I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 347 Cao Cao and Liu Bei!

Yecheng, Hebei.

"He actually became emperor."

Ye City also had palaces built, many of which imitated the layout of Jinling, placing the palaces and imperial gardens in the north, separating them from the main city. However, due to the original size of Ye City, the palaces built by Yuan Shao were not a palace complex, but rather a solitary Taichu Hall as the main hall located in the very center of the palace.

"Yes, Liu Miao did indeed declare himself emperor."

Shen Pei, who had been promoted to Grand Secretary of the Zhao Dynasty, was dressed in a crimson court robe and wearing a traveler's hat when he reported intelligence about Jinling to Yuan Shao.

"Liu Miao established the system and proclaimed himself emperor. The country was still called Han, and the reign title was Zhangwu. The original Danyang Commandery was combined with Dantu and Qu'a counties of Wu Commandery to form the Danyang Yin."

Shen Pei also said to Yuan Shao, "The court of Liu Miao's pseudo-Han dynasty is different from the court of the past."

"It established the three ministries of Shangshu, Zhongshu, and Shizhong as central government offices, and also set up the Censorate to inspect all officials, all of which were different from before..."

Yuan Shao now wore the Emperor's crown, but his clothing was no different from his usual attire—just everyday clothes. He didn't flaunt his imperial robes all the time. Upon hearing Shen Pei's report on the reforms of Liu Miao's regime, he smiled slightly: "They do have a bit of cleverness."

"But since he wants to inherit the Han system, why doesn't he use the Han system? Ha, he is truly foolish."

At this time, Yuan Shao sat in the center of the Taichu Hall. Behind him was a vermilion screen depicting mountains, rivers, and the state, with the sun, moon, and stars above it. To the left and right were dragons, phoenixes, turtles, fish, and other birds and beasts carved in gold. The layout was exactly the same as that of the Changqiu Palace in Luoyang.

If one had seen the former Luoyang Palace, upon seeing this scene, one would probably truly believe that the Later Han Dynasty had returned, and that the emperor sitting in the center was none other than the Han emperor who had returned as well.

Yuan Shao closed his eyes: "How did he sophistically argue when the emperor abdicated?"

"It is a law that is accepted by the people."

Shen Pei told Yuan Shao about Liu Miao's sacrificial text to Heaven and Earth, which surprised even Yuan Shao.

"To actually think of using Mencius's ideas to sophistry and justify his own argument... Liu Miao is truly ruthless."

In Mencius's theory, even the emperor had no right to transfer the empire to others, which fundamentally denied the legitimacy of the Yuan-Zhao regime. At the same time, it provided a basis for him to establish the Han Dynasty, which was a win-win situation.

However, Yuan Shao did not believe that Liu Miao truly established the Han Dynasty for the sake of the people. He thought that Liu Miao was merely using the people as a cover for his own actions, which is why he called Liu Miao ruthless.

"What else?"

Shen Pei then told Yuan Shao in detail about Liu Miao's reforms to the military system, officialdom, and administrative institutions, to which Yuan Shao nodded slightly in approval.

"It's not without its merits."

"In that case, Zheng Nan will study this carefully and see which policies can be modified to comply with the policies of the Great Zhao."

"For example, abolishing the prefectures and establishing counties would be a good thing."

Yuan Shao, without batting an eye, wanted to plagiarize Liu Miao's policies and systems.

Although Yuan Shao did not carry out in-depth reforms like Liu Miao, some of his systems were visibly more advanced than those of the Later Han Dynasty. Therefore, regardless of whether they were suitable or not, Yuan Shao adopted a "take-what-you-want" approach and used them.

After all, abolishing the state-level administrative system would genuinely weaken local power. As for how to allocate resources without the three-chief system, that was clearly not within Yuan Shao's considerations.

"Since Liu Miao has declared himself emperor, I cannot remain silent."

"At tomorrow's court assembly, we should also summon the Duke of Shanyang."

"Here."

The Duke of Shanyang was none other than Liu Xie, the former emperor of the Han Dynasty.

After Liu Xie abdicated the throne, Yuan Shao kept his promise and established a kingdom in Shanyang County of Henan Commandery. He enfeoffed Liu Xie as the Duke of Shanyang and made Zhuolu City in Shanyang his capital. Liu Xie was granted a fief of 10,000 households, ranking above the princes. He was not required to address Liu Xie as a subject when presenting memorials, nor to bow when receiving imperial edicts. He was also allowed to follow the Han calendar and dress in his fiefdom and to build a Han ancestral temple to worship Han sacrifices.

Yuan Shao summoned Liu Xie, clearly intending to continue to make a fuss about the legitimacy of the Han dynasty.

When Liu Xie learned at the court assembly the following day that Liu Miao had actually declared himself emperor in the south, he was indeed filled with righteous indignation! He even offered to cooperate with Yuan Shao and issue a proclamation rebuking Liu Miao, demanding that he submit to Yuan Shao!
Upon seeing this, Yuan and Zhao's ministers naturally rejoiced.

But some people don't think so!
Liu Bei bit his lip, about to step forward to do something, when he felt his clothes being pulled by a strong force!
When Liu Bei looked up, he realized that it was Cao Cao who was tugging at his clothes!
Cao Cao stood in the crowd and shook his head at Liu Bei.

No!

Going forward now would be completely pointless!
Liu Bei understood the look in Cao Cao's eyes.

But Liu Bei still found it hard to accept!
How did the once mighty Emperor of Han become a subservient Duke of Shanyang? And why is he even aiding and abetting Yuan Shao in suppressing Liu Miao, who was tasked with continuing the Han dynasty?!

However, under Cao Cao's strong restraint, Liu Bei ultimately failed to break through.

The court session ended.

Cao Cao invited Liu Bei to his residence.

The mansion was a special gift from Yuan Shao, and it still has green plums and a pavilion for warming wine. However, when Cao Cao and Liu Bei sat here, the former peace and harmony were gone.

"Last time, when things were like this with Mengde, we were both Han subjects."

"And now you and I have become these so-called Zhao subjects? Ha..."

Liu Bei's final soft sigh was unclear whether it was a mockery of the capriciousness of fate or a ridicule of his own cowardice; the tears glistening in his eyes clearly indicated that he was overwhelmed with grief.

Cao Cao used tongs to pick up a green plum from the charcoal fire and placed it in front of Liu Bei.

"Does Xuande still need to put on such airs in front of me? Back in Xuchang, you acted much better."

Liu Bei looked down at the green plum, picked it up, and popped it into his mouth. The sweet and sour juice burst open instantly.

"Mengde, why didn't you take the Emperor to Jiangdong and seek refuge with Zhongshan back then?"

Cao Cao looked up at Liu Bei, then quickly looked away.

"Because I am not you."

"What do you mean!"

Liu Bei was about to fly into a rage, but when he thought about his current predicament, he became dejected.

“I used to be inseparable from the saddle, and the flesh on my thighs was all wasted away; now that I no longer ride, the flesh on my thighs has grown back.” “Now Yuan Shao is merely displaying us as spoils of war to humiliate us. In such circumstances, what great things can we accomplish?”

Even Cao Cao was somewhat helpless.

“Xuande, there’s no need to provoke me.”

"Do you really think I don't know you just because others don't know you?"

"By now, you must have already figured out a strategy to counter Yuan Shao, right?"

Liu Bei's eyes darted around: "I didn't."

"Ah."

Cao Cao continued to turn the green plums over the charcoal fire, while Liu Bei, seeing his unwavering composure, couldn't help but wonder, "Mengde, can you still sit still these days?"

"In the past, Mengde was second only to the emperor, but now he can only sit here in this pavilion. Is Mengde really willing to accept this?"

Cao Cao's hand trembled slightly.

But Cao Cao recovered quickly.

"I was too busy before. It's good to have some free time now, so I can think about many things clearly... At least, I've figured out a bit why we couldn't defeat Yuan Shao, but Zhong Shan was able to defeat him."

"Why?"

Liu Bei quickly inquired.

"Why do you ask? Xuande, we both started our careers when we were suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion. We should have a clear understanding of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, so how come Zhongshan got the upper hand first?"

"The sky is dead, and the sky is dead."

"Why did the Azure Heaven die? Why did the Yellow Heaven rise? You and I should understand the reasons behind this."

Cao Cao then picked up a green plum and placed it on Liu Bei's plate.

"Besides that, you don't have to suffer mistreatment while being close to the emperor."

Liu Bei still harbored illusions about the emperor: "It's not the emperor's fault!"

Cao Cao: “…”

Helplessly, he poured Liu Bei another cup of wine: "Could you perhaps change your mind about the idea that the emperor will never make a mistake?"

"His bravery and righteousness were all an act."

"If he were truly the kind of emperor who would risk his life for the Han Dynasty and its people, then he should have smashed his head against the temple of Emperor Shizu back then!"

Cao Cao had spent a lot of time with Liu Xie, and he knew Liu Xie very well.

“He is far inferior to you, and far inferior to me. If you, Xuande, tell me that you have placed your hopes on him, then I will truly be disappointed.”

Liu Bei swallowed the green plum that Cao Cao handed him, but he did not drink the wine.

A spring breeze blew, and the strands of hair at Liu Bei's temples were lifted.

"Weren't Mengde and Yuan Shao good friends?"

"Different road non-phase plan."

Liu Bei hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not tell Cao Cao his thoughts.

Having gone through so much, the Liu Bei who once unconditionally trusted others is no longer there.

The fact that Liu Bei needed to trust Cao Cao in particular filled him with suspicion.

However, Liu Bei still stood up and bowed to Cao Cao, saying, "I also thank you, Mengde, for your help with Yunchang and his wife!"

As Cao Cao returned to Hebei with Yuan Shao, Guan Yu and Liu Bei's family also returned to Liu Bei's side.

Guan Yu had previously killed Yan Liang and Wen Chou, and Yuan Shao originally wanted to execute him, but Cao Cao desperately protected him, only demoting him to a commoner and sending him to Liu Bei's side.

During his conversation with Guan Yu, Liu Bei learned that Cao Cao had not done anything to his family, so Liu Bei's thanks to Cao Cao were sincere.

“It’s a small matter. Guan Yu is a man of great righteousness and a hero of our time. I cannot bear to see him die because of me.”

Cao Cao also seemed to be alluding to something—

"Moreover, as long as there are people, anything is still possible."

Liu Bei understood Cao Cao's implied meaning, but remained silent.

Cao Cao was not in a hurry. Instead, he laughed loudly and said, "It's fortunate that your family members fell into my hands, Xuande. If they had fallen into Zhongshan's hands, we might never have been able to get them back!"

"Zhongshan..."

When Liu Bei thought of Liu Miao's unrestrained and wild face again, his originally gloomy mood suddenly brightened up a lot.

"I never imagined that the person who would save the day from collapse would actually be Zhongshan."

As his thoughts drifted back, Liu Bei recalled that night when he played the zither, Cao Cao composed poetry, and Liu Miao drank wine.

"Enjoy life while you can."

Liu Bei finally drank the cup of wine offered by Cao Cao and decided to formally join forces with Cao Cao!

"Youzhou!"

Liu Bei stared at Cao Cao: "Youzhou! It holds the key to a great enterprise!"

(End of this chapter)