Chapter 653: There is a violent storm in Luoyang, furious and ferocious!
Liu Bei and his three companions stayed in Yinghou State for a few days before returning to Taishan County. When Liu Bei left Luoying City, he recalled the conversation in the city and could not help but repeat: "The great cause of reviving the Han Dynasty lies in this. How could the kindness of our ancestors protect our descendants for so many years?"
Guan Yu's eyes almost filled with joy. He rode on his horse, holding the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade in his hand, and sighed: "Now I know what the Han Dynasty has been seeking for loyalty and righteousness for three hundred years. Now I know what loyalty and righteousness I have been seeking for my whole life!"
Zhang Fei saw that his elder and second brothers had spoken, so he thought for a moment and clasped his fists and said, "I think the same as you do!"
Liu Bei whipped his horse and galloped, raising clouds of dust. In the dust came Liu Bei's voice, "Return to Mount Tai, prepare to train troops and go to Linzi, and call on the ministers of the world who are loyal to the Han Dynasty to follow the path of Emperor Guangwu again!"
Guan Yu and his men rode up to catch up, and voices rang out, "Yes!"
In the Yinghou Mansion, Luo Qi walked in and said, "Father, Mother, Lord Liu has left."
Luo Chuan looked at his wife and asked softly, "Madam, what do you think of Liu Xuande?"
Luo Qian pondered for a moment and said, "His personality is not like Emperor Guangwu, but more like Emperor Gao. However, from what I have known for a short time, he is not as gifted as Emperor Gao and Emperor Guangwu.
But this is not a big problem. The personal abilities of a monarch are only of great use when they are insignificant.
Besides, he was just not good at planning and had no foresight. Jia Wenhe had shown him a clear way, which was enough for his long-term planning within a few years.
He is decisive, responsible, and able to listen to advice. Most importantly, he is tenacious. Even after suffering such a severe blow from his elder brother, he did not collapse at all. These are the necessary qualities for an excellent monarch.
He is indeed an extraordinary person.”
Hearing his mother's high evaluation of Liu Bei, Luo Qi seemed to be thinking about something. Seeing this, Luo Qian asked, "Aqi, it is not the right time for you to join Liu Bei yet.
Liu Bei cannot tolerate your presence now, and the family can only give him some financial support and secret support. "
Luo Qi nodded to indicate that he understood. He was the eldest son of Marquis Ying. His status and position were much higher than Liu Bei's. Now that he had joined Liu Bei's forces, who would Liu Bei's forces obey?
Moreover, if he joined Liu Bei's forces, it would be regarded as a statement by Ying Hou, and Ying Hou could not make a statement now, after all, Liu Bei was not the only Han royal relative in the world.
It was just like Luo Ling had never thought about joining any faction back then, because he was the head of the Luo family, and his personal entry meant the full support of the Luo family, which was different from his brothers Luo Yi, Luo Xin and others.
Luo Chu is now in the same state as Luo Yi, Luo Xin and other Luo family members back then. He is quite free and can do what he wants. This is exactly the reason why Luo Chu said he wanted to help Luo Chuan but Luo Chuan refused.
Freedom is a priceless treasure.
When Emperor Guangwu came to the land of the Five States, he had already made a great name for himself in the Heluo area, and everyone in the world knew his reputation. The current Liu Bei is still far from that.
He had to at least take over the entire Qingzhou and have the strength of Qi State five hundred years ago, so that he could call himself one of the overlords of the Central Plains.
It would be enough for Naroqi to join his forces or become his vassal.
Liu Bei began to develop in Qingzhou by relying on his status as a relative of the Han royal family. With the support of the powerful people in Taishan County, he appointed himself as the prefect of Taishan County. The State of Jinan was also under his control. In a short period of time, he had two foundations and his future was bright.
…
Ever since Luo Shu led the brave warriors to leave Luoyang City, it has fallen into instability and turmoil, probably because the power has lost its balance.
But any system without external forces will gradually become stable, and the same is true for politics.
Once the political situation becomes unstable, people's hearts will become confused.
Then everyone wants to stabilize the situation in a way that is beneficial to themselves, and contradictions and conflicts break out in the pursuit of different interests.
Ever since the Luo family left Luoyang City, Li Ru knew that the opportunity had come. As long as he could quickly, accurately and ruthlessly intimidate those old officials who had been jumping around, he would be able to completely control Luoyang and even the entire Sizhou.
Li Ru even planned out how to gradually erode the world and eventually bury the Han Dynasty completely and change the world.
Li Ru's methods were brutal and fierce. He quickly seized the opportunity of the internal discord among the scholars and imprisoned Yuan's old ministers who had been opposing him on the grounds of disrespect. This caused a backlash from the Yuan family.
In the court, many ministers angrily accused Dong Zhuo of being lawless, but Dong Zhuo said sternly: "Are you accusing me like this in order to gather people to rebel?"
This stirred up a hornet's nest, and a minister immediately stood up and said, "Are you our monarch? You actually said you were rebelling, how ridiculous!"
Dong Zhuo laughed coldly and said, "Now the affairs of the world are decided by me. The country of Han rests on my shoulders. Isn't it treason to oppose me?"
There was a sudden silence in the hall. The ministers and officials never expected that Dong Zhuo would say such words. After the silence, there was a commotion.
"Dong Zhongying!
What are you talking about? You are only a high-ranking official, and your title is only a county marquis. How dare you say such words? Even when King Luo Wen was in power, he never said such words. What kind of evil dog are you? How dare you say such arrogant words! "
The sharp sarcasm in these words made everyone feel refreshed. They felt that they had never felt so refreshed since Zhang Jue entered Luoyang.
Dong Zhuo did not get angry but laughed instead, drew out his sword with a swish, and then shouted angrily: "You are so rebellious!
You people are all just good at talking nonsense. How many Han officials died when Zhang Jiao conquered Luoyang?
Those truly loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty had long since died with Emperor Ling.
All of you have to bow down and scrape your lives under Zhang Jiao's sword. Isn't this the most shameful thing?
After receiving the order to assist the king, I, Dong Zhuo, took the men of Liang Province and took risks to go deep into the Qiang people's community to establish contact. We then traveled two thousand miles amid numerous dangers and difficulties.
As ministers of the state, you have received great favor from the emperor, but you are unable to rectify the country and its people, and you are unable to appease the people. Yet you are still speaking shamelessly here. It is really a waste of all the teachings of the sage over the years.
I am deeply ashamed of you!
I command one hundred thousand Xiliang cavalrymen, and my bravery is unmatched in the world.
If I am not in charge of the world now, should you, the so-called nobles who are greedy for life and afraid of death and kowtow to me, be in charge?"
Dong Zhuo's words were like a knife stabbing everyone's heart, and the mention of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry at the end was vaguely threatening.
This was not the end yet. Dong Zhuo was about to drag out and kill the person who had just insulted him.
Yuan Shao had always remembered what Luo Shu had said to him when he left, and had been paying close attention to Dong Zhuo's actions. Now, seeing that he was about to kill someone, he was shocked and angry.
He knew he could no longer sit idly by, so he stood up and shouted angrily: "Dong Zhuo, how can a minister of state kill people without authorization?"
Dong Zhuo stared at Yuan Shao with a sharp and cold light in his eyes. The person he feared most in Luoyang City now was Yuan Shao, probably because Yuan Shao had both strength and reputation.
Although he is not the head of the family, Yuan family's disciples and former officials now all focus on Yuan Shao, and even Yuan Shu is excluded.
Yuan Shao said fearlessly: "A country cannot be without a king for a day. I have never heard that a country cannot be without ministers for a day. The one who is indispensable to the country is the emperor, not you, Dong Zhuo.
The major issues of the world are between us ministers. You are just a military man. How do you know how to govern a country or coordinate yin and yang?
Marquis Wushuang has been a high-ranking noble for two hundred years, but he is trapped in the deep palace!
You isolate the inside and outside, and prevent Your Majesty from meeting with us ministers. Isn't this the same as imprisoning the Emperor?
The Queen Mother was naturally the regent but she never stayed behind the scenes and lived in seclusion in the deep palace. Wasn't this what you, Dong Zhuo, did?
You are so shameless here talking about gathering a crowd to rebel, but aren't you the one who is rebelling?
Are the Queen Mother and the Emperor still alive?
With all the incidents happening one after another, what innocent words do you, Dong Zhuo, dare to speak out? !
You said that the Xiliang cavalry were brave and valiant, so how could my Hebei men be weaker than you Xiliang?"
Yuan Shao's questioning was heard in the hall. Everyone looked at the majestic Yuan Shao. When Dong Zhuo heard Yuan Shao mention the emperor, the unparalleled marquis Luo Kong, and the Hebei army, he became murderous and asked in a cold voice, "Yuan Shao, you are spreading rumors here to confuse the people. You really deserve to be killed!
But do you want to test the sharpness of my sword?
Dong Zhuo's murderous intent was so obvious that even the warriors in the hall began to move slightly, and almost everyone in the room was chilled.
Yuan Shao's mind raced, and he felt a surge of energy and blood rushing up. He drew out his sword and said angrily, "My sword is not bad either!"
"hiss!"
Yuan Shao's tit-for-tat response made everyone gasp. Although Yuan Shao was so impressive and admirable at the moment, seeing the tense atmosphere in the hall, everyone quickly stood up to appease the crowd.
Yuan Shao regained his senses and recalled what Luo Shu had said. He knew that confronting Dong Zhuo here was not a good thing. He could not even go back to his mansion. He had to live directly in the army. The thought flashed through his mind, he glanced at everyone, and left.
There was murderous intent in Dong Zhuo's eyes, but he still had many concerns. He still wanted to cooperate with the gentry. Even when he was in power, he began to promise official positions to the gentry in and outside Luoyang.
He didn't dare to go to war with the aristocratic families directly now, so he could only let Yuan Shao leave.
Yuan Shao walked out of the courtyard, sweating all over, knowing that he was too impulsive. Seeing Xun Chen following him out, he said directly: "Youruo, I was impulsive just now. I should have made plans before taking action. Fortunately, Dong Zhuo is not a complete lunatic."
Xun Chen said excitedly: "My lord, your angry rebuke of Dong Zhuo in the hall just now will spread all over the world. The most handsome man in the world, tell the world what the most handsome man in the world is!"
Yuan Shao was not excited by Xun Chen's praise. Instead, he said worriedly, "Youruo, now that Dong Zhuo has shown his evil side, I'm afraid our previous idea of ruling together and then fighting for power will not work.
For now, if we can contact Wushuang Hou and bring His Majesty out, we can use this opportunity to attack Dong Zhuo, shake up and divide Dong Zhuo's forces, and unite the rest of the people around us, so that we can fight against Dong Zhuo."
Xun Chen paused for a moment and said, "My lord, Dong Zhuo has now isolated the inside and outside, but I have a nephew named You, styled Gongda, who is now the Imperial Court Minister and can connect the inside and outside.
He may not look good, but he has good plans. He has long been dissatisfied with Dong Zhuo, saying that Dong Zhuo is just a common man and will be defeated sooner or later. If we can get his help, it is not impossible to contact Wushuang Hou. "
Yuan Shao was overjoyed when he heard this and quickly asked, "Could You introduce me to him?"
Xun Chen nodded and said, "Dong Zhuo will definitely be keeping a close eye on us now. When we meet again in a few days, if we reveal that he is connected to us, I'm afraid this connection will be cut off."
Yuan Shao nodded in approval and decided to be careful in what he did now.
After Yuan Shao left, no one dared to contradict Dong Zhuo, so everything went as Dong Zhuo wanted. Fortunately, no one was in danger of life for the time being. When everyone walked out of the courtyard, they suddenly felt like they had survived a disaster.
Recalling Yuan Shao's heroic appearance in the hall, the news was immediately spread to the people of Luoyang City, and then spread by word of mouth. No matter what those scholars who opposed Dong Zhuo thought before, at this moment they regarded Yuan Shao as their backbone.
This was an unexpected surprise for Yuan Shao. His main goal in coming to Luoyang was to enhance his political reputation.
To some extent, although he went astray and failed to control the government, he really enjoyed building up his reputation with Dong Zhuo.
The little reputation that Liu Bei and Cao Cao gained through their efforts to wipe out bandits was not as good as what Yuan Shao said when he faced Dong Zhuo's army head-on.
Xun Chen quickly brought Xun You to Yuan Shao without alerting anyone. Xun You naturally knew what Yuan Shao had done. Otherwise, he would not have been here today to conspire with Yuan Shao.
Xun You first told Yuan Shao about the current situation in the palace. Yuan Shao was filled with anger and shouted in a low voice: "Dong Zhuo is indeed a treacherous minister. Isn't this blackmailing the emperor?
If it weren't for the Wushuang Marquis guarding the palace, if it weren't for the imperial guards guarding the palace, wouldn't Dong Zhuo still want to stay overnight in the palace, and would he still want to harm Your Majesty?"
Xun You said expressionlessly: "Dong Zhuo is really too arrogant. If God wants him to die, he must first make him mad. He is so arrogant that he is not far from death.
Lord Benchu, if you can kill Dong Zhuo and then assist His Majesty, this would be the achievement of an ancient overlord!"
Xun You was talking about the ancient overlords, not the achievements of King Wen and Huo Guang. He had seen through Yuan Shao and was unwilling to be just an ordinary powerful official. Instead, he hoped to successfully make a powerful official in the shogunate.
Xun You was not surprised, because the ultimate goal of every samurai was to become a powerful official in the shogunate.
Yuan Shao's eyes changed, and he began to admire Xun You. He became more serious and said softly, "Please let me know."
Xun You said in a deep voice: "There are two most critical figures in the Xiliang Army, one is Dong Zhuo and the other is Li Ru. Dong Zhuo is the undisputed leader of Xiliang, and Li Ru's prestige in the Xiliang Army is also very high, but far less than Dong Zhuo.
Li Ru was the only think tank of the Xiliang Army, and the entire planning of the Xiliang Army came from him.
Moreover, Li Ru's prestige was among those second-rate generals. The highest-ranking officers in the Xiliang Army were either Dong Zhuo's brothers or his sons-in-law and other relatives.
These people were at odds with Li Ru because Dong Zhuo listened to Li Ru's words. Li Ru was proud of his talent and looked down on these people. He said many times that these people's talents were not as good as those of middle-level generals such as Li Jue, Guo Si, and Zhang Ji.
If Dong Zhuo could be assassinated, the Xiliang army would surely fall into civil strife and Li Ru would surely die.
Once Dong Zhuo and Li Ru are dead, the Xiliang army will first lose the backbone, then the heart and brain. At that time, the power in your hands will be the strongest in Luoyang City. Gather the imperial guards, and then persuade some of the Xiliang army to rebel, and great things will be accomplished!"
"hiss."
Yuan Shao gasped. What shocked him was not Xun You's plan, but Xun You's understanding of the Xiliang Army. Just from these things, he knew that Xun You might have been planning the assassination of Dong Zhuo for a long time.
Now that he had just happened to come across this plan and had become the person to implement Xun You's plan, Yuan Shao did not think there was anything wrong with it.
He doesn't think that he can't be a pawn. When people live in this world, being used by others is nothing. The most terrifying thing is that they are not even worth being used.
Yuan Shao thought about the plan and said, "But Dong Zhuo takes his safety very seriously. He is protected by soldiers whenever he travels. There are too many people who want to kill Dong Zhuo, but no one has succeeded."
Xun You said softly, "Dong Zhuo will only relax his guard after entering the palace, especially when he is meeting the emperor and the queen mother. Because the palace is relatively large, the soldiers around him are far away from him. This is our only chance, and that is to kill him in the palace."
Yuan Shao was shocked when he heard this and said, "Fight in the palace? Gongda, are you talking about contacting Wushuang Hou to fight? This..."
Xun You said proudly: "Marquis Wushuang is a veteran general on the battlefield, decisive and brave. If we can bring weapons into the palace, we will surely succeed.
We have agreed with Marquis Wushuang on the time to take action. When Marquis Wushuang takes action, we will quickly attack the palace, wipe out the Xiliang troops entrenched in the palace, control the palace, close the palace gates, and then throw Dong Zhuo's head out of the city. What worries us about our great cause?"
Wushuang Hou Luo Kong was a fierce general who could charge into the battlefield. In terms of martial arts alone, Yuan Shao knew that Yan Liang and Wen Chou were probably about the same as Wushuang Hou.
He was very clear about how powerful Yan Liang and Wen Chou were. Ordinary soldiers were like paper in front of such fierce generals.
Not to mention bringing in sharp weapons like bows and crossbows, if Wushuang Hou could be given a sharp blade or some armor, he could really kill Dong Zhuo in a sudden attack.
If he could bring a bow and crossbow in, as long as his hands didn't shake and he shot an arrow from nowhere, Dong Zhuo would almost certainly die!
“Will Wushuang Hou be willing?
In this plan, he is the most dangerous one, and he may even die directly. The Xiliang army will definitely go crazy when they see Dong Zhuo being killed. The emperor and the queen mother dare not kill him, but Wushuang Hou and his men will not hesitate. "
Xun You seemed to have remembered something, and said with certainty: "Marquis Wushuang will definitely agree. He will definitely agree."
Yuan Shao didn't know where Xun You's confidence came from, but since Xun You said so, it meant he was absolutely sure.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this plan was quite feasible. His only worry was, "This plan may take a long time, and it must not be leaked, otherwise I can just walk away.
But you are in trouble, and may even be killed. You must be careful. From now on, the matter of contacting Wushuang Hou will be handed over to Gongda. I will select death warriors from the army to serve as a cover."
Seeing that Yuan Shao was willing to do such a big thing, Xun You agreed on some things and left in a hurry. He was the Yellow Gate Minister and could not leave the palace for a long time, otherwise there would be a risk of being discovered by Li Ru.
Whenever Xun You thought of that strategist in the Xiliang army, he felt a chill down his spine. Xun You himself had a rather dark personality, but compared to Li Ru, he felt that he was still relatively sunny.
Dong Zhuo, a common man, would not be able to discover this plan, but Li Ru's eyes, which were always staring at the palace, made it hard to tell. This was what worried Xun You the most.
In fact, Li Ru did not take Xun You, the Yellow Gate Minister, seriously. He always kept an eye on Luo Kong and even recorded Luo Kong's daily movements.
Liu Bian and Queen Mother He are like air to Li Ru. The only person who might cause any change is the unrivaled Marquis Luo Kong.
But after observing for so long, he still couldn't find any flaws in Luo Kong.
He stayed by Liu Bian's side every day, and even had time to teach Liu Bian and Tang Ji to read, and time to chat with Empress Dowager He. Empress Dowager He found in Luo Kong the same sense of security she had with Zhang Jue, so she kept coming to the emperor's palace, and even often lived here in order to sleep peacefully.
Li Ru was guarding the city with great patience. In his opinion, all the ups and downs in Luoyang City could be easily resolved. Now his main task was to completely discourage Dong Zhuo's desire to integrate into the upper class of nobles and aristocrats.
Let him know that the only way out is to rely on the lowest-level nobles and the poor.
Let him understand that even if he flatters them, those top nobles and aristocrats will not accept him, a warrior from Xiliang.
Xun You felt that Li Ru's eyes were always on the palace, which made it impossible for him to contact Luo Kong. He had no choice but to find a way to divert Li Ru's eyes away. To do so, he had to let Yuan Shao make an effort outside the palace, forcing Li Ru to deal with the affairs outside the palace, while temporarily cutting off his sight inside the palace.
Xun You believed that Wushuang Hou Luo Kong must have been looking for an opportunity to break out of his current caged state.
What no one expected was that a sudden unexpected event made everyone feel that the opportunity had come.
————
The longer Dong Zhuo held power, the more greedy and violent he became. He would often throw court officials into jail and claim himself to be the ruler of all nations and the most respected person in the country. He treated the emperor as if he were nothing and threw away moral principles like worn-out shoes, exposing his wolfish and cunning nature to everyone.
However, he relied on the strong military force of Xiliang, and all his ministers and officials feared him like a tiger. Anyone who disobeyed him would be imprisoned at the very least, and beheaded at the worst. The soldiers were in great turmoil and could not bear the humiliation.
At that time, Wei Shao was brave enough to confront Dong Zhuo with a sword in hand, and dared to question him about his unfair and violent behavior. He said, "The sword of the Han Dynasty is still sharp, how can you humiliate it!" - "Records of Heroes in the Late Han Dynasty"
(End of this chapter)
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