Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 303 Yuan Shu: I Don’t Accept
In the second month of spring in the second year of Jian'an (197), the capital Luoyang announced to the world that Liu Bei had presented a memorial to Emperor Taizu Gao, promoting him to be the King of Hanzhong and the Grand Marshal, with concurrent powers over Qingzhou, Yanzhou, Xuzhou, Jizhou, Youzhou, Yuzhou, Bingzhou, and Sili. He also established vassal states in Henei County and would appoint tutors, prime ministers, imperial censors, and other ministers and officials.

As soon as this news came out, it immediately caused a sensation in the world, and many people were frightened and stunned.

In particular, the document mentioned that King Liu Bei of Han had authority over the eight states in the north. It had been less than ten years since the death of Emperor Xiaoling. How could such a powerful prince emerge, and he was a relative of the Liu clan of the Han Dynasty?

If he really wanted to integrate the remaining states, wouldn't he be able to set up an altar in Jizhou and ascend the throne as emperor just like Emperor Guangwu did? !

Which prince in the world can have the prestige of King Liu Xuande of Han? At this moment, who would not be shocked by his virtue and power?

The nearest Hebei province was terrified, Jingxiang was shaken, and so were Hanzhong, Shu, Guanzhong, Huainan, Jiangdong and other places. Anyone who heard about the situation was shaken to their core.

You must know that when Guangwu was in Hebei, he did not use the title of King of Han. He paid homage to the ancestral temple in Luoyang, and then went to conquer the rebels in the world.

What's more, at that time the Han Dynasty had been usurped by Wang Mang, and the princes were not Han's subjects.

The current situation is completely different. Confucian values ​​of loyalty and filial piety are prevalent in the world, and most of the princes are ministers of the Han Dynasty, enjoying Han salaries for generations.

Liu Xuande had made great contributions in conquering the four directions and supporting the Han Dynasty, and this cannot be erased by anyone, if any prefect or governor dared to lie with open eyes.

If the clerks follow such a person who talks nonsense, they will become disloyal and eventually resign from their posts.

After all, this is Guandong, not a border county where barbarians live together. Officials who are shameless will only be despised by the people of the world.

If the Han ministers and princes fought against Liu Xuande, who had the highest reputation and the strongest power among the royal family, they would be at a disadvantage in terms of reputation, morality, and strength.

If you dare to fight Liu Bei, the King of Han, there are only two options.

Either they fight for power, hold on to the city and rule a region, stubbornly resist, and would rather die than surrender, which results in them being deserted by their friends and relatives, and being labeled as traitors, with their three clans being exterminated.

Either surrender early or make plans in Xinhan early, at least you will not die and your clan will not be destroyed.

When the thief Dong was in trouble, there was a nursery rhyme that was circulated throughout the country: The marquis is not a marquis, the king is not a king, thousands of chariots and tens of thousands of horses are marching to Beimang.

This just happens to show that both Emperor Shao Liu Bian and King Chenliu Liu Xie had no means to worship the ancestral temple.

After years of fear, the Prime Minister of Lu in Yuzhou, who was surrounded by Xuzhou, Yanzhou and Pei, finally put aside the moral burden of being a Confucian scholar when he saw Duke Xuande being promoted to King of Han and taking on the role of Grand Marshal and Governor of Yuzhou. He immediately took the seal of the Prime Minister of Lu and went to the capital Luoyang to hand it over to the King of Han for disposal.

Similarly, the prime ministers of Chen and Liang in Yuzhou also followed the example of the prime minister of Lu. After the county and state troops were defeated by Yuan Shu, if Yanzhou had not sent troops to help, the officials of the two places would have had no chance to escape.

With the kindness shown before him and the power of the King of Han as the governor of Yuzhou, there is no room for resistance. It is better to take this opportunity to surrender and make contributions to the new Han Dynasty. Perhaps he will have a chance to become a two thousand stone official again.

Upon hearing that Lord Xuande had been promoted to King of Han in Luoyang and had sent troops to attack the four counties of Liang, Chen, Runan and Jiujiang, Taishi Ci, Guan Hai, Le Jin, Zhang Chao, Bao Xin, Zang Ba and others all rushed to the front, seeking to make achievements in order to repay the King of Han for his favor.

Taishi Ci, Le Jin and Zang Ba repeatedly attacked the city walls first. Between the first and second months of the second year of Jian'an alone, they had defeated Liang and Chen and defeated the Yuan army under Ji Ling of Runan County. Ji Ling was defeated repeatedly and finally fled back to Lujiang with only a thousand men left.

Taishi Ci, who was attacking Yuan Shu in Jiujiang, had also captured Yinling, Xiquyang, Dangxu, Yicheng and Ping'a counties, and his troops were heading straight for Shouchun City south of Feishui and Xiacai County in the north.

Since this place is close to the river, it is difficult to dig the ground to attack the city. Moreover, Yuan's troops are defending Shouchun with Feishui River. Unless they first capture Xiacai County upstream and choose the right time to flood the city, they can quickly capture this place.

However, flooding the city would have a huge impact. In the fourth year of Chuping, the King of Han did not flood the city with river water when he attacked Puyang in Yanzhou. Even if Taishi Ci was eager to make a contribution, how could he dare to risk the wrath of the King of Han to flood the city? He could only ride his horse and wander on the north bank of Feishui, thinking hard day and night about how to cross the river and attack the city.

Unlike Taishi Ci's anxious mood, Yuan Shu, who was trapped in Shoucheng City, was furious in his mansion. He overturned the table in front of him, and loudly scolded Ji Ling for his defeat with a red face.

"Ji Ling is really a mediocre talent, not a weapon for military operations, and can only be used as a vain official!"

"I entrusted Runan to him, but he was no match for the Yellow Turban leader Guan Hai and that warrior Le Jin?!"

Yuan Shu had previously placed high hopes on Ji Ling, asking him to repel the invading enemy as soon as possible, and then take advantage of Liu Bei's visit to the north to capture Yuzhou and relieve the pressure on Yuan Benchu, who had given birth to a son for his maid.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Shao died in one battle, which made Liu Bei famous again. Ji Ling also lost three battles in Runan, suffered heavy casualties and was defeated, so that the Yuan army that attacked Chen and Liang in Yuzhou had their retreat cut off and was completely wiped out in the north.

Coincidentally, Taishi Ci, the prime minister of Xia Pi in Xuzhou in the east, was also good at using troops. Liu Xun's army was defeated and even Yinling County was lost. He could only retreat to Shouchun.

Faced with the current difficulties, how could Yuan Shu not be angry?

Looking back to the past when he and Yuan Shao were the two major princes in the north and the south, they were so high-spirited and ambitious. How could they fall into such a desperate situation in just a few years?

Before Liu Xuande personally went out to fight, his troops had already been pressing towards him from the east, north and west like an overwhelming force. Since Liu Bei's southern expedition, all that was left in Yuan Gonglu's hands were the devastated Jiujiang and Lujiang counties.

"Is it really God's will to destroy our Yuan family?!"

Yuan Shu couldn't help but look up and said sadly.

Didn’t the prophecy say that the one who would replace the Han Dynasty would be Dangtu Gao, and that the one who would inherit the Han Dynasty’s mandate of heaven would be Yuan Gonglu, whose surname was Zhong?

Moreover, he holds the imperial seal. Shouldn't he be invincible and have all the people in the world come to him? Why is he in such a predicament?

"What can I do?! What can I do?! It's all about time and fate. Who knows anything else?"

Thinking of this, Yuan Shu suddenly felt a lump in his chest and cried out in grief and anger.

Sometimes he became so angry that he really wanted to smash the imperial seal, but he couldn't bear to hold it up high. After all, he had stroked it for so long and even held it in his hands every night when he slept. How could he be so cruel?

"Lord Yuan, Liu Xuande is too powerful to be matched by one of the princes. Cao Mengde of Jiangdong and Huainan have had some grudges, and Liu Jingsheng of Jingzhou also has a grudge against me. Since we cannot unite, it is better to choose the strongest among them and join them to protect the Yuan family from the danger of destruction."

The chief clerk Yan Xiangxi was sitting in the hall, frowning and thinking about Huainan for a long time. Finally, he sighed secretly, bowed and gave some advice.

Other staff members, such as Li Ye and others, also nodded imperceptibly.

Yan Xiang spoke from the bottom of his heart. No one was in a more difficult and desperate situation than Huainan.

Looking at the whole world, the only one who has offended all the surrounding princes is Lord Yuan of Shouchun.

Chief Clerk Yang Hong glanced at Yan Xiang and thought that the other party must not know that Lord Yuan had secretly kept the jade seal.

(End of this chapter)