Mutation

In the year 189, in Luoyang's Xiyuan Grand Camp, on this very day.

Yuan Xi reported to the central army, officially becoming a commissioned military officer of the Great Han. Yuan Xi served as a military registrar, which was essentially an administrative post in the army, while also acting as a staff advisor to the commanding general.

Though the rank was not high, it was a position of close trust to the commander. This was Yuan Shao's consistent approach to appointing people—relying on personal ties rather than pure merit. This method had both its advantages and disadvantages.

Xu Chu had no particular opinions; he was content as long as there was food and drink. Within the army, however, opportunities for brawling increased significantly, and he was naturally in his element.

From among the more than two thousand men in the central army, Yuan Xi selected around a hundred elite soldiers to form his own core personal guard, which was commanded and trained by Xu Chu.

Shortly after, Wang Kuang, the掾 (official clerk) of He Jin's manor, and Cavalry Commandant Bao Xin recruited troops and returned to the capital.

The Inspector of Bingzhou, Ding Yuan, and General of the Household of the Fierce Tiger, Yuan Shu, along with others, had already stationed their troops on the outskirts of Luoyang city. Everything signaled the approach of a storm.

Meanwhile, the great overlord, General of the Front, Marquis of Aoxiang, and the newly appointed Governor of Bingzhou, Dong Zhuo, was also leading his troops on the march toward Luoyang. Heroes from all directions converged upon Luoyang one after another, and the situation grew increasingly perilous, casting a heavy, oppressive gloom over everything.

Seeing the armed forces of regional strongmen take up positions in the suburbs of Luoyang, He Jin grew even more confident. He entered the Changle Palace and submitted a memorial to Empress Dowager He, attempting to leverage the momentum of the regional lords to request the execution of all the Regular Attendants.

Facing He Jin's aggressive faction, the eunuchs did not simply sit and wait for death. The Regular Attendants Zhang Rang and Duan Gui conferred and said, "General-in-Chief He Jin claims to be ill, refusing to attend the late Emperor's funeral or escort the coffin to the tomb. Yet now he suddenly enters the palace—what is his intention? Could the incident of Dou Wu be repeating itself once more? We cannot afford not to guard against this!"

Consequently, Zhang Rang dispatched men to eavesdrop on the conversations between He Jin and his sister, successfully acquiring the full content of their dialogue.

Having operated his network of influence within the palace for over a decade, this task was not difficult for him.

Thus, they ordered dozens of their faction members to conceal weapons, sneak in through the side doors, and set an ambush beneath the palace hall gates, waiting for He Jin's next entry into the palace.

Historically, Yuan Xi was well aware of He Jin's impending assassination. After deep consideration, he decided to inform his father, Yuan Shao, so that preparations could be made early.

Otherwise, he could not set his mind at ease; should something go wrong, it would spell disaster. To Yuan Xi's surprise, Princess Wannian, Liu Yan, once again passed intelligence out to him.

Inside the central army's headquarters, after Yuan Xi had dismissed the attendants, he bowed to Yuan Shao and said, "Father, Zhang Rang and his faction are plotting to lure the General-in-Chief into the palace and behead him. Father, you must take precautions against this."

"Such a thing exists? From where did you obtain this news, my son? Is it reliable?" Yuan Shao asked, somewhat shocked. Yuan Shao was not easily fooled.

"Reporting to Father, it was brought at the risk of death by that same young eunuch from before."

Yuan Xi could only offer this explanation; he kept silent regarding Princess Wannian.

Though Yuan Shao wanted to take action, he remained somewhat hesitant. Therefore, he summoned Xu You and Guo Tu, relaying the entire matter to them.

Hearing this, Guo Tu showed a flash of understanding and asked, "Does Lord Yuan intend to use Zhang Rang's hands to eliminate the General-in-Chief, and then eradicate the eunuch faction in one fell swoop?"

Yuan Shao nodded and asked, "What do you two gentlemen think?"

He truly desired to play the role of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

"Following the affair of Empress Dowager Dong, the He clan has already lost the moral support of the people. Eliminating them through this opportunity would be for the best; however, once the title of General-in-Chief is gone, I fear it will be difficult for us to subjugate the regional lords with troops. Had we known, we never would have instigated the General-in-Chief to summon regional heroes to the capital."

Xu You picked up the thread of the conversation, analyzing the pressing situation at hand.

This was the strategy of leveraging the authority of the General-in-Chief to command the heroes. His father, Yuan Shao, knew how to use it, but later, due to extenuating circumstances, the plan had been shelved.

Guo Tu retorted, "If we had not summoned regional troops to the capital, relying merely on the General-in-Chief's weak-kneed character, how could we have forced him and given him the courage to act? How could he ever have had the nerve to turn on the Ten Attendants and start a rebellion?"

With the crisis at hand, Yuan Shao grew somewhat anxious as well, frowning as he said, "Setting aside Yuan Gonglu, Bao Xin, Wang Kuang, and the others, even among the Eight Colonel Officers of the Xiyuan, not all necessarily follow my orders. Mengde, for instance, also opposed summoning regional troops to the capital."

Xu You looked at Yuan Shao and said softly, "The moment the General-in-Chief dies, Banchu can lead his own forces to slaughter the Ten Attendants, with the units of Chunyu Qiong and Yan Liang assisting from the flanks. At the same time, dispatch trusted men to absorb and reorganize the rest of the Xiyuan troops. Aside from Mengde, as long as we control the imperial palace and Luoyang, the armies outside the city will not dare to brave universal condemnation by attacking the capital. Causing trouble will become an impossibility."

"I see this as viable. Let us proceed according to Ziyuan's plan," Yuan Shao said approvingly upon hearing Xu You's strategy.

Immediately, Yuan Shao summoned his other trusted aides to discuss the specific details.

Yuan Xi thought to himself that while the plan seemed viable, it completely overlooked the ambition and strength of that great overlord, Dong Zhuo—a man with the sheer audacity to flip the table over.

At this time, Dong Zhuo possessed formidable capability, comparable to Wang Dun, the powerful minister of the Eastern Jin, or perhaps even surpassing him. The Xiliang army was a force of tigers and wolves hardened by years of warfare.

They were incomparable to the spoiled young soldiers of the capital. Even figures like Cao Cao in his early days had to treat Dong Zhuo with extreme caution under such circumstances.

This was not game data, nor was it a simple comparison of four-dimensional attributes.

Dong Zhuo's troops were all elites forged through borderland warfare; how could they possibly compare with the capital's generals and soldiers who lacked practical experience? They were frontier troops who lived on the edge of a knife—it would be a miracle if these pampered young soldiers could win against them.

Yet, viewed from another perspective, the Xiyuan troops absorbed this time would become the capital upon which Yuan Shao would establish his future independence. As the second young master of the Yuan family, Yuan Xi thought to himself that he, too, like Emperor Taizong of Tang, must seize the opportunity to command a force of his own, even if small. In times of chaos, he who possessed strong soldiers and fine horses would be king.

As night fell, inside the Yuan manor, Yuan Shao summoned Yuan Xi to his study to discuss matters.

Yuan Shao spoke to him in a low voice, "Xianyi, come in."

"Yes, Father," Yuan Xi replied, hurrying inside.

"I wonder why Father has summoned me; is there some grave matter?" Yuan Xi asked cautiously, glancing at the solemn-faced Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao stood with his hands clasped behind his back and said indifferently, "Xianyi, you heard everything we discussed today. You are the qilin child of our Yuan family, clever since youth and able to deduce three things from one. Today, your father shall test you once more."

"Please question me, Father," Yuan Xi said, raising his hands in a salute.

"Xianyi, regarding today's affair, how should your father make his decision?"

A wild pounding shook Yuan Xi's heart. Fortunately, his father did not ask whether his own past decisions were right or wrong, otherwise he truly would have had no way to answer.

Yet Yuan Xi knew that his opportunity had finally arrived—how many years had he waited? Wasn't he simply waiting for the catalyst to participate in palace politics?

"Father, in this son's foolish view, He Jin's death is not to be mourned."

He paused to gather his thoughts and organize his phrasing before speaking slowly.

"Go on, Xianyi," Yuan Shao said, unable to conceal his inner shock.

"The General-in-Chief faces essentially two outcomes: life or death. If He Jin remains safe and sound, he will inevitably lead his troops in person to slaughter the eunuch faction, and subsequently issue an imperial decree ordering Dong Zhuo back to Xiliang. This outcome is fraught with peril yet ultimately safe, and Father may rest easy."

Having finished these words, Yuan Xi raised his gaze to steal a glance at Yuan Shao.

"My son Xianyi, continue."

Yuan Shao's mighty frame trembled violently, a brilliant, piercing light flashing in his eyes.

It appeared that the words just spoken had struck straight to Yuan Shao's heart.

"Understood!" Yuan Xi continued. "The second possibility is that He Jin perishes. In that case, this son has words which he knows not whether he ought to speak."

"Between you and me, father and son, what is there that cannot be spoken with utmost sincerity? Speak," Yuan Shao said, his brows furrowing slightly before his voice dropped to a deep tone.

Offering an apology, Yuan Xi said, "Dare I not? This son surmises that once He Jin dies, the Ten Attendants, fearing extermination by the imperial guards, will be left with only a single path."

Yuan Shao stared fixedly at Yuan Xi, offering no reply.

"To abduct the Empress Dowager and the Emperor and flee far away—perhaps escaping to Chang'an, establishing a rival court, and then, using the authority of the Son of Heaven, summoning the realm's lords to raise troops for the rescue of the monarch and the subjugation of He Jin. Such an outcome is entirely possible," Yuan Xi said, pausing briefly.