September, the fifth year of Zhongping.

Realizing that He Jin was about to make a move, Shi Changshi made up his mind and must form an army to fight tit for tat.

At the instigation of the eunuchs, the emperor established the Eight Schools of Xiyuan to check and balance the military power of General He.

Liu Hong calls himself the supreme general and is the commander-in-chief of the eight schools of Xiyuan.

Jian Shuo of Xiaohuangmen is the captain of the upper military school and the commander of the Eighth School of Xiyuan.

He worshiped Yuan Shao as Huben Zhonglang General and the Central Military Academy Lieutenant.

For the rest, Bao Hong, the commander of the Tun Cavalry School, is the lower military commander, Cao Hong, the Yue cavalry commander, is the Dian military commander, Zhao Rong, the bandit general, is the left commander of the assistant army, and Feng Fang, the son-in-law of Cao Jie, the former central minister, is the right commander of the assistant army.

, Zhongchang Shi Xia Yun became the left school captain from his nephew Xia Mou, and Chunyu Qiong, a descendant of the aristocratic family, was the right school captain.

Most of the eight lieutenants are directly or indirectly related to eunuchs, and the ones recruited this time are all from good families, strong-blooded, loyal and patriotic.

After a month of training, in early October, the emperor held a grand military parade ceremony for the eight schools in Xiyuan in Pingtang, a suburb of Beijing.

On the altar, a colorful canopy is ten feet high, bells and drums are ringing, fireworks are roaring, and colorful flags are flying high.

Supreme General Liu Hong came to the altar to observe the ceremony. Tens of thousands of elite cavalry participated in the review, row after row, square after square, passing in front of the altar, all paying attention to the emperor.

The officers and soldiers waiting for review gathered in front of the altar and the ceremony was completed.

Emperor Liu Hong put on exquisite armor, rode on a tall horse, and surrounded by eunuchs, circled the arena three times and returned to the high altar.

Thousands of troops and horses shouted in unison: "The eight schools of Xiyuan are always victorious and undefeated! Long live, long live, long live the supreme general!"

With such a strong army, the world will have no worries!

After the review, the emperor returned to the club with peace of mind to continue enjoying himself.

When the ten permanent servants got the military power, their attitude became more arrogant and they completely crushed their relatives.

General He, whose military power was divided, was filled with rage that could not be contained.

The situation is becoming increasingly acute, and the Civil Service Group has a premonition that sooner or later there will be a military disaster in the Eastern Capital City.

In order to avoid becoming a piece of cake, the civil servants are intensifying their efforts to unite, and at the same time they are looking outside the capital to find suitable agents.

Liu Yu from Youzhou, Liu Biao from Yizhou, Liu Bei from Yongzhou, Yuan Shu from Yangzhou and Dong Zhuo from Liangzhou are known as the five major princes, and various relationships gradually surfaced.

The most highly regarded by civil servants was undoubtedly Yizhou Mu, Liu Biao, one of the Eighth Rankings.

It is assisted by famous people, guarded by Cao's army, and Bashu is rich and has outstanding people.

Followed by Youzhou Mu and the royal family Liu Yu.

Its status is valuable, its reputation is good, Youzhou's politics and business are harmonious, and it has great potential.

Once again, it is General Fubo and Yuan Shu who controls Yangzhou.

His family background is prominent, he comes from the civil service group, he has taken advantage of the prosperous land in the south of the Yangtze River, and has both navy and army.

As for Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo, they are just grassroots and reckless people.

The two men respected themselves as soldiers, had ulterior motives, and were deeply involved with the eunuch's relatives, so they would not consider it unless it was absolutely necessary.

The three forces of eunuchs, relatives, and civilian officials were at war with the dynasty, fighting overtly and covertly. Many dynasties were unsustainable and the people were miserable.

On October 15th, Dong Zhuo, who was in charge of Chang'an, met General He's secret envoy.

"Expand the army as soon as possible and be ready to go to Beijing to eradicate the eunuchs at any time."

Dong Zhuo, who was worried about the shortage of money and food, was overjoyed when he heard that he had obtained it without any effort.

With the support of a large amount of military expenditures, by the end of the fifth year of Zhongping, the Liangzhou army rapidly expanded to more than 80,000 people, and Dong Zhuo's tribe alone had 50,000 people.

On the eve of the sixth year of Zhongping, the emperor, who was enjoying himself in the club, suffered a sudden illness and fell into a coma.

After diagnosis, many imperial doctors looked ugly and did not dare to speak.

Isolated from the outside world, Zhang let Zhao Zhong sweat like rain.

Everything has not been arranged yet. If the emperor dies now, the situation will get out of control.

Looking at more than a dozen imperial doctors, Zhang Rang drew out his sword and said viciously: "Our family, regardless of anything else, must save His Majesty immediately, otherwise you will all die!"

In fact, Liu Hong, who succeeded to the throne at the age of twelve, was seduced by eunuchs and became obsessed with the affairs of men and women prematurely. He stopped at the age of twenty-two, causing the emperor's body to become hopelessly ruined.
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When encountering the terminally ill Liu Hong, even Bian Que could only run away.

Of course, the emperor's current coma is the backlash of long-term hard work, and he will not belch immediately.

Under the knife's edge, the imperial doctor used a multi-pronged approach, including acupuncture, decoction, massage, and prayer. Whether it was useful or not, the imperial doctor would give it all to his majesty.

Finally, the emperor slowly opened his eyes.

But Liu Hong's complexion was gloomy, his breath was uneven, and his temples were showing white frost, and he seemed to have aged twenty years.

Zhang Rang quickly climbed up and asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, is the dragon body okay?"

Zhao Zhong also climbed over and stared at the emperor intently.

Liu Hong changed his past playfulness and absurdity and said softly: "Summon the important ministers."

Zhang and Zhao realized what His Majesty was going to do, and this might be the best protection for them.

"Your Majesty, it would be better to wait for the dragon body..."

Liu Hong calmed down and said: "Go!"

You know your own body well.

The godfather and godmother had no choice but to groom and dress the emperor while summoning the court officials.

Within half an hour, dozens of civil and military officials, led by General He Jin, rushed to the palace.

Such big news quickly became a hot search topic in Dongdu.

Everyone was surprised when they saw the emperor on the imperial couch.

I haven’t seen you for a few days. Why are you so old?

I was even more surprised when I saw the prince Xie on the side of the imperial couch.

Is it possible to establish the East Palace? But why is there only Dong Hou?

Sure enough, after the ministers paid homage, Liu Hong spoke frankly.

"I want to establish a crown prince today, so I would like all of you to be witnesses."

The emperor has two princes.

Liu Bian, the sixteen-year-old eldest son, was born to the queen.

Liu Bian was raised by Taoist Shi Zixuan since he was a child. He was called "Shihou" and had a frivolous personality.

The nine-year-old son Liu Xie was born to Mrs. Wang.

During her confinement, Princess Wang was poisoned to death by Queen He. Liu Hong handed over Liu Xie, who was less than a month old, to the Queen Mother Dong to raise. Therefore, he was called "Dong Hou" and he is now prudent and polite.

Therefore, Liu Hong wanted to make Liu Xie the crown prince, but he had always been wary of the tradition of establishing a direct descendant and was worried about encountering opposition from the officials, including He Jin.

Now, Liu Hong, who had a premonition that his death was imminent, tried to establish the crown prince according to his own wishes.

For many years, the emperor has never mentioned the matter of appointing a prince.

Today, I suddenly expressed my feelings in public. This not only made the ministers excited, but also realized that there was a big problem with your health.

General He Jin tasted an unknown taste; Liu Bian has grown up but has never been able to obtain the status he deserves.

The emperor preferred "Dong Hou" Liu Xie, which was no secret in the palace.

Today I only see Liu Xie but not Liu Bian. The emperor’s thoughts are self-evident.

He took the lead in the procession and said deliberately: "What your Majesty said is true. The prince is the foundation of a country, and it should be sooner rather than later. Therefore, the prince is your majesty's eldest son, and he should be established as the prince out of love and reason."

General He spoke out, and what he said was right, so most civil and military officials agreed.

Liu Hong still insisted: "You can't rule the world if you are frivolous."

Huh?

Does the emperor have to violate Confucian ethics and establish a prince association?

Now, the civil service group is no longer involved.

Sikong Liu Hong took a step forward and said: "Your Majesty, it is the ancestral family law to establish a direct descendant."

Shangshu Lu Zhi also stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, it is against etiquette to abolish the elder and establish the younger."

All the ministers bowed and said: "Your Majesty, please put the country first and make the prince the crown prince!"

"You...you..."

Liu Hong was holding on, but at this moment he was so depressed that he couldn't breathe, and he slipped on the imperial couch.

"Father!"

Liu Xie rushed over and hugged Liu Hong, while Zhang asked Zhao Zhong to help the emperor immediately.

"Royal doctor!"

There was chaos in the court, and the officials were so frightened that they all knelt down to apologize.

After checking the pulse, the imperial doctor on the side learned that the patient was suffering from shortness of breath and was attacking the heart, so he took out a silver needle to help.

At the same time, the imperial doctor also suggested that the emperor should no longer be stimulated and needed to rest.

Although the matter of appointing the crown prince was not settled, both the government and the public knew that the emperor's intention was towards his youngest son Liu Xie.

Even the emperor is not always happy with everything.
Chapter completed!