it. Anyway, I've already got a bad reputation, so I don't care about memorizing a few more. I burned Luoyang, and everyone was burned."

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On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Xiangguo Dong Zhuozou invited the emperor to move the capital to Chang'an.

At the same court meeting, Dong Zhuo announced the details of moving the capital.The ministers strongly opposed it, and the court meeting was once deadlocked.After hearing the news, Grand Tutor Yuan Kai immediately fell ill and went to court, scolding Dong Zhuo as a treacherous minister who brought disaster to the country.Dong Zhuo was unmoved and insisted on his own opinion.

Dong Zhuo said that there are nursery rhymes in this world, which say, "There is a Han in the west, and a Han in the east. It will be easy if the deer walks into Chang'an." Of course, the Han in the west refers to Chang'an, the capital of Emperor Gaozu, and the Han in the east. It must refer to Luoyang, the capital of Emperor Wudi.As for the deer entering Chang'an, of course it means that the capital will be moved to Chang'an to ensure safety.Emperor Gaozu established Chang'an as his capital, and there were eleven generations in total. Emperor Guangwu established Luoyang as his capital, and it is now the eleventh generation. From the time point of view, it is just right.

In the past, Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Guangwu respectively established their capitals in Chang'an and Luoyang according to different situations. They made immortal achievements and established the 400-year-old foundation of the Han Dynasty. According to the saying, moving the capital to Chang'an is to respond to God's will above and the people's will below to revive the great man.

Situ Yang Biao said: "Moving the capital and reforming the system is a major event in the world. In the Yin Dynasty, Pan Geng moved the capital to Haoyi, which aroused the resentment of the Yin people. The reason why Emperor Guangwu established Luoyang as the capital was because the palace in Chang'an was destroyed after the disaster of Wang Mang. It is purely a helpless move. I have established the capital of Luoyang for a long time, and the people have long been used to it. Now I suddenly abandon the ancestral temple and the cemetery of the first emperor and move the capital to Chang'an for no reason. How can a book about evil spirits have anything to do with the fate of the country? A nursery rhyme can also make an adult decide to move the capital? Is the adult dealing with state affairs or family affairs?"

Taiwei Huang Wan also persuaded: "It is easy to move the capital, but it is difficult to secure the world. Please think twice."

Dong Zhuo sneered and said, "If I think twice, my head won't be on my neck." Then he looked at Yuan Kai, who was turning blue with anger, and mocked calmly, "If my lord Tai Tuo and your lords can quell the rebellion , this move of the capital can naturally be reconsidered. The time for moving the capital is tight, and it will only take two months, so you should hurry up."

Xun Shuang persuaded: "Even if your lord wants to move the capital, you should take a long-term plan. What can you move in two months? It is not bad if the emperor's car can reach Chang'an in two months."

Dong Zhuo said word by word: "Things that cannot be moved are set on fire."

All the ministers were shocked and stared at Dong Zhuo, wishing they could eat him.

The edict of the Son of Heaven was announced to the world, and the capital was in chaos. Whether it was the ministers or ordinary people, they were all caught in extreme busyness and fear.

According to Dong Zhuo's military order, all the soldiers of the Northern Army in Pinglianli were dispatched to collect donations from door to door, and those who disobeyed were immediately punished for treason.All the relatives of the emperor and the powerful families in Beijing were also looted, and some soldiers rushed into the inner room to rape prostitutes and loot their property.Xiliang soldiers even gave this kind of thing a name, euphemistically called "search prison".Captain Huben Li Jue was ordered to guard the cemetery. Under his command, soldiers of the Northern Army started digging the emperor's tomb to steal treasures.

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Master Taifu Yuan Kui returned to the mansion and called Zhang Fan urgently.

Zhang Fan is in his 30s, slender, handsome and elegant.He didn't talk much, and after asking about Yuan Wei's condition, he sat quietly and listened to Yuan Wei's speech.

Yuan Kui said: "Gongyi, your younger brother Zhang Cheng is now the captain of Yique, stationed at Yique Pass, you leave the capital from there, and then rush to the Jiedu Pavilion of Hejian Kingdom as quickly as possible to meet Princess Changping. .”

Then Yuan Kai took out an ordinary soap pouch from his bosom, and solemnly said to Zhang Fan: "Gongyi, kneel down, this is the late emperor's edict."

Zhang Fan was taken aback, and hurriedly knelt down on the ground.

"Gongyi, after you hand over this edict of the first emperor to Princess Changping, don't leave her, stay with her all the time, and give her advice at critical times. Now Mr. Lu Zhi and Liu He are by the princess' side, but Mr. Lu Zhi is going to help Yuan Shao soon, and Liu He is also going to Youzhou to persuade Master Liu Yu to send troops to the south." Yuan Kai said, "I didn't want to drag you into it, but the great Han society is about to fall, if you don't If you want to serve the country, then why do you study and study? You are the son of the former Taiwei Zhang Yan. You have never been appointed as an official, and you have never been involved with the court. Now only people with your status can leave Luoyang City. I need your help, you know?"

Zhang Fan smiled bitterly and nodded.At this moment, he couldn't help but refuse.Zhang Fan took the soap sac, carefully put it close to his body, and respectfully kowtowed three times to Yuan Wei.

"My lord, please take care."

Yuan Kai patted his head lovingly, and said with a sad smile: "I have always liked you very much. In the past, I planned to recruit you as my son-in-law, but you refused. I have always regretted it. Now it seems that you are right. If you were my son-in-law today, I would not be able to send out this edict from the first emperor. If we say goodbye today, we will never see each other again, so please take care of yourself."

Zhang Fan's heart felt sour, and his eyes turned red.

"I'm old and I can't do it anymore. I'm going to Jiuquan soon to drink, drink and play chess with your father. Whether the great Han society can survive or not depends on you." Yuan Kai waved his hand and said, "Go quickly, the more you The sooner the better, it’s too late."

Zhang Fan turned and left, tears blurred his eyes instantly.

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The emperor decreed that Huangfusong, the governor of Han'an, should be transferred to the minister, and his son Zhonglang, Huangfuhong, would be protected by the governor of Han'an.

Without saying a word, Huangfusong packed his things and returned to Beijing with Gai Xun.Chief Shi Liang Yan and his concubine Huangfu Li tried their best to dissuade him, but Huangfu Song refused.

Huangfusong said, if you don't want to go back to Beijing with me, you can go to northern Xinjiang.I have a letter to the general of the hussars, send it to me.

At the end of the first month, after Huangfusong returned to the capital, Dong Zhuo immediately arrested him.Gai Xun begged for mercy.Dong Zhuo smiled and said, "Yuan Gu, are you confused? How could I kill Yizhen? It was too late for me to thank him, how could I kill him? I put him in prison now for his own good, don't you understand? "

Gai Xun thought about it too, he was in a hurry and confused.It doesn't make any sense for Dong Zhuo to kill him now, but it will shake the morale of the army.In the Northern Army, including many Xiliang soldiers, many of them were brought by Huangfusong himself, killing him was purely looking for trouble, and Dong Zhuo had no reason to kill Huangfusong now.If he killed him with any excuse, it would not only increase Dong Zhuo's notoriety, but also anger the powerful families in Guanzhong.The Huangfu family is in Guanzhong and Xiliang, and they are very popular and influential.

Huangfusong did not betray the emperor and the court, but he betrayed the elites in Beijing who had high hopes for him.At this time, the capital was very chaotic. It is entirely possible that these people killed Huangfusong and then blamed Dong Zhuo.Although Dong Zhuo didn't want to kill Huangfusong himself, he didn't want to take the blame for others either.

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General Longxiang Xu Rong led his troops to Fenglingdu.

Li Wei from Linfen Xingyuan, Hushi General's Mansion, hurried to Luoyang.He first came to discuss the garrison, and the second was to dissuade Dong Zhuo from moving the capital.The advantages and disadvantages of moving the capital are obvious, so Li Wei said bluntly: "My lord's purpose is nothing more than to ask the general of the hussars to follow the emperor's decree to send troops to attack the rebels, but my lord must consider the actual situation, that is, the treasury has no money, and we can't fight the rebels." Start this battle."

Dong Zhuo said, the imperial decree of the Son of Heaven was sent to northern Xinjiang years ago, why haven't I received the news that the Hussar General is going south to Jinyang?It is a fact that the imperial court has no money to fight the war, but I am now thinking of a way, as long as the Hussar General goes south, the military funds will definitely be delivered.

Li Wei shook his head and said: "My lord's way of raising military funds is really hard for me to accept. I came all the way from Hongnong County, and there are homeless refugees everywhere on the road. If this continues, there will be refugee riots in Gyeonggi sooner or later... ..."

"Hmph..." Dong Zhuo said with a murderous look, "I'm planning for the world, why should I spare the small people? I'll kill as many mobs as there are."

Li Wei was dumbfounded.

Dong Zhuo ordered Xu Rong to lead his troops to station in Xingyang.The Yanzhou direction has the most rebels, and is most likely to attack Luoyang first.

Li Wei urgently wrote to Li Hong, the general of the hussars overnight, that Dong Zhuo has gone crazy, and my lord hastened to go south to prevent the country from being overthrown.

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(End of this chapter)