Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 420 Yuan Shu's Warning, the Prince of Qi of the Chen Dynasty

Nanyang Yin, Wancheng.

Tens of thousands of laborers carried stones and timber to transport materials to the palace, while thousands of craftsmen inside repaired and maintained the palace. From the sky, the palace they built appeared magnificent and covered a vast area, so much so that the city of Wan could not contain it.

Dressed in plain clothes, Yuan Shu, surrounded by a crowd, stood on a tower gazing at the Southern Palace under construction, and asked, "How long will it take to complete the Southern Palace?"

"Your Majesty, the Southern Palace is more than halfway repaired and will be completed in three or four months," Liu Biao said, bowing.

Yuan Shu nodded slightly and smiled, "Jing Sheng has done a good job in repairing the palace. He should keep a close eye on things in the coming months."

After declaring himself emperor, Yuan Shu, citing the small size of the palace in Nanyang, conscripted 100,000 people to rebuild it. Liu Biao, whom Yuan Shu valued, was then put in charge of the palace's construction.
"Your Majesty will surely be able to move into the Southern Palace before autumn this year," Liu Biao assured him.

"good!"

As Yuan Shu and his attendants were admiring the Southern Palace, a servant hurried up to the pavilion and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, an urgent report has arrived from Hebei."

"What's the matter?"

"Xu You defected to Shanxi, and Zhang Yu adopted Xu You's plan, leading his troops in a surprise attack on Xindu. With Xindu captured, the morale of Yuan Shao's army collapsed, and they ultimately defeated Yuan Shao, sweeping through the counties of Ji Province and subjugating nearly 100,000 people in Hebei. With the help of Yuan Xi, Yuan Shao crossed the river and fled to Qing Province to temporarily avoid Zhang Yu's advance," the attendant said.

Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials of Chen, including Yuan Shu, were immediately stunned. They did not expect that Yuan Shao would be defeated so easily and even driven to Qingzhou by Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu's military tactics were too terrifying!
Yuan Shu's lips twitched. Since he declared himself emperor, apart from Sun Jian's death from an arrow, almost everything else had gone wrong.

Cao Cao annexed Jiangzuo, and his troops retreated step by step. Meanwhile, Liu Bei defeated Qiao Rui, occupied Ling County, an important town in southern Jingzhou, and then captured Guiyang County. Qiao Rui could only garrison his troops in Changsha County, looking for an opportunity to defeat Liu Bei again.

In less than a year, Zhang Yu occupied the counties of Ji Province and subdued 100,000 soldiers in Hebei. Wouldn't his strength be greater than his?
Suppressing his shock, Yuan Shu said with a hint of envy, "Yuan Shao's defeat was not due to his own fault, but rather to Xu You's defection. Zhang Yu's ability to sweep through Hebei was not due to his superior military strategy, but rather to the assistance of Xu You."

"Your Majesty, Zhang Yu is powerful in Hebei, while Yuan Shao has fled to the coast. In my humble opinion, why doesn't Your Majesty send an envoy to pay homage to Yuan Shao and see if you can form an alliance with him to resist Zhang Yu in the Central Plains? If Zhang Yu were to eliminate Yuan Shao, his power would be unstoppable, and he would then launch a southern campaign against the Central Plains!" Yan Xiang said.

When Yan Xiang asked him to contact Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu was slightly displeased and said, "Yuan Shao is the daughter of a concubine. He has been defeated by Zhang Yu and should be the one to ask me for help. How can I send an envoy to contact him?"

"Besides, if he has no intention of seeking help, even if I wanted to help him, there would be nothing I could do!"

Seeing this, Yan Xiang knew that Yuan Shu was unwilling to admit his mistake, so he dared not say more and only hoped that Yuan Shao would recognize the bigger picture and send an envoy to pay respects to Yuan Shu.

"Your Majesty, Zhang Yu has now unified Hebei and his military might shakes the Central Plains. Your Majesty wishes to fight Zhang Yu to divide the world. In my opinion, we must first pacify the south before we can turn back north. And in pacifying the south, the first enemy is none other than Cao Cao. Cao Cao has supported the Han emperor, first conquered Huainan, then coveted Jiangzuo, and has the ambition to seize Yangzhou."

Han Song, the Vice Minister, said, "In my opinion, our army should first attack Cao Cao and unify the Jianghuai region."

Yuan Shu, with his hands behind his back, looked towards Nangong and said, "Cao Cao is skilled in warfare. To attack Cao Cao, we cannot rely on a single army; we must send out multiple armies simultaneously to make it difficult for Cao Cao to defend himself. However, the situation in the Central Plains is complex now. We must observe the changes before we can know where the great enemy is!"

In Yuan Shu's mind, Cao Cao was less dangerous than Zhang Yu. Cao Cao's greatest achievement was merely the control of Yangzhou. Zhang Yu's greatest achievement, however, was the destruction of Yuan Shao and the annexation of Yan and Yu provinces in the south. Even if Yuan Shu possessed Jiangzuo at that time, it would not be enough to compensate for the loss of Yan and Yu provinces.

Seeing that Yuan Shu was still obsessed with the Central Plains, Han Song could only manage a bitter smile.

If Yuan Shu couldn't even handle Sun Ce, Liu Bei, and Cao Cao, how could he dare to dream of conquering the Central Plains? He should just honestly deal with these three. Even if Zhang Yu destroys Yuan Shao and takes over Yu Province, he can still put up a tug-of-war with Zhang Yu thanks to the natural barrier of the Yangtze River.

"Your Majesty, the Governor of Yuzhou has sent a report!" another attendant announced.

"What's the matter?"

"Yuan Shao sent his envoy Yin Kui south, saying he wished to pay homage to Your Majesty and discuss the matter of Qi and Lu submitting to His Majesty," the attendant said.

"Qi and Lu have submitted?"

Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow and smiled at Yan Xiang, saying, "If Yuan Shao is defeated by Zhang Yu and his situation becomes critical, he will naturally send envoys to submit. Why should I send envoys north to make Yuan Shao look down on us Chen people!"

"Guards, send troops to escort Yin Kui. When Yin Kui arrives in Wancheng, I will personally receive him."

"As ordered!"

About seven days later, Yin Kui arrived in Wancheng, travel-worn. Soon after arriving, he was invited to the palace by Yuan Shu.

Inside the palace, Yuan Shu, dressed in imperial robes, sat with civil and military officials on either side of him, while Yin Kui stood with his hands clasped in the hall, appearing calm and composed.

"I have heard that the Duke of Wei was defeated by Zhang Yu because of Xu You's defection. Is that true?" Yuan Shu asked.

Yin Kui cupped his hands and replied, "Xu You's defection was one of the reasons why Duke Wei was defeated by Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu's military skills were no less than those of Han and Bai. Knowing that Xindu was empty, he dared to lead several thousand troops in a surprise attack. When Duke Wei sent a general to rescue him, the general was also surrendered by Zhang Yu."

"However, before the surprise attack on Xindu, Zhang Yu's officers and soldiers had already killed Yan Liang and Wen Chou, and the general Zhang Liao had rushed to the aid of Youzhou. With fewer troops, he killed the Wuhuan chieftain Tadun and defeated the Wuhuan and Gongsun Zan's forces. Therefore, this was one of the reasons why Wei Gong defeated Zhang Yu and Xu You defected."

Upon hearing Yin Kui boast about the terror of Zhang Yu and his troops, Yuan Shu frowned and asked, "You are an envoy of the Duke of Wei, why are you speaking on behalf of Zhang Yu?"

“This is not mere boasting, but rather the bravery of Zhang Yu and his troops. Zhang Yu is skilled in warfare, and the forces of Guanzhong are among the most powerful in the land. These two factors are the second reason for Duke Wei's defeat of Zhang Yu,” Yin Kui said. Yuan Shu was displeased and said, “Since Zhang Yu's army is so strong, why don't you persuade Yuan Shao to surrender to Zhang Yu? Why send an envoy from a thousand miles away to pay homage to my Chen dynasty!”

Yin Kui remained unmoved, bowed, and said, "Zhang Yu's military prowess is indeed strong, but how does he compare to Xiang Yu? Although Xiang Yu was strong in the past, he ultimately perished at the hands of Gaozu. Now, the Yuan family controls half of the empire. If we can unite as one, why should we fear Zhang Yu?"

"Although Zhang Yu's troops are well-trained, their hearts are not united. The rebels from Liangzhou, the remnants of Dong Zhuo, the followers from Bingzhou, and the mixed Hu troops from the border are all arrogant and domineering. The reason they are able to submit to Zhang Yu is because Zhang Yu has won many battles. If Zhang Yu is defeated, how could his subordinates not surrender at the first sign of trouble?"

Yuan Shu looked at Yin Kui and suddenly laughed, "Sir, you have quite the eloquence to first suppress and then elevate."

Seeing that Yuan Shu had seen through his plan, Yin Kui smiled and said, "Your Majesty has the style of Emperor Gaozu, and I can only resort to this inferior strategy."

When Yuan Shu saw someone comparing him to Emperor Gaozu, he was overjoyed and said, "Xiang Yu was young and vigorous. He raised an army for eight years and fought in countless battles, but unfortunately he committed suicide at the Wujiang River at the age of thirty. When Emperor Gaozu gained the world, he was over fifty years old. I and Zhang Yu are like Liu and Xiang!"

When Yuan Shu shamelessly compared himself to Emperor Gaozu, the civil and military officials in the hall were speechless for a moment. But the silence was only brief, and soon the flattery of sycophants arose, which greatly pleased Yuan Shu.

"I have come to Your Majesty today on the orders of the Duke of Wei, requesting Your Majesty to consider our kinship and bestow titles upon my lord." Taking advantage of Yuan Shu's self-amusement, Yin Kui presented a handkerchief and knelt down to say this.

"To bestow titles upon Yuan Shao?"

Yuan Shu was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. If he hadn't heard it, Yuan Shao would have submitted to him and asked him to issue an edict to confer upon him the title of king.

Yuan Shu could hardly suppress his smile as he unfolded the letter written by Yuan Shao. He saw that Yuan Shao's words on the handkerchief were sincere and humble, addressing Yuan Shu as "Your Majesty" and hoping that Yuan Shu would remember their brotherly bond and appoint him as a king, so that the Yuan family could conquer the world together in the future.

"Ha ha!"

After fighting Yuan Shao for more than a decade, this was the first time Yuan Shao had yielded and acknowledged him as his ruler, which made Yuan Shu burst into laughter.

“Since Yuan Shao knows about the matter of our clan working together, how can I refuse?” Yuan Shu said, his smile fading.

“Now that Yuan Shao has established his business in the coastal areas, I hereby appoint him as the King of Qi.” Yuan Shu waved his hand and said, “The three provinces of Yan, Xu and Qing will be the fiefdom of the King of Qi. Yuan Shao is permitted to bestow official titles and establish an army.”

Yin Kui knelt and said, "Your Majesty is kind and benevolent. On behalf of the Prince of Qi, I thank Your Majesty."

“You have rendered meritorious service on your mission, and I hereby appoint you as a Chamberlain,” Yuan Shu said.

Yin Kui revealed a look of joy and bowed again, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!"

Yuan Shu rose from his imperial couch, placed his hand on his belt, and said smugly, "The Han dynasty has fallen, and the Chen dynasty has risen. Now that the King of Qi has surrendered and the Yuan family is on equal footing, we control half of the world. Why should we worry about Zhang Yu not being eliminated? Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Ce, and other clowns can be easily pacified with a wave of our hand."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

Yuan Shao's submission of a memorial surrendering and requesting investiture came as a surprise to all the civil and military officials. They had assumed that Yin Kui's visit was merely a plea for aid or an attempt to ease tensions between the two sides, but they hadn't expected Yuan Shao to be so bold as to directly submit and request investiture from Yuan Shu.

Regardless of the circumstances, the officials of Chen were all delighted by this. After all, they had fantasized that if the two Yuans were to unite, the Yuan family would become the most powerful in the land, easily sweeping away all the other warlords. Although Yuan Shao had lost Ji Province, a weakened camel is still bigger than a horse, and his surrender would greatly enhance the prestige of Chen.

With a broad smile on his face, Yuan Shu said, "To congratulate the King of Qi on his surrender, I have bestowed upon the officials a great feast of wine and meat, and have not held court for three days."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" All the officials bowed and thanked Yuan Shu.

When the voices subsided, Yin Kui said, "Since the King of Qi is a vassal of the Chen dynasty, if Zhang Yu were to invade in the future, I hope Your Majesty would send troops to his aid."

"It's a natural thing!"

Without hesitation, Yuan Shu said, "Zhang Yu is a hypocritical and treacherous man. I have long wanted to attack him. However, due to the circumstances, I have had to tolerate him. If he offends me in the future, I will definitely send troops to attack him."

"Send an order to Ye City to warn Zhang Yu that if he attacks the King of Qi, it will be as if he attacks us," Yuan Shu said in a deep voice.

"promise!"

When Yin Kui saw that Yuan Shu was trying to stop Zhang Yu from using troops by issuing a warning, he almost laughed out loud at Yuan Shu's arrogance.

Who was Zhang Yu? He was the man who dared to lead several thousand troops to raid Xindu, and even dared to intimidate Tadun. But in front of the Chen dynasty's officials, Yin Kui could only try to suppress his smile and reveal an expression of admiration for Yuan Shu.

"I will host a grand banquet tonight, and I hope that Minister Yin will attend!"

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)