Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 226 Could it be that Yuan Gonglu is truly a loyal and virtuous man of the Han Dynasty?
The city walls of Xiangyang stand firm on the land of Jingzhou, unmoved and steadfast, as they have been for thousands of years and remain so today.

The city walls were engulfed in flames, a scene of carnage where heads rolled and people fled in panic.

Below the city, a raging flood raged, corpses fell from the city walls into the water, and the blood of the entire city rolled eastward, making boats float on the river and forming a river of blood.

Wen Ping was defeated, Huang Zhong surrendered, Xing Daorong surrendered, and Sun Quan surrendered.
From the moment they faced Yuan's army, the Jingzhou soldiers never heard any good news. Any general they placed their hopes on and elevated to a pedestal only disappointed them time and time again, even to the point of despair.

Today, Xiangyang is flooded. When Yuan's army comes down the river, their fire ships illuminate half of the city and the sky above Xiangyang.

These lads of Jingzhou, the last bastions of Liu Biao's defense against Yuan Shu, how could they possibly have the will to fight and dare to oppose Yuan's army?

They were utterly dejected and devoid of any fighting spirit, filled with fear, panic, and utter despair.

The troops that met Yuan's army in Xiangyang were no longer the most elite soldiers under Liu Biao's command.

Right now, they are nothing more than a group of lambs to the slaughter, brandishing weapons and feigning composure.

The city fell very quickly. Xiangyang had already fallen almost as soon as General Cai had crossed the three-foot-deep floodwaters on horseback and arrived at the city gate.

This largest city in Jingzhou, a fortified city, stockpiled countless weapons and provisions, with well-trained soldiers and ample supplies. Even if it were just an isolated city, it could hold out for months or even years as the capital of Jingzhou. Yet, it fell with virtually no resistance.

With the floodwaters inundating an army of 100,000, and the city of Man'an filled with water, what could the Jingzhou soldiers, who were almost terrified of Yuan Shao, possibly offer to resist this army that had repeatedly defeated the military gods they worshipped?
From Wen Pin to Huang Zhong, and even Xing Daorong and Sun Quan, they did take up arms to resist, but were met with disappointment time and time again.

Since resistance was pointless, and since the blood of 100,000 men had already been used to atone for Yuan Gong's name outside the city, they had no choice but to accept it.

Whether they surrendered or fled, Yuan Shu easily had Xing Daorong incorporate these Xiangyang garrison troops. Then, guided by them, he led his army in a light boat towards the governor's mansion inside the city.

On the way, they ran into Cai Mao, who was struggling to cross the river on horseback.

To his astonishment, a nobleman dressed in white dragon robes arrived by boat, and Cai Mao hurriedly bowed to him on horseback.

"Cai Mao, the naval commander of Jingzhou, pays his respects to Lord Yuan."

"It was General Cai in person?"

Seeing Cai Mao's disheveled appearance, soaked to the bone, Yuan Shu laughed.

"What? General Cai, isn't it a bit too late to be thinking about coming to defend the city now?"

As he spoke, he waved his hand, about to give the order, "Where is my son, Bo Fu? Kill this belated last garrison commander of Jingzhou in my stead, to complete the victory."

"Your child is here!"

Sun Ce stepped forward from the ship, saying, "I will obey my father's orders."

what?
Upon hearing that Yuan Gong would kill him upon meeting him, Cai Mao panicked. Why was this not how he expected things to turn out?
correct!

He himself was planning to come out and surrender, but Lord Yuan didn't know that.

Before I could even open the city gates, they had already broken in. Seeing how hurriedly I was rushing to the city gates, they thought I was busy defending the city.

This is a huge misunderstanding!

Seeing that Sun Ce had already thrust his spear at him, how could Cai Mao dare to take the hit?
Hao Mang cried out for mercy, "Young Master Bo Fu, spare my life! Lord Yuan, you've misunderstood!"
Mao has long admired Lord Yuan, but though he cannot be there in person, he yearns for him. He wishes he could serve Lord Yuan by his side, become his adopted son, assist in his great cause, and follow Lord Yuan faithfully until death!
My loyal heart is as clear as the sun and moon, and heaven and earth bear witness. With unwavering loyalty, I secretly fled the governor's mansion to open the city gates for Yuan Gong and welcome the royal army.

Cai Mao shouted and dodged, "Young Master Bofu, I am one of our own. Please don't accidentally hurt our friendly forces. Show mercy!"

After Cai Mao finished speaking, not only were others speechless, but even Yuan Shu himself was speechless.

Well, another one has come to pay respects to their godfather.

What do you take this place for? A garbage dump? We don't just accept anyone!

On the bright side, this also shows that Lord Yuan of Huainan has won the hearts of the people, and everyone is vying to be his godfather.

Thinking of Xing Daorong, who had just been rejected, she felt that if she kept rejecting people like this, it would discourage those who were loyal to her, but she couldn't accept them all.

This cannot continue. After a moment's thought, Yuan Shu said to him:

"There's no rush to adopt a son. There are just too many people who want to become adopted recently. I've decided to conduct an evaluation of the candidates for adoptive son every now and then."

You can ask General Xing about the specific details of accumulating merits later; I just told him.

After you sign up to become General Xing's godfather, you'll receive a merit book just like General Xing's. Then you can help each other out and speed up the accumulation of merits.

In short, only the one among you who accumulates the maximum merit points first will be qualified to acknowledge me as your godfather.

Yes, let's throw away a piece of the pie as a candidate for godfather and give him a hand.

It's not only convenient, but also competitive and stressful, which can motivate people.

Very good. From now on, if there are any more of these messy people who want to have a godfather, just throw them all in and let them try to find a godfather.

Yuan Shu was quite satisfied with his plan, but Cai Mao was taken aback upon hearing it!
what?
So Xing Daorong wasn't Yuan Gong's adopted son after all?

After all that, he's just a candidate for adopted son, similar to me, in the process of accumulating merits.

Although Cai Mao only half understood what he was hearing, there was one thing he understood perfectly.

The current opportunity presents a great chance to achieve great things!

Perhaps if he accumulates merit quickly, he, Cai, can catch up and surpass Xing Daorong to become his sworn brother.

Cai Mao immediately envisioned all the benefits of becoming Yuan Gong's adopted son, and his mind was filled with enthusiasm.

He raised his hand, bowed to Yuan Shu, and said loudly.

"Lord Yuan, please be wise!"
If that's the case, then Mao has come here with a great service to offer to Lord Yuan.

He then recounted in detail to Yuan Shu the events that had occurred between the Jingzhou officials and Liu Biao in the council hall of Xiangyang.

After recounting the previous events, Cai Mao went a step further and continued speaking.

"Lord Yuan, everyone is now willing to surrender, but it is difficult to save face. If you can save face, then all the officials of Jingzhou will welcome you with food and drink."

With the help of the masses, it will be much easier and more convenient to issue proclamations to pacify the remaining six prefectures, take over the affairs of Jingzhou, and provide relief to disaster victims.

The nine prefectures of Jingzhou and Xiangyang have surrendered entirely. Now that Lord Yuan has arrived, we welcome him with open arms.

After listening to Cai Mao's explanation, Yuan Shu couldn't help but sneer.

"Liu Biao of Jingzhou would rather die than surrender?"

"A mere skeleton in a tomb, captured by me in no time, dares to spout such nonsense?"

I never knew Liu Jingsheng possessed such ambition, courage, and fierce resolve.

Upon seeing this, Cai Mao hurriedly tried to dissuade him, "My lord, Liu Jingzhou..."

Yuan Shu: "."

He looked up at the guy who, without batting an eye, had become his subject, and gave him a perfunctory smile.

"Alright, I understand what Cai Qing means."

Regardless of whether Liu Jingsheng is real or fake, given his arrogance as a scholar, if we ignore him, even if he doesn't want to die, he will be burdened by his reputation and forced to a dead end.

If he dies, it will be tantamount to forcing the officials of Jingzhou to die for their principles.

If things really develop this way, it's going to be quite troublesome.

After all, Shu wasn't a bad person. His arrival in Jingzhou and Xiangyang severely damaged the reputation of the Han imperial family and his officials—a situation that was far from pleasant to hear.

He paused, then looked at Cai Mao meaningfully, "Cai Qing, tell me, if they are all loyal and righteous men who would die for their country, what would I become?"

Are they rebels who hold military power and control their own territories?
Hmm?

"Of course not. Our lord is a loyal and virtuous man of the Han Dynasty, and everyone knows that he is devoted to the country."

Liu Jingsheng's actions of defaming and demonizing you, my lord, are utterly intolerable!

While saying this, Cai Mao's eyes couldn't help but sneak glances towards the outside of the city.

What do you mean you're not a bad person? The 100,000 soldiers outside the city are still soaking in the water.

As if noticing his expression, Yuan Shu's icy voice boomed in his ears like thunder.

"What is Cai Qing thinking about?"

"Nothing!"

However, without him even asking, Yuan Shu took the initiative to explain.

"The flood outside the city was not what I wanted."

This was merely Liu Ziyang's scheme; he truly did not know the tactics.

Cai Mao: "."

With his lord's hints so obvious, Cai Mao naturally knew what to do and immediately patted his chest, expressing his resentment.

"Mao believes that Liu Ziyang's behavior is truly hateful, ruining the reputation of our lord, and is simply outrageous!"
"Rest assured, my lord, I will make this matter public upon my return, letting the people of the nine counties of Jingzhou know who harmed them, and I will make sure Liu Ziyang gets away with it!"

Yuan Shu patted Cai Mao on the shoulder to show his closeness.

“Very good. I feel at ease having a local expert like Cai Qing handle things like this.”

"I would gladly die to aid this great cause!"

Liu Ye: "."

Hey, I'm still here. Can't you two keep your voices down when you're plotting something?

I'm heartbroken, truly heartbroken. Cao Gong, when Ye came, you didn't mention being an undercover agent, yet you're being condemned by everyone and indignant to the people!
It's too hard to survive in Yuan Shao's camp; I want to go back to Cao Cao's camp.

Xiangyang, the main hall for deliberation.

When Cai Mao bid farewell to Lord Yuan, received his mission, and returned here again...

He was no longer the commander of the Jingzhou navy under Liu Biao, but a candidate for the noble adopted son of Yuan Gong.

Looking at the hall, the officials wept from night till dawn, and from dawn till night again. The crowd was in a chaotic state, pulling and tugging at each other, seemingly on the verge of death.

Cai Mao cleared his throat and called out loudly:
"The General has issued an edict. Why has your guilty subject Liu Biao not stepped forward to receive it?"

In an instant, the once noisy and chaotic hall fell silent, and everyone looked at him with disbelief.

Cai Mao, oblivious to his surroundings, continued reading aloud:
"By the mandate of Heaven, the Grand General decrees:"
I have heard that Heaven and Earth are clear and just, existing neither for Yao nor for Jie; those who follow them prosper, and those who oppose them perish.

The duty of a subject is to be loyal to the emperor, protect the country, safeguard the territory, and ensure the safety of the people.

Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, is now immoral and treacherous, arousing the wrath of both heaven and man. Even if all the bamboo of the Southern Mountains were used to record his crimes, they would not be enough; even if the waves of the Eastern Sea were used to wash away his evil deeds, they would not be enough.

As a member of the imperial clan, at a time when the world was in disarray and the Han Dynasty was in decline, he did not think of supporting the state and protecting the ancestral temples, nor did he perform any righteous deeds to serve the king.

He controlled nine prefectures in Jingzhou and Xiangyang, indulging in pleasure and disregarding the safety of his ancestral temples and the plight of the common people.

The extravagant military campaigns and frequent forced labor led to widespread suffering and starvation.

Due to years of neglect and lack of maintenance, the Han River overflowed, causing widespread devastation.

The people are suffering terribly, and their livelihood is in ruins; this is all Liu Biao's fault.

】

The people of Jingzhou: "."

Liu Biao: "???"

"This is outrageous! It's utterly unreasonable!!!"

Liu Biao's face turned red with anger, and he forcefully shook off the crowd.

"My lords, do not stop me any longer!"
Is it due to disrepair or lack of waterproofing?
Is it because I indulged in pleasure that the people of Jingzhou are now living in misery?

Yuan Gonglu, you've gone too far! You're not a human being!
My lords, please do not stop me any longer. I am a member of the Liu family of the Han Dynasty, and I would rather die than surrender.

Even if I die today, I will never let him get away with it. Remember this, Yuan Gonglu is the one who killed me!

The officials of Jingzhou: "."

Just when everyone was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to stop him or not, and Liu Biao seemed to be heading down a dead end due to his reputation, Cai Mao continued to read aloud.

"Although Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, held Jingzhou, he appointed his own officials, established his own armed forces, isolated himself from the court, cut off communication with the outside world, carved out a territory, and despised the emperor. He was nominally a Han subject, but in reality, he harbored rebellious intentions, divided his territory, and committed heinous acts. His wolfish ambitions were blatantly obvious."

When everyone heard this, they felt a strange sense of familiarity. General Yuan, are you sure this isn't about yourself?

What followed quickly made everyone's expressions even more peculiar.

Everyone fell silent, except for Cai Mao's righteous and stern pronouncement of the imperial edict, which resonated deeply.

"However, our great Han still has a holy emperor in court, whose benevolence and kindness shine like the sun and moon."

The emperor, mindful of the memorial's status as a member of the Han imperial family, could not bear to execute him.

Now, by special imperial decree, Liu Biao is ordered to immediately go to Luoyang to meet the Emperor and plead guilty.

If they sincerely repent, the emperor will forgive and forget their past transgressions.

I still believe he is worthy of important responsibilities, and have appointed him as Grand Tutor, but I cannot know for sure what will happen.

I urge you to repent of your past mistakes, diligently perform your duties, repay the Emperor's grace, and not disappoint my expectations.

This edict, issued by both the Emperor and the Emperor himself, elicited indescribable strange expressions from everyone present.

So our Han Dynasty now has two emperors, right? And you two are on very good terms, getting together to discuss how to deal with Liu Biao, huh?

You say the emperor will forgive and forget, and he will? And even appoint him Grand Tutor?
Good heavens, after all this fighting, our lord has actually been promoted! Shouldn't we thank you?
When everyone listened to this edict, which was so obviously fake except for the seal of the Imperial Seal,...

"The sun is shining brightly!
Deceiving too much!

Even Cao Mengde's edicts, which allowed him to control the emperor and command the feudal lords, were not treated so lightly.

"No ruler, no father, no law!!"

Liu Biao angrily cursed the traitors, but Cai Mao, who had just finished reading the imperial edict, had already slowly walked to his side.

"My lord, accept the decree and express your gratitude."

The general has something he wants me to tell you:
"If you die now, it will be a wasted death. Whether you exist or not, the other lords will all rise up against him. This is the inevitable trend of the times, and it cannot be changed by the survival of one person."

On the contrary, you can only do meaningful things and help those who truly need help if you are alive.

The Han dynasty's illness is fundamentally flawed. Instead of competing with him for rotten fruit from the tree, you should go to Luoyang, be by the emperor's side, and assist him in treating the root of the problem.

Upon hearing this, Liu Biao frowned in confusion.

Could Yuan Shu really be a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty, judging from his tone and manner?

But how could that be?!

(End of this chapter)