I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 352 I desperately want to be the emperor!
"Mengqi!"

Ma Teng was now truly enraged and struck Ma Chao's thigh hard with his whip, successfully drawing Ma Chao's attention away from Zhong Yao.

But unlike Ma Chao's evasive and embarrassed demeanor when discussing the situation in Xiliang earlier, Ma Teng now stared majestically into Ma Chao's proud and unyielding eyes, showing no sign of backing down.

Zhong Yao was a coward? Then how many people in the world aren't cowards?
He rose through the ranks of the Imperial Academy through the recommendation system, serving successively as a Gentleman of the Palace and a Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate. He rendered outstanding service when Emperor Xie returned east, escorting the last hope of the Han Dynasty back to the Central Plains and preventing the Han court from falling into the hands of Li Jue and Guo Si again! How could such a person not be utterly loyal to the Han Dynasty and the Emperor? Who in the world could criticize the man who escorted the Han Emperor back to Luoyang, the eastern capital?
Ma Chao was whipped, and although his legs were covered by armor, the burning pain of the whip still penetrated the armor, making Ma Chao grimace.

Upon seeing the anger on Ma Teng's face, Ma Chao finally dared not refute anymore, but at the same time did not admit his mistake. Instead, he turned his head to the south and looked at the snow and ice on the top of the Qinling Mountains that had never melted for thousands of years.

Ma Teng apologized to Zhong Yao on behalf of Ma Chao, and Zhong Yao raised his hand to indicate that it was nothing.

"It's not Meng Qi's fault."

Even now, I can't tell the difference between Zhao and Han...

Zhong Yao muttered to himself.

Although the one to the south is still the Han Dynasty, and still ruled by emperors of the Liu family, there is no doubt that anyone with even a slight understanding of the south knows that the Han Dynasty Liu Miao is now establishing is completely different from the Han Dynasty that everyone was familiar with before.

Different politics, different systems, different laws.

In contrast, the Great Zhao, established by Yuan Shao after accepting the abdication of the last emperor of the Later Han Dynasty, completely inherited the system of the Later Han Dynasty. Except for the difference in the name of the state and the surname of the emperor, its state system was exactly the same as that of the already deceased Later Han Dynasty.

For scholars who had been taught Confucian classics since childhood, this was like Gonggong crashing headfirst into Buzhou Mountain—the sky had collapsed.

It wasn't just Zhong Yao.

In fact, apart from a reckless man like Ma Chao who is currently only focused on making money, all the scholars have experienced this kind of clash and this kind of rift in their minds.

In particular, the Central Plains and the North did not lift restrictions on the various schools of thought like the South did, which meant that the acceptance of Liu Miao's ideas by the people was not very high in the eyes of most scholars.

This rift caused immense distress among the traditional scholar-officials.

Consequently, even Zhong Yao didn't know which great man he was supposed to serve.

Is it the Han Dynasty in the north that followed the tradition of abdication and the Mandate of Heaven, or the Han Dynasty in the south that was also established by the Liu clan?

Zhong Yao was constantly tormented by this kind of thinking, and with Xiahou Dun's persuasion, as well as Cao Cao, Xun Yu, and his clansmen who had already gone to Hebei, it became the last straw that broke Zhong Yao's back.

Divided by the two "Great Hans," scholar-officials like Zhong Yao began to rethink what "the state" and "the emperor" were. But clearly, such grand questions could not be answered in a short time, so Zhong Yao decided to put aside his own dilemmas and make a choice based on the most basic principle of seeking advantage and avoiding harm.

Helping Liu Miao might mean dying soon, or seeing the head of your friend or relative very soon.

Helping Yuan Shao would mean returning to the atmosphere of the "Later Han" era, where powerful clans remained in a position of power and no one needed to worry about the threat of war.

Simplifying complex problems is also a form of escapism. Therefore, Zhong Yao felt that Ma Chao's rebuke of him as a "coward" was not unreasonable.

But Zhong Yao still tried to persuade him: "General, you can't win."

"Xiahou Dun, concerned for Cao Cao's life and death, has decided to surrender Guanzhong to Yuan Shao."

Seeing that Ma Chao's eyes had turned fierce again, Zhong Yao bluntly said, "Even if you kill me, General Xiahou will hold several places and declare himself emperor, waiting for Yuan Shao's army."

"Even if Liu Biaoqi arrives from the south, he probably won't be able to protect Guanzhong amidst internal and external troubles, will he?"

Zhong Yao still referred to Liu Miao as "Liu the Cavalryman".

This title clearly explains Zhong Yao's choice.

He still does not recognize the southern country, which, apart from sharing the same name and emperor's surname, is completely different from the Later Han established by Liu Xiu, as the Great Han!
Upon hearing Zhong Yao's words, Ma Chao angrily drew his sword immediately!

It can be seen that Zhong Yao remained calm and composed in the face of danger, while Ma Chao was ultimately somewhat dejected.

Zhong Yao is right.

If even Xiahou Dun's troops have surrendered to Yuan Shao, then there is no way they can protect Guanzhong.

Ma Chao was dejected at this moment.

Of course...

After suppressing Ma Chao's warlike spirit, Zhong Yao finally revealed his and Xiahou Dun's true intentions.

"If Guanzhong is truly handed over, then Cao Cao will have no means to restrain Yuan Shao. At that time, Cao Cao's fate will be even more unpredictable."

If they do not hand over Guanzhong, Yuan Shao will be furious, and Cao Cao and Zhong Yao's relatives and friends may die.

However, once Guanzhong was handed over, after losing its last value, Cao Cao and Zhong Yao's relatives and friends might still be executed by Yuan Shao!
Ma Chao hadn't reacted yet, but Ma Teng, who had risen from the chaos to become a regional warlord, had already realized something and looked at Zhong Yao with a hint of surprise—

"Does Yuan Chang also not want to hand over Guanzhong?"

Also!

If Guanzhong is handed over, Cao Cao and the gentry of the Central Plains will completely lose their say in front of Yuan Shao!
How could Zhong Yao and Xiahou Dun, true pillars of Cao Cao's regime, not understand this principle?

Ma Chao's eyes also rekindled with hope as he looked at Zhong Yao.

"The general wants to preserve the trade of Xiliang and obtain grain and cloth from Jingxiang."

Zhong Yao analyzed the interests and demands of the three forces in Guanzhong.

"Yuan Rang and I do not want to hand over Guanzhong directly and completely entrust our lives to Yuan Shao."

"Yuan Shao, on the other hand, wanted to conquer Guanzhong and cut off the source of warhorses in the south."

Zhong Yao pursed his lips: "I have thought of a foolproof plan, but I'm afraid it will require Zhong Shan's cooperation..."

Although Zhong Yao did not agree with the Han Dynasty established by Liu Miao, he was certain that Liu Miao would help them.

Because Liu Miao also had his own interests in Guanzhong, namely, to obtain a continuous supply of warhorses through Guanzhong.

Zhong Yao said, "Before coming here, I wrote a letter to General Liu. Let's see how he replies."

Ma Teng and Ma Chao exchanged a glance and temporarily agreed to Zhong Yao's plan.

With two powerful forces vying for supremacy, Guanzhong cannot truly determine its own fate.

Ultimately, the decision rests with either Liu Miao or Yuan Shao.

Their limited strength made it difficult for them to find a foothold in the struggle between these two behemoths; they could only try their best to be tactful and protect themselves in the conflict.

------

Zhong Yao's letter quickly fell into Liu Miao's hands.

There's no need to read the contents of the letter.

Just from the way Zhong Yao addressed him at the beginning, Liu Miao knew that the situation in Guanzhong was far more complicated than he had previously thought.

After reading Zhong Yao's plan, Liu Miao sat for a long time.

Liu Miao was interrupted when Lu Su came to pay his respects, and he handed the letter in his hand to Lu Su.

Lu Su was also quite shocked after reading it!

After a long while, Lu Su remarked with emotion: "Zhong Yao and Xiahou Dun are truly the cornerstones!"

Liu Miao then asked, "In your opinion, Zijing, is this plan feasible?"

Lu Su pondered for a while and finally nodded.

"feasible!"

"it is good!"

"Won't Your Majesty reconsider?"

"No need."

Liu Miao stretched.

"Zijing, today I will teach you a principle: what is primary and what is secondary."

"For Guanzhong, ensuring smooth communication with Xiliang and obtaining a continuous supply of warhorses is the primary task... everything else is secondary!"

Liu Miao said, "Zhong Yao's plan must have its own reasons, but since it can protect our trade and our warhorses, let him do whatever he wants!"

Everything has its priorities, and when solving problems, we should also follow this hierarchy.

Lu Su bowed in admiration once more: "Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, your words have become increasingly sophisticated!"

"Get lost! Stop flattering me! Change your clothes! Come drink with me! Bring plenty of money! It's on me! You pay!"

"..."

Under Liu Miao's orders, General Zhou Yu, General Taishi Ci, General Zang Ba, and General Xu Huang, who had already returned to the front lines, began to take action, transferring their troops to several key towns, seemingly preparing for a major offensive against the north.

This immediately caused an uproar in the Zhao court!

Although neither Yuan Shao nor his ministers believed that Liu Miao would launch another full-scale war in such a short time, no one dared to gamble on the possibility of Liu Miao, who never played by the rules.

Therefore, the Zhao court hurriedly changed its strategy, no longer putting pressure on Liaodong and Guanzhong, but instead deploying its troops to the Central Plains front. The tense atmosphere was almost ready to erupt!
At this time, in Ye City.

Yuan Tan practiced archery alone, shirtless, in his own backyard.

The target was already riddled with holes, which shows how hard Yuan Tan worked.

Unfortunately, the brilliance that once surrounded him has long since faded, and no one will notice his hard work now.

Because Yuan Shao declared himself emperor.

But he was not the crown prince.

Although the position remains vacant and was not given to Yuan Xi or Yuan Shang, the fact that he was not directly named Crown Prince when Yuan Shao declared himself emperor speaks volumes.

Yuan Tan wanted to raise the arrow again, but the soreness in his arm forced him to stop.

"Young Master, Grand Master of the Palace, Xu You, requests an audience."

"..."

What was originally a noble title now sounded extremely jarring to Yuan Tan.

But Yuan Tan knew he needed to be patient.

After changing his clothes, Yuan Tan rubbed his face, trying to make it look like he was smiling, before finally heading to the main hall to see Xu You.

Xu You approached Yuan Tan without any hesitation, gave a slight bow, and then strode forward, whispering in his ear—

"Young Master, do you wish to ascend to the supreme throne?"

Yuan Tan's pupils contracted sharply!
(End of this chapter)