by Luo Guanzhong
16The royal carriage had not gone more than a few li when they suddenly saw a vast number of banners which seemed to block out the sun. A bunch of horses and men approached, kicking up dust which covered the sky. All of the government officials turned pale; the emperor was startled as well. Yuan Shao road out on his horse and asked, "Who are you?" A general burst out from behind the shadow of the silk flags, and asked in a stern voice, "Where is the Son of Heaven?" The emperor trembled in fear and could not speak. The Prince of Chenliu charged out on his horse, shouting, "Who comes before us?" Zhuo replied, "I am the governor of Xiliang Province; my name is Dong Zhuo." The Prince of Chenliu said, "Are you here to protect the royal carriage or are you here to make off with it?" Zhuo responded, "I have come especially to protect the royal carriage." The Prince of Chenliu said, "Since you have come to protect the royal carriage, the Son of Heaven is here. Why don't you dismount from your horse?" Zhuo was shocked, and hurriedly climbed down from his horse. He made his obeisance at the left side of the road. The Prince of Chenliu said a few words to Dong Zhuo so as to put him at ease, and did not misspeak from start to finish. Zhuo was secretly impressed by him, and already had thoughts of forcing the emperor to abdicate in favor of the prince.
17
They returned to the capital that day, and saw Empress Dowager He. They all broke down in tears. They conducted a thorough search of the palace, but did not find the Heirloom Jade Seal of the Realm. Dong Zhuo had stationed his troops outside the city. Everyday, he led his armored cavalry into the city, and ran amuck in the markets. The citizenry was uneasy. Zhuo brazenly entered and exited the palace. Captain of the rear army Bao Xin came to see Yuan Shao, and told him that Dong Zhuo must have some ulterior motive, and that they should get rid of him. Shao replied, "The court has just been reestablished, we cannot do anything rash." Bao Xin then went to see Wang Yun, and told him the same thing. Yun said, "We should discuss this further." Xin took it upon himself to lead the main force of the army on a trip to Mount Tai.
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from Lays of Ancient Rome by Macaulay.
This is one of four great novels from China, published when it was the most highly civilization in the world. Map shows China at the time of this story.
Chapter Summary: How Dong Zhuo rebukes Ding Yuan in the Garden of Warmth and Brightness; Li Su wins over Lü Bu with offerings of gold and pearls.
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This translation from Wikipedia. See license CC-BY-SA.
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