Chapter 29 Chapter Five Hengchai into the Stove

In the sixth year of Zhongping (189), many major events will take place in the Eastern Han Empire.These events started with the death of Emperor Ling. In just a few months, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and the stars have changed.Before Lingdi died, he dictated his last wish to Jian Shuo.In order to fulfill Emperor Ling's last wish, Jian Shuo immediately decided to launch a thunderous operation before the outside world knew the news of the emperor's death, and took decisive action against the queen and the general.He summoned people around him who he thought were reliable, made elaborate arrangements, and then called He Jin into the palace to discuss matters in the name of the late emperor, and He Jin was executed as soon as he entered the palace.He Jin didn't know that Emperor Ling was dead yet, so he was not on guard at all, and entered the palace as usual.Seeing that the big event is about to come true, but there is a traitor on Jian Shuo's side. An eunuch named Pan Yin is a man of He Jin. After learning of Jian Shuo's plot, he hurried to the outside of the palace gate, nominally to greet the general, but actually to tip off the news. .When He Jin came, Pan Yin kept winking, He Jin finally understood, turned around and left immediately.

Considering that the city was not safe, he galloped directly into the West Garden Army. Recently, the situation was urgent, and news of Emperor Ling's illness came out from the palace. He Miao, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Yuan Shu and others did not dare to be careless. When He Jin arrived in Xiyuan, he immediately ordered Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others to gather all the troops they could mobilize and march into the city. Chen Bing was near the offices of various counties and states in Beijing (Baijun Mansion) to prepare for any eventuality.Yuan Shao and Cao Cao called their own people, and after discussing it, they quickly guessed that the emperor had an accident, and Jian Shuo and others started to attack.

For many years, people like Yuan Shao have been waiting for this day.He immediately told He Jin that if the eunuch killed the emperor in order to rebel, he had to take quick measures to wipe out his followers. At this time, the situation was basically under the control of the general and Queen He.He Jin was stationed in the northern camp, which was safer, and Liu Biao, the joint chief of staff of the Northern Army (Marquis of the Northern Army), greeted him there. He Jin refused to enter the palace, claiming that he was sick. Two days later, the prince Liu Bian ascended the throne, respected his mother Empress He as the Empress Dowager, and Empress He was in charge of the dynasty, and her reign name was changed to Guangxi.He also promoted Yuan Shao's uncle, Yuan Kai, to the rank of Grand Tutor, and he was an assistant to the government at the same time as General He Jin (see Lu Shangshushi).

He Jin didn't attack Jian Shuo and others immediately, but Jian Shuo, who was in despair, felt that this was even more terrifying, and tried to make a final struggle.He wrote to Zhao Zhong, Song Dian, Guo Sheng and other eunuch leaders saying: "Brother He Jin controls the imperial court and acts arbitrarily. It is only because I am the Commander of the Xiyuan Army (Shangjun Lieutenant) that I dare not act rashly. Now that the situation is critical, we should unite, close the palace gates, and order He Jin to be arrested and killed." If he still said such things at this time, no one with a slightly normal mind would follow him to his death.Although Zhao Zhong and others usually have a good relationship with Jian Shuo, after judgment, they all chose to side with the general. Guo Sheng presented Jian Shuo's letter to He Jin, and with the evidence, He Jin decided to act.

On April 25th, He Jin ordered Huang Menling to arrest Jian Shuo and his accomplices and execute them. On May 6th, He Jin sent troops to surround the Hussar General's Mansion, arrested Dong Chong, and dismissed him on the spot.Dong Chong committed suicide immediately.Another month later, Empress Dowager Dong (at this time she should be called Empress Dowager Dong) died in worry and fear. At this point, the General and Empress Dowager He were completely satisfied, and the family who were born as butchers in Nanyang County had a real sense of security at this time.Unfortunately, they were satisfied too soon.

Empress Dowager He and General He only thought about how to consolidate power, maintain the blood-related throne, make eunuchs more loyal, and win the approval and support of scholar-bureaucrats.But for Yuan Shao and others, the revolution has just kicked off, so how can they stop there?If there is only a change of emperor and a group of relatives, what is the difference from the previous dynasty? The goal proposed by Yuan Shao and others was to kill the eunuchs, and at the same time, they did not want another relative like Liang Yi to play with the country in the hands of one person.They have waited too long and suffered too much on the road of pursuing political ideals, so they no longer have much patience.Just when the general was immersed in the joy of victory, they suggested to the general one after another, asking him to take advantage of the situation to kill all the eunuchs and reform the government.

The general hesitated on this issue, he couldn't say that Yuan Shao and others' claims were unreasonable, after all the eunuch's reputation was extremely bad.However, when it comes to actions, his revolutionary enthusiasm is obviously much smaller.He also proposed to his younger sister to kill the eunuch, but was directly opposed by the Empress Dowager He, and his brother He Miao also disapproved of him doing so, and the general lost his mind for a while. If Yuan Shao and others hadn't insisted on getting rid of the eunuchs, He Jin would definitely choose to stop at this time, maybe he would have to find a way to mend the relationship with Zhao Zhong and Zhang, and let the eunuchs completely consolidate He Jin in the palace. status of home.

But Yuan Shao's attitude was too firm, and Yuan Shao was not alone. Almost all the people trusted by the general had the same voice as Yuan Shao.If he doesn't take practical actions, He Jin is worried that they will be chilled. The general tried to discuss with Yuan Shao: "Can we only kill the eunuch who has the most grievances among the people, and give forgiveness to the other eunuchs?" Yuan Shao said firmly: "No, if you want to do it, you have to cut the grass and roots, otherwise there will be endless troubles." The general was embarrassed: "I also agree to kill all the eunuchs, but the empress dowager does not agree, what should I do?"

Yuan Shao could see that the empress dowager was just an excuse for the general, and if He Jin had no way out, he didn't need to resort to ruthless tricks.He gave He Jin an idea to recruit foreign soldiers into Beijing to coerce the Queen Mother into agreeing to kill the eunuch. As it turned out, this was a very bad idea for General He, and it ended up costing him and his entire family.But in front of Yuan Shao and others, He Jin obviously lacked IQ, he didn't see Yuan Shao's selfishness, and approved this action plan. Yuan Shao's selfish intention was to make the situation more chaotic and look for opportunities in the chaos.His specific plan is to use the channels he has mastered to quickly send messages to people from all walks of life around the capital to let them lead troops into the capital immediately.

This plan is very risky.The reason why the capital is still within the controllable range is that there are eight gates around Luoyang, like eight gates closely guarding the safety of the capital.Since the founding of the Eastern Han Dynasty, no armed force other than the Central Army has entered Luoyang without prior orders from the emperor. If this precedent is set and a large number of foreign troops pour in, what will Luoyang be like? Many people in the same camp opposed Yuan Shao's "remonstrance plan".At the temporary meeting called by He Jin, He Jin's secretary and office director Chen Lin, Shi Yushi Zheng Tai, and Shangshu Lu Zhi all expressed different opinions.Cao Cao attended the meeting and also made a speech. He said:

"The eunuch system has existed since ancient times, but the king handed over the power to them, which made it what it is today. The problem is not the system itself, but the management negligence. At present, the chief evil should be punished, and this work can be done by sending a jailer , why recruit foreign generals to Beijing? I think this plan is bound to fail." But He Jin has been thoroughly brainwashed by Yuan Shao, he no longer doubts the feasibility of this plan, and authorizes Yuan Shao to implement it immediately. Yuan Shao happily received the order.He also knew that this plan was risky, but after careful analysis with his think tank, he believed that this plan could be successful.Because the foreign generals he recruited are all within his control, and he can implement another plan when these brothers lead troops into Beijing, and that is his goal. Yuan Shao thought himself brilliant, but this time he miscalculated.