The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 132: Heroes from all over the world gather in Chendi to express their love and seek titles

Although under the encouragement of all officials, Cao Cao, Liu Chong and others temporarily avoided the possibility of war.

But Cao Cao still refused to give in, and Liu Chong, Zhao Yun, Guo Gong and others also refused to compromise.

Liu Xie was helpless and hurriedly sent Taiwei Yang Biao and his uncle Dong Cheng to mediate.

I still remember the last time I encountered this situation was last time.

It was because Li Jue and Guo Si were struggling for power, which brought disaster to the emperor and all the officials, so Liu Xie had to send someone to mediate.

Just as the two sides were at a stalemate, the sound of horse hooves was suddenly heard from the southeast.

A group of people suddenly arrived.

All the officials were afraid and looked around.

I saw a majestic general suddenly appeared before my eyes and shouted:

"Where is Cao Cao going to hijack the emperor?"

When everyone looked at him, they found that it was Marquis Wen Lu Bu.

"It's Lü Wenhou, Lü Wenhou!"

The officials were whispering, with a hint of excitement in their tone.

Liu Xie also smiled, "I didn't expect General Lu to come here!"

Because of his meritorious service in eliminating the bandits, Lu Bu enjoyed a good reputation in the court.

Before the Wenhe Rebellion, when Wang Yun was in power, Lu Bu had repeatedly advised Wang Yun to pardon those Xiliang troops.

He also told Wang Yun that if he did not pardon him, the consequences would be disastrous if Li Jue and others were forced to rebel.

This was the most intellectually brilliant moment in Lu Bu's life.

As a result, Lao Luo was not a good person and deleted Lu Bu's only peak of intelligence and did not include it in the article.

Later, Li Jue and Guo Si followed Jia Xu's advice, summoned their old subordinates, and fought back to Chang'an.

In the situation where the enemy outnumbered us, Lu Bu did not choose to abandon the city and flee, but took the initiative to lead his troops out of the city to resist.

In the end, it was only after his subordinates rebelled, opened the city gates, and let Li Jue and others enter that Lu Bu was defeated and fled.

Before Lu Bu left, he stopped his horse outside Qingsuo Gate, hoping to rescue Wang Yun and take him with him.

This is one of the few things Lu Bu did in his life.

However, this move undoubtedly won the favor of all officials in the court.

Therefore, both the Emperor Liu Xie and the ministers had a good impression of Lu Bu.

Seeing that Lu Bu also brought his troops to protect the emperor, Liu Xie felt like he had found a life-saving straw and hurriedly explained the whole situation to Lu Bu.

Upon hearing this, Lu Bu said:

"I am resting my men and horses in Runan. Since Your Majesty is going to the State of Chen, I will stop by for a while."

"I am willing to escort your majesty!"

Cao Cao never expected that Lu Bu would appear here.

"Lü Bu, why are you coming to Henan Yin to join in the fun instead of resting in Runan?"

Cao Cao scolded coldly.

Lu Bu raised his sword-like eyebrows and replied:
"Today, the emperor is in trouble. As a Han official, I have no right to stand by and watch."

tsk...

Cao Cao curled his lips, thinking that things were becoming increasingly difficult.

He wanted to send someone to lead the troops to attack Lü Bu, but he was afraid of Lü Bu's bravery and did not dare to act rashly.

While hesitating, he suddenly heard loud shouts from the north, the sound of gongs and drums, and a large number of troops and horses approaching.

“…This, this is a military horse from Hebei!”

As Yuan Shao's younger brother, Cao Cao recognized at a glance that these were Yuan Shao's men.

I was wondering how many people had come to join in the fun to escort the king.

After a while, a general led his troops to the emperor and bowed:

"I am Yan Liang, a general under Yuan Shao, governor of Jizhou. I heard that Your Majesty is returning to Luoyi, so I came here to lead the troops to protect you!"

Yuan Shao is here too?
Everyone looked at each other, all shocked.

You know, the Yuan family has always been on the side of the young emperor.

He once wanted to support Liu Yu as emperor, so why would he send troops to support him?

Yan Liang walked up to Cao Cao and bowed:
"General Cao, I am under the order of Lord Yuan to escort the king to the State of Chen."

"The general is leading his troops here to argue with everyone. Could it be that he wants to seize the emperor?"

tsk...

Cao Cao secretly spat, suppressed his anger, and returned the greeting with a bow:

"How could Cao have such unreasonable thoughts?"

"I simply want to ask Your Majesty to go to a safer place, away from the harassment of the rebels."

"It is only for good advice, not for military remonstrance."

"What happened today was truly not what I wanted."

……Um
Yan Liang nodded, and walked straight past Cao Cao and came in front of Liu Chong and others.

"Prince Chen, generals, I am here to protect you on the orders of Lord Yuan."

"I beg you to lend a helping hand."

Liu Chong, Zhao Yun and others were all overjoyed and said in unison:
"With the general's help, I think the villains won't dare to act rashly."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the words allude to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was so angry that his gums ached and he stormed back to his camp.

Then call everyone over to discuss the matter.

Cheng Yu suggested:
"Yuan Shao sent Yan Liang to lead the troops here. It seems that he does not want the emperor to fall into your hands."

Cao Cao raised his eyebrows and said in surprise:
"Could it be that Benchu doubted Cao?"

He thought to himself that Yuan Shao seemed to no longer trust him.

If Yuan Shao really conquered Gongsun Zan, he and Liu Bei, who were in Henan, would be attacked from both the north and the south by the two Yuans, and would be unable to take care of both ends.

It seems that Liu Bei's previous proposal for the union of Yan and Yu was not alarmist.

"What should we do today?" Cao Cao asked Cheng Yu again.

Cheng Yu sighed and said helplessly:

"Since Yuan Shao has already sent his troops here, if we still insist on returning to Xu, I'm afraid we will become enemies with Yuan Shao."

"Liu Bei refused to follow him, and Lu Bu brought his troops to cause trouble."

"In my humble opinion, let's just call it quits on escorting the emperor to Xu County."

Cao Cao nodded slightly, and everyone thought he would be unwilling and annoyed.

Unexpectedly, he raised the corner of his lips to everyone:
"…This is the only solution for now."

Everyone was shocked by Cao Cao's open-mindedness and optimism. Cao Ren said quickly:
"Mingsir, we have come all the way here day and night just to welcome the emperor, right?"

"Yan Liang brought a small number of troops. Even if he joins forces with Liu Chong, he may not be a match for us."

"Yingchuan is not far from here. If we can bring the imperial carriage to Yangcheng first, Sima Xun will be able to send someone to pick it up right away."

"The opportunity has not yet been lost, why give up so easily?"

All the generals were unwilling to give in. Because of this matter, they only slept for two hours a day and then continued on their journey.

Isn't the purpose to welcome the emperor to Xu County?

It feels really bad to have such fat meat right in your mouth but have it suddenly snatched away by someone else.

Cao Cao, in turn, comforted everyone:

"It is unwise to offend Yuan Shao and Liu Bei at the same time as the emperor."

"Besides, the soldiers under Lü Bu and Liu Chong are all good fighters and will not be easy to defeat."

"If we insist on fighting, no matter who wins or loses, the two Yuans will benefit in the end."

"We have lost our chance today, so let's just give up now."

When the generals heard this, there was disappointment on their faces.

Cao Ren asked again:

"So what should we do now?"

Everyone turned their attention to Cao Cao, who stroked his beard and analyzed:
"Although we cannot welcome the emperor to Xu County today, we have done a great service in protecting him."

"Liu Bei, Liu Chong, Lu Bu and their ilk are all my successors."

"Since we are here to protect the emperor, we naturally cannot give up halfway."

After saying this, Cao Cao looked at Xiahou Dun and said sternly:

"Yuan Rang, you and Dian Wei will lead a thousand infantry and cavalry to open the way."

"I will lead the army and protect the emperor."

Everyone bowed and nodded, then took the order and left.

then,

The emperor, who originally had less than a hundred imperial guards around him, suddenly had countless elite soldiers and generals.

The imperial carriage drove towards Yuzhou in a mighty manner, and the bandits nearby did not dare to approach.

Whenever there were civilians passing by, all the princes would compete to give them rewards, which also showed the emperor's grace and kindness.

The people who received the help all bowed their heads and shouted "Long live the Buddha".

This was the first time that Emperor Liu Xie had felt such a difficult situation since he ascended the throne.

So this is what it feels like to be the emperor.

……

On the other hand, Cao Cao impeached Han Xian and Yang Feng.

Han Xian fled alone to Liang County, found Yang Feng, and told him about Cao Cao's rude behavior.

Yang Feng was shocked and said:
"We have been instrumental in protecting the emperor all the way, but now we are in Luoyi, and they cannot accommodate us."

"How rude!"

Another Baibo coach, Li Le, suggested:
"Cao Cao cannot tolerate us now. If he were to take his carriage to Chendi, he would be in trouble."

"All the efforts we made in protecting the emperor have been wiped out."

"Why not raise an army and lead the imperial carriage back west to Mianchi?"

Yang Feng and Han Xian readily agreed and returned to their camps to gather their troops.

Yang Feng returned to the camp and was preparing to set off.

Cavalry Commander Xu Huang urged his horse forward to stop them.

Xu Huang was a general under Yang Feng. Because of his meritorious service in fighting against bandits, he was appointed as Cavalry Commandant.

Previously, when the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si were fighting, it was Xu Huang who came forward to persuade Yang Feng to welcome the emperor back to the east.

"Gongming is here, what good advice do you have for me?"

When Yang Feng saw that it was Xu Huang who came forward, he took the initiative to ask for his opinion.

Xu Huang advised:
"Although your troops are the strongest, they lack support from the party."

"Today, all the princes are powerful. It would be better to rely on one person to protect yourself."

Yang Feng could not accept it and said:
"Now all the heroes have risen up and rushed to protect the royal family. All the merits we have gained in protecting the emperor have been wiped out."

"If we cannot get the imperial carriage back to the west, it will be difficult for us to protect ourselves."

Xu Huang said again:

"In this case, we should advance slowly."

"All the princes are here to protect the king, and their military strength is so great that it is really difficult to compete with them."

"After the imperial carriage reaches Chendi, all the princes' troops will withdraw, and then we can advance."

This suggestion was relatively pertinent and Yang Feng gladly accepted it.

Then he led his troops to join forces with Han Xian, Li Le and others, and chased the emperor's carriage. However, he did not dare to get too close, for fear of being discovered by scouts and attacked in return.

Therefore, the pace of advancement is extremely slow.

On the other side, Liu Chong and others protected the king while sending someone to deliver a letter to Xuzhou.

Inform Liu Bei that the emperor's carriage has been safely received, and the princes are working together to protect the king and send him to Chen.

Liu Bei was overjoyed after receiving the letter.

He quickly summoned everyone to discuss the matter.

"Today the emperor will be traveling to Chen. I plan to go to Chen to pay homage to the emperor."

"What do you think?"

Both the civil and military officials in Xuzhou agreed with Liu Bei's decision.

At this time, paying homage to the emperor was a very politically correct thing to do.

Liu Bei himself was a relative of the Han royal family, and the 400-year-old Han dynasty’s reputation was the biggest bonus to him.

How could I miss this opportunity to pay homage to the Emperor?
"How about the military advisor going with me?"

Liu Bei took the initiative to bring Li Yi with him, "Sooner or later I will discuss matters with you, and we cannot be separated for a moment."

Li Yi smiled and said:

"This is within Yi's responsibility."

Guan Yu said beside him:
"Now is a time of trouble, and I don't know what the future holds for you, brother."

"Why not let my foolish brother lead the troops and go with us?"

Liu Bei smiled and said:

"What kind of trouble could possibly come of going to see the emperor?"

Li Yi said:

"It's a good idea to have more thoughts. Why not let General Yunchang lead the troops to go with us?"

"It should be a meeting with the emperor together."

Liu Bei readily agreed and ordered Sun Qian to prepare tribute for the trip to Chendi, and then ordered Guan Yu to lead the army to clear the way.

They traveled light and simply, heading towards the State of Chen.

When they arrived at the State of Chen, the emperor had just arrived here not long ago.

Liu Bei led Guan Yu, Li Yi and other important officials of Xuzhou to the court to meet the emperor.

Liu Bei changed into court clothes in advance and bowed before the Danchi.

The emperor immediately summoned him into the palace.

"Your Majesty, I am Liu Bei, the governor of Xuzhou!"

After Liu Bei knelt down, he placed his hands on the ground and bowed his head to the ground without pausing for a moment.

The movements were coherent, and it was obvious that he had made sufficient mental preparation.

"My dear ministers, please stand up quickly!"

Emperor Liu Xie quickly signaled Liu Bei and others to stand up.

Liu Bei bowed his head, held his hands in front of his chest, and stood up respectfully.

When the officials saw this, they all sighed inwardly.

Liu Xie was amazed when he saw that Liu Bei had ears that hung down to his shoulders and had the appearance of a dragon and a phoenix, a appearance of the sun and the sun.

"I was able to escape from the Liangzhou rebels and rush to Chendi, all thanks to you nobles."

"I am deeply comforted that you, my dear ministers, have come here from afar."

Liu Bei spoke again:
"Your Majesty, I have brought with me 10,000 dan of millet, 100 rolls of silk, 50 jin of maltose, and 20 pearls."

"I think it is a great honor for Your Majesty to come to Chendi to congratulate you!"

Liu Xie was overjoyed when he heard this and asked Liu Bei:

"Before you came, I heard that you were also a member of my royal family."

"I wonder who your ancestors were?"

Liu Bei then said loudly:
"I am the descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan, the great-great-grandson of Emperor Xiaojing, the grandson of Liu Xiong, and the son of Liu Hong."

Liu Xie immediately ordered the clan genealogy to be brought over for inspection.

Upon investigation, it was found that Liu Bei's grandfather Liu Xiong had been selected as a filial and honest official in his early years and served as the magistrate of Fan in Dongjun.

Later, the family fell into poverty and his father Liu Hong was unable to take up an official position.

Liu Xiong's father was Liu Hui, Marquis of Jichuan.

After checking the family tree, it was confirmed that Liu Bei was indeed a member of the royal family.

According to the seniority, he should be the emperor's uncle.

Liu Xie was overjoyed when he heard this and said:

"The other day when I was in Henan, I found a heroic uncle."

"Today we have another uncle, Liu Huang. Our Han clan has produced many talented people. Why should we worry that our country will not be able to prosper again?"

Afterwards, the emperor began to praise everyone for their achievements.

The first ones to come were the loyal ministers of the court, including Dong Cheng, Fu Wan, Zhong Ji, and Zhong Yao, who had accompanied him all the way.

They were all granted the title of marquis to honor their loyalty and righteousness.

Lu Bu, who came with him to protect the emperor, was appointed General Pingnan.

When he heard that he had stationed troops in Runan, he formally appointed him as the prefect of Runan.

Previously, Yuan Shu had recommended Sun Xiang as the governor of Runan, and later in order to accept Lu Bu, he also recommended him as the governor of Runan.

The above two statements were both made up by Yuan Shu himself and have not been officially recognized.

But this time Liu Xie personally appointed Lu Bu as the governor of Runan, which was regarded as the recognition of the court.

Upon hearing this, Lu Bu was overjoyed and bowed his head repeatedly to express his gratitude.

After seeing off Lu Bu.

Liu Xie also had to deal with a bigger trouble, that was Yan Liang.

Behind this man is Yuan Shao, who dominates Hebei.

He didn't want to welcome himself to Yecheng, but he also didn't want to fall into the hands of other princes.

So we went to Chen together.

Liu Xie immediately appointed Yan Liang as the commander of the Loyal and Righteous Army.

He also appointed Yuan Shao as Grand Marshal, ranked among the Three Dukes, and granted him the title of Marquis of Ye.

This is a considerable reward.

Even though Liu Xie is only fifteen or sixteen years old, he is actually capable and resourceful.

It's just that his opponents were too strong and he couldn't defeat them.

Now he could also see Yuan Shao's intention.

This was the most powerful prince in the world, and he absolutely could not afford to offend him, so he simply put aside his past grudges.

Appoint Yuan Shao as a high-ranking official to appease his heart.

After receiving the reward from Liu Xie, Yan Liang expressed his gratitude repeatedly.

Next,
Among the foreign princes, only the Cao and Liu families remained.

At this time, Cao Cao and Liu Bei were both in the court.

The two of them looked over unconsciously, but then looked away.

"Lord Cao."

Liu Xie first set his sights on Cao Cao.

Cao Cao bowed and stepped out.

"You have been diligent and hardworking, and have been instrumental in protecting the emperor along the way."

"I appoint you as the Minister of Works of the Imperial Court and grant you the title of Marquis of Wuping."

Cao Cao quickly expressed his gratitude.

Sikong was also one of the Three Dukes.

This reward was no worse than that given to Yuan Shao, so Cao Cao was still satisfied with it.

But he was not in a very good mood. Instead, he turned his gaze to Liu Bei not far away.

He wanted to see how the young emperor would reward his new "imperial uncle".

"Uncle, come forward!"

Liu Xie signaled Liu Bei to step forward.

"The emperor's uncle is far away in Xuzhou, but he has sent troops from a thousand miles away to protect the emperor."

"He is truly a loyal and courageous minister of the country."

"Therefore, I appoint you as the Left General!"

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the most respected title of general was the Grand General, who ranked above the Three Dukes and was even more respected than the Minister.

Under the general were the General of Cavalry, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, and the General of Guards, whose ranks were comparable to the Three Dukes.

Below them are the four generals, namely front, back, left and right.

The four generals of the Eastern Han Dynasty were of equal rank, with no distinction between high and low.

Theoretically, the status of the Four Generals is not as high as that of the Three Dukes.

But it cannot be compared horizontally with the Three Dukes.

Besides, Cao Cao was a vassal lord from another state, and even if he was granted the title of one of the Three Dukes, it would be impossible for him to hold a position in the court.

Cao Cao was wondering what the little emperor meant by this arrangement.

But Liu Xie's voice was still coming from above.

"The emperor's uncle can be appointed governor of Xuzhou and be granted the title of Marquis of Xiapi."

Since Liu Bei had taken over the title of Xuzhou Mu from Tao Qian, it had not been officially recognized.

Just like Lu Bu before, Liu Xie also officially appointed Liu Bei as the governor of Xuzhou.

Gave a court certification.

And Liu Bei, like Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, was also granted a title.

Liu Bei's capital was in Xia Pi, so he was granted the title of Marquis of Xia Pi.

Originally, Xia Pi was a country and theoretically could not be sealed off from others.

But later, after the state was abolished and the county was no longer a vassal state's territory, Liu Bei could be granted the title of Marquis of Xia Pi.

At present, the more powerful princes that Liu Xie can contact are Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei.

What surprised Cao Cao was that Liu Xie did not give Liu Bei any more rewards just because Liu Bei was his uncle.

He originally thought that it was because of the previous conflict in Luoyang.

Liu Huiji deliberately appointed Liu Bei to a higher official position in order to disgust and suppress himself.

Unexpectedly, he held the bowl of water surprisingly evenly.

Liu Xie then called Zhao Yun and Xiahou Dun to come down the steps.

"My two dear ministers, you are leading the army in the front and fighting against the two bandits, Kuai and Si. It is very hard work."

"To serve the king and protect him along the way is also a way of being diligent and making progress."

"I cannot mistreat my meritorious officials."

It is not surprising that Liu Xie wanted to reward Zhao Yun and Xiahou Dun separately.

After all, even Yan Liang, who replaced Yuan Shao, was rewarded, so it is impossible that these two people would not have been rewarded.

But Liu Xie's next words shocked everyone present.

"Zhao Yun was appointed as the governor of Jiujiang, and Xiahou Dun was appointed as the governor of Lujiang."

……

(End of this chapter)