次日设朝，董太后降旨，封皇子协为陈留王，董重为骠骑将军，张让等共预朝政。
何太后见董太后专权，于宫中设一宴，请董太后赴席。酒至半酣，何太后起身捧杯再拜曰：‘我等皆妇人也，参预朝政，非其所宜。朝廷大事，任大臣元老自行商议，此国家之幸也。愿垂听焉。’董后大怒曰：‘汝鸩死王美人，设心嫉妒。今倚汝子为君，与汝兄何进之势，辄敢乱言！吾敕骠骑断汝兄首，如反掌耳！’何后亦怒曰：‘吾以好言相劝，何反怒耶？’董后曰：‘汝家屠沽小辈，有何见识！’两宫互相争竞，张让等各劝归宫。何后连夜召何进入宫，告以前事。何进出，召三公共议。来早设朝，使廷臣奏董太后原系藩妃，不宜久居宫中，合仍迁于河间安置，限日下即出国门。一面遣人起送董后；一面点禁军围骠骑将军董重府宅，追索印绶。董重知事急，自刎于后堂……六月，何进暗使人鸩杀董后于河间驿庭，举柩回京，葬于文陵。进托病不出。”（第二回）“张让等知外兵到，共议曰：‘此何进之谋也；我等不先下手，皆灭族矣。’乃先伏刀斧手五十人于长乐宫嘉德门内，入告何太后曰：‘今大将军矫诏召外兵至京师，欲灭臣等，望娘娘宣大将军入宫谕止之。如其不从，臣等只就娘娘前请死。’太后乃降诏宣进。进得诏便行……于是袁绍、曹操各选精兵五百，命袁绍之弟袁术领之。绍与操带剑护送何进至长乐宫前。黄门传懿旨云：‘太后特宣大将军，余人不许辄入。’将袁绍、曹操等都阻住宫门外。何进昂然直入。至嘉德殿门，张让、段罥迎出，左右围住，进大惊。让厉声责进曰：‘董后何罪，妄以鸩死？国母丧葬，托疾不出！汝本屠沽小辈，我等荐之天子，以致荣贵；不思报效，欲相谋害！——汝言我等甚浊，其清者是谁？’进慌急，欲寻出路，宫门尽闭，伏甲齐出，将何进砍为两段。让等既杀何进，袁绍久不见进出，乃于宫门外大叫曰：‘请将军上车！’让等将何进首级从墙上掷出，宣谕曰：‘何进谋反，已伏诛矣！其余胁从，尽皆赦宥。’袁绍厉声大叫：‘阉官谋杀大臣！诛恶党者前来助战！’何进部将吴匡，便于青琐门外放起火来。袁术引兵突入宫廷，但见阉官，不论大小，尽皆杀之。袁绍、曹操斩关入内。赵忠、程旷、夏恽、郭胜四个被赶至翠花楼前，剁为肉泥。宫中火焰冲天。张让、段罥、曹节、侯览将太后及太子并陈留王劫去内省，从后道走北宫……绍复令军士分头来杀十常侍家属，不分大小，尽皆诛绝，多有无须者误被杀死。曹操一面救灭宫中之火，请何太后权摄大事，遣兵追袭张让等，寻觅少帝……袁绍骤马出问：‘何人？’绣旗影里，一将飞出，厉声问：‘天子何在？’帝战栗不能言。
陈留王勒马向前，叱曰：‘来者何人？’卓曰：‘西凉刺史董卓也。’陈留王曰：‘汝来保驾耶？汝来劫驾耶？’卓应曰：‘特来保驾。’陈留王曰：‘既来保驾，天子在此，何不下马？’卓大惊，慌忙下马，拜于道左。陈留王以言抚慰董卓，自初至终，并无失语。卓暗奇之，已怀废立之意……李儒劝卓早定废立之计。卓乃于省中设宴，会集公卿，令吕布将甲士千余，侍卫左右。是日，太傅袁隗与百官皆到。酒行数巡，卓按剑曰：‘今上暗弱，不可以奉宗庙；吾将依伊尹、霍光故事，废帝为弘农王，立陈留王为帝。有不从者斩！’群臣惶怖莫敢对……卢植曰：‘今上虽幼，聪明仁智，并无分毫过失……何可强主废立之事？’中军校尉袁绍挺身出曰：‘今上即位未几，并无失德；汝欲废嫡立庶，非反而何？’卓怒曰：
‘天下事在我！我今为之，谁敢不从！汝视我之剑不利否？’袁绍亦拔剑曰：‘汝剑利，吾剑未尝不利！’两个在筵上对敌。董卓欲杀袁绍，李儒止之曰：‘事未可定，不可妄杀。’
袁绍手提宝剑，辞别百官而出，悬节东门，奔冀州去了。可怜少帝四月登基，至九月即被废。少帝与何太后、唐妃困于永安宫中，衣服饮食，渐渐少缺；少帝泪不曾干。一日，偶见双燕飞于庭中，遂吟诗一首。诗曰：
嫩草绿凝烟，袅袅双飞燕。洛水一条青，陌上人称羡。
远望碧云深，是吾旧宫殿。何人仗忠义，泄我心中怨！
董卓时常使人探听。是日获得此诗，来呈董卓。卓曰：‘怨望作诗，杀之有名矣。’遂令李儒带武士十人，入宫弑帝……李儒双手扯住太后，直撺下楼；叱武士绞死唐妃；以鸩酒灌杀少帝，还报董卓。卓命葬于城外。”（第三、四回）汉少帝的人生是多么悲惨啊！他被毒死时才十四岁！
Empress Dong held court the following day and issued a decree naming Xie as prince of Chenliu andImperial Uncle Dong Chong as general of the Flying Cavalry. Zhang Rang and the eunuchs were againpermitted to participate in court affairs. Empress He， seeing her rival gather power， arranged a banquet in thepalace for her. When the company was well warmed with wine， Empress He lifted her cup and kneeledrespectfully as she addressed Empress Dong：‘We two women should not concern ourselves with courtaffairs. You and I should seclude ourselves in the palace and leave court business to the great ministers andelder statesmen. The ruling house will benefit. I hope you will give this your consideration.’To this challengeEmpress Dong rose angrily.‘Your jealousy drove you to poison Beauty Wang，’she accused.‘Now youhave the temerity to say any damned thing you please because your son rules and your brother is in power.
But without lifting a finger I can have the general of the Flying Cavalry cut off He Jin’s head’‘I spoke ingood faith，’responded Empress He hotly.‘What gives you the right to lash out at me？’‘A lot youknow’， retorted Empress Dong，‘you offspring of butchers and wine merchants！’The two queensquarreled back and forth until Zhang Rang persuaded them to return to their chambers. That night EmpressHe summoned her brother and described to him the scene at the banquet. Regent He Jin then met with thethree elder lords (grand commandant， minister of the interior， minister of works). And the following morning，in accordance with their decision， a courtier petitioned the Emperor not to allow Empress Dong to remain inthe palace， on the grounds that she was originally a provincial princess， but to return her to Hejian， heroriginal fief， without delay. The He faction assigned escorts for the rival empress and detailed the PalaceGuard to surround the home of Flying Cavalry General Dong Chong and demand his insignia. Chong knew hewas trapped and cut his throat in a rear chamber... In the sixth month He Jin had Empress Dong poisoned atthe government relay station in Hejian. Her coffin was brought to the capital and buried in the tombs at Wen.
On the pretext of illness， Regent He Jin was absent from the ceremonies. (Chapter 2)“Zhang Rang and theeunuchs learned of the arrival of outside forces and said，‘A plot of He Jin’s. If we don’t head it off， our clanswill be exterminated.’Planting fifty axemen inside the Gate of Praise-worthy Virtue at the Palace of LastingHappiness， Zhang Rang went in and told the Empress，‘The regent means to destroy us and has forged adecree summoning outside troops to the capital. We appeal to Your Majesty to summon him to the palace andstop him. If he refuses， we prefer to die at your feet.’Empress He ordered He Jin to appear. Yuan Shao andCao Cao each selected five hundred of their finest and put them under the command of Yuan Shao’s brotherShu. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao strapped on their swords and accomplished He Jin to the gate of the Palace ofLasting Happiness. But the Inner Bureau conveyed the Empress’s wish：‘The Empress has summoned onlythe regent. No one else may enter.’Yuan Shao and Cao Cao stood barred beyond the outer gate as He Jinmarched grandly on， straight into the palace. Their henchmen in place， Zhang Rang and Duan Gui accostedHe Jin from both sides at the Gate of Praise-worthy Virtue. In a stern tone Zhang Rang read out a list ofcharges to the astounded regent：‘For what crime did you poison Empress Dong？ How could you miss theservices for the nation’s mother on the pretext of illness？ You came from a family of butchers； yourrecommendation to the throne came from us； and through us you rose to power and glory. But now youconspire against us， forgetting the duties and the thanks you owe. Who is so pure， tell me， if we are as corruptas you say？’He Jin searched frantically for a way to escape， but every gate was shut. The assassins closed inand cut He Jin in two at the waist. Having waited for a long time， Yuan Shao shouted at the gate，‘Regent，your carriage is ready！’In response Zhang Rang threw the victim’s head down from the wall.‘He Jin wasexecuted for plotting to overthrow the dynasty，’he cried.‘Those who joined him under duress are pardoned，one and all！’‘The geldings have murdered a great minister.’Shao yelled fiercely.‘Those who woulddestroy this evil faction lend us your aid！’One of He Jin’s commanders， Wu Kuang， set a fire outside themain gate， and Yuan Shu burst into the palace grounds. Every eunuch they caught， they killed.Yuan Shaoand Cao Cao broke into the inner sanctum， drove the four eunuchs， Zhao Zhong， Cheng Kuang， Xia Yun， andGuo Sheng， to the House of Emerald Flowers， and hacked them to pieces. From the palace buildings flamessprang skyward. Four of the Ten Eunuchs—Zhang Rang， Duan Gui， Cao Jie， and Hou Lan—forced QueenMother He， the crown prince (Liu Bian， i.e.， Emperor Shao)， and the prince of Chenliu (Liu Xie) out of themain compound and along a rear path toward the north palace compound... Yuan Shao ordered his men tospread out and kill the Ten Attendants and their families， regardless of age. Many who had no beard werekilled by mistake. Cao Cao managed to quell the fires and appealed to the queen mother to assume temporaryauthority. At the same time he sent soldiers after Zhang Rang and his gang to find Emperor Shao (PrinceBian)... Yuan Shao raced forward and demanded，‘Who are you？’From the shadows of spangled pennons ageneral came forth and cried in a stern voice，‘Where is the Emperor？’The Emperor was too frightened tospeak， but the prince of Chenliu guided his horse forward and said tearfully，‘Who comes here？’‘DongZhuo， Imperial Inspector of Xiliang，’was the reply.‘Are you here to protect the Emperor or to seizehim？’asked the prince.‘Only to protect him，’said Zhuo.‘Then get off your horse，’said theprince.‘The Emperor is here！’The astonished Zhuo dismounted before the Emperor and prostrated himselfat the left side of the road. The prince graciously reassured Dong Zhuo， expressing himself from first to lastwin discretion and dignity. Dong Zhuo was deeply impressed but did not show it： the idea of deposingEmperor Shao and placing Prince Xie on the throne had already formed in his mind... Li Ru urged Dong Zhuoto arrange as quickly as possible for the deposing of Emperor Shao and the enthroning of the prince ofChenliu. Dong Zhuo convened a banquet in the imperial quarters for the lords and noblemen and orderedLü Bu to stand by with one thousand soldiers. That day Imperial Guardian Yuan Wei and the entire officialcorps were in attendance. After several rounds of wine， Dong Zhuo， hand on sword， spoke：‘The presentsovereign is inept and feeble， unfit to serve the ancestral temple. I mean to follow the hallowed precedents ofYi Yin and Huo Guang and place the prince of Chenliu upon the throne of Han. The present Emperor willbecome the prince of Hongnong. Those who resist will be killed.’The officials were too astonished torespond.‘In the present situation，’Secretary Lu Zhi responded，‘although the Emperor has not reachedmaturity， he has demonstrated his receptive intelligence and humane wisdom. There is no blemish inhim...How can you arrogate to yourself the authority to alter the succession？’Yuan Shao， commandant of theCentral Army， rose to his feet and declared，‘the present sovereign has held the throne but briefly. There areno defects in his character no lapses in his conduct. Removing the Empress’s son and enthroning aconcubine’s—what do you call that if not treason？’‘This matter of state is mine to decide，’Dong Zhuosaid angrily.‘Who dares defy me？ Do you think this sword not sharp enough？’Yuan Shao， too， bared hissword.‘This one may prove as sharp，’he retorted. The two warriors confronted each other before the guests.
Dong Zhuo started for Yuan Shao， but Li Ru checked him：‘Things are not yet under control. You must notkill rashly.’Thus Yuan Shao left， sword still in hand， after bidding the assembled officials farewell. He hunghis credentials on the east gate and fled to the province of Ji... Alas for the Emperor Shao， enthroned in thefourth mouth and deposed in the ninth... Meanwhile the former Emperor Shao， his mother， and his consort—all imprisoned in the Palace of Eternal Peace—were allotted but meager shares of food and clothing. EmperorShao’s tears were never dry. One day he happened to notice a pair of swallows flying in the courtyard andintoned these lines：
Fresh vernal grasses tint the morning haze；Homing swallows lace the sky in pairs；The River Luo， a stretch of darker green—People cry in wonder at the scene.
But out beyond the depths of blue cloudsStand palaces and courts that once were ours.
Who will stand for loyalty， take honor’s part，And ease the heavy wrongs upon my heart？
A spy， who kept the deposed Emperor under constant surveillance， reported to Dong Zhuo the wordshe heard sung.“Well， if grievance is his theme， we have our excuse，”said Dong Zhuo and commandedLi Ru to take ten armed men and murder the Emperor... Li Ru laid hands on the queen mother and thrusther out of a window. Then he barked the order to strangle the consort and force the wine down EmperorShao’s throat. His work finished， Li Ru reported to Dong Zhuo， who ordered the three buried outside the citywall.”(Chapter 3 &； Chapter 4) How miserable the Han Emperor Shao’s Life is！ He is poisoned to death atthe age of fourteen.
刘协——汉献帝：表字伯和，灵帝第二个儿子，即刘辩之弟。中平六年（公元189年）九月，董卓废少帝为弘农王而立陈留王为献帝，时年九岁，比他被废之兄小五岁，改元初平。
董卓为相国，赞拜不名，入朝不趋，剑履上殿，威福莫比。董卓命李儒鸩杀少帝后，每夜入宫，奸淫宫女，夜宿龙床，秽乱宫禁，残害生灵；从洛阳迁都长安，焚烧宫室，劫迁天子；贼臣乱国，万民涂炭；今卓上欺天子，下虐百姓，罪恶贯盈，人神共愤。正当董贼欲篡位之际，“王司徒巧使连环之计”（第八回），“除暴凶吕布助司徒”（第九回）。但在董卓被杀后，其部将李罥、郭汜发难，纵兵大掠，杀害大臣，紧围内廷，欲杀献帝。“帝王楼上宣谕曰：‘王允既诛，军马何故不退？’李罥、郭汜曰：‘臣等有功王室，未蒙赐爵，故不敢退军。’帝曰：‘卿欲封何爵？’李、郭、张、樊四人各自写职衔献上，勒要如此官品。帝只得从之：封李罥为车骑将军、池阳侯，领司隶校尉，假节钺；郭汜为后将军、美阳侯，假节钺：同秉朝政……李罥、郭汜既掌大权，残虐百姓；密遣心腹侍帝左右，观其动静。献帝此时举动荆棘。朝廷官员，并由二贼升降。”（第十回）
Liu Xie—Han Emperor Xian： He is the second son of Emperor Ling， i.e. Liu Bian’s younger brother，styled Bohe. In the ninth month of the sixth year of the Zhong Ping reign (a.d. 189)， Dong Zhuo deposedEmperor Shao as the prince of Hongnong while he enthroned the prince of Chenliu as Emperor Xian， whowas nine years old， five years younger than his deposed brother. A new reign period， Beginning Peace (ChuPing)， was proclaimed. Dong Zhuo became prime minister. But he did not use his own name when salutingthe sovereign nor comport himself reverently by scurrying in his presence， nor did he remove his bootsand sword before the throne as required. The prestige and wealth he amassed raised him above all. AfterDong Zhuo commanded Li Ru to murder Emperor Shao， he began to indulge himself freely， debauching theimperial concubines and sleeping in the Emperor’s bed. He dishonored the palace’s forbidden quarters， andgrievously injured the common folk. He moved the capital from Luoyang to Chang’an after he had destroyedthe imperial dwellings and abducted the Emperor. Traitors have wrecked the dynasty and cast the people intomisery. Dong Zhuo has wronged the Emperor and caused the people to suffer. His foul crimes have roused theindignation of men and gods alike. Just when the traitor Dong Zhuo is preparing to seize the throne，“WangYun Shrewdly Sets a Double Snare”(Chapter 8) and“Lü Bu Kills the Tyrant for Wang Yun”(Chapter 9).
But after Dong Zhuo is killed， his generals Li Jue and Guo Si stage a coup against the Emperor. They havekilled quite a few ministers and drawn a tight ring around the court， hoping to take the sovereign’s life.“TheEmperor， meanwhile， speaking from the palace tower， issued a statement to those below：‘Wang Yun hasbeen executed. On what grounds have you not withdrawn your forces？’Li Jue and Guo Si responded，‘Ourservice to the royal house has not yet been requited by titles from Your Majesty. This is what we are waitingfor.’The Emperor said，‘Which titles do you want？’Each of the four generals wrote on a piece of paperthe offices and fiefs he required and submitted it to the Emperor， having no choice， he made the followingawards：
Li Jue， appointed general of Chariots and Cavalry and enfeoffed as lord of Chiyang， also namedcommandant of the Capital Districts and granted insignia and battled-axe confirming military authorityGuo Si， appointed general of the Rear and Lord of Meiyang and granted insignia and battle-axe； bothgenerals to control court administration...
Now that they dominated the government， Li Jue and Guo Si terrorized the capital. Their henchmeninfiltrated the palace staff and kept the Emperor under close watch， a virtual prisoner. Officials were promotedand demoted as the two villains saw fit.”(Chapter 10)
“
李罥、郭汜自战败西凉兵，诸侯莫敢谁何。贾诩屡劝抚安百姓，结纳贤豪。自是朝廷微有生意。不想青州黄巾又起，聚众数十万，头目不等，劫掠良民。太仆朱俊保举一人，可破群贼。”李罥同意了朱俊的保举，草诏曹操破贼。“操领了圣旨……击贼于寿阳……追赶贼兵，直到济北，降者数万。操即用贼为前驱，兵马到处，无不降顺。不过百余日，招安到降兵三十余万，男女百余万口……操自此威名日重。捷书报到长安，朝廷加曹操为镇东大将军。”（第十回）“其时李罥自为大司马，郭汜自为大将军，横行无忌，朝廷无人敢言。
太尉杨彪、大司农朱俊暗奏献帝曰：‘今曹操拥兵二十余万，谋臣武将数十员，若得此人扶持社稷，剿除奸党，天下甚幸！’献帝泣曰：‘朕被二贼欺凌久矣！若得诛之，诚为大幸！’彪奏曰：‘臣有一计：先令二贼自相残害，然后诏曹操引兵杀之，扫清贼党，以安朝廷。’献帝曰：‘计将安出？’彪曰：‘闻郭汜之妻最妒，可令人于汜妻处用反间计，则二贼自相害矣。’帝乃书密诏付杨彪。”果然，李、郭中计，每日厮杀。“罥乃移帝后车驾于罥坞，使侄李暹监之，断绝内使，饮食不继，侍臣皆有饥色。帝令人问罥取米五斛，牛骨五具，以赐左右。罥怒曰：‘朝夕上饭，何又他求？’乃以腐肉朽粮与之，皆臭不可食。帝骂曰：‘逆贼直如此相欺！’侍中杨琦急奏曰：‘罥性残暴。事势至此，陛下且忍之，不可撄其锋也。’帝乃低头无语，泪盈袍袖。”（第十三回）“李罥郭汜大交兵/杨奉董承双救驾。”“帝入洛阳，见宫室烧尽，街市荒芜，满目皆是蒿草，宫院中只有颓墙坏壁，命杨奉且盖小宫居住。百官朝贺，皆立于荆棘之中。诏改兴平为建安元年。是岁又大荒。洛阳居民，仅有数百家，无可为食，尽出城去剥树皮、掘草根食之。尚书郎以下，皆自出城樵采，多有死于颓墙坏壁之间者。”太尉杨彪奏帝曰：‘前蒙降诏，未曾发遣。今曹操在山东，兵强将盛，可宣入朝，以辅王室。’帝曰：‘朕前既降诏，卿何必再奏，今即差人前去便了。’彪领旨，即差使命赴山东，宣召曹操。”（第十四回）“曹孟德移驾幸许都。”“于是迎銮驾到许都，盖造宫室殿宇，立宗庙社稷、省台司院衙门，修城郭府库；封董承等十三人为列侯。赏功罚罪，并听曹操处置。操自封为大将军、武平侯……其余将士，各各封官。
自此大权皆归于曹操：朝廷大务，先禀曹操，然后方奏天子。”
“After Li Jue and Guo Si had defeated the Xiliang army， no other leaders dared challenge them.
At Jia Xu’s insistence， they took measures to benefit the population and attract worthy and outstandingmen. As a result， the court began to reassert its authority. Unexpectedly， the Yellow Scarves in Qingzhoustaged another uprising. Hundreds of thousands of rebels under numerous chieftains ravaged the region.
The recently appointed court steward Zhu Jun recommended to Li Jue someone who he was sure could putdown the Scarves.”Li Jue accepted Zhu Jun’s suggestion and penned an edict authorizing Cao Cao for thatpurpose.“Cao Cao accepted the commission and joined forces with Bao Xin. They attacked the YellowScarves at Shouyang. Bao Xin forced his way into a strongpoint and was killed. Cao pursued the rebels toJibei， where tens of thousands surrendered to him. Cao placed these former rebels in his vanguard. Whereverhe went， the rebels transferred their allegiance to him. In one hundred days Cao Cao had induced thesurrender of over three hundred thousand troops and one million non-combatants. He picked the finest ofthe Yellow Scarves troops and organized them into the Qingzhou army. The remainder he sent back to theirfarms. In consequence， Cao Cao’s prestige rose steadily， and the court recognized his triumphs by naminghim General Garrisoning the East.”(Chapter 10)“At this time the court was in the hands of Li Jue， whohad made himself regent-general， and Guo Si， the self-styled regent. These two generals rode roughshodover everyone. Who at court could protest？ Grand Commandant Yang Biao and Treasurer Zhu Jun secretlypetitioned Emperor Xian：‘Cao Cao now has command of two hundred thousand troops and scores of ableadvisers and generals. If he would uphold the dynasty and clean out this faction of traitors， the whole realmwould benefit.’ Weeping， the Emperor said，‘How long those two traitors have mistreated me！ What ablessing it would be if they could be done away with！’Yang Biao then addressed the sovereign：‘Yourhumble servant has a plan to turn the two traitors against each other and then summon Cao Cao to purge theirfaction and secure the court.’‘What kind of plan？’the Emperor asked.‘Your servant has heard，’Biaocontinued，‘that Guo Si has a jealous wife. We can use her to sow dissension between Li Jue and herhusband.’The Emperor secretly authorized Yang Biao to put his plan into action.”Consequently， Li andGuo were taken in by a manoeuvre， fighting against each other day after day.“Liu Jue moved the royal pairto the palace at Mei， placing them in the custody of his nephew Li Xian. Li Xian dismissed the imperial staffand reduced the provisions for the attendants， who went wan from hunger. The Emperor sent someone to begfive bushels of grain and some ox bones for his servants， but Li Jue said angrily，‘We send up food morningand night. What else does he want？’Finally he delivered some spoiled meat and moldy grain. The Emperorsaid， reproachfully，‘How these traitors bully us！’‘Your Majesty，’Privy Counselor Yang Qi urged，‘LiJue is a cruel and violent man. Try to bear things as they are and not cross him.’The Emperor lowered hishead and kept silent. Tears soaked his sleeves. (Chapter 13)“Li Jue and Guo Si Cross Swords/ Yang Fengand Dong Cheng Rescue the Emperor”.“The Emperor entered Luoyang and saw the ruin of his formercapital—the palace buildings burned out， the streets and markets desolate. Everything was overgrown withweeds. The walls of the palaces were crumbling. Emperor Xian ordered Yang Feng to build a small dwellingto serve as a provisional palace. In the meantime court was held in the open woods. The Emperor mandatedthat the reign year be changed from Stability Restored (Xing Ping) to Reestablished Peace (Jian An)， year 1.
But it was another year of famine. The few hundred families remaining in Luoyang survived on tree bark andgrass roots foraged roots outside the city. Even members of the Secretariat had to gather their own fuel theretoo， and many simply perished beside falling walls or within crumbling houses.”“Grand CommandantYang Biao appeals to the Emperor.‘The decree with which you honored me has yet to be dispatched. Atpresent Cao Cao has the most powerful army in the northeast. He should be summoned to support the royalhouse.’‘I have so ordered，’said the Emperor.‘A second petition is not necessary. Send someone andbe done with it.’In accordance with the imperial will， an envoy was sent.”“Cao Cao Moves the Emperorto Xuchang”.“Cao then escorted the imperial procession to Xuchang. Royal dwellings and templeswere erected； the ancestral sanctum and soil shrine established； the court， administrative departments， andgarrisons set up； and the city walls and storehouses built. Dong Cheng and thirteen others were awardedlordships of the first rank. Cao Cao assumed complete authority over all benefits and penalties and hadhimself appointed regent-marshal and honoured as lord of Wuping...The other captains and officers weregiven minor positions. Power was concentrated in Cao Cao’s hands to such a degree that all important issuesat court were first proposed by petition to him and then presented to the Son of Heaven.”
“献帝回宫，泣谓伏皇后曰：‘朕自即位以来，奸雄并起：先受董卓之殃，后遭罥、汜之乱。常人未受之苦，吾与汝当之。后得曹操，以为社稷之臣；不意专国弄权，擅作威福。朕每见之，背若芒刺。今日在围场上，身迎呼贺，无礼已极！早晚必有异谋，吾夫妇不知死所也！’伏皇后曰：‘满朝公卿，俱食汉禄，竟无一人能救国难乎？’言未毕，忽一人自外而入曰：‘帝、后休忧。吾举一人，可除国害。’帝视之，乃伏皇后之父伏完也。帝掩泪问曰：‘皇丈知操贼之专横乎？’完曰：‘许田射鹿之事，谁不见之？但满朝之中，非操宗族，则其门下。若非国戚，谁肯尽忠讨贼？老臣无权，难行此事。车骑将军国舅董承可托也。’帝乃自作一密诏，咬破指尖，以血写之：‘……近日操贼弄权，欺压君父；结连党伍，败坏朝纲；敕赏封罚，不由朕主。朕夙夜忧思，恐天下将危。卿乃国之大臣，朕之至戚，当念高帝创业之艰难，纠合忠义两全之烈士，殄灭奸党，复安社稷，祖宗幸甚！……’”（第二十回）“曹操见了衣带诏，只将董承等五人，并其全家老小，押送各门处斩。死者共七百余人。曹操怒气未消，遂带剑入宫，来弑董贵妃。帝告曰：“董妃有五月身孕，望丞相见怜。”操曰：“若非天败，吾已被害。岂得复留此女，为吾后患！”帝泣谓妃曰：“卿于九泉之下，勿怨朕躬！”言讫，泪如雨下。伏后亦大哭。操怒曰：“犹作儿女态耶！”叱武士牵出，勒死于宫门之外。（第二十四回）
“Inside the palace the Emperor spoke tearfully to Empress Fu，‘Since I first assumed the throne，treacherous pretenders have multiplied. First we suffered the disaster of Dong Zhuo， followed immediately bythe sedition of generals Li Jue and Guo Si. We have faced grief unknown to most. Then came Cao Cao， whomwe thought a loyal servant of the dynasty， never dreaming he would usurp the government and abuse hisauthority by arbitrary exercise of fear and favour. I wince to see him. Today in the hunting field he impudentlyacknowledged the cheers meant for his sovereign. Before long there will be a usurpation， and you and I shallnot die natural deaths.’Empress Fu replied，‘In this court full of lords and peers—not a one of whom buteats and lives at the pleasure of the Han—is there none to assist the dynasty in distress？’As the Empresswas speaking， her father， Fu Wan， entered.‘Your Majesty，’he said，‘do not despair. I have the man whocan remove the scourge of the royal house.’The emperor wiped his tears as he replied，‘Then you toocan see how imperious Cao Cao is？’‘Who could have missed the incident at the deer hunt？’Fu Wanresponded.‘But the whole court consists of either his clansmen or his followers. Except for the imperial in-laws， who will demonstrate loyalty by bringing the traitor to justice？ I don’t have the power to do it， but whycan’t we turn to Dong Cheng， brother of the imperial concubine， general of Cavalry and Chariots？’EmperorXian prepared to write the mandate. He bit his finger， transcribed his words in blood.‘...Of late thetreasonous Cao Cao， abusing his authority， insulting and degrading his sovereign， has connived with hiscohorts to the detriment of our dynasty’s rule. Instructions， rewards， land grants， and punishments now falloutside the imperial jurisdiction. Day and night we brood on this， dreading the peril to the realm. General， youare a prominent public servant and our nearest relative. Think of the obstacles and hardships the SupremeAncestor faced when he founded this dynasty： forge a union of stouthearted men， stalwarts of unimpairedintegrity and unimpeachable loyalty； exterminate this perfidious faction and restore the security of our holyshrines for our ancestors’ sake...’(Chapter 20)”Having discovered the secret decree， Cao Cao contenedhimself with the execution of Dong Cheng， his five fellow conspirators， and their entire households， adultsand children alike. All told， over seven hundred died in executions conducted at every gate of the capital.
Cao Cao’s rage was not allayed. The Emperor’s beloved high consort， Dong Cheng’s younger sister， nowfive months with child， was his next target. Armed with a sword， Cao Cao went to the palace.“She is inher fifth month，”the Emperor pleaded.“We hope the prime minister will show compassion.”“HadHeaven not spoiled things for you，”Cao replied，“I would have been murdered. Why should I spare a futurenemesis？”The Emperor wept， saying to his consort，“In the netherworld below the Nine Springs， beloved，hold no grievance against us.”His tears poured forth. The Empress Fu sobbed heavily.“Still these carryingson！”Cao cried. At his curt command the soldiers bore the consort off and strangled her outside the palacegate. (Chapter 24)