Chapter 9 In the end, Cao Cao took it all on his own!
Bai Hu, disguised as Wang Fang, escorted Cao Cao to Dong Zhuo's residence, where the whole residence was in mourning and began to prepare for Dong Zhuo's funeral.

Original history shows that Dong Zhuo would call himself the Prime Minister only after the emperor was deposed and enthroned. Now he is still the Minister of Works, and as one of the Three Dukes, his funeral is naturally grand and magnificent, but so far, apart from the Western Liang Army, no court officials have come to mourn.

While Wang Fang was searching the entire city for the real murderer Cao Cao, the generals of the Xiliang Army had already arrived at Dong Zhuo's residence one after another. Without exception, all of them were present.

Li Ru clearly ordered some generals to guard the eight passes of Luoyang and garrison the capital inside and outside to prevent other ambitious people from taking advantage of the situation, but they handed the matter over to his deputy general and his personal soldiers, and personally led the army to Dong Zhuo's mansion to pay homage.

As the military advisor of the Xiliang Army, Dong Zhuo's strategist and son-in-law, Li Ru has a high status and is very resourceful. But after seeing this situation, he was also worried!

What he was most worried about happened!

These generals were afraid that after Dong Zhuo's death, when the Xiliang army redistributed the interests, they would suffer losses because they were not present in person. Therefore, after paying tribute to Dong Zhuo, they all stayed in the mansion in silence and did not leave.

Now Dong Zhuo was accidentally assassinated, and they need to find the real culprit. But at the same time, with Dong Zhuo's death, the Xiliang army is leaderless. How should they deal with it? Should each general do his own thing? Or should they elect another leader?
If the generals acted on their own...

How should their forces be divided? How should the power and territory be divided? Does the reward Dong Zhuo promised still count? Will the distribution of the reward harm the interests of others?
If another leader is chosen...

Who was qualified to take over Dong Zhuo's position? Dong Zhuo's descendants had died before him, and his descendants were too young to take on the responsibility. One of his two daughters married Niu Fu and the other married Li Ru.

But in the eyes of the generals of the Xiliang Army, the position of leader should naturally be held by the one with the most virtue, rather than the son inheriting his father's business. Their Xiliang Army is brave and good at fighting, and what matters is who has the better martial arts and who has greater military achievements. They don't care about that.

In this case, the generals of the Xiliang Army all thought that they were highly skilled in martial arts and had outstanding military achievements. Are they also qualified to become the leader of the Xiliang Army? !
Of course, if we count strictly, among all the generals of the Xiliang Army, there are only a few who can truly subdue everyone - Dong Zhuo's son-in-law Niu Fu, Dong Zhuo's confidant Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou and other generals!
Even if the scope is narrowed, there are still a lot of generals, but there is only one leader position!
The generals of the Xiliang Army must fight!
The fight for the throne!!!

Therefore, although Dong Zhuo's residence was heavily guarded and had many soldiers and generals, people from top to bottom still seemed to be in a state of panic and insecurity.

The maids and attendants who came and went were all very cautious, fearing that if they were not careful, they would be affected by the fire in the city gate.

The atmosphere in Dong Zhuo's mansion was so weird. There was a depressing feeling as if a storm was brewing, making it hard to breathe.

In this dead silence, the messenger's voice finally broke the strange atmosphere and woke up the generals:
"Generals, General Wang has arrived to escort the murderer Cao Cao."

The cold and murderous Xiliang army generals, who had their own plans, stood up and went outside the hall to greet Wang Fang and the murderer Cao Cao!

Unlike the generals of the Xiliang Army who stayed inside the hall, Lu Bu and other Bingzhou Army soldiers stayed outside the hall. The two seemed to be clearly separated, maintaining a sense of alienation and boundary.

'Wang Fang' escorted Cao Cao back and just gathered all the generals of the Xiliang Army and the Bingzhou Army together. This scene of mobilizing so many troops and full of murderous intent made Cao Cao a little frightened and moved for a moment!

Cao Cao's mind was as fast as lightning, looking for a solution to break the impasse!

White Tiger, disguised as 'Wang Fang', remained calm and looked around and asked, "Why are you all here? Are the eight passes of Luoyang not guarded? Are there no troops stationed inside and outside the capital? What if the five schools of the Northern Army and the Xiyuan Army mutinied?"

"Mr. Dong has been very kind to us. Now he has been stabbed to death and the murderer has not been caught yet. If we don't avenge him, how can we have the heart to station troops to suppress him?! In this vast world, Mr. Dong's blood feud is the greatest!"

Li Jue said in a deep voice, showing his loyalty to Dong Zhuo vividly, which caused many generals of the Xiliang Army to echo him.

As Dong Zhuo's trusted general and the commander of the elite "Flying Bear Army" of the Xiliang Army, Li Jue had a very high reputation and status in the Xiliang Army!

Moreover, these generals also understood that no matter whether they each acted on their own or chose another leader, the cause of Dong Zhuo's death and the real murderer were the top priorities. Otherwise, if they fought for the throne before Dong Zhuo's body was cold, it would only be disheartening!

Therefore, arresting the real murderer and avenging Dong Zhuo is an urgent and top priority!
Bai Hu, disguised as Wang Fang, nodded and said, "I have arrested the suspect Cao Cao. Since all the generals are here, let's interrogate him together so that the truth can be revealed and Lord Dong can rest in peace! Bring him up!"

Cao Cao was brought up tied up and interrogated in court!

The generals of the Xiliang Army and the Bingzhou Army, including Lu Bu, immediately looked at Cao Cao. They were all experienced warriors who had fought in hundreds of battles and had bloody battles. Each of them had a fierce and murderous look in their eyes, which made Cao Cao's back cold and his hair stand on end!
But Cao Cao did not panic. At this critical moment, he could only save himself by staying calm. He immediately cried out:
"My dear generals, Lord Dong has treated me well. How could I repay him with evil? I am innocent! I have been drinking heavily in the restaurant from morning till noon today. The owner, the waiter, and even the merchants who come and go can all testify for me. I did not have the time to assassinate Lord Dong!"

...

"Haha! Are we all blind?!"

"Cao is such a scoundrel! He dares to do something but doesn't take the responsibility!"

After hearing this, Li Jue, Guo Si and other generals did not react yet, but Bai Hu, who was disguised as "Wang Fang", and Lu Bu and other generals immediately sneered, because they saw Cao Cao visit his mansion with their own eyes and even had a brief exchange.

Li Ru said in a deep voice:

"Cao Cao, many of the soldiers in the palace saw you visit the mansion, and I saw it myself. It's useless to quibble now! If you know what's good for you, you can tell us the cause and effect of the assassination of Mr. Dong and the mastermind behind it. We can give you a quick death!"

The generals of the Xiliang Army looked at Cao Cao with murderous intent, which made him horrified and suspicious at the same time!
Cao Cao was sure that he had been drinking heavily in the restaurant from morning to noon, and it was impossible for him to appear in Dong Zhuo's mansion. Even if he was drunk, it was impossible for him to sleepwalk through a series of events without any memory!

Someone must have framed me!
But Li Ru was so sure about what he said. Could it be that there was someone who looked like him, hiding the truth and pretending to be him to assassinate Dong Zhuo? ! But this statement was too absurd. Not to mention the Xiliang army, I guess Cao Cao wouldn't believe it!
Cao Cao said in a deep voice:

"If you don't believe me, just call the shopkeeper to come over and testify! This matter must have been framed by someone. It doesn't matter if I die in vain, but if the real murderer is at large, Mr. Dong's spirit in heaven will probably die with regret!"

"Qiang Qiang Qiang——"

The generals of the Xiliang Army immediately drew their swords and looked at Cao Cao with murderous intent.

Guo Si said in a deep voice: "Cao the thief is still quibbling, why not punish him severely!"

This statement made all the generals agree!
"What does the military advisor think?"

Niu Fu and other generals looked at Li Ru. They were brave and resourceful, but that was only in marching and fighting. In matters such as making plans, reading people's minds, and judging cases, they were not as resourceful as Li Ru.

The generals looked at Li Ru.

Li Ru looked at Cao Cao with some suspicion. With his ability to read people's expressions, Cao Cao's promises were sincere and sincere, and it didn't look like he was lying. But he saw Cao Cao visit Dong Zhuo's residence and leave with his horse. The two even passed each other. Why did he still quibble?

Li Ru was puzzled.

He thought that after Cao Cao was arrested, he would argue that Dong Zhuo was stabbed after he left after testing horses, and that he was framed. After all, it was Dong Zhuo who asked him to test horses, so there was a time difference that could be exploited.

But Cao Cao argued that he had never been to Dong Zhuo's residence! In addition to Li Ru, Lu Bu, Wang Fang, patrol soldiers and servants, they all saw Cao Cao with their own eyes!

With so many witnesses and evidence, why did Cao Cao make such a false excuse?
Li Ru thought for a moment and said, "Bring the shopkeeper here to confront him face to face, so that he will be speechless!"

Wang Fang immediately ordered his men to bring people over.

The restaurant owner, his servants, and even the guests were all rudely pressed down by the Xiliang Army. They did not dare to resist at all. After hearing this, the restaurant owner did not dare to hide anything and told the whole story:
"My dear generals, Cao Cao was drinking heavily with his friend (Qin Qiong) in the restaurant early in the morning. Many of us have seen this.

“But they were in the box, and we couldn’t be sure whether Cao Cao was there the whole time, or if he left through the window for a while!
"Because we were so busy, we didn't notice when Cao Cao's friend left!"

...

"I'm drunk, how can I get out through the window?!"

Cao Cao immediately shouted angrily, "Didn't you hear me and my friends drinking and shouting? This is about the cause of Mr. Dong's death. If you conceal anything, you are colluding with the criminal!"

The shopkeeper, the servant and their guests were terrified, but they did not see Cao Cao, and the guests in the private room did not greet him or dare to disturb him. Therefore, it was impossible to be completely sure whether Cao Cao was always there.

Cao Cao’s alibi cannot be confirmed!
"Cao thief, you still want to quibble?!"

All the generals of the Xiliang Army were furious. So many people saw Cao Cao visit Dong Zhuo's residence, talk with Dong Zhuo, and finally leave on horseback, but he still tried to argue that he had never been there.

Do you really think that the Xiliang army generals are mentally retarded? !
In order to make Cao Cao give up, Li Ru confronted the servants who led the way, the patrolling soldiers, Lu Bu, Wang Fang and others, and even threw the murder weapon in front of Cao Cao, and said in a deep voice:
"Cao Cao, are you going to continue to quibble? This is the murder weapon you used to kill Mr. Dong, and the backup weapon you carried with you. There are witnesses and evidence. If you know what's good for you, tell us how you killed Mr. Dong and who was behind it!"

"Right and wrong will be judged by the public, and justice is in the hearts of the people!" Cao Cao was speechless and could only face it generously.

But in the eyes of the generals of the Xiliang Army and Li Ru, Cao Cao was speechless and indirectly admitted it!

After hearing this, Li Ru was silent for a while, then suddenly said:
"Cao Cao, our army has investigated. You did not return home last night, and only appeared in the restaurant in the morning. Where did you stay last night? Who did you visit? Did you conspire with the traitor to assassinate Mr. Dong? Who was the friend you drank with? Was he an accomplice?
"There is no impenetrable wall in the world. If you tell us the truth, we will kill you. Otherwise, when we find out the truth, we will make you live a life worse than death!"

After hearing this, Cao Cao's eyes finally showed some movement!
He did not return home the night before yesterday. He was at Wang Yun's residence discussing the assassination of Dong Zhuo with other officials. He only left quietly this morning. If this matter is investigated in depth, it will be difficult to conceal it!
It will even implicate the innocent Qin Qiong!

This made Cao Cao a little worried.

Although Cao Cao's surprised expression was fleeting, it was still caught by Li Ru and others!

"Cao, you are such an excellent actor. We were almost deceived by you. The military advisor caught us off guard and tricked us out of the truth. You must have conspired with your accomplices to assassinate Lord Dong yesterday!"

"Cao, tell us the truth. Who are your accomplices? Tell us and we promise to kill you without implicating your family!"

Li Jue and other generals of the Xiliang Army noticed that Cao Cao had a strange expression, and immediately realized that Cao Cao was hiding something, and immediately scolded him.

Cao Cao sighed inwardly. He could not escape death now. But he could not implicate Wang Yun and the others. So he hardened his heart and laughed with great heroic spirit:
"Hahaha, I was the one who killed Dong Zhuo! The country was in misfortune, and Dong Zhuo was in power, causing the people to suffer. He had no merit, but he dared to talk about deposing and enthroning, and wanted to disrupt the court. He is a traitor and a traitor, and everyone has the right to kill him!"

The generals of the Xiliang Army were furious and cursed: "Cao thief, you are ungrateful. Lord Dong treated you well, but you repay kindness with hatred!"

"Hahaha, I have received the emperor's grace for generations, so I should be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. The thief Dong is just a trick to buy people's hearts and minds, so that he can depose and enthrone the emperor and maintain stability in the government! How can I regard the enemy as my friend and help the tyrant to commit atrocities with such a petty trick?"

Cao Cao was dismissive.

Li Ru said in a deep voice: "Cao Cao, how did you assassinate Mr. Dong? Who was the mastermind behind this?!"

"It's just me, no one else!"

Cao Cao just said this, looked up at the sky and said no more.

No matter how Li Ru and the Xiliang army questioned him, Cao Cao did not say anything and was unwilling to answer. He was like a stone in a toilet, smelly and hard. In the end, the Xiliang army was helpless.

"Take him to jail and torture him severely! Force him to reveal his accomplices at all costs!!!" Li Ru gave the order.

When Cao Cao arrived, he was frightened and panicked, trying to find a good way out. But when he left, he held his head high, was upright, and laughed heartily, even laughing at Dong Zhuo's corpse:

"The traitor has been eliminated. I have no regrets even if I die! Hahahaha——"

There is a kind of heroic spirit of "I laugh out loud at the sky and go out, I am not a commoner". It shows his heroic spirit of sacrifice and death. The spies and detectives watching outside admire him!
The capital was abuzz with discussion over Cao Cao's heroic deeds, and many people were grieving over the loss of a rabbit and the grief of their own kind. Such emotions naturally needed to be suppressed, but the generals of the Xiliang Army were not in the mood to pay attention to these rumors.

Cao Cao's admission meant that the assassin who tried to assassinate Dong Zhuo was brought to justice.

So the person is gone, and the living are like this.

They still need to face their future life!

After Dong Zhuo's death, where will the Xiliang Army go? !
……

(End of this chapter)