Taiheiki

Chapter 152 Foreign Aid
"Good!" Yuan Shao then asked everyone around him in turn, and when it was Yuan Shu's turn, he smiled slightly: "You have always been on good terms with the heroes of the martial arts world, so I suppose you have already prepared the manpower!"

"Why go through all this trouble to kill a few eunuchs? If it were my way, the heads of Guan Ba, Su Kang (a famous eunuch at the time) and others would already be laid out under the city walls!" Yuan Shu sneered. "Or are you just being cowardly and want to bring more people to bolster your forces?"

"Our execution of the eunuchs is not for personal grudges, but for justice!" Yuan Shao said. "After the late emperor's death, General Dou and the Empress Dowager installed the Marquis of Jiedu as emperor. General Dou, along with Grand Tutor Chen Fan and Minister of Works Hu Guang, jointly managed the affairs of the Secretariat and controlled the government. General Dou originally intended to eliminate the eunuchs and establish a new order, so he recruited talented people from all over the country to discuss this matter. However, Empress Dowager Dou remained hesitant and unwilling to participate. As the saying goes, things should not be delayed, for delay can lead to complications. If the matter is leaked, the eunuchs can close the palace gates, coerce the emperor and empress dowager, and forge an imperial edict to mobilize the Five Schools of Soldiers, then the whole affair will be lost! Therefore, we should take the initiative and lead the way for the General!"

"Not bad!"

"That's how it should be!"

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement. It turned out that these people were a small group centered around the Yuan brothers, and their main members were radicals among the young scholars of the time. Not long ago, Emperor Huan of Han died, and Dou Wu rushed back to the capital after hearing the news. After discussing with his daughter, Empress Dou, they chose Liu Hong, the twelve-year-old Marquis of Jiedu, as emperor, who became Emperor Ling of Han in history.

Afterwards, Dou Wu, along with Grand Tutor Chen Fan and Minister of Works Hu Guang, jointly held the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, thus wielding great power in the court. His son, Dou Ji, was enfeoffed as Marquis of Weiyang and appointed Attendant-in-Ordinary; his nephew, Dou Shao, was enfeoffed as Marquis of Yu and promoted to Colonel of Infantry, commanding one of the five armies of the Northern Camp; Dou Shao's younger brother, Dou Jing, was enfeoffed as Marquis of Xixiang, served as Attendant-in-Ordinary, and supervised the Left Cavalry of the Imperial Guards. They controlled the main garrison forces in Luoyang. Dou Wu and Chen Fan were both members of the faction, and thus decided to execute the eunuchs and their associates. However, their proposals failed to gain the approval of Empress Dowager Dou, and the matter was shelved.

The reason is simple: although Empress Dowager Dou and Dou Wu were father and daughter, as a woman, she needed the eunuchs to exercise her power. If she were to kill all the eunuchs as Dou Wu and Chen Fan demanded, Empress Dowager Dou would only be a noblewoman living in the deep palace. In the face of power, even the closest of kinship is useless.

In historical records, Empress Dowager Dou refuted her father's demand to exterminate all eunuchs with the statement, "This practice has existed since the Han Dynasty; those who are guilty should be punished, not completely abolished." In a sense, Empress Dowager Dou was right. Since Emperor Guangwu of Han exclusively employed eunuchs, the eunuch group had become an indispensable part of the Eastern Han Empire's bureaucratic machine. These eunuchs had their own unique attire, origins, promotion channels, functions, and power structures. As the emperor, you could kill some of the eunuchs, but you couldn't eliminate the entire eunuch group.

Because the nature of autocratic imperial power dictates that it must maintain the sanctity of bloodline succession, a neither-male-nor-female group is needed to handle the handover between the inner palace and the outer court. Under autocratic imperial power, the entire empire's power originates from that one person, and naturally, those closest to the emperor will also wield some power. If the eunuch group were eliminated, the imperial system could not continue to exist.
Unable to gain his daughter's approval, Dou Wu's plan to eliminate the eunuchs was stalled. This stalemate was clearly unsustainable; once the news leaked, the eunuchs, with no way out, would undoubtedly launch a fierce counterattack. They had a natural advantage in this regard—no matter how much power Dou Wu wielded, it was outside the palace walls, while the palace was controlled by the eunuchs.

As long as the palace gates remain closed, the emperor, empress, and the Imperial Secretariat are all in their hands. Once the imperial edict is issued, Dou Wu's power and army will melt away like snow under the sun.

As radicals among the young scholars, Yuan Shao and his ilk had no patience to wait for Dou Wu and Chen Fan to play the power game of taking one step at a time. His method was simpler and more violent—since the Five Schools of the Capital were already in the hands of the Grand General, why not launch a surprise attack and assassination to physically eliminate the eunuchs and their families outside the palace? That way, Dou Wu and Chen Fan would surely be able to make up their minds to start doing it.
Ultimately, Dou Wu and Chen Fan, these old-fashioned party members, were relatively mindful of the empire's dignity and internal harmony, and thus exercised restraint. They knew that directly engaging in physical extermination in the capital would set a terrible precedent with endless consequences, not to mention using non-governmental, private armed groups like guests, wandering knights, and retainers to kill people, rather than mobilizing the national army. Yuan Shao and his ilk, on the other hand, either didn't see that far ahead, or simply hoped for empire chaos so they could climb the ladder of disorder and trample their predecessors underfoot.

“In that case, let’s set the date for noon three days from now!” Yuan Shao stood up, drew his short sword from his waist, made a cut on his arm, and smeared the blood on his face with his finger: “May Heaven and Earth condemn anyone who breaks their oath and leaks this secret!”

"May Heaven and Earth condemn anyone who breaks their oath and leaks the secret!" the crowd responded in unison, cutting their arms and smearing their blood on their faces, imitating Yuan Shao's oath.

After everyone finished making their oaths, they dispersed. Cao Cao was about to leave when Yuan Shao called him back. He stopped somewhat uneasily and asked, "Brother Yuan, is there something you need?"

"Aman, I heard that you met a friend named Wei Cong when you went to Jingzhou last time. Is that true?" Yuan Shao asked with a smile, his eyes gleaming.

"Indeed, such a person exists!" Cao Cao nodded.

"Then you shouldn't participate in this matter!"

Cao Cao was taken aback by these words, and his face immediately turned red: "Why is that? Brother Yuan, do you look down on me?"

"That's not the case!" Yuan Shao shook his head, pulled a document from his sleeve, and handed it to Cao Cao: "Don't be hasty, take a look at this!"

Cao Cao took the document, and after reading it almost, his still somewhat childish dark face changed color: "He led his troops into Jiaozhou, captured Panyu, and defeated the expeditionary force of Zhang Xu, the governor of Cangwu, and has now occupied all five counties of Jiaozhou. How is this possible? Could it be another person with the same name?"

"Is that so?" Yuan Shao smiled. "You should read it first before you say anything!"

"This man, in a fit of rage, killed Wang Gui, the county magistrate who stood by and did not come to the rescue, while he was in Baqiu. He then abandoned his army and fled, with several hundred men following him into Yuzhang. He was eight feet tall, with a magnificent appearance, and was especially skilled in calligraphy, a rare talent in his time. He claimed to be from Yecheng, Hebei." Upon reading this, Cao Cao's face turned ashen: "This must be the man. I never imagined he would do such a thing!"

“That’s not surprising at all. Extraordinary people do extraordinary things!” Yuan Shao laughed. “Also, he’s not from Ye City. I’ve already sent people to investigate. There are only three families of scholars with the surname Wei in Ye City, and there isn’t a single person named Wei Cong outside of there!”

"Could he have changed his name? After all, he fled because of the party members!"

“There’s no such person in these three families. I’ve also checked among the university students in Luoyang, and there’s no one like him either. I suspect he never even studied in Luoyang, otherwise there would be no trace of him!” Yuan Shao laughed. “Aman, you don’t think there are many people like him, who are eight feet tall, have an extraordinary appearance, are skilled in calligraphy, and can command the lives of many, do you?”

"That's true!" Cao Cao nodded. Just as Yuan Shao said, a person like Wei Cong would attract too much attention wherever he went. Even in the large group of students at the Imperial Academy in Luoyang, he would stand out like an awl in a bag. With Yuan Shao's reputation and connections, it wouldn't be difficult to find clues if he investigated carefully.

"I carefully inquired with several friends from Hebei, and there was one person who bore a striking resemblance!"

"Who?"

"Wei Huan!" "Wei Huan?"

"Yes, this man was from Anyang. During the reign of the late emperor, he was repeatedly summoned to court for his talent and virtue, and his fellow townsmen encouraged him to seek official positions. However, he said, 'Pursuing promotion and advancement is to fulfill my ambitions. Now, the number of women in the harem is in the thousands; can they be reduced? The number of horses in the stables is in the tens of thousands; can some be counted? The emperor's attendants are all powerful ministers; can they be removed?' His fellow townsmen all replied, 'No.' So this man sighed and said with emotion, 'Since that's the case, what good will it do you all if I go there alive and return dead?' So he went into seclusion. Anyang is not far from Ye City. Judging from his age, if he were Wei Huan's younger brother or nephew, it would make sense!"

"But Wei Heng is clearly a recluse, and his behavior is completely different from Wei Cong's!"

“That’s not surprising at all!” Yuan Shao laughed. “Actually, these two have similar views on the current problems of the court. It’s just that one wants to keep to himself, while the other wants to make a difference! In the end, there are only a few great men who possess extraordinary talents but are willing to decay like grass and trees!”

"Brother Yuan, what do you mean—?"

"Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the Moth Rebellion and the change of emperors, you have already taken half of Jiaozhou and a small part of Yuzhang County in just three months. Do you think this is a coincidence?" Yuan Shao sneered. "Think about it, what would be the first thing he would do after taking Jiaozhou?"

"Naturally, we should submit a petition to Luoyang, requesting the court to recognize his official position!" Cao Cao's eyes lit up as he said this: "You want me to go and make contact with him?"

“Excellent!” Yuan Shao laughed. “Regardless of our success or failure this time, we will no longer be insignificant figures. We will surely be famous throughout the land. However, our foundation is still too shallow, and we do not have enough powerful external support. After Wei Cong took over Jiaozhou, he has money and troops, and he also needs someone to speak for him in Luoyang. The two sides complement each other perfectly!”

"I understand! I'll leave Luoyang immediately and find a way to contact Wei Cong!"

"That's right!" Yuan Shao said coldly, "Aman, this time in Luoyang was actually very dangerous. Defeat is a given, and even if we win, General Dou will never be grateful to us for wiping out the eunuchs. Dou Youping spent the first half of his life cultivating his reputation and making himself foolish. Others who want to take charge of the government have to fight and endure for decades, from county to prefecture, from prefecture to state, then to Luoyang, then to Liangzhou and Youzhou. Dou Youping went from entering officialdom to being enfeoffed as a marquis and becoming a general in just a few years?"
He had no idea what power truly meant. In his eyes, eunuchs were nothing more than ants he could crush with a single step, easily wiped out. That's why he repeatedly tried to persuade the Empress Dowager, seeking her permission before taking action against the eunuchs. He didn't understand how terrifying those eunuchs truly were. Don't be fooled by their current subservient behavior; once they turned against you, they could bring about the extermination of your entire clan!

Therefore, once it's done, Dou Youping will only feel that he was coerced into acting by us, that we ruined his original plans, and that he will hold a grudge against us. Without external support, we will soon be marginalized and driven out of the court! Remember, gaining Wei Cong's support is crucial for us!

"I've got it!" Cao Cao's still somewhat childish face revealed a determination beyond his years.

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Yuzhang Prefecture, Gan River.

The morning light cast its glow on the river, painting its surface a vibrant rose-red. Dawn crept across the fields and forests, transforming the world beneath his feet from pitch black to indigo, then to lush green. The distant fields, meadows, and forests unfolded like a vast scroll painting. Guo Kui stood at the stern, his hands gripping the railing, gazing intently at the scene before him. The long oars slapped the water's surface, occasionally splashing water onto his face, reminding him that what he saw was real, not a dream.

"Commander Guo! You're up so early!" Yuan Tian's voice came from behind.

"The ship is rocking so badly, I can't sleep well and I wake up early!" Guo Kui sighed without turning his head. "But it's also good. If I were lying in bed, how could I see the beautiful scenery in front of me?"

"Hehe!" Yuan Tian laughed. Guo Kui frowned: "What's wrong? Don't you think the scenery is beautiful?"

"No, that's not it!" Yuan Tian laughed. "The scenery is beautiful now, but you've probably seen it before, only you didn't feel the same sense of satisfaction then!"

"Satisfied?" Guo Kui was taken aback for a moment, then laughed. "That's right. I came here with my former master, but I certainly didn't have this state of mind back then." He paused slightly. "If you hadn't come back to Yuzhang with me this time, you probably would have been appointed as a county-level arresting officer! Qian Wen was sent to Hepu County as an arresting officer!"

"The Pursuer?" Yuan Tian asked curiously.

"Yes, as the name suggests, they are officials who arrest thieves and criminals in the county!" Guo Kui laughed.

“I know that!” Yuan Tian nodded. “The lord had previously sent officials to various counties in the South China Sea. I thought they were just temporary officials. I didn’t expect that they would send them again now. But these pursuit envoys seem to be in charge of something similar to the thief clerks! Why bother with this?”

"Hehe!" Guo Kui revealed a mysterious smile: "Don't you understand? Let me ask you, what official position does our lord hold now?"

"The Captain who quells rebellion!"

"Then let me ask you, who is in charge of the thief clerk?"

(End of this chapter)