Chapter 143 Lu Zhi in Trouble – Part 1 (2/2)

'I have no choice, I'll give you this one.'

Lu Zhi opened his eyes and slightly nodded. ”Deal. But you'll have to fulfill the first favor before I can fulfill mine.”

Cao Cao was elated. All his initial plans were successful. Now, he would move into the next phase of his plan.

…

Before the meeting up with Lu Zhi…

Cao Cao had been evaluating Tong during the time he was in Luo Yang. He had been paying close attention to Julu's development long before Liu Ping took the throne. He predicted that if no one had interfered with Julu City development and Tong were to rebel, the northern plain would fall into Tong's hands within 2 to 3 years at the latest.

If Cao Cao wanted to vie for the supremacy or get more promotions, he had to weaken this force before they got too strong. Without a hindrance, Tong would rise in ranks in the imperial court and his influences would cover the entire northern plains, or he could take down the three Northern provinces, Ji, Qing, You, and declare a new country on top of the Han Empire.

Tong's progress had to be slowed down no matter what!

Therefore, Cao Cao had devised a plan to give Tong more enemies to work with.

It started when he got the tip-off from Dowager He that she found out about the location of her son, which happened to be in Julu City.

Coincided with his goal, Cao Cao incited Yuan Shao to take away He Jin and Dowager He Xing to Nanpi along with his family, so that both Yuan Shao and Tong's border could get more activities. His friend, Yuan Shao, was an ambitious and unyielding man. He should be a good opponent to Tong for the time being.

But Cao Cao lacked the motivation to start a war between the two forces, it was possible that Tong could simply hand over the prince to Yuan Shao and form an alliance instead of killing each other.

So Cao Cao waited for an opportunity.

Then Lu Zhi arrived. Cao Cao immediately put his plan into motion by coaxing Lu Zhi into holding onto the prince within Julu.

With Lu Zhi's help, the northern lords would be busy for sometimes.

In addition, Liu Ping wanted to kill Zhang Jiao and Zhang Tong, then Julu City would definitely rebel against the Han Dynasty. If Tong and his family were to survive this, it might take Tong 5 years to a decade in order to lick his wounds, which was enough if Cao Cao wanted to catch up with Tong's progress.

However, Liu Ping had to be kept in check. Cao Cao also could not let him loose or the damage to the country would be extended to the other provinces. Thus, Cao Cao added another plan on top of his initial plan.

Ha planned to form a coalition against Liu Ping, which could put a reign on this power-crazed Emperor. Cao Cao could also take advantage of the weakened Tong Army to wither down his force further. If possible, Cao Cao wanted Yuan Shao to defeat both Liu Ping and Zhang Tong in this upcoming wars as Cao Cao was more confident that Yuan Shao was an easier opponent than Zhang Tong or Liu Ping.

…

”Thank you, minister Lu. By the way, are you planning to serve someone other than Liu Ping in the future? Once Liu Ping is dealt with, why don't you come with me?”

Cao Cao tried to recruit Lu Zhi to be his follower.

Lu Zhi shook his head. ”I'll have to decline this offer. Sorry about this.”

Sighed and nodded, Cao Cao gave up persuading Lu Zhi. He already had an intel that Lu Zhi was working under Zhang Tong in Julu for a period of time. He wanted to take away one of Tong's hand to slow down his progress, but he failed.

'That Zhang Tong boy is scary. How did he make this stubborn man loyal to him? Was it his talent or was it something else?' Cao Cao thought.

”That's unfortunate. Well, my offer stays in case you change your mind in the future.”

Lu Zhi snorted, stood up, and cupped his fist. ”If there isn't anything else, I'll excuse myself. I have things to take care of.”

”Sure, thank you for stopping by. Next time, please visit me in Chen Liu.” Cao Cao said with a smile.

…

…

Lu Zhi rushed back to his family manor. Liu Ping had just declared that his disciple's family were traitors as he feared. He had to take his family away from the Capital as soon as possible or troubles would seek them.

But luck was not on his side, the moment he reached his family residential areas, imperial troops already surrounded the buildings.

The face of Lu Zhi whitened as a sheet.

'Am I too late!?'

Lu Zhi dove into the onlooker crowds and managed to get through the people to the front row. Then he had a clear look at the scene.

The soldiers had not raided the residents yet, which relieved him.

After a good observation, Lu Zhi spotted Liu Ping who also noticed him.

”Teacher Lu, so there you are.” Liu Ping called out Lu Zhi with a bright smile.

Lu Zhi knelt down and asked. ”Your Majesty, what did I do to be graced with your visit?”

”Oh, nothing much. You see, I'm here to invite you to join me in this crusade against Zhang Jiao. But when I have arrived, I was informed that you weren't here, so I decided to wait for you outside of your manor.”

The corner of Lu Zhi's eyebrows twitched. Liu Ping's words were just a ruse. With all the soldiers around the perimeters, I was not hard for Lu Zhi to understand the situation. The real meaning behind his words should have been ”If you don't show up, I'll slaughter your entire family”.

Lu Zhi raised his head up and looked into the eyes of Liu Ping. His eyes were cold and he did not bother hiding his killing intent. It was clear that Liu Ping was here to exterminate his family, yet he was holding back his action. It seemed that he was up to something.