Chapter 1022: Battle Report from Bingzhou
Chapter 1022: Battle Report from Bingzhou
September 25, 2017
Sili Jia Bu, Chang'an.
Ever since the battle reports from Bingzhou kept pouring in, Dong Zhuo had prepared for a prolonged war.
For an army of two hundred thousand, logistics was a significant challenge.
Even in this world, a force of this size required at least five hundred thousand support staff, making it an enormous and complex task.
Such a massive undertaking naturally fell upon Li Ru's shoulders.
Lu Hai Kong constantly worried about Wang Jun overworking himself, but with Li Ru's workload, he was the one most likely to succumb to overwork.
Lu Hai Kong's concern for his subordinates mirrored Dong Zhuo's worry for Li Ru's health. After gaining initial control over the demonic aura, Dong Zhuo also immersed himself in the work, as he had no other choice but to handle it personally due to the lack of available talent.
Of course, Dong Zhuo wasn't foolish enough to do everything himself. After all, he held an Emperor in his grasp.
Although the Emperor was merely a puppet, and his situation made it somewhat challenging to coerce the lords using the Emperor's authority, he could still utilize the Emperor to gather capable political talents.
To prevent Li Ru from overworking himself to death, Dong Zhuo gathered all available personnel, even dragging Cai Yong out to serve as a laborer.
With this move, Li Ru's burden was slightly alleviated, but it was only a temporary solution. They dared not delegate critical tasks, especially those related to military logistics. Any mishap in this area could be catastrophic for the front lines, so Li Ru remained overwhelmed with work!
Through the joint efforts of Li Ru and Dong Zhuo, the massive logistics system was established within a few days.
Chang'an, Dong Zhuo's Residence. Li Ru, exhausted, sat across from Dong Zhuo.
To set up the logistics, he hadn't slept for days. Finally, the system was in place, but even though the work was completed, Li Ru couldn't rest yet. Unfortunately, just at that moment, news from Yuan Hong arrived.
Yuan Hong believed his actions were discreet, but in reality, Li Ru had been monitoring his every move from the start.
As soon as Yuan Hong captured Yuan Shao, Li Ru received the news.
This information was of great importance to Li Ru. Upon receiving it, he immediately discussed the matter with Dong Zhuo.
They weren't overly concerned about Yuan Hong taking control of Jizhou, despite its prosperity. In Li Ru's eyes, Yuan Hong's military strength was lacking, and even if he developed Jizhou to its full potential, he would merely be a fat sheep for Dong Zhuo to slaughter whenever he pleased.
Furthermore, during the prolonged war with Lu Hai Kong, they could exploit Yuan Hong's resources.
What Li Ru and Dong Zhuo were discussing was how to take advantage of this event to extort a substantial sum from Yuan Hong.
After all, he hadn't mentioned any such plans during the alliance, and his sudden move demanded some form of compensation.
With Dong Zhuo engaged in a protracted war with Lu Hai Kong and in dire need of funds and supplies, it was an opportune moment to extract resources from Yuan Hong, who was known to be wealthy.
However, just as Li Ru and Dong Zhuo prepared to extort Yuan Hong for the war supplies needed for their two hundred thousand troops, a rather coincidental event occurred. Shortly after they had settled down, a battle report from Bingzhou arrived.
"An urgent report from Bingzhou!"
A deep voice echoed from outside the door, causing Dong Zhuo and Li Ru to exchange glances. An urgent report? What could it be? They immediately ordered the report to be brought in.
"It's probably a logistics issue!"
As the report arrived, Dong Zhuo picked it up and began reading, his face initially devoid of any particular gravity. But with just a glance, Dong Zhuo was stunned.
He had expected intense battles or supply shortages, but he discovered that they no longer needed to worry about logistics.
Witnessing this, Li Ru had an ominous feeling: "Your Majesty, what does the report say?"
Li Ru's words snapped Dong Zhuo out of his stupor. With a sigh, he handed the report to Li Ru, who opened it and stared with wide eyes.
"This is impossible! With Wen He there, how could they suffer such a devastating defeat? It's impossible...pfft..."
Li Ru had already gone several days without sleep, and his injuries from altering Dong Zhuo's fate in Luoyang were still fresh. With his weakened state, the sudden shock of such dire news caused him to gasp for breath, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, falling into unconsciousness.
Seeing this scene, Dong Zhuo panicked and immediately called out, "Someone, quickly fetch the imperial physician! Quickly, fetch the physician..."
...
As it turned out, receiving devastating news when one is unprepared could easily lead to tragedy. Sure enough, over on Dong Zhuo's side, Li Ru had already collapsed.
Just as Li Ru fell, in the Governor's Mansion of Ye City, Yuan Hong was hosting a grand banquet for his guests.
After eliminating Yuan Shao and taking over Ye City from him, Yuan Hong had two main tasks: to gain control of Yuan Shao's military might and to appease the aristocratic families who had previously sided with Yuan Shao.
Yuan Hong was not Lu Hai Kong. If he wanted to quickly gain control of Jizhou and catch up, he couldn't afford to slaughter the aristocratic families like Lu Hai Kong did. On the contrary, he needed to win over and pacify these families.
In the 169th chapter of the book, he was doing just that. Today's focus was on appeasing the aristocratic families who had originally leaned towards Yuan Shao.
Yuan Hong had become quite experienced in this aspect, as he had been doing this for several years. He had mastered the art of calming the anxious aristocratic families with ease.
Of course, while appeasing the families, Yuan Hong also took the opportunity to collect some resources. It wasn't that he was greedy, but if he didn't do this, the families themselves might feel uneasy.
After all, they had chosen the wrong side, and now that Yuan Hong had regained control of Ye City, they needed to show their support.
If Yuan Hong did nothing and only appeased them before leaving, they would feel even more uneasy, worrying that Yuan Hong might seek revenge later. Only by making some sacrifices could they feel at ease.
By the end of the banquet, Yuan Hong had gained nearly a hundred million in war resources and three concubines. Unlike Lu Hai Kong, who had only one wife, Yuan Hong, while expanding his influence, also remembered to build his harem. Over the years, he had accumulated dozens of women.
Of course, this wasn't solely due to his lust; it was mainly a strategy to deal with the aristocratic families. Many of these marriages were political alliances, and he hadn't even touched some of the women.
However, Yuan Hong was particularly interested in these three women. They had brought their daughters with them, and during the banquet, Yuan Hong couldn't help but glance at them. His eyes were filled with unconcealed desire, like a fisherman casting his net. It seemed that after the banquet, he would take some action.
This was the moment of his triumph, with success in his career and beautiful women falling into his arms, not to mention the influence of alcohol, which made Yuan Hong feel slightly intoxicated.
Just then, a soldier approached him and whispered in his ear while he was holding a wine cup and admiring the beauties.
Yuan Hong's attention was solely on the women, and he didn't pay much attention to what the soldier was saying. He only felt a bit annoyed by the interruption and vaguely heard the words 'Bingzhou battle.' As the center of attention at the banquet, all eyes were on him.
When the soldier approached, the entire hall fell silent, everyone watching intently. Yuan Hong was startled for a moment, then a smile appeared on his lips. The Bingzhou battle? What could have happened there? It must be about Lu Hai Kong being crushed.
So, Yuan Hong pushed the soldier away and, with a hint of drunkenness, said, "Speak openly, there's nothing that can't be said. Come, tell everyone about the battle in Bingzhou and let them drink to that!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the soldier's face twisted with hesitation, his expression as dark as the bottom of a pot. Damn, was this news really something he could share?
But at that moment, Yuan Hong's gaze had already landed on him, and the soldier had no choice but to grit his teeth and speak, "Reporting to the lord, a battle report from Bingzhou. Lu Hai Kong led an army of 300,000 and crushed Dong Zhuo's forces yesterday, killing countless enemies and taking numerous captives!"
The soldier's loud voice reverberated through the hall, and the entire banquet fell into complete silence. Yuan Hong, who had been slightly drunk, suddenly sobered up...
(End of Chapter)
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