I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 53: Let go of the desire to help others and respect personal destiny

Seeing Wang Jing calm and composed, the flustered Queen Mother He seemed to have found a backbone she could rely on, and hurriedly asked him, "Northern Army General, do you have a way to break the deadlock?"

Wang Jing replied calmly, "Don't worry, Queen Mother. The current situation may seem chaotic and dangerous, but if we peel back the layers, we can see who is cooperating with whom and who is secretly competing with whom."

Empress Dowager He was confused by these words: "What the Northern General meant is..."

Seeing this, Wang Jing had no choice but to explain further: "There are many border troops stationed in Luoyang now, but the strongest among them are the border troops led by Dong Zhuo and Ding Yuan. Whether it is the Western Liang Iron Cavalry or the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, they are all experienced in battles and often fight against foreign tribes such as the Western Qiang, Xiongnu and Xianbei. Their military spirit is stable and their morale is high. Therefore, their combat effectiveness should not be underestimated and is not comparable to that of ordinary soldiers."

"At the same time, the Xiliang Army and Bingzhou Army also have the most experts. Such a fierce army and fierce generals are difficult to control."

When Empress Dowager He heard this, she panicked and asked at a loss, "What should we do?"

"Don't worry, Queen Mother. Dong Zhuo and Ding Yuan seem to be cooperating, but in fact, they are not subordinate to each other and belong to different camps. Although they cooperate with each other on the surface, it does not prevent them from competing secretly under the surface. As long as the two sides have not yet decided the winner, we can take advantage of their contradictions and conflicts, mediate and balance the situation."

Wang Jing and Xun You had secretly deduced the future developments in the situation in Luoyang several times before, so they had a good idea of ​​what was going on. Now that they were faced with difficulties, they were able to deal with them calmly.

According to Wang Jing's analysis, behind Dong Zhuo were the aristocratic families represented by Grand Tutor Yuan Wei and the Yuan family of Runan. This was a political group large enough to suffocate the imperial power.

Whether it is the Wang family of Taiyuan or the Yuan family of Runan, they are actually members of the huge political group of the aristocratic families that spanned the entire Yan and Han dynasties.

However, at present, the Runan Yuan family has become the leader of the aristocratic families and the leader of the martial arts world, and can issue orders to the internal members of the aristocratic family alliance.

Behind Ding Yuan, the Bingzhou governor and Wumeng commander, was General He Jin, a powerful official who was a relative of the emperor.

Because Ding Yuan's background was worse than He Jin's. A butcher at least had money, but Ding Yuan was born in a poor family. The reason why he was able to rise to power was entirely due to his own strategy and bravery, and his merits and reputation in Bingzhou for his skills in riding and shooting.

Such a capable military general of humble origin naturally became the target of He Jin's active efforts to win over.

As a frontier general, Ding Yuan also needed a political strongman to look after him at the core of the imperial court, so he willingly joined He Jin's army and conspired with him to kill the Ten Attendants.

Therefore, analyzing from this perspective, we can see what the cooperation between He Jin and Yuan Wei was all about.

When Emperor Ling Liu Hong died, he appointed Yuan Wei and He Jin as regents together. This was because he saw through the possibility that the aristocratic families would never be on the same page with He Jin, so he tried to strike a balance. He wanted to use Yuan Wei to restrain He Jin, and then use He Jin to restrain Yuan Wei, so as to buy time for his son to grow.

The Three Dukes of the Eastern Han Dynasty were the Grand Marshal, the Minister of Works and the Minister of Civil Affairs. Although Yuan Wei's status as the Grand Tutor was not one of the Three Dukes, his position was the same as the Three Dukes. Strictly speaking, the identity of the Grand Tutor was the emperor's teacher. Yuan Wei was also appointed as the regent, and his actual power and status were even above those of the Three Dukes.

As an old fox who had been in the officialdom for a long time, Yuan Wei, who had always been low-key in his political skills, was far ahead of the impetuous He Jin.

Not only does he always stay behind the scenes, he also stays away from all the dirty and tiring work. If nothing unexpected happens, he will even be the one to reap the fruits of victory in the end.

But life is always full of surprises, and no interest group can be completely united.

Yuan Wei could not control Dong Zhuo, and he could not even control Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, so it was even more impossible for him to control Wang Jing, the accident and variable.

What was a military remonstrance crisis for Empress Dowager He and the Ten Eunuchs was an opportunity for Wang Jing to quickly strengthen himself.

However, Wang Jing had no intention of telling all this to Queen Mother He. After all, it was better to fight alone than to lower his chances of winning by teaming up with stupid teammates.

"Don't be alarmed, Queen Mother. Dong Zhuo and Ding Yuan may seem like tiger and leopard materials, but in reality they are just a bunch of chickens and dogs. They are not worth mentioning."

Wang Jing's calmness and composure calmed down Empress Dowager He and she was no longer worried: "Then everything depends on the Northern Army General."

With Wang Jing's support, Empress Dowager He's attitude became tough again.

At the same time, General He Jin was unwilling to be outdone. He kept sending people into the palace to threaten Empress Dowager He that she must kill the Ten Attendants. He also followed Yuan Shao's strategy, claiming that in order to stop the eunuchs' monopoly of power, he demanded that all the eunuchs in the palace be killed to restore peace to the world.

Empress Dowager He was undecided and could only ask Wang Jing for advice: "General Bei Zhonglang, what should we do now?"

Wang Jing pondered for a moment, then made a suggestion to Empress Dowager He: "Empress Dowager, killing the Ten Eunuchs is fine, but killing all the eunuchs is not."

"General Beizhong, stop talking nonsense!"

"Your Majesty, please do not trust the slander of such a villain!"

These words immediately made Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others furious. They were right next to him, so they naturally heard every word Wang Jing said.

In order to save their lives, they acted like crazy, crying and begging to Empress Dowager He with tears streaming down their faces: "The late emperor wanted to depose the empress back then. If it weren't for our pleading, how could the empress dowager be so honored today? Is the empress dowager really going to disregard our feelings and abandon her after the birds are gone and the rabbits are dead?"

"Queen Dowager, our death is not a pity, but will the general really let it go after killing us? By then, the Queen Dowager will have no wings left, and if something happens, who will be able to take care of us?"

Empress Dowager He was a widow, and she was immediately upset by their crying. She felt guilty, so she looked at Wang Jing with an embarrassed expression: "Northern Army General, they have been loyal to the late emperor for decades. Even if they have no merits, they have worked hard. They can't be killed."

These few things, worse than pigs and dogs, are still loyal to their duties?
Wang Jing sneered in his heart, but he was too lazy to say anything. Instead, he said in a cold tone: "The general wants to kill all the eunuchs because he doesn't want Your Majesty to rule the country. Your Majesty has been living in the palace for a long time and it is difficult for him to contact the outside world. If he wants to be in power, he can only rely on eunuchs. So the Queen Mother must not agree to this condition. But the Queen Mother can use the heads of Zhang Rang and others to trade with the general. This is a delaying tactic to buy time for Your Majesty to rule the country."

Throughout the dynasties, the so-called eunuchs' monopoly of power was actually the emperor's attempt to take back power from powerful ministers.

As for whether the eunuch himself is a good person or a bad person, it doesn’t matter to the emperor and is not important.

Those so-called "loyal ministers" who shouted for the extermination of all eunuchs and the elimination of the villains around the emperor were often neither "loyal" nor "ministers". To put it bluntly, behind their great and glorious slogans, they were still trying to maintain their own status and power.

The so-called killing of eunuchs was not actually aimed at making the emperor "stay away from villains", but at cutting off the emperor's tentacles of controlling political power, locking the imperial power firmly within the palace walls, and making it difficult for the emperor's decrees to leave the imperial city gates.

Let the emperor be a good mascot and let the emperor and the literati rule the world together. This is the situation that the scholar group represented by Yuan Shao desires.

Therefore, eunuchs and relatives of the emperor, emperors and aristocratic families, all acted for their own interests. For the common people, no matter who came to power, the results would be the same.

It doesn't matter who you work for, just be a slave.
Through Wang Jing's words, Empress Dowager He immediately understood the sinister intentions of Yuan Shao and others.

As for He Jin, when he stood on the side of the aristocratic families, he had already stood on the opposite side of imperial power and was naturally hostile to Empress Dowager He and Emperor Shao Liu Bian.

The two sides have not yet fallen out, simply because they each have their own concerns and existing thinking and emotional inertia.

Wang Jing suggested handing over the heads of the Ten Attendants, taking advantage of the little remaining friendship between the two sides and making He Jin complacent.

It’s a pity that Empress Dowager He was too soft-hearted and did not use the heads of the Ten Attendants as bargaining chips.

Wang Jing could only sigh: "The brave generals from all directions and heroes from all states have gathered in Luoyang, but the Queen Mother is still so indecisive. I'm afraid the situation is really irreversible. Only by killing the Ten Eunuchs can we solve the current dilemma."

"Who wants to kill the Ten Attendants?"

"Mr. Wuyang, help me!"

The Ten Eunuchs seemed to have seen their savior coming and started wailing again.

The visitor was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had an elegant and noble temperament. Although she was old, one could vaguely tell that she must have been a beauty when she was young.

And she was none other than Lady Wuyang, the stepmother of General He Jin and the biological mother of General He Miao and Queen Mother He Lian.

At this time, Wuyang Jun looked at Wang Jing with a proud and unfriendly expression, his eyes full of contempt and disdain: "It is you who want to kill the Ten Attendants?" Wang Jing did not even bother to look at this noble but brain-dead Wuyang Jun, and just replied indifferently: "Yes, it is me."

"You are brave!"

Wuyang Jun, who was used to being arrogant, was very dissatisfied with Wang Jing's rudeness. In addition, she had received many benefits from the Ten Attendants before she came, so she naturally spoke for them. She spoke harshly to Wang Jing and questioned his position: "The general wants to kill your majesty's close ministers just to be able to monopolize power and make decisions, and you not only did not stop it, but also fanned the flames. Are you also the general's man?"

Wang Jing sneered at the accusation: "In such a huge palace with thousands of eunuchs, are the Ten Eunuchs indispensable? If we kill them, we can just replace them with another group, and they can still be loyal dogs to your majesty and the queen mother. This move can not only silence the gossips of the world, but also make the general stop the war. Why not do it?"

Seeing Wang Jing being so "stubborn", Wuyang Jun's defense was instantly broken. The thick foundation on her face was about to crack with anger. She was furious and pointed at Wang Jing's nose and cursed: "Shut up! You are just an outsider, and you dare to interfere in the affairs of the palace? It is not your turn to give orders here."

"Alas, you are really short-sighted. You are looking for death. Please forgive me for not accompanying you."

Wang Jing felt the difficulty of communicating with an idiot, so he didn't want to say much and just turned around and left.

"You have no respect for your inferiors. Take him down!"

Two burly Iron Scale Guards rushed forward instantly. After taking the Black Dragon Bone Tempering Pill, it was easy for them to tear tigers and leopards apart. However, they could not even escape a single move from Wang Jing.

"You don't understand what I'm saying. Get out of here!"

Wang Jing roared angrily, and the thousand pounds of divine power in his body burst out. He grabbed a guard with one hand, swung him to both sides, and threw them five or six feet away with their weapons, and smashed them heavily against the palace wall.

The guards brought by Lord Wuyang had never seen such a fierce man before, and they immediately became scared, and no one dared to rush forward.

"You are a bunch of idiots and trash, get out of here."

With an angry shout, the Phoenix Feather Fairy Sound contained the power of intimidation. The guards were all terrified and dared not step forward to stop him. They could only watch Wang Jing swagger away from Changle Palace with his hands behind his back.

Wuyang Jun was so angry that she was shaking all over and her teeth were about to break. Ever since she became a daughter, she had never met anyone as arrogant as Wang Jing. At this moment, she seemed to have suffered a great humiliation and shouted frantically: "I will kill him! I will kill him!"

Instead, Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong stepped forward to persuade him: "Lord Wuyang, calm down. Although Wang Jing, the Northern Army General, is a bit rebellious, he is not an ordinary person. Not only is he from the Wang family of Taiyuan, he is also a descendant of a famous family. He is also good friends with the Emperor's teacher. Shi A and Deng Zhan both serve under him. We really should not offend him now."

"Yes, yes, just reprimand the Northern Army General, but don't kill him, otherwise it will only make his relatives sad and his enemies happy."

Compared with Lord Wuyang, Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong felt even more aggrieved. After all, Wang Jing had just made it clear that he wanted to kill them, but they could only say nice things to Wang Jing.

There is no other reason. Now that only Wang Jing is here, they have a chance to survive.

Therefore, even though they had never suffered such an injustice in their lives, Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong could only try their best to dissuade Wuyang Jun, so as to prevent this old fairy with a dull mind from doing anything tricky at this critical juncture.

On the other side, as Wang Jing had just walked out of the palace gate, the sound of horse hooves came from afar.

Wang Ling came running, dismounted and walked to Wang Jing's side: "My Lord, the people in the Jiade Palace and the treasures in the royal secret treasury have all been evacuated, and Sister Lan has also secretly led troops to escort the Prince of Chenliu to the West Garden in the suburbs."

Wang Jing nodded with satisfaction: "Very good."

Wang Ling asked anxiously: "Second brother, what did the Queen Mother say?"

Wang Jing, who failed to persuade her, shook his head slightly and said in a heavy tone: "She is unwilling to take action against the Ten Attendants, so a conflict is probably inevitable."

"Has Second Brother made a decision?"

"Don't worry, the situation is still under control. I have 2,000 soldiers ready to fight, and I have the Sword Saint Wang Yue standing behind me. It's not like we're going to have a direct conflict with Dong Zhuo and Ding Yuan, so there's nothing to worry about. Since Queen Mother He wants to die, we should respect her fate and put aside our desire to help others."

Business was of the utmost importance at the moment, so Wang Jing did not say anything more. Instead, he ordered someone to bring the Overlord Bow. He himself went up to the arrow tower, holding his breath and waiting for the opportunity.

The opportunity he was waiting for did not take him too long.

Two days later, as Dong Zhuo, Ding Yuan and others advanced step by step, panic continued to spread in Luoyang City. The helpless Empress Dowager He finally couldn't stand the pressure and began to get scared.

At this moment, she suddenly regretted why she had not listened to Wang Jing's advice before.

However, the situation had come to this point, and regret was useless. Empress Dowager He could only dismiss all the eunuchs and leave only the palace maids that He Jin was close to in the palace, hoping to use the brother-sister relationship to ease the already tense relationship between them.

In the eyes of Empress Dowager He, if the situation really came to a last resort, Wang Jing could be sacrificed. As long as He Jin's anger could be appeased, everything would be worth it.

However, Empress Dowager He did not know that Wang Jing and Xun You had already anticipated this and had made corresponding arrangements to prevent this from happening.

Outside the Suzaku Gate, the army was approaching, and the crowd was so dense that there was no end in sight.

Wang Ling's expression was solemn: "Second brother, the general is just outside the door."

Wang Jing, who was resting with his eyes closed, still had his eyes tightly closed without even opening his eyelids. His tone was calm but also carried a hint of murderous intent: "Open the door. Only he is allowed to come in."

Outside the door, He Jin dismounted from his horse. The armor on his body made a clanging sound, making him look majestic.

General Wu Kuang wanted to lead his troops into the palace with He Jin, but was stopped by the guards: "The Queen Mother has ordered that only the generals can enter."

Wu Kuang was so angry that he drew his sword and shouted, "How dare you do this, you rude fellow!"

He Jin was able to keep his composure: "Be patient."

"The situation in the palace is unclear now. General, you are responsible for the safety of the country. How can you risk your life?"

Wu Kuang was loyal to his duty and still insisted on bringing his troops with him.

However, He Jin, who thought he had won, was full of confidence at the moment and did not feel that he would be in any danger at all: "The Queen Mother is my sister, how could she harm me? What's more, I have a precious armor to protect me, so even if I am attacked, I can retreat calmly."

He Jin had many cards to save his life, and he didn't think He Lian would dare to kill him, so he was not afraid at all. He just walked through the palace gates alone, without even bringing his followers, and entered the Quefei Palace alone.

Quefei Hall is the front hall of Nan Palace. Foreign officials who come to the palace to meet dignitaries usually wait here.

He Jin was also very careful about this. If things went wrong, he could withdraw at any time. Relying on the protection of the Qianyuan Yiqi Armor, He Jin did not think that anyone in the world could kill him.

Just as He Jin was sitting quietly and resting, waiting for Empress Dowager He to come for a meeting, the people who came were Zhang Rang, Duan Gui and others.

At this time, the Ten Eunuchs, along with a group of loyal Iron Scale Guards, surrounded the Quefei Palace. Then, they walked into the palace with sinister and ferocious expressions and glared at He Jin: "General, if you and your brother had not had our help, how could you have the wealth and glory you have today? Now that you are second only to the general, why do you want to kill us all? Can't you give us a chance to live?"

He Jin turned around and tried to escape, but his retreat was blocked by dozens of Iron Scale Guards who were as ferocious as wolves and tigers.

He drew his sword and slashed, but was temporarily blocked and failed to quickly carve out a bloody path. He was shocked and angry: "I am a general and a regent. You eunuchs, you really dare to kill me?"

A sinister laugh came out of Zhang Rang's throat. At this moment, he was just like a devil from hell: "How ridiculous! You have come to our door to kill us, and you still want us to be killed?"

(End of this chapter)