I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 518: No Way Out, Officials Are Destroyed

When did the collapse of the late Han Dynasty begin?
Some people believe that it started with the rebellion of Bian Zhang in Liangzhou.

That protracted rebellion caused unrest throughout the country, drained the empire's finances, gave rise to the unstoppable Western Liang warlords, and made ambitious people on all sides see the weakness of the Han Dynasty.

Some people also believe that the chaos in the world began with the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

The rebellion that swept across the core of the Han Dynasty destroyed the economic foundation of the empire, making it impossible for the centralized government to function. It forced power to be delegated to local areas, leading to the formation of warlord separatism.

Others believed that Dong Zhuo was to blame for the chaos in the country. If he had not caused chaos in the capital, deposed the emperor, and led the heroes to rebel due to his tyranny, the Han Dynasty might still have had a chance to turn the tide.

But in the final analysis, Dong Zhuo's rebellion was just a chain reaction triggered by He Jin's death.

The sudden death of this great general who represented the balance of imperial power among all parties led to the Yuan family's determination to make progress. They burned down the palace, causing the once lofty and inviolable royal power to fall into the dust and become no longer sacred, breaking the awe in the hearts of people all over the world.

The collapse of the feudal dynasty was irreversible at this point.

Rule, after all, is based on the supremacy of authority.

When authority still exists, a child can make a strong man bow down.

When authority is gone, even the most powerful person will inevitably be displaced and insecure.
"Eunuch traitor - you have no way to escape, why don't you let go of the emperor immediately!"

Min Gong, who was then an official in central Henan, shouted loudly and led his troops to approach Zhang Rang and others.

On the bank of the Yellow River in Luobei, Emperor Liu Bian, who was caught up in the crowd, trembled uncontrollably when he heard the sound.

Amid the flames of war and the flashing of swords, it was already July 10th before we knew it.

After the assassination of He Jin on July 8, the eunuchs suffered a complete defeat in just two days and one night.

But logically speaking, if the nobles in the city had not been fighting for power, the eunuchs would not have been able to hold on until today with the few bargaining chips in their hands, let alone have the opportunity to escape with the emperor and Prince of Chenliu.

On July 9, the gates of the two palaces were breached. The eunuchs knew that the situation was hopeless and were in a state of panic. Suddenly, the army that felt they had won the battle had an internal conflict.

Wu Kuang joined forces with Dong Min and engaged in a bloody battle with He Miao's troops while Yuan Shao's army looked on coldly.

The General of Chariots and Cavalry was killed on the spot, and his soul, along with that of his brother He Jin, was lost in the Luoyang Palace, one in front and one behind, one in the south and one in the north.

While the siege army was in internal strife, Zhang Rang, Duan Gui and others took the empress dowager, the emperor, and the Prince of Chenliu hostage and fled from the South Palace to the North Palace. They were going to escape from the North Palace through the walkway in the back hall, pass Xiaopingjin and go to Hanoi. In the name of righteousness, they ordered the well-known loyal minister Zhu Jun to rescue the emperor and quell the rebellion.

However, they did not expect that Lu Zhi had already led his men to ambush in the aisle.

Even though Zhang Rang and his men brought many close followers with them, they still had to abandon the Queen Mother as bait during the encounter and thus escape with their lives.

However, after rescuing the empress dowager, Lu Zhi continued to ride non-stop, and he did not look like a fifty-year-old man at all. Zhang Rang and others who were chasing him were crying out in pain. The two groups fought and retreated all the way to the bank of the Yellow River.

It was not until late at night that Zhang Rang escaped with his life.

However, Lu Zhi had occupied Xiaopingjin Ferry first, and the reality that there were no boats to cross the river made him hide along the river like a headless fly.

Now, the final moment has finally arrived.

Min Gong, a subordinate of Henan Yin Wang Yun, discovered the emperor and his entourage before anyone else.

This man was a ruthless person. Facing Zhang Rang's clamor, Min Gong was not polite at all. He led the charge and killed the soldiers. Several eunuchs were unable to dodge and were directly chopped to the ground.

Zhang Rang became anxious when he saw this. He held the emperor tightly and kept saying:
"Traitor, you are forcing me with swords and knives, are you trying to stain His Majesty with blood?!"

After clearing the outer eunuchs, Min Gong raised his hand to stop the attack when he saw Zhang Rang, Duan Gui and other ten eunuchs tightly surrounding the emperor and Prince of Chenliu.

He bowed to the emperor from a distance and said:

"Your Majesty, Zhang Rang and his men were eunuchs who came from the mud to serve the emperor. They should have fulfilled their duties and assisted the king. Instead, they took advantage of the grace of the country to play with power, kidnapped the emperor, subverted the royal family, and disrupted the government. Their crimes are unforgivable!"

"I dare not let the blood stain your Majesty's holy body, and I will never let this beast go and force your Majesty to escape."

Min Gong's words made Zhang Rang look desperate. He knew that this bastard was ruthless and would rather trap the emperor here than let them go.

"You are such an unreasonable little official!"

"You said that we are unforgivable sinners and bring disaster to the world."

"But have you ever looked back at the nobles, dukes, generals and warriors behind you? Which one of them is not doing dirty things in the name of justice?"

"Now that He Jin and He Miao are dead, and you want to force us to death, who will support Your Majesty?"

"Depending on you scholars who have no king and no father?!"

However, Zhang Rang's words obviously failed to convince Min Gong, and he sneered:
"You guys are barely surviving, and soon you will become wandering ghosts on Hejin. Since the fall of the Xin Dynasty, there have been no traitors like you!"

"If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will shoot you immediately."

Zhang Rang and his companions, knowing that their death was imminent, knelt down and cried bitterly, saying to the emperor:
"Now that our ministers have been annihilated, the world will be in chaos. Your Majesty, please take care of yourself!"

After saying this, all the eunuchs jumped into the river and died.

At this point, the eunuch group that had lasted for more than a hundred years since Emperor He of Han used eunuchs to kill Dou Xian was completely destroyed.

At this time, Min Gong hurried forward to protect the confused emperor and the silent little Prince Chenliu, and while comforting them, he tried to find a way back.

It was already night. Min Gong supported the emperor and Prince Chenliu and walked south for several miles. It was dark and they didn't know where they were. Fortunately, there were some fluorescent lights along the way so they didn't get lost.

Finally, they found a few households and requisitioned an uncovered carriage for the emperor and Prince Chenliu to ride in. They drove all the way to Luoshe, where they stopped to rest.

The next day, everyone finally found horses. The emperor rode alone, Prince Chenliu and Min Gong rode together, and the rest walked south from Luoshe.

Walk to the foot of Beimangban.

After a while, we saw a crowd of people in front.
The emperor looked up nervously.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the former Grand Commandant Cui Lie, who had come looking for him with his servants and many civil and military officials.

The two groups were delighted to see each other and were greeting each other, without having time to celebrate the great victory of the soldiers.

A burst of hurried horse hooves came from afar, heading straight for the carriage!

"who?!"

"Escort, escort!"

All officials were in chaos, and Emperor Liu Bian was so frightened that his face turned pale and his limbs became weak.

At this time, someone with sharp eyes recognized the identity of the person coming:
"Xiliang Army?"

"Dong Zhuo?!"

"That's right!"

On the warhorse, Dong Zhuo's sturdy body straightened up, he turned over and dismounted, clasped his fists and said:
"Your Highness, I am the Marquis of Yanxiang. Dong Zhuo, the governor of Bingzhou, has led three thousand Liangzhou cavalrymen to protect you."

When Cui Lie heard this name, he felt his scalp tingling.

Looking at the tall Dong Zhuo in front of him and the powerful Xiliang soldiers behind him, Liu Bian, who had been wandering all the way, was actually overwhelmed by the momentum and could only nod his head, unable to answer.

Upon seeing this, Cui Lie hurried forward and shouted at Dong Zhuo to retreat and not to disturb the emperor.

However, Dong Zhuo was furious when he heard this. He stood up, pointed his neck at Cui Lie's nose and cursed:
"We have been ordered to enter the capital, and have traveled three hundred miles day and night, and you are asking me to retreat?"

"Do you believe I'll chop off your head?!"

(End of this chapter)