Chapter 14: Message from Dong Zhuo
Originally, Lu Zhi and Min Gong's troops should have arrived at Xiaoping Crossing long ago, but Lu Bu dispatched a few soldiers disguised as peasants. When Lu Zhi and others inquired about Zhang Rang's whereabouts, they were misdirected in another direction. As a result, Lu Zhi and the others wasted a considerable amount of time outside the city of Luoyang. This provided ample time for Lu Bu to conduct transactions with Zhang Rang.
Lu Bu turned his horse, blocking Lu Zhi's path, "Lord Lu, there's no need to pursue further. Zhang Rang threw himself into the river, and his body was washed away by the current. Duan Gui and the others were shot dead by my forces. The young emperor and Prince Chenliu are safe."
Lu Zhi fixed his gaze and saw that Lu Bu was holding Prince Chenliu, Liu Xie, while the young and handsome general, Qin Yi, rode beside him with Prince Liuxian, Liu Bian.
Lu Zhi was overjoyed and quickly dismounted to pay respects to Liu Bian and Liu Xie. Liu Bian, still unsure how to react, remained silent, while Liu Xie, composed and calm, said, "Minister Lu, please rise and mount your horse. We need to quickly enter the capital to calm the people. The contributions of General Lu and General Min in rescuing us will not be forgotten. You will receive generous rewards."
Lu Bu feigned a grateful expression and expressed his gratitude alongside Lu Zhi.
As Lu Bu raised his head, he noticed the sky gradually lightening. However, he also caught sight of a black dove flying in the sky.
Feeling curious, Lu Bu knew that in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, it was rare for people in the Central Plains to raise doves. Could it be a messenger pigeon (Note 1)? Lu Bu retrieved his Halberd and considered shooting the dove down.
The Halberd, known as the "Overlord's Halberd," was said to be the personal weapon of Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Western Chu. The body of the halberd was crafted from celestial iron, and the bowstring was rumored to be the spine of a black dragon from the Wu River (probably the Yangtze River). As the black dragon was a creature of extreme cold, the bowstring was exceptionally resilient, unaffected by ice or fire, and impervious to swords and knives. After Xiang Yu, only the Flying General Li Guang could wield it. After Li Guang's death, the halberd changed hands among various military leaders until it reached Lu Bu. This legendary weapon found its purpose under the hands of the heroic general.
Black was the color of both celestial iron and the dragon, making the Overlord's Halberd entirely dark. Paired with specially crafted celestial iron arrows, designed with a thorough understanding of aerodynamics, the arrows shot from this bow were said to unfailingly hit their targets. It was estimated that even Lu Bu's legendary shot of piercing through the gates and scattering the enemy was accomplished with these weapons.
Holding the Overlord's Halberd, Lu Bu found it strange and couldn't help but recall the phrase "Overlord, hard on the bow." Fortunately, such idioms were not present in this era of the late Eastern Han, sparing him from an awkward situation.
Lu Bu drew a celestial iron arrow from his quiver without bothering to aim, shot towards the dove, and a cold light struck the bird directly in the head. The dove fluttered and fell to the ground, and two guards quickly picked it up.
Upon inspection, Lu Bu found a piece of silk tied to the dove's leg, on which was written: "Ding Yuan has gathered three thousand strong crossbowmen."
Since Lu Bu was once under Ding Yuan's command, and his appointment as the Prefect of the Palace Guards was not widely publicized, others often mistook him for being sent by Ding Yuan to recruit soldiers. Little did they know that the military power was already in Lu Bu's hands.
Lu Bu looked at the direction the dove had flown, which was toward Mianchi. He sighed and handed the silk to Lu Zhi, saying, "Lord Lu, take a look."
Lu Bu knew that after Ding Yuan was falsely accused, removed from office, and imprisoned, he was commanded by the Grand Commandant He Jin, and the troops under Ding Yuan's command were precisely led by Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo had just suffered a defeat in a situation where Ding Yuan was certain to win. Therefore, Lu Bu wanted to use Lu Zhi to stir up the antipathy of the court officials toward Dong Zhuo, who always sought chaos.
After a brief consideration, Lu Zhi understood the reason: "It must be sent by Dong Min to Dong Zhuo. If Dong Zhuo stays idle in Mianchi, it seems he harbors ambitions. We must remain vigilant."
Lu Bu intentionally frowned, "Lord Lu, now there are less than 30,000 weak troops under my command in Luoyang. How can we withstand Dong Zhuo's 100,000 cavalry from the West Liang? If Dong Zhuo truly has ulterior motives, the Han Dynasty is in danger."
Lu Zhi, with a stern expression, responded, "Why do you say so, General Lu? Currently, Wang Kuang, an official from the Grand Commandant's office, has recruited three thousand strong crossbowmen from his hometown, Yanzhou's Taishan Commandery. The Taiyuan Commandery Administrator, Qiao Mao, leads four thousand elite soldiers stationed at Chenggao, not far from Luoyang. Furthermore, there is also the Western Garden Eight Armies, numbering sixteen thousand elite soldiers, commanded by Mr. Yuan Shao, the Administrator of Taiyuan. When combined with the scattered troops recruited by Mr. Yuan from various places, there are likely no fewer than fifty thousand loyal and courageous men within the capital. Calculating carefully, there should be more than enough for a decisive battle in the open field and sufficient for city defense. Moreover, how could Dong Zhuo dare to attack the capital?"
Lu Bu listened to these words, which sounded quite familiar. Suddenly, he remembered telling similar lies to Huang Zhong, although that was purely to deceive Huang Zhong.
Dong Zhuo wouldn't dare to launch a direct assault on Luoyang, but using the pretext of General-in-Chief He Jin's orders and temporarily pretending to be loyal to the apprehensive Yuan Shao, he would try to bring in Dong Min to deal with other forces that did not submit to him, such as Ding Yuan's Iron Cavalry in Bingzhou. Dong Zhuo, in coordination with the assistance of the Minister of Military Affairs Yuan Shao, would engage in a pincer movement. Moreover, Dong Zhuo's brother, the director of the imperial carriage, Dong Yu, was assassinating He Jin's brother, He Miao, with Wu Kuang at this very moment. With the help of the Minister of Military Affairs Yuan Shao, the brothers Dong were coordinating inside and outside, wanting to take Luoyang as easily as reaching into a bag.
Lu Bu considered it for a moment, and a plan formed in his mind. However, he couldn't speak the truth to Lu Zhi: "Lord Lu, your words are indeed correct. I can now rest assured."
Perhaps fearing unexpected incidents en route, Dong Min sent another carrier pigeon to Mianchi. Lu Bu's eyes flashed like lightning as he once again observed the flying pigeon, yet he hesitated to shoot it down.
Upon receiving the intelligence sent by Dong Min, Dong Zhuo abandoned his plan to lead three thousand elite riders to rush to Luoyang on the same day. Instead, he organized the hundred thousand strong West Liang Iron Cavalry, preparing to spend two days and two nights to reach Luoyang.
Cradling the future Han Emperor Liu Xie, Lu Bu couldn't fully unleash his speed. He ordered his soldiers to move slowly and only arrived at the north gate of Luoyang after noon.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Robert_Peterson_1945
Robert_Peterson_1945 Note 1: Legend has it that during the struggle between Chu and Han, Liu Bang, hiding in a deserted well while pursued by Xiang Yu, released a dove seeking help and was rescued. Zhang Qian and Ban Chao, envoys to the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty, also used doves to convey messages.
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