Chapter 14

Is he dead?

How could he kill someone?

Zhou Yang might be able to kill a chicken, but killing a person, that was only in his dreams.

Although Dong Zhuo and Li Ru were kicked to the ground, spitting blood, Zhou Yang had only used less than one-tenth of his strength, just enough to injure their internal organs. They would recover after some rest.

However, the ministers in the hall would probably not give them the chance to rest.

After kicking Dong Zhuo and Li Ru away with two consecutive kicks, Zhou Yang felt a surge of excitement, as if he were a true man. Could it be that he had a hidden violent gene?

However, Zhou Yang also understood that now was not the time for daydreaming.

To catch the thief, one must first catch the king. Zhou Yang knew this principle. Dong Zhuo was naturally the primary target. As for the second target, between Lü Bu and Li Ru, Zhou Yang chose the latter after a brief thought.

Li Ru was the strategist of the entire Liang army. Eliminating him would surely cause chaos among the Liang soldiers in the short term. As for Lü Bu, the top warrior of the late Han dynasty, his combat power was such that even Zhou Yang could not defeat him with one blow.

More importantly, he still needed someone to counter the Liang army. In Luoyang, the three major armies were the most powerful. The first was Dong Zhuo's Liang army, followed by Lü Bu's Bingzhou army, and then the Eight Commanderies of the Western Garden left by Emperor Ling of Han.

Without the appropriate strength to restrain them, the Liang army would cause too much destruction.

"Appoint Lü Bu as the Left General, immediately suppress all rebels, and execute all who resist."

"Appoint Cao Cao as the Chief of the Imperial Guards, gather the Eight Commanderies of the Western Garden and the palace guards, and suppress the Liang rebels."

"Appoint Xun Yu as the Attendant, to recruit and pacify all rebels, and forgive all who surrender."

Zhou Yang didn't care if Cao Cao and Xun Yu were present. The young emperor's throne must be protected. As for the mess below, let those capable people clean it up.

Everyone in the hall, including the furious Lü Bu, was stunned.

Your National Master is too amazing. Just now, he beat the Grand Commandant Dong Zhuo and the Liang strategist Li Ru until they were spitting blood, and now he's appointing three officials of at least 2,000 stones. Normally, even the emperor needs to deliberate with the ministers for a long time to appoint a 2,000-stone official. Now it feels like he's appointing 400-stone county magistrates.

After a while, everyone's gaze, somewhat dazed, fell on Zhou Yang.

"Is no one accepting the decree?" Seeing the ministers standing there in a daze, Zhou Yang felt a bit awkward. After all, he was a National Master. Wasn't it just appointing a few familiar officials? He winked at the young emperor, clearly indicating that the emperor should do it.

"The words of the National Master are the words of the emperor." Seeing Zhou Yang's hint, the dazed Liu Bian came to his senses and quickly said.

"Appoint Jia Xu as the Governor of Liang Province." Zhou Yang thought for a moment and added another decree. If anyone in the Liang army could turn the tide, it would be Jia Xu. It was better to stabilize this dangerous person first, and Zhou Yang also wanted to recruit him.

The ministers in the hall looked at each other, all silent.

"Kill! Avenge the Grand Commandant." The Liang soldiers guarding the door finally reacted and, led by a captain, rushed into the palace.

Zhou Yang picked up Dong Zhuo's sword and silently watched the Liang soldiers rushing into the hall. As long as they could resist this wave of attack, Liu Bian's throne would be safe.

"Kill!" A loud roar echoed through the palace, like a tiger's roar.

No one expected that the hesitant Lü Bu would suddenly charge down to the Liang soldiers. The current situation still gave the Liang soldiers a good chance to turn the tide.

Lü Bu's halberd danced wildly, like the scythe of death, cutting down everything in its path. Whether it was a common soldier or a captain, none could escape death under the sharp edge of the halberd. The Liang soldiers, rushing in like a flood, were held back by Lü Bu alone, truly demonstrating the power of one man holding the pass, with ten thousand unable to pass.

Watching Lü Bu slaughter the soldiers like cutting melons, Zhou Yang secretly rejoiced. It was a good thing he hadn't attacked Lü Bu. Lü Bu's combat power was no less than his own.

The difference was that Zhou Yang was very fast, while Lü Bu's entire body seemed to form a death zone. Anyone within the range of the halberd would face a devastating blow, and even Zhou Yang would find it hard to resist within a certain range.

Lü Bu's defection immediately triggered a chain reaction among the Bingzhou soldiers, who also defected. With the Liang soldiers now facing attacks from both front and back and without a leader, they began to retreat.

"Left General, send a detachment to protect Cao Mengde and Xun Yu." Seeing the situation in the hall stabilizing, Zhou Yang said to the rampaging Lü Bu.

There were still 30,000 elite Liang soldiers stationed in Luoyang, and 50,000 Liang cavalry outside the city. If these threats were not eliminated, the danger would still exist.

Lü Bu gave Zhou Yang a deep look, waved his hand, and a detachment of Bingzhou soldiers separated to protect the two men, leading them out of the palace.

The battle lasted for a long time, with the entire city of Luoyang echoing with the sounds of battle. It wasn't until the afternoon, after four or five hours of fighting, that the sounds of battle gradually subsided.

*********

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of armor clashing echoed through the hall.

Rows of soldiers rushed to the palace, causing the ground to tremble.

The ministers in the hall, who had been discussing, suddenly turned pale, and some even fainted.

"Your servant Cao Cao, late in coming to the rescue, please forgive me, Your Majesty." Zhou Yang finally saw Cao Cao, who was about seven feet tall, wearing black armor stained with blood, his sharp eyes revealing a fierce aura.

"Rise!" Liu Bian said happily. Since Cao Cao was sent by the National Master, his return meant that the Eight Commanderies of the Western Garden had been recovered. Although young, he knew that the situation was now under control.

"Your servant Lü Bu, pays respects to Your Majesty. The rebellious Liang soldiers have been completely eliminated." Lü Bu bowed.

"Your servant Xun Yu, pays respects to Your Majesty. Most of the Liang camps outside the city have been pacified." A plain-looking, even somewhat dull, scholar said calmly.

...

Good news kept coming, and the ministers in the hall were overjoyed.

Zhou Yang also felt relieved.

Soon, the ministers, eager to offer advice, began to denounce Dong Zhuo's crimes and praise the four great contributors to the pacification: Zhou Yang, Lü Bu, Cao Cao, and Xun Yu, who were all ennobled. Zhou Yang didn't care much about what titles they received.

"Your Majesty, we can adjourn now." Seeing the sun about to set, Zhou Yang said to the excited young emperor. He had no time to chat with the ministers.

"Adjourn!" The young emperor told a eunuch, and with a sharp cry, the ministers gathered around Zhou Yang.

Seeing the ministers, with their fawning faces, Zhou Yang quickly left, leaving them to stare at each other. Soon, some of them went to flatter Lü Bu and the others.

Dong Zhuo's tragic lesson taught them that whoever had the troops was the boss.

Leaving the palace, Zhou Yang called the same eunuch to lead him to the mansion the young emperor had granted him.

"National Master, this is your mansion." The eunuch pointed to a large mansion.

Seeing the mansion, which occupied half a street, with eight black-gold stone lions about ten feet tall standing guard at the entrance, and a burly man standing in front of each lion, Zhou Yang felt like he had become a tycoon. In the modern world, it would cost billions of yuan to get such a place.

"Greetings, National Master!" Inside the mansion, a dozen beautiful maids curtsied to Zhou Yang.

"Feudal society is really great!" Zhou Yang sighed, letting the maids rise and walking into the mansion. Along the way, pavilions and terraces were arranged in a neat order, with streams flowing and gardens and forests everywhere, like a paradise.

"By the way, what's your name?" Zhou Yang turned to the excited eunuch, who looked about thirteen or fourteen years old, a victim of the times.

"Your servant, Xiao Gui Zi." Xiao Gui Zi said excitedly.

Xiao Gui Zi? That's Wei Xiaobao's name.

"From now on, you will be the steward of this mansion." Zhou Yang thought for a moment and said. This was the second familiar person he knew in the late Han dynasty.

"Thank you, National Master! Xiao Gui Zi will do his best." Xiao Gui Zi was stunned for a moment before kneeling and kowtowing.

Zhou Yang waved his hand, letting Xiao Gui Zi rise.

"National Master, Left General Lü Bu, Governor of Bingzhou Jia Xu, Chief of the Imperial Guards Cao Cao, and Attendant Xun Yu have come to pay their respects." A servant ran in to say.

Zhou Yang nodded. "Yes, I'll be there soon."

After a deep conversation, Lü Bu and Jia Xu expressed their loyalty, while Cao Cao and Xun Yu did so more subtly.

All four had risen to the top. The lowest rank among them was Xun Yu's Attendant, a 2,000-stone official. From the moment Zhou Yang appointed them, as long as they didn't want to give up their current positions, they were bound to Zhou Yang, becoming officials of the National Master's faction.

After seeing them off, Zhou Yang indulged in luxury with the help of four beautiful maids, not getting up until the next day when the sun was high in the sky, with the maids carefully serving him.