44. Storm Clouds Over Luoyang (5)
44. Storm Clouds Over Luoyang (5)
The Han Dynasty court was relocated to Chang'an.
As the relocation to Chang'an began, the high-ranking officials representing the court had to move in a 'semi-forced' manner.
Dong Zhuo's generals demanded payment.
They insisted on compensation for safely escorting them to Chang'an. They even pulled off the absurd act of demanding tolls at every checkpoint leading to Chang'an.
"Have you paid the fees?"
Lee Seong-hwi asked.
In response, Minister of Education Wang Yun let out a deep sigh.
"It's already Dong Zhuo's world... Unless they think everything under heaven belongs to them, how could they collect tolls at the Han Dynasty's own checkpoints? And from us court ministers, no less!"
Wang Yun's face flushed bright red.
The shame of having to stand by and watch as the traitors of Han ran rampant, and the humiliation of being forced to bow his head.
I am the Minister of Education of Han, Wang Yun!
Yet it was lamentable that there was nothing he could do for the Han imperial family and its altars of state.
"There must be a surefire way to kill Dong Zhuo."
Lee Seong-hwi cautiously opened his mouth.
Wang Yun's eyes widened.
At the same time, Diaochan, who had been quietly sitting by the door, poked her head out to scan the surroundings before silently closing both sides of the door.
"What is it? What is it!"
"We must lure Dong Zhuo back to Luoyang so he can build his own kingdom after leaving for Chang'an."
It had been three days since Dong Zhuo decided on the relocation to Chang'an.
Over those three days, Lee Seong-hwi had racked his brains day and night and finally devised a plan to kill Dong Zhuo.
"Isn't there a way to kill him in Chang'an?"
Wang Yun asked cautiously.
Lee Seong-hwi quietly shook his head.
"Chang'an is very close to Xiliang. The moment we raise troops, reinforcements will come from Xiliang. Besides, Dong Zhuo is a cautious man. He'll definitely guard the new Imperial Palace he's building in Chang'an like an iron fortress."
They couldn't stage the coup in Chang'an.
With just Xu Rong, he might have exploited a gap, but unlike original history, Hua Xiong was still alive and well, making it difficult to pull off in Chang'an.
"So it's impossible in Chang'an. Then how do we lure Dong Zhuo back to Luoyang? All his attention is focused on Chang'an. And Li Ru by his side—that sly bastard—won't let Dong Zhuo leave Chang'an City for a second."
"Yes, you're right."
Minister of the Imperial Guard Li Ru was the biggest headache.
Because of that cunning fox, countless rebellions plotted by the court ministers had ended in failure.
Tricking Dong Zhuo is easy.
Just spout some flattery and praise his might, and he'll fall for it hook, line, and sinker. The problem was the schemer Li Ru at his side. Even Lee Seong-hwi wasn't confident he could fool him.
"His Majesty must step forward."
"His, His Majesty... personally speak? Involving His Majesty in the coup is far too reckless! How could we involve our young emperor...!"
Wang Yun cried out in protest.
He cut off Lee Seong-hwi's words as if he'd heard something he shouldn't have, startled out of his wits.
But deep down, Wang Yun knew it too.
To kill Dong Zhuo, they had to exhaust every possible means and method. If they could use the emperor to slay the traitor Dong Zhuo... it just might be a coup worth attempting.
"If Dong Zhuo comes to Luoyang, we'll raise troops. I'm the Xingyang Commandant, after all. There may be spies from Dong Zhuo's army among my subordinates, but the soldiers from Bing Province are ones I can trust."
Lu Bu, Gao Shun, and the Eight Jian Generals had been scattered to the winds.
But that also meant Dong Zhuo's forces, scattered in all directions, could be seen as surrounding Luoyang on all sides.
Lead the troops and strike Luoyang all at once.
If they kill the traitor Dong Zhuo and slaughter his entire faction, the coup could succeed.
"Among the colonels in charge of Luoyang's checkpoints, many are on friendly terms with me. Five thousand troops will be enough. We pass through the open gates, go through the city streets, and charge straight to the Imperial Palace—we can take Dong Zhuo's head."
Unrivaled Under Heaven Lu Bu, the strongest elite unit from Bing Province, Lu Bu's army.
Lee Seong-hwi trusted Lu Bu's army.
He was certain they could massacre Dong Zhuo's Imperial Guard and kill him.
"There's a man named Li Su who was recently appointed Colonel of Cavalry. When you go to Chang'an City, Minister, secretly make contact with Li Su. And lend him your support. Li Su is skilled with words. He can fool Dong Zhuo."
Wang Yun and the court ministers were poor speakers.
They couldn't fool Dong Zhuo, let alone Li Ru.
To trick Dong Zhuo, they needed someone black-hearted and worldly-wise. That's why Lee Seong-hwi planned to bring in Colonel of Cavalry Li Su.
'Li Su was one of the key figures who led Dong Zhuo's assassination in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. If Li Su shakes things up from the inside, taking down Dong Zhuo isn't a pipe dream.'
Chang'an and Luoyang had to coordinate perfectly.
Lee Seong-hwi would command the plan from Luoyang, so he asked Wang Yun to command from Chang'an.
One concern was Chang'an.
Could Wang Yun and the court ministers in Chang'an City pull it off? Tricking Dong Zhuo was secondary; getting Colonel of Cavalry Li Su on their side was what worried him.
"Dong Zhuo wants to become emperor himself. He's started using scholars to secure legitimacy, and even lowly sycophants are swarming to curry favor."
His pitch-black ambition was on full display.
Dong Zhuo aimed to become emperor. He planned to open the Dong clan's heaven in Chang'an City, replacing the Liu clan.
Among the reasons for moving to Chang'an City, there was surely the intent to found a new dynasty. From the jade throne built just for him in the new Imperial Palace, he'd spread his arms and proclaim 'long live' to himself three times.
"The moment Dong Zhuo will be most off-guard is when his long-cherished dream is right before his eyes. Blinded by ambition, he won't even hear Li Ru's words."
"...I understand. I get what you mean."
Wang Yun nodded solemnly.
He closed his eyes tightly, steeling his resolve.
To deceive Dong Zhuo, they'd have to use the young emperor, and even weave in the unspeakably sacred Abdication as a ruse.
He had wanted to live and die as a loyal servant of Han.
To kill a traitor, did it have to come to this? The tragic situation of having to swallow his groans and lay plans was too much.
"I'm sorry for suggesting this."
"It's fine. It's all to kill the traitor and restore Han's altars of state."
Lee Seong-hwi bowed his head in apology.
In response to the apology, Wang Yun also bowed his head, showing respect to Lee Seong-hwi.
At the sight of Lee Seong-hwi and Wang Yun, a single tear streamed down Diaochan's cheek from her eyes pressed to the door as she stood guard.
Zhang Ji, incorporated into General of Chariots and Cavalry Dong Min's command, was put in charge of Luoyang's defenses alongside his nephew Zhang Xiu.
General of Henan Zhang Ji.
Colonel Zhang Xiu.
General of the Martial Army Li Meng, General of the Household Wang Fang.
Dong Min had an extremely lazy personality.
Like his brother Dong Zhuo, addicted to the Wine Pool and Meat Forest, Dong Min complained he didn't even have enough time to play with the courtesans and delegated all his military authority to these four generals: Zhang Ji, Zhang Xiu, Li Meng, and Wang Fang.
'What a pathetic fool, oblivious to the blade slowly creeping toward his neck.'
A woman dressed in the traditional attire of the Xianbei tribe walked down the corridor carrying numerous bamboo slips.
The clothes the woman wore were very unusual.
Her top had no exposed areas, but whether she wore no undergarments inside, the outline of her nipples was visible through the tight-fitting blouse.
The real issue was the highly revealing lower garment.
The side slits exposing her snow-white legs were so erotic they could make even an eighty-year-old man's member stand at attention.
The sharp-eyed would notice.
The woman wore no undergarments—not under her top, nor her bottoms. Her pristine thighs were on full display, and the intimate area above teetered on the brink of exposure.
A cheongsam designed for maximum exposure.
As if testing men's rationality, the woman accentuated her dizzyingly perfect figure with the cheongsam, flaunting her beauty.
"Good morning, my lord."
"Colonel Who Pacifies the Caitiffs, I've come to see you."
"Oh my, oh my. I never dreamed the mighty Xingyang Commandant, whose valor is renowned far and wide, would come to see this humble one? If that fierce Unrivaled Under Heaven saw this, she might get the wrong idea entirely..."
"You already knew I was coming."
Lee Seong-hwi said, narrowing his eyes.
Colonel Who Pacifies the Caitiffs Jia Xu of Dong Zhuo's army.
Her style name was Wenhua. She had served under General Niu Fu but was now under Zhang Ji, who had been reassigned to Luoyang.
What she wanted was advancement.
Having endured endless contempt and disdain simply for being born in the remote Muwi County of Yong Province, she showed a blind obsession with her own rise and worldly glory.
"May this humble one know the reason for your visit?"
Jia Xu narrowed her eyes into slits.
Like a viper eyeing prey, she flicked her tongue slowly, waiting for Lee Seong-hwi's reaction.
Her voice was seductively sultry, like jade beads rolling.
She deliberately flaunted her slender legs to draw his gaze. It was clearly a ploy to gain the upper hand in negotiations by deploying her feminine wiles.
'This humble one? What a weird way to refer to herself.'
Her peculiar personality came with peculiar speech habits.
Were all eccentrics like that?
Watching Jia Xu twist her body seductively, Lee Seong-hwi felt a twinge of unease.
"What do you want?"
Lee Seong-hwi asked.
He boldly asked Jia Xu straight up what she desired.
"Answering a question with another question—isn't that a bit rude?"
"It's the question you want most."
There was no future in Dong Zhuo's army.
She harbored much resentment at being stuck in sinecures like Attendant of the Grand Marshal, Commandant of Pingjin, and now Colonel Who Pacifies the Caitiffs.
Her ambition burned as fiercely as her outstanding intellect. She was determined to rise to prominence by any means.
"You speak as if you can see right through my heart. Your eyes are on my legs, but you've pierced my greedy nature?"
Jia Xu knew Lee Seong-hwi well.
The greatest threat to Dong Zhuo's army, which was greatly off-guard in its conquest of the realm. It was only natural to investigate him thoroughly.
She had half-expected him to come to her.
For a coup in Luoyang, internal help was desperately needed above all.
"Preparing the coup in Luoyang has a far higher chance of success than in Chang'an. If you had planned it in Chang'an, this humble one would have rejected any proposal outright..."
She was promising material worth betting on.
Jia Xu hesitated briefly, weighing whether to abandon Niu Fu and Zhang Ji for Lee Seong-hwi, calculating which side offered more gain.
"But how did you know about this humble one?"
"Just know that I have a good eye for people."
Lee Seong-hwi feigned wise insight.
He drew on player knowledge.
As a Three Kingdoms player, how could he not know of Jia Xu?
Jia Xu was one of Cao Cao's three master strategists, unrivaled in military tactics, and later hailed as the kingmaker who made Cao Pi emperor of Wei.
He needed Jia Xu's cooperation.
If she joined the coup, Dong Zhuo's head was as good as rolling.
"Well?"
Jia Xu raised the fan in her hand.
She tapped Lee Seong-hwi's cheek with it, then let out a coquettish laugh, dragging out the tension.
"Shall I listen, or not~? Ku-hu-hu-hu!"
Like a female spider that had caught its prey,
Jia Xu's eyes gleamed as she awaited his next move.
'Among all the strategists in Romance of the Three Kingdoms—from Dong Zhuo and Li Jue to Fan Chou, Zhang Xiu, and even Cao Cao—no one switched lords as much as Jia Xu. Jia Xu, the opportunist with brilliant survival skills, intellect, and a severe lack of ethics.'
Jia Xu, called the God of Stratagems.
He wouldn't hand her over to anyone.
Letting Jia Xu be snatched by someone else would be a true shame. Lee Seong-hwi proposed a smooth cooperative relationship to Jia Xu.