Reincarnation in the Three Kingdoms Era with a System

Chapter 629 629: 629 Dong Zhuo's Escape Route

"Madam, what do you think of this business?" Lu Bu was honestly somewhat tempted. Lu Ming had given him a way out, so he was in a particularly good mood.

He even had an impulse to leave Dong Zhuo and join Lu Ming.

"I don't know, but the Governor said he needs hostages, and we have no one to take them on," Madam Yan said, her eyes filled with worry. Her daughter was a concubine, so it was definitely unsuitable. That left only her!

Would her husband be so foolish as to send his wife as a hostage?

Sure enough, Lu Bu's intelligence exceeded Madam Yan's overestimation; his idea was still somewhat unrealistic. "Madam can go as a hostage and, while she's at it, teach Lingqi how to get along with the Governor. I need a lot of money while I'm fighting. My father-in-law's business isn't doing well. Cooperating with the Governor might be a completely new way out!"

Madam Yan was almost furious. She stared blankly at Lu Bu, speechless. Was this even something a human being could say? "My lord, please have some self-respect!"

Lu Bu didn't seem to care much. He didn't like Lady Yan at all, and they hadn't shared a bed for a long time. He only married her because her father thought he was decent enough and wanted to emulate Lu Buwei's strategy of using a rare commodity. Now, more than ten years had passed, and he was probably long since disappointed.

"It's settled then, my lady. You can go over there; you'll have good food and drink, and you won't have to suffer hunger and cold here. That's good!"

Meanwhile, at the Prefect's residence.

Dong Zhuo listened to the soldiers' report that Lu Ming had gone to Lu Bu's house for a banquet and then taken Lu Bu's daughter away. He immediately had an expression of "I knew it."

"Heh, Anmin hasn't changed at all. I've never heard of him being so lecherous before. Heh, good thing, good thing."

Dong Zhuo knew about Dong Huang's death; it was from a letter written to him personally by Lady Dong explaining it.

Dong Zhuo had no sons, so he only slightly valued Dong Huang; he hadn't yet adopted him.

"Now that he's dead, so be it. The main problem is that Lu Ming was too outstanding; he couldn't even find a reason to avenge Dong Huang."

Li Ru stroked his beard. As a military advisor, he was a very competent strategist. "My lord," he said, "Governor Lu mentioned that Ding Yuan has entered Luoyang as the Commander of the Imperial Guards, and the conflict between the Grand General and the eunuchs has reached a life-or-death point. Would Ding Yuan really do something like holding the emperor hostage to command the princes?"

"Hmph, that old scoundrel, though stubborn, wouldn't go that far. It just shows that the Crown Prince has excellent judgment; among so many people, Ding Yuan is the most suitable!" Dong Zhuo snorted. He considered him suitable because Ding Yuan could bring his own provisions, and his soldiers were all skilled warriors who wouldn't be at a disadvantage even in a direct confrontation with his Xiliang troops.

Furthermore, Ding Yuan was honest and, although somewhat pedantic, absolutely loyal, just like the old generals like Huangfu Song.

Even if Ding Yuan led troops into Luoyang, there wouldn't be a situation where a powerful minister was weaker than the emperor, and Ding Yuan could oppress him. Therefore, he said that Crown Prince Liu Xie had a keen eye; how could a mere child make such a judgment? There must be a master guiding him!

"As for using the emperor to command the feudal lords? Hmph, we can do that too. If we enter Luoyang, with Guanzhong as our backing and Anmin as our support, we might very well achieve great things! I know Anmin; he wouldn't do anything disrespectful to me!" Dong Zhuo remained as confident as ever. He didn't even know that his wife and daughter had been raped by Lu Ming!

Day and night of debauchery, ravaging their bodies, impregnating them!

To the point that they were now pregnant, but they were keeping it from him.

Even his mother, Lady Dong, was pregnant with a child—Lu Ming's maternal grandmother!

What kind of grandson gets his grandmother pregnant? This is an utterly despicable and heinous act!

Li Ru felt uneasy, unsure why. He had suspected Lu Ming, but had no evidence to suggest anything wrong with him.

No matter what was said, it was simply that Lu Ming was annexing land, which was undeniable.

Moreover, he was being ostracized by powerful clans, and it was said that he hadn't even entered a city along the way.

Those county towns, though small, could at least provide supplies.

However, the families in those county towns were more or less connected to the Yuan family. The Yuan family disliked Lu Ming, so while Lu Ming couldn't be said to be completely helpless, he would at least face immense difficulties.

Shaking his head, Li Ru shook off his unease. He felt the situation was unfavorable.

"My lord, even if we enter Luoyang, we cannot lose Liangzhou. Without territory, we are like duckweed without water, destined to perish."

Dong Zhuo pondered for a moment. He had previously discussed with Lu Ming that he could return to Liangzhou, but his soldiers could not.

He hadn't touched a single penny of the Dong family's assets; he'd only used them as collateral.

Currently, all the profits were in his aunt's hands, ready to be transferred to him if needed.

In short, Liangzhou and even Guanzhong were his territory, and he had no intention of returning.

The warlords and regional lords there had been systematically eliminated by him.

Han Sui and Ma Teng, the two most powerful warlords, had both been killed.

Han Sui and Ma Teng were now just two retired old men; if it weren't for their daughters' marriages, they would have been beheaded long ago.

Dong Zhuo was naturally both shocked and furious at this situation. Returning alone would mean relinquishing everything, becoming a commoner, a nobody.

This was absolutely unacceptable to Dong Zhuo, who already commanded tens of thousands of troops. Unless he had given up all ambition, abandoning all power and becoming a puppet was not his style.

But circumstances forced him to act; what could he do?

Unless a full-scale war breaks out with Lu Ming, but given Lu Ming's demonstrated strength, he wasn't confident he could defeat him.

If he failed to defeat Lu Ming, they would become bitter enemies, and he dared not imagine what would happen.

This was also why he remained silent. Some things couldn't be solved simply by knowing; ability was equally important.

"Lu Ming can help us, but not much. Wenyou, Bingzhou is good, but it's not suitable for us. It's too poor here; we need to go to a more prosperous place. Jizhou is good, but it's Yuan's territory; we can't control it, and we can't feel at ease. You decide where we should go next; this place isn't suitable." Dong Zhuo repeatedly emphasized that it wasn't suitable because he didn't know how to govern.