They started killing people!
As soon as the guard finished speaking, everyone was shocked!
Captain Sili killed someone? Who are you going to kill? Are you going to break into the palace and kill someone again?
Queen Mother He panicked, looking at the red fire outside the palace, and the shouting of killing seemed to be right in front of her eyes, she pulled Liu Bian and said urgently: "Bian'er, is it, is he your uncle?"
Liu Bian's face was as dark as water, and he knew nothing about the situation outside.
But now is not the time to pursue this matter. He took a deep breath, held down one of Queen Mother He's hands, looked at Pan Yin and said: "Immediately pass the order. Everyone in the palace is not allowed to move and stay in their original positions. Order Cao Cao to come immediately. See me! All the palace doors are closed, and no one is allowed to enter or leave without the will!"
Liu Bian said, and then said: "Let someone bring King Bohai over. Jian Shuo, you will escort me and my mother to the Jiade Palace."
"Yes." Everyone responded and hurriedly escorted Liu Bian to the Jiade Hall.
Queen Mother He was in panic and followed Liu Bian closely.
When they arrived at the Jiade Hall, Cao Cao was dressed in armor and led his troops to the front. He said with a solemn expression: "I, Cao Cao, see your Majesty!"
When Liu Bian saw him, he felt a little relieved. He sat on a chair, looked outside the palace door, and said, "No courtesy. Do you know what happened?"
Cao Cao straightened up and said: "Back to your Majesty, I inquired before I came here. It was the commander of Sili who gave the order. The specific reason is not yet known. There is chaos outside the palace, and the Yulin army is arresting people and killing people everywhere."
"Where are the generals?" Queen Mother He became anxious upon hearing this.
Cao Cao bowed and said, "I don't know."
Liu Bian sat on the chair. Although his face was still a little stiff, he felt much calmer in his heart.
With Cao Cao and Jian Shuo's imperial troops here, he would be able to handle it even if something happened outside.
He took the teacup handed over by Pan Yin, passed it to Queen Mother He, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Queen Mother, as long as I am here, it will not collapse today!"
Queen Mother He took Liu Bian's tea cup and looked at him reluctantly nodding, with a look of worry on her face.
Cao Cao quietly observed Liu Bian with his narrow eyes, and was quite surprised by his calmness.
"I see your Majesty, the Queen Mother."
At this time, a group of guards escorted Liu Xie in from the side door.
Eight-year-old Liu Xie, with a young face, calmly saluted Liu Bian and Queen Mother He.
Liu Bian looked at him and said, "Come here, bring a chair for the emperor's brother."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Liu Xie responded in a neither humble nor overbearing manner, while he was quietly sizing up Liu Bian from the corner of his eye.
He and Liu Bian were both in the palace, and although they didn't meet often, they still knew each other well.
Detaining Zhang Rang and others, driving away his grandmother, and suppressing He Jin over and over again...these behaviors were completely different from the timid and fearful imperial brother he knew.
The shouts of murder outside the palace were loud, but he was still so calm?
Liu Bian sat on a chair and looked outside the palace. The fire was soaring into the sky, coming and going, turning and moving, like a fire dragon swimming quickly.
'What on earth is He Jin going to do? '
He was thinking in his mind, and suddenly looked at Cao Cao, who was not far in front of him, and said with a smile: "I heard that there was a quarrel between the general and the general today?"
Cao Cao bowed and said, "It was a minor official who collided with the general. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Liu Bian nodded and said, "You still have to respect the general."
"Yes." Cao Cao said, but there was no emotion on his face.
Liu Bian narrowed his eyes and stared at Cao Cao. There are rumors in Beijing that Cao Cao is a dissolute, lustful, and reckless person.
He glanced at Jian Shuo on his left side again. This man lowered his head respectfully and looked nervous.
Queen Mother He seemed to sense that something was not right in the atmosphere. She took one of Liu Bian's hands and whispered, "Bian'er, what happened outside?"
Liu Bian smiled and said, "I want to know this too."
Queen Mother He moved the corner of her mouth, grabbed Liu Bian, and looked outside the palace door anxiously.
Liu Bian looked around and saw that everyone was here, and waved to Pan Yin.
Pan Yin stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty."
"Give me "Tai Shi Ji"." Liu Bian said.
Pan Yin responded, turned around and asked someone to get it.
It didn't take long to find it. Liu Bian took it and looked at it carefully.
"Tai Shi Ji", better known as "Historical Records", was compiled by Sima Qian, a historian in the Western Han Dynasty.
In addition to practicing calligraphy, Liu Bian has been reading this book recently, especially the part involving Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. He especially likes to read it.
The "Tai Shi Ji" in his hand is much more detailed than that of later generations, and it is an unabridged version.
At this time, paper was still a rare item, and only wealthy families could afford it. The nobles despised the use of paper, and most of them were made of silk.
Time passed slowly, and Liu Bian read page after page, carefully and seriously.
It's not that he doesn't want to read faster, there are actually a lot of "uncommon words", and some words have meanings, so he has to figure it out carefully.
The shouts of killing outside continued, and the guards even reported one after another that people kept breaking into the palace.
Liu Bian remained still, touched his lower lip with his index finger, and continued turning the page.
Cao Cao, Jian Shuo, Pan Yin and others saw that Liu Bian was as motionless as a mountain, and their originally tense moods calmed down unconsciously.
After a full two hours, the faint sound of cockcrow was heard, the firelight outside the palace diminished, and the shouts of killing gradually subsided.
Pan Yin couldn't hold it any longer and stepped forward and whispered: "Your Majesty, would you like to open the palace gate and send someone to investigate?"
Liu Bian turned the pages of the book and said, "Wait a moment."
"Yes." Pan Yin stepped back cautiously.
Cao Cao looked at Liu Bian, frowning in thought.
At this time, the Yulin army outside the palace began to reorganize and return to its organizational structure.
Outside the South Palace, not far from Xuanwu Gate.
Many soldiers gathered around, holding torches high.
In the center, He Jin was wearing armor, with a fleshy face, and his eyes were staring fiercely at Tingwei Xuanfan who was kneeling on the ground in front of him. He raised his right hand holding the knife and wiped the blood from his helmet.
Xuanfan was so frightened that he collapsed on the ground and said in a trembling voice: "General, I have nothing to do with the twelve permanent attendants, why are you arresting me?"
He Jin's eyes were red with murderous intent, and he said, "Do you really think I don't know about your relationship with that eunuch Zhao Zhong? Tell me, who ordered you to go into the palace to falsely accuse me last night?"
Xuanfan's face was so pale that there was no trace of blood. He looked at He Jin, his whole body was cold, and he was extremely frightened. He said: "No, no, no one instigated it. Yes, they reported it. As a court captain, I should..."
Poof
Before Xuanfan finished speaking, Yuan Shu, who was behind him, glanced at He Jin, swung his knife fiercely, and chopped off Xuanfan's head!
The head rolled, eyes widened, and a look of horror on the face.
Yuan Shu kicked him away, stepped forward covered in blood, and said angrily: "General."
He Jin looked at Xuanfan's body, wiped the sword in his hand, and said, "Who else is there?"
Yuan Shu looked towards the east of the city and said: "General, according to your list, only the Hussars General is left."
"Dong Zhong!"
He Jin's eyes were filled with chills, and he said: "He can't get away with what happened today, let's go!"
Yuan Shu followed him and said, "General, are you saying that General Hussar sent someone to assassinate you?"
He Jin turned on his horse, the flesh on his face kept twitching, staring in the direction of Dong Chong's mansion, and said: "Who else can there be besides him!"
Yuan Shu then mounted his horse and said: "General, he is a hussar general, we..."
He Jin ignored him and had already beaten his horse, heading straight to the Hussar General's mansion.
Huangfu Song's mansion not far away.
Huangfu Jianchang was hiding in the door, looking out through a gap, listening to the approaching sound of horse hooves, his heart was trembling and his fingers were trembling.
A servant hurried over and whispered: "Second Young Master, he is the Yulin Army, the general's troops."
Huangfu Jian looked at the fire outside the wall and said, "Where is dad?"
The servant said: "Master left the city yesterday and should not be in the city."
Huangfu Jian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good, that's good."
He still didn't dare to be careless. Seeing the fire approaching, he shrank his neck and his body seemed to be shaking and trembling.
It wasn't until the torch passed through the gate and faded away that he slowly collapsed to the ground and murmured: "How many people are going to be killed..."
Hussar General's Mansion.
The Yulin army was heavily surrounded, and the torches were as bright as day.
The door was closed tightly. Dong Zhong was wearing heavy armor behind the door with a fearful look on his face. He held the knife tightly in both hands and raised it above his head, staring at the door.
Behind him were more than thirty powerful servants, also holding swords and waiting in full array.
A servant behind Dong Chong came forward in fear and said: "Master, I heard from the brothers who came back from outside to inquire that the Yulin Army killed Taiwei Zhao, Taifu Ma and more than ten people in the clan, leaving no one alive... "
Dong Chong gritted his teeth and was extremely panicked, but he managed to hold on and said: "Even if He Jin gets jealous, he won't dare to kill me! I am the nephew of Empress Dowager Dong, and I am the concubine of His Majesty's royal decree. Cavalry General, if he kills me without the will, he is treason!"
Hearing what Dong Zhong said, the restless expressions of the servants eased slightly.
"Dong Chong, thief, come out!"
At this time, He Jin's shout suddenly sounded outside the gate!
Dong Chong was startled. He immediately raised his neck and shouted through the door: "General, I am your Majesty's hussar general. You are not allowed to surround my mansion without an order!"
"Dong Chong, you are guilty of plotting to assassinate the general. You deserve to be punished! You colluded with the eunuchs and brought trouble to the imperial court. You are guilty of grave crimes!"
Yuan Shu drew his sword with a loud sound and said loudly: "If you surrender without mercy, your crime will be reduced. If you dare to gather a crowd to disobey orders, you will be punished on the spot!"
Dong Chong's neck went cold when he heard the sound of the sword being drawn, and he immediately shouted: "Fart! He Jin, there is no will. If you dare to kill me, Your Majesty will not spare you!"
Outside the door, He Jin was sitting on a tall horse. His face under the firelight had no expression, but it looked even more fierce.
Yuan Shu glanced at him, strode forward with a sword in his hand, and said: "Dong Chong conspired to assassinate the general, colluded with the eunuchs, resisted the decree and disrespected the emperor. The crime will not be forgiven!"
The guards of the Yulin Army received the order and began to knock on the door. Some soldiers climbed over the wall and jumped into the courtyard.
The guards who jumped into the courtyard didn't talk nonsense at all. They killed everyone they saw and swarmed towards Dong Zhong.
Dong Chong saw that he was surrounded and that the door would soon be rushed open. He was so frightened that he almost couldn't hold the knife. He panicked and defended himself left and right.
His servants were resisting, but they were no match for the increasing number of Yulin troops. In the blink of an eye, there were corpses everywhere.
boom
A door was knocked open, Yuan Shu was covered in blood, and with a cold murderous intent on his face, he walked straight towards Dong Chong holding a knife.
Dong Chong was trembling all over, filled with anger and grief. Seeing that he could not escape, he looked up to the sky and roared: "He Jin, you must die a good death!"
After saying that, he put the knife across his neck, gritted his teeth, closed his eyes suddenly, and touched his neck with the knife in his hand.
The knife fell to the ground, and Dong Zhong fell to the ground with deep unwillingness.
The Yulin Army dealt with the rest of the servants in the blink of an eye, and then rushed into the courtyard, killing everyone on sight, leaving no one behind. The screams echoed in the dark night, which was extremely harsh.
Yuan Shu looked at Dong Chong's body, turned around and walked towards He Jin, saying: "General, Dong Chong committed suicide out of fear of sin."
He Jin snorted coldly, with cold eyes. He looked up and saw the sky was slightly bright. He was silent for a moment, turned the horse's head, and said: "Enter the palace!"
Yuan Shu's expression suddenly changed and he quickly chased after him, saying: "General, are you entering the palace?"
Yuan Shao has not been released from the last palace coup. Will it happen again?
He Jin beat the horse and said: "Enter the palace and return to life."
Yuan Shu felt relieved and mounted his horse to follow He Jin.
As the two turned towards the palace, the Habayashi Army began to finish off, and the soldiers on the street returned one after another, leaving only blood and corpses everywhere.
The huge city of Luoyang was like hell on this night.
Inside the Jiade Hall.
Liu Bian was still slowly turning the pages of the book. This was the second time he read it.
As time passed, he could no longer concentrate on reading. He was thinking about the situation outside and what he might face.
'How far will He Jin go? 'Liu Bian thought silently in his heart that his way of coping depends on how far He Jin has reached.
"Your Majesty, the Yulin Army has withdrawn its troops." A Forbidden Army guard hurried in and knelt down on one knee.
The oppressive silence in the hall suddenly relaxed. Queen Mother He looked at the guard and asked urgently: "Where is the general?"
The guard said: "I don't know yet."
Liu Bian remained motionless, his eyes fixed on the page, and said: "Cao Cao, Jian Shuo, please send someone out of the palace to investigate."
"Yes." Cao Cao and Jian Shuo responded.
In fact, they had already lost their patience, but their Emperor was too calm and had been reading a book, so they had no choice but to endure it.
Queen Mother He was a little nervous unconsciously. She looked at Liu Bian and said, "Bian'er, tell me, what is your uncle going to do?"
Even if you want to arrest the members of the eunuch party, there is no need for such a battle.
Liu Bian didn't know the whole story yet, but He Jin's arbitrary and reckless behavior of using troops without asking for orders in advance made him very angry!
He put down the book, took the teacup handed over by Pan Yin, looked out the door quietly, and said, "I don't know either. The previous time it was a palace coup, this time it was a city lockdown and murder."
Queen Mother He didn't know anything anymore and realized something was wrong. She looked at Liu Bian hesitantly and said, "Bian'er, he is your uncle after all. We have to rely on him outside the palace."
Liu Bian nodded silently and said in his heart: Temporarily.
He has not yet held the enthronement ceremony. He needs He Jin to stabilize the situation and give him time to let the courtiers and the world know and accept him as the new emperor.
Not long after, Jian Shuo came back in a hurry, his face turned pale, his legs were trembling, and he even couldn't stand still. He stumbled and fell down with a thud. He rolled forward and said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, sir. General, no, Captain Zhao, Taifu Ma, General Hussars, Lieutenant Xuan Ting... and there are also Zhao Zhong, Zhang Rang, etc... They were all exterminated, not a single person was left alive..."
Liu Bian changed his color in horror, stood up suddenly, and said loudly: "You said, genocide? Taiwei, Taifu, Dong Zhong, Xuanfan were all genocide...how many people died?"
Jian Shuo knelt on the ground, huddled his shoulders, shivering, and said: "I don't know for the moment, but I estimate that there are at least five thousand people..."
A large family often has several generations living in one compound. The number of clan members ranges from a dozen to hundreds, and there are several times more maids and servants.
The annihilation of one family can easily kill hundreds of people!
"Five thousand..."
Liu Bian couldn't believe that He Jin slaughtered more than 5,000 people overnight!
Liu Bian felt angry, panic, and a little bit frightened.
Five thousand people!
He had never seen this kind of situation before, and he didn't even dare to think about it!
Liu Bian suppressed the shock in his heart, took a deep breath, and said, "Where are the generals?"
Jian Shuo said: "The general is already on his way into the palace with Yuan Shu, the commander of Sili School."
After Liu Bian heard this, he slowly sat back, his face as iron as stone, and he was thinking anxiously about how to deal with the current situation.
He Jin killed so many people, including the former three princes, nine ministers, current court lieutenants, and hussar generals. Any one of them was not an important official of the imperial court. How could they be disposed of at will, let alone the genocide!
The most important thing is that He Jin is so ruthless. After dawn, the news comes out of Luoyang City. What will be the reaction of the state pastors, governors, and generals who have heavy troops and are entangled with the twelve ministers?
