Chapter 11 There are many conflicts between the Bingzhou Army and the Xiliang Army!
Baihu, who was disguised as 'Wang Fang', felt regretful.

He originally wanted to stir up internal strife among the Xiliang army, but unexpectedly it prompted them to seek another way out and look for Taifu Yuan Wei as their backer!

If they were allowed to successfully join forces, it would be equivalent to uniting the Xiliang Army in a disguised way, and it would be a unity under the control of Taifu Yuan Wei.

Compared to Dong Zhuo, the arrogant, unreasonable, self-willed and hot-tempered leader, Taifu Yuan Wei, the shrewd and powerful old fox, is more difficult to deal with!

This made Baihu a little worried!

After the generals of the Xiliang Army made the decision, they prepared to adjourn the meeting to deal with the matter, but it was already getting dark.

In the morning, Dong Zhuo was assassinated and the Xiliang army searched the whole city. In the afternoon, Wang Fang arrested the real Cao Cao. After being questioned on the spot, Cao Cao "confessed" and was taken to prison. Later, the generals discussed the future of the Xiliang army.

They were so busy all day, from morning to night, that they didn't even have time to eat dinner. Li Ru planned to visit Grand Tutor Yuan Wei that night!

When the meeting was over, the Xiliang generals left one after another and happened to meet the Bingzhou generals who were outside. Unlike the Xiliang generals who gathered to discuss, the Bingzhou generals were clearly guarding outside and staying out of the matter!
This behavior itself proves that the Xiliang Army and the Bingzhou Army are not in harmony. Although they are not incompatible, there is no trust in each other, and they don't even regard each other as comrades!

Baihu, who was worried, suddenly brightened up his eyes after seeing the generals of Bingzhou Army, and saw an opportunity to break the deadlock!
The Bingzhou Army is definitely one of the unstable factors in the Xiliang Army, the biggest hidden danger! It can be fully utilized!
With this in mind, Baihu looked at the generals of the Bingzhou Army, and finally turned his gaze to Lu Bu, and asked as if unintentionally:
"Fengxian, since you have been outside, you should have heard what we just discussed. Do you have any ideas?"

"no!"

Lu Bu replied in a muffled voice, feeling dissatisfied.

When these Xiliang army generals were discussing, they didn't pay any attention to the Bingzhou army at all and didn't regard them as their own people. They had already finished the discussion and made a decision, and then they came over to ask in a pretentious manner!
hypocritical! ! !

In the Bingzhou army, in addition to Lu Bu, there are also generals such as Gao Shun, Cao Xing, Hao Meng, Cheng Lian, Wei Xu, Song Xian, and Hou Cheng.

Even Zhang Liao, the Sima of Yue Cavalry who now serves in one of the five schools of the Northern Army, is from Bingzhou.

The Bingzhou Army is also a force that cannot be underestimated!

The most important thing is that Lu Bu is Dong Zhuo’s adopted son!

The Xiliang Army actually looked down on Lu Bu and other Bingzhou troops, and even excluded them from such an important discussion.

In fact, the generals of the Xiliang Army were also somewhat dissatisfied with Lu Bu!

Because Dong Zhuo was assassinated and Lu Bu's personal bodyguard failed to defend effectively, the Xiliang Army is now in a dilemma!
After hearing this, some of the Xiliang Army's generals did not even try to hide their dissatisfaction and said, "Old King, this is our Xiliang Army's family affair. What does it have to do with the Bingzhou Army?!"

"Humph! After Lu Bu surrendered to Lord Dong, Lord Dong always valued him, treated him well, and even made him his personal bodyguard. But how did Lu Bu protect Lord Dong? He was assassinated by Cao Cao. It was also because of his poor defense!"

"At that time, Lord Dong was still alive. He asked me to choose a war horse. What could I do?" Lu Bu was also full of complaints. "General Wang was also present at the time. He also heard Lord Dong's order!"

"Cao Cao was deeply trusted by Lord Dong and could go directly to and from the mansion to discuss government affairs. He suddenly attacked us and was hard to guard against. We can't blame our Bingzhou army for this, right? We must know that the Xiliang army also participated in the joint defense at that time!"

Gao Shun immediately agreed.

Most of the generals of Bingzhou Army also echoed the sentiment, and the momentum was astonishing!
Lü Bu, the personal guard, was to blame for Dong Zhuo's death, which made the Xiliang army soldiers somewhat resentful and expressed their dissatisfaction without disguising it.

But the generals of Bingzhou Army were also filled with anger and resentment!

The two armies had never fought side by side or shared life and death. Even during Ding Yuan's period, the Bingzhou Army and the Xiliang Army attacked and killed each other, and many soldiers still had some blood feuds hidden.

Now, because of Dong Zhuo's death, there is resentment and rift in their hearts. With the accumulation of new and old grudges, there is already a trend of breaking up, and the contradiction between the two armies has been exposed.

This made Baihu very happy!

Since the attempt to incite the Xiliang Army's generals to fight among themselves fails, we can change our thinking and find another way to incite the Xiliang Army and the Bingzhou Army to confront each other and attack each other!

Two dogs fight, play off!
"Alright, alright. The murderer Cao Cao has been arrested. When the truth comes out, we will also know the mastermind behind the scenes. Now that things have come to this, there is no point in arguing about these things. We should focus on the future."

Baihu spoke in a hypocritical manner, saying all the good things he could. After his few words of instigation, the Xiliang Army and Bingzhou Army were full of resentment.

I have to say that Baihu, the traitor, was quite successful!
However, Baihu was too eager, and the generals of the Xiliang army were careless and did not notice it. But Li Ru, who was resourceful and even scheming, looked at Baihu disguised as Wang Fang with some suspicion, and gradually became suspicious!

The generals of the Xiliang Army and the Bingzhou Army were already at odds with each other, and were like strangers. This made Li Ru very worried. This was also one of the unstable factors in their army. This hidden danger must be resolved as soon as possible to avoid endless troubles!

But now, due to the death of Dong Zhuo, the Xiliang army is in danger of destruction. Li Ru has to temporarily suppress the contradictions between the two armies and keep silent about it tacitly in order to solve the primary issue first. The most urgent task is to reach a cooperation with Taifu Yuan Wei!
Apparently, everything was peaceful. Although the Xiliang Army and the Bingzhou Army had their own plans and ulterior motives, they were suppressing their resentment. Who knew that they would be suddenly pointed out by 'Wang Fang', breaking this layer of window paper!

Li Ru looked at Wang Fang's jumping up and down reaction, and recalled the discussion of the generals just now. Wang Fang was suspected of sowing discord among them, and his words seemed to lead the generals of Xiliang Army to infighting.

"Am I overly suspicious? Or... is there really something fishy about 'Wang Fang'?!"

The more Li Ru thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. However, he needed to visit Taifu Yuan Wei overnight to communicate about the future of the Xiliang Army. This was a matter concerning the future and survival of the entire army, so he could only suppress this suspicion.

At this moment, Wang Fang asked casually, "Military Advisor, it's getting dark today. Do you need me to escort you to the Grand Tutor's Mansion?"

"General Wang has been busy all day. You have made great contributions to the capture of Cao Cao. You should reward your generals to avoid being mistreated and complaining. And today is General Wang's turn to guard Deyang Palace. The little emperor's surveillance is also of utmost importance!"

Li Ru politely declined.

"That's what the military advisor said."

After hearing this, Baihu, who was disguised as Wang Fang, had no choice but to give up.

Although he wanted to go with Li Ru to the residence of Grand Tutor Yuan Wei to find out the results of their secret conversation, he also knew that too much is as bad as too little, and haste makes waste, so he avoided arousing suspicion.

At this time, Niu Fu stepped forward, patted Wang Fang on the shoulder, and said, "Brother Wang has been busy all day. Go down and reward your subordinates. Just record the money spent in the account. I will take the military advisor to the Taifu Mansion."

"Alright."

Wang Fang nodded and left immediately.

Li Ru looked at Wang Fang's departing back, and when he was halfway from Dong Zhuo's residence to the Grand Tutor's residence, and there were no strangers around, he looked at Niu Fu, who was guarding him, and asked:
"Wu Zuo (Niu Fu's courtesy name), do you think there is something wrong with 'Wang Fang'?"

"Wenyou (Li Ru's courtesy name), are you being overly suspicious?"

Niu Fu was somewhat suspicious. The two were brothers-in-law and had a close relationship. "I have been in frequent contact with Brother Wang, and I am not suspicious. Did you discover something? Did you worry too much about Mr. Dong's death?"

"It's a turbulent time, maybe I'm just overthinking it."

Li Ru frowned and thought about it. There was no direct evidence to show that there was something wrong with "Wang Fang". It might really be the death of Dong Zhuo that made him start to think wildly. Worrying too much will lead to confusion.

Of course, it is also possible that Wang Fang showed his humanity because of Dong Zhuo's death and the struggle for interests. Li Ru was unsure of all the possibilities.

Sometimes, other people's opinions can change a person's perspective invisibly.

Niu Fu and Wang Fang have a "friendship" and just now "recommended the leader's support", so he naturally subconsciously supports Wang Fang, which is equivalent to defending him, making Li Ru unsure. If Niu Fu said "I have the same feeling", "Should we send someone to monitor him", "Maybe he has ulterior motives because of Dong Gong's death", etc., Li Ru's suspicion of "Wang Fang" will deepen, and the situation will be completely different.

Of course, if Niu Fu asked more questions on this topic, Li Ru, who was resourceful, might still come up with some associations. But when Niu Fu was about to ask more questions, they had already arrived at the Taifu's residence.

The residences of the three dukes of the Han Dynasty were all nearby, near the gate of Haomen in the southeast corner of the imperial palace. After arriving at the destination, Li Ru did not think about whether Wang Fang was up to no good, but solemnly prepared to meet with the Grand Tutor Yuan Wei!

Yuan Wei, the Grand Tutor, was from the Yuan family of Runan. His family had three dukes in four generations, and his students and former officials were all over the country. He was also Dong Zhuo's former master. After the death of General He Jin, he took charge of the Secretariat alone. The government affairs of the Eastern Han Dynasty were under the control of the Secretariat, and he was responsible for all government orders.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the position of Taifu was higher than that of the Three Dukes, but it was actually a nominal position. However, after recording the Shangshu, the situation was quite different. It was an interference of external personnel in the affairs of the Shangshutai. In short, Taifu Yuan Wei was in charge of the government!

Even Dong Zhuo's appointment as Sikong required the approval of Yuan Kui, the Grand Tutor. Dong Zhuo's arbitrary dethronement and enthronement also required Yuan Kui's approval.

If Dong Zhuo is the most powerful warlord with strong military power, then Yuan Wei, the Grand Tutor, is the most powerful civil official who controls internal affairs and the government!

Moreover, the Yuan family of Runan had three officials in four generations, and their students and former officials were spread all over the world. The Yuan family was also the number one family in the Han Dynasty. The Grand Tutor Yuan Wei was in a high position and had great power. He controlled not only the internal affairs of the court, but also the internal affairs of the world!
Even in Li Ru's view, the Xiliang Army, which was powerful in the government, was just a clown jumping up and down. The Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, who had been hiding behind the scenes, was the real person in charge. Even when the capital was in turmoil, he remained unmoved!

This was also the reason why Dong Zhuo was so eager to depose and enthrone.

In addition to deposing the emperor and establishing his authority, he also seized power! What he seized was political power!

Yuan Wei, the Grand Tutor, had the right to record the affairs of the Shangshu because he and He Jin supported the enthronement of the prince Bian. If Dong Zhuo could succeed in deposing and enthroning the emperor, Yuan Wei would have to stand aside. Unfortunately, Cao Cao attempted to assassinate him, and he lost everything with one careless move!

Li Ru sighed inwardly and handed over the visiting card!
Now, he wanted to pay a visit to this extremely powerful person. It was related to the future of their Xiliang Army. After Dong Zhuo's death, when the fight for the throne among the generals was temporarily suppressed, if he could introduce Taifu Yuan Wei, it would undoubtedly be a brilliant move!
All problems will be solved!

But the question is, will Grand Tutor Yuan Wei agree? !

When the servant handed over the visiting card and then received the news that Grand Tutor Yuan Wei was willing to summon Li Ru, he felt a little relieved!
At this turbulent time, the Grand Tutor Yuan Wei did not avoid meeting or avoid suspicion. Instead, he was willing to meet with Li Ru, the representative of the Xiliang Army, which was a statement in itself!
This matter is half successful!

As for the remaining half, it depends on whether the Xiliang Army can bear it. The Grand Tutor Yuan Wei has opened his mouth wide!

Li Ru subconsciously straightened his clothes, and then respectfully followed the servants into the Taifu's mansion.

The factory guards who had been observing outside also passed this information back to Deyang Palace, and at the same time tried to infiltrate the Taifu's mansion to eavesdrop.

……

Inside Deyang Palace.

Bai Hu, disguised as Wang Fang, has come to Deyang Palace to take turns on guard duty. He takes the opportunity to tell everything that happened today, the discussions of the Xiliang Army generals, and Li Ru's decision to join Taifu Yuan Wei.

This result made Liu Bian feel somewhat unexpected yet reasonable!

After Dong Zhuo's death, even though the Xiliang Army had 200,000 Xiliang cavalry, it was just a temporary solution.

The Xiliang army was leaderless, and the generals were all brave and skilled in fighting, so there would definitely be a fight for the throne. This gave the ambitious people an opportunity to take advantage of it, including the heroes watching from afar, and the officials in the court and the officers of the Beijing garrison.

These can cause severe damage to the Xiliang army, or even destruction!
The Xiliang army generals could not see the long-term crisis, but Li Ru was resourceful and far-sighted, so how could he not see this? Therefore, after he could no longer suppress the fight for the throne among the Xiliang army generals, he would definitely introduce foreign aid!
Taifu Yuan Wei is undoubtedly the best candidate!
Although Dong Zhuo acted recklessly to depose and seize power, he must have had a secret with his Grand Tutor Yuan Wei.

Dong Zhuo's appointment as Sikong and his arbitrary dethronement and enthronement were all done after consulting the Grand Tutor Yuan Wei. Even when Dong Zhuo took charge of government affairs, the famous scholars behind him all had intricate and complicated relationships with the Yuan family!

So although Dong Zhuo seemed to have great power in the court, the Grand Tutor Yuan Wei was also able to manipulate things in secret.

There will be many conspiracy theories in the future, all saying that this is part of the Yuan family’s “plan to usurp the Han Dynasty”!
After the Yuan family dealt with the foreign relative General He Jin, as well as the Ten Attendants and other eunuchs, the forces of the imperial supporters were completely wiped out. The Yuan family actually controlled the military and political power and laid the foundation for undermining the imperial power!

Dong Zhuo, an old official of the Yuan family, turned the table over and wanted to take the fruits of victory and pick peaches directly. This may be beyond the control of the Yuan family, and some unexpected episodes occurred. But with the foundation of three officials in four generations of the Yuan family, how could there be no backup plan?

It is very likely that the Yuan family will go with the flow and hide behind the scenes, deliberately pushing Dong Zhuo to the forefront and putting all the blame and hatred on him, so as to arouse the anger of the world. Then, the Yuan family will stand up to eliminate the thief and gain the greatest benefits!

This can be seen from the fact that Yuan Shao fled and got his hands on Jizhou, a place with "a million soldiers and ten years of grain", and Yuan Shu controlled the "fertile land" of Nanyang, "Yuan's old nest, Runan".

If the Yuan family could use the purge of the emperor's court to wipe out Dong Zhuo, it would be a great achievement! Military power, political power, the legal right to hold the emperor hostage to control the princes, and meritorious military achievements, all of them were theirs!
Of course there is another way of saying it.

The Yuan family was raising an army outside and using external pressure to allow Yuan Wei to continue bargaining with Dong Zhuo and strive for the greatest benefits. But they did not expect that Dong Zhuo would cut off his relationship with the literati and kill Yuan Wei's entire family, which was equivalent to cutting off his own rule!
This is the core argument of future conspiracy theories!
After traveling to the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Bian was personally involved in the situation and felt that these conspiracy theories might really be true!
But the only thing he couldn't understand was why Yuan Wei agreed to Dong Zhuo's arbitrary dethronement? !
It should be noted that when Dong Zhuo was deposing and enthroning the emperor, Ding Yuan, Lu Zhi and Yuan Shao successively opposed it, and then sought the opinion of Taifu Yuan Wei. The Taifu, who was in charge of the Secretariat, agreed. The situation was already decided and it was impossible to reverse it!
Dong Zhuo had the first military power, Yuan Kui had the first political power, and both of them agreed to dethrone and enthrone. As a result, Lu Zhi, who had a great reputation in China, collated Confucian classics, and participated in the continuation of "Dongguan Hanji", had to abandon his official position and flee!

This is equivalent to Yuan Wei making the final decision on dethroning and enthroning!

This is a political stain, why did Grand Tutor Yuan Wei agree to it?! It can't be that he was afraid of death and surrendered after being coerced by Dong Zhuo?!
Liu Bian really couldn't understand it!
and also……

Yuan Shao opposed Yuan Wei's decision to depose Dong Zhuo, and even said in the court, "Dong is not the only strong man in the world!" After learning that Yuan Wei agreed to depose Dong Zhuo, he fled the capital, which made him look like a nobody!

Could it be that there were also disputes and disagreements within the Yuan family? After all, Yuan Shao was born a bastard, and Yuan Shu called him a "maid's son". The brothers were not on good terms, and they killed each other in the end, which is also a kind of evidence.

Of course, it is also possible that the Yuan family did it on purpose. Eggs cannot be put in one basket. Yuan Wei agreed to depose and enthronize, Yuan Shao opposed it, and even Yuan Shu's escape from the capital was tantamount to opposing the dethronement and enthronement. These are all the practices of a cunning rabbit with three burrows.

"Both are possible. I can't be sure which one it is!"

Liu Bian was unable to confirm Yuan Kui's political motives. If he could roughly determine them, he could take corresponding precautions and make arrangements, and even prepare for a rainy day and anticipate the enemy's moves. But unfortunately, there was too little intelligence at the moment.

At this time, news came from Jinyiwei and Dongchang.

"Your Majesty, Li Ru handed in a visiting card, and Yuan Wei agreed to meet..."

"Your Majesty, Li Ru and Yuan Wei met privately. We are unable to find out the details for the time being. We are still trying to infiltrate the Grand Tutor's residence."

"Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor's residence is heavily guarded, so we have no way of knowing for the time being. Li Ru has already concluded the discussion and left the Grand Tutor's residence."

The Yuan family is indeed a family of three dukes for four generations, and their foundation is very deep. The factory guards were temporarily unable to infiltrate the Taifu's mansion, so they had no idea what Li Ru and Yuan Wei had communicated about, and what agreement they had reached.

However, Bai Hu disguised himself as "Wang Fang". As one of the generals of the Xiliang Army, he must be qualified to know the inside story. And Li Ru will definitely reveal the results of the discussion to the generals of the Xiliang Army.

Sure enough, not long after, a Xiliang Army messenger came to Wang Fang in a hurry: "General Wang, the military advisor urgently summoned all the generals to discuss matters!"

"I understand!"

Bai Hu, disguised as "Wang Fang", said goodbye to Liu Bian and immediately went to Dong Zhuo's mansion to discuss matters.

This made Liu Bian and others look forward to the agenda!

It is now the hour of Hai, probably around ten o'clock in the evening. After Li Ru visited Yuan Wei overnight, he urgently summoned all the generals of the Xiliang Army to discuss matters. Something big must have happened!

Sure enough, after waiting quietly for half a quarter of an hour, the White Tiger disguised as "Wang Fang" brought an earth-shattering news, the content of which made Liu Bian's heart sink!
……

(End of this chapter)