Great Han Empire

Chapter 482
Wu Qiong, the school captain of the city gate, rode up to meet him, and asked with a smile, "Master Xia, hasn't the general entered the palace?" Then he pointed to the Xiyuan soldiers standing near the city gate, and asked in surprise, "Xia What do you mean, my lord? I just took people around the city, and this city gate has become yours..."

"Master Wu, please don't misunderstand." Xia Mou said seriously, "I am ordered to lead my troops to temporarily garrison Xiamen and Gumen."

"Really?" Wu Qiong's eyes showed disdain, "Just to keep the general? The general has already entered the palace, how could he leave Beijing privately?"

Xia Mou looked around cautiously, then turned his head and shouted to Sima, the first soldier under his command: "Check the carriage and see if the general is there?"

"Protect the carriage for me." Wu Qiong showed an angry face, waved and shouted: "Master Xia, what do you mean?"

Xia Mou sneered and said: "Your Majesty has a decree, ordering me to strictly check the past personnel here. Your Majesty specifically confessed that if the general wants to leave the city, he must be stopped."

"Your Majesty has an order?" Wu Qiong sneered, "Really? Do you dare to stop the general's car?"

"I am acting according to the order, and anyone driving will be stopped." Xia Mou said arrogantly, "Master Wu, please step aside."

Wu Qiong's face sank, and she said loudly: "I just won't retreat, what can you do to me?"

"Do you dare to resist the order?"

"Who knows if this is His Majesty's imperial decree or Lord Jian's military order?" Wu Qiong said unconvinced, "I am the captain of the city gate, and I have the final say on the city gate of Luoyang."

Xia Mou ignored him, waved the whip in his hand, and shouted loudly: "Wrap me up."

Wu Qiong's face was livid, and he roared loudly: "Whoever dares to move will be killed without mercy!"

===

valley gate.

Xu Liang, Wu Kuang and Zhang Zhang arrived with thirty masters from the palace, surrounded by General He Jin, and arrived on horseback.

Under the gate of the city, hundreds of soldiers lined up on both sides with spears and halberds. A dozen soldiers, led by a military marquis, were checking pedestrians. The army commander Zhang Yang rode his horse and stood aside.

Seeing a group of knights galloping in the distance, the military marquis shouted nervously: "Brothers, string your arrows and prepare to intercept..."

"Wait a minute..." Zhang Yang took a closer look, raised his hand and shouted, "Get out, and stand on both sides of the city gate."

"My lord, that is..."

"Those are the retainers of Master Zhao's house." Zhang Yang laughed, "We can't afford to offend these people, so we don't want to investigate them, so as not to ask for trouble."

When the military marquis heard that the oncoming knights were all retainers of Da Changqiu Zhao Zhong's residence, he was startled, and hurriedly waved his hands and shouted to the soldiers behind him: "Get out of the way, get out of the way..."

Xu Liang rushed to the city gate first.He Jin was caught in the middle by Wu Kuang and Zhang Zhang, and he fled away like lightning.

===

Five miles outside the city, Zhang Liao came up quickly with [-] cavalry.

He Jin was escorted by Zhang Liao all the way back to Beijing this time. He was worried that something might happen to him after entering the city, so he specifically asked Zhang Liao to wait for a day at the long pavilion ten miles outside the city.Zhang Liao only waited for half an hour outside the city before receiving Yuan Shao's urgent letter.Yuan Shao asked him to rush to the gate of the valley immediately to meet the general when he left the city.

When He Jin saw Zhang Liao coming to welcome him, he felt relieved.

"Wen Yuan, who told you to go to the valley gate to meet him?"

"It's Master Yuan Shaoyuan." Zhang Liao replied loudly, "I have already sent people back to Mengjin to urge Lord Liu, the Marquis of the Northern Army, to quickly bring people into the pass to respond."

He Jin nodded appreciatively, "I order everyone to move forward quickly, and try to get back to Mengjin before dusk, quickly..."

===

The emperor was unconscious.

Empress He waited for two full hours by the emperor's sick bed, and did not bid farewell to the Empress Dowager until it was dark and left the palace to return to the palace.

Dong Zhong hurried into the hall.Jian Shuo rushed up to meet him and asked, "How is it? Has the general returned home?"

Dong Zhong said very annoyed: "The general didn't go back to the mansion, he went out of the city and went back to Mengjin."

Jian Shuo was struck by lightning. He looked at Dong Zhong dumbfounded, and asked in disbelief, "Didn't I order Xia Mou to seal the Xiamen and Gumen? How did he get out of the city? You didn't catch him?"

Dong Zhong shook his head in frustration and said: "Xia Mou blocked Xiamen and Gumen, and I led people to chase them, but we were all deceived by that bastard Wu Qiong."

"Wu Qiong?" Jian Shuo said in surprise, "How did he deceive you?"

"After Yuan Shu sent the general out of the palace gate, he happened to meet Wu Qiong, the captain of the city gate who was patrolling outside the palace gate, so Yuan Shu gave Wu Qiong the responsibility of escorting the general back to the palace. Wu Qiong did not send the general He obviously wanted to send the general out of the city." Dong Zhong said to Jian Shuo, "Xia Mou stopped him and wanted to check the carriage, but Wu Qiong was unwilling. A word of disagreement turned out to be on the verge of a fight. After I arrived, I threatened Wu Qiong for a long time before he let us check the carriage with great reluctance. As a result, the carriage was empty and there was nothing. He Jin got off the carriage early on the way gone."

"He walked through the valley gate?" Jian Shuo asked.

"After we chased to the valley gate, we heard from Zhang Yang, the military commander stationed at the valley gate, that a group of disciples from Zhao Zhong's mansion came out of the city on horseback just now. It is estimated that He Jin was rescued by Zhao Zhong's men." Dong Zhuo said angrily. He said, "Scholars and eunuchs are working hand in hand, and the two sides cooperated very tacitly. They just snatched He Jin from Luoyang from us. These bastards. What do we do now?"

Jian Shuo looked up to the sky and sighed, extremely sad and indignant, "wait for death, we all wait for death."

===

The Son of Heaven looked at the princess's big tear-filled eyes, and said with a slight smile, "Come on, let me kiss you..."

The princess was sad, and the tears rolled down involuntarily.She brought her fluffy fair face to the mouth of the emperor.The emperor kissed gently, and closed his eyes contentedly.

"Father..."

The emperor slowly opened his eyes, and said weakly with trembling pale lips: "When you grow up, remember to help Dong Hou..."

The princess nodded vigorously, and pulled her young brother to the side of the emperor.Dong Hou hugged the emperor's thin arm and wept in a low voice.

The Son of Heaven looked at Dong Hou lovingly, feeling pain like a piercing heart.

The Queen Mother, Dong Zhong, and Jian Shuo quietly walked to the side of the couch.Dong Zhong and Jian Shuo fell to their knees, looking sad.

"Your Majesty, He Jin has just left Beijing." Jian Shuo said in a low voice, "I am incompetent, even if I die, I will not be able to repay Your Majesty's grace."

The emperor froze for a moment, and reluctantly turned his head to look at the queen mother.The queen mother smiled desolately, that smile was uglier than crying.The emperor suddenly understood, he smiled bitterly, and then closed his eyes tightly.

"Mother..."

===

In the past few days, as the emperor's condition worsened, Yuan Kai, Sangong Jiuqing, and ministers at Shangshutai knew that the emperor might die at any time, so everyone dared not go home. They gathered at Shangshutai at night to discuss state affairs while waiting in fear. Watching that astonishing moment.

In the middle of the night, the Zhonghuang Gate rushed into the stage, "I pass on the emperor's decree, please go to the Jiade Hall as soon as possible."

Yuan Kui casually dropped the document in his hand, and was the first to rush out of Shang's study room.The faces of the ministers all changed, and they scrambled to come out.

The Jiade Hall is brightly lit, as bright as day.The emperor lay quietly on the sickbed, looking at the ministers kneeling around him, and remained silent.Jian Shuo picked up an imperial decree and read it in a low voice.

Feeling seriously ill, the Son of Heaven dispatched Princess Changping Liu Xiao to Jiedu Pavilion of Hejian State in Jizhou to pray for the blessings of the ancestors to help the dragon recover, and set off immediately after receiving the order.Wei Wei Liu He led a car team of 500 eunuchs from the Huangmen, the imperial army Huben, and Yulin to escort him.

Jian Shuo proclaimed the second edict again.The Son of Heaven considered that the Northern Xinjiang War has entered a critical stage, and whether Youzhou can guarantee stability will directly affect the success or failure of the Northern Xinjiang War. Therefore, the Son of Heaven ordered Taiwei Liu Yu to lead the military administration of Youzhou to stay in Youzhou temporarily until the Northern Xinjiang War After the end, I will return to Beijing according to the order.

Jian Shuo picked up the third edict.The emperor urged Dong Zhuo, who had already arrived in Hedong, to immediately go north to Bingzhou to take charge of the military affairs. At the same time, he lifted the military authority of the [-] northern army led by Dong Zhuo, the shepherd of Bingzhou, and ordered the [-] northern army to rush to Xiliang immediately after receiving the order, and be restrained by the left general Huangfusong. .

Jian Shuo picked up the fourth edict.All the ministers looked at the yellow silk in Jian Shuo's hand thoughtfully, wondering in their hearts what the emperor might do.

Jian Shuo didn't read it out, he said slowly: "This is the secret decree from the emperor to Li Hong, the general who conquered the North, and it should be sent outside the Great Wall immediately."

The hall of Jiade was silent for a moment, and a murderous aura suddenly enveloped the entire hall.

"Master Yuan Kui and Mr. Liu and Mr. Liu will stay, and the rest of the ministers will step down for now."

===

The Son of Heaven pointed at Princess Changping, looked at Liu He, and said word by word: "I have entrusted Princess to Aiqing."

Liu He kowtowed: "I will keep the princess safe even if my body is smashed to pieces..." He looked at the skinny and sunken emperor and suddenly realized that he couldn't continue talking.Is it to keep the princess returning to the capital safely or to keep the princess safe all her life?He expected the emperor to give himself a little reminder.

There was deep sorrow in the eyes of the emperor, and he said nothing.

The reason why the emperor asked the princess to go out of Beijing to Hejian Kingdom when he was about to die was very far-fetched. What was his intention?During the day today, He Jin hurriedly left Beijing in order to avoid being chased and killed, but at night the emperor suddenly issued several orders. Obviously, the emperor had a purpose.Liu He thought that the emperor ordered his father Taiwei Liu Yu to stay in Youzhou, and then let him escort the princess to the north. Did he intend to ask his father to borrow troops to go south?The Hejian State in Jizhou is adjacent to Youzhou, and the soldiers and horses of Youzhou can go down to Hejian State from Zhuojun County.Why did Youzhou soldiers and horses go south to Hejian Kingdom?It is impossible to just protect a little princess, there must be the queen mother and little Donghou.The emperor's plan to let the Queen Mother and Xiao Donghou return to Hejian Kingdom has already been heard by the ministers.Now the emperor has not only completely given up the struggle for imperial lineage, but he is still working hard to save the lives of the queen mother, princess and little Donghou.

Liu He was shocked by the eyes of the emperor, moved by the helplessness and grief in the heart of the emperor. When he thought of the imminent death of the emperor and the tragic fate that the empress dowager, princess and little Donghou were about to face, his heart suddenly filled with sorrow and tears. tumble down.Liu He bowed again, choked up and said, "Father and son swear to die to repay Your Majesty's grace..."

The Son of Heaven sighed, and looked at Liu He suddenly with despair. The sadness in those eyes was like the fallen leaves in autumn, which made people feel sad.

Liu He looked up with tears in his eyes, his mind was shocked suddenly, did I guess wrong?Why did the emperor ask me to escort the princess to the north?Isn't it just to protect the queen mother, princess and Donghou?He suddenly thought of something, and he couldn't help but feel a chill in the back of his head.Could it be that the Son of Heaven wants to rely on General Zhengbei and his own father to establish Xiao Donghou as emperor in northern Xinjiang, and then let General Zhengbei send his troops south to send the emperor back to Beijing?

His Majesty ordered the Northern Army led by Dong Zhuo to immediately return to Xiliang and return to General Zuo Huangfusong for restraint. In fact, it completely deprived the General of the possibility of re-leading the [-] Northern Army to sit in Gyeonggi.Now the general has only [-] northern troops in his hands. Even if the general seizes Jian Shuo's military power in the future, it will be difficult for him to control all the [-] Xiyuan troops. That is to say, He Jin's strength has been largely suppressed. The Son of Heaven was greatly weakened.Although Shi Hou inherited the great rule, it is difficult for He Jin to seize the power of the entire country in a short period of time because he does not have enough strength.

If He Jin can't monopolize power, then Luoyang's treacherous eunuchs, relatives, and scholars must fight each other for power. , and then Li Hong led an army of 10,000+ from the northern borders to succumb to death. This world...

Liu He didn't dare to think about it anymore, he looked at the emperor in fear, and stammered for a long time without saying anything, "Your Majesty, my minister..." He didn't dare to make a promise at all. Solve your doubts.

The emperor stared at him firmly, trying to force a smile on his face.

Liu He felt a pain in his heart, he gritted his teeth and said, "I will never refuse to die."

The emperor relaxed his expression and slowly closed his eyes.

Yuan Kai hurriedly leaned into the emperor's ear and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, now that there are Huangfusong in the west and Liu Yu and Liu He in the north, is it still necessary for the princess to go north and recruit Li Hong to go south..."

"The edict must be kept well, it must be useful." The emperor said in a low voice, "Ai Qing promised me that the queen mother and Donghou must be sent away from the capital as soon as possible."

Yuan Kui kowtowed and said, "I obey the order."

===

The princess lay on the emperor's body and hugged her father tightly, tears flowed down the cheeks to the emperor's skirt like spring water.

The emperor raised his thin hand with difficulty and gently stroked the princess's black hair, his eyes were full of inseparable affection, and he murmured: "Take your mother's qin away, take your mother's qin away... ..."

"Father..."

"Let's go, let's go." The emperor leaned close to the princess's ear and urged in an inaudible voice, "Let's go."

"Father..." The princess wept softly, kissed the emperor's forehead, then knelt on the ground and held the emperor's hand for a long time, unwilling to leave.

The queen mother comforted her in a low voice, and even dragged her out of the Jiade Hall.Dong Hou cried and ran out after him.

The Son of Heaven held back his tears, looked at Dong Hou's weak body, and solemnly said to Jian Shuo who was kneeling beside him: "I have entrusted Dong Hou to Aiqing, you must protect him and leave Luoyang safely."

Jian Shuo cried bitterly and vowed to die.

===

In the early morning of April Bingchen Day (that is, May [-]th) in the sixth year of Zhongping in the Han Dynasty.

The Son of Heaven fell into a coma. He held the Queen Mother's hand and kept yelling, his voice hoarse and weak, "Mom, Mom... I'm in pain... Mom... I'm in pain..."

The queen mother hugged the emperor's head and wailed loudly.

At Yinshi, the emperor died.

===

Emperor Liu Hong was only 34 years old when he died and had reigned for 21 years.

He is regarded as an incompetent emperor in this dynasty. When he was young, he indulged in pleasure, favored middle officials, and was ignorant of government affairs. A huge homeless riot.With the rebellion of the Yellow Turban Army one after another, the Han Kingdom also fell into a precarious situation, and then there were more rebellions and more Hu tribes invaded.When the Han Kingdom was struggling to survive, the emperor did not think about change, but because of his own selfishness, he led the Han Kingdom into a more terrifying imperial battle. The world is even more turbulent and treacherous, and there are serious crises that are about to explode at any time.

Although the Son of Heaven is incompetent, there is one thing he knows the most. Today's Great Han Kingdom is dying. Even if Emperor Gao and Emperor Guangwu are reborn, they have no way to revive the Great Han in just a dozen years. Can be like today, end up helpless.

What makes the Son of Heaven better than his uncle Emperor Xiaohuan is that he left the imperial lineage for the Han Dynasty and made a great contribution to the continuation of the Han Dynasty. What makes him worse than Emperor Xiaohuan is that he has nothing to write about. The merits of the special book, although hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the big man fought countless battles for him, but the result was that the rebellion became more and more, and the territory was less and less, so he had no glory, so he could only be called "Spirit". It is far worse than Emperor Xiaohuan's "Huan". "Ling" means that he indulges his nature, cannot emulate others, and has no political achievements.

===

On the second day after the emperor's death, the general led [-] northern troops into Mengjin and stationed at Baijun Mansion under the order of Empress He Yi. (The Baijun mansion is the liaison mansion built in Beijing by the prefectures and counties of the Han Dynasty, which is equivalent to the current Beijing offices of various governments.)
On the same day, the ministers of the Sangong and Jiuqing, headed by Yuan Wei, supported the eldest prince Liu Bian as the new emperor of the Han Dynasty in accordance with the laws of the Han Dynasty.

===

On the fifth day of April in the sixth year of Zhongping in the Han Dynasty (that is, on May 14th), the eldest prince Liu Bian took the throne at the age of [-].

The new emperor honored his mother, Empress He, as empress dowager.Empress Dowager He came to the court to take charge of the government, amnesty the world, and changed her reign name to Guangxi.

The new emperor made his younger brother Liu Xie King of Bohai.Liu Xie was nine years old.

The new emperor appointed the later general Yuan Kui as the Taifu, and together with the great general He Jin, he participated in the affairs of Li Shangshu and handled the government affairs.Soon after, the new emperor appointed Xun Shuang as Doctor Guanglu, Yuan Shao as Lieutenant of Sili, Wang Yun as Yin of Henan, Liu Biao as Zhongcheng Yushi, He Yong as Zhonghou of the Northern Army, and Xun You as Minister of Huangmen. Zheng Tai is the Minister.

Luoyang is stable.

===

Conquer the General's Mansion of Peking University and play the Son of Heaven in a hurry.Xu Rong's army has all crossed the river. At present, the army needs to transport more food, grass and luggage to the north bank of the Yellow River to cope with the upcoming grassland rainy season.Xian Yufu said in his memorial that there were nearly 50 people crossing the Hebei River, and in order to ensure that these 50 people survived the rainy season safely, he needed food and more food.

The ministers had a fierce dispute over this matter.

(End of this chapter)