Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

Chapter 165 Dong, the thief son-in-law, is wanted by everyone!

Dong is a thief son-in-law, everyone wants him to be beaten!

Lü Bu looked helplessly at Du Ji, who refused to speak, then at Zhang Mo, signaling with his eyes that it was her turn to speak. Lü Bu actually wanted to defend himself, but such words would definitely be less effective if spoken by himself than by others.

Zhang Mo understood and said, "Your Excellency only knows him as Dong Zhuo's son-in-law, but do you know that he is also the Lü Duwei, praised by the people of Xihe County?"

Du Ji looked at Zhang Mo in confusion and remained silent.

Zhang Mo asked, "Last year, the Southern Xiongnu invaded Xihe County, and tens of thousands of people became refugees or died in the fighting. Fengxian drove out the barbarians and protected the land and people of the Han Dynasty. Is this meritorious service worthy of your service? It was a time of great hardship, but under his governance, Xihe County saw no one starve to death, and not a single piece of land was left barren. Is this kindness and compassion worthy of your loyalty?"

"The people of Xihe are grateful for Commandant Lu's kindness and have spontaneously erected a longevity tablet for him outside Lishi County. If you don't believe me, go to Xihe County and ask for it yourself when you get to Bingzhou."

"If that's the case, why do you help the tyrant?" Du Ji asked curiously.

What Lu Bu did in Xihe County could not be faked. You could find out by just asking around. Du Ji had no reason to disbelieve it.

Zhang Mo explained, "Before he married Dong Zhuo's daughter, Dong Zhuo hadn't yet entered Luoyang. At that time, Dong Zhuo repeatedly quelled rebellions by bandits in Liang Province and was a hero who protected the Han Dynasty. However, his ambitions were too great. Now that he has become like this, he is beyond Lü Bu's control, and there is nothing he can do about it."

Du Ji's expression softened completely. Thinking about it, it made sense. "General, since you and the thief Dong are not of the same kind, will you be tied to this pirate ship forever?"

Lü Bu sighed and said, "My lord has been very kind to me and has shown me great kindness. Even though he has done evil, I cannot be ungrateful. This is the only way to go."

Du Ji bowed and said, "General, you don't want to help the tyrant, but you can't sacrifice your relatives for the sake of justice. I have a solution."

"Please speak!" Lu Bu raised his hand.

"General, please be transferred outside. Firstly, out of sight, out of mind. Secondly, you can get yourself out of this mess in Luoyang."

Du Ji actually thought the same thing as A Mo. This time, Lu Bu really believed that this man was talented.

He smiled and said, "What the Marquis Bo said coincides with what I said. This is why I invited you to Luoyang. I intend to appoint you as the governor of Bingzhou, but I lack someone who is good at governing the area."

Lu Bu stood up and bowed, "I beg you, Lord Bo, to lend me a hand!"

Du Ji quickly stood up and asked with some doubt, "General, you are accomplished in both civil and military affairs, so why do you need my help?"

Lü Bu said truthfully, "To be honest, Lord Bo, I only know how to fight. The plan to restore people's livelihood in Xihe County was proposed by my fiancée." He glanced at Zhang Mo and said, "Now that neither of us can go to Bingzhou, I have no choice but to ask Lord Bo for help."

"General, do you still want to keep this to help the thief Dong?"

Lü Bu smiled bitterly. "Dong Zhuo is doing evil. It won't be long before all the heroes of the world rise up against him. How can I leave Luoyang? Even if I wanted to, Dong Zhuo wouldn't allow it."

Du Ji frowned, "If that's the case, General, are you still going to make enemies with everyone in the world for him?"

Lu Bu choked and didn't know how to answer. He had just said that he would not help the tyrant, but now he wanted to make enemies with everyone in the world. Isn't this a contradiction? If he couldn't give Du Ji a reasonable answer to this question, he would not be able to keep this talent.

Du Ji looked at Lü Bu quietly, waiting for his answer. The atmosphere was tense for a moment, and Zhang Mo had to intervene again to smooth things over. "The Marquis Bo may not know since he's not in the court, but the enemy of the Han Dynasty is not just Dong Zhuo."

Du Ji looked at Zhang Mo strangely, "What do you mean?"

Zhang Mo didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "During the time when Bo Hou was the magistrate of Zheng County, did he have a clear understanding of the county's population, land, and taxation?"

Du Ji nodded, still not understanding what she meant by asking this.

Zhang Mo continued, "Is the annual tax revenue collected by Zheng County equal to the amount of land and population?"

"It's a huge difference! I once looked up the tax revenue in Zheng County over a decade ago, and it was several times higher than it is now."

"Is it because there is less land?"

Du Ji shook his head. Land is not a movable or consumable item. On the contrary, due to the development of wasteland, the amount of land will only increase, not decrease, but the annual tax revenue has been decreasing.

Zhang Mo said, "This is the root cause of the chaos in the Han Dynasty. There's no shortage of land, but there are fewer taxpayers. Naturally, the taxes collected are also less. The court has no money, so it can only increase taxes. The people are getting poorer and poorer. In the end, they can only sell their land and themselves, becoming tenants and serfs for the wealthy families. They toil hard every day in exchange for a meager ration to survive. The people can no longer survive and can only rebel. This is a civil unrest!"

"Let's talk about the court. It seems Dong Zhuo has the final say on many matters, but in reality, he's just a pawn used by Yuan Taifu and his group to disrupt the Han Dynasty. When Dong Zhuo first entered Luoyang, the Yuan family had the opportunity to eliminate him. However, Yuan Taifu sent his two nephews to serve as prefects. Instead, he led Dong Zhuo in court to commit a series of atrocities: imposing tariffs, raising taxes, and allowing his soldiers to plunder, causing the people of Guanzhong to suffer. He deposed the emperor, murdered the empress dowager, and dug up the emperor's tomb. He treated the Han emperor as a puppet, toying with him. His ultimate goal was to trample the Han Dynasty's four hundred years of prestige into the ground and replace it. This is court chaos!"

"If you don't believe me, wait and see. Will those Guandong heroes who rise up to attack Dong Zhuo truly be doing so to save the Han Dynasty, or are they taking the opportunity to assess their own strength and seize territory?"

Zhang Mo's words shocked Du Ji. He had already noticed the problem of civil unrest when he was a county magistrate, but as a small county magistrate, he was completely powerless to do anything about it. What she had just said about the chaos in the court really refreshed his understanding.

"Could it be that all the Han people are traitors?"

"Of course not. However, those who wholeheartedly supported the Han either fled Guanzhong like Bo Hou, were killed by Dong Zhuo, or endured it silently. These people are now completely unable to compete with Dong Zhuo."

Zhang Mo continued, "If the Guandong heroes rise up in rebellion in the future, even if General Lu leads his troops to resist, he won't be defending Dong Zhuo, but the Han emperor! The people of the world that Bo Hou mentioned shouldn't be referring to the Guandong heroes, but the people of the world!"

"Good! What a great phrase for the people of the world!" Du Ji bowed and said, "My lady, your words have awakened me from my dream. I am willing to do my best for the Emperor of Han and the people of the world!"

Lu Bu came back to his senses from his assessment of strength and the territorial grabbing. He raised his hand and followed it up with an official tone, "It is a blessing for the people of Bingzhou to have the help of the Marquis Bo! This general would like to thank you on their behalf!"

"General, you're welcome!"

Lü Bu added, "You, Lord Bo, will stay here for the next few days. I will go and claim Bingzhou. I will depart with Gao Shun soon. You two will take charge of military affairs, while the other will take care of people's livelihoods. I hope that under your governance, Bingzhou will be able to resist foreign enemies and regain its vitality!"

Du Ji nodded, "I will obey the general's orders!"

After successfully persuading Du Ji, Lu Bu went to the palace to ask Dong Zhuo for Bingzhou.