Chapter 71: Returning to the Imperial Court After the Battle

  September 7th, Guang year.

  Zhu Yue led the army to retreat, taking advantage of Han Zhong's rebel army leaving the city to plunder, and then returned to attack and break through Wan City. Immediately after that, he again led the army to strike and defeat Han Zhong's five routes of rebel reinforcements. After Han Zhong surrendered, he was killed by Qin Yue, and the Yellow Turbans in Nanyang were pacified.

  Within a year after this, the Taiping Rebellion was quickly put down by the Han court with thunderbolt speed.

  The Yellow Turbans' rebellion was put down, but the Taiping Taoist uprising seriously shook the foundation of the Liu family's rule. Bandits and thieves emerged in all directions, and powerful families took advantage of the situation to annex land on a large scale. Countless common people were displaced, forced to flee with their elderly and children for thousands of miles, and after being driven to desperation, they had no choice but to become bandits.

  Jinan, National Prime Minister's Mansion.

  Cao Cao sat with his elbows on a table, deep in thought. Suddenly, footsteps were heard outside the door and a minor official hastily walked in.

  "Sir, this is the evidence collected by the underlings, please take a look."

  The little official presented a bamboo volume to Cao Cao's desk with a respectful expression.

  Cao Cao picked up the bamboo slips, casually flipping through them for a while, his eyebrows gradually furrowing, and said in a deep voice: "Eunuchs bring disaster to the country, I didn't expect it to be like this. If corrupt officials are not eliminated, how can the people make a living? What is the foundation of the imperial court?"

  The petty official looked terrified and hung his head in fear, not daring to speak.

  Cao Cao pondered for a moment, and a sharp glint flashed in his small eyes as he said, "Summon all officials to the prime minister's residence for an emergency meeting."

  "Yes, sir."

  The junior official did not dare say more and hastily took his orders and left.

  Before long, dozens of officials from the Jinan State, from high-ranking to low-ranking, all arrived and gathered at the Prime Minister's mansion.

  Cao Cao publicly announced the crimes of dozens of officials who had violated laws and regulations, and more than 20 officials from the Imperial Palace were directly dismissed and punished. He also submitted a memorial to the imperial court, listing the names of all the officials who had violated the laws and regulations of the imperial court.

  Among the officials of the Prime Minister's office who were directly dismissed and punished, and those who petitioned the imperial court for punishment, there were many people who had relatives or acquaintances among the attendants or high-ranking officials in the imperial court. Cao Cao's move was like stirring up a hornet's nest.

  After the memorial was presented, it immediately caused a great sensation in the court.

  Not only did the ten attendants hate Cao Cao extremely, but also many high-ranking officials in the court were not lacking in resentment towards Cao Cao.

  The Emperor's dragon countenance was greatly enraged, and he directly ordered the punishment of the officials who had been pardoned by Cao Cao. However, the Ten Eunuchs took advantage of the opportunity to slander Cao Cao in front of Emperor Ling, saying that since taking office, Cao Cao did not think about governing the country or bringing peace to the people, but instead stirred up heaven's anger and the people's resentment.

  Several relatives and friends of the emperor who were pardoned by Cao Cao also took advantage of the situation to add fuel to the fire, striking while the iron was hot.

  The Emperor was enraged and not only directly dismissed Cao Cao from office, but also implicated the Grand Minister of Agriculture, Cao Shuang, who was also dismissed.

  At the end of August, Huangfu Song went to Jizhou to take office, and Lu Zhi led his troops back to the capital.

  The army had just arrived in Luoyang when the Emperor issued an edict to reward those who had made contributions, and Zhou Jian received a summons from General-in-Chief He Jin.

  The five northern military academies are the assistant officials of the Grand General, assisting the Grand General in handling the defense of the capital and its surrounding areas. Although their official positions are not high, they hold the actual power to command troops and are indeed very important posts.

  Compared with the five colonels of the Northern Army who hold real power, the Colonel of the Valiant Guards is just a nominal colonel. There are many such colonels in the Han court, and once the war subsides, they will either return to the court or be assigned to various provinces. In peacetime, they do not have actual command over troops and can only be considered as empty-title colonels. Whether in terms of status or position, they cannot be compared with the five colonels of the Northern Army.

  Zhou Jian was a Colonel of the Northern Army's Five Barracks and Commander of the Garrison Cavalry, while He Qiaoyi was Commander of the Garrison Cavalry, each in charge of one battalion of cavalry.

  The Northern Army originally had only 2,000 cavalrymen. When the imperial court dispatched troops to suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion, they added 3,000 horsemen from the three rivers region to the Northern Army's original cavalry force, bringing the total number of cavalrymen to 8,000. During the campaign against the Yellow Turbans, Lu Zhi led away 5,000 and Huangfu Song took 3,000.

  The Yellow Turban Rebellion has been put down, and after the troops returned to the capital, the court did not disband the three rivers cavalry and local garrison soldiers who were recruited during the expedition, but instead incorporated them into the Northern Army's large camp, further strengthening the defense of Luoyang.

  8,000 cavalrymen were led by the newly appointed Youji Colonel Wu Fu and Tunji Colonel Zhou Jian, each commanding two camps of 4,000 cavalrymen.

  The 1,500 troops brought from Chenliu were private soldiers and had not been formally incorporated into the Northern Army's Five Garrisons. They remained under the direct command of Zhou Jian. As for the original archer unit led by Xun Yu, it was still commanded by the Archer General.

  Luoyang, the General's Manor.

  "I will see you later, General."

  Zhou Jian bowed deeply to General He Jin.

  He Jin had thick eyebrows and big eyes, although he was extremely powerful, but the flavor of the petty bourgeoisie on his body could not be covered up, without a bit of the superior feeling of the aristocratic family, giving people a sense of a wild chicken turning into a phoenix.

  "You're too kind."

  He Jin helped Zhou Jian up and carefully looked him up and down several times before smiling and saying, "I've long heard that you possess both intelligence and bravery, and that Emperor Huangfu has a high opinion of you. Now that I see you for myself, it seems the rumors are true."

  Zhou Jian hastily said: "Thank you, General Shuai, for your praise."

  He Jin exhorted him a few words, and then said: "The five northern armies bear the heavy responsibility of defending the capital and the country. Firstly, they suppress the barbarians outside and maintain the dignity of the imperial court; secondly, they fight for the country to quell rebellions and protect the peace of the borders. As the commander of the Northern Army's Garrison Cavalry, you have the responsibility of leading troops to fight, and you must always encourage yourself, so as not to disappoint General He's high expectations."

  Zhou Jian said: "I will strictly follow the general's orders and dare not forget them at any time."

  He Jin nodded and waved his hand, and Zhou Jian hastily bowed and retreated.

  Before long, someone emerged from behind the screen.

  He was about thirty years old, wearing a high hat and brocade clothes, with a hint of spirit in his eyes as he saluted He Jin: "Zhao, at your service, General."

  He Jin waved his hand and said: "Ben Chu is excused from the formalities, please take a seat."

  Yuan Shao also didn't stand on ceremony and took a seat in the side hall, quietly waiting for He Jin to ask his questions.

  He Jin furrowed his brow and asked Yuan Shao: "What does Ben Chou think of this man?"

  Yuan Shao replied, "I have inquired about this within the army and found that the Colonel of the Garrison Cavalry, Zhou Jian, has some ability to command troops. In this campaign against the Yellow Turbans, he was among the most meritorious of the generals under General Huangfu Song's command. The Grand General should make a great effort to win him over, so as to have his assistance in dealing with the eunuchs."

  He Jin pondered and said: "How can we be certain this man won't try to curry favor with both sides?"

  Yuan Shao spoke with confidence, "General, you can rest assured. The Zhou family of Lujiang is a renowned family in the world, and their ancestor, Zhou Jingyin, was extremely prominent in his time, enjoying great prestige among scholars. Although Zhou Xiang comes from a scholarly family, even if he relies on the eunuchs, it's only because he's eager to gain fame and fortune; he won't be willing to be used by the eunuchs and isolate himself from the world's scholars. In my opinion, even if Zhou Xiang temporarily seeks refuge with Zhang Rang and other eunuchs, he will soon draw a line between himself and the eunuchs. Why not take this opportunity to win him over and use him for ourselves?"

  He Jin's spirit was stirred up and he said: "Is what you just said true?"

  Yuan Shao smiled and said, "General, haven't you heard that Cao Cao has dismissed dozens of corrupt officials in Ji'nan within the past month? The Cao family had a close relationship with the eunuch party due to Cao Song's connections. Cao Cao himself benefited from his father Cao Song's connections with the Ten Attendants before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and was able to lead troops to suppress the rebellion, earning him promotion to Governor of Ji'nan. Now, he has distanced himself from the eunuch party, not only losing his own position but also causing his father Cao Song to be dismissed by the Emperor. Although this move has earned him the enmity of the eunuch party and several high-ranking officials in court, it has also earned him a good reputation. This is truly an example of 'retreating for advancement'!"

  He Jin nodded repeatedly and said, "Ben Chou has seen it, it's like this. Ben Chou can help Da Jiangjun win over Zhou Jian. This man is good at commanding troops, and there are many brave warriors under his command. If we can get his support, eliminating the eunuch party will be a great help."

  Yuan Shao stood up and bowed deeply, saying: "General, rest assured, I dare not disobey your orders."