Gu Jiantang had just returned to the city and finished giving his instructions. He had also sent soldiers to notify the other cities. After rushing around nonstop, he hadn't even had a chance to rest when he spotted a fat man standing not far away.
He calmed his men and told them not to attack yet, then asked uncertainly, "Dong Zhuo?"
Dong Zhuo knew the officials of the Liyang Dynasty well, especially those from the north. He had also seen portraits of Gu Jiantang.
When he suddenly caught sight of Gu Jiantang, he asked uncertainly, "You're Gu Jiantang?"
Gu Jiantang saw that Dong Zhuo didn't deny it and couldn't help laughing. He'd thought Wang Yue had excluded him from the inner circle, but he hadn't expected Wang Yue to hand him such a great opportunity to earn merit.
He was delighted. He figured Wang Yue had told him to get ready because he was preparing to give him credit. That showed how much Wang Yue trusted him.
Still pleased, he immediately came up with a new plan. He needed to have his trusted men carry out the next tasks personally, so they could earn merit and get promoted as well.
Once their positions were higher, he'd have more connections when they went south to Xia.
The more he thought about it, the happier he became. In high spirits, Gu Jiantang said, "That's me!"
Though Dong Zhuo had already known it was Gu Jiantang, hearing him admit it still left him feeling rather down. The battle had taken an unexpected turn!
He sighed dejectedly. "Sigh. The great battle hasn't even begun, and I've already been captured as its marshal. Your Emperor Xia really is something else!"
Gu Jiantang already felt he had a remarkable prize in hand. Smiling, he told the