If you fail, a traitor; if you succeed, a loyal subject
If you fail, a traitor; if you succeed, a loyal subject
"Wh-what did you just say? What... what has... what has happened?"
"Disaster has struck. He Jin is leading soldiers and rushing toward the Imperial Palace!"
"Wh-what is the meaning of..."
"Wh-what of Jian Shuo? What has become of Jian Shuo? And the troops of the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden he commands—what of them?"
"Lord Jian Shuo... is already dead. And the soldiers of the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden have all joined General-in-Chief He Jin's forces under Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's leadership."
"What?"
"That... that cannot be..."
"Hngh..."
The Ten Regular Attendants were seized by a horror beyond bewilderment at this unforeseen turn of events.
They had suspected General-in-Chief He Jin might move against them, but they had never imagined he would act this quickly—and go to such extremes.
He Jin's forces from outside the city had already entered the capital,
and they had even lost the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden, men they had trusted, to the enemy.
A portion of the Imperial Guards remained to defend the Imperial Palace, but it was impossible to hold back the oncoming tide of enemies with them alone.
Just as despair had seized them all...
"Stop your clamor and compose yourselves!"
"!"
"L-Lord Zhang Rang?"
"Even if you enter a tiger's den, you can survive if you keep your wits. Steel yourselves, and from this moment, do as I say."
"Yes, Lord Zhang Rang."
Zhang Rang spoke in a cold voice. As the leader who always guided the Ten Regular Attendants, he now began to explain the plan he had devised after racking his brains to the limit.
"B-but... is such a thing possible?"
"Even if it is impossible, it is presently our best option. If we fail, we become traitors; if we succeed, we become loyal servants. Is it not better to try anything than to sit still and die as traitors?"
"Hmm..."
"It is... certainly so."
The Ten Regular Attendants eventually nodded in agreement with Zhang Rang's words. As he looked at them, Zhang Rang's eyes burned fiercely, and he spoke with resolve.
"Come, we proceed with the plan at once. I shall go and summon the Imperial Guards, while the rest of you seek an audience with the Empress Dowager."
"Understood, Lord Zhang Rang."
*
Soldiers poured into the Imperial Palace.
At their head strode General-in-Chief He Jin, advancing boldly with a broad smile on his face.
"The affair has concluded more smoothly than I thought. You have my gratitude, Benchu and Mengde. Your contributions this time are truly great."
"Thank you, General-in-Chief."
"Your praise brings me joy. I, Cao Mengde, will continue to devote myself entirely in loyalty to you, General."
He Jin and his subordinates had completely taken control of Luoyang, inside and out.
Although a handful of Imperial Guards still remained inside the Imperial Palace, they numbered no more than a few hundred and could not possibly repel He Jin's forces, which numbered in the thousands even among those who had advanced this far alone.
In truth, the situation had been decided the moment the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden's troops were lost.
Feeling a deep thrill that everything was now truly over, He Jin at last arrived before the great hall of the Imperial Palace with his subordinates.
But then...
"Long live Her Majesty the Emperor!"
"Long live! Long live!"
"Huh?"
"What..."
A clamorous cry of "Long live" rang out from before the great hall.
He Jin and his subordinates entered the hall with questioning looks on their faces.
The instant they did, the scene before his eyes was...
"!... Her Highness the Empress?"
"Welcome, General-in-Chief. You must hasten to pay your respects to Her Majesty the Emperor who sits here."
Innumerable ministers in official robes were prostrating with their foreheads pressed to the floor.
And then,
the woman seated right beside the Jade Throne, receiving their bows, was Empress He, He Jin's younger sister.
No—she had now assumed the title of Empress Dowager He, and she looked toward her elder brother, General-in-Chief He Jin, as he entered the hall, her expression filled with satisfaction as she spoke.
And before her stood the magnificent Jade Throne.
Seated upon it was a young child draped in the imperial Dragon Robe and Imperial Crown with Tassels. He Jin and the others recognized her in an instant.
Prince of Hongnong.
Empress Dowager He's young daughter, and He Jin's niece.
Toward the child who sat so confidently upon the Jade Throne, He Jin and the rest immediately knelt and paid their respects.
The thirteenth emperor of the Later Han.
In the Original Timeline, the one called Emperor Shao...
Or rather, she had ascended the emperor's throne in the blink of an eye,
and for a moment, He Jin and everyone else who had come into the hall were struck dumb.
At that instant.
"Now that you have had your audience, let all officers and soldiers except the General-in-Chief withdraw."
"What?"
"B-but Your Highness the Empress... no—Empress Dowager..."
"You stand before Her Majesty the Emperor. How dare you presume to remain here bearing weapons? Such a right is permitted only to the General-in-Chief, a member of the Imperial Family. Everyone else shall withdraw beyond the Imperial Palace and await orders."
"Tch..."
"Yet Your Highness... still within the palace, there are traitors who have yet to be dealt with..."
Cao Cao tried to raise an objection. But.
"Mengde. Withdraw."
"But General-in-Chief—"
"Be quick now—is this not a matter of the Imperial Family? Above all, to bring a weapon into the great hall unbidden while the Emperor is present is the act of a traitor. I shall explain the situation to Her Highness the Empress Dowager and Her Majesty, then call you back immediately."
"... Understood. Yet while protocol is important, we are in a state of emergency. Just in case, I will leave a small guard of the Imperial Guards behind."
"See that you do. In any case, the Imperial Guards are the palace's defenders, so a handful should be no issue."
"Thank you, General-in-Chief."
In the end, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao left behind around ten Imperial Guards and turned to go.
The moment the soldiers had filed out,
He Jin approached his younger sister and his newly enthroned niece, stepping past the ministers who remained prostrate on the floor with a questioning look.
Keeping a respectful distance from the Imperial Guards as protocol required, General-in-Chief He Jin knelt courteously amidst the bowing ministers on every side and asked:
"What in the world is the meaning of this, Your Highness the Empress Dowager? Why has Her Majesty ascended the throne so suddenly?"
"The Ten Regular Attendants suddenly arrived alongside the ministers and pleaded for forgiveness, entreating me to enthrone the Prince of Hongnong. Therefore, I gladly accepted."
"Wh-what... you mean the Ten Regular Attendants?"
"Yes, they begged and begged, asking that I show mercy just this once. They requested only that their lives and property be preserved, saying they would relinquish all their power and return to their home regions."
"Hmm..."
It was an unexpected tale, yet on reflection, a plausible one.
With Jian Shuo dead, the tide had already turned, and the only way for the Ten Regular Attendants to survive now was to abandon their foolish dreams, prostrate themselves, and beg for their lives.
To have so swiftly enthroned an emperor was also likely a gesture of good faith to increase their chances of survival.
"General-in-Chief, whatever their past deeds, they once aided us and have now helped enthrone Her Majesty. They have also said they will relinquish their power. Is it not proper to grant them that much mercy?"
"Yet Your Highness, those men are..."
"Please do so. The way of the world is to repay grace received. Let it be so, according to my wish... Her Majesty the Emperor's wish, just this once."
"... Understood. Your Highness the Empress Dowager. In exchange, I shall station my own soldiers within the city so they cannot commit any rash acts."
"The General-in-Chief may handle that as he sees fit."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
He Jin paid his respects with the utmost formality.
Yet despite this attitude, He Jin had absolutely no intention of letting the Ten Regular Attendants live peaceably.
Even if they retired to the countryside, Turbid Stream Faction figures were still spread thickly through the court.
General-in-Chief He Jin knew very well how dangerous it was to carelessly spare venomous mushrooms like them...
but for now, he had no choice but to appear to follow the will of his sister who had just become Empress Dowager.
This hall was filled with ministers pressing their heads and foreheads to the floor.
Before their eyes, it would be necessary to uphold a certain degree of authority for his sister, who had just become regent for the new emperor.
Having thus decided to deal with the Ten Regular Attendants quietly at a later date, General-in-Chief He Jin prepared to summon back his subordinates outside to establish clear control of the situation.
That was when.
—Thwack!!!
"Gahk!"
"Huh?"
An intense pain suddenly assailed him. An arrow shot from somewhere drove such excruciating agony through his back that He Jin collapsed on the spot.
"Wh-what is the meaning of this? Br-brother!!!"
"G-General-in-Chief!"
He Jin fell bleeding before her very eyes. Empress Dowager He cried out in shock and confusion at the sight, while the Imperial Guards rushed forward to protect He Jin.
But then...
"! N-no..."
"Th-these wretches...?"
The ministers all rose to their feet as one, like a swarm of bees.
Yet the moment the Imperial Guards saw their appearance, their own faces hardened into shock.
Beneath their official robes, they wore armor, and they drew weapons from inside their sleeves. Only then did the Imperial Guards realize that these were not ministers but disguised soldiers.
Just as the disguised soldiers clashed with the Imperial Guards, those who surrounded He Jin—the Ten Regular Attendants themselves disguised in court robes—began viciously stabbing his body with daggers they had hidden in their clothes.
"Kurghak!!!"
"You—you wretches! Will you not stop this instant?! Brother! Brother!!!!"
"Your... Highness... the Empress Dowager... gngh..."
"A-ahh..."
He Jin died with despair frozen on his face. Watching her brother murdered before her eyes left Empress Dowager He and the young emperor trembling in shock and terror.
Then.
Before the terrified mother and daughter, the Ten Regular Attendants lifted the head of He Jin, whose eyes were still open, and declared vehemently:
"The traitor who threw the Imperial Family into chaos! He Jin has been slain!"
*
"Hmm..."
"It's... getting very late..."
Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and the thousands of soldiers under their command waited at the entrance to the imperial city.
Though they had followed He Jin's order to wait for the moment, the lack of any news despite the considerable passage of time was stoking ever-greater anxiety in their hearts.
"Benchu, something feels off. Perhaps we should go back inside, even at the risk of a reprimand?"
"... I think that would be best. For now, first..."
Just then.
—"Hear me, followers of the traitor He Jin!"
"?"
"Eh?"
A eunuch shouted at them from the palace gate tower. The word "traitor" ringing from the very first cry made Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's faces turn to stone.
"Traitor?!"
"What in the world is that wretch saying..."
—"In accordance with Her Majesty the Emperor's will, the traitor He Jin, who plotted rebellion, has been executed!"
Along with his words, something round fell before the two of them.
The head of General-in-Chief He Jin.
The instant they saw it, something within Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's hearts... felt as though their patience had snapped.
—"By rights, your heads should be struck off here and now, but by Her Majesty's mercy, this crime shall be revisited at a later date. Immediately disband your army and withdr—"
—Shing!
Before the eunuch could even finish his words, Yuan Shao drew her sword, and Cao Cao hefted her bloodstained iron cudgel.
The next instant, they leveled their weapons toward the palace gate and shouted.
"The eunuchs have murdered the General-in-Chief!"
"Avenge the General-in-Chief! Suppress the traitors who have thrown the Imperial Family into chaos! All forces, advance!"
"Woooaaaahhh!!!"
—"Eh? Eh?"
At Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's order, the soldiers broke down the palace gate in an instant and began pouring inside.
Only then did the eunuch realize events had begun to go terribly wrong... but it was already too late.