Chapter 119

Chapter 119

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 4: The End of Zhongping, The Turmoil of Luoyang, Chapter 119: The Death of He Jin

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Can a strategist not ascend the throne?

Chapter 119: The Death of He Jin

What do you think?

In this instant, countless thoughts flashed through He Jin’s mind.

Although he was not eloquent, he was not truly propelled solely by the push of these scholars. He still had a scale in his heart.

Those standing here were not two factions, at least not divided by the walls of the Southern Palace.

But rather, three.

The eunuchs, the scholar-officials, and He Jin himself!

As Zhang Rang had said, if he were to push these eunuchs, who had just lost their greatest support, to the brink at this moment, although he could ensure Liu Bian’s ascension to the throne after slaughtering them all, the scholar-officials’ power would then be completely unchecked.

Moreover, the relationship between the imperial relatives and the royal family was not entirely one of mutual trust.

Even his half-sister, Empress He, after becoming the Empress Dowager, would likely be more concerned with the interests of the young emperor rather than the entire He family!

Perhaps he should indeed choose to spare Zhang Rang and his associates at this moment, just like the recently deceased Liu Hong, maneuvering between the eunuchs and the scholar-officials to secure enough benefits from both sides to keep himself in an invincible position.

Zhang Rang and his associates were more to his liking than those like Yuan Shao, who spoke sweet words, because they had already taken concrete actions.

Killing Dong Zhong was the best proof of their loyalty!

The Cavalry General Dong Zhong had no relation to Dong Zhuo, who was stationed east of the river and had even approached Luoyang. He was the nephew of the current Empress Dowager Dong, thus belonging to Liu Xie’s faction.

For Marquis Dong Liu Xie to ascend to the throne, he needed both the imperial edict of succession and the support of Dong Zhong’s troops.

He Jin had originally thought that Zhang Rang and his associates had summoned Dong Zhong to meet His Majesty to give the Cavalry General a legitimate reason to mobilize troops, but he never expected that they, out of fear of death, had killed Dong Zhong first as a gesture of goodwill towards him.

Great! This couldn’t be better.

Zhang Rang and his associates had actively severed their ties with Liu Xie!

He Jin would never have imagined that Liu Hong’s final scheme before his death was to eliminate him, the Grand General, even going so far as to have Zhang Rang and Jian Shuo kill Dong Zhong to gain his trust.

This was the emperor’s all-encompassing scheme.

When Dong Zhong’s lifeless head was placed beneath his horse’s hooves, He Jin looked towards the imperial city with nothing but satisfaction in his heart.

So what if Zhang Rang had limited him to bringing only two hundred soldiers?

With these men by his side, it was enough to ensure his safety.

Having too many men would only raise suspicions of rebellion.

He Jin declared loudly, “First, let my men confirm His Majesty’s condition.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a basket was lowered from the Southern Palace walls.

He raised his hand, signaling one of his attendants to go.

The trusted attendant climbed into the basket and was hoisted into the Southern Palace. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he was lowered back down.

He rushed over and reported to He Jin, “His Majesty has indeed passed away, and the edict of succession is indeed for Marquis Dong.”

He had seen it with his own eyes.

He also saw Dong Zhong’s headless body lying in the Jiade Hall.

The Cavalry General probably never expected that upon entering, he would not see a living emperor but such a fatal blow.

Upon hearing that Liu Hong had ultimately chosen to pass the throne to Liu Xie, He Jin was not angered but instead smiled.

After all, it was no secret that Liu Hong had long considered Liu Xie more intelligent and more to his liking than Liu Bian. It was no surprise that the will made such a decision.

What made He Jin laugh was that despite Liu Hong’s disdain for their crude siblings and the belief that their son Bian was unfit for the throne, the eunuch faction that had once surrounded and served him had, after his death, secretly killed Dong Zhong and defected to his side!

The ultimate victor was still He Jin!

With these facts before him, He Jin completely ignored Yuan Shao and others’ attempts to dissuade him, speaking of the situation being like an arrow on the bowstring, and immediately ordered all but the two hundred soldiers who were to follow him into the Southern Palace to retreat a distance.

Then, as the city gate slowly opened, he led this guard into the inner palace.

As the palace gates opened, he saw Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong standing ahead to welcome him.

Perhaps due to the earlier act of killing Dong Zhong, the two were stained with blood, making these once haughty eunuchs, whom Liu Hong had called parents, look particularly like—

Drowned rats!

He Jin could only think of such a metaphor.

He rode forward, too arrogant to dismount even within the Southern Palace, and stopped beside Zhang Rang, saying, “Lord Zhang, if you had been this wise earlier, why would it have come to killing imperial relatives to gain my trust?”

Zhang Rang, with a bitter expression, replied, “Grand General, you jest. If I had sided with you earlier, I would have long been intolerable to His Majesty.”

He Jin chuckled, realizing that Zhang Rang was indeed right.

He then asked, “The two princes have been brought from the Northern Palace gates to the Southern Palace. Where is the Imperial Seal?”

After the southern palace gates closed, although Yuan Shao and others were no longer by his side, He Jin did not feel he was in danger. Instead, being in a territory without a master, his greedy and cunning nature took over, making him feel entirely at ease.

Meanwhile, the northern palace gates opened and closed, following his orders to bring Liu Xie and Liu Bian, who were originally in the Northern Palace, to this place.

Hearing the report from the minor eunuch, Zhang Rang knew they had placed Liu Xie in a safe environment and breathed a sigh of relief.

He then replied to He Jin, “Please follow me, Grand General.”

It was only natural that He Jin would first inquire about the location of the Imperial Seal rather than how to handle or announce Liu Hong’s funeral.

Since there was only an edict passing the throne to Liu Xie, for Liu Bian to ascend the throne, or to do so legally, it would be best to have a new decree.

Even if it were written afterward, as long as it bore the Imperial Seal and had the Grand General’s support, it would suffice!

Seeing Zhang Rang leading him towards the eastern palace chambers rather than the western Jiade Hall, He Jin cursed Zhang Rang as an old fox in his heart.

This guy seemed to be guarding against him forcing his way into the palace, hence hiding the Imperial Seal first.

Fortunately, he had chosen not to turn against him but to accept his allegiance, otherwise supporting his nephew’s ascension would have been troublesome.

The fire in the Southern Palace in the second year of Zhongping did not affect this area.

These palace chambers in the southeastern corner of Luoyang’s Southern Palace, separated from the official residences by just a wall, mostly served as administrative offices.

Even as Zhang Rang led He Jin towards the northern area, the alleys here were still narrower than the usual palace pathways.

With his mind set on obtaining the Imperial Seal as quickly as possible, how could He Jin notice that in such palace corridors, his entourage of two hundred attendants had been stretched into a long line, no longer effectively protecting him?








He only saw Zhang Rang stopping at a side gate of a palace courtyard wall, saying, “It’s right here, please wait a moment, General.”

Zhang Rang pushed the door open and entered.

He Jin noticed that the courtyard had not been cleaned for a long time, with a wooden beam even blocking the entrance. He frowned but then realized that Zhang Rang had indeed chosen a suitable hiding spot for the imperial seal.

If he had chosen to barge in directly earlier, he wouldn’t have found such a hidden corner.

If the imperial seal were lost, he would have yet another reason to be criticized by the scholars.

“Please wait a moment, Grand General, I will go fetch it.”

Zhang Rang bowed to He Jin and walked towards the palace without closing the courtyard gate.

He Jin, unsuspecting, stayed where he was.

But then, an unexpected event occurred!

Almost immediately after Zhang Rang disappeared from his sight, the courtyard gate was suddenly closed by someone hiding behind it, leaving He Jin and his entourage trapped in the narrow path between the high walls.

Before He Jin could react, dozens of archers appeared on the high walls.

These archers, already with their bows drawn and standing on ladders, took the closing of the gate as a signal and simultaneously aimed their arrows at He Jin’s entourage in the alley.

At least ten arrows were aimed directly at He Jin!

He and his entourage were wearing specially made armor, nearly impervious to ordinary arrows. But these arrows from above were aimed at his face!

The sudden attack, carried out by the elite soldiers trained by Jian Shuo, immediately resulted in a long arrow piercing He Jin’s face.

What a fatal shot!

The arrow pierced his face, leaving only the fletching visible, hitting a vital spot.

Before He Jin fell, he was still dreaming.

Once he obtained the imperial seal, he would have the merit of supporting his nephew to the throne.

But now, all that had turned to dust.

In his fading vision, he saw Jian Shuo’s men pouring in from both sides of the alley, blocking the exits. Even if he hadn’t been hit by the arrow, he would have died here.

He Jin was filled with hatred, but he couldn’t stop his consciousness from rapidly slipping away.

All he could do was curse “Zhang Rang, you scoundrel!” as he fell backward.

“Scoundrel?” Zhang Rang sneered at He Jin’s shout.

What kind of scoundrel was he!

Back then, Empress He was notorious for her jealousy in the harem. After Lady Wang gave birth to Prince Xie, she poisoned her. It was only after pleading with the eunuchs that Liu Hong temporarily changed his mind, preventing Empress He from meeting the same fate as Empress Song, which would have led to the extermination of her entire family.

And what did He Jin repay them with?

After becoming Grand General in the seventh year of Guanghe, he unhesitatingly accepted the allegiance of the noble families, making himself the “leader” of the anti-eunuch faction.

A fool who bit the hand that fed him!

Now that He Jin was dead, all that was needed was to send the news to Lu Zhi and Dong Zhong’s brother, so they could quickly take control of He Jin’s former troops. Zhang Rang would be the key minister ensuring the smooth transition of power to the next emperor!

Earlier, to prevent leaks, Zhang Rang didn’t dare to let anyone else in the Southern Palace leave, fearing a repeat of Liu Hong’s initial attempt to eliminate He Jin during his lifetime.

Now that He Jin was dead, Zhang Rang saw the biggest obstacle removed. Even if some of the messengers were insincere, it no longer mattered.

He picked up He Jin’s severed head and walked towards the northeast corner of the Southern Palace.

Some of the trustworthy men from the Western Garden, screened by Liu Hong, were gathered here.

Including the captains Cao Cao and Bao Hong.

Cao Cao watched as Zhang Rang, covered in blood and holding He Jin’s head, walked in and said:

“Mengde, I know you have a close relationship with Yuan Shao, but now that the empire is in peril, and the late emperor’s will is to have Prince Xie succeed him, as the emperor’s direct subordinates, shouldn’t we fulfill his wish?”

Cao Cao inwardly sighed but showed no expression.

He had thought the establishment of the Western Garden would allow him to achieve his dreams of glory, but he hadn’t expected Liu Hong only wanted to use this force to counter the Grand General. Now that the emperor had passed, their situation had become even more awkward.

But perhaps only by first restoring order could there be a chance to clean up the mess. Since he was already in too deep, he had to continue.

Even though he had once executed Jian Shuo’s uncle, he was still considered useful at this moment.

He also had fierce generals and elite soldiers, allowing him to break through the encirclement. Zhang Rang had no choice but to entrust him with the task of delivering the message.

He replied, “Just give the order, Lord Zhang.”

Seeing that Cao Cao remained calm despite the sudden turn of events, showing the demeanor of a great general, and had agreed, Zhang Rang smiled with satisfaction. “You must immediately leave through the northeast gate and seek out the Minister of Works, Lu Zhi. The late emperor appointed Minister Lu to assist the young emperor. Since Minister Lu is skilled in military affairs, please ask him to quickly reorganize the troops with the help of your men and lift the siege of the Southern Palace!”

Ask Lu Zhi?

This was undoubtedly a decision that greatly pleased Cao Cao.

If he had to choose between Lu Zhi, He Jin, and Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, still loyal to the Han Dynasty, would definitely choose Lu Zhi!

Even though this power transition was unusual, at least Lu Zhi was truly selfless and dedicated to the public good. If he were to be the regent, the Han Dynasty might truly have a chance to revive!

Having received the order, he immediately led Xu Chu, Cao Hong, and others out through the northeast gate of the Southern Palace.

But before Cao Cao and his men could break through, He Jin’s earlier shout of “Zhang Rang, you scoundrel!” echoed through the palace walls, not only reaching Zhang Rang nearby but also alerting He Yong in the Minister of Works’ residence.

He immediately realized something was wrong and rushed to where Yuan Shao and others were.

After hearing He Yong’s speculation, Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao immediately moved their troops towards the city walls.

As He Yong had guessed, the response to their question of “Where is the Grand General?” was first silence, followed by a second head being thrown down from the city walls.

He Jin’s head!

Hearing Zhang Rang behind the city wall barricade say that He Jin had been executed for treason and to wait for Minister Lu and Liu of Youzhou to arrive and take charge, Yuan Shao did not retreat as Zhang Rang had hoped. Instead, he stared intently at the source of the voice and suddenly asked Yuan Shu, “In your opinion, is now the best time to eliminate the eunuchs?”

The Southern Palace of Luoyang was not a heavily guarded place!

The troops once commanded by He Jin were now the best tools to use!

Even if this move damaged the emperor’s authority, once successful, the noble families could cover it up, especially since only eunuchs were being eliminated!

Cao Cao had just met with Lu Zhi and informed him of the events in the Luoyang palace, handing him the appointment letter. Lu Zhi looked towards the imperial city and his expression changed.

In the already darkened sky, a blazing red light was particularly striking.

That was…

Lu Zhi grabbed Cao Cao’s arm, “Bad news! The Southern Palace is on fire, there must be trouble! Mengde, leave twenty cavalry with me, I will go to the Northern Army camp to mobilize troops. You go quickly to put out the fire and save lives!”

“Above all, protect Prince Xie… no, protect the emperor’s safety!”

With the late emperor’s edict in hand, Prince Xie should naturally be the next emperor of the Han Dynasty!