Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 4: The End of Zhongping, Luoyang’s Storm, Chapter 120: The Great Fire of the Southern Palace

The Great Fire of the Southern Palace!

Lu Zhi watched Cao Cao leave, and as he mounted his horse, he glanced towards the direction of the rising flames, his expression filled with concern.

Even if it was just an accidental fire, it was not good news.

After the fire in the second year of Zhongping, rumors spread in Luoyang that the current Son of Heaven lacked virtue, hence the heavenly fire. With the emperor’s succession imminent, such rumors were even more damaging.

And if it was arson?

That would be even more troublesome!

The walls of Luoyang’s imperial city were also the protection of imperial authority. Arson was a blatant disregard and provocation of the royal dignity.

No one expected such a turn of events at this time.

At least, it was not in Liu Hong’s original plan.

Lu Zhi had previously quelled the Jiujiang rebellion and later captured and killed Zhang Jiao during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Despite Liu Hong’s wariness of his military achievements, he was appointed as the Minister of Works, the head of the inner court.

Moreover, Lu Zhi studied under the great Confucian scholar Ma Rong and had profound scholarly achievements, nurturing many disciples.

Whether in terms of official position, experience, or personal capability, Lu Zhi was well-deserving of his role as a stabilizing central minister.

However, at the moment when He Jin entered the Southern Palace and was killed, the noble families, eager to eliminate the eunuch faction and restore the pre-Prohibition of Factionalists era, were not deterred by Zhang Rang’s proposal to wait for Lu Zhi and Liu Yu to make a decision.

When Yuan Shao asked if they could take advantage of this opportunity, Yuan Shu quickly made a decision after looking at the heads of Dong Zhong and He Jin on the ground.

To be precise, only Dong Zhong’s head.

Because at that moment, General of the Chariots and Cavalry He Miao was already holding He Jin’s head, weeping bitterly.

Yuan Shu somewhat looked down on this relative of the emperor, but at this moment, he was indeed a useful tool.

The eunuchs were desperate to fulfill the late emperor’s wish to place Liu Xie on the throne, and they needed a plausible reason, or rather, a fig leaf.

For example, Liu Bian.

Yuan Shu spoke up, “General of the Chariots and Cavalry, it’s not yet time to weep. If their plan to delay succeeds and Prince Xie ascends the throne, these traitors will become dragon-serving ministers tomorrow. Even if they killed the General of Agile Cavalry and the Grand General, they could justify it as a necessary measure.”

“The Dong family is not limited to Dong Zhong; there could be another Grand General. But where would that leave you, General?”

He Miao’s weeping stopped abruptly.

His sister, Empress He, was selected from the common folk to enter the palace. Although the He family had some wealth, they were far from being a powerful clan.

If Liu Xie ascended the throne, and Empress Dowager Dong sought revenge for Dong Zhong’s death, they would have no means to resist.

Today, it was He Jin who died; tomorrow, it would be He Miao!

No, even if they had clan backing, it would be useless. Just as the Deng family was completely purged after Empress Hexi’s death, despite her repeated warnings to her family to remain low-key, they could not escape the emperor’s executioner’s blade.

He Miao would be no exception.

A new emperor brings new ministers; that’s always the way.

He wiped his tears and looked at Yuan Shu, asking, “No need to say more, Gonglu. Just tell me what to do.”

Yuan Shu pointed towards the palace gate and said, “We suspect the eunuchs’ edict is forged. The Grand General saw through it and was thus killed. If their plot succeeds, the Han dynasty’s power will fall into the hands of these traitors!”

“Reversing the order of succession and disrupting the natural order is a path to disaster. At this moment, we must not hesitate. Even if we violate etiquette, it is for the sake of the Han dynasty’s prosperity.”

“Why don’t we storm the Southern Palace, kill Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, rescue Prince Bian, and support the legitimate heir to the throne!”

He Miao knew that Yuan Shu’s words were largely for his own benefit. Zhang Rang and others dared to suggest that Lu Zhi and Liu Yu assist the new emperor, perhaps with some justification, but…

But he also had to fight for his own life!

Now that these noble-born gentlemen had provided him with a reason to act, what did he have to fear?

Hesitation meant death; offending imperial authority at most meant punishment. Weighing the lesser of two evils, even a butcher could make this decision!

But—

“Gonglu,” He Miao, having made up his mind, still looked troubled as he turned to the Yuan brothers, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, and said, “The Southern Palace in Luoyang is now filled with many loyalists to Zhang Rang and other traitors from the Western Garden’s Eight Divisions. With the high ground, it won’t be easy for us to breach.”

“No, it will be easy,” Yuan Shao replied, looking towards the palace walls without much concern.

If Cao Cao were still in the Southern Palace, given his capabilities, he might have caused them some trouble.

But they had just received news that Cao Cao had broken through and left, clearly to find Lu Zhi. That made things easier.

Among the eunuchs, even Jian Shuo, whom Liu Hong had entrusted with great responsibility and elevated to the head of the Western Garden’s Eight Divisions, had little real combat experience.

This was not something mere courage and strategy could change.

A mere paper tiger!

Yuan Shu added, “Indeed, we will set a fire.”

“Set… set a fire?” He Miao was shocked.

But his opinion was clearly not that important. What Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu wanted was merely his support.

He Jin might have been foolish, but his approach of trusting military officers wholeheartedly had won him many loyal followers willing to die for him.

For instance, upon hearing Yuan Shu’s plan to set a fire, even without his direct involvement, He Jin’s subordinates Wu Kuang and Zhang Zhang had already stepped forward.

These brutes believed in exacting revenge and would not care about imperial dignity at this moment.

While He Miao hesitated, the Southern Palace gates were already ablaze.

Once this began, he had no choice but to follow through.

If, after this transgression, he could become the Grand General of the Han dynasty, it would all be worth it!

The fire also terrified the defenders and eunuchs inside the Southern Palace.

At the same time, Yuan Shao quickly had Yuan Wei brought to the scene. As a former Three Excellencies and now Grand Tutor, he shouted a dignified slogan—

“By the late emperor’s edict, kill the eunuchs!”

Yuan Wei had no such edict, but it could be fabricated later!

What they needed now was to break the situation as quickly as possible, not to follow proper procedures.

However, they failed to notice that when the decision to attack was made, Dong Min, who was also present, whispered a few words to one of his trusted aides, who then quickly rode away from the group.

Although Dong Min lacked ability, he knew that in such a major event, he had to inform Dong Zhuo, who was not far from Luoyang.

Everyone had their own agenda, so no one was following the script.

If Liu Hong could see this, he might regret that his selling of official positions and titles had turned imperial authority into a fragile illusion.

He believed that Zhang Rang and others, who could only be loyal to imperial authority, had not betrayed him and had strictly followed his plans, but they… they could not defend the Southern Palace!

They could not defend the precarious dignity of the Han dynasty’s Son of Heaven!

As the fire outside the Southern Palace spread into the palace city, and the sound of hooves approached from outside the city, the collapse of the Qing Suo Gate marked not just the fall of the palace beams or the shattered city gates, but the end of a dynasty.

The flames illuminating the night sky terrified the defenders and eunuchs inside the Southern Palace.

“They’re mad, all of them!” Zhang Rang muttered, stepping back.

At this point, he could see that a major deviation had occurred in the late emperor’s plan.

But he still had some quick wit and made two decisive decisions.

Earlier, to prevent He Jin from directly attacking, he had hidden the imperial seal. Even with the fire, it would not be discovered.

Now, all he had to do was…

He shoved an edict into Bao Hong’s hands, “Commandant Bao, you have an old friendship with Marquis Qiao. In this situation, the emperor’s contingency plan must be activated. Take your men and break through, head straight to Bingzhou. Once Marquis Qiao returns from beyond the frontier, have her lead the Bingzhou Tiger Warriors to the capital to protect the emperor!”

“Do you understand?”

Zhang Rang spoke urgently but clearly.

The late emperor had been wary of Marquis Qiao, but now, only Qiao Yeshu had the ability to suppress the chaos!

Bao Hong had been to Bingzhou and was least likely to cause misunderstandings if he suddenly appeared, making him the best messenger.

Zhang Rang had no time to determine if Bao Hong might be someone else’s agent; he had to entrust him with this task.

Fortunately, Bao Hong had no ulterior motives and immediately tucked the edict into his robes, accepting the order and leaving.

Zhang Rang and Jian Shuo then took the late emperor’s body and the two princes, attempting to break through the direct path between the Southern and Northern Palaces, aiming to retreat towards the Northern Army’s Five Divisions and possibly join Lu Zhi.

But the Southern Palace of Luoyang was vast, and their decision could not be quickly communicated to everyone.

As Zhang Rang and others withdrew, Yuan Shao and his men stormed in, immediately killing Duan Gui and Guo Sheng, who had not yet fled.

Eunuchs inside the Southern Palace scattered in all directions.

But at this moment, it was not just the infamous eunuchs who were targeted as traitors by those entering the palace; even those who usually performed menial tasks were not spared.

This was clearly not the behavior of a force merely pursuing Zhang Rang and others to reclaim Liu Bian and Liu Xie.

In such chaotic circumstances, no one could say much more.

Until the team exited the north gate of Luoyang’s Southern Palace and continued the pursuit, the area regained some semblance of calm.

Or perhaps it shouldn’t be called calm, as these people were already chasing the fleeing palace staff in all directions.

After another half cup of tea, the bronze statue in front of the palace finally moved.

The sound of the bronze statue falling mixed with the sounds of firefighting, burning wood, collapsing palaces, and the gradually fading hoofbeats, making it less noticeable.

Bi Lan carefully climbed out from the hollow inside the bronze statue, quickly found a maid’s outfit from memory, and changed into it. Believing that the most dangerous place was the safest at this time, he headed towards the south gate where Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu had entered.

This was the direction they came from, so fewer people would likely flee that way, and there would be fewer pursuers.

Another reason was—

Disguising himself wasn’t entirely safe; he needed to find a temporary refuge.

Thinking of past interactions and the relationship between the other party and the Yuan clan, he gritted his teeth and headed south, straight towards the Lingtai, which stood taller than ordinary buildings under the moonlight.

Ma Lun, the Grand Historian at Lingtai south of the Southern Palace, regardless of whether she had distanced herself from the Yuan clan in recent years, couldn’t change the fact that she was the wife of Grand Tutor Yuan Wei and the mother of Yuan Wei’s two sons.

Thus, even if Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were searching for fleeing eunuchs from the palace, they would never disrespect this place.

They might offend imperial authority, but they wouldn’t harm their own.

What Bi Lan didn’t expect was that when he arrived near Lingtai, he didn’t see a scene of chaos. Instead, a carriage was already prepared on the long street in front of Lingtai, with Ma Jun sitting in the driver’s seat.

Seeing him approach, Ma Lun, standing by the carriage, showed no surprise and simply said decisively, “Get in!”

If Bi Lan had a chance to escape, she would wait only until this moment; she wouldn’t wait any longer.

If he couldn’t escape, she wouldn’t delay her journey for him.

Intimidated by her decisive attitude and the firm command to “get in,” Bi Lan didn’t dare ask more and quickly climbed into the carriage.

Inside, he saw hundreds of scrolls and Liu Hong sitting calmly.

As he hid most of his body behind the scrolls, the carriage started moving.

“Yuan… Yuan Zhuo, what’s happening now?”

Liu Hong replied, “You were clever to change into women’s clothes first. Since the Southern Palace caught fire, soldiers have been hunting eunuchs everywhere, even forcing young men on the streets to strip to prove their innocence. Madam Ma sensed the situation in the capital was dire and first hid all the female assistants from Lingtai in a cellar beneath the high platform. To prevent the loss of astronomical and calendar records, she sent us out first.”

“A cellar?!” Bi Lan’s eyes widened in shock.

What surprised him most wasn’t that Ma Lun had sent Liu Hong, the crucial mind, out of Luoyang first, but that she dared to dig a cellar beneath Lingtai!

What a bold move.

Lingtai’s ability to function as a seismograph relied on its slightly loose foundation beneath the high platform. Digging a cellar would undoubtedly destroy this seismic transmission effect.

But to Ma Lun, sending everyone out at this time would be too conspicuous. Hiding so many people in the Yuan family’s residence didn’t seem reliable to her intuition.

Perhaps it was because of Qiao Yan’s letter mentioning the Yuan family’s decay that made her unwilling to entrust their lives to the Yuans, even though Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao held military power and the Southern Palace fire was their doing.

She decided to try Qiao Yan’s idea of digging a cellar beneath the high platform to hide people and food.

Once this idea started, it couldn’t be stopped.

People can fall into mental traps. Even Bi Lan, who knew the hollow beneath Lingtai was easy to dig, couldn’t believe someone would do such a thing, let alone others!

People are alive; the seismograph’s operation could be relocated—it’s just an object!

The choice was clear.

But she decided to send Liu Hong out first.

As long as the inventor of the Qianxiang calendar and the abacus survived, even if Lingtai burned like Luoyang’s Southern Palace, it wouldn’t matter.

When the Southern Palace caught fire, she had people select the most crucial parts of the records and arrange the remaining bamboo slips on the shelves to appear full.

She also had the girls seemingly flee home but actually hide in the underground cellar, while she, as the Grand Historian and Yuan family’s wife, sent Liu Hong and Ma Jun out.

Bringing Bi Lan along was just a bonus.

The carriage’s destination was Bingzhou, which Ma Lun considered safer!

Due to Qiao Yan’s previous invitation, Ma Lun also had Ma Jun carry a message seeking Qiao Yan’s help.

Sending Liu Hong alone was easy, but sending out hundreds from Luoyang was impossible.

Especially since many of the women working at Lingtai had families and couldn’t leave without ties.

So she could only hope—

Qiao Yan would, as she said in her letter, having established herself in Bingzhou, not hesitate to help those caught in the capital’s turmoil!

Come to Luoyang quickly!

Regardless of whether Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu could kill the eunuchs and support Liu Bian, she only trusted this more reliable ally, not those reckless scoundrels!

In Luoyang, where the palace fire caused widespread panic, such a carriage leaving wasn’t overly conspicuous.

Even if patrolling soldiers stopped the carriage, they only saw Ma Lun step out.

Her dark official robe and noble demeanor made her unmistakable even in the night.

Holding her official seal, she shouted, “I am Grand Historian Ma Lun, escorting Yuan Zhuo north to temporarily leave Luoyang. How dare you stop me!”

Her imposing presence, with Liu Yuan Zhuo sitting inside, made no one think of Bi Lan hiding behind the scrolls.

The carriage sped past, directly from Luoyang’s southern district to the northern district.

Here, Ma Lun no longer needed to rely on her status to protect the carriage.

She let Ma Jun take the two north while she walked back to Lingtai.

Walking on Luoyang’s long streets, watching the increasingly alarming Southern Palace fire, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion.

Did those who set the fire consider that even with a new emperor, Luoyang would struggle to recover from such a collapse of order?

Did they think that if the Yuan family, leaning towards civil officials, could do this, what might the powerful generals do?

Perhaps they did.

But faced with the astonishing temptation of advancing family glory, they chose to act without hesitation!

Ma Lun sighed deeply.

In such an absurd situation, all she could do was use her resources to preserve some living strength.

For more, she could only hope for someone capable of turning the tide!

And at this moment, it wasn’t just Ma Lun hoping for someone to stop this chaos.

Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong retreated too quickly, missing Cao Cao’s returning forces. They could only rely on Jian Shuo’s troops to fend off pursuers while fleeing north.

He then saw that among their pursuers were troops from the Northern Army’s Yueqi Battalion.

This made him deeply distrust Lu Zhi’s ability to control the Northern Army.

Thus, he couldn’t walk into a trap!

After a quick discussion with Jian Shuo, they decided to head straight for Mount Mang, using the terrain to buy time. If they could cross Mount Mang and find a boat to cross the river, they might have a chance to turn the tide with the Yellow River’s natural barrier.

But before they reached Mount Mang, Zhao Zhong was hit by a stray arrow and soon died.

Zhang Rang, looking at the mountains ahead like lurking beasts in the night and hearing the sounds of battle behind, couldn’t help but lament in his heart—

When would he receive the rescue of a loyal and righteous person?

Heaven! Former Emperor!

Must we watch these rebels who dare burn the palace succeed?

By dawn, he found temporary refuge in a mountain hollow.

He approached the two princes in the group.

They, along with soldiers carrying Liu Hong’s body, were exhausted from being dragged along in this escape.

They didn’t understand why, after their father’s death, they faced such a situation.

According to the Han dynasty’s calculations, the seventeen-year-old Liu Bian, already timid, almost curled into a ball, while the eleven-year-old Liu Xie took the water Zhang Rang offered and asked, “Zhang Rang, where are we going?”

Zhang Rang smiled bitterly and replied, “Let’s cross the mountain ahead first.”

He momentarily hesitated whether to address Liu Xie as “Your Majesty,” adding another burden to the child, but ultimately just gathered the group and set off again after a brief rest.

After dawn, shaking off pursuers would be harder, but he knew if he didn’t move forward, he’d end up like Zhao Zhong—dead here!

With survival taking precedence, he shook off the exhaustion of a sleepless night.

Unbeknownst to him, around the same time, with no one blocking the way, after a night of fast riding, Dong Min’s trusted messenger reached Dong Zhuo’s camp.

The cavalryman nearly fell off his horse, catching his breath before reporting to Dong Zhuo, who had gathered Niu Fu, Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Li Ru, Xu Rong, and Hu Zhen, about the upheavals in Luoyang.

Dong Zhuo, decisive by nature, immediately recognized the chaos as a prime opportunity for maximum gain.

He slammed the table and stood up, “We march to Mount Mang immediately, to eliminate the rebels and protect the emperor!”