I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 516 My fate is up to me.

Yuan Tan leaned against the door, his originally dull eyes now ignited by the fury of revenge!

He placed his hand on the door frame.

He was going to storm in and kill the two adulterers!

at the same time……

The words Liu Miao had said to him while pursuing him back in Hedong had since come to Yuan Tan's mind.

As long as Yuan Shang is killed, the throne will be his for the taking... Bullshit!
But in the end, Yuan Tan still put his hand down.

Killing Yuan Shang would make him the emperor?

If the Battle of Jiaodong were won, Yuan Tan would gain prestige from both the military and the people, which would be a natural outcome.

but……

The Battle of Jiaodong was ultimately lost.

Ultimately, Yuan Tan did not possess the prestige and power to command widespread acceptance of his imperial status.

If I kill Yuan Shang now, even if the evidence of his affair is irrefutable, I will definitely be torn to pieces by those Hebei scholars who are loyal to Yuan Shang!

Yuan Tan silently took two steps back.

However, the determination and resolve in his eyes would likely intimidate even the fiercest beasts in the deepest forests!

The once gentle and humble eldest son of the Yuan family is dead!
Now, Yuan Tan only wants to smash everything he once craved to smithereens! Completely destroy it!
Amid that groan, Yuan Tan turned and left.

The first place they went was Xu You's house.

Xu You was greeting guests with a smile, but his expression changed drastically when he saw Yuan Tan!
After hastily dealing with the guests, Xu You, feeling somewhat guilty, pulled Yuan Tan into the small house: "What is Your Highness doing here now?"

"Come and save Lord Xu!"

"..."

Xu You suspected that Yuan Tan had lost his mind.

I am now a regent! My power will surely be immense in the future! Why would I need Yuan Tan to save me?
Besides, Yuan Tan is clearly in a precarious situation himself...

"Master Xu, don't be naive. Do you really think those people in Hebei will tolerate an outsider like you?"

Yuan Tan, his hair disheveled, let out a sneer.

"Shen Pei, Tian Feng... would these local powerful families really allow you to get involved in the affairs of the Great Zhao?"

"When the late emperor was alive, they repeatedly tried to harm you. Now that the late emperor is gone, who do you think will protect you, Lord Xu?"

Xu You's expression changed.

"Whether Xu Gongxin believes it or not, the first thing Yuan Shang will do after ascending the throne is to place you in a nominal position like one of the Three Dukes. At that time, Xu Gongxin's status will naturally be noble, but without any real power, won't you be a lamb to the slaughter?"

Xu You's eyelids twitched: "They shouldn't..."

"Lord Xu, don't forget what the Three Dukes are. Especially considering that the Great Zhao inherited the system from the Later Han, the Three Dukes must be role models of their time, and they cannot afford to make even the slightest mistake."

"But what Xu Gong did before... Ha, if Yuan Shang and the others really wanted to kill you, it would only take a word, and they wouldn't have to worry about public opinion!"

Xu You frowned: "What exactly does Your Highness intend to do?"

"Change the imperial edict and make me the emperor!"

Xu You's pupils dilated in shock!

He thought he was already incredibly audacious, but Yuan Tan's words today were absolutely earth-shattering!
To alter the will?

Even if I had the guts of a bear and the gall of a leopard, I wouldn't dare to do such a thing!
Xu You chuckled awkwardly, "Your Highness, please don't joke, Your Majesty..."

"Does Master Xu think I'm joking?"

Although Yuan Tan looked somewhat haggard and his eyes still had some color in them, his resolute expression clearly indicated that it was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Xu You then said solemnly, "Since that's the case, I will refuse!"

Everything requires a balance. Xu You's conclusion after weighing the options was that Yuan Shang's situation was basically a sure win! And Yuan Tan hadn't even gotten a damn thing!

The army, the army was wiped out.

The power, the power was eliminated.

Xu You saw absolutely no hope that Yuan Tan could win!

Although what Yuan Shang said was terrible, it is even more terrible to follow Yuan Tan down the same dark path now!
Yuan Tan also noticed Xu You's concerns.

"Is Master Xu thinking that I have no chance of winning at present?"

Tranquility equals acknowledgment.

"There are still some."

"Does Your Highness rely on Guo Tu?"

Xu You shook his head.

Guo Tu is in the same situation as me, and even more so because Guo Tu basically doesn't cultivate his reputation and influence.

"Chunyu Qiong!"

"Who?"

Xu You was first puzzled, then astonished!
"And high-ranking officials too!"

"..."

"And—Liu Miao!"

"Who?"

Xu You suspected that Yuan Tan had completely gone mad.

Liu Miao is now eager to swallow the whole world whole and make all the land Han territory. How could he possibly support Yuan Tan's ascension to the throne?
If you, Yuan Tan, were to ascend the throne, wouldn't that mean you could rightfully take over the Zhao state as the eldest son of the Yuan family? And then fight to the death with those powerful families of Hebei and Yuan Shang...

……

Xu You suddenly realized that it seemed to actually work!
Chunyu Qiong committed the murder of Yuan Chunqing, causing a great disaster! What's more, he actually took the initiative to retreat, all the way to Hanoi!

It was only because Yuan Shao was already in decline at that time that the first person he would have investigated would have been Chunyu Qiong, not Shen Pei and others who leaked the information!
Now, besides Yuan Tan, who is desperate, who else can tolerate Chunyu Qiong?

Yuan Shang?

Don't be ridiculous. Even if Chunyu Qiong hadn't done this, just based on his terrifying qualifications and the fact that he already held military power, he deserved to die!

leftover.

Gao Gan, Governor of Bingzhou.

As Yuan Shao's nephew, Gao Gan had been in charge of Bingzhou for several years.

But if Yuan Shang were to take power and allow those Hebei soldiers to take charge, would they accept Gao Gan, an "outsider," controlling a quarter of the territory of Northern Zhao? Controlling Bingzhou, which could threaten Ye City at any time?
Moreover, if Xu You remembered correctly, Yuan Shao promised to hand over Jinyang to Luan Ti Huchuquan as the Chanyu's court in order to get the Southern Xiongnu to send troops...

Logically and emotionally, the future Zhao court would not allow Gao Gan to continue controlling Bingzhou. If Yuan Tan were to extend an olive branch to Gao Gan at this time, would Gao Gan refuse for the sake of power?

and also,

And then there's Liu Miao, who completely turned Hebei into a mess.

After the war between Han and Zhao, the Northern Zhao was essentially crippled, and the momentum of the Han Dynasty to regain control of the world seemed unstoppable.

However, Xu You knew that the Han Dynasty had secretly started trading again and was buying goods from Hebei!
This shows that the Han Dynasty has actually reached its limit.

In particular, with Yuan Shao dying on the battlefield, this move would greatly incite the resistance of the people and soldiers of Zhao. It is unlikely that Liu Miao could, at least not within this year, swallow up Hebei.

After this battle, Liu Miao will certainly need to recuperate.

At this point, would Liu Miao prefer to see a united Zhao state, or a divided or even hostile Zhao state?

Xu You looked at Yuan Tan again, and this time his gaze became somewhat strange.

Things... don't seem to be hopeless?
(End of this chapter)