Taiheiki

Chapter 270 Missing
"What? So fast?" Liu Hong jumped off the couch, asking anxiously, "Really?"

“Absolutely right!” Zhang Rang’s forehead was covered with beads of sweat the size of soybeans: “When I passed by outside the palace, I saw a large number of people fleeing into the city. According to them, soldiers bearing the name of the Marquis of Wei arrived last night, looted the Marquis of Weiyang’s residence, set it on fire, and posted notices everywhere saying that they would exterminate the Dou family and support the emperor’s personal rule!”

"Is there any posted document?" Liu Hong asked anxiously.

"I rushed here as soon as I heard the news, but I didn't have any documents with me!"

"Alright!" Liu Hong's face clearly showed disappointment. Of course, he hoped that the news Zhang Rang reported was true, but the time since his ascension to the throne had already given the young emperor a lot of experience, and he knew that the closer he got to victory, the more dangerous it became. If he did something before Wei Cong's troops arrived, it would force the Dou family to send him a cup of poisoned wine or three feet of white silk. He suppressed his excitement: "Very well, then go and find out more, and report back when you have confirmed information!"

Zhang Rang, having recovered his senses, suddenly had a bright idea: "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? The Deyang Palace beneath your feet is the highest point in Luoyang City. Whether Wei Cong's soldiers burned down the Marquis of Weiyang's residence or not, you can find out everything just by standing in front of the palace!"

"Excellent! How could I not have thought of that!" Liu Hong was overjoyed. He hurriedly walked out of the side hall and looked southeast from the front of the main hall. He saw plumes of smoke rising straight into the sky from the residence of Marquis Dou Ji of Weiyang, to the northeast of the city, like upright fingers. In Liu Hong's eyes, this was simply the most beautiful picture in the world.

"That was satisfying! Burning was satisfying! Well done, Wei Cong!" Liu Hong laughed loudly. "Dou Wu, you always put on this saintly act. I want to see what kind of face you have when Wei Cong brings you before me!"

"Your Majesty, we must be careful that Dou Wu doesn't take any risks!" Zhang Rang whispered.

"Hmm, have you prepared the hiding place I asked you to prepare?" Liu Hong asked.

“It’s all arranged already!” Zhang Rang said in a low voice.

"Alright, let's set off immediately!" Liu Hong said in a deep voice.

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The General's Mansion.

The glass bottle on the shelf let the sunlight from outside into the room, but shadows still lingered in Dou Wu's study, just like the moods of everyone present. Dou Wu sat behind his desk like a rock, a map of Luoyang's defenses laid out before him. He had been sitting like this for several hours, neither eating nor drinking, neither speaking nor uttering a word.

When Yuan Shu cautiously entered through the side door, he glimpsed his uncle Yuan Kui whispering something in Dou Wu's ear. He patiently squatted down, waiting for his uncle's summons.

After Yuan Wei and Dou Wu finished speaking, he beckoned to Yuan Shu, who nimbly walked to Yuan Wei's side and knelt on one knee: "Song Qi, the Commander of the Imperial Guards, led more than a thousand men guarding the city gates out of the city to pursue the bandits. However, they were entangled by several hundred bandit infantrymen not far from the city. Just as Song Qi was about to surround the bandits, several dozen bandit riders attacked from the side. Song Qi was shot off his horse by the bandit riders, and the entire army was routed. Many were killed or wounded, and countless armor and weapons were lost. Only four or five hundred people were able to escape back to the city!"

"And what about the Commander of the Imperial Guard himself?"

"We don't know yet, he must have died in the chaos of battle!" Yuan Shu said in a low voice.

Yuan Wei picked up the wine cup on the table and drank the liquid in one gulp. Although his eyes were already cloudy, they now gleamed with a dim light.

Hurried footsteps came from outside. General Dou Shao entered from the outer room and shouted to Dou Wu as soon as he entered: "Uncle, my family's mansion has also been burned down by thieves. Everything is clear. Someone led these thieves to our Dou family! You must come up with a solution!"

"Show me a solution?" Dou Wu raised his head, staring intently at his nephew, his eyes holding a power that made Dou Shao tremble: "Right now, the rebel army is closing in on the city gates, the people are displaced, and the emperor is terrified, yet you ask me what to do when my family's house is burned down?"

"This, this—" Dou Shao stammered. He had always been afraid of his uncle, who upheld propriety and righteousness. Pressed for answers like this, he panicked and hurriedly explained, "That's not what I meant, Uncle. You've misunderstood. It really wasn't—"

"Call me by my official title!" Dou Wu said coldly. "This is an official residence of the imperial court; personal relationships are irrelevant!"

"Great General!"

"Hmm, General Dou, what should you be doing now, according to your official rank?" Dou Wu shouted.

"He should lead the Tiger Warriors to guard the Forbidden City!" Dou Shao said in a low voice.
"Very well, go ahead!" Dou Wu said coldly.

"Yes, sir!" Dou Shao slunk out. Dou Wu sighed and said to Yuan Wei, "These young lads don't know what's important. They treat the country like their own private property and national affairs like child's play. The country's current state is my fault!"

"General, you flatter me!" Yuan Wei sighed. "The nation has suffered from accumulated problems for a century, which has led to the calamity of Wei Cong. It is not solely your fault. Just now, Gonglu returned to report that Commander Song Qi led troops out of the city to attack the rebels, but was defeated by them. Young Master Song was lost in the chaos of battle, and I fear his fate is grim!"

"Alas!" Dou Wu sighed. He asked Yuan Shu for a few more details and then lamented, "I've long heard that the Wei bandits are adept at raising their troops, and that their soldiers are unparalleled in battle. What I've seen today confirms this. The rabble in Luoyang is no match for them!"

"The General is right!" Yuan Shu nodded. "The Wei bandits' troops are indeed extraordinary. Although they are from the south, they do not rely entirely on infantry. They have cavalry who are skilled in flanking maneuvers. Moreover, they are adept at raising war elephants. On the battlefield, they drive these beasts to trample the enemy formation and are invincible!"

"Is that so?" Dou Wu was taken aback. "How did you know?"

"To avenge my brother, I, along with several comrades and our respective troops, ambushed the vanguard of the Wei rebels near Luyang Pass. The battle was fierce but we were defeated, and the Zhang brothers, Mengzhuo and Zhang Mengzhuo, were killed by the rebels. I witnessed firsthand the power of those war elephants; they advanced like a collapsing mountain, unstoppable!" "Ah! The Zhang brothers are dead too?" Dou Wu sighed, his face filled with sorrow. "Alas, two more of our heroes have fallen."

"General, now is not the time to lament this!" Yuan Wei said in a deep voice, "The vanguard of the Wei traitors deliberately set fire to the residences and estates of the Dou family to show those with ulterior motives in Luoyang City. You must be on guard!"

After being reminded by Yuan Wei, Dou Wu immediately understood: "You mean the Emperor?"

“That’s right!” Yuan Wei nodded. “According to intelligence from outside, this band of thieves doesn’t actually have many troops, at most two or three thousand. They set fire to the Dou family’s houses for two reasons: first, to provoke the city’s garrison, lure them out of the city for open battle, defeat them one by one, and show the people of Luoyang the strength they have; second, to tell the people of the city that they are only fighting for the Dou family and have no regard for others, so as to incite chaos in the city and win without a fight.”

Dou Wu remained silent, only nodding quietly. The city of Luoyang during the Eastern Han Dynasty was much smaller than later Luoyang, especially the eastern capital built by Emperor Yang of Sui. Its area was only about ten square kilometers, with only one city wall. Most of the city was occupied by official residences such as the Southern and Northern Palaces, the Three Dukes' mansions, the altars of the land and grain, and temples. In other words, most of Luoyang's commercial and residential areas were outside the city walls, completely unprotected. The main defense of Luoyang relied on the troops stationed at the passes surrounding the Luoyang Basin, the famous Eight Passes of Luoyang. If an attack like Nie Sheng's directly reached the city walls, the commercial and residential areas outside would be left unattended. Large numbers of people would flee into the city, and the defenders would face immense internal pressure if they tried to hold out.

"Burning down your residence to put enough pressure on the court from within—this strategy must have been Wei Cong's idea! The lack of a direct assault is likely due to two reasons: firstly, insufficient troops, and secondly, a reluctance to bear the infamy of attacking the capital by force. His main forces should still be around Yique Pass. If General Zhang makes any moves, I fear—"

"I understand, I won't order Zhang Wen to return to reinforce!" Dou Wu said, "Besides, Zhang Wen's troops are only good for defending the city, but in open field battles, they are probably no match for Wei Cong's elite troops. How long will it take for the Hebei troops to arrive?"

"It will take at least seven or eight days!" Yuan Wei sighed. "Even if they arrive, they may not be a match for Wei Cong's elite troops. To truly defeat Wei Cong, we will have to wait for the cavalry from You and Bing provinces to arrive!"

Dou Wu nodded. Everyone here knew that if the Han Dynasty only considered cavalry, it consisted of the cavalry from Youzhou, Bingzhou, and Liangzhou, as well as the righteous cavalry from neighboring vassal states. The time required to mobilize these cavalry to reinforce the city was also the longest, because they were the farthest from Luoyang. It was unknown whether Luoyang could hold out until then.

"Father, Father, something terrible has happened!" Marquis Dou Ji of Weiyang rushed in from the outer room, which made Dou Wu's face even more grim.

"Did you come here because the mansion burned down? At such a young age, you're already so concerned about your own selfish interests? Don't you understand the principle that when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact?"

"No, that's not it!" Dou Ji quickly retorted, "It's because the Emperor has disappeared!"

"What?" Dou Wu could no longer maintain his composure. "What happened? The Emperor is missing?"

"That's right!" Dou Ji said urgently, "Just now, the Empress Dowager learned that there were Wei traitors outside the city. Fearing something might happen, she sent me with several dozen eunuchs to Deyang Palace to bring the Emperor to her and detain him. But when I arrived at Deyang Palace, the eunuchs initially made excuses, saying that the Emperor was unwell and did not want to see outsiders. I couldn't do anything about them, so I had to ask my sister to intervene. Only then were they subdued. But when we investigated, we found that the Emperor was not in Deyang Palace at all. We found out through torture that the Emperor had secretly escaped from the palace earlier today!"

"This, this—" Dou Wu paced back and forth in the room, completely at a loss: "Lord Yuan, the emperor has escaped from the palace, what should we do?" It's no wonder he was so panicked. In the end, the only source of legitimacy for the Dou family to control the government was their special relationship with the emperor. But if the emperor himself had escaped their control, then the only foundation of their power edifice would no longer exist, and only collapse would be the result.

"The city gates are currently closed, so the Emperor should still be inside the city and hasn't left. The only solution right now is to immediately send people to search everywhere and find him!"

"Yes, yes!" Dou Wu was clearly flustered: "Aji, did you hear that? Hurry up and search the whole city!"

"Wait!" Yuan Wei shouted, "Marquis of Weiyang, the news of the Emperor's escape from the palace is extremely important and must not be known outside. Therefore, the city-wide search must not be conducted under the pretext of searching for the Emperor. Instead, say that you have lost a favored servant and offer a large reward. Once found, immediately send him back to the Empress Dowager's palace. Anyone who knows anything about this must be silenced afterward!"

"Yes, yes, I remember!" Dou Ji practically ran out of the house. Dou Wu sighed, "Even the emperor we supported had to flee. Am I really so immoral?"

"No, General, you have not committed any wrongdoing; it is the Emperor who has!"

"Huh?" Dou Wu was startled, looking at Yuan Wei in surprise. His expression clearly said, 'The court is in the hands of our Dou family; how could the emperor possibly be immoral?'

"General! This is my fair opinion. Let me put it this way: even if the Emperor eliminates the Dou family this time and takes control of the government, he won't be in this position for long. It could be Wei Cong, or someone else, who will dethrone him or even kill him!"

"Why do you say that?"

"It's very simple!" Yuan Wei sneered. "The current emperor's position is not due to any blood relation to the late emperor, nor is it due to any great merit to the world, nor is it due to any intelligence or filial piety. It is all because of the kindness of the Grand General and the Empress Dowager. Yet, after only a year on the throne, he issued an edict to mobilize troops from outside the capital to attack Luoyang, intending to eliminate the Dou clan and seize back power. Even a commoner, receiving such kindness, would surely repay such kindness with enmity after only a year, if not with overwhelming gratitude. He is truly a person without virtue. Moreover, the Grand General is a renowned virtuous gentleman, admired by the world for decades. He is kind and dignified in his dealings with others. If the emperor cannot even tolerate someone like the Grand General, how could he tolerate Wei Cong, Feng Kun, and others? These three are all renowned military strategists, especially Wei Cong, who is decisive and audacious. If he discovers that the emperor intends to harm him, would he simply sit idly by and wait to die? With Wei Cong's abilities, the emperor is nothing but a mere child. If the two fight, what chance does the emperor have but death?"

"Alas!" After hearing Yuan Wei's account, Dou Wu sighed deeply: "If what Lord Yuan says is true, then the fate of the Han Dynasty is probably not long!"

"Hmph!" Yuan Wei sneered, "If that's really the case, even future historians won't blame us. The emperor led foreign troops to Luoyang and brought about his own destruction. What can you and I do about it?"

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outside the city.

"Young General, these are all valuables recovered from the mansion!" The officer pointed to dozens of cages on the ground. At first glance, they were filled with various jewels and utensils. Under the sunlight, they shone with dazzling colors, making one's heart tremble.

(End of this chapter)