Chapter Thirty: The Descent

  Lü Bu heard Ding Yuan's words and was furious, shouting: "My lord, to shoot someone with a hidden arrow is not the act of a true man!"

  Cao Xing heard Ding Yuan's order, also with a difficult expression, after all, this was the behavior of a petty person, but Cao Xing didn't have Lü Bu's guts to shout angrily at the commander in front of the three armies.

  "Lü Bu, you're being too presumptuous! You don't have the ability to behead enemy generals, I'm helping you out. Get out of my sight, and tomorrow follow the plan, did you hear me?" Ding Yuan said with a gloomy face after seeing Lü Bu dare to defy him in front of the three armies' officers, then glanced around at the other generals before turning his back and leaving the main tent.

  "Yes!" The generals dared not disobey the commander's opinion, and they all nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Lü Bu's eyes were filled with anger as he stared at Ding Yuan's back.

  On the other hand, in Dong Zhuo's army...

  "Hahaha... Autumn Water is indeed our beloved general, hahaha. I'd like to see how Ding Yuan can compete with us for Luoyang." The Dong Zhuo army was filled with wine and meat, the entire camp was filled with laughter.

  At this time, Li Ru heard Dong Zhuo's words and picked up a cup of fine wine to take a small sip. He then stood up and bowed his hands to Dong Zhuo, saying: "Your Excellency, the Bingzhou army should not be underestimated. Moreover, there is still Lü Bu in the army. If we engage in a bloody battle with the Bingzhou army, even if we win, it will certainly be a Pyrrhic victory."

  Dong Zhuo put down the wine cup in his hand after hearing Li Ru's words, and his face turned ugly. The generals in the army saw Dong Zhuo's expression and quickly fell silent, not daring to speak again.

  Bang!

  Dong Zhuo sank into thought for a moment, then slammed his fist on the table in anger and sighed: "If I had obtained Fengxian, my tent would have had Wen with loving sons-in-law, Wu with autumn water Lü Bu, what worry about the world not being settled?"

  At this time, a scholar in his thirties with a thin build and a goatee walked out and bowed to Dong Zhuo, saying: "Your Excellency, I am from the same hometown as Lü Bu and know him well. I wish to use my silver tongue to persuade Lü Bu to surrender."

  It turned out that this man was Li Su, who was said in history to have surrendered Lü Bu.

  Dong Zhuo saw a scholar suddenly standing under the account, boasting and saying that he could persuade Lü Bu. He was overjoyed and said: "What do you need? Just say it."

  It can be seen that Dong Zhuo's mind is eager for talent, especially since Dong Zhuo was originally a military general and relied on his military achievements to climb to his current position. He particularly loves generals, and it is common for them to be rewarded lavishly. The several high-ranking generals in the army are constantly being rewarded, revealing Dong Zhuo's methods. The entire Western Liang army can be described as responding to a single call.

  Li Su heard Dong Zhuo's words and secretly rejoiced, thinking that if things went as planned, he would soon be promoted to a high-ranking position with a generous salary. He hastily replied: "My lord, a warrior has three things that he cherishes throughout his life: a divine weapon, armor to protect his body, and a precious horse. Lü Bu lacks only one thing - a precious horse. If you want to persuade Lü Bu to surrender, you must offer him your **Red Hare Horse**." After finishing speaking, Li Su quickly lowered his head, knowing that everyone in the Western Liang army was aware of Dong Zhuo's fondness for the Red Hare Horse, given his own background as a warrior.

  Dong Zhuo's face turned difficult to look at after hearing Li Su's words. After all, the Red Hare was a rare and precious horse that could not be found anywhere, and it was a treasure for any general. There were only two Red Hares in the entire Western Liang army, one of which had been given to the great general Huo Qubing under his command, leaving Dong Zhuo somewhat reluctant and hesitant about the remaining one.

  "Is it that you won't unless it's a peerless steed?" Dong Zhuo also knew in his heart that for a warrior of Lü Bu's caliber, ordinary objects were indeed hard to get excited about, yet he still asked unwillingly.

  Li Su nodded silently.

  Qiu Shui, standing in the first row to Dong Zhuo's left, heard the conversation in the army and stood up, looking at Dong Zhuo firmly and said: "My lord, seeking the world is like getting Lv Bu, it's like adding wings to a tiger. And the Red Hare horse is just a substitute for walking in your eyes, but on the battlefield, a precious horse is a general's life. My lord, between the world and the Red Hare, which one is lighter and which one is heavier?"

  Dong Zhuo was originally hard to decide, but when he heard the words of his first general, he thought, not bad, the world and a precious horse, which one is more important? Isn't it the world? Not to mention one, even ten horses, as long as there are, Dong Zhuo is willing to exchange. He immediately slammed the table and shouted: "Good, Chi Tu is just Chi Tu, and add two boxes of pearls."

  It can be seen that DONG Zhuo's success today is not accidental. When it comes to his favorite generals, DONG Zhuo is much more generous than Ding Yuan of Bingzhou. The two are simply incomparable.

  "Our lord is wise." When they heard Dong Zhuo's decision, all the generals under the account stood up and responded with a bow.

  "Haha, I hope Lü Bu won't let us down." Dong Zhuo heard the words of the people under his tent and laughed loudly, gesturing for them to sit down.

  Qiu Shui heard Dong Zhuo's words and gratefully bowed his hands to Dong Zhuo, saying: "My lord, tonight I am willing to go to the Pingzhou army camp to persuade Lü Bu."

  Dong Zhuo felt embarrassed after hearing Qiu Shui's words. After watching today's battle, Dong Zhuo valued Qiu Shui even more and went to the Pingzhou army camp. Just in case something happened, Dong Zhuo didn't want to lose his great general. He was a bit worried and said: "Qiu Shui, I know you are also for my sake, but if Lü Bu is not willing to surrender, Pingzhou has 70,000 elite troops. What if..."

  Dong Zhuo didn't continue, but the generals understood his meaning. Even if your martial arts are unparalleled, facing the 70,000 elite troops of Xiliang is still a difficult situation to escape from.

  Qiu Shui listened and nodded to the generals, "Don't worry, my lord. I'll disguise myself and keep a low profile. There won't be any big problems."

  When Dong Zhuo still hesitated after Autumn Water finished speaking, he firmly said: "Your Excellency, let Li Su go to the army first and have a good talk with Lü Bu, then invite Lü Bu to try out his horse. He will definitely come out of the camp. I will meet Lü Bu outside the camp in Pingzhou. If anything goes wrong, I can also return in time. Your Excellency can rest assured, my Red Hare horse, is there anyone in the Pingzhou army who can catch up?"

  "Master, it's just right." Li Ru heard what Qiu Shui said and knew that the two men today were heroes who appreciated each other. If they added Qiu Shui's words, their success would be even greater. After all, as a provincial governor, Ding Yuan didn't even reward Lü Bu with a precious horse, which showed that Ding Yuan and Lü Bu weren't as harmonious on the surface as they seemed.

  Dong Zhuo nodded after hearing Li Ru's words: "Good, if there is any mishap in Pingzhou Army, you must withdraw in time."

  After hearing this, Qiu Shui also felt a wave of gratitude in his heart. It can be seen that no matter which lord in the Three Kingdoms is not a simple lamp, even Dong Zhuo, who was called a tyrant, has a set, and it can be seen that Cao Cao and Liu Bei are more powerful than Dong Zhuo.

  Night, and the great camp of Ping Province.

  After Ding Yuan and Lü Bu parted ways in discord, Lü Bu returned to his camp. As soon as he entered the camp, a look of fatigue appeared on his face.

  "General, are you alright?" Zhang Liao and Gao Shun had just seen Lü Bu return to the tent, looking extremely exhausted, and hastily inquired.

  Lü Bu waved his hand and didn't say a word, he simply handed the halberd to Zhang Liao. Zhang Liao quickly took over Lü Bu's halberd and put it on the weapon rack. However, after taking the halberd, Zhang Liao was shocked to find that there were faint bloodstains on the handle of the halberd where Lü Bu had gripped it. He hastily looked at Lü Bu's palm.

  "Hiss! Zhang Liao took a deep breath, and Lv Bu's tiger mouth was actually cracked, with a thread of fresh blood flowing out. Although it's no longer bleeding now, he was still shocked beyond measure. Since Lv Bu joined the army, there wasn't a single time when he didn't charge to the front line, nor had he ever been injured before. Today, in a fair duel with someone, he actually got hurt, which was truly frightening."

  "I, Lü Bu, a true hero of the Western Liang, now forced to secretly harm others by Ding Guan, my heart is truly filled with shame." Lü Bu sat down in his tent, his face full of helplessness and sighs.

  Gao Shun was not good at speaking, and after seeing his own general's appearance, he didn't know what to say either, so he just quietly fought alongside him.

  Zhang Liao didn't know how to persuade him either, after all, Ding Yuan was their superior and couldn't do anything without following his opinion. However, Zhang Liao now also had a lot of resentment towards Ding Yuan.

  "Report! General, there is a man outside the camp who claims to be from your hometown and requests an audience." Lü Bu was greatly surprised. In this Luoyang, he didn't know he still had a fellow townsman. However, Lü Bu still had him led in.

  "General, our army is currently fighting against Dong Zhuo. Now that a fellow townsman of the general has arrived, it's clear that this person must be an emissary sent by Dong Zhuo." Zhang Liao, who would become a great general in the future, immediately understood the situation and hastily spoke to Lü Bu.

  Lü Bu heard this and suddenly felt reasonable, but who is Lü Bu? Would he avoid suspicion for anything and not see guests? He waved his hand at Gao Shun and Zhang Liao, saying: "You two hide in the tent, I want to see how Dong Zhuo's envoy can persuade me."

  No!

  Gao Shun and Zhang Liao heard Lü Bu's words, nodded and hid to the side of the camp. After all, they knew Lü Bu's temperament well. Besides, even if they were guests, how could they weaken their prestige? They didn't see each other, and the two of them retreated instead.

  "Long time no see!" Li Su exclaimed as soon as he entered the tent, speaking to Lü Bu with a tone that suggested they were old friends.

  Lü Bu took a look and found it was Li Su. Although they were not familiar with each other, since the other side was so enthusiastic, Lü Bu couldn't be impolite. He politely waved his hand and said: "It's Brother Li Su, please take a seat."

  Li Su sat down and didn't discuss other matters, only talking with Lü Bu about their hometown and pulling on old relationships, the two of them quickly became close.

  Lü Bu had been killing on the battlefield for so many years, and was suppressed by Ding Yuan's jealousy. He was no longer the Lü Bu who only used martial arts to get things done. How could he not know Li Su's intention? However, since the other party didn't say anything, Lü Bu just chatted nonsense with him, and it all depended on whose patience would last longer.

  Li Su spoke halfway, his mouth dry and tongue parched. He thought to himself, "How did Lü Bu change his nature? He can actually restrain his own temper." But thinking of the information he had gathered, he picked up a bowl of wine and took a small sip before saying, "Fengxian's martial arts are unparalleled, and in Bingzhou, he is also known as the Flying General. He is indeed carefree to the extreme! Haha!"

  Lü Bu was somewhat annoyed, and the other party, as a lobbyist for Dong Zhuo's army, would not have known his position in the Bianzhou army, yet he still dared to mock him at this time. Lü Bu did not express what he thought in his heart on his face, but instead coldly said: "I am just a chief clerk, how can I talk about being carefree and extreme?"