Late Han Zhao Tang

June of the second year of Shenwu.

Zhang Yu ordered Mi Heng to go on a mission to Liaodong, while Kong Rong was tasked with recruiting former officials. Both refused, instead submitting a memorial requesting Zhang Yu to assist Liu Xie in restoring the throne, thus ensuring the proper relationship between ruler and subject. Enraged, Zhang Yu issued an edict ordering soldiers and officials to escort the two men out of the capital and to take up their posts according to the edict.

After the two left the capital, public opinion in Guanzhong improved. Liu Xie, acting on orders, submitted a memorial stating that the Han Dynasty had declined and fallen, and that his abdication in Chen was of low character, making him unfit to be emperor. He hoped that Zhang Yu, mindful of the safety of the realm and the loyalty of the people, would succeed him as emperor.

Zhang Yu refused to accept the gift and returned the imperial seal to Liu Xie, hoping that Liu Xie would restore the Han dynasty.

Liu Xie refused to accept the petition and, together with Liu He, Shen Tu Bei, Sun Zi, and the governors and officials of the nine provinces of Jing, Xu, Yan, Yu, Liang, and Qing, submitted another memorial.

The abdication of Yao and Shun, the replacement of Xia and Shang, the revolution of Shang and Zhou, and the continuation of the Zhou and Han dynasties are all attributed to the Five Virtues. Zhou possessed the virtue of Wood, while Han possessed the virtue of Fire. Fire succeeded Wood, hence the fall of Zhou and the rise of Han. An ancient prophecy said, "When Yu became emperor, the emperor arose in the next dynasty," referring to the Tang emperor, hoping that Zhang Yu would succeed to the throne.

Zhang Yu refused to listen and then asked Liu Xie to restore the monarchy.

Liu Xie wept but refused to accept the offer. He then joined forces with other warlords, including Yuan Shu, Han Sui, Liu He, Zhang Lu, and Lü Bu, to declare, "The one who will replace the Han dynasty is Tu Gao." The road in the temple was named Tang, which matched Tu Gao's intention. Therefore, the Tang dynasty replaced the Han dynasty.

In one of the letters, Liu Xie and Yuan Shu wrote another letter explaining the relationship between the Han and Chen dynasties. They said that fire generates earth, and the Tang dynasty was associated with the virtue of earth, while the Chen dynasty was situated between fire and earth, and was a hegemon but not a king, just like the Qin dynasty, which was a leap dynasty.

The Han dynasties claimed to inherit the virtues of the Zhou dynasty, not to follow the mandate of heaven of the Qin dynasty. Therefore, it was concluded that the Qin dynasty was "between wood and fire, a hegemon but not a king." The Qin dynasty was also classified as a leap dynasty, not a legitimate dynasty.

The distinction between the legitimate and intercalary dynasties originated from the Confucianism of the Western Han Dynasty. In order to emphasize the legitimacy of the Western Han Dynasty and to differentiate it from the Qin and Zhou Dynasties, the Qin Dynasty was designated as the intercalary dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty as the legitimate dynasty.

The meaning of "leap dynasty" is the same as the original meaning of "leap," that is, it is not listed among the positive numbers, but is superfluous. Therefore, a leap dynasty can be called a false dynasty. For example, although Qin unified the world, it was not a legitimate dynasty because of its tyrannical rule, lawlessness, and lack of morality.

Like Qin, Chen also destroyed a legitimate dynasty, but because it lacked the "righteous way," it was not worthy of being called a legitimate dynasty.

Although the memorials from Liu Xie and Yuan Shu cleared the legal and ethical obstacles for Zhang Yu to ascend the throne, Zhang Yu, out of humility, still did not accept the requests of the crowd and continued to write to Liu Xie, hoping that he could be restored to the throne.

Meanwhile, reports came from all over the country that a yellow dragon appeared in the Yellow River, soaring for nine days before flying straight away; a phoenix emerged from the Taihang Mountains and disappeared into the East Sea; a tortoise carrying the Luoshu (a symbol of the Luo River) emerged from the Wei River and was captured by the boatman Ma Zhe; and a beautiful jade appeared in the Yanshan Mountains, which Governor Dong Zhao urgently sent to Chang'an.

Over the course of a month, auspicious omens, prophecies, and nursery rhymes appeared simultaneously across China, clearing away obstacles to Zhang Yu's ascension to the throne.

After Liu Xie thrice declined the request to be restored to the throne, he joined the previous two groups of people, along with Chancellor Zhong Yao, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Du Ji, and other officials, in submitting a joint memorial requesting Zhang Yu to succeed him.

During the court assembly, over a hundred officials of the Tang Dynasty, including Chancellor Zhong Yao, General Lü Bu, Grand Commandant Liu He, Minister of Works Wang Hong, Minister of Public Works Wei Duan, and General Zhang Liao, knelt before the palace and submitted a memorial requesting that it be presented to Zhang Yu.

"Your Majesty, Dong Zhuo usurped the throne, destroyed the Han dynasty, and robbed loyal officials. He was cruel and tyrannical. Yuan Shikai seized power and usurped the imperial authority. People and ghosts alike are filled with rage and yearn for a wise ruler. There is no emperor above us, and the whole country is in a state of panic, with no one to look up to. More than 800 of my subordinates have submitted memorials, all praising auspicious omens, divination, and prophecy."

"A yellow dragon appeared in the Yellow River in Dongjun and left after nine days. The Classic of Filial Piety quotes the divine omen: 'When virtue reaches the deep spring, a yellow dragon appears.' The dragon is the symbol of the ruler. The ninth line of the Qian hexagram, 'The flying dragon is in the sky,' means that the king will ascend to the throne. There is also a prophecy: 'The one who will replace the Han dynasty will be high up.' The Tang dynasty refers to the imperial court, hence the Tang dynasty replaced the Han dynasty."

"Zhang Liao pacified Yuzhou, and Zhang Xiu, a man, presented a bright pearl; Shi Yi pacified Liangzhou, and Wu Fang, a herdsman, offered white jade. The imperial seal was passed down through the country, and the pearls and jade shone brightly. They lay hidden in the deep springs. The Tang Dynasty inherited the Han system. Fire generates earth, which is the mandate of heaven!"

"The true dynasties, the Shang, Zhou, and Han, rose from humble beginnings, pacified the four directions, and brought peace to the world. Your Majesty follows in the footsteps of the sage kings and rises with the new dynasty. Now, the legitimate and intercalary emperors present the imperial seal and seal, and the prophecies and auspicious omens have come true. This is what Heaven desires, not something that human effort can achieve..."

Then, Zhong Yao took the lead and said loudly, "Today the world is in turmoil. I humbly request Your Majesty to raise an army, inherit the lineage of the Yellow Emperor, conquer the four directions, and subdue the Chinese and barbarians... This achievement is unmatched by anyone but King Wu and Emperor Gaozu. You should follow the example of the sage kings, continue the virtue of earth, inherit the Zhou and Han dynasties, and ascend the throne as emperor."

"Lord Xie of Shanyang, Marquis Shu of Ruyang, Grand Commandant He, Chancellor Yao, General Bu, Minister Ji, General Yang, General Liao, General Song, General Huang, General Chong, Commissioner Yu Yi, Privy Councilor Xun You... we request Your Majesty to establish a national system, set forth rites, choose an auspicious day, and bestow the title of Supreme God." Then, Liu Xie, expressionless, presented the memorial to Zhang Yu, saying, "We beseech the King of Tang to bestow the title of Supreme God, to pacify the world, and restore peace to the land."

Zhang Yu sighed and declined, saying, "I have long served the Han dynasty. With the Emperor before me today, how dare I accept the mandate to become emperor?"

Liu Xie's eyes reddened, tears welled up, and he said, "Dong Zhuo is tyrannical. He killed his brother and murdered the empress, and I was forced to become emperor. Since I took the throne, there has been no year without war, and the people have been displaced. Fortunately, Your Majesty is valiant and brave. You raised an army in Dai, eliminated the traitor and supported the Hua, and quelled the bandits, allowing the people to have a place to live in peace."

"Xie abdicated in favor of Chen, thus missing the Mandate of Heaven; the Chen dynasty was tyrannical, a hegemon but not a true king. Your Majesty possesses China, with millions of people, a million armored soldiers, and a thousand excellent generals, upholding virtuous governance, like the legendary Emperor Gaozu. If you do not now declare yourself emperor, would you not be going against the Mandate of Heaven?"

Liu Xie's expression was genuine; it was unclear whether he was weeping for his current predicament or for the demise of the Han Dynasty.

Among the crowd were former officials of the Han dynasty, who couldn't help but feel sorrow upon seeing Liu Xie personally abdicate in favor of Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "With the Emperor before me, it is not in accordance with the proper conduct of a subject for me to declare myself Emperor!"

“In ancient times, Yao and Shun abdicated the throne to the virtuous, who yielded to the less virtuous. Now, Your Majesty is virtuous. Han wishes to follow the ancient system and abdicate the throne to Your Majesty. What is wrong with that?”

Zhong Yao rose and stepped forward, advising, "It is the will of Heaven; Your Majesty cannot shirk it!"

"Of course!"

Guo Tu said in a deep voice, "Liu is of the bloodline of Emperor Yao, and like the Zhang family, he belongs to the same branch of the Yellow Emperor. As descendants of Yan and Huang, it is perfectly legitimate for him to become emperor and assume the throne, which is beyond reproach!"

Zhang Yu feigned hesitation, looked at Emperor Liu Xie, and said, "I am a subject of Han, and you are the Emperor of Han. Why not restore the throne?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xie was terrified and knelt down, saying, "The Han dynasty inherited the virtue of the Zhou dynasty, but because of my wickedness, the Han dynasty lost the empire. So how can I have the face to restore the dynasty? Since Your Majesty has the mandate of Heaven, you should ascend to the throne and follow the example of the Zhou and Han dynasties."

With that, Liu Xie said in a sorrowful voice, "If Your Majesty does not grant me the title of Emperor, I am willing to die to persuade you!"

Seeing that the time was ripe, Zhang Yu helped Liu Xie up, looked at the ministers in the hall who were urging him to ascend the throne, and said, "It is the will of the people, and I cannot refuse. However, I hope you all understand that it was not I who destroyed the Han Dynasty, but Chen. I took the world from the heroes, not from the hands of the Han Dynasty."

It can be said that Zhang Yu cherished his reputation and was particular about the law and reason in many things. For example, in the matter of becoming emperor, he constantly tried to prove that he was passively and helplessly accepting the throne, rather than actively seizing it.

"Greetings to Your Majesty!"

"Greetings to Your Majesty!"

When Zhang Yu agreed to declare himself emperor, the crowd shouted in unison.

Looking at the crowd below, Zhang Yu, though somewhat prepared, couldn't express the excitement in his heart. His twelve years of conquering the world had finally borne fruit today!

Zhang Yu remained calm, looked at Liu Xie below the steps, and said, "Han is the rightful dynasty, and Tang has not failed it. Liu and Zhang are one, and may we enjoy the dynasty's prosperity forever!"

Liu Xie bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty is benevolent and virtuous; I am deeply grateful." (End of Chapter)