Chapter 121

Chapter 121

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 4: The End of Zhongping, The Turmoil in Luoyang, Chapter 121: Dong Zhuo Enters the Capital

Those noble families and He Jin’s old subordinates in Luoyang, along with He Miao who dreamed of becoming the Grand General, none of them respected the royal authority. Dong Zhuo, having long been in Xiliang, was no exception.

He repeatedly refused Liu Hong’s orders to appoint him as the Minor Palace or the Governor of Qingzhou, yet faced no punishment for his decisions, revealing the weak nature of the Han court.

Now, an opportunity has fallen right before him.

The Emperor’s death, generals forcing their way into the palace, the palace on fire, and the princes fleeing—all these events seem surreal.

Yet, it feels like this scene could have been predicted years ago!

Dong Zhuo first had the chance to legitimately station troops east of the river under the Grand General’s orders, then advanced closer to Luoyang, and just in time received such news…

This is the moment bestowed by heaven!

As soon as he finished his decision to eliminate the traitors and protect the Emperor, he heard Li Ru’s approval.

“Heaven’s gifts, if not taken, will bring disaster. Since the General understands this, there’s no need to hesitate. If Zhang Rang and others try to flee with the princes, with no help around, they must escape via Mang Mountain, closer to us. Please order the cavalry to head straight to the northern pass of Mang Mountain, then advance south, with the rear troops carrying more banners to boost morale.”

Dong Zhuo clapped and laughed, “As Wenyou says.”

His Xiliang soldiers, seasoned from the harsh battles in Liangzhou, moved much faster than ordinary troops once the decision was made.

Xu Rong, Guo Si, and Niu Fu led the cavalry ahead, while he coordinated the rear troops.

Niu Fu, his son-in-law, was practically family.

Xu Rong, though not from Liangzhou, was exceptionally skilled in battle. Even after being sent to assist Dong Min in Luoyang and losing to Qiao Yan, his prowess was undeniable, ensuring victory in any fight.

As for Guo Si…

As Dong Zhuo later told Li Ru during the march, Aduo, a former bandit, would react the fastest if there were sudden changes in Mang Mountain.

These three were the most suitable to search for Zhang Rang and the two princes.

This was the strength of his Xiliang army!

He Jin limited him to bringing only three thousand men, but when two thousand cavalry and one thousand infantry arrived east of the river, it wasn’t hard to gather more.

After the three took fifteen hundred cavalry, the remaining troops with him still numbered over three thousand.

Heading east, he saw the red sun rising before him, pointing his whip, feeling this was indeed a good omen!

This was the time for Dong Zhuo to shine!

Meanwhile, Zhang Rang was still fleeing.

He didn’t know that crossing Mang Mountain might not lead to safety across the Yellow River or reinforcements from River North County, but to face a Xiliang wolf.

Nor did he know that during the night’s turmoil in Luoyang, the pursuing troops were first intercepted by Cao Cao, then blocked by the northern troops under Lu Zhi.

Lu Zhi, who hadn’t held military power for years, personally held a long halberd, sternly questioning Zhang Zhang and others if they intended to rebel.

Lu Zhi, a renowned scholar, his sharp words were hard to counter, and even with few troops, he seemed like a thousand-strong army.

Perhaps because several hours had passed since the first fire in Luoyang’s Southern Palace, the initial fervor to avenge the Grand General faded, replaced by guilt and fear.

Wu Kuang and Zhang Zhang exchanged glances, then stepped back at the sight of Lu Zhi.

After these two blockades, only some troops under Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu pursued Zhang Rang.

If Jian Shuo had a bit more talent in military strategy, retreating to the Yellow River would have been easy.

But in the chaos and lack of information, they could only hastily eat some wild fruits and continue their journey in extreme hunger.

Zhang Rang even thought he heard pursuers in the valley, but scouts reported no one.

Skilled only in guessing Liu Hong’s thoughts, and barely physically active, he felt he might fall off the mountain path. If not for someone steadying him, he might have died from such a blunder.

But further north, he suddenly realized the noise wasn’t an illusion.

Due to the mountain echoes, a clear shout reached his ears—”Eunuch, stop!”

A night of close combat and the ensuing paranoia had Zhang Rang on edge. Looking back, he saw the pursuers led by Yuan Shao’s fierce generals Yan Liang and Gao Lan, panicking even more.

Jian Shuo was also exhausted, but both knew they must either overcome this together or die here, so they fought and retreated.

Jian Shuo urgently said, “Let the princes go first, I’ll hold them off!”

Promoted to Colonel by Liu Hong, he had offended many and was unlikely to survive this turmoil.

Better to cover Zhang Rang’s retreat, hoping they might survive to bury him.

He made his decision.

Though a Colonel, often at Liu Hong’s command, he was no match for seasoned generals like Yan Liang and Gao Lan.

Before Zhang Rang went far, he heard the shout change from “Eunuch, stop!” to “Jian Shuo is dead.”

Zhang Rang’s heart sank.

Seeing the clueless princes and the late Emperor’s unpeaceful body, he felt deep sorrow.

In this situation, his life might not be spared…

Just as he mechanically followed the remaining few dozen riders and over a hundred attendants over a slope, seeing the Mengjin crossing outside Mang Mountain, he saw a fierce cavalry of over a thousand heading his way.

Unable to identify them in haste, he thought it was another group of pursuers.

Xu Rong, however, recognized the group on the slope.

Having been to Luoyang and seen Zhang Rang, and with two well-protected youths, likely the princes mentioned in Dong Min’s report!

But before he could report to Niu Fu and clarify their identity, Zhang Rang fled east, trying to avoid them, but was soon hit by an arrow from afar.

The once powerful eunuch, equal to the Emperor’s ministers, this time couldn’t steady himself and rolled down the slope.

When Niu Fu sent someone to check, it was unclear if it was the arrow or the fall that broke his neck, but he was dead.

Niu Fu had no time to ponder.

The princes still led by the young eunuch running down the slope, and the approaching battle cries, made him quickly assess the situation.

He ordered Xu Rong and Guo Si to block the pursuers, while he rushed towards Liu Bian and Liu Xie.

Yan Liang and Gao Lan, on the verge of total victory, were shocked to be intercepted!

Not by ordinary interceptors!

The fierce Xiliang soldiers, unhesitant despite his claim of being under the Tiger Guard General, charged up the slope and attacked.

Xu Rong acted decisively.

Before their advance, Li Ru instructed them to only show confrontation if they encountered He Jin’s troops.

After all, Dong Zhuo came east of the river under He Jin’s orders, and had to show some respect.

Even if He Jin was dead, they had to maintain appearances.

But if it was someone else’s troops, they should strike hard, showcasing the Liangzhou army’s prowess!

Tiger Guard General?

That was Yuan Shao’s subordinate!

They were clearly not in the category Li Ru mentioned for courtesy.

Even if negotiations were needed later, they were just Dong Zhuo’s vanguard. Any extreme actions in protecting the future Emperor were justified!

The two sides were similar in troop and general composition, but with one major difference.

Xu Rong and Guo Si received marching orders near dawn and arrived at Mang Mountain’s foot by noon.

Yan Liang and Gao Lan, however, had been with Yuan Shao and He Jin since yesterday afternoon, surrounding the Southern Palace, fighting Jian Shuo’s troops since the fire started.

After entering Mang Mountain ahead of Lu Zhi, they spent half the night chasing Zhang Rang, only just resuming normal mountain pursuit.

After nearly a day of chasing and fighting, even a fierce general like Yan Liang felt exhausted.

When he shot Zhang Rang with his heavy bow, he felt a bit strained.

But now, the Xiliang soldiers, on this flat terrain, charged like cavalry.

A year and a half ago in Luoyang, Yan Liang, by Yuan Shao’s side, had met Xu Rong.

He had seen Xu Rong fight Dian Wei and heard the General praise Xu Rong as a fierce Tiger Guard.

Now, in this sudden cavalry charge, he realized that previous fight was far from real combat, greatly limiting Xu Rong’s abilities!

But what made him understand this was his sudden beheading.

By the time Dong Zhuo arrived with his troops, the battle was over.

Yan Liang died by Xu Rong’s hand, while Gao Lan reacted quickly, retreating with his cavalry, saving his life from the Xiliang army.

Dong Zhuo, hearing Niu Fu’s report, walked towards the two young princes.

From being forced out of the palace at dusk yesterday, fleeing to Mang Mountain, to Dong Zhuo’s arrival, a full day had passed.

Even Liu Bian, raised in a Taoist household, was undoubtedly pampered, never having experienced such turmoil.








If it weren’t for a few familiar eunuchs surrounding them, and Guo Si providing them with rations, they would have fainted by now.

Dong Zhuo, with his fierce appearance, couldn’t help but terrify the two princes.

After Dong Zhuo’s statement, “Your servant has arrived late to rescue,” confirmed he was a friend rather than an enemy, Liu Xie finally regained his composure and responded, “General, you are too polite.”

Dong Zhuo assessed the two princes and roughly understood their personalities.

Since they didn’t bring many people, he decided to retreat to Pingyin County north of Mengjin, settling the princes before gathering his men to discuss the next steps.

Li Ru arrived last and, upon entering, bowed to Dong Zhuo, “General, good news.”

As he spoke, he pulled a silk scroll from his sleeve.

Dong Zhuo, having received many imperial edicts, immediately recognized it as a decree.

“What is this?”

“Just now, I heard about the accompanying eunuch, a trusted aide of the late emperor. Since he fled with the princes, he must have had a reason. I searched his body and found this in his inner garment.”

Li Ru smiled, “With this, General, you have more confidence to march on Luoyang.”

“This is the late emperor’s decree appointing the young Liu Xie as the Son of Heaven.”

From the earlier messenger, they knew the late emperor had indeed left such a decree, which became Zhang Rang and He Jin’s bargaining chip.

If He Jin spared them after Liu Bian’s ascension, he would destroy the decree.

They thought the decree might not survive Zhang Rang’s escape, but it was not only carried close to his body but also avoided damage from the arrow, only stained with a bit of blood.

Seeing Dong Zhuo’s signal to continue, Li Ru asked, “General, why do you think we successfully stationed in Pingyin without facing a second attack before meeting?”

Luoyang is south of Mang Mountain. Even if Yan Liang died at Xu Rong’s hands, if the Northern Army Five Divisions had mobilized more troops, Xu Rong and Niu Fu wouldn’t have had it so easy before Dong Zhuo arrived.

Unless…

Dong Zhuo pondered, “You mean, in Luoyang, two forces are balancing each other.”

“And these two forces correspond to the factions supporting the two princes,” Li Ru continued. “Which side should we stand on?”

Just because of Yan Liang’s death, they shouldn’t align with one side.

On the contrary, in this chaos, their recent actions in Luoyang would only attract others to win them over.

However, while others might think they are hesitating, they need to take a stand, not just be used as a butcher’s knife.

This decision is up to Dong Zhuo.

Li Ru, his strategist, only reminds him of the current situation.

In fact, he wasn’t wrong.

In Luoyang, Lu Zhi, holding the late emperor’s decree, took control of the Northern Army Five Divisions. With no central authority and the imperial seal missing, the value of his decree rose significantly, creating a stalemate with the forces led by the Yuan clan and He Miao.

Huan Dian, the Middle General of the Imperial Guards, respected Lu Zhi and chose neutrality. Yang Biao, whose wife was from the Yuan clan, also stood neutral due to his father’s will.

In this balance, Dong Zhuo, who should have been ordered to hand over the princes, only received envoys in the evening to confirm the princes’ safety and a messenger from Dong Min reporting Luoyang’s situation.

“Lu Zhi and Yuan Wei…” Dong Zhuo tapped the table, deep in thought.

One side wanted to follow the late emperor’s decree to restore order, while the other sought to benefit the noble families.

With the decree in hand, Dong Zhuo should cooperate with Lu Zhi.

But Lu Zhi, like Huangfu Song, gave Dong Zhuo some psychological shadow. If he wanted more power, he couldn’t surpass Lu Zhi, the regent.

What about cooperating with the Yuan clan?

Yuan Shao sent him a letter the day after he arrived in Pingyin, saying—since he owed the Yuan clan and the Grand General, he should remember old favors. Yan Liang’s death could be considered a mistake. He hoped Dong Zhuo would choose a side soon.

This arrogant tone left Dong Zhuo with a bad taste.

Moreover, thinking of Liu Xie’s title as Marquis Dong, Dong Zhuo couldn’t help but think of replacing one Dong with another.

He thought and called Li Ru to ask, “If I want to support Liu Xie but not be under Lu Zhi, what should I do?”

Li Ru, as if expecting this, replied, “Then I give you two suggestions: first, pretend to strengthen our forces, expand our camp; second—”

“First choose the Yuan clan, support them by swallowing He Jin’s forces, then at the right moment, turn against them, support Marquis Dong, and take Lu Zhi’s military power before that.”

Li Ru hinted, “In this regard, these temporarily dominant noble families are more skilled than us.”

This is using others’ strength against them.

Dong Zhuo gave him an approving look and made his decision.

He first sent a letter to the Yuan clan, expressing some “regret” for killing Yan Liang and defeating Yuan Shao’s forces.

Of course, as a victorious Xiliang man, a bit of arrogance in his words was normal.

Then, following Li Ru’s advice, he wrote that standing with the Yuan clan was fine, as they were old friends.

But he had a condition.

Xiliang was too harsh. He regretted refusing the late emperor’s invitation and now wanted to be a general in the capital.

If Liu Bian ascended, He Miao would be Grand General, and he wanted to be the Cavalry General.

Moreover, his Xiliang followers were more capable than He Miao’s useless troops. To defeat Lu Zhi, he needed to command the troops.

The Yuan clan, holding four positions—Grand Tutor, Grand Coachman, Colonel-Director of Retainers, and Tiger Guard Middle General—with many disciples in key court positions, didn’t expect Dong Zhuo’s duplicitous attitude and agreed to his conditions.

But after Dong Zhuo took control of He Jin and He Miao’s forces, and with the Yuan clan’s help, drove Lu Zhi out of Luoyang—

“Dong Zhuo scolded the court officials for failing to save the country, correct the state, and causing the emperor to flee, forcing him to endure hardships and cooperate with traitors to restore order…” Qiao Yan received this news upon returning to Yanmen.

Whether the term “endure hardships” was appropriate or not, Dong Zhuo’s act as a loyal Han official scolding the court was hard to describe.

But considering Dong Zhuo’s original history—protecting the emperor in August, deposing in September, and becoming Chancellor in November—there was a two to three-month buffer. Now, only ten days after entering Luoyang, creating a decent image was… understandable.

After this scolding, Dong Zhuo presented the decree appointing Liu Xie as the Son of Heaven.

This immediate switch stabbed Yuan Wei and others in the back.

But it was too late for them to oppose.

Dong Zhuo’s decree was legitimate, convincing the Northern Army Five Divisions under his command.

As for He Jin’s troops, Dong Zhuo killed the loyal ones, leaving only those seeking wealth.

Following Dong Zhuo, who held the decree, was no big deal.

With strong military power, like the late emperor Liu Hong, who couldn’t strip He Jin of everything with a decree, Yuan Wei had no effective means to sanction Dong Zhuo, only cursing his treachery.

On the same day Dong Zhuo proposed making Liu Xie emperor, Cavalry General He Miao died under chaotic swords.

Huan Dian and Yang Biao, who remained neutral, were fine, but Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu had to flee to avoid He Miao’s fate.

Dong Zhuo’s strategy of first borrowing strength then turning against it was brilliantly executed.

He quickly supported Liu Xie, appointed himself Grand Commandant, recalled Yu Province Governor Huang Wan as Minister over the Masses, made Yang Biao Minister of Works, reopened the cases of Chen Fan and Dou Wu, restored titles, promoted their descendants, and employed partisans, delivering a beautiful combination punch against the Yuan clan’s attempt to suppress him with status and reputation.

In this situation, Yuan Wei and others could no longer use past favors to suppress Dong Zhuo.

Though the pre-capital situation differed, under Li Ru’s planning, Dong Zhuo achieved his original goal.

Perhaps the only difference was—

North of Luoyang, across the Yellow River and Taihang Mountains in Bingzhou, there was still a lone loyal minister, a descendant of loyal officials.

After Qiao Yan returned to Jinyang from Yanmen, she received several visitors from outside Bingzhou.

The first was Zheng Tai, a famous scholar from Xingyang.

When He Jin accepted Yuan Shao’s suggestion to summon Dong Zhuo to the capital, Zheng Tai chose to resign and head north to Bingzhou.

What he saw in Bingzhou made him realize that those in Luoyang had underestimated Marquis Qiao!

This made him, upon hearing of He Jin’s death and Dong Zhuo’s appointment as Grand Commandant, head straight to the provincial government to seek an audience with the Bingzhou Governor.

The others arrived together.

Liu Hong, the astronomer and mathematician who invented the Qianxiang calendar, came with Ma Jun and Bi Lan, like a sudden science gift package.

While Qiao Yan was delighted by their arrival, she worried about Ma Lun staying in Luoyang to protect her assistants, especially with the Yuan clan’s decline!

Her position as Grand Historian, appointed by Liu Hong, might not be recognized by Dong Zhuo, even if he acknowledged Liu Hong’s decree.

Too dangerous!

She couldn’t help but worry for Ma Lun, more determined to choose the right moment to send troops to protect her.

This hidden concern didn’t show on her face. Bao Hong, who happened to meet Ma Jun and Bi Lan on the road, saw Qiao Yan turn to him.

Having just returned from the frontier, her gaze carried a sharpness from the battlefield.

Bao Hong felt a chill.

Without thinking about how much Qiao Yan had changed over the years, he remembered Zhang Rang’s request when the Southern Palace was breached and knelt, presenting the decree to Qiao Yan.

Unaware this wasn’t the usual way to read a decree, he loudly said, “Marquis Qiao, please follow the late emperor’s order, raise troops, and enter the capital to protect the emperor!”