Chaos in Palace

Seeing the pale faces of the crowd, Lu Bu laughed heartily to dispel their tension and fear, "Gentlemen, no need to worry. The current plan is to enter Luoyang first to see whether He Jin has been executed. We can adapt accordingly. No matter how perilous the situation may be, I, Lu Bu, will do my utmost to ensure the safety of our Bingzhou soldiers."

The generals were already impressed by Lu Bu's martial prowess, and now they were even more convinced by his strategic guidance. Some even entertained thoughts like, "How great it would be if General Lu becomes the lord of our Bingzhou!"

Seeing the growing admiration from the generals, Ding Yuan's resentment towards Lu Bu deepened.

That night, Ding Yuan left a few hundred infantry to guard the camp at Xiaoping Crossing and led eight thousand cavalry, quietly approaching Luoyang.

As the Commandant of the Capital, Ding Yuan, under the pretext of a secret meeting with the Grand General, took several hundred elite cavalry into the city. Once inside, Lu Bu, along with Gao Shun, Wei Xu, and others, quickly seized control of the northern gate.

The eight thousand Bingzhou cavalry divided into more than ten groups, muffling the horses' mouths and hooves, silently entered Luoyang city.

Ding Yuan, as the Commandant of the Capital, had already conducted a detailed investigation of the situation inside Luoyang. He knew the city's defense arrangements like the back of his hand. He led the Bingzhou cavalry to disperse into the deserted areas of Luoyang, waiting quietly for any changes in the palace.

Early the next morning, He Jin entered the palace to meet the Empress Dowager. Assuming that he held the military and political power, he thought the eunuchs wouldn't dare harm him. Ignoring the advice of his Chief Clerk Chen Lin and others, He Jin insisted on entering the palace. Seeing this stubborn man heading to his own demise, even Yuan Shao, who initially wanted to dissuade him, stopped bothering. With his head held high, He Jin walked proudly into the imperial palace.

When he reached the gate of Jiade Hall, eunuchs like Zhang Rang and Duan Gui rushed out, surrounding He Jin. Zhang Rang berated He Jin, accusing him of plotting against the elderly Empress Dowager and neglecting to attend her funeral, claiming to be ill. Zhang Rang also brought up He Jin's humble background as a butcher and how he owed his current status to them. He Jin, aghast, tried to escape, but all palace gates were closed. Armed eunuchs hidden in ambush rushed out, cutting He Jin into two pieces.

Yuan Shao and others waited outside the palace gates for a long time but didn't see He Jin coming out. They shouted, "Please, Grand General, get on the carriage!"

Zhang Rang tossed He Jin's head over the wall and forced Empress Dowager He to issue an imperial edict, "He Jin conspired in rebellion and has been executed! The remaining accomplices shall be pardoned."

Ignoring the imperial edict as if it were nonsense, Yuan Shao shouted loudly, "Eunuchs murdering a high-ranking minister! Those who stand against the evildoers, come and assist us in the battle!"

He Jin's subordinate, Wu Kuang, started a fire outside Qingzuo Gate.

Ding Yuan, seeing the fire from afar, was overjoyed. Wielding his sword, he shouted, "Slay the eunuchs! Avenge Grand General He!"

The eight thousand Bingzhou cavalry split into eight groups, like iron currents, instantly surrounding the imperial palace. The Bingzhou soldiers were mighty and imposing, filled with a murderous aura, frightening Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu loudly exclaimed, "Ding Yuan, do you think you can rebel?!" The Yuan brothers originally did not regard Ding Yuan, a martial general, seriously. In their original plan, He Jin's entry into the palace meant certain death. With He Jin gone, leaving only the young Empress Dowager and the prince, their uncle Yuan Wei holding the position of Grand Tutor and Chief of the Imperial Secretariat could easily sideline the Empress Dowager and the young emperor. Then, they could control the court.

Ding Yuan, observing the expressions of the Yuan brothers and recalling Lu Bu's speculations about them, no longer feared them. With a broad smile and his sword unsheathed, he said, "I, acting under the Grand General's command, am executing the eunuchs in a rightful manner. Accusing me of rebellion, while you attack the palace, is the real treason. Do you want me, as the Commandant of the Capital, to deal with you according to the law?"

Cao Cao, also known as Cao Mengde, seeing Ding Yuan's invincible eight thousand cavalry and realizing that his newly formed Western Garden New Army might not fare well in battle, stepped forward with a friendly smile, "Lord Ding, calm down. Since both of us are avenging the Grand General and exterminating the eunuchs, why engage in unnecessary conflict? Let's first eliminate the treacherous eunuchs and then discuss matters."

Following behind Ding Yuan, Lu Bu squinted at the short and chubby man in a good mood (Note 1), and his halberd, the Sky Piercer, trembled slightly with the boundless killing intent.

Although Lu Bu was eager to kill this archenemy immediately, he knew that he still needed this man to liaise with the lords of the East to resist Dong Zhuo's hundred thousand-strong army and to counter Yuan Shao in the future. If he killed Yuan Shao and Cao Cao now, it would not only offend the entire gentry but also leave him defenseless against Dong Zhuo's army.

Ding Yuan looked back at Lu Bu, and Lu Bu shook his head slightly. Ding Yuan understood Lu Bu's meaning and turned to smile at Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and others, saying, "Since we are all sincerely serving the country, let us unite our forces, exert our efforts, and eliminate the eunuchs!"

Afraid that Ding Yuan might kill too many eunuchs and gain too much merit, Yuan Shu took the lead and led the troops into the palace gates. Upon seeing the eunuchs, regardless of age, they were all killed. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, along with their Western Garden New Army, followed suit, while Lu Bu divided his troops and also entered the palace.

After the lightning strike killed his previous chestnut horse, Lu Bu finally found a horse with a green mane to ride. Although it was a fine horse, carrying a powerful warrior like Lu Bu required some effort. Fortunately, Lu Bu did not encounter formidable opponents like Guan Yu or Zhang Fei who would engage him in combat.

Riding the green-maned horse, Lu Bu galloped through the imperial palace, witnessing the panicking little eunuchs running in all directions. He felt a sense of pity for them and didn't even bother to raise the Sky Piercer.

Lu Bu understood that Emperor Ling of Han was not entirely a foolish ruler. The reason for heavily relying on eunuchs was to counterbalance the monopoly of political power by external aristocratic families. It was similar to how later Ming emperors used eunuchs to counteract the influence of the Donglin Faction. These eunuchs were merely pawns of the emperor.

Lu Bu saw an overweight eunuch in luxurious attire struggling to run. Several young eunuchs were supporting him, making him seem like a big fish.

Riding swiftly, Lu Bu's green-maned horse reached the eunuch in no time. Lu Bu raised the Sky Piercer, blocking the path, and sternly asked, "Eunuch, what is your name?"

The loyal young eunuchs around him tried to protect the elderly eunuch, but Lu Bu's elite guards, including Qin Yi, Chen Wei, and Li Hei, quickly killed them, leaving only the elderly eunuch trembling on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy, "My name is Zhao Zhong, General, spare my life!"

Lu Bu nodded; he remembered this guy. Among the Ten Regular Attendants trusted by Emperor Ling, Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong were the most favored. Emperor Ling even declared publicly, "Eunuch Zhang is my lord, Eunuch Zhao is my mother."

Lu Bu shouted sternly, "Do you know where the household registers, topography, legal codes, and other documents are? Hurry and lead us there!"

Terrified, Zhao Zhong, with Lu Bu's Sky Piercer pointing at his throat, had no thoughts about why Lu Bu wanted him to lead them to find those documents. He hurriedly led the way.

In the palace where documents were stored, Lu Bu ordered Chen Wei to lead two hundred literate soldiers to systematically inspect and categorize books related to national household registers, topography, legal codes, and more, loading them onto carts.

Lu Bu also instructed the avaricious Wei Xu to lead eight hundred soldiers to loot all the gold, jewelry, cultural relics, and antiques in the palace.

Before entering the palace, Lu Bu had already forcibly requisitioned several hundred carts from the merchants in Luoyang. Now, combining those with the palace's own carts, they could transport all these items back to the Bingzhou military camp.

For those valuables that couldn't be moved instantly, Lu Bu didn't want Dong Zhuo to destroy them. He ordered people to dig pits and bury these items.

While looting the palace, Lu Bu stationed guards at each palace and absolutely did not allow Yuan Shao's party to see. He even staged a few scenes of chasing and crying with some eunuchs to deceive Yuan Shao and others. By the time Yuan Shao's party realized what was happening and started looting the palace, the Bingzhou army's convoy had already returned to the camp.