Liu Bian at the start, so you're called Dong Zhuo, right?

Chapter 120: When He Made the Chess Game, He Was Already a Chess Player

The next morning at court, as expected, the limelight was still on Dong Zhuo.

The celebratory mood over Liangzhou hadn't completely dissipated, and although fewer people were speaking in the Deyang Palace than the day before, everyone's tone was different when discussing border affairs. "His Majesty is wise, and his generals have been appointed appropriately!"

"Dong Zhongying's ability to pacify Liangzhou in just a few months truly makes him a pillar of the imperial court!"

"Such talented generals should be richly rewarded for their merits!"

Before the courtiers had finished speaking, He Jin had already slowly stepped forward.

He first bowed to the throne, then said in a deep voice, "Dong Zhuo has rendered meritorious service and should be rewarded."

"The more meritorious the border generals are, the more the court should firmly grasp the central military forces. The reason why Liangzhou was pacified was because the border troops were usable; and since the border troops are usable, the guards of the capital must not be relaxed."

Upon hearing this, many people in the hall looked up.

The moment He Jin opened his mouth, the tone changed.

It wasn't about suppressing Dong Zhuo.

Instead, they used Dong Zhuo's victory to boost the central government's military strength.

Liu Bian then stepped forward and continued, "What the General says is absolutely right."

"It is a blessing for the court that the border generals are capable of fighting; however, if the guards in the capital are not properly disciplined for a long time, the court will lose its foundation."

"Your Majesty is pleased with the victory in Liangzhou. Why not take this opportunity to inspect the various camps in Xiyuan to boost morale and let the whole court see that the central army has not been negligent?"

He spoke calmly and deliberately, demonstrating remarkable composure.

Without trying to overshadow Dong Zhuo, the conversation naturally shifted from the "victory in Liangzhou" to the "military reorganization in the Western Garden".

He Jin immediately stepped forward half a step, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness's proposal is my agreement."

"The officers of the Western Garden are His Majesty's personal guards, and they have not been inspected for a long time, so it is difficult to know their strengths and weaknesses. Now that we have won a victory on the border, we can take advantage of this victory to reorganize the troops in the capital for future use."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

On his throne, Emperor Ling of Han watched He Jin and Liu Bian below, one after the other, singing in unison. Far from being displeased, a hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

Because these two, uncle and nephew, are not talking about vying for power, but about the proper conduct of the imperial court.

Moreover, Xiyuan was originally his soldier.

He raised his hand, tapped the imperial desk twice, and suddenly laughed.

"Well said."

"Now that we have won Liangzhou, it is indeed time for me to see the West Garden."

"I established these eight colonels a few years ago, not to raise them to collect a salary."

At this point, he swept his gaze across the hall and raised his voice slightly: "Three days later, at the Shanglin Training Ground, I will personally inspect the various camps of the Western Garden."

"I want to see who is worthy of my troops and who is not."

Three days later, at the Shanglin training ground.

The winter sky is high and the wind is extremely strong.

The eight colonels of the Western Garden and the various guard camps lined up in formation on the drill ground, their banners fluttering and their armor gleaming coldly. Emperor Ling of Han sat high on the viewing platform, with He Jin and Liu Bian standing to his left and right, and a host of officials accompanying him.

On the surface, this was just a military parade to mark the rise of an emperor.

But everyone with eyes to see knows that this is not an ordinary proofreading.

As Dong Zhuo's conquests in Liangzhou grew stronger, the court increasingly needed a show of force from the central government to demonstrate to everyone that the court had more than just a sword in the border regions.

The first few rounds of mounted archery and formation were passable.

However, problems arose when the infantry and cavalry were mixed and their formations changed.

The troops under the command of Feng Fang, the Left Colonel, should have immediately cut into the left flank after the signal flag was lowered to take over the rear.

However, his unit was a step too late; the vanguard had already moved, but the rearguard hadn't followed, which tilted the entire formation to one side.

On the stands, Emperor Ling of Han's face immediately darkened.

He Jin's brows furrowed as well.

Feng Fang hurriedly stepped forward, knelt down, and kowtowed to beg for forgiveness: "Your Majesty, I was caught off guard and beg for your forgiveness!"

The phrase "fell into a trance" is, in this situation, almost like contradicting oneself.

Liu Bian stood to the side, his expression unchanged, but he had already clearly seen the chaos on the training ground.

Feng Fang is not incapable of leading troops.

He led the way in a terrible way.

Soldiers who do not obey orders, and orders that fail to hold them back, will reveal their true nature in the face of chaos.

Emperor Ling of Han stared at him coldly, and after a long while, he only uttered one sentence: "Useless."

The training ground fell into a deathly silence.

Just then, Liu Bian calmly raised his hand and pointed to someone below.

"Gongsun Bogui".

Gongsun Zan, who was originally standing in the rear of the ranks of the Western Garden Colonels, immediately spurred his horse forward upon hearing the sound.

White horse, light armor, cold expression.

The moment he emerged, his demeanor was completely different from Feng Fang's, who was prone to chaos and disarray. He was like a gun just pulled from the bloody mud of the borderlands, exuding a chilling aura.

"Your subject is here."

Liu Bian turned to the side and bowed to Emperor Ling of Han.

"Father, since Feng Fang's troops are in disarray, why not have Gongsun Zan reinforce the formation and perform another round? This will allow you to see whether the problem lies with the formation or the commander."

Emperor Ling of Han was already simmering with anger, and upon hearing this, he raised his hand and immediately granted his request: "Granted."

"If things continue to descend into chaos, then today's military review is off the table!"

Upon hearing the emperor's command, Gongsun Zan said no more and immediately spurred his horse into battle.

After half an incense stick's time, almost no one spoke again on the training ground.

In less than half an incense stick's time, the soldiers who had been led astray and scattered by Feng Fang were actually kneaded into neat and orderly ranks.

Then Gongsun Zan took the opportunity to rehearse the same move, with his cavalry and infantry interchanging formations as sharp as a knife, his horses fast and his bows swift, managing to pull back the momentum that was about to dissipate on the training ground.

Even Emperor Ling of Han was visibly impressed by what he saw on the stands.

"good!"

Then, he turned his gaze to Feng Fang, his impatience becoming obvious.

"Assistant Left Colonel?"

"I don't think you're worthy of the title 'Left'."

Feng Fang's face turned deathly pale, and she lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to lift her head.

Emperor Ling of Han then looked at Gongsun Zan.

"I had previously heard of the White Horse Cavalry, but I thought it was an exaggeration."

"Now it seems the rumors were true."

Emperor Ling of Han, having reached this point, no longer bothered to look at Feng Fang. He simply waved his hand and said, "Feng Fang is incompetent; he is demoted to Right Commandant."

"Gongsun Zan filled his position and was promoted to Assistant Commandant of the Left Army."

The moment those words were spoken, the entire training ground was shaken.

Feng Fang's face was ashen.

Gongsun Zan dismounted and knelt to receive the order: "Your subject thanks Your Majesty."

Liu Bian stood on the high place, his expression still calm, but he finally felt a little relieved.

He Jin stood to the side, looking at Gongsun Zan below the training ground, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

He glanced at Liu Bian—the Crown Prince had come to him last night and told him about this step. He hadn't had much hope, but he hadn't expected that the White Horse Cavalry would be so capable.

No wonder Bian'er chose him.

Thinking of this, He Jin glanced at Gongsun Zan and couldn't help but nod.

After the inspection was over, Emperor Ling of Han was in a very good mood, and even found Liu Bian and He Jin much more agreeable.

"Today's performance was worth watching."

"Not everyone in the West Garden is just getting paid without contributing."

After he finished speaking, he returned to the palace.

After the officials dispersed, Cao Cao quickly caught up with Liu Bian, unable to suppress a smile.

"Your Highness is highly skilled."

"By leveraging Dong Zhongying's influence, we can get His Majesty to decide to visit the West Garden on his own initiative; and by taking advantage of that fool Feng Fang's public humiliation, we can elevate Gongsun Bogui to a higher position."

"From this day forward, who in the West Garden will dare to treat Gongsun Zan as a mere decoration?"

Liu Bian did not laugh, but only glanced back at the drill ground.

Feng Fang was being led away looking disheveled, while on Gongsun Zan's side, people were already subtly approaching him to strike up a conversation.

As Liu Bian watched this scene, he had a vague feeling that something was amiss.

At the entrance of Chengde Hall, Liu Bian suddenly stopped.

"Mengde".

"Your subject is here."

"Did you see Feng Fang's move on the drill field just now, it was a beat too late?"

Cao Cao nodded: "I saw it. That chaos was indeed due to his poor leadership."

"Yes," Liu replied, "but why was he late?"

Cao Cao was taken aback.

Liu Bian didn't wait for his reply, but said in a low voice, "Feng Fang didn't just become a captain today. He's Cao Jie's son-in-law and has been in the court for so many years. Even if he's incompetent, he wouldn't make such a low-level mistake in a situation like an imperial review."

Cao Cao's expression changed.

"Your Highness means—"

Inside the hall, Xun was already waiting.

When he saw Liu Bian and the other man enter, he didn't exchange pleasantries, but simply handed them a copy of a record he had just copied.

"Your Highness, I have investigated."

"The route, commands, and formations for today's inspection by Feng Fang were temporarily changed last night."

Liu Bian took it, glanced at it, and his gaze darkened slightly.

"Who changed it?"

"On the surface, it was Feng Fang who invited him." Xun Huo paused, "But I checked and found that after Feng Fang left the camp last night, he met with someone."

"Who?"

"A retainer of the Yuan family."

Cao Cao, standing to the side, had already changed his expression.

Liu Bian slowly began to speak: "Today's review is a momentum I want to leverage."

"But Feng Fang's chaos was something someone wanted to take advantage of."

Xun Yu continued, "Your Highness means that Yuan Shao did it on purpose?"

"Not necessarily," Liu Bian shook his head, "but he knows Feng Fang will panic."

"Moreover, he knew that if Feng Fang became chaotic, I would push Gongsun Zan to the position."

Cao Cao frowned: "Then what's in it for him? What benefit would it bring him if Gongsun Zan took power?"

Liu Bian did not answer.

Xun Huo suddenly spoke, his voice even lower than before: "Your Highness, if Yuan Shao knew from the beginning that Your Highness would use this review to promote Gongsun Zan, then what he did today was not setting a trap for Feng Fang."

Liu Bian turned around and looked at him.

Xun Huo said, emphasizing each word: "He's doing this for His Highness."

"Let His Highness know, he knows."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bian instantly realized what was wrong with him.

He slowly exhaled and looked at Xun Huo.

"gentlemen."

"Your subject is here."

"Starting today, send people to keep an eye on the Yuan residence."

"Keep a close eye on retainers, staff, clerks, regular acquaintances, and out-of-towners who occasionally visit. Keep a close watch on them as closely as possible."

"Remember, don't get caught."

Xun Yu cupped his hands and said, "Your subject understands."

Liu Bian then looked at Cao Cao.

"Mengde, go and investigate someone."

"Who?"

"The retainer that Feng Fang met last night."

He paused, then lowered his voice even further: "Find out whether he's Yuan Shao's man or not."

"Someone else's person."

Cao Cao's eyes sharpened, but he didn't ask any further questions and simply clasped his hands in agreement.

The two left the hall.

The hall fell silent again.

Liu Bian stood by the window, watching the last rays of sunlight slowly disappear into the distance.

Liangzhou has been secured.

The West Garden has moved.

Gongsun Zan came up.

But today he realized that someone was watching him every step of the way.

Liu Bian walked back to the desk and sat down.

He stared at the lamp for a while, then suddenly whispered, "Yuan Benchu, what exactly do you want?"