Chapter 6 Three, the assassination of Dong Zhuo

At this time, I suddenly heard a guard from Xiliang outside the garden gate reporting to the inside: "Report to Grand Master, Wu Mao, the scout sent by our Xiliang army to the rebels on all roads in the Kanto, has brought back from the front. For important information, please submit it to the Grand Master in person—please show it to the Grand Master!" "Wu Mao is back? What important information can he bring back?" Dong Zhuo could hear it clearly in the green bamboo pavilion, snorted coldly, curled his lips disapprovingly, "But it's an exaggeration of the enemy's situation and nonsense. This grand master is just asking for credit to receive a reward! Hmph, you are still pretending to be mysterious, making it look so good... that's all! Let him come in and present this grand master!"

Hearing his instructions, Li Ru's heart moved, he glanced at Brother Sima Lang standing beside him, opened his mouth, wanted to say something, but held back hesitantly.Recently, the spies of the Xiliang Army have indeed become more and more outrageous—one by one, they ran to the front line of the Kanto for a while, and fled in a panic without even seeing a hair of the rebels from all walks of life. Back in Luoyang, he lied about some hearsay rumors as important information, and even pretended to be the result of his painstaking efforts to obtain the reward.Spies like Wu Mao who claimed to have important information to submit to the grand master would come two or three every day, but after listening to them, they found that most of them were just rumors.Therefore, Dong Zhuo has long been used to it, and today he didn't even take the basic secrecy measures. Regardless of the fact that Sima Lang and Sima Yi brothers were still here, he let Wu Mao come in to report and finish the matter early.Li Ru felt that it seemed a bit hasty for him to do so, but it was also true that the spies didn't live up to their expectations, so he had to keep his mouth shut.

Hearing the sound of footsteps gradually approaching, a sturdy man in green clothes, led by the guards of the garden gate, hurried up to the green bamboo pavilion, knelt down before the mat where Dong Zhuo was sitting, and clasped his fists and said: " Under his command, Wu Maoqi reported to Grand Master: According to his subordinates' inquisitions on the front lines of the Kanto, they have found out that Sun Jian, the prefect of Changsha, has raised 40,000 soldiers. He will go north from Jingzhou and will join forces with the rebels in the Kanto who live in Suanzao..." "Sun Jian?" When Dong Zhuo heard this, his thick eyebrows twitched into a ball: This Sun Jian is both wise and brave, and he uses soldiers like a god. He is really a formidable enemy!He sighed heavily, turned his head and said to Li Ru, "Li Ru, you should write down the matter that Sun Jian committed this matter... Sigh! You can think of more ideas for my Grand Master later, and see if you can do it." We can't find a way to win over Sun Jian as much as possible. If you can not be an enemy of him, try not to be an enemy of him..."

"Yes!" Li Ru also frowned and agreed beside him. "Master Grand Master! This subordinate still has information to report!" Wu Mao walked two or three feet forward on his knees, almost touching the toe of Dong Zhuo's shoe. Cao Cao, the rebel who escaped from Beijing, was appointed as a vanguard general by Yuan Shao, the "false leader" of the rebels from all walks of life, and led 30,000 elite soldiers to approach Xingyang..." "This Cao Cao!... Is it his team that is attacking? Where are the other 17th Route rebels?" Dong Zhuo became nervous when he heard this, and leaned forward with his upper body raised from the mat, almost leaning forward. Putting his face closer to Wu Mao's, he asked in surprise, "Have they all attacked?"

At this moment, Wu Mao, who had been leaning over to report, flashed a cold light in his eyes, suddenly let out a low shout, straightened his upper body, turned his right wrist, and pierced Dong Zhuo's heart with a sharp dagger like lightning! "Teacher, be careful!" Li Ru and Dong Yi shouted in panic when they saw it! However, everything seems to be too late! ——With a ding, the dagger in Wu Mao's hand still pierced Dong Zhuo's heart!However, before Wu Mao had time to be pleasantly surprised, the expression on his face was stunned: the dagger in his hand had clearly pierced through the thin black silk shirt on Dong Zhuo's body, but was blocked by an extra hard object inside out of thin air. I can't get in even if I try hard!

It turned out that Dong Zhuo was wearing a pair of soft armor with chain-linked silver chains and a golden mirror protecting his heart in his clothes! Even so, he was thrown back by Wu Mao's thorn and almost fell over!He hurriedly came to his senses, rolled on the mat, and was about to flee in a hurry! Wu Mao missed a stab, and with a turn of his right wrist, another dagger cut across!I saw the sharp dagger glistening against Dong Zhuo's scalp, but it still came to nothing! "Rescue Master Grand Master!" Dong Yi yelled, opened his arms and rushed forward, hugging Wu Mao's waist tightly from behind, preventing him from getting up and chasing Dong Zhuo.

Wu Mao struggled to earn a few bucks, but he couldn't get rid of Dong Yi who was hugging him around the waist. Seeing that the fat and bloated Dong Zhuo was about to turn around and run away, he became very impatient, with his heart crossed and his arms stretched. With a swipe, the dagger flew out of his hand, turned into a beam of cold light, and shot straight at Dong Zhuo's throat! Dong Zhuo exclaimed "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Diao Chan, who was standing two or three steps behind him, shot in the chest! Diao Chan seemed to be terrified by the sudden change in the pavilion just now - she stayed where she was and didn't react!

"Miss, be careful!" There was a loud shout, and a gray shadow rushed over, throwing her to the ground! Just when there was no room for fire, the dagger shot two inches above their bodies, and with a loud sound, it was deeply impaled on the back pavilion pillar. Diao Chan raised her eyes in a daze to look back, but saw that the young Confucian scholar Sima Yi had just rushed over and threw herself down to save her! Seeing her shocked expression, Sima Yi blushed immediately, and hurriedly let go of his hands holding her delicate body, stood up quickly, stepped back, and said softly, "The situation was critical just now, Xiaosheng Desperate to save people, I have no choice but to be rude to the girl... I implore the girl to forgive me!"

After hearing what he said, Diao Chan stared blankly at him for a while, and didn't make a sound, but her eyes were slightly red. "Oh! My little Diaochan!" Dong Zhuo was also on fire at the moment, and hurried over to help her up, checking her wounds up and down, "My darling! Where are you hurting?" Is it?... Oh! It was so dangerous just now! Quick, quick, quick, let the old man take another look..." Here, Dong Yi and a few Xiliang warriors had already firmly grasped Wu Mao, pushing and pulling him to stand up from the ground! "Grand Master... The concubine is fine... Thank you Grand Master for your concern..." Diao Chan wiped the tears on her cheeks with a pair of white jade-like hands, sobbing and said, "It's this Mr. Sima who is desperate and timely." Saved the concubine, you should thank him for his righteous deed on behalf of the concubine!"

"Well... yes, yes. This matter, my grand master, has written it down!" Dong Zhuo comforted Diao Chan after hearing this, and at the same time cast a very grateful glance at Sima Yi, who was standing by the side, and turned his head again. Turning around to look at Wu Mao who was being held tightly by Dong Yi and the others, his complexion suddenly sank, and he said coldly, "This Grand Master will send this daring assassin away first!" Diao Chan stopped crying, wiped away the tears, and hurriedly supported Dong Zhuo who was in shock and sat down on the Xiangzhu mat again.His face was stern, his tone was as cold as a blade, and he asked Wu Mao slowly: "You bold madman! Say——who sent you to assassinate this Grand Master?"

Wu Mao was full of hatred, staring at him, gnashing his teeth loudly, and after a long while, he replied coldly: "Wu wants to kill you old man, do you need someone to instigate it? ——Wu is here to avenge his family!" "Your family?" Dong Zhuo was astonished when he heard it, and he couldn't help asking, "This grand master lives in a high palace, and I seldom leave Luoyang with his shoes. How can I know your family? How can I have any grievances with your family?" hatred?" Hearing this, Wu Mao sneered in his nostrils, smiled coldly, and said sharply: "You old thief Dong Zhuo! Did you forget? Half a month ago, you sent your generals Li Jue and Guo Si to Hulao Pass to fight the Kwantung princes. Unexpectedly, when Li and Guo led the army to Yangcheng County, Wu's hometown, the local elders and elders were gathering at the market—you bastards from Xiliang broke into the market like bandits and robbers. People are killed, and things are robbed..." Speaking of this, his eyes were red, tears were streaming down his face, and he said in a choked voice, "My poor parents and wife were murdered by you gangsters from Xiliang in that market that day... …Dong Zhuo! Tell me—should Wu take revenge on you today?” "Oh! It turns out that the so-called 'Yangcheng Victory' reported by these two bastards, Li Jue and Guo Si, is what it is!" Dong Zhuo was dumbfounded when he heard this, and couldn't help clenching his fists and slamming the mat next to him. He said bitterly, "The old man has always been suspicious of this matter - it turns out that they killed innocent people indiscriminately to claim rewards! Hmph! These reckless people must be severely punished!" In fact, Li Ru knew the real inside story of this so-called "Yangcheng Victory" before, but at that time the whole Xiliang army was under siege and crusade by the Kwantung princes, and such a "Yangcheng Victory" was urgently needed to boost morale, so his At that time, they covered up for Li Jue and Guo Si.Now that Wu Mao had exposed the fake victory to Dong Zhuo on the spot, he naturally didn't dare to say anything more, pretending to be heartbroken, standing under Dong Zhuo and shaking his head, sighing endlessly. Dong Zhuo pondered for a while, then suddenly raised his eyes to look at Wu Mao, and said solemnly: "Wu Mao! It seems that you put the account of your family's vengeance on the grand master's head, alas! These brutal soldiers The method of dealing with the Qiang captives in Xiliang will also be moved to the Central Plains. The grand master was also deceived by them, and there were faults of lax supervision and negligence in employing people... "That's all! That's all! You almost killed the Grand Master today with this knife, and this is enough to make up for your hatred a little bit, right? Dong Yi, take him out, give him a hundred shi of rice, and then He was kicked out of Luoyang, and he was never allowed to come here to cause trouble again! If there is a next time, this Grand Master will never let him go lightly!" As soon as these words came out, everyone in the arena was shocked: they never expected that Dong Zhuo, who was known for his brutality, would have such an open mind! After hearing this, Li Ru's complexion changed slightly, he thought for a while, and stepped forward to report: "Wait a minute, Grand Master—I think what Wu Mao said is plausible. Although he has such grief and indignation, it is difficult to guarantee that these words are not true. He made it up in order to protect himself, and I am worried that there are people with ulterior motives behind him secretly instigating..." "That's all! Li Jun!" Dong Zhuo interrupted him in a deep voice, he waved his hands away, his face was serious, "Let him go! Although my grand master enforces the law strictly, he has to give in to his pure heart. The heart of filial piety... Qingliu, those celebrities who regard Confucianism as the standard of speech and deeds in the court, if they hear the matter that this Grand Master has handled today, they should not have any objections to this Grand Master." "My lord Taishi obeys the law, puts the people at ease, and is magnanimous. You really deserve to be a virtuous minister like Yi Yin and Zhou Gong!" Sima Lang heard the words, and hurriedly pulled Sima Yi, who had a hint of disgust on his face, to the door. In the pavilion, he bowed to Dong Zhuo and respectfully said, "Xiaosheng, I admire you so much! After Xiaosheng leaves the mansion, I will wholeheartedly publicize your benevolence and virtue like heaven to everyone!" Dong Zhuo heard what Sima Lang said, a faint smile suddenly appeared on his solemn face, he just stroked his beard without saying a word.Li Ru could see clearly from the side, so he could only sigh secretly in his heart, lowered his eyebrows and retreated.Wu Mao didn't seem to appreciate it, he just grimaced, snorted coldly, and didn't say thanks, allowing Dong Yi and several Xiliang soldiers to wrestle him out. After they walked far away, Dong Zhuo put his hands on his knees on the mat, propped up his upper body, sighed deeply, and said to himself: "Li Jue, Li Jue! Guo Si, Guo Si! You two idiots still don't change your habits of Xiliang barbarians at this time, you are just adding chaos to this Grand Master!...The famous scholars and officials in Luoyang City, the noble families, who are not secretly ridiculing us Xiliang soldiers? A martial artist, rude and rude?" "Ever since this grand master entered the capital and abolished the incompetent King Hongnong, he has been vigilant all the time. Dare to push it too far. It's good for you! In Yangcheng County, I made such a big mistake for my Grand Master!" He frowned, and said to Li Ru with a calm face: "You let someone bring my Grand Master's order to Li Jue and Guo Si, so that they can check the school! Kill more Kanto rebels for my Grand Master Please don’t cause trouble for this grand master! Xu Rong is serious and steady, and sent him to lead Li Jue, Guo Si and other troops to wipe out all the rebels in the Kanto region!” "I take orders." Li Ru hurriedly bowed in response. Dong Zhuo stared slowly at Sima Lang and Sima Yi again, his expression suddenly became desolate, and he said leisurely: "Did you two brothers see it? Now that the old man is a Grand Master, the status of a minister is extremely high. , but there are also many generations of people who have suffered and are helpless... Difficult! Difficult!... I also know that many people in the government and the opposition are looking forward to my early death... "However, how could they have thought that if something unexpected happened to the old man, the world would be in chaos in an instant! Reckless people like Li Jue and Guo Si in Xiliang, except for the old man who is still able to hold back at the moment, who has such a Ability? They have been instigating the old man to abolish the Han and stand on his own. If the old man had not always adhered to the way of being a minister, I am afraid that Liu Xie would not be able to sit on the throne now. The old man really only hopes to become a minister of the country like Yi Yin and Huo Guang , so as to honor the ancestors and make them famous forever. But why can’t these famous scholars and high-ranking families let go of their prejudices and fulfill this old man’s wish?" Speaking of this, Dong Zhuo was a little emotional and choked up slightly. Seeing Dong Zhuo in such a state, Sima Yi couldn't help being quite surprised. He glanced sideways at his elder brother Sima Lang, but saw him bowed and cupped his hands again and said: "Master Taishi is loyal to the emperor and the people, Xiaosheng and others have already remembered it in their hearts. Xiaosheng Following the orders of my lord father, I returned to my hometown to recruit my family and fellows to join me. This is exactly what I felt, in order to show the people of Li people your virtue of generosity, benevolence, and Huaiyuan! I hope the lord Taishi will approve this matter!" "Okay! You just saved my grand master's concubine at all costs - this is enough to show your sincerity to this grand master!" Dong Zhuo pondered for a moment, looked sideways at Diao Chan, raised his right hand and looked down. Finally, he gave Brother Sima Yi a clear and affirmative answer, "This Grand Master will allow you two brothers to go back to Hanoi County to appease the people. This is the first special case for you! Any other children of famous scholars want to follow suit. , this grand master will never agree! ——Well, remember well, on the way to Hanoi County, you have to take care of yourself, and second, you have to go early and return early... This grand master is very brave and wise to you brothers I really appreciate it!" Hearing what Dong Zhuo said, Sima Yi and Sima Lang couldn't help but look happy, and they hurriedly bowed down to Dong Zhuo to thank them. Li Ru watched all this with cold eyes, even though he was extremely dissatisfied, he could only keep silent at this moment. Hearing Sima Yi's thanks, Dong Zhuo smiled, waved to the outside of the Green Bamboo Pavilion, summoned seven or eight soldiers from Xiliang, and said, "Carry out the bookcases for these two young masters, and escort them out." They went straight out of the city gate." Brother Sima Lang thanked Dong Zhuo and left.As soon as the two of them came out of the full moon-shaped gate of the garden, they saw a maid chasing up and shouted: "Young masters, please stay." When Sima Yi and Sima Lang heard the sound, they hurriedly stopped and turned to look.The maid saluted and said: "Young masters, Ms. Diao Chan wants to come and see her off in person. Please leave before you are too late after you have met her." "This..." Sima Yi turned his head and glanced at his elder brother.Sima Lang was full of humility, bowed and said: "Since Miss Diaochan intends to send her off, it's better for us to be respectful than obedience." The two of them stood and waited for about a cup of tea, when they saw Diaochan moving lightly with lotus steps, coming towards them.Behind her was a maid, holding a red sandalwood box in both hands. Walking in front of Brother Sima Lang, Diao Chan bowed with a smile and thanked him, "Thanks to Mr. Sima's generous rescue just now. This kind of kindness is really hard for a little girl to repay..." "Miss Wang, you don't need to be too polite." Sima Yi hurriedly bowed and replied, "It is the duty of Confucian scholars like us to do what is right and help those in danger. Besides, Miss Wang just said something in a tactful way, and I have a word for my brothers The merit of protecting and helping others. There is a saying: "Whoever helps others, others will help them; whoever helps others, others will also help them." Miss Wang planted kind thoughts and reaped good results. We should thank the girl for her kindness to us. Brother's compassion is right!" "Where, where... Mr. Sima's virtue is worthy of the title of a benevolent gentleman! My little girl has heard your cousin Wang Ling talk about your talents and demeanor many times, and I have admired you for a long time. Seeing you today really deserves your reputation!" Diao Chan listened. Sima Yi's eyes turned red from being touched by what he said, and he choked up for a moment, then stared at the two of them again, and said gracefully, "Actually, you two...you don't have to be in such a hurry to take the risk of returning to your hometown to appease some folks... ...Probably wait for a while, and the chaos in the court will naturally dissipate..." When Sima Yi heard it, his heart moved secretly, and he felt that there seemed to be some deep meaning in her words, and he was about to ask, but saw his elder brother Sima Lang bowed to Diao Chan, and replied: "Thank you, Miss Wang, for your advice. It's just that my father's order is hard to break." , we brothers can only follow it carefully..." "Oh... It seems that the two young masters have made up their minds, so it is inconvenient for the little girl to say more." Although Diao Chan's words were light, there was already a look of deep disappointment in her eyes, "It's just that the war has caused a lot of trouble. When the clouds are disturbing, the two young masters leave the city for Hanoi County, so you must take care of yourself... The little girl will burn incense and pray for you day and night, and wish you a safe journey!" When she said this, she raised her wrist and swayed behind her lightly.The maid came forward holding the red sandalwood box and presented it to her. Diao Chan held up the red sandalwood box with both hands, and sent it to Brother Sima Lang, respectfully said: "My lords... this is a little kindness from a little girl, please accept it..." "How did this happen?" Sima Yi waved his hands again and again, his face flushed, as if he had suffered a great humiliation, he hurriedly declined, "I don't want to ask for rewards for doing good to others? This is not what a gentleman should do! Miss Wang did what she did. , Where will I put what I have learned and done in my daily life?" "This is a little bit of sincerity from the little girl. Although the gift is light, I hope Mr. Sima will not take it too seriously." Diao Chan was also extremely stubborn at the moment, and refused to take back the red sandalwood box, "Mr. Sima will not accept this gift, my little one. A woman's heart will never be at peace!" When the two of them were in a stalemate, Sima Lang approached, gently tugged at the corner of Sima Yi's robe, and winked at him, signaling him to accept the gift box.Sima Yi hesitated for a while, but still turned his head to one side, still refusing. Sima Lang had no choice but to take Diao Chan's gift box gently on his behalf, and said with emotion: "Since Miss Diao Chan is so kind and righteous, how dare we two brothers ignore your kindness? Thank you. " Until then, a bright smile appeared on Diao Chan's face as tender and clean as mutton fat jade...