I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 61 Liu Miao was still an honest and kind man!
Chen Yu gave Zhou Yu boats so that he could cross the Huai River and head north.

When Zhou Yu arrived at Yuan Shu's camp with the imperial tally, he saw the same scene that Chen Yu had witnessed that day.

Their military discipline is deteriorating, and they have absolutely no semblance of a strong military!

If Yuan Shu's army hadn't been so powerful, Zhou Yu would have doubted that he could have crossed the Huai River and taken control of Huainan!

Yuan Shu's central command tent remained as luxurious as ever.

Standing before this luxurious camp, Zhou Yu thought of the refugees he had encountered along the way, and of Liu Miao's shabby camp at Ruxukou, and sighed again.

Chief Clerk Yang Hong came out to greet him. Upon seeing Zhou Yu's dignified appearance, he immediately praised him, saying, "I have long heard of the name of Zhou Yu of Jiangdong! When your father, Zhou Zhong, served as the Grand Minister of Agriculture, I visited his residence to pay him a visit, so we have some acquaintance."

Yuan Shu and his officials held scholars in high esteem.

Zhou Yu's great-grandfather Zhou Jing and great-uncle Zhou Zhong both held the official positions of Grand Commandant and were among the Three Dukes, so he deserved their courtesy.

But Zhou Yu sighed inwardly once again.

If Yuan Shu and his civil and military officials had treated the people in the same way, they probably wouldn't have been driven from Nanyang to Huainan.

Zhou Yu returned the greeting with a cupped hand, but then instructed Yang Hong to announce his arrival.

"I have come here on a very important matter. I request that the General come out of the camp."

"Ok?"

Yang Hong looked surprised, clearly thinking that Zhou Yu was taking advantage of him and didn't know his own limitations.

Considering Zhou Yu's family background, it was already generous of Yuan Shu to meet Zhou Yu once, yet Zhou Yu actually wanted Yuan Shu to come out and meet him in person.

Zhou Yu spoke very loudly on purpose, so that not only Yang Hong, but also the surrounding officers and soldiers heard him and ridiculed him, saying, "Now, who dares to make the General of the Rear personally come to greet them?"

Seeing that Yuan Shu had no intention of coming out, Zhou Yu took a rosewood knee box from the guards behind him, knelt down, and shouted loudly:

"This humble citizen, Zhou Yu, has come to pay my respects to the General of the Rear on the orders of Liu Miao and Liu Zhongshan, the Marquis of Yangdu and Prefect of Jiujiang!"

"When Governor Liu was on the Longshu River, he saw a yellow croaker with a swollen belly. He threw it aside to take a closer look and discovered that it was actually the Imperial Seal of the State that had gone missing in Luoyang!"

"Now that I have heard that General Hou has come to Huainan, I have been specially ordered to hand over the Imperial Seal to General Hou, so that he can return it to the Emperor and stabilize the country!"

After saying this, Zhou Yu opened the lacquer box and held the Imperial Seal of the State high above his head to show it as a vital national treasure!
It is pure white all over, four inches in diameter, with five dragons intertwined on the top knob... What else could it be but the Imperial Seal of the State?
Originally, Chief Clerk Yang Hong was standing steadily in front of Zhou Yu, intending to take advantage of him. But upon seeing the Imperial Seal, he immediately stepped aside and then hurriedly knelt down on the ground!
When the generals Zhang Xun, Qiao Rui, Chang Nu, and Ji Ling heard what Zhou Yu was holding, they immediately prostrated themselves on the ground!
The national jade seal!

It represents the majesty of the emperor!

Compared to the treatment Liu Miao gave it, where it was tossed around at will, or even thrown into a dog hole, the Imperial Seal of the State at this time undoubtedly truly demonstrated the prestige it deserved as a vital national treasure!
Zhou Yu held the lacquer box high, knowing that he had completed most of his mission.

Firstly, a loud voice would announce to the world that Liu Miao had indeed handed over the Imperial Seal to Yuan Shu, thus preventing people from focusing their attention on Liu Miao in the future.

Secondly, the fabrication of the story of the seal hidden in the belly of a fish was intended to whitewash Sun Jian's motives for secretly keeping the seal, preventing people from pointing fingers at the Sun family and thinking that Sun Jian had rebellious intentions.

Thirdly, it was made clear that Liu Miao's intentions were not to give the imperial seal to Yuan Shu, but to have Yuan Shu deliver it to the emperor. Therefore, whether the imperial seal could return to the emperor was none of Liu Miao's business.

In just a few words, Liu Miao was completely absolved of all responsibility!

However, what puzzled Zhou Yu was why Liu Miao repeatedly urged him to publicly state that the purpose of returning the imperial seal was not to hand it over directly to Yuan Shu, but to have him return it to the emperor on his behalf.

Could it be that... with Yuan Shu's current power, he still dares to declare himself emperor?

Zhou Yu immediately dismissed this absurd idea. Although he looked down on Yuan Shu, he didn't think Yuan Shu was a fool to dare to defy the world and become the instigator.

Yuan Gonglu, who came from a family of four generations of high-ranking officials, surely understood this principle, right?

Just as Zhou Yu's mind was in turmoil, the curtain of the tent in front of him... moved!
A pale arm emerged from behind the curtain, and a gold ring on the thumb, inlaid with precious red onyx, gleamed in the sunlight.

Then, a magnificent black robe embroidered with coiled dragon patterns in red and gold thread appeared, and Yuan Shu's slightly thin, skeletal figure also appeared before the generals.

"Meet the rear general!"

The generals shouted in unison, but Yuan Shu surprisingly did not respond.

His entire attention was drawn to the lacquer box Zhou Yu was holding, leaving him no time to notice anything else!
He cautiously stepped forward, and upon seeing the Imperial Seal of the State inside the box, Yuan Shu's nostrils twitched uncontrollably!

Reaching out, Yuan Shu unabashedly grabbed the Imperial Seal of the State, covering the entire seal with his palm!
He slowly picked it up, and seeing the sacred luster shimmering on the surface of the Imperial Seal, Yuan Shu was almost moved to tears!

Yuan Shu certainly didn't believe the story about the seal hidden in the fish's belly!

But none of that matters!
The important thing is that the Imperial Seal of the State is now in his hands! In Yuan Shu's hands!
Yuan Shu's heart was pounding so hard he could hear it himself.

The moment Yuan Shu grasped the Imperial Seal, he recalled an ancient prophecy—

The one who replaced the Han dynasty was Gao of Dangtu!

What is meant by "Tu Gao"? Opinions have varied throughout history.

But now that the Imperial Seal of the State has been delivered right before his eyes, even Yuan Shu couldn't help but wonder: "Am I truly destined by Heaven?"

Yuan Shu held the imperial seal so tightly that he was reluctant to put it back into the lacquer box!

He bent down and looked at Zhou Yu's face: "Did Liu Miao ask you to deliver this?"

"Exactly!"

Why did he give it to me?

Whether Zhou Yu had anticipated this or had simply spent a long time by Liu Miao's side, he immediately lied without batting an eye.

"It is only because the General of the Rear is insightful and resourceful, his resourcefulness is inexhaustible, his morale remains high despite the losses of his troops, he is not confused in times of crisis, and he makes decisive decisions in the face of events without any regrets. There has never been anyone like him in recent history!"

"General Hou will surely be able to restore the Han Dynasty, return the imperial power to the emperor, and support the nation to assist Your Majesty!"

Since his defeat by Cao Cao, Yuan Shu had only been happy twice.

One such instance was the arrival of Chen Yu.

Another instance is Zhou Yu's current offering.

And both times, it was because of the same person!

For a moment, even Yuan Shu couldn't help but express his heartfelt feelings—

"Liu Miao and Liu Zhongshan are truly loyal and honest ministers!"

"If it weren't for the Huai River separating us, I would gladly go to him right now and become sworn brothers with him!!!"

(End of this chapter)