Chapter 119 Death of He Jin
What do you think?
At this moment, countless thoughts flashed through He Jin's mind.
No matter what the current situation is, although he is not good at speaking, he did not rush to the top just by relying on the encouragement of these scholars. He always has a scale in his heart.
The people standing here are not two groups, at least not two camps divided according to the inside and outside of the Nangong city wall.
But square.
Eunuchs, nobles and him, what do they have to gain?
Just as Zhang Rang said, if he forced these eunuchs who had just lost their greatest support into a desperate situation at this time, although he could ensure that Liu Bian would be supported to the throne after killing them all, the power of these aristocratic families would be completely unrestricted.
However, the relationship between the maternal relatives and the royal family is not one of complete mutual trust.
Even his half-sister, Empress He, after becoming the empress dowager, must have been more concerned about the interests of the little emperor rather than the entire He family!
Then perhaps he should really choose to let Zhang Rang and others go at this time, just like Liu Hong who had just passed away, and maneuver back and forth between the forces of eunuchs and gentry, gaining enough benefits from both sides to put himself in an invincible position.
Zhang Rang and others were more in line with his wishes than Yuan Shao and others who only spoke nicely, because they had already taken practical actions.
Killing Dong Chong is the best token of surrender!
General Huoqi Dong Chong had nothing to do with Dong Zhuo, who was stationed in Hedong and had even approached Luoyang. He was the nephew of the current Empress Dowager Dong, and belonged to Liu Xie's faction.
If Dong Hou Liu Xie wanted to take the throne of the emperor, he needed both the emperor's edict of succession and the support of Dong Zhong's troops.
He Jin originally thought that Zhang Rang and others had ordered Dong Chong to meet the emperor in order to give the general a legitimate reason to send troops, but he did not expect that they killed Dong Chong first out of fear of death as a gesture of goodwill to him, He Jin.
OK! This couldn't be better.
Zhang Rang took the initiative to sever ties with Liu Xie!
He Jin never expected that the last plan Liu Hong left before his death was to eliminate him, the great general, and he even went so far as to let Zhang Rang, Jian Shuo and others kill Dong Chong first in order to win his trust.
This is a plan that the emperor can use to his advantage.
When Dong Zhong's head, with his eyes open in death, was placed under his horse's hooves, He Jin looked towards the direction of the imperial city again, and all he felt was joy.
What if Zhang Rang ordered him to only bring 200 soldiers with him?
With these people by his side, it is enough to protect his safety.
If there are too many people, it may even be suspected of treason.
He Jin said loudly: "Let the people around me confirm whether your Majesty is alive or dead first."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a hanging basket hanging from the Nangong city wall.
He raised his hand and motioned one of his followers to go forward.
The trusted follower boarded the hanging basket and was taken into the Nangong Palace. After about a cup of tea, he was let down again.
He rushed over and replied to He Jin: "Your Majesty has indeed passed away, and the edict of succession was indeed given to Marquis Dong."
He saw all of this with his own eyes.
He also saw Dong Zhong's headless body lying in the Jiade Hall.
Probably the cavalry general would not have thought that what he saw after entering was not the living Majesty, but such a fatal blow.
When He Jin heard that Liu Hong finally chose to pass the throne to Liu Xie, he was not angry but smiled.
After all, Liu Hong felt that Liu Xie was smarter than Liu Bian and more in line with his wishes, and this had been the case for a long time, so it was not surprising that he made such a decision in his will.
What He Jin was laughing at was that the other party clearly despised them for being crude and vulgar, and that the prince they gave birth to, Bian, was not capable of handling important responsibilities. However, the eunuchs who had once surrounded him and driven him kept his death a secret, killed Dong Chong, and joined his side!
The final winner is still He Jin!
With these facts in front of him, He Jin completely ignored the dissuasion of Yuan Shao and others at this time, who said things like the arrow was on the string and the situation was irreversible. He immediately ordered everyone except the two hundred soldiers who were going to follow him into Nangong to retreat a distance.
Then, after the city gate slowly opened, he led the guard team into the important inner palace.
The palace gate opened, and he saw Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others standing in front to greet him.
Perhaps it was because of the previous killing of Dong Zhong that these two people had a lot of blood on their bodies, which also made these two eunuchs, who were once arrogant and arrogant and were called parents by Liu Hong, look particularly like two -
Reservoir dog!
He Jin could only think of this metaphor.
He rode forward, not even bothering to dismount because he was in the Nan Palace. He just stopped beside Zhang Rang with such arrogance and said, "Lord Rang, if you had been so wise earlier, why would you have to kill the emperor's relatives to win my trust today?"
Zhang Rang looked bitter and replied, "General, you are joking. If I had stood on your side earlier, I would have been disliked by Your Majesty."
He Jin sneered when he heard this, and thought that it was indeed what Zhang Rang said.
He only asked, "The two princes have been sent to the South Palace from the city gate in the direction of the North Palace. Where is the imperial seal?"
After the palace gate on the south side was closed, although Yuan Shao and others were no longer by his side, He Jin did not feel that he was in danger. Instead, because he was in an ownerless territory, his greedy and cunning nature took over and he felt at ease.
At the same time, the northern palace gate opened and closed. It was after receiving his instructions that Liu Xie and Liu Bian, who were originally in the North Palace, were sent here.
Zhang Rang listened to the report from the eunuch and knew that they had put Liu Xie in a safe environment, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He then turned to He Jin and said, "General, please follow me."
It was perfectly reasonable that He Jin did not ask how to deal with Liu Hong's body or hold a funeral, but instead asked about the whereabouts of the imperial seal.
Since there was only an imperial edict passing the throne to Liu Xie, if Liu Bian wanted to ascend the throne, or to ascend the throne legally, it would be best to have a new imperial decree.
Even if it was written later, it doesn’t matter, as long as it is stamped with the emperor’s seal and has the support of the general, it will be enough!
Seeing that Zhang Rang was leading him towards the palace in the east instead of the Jiade Hall in the west, He Jin cursed Zhang Rang in his heart, calling him an old fox.
This guy seemed to be on guard against him breaking into the palace by force, so he hid the imperial seal first.
Fortunately, he did not choose to turn against the other party, but accepted his surrender, otherwise it would be a bit troublesome to support his nephew to take the position.
In the second year of Zhongping, a fire broke out in Nangong, but it did not affect this area.
This palace, located in the southeast corner of Luoyang Nangong, is separated from the official residence by only a wall and is mostly used as an office, similar to a government office.
Even though Zhang Rang was leading He Jin to the north, the alleys in this area were still narrower than the roads between ordinary palaces.
He Jin was thinking about getting the imperial seal as soon as possible, so he didn't notice that his 200 attendants had been stretched into a long line in the palace corridor, which could no longer protect him.
He only saw Zhang Rang stop at a side door of the palace wall and said, "It is right here. Please wait for a moment, General."
Zhang Rang pushed the door open and walked in.
He Jin frowned when he saw that the courtyard had not been cleaned for a long time and there was a crossbeam at the door. But then he realized that Zhang Rang had really chosen a suitable place to hide the imperial seal.
If he had really chosen to charge in directly, he would not have searched in such a corner.
When the imperial seal was lost, he would have another reason to be denounced by the scholars.
"Please wait for a moment, General. I will go and get it."
Zhang Rang bowed to He Jin and walked towards the palace without closing the gate.
He Jin did not suspect anything and stayed where he was.
But an accident happened at this time!
Almost at the next moment when Zhang Rang's figure disappeared from his sight, the courtyard gate was suddenly closed by the person hiding behind the gate, leaving He Jin and his followers alone in the alley between the high walls on both sides.
Before He Jinlai could react, dozens of archers suddenly appeared on the high walls on both sides.
These archers, who had already drawn their bows and were standing on the ladders, took the closing of the door as a signal, and leaned their heads out in unison, shooting long arrows at He Jin's men in the alley.
There were at least ten arrows aimed at He Jin!
He and his followers were all wearing special armor that made them almost impossible to be penetrated by ordinary bows and arrows. But these arrows coming from above were aimed at his face!
The sudden attack was launched by the elite soldiers from the eight schools of Xiyuan trained by Jian Shuo, and a long arrow immediately pierced his face.
What a fatal arrow!
The arrow penetrated his face, leaving only the arrow feathers outside, hitting the vital point.
Before He Jin fell down, he was clearly still dreaming.
Once he got the imperial seal, he would be credited with supporting his nephew to ascend to the throne.
But now all this has become a bubble.
As his vision gradually blurred, he saw Jian Shuo's followers pouring in from both sides of the alley, blocking the exits on both sides. It seemed that even if he was not hit by this arrow, he would die here.
He Jin was filled with hatred, but he could not stop the fatal arrow. His consciousness was rapidly slipping away.
The only thing he could do was to curse "Zhang Rang, you villain!" as he fell to the ground.
"Villain?" Zhang Rang snorted coldly when he heard He Jin's shout.
What a villain he is!
Empress He was well-known in the harem for her jealousy. She poisoned Concubine Wang to death after she gave birth to Prince Xie. It was only because of the eunuchs' beggars that Liu Hong temporarily changed his mind and did not let Empress He follow in the footsteps of Empress Song and end up with the whole family being liquidated.
But what did He Jin give them in return?
After he became the general in the seventh year of Guanghe, he accepted the surrender of those gentry without hesitation, making He Jin the "leader" of the punishment of eunuchs.
An ungrateful fool!
Now that He Jin has been eliminated, all he needs to do is let someone inform Lu Zhi and Dong Zhong's brother of the news, and let them seize control of He Jin's followers as soon as possible. He, Zhang Rang, is the loyal minister who will pass on the power until the next emperor ascends the throne!
In order to prevent the news from leaking out and causing the situation that Liu Hong wanted to eliminate He Jin during his lifetime, Zhang Rang did not dare to let the other people who were in Nan Palace leave.
Now that He Jin was dead, he felt that the biggest obstacle was gone. So it would not matter if some of the people who brought the news pretended to obey but actually disobeyed.
He picked up He Jin's chopped-off head and walked towards the northeast corner of Nangong.
Among the eight schools in Xiyuan, some trustworthy people are still here after Liu Hong's screening.
Including the two captains Cao Cao and Bao Hong.
Cao Cao saw Zhang Rang walk in, covered in blood and holding He Jin's head, and said:
"Meng De, I know you have a long-standing friendship with Yuan Shao and Yuan Benchu, but now the country is in danger. His Majesty has left a will that Marquis Dong will be his successor. We are his direct subordinates, so should we fulfill his wish for him?"
Cao Cao smiled bitterly in his heart, but showed no strangeness on his face.
He originally thought that the establishment of the eight schools in Xiyuan would enable him to realize his dream of making great achievements, but he did not expect that Liu Hong only wanted to use this force to fight against the general. Now that His Majesty has passed away, their situation has become even more embarrassing.
But the current situation may really only be possible if the chaos is corrected first. He is already in a dilemma and can only continue to do so.
Even though he had once beaten Jian Shuo's uncle to death, he was still considered useful at this time.
He was also surrounded by brave generals and elite soldiers, allowing him to break out of the siege at this time. Zhang Rang could only give him the task of making contact.
He replied, "Just let me know if you have anything to say."
Seeing that Cao Cao was still calm and composed in the face of such a sudden change, and had the demeanor of a great general, and had already agreed, Zhang Rang couldn't help but smile with satisfaction, "Go out from the northeast gate immediately and go find Shangshu Ling Lu Zhi. Your Majesty has appointed Shangshu Lu as the assistant of the young emperor. Since Shangshu Lu is good at military affairs, ask him to reorganize the troops as soon as possible with the help of your subordinates and lift the siege of Nangong!"
Please Lu Zhi?
This was undoubtedly a decision that surprised Cao Cao greatly.
Cao Cao has to choose between Lu Zhi, He Jin, Yuan Shao and others. Cao Cao, who is still a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, will definitely choose Lu Zhi!
Even though this transfer of power was too unusual, at least Lu Zhi was truly dedicated to the public and had no selfish motives. If he had been a minister assisting in the administration, the Han Dynasty might have had a real chance of revival!
After receiving the order, he immediately led Xu Chu, Cao Hong and others out of the northeast gate of Nangong.
But before Cao Cao and his men even had the chance to break out, He Jin's words "Zhang Rang is a villain" echoed between the palace walls. Not only was it heard clearly by Zhang Rang who was nearby, but He Yong who was in Sikong Mansion at the time also heard the noise.
He immediately realized that something was wrong and ran straight to where Yuan Shao and others were.
After listening to He Yong's speculation, Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao led their troops towards the city wall without hesitation.
As expected, it was consistent with what He Yong had guessed. In response to their question, "Where is the general?", there was first silence, and then the second head was thrown down from the city wall.
He Jin’s head!
After hearing Zhang Rang say behind the city wall that He Jin was executed for treason and that they would not make any rash moves until Lu Gong and Liu Youzhou arrived to take charge of the situation, Yuan Shao did not retreat as Zhang Rang hoped. Instead, he stared at the corner where the voice came from and suddenly asked Yuan Shu, "From Gong Lu's point of view, is this the best time to execute the eunuch?"
The Luoyang Nangong Palace is not a place that can be strictly guarded!
Those followers who were once driven by He Jin are also the most useful knives at this time!
Even if this move is detrimental to the imperial prestige, so what? Once it is accomplished, there is nothing that cannot be covered up by the mouths of the aristocratic families, not to mention that only the eunuchs were wiped out!
Cao Cao had just met Lu Zhi and talked about the things in the Luoyang Palace. He handed the letter of appointment to him. Lu Zhi looked in the direction of the imperial city and his face changed.
In the dark sky at this time, the scorching red color of the sky is particularly eye-catching.
That is...
Lu Zhi grabbed Cao Cao's arm and said, "Not good! The Nangong Palace is on fire, I'm afraid something might happen! Meng De, leave twenty cavalrymen with me, I will go to the Northern Army camp to transfer troops, you go and put out the fire and save people first!"
"No matter what, we must first protect the prince... No, we must first protect His Majesty's safety!"
Since the late emperor's edict is already there, Prince Xie should be the next emperor of the Han Dynasty!
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