"Kill them!" Zhang Rang, once so arrogant, now felt fear for the first time as he heard the sounds of soldiers approaching from outside the gates.
"Rebellion! Rebellion! The traitors are rebelling!" Zhang Rang screamed in panic. "Quick! Go inform Jian Shuo to bring the Western Garden Army to crush the rebels!"
By now, the main gates of the northern palace were being pounded so hard by the soldiers outside that they echoed loudly through the halls.
Zhang Rang's heart was racing, and his legs trembled uncontrollably. In his desperation, he suddenly thought of a plan.
He grabbed Zhao Zhong by the arm and whispered urgently, "The rebels are many, and we can't hold them off by ourselves. You and I must go to the Eastern Palace and take the two crown princes out of the city!"
"The crown princes?" Zhao Zhong was terrified at the suggestion. Kidnapping the crown princes was a crime punishable by death and the annihilation of one's entire family. What was Zhang Rang planning?
Zhang Rang shot him a furious look and hissed, "Fool! Once Yuan Shao and his men break into the palace, the Emperor's death will be impossible to conceal!"
" We must take the crown princes and escape the city. When they eventually need someone to inherit the throne, we will bring the princes back, and one of them will be crowned."
"Prince Bian has always been friendly with us. If he ascends to the throne, it's the only way we can save our lives!"
Zhao Zhong thought for a moment and realized it was a feasible plan. Besides, they were already in a desperate situation with no way out. They might as well take a chance! "Very well, I'll do as you say!"
"General Chen!" Seeing that Zhao Zhong was persuaded, Zhang Rang quickly called out to the panicked official named Chen.
"From this moment, you are the Tiger Courage General. I've already sent word to Jian Shuo to bring the Western Garden Army here. "
"You only need to hold off the rebels for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. Once the rebellion is crushed, I'll recommend you for the position of Grand General!"
However, General Chen's face turned ashen, and he looked like he was about to cry. He realized that this promotion was more trouble than it was worth.
Zhang Rang was clearly making empty promises, and when the soldiers outside stormed the palace, he would be the first to die for aiding the enemy.
But now, they were all in the same boat. Chen knew well how ruthless Zhang Rang could be; if he dared to refuse, Zhang Rang might kill him on the spot.
"Th-thank you for your grace, my lord..." General Chen could only grit his teeth, forcing himself to swallow his fear as he tearfully expressed his thanks.
"General Dong Cheng! Once we breach the gates, I'll lead a group to hunt down the eunuchs in the palace. You take your men and go to the Emperor's quarters to ensure His Majesty's safety!" Yuan Shao shouted to Dong Cheng.
Before he finished speaking, the sound of hurried and chaotic footsteps came from a distance. The group turned to see that it was the Imperial Guard, led by none other than Dong Cheng's nephew, the young nobleman Dong Kui!
"How dare you, Yuan Shao! Assembling troops to besiege the palace in the dead of night—this is treason! Soldiers, arrest Yuan Shao! If he resists, kill him on the spot!"
Dong Kui, though standing over seven feet tall, was a pampered and spoiled child who had grown up in luxury.
Whether he had any martial skills was questionable; his lanky frame in that heavy armor looked completely out of place, as though he were a monkey dressed in a king's robe.
The Imperial Guard prepared to act on his orders, but Dong Cheng finally stepped forward, glaring angrily at Dong Kui. "You insolent fool! How dare you!"
"Uncle?" Dong Kui was shocked to see his uncle among the rebels. "Why are you here with these traitors?"
"Fool! The Ten Attendants have thrown the court into chaos. Just now, they forged an imperial edict and murdered Grand General He Jin. If we let them continue unchecked, it won't be long before your uncle's head is thrown out of the palace too!"
"Don't try to show off here! I know all about the shady dealings you've done with Zhang Rang. Now is the time to atone for your sins! You'd better think carefully!"
Dong Cheng's words left Dong Kui drenched in cold sweat, realizing that his uncle had been fully aware of his treachery all along but had chosen not to expose him until now.
Wiping his sweat, one of Dong Kui's trusted aides whispered, "General, it seems the Ten Attendants are finished. Supporting the Emperor is a great merit, indeed!"
This remark woke Dong Kui up to the situation. He immediately feigned deep remorse, dismounted, and knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly.
"Uncle! I was foolish and ignorant, deceived by Zhang Rang's petty bribes. I deeply regret my actions. Let me lead the charge to kill the Ten Attendants!"
Seeing that Dong Kui was finally coming to his senses, Dong Cheng glanced at Yuan Shao, who showed no objections.
Dong Cheng then said, "Very well, I'll spare your life for now. But when you see Zhang Rang, make sure he doesn't escape from Luoyang!"
"I obey!" Dong Kui, feeling as if he had been granted a reprieve from death, quickly mounted his horse again.
Just then, the northern gate was breached, and Dong Kui cracked his whip. "Soldiers, follow me into the palace to protect the Emperor and kill the eunuchs!"
"Kill them!"
With the Imperial Guard leading the charge, Dong Cheng and Yuan Shao exchanged a smile, then followed with their own men, shouting as they stormed the palace.
"Leave no eunuch alive, no matter who they are!" Whether it was out of fear that his own misdeeds might be revealed, Dong Kui fought ferociously once inside the palace. Any eunuch, big or small, caught in his path was killed without mercy.
Yuan Shao, meanwhile, led his troops in the direction He Jin had gone when entering the palace, and soon they encountered the "Tiger Courage General," who had been given his orders in a moment of crisis.
"General Yuan! Spare me! Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong fled to the Eastern Palace about a quarter of an hour ago. I refused to join them in their treachery and stayed here, waiting for your arrival!"
The official surnamed Chen immediately betrayed Zhang Rang and the others upon seeing Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shao sneered, "Traitor! You were involved in the murder of the Grand General; do you think Yuan Shao doesn't know that?"
With that, Yuan Shao raised his sword and swiftly decapitated the man. Then, with a wave of his hand, he ordered, "The eunuchs have fled to the Eastern Palace! Follow me to kill them!"
"Kill!"
At this point, chaos had engulfed the entirety of Luoyang, not just within the imperial city where Yuan Shao and his men were storming the palace. Outside the city, the sound of battle cries also filled the air.
The city's defensive forces had been deployed to the city walls, but below them, a vast army had gathered, with a banner prominently displaying the character "Dong"—Dong Zhuo had arrived at last!
"What's going on? Why is Luoyang in such turmoil?" Cao Cao, who was on his way to Langya, happened to arrive at the outskirts of Luoyang at this very moment.
Even from a distance, the sound of the fighting within Luoyang was loud enough to reach them. Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song, who were accompanying him, frowned deeply. "Could it be that Dong Zhuo has arrived?"
Cao Cao shook his head. "No matter what, Dong Zhuo came under imperial orders. How could he cause such a commotion? Perhaps there is internal strife in Luoyang!"
"Brother! Brother!" Cao Ren and a few cavalrymen, who had gone ahead to scout, returned at full speed.
"Brother, the Ten Attendants assassinated Grand General He Jin tonight! Yuan Shao gathered Dong Cheng and others, and they've already broken into the imperial city and are killing the Ten Attendants!"
"What?" Cao Cao was not shocked that the Ten Attendants dared to assassinate He Jin, but rather that Yuan Shao was able to gather troops to attack the palace. "No wonder the fighting is so intense."
"I also saw a large group of soldiers with torches approaching from the west. They seem to have just reached Luoyang's gates." Cao Ren continued.
Cao Cao clapped his hand in frustration. "Dong Zhuo has arrived! We're too late!"
"Now that the city's defenses are concentrated at the gates, we'd have to force our way in, and our small force wouldn't be able to break through."
"Dong Zhuo's arrival changes everything. Even if we break into Luoyang, it would be useless," Cao Cao mused for a moment before pointing to the northern gate.
"Let's go! Surround the northern gate to prevent the eunuchs from escaping the city!"
...
"Curse the Ten Attendants! Curse them all!" The sleeping quarters were filled with cries of despair. Dong Cheng and his men knelt before the dragon bed.
Zhang Rang and his accomplices had hidden the Emperor's sudden death by preserving his body on the bed, creating the illusion that the Emperor was merely bedridden with illness.
"General, spare me! The Ten Attendants forced me to do this. I had no choice but to commit this treasonous act. Please, General, spare my life!"
The imperial physician responsible for delivering the medicine was quickly identified. When Dong Cheng's men dragged him forward, he confessed everything before they even began to interrogate him.
"You audacious beast!" Dong Cheng turned and kicked the physician to the ground.
"Men! Throw him into the death row and arrest his entire family. Once the new Emperor ascends, he will be executed along with the rest of the traitors!"
"Spare me, General!"
Before the physician could plead further, two soldiers dragged him out of the sleeping quarters.
Wiping away his tears, Dong Cheng gritted his teeth and said, "The bodies of the Ten Attendants and all their associates—decapitate them and scatter their remains!"
"Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong are guilty of the gravest sins; I want them mummified and displayed at the city gates! Let them be cursed for generations!"
"Understood!"
Meanwhile, Yuan Shao's forces had stormed into the Eastern Palace, killing every eunuch they encountered. Screams echoed through the palace as blood flowed like a river.
Yuan Shao caught hold of a palace maid and learned that Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong had already taken the two crown princes and escaped through a secret tunnel out of the city.
"That wretched Zhang Rang!" Yuan Shao seethed with rage. "Zhang Rang has taken the crown princes. Everyone, head to the northern gate and pursue them!"
The chaos instigated by Zhang Rang lasted from midnight until the break of dawn. The sight of the city strewn with corpses and the blood-soaked imperial palace was truly horrifying.
"Benchu!" Cao Cao and his men had been waiting outside the northern gate for a long time, but they hadn't seen anyone escape from within. The first group they encountered was Yuan Shao's pursuing force.
"Mengde! What are you doing here?" Yuan Shao was surprised to see Cao Cao. "Did you see Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong come out of the northern gate?"
Cao Cao shook his head. "I've been here for half an hour and haven't seen a single person pass through the gate."
"Damn!" Yuan Shao cursed.
"Come quickly and help me chase down those two traitors! They've taken the crown princes. The Emperor has been dead for days, and the Ten Attendants concealed the news. Now they've fled with the princes, and I fear they might do something desperate!"
"What!" Cao Cao and the two elder generals were struck by this revelation. "How dare the Ten Attendants commit such monstrous treachery!"