Chapter 7: Digging People

  General-in-Chief He Jin is dead, Colonel of the Cavalry He Miao is dead, the Vermilion Bird Lodge in the imperial palace has been burned down, countless people have died, the court is awash with blood, and the Emperor has been forced to flee in disarray. What a great disaster! What is there to be joyful about?

  Only Yuan Shao was delighted. He Jin died, and so did Diao Chan's father, and He Miao died too. The military power of the capital fell into their brothers' hands. With the mighty strength of four generations of three dukes in the Yuan family, with Yuan Shao's reputation as a hero who could summon the world, the next great general would soon be born in the Yuan family. If he wanted to, he could even go further.

  Everyone had an idea, but no one said it. Some were unwilling to say it, some dared not to say it, and some did not have time to say it. But who would have thought that Liu Bei would say it? The usually weak and incompetent Liu Bei actually dared to question Yuan Shao in front of the court officials, which was something no one could imagine.

  So, Yuan Shao was stunned, the ministers were silent, and even Lu Zhi dared not believe his eyes. He re-examined Liu Bian again, both shocked and delighted. He sized up Liu Bian, familiar yet strange. The original Liu Bian was not such a person, and it was already a miracle that he didn't cry in this situation. Lu Zhi recalled the scene by the Yellow River last night, and suddenly a surge of hope rose in his heart, his hands and feet slightly numb.

  Maybe Liu Bian really got it?

  But as soon as he thought of the current situation, Lu Zhi's newly risen hope turned into thick worries.

  Yuan Shao stood for a moment, turned his head slightly, and immediately someone came forward to disperse the crowd, asking Liu Bian to return to the palace. Watching these people's performance, Liu Bian was very clear in his heart that they were all Yuan Shao's followers, and even if he had reason on his side, it would only be a verbal victory, and it was impossible to really suppress Yuan Shao. To avoid becoming Yuan Shao's puppet, he had to think of another way.

  In the final analysis, what plays a decisive role is strength, or more simply put, military power.

  Liu Bian thought and thought, and it seemed that the only usable military force in front of him was Dong Zhuo.

  "What's going on with Governor Dong Zhuo?"

  When he heard the name Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao's mouth twitched slightly, a hint of complacency flashing and then disappearing. He coldly sized up Liu Bian, discerning some clues. Today's Liu Bian was different from before, seeming to have grown up overnight. Now when he mentioned Dong Zhuo, it wasn't just casual talk. Yuan Shao could roughly guess his thoughts, but didn't take them seriously, even finding them laughable.

  Dong Zhuo could never be a match for my Yuan family. Just watch him gloat for now, he will regret it later.

  Lu Zhi looked at Liu Bian, just about to stop him, but Liu Bian waved his hand and said loudly: "Dong Zhuo has made a great contribution in saving the emperor, summon him to see me." Lu Zhi opened his mouth, but still didn't say anything.

  Not long after, Dong Zhuo walked in. Although he was tall and fat, the whole person looked like a moving meat mountain, majestic and powerful, but today he had lost his momentum from last night. There were no longer those Western Liang iron cavalry behind him, walking among the crowd of people dressed in their finest clothes, unknowingly his steps became smaller, his chest that was puffed out also caved in, and his originally somewhat dark eye circles became even darker.

  He walked up to Liu Bian and bowed: "The Governor of Pingzhou, Zhuo, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

  "Dong Qiang gets up." Liu Bian slowed down his breath, stretched out his hand to gesture Dong Zhuo to get up: "Dong Qiang's complexion is not good, didn't sleep well yesterday?"

  Dong Zhuo didn't sleep well. The strange event he encountered by the Yellow River yesterday made him experience the emperor's aura for the first time. He was excited and a little uneasy. This exceeded his expected outcome, and he hesitated about what to do next. After a sleepless night, his spirit was somewhat weak, and suddenly he heard the emperor summoning him. He rushed over, and before entering the door, he saw a large group of elegant officials with elegant manners and calm demeanor, which made him inexplicably short of breath.

  He was a humble and poor man, hadn't read many books. Now seeing these ministers with deep family background and profound knowledge, he felt somewhat unyielding, but more so ashamed of himself, his demeanor also became unnatural. Suddenly hearing the Emperor speak so politely, he immediately regained his spirit, felt relieved in his heart, and hastily said loudly: "Thank you Your Majesty for your concern, I... am fine."

  "How dare you, Dong Zhuo, to yell in front of the emperor?" A military officer-like man stepped out and loudly accused him. Dong Zhuo was taken aback, then his face flushed with anger, but before he could say a word, he found that everyone's eyes were filled with contempt, and he became speechless, too ashamed to show his face.

  "Dong Qiang is a border person, the border is vast, if you don't speak loudly, no one can hear. It's just a habit, not disrespecting you." Liu Bian took over the conversation, smiled and said, both relieving Dong Zhuo from embarrassment and subtly reminding him that this isn't the border, it's not his territory, these people aren't his subordinates, don't be too arrogant, or you'll become a laughing stock.

  Dong Zhuo bowed deeply: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. I was rude."

  "It doesn't matter." Liu Bian said warmly, "Dong Qing saved my life last night and I am very grateful. When we return to the palace, there will definitely be a heavy reward. Dong Qing, choose some brave warriors to escort me back to the palace, while others temporarily stay outside the city, in case of unexpected events."

  Dong Zhuo was delighted when he heard this. He had been worried that his forces were insufficient and would be driven out of Luoyang. The Emperor's words provided him with the most legitimate reason to stay in Luoyang, and he naturally agreed.

  "Your Majesty is wise and brilliant, I am willing to be your vanguard, even if it means dying ten thousand times."

  "That's great. However, as the Governor of Bingzhou, how can you be a vanguard soldier? Wouldn't that lose face for the imperial court?" Liu Bian let Dong Zhuo run into a hard-to-soft nail, suppressing his momentum and continuing to guide the topic. "I heard that there is a brave warrior Zhang Liao under General Dong's command, I wonder if he is here?"

  Dong Zhuo was astonished, Zhang Xiu being the nephew of his general Zhang Ji, although having a good martial art, but also only famous in the Western Liang army. How would the Emperor know him?

  "Your Majesty, Zhang Yi is here, shall I... summon him for an audience?"

  "Hmm, also..." Liu Bian said: "Are there many wise men under Dong Qing's command? I vaguely remember that in Liangzhou, there is a Gao Xun who is intelligent and has many strategies, he is a talented person. Does Dong Qing have him under his command?"

  Dong Zhuo was even more surprised. The Son of Heaven actually knew Jia Xu, this is a bit divine. It seems that we people from Xiliang are not without talented individuals after all, you see the reputation has reached the ears of the Son of Heaven. Now, the Son of Heaven has named them, which is really giving us people from Xiliang face.

  Dong Zhuo hastened to say: "Your Majesty is wise, Jia Xu is indeed in my army, I am willing to recommend the two of them to Your Majesty for your use."

  "Dong Qie is concerned about the talents for the imperial court, I am very pleased." Liu Bian was very satisfied. He wanted to borrow Dong Zhuo's power, but he couldn't let Dong Zhuo get too close to himself. By poaching these two men from under Dong Zhuo, on one hand, it was a favor to Dong Zhuo, and on the other hand, it was also digging at Dong Zhuo's corners, cultivating his own strength, which can be said to be killing two birds with one stone. Zhang Liao was known as the Northern Territory Gun King, with superior martial arts skills, while Jia Xu was a famous strategist of the Three Kingdoms era. If he could bring these two men under his control, not only would he maintain his connection with Dong Zhuo, but also ensure his own safety to some extent.

  Dong Zhuo was delighted with the praise of "Son of Heaven" and immediately ordered someone to summon Zhang Ji and Jia Xu to see him. These two people were not of a high enough rank and had never had the opportunity to meet the Son of Heaven before, but now they were suddenly promoted to serve by his side, which was not only an honor for them, but also made Dong Zhuo feel proud.