Tiger Guards

Chapter 704 Retreating to Advance
The fifth day, Luoyang.

Just after the New Year, the Emperor of Xudu sent an envoy to Lü Bu to appease and apologize, shifting the blame for many mistakes onto Liu Bei.

Furthermore, the emperor wanted to form a marriage alliance with Lü Bu, and planned to adopt a daughter from the royal family of Pingyuan to be engaged to Lü Bu's son, Lü Ang.

At the same time, Grand Tutor Zhao Yan also sent a private message to Lü Bu.

On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, Lü Bu became a grandfather, and his grandson Zhao Tiezhu was born.

In addition to offering congratulations, Zhao Yan proposed in the letter that Zhao Tiezhu be made the great-great-grandson of the Marquis of Jinyang, and that after his death, Zhao Tiezhu would inherit the marquisate and the fiefdom.

With the war dragged on to this point, Lü Bu, Yuan Shao, and Sun Ce were all in a state of silence. Yuan Shao feigned a standoff in Hanoi while launching a fierce attack on Gongsun Zan, just as he had done in previous years. Sun Ce, on the other hand, used the pretext of attacking Lü Bu to actually occupy Yan Province.

Even if Yanzhou is empty, it is still a province, which can bring a comprehensive boost to political prestige and military prestige. The emergence of so many county and prefectural official positions can also accommodate the army.

The official positions and territories of the counties and prefectures in Yanzhou were like a huge reservoir, which Sun Ce could use to adjust his army and make the army more cohesive.

Meanwhile, Lü Bu was happy to have some free time. He was also keeping an eye on the changes within the Zhao clan... If the situation worsened, he would dare to abandon Luoyang and march all his strength towards Jinyang!
Of course, this is only a prediction under the worst-case scenario.

Now that he had received the letters from the Emperor and Zhao Yan one after the other, Lü Bu held a banquet and summoned all the generals in Luoyang to participate.

During the banquet, after several rounds of drinks, Lü Bu picked up the letter from the Emperor of Xudu and waved it, saying, "The treacherous minister Dong Cheng has kidnapped the Emperor and sent me a letter in the Emperor's name."

During the banquet, Zhang Yang sat alone in the head seat for guests, with Yin Yangjun from Henan sitting opposite him.

Yang Jun cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask, Grand Protector, what are the intentions of this treacherous minister?"

“The treacherous minister, in collusion with the Prince of Pingyuan, intends to select the Prince of Pingyuan’s great-granddaughter to be adopted by the emperor, and plans to give her the title of princess, with the intention of marrying my son to this fake princess.”

Lu Bu passed the letter down, and the people read it. Most of them remained calm and showed no interest in the proposal.

In fact, their relationship with Lü Bu was similar to that of Hu Ben and Zhao Ji; they did not have a solid relationship of ruler and subject, but rather were partners who were master and servant and cooperated with each other.

Even if they became Lü Bu's subjects, these people wouldn't be too excited, since it was just marrying a fake princess and didn't have any special significance.

In terms of the lineage of imperial succession, Emperor Ling was Emperor Huan's cousin, and naturally also the cousin of the current Prince of Pingyuan; the current emperor, Liu Xie, is the grand-nephew of the Prince of Pingyuan.

If one wants to adopt a child from the Plains Royal Family, one can only choose from the great-grandchildren of the Plains King... Fortunately, the Plains Royal Family has multiplied and grown to more than a hundred members, so it is indeed possible to choose someone of suitable age and generation.

Those present, especially those with keen senses, had already connected the dots to other things.

For example, if we can adopt the great-granddaughter of the King of Pingyuan as a princess, can we also adopt the great-grandson of the King of Pingyuan as a prince?
Some people wanted to remind Lü Bu, but seeing his eyes shining, his face beaming with pride and joy, they didn't want to spoil his mood.

Otherwise, this letter, which intends to arrange a marriage, could be interpreted as a veiled plea for help from the emperor.

To say that the current emperor is being held hostage by treacherous officials is an exaggeration and untrue, but it is also impossible that he holds great power and can act arbitrarily.

Since Liu Bei's defeat and retreat to Nanyang to receive financial assistance from Liu Biao and assist Liu Biao in training his army, the situation in Xuchang has changed significantly.

Dong Cheng was leading troops outside the capital, and Sun Ce recommended Xun Yu to the capital and appointed him as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat... Now, the real power in Xuchang was under Xun Yu's control, and at the same time, Xu You and Feng Ji also led troops to the capital to protect the emperor.

These people were all remotely obeying Yuan Shao's orders, and the emperor's sphere of influence was becoming increasingly narrow.

Last year, Yuan Shao's son, Yuan Shang, also married the granddaughter of the Prince of Pingyuan... At this time, if Yuan Shao were to obtain a suitable great-grandson from the Prince of Pingyuan to become a prince and then reclaim the imperial line, the royal family of Pingyuan would probably not object.

Once the imperial throne is reclaimed from the lineage of Emperor Ling back to the Pingyuan royal family, according to the succession methods of previous emperors, it can only be chosen from the close relatives of the deceased emperor.

Therefore, the large population of the plains royal family could monopolize the imperial throne for a long time.

Once a lucky boy is selected, his many brothers can be crowned kings.

Compared to the decree of returning power issued by Jo Ki and the Queen Regent, the Pyeongbu royal family would prefer a more traditional and less risky approach.

In other words, the Pingyuan royal family is now becoming increasingly eager for the throne. Seeing the calm reaction of the crowd, Lü Bu picked up another letter, raising it even louder: "This is a letter from the Grand Tutor. Nine days ago, my daughter and Yuan Si gave birth to a son, who is greatly favored by the Grand Tutor, who intends to make him the great-grandson of the Marquis of Jinyang. What do you all think?"

The group observed each other, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

With no one around, Zhang Yang frowned in thought when he saw Lü Bu raising a cup to him. Zhang Yang quickly raised the cup with both hands and asked, "Grand Protector?"

“Uncle Zhi and I have known each other since childhood, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a brother from a different family. This is a family matter, and I would like to hear Uncle Zhi’s opinion first.”

As Lü Bu spoke, he raised his cup to drink, and Zhang Yang followed suit, finishing his cup as well. After putting down his cup, he said, "Grand Protector, in my humble opinion, I have heard many rumors among the people that the Grand Tutor has the countenance of the sun and moon, and that he possesses the aura of an emperor between Wei and Jin. Judging from the current situation, if the throne does not belong to the Yuan family, it will belong to the Zhao family."

"rational."

Lü Bu didn't think these words were excessive. When the emperor moved east, the Grand Historian Wang Li almost went to the emperor's face to discuss who should replace the Han dynasty.

Not to mention gatherings of common people, it was common for officials to lament "the Han Dynasty is doomed" while on duty.

The Han Dynasty was quite open in this regard, and it did not strictly control speech.

Lu Bu stared at Zhang Yang: "Does Uncle Zhi mean to refuse this matter and participate in the struggle for the throne?"

Zhang Yang felt a chill run down his spine. He knew Lü Bu too well. If he provoked Lü Bu's anger now, Lü Bu would definitely drag him down with drinks, then get drunk and beat him up in public.

The Empress Regent's younger sister passed through Chenliu, right under his nose, and then through Hanoi, which was controlled by his former officials. He couldn't clear his name of suspicion.

At the time, Zhang Yang was genuinely unaware of the situation. He simply mistook the woman for Zhang Zhao's daughter and, as usual, sent troops to protect her. That was all.

At this moment, Zhang Yang could only calm himself down: "Grand Tutor, the Grand Preceptor is a filial son. If we can win the favor of the Grand Tutor, and with his help in the future change of dynasties, there is still hope for further advancement. If not, we can still become important vassals of the new dynasty."

At the very least, Zhao Yan's former officials, followers, and wealth would be passed on to this future Marquis of Jinyang.

Lu Bu thought it made some sense, so he went to see Yang Jun.

Yang Jun was a citizen of the Hanoi Commandery and privately a subject of Lü Bu. However, when he entered the Han Empire as the Governor of Henan, the relationship between them had been severed, and they were now merely former lords and former officials.

But in reality, they are still firmly bound to the same camp.

Meeting Lü Bu's suspicious gaze, Yang Jun cupped his hands and answered frankly, "The Grand Protector is a pillar of the court besides the Grand Tutor and the Grand Preceptor. It is difficult for the Grand Protector's daughter to compete for the rightful position. In my opinion, we should observe the male and remain female, and wait for the time to change."

"Retreat in order to advance?"

Lu Bu picked up the wine that the guard had poured for him, feeling somewhat displeased. However, he knew Zhao Ji's temperament well enough to know that Zhao Ji would never tolerate him interfering in his family affairs.

Zhao Ji was like this, and so was I.

As he pondered, Lü Bu looked slightly helpless; he didn't want his daughter to live such a stressful life.

He raised his cup and looked at everyone: "After the winter snow melts and the roadside dries, I will send an envoy to Jinyang to pay homage to the Empress and present her with local specialties. If any family has suitable men or women, they may accompany me, either to the palace to serve the Empress or to the school in Longcheng."

Everyone was overjoyed upon hearing this, as it meant that they were finally going to submit to the enemy.

This means that the two sides will be highly integrated in the future, and their children and nephews can follow Zhao Ji's successor or Zhao Yan's successor even if they cannot follow Zhao Ji's successor.

Yang Jun's expression was solemn. From a personal perspective, he did not want the emperor of Xudu to be secretly harmed by Yuan Shao.

But he knew the Yuan family too well. Back then, they dared to use Dong Zhuo to depose and install the emperor, but other officials intervened and turned Dong Zhuo against them.

Now, if the situation requires it, the Yuan family will definitely take action against the emperor and replace him with a more obedient young emperor.

As for the decline in the prestige of the central government due to the change of emperors... what does that have to do with the Yuan family?
(End of this chapter)