Chapter 9

Gu Yi and Li Ru’s origins are also very similar; both are mud-legged commoners looked down upon by the Guandong noble masters.

Therefore, Li Ru looks at Gu Yi with appreciation, not jealousy.

Hearing his eldest son-in-law say this, Boss Dong nods in deep agreement.

"This Gu Yi is indeed a person of overflowing talent; our Xiliang Army needs to absorb this kind of fresh blood."

"But..."

"Wenyou, what kind of official position do you think this old man should confer upon him to make it appropriate?"

This matter actually makes Dong Zhuo a bit troubled.

On Dong Zhuo’s side, the principle followed is that merit must be rewarded.

The contribution Gu Yi made is indeed worthy of reward.

But the key to the problem is that there is currently no suitable position within the Xiliang Army to confer upon Gu Yi.

Dong Zhuo feels that the positions that are too low would wrong Gu Yi.

"Why does Father-in-law have to be so troubled?"

"Official positions and the like—are they really that important?"

Li Ru smiles slightly.

Once these words are spoken, Dong Zhuo is instantly enlightened.

That’s right!

In fact, the positions of the hundred officials in the imperial court are much higher than those of the Xiliang generals.

But what is the use of that?

This era is an era of competing to see whose fist is harder.

Dong Zhuo occupies Luoyang, controls the Han imperial court, and holds military power in his hands.

The remaining group of imperial officials, no matter how high their positions are, have to submit to Dong Zhuo.

Compared to official positions, what is more important is the power one holds in one’s hands.

"My Lord, Gu Yi is a young talent worth winning over; he can be treated as one of our own."

"If this son-in-law remembers correctly, Miss Bai’er seems to have reached the age for marriage."

"Didn’t Father-in-law say before that you were worried about Miss Bai’er’s marriage?"

"This Gu Yi possesses talent, and according to Hua Xiong, he is also handsome and elegant."

"Why not let Miss Bai’er and Gu Yi get to know each other?"

Li Ru states all his intentions.

If someone else were to talk about Dong Bai in front of Boss Dong, Boss Dong would definitely be very angry.

But Li Ru is different; he is both a strategist and his eldest son-in-law.

As the saying goes, a son-in-law is equivalent to half a son.

Boss Dong’s two sons are both gone, which made Boss Dong experience the sorrow of a white-haired person sending off a black-haired person.

The only descendant left by his son is this granddaughter, Dong Bai.

It is precisely because of this that Boss Dong dotes on Dong Bai to the extreme.

It just so happens that Dong Bai has reached the age for marriage.

Her marriage naturally became a matter of concern for Boss Dong.

Boss Dong does not look favorably upon ordinary people.

Within the Xiliang Army, there are only rough men; Boss Dong does not want to marry his precious granddaughter to this group of guys.

Right now, the Gu Yi recommended by Li Ru truly speaks to Boss Dong’s heart!

……

PS: Handsome readers, please cast a flower or an evaluation ticket; I will gallop at full speed to write more chapters to repay all you handsome guys!

Dong Bai is currently in Luoyang City.

Gu Yi, however, is on the front lines at Sishui Pass.

Dong Zhuo and Li Ru intend to wait until the campaign concludes before letting the two meet, to facilitate further contact.

After finishing the discussion about Dong Bai and Gu Yi, Dong Zhuo turned his head and said to Li Ru:

"By the way, Hua Xiong mentioned in this battle report that the next target of the Guandong rebels is very likely to be Hulao Pass."

"Wenyou, what is your take on this matter?"

Hearing this, Li Ru pondered for a moment and then replied:

"Father-in-law, the Guandong rebels have suffered heavy losses from this night raid."

"But more importantly, the morale they had gathered with such difficulty has suffered a devastating blow."

"If they cannot find a way to rally their morale in a short time,"

"this so-called coalition will likely disband on its own."

"Sishui Pass is heavily guarded and is difficult to capture."

"But Hulao Pass currently has no confirmed commander, so it will inevitably become the primary target for this group of Guandong rebels."

"General Hua Xiong was able to think of this point; he must have been prompted by Gu Yi, right?"

"Hahahaha, indeed, nothing can be hidden from Wenyou."

"Besides this, Hua Xiong also recommended himself, hoping to serve as the commander of Hulao Pass."

"Sishui Pass will be left to Hu Zhen, Zhao Cen, and others to hold."

Dong Zhuo laughed heartily.

Between his brows, he did not hide his appreciation for Hua Xiong and Gu Yi.

Under normal circumstances, the coalition of lords should break through Sishui Pass first before proceeding to attack Hulao Pass.

But thanks to the efforts of Hua Xiong and Gu Yi, the coalition of lords was unable to capture Sishui Pass.

To boost morale, they were forced to leave a portion of their soldiers behind to continue pinning down the defenders of Sishui Pass.

The main force is heading toward Hulao Pass, which is closer to Luoyang.

Compared to the original history,

this coalition of lords is now completely at a disadvantage.

Attacking Hulao Pass is not for the purpose of capturing it.

It is to boost the morale within the coalition.

"Father-in-law, I am afraid the position of commander at Hulao Pass cannot be given to Hua Xiong."

Who would have thought that just as Dong Zhuo intended to agree to let Hua Xiong transfer to be the commander of Hulao Pass, Li Ru suddenly raised an objection.

Hearing this, Dong Zhuo looked puzzled and asked:

"Is Wenyou worried that Hua Xiong is not steady in his duties?"

"With Gu Yi providing him with strategies, Hua Xiong shouldn't lose Hulao Pass even at his worst, right?"

"No, no, no, Father-in-law has misunderstood his son-in-law."

"With Hua Xiong and Gu Yi, these two, Hulao Pass is absolutely secure."

"But..."

"How should Lu Bu, Xu Rong, and the others conduct themselves?"

The voice fell.

Even Dong Zhuo fell into silence.

Li Ru is truly worthy of being the "Grand Steward of the Xiliang Army."

When analyzing problems, he considers them quite comprehensively.

Hua Xiong represents the direct line of the Xiliang Army.

Lu Bu represents the Bingzhou Army.

Xu Rong represents the Luoyang Imperial Guard.

(PS: Xu Rong is not a direct subordinate of Dong Zhuo; before Dong Zhuo entered the capital, he already held the position of General of the Household, with a rank equal to Lu Zhi, and could be considered an important general under He Jin.)

After Dong Zhuo entered the capital, all three of these forces were under his control.

But wherever there are people, there is a world of conflict.

The three factions look at each other with disdain.