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

Chapter 338 Liu Bei: I have just become emperor, and you dare to defy my imperial decree!

In the first year of Zhangwu, news of Liu Bei's ascension to the throne in Luoyang reached Chengdu.

Cao Cao was greatly alarmed upon hearing this, and summoned his trusted advisors to the Duke of Wei's residence for a secret meeting.

Cao Cao stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the map on the table. After a long while, he sighed softly:
"Liu Bei actually dared to declare himself emperor..."

"I am now the Duke of Wei under the Han dynasty. If I were to assume this position, wouldn't that be tantamount to voluntarily submitting to Liu Bei?"

Cao Cao's title of Duke of Wei was bestowed during the reign of Emperor Xie.

In theory, Cao Cao can still be considered a subject of the Han dynasty.

The dynasty established by Liu Bei continued the fire virtue of the Han dynasty.

Therefore, Cao Cao could not recognize Liu Bei's status as the Han emperor under any circumstances. Otherwise, the Cao Wei group, which was already confined to Yizhou, would be ideologically inferior.

Cheng Yu stepped forward with his hands clasped, his gaze sharp, and offered his advice:
"My lord, although Liu Bei occupies the Central Plains, Yizhou is a strategically important and easily defended region that is difficult to attack."

"Now that he has just ascended to the throne, his foundation is not yet stable."

“If we rally the world in the name of ‘punishing the traitors,’ we may not be unable to resist them.”

Cao Cao shook his head:
"Liu Bei was a member of the Han imperial family and had legitimately received the abdication."

"Now that he has proclaimed himself emperor, many scholars and common people throughout the land have submitted to him."

"If I rashly raise an army, how can I justify punishing the traitors?"

"I fear that this might lead to a loss of righteousness."

Therefore, we say that politics is the game where face is the most important thing.

If Liu Xie had died on the battlefield in Henan, Cao Cao could now accuse Liu Bei of "regicide and usurpation."

The problem is that they went through a complete abdication process.

Liu Xie was also granted the title of King of Shanyang, and he lived a good life in the Shanyang Kingdom.

What could Cao Cao use to criticize Liu Bei?

Cheng Yu stroked his beard and suggested:
“In the future, you may summon all your ministers.”

“Your Excellency can publicly weep and claim that the Emperor was forced to abdicate, and then secretly issue an edict to Your Excellency to punish the traitor.”

"Then we will use large sums of money to befriend the kings of Ba and Yi, and get them to join us."

"At that time, with the support of both inside and outside forces, you, my lord, can rightfully declare yourself king and establish your rule over Shu against Liu Bei!"

Cao Hong immediately retorted:
"But Liu Bei's abdication was legitimate, and the emperor is safe in Shanyang Kingdom."

"How can we falsely claim that the emperor was forced to abdicate?"

Cheng Yu's lips curled slightly, and he chuckled coldly:
"General Zilian, you are mistaken. Whether the emperor was truly forced to abdicate is not important."

"The important thing is to make the people of Shu believe that the emperor was forced to abdicate."

Cao Hong then suddenly realized what was going on.

Cheng Yu meant that even if everyone knew that Liu Bei's abdication was legitimate, it was fine as long as Shu did not recognize it.

Because we share common interests.

As long as everyone tacitly keeps quiet about it, who really cares that Liu Xie was forced to abdicate?
As long as the emperor remains in Liu Bei's hands, we can always claim that Liu Xie was forced to abdicate.

It can always be claimed that the emperor was coerced and that everything was forced upon him by Liu Bei.

The truth doesn't matter.

It is important to consider which "truth" people are willing to believe.

The next day,

In the main hall of the Duke of Wei's mansion, civil and military officials gathered.

Cao Cao, dressed in mourning clothes and with a sorrowful expression, stood before the steps.

He glanced around at everyone, then suddenly covered his face and wept:
"Gentlemen! Last night we received a secret report that the Emperor... the Emperor has been forced to abdicate by Liu Bei!"

The officials were in an uproar, and the local officials of Yizhou all looked at each other in bewilderment.

Xiahou Dun slammed his fist on the table in anger:

"How dare Liu Bei do such a thing!"

"My lord, you should immediately send troops to punish the rebels!"

Sima Lang said in a deep voice:
"However, Liu Bei's power is immense; if we rashly raise an army..."

At this moment, King Duhu of Ba and King Puhu of Yi stepped forward, cupped their hands, and loudly proclaimed:
"Lord Wei! We have also received a secret edict from the Emperor, ordering you to punish the traitors for the country!"

These people had already been bribed by Cao Cao with large sums of money, and now that they were stepping forward, they were just cooperating with Cao Cao in putting on a show.

Cao Cao wiped away his tears and said with deep emotion:
"Since the emperor has given his decree, even though I am lacking in talent and virtue, I should still do my best to fulfill it!"

Cheng Yu stepped forward at the opportune moment and offered his advice:
"Now Liu Bei has usurped the throne and declared himself emperor, causing turmoil throughout the land."

"Now that Your Excellency has received the secret edict, you should rectify your title and name to reassure the people and soldiers of Shu!"

Xiahou Dun and the others seized the opportunity to loudly echo:
"We beseech Your Excellency to be promoted to the rank of King and to rule over Yizhou, so that we may jointly punish the traitors of the state!"

The generals echoed in unison, and the officials of Yizhou, seeing that the situation was settled, also bowed down.

They were already in a community of shared interests with Cao Cao, so there was no reason for them to oppose his claim to the throne.

Seeing the will of the people, Cao Cao knew that the situation was already settled.

However, the necessary procedures still need to be followed.

Therefore, he made a difficult request and declined, saying:
"I am a subject of the Han dynasty, how dare I overstep my bounds..."

Cheng Yu said seriously:

"If Your Excellency does not accept the title of king, how will you command the three armies?"

"How can we demonstrate the greater good?"

Cao Cao remained silent for a long time, then finally sighed and solemnly said:

"Since you gentlemen have so earnestly advised me, I, Cao Cao, will temporarily assume the throne of King of Wei to punish the disloyal!"

Why did Cao Cao dare not declare himself emperor?

The main problem is that it's just a single province, which not only fails to gain the approval of the whole country, but may also incite internal conflicts.

The local gentry of Yizhou also could not accept Cao Cao's reckless and arbitrary actions to this extent.

This would also provide Liu Bei with a pretext for launching a campaign.

At the same time, Cao Cao's declaration of becoming king was a pretext, using the name of the Han emperor.

In other words, Cao Cao's camp did not recognize Liu Bei's imperial status.

They still remotely honored Liu Xie as the Emperor of Han.

If Cao Cao had declared himself emperor, wouldn't he have lost his last bit of political appeal?
The local officials of Yizhou were surprised to see that Cao Cao had invited both the King of Ba and the King of Yi.

Clearly, they had made ample preparations, and so they all bowed and said:
"Your subject requests that Lord Cao be granted the title of King of Wei!"

In an instant, shouts of "Long live the King of Wei!" resounded like a mountain range.

Logically, Cao Cao's title of "Duke of Wei" should have been held in Hebei.

Now that they have retreated to Yizhou, there is no longer any Wei territory left.

Why not use the name "Shu" or "Ba"?

This is still due to political considerations.

Cao Cao's title of Duke of Wei was conferred by Liu Xie.

Now that Liu Xie is being honored as Emperor of Han from afar, it is natural that the old title should be continued.

This is to emphasize the legitimacy of the Han Dynasty.

That is, Cao Cao was "appointed by the late emperor".

To maintain political continuity and avoid internal turmoil caused by changing the phone number.

Just as all the civil and military officials were discussing establishing Cao Cao as the King of Wei, someone suddenly stood up to oppose it, arguing strongly that it was not advisable.

Upon closer inspection, everyone recognized him as Cui Yan, the Minister of Personnel.

Cui Yan argued forcefully, saying:
"When Emperor Gaozu killed the white horse, he made an oath with the kings, saying that no one but Liu would be king."

"Although Liu Bei has now declared himself emperor, his subordinate Li Yi, who has made great contributions to the world, has only been granted the title of Duke."

"There has never been a betrayal of the White Horse Alliance made by Emperor Gaozu."

"Now that the Duke of Ming has reached the rank of Duke of Wei, he is already at the pinnacle of being a subject of a different surname."

"It is unreasonable for him to be promoted to the throne again."

The officials then spoke one after another:
Have you not seen the story of Xun Wenruo?

After Cao Cao became the Duke of Wei, Xun Yu's relationship with Cao Cao deteriorated significantly.

Xun Yu was unwilling to serve Cao Cao any longer, and Cao Cao was unwilling to let Xun Yu leave to assist Liu Bei.

Finally, Xun Yu suffered from grief for more than ten days and eventually died.

The officials are now using Xun Yu's example to advise Cui Yan, merely reminding him not to follow in Xun Yu's footsteps.

Cui Yan was furious upon hearing this and shouted:

"The time is right, the time is right!"

"Things will change eventually; let them decide for themselves!"

Cao Cao was also furious upon hearing this, and said:

"This man is trying to emulate Xun Wenruo!"

Therefore, he ordered Cui Yan to be thrown into prison.

This is a very important issue of stance, and there is no possibility of compromise.

Cao Cao had to act very tough to prove that he was indeed appointed king by imperial decree.

If he were to back down even a little, he would appear to be in the wrong.

In September of the seventeenth year of Jian'an, Cao Wei continued to use the old reign title of the Han Dynasty.

The ministers jointly submitted a memorial praising Cao Cao, the Duke of Wei, for his merits and virtues, which were so great that even Yi Yin and Zhou Gong could not match them, and that he should be promoted to the rank of king.

Since Liu Xie was not in Shu, he directly bowed to Cao Cao's "forged edict" and asked for permission.

He then ordered Zhong Yao to draft an edict, officially recognizing Cao Cao as the King of Wei.

Cao Cao then accepted the title of King of Wei, received a crown with twelve tassels, rode in a golden chariot drawn by six horses.

He used carriages and ceremonial robes to carry out his imperial procession and enter the palace in Chengdu, where he built the Wei King's Palace.

They then discussed establishing a crown prince.

Cao Cao's principal wife, Lady Ding, had no children.

Concubine Liu gave birth to Cao Ang, who was later adopted by Lady Ding.

Because Cao Cao died in Wancheng during the campaign against Zhang Xiu, Lady Ding angrily divorced him, and the two never spoke to each other again.

He later had four sons with his wife, Lady Bian.

His eldest son was Cao Pi, and his second son was Cao Zhang.

Cao Zhi was the third son, and Cao Xiong was the fourth son.

All four sons were talented, so Cao Cao made Lady Bian his queen.

The third son, Cao Zhi, was extremely intelligent and could compose poems with ease, showing the most resemblance to his father.

Cao Cao wanted to make him his heir.

Fearing he would not be able to succeed to the throne, Cao Pi sought advice from Sima Yi.

Sima Yi gave Cao Pi a secret plan, which Cao Pi followed.

Perhaps one day, Cao Cao will go to Ba Commandery to pacify the various barbarian kings.

When his sons went to see him off, Cao Zhi wrote a poem praising Cao Cao's merits.

Only when Cao Pi bid farewell to his father did he weep.

Those who saw it from all sides were filled with sorrow.

Therefore, Cao Cao suspected that Cao Zhi was clever but not as sincere as Cao Pi.

Undecided, he sought advice from Sima Lang.

Although Cao Cao disliked Sima Yi, he favored his elder brother Sima Lang.

Sima Lang knew that his younger brother had already bet on Cao Pi, so he advised him:
"Have you not seen the deeds of Yuan Shao and Liu Jingsheng?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao laughed heartily and formally established Cao Pi as the heir apparent of Wei.

By October, Cao Cao had returned from Ba Commandery.

Through lobbying, either through enticement or coercion.

They finally subdued the local ethnic minorities and successfully gained the support of the Ba kings, Yi kings, and Di kings of various prefectures.

He managed to barely secure his position as King of Wei in Shu.

Cao Cao immediately established a political slogan.

Compared to Liu Bei's historical statement, "The Han and the traitors cannot coexist, and the royal cause cannot be confined to a corner of the country," this is different.

Cao Cao's first task was to deny the legitimacy of Liu Bei's claim to the throne and to emphasize his own status as a representative of the Han dynasty.

So the slogan shouted was:

"The Han dynasty has no two rulers; a false emperor is not a true ruler."

"The Mandate of Heaven rests on Shu; suppressing the rebels will lead to the restoration of the dynasty."

The Cao Wei group insisted that Liu Bei was a false emperor and remotely recognized Liu Xie as the legitimate ruler.

Then, in order to win over the scholars of Yizhou, Cao Cao once again put forward the slogan of "Shu people governing Shu".

In order to solidify the foundation of his reign, he continued to add layers of power.

After his foundation was basically stabilized, Cao Cao convened another meeting to discuss how to "punish the rebels".

"Although Shu is a land of plenty, Liu Bei possessed the entire country and also had the wealth of Jingzhou."

"If we resist with the exhausted lands of Yizhou, we will be defeated sooner or later."

"What suggestions do you gentlemen have for resisting Qi?"

Cao Cao deliberately emphasized that Liu Bei's regime was Qi, not Han.

Because both his title of Duke of Wei and Liu Bei's title of King of Qi were bestowed by Liu Xie.

Referring to Liu Bei's regime as Qi further indicates that they still respect Liu Xie as the legitimate ruler.

Sima Yi immediately stepped forward and expressed his opinion:
“Sun Quan of Jiangdong previously launched a surprise attack on Jingzhou and seized Danyang.”

"We have long since formed a blood feud with the people of Qi."

"Liu Bei will certainly not tolerate it, and Sun Quan fears it."

"The two countries harbor deep-seated hatred for each other."

"Now we can send a skilled debater with a letter to Sun Quan, inviting him to become king."

"Then we will incite them to raise an army to take Jingzhou and share Jingchu with my Shu region."

"With Liu Bei fighting on two fronts, he will certainly not be able to quickly seize our Shu and Wei territories."

Jingzhou was an important place in the south, and it was the territory that the people of Wu longed for.

It was a territory that Zhou Yu and Lü Meng, both Grand Commanders, had failed to acquire in their entire lives.

For Shu and Wei, it also held an extremely important strategic position.

Only by capturing Jingzhou can the southern lands be connected.

Only by achieving a strategy of resisting the north from the south can we have a chance to turn the tide against all odds.

Although Liu Bei was powerful, it was, after all, a newly established regime.

First came the exhaustion from the Central Plains War, followed by the defeat in the Battle of Hanzhong.

It is certainly impossible to launch a large-scale campaign in the short term.

This period is a valuable time to strengthen ties between Wei and Wu.

Sima Yi's suggestion was very pertinent.

Cao Cao was overjoyed and immediately wrote a letter to Fu Xun, ordering him to travel overnight to Jiangdong to meet Sun Quan.

When Sun Quan learned of Fu Xun's arrival, he consulted with his advisors.

Gu Yong advised:
"Wei and Wu had no enmity with each other."

"The previous attack on Jingzhou led to continuous warfare between the Qi and Wu families, causing immense suffering to the people."

"The envoy from Wei has come with the intention of forming an alliance, so we should receive him with courtesy."

Following his advice, Sun Quan ordered his advisors to bring Fu Xun into the city for a meeting.

After the ceremony, Sun Quan treated him with the utmost respect.

Fu Xun presented Cao Cao with a letter, which stated in brief:
"Upon reading this book, you will realize that the state of the world is already as precarious as a pile of eggs."

"In the past, Zhuge Liang occupied Jingzhou and looked down on Jiangdong with arrogance."

"The Marquis of Wu sent Lü Ziming across the river in disguise, to take advantage of their unpreparedness and seize the land of Jing."

"Therefore, the people of Qi hated him to the bone, and Lu Meng, the governor of Jiangdong, also died here."

"This feud is now irreconcilable!"

"Now Liu Bei has usurped the title of emperor in Luoyang and claims to have 'revived the Han dynasty three times'."

"But in reality, he is a fraud who deceives the world and steals fame, using a false emperor to command the feudal lords."

"I have received a secret edict from the Emperor and vow to punish this traitor."

"The Han dynasty has no two rulers; a false emperor is not a true ruler."

"The Marquis of Wu was a man of great talent and strategy, and he held sway over the southeast."

"Now that we have all the land of Jiangdong, why not follow the example of Huan and Wen and promote him to the title of King of Wu to legitimize our status?"

"If Lord Wu does not reject me, I am willing to form a marriage alliance with you and share the land of Qi."

"Wei controls the Central Plains, Wu pacifies the Jiangnan region, and the three states stand in a tripartite balance of power. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Hesitating and waiting for Liu Bei to grow stronger."

"Then they will surely avenge their loss of Jingzhou, and Jiangdong will likely no longer be yours!"

"Words cannot fully express everything; only you, my lord, can truly understand."

The hall was silent.

After reading the silk scroll, Sun Quan did not rush to reply.

He simply stroked it gently with his fingers and said softly:
"Cao Cao invited me to declare myself king; is he trying to put me in a very difficult position?"

Fu Xun smiled slightly:
"Lord Wu is mistaken."

"From the day you launched your surprise attack on Jingzhou, Eastern Wu and Qi have been irreconcilable enemies."

"Now that Liu Bei has usurped the throne and declared himself emperor, and his military might is at its peak, does Lord Wu really expect him to forgive and forget past grievances?"

"Once Liu Bei recovers his strength, the Lord of Wu will be the first to bear the brunt of his military might."

A shadow crossed Sun Quan's eyes. He placed the silk scroll on the table and said in a deep voice...
"Are you threatening me with these words?"

"I wouldn't dare," Fu Xun said, cupping his hands in greeting. "I'm merely stating the facts."

"Now, Lord Wu has only two choices."

"First, he declared himself King of Wu and joined forces with King of Wei to resist Liu."

"Secondly, the entire country could surrender, which might save lives, but the ruler of Jiangdong would then become a prisoner."

"presumptuous!"

Chen Wu, who was standing to the side, shouted angrily and placed his hand on the hilt of his knife.

Sun Quan raised his hand to stop him, stared at Fu Xun for a long time, and suddenly laughed:
"You are certainly outspoken."

"There is one thing I don't understand—"

"Given the current situation, the King of Wei is trapped in Yizhou and isolated in Jiangdong."

"How can we contend with Liu Bei, who controls the Central Plains and also holds Jingzhou?"

Fu Xun had come prepared, and he had prepared an answer in advance for this question.

He immediately and calmly replied:
"Lord Wu is wise."

"Although Liu Bei occupied the Central Plains, he had just finished the Central Plains War, which mobilized a total of 600,000 people, and the whole country was exhausted."

"After the defeat in Hanzhong, the army suffered heavy losses and morale plummeted."

"More importantly, before the King of Wei withdrew from the Central Plains, he had already relocated the people of Henan and burned the fertile fields there."

"Liu Bei only got a scorched earth, and it will take several years to recover."

"And the land of Henan will become a wound that will bleed for a long time for Liu Bei."

"How do you know?" Sun Quan asked in a deep voice.

"Liu Bei's reputation for benevolence and righteousness is known throughout the world, but now Henan is impoverished and the people are suffering."

"How could Liu Bei stand by and watch someone die?"

"If we want to restore production and people's livelihood in Henan, we need to mobilize resources from other prefectures to further reduce the burden on national development."

"Even so, I predict that Liu Bei will definitely do it."

Sun Quan nodded thoughtfully, signaling Fu Xun to continue.

"Moreover."

Fu Xun lowered his voice, "Han Sui of Xiliang has a long-standing feud with Liu Bei, and the King of Wei has already sent someone to contact him."

"If we can form a pincer movement, we can attack Qi from three directions, and Liu Bei will be unable to defend both ends."

"In addition, the northern barbarians were eyeing the north covetously, so Liu Bei had no choice but to divide his troops in the north to defend against them."

"In this way, Liu Bei would not be able to mobilize troops from all over the country to deal with Wu and Wei."

"Indeed, I believe the situation is not hopeless."

Outside, the wind and snow intensified, and the howling wind whistled through the cracks in the doors and windows, making a mournful sound.

Sun Quan stared at the silk scroll on the table, his fingers unconsciously tapping the surface.

"Lord."

Zhang Zhao, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.

"In my opinion, allying with Wei is tantamount to asking a tiger for its skin."

"Cao Cao once dominated the Central Plains, dividing the world with Liu Bei."

"Now that we have been defeated and fled to Yizhou, we are at our last gasp."

"Rather than joining forces with them, it would be better to..."

"Why not surrender to Liu Bei?"

Gu Yong interrupted him, and said with a cold laugh:
"Zhang Changshi, don't forget that when we launched our surprise attack on Jingzhou, we already forged a life-or-death feud with the Qi people."

"Liu Bei hates us to the bone; how can he let Jiangdong off the hook?"

Zhang Zhao's face stiffened, and he lowered his head without saying a word.

Seeing this, Fu Xun struck while the iron was hot.

"Lord Wu, this opportunity must not be missed."

"Is the King of Wei extending a sincere invitation?"

"Now Wei has the natural barrier of the Shu Road, and Wu has the Yangtze River."

"If this matter is accomplished, a system of joint governance between the North and the South can be established."

"Even if things don't go well, you will still retain your title of king."

"Isn't it better than being a slave to others?"

"The Wei envoy should first rest at the post station, and allow me to consider this matter further."

Sun Quan temporarily calmed Fu Xun down and then retreated to his study.

The snow in Moling has stopped, but the chill is even stronger.

Sun Quan sat alone in his study, his desk piled high with military reports from all over the country.

He held a scroll of silk in his hand, which had just been delivered from the front lines in Hefei this morning.

Chen Deng has reinforced his troops on the border again.

I heard that this fellow has become the Governor of Huainan and the Commander-in-Chief of Jing and Yang.

He will certainly continue to send more troops to Hefei, targeting himself.

Sun Quan had never liked Chen Deng.

Because Chen Deng's ambition was to annex Jiangnan, he was always a hardliner against Wu.

Now that he is in charge of Jiangnan, he is like a bird soaring into the blue sky or a fish entering the sea, no longer bound by any constraints.

He will only target me more severely in the future.

"Reporting—Commander Lu requests an audience."

The guards reported this from outside the door.

Sun Quan shook the silk scroll in his hand and hurriedly said:
"Please!"

Lu Xun, dressed in a plain robe, calmly entered.

He is not yet thirty years old, but he is already the third governor of Eastern Wu.

After Lü Meng's death in battle, this young scholar-general took on the heavy responsibility of military affairs in Eastern Wu.

The main reason is that Zhou Yu and Lü Meng both recommended Lu Xun when they were alive.

Lu Xun was also related to Sun Quan by marriage, and he made contributions in the recapture of Danyang.

So, naturally, Sun Quan appointed him as the third commander-in-chief.

"Boyan, sit down."

Sun Quan personally poured Lu Xun a cup of hot wine.

"It's freezing cold, let's warm ourselves up."

Lu Xun accepted the drink with both hands, but did not drink it immediately; instead, he held it in his hands to warm it.

"Your lord summoned me late at night, surely it's about the envoy from the King of Wei?"

Sun Quan sighed deeply and recounted Fu Xun's suggestions one by one, finally asking:
"Boyan, what do you think I should do?"

Lu Xun stared at the wine in his glass, pondering for a long time:

"My lord, the path to peace talks with Qi has been severed since the day we launched the surprise attack on Jingzhou."

Sun Quan frowned and sighed:

"Boyan's words are exactly the same as those of the Wei envoy."

"Liu Bei had the intention of supporting Zhuge Liang, but because of the Wu's surprise attack on Jingzhou, Zhuge Liang was forced to seek refuge in Jiaozhou."

Lu Xun's voice was calm, yet every word was like a knife.

"If Eastern Wu surrenders to Qi, my lord will at best lose power, and at worst, his life will be in danger."

A gust of cold wind howled past the window, causing the candlelight to flicker.

The light and shadow on Sun Quan's face also shifted, becoming obscure and unclear.

"In your opinion, Boyan...?"

"Only by allying with Wei against Liu Bei can we have a glimmer of hope."

Lu Xun put down his wine cup and took out a scroll of bamboo slips from his sleeve.

"Recently, fishermen in Poyang Lake caught a golden carp, which spat out a book."

“The words ‘Great Wuxing, King Sun’ are written high.”

"This is a divine revelation. My lord should obey the will of Heaven and accept this royal title."

Sun Quan took the bamboo slips, which contained detailed descriptions of the auspicious omen's appearance and features, along with joint testimonies from local officials.

His hands trembled slightly—

Is this a genuine auspicious omen, or was it deliberately arranged by Lu Xun to solidify his resolve?

"Boyan, you must know that once I become king, there will be no turning back."

"If we are defeated in the future, the Sun family will surely be unable to survive!"

“The legacy of my father and elder brother has been entrusted to me, and I cannot easily destroy it.”

"Lord!"

Lu Xun suddenly knelt down and performed a grand salute, saying, "It is precisely because General Sun's legacy of two generations has been handed over to you, my lord, that you cannot easily hand it over to someone else."

"To be concerned with one's own safety when undertaking great tasks is a path to disaster."

"Have you not seen what happened to Yuan Shao and Liu Jingsheng?"

"Now the world is divided into three parts: Liu Bei occupies the Central Plains and calls himself Han, while Cao Cao occupies Yizhou and calls himself Wei."

“Only our Eastern Wu has an illegitimate name and its words are not proper.”

"If I do not accept this royal title, how can I command the heroes of Jiangdong? How can I contend with the two powerful figures?"

Sun Quan's pupils contracted sharply, and his body trembled.

Lu Xun's words were truly enlightening, a wake-up call.

Not bad!

The Eastern Wu has reached a critical juncture of life and death, and can no longer afford to hesitate.

Sun Quan and Lu Xun exchanged a glance, both seeing the resolute look in each other's eyes.

"Send word to all generals that a meeting will be held in the main hall at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow."

Sun Quan's voice suddenly became incredibly firm.

"Please invite Wei envoy Fu Xun to come along as well."

After the guards withdrew, Lu Xun whispered:

"Has the lord already made a decision?"

Sun Quan walked to the window and looked at the courtyard covered with snow.

An old plum tree stands proudly in the cold wind, with a few red plum blossoms on its branches as striking as blood.

“When my brother Bo Fu was on his deathbed, he entrusted the Jiangdong region to me.”

He said, "To lead the people of Jiangdong and contend with the world is beyond your capabilities. You should make good use of Zhang Zhao, Zhou Yu, and others to achieve great things."

Sun Quan's voice was low and deep, "Now that Gongjin has passed away and Zibu is old, only you, Boyan... can help me preserve this Jiangdong foundation."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xun bowed deeply and paid his respects.

"Your subject will certainly exert all his strength and loyalty, even unto death!"

Sun Quan turned around, helped Lu Xun up with both hands, and there was no longer any hesitation in his eyes:

"Tomorrow, I will receive the title from the King of Wu and join the King of Wei in resisting Liu Bei!"

The next morning, bells and drums resounded throughout Moling City.

In the main hall of the Wu Marquis's mansion, civil and military officials stood on both sides.

Fu Xun, as the envoy of the King of Wei, stood in the hall, holding a purple ribbon and a gold seal.

Sun Quan, dressed in the ceremonial robes of a feudal lord, slowly ascended to the throne.

The veteran officials, including Zhang Zhao, looked ashen-faced, while generals such as Lu Xun and Zhu Ran wore solemn expressions.

Fu Xun loudly read out Liu Xie's "secret edict":
"...Sun Quan was specially enfeoffed as King of Wu, granted the Nine Bestowments, and appointed as the military commander of the four provinces of Jing, Yang, Jiao and Xu."

Sun Quan stared at the golden seal in his hand, and for a moment he seemed to see the scene of war and ravages spreading throughout the Wu region.

But he knew he had no way out.

"From this day forward, I shall be enfeoffed as the King of Wu and form an alliance with the King of Wei."

"The Wei and Wu families shall form an eternal alliance, refraining from each other's aggression and jointly punishing the rebellious Qi!"

Sun Quan's voice was like thunder, echoing throughout the hall.

"Sun Deng was made crown prince."

"Lu Xun was appointed Grand Commander, in charge of the military affairs of the entire country."

"Lu Fan is hereby appointed as an envoy to go to Yizhou to swear an oath!"

Fu Xun's face lit up with joy, and he bowed deeply:
"King Wu is wise! With Wei and Wu joining forces, we will surely be able to overcome the strong with the weak and defeat the enemy!"

Lu Xun led his generals to kneel in worship:

"We swear to serve the King of Wu to the death and protect our Jiangdong territory!"

Thus, the states of Wu and Wei formed an alliance to jointly resist the Qi-Han regime.

……

Luoyang, Henan.

After having lunch, Liu Bei returned to Weiyang Palace to review memorials.

After a while, when no one came to disturb me, I looked up from my desk again and saw that the evening clouds outside the window were already gilded.

Lost in thought for a moment, I found the buzzing in my head growing louder.

Liu Bei then pressed his throbbing temples, enduring the sudden wave of dizziness.

When I opened my eyes again, I realized that time had flown by and I had no idea what day it was.

So, after a simple dinner...

He picked up his brush again, intending to continue dealing with government affairs.

"Your Majesty, it's time to rest."

The personal eunuch quietly added new candles and whispered a reminder.

Liu Bei seemed not to hear, his gaze fixed on the urgent report from Dongjun.

This summer, Yanzhou suffered a severe drought, and many people starved to death.

There have been many instances of people exchanging children to eat each other in the community.

This was mainly a consequence of Cao Cao's policy of relocating people and burning fertile fields.

Otherwise, Yanzhou would not have succumbed to this severe drought.

He approved the order to "transfer grain from Hebei and Huainan," and then began to write down the specific regulations.

Since the restoration of the Han Dynasty, such reports have been submitted monthly.

Only then did Liu Bei realize how exhausting it was to manage the entire country.

Previously, the entire northern region and Huainan were under complete trusteeship.

Li Yi and Chen Deng would only report very important matters to Liu Bei, and Liu Bei only needed to make the final decision.

But now, the Han dynasty has risen again, and the empire has been established.

Hebei and Jiangnan can no longer be completely managed as before.

To put it bluntly, the previous trusteeship was a result of being forced by circumstances.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the former Hebei and Jiangnan regions were independent regimes.

Now that he has declared himself emperor, power must be returned to the central government.

If the Han dynasty continues to demote its officials as before, its rule will collapse in no time.

"His Majesty."

A familiar fragrance wafted over, and Liu Bei looked up to see Empress Yuan Ying standing in the lamplight.

She was wearing a plain white nightgown, with only a wooden hairpin in her hair, as if she had just gotten up in a hurry.

"What brings you here so late, Your Majesty?"

Yuan Ying stepped forward slowly and placed her slender fingers on Liu Bei's shoulder:
"When I woke up, I didn't see Your Majesty. I heard that he was still reviewing memorials."

She gently massaged her husband's tense shoulders and neck with her fingertips, saying, "It's past midnight."

"I am very busy with state affairs."

Liu Bei turned his head away from his wife's hand and began to sketch on another memorial with his brush.

"You should go back to the palace to rest first."

The cold wind outside the hall swirled fallen leaves against the windowpanes, causing the candlelight to flicker violently.

Yuan Ying's shadow on the wall suddenly lengthened, then shrank into a ball.

"Your Majesty has not spoken to me for three days."

Yuan Ying's voice was as light as a feather, "Would you mind keeping me company for a while?"

Liu Bei paused, his brows furrowing deeply.

He suddenly slammed the pen on the table:
"I am now the Emperor of the Han Dynasty! The fate of the people rests on my shoulders; how dare I slacken my efforts in the slightest?"

The sound exploded in the empty hall, startling the eunuch beside him into kneeling down.

Even high-ranking officials would tremble in fear in the face of Liu Bei's "divine wrath".

At that moment, Yuan Ying, a woman, somehow managed to snatch the documents from Liu Bei's hands.

"Your Majesty, please keep me company and talk for a while."

"Put down the documents."

Liu Bei's face was gloomy, and his tone was icy.

"Do not……"

Yuan Ying's voice remained as light as a feather.

"I order you to put down your documents."

"Does the Empress intend to defy the imperial decree?!"

Liu Bei's tone was colder than the wind outside the palace.

……

(End of this chapter)