How Dong Zhuo Entered Luoyang and Swallowed the Court

He Jin had summoned Dong Zhuo to pressure the eunuchs.

Only after the order went out did he realize what he had invited. Dong Zhuo was not a helper. He was a frontier warlord walking toward the capital with soldiers who obeyed him.

Dong Zhuo Understood the Opportunity

Dong Zhuo had long ignored court control when it did not suit him.

When He Jin ordered him to march to Luoyang, he immediately understood the opening. He sent memorials denouncing Zhang Rang and the eunuchs, saying he came with drums and bells to remove evil.

The language sounded loyal. The meaning was armed pressure.

He Jin grew afraid and sent Zhong Shao with an imperial order telling Dong Zhuo to halt. Dong Zhuo's men drew blades, but Zhong Shao rebuked them in the emperor's name. The soldiers hesitated, and Dong Zhuo withdrew a short distance.

Still, he was already near Luoyang.

Yuan Shao Pushed the Break

Inside Luoyang, He Jin and the eunuchs were moving toward open conflict.

Yuan Shao feared that He Jin might change his mind again. He urged him to decide quickly, warning that if the matter dragged on, He Jin might repeat the fate of Dou Wu, who had been killed by eunuchs after a failed purge.

He Jin appointed Yuan Shao as Colonel Director of Retainers, a powerful capital security post, and Wang Yun as Intendant of Henan. He placed key offices around the capital in their hands.

Yuan Shao watched the eunuchs while also secretly encouraging Dong Zhuo to continue threatening memorials, saying he would press toward Pingle Observatory.

Empress Dowager He finally yielded somewhat. She ordered major eunuchs and palace attendants dismissed, leaving only a few who had good relations with He Jin.

Then Zhang Rang found a way back.

His daughter-in-law was Empress Dowager He's sister. He begged to enter the palace one more time before leaving, saying his family had received imperial favor for generations and that he would die without regret if he could serve the empress dowager once more.

The plea passed through Lady Wuyang, Empress Dowager He's mother, and reached the empress dowager. She softened and ordered the dismissed eunuchs back into the palace.

He Jin Walked Into the Palace Trap

Inside the capital, Yuan Shao pushed He Jin to act quickly.

He Jin kept pressing Empress Dowager He to approve killing all the major eunuchs. The eunuchs learned that he wanted them destroyed.

They decided to strike first.

On the twenty-fifth day of the eighth month, He Jin entered the palace to speak with the empress dowager. Zhang Rang and Duan Gui ambushed him. He Jin entered alone, realized too late that he had been trapped, and was killed in the hall.

The Grand General had called in outside troops to kill the eunuchs, then died before those troops arrived.

The Palace Became a Battlefield

The eunuchs threw He Jin's head out and claimed he had plotted treason.

Yuan Shao and He Jin's followers attacked the palace gates. Fires rose at the Southern Palace. The eunuchs seized Empress Dowager He, the young emperor Liu Bian, and the prince Liu Xie, then fled toward the north.

Lu Zhi forced Duan Gui to release the empress dowager. Yuan Shao closed palace gates and ordered a purge of eunuchs. Thousands died, including some men mistaken for eunuchs simply because they had no beards.

The eunuch bloc was destroyed.

But the emperor was now outside the capital, exhausted and frightened, with almost no court dignity left around him.

The Emperor Reached the Yellow River

Zhang Rang, Duan Gui, and the others held Emperor Shao and Liu Xie and fled through Luoyang's northern gate.

They ran north in the night to Xiaoping Ford. The imperial seal was not with them. The highest ministers were not with them.

Lu Zhi and Min Gong pursued them to the Yellow River. Min Gong cursed the eunuchs and killed several with his sword.

With the river ahead and pursuers behind, Zhang Rang had nowhere to go. He bowed farewell to the young emperor, then he, Duan Gui, and the remaining eunuchs threw themselves into the river and died.

The eunuch bloc was gone, but the emperor could not remain hungry and frightened by the river.

Min Gong helped Emperor Shao and Liu Xie walk south by the faint light of fireflies. They were starving and thirsty. After several li, they found a rough cart at a commoner's home and rested north of Mang Mountain. Only later did they find horses and continue south, while ministers gradually gathered to escort them.

The emperor had escaped immediate danger.

Dong Zhuo's troops were arriving.

Dong Zhuo Met the Emperor

Dong Zhuo saw fires in Luoyang and hurried forward.

Near Mang Mountain, he met Emperor Shao and Liu Xie. The young emperor was terrified and could barely speak. Liu Xie, only a child, explained the crisis clearly.

Dong Zhuo immediately compared them. In his mind, Liu Xie looked more fit to rule. He also imagined a connection through Empress Dowager Dong, who had raised Liu Xie.

The thought of deposing one emperor and enthroning another began here.

The senior ministers asked Dong Zhuo to pull his troops back, because the young emperor was terrified by the sudden appearance of banners and armor. Dong Zhuo refused. He scolded the ministers instead, saying they had failed to keep the ruler safe and now dared ask the army to withdraw.

No one could stop him.

Luoyang Fell Into Dong Zhuo's Hands

The emperor returned to the palace surrounded by ministers and Dong Zhuo's soldiers.

Some saw Dong Zhuo's ambition and urged Yuan Shao to attack before Dong Zhuo's troops rested. Yuan Shao was afraid and did not move.

Dong Zhuo did not actually have overwhelming numbers at first. When he entered Luoyang, he had only about three thousand men. To inflate his strength, he sent troops quietly out of camp at night and brought them back in daylight with great display every few days. People in Luoyang thought Liangzhou reinforcements were arriving again and again.

His momentum grew.

He Jin's and He Miao's former troops came over to him. Then Dong Zhuo secretly induced Lü Bu, a military officer under Ding Yuan, to kill Ding Yuan and bring over his army.

Lü Bu was extraordinarily brave and had been favored by Ding Yuan, but he accepted Dong Zhuo's promise of wealth and rank and killed his lord.

Dong Zhuo's military strength surged.

He then used disasters as an excuse to push the court to remove Liu Hong as Excellency of Works and appoint Dong Zhuo in his place. Under military pressure, the court could not refuse. Dong Zhuo became one of the highest ministers and also held Bingzhou authority.

Now Dong Zhuo held the capital.

Yuan Shao Drew His Sword and Left

Dong Zhuo's plan to depose the emperor became more obvious.

He wanted support from scholar-officials and looked to Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao came from the prestigious Yuan clan, held a major capital post, and had already had contact with Dong Zhuo.

Dong Zhuo told him that Emperor Shao was inferior to Liu Xie, the Prince of Chenliu, and that he intended to replace him.

Yuan Shao firmly objected. The Han had ruled the realm for four hundred years. The emperor was young and had done no wrong. Deposing the legitimate heir for a younger prince would not win acceptance.

Dong Zhuo grew angry and put his hand on his sword. Were the great affairs of the realm not decided by him? If he wanted this, who dared disobey?

Yuan Shao did not yield. He said this was a matter of state and should be discussed with Grand Tutor Yuan Wei.

Dong Zhuo heard the Yuan clan pressure behind the words and angrily said the Liu house was no longer fit to hold the realm.

Yuan Shao drew his own blade, bowed to the assembly, and walked out.

Dong Zhuo had just arrived and did not yet dare kill him. Yuan Shao hung his official seal at the Shangdong Gate and fled Luoyang for Ji Province.

Dong Zhuo had swallowed the court. Yuan Shao had escaped the capital.

The next step would be even harsher: replacing the emperor, forcing the empress dowager to die, moving the capital to Chang'an, and burning Luoyang.