A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

……

"Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, do you know what you're doing?!"

"How dare you murder the Grand General of the court!"

"Do you want to rebel?!"

Empress Dowager He scolded.

"Your Majesty, please forgive us. We were only trying to protect ourselves."

"The General has been plotting to eliminate us. If we do not kill the General, we will surely die at his hands."

Zhang Rang scrambled to Empress Dowager He's side and said in an extremely sorrowful voice.

so what?

He Jin was, after all, her brother.

The Ten Attendants were nothing more than vicious dogs in her hands; it was obvious which was more important.

Zhang Rang had long anticipated the current situation. Since he had already killed He Jin, he might as well go all the way, take the Empress Dowager and the young emperor hostage, and install Prince Liu Xie as emperor.

Based on his merit in supporting the emperor's ascension, he might even be able to take up the position of Grand General.

Zhang Rang suddenly stood up and was about to pounce on Empress Dowager He, but what greeted him was a Han sword.

"Cao Mengde?"

"What are you doing here?"

Zhang Rang couldn't believe his eyes, and he didn't even care about the red sword mark on his face.

"I, Cao, was ordered by the late emperor to take charge of the palace guards. Why can't I be here?"

Cao Cao waved his hand, and a large number of Imperial Guards surrounded everyone present.

Several Imperial Guards were also placed under the protection of Empress Dowager He.

Cao Cao turned around and knelt down before Empress Dowager He.

"This humble general failed in his duty to defend the city; I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

Just as Empress Dowager He was about to lash out in anger, she realized that this seemed to be her own fault.

After arriving at the palace and accepting the palace guards, Cao Cao had a private audience with the Empress Dowager and the young emperor.

They requested that guards be stationed in the palaces of the young emperor and Empress Dowager He, but Empress Dowager He refused.

Empress Dowager He did not trust Cao Cao and ordered him not to allow the Imperial Guards to approach Changle Palace and Weiyang Palace.

If she had chosen to trust Cao Cao and allowed him to set up defenses at Changle Palace, wouldn't this have prevented this incident and her brother wouldn't have died?

Moreover, Zhang Rang was so pushed to the limit just now that he even tried to hit her.

What if Cao Cao was also pushed to the brink...?

Empress Dowager He's courage had been completely shattered by Zhang Rang's sudden attack. She began to realize that if others didn't care about her status as Empress Dowager, then she seemed to be nothing at all.

She must seize military power as soon as possible and take it into her own hands.

Cao Cao, who is right in front of us, is a perfect candidate. He was summoned by the late emperor and has no powerful backing.

He was neither accepted by the eunuchs nor by the aristocratic families, yet he commanded the Imperial Guards and was a major contributor to the suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. His ability to lead troops in battle is beyond question.

"It was I who forbade General Cao from sending troops. What crime has General Cao committed?"

Empress Dowager He personally helped Cao Cao up. "The Ten Attendants plotted to murder the General, and those around them are all accomplices. Kill them all."

"Yes."

"Your Majesty, spare us! This was all Zhang's order! Spare us!"

"Your Majesty, I am willing to offer you all my wealth. I own ten large mansions in the capital, ten treasure troves, and mountains of gold, silver, and grain. Please, Your Majesty, spare my life!"

"Empress Dowager, I am willing to pledge my life to you. I wield considerable power in the court, second only to Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong. Please, Your Majesty, spare my life!"

Empress Dowager He had just lost her brother and was now deaf to everything; all she wanted was for these people to die.

The brothers Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan quickly led their men to seize the eunuchs, gagged them, and dragged them away.

We can't kill anyone here; it would be bad if we dirtied Chang Le Palace.

Moreover, they were also very interested in the money and grain in the hands of these eunuchs, which made it difficult to interrogate them here.

"Your Majesty, the brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu are leading their troops in an attempt to storm the palace. We request Your Majesty's instructions."

Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, the Yuan family.

Empress Dowager He had lived in seclusion in the inner palace for many years and never believed in coincidences.

She prefers to believe that the Yuan family was involved in this matter.

With four generations of high-ranking officials from the Yuan family, their power was immense. Even though she was now the Empress Dowager, with General He Jin dead and the Ten Attendants executed, she still couldn't touch the Yuan family with her current strength.

"Arrest him first and lock him in the imperial prison. We'll make a decision at tomorrow's court meeting."

"promise."

……

"Original source, highway, come with me."

Cao Cao led his troops to the palace gate and immediately saw Yuan Shao standing at the front and Yuan Shu standing behind him.

"Mengde?" X2.

What are you doing here?

Yuan Shao asked.

Based on the army's marching speed, Cao Cao should still have more than ten days to arrive.

"By order of the late emperor, I, Cao, have gone to the palace to serve as the Tiger-General of the Central Army and concurrently as the commander of the palace guards, so I am here."

"But why are you two leading troops to gather in front of the palace gates, and even intending to storm the palace?"

Yuan Shao wanted to explain, but Cao Cao didn't give him a chance.

"I am acting on the Empress Dowager's orders to take you two to the Imperial Prison. Please proceed."

"We have known each other for a while, and I do not wish to force you two. Please do not put me in a difficult position."

The brothers Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan emerged from behind Cao Cao and escorted Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu to the imperial prison, respectively.

The rest of the troops also quickly dispersed, each returning home to their own mothers.

Upon receiving the news from the palace gates, Yuan Kui of the Yuan family sighed deeply.

"Man proposes, God disposes; could it be that Heaven's mandate still rests with the Han dynasty?"

"But I believe even more in the power of human will to overcome nature!"

"Even if Heaven's mandate is with the Han, I, Yuan Wei, will still defy Heaven!"

The next day there was a court meeting.

Almost everyone in the imperial court knew about He Jin's death.

They also learned that Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu had been imprisoned in the imperial prison.

Everyone kept their eyes down, waiting for the big shots to put on their act.

The court assembly had just begun when an urgent report arrived at the palace from 8000 li away.

"Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager, the Qiang people in the southwest have descended from the mountains, and the garrison is insufficient. We request the court's assistance!"

"Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager, the Northern Xiongnu have emerged from the far north, from the frozen wastelands, and have amassed an army of 30 to march south. The border is in grave danger. We request the court's assistance!"

"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, the Parthian Empire has deployed 80 troops, but many vassal states are struggling to resist, and some have already been annihilated. We request the court's assistance!"

"Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager, the Roman Empire has broken its treaty and sent 40 troops eastward. The new royal state is leading the surrounding vassal states in a difficult resistance. We request the court's immediate assistance!"

"Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager, the Yellow Turban Rebellion has re-emerged in Qingzhou, commanding a million troops. Beihai Commandery is already under siege. We request the court's assistance!"

"Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager, remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion have emerged in the Black Mountain region, calling themselves the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans. They have raised an army in rebellion. Similar remnants have also appeared in Baibo and Yizhou. We request the court to send troops to suppress them!"