Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 348: The Han Dynasty Declines, and the Yuan Family Rises

Chen Gong was Lu Bu's subordinate. Zhang Yu wanted to support Lu Bu. Logically, he should not have sent letters to sow discord between Chen Gong and Lu Bu. However, Chen Gong's pro-Yuan Shu attitude aroused Zhang Yu's fear.
For Zhang Yu, if Lü Bu turned to Yuan Shu, the investment and assistance he had previously made would be wasted. More importantly, Zhang Yu's years of hard work in Yanzhou would be destroyed. Therefore, in order to prevent Lü Bu from leaning towards Yuan Shu, it was very important for Zhang Yu to keep Lü Bu suspicious of Chen Gong.

Now, not only Zhang Yu cares about Lu Bu's attitude, Yuan Shu also pays close attention to Lu Bu.

Wancheng, Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Inside the hall, after several rounds of drinking, Yuan Shu looked slightly drunk.

"Mingsir, there is a letter from Lu Bu!"

Yan Xiang waited for a while, and while Yuan Shu was drinking, he quickly handed over the letter.

"What's the matter?"

Yuan Shu glanced at Yan Xiang and asked.

"A letter requesting troops!"

Yan Xiang said truthfully: "Yuan Shao sent Gao Gan to take Xuzhou, and Xuzhou sent a letter to Lü Bu asking for help. Lü Bu was happy to go, but because he had few soldiers under his command, he asked you for help."

Yuan Shu sneered and said with a hint of dissatisfaction: "Lü Bu is not polite at all. He always asks me for help."

Yan Xiang said, "Mingsir, the situation in Xuzhou is dangerous. If we go there to seek help now, and if we are occupied by high-ranking officials, the situation will be unfavorable to you. You must put the overall situation first."

Yuan Shu's face calmed down a bit, and he said, "Transfer 2,000 infantrymen to Lü Bu, and have him lead his troops to Xuzhou to relieve the siege. Remember to write a letter to Chen Gong, and see if he can persuade Lü Bu to send his family to Wancheng like Zhang Miao did."

"Yes!" Yan Xiang took the order and stepped back, responding.

"Your Excellency's reputation is growing day by day. At the beginning of the year, Sun Jian conquered Jiangzhou, and now Xuzhou has sent envoys to help. In this time of turmoil in the world, you have supported the Han Dynasty and your power is feared throughout the world. You are the hope of the world!" Cai Mao flattered.

"Ha ha!"

Yuan Shu drank the wine, and gradually became full of ambition. He asked drunkenly: "Now the country is in turmoil, and the Liu family is weak. But the Yuan family has been a minister for four generations, and the people expect them to be theirs. In the past, when the Zhou Dynasty was in decline, Huan Wen became the hegemon; when Qin lost its power, Han took over and used it. The land under my rule is vast, and I want to obey the will of heaven and the people. What do you think?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the civil and military officials in the hall were speechless and didn't know how to respond.

"Achieving great things does not depend on the people, but on virtue. If you can use virtue to rule the world, even if you are an ordinary person, you can become a hegemon. If you do not have virtue to win the support of the people, and act arbitrarily to seek fame, the people will all abandon you. I hope you will know the importance of rituals and utensils." Zhang Fan from Hedong said.

Yuan Shu looked unhappy. He had wanted to be emperor for a long time, but he did not dare to do so because the situation was not right. Now Yuan Shao and Zhang Yu were about to start a war, and Sun Jian's troops had captured Jiangzhou. His situation was very good, so he no longer wanted to serve Liu Xie and wanted to usurp the throne and destroy the Han Dynasty.

Seeing Yuan Shu's dissatisfaction, Han Yin stood up, filled his glass with wine, and said to ease the atmosphere: "The Han Dynasty declined, and the Prime Minister has made contributions to the Han Dynasty, which has won the respect of scholars all over the world. Now that you want to follow the will of heaven and the people, I am afraid you need to slow down and observe the wishes of the court officials and the sentiments of the people in the prefectures and counties."

Yuan Shu seemed to be thinking about something, and he drank his wine alone. He said, "It's getting late today, so let's end the banquet now."

"promise!"

Except for a few trusted men, all the other civil and military officials withdrew.

"Zhang Fan is an old minister of the Han Dynasty and does not want to see your Excellency change the country. There are still many confidants in the court. If you want to follow the will of heaven and the people, you may need to test the intentions of the ministers!" Cai Mao said: "Especially Dong Cheng and Liu Bei. The former is a relative of the emperor and the latter is a general of the clan. They are deeply trusted by your Majesty."

Yuan Shu frowned slightly and asked, "Does Degui have any strategy to teach me?"

Cai Mao pondered for a moment and said, "In spring and summer, it is a good time to go hunting. Why don't you choose a day to go hunting outside the city? Then you can observe the true and false movements of the ministers."

Yuan Shu stroked his beard and thought, then said, "Degui's plan is feasible. To be a king or a hegemon, one must have the assistance of the ministers. By hunting, we can take the opportunity to identify the ministers."

"Ming Gong is wise!"

On March 22, the weather was fine. Yuan Shu requested hunting, and Liu Xie accepted the invitation.

The hunting ground covers an area of more than ten miles, and the hunting ground fence formed by flags can be vaguely seen in the hunting ground. There are undulating mountains, dense forests and grass, and a large group of cavalrymen drive hunting dogs to chase and control the prey first.

On the country road, Yuan Shu, surrounded by his generals, rode on horseback and first met Liu Hui who came out of the palace.

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

Yuan Shu sat on his horse and bowed slightly to Liu Xie in greeting.

"How is the Prime Minister?" Liu Xie looked humble and ignored Yuan Shu's impolite behavior.

"Since Your Majesty has arrived at the hunting ground, we can start hunting now!"

Yuan Shu ignored etiquette, whipped the cavalry to set off, and said.

"As ordered!"

"Woo~"

The trumpets sounded long and the flags were flying. Yuan Shu rode his horse ahead, but Liu Xie was a beat slower and rode his horse to catch up with Yuan Shu.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister does not like anyone to go first."

Cai Mao grabbed Liu Xie's reins at the right time and reminded him, "The Prime Minister has made great contributions to the Han Dynasty. I hope Your Majesty can understand the Prime Minister."

Seeing that Yuan Shu wanted him to follow, Liu Xie became furious and said, "I am Your Majesty and the Prime Minister is your subject. How can I ride ahead and let you follow me?"

As he said this, Liu Xie shook off Cai Mao's hand and rode quickly to catch up with Yuan Shu.

"Your Majesty, please don't displease the Prime Minister!" Cai Mao reminded casually, and then followed Liu Xie closely to prevent Liu Xie's horse from surpassing Yuan Shu.

When Liu Xie was about to catch up with Yuan Shu, Yuan Shu deliberately took a step forward to keep a head start with the emperor. Although Liu Xie was dissatisfied with Yuan Shu's rudeness, he was worried about angering Yuan Shu, so he could only ride side by side with Yuan Shu. On the left and right of Liu Xie and Yuan Shu were Yuan Shu's trusted generals, such as Huang Zhong, Cai Mao, Ji Ling, Yuan Yin and more than ten other generals, who separated Liu, Guan, Zhang and Dong Cheng and the Han Dynasty's civil and military officials by several ranks. Liu Bei and Dong Cheng tried to get close to the emperor several times, but were blocked by Yuan Shu's trusted generals.

Liu Xie repeatedly failed to find Liu Bei and Dong Cheng, and because he was ranked behind Yuan Shu, he looked a little unhappy, but he could do nothing about it.

After walking a few steps, they saw knights driving hounds to chase hares in front of people, so Liu Xie took the opportunity to say, "I heard that the emperor's uncle was born in the northern border and is skilled in archery and horse riding. Now I want to watch the emperor's uncle hunting."

With Liu Xie's call, Liu Bei forced his way through the blockade of the crowd and squeezed to Liu Xie's side.

"His Majesty!"

Liu Bei bowed slightly as a courtesy, then drew his bow and shot an arrow, which hit the hare directly.

"color!"

Liu Xie applauded repeatedly and said with a smile: "Uncle Emperor is a master of martial arts!"

Yuan Shu just glanced at Liu Bei without saying anything, his expression was very indifferent.

Liu Bei deliberately stayed behind Liu Xie. When he saw Yuan Shu leading the way while the emperor was one head behind, he felt dissatisfied, but could not show it due to the occasion.

When they reached the hills, they saw the knights driving out a deer, which was running in front of everyone.

Yuan Shu was upset that Liu Xie was making a fool of himself, so he pointed at the deer and said, "Your Majesty, please shoot the deer!"

Liu Xie had no one to teach him archery and horse riding since he was young, and he knew he was not good at hunting, so he said, "God is merciful, and this deer is still young, so it is better to spare its life."

Yuan Shu sneered and said, "Your Majesty is wrong. In ancient times, the emperors cultivated fields in spring and hunted in summer. They went on tours in all four seasons to show the emperor's grace and power. Now that the Han Dynasty is declining, if Your Majesty does not publicize his military achievements, wouldn't it be disappointing?"

Liu Xie was speechless. He took the bow from the attendant and aimed at the deer's body.

"Whoosh!"

After missing the first shot, Liu Xie shot three more arrows in a row, but none of them hit the deer.

Seeing this, Yuan Shu showed arrogance and disdain on his face and said, "Your Majesty's martial virtue has declined. How can you rule the world?"

Liu Xie blushed and said in embarrassment: "Prime Minister, you boast of your talents in both civil and military affairs. Why don't you shoot a deer to prove your military prowess?"

"What's the difficulty?"

Yuan Shu reached out his hand to Liu Xie. Liu Xie was stunned at first, then he realized that Yuan Shu wanted him for a bow and arrow.

"Prime Minister, please!"

Liu Bei offered his bow and arrows to Liu Xie, but Yuan Shu ignored Liu Bei and continued to ask Liu Xie for his bow.

Liu Xie had no choice but to hand over the imperial bow to Yuan Shu.

At the same time, seeing that it was Yuan Shu hunting, the knight drove the doe towards Yuan Shu.

When Liu Xie saw Yuan Shu cheating, his face was gloomy and he felt that Yuan Shu was going too far.

Soon, Yuan Shu found a comfortable distance and shot the doe with one arrow.

Several soldiers rushed over and saw that it was Yuan Shu who shot the doe. They deliberately shouted, "The emperor's arrow, today the emperor hunted a deer!"

For a moment, everyone around shouted "Long live the emperor!" and the ministers who were unaware of the details responded in unison. The shouts rose and fell, echoing throughout the hunting ground.

Yuan Shu put away his bow, smiled, and waved to his left and right as if he was the emperor.

Liu Bei gritted his teeth, his eyes gleaming with ferocity. If he had the chance, he would have shot Yuan Shu to death. However, considering the current situation, he had to grit his teeth and hold back his anger, his face slowly regaining its composure.

"Your Excellency, your archery is admirable!" Liu Bei congratulated him, "But fortunately, your Majesty has the help of my bow, otherwise it would be very difficult to kill a deer in 80 steps!"

Seeing that Liu Bei was trying to save Liu Xie's skin and deliberately attributed the deer-killing achievement to the imperial bow, Yuan Shu looked unhappy and said calmly: "The Han Dynasty is declining and the world is divided. If the ritual vessels were useful, how could I serve the emperor?"

Yuan Shu turned around and bowed to Liu Xie, saying, "Your Majesty is not good at archery, so there is no use for your precious bow. I will keep it for you temporarily."

Facing Yuan Shu's insulting words, Liu Xie's face was uncertain. Liu Bei was angry at Yuan Shu's words, but did not dare to confront him.

Afterwards, Yuan Shu took the emperor's bow, rode his horse and went hunting, and he got something every time, which made Yuan Shu even more proud.

"Drive back!"

After playing around for a while, Yuan Shu decided to go back, taking the emperor and his ministers with him.

When he returned, the news spread and the ministers who had been unaware of the situation knew that the emperor was not Liu Xie, but Yuan Shu, who went hunting on behalf of the emperor. The ministers were shocked. Those who were loyal to the Han Dynasty were indignant, and those who wanted to curry favor with the powerful intended to follow Yuan Shu.

Yang Biao relied on his relationship with Yuan Shu by marriage, so he responded most enthusiastically and asked to see Yuan Shu in person.

"The prime minister is a descendant of three ministers from four generations, and is deeply favored by the Han Dynasty. How can he go out of the city to hunt and do something that violates etiquette?" Yang Biao asked.

Yuan Shu shook his sleeves and sneered, saying: "In the past, Qin lost its power, and the heroes of the world fought to take it. Emperor Gaozu was both wise and brave and dominated the world. Now the world is in turmoil, and the Han Dynasty is declining. If I don't do what Emperor Gaozu did, I will be a great favor to the court, so what's the point of a small violation of etiquette!"

Having said that, Yuan Shu ignored Yang Biao and led his generals back to Wancheng.

(End of this chapter)