19. The Choice of Betrayal (5)
19. The Choice of Betrayal (5)
Cao Cao, having decided to follow Dong Zhuo, was appointed as Xiaoqi Xiaowei by the imperial court.
The Xiaoqi Xiaowei is one of the Five Colonels.
They command the imperial cavalry that governs and defends the security of Luoyang. Because it is a position in charge of cavalry, it was a post that only those with great trust among the military officials could be appointed to.
Dong Zhuo knows that the young scions of noble families hate him. So, he promoted Cao Cao, who had surrendered to the military, to propagate the image that he was embracing them with great magnanimity.
"I heard that guy was appointed as General of the Feathered Forest? Then, Mengde, has he gotten way ahead of you now?"
"Hmm, I suppose you could say that."
If Cao Cao was the captain of the Luoyang Imperial Guard, Lee Seong-hwi was an officer of the Imperial Palace Guard.
Although Cao Cao commanded more troops,
if you calculate the actual rank and influence, the General of the Feathered Forest would inevitably be ahead.
"So, what about Dong Zhuo, that upstart warlord?"
Xiahou Dun asked.
At his question, Cao Cao shook her head.
"It won't last long. He seems to be trying to do politics, but he's a guy with no experience in doing politics and no experience in learning it. He seems to be trying to lead the political situation with intuition and innate instinct, but... in the end, it will lead to bankruptcy."
Cao Cao criticized Dong Zhuo bitterly.
She assessed that his politics wouldn't last long, and that it would inevitably lead to an era of tyranny.
Dong Zhuo intended to implement reforms in Luoyang.
He would try to fix the rotten Han Dynasty under his own leadership and achieve a great era of peace, but there was no way that would work.
'The Han Dynasty is already finished. It's a rotten dead tree that cannot be revived. You want to bring such a dead tree back to life? That's out of the question.'
And the Han people of Luoyang evaluated the newly appeared figure, Dong Zhuo, very negatively.
This is because most of Dong Zhuo's army consisted of warriors from barbarian origins. There was no way the Luoyang political circle, tightly knit as a Han society, would be obedient to a group of ignorant barbarians.
"Lady Yuan Shao's movements are unusual. I don't know for sure, but I feel like she's going to cause something big? No, she's definitely going to do something. Surprisingly, that lady occasionally commits such enormous acts that even I get a headache."
"I agree."
Yuan Shao of the Yuan Clan of Runan.
Yuan Benchu will definitely cause a disturbance in this Luoyang.
She will cause a new ripple in Luoyang, which has been occupied by Dong Zhuo's army.
So that her name becomes known throughout the Han Dynasty,
and so that it becomes an opportunity to eventually regain all the real power taken by Dong Zhuo.
Cao Cao knew her well.
It was because they had known each other well since childhood. Cao Cao knew the cold and sinister side hidden behind the gentle and flashy mask; she knew that inner side of Yuan Shao.
Wang Yun judged that accepting Dong Zhuo was an 'unavoidable decision.'
After the death of General-in-Chief He Jin, the political situation in Luoyang declined to the point of no return.
The current Luoyang is too fragile.
In the north, the Baibo Bandits and Black Mountain Bandits are active, and the embers of the Yellow Turban Rebels still remain throughout the Han Dynasty.
He judged that there was only one warlord who could protect such a Luoyang: the great warlord Dong Zhuo, who drove his troops from the west and ascended to the position of Minister of Works himself.
"Is that the reason why you also slaughtered Ding Yuan and handed his troops over to Dong Zhuo?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"I, too, have decided to cooperate with Dong Zhuo for now. How future generations will evaluate this appearance of mine... I am so afraid of that. I'm afraid that I might have ended up giving power to a traitor."
"I am also in the same boat as you, sir. It is as if I have handed a sword to Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo will surely swing that sword and try to cut down his political rivals."
Following Wang Yun, the imperial officials also chose a moderate policy toward the great warlord from Xiliang for the time being.
For now, they have no choice but to give Dong Zhuo full authority.
This is because they needed the protection of a reliable warlord, if only to protect Luoyang, where the Emperor resides, and Luoyang, the capital of the Han Dynasty.
'I know that after Dong Zhuo commits the atrocity of replacing the Emperor and moving the capital, he will commit all sorts of tyranny. And someday, Wang Yun will try to assassinate Dong Zhuo. I, too, must build up my strength from within Dong Zhuo's army for that time.'
Even before joining Dong Zhuo's army, Lee Seong-hwi began preparing to eliminate Dong Zhuo, who would become a traitor to the Han Dynasty.
Then, first, I must gain Dong Zhuo's trust.
More than now, I had to enter Dong Zhuo's heart and become his confidant. And someday, I will mobilize the troops he bestowed upon me to cut off his head.
"How is Lu Bu? Is she a trustworthy warrior?"
Wang Yun asked.
To that, Lee Seong-hwi replied.
"Yes. She can be trusted. I will make it so. So, Minister Wang Yun-nim, please trust her as well. I will take full responsibility for everything."
He answered without a moment's hesitation.
At his resolute appearance, Wang Yun made a bitter expression.
A woman who killed her own foster father for success.
How could one trust such an immoral person? She would try to commit any act for her own safety and success.
However, Wang Yun decided to trust.
Lu Bu was a type of woman who could never be trusted, but he decided to try trusting Lee Seong-hwi, who believed in such a woman.
"I understand your intentions... Go in and get some rest for now. I heard you've been staying awake for days? As the political situation gets increasingly difficult, I also feel unsettled and cannot go to sleep."
"Yes."
Wang Yun looked at me with a complicated gaze.
Perhaps feeling sorry for the sight of me moving day and night without rest, he recommended that I take a break.
When was the last time I lay down on bedding?
Thinking about the chaos that had struck Luoyang, I couldn't sleep properly. Even when I did lie down on the bedding, it was only for a moment, and there were many cases where I would get back up and devote myself to work.
I nodded at Wang Yun's recommendation.
If I go on like this, I feel like I'll collapse first. It wouldn't do for me to collapse before even facing Dong Zhuo. I felt like I needed to calm my mind while taking a rest.
'Dong Zhuo's tyranny will intensify. All power in Luoyang will head toward Dong Zhuo, and the hegemony of the world will also fall under Dong Zhuo's feet. The warlords of the Guandong region, wary of him, will lead an allied army and rise up.'
Truly the era of warring warlords,
a large-scale event where warlords invade and fight against a massive traitor will occur.
It is not far off now.
The flames of the Guandong warlords to bring down the traitor will reach Sishui Pass.
Dong Zhuo dismissed Minister of Works Liu Hong and ascended to that position himself.
And after that,
perhaps not satisfied with the rank of Minister of Works, he ascended to the position of Grand Marshal himself, declaring to the Luoyang court that his era had arrived.
"The reason for the frequent droughts in the Han Dynasty is because Heaven is angry! Therefore, I intend to depose the incompetent ruler and enthrone a wise ruler in his place to appease that anger!"
Dong Zhuo's loud voice rang out resonantly.
At those words, the officials were greatly agitated.
What did that black pig just babble about?
Even though the officials heard it clearly with their own two ears, they began to make expressions as if they couldn't possibly accept it.
Then, Li Ru, who was appointed as Minister of the Imperial Guard, stepped forward on his behalf and opened his mouth.
"Empress Dowager He, not content with murdering the late Emperor's consort, secretly attempted to assassinate His Highness the Prince of Chenliu. And did she not spread her notoriety as an evil woman by killing the Empress Dowager?"
Li Ru listed the evil deeds of Empress Dowager He, the biological mother of Emperor Liu Bian, one after another, using them as grounds for deposing Liu Bian.
And also, Empress Dowager He protected the Ten Eunuchs and received all sorts of bribes. Because of that, General-in-Chief He Jin was murdered by the Ten Eunuchs, so the Empress Dowager is also the mastermind who killed her own brother.
"However, that is the Empress Dowager's problem, not something stemming from His Majesty the Emperor's lack of virtue, is it not? How can the Grand Marshal and the Minister of the Imperial Guard spout such absurd sophistry!"
The subjects rose up like a swarm of bees.
They said that Dong Zhuo and Li Ru's words were merely unpleasant sophistry, and a futile trick to seize power by putting forward the young Prince of Chenliu.
It's an obvious trick.
There was no way such a narrow-minded trick would work on seasoned politicians. The subjects, who saw through the ulterior motive, raised their voices and opposed it.
"How is it unrelated? How can you people be so sure that the current Emperor, born from a vicious woman like Empress Dowager He, will not follow the same path someday?"
Li Ru opened his mouth.
His tone began to become rough. Even though he was a smart strategist, he was ultimately a figure of Dong Zhuo's army. Cruelty and ferocity were sleeping within his heart.
"I believe the Grand Marshal has already made up his mind, so this is not a matter for debate."
In fact, the opinions of the subjects were not important.
The reason for stating the plan to depose the Emperor and enthrone the Prince of Chenliu was not to seek opinions, but merely to announce a fact that had already been decided.
I will depose the current Emperor.
And I will enthrone a new Emperor to let the whole world know that a new political era has begun in Luoyang.
"Shut up now!"
A giant with a larger physique than anyone else shouted.
A bald man with rugged muscles twisted his face menacingly and threatened the officials.
At that threat, the officials flinched.
Hua Xiong, Dong Zhuo's close aide. The captain of the guard, who commands the Imperial Palace Guard, radiated a fierce murderous intent as if he would draw his sword at any moment.
The subjects shut their mouths.
Shrugging their shoulders and bowing their heads, they tried as much as possible not to make eye contact with Hua Xiong.
"Kehehe."
At that sight, Dong Zhuo let out a laugh.
The sight of the subjects, who would raise their voices strongly only to shrink back in front of a blade, was treacherous to the extreme.
"Just because you have power, there is nothing you cannot say!"
General of the Central Army Yuan Shao shouted.
In a situation where the officials could not say anything, she instead raised her voice in front of Dong Zhuo.
Hua Xiong's glaring eyes shone.
It was a stance that he would draw his sword immediately if an order were given.
"I remember you, aren't you the wench who lost to me? If you're thinking of pleading for mercy now, you'd better stop. I am infinitely merciful, but I am not benevolent enough to let those who defy me live."
Dong Zhuo threatened.
To that, Yuan Shao raised her voice again while keeping her back straight.
"How dare a subject try to decide the fate of the Han Imperial House; the current Emperor is the eldest son of the late Emperor. Your arrogance pierces the sky just because you have obtained wealth and power. Someday, the time will come to pass judgment on that arrogance."
And she shouted, "Is Dong Zhuo the only one with power in the world!" and declared that someday, a warlord would come to judge that arrogance.
Someday, a warlord who will kill you will come.
Yuan Shao confidently brought up a remark that might become a declaration of war right in front of Dong Zhuo.
Finally, Hua Xiong drew his sword.
And the guards under his command also drew their swords and began to aim them at Yuan Shao.
"The wench is still braver than the men."
Dong Zhuo chuckled.
She is quite a bold wench.
To raise her voice at a scene where men are trembling and afraid.
He waved his hand and made Hua Xiong and the guards step back.
Yuan Shao is the leader of the young scions of noble families and the second-in-command of the General-in-Chief's Office. Since there were still many warriors who followed her, it was an awkward position for Dong Zhuo to kill Yuan Shao.
"The Emperor's abdication is already a decided matter. There is nothing to debate, so everyone withdraw now!"
Dong Zhuo ordered all the officials.