After Yuan Shu broke through the White Tiger Gate, the other gates were also broken down by Yuan Shao one after another, and the Yanyu Army, Huben Army, Northern Army, and Xiyuan Army poured into the Nangong. For a time, the palace corridors were crowded with soldiers going back and forth, searching the palace gardens one after another. The gold silk hangings in the palace, as well as the gold and silver tableware used by the emperor for drinking, were all placed in the arms of the palace guards.
Zhu Changshi held the palace officials hostage at dawn and forcibly captured more than 500 people, but in the end they were only a handful. Such as Yuntai Hall, Golden Horse Hall, Bronze Horse Hall, Shi Zhonglu and other corner halls. The palace officials closed the palace doors and He didn't join in with the regular attendants, and just stayed up all night eating and drinking as usual.
When they saw the flag of King Qin held high by the imperial army, Du Heng, the eunuch of Qingliang, looked pleased and said with a smile to the small yellow gate in the palace: "I have told you a long time ago that gains and losses in this world have their reasons. You get what you don't deserve. You get what you don't deserve." One day I will pay back twice as much. Zhang Rang and others have received the favor of the late emperor, and they think they are in the immortal class and will not fall into the mortal world. At this time, the swords of the army are filling the palace. How many days can they survive? "
The remaining palace servants all agreed deeply and said to themselves: We are different from Zhuoliu. We are usually suppressed by the regular attendants. Now it is time for us to change. They opened the door of the palace, cooked pots of juice and welcomed the Imperial Army into the palace. The general of the Imperial Army entered the gate, took off his armor with red tassels, but pointed at their noses and cursed: "You eunuchs, how dare you stay in the palace?" "Do you think you can deceive us brave warriors with some food and drink? Every eunuch in this world is a scourge to the country. I can't leave you to the emperor."
After that, he pulled out a six-foot-long chopping knife and pressed Du Heng against the railing. The blade cut open the chest and abdomen, along the ribs to the crotch, revealing his mutilated lower body. The blade was soaked with blood, which made the eunuch feel cool. He screamed in pain and soon died of pain. The remaining Xiaohuangmen could not survive. They were forced into a corner by the imperial guards and chopped down like grass. Before his death, one Xiaohuangmen lamented: "Is living a sin? I heard the bhikkhu from White Horse Temple say "Everything has an afterlife. If there is an afterlife, let me be a dog in the West Garden." How did he know that the dogs in the West Garden had long been stewed into soup? Under the sword, perhaps only swords and stones could Just keep it.
Except for the Chancellor's Desk, the imperial army's swords and swords were slaughtered in the Nangong for a day, and almost all the remaining palace residents were killed. The smell of blood covered the fragrance of autumn chrysanthemums and orchids in the palace gardens, and the stone forests in the courtyards were filled with unstoppable flowers. Eye-catching heads and scattered corpses without coverings. All the ministers sighed and said: Even when Wang Mang was in chaos in the past, such a scene had never been heard in the palace.
When the regular servants of Beigong saw such a tragic scene, they burned down the pavilion and hid in Yongle Palace. They wanted to wait for an opportunity to escape from the palace, but Yuan Shao took the remaining troops from the West Garden early in the morning and blocked all the gates of the North Palace. Zhang Rang couldn't find a way out, so he could only hold hands with the Emperor and King Chenliu, and fight with them. The remaining ten colleagues discussed a way out.
They discussed for an hour and felt that no strategy could deceive the rebels. Zhang Rang was also discouraged at this time and said to his old friends: "Then we will eat well, sleep well, eat and drink well in the past few days. , we will end it ourselves in the palace! Why let those party members insult us with their whips again?"
The regular attendants all agreed and went about their own business in the main hall. Zhang Rang looked at the Emperor and King Chenliu again, and said to them in tears: "I am now rich and noble because of the late Emperor's respect, so I dare not not do my best for the Han Dynasty, but it is true that there are ministers who will bring trouble to the Emperor and King Chenliu." I hope that Your Majesty and His Highness will take the kindness of the late Emperor into consideration and not blame the ministers and others." After that, he went to the Chinese kitchen of Changle Palace, chopped some firewood with his knife, killed a breast dolphin, and carefully Chop it finely into minced meat and make two bowls of minced meat for the two of you, while he drinks the soup on the side.
The emperor and the queen mother parted, and they didn't know what to say. They took the minced meat, but they were in a daze in the palace. King Chenliu finished eating calmly, put down his bowls and chopsticks, sat upright and said to Zhang Rang: "My eldest mother was afraid of the Queen Mother when she was alive. She built an earthen path in the stone forest at the east corner of the palace, and you can walk directly to the outside of the city. If you want to survive, you can Get out of there."
Zhang Rang was greatly surprised. He took people to check in the stone forest. Sure enough, there was a dirt road. He was overjoyed and came back and said to his old friends: "There is still a way to survive. Don't hesitate. Let's go!" After that, they left. Returning to the palace, he was about to take King Chen Liu and the emperor away. King Chen Liu raised his eyes and said slowly to Zhang Rang: "You can't walk fast or survive if you take us, so we'd better run away by ourselves."
Zhang Rang smiled bitterly and said: "Your Highness, don't do this. If I leave Your Majesty and Your Highness to the party members, the country will fall under the Nine Springs. The royal majesty cannot be interfered with by ministers. If I and other disabled people and relatives are dead, Your Highness will As my dearest relatives, I hope that Your Highness will go with me. If you want to stay, I can only be in vain."
King Chenliu was moved by these words, and they waited for the sky to darken. They did not notify the palace ministers, nor did they carry the seal. They only took a dozen of their closest guards and sneaked into the earthen road. The dirt road was long and empty. The attendants walked through the darkness with torches. There was a thin undercurrent beside them. The moisture was hazy and cold. The sound of running water and footsteps came back and forth in the cave, which made the group sober. And sad.
They walked for half an hour, and when they came out of the end of the dirt road, they saw not a bunch of stars, but a majestic six-level pagoda, and they found themselves in the White Horse Temple.
It was already dark at this time. Except for a few practitioners who were still meditating and practicing, most of the monks had fallen asleep. Not far away, Luoyang City was still full of smoke, but the White Horse Temple was as quiet as if it had escaped from the world. The group looked at the pagoda, With awe in his heart, Zhang Rang imitated the Buddhist ritual and folded his hands together, chanting Amitabha Buddha in his heart, the World Honored One bless him. Just now he tiptoed forward, quietly opened the side door of the temple, and walked out of the White Horse Temple like a thief.
Where to go next? Zhang Rang said that what he said to the Queen Mother was just an excuse. Dong Zhuo was stationed in Henan County and was stuck at the intersection. However, the rebels in Liangzhou were good at fighting and the future of going to Chang'an was still uncertain. After much thinking, they decided to go first Cross the river, cross the river, and consider the situation to join Liu Yu or Liu Bei.
The regular servants then decided to go to Xiaopingjin. Their steps were not fast, but there was no smoke of gunfire or the sound of horse hooves along the way, so they walked very peacefully. At midnight on the twenty-seventh day, they finally reached the river. Due to the heavy rain, the river in August was still turbulent, rushing past both sides. By crossing the river, they could escape from this sad place and find a way out.
They walked along the river bank. They did not dare to go to Xiaopingjin Ferry and Mengjin Ferry, which were both occupied by Ding Yuan. They only hoped to find one or two river boats to take them across the river, but they walked for a while. All day long, only the empty river surface and empty waves could be seen.
A guard went to the countryside to inquire about the reason. When he came back, his face was gloomy. He told the attendants: "Ding Shijun burned the ships that time and burned all the ships on the south bank." After hearing this, the guards also With a look of despair, he pulled his sleeves and lamented, and finally said to God: "Can't the late emperor help us find a wild boat?"
King Chenliu asked again: "Why can't we build a bamboo raft by ourselves?" Then they realized it. Dozens of people went to the river to cut down green bamboos, and tore their robe sleeves and twisted them into ropes. Even though the autumn wind was cold, they Still stomping around, he grabbed a few pieces of honeycomb and came back, lighting a fire by the river to make beeswax.
Seeing that the bamboo raft was almost ready, the fire attracted uninvited guests. After the regular attendants left the Beigong, Beigong Gongqing realized that something was wrong. He searched everywhere but could not find the emperor's regular attendants. The palace had no backbone, and naturally it became like birds and beasts. Lu Zhi knew that they must have been out of the city for a long time, so he asked Mingong to ride out of the city together and search for traces of the emperor along the river. At this time, I suddenly saw the fire by the river. I was overjoyed and swooped towards it like a moth.
When the regular attendants saw Lu Zhi Mingong approaching with a shining sword in his hand, they first wanted to fight hard. But their clothes were torn, and the autumn wind blew in all night. Their hands and feet were numb from the cold, and they were shaking even when they drew their swords. The eunuch in front stepped forward to fight, but he had no strength at all. Lu Zhi Mingong slashed him to death with just a few swords. But the other party's clothes were not even scratched. Mingong was eager to kill, and pointed at Chang Shi and said: "You can still kill yourself now, wait a little while, and I will personally kill you!"
Zhang Rang saw that everyone in his entourage fell to the ground, and the blood was left in the yellow and turbid river water without a trace. He opened his lips and teeth slightly, wanting to say something, but in the end he could only turn around and sigh to his old friends: "It's time. This is how it is. Now we can still leave the whole body." He knelt down again and said to the emperor. He kowtowed respectfully three times to King Chenliu, and said with tears: "I am about to die. I hope your majesty will take care of yourself!"
After saying that, Zhang Rang stood up and stepped north into the river. The water in the river was freezing cold. He struggled to take the second and third steps, and finally his whole body was submerged in the river. At some point, he staggered and was swept into the river by the undercurrent, just as the clear streamers often cursed. , he eventually became a turbid current in the Yellow River and went to no one knows where.
The remaining eunuchs all said: Even Zhang Gong can die like this, how can we live a few more moments to be humiliated? So they all stepped into the river and soon disappeared.
All the beeswax melted into the bonfire, and the firelight on the riverside looked extra bright, reflecting the emperor, princes, and loyal ministers.
Lu Zhi Mingong carried the two men onto the horse and said solemnly: "Please forgive the emperor and King Chenliu, and I will escort them back to the palace immediately."
Twenty miles to the south, Beimang Mountain, a black banner with the word "Dong" in it was heading north.
