Chapter 7 Dong Zhongying, a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty
The four people discussed their strategy and left one after another.
After Yan Zhong returned, Dong Zhuo summoned him to discuss matters with Li Ru the next day.
In the hall, Dong Zhuo was sitting at the table with an expressionless face. This time he resigned as General of Hussars. The civil and military officials in the court all agreed. Many people requested that he be transferred out of Luoyang to fight against the rebellion elsewhere.
Empress Dowager Dong kept her promise and appointed him as Taiwei, but secretly she won over the powerful people in Guanzhong and other places, rewarded them with official positions, and assigned them positions.
Empress Dowager Dong made no secret of sharing Dong Zhuo's power. Not only did she promote Dong Cheng to the rank of Hussars General, but she also made Guanzhong powerful men take orders from him.
You must know that Dong Cheng's original strength was not weak. He controlled more than 20,000 people in the Southern Army. Cao Cao and others were under his command. He was also in charge of the palace guards. His total force was close to 40,000 people, which was even stronger than Dong Zhuo's current army.
If the powerful people in Guanzhong also attached themselves to Dong Cheng, then Dong Zhuo would only have his own Xiliang army and some Bingzhou troops left, totaling no more than 10,000 people.
After Dong Cheng annexed the powerful soldiers and horses in Guanzhong, he had more than 60,000 people in one leap.
To weaken Dong Zhuo in this way, Empress Dowager Dong almost didn't need to be reminded by Dong Zhuo's advisers, she could think of it with her toes.
At that time, will we give up a nephew with more than 60,000 soldiers under his command, and let a distant nephew with only 10,000 soldiers under his command be the general who commands the world's troops?
No matter how much you think about it, you know it's impossible.
Therefore, Dong Zhuo knew very well that the illusion he had at the beginning and the promise of Empress Dowager Dong would turn into a dream like dewdrops in the morning.
My distant aunt who is from a cheap family.
This is to break one's promise and have no intention of appointing him Dong Zhuo, but to favor his own nephew.
Thinking of this, Dong Zhuo's face became even more serious, and he said angrily to his two advisers: "Chenghan, Wenyou, have you thought of any countermeasures?"
Li Ru, with a pair of dark circles under his eyes, muttered: "Ming Gong, I have been thinking about it all night. If we want to take action, we can only consider it from both internal and external directions."
“How to explain it internally, and how to explain it externally?”
Dong Zhuo asked.
"Internally, naturally we will find a breakthrough from the palace."
Li Ru said: "I have thought about it for a long time. To do this kind of thing, we can only let the people around the Queen Mother do it. But there are no people around her. I originally thought that the interior of the palace was monolithic, but suddenly I had an idea.
Now, I thought of someone."
"who?"
"Queen Mother He."
"she?"
Dong Zhuo thought: "You are right. She is the only one in the palace who wishes that the Empress Dowager would die. But it was I who suggested to the Empress Dowager that she should depose the emperor, and she ended up in this situation. I am afraid she also wishes for me.
Death, Wenyou thinks she will agree to this?"
Yan Zhong on the side looked at Li Ru in surprise. Unexpectedly, he, like Chen Mu, also saw the key point of Queen Mother He.
It seems that the heroes think alike.
But if you think about it carefully, it's not too difficult to think of Queen Mother He.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
In the entire palace, Empress Dowager He was the only one who was the enemy of Empress Dowager Dong. She had been enemies for many years and both wanted each other to die.
It was only natural that Li Ru, like Chen Mu, thought about her at the same time.
"I don't know if she will agree to it, but I'll see if she gives it a try."
Li Ru stroked his goatee on his chin and said with a smile: "Yong'an Palace is located outside the Dongming Gate of the Imperial Palace. It is guarded by the city gate captain. It is not as heavily guarded as the Imperial Palace. We can send people in to investigate without telling the Queen Mother He.
I just ask her if she agrees. If she is willing to help us, that would be the best. If she is not willing, our details will not be revealed."
In fact, when Dong Zhuo thought about it, what use could a deposed Queen Mother be?
He was powerless and had no way to approach the Empress Dowager.
But having a way is better than having no way. He nodded reluctantly and said: "Then follow Wenyou's method. Chenghan, what do you think?"
He looked at Yan Zhong, his eyes full of hope.
Yan Zhong smiled bitterly and said: "Actually, I have the same idea as Wen You. We can only find a solution from Queen Mother He."
This is a very real problem.
Generally, if you want to break through from the inside and bribe internal spies, it is a long-term project.
For example, if you like someone and want to bribe him, you have to understand his preferences. If he is greedy for money, give him money, if he is lustful, give him a beautiful woman, and you have to do it step by step.
But time is urgent, and the difference is only a matter of one or two months. How can Dong Zhuo have so much time to slowly bribe the people behind Empress Dowager Dong?
So I can only find someone who is ready-made and hates Empress Dowager Dong extremely.
And who in the palace hated Empress Dowager Dong the most?
Isn’t it Queen Mother He?
Therefore, when Li Ru and Chen Mu thought of Queen Mother He, it was not a smart choice, but the only choice.
But Chen Mu's advantage is that he also has Wang Jun to help him with ideas.
As a regular eunuch who was familiar with the internal affairs of the palace, Wang Jun also proposed a key figure, Guo Sheng, in addition to Queen Mother He.
This is where he is stronger than Li Ru.
Hearing that Yan Zhong had the same idea as Li Ru, Dong Zhuo said disappointedly: "Besides this, is there no other way?"
He always felt that Queen Mother He was a bit unreliable. How could a Queen Mother who had lost her power poison her?
Li Ru said: "After all, Queen Mother He has been in the palace for so many years, and she may be able to think of a better way than we think. We only need to find her as a key figure, and she will be responsible for the specific implementation. We just need to
Promise her that if she can succeed, we will support her to ascend to the throne and help King Hongnong restore. I believe that with He's ruthlessness and greed, he will not let this opportunity go."
Yan Zhong added: "It is well known that the Empress Dowager He and the Empress Dowager Dong are at odds. The Empress Dowager Dong also deposed the son of the Empress Dowager He and made King Chenliu the emperor. If she can kill the Empress Dowager Dong and support her son to ascend the throne again, she will
I'm afraid ten thousand people are willing, so don't worry about that, and I heard that Guo Sheng is still alive, so she's not completely without anyone to use."
"Guo Sheng?"
Dong Zhuo thought about it carefully and asked tentatively: "Ten permanent attendants?"
"yes."
Yan Zhong nodded: "This man is from He Jin's hometown. It was he who recommended Empress Dowager He when she entered the palace. Now Guo Sheng is the eunuch Zuo Cheng in the inner province and is responsible for meals."
Dong Zhuo's eyes shone and he nodded repeatedly: "This is a key figure. If he comes to poison, there is a great chance."
"Unfortunately, from beginning to end, I felt that the risk of poisoning was too great."
Li Ru sighed: "The smell of poison is very strong and difficult to cover up. Even if you can find the right person to poison, the possibility of success is too small. So I think there should not be too much hope for breaking through from the inside. The main thing is
It’s still mainly external.”
"Not really."
Yan Zhong smiled slightly and took out two bottles of poison: "Of these two poisons, one is a chronic poison and the other is an acute poison. They can be mixed in spices and food, and the taste is not strong and difficult to detect."
"oh?"
Li Ru was very knowledgeable about poisons. Hearing that the poison did not have a strong taste, he was surprised and said: "How toxic is this medicine? Where did Brother Chenghan get it?"
"This is a strange medicine from the Western Regions. It produces its own poison. It only takes one drop to kill several people. It is extremely toxic. I got it from a friend from the Western Regions back then. It is worth a lot of money. It is worth a hundred gold. It is the bottom of the box for me.
's baby."
Yan Zhong generously introduced.
The first-rate is eight taels, and the second-rate is one catty. The so-called half a catty and eight taels, according to the measurement units of the Han Dynasty, are all first-rate.
And the body poison that Yan Zhong talks about is India.
As early as the Western Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty had already had contacts with India. In the "Book of the Later Han", there are clear records of Southeast Asia, West Asia and other regions.
It not only records India, but also records the ancient Roman Empire.
For example, there is a saying in "Book of the Later Han: Biography of the Western Regions" that "Gan Ying returned to the West Sea in poverty".
The West Sea is today's Persian Gulf.
At that time, Gan Ying's mission was to go to "Great Qin", that is, the ancient Roman Empire. He eventually reached the Persian Gulf, but was blocked in today's Iran and returned.
Therefore, many people think that ancient dynasties were closed, but in fact, the Qin and Han Dynasties already had a preliminary understanding of the world.
The adventurous gene of the Chinese people started from that time, heading towards Europe from the Silk Road in the Western Regions, and began to explore the entire world.
It was the Qing Dynasty that truly closed the country and practiced hermeticism.
Later, due to Boar Skin's own ignorance, China suffered an extremely humiliating modern history, which made all the great powers miss the Qing Dynasty. This is also a well-known fact.
Yan Zhong said that the source of these poisons was from the Western Regions, which made it impossible to verify, and also added a sense of mystery, giving Dong Zhuo and Li Ru a sense of unknown power.
Li Ru took the medicine bottle, looked at the small porcelain bottle, and asked with the same skeptical attitude: "How many people can be killed by one drop? Arsenic is nothing more than that, is it really so toxic?"
Yan Zhong smiled: "Brother Wenyou, if you don't believe it, you can try it yourself."
"Then let me smell it."
Li Ru desperately opened the bottle of Qinghua and smelled it. Suddenly he felt the smell of almonds coming to his nostrils. He felt dizzy and his heart beat faster. He quickly sealed the mouth of the bottle and gasped: "It's so powerful.
Poison, I have also studied poisons, and I have never seen such a strange poison. Just smelling a little bit of it makes me feel suffocated."
I almost died trying it.
"This medicine can be mixed into spices and slowly infiltrated into the human body. If the Ming Dynasty purchased precious spices from the Western Regions and presented them to the Queen Mother, and asked the Queen Mother to incense them every day, within a few days, when the poisonous gas entered the body, she would be the Queen Mother.
At the time of death.”
Yan Zhong introduced with a smile.
Dong Zhuo nodded with satisfaction: "Good medicine."
"And this bottle is a poison that can kill people quickly."
Yan Zhong introduced the bottle of oleander poison again and said: "Pour a drop into food. Not only does it taste very weak, but it can also kill people quickly. It is really a good medicine for killing people when traveling at home."
Li Ru heard the medicinal properties of these two bottles of medicine and said happily: "With these two bottles of medicine, we can make more plans and have more choices."
Dong Zhuo ordered: "Then it's up to you to make a specific plan for this matter. If you want me to do anything, just ask. I'll leave it to you two at this time."
"only."
"They are all serving Ming Gong."
They both stood up and saluted him at the same time.
After the ceremony, Li Rucai said again: "Since it is entrusted by Duke Ming, Chenghan and I will make a plan for the internal offensive. Next, we will talk about the external offensive."
"Wen You, please tell me."
Dong Zhuo pressed his hands down and motioned for them to sit down and talk.
"Dong Cheng lived in the palace every day and firmly controlled the palace guards. The Southern Army was mainly led by several school captains. Therefore, the palace was not particularly well guarded. There were only the Tiger Guards and the Imperial Palace Guards.
There are less than ten thousand people in total, most of whom are concentrated in Beigong, about five to six thousand people."
Li Ru sat back on the table and talked eloquently: "If we want to act, we must prepare for the worst, that is, there will be another palace coup. If we can invade the palace and control it by force, then
That’s the best result.”
Capture the palace by force?
Yan Zhongxin said that Li Ru was really a werewolf, more than a ruthless person.
Dou Wu did this before, and now Yuan Shao has done it too.
However, they were both acquitted.
In fact, they were all characterized as rebels and rebels at the beginning.
But Dou Wu and Chen Fan were admired by people all over the world, and no one in the public opinion said that they were traitors.
As for Yuan Shao.
As the saying goes, people have a good family background.
You, Dong Zhuo, have neither a good reputation nor a good background, yet you actually want to imitate Dou Wu and Yuan Shao?
Who gave you the courage?
Of course, Yan Zhong said these words in his heart and could not express them openly.
But Dong Zhuo was not a fool either.
What is the difference between braving the world's disapproval and seeking death?
Therefore, Dong Zhuo was surprised and said: "Are we really going to send out the army? But Dou Wu and Yuan Shao launched the palace coup with the excuse of killing the eunuchs. Now that there are no eunuchs, what other excuse can I find?"
Li Ru smiled slightly: "The reasons are far away but right before our eyes."
Dong Zhuo said: "Wen You might as well say it clearly."
Li Ru looked in the direction of Yong'an Palace and said calmly: "The edict from Queen Mother He and King Hongnong is the biggest reason."
Are you thinking of deposing the queen and deposing the emperor again?
Yan Zhong probably guessed what Li Ru meant.
Regardless of the fact that Liu Xie's rise to power was endorsed by Empress Dowager Dong, everything seemed to be justified.
But in fact, the orthodox emperor in the minds of people at that time was still Liu Bian.
There is no such thing, just because he is the eldest son born to the late emperor and empress.
The eldest son system was deeply rooted in the Han Dynasty, not only in the royal family, but also in the vassal kingdoms.
Before the decree of grace came out, the eldest son was almost truly born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
All property in a kingdom, including succession to the throne, belongs to the eldest son.
Even after the decree of grace is issued, the eldest son can still get the majority of the property, and the second son and third son can get the smaller half.
Therefore, even when Liu Hong wanted to make Liu Xie the crown prince, he was faced with many difficulties and great resistance.
Although Empress Dowager Dong took advantage of the chaos in the palace and used Dong Zhuo and Dong Cheng to control military power, she took advantage of the situation to depose Liu Bian and install her most beloved grandson Liu Xie as emperor.
But everyone with discernment in the world knows that Liu Bian is the orthodox one.
There is no dispute about this.
Including the revision of history in later dynasties, Liu Bian's legitimacy and legitimacy were far higher than Liu Xie's.
As for why the Liu Association was later recognized, it was because Liu Bian died and was poisoned to death by Li Ru sent by Dong Zhuo.
After Liu Bian's death, Liu Hong was left with only one son, Liu Xie.
In this way, those rigid and conservative bureaucrats and scholar-bureaucrats could only hold their noses and recognize Liu Xie's orthodox status, and then Cao Cao used the emperor to order the princes.
But Liu Bian is not dead yet.
So the current situation is that everyone recognizes Liu Bian's legitimacy.
In his mind, Liu Xie's throne was not in the right path.
Everyone didn't say it openly, but they just took advantage of the power of Empress Dowager Dong.
This is why when Empress Dowager Dong deposed the emperor, some upright scholar-bureaucrats still opposed her.
Including why did Chen Mu do that at that time?
It's not just a political show to cater to mainstream ideas and gain fame.
And now.
However, Li Ru was interested in Empress Dowager He and Liu Bian.
The fate and life experience of this mother and son have reached a very rough level, which is quite pitiful.
"The Queen Mother He and King Hongnong?"
Dong Zhuo didn't quite understand what Li Ru meant and asked, "What does it have to do with them?"
"What Wen You means is to let Duke Ming lead troops into the palace in the name of helping King Hongnong to recover."
Yan Zhong glanced at Li Ru and said calmly.
Li Ru and Dong Zhuo were a perfect match. There was no bottom line for either of them.
"Now everyone in the world pities Queen Hongnong and her son."
Li Ru stared at the poison in his hand, with a strange light in his eyes: "It was a natural thing for the eldest son of King Hongnong to inherit the throne, but it was abolished by Empress Dowager Dong for no reason. Although people in the world don't say it on the surface, they know it in their hearts.
Resentment. If at this time, Empress Dowager Dong kills Empress Dowager He without any reason..."
Why do you want to kill the Queen Mother?
Yan Zhong felt shuddering.
Compared with Chen Mu, Li Ru is probably not much different.
"If Wenyou had said this earlier, I would have understood."
Dong Zhuo narrowed his eyes and showed a meaningful smile: "King Hongnong was not wrong in the first place. He was deposed for no reason, and people in the world are resentful. If it was because of the Queen Mother He who murdered Wang Meiren without any reason, and the late emperor's edict, it can barely be justified.
If so, both the Queen Mother He and King Hongnong were deposed, which could be regarded as making up for the mistakes made by the Queen Mother He. But at this time, the Queen Mother He was poisoned again, causing the already very pitiful King Hongnong to lose his mother again.
Obviously it doesn’t make sense.”
"good."
Li Ru nodded: "In this way, the resentment of the world will inevitably be great, and Ming Gong must not forget that on the birthday of Empress Dowager Dong, she also forced the local counties and counties to present countless gold, silver and jewels to plunder the local people. If Empress Dowager Dong committed murder,
After the death of Queen Mother He, the public was furious. At that time, Duke Ming would take out the edicts of King Hongnong and Queen Mother He and enter the palace in the name of Queen Mother He's last edict. In this way, people in the world who pitied the mother and son would support Duke Ming, and Duke Ming deposed Empress Dowager Dong and Empress Dowager He.
King Chenliu also supported King Hongnong's restoration, granted him the title of Grand Master, and took control of the government, which was a matter of course."
Regarding Empress Dowager Dong's greed for money, she was only above Emperor Xiao Kang of Han Dynasty Liu Hong, but definitely not inferior to Emperor Kang.
Including using the name of one's own birthday to make a lot of money, which is also written in the history books.
So in fact, all officials in the Manchu Dynasty, including all the officials, hated Empress Dowager Dong very much.
Because after Empress Dowager Dong took power now, she was no different from Emperor Xiaokang of the Han Dynasty. She still made money wantonly, bought and sold official positions, and ordered various places to donate property.
Therefore, whether it is from the interests of the scholar-bureaucrat class, from the perspective of pity for the He family and Queen Hongnong's mother and son, or from the perspective of firm supporters of orthodoxy, the courtiers are unlikely to oppose King Hongnong's sudden restoration.
But the key point is that Dong Zhuo was a pioneer in deposing the emperor and a supporter of Empress Dowager Dong.
As a result, he suddenly became the supporter of King Hongnong and the advocate of the restoration of the deposed emperor. This ability of repeated leaps will probably make the world dumbfounded.
certainly.
Li Ru still found an excuse for Dong Zhuo.
That was to exchange He's death for a reason to oppose Empress Dowager Dong.
In addition, more people in the world still support Liu Bian and agree more with Liu Bian's orthodoxy. Even if Dong Zhuo does something outrageous like first deposing the emperor and then helping the deposed emperor to restore him, everyone will probably pinch their noses.
Recognize it.
After Dong Zhuo was analyzed in this way, he just felt enlightened and the sun cleared the clouds. Jie Jie laughed strangely and whispered: "Jie Jie... That's of course. King Hongnong is orthodox, and he took back the throne that belongs to him.
As it should be...I, Dong Zhongying, am the most loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, so I naturally want to help King Hongnong..."
A loyal minister of the Han Dynasty?
Yan Zhong's face changed slightly. He only felt his scalp was numb and a cold air rose from the soles of his feet. He was afraid that Dong Zhuo would notice something was wrong with him, so he quickly lowered his head and saluted: "Ming Gong has put his feet on the top of the country for the great Han Dynasty, and died.
Be a model for all officials and a model for the world."
"Hahahaha, I have a talented and honest man, so why worry about not being able to revitalize the Han Dynasty?"
Dong Zhuo laughed heartily, with a cruel look on his face.
Those who follow me will prosper, and those who go against me will perish.
Whoever dares to prevent me from ascending to the highest position of being a minister is my enemy.
Even if everyone's surname is Dong, they are all descendants of Duke Zhongshu.
But who told you to break your promise?
My good aunt.
Dong Zhuo's eyes have become increasingly cold.
A strange red light appeared in those eyes that shone with cold light.