After the banquet, attended by maidservants, He Jin changed his clothes and washed his face with warm water, then set out toward the imperial palace under the escort of over a hundred armored guards.
In the past, he had never brought so many armored men when leaving his residence; a dozen or so protectors had been plenty. After all, as the realm's capital, Luoyang might not have been a utopia where lost items went untouched on the roads and doors stayed unlocked at night—that would be an exaggeration—but it was certainly true that very few dared break the law.
Now, however, Emperor Liu Hong had ordered the transfer of elite troops from commanderies across the realm to garrison Luoyang. Once tens of thousands of guest troops entered the city, the dazzling sights of Luoyang bewitched them. Lax military discipline made matters worse; soldiers banded together to pillage wealth from affluent households. If anyone dared resist, the soldiers slaughtered them outright, even stacking the severed heads into miniature corpse-pyramids to terrorize the populace.
The barbarian auxiliaries from the borderlands were especially reckless and unrestrained. Murder and robbery in broad daylight and the abduction of women occurred without end.
Some court officials could bear it no longer and memorialized the Son of Heaven to rein them in. Liu Hong instructed He Jin and Deng Sheng to handle the matter, but the two men had no viable solution. At a time when they depended entirely on these various guest armies, cracking down harshly on mutinous rabble might provoke unrest across all units. How could the troops stand united to defend the walls then?
After much deliberation, He Jin and Deng Sheng could only round up several dozen of the most brazen barbarian soldiers and behead them. Hanging their bloody severed heads outside the gates of every camp at least sobered the ranks and checked their rampant insolence for a time.
Yet even if they feared doing so openly, underhanded atrocities persisted. Soldiers broke into private homes under cover of darkness, butchering and brutalizing civilians and plunging the populace into panic.
In the face of this, He Jin was powerless. For one, the culprit soldiers could rarely be caught; for another, wild rumors had sprouted throughout the city claiming He Jin intended to slaughter all the guest troops, and that the guest forces had better band together to strike first, butchering high officials like He Jin so the troops could divide the splendors of Luoyang among themselves.
This rumor terrified He Jin. He immediately abandoned all plans of further disciplining the army and ceased venturing out carelessly, terrified he might be ambushed and murdered in the streets. Even when he had to go out, he insisted on being escorted by over a hundred heavily armored soldiers.
Sitting in his carriage, He Jin surveyed the streets on either side. Pedestrians were sparse, and commerce had ground to a halt. Evidently, the city's residents were terrified by the unruly soldiery, huddled inside their homes and not daring to step outside.
He Jin sighed softly. The carriage carried him into the imperial palace, where a palace eunuch guided him to a side hall.
Inside the hall, Liu Hong sat with furrowed brows, drinking wine. To his left and right sat Chamberlain for the Imperial Clan Liu Yan and a dashing young man with noticeably long arms.
"Lord He has arrived. Be seated," Liu Hong said, raising his eyes.
He Jin took his seat and said, "Your Majesty, this minister has come to request permission for battle. Major Sun Jian is willing to lead five thousand troops outside the walls to engage the Moth Rebels and probe their situation."
Liu Hong shook his head. "I forbid it."
He Jin was taken aback. Sitting beside him, Liu Yan offered a helpless smile. "I came before His Majesty for the same reason."
He gestured toward the dashing young man. "This is Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande, a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan and an imperial kinsman of the Han. He was once a disciple of Master Lu and currently serves under Gongsun Zan."
He Jin looked Liu Bei up and down. Liu Bei was still young, only in his twenties, but he bore a resolute expression and calm, steady eyes that immediately inspired favor.
Turning toward Liu Hong, Liu Yan urged, "Your Majesty, defending a city cannot mean clinging only to the walls. We must sortie out from time to time to fight the enemy. Otherwise, morale within the walls will deteriorate until Luoyang can no longer be held. Xuande is brave and skilled in warfare; he can lead a detachment to strike out and boost morale."
Liu Hong still shook his head.
It was precisely because Liu Bei was courageous that Liu Hong was unwilling to commit him. It had been hard enough to find a capable commander sharing the Liu surname; what a waste it would be if he died at the hands of the Yellow Turban Army!
He was still counting on Liu Bei to protect him and escape if the city fell!
"The false god among the Moth Rebels possesses sorcery beyond mortal strength. Sending our army beyond the walls is merely sending them to their deaths," Liu Hong said. "It is better to hold fast. Luoyang's walls are tall and thick. Even with astonishing sorcery, that false god may not necessarily breach them."
Liu Yan said helplessly, "Yet if we do this, morale will inevitably plummet..."
"Would morale not plummet if a sortie ended in defeat?" Liu Hong snapped, visibly displeased. "It would sink even further! When that happens, defending the city will become harder still."
Liu Yan and He Jin exchanged glances, at a loss for words.
Indeed, he had a point. If they sent out an elite force to fight the Yellow Turban Army and suffered defeat, would the garrison have any confidence left to defend the walls?
"Then..."
Liu Yan started to speak but held back, thinking to himself: *Sorties are forbidden, holding fast saps morale, and no reinforcements can reach us from outside. Are we truly left with nothing to do but wait for death in Luoyang?*
Liu Hong had arrived at the exact same realization. Bitterly, he downed two cups of wine in quick succession, rose, and paced back and forth across the hall with his hands clasped behind his back. He Jin and Liu Yan could only sigh, while Liu Bei's brows remained tightly knitted.
Suddenly, Liu Hong halted. His eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands together. "I have it!"
The three men froze and looked up at the visibly excited emperor. Agitated with anticipation, Liu Hong said, "Lord He, Imperial Chamberlain, what if we seek peace with the Moth Rebels?"
All three were stunned.
Seek peace?
With enemy troops at the gates, seeking peace now? Was this some sort of joke?
Yet Liu Hong pressed on: "Luoyang's walls are tall and thick, defended by tens of thousands of soldiers loyal to the great Han. Even if the Moth Rebels could breach it, they would suffer catastrophic casualties. They might not even wish to launch an all-out assault.
"If I sue for peace, it may well suit their wishes. Furthermore, if the Moth Rebels agree to withdraw their troops back to Ji Province, I am willing to divide the realm equally with that false god!"
The more he spoke, the more animated he grew, his eyes shining. "Ji, Yan, Qing, Xu, You, and Yang—I can cede all six to them! Let them establish their so-called Taiping Yellow Sky!
"If push comes to shove, Yu Province can be given to them as well! The eastern half of the realm, containing over half the population, will belong entirely to them. That should be more than enough for them to enjoy!"
As these words fell, He Jin felt a stir of temptation.
Such generous terms, gained without sacrificing a single soldier—there was a good chance the Moth Rebels would accept.
The only issue was that once the Moth Rebels took the realm's wealthiest provinces, their strength would surge. When they raised arms again to march on the Han court, the dynasty would still fall.
Still, lingering on a bit longer was better than nothing. Anything beat watching Luoyang fall right now and dying at the enemy's hands.
Liu Yan's face remained rigid. "Your Majesty, you cannot! This is an act of forfeiting the state! The ministers of the court will never agree to such an idea."
Liu Hong hurried over to Liu Yan, grasped his arm, and pleaded earnestly, "Imperial Chamberlain! Clan Uncle! I am left with no other choice! Besides, ceding the eastern half of the realm to the Moth Rebels is nothing more than empty talk. Once they withdraw, we can simply order the various provinces to resist their incursions.
"The pressing priority is holding Luoyang first. If Luoyang is lost, everything is empty talk!"
Liu Yan held little regard for Liu Hong's "stratagem." How could the Moth Rebels be so foolish as to withdraw merely over hollow promises? Yet seeing the pleading look on Liu Hong's face, Liu Yan's heart softened. He gave a heavy sigh. "I am willing to enter the rebels' camp on Your Majesty's behalf to negotiate this matter."
As Chamberlain for the Imperial Clan, he held immense rank and authority and was the emperor's most trusted confidant, making him the most suitable envoy.
"Then I entrust everything to you, Clan Uncle!"
Chapter 31