Elimination

After handling all the trivial matters, Lu Bu led the Flying Tiger Army to participate in the early morning court session in Luoyang.

Lu Bu glanced at the bright red morning sun in the east. The discussion about getting rich with the generals had gone a bit too deep, causing him to miss the time for the early morning court. He estimated that by the time he reached the Chongde Hall, the morning court would have already ended.

However, the Empress Dowager was supposed to announce his appointment during the morning court, appointing him as the Governor of Bingzhou and concurrently the Commander of the Northern Expedition. Without this appointment, he wouldn't be able to lead his army back to Bingzhou.

Later, Lu Bu made up his mind. With the military power in his hands, even if he missed the morning court, he would have the princes and ministers conduct a midday and evening court for him. Today, he had to secure this appointment.

After coming to this decision, Lu Bu led the Flying Tiger Army and hurried towards Luoyang.

On the way, he encountered Lu Zhi, who was heading towards Xiaoping Crossing with a few secretaries.

Seeing Lu Bu, Lu Zhi's loud voice echoed from afar, "General Lu, the Empress Dowager has decreed that there will be an early morning court tomorrow. You can return for now."

Lu Bu was puzzled. He approached Lu Zhi, saluting with his hand, "Does General Lu know why the Empress Dowager postponed the morning court?"

Usually, messages from the Empress Dowager to ministers were conveyed by eunuchs, but since Yuan Shao and others had exterminated all the eunuchs, Empress Dowager He had no choice but to ask Lu Zhi, a secretary of the imperial court, to deliver the message. Moreover, Lu Zhi was highly respected and had a strong sense of loyalty, making him trustworthy.

Lu Zhi smiled bitterly, "The young emperor was frightened and fell ill a few days ago. As he is not present, the court cannot convene."

Lu Bu wanted to say that this young emperor, Liu Bian, was nothing more than a puppet in the eyes of the aristocratic ministers, so why did he need to be present? However, he couldn't say such words in front of this loyal minister. Instead, he asked, "How is the emperor's condition?"

Lu Zhi replied, "The imperial physician has examined him, and there is nothing serious. He just needs a day of rest, and he will be fine tomorrow."

Lu Bu was about to bid farewell to Lu Zhi when the latter suddenly grabbed the reins of the Red Hare, saying, "Isn't this Dong Zhuo's steed? How did it end up in your hands?" During the campaign against Zhang Jiao, Lu Zhi was falsely accused by the eunuch Zuo Feng and lost his official position, replaced by Dong Zhuo. Originally, Lu Zhi was about to capture Guangzong city, but Dong Zhuo arrived and the imperial army was defeated. Therefore, Lu Bu, who had taken control of the city, was the one who handed the Red Hare to Dong Zhuo. Lu Bu didn't dare to say that he received the horse as a gift from Dong Zhuo, so he used Wu Chong's explanation, saying that Ding Yuan's subordinate, Hao Meng, accepted the Red Hare from Dong Zhuo, who later killed Ding Yuan. Lu Bu avenged Ding Yuan by killing Hao Meng and claimed ownership of the Red Hare.

Lu Zhi, although still a bit puzzled why Dong Zhuo would use such a legendary steed to win over an unknown officer like Hao Meng, decided not to investigate further. He comforted Lu Bu and, knowing that Lu Bu had been suppressed by Ding Yuan, did not say anything more. Lu Zhi then laughed heartily, "Such a treasure horse is entirely wasted on Dong Zhuo. Worthy General, you should be the one riding this horse." Lu Bu burst into laughter at his words.

Suddenly, Lu Zhi lowered his voice and said, "When the Empress Dowager summoned me to the palace just now, she talked to me about the plan you discussed with her. I agree with your judgment and am willing to follow the Empress Dowager's arrangements. However, I currently lack troops and horses, and the White Wave Bandits, Black Mountain Bandits, Southern Xiongnu, and Xianbei are rampant in Bingzhou. Therefore, the Empress Dowager secretly decreed that you should hand over the command of the Northern Army's five camps, which you once led, back to me." After saying this, Lu Zhi showed the secret decree to Lu Bu.

Lu Bu remained calm on the surface, but in his heart, he had some doubts. Although he had formed an alliance with Lu Zhi against Dong Zhuo to protect the Empress Dowager, he did not want to be a blindly loyal minister like Lu Zhi. He wanted to be someone as decisive and cunning as Cao Cao, or even surpass Cao Cao. He couldn't just hand over the Northern Army's five camps to Lu Zhi so easily.

Lu Bu's face showed a pleasant expression, "When will General Lu be available? Let's go together to inspect these Northern Army's five camps."

In a hurry to obtain military power, Lu Zhi eagerly replied, "I'm free right now."

However, Lu Bu shook his head, "How about we meet again at Shenshi? General Lu knows that Lord Ding was just harmed by Dong Zhuo, and the morale of my Bingzhou army is unstable. I need to go back and reorganize. Besides, I haven't slept all night, feeling a bit tired."

Seeing Lu Bu saying this, Lu Zhi didn't want to force him. He arched his hand and left on his horse.

Once Lu Zhi was far away, Lu Bu instructed the Flying Tiger Army, "Let's go to the Northern Army's five camps now." On the way to the Northern Army's five camps, Lu Bu summoned a few members of the Elite Guards and gave them some instructions, asking them to notify Gao Shun, Xue Lan, Li Feng, and the leaders of the West Garden Four Armies – Xia Mou and Huang Zhong, who had already returned to Luoyang.

When Lu Bu arrived at the Northern Army's five camps, it was just past dawn, equivalent to around nine in the morning in modern time. Lu Bu ordered the ten thousand soldiers of the five camps to gather on the training ground and begin practicing their military posture.

Lu Bu briefly explained the basic requirements for standing at attention and then said, "Stand with me. If anyone can't endure, you can leave first."

In that year, the climate around Luoyang was unusually abnormal. From the death of Emperor Ling to the elimination of the Ten Eunuchs over the course of several months, it had been raining continuously. However, after the Ten Eunuchs were exterminated, the sky cleared up, and the sun shone brightly. Standing in full armor under the scorching sun, sweating profusely, was not something ordinary people could endure. After half an hour, more than four thousand people couldn't bear it and announced their withdrawal.

At the same time, similar military posture drills were taking place in the camps of the West Garden Four Armies, Imperial Guards, and Tiger Elite Soldiers.

Half an hour later, those who couldn't endure in these four armies were incorporated into the Northern Army's five camps. After the integration, the number increased by two thousand compared to the original ten thousand.

At the same time that Lu Bu and the ten thousand soldiers were practicing military posture, in the supply area of the Northern Army's five camps, the Flying Tiger Army quietly transported away relatively new weapons, armor, and horses. Since those who guarded the supply area were also pulled away by Lu Bu to practice military posture, no one noticed, but a portion of weapons and armor was left for the ten thousand two thousand soldiers.

Lu Bu spoke to the ten thousand two thousand soldiers, his words filled with deception, "You are all the elite among elites, agile and responsive. That's why I'm leaving you to be led by the renowned Lord Lu Zhi for the Great Han Dynasty."

In reality, Lu Bu was well aware that a soldier's physical fitness was not the most crucial factor; the most critical factor was endurance and strong will. Otherwise, no matter how strong and robust one was, they wouldn't pass the simplest standard of military posture.

When transferring military power to Lu Zhi in the afternoon, Lu Zhi did not feel anything unusual at first. After all, he hadn't led the Northern Army's five camps for five years. By the time he felt something was wrong, the military power had already been transferred, and he found himself in a dilemma. Moreover, Lu Bu had given him an additional two thousand soldiers. Since Lu Zhi didn't want to turn against Lu Bu just because of this matter, he had to accept this loss.