Chapter 9, sooner or later it will go off course

From the sinister perspective of vying for power and profit, if Duan Wei were eliminated, the generals following him would have the opportunity to rise in rank, and even gain the authority to command an army stationed outside.

Niu Fu is the son-in-law of Dong Zhuo, and Dong Yue is a member of Dong Zhuo's clan. They have been stationed near Mianchi with their troops. Dong Zhuo would never believe any accusations against these two regarding ulterior motives. On the other hand, Duan Wei, who commands troops stationed at Wuguan in the southeast corner of Chang'an, is only a few dozen miles away from Nanyang, making him the most likely to have clandestine dealings with the anti-Dong Zhuo "core members" such as Yuan Shu.

Wang Yue heard that Duan Wei was going to send one hundred people to protect Liu He, and he gladly accepted the order, assuring Liu He that he would definitely find Tian Chou and his group during the night

Jia Xu nodded and did not continue to ask where Liu and these people were now

Liu also harbored hatred towards Li Jue, believing that he was indeed no good, as he seemed to have done nothing beneficial for the country or the people apart from causing trouble in Chang'an. Now, he even sought to harm himself, so he said without hesitation: "This person is Li Jue, the Prefect of the Cattle Assistant's Account!"

Duan Wei listened to Jia Xu's words, stood for a moment, adjusted his breathing evenly, and then slowly sat down. He said to Liu He: "This time, it is indeed you who have suffered, young master! To compensate you, I will personally select one hundred soldiers tomorrow to escort you out of the pass, ensuring your journey is without worry"

Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and others are currently all serving as lieutenants under Niu Fu. Among them, some harbor intentions to overthrow Duan Wei, which is entirely plausible from a motivational standpoint

Duan Wei furrowed his brows and pondered for a moment, yet found no clues. He then said, "I would appreciate it if Brother Wenhe could provide some guidance."

First layer: Dong Zhuo is unprincipled and - picture - book, he took away all the fine horses that my father had sent. ... The so-called horses bestowed by the Son of Heaven to the Grand Tutor, everyone understands ...

Liu He thought of this and suddenly stopped being entangled, thus falling into a deep sleep

At first, Jia Xu served under Duan Wei, but not long after, he transferred to Niu Fu's side. After Niu Fu was killed by Hu Chier, it seems that this old poisoner suggested to Li Jue to collaborate with Zhang Ji, Guo Shi, Fan Chou, and others to besiege Chang'an. As a result, the royalist Xu Rong was killed in battle, Wang Yun committed suicide, and Lü Bu fled eastward

Liu He was plagued by various strange thoughts, tossing and turning in bed unable to sleep

If an incident were to occur involving the emperor's special envoy within the territory controlled by Zhongming, it is only natural that in the future, someone would place the blame on you. There may even be accusations that the envoy was secretly harmed by your agents, and your motive for harming the envoy would be due to concerns that your private dealings with Yuan Shu might be exposed

What a malicious scheme! I am stationed at Wuguan, adjacent to Nanyang controlled by Yuan Shu. If someone were to slander me in front of the Grand Tutor, claiming that I am secretly colluding with Yuan Shu to harm the Grand Tutor, then the assassination of the envoy would serve as the best pretext

After considering this matter, Liu, with some grievance, said: "To be honest, my father sent a hundred fine horses from Youzhou, which have now been bestowed upon Grand Tutor Dong by the Emperor. When I left Chang'an, I did not ride any horses. As for the horses you saw, they were seized last night from a group of strongmen who intended to attack me"

Level 3: Do not be fooled by the small number of my subordinates; we can still eliminate those who wish to harm me and thoroughly clean out their resources, while conveniently retrieving twenty fine horses in the process

Jia Xu spoke up to persuade Duan Wei

Confucius taught his disciples to "examine oneself three times a day." Liu He did not possess such cultivation and could not achieve this practice, but reflecting and reviewing his day before sleep became a habit for him

After the two left, Liu He finally relaxed, lying firmly on the clean and tidy bed, reflecting on his actions over the past two days

Chang'an is nearly 300 li away from Wuguan. Why did this bandit choose to act only the day before Young Master Liu and his party arrived at Wuguan? Because the location where Young Master Liu was attacked last night was actually within the jurisdiction of the Wuguan garrison

Although Liu He had little experience in struggle, he understood the general idea upon hearing this

Duan Wei is a cousin of the former Grand Commandant Duan Qiang and also a great-grandson of the Protector General of the Western Regions, Duan Huizong. He comes from a prestigious family, so he holds a certain respect for Liu He, who also hails from a notable lineage. Despite having many questions in his heart, he refrains from harshly questioning him and instead conducts his inquiries in a subtle manner.

Duan Wei, upon hearing this, opened his tiger-like eyes wide and, staring at Liu, said in a cold tone: "Since you know the name of the person who harmed you, why did you not inform me of it earlier?"

Liu and Duan Wei were politely invited into the closed corner tower, and they had no choice but to put on a brave face and engage in pleasantries. As the sky darkened, they abandoned the idea of leaving that day and instead immersed themselves in feasting and drinking.

Duan Wei said: "Not long ago, I heard news from Chang'an that the Grand Tutor Liu specially dispatched envoys Tian Chou and Xianyu Yin to travel a thousand miles to the capital to pay their respects to the Emperor, presenting one hundred fine horses from Youzhou and a fortune in silver and gold. Today, as I observe the horses ridden by the young master and his attendants, they do not seem to be from Youzhou; rather, they bear a striking resemblance to the Xiliang horses used by our soldiers in the army"

After the banquet concluded, Duan Wei had someone lead Liu He to the place where Wang Yue and the others were staying. He arranged for a clean and tidy bedroom for him and sent in a large tub of hot water for bathing, after which no one came to disturb him.

Suddenly, Liu He recalled a segment of history, and instantly, the drowsiness that had just washed over him vanished completely

What Jia Xu said seemed very reasonable at first glance, but Liu He pondered for a long time without any clue, and couldn't help but grumble inwardly: What a cunning old fox, just a few words and he leaves me in a fog, making me feel restless.

Liu He suddenly had a thought when he heard Duan Wei mention the matter of horses. He recalled that Wang Yue had once said that the person who intended to harm him last night was sent by Li Jue. Historically, it seems that Duan Wei and Li Jue had always been at odds, and ultimately, Li Jue met his end at the hands of Duan Wei.

Now I inform Duan Wei that Li Jue is secretly dealing with him, and the old poisoner Fang Cai has also expressed his willingness to assist Duan Wei in dealing with Li Jue. In this way, does it not mean that Jia Xu will have no opportunity to align with Li Jue in the future? Does this not count as altering the course of history?

At this moment, Jia Xu asked Liu He, "May I ask how the young master came to know that those individuals were sent by Li Jue?"

If one could attribute a crime of collusion with Yuan Shu to Duan Wei, it would indeed arouse suspicion and murderous intent in Dong Zhuo

Duan Wei's complexion improved somewhat as he said, "Hmph, I was mistaken about you. Now you can reveal that person's name!"

Liu stared unflinchingly at Duan Wei, then coldly laughed and said: "If it weren't for Mr. Wenhe's earlier remarks, may I ask if I were to rashly mention that person's name, would you, General, believe me? I fear you would consider me a troublemaker, wouldn't you?"

Duan Wei, upon hearing this, displayed a look of astonishment and said angrily: "Truly audacious and reckless, to actually intend to harm the imperial envoy! Such despicable and shameless actions, going against all decency, are indeed contemptible!"

Although Liu's words were expressed in a subtle and implicit manner, they at least conveyed three layers of meaning to Duan Wei

Jia Xu, who had been rather silent, suddenly spoke up: "This matter is indeed puzzling and has many suspicious aspects. If we only consider that the horse obtained by the young master is produced in Xiliang, we cannot conclude who intends to plot something sinister. However, if we carefully ponder the intentions of this group of strongmen and the timing and location of their actions, it is not difficult to guess a general idea."

Duan Wei felt a slight tremor in his body upon hearing this, and his expression turned grim.

How fortunate it would be to have Jia Xu's assistance!

Li Jue! Li Jue! How could it be this young man!

Liu and Wen were overjoyed upon hearing this, feeling that the fright they had experienced was not in vain, as they had managed to take away one hundred guards from Duan Wei's hands

Level 2: This journey has not been smooth; there are those who wish to do me harm

Having understood the intricacies involved, Liu then said: "Mr. Wenhe's analysis is incisive; I have learned much! I wonder if General Duan is interested in knowing who intends to harm me?"

"Oh, why do you say that?" Duan Wei said with a look of astonishment.

Liu was diligently recalling the history he remembered, hoping to find some clues from the historical records of figures such as Dong Zhuo, Wang Yun, Liu Yu, Duan Wei, Li Jue, and Jia Xu.

Duan Wei suddenly slammed his palm down on the table in front of him, then stood up abruptly, his face revealing a look of deep resentment

Zhongming, calm your anger. Now that you are aware of Li Jue's intentions to deal with you, you should find a way to eliminate him in the future. As for the current situation, we must strive to facilitate Young Master Liu's mission and prevent their treacherous scheme from succeeding

Liu He called Wang Yue and Xianyu Yin into the room, recounted the events that had just occurred during the meal, and then asked Wang Yue to find a way to quietly leave the pass at night. He urged him to quickly locate Tian Chou and instructed Tian Chou to find a safer place outside Wuguan to wait for his exit.

Liu, wishing to protect Wang Yue, lied, saying: "Last night, my guards captured a few live prisoners while eliminating these individuals. After interrogating them on the spot, we obtained the results."

With the intelligence of a toxicologist, he has already deduced that everyone has been silenced by Liu, and perhaps even the bodies have been destroyed.

Jia Xu smiled faintly, picked up the wine cup, took a sip, and then said leisurely: "I believe that this group of strongmen seems to be targeting Young Master Liu, but in reality, they intend to deal with you, Zhongming!"

As he pondered, Liu involuntarily shifted his attention to Jia Xu, whom he had met for the first time.

Damn, I can't manage all of this! My very presence in this time and space is the biggest bug. From now on, the original history can only deviate further. It doesn't matter if Jia Xu doesn't go looking for Li Jue!

The five most powerful generals under Dong Zhuo are now the Zhonglang General Niu Fu, Dong Yue, Duan Wei, Hu Zhen, and Xu Rong. Except for Xu Rong, who was granted his title later, the other four are all veterans from the time when Dong Zhuo rose to power, thus belonging to his direct faction