"An army marches on its stomach," as the saying goes. Without provisions, Dong Zhuo's soldiers wouldn't obey orders on empty stomachs; they'd rebel immediately.
However, local production would take time. Bingzhou was barren and lacked the necessary agricultural technology, making the idea of establishing military farms a pipe dream.
Therefore, the only solutions were either to plunder the resources of the Xianbei and Wuhuan tribes, or to eliminate Ding Yuan and seize control of Bingzhou.
"What other plans do you have? Tell me all," Dong Zhuo said, feeling utterly frustrated. Without Liangzhou, he was nothing.
Without territory, without a base of operations, the survival of these tens of thousands of soldiers was a precarious existence, akin to walking a tightrope! Li Ru wiped the cold sweat from his brow, calming his racing heart, then cupped his hands and said, "My lord, why not write a letter and have Governor Lu handle it on your behalf? Transfer Ding Yuan to Luoyang. Once Ding Yuan leaves Bingzhou, with your great talent and ambition, taking Bingzhou is only a matter of time."
Dong Zhuo was quite disappointed. He had thought it was something good, some brilliant plan, but it seemed like nothing more.
"Leaving aside whether Anmin has the ability, do you think that old scoundrel would leave Bingzhou, which he has managed for decades?"
"Why is my lord currently in Bingzhou?" Li Ru asked another idiotic question, not about himself, but about Dong Zhuo's idiocy.
For a moment, Dong Zhuo was speechless. After a moment of silence, he nodded, "It seems that now we can only talk to Anmin and see what he can do."
Dong Zhuo didn't want to go to Lu Ming unless absolutely necessary. This wasn't out of fear of social niceties, just a simple sense of awkwardness and reluctance to admit it; nothing more.
In Luoyang, Emperor Ling occasionally felt unwell, but didn't pay much attention to it.
Today, he had merely tested the waters in the Chengde Hall, and every minister advocated for Liu Bian to be made crown prince.
Liu Bian was weak-willed, and the Han dynasty was already in a precarious state.
Without a strong and capable emperor to reverse the tide,
the future was uncertain, and Emperor Ling preferred his second son, Liu Xie.
However, ensuring Liu Xie's ascension to the throne depended on Lu Ming gaining control of Liangzhou and possessing elite troops to suppress the powerful clans.
Emperor Ling understood why they supported Liu Bian: besides the rule of primogeniture, Liu Bian's weakness made him easy for them to control.
This empire still belongs to the Liu family, but only in name. The ministers are the true rulers!
The court assembly ended in discord. Emperor Ling had merely tested the waters, but even this small ripple gradually escalated into a major upheaval.
In Changqiu Palace, Empress He, with skin as white as snow and lightly powdered, sat on a couch. Her long, narrow eyes narrowed in thought as she listened to the news brought by the eunuch.
"You old dog! You actually want to make Liu Xie the crown prince!" Empress He was furious. As the empress, her child should rightfully be the crown prince.
Emperor Ling's delay in appointing an heir had long made her suspect ill intentions, and now she was right!
"What is the ministers' reaction to this matter?" Empress He asked, standing before her was none other than Zhang Rang!
Who would have thought that Zhang Rang actually had a close relationship with Empress He? After all, her daughter-in-law, He Wan, was pregnant and might give the Zhang family a son in the future. He Wan was Empress He's younger sister, making their families practically related by marriage.
"Everyone's against it, everyone wants to make the young emperor the crown prince."
The young emperor was, in fact, a child emperor.
This was just private talk; no edict had been issued yet, so it wasn't official.
A decree to establish a crown prince required the consent and seal of the Eastern Palace, namely Empress Dowager Dong, to be valid.
Otherwise, if the Empress Dowager disagreed, the crown prince's position would be illegitimate!
This was why Empress He was so furious. Given her bitter rivalry with Empress Dowager Dong, the latter would certainly not agree.
Actually, she didn't necessarily want to clash with Empress Dowager Dong; it was just that Empress Dowager Dong had always disliked her. She was merely the daughter of a butcher, yet she had become empress—it was like a sparrow turning into a phoenix, unbelievable.
"Alright, thank you for your hard work." Empress He took out jade ornaments and rewarded Zhang Rang, dismissing him.
She then fell into deep thought, pondering what to do.
After much thought, she couldn't come up with a good solution, so she decided to ask her mother.
Upon arriving at the rear hall, she happened to encounter Liu Liu, the wife of the Grand Commandant, and Wang Qing, the wife of the Marquis of Zhao, who were visiting her mother. The three chatted amiably, their laughter ringing out like silver bells.
Empress He particularly glared at Liu Liu, the wife of the Grand Commandant. The reason was simple: Liu Liu's voluptuous figure possessed a mature beauty, a radiant glow that came from the abundance of Lu Ming's semen she had absorbed.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress."
"No need for formalities." Empress He sat down on the couch and looked at the two women, saying, "What are you two talking about?"
"Your Majesty, we were thinking of going to Liangzhou to see Lu Ming for treatment. My sister-in-law isn't feeling well, so I wanted to accompany her. I happened to remember that Lord Wuyang was also treated by Lu Ming before, so I wanted to ask if Lord Wuyang was going there on his way. Also, I heard that Liangzhou has started paving cement roads; they're flat, comfortable, and very convenient for carriages." Liu Liu was a tireless salesperson, going to great lengths to meet her lover, finding all sorts of reasons and excuses to go.
Actually, she just wanted to be fucked; it was that simple. There was no other reason, nor did she need one.
Empress He seemed to realize something and glanced at her mother. "Hmm, you may all leave now. Come again tomorrow. I will discuss this with Consort Wuyang. That's all."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Liu Liu and Wang Qing, unsure of Empress He's intentions, decided to leave since she had spoken.
After the two left, Empress He finally looked away from Liu Liu's large buttocks. Women, too, are attracted to those with good figures.
"Mother, are you going to Liangzhou to find Lu Ming?" Empress He spoke first. If her mother didn't have this intention, they wouldn't have been chatting so enthusiastically; there was definitely something fishy going on.
Consort Wuyang was also somewhat aroused, but traveling such a long distance to offer herself up wasn't exactly a good idea. Besides, at her age, doing such a thing still felt shameful!