Empress Dowager He's sudden fainting caused panic among the civil and military officials in Hanzhang Hall.

If Liu Wei only had an army of 200,000 or so, people still felt they had a fighting chance. But when Liu Wei deployed a million troops around Luoyang, they had no chance of winning at all.

At its peak, the Han Dynasty had no more than a million soldiers.

Yet Liu Wei managed to raise a million-strong army in Youzhou, Hetao, Hexi, and the Western Regions in just one year.

Moreover, he should have hidden his troops around Luoyang long ago.

Subtle clues.

Perhaps Liu Wei began making his plans when he was demoted from Prince of Taiyuan to Marquis of Yinshan and traveled with more than twenty followers from Luoyang all the way to Yanmen Pass.

A hidden dragon should not be used until it makes a name for itself!

He had been lying low for a year, all for this moment.

Everyone in the hall was in a panic.

Yuan Wei, Yuan Feng, Wang Yun, Yang Biao, Sima Fang, Wei Zheng, and others all turned deathly pale.

With a million-strong army pressing down on the city, threatening to destroy it, Liu Wei's intentions are self-evident.

Dong Zhuo's face was terribly gloomy, and his dread was mixed with a hint of fear.

Liu Wei only mobilized less than 60,000 troops in Bingzhou, and in one fell swoop he directly took over Bingzhou, which Dong Zhuo had been managing for a year.

If Liu Wei had deployed a million-strong army from the beginning, the small force that Dong Zhuo left in Bingzhou would have been utterly insignificant.

Inside the main hall, the ministers, forced by the power of Dong Zhuo and the Yuan family to choose sides, immediately began to scheme.

A new emperor brings a new court; it's time to choose sides again.

This time, they had already placed their bets on Liu Wei without hesitation.

With a prince commanding a million-strong army, a single order would result in rivers of blood and corpses stretching for miles.

"The Empress Dowager has awakened!"

After Empress Dowager He fainted, Wang Zhen immediately summoned the imperial physician.

After a few acupuncture treatments, Empress Dowager He woke up peacefully.

When she weakly opened her eyes, she saw a chaotic scene in Hanzhang Palace, with eunuchs and palace maids in disarray on the imperial steps, and the young emperor surrounding her.

"Where are the Grand Tutor and the Grand Preceptor?"

Empress Dowager He's voice was very weak, and her body was limp as if her spine had been removed.

"Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor! The Empress Dowager wants to speak with you!"

Upon hearing Empress Dowager He's shouts, Wang Zhen hurriedly called out to Yuan Wei and Dong Zhuo.

"With a large army pressing in, and busy with military affairs, I must take my leave first!"

However, to Empress Dowager He's utter surprise, Dong Zhuo made a hasty escape!

As soon as Dong Zhuo finished speaking, he ignored the strange looks from the ministers in the hall and left in a hurry without looking back.

He had to hurry back to the military camp to discuss the matter with the generals and strategists.

His 100,000 Bingzhou troops were his foundation. Since Liu Wei had only surrounded the eight passes of Luoyang, he still had a chance to break out.

If we wait until Liu Wei tightens his belt completely, we'll be trapped like turtles in a jar!

Dong Zhuo's hasty departure left Yuan Wei and the others bewildered.

"Your Majesty, we will immediately summon people to discuss how to deal with this!" Yuan Wei said with great difficulty.

"Does the Grand Tutor have any plans for how to deal with this?" Empress Dowager He felt a chill in her heart when she saw Dong Zhuo leave without permission.

Now, she could only look at Yuan Wei pitifully.

"The incident happened so suddenly, my mind is completely blank right now, and I have no idea how to respond."

Yuan Wei could only comfort her, "But please rest assured, Your Majesty, we will definitely find a way!"

"Please, Your Majesty, return to your palace to rest. We, your humble servants, will take our leave now!"

Yuan Wei also turned and ran away.

The ministers all said, "We take our leave!"

The ministers left like a tide, and the once bustling Hanzhang Hall was now completely empty.

Sixteen dragon-carved pillars stand on either side, and the ministers' quarrels seem to still linger on the beams.

Empress Dowager He was accompanied only by the young emperor, Wang Zhen, and a dozen or so palace maids and eunuchs.

At this moment, Empress Dowager He suddenly felt a surge of loneliness and helplessness.

Just as the music ended and the guests left, only Empress Dowager He and her son remained alone in the main hall!

"Mother, why did these ministers just leave like that?" The young emperor asked blankly, not knowing why.

Looking at her son, who was sometimes normal and sometimes silly, Empress Dowager He was filled with regret and tears.

Her maternal family members, He Jin and He Miao, both died one after the other, leaving her with no one who could truly help her.

He Miao was sent by her without her consent to assassinate Liu Wei, but she died tragically on Zhengyangmen Street.

He Jin also died at the hands of the Ten Attendants because she took them in.

Her two brothers died because of her!

Strictly speaking, the current situation is also a case of Empress Dowager He shooting herself in the foot.

"These ministers, when disaster strikes, all flee for their lives; not one of them is a loyal subject!"

Empress Dowager He said angrily, "Return to the palace!"

"They're probably already thinking about switching sides and pledging allegiance to their new masters!"

A group of eunuchs and palace maids hurriedly cleared a path to escort Empress Dowager He back to Yong'an Palace.

......

Meanwhile, in the south of Luoyang, at the *** Mansion!

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Prince Wei has led his troops to the outskirts of Luoyang!"

"Not only that, I heard from my colleagues at court today that Prince Wei's Eighth Route Army has frightened Empress Dowager He into fainting in the main hall!"

"Both the Grand Tutor and the Grand Preceptor were filled with fear and left Empress Dowager He behind in court!"

A group of people were animatedly talking and spitting as they spoke in front of Liu Hua.

They were a group of disgruntled ministers in the court who had been won over by Liu Hua long before the grand court assembly, including Imperial Censor Chen Chong, General of the Palace Guard Zhang Miao, Attendant Liu Yu, and Colonel Feng Shu.

Everyone had been looking forward to this day for a long time!

Upon hearing the news from their colleagues at Hanzhang Hall, they rushed into the *** Mansion through the back gate to report the good news to Liu Hua.

Liu Hua held Fu Shou's hand and listened quietly from the side.

Her face remained calm, but inside she was overjoyed!

Heaven rewards those who persevere, and Liu Wei is finally getting closer and closer to that step!

Soon, his daughter will be able to ascend the throne of Empress. Liu Hua has been looking forward to this day for far too long!

"Prince Wei doesn't only have troops from places like Hetao, Youzhou, and Hexi. How did he get Eighth Route Army troops?" Liu Hua asked, pretending not to care.

"***, let's not even talk about where the Eighth Route Army came from, do you know how many soldiers Prince Wei's Eighth Route Army actually has?" Chen Chong asked excitedly.

"It should be one or two hundred thousand! My imperial nephew is also skilled in warfare. It's not about the quantity of troops but their quality!" Liu Hua replied with a smile.

Chen Chong swallowed hard and exclaimed, "***, you're wrong! Prince Wei's eight armies, each with 100,000 men, plus other troops, have mobilized a million-strong army, completely besieging the eight passes of Luoyang!"

"Throughout history, no one has ever mobilized an army of a million! Even the Marquis of Wu'an only had an army of six hundred thousand!"

What!

A million-strong army!

Upon hearing this, Liu Hua tightened his grip, causing Fu Shouyu's hand to hurt, and she quickly pulled away.

Suddenly, Liu Hua's eyes reddened, and he murmured, "This child..."