I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 338 Becoming Emperor is a Troublesome Matter

When the emperor abdicated, the whole world wept!
Especially in the Central Plains and the South, many great Confucian scholars who had previously disliked Liu Miao now emerged, criticizing Yuan Shao and lamenting the fate of the Han Dynasty.

While still in Qingzhou, Lü Bu, whose plans were completely unplanned, was shocked upon hearing this news and immediately sent Chen Gong as an envoy to meet Liu Miao.

Zhong Yao and Xiahou Dun in Guanzhong were also at a loss and sent messengers to Liu Miao.

Ma Teng of Xiliang, Zhang Lu of Hanzhong, and Gongsun Du of Liaodong sent envoys to Hebei and Jiangdong respectively, clearly intending to remain quiet fence-sitters.

Liu Zhang of Yizhou and Shi Xie of Jiaozhou, being too far from Hebei and too close to Jiangdong, dared not take the initiative to contact Yuan Shao. Instead, they both sent envoys to Jiangdong to inquire about Liu Miao's intentions.

However, Liu Zhang hesitated quite a bit when sending the envoy.

This was because at this time, some people in Shu had begun to stir up trouble, believing that the current emperor had been forced to abdicate by Yuan Shao, and therefore it was only right that a wise ruler should step forward to continue the Han dynasty!

And Yizhou has the aura of an emperor! This is a prophetic saying that has been passed down for a long time!

Liu Zhang specifically asked his advisor Zhang Su and his brother Zhang Song: "Have you heard about the things that have been circulating in Shu recently, Junjiao and Ziqiao?"

Zhang Su knew exactly what Liu Zhang wanted to do as soon as he heard that!
He quickly intervened, saying, "Liu Miao of Langya is a General of the Cavalry appointed by the Emperor, and also the Emperor's personally acknowledged uncle. He just defeated Yuan Shao at Kunyang and occupied most of the Central Plains. His power far surpasses that of Yizhou. What you should do now is send an envoy to make peace with him, and it would be best to submit a memorial urging him to ascend the throne to gain merit!"

Zhang Su saw it clearly.

In today's world, Liu Bei and Yuan Shao are the only ones who can control the situation!
Especially with Yuan Shao establishing himself as emperor through abdication, it was only a matter of time before Liu Miao inherited the Han dynasty!
At this point, if we were to do something before Liu Miao, we would offend both the Liu and Yuan families!

Zhang Su could only advise Liu Zhang not to do anything foolish!
Liu Zhang was inherently weak-willed, and the reason he asked this question was simply because he still harbored a sliver of unrealistic fantasy.

Now that Zhang Su had stopped him, Liu Zhang was also having second thoughts.

However, Liu Zhang was still somewhat reluctant to submit to Liu Miao so quickly.

If Liu Miao were a direct descendant of Emperor Xiaoling, then Liu Zhang's surrender would have been understandable.

But Liu Miao was a member of the Han imperial family, and so was he!

Although Liu Zhang's lineage was descended from Liu Yu, the Prince of Lu, son of Emperor Jing of Han, and not as closely related to Liu Miao by blood, it was still unsettling to see Liu Miao made emperor in this way.

suddenly.

Liu Zhang asked Zhang Su, "I can persuade Liu Miao to take the throne, but I don't want him to get involved in Shu. Is there any way to do that?"

In fact, it wasn't just Liu Zhang who didn't want Liu Miao to get involved in Shu; most of the powerful clans in Shu didn't want Liu Miao to get involved in Shu either.

Everyone just wanted to find a powerful backer, not to cut off their own flesh to feed Liu Miao.

For Liu Miao, the powerful clans and officials in Shu basically wanted to get something for nothing!

Zhang Su pondered for a moment and came up with a compromise solution—

"My lord, you can first declare yourself king in Chengdu to secure the Shu region, and then head to Jiangdong to persuade Liu Miao to become emperor!"

"In that case, even if Liu Miao is unhappy, he probably wouldn't risk the wrath of the world to harm our lord!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhang clapped his hands in approval!
Immediately afterwards, Liu Zhang set up an altar south of Chengdu. He first lamented the fate of the Han Dynasty, and then, in the name of restoring the Han Dynasty, he offered sacrifices to the mountains and rivers of Shu. He established the Shu Kingdom with the four commanderies of Ba, Shu, Guanghan, and Jian, and ascended to the title of King of Shu.

After declaring himself King of Shu, Liu Zhang sent Zhang Song as an envoy to Jiangdong to present Liu Miao with a memorial urging him to become emperor.

The other feudal lords were initially caught off guard.

However, as soon as Liu Zhang completed his actions, everyone began to imitate him!

However, because its size was too small, far smaller than Liu Zhang who controlled a single province, it did not first declare itself a king or a duke, but instead included it in the conditions for supporting Liu Miao's ascension to the throne.

------

After hearing the news that Yuan Shao had decided to declare himself emperor, Liu Miao also led his troops back to Jiangdong.

Along the way, the petitions urging Liu Miao to ascend the throne from Jing and Yang provinces were like a swarm of locusts crossing a river! They almost overwhelmed Liu Miao!

Liu Miao looked at the endless stream of official documents every day and felt somewhat helpless: "Don't these officials know how to conserve paper? And those few who wrote on silk, have someone thoroughly investigate them and see if they are corrupt officials!"

Liu Miao's spoilsport antics made those around him unable to suppress their laughter.

"My lord, no, shouldn't I call you Your Majesty now?"

Faced with Zhou Tai's taunts, Liu Miao didn't hold back and kicked him.

"Get lost! It's not that easy."

Liu Miao drove Zhou Tai away and then secluded himself to ponder the matter.

proclaim oneself emperor.

Although it was Liu Miao who proposed it, he always felt that it was somewhat unrealistic.

It's too early and too hasty.

But Yuan Shao's early move forced Liu Miao to follow suit.

But when he actually took that step, Liu Miao realized how many difficulties he would face.

Leaving aside the current unpredictable world situation.

The internal framework alone has not yet been fully established.

On Yuan Shao's side, although he was also impatient, he completed the abdication and established the Zhao state.

However, since the underlying nature of Yuan Shao's power was completely consistent with the political nature of the Later Han Dynasty, Yuan Shao obviously did not need to make drastic changes to the entire framework. Instead, he could simply adopt the state system of the Later Han Dynasty.

Even so, it took Yuan Shao several months to complete. But could Liu Miao use this framework?
Liu Miao knew that although he was a legitimate member of the Han imperial family, the system he was in was completely different from that of the Later Han Dynasty that everyone was familiar with.

Copying the Later Han dynasty and Yuan Shao's methods may have been convenient, but the losses far outweighed the gains!
Besides the system, there is another crucial point, which is also what Liu Miao must solve now: the existence and conflicts of various internal factions.

Veteran ministers who followed Liu Miao included Lu Kang, Zhou Yu, Zhou Tai, and Cheng Pu, who were former subordinates of Sun Jian.

It was not that they followed Liu Miao, but rather that they considered themselves Han officials from beginning to end, which is why they listened to Liu Miao and others.

There is also the interest of scholars and common people in Jingzhou and the Central Plains after the conquest.

Liu Miao felt that what lay before him was a huge and chaotic jigsaw puzzle.

If even one spot is placed incorrectly, the final result can be drastically different and utterly disastrous!

All these problems led Liu Miao to surprisingly not rush to the brothel to see if there were any new girls or tricks after returning to Jinling. Instead, he went to Zhang Zhao and Lu Su, sat down in front of them with a frustrated look, and let them guess for themselves!

Upon seeing Liu Miao's expression, Zhang Zhao and Lu Su immediately knew what was troubling him.

Since Liu Miao himself had said some things before, they naturally dared to say them as well.

Lu Su laughed first, "I have heard that when Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, he was so happy that he couldn't sleep a month in advance and rewarded everyone he met handsomely. Although I have never seen what Yuan Shao looks like, I suppose he is not much different from Yuan Shu. Why is it that you look so worried when it comes to my lord?"

"nonsense!"

Liu Miao shook his head: "Becoming the emperor is not such an easy thing."

"Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao both declared themselves emperors, thinking that as long as they did, everything would be fine. But you should know that whether or not one declares oneself emperor can solve some problems, but it cannot solve all of them! Now there are a whole host of problems to deal with, how can I be happy?"

Lu Su was speechless.

Zhang Zhao, who never flattered Liu Miao, unusually praised him, saying, "Those two traitors declared themselves emperors for their own benefit; only Your Majesty's establishment of a system is for the sake of the world!"

"Mr. Zhang, say less! Otherwise, people outside will think you're my shill!"

Liu Miao sat cross-legged on the couch, resting his chin on his hand.

There were so many things to do that Liu Miao was completely overwhelmed and could only keep asking questions one after another.

"How should we deal with the problem of that Han emperor in Hebei?"

"My lord, you may announce Geng Ji's matter to the world."

Will the world believe it?

"Believe it or not, this is indeed the truth."

Liu Miao then asked, "Where would be a good place to establish the capital?"

"Naturally, it's Nanjing!"

How should we choose a reign title?

"Our lord is dedicated to restoring the Han Dynasty, and should therefore emulate Emperor Guangwu! He should be known for his martial prowess! This can be called martial virtue."

Liu Miao wrinkled his nose: "What an awful reign title!"

Zhang Zhao was not anxious when his argument was rejected. After all, the matter could be discussed slowly and was not a pressing issue.

Liu Miao asked many more questions, and Zhang Zhao and Lu Su answered them one by one. Although they were all just drafts, at least the prototype of a makeshift team was slowly emerging.

Liu Miao, on the other hand, became increasingly inhuman, asking increasingly bizarre questions—

"Who do you think should be appointed as one of the three chief officials?"

"Lu Zhongyi is highly respected and should be the head of the Three Dukes; therefore, he should be appointed Grand Commandant."

Liu Miao nodded.

We must not forget those who dug the well when we drink the water. If Old Master Lu's contribution to Liu Miao's regime is second to none, then no one would dare to claim to be first.

“Wang Lang and Wang Jingsheng are renowned scholars and role models for students; they are suitable to serve as Minister of Education.”

Wang Situ?
However, considering that Wang Lang had been silently guarding Kuaiji for him, suppressing the mountain tribes in the south, and ensuring the stability of Jiangdong, Liu Miao tacitly agreed to the matter.

"In addition, Chen Yu, also known as Chen Gongwei, was the son of the late Chen Qiu, one of the Three Dukes. He himself was learned and talented. Since he proposed the theory of 'reviving the hundred schools of thought,' he has become a great Confucian scholar and could serve as Minister of Works."

"Ok?"

Liu Miao wondered if he had misheard: "Who did you say? Chen Yu?"

"Exactly."

"Is Zhang Gong mistaken? Him?"

"..."

Seeing the disdain in Liu Miao's eyes, Lu Su laughed and said, "My lord is simply too familiar with Lord Chen... In truth, Lord Chen's reputation is truly remarkable!"

That being said.

But Liu Miao always felt that something was wrong!
It's like a playmate who used to pee and play in the mud with you suddenly stealing an adult's clothes and wearing them—it looks strange in every way!
Liu Miao shook his head, deciding to set aside that question for the moment, and instead asked the next question with great interest: "What do you think my temple name and posthumous title should be after I die?"

Zhang Zhao: “…”

Lu Su: "..."

Isn't it a bit too early to discuss this issue now?
(End of this chapter)