Continous

Lu Zhi loudly proclaimed, "Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Wang Yun, Cao Cao, and others, for their contributions to the state, are specially appointed. Yuan Shao is appointed as the Marquis of Mei, leading the Former General; Wang Yun is transferred to the Inspector of Liangzhou; Yuan Shu is transferred to the Intendant of Jingzhao; and Cao Cao is transferred to the Right Commandant of Fufeng."

Dong Zhuo, now titled Former General, was effectively the emperor of Liangzhou and controlled areas such as Jingzhao Prefecture, Right Fufeng, and Mei County. Empress Dowager He's appointments were implied by Lu Bu, setting up Yuan Shao's faction against Dong Zhuo's. Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao and the others realized that, despite the appearance of promotions, they were being pushed into a difficult situation.

Originally, Dong Zhuo, a local official stationed on the border, was promoted to Feather Forest Gentleman through the recommendations of the Yuan family. According to the customary rules of the Eastern Han Dynasty, those recommended by their patrons should regard their patrons as lords. Previously, Dong Zhuo had been respectful to the Yuan family, especially to Yuan Shao, and the two had planned to divide political power. Yuan Shao intended to grant Dong Zhuo some power as if feeding a dog. However, when Dong Zhuo arrived at the Sunset Pavilion outside Luoyang, he refused to communicate with Yuan Shao, indicating that he had developed other intentions. Yuan Shao realized that he could no longer control the unruly Dong Zhuo, who had a hundred thousand troops at his disposal and was about to act recklessly. Moreover, after Dong Zhuo suffered repeated defeats against the Yellow Turbans and the Western Qiang, he was accused by some upright ministers from noble families. Yuan Shao stood idly by while Dong Zhuo had to resort to heavy bribery to escape punishment from the Ten Eunuchs. Over time, Dong Zhuo felt betrayed by the Yuan family and harbored resentment. If Yuan Shao left the central government, he would face a dead end in Dong Zhuo's sphere of influence.

Is this woman blaming us for conspiring against He Jin, killing He Miao, deliberately causing trouble for us?

Yuan Shao and the others knelt down one after another, saying, "As humble ministers of young age and modest virtue, we dare not assume such great responsibilities. Please, Empress Dowager, retract these appointments."

If it weren't for the fact that Lu Bu, Huang Zhong, and others were armed and menacing, Yuan Shao and the others might have already sidelined Empress Dowager He and composed decrees themselves. However, with Lu Bu and others controlling the court, they dared not act recklessly, so they adopted a non-violent non-cooperation stance, continuously kowtowing and claiming their incompetence.

These people's attitudes were within Lu Bu's expectations. Empress Dowager He received a subtle hint from Lu Bu's eyes and coughed harshly, her face showing a hint of anger, "This Empress Dowager wanted to reward you generously, but since you don't appreciate it, these decrees are now null and void. Yuan Shao is transferred to Inspector of Jingzhou, Wang Yun is transferred to Inspector of Yuzhou, and Cao Cao is transferred to Prefect of Youfufeng."

Seeing that Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Wang Yun were still ungrateful, Empress Dowager He became more furious and no longer paid attention to them. She pointed directly at Han Fu, the Chief Clerk of the Imperial Censorate, and said, "You will become the Inspector of Jingzhou, and the former Inspector of Jingzhou, Wang Rui, will be transferred to the Imperial Censorate as Chief Clerk."

Han Fu and Liu Biao were overjoyed and quickly knelt down to express their gratitude.

Empress Dowager He restrained her emotions and continued, "Since Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Wang Yun have twice rejected the kindness of this Empress Dowager, they will stay in their original positions for now."

Empress Dowager He wanted to remove these two from their official positions, but she couldn't afford to offend the Yuan family and Wang family, two major aristocratic clans. Therefore, she let them remain in their central positions, especially since those central positions would soon become obsolete with Dong Zhuo's arrival in Luoyang.

Next, Empress Dowager He appointed Kong Rong as Inspector of Qingzhou and Kong Rong's uncle, Kong Wenju, as Prime Minister of Beihai. The original Governor of Yizhou, Liu Yan, Governor of Youzhou, Liu Yu, Inspector of Yanzhou, Liu Dai, Inspector of Xuzhou, Tao Qian, and Inspector of Yangzhou, Chen Wen, remained unchanged.

Lu Bu knew that his influence was insufficient, and he lacked distinguished individuals in his ranks who could be placed in charge of governing regions like Jingzhou and Yuzhou. He could only temporarily yield these areas to the prominent families and virtuous ministers.

However, these arrangements were made with ulterior motives. Lu Bu intended to use them to counter Dong Zhuo, especially the astute and self-preserving Liu Biao. By placing him in Yuzhou, it directly countered Dong Zhuo's forces, making it difficult for Liu Biao to protect himself. The newly appointed Inspector of Jingzhou was Han Fu, a former associate of the Yuan family. Yuan Shao would undoubtedly devise some schemes to take over Jingzhou. Although Jingzhou was rich and beneficial for pacifying the people, it was not conducive to military campaigns. Additionally, Sun Jian, the Administrator of Changsha, acted as a check against Yuan Shao's expansion.

Next, Empress Dowager He followed Lu Bu's previous suggestion and appointed Dong Zhuo as the Governor of Liangzhou, asking him to retreat to Liangzhou. Both Lu Bu and Empress Dowager He knew that this move was futile. However, the court had to show opposition to Dong Zhuo, and Dong Zhuo would undoubtedly resist the imperial decree and insist on entering Luoyang. This would give them another reason to accuse him.

Having rewarded almost all the ministers, only Lu Zhi, Lu Bu, and Lu Bu's subordinates remained.

Ding Yuan had been killed the night before, and Lu Bu tightly controlled the information. Until now, he had only informed Lu Zhi, who then informed Empress Dowager He. The faction led by Yuan Shao was still unaware.

Although Yuan Shao did not see Ding Yuan attending the court, he did not suspect that Ding Yuan had been killed. Seeing that Lu Bu had not been rewarded yet, he suspected that Empress Dowager He might keep Lu Bu in Luoyang as the Imperial Household Protector, while Ding Yuan controlled the Imperial Guards. How could Yuan Shao control Empress Dowager He, the young emperor, and thus control the court? This made him recall the schemes discussed with Xu You and others the previous afternoon.

Yuan Shao stepped forward and reported, "This humble minister has heard that Lu Bu once saved the Empress Dowager, the emperor, and Prince Chenliu. This is an unparalleled act of saving the sovereign. I propose to reward Lu Bu. Currently, the Marquis of Du, General of the Left, Huangfu Song, is in the Western Liang suppressing rebels. Due to his advanced age and frailty, he is unfit for warfare. I request that the Empress Dowager consider his numerous meritorious contributions, summon him to the court, and appoint Lu Bu as the General of the Left, leading Huangfu Song's army to continue suppressing the rebels in Western Liang."

Lu Bu, listening to this, cursed inwardly, "Yuan Shao, you little bastard, you dare to scheme against me too! Huangfu Song's army is trapped in the west. With Ma Teng, Han Sui, and others eager to make a move, and Dong Zhuo controlling Jingzhao Prefecture, there's almost no way out. How could you come up with such a sinister plan?"

However, having already aligned with Empress Dowager He and Lu Zhi, Lu Bu was not worried. He maintained a faint smile on his face, not bothering to look at Yuan Shao.

Empress Dowager He smiled slightly, "Captain Yuan, with your generosity and virtue, acknowledging your colleagues' merits is commendable. However, Lu Bu has already been appointed elsewhere and cannot deviate from that. Instead, I will let you replace Huangfu Song in Western Liang."

With these words, Yuan Shao was silenced. He kowtowed and said, "As a humble minister, I am broad-minded and virtuous, willing to acknowledge my colleagues' merits. I only ask the Empress Dowager to consider Huangfu Song's age and frailty, inviting him to court to honor his years of meritorious service, and then appointing Lu Bu as the General of the Left to lead Huangfu Song's army to continue suppressing the rebels in Western Liang."

Hearing this, Lu Bu internally sneered, "Yuan Shao, you're quite a cunning fox. You actually came up with such a poisonous plan. But, having aligned with Empress Dowager He and Lu Zhi, I'm not worried."

Empress Dowager He waved her hand, "Well, let it be. Let Huangfu Song continue to guard Western Liang and suppress the rebels."

The conversation continued, and Empress Dowager He appointed various officials.