Chapter 930: The Slap
Chapter 930: The Slap
A crisp slap echoed through the hall, drawing everyone's attention to Wei Jun, whose face was swollen and bruised.
The other lords present couldn't help but feel a sense of empathy. Wei Jun, at this moment, represented not just himself but also the two or three dozen lords behind him. Lu Haikong's slap wasn't just aimed at one person's face.
In their eyes, Lu Haikong's action was excessive.
"Lu Haikong, is this going too far?"
"You're being too overbearing. Hiding your soldiers and using us as cannon fodder, you want to attack Luoyang directly and seize resources. Now you're even hitting people. You're really something!"
"Let me advise you, don't be too impulsive. Don't think that having some ability makes you the best. You want to develop your territory, but if you anger us, we'll collectively boycott your economy. Even if you get more talented people, what use will they have?"
After seeing Wei Jun's pitiful state, the other lords would have been smoking in the Tiger Prison.
"Fine, fine, all of you shut up." Lu Haikong spoke with a hint of boredom, and his overbearing aura surged once more.
"We're reasonable people. Are you saying my manners are poor? Are you saying I'm using your soldiers as cannon fodder?"
As Lu Haikong spoke, his gaze wandered across the other lords, a mischievous smile on his lips. "That's also a fact."
Hearing this, the other lords were taken aback, none of them expecting Lu Haikong to admit this so shamelessly.
"But you must admit, if not for me, you'd still be eating ashes in the Tiger Prison. Forget about being cannon fodder, even if all your soldiers died, it wouldn't shake even a speck of dust in Luoyang."
Lu Haikong's words drew scornful snorts from the other lords, although they secretly acknowledged his point. But at this moment, who cared about that? In this situation, it was Lu Haikong who was wrong, and he wouldn't be reasonable.
Lu Haikong coldly scanned the room, taking in the expressions of the other lords. Fortunately, he didn't plan to take revenge on this group of lords.
"I've always believed in giving back as much as I receive. It was my task to open the city gates, so I have the right to Luoyang's resources..."
"But your manners..."
"What kind of manners are considered good? A single workshop in the entire Luoyang City, three workshops in the Great Workshop, seven workshops in the Small Workshop, I only took one workshop, are these manners not considered good?" Lu Haikong's words caused a stir among the other lords.
"You haven't noticed that until now, you only came here? What about the others? Where did they go?" Lu Haikong's lips curled into a cold smile as he spoke casually.
The other lords became more agitated, some even sending people to investigate the situation.
(End of Chapter 1)
"Let me give you all a piece of advice. Before you jump into the fray, it's best to understand the situation. If you blindly follow those waving flags and shouting slogans, not only will you lose face, but you'll also lose your dignity."
"There's no need to fight over this workshop. It's better to let me handle it, and I'll make sure everyone understands the situation."
As he spoke, Lu Bu casually tossed Zhang Wei to the side, making way for Zhao Yun, who had just arrived. Lu Bu strode forward, leading his army.
The group of foreign lords in front of him dared not block his path, instead parting to let Lu Bu pass.
After Lu Bu walked past, Chen Ping nodded slightly, and together with his legion, they marched out.
At this moment, facing Lu Bu's powerful army, the foreign lords were hesitant, unsure whether to stop him or not.
While they hesitated, Lu Bu's aura of dominance surged once more, as if influenced by his presence. At this time, Lu Bu's generals—Dian Wei, Zhao Yun, Wen Chou, and Pang De—also unleashed their auras.
Five terrifying auras emerged, causing the faces of the foreign lords to change drastically. Before they could say anything, the auras of the [Iron Blood] and [Golden Saber] legions also burst forth.
Previously, they had barely managed to reason with Lu Bu, why would he have drawn his sword?
This terrifying aura emerged, and the foreign lords, who had barely managed to keep their cool, now completely lost their nerve. They honestly let Lu Bu's army pass, not daring to stop him.
"That's right, since the task of subduing the lords is complete, I'll take my leave. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. By the way, if any of you need weapons, horses, potatoes, or sweet potato seedlings, you can come to my Beifeng City."
With that, Lu Bu burst into laughter, leading his army out of Luoyang City.
Lu Bu's words were not lies. Luoyang City indeed had three grand workshops and seven smaller ones, but they were all privately owned, and their scale couldn't compare to the royal workshop Lu Bu had seized.
Within the workshop Lu Bu had taken, there were at least three master-level talents, while the remaining workshops had none. So, the real prize was indeed what Lu Bu had obtained.
However, Lu Bu had indeed left them with a hot potato, and if he had been more forceful, he could have reaped even greater rewards.
But in the end, Lu Bu halted his actions, deciding that the gains in Luoyang City were sufficient, and there was no need to push further. It wasn't worth the trouble.
If he were to push further, the entire Luoyang City's foreign lords would unite against him. He wasn't afraid, but he saw no need for that, so he left Luoyang City for them to deal with. Let them create chaos.
The more chaos they created, the more it would impact the prestige of the Han Empire.
However, Lu Bu left on his own, his 'eyes' still watching over Luoyang City.
Lu Bu was well aware that the true chaotic times were about to unfold, and perhaps his future opponents were within this very Luoyang City.
Despite the foreign lords' unremarkable performance during the [Subduing the Lords] task, Lu Bu didn't ignore these foreign lords.
He was well aware that these foreign lords didn't dare to challenge him openly due to his overwhelming strength, reputation, and aura. But this didn't mean they were incapable; it was just that they hadn't found the right opportunity to showcase their abilities.
Among the foreign lords, there were capable individuals, like Yuan Hong, the modest Meng Hu from Lu Bu's alliance, and several others who had kept a low profile.
His intuition told him that in the upcoming time, many low-key individuals within the alliance would rise to prominence.
"Let's go, back to Bingzhou!"
Lu Bu turned back to look at Luoyang City, a peaceful smile on his face, holding the Third Princess's hand as they rode together on a horse, leading his army back towards Bingzhou.
At the same time Lu Bu returned to Bingzhou, Zhao Yun, leading the [Iron Blood] and [Black Wind] legions, marched towards Hedong Commandery.
Rarely did this man, who held a beauty in his arms, forget about the matter of destroying the Wei family. However, it seemed this man had forgotten something.
As Lu Bu returned to Bingzhou, a middle-aged man rode a swift horse, chasing after Lu Bu's party...
End of Chapter 1
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