Chapter 23 Dong Zhuo's death
Chang'an in Xijing was originally much more magnificent than the eastern capital Luoyang. The city was three feet five feet high and covered an area of 973 hectares. However, there were almost no common people's houses in the city. Five huge palaces are enriched, and there is a Jianzhang Palace on the side of the city.In the entire Jingzhao Land, there are more than 150 large and small palaces such as Ganquan Palace, Hongya Palace, Wangyi Palace, Chengguang Palace, and Chuyuan Palace.
It's a pity that such a large building complex has now become dilapidated.
In the past, the Green Forest Army broke through Chang'an City and burned Weiyang Palace, and the new emperor Wang Mang died in Jiantai.Gengshi Emperor Liu Xuan indulged in sensuality and ignored government affairs, causing treacherous officials such as Wang Kuang① and Zhang Ang to act mischievously, and finally attracted the Red Eyebrow Army to rob Guanzhong.The red-browed commander Fan Chong set fire to Chang'an City, excavated the emperor's tomb and carried the treasures westward, but was beaten back by Kai Xiao who dominated the land of Yongliang.
From then on, Chimei and Lvlin repeatedly fought against each other in Sanfu, wreaking havoc on the flowery Guanzhong land, making the people's livelihood miserable, and destroying all the buildings and palaces into rotten wood and rubble, until Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu wiped them all out.However, due to the huge damage and the suffering of the people, Liu Xiu was unable to restore the Xijing Chang'an, so he planted the roots of the emperor in Luoyang, Henan.
But after the great Han passed the Twelve Emperors in Henan, the rebellious minister Dong Zhuo burned Luoyang, and the imperial court moved back to Chang'an in a complete haste.Although the emperor and ministers have come, most of the Xijing Palace is still desolate, and the little emperor Liu Xie can only settle in the hastily renovated Weiyang Palace.
According to legend, the Weiyang Palace was built by the founding prime minister Xiao He. The great ancestor Liu Bang returned in victory. Seeing the majestic and magnificent Weiyang Palace, which is no less than the Xianyang Palace of Qin Dynasty, he was furious and asked: "The world is fierce, hard work for several years, success or failure It can be seen that the palace is excessive?" How could Xiao He be so clever, he responded immediately: "It must be magnificent and immeasurable, and it must not be added to future generations." But it is Xiao He's mouth that "there is no addition to future generations" The Weiyang Palace now looks particularly funny. Dong Zhuo barely supported the collapsed hall with timber from Longyou, demolished Emperor Wu Liu Che's palace in Duling, and repaired the palace wall and roof of Chang'an with the bricks and tiles there. Some are new, some are old, some are old, some are worn, just like a piece of tattered clothing with beautiful patches.
In fact, it is not that there is no financial resources to repair the palace. The treasures moved from Luoyang are piled up like a mountain, but all of them flow into Dong Zhuo's personal hands.He forced the people to build a castle for him in Mei County. The grandiose name is "Long Live Wu". Thirty years!
In the court, he served as the Grand Master himself, known as "Father Shang", and rode in the emperor's green-covered Jinhua chariot, with Lu Bu leading his own soldiers to protect him.His younger brother, Dong Min, was appointed General Zuo and enfeoffed as Marquis; his nephew Dong Huang held two important positions of servant and lieutenant; his granddaughter Dong Baier was enfeoffed as Lord of Weiyang before he reached Ji; .He killed Zhang Wen, the Taiwei who quelled the Qiang rebellion, and personally imprisoned and killed the famous officials Xun Shuang and He Yong. The widow of Huangfugui, the famous general of Liangzhou, was tied up under the wheel and beaten to death with sticks... Chang'an, the western capital of the great man, has become Dong Zhuo's prison, and the emperor and officials are imprisoned in this dilapidated city.
In the third year of Chuping (AD 192), Dingsi Day in April, the court meeting on this day was different from usual.Because a few days ago, the twelve-year-old little emperor Liu Xie contracted a cold and just recovered today, so he specially called a court meeting and asked all the officials to go to the hall to congratulate him.
Taiwei Ma Rixun, Situ Wangyun, and Sikong Chunyujia led hundreds of civil and military officials to stand in front of the hall. The servant of Huangmen had already helped the little emperor to the throne, but everyone still remained silent.Because everyone knows that the protagonist who is really waiting is Dong Zhuo.Without him, the court meeting is meaningless at all.Many officials have already begun to tremble, secretly thinking about their recent actions, wondering whether they will become the next target of Dong Zhuo's wild demonstrations.The front hall of Weiyang Palace was dead silent, only the breeze whistling with the dilapidated dust, blowing through the robes of the ministers...
At this moment, the sound of rumbling chariots broke the silence, and Grand Master Dong Zhuo came.
Dong Zhuo's carriage is no different from that of the Son of Heaven, with four horses driving the shaft, covered with gold and green, with melons and two flags painted on it.He came out of his old nest, Meiwu, in this luxurious carriage, and along the way were surrounded by Chen Bing, who rode left and right to guard Zhouza, and his adopted son Lu Bu led the guards.When all the officials saw Dong Zhuo coming, they all knelt down on the ground according to the old rules, each digging at the cracks of the bricks to dispel fear.However, an unusual noise suddenly disrupted everyone's thoughts.
It turned out that the car had just entered the Beiye Gate, and Dong Zhuo was still domineering in the car, when suddenly a gate guard raised a painted halberd and stabbed him!
Dong Zhuo was worthy of being a battle-tested fighter, he saw a halberd rushing toward his face, and knew that his feelings had changed, so he quickly fell back with his big belly.The halberd pierced through the air, and then pressed down, right on Dong Zhuo's chest.
Dong Zhuo had killed countless people, so he naturally knew how to guard against plots. He wore a thick iron armor under his court clothes. The halberd could not pierce him, but the branch of the halberd still scratched his left arm.Dong Zhuo was startled and the crown fell off, seeing the second halberd coming again, he couldn't dodge on the chariot, and he couldn't care less about his face, his huge body rolled down from the right side of the chariot.
The moment Dong Zhuo fell off the car, he didn't feel any fear in his mind. He thought it was just a soldier who harbored resentment towards him.Maybe he killed his parents, maybe he robbed his wife and children, and he did a lot of murder and arson, but it's not a big deal anyway.He got up with the help of the wheels, thinking that the assassin should have been chopped up by the guards around him by this time.Unexpectedly, none of the guards around him made a move; looking at the gate, more than a dozen guards raised their halberds to block his subordinates from outside; Guards, but he still recognized it, it was Captain Li Su!
It is not a simple matter for the dignified captain of cavalry to disguise himself as a soldier to ambush Yemen.A sense of terror surged into Dong Zhuo's heart immediately, he turned around and shouted: "My son, save me first!"
Lu Bu was standing silently behind him at this moment, wearing a majestic golden armor and robe, holding a shining Fang Tian painted halberd in his right hand, and in his left hand he did not know when there was an extra edict.His handsome blue eyes were bursting with murderous intent at this moment, he sneered and said: "By the emperor's order, attack the thieves!"
Dong Zhuo hadn't figured out what happened when he felt his neck go cold, and Fang Tian's painting halberd had pierced his throat.His ferocious face became more ferocious and distorted, his face trembling uncontrollably, his gray beard was already stained red by his own blood, and his eyes were so wide that they were about to flow out.At the moment when the halberd tip was pulled out, his chubby body twisted and turned around, as if deliberately looking around at the hateful gazes on all sides, following the blood spurting from his neck to draw a circular arc, he stood upright with his back facing the sky. With a big belly, he fell into a pool of blood with his unsatisfactory desires, and his two big bloodshot eyes were always looking at the sky in astonishment...
"Grand Master!" Dong Zhuo's confidant and director Tian Yi immediately threw himself on his corpse.
"Get out of the way!" Li Su kicked away the thin Tian Yi, raised his sword and cut off Dong Zhuo's chubby head.
Tian Yi was so grateful for Dong Zhuo's kindness, she was furious at the moment, and she didn't plan to live any longer, she pointed at Lu Bu and cursed: "How dare you do that! You are ungrateful! You shameless little..."
"Pu Chi!"——Before he finished cursing, Lu Bu stabbed Tian Yi's chest with his Fang Tian painted halberd.With a strong wrist, he picked up Tian Yi's body without any effort, and slammed it out of the door: "This is the end of protecting Dong thief!"
A blood-spitting corpse was thrown into the crowd, those Dong Zhuo's followers who were still trying to break in immediately scattered away, all at a loss, staring at the terrible change.Li Su held up his head and shouted: "Put the thieves under the imperial edict, and the rest will not be asked!" There was a clatter... The warriors threw down their weapons and knelt on the ground begging for forgiveness, and the assassination operation ended successfully.
The officials kneeling on the temple steps couldn't believe their eyes. Things that they dared not even dream of happened happened in front of them.After a long silence, someone stood up and shouted: "The old thief Dong Zhuo is dead! I am saved!"
Wow... All the ministers cheered and jumped up, and they couldn't control the majesty of the Han officials at this moment. They threw the wat board in their hands into the sky, even tore off their court clothes, hugged each other and wept, and the sound shook the Weiyang Palace hall.Satisfied with killing Dong Zhuozhi, Lv Bu walked briskly with a smile on his face, dodged the Yahu that fell from the sky, and came to the front of the palace steps, knelt down on one knee, and said in a loud voice: "I will report to the prince next time, the culprit has been eliminated!" The three planners of the operation, Situ Wangyun, Huang Wan, the captain of Sili, and Sun Rui, the shooter, had already stood in front of the gate of the hall.
Wang Yun heaved a sigh of relief, but his rigid face did not show the slightest slack, he only said: "Lieutenant Lu Bu, the captain of the cavalry, you have made great achievements in killing thieves. Hou, from now on you will discuss government affairs with us!"
For a moment, Lu Bu was stunned.Although he changed his mind and tried his best to climb up, he never imagined that he would be able to rise to the position of the fake festival.Lu Bu was stunned by the sudden honor, and almost forgot that there was an shady motive behind the assassination.
As Dong Zhuo's adoptive son, Lu Bu could naturally enter Dong Zhuo's mansion at any time, and after a long time, he even seduced Dong Zhuo's concubine into bed.The pleasure of having an affair and the fear of Dong Zhuo, two emotions tormented Lu Bu at the same time, which made him alienate Dong Zhuo day by day.
Dong Zhuo didn't quite understand why Lu Bu became increasingly arrogant towards him?Perhaps rewarding a few beauties could calm Lu Bu's heart, but Dong Zhuo mistakenly regarded his restlessness as arrogance.Dong Zhuo, who is absolutely strong, will never allow anyone to stand up in front of him, and must suppress his arrogance with a stern attitude.Dong Zhuo treated Lü Bu more harshly, and once even almost threw his halberd at Lv Bu, which aggravated Lv Bu's panic.At this time, Wang Yun suddenly appeared in front of Lu Bu as a fellow from Bingzhou, and an assassination plan came into being...
Although the work was done very well, Shi Sun Rui and Huang Wan were a little surprised that Wang Yun gave such a high reward to this "father-killer", but they did not speak, and left the complacent Lu Bu, and followed Wang Yun into the palace Jun.At this moment, the hall is also quite lively, Taiwei Ma Rixun, Sikong Chunyujia, Zuo Zhonglang General Cai Yong and other veterans have all congratulated the emperor.Wang Yun quickly knelt down on the ground: "The ministers are punishing the rebellious ministers. It is really a sin to pretend that the Lord is sick and lose the righteousness of the ministers."
Children who have gone through hardships mature early, and Liu Xie still maintains the dignity of the emperor upright even at this moment, which is quite inconsistent with his twelve-year-old age.He raised his hand slowly, and comforted him with a childish voice: "Your Majesty has made no mistakes, so there is no need to be too polite. I order you to record the affairs of the Minister and deal with the current situation. The merits of other ministers will be discussed later."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Huang Wan, the captain of the Sili school, played again: "My minister, please arrest Dong thief and his party and punish them."
"The first rebellion has been eradicated, and the rest can be decided according to the circumstances. I am still young, and I still rely on all my lovers to predict the stability of the government..." At this point, Liu Xie rubbed his head, showing a trace of childishness, "That's it, Leave the court." After saying that, he left his seat and got up, Ren Huangmen's servant lowered his body to help him turn around the harem, and when he reached the door of the harem, he finally couldn't restrain the child's nature, bounced and flung his sleeves away.
Several old officials respectfully sent the emperor back to the palace, and they supported each other to stand up after he left, with gratified smiles on their faces all the time.In their view, although the emperor was young, he was very intelligent. As long as Dong Zhuo died, the old mountains and rivers could be restored, and the emperor's edict was conveyed to the Guandong in a legitimate manner, and the world would be able to settle down simply.
Suddenly, Zuo Zhonglang General Cai Yong sighed: "Dong Zhuo was originally a good general, but it is a pity that he has fallen to this point..."
As soon as this statement made trouble, Wang Yun's knife-like eyes immediately swept over.Cai Yong was exiled in Shuofang due to the frame-up by the eunuch Wang Fu. After receiving an amnesty, he fled back home because he didn't want to be an official anymore.After Dong Zhuo's dictatorship, he was forced to go to Beijing to become an official.After he entered the court, he was treated very politely by him. In three days, he had three stages in a week, and now he is an official of Zuo Zhonglang.Today Cai Yong saw Dong Zhuo's death in an instant, although he hated him for doing countless evils, he still felt grateful for the courtesy he treated him, so he unconsciously sighed.
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he realized that he was wrong, and hurriedly approached to apologize: "This official has been favored by Dong Zhuo, so I sighed inadvertently."
"Unintentional?" Wang Yun's rigid face twitched slightly, "Dong Zhuo's great thief, almost fell into the Han Dynasty. The king is a king and his ministers, so we should share the anger, and cherish his private affairs, so as to forget the big festival! Today punish the guilty, but instead Hurt and hurt each other, wouldn't it be a rebellion together?"
"I don't dare, my lord knows the lesson." Cai Yong knew that the matter was serious, so he quickly knelt down and kowtowed.
Wang Yun didn't allow him to say more: "Here comes someone, put him in the sky prison, and execute Dong Zhuo and his party together in the future." The warriors inside and outside the palace have long been ordered to seek thieves from Wang Yun, and now they hear the order and don't hesitate. He grabbed Cai Yong and dragged him out.
Cai Yong shouted as he struggled: "Wait a minute, my lord! It is not a pity for Yong to die after receiving the favor of the thief, but the history of Dongguan has not been completed. But begging for tattoos is enough, and I will continue to complete the history of the country to repay the emperor's kindness." Ma Rixun and others continued to write "East View of the Han Dynasty". Dong Zhuo set fire to Luoyang and moved the capital.Now that Wang Yun is going to kill him, the only regret he can think of is the history of the country.
Wang Yun turned a deaf ear and stood there like an iron man, watching the warrior drag Cai Yong away without saying a word.Taiwei Ma Rixun was the oldest, and he had seen injustice for a long time. He tried to persuade him with a trembling white beard, "Master, why are you so extreme? , It is a great ceremony for a generation. Besides, he is loyal and filial, and his crimes are nothing more than slips of speech and minor mistakes. Wouldn’t punishing him lose the popularity of the court?”
"In the past, Emperor Wu did not kill Sima Qian, so that he wrote slanderous books and passed them on to later generations. Now the state is in decline, and the artifact is not strong. You can't let the courtiers write at the young master's side. It will not benefit the holiness, and it will make our party suffer from its criticism." Wang Yun said. Glancing at Ma Rixun, an old man in his seventies was leaning on a cane and looking at him disappointedly. Wang Yun quickly stepped forward to hold him in his arms, and sighed, "Don't be angry, Mr. Ma, please listen to me I don't know that Cai Bochi's talent is rare in this world, but ordering to kill him is really a last resort."
"What is there to do?" Ma Rizun pushed his hand away resentfully, "Are you afraid that he will speak ill of you in the history of the country?"
"Ah... I, Wang Yun, am I a person who is afraid of slander?" Wang Yun cupped his hands and said, "Since the Sang Rebellion, there has been a great change in human relations, loyalty and filial piety have not existed, honesty and honesty have declined, and vanity and flattery have flourished. He has no faith; he became an official of Dong Zhuo, which is disrespectful; Zhuo died lamenting, and this is ignorance. Killing Cai Yong today is to correct the morals of the world, and not relying on talents to attach traitors to the party, this is also an overcorrection."
Even after hearing his explanation, Ma Rizun still sighed, turned around and left on crutches.
At this time, Lu Bu jumped in excitedly: "Report to the prince, Xu Rong and Hu Zhen have surrendered."
"Okay!" Wang Yun finally showed a smile, "As long as they don't lead their troops to make trouble, the two of them are allowed to enter Chang'an, and the official positions will not be changed for the time being."
"But Fan Chou escaped." Lu Bu added.
"Run away?" Wang Yun raised his eyebrows again, "It's all right for these Liangzhou people to be a helper for tigers. Now that Bandit Dong is dead, they will continue to make trouble. They deserve to be punished!"
Chunyujia was standing next to Wang Yun. This person was not young and had mediocre qualifications. He was not destined to be a Sangong, but because he was from Liangzhou, Dong Zhuo forcibly pulled him out to pretend to be Sikong.
Watching Cai Yong being dragged out just now, and now seeing them discussing how to deal with the generals from his hometown, Chunyu Jia was so frightened that he hurriedly avoided suspicion, and hurriedly bowed to Wang Yun: "I am very happy to see Dong Zhuo being slaughtered. However, I am old and weak, and I feel quite tired, so I beg you to step back and rest, as there are many affairs here that are too much for the prince to deal with."
"The Son of Heaven has retired, Mr. Chunyu, please do what you want." Wang Yun was very polite to him.As soon as Chunyu Jia heard about the amnesty, he hurried out of the hall.
After he went out, Wang Yun became serious again: "Let's not discuss the issues of the Liangzhou ministries for now."
Seeing his change of color, Lu Bu was afraid that he would force them to rebel against the tribes of Liangzhou in a fit of anger, so he quickly suggested: "My lord, there are still Niufu, Zhang Ji, Dong Yue and other tribes in Jingzhao and Hongnong. It's better to pardon their crimes to rest their minds. .”
"They are innocent, so how can they talk about pardon?" Wang Yun said surprisingly, "This generation is innocent, and it is the ear of its master. If it is pardoned because of its evil and rebelliousness, it will make them doubt themselves, and it is not a way of stability. Great There is no need to say pardon!"
Did he really think they were innocent, or did he want to eradicate them all?Lu Bu was at a loss, and tentatively asked, "If the Liangzhou Department rebels, how will we deal with it?"
"It's not difficult at all, let Xu Rong and Hu Zhen lead the troops to fight against each other, and let these Liangzhou people kill each other." Wang Yunlian sneered, "Actually, I think the best way is to ask them to dismiss the troops. Let’s go back to our hometowns, let’s invite the princes of the Guandong to come, and deal with them later.”
Even Lu Bu, who killed people without blinking an eye, couldn't help shivering: Master Wang is so scheming!
Shi Sunrui felt that Wang Yun's decisions were too extreme, and there was no room for turning around. He suggested from the side: "Liangzhou people are always afraid of the Yuan family and fear the Kanto. If the army is disbanded today, everyone will be in danger. Now There is Liangzhou famous general Huangfusong in the court, you can worship him as a general of chariots and cavalry, and lead the people in Liangzhou nearby, so that Dong Zhuo’s old troops who are stationed in Shan County can settle down, and then cooperate with the Kanto to observe the changes.”
"No way. Those who raise righteous soldiers in the Kanto region are all of one mind. If you are far away from Shanxi, even though Liangzhou is safe, it is absolutely impossible to doubt the heart of the Kanto region." Wang Yun said to Lu Bu, "Feng Xian, you go Let's do it, first take over Xu Rong and Hu Zhen's soldiers and horses."
"No." Lu Bu took the order and left.
Seeing that Wang Yun was so self-willed and didn't follow expedient measures, Shi Sun Rui was quite unhappy, but he still reminded him softly: "Don't you please appoint such a big official to Lu Bu, is this person reliable?"
Lu Bu's assassination of Dong Zhuo this time was not actually for the righteousness of the world, but because he had an affair with Dong Zhuo's concubine and was almost killed.In the past, he killed his former master Ding Yuan for the sake of fame and wealth, and this time he killed his adoptive father. Such intentions are really not reassuring.
Wang Yun nodded and said: "I also know that Lu Bu can't believe it, but Guanzhong is not stable, and he needs to rely on the Bingzhou Army in his hands to fight against the Liangzhou Army? Let's pay attention to it when the Guandong Lords arrive." Wang Yun walked away. At the gate of the hall, I looked at the cheering officials.
Shi Sunrui said worriedly: "What I am most worried about now is not our side, but the situation in Kanto. The imperial prestige has fallen and the human relations are abnormal. Are they really willing to come to Xijing to serve as the king? I am afraid that the court has already been forgotten by them. "
Wang Yun also knew the seriousness in his heart, but he didn't say anything.In order to show his sincerity to the lords of the Guandong, he did not hesitate to give up recruiting the Liangzhou Department and put Chang'an in danger.Can paying such a high price make everyone recognize this dilapidated court?He was looking eastward, looking forward to Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Liu Biao, Cao Cao and the others coming soon...