Chapter 46 The day of execution, escorted to the execution ground!
The eight passes of Luoyang are an average of forty to fifty miles away from the capital, so the news of the war would not spread so quickly. But it is obvious that the Yuan family, Yuan’s disciples and former officials, and Yuan’s intricate family allies were fanning the flames and making trouble.

The three heroes are fighting Lu Bu at Hulao Pass, the princes of Guandong are about to be conquered...Xuanyuan Pass has been conquered by Sun Jian...Ma Teng of Xiliang is attacking the Sanfu area...Wang Kuang and others are about to attack Mengjin Pass.

These "delayed" news immediately spread throughout the capital!
This caused panic among the people in the capital.

Once people's hearts are in chaos, rioters will appear in a big city. Whether it is intentional or unintentional by Yuan's allies, the public security in the capital gradually became chaotic.

The capital city includes: the imperial palace, the imperial city (inner city), the outer city, and the suburbs from the inside to the outside.

The ones guarding the capital now are Wang Fang (Bai Hu) and Xu Rong, who lead nearly 10,000 Xiliang Southern Army to suppress the outer city and outside the city. Wu Fu and other generals lead 5,000 Northern Army from five schools to guard the outer city and the inner city.

There are more than 2,000 Black Armored Soldiers patrolling the imperial city, the East Factory is mainly responsible for the imperial palace, and the Jinyiwei assists in protecting the emperor.

Apart from this, patrols of the streets and alleys were also required, and yamen runners were needed to maintain law and order.

Despite such deployment, there was still considerable unrest in the capital, with all kinds of people deliberately making trouble, hooligans openly provoking yamen runners, fires breaking out in densely populated areas from time to time... and so on!
Many people know that this is just the beginning, or a sign.

As the time for the execution of Grand Tutor Yuan Wei and his entire family draws closer, great turmoil will surely break out and become more and more intense.

How could Yuan Wei, the Grand Tutor of the Runan Yuan family, who was born in four generations of three officials, sit and wait for death? Yuan's disciples and former officials, and Yuan's allies, would not give up either!
When the lips and teeth are gone, the fox mourns!

However, as the king of a country and the ruler of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bian sat firmly in the palace, unmoved.

Liu Bian had already made so many preparations, and he firmly believed that these scoundrels would not be able to cause any trouble.

Military intelligence and battle reports came in one after another from the eight passes of Luoyang, including victory reports and urgent military intelligence, but Liu Bian was not frightened, nor did he intervene in remote command. He handed over full authority to Qin Qiong, Zhang Liao, Li Siye and other generals!

This is a kind of trust that you can trust in people you employ and won’t employ people you don’t trust!

During this period, Wang Yun went back and forth to Deyang Palace to handle internal affairs.

Because today, the entire family of Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, the entire family of Dong Zhuo, the officers and soldiers of the Xiliang Army, and more than a thousand others will be executed in the East Market.

The matter was of great importance and all of this needed to be personally inquired by Si Tu Wang Yun, who was in charge of the Shangshu affairs, and then report to Liu Bian.

This was the first time that so many people were sentenced when Liu Bian ascended the throne!
Even Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling only started the Party Imprisonment Disaster, which implicated many people. But Liu Bian, who even ordered the execution of Yuan Wei, the Grand Tutor of the Yuan family of Runan, was unprecedented.

Because by the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the aristocratic families and the imperial power were already competing against each other. Liu Bian's behavior was not wise in the eyes of the two former emperors, Huandi and Lingdi, who were both highly skilled in political tactics.

Politics is all about compromise!
However, Liu Bian was unwilling to compromise!

At this time, Zhuque entered the palace and reported:
"Your Majesty, General Zhu Jun has entered the palace and is waiting to be summoned.

"Left General Huangfu Song was restrained and unable to leave because of Xiliang Governor Ma Teng's attack on the Sanfu region, but he sent his family to the capital.

"The Minister Lu Zhi has not yet been contacted..."

...

"These people are all loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty!"

This performance is enough to show their loyalty.

Because of Xu You's accusation, Liu Bian summoned them back to the capital to meet him, which made Liu Bian a little suspicious. But he also considered the overall situation and felt relieved after seeing it with his own eyes:

"Summon General Zhu and General Huangfu to the palace."

"promise!!!"

"correct."

Liu Bian suddenly remembered something, so he called Zhuque and asked, "Is there any news about the six seals of the emperor and the imperial seal?"

"I went to Tianlao to interrogate Yuan Wei, but he did not answer. The Jinyiwei did not dare to use torture. We are still investigating it. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me!"

Zhuque felt helpless. It was not that their Jinyiwei were incompetent and could not find even the slightest clue. It was simply because they were short of manpower!
They, the Jinyiwei, need to guard the imperial palace and protect His Majesty, secretly investigate intelligence in the capital, and send spies to the eight passes of Luoyang to obtain first-hand intelligence.

And their Jinyiwei only has a few hundred people!
Although His Majesty allowed them to expand the manpower to 5,000 personnel, the situation has been changing rapidly and there is simply not enough time!
If someone with no talent fills the number and sneaks in as a spy, it will be more trouble than gain. They are the Jinyiwei, so they would rather have no one than have no talent!
"Then let's add one more piece of evidence to Yuan Wei's crime: attempting to steal the imperial seal!" Liu Bian said in a deep voice.

"I obey your orders!!!"

Zhuque immediately understood what he meant after hearing this, and she even found a reason.

——On the day when General He Jin was killed by the Ten Eunuchs, the palace was in chaos. Yuan Wei forged an imperial edict and ordered Yuan Shao to lead his troops to attack the palace and kill all the eunuchs, young and old. The six seals were lost at that time.

"Go down."

"promise!"

...

Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song's family came to the capital and were summoned by Liu Bian. Seeing that they had traveled thousands of miles without stopping and looked exhausted, Liu Bian hosted a banquet for them.

The hint "Loyalty 95+" above Zhu Jun's head and the hint "90+" on the average of Huangfu Song's family made Liu Bian understand that these people were loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty.

And because of Liu Bian's hospitality, the loyalty level jumped back and forth between 90 and 95, which shows that loyalty is not static.

If they are disappointed with Emperor Liu Bian, their loyalty will be reduced! If they have hope for Emperor Liu Bian, their loyalty will naturally increase!
But it has always remained above 90!

They are not as good as the Jinyiwei such as Cao Zhengchun, Zhuque, and Qin Qiong and other generals whose "loyalty is 100+", but these people are all loyal soldiers summoned by Liu Bian.

After all, Zhu Jun and others are people of the current world.

Liu Bian once behaved as "cowardly by nature, not like a monarch". With such loyalty, they were already loyal to the Han Dynasty and the royal family!

From this summons, it can be seen that they came to the capital from thousands of miles away!
As for not reaching "loyalty 100", even loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty had some selfish desires, whether for the sake of their family or their reputation before and after their death, Liu Bian can be understood.

Black and white is not acceptable!
Liu Bian believed that with his performance in governing the country, they would gradually form the image of him as a "wise ruler", and their loyalty would definitely increase at that time.

But Liu Bian didn’t know that his reputation had gradually shifted to that of a “tyrant”!
After comforting Huangfu Song's family and letting them stay temporarily in the embassy, ​​Liu Bian had a discussion with Zhu Jun as a monarch and his subject, and conveyed today's military intelligence and battle reports to him for his review.

This made Zhu Jun flattered, but he also realized that he had passed the test!

But Zhu Jun didn't quite understand. After he had a meal with His Majesty after entering the capital, His Majesty would completely trust him? !

"It seems that your majesty has a keen eye and can see through things like seeing fire!"

Zhu Jun was filled with emotion, and at the same time, he could not wait to open the military intelligence report. After he left the Central Army Command, he wondered how Qin Qiong handled the situation.

Guandong: The military situation at Hulao Pass is urgent, the three heroes fight against Lu Bu and other battles, which make Zhu Jun's heart jump...

He flipped through the pages quickly and finally saw at the back that "Zhang Liao led his troops to arrive and successfully repelled the counterattack of the princes from Guandong", which finally made Zhu Jun relax.

The princes of Guandong were the most powerful and largest among the princes who besieged the capital.

But soon, Zhu Jun quickly saw the military intelligence report of Xuanyuan Pass in the south of Guan. He did not expect that Xuanyuan Pass was lost and broken by the fierce tiger of Jiangdong, Sun Jian.

Fortunately, Li Siye led the Modao team to arrive and recaptured Xuanyuan Pass.

In Guanxi, Xiliang Governor Ma Teng led his troops to attack the Sanfu area, and the Left General Huangfu Song led his troops to suppress the rebellion without any danger.

In the Guanbei area, Wang Kuang, governor of Henei, and Zhang Yang, governor of Shangdang, under the command of Lu Zhi, attacked Xiaopingjin Pass and Mengjin Pass...

This made Zhu Jun's eyelids jump. After closing the military intelligence report, he bowed and said:

"Your Majesty, I guarantee with my life that Lu Zhi is absolutely a loyal and patriotic man, not the kind of person who would go along with traitors and villains!

“I don’t know why they echoed Qiao Mao’s forged imperial edict. I have been sending spies to investigate, but to no avail.

"If your majesty allows, I am willing to go to Mengjin Pass and question Lu Zhi in person. Let him come to the capital to plead guilty!"

...

"Because the seal on Qiao Mao's forged edict is real, it is the seal of my six imperial seals and the imperial seal!" Liu Bian said in a deep voice.

The six seals of the emperor are:

First, the Emperor's Seal of the Crown, used to confer titles on states; second, the Emperor's Seal of the Crown, used to bestow titles on princes and dukes; third, the Emperor's Seal of Letter, used to dispatch troops;

Fourth, the Emperor's Seal of Travel is used to summon ministers. Fifth, the Emperor's Seal of Conferring Titles on Foreign Monarchs. Sixth, the Emperor's Seal of Letters is used to offer sacrifices to the gods and ghosts of heaven and earth.

There is also an imperial seal, which is a token of "imperial power granted by heaven and legitimacy". It is not often used and is just a symbol of authority.

In other words, the edict of Emperor Liu Bian, which was stamped with the seal of "Prince Bian", was actually illegal!

What a joke!

The six seals of the emperor and the imperial seal are all lost!

The tiger talisman, which is equivalent to an army, is missing!
What a joke!

...

"What?!!!"

Zhu Jun couldn't believe it and was horrified: "The six seals of the emperor and the imperial seal... fell into the hands of thieves?!"...

"We have to thank Grand Tutor Yuan Wei!"

Liu Bian did not comment, and said in a deep voice:

“It is said that they wrote a secret edict to each prince, with the six seals of the emperor and the imperial seal sealed. Even if there were loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty among them, they would probably think that they were coming to the king’s rescue!
"General Zhu, do you think the Yuan family is a traitor? Do they have evil ambitions? Dong Zhuo is a former student of the Yuan family. They are determined to depose and enthrone the emperor. They are really plotting something evil!
"I will execute the whole family, is that wrong?!"

...

Zhu Jun did not dare to answer Yuan's question and could only say:
"Your Majesty, I am willing to rush to Mengjin Pass immediately and inform Lu Zhi of the cause and effect of the matter. I will definitely be able to instigate Wang Kuang, Zhang Yang and other loyal officials of the Han Dynasty to turn against us and attack Guandong instead!
Tell the truth of this matter to the generals of the coalition army. As long as the truth is revealed, they will definitely come to the capital to confess their crimes! Many local officials have always thought that they are serving the emperor, but they don’t know that they are committing treason! "

...

"The eight passes of Luoyang can still be defended. The most urgent task is—"

Liu Bian said in a deep voice:
"I summoned you back this time because I hope you can stay in the capital and personally supervise the execution! Use the heads of Yuan Wei, Dong Zhuo, and the officers of the Xiliang Army to announce it to the world! It will be more convincing than an imperial edict without a seal!"

...

"This……"

Zhu Jun was unwilling in his heart, but he could not disobey the emperor's order. Although he felt bitter, he respectfully accepted the order and said:

"Minister, obey your order!!!"

...

"It's already the 4:00 p.m., and it's less than an hour until noon. It's time to escort Yuan Wei and the others to the execution ground!" Liu Bian said in a deep voice.

...

"I obey your order!!!"

Zhu Jun retreated and immediately led his troops to Tianlao.

The jailer gave the entire family of Yuan Wei, the entire family of Dong Zhuo, and the generals and officers of the Xiliang Army, about a thousand people, their last meal before execution.

Some people eat with gusto, some cannot face death and cannot eat, some do not eat at all, some write their last words... Before death, life is full of all kinds of situations!
When Zhu Jun led his army to arrive, these people were escorted out one after another.

Zhu Jun didn't care about other people, but he looked at Taifu Yuan Wei deeply but didn't say much.

Yuan Wei seemed to have not seen the sun for a long time. He squinted his eyes and said to himself, as if to Zhu Jun:

"Your Majesty, if you do this, it will only lead to a split between the imperial power and the nobles!"

Zhu Jun did not answer!

Your Majesty has his own deep meaning, and they, as ministers, dare not speak nonsense. But Zhu Jun knew that what Yuan Wei said was true!

But, so what?!
Is it true, as Your Majesty said, that he should just wait for Yuan Wei and others to depose and enthronize the emperor, depose the emperor and make him king, and then be poisoned to death? !

Your Majesty, can't you fight back? Can you just sit there and wait for death?!
The dispute between imperial power and the aristocracy had actually already broken down!

Zhu Jun ignored Yuan Wei.

These death row prisoners, wearing shackles and prison uniforms, were escorted in prison vans to the East Market where they would be executed.

Along the way, the Black Armor Army led the way, and the yamen runners maintained law and order on both sides of the road. The Jinyiwei did not participate openly, but secretly mixed in and monitored.

On both sides, people gathered to watch.

They looked at Yuan Wei's family, who were once high-ranking officials in the imperial court and were now prisoners and about to be executed in the East Market. This contrast made them feel a little unbelievable.

Most of the people didn't feel much, and some were even a little excited.

But at this moment, the capital was suddenly in chaos, just like throwing food into a hot oil pan and it immediately began to boil.

There were fires and fires in many places throughout the capital. Because of the dense population and the rapid spread of the fire, it had to be stopped, and the yamen runners had to withdraw manpower to put out the fire.

Amid the clamor, Zhu Jun remained unmoved. His mission was to escort Yuan Wei and others to the East Market for execution.

But at this moment, a group of civilians suddenly rushed out, but were quickly stopped by the army and yamen runners. Those civilians outside shouted:

"The Grand Tutor is a good official!"

"The capital has suffered from drought in recent years and the harvest has failed. We have nowhere else to turn but to dig up grass roots and eat tree bark..."

An elderly man in his seventies burst into tears and said:

"If the Grand Tutor had not opened the granaries to release grain, we would have had to trade our children for food. The Grand Tutor was loyal to the emperor, patriotic, and loving the people. He opened the granaries to release grain to provide relief to the victims. What is Your Majesty doing? Selling official positions and titles!"

It is unknown how long it has been since this old man updated his information. It has been more than four months since Liu Bian ascended the throne, and it was Emperor Ling who was selling official positions and titles.

However, they seemed to be unaware and kept shouting:

"Your Majesty is unjust, and the Grand Tutor has devoted his life to the country!"

Although there were yamen runners who were arresting these people, while Zhu Jun was escorting Yuan Wei and others forward, there were always people who were speaking up for Yuan Wei, seeking justice for him, and crying out for him!
This caused sadness among the ignorant people, as if loyal ministers and generals were really being persecuted!

People tend to follow the crowd and are easily led by the rhythm. Many people whispered, as if discussing whether Yuan Wei was really wronged by His Majesty?
It seems as if Yuan Wei is Yue Fei and Liu Bian is Zhao Gou, the Emperor Gaozong of Song!
The news reached the palace.

After hearing this, Liu Bian thought to himself: "That's it?! You Yuan Wei are at your wits' end, right?! Can this shake my will?!"

The factory guards counterattacked quickly!
When Zhu Jun escorted Yuan Wei and other prisoners to the East Market safely, a group of people who had numb expressions, lifeless eyes, and despair like the walking corpses, suddenly became like hungry wolves seeing their prey, with their eyes lighting up.

That is the light of hatred!
They madly threw the smelly mud and rotten tree roots they had prepared at Yuan Wei, generals and officers of the Xiliang Army Niu Fu, Xu You and others in the team, venting their anger. Many of them cried bitterly while throwing the mud and rotten tree roots.

These people were the people whose families were destroyed and whose wives and children were separated because of the chaos caused by the Xiliang Army in the capital area.

Xu You designed a plan to "cause chaos in the capital and prepare for the siege by the princes from both inside and outside", so that in the capital area, after the chaos caused by the Western Liang army, tens of thousands of people were affected, and many of them had their families broken up and were separated from their wives and children.

Of course, their direct enemies are Niu Fu and other officers of the Xiliang Army. After all, it was the Xiliang Army that caused chaos and destroyed their families. Many people don’t know that this was designed by Xu You and that Yuan Wei was the mastermind behind it.

But it doesn’t matter. The Jinyiwei who are mixed in can help. Their main target is Yuan Wei’s entire family. It seems that these people are targeting Yuan Wei and others.

Set the pace and fish in troubled waters!

The stinking mud, rotten tree roots and other filth fell down, and the whole family of Yuan Wei was immediately covered in mud. Scholars love cleanliness the most, but the whole family of Yuan Wei was now covered in filth, just like their dark hearts.

Yuan Wei was calm.

But Yuan Ji and other descendants of the Yuan family seemed to have resonated with the audience, and some of the onlookers could not stand it anymore, with their cries such as "No punishment shall be imposed on scholars and officials", "Scholars can be killed but not humiliated", and "What a tricky people".

Most of these scholars were students of the Imperial College. When they saw Yuan Wei's entire family being executed, they felt sad as if it was their father who was beheaded. However, they dared not speak out because of the patrolling army and government officials.

Now these people have finally become their outlet.

People tend to bully the weak and fear the strong. These scholars immediately scolded these unruly people, and all kinds of words and articles written by sages came out. They were not only scolding these unruly people, but also indirectly accusing Your Majesty of being unjust!

but!

There was a 30-year-old young man in hemp clothes, with a look of despair on his face and his hair standing on end with rage. He took out an axe and chopped at a scholar who was spitting at them and cursing them as "troublemakers".

However, his companions around the scholar pulled out their swords and stabbed him, causing him to be seriously injured and he was in a state of emergency.

Before he died, the young man smiled miserably, and said with some relief:

"There are nine people in my family. We used to live a peaceful life, but we were all killed by those Xiliang thieves yesterday!!! You say we are unruly people?
"Have you seen the fate of an old father and his young son being hacked to death? Have you seen the despair of a wife and daughter being harassed by the enemy army? You scholars are all useless bullies! Do you dare to attack the Xiliang army?"

This statement left the scholars speechless!

This young man bled to death, which obviously aroused the common people's hatred of the enemy, especially the people who were harmed by the Xiliang Army. There were not only these people in front of us, but hundreds and thousands of them.

When these people rushed forward, even the scholars who were familiar with the six arts of a gentleman had no choice but to flee.

This farce happened suddenly!
This was clearly the work of Yuan and his allies, but it was harmless. Liu Bian's will to kill Yuan Wei's entire family could not be changed!

Even outside the eight passes of Luoyang, the allied forces of the princes launched a fierce attack, which became more and more fierce as noon approached, but they could not change Liu Bian's will!

East Market.

After Zhu Jun escorted them here, he ordered Yuan Wei and others in the prison car to be lined up in order. Thousands of people knelt on a large piece of ground, and behind them was an executioner ready to execute them.

If there is a shortage of manpower, the military will do the job!
Zhu Jun walked to the execution platform and looked at the time. It was now three quarters past nine, almost eleven o'clock, and there was still half an hour until noon, which was twelve o'clock.

“I hope there won’t be any accidents.”

Zhu Jun sighed in his heart. Today was a time of great turmoil, and he just wanted to behead Yuan Wei and other criminals as soon as possible.

But for some reason, the more anxious I am, the slower time passes. And the slower it goes, the more I fear something unexpected might happen.

I hope he's just worrying too much!
(End of this chapter)