Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 432 The New King
Erzhu Rong's sworn brother was Yuan Tianmu, the governor of Bingzhou. Although the two were supposedly linked together by interests, they were deeply bound together and were by no means just superficial brothers.

Moreover, Yuan Tianmu understands the powerful figures in the capital. If he supports his entry into the capital, it means that the matter can be accomplished.

Erzhu Rong then swiftly summoned Yuan Tianmu, dismissed his attendants, and went straight to the point. "Now that the Great Wei dynasty is in imminent danger, I intend to lead troops into the capital to avenge the late emperor and establish a new ruler. What do you think, brother?"

Yuan Tianmu had long guessed the purpose of his invitation, so he was not surprised at all. He clapped his hands and exclaimed, "That virtuous brother is none other than Yi and Huo of the Great Wei!"

"With my brother's support, I feel much more at ease." Erzhu Rong was overjoyed, then asked, "My only worry is the attitude of the princes and nobles in the capital."

“They probably won’t object, and might even welcome it,” Yuan Tianmu concluded. “If you’re worried, I’ll write a memorial for you to test the waters.”

"Thank you for your trouble, brother!" Erzhu Rong readily agreed.

Therefore, Yuan Tianmu drafted a strongly worded memorial and had Erzhu Rong submit it. It contained three points, the first of which was an angry denunciation of the perverse actions of Zheng Yan and Xu He, which brought the country to the brink of destruction.

Secondly, he stated frankly that the late emperor was murdered and demanded that the capital be thoroughly investigated to determine the cause of the emperor's death.

Thirdly, they argued that the selection of the new ruler was too frivolous and lacked any legitimacy. Moreover, in this time of national crisis, only a long-reigning ruler could turn the tide, and they firmly demanded the establishment of a new ruler!

This impassioned memorial immediately caused a huge uproar, making Empress Dowager Hu so angry that she couldn't eat.

The officials were overjoyed, for finally someone had stepped forward to set a clear path for them to confront the old witch.

The imperial clansmen were even more delighted. They immediately sent representatives to pay their respects to Erzhu Rong, expressing their support for his trip to the capital to restore order. They also prepared generous gifts and expressed their deep admiration for Erzhu Rong, hoping to "work together with the general to revitalize the Great Wei Dynasty."

"Hahaha, these guys have completely become like the Han Chinese—all they want is for me to support them as emperor, but not one of them will say it outright!"

After seeing the envoy off, Erzhu Rong's gloom vanished, and he burst into laughter.

He clearly sensed that the situation had completely turned in his favor. So, with a smug air, he asked those around him, "Which one do you think is suitable to be emperor?"

The members of the Erzhu family started recommending it, one after another.

Erzhu Rong took their words as mere amusement; if he really wanted to hear some useful advice, he would have to ask Gao Huanhe for a few suggestions.

Murong Shaozong and Heba Yue, being more traditional in their thinking, were not used to such a boorish and uncouth dialogue, so they remained silent.

Gao Huan and Hou Jing were both excited, with the latter saying impatiently, "Of course, we should find someone with shallow roots and easy to control, so that we can 'hold the emperor hostage and command the feudal lords'."

"He Liuhun, what do you say?" Erzhu Rong asked Gao Huan again.

Gao Huan said, "At this time, no one should be chosen. If you choose one, you will offend the others. If you don't choose, everyone will have to curry favor with you."

That brought the topic to a close in an instant...

~~
So, under Gao Huan's guidance, Erzhu Rong maintained an ambiguous relationship with all the princes, always giving them hope while remaining silent. The reason, of course, was that others were also very interested…

Now the princes were even more enthusiastic, donating money and grain, and welcoming Erzhu Rong to the north bank of the Yellow River with the grand gesture of "welcoming the royal army with food and drink".

When Empress Dowager Hu heard that Erzhu Rong had reached the Yellow River, she was naturally terrified. As the Empress Dowager's husband, Zheng Yan naturally had to stand up straight and reassure her, "Your Majesty, rest assured, Erzhu Rong only has 10,000 troops, and they are all cavalry. He can't even cross the Yellow River. His idea of ​​taking Luoyang is pure wishful thinking!"

Li Shengui, a military man by origin, confidently assured them that he would lead the Imperial Guards to defeat Erzhu Rong! Their initial concern was that Erzhu Rong would lead his Hebei army back to the capital. However, with the emperor's death, Erzhu Rong's forces dwindled to ten thousand, suddenly becoming less daunting.

Meanwhile, on their side, although Xiao Baoyin's reinforcements from Guanzhong had yet to arrive, they had already assembled 50,000 troops. 50,000 against 10,000—the advantage was in their hands!

When the Empress Dowager heard that her young men were so confident, she calmed down and appointed Li Shengui as Grand Commander, leading General Fei Mu and others out of the city to meet the enemy, hoping to use the natural barrier of the Yellow River to resist Erzhu Rong.

Little did they know that the Imperial Guards had been thoroughly infiltrated by members of the imperial clan, and Fei Mu directly led his troops to defect, welcoming Erzhu Rong across the Yellow River...

Once Erzhu Rong's iron cavalry crossed the Yellow River, they were invincible, wiping out the army of the male favorites with overwhelming force.

Li Shengui, the Grand Commander, was left with no troops and had no choice but to flee back to Luoyang to hide, never daring to show his face again.

Even a fool could tell that the situation was now settled. Zheng Yan and Xu He also fled overnight with their valuables, fearing that Erzhu Rong would catch them red-handed.

Seeing all her male favorites disappear, Empress Dowager Hu was completely dumbfounded and cursed that no man could be trusted. Now deserted by everyone, she had no choice but to order all the concubines in the harem to become nuns with her…

It means I admit defeat. Do whatever you want, just don't mess with me anymore.

It's the same idea as later warlords resigning after being defeated.

~~
Upon learning that the Empress Dowager had become a nun, the princes and ministers opened the city gates, paved the roads with yellow earth, and sprinkled clean water on the streets, preparing to welcome him into Luoyang. Erzhu Rong was extremely pleased and said to Gao Huan, "Now we can start considering who should be the emperor, right?"

“We definitely need to consider this,” Gao Huan nodded. “Without a plan, we might lose the initiative.”

In fact, Erzhu Rong and Yuan Tianmu had already decided on the candidate—Prince Chang Le, Yuan Ziyou.

The reason for choosing him was that he was young and frail, looked like a virgin, and seemed easy to bully.

Secondly, he was the son of Prince Pengcheng, Yuan Xie, and the cousin of Prince Anle, Yuan Jian. As mentioned before, Yuan Jian's entire family was basically wiped out, and their once powerful political influence vanished. Therefore, there was no need to worry about Yuan Ziyou losing control.

So Erzhu Rong sent his cousin Erzhu Shilong to invite Yuan Ziyou out of the city, and then announced to the soldiers that this was the future new emperor!
Upon seeing Yuan Ziyou's handsome appearance, which resembled that of a deity, the soldiers immediately knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" repeatedly.

Seeing this, Erzhu Rong's face turned very ugly. But since he was the one who had invited him, he had to go through the motions, so he had no choice but to kneel down and pay homage to Yuan Ziyou along with the soldiers.

But when he returned to his tent, he immediately became angry and didn't even eat dinner.

"Has Your Excellency noticed that the situation is getting out of control?" Hou Jing, who had been standing by the side, suddenly spoke up.

Hou Jing, also from Huai Shuo Town among the Six Garrisons, was fierce and warlike, ruthless and decisive in his actions, and unrestrained by morality. Since joining Er Zhu Rong, he had been highly valued and appointed as the vanguard. Hou Jing also served by his side daily, protecting his safety.

But Hou Jing was no fool. When he first arrived, he sought advice on military strategy from the strategist Murong Shaozong. But not long after, Murong Shaozong turned around and asked him for advice.

Hou Jing was usually taciturn, but not as talkative as Gao Huan. When he did speak, his words were always to the point, which is why Erzhu Rong valued his opinions highly. He nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I didn't expect Yuan Ziyou to be so popular. I'm even thinking of replacing him. What do you think?"

“No,” Hou Jing said decisively.

(End of this chapter)