Thousands of armored soldiers gathered in one place, instantly arousing the young emperor's vigilance.
However, compared to these, the three cavalrymen who walked out of the bushes on the flanks made Shang Fangjian Qumu even more afraid.
"One of our own."
Seeing Yu Linwei's nervous expression, Lu Li quickly explained: "Your Highness, these two are Pao Ze who resigned from their posts and entered the palace together with the general."
"Please come quickly." Chang Shi Zhang Rang said hurriedly.
Not long after, Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao and Xun Yu came forward to salute the young emperor.
Perhaps sensing their extraordinary status, Dong Hou and the Young Emperor's expressions turned slightly, and they continued to raise their eyes to stare at the approaching army coming from the front.
Maybe he knew that after what happened last night, the young emperor was very afraid of fighting, or maybe Jian Shuo reminded him that Wang Yun, Yang Biao and others were on standby, so they dismounted and walked, saluting on the left side of the road, shouting in unison:
"The country cannot live without a king for a day. Please return the capital, Your Highness."
"The country cannot live without a king for a day. Please return the capital, Your Highness."
Yuan Shao was caught in the crowd, his face full of sadness.
In order not to make any mistakes, he specially sent troops to block all seven gates of the North and South Palaces last night. In addition, he also sent qi-watchers to monitor the province, but in the end, the two princes, Shi Chang Shi Huo Xie, escaped...
Stealing the chicken is losing the rice!
Fortunately, the Northern Army was at the front, and the young master was now suspicious of the country, so there would be no trouble.
After thinking about this, Yuan Shao raised his eyes slightly, wanting to observe the situation of the Young Emperor and Dong Hou.
At this time, the Young Emperor's voice rang in everyone's ears: "Are you here to rob me?"
As soon as these words came out, Yuan Shao immediately stopped thinking and hurriedly lowered his head and confessed with Situ Wang Yun and others.
After a moment of tossing, the young emperor chose to compromise, and nearly ten thousand troops set off towards Luoyang City.
When entering the city, many Guizhou leaders hid on the roadside to watch.
Because the palace change at night was too shocking, in order to ensure that no accidents occurred, these soldiers were all wearing swords and swords and looked around with a stern expression.
Regardless of whether it was an illusion or not, he looked indeed majestic. Seeing this, the panicked hearts of the people finally calmed down. Especially after seeing the young emperor riding a dragon horse, they actually cheered.
However, Lu Li knew that most of the soldiers lacked respect for the Han Dynasty and could almost be said to be the general's personal soldiers, let alone fear the young emperor. Today, only more than a hundred guards with white feathers on their pockets are still loyal to him.
The wings of the country are as prosperous as the forest.
Since the establishment of the Yulin Guard, there has been no guard to build the Zhang Palace and protect the emperor and the prince. Unfortunately, the number is really limited, less than two hundred.
In addition, the rebel army attacked the South Palace first, so the South Palace was the most damaged, and almost no intact palace could be found. In this case, the two princes could only temporarily stay in the North Palace.
At noon, enter Beigong Palace City.
Along the way, palaces, pavilions, towers and bronze beasts are all present, and the majesty of the heavenly family comes to you. However, the traces left by the rebel army when they attacked the city are still there. They only removed the corpses and the smell of blood, and the arrows and siege spines remained. The potholes underneath have not yet been repaired, making this heavenly majesty appear somewhat incomplete.
Yuan Shao knew that he was in the wrong and did not dare to approach the palace. He found an excuse to leave midway. The young emperor also did not want to let this rebellious minister and traitor enter the palace, so he immediately gave his permission.
Because all the eunuchs in the palace were killed, the third minister in black clothes and high crown led the way.
This is not the first time for Lu Li and others to enter the palace. You know, they killed a lot of people in Nangong last night, but this time is different from the past. They must abide by their duties as courtiers and just glance at the surrounding scene.
After a while, everyone came to a side hall with a good view. It was probably because the location was too remote that they were able to survive the chaos.
I heard that Queen He, to be more precise, should be called Queen Mother He now, she is waiting in the hall at the moment.
It is really not appropriate for foreign ministers to be present to watch this heartwarming scene of mother and son talking.
Just as Lu Li and others were about to leave, there was sudden movement at the palace gate, and they saw a beautiful woman about thirty years old, dressed in phoenix robes, walking up the steps accompanied by seven or eight female officials.
Due to the courtesy of a monarch and his ministers, Lu Li couldn't take a closer look at him. After taking a glance, he knelt down and bowed down——
Wearing armor, it is impossible to perform a full salute.
"Get flat."
Queen Mother He waved her hand, holding the Young Emperor in one hand and Dong Hou in the other, leading Zhang Rang and others towards the palace. Apparently she had no intention of supervising the country——
According to the practice of this dynasty, when the emperor dies and the prince is young, the queen mother will take on the important task of supervising the country.
However, it is completely understandable that she ignores unknown people like Lu Li, but Shangshu Lu Zhi and central Henan Province Min Gong are also waiting nearby, and she has to talk to them both emotionally and rationally.
She was probably confused. After all, without the two powerful brothers He Jin and He Miao, her fate could be imagined and she would most likely be sidelined.
Lu Zhi saw that the Queen Mother did not give any orders, nor took the initiative to ask. Instead, he said to Lu Li and his party: "Everyone, please follow me to the Chancellor's Desk to wait. There should be a decree issued later."
There are Shangfang's supervisors Qu Mu and Yu Linwei inside, and there are four thousand warriors from Jian Shuo and Feng Fang outside. There is no need to worry about the safety of the palace for the time being. In addition, the official temple of Shangshutai is not far away. In case of danger, , can provide support at any time, so Lu Li doesn't have to worry too much.
"Then I'll bother Shangshu Lu."
As the person with the highest official position among the group, Zhang Liao took over the leadership from Lu Li. In fact, there was no leadership at all, and there were only three people in total.
As for Pan Ming, he confessed his crime to Lu Zhi and hurriedly left the palace to find Duke Meng De——
How can a man live under others for a long time? Now, it's time to leave the small circle formed by Yuan Shao and start his own team.
at the same time.
At the corner of the city, there is the residence of Sangong.
The three highest-ranking members of the Runan Yuan family were gathered in the hall, all of them silent.
If there hadn't been a secret passage in the palace that allowed the Young Emperor and Shi Changshi to escape, how could the situation be so passive?
But now, it's useless to regret anymore.
At this thought, Yuan Shao frowned and tapped his fingers on the table, weighing in his mind how to remedy the situation.
In fact, Grand Tutor Yuan Wei did not blame the two servants. Under the circumstances at that time, attacking the two palaces was really a last resort:
On one hand, the eunuchs suddenly launched an attack and killed their most important ally, He Jin. If they didn't launch an immediate counterattack, I'm afraid they would be the next to die.
Secondly, no one knew that Wu Kuang and Zhang Zhang were both mixed men. They only remembered the kindness of their lord He Jin. When they saw that the general was framed and killed, they immediately began to attack the palace city without waiting for Yuan Shao and others to react. However, the incident had already happened. Qi, there is no way to retreat, we can only do one thing and two, and follow this path to the end.
"Highway, please be patient."
At this moment, Yuan Shu kept drinking cold tea and looking around, unable to calm down at all. Therefore, Yuan Wei couldn't help but said: "Whenever something big happens, you must calm down first."
"Learn more from your brother."
Hearing his uncle praising him, Yuan Shao couldn't help but show a bit of joy on his face.
From a blood perspective, Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao are brothers, both sons of Yuan Feng. However, from a patriarchal perspective, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu are brothers because Yuan Shao was adopted to the childless Yuan Cheng when he was young.
It stands to reason that the relationship between the two should be very good, but the reality is completely opposite. Because Yuan Shao's biological mother was from a humble background, Yuan Shu still looked down on him even though he was his elder brother.
A dispute is about to break out.
At this time, Yuan Wei, who had been silent for a moment, spoke again and asked: "Benchu, how many troops can you mobilize now?"
"Uncle." Yuan Shao said with a stern expression, "Except for Jian Shuo's Senior Military Academy Lieutenant Department and Feng Fang's Assistant Right Military Academy Lieutenant Department, the other six departments all obey my nephew's orders."
Hearing this, Yuan Wei nodded, and then turned his attention to Yuan Shu.
"Uncle, my nephew has two hundred tiger troops and six hundred retainers under his command." At this point, Yuan Shu added: "There are many strange people and strangers among the retainers."
There was pride in his words.
Yuan Shu was nearly thirty years old, with a neat beard, and looked very stable, but when he was young, he was full of chivalry. Of course, this did not mean making friends with heroes, but breaking the law and discipline, and he was nicknamed:
Yuan Changshui, a fierce ghost on the road.
In the past, Yuan Shu served as the captain of Changshui. He acted arrogantly and domineeringly. He often played eagle and lackey with the princes of various families, which made the local people unbearable, so they could only give him a nickname and arrange him behind their backs.
Although it has become much more stable over the years, it is still far less popular than Yuan Shaode's scholars and Confucian scholars. Because of this, most of the visitors are knights and foreigners.
"Original, highway, and now our situation in the court is too passive..."
"so what?"
Before his uncle could finish what he said, Yuan Shu became worried and cursed: "Damn thief! The general was killed, and the Northern Army took the lead in attacking the city. Furthermore, the young emperor has the courage to drive all my Yuan family members out of the court." Tang?"
"Shut up!"
"Listen to what uncle has to say."
Without waiting for him to speak, Yuan Shao asked again: "Did you forget the rules?"
But this time, Yuan Shu's performance was surprising. He took a few deep breaths, cupped his hands and said, "What my brother said is true."
As the saying goes, brothers are jealous of each other within a wall, and they protect themselves from outsiders.
People will always grow up. Yuan Shu is no longer a captain of Changshui, but a lieutenant in the Huben Army. Even if there is anger in his heart, he must hold back at this critical moment——
For the benefit of the family, the two brothers must face the outside world side by side. As for the fight for the Yuan family's heir, we can put it aside for the time being.
Seeing this, Yuan Wei's face brightened slightly.
Although he didn't say anything, Yuan Shao could see that his uncle was very satisfied with Yuan Shu's move.
"Excluding those who were killed in last night's battle, there are about 7,000 soldiers left to fight among the six troops of Xiyuan, and there are 200 elite Tiger and Guard troops, plus Chengmen, Tiqi and other troops, my personal troops, as well as Wu Kuang and Zhang Zhang and the rest of the general’s army should be enough to handle it.”
The two brothers of the Yuan family listened silently to their uncle talking to himself, and thought to themselves: Are they planning to kill the ten permanent servants again?
"An hour ago, I received a secret letter." Yuan Wei did not give in. "It was sent by the Marquis of Aoxiang. The messenger is his brother Dong Min, the captain of Fengche, who is currently resting in the back house."
"Dong Zhuo?"
Yuan Shu was surprised.
"What is he doing here?" Yuan Shao looked wary.
"Dong Zhuo plans to enter Luo as a former official of my Yuan family."
After finishing speaking, Yuan Wei lowered his head and took a sip of tea, patiently waiting for the opinions of the two brothers Yuan Shao.
After a moment of silence, Yuan Shu asked: "Kill the ten regular servants?"
"Yes, more than ten thousand elite border troops are stationed at Tianjingguan. It only takes one day to reach Beijing."
"Uncle, this is tantamount to driving away a wolf and devouring a tiger." Yuan Shao pondered again and again and said, "What Dong Zhuo has in mind may be known to everyone on the road."
Tianjingguan is located at the southernmost point of Bingzhou. When you leave the pass, you will find the headquarters of Sili Xiaowei. Dong Zhuo, who has been relying on Xiliang and refused to go to his post, is actually stationing troops like this. What is his plan? No need to elaborate?
"Uncle, he acts as a former official of my Yuan family. He must be worried that his master will be unknown."
Yuan Shu revealed Dong Zhuo's thoughts with one word.
It is a big taboo to have an unknown teacher.
"When Dong Min delivered the letter to his brother, he must not have known about the palace coup. Therefore, it was impossible to know that the general was dead."
"So Dong Zhuo is sincerely seeking refuge?"
"Well, the general secretly sent an envoy to ask Ding Yuan, the governor of Bingzhou, for help, but ignored Dong Zhuo, who was also a feudal official. After knowing the news, he took the initiative to join us. There is indeed evidence to follow."
The two brothers talked to each other for a long time, and both agreed to summon Dong Zhuo to Luo——
Even if this person is ambitious, he can only admit it.
As for the reason, it was naturally Lu Li and others who suddenly appeared to disrupt the situation.
Because Yuan Shu wanted to appease the remaining troops of the Northern Army, he was unable to go to Beimang to greet him, but Yuan Shao went. He saw with his own eyes that the three generals from Bingzhou surrounded the young emperor, and had a pleasant talk with Zhang Rang, the prime minister who was one of the ten constant attendants.
After last night's military turmoil, the Young Emperor and the Queen Mother were very likely to transfer Ding Yuan, a veteran on the battlefield, to serve as King Qin in the capital.
In addition, when the general was still alive, he wanted him to be the chief minister——
The position is higher than that of Jiuqing, with a rank of two thousand dan, which is equivalent to that of a state pastor. It is a position with high rank and salary, but also heavy powers and responsibilities.
In fact, we can also get a glimpse of it from the name, Zhijinwu, that is, holding the golden leather to control the extraordinary. Not only did he control the arsenal and two hundred cavalry in the north of the city, he was also responsible for protecting the security of Luoyang and Gong Province.
In other words.
As long as the person in charge of Jinwu is strong enough, he has every reason to recruit all the armies in the city.
As for Ding Yuan's Bingzhou soldiers, He Jin relied on them in the past. With this, all forces could compete for supremacy. Now that He Jin is dead, Ding Yuan is very likely to be summoned to the capital. So if he wants to compete with him, recruiting Dong Zhuo is undoubtedly the only option. .
Thinking of this, Yuan Wei waved his hand, summoned his servant, and ordered: "Go and invite Dong Min, the captain of Fengche, and tell him that I have something to discuss with him."
"promise!"
Together they hurried towards the back garden.
In fact, even Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, who had been in high and low officialdom for a long time, felt that Dong Zhuo's intention was nothing more than to enter the central government and become an official.
To put it ten thousand steps back, even if Dong Zhuo were to reach Shu, Yuan's power in Luoyang would still be able to contain him and prevent him from acting arbitrarily.
At this time, Yuan Shao also summoned an accompanying warrior and whispered: "You keep an eye on Meng De in secret. If there is anything unusual, be sure to come and inform me."
Lu Li led the young emperor's horse.
Pan Ming led the horse for Marquis Dong.
Yuan Shao has not forgotten this scene.
As a confidant of Cao Cao, why would he act without authorization?
Could it be that Mengde wants to abandon me?
Obviously, Yuan Shao guessed correctly.
Tongtuo Street, Cao Mansion, small wine-cooking courtyard.
Cao Cao stood under the pavilion without saying a word for a long time, his brows furrowed, as if he was thinking about something troubling.
On the side, Pan Ming lowered his hands and said nothing.
He and Yuan Shao have known each other since childhood. Although they cannot be said to be close friends, they can be regarded as young friends. Now the sudden change of formation is really not loyal enough.
However, the eunuch party is no longer in power, and the person who is loyal this time is the young emperor!
Involuntarily, Cao Cao's eyes flashed with passion: A capable minister in governing the world...
