Great Han Empire

Chapter 515 Immediately Shooting the Gun
Dong Zhuo remained silent.

Dong Zhuo knew that he had committed a heinous crime by using a false imperial decree to control the Northern Army, but he was not afraid.Ever since he refused the late emperor's enlistment to return to Beijing to serve as one of the nine ministers in the Shaofu, he had figured it out that he wanted to control his own destiny, and if he was slaughtered by others, he would not live long.I first pretended to be assassinated, stayed in Hedong and refused to go to Bingzhou, and then responded to the call of the chariot general Li Hong to send troops south to the Yellow River to intimidate the emperor and the court. He completely pushed himself to the point of breaking with the emperor and the court.Committing one crime is also death, committing many crimes is also death, and I can no longer be tolerated by the court, so what should I be afraid of?
A month ago, Dong Zhuo believed that with the help of Li Hong, General He Jin would be able to quickly control Luoyang and take charge of the country's power, so he led the army south to Gyeonggi without hesitation, hoping to gain enough benefits from it, so that he could be like Li Hong in the future. Hong also dominates the western border.At this time, he had completely given up the idea of ​​entering the court as a minister.Looking at how the emperor and the imperial court treated Li Hong, he knew that he could not be accepted by the scholars in Luoyang. If he was ostracized and attacked in Luoyang and kept his head down, he might as well be the overlord in Xijiang with his head held high.What Li Hong can do, he can also do.

The best chance for Dong Zhuo to return to western Xinjiang was when Li Hong went on an expedition to the north, but neither the general nor Li Hong wanted him to leave Beijing in a hurry when the situation in Luoyang was not stable, and because he didn’t get what he wanted, I don't want to leave right away either.The second chance to return to Xijiang was when the traitor re-entered the palace. At that time, the emperor worshiped him as Liangzhou shepherd, and he had already got what he wanted, but he was no longer satisfied with this Liangzhou shepherd. He wants something more.Xijiang is too poor, he wants to get tax support from Guanzhong.Under the persuasion of scholars and generals, he did not follow Li Wei's advice and continued to press on Luoyang.But he never expected that the general died suddenly.

Once the general died, the traitor was punished, and Luoyang became the world of scholars, and his own destiny also underwent a shocking reversal.Because I went deep into the capital, I was caught off guard and surrounded by scholars, which was something I never dreamed of.After Luoyang is stabilized, as Li Ru and Liu Ai said, the imperial court will be impatient to attack him. The scholars in power will not send an arrogant general who perverts the law back to Western Xinjiang. He must find a way to survive. , I want to put it to death and survive.

It took about a day for the Northern Army to be controlled by the false imperial decree, and it took about a day for the Northern Army to be completely controlled by me. During this time, I escaped death, and I may be beaten back to my original shape by the imperial edict of the emperor at any time, and be chopped into a pulp by angry soldiers of the Northern Army , luckily, I succeeded.With the support of Duan Yan, Bao Hong, Cao Cao, and Zhang Liao, and with the [-] troops, it is possible for him to gain a temporary foothold in Gyeonggi and reverse the situation in Luoyang.

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Although the 5 soldiers of the Northern Army seem to be quite a lot, they are all Gyeonggi soldiers, soldiers loyal to the emperor, and not Xiliang soldiers brought out by themselves at all. A few commanding officers can only control them for a while, but they cannot do anything. to absolute control.At the foot of the emperor, next to Luoyang city, as long as the emperor orders Dong Zhuo to hand over the northern army and surround Pingliang with heavy troops, these 5 people will turn against each other sooner or later, so Dong Zhuo is very worried. He is eager to know the situation in Luoyang city. I want to know the attitude of Yuan Wei and the noble ministers.

Whether it is the emperor and the empress dowager, or Yuan Wei and the ministers of the gentry, at a time when traitors and generals are in danger and Luoyang is in crisis, none of them is willing to continue the chaos in Luoyang. When the Northern Army can be controlled, they will carefully weigh and consider the pros and cons and consequences of provoking Dong Zhuo and forcing Dong Zhuo to rebel.If the 10,000 Northern Army and the [-] Xiliang soldiers rioted in Gyeonggi, Luoyang would surely fall into a catastrophe. The immediate consequence would be to ruin the expedition of the General Cheqi, and even the lives of [-]+ Northern Xinjiang soldiers. , He may lead the army to the south to wash the capital, so that everyone will be finished, and even the Han Dynasty may be about to perish.No one can afford this responsibility, but this is precisely Dong Zhuo's greatest reliance at the moment.

Although Dong Zhuo believed that the Son of Heaven and Yuan Kai would not dare to decree to forcibly deprive him of control of the Northern Army, but once Yuan Kai and the ministers in the court ignored the country and the country and insisted on decree, what would he do?This is also Dong Zhuo's biggest worry.

In the afternoon when Dong Zhuo and Li Ru were appeasing the soldiers in the camp, Li Ru analyzed the situation to him.Li Ru believed that Yuan Kai would never dare to take this risk. In order to prevent the situation in Luoyang from deteriorating, he would definitely be forced to admit the fact that the Lord commanded the Northern Army.Li Ruzhi said proudly, Your Excellency now has an army of [-], which directly determines the development of the situation in Luoyang, what is your Excellency going to do?Should he take the opportunity to enter the dynasty and take charge of the government, or return to Xiliang with an army of [-]?

Dong Zhuo said, no matter whether your and Liu Ai's guesses are correct or not, and no matter whether Taifu Yuan Wei and the gentry ministers really want to kill me in Gyeonggi, it is a fact that Dong Min killed He Miao, and it is also a fact that I falsely preached the imperial decree. In fact, if these matters cannot be resolved, the emperor and the queen mother will not forgive me, and Yuan Wei and the ministers of the gentry will not let me go. Solve the crisis in Luoyang, force the court to agree to my various conditions, and then leave with the excuse of going to Xiliang to suppress the rebellion.

Dong Zhuo smiled wryly and said, "I have no intention of entering Luoyang City, nor do I want to rule in the court. I am a warrior, just like a general. These scholars will not accept me, let alone succumb to force and force to help me handle state affairs. You Look at the general. Although he is a relative of the state, he is not a scholar because of his low status, so he has never received sincere help from the scholars. Why did he die? If the scholars did not want to kill him, would he die? You again Look at Li Hong, he is already a general of chariots and riders, but how many famous scholars are there in his mansion? None of them are all young scholars from poor families who are helping him. When Li Hong first entered Bingzhou, because there was no manpower , Let Zhu Jun's teenage daughter disguise himself as a man to preside over the affairs of the mansion. Look at me again, I have been in Xijiang for decades, and there are only you and me under my command, and you are even more miserable than Li Hong."

"Enter the court to rule?" Dong Zhuo sighed, "If you want to live a few more years, you should leave early. The army is useless. Now it is not to expand the territory, but to govern the country. I have been in the army for decades, and I have never I have never dealt with government affairs, how do you want me to be in charge? I am a warrior, neither have the prominent status of a general, nor the outstanding achievements of Li Hong. How many scholars will apply? How many scholars will sincerely help me do things ?Look at the fate of Sanming in Liangzhou, especially Duan Jiong (jiong) Duan, who committed suicide by drinking a dove. Could it be that he can’t rule the country? Forget it, now the world is ruled by scholars, and we warriors can only go to guard the frontier .”

Li Ru said, is it possible that my lord is absolutely sure to take away the 3000 Northern Army?Why do adults think that the emperor, the queen mother and Yuan Wei will let you go?Don't forget, we only have 1 real strength in our hands now, and we can't move the [-] people stationed at Hangu Pass no matter what.Li Ru solemnly said word by word: "If you are not ruthless, Yuan Kai will be ruthless, and you will be beaten to ashes. If you want to live and bring the [-] soldiers back to Xiliang, you have to control Luoyang , control the power of the country, otherwise, you are fish and meat, Yuan Kai is Daozu (zu), and you will be his food sooner or later. You have forgotten the lesson of Lord Duan Jiong Duan, why did the general die yesterday?"

Dong Zhuo was stunned for a moment, then suddenly asked: "Am I getting old?"

"Your Excellency is fifty-seven this year, and he has not yet reached the age of seventy, so he is not considered old."

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Seeing that Dong Zhuo was silent, Li Ru accepted He Yong's words and said with a slight smile: "After the Son of Heaven escapes from trouble, my lord may be in deep danger, but the lord Tai Tuo has committed a serious crime, and I'm afraid he will not be able to escape the scourge of the nine clans."

He Yong smiled without saying a word.

"There is a forest of tigers and feathers in Luoyang City, and there are tens of thousands of horses, but the emperor has not escaped so far. Did the Taifu do it on purpose?" Li Ru asked.

He Yong laughed, "As I said just now, some things must be thought through before you can do anything."

"Has Master Taifu thought it through? When will the trapped emperor be rescued?"

He Yong looked at Dong Zhuo, and asked in a low voice, "What good advice does your lord have?"

Dong Zhuo frowned, and said in a deep voice: "Now that the Great General Cheqi has gone to the desert, Luoyang must not be chaotic anyway. Lord He, please report to Lord Taifu on your behalf. If the Son of Heaven is still trapped in the North Palace tomorrow morning, I will lead the army into the city. Since Master Tai Tu can't solve it, I will solve it. I will bear all the consequences."

He Yong's face showed shock, "My lord, this matter concerns the lives of the Son of Heaven and King Chen Liu, so don't be careless."

Dong Zhuo snorted coldly, waved his hands and said, "Go back. I will lead the army into the city tomorrow afternoon."

He Yong said no more, and bowed to leave.

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After Li Ru sent He Yong away, he hurried back to the big tent. "Judging from He Yong's words, Yuan Kui has already decided to give in, but the conditions for his concession must be very harsh. After the death of the traitor and the general, Luoyang was originally his world, but because the Lord suddenly took control of the Northern Army, the He was caught off guard and unable to act according to the established strategy. For the sake of Luoyang's stability, Yuan Kai had no choice but to give in." Li Ru said excitedly, "My lord, stay in Luoyang, you can become a famous official of Zhongxing Dahan."

Dong Zhuo thought for a long time.

"Master Taifu Yuan Kai is currently attending the affairs of the Li Shangshu and temporarily managing state affairs. If he insists on opposing my entry into the city in the name of the emperor and insists on ordering me to return to Xiliang, then it will be difficult for me to stay in Luoyang. Without the imperial edict of the emperor, Without the support and help of scholars, how can I gain a foothold in Luoyang? By force? Will I kill all the ministers in the court who oppose me?" Dong Zhuo shook his hand, "If this problem cannot be resolved, I cannot stay in Luoyang. Yuan Wei and the court If the ministers in the central government firmly oppose my participation in the government, we will fight for power, and the turmoil in Luoyang will not stop. Then Huangfusong in Chang'an and Li Wei in Hedong will take advantage of the situation. Li Hong, who is far away in the desert, will also be forced to abandon his expedition because of the turmoil in Luoyang."

Dong Zhuo looked at Li Ru, and asked with a stern expression, "What's the final result?"

The excitement on Li Ru's face gradually dissipated.He twirled his short beard with his hands and walked back and forth in the big tent.

"Who is your lord most afraid of right now?" Li Ru asked suddenly.

Dong Zhuo said without thinking, "Son of Heaven."

"Where's Yuan Kai?"

Dong Zhuo was thoughtful, and said in a low voice: "He is also most afraid of the Son of Heaven."

A frightening resentment suddenly appeared in Li Ru's eyes, and his face was instantly hideous.Thinking of his deep blood feud, Li Ru was about to burst into tears, wishing he could rush into the palace and let his blood flow like a river.Li Ru managed to calm down, lowered his head and said, "My lord, do you still remember the violent storm that the late emperor set off in Luoyang in order to let the little Donghou inherit the great power? General He Jin, General Li Hong of Chariots, Grand Tutor Yuan Kui and many ministers were all involved, and Li Hong and Liu Yu were the two strongest forces in the late emperor's hands."

Dong Zhuo immediately understood what Li Ru meant, and his expression was extremely shocked.He stared at Li Ru with wide eyes, his murderous aura almost tore Li Ru to pieces.

"Do you want me to exterminate my family?" Dong Zhuo scolded coldly, "Your heart is full of resentment towards the late emperor, full of resentment towards the traitors, but the late emperor has returned to heaven, and all the traitors have been executed, why do you Still can't give up your hatred?"

"My lord..." Li Ru bowed and said, "It's better to control the lives of others than to hand over your own."

"When today's son is young, the queen mother is in charge of the court. Women are in power, and the harm to the country is well known. Who caused the disaster in Luoyang today? Do you know what she will do in the future to endanger the country? After the Luoyang turmoil, did the Queen Mother believe in the Taifu or in you? If the Lord does not leave the capital, he will be hit and hurt by the joint efforts of the Queen Mother and the Taifu; if the Lord leaves the capital, the Queen Mother, the Taifu and other nobles Ministers must fight for power and profit, how can there be a stable day in Luoyang? If Luoyang is unstable, how can the country be peaceful? How can the people live and work in peace and contentment?" Li Ru said impassionedly, "Your Excellency is an important minister of the country, who has received the favor of the emperor. When the country is in crisis, we should stand up and follow the example of Yi Yin and Huo Guang, and don't establish a new king, so as to protect the country and the world."

Dong Zhuo stood up slowly, gave Li Ru a hard look, and then walked away.Li Ru hurried a few steps and grabbed Dong Zhuo.

"My lord, once you help the young master, you will be the minister of the prime minister, and you can instantly control the power of the country. The Han Kingdom is in your hands alone. Who in the world would dare not follow?" Li Ru said, "After Luoyang is stabilized, even Yuan Kai, How dare Lu Zhi and his ilk contend against your lord? How dare you disobey the emperor's order and waste state affairs?"

"The most important thing is to support the establishment of King Chenliu as the emperor, which can not only relieve the hidden worries of Yuan Wei and the ministers of the gentry, but also conform to the wishes of the Taiwei Liu Yu and the general Li Hong, that is, the act of dethroning the emperor. , there must be no resistance inside, no military disasters outside, it is a great cause of responding to the sky and revitalizing the country, even the spirit of the late emperor will wholeheartedly protect the Lord to fulfill his unfulfilled wish."

Dong Zhuo sneered and said, "You're right. I also want to be Yi Yin and Huo Guang, and I also want to be one person under ten thousand people, but if I lose my head, I can't even think about it. Without Yuan Wei and Li Hong's promise, without the support of Yuan Wei and Li Hong, I would never have done such a deviant thing, which was outraged by both humans and gods."

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An hour later, He Yong came to Ping Optimism again.

He Yong told Dong Zhuo that Master Taifu played the words of Master Dong to the Queen Mother, but the Queen Mother disagreed with Master Dong leading the army into the city considering the safety of the emperor.The Queen Mother said that Mr. Dong had made great contributions to stabilizing the situation in Luoyang, and he should be rewarded heavily after the emperor got out of trouble.

Dong Zhuo said that if the emperor could not be rescued immediately, the emperor's life would be in danger.Once something happens to the emperor, when will Luoyang be stable?So I'm going into town tomorrow.

He Yong said: "The Empress Dowager disagrees. Master Dong led an army into the city without authorization, but it is a capital offense. Do you want to attack Luoyang?"

Dong Zhuo sneered and said, "Master He, please report to the Empress Dowager on my behalf. If there is chaos in Luoyang and the expedition of the chariot general fails, he will definitely go south to solve all the problems in Luoyang, including the imperial order."

He Yong sighed: "Wait for the general to ride south, the Han Kingdom is already on the verge of collapse, it's too late."

Dong Zhuo's heart moved, and he secretly exchanged a look with Li Ru. "Your Excellency, let's report back as soon as possible." Dong Zhuo turned around and left the big account.

After Li Ru waited for Dong Zhuo to walk away, he quietly let out a breath.

"Boqiu, Mr. Dong said that he needs the promise of Mr. Taifu and General Cheqi."

He Yong asked in surprise: "Have you convinced him?"

Li Ru stretched out his hand to touch the scar on his face, and said helplessly, "General Cheqi is far away outside the Great Wall now, so what's the use of me convincing him?"

"This is within our expectations." He Yong patted Li Ru on the shoulder happily, "Before the chariot general Li Hong left Hedong, he had already handed over all the power to handle affairs outside northern Xinjiang to Li Wei. As long as Li Wei can come, big things will be settled."

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August Gengwu Day (27th), early morning.

He Yong came to the Northern Army camp again.This time with him are Shang Shu Zhou Yan and Chengmen School Captain Wu Qiong.Zhou Wu was from Wuwei, and he had known Dong Zhuo in his early years.Wu Qiong was the Sima under Zhang Huan, the former General of the Liao Dynasty, and had fought side by side with Dong Zhuo in the frontier for many years.The three brought Yuan Kui's secret letter.

Yuan Kui said nothing about dethroning in his letter, but he clearly expressed his support for all the measures Dong Zhuo took to stabilize Luoyang.Yuan Kai said that Zhang Rang had already proposed to take the emperor north to Youzhou to join Taiwei Liu Yu, and considering the safety of the emperor, he had already agreed.As long as Dong Zhuo made all the preparations, he would let Zhang Yi out of the city and give Dong Zhuo the credit for saving him, so that Dong Zhuo could enter Luoyang in a legitimate way.

August Gengwu Day (27th), morning.

Under the escort of Li Su, Li Wei rushed to Ping Optimism exhausted.

Li Wei was very worried about the situation in Luoyang. After Captain Guo Xun crossed the Yellow River south, he hurried to Fenglingdu in order to understand the situation in time and make countermeasures.The news brought by Li Su made him very angry.He immediately wrote to Dian Nong Zhonglang to send Zhang Baiqi to recruit another [-] soldiers to rush to Fenglingdu. He took the governor Cao Xuyan, Xie Wu and a hundred cavalry to accompany Li Su day and night, and drove three hundred miles in a row. Arrived at Hangu Pass.

At Hangu Pass, he received an urgent letter from He Yong, knowing that the situation in Luoyang was deteriorating rapidly.Li Wei was so anxious that he ran another eighty miles to the northern army camp at dawn, regardless of fatigue and darkness.

The first thing Li Wei said when he saw Dong Zhuo was, why are you still hesitating?Why not kill Luoyang?The adults are in charge of the government in Luoyang, and the generals of chariots and riders are guarding the frontiers in the northern borders. The Han Dynasty is just around the corner.

In the afternoon of Gengwu day in August (27th), Dong Zhuo finally made a decision.Niu Fu, Hu Zhen and others led an army of [-] troops to Ping Optimism.Dong Zhuo and Li Wei galloped towards Xiaopingjin with Dong Min and a thousand iron cavalry who came out of the city to meet up.

August Gengwu Day (27th), late at night, at Xiaopingjin Ferry on the Yellow River.

Zhang Rang and Duan Gui held the Son of Heaven and King Chen Liu under threat, and rushed to the bank of the Yellow River with dozens of remaining Zhonghuang cavalry.Those in charge of escorting them were Shang Shuling Lu Zhi and Henan Yin Wangyun's subordinate Chu Min Gong.

At this time, Dong Zhuo and Li Wei came galloping with iron cavalry.Zhang Rang and Duan Gui were shocked and threatened Dong Zhuo with the lives of the emperor and King Chenliu.Li Wei pointed at Zhang Rang and cursed: "If you killed the Son of Heaven and King Chenliu, will the imperial lineage of our Great Han Kingdom be cut off? There is an imperial lineage in the vassal state, so why worry about our Great Han Kingdom without an emperor?"

Zhang Rang and Duan Gui had pale faces, knowing that their chances of life were dead.Zhang Rang let go of the crying emperor gently, and kowtowed goodbye. "I will bid farewell to Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will love and cherish you." Then they threw themselves into the river with Duan Gui and died.Some other eunuchs jumped into the Yellow River with them, and some were chopped into pieces by the swarming cavalry.

Dong Zhuo dismounted from his horse, strode up to the emperor and bowed in salute.When the emperor saw Dong Zhuo, who was as strong as a small mountain, his face turned pale with fright, and he cried even harder.Dong Zhuo snorted coldly, and said loudly, "I can't fully salute with the armor on my body. The disaster in Luoyang today is all caused by His Majesty's favor and favor, and His Majesty's responsibility is not small."

Chuan Mingong, who was helping the emperor, heard the words and scolded loudly: "My lord is rude."

Dong Zhuo stood up straight, pointed at Mingong and said in a cold voice, "If you don't want to die, get out of here." He waved back, "Come here, escort me back to Beijing."

On August 28, Luoyang.

Dong Zhuo escorted the young emperor back to the capital.The emperor pardoned the world, changed the name of the year, and changed the first year of Guangxi to the first year of Zhaoning.Worship the former general Dong Zhuo as Sikong.

All the emperor's six seals were found, but the imperial seal of Chuanguo was lost.

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(End of this chapter)