I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 335 Liu Miao, the Traitor to the Han
Xiangcheng, on the south bank of the Ying River.

Leaving 5,000 soldiers to guard the prisoners of Yuan's army, Liu Miao led the remaining 30,000 troops, wading through the mud left by the flood, to this place.

Once you cross the river, you'll reach Xuchang, the capital of the Han Dynasty.

Once he crossed the river, Yuan Shao would have to slink back to Hebei in disgrace, and then wait for the wound left by Liu Miao to gradually fester and rot, causing the entire Hebei region to slowly die.

Unless, Yuan Shao can find some miraculous cure...

"Damn Yuan Shao! Damn Cao Cao! Damn Xu You!"

After hearing about what happened in Xuchang, Liu Miao didn't hesitate to curse those three bastards without hesitation!
Especially Cao Cao!
"What a damn treacherous hero of a chaotic era! Such a vast city as Xuchang, stolen by a mere Xu You? And he even caused the emperor to fall? Useless!"

Liu Miao's insults were extremely harsh, and even Chen Yu couldn't bear to listen to them. He took the initiative to speak well of Cao Cao, whom he had only met once: "Cao Cao has persisted for so long, he must be exhausted. It's inevitable that he wouldn't notice some changes."

"Moreover, Xuchang has been besieged for several days. Most of the people there were already dissatisfied with Cao Cao. Even without Xu You, there might have been others who contacted Yuan's army and attacked Xuchang."

"..."

Liu Miao stared at Chen Yu strangely: "You're even talking to me about the inevitability of things now?"

Chen Yu: "Nothing happens arbitrarily; there must be a reason for it."

"Cao Cao lacked the right timing, the right location, the right people, and the support of the masses. The fact that he could persist for so long already shows that his wisdom far surpasses that of ordinary people. My lord should not be too harsh on Cao Cao."

With Xun Yu injured, the entire battle situation collapsed.

Besieged in Xuchang, supplies and intelligence were cut off.

The emperor was suspicious and only thought about avenging his wife and children.

Cao Cao's ability to hold out until Liu Miao defeated Yuan Shao was already at the limit of human endurance, so Liu Miao really can't blame Cao Cao...

"My uncle's!"

No wonder, no wonder, but Liu Miao still wanted to curse Cao Cao a couple of times!
"I'll have to clean up his mess! If he doesn't hand over all those beautiful women he's been hoarding after I save him, I'll never forgive him!"

Just as Liu Miao was preparing to cross the river, news suddenly came from the north bank—

The Emperor issued an edict of self-reproach!
In addition, an angel came with an imperial edict, rebuking Liu Miao and ordering him not to cross the river!
"..."

Liu Miao and his civil and military officials exchanged bewildered glances: "Isn't this damned Yuan Shao going a bit too far?"

Directly forcing the emperor to issue an edict of self-reproach?
What kind of operation is this? Why can't anyone figure it out?
Logically speaking, if one obtains the emperor, shouldn't one at least maintain a superficial harmony like Cao Cao did, so that one can use the emperor to command the feudal lords?
What does it mean to have the emperor issue an edict of self-reproach, thus damaging one's own prestige? What is the meaning behind Yuan Shao's action of finally acquiring a treasure, only to smash it to the ground?
"What is Yuan Shao trying to do? To humiliate the emperor? To humiliate the Han dynasty? I know he has never liked the current emperor, but isn't this going a bit too far?"

Liu Miao stroked his chin, completely baffled by the matter.

However, Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang, and Sima Yi seemed to be deep in thought, all of them contemplating a terrifying yet real possibility.

"My lord, although it is strange that the emperor issued an edict of self-reproach, it does not pose a great threat to us at present."

Zhou Yu urged Liu Miao to focus his attention on the truly important matters—

"The key is that edict that forbade the emperor from crossing the river."

"Today, the emperor has issued a decree. If anyone crosses the river, it will be considered an act of disobeying the emperor, leading troops to attack the capital, and threatening the emperor. Such an act will be labeled as a traitor to the Han dynasty."

"But if we don't cross the river..."

Only then did Liu Miao turn his attention to the angel who had issued the edict to him.

"If I cross the river, will I be a traitor to the Han?"

Liu Miao's tone was not heavy, but it made the angel lower his head, his tongue almost tied in knots: "This, this is the emperor's edict, ordering General Liu not to cross the river."

"Oh~~~"

Liu Miao drew out a long, meaningful tone, which immediately alerted the angel to something ominous.

However, Liu Miao did not make things difficult for him. Instead, he strolled with the civil and military officials in the tent to the banks of the Ying River to examine this great river in the Central Plains.

"The name Ying River was given in memory of Ying Kao Shu, a man from Zheng during the Spring and Autumn Period."

Liu Miao asked Chen Yu, "What did Ying Kao Shu do?"

Chen Yu: "Duke Zhuang of Zheng quelled the rebellion of his younger brother Gongshu Duan and exiled his mother Wu Jiang to Chengying. Ying Kao Shu advised Duke Zhuang to 'dig a tunnel to a spring and meet her there.' Duke Zhuang followed his advice, and afterwards, mother and son reconciled. Duke Zhuang was grateful to Ying Kao Shu for restoring their relationship, and Ying Kao Shu was given an important position and appointed as a high-ranking official."

Liu Miao then asked, "Then Ying Kao Shu's final fate must have been quite satisfactory?"

Chen Yu shook his head: "When Duke Zhuang of Zheng, together with the states of Lu and Qi, attacked the state of Xu, Ying Kao Shu and another Zheng official, Gongsun Zidu, had a dispute over a chariot. During the battle, Ying Kao Shu carried the flag and climbed the city wall first, but was shot dead by Gongsun Zidu, who held a grudge against him, from below the city wall."

"Duke Zhuang was unaware of this matter, and in order to relieve the grief of Kao Shu's sister Ying Shu over the loss of her brother, he bestowed Ying Shu upon Zi Du in marriage..."

On their wedding night, Zidu and Yingshu were deeply in love. Yingshu raised her cup, weeping, and begged Zidu to find her brother's killer. Gazing into the cup, she saw the image of Kao Shu, and Zidu, terrified, fell into a drunken stupor. In his dream, Kao Shu came to claim his life, and Duke Zhuang forced him to reveal the truth. In his sleep, Zidu confessed to killing Kao Shu. Yingshu learned that her husband was her brother's killer, yet she could neither love him nor kill him.

"Later, when Duke Zhuang learned that Zidu had killed Ying Kao Shu, he considered that since Kao Shu was already dead and his right arm was lost, killing Zidu would mean losing his left arm as well. Therefore, he did not punish Zidu. Instead, when Zidu ascended the platform to be appointed commander, he gave him a brocade pouch, inside which was the very arrow that Zidu had shot and killed Ying Kao Shu."

"Ying Shu, who had already gone mad, came to see Zi Du, who had also completely broken down and been driven insane..."

"..."

This story is recorded in the Zuo Zhuan of the Spring and Autumn Annals, which Chen Yu and many others knew by heart. They quickly told Liu Miao the whole story.

Upon hearing this, Liu Miao sneered.

"Ying Kao Shu devoted himself to the state of Zheng, but was killed by his own colleagues in the end. Even his own younger sister was married off to his enemy by Duke Zhuang."

"To be such a loyal subject and act like this, there's no one else like it."

Chen Yu tried to explain in a low voice, "But everyone knows Ying Kao Shu's reputation for loyalty and virtue, so he's fortunate..." "Get lost! Do you want this fortune if I give it to you?"

After careful consideration, Chen Yu replied to Liu Miao: "I have no younger sister."

"..."

"If you don't have a younger sister, you must have a wife and daughters, right?"

Liu Miao's words made Chen Yu feel as if he were facing a formidable enemy, and his eyes instantly became wary!
"what!"

Liu Miao stood with his hands behind his back, looking disdainfully at the north bank.

"You want to use my reputation to bind me?"

"Does Yuan Shao mistake me for Duke Xiang of Song?"

Liu Miao called the trembling angel over and put his arm around his shoulder.

"Stop shaking! Listen to what I have to say!"

"Tell Yuan Shao that I will cross the river tomorrow!"

"Traitor to the Han, rebellious minister, call me whatever you want, I have only one request: to kill him completely!"

Liu Miao patted the other person's chest: "Stand up straight!"

"You're supposed to be a great angel! Show some angelic spirit!"

The angel looked at Liu Miao with a puzzled expression.

On one hand, he was shouting that he wanted to be a traitor to the Han Dynasty, and on the other hand, he was being asked to uphold the dignity of the Han Dynasty... This angel felt that he had encountered a distorted person.

However, the angel's trembling body gradually calmed down.

Although Liu Miao looked fierce, like a bandit, for some reason, compared to the ever-dignified and wealthy Yuan Shao opposite him, the angel felt that Liu Miao was more approachable. At least with Liu Miao, her life wasn't in danger, unlike Geng Ji's situation…

The angel swallowed hard when he thought of Geng Ji.

After some hesitation, the angel told Liu Miao about what had happened in Yuan's camp.

"No, is Yuan Shao really that ruthless and insane?"

Liu Miao thought that getting the emperor to issue an edict of self-reproach was the limit for Yuan Shao, but he never expected Yuan Shao to be so courageous.

They killed the emperor's close ministers and then forced the emperor to treat his ministers as rulers?
This isn't just about humiliating the Han Dynasty! This is about using the Han Dynasty's dignity as a rag!
"Lord."

Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang, and Sima Yi stepped forward together.

There seemed to be an unyielding gloom in the brows of all three.

"My lord, we all thought Yuan Shao was just another Cao Cao. But now it seems... we were wrong."

Am I mistaken?
What else could Yuan Shao do besides be Cao Cao? Become Wang Mang?

Liu Miao's playful expression froze instantly.

"You mean... Yuan Shao is going to do that?"

“Apart from that incident, Yuan Shao would never have treated the emperor with such an attitude.”

Liu Miao scratched his head: "Really?"

"I thought only his foolish younger brother could do this, but now Yuan Shao wants to do it too?"

Zhou Yu, however, did not think so.

“When Yuan Shao conquers the Central Plains, the time will come.”

"Furthermore, my lord, do not forget that when Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, Yuan Shao intended to take Yuan Shu back to Hebei with the imperial title."

"If our lord had not defeated Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao might have been able to endure for a while longer."

"But our lord defeated Yuan Shao and captured nearly 50,000 of Yuan's troops in Hebei at Dingling. When Yuan Shao returns, there will surely be a great uproar."

"The only way to make up for and cover up that crushing defeat is to take extraordinary measures."

Sima Yi also said, "When I was in Hanoi, I often heard Yuan Shao think of seizing the world with the power of Emperor Guangwu."

"Back then, Emperor Guangwu ascended the throne at Qianqiu Pavilion in Hao City because he was unable to capture Luoyang after a long siege. He used his supreme power to suppress Zhu Wei, who occupied Luoyang."

"My lord, when it comes to doing that, it's never about having everything prepared beforehand; it's about being forced into a situation where you have no choice."

Liu Miao glanced at Sima Yi silently. How could you, Sima Yi, know so much about this?

Although Zhuge Liang appeared grief-stricken, he made the same judgment as Zhou Yu and Sima Yi:

"My lord, it seems that another emperor from the Yuan family may indeed emerge in this world!"

The angel, held in Liu Miao's arms, looked at the people around her with fear and despair—

"What are these guys talking about???"

The angel looked terrified.

What Yuan dynasty emperor?
Could it be that the Han Dynasty, which has lasted for hundreds of years, is really about to perish?
(End of this chapter)