: Longing for the Prime Minister's Prestige!

……

"This humble general, Yu She, requests permission to execute Lü Bu!"

"If we cannot win, we will not turn back!"

Yuan Shu was overjoyed upon seeing this, "They've arrived!"

His own general, Yu She, was finally going to take the field and help him slay enemy generals, seize flags, and make a name for himself throughout the land.

Before Yuan Shao could speak, he preemptively ordered, "Go quickly! Bring back Lü Bu's head, and I will personally host a banquet to celebrate your victory."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu She spurred his horse forward, spear in hand.

Upon reaching the front lines, the two horses clashed, and Lü Bu casually thrust his halberd forward, only to be startled by Yu She's shout!

"General Lü spared his life, for he had long admired the Prime Minister's prestige and wanted to serve him, but had no way to do so."

Today's encounter on the battlefield is truly a godsend. I have just received orders to go into battle and come to serve the Prime Minister.

I request General Lü to inform you that I possess a map of the defenses of the various lords, which I wish to present to the Chancellor as a token of my sincerity.

Lü Bu: "???"

The general's astonishing words left Lü Bu speechless for a moment.

He gave Yu She a cold look, thinking that if this man really came to surrender and even offered a defense map, then he really couldn't just kill him and jeopardize his adoptive father's important plans.

He then coldly shouted, "If you truly wish to surrender, then lay down your weapons, remove your armor, and come with me to see my godfather."

Yu She came with sincere intentions, so there is nothing wrong with that.

He immediately abandoned his spear, followed Lü Bu to the Xiliang army camp, removed his armor, surrendered, and entered the city to see Dong Zhuo.

This scene left the allied forces stunned.

"This... Highway, General, what is the meaning of this?"

"How could they abandon their weapons in the face of battle, and follow Lü Bu to disarm and surrender, and enter the city?"

"What else could it mean? It must be that Yuan Gonglu misjudged people and sent someone who was loyal to Dong Zhuo. Yu She has probably already taken the opportunity to defect to Dong Zhuo."

"This is outrageous! To surrender to Dong Zhuo right before our very eyes, when we are facing off as armies, what will become of the dignity of all the eighteen warlords?"

……

Even the alliance leader, Yuan Shao, felt greatly embarrassed, fearing he would be laughed at by the people of Xiliang.

He almost gritted his teeth, "Yuan Gonglu! This is truly one of your top generals!"

Yuan Shu was now filled with shame and anger, his face flushed red with embarrassment, wishing he could personally draw his sword and cut Yu She down with a single stroke.

"Shuzi, thief!

I swear to kill you!

"You promised to go through fire and water, even at the cost of your life?"

What happened to the promise of slaying generals, seizing flags, and making a name for oneself throughout the world?

They're all lying to me!

I trust you with all my heart, how could you possibly betray me?

"How dare you betray me!"

……

During this period, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, who were close friends with Yu She, looked at each other with difficulty in speaking about this matter.

"Why... Brother Zichuan, would you do such an unjust thing?"

"I used to think he was a righteous man, but I never imagined he was a faithless traitor who coveted wealth and glory."

"Zichuan surrendering to the thieves is like abandoning a bright pearl to enter a dark room; a great man would not do such a thing."

Second brother, third brother, now that Zichuan has betrayed us and become a traitor, we will no longer be on the same side when we meet on the battlefield.

……

Meanwhile, Yu She, after being stripped of his armor and bound, was sent to the top of the city wall. Upon seeing Dong Zhuo, he immediately bowed down in reverence.

"She had long admired the Prime Minister's prestige, and having surveyed all the feudal lords, he found none to be like the Prime Minister."

"To see you today is the greatest comfort of my life; I would gladly face any danger, even death."

"Oh~"

Dong Zhuo looked down at him coldly.

"But all eighteen princes denounce me as a traitor to the country and have raised troops to attack the city. I am just trying to eliminate the traitor for the country."

"You have been there for so long, why do you say you admire me?"

Yu She lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to look up. "The reason why the feudal lords call him a traitor is because the prime minister deposed the eldest son of the legitimate wife and established a younger one in his place."

But what benefit would it bring to the prime minister to abolish the position of the eldest son of the legitimate wife and establish him as the new prime minister?

Who in the world does not know that the Prince of Hongnong is weak?

The emperor is wise and capable, far surpassing his ancestors in intelligence.

Throughout history, has there ever been a traitor who deposed a weak and incompetent ruler and installed a wise and capable one?

The feudal lords honored their weak and easily bullied rulers, openly proclaiming their loyalty while secretly pursuing their own interests. What were they after?

Each harbors their own ambitions and has long harbored rebellious intentions; who among them truly cares about the nation and its people?

The Prime Minister, however, is different!

Enduring the infamy of the entire nation and defying the world's condemnation, they deposed a mediocre and cowardly ruler and supported a virtuous and capable one—this is the story of Yi Yin and Huo Guang.

How bright is the heart of the Prime Minister!

How upright and honorable was the Prime Minister's journey!

How can we compare ourselves to those corrupt officials and scoundrels outside the city who are always looking for personal gain?

Yu was deeply grateful for the Prime Minister's kindness and concern for the public and the people, and for the Prime Minister's power, which terrified the feudal lords.

"I have long harbored the desire to serve you, and today I have come to present this map. I seek neither wealth nor glory, but only to serve as a humble foot soldier for a hero like the Prime Minister, and even that would not be in vain."

"This...this..."

Dong Zhuo had originally planned with Li Ru that he would first put on a cold face and give Yu She a warning, as a test.

Unexpectedly, Yu She's words made him blush, and his smile almost overflowed. He immediately ordered his men to speak.

"Untie him! Quickly untie the righteous man!"

Who is this ignorant fool who has kidnapped my righteous man? How utterly disrespectful!

Yu She's face was full of flattery, but he secretly laughed to himself, "How could a little scoundrel like Dong Zhuo possibly stand up to my verbal skills?"

If Yu really relied on his sharp tongue to fight his way out of the group of sycophants who fawned over Yuan Shu in Nanyang, suppressing Ji Ling and Zhang Xun so much that they dared not raise their heads, and thus earned the title of general, would it be a mere empty name?

Given his lord Yuan Shu's arrogant and conceited nature, who else but Yu She could "persuade" him time and time again?

……

After Yu She was untied, Dong Zhuo smiled and said to him.

"The world has misjudged me, Dong Zhuo, but only you, General, know my heart."

The feudal lords, seeing that I have deposed and installed emperors, have made unfounded speculations, suspecting that I have ulterior motives and denouncing me as a traitor to the country. This is a great mistake!

Little did they know that they were the true scourges of the world, the usurpers and traitors.

"Dong is dedicated to upholding the Han Dynasty and serving the public, yet he is often misunderstood by the world. Seeing you, General, today fills me with great comfort!"

Yu She: "..."

"Yes, you traitor Dong."

How could you actually believe a few words I said?

Yu She inwardly grumbled, but outwardly wore an expression of admiration. He handed over the defense maps of the various lords that he had been investigating and preparing over the past few days, and prostrated himself on the ground, saying:

"I am willing to assist the Prime Minister in achieving great things!"

"I would go through fire and water, even die a thousand deaths, without hesitation!"

"Excellent! With the general's assistance, the Han dynasty can be restored, and our great cause can be accomplished!"

Dong Zhuo was overjoyed and then ordered:

"Yu She was appointed Cavalry Commandant and given one hundred taels of gold and ten bolts of brocade."

After saying this, he then said to Yu She:

"General, you are new here. For now, you shall serve under my son Fengxian. Once you have rendered meritorious service in this battle, you will be rewarded accordingly."

After Yu She bowed in gratitude, he accepted the order and left.

After he left, Li Ru quickly stepped forward. He knew that the most hated people by the side of the emperor were sycophants like Yu She, because often a wise ruler would ruin his career because of such people.

He quickly advised, "Prime Minister, this man has come to us out of nowhere and is full of sweet talk. I am afraid he is a fraud. We should not trust him."

Dong Zhuo glanced at him with slight impatience, "How could I not know what Wen You is worried about?"

However, this man came to join the army of the eighteen warlords out of admiration, thus cutting himself off from the world. Such a loyal and righteous man should not be left unrewarded.

Who among the scholars of the world would still admire me?

Among the feudal lords, who would betray them in the face of battle?

Wenyou need not say more; my actions are truly a case of spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones.

Li Ru: "..."

Is this what I'm worried about?

My concern is that you, Prime Minister, will be misled by him, favoring sycophants and alienating virtuous ministers, thus falling into a state of decline and ruining our great cause!

However, he couldn't say such things openly, so he could only suppress them for the time being and find another opportunity to deal with Yu She later.

……