Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 217 White Horse Oath to Become King

"Zi Jing, now I know why Emperor Gaozu was so sad. How can we find brave men to guard the four directions?"

After all the officials were taken away, Liu Bei sighed to Lu Su.

"There are people in the three states who dare to take risks and set their sights on providing compensation to their comrades. It seems that it is particularly important to keep a tight control on the administration of officials in each state." Liu Bei could not help but ponder.

Lu Su thought for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Sir, Emperor Guangwu was able to take charge of civil affairs and replace the Three Dukes with the Secretariat, letting all matters fall under the Secretariat. The Three Dukes were just reserve personnel because the new dynasty had already been established and they could legitimately exercise all powers."

"Now that the world is not settled, the governor is implementing new policies, which makes many people unable to adapt. There are few intelligent people, and most of the officials are ignorant and inexperienced. Even if they know that the governor needs officials who can work hard, they will still be lazy."

"Zi Jing, do you have any strategy to teach me?" Liu Bei asked with interest.

Lu Su glanced at the soldiers and officers around him, then bowed and said, "Sir, this is an important matter. I have some suggestions but they cannot be spread outside. Please ask everyone to leave a few feet away first."

Liu Bei was slightly stunned and waved his hand to ask the guards of Ruichong Camp to stand a little further away. Only Dian Wei and Xu Chu were left beside him. They seemed not to have heard Lu Su's words and remained motionless.

Dian Wei grinned and his eyes widened. As long as Lu Su dared to ask him to retreat, he would immediately raise his fist to beat that damn Lu Zijing, and even the envoy would not be able to stop him.

Xu Chu also looked at Lu Su with a bad expression. They were the envoy's personal guards, and if they were forcibly dismissed, it would be a disrespect to the two of them.

How could Lu Su dare to offend Dian Wei and Xu Chu? He quickly bowed and said, "Mr. Dian and Mr. Xu, there is no need to withdraw. You two are both chivalrous and righteous men, and you are trusted by the envoy. I am naturally relieved."

After the explanation, I felt the pressure instantly relieved.

Seeing that Dian Wei was about to hit him, Lu Su was shocked. Although he had martial arts skills, he still had to consider who he was fighting with.

If they were to fight with Dian Wei and Xu Chu, not to mention whether the envoy could start a fight, even if a few more Lu Zijings came, they would not be their match.

Both Xu and Dian were brave warriors who could carry the army's banner and had the strength to lift a tripod. If they punched him, Lu Su would have to stay in bed for at least a month.

What's more, both of them were the personal guards of the envoy, and he was a personal clerk. He saw them every day. If he was late in handling documents one day and walked out of the office building, the lights were already dim, and he was accidentally injured by Dian Wei and Xu Chu who were practicing martial arts at the door.

The two men's compensation of salary was a small matter, but the fact that Lu Zijing had suffered bone pain for many days was a big deal.

Liu Bei also chuckled when he saw this and said, "Zijing, you are all people I trust. As the ancients said, 'honest words are unpleasant to the ear but beneficial to conduct, and good medicine is bitter but beneficial to the disease.' You can speak frankly and quickly to make up for my omissions and mistakes."

Lu Su bowed solemnly and said, "I am honored by your sincerity. I dare not fail to speak from my heart. Even if there are thousands of people pointing fingers at me, I will still dare to speak out."

"Since Emperor Xiaoling died in Luoyang, the princes of various places have been engaged in constant conquests, the imperial tombs have been looted, the ancestral temples have been destroyed, the young emperor has lost his real power, the dignity of the Han Dynasty has been repeatedly trampled upon, the Han Dynasty of Emperor Guangwu has perished at the hands of Liu Hong, and this 'Han' is difficult to restore."

When these words were spoken, not only Liu Bei was a little surprised, but Xu Chu and Dian Wei next to him were also stunned. They quickly glanced forward and pretended that they could not hear it.

Dian Wei thought to himself, "Since I followed the envoy, I have never seen such a bold person who dares to speak out against the revival of the Han Dynasty. Only Lord Xuande was unmoved. If it were any other member of the royal family, I'm afraid Lu Zijing would not be able to survive."

Lu Su thought that his words would make the envoy angry, and he was ready to explain. Unexpectedly, Liu Bei only looked complicated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Zijing, continue." After considering his words, Lu Su bowed and said, "Your Excellency is not a descendant of Emperor Guangwu, so you cannot inherit the deeds of Emperor Guangwu of the Former Han Dynasty. You should inherit the work of Emperor Gaozu of the Former Han Dynasty and create the foundation of the Later Han Dynasty."

"Only in this way can we legitimately clear away the obstacles, eliminate the malpractices accumulated over the past century, and truly support the Han Dynasty to rebuild the world."

"The lord has not yet established a government. Although he is actually a governor, the officials under him are nominally ministers of the emperor Liu Xie. As a result, many officials are ignorant and cannot distinguish whether the lord is supporting the Han Dynasty, the old Han of Xiaoling, or the 'new' Han."

After hearing this, Liu Bei suddenly realized that although his territory was getting bigger and bigger, it did not actually change the officials' views. For the people of Yanzhou, it was just a change from a relative of the Han Dynasty to another relative of the Liu family, who was just managed more strictly.

He has not yet gotten out of the path of Emperor Xiaoling Liu Hong, who sold official positions and titles, and did not employ people who were not related to him, and was not greedy for money. After all, Liu Hong had only been dead for seven years.

Liu Bian and Liu Xie never held power, Yanzhou never experienced the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and Yanzhou never suffered from Cao Mengde and Lu Bu seizing the prefectures and counties, leading to cannibalism.

These officials subconsciously took the actions of the previous emperor as a benchmark. Judging from Liu Hong's method of ruling the world, they were already rare honest officials. They were just greedy for the relief of the common people and soldiers. Why did Lord Xuande start a war?

Liu Bei understood and said with a sigh: "It turns out that in the world, I, Liu Xuande, am the only one who is unique and different."

No wonder Lu Su tried so hard to persuade him to get rid of the influence as soon as possible. This is the reason, which allows people to distinguish the difference.

Seeing that everyone was in deep thought, Lu Su thought that he had made his words so clearly, so he just told them everything.

Then he took a step forward and said politely:

"At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu and his meritorious officials and princes swore an oath on a white horse: If anyone who is not of the Liu family becomes a king, the whole world will attack him together. If anyone who has no merit becomes a marquis and is not appointed by the emperor, the whole world will punish him together. After you defeat Yuan Shao and have the highest merit in pacifying the world, you can follow Emperor Gaozu's oath and make an oath again on a white horse with the descendants of the meritorious officials and the relatives of the Liu family, and choose a land to be promoted to king."

It would be a good idea to declare oneself king by signing the White Horse Alliance and bypass the imperial court in Guanzhong.

Liu Bei thought secretly.

After all this, no one in the world could accuse him of not following the rites and laws. This was the oath of Emperor Gaozu. Anyone who dared to stand up and say that Emperor Gaozu's oath was invalid would be killed directly, no matter how famous he was.

In the Han Dynasty, which respected filial piety and integrity, even the sense of loyalty and filial piety was gone, and living was a waste of grain.

On the other side, Lu Su continued to bow and said: "After you have completely pacified Heshuo and stabilized the states in Hebei, you can lead the troops to attack the bandits in Guanzhong and Liangzhou, recapture Chang'an and offer sacrifices to Changling.

At that time, you had the wisdom of Yu and Tang, and were also the hope of the world. However, the prince Liu Xie was enthroned as emperor by the traitor Dong, but he was not talented or virtuous enough to handle the responsibilities, which led to the destruction of the country and the loss of the ancestral temple. He was unable to inherit the Han Dynasty. Only Lord Xuande, with his great achievements and virtue, stabilized the Han country and should inherit the Han Dynasty and revive it.

Loyal and good people will look forward to the arrival of the royal army. If there are any noisy people, the army will be led to suppress them. In an instant, the world will be restored, the evils will be eliminated, and the Han Dynasty will be restored."

After he finished speaking, Lu Su bowed and smiled.

(End of this chapter)