One day later.
A swift horseman, traveling eight hundred li in an urgent manner, rushed straight to Luoyang through the night.
In the General's mansion in Luoyang, He Jin received a secret report from Zhang Yi, the governor of Bingzhou, and his face was clouded with gloom.
He hurriedly summoned his advisor Xun You for a secret meeting.
"General, what is it that makes you so uneasy?"
Seeing He Jin's furrowed brows, Xun You quickly asked, "Has something gone wrong with the plan to kill the Ten Attendants?"
He Jin shook his head: "The plan to eliminate the Ten Attendants is being carried out secretly according to the strategy."
"But something big happened in Bingzhou. The demoted prince Liu Wei had only been out of Yanmen Pass for a short time when he amassed an army, killed the imperial envoy, and embezzled the salt and iron supplies sent to the Xiongnu!"
"Not only that, he also killed the son of the Xiongnu Chanyu Qiangqu and tens of thousands of Xiongnu people!"
"This enraged the Xiongnu, who raised an army of 100,000 to besiege Shanwu and seek revenge."
"Dingxiang, outside Yanmen Pass, is already a land of war."
"The imperial court has always appeased the Xiongnu people; hasn't he just stirred up a hornet's nest?"
In fact, He Jin was a very ambitious person who wanted to integrate into the aristocratic group.
After he took office as Grand General, he recruited more than 20 scholars from all over the country to come to Luoyang to serve him.
Xun You, as a renowned scholar from Yingchuan, was naturally also summoned.
Because of his exceptional strategic acumen, He Jin recruited Xun You into his staff and consulted him on all matters, big and small.
Later, when Dong Zhuo entered the capital and caused chaos in Chang'an, Xun You, along with Zheng Tai, He Yong, Zhong Ji, Wu Qiong, and others, plotted to assassinate Dong Zhuo.
Whether the plan succeeded or failed, He Yong and Xun You were arrested and imprisoned.
Xun You remained calm and composed in prison, and happened to witness Dong Zhuo's execution, thus escaping punishment.
He resigned from his post and returned home, but was then summoned by the government. He passed the examination with top marks and was promoted to the position of Prefect of Rencheng, but he did not take up the post.
Later, Cao Cao recruited soldiers in Qiao County, preparing to rise up against Dong Zhuo.
Xun You's uncle, Xun Yu, recommended Xun You to serve Cao Cao, and the two of them became Cao Cao's most important strategists.
At the same time, He Jin also began to expand his influence, winning over the middle and lower-ranking officers of the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden.
Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Bao Hong, Zhao Rong, and others had already secretly been in contact with He Jin, effectively sidelining Jian Shuo, the Commandant of the Upper Army.
It should be noted that at that time in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the position of Colonel was a highly prestigious military officer.
A captain has his own army under his command, while a general may not necessarily have his own army.
Emperor Ling of Han established the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden, with himself serving as the Supreme General, while Jian Shuo, the Colonel of the Upper Army, commanded the other colonels.
He Jin cultivated his own power in this way, partly because his sister, Empress He, wanted to counter the eunuch power of Empress Dowager Dong's faction, which was supported by the Ten Attendants.
At this time, Liu Hong was seriously ill and no longer attended court. It was rumored that he intended to leave a will to allow Liu Xie, the Prince of Chenliu, who was adopted by Empress Dowager Dong, to succeed him.
This made Empress He very anxious!
On the other hand, Empress He seemed to intend to support He Jin's half-brother He Miao in an attempt to create a balance of power.
With the Yellow Turban Rebellion gaining momentum, Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun did not have an easy time in their initial battles.
As a general who was eager to achieve something and gain more power, He Jin was very busy at the moment.
Before we could even get any answers to the problems in the court, this mess has popped up in Bingzhou.
Liu Wei was someone Empress He was determined to get rid of.
Previously, He Jin had He Chang use a combination of methods, including contacting thieves, bribing border troops, bribing envoys, and spreading rumors in the border regions, which allowed Liu Wei to escape to the border regions by chance.
It was thought that Liu Wei would soon disappear without a trace, killed by the Xiongnu or Xianbei and his body left to rot in the wilderness.
He Jin then only ordered He Chang to monitor Liu Wei's movements in Bingzhou and report back promptly upon learning of his death.
But now, before He Chang's report has arrived, an urgent report has come from Zhang Yi, the governor of Bingzhou.
The news in the report was so shocking that it was impossible for He Jin not to be astonished!
Previously, He Jin sent Yuan Shao and Cao Cao to hunt down Liu Wei, but instead of killing Liu Wei, they helped him out of a predicament!
He Jin couldn't blame Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, so he tried to win them over.
Yuan Shao's father, Yuan Feng, held the official position of Minister of Works, and his uncle, Yuan Kui, held the official position of Minister of Education.
However, Empress He somehow found out about this.
Empress He reprimanded He Jin for this.
This is also the reason why Empress He supported He Miao to create a balance of power between He Jin and He Miao.
Perhaps Empress He felt that He Jin was out of her control after becoming a general.
If Empress He were to learn of Liu Wei's various deeds in the border regions, wouldn't she turn against He Jin?
It is very likely that in her view, Liu Wei dared to do this because He Jin was incompetent, or even because someone in the court was secretly supporting him.
This refutes the claim that Liu Wei had no power base in the court.
Otherwise, how do you explain the weapons, armor, and warhorses of those 20,000 soldiers?
"hiss!"
Xun You took the secret report handed to him by He Jin and gasped, "Marquis of Yinshan, such actions are no different from treason!"
"When did the Marquis of Yinshan acquire such abilities? He actually managed to recruit 20,000 soldiers beyond the Great Wall!"
“He is a prince of the Han Dynasty, how could he do such a thing? I think it’s impossible.”
"Furthermore, the son of the Qiangqu Chanyu was killed, and the whole clan launched a campaign against him. Such a big commotion has actually occurred in the border region."
"I think he has ulterior motives. He wants to take advantage of the fact that our army is busy suppressing the Yellow Turbans and can't spare any attention to cause trouble!"
Hearing Xun You's question, He Jin was naturally incredulous.
Even though it's understandable that Liu Wei would try to win people's hearts in the border regions by relying on his status and reputation as a prince.
It's not surprising that tens of thousands of people were misled and followed him, after all, a prince still has influence.
The problem is, is it possible that just one or two thousand civilians could seize Shanwu, kill the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu, and tens of thousands of Xiongnu cavalry?
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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