I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 337 The Han Dynasty is Gone
[Edict of Abdication of the Han Emperor]

[I, having inherited the great legacy of Emperor Shizu, have reigned for ten years, remaining vigilant day and night without rest. Yet, the celestial signs have changed; the blazing sun has dimmed, Mars has encroached upon the Purple Palace, and the Red Phantom has weakened in the Hebei plains. Yuan Shiben, a descendant of four generations of high-ranking officials, a hero among the heroes of the nine provinces, once held the jade tablet to unite the feudal lords, now wields the halberd and battle-axe to pacify the world. He defeated Gongsun at Yijing, and beheaded the rebellious enemy at Zhangbin; he rescued the common people from their dire straits and propped up the Han dynasty from its impending collapse.]

Behold, the black jade tablet responds to the prophecy, and the white water presents the talisman. The Yellow River and Luo River bring auspicious omens, and the divine tortoise carrying the map reveals good fortune; the northern river is filled with rising energy, and the red crows gather at the altar, signifying prosperity. I, the Emperor, look up to the celestial phenomena and down to the hearts of the people, knowing that the divine regalia cannot be arbitrarily held, and the Mandate of Heaven cannot be delayed indefinitely. In the past, Emperor Yao abdicated to Shun, fully embracing the common people; Emperor Yu passed the throne to Yu, achieving great humility among all nations. Now, following the ancient ways and emulating the sages, I hereby bestow the throne upon the Yuan family.

Gong Shaoyi obeys the mandate of Heaven and receives the support of countless people. He inherits the supreme virtue of the Yellow Emperor and the Yu Emperor, and continues the great foundation of the Han Dynasty. He spreads benevolent influence to pacify the eight directions, and holds the Jade Dipper to purify the three luminaries. He offers sacrifices at the Heavenly Palace to inform the ancestral temples, and overlooks the four seas to comfort the common people. May Heaven and Earth know that this is not a privately bestowed mandate; may mountains, rivers, and streams bear witness to his impartial and just heart.

The emperor personally went to the ancestral temple of Emperor Guangwu to present his abdication edict.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao was greatly alarmed. He knelt down at Yuanling Mausoleum, apologized to the emperor, and stated that he dared not steal the imperial artifacts. He then took the emperor's hand and, in front of all the ministers of the Han Dynasty, pulled the emperor out of Yuanling Mausoleum, demonstrating the harmony between the emperor and his subject.

On the day of Gengzi in the third month of the fifth year of Jian'an, the Han Dynasty held its routine court assembly.

The emperor issued another edict of abdication, and all the officials submitted a petition requesting Yuan Shao to declare himself emperor and establish a new regime. Yuan Shao rebuked them, saying, "My Yuan family of Runan has always been loyal to the emperor and loved our country! How can we bring shame upon our family because of me, Yuan Shao?"

Yuan Shao personally paid homage to the mausoleums of the Later Han emperors and hired craftsmen to repair the tombs of meritorious officials buried in Mangshan. He was praised as virtuous by the officials.

After dealing with these matters, Yuan Shao dared not leave Hulao Pass openly under Liu Miao's nose. Instead, he traveled back to Hebei via Liyang and then headed to Hebei from Mengjin.

When the emperor was crossing the river by boat, a sudden storm broke out.

Yuan Shao stepped forward to the rescue, and the rain stopped immediately, causing the officials to exclaim once again that Yuan Shao was indeed a man of destiny!

After crossing the great river, the emperor lay prostrate on the bank and wept, saying, "How can someone as unfortunate as me bear the mandate of Heaven?"

"Please grant my request, Lord Yuan! Otherwise, I will jump into this great river right now!"

Yuan Shao knelt at the emperor's feet, tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty, I only wish to drive out the traitors, restore the Han Dynasty, and bring peace to the land so that the people can live in peace and prosperity! Why has Your Majesty come to this!"

After the two men wept and pleaded, Yuan Shao finally agreed to ascend the throne!

------

When Liu Miao, who was staying in Henan, heard that Yuan Shao had accepted the abdication, his heart sank.

However, Liu Miao still feigned delight: "At least, we won't be called traitors to the Han Dynasty anymore, right?"

"..."

But Liu Miao noticed that no one laughed this time.

The monarch tells a joke, and you, his subjects, don't laugh? That's outrageous!
But when Liu Miao noticed that Zhou Tai had tear stains on the corners of his eyes, he realized that things seemed to be more serious than he had thought.

"My lord, is the Han Dynasty... truly finished?"

"But didn't we win? Why is the Han Dynasty still gone?"

Zhou Tai's eyes were filled with tears.

He didn't know why he was so heartbroken over the loss of the great man.

Logically speaking, the Han Dynasty had never given him a single penny of salary, and Zhou Tai was even a bandit before, so strictly speaking, he should be considered an enemy of the Han Dynasty.

Even so, a wave of sorrow kept welling up in her heart, no matter how hard she tried to stop it, it couldn't be contained, and it kept overflowing like water from a burst dam, far more turbulent than the flood Liu Miao had caused Yuan Shao in Kunyang.

It wasn't just Zhou Tai.

Lu Kang, Chen Yu, Zhou Yu, Taishi Ci, and others all wore expressions of deep sorrow.

Lu Kang, an old man in his seventies, was crying his heart out.

Chen Yu, who rarely drinks, deliberately got himself drunk and wrote a eulogy.

Zhou Yu and his men also lost their usual vigor, their faces turning ashen.

The profound silence around him made Liu Miao feel somewhat out of place.

Liu Miao did not feel particularly saddened by the fall of the Han Dynasty.

in contrast.

Liu Miao felt that everything that happened today was a natural progression.

If you already know the ending of the story, no matter how unacceptable the outcome may be, you won't feel much emotional distress when the time comes.

and……

He was just an emperor.

He was merely an emperor!
Does the absence of the emperor of the Han Dynasty mean the end of the Han Dynasty?

Shit!

"Gongming, Wenyuan!"

Having selected two people with the mildest symptoms, Liu Miao gave them orders—

"Go and intercept them!"

"You're all looking dejected! Don't forget! We won this battle!"

"Right now, most of the powerful families in the Central Plains are probably trying to take advantage of the chaos to flee to Hebei with their grain and money... To hell with them! All of this belongs to us!"

"Block them! If possible, try to keep the people and the money and supplies here! If you can't keep them here, make sure they don't take the money and supplies back to Hebei!"

"Here!"

"And all of you! Who are you trying to fool with that long face? If you want to show your disrespect, go home and do it to your mother! Don't do it in front of me!"

"The emperor of the Han Dynasty is gone! Are you going to stop living your lives? Are you going to stop eating? Are you going to stop sleeping with your wives?"

Seeing that the faces of the crowd finally regained some color after being scolded, Liu Miao curled his lip, looking quite disgusted.

"Gongjin! Don't give me that death trap! This position of governor is up to you. If you can't, then step down as soon as possible!"

Zhou Yu bit his lip hard: "Doesn't my lord feel sad at all?"

"Sad? Sad my ass! Did my father or my mother die? You want me to cry like Yuan Shao? Sorry! I can't do it!" Liu Miao grabbed Zhou Yu's collar: "I'm asking you, is the Han Dynasty dead?"

"If the Han Dynasty falls, who are you? Who am I? Who are the people who have lived on this land for countless years? Who are the Confucian scholars who hold the classics and study the principles?"

"Just one abdication, and you're all crying like this!"

"If you truly need an emperor, then let me be one!"

Liu Miao's last words shocked everyone.

"What did you say, my lord?"

"Deaf?"

Liu Miao patted his chest and said, "I'm telling you, if you really need a Han emperor, then I'll be the one!"

Seeing everyone's astonished expressions, Liu Miao became annoyed.

What? You think I'm not good enough for you?

"..."

The group began to look at each other in bewilderment.

How could Liu Miao be unworthy?
However... everyone always felt that the emperor should be the son of heaven, high above all others.

But Liu Miao was too familiar with everyone!

This feeling is like when a playmate you used to pee and play in the mud suddenly becomes a high and mighty lord; there's always a strange sense of incongruity...

Moreover, Liu Miao was far too impolite!

Why would someone say something like this out loud?

Even if they didn't ask for permission three times like Yuan Shao, shouldn't they at least have someone else submit a memorial to advise them?
Isn't this a bit too arrogant?

"what?"

Seeing the strange expressions on everyone's faces, Liu Miao knew perfectly well what these people were thinking.

"I'll say it again, Yuan Shao's methods are disgusting! Our General of the Rear is much more straightforward, and I'm not going to follow his example!"

Liu Miao slammed his hand heavily on the map.

"And what time is it now? It's time to eat meat!"

"Yuan Shao ran away! The entire Central Plains are right in front of you, and you all just want it?"

Only after Liu Miao emphasized it repeatedly did everyone realize what was going on.

Where is there time to mourn for that puppet emperor?
In the end, Liu Miao won the war against Yuan Shao!

Moreover, now that Yuan Shao has taken Cao Cao away, the entire Central Plains is now a land without a master!
What is this like?
This is even worse than putting a piece of fatty meat in front of a hungry wolf, or a beautiful woman in front of Liu Miao!
At a time like this, I'm actually feeling sad for someone I've never met before?
Damn it!

Once everyone realized what had happened, they all wanted to scold themselves!
"Hey? It's alive?"

Seeing that these generals and strategists had finally transformed from lifeless to energetic, Liu Miao chuckled twice.

"Pass down the order! For three consecutive days, reward the entire army!!!"

"What great man, what emperor, none of them are as satisfying as the flesh that's in your own belly!"

It's just an emperor, isn't it?

Since everyone believes that there is a lack of an emperor, then Liu Miao can become that emperor!

The generals under Liu Miao finally stopped dwelling on the loss of the Han Dynasty and the emperor.

Because they suddenly realized that there was another Liu Miao who could protect the Han Dynasty.

No, it's not Liu Miao.

It was we who were covering for the Han Dynasty!

Every county we capture in the Central Plains now means we're protecting a piece of Han territory!
Liu Miao is right. Right now, there's really no time to mourn for that so-called "prison emperor"! Getting more meat into our own bowls is better than anything else!
Yuan Jun in Hebei also noticed Liu Miao's move to divide the Central Plains, so he also sent troops to compete with Liu Miao.

Although Liu Miao defeated Yuan Shao, it is an indisputable fact that he lacked cavalry in the Central Plains.

After voluntarily relinquishing some territory, they engaged in dozens of small- to medium-scale battles with Yuan's army in the Central Plains. Finally, the territories of both sides stabilized, with the Ji River (Pu River) serving as the boundary, dividing them into north and south.

Puyang, north of the Ji River, fell to Yuan Shao, while Yingchuan and Chenliu, south of the Ji River, fell to Liu Miao.

Thus, Cao Cao's former territory in the Central Plains was roughly divided into three parts, with Liu Miao receiving two and Yuan Shao receiving one.

And a major event finally came to an end during this lavish feast of dividing up the Central Plains.

In May of the fifth year of Jian'an, the emperor conferred upon Yuan Shao the title of Duke of Zhao, bestowed upon him the Nine Bestowments, established the State of Zhao, and set its capital at Ye City.

In June, the Emperor further enfeoffed Yuan Shao as the King of Zhao, with a fief of 30,000 households. His rank was above that of other princes, and he was granted the privilege of not addressing others as "your subject" when presenting memorials, not using his name when receiving audiences, not having to hasten his steps when entering the court, and being allowed to wear a sword and shoes in the palace. He was granted the imperial crown, carriages, robes, banners, and the same ritual music and ceremonies for offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth. His movements were permitted with the imperial procession, and his ancestral temples, ancestral rites, and winter sacrifices were all conducted according to the Han dynasty system. His capital was Ye City. All his princes were enfeoffed as marquises.

In July, the emperor bestowed upon Yuan Shao a crown with twelve tassels, a golden chariot drawn by six horses, and five auxiliary chariots.

Gengwu day.

Yuan Shao ascended the altar and took his seat, with all the officials in attendance. After the ceremony, he descended the altar, inspected the burning of the torch, and then returned.

On the day of Xinwei, Yuan Shao ascended the altar to receive the abdication. Tens of thousands of officials, marquises, generals, the Xiongnu Chanyu, and representatives of the four barbarian tribes attended him. A sacrificial offering was made to Heaven, Earth, the Five Sacred Mountains, and the Four Rivers, and it was said—

"Your Majesty, I, Shao, dare to solemnly proclaim to Your Majesty: The Han dynasty has lasted for twenty-four generations, spanning four hundred and six years. The four seas are in distress, the three cardinal principles are not upheld, the five planets are out of order, and auspicious omens have appeared. Those who consult divination and ancient methods all believe that this is the mandate of Heaven, the end of the Han dynasty. All these auspicious signs and the will of the people and gods signify the end of the Han dynasty's reign and the sign of the Yuan family receiving the mandate. The Han emperor believes that the imperial regalia should be bestowed upon me, and in accordance with the laws of Yu, he has passed the throne to me. I, Shao, am deeply awed by the mandate of Heaven, and though I am about to retire, I will not rest. All officials, ministers, generals, soldiers, and even barbarian chieftains unanimously declare: 'The mandate of Heaven cannot be refused, the imperial regalia cannot be left unused for long, and the ministers cannot be without a master.'" "Several things cannot be without a ruler. Zhao, respectfully receiving the imperial mandate, dares not disobey. Divination by tortoise shell revealed a great calamity; divination by the oracle three times revealed a sign of change. Therefore, on this auspicious day, I, along with my officials, ascend the altar to receive the imperial seal and ribbon, and instruct you, my great gods, that you may offer eternal blessings and that the people's hopes may be fulfilled for generations to come by the Zhao dynasty." He then issued an edict to the Three Dukes: "In the beginning of time, when there were rulers, they always promoted benevolence and good customs, and the people obeyed their teachings and followed the established laws. Now, I, inheriting the imperial lineage, hereby designate Jian'an as the first year of the Taichu era, and discuss reforming the calendar, changing the colors of clothing, differentizing the imperial titles, standardizing laws and measures, and implementing local customs. A general amnesty is hereby granted; all those who should not be pardoned, from the death penalty downwards, are hereby pardoned!"

When news of Yuan Shao's declaration of himself as emperor arrived, Liu Miao shrugged slightly and said, "Now, you can cry!"

"Because the Han Dynasty is truly gone!"

(End of this chapter)