Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 361 A real man rules over all the princes, that is, he becomes an emperor. Why should he be proud of being a duke or a king?
"Sir, Yuan Shu's envoy has arrived at the post station and is staying there. According to the envoy, Yuan Shu has been granted the Nine Gifts and promoted to Duke of Chu."

Guo Tu stood with his hands behind him, smiling, and said, "It seems that Yuan Shu is going to do what Wang Mang did and usurp the throne. Your Excellency has a keen insight into Yuan Shu's mind, and I admire him very much."

Zhang Yu sat cross-legged, handed the small wooden sword in his hand to the attendant, and asked, "Why did the messenger come?"

Guo Tu said: "The messenger did not say much, only that Yuan Shu will give you a generous gift. I guess Yuan Shu may ask the emperor to issue an edict to confer the title of Duke on you."

Zhang Yu was very interested and said, "If Yuan Shu recommends me to be your Excellency, do you think I should agree to it?"

"Your Excellency controls Shanxi, governs a million people, has many civil and military officials, and is as powerful as Yuan Shu. Now that Yuan Shu can be a duke, why can't you be a duke?" Guo Tu flattered him, "And I think that even if Yuan Shu doesn't make you a duke, you can still declare yourself a Duke."

Zhang Yu thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow we will call together the civil and military officials in the council hall and invite Yuan Shu's envoy to come in for an audience."

"As ordered!"

Guo Tu was very happy and said, "I will leave now and inform the civil and military officials to discuss the matter tomorrow morning."

"good!"

After leaving the palace, Guo Tu thought that Zhang Yu intended to be promoted to Duke, and the joy on his face could not be concealed.

When he was leaving the gate, Yang Fu met Guo Tu, who was smiling. He stopped to greet him and then asked, "May I ask Mr. Guo, I heard that Yuan Shu was promoted to Duke of Chu. Now he has sent an envoy to see you. What is the purpose?"

Seeing that it was Yang Fu, a native of Long who had recently attached himself to him, Guo Tu wanted to share his joy and said, "Yuan Shu may be interested in being honored as equal to you, my Lord!"

Yang Fu frowned slightly and said, "Yuan Shu promoted Duke of Chu and received long-term favors, which violated the way of a minister. Your Excellency has become famous for respecting the Han Dynasty. If you promote him to Duke now, I am afraid it will hurt the hearts of the people."

Hearing this, Guo Tu looked dissatisfied and said, "How dare I, a mere official, criticize you, Your Excellency? You will know when you attend the meeting tomorrow. There is no need to ask any more questions now."

Having said that, Guo Tu waved his sleeves and left, leaving Yang Fu in deep sorrow.

Fearing that Zhang Yu might get carried away by Yuan Shu's title of duke, Yang Fu hurried into the mansion to seek a meeting with Zhang Yu.

"My lord, Yang Fu, an official from Yongzhou, is seeking a meeting outside and wants to report on the transportation of military grain in Longyou!" the attendant reported.

It was dinner time, and Zhang Yu was having dinner. He had no intention of handling official business, so he waved his hand and said, "Let Yang Fu make a report in the hall tomorrow!"

"promise!"

The attendant hurried out, but soon reentered the hall and said, "My lord, Mr. Yang said he has an urgent matter that needs your approval now."

After eating a mouthful of rice, Zhang Yu said helplessly: "In that case, let Yang Fu come in."

"promise!"

After a while, Yang Fu came in with a document in his hand, and said, "Your Excellency, please enjoy your meal. I apologize for disturbing you!"

Zhang Yu put down his chopsticks and asked in a friendly manner, "Would you like to eat?"

"I'm delivering official documents and haven't returned home yet!" Yang Fu said.

"In that case, you might as well stay and eat with us!"

Zhang Yu ordered his attendants, "Come and serve the meal to Lord Yang!"

"promise!"

Seeing Zhang Yu being so kind, Yang Fu was flattered and said, "Thank you, my lord!"

"sit!"

Zhang Yu browsed the official document and saw that the content was only about the news that the military rations from Longyou had been delivered to Pubanjin, and it was not an urgent matter, so he frowned slightly.

"Is Yishan here as Yuan Shu's envoy?" Zhang Yu suddenly asked.

Seeing that Zhang Yu had anticipated what he had done, Yang Fu was horrified and said, "My Lord, you are wise. In addition to the military rations in Longyou, I came here to discuss the matter of Yuan Shu's envoy."

"I wonder what Yishan thinks?" Zhang Yu asked.

"The Han Dynasty declined, but it did not suffer from the tyranny of Yin and Qin. Yuan Shu was promoted to Duke of Chu and received the Nine Gifts, which violated the etiquette of a minister. Now Yuan Shu sent envoys to pay homage to the princes. What he did was nothing more than to win over the princes and alienate the relationship between the princes and the old people of the Han Dynasty."

Yang Fu cupped his hands and said, "At the end of the Zhou Dynasty, seven states were competing for supremacy. The King of Qin wanted to be the emperor, but was afraid that the other states would attack each other, so he and Qi exchanged alliances. The two emperors of the East and the West were established, and Qi was feared by the states east of the pass. When Qin weakened Qi, it joined forces with Yan, Zhao, and Wei to attack Qi. That's why there was a story about Le Yi as the commander-in-chief and conquering more than 70 cities of Qi."

"Therefore, taking Qi as a lesson, you should act prudently and not do anything that would offend your superiors, so as not to lose the trust of your subordinates and fall into Yuan Shu's scheme of sowing discord among you."

Zhang Yu seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "Yishan's opinion is not unreasonable. Let's see what the envoy says tomorrow."

Seeing that Zhang Yu did not reply, Yang Fu could not help but say: "Mencius said that those who are righteous have many supporters, while those who are unrighteous have few supporters. Your Excellency is about to fight Yuan Shao, and you need to unite with your subordinates. How can you betray them now?"

As soon as these words came out, Zhang Yu's expression suddenly changed, and he said, "I already know what Yishan said. Please have a meal here first, and tomorrow's matter will be clear!"

Seeing the dinner in front of him, Yang Fu said tactfully: "Your Excellency is open-minded, just like Emperor Gaozu. I would like to thank you for the dinner!"

After Yang Fu finished his meal, he bowed to Zhang Yu to express his gratitude and then said goodbye and went home.

There was no conversation that night, and time turned to the early morning. At the invitation of Zhang Yu, more than 20 civil and military officials came to the hall one after another. Zhang Yu had already sat on the couch, chatting with his attendants.

As everyone gradually arrived, the attendant reported: "Sir, Yuan Shu's envoy Han Yin is outside the palace asking to see you today."

"Xuan!"

"promise!"

After a while, Han Yin, holding a talisman and dressed appropriately, walked into the hall, showed respect to Zhang Yu, and said, "Your servant, Han Yin, is here to see the general on the orders of Lord Chu!"

"No gift!"

Zhang Yu asked, "Mr. Yuan has been conferred the title of Duke of Chu. I am very happy about this. Please send my regards to the Duke of Chu. I wonder what your purpose is in coming here?"

"I have come here to present you with a great gift!"

Han Yin smiled and said, "The emperor thinks of your great contributions. In the past, you have united the princes to fight against the traitors and welcomed the emperor to Luoyang, which is a merit of support. In the latter, you have driven out the rebels in Longshang, beheaded the leader of the traitors and pacified Han Wang Song Jian, which is a merit of martial virtue. Now, the Duke of Chu has requested that the emperor confer the title of Duke of Zhao on you."

"Mr. Zhao!"

When everyone heard about the titles of "Duke Zhao" and Zhang Yu, their expressions varied. Some were happy, some were surprised, and some were solemn.

Zhang Yu smiled and asked, "Yuan Jun was granted the title of Duke of Chu, and I was granted the title of Duke of Zhao. I wonder which other princes were granted the title of Duke?"

"To be honest, in addition to you, Yuan Shao will be granted the title of Duke of Wei, and Liu He will be granted the title of Duke of Yan." Han Yin said with a smile, "It is better to share happiness with others than to enjoy it alone. If you are granted the title of Duke, you will be able to enjoy the same status as Duke Chu in the future!"

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "I am flattered by Lord Chu's kindness. However, I am of little virtue and talent, so I cannot accept the title of Lord Zhao."

Seeing that Zhang Yu had no intention of accepting the title of Duke of Zhao, Han Yin was stunned. He did not expect that Zhang Yu would be willing to refuse. You know, Yuan Shu had been asking for it for a long time before forcing the emperor to confer him the title of Duke of Chu.

"Would you like me to withdraw first and allow you to discuss the matter with your Excellency?" Han Yin said.

"No need!" Zhang Yu stretched out his hand to stop Guo Tu from speaking, and said in a firm tone: "I have made up my mind. Thank you, Lord Chu, for your concern. You can rest here for a few days and go to Jingzhou with my Shanxi envoy later."

"promise!"

Seeing that Zhang Yu had made up his mind, Han Yin could only respond in frustration.

After Han Yin bowed and left, Guo Tu stood up and said, "Zhao is a vassal state. Your majesty is powerful in Hebei and commands millions of people. Your power is comparable to that of Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao. Now Yuan Shu has been granted the title of Duke, and his position is higher than that of other vassal states. If your majesty does not take Zhao as Duke, how can you show your dignity?"

"Of course!"

Xin Pi nodded and said, "The Han Dynasty is declining, and Yuan Shu wants to replace it. Your Excellency should follow Yuan Shu's wishes and be honored as one with him."

"What you have done is in accordance with the right path!"

Zhao Yun drew his sword and stood up, cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency serves the emperor and punishes the disloyal. The people of Shanxi sincerely respect you for this. Now the enemy is the Yuan family. You may as well destroy Yuan Shao first, and Hebei will submit."

"Looking at what the Yuan family did at that time, if Yuan Shu replaced the Han Dynasty, you would have marched south for the sake of justice, and the righteous men of the Central Plains would have packed food and rode horses to welcome you. But now you are honored as much as Yuan Shu, and although you can enjoy temporary glory, you have lost the hope of the people in Guandong!"

"Zilong is right!"

Zhong Yao hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Liu He is a descendant of the Han Dynasty. The reason why we are marrying you is because you are loyal to the Han Dynasty. If I take over the Duke of Zhao now, I am afraid that Liu He will be suspicious, which will not be conducive to your fight against the enemy!"

Zhang Yu stood up from the couch, holding his sword, and walked slowly, speaking slowly but steadily, saying: "Yesterday I learned what Yuan Shu did. I couldn't sleep day and night, thinking about the strategy to pacify the world. After tossing and turning, I thought that 'training troops, storing up food, and delaying the declaration of kingship' might be the strategy to pacify the world."

"The strategy of strengthening the army is to strengthen the minions and accumulate troops for the purpose of unifying the world. The strategy of accumulating grain is that Shanxi was originally a rich place, but after the war, the land was abandoned and the people had no intention of farming. Therefore, the people were required to farm and accumulate grain and grass as the basis for unifying the Central Plains."

"The reason why I postponed my claim to the throne is that the Han Dynasty still exists. Many people admire me and I am also a former minister of the Han Dynasty. Liu He of Youzhou and Lu Bu of Yanzhou are both ministers of the Han Dynasty. How can I win their hearts if I don't follow the righteous cause?"

In fact, Zhang Yu was quite tempted to be promoted to Duke of Zhao, but Yang Fu's words made Zhang Yu realize his mistake.

His key task now is not to enjoy the so-called title of duke or king, nor to follow Yuan Shu's example and become emperor. Instead, he must resist the desire for fame and unite more people in the world so that he can defeat Yuan.

After all, his enemies were not only Yuan Shao, but also Yuan Shu, who ruled Jingzhou. To put it in a broader sense, the Yuan family of Runan could be considered his enemy. To be the enemy of the Yuan family, which occupied most of the territory of the world, Zhang Yu needed to play the card of differentiation and could not go along with the Yuan family.

What is differentiation?
There is no other reason, but he is an old man who is close to the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty lasted for 400 years, and the grace is still there. Wei Duan of Liangzhou, Liu He of Youzhou, and even Lu Bu of Yanzhou can all be regarded as princes who respect the Han Dynasty. If Zhang Yu does not win over the princes, how can he fight against the Yuan family?

As for the title of emperor, Zhang Yu had no need to worry. When Yuan Shu usurped the Han Dynasty, he would have the power to unify the world, and all the civil and military officials under his rule would ask for the title of emperor.

Besides, if a man wants to be someone, he should be an emperor. What’s so attractive about being a duke or a king?
"Your Excellency is wise!"

Seeing Zhang Yu's attitude, Guo Tu changed his position in an instant and praised him, saying: "Your Excellency's three strategies are very thought-provoking. I'm sorry that I didn't understand your deep meaning before."

"Your Excellency is wise!"

Zhao Yun sincerely admired him and said, "Nothing is more important than people's hearts. The Yuan family has three dukes in four generations, which is the hope of the people. However, he is now disobeying his superiors, which is really destroying his own reputation."

Du Ji nodded and said, "The three strategies are prudent ideas. If Shanxi can implement them, you will be able to rule the Central Plains with them."

"Your Excellency is wise!"

Yang Fu was in the crowd and saw Zhang Yu accept his opinion. He was overjoyed and praised loudly. Although he was pro-Han, he knew that it was difficult for the Han Dynasty to revive. After a year with Zhang Yu, he felt that Zhang Yu not only had the ability to establish a country, but also had an open-minded character, was generous and courteous, and had his own advantages and disadvantages compared to Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Shizu.

After Yang Fu spoke, all the civil and military officials praised him in unison, and their voices echoed throughout the hall.

Not to mention that Zhang Yu refused the imperial edict to be granted the title of Duke of Zhao, but now Yuan Shao is willing to accept the title of Duke of Wei.

Xindu, the governor's office.

Yuan Shao played with the imperial edict and asked his attendants, "Today the emperor has granted me the title of Duke. What do you think of it?"

"Mingsir, the title of Marquis of Wanhu is already a high position for a minister. You are now also the Grand Marshal, and your power is second only to Yuan Shu. However, Yuan Shu is rebellious and is forcing Your Majesty to confer titles on the vassals. This is not something a minister can do!" Tian Feng was upright and said bluntly: "In my opinion, you should not only not accept the title of Duke of Wei, but also issue a manifesto to denounce Yuan Shu."

"inappropriate!"

Shen Pei said: "Yuan Shu, Zhang Yu, and Liu He all hold the title of Duke, but you regard them as Marquis, which makes them inferior to others. In my opinion, you should receive the Emperor's edict and be promoted to Duke of Wei."

"Shen Zhengnan, don't try to deceive the Lord!"

Ju Su said sternly: "Your Excellency fought with Zhang Yu, and now you are promoted to Duke of Wei. Isn't this disheartening to the loyal men under your command?"

Shen Pei sneered and said, "Zhang Yu treats his subordinates generously, and gives them the title of Four Generals of the Expedition. If any of his 5,000 men are generals, they will all be willing to fight for him. If you can be promoted to Duke, you will be able to appoint Prime Minister, General, and Four Generals of the Expedition. Then the soldiers under your rule will be greatly rewarded, so won't they fight for you?"

"Besides, the title of Duke was not what you asked for, but the Emperor thought of your request and sent an envoy to Hebei to confer the title."

Yuan Shao stroked his beard and nodded, agreeing deeply with Shen Pei's words.

He and Yuan Shu were in a competitive relationship. Previously, because Yuan Shu had a foundation first, the Yuan clan of Runan followed Yuan Shu first. If Yuan Shu was called the Duke of Chu, wouldn't it suppress him? How would he compete with Yuan Shu in the future?

"What Zhengnan said makes sense!"

Feng Ji said: "Your Excellency's territory spans four states, and you are fighting with Yuan Shu in Xuzhou. Yuan Shu has great righteousness in holding the emperor hostage, and now he is promoted to Duke of Chu, so he can recruit more heroes. And your Excellency is fighting with him, so you should accept the title of Duke of Wei!"

Yuan Shao became more and more satisfied. He was nearly fifty years old and had fought hard all his life. If he could not make further progress now, wouldn't it be a waste of his struggle over the past decade?

Geng Bao, the chief clerk, responded under Yuan Shao's instructions, "Han's virtue is declining, and many heroes are rising up, just like the seven kingdoms fighting for supremacy. Now Yuan Shu dominates the southern border, Zhang Yu controls Zhao and Qin, and you have the land of Wei and Qi. If you are called Duke of Wei and have four states as your fiefdom, you will be able to grasp the great cause. If you do not advance to the rank of Duke, even if you have four states as your territory, you will not be able to rule them by law."

Seeing that everyone was trying to persuade Yuan Shao, Ju Su became more and more dissatisfied and said, "If you are the Duke of Wei, I will surely be promoted to a high position. I am not greedy for wealth and honor, because I am considering the greater good. The grace of the Han Dynasty still exists, and you were once a Han minister. If you rashly advance to the Duke of Wei, I am afraid you will be criticized."

"Yuan Shu's reason for conferring the title of duke on all the vassals was because he was worried about the criticism from the world. So according to your opinion, Liu He is loyal to the Han Dynasty and will not be the duke of Zhao now; and Zhang Yu is cunning and wise, so he will refuse the title."

Yuan Shao was very depressed by Ju Su's repeated opposition. He said, "It is not my wish to be Duke of Wei, but the emperor's wish. I will submit my resignation letter to the emperor and see how he reacts!"

In order to make Ju Su and Tian Feng give in, Yuan Shao had to retreat. After all, his resignation would not delay the imperial court from issuing an edict. After three resignations, Yuan Shao could use the reason that it was difficult to refuse the emperor's edict and had to accept the title of Duke of Wei.

"Ming Gong is wise!"

After a few more words, everyone left, except Feng Ji who stayed.

"Why didn't Yuantu leave?"

"My Lord, Ji has something to report!"

"But it doesn't matter!"

Yuan Shao called Feng Ji forward and asked, "What do you want to report?"

Feng Ji pretended to hesitate and said, "Your Excellency appointed Ju Su to supervise the internal and external affairs because he is resourceful and intelligent, and you want to make the best use of his talents. Duke Wei's affairs are of great benefit to you. However, Ju Su's prestige is growing, and now he can prevent you from accepting Duke Wei's affairs. I am afraid that it will restrict your power in the future."

"The Yellow Stone says, 'If the minister and the lord are the same, then the lord and the minister will perish together. In my humble opinion, you can borrow the matter of Duke Wei to share the power of Jusun. This is my humble opinion. If I have made any mistakes, I hope you will forgive me."

Yuan Shao narrowed his eyes slightly. In order to win over the soldiers and generals of Jizhou, he had no choice but to grant Ju Su great power. Now, as Ju Su's power grew, as Feng Ji said, Ju Su was hindering his rights.

PS: I had something urgent tonight, so I didn't type much, so it's considered two in one for now.

(End of this chapter)