My younger brother Lü Fengxian

Chapter 332: Concurrently Serving as Praetorian Guard

However, when the team arrived in Luoyang.

Problems and disagreements arose immediately.

"You are foreign soldiers, how can you allow them to enter the city?"

"If you want to enter the city, please camp outside the city!"

Yuan Shao and others' lives and property are in Luoyang City, so they naturally would not allow foreign troops who are not under their control to enter the city.

If it follows the original historical trajectory.

Dong Zhuo's family was the only one in power, so naturally he could ignore these noble families.

But now that he had a Bingzhou army that was no weaker than his own by his side, Dong Zhuo had to consider the impact and was in a dilemma for a while.

However, Lu Yi, who had already seized the opportunity to welcome the emperor, did not have the same worries as Dong Zhuo.

He simply stepped forward to report to Liu Bian that Yuan Shao and others would not let him enter the city. Liu Bian immediately allowed Lu Yi to lead his troops into the city under the persuasion of the Ten Eunuchs and took over the defense of the Luoyang gates and the imperial palace.

Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others killed General He Jin, which aroused the anger of the nobles. Now all the nobles in Luoyang wanted to kill the Ten Eunuchs as soon as possible.

As a result of the killing of Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and others yesterday, only one eunuch remained in the garrison of the Luoyang Imperial Palace, making it impossible to maintain the defense of the Luoyang Palace again.

Therefore, Lu Yi is now very important to the Ten Attendants.

If it weren't for his 5,000 Bingzhou troops guarding them, Zhang Rang and others would have been like sheep entering a tiger's mouth as soon as they entered Luoyang, and would have had no chance of saving their lives.

Although Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong almost committed suicide by jumping into the river before, they were forced by the situation. After all, if they could live a good life, who would be willing to jump into the river to commit suicide?
Not to mention, Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong were both high-ranking eunuchs who were granted titles of nobility and were used to abusing their power. Who would be willing to die?
As for Liu Bian, Lu Yi is now a loyal minister worthy of trust. He was originally cowardly, and now after suffering such a huge change, he is even more worried and can't leave Lu Yi.

In order to give Lü Yi a legitimate reason to be his teacher, the emperor, at the suggestion of Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, let Lü Yi concurrently serve as the Praetorian Guard.

The duties of the Praetorian Guards were to patrol the capital, suppress thieves, arrest criminals, and try cases; to garrison the capital, launch temporary expeditions, and manage weaponry.

It can be said that for Lu Yi now, the Prefect of the Guards is a more suitable position than the Nine Ministers.

With the seal of the Praetorian Guard in hand, Lu Yi can rightfully control the capital of Luoyang.

As for Comrade Lao Dong, who was lagging behind Lu Yi, he could only reluctantly stay in the western suburbs of Luoyang to assist Lu Yi in maintaining the security of the capital.

Now that Lu Yi was in power, he immediately ordered Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun and other generals to lead their Bingzhou troops to control the city gates of Luoyang.

In addition, he ordered Lu Bu to personally lead two thousand elite soldiers to enter the palace and control the palace gate.

And Lu Bu himself had to closely guard the emperor and Prince of Chenliu and could not leave for even a moment.

Lu Yi himself immediately performed the duties of the Praefectus Urbi, and began to patrol the city of Luoyang, arresting thieves and robbers who took advantage of the chaos to commit crimes, and deterring the scoundrels.

During his patrol, no matter if they were officials or sons of noble families, anyone who fell into his hands would be severely punished.

Almost within a day, Luoyang, which had been in turmoil, returned to peace.

This not only made millions of people in Luoyang fear and respect Lu Yi, but also forced the nobles and ministers who were originally preparing to cause trouble to temporarily stop, for fear that Lu Yi would give them some evidence and cause them and their families to suffer huge losses.

After sorting out the affairs in Luoyang, Lu Yi finally got a chance to enter the palace to meet the emperor the next day.

Now that Luoyang has been newly established, the original political structure has fallen apart almost overnight.

Not only were the disciples and grandchildren of the Ten Eunuchs and others all killed by the nobles, but it was equivalent to having their hands and feet cut off.

Even He Jin, the great general who once held great power and was the uncle of the emperor, was beheaded and died tragically in the palace.

This is equivalent to a table of delicious dishes ready.

The chef himself didn't get to eat a single bite, but instead the food was given to passers-by who took advantage of the opportunity.

And now Lu Yi is the passerby who got the biggest bargain.

But he, the passerby, is different from others. He comes prepared.

Not only are there 5,000 Bingzhou troops currently in Luoyang City, there are also more than 40,000 Bingzhou cavalry who are marching day and night and will be able to reach the city of Luoyang in just these two days.

By then, even if Dong Zhuo took down his own 200,000 Xiliang cavalry, Lu Yi would not be afraid at all.

Xiliang is a poor place with a population only slightly smaller than that of Bingzhou. How can it be compared with Bingzhou, which monopolized the entire smuggling trade south of the desert?

Dong Zhuo's 200,000 armored men was just a figment of his imagination. Perhaps Dong Zhuo's cavalry really did number 200,000, but it would be extraordinary if the actual armored rate was only 10%.

Two hundred thousand sets of armor cannot be exchanged for even if Xiliang is sold.

However, Lu Yi's 50,000 Bingzhou cavalry were fully armed and armored cavalry.

And now it has evolved into one person with three horses.

One horse to ride, one horse to carry food, and one horse to carry armor.

The mobility has been greatly improved and is almost the same as that of ordinary light cavalry.

After all, light cavalry also have to carry knights, and the burden can be shared by the three horses of Lu Yi's Bingzhou Iron Cavalry.

Therefore, Dong Zhuo's 200,000 Xiliang cavalry could at best tie with Lu Yi's 50,000 Bingzhou cavalry.

What's more, Xiliang has not been completely pacified by Dong Zhuo yet. In order to protect his base camp Xiliang, Dong Zhuo has to leave at least 100,000 troops to guard it.

In this case, Dong Zhuo would be even less of a match.

In addition to the 50,000 Bingzhou cavalry, Lü Yi also had such fierce generals as Lü Bu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, and Zhang He. Generals such as Gao Shun, Cheng Lian, Hou Cheng, Wei Xu, Song Xian, Gao Lan, Cao Xing, and Zang Ba were also on their way.

Compared with the generals, Lu Yi left Dong Zhuo, who only had Hua Xiong to support him, far behind.

If Dong Zhuo had behaved himself, Lu Yi would have allowed him to be the King of Xiliang.

If Dong Zhuo still wanted to be as dishonest as he was in history, Lu Yi would not mind spending some elite troops to wipe out Dong Zhuo and his Liangzhou Legion in one fell swoop.

After Lu Yi arrived at the palace, in order to show respect, he did not force his way in, but reported to the higher levels one by one.

After obtaining permission from Liu Bian and Empress Dowager He, Lu Yi headed towards the palace accompanied by Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others.

"Thank you two eunuchs for accompanying me."

Although Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong have temporarily lost their power, their power should not be underestimated.

Some of the rules within this palace will not work without inheritance.

Although Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong may not be good at other things, when it comes to passing on the rules, no one can compare to them.

After all, as royal servants, their biggest job is to serve the emperor's family and maintain the operation of the palace.

"The Duke of Jin really embarrassed us."

"If it weren't for the rescue of Marquis Jin yesterday, I'm afraid we would have turned into ghosts in the lake by now. How could we return to the imperial palace?"

Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong already had a good impression of Lu Yi. After receiving his help, they were even more respectful to him, which greatly benefited Lu Yi.

"The two eunuchs have helped me a lot before. I, Lu Yi, am not a heartless person."

"I already know what happened in Luoyang this time. Don't worry, gentlemen. I am not the ignorant butcher He. As long as you follow my instructions, you will not only be able to get through this difficult time safely, but you will also enjoy endless wealth and glory in the future!"

"Oh my, with the words of the Marquis of Jin, we can finally sleep peacefully today. The Marquis of Jin has saved our lives, but I cannot repay him enough. From now on, if you need us, please let me know. We will do our best to serve the Marquis of Jin!"

Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong were both veterans who had been fighting in the political struggle for half their lives. They knew what Lu Yi meant by that. It was obvious that he wanted to form an alliance with them.

The two of them were overjoyed when they heard this and immediately wanted to pay homage to Lu Yi. However, Lu Yi was not as arrogant as He Jin. He did not need collaborators to express themselves in this way. He only wanted collaborators to behave themselves and fulfill their duties. Therefore, he immediately stopped the two eunuchs.

"Although I am now favored by the emperor and in control of Luoyang and the palace, I still hope that everything should be done according to the rules. At such a critical moment, we must not leave any handle for those with ulterior motives, which will be detrimental to His Majesty and the two eunuchs!"

Seeing that Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong seemed to be overstepping their bounds in their attitude towards him, Lu Yi quickly reminded them.

Now, as long as Lu Yi follows the procedures, he will be the biggest winner of this coup, unless he goes crazy and breaks the rules when he is at his most capable.

"It is only in times of turmoil that we can tell who are the loyal ministers! If Yuan Shao and his men had even one tenth of the loyalty of the Marquis of Jin, how could Your Majesty and I have fallen into such a predicament?"

Zhang Rang sighed and then said to Lu Yi.

"Since the Marquis of Jin wants to follow the rules, he must bathe and change clothes before meeting the emperor. Please come with us."

"Then I'll have to trouble you two eunuchs."

Led by Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, Lu Yi came to a side hall.

In the side hall, several palace maids were already waiting.

"This is the Marquis of Jin who has saved the emperor. You should serve him well. If you treat him badly, I will skin you alive!"

When Zhang Rang saw those palace maids, he immediately gave them a stern warning and then allowed them to take Lu Yi in to bathe and change clothes.

"My Lords, I can do this myself."

It's not that Lu Yi is not interested in women, but the situation is very critical now. These palace maids are obviously the ones serving the emperor. He is not very familiar with the rules of the palace. He is worried that he might be attacked by someone with ulterior motives, so he refused again and again.

"Haha, Lord Jin, you don't know that these palace maids are supposed to do this, and they have to wash themselves cleanly. You may not be able to wash as cleanly as they do."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhong knew very well what Lu Yi was worried about, and he immediately started to explain with a smile.

"I see."

Lu Yi finally felt relieved after hearing this. She accepted the service of several palace maids with ease, changed into new clothes, and went to the outside of the emperor's bedroom under the guidance of Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong.

"Your Majesty, I, Lu Yi, greet you!"

This time, Lu Yi was not wearing armor, so he paid full respect to Liu Bian.

"My dear minister, you have done a great service in saving the emperor the other day. I am too late to reward you. Please stop the formalities now!"

Liu Bian was now in a familiar environment and met familiar people. He became much calmer, completely different from the weak appearance he had shown in front of everyone the day before.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Lu Yi was surprised but soon relieved.

After all, Liu Bian was not a disabled person like Emperor Hui of Jin. He just had never seen any big scenes and had not received any experience, so he had the mentality of an ordinary teenager.

It's no surprise that their fight now is more like that between two friends than between a king and his subjects.

"What is the purpose of your visit today, Mr. Lu?"

Before Liu Bian could speak, Liu Xie on the side suddenly asked.

"Ok?"

Seeing this, Lu Yi couldn't help but frown and fell silent.

After a long while, he asked Liu Xie calmly.

"May I ask, should I give my advice to the Prince of Chenliu or to Your Majesty?"

Lu Yi's words immediately made the scene quiet.

Not only Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others also looked thoughtful.

Even Liu Xie looked at his brother's expression with some panic.

Liu Bian, who had always been very close to Liu Xie, couldn't help but pause when he heard this.

In fact, Lu Yi did not want to follow Dong Zhuo's example and do something like deposing and enthroning people to establish his authority.

How can Dong Zhuo's contributions be compared with his?

Lu Yi is now a veteran general in the late Han Dynasty who can be compared with Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun.

Moreover, his achievements have surpassed those of the three heroes of the late Han Dynasty.

Although Dong Zhuo's deposing and enthroning of emperors seemed to have increased his own authority, didn't he also lose the authority of the court?
He insisted on his own way to depose and enthrone the emperor, which led to him being besieged by the heroes from Guandong and forcing him to flee westward in panic. This was a manifestation of the decline of the court's authority.

Therefore, Lu Yi was not prepared to follow Dong Zhuo's example.

However, this does not mean that Lu Yi will allow anyone to disobey his orders and escape from his control.

Especially the emperor and the Liu clan.

Among them, the child Liu Xie attracted Lu Yi's most attention.

Liu Xie's intelligence and precocity are recorded in history, and he was definitely not someone who was willing to be a puppet.

When he was under Cao Cao, he tried many times to seize power.

Lu Yi didn't want to be controlled by a kid relying on his title of prince.

Therefore, he gave a reminder.

This is both Lu Yi's reminder and Lu Yi's warning.

Liu Xie immediately understood Lu Yi's warning.

I couldn't help feeling uneasy.

After being reminded by Lu Yi, Liu Bian also felt that it was inappropriate for Liu Xie to always interrupt and make decisions for him, so he gave orders to Liu Xie with a cold face for the first time.

"Xie Di, you are no longer needed here. Go back to your bedroom and rest."

"I obey your orders!"

Liu Xie felt bitter in his heart and regretted his presumptuous behavior.

Now his parents are both dead, and his grandmother has long been poisoned to death by He Jin.

My brother Liu Bian is my last support. I didn't expect that today I would offend my brother because of my own will. I am afraid that my life will be even more difficult in the future.

After Liu Xie left.

Only then did Lu Yi respectfully advise Liu Bian.

"Your Majesty, the situation in Luoyang City has stabilized. I would like to exercise my duties as the Prefect of the Imperial Guards and begin to investigate the Luoyang coup. I ask for your permission."

Now that the situation is under control, Lu Yi will naturally press on to seize the opportunity and continue to expand his power by holding people accountable.

Grace lies in reward, and authority lies in punishment.

As long as Lu Yi controls the power of reward and punishment, he can still dominate the government.

(End of this chapter)