Battle Royale of the Sinners

"I'm merely a clerk minister who has never touched a sword. I'm afraid that I will be a disappointment if I accompany Your Majesty to the battlefield." Lu Zhi attempted to refuse.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I've heard that you have quite a sizable private troops as well. Since you are capable to command 10,000 people with ease, I don't see a problem with that."

Lu Zhi bit his lower lips. He was careless.

His family also housed a private army which numbered 10,000 soldiers for the resident and their businesses protection. Lu Zhi did not know when or where Liu Ping got this information from, but it was a fact that he could not deny.

"It was merely a random wagon of mercenaries. It cannot be compared with the imperial army."

"Please don't be humble. This is my edict, so you'll have to come with me."

Liu Ping snapped his fingers, and Wang Yun stepped forward with a scroll in his hand. He began reading.

"Lu Zhi, Zigan! His Majesty the Emperor has acknowledged your skills and your leadership. With the long years of services to the Han Court, it is not suited for someone like you to remain as a simple minister without a glorious title. Therefore, from his day onward, you will be bestowed with the title of the Secretary of Defense and the highest tier of nobility. Now, accept your edict!"

Lu Zhi opened his eyes in shock when he heard that Liu Ping was giving him the highest tier of nobility. This tier was the same as a Duke in the western culture. He would be second to the royalties and he would have the right to command all ministers in the Han Court. Even Dong Zhuo, who was entitled as a prime minister, could not command him as they were at the same tier of nobility.

It was a huge promotion.

However, Lu Zhi was not happy with this promotion. Liu Ping's sudden favor gave Lu Zhi a bad vibe.

'I can't refuse it if it's his edict. What's he planning?'

'Does he really want me to command his army in this campaign?'

'Right, he's using my family as hostages. At least he's capable with this much.'

'But he overlooks a simple fact. I can disregard my family and ruin his army if I want to.'

'You're looking down on my resolve, brat!'

Lu Zhi bowed and accepted the edict. The onlookers clapped and cheered for him as it was a grand promotion.

Liu Ping smiled and nodded.

"Well then, since you've taken the position, don't you think you should accompany me into the battle? Since it's your first-time duty, it's my job to accompany you to evaluate your performance as well. Oh right, since this is a rare occasion, we should also take all of your family members along with this campaign, too. So that they can witness your glory and your leadership when you kill Zhang Tong and his father."

Despite the swelling anger in his heart from listening to Liu Ping's bullcrap, Lu Zhi cupped his fist and replied with a calm voice.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for this opportunity. However, I have a special request for Your Majesty."

"Hmm? A request? Go ahead, ask me."

"I have 800 maidservants, 50,000 subordinates in various businesses, and 10,000 private soldiers. Once I have gone out for this campaign, it can take years before I can return home. I'm afraid that during these times, my businesses will be ruined as there is nobody to look after them because Your Majesty takes all my family members with you on this campaign."

Liu Ping narrowed his eyes. With this template of reasoning, Liu Ping thought that Lu Zhi would ask to leave some of his family members behind, which he had no problem with that. He just wanted a few hostages to keep Lu Zhi with the Imperial Force.

Liu Ping was not ignorant about the history of the three kingdoms. He was well aware of the true abilities of Lu Zhi and his achievement in his life, which Lu Zhi repelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion with his imperial force during their first skirmish.

Leaving him with Tong was not a good idea. He had to either kill him or keep him with the Imperial Force. Using assassins on him right now was also an option, but Liu Ping had a better plan for Lu Zhi.

Lu Zhi continued. "I wish to request Your Majesty to provide food and monetary aid to my subordinates and private troops so that I can disband and close down all my businesses and concentrate my duty as the Secretary of Defense to the fullest. The amount I need won't be much, a year worth of food and 10 gold for one person each would do."

"You…"

Everyone was shocked by the extortion of Lu Zhi. He dared to ask Liu Ping for money to fire his workers!

Blood veins could be seen on Liu Ping's face. He was furious by the Lu Zhi's bold extortion. Even an alliterated commoner could tell that 10 gold per a person required was exaggerated.

"Isn't that amount exaggerated? How much salary do you usually pay them anyway? Don't tell me that you are paying them one gold per month?" Liu Ping retorted.

"You're wrong, Your Majesty. I pay them only 50 coins for a month of service."

"Then why are you asking for 600,000 gold!?"

"It is something called, 'Employment Loss Payment', Your Majesty. It is something that my family has been using for decades. When I have to lay-off a worker for whatever the reason, I will pay them at least two years worth of their monthly salary, so they and their families won't suffer any difficulty when they lost their jobs."

Lu Zhi made that up on the spot by mixing the terms "Employment Loss Payment" that he had learned from Tong and his new worker laws in Julu City. Although Tong only stated that he would pay 3-month-worth of salary, Lu Zhi exaggerated further to two years.

The crowd was shocked once again. They looked at Lu Zhi's family workers with fiery envious eyes as a kind family like this was rare. They wished that they could have worked for Lu Zhi, too.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhi's subordinates gazed at Lu Zhi with blank faces. They had no idea what Lu Zhi was talking about because it was their first time hearing the terms "Employment Loss Payment". In addition, there were only 20,000 workers in Lu Zhi's family businesses. Lu Zhi's number was not right.

Liu Ping was not stupid, he knew about the term as it was something from his previous world. He figured that Lu Zhi must have made this up on the spot or had learned from Tong. If he were to pay for it, Liu Ping would be scammed. If Liu Ping would not pay, Lu Zhi would discredit him for being irresponsible and such. In the end, he would suffer losses either way.

"I can't give them gold. I need them for my campaign against Zhang Jiao." Liu Ping refused.

"I don't mind if I don't have the gold. I request that you'll give them food."

"Fine. One year of food it is. How many tons do you need?"

"The same for an army of 60,000 men, your majesty. Sixty tons for one day, so two years would be 44,000 tons."

"… Alright. I'll give them to your men."

Lu Zhi laughed in his mind. Forty-four thousand tons of provision was not much, but Lu Zhi knew about the incoming famine this year and next year. The food price would skyrocket and those 44,000 tons would save his subordinates' lives, assuming that those provisions were well-keep and would not go bad.

Secondly, Lu Zhi had sabotaged Liu Ping's provision successfully. It was not a significant amount at the moment, but in the long run, it would cut down Liu Ping Army's longevity. As long as Tong and his men turtled in his city long enough, Liu Ping would lose.

"From this moment on, you will accompany me at all time. Wang Yun, arrange a hundred guards for Lu Zhi. Also, arrange an additional thousand guard reserves for night shifts and other shifts. I want him 'PROTECTED' 24/7!"

Though Liu Ping said "Protected", Lu Zhi understood that it meant "Imprisonment" instead.

'I can't escape now. I'm sorry disciple…'

Lu Zhi gazed at everyone in his family who had been escorted to the military camp as hostages.

'Everyone… I'm sorry.'

'Because of me, all of you are implicated into this.'

'I swear by our surname, I'll destroy Liu Ping from within!'

'He will pay for this tyranny!'

…

At night

Liu Ping returned to his chamber with a foul mood. He knew that Lu Zhi had conned him somehow, but he had to keep this old fox in check. He also wanted to kill him and his family on the spot, but if he were to do it, he would suffer backlashes from the officials and Lu Zhi's colleagues as he was well-known as the honest politician.

Killing Lu Zhi in the open was impossible with his current status!

"How annoying. This is why I hate politics."

"But it doesn't matter. I'll kill him eventually and I'll show his head to Tong."

"Tong, you will regret messing with me in Hell!"

Liu Ping walked to the strategic map on the table. The map of the country laid on the table with sculptured dolls on it.

One of the dolls stood on the northern part of the map, which is Julu City. Below the Yellow River, four triangle wooden blocks were there. They represented the Imperial Armies of Dong Zhuo, Zhu Jun, Huangfu Song, and the main army, his army.

Like a tabletop game, Liu Ping gazed at the location of each city, mountain, and river.

He extended his hand and placed his army on Jinyang City while the other three armies at the Yie City of Han Fu.

"How about a pincer attack, how are you going to deal with this?"

Then he put a few small wooden blocks on the northern city, Ji City of Liu Yan.

"I can also have him launch an attack from the north."

Liu Ping paused when his eyes read the name of a city, Nan Pi.

"He wouldn't dare to help Tong, right? But just in case, I'll put you as a possible reinforcement for Tong."

Liu Ping placed a wooden doll on Nan Pi city.

"Now, how many lords will answer my edict, I wonder?"