Although Liu Yan was already bedridden, upon receiving news from Lu Zhi, he still forced himself to gather his strength and quickly called his eldest son, Liu Fan, and second son, Liu Dan, to discuss the matter together. Liu Fan's sword-like brows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes revealed wisdom and determination. He calmly analyzed, "Currently, we should respond to the call, but we must not rashly send troops. The Imperial Court has not yet announced the establishment of a new emperor. If we act rashly now, and Lu Zhi is labeled a rebel for abducting the emperor, then our hasty response would put us in an extremely passive situation. We can secretly make preparations and send envoys to respond, but we need to wait for the situation in the Imperial Court to change. At that time, let Yi Province firmly guard its own borders, deploy troops outside the pass, and press directly towards Chang'an. As soon as the situation in the Imperial Court becomes clear, we can closely coordinate with Lu Zhi's side. Lu Zhi and others will send troops to Luoyang, directly control the Imperial Court, and confront Dong Zhuo head-on, while we in Yi Province will send troops directly to Chang'an, cutting off the Xiliang Army's retreat. At the same time, we will unite with Liu Biao and Liu Yu and others to concentrate our forces and attack Luoyang. In this way, we will surely achieve a great victory in one fell swoop!" Liu Fan clearly articulated his strategy, fully demonstrating his astute and decisive side. He not only possessed profound strategic foresight but also displayed his exceptional talent as both a scholar and a warrior through his confidence and composure. Liu Dan, who was standing by, naturally had no objections after listening. He always preferred to be a military commander and was not too concerned with strategic planning.
Liu Yan looked at Liu Fan's spirited appearance, feeling greatly comforted. He felt that even if he were no longer around, Yi Province would surely advance further under Liu Fan's leadership. So, he replied to the envoy according to Liu Fan's wishes and began to have Liu Fan arrange military and governmental affairs, dispatching the great generals Wu Yi and Yan Yan to deploy troops outside Jianmen Pass, waiting only for the situation to become clear. When Lu Zhi and others raised an army to punish the disloyal, they could cut off the Xiliang Army's retreat and press directly towards Chang'an.
Lu Zhi and Gongsun Zan, after receiving less than favorable responses from Liu Yu and Liu Biao, two members of the imperial clan, finally received the positive news of Liu Yan's active response. Their hearts were all greatly encouraged. However, due to Liu Yu's influence as the Governor of You Province, his attitude truly affected their next steps, so they could only make further deployments based on the unfolding situation.
With Dong Zhong's death and Dong Zhuo's subjugation of the Bing Province Army, there were no longer any generals inside or outside Luoyang who could contend with Dong Zhuo. Grand Empress Dowager Dong then urged Dong Zhuo to quickly establish a new emperor. At this time, Dong Zhuo had not only become a leader in the Imperial Court but also within the Dong family clan, no longer merely a subordinate of the Dong family as he was when he first entered Luoyang. Dong Zhuo was noncommittal about the Empress Dowager's urging, stating that he would gather the important ministers and discuss it privately first to see their reactions. The Empress Dowager was secretly anxious but dared not rush this pure warrior.
Dong Zhuo then set up another banquet, inviting the important ministers of the Imperial Court to attend. The ministers all knew this was no ordinary banquet and had already secretly begun to plan their way out. Yuan Wei called Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao, the two most outstanding young generations of the Yuan family, to him for discussion. Yuan Wei looked at the two of them, and after suppressing his thoughts, said, "The situation in Luoyang is already like this. Although you have moved your families out of Luoyang, I cannot let you be lost here. Now we are all within Dong Zhuo's sphere of influence, making it difficult to act. Benchu, you should return to Ji Province to recruit soldiers and horses. In years past, our Yuan family had many old subordinates in Ji Province, so you will surely make progress. Gonglu, you should go to Ru'nan, our ancestral land, and also recruit soldiers and horses. At the same time, both of you must secretly inquire about the whereabouts of the Son of Heaven. With us temporarily feigning compliance with that old scoundrel Dong Zhuo in the Imperial Court, you can develop in the provinces. And when you have developed in the provinces, we in the Imperial Court will be as solid as a rock. With your containment, he will not dare to do anything to us. You must secretly inquire about the Son of Heaven's whereabouts. If that old scoundrel Dong Zhuo dares to establish a new emperor, then you can raise a righteous army to welcome the Son of Heaven and punish the disloyal."
Yuan Shao said, "We also have soldiers and generals in our hands. If he dares to depose and establish, we will fight him to the end." Yuan Shu, however, did not agree. Yuan Shu said, "We assassinated Dong Zhong before, and we can make further arrangements to assassinate Dong Zhuo again. If we kill this brute, then a group of warriors without a leader will not be able to stir up any waves." Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao, as the most outstanding talents of the Yuan family, were incompatible and always had to contend with each other.
Yuan Wei looked at the two and reprimanded them, "Foolish! Our Yuan family has served as Three Excellencies for four generations, with a renowned reputation throughout the realm. When we go to the provinces, we will surely be able to rally a hundred responses with one call. Why must we clash with this warrior in Luoyang? Is there any reason for a beautiful jade to collide with a stubborn stone?" Seeing Yuan Wei's anger, the two dared not voice any further objections. Yuan Wei continued, "You just follow the instructions. Recently, if that old scoundrel dares to bring up the matter of deposition and establishment at a banquet again, you should resist him to show our family's loyalty to the emperor and love for the country. At that time, I and a group of old ministers will persuade him, and he will surely not do anything to you. You can then take this opportunity to leave Luoyang." Yuan Shao and the other agreed.
Dong Zhuo set up a banquet in his mansion. Below, the important ministers of the Imperial Court and the military generals under Dong Zhuo's command were clearly divided. Both sides had already gathered. The ministers were all whispering privately, racking their brains to figure out Dong Zhuo's next possible move. As for the military generals under Dong Zhuo, they were each brazenly talking loudly, with many of their words being presumptuous. Although the important ministers saw this and felt secretly anxious, they were intimidated by their power and dared not reprimand them. Everyone was waiting for Dong Zhuo. When both sides had grown somewhat impatient, Dong Zhuo finally arrived leisurely, dressed in splendid attire, closely followed by Lü Bu, who was wearing a helmet and armor and looked majestic, and on the other side, Ma Chao, dressed in a brocade robe and looking dashing. Ma Chao wore a long sword at his waist, while Lü Bu held a Fangtian Halberd. As Dong Zhuo slowly appeared, the military generals under Dong Zhuo immediately stood up in unison, respectfully bowing and shouting in unison, "Greetings, Dong Gong!" However, among the assembled ministers, there were many whose positions were higher than Dong Zhuo's, and they lingered, unwilling to come forward to pay their respects. Only a few sycophantic ministers, completely disregarding their own status, joined the military generals in standing up and bowing. Others, such as Grand Commandant Zhang Wen, Situ Wang Yun, Yuan Wei, and Xun Shuang, all pretended not to notice. Dong Zhuo looked around, letting out a slight, displeased "Hmm" from his mouth. The ministers also dared not argue with him and, left with no choice, reluctantly stood up to pay their respects. Seeing this, Dong Zhuo then laughed brazenly.
At that time, someone among the military generals shouted loudly, "Now, in this Imperial Court, our Dong Gong is the true master! Who dares not obey!" Another person arrogantly declared, "Those old fellows, why don't you quickly bow down to Dong Gong and declare yourselves his subjects!" Their words were full of arrogance, and the important ministers, facing such a situation, could only sigh secretly in their hearts, forced by circumstances to pay their insincere respects to Dong Zhuo, filled with helplessness and sorrow.
Ma Chao looked at the smug and loudly laughing Dong Zhuo, and at the group of elated generals under Dong Zhuo's command, and a feeling of sadness secretly welled up in his heart. He could hardly imagine that the temptation of power was so immense that it had changed everything. He truly could not understand how the Dong Zhuo who was once widely respected in Western Liang, who treated him with courtesy, and who had diligently worked to quell rebellions for the country, could have become like this.
Ma Chao, whose heart was full of loyalty and righteousness, looked at the scene before him and felt it was utterly absurd. How many people in the Imperial Court now truly worked for the country and its people? They were all individuals with ulterior motives. The ministers seemed helpless, but in reality, they lived in trepidation under the situation created by Dong Zhuo. Ma Chao thought to himself, how they had previously ostracized his master. His master, Lu Zhi, had worried himself sick for the country, solely focused on serving the nation and its people, yet they only cared about factional disputes. And now, under the coercion of power, they were oppressed by Dong Zhuo to the point of not daring to utter a sound, presenting such a compromising appearance. In the Imperial Court, there were either ambitious individuals or those with their own hidden agendas. With such a court, how could the government be stable? How could the common people live in peace? Ma Chao wished he could draw his sword and cut down all these people, then welcome his master back, assist the emperor, and bring about the revival of the Han Dynasty. However, this thought ultimately remained just a thought. Not to mention Dong Bai's affection for him—although he feigned ignorance and indifference, he was not truly unaware. Moreover, no matter how arrogant Dong Zhuo was outside, he had always treated Ma Chao with immense kindness, and had even insisted on saving the lives of Ma Chao's entire Ma family. Ma Chao looked at all of this, his thoughts in disarray, and in the end, he could only choose to escape. This further strengthened Ma Chao's resolve to leave.
