Chapter 16: Dong Bai

"This group of Guandong thieves truly have eyes but fail to see."

"If they had not driven Gu Yi away, with Gu Yi's strategy, I fear this Sishui Pass would be truly difficult to preserve."

Li Ru sighed with emotion.

Hearing this, Dong Zhuo felt it even more deeply.

In reality, almost everyone in the Xiliang Army had been despised by this group of "Guandong aristocratic masters."

In the eyes of the Guandong aristocratic masters, the Xiliang Army was merely mud-legged people from the frontier regions.

When Dong Zhuo first occupied Luoyang, he actually did not make things difficult for the Guandong aristocratic clans at the beginning.

On the contrary, he constantly bestowed them with high official positions and generous salaries to soothe people's hearts.

However, the funny thing was.

Within the Guandong coalition, as many as one-third of the warlords were personally conferred by Dong Zhuo.

That is to say, clearly it was Dong Zhuo who promoted them, yet they turned around and became the vanguard army crusading against Dong Zhuo!

Why would such a situation appear?

To put it plainly, it was a problem of class opposition.

The Guandong aristocratic masters looked down on the frontier warlords from the west of the pass, led by Dong Zhuo, from the bottom of their hearts.

Even if Dong Zhuo took his heart out for them, they would only spit on it with disdain.

Besides that.

This group of Guandong aristocratic masters also constantly smeared the reputation of Dong Zhuo and the Xiliang Army.

Although the military discipline and regulations of the Xiliang Army indeed needed improvement.

But things like burning, killing, and looting were not as serious as what that group of Guandong aristocratic clans said.

Under their description, even if Dong Zhuo and the Xiliang Army did nothing, they would become heinous demons in minutes!

Nowadays.

The situation Gu Yi encountered, and the predicament faced by Dong Zhuo and the Xiliang Army, were how similar!

Precisely because he had no background and no status, the coalition forces would not take him seriously.

To put it plainly, in the eyes of the Guandong aristocratic masters.

Power was a game that only existed in the upper classes.

The commoner Gu Yi, the mud-legged Dong Zhuo, the mud-legged Li Ru—these people were not qualified to participate in the game!

"Father-in-law, this Gu Yi possesses great talent and has established such merit; you should promote and highly value him."

Beside Dong Zhuo, Li Ru spoke.

Li Ru recommended Gu Yi like this; was he not afraid that his position would be replaced by Gu Yi?

Of course he was not afraid!

This principle was very simple.

In terms of status, Li Ru's positioning in Dong Zhuo's army was similar to Xun Yu in the future Cao camp.

In terms of personal relationship and feelings, Li Ru was both the chief strategist of the Xiliang Army and Dong Zhuo's eldest son-in-law.

Plus, Boss Dong was a person who valued feelings.

Even a good-for-nothing like his second son-in-law, Niu Fu, could be highly valued, so how much more so for his eldest son-in-law, Li Ru, who possessed considerable talent?

Gu Yi was currently only at the age of twenty.

And Li Ru was already nearly forty.

Between the two, there was a full generation's difference.