Chương 369: Cao Cao and Sun Jian pledge allegiance, Dong Zhuo's reaction

Liu Ce then turned to Liu Bei and said:

"Xuande, you had it even worse. You fought your way up in front of Hua Xiong, only to be mistaken for an inside agent by that brat Yuan Shu and almost had your head chopped off."

Liu Bei quickly said:

"Your Highness's life-saving grace will be forever etched in my memory!"

Liu Ce waved his hand and said:

"Don't say that. I was the one who sent you there in the first place, and you almost died at the hands of the Allied forces. I bear the responsibility. Now it's all over. From now on, follow me and do a good job."

Liu Bei clasped his hands in a deep fist salute and said:

"Prepare with utmost effort!"

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, the atmosphere became increasingly relaxed.

......

Cao Cao suddenly sighed:

"Speaking of which, six years ago during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Cao Cao was just a Cavalry Commandant, leading troops to fight the Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan. At that time, Your Highness was still the General of the Southern Army, setting fire to Changshe and beheading Zhang Bao in Xiaquyang... I truly admired those achievements."

Sun Jian and Liu Bei both chimed in...

Liu Ce was a little embarrassed by their praise and scratched his head:

"Oh, stop praising me. That's all in the past, let's not talk about it."

Cao Cao laughed and said:

"How can we not mention it? The deeds of the Prince of Yan back then are enough for us to reminisce about for a lifetime."

Sun Jian also laughed and said:

"Exactly. In my life, the people I admire most are heroes who have fought their way up through real battles. Prince Yan deserves that title."

Liu Ce was amused by them and raised his wine glass, saying:

"Alright, alright, stop flattering me. Come on, let's drink!"

The four raised their glasses and drank them down in one gulp.

......

Cao Cao suddenly spoke, his tone tinged with a hint of probing:

"Your Highness, now that all the warlords have surrendered, Dong Zhuo is besieged, and Luoyang and Chang'an are both in your hands... What does Your Highness intend to do next?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Jian and Liu Bei also looked at Liu Ce.

Liu Ce held his wine glass and remained silent for a while.

Then, he put down his wine glass, looked at the three of them, and slowly began to speak:

"What's next?"

"Next, let's deal with Dong Zhuo. That old bastard has been wreaking havoc in Luoyang for so long, it's time to settle the score."

"Then?"

"Then, let's put this world back in order."

He paused, then said in a calm but firm tone:

"The eunuchs have disrupted the court, the imperial relatives have disrupted the court, Dong Zhuo has disrupted the court... each with their own ulterior motives... this empire has been in turmoil for far too long. The people are displaced, and nine out of ten houses are empty. If this chaos continues, the Han Dynasty will truly be finished."

"I am a member of the Han imperial family, and the late emperor entrusted me with this task before his death. No matter what, it is my responsibility to clean up this mess."

He looked at the three of them, smiled, and said:

"Of course, I can't do it alone. I need someone to help me."

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

Sun Jian slammed his hand on the table and said, "Your Highness! As long as it's for the Han Dynasty and for the people, I entrust my life to Your Highness from now on!"

Liu Bei was even more excited, stood up, and bowed deeply to Liu Ce:

"... I'd go through fire and water for you, Your Highness!"

Cao Cao looked at the two men, remained silent for a moment, then stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and said:

"Your Highness, although I am not talented, I am willing to lend you a helping hand."

Liu Ce laughed heartily, stood up, and helped them up one by one:

"Great! I'm relieved to hear that!"

He raised his glass:

"Come, for this world, let's do it!"

The four raised their glasses and drank them down in one gulp.

......

Late at night.

After the banquet, Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and Liu Bei returned to their respective tents to rest.

Liu Ce stood outside the tent, gazing at the starry sky, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Li Jing walked to his side and asked softly, "My lord, what are you thinking about?"

Liu Ce smiled and said:

"Thinking of the world."

"Soon."

He turned around and looked at Li Jing, saying:

"Once we deal with Dong Zhuo and settle these warlords, it will be time to properly govern the country."

Li Jing nodded and said, "My lord has grand ambitions; I will do my utmost to achieve them."

Liu Ce patted him on the shoulder and turned to go back to his tent.

Behind them, the night wind blew, and the banners fluttered in the wind.

......

The news that all the feudal lords of Suanzao had surrendered reached Hulao Pass.

That noon, when the soldier scrambled into the tent, Dong Zhuo was staring blankly at half a bowl of cold meat. This old fat thief's appetite had been getting worse and worse lately. Anyone surrounded like an iron barrel would lose their appetite.

The meat was leftover from yesterday... it was cold... hard... and too tough to chew... but he couldn't bear to throw it away.

Food supplies are running low; every bite counts...

He just stared at it, as if staring would somehow bring a glimmer of hope.

"Report! Prime Minister! Something terrible has happened!!!"

The soldier's shout startled Dong Zhuo so much that the bowl in his hand crashed to the ground and shattered into pieces.

"Shut up, you son of a bitch!" Dong Zhuo jumped up, his fat body jiggling, and said angrily, "What is it now?!"

The soldier, lying on the ground, his face pale, said, "Prime Minister... Guan... Guandong... the warlords... all the warlords have surrendered! Liu Ce is leading his army towards Hulao Pass! They'll arrive in two days at most!"

Dong Zhuo was stunned.

He bounced up like a spring, his 200-pound body leaping high, his fat jiggling... He kept muttering to himself:

"It's over... it's over... it's really over... I'm next!"

He paced back and forth in the tent, his fat belly bobbing up and down, kicking everything he could find. He overturned the table, knocked away the candlesticks, and even knocked over his beloved tiger-skin chair.

"Liu Ce is leading his army to attack from the front! Xue Rengui and Su Lie are blocking the gates from behind! Luoyang is gone! Chang'an is gone! There's not even a rat hole to escape to!"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, and finally grabbed Li Ru, who had just rushed in. His eyes were bloodshot, and he spat in Li Ru's face as he said:

"Wenyou! Quick! I need to think of something! What do we do now?!"

Li Ru was almost breathless from being pulled so tightly. After finally breaking free, he sighed.

His face was as white as paper, and without beating around the bush, he bluntly told Dong Zhuo the truth:

"Prime Minister, we are truly at our wits' end. Let me explain the situation to you, and you'll understand."

He counted them off one by one on his fingers:

"Let's talk about strength first. The Xiliang Iron Cavalry that we can fight in Guanzhong has less than 20, 000 men at most, and less than 100, 000 infantry. Our food supplies can only last for five days at most. Soldiers desert every day. More than 800 deserted yesterday. The morale of the army has long been shattered."

"And what about Liu Ce? He just accepted the surrender of the feudal lords, and he has at least a hundred thousand or two hundred thousand troops! His fierce generals could line up from one end of the city wall to the other. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Lü Bu, Dian Wei, Xu Chu... which one of them can we withstand?"

Dong Zhuo swallowed hard but remained silent.