Chapter 121 Yuan Wei’s Advice Dong Zhuo listened to Li Ru's advice and without hesitation fabricated a crime and arrested the Yuan family headed by Yuan Wei. When Yuan Wei was imprisoned, he looked neither sad nor happy, as if he had expected this outcome. The prison was dark and damp, and the moss on the walls gave off a decayed smell. Yuan Wei stood quietly in the cell, his posture still upright, but his gorgeous clothes were now a little wrinkled. He raised his head slightly and looked at the bright moon outside the window. The moonlight sprinkled on his face, reflecting his deep and calm eyes. Before the execution, the thoughtful Li Ru quietly came to the prison. He was dressed in a black robe, his face was gloomy, and his eyes flashed with complex light. Looking at Yuan Wei standing calmly in the cell, gazing at the bright moon outside the window, I couldn't help but sigh. "Master Yuan, during the Luoyang Rebellion, did you ever imagine that this day would come?" Li Ru's voice echoed in the silent prison, with a hint of sarcasm and emotion. Yuan Wei did not react and said nothing. His eyes were still fixed on the bright moon, as if everything in the world had nothing to do with him.
"The Yuan family has three officials in four generations! How terrible and pathetic! The previous generation produced two outstanding people, you and Yuan Feng, and this generation has produced three more, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Yuan Ji." Li Ru paced slowly and continued to provoke: "How does it feel to be schemed against by the younger generation you have trained?" He once had a deep understanding of the terrifying tactics of Master Yuan. He made friends with talented people outside and eunuchs inside, and relied on his relative Yuan She, who was the then Chief Eunuch, to help scholars greatly during the two Party Persecutions. However, he was secretly condoned by the eunuchs and was regarded as one of their own. Later, he placed Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu into He Jin's mansion and made them his confidants. He had his feet on three boats, yet the aristocratic families, eunuchs, and relatives of the emperor all trusted him immensely. Even Yuan Shao, who directed the campaign against Dong Zhuo by the princes, might not be as good as him in this kind of tactics. However, Yuan Wei calculated against outsiders but failed to calculate Yuan Shao, a hero within the clan, which led to his fate. Li Ru had been under Dong Zhuo's command for a long time and had fought secretly with Yuan Taifu, but because he was too young at the time, he was beaten by Yuan Taifu and had no power to fight back. However, Dong Zhuo was saved in the end, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. He caught the eye of Yuan Wei and became a knife in Yuan Wei's hand to deal with the three people of Liangzhou. Now seeing his former rival end up like this, how could the vicious Li Ru not ridicule him? "Haha." Yuan Wei smiled lightly, as if he saw through Li Ru's thoughts. "Benchu has done a good job. With him around, the Yuan family has hope." Yuan Wei said with relief, a hint of relief and peace of mind in his eyes. The disciple is better than the master. He once taught many skills to so many outstanding people in the clan, but he didn't expect that among all the talented people in the clan, the only one who truly mastered them was Yuan Shao. It can be said that he was not wrong about him. "Death is imminent, yet you are still dreaming of eternity." Li Ru snorted coldly upon seeing this. Yuan Wei sat cross-legged on the ground, his body slightly relaxed, leaning against the wall. He looked at Li Ru as if he were looking at a dead person. "You are very good. You made me ignore Dong Min's existence and helped me fail at the most critical moment, helping Dong Zhuo to seize Luoyang. In the past year, many of my tricks have been cleverly broken by you. But unfortunately, your foundation is too shallow." "Since you came to see me off, I'll give you a piece of advice. Go back to Xiliang as soon as possible, otherwise, you may not be able to leave." Yuan Wei's voice was calm and indifferent, as if telling of an unchangeable fate. After hearing from Yuan Wei the things he had always wanted to know but didn't want to know, Li Ru's heart sank to the bottom of the valley. He knew that he had probably lost again.
He was confident that his intelligence and strategy were no less than that of the person in front of him, and might even be better. But the gap between the starting points and the resources that can be mobilized by both sides is too big! He had tried his best to get the chance to sit at the table, while the opponent had been there from the beginning to the end, and had accumulated countless trump cards and weights. The previous Luoyang Rebellion was so important that it could even destroy the Yuan family if not careful. For such a big event, Li Ru believed that Yuan Wei's secret arrangements must not be that simple, and he must have prepared many backup plans to turn the tables. Now it seems that it is not unexpected. After getting the answer, he realized that there was no point in staying here any longer. Li Ru, feeling a little distraught, left the prison in a daze. Yuan Wei breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the bright moon outside the window again. His eyes were dim, as if he had turned into a sculpture. The bright moon hangs high in the sky, casting its cool light, as if telling the impermanence of the world. …… After killing the Yuan family in Luoyang City, Dong Zhuo ordered his soldiers to send Yuan Wei's head to the allied forces overnight, and sent many ministers to persuade the princes in Guandong to withdraw their troops. At the same time, he personally led an army of 200,000 and headed straight for Hulao Pass, preparing for a decisive battle with the Guandong coalition forces. The brave Lu Bu took the initiative to lead 30,000 troops and set up camp in front of the pass. The moment Yuan Shao saw Yuan Wei's head, grief and anger instantly surged into his heart, but Tian Ze noticed a hint of guilt and joy in it. "Dong thief, I can never coexist with you!" Yuan Shao's crazy roar echoed throughout the tent. Yuan Shu's eyes were also red, and he was extremely angry. Unlike Yuan Shao, he really had no idea about the circumstances of his uncle Yuan Wei's death. He didn't expect that Dong Zhuo would be so bold as to kill even people from his Yuan family. Isn't Dong Zhuo afraid that the noble families in the world will attack him? Without the help of scholars, can Dong Zhuo, a common man, accomplish anything? Tian Ze had already vaguely guessed the answer to Yuan Shu's confusion and regret from Yuan Shao's performance. This guy is really cruel! "Send the troops to Hulao! I will make Dong Zhuo pay for his blood debt with blood!" At this moment, Yuan Shao's aura was so imposing that no one dared to look directly at him. Even Tian Ze couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Yuan Benchu is indeed worthy of being called a role model for the world! It's really fierce in times of adversity. And his acting skills are second to none. The best director, actor and big liar in the late Han Dynasty, he holds several titles at the same time, which is really outstanding. Faced with the furious Yuan Shao, the princes naturally did not dare to disobey. The coalition forces, which had been slow in their movements, suddenly moved rapidly towards Hulao Pass. Because the army was too large in number, Yuan Shao ordered eight princes, including Wang Kuang, Bao Xin, Yuan Yi, Kong Rong, Tao Qian, Gongsun Zan, Tian Ze, and Liu Bei, to go to Hulao Pass first to meet the enemy, and Cao Cao led his troops to respond. Tian Ze, who had a better understanding of Lu Bu's strength, would not rush into a bloody battle with the world's number one general, but instead walked behind with Gongsun Zan and others. Rushing in the front were Wang Kuang, Bao Xin and Yuan Yi, who wanted to take credit. Tian Ze and his four princes followed. The brave and resolute Wang Kuang rushed to the front and ran head-on into Lu Bu who was leading 3,000 Bingzhou cavalry.
Wang Kuang was overjoyed when he saw that Lu Bu had few soldiers. The opportunity to make a meritorious deed has come! There are only 3,000 people, although they are cavalry, but he has an army of 20,000, and Bao Xin and Yuan Yi will arrive soon, with reinforcements as back-up. The advantage is mine! (End of this chapter)