Chapter 1235: The Meeting
Chapter 1235: The Meeting
November 9, 2017
Lu Hai Kong's intelligence organization had been developing well, and he had an extensive network of informants within Dromar's camp.
Almost every day, Lu Hai Kong would learn about the events that transpired in Dromar's camp on the very same night.
When Lu Hai Kong heard the news of Li Ru's demise, his eyebrows furrowed involuntarily. This was not good news for Dromar, and neither was it good news for Lu Hai Kong.
Among the various dukes, Lu Hai Kong had the most dealings with Dromar, and he understood Dromar better than anyone else. He was also well aware of Li Ru's significance to Dromar.
"This is not good at all. With Li Ru's death, Dromar will go mad. It seems we'll have to keep a close eye on Dromar from now on!"
Indeed, upon Li Ru's death, Dromar's camp fell into complete chaos.
It was common knowledge that, aside from the emotional bond between Li Ru and Dromar, Li Ru had been in control of Dromar's political affairs and a large portion of his military logistics. Li Ru was an extremely important figure to Dromar personally and to his entire faction.
With such a crucial figure now dead, one could only imagine the state of chaos within Dromar's camp.
More importantly, Li Ru's death dealt a significant blow to Dromar, who refused to believe that Li Ru was truly gone. In the following period, Dromar was so preoccupied with the idea of reviving Li Ru that he neglected his political duties.
During this time, while Dromar was solely focused on rescuing Li Ru, some people in Chang'an began to stir.
These people were none other than Wang Yun and his group of Han Dynasty officials, who had been barely surviving under the oppression of Dromar and Li Ru.
With Li Ru's death and the absence of capable administrators in Dromar's camp, these officials seized the opportunity to take back the power that Li Ru had once held.
If it came to a direct confrontation, these officials would not stand a chance against Dromar's might. However, in the realm of conspiracies and schemes, Dromar, without Li Ru by his side, might not be able to outmaneuver them. Moreover, Dromar was solely focused on reviving Li Ru and paid no attention to anything else.
Dromar's negligence emboldened these officials.
In just over half a month, they secretly seized control of Dromar's financial power.
With this newfound power, Wang Yun believed they could now speak up. However, just as they were about to voice their opinions, Dromar, who had exhausted all means to revive Li Ru to no avail, snapped out of his grief.
At this moment, Dromar, already filled with anger, struck with hatred, directly executed more than half of Wang Yun's group.
After killing a significant portion of his officials, Dromar calmed down and reorganized the court, promoting some younger officials to stabilize the situation.
Once the situation was under control, Dromar's first action was to lead his army, along with Li Ru's blackened statue, straight to Luoyang.
Don't misunderstand; he did not intend to blame Lu Hai Kong for Li Ru's death. This time, he primarily wanted to question Lu Hai Kong about any possible methods to revive Li Ru.
At this point, Dromar had exhausted all means to resurrect Li Ru. If there was any chance of saving Li Ru, Dromar believed the solution lay with Lu Hai Kong.
After all, during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Dromar had witnessed Lu Hai Kong's resurrection twice, right before everyone's eyes on the battlefield.
Clinging to this faint hope, Dromar led his men towards Luoyang. However, this time, he didn't make it to the city gates. He was stopped at Hangu Pass, over a hundred li outside Luoyang.
At Hangu Pass, Lu Hai Kong and Dromar met.
To be honest, this meeting wasn't pleasant for either party. Dromar sought a way to resurrect Li Ru from Lu Hai Kong, but the latter had no such ability. Li Ru's death was apparent and irreversible, so how could Lu Hai Kong possibly help?
Thus, Lu Hai Kong couldn't provide the answer Dromar sought, and the meeting was tense from the start. It was unlikely to end amicably.
Dromar initially tried persuasion and promised various benefits, but when his words failed to yield results, he grew impatient and considered using force.
The atmosphere was extremely unpleasant, and the two men, especially Dromar, were like powder kegs ready to explode at the slightest provocation.
Fortunately, they managed to restrain themselves, and a physical altercation was avoided.
...
Interestingly, the meeting ended smoothly without any violent clashes, thanks to Li Su's intervention.
Despite being overshadowed by Dromar and Lu Hai Kong, Li Su managed to control the situation, which impressed Lu Hai Kong and made Dromar view him more favorably.
Perhaps, in the future, Li Su might rise through the ranks in Dromar's camp.
Lu Hai Kong, however, was unconcerned about Li Su's prospects. He was curious about the sudden change in Dromar's situation.
During the meeting, Lu Hai Kong noticed Dromar's newfound confidence and sensed a significant increase in the strength of Lu Bu and Dromar's other warriors.
This piqued Lu Hai Kong's curiosity even more about the series of events in Dromar's camp.
To obtain this information, Lu Hai Kong offered a goodwill gesture. He presented the Elixir Formula he had obtained from the First Emperor's Tomb, which Dromar cherished as a treasure. In exchange, Lu Hai Kong learned the full story of the incident and received half a heart that had lost all its demonic aura.
With Lu Hai Kong obtaining the heart devoid of demonic energy and Dromar acquiring the Immortality Pill Formula, their meeting concluded.
Lu Hai Kong had thought that Dromar, with a new hope, would settle down, but the subsequent events took him completely by surprise.
(End of Chapter)
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