Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 149: Supporting the New King
In the early morning, the sky was hazy.

On the official road, the Beijing cavalry galloped on their horses, heading straight for the Zuoxiaoying military camp in the mist.

When they were approaching the military camp, two riders appeared from nowhere and stopped the galloping Beijing riders on both sides.

"This is the important place of Zuoxiao Camp. Who is coming?" The Han cavalry reined in their horses and asked, holding their spears.

"Xu~"

Jingqi grabbed the reins, took out the letter from his bosom, and replied: "I am here to see the left lieutenant on the order of the general."

"please!"

When the Jingqi rushed to the Zuoxiao Camp, Zhang Yu supervised the training of the soldiers and officers in the army, and Xu Chu and Man Chong accompanied them.

"Bonin!"

Zhang Yu pointed at Meng Ningzhi's troops who were training and said, "The troops in front of us trained well today. I commend them in a letter and give them some wine and meat. I hope the rest of the troops will do their best."

"promise!"

Man Chong nodded and took note, then asked, "Should we summon Qu Hou and Jun Sima to the big tent this evening to give a lecture on the key points of the army?"

Zhang Yu turned to look at Man Chong and asked, "Did Bo Ning gain anything from the recent military lecture hall?"

Man Chong pondered for a moment and said, "I have gained a little. For example, last time, the prince used the bandits' surprise attack on my camp as an example. My troops turned the tide of the battle and defeated the Gepi bandits. Chong has gained a lot."

"Why not tell me about it!" Zhang Yu encouraged.

"The key to night fighting is to take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness and the chaos they experience. Then you can attack them when they are shocked. If the generals and soldiers are not shocked and the camp remains intact, it means that the enemy camp is well-prepared and well-prepared. We should abandon it and not attack."

Man Chong sorted out his thoughts, revealed a confident look, and said: "In addition, the troops must be stationed in accordance with the law, like Zhao Chongguo's attack on the Qiang, with wooden fences connected continuously. If the camp is not properly set up and is attacked by the enemy, even if the troops are elite, they will still be defeated, just like Li Guang's troops."

"good!"

Zhang Yu praised him and said, "Bo Ning has understood clearly that there are six methods for setting up camp. If you can remember them and set up camp according to them, even if the enemy attacks us day and night, they will not be able to break through our camp."

"Tonight we will have a military lecture and we will organize the camp~"

Before he finished speaking, the attendant stepped forward quickly and said, "Sir, the general has an urgent letter to summon you!"

"Where is the letter?"

"At this!"

Jingqi took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it over, saying, "The situation in the capital is urgent now. The details are all in the letter."

Zhang Yu opened the letter and read it. When he saw the content, his expression changed slightly and a look of joy appeared in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

"Captain, what's happening in the capital?" Man Chong asked cautiously.

Zhang Yu had no intention of hiding this from Man Chong. He stopped and looked at Mount Mang, sighing slightly, "Your Majesty has passed away. Last night, Jian Shuo wanted to murder the general. He summoned the general to the palace in the name of Your Majesty to establish a crown prince. Thanks to the palace servants' timely notification, the general was able to escape. Now he has stationed troops in the hundred county residences."

"Your Majesty has two sons, but when you passed away, you did not leave any will. The general is afraid that the eunuch party will rebel and support the young emperor, so he urgently summoned the generals of all camps to the capital to discuss national policies to avoid repeating the Dou Wu incident."

Man Chong was shocked. He didn't expect that he would encounter such an exciting thing only a month after arriving in Beijing. The emperor passed away, the eunuchs plotted to kill important officials, and now the important officials summoned the imperial guards, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.

"Does the captain want to go to the Hundred County Mansion to discuss matters?" Man Chong asked.

Zhang Yu put the letter away and said sternly, "The eunuchs have controlled the government for many years, causing unrest in the world. If we don't help the general to eradicate the eunuch party, the people of the world will suffer unspeakably!"

The letter not only contains He Jin's invitation, but also contains implicit mention of the Yuan family. It is obvious that He and Yuan have reached a temporary alliance.

"Zhongkang, prepare your horse and follow me to the Hundred Commanderies Residence to help the general eliminate the thieves."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu remembered something and said, "Bo Ning asked Zixun to dispatch a hundred men to guard Madam Cheng's residence, and the rest will be on guard in the camp."

"promise!"

Madam Cheng has been kind to Zhang Yu. Although Zhang Yu's status has risen now, he still has to remember Madam Cheng's past kindness.

Soon, Zhang Yu, escorted by Xu Chu and more than ten riders, rode his horse to the Hundred Commanderies Residence.

Now the hundred county residences were on high alert, with soldiers standing with white scarves wrapped around their heads, some wearing armor and holding spears, some drawing bows and holding crossbows, a scene of murderous intent. When Zhang Yu arrived, face recognition was no longer useful, and a signal from the imperial cavalry was needed to enter.

"Jian!"

"Brother Meng De!"

Zhang Yu had only taken a few steps when he ran into Cao Cao, who had also been summoned. When Cao Cao saw Zhang Yu and his party, he saw the burly Xu Chu.

"I haven't seen you for a few days. I wonder who the brave warrior is behind Ji'an?" Cao Cao asked.

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "They are from the same county as Brother Meng De, Xu Chu and Xu Zhongkang. When Yu went to Yuzhou to fight against the bandits in Gepi, he saw Zhongkang capture the bandits and present them to the emperor. He appreciated his bravery and appointed him as the commander of the imperial guards."

Upon hearing that Xu Chu was recruited by Zhang Yu, Cao Cao felt a little uncomfortable for some reason, as if something important had been taken away, and he felt jealous.

"Ji'an is so lucky, not only did he wipe out the bandits, but he also got a brave man!" Cao Cao said enviously. Zhang Yu walked with Cao Cao and asked, "What do you think of Meng De now?"

Cao Cao restrained his expression and said, "Nothing else, just helping the general to eliminate the eunuchs and revive the Han Dynasty!"

"Just as I wish!" Zhang Yu said with a smile.

"please!"

When Zhang and Cao entered the hall, He Jin and his close associates sat at the tables, while the brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were among the crowd.

"Ji'an and Mengde have worked so hard. You may take your seats now!"

Seeing that all the recruits had arrived, He Jin waved his hand to have his attendants close the gate and said in a deep voice, "Last night, Your Majesty unfortunately passed away. The eunuch Jian Shuo used Your Majesty's name to recruit me. If Sima Panyin had not reported it to me, I would have fallen into Jian Shuo's trap."

He Jin looked humble and asked for advice from everyone present.

"Now that your Majesty has passed away, although he did not leave a will, according to the system of etiquette, the eldest son is the crown prince, and the prince Bian is born to the queen, so the prince Bian can inherit the throne. However, now eunuchs are everywhere in the palace, and Jian Shuo is in charge of the palace guards. Do you have any strategies to teach me?"

Cao Cao was the first to stand up and said, "General, the eunuchs' power started during the reigns of Emperors Chong and Zhi, and they have spread widely in the Forbidden City. They cannot be established in one day, and they cannot be eliminated in one day. The world cannot be without a ruler today. I think we should first support a new emperor, and then ban the eunuchs in the Forbidden City."

He Jin nodded slightly and said, "I agree with Meng De's words, but if we want to support the new emperor, we must enter the palace. I am afraid that Jian Shuo has a large number of troops in the palace. I don't know how to eliminate Jian Shuo?"

"This is not difficult!"

Yuan Shao said, "The eunuchs and Jian Shuo are not on the same page. The general should secretly inform the eunuchs that Jian Shuo is trying to murder important officials by falsely spreading the emperor's will. The eunuchs should be ordered to kill Jian Shuo. Otherwise, the eunuchs will be guilty of the same crime as Jian Shuo."

After a pause, Yuan Shao added, "In the past, Dou Wu wanted to kill the eunuchs but was killed by them instead. It was because his words were leaked and he was discovered by the eunuchs. Unfortunately, he was ambushed and killed. Now the general has an important responsibility and leads elite troops. His subordinates are all handsome and are happy to serve you. Therefore, after the general supports the emperor, he should eradicate the eunuchs for the world and make his name recorded in history."

Zhang Yu took advantage of the situation and said solemnly: "Supporting the new emperor first is to correct the distinction between the emperor and his subjects; killing the eunuchs is to purify the court atmosphere. Yu is willing to lead the left school camp to serve the general!"

"Cao and the two gentlemen agree!"

"I think the strategy could be like Yuan Shao's!"

Immediately afterwards, a series of officials including Chen Lin, Liu Biao, Wang Kuang, and Zhang Zhang stood up and responded to Yuan Shao's suggestion.

"it is good!"

Seeing that everyone was determined to eradicate the eunuchs, He Jin had no intention of implicating everyone else, but in order to win everyone's support, he stood up, drew his sword, and looked around at everyone.

"You all have the generosity to serve the country, I am extremely happy!"

He Jin said in a deep voice: "Order the eunuchs to kill Jian Shuo and present the late emperor's coffin to the main hall. And the generals follow me to the main hall to support the new emperor."

"promise!"

When He Jin and other ministers were preparing to support Liu Bian, the eunuchs in the palace were already arguing with each other.

Zhang Rang paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, looking gloomy, no longer the confident look he had before.

"What should I do?"

Duan Gui was very upset and said, "Jian Shuo is not a man who can accomplish anything. He actually let his subordinate Sima Panyin leak the news!"

"If we had known this would happen, you and I would never have conspired with Jian Shuo. Now we have provoked the He family and made them mobilize their troops. I'm afraid we won't survive!" Zhao Zhong said in a sad voice.

"Why are you so worried? Your Majesty almost deposed Queen He, but it was thanks to you and me who provided funds and protection that Queen He was not deposed. And the reason why He Jin was able to be appointed as the general has a lot to do with our planning."

Guo Sheng said to everyone: "He Jinlai sent a letter saying that he gathered the imperial guards not to attack me, but to support the crown prince Bian as emperor. Jian Shuo falsely passed on your majesty's will, and according to Han law he must be executed. If you and I can kill Jian Shuo and move your majesty's coffin to the front hall, then all this will have nothing to do with you and me."

Guo Sheng and He Jin were from the same hometown. During He's reign, Guo Sheng contributed a lot among the eunuchs, which made Guo Sheng trust He Jin's letters very much.

Han Kui's expression changed slightly, and he said, "Your Majesty values you and me, so he entrusted the will to Jian Shuo, asking him to help the prince succeed to the throne. If we plot to murder Jian Shuo now, I'm afraid we will fail Your Majesty's trust."

Zhao Zhong sneered and said, "It's not that you and I didn't help Jian Shuo, but Jian Shuo is unlikely to accomplish anything great. He let his subordinates leak the news of killing He Jin, which is such a crucial matter. If we don't blame him for this, can we blame you and me?"

Seeing that the crowd was about to quarrel, Zhang Rang stopped and said, "You and I are alone and weak. If we don't want to be killed by the party, we must work together."

"We would like to listen to what Mr. Zhang has to say!" the eunuchs said in unison.

Zhang Rang hesitated for a moment and said, "He Jin is close to his party members, but the Queen, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, and the Lord of Wuyang are close to you and me. If you and I stop He Jin from establishing Liu Bian as emperor, we will inevitably become enemies with He Jin. So for now, we should support Liu Bian to succeed to the throne and use the Queen and the General of Chariots and Cavalry to protect you and me."

"As for Jian Shuo, it's not that you and I are unwilling to obey His Majesty's will and help him support Liu Xie as emperor, but Jian Shuo will have difficulty accomplishing great things."
-
On April 18th, Zhang Rang, Guo Sheng, Duan Gui and other eunuchs followed He Jin's advice and pretended to discuss important matters. They tricked Jian Shuo into the side hall, where they killed him with swordsmen and sent Jian Shuo's head, seal and ribbon to He Jin.

The next day, He Jin and other generals wore hemp clothes on the outside and armor on the inside, and led the civil and military officials to the front hall with 30 armored soldiers to open the way to pay tribute to Liu Hong. The two queens, Dong and He, each brought Liu Xie and Liu Bian to the hall side by side.

He Jin looked smug as he walked up the stairs.

Because he had troops at his disposal, Zhang Yu was ranked at the front, dressed in mourning, and walked in the crowd with Cao Cao, Yuan Shao and other Xiyuan captains, following closely behind He Jin.

"Now that they have entered the outer court, it is better to support the new emperor and then put the eunuchs in prison and punish them." In order to cut ties with his ancestors, Cao Cao was very active in killing the eunuchs.

(End of this chapter)