Tiger Guards

Chapter 341 Restrained
As dawn broke, the officers and soldiers who had participated in the chaotic battle in various parts of Xuchang returned to their camps one after another.

Gao Shun was also ordered to send troops to control the streets in the city and clear away the corpses.

Lu Bu rode his horse to patrol the city. The flames that had burned for most of the night had been extinguished, but embers remained, and smoke and dust swirled around them.

The streets were littered with the corpses of soldiers and civilians, some burned, trampled to death, and others wounded by weapons.

Having experienced the grand scenes of Luoyang and Chang'an, Lü Bu was now used to it.

He carefully observed the characteristics of the dead and said to Yang Jun, who had rushed to his side, "Last night, the various armies fought fiercely, but no one was beheaded, which means they knew what they were doing."

Yang Jun remained silent, only nodding.

At this moment, he was also horrified by the carnage of the battle in the middle of the night, and it was not appropriate for him to take credit for being the first to set fire to warn others.

Before long, the patrol arrived near Xun Yu's residence, which had been burned to the ground.

There were more officers and soldiers who died in battle near the mansion, and inside the mansion were the remains of people who were burned or suffocated by the smoke while carrying basins and buckets of water to put out the fire.

Several military officers were clearing the ruins and directing soldiers to move the corpses to an open area.

Lü Bu asked the military officer in charge, "Where is Chief Clerk Xun?"

"This……"

The officer hesitated for a moment and said, "Last night, the rebel army attacked and killed the Chief Clerk's residence. The casualties inside were terrible... The Chief Clerk may have been beheaded by the rebel army."

"Decapitation?"

Lu Bu raised an eyebrow, his anger surfacing: "Take me to see."

"Here."

The officer acknowledged and turned to lead the way, guiding Lü Bu to a ruin. Judging from its size, the ruin should be the main hall of the front courtyard.

The walls still stand, but the beams and rafters have been burned down, and the roof tiles have fallen.

Between the ruins were charred logs that hadn't been completely burned, and dozens of corpses that had been burned to death inside the prison cell.

The military officer walked cautiously among them, pointing to a headless corpse surrounded by the crowd: "General, this is Chief Clerk Xun's sword."

Lü Bu's anger intensified, seemingly also stemming from his fury over Xun Yu's death: "Interrogate each soldier thoroughly and find out the culprit!"

"Here!"

The military officer readily agreed, confident that with this authorization, he could extract something from the torture.

Yang Jun stood behind Lü Bu, covering his mouth and nose with his sleeve as he pondered the changing situation.

Last night was so chaotic; there were at least three forces causing trouble, and possibly five.

As for dawn, everyone naturally returned to their respective camps, and the vast majority of soldiers would not voluntarily leave their posts.

Given the situation this year, it's easy to leave the established staff, but it's difficult to get back in.

Therefore, even if a thorough investigation and rectification are carried out, it will not affect the vast majority of rank-and-file soldiers, who are unaware of the inside story.

Those to be dealt with and thoroughly investigated are the military officers of each army.

However, Xun Yu's death is indeed something worth exploring.

Yang Jun pondered for a moment, then followed Lü Bu to pay homage to the emperor.

At this moment, many nobles and officials gathered outside the palace gates. In fact, most people had already become accustomed to this level of turmoil.

Yang Qi stood at the front of the line, but none of the other officials, including the Grand Secretary Fu Wan, were able to attend due to their excessive drinking.

Yang Qi also observed the ranks of officials and saw that many of them had faces blackened by soot and clothes with holes from burning embers.

With so many people, each person's emotions are different.

The ailing Minister Zhou Zhong arrived today in his imperial carriage. He sat weakly on the carriage couch, covering his mouth and nose with his sleeve. Every now and then, even the slightest cough would trigger a violent cough.

"The Great General has arrived!"

The guards sang loudly as Lü Bu arrived on horseback, followed by dozens of officers, generals, colonels, and captains.

As for those at the rank of Military Commander, they are not qualified to come here, but all military officers below the rank of Military Commander must undergo an interrogation.

Given such a rare opportunity, how could Lü Bu easily let it slip by?
At this moment, he also understood Zhao Ji back then to some extent.

Looking at the officials and nobles around him, especially those whose bodies showed obvious signs of burning, Lü Bu wished he could kill them all and completely eliminate these audacious people.

But if we really kill them, the army might change its mind.

This effect can only be achieved by wiping out the enemy's fellow villagers and their families, killing tens of thousands of them.

Killing a few people wasn't enough to quell his anger.

A mutiny sparked a riot that resulted in the deaths and injuries of no fewer than 20,000 soldiers and civilians overnight. The number of deaths was not important; what mattered was that it shattered the revitalized atmosphere that had prevailed since the relocation of Xuchang!
Previously, this atmosphere meant that scholars from all directions, like rivers flowing into the sea, continuously nourished and strengthened the imperial court; the court's influence could also be reflected in the counties through these people.

If Lü Bu were to also go on a killing spree, this situation would deteriorate even further, and officials and commoners would become even more alienated from him.

Killing a few people wouldn't solve the problem, and it wouldn't vent his anger.

Should we follow Zhao Ji's example, break the buttocks of a few key figures, and then randomly choose someone who could be either dead or alive to execute as a warning to others?
While this might minimize the impact, it doesn't quell the anger.

Lu Bu scrutinized the ministers and officials, making them feel uneasy and terrified.

Passing through the crowd, Lü Bu arrived at the front. After dismounting, Yang Qi bowed and said, "General."

"Zi Qi Gong."

Lü Bu returned the greeting, then turned to look around: "Where are the Grand Secretary, Minister Kong, and the others?"

"Last night, the Grand Secretary held a birthday banquet at his residence. Kong Wenju and others attended the banquet, and many of them were still hungover."

Yang Qi replied, but seeing that Lü Bu was still scrutinizing the officials who exuded a strong sense of worldly affairs, he turned and asked, "General, were the culprits of last night's riot apprehended?"

"It is not known at the moment; further questioning is required."

Lü Bu spoke slowly, which surprised Yang Qi, who had expected Lü Bu to be furious.

Lü Bu was indeed angry because he had seized some legitimate troop mobilization documents from the shogunate, which may have been written some time ago and were now being used.

Military dispatches were either large, long wooden tablets or silk scrolls... Even if they were wooden tablets, a layer of silk was pasted on top so that the characters were clear and the printed text could be complete.

Having served as a chief clerk, Lü Bu knew very well that these troop mobilization orders were legal in terms of procedure.

The calligrapher Handan Chun was a clerk in the general's office, specifically responsible for drafting official documents.

Handan Chun's calligraphy, the seals of various departments of the shogunate and Lü Bu, and the wooden tablets and silk books made by the same group of craftsmen in the shogunate—such troop mobilization documents must be genuine!
Officials and soldiers who receive such a formal order should naturally obey it.

The responsibility does not lie with the army that carried out the orders, but with the shogunate's own inadequate supervision and restraint.

But what could Lü Bu do?
Handan Chun is probably dead by now. This group of people had plenty of opportunities to steal rubbings of seals in their daily lives, and even carved counterfeit seals.

At this moment, Lü Bu really wanted to chop up all the officials with fire marks on their bodies, but he really couldn't do that.

Just as Lü Bu and Yang Qi were chatting, the palace gates opened, and Shi Qian, the Grand Chamberlain, came out and bowed to Lü Bu and Yang Qi. He then straightened his back and said, "By imperial decree, the Grand General, Ziqi Gong, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and the Three Dukes are here to enter the palace."

Even though Fu Wan was not present, Sikong Zhou Zhong, who was on the imperial carriage, still bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the imperial decree."

Then, the five people entered the palace, while Zhou Zhong continued to travel by carriage, as he was truly unable to walk any further.

Palace officials, Tiger Guards, and Feathered Forest Guards were on duty in various places. When Lü Bu saw that the Feathered Forest Guards were all familiar faces, he felt at ease.

Without Zhao Ji's authorization, the palace guards would not have participated in plotting to kill him.

Since the Imperial Guards are now his own, and he can recommend and control some more officials in the future, the danger that the Emperor's palace poses to Lü Bu will become smaller and smaller.

Seeing Lü Bu stride confidently and boldly, his steps as confident and unrestrained as ever.

The other nobles were not as strong and long-legged as Lü Bu, so they walked slower.

At this moment, Yang Qi and Yang Biao turned their heads slightly, and after their eyes met, they understood each other's thoughts in a tacit understanding.

Situ Zhao Wen also leaned on a cane, looking sluggish and nearing the end of his life, and his posture was also slow as he looked around.

Even so, Zhao Wen noticed the exchange of glances between Yang Qi and Yang Biao, then looked at the Tiger Warriors lined up to form the White-Blade Halberd Gate, then at the Imperial Guards standing guard on the outer perimeter, and then turned to look at Zhou Zhong.

Zhou Zhong covered his mouth with his sleeve, coughing incessantly, without expressing any opinion.

Inside the main hall, after Lü Bu and the others were seated, Liu Xie asked, "General, who was the mastermind last night?"

"Your Majesty, my officers and soldiers reported that those who attacked my residence spoke with a Yingchuan accent. I wonder what accent the traitors who attacked the imperial palace spoke?"

Liu Xie did not answer, but turned to look at Chen Gong, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, who was wearing a blouse and armor.

Chen Gong bowed to Lü Bu and said, "First, bandits harassed us. Then, Zhao Shu's Eagle Banner Army, carrying the orders of the Grand General, came to help suppress the bandits. After the bandits retreated, the Changshan troops attacked, and the Eagle Banner Army confronted them. Then, the General of the Guards sent troops to protect Your Majesty, which led to a conflict with the Eagle Banner Army and the Changshan troops. In addition, bandits and spies instigated a fight, and a battle broke out."

Lü Bu said, "Zhao Shu is dead. It is likely that he was killed by spies because of his poor management. They also forged an order to mislead the officials and soldiers and disturb Your Majesty's carriage."

After saying this, Lü Bu bowed deeply to Liu Xie, saying, "I have caused Your Majesty worry; it was my oversight."

"What does this have to do with the General?"

Liu Xie said calmly, "The treacherous minister has long harbored evil intentions. With the General distracted by state affairs, how can the General possibly be on guard? I wonder what the General thinks?"

"Your Majesty, I believe this is Liu Jingsheng sending envoys to instigate rebellion."

Lu Bu had no intention of lingering in Yingchuan any longer; staying there was no longer safe.

(End of this chapter)