At the beginning of May, except for the political situation in Luoyang, which was still gloomy and unclear, the world situation was very good. The system of shepherds and uncles proposed by Liu Yan was already quite effective: Huang Wan, the shepherd of Yuzhou, successfully suppressed the second Yellow Turban Rebellion, and Liu Yu, the shepherd of Youzhou, completely surrendered Zhang. Although the pure remnants of Yizhou Mu Liu Yan stopped at Linjiang, Yizhou engaged in Jialong's consecutive battles and victorious battles. It was obviously difficult for Ma Xiang's rebels to support them, and peace in the world was just around the corner.
What excites the world the most is Liu Bei and Chen Chong's victory over Xianbei in Bingzhou. Since Tan Shihuai unified Xianbei, the Han army has never achieved such a great victory. The news spread to Luoyang, and the whole court was filled with joy. Many restaurants in Luoyang city held colorful banquets. Guests, regardless of the taboo that the late emperor is still in mourning period and the coffin has not yet been buried. Many people compared this great victory with the Battle of Jiluoshan. They said that with the help of party members Qingliu inside and loyal ministers and lofty ideals fighting outside, the Han Dynasty was revived and the righteousness was flourishing. It can be seen clearly.
Amidst the joy, He Jin finally made up his mind after Yuan Shao's repeated persuasion, and sent Xun You to report to the Queen Mother: "Since the Queen Mother He Xi, the eunuchs have been causing trouble for a long time. The government and the public are resentful, and the palace provinces Angry, such as Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, who slandered celebrities and arrested people indiscriminately, so that there were virtuous people in the wild but no capable ministers in the court, affairs at the border were not prosperous, and the common people suffered disasters. Since the late emperor was seriously ill, the party's supervision was loosened, and there were no eunuchs to restrain him, and the court Only by appointing talented people can we be as prosperous as we are today. However, we must get rid of the troubled people. I hope the Queen Mother will be considerate of the scholars, remove her favorites, and pardon them so that they can realize their crimes and return home. This will win the hearts of the party members all over the world. The Queen Mother will also be famous. Spread it widely to future generations and talk about the virtues of integrity and Lin."
Before the Empress Dowager received the letter, the ministers heard the news from the public. They went to the Empress Dowager's steps every day and cried and said: "What I did was not authorized by the late emperor. How could I have arbitrarily interfered in politics and misinterpreted the holy will? If we can bring harmony to the heavenly family, , the Han Dynasty is peaceful, how can I dare to do deceitful things? I hope the Queen Mother will understand clearly and return my innocence." Everyone shed tears, and the Queen Mother couldn't help but feel sad after hearing this.
The Queen Mother's brother, He Miao, was a chariot general. He went to the Hajj every day. The attendants secretly presented him with a box of shark beads. The Queen Mother's biological mother, Wu Yangjun, came to the palace to accompany the Queen Mother. The attendants offered three basins of blood coral, two in the middle. The two of them spoke favorably to the Empress Dowager and slandered He Jindao: "The general wants to kill the late emperor's officials and monopolize power to weaken the country."
So Xun You came out of the rain and took out his watch from his sleeve pocket to the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother only scanned it once before placing it on the case, and said smoothly to Xun You: "The Zhongguan's command of the forbidden provinces has been a story of the Han Dynasty from ancient times to the present. How can it be abolished? Besides, the late emperor has abandoned the world, and I have lost my husband and wife. What can I do?" Do you want to work with scholars?"
Xun You can still refute the previous sentence. After all, when the former Han Dynasty appointed permanent servants, they mostly promoted scholars, such as Liu Xin, Song Hong and others. It was only since the ancestors re-established the Han Dynasty that they only used eunuchs, which was not the old system of the Han Dynasty. But in the last sentence, despite Xun You's extraordinary intelligence, he could only retreat hastily. The Empress Dowager used the excuse of avoiding suspicion to protect her integrity. What should she tell her ministers to say? Xun You had no choice but to return to Xianyang Garden to ask He Jin for his return.
Hearing the Queen Mother's reaction, the General also had second thoughts. He looked at the rain outside the door with a tangled expression. However, Yuan Shao was observing the words from one side and knew that He Jin wanted to give up. He immediately advised him: "Previously, General Dou Wu wanted to kill his favorite, but he was killed instead. Because his words were leaked, the eunuch knew his murderous intention. So he tried to win first, and rebelled in front. Now that the general has come to the table, he is in the same position as the eunuch Chang Shi. How can the water and fire be settled? Either he dies or I die. Please be careful, general! "
The general stood in horror. He had seen Jian Shuo's head, which was still being circulated around Luoyang at this time. He also remembered the hidden arrows at Baihumen in the early morning. This made him restless, wandering around under the rain eaves, saying "that makes sense" repeatedly. But he didn't know how to break the situation, and finally asked Yuan Shao with a frown: "It's just that the Queen Mother has a strong intention, how should I act?"
Hearing the general's question, Yuan Shao hesitated for a moment. He has always been known for his courage, but now he felt that his palms were wet, his legs and feet were trembling, and he felt like he was in a frozen lake, with the undercurrent boiling under the ice. Yuan Shao knew that this was not because he was timid, but because he was extremely happy, God knows! How many years had he been waiting for this question? !
As if he had rehearsed it thousands of times, he stood up and walked to the general's side, and said decisively in a decisive tone: "General, the only plan now is to recruit powerful generals from all over the world and lead the troops to the capital to consolidate the shogunate. . When the world's heroes surround the capital, the Queen Mother only has five thousand palace and provincial imperial troops. How can she be ten times more powerful than the general? At that time, the general will have the power of life and death, and will remonstrate with the Queen Mother. How can the Queen Mother not obey? Hope the General Order quickly!"
The next day, several teams of messengers left Xianyang Garden on fast horses. No one paid much attention to it at first. There were too many messengers coming in and out of Xianyang Garden every day, and there seemed to be nothing special about these people. But the responsibility they shouldered was really great, and they scattered in all directions to convey the order to all the Han Dynasty.
A sudden change occurred, but within ten days, the Shang Shutai received letters from governors from all over the country, asking whether the imperial court had any major plans and whether it needed the cooperation of the county and court. The Queen Mother was not sure why, so she asked the cavalry general He Miao to investigate the documents. He Miao carefully After questioning, I realized that the surrounding areas of Luoyang had been turned upside down:
The prefect of Dongjun, Qiao Mao, organized his troops and White Horse was about to march eastward; the governor of Bingzhou, Ding Yuan, led the new army of Bingzhou to station in Hanoi; the former general Dong Zhuo led the knights of Liangzhou to cross Maojin; the captain of cavalry, Bao Xin, and the general's mansion, Wang Kuang, marched to Taishan County. The local warriors armed with arsenals and weapons have arrived in Jiyin County. Cao Cao, the captain of the Dian Army, has just arrived in Pei State and is recruiting troops on a large scale. These heroes of the Han Dynasty all claimed that under the orders of the general, they would lead their troops to Beijing to correct the imperial court.
Dong Zhuo's Liangzhou knights marched the fastest. Even though it rained heavily for days, he still marched in the rain, crossing Pubanjin, Hebei County, Dayang County, and then crossing the river from Maojin to the south bank at a speed of eighty miles a day. Shaanxi County. The river was fast and many soldiers in Liangzhou felt unwell, so Dong Zhuo ordered the troops to rest here for a day and resume their journey tomorrow.
After traveling for seven consecutive days, even Dong Zhuo, who had been fighting all year round, was a little overwhelmed. When he entered Shaanxi County, he first ordered his subordinates to seize the estates of several wealthy families in the township with swords, and then sent Li Ru to deal with the Shaanxi County magistrate. He led his five thousand soldiers and went straight to the manor to occupy houses to rest.
But Dong Zhuo couldn't rest. He used an attic as his residence and summoned his generals to come for a military meeting. It was said to be a military meeting, but in fact it was more like a chat. He loosened his belt, sat on the chairman's chair and rubbed his waist and chest with one hand, and said to his subordinates: "As I get older, my bones hurt and itch when it rains, and I can no longer ride a horse. I really don't know when I will be able to retire safely!"
Li Ru just returned from the negotiation and had two jars of hot wine from the city. Hearing what his master said, he filled a cup on the spot and handed it to Dong Zhuo. Then he smiled and said to his colleagues: "But even so, Mr. Dong still worked hard. Running in the rain for the general is truly a pillar of the country!"
All the generals under Dong Zhuo wore military uniforms, but Li Ru was the only one who wore Confucian clothes, which shows his aloof status. Dong Zhuo took the warm wine, raised his head and drank it in one gulp. After thinking for a while, he continued what Li Ru said: "Serving the country is our duty as a warrior. Going into battle to kill the enemy is nothing ordinary, but we really want to help the country. We have to go into the palace and remove the poison from the bone marrow of all people!"
The generals responded with a roar. Dong Zhuo was very satisfied when he saw his men as tall and tall as a forest, with strong momentum. He secretly thought that this was the reason for my rebellion. He was concerned about the trends in the court, and asked Li Ru: "Is there any news from Shuying (Dong Min)? Calculating the date, it should be here."
Li Ru nodded and sat back on his seat, handed the wine jar to his colleagues for their own use, and then reported to Dong Zhuo: "I have received the news from Lieutenant Fengche. The envoy told me that the Queen Mother has learned that the general has mobilized all the troops to march." Regarding matters in Beijing, he issued an edict to the general, but the general still stayed in Xianyang Garden and refused to obey the edict. He did not even attend the late emperor's visit to the mausoleum. He only asked the Queen Mother to remove the eunuch. What Feng Che Xiaowei meant was that the Queen Mother I’m afraid it won’t last long.”
When Dong Zhuo heard this and frowned, his brows almost made the "click" sound of a copper lock. He asked Li Ru again: "Xiao Ru, according to your opinion, will the Queen Mother dismiss the eunuchs?"
Li Ru shook his head, his smile couldn't stop coming to the corner of his mouth, and he said to Dong Zhuo: "The sacred weapon She Ji can only be owned by one person. If the Queen Mother delegates the power to dismiss the eunuchs, and the general accepts the hearts of the world's scholars, then she will be the emperor of the world. But can you still sit still? How can the love between brother and sister compare to the love between mother and son? The eunuch can be dismissed, but the queen mother will never quit. As long as the queen mother does not dismiss the eunuch, the court will not be stable! Ming Gong can rest assured, It's a foregone conclusion that I'm waiting for Luo."
Dong Zhuo's brows relaxed like the ebbing tide, and he sighed with relief and emotion: "You are so greedy for profit! After the death of the late emperor, I stayed in Puban for two months and refused to take office, observing the situation in the capital from a distance. But who would have expected that two months later? There is still no change in the capital, and there is no name for righteousness. Even if there is a change in Luoyang, it will be difficult for me to enter Luoyang, but I didn't expect that the general would send me such a great gift!"
Xu Rong, who was on the side, was still worried. He asked Dong Zhuo: "Ming Gong, the current situation in the court is in chaos and the situation in Luoyang is complicated. We are assisting the general in getting rid of the eunuchs, but this is just a temporary expediency of the shogunate. Waiting for the general If it is completely accomplished, I am afraid that I will be abandoned like worn out shoes. How can I be reused by the imperial court?"
After Xu Rong finished speaking, the generals were silent for a while. Dong Zhuo looked at this beloved general of Liaodong and cherished his talents. He waved his hands nonchalantly and said: "Meng Gao, you don't need to know this. I, Dong Zhongying, naturally can't act without confidence, nor can I." I will lead you to your death. Lords of Luoyang and Gungun, as ministers, did not realize the sufferings of the soldiers, which caused the country to be in vain and the three armies to bleed in vain. How can this be the way in the world?! I lead the troops to serve the king precisely because I want to clear the king's side and set the direction of the court. Please don’t doubt it!”
Dong Zhuo's words were so impassioned that Xu Rong felt deeply ashamed and apologized to his lord for drinking with him again and again. After Dong Zhuo drank for three rounds, everyone was a little drunk, but he was still sober. Dong Zhuo touched the knife and looked from the attic to the wilderness. In the distance, the mountains were like forests, towering into the clouds. In this rainy day, he could not see clearly the top of the mountain, and even more Not clear about the way. But Dong Zhuo had walked back and forth on this road dozens of times, and he was already familiar with it. He looked at Xiaoshan and thought of Luoyang in his heart.
Luoyang, Luoyang.
