Taiheiki

Chapter 2 Prologue 2
"General? Now?"

"Of course, now is the time. It'll be too late after daybreak!" The eunuch had already found the imperial seal in Liang Shu's bedroom. Ju Yuan immediately took it and ordered someone to summon the Tiger Guards, Feathered Guards, and Sword and Halberd Soldiers. At the same time, he said to Guanglu Xun Yuan Xu, who had just arrived, "Lord Yuan, let's follow the previous plan and split up!"

"Okay, I'll leave the palace two minutes after the eunuch leaves!" Yuan Xu was a tall and thin middle-aged man with a few wisps of goatee on his chin. He wore a Jinxian crown on his head, a cross-collared robe and a pair of Liangdang armor over it, which looked a bit out of place.

"Yes!" Ju Yuan bowed to Yuan Xu and hurried off. Zhang Wen, standing beside him, didn't even have time to salute Yuan Xu before he hurried to catch up. By then, over a thousand people had gathered outside the Lanting Square—all of them improvised Tiger Guards, Yulin Lang, and Sword and Halberd Soldiers. Ju Yuan boarded the carriage, drew his sword, and shouted, "We are ordered to fight the enemy! Let's go!"

Zhang Wen grabbed a yellow horse and followed the carriage. As they left the palace and headed west, they were about to leave Luoyang City when they hurriedly whispered, "Grand Eunuch, the General's Mansion is to the east."

"We know!" Ju Yuan said with a smile, "Liang Ji is at his private residence tonight, west of the city! Guanglu Xun Yuan Xu will be in charge of the General's Mansion! We only need to deal with Liang Ji!" He glanced at the still confused Zhang Wen and said with a smile, "The Liang family is full of relatives and nobles. He controls the five schools of the Northern Army (Tunqi, Yueqi, Infantry, Changshui, and Shesheng). If we can't catch him off guard, we're afraid we won't be able to defeat him, but instead will cause him harm!"

Zhang Wen also realized by now that the Eastern Han capital's garrison was broadly divided into two parts. The defense within the northern and southern palaces fell under the jurisdiction of the Weiwei and Guanglu Xun, consisting of armed officials, swordsmen, and night guards who guarded the palace gates. The defense outside the northern and southern palaces was handled by the five battalions of the Northern Army: Tunqi, Yueqi, Infantry, Changshui, and Shesheng. The five battalions also served as guards for the capital and the central field forces. Each battalion was commanded by a Xiaowei (a 2,000-stone official), with an additional 600-stone official serving as supervisor. The Xiaowei served as a junior officer, a lowly but powerful official, and served as a check on the Xiaowei of the five battalions.

The Northern Army played a crucial role in the political and military affairs of the Eastern Han Dynasty, its numbers far exceeding those of the armed guardsmen, swordsmen, and palace gate guards who served as palace guards. In Eastern Han historical texts, the phrase "mobilizing the Three Rivers and Five Schools" is often mentioned. The Three Rivers refers to Hedong, Henan, and Henei, the capital region of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The prefecture-state military preparations in these three regions were far superior to those in other prefectures and counties. The Five Schools refers to the Five Schools of the Northern Army, implying the mobilization of the capital region and the formation of a central field corps with the Five Schools of the Northern Army as its backbone.

As in the Western Han Dynasty, the Eastern Han Dynasty's generals were not permanent positions. Positions like Grand General, General of Chariots and Cavalry, General of the Left, and General of the Right were appointed when necessary and dismissed when not. In theory, Liang Ji, as Grand General, had the power to command all the troops in Luoyang. Therefore, the key to the success of this military coup lay in separating Liang Ji from the Northern Army and capturing him before he could react. Otherwise, at dawn, facing the powerful Northern Army, even the emperor would have had no choice but to abandon these coup executors to save his own life.

"So Guanglu Xun just said that he would postpone the departure for two minutes in order to avoid the news leaking out?" Zhang Wen asked in a low voice.

"That's right! Guanglu Xun went to the General's Mansion to collect Liang Ji's seal and ribbon. We are afraid that when he arrives at the General's Mansion, someone will secretly go out of the city to inform Liang Ji. It will be troublesome if they get there before us!" Ju Yuan looked at Zhang Wen with admiration. He liked this clever young man more and more. If this thing succeeded, he was old and should train a few younger generations in the outer court for the sake of his nephews and nieces.

"The eunuch is indeed very thoughtful!" Zhang Wen also sensed Ju Yuan's kindness and said in a low voice, "If I have done anything good today, it will all be thanks to the eunuch!"

"No problem, no problem!" Ju Yuan said with a smile.

Luoyang during the Eastern Han Dynasty was a relatively small city, largely occupied by the imperial palace and government offices. Residential and commercial areas were largely outside the city walls. Liang Ji's residence, located west of the city, was exceptionally luxurious, its furnishings comparable to those of Huo Guang, a powerful official during the reigns of Emperors Zhao and Xuan of the Western Han Dynasty. It was known at the time as the "Western Residence." Upon arriving with his troops, Ju Yuan did not immediately attack. Instead, he ordered his soldiers to surround the city with torches and drums, but he did not send anyone to convey his orders. Seeing the torches outside, the residents, believing them to be a large force, panicked and dared not move. They remained motionless, awaiting daybreak.

At about two quarters past three in the morning, the eunuch Shan Chao arrived with an imperial edict from the Secretariat. Ju Yuan went forward to greet him and asked, "How is the situation in the city?"

"It's done!" Shan Chao, a burly man with dark skin, looked nothing like a eunuch. He joyfully pulled out an imperial edict from his sleeve: "Guanglu Xun has taken Liang Ji's seal and ribbon and has taken command of the military within the Five Schools Camp. All the Liang family members in the city have surrendered. Now only Liang Ji and Sun Shou are left!"

"Oh! That's great!" Ju Yuan smiled and said, "Then what does the decree say about the punishment for Liang Ji?"

"Release him and grant him the title of Marquis of Bijingdu Township!" Shan Chao showed a sinister smile on his face: "If he was a wise man, he would have ended his life himself to avoid humiliation!"

"Indeed, the emperor is benevolent and worthy of his generals!" Ju Yuan nodded. He turned sideways and pointed at Zhang Wen behind him. "This is Zhang Boxen from Nanyang, whom Grand Chamberlain Cao mentioned last time. When I went to the Imperial Guards' Mansion to collect the seal, Liang Shu refused to give it to me, so he killed Liang Shu with a single blow. That's how the outcome was decided!"

"Well done!" Shan Chao looked Zhang Wen up and down and said with a smile, "Such a great achievement should be reported to the emperor!"

Zhang Wen knew that it was Ju Yuan who was praising him. He looked at Ju Yuan with gratitude and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Shan!"

"That's all right!" Shan Chao said with a smile. "The Liang family's people almost occupy half of the court. After the entire family was wiped out, there are many vacancies. It's better to give it to our own people than to others. It's getting late. Let's read the imperial edict quickly to avoid any more trouble!"

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Inside Liang Ji's residence.

"No news from the city yet?" Liang Ji paced back and forth anxiously. "Arang (Liang Rang, the cavalry captain), Aji (Liang Ji, the Changshui captain), Azhong (Liang Zhong, the Yueshui captain), the aforementioned are all commanders of the five Northern Army schools). Are they all dead? My house is surrounded, and they haven't reacted! Could it be that they don't even notice this?" Suddenly he stopped and cursed fiercely, "It must be the eunuchs around the emperor who are behind this. When daybreak comes, I will definitely exterminate their entire clan, leaving no one alive!"

"What's the point of saying all this now?" The woman beside him had long eyebrows and white teeth, a radiant complexion, her long black hair tied in a bun, gilded phoenix-shaped hairpins in her hair. Pearls, each the size of a fingernail, dangled from the phoenix's tips, cascading down her shoulders. She wore a lavender dress that accentuated her beauty, like a rose with thorns. She was unbridled and reckless. This was Liang Ji's wife, Sun Shou. She was known for her decisiveness and recklessness. Liang Ji loved and feared her, never daring to disobey her. "In my opinion, the mastermind behind this incident wasn't the eunuchs, but the emperor."

"The Emperor?" Liang Ji was frightened by his wife's speculation: "If it is true, then doesn't it mean..."

"Isn't it what? So what if he is really the emperor? Are we just going to sit there and wait for death?" Sun Shou sneered, "It's not like we haven't killed before! It's just a matter of changing someone else. Aren't there enough descendants of the Liu family? Also, it's not a solution for you to stay at home like this. You have to take the initiative. From now on, the people in the palace have been controlled by the emperor. Ashu is in danger. The key is who controls the Northern Army. Whoever controls the Northern Army will win. You are the general. Now go out directly into the city and go to the Northern Army camp. As long as you are in the Northern Army camp, Ashu will have a backbone. After dawn, send troops to block the palace gates and isolate the inside and outside. In three days at most, and half a day at least, we can force the emperor to kill the eunuchs and surrender to us!" "Go to the Northern Army camp now?" Liang Ji hesitated, "But there are many lights outside, and we don't know how many soldiers there are. Who knows if we can get out? And we don't know who controls the city gates!"

"You think too much!" Sun Shou said angrily, "Don't you know how many troops the emperor has? He must have left people to guard the palace, right? There are no more than a thousand outside. Besides, you are now a general. Do they dare to hurt you?"

Liang Ji nodded. Just as he was about to say something, a sudden commotion erupted from outside. Liang Ji stood up, frowned, and shouted, "What's going on? So loud! Don't you understand the rules?"

"Master, master!" A servant came in panicked from outside: "An imperial edict has arrived!"

"Edict? What edict?" Liang Ji's expression changed drastically.

"The imperial edict dismisses you from your position as general and demotes you to the rank of Marquis of Bijingdu Township!"

"Nonsense!" Liang Ji was furious and drew his sword. "If you dare to say that again, I'll kill you!"

"Master!" The servant took a few steps back. "Really? You can go and see for yourself. Several gentlemen from the Northern Army have been brought here. They're all outside!"

"What?" Liang Ji seemed to be hit by a blow. He rushed out of the door and climbed up the watchtower on the outer wall. He saw more than a dozen people tied up and kneeling on the ground under the firelight outside the wall. They were vaguely his own children in the Northern Army. He felt dizzy at this moment, his knees softened, and he sat down.

"General, General!" The servants around him hurried to help him up. Liang Ji said to his wife in despair, "It's over. The whole thing is over!"

"Then, let's drive out before dawn! Escape back to the fiefdom and then think of a way?" Sun Shou said anxiously.

"It's useless!" Liang Ji sighed. "We're already criminals of the imperial court. Where can we escape? Look at those people kneeling on the ground outside. The emperor is asking us to kill each other! How can we still maintain some dignity?"

"Suicide?" Sun Shou's beautiful face suddenly lost all color. "Is there no other way? Doesn't the imperial edict say we should be exiled to Bijingdu Township? It doesn't say we should die!"

"Do you know where Bijingdu is? That's a trap. If we refuse to die, a messenger will come along to kill us!" Liang Ji sighed, "Shou'er, even if we die, dying in our own mansion is better than dying in a post station along the way, right? At least we can be buried in Mangshan!"

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Outside Liang Ji's residence, the night wind blew the torches, making crackling sounds and flickering flames, just like Zhang Wen's mood at the moment. He knew that his side had already taken control of the Northern Army and that this coup was already 134% won, but Liang Ji was not dead after all! Ever since Liang's father, Liang Shanghan Emperor Shundi, was appointed as the general and recorded the affairs of the Shangshu in the third year of Yangjia ( AD), the Liang family had been in power for years, serving four emperors. A total of nine people were granted titles of nobility, three became empresses, six became noble ladies, and seven of the wives and daughters of the two generals enjoyed fiefs, three married princesses, and others held the positions of minister, general, prime minister, and schoolmaster. Including students and former officials, almost half of the court was from the Liang family. Could such a behemoth end up like this without any resistance?
"Bo Shen!"

"Ah!" Zhang Wen turned around and found that it was Shan Chao who was talking to him. He was about to bow, but Shan Chao stopped him: "Forget it, there's no need to be so formal at this time. Are you worried that Liang Ji still has a chance to turn the tables?"

"That's right!" Although Shan Chao was a eunuch, the two sides were now on the same boat. Zhang Wen did not hide it: "After all, the Liang family has experienced four emperors and has been the leader of the world for more than 20 years. Almost half of the officials in the court are from the Liang family. If the emperor had not executed them——"

"You don't have to worry about that!" Shan Chao stretched out his right arm, lifted up his sleeve and said, "Look what this is—"

Zhang Wen looked closely and saw a tooth mark. Judging from the wound, it had been a few days old, but it was still clearly visible. It must have been a very deep bite.

"These are the emperor's teeth marks!" Shan Chao's voice was low, but to Zhang Wen it was like thunder. "To prevent the news from leaking out, when the emperor and several of us eunuchs were plotting to get rid of Liang Ji, the emperor personally bit my arm to swear an oath of blood. Now you understand how much the emperor hates the Liang family, right? So Liang Ji is dead! Not only him, but the entire Liang family and everyone related to them will die too!"

As if to confirm Shan Chao's words, the door to Liang's residence opened and a group of people walked out. The leader said, "Everyone, the general and his wife have committed suicide!"

"Okay! Then send the body over for examination!" Ju Yuan nodded without surprise.

"As ordered!"

After examining the bodies and confirming the death of Liang Ji and his wife, Zhang Wen was ordered to escort them back to the city, while Ju Yuan and Shan Chao remained behind to search the Liang residence. On his way back to the city, Zhang Wen saw a steady stream of chariots and emissaries bearing imperial seals, and the terrified common people along the roadside. Returning to the palace, Zhang Wen found it deserted. Countless formerly respected figures had been dismissed from office and imprisoned for their connections to the Liang family. He felt a sense of grief, a premonition that the power of the imperial relatives that had dominated the Han Dynasty for nearly a century would never return, and that the eunuchs would reign supreme from now on. (After the Liang family was destroyed, five eunuchs—Shan Chao, Xu Huang, Ju Yuan, Zuo Gang, and Tang Heng—were granted the title of marquis on the same day for their meritorious service. They became known as the Five Marquises. Since ancient times, no eunuch has been more honored than these!)

(End of this chapter)