Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 173 Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were both furious.

Jizhou, Yecheng.

"Shameless old thief!" Yuan Shao shouted angrily, throwing the imperial edict heavily to the ground.

Having just heard that Zhang Yang was building a palace in Luoyang, Yuan Shao assumed that the emperor would return to Luoyang.

In this way, he only needs to send someone to drive away Zhang Yang and recommend a capable person to serve as the governor of Henan, thus indirectly controlling the court and the emperor.

But that scoundrel Cao Cao actually tricked the emperor into going to Xu County in Yingchuan, and even planned to establish the capital there!

Now look what happened! The emperor has been thrown into the tiger's den, but Yuan Shao hasn't gotten a single sheep.

Not only that, Cao Cao even used the emperor's name to send him an edict, demanding that he pay tribute to the court!

This is hardly tribute to the imperial court; it's clearly tribute to Cao Cao!

That's utterly shameless!
Xu You bent down to pick up the imperial edict from the ground, sighed softly, and then said to Yuan Shao, "My lord, please calm down... Now that things have come to this, let's carefully consider whether to obey this edict or not."

At a time when the people's hearts still turn to the Han, disobeying the imperial edict would likely result in being branded as a traitor.

However, if he were to be granted the titles of Grand General and Minister of Works by imperial decree, the two provinces of Ji and Qing under Yuan Shao's rule would both have to pay tribute to the emperor, and he would have to give up a considerable portion of his annual harvest to Cao Cao. No matter how you look at it, Yuan Shao felt like he was losing out big time.

Yuan Shao, of course, refused. Then, remembering how Guo Tu had strongly advised him against welcoming the emperor, he couldn't help but glare at Guo Tu fiercely.

Guo Tu, however, was resting with his eyes closed, as if everything was irrelevant to him.

At this moment, Xu You stepped forward again and said, "My lord, in my opinion, it is best to act in accordance with the imperial edict. There is a severe drought in the land, and my lord has no surplus grain. If we truthfully explain the matter of paying tribute to the emperor, he should be able to understand."

Xu You was the best at understanding Yuan Shao's intentions.

When Yuan Shao heard that he could get the title of Grand General for no reason and not have to pay tribute, his anger immediately subsided.

After a moment of contemplation, Yuan Shao raised his head, a smile already on his face: "Gentlemen, there is no need to worry. The Emperor has appointed me as Minister of Works and Grand General. These titles alone can attract countless ambitious people to come and join us. Cao Cao has the Emperor, yet he dares not take up an important position in the court, which shows that he is wary of my Yuan family."

That being said, the wise men present all knew that Cao Cao had gone to great lengths to rescue the emperor, yet he remained so cautious in order to avoid the limelight and prevent others from finding fault with him.

Yuan Shao, having assumed the positions of Minister of Works and Grand General, did not send a single soldier to welcome the emperor; this matter will surely be widely publicized.

By then, the world will probably know that Cao Cao was virtuous and that Yuan Shao was shameless and unscrupulous.

If the Yuan clan were to truly acquire such a reputation, it would likely become a laughingstock and its morale would suffer a severe blow.

In short, Cao Cao's move to welcome the emperor back to Xuchang was a significant blow to them.

What surprised them even more was that the emperor went to Xu County willingly, and there was no news of him being forced.

If Cao Cao were to repair the old capital of Luoyang and rebuild the imperial palace, it would be extremely costly. But it would be different if he were to expand Xuchang.

Rebuilding Luoyang was extremely costly, and Cao Cao also had to divide his troops to guard various key routes, stretching the defensive line very long.

Luoyang is adjacent to Hanoi. If Yuan Shao takes Hanoi, he will pose a great threat to Cao Cao's Dongjun, Chenliu and Luoyang line.

Once the connection between Luoyang and Yanzhou is severed, the emperor will be Yuan Shao's for the taking.

However, after the emperor moved to Xu County, he was in the heart of Cao Cao's territory. Yuan Shao and Yingchuan were separated by Chenliu, making it difficult for Yuan Shao to reach them.

Some military generals were even more eager to fight, clamoring to march south and seize back the emperor, completely forgetting how they had advised Yuan Shao not to go and welcome the emperor.

Yuan Shao looked at the surging fighting spirit below, but remained unmoved.

"Now is not the time to break ties with Cao Cao." He raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and then said:

Have you all forgotten the fates of Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, Guo Si, and others? Even though he had the emperor in his hands, those high-ranking officials and ministers might not have truly submitted; they would certainly have fought each other in secret in the court.

Now deeply entangled in the court intrigues, with enemies in the court every day, Cao Cao will sooner or later reveal his true nature.

"I know him too well. Do you really think Cao Cao was a loyal minister?"

After Yuan Shao finished speaking, a smug smile couldn't help but appear on his face.

Seeing their lord's confidence, the restless thoughts in everyone's hearts gradually calmed down.

After all, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao had been friends since childhood, so the person who understood Cao Cao best was definitely Yuan Shao.

Cao Cao is only in power because of his military achievements; he is just a petty person who has gotten his way.

But in the art of court politics, how could he possibly outmaneuver those aristocratic families who had emerged from centuries-old clans?
“What you say makes some sense, my lord. Those high-ranking officials will surely try every means to force Cao Cao to reveal his true nature, and then they will condemn him with words and writings. When that time comes, who else but you, my lord, will be able to provide the support of the emperor?” Guo Tu finally spoke up.

Yuan Shao smiled slightly and replied, "Gongze understands me best!"

……

Shouchun.

"You bastard! Shameless!" Yuan Shu's sharp shouts echoed throughout the hall. "He, Cao Cao, only seized an emperor, yet he dares to demand that I pay tribute to him?"

It’s just wishful thinking!
Does he have the imperial seal?
I asked him if he had the Imperial Seal of the State.
How dare they ask me to pay tribute to them?!

Yuan Shu was so provoked that he went somewhat mad.

Yang Hong and Yan Xiang stood aside watching Yuan Shu's aggressive demeanor, feeling somewhat helpless but mostly bewildered.

What exactly is our lord saying?
Wasn't the imperial seal already missing?

Even if Cao Cao didn't have it, does my lord have the Imperial Seal?

Yuan Shu grew angrier the more he thought about it. He slammed the imperial edict on the ground and said viciously, "You want me, Yuan Shu, to pay tribute? No way! You want to fawn over the emperor? Then I'll just become the emperor myself!!"

Yuan Shu's words terrified Yang Hong, Yan Xiang, and the others, who quickly tried to dissuade him.
"My lord, you mustn't!!"

"My lord, please reconsider, please think twice before you act..."

"The people's hearts are still with the Han, so we must not rashly declare ourselves emperor, lest we lose their support!"

"My lord, I swear to follow you to the death!!!"

"..."

Yang Hong and Yan Xiang rushed forward to dissuade him, but Yuan Shu was blinded by rage and wouldn't listen.

It seems that the matter of paying tribute to Cao Cao dealt him a huge blow, and he is now somewhat insane.

Zhang Miao was also in the main hall. He stared dumbfounded at the madman-like Yuan Shu, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Before fleeing to Yangzhou, Zhang Miao never imagined that Yuan Shu would kidnap the Grand Master of the Palace and steal his imperial seal.

Even more unexpectedly, Yuan Shu's largest source of soldiers was the Yellow Turban rebels, bandits, and conscripted civilians from various regions.

Such behavior is clearly a path to self-destruction. If they continue to associate with Yuan Shu, they will inevitably be branded as traitors by the court in the future.

And now, Yuan Shu actually dares to clamor for himself to be emperor; he's practically asking for trouble!
Zhang Miao now regrets coming to serve Yuan Shu. He's thinking that he should find a time to break away from Yuan Shu and simply go to Jingzhou to join Liu Biao.

(End of this chapter)