Chapter 622: The Empire is about to collapse, evil is everywhere, the emperor is incompetent and ruins the country
Luo Kong's sudden departure gave the emperor and the ministers a great shock.
It shook again and again, and it never stopped.
The emperor and those ministers who had hoped for a better future fell into deep despair.
If you think about it, you can guess that Luo Kong slipped away so quickly because he must be worried about the Taiping Army.
Although the Western Region Army suffered heavy losses, after being reorganized they were still a rare group of combat-capable cavalrymen in the world. As long as they did not encounter the main force of the Taiping Army, they could go ahead.
This was the reason why Luo Kong was able to deceive the emperor and the ministers before.
Some ministers from prominent families who had no intention of packing up their belongings immediately arranged for their family members to flee to Guanzhong, Shu and Jingzhou for refuge.
As for the ministers themselves, they could not escape. Many of them did not want to be loyal to the emperor and die for him, but they were all court officials. No one could say anything if Marquis Wushuang went to Chang'an, let alone returned to the Western Regions, but they could not.
Many people who fled to Guanzhong also had Shu as their final destination.
Especially those families with girls were led by their fathers and brothers to flee for their lives, for fear that they would fall into the hands of the Taiping Army.
Because everyone knows that no matter whether it is an official or a bandit who enters the city, the result is the same, those beautiful women will definitely encounter misfortune, and according to the principle that beauties gather upwards, women in prominent families are generally above average.
Cai Yong could only feel deeply grateful now, grateful that he had asked Marquis Wushuang more questions, otherwise, given his daughter's appearance, it would almost certainly be a disaster for her.
The atmosphere in the entire Luoyang city was depressing to the extreme. Ordinary people saw something from the fleeing carriages, and soon the news of the imperial court's defeat spread throughout Luoyang.
The Taiping Army is about to arrive at the city!
This caused an uproar in an instant. Not only the emperor and the ministers, but everyone in Luoyang city was terrified.
Someone asked with a slightly desperate look: "What will the Taiping Army do after they come in?"
"It's nothing but burning, killing, looting and pillaging!"
"They probably won't burn down the entire holy city of Luoyang. After all, Taiping Dao is a religion that worships the Su Wang Shang Huang. But looting is certain. It is said that Taiping Dao has a million followers, and the entire city of Luoyang will be looted!
It's not just the palace and the nobles' mansions, we common people are also not immune to it."
Someone who loves money like his life gritted his teeth and asked, "What if you don't hand it over?"
There was a moment of silence on the street, "That means death."
"That will definitely kill you."
Someone else said, "What if His Majesty orders us all to go into battle to defend Luoyang?"
It was silent.
Fear breeds in it.
"Then you're dead."
There was a gasp, and it wasn't just one person's voice that was heard; it was everyone's thought.
All the turbulent times recorded in history books are like this.
Although there was no massacre, many people in the city were looted, and countless people were killed because of hidden money.
Moreover, when attacking a city, those who participate in defending the city will be defined as soldiers. Unless they accept the surrender of the people in the city and promise not to kill the surrendered soldiers, otherwise, if the city is breached by force, the soldiers will be punished after the city is breached.
At the peak, half of the city's population was charged after the city was captured. Those who had killed anyone were executed, and those who had not killed anyone had their entire family demoted to slavery. This was an alternative deterrent measure that could not be used after the city was massacred.
Will the emperor let everyone in the city participate in defending the city?
Of course!
This is why everyone despairs.
The public security in Luoyang City deteriorated a lot in just a few hours, and the Ministry of Justice responsible for Luoyang's public security seemed to have suddenly disappeared.
These incidents are relatively vicious, such as murder and arson. These rare cases in daily life suddenly broke out, just like a vent before doomsday.
The ruffians stared at the wealthy families with greedy looks. Their living areas were not close to the powerful areas, but the relatively wealthy merchants in the same area as them were all their targets.
These scum are all human scum and are the same kind as those black-hearted ministers.
The difference is that after becoming rich and powerful, the nobles will read books and may pretend to be smart on the surface, but most of them will use their brains to do bad things.
These scums don't even pretend, the evil in their hearts blooms freely, and they bully the weak and fear the strong. They dare not attack those who are stronger than them. They only bully those who are honest and decent in their daily lives and have accumulated some wealth through hard work.
Some who were more impatient and impatient simply killed and robbed people. They gathered a group of people and broke into the mansion, killed the owner, took possession of his wife and daughter, and then looted all the gold, silver and treasures.
Others were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Taiping Army, preparing to surrender directly to the Taiping Army and then use these wealthy families as their token of allegiance.
The smooth and tender young lady and bride of the rich family have been coveted by these people for a long time.
The nobles have their own faults, and the common people have their own faults, which bloom and flourish in the desperate and oppressive environment.
…
In Luoyang Palace.
The emperor and the ministers all had gloomy faces. Luo Kong's move caught them all off guard. The emperor wanted to escape but was stopped.
Everyone told the emperor clearly that you can't escape!
Do you dare to escape alone?
Even if they want to escape, they must bring a large army with them. But how can the army in the city now outrun the Taiping cavalry?
That is the elite force that defeated the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, the Western Region Iron Cavalry, and the Xiliang Iron Cavalry. Without the protection of the city, you will be the target of the Taiping Army. Where can you escape to?
Rather than endure so much suffering, it is better to defend Luoyang City to the death. Who knows, you might be able to drag Zhang Jue to death in Luoyang. After all, no matter how invincible he is, he cannot fly directly onto the city wall.
"This bastard!"
The emperor couldn't help but curse again. He never expected to be tricked like this. He was the supreme emperor, but someone dared to treat him like this.
The situation in Luoyang City naturally spread to the palace very quickly, but this was not a big deal. The Taiping Army was about to arrive, and Luoyang would naturally be placed under martial law. All these things would be cleared up in an instant.
What these people are discussing now is what to do next?
No one wanted to die, so the Taiping Army had to be held back.
“Your Majesty, all the loyal princes have been defeated, but Dong Zhuo of Liang Province is still here. He still has the Western Liang cavalry under his command. This is a force we can rely on. In Guandong, there are still the forces of the Five Surnames and Seven Families. As long as we can hold on for a few months, they will definitely be able to pacify the Taiping Army in Guandong.
Marquis Ying is a loyal minister. As long as the Taiping Rebellion is pacified, Marquis Ying will definitely come to support the king. Youzhou, Bingzhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, and Yizhou are all in our hands.
Although Zhang Jiao is coming with great force, he has no foundation! "
This analysis avoided the main issues and cheered up the emperor again. He was feeling too much negative emotions now. If he didn't say this, he would almost collapse. Now most of the states in the world were still in the hands of the loyal princes, but that was all.
As long as they accumulate for a year or two, the loyal princes will be able to make a comeback, but the emperor probably has never heard that the loyal princes are too far away and the Taiping Army is too close.
The emperor's expression cheered up a little, and he recalled that Luo Kong left without hesitation. This was completely disregarding him as the emperor, and even wished that he could die quickly. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, so he immediately shouted angrily: "My Lords, how should we deal with Luo Kong!"
The emperor's anger was understandable to his ministers. Most of them were furious with Luo Kong and wished to grind him to ashes, but now Luo Kong had already run away with the crown prince and the prince.
How else can we deal with it?
Is it possible to capture Luo Kong back?
If they really had that kind of strength, these people wouldn't be here discussing how to survive under the iron hoof of the Taiping Army.
The emperor became extremely angry when he thought that he was on the verge of life and death while Luo Kong was able to live freely. He was indeed a very smart person, but he was also extremely selfish. He was even the kind of person who only cared about his own enjoyment and would not care about the flood after he died.
The emperor, blinded by hatred and anger, looked at the questioning eyes of his ministers. He felt that everyone was asking him, what else could he do since the other person had already left?
"Am I still the emperor of the Han Dynasty?"
The emperor's words were full of anxiety, and the ministers immediately replied: "Of course you are the supreme emperor of the Han Dynasty, the Son of Heaven of all China. Under heaven, you are the most respected, the most honorable Son of Heaven."
This is beyond doubt!
The sacredness of the emperor is not allowed to be questioned. Even Luo Xiao has never questioned the sacredness of the throne of the emperor. He has always said that the Mandate of Heaven is no longer in the Han court and the emperor of the Han Dynasty no longer has the throne of the emperor!
The emperor's voice became cold and solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "Since I am still the emperor, then I will convey my will now.
Dong Zhuo was appointed as the Inspector of the Imperial Capital, Acting Governor of Liang Province and Acting Protector of the Western Regions Protectorate, with the title of General of the Western Expedition, to assist the crown prince.
Remove Luo Kong from his rank of General of Cavalry and his title of Wushuang Marquis. He has no offspring. Let the Luo family nominate a new candidate for the title of Wushuang Marquis. Appoint Luo Kong as the Minister of the Court and have him return to the capital to meet the emperor as soon as possible!"
boom!
The emperor's words shocked everyone instantly. No one expected that the emperor would do such a thing. He was just trying to vent his anger. It was simply crazy.
This time, Wushuang Hou Luo Kong is going to take the prince to Chang'an to rebuild the court, but now Dong Zhuo is the Inspector of the Imperial Capital, in charge of the entire Guanzhong affairs, and he is also the agent of Liangzhou and the Western Regions affairs, which means that he has the final say in the entire northwest, which is aimed at Luo Kong.
Not to mention the General who Conquers the West. In the current Han Dynasty, after leaving Luoyang City, the General who Conquers the West is definitely the highest-ranking military officer. At the same time, the emperor also stripped Luo Kong of his rank of General of Cavalry and his title in the Western Regions. This is a complete way to cut off the source of the problem.
As for the position of Wushuang Marquis, the emperor naturally did not dare to directly deprive him of the title and kingdom, but there would be no problem in asking the Luo family to propose a new one.
These ministers all knew that Luo Kong had only one little daughter, and his wife had died of illness a few years ago, and he never remarried, so he had no son.
Although most of the ministers present were filled with anger towards Luo Kong, and logically they should have immediately taken advantage of his misfortune, the reality was not so.
These ministers are typical extremely complex political figures. Some of them are greedy for money and lustful, but they have to be said to be loyal ministers. Some of them are cruel, but it has to be admitted that they have righteousness in their hearts and will never do wrong things at critical moments.
Those who were at odds with Luo Kong now objected to the emperor's obvious order, but a direct confrontation would not work, so someone said indirectly, "Your Majesty, Dong Zhuo is from Liangzhou, and according to the Three Mutuals Law, he cannot serve as the governor of Liangzhou."
To refute the emperor, one usually has to use various explicit regulations. If the law is unknowable, then the power is unpredictable. This statement is true everywhere.
Anything written is a constraint on power. These customary and officially recognized regulations are tools for officials to fight against imperial power.
The emperor coldly glanced at this minister who was not good at reading people's expressions, and said in a cold voice: "At this moment of national survival, this is my special permission, and I appointed a fake governor of Liangzhou, not the governor of Liangzhou."
Seeing that the emperor was unwilling to change his mind, some of the more upright ministers in the hall immediately stood up.
Although they were resentful that Luo Kong had abandoned them, they knew that Luo Kong had to do so for the sake of the Han Dynasty, otherwise no one could leave.
So the real cause of their being thrown out were the throne and those insects who were eager for wealth!
Cai Yong also stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Dong Zhuo is a military man from a border county. These people have the heart of a tiger, leopard, jackal, and wolf. No one knows whether they are loyal ministers. You have handed over such great power to Dong Zhuo. Aren't you worried that Dong Zhuo will become a powerful minister who will cause chaos in the country?"
Although Wang Mang did not usurp the throne, his reputation is not very good, especially because the emperor he assisted eventually lost the throne, and even the Mandate of Heaven of the Han Dynasty was broken.
King Luo Wen's status was too high, and people usually compared him to Wang Mang and Huo Guang, which completely distinguished their reputations.
The emperor's face was already very ugly, but Cai Yong had no scruples at all and continued, "Wushuang Hou Luo Kong is the legitimate son of a thousand-year-old family. The title of Wushuang Hou has been passed down for two hundred years, and he has always been loyal. This is the important official that the court should trust.
Now you have abandoned the loyal ministers and chosen a warrior from a border county. I think this is unwise. The Han Dynasty's country and people may be destroyed in the process.
I dare to say that if Luoyang City cannot be defended, then the prince who will go to Chang'an will be..."
"Shut up!"
Before Cai Yong finished speaking, the emperor roared from above. He listened to Cai Yong's words at first, but he didn't expect Cai Yong to say this later. He roared immediately: "My close ministers are treacherous ministers? Those who left me and fled are loyal ministers?
You traitor, I really want to kill you directly!"
Cai Yong wanted to say something, but the emperor immediately ordered the guards: "Drag this man out and throw him out of the palace."
The guards immediately dragged Cai Yong away. The emperor looked at everyone with murderous intent in his eyes and said, "Immediately follow my order. There are several more orders that will be implemented at the same time.
I am the emperor!"
————
The wife is the first of the country, and the country is the foundation of the monarch. She should devote herself to hard work and practice virtue and righteousness. This is the essence of the monarch. If the monarch is wise but without virtue, it will be a great harm to the country, just like the Han Dynasty. - "Emperor Model"
(End of this chapter)
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