In truth, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Cao Cao were very close friends when they were young.
They played together, went wild together.
They fought crickets together, visited brothels together.
They flirted with respectable women together, and spied on widows bathing together.
They climbed high places to gaze into the distance and talk about their ambitions, and they chased each other through mulberry groves, practicing martial arts and hunting.
Back then, they were all very young. The books in the Imperial Academy were plentiful, and the city of Luoyang was vast.
Back then, they all believed that the world was so big, with enough space for them to showcase their talents.
Back then, they all thought they would become high-ranking officials in the court, achieving great deeds, expanding territories, and becoming heroes remembered in history.
But at some point, Yuan Shu, the little follower who used to trail behind them, started acting on his own, clearly putting on airs as a member of the prestigious Yuan family.
Soon after, Yuan Shao also stopped frequenting brothels and began befriending a group of brave warriors. Not long after, he left Luoyang to become the magistrate of Puyang.
Around the same time, Cao Cao, under the deliberate arrangements of his family, began meeting many people, such as Zhou Xin, Zhou Ang, Liu Xun, Xu You, and Zhang Miao.
It was also during this time that Cao Cao received the most important evaluation of his life: "A capable minister in times of peace, a hero in times of chaos."
At that time, Yuan Shao was nineteen, Cao Cao was eighteen, and Yuan Shu was seventeen.
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The moment Cao Cao saw Yuan Shao's expression, he realized that Yuan Shu's voluntary offer was not prearranged with Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao had no idea about it.
Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu did not get along, often undermining each other. Cao Cao was well aware of this, as he himself came from a prominent family. He had seen countless instances of such conflicts between legitimate and illegitimate heirs, but seeing it happen between the Yuan brothers, who had grown up together, sometimes made him sigh.
But it was just a sigh after all. This was an internal matter of the Yuan family, and as an outsider, he couldn't influence it. However, compared to Yuan Shu, who often acted arrogantly, Yuan Shao was more approachable, so Cao Cao usually sided with Yuan Shao, occasionally causing trouble for Yuan Shu.
But this time, Yuan Shu's behavior was unusual.
Normally, Yuan Shu would attend meetings but rarely speak. It was usually Yuan Shao who made suggestions, with Yuan Shu at most following along. For Yuan Shu to step forward and take charge like this was a first.
What was Yuan Shu up to?
In ancient times, to consolidate the emperor's control over military power and prevent military interference in politics, the emperor would use tiger tallies to mobilize troops. The tiger tally was split into two halves, one held by the emperor and the other by the commanding general. Only with both halves could troops be mobilized.
However, in the Han Dynasty, any general with a title, such as the Four An or Four Ping generals, could have private troops that could be mobilized with just the general's half of the tiger tally. Therefore, as a general, He Jin could mobilize a thousand troops without any problem. But Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were only colonels at the time, not generals, so they had no authority to mobilize troops.
Thus, Yuan Shu's argument was not wrong and held water.
After hearing Yuan Shu's words, He Jin nodded, feeling that it made sense. It was better not to give others any leverage, as dealing with those self-righteous critics was troublesome and unrewarding. Moreover, he believed that the Ten Attendants couldn't do much to him. His sister was the empress dowager, and his nephew was the emperor. How could those eunuchs dare to challenge him, the general?
Seeing that He Jin was somewhat persuaded, Cao Cao quickly spoke up before He Jin could make a decision: "How can Yuan Shao and I sit idly by when the general has business? Yuan Shu's suggestion is excellent. Why not let Yuan Shu lead the troops while Yuan Shao and I serve as your personal guards to ensure your safety?" As he spoke, he subtly winked at Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shao understood and immediately responded with enthusiasm: "Cao Cao is right! Yuan Shao and I will definitely ensure the general's safety!" Whatever Yuan Shu wanted me to do, I definitely won't do it!
He Jin was delighted: "Good! Then Yuan Shao and Cao Cao will accompany me into the palace, and Yuan Shu will lead the troops to follow!" My charm is still effective. Yuan Shao is considerate as always, and Cao Cao, you're clever too. Since you've corrected your mistake, I'll give you a chance.
Yuan Shu sneered inwardly. My uncle was indeed prescient. Cao Cao, you really came out to stir trouble, but it doesn't matter. Your fate is already sealed, whether you go or not.
Yuan Shao, don't think that just because you're the eldest son, you can control everything. No matter how hard you try, you can't change your origins. The Yuan family will ultimately be mine...
Cao Cao, when we were young, you always bullied me because you were smarter. Well, let's see how you'll act so arrogantly after the eunuchs are all gone...
Yuan Shu lowered his head, hiding the emotions in his eyes from Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. He stood up and, together with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, accepted the order.
In the entire general's meeting hall, the only one who had some premonition or knowledge of what was about to happen was Yuan Shu.
Before coming to the general's residence, Yuan Shu's uncle, Yuan Wei, had secretly instructed him to accomplish three tasks: First, he must urge General He Jin to enter the palace—this task was already accomplished without Yuan Shu needing to do anything; Second, since the general would likely bring armed guards into the palace, Yuan Shu must secure the command of the troops—this task was unexpectedly easy because He Jin had not summoned Wu Kuang and others, allowing Yuan Shu to take command under the pretext of not having official orders; Third, Yuan Shu was to delay the departure of the troops by an hour...
Although Yuan Shu didn't fully understand his uncle's overall plan, as the legitimate heir of the Yuan family, he had more insider information than Yuan Shao. For instance, he knew that his uncle was plotting against He Jin, so He Jin was bound to suffer. However, he never expected that He Jin would meet such a gruesome end—having his head chopped off in the palace!
Yuan Shu didn't anticipate this, and neither did Zhang Rang, one of the Ten Attendants. He truly hadn't intended to behead He Jin. What good would that do?
What benefit would killing He Jin bring him?
Without the emperor's order, killing the current general would be sheer madness. Did Zhang Rang really have water in his brain?
Indeed, Zhang Rang had planned to deal with He Jin because He Jin was being unreasonable—previously, when Jian Shuo opposed He Jin, He Jin had dealt with Jian Shuo after gaining power, and they had no objections. But now He Jin wanted to target them as well, which was going too far.
He Jin, you ungrateful wretch, when Jian Shuo wanted to deal with you, it was we who tipped you off. We also helped your sister become the empress dowager. Now that you're in power, you want to burn the bridge after crossing the river. Can't you be a bit more reasonable?
Moreover, we even went to your general's residence to apologize. Isn't that humble enough? Yet you still refuse to let it go. What more do you want?
We've been to your residence several times, but you put on airs and refused to see us. How can we resolve anything without communication?
Zhang Rang finally managed to obtain an edict from Empress Dowager He to summon He Jin to the palace. This was because He Jin refused to meet them, so they had to confront him on their own turf to reason with him properly.
Of course, in his perfect plan, Zhang Rang only intended to display some force to intimidate He Jin. A butcher like He Jin, who had never seen big scenes, couldn't possibly have much courage. As long as they held a knife to He Jin's neck, he would surely obey their every command. They would first seize the general's tiger tally, then confine him for a few days while sending trusted aides to take control of his troops. Once the troops were under their control, just as Jian Shuo had done before, they would command the Eight Schools of the Western Garden, and the entire imperial guards would obey their orders. With the situation settled, the He family would have no choice but to accept it. Whether He Jin was imprisoned or killed would no longer matter.
Once they had He Jin's tiger tally and military power, they could shape He Jin into whatever form they desired. A tiger without claws and teeth could do nothing. Wouldn't that be better?
But—but—who was the bastard who acted so quickly?
Zhang Rang felt like crying.
He had only ordered the palace guards to capture He Jin, not to chop off his head without a second thought!
Now everything was ruined. With He Jin's head gone, how could they communicate?
Zhang Rang was about to find out who had beheaded He Jin when a young eunuch hurriedly ran in from the palace gate, reporting that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, along with a dozen of He Jin's ceremonial guards, were making a commotion outside, shouting so loudly that even people inside the palace were getting alarmed. He asked Zhang Rang for instructions on how to handle the situation.
"Don't let them in!" was Zhang Rang's first reaction.
His second reaction was to rush to the emperor. The only person who could save him now was the emperor. Over the years, he had been pushed to the brink several times, like when Imperial Attendant Zhang Jun wanted to kill him. As long as the emperor didn't give the order, he still had a chance!
It wasn't me who ordered He Jin's execution. I didn't give that command. I must clear my name completely!
If all else fails, I'll pin it on Gao Wang. I heard he's been close to Zhao Zhong recently and is in charge of the northern palace guards. He's the perfect scapegoat!
Zhang Rang hurried toward the inner palace, determined to reach the emperor as quickly as possible.
The young eunuch left behind was frantic. With Zhang Rang gone, who would handle this mess?
The young eunuch called out repeatedly, but Zhang Rang ignored him and quickly disappeared.
"This... this... we'll have to wait for Lord Zhang to return!" The young eunuch also gave up, casually throwing out a sentence before running off.
The guards looked at each other, realizing the gravity of the situation. Without anyone leading, they all scattered.
In an instant, the square was empty, leaving only He Jin's corpse lying quietly on the ground.
After some time, a figure in palace guard armor emerged cautiously from a corner. After confirming that no one was around, he stealthily approached, wrapped He Jin's head in cloth, and took it away.