Rejection

Seeing some gold and silver jewelry scattered beside the armor, Lu Bu smiled faintly at Li Su and said, "No free lunch in this world. Speak up, what does Dong Zhuo want me to do?"

Li Su was about to dismiss the onlookers when he realized that there were no others in Lu Bu's central tent. It turned out that Lu Bu had already ordered the elite guards to defend the outside of the central tent, not allowing anyone to approach.

Li Su couldn't help but secretly admire Lu Bu's caution. "Let me tell you the truth, General. These are all gifts from my lord who admires your great name. He specially sent me to deliver this armor. To be frank, the Red Hare horse was originally General Dong's beloved steed. In order to get closer to you, General Dong Zhuo, with great reluctance, decided to give it to you."

Lu Bu made a gesture of gratitude, "With such great favor from Lord Dong, how can Lu Bu repay it?"

Li Su laughed, "It's quite easy. General, you just need to make a move with your Sky Piercer, kill Ding Yuan, absorb his subordinates, and Lord Dong will be willing to form an alliance with you. Together, you can resist powerful ministers like Yuan Shao, share political power, and secure a high position in the future."

After a brief consideration, Lu Bu decided not to become the unfilial son who kills his adoptive father.

Throughout the Han Dynasty, filial piety was highly regarded, and officials were primarily selected based on their filial conduct. If someone gained a reputation for being unfilial, they wouldn't even be fit for minor bureaucratic roles. Committing patricide would surely make them unacceptable to society. Only people like Dong Zhuo and Li Su, who came from the borderlands without much influence from Confucian teachings, would present such a dilemma. Perhaps only the young Lu Bu, who grew up in the wilderness among the Wuhuan tribes, would have cooperated with them in patricide.

Now, Lu Bu, without the need to take such risks for the immediate benefits, firmly declared, "Brother, if your lord wants Lu Bu to leave Luoyang without opposing him, Lu Bu can do that. However, asking me to bear the infamy of patricide is beyond my capability. If you want Ding Yuan dead, you can send someone to kill him, and I won't intervene. But I won't personally take action."

Li Su carefully thought it over and found that the main goal of this mission had been achieved. Ding Yuan's main military force was Lu Bu. If Lu Bu agreed to withdraw from Luoyang without opposing Dong Zhuo, whether Ding Yuan lived or died was no longer the main concern. Now, it depended on whether Dong Zhuo wanted Ding Yuan's life. He said, "Since younger brother considers it this way, I won't force it. I just hope that you can keep your promise, withdraw from Luoyang when the time comes, and avoid being enemies with my lord."

Knowing Dong Zhuo's ambition to dominate the political landscape, Lu Bu decided to propose a deal, "With General Dong commanding a hundred thousand elite riders entering Luoyang, no one among the various princes can resist. Even if General Dong Zhuo becomes the Grand General or the Grand Chancellor, it's all possible. Lu Bu only needs a small piece of land in Bingzhou as a place to settle. If we can obtain Hedong Commandery in Sizhou, with the Yellow River to the south and the protective barriers of Zhongtiao Mountain and Wangwu Mountain, we can ensure the safety of Bingzhou. Once we have Hedong Commandery, we have Luliang and Hengshan in the north, Wangwu and Zhongtiao connecting in the south, Taihang Mountains separating Shandong in the west, and the Yellow River forming a natural defense in the east. Only then can we withdraw and protect our homeland. Without Hedong Commandery, Bingzhou would be like a chopping board, ready for anyone to cut. Therefore, Lu Bu dares to hope that General Dong can persuade your lord Niu Fu to cede Hedong Commandery to Lu Bu. With that, Lu Bu will retreat and not oppose General Dong."

Li Su was astonished, "Your demands are quite grand. Everyone knows that Bingzhou has long been ravaged by Xianbei and Xiongnu invasions, causing the population to decline. Moreover, the Black Mountain bandits are causing chaos. The entire Bingzhou has a population of no more than five hundred thousand. In contrast, Hedong Commandery alone has a population of seven hundred thousand, and it has the advantage of salt production, enough to support ten thousand elite riders for you. I'm afraid General Dong won't agree."

Hearing this, Lu Bu stood up suddenly, "Then tell Li Jue to inform Dong Zhuo that if Niu Fu doesn't cede Hedong, I won't withdraw from Luoyang. Moreover, I know the whereabouts of Dong Min. By removing Dong Min, how could Dong Zhuo enter Luoyang!"

Li Su was startled: "Such a major matter, Li Su dares not act on his own. I must go back to report to the lord and seek his decision. General, please wait for half a day, and there will be a reply tomorrow morning."

Lu Bu accompanied Li Su to the gate, and his originally stern face softened: "Brother, as a person from Wuyuan in Bingzhou, and being both civil and military, under those rough men from the western Liang, it may not be as easy as you describe to have one's own way. Please, brother, take care of yourself. If there are any issues with Dong Zhuo's actions, you can come and join me. The two of us, as brothers, can work together for our great cause."

After hearing Lu Bu's sincere words, Li Su was moved: "Dong Zhuo's arrival may seem like he can control the court with ease, but the Yuan family has held three high positions in four generations, and there are also powerful clans like the Wangs and Caos deeply rooted. How can they watch Dong Zhuo dominate the court alone? There will undoubtedly be a bloody storm in the future in Luoyang. It is a wise move for Brother to stay away from Bingzhou."

When Lu Bu returned to the central military tent, Qin Yi reported, "I just saw soldiers under Hao Meng spying outside the central military tent. I led the guard to capture them, but those few people have already escaped."

Just as Qin Yi finished reporting, Li Hei came to inform, "Mr. Ding is summoning the general to his tent for a discussion."

With this, Lu Bu was sure that Ding Yuan had developed some suspicious thoughts. Feeling a chill, he clenched his teeth and squeezed out a few words: "Summon the guard, follow me."

Considering the time, Lu Bu estimated it was the second night watch. Most of the soldiers had already rested, and the entire camp was quiet, except for the dim candlelight in Ding Yuan's central tent.

Lu Bu ordered a hundred elite soldiers of the guard to wear black leather armor without a trace of white or reflective objects, and he had Li Hei inform the surrounding one thousand Feihujun to quietly wake up and be on high alert.

Carrying the Sky Piercer in his hands, Lu Bu walked alone towards Ding Yuan's central tent. In the darkness, a hundred members of the guard silently followed. When they were two hundred steps away from Ding Yuan's central tent, Lu Bu made a gesture, and the team members all crouched on the ground, crawling forward.

Lu Bu could clearly feel a wave of killing intent outside Ding Yuan's central tent, but he didn't furrow his brow. He walked proudly and confidently towards Ding Yuan's tent.

At the tent entrance, Ding Yuan's personal guard, Wu Chong, initially didn't make a sound, only moving his mouth. Lu Bu could tell from his eye expressions and lip movements that he was trying to convey a warning about an ambush outside the tent, but Lu Bu shook his head and insisted on entering.

Helpless, Wu Chong had to shout loudly, "Master Lu, please hand over the Sky Piercer for me to keep."

Lu Bu knew that Ding Yuan didn't like his subordinates entering his tent with long weapons, so he handed the Sky Piercer to Wu Chong. The Sky Piercer, weighing 120 catties, usually required two strong soldiers to carry, but Wu Chong held it effortlessly. Lu Bu knew that Wu Chong possessed incredible strength and martial skills, yet Ding Yuan had kept him as a menial guard. Wu Chong had long harbored dissatisfaction and had hinted before about wanting to join Lu Bu's side, even as a squad leader, he would be content.

Lu Bu, with Diaochan's Seven Star Sword at his waist, felt an overwhelming sense of determination and tenderness in his heart. Setting aside everything else, just to repay the kindness of the beautiful woman, Lu Bu couldn't afford to capsize in the stinking trench of Ding Yuan today.