The Most Powerful Man in the World

Li Ru lightly smiled and said, "In a certain opinion, if the Son of Heaven can visit Hangu Pass in person, it will surely inspire the military's heart, and this battle will surely be won!"

As soon as Li Ru said this, whether it was Xu You, Chen Gong, or the matchmaking, his expression changed, but Yuan Shao was just stunned for a moment, a strange look flashed in his eyes, and he bowed solemnly to Li Ru. Said: "If it weren't for the reminder from Mr., someone would have made a big mistake!"

Li Ru didn't seem to notice the strangeness in the eyes of Xu You, Chen Gong and the others when they looked at him, but calmly bowed to Yuan Shao and said, "Checking for leaks and making up for vacancies, this is just the basis of my subordinates. portion too!"

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Chang'an City Palace

At this time, in the deep palace, the emperor Liu Xie, who looked like a puppet in front of Baiguan during the day, was now bowing to an old man with a solemn face.

The old man was none other than Lu Zhi, a big old official who was protecting the Empress Dowager Dong from Luoyang City to Chang'an City.

Lu Zhi looked like an old man. Looking at the young emperor in front of him, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

As an old official of the Han Dynasty, he should definitely not deviate from the Luoyang court. After all, according to the legal system, the emperor in Luoyang City is the orthodox emperor in the law of the Han Dynasty.

However, Lu Zhi owed the Empress Dowager Dong a huge favor. Facing the request of the Empress Dowager Dong, even Lu Zhi had to violate his own principles of life and escort Dong to Chang'an City.

Liu Xie looked at Lu Zhi expectantly and said, "Tianwei, please help Xie'er!"

Lu Zhi smiled bitterly in his heart, why didn't he expect this young emperor who looked like a puppet to have such thoughts at such a young age.

Originally thought that the Son of Heaven had called him to inquire about dealing with the Luoyang imperial conquest, but what surprised him was that Liu Xie did not ask him how to deal with the Luoyang imperial conquest, but instead asked him for help, hoping that he could help him get rid of it. Yuan Shao's control.

To be precise, Liu Xie hoped that he would be able to go out and restrain Yuan Shao as a general in the army.

In fact, as long as you are not a fool, you can see that the Chang'an court was nominally dominated by Liu Xie and the Empress Dowager Dong.

And Yuan Shao was the strongest among these princes, that is to say, the real power of the Chang'an court was actually in Yuan Shao's hands.

It would be fine to say that the Chang'an court was destroyed, but in this form, many people think that even if the Chang'an court could not destroy the Luoyang court, it could at least coexist with the Luoyang court. In this way, the power of the Chang'an court would naturally make many people think heart.

Don't look at Liu Xie's young age, but compared to his elder brother Liu Bianlai, Liu Xie is much more careful. He is not willing to be Yuan Shao's puppet at all. Even if there is no chance, he will find ways to create Opportunity, not to mention that he has a military boss like Lu Zhi by his side.

Even if Lu Zhi doesn't have much power in the army now, don't forget that when the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled, Lu Zhi was the commander-in-chief of the Great Han Army. Whether it was Gongsun Zan or Liu Bei, they were just disciples of Lu Zhi. That's it.

Lu Zhi's influence must not be underestimated, so Liu Xie eyed Lu Zhi and did not hesitate to ask Lu Zhi personally.

With a slight sigh, Lu Zhi looked at the young emperor in front of him, and was quite sighed in his heart. It is rare for the emperor of the Han family to be reduced to such a level, and Liu Xie has such a mind at a young age, which makes Lu Zhi Looking forward to Liu Xiesheng.

Liu Xie may not be able to reorganize the Han Dynasty, just like Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu, to extend the inheritance of the Han Dynasty.

The Empress Dowager Dong, who had been sitting on the side and did not speak, looked at Lu Zhi and said: "Lu Gong, what will happen to the Aijia and this child in the future is all in the mind of Lu Gong, and please ask Lu Gong to look at the late emperor's affection, Help this kid!"

Lu Zhi pondered for a while, looked at the Empress Dowager Dong, then looked at Liu Xie, nodded slowly and said: "The Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, even if the current situation is not mentioned by the old ministers, both of them are clear in their hearts, it can be said It's definitely not the time to fall out with the general."

Dong Shi nodded and said, "Right now, Yuan Benchu ​​needs to fight against the Luoyang court. Naturally, it is impossible to choose to fight against Yuan Benchu ​​at this time."

Lu Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If the Empress Dowager Dong and the Emperor really wanted him to deal with Yuan Shao at this time, not to mention that he did not have such ability, even if he did, he would never agree.

Fortunately, the Empress Dowager Dong was not so shortsighted yet, so Lu Zhi said: "It just so happens that the general needs to go to Hangu Pass to meet the army of Chu Yi, and General Jieshi leaves Chang'an City, so His Majesty can take this opportunity. Opportunity to arrange manpower and control the military and political power of Chang'an City."

With excitement flashing in Liu Xie's eyes, he nodded at Lu Zhi and said, "What the captain said is very true. As long as I can control the military power of Chang'an City, I will not be afraid of Yuan Shao."

Lu Zhi shook his head slightly and said, "Your Majesty must not have this thought, even if His Majesty really controls the military power of Chang'an City, he must not turn against the General, otherwise, it will only anger the General. The troops of Chang'an City alone cannot stop Yuan Shao's army of hundreds of thousands."

Lu Zhi knew very well that there were not many people who were truly loyal to the emperor in Chang'an City. Unless Yuan Shao was killed by Chu Yi, he would have hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses in his hands. If you can suppress Yuan Shao with just a few troops, that's really self-inflicted humiliation.

Even if Liu Xie is so clever, he is too young after all. Hearing Lu Zhi say this now, his face is a bit disappointed. Fortunately, Liu Xie really regards Lu Zhi at this moment. Relying on him, he nodded and said, "I listened to the captain."

Nodding slightly, Lu Zhi smiled and said: "After all, Your Majesty is the Lord of Chang'an City, Your Majesty is the King, and the General is a minister, unless he wants to rebel, otherwise, as long as His Majesty does not force the General too much, the General will definitely Don't dare to do anything excessive, as long as His Majesty slowly strengthens his own strength, and one day his strength surpasses that of a general, then you can sit back and relax."

With a bit of joy on his face, Liu Xie bowed to Lu Zhi and said, "If there is such a day, I will definitely reward the captain."

Just when Lu Zhi was appeasing the emperor Liu Xie, a figure appeared outside the emperor's palace, and it was Yuan Shao's confidant Xu You.

Xu You said to Xiao Huangmen, who was guarding the emperor's palace, "Go to Tongbing, and I said that Xu You and Xu Ziyuan, the chief clerk of the army, will be asked to see him."

Xiao Huangmen hurried to the bedroom Tongbing.

Looking at Xiao Huangmen who was kneeling on the ground, Liu Xie couldn't help showing a bit of panic on his face and subconsciously looked at Lu Zhi and said, "Tawei, General, why did he send someone to see me at this time, could it be..."

Seeing Liu Xie's panicked appearance, Lu Zhi sighed inwardly, this is still a child after all.

With a light cough, Lu Zhi said to Liu Xie, "Your Majesty, don't panic, unless Yuan Benchu ​​had the ability to predict, how would he know the dialogue between His Majesty and his ministers?"

When Liu Xie heard this, his eyes lit up and said: "The captain is right, the general has absolutely no idea why I called the captain here. In this case, the general sent people for other things."

Xu You looked at Xiao Huangmen who came in a hurry and said, "Why is it taking so long?"

Xiao Huangmen hurriedly said: "In response to the words of your lord, Your Majesty has just rested. Hearing that your lord is asking to see you, you have to get up and change your clothes, so I have troubled your lord for a long time."

Xu You then nodded and said, "That's true. After all, Your Majesty is young, so it is normal to rest early. Now that Your Majesty has stood up, take me to meet His Majesty."

In the bedroom, Liu Xie sat there with a sleepy appearance, looked at Xu You, who was bowing down in front of him, and said, "The Qing family came to see me late at night. Could it be that the General has something important to do?"

Xu You bowed at Liu Xie, and then said respectfully, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this minister is here because the General has something to report to His Majesty."

Liu Xie nodded and said, "The Qing family, please speak."

Xu You said slowly: "The general has decided to send troops to Hangu Pass tomorrow."

Before Xu You could finish speaking, Liu Xie's eyes lit up, and he said quite excitedly: "The general is really loyal to the country, I am sure."

Xu You couldn't understand what Liu Xie's reaction was about, but he coughed softly: "But the general means that I hope that His Majesty can go with the army to Hangu Pass, on the one hand, Chang'an City is not too safe. , it is inevitable that there will be people under the Chu thief lurking, in case the general leaves Chang'an, it is not good for your majesty, but your majesty is damaged..."

Liu Xie's face suddenly became gloomy, and Xu You continued: "Besides, if Your Majesty is with the army, the morale of the army will definitely be boosted, so this minister is here to inform Your Majesty of this news, so that Your Majesty has a Prepare."

At this moment, a figure came out of the inner room, and Xu You recognized it with just a glance, it was none other than the Empress Dowager Dong.

Empress Dowager Dong's status can be described as noble, Xu You hurriedly bowed to Empress Dowager Dong and said, "My minister Xu You pays respects to the Empress Dowager."

Mr. Dong waved his hand, looked at Xu You and said, "Xu Ziyuan, I'm going to ask you, Hangu Pass is such a dangerous place, what does he mean by Yuan Benchu ​​to bring His Majesty to such a dangerous place, he wants to murder His Majesty? Can't it?"

It was perfectly suitable for Mr. Dong to say this. Xu You heard the words and knelt down and said to Mr. Dong: "Why did the queen mother say this, the general is loyal to the court, and even more loyal to your majesty. How come you want to murder your majesty?"

Dong snorted coldly: "If that's the case, let him Yuan Benchu ​​come to see Ai's family in person, but I want to hear how he explains to Ai's family."

Xu You looked at Liu Xie who was sitting there, then looked at the Empress Dowager Dong Shi, sighed in his heart, and bowed to the Empress Dowager and the emperor: "I retire."

Seeing Xu You's figure disappearing at the entrance of the palace, Dong's body, who was originally stiff, softened, and his face showed a bit of sadness: "Lu Gong, you can see that Yuan Benchu's wolf ambitions have been exposed. I want to hold the Son of Heaven firmly in my hands."

At this moment, Lu Zhi came out from the shadows, and just now Xu You had a conversation with the emperor and the empress dowager Dong. Lu Zhi hid in the dark and could hear it clearly. Hearing what the empress dowager Dong said, he couldn't help but Sigh lightly.

To be honest, Lu Zhi really didn't think that Yuan Shao would have the idea of ​​taking the Son of Heaven to Hangu Pass. After all, if Yuan Shao really had this idea before, Yuan Shao would definitely show this when discussing matters in the court during the day. intention to come.

Since this was not mentioned in the previous discussion, Xu You came to discuss this matter with the emperor late at night, so this decision was made by Yuan Shao not long ago.

No need to think about it, Lu Zhi knew that this must be the suggestion of Lu Zhi's clerical advisers.If you think about it carefully, Lu Zhi can't help but admire the person who made such a suggestion.

From Yuan Shao's standpoint, taking the Son of Heaven to Hangu Pass really outweighs the disadvantages. If nothing else is mentioned, at least the suggestion he gave to the Son of Heaven, Liu Xie, cannot be implemented.

In other words, even if it is implemented the same, it will not have much effect, because Yuan Shao intends to keep the emperor by his side. As long as the emperor is in the hands of Yuan Shao, it does not matter who the mere Chang'an city falls into.

Dong Shi looked at Lu Zhi and said, "Lu Gong, how should this be, how should this be!"

Taking a deep breath, Lu Zhi said, "Empress Dowager, don't panic, Your Majesty, and listen to what Yuan Benchu ​​said."

Saying that, Lu Zhi's face showed a bit of solemnity and said: "If Yuan Benchu ​​insists, forgive the old minister's words, His Majesty is afraid that he can only go to Hangu Pass with the army."

Dong Shi suddenly stood up, his face pale and said: "Don't even you have anything to do with Lu Gong?"

Lu Zhi shook his head and said, "The military and horse power is in Yuan Shao's hands. As long as Yuan Shao's reasons are not too outrageous, even the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty would not be able to object."

The next day, the sky was bright, Yuan Shao, dressed in armor and cloak, headed straight for the palace, surrounded by hundreds of guards.

In the imperial city, the Imperial Army had already been replaced by Yuan Shao's soldiers and horses. When these soldiers saw Yuan Shao, they saluted one by one, showing that the entire imperial city was under Yuan Shao's control.

Emperor's Palace

A little yellow door said sharply: "The general asks to see you!"

Yuan Shao walked into the hall and saw the Empress Dowager Dong and the little emperor sitting there watching him.

After striding forward a few steps, Yuan Shao respectfully saluted and said, "My minister Yuan Shao pays respects to the Queen Mother and your Majesty."

The queen mother glanced at Yan Liang and Wen Chou, who were standing at the entrance of the hall like two door gods. Just looking at it, Dong felt a suffocating aura coming towards her face, her heart tightened, and she waved: "The general does not need to bow, just get up. Let's talk."

Yuan Shao got up and sat down on his knees. Then he looked at the Queen Mother and said, "Last night, the minister was too reckless, so he shouldn't have sent someone to disturb Your Majesty's rest in the middle of the night. I also ask Your Majesty and the Queen Mother to forgive me."

Mr. Dong looked at Yuan Shao and said, "The general is dedicated to being a public servant. What's wrong with that? It's just that the general leads the army to Hangu Pass. Why should you bring your majesty? , Your Majesty is better to sit in Chang'an City, I wonder what the general thinks?"

Yuan Shao didn't expect that Mr. Dong would agree to take the Son of Heaven to leave. Yuan Shao was already mentally prepared for this, so after hearing Mr. Dong's words, Yuan Shao's expression did not change, but instead he said with a smile, "What the Queen Mother said does make some sense. "

Hearing what Yuan Shao said, Empress Dowager Dong's heart was overjoyed, but Yuan Shao's voice turned serious and said: "However, compared with the hundreds of thousands of troops in Chang'an City, where is the safety of Chang'an City? It is necessary to distinguish clearly, what’s more, if Your Majesty comes to Hangu Pass in person, the three armies will surely be inspired by it, and will greatly increase the prestige of our army, so many things can be accomplished with one stroke, and the wisdom of the Queen Mother, do you need more words from the minister?”

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Empress Dong was not a fool either. How could he not hear what Yuan Shao meant? He was just telling him that the emperor had to go to Hangu Pass with him.

Although Empress Dowager Dong did not report too much hope at the beginning, but after all, she also wanted to give it a try, in case Yuan Shao promised to let the emperor keep Chang'an City.

It's a pity that the result was a big disappointment to her. Just as Lu Zhi expected, Yuan Shao could not keep the Son of Heaven in Chang'an City, even if Chang'an City was still under his control.

From this, it can be seen that Yuan Shao values ​​the Son of Heaven, but unfortunately this value is not what the Empress Dowager and the Son of Heaven imagined.

With a look of gloom on her face, the Empress Dowager Dong waved her hand at Yuan Shao and said, "Forget it, since the General has already decided, the Aijia will not say anything more. I just hope that the General can take good care of the emperor's safety."

Yuan Shao immediately assured the Empress Dowager Dong: "The minister guarantees the Empress Dowager with the head of Xiang Shang, as long as the minister does not die, the emperor will be safe and sound."

And Liu Xie came in from Yuan Shao and didn't speak at all, just sat there like a puppet watching the conversation between Empress Dowager Dong and Yuan Shao.

When Yuan Shao bowed to Liu Xie, a bit of hatred flashed in Liu Xie's eyes, but when Yuan Shao raised his head, Liu Xie returned to a calm look.

"I retire, please ask the Queen Mother and Her Majesty to prepare early and be ready to go on the road at any time."

He watched Yuan Shao leave the palace until Yuan Shao's figure disappeared in the distance. At this moment, Liu Xie threw himself into Empress Dowager Dong's arms and cried out in fear: "Empress Dowager, the traitor Yuan Shao is going to take me to Hangu Pass. He wants to keep me under control."

Empress Dowager Dong stroked Liu Xie's head lightly, and a look of exhaustion appeared on her slightly old face, soothing: "Xie'er don't need to panic, as long as Yuan Benchu ​​still has something useful to His Majesty, he will definitely not dare to use His Majesty. Anyway, there may not be a chance to take down the traitor Yuan Benchu ​​in the future."

Hundreds of thousands of troops gathered outside Chang'an City. This time, Yuan Shao had the title of Great General, and nominally commanded hundreds of thousands of troops. Although it was said that some of the hundreds of thousands of troops were not his direct subordinates, they were quite similar. Compared with the previous time when the feudal lords joined forces, Yuan Shao's troops and horses had skyrocketed several times this time.

You must know that in a short period of time, the Chang'an court frantically assembled more than [-] soldiers and horses, almost half of which belonged to Yuan Shao, not to mention the rest, only the remnants of Zhang Yan's Yellow Turban Army who were recruited to surrender were Yuan Shao Provided [-] soldiers who had experienced war.

Although these Yellow Turban soldiers are not considered elite, they are much stronger than those directly recruited peasants. You must know that the number of Yellow Turbans who were recruited this time is no less than hundreds of thousands. If Yuan Shao is crazy to expand his army, at least one can be pulled out. In the direct army of as many as [-] to [-] people.

Just with Yuan Shao's current strength, it is simply not enough to support an army of hundreds of thousands. It must be known that the consumption of hundreds of thousands of troops every day is extremely astonishing. Without sufficient strength and background, the crazy expansion of the army is simply courting death.

Even if Yuan Shao had the support of some aristocratic families, he did not dare to let go of expanding his army. He could only select [-] elites from the Yellow Turbans.

Coupled with some of the good family members that Yuan Shao had collected and some of the manpower supported by some aristocratic families, Yuan Shao once again had an army of [-] directly belonging to him after the battle at Hulao Pass.

In addition to this, it goes without saying that the soldiers and horses belonged to some princes such as Gongsun Zan and Han Fu. Anyway, the Chang'an court also played a banner. In addition to the influence of the Yuan family and the reputation of Chu Yi, a considerable number of Han officials actually Chu Yi, who was born in eunuchs, was a bit disgusted with him. These people did not dare to fight against the Luoyang court, but it didn't mean that he wouldn't make some small moves.

It is for this reason that the lords who suffered heavy losses in the first battle of Hulao Pass, with the secret support of these officials, swelled their strength like balloons, and in a short period of time, they each pulled up tens of thousands of soldiers. Horses, add up to as many as [-].

Even Sun Ce, whose father died in battle, had the support of his relatives, and he was stupefied to pull up a team of no less than [-] people at a weak age.