Chương 309: He Jin's back-and-forth maneuvering eventually leads to He Lian's surrender.

"Liu Ce, the Prince of Yan!!!"

These four words stung He Jin like a needle.

He reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, waving his hand decisively, his face changing color, and repeatedly saying, "No! No! Prince Yan... the affairs of the Yan Kingdom are busy, guarding the northern border is a great responsibility, how can it be moved lightly? This matter must not be mentioned again!"

His ulterior motives were obvious to everyone: Liu Ce had a strong army, high prestige, and was a legitimate member of the imperial family. If he came to Luoyang, would He Jin still have a place as the Grand General? Would the power of the court still be in the hands of the He family? Absolutely not! It was better to have Dong Zhuo, this known wolf, than to let Liu Ce, this potential tiger, come!

Zheng Tai saw that He Jin was stubborn and refused to listen to loyal advice, refusing to use Liu Ce even at the cost of his life, and insisting on bringing in the vicious wolf Dong Zhuo. He knew that the situation was hopeless and that this man was not worth assisting.

He sighed deeply, feeling utterly disheartened. On the spot, he removed his official hat, relinquished his seal and gold, and resigned from his post.

Before leaving, he shook his head at his close friends and colleagues, saying, "Master He is not fit to accomplish great things! He is stubborn and self-willed, befriends treacherous officials, and alienates loyal and virtuous people. Judging from his actions, he is destined to fail! You gentlemen should take heed; following him will likely lead to being caught in the crossfire!"

He Jincai didn't care whether Zheng Tai ran away or not.

He's enthusiastically directing his own "coup drama"!

He dispatched Wang Kuang, a clerk in the prefecture, and Bao Xin, a cavalry captain, both of whom were from Taishan County, to return to their hometowns and use the local powerful families to recruit soldiers and horses.

He ordered Qiao Mao, the governor of Dongjun, to lead his troops to garrison Chenggao, a strategic location east of Luoyang, in order to project a deterrent posture.

An even more outrageous move was that he ordered Ding Yuan, the Martial and Mighty Commandant, to lead several thousand soldiers straight to Hanoi County and set fire to the government offices and boats at Mengjin Ferry!

Flames soared into the sky, their red glow visible even from within the city of Luoyang!

This series of actions created chaos and panic in the vicinity of the capital.

The common people only saw soldiers everywhere and fires everywhere, and all they heard were slogans like "Kill the eunuchs." In reality, it was He Jin and Yuan Shao messing around, trying to force Empress Dowager He to submit through military intimidation.

On the other side, in Hedong County.

Dong Zhuo received a formal summons issued by He Jin in the name of the imperial court.

He unfolded the imperial edict, read it over and over again, and after confirming that it was correct, he laughed loudly, his voice shaking the roof tiles!

"Hahaha! Heaven is on my side! He Jin is a fool, opening his own gate! Luoyang, I, Dong Zhongying, have arrived!"

He immediately mustered his most elite Liangzhou cavalry and infantry, and under the pretext of "being ordered to enter the capital, eliminate treacherous officials, and restore the state," he marched in a grand procession toward Luoyang.

Before setting off, he specially ordered Li Ru, his best strategist, to write a strongly worded and menacing memorial to the emperor, which was then delivered to the court by fast horse.

The gist of the memorial is:

"The eunuch Zhang Rang and his ilk, relying on the emperor's favor, have become arrogant and have wreaked havoc on the court, arousing the wrath of both gods and men! I have heard that to stop boiling water from boiling over, it is better to remove the fuel from under the pot; a festering boil, though painful, is better than nurturing poison!

In the past, Zhao Yang raised the army in Jinyang to purge the court of corrupt officials; now, I, Zhuo, will also sound the drums and bells, lead the royal army into Luoyang, arrest Zhang Rang and his treacherous followers, sweep away the evil from the court, and restore a bright and clear world to the land!"

This memorial, ostensibly a denunciation of the eunuchs, was in reality a slap in the face to Empress Dowager He with every word. It was also a show of force and a coercion against He Jin: I, Dong Zhuo, am here "by imperial decree" to do dirty work, and you'd better watch out!

However, even after things had escalated to this point, Empress Dowager He still gritted her teeth and refused to agree to the execution of all the eunuchs.

Perhaps she genuinely felt she couldn't live without the eunuchs' service, perhaps the influence of her mother and brother's "pillow talk" was too powerful, or perhaps it was a woman's instinctive fear and resistance to "thorough cleansing" in the power struggle.

He Jin's younger brother, He Miao, was afraid when he saw his elder brother escalating the situation to the point of even summoning a ruthless man like Dong Zhuo.

He approached He Jin again, attempting to reconcile them: "Brother! Let's think this through calmly! Our He family came from humble beginnings, hailing from that small place of Nanyang. Our achievements today—my sister becoming Empress Dowager, and you becoming a Grand General—are certainly due to our efforts, but the support and assistance of the palace eunuchs also played a role! National affairs are interconnected; how can we simply turn against each other and kill everyone? What's done is done.

I think we should talk to Zhang and his men and try to reconcile..."

He Jin was already indecisive, and after his brother's words, coupled with He Lian's continued refusal to agree and Dong Zhuo's aggressive approach, he became even more confused.

One moment he felt that Yuan Shao was right and should be killed; the next moment he felt that his younger brother was reasonable and should be allowed to make peace.

Like a headless fly, he kept jumping back and forth between "kill" and "make peace," unable to come up with a definite idea.

Yuan Shao watched from the side, his scalp tingling with anxiety, inwardly cursing He Jin as a useless piece of trash.

He was afraid that He Jin would be persuaded and all his efforts would be in vain, and all his planning would have been for nothing. So he decided to add fuel to the fire, stepped forward, and said to He Jin in an almost threatening tone:

"General! Things have come to this point, the conflict is public, and we are irreconcilable enemies! A knife is already at your throat, what are you still hesitating for? If the eunuchs recover and strike first, you will be the next Dou Wu! You will die and your clan will be wiped out, becoming a laughingstock for the world! Make a decision now, and you can still take the initiative!"

This "intimidation" worked.

He Jin shuddered at the thought of Dou Wu's miserable state and finally made up his mind with great difficulty.

He issued the order: Yuan Shao was appointed Commandant of the Capital Region, given a tally and axe, and given the power to "make decisions on orders," with full authority to plan and carry out the execution of the eunuchs.

Wang Yun, a general of the Imperial Guard, was appointed as the Governor of Henan, in charge of administration and security in the Luoyang region, the capital area, to ensure stability in the rear.

Upon receiving the command token, Yuan Shao was greatly encouraged and immediately took action.

On the one hand, he dispatched all military officers and patrolmen in the Luoyang area to closely monitor all eunuchs, especially the residences and movements of the Grand Eunuch.

On the other hand, he repeatedly sent messengers to urge Dong Zhuo, who was still on his way, not to dawdle!

Immediately submit another memorial with even stronger wording, ordering troops to be stationed at Pingguan Pavilion in the western suburbs of Luoyang! Make it look like we're besieging the city! Put maximum pressure on the palace!

Dong Zhuo understood immediately and did as instructed.

Soon, outside Luoyang, a large army began to gather, with banners waving. This time, it was a real, fierce army from the borderlands!

The murderous aura could be felt even through the city walls.

This time, He Lian was truly frightened.

As a woman confined to the palace, how could she have ever witnessed such a spectacle? Hearing the faint sounds of drums and clashing swords coming from outside the palace, and looking at the sky outside the window that seemed to be tinged red by the aura of war, she trembled with fear, and finally, her psychological defenses collapsed.

She yielded and issued an edict: all eunuchs, including the Grand Eunuchs and Junior Eunuchs, were dismissed from their posts, expelled from the palace, and sent back to their hometowns! Only a few eunuchs whom He Jin deemed reliable were left in the palace to perform the bare minimum duties of sweeping and relaying messages.