Chương 19: Liu Hong's Fury

Zhang Jiao called himself "General of Heaven" and sat in the central command; Zhang Bao called himself "General of Earth" and Zhang Liang called himself "General of Man," each leading large armies to conquer cities and territories.

Within a month, all eight provinces of the Han Dynasty were plunged into war.

Although the Yellow Turban Army was mostly a motley crew with rudimentary weapons, they were still outnumbered and powerful.

They attacked counties and prefectures, burned government offices, and hunted down officials and powerful figures who usually oppressed them.

Caught off guard, the local garrisons were caught off guard. Many local officials did not think of resistance at first, but instead packed their bags and fled. In a short time, prefectures and counties fell one after another, and urgent documents were sent to Luoyang, shaking the entire court.

Zhang Jiao's move was truly a major blow to the Han Dynasty.

March.

In the Luoyang Imperial Palace, Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, slumped on the dragon throne.

He held the urgent military report in his hand, which indicated that eight states had rebelled. His fingers were trembling, and his face turned pale and then red.

Answer me! Say something!

Liu Hong finally couldn't hold back any longer and roared, startling the ministers below.

"Have they all gone mute? Huh? You guys are usually so good at bragging, aren't you?"

"What nonsense about an everlasting empire and a peaceful world! They spout off a whole bunch of that! What, now that something's really happened, they've all gone silent?"

(Liu Hong: Answer me, look in my eyes, tell me why, baby why) Liu Hong grew angrier as he spoke, and suddenly stood up, slamming the military newspaper onto the table, causing the ink, paper, and brushes to fly up.

"Someone please tell me! What the hell is going on?! I only have thirteen provinces, and good heavens, eight of them have rebelled in one go!"

"That damned Taoist priest Zhang Jiao! Didn't I already order the people of Ji Province to arrest him? Huh? How did he manage to create such a huge commotion? How did the world turn into such chaos so suddenly?!"

Liu Hong was so angry that he was panting heavily, and his forehead was covered in sweat.

He really couldn't understand it. Wasn't it just about arresting a Taiping Dao leader who was pretending to be a shaman? He felt that he had reacted quickly enough. As soon as he learned that Zhang Jiao was going to rebel, he immediately ordered Jizhou to arrest him.

How come in the end, not only did they fail to catch the person, but the spark became a prairie fire, burning down most of the world in an instant?

The civil and military officials standing below were all preoccupied with their own thoughts, like a mixed stew.

He Jin, relying on his status as the emperor's brother-in-law, reluctantly stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! The most urgent task is to immediately dispatch the elite troops of the five Northern Army divisions to defend the passes surrounding Luoyang, and at the same time, to swiftly issue an edict to recruit soldiers from all over the country to quell the rebellion!"

What he was thinking about was whether he could take this opportunity to further expand his military power.

Several timid and cowardly civil officials trembled as they voiced their opposition.

"Your Majesty, the rebels are numerous and powerful. Perhaps... perhaps we should first issue an edict to appease them, granting them their allegiance, and temporarily avoid their advance..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Hong spat at him.

"Appease? Submit? Zhang Jiao's slogan is 'Heaven is dead'! He wants my empire! Do you expect me to clean up the dragon throne and hand it over to him?!"

"I think we should just behead you all and send you over."

There was also someone wavering between left and right, secretly calculating: if the world really changes, which side should I choose to protect my life and property?

Just as the court was in chaos and commotion, a stubborn and remarkable man suddenly appeared. This fellow was no ordinary person; he spoke with utmost seriousness.

"Your Majesty! There is no need for war! Simply dispatch ten great Confucian scholars, each carrying a copy of the Classic of Filial Piety, from Luoyang northwards. They will recite it daily, using filial piety to influence and reform those Yellow Turban rebels. They will surely be ashamed and return to their fields!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Hong nearly choked and fainted. What on earth was all this?!

At this moment, the eunuch Zhang Rang and his men were even more uneasy, because some of them were in cahoots with Zhang Jiao.

Now they are plotting how to clear themselves of all blame and pin the blame on the already dead Feng Xu and others, while also scheming how to use the chaos to further consolidate their power.

It was the generals who truly understood military affairs, such as Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi, who remained relatively calm.

Huangfu Song seized the opportunity to bring it up again.

"Your Majesty, the scourge of the partisan purge has lasted for many years, and scholars throughout the land are disaffected. Now that a formidable enemy is at hand, this is the crucial moment to win back the hearts of the people."

"If the ban on political parties could be lifted, allowing talented scholars to come out of seclusion and assist us, we would surely achieve twice the result with half the effort!"

These words were like a bucket of cold water, making Liu Hong a little more sober.

He realized that now was not the time to assign blame, but to find a way to save the country.

After arguing for most of the day, in a state of near-desperate panic and mutual accusations, Liu Hong finally forced himself to calm down (mainly because he realized that continuing to rant was useless).

Liu Hong gritted his teeth and began issuing a series of orders.

He directly appointed He Jin as Grand General and handed him the official seal.

"Imperial Brother-in-law, Luoyang is entrusted to you! The Imperial Guards, the Tiger Legion—all the elite troops at your disposal are under your command. You must defend the capital!"

"Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to protect you to the death!" He Jin knelt down to receive the decree.

Afterwards, Liu Hong appointed Lu Zhi as the General of the Northern Army, leading the most elite soldiers of the five Northern Army Schools to attack the heart of the Yellow Turban Rebellion—Jizhou.

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun were appointed as Left and Right Generals of the Central Army, leading more than 40, 000 infantry and cavalry to attack the Yellow Turban rebels led by Bo Cai in Yingchuan, which was the closest to Luoyang.

Liu Hong thought that lifting the ban on political parties would mean admitting that his actions over the years had been wrong. He hesitated for a moment, but then he remembered that Zhang Jiao's Yellow Turban Army had already occupied half of the country. He gritted his teeth.

"By imperial decree, the ban on the prohibition of partisan strife is immediately lifted. All imprisoned scholars are to be restored to their former honors, and those who are willing to serve the country will be pardoned!"

The news caused a stir in both the government and the public.

Many scholars who had been imprisoned for many years expressed their willingness to come out of seclusion and share the burden of the country. The once lifeless court finally saw a glimmer of life.

War requires money; that's a fundamental truth.

Looking at the list of military expenses presented to him, Liu Hong grimaced with heartache.

The empty treasury was his biggest headache. But now was not the time to be stingy; he hardened his heart and ordered the royal treasury to be opened.

"Bring out all of my personal savings! Reward the troops! The soldiers are risking their lives on the front lines; I cannot mistreat them!"

As the eunuchs carried boxes of gold and silver jewelry out of the inner treasury, Liu Hong's face grew increasingly grim.

These were all his savings accumulated over many years! But thinking of the fate of the nation, he had no choice but to part with them with great reluctance.

Liu Hong thought to himself, "After the rebellion is quelled, I must make a fortune. It's just a matter of selling a few more official positions."

……

In the following days, the entire city of Luoyang was abuzz with activity. Liu Hong issued several more imperial edicts in succession.

The governors of each prefecture must immediately strengthen the city's defenses without the slightest negligence; commandants have been stationed at eight strategic passes outside Luoyang, including Hangu Pass and Yique Pass, to be on high alert; at the same time, orders have been issued to all prefectures and counties to recruit volunteers and organize local militias to cooperate with the government troops in suppressing the rebellion.

Liu Hong slumped back onto the dragon throne, exhausted. Looking at the empty hall, only one thought occupied his mind.

"I only arrested a ringleader, how did it turn into this?"