I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 299 More Real Than Real! (Fifth Update)
Zhou Yu pursued a swift victory over Yuan Tan precisely to avoid the danger of being attacked from both sides.

Now that Yuan Tan in the east has been defeated, it is natural to focus our attention on Ma Teng and Han Sui in the west.

"We can outsmart Ma Teng and Han Sui!"

Zhou Yu looked at Zhong Yao: "These border lords are the most insecure. What they need is nothing more than the guarantee from the imperial court."

"Use official titles and ranks to win them over and make them feel at ease. Then they will be content with a little wealth and will not easily become our enemies."

Zhou Yu had an extremely clear understanding of the psychology of people like Ma Teng and Han Sui.

"Now that Yuan Chang is the Attendant-in-Ordinary and Commandant of the Capital Region, could you write an imperial edict appointing Ma Teng as General Who Conquers the South and Han Sui as General Who Conquers the West, granting them both the authority to establish their own offices, so that they may live in peace?"

"This……"

A royal decree that could avert a war seemed like an extremely worthwhile deal no matter how you looked at it.

But Zhou Yu asked him to write the emperor's edict privately... Isn't that forging an imperial decree?

Although the current imperial court is basically just a figurehead, it is still an imperial court after all!

Making Zhong Yao do such a thing is like putting your head on a leash.

Seeing Zhong Yao's hesitation, Liu Miao patted his chest and said, "Yuan Chang, just write it with confidence! If the court blames you later, just say that I forced you to write it! Don't worry! With Mengde here, no one will make things difficult for you!"

Since Liu Miao has said so, how could Zhong Yao refuse?

However, Zhong Yao quickly discovered the problem—

"Imperial edicts are all written on special, precious silk. But there are no such silk books in Guanzhong now..."

"What did I think was important? It's just this?"

Liu Miao gave Zhong Yao a look: "Yuan Chang, don't worry! Leave this to me! I guarantee I'll make it look even more real than the real thing!"

……

Zhong Yao was a man of exceptional literary talent and calligraphy skills, and he quickly completed an imperial edict.

When Zhong Yao finished writing it and handed it to Liu Miao, he was extremely curious, wondering what method Liu Miao could use to make this imperial edict even more real than the real one.

After admiring Zhong Yao's calligraphy for a while, Liu Miao silently took something out of his pocket—

It is four inches square, with five dragons intertwined on the top button! The whole piece is pure white, with one corner adorned with gold!
Zhong Yao was astonished upon seeing this object: "The Imperial Seal of the State!"

"Ha~~~~"

The Imperial Seal of the State was used by Liu Miao just like his own personal seal.

He spat on the eight seal script characters that read "By the mandate of Heaven, may your reign be long and prosperous," then exhaled forcefully and slapped them directly onto the edict...

Upon witnessing this scene, Zhong Yao nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood!
This is the Imperial Seal of the State!
What is Liu Miao doing with it?!
Zhong Yao's eyes were glued to the Imperial Seal in Liu Miao's hand, his intense gaze making Liu Miao feel quite uncomfortable.

"General Liu..."

Before Zhong Yao could speak, Liu Miao interrupted him directly—

"This is a fake! Yuan Chang, don't take it seriously!"

Screw your counterfeit goods!
Now, if anyone but Liu Miao were here, Zhong Yao would believe that the Imperial Seal of the State was fake!
But only Liu Miao has it! Even if he says it's fake, Zhong Yao is certain that the thing in Liu Miao's hand is definitely genuine!

When Yuan Shu used the imperial seal to declare himself emperor, Liu Miao destroyed Yuan Shu and then made an excuse that the imperial seal had been lost.

Although it was obvious to everyone that Liu Miao had hidden the item, when Zhong Yao saw Liu Miao actually take out the Imperial Seal and use it, it was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, leaving Zhong Yao with a surge of emotions that he could not calm down for a long time.

After Liu Miao stamped the seal, he put the Imperial Seal back into his bosom under Zhong Yao's reluctant gaze, and then handed the imperial edict to Zhong Yao.

"With this, we should be able to persuade Ma Teng and Han Sui!"

Without the Imperial Seal of the State, this edict would be no different from a piece of waste paper. But with the eight characters "By the Mandate of Heaven, May Your Reign Be Long and Prosperous" stamped on the paper, even if it's covered in ink stains, it becomes priceless!
Zhong Yao finally understood why Liu Miao had asked him to create an edict that was even more real than the real one.

The Imperial Seal of the State is with Liu Miao. Is it any more authentic than the imperial edict issued by the emperor in Xuchang?
Zhong Yao's attention was now completely focused on the Imperial Seal of the State in Liu Miao's possession, and he once again advised Liu Miao: "This sacred object should be returned to the Emperor..."

"I told you, it's fake! It was made by a craftsman!"

Liu Miao was a complete scoundrel; he put away the imperial seal and refused to let Zhong Yao even glance at it again.

"correct!"

"Forging the imperial seal is a capital offense. I beg Yuan Chang to keep this a secret!"

"Don't forget, we're accomplices now, hehe!"

"..."

Seeing Liu Miao's stubborn and unyielding demeanor, Zhong Yao sighed deeply.

The country is on the verge of collapse!
Left with no other option, Zhong Yao put away the imperial edict and then dispatched Wei Kang, the governor of Liangzhou, to Ma Teng and Han Sui's army to explain the situation and demand that they withdraw their troops.

Upon receiving the order, Wei Kang did not rush to the enemy camp. Instead, he first went to Liu Miao and requested permission from him—

"We still need to borrow something from General Liu!"

"What?"

"The head of Liu Qubei, the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu!"

Liu Miao paused for a moment, then immediately understood Wei Kang's intention and burst into laughter: "That's it!"

"The right approach is to combine kindness with severity; how can one only show kindness without demonstrating authority?"

"Take Liu Qubei's head, the banner of the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu, and the Yuan army flags surrendered in the Battle of Linjin and show them all!"

"Given Ma Teng and Han Sui's personalities, they will surely agree to withdraw their troops!"

When the imprisoned Liu Qubei saw soldiers approaching him menacingly, he immediately cried out in fear, "I am also surnamed Liu! I am a member of the Han imperial family! I am a relative of General Liu! I beg General Liu to see me! I beg General Liu to see me!"

Unfortunately, the executioner's blade was too fast; before he could finish shouting, his head had already been taken from his neck.

After salting the head, Wei Kang took Liu Qubei's head and the imperial edict to Ma Teng and Han Sui's army.

After arriving in Guanzhong, Ma Teng and Han Sui hesitated and remained observing the situation there.

The reason they couldn't get any news from Yuan Tan was simply because the battle between Liu Miao and Yuan Tan took place in the easternmost part of Guanzhong, while they were in the westernmost part of Guanzhong. Due to the lack of communication, they were unable to get any news from Yuan Tan.

It wasn't until Wei Kang threw Liu Qubei's head in front of them that they belatedly realized, "Yuan Tan actually lost?"

"With Liu Biaoqi personally leading a large army to assist, Yuan Tan was naturally defeated with ease!"

When Ma Teng and Han Sui heard that Liu Miao had actually come to Guanzhong, their eyelids twitched even more!
In Yuan Shao's eyes, Liu Miao was perhaps "not worth mentioning," at most just a powerful figure known as "Gongsun Shu."

However, in the eyes of other warlords, Liu Miao's reputation was quite intimidating!

Seeing that Ma Teng and Han Sui seemed to fear Liu Miao, Wei Kang opportunely produced the imperial edict—

"The lives and deaths of many people are in the hands of the two generals!"

"To live or to die."

"To fight or to make peace?"

"These matters are entirely up to the two generals to decide!"

(End of this chapter)