Chapter Sixteen: The Praying Mantis, the Oriole, and the Cicada (Part One)

Upon hearing that Emperor Ling of Han had summoned him to the palace, He Jin was overjoyed, mumbling repeatedly to himself, “It seems the Emperor still trusts me. Even on his deathbed, he hasn't forgotten to call me in.” As Grand Marshal, He Jin felt not the slightest hint of impending danger drawing ever closer...

Indeed, fortune often favors the foolish!

The Grand Marshal’s departure was an extravagant spectacle—though only one man was setting out, hundreds accompanied him, forming a grand procession. The way was cleared by twenty-four yellow dragon banners, and his sedan chair, carried by twenty-eight men, must have left He Jin himself feeling supremely comfortable, as though he were riding the clouds.

The most lavish of all was the jade palanquin—nearly four meters tall, with a canopy two feet high, its decorations dominated by shades of green.

He Jin swaggered out from his residence, head crowned with a steel lion helmet adorned at the back with a red tassel; his body encased in iron-leaf armor; a golden beast-faced belt girded his waist, bronze heart-guards front and back; over all this hung a crimson robe embroidered with floral medallions, from which fell two green velvet ties; on his feet, sharply angled riding boots. Such a getup would have looked imposing on a young general—but on He Jin, with his beer belly and thick waist, the effect was nothing short of comical...

Bristling with self-importance, he prepared to set out.

...

"Grand Marshal, please wait! You must not enter the palace. I fear there are hidden soldiers lying in ambush, just waiting for you to take the bait. You must not go!" Yuan Shu came rushing in, panting.

Before his death, Emperor Ling had established the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden, appointing the eunuch Jian Shuo as Colonel of the Upper Army, Yuan Shao as Colonel of the Central Army, Bao Hong as Colonel of the Lower Army, Cao Cao as Colonel of the Standard, Zhao Rong as Colonel of Assistance, Chunyu Qiong as Colonel of Support, and others as left and right colonels—all to diminish your power as Grand Marshal. For that reason, you absolutely cannot enter the palace!

Grand Marshal...

His Majesty is gravely ill, and you hold military power. Surely the Emperor means to make an example of you.

...

"What? The Emperor wants to harm me?" The sudden news left He Jin dumbfounded.

"Damn it, so His Majesty means to make a move against me! Jian Shuo must be in the palace as well, that schemer! In years past, Jian Shuo worked tirelessly with the court eunuchs to persuade Emperor Ling to send me west to fight rebels, all to weaken my authority."

"Heavens above, born the son of a butcher, and now breaking out in a cold sweat." Yet even as terror gripped him, He Jin could not restrain his cursing. "At least I heard in time—if I'd gone, my head would already be rolling."

A butcher by birth, yet with a heart even timider than a pig's.

The stench of blood spread through the deathly silence and darkness. The palace at night trembled once more with the echoes of recent wails and clashing blades, the air so thick and oppressive it was almost suffocating.

Inside the brightly lit council hall of the Grand Marshal’s residence, He Jin—once brimming with confidence—now paced back and forth, his face clouded with worry, utterly at a loss.

His advisers, perched nearby, chattered anxiously among themselves, yet not one could offer a true solution.

“Gentlemen, you are all renowned scholars of the day, learned and wise—if you have a plan, now is not the time to keep it to yourselves! Speak quickly!” Having failed to find any strategy himself, He Jin could only cast a hopeful gaze around the hall.

Every manner of expression crossed the faces of the assembled officers and advisors, each one falling under his scrutiny.

“Today’s matter requires urgent action—issue secret orders at once, gather the troops from all regions in the capital, seize the eunuchs in one stroke!” In the midst of the chaos, Yuan Shao alone remained calm, his words cutting to the heart of the matter. “I am willing to lead five thousand elite troops, break through the gates, eradicate the eunuchs to the last man, purge the court, and bring peace to the realm!”

“But the tally-tiger is incomplete—how can we mobilize the troops?” Cao Cao’s pointed question almost made Yuan Shao choke with frustration; even He Jin, who had just begun to brighten, felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head. “That’s right! Without the tally-tiger, how do we summon the troops?”

The tally-tiger was the sole authorization for troop movements throughout the dynasties.

It was a metallic token shaped like a tiger, said to have been invented by Jiang Ziya of the Western Zhou. The central government issued them to commanders. Each was split into two matching halves, the right kept by the court and the left by the general or local official. Only when the two halves were brought together and the inscriptions matched could troops be mobilized.

...

Each army had its own designated tally-tiger, always in two halves with identical inscriptions. The right half was kept at the capital, the left half given to the field commander. To mobilize troops, an envoy from the monarch would bring the court’s half to match with the general’s, and only then could orders be given. Both halves together conferred the authority to command the army.

But Yuan Shao would not give up. He pressed his case: the Grand Marshal could immediately send for Dong Zhuo, who commanded the formidable cavalry of Xiliang. With such a powerful force and countless able generals at his disposal, if Dong Zhuo were to bring his troops into Luoyang, it would both intimidate their opponents and, at a critical moment, crush them altogether—besides, since these were not their own troops, what harm could it do?

"You are indeed a clever man, Yuan Shao—cunning as a fox. How did I not think of such an excellent plan?" He Jin laughed, rubbing his palms together.

"Grand Marshal, you must not!" Cao Cao interjected with a salute. "Dong Zhuo commands a great army with unmatched cavalry. Even if he does not harbor treasonous intent, what if, once he is here, he refuses to obey us? Besides, as the saying goes, 'To catch the thieves, seize their leader first.' If we simply eliminate the ringleaders among the eunuchs—the Ten Attendants—we can quell the unrest without resorting to bloody conflict. Bringing regional armies into the capital could make matters far worse."

But He Jin disagreed. "As Grand Marshal, it is my duty to rid the world of evil. Now that the late Emperor is gone and a new ruler must be enthroned, if I can be the one to place him on the throne, my name will be remembered for generations. Why should I not do it?"

Furthermore, his own situation reminded him of Grand Marshal Dou Wu from years past: if the eunuchs were not destroyed, he would surely meet the same tragic fate.

He looked toward his sister, the Empress of Han.

Empress He could see that, after the chaos caused by Zhang Jue and the Yellow Turban movement, the foundation of the Eastern Han was already crumbling; the dynasty could not withstand another round of infighting between the imperial clan and the eunuchs. What worried her even more was that, even if Jian Shuo was dead, the eunuchs remained powerful after years of domination. If things went wrong, she might end up just like Empress Dowager Dou, held hostage by the court eunuchs. So she could only shake her head, indicating her disagreement with He Jin’s plan.

He Jin’s chief secretary, Chen Lin, echoed Cao Cao’s view. “Grand Marshal, you must not! Inviting Dong Zhuo to bring troops into the capital will only make the situation more complicated.”

"Enough! My mind is made up. Dong Zhuo will bring his forces to the capital. This is the best course—and it will save me a great deal of trouble. I will hear no more on the matter," He Jin said, impatience clear in his voice.