Chapter 224: Conspiracy

"Bang!" "Damn it! Niu Fu, that piece of trash."

In the Prime Minister Dong Zhuo's residence in Luoyang, his face turned ashen when he received the intelligence report that Niu Fu's army had actually been routed by the coalition.

"An army of two hundred thousand, finished just like that; fewer than thirty thousand escaped back."

"He still has the nerve to return? How does he command troops?"

Dong Zhuo's fury burned; at Hulao Pass, the main force of the Kanto Coalition was held back by Lv Bu and the others, unable to advance.

This allowed him to sit securely in Luoyang, directing the movement of troops and generals.

Yet, he never expected that Niu Fu's army, the one in the north least likely to be broken, would be defeated just like that. On the northern route, the coalition had only a few hundred thousand men, most of whom were new recruits—what kind of combat power could they have?

Among Niu Fu's two hundred thousand troops, fifty thousand were Xiliang Elite, thirty thousand were Imperial Guard, and the rest were Local Army; they might not be good at field battles, but they were more than capable of defending a city.

Moreover, he had specifically transferred Xu Rong over to serve as his deputy, yet they still suffered a rout. With this, the northern coalition of warlords now had the opportunity to eye Luoyang.

Most of his troops were currently stationed around Hulao Pass; after all, with the millions of troops of the Kanto warlords, he had to ensure the safety of Hulao Pass.

There, not only were there Lv Bu's one hundred thousand Bingzhou Army, but also two hundred thousand Xiliang Army, twenty thousand Imperial Guard, and the hundreds of thousands of Local Defense Army he had scraped together from the Sili region.

That made for a full million-strong army; of course, there were another five hundred thousand troops waiting not far behind Hulao Pass.

"Prime Minister, now is not the time for anger. We must send a large army to block that group of troops from Xuzhou outside, and not let them threaten Luoyang City."

Li Ru was also deeply vexed; Niu Fu had been defeated so cleanly, which created a major flaw in their original plan.

Originally, they had not feared the three-pronged army of the Kanto warlords at all; as long as Hulao Pass did not fall, Luoyang was in no danger whatsoever.

However, the coalition of warlords from Henei in the north had broken through the defensive line so quickly that it forced them to divert another portion of their troops to go and resist.

In this way, their own forces were becoming somewhat stretched thin.

"Hmph!"

Dong Zhuo's fat, fleshy face revealed a terrifying expression. As his tiger-like eyes glared, the many generals below all lowered their heads in deathly silence.

"Li Ru, what do you think should be done? Who should be sent?"

"Prime Minister, why not send General of the Household Duan?"

"Duan Wei?"

Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo pondered for a moment before nodding. "Do as you say. I will give him an army of one hundred thousand. Tell him he must block the northern coalition at the banks of the He River."

"Otherwise, he need not return."

Although Dong Zhuo's words were soft, the thick aura radiating from his entire body made everyone tremble.

They felt that their lord's strength seemed to have increased by a few points.

Below Hulao Pass, at the coalition camp.

News of Su Fan and the others advancing into the He River region had also reached here, and the coalition warlords knew that they had already achieved military merit in the north.

Dong Zhuo's two hundred thousand troops had been beaten until only a few tens of thousands escaped back.

With this, of the three routes, the northern one had taken the lead, which made the expressions of many warlords look unsightly.

Originally, the other two routes were merely meant to attract a portion of Dong Zhuo's troops, and they had never expected those two routes to have much effect.

Yet, they never expected the north to take the lead. Consequently, the pressure instantly shifted onto the many warlords at Hulao Pass.

If Tao Qian and the others really reached Luoyang City, wouldn't they all lose face in a big way?

Especially Yuan Shao, the Alliance Leader of the coalition.

"Is my lord worried about the north?"

In the dead of night, inside Yuan Shao's tent, Xu You looked at Yuan Shao and asked.

"Indeed. Does Zi Yuan have any instruction for me?"

Yuan Shao did not hide it and asked quite straightforwardly. At this time, Yuan Shao was still quite wise; after all, he was not yet the hegemon who would later possess several provinces.

At present, although he was the Alliance Leader of the coalition, in terms of actual strength, he was not the strongest. Regarding troops and such, not to mention that Yuan Shu had received the majority of the Yuan Clan's support, even some Inspectors and Provincial Governors had stronger military forces.

People like Tao Qian and Kong Zhou had troops not a bit weaker than his; he was currently merely the Prefect of Bohai.

That he could be elected Alliance Leader was more importantly because he was a scion of the Yuan Clan.

"Hehe! Why must my lord worry? Not to mention whether the Xuzhou troops can break through the defensive line and reach Luoyang City, even if they do reach it, there will be a share of the credit for you, my lord. This strategy of dividing the troops was proposed by you, was it not?"

"That they have such an offensive now also shows that you, my lord, command well."

"My lord has the discernment to recognize talent; I imagine outsiders will not question it."

Xu You's words made Yuan Shao's eyes brighten. This was true; the strategy of dividing the troops was indeed his proposal, and he had personally directed the division. No matter what, he had a share of the credit in this.

Moreover, if the Xuzhou troops could achieve results so quickly, his discernment in recognizing talent would surely spread throughout the world.

With the propaganda capability of his Yuan Clan, Yuan Shao smiled inwardly.

"Zi Yuan, continue."

"Besides this, Dong Zhuo will surely be the most nervous. After all, with Niu Fu's defeat, the Xuzhou troops can already cross the He River, and at that time, they can directly threaten Luoyang City."

"Dong Zhuo will certainly send elite troops to intercept the Xuzhou forces, and in doing so, the elite defenders at Hulao Pass will be fewer."

"This gives us an opportunity. Next, my lord can also use the banner of righteousness to urge the other warlords to speed up the siege. With the Xuzhou troops in the lead, I think those warlords will likely have to 'try' a bit harder."

"This will inevitably consume a bit more of their strength; this can achieve several things at once."

Xu You's words made Yuan Shao increasingly happy.

This was actually advantageous to him. He, Yuan Shao, naturally had the ambition to reach the top. By now, men of ambition had already seen the weakness of the Divine Han, much like the end of the Qin Dynasty in the past.

Naturally, those with ambition had long since made preparations, and he was naturally the same.

This time, being able to sit in the position of Alliance Leader was an increase in prestige for him, but he was clear that this was merely prestige.

When it came to a real war, few people would listen to him. In the future struggle for the world, these warlords were all his enemies. Therefore, if he could weaken them a bit now, it would naturally be of considerable help to his future.

It would be best if he could eliminate a few opponents here.

"Zi Yuan, thanks to you."

Yuan Shao smiled and feigned intimacy by patting the former's shoulder.

"My Duke, the Xuzhou troops will be our enemies in the future; it would be best to weaken them now."

"How should we do it?"

"Provisions!"

A look of ruthlessness appeared on Xu You's face, "The Grain Supervisor under Han Inspector—as long as we can control him and delay the provisions by a few days, then when the time comes..."

Xu You did not finish, but Yuan Shao understood immediately.

A smile also appeared on his face.