Taiheiki

Chapter 116: Four Generations of Three Dukes
"That's right!" Cai Feng nodded. "Times are different now. In today's situation, if people's hearts are divided, even the most abundant wealth will be used by thieves. Only when clans are harmonious and the village is united can we withstand the coming storm!"

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On the Gengshen day of June in the tenth year of the Yanxi reign (167 AD), rumors long circulating among the upper echelons of Luoyang finally came to light. The long-hesitant Emperor Liu Zhi finally accepted the advice of the empress and eunuchs, changed the reign title to Yongkang, and issued a general amnesty. He released the rebellious members of the Party imprisoned in the Huangmen Beisi Prison and allowed them to return to the countryside. However, these rebellious members were also permanently banned from officialdom, a move later known as the "Party Prison Disaster."

As if in response to the court's general amnesty, on the third day after the emperor changed the reign title, large-scale riots broke out almost simultaneously in Yuzhang, Jiujiang, Danyang, Lujiang, Wu, Kuaiji, and Guangling in Xuzhou. The rebels wrapped their heads in cloth towels and, armed with various weapons, besieged the counties, burned down government offices, killed officials, and looted everywhere, declaring, "The emperor is unjust, the court is corrupt, and the officials in the counties and prefectures are all tigers and wolves. The people are hungry and have no food, cold and no clothes, sick and no medicine, and cry out for help but have nowhere to turn. Now the sage Zhonghuang Taiyi has been sent down to the world to punish the tigers and wolves, remove the unjust and incompetent emperor, and save the people from danger! May those who follow live, and those who resist be destroyed!"

For a time, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, and southern Xuzhou were all greatly shaken. The peasant army was unstoppable, and prefectures and counties were lost. Countless officials fled. The county cities south of the Yellow River often closed their gates even during the day for fear of being attacked by bandits. The capital was greatly shocked.

Luoyang was the residence of the Grand Coachman (one of the Nine Ministers).

Before the carriage had even stopped, Cao Cao swiftly jumped out. He climbed the steps two at a time and asked the oncoming gatekeeper, "Is Master Shu in the mansion?"

As a gatekeeper, he naturally recognized the man before him as the grandson of the palace's Grand Chamberlain and a close friend of the Second Young Master. He hurriedly greeted him with a smile, "You've come at the perfect time. The Second Young Master just returned from outside and is gathering with more than ten friends in the backyard. Please go in by yourself. I won't pass on the message!"

"What friends? They're just those scoundrels!" Cao Cao snorted, adjusted his belt, and walked straight into the room. Although he and Yuan Shu were also good friends since childhood, their relationship was far less close than that with his cousin Yuan Shao. It was just that Yuan Shao was in his hometown of Runan, not in Luoyang, so Cao Cao came to visit Yuan Shu.

Cao Cao was well-versed in Yuan Shu's household. After entering, he walked along the long corridor toward the side courtyard to the right of the rear mansion, where Yuan Shu lived. Twenty or thirty steps from the side courtyard, he heard cheers emanating from within. Cao Cao curled his lips and sneered, "Birds of a feather flock together, it's true. Ah Shu hangs out with a bunch of scoundrels all day long. Does he think he can accomplish anything? If his brother weren't away in the capital, I really wouldn't want to come to him!"

Cao Cao arrived at the courtyard gate and pounded on it with the butt of his sword. A moment later, someone inside shouted, "Who is this blind person making a noise again? Didn't I tell you that I'm having fun with my friends today? Don't bother me, no matter how big the matter!"

"It's me!" Cao Cao shouted, "Cao Cao of Pei, there's something urgent. Open the door!"

"Aman?" A moment later, the courtyard door opened. Behind it stood a frivolous young man about Cao Cao's age. He wore a short jacket over a wide robe, a gold-studded dagger at his waist, and was holding a very handsome servant. He asked with some annoyance, "Aren't you always with that Ah Shao? Why did you find time to come see me today?"

"Let me in quickly, there is something important to discuss!" Cao Cao pushed Yuan Shu aside and walked in. He looked into the yard and frowned slightly. In the middle of the yard was a cow that had just been slaughtered. Next to it was a grill. Two cooks were cutting meat and grilling it. Around them stood or lay twenty or thirty desperate young men, wearing swords and knives, with their hair tied with gold rings, drinking and chatting. Two of them were holding knives facing each other, with knife wounds on their bodies. When they saw Cao Cao coming in, they seemed not to see him and continued to confront him.

"Ashu, what are you doing?" Cao Cao asked.

"These are all young, chivalrous men I recruited from my hometown. They are all men who stand for justice and are ready to die!" Yuan Shu pointed proudly at the people in the courtyard. "Hou Lan, that evil villain, has harmed countless people and is the main culprit behind the 'Party Imprisonment' incident. So I plan to send someone to assassinate him on his way back home as a token of my gratitude to the world!"

"Are you crazy, Ah Shu?" Cao Cao was shocked when he heard this. "Hou Lan is the eunuch. If you send someone to assassinate him, let alone whether it will succeed, even if it does, the emperor will definitely send people to hunt him down. Then many people will be in trouble!"

"Don't you know?" Yuan Shu laughed, "The emperor's health is failing, and he doesn't even have a crown prince. Once the emperor dies, power will fall into Empress Dou's hands. How could she avenge Hou Lan?"

"That won't work, after all—"

"Alright, alright!" Yuan Shu waved his hand. "I knew you were just like Ah Shao, unable to do anything. You guys are all just gutless. To accomplish great things, you need courage! If you don't have the guts, you can just stand aside and watch me accomplish great things!"

"Don't act recklessly!" Cao Cao growled. "Do you know? Yangzhou and Xuzhou are already in chaos. Including the rebels in Jingzhou, there are no fewer than 300,000 rebels. How could you and I cause trouble again at this time?"

"Really?" Yuan Shu, though arrogant, was no fool. "Any news from Pei?"

"Hmm!" Cao Cao nodded. His hometown, Qiaocheng in Pei State, belonged to Xuzhou, and people often traveled back and forth between his hometown and Luoyang. He pulled a scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Yuan Shu. "This is a letter from my third uncle. He just escaped from Guangling. It was terrible. In Guangling alone, there were at least ten thousand bandits. The county governor's orders couldn't get out of Guangling city."

"What about the county soldiers? What about the heroes in the village?" Yuan Shu asked.

"Guangling is not like Guanxi, Bingzhou and Youzhou, which are adjacent to the northern Hu people. The county soldiers have long been useless. Last year, Feng Gun went to Jingnan to pacify the Wuling Barbarians and recruited a group of Danyang soldiers. The rest are only some old and weak. It's okay to defend the city, but going out to fight the moth bandits in the field is just suicide." Cao Cao smiled bitterly and said, "As for the heroes in the village, you also know that in recent years, the scholars in the prefectures and counties have had many complaints about the court. Add to that the party affairs just now. The heroes' desire to work for the court is even weaker. Being able to build a stronghold to protect themselves and see the wind is already good. At least it's not yet "They're following the enemy; it's really difficult to get them to mobilize their troops to fight the enemy!" "These bastards! Ah Man, you're right, now is not a good time to assassinate them!" Yuan Shu cursed. He knew Cao Cao was right. The "local heroes" Cao Cao mentioned were different from the high-ranking families like Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, and Huang Wan, who had been officials for generations. Although they controlled a large population and land through clan tribes, neighborhood relationships, and favors, and had a considerable number of clan armed forces, their political influence rarely exceeded the county level. These local heroes' loyalty to the empire was quite limited. If it was a rebel force of only a few hundred or a thousand people, they would be happy to lead their troops to attack and pursue them, thereby gaining various benefits.

However, if the rebels exceeded a certain number, such as the Guangling rebels mentioned by Cao Cao, where they numbered over 10,000 and could encircle the prefectural governor, preventing him from leaving his seat. Then, until the imperial court sent reinforcements and the situation changed, most local heroes would not risk their families to fight the rebels. Instead, they would build strongholds to protect themselves, feigning complicity with the rebels, even sending them food, livestock, and even hostages, superficially expressing their submission and waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Of course, if this lasts long enough, these heroes will shift from half-hearted, feigned submission to wholehearted, genuine submission. It all depends on the development of the situation and the price offered. Ultimately, there are individuals willing to sacrifice their lives for a cause, but there are no families willing to be annihilated for a cause.

Even someone as impulsive and frivolous as Yuan Shu understood that politically assassinating the eunuch leader at this critical juncture was a bad idea. To put it bluntly, the imperial court was being tossed about by the waves and on the verge of capsizing. Eunuchs and relatives, "four generations of three officials" like Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao, and "eunuch remnants" like Cao Cao, were all on the top deck of the Eastern Han Empire. No matter how fiercely they fought each other, they were still part of the ship, each one connected to the other. As long as the ship didn't capsize, everyone had a chance to win or lose. If these peasants really overturned the ship, and everyone was drowned, that would be a true disaster.

"Ashu, now is indeed not a good opportunity to assassinate, but it is a good opportunity for us to become famous!" Cao Cao said with a smile.

"To become famous?" Yuan Shu was momentarily unsure: "What do you mean?"

"Didn't the emperor issue a decree a few days ago to change the reign and grant amnesty, releasing the rebellious members imprisoned in the Huangmen Beisi Prison and allowing them to return to the fields? However, these rebellious members have also been permanently deprived of their right to hold official positions!"

"What's the big deal?" Yuan Shu laughed. "The emperor's health is failing, otherwise he wouldn't have issued an edict to change the reign and grant amnesty. This is submission. If there's a first time, there will be a second. Besides, even if the emperor really refuses to give in, he won't have many days to live. He has no biological son, and the empress dowager's surname is Dou. According to tradition, once the empress dowager ascends the throne, her father Dou Wu will be the general. How could he not release the party members from their imprisonment?"

"You are right, but what if someone can get the emperor to release the party members now? How high will his reputation be?" Cao Cao laughed.

"You want the Emperor to release the party members from their imprisonment now? You mean you can?" Yuan Shu finally reacted, his eyes immediately blazing with enthusiasm. "Tell me, what can you do?"

"It's very simple!" Cao Cao did not hide it. "Just tell the emperor that if the shackles of the party members are not removed, they may defect to the side of the E thieves, and then we will be in trouble."

"The party members defected to the Moth Bandits? How is that possible?" Yuan Shu laughed. "Du Mi, Chen Xiang, Chen Shi, Fan Pang, they'd defect to the Moth Bandits? How is that possible? Who would believe you? It's a good thing you said that to me. If you had said that in the Imperial Academy, I'm afraid you would have been stabbed to death by some brainless guy with a ruler-shaped knife!"

"Du Mi, Chen Xiang, Chen Shi, and Fan Pang are all people of high integrity. It's impossible for them to defect to the E-thieves!" Cao Cao laughed. "But that doesn't mean that the young scholars who were implicated by them and lost their official careers will never defect to the E-thieves. The most important thing is that the emperor himself knows that his life is coming to an end. What is he most worried about at this moment? The overthrow of the Han Dynasty, and his inability to face his ancestors in the afterlife. And if some party members join forces with the E-thieves, what will be the consequences? So even if this possibility is very small, he will exhaust all means to eliminate the possibility of the Han Dynasty's overthrow!"

"Right, right!" Yuan Shu understood everything after hearing this. "You're right. We think it's impossible because we're not the Emperor. In the eyes of the Emperor, these people have already been unable to enter officialdom for their entire lives. Decades of hard study and the support of their families have all been wasted. If we continue to push them, what can't they do? To eradicate hidden dangers, what does a little face matter? Do you want my father to persuade the Emperor?"

"That's right!" Cao Cao said with a smile. "I hope Ah Shu can tell your father that I have already given my all for tonight's matter. If anything else goes wrong, there will be nothing I can do!"

Yuan Shu gestured, pulling Cao Cao to the corner of the corridor, far enough away from the others. Then, lowering his voice, he asked, "Ah Man, it's not that I don't trust you, but why did you come to me for such a good cause? Although your grandfather has retired and is no longer in the palace, he should still have access to the emperor from within the palace, right?"

Cao Cao smiled and said, "Ah Shu, don't you understand? If I pass this message through the palace, even if it succeeds, what good reputation will I have among the scholars?"

"That's right!" Yuan Shu was also a smart man. He immediately realized that after this party-member incident, the eunuchs and the party members had already torn their skins apart. If Cao Cao used his grandfather's relationship to let an eunuch persuade the emperor to release the party members from confinement, it would become the eunuchs showing favor to the party members, which would confirm his identity as a "remnant of eunuchs", which Cao Cao usually avoided as much as possible. But if he followed his father's path, the whole thing would become a mutual assistance between scholars, and Cao Cao would become a rising star who tried hard to get close to the party members. Although he had to share some of the credit, the party members who were imprisoned this time were all leaders in the literati community and the hope of the world. So many people owed him favors, and even if he leaked a little bit of it, his reputation among the literati would soar.

"Well, wait for me to change my clothes, and then we'll go meet my father together!"

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"Nephew greets uncle!"

"It's my nephew Cao! No need to be so polite, sit down and talk!" Yuan Shu's father, Yuan Feng, was a thin old man with an intimate smile on his gaunt and square face. He had a good relationship with Cao Cao's grandfather and father, especially Cao Cao's grandfather Cao Teng and Cao Jixing. They had been helping each other since the previous generation, so naturally their relationship was very different.

(End of this chapter)