In early May, except for the political situation in Luoyang, which was still gloomy and unclear, the situation in the world was very good. The system of shepherds and uncles proposed by Liu Yan was already quite effective: Huang Wan, the shepherd of Yuzhou, successfully suppressed the second Yellow Turban Rebellion, and Liu Yu, the shepherd of Youzhou, completely surrendered.
Although the remnants of Zhang Chun and Liu Yan, the herdsman of Yizhou, were said to have stopped at Linjiang, Yizhou was engaged in Jialong's battles and victories, and Ma Xiang's rebels were obviously unable to support them, and peace in the world was just around the corner.
What excites the world the most is Liu Bei and Chen Chong's victory over Xianbei in Bingzhou. Since Tan Shihuai unified Xianbei, the Han army has never achieved such a great victory. The news reached Luoyang, and the whole court was filled with joy. Many restaurants in Luoyang city held colorful banquets.
Guests, regardless of the taboo that the late emperor was still in mourning and his coffin had not been buried. Many people compared this victory with the Battle of Jiluoshan, saying that there were party members Qingliu assisting inside and loyal ministers and lofty ideals fighting outside.
The house is revitalized and the righteous path is flourishing, which can be seen.
Amidst the joy, He Jin finally made up his mind after Yuan Shao's repeated persuasion, and sent Xun You to report to the Queen Mother: "Since the Queen Mother He Xi, the eunuchs have been causing trouble for a long time. The government and the public are resentful, and the palace provinces
Angry, such as Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, who slandered celebrities and arrested people indiscriminately, resulting in the lack of capable ministers in the country while there were virtuous people in the country, the border affairs were not prosperous, and the common people suffered disasters. Since the late emperor was seriously ill, the party's supervision was relaxed, there were no eunuchs to restrain him, and the court
Only by appointing talented people can we be as prosperous as we are today. However, we must get rid of the troubles and confidants. I hope the Queen Mother will be considerate of the scholars, remove her favorites, pardon them and make them realize their crimes and return home. This will win the hearts of the party members all over the world, and the Queen Mother will be famous.
Spread it widely to future generations and talk about the virtues of integrity and Lin."
Before the Empress Dowager received the letter, the ministers heard the news from the public. They came to the Queen Mother's steps every day and cried and said: "Nothing the ministers did was without the instructions of the late emperor. How have they ever arbitrarily interfered in politics and misinterpreted the holy will? If we can bring harmony to the heavenly family,
, the Han Dynasty is at peace, how can the ministers dare to do deceitful things? I hope the Queen Mother will see clearly and return the ministers to innocence." Everyone shed tears, and the Queen Mother couldn't help but feel sad after hearing this.
The Queen Mother's brother, He Miao, was a general of chariots and cavalry. He went to the Hajj every day. The attendants secretly presented him with a box of shark beads. The Queen Mother's biological mother, Wu Yangjun, came to the palace to accompany the Queen Mother. The attendants offered three basins of blood coral, two in the middle.
As people liked it, the two of them spoke kindly to the Queen Mother and slandered He Jindao: "The general wants to kill the late emperor's people and use his power to weaken the country."
Therefore, Xun You came out of the rain and took out the watch from his sleeve pocket to the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother only scanned it once and put it on the table. She said smoothly to Xun You: "The central official's command of the forbidden provinces is a story of the Han Dynasty from ancient times to the present.
, how to abolish it? Moreover, the late emperor has abandoned the world, and I have lost my husband and wife. How can I work with the scholars?"
Xun You can still refute the previous sentence. After all, when the former Han Dynasty appointed permanent servants, they mostly promoted scholars, such as Liu Xin, Song Hong and others. It was only since the ancestors re-established the Han Dynasty that they only used eunuchs, which was not the old system of the Han Dynasty. But later
Even though Xun You was extremely talented, he could only retreat hastily. The Queen Mother asked the ministers to say something on the grounds of avoiding suspicion and protecting integrity. Xun You could only return to Xian Yangyuan and return to He Jin.
Hearing the Queen Mother's reaction, the general also had second thoughts. He looked at the raindrops outside the door with a tangled expression. But Yuan Shao was observing the words and expressions on one side, knowing full well that He Jin wanted to give up, so he immediately advised him: "Previously, General Dou Wu
He wanted to kill his favorite but was harmed instead because his words were leaked and the eunuch knew his murderous intention, so he tried to defeat his favorite and rebelled first. Now that the general has come to the table, he is in the same position as the eunuch.
Water and fire, how to put water and fire together? Either he dies or I die. Please be careful, General!"
The general stood in horror. He had seen Jian Shuo's head, which was still being circulated around Luoyang at this time. He also remembered the hidden arrows at Baihumen in the early morning. This made him restless, wandering around under the rain eaves, saying "that makes sense" repeatedly. But he didn't know how to break the situation, and finally asked Yuan Shao with a frown: "It's just that the Queen Mother has a very serious intention, how should I act?"
Hearing the general's question, Yuan Shao hesitated for a moment. He had always been known for his courage, but now he felt that his palms were wet, his legs and feet were trembling, and he seemed to be in a frozen lake, with the undercurrent boiling under the ice. Yuan Shao knew that this It's not because he is timid, but because he is extremely happy, God knows! How many years has he been waiting for this question?!
As if he had rehearsed it thousands of times, he stood up and walked to the general's side. He said decisively in a decisive tone: "General, the only plan now is to recruit powerful generals from all over the world and lead the troops to the capital to consolidate the shogunate. .When the world's heroes surround the capital, the Queen Mother only has five thousand palace and provincial forbidden troops. How can she be ten times more powerful than the general? At that time, the general will have the power of life and death and will remonstrate with the Queen Mother. How can the Queen Mother not obey? Hope the General Order quickly!"
The next day, several teams of messengers left Xianyang Garden on fast horses. No one paid much attention at first. There were too many messengers coming in and out of Xianyang Garden every day. These people and horses didn't look special. But the responsibilities they shouldered were really important. , they dispersed and conveyed the order to all directions of the Han Dynasty.
A big change occurred suddenly, but within ten days, the Chancellor's Office received letters from governors from various places one after another, asking whether the imperial court had any major plans and whether it needed the cooperation of the county and the court. The Queen Mother was not sure why, so she asked the cavalry general He Miao to investigate the documents. He Miao carefully investigated the documents. After asking around, I found out that things around Luoyang have been turned upside down:
The prefect of Dongjun, Qiao Mao, organized his troops and the white horses were about to march eastward; the governor of Bingzhou, Ding Yuan, led the new army of Bingzhou to station in Hanoi; the former general Dong Zhuo led the knights of Liangzhou to cross Maojin; the captain of cavalry, Bao Xin, and the general's commander, Wang Kuang, marched to Taishan County. The local warriors armed with arsenals and weapons have arrived in Jiyin County. Cao Cao, the captain of the Dianjun Army, has just arrived in Pei State and is recruiting troops aggressively. These heroes of the Han Dynasty all claimed that they were ordered by the general to lead their troops to Beijing to correct the imperial court.
Dong Zhuo's Liangzhou knights marched the fastest. Even though it rained heavily for days, he still marched in the rain and crossed Pubanjin, Hebei County, Dayang County, and then crossed the river from Maojin to the south bank at a speed of eighty miles a day. Shaanxi County. The river was turbulent and many soldiers in Liangzhou were feeling unwell, so Dong Zhuo ordered the troops to rest here for a day and return tomorrow.
After traveling for seven consecutive days, even Dong Zhuo, who had been fighting all year round, was a little overwhelmed. He entered Shaanxi County, and first ordered his men to seize the estates of several wealthy families in the township with swords. Then he sent Li Ru to deal with the Shaanxi County magistrate, and he led the The five thousand soldiers under his command went straight to the manor to occupy a house to rest.
But Dong Zhuo couldn't rest. He used an attic as his residence and summoned his generals to come for a military meeting. It was said to be a military meeting, but in fact it was more like a chat. He loosened his belt, sat on the chair and rubbed his waist and chest with one hand, and said to his subordinates: "As I get older, my bones hurt and itch when it rains, and I can't ride a horse anymore. I really don't know when I can retire safely!"
Li Ru just returned from the negotiation and brought two jars of hot wine from the city. Hearing what his master said, he filled a cup on the spot and handed it to Dong Zhuo. Then he smiled and said to his colleagues: "But even so, Mr. Dong still worked hard.
Running in the rain for the general is truly a pillar of the country!"
All the generals under Dong Zhuo were wearing military uniforms, but Li Ru was the only one wearing Confucian clothes, which showed his superior status. Dong Zhuo took the warm wine, raised his head and drank it down in one gulp. After a little aftertaste, he continued what Li Ru said: "For the country
Effectiveness is the duty of warriors like us. Going into battle to kill the enemy is just ordinary, but if you really want to help the country, you have to go into the palace and remove the poison from the bone marrow of all people!"
The generals responded with a roar. Dong Zhuo was very satisfied when he saw his men as tall and tall as a forest, with strong momentum. He secretly thought that this was the reason for my rebellion. He was concerned about the trends in the court and asked Li Ru: "Shu Ying (Dong
Min) Is there any news from over there? Calculating the date, it should be here."
Li Ru nodded and sat back on his seat, handed the wine jar to his colleagues for their own use, and then reported to Dong Zhuo: "I have received the news from Lieutenant Fengche. The envoy told me that the Queen Mother has learned that the general has mobilized all the troops to march."
Regarding matters in Beijing, he issued an edict to the general, but the general still stayed in Xianyang Garden and refused to obey the edict. He did not even attend the late emperor's visit to the mausoleum. He only asked the Queen Mother to remove the eunuchs. What Feng Che Xiaowei meant was that the Queen Mother
I’m afraid it won’t last long.”
When Dong Zhuo heard this and frowned, his brows almost made the "click" sound of a copper lock. He asked Li Ru again: "Xiao Ru, according to your opinion, will the Queen Mother dismiss the eunuchs?"<
/p>
Li Ru shook his head, his smile couldn't stop coming to the corner of his mouth, and he said to Dong Zhuo: "The sacred weapon Sheji can only be owned by one person. If the Queen Mother delegates the power to remove the eunuchs, and the general will win the hearts of the world's scholars, then he will be the emperor of the world.
But can you still sit still? How can the love between brother and sister compare to the love between mother and son? The eunuch can be dismissed, but the queen mother will never quit. As long as the queen mother does not dismiss the eunuch, the court will not be stable! Don't worry, Ming Gong.
It’s a foregone conclusion that I’m waiting to go to Luo.”
Dong Zhuo's brows relaxed like the ebbing tide, and he sighed with relief and emotion: "You are so greedy for profit! After the death of the late emperor, I stayed in Puban for two months and refused to take office, observing the situation in the capital from a distance. But who would have expected that two months later?
There is still no change in the capital, and there is no name for justice. Even if there is a change in Luoyang, it will be difficult for me to enter Luoyang, but I didn't expect that the general sent me such a great gift!"
Xu Rong, who was on the side, was still worried. He asked Dong Zhuo: "Ming Gong, the current situation in the court is in chaos and the situation in Luoyang is complicated. We are assisting the general in getting rid of the eunuchs, but this is just a temporary expediency of the shogunate. Waiting for the general
If it is completely accomplished, I am afraid that we will be abandoned like worn-out shoes. How can we be reused by the imperial court?"
After Xu Rong finished speaking, the generals were silent for a while. Dong Zhuo looked at this beloved general of Liaodong and cherished his talents. He waved his hands nonchalantly and said: "Meng Gao, you don't need to know this. I, Dong Zhongying, naturally cannot act without confidence, and I will not
I will lead you to your death. Lords of Luoyang and Gungun, as ministers, did not realize the sufferings of the soldiers, causing the country to be in vain and causing the three armies to bleed in vain. How can this be the way in the world?! I lead the troops to serve the king precisely because I want to clean up the king's side and set the course of the dynasty.
Please don’t doubt it!”
Dong Zhuo spoke so impassionedly that Xu Rong felt deeply ashamed and apologized to his lord for drinking with him again and again. After Dong Zhuo drank for three rounds, everyone was a little drunk, but he was still sober. Dong Zhuo touched the knife and looked from the attic to the fields, and saw the mountains in the distance.
Like a forest, towering into the clouds, it was difficult to see the top of the mountain clearly in this rainy day, let alone the road. But Dong Zhuo had walked back and forth on this road dozens of times, and he was already familiar with it. He looked at Xiaoshan and thought about Luo in his heart.