The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 249 Volume Blank Edict
Yang Xiu just looked at Xu Rong, smiled faintly but said nothing more.

"Your Majesty, for my sake, is willing to sacrifice the entire Han Dynasty to fight to the death. Isn't this a bit too much of a joke?"

Xu Rong still didn't understand the emperor's actions, and even didn't believe from the bottom of his heart that Liu Hui was so radical.

Everything he did was just to scare him.

After hearing this, Yang Xiu shook his head and said, "Your Majesty does value General Xu Rong very much, but General Xu Rong should not think too highly of himself and compare himself with the entire Han court."

"What your majesty really wants is the 10,000 elite Xiliang troops under General Xu Rong."

"Because these 10,000 elite Xiliang soldiers have become the cornerstone of the imperial court."

"General Xu Rong just told Your Majesty to lead the troops under Generals Lu Bu and Niu Fu back to Guanzhong... But General Xu Rong should know that if he only takes the troops under the command of the two generals back to Chang'an, Your Majesty and the court will no longer have a chance to resist Yuan Shao."

"So, Your Majesty is not in the mood to perish together with the enemy, but rather - rather die in glory than live in disgrace!"

Yang Xiu fell into recollection: "Your Majesty once chatted with me on the way here and asked me what posthumous title I would like to give to the Grand Master."

"I chose Wenzhuang, and His Majesty was very satisfied, but he did not agree to it."

"Because Your Majesty knows that only by expelling Yuan Shao from Bingzhou and preserving the imperial court, he will be qualified to give the Grand Master a posthumous title and make his achievements immortal."

"So, for General Xu Rong alone, Your Majesty would never be so radical. But if it was for the Grand Tutor, does General Xu Rong think that Your Majesty would not go this far?"

The deceased is not qualified to defend himself.

The loser is not qualified to testify for the deceased.

Only the winners and the survivors are qualified to write history.

So Liu Xie came here to make himself the winner and the survivor.

Both are indispensable, so Liu Xie had to use this method to make Xu Rong surrender.

At this moment, Xu Rong also understood the emperor's determination.

He also knew that what Yang Xiu said was true.

The emperor only led the armies of Lu Bu and Niu Fu back, which was just the difference between an early defeat and a late defeat.

But the Son of Heaven must be both the victor and the survivor.

In this way, it is better to die with honor than to live in disgrace.

But Xu Rong still hesitated.

"The angel also said that the emperor cares about the Xiliang army under my command, not me, Xu Rong."

"What should I do if the emperor imprisoned and killed me?"

After all, Xu Rong didn't believe that the emperor would allow him to continue to hold military power.

Once he lost his military power, Xu Rong didn't know what he could rely on to save his life.

"I can't answer General Xu's question."

However, Yang Xiu took out a silk book from his arms and placed it in front of Xu Rong.

"Yuan Shao promised the general the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households and the position of Governor of Hedong. Naturally, the emperor also has something to promise the general."

Xu Rong looked down at the silk book, his heart pounding but also a little hesitant.

But in the end, he still opened the silk book...

……

?

Xu Rong unfolded the silk book and was stunned.

"Angel, did you get the wrong one?"

On the entire silk book, except for the emperor's seal, there is not a single word?
"That's right."

Yang Xiu looked at the blank silk book. Even though he had delivered the book to Xu Rong personally, he still couldn't believe it and was impressed by the emperor's magnanimity.

"The emperor said that General Xu can fill in whatever position and reward he wants."

"Whether it's one of the Nine Ministers like the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Court, or one of the Three Dukes like the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Works, or one of the Generals of Chariots and Cavalry and the General of Horsemen who have the power to establish a government, or even a Duke of a State, the Emperor can agree to it."

"As long as General Xu Rong is willing to lead his troops to submit to the imperial court, the emperor can agree to any position he asks for!"

……

"Gudong."

Xu Rong swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and his Adam's apple rolled up and down.

He expected that the reward the emperor would give him would definitely not be small.

But I didn't expect that he would be so generous!

Do not!
How is this generous?

In the 400 years since the Han Dynasty was founded, has anyone ever been treated like this?

Xu Rong murmured, "As long as I write down the title of one of the Three Dukes, I, Xu Rong, can immediately become one of the Three Dukes of the Han Dynasty?"

"Yes."

"Or if I write down the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry, I can also immediately become a general with a high title and a government post?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll write down the Prime Minister..."

After saying this, Xu Rong finally came to his senses, and Yang Xiu was speechless, thinking that Xu Rong was too ungrateful.

Although in principle, if Xu Rong wrote this silk book as an edict of abdication, it would be within Liu Xie's scope of approval... but if that happened, it would really be like playing tricks on the Han court.

"Angel, this..."

Xu Rong previously thought that the marquis title and the governor position with an official salary of two thousand stones promised by Yuan Shao were already good enough.

But compared with the emperor, what Yuan Shao took out was complete rubbish!

Moreover, the emperor was willing to present a blank edict, and his greatest sincerity was not to promise Xu Rong a title, but to tell Xu Rong that his life could absolutely be guaranteed.

What the emperor handed over was not just a blank edict, but the prestige accumulated by the Han Dynasty for four hundred years and the dignity of the Han emperor.

If the emperor wanted to kill Xu Rong after this, the consequences would definitely be more serious than "swearing by the Luo River"!
"Huh..." Xu Rong looked at the blank silk book with a complicated expression.

"The angel said before that the emperor wants to meet me? The place is decided by me?"

"Exactly."

"What if I choose to meet in my tent?"

Yang Xiu was a little surprised, then he smiled and said, "Once the emperor knows about this, he will still come to keep the appointment."

"But I will never pass this news to the emperor!"

……

Xu Rong couldn't help laughing: "Forget it, then let's set the location five miles south of my camp, and each of us won't bring any soldiers or horses, how about that?"

"it is good."

"A word is settled!"

……

On the second day, Xu Rong brought only a dozen riders to the appointment.

A thatched hut had already been built on the south side.

There are no barriers on the four sides of the thatched cottage, and it is supported only by a large umbrella in the middle.

The layout below is also clearly visible, with just one person, one table, and two chairs.

Xu Rong looked back from a distance and confirmed that even with Red Hare's speed, it was impossible for it to suddenly kill him. Then he rode to the tent alone.

"General Xu Rong greets His Majesty!"

The person sitting there was Emperor Liu Xie.

At this moment, there was a stove on the table boiling tea. A refreshing fragrance wafted from it, enveloping the thatched hut which was leaky on all sides.

"General Xu Rong is here? Just take a seat."

Liu Xie picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup, and then poured another cup for Xu Rong.

"How is General Xu Rong doing these days?"

"Your Majesty, it's not bad."

"That's good, what's for lunch?"

“I haven’t had time to eat yet.”

"How about that?"

Liu Xie frowned, took out a food box from the side and placed it in front of Xu Rong.

"Food is the most important thing for people. How can we survive without food?"

The food box was opened, revealing a row of desserts.

Xu Rong looked at the box of pastries with some hesitation.

"General Xu, rest assured. I have not yet stooped to the point of using poison."

"Besides, I can't possibly poison this no matter what."

Liu Xie stepped forward and picked up a piece of the fruit himself, putting it into his mouth, nodding his head continuously: "Grandmaster, you know how to eat. This thing is really delicious, and it is much better than honey water."

Xu Rong didn't know what Liu Xie meant, but he still picked up a fruit and started eating it with confidence.

The emperor and his minister did not seem to be dealing with any military or national affairs at the moment. They were just sitting together enjoying an ordinary afternoon tea, looking extremely leisurely.

Xu Rong also felt relaxed in such an atmosphere.

After eating the dessert, I raised my cup and took a sip of tea. I was immediately impressed by the refreshing taste.

"This tea...why is it different from what we usually drink?"

Liu Xie picked up the teapot and poured another cup for Xu Rong: "Of course it's different. The ancient method of drinking tea is mostly to drink it wet. You soak the tea leaves in water and drink it before they dry up. It's inevitable that there's an earthy smell."

"These tea leaves were roasted by the palace servants under my order. Not only are they easy to store, but they also enhance the aroma, which is why they taste so sweet."

"If General Xu Rong likes it, I can give him more after returning to Chang'an."

Xu Rong smiled awkwardly, avoided the topic, and instead praised Liu Xie:

"Your Majesty looks really handsome in armor."

Liu Xie was handsome and had a refined look, but he was still a teenager after all, so he lacked some authority.

But now Liu Xie was wearing fish-scale black armor and wrapped in a dark red cloak. The added murderous aura he exuded finally made up for the majesty that he lacked due to his youth.

But after Liu Xie looked at himself, he began to fiddle with his armor unnaturally.

"General Xu, you know that I have always believed that wearing armor and robes while riding a horse is extremely handsome."

"But when I really put on the armor, I felt very uncomfortable. This Han armor weighing dozens of kilograms is really cumbersome and heavy to wear all year round. If you are not careful, you will trip and fall to the ground."

"It's the same with riding a horse. It's okay if you go slowly. But when you speed up, there's a burning pain between your legs, and your hands are rubbed with blisters by the reins. It's really unbearable for ordinary people."

"I wonder if General Xu Rong has such troubles?"

Xu Rong shook his head and spread out his palms for Liu Xie to observe: "I already have a thick layer of calluses on my hands. Now I don't feel any pain when riding a horse."

"Although the armor is heavy, I know it is the only thing that can save my life on the battlefield, so I will not find it cumbersome."

"But there's really nothing I can do about the pain between my legs. I can only prepare some extra powder and apply it at any time."

At this moment, Xu Rong had finished his second cup of tea, but Liu Xie did not refill it for him.

Liu Xie stared at Xu Rong's palm, but suddenly laughed.

"Although the calluses on General Xu's palms are thick, they are still not as thick as those on the Grand Tutor's palms."

"If the Grand Master were still alive, I wonder if he would blame me for being too hypocritical..."

Liu Xie raised his head and looked directly into Xu Rong's eyes: "Should we blame General Xu Rong for being so treacherous and two-faced?"

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(End of this chapter)