Chapter 139: Dong Zhuo Enters the Capital

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Same as always, another chapter will be released at midnight.
Tomorrow, this book will officially launch on the shelves. I sincerely hope everyone can show your support for the first-day subscriptions. I, Blood Sacrifice, bow in deep gratitude here.
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It was a night in April of the year 189 AD. In the majestic mansion of the General of Chariots and Cavalry in Youzhou, Liu Yao sat alone in the courtyard, drinking sorrowful wine. He knew that his father, Emperor Ling of Han, was likely to pass away from illness within these very days. Trapped in such a situation, Liu Yao could only seek solace in the bottom of his cup.
"Brother Yao, the night wind is fierce. You should wear a cloak." Just then, Cai Yan walked over and draped a garment over Liu Yao's shoulders. Over these past few years, Cai Yan was approaching seventeen and had already reached womanhood. The lingering childishness in her appearance had vanished, replaced by a gentle, graceful, refined, and poised demeanor. Throughout the years, Cai Yan and Diaochan had been living within the General's Mansion. Although it might have seemed somewhat unconventional by strict social norms, who would ever dare to gossip or make disparaging remarks about them?
Yet, Liu Yao had not yet officially taken the two maidens as his brides. He did not wish to hastily marry Cai Yan and Diaochan without the presence and blessing of elder family members.
However, with Emperor Ling of Han now incapacitated by illness, the only elder remaining for Liu Yao was the Dowager Empress Dong. Liu Yao had long known that a great turmoil would soon erupt in Luoyang, so how could he possibly abandon Dowager Empress Dong to her fate?
Over two months prior, Liu Yao had dispatched trusted men to the imperial palace in Luoyang. With the assistance of Emperor Ling of Han, and regardless of whether Dowager Empress Dong consented or not, they forcibly escorted her back to Youzhou. He believed that in just a few days, Dowager Empress Dong would arrive safely in Youzhou.
"Yanyan, once the matters of these recent days have passed, and Grandmother arrives in Youzhou, I will personally take you and Chianer as my brides under her venerable blessing," Liu Yao said, taking Cai Yan's hand with an apologetic expression. After all, Liu Yao had delayed this matter for two years, and now it seemed he would likely have to postpone it for another year or a half.
"Brother Yao, Yanyan has finally waited for this day." Cai Yan threw herself into Liu Yao's arms, weeping tears of joy. For years, both Cai Yan and Diaochan had been waiting for this exact day. Even though Liu Yao had never spoken of it, and they had no way to force the issue, they always believed this day would eventually come.
Liu Yao gently stroked Cai Yan's delicate back and said, "Alright, Yanyan, it is getting late. You should return early to rest. I still wish to stay here alone in peace for a while."
Cai Yan stepped out of Liu Yao's embrace, glanced at him with a slight blush, and said, "Then Brother Yao should also rest early." With those words, she left the small courtyard and headed straight toward her chamber.
As for Liu Yao, he sat back down, gazing up at the starry sky while continuing to drink his wine.
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Suddenly, Liu Yao felt a pang in his heart, as if he had lost something of the utmost importance. At that very moment, a falling star streaked across the sky in the direction of Luoyang, ultimately vanishing beyond the horizon.
Liu Yao's hand trembled involuntarily, causing his wine cup to drop to the ground, shattering the vessel and spilling the wine. "Father Emperor!" Liu Yao choked out in a murmur, tears flowing uncontrollably down his face.
Within the Southern Palace of Luoyang:
"Imperial Son!" Emperor Ling of Han mustered his final breath and cried out, peacefully closing his eyes the very next moment.
"Your Majesty!" Amidst ten piercing cries of grief, Liu Yao's father, Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, slipped away from life at the age of thirty-four. Yet who could possibly know that this emperor, viewed by the world as decadent and dissolute, actually harbored grand and lofty ambitions? It was merely a tragedy of being born in the wrong era; all that remained now was a lifetime of undeserved infamy.
"Zhang Rang, what do we do now? The Emperor is dead, our backing is gone, and the civil and military officials of the entire court hold a deep, bone-grinding hatred for us," Zhao Zhong blurted out, his face etched with absolute terror.
"No, we must never let the news of the Emperor's death leak out. What we need right now is a new patron," Zhang Rang said, gritting his teeth.
"But judging by the Emperor's final words, he clearly intended for that Liu Yao to inherit the throne," Zhao Zhong exclaimed. The feud between the Ten Attendants and Liu Yao was not a matter of a single day or two.
"What of it? The Emperor left no formal edict. When the time comes, our words will be the Emperor's words. If the Emperor said the First Imperial Prince, then we shall say the Third Imperial Prince," Zhang Rang said with a sinister smile. However, he had no idea that all these maneuvers of his had long been anticipated and calculated by Liu Yao.
"Good! Let us do it just like that!" the other nine shouted in unison.
Yet, for reasons unknown, General-in-Chief He Jin learned of the death of Emperor Ling of Han and the fact that the Ten Attendants were keeping the demise a secret. Prompted by Yuan Shao's advice, he immediately summoned Dong Zhuo, the Administrator of Hedong, and Ding Yuan, the Inspector of Pingzhou, to lead troops to Luoyang to "protect the sovereign."
Upon receiving the news, the Ten Attendants were frightened out of their wits. They hurriedly rushed to the palace of Dowager Empress Dong, intending to beg for her mercy, only to find that there was not a single soul in the palace; Dowager Empress Dong seemed to have vanished into thin air. With no other choice, the Ten Attendants could only turn to Empress He to plead for their lives, claiming they were willing to enthrone Liu Bian as Emperor to save their own skins, and alleging that He Jin was leading troops into the palace with the intent to usurp the throne and declare himself emperor.
Empress He instantly flew into a rage. Her son had finally secured a chance to become emperor, and no one was allowed to ruin it. Consequently, with the assistance of the Ten Attendants, she immediately issued a forged decree, enthroning Liu Bian as the Young Emperor, making Liu Xie the Prince of Chenliu, and bestowing upon Liu Yao the title of the Prince of Ji.
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Simultaneously, Empress He wished to summon her elder brother into the imperial palace to question him. To her surprise, the moment He Jin stepped into the palace, he was hacked into mincemeat by executioners secretly deployed by the Ten Attendants.
Upon seeing that General-in-Chief He Jin had been murdered, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao immediately cried out, "The eunuchs have murdered a minister! Let those who wish to eradicate the evil faction come and aid us!" They led troops pouring into the palace, slaughtering every eunuch they encountered, regardless of rank. Zhang Rang, Duan Gui, and Hou Lan fled the palace, taking the Young Emperor and the Prince of Chenliu with them. Yuan Shao further ordered his soldiers to split up and annihilate the families of the Ten Attendants, executing young and old alike without exception, resulting in many innocent lives being wrongfully taken.
However, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao failed to capture the Young Emperor and the Prince of Chenliu, as Dong Zhuo, rushing in from Hedong, beat them to it. Dong Zhuo promptly led his troops under the pretext of protecting the sovereign, escorting the Young Emperor back to the capital. From then on, he stationed his troops outside the city, daily leading armored cavalry into the city to run amok, leaving the common people in constant terror day and night. Once outside the imperial palace, Dong Zhuo grew even more reckless and uninhibited. Many civil and military officials believed Dong Zhuo intended to rebel, but cowed by his hundreds of thousands of troops, they dared to feel anger without daring to speak.
Seeing this, Dong Zhuo became even more unbridled. He intended to depose the Young Emperor and enthrone the Prince of Chenliu, while Liu Yao was completely cast to the back of his mind. With Liu Yao far away in Youzhou, how could he possibly come to trouble him? Thus, following the advice of his son-in-law Li Ru, Dong Zhuo hosted a banquet for all the officials to test their intentions, resolving to execute anyone who dared to object.
Just as Dong Zhuo was about to kill an official who opposed him, he was blocked by Ding Yuan, the Inspector of Pingzhou. Initially, Dong Zhuo wanted to kill Ding Yuan as well, but Li Ru discovered that Ding Yuan had a formidable general named Lü Bu standing behind him. Terrified of Lü Bu's peerless martial prowess, Dong Zhuo dared not make a move, and the banquet ended in mutual discord.
After the banquet concluded, Ding Yuan, deeply aware of Dong Zhuo's boundless ambition and fearing that Dong Zhuo would lead his main army to surround and annihilate him, fled Luoyang under the cover of night along with his adopted son Lü Bu, returning to their military encampment outside the city. He immediately deployed his formations, preparing to fight a decisive battle to the death against Dong Zhuo.
Upon seeing Ding Yuan behave with such unbridled arrogance, Dong Zhuo flew into a rage. One must know that Dong Zhuo commanded a force of two hundred thousand Liangzhou soldiers, and combined with the troops he absorbed after entering Luoyang, he now possessed an immense army numbering four to five hundred thousand strong, whereas Ding Yuan merely commanded a force of fifty thousand men. Dong Zhuo immediately mustered a hundred thousand elite troops and engaged Ding Yuan's army outside the walls of Luoyang.
However, what Dong Zhuo never expected was that Lü Bu possessed world-shaking martial arts. His hundred thousand soldiers were utterly routed and crushed by the fifty thousand Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry led by Lü Bu, forcing Dong Zhuo to retreat back into Luoyang to rethink his strategy.
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