HLnovel Chapter 41 Dong Zhuo's Path to Demise! Xu Rong: Is Heaven going to destroy me?
Chapter 41 Dong Zhuo's Path to Demise! Xu Rong: Is Heaven going to destroy me?
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha……"
"Are you kidding me?"
"Our Xiliang army is invincible; how could we possibly go down the path you described?"
Fan Chou laughed heartily.
The contents of the note both alarmed him and made him feel that Su Yu was deliberately trying to mess with his mind.
Unexpectedly, Su Yu smiled slightly:
Whether the Xiliang army will come to that point is neither up to General Fan nor up to me.
"But in just two years, the truth will be proven."
"General Fan only needs to agree. If things are as I expect, and General Fan is able to submit to my lord, that will be enough."
After saying that, the smile on Fan Chou's face gradually disappeared.
Instead, there was a deep sense of solemnity!
……
half an hour later
Cao Cao, along with Su Yu and his soldiers, continued their journey towards Xingyang.
Fan Chou and the few remaining Xiliang soldiers under his command returned to Chang'an.
As for the encounter with Cao Cao's pursuing troops on the road, Fan Chou did not intend to tell anyone.
after all.
Even Dong Zhuo would probably find it hard to believe that Cao Cao would release Fan Chou, who was about to become a prisoner.
The problem is coming.
Why did Su Yu let Fan Chou go?
Is this some kind of cult?
it's not true!
The note Su Yu wrote to Fan Chou predicted that Dong Zhuo would die two years later and that the Xiliang army would split and establish its own independent regime.
To those unaware of the course of history, such a prediction is undoubtedly nothing short of delusional!
after all.
Despite the allied forces' aggressive posture and their occupation of Hulao Pass and the ruins of Luoyang, they were still able to overcome the odds.
But Dong Zhuo was undoubtedly the most powerful warlord in the land!
With an army of 300,000, no warlord at that time could rival Dong Zhuo on his own.
This is clearly an enhanced version of the Qin state from back then!
But Su Yu, a time traveler, knew that Dong Zhuo's reign would not last long.
The Xiliang army may seem to be at its zenith, but it is actually being roasted over a raging fire, just waiting for the day it is cooked!
The first problem the Xiliang army had to face was the severe disparity in treatment among its members.
The direct descendants of Xiliang, needless to say, were Dong Zhuo's own sons.
Compared to the Xiliang direct line, the Bingzhou faction led by Lü Bu and the Luoyang Imperial Guard faction led by Xu Rong and Hu Zhen were like stepchildren and trash cans picked up from.
Without comparison, there is no harm!
If the treatment of the Xiliang direct descendants is the same as that of the Bingzhou faction and the Luoyang Imperial Guards, there will naturally be no major internal disputes.
But the key issue is...
The treatment of the three forces is completely different, to the point that it's like comparing heaven and earth!
In the short term, there may not be any major disputes.
However, as time goes on, various contradictions will surface.
As Dong Zhuo's most capable general, could Lü Bu tolerate the Xiliang clique led by Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, Zhang Ji, and others always being above him?
If not, what other options does Lü Bu have?
Would he dare to directly turn against Dong Zhuo?
Most likely, they wouldn't dare.
However, once someone joins forces with Lü Bu behind the scenes and secretly gives him advice, the original fear will turn into overwhelming hatred for Dong Zhuo!
And the person hiding behind the scenes is none other than Wang Yun!
Some might argue that Lü Bu killed Dong Zhuo in a fit of rage for Diao Chan.
However, this statement is not entirely accurate.
For Diao Chan, it was either the direct trigger or the final straw that broke the camel's back.
The underlying reason, however, is the huge difference in treatment between the Bingzhou faction led by Lü Bu and the Xiliang faction!
It should be noted that when Lü Bu killed Ding Yuan, all the soldiers in the Bingzhou faction chose to follow him.
What they valued was not just Lü Bu's martial arts skills, but also his promise to lead them to a better future!
But now?
This better future did not materialize; instead, it was like a reflection in a mirror, seemingly close yet unattainable!
Wang Yun used Diao Chan to get close to Lü Bu, and then used his own status as a fellow townsman of Lü Bu from Bingzhou to further deepen his relationship with Lü Bu.
The concept of hometown cliques was very strong in the late Han Dynasty.
There is always a natural closeness between people from the same hometown.
For example, Guan Yu, who had stayed in Cao Cao's camp for a period of time, became very close to Xu Huang, who was also from Hedong.
The same applies to Lü Bu.
Originally, he was a military man, and was always looked down upon by scholars.
Wang Yun, the Minister of Works at court, was willing to befriend Lü Bu and even offered to marry his beloved adopted daughter Diao Chan to Lü Bu.
How could Lü Bu not be moved by such appreciation and favor?
Other than that.
After Dong Zhuo moved the capital to Chang'an, he was corrupted by the city's extravagant lifestyle.
Perhaps deep down, he still harbored the ambition to lead the Xiliang army to sweep across Guandong.
However, what is outwardly apparent is decadence and absurdity.
This Dong Zhuo is no longer the hero of Xiliang he once was!
Without war, Dong Zhuo's need for Lü Bu was much less than before.
During the Battle of Hulao Pass, Dong Zhuo could transform into a kind father and carefully comfort Lü Bu.
But when he no longer needed Lü Bu, how could he have the patience to put on a show of filial piety with Lü Bu again?
This stirred up Lü Bu's resentment towards Dong Zhuo, as well as the resentment of Lü Bu's Bingzhou faction towards the Xiliang direct line. Wang Yun then used Diao Chan as a final trump card!
At this point, Wang Yun could easily instigate Lü Bu to kill Dong Zhuo!
After Dong Zhuo's death, the Xiliang army naturally fell into a state of fragmentation.
Su Yu was absolutely certain that Dong Zhuo would bring about these changes after moving the capital to Chang'an.
Therefore, after a brief discussion, he and Cao Cao decided not to kill Fan Chou for the time being, but to give Fan Chou a reason to defect to Cao Cao's camp in the future.
Unlike Li Jue and Guo Si, Fan Chou was a relatively simple warrior.
In terms of manipulating power, Fan Chou is truly no match for the two mentioned above.
This has always been the case in history.
Not long after Li Jue and Guo Si entered Chang'an, they joined forces to kill Fan Chou!
If Su Yu and Cao Cao were to kill Fan Chou here today, they would only eliminate one or two thousand more Xiliang soldiers.
But if we don't kill Fan Chou today;
In the future, Fan Chou might bring Su Yu and Cao Cao a great surprise!
It would be a waste to simply watch the mighty Western Liang army perish as it did in history.
Planning ahead and waiting for the day to reap the rewards—that's the best way to develop!
……
Xingyang area
Xu Rong touched his chest with a pained expression.
For some reason, he had a feeling that an ominous sign was approaching him.
"Somebody come!"
"Go and scout out the road conditions within a radius of twenty miles."
Xu Rong gave the order to the sentries standing nearby.
Several sentries received the order and left.
But they hadn't returned yet.
A tremendous, earth-shaking noise swept in from not far away!
Xu Rong's eyes widened in surprise!
What did he see?
Pursuers!
Moreover, it appeared from the direction west of Xingyang!
"Could it be... that the enemy had already figured out my ambush plan?"
"Is this God trying to kill me?"
The gray sky mirrored Xu Rong's current mood.
……