Dong Zhuo

Yuan Xi’s heart experienced a violent tremor, having been well-read in history since his youth. Grand General He Jin was indeed not the only one to be murdered by eunuchs. Were there not others who died at their hands, such as Dou Xian, who rendered great service in pacifying the Xiongnu, Grand General Deng Zhi, who succeeded Dou Xian, and Liang Ji, the overbearing general whose power shook the court and who poisoned Emperor Liu Zuan?

Looked at in this light, He Jin’s death could hardly be blamed on these honorable men. The imperial relatives and the eunuchs of the Han Dynasty seemed born with an irreconcilable enmity; they were destined to fight a life-and-death struggle. If He Jin did not die, the eunuchs certainly would.

Now that He Jin was dead, the eunuchs still had to die because a third force had emerged—the gentry faction represented by the Yuan family—and the balance was instantly shattered.

For one reason alone: the magic wand of power was gone, and the emperor who patronized the eunuchs was dead. Thus, the eunuchs became the target of public wrath.

Yuan Xi suddenly understood, yet he still loudly rebuked Duan Gui, demanding, "What crimes have the Prince of Chenliu and His Majesty committed that you two should abduct them here and subject them to such bullying? This single offense alone is enough for you to die a thousand or even a hundred times!"

"You members of the Yuan family are truly hypocritical!" Zhang Rang sneered from the side.

At that moment, the sound of hoofbeats echoed from afar. It turned out that Chunyu Qiong, uneasy about Yuan Xi, had brought another detachment of troops and charged back.

Chunyu Qiong's reasoning was simple: what did the life or death of the emperor have to do with him? But the safety of Yuan Xi, the second young master of the Yuan family, was directly tied to his own survival.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Duan Gui dropped to his knees, bowed toward the direction where the Young Emperor had departed, and wept bitterly, saying, "Your Majesty, please take good care of yourself. This subject will now follow the late emperor."

With those words, he turned and plunged into the river to his death. Splash!

Witnessing this, Yuan Xi could not help but be moved. He truly had not expected that this group of eunuchs could go to such lengths for the sake of the Han emperor.

Seeing that Duan Gui was already dead, Zhang Rang felt that life held no further attachment. He glared furiously at Yuan Xi and cried out with a hoarse voice, "As for forming cliques for private gain, cultivating favorites, and executing dissidents, your Yuan family is more than ten times more excessive than us!"

"Hmph, who in the world does not know that the Yuan clan has cultivated grace for four generations, and their disciples and former subordinates fill the empire? Why does no one hold a grudge against you? In this old servant's view, it is simply because you lack something between your legs down there. Second Young Master Yuan, take good care of yourself."

Before Yuan Xi could reply, Zhang Rang let out a long howl and drew his sword across his neck. Blood spurted outward, and Zhang Rang’s body collapsed backward.

Zhang Rang, the leader of the Ten Attendants, thus exited the stage.

A gust of cold wind blew, and Yuan Xi could not help but shudder with a chill.

As he breathed a sigh of relief, a sense of confusion arose in his heart.

Chunyu Qiong reined in his horse, looked by the firelight at Zhang Rang’s corpse, and without even dismounting, asked in astonishment, "Second Young Master, is that... is that the corpse of Zhang Rang?"

"Alas, it is him," Yuan Xi replied despondently, nodding with a sigh.

"By the way, are the Prince of Chenliu and His Majesty doing well?"

"Yes, earlier we ran into Cui Lie and Min Gong; they are protecting His Majesty. The Second Young Master can rest assured," Chunyu Qiong said, letting out a breath.

Yuan Xi heaved a heavy sigh, gazed at the river water, and murmured, "What is meant to happen will happen sooner or later. It seems we cannot change anything."

Chunyu Qiong clearly did not understand Yuan Xi's soliloquy.

He dazed for a moment, then continued, "Second Young Master, this is no place to linger. We had better catch up with His Majesty and return to Luoyang as soon as possible."

"Very well, I must trouble you, Uncle," Yuan Xi nodded, thinking to himself that things would likely not be so simple. There was still one person who had not yet appeared—Dong Zhuo.

The great demon king, Dong Zhuo, had come after all.

This would be the most glorious moment of his life. Before Wang Mang turned hypocritical and usurped the throne, had he died right then and there, who could ever truly tell the genuine from the false in his lifetime?

After Yuan Xi and Chunyu Qiong had traveled a distance, Yuan Xi came to a halt.

"Second Young Master, what is wrong?" Chunyu Qiong also stopped his horse.

"Uncle, this will not do. We must send someone to Luoyang to ask for reinforcements and request that my father quickly dispatch troops to escort the emperor," Yuan Xi analyzed with a frown.

"What you say makes sense. Second Young Master, are you returning?"

"No, I cannot. Uncle, just find a veteran soldier to go."

Yuan Xi thought to himself: That would never do. This was the merit of saving the sovereign.

Just like Li Shimin rescuing Emperor Yang at Yanmen.

This was a moment to vie for renown; how could he simply leave?

"Very well, I understand," Chunyu Qiong replied. He immediately summoned a veteran soldier, instructed him to return to Luoyang with the news, and informed Yuan Shao of the situation here.

Yuan Xi's group traveled for another half-hour.

They finally discovered a post station, so Yuan Xi and Chunyu Qiong discussed the matter. They decided to rest briefly before continuing their journey; after all, everyone was exhausted.

Coincidentally, here they encountered Cui Lie and Min Gong.

In other words, they had caught up with the Young Emperor and the Prince of Chenliu.

"Xianyi? You're alright, that's wonderful," Liu Xie said as he walked out.

"Thanks to Your Highness's fortune, I personally slew the Ten Attendants," Yuan Xi bowed respectfully to Liu Xie and said.

"It is cold, let us speak inside," Liu Xie said, tugging at the corner of Yuan Xi's robe.

Thus, Yuan Xi and his companions temporarily rested there.

As dawn approached and the mist gradually thinned, Yuan Xi and Chunyu Qiong roused the company and resumed their march. Visibility increased significantly, and the marching speed doubled.

A wave of anxiety surged in Yuan Xi's heart. He wondered secretly why his father's reinforcements had still not arrived; if they didn't come soon, Dong Zhuo would be upon them.

Just as this thought arose, the sound of hoofbeats rang out, and a loud shout came from the mist: "Halt, soldiers ahead, state your names."

Yuan Xi cried out inwardly, "It's bad. Dong Zhuo has arrived first."

"Clop!" "Clop!" "Clop!" Yuan Xi looked closely and saw several thousand armored cavalry rushing toward them, their banners blotting out the sun and their formation strictly disciplined.

Among the opposing armored soldiers, a single horseman galloped out.

He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Where is the Son of Heaven?"

These were the border troops of the Great Han, the Xiran Iron Cavalry.

Hearing this, the Prince of Chenliu suddenly sat up straight.

Looking at the array opposite them, Emperor Liu Bian appeared even more helpless.

It seemed he had already been scared to tears. "Sob~"

Chunyu Qiong’s expression instantly changed, and he spurred his horse forward.

"Who are you to disturb the imperial carriage? Do you have a death wish?"

"I am Fan Chou, a major general under the command of Dong Zhuo, the Inspector of Xiliang. I have come specifically to welcome the imperial carriage," the man declared undauntedly, his voice sharp and loud.

Chunyu Qiong muttered, "Dong Zhuo..."

The pampered young soldiers of the capital hated and feared Dong Zhuo—of course, excluding Sun Shan from the south, who, though looking down upon Dong Zhuo, also feared him.

"What manner of man is Fan Chou? Tell Dong Zhuo to come out and speak," Yuan Xi spurred his horse forward and shouted loudly.

Fan Chou raged, "And what kind of thing are you?"

At that moment, a low, hoarse, dry, and grating voice issued slowly from behind Fan Chou.

"Why are you abducting the Son of Heaven? This general has come specifically to safeguard the imperial carriage. Quick, surrender now and spare yourselves suffering."

The Young Emperor, seeing Dong Zhuo approach with a large army, was at a loss. At this time, Dong Zhuo was plump, but lacked the greasy fatness of his later years, having just come down from the battlefield.

Mount Beimang, also known as Beimang, had an elevation of about 300 meters.

Spanning hundreds of li from east to west, it was located north of Luoyang city in Sili, on the southern bank of the Yellow River. It was a remnant of the Qinling Mountains and a branch of the Xiaoshan Mountains.

Mount Beimang was a natural barrier north of Luoyang and a strategic military stronghold, but the Yuan family's movements had been somewhat too slow.

Dong Zhuo’s Xiran Iron Cavalry had already seized control of it.

To be honest, even if Yuan Shao had laid an ambush here, given the combat effectiveness of the capital's pampered soldiers, it would likely have been a gift. The situation was grim.

Mount Beimang was the ideal burial site chosen by emperors and generals through the ages.

With its superb geomantic properties, it also attracted abundant commercial opportunities for cemeteries.