"Li Ru greets Lord Prefecture Overseer!" Li Ru waited for 15 minutes before he saw Yang Rui in the Taigu City's governor's mansion. The moment Yang Rui appeared, Li Ru stepped forward and bowed intimately.
Li Ru and Yang Rui had met several times before Dong Zhuo entered the capital. Moreover, it was Li Ru who spoke to Yang Rui about the Qing Province Overseer. In the end, Li Ru successfully "sent" Yang Rui out of Luoyang. Hence, from a certain perspective, Li Ru could be considered as the person who achieved Yang Rui's identity.
The reason Yang Rui did not meet Li Ru immediately after learning of his arrival was because he was unsure of Li Ru's intentions and reliance. Li Ru dared to meet him in Taigu City alone. This gave Yang Rui a golden opportunity to take him down!
However, Yang Rui did not recklessly make a move against Li Ru. After giving it some thought, he decided to wait and see what Li Ru had to say before acting according to the circumstances. Of course, since Li Ru had entered Taigu City, it was impossible for him to leave so easily!
Li Ru was a big fish in Dong Zhuo's camp. Even if he did not have any chance of subduing Li Ru, it was equivalent to cutting off Dong Zhuo's great support. It would definitely reduce Dong Zhuo's strength. At the very least, he could kill Li Ru. The items he would drop would definitely not be bad.
It was with this in mind that Yang Rui brought Gao Shun along as his personal guard when he met Li Ru so that he could take Li Ru down at any time. Gao Shun's loyalty had already reached 96%. He would definitely not dissuade Yang Rui like Chen Lin did.
"Li Ru, why are you here today? Why don't you speak frankly? "
Although Li Ru's tone was respectful, Yang Rui did not treat him kindly either. Dong Zhuo's camp was having a hard time now. Li Ru must have come with a request. Even if Yang Rui let Li Ru go in the end. It was a good opportunity to slaughter him.
"Lord Prefecture Overseer. Li Ru has indeed come here to discuss something with Your Excellency. I hope that Your Excellency can accommodate us! "
Seeing Yang Rui's impatient attitude, Li Ru decided not to drag on and went straight to the point. He cupped his hands again and said, "A few days ago, Prime Minister Dong sent someone to propose marriage. In fact, it was out of kindness. Li Ru came here for half of the reason. Furthermore, it's because of Hangu Pass! "
After exchanging a few words. Seeing that Yang Rui had no reaction, Li Ru continued to elaborate.
"Recently, Lord Prefecture Overseer has taken over Hangu Pass. When Prime Minister Dong learned of this, he wasn't too angry. Prime Minister Dong has always known that Blazing Sun is a trusted aide of the Han Court, and his strength is one of the best among the officials. Naturally, Lord Prefecture Overseer is the most suitable person to guard Hangu Pass.
It's just that Hangu Pass was actually a stronghold connecting Luoyang and Liangzhou. Most of the Prime Minister's subordinates came from Liangzhou, and most of the soldiers were returning home to visit, so they needed to pass through Hangu Pass. For this reason, the Prime Minister was willing to give up more land. Lord Prefecture Overseer, I hope that Lord Prefecture Overseer can fulfill my request! "
Li Ru faintly said. However, he avoided the main point, only stating the importance of Hangu Pass for Dong Zhuo's subordinates to visit their relatives. He didn't reveal Dong Zhuo's plans to move the capital to Chang 'an.
"Hahahaha! What a joke! That traitor Dong can't withstand the attacks of the heroes and wants to flee to the west. Why is there a need to go around in circles?! Is that old traitor planning to force the Han to move the capital to Chang 'an?! "
"Ah! This … "
Yang Rui had exposed Li Ru and Dong Zhuo's plans to move the capital, causing Li Ru to panic. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
However, Li Ru was no ordinary person. After the initial panic, he immediately calmed down. He knew very well that in a situation where Yang Rui had already seen through their strategic intentions, it was useless even if he tried his best to deny it. On the contrary, it would only arouse the other party's suspicion!
"Prime Minister Dong once praised Lord Blazing Sun for his majesty. Today, Li Ru is fortunate enough to meet him in person!
Just as Lord Prefecture Overseer has said, Prime Minister Dong has been misunderstood by others and is currently under considerable pressure. However, Hulao Pass is a strategic location, and the Prime Minister has elite soldiers under him. Apart from Lord Prefecture Overseer, it would be extremely difficult for any other marquis to cross Hulao Pass and enter the Sili region.
As for the matter of moving to Chang 'an, it was only a last resort. Even if he wanted to avoid the onslaught of the heroes, he didn't necessarily have to move the capital. Thus, the Prime Minister and Lord Prefecture Overseer agreed to let go of Hangu Pass just in case. Since Lord Prefecture Overseer has already predicted this, there is no need for Li Ru to hide this matter … "
Although Li Ru didn't explicitly admit that he wanted to move the capital, he didn't refute it either. In truth, he was well aware that the goal of this trip was to take back Hangu Pass. This was a topic that couldn't be avoided no matter what. Moreover, the other party seemed to have already predicted this. Thus, it was better to be honest and discuss the conditions. If he tried to hide it too much, he might have to pay an even greater price.
"Mm, you are quite upright. Speak frankly. What kind of conditions does that old thief Dong Zhuo have? If they can tempt this Prefecture Overseer, I can consider it. However, you don't have to hold too much hope … "
Yang Rui sipped his tea as he spoke leisurely.
During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Yang Rui's impression of Zhang Jiao wasn't that bad. However, he was very resistant to Dong Zhuo's cruel and ruthless behavior. Although this was a game, Yang Rui had long felt that this game wasn't that simple. Thus, he had always been very rude to Dong Zhuo's subordinates.
The reason why Yang Rui didn't directly arrest Li Ru and instead asked him to try to raise conditions was to obtain the most benefits. If Li Ru could really raise conditions that could tempt Yang Rui, Yang Rui might agree to it.
Right now, Yang Rui also had some matters that were inconvenient to deal with. For example, Young Emperor Liu Bian and Empress Dowager He were still in Yang Rui's hands. If Dong Zhuo was really blocked east of Hangu Pass and was eliminated by the heroes, how to deal with Young Emperor Liu Bian would be a problem. Perhaps, the final outcome would be a centralization of power.
At the same time, if Yang Rui defended Hangu Pass to the death, he might be able to greatly hinder Dong Zhuo's progress. However, if Dong Zhuo was desperate and tried to take Hangu Pass to escape, Yang Rui might not even be able to defend the pass. It was almost certain that he would cause a lot of losses to Yang Rui. At that time, reviving the soldiers would definitely give him a lot of points.
It was precisely because of these two reasons that Yang Rui wanted to obtain the most benefits from Dong Zhuo with the smallest price. Thus, he gave Li Ru a chance to speak.
"Hangu Pass is not an ordinary pass. Prime Minister Dong will naturally exchange the corresponding territory with Lord Prefecture Overseer. Which one does Lord Prefecture Overseer fancy?"
Faced with Yang Rui's question, Li Ru still insisted on exchanging territory for Hangu Pass. However, he received a direct rejection from Yang Rui.
"Hahaha! This Prefecture Overseer's army is pointing at that old bastard Dong Zhuo's territory. Why should we exchange it? Don't mention the matter of exchange again! "Yang Rui said with a laugh.
"The territory that Li Ru is talking about is not the city that the Prime Minister occupies. Instead, the Prime Minister will submit a memorial to the court and issue an imperial edict to Lord Prefecture Overseer! How about this? "Li Ru replied calmly.
"What imperial edict? Our eighteen vassals have never acknowledged Liu Xie's legitimacy, so where is the imperial edict from? That old bastard Dong's scheme is to frame this Prefecture Overseer for being disloyal and is spurned by the heroes! "
"This …"
“.....”
Yang Rui and Li Ru argued back and forth. However, Yang Rui simply did not accept Liu Xie's so-called imperial edict. Li Ru was repeatedly rendered speechless by Yang Rui.
"If Lord Prefecture Overseer is willing to return Liu Bian and his mother, Liu Xie will naturally be the rightful successor!"
However, Li Ru could not get past this. His thoughts were still stuck on how to make Liu Xie the rightful successor. After pondering for a while, his eyes narrowed and he revealed a vicious expression.
The meaning of his words could not be more obvious. He wanted to return Liu Bian and his mother and then murder them! If Liu Xie was left alone, the eighteen vassals had no choice but to acknowledge him! This was what Dong Zhuo and Li Ru had done in history.
Of course, Yang Rui would not cooperate with Li Ru. Not to mention that Liu Bian and Empress Dowager He still had great potential value, Yang Rui would definitely not participate in Li Ru's despicable actions!
However, Li Ru's suggestion provided Yang Rui with an idea. That was to use Dong Zhuo's name to hide Liu Bian and Empress Dowager He! To be precise, Yang Rui had a similar idea before. Li Ru's words just confirmed his idea.
"Hmph! This Prefecture Overseer will naturally not wallow in the mire with you. I will not hand over the Young Emperor and Empress Dowager He! As for the imperial edict, don't mention it again. If you need land, I will naturally take it myself! "Yang Rui snorted coldly.
"Then what should we do? Please enlighten us, Lord Prefecture Overseer! " After being repeatedly rejected, Li Ru's eyes darted around as if he had thought of something. Thus, he allowed Yang Rui to state his own conditions.
Yang Rui paced back and forth as he leisurely said, "The matter of Hangu Pass is not something that cannot be discussed. You only need to agree to a few conditions of this Prefecture Overseer!"
"This one is all ears to Lord Prefecture Overseer's instructions. As long as it is within my capabilities, the Prime Minister will naturally agree!" Li Ru saw Yang Rui's words and actions and immediately knew that there was a turning point. He immediately replied respectfully.
During the negotiations with Li Ru, Yang Rui had indeed gained some inspiration and gradually formed a framework for making a deal with Dong Zhuo. Thus, under Li Ru's expectant gaze, Yang Rui really did state his conditions one by one.
"Come closer."
Under Yang Rui's beckoning, Li Ru immediately moved his head closer. Then, Yang Rui whispered to him, causing Li Ru's face to become gloomy and uncertain!
"… Dong Zhuo only needs to agree to these conditions, and I will make things convenient for him. These conditions shouldn't be difficult for him, right? "Hahaha …"
As he finished speaking, Yang Rui's voice became louder and louder, and Li Ru's expression became extremely complicated!
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