Dahan: A 100-year-old veteran, I will build the strongest family

When the news of Liu Hong's death spread to all states of the Han Dynasty, the governors, county magistrates and other high-ranking officials were all shocked, and they also began to observe the developments in Luoyang.

They were watching to see who would become the new emperor of the Han Dynasty so that they could express their support and loyalty to the new emperor.

After all, the prestige of the Han royal family is still there, and even the top families dare not act recklessly.

When a new emperor ascended the throne, the governors and county governors, as local administrative chiefs, had the primary task of expressing their support and loyalty to the new emperor. They would usually express their submission and respect to the new emperor by submitting memorials and paying homage to him.

The attention of all parties in the world was turned to the imperial capital Luoyang.

What the governors and county magistrates from all over the world did not know was that the situation in Luoyang was undercurrent.

Before Liu Hong passed away, he did not even designate a successor.

Before his death, Liu Hong was always troubled by the issue of succession.

According to the political tradition of the Han Empire, the eldest son should inherit the throne, which means that the queen's eldest son Liu Bian would be made emperor.

However, Liu Hong believed that Liu Bian was frivolous and lacked dignity, and wanted to make his favorite Liu Xie the emperor. But he was quite hesitant because he knew that Empress He, He Jin and the elders in the court would not agree. He also considered that Empress He had killed Concubine Wang and would definitely not keep Liu Xie.

So when he was seriously ill, he entrusted Liu Xie to the hands of Duan Gui, Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and the Ten Eunuchs.

Liu Hong eventually died in the Jiade Hall of the Nangong Palace.

After Liu Hong's death, the throne was undecided, and the struggle between the relatives of the emperor and the eunuchs in Luoyang began.

Liu Hong died in the Jiade Hall. Duan Gui, one of the Ten Eunuchs who controlled the palace guards, was in the palace at the time and wanted to kill the queen's brother, General He Jin, and then make Liu Xie the emperor.

However, when Duan Gui mobilized his troops, He Jin noticed something was wrong and fled for his life outside the palace.

Behind him was a large group of eunuch guards armed with weapons chasing him.

After He Jin escaped, he was extremely angry. He mobilized troops, united the ministers in the court, and got the support of Empress He.

Therefore, they strongly supported the eldest prince Liu Bian to ascend the throne.

Liu Bian was only fourteen years old, and he honored his mother, Empress He, as the Empress Dowager. Empress He presided over the government and issued a general amnesty, but the real power fell into the hands of He Jin.

He Jin held great power in the government and resented Duan Gui, who wanted to murder him and secretly planned to kill him.

Yuan Shao, who was a lieutenant under He Jin, persuaded He Jin to wipe out all the eunuchs in one fell swoop.

He Jin trusted and appointed Yuan Shao and his younger brother Yuan Shu, the General of the Tiger Guards, because the Yuan family had always had high-ranking officials in their family. However, He Jin was quite tempted by this suggestion.

Duan Gui was suspicious and uneasy, so he told the eunuchs Zhao Zhong, Zhang Rang and others: "General He Jin and his brothers control the government and act arbitrarily. If their previous actions are exposed, He Jin might destroy us. It is only because I command the imperial guards that I am hesitant. Now we should act together and arrest He Jin and execute him."

However, Duan Gui and his men didn't have time to react as He Jin's troops had already arrived and captured Duan Gui directly.

Immediately afterwards, He Jin began to eliminate Dong Chong and the Ten Attendants.

Dong Chong was a native of Hejian and the nephew of Empress Dowager Dong, the biological mother of Emperor Ling of Han. He was appointed as General Wei by Liu Hong and stationed in Luoyang.

After Liu Bian succeeded to the throne, there was a power clash between Dong Chong and He Jin. Empress Dowager Dong supported Liu Xie and fell out with Liu Bian's mother, Empress Dowager He.

Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others were terrified and begged for mercy from Empress Dowager He, asking He Jin to spare their lives.

Empress He took into consideration that Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong had saved her in the past, so she protected them and did not allow He Jin to kill them.

……

The general's residence.

He Jin sat in the main seat with a frown on his face.

Below, Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, He Yong, Zheng Xuan, Han Rong, Chen Ji, Chen Lin, Li Ru, Kong Rong, Wang Lang, Wu Kuang, Zhang Zhang, Bao Xin and about twenty other people gathered together.

"This Dong Zhong has repeatedly opposed this great general, all because he has the protection of the Grand Empress Dowager Dong. Moreover, this Grand Empress Dowager Dong has connections with the Ten Eunuchs and has always wanted to support Liu Xie. The Queen Mother also protects Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and other Ten Eunuchs. This great general is really troubled. What should I do?"

He Jin's face was filled with melancholy. He felt somewhat resentful towards his sister for being soft-hearted and not getting rid of Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong at this time.

Among them was Empress Dowager Dong, and he really felt like there was something stuck in his throat!

In the hall, the people who were attached to He Jin also frowned when they heard this. With Liu Bian's succession to the throne, the He family's prestige skyrocketed, and He Jin held a high position and power. Therefore, there were countless people who attached to He Jin and flocked to him. Among them, Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao were the ones who were most valued by He Jin.

Because Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao were obedient, and the Yuan family was prestigious and influential, He Jin naturally treated them as his right-hand men.

"General, Shao does have a plan that may help solve the eunuch problem in troubled times and the threat Your Majesty is facing from Empress Dowager Dong!"

Suddenly, Yuan Shao spoke, causing He Jin and everyone else to look at Yuan Shao sideways.

"Benchu ​​has a good idea? Tell us quickly!" He Jin's eyes lit up and he said hurriedly.

"General, since our forces are not enough to suppress Dong Zhong, Zhang Rang, and Zhao Zhong, and they seem inappropriate, and there is also the Queen's obstruction. Then, we don't need the troops in Luoyang. Why not mobilize foreign troops, in the name of clearing the emperor's side, to kill Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and the ten eunuchs in one fell swoop, and intimidate the Empress Dowager Dong, and force Dong Zhong to resign! In this way, when foreign troops enter Luoyang, even if the Queen Dowager can't say anything, it can also show the general trend and have the support of the world!"

Yuan Shao bowed to He Jin and told him the plan with a burning look in his eyes.

"Lead foreign troops into Luoyang and purge the court?" When the people around heard Yuan Shao's words, they all became agitated. Some people's glasses lit up, while others frowned.

He Jin, who was sitting in the main seat, showed some excitement and said, "Yes, if we invite foreign troops to enter Luoyang, we can definitely kill Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and the ten eunuchs, and intimidate Empress Dowager Dong, forcing Dong Zhong to resign. The Empress Dowager can't say anything."

However, He Jin then slapped his thigh and said regretfully:
"What a pity that General Li is not here. If General Li were here, he would definitely be able to solve these problems with lightning speed. What should we do now?"

He Jin's first reaction was to think of Li Hong.

But he remembered that Li Hong supported the He family.

Listening to He Jin's words, the man who was originally frowning, nodded slightly when he thought about what would happen if Li Hong led a large army to purge the court.

Indeed, if Li Hong came to purge the court, then the result would be the best. After all, Li Hong had a high reputation, was loyal to the Han Dynasty, and held a high position of power. Empress Dowager He would have no way of saying anything.

"General, General Li has gone to the Western Regions and I'm afraid he won't be back for a while. However, you can ask other governors to transfer troops to Luoyang. My Yuan family can lead the troops of Yuzhou to support the general in clearing the court!" Yuan Shao said loudly to He Jin.

He Jin, who was sitting in the main seat, suppressed his regret for Li Hong outside and felt satisfied when he looked at Yuan Shao.

In recent years, the Yuan family has been quite supportive of him.

However, He Jin was somewhat worried about only mobilizing the troops from Yuzhou, and said:
"Okay, besides Yuzhou, are there any other governors who would recommend you?"

He Jin could trust the Li family, but did not fully trust the Yuan family, which was already the top family in the Han Dynasty. At this time, He Jin agreed with Yuan Shao's strategy, but he wanted to mobilize troops from several states to enter Luoyang to kill the Ten Attendants together, and consolidate the He family's rule and influence.

"General, my father-in-law Dong Zhuo has long wanted to show his loyalty to you. You can mobilize the troops in Liang Province!"

Li Ru rushed out, bowed to He Jin and expressed his loyalty.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion ended, Dong Zhuo in Xiliang sent Li Ru to surrender to He Jin and express his loyalty to him.

Over the years, with the support of He Jin, Dong Zhuo won several battles in Liang Province with Zhang Wen, and now he is the governor of Liang Province.

When He Jin saw that it was Li Ru who spoke, he immediately stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Okay, Dong Zhuo is also a brave general, let Dong Zhuo lead the army as well!"

He Jin still had a good impression of Li Ru and Dong Zhuo. Over the years, Dong Zhuo was quite obedient and often gave him money, various rare treasures, and even beauties from Liangzhou.

A flash of joy flashed across Li Ru's eyes. After thanking He Jin, he looked at Yuan Shao meaningfully.

"General, the governor of Xuzhou, Ding Yuan, is also brave and can be summoned to the capital."

"General, Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, is a relative of the Han Dynasty. He should be invited to Luoyang."

"General, Liu Yan, the governor of Yizhou, is a relative of the Han dynasty and has served as the chief of the clan. He is highly respected and may be invited to Luoyang."

He Jin was very satisfied with the requests for instructions. He waved his hand and decided to invite them to Luoyang.

Seeing so many governors entering Luoyang, He Jin felt relieved. He also asked the army coming to support the king not to make a big fuss but to enter Luoyang in a low profile.

Soon, orders to support the king were quickly sent to the five states of Yuzhou, Liangzhou, Yizhou, Yangzhou and Xuzhou.

When the order to support the king was issued, the five states of Yuzhou, Liangzhou, Yizhou, Yangzhou and Xuzhou were shaken, and undercurrents began to surge in all parts of the world.

(End of this chapter)