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

Chapter 303 As majestic as the Wei Emperor, his influence extends to all corners of Muye!
On the banks of the Yi River, a nine-tiered platform was built, with black banners arrayed and black armor like a forest.

The "Gongsun" banner fluttered in the wind.

Gongsun Zan, wearing a sword and shoes, stepped onto the platform with the royal seal hanging at his waist. Below him stood a thousand armored soldiers, accompanied by white horses.

Guo Jia, who had been brought in as the emcee, sang with a helpless expression.

"Now there is General Gongsun Zan, the White Horse General, who, by the mandate of Heaven, is to ascend to the throne of the King of Yan!"

Cheng Yu's face was ashen as he was led forward to carry the crown.

Zan raised his head, donned his crown, placed his left hand on the royal seal at his waist, and raised his right hand, holding a precious sword to the sky, and loudly proclaimed the imperial edict:
"In the past, Emperor Gaozu drew his sword to slay the white snake and pacified the four seas; Emperor Guangwu shook the Yuntai Terrace and restored the Han dynasty."

For generations, the dynasty has prospered and brought peace to the people. After four hundred years, we have achieved what we have today.

Unfortunately, the emperor was corrupt, the eunuchs misled the country, Dong Zhuo seized power, and the Central Plains were in turmoil, causing the people to be boiled in boiling water and roasted on hot coals.

He rose up in western Liaoning, defeated the Wuhuan and resisted the Xianbei. He once led a small army to drive back foreign tribes in the north, protect the border for thousands of miles, and pacify the country in the south.

Now, with a territory of nine hundred li from Yijing, and strong and well-trained soldiers and horses, he is poised to seize Ji and Qing, secretly harboring rebellious intentions.

He arbitrarily killed Han Fu, seized prefectures and counties, showed no regard for the law, and treated his sovereign and father like a child.

Zan repeatedly tried to restore the Han dynasty, but was thwarted by him.

They framed loyal and virtuous officials, raised an unjust army, invaded our borders, and seized control of the prefectures and counties.

The people of Youyan are moved by my determination to protect our territory, and the righteous men of Yan and Zhao remember my heart to restore the Han dynasty. Together they have elected me as the King of Yan.

Zan dared not overstep his bounds and declined the offer three times.

In truth, the Han dynasty was on the verge of collapse. If there was no ruler in the north, Shao would surely seize the opportunity to rise up, covet the imperial throne, and overthrow the dynasty.

Therefore, I temporarily accepted the mandate of heaven, proclaimed myself king, and established the title of king, in order to command the troops of You and Yan, to quell the wolfish ambitions of Shao, to protect the people of this region, and to sweep away the wicked!

This edict is submitted to Heaven and Earth above, and reaches Luoyang below:
I shall be the ruler of the North!

Heaven bears witness, and the white horse serves as a mirror; Zan's resolve shines as bright as the sun and moon.

This edict is hereby issued to the entire realm, so that all may know of it.

After the edict was read, the shouts of the ten thousand riders below the platform shook the sky and reached the heavens!

"Heaven is my witness, and the white horse is my proof!"

"Where righteousness leads, life and death shall suffice!"

The oaths of the White Horse Cavalry, mingled with the shouts of "Long live the King of Yan!" from the people, resounded across the Yi River and pierced the clouds.

Gongsun Zan stood on the altar, looking at the endless camps and the gleaming black armor in all directions, and felt a great sense of satisfaction.

"Though I die now, my name will be recorded in history!"

Not long after, at Yuan Shao's front-line camp.

Inside the military tent, the candlelight flickered. Shao sat in the main seat, seeking advice from the wise men to discuss strategies for defeating Yijing.

Suddenly, an armored soldier rushed into the tent and urgently reported:
"Reporting to the General!"

A letter arrived from Gongsun Zan.

Yuan Shao was surprised to hear this. He couldn't understand why Gongsun Zan could still be exchanging letters with him after the war had progressed to this point.
They couldn't possibly be hiding in Yijing until they could no longer escape, knowing that dragging things out would only lead to their death, so they were intimidated by their 300,000-strong army and decided to surrender by letter, could they?

Although he felt that the possibility of his guess was unlikely, Yuan Shao still took the letter from the armored soldier and unfolded it to read.

The imperial edict read:

[The decree of the King of Yan is hereby promulgated to Shao, which reads:]
You are born of a lowly concubine, a bastard of vulgarity!
They used their false power and authority to seize control of the prefectures and counties.

Born of humble origins, he secretly stole prestigious titles and power; his crimes are too numerous to mention!
In the past, when Han Fu was in charge of Jizhou, he protected the land and ensured the safety of the people, and he did not commit any crimes of immorality.

Shao coveted the fertile lands and forcibly seized the territory of Jizhou, using fabricated words to silence public criticism.

Since taking control of Ji, he has acted without imperial edicts or decrees, arbitrarily raising troops and launching wanton attacks.

They invaded and annexed lands to the west, disturbed the Qing region to the east, coveted Luoyang to the south, and invaded the Yan territory to the north.

Wherever they went, people were displaced and their bones were left exposed in the wilderness.

Using the guise of "supporting the Han" to actually pursue "conquest of hegemony," his wolfish ambitions are obvious to everyone!

They imposed heavy taxes and levies, exhausted resources, and treated the people like dirt.

They forced Han Fu to his death, formed cliques and attacked those who disagreed with them, and treated the emperor with contempt, as if he were a child.

His words and deeds were tyrannical, and his conquests were excessive, revealing his immoral heart and incurring the wrath of the entire land.

If such disloyal, unfilial, unkind, and unjust people are not eliminated, they will continue to be a threat to the Han Dynasty and may even become the root of disaster for the world!

Now I, in my humble position, inherit the great mandate, establish my homeland in Yan, guard the northern border to protect the nation's destiny, and bring peace to the people and the world.

This edict is hereby issued, ordering Shao to cease his rebellion:
"Immediately cease hostilities, withdraw all troops that have invaded Yan, return the occupied territories, and release those who are imprisoned!"

You have three days to bind your hands and feet and go to Yandu, where you will submit, kneel on the ground, and beg for forgiveness.

I hope you will repent and I will spare your life!

If you remain obstinate and stubbornly resist, I will personally lead six armies southward to exterminate your traitorous party and wipe out your three clans.

To rectify the world's order and fulfill the hopes of the people!

After reading the edict, Yuan Shao's face was ashen, his eyes fierce, and he gritted his teeth!
"Gongsun Bogui, you shameless scoundrel, how dare you build an altar and start a sacrifice, and declare yourself king?"

The tent fell silent for a moment, then erupted in uproar.

Yuan Shao slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, gritting his teeth and saying with hatred:
“You are just a minor official in Liaoxi, who has become famous in the border region by relying on your brute strength. You are a lowly and vulgar warrior. Your ancestors had no merits and you yourself have no virtue. Yet you dare to say that I have usurped the position of governor of the prefecture.”
You killed Liu Yu to gain control of Youzhou back then, and in just a few short years, have you already forgotten it all?
And you even said I drove Han Fu to his death? Han Fu judged me with a petty mind and committed suicide. What does that have to do with Shao?
Having been repeatedly defeated by me, these stray dogs who have lost their homes still dare to overstep their bounds and claim to be king?

He's really courting death!

Do you expect me to submit, kneel down, and beg for forgiveness?
It’s simply the most ridiculous thing in the world!
Someone come!

Now, Shao should declare himself King of Wei, issue a royal decree, and march north to attack Yan!

Ju Shou, holding his tablet, offered his advice.

"My lord, please calm your anger."

Gongsun Zan was besieged in Yijing, with few soldiers and scarce supplies. His declaration of kingship at this time was merely a bluff to win over the hearts of the people.

His actions have already angered the masses. General, you can use this opportunity to issue a proclamation to the world, denouncing his disloyalty. Then we can rise up in righteousness to punish him, with a just cause and in accordance with the law, and we will be victorious.

Never act rashly in the heat of the moment to declare yourself king, lest you find yourself in an unjust position. If you do so, your loved ones will grieve, your enemies will rejoice, and you will fulfill Gongsun Zan's desires.

If one cries "Stop thief!" as a thief, and issues a proclamation to the world in the name of righteousness, calling for an alliance of the nine provinces to jointly attack the lord, it will only create obstacles and cause one to lose the reputation of righteousness.

"

Before he could finish speaking, Guo Tu, who had joined the others because of Yuan Shao's visit to the front-line camp, interrupted him with a cold laugh.

"Ju Gong was overly cautious and lacked ambition."

Righteousness? In this world, the Han dynasty is on the verge of collapse; where is the name of righteousness?

The former ruler was king, but now Zan is king. Why is that?

When the Han dynasty lost its mandate, the whole world scrambled for it!

Today, the world is in ruins, the land is in turmoil, and there are no more lords who can unite to fight against one person.

Yuan Shu's neighbors were Cao Cao and Lü Bu, yet he had no fear of them and dared to declare himself king.

Gongsun's neighbor is none other than my lord!

They fought against the enemy, hence they also called themselves kings.

If our lord were to claim the title of King of Wei, the neighboring feudal lords, apart from Gongsun, would be none other than Cao and Lü.

Cao Cao was repeatedly defeated by strategy and lived in fear in Luoyang, unable to sleep peacefully for even a night.

Lü Bu was fickle and capricious, commanding tens of thousands of troops in a mere province.

"I rule over Ji, Qing, You, and Bing, commanding a million troops. What do I have to fear from the world?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao nodded in satisfaction, "It has been a long time since I last saw Lord Guo, and his words are very much to my liking."

Since Gonglu claimed the title of king, and Zan followed suit, it seems that soon there will be many kings in the world.

If we do not establish our great name now, it will be undesirable if others claim the title of king in the future.

My mind is made up; I shall now proclaim it.

"Our lord should be called Emperor of Wei!!!" Before Yuan Shao could finish speaking, Guo Tu interrupted, saying:
"Since our lord has no fear of the world, why should he be controlled by Luoyang and Huainan?"

His might was like that of the Wei Emperor, who ruled over all of Muye!
"Now I shall ascend the throne and declare myself Emperor, to set the record straight for the world!"

Yuan Shao: "Huh???"

Ju Shou: "You brat!!!"
You scoundrels, stop spouting nonsense that will ruin the country!

Even now, the Great Han Dynasty still has a holy emperor in court, and has not lost the hearts of the people.

How could someone as short-sighted as you possibly comprehend the legitimacy of a four-hundred-year-old orthodoxy?
To declare oneself king is already an extraordinary act, but now we are forced to do so.

How dare you spread falsehoods and mislead the masses here, using childish schemes to bewitch my lord?

"Guo Gongze! Do you intend to destroy the hegemonic ambitions of Hebei in a single day?"

Ju Shou seemed afraid that Yuan Shao might act rashly and believe Guo Tu's nonsense, truly believing that he was destined for greatness and had nothing to fear from the world.

He became emotional and spoke repeatedly.

"My lord, you mustn't!"

Never believe the words of petty people.

"We must thoroughly investigate Guo Tu now, for I fear he has been lured by the allure of the Golden Terrace and has become a spy for our schemes, solely to ruin our lord's great cause!"

However, upon seeing Ju Shou's earnest yet aggressive words, Guo Tu suddenly burst into laughter.

"What Ju Gong said is very true. To declare oneself king is an extraordinary act, and one that must be done out of necessity."

As he spoke, he cupped his hands and addressed Yuan Shao, saying:
"Lord Ju has already agreed."

"My lord, you may now declare yourself king."

Yuan Shao: "."

He then nodded and said:

"What you gentlemen say is very true!"

In these extraordinary times, we must do extraordinary things.

"Becoming king was not my intention; I was forced to do it."

With Guo Tu leading the way, the Henan faction he represented all offered their congratulations.

And what about the Hebei faction?
Ju Shou was so worried that Yuan Shao would make a mistake and declare himself emperor that he inadvertently gave Guo Tu an opening to argue, and at this point he could no longer refute him.

They had no choice but to bow and pay their respects. With his agreement, the Hebei faction members also bowed in unison.

Therefore, all the wise men in the camp praised this move as "good" and treated Yuan Shao with the courtesy due to the King of Wei.

Upon seeing this, Yuan Shao clapped his hands and laughed.

"it is good!

Guo Gong arranged for me to set up an altar and declare myself king, and Ju Gong drafted the edict for me and issued it to Gongsun!

He must surrender to preserve his life!

Upon seeing this, all the ministers requested permission to lead the expedition, saying that they would capture Yijing within a day and night, seize the King of Yan, and present him before the king.

Feng Ji advised him, saying:
“Reporting to my king.”

Gongsun Zan's establishment of Yan is truly a godsend.

After declaring himself king, he should issue a proclamation to all the feudal lords, then unite his forces to march north, raze Yijing to the ground, and take Gongsun Zan's head to intimidate the world!

"That's wrong! Speed ​​is of the essence in war!"
How can we allow such trivial matters to delay and give Gongsun Zan a chance to regroup?

Ju Shou immediately refuted him, saying, "My lord should openly prepare for the matters of declaring himself king and issuing proclamations, while secretly leading a large army north to attack them unprepared and take them by surprise."

"The capture of Yijing will be imminent."

Seeing the high morale of the troops inside the tent, Yuan Shao's expression softened slightly. He put his hands behind his back, looked at Xu You, and asked him with a smile.

"I recently ordered Ziyuan to prepare three thousand heavily armored cavalry. Now that the three-month deadline has arrived, the northward march to annihilate Gongsun Zan is imminent."

But I wonder, what of Ziyuan's heavy armor?

Upon hearing this, Xu You looked down at everyone with arrogance.

"The number of armored soldiers that our lord saw at the training ground that day has now reached three thousand!"
What you see is what you get. If it differs even slightly from the armor that my lord examined that day, please behead Youzhi; I will have no complaints.

Xu You outwardly spoke eloquently, but inwardly thought: "The armor must be the same heavy armor you saw during the drills that day."

Whether it was the "Yellow Turbans at Sea" or the heavy armor used by Yuan Shu's troops, that's irrelevant.

"Three thousand?"

Yuan Shao recalled the day they sparred at the training ground, when the two sides charged head-on and the battle was almost one-sided.

He then took Xu You's hand and smiled with satisfaction.

"Now that we have Ziyuan's plan, taking Youzhou will be as easy as turning our hands!"

A few days later, Yuan Shao's camp was preparing to declare himself king while continuing to lead his army north.

At the same time, he issued a proclamation to the world, saying that Gongsun Zan was arrogant and wicked, and had declared himself king. He, Yuan Shao, should follow the White Horse Alliance, become emperor, and execute this rebellious minister to appease the world.

Meanwhile, Gongsun Zan had led his true elite troops and the best of Youzhou to flee to Beiping, ready to decide whether to escape to the sea depending on the situation.

Before departing, he asked his generals:
"Now that Shao's power is great, I should temporarily avoid his sharp edge."

Who dares to defend Yijing for me, blocking Shao's northward advance?

Zhao Yun, known for his loyalty and righteousness, immediately stepped forward.

“When Yun was serving under the King of Han, he regarded the 130,000 bandits of Liang as nothing more than weeds.”

What is there to fear now?
I am willing to defend Yijing for the Prince of Yan to repel the enemy forces.

Gongsun Zan: "." (Scratching his head)
Once Yijing falls and the Youzhou affair fails, I will have to flee to Huainan by boat.

Zilong, you adopted son of the King of Han, if you stay here, won't my future also be tied to this?
Fortunately, after Zhao Yun spoke, the room fell silent, and Gongsun Zan did not utter a word in response.

Fortunately, Yan Tong, a general under Gongsun Zan, had good judgment and greeted him with clasped hands:

"Your Majesty's journey is fraught with uncertainty. I have heard that the Yellow Turbans have been plundering the seas. To ensure your safety, you will need Zilong to protect you."

Zhao Yun: “???”

No, General Yan, you're overthinking it. I can assure you, no one will rob us!
Because I am the Yellow Turban of the Sea!
Including my comrades, General Jiang Qin and General Gan Ning, they are all here, ensuring the safety of the Prince of Yan.

But this was actually an unspoken understanding, and he couldn't openly tell everyone that the Yellow Turbans at sea were actually people sent by the King of Han to impersonate others.

Wouldn't this tarnish the reputation of the King of Han among the feudal lords?

He was momentarily speechless, and before he could think of an explanation, Yan Tong composed himself and bowed deeply.

“In the past, during the defeat at Jieqiao, my elder brother Yan Gang sacrificed his life to protect the king and his righteous path.”

Now that I, Tong, have been able to see the general become king, I can see my elder brother in the afterlife.

I am willing to lead my old and weak soldiers to defend the Yijing defense line, kill the traitor Shao's henchmen, fight to the death, and protect the general's path until my dying breath!

Yan Tong!
well."

Gongsun Zan was moved by his loyalty and righteousness. His eyes reddened slightly, and he stood up, took his hand, and whispered something in his ear.

"You all rose up with me in Liaoxi, fought side by side through life and death, battled the Wuhuan, defeated the Xianbei, and resisted Yuan Shao, and that is how we have achieved what we have today."

We are not brothers, but we are closer than brothers. How can I bear to see you die for me?
If it comes to the last moment, you may lead your people to surrender to Shao.

This overwhelming force is beyond our control; it is not a fault of our fighting spirit, and I will not blame you.

Upon hearing this, Yan Tong gripped Gongsun Zan's hand tightly, tears streaming down her face.

After arranging everything in Yijing, Gongsun Zan led his elite troops, fine horses, baggage, gold, and silver to Beiping to secure an invincible position.

After Yuan Shao declared himself King of Wei, he surprisingly discovered that Gongsun Zan's previously difficult defensive line had become much easier to breach.

He easily reached the banks of the Yi River, and Yijing was in sight.

Shao was astonished and said to the crowd:
"This destiny rests with Wei!"

"I regret not becoming king sooner!"

(End of this chapter)