Han family achievements

Chapter 531 Fox
Zhang Yang already knew what Qiao Mao meant, but when it came to the critical moment, Zhang Yang hesitated.

Rebellion is not something that can be done easily; it requires great courage and determination at all costs.

As the Lieutenant General of the Imperial Guards, Zhang Yang has enjoyed unprecedented wealth and prosperity in recent years.

Countless people gave him gifts, and at the same time secretly withheld military pay. He bought mansions and shops in Luoyang city, and even bought land all over Sili.

The General of the Imperial Guards was a good position, but it was almost transparent in the court and no one paid attention to it.

As a result, Zhang Yang lived a life of luxury and became fat, completely losing the strength and bravery he had during the Zhongping period.

However, he still felt unwilling in his heart.

They were both generals who joined the army together and held the same official position, but why was it that Zhang Liao was now the general of Xuzhou, so powerful and majestic, while he was just a general of the imperial guards who no one cared about! ?

As a result, he became more unscrupulous in corruption and bribery and indulged in pleasure. No one cared anyway, which made him even more unscrupulous.

Of course, this was Luoyang City, so he was very careful.

But no matter how careful he was, as the imperial court's "rectification of the administration" fell, the city of Luoyang was in a state of panic, and his trusted subordinates who were burned in the Yulin Army were taken away.

It was only a matter of time before he was betrayed.

Even if Liu Bian had not been assassinated in his Yulin Army, Zhang Yang would have had no chance of survival.

He looked at the forged edict of the previous emperor in Qiao Mao's hand with a ferocious expression and an inner struggle.

Even standing on the edge of the cliff, Zhang Yang still didn't want to take that dead end. Once he set foot on it, there would be no turning back!
Qiao Mao saw through Zhang Yang thoroughly. Holding the forged will, he didn't say a word and just looked at Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang's face was gloomy and uncertain, and he was still considering the possibility of escape.

With his status as General of the Imperial Guards, it was not difficult for him to escape from Luoyang City, but what about his family and the huge business he had built up over many years of hard work?
If you run away from Luoyang, where can you go? No matter where you go, you will still be dependent on others. The money you bring with you can not only not save your life, but may also be a death warrant!
Qiao Mao still didn't react.

Zhang Yang struggled for a while, but was still attracted by the "last emperor's edict" in front of him. Thinking about the current situation, he gritted his teeth and said, "If I control the Prince of Chenliu and hold this edict in my hand, can I really let the Prince of Chenliu ascend the throne?"

Qiao Mao smiled. He knew that Zhang Yang had made up his mind.

"As long as Luoyang is in your hands, your words will be the words of the emperor. Who dares not to obey?"

Qiao Mao's face was straightened, his expression was fanatical, and he said: "The emperor, the queen mother, the queen, the prime minister, the great general, everyone is in your hands, what do you have to fear? As long as the Prince of Chenliu ascends the throne, an imperial edict will be issued, and those who obey the order to quell the rebellion will surely be like ministers crossing the river, with endless words, glory, wealth, supreme power, and everything will be within your reach. Brother Zhang, this is an opportunity that many people have spent their entire lives trying to get!"

Zhang Yang seemed to be persuaded. His expression became excited, fierce and ferocious, his breathing was rapid, and he snatched the fake edict and said in a low voice: "Okay. I will gather my confidants and start the rebellion tonight! Brother Qiao, do you have any other advice?"

Qiao Mao's eyes were like knives, and he said, "Capture the Prince of Chenliu, break into the palace, and arrest the Queen Mother, the Empress, and all the dignitaries of the court. These should not require my instructions."

Zhang Yang took a deep breath, raised his hand and said, "Brother Qiao, if this great event is accomplished, the position of Shangshutai will be vacant!"

Qiao Mao smiled brightly and said, "Thank you very much, General."

Zhang Yang's expression immediately changed. He thought of the once great General He Jin. He raised his hand again, grasped his sword, turned around and left.

Qiao Mao looked at his back, turned his head and looked in the direction of the palace, his face twisted, his eyes crazy, and growled: "Liu Bian, not only do I want you to die, I also want to send the Han Dynasty to the grave! Since you can't be listed in the official history, then I, Qiao Mao, must also have a few chapters in the unofficial history!"

Zhang Yang returned to Yulin Lang Mansion and summoned a group of his confidants. After some coercion and inducement, everyone agreed to this "feat".

As soon as there was any unusual movement on Zhang Yang's side, Le Jin, who was closely monitoring him, noticed something was wrong and quickly ran towards the palace.

"What did you say? Zhang Yang is mobilizing the Yulin Army. What is he going to do? " Xun Yu's expression changed in shock and he said in a lost voice.

At this time, if Zhang Yang, who controls 20,000 Yulin troops, had evil intentions, no one could stop him!

Originally, there were 10,000 Yulin troops in the palace, which was enough to check and balance the Yulin Army. However, as high-ranking court officials went out of the capital for inspection, 5,000 imperial guards were sent to protect them.

In other words, there are only 5,000 imperial guards in the palace!
Five thousand versus twenty thousand, there's no chance of winning no matter how you look at it!

Cao Cao seemed to have expected this, and said to Xun Yu who was standing opposite him, "Your Majesty was assassinated in the Yulin Army, and Zhang Yang was not unrelated. His eagerness to rebel is even more telling."

Xun Yu quickly calmed down and said, "Lord Cao, what should we do now?"

Cao Cao said, "Zhang Yang must know that His Majesty has passed away. The most important thing is to welcome the Crown Prince back."

Without waiting for Xun Yu to speak again, he said to Le Jin, "Go and invite the commander."

Le Jin responded and retreated hurriedly.

He never thought that things would develop to this point!
As soon as Le Jin left, Cao Cao immediately said in a serious tone, "It is difficult to defend against the five thousand imperial guards, but with the servants of the major families in the capital, it is not difficult to gather two or three thousand more people. If we do everything we can, we can still delay for five days. With this period of time, the troops of the imperial guards camp will be almost here. His Royal Highness can delay for three to five days at most. It will be easy for him to recapture Luoyang County and help the crown prince ascend the throne!"

Xun Yu listened to his arrangement and felt something was wrong. He asked, "Are there really no troops around Luoyang? I remember that the Grand Marshal had suggested to Your Majesty that we build a large camp around Luoyang to protect the capital."

Cao Cao shook his head and said, "Your Majesty has not approved it."

Xun Yu pondered silently.

Now the situation has suddenly changed and is completely out of control.

Suddenly, Xun Yu sat up straight, raised his hand and bowed to Cao Cao, saying: "Lord Cao, the country is about to fall, only you can turn the tide and restore the country. The rise and fall of our Han Dynasty depends on you! Lord Cao! I beg you to remember your majesty's kindness and restore our Han Dynasty!"

When Cao Cao saw Xun Yu performing such a great ceremony, he quickly said, "Mr. Xun, please don't do this. This is my duty as a minister! No need to be so polite!"

Xun Yu stood up and said, "Please tell me the truth, Lord Cao, what good strategy do you have to quell the rebellion?"

Cao Cao looked calm and said, "I want to sneak out of the capital, recruit young men from noble families, pretend to be the imperial army, threaten Luoyang, and delay time."

Xun Yu frowned. What kind of good strategy was this?
He stared at Cao Cao with burning eyes.

Cao Cao looked at him, then pretended to be silent. Just as he was about to speak, Dian Wei came to the door.

He was so big that he covered half of the door. After he came in, he didn't greet them, but just looked at them.

Cao Cao stopped talking and said to Dian Wei, "Zhang Yang of the Yulin Army is rebelling and is leading his troops to surround the palace. Commander Dian, I want you to defend it at all costs!"

Dian Wei showed no surprise, and just asked, "Where is your Majesty?"

Xun Yu immediately said: "Your Majesty has left the city and is trapped outside by the rebels."

"Oh." Dian Wei looked a little dazed and just said "oh".

Xun Yu knew Dian Wei a little, and said, "His Majesty requires you to stay with him at all times. The four gates of the palace must not be lost. Ensure the safety of the Queen Mother, the Empress, and the princes and princesses."

Dian Wei's face twitched, as if he was a little embarrassed, and he timidly whispered: "Um, Prime Minister, is His Majesty still angry with me?"

Xun Yu was startled and said, "Of course not."

Dian Wei heaved a sigh of relief and said in a muffled voice, "That's good. Please tell His Majesty that no one can enter the palace while I'm here!"

Cao Cao looked at him and said, "Commander Dian, is there a way to get out of the palace, secretly?"

The rebels are on their way, so we definitely can’t go through the main gate.

Xun Yu's eyes darkened, and he was extremely wary of Cao Cao, but he did not speak out to stop him.

Dian Wei thought for a moment and said, "There is a secret passage in the palace that leads directly to the east of the city. Only your majesty and I know it."

Cao Cao immediately stood up and said, "I am going to go out of the city to recruit soldiers. The palace will be handed over to the Prime Minister and the commander."

Xun Yu said nothing, feeling extremely uneasy.

Once Cao Cao leaves, it will be like a tiger out of a cage, no one can stop it. Dian Wei said nothing and turned around to leave.

Xun Yu watched the two of them walk away and looked up at the sky.

The weather was very good today, but in Xun Yu's eyes, it was dark clouds covering the city and thunder was roaring.

At this moment, a loud roar was heard outside the palace, followed by the trembling and faint sound of footsteps under the feet.

Xun Yu had a steely expression as he stared quietly in the direction of the Suzaku Gate.

At this time, Lu Yu came up behind him and whispered, "Prime Minister, the letters from the prefectures and counties near Luoyang have all been sent out. It should take less than five days to gather 5,000 city defense soldiers. They have all experienced battles and are enough to make the Yulin Army afraid."

Xun Yu looked at the Suzaku Gate silently.

He was not actually worried about Zhang Yang, but the chaos caused by Zhang Yang.

All the evildoers in the government and the public, as well as those hiding in the dark corners, will emerge.

This monstrous disaster was far worse than the original factional struggles between the eunuchs and their foreign relatives, and it was a real threat to the Han dynasty!

Lu Yu also remained silent.

He had seen the body, and it still seemed like a dream, and he couldn't believe it.

Dian Wei saw Cao Cao off, rode on a horse, and rushed towards the Suzaku Gate with a large group of imperial guards.

The rebels had not yet launched an attack, they had simply surrounded the area, which gave Dian Wei time to deploy his defenses.

The reason why the attack was not launched immediately was because Zhang Yang had more important things to do - the Chenliu Palace.

Zhang Yang was riding a horse and standing at the door. The Yulin Army had surrounded the Chenliu Palace and was shouting at the door.

"Prince Chenliu, the Yulin Army is following the late emperor's will to welcome His Highness to inherit the throne and restore the original order!"

"Prince Chenliu, the Yulin Army is following the late emperor's will to welcome His Highness to inherit the throne and restore the original order!"

"Prince Chenliu, the Yulin Army is following the late emperor's will to welcome His Highness to inherit the throne and restore the original order!"

The gate of Chenliu Palace was closed tightly, and there was no sound at all.

In the backyard, Liu Xie, Empress Dowager Dong, Princess Fu Shou and many of the palace's stewards, eunuchs, palace maids and servants gathered together, all in a panic, looking nervously towards the main gate.

"What happened?" Empress Dowager Dong shouted, leaning on her cane with a panic-stricken look on her face.

Liu Xie supported her and said in a trembling voice, "It is said that the Yulin Army is rebelling."

Empress Dowager Dong's expression changed immediately. She asked, "Where is the emperor? Where is the emperor?"

Liu Xie's mouth twitched, and he said fearfully: "Logically speaking, Your Majesty should be inspecting the Yulin Army now."

Queen Mother Dong suddenly widened her eyes and stared at Liu Xie as if he was going to eat someone.

Liu Xie stiffened his neck and nodded with difficulty.

"Woe! Woe!"

Empress Dowager Dong stabbed the ground with her cane and shouted with great hatred.

Liu Xie was flustered and didn't know how to respond, and had no way to comfort his grandmother.

He had no power or authority, and no soldiers. Faced with the sudden rebellion of the Yulin Army, he had no other choice but to hope that his royal brother would be safe and sound and to suppress the rebels.

At this time, a person appeared in front of them—Dong Cheng.

When Empress Dowager Dong saw him, she asked anxiously, "Dong Cheng, Dong Cheng, what's going on outside?"

Dong Cheng did not say anything, but walked over with big strides, dragging the silk in his hand.

Liu Xie looked at what he was holding in his hand, and then at what he was doing. Suddenly his scalp went numb, and he said in a lost voice: "You, you betrayed me?"

Empress Dowager Dong was startled and said, "Impossible, impossible..."

Dong Cheng came closer and said in a deep voice: "Aunt, Your Highness, Liu Bian is dead. I am following the late emperor's will to welcome Your Highness into the palace to inherit the throne!"

"Royal brother, Royal brother... is dead?" Liu Xie's whole body was cold, his eyes were wide open, and he was extremely shocked.

Empress Dowager Dong calmed down and said with a gloomy face, "Is Liu Bian really dead?"

Dong Cheng said, "How dare I hide this from my grandmother? An hour ago, I was shot dead by an assassin on the spot. I saw countless people."

Empress Dowager Dong's body swayed and she fell backwards.

"Grandma, grandma..." Liu Xie hurriedly supported her and said anxiously.

Queen Mother Dong tightly grasped Liu Xie's arm, stared at Dong Cheng with bulging eyes, and said, "I want to discuss this with Your Highness."

Dong Cheng said, "I will wait here. Grandmother, please do not delay too long, or something bad may happen."

Empress Dowager Dong grabbed Liu Xie's arm even harder and said breathlessly, "Let's talk in the room."

Liu Xie looked at Dong Cheng again, and together with Fu Shou, he helped Queen Mother Dong into the back hall.

Empress Dowager Dong half-reclined, pulled Liu Xie aside and whispered, "Let me ask you, were you involved in this?"

Liu Xie shook his head in panic and said, "Grandma, my grandson was not involved at all!"

Empress Dowager Dong continued to gaze into his eyes and said, "Let me ask you again, do you still have that thought in mind?"

Fu Shou's face turned pale and she looked at Liu Xie nervously.

Liu Xie was silent at first, then smiled bitterly and said, "I did have some experience when I was a child, but I have reflected a lot in the past few years. If I had inherited the throne and faced such a situation, I would have been forced to go with the flow and let the rebels stir up trouble, and there would have been no future. I am... not as good as my brother."

Queen Mother Dong slowly let go of Liu Xie's hand, as if she had breathed a sigh of relief, and sighed easily: "That's good, that's good."

Liu Xie looked at Empress Dowager Dong's expression and was puzzled. He said, "What grandma meant..."

Queen Mother Dong looked out the door, sneered, and said, "Dong Cheng is a fool! Although I don't know what happened outside, your good brother will definitely not die so easily!"

Liu Xie was shocked and asked, "My brother is not dead? Then, how dare the Yulin Army rebel?"

Empress Dowager Dong sneered and sneered, saying disdainfully: "What is the situation when your brother sits on the throne? He seems to be tolerant, but in fact he is suspicious and wants to control everything tightly so that he can sleep peacefully. This Yulin Army rebelled at will, isn't it ridiculous!"

Liu Xie was stunned, his lips moving, and he had no idea how to refute.

Empress Dowager Dong looked at Liu Xie's appearance and sighed in her heart. This grandson was indeed far inferior to the son born to that vicious woman.

Queen Mother Dong struggled to stand up and said, "There is a secret passage in my spirit chamber that leads to the outside. Let's go quickly."

Liu Xie was startled again and asked, "Secret passage?"

Empress Dowager Dong pushed open the window and said, "I was afraid that your brother would kill you, so I left you a way out in secret."

(End of this chapter)