Chapter 120 Nangong Fire
Nangong fire!
Lu Zhi watched Cao Cao leave, and when he got on his horse, he looked in the direction where the fire was rising, with a worried look on his face.
Even if the fire was just an accident, it is not good news.
After the fire in the second year of Zhongping, there was a rumor in Luoyang that the fire fell from the sky because the current emperor was lacking in virtue. As the emperor was about to take over, there should be no such rumors about shortcomings.
What if it is a man-made fire?
This is even more troublesome!
The barrier of the Luoyang Imperial City was also a protection for the imperial power, and arson was a contempt and provocation to the royal majesty.
No one had expected such a sudden change to happen at this time.
At least not in Liu Hong’s original idea.
Lu Zhi first had military merit in quelling the Jiujiang Rebellion, and later had the merit of capturing and killing Zhang Jue during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Later, Liu Hong, jealous of his military merits, gave him the position of Shangshu Ling, the chief official of the inner court.
In addition, Lu Zhi studied under the great Confucian scholar Ma Rong, and he himself had profound academic attainments and cultivated many disciples.
Whether in terms of his official position, resume or his own strength, Lu Zhi deserves to be the regent minister who firmly holds the central government position.
However, when He entered Nangong and was killed, the aristocratic families who were only thinking about eradicating the power of the eunuchs and restoring the situation before the two Party Persecutions were not at all frightened by Zhang Rang's suggestion to wait for Lu Zhi and Liu Yu to arrive and make a decision.
When Yuan Shao asked whether they could take advantage of this opportunity to act, Yuan Shu looked at the heads of Dong Zhong and He Jin on the ground and quickly made his choice.
Of course, to be more precise, there was only Dong Zhong’s head.
Because at this time, the General He Miao, who was also present, had already held He Jin's head in his arms and cried loudly.
Yuan Shu actually looked down on this relative of the emperor, but at this moment, the other party was also a useful knife.
Those eunuchs tried their best to fulfill the late emperor's wish and put Liu Xie on the throne, so naturally they had to have a plausible reason, or it could be said to be a fig leaf.
For example, Liu Bian.
Yuan Shu said, "General Chariot and Cavalry, I'm afraid it's not time to cry yet. If we can let the other party delay time and let the prince ascend the throne, these usurpers will become his ministers tomorrow. Even if they kill the General of Cavalry first and then the general, they can explain it as a temporary measure."
"The Dong family doesn't just have Dong Zhong as their son. They may also have a great general. But how will the general deal with it then?"
He Miao's crying suddenly stopped.
His sister, Empress He, was originally selected from the common people and entered the palace. Although the He family still had some spare money at that time, they definitely did not have a complex clan relationship.
If Liu Xie came to power, Empress Dowager Dong would initiate a reckoning against them because of Dong Chong's death, and they would not have the slightest ability to resist the risk.
The one who died today was He Jin, and the one who will die tomorrow will be He Miao!
No, even if they had a clan background, it was useless. Even after the death of the former Empress Hexi, Emperor An of Han, who was truly in power, still wiped out the entire Deng family. Even though Empress Hexi repeatedly admonished the clan members to keep a low profile during her reign, she was unable to stop the emperor's butcher knife.
How could He Miao be an exception?
It has always been the truth that a new emperor appoints new ministers.
He wiped his tears, looked towards Yuan Shu, and asked, "No need to say more about Gong Lu, just tell me how to act."
Yuan Shu pointed to the palace gate in front of him and said, "We suspect that the eunuchs' imperial edicts were forged. The general saw through the truth and was killed by them. If their evil plan succeeds, the power of our Han Dynasty will be controlled by these villains!"
"The order of seniority is reversed, and the social order is disrupted. This is the way to bring disaster. At this time, there should be no scruples. Even if it violates the etiquette, it is something that must be done to ensure the prosperity of the Han Dynasty."
"Why don't we charge into the Nan Palace, capture and kill Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, rescue the prince, and support the legitimate son of the Empress to ascend the throne!"
He Miao knew that Yuan Shu's words were mostly for his own benefit. Zhang Rang and others dared to say that Lu Zhi and Liu Yu should come to assist the new emperor. Maybe there was some truth to it, but...
But he also has to fight for his own life!
Now that these respectable people from aristocratic families have thought of reasons to take action against him, what else does he have to worry about?
To hesitate means death, while to offend the imperial power would at most result in punishment. Between two evils, choose the lesser one. Even a butcher would think this way!
only--
"The road," He Miao thought through the decision, but still looked at the two brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu with a bitter face, and said, "The Luoyang Nangong now has many followers from the Eight Schools of the Western Garden who are loyal to the thief Zhang Rang. In addition, it is located at a high position, so it is not easy for us to break through."
"No, it's easy to fight." Yuan Shao looked towards the direction of the palace wall, without much panic on his face, and replied first.
If Cao Cao was still in Nangong before, based on his understanding of the other party's abilities, he might have caused them some trouble.
But they just received news that Cao Cao broke out from that end, obviously to find Lu Zhi, which made things easy.
Among these eunuchs, even Jian Shuo, who was entrusted with important tasks by Liu Hong and promoted to the position of the head of the Eight Commandants of Xiyuan, had actually not experienced many real battles.
This is not a fact that can be changed by courage and strategy.
Just a paper tiger!
Yuan Shu replied, "Yes, we will set the fire."
"Set...set fire?" He Miao was extremely shocked.
But his opinion was obviously not that important, and all Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu wanted was his supportive attitude.
Although He Jin was a bit stupid, his strategy of being open-hearted with his military commanders made many people he promoted from humble backgrounds willing to work for him.
For example, at this moment, when they heard about Yuan Shu's plan of burning, He Jin's subordinates such as Wu Kuang, Zhang Zhang and others had already stepped forward, even without him having to carry it out personally.
This kind of reckless man believes in revenge, and at this moment he would not care about the majesty of the imperial power.
While He Miao was still hesitating, a fire broke out at the gate of Nangong Palace.
This initial initiative made him grit his teeth and carry on.
If he can become a general of the Han Dynasty after usurping the throne, everything will be worth it!
This fire also caused panic among the defenders in Nangong and Zhang Rang and others.
Because at the same time, Yuan Shao had quickly sent someone to bring Yuan Kui here. With his status as a former Three Dukes and now a Grand Tutor, he shouted a real and decent slogan:
Follow the late emperor's will and kill the eunuchs!
Yuan Wei didn’t have the late emperor’s will in his hands, but he could get it later!
What we need now is to break the situation as quickly as possible, not to go through all the formalities.
However, they did not notice that when the decision to attack was made, Dong Min, who was also present, gave a few instructions to one of his confidants, and that person quickly rode away from the team.
Although Dong Min himself lacked some abilities, he also knew that such a major event must be informed to Dong Zhuo who was not far from Luoyang.
Everyone has their own little calculations, so no one is following the script.
If Liu Hong saw this scene, he would not know whether he would regret it. It was because he bought and sold official positions and the gold seal and purple ribbon of Guannei Hou that the imperial power became a phantom that could be shattered with a single poke.
He felt that Zhang Rang and others, who could only be loyal to the imperial power, had indeed not betrayed him and had strictly implemented the plan he had left behind, but they... they could not defend Nangong!
They also cannot protect the precarious dignity of the Han emperor!
When the fire that started outside the Nan Palace burned into the palace city and the iron hooves outside the city came flying, the Qingsuo Gate that collapsed first fell to the ground with a dull sound. It seemed that it was not only the wooden beams of the palace city and the shattered city gates that made the mournful cry, but also this dynasty that finally came to an end.
The fire that illuminated the night sky shocked the guards and eunuchs in the Nan Palace.
"Crazy! These people are crazy!" Zhang Rang muttered and stepped back.
At this time, how could he not see that the biggest surprise had already appeared in the plan of the late emperor.
However, he still had some quick wit and made two decisive decisions at this time.
In order to prevent He Jin from attacking him directly, he had hidden the imperial seal. Even if a fire broke out, he would never let the imperial seal be discovered.
Then all he had to do was...
He thrust a letter of decree into Bao Hong's hand and said, "Captain Bao, you and Marquis Qiao have a long history of friendship. Now, His Majesty must use his backup plan. Please lead your men to fight and head straight to Bingzhou. As soon as Marquis Qiao returns from the border, immediately have her lead the Bingzhou warriors to the capital to protect the emperor!"
"Do you understand?"
Zhang Rang spoke in a hurried tone, but he made the order very clear.
The late emperor was somewhat wary of Marquis Qiao, but at this point, only Qiao Yeshu has the ability to overpower all the other heroes!
Bao Hong had been to Bingzhou before and was the least likely to cause misunderstanding by rashly intruding, so he was undoubtedly the best person to deliver the message.
Zhang Rang had no time to determine whether Bao Hong might be someone else's man, so he could only hand over this responsibility to him.
Fortunately, Bao Hong really didn't have any other ideas. He immediately put the imperial edict in his arms and left.
Zhang Rang, together with Jian Shuo, immediately took the remains of the late emperor and the two princes, and charged out from the straight road between the North and South Palaces, intending to retreat directly to the direction of the Five Schools of the Northern Army to see if they could meet up with Lu Zhi.
But Luoyang Nangong is not a small area, and their decision cannot be quickly heard by everyone.
As soon as Zhang Rang and his men withdrew, Yuan Shao and his men rushed in. Duan Gui and Guo Sheng, who had no time to evacuate, were hacked to death on the spot.
The eunuchs in the Nan Palace fled everywhere.
But at this time, not only those famous eunuchs were killed, but also those treacherous villains who were regarded as must-be-killed by everyone who entered the palace. Even those who were usually engaged in cleaning chores could not escape.
This was obviously not a move that a team that just wanted to pursue Zhang Rang and others and recapture Liu Bian and Liu Xie would make.
But in such a chaotic situation, no one could say anything more.
It was not until the team went straight out of the north gate of Luoyang Nangong and continued to pursue that the place regained some peace.
Or perhaps it should not be called calm, because these people have already gone in all directions to hunt down the fleeing palace maids.
After another half cup of tea, the bronze figure in front of the palace began to move.
The sound of the bronze man falling to the ground was mixed with the sounds of firefighting, burning wood, the collapsing palace, and the sound of horse hooves gradually fading away, so it was not so eye-catching.
Bi Lan carefully climbed out of the hole inside the bronze man, and quickly followed the situation in her memory, found a palace maid's clothes to change into, and then, based on the principle that dangerous places are safer at this time, she ran towards the south gate where Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and others entered.
This is the direction these people came from. It is expected that few people will run that way, and there will be even fewer pursuers.
Another reason is -
Changing clothes is not that safe, so he has to find a temporary shelter for himself.
Thinking of their previous interactions and the relationship between the other party and the Yuan family, he gritted his teeth and headed south, heading straight to the spiritual platform that was taller than ordinary buildings under the moonlight.
Ma Lun, the Grand Historian who lived in Lingtai, south of Nangong, was the wife of Grand Tutor Yuan Wei and the mother of his two sons, no matter whether she had become estranged from the Yuan family in recent years.
Therefore, even if Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and others wanted to search for the eunuchs who escaped from the palace, they would never disrespect this place.
They would offend the imperial power but would not touch their own people.
What Bi Lan had never expected was that when he arrived near Lingtai, he did not see a chaotic scene, but a horse-drawn carriage had been hitched on the long street in front of Lingtai, and Ma Jun was sitting in the coachman's seat.
Seeing him coming, Ma Lun, who was standing by the car at the moment, did not show any surprise, but said decisively: "Get in the car!"
If Bi Lan had a chance to escape, she would only wait until this time at most, and would not wait any longer than that.
If he couldn't get away, she would never delay her trip because of him.
Shocked by her swift and decisive attitude and the decisive word "get in the car", Bi Lan did not dare to ask more questions at this time and quickly climbed into the carriage.
Then he saw hundreds of books in the car, and Liu Hong sitting in the car.
Just as he had hidden most of his body behind the bamboo slips, the carriage started moving.
"Mr. Yuan...Mr. Yuan Zhuo, what is this now?"
Liu Hong replied, "You are smart enough to put on women's clothes first. Since the fire in Nangong, soldiers have been hunting down eunuchs everywhere. Even young men on the street have to take off their clothes to prove themselves. Madam Ma felt that the situation in the capital was not good, so she hid all the female assistants in the Lingtai in the cellar under the high platform. In order to prevent the books for calculating astronomy and calendar from being missing, she sent us out first."
"Cell?!" Bi Lan's eyes were shocked.
What surprised him most at this moment was not that Ma Lun sent Liu Hong, the important brain, out of Luoyang first, but that Ma Lun actually dared to dig a cellar under the Lingtai!
What a bold act this is.
You should know that the reason why Lingtai can carry the function of the seismometer is because the foundation under this high platform is deliberately made to be slightly loose. However, if a cellar is dug underneath, the effect of transmitting earthquakes will undoubtedly be completely destroyed.
But in Ma Lun's opinion, sending everyone out at this time would be too ambitious. For some reason, she felt that hiding so many people in Yuan's mansion was not a reliable idea.
Perhaps it was because of what Qiao Yan said in the letter that the Yuan family was a bunch of rotten wood, which made her realize that Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao both held military power at that time, and that the fire in Nangong was also an act they had caused, and neither of them wanted to entrust their lives to the hands of the Yuan family.
Why not try what Qiao Yan said, dig a cellar under the platform and hide people and food in it.
Once this idea started, I couldn't stop it.
People can fall into misconceptions in their thinking. Even Bi Lan, who knew that the cavity below the spirit platform was easy to dig, couldn't believe that someone would do such a thing, let alone others!
Humans are alive, and the operation of a seismometer can be found elsewhere, but this is just a dead object!
It is not difficult to decide which is more important.
However, she still decided to send Liu Hong out first.
As long as the inventor of the Qianxiang calendar and abacus is still alive, it doesn't matter even if Lingtai is burned down like the Nangong Palace in Luoyang.
When the fire broke out in Nangong, she had people select the most important parts of the classics, and at the same time had people arrange the remaining bamboo slips on the bookshelf so that they seemed to be filled.
He also made the girls appear to flee back home, but in fact they hid in the underground cellar. He then sent Liu Hong and Ma Jun out in the name of the Grand Historian and Mrs. Yuan.
Bringing Bi Lan along was at most a matter of convenience.
The destination of this carriage is Bingzhou, which Ma Lun thinks is safer!
Because of the invitation Qiao Yan had given her earlier, Ma Lun also asked Ma Jun to pass on a message asking Qiao Yan for help.
It was easy for her to send Liu Hong out alone, but it was impossible for her to send hundreds of people out of Luoyang.
In particular, most of the women who come to Lingtai to work have families and cannot leave without any ties.
So she could only hope that—
Qiao Yan would do as she said in the letter, because she had already established a firm foothold in Bingzhou, and would not hesitate to provide help to those who were caught in the vortex of the capital!
Please come to Luoyang as soon as possible!
Regardless of whether Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu can kill the eunuchs and support Liu Bian to take the throne, at this moment she only believes in this more reliable ally, rather than those bastards who act without reason!
In Luoyang, where people were in panic because of the fire in the imperial palace, it would not be too much of a stretch to see such a carriage leaving.
Even when a patrol soldier stopped the car, he only saw Ma Lun getting out of it.
The dark official uniform she wore and her noble aura ensured that she would never be mistaken even in the darkness of night.
She held up the official seal and shouted, "I am Ma Lun, the Grand Historian. I am sending Mr. Yuan Zhuo northwards and away from Luoyang temporarily. How dare you stop me!"
Her imposing words made people, when they saw Liu Yuanzhuo sitting in the car, never imagine that there was another Bi Lan behind the letter.
The carriage sped past and went straight from the Nanguo area of Luoyang into the Beiguo area.
At this point, Maren no longer needed to rely on his identity to protect the carriage.
She let Ma Jun take the two men to continue north, while she walked back to Lingtai.
While walking on the long street of Luoyang, she couldn't help feeling emotional as she looked at the increasingly fierce fire at Nangong.
Have these people who started the fire ever thought that even if the new emperor ascended the throne, it would be difficult for Luoyang to recover from the state of chaos in a short period of time?
Have they ever thought that when the Runan Yuan family, who appear to be more inclined towards civil power, can make such a move, then... those powerful military generals may be able to do something even more terrible?
They might have thought about it.
But faced with the amazing temptation to further enhance the family's glory, they chose to take action without hesitation!
Maren sighed.
In such an absurd situation, all she could do was to use the conditions she had to do something to preserve her vitality.
No matter how many there are, we can only rely on the ability of the person who can turn the tide!
At this time, it is not just Mullen who hopes someone can stop this chaos.
Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others retreated too quickly and missed the chance to come to Cao Cao's rescue. So they could only rely on Jian Shuo's followers to deal with the pursuers from behind while continuing to flee north.
He then saw that among those pursuing them there were actually men from the Yue Cavalry Battalion, one of the five schools of the Northern Army.
This made him completely distrustful of Lu Zhi's ability to successfully control the five schools of the Northern Army.
Then he won't be able to fall into the trap!
After he had a quick discussion with Jian Shuo, they decided to go straight to Beimang Mountain and use the terrain in the mountains to delay time. If they could cross Beimang Mountain and then find a boat to cross the river, relying on the natural barrier of the Yellow River to defend, they might be able to save the situation.
But before they reached Beimang Mountain, Zhao Zhong was hit by a stray arrow from behind and died not long after.
Zhang Rang looked ahead at the mountains that looked like dormant wild beasts in the night, and listened to the sounds of fighting behind him. He could not help but sigh in his heart -
When will he be rescued by a loyal and righteous person?
Oh my God! The late emperor!
Are we going to watch these traitors who even burned down the imperial palace succeed?
It was almost dawn when he finally found a temporary hiding place in a valley in Mangshan Mountain.
He walked towards the two princes in the team.
At this time, they were staying with the soldiers who were carrying Liu Hong's body. They were forced to flee with the team, and their faces showed extreme fatigue.
They didn't know why they had to face such a situation after their father passed away.
According to the Han Dynasty's calculation, Liu Bian, who should be seventeen years old now, was timid to begin with, and almost huddled into a ball. On the contrary, Liu Xie, who was eleven years old, took the water handed over by Zhang Rang and asked, "Mr. Rang, where should we go?"
Zhang Rang smiled bitterly and replied, "Let's go over the hill ahead first."
For a moment he didn't know whether he should address Liu Xie as "Your Majesty" at this moment, adding another burden to the child, but in the end he just gathered his troops and set off again after a short rest.
After daybreak, it would become increasingly difficult to shake off the pursuers from behind, but he knew clearly that if he didn't move forward, he would die here like Zhao Zhong!
After the desire for survival prevailed, he was completely freed from the tiredness of a sleepless night.
What he didn't know was that at this time, almost dawn, without anyone stopping him, the confidant Dong Min sent to deliver the letter had already arrived at Dong Zhuo's camp after a night of galloping.
The cavalryman nearly fell off his horse. After catching his breath, he told Niu Fu, Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Li Ru, Xu Rong, Hu Zhen and others who were summoned by Dong Zhuo about the various changes that had taken place in Luoyang at that time.
Dong Zhuo was a man of decisive character.
After hearing this shocking change, he immediately realized, without anyone reminding him, that this chaotic situation was a great opportunity for him to gain the greatest benefit.
He slammed the table and stood up, "We will immediately march towards Beimang Mountain to eliminate the bandits and protect the emperor!"
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