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

Chapter 266 Please, Grand Tutor, take swift action to eliminate Cao!
This is the cause of reviving the Han dynasty, and the great cause that the imperial party should strive for.
Upon hearing Yuan San's words, Liu Yao was slightly taken aback!

Suddenly, he realized that his previous difficulties and worries seemed unnecessary. Just as Yuan San said, he was going to eliminate the traitor Cao and assist the government, not to secretly collude with the rebel Yuan.

So what if everyone finds out? Even if someone is foolish enough to confront the emperor and expose their forged edict, so what!

I, Liu Gong, have a heart devoted to the country and its people. The reason I am doing this is to eliminate the traitor Cao Cao, return power to the emperor, and restore the Han Dynasty.

Did the emperor not want to kill Cao and eliminate the traitor? It was only because he did not want internal strife in the court that he temporarily endured it and pretended to be friendly with Cao.

I merely said what the emperor wanted to say but couldn't say, and conveyed the emperor's wishes, which he wanted to do but couldn't issue, to his faction in a different form.

Is what I have done not in line with the will of the imperial party?
What I plan and think, is it not the great cause of reviving the Han Dynasty?
Thinking of this, Liu Yao realized how treacherous Yuan Ying's plan was.

As long as he acts according to the plan devised by Yuan Ying, he will not arouse suspicion or be discovered to be colluding with Yuan.

On the contrary, everything he does next is in line with his status as the leader of the Imperial Party!
Even if the imperial faction truly discovers that the forged edict is fake, they will likely go along with it and treat it as real to eliminate Cao.

He could even use this to establish himself as a loyal and virtuous man who did not do this for his own benefit, but to return power to the emperor and to restore the Han dynasty.

As for forging imperial edicts and clothing? That was merely a small operational tactic in the grand undertaking of restoring the Han dynasty.

My lifelong loyalty to the Han dynasty is solely to eliminate traitors for the country. My mere methods are not worth mentioning.

How could Yuan Shu be so wicked?
The more Liu Yao thought about it, the more he felt that following Yuan Shu's arrangements would be entirely beneficial.

If we can truly gather the strength of the masses, we can eliminate the traitor Cao and restore order to the court without triggering large-scale internal strife.

Even if the emperor finds out later, he probably won't blame him. He might even cooperate with him to keep a consistent story and greatly appreciate this veteran minister who served the country.

But the more Liu Yao tried to think the best of everything, the more he felt that something was wrong.
Logically speaking, this shouldn't be the case. Yuan Shu both threatened me and meticulously planned this scheme.

But if this plan succeeds, the final result will be to eliminate the traitor Cao Cao and restore the Han Dynasty.

This doesn't make sense at all, does it?
What was Yuan Shu trying to achieve by going to all this trouble? Surely he wasn't a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty, working for the cause of restoring the Han?

Although he couldn't understand Yuan Shu's true intentions, he was currently being coerced by Yuan San and clearly had no right to refuse.

Since it was something that would benefit him anyway, Liu Yao decided not to refuse.

He silently accepted the imperial edict, only emphasizing one sentence again:
"Just this once, never happen again."

Yuan San readily agreed, and Liu Yao then secretly sent Yuan San away. To keep the news secret, he also disposed of all the servants in the mansion who had seen Yuan San that night.

After that, Liu Yao would enter the palace every few days in the name of Grand Tutor to request an audience with the emperor, mainly to teach him the classics.

During this period, Cao Ren and Guan Yu both led their troops far away to guard the two passes, while Liu Bei, together with Wen Pin, established a new army in Xiyuan.

With the assistance of Zhang Fei and Mi Heng, he summoned a group of generals personally appointed by the emperor, including Zhong Ji and Wang Zifu, and drilled his troops every day, seemingly preparing for the great cause of eliminating Yuan Shikai the following year.

However, given the current strength of the Han Dynasty, establishing a new army of 50,000 men is clearly not something that can be done overnight. In a short period of time, let alone training and disciplining a group of civilians.

Even though he recruited soldiers in the name of the imperial court, he only managed to gather less than 10,000 able-bodied men, most of whom were greenhorns who didn't even know how to form ranks. It was still a long way off before they could truly possess any fighting ability.

Cao Cao, on the other hand, fell into an eerie silence. After Cao Ren left, he seemed to no longer trust even his closest confidant, Xun Yu.

Some even speculate that he was terrified by the day when the ministers executed Cao Cao, and therefore now he only receives the ministers in a heavily guarded secret room every day.

Moreover, only one person was seen at a time, and all the ministers of Cao Cao's camp who came out of the secret room kept silent about what happened inside.

Fortunately, apart from becoming mysterious, he hasn't made any other unusual moves during this time, which put everyone at ease.

The only difference is that recently, the number of times Cao Cao's men have left the city has far exceeded that of the past, and they never return. They even deliberately evade investigation, so no one knows where these men from Cao Cao's camp have gone.

Thus, the situation in Luoyang City maintained a delicate balance in this strange atmosphere.

The emperor's party had 10,000 troops guarding the palace, while Cao Cao had 20,000 troops guarding the palace in Luoyang. Outside the city, there were 20,000 troops from Jingzhou guarding Luoyang.

They threaten and restrain each other, as if neither wants to break the balance.

One day, Liu Yao came out of the palace after meeting the emperor. Seeing that the situation in Luoyang was stable, he thought to himself that the time was ripe.

If this is delayed any longer, Yuan San might think he is being passive and things could change.

Therefore, he invited Prince Fu to his residence that night to talk, saying that he had important matters to discuss.

At this time, Liu Yao was the leader of the imperial faction. Given his status, it was perfectly reasonable for him to secretly meet with Han loyalists in the middle of the night to discuss important matters.

Therefore, Prince Fu went there almost without hesitation, even overnight.

Before long, he arrived at Liu Yao's residence, where servants led him to the study.

Unexpectedly, just outside the study door, he faintly heard sobbing. When he pushed the door open, he saw Liu Yao weeping with tears streaming down his face, hunched over his desk.

Prince Fu was greatly surprised and hurriedly asked him the reason.

Liu Yao naturally knew by heart the secrets Yuan San had given him: how to meet the emperor, what the emperor should say, how the emperor bestowed the jade belt, and how he discovered the edict in the middle of the night.

Wang Zifu saw that he described the events so vividly and in such detail as if he had experienced them firsthand, how could he not believe him?
Moreover, given Prince Fu's understanding of the emperor, those words did indeed sound like something the emperor would say.

Given the current emperor's personality, if things really came to that, he would indeed have done something like writing a blood oath or issuing an imperial edict in his clothing.

The only thing that puzzled Prince Fu was: Why did it have to come to this?

"Although there is currently a struggle between the two factions in the court, with the help of Taishi and Liu Huangshu, the situation is much better than before."

"Your Majesty, this is not all!"

Liu Yao, of course, had already prepared a response in mind, and replied:

"It is all because we are complacent with the status quo and think we have the upper hand, but in fact we have long been taken advantage of by Cao Cao without realizing it."

Zifu, could it be that you have been blinded by the current peace and tranquility, and really think that the traitor Cao Cao is someone who will not resist and will sit and wait for death?
Cao Cao was a ruthless and ambitious man!
During this period, he frequently met secretly with Cao Cao's ministers, imparting confidential information and making many arrangements that were unknown to others, while we were completely unaware of them.

Perhaps the situation has already deteriorated without anyone realizing it, and the eunuchs and palace maids around His Majesty have already been taken over by the traitor Cao.

Cao Cao is only pretending to maintain a stable situation. He is just waiting for him to finish his preparations so that he can launch a thunderous attack on us who are completely unprepared!
Therefore, Your Majesty had no choice but to resort to this inferior measure, sending the edict through a hidden belt.

"Zifu, don't forget, the Cao family's ancestors rose to power through the ranks of eunuchs, and they certainly have some murky connections with them."

"What! A eunuch!!!"

Damn it, it's those cysticercosis worms again!

When the topic of eunuchs came up, Wang Zifu immediately turned pale, because for scholars at that time, opposing eunuchs was also politically correct.

Cao Cao! The eunuch! Two traitors they hated to the core had come together. How could Prince Fu not be furious?
Taking advantage of the momentum, Liu Yao handed over a cut jade belt and a blood-written imperial edict.

I have heard that among the great human relationships, the relationship between father and son comes first; among the distinctions between superior and inferior, the relationship between ruler and subject is of utmost importance.

】

Prince Fu read the imperial edict repeatedly, his face already wet with tears.

"Your Majesty! We are incompetent, indulging in the comfort of the present moment and thinking that the situation is excellent."

Unbeknownst to us, you have once again found yourself in grave danger and urgently await our rescue.

Prince Fu placed the imperial edict on the table and hurriedly asked Liu Yao about his plan to destroy Cao Cao.

"Grand Tutor, my ancestors have served the Han dynasty for generations. How could I not be loyal? If you have a good plan to destroy Cao Cao, please tell me!"

"Let us jointly punish the traitors of the nation, even unto death!" "Your heart is a great blessing to the nation!"

Liu Yao nodded slightly. Following Yuan San's instructions, he took out the imperial edict from the belt and turned it over.

"If things are not kept secret, harm will result."

"Now we shall jointly sign a pledge of righteousness, each sacrificing three generations of our families, to repay the Han emperor."

The two of them wrote their names and painted characters together, and only then did Liu Yao speak.

"Such a momentous matter, with only the two of us here, is unlikely to be accomplished."

In my observation, General Zhong Ji, Wu Zilan, and Consultant Wu Shuo are all loyal and virtuous officials of the Han Dynasty, and may be suitable to work together with them.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zifu was overjoyed, "Wu Zilan and the others are my closest friends, and they will surely be of one mind with me!"

"Please wait a few days, Grand Tutor, and I will surely persuade them one by one."

A few days later, with Prince Fu, who was close to them, persuading them, and with Liu Yao, the leader of the Emperor's faction and Grand Tutor, endorsing them, how could Zhong Ji and others not believe it?
That night, Prince Fu led everyone to Liu Yao's residence, whereupon Liu Yao took out an imperial edict from his sleeve and showed it to everyone.

Several people read the imperial edict, tears streaming down their faces, expressing their determination to restore the Han dynasty.

Taking advantage of the situation, Liu Yao asked each of them to sign their names and seals. He then instructed them to continue contacting reliable friends to join him in launching an uprising and strengthening their forces.

Everyone agreed and offered their own recommendations.

So they contacted each other's downlines, and friends told each other about their friends. Liu Yao's business grew bigger and bigger, and the number of people involved increased day by day. The names on the back of the imperial edict were already densely packed.

On this day, everyone gathered at Liu Yao's residence as usual to discuss the matter of destroying Cao Cao.

To be honest, Liu Yao felt a chill run down his spine watching the crowds coming and going in the mansion every night.

He never imagined that this lousy plan given by Yuan San could turn into such a big success.

Logically speaking, such a large commotion should have been noticed by Cao Cao's camp long ago, and the two sides should have already started fighting.

But no one knew what Cao Cao was waiting for. He continued to hide in his secret room every day, meeting with his ministers in his camp, seemingly indifferent to the movements of Liu Yao.

This unspoken silence, like the calm before a storm, only made Liu Yao feel increasingly pressured.

In particular, dealing with this group of hungry and loyal Han Chinese men in the mansion every day was becoming increasingly difficult for him, simply because:
"Let's get started, Grand Tutor Liu. I think we have enough people already."

"That's right, Grand Tutor, when will we eliminate the traitors and restore the Han Dynasty?"

Yes, yes.

Everyone says that you gathered us together because you had already thought of a plan that would not cause internal strife or weaken the court, but would still eliminate the traitor Cao.

You always said the time wasn't right, but now that we have so many people with us, can we finally say it?

"If you ask me, why bother with any strategy? With so many of us and the momentum of the times, let's just crush them in the name of righteousness!"

"When the ruler commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die. If Cao Cao refuses to commit suicide, he is essentially admitting to being a traitor to the state."

With a hundred or so people, there are all sorts of people, and when faced with such a large crowd, they shout out strange and absurd theories.

Liu Yao appeared calm on the surface, but his clothes were already soaked through.

What kind of plan did he have to destroy Cao Cao?

The plan in front of him was taught by Yuan San, but the problem is that Yuan San only taught him the first half of the plan. What should I do in the second half?

I'd love to know a plan to easily eliminate Cao Cao without internal strife or self-inflicted damage!
Fortunately, just as Liu Yao was about to speak when he was being interrogated, but didn't know how to begin, news came that General Dong Cheng had come to visit.

Liu Yao was overjoyed, "This is also a righteous man who will restore the Han dynasty, I should welcome him."

Liu Yao immediately went out of the hall to greet and invite Dong Cheng inside. When Dong Cheng entered, he was shocked to see so many people crammed into the small, secret room of the mansion!
This thing is even more lively than a court assembly!
Dong Cheng angrily rebuked him, "Very well, no wonder the Emperor suddenly said:"
I've recently heard that there's been quite a bit of activity at the Grand Tutor's residence. What could be the reason?

So he ordered Cheng to come and investigate, and as it turns out, he was surprised to find out what he had just witnessed!

As Dong Cheng spoke, he drew his sword and angrily pointed it at Liu Yao.

"Is Liu Gong gathering his ministers in an attempt to rebel?"

As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was in an uproar!

Everyone stared at Liu Yao with disbelief!

Grand Tutor! Didn't you tell us that this was the Emperor's will?

What's going on here? Doesn't the Emperor know anything about this?

At this moment, pressure was placed on Liu Yao, with the eyes of the court officials and Dong Cheng's sword at his side!
In that instant, Liu Yao felt that he was only one step away from being utterly disgraced, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

In an instant, under dire circumstances and with the will to survive pressing in, Liu Yao felt a flash of inspiration!

He said to Dong Cheng in a serious tone:

"Master Dong, it's a misunderstanding!"

You did not understand His Majesty's meaning.

His Majesty must have noticed my prolonged inaction, and the treacherous Cao Cao's actions were pressing him further, thus prompting Lord Dong to come here and find me, in order to urge progress.”

Dong Cheng: ? ? ?
Seeing Dong Cheng's confusion, Liu Yao quickly examined the edict hidden in his belt and repeated the same explanation he had given to everyone.

Dong Cheng did not believe him and rebuked him.

"Nonsense! If that were truly the case, why doesn't Your Majesty simply state it?"

"You fart!"

To Dong Cheng's surprise, Liu Yao was even more agitated than he was.

"Imagine if the eunuchs beside His Majesty were secretly controlled by Cao Cao, and their lives were in Cao Cao's hands."

If we speak out, Cao Cao will immediately fight to the death. Your Majesty's life hangs by a thread. How can we speak out then?

Now that things have come to this, let alone the eunuchs in the palace, even our own troops within the palace may have been unknowingly infiltrated by the traitor Cao.

Dong Cheng sneered and was about to retort when he suddenly froze.

He murmured, “Recently, there have indeed been people from Cao Cao’s camp in the palace who have been contacting eunuchs, but I have stopped them.”

Xu Huang also told me the day before yesterday that he discovered that one of his captains had accepted bribes from Cao Cao's camp and had been killed by him as a warning to others.

Could these incidents not be isolated cases, and the situation have deteriorated to this extent without anyone realizing it?

Dong Cheng spoke with deep disbelief.

"But how is that possible?"
I didn't notice anything amiss with His Majesty, nor did I ever see him appear tense about the situation.

If it is truly as you say, how could we be completely unaware of such a situation?

Liu Yao: "!!!"

There is a play!

(End of this chapter)