I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 52 The general is very angry, the consequences are serious
On the second morning, He Lian, who was ruling the country from behind the scenes, spoke in the court, demanding in front of all the civil and military officials to rebuild the Northern Army and restore the eight-battalion organization of the early Han Dynasty.

However, as soon as he opened his mouth, he aroused fierce opposition from the ministers.

Sikong Liu Hong was the first to stand up and advise: "Queen Dowager, this is not possible. The imperial treasury is empty now. It is really not appropriate to waste money and engage in war."

Other officials from aristocratic families also stood up to oppose this matter.

After all, they were not happy to see the court's military becoming stronger, so naturally they wanted to nip this bad trend in the bud.

Not only did officials from aristocratic families oppose it, He Jin himself did not support Empress Dowager He's decision. Therefore, in front of all the civil and military officials, he also stood against Empress Dowager He and advised her: "Empress Dowager, please think twice about this matter."

He Lian, who was already wary of He Jin because of Wang Jing's instigation, was greatly stimulated at this moment. A fire was faintly burning in her phoenix eyes, and she shouted angrily: "Enough! The night before yesterday, a thief broke into the palace, and he has not been caught yet. If the imperial army was not poorly armed, how could they allow the thief to enter the palace so freely?"

General He Miao had already learned that the Eighth Battalion of the Northern Army would be under his command in the future, so when he saw the opposition from the ministers, he was immediately furious. He immediately publicly supported He Lian and sternly rebuked He Jin and the officials from the aristocratic families: "The Northern Army is restoring the old system in order to protect the imperial city. What is your intention in opposing it?"

The two sides continued to argue, but He Lian had made up his mind. Despite the opposition of his ministers, he insisted on restoring the eight-battalion organization of the Northern Army during the Western Han Dynasty. He would add three battalions, namely Zhonglei, Huben and Huqi, to the existing five battalions of the Northern Army, namely Tunqi, Yueqi, Infantry, Changshui and Shesheng, with a full establishment of more than 7,000 people. All soldiers would be recruited from the six counties of Liangzhou and the nine counties of Bingzhou.

What no one expected was that Empress Dowager He actually nominated Wang Jing for the key position of General of the Northern Army.

This time, not only the aristocratic families were speechless, but even He Jin's people were silenced.

Everyone looked at each other, completely unaware of what had happened.

Although Wang Jing came from a noble family and was supported by He Jin, it seems that he has now defected to Empress Dowager He's side?
What kind of operation is this?

The court officials all said they didn't understand, so they didn't rush to take sides. For a moment, countless people speculated what had happened.

For a moment, Wang Jing became the most handsome guy in the crowd, and everyone became very curious about him.

After the court meeting ended, Wang Yun hurried back home and called Wang Jing to his study. He then asked with a puzzled look on his face: "What on earth is going on?"

Wang Jing replied calmly, "Father, now that things have come to this, what's the point in asking the reason? The position of Lieutenant General of the Northern Army is very critical right now, and we will never let it go."

Wang Yun sighed when he heard this: "You are an extraordinary person who does extraordinary things. I underestimated you."

Wang Yun had not expected that Wang Jing would actually be able to convince Empress Dowager He to fully support him in taking up the position of General of the Northern Army, but the current situation was much better than he had imagined.

Although He Jin had helped him, it did not mean that Wang Yun would blindly stand on He Jin's side. For him, the most important thing was always the continuation of the Han Dynasty, and he had to be a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, as long as it can stabilize the Han Dynasty's country and people, he will strongly support it.

Wang Yun looked quite excited at this moment: "The Queen Mother ordered you, Yuan Xu, to serve as the Lieutenant General of the Northern Army and preside over the military training. This is obviously a preparation for His Majesty to take power in three years. You must do a good job and there must be no mistakes in this matter."

"Yes, I will follow my father's teachings."

Wang Jing readily agreed, but he didn't agree in his heart.

He Jin will be dead soon, and the great devil Dong Zhuo is also coming to Luoyang. By then, the majesty of the imperial court will be destroyed, and the eighteen princes will gather at Hulao Pass. At this point, the one with the strongest soldiers and horses will dominate the world, and the forces of all parties will be reshuffled. What's the point of three years later?

Wang Jing was really powerless to complain about Wang Yun's naive ideas at this time, but he still had to pretend on the surface and cooperate with him in performing a drama of deep father-son love.

As the conversation got more lively, Wang Yun wanted to drink: "Come on, bring some wine. Today, Yuan Xu and I are going to get drunk."

Drinking was a popular habit among scholars in the Han Dynasty, and banquets, singing and dancing were important and indispensable activities.

Soon, the maids in the mansion came in with wine and food. They had beautiful faces and graceful figures, and they danced gracefully to the accompaniment of the musicians.

With such singing and dancing to liven up the atmosphere, Wang Jing couldn't help but drink a few more glasses.

The dancers had enchanting figures. Although they were far from being as beautiful as Diao Chan, each of them had red lips, white teeth, and eyes as clear as autumn water, which was pleasing to the eye.

Wang Jing secretly sighed in his heart. Even Wang Yun, an honest official, lived such a luxurious and comfortable life. He didn't dare to imagine how decadent other noble families would be.

In comparison, life was much harder for the common people in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

The violent land annexation made them displaced and turned them into refugees, and the repeated Yellow Turban Rebellions and county rebellions always made the lower-class people the ones who suffered the most.

Wang Jing sighed in his heart. If no one stood up to change all this, then the tragedy of the Western Jin Dynasty would probably happen again more than a hundred years later.

The Five Barbarians' Invasion of China is an everlasting pain in the hearts of the Han people in the Central Plains.

Living in this world, no one can be immune to it.

Wang Jing actually didn't want to shoulder the heavy burden of saving China, but looking around the world, he sadly discovered that if he didn't do it, it seemed that no one would be willing to be this hero who changed the world.

Am I just going to sit back and watch all this happen?
Holding the wine glass, Wang Jing's mentality has changed quietly without him realizing it. He no longer just wants to survive in the troubled times, but wants to change the destiny that has been determined by history.

…………

Luoyang, the General’s Mansion.

He Jin, who had just returned home after the court meeting, was furious.

"It really pisses me off!"

"General, please calm down."

He Jin certainly had reason to be angry. He had finally dealt with Dong Zhong and the Dong family and cleared the stumbling blocks on his road to the pinnacle of power. However, when he was only one step away from success, not only did his own sister jump out to oppose him, but even the young handsome man he had always liked suddenly jumped up and stabbed him in the back.

What the hell is this?

Yuan Shao, who was in charge of intelligence and information gathering, informed He Jin of the news at this time: "General, according to the news sent back by the spies in the palace, Wang Jing had a private meeting with the Queen Mother at 3 pm yesterday."

"Why are you telling me such an important thing now?"

Yuan Shao had just been promoted to the position of Inspector of the Imperial Guards when he made such a mistake. He failed to inform He Jin of the key intelligence in time, which led to the failure to discover the collusion between Wang Jing and the Queen Mother in advance. This was a serious dereliction of duty.

For this, He Jin directly criticized Yuan Shao: "It was you who suggested that I kill all the eunuchs in the beginning, but now, I just suggested to the Queen Mother that all the eunuchs below the position of the Palace Attendant should be dismissed and replaced with palace officials, but she strongly opposed it. Not only that, now the Queen Mother suspects that I have ulterior motives and instigated Wang Jing to take away the military power from me!"

The Five Battalions of the Northern Army had originally been severely infiltrated by the foreign relatives of the Dong family and Zhang Rang, one of the Ten Attendants. After finally getting rid of Jian Shuo and the Dong family, they thought they could keep the imperial army firmly in their hands. However, in the blink of an eye, the cooked duck was gone!

Who can bear this blow?

This incident even brought back some bad memories for He Jin, because that was what Emperor Ling Liu Hong did back then. He Jin summoned troops from all over the country to enter Luoyang in order to expand his power.

Liu Hong immediately created the Eight Colonels of Xiyuan and separated the elite soldiers that He Jin had worked so hard to gather, leaving him with only a bunch of old, weak and sick soldiers.

Now Empress Dowager He Lian followed suit and repeated the same old tricks, which made He Jin very uncomfortable and even felt a great humiliation.

He, the great general, was fooled like a monkey twice using the same method!

Yuan Shao, who failed to discover the conspiracy between He Lian and Wang Jing in advance, naturally became the scapegoat for He Jin to vent his anger.

He Jin even wanted to slap Yuan Shao a few times right now, even though Yuan Shao had given him a lot of advice and he also had Yuan Wei, his uncle who was the Grand Tutor.

After being scolded by He Jin, Yuan Shao hid his vicious eyes deep in his eyes and became fierce in his heart: You are just a butcher, and you dare to humiliate me like this, He Jin, you deserve to die!

Yuan Shao looked kind and generous on the surface, but he was not actually broad-minded. After lowering his head and grinning, he quickly restrained his expression and then made a suggestion to He Jin in a solemn voice: "General, the only way now is to immediately summon brave generals and heroes from all over the country to the capital to force the Queen Mother to submit."

"No!"

"absurd!"

"General, please think twice!"

Chief Clerk Chen Lin, Imperial Censor Zheng Tai, and Secretary Lu Zhi once again stood up to strongly oppose this matter. The last time Yuan Shao proposed this suggestion, Chen Lin and Kuai Yue had fiercely argued against it, asking He Jin not to summon foreign troops to Beijing. At that time, He Jin did not listen and secretly pushed this matter forward. Now Yuan Shao took the opportunity to bring it up again. How could Chen Lin and others still sit still?
In their opinion, this matter could not be agreed to under any circumstances.

Chen Lin tried to persuade He Jin: "The general holds an important position and commands a large number of troops. If you want to kill the eunuchs, you only need to act immediately and there is no need to recruit outside troops. Moreover, Dong Zhuo is a tiger and a wolf. Once he enters the capital, there will be war! When the host and the guest are reversed, it may be the beginning of chaos and evil!"

Yuan Shao, who was standing aside, sneered sinisterly in his heart. Isn't this exactly what he needs?
Therefore, Yuan Shao directly refuted Chen Lin: "Wang Jing, the General of the North, has inherited the Overlord Sword Intent. Once he controls the 7,000 soldiers of the Imperial Guard, the danger he poses may be greater than that of Jian Shuo. And there is also a strong man like the Sword Saint Wang Yue in the palace, holding a magical weapon like the Snake Slaying Sword. If we don't mobilize the border troops to enter the capital, who can defeat him?"

He Yong had long been in collusion with Yuan Shao, and now he also spoke up and said, "The Ten Eunuchs have been rampant for decades, and have been granted titles and favors, and have colluded with both the inside and the outside. Who can be sure that the people around him have not surrendered to the Ten Eunuchs? If they are not careful, the Dou Wu incident will happen again."

Like He Jin, Dou Wu was a relative of the emperor and a general.

Moreover, like He Jin, he wanted to kill the eunuchs around the emperor.

However, Dou Wu's plan was not conscientious enough and he ultimately failed. His failure was so tragic that he died and his family was wiped out.

He Yong's words were the last straw that broke the camel's back. He Jin did not want to follow in Dou Wu's footsteps, so he immediately gave a stern order: "No need to say more, I will immediately send a letter to summon the border troops to the capital to implement the military remonstrance!"

July 25th, northwest of Luoyang, Hedong County.

Dong Zhuo's troops stopped on a high hill and looked towards the capital.

At this time, a horse galloped over. The ferocious armor looked fierce and terrifying in the sun. The soldier came in front of Dong Zhuo, dismounted and bowed: "My lord, this is a secret letter from the general!"

Next to Dong Zhuo, Dong Min, who was as strong and fat as Dong Zhuo, poked his head out and asked curiously, "Second brother, why did He Jin write to you?"

"Hahaha, of course it's a good thing! A huge good thing!"

Using a knife to cut the ink, Dong Zhuo suppressed his ecstasy and anticipation, read the contents of the secret letter at a glance, and then laughed out loud: "The opportunity I have been waiting for has finally come!"

His obese body was shaking because of his crazy laughter. Under the thick fat was his ever-expanding ambition and his growing desire for power.

Coming from a humble background, he dreamed of having the opportunity to come into contact with the central power of the empire.

As early as March this year, when Emperor Lingdi Liu Hong was seriously ill, he issued an edict before his death to appoint Dong Zhuo as the governor of Bingzhou, but the condition was that the Xiliang Army under his command must be transferred to Huangfu Song.

It is obvious that Liu Hong was very wary of Dong Zhuo and had even made arrangements.

But what a talented person Dong Zhuo was?
Naturally, he was unwilling to follow Liu Hong's order and even went so far as to disobey it.

Later, Emperor Lingdi issued an edict to reprimand Dong Zhuo and threatened to send troops to encircle and suppress him if he did not obey orders. Only then did Dong Zhuo reluctantly lead 5,000 soldiers from Xiliang to Bingzhou.

But after Dong Zhuo arrived in Hedong County, he refused to leave. He was like a dormant tiger, retracting his claws and fangs, watching the situation in Luoyang and waiting for the opportunity.

And opportunities always come to those who are prepared.

Dong Zhuo not only successfully waited for the news of Liu Hong's death, but also learned about the current situation in Luoyang through Yuan Wei and the Runan Yuan family's network of contacts in Luoyang.

He Jin's letter was the opportunity he had been waiting for for a long time!

After reading the secret letter, Dong Min was also ecstatic, even incredulous: "The general really wants to recruit us to Luoyang?"

When he was young, Dong Min, who came from a good family in the six counties, once traveled to Luoyang and saw the glamorous world there. He was deeply impressed by the prosperity and wealth of Luoyang. Therefore, he had long fantasized that one day he would be able to enter this ancient famous city in a grand manner and possess the treasures and beauties there.

Upon learning that he had the opportunity to return to the capital, Dong Min's heart was pounding and his emotions were so excited that he could hardly control himself.

Dong Zhuo was filled with murderous aura. He raised the sword in his hand and roared, "All troops, move out and march towards Luoyang!"

At the same time, things were about to change in Luoyang City.

He Jin, who had lost his patience, wanted to use military force to force Empress Dowager He to give in.

In Mengjin Port, innocent people were crying and running around. The officers and soldiers who were supposed to protect them were now setting fires everywhere, burning houses and ports and creating chaos.

Anyone who dared to step forward to stop them would be hacked to death immediately as a traitor.

For the sake of power, He Jin and the aristocratic families did not care about the lives of the people at all. Those who had been cursing the Ten Eunuchs for bringing chaos to the world now all kept silent and acquiesced to the situation.

Perhaps in their view, this was a necessary price to pay. In order to kill the evil Ten Attendants, some "small" sacrifices were inevitable.

After all, the only thing left is for the people to suffer a little more.

Otherwise, do we have to make the aristocratic family suffer again?

People who always keep saying that they need to consider the overall situation usually only consider their own interests as the overall situation, and then they can take it for granted to sacrifice others.

On this day, even the clouds in the sky above Mengjin Port were dyed blood red. Countless houses were burned in an organized manner. Flames shot straight into the sky amid the desperate cries of countless civilians. Even residents as far away as Luoyang City could see the fire and everyone was terrified.

He Jin took the opportunity to send people in Luoyang to spread the word that various armies would come to attack just to kill the eunuchs. For a time, the situation was very powerful and people were in turmoil.

In the Luoyang Palace, after hearing the news, Empress Dowager He hurriedly sent someone to summon Wang Jing to the palace to discuss the matter.

"Second brother, someone from the palace came and said that the Queen Mother wants to see you."

Seeing that Luoyang was in chaos, Wang Ling summoned the sword guards and asked sternly, "Do you want me to lead the troops with you?"

"No need. You take people to guard the mansion to prevent any accidents from happening here."

Wang Jing had expected this. After all, he had already made his move, so how could He Jin remain indifferent?

In any case, He Jin would not allow He Lian to strengthen the Northern Army and clamp down on him, so it is highly likely that he will speed up the process of summoning foreign troops to station in Luoyang.

Wang Jing had already discussed countermeasures with Xun You on this matter. Although the current situation seems critical, it is actually more favorable. After all, one can fish in troubled waters.

Seeing that the curtain of chaos had been raised, Wang Jing no longer hesitated and entered the palace immediately.

In the main hall of Changle Palace, Wang Jing saw the panic-stricken Empress Dowager He, as well as Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others.

"General Wang, you are finally here. The Queen Mother has been waiting for a long time."

Zhang Rang personally led the way in front. Although this old man had a grudge against Wang Yun and was extremely unhappy with Wang Jing because of his hatred for Wang Yun, his life and property were in danger now, so he could only regard Wang Jing as a life-saving straw.

But Wang Jing was too lazy to pay attention to Zhang Rang. The Ten Eunuchs were a bunch of old dogs and their deaths were not a pity in the first place.

"Meet the Queen Mother."

"General Beizhong, you have heard all the news, right? What should I do now?"

Empress Dowager He was completely panicked. She was usually high and mighty and domineering, but after all, she was just a woman. She could still show off her power as the empress dowager when nothing happened, but when faced with such a major event as the military remonstration, she immediately became flustered and lost her composure.

Only Wang Jing remained calm and patiently asked for details: "Queen Dowager, do you know how many border troops are entering the capital, who is in charge, and which route are they heading from?"

"This……"

The series of questions made Empress Dowager He completely confused.

If you ask her how to choose rouge and powder and how to match jewelry, she might be able to answer you, but if you ask her military questions, of course she will know nothing about them.

What a stupid teammate.

Wang Jing had expected this, so he was not disappointed. Fortunately, at the critical moment, Shi A, who had been promoted to the rank of Captain of the Tiger Guards, brought detailed military information: "My lord, former general Dong Zhuo has stationed in Shanglinyuan, Guanzhong, with 5,000 elite soldiers. And Wang Kuang, the official, led 500 strong crossbowmen from Taishan County and just passed Hulao Pass. Qiao Mao, the governor of Dong County, led 2,000 soldiers to Chenggao, and Ding Yuan, the military commander, led 3,000 soldiers to burn Mengjin."

Although it looks like a big force, in fact, the total number of troops is just over 10,000. It can only scare the ignorant Empress Dowager He and the Ten Eunuchs, but it cannot scare Wang Jing.

(End of this chapter)