On the other side, Xun You walked two miles straight south to Pingcheng Gate. He saw the outline of the city gate from a distance, and then saw Yuan Shao's vague figure. As he walked a little closer, he could be seen under the city gate wearing a bright armor, with his hair tied up in a bun. He was sitting on a big stone, holding the dome armor in his left hand. Zha Gui, holding a calculation chip in his right hand, is playing Liubo chess with a scribe.
Yuan Shao raised his head and saw Xun You approaching. He touched his mouth with his fingers to signal silence. He threw out six counters. Seeing that four counters were facing up, he moved the two white chess pieces forward two steps each and stopped them in front of the black counters. Behind the chess path, the scholar in charge of the game smiled and said: "Ziyuan, you eat the fish first, but you don't see that the way back is cut off. This is a taboo in gambling.
Liubo chess is a chess game passed down from the pre-Qin Dynasty. The chessboard is compared to a swamp, the six corners of the board are the eagle's nest, and the center of the board is a pool. There are two fish in the pool, and the players each hold six rectangular chess pieces called the six eagles. , the numbers are calculated, and the six eagles compete with each other for fish in the pond. The one who can take the fish back to the nest first will win the game.
Xun You looked at the chess game and saw that four of the white chess pieces were surrounding the pool, and two of the white chess pieces were surrounding the eagle's nest of the black chess pieces, as if they were surrounding the black chess pieces on all sides. The black chess is in a parallel shape, with two guarding the waterside, three attacking and blocking the four white chess. One white chess picks up the "fish" and stands it up as the "Owl" chess. If the "Owl" chess is attacked by the opponent's eagle, If the chess piece attacks the falling fish, it is also regarded as the opponent's victory. Judging from the situation, the distance between the black "Owl" chess and the white eagle chess is only four steps, and Yuan Shao is already sure of victory in this game.
The scribe was wearing a plain Confucian robe and holding a bamboo fan. There was no trace of worry on his face. He tapped the chessboard with his fan and said with a smile: "In the beginning, why is there such a big taboo in the game of Liu Bo? The so-called taboo is just luck. It's just a few numbers, let's see if I throw a rupee!" He picked up the chips and threw them lightly at the edge of the chessboard. Xun You took a look, no more, no less, exactly six o'clock.
The scribe then moved back a white chess piece in the front line, took four steps to block a black chess piece, and then moved the "Owl chess pieces" one behind the other, stopping in place. Yuan Shao only needs to throw five points, and White will win the game. Xun You understood clearly that this scribe didn't care about chess skills, but only luck. In such a final game, he had to throw one lu on his handle, and Yuan Shao could only win the game if his handle could not reach four points.
Yuan Shao also saw it clearly. He couldn't help laughing and said: "Ziyuan, do you think I have no luck?" He continued to throw chips. The result was eye-opening: Yuan Shao threw two points, four points, and one point one after another, and the scribe actually threw three sixes. The scribe safely passed the black "Owl" piece over the white eagle, returned to the nest safely, and successfully won the game. After the game was played, the scribe extended his hand to Yuan Shao and said with a smile: "At first, you paid attention to planning, but you ignored luck. I was lucky enough to win, so does the bet still count?"
Disappointment flashed across Yuan Shao's eyes, but his expression did not change. He straightened his robe sleeves, smiled at the scribe and said, "I am willing to admit defeat. Ziyuan, because of your planning, Henan Yin Ye is the only one who belongs to you." After that, he said. He introduced Xun You: "Gongda, this is my Chao Cuo Jia Yi."
Hearing this, Xun You immediately understood. He bowed his hands to the scribe first and said, "You must be Xu You of Nanyang. This game of chess is really eye-opening for me."
Xu You returned the courtesy slightly and smiled at Yuan Shao: "You and Yuan Shijun have finished playing the game of chess, but the game of chess in Luoyang has not been finished yet! Brother Gongda, please tell us everything about the situation in the palace. stop!"
Xun You then remembered his mission and ordered He Jin to be killed. The ministers were sealing the palace gates, and they were telling Yuan Shao about the fight for the chancellery one by one. He also suggested to Yuan Shao: "The ministers have sealed the gates. There must be foreign aid colluding in the city. Time is running out, Your Majesty, now we must either capture the palace gate immediately or eradicate the eunuchs and foreign aid in the city, there is no room for delay!"
When Yuan Shao heard the news, his expression was calm and he just clapped his hands. A tall warrior walked out from behind Pingcheng Gate, holding an old man in his hand as if holding a chicken. The warrior threw the old man to the ground. The old man lay exhausted on the ground, his face was ashen, and his limbs were paralyzed on the ground like four earthworms with their heads cut off. Xun You recognized him as Zhao Zhong, one of the twelve regular attendants.
When Zhao Zhong saw Xun You, his body struggled violently, his mouth whined, and blood scabs stuck to the corners of his mouth. It was obvious that his tongue had been pulled out. Yuan Shao stepped on Zhao Changshi's head and trampled his feet hard. When he made no move, Yuan Shaofang said leisurely: "Now the general trend is mine, and the overall situation of Luoyang has long been in my hands."
It turns out that as soon as He Jin entered the palace, Yuan Shao mobilized some of the dead men in his palace, some dressed as butchers, some as students, some as Taoists, some as knights, and walked around the palace gates of the two palaces to closely monitor the palace gates. trend. When they arrived, they found something strange in Canglong Gate: Canglong Gate was closed in advance, but three black figures sneaked out from the crack in the door. They could not walk more than 300 steps before they were all captured by Yuan Shao's dead soldiers. As expected, it was Zhao Zhong A group of people, and the secret edict in Zhao Zhonghuai was naturally obtained by Yuan Shao.
Seeing the secret edict, Yuan Shao took it into consideration: Xu You was good at imitating handwriting, so Yuan Shao asked him to add a line after the secret edict, ordering Xu Xiang and Fan Ling to lead their subordinates to the gate of Pingcheng to meet with the generals of chariots and cavalry, and then appease He Jin's remaining troops. . After the ink dried a little, Yuan Shao sent two of his men to change into Xiaohuangmen robes and deliver the secret edict.
"In that case, it's unnecessary for me." Xun You looked at Yuan Shao, as if he was getting to know him all over again. Yuan Shao was in a good mood, stood up, patted Xun You on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Gongda, if you don't help me, how can I rebuke the eunuchs?" He looked at the official road in the northeast and said calmly: "Count the time, Mr. Xu , Duke Fan is coming soon."
Not long after, two fire dragons jumped out from the corner of the street. When they saw many sergeants at the city gate, they stepped forward quickly and walked a few hundred steps away from Pingcheng Gate. They shouted, "Are they the generals on horseback? "
A man behind Yuan Shao stepped forward and made a yellow gate gesture with a sharp voice: "The generals of chariots and cavalry are arranging the army behind the gate. Are they Duke Xu and Duke Fan?" The voices of two old men came from the ranks, and Xun You heard that they were Xu Xiang first said: "It's me." Fan Ling then asked: "It's late at night, why don't you light an open fire?"
The man replied: "Such a big event requires being invisible to achieve success in one fell swoop. How can we act openly and honestly? The princes also extinguished their torches and stepped forward to wait for a while. The charioteers and knights had to discuss matters of all sizes with the princes. This must not be done. Relax!"
The visitors were all talking about it, and they all thought it was reasonable, so they extinguished their torches and approached the city gate. Several guards stepped forward to greet the leaders, Xiang Xiang and Fan Ling, and asked, "How many men and horses did the two elders bring?" Xu Xiang and Fan Ling did not answer, but said they wanted to see He Miao first.
Yuan Shao immediately said sternly: "These are all traitors, let me capture them all!" Suddenly, the city gate sergeant had been prepared for a long time, and shot out of the city gate like a bow and arrow in the darkness. Xu Xiang and Fan Ling were able to get through. As he approached, his arms were immediately held down, a knife was held on his neck, and he was pushed in front of Yuan Shao.
Amidst the shouts of killing, the more than 300 subordinate officers and soldiers accompanying them were in panic. They could not figure out the road in the darkness, so they crowded and ran backwards. Unexpectedly, when they extinguished the lights, an ambush took the opportunity to block the street. , and knocked all these officials into his arms without using swords. It took Yuan Shaozhi two quarters of an hour to catch all the officials who colluded with Chang Shi.
At this time, Yuan Shao lit a torch, illuminating his proud face, and Xun You could also see the scene in front of the door: Xu Xiang and Fan Ling, two sixty-year-old men, were pinned to the ground by several soldiers, with tears in their court uniforms and crowns. All were knocked off, revealing a head full of gray hair.
Xu Xiang shouted at Yuan Shao: "Yuan Benchu, what do you want! Why did you arrange to gather the troops here! You are treason!"
Yuan Shao sneered at Xu Xiang and said: "Xu Gong and his party of traitors have brought disaster to the country and the people. Even if there are edicts and imperial decrees, isn't it treason? I am hoeing traitors for the country, why is treason?!"
He no longer looked at Mr. Xu, and the soldiers who were escorting Mr. Xu understood what he was doing. They stepped on the ground and pulled out the knife and pressed it on the old man's neck. The old man's muscles were loose, and his head was cut off with one knife, and his blood was red. The mud and dust were condensed into balls of wet soil, and then piled into a pool of blood on the wet soil, revealing Xu Xiang's white bones.
When Fan Ling saw this, his face was as pale as earth, he kowtowed on the ground, and hoarsely begged for mercy: "Now Luoyang is in trouble both inside and outside, and the Queen Mother has issued an edict. As a minister, how can I be disrespectful? I am friends with Chang Shi, but I never do harm to anyone. I mean, Yuan Jun should give Fan a way to survive!"
Yuan Shao was greatly surprised when he heard this. He pointed to Xun You beside him and asked Fan Ling: "This is an imperial edict issued by Chang Shi. I can vouch for this by Xun Shilang. Why did the Empress Dowager have any edicts?" Fan Ling was stunned for a moment and turned his head to look. Xun You, before he could say anything, became the leader of the soldiers again. Xun You was furious on the sidelines. Fan Ling was a famous scholar, Fan Ying, and although he often bribed his attendants in order to be promoted, he was an honest official and had a good reputation in many prefectures and counties. It was definitely not a good thing to be killed at this time.
Yuan Shao then counted the prisoners again and found that among the prisoners there were 47 officials from the capital including Cheng Gong, the great craftsman, Fu Xu, the commander of Guangluxun, Xu Zhi, the commander of Luoyang, Wei Cenzhen from the north of Luoyang, and Gao Le, the chief secretary of the Shaofu. , Yuan Shao was not polite and hacked them all to death in an instant, shaved off their beards, and threw them all into the Luoshui River outside the city.
While Yuan Shao was dealing with the prisoners, a blazing fire suddenly lit up in the west of the city. He couldn't help but smile and said: "Okay, the west of the city has become lively, but we have to wait a while."
They waited at the Pingcheng Gate for half an hour. Xun You heard the faint sound of hooves outside the city. Eight thousand people and horses drove from the west to the Pingcheng Gate. Even the students of the Imperial Academy heard about it, so many young people went out to have a look. . But this group of people did not hesitate and went straight to join Yuan Shao. An old man walked out of the military formation and asked Yuan Shao: "Has everything been done?"
That was none other than Grand Tutor Yuan Wei. Yuan Shao stepped forward to help his uncle and said with a smile: "My nephew has been waiting here for an hour. Your Excellency has finally arrived." He said seriously: "Everything is ready, just waiting for your orders!"
An army of ten thousand people strode into Luoyang and headed straight for Zhuque Gate. Outside the Suzaku Gate, many Hongdu disciples have not left. They don't know where they should go, what they should do, and what exactly happened in Luoyang. When they saw the fire in the west of the city, they were still talking about it: Nangong was flooded, which was very unlucky at this time. They heard the sound of footsteps and couldn't help asking: But will the earthquake happen again?
They saw Yuan Shao leading his army. The front army waved their swords and killed nearly a thousand Hongdu students in an instant.
Ten years ago, Emperor Ling established the Hongdu School and appointed thirty-two wise men and ministers in the palace. He placed high hopes on the Hongmen students, hoping to revive the imperial power and restore the power of heaven, but all he got was the favor and reputation of sycophants. But for more than ten years, scholars had to admit that Hongdumen was a resort for calligraphy, painting, poetry and poetry. Unexpectedly, it would all disappear overnight.
Yuan Shao still followed his old plan and shaved off all the beards of the dead people and threw them into the Luo water. He told the outside world that they were all the remains of eunuchs.
